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CAROLINA HURRICANES

NEWS CLIPPINGS • October 18, 2018

Canes assign Necas, Fleury to Checkers

By Chip Alexander

The Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday assigned center Martin Necas and defenseman Haydn Fleury to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, a move that will allow both more playing time.

The Canes also recalled forward Clark Bishop from the Checkers.

For Necas, the assignment to Charlotte came one day after the Czech center scored his first NHL goal in the Canes’ 4-2 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Necas, Carolina’s first-round draft pick in 2017, played in the Canes’ first seven games, but without a lot of ice time.

Fleury has played in just one game this season for the Canes, who have been carrying seven defensemen on the roster.

Fleury appeared in 67 games for the Canes last season but the addition of Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan created a numbers game that was problematic for Fleury., who was a healthy scratch in six games.

It’s the first recall for Bishop, 22, who has a goal and three assists in the Checkers’ first four games and had a strong performance in the Canes’ preseason training camp. Bishop was fifth-round draft pick the Canes in 2014.

Canes place Di Giuseppe on waivers

By Chip Alexander

The Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday placed forward Phil Di Giuseppe on NHL waivers.

If left unclaimed by any NHL team by noon Thursday, Di Giuseppe will be assigned to the Charlotte Checkers, the Canes’ AHL affiliate.

Di Giuseppe has played in two games this season -- against the New York Rangers and Vancouver -- and did not have a goal or assist.

The Canes signed Di Giuseppe to a one-year NHL contract in June that pays him $750,000 this season. He played in a career-high 49 games for the Canes last season, with five goals and eight assists, and was sixth on the team in hits (88).

Here is the good and bad from the Hurricanes’ 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning

By Chip Alexander

The plus and the minus from the Carolina Hurricanes’ 4-2 road loss Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

PLUS

Micheal Ferland: It has been a very good start for the forward, who has four goal. He is a nice fit on a line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Ferland, who brings toughness to the lineup, can skate, is a good passer and scored the Canes’ first goal on a sharp backhander after an Aho steal.

Had Ferland finished off a well-executed rush into the zone in the third with Aho and Teravainen, it would have tied the score. He didn’t as Tampa Bay goalie Louis Domingue, in his first start of the season, made yet another big save for the Bolts.

Five-on-five: Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour says he has no problem with the Canes’ five-on-five play. The power play? Six-on-five quickly has become an issue but not five-on-five.

“All year it’s been solid,” Brind’Amour said Tuesday after the Canes outshot the Lightning 29-23 at even strength. The Canes have outscored opponents 20-11 in five-on-five play this season.

Martin Necas: For the Czech center, the game offered some good and bad. The rookie scored his first NHL goal in the second period although hardly how he probably imagined: unleashing a one-timer off the rush, then having the thrust of the shot send him sliding face-first across the ice. But he’ll take it.

Had Necas not taken a holding penalty in a third that led to Tampa Bay’s winning goal, it would have been a most memorable night. But the 19-year-old still has much to learn. He’ll have other memorable nights.

MINUS

Power play: The Canes had 11 shots on four power plays Tuesday and got nothing out of them. Instead, Tyler Johnson, who had a hat trick and again was a Canes-killer, scored the Bolts’ first goal shorthanded for a 1-1 tie.

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Brind’Amour said with the Canes 28th in the NHL on the power play (8.0 percent) changes might have to be made to the units but said, “You can’t just change things to change things. Everyone has all the answers. Trust me, I hear about it every day. But you have to put your best players out there and they have to execute.”

Backup blues: The Canes have had a tendency the past few years of turning the other team’s backup goalie into one of the game’s three stars. Part of that is the goalie playing well and with extra motivation. Part of it is shot selection and execution by the Canes.

In the last two games of the road trip, Laurent Brossoit of the Winnipeg Jets (42 saves) and then Domingue (38 saves) denied the Canes. Two backups, two regulation victories for the other guys, no points for the Hurricanes.

Penalty kill: The Lightning had one power play, generated two shots and converted the winning goal. Yanni Gourde scored from the low slot after Canes defenseman Calvin de Haan fanned on a clearing attempt behind the net.

The Canes are last in the NHL on the penalty kill at 63.6 percent. After a scheduled day off Wednesday, practices Thursday and Friday should have a sustained special-teams focus.

Hurricanes may have found both a No. 1 center and a top line

Trio of Sebastian Aho centering Teuvo Teravainen and Micheal Ferland has been hot to start 2018-19

By: Cory Lavalette

Outside of the perennial questions surrounding the goaltending, there was no bigger concern coming into the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2018-19 season opener than the team’s depth at center.

The team took another blow — or, ahem, cut — when one of its two experienced centers, Victor Rask, was lost indefinitely after requiring surgery following a kitchen accident involving a sweet potato, a knife and some bad luck.

That left veteran Jordan Staal as Carolina’s only experienced NHL center. Rookies Martin Necas — he of one game of North American experience — and AHL standout Lucas Wallmark were set to man the bottom two slots in the middle, and third-year pro Sebastian Aho was thrown into the fire to see if he was ready for a full-time move to center.

Less than two weeks later, the Hurricanes seem to have not only found the answer on Aho’s ability to play center, but the team may finally have a real first line.

Heading into Tuesday’s game at Tampa Bay, Aho ranked tied for third in NHL scoring with 11 points and tied with Chicago captain Jonathan Toews for second in even-strength points with nine, with both trailing only red-hot Auston Matthews (11).

“His play coming right into camp, he just looked like a different player,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Tuesday morning. “That year of maturity … another offseason behind him to train and just grow into his body a little bit. He looks a little bit like he’s a different man than he was last year.”

Not that last year’s version Aho, or even the rookie installment from 2016-17, was a disappointment.

After a first season in which he had 25 goals and 29 assists, Aho followed it up last year by leading Carolina in scoring with 65 points, including 29 goals. He did that despite taking 16 games to register his first goal last year — an issue he also had as a rookie when he took 13 games to find the net.

With added responsibility at center, Aho didn’t wait until the second week of November to get his first goal as he had the previous two seasons.

“He got a goal early. That just kind of alleviated all that ‘no goals in October’ thing and freed him up,” Brind’Amour said.

Further helping Aho’s transition is his chemistry with linemate and countryman Teuvo Teravainen. The Finnish duo spent most of last season together and finished 1-2 in team scoring, with Teravainen leading Carolina with a career-high 41 assists and also personal bests for goals (23) and points (64).

With just one goal through the six games (an empty-net power play goal in the 8-5 win over the Rangers Oct. 7), Teravainen is still in search of his scoring touch, but the 24-year-old Finn has five assists and is a plus-5.

The newcomer to the line is power forward Micheal Ferland. Ferland — acquired from the Calgary Flames, along with Dougie Hamilton, at this summer’s NHL Draft — brings size and snarl to complement his Finnish linemates’ style and dazzle.

“He’s just a big body out there,” Aho said of the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Ferland. “He creates so much space on the ice. And, you know, he can make some plays. I think he’s way more skilled than people think he is.”

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Ferland is off to a good start himself, with three goals and three assists through the weekend. But beyond the numbers, Ferland provides a much-needed physicality to a team that has lacked it most of the time in recent seasons.

“Being hard on their D and going hard to the net, taking the D-man to the net, try to create room for them,” Ferland said of his role in creating space for his linemates.

And if anyone should take liberties with the Hurricanes’ undersized stars?

“They know I’m out there for them to help them out if they ever need that,” he added.

Most impressively, perhaps, is the Hurricanes as a whole don’t seem satisfied with their 4-1-1 start, with Brind’Amour’s constant reminder that the team has much to improve on trickling down and out of his players’ mouth.

“I think we can still be a lot better,” Teravainen said. “I‘m not happy with how we’re playing, but it’s a good start still.”

Hurricanes recall Bishop, assign Necas and Fleury to AHL

Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has recalled forward Clark Bishop from Charlotte (AHL) and assigned forward Martin Necas and defenseman Haydn Fleury to the Checkers.

Bishop, 22, has posted three points (1g, 2a) in four AHL games this season. The St. John’s, N.L., native is in his third professional season and has recorded 37 points (10g, 27a) in 114 career AHL games. Selected by the Hurricanes in the fifth round (127th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft, Bishop played four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for Cape Breton from 2012-16, tallying 129 points (57g, 72a) in 202 games.

Necas, 19, has recorded two points (1g, 1a) in seven games with Carolina this season. The 6’2”, 189-pound forward registered his first NHL assist vs. NY Rangers on Oct. 7 and scored his first NHL goal at Tampa Bay on Oct. 16. Necas spent the majority of the 2017-18 season with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga, where he posted 17 points (9g,

8a) in 24 games. Selected by the Hurricanes in the first round (12th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, Necas made his NHL debut on Oct. 17, 2017 at Edmonton.

Fleury, 22, has appeared in one game this season for Carolina. The 6’3”, 208-pound defenseman recorded eight assists in 67 NHL games with the Hurricanes and two points (1g, 1a) in three AHL games with Charlotte during the 2017-18 season. Fleury has registered 29 points (9g, 20a) in 73 career AHL games, all with the Checkers. The Carlyle, Sask., native was selected by the Hurricanes in the first round (seventh overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

The Hurricanes return home from a three-game road trip on Saturday, Oct. 20 against the Colorado Avalanche at PNC Arena.

Hurricanes Place Di Giuseppe on Waivers

Forward can be assigned to Charlotte if he clears

by Michael Smith

The Carolina Hurricanes today placed forward Phil Di Giuseppe on waivers.

If Di Giuseppe clears waivers on Thursday at noon, the Hurricanes can assign him to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League at any point in the next 30 days

(as long as he does not play in 10 or more games during that stretch).

It's a move that, above all, gives the Hurricanes roster flexibility in the upcoming weeks.

Di Giuseppe, 25, has played in two games with the Hurricanes this season and has recorded one shot and four penalty minutes. A second-round draft pick in 2012, Di Giuseppe has totaled 37 points (13g, 24a) in 128 NHL games with the Hurricanes since 2015.

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Plan Ahead for State Fair Game on Saturday

Arrive early to avoid traffic, save on parking

by Michael Smith

For the first time since 2002, the Carolina Hurricanes will host a home game during the N.C. State Fair when they face off with the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday at 1 p.m.

There are a number of reasons why you should attend the game - let's start with the fact that this Canes team is playing fun hockey and currenly ranks first in the Metropolitan Division - but here's a rundown of everything going on Saturday, including a few incentives to arrive early at PNC Arena in order to avoid fair traffic.

$40 Lower-Level Seats

If you've been to the State Fair this year (or plan on going before Saturday), bring your ticket to PNC Arena's box office to receive $40 lower-level tickets to Saturday's game. This special is available through puck drop.

$10 General Parking

Arrive at PNC Arena before 11 a.m. on Saturday and pay just $10 to park in all general arena parking lots, a 50 percent discount on normal rates. Parking lots open at 8:30 a.m., and arena doors open at 11:30 a.m.

Hurricanes Homegrown Series

The Hurricanes Homegrown Series returns for its third year to showcase the best our local community has to offer in t-shirts, food, beer, art and music. This Homegrown Series game features an Asheville T-Shirt Co. t-shirt, a free poster designed by local artist David Eichenberger and live music from Four Founders. The in-house, signature entrée and dessert is a Carolina burger and a red velvet cupcake, and flights of Foothills Brewing beverages will be available.

South Plaza Party

Fans can enjoy live music, food and beverage, inflatables, the Canes mobile tour, outdoor games and more on the South Plaza in front of PNC Arena. The fun begins at 10 a.m., 90 minutes prior to doors opening.

State Fair Admission Discount

After the Hurricanes game, all fans in attendance can present their game ticket (print or mobile) at any of the State Fair box office locations to receive a 40 percent discount off fair admission on Saturday.

About Last Night: Special teams derail strong effort

For the second game in a row, the Canes played well against a Stanley Cup contender on the road, only to be done in by poor special teams play.

By Andrew Schnittker

Despite another strong performance on the road, the Carolina Hurricanes dropped their second game in a row Tuesday night in a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The small skid is nothing to be concerned about, as both games were against Stanley Cup contenders. There are, however a few things that need to be cleaned up.

Let’s take a look at some key takeaways from Tuesday’s game.

Special teams sink Canes again

Special teams nearly cost the Canes two points against Minnesota Saturday. They cost the team at least one point in both this game and the loss to the Jets.

The Canes finished 0 for 4 on the power play and 0 for 1 on the penalty kill, with the Lightning’s game-winning goal coming on a third-period power play.

The Canes are now 2 for 25 on the power play and have allowed eight power-play goals on 22 opposing opportunities on the season. That has to change. The Canes are piling up quality chances, but as hard as it is to score 5 on 5, the power play has to get going.

Fortunately, there are pieces in place for both more success on the power play, with puck moving, shooting defensemen and skilled forwards, and on the penalty kill.

The team needs to figure it out soon though, and can’t afford to be losing points on special teams.

Necas scores first NHL goal

The only Canes rookie not to have scored his first NHL goal got on the board Tuesday, as Martin Necas finished off a sweet goal from fellow rookie Warren Foegele.

Necas had gotten off to a bit of a slow start through the first six games, and if he can get it going down the middle, it would be a big boost for the Canes.

Ferland was a good pickup

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Micheal Ferland has been a perfect compliment to Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen on the top line, with the size to drive the net and create space for the Finnish duo, and the skill to finish off the plays they make. He demonstrated that with a nice finish on his first-period goal.

Ferland is now tied for the team lead with four goals, and deserves some credit for Aho’s red-hot start.

Mrazek strong in loss again

Petr Mrazek has really deserved a better fate in each of the last two games. He stopped 24 of 27 shots Tuesday night, several of them of the highlight reel variety. There really was nothing he could have done on any of the Lightning’s goals.

If the Canes can continue to get this kind of play from Mrazek and clean up their special teams play, they should be in good shape going forward.

Niclas Wallin: “I hit a wall. I don’t wish that even on my worst enemy.”

The former Hurricanes defenseman and Stanley Cup champion tells a Swedish newspaper about the concussion that ended his career and how he is getting better day by day.

By KatariinaRasku

You know what? I’m really tired of reading about concussions.

When I open a newspaper, I want to read that Luleå won. I don’t want to see an article about a nasty hit, or similar. That’s only frightening. The concussion talk has become such a chatter. It is what it is, and I understand it has to be. But it has gained too much focus. I don’t want to tell a story, if it drives the youth away from the ice hockey rinks. It just became the way it is.

This is Niclas Wallin, who doesn’t want to scare the youth into leaving the hockey rinks. He’s a Stanley Cup winner and a former defenseman star. More specifically, he’s a player whose career ended prematurely on the basis of concussions.

After the 2011-12 season, Yelverton Tegner, the former doctor of the Luleå Hockey Club, presented a paper to Wallin. What was written on the paper? “It was the end of my career.

“Right now, I think that life is good. I have a job that I like, and all of the people close to me are doing well. Sometimes the sun shines, sometimes it doesn’t. But for me, everything’s as good as ever. If things don’t get worse than this, it’s going to be great,” says Wallin.

Photographer Petra Älvstrand’s pictures show Wallin on his new job.

“We’re building a brand new psychiatric ward at Sunderby hospital. We’re going to be here in 27 months, and 23 months remain. We have a lot to look forward to. We’re young guys and gals in the mix with older folks. It’s very nice.”

One thing has had to take a back seat after his [hockey] career.

“For training today? I go walking. I’m outside a lot, go out to a forest, take hikes, and things like that. But I’m not working at a gym, not doing a bench press, like before. That stuff doesn’t exist.”

There’s certainly an explanation for this. Yes, the concussions - exactly.

“I’ve chosen not to give a lot of public comment on the matter. How am I today? It goes up and down, but it can be controlled.”

Wallin says that he can still be sensitive to sounds and light.

“It can often lead to depression. I’ve been through that myself, too. But I’ve learned what all that entails in the long run. Let me explain. Sleeping is very important, as is nutrition. If I go to watch hockey some evening, I will notice it. The first year it was just howling in my head and my ears, if I went to a hockey game.”

Wallin doesn’t have any regrets looking back on his career.

“I couldn’t have had it any other way, than to be a part of a team and a locker room. I don’t have the technique, nor a robust split vision. I’m big and strong. I’ve taken a lot of hits. When I was involved in those, totaling a thousand games, including in junior hockey, it leads to a walloping. Whiplash injuries and the like can occur.”

The resident of Boden [Sweden, Wallin’s hometown] continues.

“I live a full, normal life today. Everything isn’t black. At the same time, I also know that the game led into my hitting a wall. I don’t wish that for even the worst enemy of mine. It was hard as shit.”

When was this?

“It was right after the season. I was looking forward to it (the season) coming to an end. I barely have any memories from my final season. You can ask anything. I know that we were damn good in the regular season, and we were a hard working team, playing tough hockey. But when it comes to the things around the hockey games and such, everything has been awfully blurry.”

Those blurred images result from the concussion that occurred in a European Trophy game in September of 2011.

“We met Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic, and I took a real ugly hit. It was a clean elbow hit on the neck. My chin was battered. I woke up at a hospital. I was unconscious for quite long.

“Then we met Växjö in [the season opener] on home ice. It felt like I had spaghetti legs the whole game. I certainly was nervous before the home game, just coming home from the U.S. and stuff. But my body never could pull it together, after that.”

Wallin goes on. “I went through a concussion or something. Then it happened again before the Christmas break, and I

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wasn’t back until February. My body just stopped functioning.”

“I wasn’t familiar with my body anymore. Not within the game, nor on ice. Mostly, it had to do with the recovery. Following one shift, I had gelled legs. It hadn’t happened to me ever before. I haven’t played Nicklas Lidström minutes, but I have, nevertheless, played a lot of PK and gotten those shifts that cause real acidic legs.

“That was the moment, when I encountered the biggest difference (compared to the past). I wasn’t able to recover. I was like: “What’s the deal, is it ever going to turn?”

After that season, Wallin had two years left on the contract with Luleå. He would have liked to continue playing, but it didn’t work out.

“Hockey-wise, I would have wanted to put two more years in. I’d lie if I said anything else. But it didn’t do. Yelverton (Tegner) signed a paper, and said that it’s the termination of my career.”

So, was that the summer you hit a wall?

”Yes, my whole life turned upside down. When you go on a pension, it just ends one day. Sure, there are other possibilities. You can do consulting, and work anyway. But, as an ice hockey player, one has been on a certain level, and has been training accordingly. The body is more accustomed to training than to resting. Then, one day, all that comes to an end. The body changes. I believe it happens to all of the sportsmen and sportswomen, likewise. Of course, there are those who can handle the situation just fine.

“I miss the feeling of winning and battle, and to be a part of a team. That’s what I miss. I don’t miss running inside a locker room only to have a job. The winning is absolutely the thing I miss the most. I’m not going to get to win anymore. I feel like it’s the biggest loss in my life.”

After his last season as an active hockey player, Wallin developed problems with one of the things considered of high importance today: sleep.

He describes how it was: “You go lay yourself down. You fall asleep and sleep for a while. Then you wake up, and cannot do it over. It feels like you would’ve slept forever, but the time

is only 1:00 a.m. How does one get rid of that problem? I was sleepless for 21 days.

“We had a real fun ending of the season with Luleå. But when I came home from that, it was like it never ended. It felt like your backpack just kept piling on. I didn’t sleep, had stomach pains, took sleeping pills, trying to catch some sleep. But I didn’t fall asleep. Then you lay there and think. That becomes a real mess in the end. It was frigging hard.”

It also led into Wallin hitting a wall.

“I hadn’t understood before, the thing with being burned out. It had never existed for me, until it happened to me. But I can say, I fully respect that the things are as they are now. I’ve been there, I have many friends who have been there. It isn’t nice.”

When this interview took place, Niclas Wallin wanted to address several times, that he’s leading a good life today. He doesn’t want to grumble needlessly. And, like mentioned before, he doesn’t want to scare the young athletes.

“I try to see the positive. I was 37, after all. I’ve gotten to win a gold medal in the Swedish league, won a Stanley Cup, lost in a Stanley Cup Final. I’ve played in nearly 90 playoff games in the NHL, and went far in the most of the playoff games. I have gotten to attend the World Championships. I’ve gotten to take part in damn everything a hockey player can dream of. Just think of those players who need to quit at 21. I see such things, and try looking at the positive side.”

You had a long career, after all.

”Yes, it was fantastic. But it isn’t so easy, but rather a poison. The body’s used to training and routines. The awareness, to what to do going onward. That part I don’t have anymore.

“But now I work and I know what to do at work. We’re a team out here. We’re 18-20 men who work in this barracks. For me, it’s my hockey, and I’m feeling really comfortable right now.

“And you know what? I haven’t ever begrudged a single second about the things that I’ve done in hockey. Even though I’ve felt like I may have done so, it’s been worth it. Every second I’ve gotten to train and be with the guys has shown that it’s worth it. It’s been so fricking fun.”

Hurricanes Assign Martin Necas and Haydn Fleury to Checkers, Recall Clark Bishop

Necas highlights a flurry of roster moves the Hurricanes made on Wednesday.

By Brett Finger and Justin Lape

The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Wednesday that they have assigned forward Martin Necas and defenseman Haydn Fleury to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. In a corresponding move, the Hurricanes have recalled forward Clark Bishop.

Necas, Carolina’s 2017 12th-overall draft pick, skated in seven regular season games with the Hurricanes this season, tallying his first two NHL points. He scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday in Tampa Bay.

Fleury has skated in just one game for the Hurricanes this season, wherein he did not record a point. He has been a health scratch six times through seven games. He played in 67 NHL games last season and recorded eight assists.

The two young players were seeing very little beneficial ice time or usage with the Hurricanes, so now they will have the opportunity to play with a very good Checkers team and get the quality and quantity of minutes that will benefit their development.

Bishop has three points (one goal, two assists) in four games with the Checkers so far this season. In hist first full season in the AHL, Bishop posted 28 points in 68 games. Checkers head coach Mike Vellucci spoke highly of the forward based on his performance during Canes Camp. “He brought it every

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single game last year...he’s competitive and he’s going to do whatever it takes to make it. His engine is always running,” said Vellucci.

This is Bishop’s first NHL call-up.

The Hurricanes press release on the moves is below. Additionally, the Hurricanes announced earlier today that forward Phil Di Giuseppe has been placed on waivers, so more roster moves could be forthcoming.

Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has recalled forward Clark Bishop from Charlotte (AHL) and assigned forward Martin Necas and defenseman Haydn Fleury to the Checkers.

Bishop, 22, has posted three points (1g, 2a) in four AHL games this season. The St. John’s, N.L., native is in his third professional season and has recorded 37 points (10g, 27a) in 114 career AHL games. Selected by the Hurricanes in the fifth round (127th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft, Bishop played four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey

League for Cape Breton from 2012-16, tallying 129 points (57g, 72a) in 202 games.

Necas, 19, has recorded two points (1g, 1a) in seven games with Carolina this season. The 6’2”, 189-pound forward registered his first NHL assist vs. NY Rangers on Oct. 7 and scored his first NHL goal at Tampa Bay on Oct. 16. Necas spent the majority of the 2017-18 season with HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga, where he posted 17 points (9g, 8a) in 24 games. Selected by the Hurricanes in the first round (12th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, Necas made his NHL debut on Oct. 17, 2017 at Edmonton.

Fleury, 22, has appeared in one game this season for Carolina. The 6’3”, 208-pound defenseman recorded eight assists in 67 NHL games with the Hurricanes and two points (1g, 1a) in three AHL games with Charlotte during the 2017-18 season. Fleury has registered 29 points (9g, 20a) in 73 career AHL games, all with the Checkers. The Carlyle, Sask., native was selected by the Hurricanes in the first round (seventh overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

What can we actually take away from the Hurricanes’ first real test?

By Sara Civian

As a general rule, 75 percent of what athletes say about their opposition on game day is meaningless. It’s the age-old “reporters feel like they have to ask, players feel like they have to answer” dance. That’s just the way it is, and you’ve heard it all before:

“We’re just focused on playing our own game.”

“Pucks on net, bodies on net, things of that nature, etc.”

And of course the obligatory answer from anyone who happens to be playing Edmonton:

“Yes, it’s true: Connor McDavid is an above average hockey player.”

Lightning backup goaltender Louis Domingue offered a subtle deviation, though, before his first start of the season against the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

“Obviously I’ve seen it,” he said of Carolina’s hot start. “…You never know how they are going to come out.”

Obviously? He’s seen it?

Lightning coach Jon Cooper was less subtle.

“They haven’t taken us by surprise. We played them two games in the preseason and they outscored us 10-2. We full-well knew what they’ve been capable of doing and they’ve carried it on to the regular season,” he said. “They have an outstanding d-core, they play the game fast. They really have a shooter’s mentality. We’re going to have to slow them down.”

He paused.

“Somehow.”

The team that sprinted through the first two rounds of last season’s playoffs had to — somehow — find a way to slow down the Canes. They’d figure it out via special teams on the way to their 4-2 win, but more on that later.

A few hours before puck drop in Tampa, I got a call from ESPN’s hockey desk, Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski. They wanted to know all about what they referred to as “hockey’s funnest team” and its “viral acclaim.”

The virally acclaimed Carolina Hurricanes? How’d we get here?

As we tried to navigate this Brave New World, it dawned on me that in the same way this team makes no sense, it actually makes perfect sense. Though the Canes (4-2-1) have cooled off a bit after a historic start, it’s still the aforementioned Brave New World. Now we just have a better idea of adjustments they’ll need to make.

Oh, and have we mentioned the losses were on the road, in a back-to-back, after a flight from Winnipeg to Tampa, against two of maybe four preseason Cup contenders? There will be tough stretches, but kicking the road trip season off with … that … stands out as one of the toughest.

What can we actually take away from a 1-2-0 road trip that served as the first real test of the Hurricanes’ season?

“It’s a learning lesson because we knew we were playing teams everyone said were (Cup contenders) at the beginning of the year, so let’s see how we fared,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I think we can at least know we can play with them. It’s a little, little margin so when you self-destruct on certain things you can’t come back. That’s going to come back to bite you against these teams.”

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Maybe the most important takeaway is that those opponents don’t brush off the Hurricanes like they might’ve in the past. Take the rest with a few grains of salt — the Canes are still leading the Metropolitan division with nine points. As always, we’ll start with the good and dip our toes into the bad.

But where will the points come from?

Aside from goaltending, the biggest offseason question mark surrounding this team was who would replace Jeff Skinner’s point production. It seemed like Sebastian Aho was on the right trajectory to do that anyways, cranking it up each season and eclipsing Skinner in 2017-18, so I’m not quite sure where the panic came from. But the answer is shaping up to be “Aho and almost everybody else.”

That’s what happens when you’re taking a league-leading 1,000,000 shots per game and averaging 3.57 goals per game. They’ve taken 294 shots on goal while the league average is 173. They’ve netted 25 goals while the league average is 17. This is the shooter’s mentality Cooper was talking about. As a particularly ballsy college player I used to cover would always say, you can’t score if you pass.

Aho (4-8—12) has continued on his seven-game point streak, and what’s more is he has a certain swagger now. That’s partly because he’s found instant chemistry with new linemate Micheal Ferland (4-3—7). Ferland has a team-leading 13 high danger chances, and they’ve generally put Aho in position to score when Ferland doesn’t finish them off.

Ferland said something no one’s been saying when I asked him about the chemistry.

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m having a lot of fun playing with my linemates,” he said. “I didn’t realize how good Turbo (Teuvo Teravainen) was. I didn’t realize how much he goes into hard areas, and he’s not afraid to get dirty. He’s feisty for his size.”

Teravainen has dished out four assists at even strength — three primary — for Ferland and Aho through seven games. He also has the one of the team’s two coveted power play goals. Maybe his “feisty” work in the dirty areas is something to subtly keep your eye on when Ferland and Aho are racking up the points.

There are four players — Aho, Ferland, Teravainen, Justin Williams — averaging at least a point per game.

Martin Necas’ first NHL goal

I think I exhaled almost as hard as he did when he scored this goal. He had to have been feeling the pressure at this point, but Brind’Amour decided to stick with him and brushed off criticism of Necas. He even put Necas out in overtime against the Wild, and has given him a total of 13:28 power play minutes. You also gotta love the effort Valentin Zykov and Warren Foegele put in on this play. Despite how sluggish the loss looked at times, there were a lot of little wins in terms of developing the younger players.

“It’s what I was waiting for for the last five years … it was always a dream,” Necas said. “I mean, it would be much sweeter to win the game and score my first goal.”

That’s the spirit.

Goaltending

The jury’s still out on the state of the Hurricanes’ goaltending, as it will be until Scott Darling returns. But the goal is to at least maintain league average. The collective save percentages of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney are .886, while league average is .907. It’s so tough for a goalie when special teams are such a … uhh … are we still calling them a work in progress?

“He’s been solid, that’s what we need out of our goaltending,” Brind’Amour said of Mrazek. “Certainly that’s not our issue.”

Either way, there’s room for improvement in net, but I say pump the brakes on legit evaluation until Darling comes back and the Hurricanes can score goals on the man advantage instead of giving them up. We can call in the experts and dive into film breakdowns around late November. For now, enjoy the juxtaposition of Mrazek’s insane body positions and McElhinney’s dad-like calmness.

Not-so-special teams

There’s no way around it: Failure to capitalize on the power play and problems on the penalty kill are outright why the Canes are losing games. They’re 2 for 25 (or 8 percent, whatever is less painful to you) on the power play — 28th in the league. One was an empty-netter. They’ve allowed eight goals on 19 penalty kills — 30th in the league.

The whole team will tell you it’s an issue, no one’s hiding from it or denying it, some will even mention how bad it is without you specifically asking.

That’s another thing to take away from this road trip — everyone’s acknowledging there’s a problem.

But what’s the solution? If you ask Brind’Amour, it’s not necessarily changing anything.

“We made changes tonight and that didn’t help,” he stood firm. “You can’t just change things to change things. Everybody has all the answers, trust me I hear about it every day. But you gotta put your best players out there and they have to execute. That’s it. We’ll keep working on it. As long as we don’t let the negative part of our game drift into our overall game, we’re going to be OK.”

Necas, who’s been out on the power play quite a bit, echoed this sentiment:

“We gotta go more to the net, keep shooting, keep shooting, it’s all about one lucky rebound or one lucky bounce then you get more confidence,” he said.

Here’s a look at the Canes’ 0-for-4 power play night against the Lightning, courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com. As Brind’Amour pointed out postgame, they did get some better looks than they have been, but you’ll see that huge green blob is in the wrong place. (Sorry to get too technical.)

Of course sometimes on the power play you just have to tip in a shot for someone else to redirect, but this clearly isn’t working for them. Maybe a few days to get out of their own heads about it and re-set some chemistry will help. Maybe not. Then maybe you switch some players in and out, like Dougie Hamilton for Justin Faulk. Don’t count on Brind’Amour to make those huge changes just yet.

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No panicking in October.

Insider Trading

On TSN’s Insider Trading, our Pierre LeBrun noted the Hurricanes are monitoring William Nylander’s contract stalemate with the Maple Leafs:

“Carolina, to me, is a team you gotta keep your eye on. Of the teams that I think have interest in Nylander, Carolina is as deep on defense as any. I think they have five top-four defensemen. If it ever goes down this road, and there’s a lot of ‘ifs,’ a guy they could have interest in is Brett Pesce. He’s a young top-four defenseman with a cap-friendly deal.”

It’s been a running joke since the Maple Leafs signed John Tavares that they’re going to win every game 10-9, then that sort of actually started to happen. It isn’t shocking they’d be shopping around for a solid defenseman with the trade bait Nylander now provides, and Carolina is stacked at defense. Again, there are a lot of “ifs,” and Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has made it clear he doesn’t want to trade Nylander. But it’s not off the table, and if he has to, this trade would make sense.

It’s definitely something the hockey world is going to keep an eye on, just like the Brave New Hurricanes.

Carolina sends Necas, Fleury to minors, calls up Bishop

The Carolina Hurricanes have assigned forward Martin Necas and defenseman Haydn Fleury to their AHL affiliate in Charlotte.

In a corresponding move Wednesday, the Hurricanes recalled forward Clark Bishop from Charlotte.

The 19-year-old Necas, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, was sent down a day after he scored his first NHL goal in a

4-2 loss at Tampa Bay. He was averaging only about 10 minutes of ice time.

The 22-year-old Fleury skated in only one game this season for the Hurricanes and their crowded defensive corps.

Bishop has one goal and two assists in four games with Charlotte.

NHL Power Rankings: From Maple Leafs to Red Wings, the best thing going for each team so far

After two weeks of hockey, here's what each team can hang its hat on

by Cody Benjamin

The 2018-19 NHL season is chugging along, and we've now had about two weeks of hockey to digest -- or regurgitate, depending on whether or not you follow the Detroit Red Wings.

Early on, we've had some contenders showcase their stuff -- the Toronto Maple Leafs are particularly promising with their juiced-up corps starring Auston Matthews, as expected. We've had some lowly clubs surprise with hot starts -- the Ottawa Senators aren't nearly as unwatchable as we predicted thanks to a ridiculous amount of shots on goal, but we'll see how long that lasts. And we've had some anticipated playoff candidates stumble out of the gate -- the Florida Panthers, a popular wild-card pick, entered this week without a win, and the San Jose Sharks, despite their all-world blue line, have been slow to gel.

It's all a pretty nice microcosm of two weeks in an NHL season, where teams can stack up points in a hurry.

Paid content by StubHub The best selection of NHL tickets. Huge saves, hard hits, historic rivalries. Now is the time to hit the ice.

This week, as we run through all 31 teams around the league, we've decided to stick to the positives (mostly). In the latest edition of NHL Power Rankings, we're not only shuffling the 2018-19 pecking order, which the Maple Leafs now sit atop, but also identifying the best thing that each and every club has going for it after about 14 days of regular-season action:

Biggest Movers

13 Canadiens

12 Golden Knights

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Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

1

Maple Leafs

When Auston Matthews slows down, there will be plenty of guys who pick up the slack.

3 6-1

2

Predators

Ryan Johansen is back. 1 5-1

3

Bruins

Patrice! (And also: They apparently have some nice Tuukka Rask insurance.)

3 4-2

4

Hurricanes

They're aggressive, and they don't plan on changing.

7 4-2

5

Devils

They're collecting wins as fast as they can. (Seriously. This was supposed to be a year for regression, so a 3-0 start goes a long way.)

11 4-0

6

Lightning

Just check their roster. Get their scorers angry over a goal drought, and they light it up.

4 3-1

7

Ducks

John Gibson. Hands down. -- 5-1

8

Avalanche

This space should probably just say "Nathan MacKinnon" regardless of the question.

1 3-1

9 Alex Ovechkin, experience and the fact we're only a half-dozen games in.

6 3-2

Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

Capitals

10

Jets

Their young talent. Cop-out? Perhaps, but nothing is more promising for their turnaround than their youth.

5 3-2

11

Stars

That first line. How beautiful it is. 1 3-3

12

Blackhawks

Lucky pucks and overtime periods.

4 3-0

13

Canadiens

Just a man named Carey Price. 13 4-1

14

Penguins

Evgeni Malkin is on a tear, and Sidney Crosby is still on the team.

1 2-1

15

Flames

Mike Smith can still be a whole lot better.

8 4-2

16

Sabres

Conor Sheary has life outside of Pittsburgh.

1 3-3

17

Canucks

They were able to muster three wins before Elias Pettersson went down.

10 4-2

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Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

18

Sharks

They have big names? (Seriously: There's plenty of time to gel.)

6 2-3

19

Blue Jackets

Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky are playing for next year's contracts.

1 3-2

20

Kings

You can pretty much only get better on offense. (Well, kind of.)

6 2-3

21

Islanders

Mathew Barzal's upside. -- 2-3

22

Flyers

They'll get James van Riemsdyk back some day.

3 3-3

23

Panthers

Roberto Luongo shall return. 5 0-2

24

Blues

The defense in front of streaky Jake Allen is at least doing its part most of the time.

2 1-3

25 They're getting good practice with lots and lots and lots of shots.

5 3-2

Rk Teams Chg Rcrd

Senators

26

Wild

They can't possibly keep losing so many one-goal affairs.

2 2-2

27

Golden Knights

They're doing just fine with possession of the puck.

12 3-4

28

Oilers

Connor McDavid. That's all. 3 2-2

29

Coyotes

You can only get shut out so many times.

1 1-4

30

Rangers

They've got just enough to make the rebuild appear competitive.

1 2-4

31

Red Wings

Again: The empty seats will now be black instead of red.

2 0-4

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Hurricanes' Dougie Hamilton: Not getting any shots to fall

by RotoWire Staff

Hamilton was unable to convert any of his seven shot attempts in Tuesday's 4-2 road loss to the Lightning. Hamilton notched an assist in his Oct. 4 debut with the Hurricanes, and he's picked up two more helpers since then, but it has to be frustrating for the mobile defenseman to have

come up empty on a team-high 29 shot attempts this season. In this latest game, Hamilton misfired five times at even strength and twice on the man advantage, so it's not like he's been deprived of Grade-A chances. Perhaps a bit of puck luck will help Hamilton get the monkey off his back as far as scoring is concerned, but the Hurricanes don't play again until hosting the Avalanche on Saturday.

CHRIS PETERS' TOP 100 NHL PROSPECTS: NOS. 1-50

Where does Filip Zadina, the Red Wings' new young offensive star, rank in the top 100 NHL prospects?

Chris Peters

The 2018-19 NHL season is just underway, and regardless of how your favorite team came out of the gates, there is plenty to be excited about going forward. Here is my ranking of Nos. 1-50 of the top NHL prospects right now. Nos. 51-100

1.1 1. RASMUS DAHLIN, D, BUFFALO SABRES

There isn't a ton to break down here. Dahlin is one of the best defensive prospects to come into the NHL in some time and is going to be a force. He is growing more and more comfortable in the NHL every day. From his skating to his puck skills to his aggressiveness in the physical game, Dahlin is fitting right in and giving Sabres fans something to salivate over.

1.2 2. ANDREI SVECHNIKOV, RW, CAROLINA HURRICANES

A natural goal-scoring talent with power and explosiveness in his game, Svechnikov can beat defenders and goalies a variety of ways. He's such a pure shooter that it doesn't matter if a pass is in his skates or he's at a tough angle. The kid just knows how to score goals. That's why he had 40 in 44 games last season. Svechnikov has also learned at a young age how to use his body to protect the puck. We have to manage expectations for 18-year-olds when they start right away in the league, but Svechnikov should be a 30-or-better goal scorer in the NHL on a semiannual basis.

1.3 3. ELIAS PETTERSSON, C/W, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Offensively dynamic, Pettersson already claimed MVP honors in one of the top pro leagues outside of the NHL. He's an excellent passer but is better known for his shot. His easy release belies the way the puck explodes off of his stick with exceptional accuracy. However, Pettersson's lack of physical strength has caused some concern about his durability and how he'll hold up against a pretty tough Western Conference grind.

1.4 4. CASEY MITTELSTADT, C, BUFFALO SABRES

In terms of pure upside, the sky is the limit for Mittelstadt. A player who handles the puck skillfully and confidently can go a long way in the league. Other aspects of his game continue to need work, however, not the least of which is his physical strength. There have been times in more physical, aggressive contests when he has become less effective and less engaged, but it's a moderate concern at this point because the rest of his game is so fantastic. He has elite puck-handling ability and high-end vision. The skating is above average, and his ability to process the game puts him in lofty company. As long as Jack Eichel is in Buffalo, it will be difficult for Mittelstadt to ascend any higher than a No. 2 center, but he has the talent to be a special player and could be another cornerstone piece.

1.5 5. FILIP ZADINA, RW, DETROIT RED WINGS

Zadina's starting the season in the AHL might give some pause, but the Red Wings are doing right by their young prospect. The jump from junior to the NHL is big for any

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player, no matter the talent level. I expect Zadina will adjust to the pro game quite well in the AHL. Coach Jeff Blashill has said he isn't worried about Zadina's details defensively, too. That's key. So often, offensive players have to find their games away from the puck. What Zadina needs to work on is his timing and playing at the NHL pace. The AHL might not be as fast as the NHL, but it's as close as it gets. Based on video of Zadina, that timing and offensive confidence are starting to come together already.

1.6 6. HENRIK BORGSTROM, LW, FLORIDA PANTHERS

After he was drafted 23rd overall in 2016, I'm not sure anyone anticipated the meteoric rise of Borgstrom as a prospect. His coming over from the Finnish junior league and dominating college hockey as a freshman in 2016-17 was eye-opening. Then he just kept getting better and stronger. With his 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame, he's hard to knock off the puck. Combine that with high-level puck skills and creativity, and Borgstrom took over games at times at the college level. The thing that stands out to me is how well he sees the ice and surveys situations. He can play at a high pace, or he can slow the game down. His puck skills make defenders miss, buy him time and open things up for everyone else on the ice. He's a special player.

1.7 7. KIRILL KAPRIZOV, RW, MINNESOTA WILD

An exceptional offensive talent, Kaprizov displays strength in puck pursuit and aggressiveness in the offensive zone. Defensemen can never feel comfortable when he's on the ice because he's always right there. I thought he was at his most impressive in the Olympics, notching the gold-medal-winning goal in overtime against Germany. He was a force when it looked like all was lost for that Russian squad. Now it's all about whether Minnesota can get him to come over, which is one of the reasons he slipped to the fifth round in 2015. Kaprizov could slide into the team's top six right now and make it better, but patience will have to suffice, with the hope that GM Paul Fenton can lure the talented winger to the NHL after his KHL contract expires.

1.8 8. MIRO HEISKANEN, D, DALLAS STARS

An intelligent defenseman, Heiskanen is mature beyond his years in terms of on-ice performance. To be a No. 1 defenseman in the Finnish elite league at 18 is no small feat. To continually excel in that lofty position, earning roster spots with the Finnish national team at both the 2018 Olympics and Men's World Championship, is even more impressive. Heiskanen's skating is a standout trait, and I fully expect him to progress as the season rolls on. There's a chance for him to play a substantial role right out of the gates, and the more

ice he gets, the better off he'll be. Offensively, he is fine, but he isn't going to blow the doors off of anyone. He is a complete player, though, which is hard to find at this young stage.

1.9 9. QUINN HUGHES, D, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

This is a big season for Hughes to simply gain confidence and strength to take the next step. If the latter half of last season is any indication, he could be one of college hockey's most dominant defensemen. I'd fully expect him to end the season in Vancouver after he wraps his sophomore campaign at Michigan. One of the most gifted and unique skaters outside of the NHL presently, Hughes can use his feet well on defense and to create offensive opportunities. His puck skills aren't as advanced as his skating, but he makes defenders miss and distributes the puck extremely effectively. His shot is probably below average for a high-end prospect, and people will knock him for his size, but I've seen such growth in his all-around game over the past year that those concerns are beginning to melt away rather quickly. I can honestly say I've never seen another player like Hughes in the 11 years I've been closely connected to junior and college hockey.

1.10 10. MARTIN NECAS, C, CAROLINA HURRICANES

This guy just screams pro. Offensively advanced and defensively responsible, Necas is talented in so many ways. He has good size, plays with great energy and can do a little bit of everything. It must have been terribly difficult for the Canes to send him back to the Czech Republic last season, but it was a pretty good decision, as Necas showed great improvement in his overall game. One of the things I like most about Necas is how undaunted he is by anything. No matter the score, no matter the opponent, he brings his best to every shift. I don't know that he's as shifty as some other players, but he's effective in generating offense and forcing the opposition to take notice of him.

1.11 11. BRADY TKACHUK, LW, OTTAWA SENATORS

Watching Tkachuk at the World Junior camp in August, it's becoming clear that he is tacking on strength to his already big frame. He's also looking faster on his feet, which has been one of the knocks against him. There is no doubting his competitiveness, nastiness and overall approach to the game. He has been playing like a pro for years already. He might not handle the puck like Patrick Kane, but he has excellent touch. He sees the ice well and is particularly good in traffic and the hard areas of the ice. Few players combine the strength Tkachuk has with his underrated skills to distribute the puck effectively or extend plays on the walls

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while being aware of the plays he can make as soon as he's free. He's having no problem with the NHL transition so far.

1.12 12. ROBERT THOMAS, C, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Thomas operates at an incredibly high level with the puck on his stick. It looks like the game moves at a snail's pace in his mind. His reads are solid, and his distribution skills put him among the elite prospects in that category. He makes the players around him better because he opens up so much ice for them with his ability to hold on to the puck until it's time to make the right play. It's not going to be as easy to make those plays in the NHL, but Thomas has progressed in such a way that it's hard to imagine it will take him long to adjust. His incredible OHL playoff performance with 32 points in 21 games showed that he was operating above the rest of his peers in the league.

1.13 13. JESPERI KOTKANIEMI, C, MONTREAL CANADIENS

As the summer has progressed from the draft, the Kotkaniemi hype train has progressed right along with it. He was the best center in June's draft, and while I would not have taken Kotkaniemi over some of the players already mentioned on this list, there was little reaching there from Montreal. Kotkaniemi had a tremendous second half of the season but didn't really open eyes to his full potential until he stepped out in big international events. He has creativity with the puck, can be physical when necessary and finds space on the ice very well. Kotkaniemi is a very smart player and can pick defenses apart from the perimeter, but he isn't afraid to get right into those hard areas. Defensively, I would say he's adequate, and that might get exposed a bit depending on how long he sticks in the NHL this season.

1.14 14. EELI TOLVANEN, LW, NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Tolvanen had the most productive season ever by a U19 player in Russia's top pro league, with 36 points in 49 games. He also dominated at the 2018 Olympics, with his nine points marking the highest total by a teenager since Eric Lindros in 1992. No, he did not make the NHL team out of camp, but it's probably for the best, as Tolvanen would be hard-pressed to get significant minutes and make a big enough impact with Nashville's well-established depth. He still needs to work on his skating and his play away from the puck a bit, but he is an offensive dynamo with one of the better shots outside of the NHL right now, especially off the pass.

1.15 15. GABRIEL VILARDI, C, LOS ANGELES KINGS

When he is healthy, there are few players who can take over a game the way Vilardi can. But Vilardi has dealt with injuries, most notably to his back, that have kept him off the ice quite a bit the past two seasons. He has spent more time the past two summers rehabbing than developing. Still, his skill level and hockey sense give high hopes for what he can become. Although he missed significant time last season, Vilardi averaged 1.81 points per game for Kingston, the second-highest per-game rate in the OHL. He has had terrible luck -- he's on the shelf again dealing with back problems -- but to have his playmaking skills in a 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame is pretty rare. Should he get healthy, Vilardi could be a contributor as early as next season.

1.16 16. CODY GLASS, C, VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

There were expectations that Glass could make the Golden Knights out of camp this season, but the 19-year-old ultimately was sent back to Portland, where he absolutely dominated last season, putting up 102 points in 64 games. He's off to an even better start with the Winterhawks this season and should make quick work of the WHL. Glass is a lanky center with tremendous offensive sense and an ability to make plays all over the ice. His skating is adequate, but he can play quickly with how well he distributes the puck. As good of a passer as he is, he can really shoot it too, topping 30 goals last season. He has top-two center upside and should be able to force the issue with Vegas next season.

1.17 17. OLIVER WAHLSTROM, RW, NEW YORK ISLANDERS

One of the purest snipers on this list, Wahlstrom will score from just about anywhere in the offensive zone. Thanks to a deceptive release and incredibly heavy shot, he's always a threat. Wahlstrom also has been tacking on muscle and is starting to develop more power elements in his game. His skating has improved, and his effort is starting to improve. His stickhandling is fine, but he's starting to figure out how to make plays with his frame. Wahlstrom is a high-volume shooter and is most effective when given the freedom to take chances. That's why I think he can score a bunch at the next level. He has a goal scorer's confidence and shoots the puck very similarly to today's top NHL goal scorers. Is he a bit one-dimensional? Yes, and he could stand to improve his defensive play, but as long as that one dimension puts points on the board, I've got a lot of time for him. I'm expecting a big freshman season for him at Boston College.

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1.18 18. ADAM BOQVIST, D, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Boqvist gave the Blackhawks something to think about during training camp, but they ultimately made the right call by sending him to the London Knights to get acclimated to the North American game. He has plenty of flash in his game and should see a lot of minutes and power-play time in the OHL, which should make for some impressive numbers once he gets comfortable on the smaller sheet. The expectations for Boqvist are sky-high based on what we saw from him last season, but patience is going to be important. He still needs to refine his game in the defensive zone and get physically stronger. The offensive tools could make him a special player at the next level.

1.19 19. JORDAN KYROU, C/W, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Last season, Kyrou was a top offensive performer for Canada en route to World Junior gold and the OHL's MVP after a 109-point campaign. This guy can stickhandle out of just about anything, creating space for himself to make plays in ways that a lot of players can't. He plays the game at a pretty high speed, making quick decisions with the puck and putting defensemen on their heels on the rush. There's a tenacity in Kyrou's game as well, which helps him make up for average size. He'll go anywhere to make a play.

1.20 20. CALE MAKAR, D, COLORADO AVALANCHE

Ever since Makar went fourth overall to Colorado in 2017, there has been a lot of interest in how he develops as a pick based largely on upside. There was no denying that Makar had high-end skills and skating, but he was an average-sized defenseman dominating at a lower junior level. Makar had 75 points in 54 games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League from the blue line. That kind of dominance, no matter the level, is worth something. I saw notable progress in his game in his first collegiate season at UMass. He was better defensively and gained confidence to take more chances with the puck. Makar's decision to stay for another season was absolutely the right move, as he still needs to build strength. The skills are all still there for him to be a top-pairing blueliner down the line. It's just going to take a little more patience.

1.21 21. NICK SUZUKI, C/W, MONTREAL CANADIENS

Getting Suzuki back in the trade that sent Max Pacioretty to the Golden Knights was huge for the Habs' future. While he is a natural center, there's a high likelihood that Suzuki ends

up playing on the wing at the next level. He spent a lot of time there en route to a 100-point season in the OHL last season. He has higher-end puck skills and is a threat to pass or shoot, making him more difficult to defend. As an average-sized forward, Suzuki probably has to be a little harder on pucks, but he has the ability to make defenders miss, and it sometimes seems like the puck is glued to his stick. The biggest knock at this point is that Suzuki is a fairly average skater. Montreal has done a solid job of building up its prospect pool over the past year.

1.22 22. NOAH DOBSON, D, NEW YORK ISLANDERS

I was a very slow Dobson convert. I liked him, but I wanted to see more skill from him, and I started to during the Memorial Cup and Canada's junior camp. While he won't be dangling around players any time soon, I have a lot of respect for his puck play. It's steady and poised. I think Dobson reads plays in all zones extremely well and has excellent timing when it comes to jumping into plays. He just knows how to put himself in the right spots. He is an excellent defender as well, effectively using his big frame and good defensive stick. Then there's his ability to distribute, getting the puck up the ice quickly before joining the rush himself when the situation calls for it. I think he very well could be a top-pairing defenseman for a long time.

Noah Dobson shows exceptional puck play in the

Islanders' system. John McCreary/Icon Sportswire

1.23 23. FILIP CHYTIL, C, NEW YORK RANGERS

It's hard not to marvel at the progress of Chytil from his draft season to now. Selected 21st overall in 2017, he has been a pleasant surprise ever since, getting stronger on his skates and figuring out how to leverage his bigger frame more to his advantage. He was really impressive in the AHL last season as an 18-year-old and definitely earned his spot in the Rangers' lineup. He's a huge piece of their rebuild and will have to soak up all he can amid a tough situation. He's going to get some looks at wing as well, which isn't a bad thing for a young forward in his first NHL season. Chytil certainly has enough skill to start putting up numbers and be an impact player as the season progresses and grow into a top-six center as his career moves forward.

1.24 24. DYLAN STROME, C, ARIZONA COYOTES

While he might not be living up to the lofty standards as the No. 3 pick in the loaded 2015 draft, Strome remains a quality prospect with a chance to be an impact player at the next level. Skating remains one of the core issues in his ability to take things to the next level, but his playmaking skill set is at

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an NHL level already. He has patience with the puck and lets the game come to him, which allows him to exploit defenses in the offensive zone. He isn't going to burn teams on the rush, but he can help his team sustain offensive zone time with good puck decisions. Strome still has the natural tools to make it, with a good, solid frame and better physical strength. Getting to where he needs to go is entirely up to him at this point, as the Coyotes are giving him every opportunity to make an impact with their club.

1.25 25. EVAN BOUCHARD, D, EDMONTON OILERS

A gifted puck mover, Bouchard has never blown me away with skill or speed. Everything he does is pretty smooth, though. His offensive sense, anticipation and vision are all high-end. He has a good chance to stick with the Oilers for the duration of the season, but even if he goes back to junior, there's plenty for him to improve on to be especially ready next season. Bouchard has been working on his skating, which isn't necessarily a weakness of his but is certainly not a strength. He still looks like he can be a power-play weapon who gives a team top-four minutes and provides a good dose of offense.

1.26 26. KRISTIAN VESALAINEN, LW, WINNIPEG JETS

A big winger with solid offensive tools and high-end hockey sense, Vesalainen made the Jets out of camp -- with good reason. He showed in the preseason that he can keep up with the team's pace of play and be a solid depth player. In the early goings of the season, however, he has played a maximum of 8:14 in any game. That might not be ideal for his long-term development, but the Jets wouldn't have him on the roster if they didn't think he is going to be a factor later on. That said, Winnipeg is so loaded that there's no real harm in sending him down to the AHL for a bit.

1.27 27. MORGAN FROST, C, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Frost really broke out last season, playing a leading role for one of junior hockey's best teams. He had 112 points in 67 games and showed that he can be a go-to player. I also think he took major steps forward in his skating and overall game. One of Frost's best attributes is his hockey sense, as he makes great reads, exploits defenses accordingly and has poise with the puck on his stick. I've heard from scouts who don't love his skating, but I haven't seen it as a real hindrance to him. It gets exposed a little bit more when he's in certain situations, but I don't think it will keep him from reaching his ceiling. Frost is likely more geared toward a middle-six forward role, but he should produce at a fairly high rate.

1.28 28. RYAN DONATO, LW, BOSTON BRUINS

No matter where Donato played last season, he scored. He did it with Harvard, the U.S. Men's Olympic Team and the Bruins. Donato is a high-end shooter who moves up and down the ice quickly. It has been interesting to watch him mature into such a dominant goal scorer. It's not just about his shot, which can be especially deceptive. He knows where to put himself to have better opportunities to score, has the aggressiveness to get to the net and is especially effective off the rush with or without the puck. Over his three seasons at Harvard, Donato built up strength and rounded out his game. While he's adequate defensively, no one will confuse what makes him so valuable. He has a chance to continue making a significant impact for the Bruins and could be especially effective in a secondary scoring role.

1.29 29. JUUSO VALIMAKI, D, CALGARY FLAMES

A better-than-point-per-game defenseman in his last two years in the WHL, Valimaki will be helpful to the Flames' offense. Having that skill, highlighted by a strong shot from the point and good instincts on when to jump into plays, is an added bonus for a player of Valimaki's size and defensive ability. He is a true two-way defenseman, and I think his defensive skills moderately outpace his offensive abilities. He's in a good situation in Calgary, where he doesn't have to do too much as a younger player but still gets a good regular shift. He's learning the hard way right now how difficult it is to defend in the NHL, but given time, he should be just fine.

1.30 30. GRIGORI DENISENKO, LW, FLORIDA PANTHERS

Denisenko is an especially skilled player with excellent vision and shifty stickhandling abilities. He can make a lot of plays and has an underrated shot that sneaks up on goalies. When he has space, he just doesn't miss. Denisenko signed a two-year extension with Yaroslavl in the KHL, and these two seasons will be great for him to get solid pro reps and continue developing. Florida will obviously hope to get him into the mix as soon as that deal expires in 2020. There's always the chance that Denisenko could re-sign in the KHL, but I don't think he's as high a risk in that regard as some others.

1.31 31. ERIK BRANNSTROM, D, VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Brannstrom is a ton of fun to watch, with smooth skating and high-end puck skills. He's going to get challenged in the AHL

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this season, particularly in his own end, but he has already shown a proclivity for offensive flair, with two goals in his first North American professional game. He has confidence with the puck to extend plays in the offensive zone and gets shots through with regularity. Brannstrom also isn't afraid to take risks and often gets in on the rush. As a smaller defenseman, he can be overpowered at times in the defensive zone, but his ability to retrieve and distribute pucks makes him effective in getting the puck out of the zone.

1.32 32. OWEN TIPPETT, LW, FLORIDA PANTHERS

After nearly making the Panthers full-time last season, it had to be disappointing for both Tippett and the organization that he wasn't able to break onto the roster this year. He's back in the OHL, in which he has been a proven goal scorer. There's more work to be done on his game, particularly when it comes to consistency and play away from the puck. Tippett can really wheel on the rush and makes plays with solid puck skills. He already has an NHL release. Anything less than a dominant year in the OHL at age 19 would be disappointing for such a gifted offensive player.

1.33 33. JOSEPH VELENO, C, DETROIT RED WINGS

Veleno really fell in the 2018 draft, going all the way down to 30th overall after being a very early favorite to go in the top 10. Some believe he doesn't have a high enough skill level to be a top-two center in the NHL. I am not among them. I think he projects comfortably as a No. 2 center in the NHL due to his excellent two-way skills, tenacity in all zones and high-end hockey sense. He has a good motor and can be very important in puck pursuit. Veleno doesn't have the finish that some other elite centers do, but he has enough skill to be a productive player at the next level, even if there's a lower likelihood that he can lead a team's offensive attack.

1.34 34. SAM STEEL, C, ANAHEIM DUCKS

Steel is finally getting his chance to shine at the NHL level, and though the points haven't been coming yet, he has shown confidence in his playmaking abilities. With him having produced 338 points in 258 career WHL games, his skills have never been in question. Steel has continually improved in his ability to make plays with pace, pushing defenders to make quicker decisions and causing a little discomfort for the opposing team. Steel is creative and can find ways to make plays in tight spaces. The 20-year-old could be a consistent top-six threat.

1.35 35. BARRETT HAYTON, C, ARIZONA COYOTES

One of the biggest surprises of the first round in 2018 was Hayton going fifth overall. He was my No. 3 center for 2018, and I fluctuated on how I felt about him all year. There's a steadiness to his game, and his offensive abilities are growing. Hayton skates well and makes confident plays with the puck while also taking care of his own end. Despite being one of the younger guys on a veteran Soo Greyhounds team last season, he was an on-ice leader with the ability to drive play and make those around him better. The Coyotes kept him up with the NHL club briefly to start the season before sending him back to the OHL, where he should be expected to have a big season.

1.36 36. ISAC LUNDESTROM, C, ANAHEIM DUCKS

Mature, speedy and smart, it was not a surprise that Lundestrom managed to make the banged-up Ducks out of camp. He spent all of last season in Sweden's top pro league in a middle-six role. Lundestrom is incredibly versatile, as he has strong enough defensive sense to shut down top lines and play on the penalty kill. However, I think his offensive capabilities have been undersold. He skates extremely well and with power. That allows him to be more of a threat on the rush, and he has a pretty nice shot when he has a chance to get it off. The energy Lundestrom plays with on a shift-by-shift basis should endear him to coaches and teammates. His skills are not high-end enough to expect him to be a No. 1 center in the NHL, but I think he has enough ability to slot into a middle-six role and be an all-situations player.

1.37 37. TY SMITH, D, NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Reports out of New Jersey suggest that Smith really impressed everyone with his preseason performance. The team did right by the player, however, and sent him back for at least another year of junior hockey. A chance to build strength, get a chance to play for Canada at the World Juniors and flat-out dominate in the WHL will be good for the 18-year-old. Smith is going to have the puck a lot this season, but he's also going to have to become better defensively. He can be a bit of a gambler with the puck, but he has such skill with it that you'd hate to rein it in too much. Smith has exceptional vision and passes the puck extremely well. On top of that, he can skate, which comes in handy when he's trying to get himself out of trouble or create a better offensive opportunity. The rest of the WHL surely won't be too happy to see him back patrolling Spokane's blue line this season.

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1.38 38. JOEL FARABEE, LW, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Opinions on Farabee are all over the map. Mine has remained pretty constant in that I think his versatility, competitiveness and overall skill level are going to make him a pretty successful player at the next level. He can absolutely wheel down the ice and plays the game quickly in a lot of ways. He'll get in on the forecheck, he'll go hard to the net, and he has the touch to make plays. He's in a great spot at Boston University, and I think he'll probably play two or three seasons in the NCAA, continuing to build strength and get more and more comfortable with his offensive game.

1.39 39. LIAS ANDERSSON, C, NEW YORK RANGERS

A well-rounded center who can play in just about any situation, Andersson is an incredible competitor. While he has been knocked for not having the high-end skill you'd expect from a top-10 pick, he plays such a complete game that it's pretty easy to overlook. Andersson likely tops out as a middle-six center, but one who can provide both scoring depth and a tough matchup against top players from the opposition. Having spent time in both the Swedish and the AHL last season, he showed he can produce at the pro level. He was also a standout performer for Sweden in the World Junior Championship and is beloved by the execs in the Swedish federation, often wearing a letter for his national teams. He's the kind of player most teams would be glad to have on their side.

1.40 40. VITALI KRAVTSOV, RW, NEW YORK RANGERS

Kravtsov is off to a pretty good start for a pretty bad Traktor Chelyabinsk squad in the KHL. He had seven points in the regular season last year, but as of writing this, he had six points this time around in 17 games. Of course, it was his KHL playoff performance last season that caught so many eyes, with 11 points in 16 games. His confidence and ability to make plays have shown no drop-off, and he has showcased good vision and a nose for the net. He continues to use his big frame better and better as part of his offense. He's currently on a one-year deal with Traktor, which means he could join the Rangers as early as next season.

1.41 41. ALEKSI HEPONIEMI, C/W, FLORIDA PANTHERS

After destroying the WHL the past two years, Heponiemi went back to Finland to get some reps against professionals. The rest of Liiga probably wishes he had stayed in North

America, but Karpat sure can be happy he's back home. Heponiemi had 118 points for Swift Current last season, plus another 30 in the playoffs and four more at the Memorial Cup. Now he's scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace in the Liiga. His vision is off the charts, and he makes simply perfect passes that make it easy for linemates to convert. He isn't a big guy, but he has good speed and fluidity to his stride that allows him to make it all look so easy. Despite the size disadvantage, he does everything smaller players need to do to carve out a spot for themselves in the NHL. He might need some extra AHL time next season, but the Panthers have a good one in Heponiemi.

1.42 42. CARTER HART, G, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

The top goaltending prospect on the board is following the path most goalies are going these days. Although he is a three-time WHL goalie of the year, the Flyers sent him to their AHL affiliate, where he is going to be able to play a bunch and get a feel for pro hockey. Hart is such a sound goalie, making tough saves look easy and rarely getting caught out of position. That stems from the confidence he clearly brings to the ice, as it isn't easy to rattle him or get him off his game. Hart has the size, he has the demeanor, and he has the track record to be a special goaltender for a team that has been begging for one for years.

Could Carter Hart be the answer in net for the

Flyers? Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

1.43 43. HENRI JOKIHARJU, D, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

The Blackhawks needed a better puck-moving element on their blue line, and so far, they're getting it out of the 19-year-old Jokiharju. He has been playing top-pairing minutes and showing that he can get pucks through and up the ice quickly. While his strength is a work in progress, his poise and confidence with the puck are notable. There will be some ups and downs for him, but at this point, he has given Chicago every reason to keep throwing him over the boards. He's ready now.

1.44 44. ADAM FOX, D, CAROLINA HURRICANES

Traded from the Flames to the Hurricanes as part of the Dougie Hamilton trade, Fox finds himself in another organization with a deep blue line. Fox is a strong skater who moves the puck extremely well and jumps into plays. His offensive instincts are high-end, but he can still make occasional mistakes with the puck or bad reads defensively. He has gotten only stronger in two years at Harvard. The big question going into this season is whether Fox will sign after the season. The Ivy League players are more liable to stay

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the full four years than others, but we saw Ryan Donato leave after his junior year to join the Bruins last spring. This could all depend on Fox's season. His numbers were down last year, but Harvard didn't have as good of a team after it went to the Frozen Four during Fox's ridiculous 40-point freshman campaign. I think he's poised for a big season and will have a big decision about whether to stay or go.

1.45 45. ILYA SAMSONOV, G, WASHINGTON CAPITALS

One of the quickest netminders among those not currently in the NHL, Samsonov is getting his first taste of North American pro hockey in the AHL this season. He put up solid numbers in the KHL over the past few years and showed the promise that made him a first-round draft pick. The big questions are now how long will it take Samsonov to adjust to the North American game, and when will the Capitals actually need him? Having time to be patient is good for the Caps because goalies typically need extra development. Theoretically, Samsonov is going to get more game action in the AHL than he would as a backup to more experienced goalies in the KHL. He has starter upside, but I think it will be at least a few more years before he can live up to that.

1.46 46. RASMUS KUPARI, C, LOS ANGELES KINGS

During his draft season in 2017-18, Kupari was trying to find his pro legs. He has them now and has been standing out for Karpat in Finland's top pro league and the Champions Hockey League. He is built for today's NHL with fluid speed and ability to make plays going north-south or east-west, and he has the confidence to do whatever it takes to make a play. He skates at an NHL level already, but he needs to keep getting a little stronger and get a little more engaged on the defensive responsibilities. Unless he explodes this season, I think we could see Kupari in the AHL next year and a full-time NHLer by 2020-21. That speed he has is something the Kings could use more of.

1.47 47. TROY TERRY, RW, ANAHEIM DUCKS

Intelligent and creative, Terry has shown that he has the tools to be an everyday NHLer at a young age. While he lacks physical strength, he finds open ice extremely well -- even in the faster-paced NHL. With all of the injuries the Ducks have had this year, it was impossible to even attempt to ease Terry into things. He's essentially playing middle-six minutes and seeing power-play time. If the team can find the right mix for him in terms of linemates, the points will come as well. If it comes down to it and the Ducks need to give Terry some AHL reps, that might not hurt his long-term

development, but the injury situation in Anaheim might not allow for it.

1.48 48. ALEXANDER NYLANDER, RW, BUFFALO SABRES

Nylander has been one of the tougher prospects to gauge over the past two seasons, and this feels like a make-or-break season for him. If the summer performances at rookie and training camps were any indication, Nylander is hell-bent on making it. He's off to a strong start in the AHL, taking his not making the opening night roster in stride and putting in the work. In previous viewings of Nylander, he looked like his effort went in and out, and he didn't get his feet moving well enough. He's playing with more energy and more aggressively, which helps his already strong puck skills and playmaking ability even more. The organization is giving him every opportunity to prove himself, and he seems to be finally making good on that.

1.49 49. ALEX FORMENTON, LW, OTTAWA SENATORS

An absolute speed demon who skates with power, Formenton has really come on strong in the past year. It wasn't much of a surprise that he ended up starting the season in Edmonton. He's currently out with a concussion, which can be an awfully tricky thing for a prospect since they're still getting their pro timing down, adjusting to the pace and trying to figure out how to protect themselves in a more physical league. Assuming the injury doesn't keep him out long-term, I think it's probably in Formenton's best interest to go back to junior. He has been a really good junior player, but get him back to London, and allow him to dominate as part of a good team, play for Canada in the World Juniors and come back to Ottawa next year ready to be a regular contributor.

1.50 50. RYAN POEHLING, C, MONTREAL CANADIENS

A true two-way center who has really accelerated his skills in the past year-plus, Poehling plays such a mature game. He is physically strong, gets engaged in all zones and has great touch with the puck. Accelerating school to get into St. Cloud State a year early paid dividends, as he was a much more capable producer as a young sophomore last year. Now he's going to be an offensive leader for St. Cloud State in what I would assume is his final year in the NCAA. When the Habs added Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki this summer, it pushed Poehling down the depth chart. I've always seen him as more of a middle-six center with a chance to pop in some secondary offense, kill penalties and get some tough matchups. He isn't as offensively gifted as those other two guys, but he'll find himself a role.

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31 Thoughts: Matheson suspension a potential sea-change moment

Elliotte Friedman

Four games into our new season, Connor McDavid’s already broken an NHL record, scoring or setting up Edmonton’s first nine goals. Previous standard-bearer Adam Oates shouldn’t feel lonely. McDavid’s going to smash more than one.

It’s very early, but there’s something else to keep an eye on: how much he plays.

The Oilers’ captain skated 22:12 during Tuesday’s stunning comeback victory in Winnipeg, his lowest of the season. He went 23:34 versus New Jersey, 23:55 in Boston and 24:35 against the Rangers.

Entering the Jets game, his average was 24:01. Only one forward has averaged 24 minutes in a season this decade: Ilya Kovalchuk. He did it twice. McDavid’s number dropped to 23:24 by slacking off against the Jets (joke, folks), still 28th overall. He’s the only forward among the league’s 36 most-utilized skaters.

You’re going to see Kovalchuk and think, “OK, power play. He stayed out there for almost all of it. Surely, McDavid does that, too.”

Not so fast, my friends. The scoring streak was impressive, but the most incredible thing about McDavid’s small 2018–19 sample size is even-strength ice time.

As we wake up Wednesday, there are just two forwards averaging 19 minutes in this situation: McDavid (19:28) and Patrick Kane (19:08). To give you some perspective, Ryan Getzlaf was number one last year at 17:33, and he missed 26 games. (McDavid was second. Getzlaf beat him by three seconds.)

Since the NHL began keeping count of ice time, only one forward has ever averaged 19 even-strength minutes in a season. That was Pavel Bure, 19:12 for Florida in 2000–01. McDavid’s going to challenge that.

How can he not? If you’re Todd McLellan, you’re going to leave your nuclear deterrent on the bench?

In a week where we’ve been debating McDavid versus Matthews, the incumbent stepped up and delivered a statement so loud a banshee could have screamed it.

“You asked me this morning about players in the League,” McLellan said after the game. “I rest my case.”

McDavid played 20:07 Tuesday night at evens. That, in itself, is not incredibly unusual. Six (McDavid, Kane, Kyle Connor, Sean Couturier, Rickard Rakell and Mark Scheifele) have 20-minute even-strength games so far this season. McDavid is the only one, however, with two.

There were 214 such performances in 2017–18. McDavid had 10, including the top three. Twice he went above 26 minutes.

It is such a massive ask. But the greats do not shy from challenges. McLellan’s going to keep calling for 97. McDavid isn’t going to say no.

31 THOUGHTS

1. One more: Heading into Tuesday’s games, McDavid was the only player averaging more than one minute per shift (1:01). He dropped to 0:58.

2. What a difference two games make. Heading into last Saturday’s game at Madison Square Garden, the mood around the Oilers was tense. Daryl Katz was at practice the day before, and everyone knew how he felt. As far as owners go, Katz is on the low end of the hands-on scale. He’ll make his calls, but generally isn’t breathing down everyone’s necks. When I started studying the business of sports, some of the best advice received was to learn how ticket plans and luxury-box sales worked. Often, I was told, the answers explained why certain decisions were made. When Rogers Place opened, the suites came with three-, five- and seven-year options. The three-year term ends this summer. Now, do you think that adds importance to the season? You go from 0-2 to 2-2 and a excited fan base can’t wait to see what’s next at its home opener on Thursday.

3. Since we started (sort of) with Matthews/McDavid, let’s continue. Matthews has 10 goals on 22 shots, a percentage of 45.5. It’s not exactly going out on a limb to say he won’t keep that up, but what is his ceiling? The best recorded number in NHL history is Sergei Makarov’s 32.3 with Calgary in 1990–91 (beating our own Craig Simpson, who was at 31.6 three seasons earlier). This century, the sharpest shooter is Dallas’s Mike Ribeiro, at 25.2 in 2007–08. Two players gave him a run last year: Colorado’s Alexander Kerfoot (23.5) and Golden Knight William Karlsson (23.4). The difference between Matthews and most of the people he’d be chasing on these lists is he’s firing much more often. His 258-shot pace would put him behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux among the 25 most accurate seasons ever. Only two players this century have taken 200 shots and scored 20 per cent of the time: Brad Boyes and Milan Hejduk. Good challenge for Matthews.

4. There’s a lot of hysteria in Toronto about Matthews’s contract situation. (It’s all Nick Kypreos’s fault. Add “offer sheets” to “sports radio” and you’ve got an uncontrollable explosion.) We mentioned on Hockey Night in Canada that the solution to Toronto’s cap crunch might be shorter second contracts, and I do think there’s been discussion on a five-year deal for Matthews. That would eat up one year of unrestricted free agency. Some fans took that to mean he doesn’t want to sign for eight years, which is not accurate and remains a possible outcome. My sense is both sides are

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serious about getting something done, but it is grind time. An eight-year contract likely comes in between $12 million and $12.5 million ($12.34?) and the Maple Leafs undoubtedly want to keep their promise to John Tavares. I find it hard to believe GM Kyle Dubas hasn’t done the math on what a max offer sheet would do to his roster, and how he’d put things together once it is matched.

5. The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby broke the news that Dubas was en route to Switzerland for a face-to-face with William Nylander. The Leafs have discussed a bridge with their unsigned winger, but there remained a chasm. It’s somewhere between $4.8 million (a little more than Nikita Kucherov’s second contract) and $6 million (Artemi Panarin’s AAV). Nylander’s also worried about being traded if the Leafs’ cap situation becomes untenable. Keeping him is Toronto’s main goal. Dubas’s trip allows for two things: showing Nylander a) he’s serious and b) no one can say that Toronto didn’t try everything to get this done.

6. Nick Ritchie is skating in Anaheim. That’s a sign things are getting close. Look for three years. Josh Anderson’s AAV in Columbus is $1.85 million. Not sure if this one will get that high, but it is the idea the Ducks modelled.

7. A few years ago, Detroit GM Ken Holland suggested reading Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life. There’s a chapter called “Authenticity,” described as the opposite of bad faith. “Bad faith,” French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre writes, “occurs when peer pressure and social forces combine to have us disown our own values. It is an accommodation we make with society to fit in, a psychological ‘selling out’ in which we forsake our own freedom and self-expression for the conformity of the crowd.” There’s a lot of speculation about coach Jeff Blashill’s future, but, for over a year now, Holland’s delivered a consistent message. He strongly believes Blashill should not be made a scapegoat, that this is a good coach put in a rough situation. The infirmary-laden blue line doesn’t make things easier. Not sure Holland re-read that chapter, but do feel its contents form his guiding principle.

8. Pat Brisson visited Toronto and Ottawa this week, discussing two prominent unrestricted free-agent clients — Jake Gardiner and Matt Duchene. Gardiner will be very tough for Toronto to fit. Duchene has made it clear he wants a distraction-free season.

9. Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion took heat for the delay before his “We’re a team” answer to a David Amber question on Kraft Hockeyville, but it is clear there’s a different feeling in the nation’s capital this year. Everything last season was tense, especially as things went off the rails. One visit to the dressing room was enough to see things are more relaxed. The players were determined to change the attitude, and three things have helped. First, they are playing more aggressively, which makes things more fun. Second, they see the talent in Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk. Third, and most importantly, winning covers almost every ill.

10. Justin Schultz is expected to return this season, but remember that Penguins GM Jim Rutherford likes to make his moves early. Not sure how confident they are in Olli Maatta, so he’s probably in the defenceman market anyway.

11. Carolina’s a good early story, and they’ll be interesting to watch for another reason: They’ve got unusual roster construction. The Hurricanes dress four right-shot defenders — Justin Faulk, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce and Trevor van Riemsdyk. That type of player is always in demand and they’re all good enough to play. Scott Darling is due back soon, and, unless they want to carry three goalies, one of him, Curtis McElhinney or Petr Mrazek will need waivers. Assuming it’s not Darling, the others might be a Toronto target.

12. Probably the most underreported story of the last week: that Calgary city council voted to re-open arena talks with the Flames. When we last tuned in to this saga, everyone was angrily storming away from the table. It will be interesting to see if there is different representation involved, some fresh faces breathing new life to the conversation. There is some optimism, albeit a long way to go.

13. Three years ago, Carolina’s Brad Malone took down then-Flyer Sam Gagner:

Gagner missed two months, an absence complicated by Philadelphia putting him on waivers when he was cleared to return. There was no suspension, yet that was one of the comparables for the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for Mike Matheson’s two-game ban. The difference? Our rapidly evolving feelings on concussions, for sure.

“Happened to a player on a Canadian team,” one exec said. (It’s a common complaint.)

As indicated in the suspension video, Malone’s manoeuvre was all in one motion while Matheson’s was into the boards and… a pause… before throwing Elias Pettersson to the ice. From now on, that’s going to be a key distinction.

Also, some of you won’t want to hear this, but there is still plenty of debate and disagreement about the weight difference between the two players.

One shift after Pettersson was injured, there was a wrestling match between Troy Brouwer (listed at 213 pounds) and Erik Gudbranson (217):

The Panthers winger went to the ice, but with the similar size and strength, no one was hurt. We haven’t heard the last of this argument.

14. If you’re Vancouver, what you really hope this means is that opponents are forced to think twice on how they attack Pettersson. He’s breathed new life into the franchise, instantly making him the focal point of everyone else’s defence. He’s smart and shifty, able to avoid a lot. Canucks fans just saw two decades of Sedinery, complete with all the abuse they took. That’s what’s coming for Pettersson. It’s the only thing that scared anyone about him — his slighter frame. If we’re actually headed into an unheard-of era where stars are extra-protected, the Canucks will be doing celebration dances down Granville Street.

15. In last week’s blog, we mentioned how there was at least one team that had Pettersson ranked first. With help from Jeff Marek, suspects include Nashville and Tampa Bay. The Predators drafted older brother Emil in 2013, so they had deep intel. Another team that had him highly ranked — but maybe not first — was Detroit.

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16. Canucks head coach Travis Green passionately defended his team for not retaliating on Matheson, saying the players did not see what happened. One indicated they didn’t have a true idea until seeing the craziness on social media after the game, then asking what happened.

“We just beat Florida and Tampa,” he said, “and we’re getting killed for not fighting a guy for doing something we didn’t see.”

17. At the Canucks’ final home game last season — the emotional goodbye to Daniel and Henrik Sedin — fans in attendance at Rogers Arena spent an average of $22.33. I’m still not sure I believe it, but someone who would know swears it is true.

18. Eight years ago, Keith Kinkaid completed his sophomore season at NCAA Union, and the professionals beckoned. Edmonton was among his serious pursuers, but there were many.

“You look through the depth charts, see who’s had their contract renewed,” Kinkaid said Tuesday, about an hour after the Devils shut out Dallas. “Craig Anderson had a new contract, so did Carey Price. You’re looking to see where you can challenge for an AHL starting job right away. New Jersey was close to home. Martin Brodeur was my idol growing up. I wanted to learn from him, that was a big key. And I knew he couldn’t play forever.”

Did you ever tell him he was your idol?

“I don’t think I would ever go up and say that,” he laughs. “But when I was debating what to do, I came here for a game and he gave me a stick. I still have it, in my childhood bedroom.”

Tough for anyone to beat that.

19. Kinkaid’s early reputation was “quiet.”

“That’s true,” he says. “I had learning curves, as everyone does. I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries. Once I knew the organization, my personality came out.”

Nowhere does that show more than in his Twitter feed, a smorgasbord of emojis after each Devils’ win. Tuesday, the organization released a key for fans to understand who is represented by what. Eric Gryba and John Quenneville haven’t scored yet, so their emoticons are yet to be revealed.

“Takes me five or 10 minutes to think of them. I can do it when I’m stuck in traffic.”

Does he get help or take suggestions from teammates?

“No, it’s all me. I like to have fun with it.”

The man also likes his wrestling, having attended the last three SummerSlams. Prudential Center is hosting the WWE next week, and he’ll be there. Favourite wrestler: Finn Balor. If Kinkaid tweets out “Dinner Time” it will really be something.

20. Of course, the reason Kinkaid’s really having fun is the Devils are 4-0. His 1.00 goals-against average and .961 save percentage are the early-season standards.

Cory Schneider’s hip injury last January opened New Jersey’s net.

“I’ve always believed in myself, but everyone needs that chance. It’s unfortunate that Cory’s injury opened the door. But you want the opportunity to get more playing time and show you can be consistent. I won my first three games and got too high. Then there were three straight losses. There was a lot I needed to learn.”

Like what?

“How to take care of my body. I used to feel like if I didn’t go on ice for an optional, people would think different things about me. Now I understand your body needs rest. And [coach John Hynes] is very good about letting us get that rest.”

Kinkaid says he benefits from living about an hour away during the summer, not far from the organization’s training staff.

“Last year, I wanted to prove wrong the people who said I’d never be more than backup, that I deserve the playing time. The playoffs were a great experience. Bronze at the World Championships…. We beat Canada twice, that’s always fun. You want to carry it into this year. Now, we’re off to a hot start. We may not be too highly talked-about, but we’ve got a good thing going.”

21. One former goalie coach wondered if Kinkaid would opt for stiffer pads, since he wore softer ones last season, allowing rebounds to stay closer to the net. That’s when I learned Kinkaid is the anti-Ed Belfour. The Hall of Famer was known for obsessing over the most minute equipment detail, to the point where he was given his own dressing-room key. That’s not happening here.

“I don’t even know (the brand name for) everything I use,” he said. “I think that if you think too much, you drive yourself insane. I’m a little strange.”

Most goalies are.

“I guess,” he laughed.

Don’t fool around with what works. That philosophy is definitely working for Keith Kinkaid.

22. Trivia time: With St. Louis playing on Wednesday Night Hockey in Montreal, we were wondering about David Perron, who signed his fifth contract with the Blues over three separate stops in the organization. That led us down two rabbit-holes: How many players have joined the same team three different times, and how many have signed five contracts with one club? According to our crack staff, Perron is the 36th to do the former. Marty Burke is the only person to beat that. He had four different tours with the Canadiens from 1927–38. Meanwhile, Perron is one of only three to sign with one organization five times and play for at least five teams. Can you name the other two? Answer below.

23. Under-the-radar player gaining respect: Columbus defenceman Markus Nutivaara. (This was on the list before the Blue Jackets gave up 12 goals in two games in Florida, but who hasn’t done something they regret in the Sunshine State?) Everyone on the blue line gets lost there behind Zach Werenski and the injured Seth Jones, but he’s really stepped up. Not bad for a seventh-rounder.

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24. Drew Doughty loves poking the Canadian media. He winds us up, laughs and leaves. I’ve always wondered if he’d really enjoy it on a day-to-day basis.

“I don’t think I would,” he admitted Monday.

Good news for the Kings.

25. Los Angeles is 0-for-21 on the power play, which likely ends any debate of Dustin Brown’s value. He was second on the team last season with 15 power-play points. In his absence, the Kings have tried Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Jeff Carter, Adrian Kempe and Kovalchuk as the net-front presence. Since he’s on long-term injury, Brown can’t return until Oct. 28 at the earliest.

26. After his “ear-to-ear” showdown with Auston Matthews nearly broke social media, Chicago’s Patrick Kane told reporters referees considered calling Matthews for unsportsmanlike conduct. Thankfully, common sense prevailed; that didn’t happen. Following up, word is that was the correct decision, and there should only be a penalty if taunting is directed at the bench.

27. Not sure how many of you are NFL fans, but that league’s had a sensational start to the season. Rules changes have made it much, much harder to defend; skilled offensive players are taking advantage. The NHL has a long history of goal-scoring eruptions in October before chaos-hating coaches strangle everything. There is hope this season can be different, with the crackdowns on obstruction and slashing making it difficult on defenders. We’ll see.

One executive pointed to the last 11 seconds of San Jose/New Jersey on Sunday.

“The Devils clear the puck,” he said. “And the Sharks still get two chances. That never used to happen.”

28. In the aftermath of Austin Watson’s suspension being reduced from 27 games to 18, there were many calls for a specific domestic violence policy in hockey. I don’t get the sense that the NHL or NHLPA sees that as necessary.

First, the lack of a policy does not prevent commissioner Gary Bettman from suspending a player, with the CBA giving him latitude to do so. Watson did get a ban, and the league

has made it very clear that Slava Voynov faces additional punishment if signed to a new contract.

Second, the league and the players feel that each case is different, both wanting the ability to rule on/respond to what occurs in specific scenarios. We know the NHL was upset by the arbitrator’s reduction, and that the Players’ Association was unhappy at the original punishment, the league’s reaction to the arbitrator’s ruling and the heat it took for appealing at all. We also know that Watson’s girlfriend released a statement absolving him of domestic violence.

I can understand wishing to decide on a case-by-case basis. What I don’t get is why the process can’t be explained with more transparency. If we knew why the commissioner chose 27 games, what grounds the NHLPA used to appeal, why the arbitrator ruled as he did or if anything in the original police report was disputed, everyone would be better off, including the people involved in the process.

29. I believe there is at least one owner who told his team Voynov is not an option.

30. Jim Diamond, who covers the Predators for Associated Press and Rinkside Report, pointed out that Shyam Das, who ruled in Watson’s favour, was fired by Major League Baseball after overturning Ryan Braun’s 2012 drug suspension. As per the CBA, a decision on Das’s future cannot be made until June 30, 2019. So, we’ll see if hockey feels the same way as its baseball brethren.

31. Trivia answer: David Perron signed five contracts with St. Louis, also joining Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Vegas. Nolan Baumgartner did it with Vancouver, also playing for Washington, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Dallas. Finally, Wendel Clark for Toronto. His other teams were Quebec, the Islanders, Tampa Bay, Detroit and Chicago.

32. Bonus thought this week: Ben Falk, who formerly worked for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, has an interesting website called Cleaning the Glass. Earlier this week, he published an article entitled, “Want to watch basketball like a coach or scout? Here’s how I learned.” It may be about hoops, but there are some good ideas to pull for hockey fans.

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Hurricanes Assign Martin Necas and Haydn Fleury to Charlotte, Recall Clark Bishop

Written by Nicholas Niedzielski

The Hurricane made a handful of roster moves today, assigning forward Martin Necas and defenseman Haydn Fleury to the Checkers and recalling forward Clark Bishop from Charlotte.

Necas is in his first full pro season in North America and has notched a goal and an assist in seven games thus far with the Canes. The 19-year-old, who was taken 12th overall in the 2017 NHL draft, made the jump to North America after logging two seasons with Brno Kometa of his home country of the Czech Republic’s top league. Fleury, who was picked seventh overall in 2014, has appeared in just one game for the Hurricanes so far this season. The 22-year-old spent the majority of 2017-18 in the NHL, logging eight assists in 67 games for Carolina while notching two helpers during a quick three-game stint with Charlotte during the All-Star Break. Fleury enjoyed success during his one full season in Charlotte, ranking second among team blue liners with 26 points (7g, 19a) in 69 games

as a rookie in 2016-17. This marks the first NHL recall for Bishop, who was a fifth-round selection by the Canes in 2014. The 22-year-old has come out firing this season for the Checkers with three points (1g, 2a) through the team’s first four games. After splitting his rookie campaign between the AHL and ECHL in 2016-17, Bishop took a big step last season by putting up 28 points (7g, 21a) in 68 games. Additionally, the Hurricanes placed forward Phil Di Giuseppe on waivers earlier today. Should Di Giuseppe – who has recorded 89 points (35g, 54a) in 158 career AHL games with the Checkers – clear waivers Thursday at noon, the Hurricanes would have the option of assigning him to Charlotte. The undefeated Checkers hit the Bojangles’ Coliseum ice Friday against the Hershey Bears for the team’s home opener.

TODAY’S LINKS https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article220187545.html https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article220170430.html https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article220149830.html

http://nsjonline.com/article/2018/10/hurricanes-may-have-found-both-a-no-1-center-and-a-top-line/ https://www.wralsportsfan.com/hurricanes-recall-bishop-assign-necas-and-fleury-to-ahl/17922691/

https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/canes-place-phil-di-giuseppe-on-waivers/c-301026250 https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/plan-ahead-state-fair-hurricanes-game-saturday/c-301023822

https://www.canescountry.com/2018/10/17/17987818/carolina-hurricanes-tampa-bay-lightning-petr-mrazek-sebastian-aho-martin-necas-micheal-ferland

https://www.canescountry.com/2018/10/17/17989982/carolina-hurricanes-niclas-wallin-stanley-cup-concussion-sweden-san-jose-sharks https://www.canescountry.com/2018/10/17/17992006/carolina-hurricanes-assign-martin-necas-and-haydn-fleury-to-checkers-recall-clark-bishop

https://theathletic.com/594337/2018/10/17/what-can-we-actually-take-away-from-the-hurricanes-first-real-test/ https://www.apnews.com/fab32ca1a9cf4baa8162b1c98b003ebe

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/nhl-power-rankings-from-maple-leafs-to-red-wings-the-best-thing-going-for-each-team-so-far/ https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/hockey/news/hurricanes-dougie-hamilton-not-getting-any-shots-to-fall/

http://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/story/_/id/25006805/nhl-chris-peters-top-100-nhl-prospects-nos-1-50-2018-19 https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-mike-matheson-elias-pettersson-connor-mcdavid/

http://gocheckers.com/articles/transactions/hurricanes-assign-martin-necas-and-haydn-fleury-to-charlotte-recall-clark-bishop

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1110579 Carolina Hurricanes

Canes assign Necas, Fleury to Checkers

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

RALEIGH-The Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday assigned center Martin Necas and defenseman Haydn Fleury to the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, a move that will allow both more playing time.

The Canes also recalled forward Clark Bishop from the Checkers.

For Necas, the assignment to Charlotte came one day after the Czech center scored his first NHL goal in the Canes’ 4-2 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Necas, Carolina’s first-round draft pick in 2017, played in the Canes’ first seven games, but without a lot of ice time.

Fleury has played in just one game this season for the Canes, who have been carrying seven defensemen on the roster.

Fleury appeared in 67 games for the Canes last season but the addition of Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan created a numbers game that was problematic for Fleury., who was a healthy scratch in six games.

It’s the first recall for Bishop, 22, who has a goal and three assists in the Checkers’ first four games and had a strong performance in the Canes’ preseason training camp. Bishop was fifth-round draft pick the Canes in 2014.

News Observer LOADED: 10.18.2018


Canes place Di Giuseppe on waivers

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

RALEIGH -The Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday placed forward Phil Di Giuseppe on NHL waivers.

If left unclaimed by any NHL team by noon Thursday, Di Giuseppe will be assigned to the Charlotte Checkers, the Canes’ AHL affiliate.

Di Giuseppe has played in two games this season -- against the New York Rangers and Vancouver -- and did not have a goal or assist.

The Canes signed Di Giuseppe to a one-year NHL contract in June that pays him $750,000 this season. He played in a career-high 49 games for the Canes last season, with five goals and eight assists, and was sixth on the team in hits (88).



Here is the good and bad from the Hurricanes’ 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning

BY CHIP ALEXANDER

The plus and the minus from the Carolina Hurricanes’ 4-2 road loss Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

PLUS

Micheal Ferland: It has been a very good start for the forward, who has four goal. He is a nice fit on a line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Ferland, who brings toughness to the lineup, can skate, is a good passer and scored the Canes’ first goal on a sharp backhander after an Aho steal.

Had Ferland finished off a well-executed rush into the zone in the third with Aho and Teravainen, it would have tied the score. He didn’t as Tampa Bay goalie Louis Domingue, in his first start of the season, made yet another big save for the Bolts.

Five-on-five: Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour says he has no problem with the Canes’ five-on-five play. The power play? Six-on-five quickly has become an issue but not five-on-five.

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“All year it’s been solid,” Brind’Amour said Tuesday after the Canes outshot the Lightning 29-23 at even strength. The Canes have outscored opponents 20-11 in five-on-five play this season.

Martin Necas: For the Czech center, the game offered some good and bad. The rookie scored his first NHL goal in the second period although hardly how he probably imagined: unleashing a one-timer off the rush, then having the thrust of the shot send him sliding face-first across the ice. But he’ll take it.

Had Necas not taken a holding penalty in a third that led to Tampa Bay’s winning goal, it would have been a most memorable night. But the 19-year-old still has much to learn. He’ll have other memorable nights.

MINUS

Power play: The Canes had 11 shots on four power plays Tuesday and got nothing out of them. Instead, Tyler Johnson, who had a hat trick and again was a Canes-killer, scored the Bolts’ first goal shorthanded for a 1-1 tie.

Brind’Amour said with the Canes 28th in the NHL on the power play (8.0 percent) changes might have to be made to the units but said, “You can’t just change things to change things. Everyone has all the answers. Trust me, I hear about it every day. But you have to put your best players out there and they have to execute.”

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Backup blues: The Canes have had a tendency the past few years of turning the other team’s backup goalie into one of the game’s three stars. Part of that is the goalie playing well and with extra motivation. Part of it is shot selection and execution by the Canes.



What can we actually take away from the Hurricanes’ first real test?

By Sara Civian Oct 17, 2018

TAMPA, Fla. — As a general rule, 75 percent of what athletes say about their opposition on game day is meaningless. It’s the age-old “reporters feel like they have to ask, players feel like they have to answer” dance. That’s just the way it is, and you’ve heard it all before:

“We’re just focused on playing our own game.”

“Pucks on net, bodies on net, things of that nature, etc.”

And of course the obligatory answer from anyone who happens to be playing Edmonton:

“Yes, it’s true: Connor McDavid is an above average hockey player.”

Lightning backup goaltender Louis Domingue offered a subtle deviation, though, before his first start of the season against the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

“Obviously I’ve seen it,” he said of Carolina’s hot start. “…You never know how they are going to come out.”

Obviously? He’s seen it?

Lightning coach Jon Cooper was less subtle.

“They haven’t taken us by surprise. We played them two games in the preseason and they outscored us 10-2. We full-well knew what they’ve been capable of doing and they’ve carried it on to the regular season,” he said. “They have an outstanding d-core, they play the game fast. They really have a shooter’s mentality. We’re going to have to slow them down.”

He paused.

“Somehow.”

The team that sprinted through the first two rounds of last season’s playoffs had to — somehow — find a way to slow down the Canes. They’d figure it out via special teams on the way to their 4-2 win, but more on that later.

A few hours before puck drop in Tampa, I got a call from ESPN’s hockey desk, Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski. They wanted to know all about what they referred to as “hockey’s funnest team” and its “viral acclaim.”

The virally acclaimed Carolina Hurricanes? How’d we get here?

As we tried to navigate this Brave New World, it dawned on me that in the same way this team makes no sense, it actually makes perfect sense. Though the Canes (4-2-1) have cooled off a bit after a historic start, it’s still the aforementioned Brave New World. Now we just have a better idea of adjustments they’ll need to make.

Oh, and have we mentioned the losses were on the road, in a back-to-back, after a flight from Winnipeg to Tampa, against two of maybe four preseason Cup contenders? There will be tough stretches, but

kicking the road trip season off with … that … stands out as one of the toughest.

What can we actually take away from a 1-2-0 road trip that served as the first real test of the Hurricanes’ season?

“It’s a learning lesson because we knew we were playing teams everyone said were (Cup contenders) at the beginning of the year, so let’s see how we fared,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I think we can at least know we can play with them. It’s a little, little margin so when you self-destruct on certain things you can’t come back. That’s going to come back to bite you against these teams.”

Maybe the most important takeaway is that those opponents don’t brush off the Hurricanes like they might’ve in the past. Take the rest with a few grains of salt — the Canes are still leading the Metropolitan division with nine points. As always, we’ll start with the good and dip our toes into the bad.

But where will the points come from?

Aside from goaltending, the biggest offseason question mark surrounding this team was who would replace Jeff Skinner’s point production. It seemed like Sebastian Aho was on the right trajectory to do that anyways, cranking it up each season and eclipsing Skinner in 2017-18, so I’m not quite sure where the panic came from. But the answer is shaping up to be “Aho and almost everybody else.”

That’s what happens when you’re taking a league-leading 1,000,000 shots per game and averaging 3.57 goals per game. They’ve taken 294 shots on goal while the league average is 173. They’ve netted 25 goals while the league average is 17. This is the shooter’s mentality Cooper was talking about. As a particularly ballsy college player I used to cover would always say, you can’t score if you pass.

Aho (4-8—12) has continued on his seven-game point streak, and what’s more is he has a certain swagger now. That’s partly because he’s found instant chemistry with new linemate Micheal Ferland (4-3—7). Ferland has a team-leading 13 high danger chances, and they’ve generally put Aho in position to score when Ferland doesn’t finish them off.

Ferland said something no one’s been saying when I asked him about the chemistry.

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m having a lot of fun playing with my linemates,” he said. “I didn’t realize how good Turbo (Teuvo Teravainen) was. I didn’t realize how much he goes into hard areas, and he’s not afraid to get dirty. He’s feisty for his size.”

Teravainen has dished out four assists at even strength — three primary — for Ferland and Aho through seven games. He also has the one of the team’s two coveted power play goals. Maybe his “feisty” work in the dirty areas is something to subtly keep your eye on when Ferland and Aho are racking up the points.

There are four players — Aho, Ferland, Teravainen, Justin Williams — averaging at least a point per game.

Martin Necas’ first NHL goal

FIRST OF MANY FOR @NECAS88 �#TAKEWARNING PIC.TWITTER.COM/HRCYNGKTQY

— CAROLINA HURRICANES (@NHLCANES) OCTOBER 17, 2018

I think I exhaled almost as hard as he did when he scored this goal. He had to have been feeling the pressure at this point, but Brind’Amour decided to stick with him and brushed off criticism of Necas. He even put Necas out in overtime against the Wild, and has given him a total of 13:28 power play minutes. You also gotta love the effort Valentin Zykov and Warren Foegele put in on this play. Despite how sluggish the loss looked at times, there were a lot of little wins in terms of developing the younger players.

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“It’s what I was waiting for for the last five years … it was always a dream,” Necas said. “I mean, it would be much sweeter to win the game and score my first goal.”

That’s the spirit.

Goaltending

The jury’s still out on the state of the Hurricanes’ goaltending, as it will be until Scott Darling returns. But the goal is to at least maintain league average. The collective save percentages of Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney are .886, while league average is .907. It’s so tough for a goalie when special teams are such a … uhh … are we still calling them a work in progress?

“He’s been solid, that’s what we need out of our goaltending,” Brind’Amour said of Mrazek. “Certainly that’s not our issue.”

Either way, there’s room for improvement in net, but I say pump the brakes on legit evaluation until Darling comes back and the Hurricanes can score goals on the man advantage instead of giving them up. We can call in the experts and dive into film breakdowns around late November. For now, enjoy the juxtaposition of Mrazek’s insane body positions and McElhinney’s dad-like calmness.

Not-so-special teams

There’s no way around it: Failure to capitalize on the power play and problems on the penalty kill are outright why the Canes are losing games. They’re 2 for 25 (or 8 percent, whatever is less painful to you) on the power play — 28th in the league. One was an empty-netter. They’ve allowed eight goals on 19 penalty kills — 30th in the league.

The whole team will tell you it’s an issue, no one’s hiding from it or denying it, some will even mention how bad it is without you specifically asking.

That’s another thing to take away from this road trip — everyone’s acknowledging there’s a problem.

But what’s the solution? If you ask Brind’Amour, it’s not necessarily changing anything.

“We made changes tonight and that didn’t help,” he stood firm. “You can’t just change things to change things. Everybody has all the answers, trust me I hear about it every day. But you gotta put your best players out there and they have to execute. That’s it. We’ll keep working on it. As long as we don’t let the negative part of our game drift into our overall game, we’re going to be OK.”

Necas, who’s been out on the power play quite a bit, echoed this sentiment:

“We gotta go more to the net, keep shooting, keep shooting, it’s all about one lucky rebound or one lucky bounce then you get more confidence,” he said.

Here’s a look at the Canes’ 0-for-4 power play night against the Lightning, courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com. As Brind’Amour pointed out postgame, they did get some better looks than they have been, but you’ll see that huge green blob is in the wrong place. (Sorry to get too technical.)

Of course sometimes on the power play you just have to tip in a shot for someone else to redirect, but this clearly isn’t working for them. Maybe a few days to get out of their own heads about it and re-set some chemistry will help. Maybe not. Then maybe you switch some players in and out, like Dougie Hamilton for Justin Faulk. Don’t count on Brind’Amour to make those huge changes just yet.

No panicking in October.

Insider Trading

On TSN’s Insider Trading, our Pierre LeBrun noted the Hurricanes are monitoring William Nylander’s contract stalemate with the Maple Leafs:

“Carolina, to me, is a team you gotta keep your eye on. Of the teams that I think have interest in Nylander, Carolina is as deep on defense as any. I think they have five top-four defensemen. If it ever goes down this road, and there’s a lot of ‘ifs,’ a guy they could have interest in is Brett Pesce. He’s a young top-four defenseman with a cap-friendly deal.”

It’s been a running joke since the Maple Leafs signed John Tavares that they’re going to win every game 10-9, then that sort of actually started to happen. It isn’t shocking they’d be shopping around for a solid defenseman with the trade bait Nylander now provides, and Carolina is stacked at defense. Again, there are a lot of “ifs,” and Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has made it clear he doesn’t want to trade Nylander. But it’s not off the table, and if he has to, this trade would make sense.

It’s definitely something the hockey world is going to keep an eye on, just like the Brave New Hurricanes.

The Athletic LOADED: 10.18.2018

1110656 NHL

U.S. and Canada women’s hockey leagues talk merger

Marisa Ingemi

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Calls for “#OneLeague” might not have been so far off.

The National Women’s Hockey League and Canadian Women’s Hockey League might be making long-speculated progress uniting the two entities.

NWHL commissioner Dani Rylan told the Associated Press that one league is “inevitable,” and has had discussions with new CWHL commissioner Jayna Hefford regarding a merger.

“I feel it’s inevitable because there’s no doubt it would be the right thing for the continued advancement of the women’s game across all levels in the U.S. and Canada,” Rylan told the Herald.

The NHL’s involvement may also be inevitable.

“It’s definitely something we have to look at,” Hefford said. “There is a lot to consider and where I am new to the role I’m trying to understand what the challenges and roadblocks are and how we can get us to the point where we have one professional hockey league in a way that works for everyone.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman balked in the past at being involved in the women’s leagues’ disputes, and he’s expressed a desire to not start a third league to overstep their bounds.

As the NWHL continued to grow, however, Bettman has spoken more at length about the NHL getting involved in women’s hockey.

“When you’ve started a business and made great progress in just three years, what’s it like when Gary Bettman tells the media the model for our women’s league doesn’t work? Of course, it’s really disappointing,” Rylan said. “But behind the scenes, the commissioner has been a gracious adviser to me and the NHL has been supportive, so we hold up his comments as another challenge that inspires us. Can we improve? No question about it.”

Behind the scenes the NHL has quietly got involved. According to the AP report, it was the men’s league that stepped in and helped

CAROLINA HURRICANES


end the labor and wage dispute between women’s national team players and USA Hockey that resulted in equal pay ahead of the 2018 Olympics.

The NHL or USA Hockey have not publicly discussed the funding or four-year agreement between the players and the latter entity. The NHL declined comment.

The NWHL hasn’t publicly lobbied for NHL support as much as the CWHL, but three of its five franchises have some NHL involvement. The Buffalo Sabres own a team, while the New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild have partnerships.

“My hope is that over time we’ll earn Gary’s respect for our business and for what we’re doing for hockey,” Rylan said of Bettman. “In the advancement of a sport that we all believe is for everyone, we’re in this together with the NHL, the CWHL and all the hockey leagues.”

One league would be a lot easier to throw support behind for the NHL. The NHL did not step in when the NWHL was struggling to pay its players in the midst of its second season, or offer any other support or show interest until the league has been seemingly on stable ground.

The NWHL offered no comment on the NHL’s involvement or how they could assist the women’s leagues.

A source confirmed the leagues have discussed a merger. If the motive is to unite to bring in NHL involvement isn’t clear, but it would be a step if that is what the leagues desire.

Hefford is, according to the AP, scheduled to meet with Bettman this week. The CWHL did not return a request for comment.

Both the NWHL and CWHL are in the midst of their seasons. The NWHL is in its fourth year and has games scheduled in two NHL arenas this season.

Boston Herald LOADED: 10.18.2018

1110593 Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche at New Jersey Devils matches up two of the NHL’s best shooters: MacKinnon and Palmieri

By MIKE CHAMBERS | PUBLISHED: October 17, 2018

Following consecutive losses beyond regulation, the Avalanche on Thursday visits the undefeated New Jersey Devils (4-0) at the Prudential Center in the second game of its four-game road trip.

The Avs fell 3-2 in overtime Tuesday at the New York Rangers to begin the trip.

Colorado (3-1-2) has points in five of six games but hasn’t scored more than two goals in its last two outings. The Devils are coming off a 3-0 win against the visiting Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

What to WATCH:

Probable lineup. Forward Sven Andrighetto has been cleared to make his season debut after overcoming a leg injury. The veteran is expected to replace a rookie — Vladislav Kamanev or Sheldon Dries. Second-year forward J.T. Compher (concussion) has resumed skating but is not a candidate to play Thursday, after missing his first game Tuesday. Compher might, however, return to the lineup during the trip.

First-year Avs goalie Philipp Grubauer will make his second start with the team Thursday. Semyon Varlamov has started the last three

games since Grubauer made his debut last week in a loss at Columbus.

Two snipers. Avs center Nathan MacKinnon and Devils right winger Kyle Palmieri each have seven goals, tied for second in the NHL behind Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (10). MacKinnon and Palmieri have each scored in every game, with Palmieri scoring twice in each of New Jersey’s first three games. He boasts a shooting percentage of 39.

Staying special. The Avs rank in the top-10 in the league in special teams, with a 28.6-percent power play (ranked ninth) and a 93.1-percent penalty kill (second). They were 1-for-3 on the power play Tuesday at Madison Square Garden and killed off five of the Rangers’ six man-advantage opportunities.

Connections. Second-year Avs forward Alex Kerfoot was a 2012 fifth-round selection of the Devils and second-year New Jersey defenseman Will Butcher was a 2013 fifth-round pick of the Avalanche.

Before last season, Kerfoot and Butcher — four-year NCAA players from Harvard and Denver, respectively — used a college loophole to become free agents and eligible to sign with the team of their choice. Kerfoot chose Colorado and Butcher went with New Jersey in an un-orchestrated switch.

Kerfoot is a second-line left winger and playing on the No. 2 power play for the Avs. Butcher quarterbacks the Devils’ No. 1 power play and skates on the third pairing at even-strength.

Denver Post: LOADED: 10.18.2018


Takeaways from the Avs’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Rangers

By Evan Rawal October 17, 2018

The Colorado Avalanche came back from two deficits and managed to get a point against the New York Rangers, but still fell short in the shootout by a score of 3-2. The Avs recovered from a sloppy first period to play well in the final two periods, but were unable to come back with the win.

What did we learn from the overtime loss?

Vladislav Kamenev played his best game in an Avs’ uniform. His feet were moving all night, he wasn’t afraid to put the puck at the net, and his defensive game won over coach Jared Bednar. He found himself getting some penalty-kill time because he was playing so well, and the team was putting him out for some important face-offs. This is a game he can build off.

The Avalanche have a 3-on-3 problem. It’s not something you are typically going to practice, but it’s now been an issue all the way back to the middle of last year. They’ve struggled with giving up high-end chances, while failing to create a whole lot on their own. The shootout is a rarity at this point, and a pure crap-shoot, but the Avs need to be better.

Tyson Jost has played well overall, and has very good possession metrics at even strength, but we’re not six games into the season and he has yet to record an even-strength point. Since he plays on the top power-play unit, he will pick up points, but the Avs will need more from him at even strength.

Samuel Girard has started to look a little more human the last few games, struggling a bit with a heavy forecheck. The first period in

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particular was a struggle for him on Tiesday, and he turned the puck over several times. He was on for four high-danger chances against, and only one of those was for the Avs, giving him a team-low 25%.

Semyon Varlamov was, once again, spectacular. He made key saves again on the penalty kill, especially in overtime, and kept the Avs alive when they were stuck in mud in the first period. He’ll get a well-deserved night off on Thursday.

The Avs continue their road trip as they head to New Jersey on Thursday. The game starts at 5 PM MST.

milehighsports.com LOADED: 10.18.2018


Rangers come away with shootout victory over the Avs in back-and-forth affair

By JJ Seaward October 17, 2018

Following a disheartening 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, the Colorado Avalanche jumped back into the mix of things for their first game of a four-game road trip against the New York Rangers at the Madison Square Garden. Despite being able to put together a strong performance, the Avs ultimately fell 3-2 in the shootout against the Rangers.

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog finished the game with two points in the game, while Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 41 saves in the loss.

Despite coming out shooting against the Rangers to start off the first period, the Rangers were able to escape the first period with the 1-0 lead following a deflected power-play goal from Rangers forward Chris Kreider at the 12:07 mark of the first period.

Coming into the second period looking like they had something to prove, the Avalanche came up with the equalizing goal on a power play of their own, as Avalanche forward Tyson Jost tipped a Tyson Barrie wrist shot that found its way past Henrik Lundqvist.

Despite the Avalanche being able to come up with the tying goal, the Rangers were able to come right back as forward Kevin Hayes wired a slap shot past Semyon Varlamov at the 10:53 mark of the second period to help the Rangers retake the lead.

Shortly afterward, Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog caught former Avalanche Cody McLeod in the face with a high stick, drawing blood to give the Rangers a four-minute power play. Luckily enough for the Avalanche, the strong penalty-killing unit was able to kill off the double-minor.

Before Tuesday’s game, the Avalanche came in with the second-best penalty-killing percentage at 95.7 percent — only falling behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, who sat at a perfect 100 percent.

Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon deflected a shot from Gabriel Landeskog to tie the game and break a franchise record; becoming the franchise’s first player to score a goal in the first six games of the season.

“It was a lucky goal for me just going to the net and Gabe [Landeskog] made a great tip that hit me on the shin pad. You will take anyway to score, but it is obviously cool to have a record of my own,” Nathan MacKinnon told Altitude TV’s Kyle Keefe during the second intermission.

Following a dramatic overtime that was filled with shots ringing off the post, and the Avalanche penalty unit remaining strong, this one

was headed into the shootout for the first time this season — where the Rangers put together a couple of goals from Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Shattenkirk to come away with the 3-2 victory.

After dropping the past two games, the Avalanche will look to come away with a victory this Thursday against the undefeated New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center as the East Coast road swing continues.

milehighsports.com LOADED: 10.18.2018


Healthy again, Sven Andrighetto eager to get back into Avs lineupAdrian Dater

Adrian Dater

NEWARK, N.J. – From a distance, it was hard to tell just who it was in the baby blue practice jersey at Avalanche practice on Wednesday here at the Prudential Center. He looked about 5-11 or so, maybe 180 pounds. Was it Matt Calvert? Sheldon Dries? Matt Nieto?

No, it was Sven Andrighetto, No. 10. While Jared Bednar wouldn’t say for sure after practice if Andrighetto would return to the lineup Thursday night against the 4-0-0 New Jersey Devils, he gave enough of a hint to make it seem like just a formality.

So, Sven 10, suddenly, is back.

“I feel really good. It always sucks to be away from the team, and I had to be away from the team last week when they were on the road, back in Denver. But I’m glad it’s going in the right direction right now,” Andrighetto told BSN Denver.

Where would Andrighetto play, assuming he’s back in the lineup? Bednar said he and his staff would figure that out overnight. He could replace any one of four guys probably, maybe a Dries, Nieto, Gabriel Bourque or maybe even a Vladislav Kamenev. I’ll go ahead and wager that Dries gets the short straw, but we’ll see Thursday.

Andrighetto, a native of Zurich, Switzerland, posted eight goals and 22 points in 50 games for the Avs last season. He scored one goal in six playoff games – the game-winner in Colorado’s Game 5 victory in Nashville.

The Avs’ offense has looked a little stale of late, with preseason concerns about secondary scoring starting to photosynthesize again. Andrighetto, assuming his left foot injury is properly healed, will bring speed up and down the wing and some creativity with the puck.

“I think I can help a lot with this group, with my speed and not necessarily for the offensive side,” Andrighetto said. “Also, for the defensive side, like turning pucks over, those loose pucks on the forecheck-backcheck and going from there.”

Before the preseason injury, against Dallas in a game at home, Andrighetto’s mindset coming into the season was just to “contribute to the team aspect” as best he could.

“I never try to focus on numbers,” Andrighetto said. “I think that’s just a reflection of how hard we work and if we play the right way. Obviously, the numbers depend on how many minutes you play, if you play power play and stuff like that. But if you’re just focused on numbers, you’re not following the process.”

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS FOR A WEDNESDAY

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J.T. Compher skated for roughly the first 15 minutes of practice at the Pru Center, but that was it. He had a non-contact jersey. Compher missed the last game with a reported head injury. He will not play against the Devils, but Bednar said he is “progressing.” I saw Compher walk around the team after practice today, seemingly OK. I don’t think this is a serious worry, his injury, but I guess you never know when it comes to the head.

Marko Dano (pronounced “Duh-no”) still has yet to join the team, after being claimed on waivers Monday from Winnipeg. Paperwork with immigration still.

The Avs have the NHL’s second-best penalty-killing percentage, at 93.1.

Philipp Grubauer will get his second start of the season.

Have you all seen our newest BSN Denver Locker t-shirt, the Nathan MacKinnon NHL ’94 one? They are going fast. Get yours today here: https://www.bsndenverlocker.com/products/16-bit-mackinnon

BSN DENVER LOADED: 10.18.2018

1110603 Detroit Red Wings

Body language is part of why Detroit Red Wings are winless. Here's why

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

Published 2:54 p.m. ET Oct. 17, 2018 | Updated 4:46 p.m. ET Oct. 17, 2018

As they try to right themselves, the Detroit Red Wings are keenly aware they have to stop signaling defeat.

The Wings take an 0-4-2 record to a particularly unfriendly place as they begin their third road trip Thursday at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit), where they have lost 11 straight times. They do so humbled by back-to-back blowouts, and knowing they’ve got to show more fortitude when an opponent scores.

“You can’t let your body language be the first thing that other players notice because they are going to jump all over it,” Dylan Larkin said Wednesday. “We have to pick ourselves up. Truly the next shift is the most important after a goal and we need to get the puck back and back in their zone and have a productive shift where we are changing the momentum back in our favor. Don’t get frustrated.

“It’s hard after a game like in Boston where it seemed like everything was going in and everything was going towards our zone and it was a little discouraging last game where it seemed like it was happening all over again.”

Jimmy Howard echoed Larkin’s thoughts, saying, “our body language is not very good when we get down a couple. Confidence is earned in this league and you have to play and earn it.”

The Wings have played well enough to rank eighth in the NHL on power plays (29.4 percent), and the penalty kill (79.2 percent) is 13th. They rank 11th in offensive-zone faceoff success at 53.7 percent. Having to rely on at least three, and in some games four, rookie defensemen has been challenging, but Thursday will see the return of veteran Trevor Daley. In order to have room to activate him, rookie LIbor Sulak was sent to Grand Rapids.

If the Wings are to stop their winless streak, there has to be better consistency up front, though. Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi have been their two best forwards. A handful of veterans need to be harder to play against, and Anthony Mantha knows that includes him. For a

guy who came into the season saying he wanted to be part of the leadership, he has not been successful.

“I don’t think I’ve played my game that I wanted to bring for the team,” Mantha said. “I need to step up here. I think I played two or three good games and then two or three bad games. I just need to be more consistent — be more physical. The game in LA, I threw a few hits and got in the game quick. That’s what I need to do — just one or two big hits at the start of the game can get me going.”

The Wings have not earned a point in Tampa since December 2013. If that’s to change, they cannot look as deflated as they’ve looked the last two games when the opponent has scored.

“One is making sure that we pick ourselves back up as quick as possible and don’t let it affect our mental state,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “That’s just a decision each one of us has to make — we’ve all been kicked in life and it’s all about getting up. So when we get scored on, who cares, let’s just keep playing.

“The other side of it I would say is the maturity of our game. You can’t make up for a goal-against by forcing things. As we got down in the game the other night, all of a sudden we forced things, and that just leads to bad hockey and then it snowballs and you’re playing really poor hockey.”

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 10.18.2018


Why the Detroit Red Wings picked forward Jacob de la Rose off waivers

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press


The Detroit Red Wings hope they've added to their depth in picking up a former second-round pick.

Jacob de la Rose, a native of Sweden, will join the Wings once he has acquired a work visa. He was with the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him 34th overall in 2013.

Part of his appeal is he can play center or wing. The Wings liked him in his draft year, and scouted him as recently as at the 2018 World Championship, where de la Rose had a goal and an assist as helped Sweden win gold.

De la Rose also has to be cleared medically – he had a cardiac episode Sept. 29, though he was cleared by the Canadiens to practice. He has not played this season.

De la Rose, 23, has 19 points in 119 NHL games. The 6-foot-3, 216-pound winger played in a career-high 55 games for Montreal in 2017-18. His salary cap hit for 2018-19 is $900,000.

Detroit Free Press LOADED: 10.18.2018


Red Wings need simple shifts when responding to goals against.

CAROLINA HURRICANES


Staff Report


Detroit — An integral ingredient, now missing, would help support the Red Wings against surging opponents intent on thrashing them.

It is something Henrik Zetterberg provided. It is just one reason he achieved stardom, served as a role mode and received respect all around the NHL.

The Wings could have used it in the 8-2 loss to the Bruins and the 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.

They might need it Thursday against the Lightning.

When an onslaught began, and the Wings fell behind, invariably, Zetterberg performed a couple rock steady shifts. During them, his attention to the grimy details of the game, all along the ice, stiffened the spine of a put-upon team.

Solid defense, puck possession, forechecking and backchecking provided sound performance and established resolve.

Rarely, did it result in an immediate comeback. Only occasionally did it result in a quick goal.

Reliably, however, it settled things down, just enough.

A beleaguered team caught its breath. And then, often enough, things began to turn.

Not exactly a sexy performance, a couple of steady shifts. But useful, and just part of the low-key genius that made Zetterberg a sometimes-underappreciated star.

After practice Wednesday, coach Jeff Blashill talked about more constructive responses to goals against.

“Who cares?” the coach said. “Let’s just keep playing.”

That is the mental side.

The other side, he said, “is the maturity of our game. You can’t make up for a goal against by forcing things.

“And, I thought as we got down in the game the other night, all of a sudden, we forced things. And, when you force things, that just leads to bad hockey. And then, it just snowballs.”

Some of the players say they understand that, and they also understand they have not prevented routs, two games running.

What Zetterberg did “is a hugely important thing,” Blashill said. “And, it doesn’t come natural to young people who want to win so bad that they try to make up the score in one shift. You can’t do that.

“The good thing for us is that I can refer back to the way Hank would treat those shifts, and most of the guys who were around here understand that. It doesn’t make it easier, always, in the moment. But, again, that’s a maturity thing.

“Over time, you mature and you gain perspective and you understand that’s all you have to do, sometimes, is just be OK with a shift where nothing happens. That’s OK, especially when the momentum’s going the wrong way.”

A couple of fairly mundane shifts can be a powerful tool.

“Obviously that comes with some experience, you know? He was such a great player,” said Anthony Mantha said of Zetterberg’s ability to help restore order.

“Yeah, we need to figure out something to make it happen. After one of their goals or even two quick ones, we need to bounce back and slow it down and grab momentum back.”

Dylan Larkin said things will not get easier for the injury-riddled, redeveloping Red Wings, in Tampa.

“It is mental,” Larkin said. “It’s not effort. Guys are trying. It’s not effort, at all.

“Guys don’t want to be put in spots they’re put in and make mistakes. But, everything right now seems to be magnified, and we make one mistake and it’s in the back of the net.

"For us to win a hockey game, here, we have to play a near perfect game."

Niklas Kronwall said the second lopsided loss, against the Canadiens, had a lot to do with the team putting itself in bad positions rather than taking the easy play when it came its way.

“We put ourselves in situations that we really didn’t need to, and we made mistakes that we definitely don’t have to,” Kronwall said. “It’s just a matter of trying to do it right, then.”

Detroit News LOADED: 10.18.2018


Dennis Cholowski, young Detroit Red Wings see some promise in late rally

Staff Report

Detroit — After the roof fell in, the Red Wings showed some signs of improvement.

Jonathan Drouin scored the Canadiens' sixth goal at 15:59 of the second period, in the 7-3 loss Monday. But, the Wings scored the next two goals and outshot Montreal 16-8 the rest of the way.

The Red Wings say they started playing more as they had intended, with more possession, more time in the offensive zone and a bit more forechecking.

The Canadiens, ahead 6-1 at that juncture, likely eased back on the throttle a bit.

But the young Wings hope their rally toward the end of two brutal losses on the road can help them in Tampa, where they have no points in five years.

“We were doing the right things,” Dennis Cholowski said Wednesday.

Cholowski played 21:57, second-most among defensemen (Nick Jensen, 22:21). Cholowski also carried the most power play time, 2:01.

“We were getting it deep," he said. "We were forechecking hard. We were wearing them out in the O-zone; going low to high, getting it to the net.”

Through the first six games, the 20-year-old from British Columbia, who has played in only four NHL games, leads the team in average time on ice, 22:07, ahead of Jensen’s 21:16.

“Third period was good,” Cholowski said. “If we can do that for 60 minutes, we’ll be fine.”

CAROLINA HURRICANES


But it is that consistent performance the injury-battered Red Wings lack, off to their worst start since October 1985.

“No matter how bad you’ve played a game, there’s something you can build off,” said Tyler Bertuzzi, who, with Gustav Nyquist and Dylan Larkin, leads the team with five points.

“We did a decent amount of good things, but we did too many bad things.

“Today, in practice, we worked on a lot of defensive pressure and the neutral zone fore-check,” said Bertuzzi, who is making the most of his chances, with two goals on five shots on goal, through six games.

“So, we’ve got to better defensively, and we will be.”

The Red Wings added to their depth Wednesday claiming forward Jacob de la Rose off waivers from Montreal.

de la Rose, 23, is a 6-foot-3, 216-pound center/left wing, who Montreal picked in the second round (34th overall) in the 2013 Entry Draft.

In 119 career NHL games, de la Rose has eight goals and 11 assists (19 points). In 55 games last season, de la Rose had 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists).

de la Rose has yet to play this season. He suffered a cardiac episode following a Sept. 29 exhibition game but was eventually cleared to practice, which he’s been doing with the Canadiens.

He must cleared medically, and obtain a work visa before joining the Wings.

Trevor Daley does not quite remember whether it was a knee or a thigh. He just knew his neck hurt more than his head.

The grateful, hard-pressed Red Wings will welcome back the solid, veteran presence of the 35-year-old Daley on Thursday. It allowed them to send Libor Sulak, 24, to Grand Rapids, after he averaged 19:22 in the first six games in the NHL.

Daley tumbled into an oncoming opponent in Los Angeles two weeks ago. He said he is not sure what body part skated into him, but jamming his neck proved more of a problem than striking his head.

Daley marveled at four young defensemen, all playing together for several games at the start of the season -- a highly unusual circumstance.

“Yeah, it’s unheard of,” said the veteran of 15 seasons, who played in 77 games last year.

“I think they’ve been playing great. All of them. But, for their sake, it helps to have someone who’s been around a little bit to lean on a little bit.

“We’re getting healthy and we’re getting back,” Daley said. “And, these guys are still getting better.”

Michael Rasmussen hopes to be better when he returns to the lineup Thursday.

The 19-year-old averaged 12:33 and one shot on goal through the first five games before sitting aloft and watching in Montreal.

“You have more time than you think, but not as much as you like,” Rasmussen said, of what coaches are counseling about his play.

“And, just hold on to the puck,” he said. “And get my feet going more, in the neutral zone.”



Daley, Rasmussen to return for winless Red Wings

Staff Report


Detroit — Defenseman Trevor Daley will return to the lineup for the Red Wings on Thursday, as Detroit hopes to shore up an inexperienced defense in a season in which it has yet to win, and in Tampa, where the Wings are pointless in five years.

Michael Rasmussen also will re-enter the lineup, hoping to find some traction after five games of the 19-year-old forward’s NHL career.

Meanwhile, the Wings plucked a young forward from the Canadiens’ waiver list Wednesday, singing Jacob de la Rose, 23, a 6-foot-3, 216-pound, second-round pick, 34th overall in the 2013 draft. De la Rose has played in 119 NHL games, scoring eight goals, tallying 11 assists and collecting a minus-16 rating.

He must pass a physical, after suffering what doctors described as a “cardiac episode,” two weeks ago.

“I feel good,” said Daley, who is part of the banged-up Red Wings defense.

He fell headlong into an approaching opposition player against the Kings on Oct. 7, and said he injured his neck more than his head.

“I jammed my neck, too. So, just a couple of days that were precautionary more than anything.”

Coach Jeff Blashill said Danny DeKeyser is out a week or two, until the pain in his injured hand is tolerable enough to play. It is not an injury that requires surgery, Blashill said.

Mike Green has begun vigorous skating, and will accompany the Wings on their Florida trip, but will not play, the coach said.

Blashill had no update on Jonathan Ericsson.

The Red Wings are off to their worst start, at 0-4-2, since they opened the 1985-86 season at 0-8-1.

Through five games, they have the worst goal differential in the NHL by more than 100 percent, at minus-16, compared to minus-7 for the Coyotes.

Including the playoffs, they have lost 11 straight to Steve Yzerman’s Lightning, and have no points on the road against Tampa since December 2013.

“We need to pick ourselves back up as quick as possible and don’t let it affect or mental state,” Blashill said. “That’s just the decision that each one of us has to make.

“We’ve all been kicked in life and it’s all about getting up. It’s not about getting kicked.

“So, if we get scored on, who cares? Just keep playing.”



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Just like the Red Wings, defensive woes continue to plague Griffins

Updated October 17, 2018 at 10:42 PM; Posted October 17, 2018 at 10:32 PM

By Peter J. Wallner [email protected]

GRAND RAPIDS - The Grand Rapids Griffins, like the Detroit Red Wings. continue to give up too many goals, and on Wednesday they also couldn't stay out of the penalty box.

One problem led to the other as the Texas Stars took advantage with three power play goals to beat the Griffins, 6-3, who dropped to 1-4 on the season. They have allowed at least three goals each game and 11 the past two after a 5-1 loss at Chicago on Saturday.

Two of the final three goals by Texas came with a man advantage.

The go-ahead goal came from Denis Gurianov at 4:20 in the third with defenseman Matt Finn in the box. Finn was forced to slash Adam Mascherin, who broke through the defense.

The insurance goal came from Michael Mersch at 9:14 with defenseman Vili Saarijarvi off for delay of game.

The two penalties were among nine minors on the evening. The team came into the game averaging just under 12 minutes a game.

The Texas goals came on 32 shots, the most on the season. The Griffins (1-4-0-0) came into the game allowing 3.75 goals a game (21st in the league) but second in fewest shots allowed (24 a game).

"I don't think it was a step back by any means," said Griffins coach Ben Simon. "I thought we made mistakes. It was a step back because you look at the score. (It was) penalties that cost us and put us in the box and we shot ourselves in the foot.

"I wouldn't consider it a set back. Just different kinds of mistakes that put us behind the eight ball tonight."

The struggles are similar to the Red Wings, winless in six games with 30 goals allowed.

Injuries that have led to thin corps and inexperienced players in Detroit has had a trickle-down effect in Grand Rapids.

But the Griffins are due some help defensively following the pre-game announcement that Libor Sulak would be sent down after six games with the Detroit Red Wings. He's expected to practice Thursday.

Veteran Brian Lashoff is also due back, perhaps Saturday.

There hasn't been much experience to call upon on the Griffins defense so far. Dylan McIlrath has been the lone veteran along with the experienced Jake Chelios. Prospect Saarjivarvi is in his second full season while three others in the lineup were relative newcomers in Marcus Crawford, Trevor Hamilton and Matt Finn.

"There are flashes of growth and periods of, I don't want to say regression, but common mistakes," Simon said. "It's frustrating but they're getting an opportunity and guys are starting to get healthy and coming back soon.

"So if they don't make the most of their opportunities, that's the way the game goes. Then they won't be here very long."

McIlrath said the group "really isn't clicking as a group yet."

"We haven't found of mojo, our chemistry, really," he said. "I think we've shown it at times that we can be great but when you have a couple bad bounces, you can't get it snowball."

Slow starts also have been common in recent years in Grand Rapids. The 2015-16 team started 0-4-0-0 and 1-2-0-1 in 2012-13,

both with first-year coaches in Todd Nelson and Jeff Blashill, respectively. Both also went to the playoffs, and the 2012-13 team won the Calder Cup.

The Griffins got goals from Chris Terry, Finn and Axel Holmstrom.

They host Chicago on Saturday.

Michigan Live LOADED: 10.18.2018


Red Wings' Michael Rasmussen trying to adjust to NHL's limited space


By Ansar Khan [email protected]

DETROIT - While sitting in the press box Monday in Montreal as a healthy scratch, Detroit Red Wings rookie Michael Rasmussen focused on players he wants to emulate.

He watched how Dylan Larkin protects the puck and moves his feet. He paid attention to Brendan Gallagher's battle level on every shift.

Before practice Wednesday, coaches showed Rasmussen video of Peter Forsberg, how he protected the puck by hitting opponents with his shoulder or rear end before they could check him.

Adjusting to the lack of time and space has been the 19-year-old forward's biggest challenge transitioning from juniors to the NHL.

Rasmussen has one point (an assist) and five shots on goal while averaging 12:33 of ice time in five games. He'll be back in the lineup Thursday at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit), where the Red Wings (0-4-2) are seeking their first victory against a team that has defeated them 11 times in a row.

Where Rasmussen will finish this season remains to be determined. The Red Wings can send him back to Tri-City (WHL) before his 10th game without burning a year off his entry-level contract. Because he has junior eligibility, he can't be assigned to the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

"There are very few options with him because of the way the rules are set up, so we got to make sure we maximize his development," coach Jeff Blashill said. "There's a misnomer that development is just about playing. Sometimes the best thing to do is take a breather rather than spiral the wrong direction. He understands we're trying to make him the best player possible. Sometimes you got to take a break and spend some time in practice getting those reps in."

Blashill said Rasmussen's two areas of focus need to be skating with the puck, especially from the tops of the faceoff circles in each zone, and holding onto the puck in the offensive zone.

"When I talked to (coach) Tim Hunter at the Canadian World Junior camp, he felt (Rasmussen) wasn't skating when he got the puck," Blashill said. "You think you can kind of stand still or drift and make a play and all of a sudden, people are all over you and you wonder what happened.

"Maybe more importantly, he just has to keep learning the little tricks of the trade to hold onto the puck in the O-zone more. He probably needs to keep his stick a little bit closer to his body, certainly needs to learn how to reverse-hit guys with his butt, reverse-hit guys with

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his shoulder, find ways to reverse-check guys that are coming to him, create a little bit of space, move his feet, use cutbacks."

His 6-foot-6, 221-pound frame might work against him in that respect.

"The hard part with that is your center of gravity is real high," Blashill said. "It's easier for little guys with their low center of gravity. Once his body fills out, it'll be way easier."

Rasmussen said adapting to limited space and using his body to protect the puck have been the biggest challenges.

"Everyone is bigger and stronger and faster (in the NHL), the cliches are all true," Rasmussen said. "I'm trying to get climatized to it."

He said coaches have told him, "You have more time than you think, not as much as you'd like, but just hold onto the puck and get your feet going a little more in the neutral zone."

Rasmussen skated on a line with Luke Glendening at center and Justin Abdelkader at the other wing. Blashill shuffled lines in practice. Dylan Larkin centered Gustav Nyquist and Darren Helm, Frans Nielsen skated with Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Bertuzzi, Christoffer Ehn was centering Anthony Mantha and Thomas Vanek.

Larkin, who experienced immediate success as a 19-year-old in 2015-16, offered Rasmussen some encouragement.

"He had some chances his first game, especially early, and it would have done wonders for him (to score) just to get that confidence," Larkin said. "But he's a hard-working kid, he stays out late on the ice, he cares.

"Him sitting out obviously is not ideal for him but for him to take a deep breath, maybe watch a game and kind of regroup is not a bad thing. Put your head down and work, try to get better every day and be realistic with yourself and come out and battle."



Red Wings claim Jacob De La Rose off waivers; Libor Sulak reassigned


By Ansar Khan [email protected]

DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings claimed left wing/center Jacob De La Rose off waivers Wednesday from the Montreal Canadiens.

De La Rose, 23, must be cleared medically and obtain a work visa before he can join the team. He suffered a cardiac episode following a preseason game on Sept. 29 but was cleared to practice. He had been skating with the Canadiens but hasn't played yet this season.

De La Rose (6-3, 216), a second-round pick in 2013 (34th overall), has limited offensive ability (eight goals, 11 assists in 119 NHL games, no points in 12 playoff games) and is more of a fourth-line defensive player.

Trevor Daley will return to the Red Wings lineup Thursday at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit). He missed four games after being kneed in the head at Los Angeles on Oct. 7.

Coach Jeff Blashill said Danny DeKeyser saw a hand specialist Wednesday and won't need surgery. He will not play the next two games.

"It's a little bit of a symptom of when the pain goes to a spot then he can handle it and play," Blashill said. "I don't have the answer on how long that's going to be. I think the term week-and-a-half to two weeks was thrown out there, but I don't know if that's totally accurate, it's just going to depend on how it responds."

Jonathan Ericsson (upper-body injury) continues to practice but won't play Thursday. He said Saturday at Florida is a possibility.

The team is waiting on the results of recent bloodwork Mike Green's recent bloodwork. Green (virus) skated for a long time Tuesday and will skate with the team during this trip but remains weeks away from being cleared.

"We just keep being patient with it until he gets his body back to a spot where he can really go full out," Blashill said. "Nothing in the future where I can say he's coming back here or there but he's starting to go in right direction."

The Red Wings reassigned defenseman Libor Sulak to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

They needed a roster spot with Daley's impending return to the lineup and the acquisition of De Le Rose.

Sulak had no points and a minus-5 rating while averaging 19:23 in ice time in six games.


1110675 San Jose Sharks

Dylan Gambrell embracing challenge of splitting time between Sharks, Barracuda

By Chelena Goldman October 17, 2018

San Jose Sharks center Dylan Gambrell hasn't played in an NHL game yet this season. But he's certainly getting plenty of work in.

The 22-year-old kicked off his 2018-19 campaign getting on the score sheet for San Jose's minor league affiliate, the Barracuda. But when Sharks' forward Joe Thornton left the Sharks' five-game road trip after one tilt, Gambrell was on a plane to join the big league club on the east coast. In six games so far this season, he has bounced back and forth between the NHL Sharks and their AHL branch three times.

Flip flopping sweaters may seem like a hefty workload. But Gambrell is happily taking on the challenge. And having the opportunity to create chemistry with both dressing rooms has helped make the regular transitions smoother.

"There's such a great group of guys in both locker-rooms," Gambrell said after a lengthy Wednesday practice as the Sharks gear up to host the Buffalo Sabres. "It makes it so much easier when you come back from a trip, or from the other side of the locker-room."

It also doesn't hurt that the Sharks and their AHL club share a facility, which was not the case just a few seasons ago when players had to fly from Worcester, Massachusetts when they were recalled to the big club.

"It nice that both teams are in the same facility," said Gambrell, who the Sharks picked 60th overall in the 2016 Draft. "That makes it so much easier for a guy like me who's been going up and down a bit."

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The Bonney Lake, Washington native was one of the last players at Sharks training camp to be reassigned to the 'Cuda the day before the NHL regular season opened. While the Sharks were starting off their roadie in LA against the Kings, Gambrell was leading the Barracuda with two goals and one assist in a 4-1 victory over the Ontario Reign.

He joined the Sharks on the east coast a couple days later. And although he didn't play in those games, the rookie said he took plenty of mental notes on what the rest of the team was doing.

"Just taking little notes," the University of Denver product said of observing games. "Watching (the other players) and how they prepare, how they handle themselves on the road, the little things they're doing to get ready for a game situation."

Clearly that note-taking is paying off, even at the AHL level. No sooner had the Sharks returned from their final road game against the New Jersey Devils Sunday that Gambrell was reassigned back to the Barracuda for a Monday night tilt. He registered a goal in the second period for the AHL squad -- despite not playing since their season-opener over a week earlier.

"It was nice to get a game in, for sure," Gambrell said. "The legs took a little bit to get going, obviously. But after the first period I felt pretty good."

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer was in attendance to watch the young center in that game. DeBoer told the media after Tuesday's practice Gambrell could see NHL game time soon. Although it isn't clear as of yet where Gambrell would slide into the lineup. While he normally plays center, the Sharks' bench boss slotted him in at wing during the Sharks' preseason. But like with switching back and forth between the AHL and NHL, Gambrell is comfortable playing in either position.

"I've played both wing and center throughout my whole life," Gambrell said, clearly okay with the workload he has taken on. "Wherever I'm slotted in, I'm pretty happy with it."

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 10.18.2018


Logan Couture returns to Sharks practice after collision with teammate

By Chelena Goldman October 17, 2018

SAN JOSE -- Sharks fans can breathe a sigh of relief, because Logan Couture returned to practice Wednesday morning.

Couture was sidelined at the end of Tuesday morning's practice after he collided with rookie center Rourke Chartier during three-on-three drills. Sharks coach Peter DeBoer didn't immediately have an update on the center's status following Tuesday's practice, but he indicated Wednesday that everything was OK.

No. 39 has three points (one goal, two assists) through six games so far this season, all of which were logged during the Sharks' five-game road trip. He made the early season highlight reel when he set up Kevin Labanc for the game-winning overtime goal against the L.A. Kings on Oct. 5.

San Jose was hit with early season injury woes when top-line staple Joe Thornton was sidelined after the second regular-season game because of an infection in his surgically repaired knee. The 39-year-old forward rejoined the team Tuesday after missing the tail end of the team's road trip.

Thornton has participated in both practices since the Sharks returned to San Jose, although it isn't clear when he'll next suit up for a game.



Sharks notes: Joe Thornton applauds team for 'playing great' in his absence

By Marcus White October 17, 2018

SAN JOSE -- Sharks center Joe Thornton had a fan’s view of the team’s last four games, and he said he liked what he saw.

“I think they’re playing great,” Thornton said Tuesday after his first practice since going on injured reserve Oct. 7. “I think the record could be 5-1, 4-2. We looked solid, [five-on-five] play looked really solid.

“But I really, really like our five-on-five play. It felt like what I was watching we were dictating most of the games.”

Thornton experienced swelling in his surgically repaired right knee the day after San Jose’s 3-2 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings. In the next four games, the Sharks largely controlled play at even strength, attempting 58.92 percent of the five-on-five shots and out-chancing opponents 102-76, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Yet, the Sharks finished the Thornton-less portion of the trip 1-2-1, falling to 2-3-1 overall. That’s, at least in part, because San Jose scored on just 6.56 percent of its five-on-five shots, and 7.27 percent overall.

Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said the team wants to clean up some details but also must be prepared to just ride out this stretch.

“I think there are some things you can do to help yourself,” DeBoer said. “Some net-front traffic, and some more commitment to bearing down. But I also think you’ve got to be careful, too, and some of it is just sticking with it. There are stretches where it just doesn’t go [in].”

Risk-y Business

So, how did Thornton spend his week away from the team?

“Watched the games, played some Risk on my computer, go to hockey games with my kid,” Thornton said. “There’s always stuff to be busy with.”

Yes, Thornton -- along with a surprising number of NHL players, as Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt documented in a great story last year -- is an avid player of the Hasbro classic.

He grew up playing with his older brothers during his childhood summers, and has gotten some of his current and former teammates hooked: HC Davos roommate Rick Nash and former Sharks center Chris Tierney were among the converts mentioned in Prewitt’s story.

Gambrell earns 'a look here soon'

The Sharks did not practice Monday, so rookie center Dylan Gambrell spent the night in an AHL game, suiting up for the San Jose Barracuda. Gambrell scored or assisted on both of San Jose’s regulation goals, all with DeBoer in attendance.

The 22-year-old was one of the last cuts of training camp, and he traveled with the team after Thornton was placed on injured reserve. Gambrell has not played for the Sharks yet this season, but he now has five points in two AHL games.

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“He’s gone down and handled the demotion the right way by being the best player on the ice most nights he’s down there,” DeBoer said. “He’s gonna get a look here soon, and hopefully he takes it and runs with it.”

Gambrell played on the wing at Tuesday’s practice, skating with Timo Meier and Logan Couture while Tomas Hertl sat for a maintenance day. Gambrell played on the wing in the preseason, too, and DeBoer said that can only help his cause.

“If you’re a centerman, you want to be able to knock on the coach’s door and say, ‘Hey, listen, I can also play wing until you need [one],' ” DeBoer said. “He’s got that versatility to his game because of his speed, so I think the more positions he can play, the more opportunities he’s going to get.”

Fine Lines

While Kevin Labanc also sat for a maintenance day, Thornton returned to the top line alongside Joe Pavelski and Evander Kane. Other than him and Gambrell, there were no other changes to the line combinations and defense pairs from the end of the road trip, and they shook out as follows:

Evander Kane - Joe Thornton - Joe Pavelski

Timo Meier - Logan Couture - Dylan Gambrell

Marcus Sorensen - Antti Suomela - Joonas Donskoi

Barclay Goodrow - Rourke Chartier - Melker Karlsson

Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Erik Karlsson

Joakim Ryan - Brent Burns

Brenden Dillon - Justin Braun

Radim Simek - Tim Heed

Second-line center Logan Couture collided with Rourke Chartier in a drill Tuesday, and appeared to be holding his wrist afterward. DeBoer did not have an update immediately after practice.

If Couture doesn’t skate Wednesday, the Sharks could ice much different lines in his absence.



‘Half the league’ expressed interest in Antti Suomela — so how did he end up with the Sharks?

By Kevin Kurz Oct 17, 2018

No one can put an exact number on just how many NHL teams were interested in signing center Antti Suomela last summer, which came after he led the Finnish league in scoring last season with 60 points in 59 games.

When the Sharks announced on June 6 that they had landed him on a one-year deal, general manager Doug Wilson said in a statement that Suomela had “a number of teams interested in his services.” Sharks scouting director Doug Wilson Jr. has previously estimated that it was at least a dozen teams. On Tuesday, Suomela himself had the number “between 10 and 15.”

Perhaps the man with the best idea, though, is Suomela’s agent, Markus Lehto.

“I’m sure all the agents say that half of the league was trying to get (their) guy, but with this guy that is the truth, that half of the league was actually trying to sign him,” Lehto said on Wednesday.

So how did the highly regarded 24-year-old end up with the Sharks? It was a process that started with Sharks European scout Shin Larsson, who saw Suomela when he was playing junior hockey with the Espoo Blues before he joined JYP in the SM-liiga for two seasons from 2016-18.

“It’s actually been quite a long process,” Wilson Jr. explained. “Shin Larsson saw him originally with the Blues, when he was playing junior hockey, and he always put up big numbers when he was playing as a kid. … Shin had had Antti on his player-to-watch list for about three to four seasons, so we just kept on tracking him.”

Lehto played a key role, of course, as any good agent will do. A former player and captain himself in the Finnish league, Lehto also represents current Sharks forward Marcus Sorensen and former goalie Antti Niemi, along with a number of other high-profile European players.

When Lehto is high on one of his guys, the Sharks want to hear about him.

“The good thing is with Antti, his agent is Markus Lehto, who is almost a scout himself,” Wilson Jr. said. “He has an unreal hockey mind. … So when Markus Lehto has guys and he talks about them, you’ve got to listen, because Markus is a hockey guy.”

Lehto said: “Doug Jr. and Shin Larsson, they really did a good job. They went to see Antti, there was dialogue going on all the time. A couple of conference calls. (Doug Wilson) took part in it, (assistant GM) Tim Burke, too.”

Although Lehto said the Sharks didn’t promise Suomela a spot on the NHL roster if he signed, they made it clear that they needed another center. Even before the Sharks included Chris Tierney as part of the trade to acquire Erik Karlsson, there was at least one hole in the middle that needed to be filled after fourth-line pivot Eric Fehr signed with Minnesota in the offseason.

Lehto also had recent firsthand knowledge of how the Sharks handled Sorensen, another one of his clients. The Sharks somewhat surprisingly reassigned Sorensen to the AHL at the start of the 2017-18 season after he struggled in the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs and then didn’t have a very good camp that September. But they recalled him for the second half and Sorensen became one of their best players in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. He’s now firmly a part of the NHL roster, currently skating as a third-line winger.

Lehto said: “I think they’ve handled Marcus real well. Of course, I wanted him to play in the NHL right away, but with the experience I’ve had with a lot of these guys, they need that kind of adjustment period.”

Wilson Jr. said: “I think that story about Marcus Sorensen helped show (Suomela) that, hey, the Sharks really care about European players and want them to succeed. Marcus Lehto was really helpful with that because he represents Sorensen, too.”

While Wilson Jr. and Larsson had plenty of information on Suomela, they also got Sharks coach Pete DeBoer involved in the process. After all, DeBoer is the guy who ultimately decides whether a player is ready to get in the lineup or whether he needs more seasoning in the AHL.

One benefit of having DeBoer in the organization is that, with his 13 years coaching in the Ontario Hockey League, he has experience evaluating young European talent and helping them to acclimate to the North American style.

When DeBoer saw Suomela on video along with a few other guys that Sharks were interested in, Suomela stood out. After all, this is a guy who managed to lead the Finnish league in scoring despite

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playing as the third-line center and not getting much time on the power play, either. According to Suomela, 41 of his first 44 points last season came during 5-on-5 play.

“Pete sat down, watched some video with us of Antti and with three other (players). We kind of put a group of European players that we were tracking in front of Pete, and this guy just kind of caught Pete’s eye,” Wilson Jr. said. “When we showed a couple of different guys to Pete, this guy stood out where he was kind of like, ‘Hey, this guy’s got NHL quality.’

“It was kind of Shin to Markus Lehto to our group to Pete, and when Pete signed off, we were like, this is our guy. We kind of honed in and eliminated the other guys we were looking at and went all-in on Antti.”

Of course, with so many teams in pursuit of Suomela, there were no guarantees that he would end up with the Sharks. Eventually, Lehto and Suomela whittled their list down, with the opportunity to play their most important criteria.

“It’s not like money is going to dictate your decision, right?” Lehto said. “In these kind of cases you think about the short term, because if a guy doesn’t make a great impression during the first year, what is going to happen? He’s going to go back to Europe.”

After they had it down to about five teams,“there were multiple conference calls” with those teams, Lehto said.

All the while, Suomela was also doing his part to find out more about San Jose. He heard from Larsson, of course, who was doing what he could to convince the player to join the Sharks.

“He told me good things (about) San Jose, and (it) would be really good for me. Good guy,” Suomela recalled.

Suomela reached out to countryman Joonas Donskoi, sending him a message through social media to find out as much as he could. After all, Suomela had never even set foot in North America.

“We chatted on Instagram last summer,” Suomela said. “I (asked) some questions (about) this place, and he answered me. Our first chat was last summer.”

He also communicated with Sorensen and admitted that it was a “big thing” that those players were already in the organization. Eventually, Suomela was “very convinced that he wants to go to San Jose,” Lehto said, before adding, “It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy.”

Suomela, who has two assists in six NHL games so far playing as the Sharks’ third-line center, said: “It was a really good feeling when I made a choice.”

The Sharks, of course, had a good feeling when the deal was finalized, too.

“We had talked to Antti throughout the year and the last couple of seasons. He knew that we liked him,” Wilson Jr. said. “But we’re only one out of X-amount of NHL teams.”



The Sharks’ most valuable weapon may be backup goalie Aaron Dell

By Cat Silverman Oct 17, 2018

When this season ends, Aaron Dell will turn 30 years old.

For a goaltender just now hitting his prime, that’s enough to raise eyebrows. For one who didn’t play his first career NHL game until just two seasons ago, that’s even more shocking.

For the Sharks, though, having a backup with his numbers for just under $2 million per season evokes a feeling almost akin to striking oil.

Dell was a 27-year-old rookie in 2016 when he first got tabbed for the No. 2 position behind Martin Jones, another relatively unproven goaltender as it relates to the position he was taking over. Jones, who had previously been a backup with the Los Angeles Kings, was heading into just his second season at the helm for the Sharks — and he was being given a career AHLer as his backup in case things went south.

Of course, then Dell got his starts, and proved that there was nothing to fear. He’s posted a career .920 SV% in all situations over 51 games, and he’s currently sitting on the more favorable numbers between the two Sharks’ goalies for the season. His .917 SV% in all situations through two games eclipses Jones’ .880 in four, and the team capitalized on that trend when Dell received a second consecutive start this past weekend.

Listed at just 6-feet even, Dell is undersized by the league’s preferred standards. As The Athletic’s James Mirtle quipped in his NHL team demographic piece last year, “height isn’t a requirement to play in the NHL … unless you’re a goalie.” And whether that’s true or not, Dell remains taller than just three current NHL goaltenders — Anton Khudobin, Jaroslav Halak and Juuse Saros, who are all just an inch shorter.

Dell was a late bloomer statistically, as well. Unremarkable numbers in the AJHL during his first draft-eligible season likely left him flying under the radar for teams looking to pick up a new prospect. And by the time he hit the NCAA with the University of North Dakota, his lack of drafted status and his height made him a much more attractive option for teams to keep an eye on and sign as a free agent after school.

Sure enough, he was picked up on a minor-league deal by the Allen Americans of the CHL in 2012, following his college hockey career. He’d bounce around on minor-league deals from 2012 until signing a one-year deal with the Sharks for the 2014-15 season, getting another league-minimum extension the following year before finally getting his first big payday ahead of the 2016-17 season.

That’s when he moved up to the NHL to backstop Jones, and he hasn’t looked back.

It’s one of the quietest progressions through a team’s development system any NHL goaltender has made in recent years. It’s quieter than that of Scott Darling, who had been a highly-touted prospect before his now well-documented fall from grace; it’s even quieter than that of Garret Sparks, the former Team USA goaltender who found himself trapped in the ECHL before finally getting his look this year. It involved minor-league deals likely paying out no more than a modest teacher’s salary (the average AHLer makes just over $42,000 a year, and ECHLers make even less), and it involved the blatant waiving of what would eventually become one of their most valuable pieces in the fall of 2015.

When Dell was first signed, it barely caused a stir amongst Sharks’ fans. “We signed who?” read the Twitter comments. He’d been a camp invitee for the Montreal Canadiens on multiple occasions to no avail; now, he was on an NHL deal.

What he lacked in attention from the public during his development and pedigree on his Elite Prospects page, though, Dell made up for with impressive agility and the kind of composure that came from years of playing behind every kind of team imaginable.

Dell’s flexibility makes him an incredible asset for the Sharks, boasting the kind of lower body bendability that has spectators

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cringing when they watch him sprawl out in a wide, low split without hesitation or preamble. He’s got the core strength to remain active with his hands even when stretched out in an impossible position, but balances that with less of a need to use it than the overly-aggressive smaller goaltenders of years past. He stays more confined within his crease, managing his depth remarkably well for one of the league’s shorter players.

His height remains a disadvantage, as his sprawling style can sometimes burn him up top when he drops to his knees too early or allows a loose rebound. And sometimes, in an attempt to catch a high-danger shot coming from the outside, he’ll find himself just enough out of position that he lacks the size to reach out and get a piece of whatever slips past him.

For the most part, though, Dell’s been remarkably consistent, using his style of play confidently to stymie shooters from behind what has historically been a pretty decent blue line.

For the Sharks, that’s about as valuable as it gets.

Jones is a bit of an enigma as a starter.

Almost surgical with his precision and rarely caught flying outside of his crease, Jones relies on sharp technique and good positioning to play his game. As wide and low as Dell’s butterfly is, Jones’ is equally narrow and rigid-looking. But coupled with a seemingly unshakable sense of calm, he’s a formidable face to stare down when coming up the wing.

Still, despite his cool and collected demeanor, Jones has noticeable weaknesses in his game. As laid out last year, his blocker side lacks the same precision as his glove side — and teams that catch on are able to capitalize to his detriment.

When Jones isn’t playing well, though, the Sharks have a backup so good that he’s nearly a 1B in their system. Although Dell has yet to hit the 30-game mark in a single NHL season, he came close last year, and his stretches of serviceable performance when he’s needed to relieve Jones for stretches has been a big part of the reason the Sharks remain competitive.

This year, the Sharks have been limiting shots fairly well, and they drive shots at one of the best paces in the league.

Their quality of shots against is a massive red flag, though, and their overall team rating per The Athletic‘s Sean Tierney takes a hit because of their penalties taken combined with the quality of shots they’re allowing against their goaltenders. They can drive possession all they want, but permitting high-danger chances — especially when teams like the Anaheim Ducks in the season opener capitalize on Jones’ weak blocker side — can burn them regardless.

While most teams would be hesitant to hand the reins over to their 30-year-old backup — especially when he spent years bouncing around the minor leagues just hoping for a standard player contract — the Sharks have no such qualms.

That could be one of their main advantages in a baffling, convoluted Western Conference.


1110712 Websites

The Athletic / How good would an NHL team need to be to have the same championship odds as the Golden State Warriors?

By Dom Luszczyszyn

Oct 17, 2018

The NBA season kicked off Tuesday night and with it came the same storyline we’ve seen for the third October in a row: can any team conceivably beat the Golden State Warriors?

For the past two seasons, the answer has been a resounding no as the team effortlessly collected two straight championships against the best the rest of the NBA could throw at them. The answer this year? Also probably no.

According to 538’s projection model for this season, the Golden State Warriors enter 2018-19 with a 49 percent chance of winning it all. Oddsmakers are even higher with Pinnacle pricing the team’s chances with an implied probability of 62 percent. Even on the low end of the spectrum, those are absurd numbers that point to the Warriors’ sheer dominance over the rest of the field. It really is Golden State vs. Everybody.

Optimistically, it’s an interesting challenge for the other 29 teams to find a way to stop the villainous Bay Area juggernauts, an incredibly entertaining storyline in the making if anyone can. It’s not like the team’s chances are 100 percent at this point. Pessimistically, it’s kind of depressing that – save for a massive injury to one of their top five players – the end result is that far in one team’s favour with an entire season still to be played. In the minds of many, it’s basically a foregone conclusion.

That’s basketball though where a high scoring environment relative to other sports creates more certainty and MVP-calibre players, of which Golden State has a couple, run the show. There are of course qualms with how one of those MVP-calibre players came to join the team, sure, but as long as the team is intact as currently constructed, no other team really stands much of a chance.

That’s a stark contrast to the NHL where seemingly every team has a chance. Before the season started, the highest chances of winning the championship my model gave was 13 percent, with only two teams above 10. In order to get to 49 percent, you’d have to add the top five team’s odds together. For 62 percent, it’s more like seven or eight. Basically, the chance of Golden State winning is about the same as the chance of Nashville, Tampa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Boston, Pittsburgh and San Jose combined.

That’s not a knock on either sport, it’s simply a comment on how far apart the two sports are deterministically. On the one side, you have the NBA where the best team wins a large majority of the time and it’s much easier to spot which team that is (especially when a team has the talent the Warriors have). If not them, there’s only a small collection of teams capable of doing so. On the other side, you have the NHL where the best team doesn’t always win and it’s generally difficult to agree on which team that is anyway. And if not them, there’s a much larger number of teams with a very realistic shot. There’s also a discerning difference in parity in both leagues that contribute to that.

That brings up an interesting thought experiment brought to my attention on Twitter by user @PDWhoa after seeing 538’s NBA probabilities: What would an NHL team in 2018-19 have to look like in order to have the same championship odds as the Golden State Warriors?

Luckily I have a model that can tackle that question, one that I used for our 2018-19 NHL season previews and daily updated probabilities that’s based on each NHL team’s projected future value. It won’t be perfect, specifically with handling interactions between players (two or three good players playing together should theoretically be better than the sum of its parts, meaning adding superstars to a team might have a bigger impact than suggested), but it should be close enough to get a decent answer with room for further debate.

The only rule here is that a player can’t be in two places at once, we do not have a cloning machine. Everything else is on the table including no salary cap – this exercise would probably be impossible

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otherwise. That means things are going to get zany, but we’ll start with the most realistic options and work our way there.

Scenario #1 – Slightly Realistic Super Teams

With Erik Karlsson in trade rumours to Tampa Bay all summer and John Tavares going to Toronto, “super teams” have been all the rage in the NHL with teams going big-game hunting to gain an edge in the arms race. Here’s what the top three teams in the league would look like if they somehow managed to land another superstar or two.

Let’s say Tampa Bay was actually able to pull off the Karlsson trade, that would mean a team many already considered one of the best teams in the league adding one of the game’s best defenders. It was a far too likely scenario that many were dreading this summer and it would mean an extra three wins or more wins for the Lightning.

As scary as that might’ve been, it wouldn’t have even come close to approaching Warriors-level hockey. The Lightning would be the odds-on favourite, sure, but their chances of winning it all would still just be 19 percent off the strength of a true talent 110-point regular season. It’s a similar story if the Leafs managed to pry lethal winger Artemi Panarin from the Blue Jackets (who needs defence anyway?) or Nashville bolstered its forward corps with a pair of Senators in Mark Stone and Matt Duchene.

Just adding a single superstar (or a pair of players who combine for elite value) for the league’s best teams isn’t enough.

Scenario #2 – 2019 NHL Free Agency Collusion Extraordinaire

Every year the hype machine starts churning for next season’s free agency class and almost every year it’s a dud. What if Tavares changed that and we saw more star player movement in July? What if they buddied up and went to the same team like Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya in 2003?

The 2019 free agency class looks potentially stacked as of October and while it’s unlikely many will get to free agency, we can still hope and pray. Here’s arguably the best of the bunch at each position.

C – Joe Pavelski, Matt Duchene

LW – Artemi Panarin, Jeff Skinner

RW – Jordan Eberle, Mark Stone

D – Erik Karlsson, Jake Gardiner

G – Sergei Bobrovsky

Now imagine if a team was able to add a couple of those players? Three? Four!? Dare to dream! Three of those players (Panarin, Karlsson, Bobrovsky) are worth over three wins according to my model, meaning a team adding all three could be nine wins better with nothing but cold hard cash at their disposal (in a world where the salary cap doesn’t exist of course, unless they all take sweetheart “I want a Cup” deals). Of the top teams, Boston is likely the best fit because the Bruins are relatively weak between the pipes compared to their peers and could use a strong right-handed defender too.

As incredible as a Bruins team with Panarin, Karlsson and Bobrovsky sounds, it’s not Warriors-calibre either. The team would be a 113-point team and have a 24 percent shot at the Stanley Cup which is not enough. So let’s add Pavelski in as the second line centre for good measure and… nope still not enough either: 116 points and a 30 percent chance at a title. Put in Eberle too, because why not, and we get to 119 points and a 38 percent chance at winning the Stanley Cup.

That’s close, but somehow still not close enough. To be clear, this is the final lineup.

Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak

Panarin – Pavelski – Eberle

DeBrusk – Krejci – Backes

Heinen – Kuraly – Donato

Chara – Karlsson

Krug – McAvoy

Moore – Carlo

Bobrovsky

Halak

Welp.

Scenario #3 – Toronto: Homecoming

NHLer from Toronto? Oh, you bet he’s coming home. It was a running joke in the NHL for the longest time, but what if Tavares changed this too and now every local kid from the GTA wants to come home and play for the hometown heroes now that the Leafs are looking like they can actually win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 50 years?

The Leafs are off to a roaring start, but it could be better – if the team had more Good Toronto Boys. Who better to add than the league’s best player, Connor McDavid (who I assume also had Leafs pyjamas growing up)? Again, who needs defence when you can score eight goals per game?

As we learned above though, McDavid alone likely won’t get the job done so he’ll need some reinforcements. Even with McDavid on the team, detractors would still find a way to say “but the defence though” so let’s fix that. As it so happens, some of the league’s best right-handed defencemen hail from southern Ontario, so welcome aboard Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban and Alex Pietrangelo!

How did the Leafs manage to pull all that off? Well getting McDavid was the easy part, the team just had to dangle a mediocre defensive defender as the centrepiece since that’s the going rate for MVP-calibre players. The revamped defence corps on the right side was much more difficult, but Kyle Dubas and his spreadsheet warriors found a way. Look, just go with it, okay?

Let’s just take a quick look at that roster and… oh… oh my.

Matthews – McDavid – Kapanen

Marleau – Tavares – Marner

Hyman – Kadri – Nylander

Johnsson – Lindholm – Brown

Rielly – Doughty

Gardiner – Subban

Dermott – Pietrangelo

Andersen

Sparks

That looks downright unbeatable, right? That’s gotta be Warriors-level, right? The team has the best player in the league in McDavid, another, Matthews, who’s inching into the top five conversation by the game, two-Norris level defencemen in Doughty and Subban, another top 15 centre in Tavares, plus Mitch Marner and Williams Nylander and Nazem Kadri and Pietrangelo and Frederik Andersen and I mean, how could this not be it?

*does the math*

It was not it. This team would be projected for 121 points with a 43 percent chance at winning the Stanley Cup.

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Folks, the Warriors… they might be pretty good. We might need to take this to another level.

Scenario #4 – Team Canada: World Police

Why stop with the Leafs and Toronto? What if the best that Team Canada has to offer is still pissed that they didn’t get to go to the Olympics last season and decided to create their own super team somehow. I don’t know how they do it, but let’s pretend they figured it out.

Here we go, this is the one, I can feel it. Your mileage may vary on who you’d pick for Team Canada, but I don’t think it really matters who exactly makes it – they’d be stacked regardless. Here’s my best guess.

Hall – McDavid – MacKinnon

Marchand – Crosby – Bergeron

Giroux – Tavares – Marner

Benn – Seguin – Stamkos

Vlasic – Doughty

Giordano – Subban

Rielly – Pietrangelo

Holtby

Price

Okay, so we may have gone a bit too far the other way. This team is stupid good and would win the Stanley Cup 86 percent of the time. Eighty-Six! The next best team is at two percent. In an average regular season, Team Canada would win 68 games and earn nearly 140 points. That’s just silly, even sillier than the Warriors in real life, which we now know is somehow possible.

Time to go back to the drawing board.

Scenario #5 – The Actual Answer

Okay, so the Golden State Warriors aren’t necessarily Team Canada unfair, but they’re still a bit better than a Toronto Boys homecoming reunion. Here’s a middle ground between the two that would most closely represent how good the Warriors are in NHL terms, according to my model at least.

Based on the last four scenarios, in order to get into Warriors range of 49-to-62 percent, an NHL team would have to be a true-talent 59-to-62 win team, good for 123-to-128 points, in a league where most teams are between 30-to-50 wins and 75-to-105 points. The NHL record for wins in a season is 62, meaning a Warriors-level team would theoretically hit that mark on average.

Using the Leafs team from Scenario #4 (since they were the closest), in order to get into Warriors territory, that already stacked team would have to add one more win, on the low end of the spectrum, and four more wins on the high end.

Here’s what the latter would have to look like: the NHL equivalent to the NBA’s current iteration of the Golden State Warriors, a team that would win the Stanley Cup nearly two-thirds of the time as of the start of the season.

Matthews – McDavid – Kapanen

Panarin – Tavares – Marner

Duchene – Kadri – Nylander

Hyman – Marleau – Brown

Rielly – Doughty

Gardiner – Subban

Dermott – Pietrangelo

Bobrovsky

Sparks

The team’s top three forward lines would be the second, third, and 38th best lines in the league and their overall forward group would be eight wins better than the next best team. The Leafs would have five forwards who could threaten point-per-game and an entire third line full of 50-to-60 point players. Their three D pairs would be fourth, 10th, and 12th, collectively worth 2.5 more wins than the next best team. And they’d have a top three starter in the league.

That’s what it would take to match the Warriors gap over the rest of the NBA. Not just depth at every position, but superstar level depth. The big difference between basketball and hockey is how much playing time the best players get. Golden State can be head and shoulders above the rest because the team can play its superstars for a large majority of the game. For the NHL, it’s closer to one-third and in order to recreate the advantage, that factor needs to be upped significantly by adding more stars and superstars to the team’s ranks.

Basically, the current Leafs would have to add the following players to their already elite roster in order to get to Golden State territory: Connor McDavid, Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban, Alex Pietrangelo, and Sergei Bobrovsky. Or 18 wins of value. That’s more than 10 teams have in total.

That’s how good the Golden State Warriors are in NHL terms – it’s as crazy as it looks and sounds.


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The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Eight is enough, or when star goalies get shelled

By Sean McIndoe

Oct 17, 2018

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be back in action Wednesday for the first time since Saturday. Given how that game went – an 8-2 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning – they’re probably anxious to put it behind them.

Surrendering eight goals in a game isn’t a good thing, but it’s not especially unusual. It wasn’t even the only 8-2 decision that day. But the goalie who gave up all those goals was a surprise, as two-time Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky was left in for all eight.

That’s relatively rare – you don’t often see a star goaltender give up that many goals in a single game. That’s partly because star goaltenders are, you know, good. But it’s also because coaches will often respond to an off-night from their meal ticket by getting them out of there quickly rather than risk embarrassing them. For his part, Bobrovsky sounded like he preferred to fight through and finish what he started, and there hasn’t been much suggestion of any kind of fallout beyond some wounded pride.

The good news for Bobrovsky is that he’s not alone. The names of goalies who’ve been shelled for eight goals in a single game over the last few decades is a fairly long one, and it’s mostly filled with the sort of career backups you might expect – names like Andy Chiodo, Geoff Sarjeant and yes, Andre “Red Light” Racicot all make an

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appearance. But somewhat surprisingly, so do a handful of Vezina-caliber stars.

So, as Bobrovsky and the Blue Jackets get set for their return to action, let’s look back on some of the other times in the last 30 years that a star goaltender has been lit up for eight goals or more, and how it worked out for everyone involved.

Ed Belfour

The well-travelled Hall-of-Famer actually gave up eight or more goals on three separate occasions in his career, and did it for three different teams.

The games: Take your pick. Early in the 1993-94 season, then-Blackhawks starter Belfour stuck around to allow all nine goals in a 9-6 loss to the Flyers despite facing just 25 shots. In 2001, he was a Dallas Star and was in net for all eight goals in an 8-0 road loss to the Kings. And in 2005, he gave up eight more as a member of the Maple Leafs in an 8-2 loss in Ottawa.

“I wasn’t even thinking about pulling him out,” Leafs coach Pat Quinn said at the time. “I didn’t want to pull him out, I wanted our team to get better in front of him, and we didn’t get better in front of him.” Fact check: true.

The random fact: Belfour gave up six or more goals 30 times in his career, and was somehow only pulled in three of those games. Needless to say, all three were by Mike Keenan.

The fallout: Belfour may be history’s greatest example of a goalie rebounding well from a massive blowout. In 1993, he followed his loss with six straight wins. In 2001, he went 5-0-1. And in 2005, he again won six straight. His lifetime record in the six games after allowing eight goals or more was 17-0-1. This means something. I have no idea what.

The lesson: The Blue Jackets should hope that Bobrovsky draws some inspiration from Belfour. (Just, uh, not the part about him constantly switching teams in free agency.)

Grant Fuhr

It’s not especially surprising to see Fuhr appear on this list, since he played most of his career in the high-scoring ’80s and early ’90s, and his team’s strategy was often “score a million goals and leave Grant on his own”.

Our list dates back to 1987, so Fuhr only shows up twice as an Oiler. But it’s his last appearance, one that came as a Maple Leaf, that ends up being the most interesting.

The game: On Dec. 26, 1992, the Leafs travelled to Pittsburgh for what would end up being the worst loss in franchise history. Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Paul Coffey and friends pumped the Maple Leafs for a dozen goals in a 12-1 win, and Fuhr was left out there for every single one of them.

As a side note, I have no idea why Fuhr was left in. (Coach Tom Watt’s postgame quote: “I’m too old to cry and it hurts too much to laugh.”) The Leafs were well-rested coming off the Christmas break, didn’t play the next night, and had a competent backup available in Jeff Reese. But Reese didn’t step on the ice. In fact, he’d never play for the Leafs again, as we’ll get to in a minute.

The random fact: This is one of only two games in the last 30 years in which a goalie gave up 12 goals. The only other one to do it: future Islanders’ coach Scott Gordon in 1990.

The fallout: For Fuhr, there wasn’t much of a rebound – he lost his next four starts, including one to the lowly Nordiques, giving up four goals or more in each of them.

But for the Maple Leafs, the disaster in Pittsburgh was franchise-altering. New GM Cliff Fletcher had been working the phones to try to improve his team, but seeing them humiliated by the defending

champions was reportedly the last straw. A week later, he’d wrapped up the biggest trade in NHL history to bring Doug Gilmour to Toronto, and the Maple Leafs’ return to relevance was set in motion.

The lesson: Every once in a while, the absolute worst games end up being the best thing that could happen to a team.

Dominik Hasek and Tim Thomas

These two make for a natural pair. Both were late-bloomers, both had unorthodox styles, both had weird old-school masks, and both were stars well into their late-30s. But for the purposes of this post, there’s an even better reason to link them: They both gave up eight goals in a game once in their career, and they did it on the very same night.

The games: On Jan. 4, 2007, the Red Wings went into San Jose and jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the midway mark of the first period. But it was all downhill from here, as the Sharks poured in nine straight goals, including a franchise-record six on the power play, on their way to a 9-4 laugher. Hasek stuck around for eight of those before finally getting the mercy pull after 51 minutes.

Earlier that night, the Bruins had got off to a similarly strong start while hosting the Maple Leafs, earning a 2-1 lead after one period. But the Leafs scored five in the second and added four more in the third for a 10-2 win. Thomas was finally yanked after the eighth goal, and spent the last 13 minutes watching Philip Sauve wipe up.

The random fact: Let’s give Maple Leafs fans some unpleasant flashbacks by pointing out that the winning goalies in those two games were Andrew Raycroft and Vesa Toskala.

The fallout: Thomas was back in net for the Bruins’ next game and made 29 saves in a 4-3 win over the Flyers, although he’d lose seven of his next eight starts after that. Hasek got the night off and then lost his next time out, but won 11 of his next 12 starts. In his remaining 25 games after the blowout, he only allowed more than three goals in one.

The lesson: Sometimes, the game immediately after a blowout doesn’t tell you all that much after how the next few weeks will go.

Roberto Luongo

Luongo’s had three regular season losses in which he gave up eight or more goals, and he wasn’t pulled in any of them.

The games: Luongo’s first eight-spot came as an Islander, and he’s old enough that the game was literally in a different century. On Dec. 30, 1999, the Isles went into Pittsburgh and got lit up to the tune of 9-3 in what was just Luongo’s ninth career start.

The other two games came during Luongo’s Vancouver stint. In 2010, he was in net for an 8-3 loss to the Kings, while in 2013 he lost in Detroit by the same score.

The random fact: Luongo went into that Detroit game with a league-leading goals-against average of 1.45 and a .941 save percentage; by the time it was over his numbers were 2.11 and .916.

The fallout: The 1999 game started a bad skid; Luongo gave up seven more goals in his next game and didn’t win again for almost a month. But he was fine after the other two games. So no big deal, right?

Well, almost. Careful readers may have caught that “regular season” qualifier in the intro. Luongo is also the only goalie in the last 16 years to give up eight goals in a playoff game, and to make matters worse it happened during the Stanley Cup final. That blowout came in Game 3 of a series the Canucks had been leading 2-0; it’s fair to say that neither Luongo or the team rebounded especially well from that loss.

The lesson: Try really, really hard not to give up eight goals in the Stanley Cup final.

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Henrik Lundqvist

It happens to the best of them. And also to the most handsome of them.

The game: Lundqvist has had a pair of eight-goal games in his career. In 2006, he got shelled by the Maple Leafs to the tune of eight goals in just two periods. Almost exactly two years later, he gave up eight in a wild 8-5 loss to the Devils that saw the Rangers fall behind 5-1, come back to tie the game, and then give up three goals in game’s last 10 minutes. Devils’ coach Brent Sutter called it “one of the strangest games I’ve ever been involved in”.

The random fact: That Leafs loss featured Kyle Wellwood’s first career hat trick.

The fallout: Mixed. In 2008, Lundqvist shook off the loss and was great in his next outing, stopping 29 of 31 and all five shootout attempts in a 3-2 win the very next night. But in 2006, the loss kicked off what would become a four-game losing streak.

The lesson: The bigger number here is 10, as in how many years it’s been since Lundqvist had this kind of game. That’s proof that even the best will hit rock bottom occasionally, and it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again any time soon.

See, Blue Jackets fans? A star goalie having an awful game is no big deal and not something you need to remotely worry about because oh wait, there seems to be one more entry on this list.

Patrick Roy

Oh. Oh no.

The game: Roy once gave up all eight goals in an 8-4 loss to the Flyers, but that’s not the game we’re thinking about. No, that would be the Dec. 2, 1995 game that saw the Red Wings come into Montreal and pummel the Habs by an 11-1 final. Roy was left in for nine of those goals before finally getting the hook 32 minutes in.

The random fact: That morning, Roy had run into Red Wings goalie Mike Vernon at a breakfast spot. Vernon had recently been dealt from Calgary to Detroit, and told Roy how much he was enjoying being out of the spotlight that comes with a Canadian market.

Later that night, after watching Roy have words with Habs president Ronald Corey, Vernon’s reaction was “I’m like ‘Oh no’.”

The fallout: Not all that much. Just changed the course of the next decade of NHL history is all.

This is, of course, the last game Roy ever played for the Canadiens. He told Corey he was done, and was traded four days later in what probably ranks as the worst trade in franchise history. He won the Stanley Cup that year in Colorado, plus another one a few years later. Montreal hasn’t been to the final since.

Years later, Roy personally sought out Vernon to thank him for the advice.

The lesson: Under no circumstances allow Bobrovsky to talk to Mike Vernon. Or anyone else, for that matter, just to be safe.


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Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens' Karl Alzner shows resilience in win over Blues

Eric Engels

October 17, 2018, 11:57 PM

MONTREAL — Karl Alzner had played through it all.

Broken limbs, illness, confidence peaks and valleys, and all the other bumps and bruises that come with starting 622 consecutive games in the world’s most challenging hockey league.

But nothing was harder for him to deal with than arriving at the rink before his Montreal Canadiens played their first game this season and finding out that he was being made a healthy scratch for the first time since establishing himself as a regular in the NHL at age 22.

We’re talking about a player who had averaged over 20 minutes a game through his first nine seasons with the Washington Capitals. A player who had lined up against the opposition’s best players night in, night out, established the NHL’s fourth-longest active ironman streak in the process, and come out shining enough to stimulate a bidding war for his services when he became an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2017.

Alzner may have struggled tremendously in his first season with the Canadiens, but he’d never envisioned being parked in the press box just 82 games after he signed a five-year, $23.125-million contract to come to Montreal.

“The first two days were pretty tough to be honest with you,” he said after appearing in Montreal’s 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. “I was pretty down.”

Had Canadiens defenceman Victor Mete not been ailing with a suspected hand injury, Alzner likely would have been sitting for a sixth straight game.

Montreal jumped out of the gate with wins in three of its first five games and collected a point for getting to overtime in their season-opening loss to Toronto. The latest victory, a 7-3 stomping of the beleaguered Detroit Red Wings on Monday, wasn’t exactly going to open the door for Alzner make his debut.

But when he arrived at the Canadiens south-shore practice on Wednesday he was told he’d be taking Mete’s place.

The pre-game warmup revealed Alzner wasn’t just being eased into play; he was being placed on Montreal’s top defence pairing with Jeff Petry.

“That’s the role I feel comfortable in is trying to defend those top guys,” he said. “It kind of gets the extra juices flowing for me, so it was nice.”

Through two periods, Alzner had played the second-most minutes of any Canadien at even strength, notching a shot on net, two attempts total and a plus-1 rating. Montreal also controlled 62 per cent of the shot attempts with him on the ice.

“I was getting tired in the third,” he said.

Understandably so after a two-week stint on the sidelines.

But Alzner finished the game having made his mark with solid defensive play, quick processing and decision making, sturdy penalty killing and steady breakout passing, and he even managed to step outside his comfort zone to help the Canadiens maintain possession several times in the offensive zone.

“I thought Karl played well tonight,” said Canadiens coach Claude Julien. “He’s been waiting for a while and the thing is that nobody ever said that Karl Alzner didn’t play well in camp, didn’t have a great camp. What happened was that the six guys we had picked we thought had better camps and deserved to start, and the way things were going it was hard to put him in.”

It was undeniable.

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Petry and Mete had the versatility and speed advantage over Alzner. Twenty-one-year-old Noah Juulsen had an excellent training camp and established himself as a must in Montreal’s lineup. And even if Jordie Benn and Xavier Ouellet had not shown up as the team’s best on any given night in exhibition, they started on a strong beat as a pair in the overtime loss to Toronto and have since proven to be very dependable.

Then there was Mike Reilly, who had an exceptional camp and has emerged out of nowhere as somewhat of a revelation.

On Wednesday the 25-year-old assisted on Montreal’s first goal and then notched his first as a Canadien since coming over in a trade from the Minnesota Wild at last year’s trade deadline. He had averaged just over 12 minutes a game with his previous team, but he’s played so well with his new one that Julien hasn’t been able to keep him off the ice.

“We’ve got some pretty good, young players here, and [I] had a tough year last year,” said the 30-year-old Alzner.

It’s why he didn’t have to guess as to what the reason was for him sitting out for the first five games of the season.

The reality is, Alzner might find himself on the sidelines again before long — with Julien saying Mete would have played Wednesday if the Canadiens had needed him to.

“I’m going to contribute whatever I can whether I’m playing or not,” Alzner said. “I know so many guys that I’ve played with in the past and guys here that have had to be out for way more than two games at a time, one game, five games, or whatever I ended up sitting out, and they’re fine. It’s just the first time that ever happened to me, so I was upset. But once you get over yourself, you just start enjoying being around the rink and adding whatever you can.”

It’s that type of attitude that allows a person to prevail in tough times, and we shouldn’t be surprised it’s the one Alzner has adopted given all he’s played through throughout his career.

Sportsnet.ca LOADED: 10.18.2018

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Sportsnet.ca / Flames win overshadowed by Gaudreau's injury after scary hit

Eric Francis | @EricFrancis

October 18, 2018, 1:41 AM

On a night of endless highs, the buzzkill came late.

At the tail end of a 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins there lay Johnny Gaudreau in a crumpled heap, behind the visitors’ net in obvious discomfort.

He’d been pasted by Bruins defenceman Charlie McAvoy split seconds after Gaudreau’s breakaway attempt was stopped in spectacular fashion.

It drew an interference penalty, not to mention a crowd, but left Gaudreau wincing as he skated slowly to the bench.

Gaudreau played over a minute in the ensuing power play before a concussion spotter radioed down to Flames athletic therapist Kent Kobelka to let him know Gaudreau was to leave the game to be checked.

He failed to return to the final 10 minutes.

“I know the league is trying to crack down on that stuff,” said Peters, who insisted he didn’t see the hit due to a line change discussion.

“You’ve got to protect the star players to a certain degree. People come to an NHL game and want to see the marquee names perform. Hopefully it’s minor.”

He wasn’t angry, as he had yet to review the play. He was simply stating a fact.

Make no mistake – what McAvoy did was nowhere near as aggressive, egregious or inflammatory as what Mike Matheson did to Elias Pettersson Saturday night.

However, because both plays saw defencemen take advantage of small, vulnerable players the talking points are obvious.

In the old days they might have called it “finishing a check.”

Now they call these things international incidents.

Especially when replays of the McAvoy hit seem to show from one angle the initial contact may have been made on Gaudreau’s head.

If so, a hearing is in order.

This wasn’t so much a body slam as a bodycheck, albeit with the puck long gone.

In both cases the offender was clearly agitated at being beaten earlier by the victim.

It certainly looked uncomfortable – to say the least – not to mention illegal.

What makes the discussion surrounding today’s smaller, speedier NHL even more interesting is the fact Gaudreau was hit hard for the third game in a row – a rarity round these parts.

In fact, on this night he was hit twice, including a mild knee-on-knee collision with Ryan Donato that drew a penalty after Gaudreau tried cutting to the middle.

Such abuse has to be a concern moving forward as opponents clearly aren’t scared to deliver the boom on him.

Gaudreau wasn’t made available after the game.

Concern will no doubt linger over Gaudreau’s status the next few days as the Flames were gifted a “recovery” day off after a win that gave them a 4-2-0 record on a day unofficially known as Canada’s 420.

Their next meeting is Friday at home against the Predators.

Here’s wagering he plays.

Earlier in the evening Gaudreau had scored his 100th goal of his career as part of a red-hot start that has him at nine points after six games.

The rush fans felt as they left the ‘Dome revolved around the triumphant reunification of the 3M Line as Michael Frolik returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the first time since his rookie year.

Frolik opened the scoring five minutes in to help the Flames out to a 3-0 lead before restoring the three-goal cushion early in the second. His attempt at a hat trick fell short when a short-handed breakaway attempt saw him lift a backhand over the bar.

It might have blown the roof off the Saddledome as fans lapped up the unexpected heroics from a player who was starting to look like the forgotten man on a deep Flames roster for the first handful of games.

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This time, instead of playing second fiddle to Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk, he was the star.

Not bad for a gent logging roughly eight minutes in each of his previous three showings.

Put back together expressly to neutralize the league’s top trio – Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak – Frolik’s line quite simply dominated.

Yet, after the game the line of the night went to Flames rookie defenceman Juuso Valimaki who beat fellow countryman Tuuka Rask for his first NHL goal.

“It feels good to score on a Finnish goalie,” beamed the defenceman whose point shot bounced up and over Rask’s mitt to trickle over the line and put the hosts up 3-0 late in the first.

“I wasn’t sure it was actually my goal, so the celly wasn’t too crazy. The crowd was loud when they announced I scored it – it was an awesome feeling.”

At first it appeared Sam Bennett had stuffed it in before replays showed the goal was Valimaki’s.

So now, the city waits and worries over whether boy wonder will miss any time.

And the debate over hits like those will continue.

As it should.


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Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens honour Tomas Plekanec; Bergevin, Molson wear turtlenecks

Daniel Goffenberg | @interndaniel

October 17, 2018, 7:33 PM

The Montreal Canadiens honoured centre Tomas Plekanec for reaching 1,000 NHL games played on Wednesday, with the team’s owner and GM getting snug for the presentation.

GM Marc Bergevin and owner Geoff Molson donned Plekanec’s signature turtlenecks as part of the ceremony, which saw the 35-year-old receive the traditional silver stick given to those who reach the impressive milestone.

The festivities also involved a video presentation featuring former teammates sending their congratulations.

Plekanec signed a one-year, $2.25-million deal with Montreal this summer, and has one goal in two games this season. His lone goal came against Detroit on Monday, in what was game No. 1,000.

The 71st-overall pick of the 2001 NHL Draft broke into the NHL for good in 2005-06, and has spent his entire career with the Canadiens, save for a brief stint with Toronto at the end of last season.

He has 233 goals and 608 points in his career.


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Sportsnet.ca / 31 Thoughts: Matheson suspension a potential sea-change moment

Elliotte Friedman

October 17, 2018, 10:36 AM

Four games into our new season, Connor McDavid’s already broken an NHL record, scoring or setting up Edmonton’s first nine goals. Previous standard-bearer Adam Oates shouldn’t feel lonely. McDavid’s going to smash more than one.

It’s very early, but there’s something else to keep an eye on: how much he plays.

The Oilers’ captain skated 22:12 during Tuesday’s stunning comeback victory in Winnipeg, his lowest of the season. He went 23:34 versus New Jersey, 23:55 in Boston and 24:35 against the Rangers.

Entering the Jets game, his average was 24:01. Only one forward has averaged 24 minutes in a season this decade: Ilya Kovalchuk. He did it twice. McDavid’s number dropped to 23:24 by slacking off against the Jets (joke, folks), still 28th overall. He’s the only forward among the league’s 36 most-utilized skaters.

You’re going to see Kovalchuk and think, “OK, power play. He stayed out there for almost all of it. Surely, McDavid does that, too.”

Not so fast, my friends. The scoring streak was impressive, but the most incredible thing about McDavid’s small 2018–19 sample size is even-strength ice time.

As we wake up Wednesday, there are just two forwards averaging 19 minutes in this situation: McDavid (19:28) and Patrick Kane (19:08). To give you some perspective, Ryan Getzlaf was number one last year at 17:33, and he missed 26 games. (McDavid was second. Getzlaf beat him by three seconds.)

Since the NHL began keeping count of ice time, only one forward has ever averaged 19 even-strength minutes in a season. That was Pavel Bure, 19:12 for Florida in 2000–01. McDavid’s going to challenge that.

How can he not? If you’re Todd McLellan, you’re going to leave your nuclear deterrent on the bench?

In a week where we’ve been debating McDavid versus Matthews, the incumbent stepped up and delivered a statement so loud a banshee could have screamed it.

“You asked me this morning about players in the League,” McLellan said after the game. “I rest my case.”

McDavid played 20:07 Tuesday night at evens. That, in itself, is not incredibly unusual. Six (McDavid, Kane, Kyle Connor, Sean Couturier, Rickard Rakell and Mark Scheifele) have 20-minute even-strength games so far this season. McDavid is the only one, however, with two.

There were 214 such performances in 2017–18. McDavid had 10, including the top three. Twice he went above 26 minutes.

It is such a massive ask. But the greats do not shy from challenges. McLellan’s going to keep calling for 97. McDavid isn’t going to say no.

31 THOUGHTS

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1. One more: Heading into Tuesday’s games, McDavid was the only player averaging more than one minute per shift (1:01). He dropped to 0:58.

2. What a difference two games make. Heading into last Saturday’s game at Madison Square Garden, the mood around the Oilers was tense. Daryl Katz was at practice the day before, and everyone knew how he felt. As far as owners go, Katz is on the low end of the hands-on scale. He’ll make his calls, but generally isn’t breathing down everyone’s necks. When I started studying the business of sports, some of the best advice received was to learn how ticket plans and luxury-box sales worked. Often, I was told, the answers explained why certain decisions were made. When Rogers Place opened, the suites came with three-, five- and seven-year options. The three-year term ends this summer. Now, do you think that adds importance to the season? You go from 0-2 to 2-2 and a excited fan base can’t wait to see what’s next at its home opener on Thursday.

3. Since we started (sort of) with Matthews/McDavid, let’s continue. Matthews has 10 goals on 22 shots, a percentage of 45.5. It’s not exactly going out on a limb to say he won’t keep that up, but what is his ceiling? The best recorded number in NHL history is Sergei Makarov’s 32.3 with Calgary in 1990–91 (beating our own Craig Simpson, who was at 31.6 three seasons earlier). This century, the sharpest shooter is Dallas’s Mike Ribeiro, at 25.2 in 2007–08. Two players gave him a run last year: Colorado’s Alexander Kerfoot (23.5) and Golden Knight William Karlsson (23.4). The difference between Matthews and most of the people he’d be chasing on these lists is he’s firing much more often. His 258-shot pace would put him behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux among the 25 most accurate seasons ever. Only two players this century have taken 200 shots and scored 20 per cent of the time: Brad Boyes and Milan Hejduk. Good challenge for Matthews.

4. There’s a lot of hysteria in Toronto about Matthews’s contract situation. (It’s all Nick Kypreos’s fault. Add “offer sheets” to “sports radio” and you’ve got an uncontrollable explosion.) We mentioned on Hockey Night in Canada that the solution to Toronto’s cap crunch might be shorter second contracts, and I do think there’s been discussion on a five-year deal for Matthews. That would eat up one year of unrestricted free agency. Some fans took that to mean he doesn’t want to sign for eight years, which is not accurate and remains a possible outcome. My sense is both sides are serious about getting something done, but it is grind time. An eight-year contract likely comes in between $12 million and $12.5 million ($12.34?) and the Maple Leafs undoubtedly want to keep their promise to John Tavares. I find it hard to believe GM Kyle Dubas hasn’t done the math on what a max offer sheet would do to his roster, and how he’d put things together once it is matched.

5. The Toronto Sun’s Lance Hornby broke the news that Dubas was en route to Switzerland for a face-to-face with William Nylander. The Leafs have discussed a bridge with their unsigned winger, but there remained a chasm. It’s somewhere between $4.8 million (a little more than Nikita Kucherov’s second contract) and $6 million (Artemi Panarin’s AAV). Nylander’s also worried about being traded if the Leafs’ cap situation becomes untenable. Keeping him is Toronto’s main goal. Dubas’s trip allows for two things: showing Nylander a) he’s serious and b) no one can say that Toronto didn’t try everything to get this done.

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6. Nick Ritchie is skating in Anaheim. That’s a sign things are getting close. Look for three years. Josh Anderson’s AAV in Columbus is $1.85 million. Not sure if this one will get that high, but it is the idea the Ducks modelled.

7. A few years ago, Detroit GM Ken Holland suggested reading Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life. There’s a chapter called “Authenticity,” described as the

opposite of bad faith. “Bad faith,” French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre writes, “occurs when peer pressure and social forces combine to have us disown our own values. It is an accommodation we make with society to fit in, a psychological ‘selling out’ in which we forsake our own freedom and self-expression for the conformity of the crowd.” There’s a lot of speculation about coach Jeff Blashill’s future, but, for over a year now, Holland’s delivered a consistent message. He strongly believes Blashill should not be made a scapegoat, that this is a good coach put in a rough situation. The infirmary-laden blue line doesn’t make things easier. Not sure Holland re-read that chapter, but do feel its contents form his guiding principle.

8. Pat Brisson visited Toronto and Ottawa this week, discussing two prominent unrestricted free-agent clients — Jake Gardiner and Matt Duchene. Gardiner will be very tough for Toronto to fit. Duchene has made it clear he wants a distraction-free season.

9. Senators’ GM Pierre Dorion took heat for the delay before his “We’re a team” answer to a David Amber question on Kraft Hockeyville, but it is clear there’s a different feeling in the nation’s capital this year. Everything last season was tense, especially as things went off the rails. One visit to the dressing room was enough to see things are more relaxed. The players were determined to change the attitude, and three things have helped. First, they are playing more aggressively, which makes things more fun. Second, they see the talent in Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk. Third, and most importantly, winning covers almost every ill.

10. Justin Schultz is expected to return this season, but remember that Penguins GM Jim Rutherford likes to make his moves early. Not sure how confident they are in Olli Maatta, so he’s probably in the defenceman market anyway.

11. Carolina’s a good early story, and they’ll be interesting to watch for another reason: They’ve got unusual roster construction. The Hurricanes dress four right-shot defenders — Justin Faulk, Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce and Trevor van Riemsdyk. That type of player is always in demand and they’re all good enough to play. Scott Darling is due back soon, and, unless they want to carry three goalies, one of him, Curtis McElhinney or Petr Mrazek will need waivers. Assuming it’s not Darling, the others might be a Toronto target.

Sportsnet insiders ranked the 100 best players in the NHL for the 2018–19 season, from Alex Radulov to Connor McDavid. Check out the list, then create your own top 10.

12. Probably the most underreported story of the last week: that Calgary city council voted to re-open arena talks with the Flames. When we last tuned in to this saga, everyone was angrily storming away from the table. It will be interesting to see if there is different representation involved, some fresh faces breathing new life to the conversation. There is some optimism, albeit a long way to go.

13. Three years ago, Carolina’s Brad Malone took down then-Flyer Sam Gagner:

Gagner missed two months, an absence complicated by Philadelphia putting him on waivers when he was cleared to return. There was no suspension, yet that was one of the comparables for the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for Mike Matheson’s two-game ban. The difference? Our rapidly evolving feelings on concussions, for sure.

“Happened to a player on a Canadian team,” one exec said. (It’s a common complaint.)

As indicated in the suspension video, Malone’s manoeuvre was all in one motion while Matheson’s was into the boards and… a pause… before throwing Elias Pettersson to the ice. From now on, that’s going to be a key distinction.

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Also, some of you won’t want to hear this, but there is still plenty of debate and disagreement about the weight difference between the two players.

One shift after Pettersson was injured, there was a wrestling match between Troy Brouwer (listed at 213 pounds) and Erik Gudbranson (217):

The Panthers winger went to the ice, but with the similar size and strength, no one was hurt. We haven’t heard the last of this argument.

14. If you’re Vancouver, what you really hope this means is that opponents are forced to think twice on how they attack Pettersson. He’s breathed new life into the franchise, instantly making him the focal point of everyone else’s defence. He’s smart and shifty, able to avoid a lot. Canucks fans just saw two decades of Sedinery, complete with all the abuse they took. That’s what’s coming for Pettersson. It’s the only thing that scared anyone about him — his slighter frame. If we’re actually headed into an unheard-of era where stars are extra-protected, the Canucks will be doing celebration dances down Granville Street.

15. In last week’s blog, we mentioned how there was at least one team that had Pettersson ranked first. With help from Jeff Marek, suspects include Nashville and Tampa Bay. The Predators drafted older brother Emil in 2013, so they had deep intel. Another team that had him highly ranked — but maybe not first — was Detroit.

16. Canucks head coach Travis Green passionately defended his team for not retaliating on Matheson, saying the players did not see what happened. One indicated they didn’t have a true idea until seeing the craziness on social media after the game, then asking what happened.

“We just beat Florida and Tampa,” he said, “and we’re getting killed for not fighting a guy for doing something we didn’t see.”

17. At the Canucks’ final home game last season — the emotional goodbye to Daniel and Henrik Sedin — fans in attendance at Rogers Arena spent an average of $22.33. I’m still not sure I believe it, but someone who would know swears it is true.

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18. Eight years ago, Keith Kinkaid completed his sophomore season at NCAA Union, and the professionals beckoned. Edmonton was among his serious pursuers, but there were many.

“You look through the depth charts, see who’s had their contract renewed,” Kinkaid said Tuesday, about an hour after the Devils shut out Dallas. “Craig Anderson had a new contract, so did Carey Price. You’re looking to see where you can challenge for an AHL starting job right away. New Jersey was close to home. Martin Brodeur was my idol growing up. I wanted to learn from him, that was a big key. And I knew he couldn’t play forever.”

Did you ever tell him he was your idol?

“I don’t think I would ever go up and say that,” he laughs. “But when I was debating what to do, I came here for a game and he gave me a stick. I still have it, in my childhood bedroom.”

Tough for anyone to beat that.

19. Kinkaid’s early reputation was “quiet.”

“That’s true,” he says. “I had learning curves, as everyone does. I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries. Once I knew the organization, my personality came out.”

Nowhere does that show more than in his Twitter feed, a smorgasbord of emojis after each Devils’ win. Tuesday, the organization released a key for fans to understand who is

represented by what. Eric Gryba and John Quenneville haven’t scored yet, so their emoticons are yet to be revealed.

“Takes me five or 10 minutes to think of them. I can do it when I’m stuck in traffic.”

Does he get help or take suggestions from teammates?

“No, it’s all me. I like to have fun with it.”

The man also likes his wrestling, having attended the last three SummerSlams. Prudential Center is hosting the WWE next week, and he’ll be there. Favourite wrestler: Finn Balor. If Kinkaid tweets out “Dinner Time” it will really be something.

20. Of course, the reason Kinkaid’s really having fun is the Devils are 4-0. His 1.00 goals-against average and .961 save percentage are the early-season standards.

Cory Schneider’s hip injury last January opened New Jersey’s net.

“I’ve always believed in myself, but everyone needs that chance. It’s unfortunate that Cory’s injury opened the door. But you want the opportunity to get more playing time and show you can be consistent. I won my first three games and got too high. Then there were three straight losses. There was a lot I needed to learn.”

Like what?

“How to take care of my body. I used to feel like if I didn’t go on ice for an optional, people would think different things about me. Now I understand your body needs rest. And [coach John Hynes] is very good about letting us get that rest.”

Kinkaid says he benefits from living about an hour away during the summer, not far from the organization’s training staff.

“Last year, I wanted to prove wrong the people who said I’d never be more than backup, that I deserve the playing time. The playoffs were a great experience. Bronze at the World Championships…. We beat Canada twice, that’s always fun. You want to carry it into this year. Now, we’re off to a hot start. We may not be too highly talked-about, but we’ve got a good thing going.”

21. One former goalie coach wondered if Kinkaid would opt for stiffer pads, since he wore softer ones last season, allowing rebounds to stay closer to the net. That’s when I learned Kinkaid is the anti-Ed Belfour. The Hall of Famer was known for obsessing over the most minute equipment detail, to the point where he was given his own dressing-room key. That’s not happening here.

“I don’t even know (the brand name for) everything I use,” he said. “I think that if you think too much, you drive yourself insane. I’m a little strange.”

Most goalies are.

“I guess,” he laughed.

Don’t fool around with what works. That philosophy is definitely working for Keith Kinkaid.

Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the country’s most beloved game.

22. Trivia time: With St. Louis playing on Wednesday Night Hockey in Montreal, we were wondering about David Perron, who signed his fifth contract with the Blues over three separate stops in the organization. That led us down two rabbit-holes: How many players have joined the same team three different times, and how many have signed five contracts with one club? According to our crack staff, Perron is the 36th to do the former. Marty Burke is the only person to beat that. He had four different tours with the Canadiens from 1927–38. Meanwhile, Perron is one of only three to sign with one organization five times and play for at least five teams. Can you name the other two? Answer below.

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23. Under-the-radar player gaining respect: Columbus defenceman Markus Nutivaara. (This was on the list before the Blue Jackets gave up 12 goals in two games in Florida, but who hasn’t done something they regret in the Sunshine State?) Everyone on the blue line gets lost there behind Zach Werenski and the injured Seth Jones, but he’s really stepped up. Not bad for a seventh-rounder.

24. Drew Doughty loves poking the Canadian media. He winds us up, laughs and leaves. I’ve always wondered if he’d really enjoy it on a day-to-day basis.

“I don’t think I would,” he admitted Monday.

Good news for the Kings.

25. Los Angeles is 0-for-21 on the power play, which likely ends any debate of Dustin Brown’s value. He was second on the team last season with 15 power-play points. In his absence, the Kings have tried Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Jeff Carter, Adrian Kempe and Kovalchuk as the net-front presence. Since he’s on long-term injury, Brown can’t return until Oct. 28 at the earliest.

Each week, Jeff Blair and Stephen Brunt tackle the most impactful stories in the world of sports and their intersection with popular culture. Come for the sports; stay for the storytelling and cigars.

26. After his “ear-to-ear” showdown with Auston Matthews nearly broke social media, Chicago’s Patrick Kane told reporters referees considered calling Matthews for unsportsmanlike conduct. Thankfully, common sense prevailed; that didn’t happen. Following up, word is that was the correct decision, and there should only be a penalty if taunting is directed at the bench.

27. Not sure how many of you are NFL fans, but that league’s had a sensational start to the season. Rules changes have made it much, much harder to defend; skilled offensive players are taking advantage. The NHL has a long history of goal-scoring eruptions in October before chaos-hating coaches strangle everything. There is hope this season can be different, with the crackdowns on obstruction and slashing making it difficult on defenders. We’ll see.

One executive pointed to the last 11 seconds of San Jose/New Jersey on Sunday.

“The Devils clear the puck,” he said. “And the Sharks still get two chances. That never used to happen.”

28. In the aftermath of Austin Watson’s suspension being reduced from 27 games to 18, there were many calls for a specific domestic violence policy in hockey. I don’t get the sense that the NHL or NHLPA sees that as necessary.

First, the lack of a policy does not prevent commissioner Gary Bettman from suspending a player, with the CBA giving him latitude to do so. Watson did get a ban, and the league has made it very clear that Slava Voynov faces additional punishment if signed to a new contract.

Second, the league and the players feel that each case is different, both wanting the ability to rule on/respond to what occurs in specific scenarios. We know the NHL was upset by the arbitrator’s reduction, and that the Players’ Association was unhappy at the original punishment, the league’s reaction to the arbitrator’s ruling and the heat it took for appealing at all. We also know that Watson’s girlfriend released a statement absolving him of domestic violence.

I can understand wishing to decide on a case-by-case basis. What I don’t get is why the process can’t be explained with more transparency. If we knew why the commissioner chose 27 games, what grounds the NHLPA used to appeal, why the arbitrator ruled as he did or if anything in the original police report was disputed, everyone would be better off, including the people involved in the process.

29. I believe there is at least one owner who told his team Voynov is not an option.

30. Jim Diamond, who covers the Predators for Associated Press and Rinkside Report, pointed out that Shyam Das, who ruled in Watson’s favour, was fired by Major League Baseball after overturning Ryan Braun’s 2012 drug suspension. As per the CBA, a decision on Das’s future cannot be made until June 30, 2019. So, we’ll see if hockey feels the same way as its baseball brethren.

31. Trivia answer: David Perron signed five contracts with St. Louis, also joining Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Vegas. Nolan Baumgartner did it with Vancouver, also playing for Washington, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Dallas. Finally, Wendel Clark for Toronto. His other teams were Quebec, the Islanders, Tampa Bay, Detroit and Chicago.

32. Bonus thought this week: Ben Falk, who formerly worked for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, has an interesting website called Cleaning the Glass. Earlier this week, he published an article entitled, “Want to watch basketball like a coach or scout? Here’s how I learned.” It may be about hoops, but there are some good ideas to pull for hockey fans.


1110718 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Canadiens honour Tomas Plekanec; Bergevin, Molson wear turtlenecks

Daniel Goffenberg | @interndaniel

October 17, 2018, 7:33 PM

The Montreal Canadiens honoured centre Tomas Plekanec for reaching 1,000 NHL games played on Wednesday, with the team’s owner and GM getting snug for the presentation.

GM Marc Bergevin and owner Geoff Molson donned Plekanec’s signature turtlenecks as part of the ceremony, which saw the 35-year-old receive the traditional silver stick given to those who reach the impressive milestone.

The festivities also involved a video presentation featuring former teammates sending their congratulations.

Plekanec signed a one-year, $2.25-million deal with Montreal this summer, and has one goal in two games this season. His lone goal came against Detroit on Monday, in what was game No. 1,000.

The 71st-overall pick of the 2001 NHL Draft broke into the NHL for good in 2005-06, and has spent his entire career with the Canadiens, save for a brief stint with Toronto at the end of last season.

He has 233 goals and 608 points in his career.


1110719 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / NHL Power Rankings: Unfortunate Early Surprises Edition

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Luke Fox | @lukefoxjukebox

October 17, 2018, 11:40 AM

We never saw this coming — and wish we didn’t have to.

The star who can’t score, the team that can’t defend, the special teams that are the furthest thing from special…

It’s our NHL Power Rankings: Unfortunate Early Surprises Edition.

All 31 teams are ranked in order of the power they’ve flexed over the opening two weeks of the season. The write-ups concentrate on a player or aspect of each team that has stumbled out of the gate.

Granted, it’s early, but… yikes.

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1. Toronto Maple Leafs

You wouldn’t know it because of all the glowing Maple Leafs headlines, but after seven games, back-to-back 32-goal man Nazem Kadri is still looking for his first red lamp.

2. New Jersey Devils

It’s unfortunate that the perfect 4-0 Devils are making us look silly for thinking Cory Schneider’s injury and GM Ray Shero’s inactivity in the off-season would make for a reality-check season.

3. Nashville Predators

To the dismay of many Preds fans, Nashville’s much-hyped 2017 first-rounder Eeli Tolvanen failed to make the big club out of camp, while depth forwards like Zac Rinaldo and Frederick Gaudreau did.

4. Boston Bruins

A surprising good-news-bad-news tale in the Bruins’ crease. Established No. 1 Tuukka Rask’s stat line is ugly: 4.08 GAA, .881 save percentage. Backup reclamation project Jaroslav Halak has been stellar: 1.18 GAA, .961 save percentage, with a shutout.

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

Despite appearing due for a continued breakout, Mikhail Sergachev has seen the least amount of ice time among all Tampa Bay Lightning defencemen.

6. Carolina Hurricanes

Tough to see much to pick at in Carolina. We would say it’s unfortunate that $16.6-million goalie Scott Darling is starting the season on the sidelines, but Curtis McElhinney has been solid as his fill in. In truth, the only way this season could be off to a better start is if they were wearing Hartford Whalers throwbacks every game.

7. Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche signed Matt Calvert to a three-year deal in the off-season, but the winger has yet to register a point in his new duds. He does have nine minutes in penalties, though. ALSO: goalie Philipp Grubauer, whom the Avs gave up a second-rounder to acquire, is still looking for his first W.

8. Anaheim Ducks

The injuries don’t help, but it’s shocking that a club with a winning record is registering the fewest shots per game (23.8) and getting outshot by an average of 12.2 pucks a night.

9. Chicago Blackhawks

The Artemi Panarin–for–Brandon Saad trade is looking increasingly worse. A “surprised” Saad appears headed for a healthy scratch Thursday. Panarin has piled up seven points through four games.

10. Montreal Canadiens

As the Habs place an emphasis on speed and youth, the Karl Alzner and Tomas Plekanec signings look like bad ideas turned worse (both have been healthy-scratched). Also, Montreal’s lack of centre depth is getting exposed in the dot. The Canadiens’ 43.2 faceoff win percentage is the NHL’s worst.

11. Calgary Flames

The common belief is that Mike Smith must be healthy and awesome for Calgary to return to the dance. The veteran netminder has been wildly inconsistent thus far (2-2, .881 save percentage), but there’s plenty of time for Smith to find his groove.

12. Vancouver Canucks

It’s unfortunate that Elias Pettersson’s brutal concussion has detracted from a heck of a road trip for the surprising Canucks, who’ve reminded us how silly it is to read anything into the pre-season.

13. Ottawa Senators

The Senators’ new shackle-free attack makes for more entertaining hockey, but Ottawa leads the league in shots against (38.3). This puts a ton of pressure on Craig Anderson and Mike Condon to hold the fort.

14. Washington Capitals

Tom Wilson cost himself and his team 20 regular-season games for a reckless action committed in an exhibition game. This was Wilson’s chance to be a first-liner with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov for a full season.

15. Winnipeg Jets

Nikolaj Ehlers has not scored a goal in 23 consecutive games. He’s making $6.25 million this year.

16. Columbus Blue Jackets

Sergei Bobrovsky is reportedly looking for upwards of $10 million annually on his next deal, but he’s 1-2 with a .860 save percentage out the gate.

17. Dallas Stars

For those concerned about the Stars’ depth scoring, 14 Dallas skaters who’ve seen action this season are still looking for their first goal.

18. New York Islanders

The Islanders’ average home attendance of 10,476 not only ranks dead last, the 2,697 gap between them and the second-worst-attended team (Florida) is significant.

19. San Jose Sharks

The Sharks’ best offensive defencemen, Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns: 0 goals. The Senators’ best offensive defencemen, Maxime Lajoie and Thomas Chabot: 6 goals.

20. Pittsburgh Penguins

After a sub-par 2017-18 campaign, in which his save percentage fell to .907, Matt Murray was being looked at for a big bounce back. He fell early to a concussion, and the Pens have a losing record.

21. Philadelphia Flyers

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The Flyers signed prized winger James van Riemsdyk to a $35-million contract on July 1 and the poor guy suffered a six-week injury before he had a chance to score once for his new/old club.

22. Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid’s contribution to a record-breaking nine straight Oilers goals to start the season is both incredible and incredibly sad.

23. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have had 21 opportunities with the man-advantage and zero goals to show for it. Their 70.6 per cent penalty kill ranks sixth-worst. Special teams and a lack of speed are taking a much higher toll on this group than Jonathan Quick’s injury.

24. Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres’ depth deficiency is doing them in. Buffalo’s 3-3 record obscures the fact they’ve been outscored 17-12 and are only scoring twice a night. Not a good look when scoring is up league-wide.

25. Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights can’t score. The Cup finalists are averaging just two goals per game, and their big-name signings have yet to wow. The injured Paul Stastny may be gone till December, and Max Pacioretty has one point with a minus-3 rating through seven outings.

26. Minnesota Wild

Nino Niederreiter, 26, is continuing his regression from star-in-the-making to trade bait. The power forward didn’t score in the playoffs and has mustered one lonely assist through six games this season.

27. St. Louis Blues

Granted his primary function is to defend, but captain Alex Pietrangleo is still point-free despite skating a team-high 25:23 per night.

28. Florida Panthers

Roberto Luongo got injured before allowing a single goal, and the Cats — who looked so promising in the back half of 2017-18 — are still clawing for their first victory.

29. New York Rangers

We’re still getting used to seeing the Blueshirts way down there at the Metropolitan Division basement. But when you make Kevin Shattenkirk your highest-paid skater and deem it necessary to healthy-scratch him one year into the deal, something ain’t right.

30. Arizona Coyotes

Despite outshooting their competitors by an average of 11.4 pucks a game, the Coyotes have been outscored 11-3. Yeesh.

31. Detroit Red Wings

Perhaps if Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier were both allowed to play goal at the same time the Red Wings might be able to stop a puck. Not only is the rebuilding franchise winless through six, the Wings rank rock bottom in goals allowed (29).


1110720 Websites

Sportsnet.ca / Leafs' Dubas meets with Nylander in Switzerland as stalemate continues

Chris Johnston | @reporterchris

October 17, 2018, 1:31 PM

TORONTO — There was a whiff of urgency in the stands, if not on the ice.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were upbeat and playful during a long Tuesday afternoon practice, but members of the front office had other things on their minds. General manager Kyle Dubas seemed to be in good spirits, too — chiding a couple reporters for their Twitter usage — before huddling with president Brendan Shanahan and going over something on his cellphone.

Assistant GMs Brandon Pridham and Laurence Gilman were also in attendance, alternatively watching practice or making calls or pacing around the team’s suburban facility.

We know now that the Leafs braintrust was setting the wheels in motion on a new round of contract talks with William Nylander. Dubas travelled to Zurich for a Wednesday meeting with Nylander’s camp — a Swiss rendezvous first reported by veteran Toronto Sun scribe Lance Hornby — in a bid to end a stalemate that has kept the winger away from the team during a promising 6-1-0 start to the season.

No specifics are known about who initiated the face-to-face meeting or why it was held in Switzerland. Nylander has been training at home in Stockholm and was first linked to the Zurich Airport by a sharp-eared Twitter user. There was a direct Air Canada flight from Toronto that landed at 7:50 a.m. local time in Zurich on Wednesday.

Given the lack of progress in talks, it’s likely that the Leafs are trying to push forward towards a resolution. The sides were largely focused on reaching a long-term deal throughout the summer and into September, but the team has since given Nylander’s camp a range of potential options that include short-term contracts, per sources.

However, it’s believed that a significant gap remained in the money being discussed for each of those options ahead of Wednesday’s face-to-face meeting.

Nylander is a core piece of a team that’s gone from a 30th-place finisher to a Stanley Cup hopeful inside three years. He is coming off consecutive 61-point seasons and harbours concerns that he’ll become a likely trade candidate after signing a new deal because of an impending cap crunch and Toronto’s elite scoring depth, not to mention its need for a right-shot defenceman.

It’s made him less inclined to give the team anything resembling a hometown discount since the only thing he can get back from the Leafs is a promise he won’t be dealt — NHL rules dictate that Nylander can’t receive any no-trade protection for the first five seasons of his next contract.

Perhaps that’s one area where Dubas can give the player more comfort while speaking to him directly.

This is the first big test for the 32-year-old GM, who signed John Tavares to a mammoth free-agent deal seven weeks after being promoted to the position but now needs to get Nylander, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner inked to extensions by the start of next season while keeping his team under the salary cap ceiling.

The Leafs haven’t missed a beat despite Nylander’s absence throughout training camp and the first 13 days of this season. They lead the NHL with 4.71 goals per game and have seen Kasperi Kapanen, Nylander’s former roommate and best friend, light it up in his spot alongside Matthews and Patrick Marleau.

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Following Tuesday’s practice, the Finn brushed off questions about potentially hurting his buddy’s bargaining position by putting up eight points in five games with Matthews.

“I’m not trying to steal anybody’s spot or whatever like that,” said Kapanen. “I mean, he’s pretty much my brother. He’s a brother to me. … It’s all good. I don’t think Willy’s too upset, or he’s not rooting for me. Obviously he’s going to be happy for me and hopefully we see him soon.”

Kapanen had even reached out directly to Nylander by text to make sure his spirits were still high.

As good as things look in Toronto right now, they could be even better. The Leafs’ championship aspirations would unquestionably be boosted with him back in uniform.

About an hour after coach Mike Babcock whistled an end to Tuesday’s practice, the rink fell quiet. It was around 2:30 p.m. and the lights in Dubas’s corner office had been turned off.

He had a flight to catch.


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Sportsnet.ca / Analyzing Golden Knights' slow start: Can last season be replicated?

Andrew Berkshire

October 17, 2018, 11:07 AM

With four losses in their first seven games, it hasn’t been the same storybook start for the Vegas Golden Knights. This time last year they were 6-1-0 en route to a fairytale season that saw them reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Everyone knew there was some magic in the air last year. Vegas’ attacking style built around speed and a bunch of forwards who were given the biggest roles they’d ever had put teams on their heels from Day 1.

But although they were pretty fortunate with how things turned out, they were a legitimately good team as well. Vegas outshot their opponents and moved the puck well in the offensive zone while doing a decent job defending in front of Marc-Andre Fleury.

Their one weakness last season was that they struggled to record high danger chances — Vegas preferred to set up more often in the high slot and dominate teams where there’s a little more space. You could say they lacked a bit of net front presence.

This season is a very small sample, but let’s look at how the Golden Knights are playing now compared to last season.

Shockingly, Vegas looks like a much better team across the board this season, which should worry some folks if they can get their mojo back.

Last season Vegas’ goaltending was right around league average thanks to Fleury’s injuries that caused a lot of goalie turnover, but they also scored on 8.86 per cent of their shots at 5-on-5, and 9.06 per cent of their shots overall. Those both ranked sixth in the league, which doesn’t sound too crazy until you realize a bunch of players had to have career years to make it happen — they were an expansion team after all.

Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the country’s most beloved game.

The biggest example of that was with William Karlsson, who scored 43 goals after averaging just 7.5 the previous two full seasons of his career.

More than tripling your career shooting percentage and scoring 70 per cent of your career goals in one season is about as crazy of an outlier as it gets. This season Karlsson didn’t score his first goal until his seventh game, but what do his underlying scoring numbers look like compared to past seasons?

After a big jump up in his shooting last season, Karlsson appears to be falling into old habits. On average he’s shooting from six feet further out from the net than last season and is far too willing to shoot from outside the slot.

And here’s the other thing about Karlsson’s shooting percentage last season: even if every single shot he took was from the high danger area, his 23.4 shooting percentage would still be higher than league average. And while he was a decent scoring chance producer, he was by no means in the same realm as Alex Ovechkin, Vladimir Tarasenko, or other players who score around 40 goals per season.

Overall last season Karlsson ranked 56th in total scoring chances, and 80th in high danger chances. Those are still the numbers of a strong goal scorer, and a top-line shooter in the NHL, but not a 40-goal guy.

And therein lies the problem for Vegas this year. They weren’t that lucky by the traditional metric of PDO, but several of their players – including Fleury — had to have career years to put up average percentages.

Vegas is a fast, hard-working team that has a lot of depth, but Karlsson’s normal level of performance might be closer to 25 goals. And despite an across the board improvement in play so far this season, even if the Golden Knights keep it up they’re unlikely to hit the heights they did last year.

They should be a playoff team, and these early-season scoring troubles where they’re converting less than six per cent of their shots at 5-on-5 are likely a blip, but Vegas is a team that could end up on the bubble.


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Sportsnet.ca / For Senators rookie Brady Tkachuk, injury is part of NHL growing pains

Wayne Scanlan

October 17, 2018, 4:11 PM

Former Ottawa Senators defenceman Brendan Bell was on the phone raving about Brady Tkachuk when the subject of recklessness was raised.

Minutes later, the news was released: Tkachuk, the Senators red hot rookie, is going to be sidelined for about a month after tearing a ligament in his left leg as the result of crashing into the end boards following a hit on the Dallas Stars’ Blake Comeau Monday. After the first period hit, Tkachuk grimaced, was face down on the ice for a moment, but returned to the bench, rubbing his leg while a trainer

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checked on him. Tkachuk remained in the game, played 14:30 minutes and scored the deciding goal in a 4-1 Senators win.

“He went right over top of him (Comeau) and took the brunt of the impact,” says Bell, who worked the game as a radio analyst on the pre and post-game shows. “Hopefully he can rein that in a bit. And I am sure the management and coaching staff will be telling him, we don’t need you doing that.

“But at the same time, he’s young and he’s full of spunk. And you have to let him go to a certain extent.”

To say that Tkachuk, who turned 19 last month, has taken Ottawa and the NHL by storm in his early games is an understatement. As gales go, he is like a hurricane – leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

In just four NHL games, Tkachuk has left a mark, including, clearly, on his own body. He has three three goals, three assists, four penalty minutes, while exhibiting fear of no man. Tkachuk doesn’t just go to the net, he plants himself there, refusing to yield to cross check or elbow.

He also gives as good as he gets. After scoring a goal and adding an assist in a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers last week, he went looking for a fight, ending up with a roughing penalty against Scott Laughton, who was also sent off.

“He wanted that Gordie Howe hat trick,” Bell says. “It’s awesome. I’m not a big proponent of fighting, but he’s old school. He doesn’t give a sh–.”

The son and brother of NHLers, Tkachuk is an old soul of a teen, who could have thrived in the NHL of the 1950s and ’60s when dinosaurs roamed the rinks. Tkachuck would have fit in among the Plagers or the Sutters, families where the kid brother learned how to take hits and pucks to the face.

When father Keith was playing for the St. Louis Blues, Brady and his older brother Matthew would often fight in the team’s dressing room, and in the players’ wives lounge.

“We weren’t afraid to fight, but we were always playing again five minutes later,” Brady Tkachuk has said about the big brother he admires, a hard-nosed forward for the Calgary Flames.

“Matthew didn’t take any shortcuts with him and that helped Brady,” Keith said at the 2018 draft, where Brady was selected fourth overall by the Senators after being groomed by Boston University and the US National Program.

Already physically eclipsing Matthew, Brady is 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, seems even bigger, and soon will be. Which is scary. Now, though, he has to sit a month, which will hurt his progress.

Senators head coach Guy Boucher said as much on Wednesday, when he spoke about the pace of the game growing as the schedule advances into November.

“It’s a tough one for him,” Boucher said. “And a tough one for us, he was definitely a part of our identity and was doing really well.”

Tkachuk had found early chemistry on a line with centre Chris Tierney and winger Mark Stone, who has taken Tkachuk under his wing and into his Westboro home. Against the Stars, that line was buzzing. Tkachuk had four hits and five shots on goal, to lead the team.

The Senators have had difficulty drafting impact forwards, and it looks like they have finally hit a home run with Tkachuk. Between 2011 and 2017, the Senators picked the following forwards in Round 1: Mika Zibanejad, Stefan Noesen, Matt Puempel, Curtis Lazar, Colin White, Logan Brown and Shane Bowers.

Only White is currently on the Senators NHL roster. Brown is the only other forward of that selected group still in the organization.

And then along came Tkachuk, not everyone’s idea of the best pick when Filip Zadina was available, falling to the Detroit Red Wings at sixth overall. That comparison will play out over time, but Zadina is currently with the AHL Grand Rapids, and the Senators could not be happier with getting Tkachuk.

Except for this leg injury. And the groin injury in pre-season that kept him out of Ottawa’s first two games of the season.

No surgery is required for the ligament tear, and Tkachuk is expected to make a full recovery, to get on with the business of bringing his unique skill set to a rebuilding hockey club.

Though it’s early days, Tkachuk has the potential to be a player the Senators have not had in their modern history (1992-2018), a big, mean forward with a scoring touch. Ottawa native Bell concurs with that assessment.

“Not just a young player, the Senators have never had a 30-year-old who plays like this,” Bell says.

Marian Hossa was big, strong, fast and could score, but didn’t have as much grit. Mike Fisher had a mean streak, but not the scoring touch.

“For a guy his size, he moves so well, but he also does the things that coaches usually have to drill into kids – going to the net, finishing every check, being fast on the forecheck,” Bell says. “To go with that, he has the skill to score goals. Ugly and nice ones. I don’t know that I thought he’d be this good within three years.”

A former captain of the OHL Ottawa 67’s, Bell sees captain potential in Tkachuk, because of the intangibles he brings, while cautioning that he has played just four games and “we can’t get ahead of ourselves.”

Brief sample size though it was, Tkachuk was clearly having a ball in his first week in the NHL, bobbing his head to arena music during stoppages in play. Comfortable in his own skin, whether goofing off or closing in on a massive hit.

He will be back, and bruising again.

“When you’re agitating people and they’re rattled, you’re definitely doing your job,” Tkachuk said, around the time of the draft. “Matthew and I pride ourselves on that.”


1110723 Websites

TSN.CA / Tkachuk’s toughness shines through despite injury setback

Ian Mendes

A handful of Ottawa Senators have carved out a place in history for being the toughest players to ever play for the franchise.

Daniel Alfredsson was often revered for his ability to play through pain – even suiting up for a playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 with a torn meniscus in his knee.

Anton Volchenkov routinely sacrificed his body to block shots in front of his goalie and once wore a cage on his face just to make sure he could play through a serious facial injury.

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And while he’s only suited up in four games in his young career, it appears Brady Tkachuk has made an early bid to join the list of toughest Sens.

Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal against the Dallas Stars in the third period Monday night despite apparently suffering a torn ligament in his leg earlier in the game.

The club now believes their prized young teenager will miss the next month of action.

Tkachuk fell awkwardly into the boards to the right of Craig Anderson in the first period after hustling back in his own zone to finish a check on Stars forward Blake Comeau.

The entire Senators organization held its collective breath as Tkachuk was slow to get back to his feet and went directly to the bench after the injury, immediately fearing the worst.

But Tkachuk was able to play through the pain – likely fuelled by his teenage adrenaline – and managed to score the winner early in the third.

Tkachuk’s stat line showed nothing out of the ordinary, as he led the team with five shots on goal and played 19 shifts for a total of 14:30 on the ice – more time than he logged in each of his previous two games.

Head coach Guy Boucher was asked on Wednesday if he was surprised to learn the severity of Tkachuk’s injury, given the fact he was able to finish the game without any visible issues.

“Yeah it did, to be honest with you,” Boucher admitted. “I knew there was something there, but he finished so well. If it were up to him he’d be on the ice today. He’s a tough kid. And he’s not somebody who wants to bail out. That’s for sure.”

Boucher was somewhat coy about the exact nature of the injury, only revealing that, “It’s not the knee. It’s somewhere in the leg.”

The Senators were planning on unveiling a line featuring Chris Tierney, Mark Stone and Tkachuk for Saturday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, but that plan will have to be shelved until next month.

Based on the Senators schedule, Tkachuk could miss anywhere in the ballpark from 12-to-15 games if his return happens in the time frame they anticipate.

The timing of the Tkachuk injury is awful for the Senators, who were finally able to gain a bit of positive traction after several months of negative news stories swirling around the organization.

Tkachuk is the poster boy for the youth movement and his six points – including three goals – in his first four games gave Ottawa fans reason for optimism.

“That’s a tough one for him. And it’s a tough one for us because he was doing so well. He was definitely part of our identity,” Boucher said.

That a teenager could already be described as being part of an NHL team’s identity just four games into his career speaks volumes about Tkachuk’s maturity.

In a limited sample size, Tkachuk brought a rare combination of skill, grit, intelligence and character that has somehow simultaneously appeased both the analytics and old-school hockey crowds.

Tkachuk’s absence will undoubtedly be a blow to the Senators at the box office, as they will be without one of their biggest attractions for the month. Selling the Senators in this city has been tough for the past few months and the challenge will be even greater without arguably their most marketable personality in the lineup.

TSN.CA LOADED: 10.18.2018

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