The big news we’ve been waiting a month for was which play-in team would end up with the first overall pick in the lottery. Because of the abbreviated season, teams agreed to allow the play-in franchises to the lottery draft, and they won. The lottery for first overall was Monday night and as hockey fans will know by now, it went to the New York Rangers.
I imagine there are a lot of hockey fans out there that may not be happy but are at least relieved. It would have been a game-changer had it gone to a team like Pittsburgh or Toronto. It’s still a game-changer for the Rangers, obviously, but those are teams at various points of their Cup window who could use top-end talent for cheap. The Rangers don’t have the same cap issues, but now they get to add a top-6 forward on an ELC and can focus on their blue line.
One thing I wonder about is if the Rangers will draft Lafrenière with their first overall pick. There are prospect people – our Cam Robinson being one of them – who have Byfield over Lafrenière on their board. The team also has Panarin and Kreider, two left wingers, under contract for most of the upcoming decade. The Rangers have a glaring hole down the middle that they’ve been plugging with Ryan Strome, and they have hope for Filip Chytil being that guy, but that spot needs an upgrade. Do they entertain adding Byfield instead of Lafrenière? Teams have gone a bit off the board in the last couple seasons with high picks to draft for need, like Montreal with Kotkaniemi and Detroit with Seider. Could the Rangers do something similar? We’ll have to wait and see.
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In a normal year, making decisions based on playoff performance is usually a bad idea. Just think of the legacy contracts given out by Los Angeles and Chicago over the last decade and readers will get real close to the basic premise here: decision-making on small samples of pressure-cooked hockey will, most often, leave a Warheads-esque taste in the mouth.
That makes the upcoming off-season even more delicious. Teams aren’t only going to make bad decisions based off a small sample, but they’ll do so from an even smaller sample in very difficult conditions. What star will get traded for because they shot two percent for four games? Who is going to sign that 10th forward for three years at $4M per season? Who will bench the goalie who was bad for 80 minutes? It’s all so exciting.
This extends to Toronto, naturally. Dobber went through a post-mortem on each team so I’ll refrain from doing the same. But I will say that the Leafs had a PDO of .944 for a week and now they’re home. (In fact, of the 16 teams from the play-in matchups, the eight teams that were sent home had the eight lowest PDO marks at 5-on-5. Funny how that works.) Columbus had a save percentage over .980 at 5-on-5. If the Leafs landed 50 shots a game at 5-on-5, at that save percentage, they’d score one goal a game. It’s hard to win games like that.
Believe me, I’m not absolving the Leafs, their GM, or other teams (thank god Dale Tallon is back!) of making poor decisions. This is a Toronto blue line that has had two years to be built. No, you can’t rely on drafting superstar defencemen but yes, you should be able to rely on not having Number Three Defenceman Cody Ceci years into your rebuild. That he and Morgan Rielly – nary a defensive fibre between them – were the top pair for this team heading into the 2019-20 playoffs speaks volumes about where this team is right now. They badly need all of Dermott, Sandin, and Liljegren to be regular NHLers, and probably need at least two of them to be top-4 guys.
It makes me wonder what’s going to happen in Edmonton. They are, more or less, in the same position as the Leafs. I do believe that Edmonton’s blue line is further ahead, but I’d rather have Toronto’s goaltending and forward depth. Regardless, both teams need to figure out their issues, because they have elite, young players but limited cap space and windows close faster than we’d like sometimes.
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Over the off-season, I will read any and everything on Tyson Barrie‘s time with the Leafs imaginable. By a number of measurements – WAR, primary points/60 at 5-on-5, points/60 on the power play – it was his worst season in five years and possibly his worst season since his rookie 2013 campaign. This was a guy who established himself as one of the top offensive defencemen in hockey over the course of a half-decade, and he looked anything but for most of his Leafs tenure.
What happened? I would be very interested to read any and all analysis of his year.
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Dougie Hamilton was at Carolina practice on Monday and the team seemed hopeful he’ll be able to return for Game 1 of the first round. Sweeping the first round without him, getting some good, hard hockey in but getting time off, and then getting him back, would be a nice little progression of things for the ‘Canes.
That might spell the end of Sami Vatanen on the top power-play unit, too. Just something to keep in mind for those who may be drafting their playoff pools tonight. (On the other hand, were something to happen to Hamilton again, we know who the next man up will be.)
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A note from the Flyers:
For strategic purposes, Flyers will keep line combinations to themselves moving forward before each game.
This may not affect a lot for playoff pools, but for DFS people, this is a nightmare. Other teams will likely perceive this as a competitive advantage and follow suit. If the NHL doesn’t force them to reveal lines, and there are no reporters present, do lines actually exist?
NFL requires inactives within an hour of kickoff. MLB is a little more lax but most lineups are in about 3-4 hours before first pitch. There is precedent for this, though I doubt this is something the NHL pushes back on.
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Just wanted to give some thoughts out on the upcoming rounds. We’ll have our Experts’ Panel picks posted, but this is just a bit more of a discussion. (I went 2/8 in the first round but hit on Chicago so that’s basically 8/8.)
Tampa Bay needs to get healthy. They’re an elite team, but with a hobbled Stamkos and Hedman, they’re not much deeper than a roster like Toronto’s is, er, was.
Liam Foudy’s continued progress towards top-6 scorer is impressive to watch. A welcome development for Columbus, I’m sure.
I’m not as worried about Boston as some others may be. They’re a team that’s earned the right to approach the playoffs as they see fit. I just think Carolina is better at the moment with Hamilton (hopefully) back.
Carter Hart is going to be the difference-maker for the Flyers in these playoffs, but don’t sleep on Shayne Gostisbehere. He looked good in the one game he had in the lineup. If he can be the guy of a couple years ago…
I’m also not worried about St. Louis. The round robin was pretty obviously something they didn’t care about. They just wanted to stay healthy.
Vegas getting Max Pacioretty back is so big for this team. Now they can move Chandler Stephenson back to the third line and it gives them three scoring lines (though the third is a clear step down, Alex Tuch has looked great). If we don’t get a matchup with them and Colorado at some point, we’ll all be the worse for it.
The riches Colorado boasts are starting to come to fruition, and there’s even more in the pipeline. Is there a more exciting franchise to be a fan of at the moment? I guess maybe Carolina or Vegas, but otherwise, this is a Megazord reaching final assembly.
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Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Bob McKenzie announced his semi-retirement on Monday. I believe he has hinted at this for a while, but he’s taking a step back from day-to-day things at TSN. He says he’ll still be around for items like the World Juniors and free agency, but he won’t be there day in and day out through the season as he’d been for decades.
For hockey fans outside of Canada, it’s hard to really measure McKenzie’s impact on hockey. Beyond just being the measuring stick for being a reporter, he’s also one of the driving forces being the World Juniors being the success it is today. That wasn’t the case 30 years ago. The outpouring of thanks from young reporters he’s helped along the way showed his impact behind the scenes as well.
There is a reason one of the unwritten rules of what we do is to wait until Bob McKenzie confirms it. His presence is that large in the hockey world. Congratulations to him on an incredible career to date, and at least we’ll still see him around for the big moments.
CALGARY – Rookie Samuel Honzek continued his scoring tear on Monday with a brilliant short-handed effort as the Calgary Flames beat the Seattle Kraken 4-3 in overtime.
The 19-year-old Slovak, who was the Flames’ first-round pick, 16th overall in 2023, sits alone atop the NHL’s pre-season scoring leaders with seven points (including two goals) in five games.
Brayden Pachal, Blake Coleman, and Nazem Kadri — with the game-winner on a slick setup from Andrei Kuzmenko — also scored for Calgary (5-0-1), which has yet to lose in regulation.
Eeli Tolvanen, Ville Ottavainen and Shane Wright replied for Seattle (1-3-1).
In his first full game after playing two periods in each of his first two starts, Dan Vladar — coming off off-season hip surgery — made 30 saves for the win.
At the other end, Joey Daccord made 23 stops for the Kraken.
Tied 2-2 after the first period, Seattle had multiple chances to take the lead early in the second when Calgary took four penalties in the first six minutes.
But not only did the Flames kill off the extended power play time for the visitors that included a pair of two-man advantages, Honzek ignited the home crowd with his highlight-reel goal at 6:33.
Sprung on a 1-on-1 by Yegor Sharangovich’s breakout pass, Honzek skated down the right wing through the neutral zone and into the Seattle end where he used his 6-foot-4 frame to power his way around defenceman Vince Dunn, then as he cut across the front of the net, he neatly eluded Daccord’s poke check before tucking the puck in while falling to the ice.
Honzek, who turns 20 on Nov. 12, played last season with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants where injuries limited him to just 33 games in which he had 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists).
After taking the lead, the penalty barrage in the second continued for the home side with Blake Coleman’s penalty with seven seconds left — Calgary’s sixth minor of the period — finally costing them with Wright scoring 39 seconds into the third to tie it 3-3.
Seattle opened the scoring 3:18 into the game when Rasmus Andersson’s turnover was grabbed by Chandler Stephenson, who promptly sent a backhand pass into the slot that was buried by Tolvanen.
After Calgary surged in front on goals less than four minutes apart by Pachal and Coleman, the visitors tied it with 15 seconds remaining in the period when Ottavainen’s long slapshot eluded Vladar.
BARRIE BATTLING
Picking up a pair of assists for the Flames with secondary helpers on both first period goals was defenceman Tyson Barrie, who is in Flames’ camp on a professional tryout. The 33-year-old has three assists in three games. Barrie has played 809 career NHL games and should he sign with Calgary, would join his fifth NHL organization. He played last season for Nashville.
UP NEXT
Kraken: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
Flames: Visit the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.
EDMONTON – It may have been a victory, but the Edmonton Oilers feel they are still very much a work in progress.
Leon Draisaitl scored the shootout winner on a slapshot as the Oilers won their second straight pre-season game, defeating the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Monday.
Corey Perry and Ben Gleason also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 3-3 in NHL exhibition action.
“We just wanted to get our battle level up a little bit,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who registered a pair of assists on the night. “I think everybody has another level that they can get to. Hopefully we will get there this week.
“We haven’t played much with our group. To get some rhythm and some camaraderie, all that stuff is important.”
A lot of the focus was on getting the first look of the new potentially powerhouse second line of Draisaitl, Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner.
“They are just getting used to each other right now,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “They had some good chances, probably not as many as you would expect in a game like tonight. But it was a good first step.”
Arshdeep Bains and Nate Smith replied for the Canucks (2-2-1), who have lost three in a row.
“It’s not about the win or loss, the group really did a great job,” said Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet, whose team dressed the less experienced lineup. “I’m really proud of the way they played. I just like the way that they stuck with it. That is a good hockey club over there, and I think we did a nice job.”
There was no scoring in a rather relaxed first period, with Edmonton putting eight shots on Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen and Vancouver responding with seven on Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner.
Vancouver broke the deadlock six minutes into the second period on the power play as Kiefer Sherwood made a nice pass from the side of the net out to Bains, who unleashed a bullet before Skinner could get across.
Edmonton almost responded a few minutes later as Perry was sent in alone, but he was unable to deke his way past Lankinen.
The Canucks led 16-15 on the shot clock through 40 minutes.
The Oilers tied the game four minutes into the third period as Perry swept out in front of the net and made a nice move and got the puck behind Lankinen this time.
Edmonton surged ahead on the power play midway through the third as McDavid sent it back to Gleason who sent a hard wrist shot into the net with Arvidsson providing a screen in front.
However, Vancouver answered back just 19 seconds later as Smith deftly redirected a Kirill Kudryavtsev shot through Skinner’s legs, eventually sending the game to extra time.
Vancouver had a wide-open net to shoot for late in overtime, but Draisaitl lifted Daniel Sprong’s stick at the last second.
NOTES
It was the first meeting between the two teams since the Oilers defeated the Canucks 3-2 in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series in May … Edmonton released veteran forward Mike Hoffman from a PTO on Monday, and the Canucks did likewise with PTO invite Sammy Blais … The Oilers are down to 36 players (five injured) in camp and are hoping to trim to 27 players before the team’s final two pre-season games. Defenceman Darnell Nurse is expected to be back for one of the two final tilts, and backup goalie Calvin Pickard is expected to return to the ice in a few days after taking a hit to the head on Saturday against Seattle … Vancouver star forward J.T. Miller has skated all camp, but has yet to suit up for a game, while defenceman Quinn Hughes has played just one.
UP NEXT
Canucks: Host the Oilers on Friday.
Oilers: Visit the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants have hired former All-Star catcher Buster Posey as president of baseball operations and fired Farhan Zaidi.
Team chairman Greg Johnson made the announcement Monday after the Giants finished 80-82 in manager Bob Melvin’s first season — with one more victory than in 2023. San Francisco hasn’t reached the playoffs since winning the NL West in 2021.
The 37-year-old Posey joined the club’s ownership group in September 2022, less than a year after his retirement in November 2021.
“As we look ahead, I’m excited to share that Buster Posey will now take on a greater role as the new president of baseball operations,” Johnson said in a statement. “We are looking for someone who can define, direct and lead this franchise’s baseball philosophy and we feel that Buster is the perfect fit. Buster has the demeanor, intelligence and drive to do this job, and we are confident that he and Bob Melvin will work together to bring back winning baseball to San Francisco.”
Posey was a seven-time All-Star with a career .302 batting average. The 2012 NL MVP was selected fifth overall by San Francisco in the 2008 amateur draft out of Florida State.
His former manager, Bruce Bochy, now guiding the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers, is confident Posey will succeed.
“I’m excited for Buster. He has such a great feel for the game,” Bochy said via text message. “He did a great job leading on the field, so sure he will excel in this leadership role.”
Posey and wife Kristen moved their family back to the East Bay suburb of Lafayette last year after a stint living in their native Georgia immediately following his retirement. He called it a career after the Giants’ franchise-record 107-win season in 2021. Posey opted out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
Zaidi was hired away from the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in November 2018.
“We appreciate Farhan’s commitment to the organization and his passion for making an impact in our community during his six years with the Giants,” Johnson said. “Ultimately, the results have not been what we had hoped, and while that responsibility is shared by all of us, we have decided that a change is necessary.”
Johnson, Posey and Melvin were set to address the media on Tuesday at Oracle Park.
It was unclear which candidates from underrepresented groups were considered by the Giants, as required by Major League Baseball.
“We are also fully committed to following the Selig Rule and ensuring diversity in our hiring for any of our open positions,” Johnson said.
