A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Asking dumb questions — really dumb questions — since 1976.
1. Surely, Thursday night was not how Sean Durzi imagined his dream unfolding.
Drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs and dealt to the L.A. Kings, the offensively gifted right-shot defenceman bought all the tickets he could get his mitts on for his Scotiabank Arena debut.
The Mississauga, Ont., native said that more than 200 people he knew would be in the building.
“Very expensive,” Durzi chuckled at the morning skate. “I bought as many as I could, and they were tapped out. But I have a lot of friends who found tickets in different ways.
“All my friends, we all dreamed of playing on this ice. That was our first point of view of the NHL. It’s going to be very cool to experience it.”
Durzi didn’t attend many Leafs games as a kid.
“It’s always pretty expensive here in Toronto. But when my parents made it happen, it was the best nights,” he said. “I’m pretty excited actually. Walking out. This is my first point of view of having a dream here in Toronto is playing on this ice. So, might be tough to nap today.”
Well, it might have been tough to sleep post-game, too.
Not only did Durzi’s Kings get caved in 5-0, the feisty D-man instigated some post-whistle chirps and whacks with Pierre Engvall only to get whacked in the back of the head:
Engvall was ejected and subsequently suspended a game for his reckless retaliation. (“We’ve all watched Pierre long enough to know he doesn’t play with intent to injure,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe argued.)
Meanwhile, Durzi was relentlessly booed by Scotiabank Arena every time his touched the puck following the Engvall clash.
The crowd (minus 200 or so) sensed that Durzi was asking for conflict and may have embellished the force of Engvall’s slash.
“What we like the most about him is the emotion he brings into a game. You see guys getting mad at him, he gets involved after the whistle, and he plays to win,” Kings president Luc Robitaille said on Real Kyper & Bourne.
In a flash, Durzi went from the One That Got Away to hometown villain.
Before puck drop, Durzi thought about how it felt to be traded away from his boyhood team (as part of the Jake Muzzin package).
“I was sitting at home one night. Get a call from an NHL GM. Pretty puzzled. I’m getting moved to a city I’ve never been to. Not much thinking what it does for me at the time. I was playing junior hockey. I knew from the first moment talking to everyone here it was going to be a good move for myself. I just had to prove it,” Durzi said.
“It’s tough for me because they drafted me. They made a dream come true for me. But circumstances at the time made it a good move for both clubs. I’m just happy to show what I can do for this club and kinda prove that these guys made the right choice.”
2. With Engvall suspended and winger injuries mounting, Joey “No Slouch” Anderson will draw into the Maple Leafs lineup Saturday.
Keefe has been searching for an opportunity to use the depth winger since Calle Järnkrok went down, and Anderson still has a shot at proving GM Kyle Dubas correct in his argument that the 2020 trade of Andreas Johnsson was more than a salary dump.
Johnsson, 28, didn’t make the New Jersey Devils squad this season.
The younger Anderson, 24, is still in the mix in Toronto, producing 19 points in 21 games for the Marlies this season.
With jobs unclaimed in the Leafs’ bottom six, this is a prime opportunity for the ’tweener to seize a role.
3. When I approach Brandon Hagel, he is sitting in his Tampa Bay stall, relaxed. He’s starting to feel at home now.
He’s no longer living out of a suitcase. He finally has a home in the city that acquired him from Chicago at the 2022 trade deadline in hopes he could be a missing piece to unlock a three-peat.
New year, dig new, new linemates, Hagel admits the pressure and scrutiny to continue his Blackhawks production in a blue uniform ate at him last spring.
Hagel broke out with 21 goals and 37 points in 55 games pre-trade, attracting interest from several clubs (Toronto was another). Post-trade, the winger managed just six goals and 13 points in 55 games (including playoffs).
Remember: The Bolts gave up two first-rounders, plus Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh, to secure Hagel, red hot and cap-friendly.
“I think it’s just human nature. You get traded for that much, the team wants you to do what you do as a hockey player,” Hagel says. “That weighed in on me a little bit. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t.”
But?
“It’s a new year,” Hagel smiles.
Hagel is letting his shoulders down and sliding into a groove, posting a respectable 8-10–18 through 26 games and getting been elevated to a loaded top six, mostly alongside Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point.
“These guys are just so good at communicating and helping me out in different ways, and I think that’s made us so good as a line,” says Hagel, still marvelling at Tampa’s unflappable championship culture.
“It’s incredible how calm and confident — in a good way — this dressing room is.”
Yes, the Saskatoon sixth-rounder who spent most his hockey years in places like Red Deer and Rockford, Ill., is warming up to life in a jetski town. That new home, is it on the water?
“Not yet,” Hagel replies. “Maybe if I can stick around here long enough.”
Hagel’s bargain $1.5-million AAV ends in 2023-24, and GM Julien BriseBois has a pattern of locking key pieces up the off-season before they expire.
A strong performance might allow Hagel to hang around a long time. Just ask fellow deadline pickup Nick Paul.
4. Shane Wright scoring his first NHL goal against the Montreal Canadiens is the poetry that keeps us coming back to sports.
I’ll never forget the aura Wright gave off at the Bell Centre after he’d been snubbed by the Habs for first-overall status in favour of Juraj Slafkovsky.
Speaking to the Seattle Kraken’s newest member was like interviewing a World Series of Poker favourite who had just lost with a full house and gone on tilt.
“I mean, obviously, you picture that in your mind. You picture your name being called first and walking up to the stage, pulling on that jersey — especially with the draft being in Montreal and them picking first,” Wright said that night, still processing his emotions.
“I’m definitely gonna have a chip on my shoulder from this for sure. Definitely a little more motivation. I’ve always been self-motivated. Always been pushing myself internally, but it’s definitely gonna give me a little more fire, for sure.”
Bet on this guy to light up the world juniors.
5. The most dangerous line in hockey cracked the 100-point mark this week.
Dallas’s top trio of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski have combined for a video-game-like 44 goals and 102 points. All three rank top-10 league-wide in plus/minus, with individual ratings of plus-16 or better.
“The line has got great balance of so many different things, and you see it all come together,” says Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “Hintz is among the fastest skaters in the NHL. You got Pavelski and Robertson, who are not as fleet of foot on the wings but are incredibly smart players. In the right spots. Around the net. They can score is different ways.
“Pavelski is as good as anybody at tipping pucks and finding rebounds. Robertson can score from anywhere on the rink, and at the same time knows where to be at all times. Then, if you take those guys away, Hintz can come flying out of nowhere. The line itself has got a lot of great elements, and they have great chemistry.”
The Stars’ stars have taken the mantle from 2021-22’s scariest line — Calgary’s busted-up trio of Johnny Gaudreau, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk, who combined for 301 points — and is on pace for 310.
6. What makes Robertson’s Rocket and Hart trophy bids extraordinary is that he’s piling up his points while skating just the 96th-most ice time among all forwards (18:02).
“He’s done it without cheating,” says his coach, Peter DeBoer. “He’s not playing 23, 24 minutes a night. He’s not floating around. He’s plus-[17]. He’s playing the lowest time on ice of his career, at least since he was a young guy. He’s taking a minute on the power play and getting off. He’s not spending a minute and a half or two minutes. He’s done it without an ounce of cheating in his game. That’s the most impressive thing for me.”
Jason Robertson isn’t the slightest bit superstitious.
“He’s as chill as chill can be,” says younger brother Nick, perhaps with a tinge of envy.
Both are hockey junkies. (DeBoer tried to stump Jason during his recent 18-game point streak by asking him who had the longest ever. Jason knew it was Wayne Gretzky at 51 games.)
But Toronto’s Nick is more single-mindedly focused. He recently said he wanted his dog, Bronco, to make the trip north from California. He needs an outlet to distract his mind from obsessing over his career.
Knowing how much success means to the kid makes Nick’s shoulder injury all the more heartbreaking.
“I’m more laid-back. Nick’s dialled in. He’s always working. His whole life he’s been trying to overcome obstacles. I think that’s where he gets that from,” Jason says.
The difference?
“Experience. I’m a couple years older, right? You learn a lot of things.”
7. Chico Resch and Norwegian band A-ha are the mashup pair we didn’t know we needed.
Just an awesome spoof of the “Take On Me” video by the New Jersey Devils:
8. With soccer’s World Cup dominating conversation around the globe, does Team Canada staple Drew Doughty crave another best-on-best international competition in hockey?
“I mean, I don’t really think about it to be honest. The [2016] World Cup was alright. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever played in. The Olympics was way better than the World Cup, in my opinion,” says Doughty, ever candid.
“Everyone wants to see it, but at the same time it’s hard to do without Russia. And I think that’s why we pushed it back, because we have a lot of good Russian players. They’re one of the best teams in the world, so you need a team like that in the World Cup.”
Why did the ’16 World Cup lack some magic?
“It just didn’t have the same feeling as the Olympics. When we won the World Cup, we barely even celebrated… versus the Olympics, where more of the world is watching,” Doughty says. “It just feels like a bigger stage than the World Cup.”
Bonus Doughty!
As is well documented, a young Doughty began at forward until minor coach Brad Ostrom forced him to the blueline.
“I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to stay at forward. But it worked out real nice,” Doughty recalled Thursday. To this day, he often volunteers to L.A.’s coaching staff to take shifts up front.
“If they need me, I’ll go up there no problem. I’ll be the backup goalie too, the third-string goalie. I love goalie.”
9. Accuse me of eastern bias, but the power balance in the National Hockey League has been leaning hard to the right.
Of the 12 clubs with a points percentage of .575 or better, eight of them reside in the Eastern Conference.
Ten Eastern Conference teams hold a positive goal differential compared to eight in the West.
Plus, most of the pure tankers are on the Left Coast. Four Western Conference teams — Arizona, Chicago, San Jose, Anaheim — are still looking for their 10th victory, and six have a goal differential of minus-10 or worse. In the East, only Columbus and Philadelphia are stuck in single digits in wins and only three teams are dash-10 or worse.
The point is this: There is no disputing which conference is strongest, and some average teams are likely to squeak into the left side of the playoff bracket.
10. Auston Matthews called it.
Asked by Steve Dangle before camp to name the most underrated player in the league, Matthews didn’t hesitate with his response: “Tage Thompson.”
That other 25-year-old from Arizona is outscoring the two-time Rocket Richard winner in goals (21-14) and points (40-31) and gave ol’ Joe Malone a run with his five-goal explosion on Wednesday.
“It’s really not that surprising,” Matthews says. “I’ve been skating with him the past couple summers, and I played with him in junior [in the U.S. national program]. He’s always had the skill. I think his body has just caught up to where his brain and his skills are.
“He’s been playing unbelievable. I’m really happy for him. He’s a great guy, and I really like spending time with him and training with him in the summer. It’s great for him. He deserves it.”
Matthews was asked by a Toronto reporter if the city needs to start sending local kids to sharpen their skills in Arizona?
“You might.”
11. Remarkably, we’ve lasted more than two months since puck drop without a single coach fired.
And yet, in the case for a fresh voice behind the bench, evidence is mounting. The Jack Adams race is silly with guys in Year 1 of their new gigs. Three of the four division leaders are being run by first-year coaches.
Boston’s Jim Montgomery is 21-4-1.
Vegas’s Bruce Cassidy is 20-8-1.
Winnipeg’s Rick Bowness is 18-7-1.
Dallas’s Pete DeBoer is 15-7-5.
The Islanders’ Lane Lambert is 17-11-0 and back in the playoff picture.
Detroit’s Derek Lalonde is 13-8-5 and in a wild-card race.
Even Philadelphia’s John Tortorella and Florida’s Paul Maurice can lean on the excuse of depleted rosters.
Change is healthy.
12. We are all here for the clean, open-ice hit renaissance.
