Very few people are indifferent to Evan Bouchard.
He’seither a turnover machine you can’t trust in his own end, or he’s a power-play guru that is a catalyst for the Edmonton Oilers‘ attack. Bouchard is often dangerous at both ends of the ice and a very exciting player to watch, depending on your perspective.
Team Canada, however, appears to have fallen on the side that doesn’t trust Bouchard, as he wasn’t named to the squad that will be heading to Milan this month. The Canadians chose to take the same eight defencemen from the 4 Nations Face-Off, even if Bouchard is arguably playing better than a few of them this season. Thomas Harley is having a down year with only four goals, and Drew Doughty has only one point in 15 games since the team was announced, going minus-12 over that stretch.
You could argue players like Harley and Doughty possess other qualities that Bouchard doesn’t, but it’s hard to claim the Oilers blue-liner doesn’t deserve a spot this time around based on the season he’s having.
Canada made a mistake by not taking Bouchard
Bouchard may be having his best season yet. He’s on pace for 88 points and is tied for the lead among defencemen in scoring, while really turning it on lately. The 26-year-old has 12 points in his past five games, thanks to an incredible six-point outing that included a hat trick last weekend. Bouchard already has 15 goals, which should allow him to smash his previous career high of 18.
One other thing about Bouchard is that he can play with high-end talent. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are two of the league’s best, and Bouchard can think and play the game fast enough to help get the most out of them. We know McDavid is already heading to Milan, and having Bouchard there with built-in chemistry between the two could’ve also been a big advantage. Bouchard definitely has his flaws, but there was probably a way for Canada to use him selectively to its benefit at the Olympics.
Overreaction? No
One argument for taking Bouchard is his ability to quarterback a power play. Of course, Cale Makar will get the top unit duties, but what happens if there’s an injury? Is there really another ideal option to quarterback the group after Makar? There certainly wouldn’t be one better than Bouchard, and the fact that he can use his booming slap shot gives him an element that nobody else on the Canada roster really has.
Plus, because the team is so deep, you wouldn’t have to lean on Bouchard too heavily if you’re concerned about the defensive side of the puck. If you’re down a goal late in the game, then get Bouchard out there at the same time as McDavid to try and generate some offence, and if you’re leading by one or two, reduce his minutes and utilize a shutdown pair more.
Perhaps Bouchard will still find his way onto the roster if there’s an injury, but not taking him over a couple of the other blue-liners feels like a move Canada may eventually regret. The good has far outweighed the bad this season.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is having his best season yet
The Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender is well on his way to being a Hall of Famer. With a pair of Stanley Cups to go along with a Vezina and a Conn Smythe, it would be tough to argue that Vasilevskiy isn’t one of the best clutch goalies we’ve ever seen. He’ll be 32 this summer, and with all the miles on his body from several long playoff runs, you’d think his best hockey was behind him. But Vasilevskiy is having another strong campaign.
The Lightning netminder’s save percentage of .921 is good enough for first in the league, and he’s also tops when it comes to goals-against average at 2.04. He also only has seven regulation losses. Statistically, Vasilevskiy has had better seasons than this one, but given the circumstances he’s dealt with, this might be his best work yet.
Overreaction? No
What makes this year so special for Vasilevskiy is that he’s been doing it with a depleted defensive core in front of him. Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak have all missed substantial time, and you’d have a hard time identifying most of Tampa Bay’s blue liners on any given night. Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Declan Carlile, Maxwell Crozier and Emil Lilleberg have all played at least 30 games, while the Lightning continue to thrive.
That’s in large part thanks to Vasilevskiy, who’s been nearly unbeatable of late. In his past 22 starts, Vasilevskiy owns a .937 save percentage and has saved 12.35 goals above expected — not to mention that in 18 of those games, he’s allowed an incredible two goals or fewer, and in 12 of those, he’s actually given up one goal or less. Give credit to that makeshift blue line Tampa has been utilizing, but there’s no way the Lightning are battling for a division title without Vasilevskiy’s play this year.
Steven Stamkos’ resurgence will lead Nashville to a playoff spot
The start of the season could not have gone worse for the Nashville Predators and, for that matter, Steven Stamkos. Nashville won just five times in its first 18 games, and seemed destined to be a seller at the trade deadline with head coach Andrew Brunette was on very thin ice. A major part of those struggles was because Stamkos scored only one goal in his first 14 contests, but he’s rebounded in a major way.
Stamkos now has 24 goals in the 39 games since, coinciding with Nashville climbing the standings. The Predators are still a few points below the playoff cutoff line, though they seem like a very legitimate threat to climb all the way back to the post-season.
Overreaction? Yes
As incredible as the Predators’ turnaround has been, there are still a lot of flaws to their game. Nashville is struggling to get saves and ranks 27th in goals against per game and 22nd in team save percentage. The Preds have actually done a decent job of limiting high-danger chances, sitting fifth in the NHL in that category, but Juuse Saros has a save percentage below .900 for the second straight season.
Nashville’s special teams are also very mediocre, and it sits in the bottom third of the league when it comes to goal scoring, so it isn’t good enough to compensate for the puck entering the net with regularity. Stamkos is a huge reason the Preds are back in the mix, but ultimately, I think they will fall short of catching teams like San Jose, Los Angeles, Seattle and Utah.
Shane Wright would be the perfect target for a retooling team
Things haven’t exactly gone swimmingly for Shane Wright since he arrived in the NHL. After falling to No. 4 in the 2022 NHL draft, Wright hasn’t made a massive impact for the Seattle Kraken. He had a decent season a year ago with 19 goals and 44 points, but his numbers have slipped to just nine tallies and 20 points this season. That’s sparked some rumblings that the Kraken may be interested in shopping Wright leading up to the deadline for a fresh start if they can get a decent return. Seattle is missing an impact player for its playoff push, and there could be a team soft-selling who may dangle one in exchange for a package that includes Wright.
Overreaction? No
If I were one of those Eastern Conference teams in the mushy middle that is considering selling a piece or two to retool for next season, I’d take a long look at Wright. He’s still only 22 years of age and his development is far from over, so there’s a chance with a fresh start and being slotted into a good role, Wright can become a very serviceable.
Take Fraser Minten as an example from last year’s trade deadline. The Toronto Maple Leafs perhaps weren’t convinced that Minten was going to be an impact player, so they chose to move on from him to get Brandon Carlo, and now Minten is playing a key role on a rejuvenated Boston Bruins squad. Wright could potentially follow the same path, as he’s a smart player who very well may turn into an effective two-way, middle-six centre.
Maybe Wright doesn’t become a high-end talent, but that doesn’t mean he can’t carve out an important role for a team that is searching for more talent.
Avalanche are at risk of losing the Presidents’ Trophy
There was a point this season where it appeared the Colorado Avalanche were going to lap the field. The Avs got off to a torrid start, only suffering their second regulation loss in early December and having two different 10-game winning streaks on the season.
Colorado has started to fall back toward the rest of the pack, though, as the condensed schedule appears to be catching up. The Avs have now won just three times in nine tries and have allowed seven goals on two different occasions over this stretch. Nathan MacKinnon and company are now on pace for 125 points this season after they were on track at one point to surpass the Boston Bruins’ all-time record of 135 from a few years ago. Minnesota is now only seven points back of the Avalanche for the league’s best record, with Dallas, Carolina and Tampa Bay just behind them. So, is there a chance someone could pass Colorado?
Overreaction? Yes
Even though a few teams have closed the gap, it’s still very difficult to make up seven-plus points in the standings with less than 30 games left, especially with the loser point in play. Plus, the Avs have three games in hand on the Wild, and the Lightning play in the very difficult Atlantic division, so making up ground is going to be tough. It should also be noted that Colorado has dealt with some key injuries lately, too. Gabriel Landeskog and Devon Toews have missed time, and the Avs have even been without Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood for two separate stretches recently. Expect the Avalanche to get healthy following the Olympics and get rolling once again. Maybe they don’t end up overtaking the Bruins’ 135 points, but they should still easily cruise to the Presidents’ Trophy.
