A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Sorry, Lindy.
1. Because the Toronto Maple Leafs are spending more on forwards ($54.9 million) than any other team, and because reputations are hard to shake, the belief is they are a better offensive team than they are a defensive one.
Yet Maple Leafs rank fifth leaguewide in shots allowed (28.1) and eighth in goals allowed (2.72) per game. Meanwhile, they sit 17th in shots (31.2) and 25th in goals (2.89) per game.
If, nay, when Kyle Dubas makes a trade, the assumption is that the GM will be prioritizing his blue line. Heck, Dubas said as much Monday, when he addressed his plan to deal with Jake Muzzin on LTIR. That said, unless the Leafs’ 5-on-5 scoring finds a groove, we’re not ruling out multiple moves.
As currently constructed, we don’t see Toronto’s D corps as Cup-ready. Rest assured, Dubas & Co. are surveying a complicated and shifting marketplace to gauge how they might use Muzzin’s cap space.
Let’s name names.
First, the big three known to be available:
• Pro scouts are frothing at the imminent return of cap-friendly Jakub Chychrun. The 24-year-old left shot is on the market (for a reported asking price of two first-rounders or equivalent), and the Leafs have some interest. But his injury history is nearly as long as his game log, and if Chychrun shows well, there will be a bidding war.
• Erik Karlsson’s trade value may never be higher, as the Sharks D-man is ripping up the league. GM Mike Grier has figuratively posted a for-sale sign on the righty’s stall, but the man himself isn’t eager to bolt California. And with a full no-move clause, Karlsson can call his shot. Even with some salary retention, Karlsson’s $11.5-million cap hit through 2026-27 will prohibit most of the league from taking a run.
• John Klingberg remains intriguing. He was signed by Anaheim with the intention of flipping him at the deadline. He’s a right shot. He logs more minutes (23:38) than any other defenceman on an expiring deal and can chip in offence from the back end. I’m warming up to this option.
A cluster of other pending UFAs could hit the market depending how their teams fare and how much of an appetite they have to re-sign with their current teams.
• It certainly feels like the last tour for Matt Dumba ($6 million cap hit) in cap-squeezed Minnesota, but the Wild should hang on to the 28-year-old righty as an “own rental” if they’re still in the race. If not, he’d look stellar in Toronto’s top four.
• Columbus’s Vladislav Gavrikov ($2.8 million) is precisely the type of gritty, stay-at-home guy who could eat up Muzzin-type minutes.
• Dmitry Orlov ($5.1 million) might be a casualty in Washington if the injury-riddled Capitals can’t get on track. Ditto Brian Dumoulin ($4.1 million), if inconsistent Pittsburgh falls out of the race by February.
• Right shots Artem Zub ($2.5 million) in Ottawa, Scott Mayfield ($1.45 million) on Long Island and Damon Severson ($4.2 million) in New Jersey are all enticing. Problem is, their teams are looking to buy, not sell.
• Frequent trade partner Vancouver might offer a right-side upgrade in hard-hitting, cost-effective Luke Schenn ($850,000) or tall but expensive Tyler Myers ($6 million).
2. From saggin’ to wagon, the New Jersey Devils — cranking their win streak to 11 — are legit. And fun. And their fans are savvy.
The Jesper Bratt Pack started a “Sorry Lindy!” chant, requesting a mulligan for those premature “Fire Lindy!” chants that rang through the upper deck of the Prudential Center in the first week of the season.
Coach Lindy Ruff accepted the apology.
“Our fans are passionate. They’re like everybody else. They want to win. They’re impatient. They’re tired of seeing the team lose,” Ruff said.
Long-serving Devil Miles Wood Miles said the players enjoyed a good chuckle over the chant.
“People don’t realize how lucky we are to be in the market we are. I think where we live as players is unbelievable, and we love it there, and the rink’s awesome,” Wood said. “You see, we won a couple of games, and we’re selling out against Arizona at home on a weekday, right? It’s a lot better and more attractive than people think.”
Not only is the winning attractive, but Jersey’s high-tempo style of play and commitment to hard work and teamwork should have outsiders tuning in more often.
“Fast. We’re on pucks. … When we’re skating, we’re a pretty good team,” said Jack Hughes, who points to the group’s depth. “It’s not even a fourth line. They score for us.”
Ruff conceded that his group wandered astray from the game plan last season, an issue that stemmed from inconsistent performance and health in the crease.
“We went seven goalies deep,” Ruff reminded. “There were times, I think, we changed our style of play just to try to help the goaltenders out.”
Nico Hischier is trying to savour this heater while keeping one eye on the big picture.
“We’ve been through a tough time, but it’s paying off,” the captain said. “We always believed we have a good group here. Finally, it’s working together right now.”
After seeing just one postseason in his eight years with the franchise, Wood tempered all that optimism with a note caution: “We’re not probably going to win the next 60 in a row.”
3. There was growing buzz from those I spoke to during June’s Stanley Cup final that Jarmo Kekäläinen was up to something.
The long-serving Columbus Blue Jackets GM was predicting turnover in the Metropolitan Division, with mainstay powers Washington and Pittsburgh sticking with aging cores. (That prediction is trending accurate.) He was keen to pounce.
Hence Kekäläinen’s surprising bids to land top-tier UFAs Johnny Gaudreau (successful) and Nazem Kadri (not so much) and re-sign sniper Patrik Laine (successful).
While we admire the effort to improve, Columbus — in desperate need for a difference-making centre — might now be forced to focus on Connor Bedard instead.
The Jackets have the fewest wins (six) and the worst goal differential (–20) in the East. They struggle to score and give up more goals (4.31 per night) than the other 31 clubs.
Now, Laine is out weeks and top defenceman Zach Werenski is done for the season. This on top of injuries to Jakub Voracek, Jake Bean and Adam Boqvist. Yikes.
It stinks, but it sure does feel like the writing is on the wall.
4. While you were paying attention to Alex Ovechkin’s race to catch Wayne Gretzky in goals scored, another all-time record is in more immediate danger.
Nine more hits and Cal Clutterbuck (3,624) will surpass the retired Dustin Brown (3,632) for the most body checks in NHL history. (Note: The league began tracking hits in 2005-06.)
Teammate Matt Martin (3,466) ranks second among active skaters. Ovechkin (3,340) ranks third.
The most hit-happy active D-man on record, Luke Schenn (2,916), has also thrown more checks than anybody this season (76) and should supplant the retired Brooks Orpik (2,946) for more hits by a blueliner before the calendar flips.
5. New year, new vibes, new leaders.
We’re roughly 20 per cent into the 2022-23 season and three of the four divisional leaders (by points percentage) — New Jersey, Winnipeg, Vegas — did not qualify for the playoffs in 2021-22.
The other, Boston, was a wild-card entry.
6. Auston Matthews and Jason Spezza, Toronto’s resident gear heads, would often trade notes on equipment tweaks and stick curves. When Spezza played, he could be seen spray-painting his shafts white in the bowels of the rink. Fumes be damned.
Well, Matthews — who has already rocked custom skates — unveiled this week a new custom white CCM stick emblazed with blue TORONTO lettering and a Maple Leaf, the result of “messing around” with fresh stick designs over the summer.
“It was kind of a cool concept, the old-school retro look,” Matthews said. “And I haven’t used white in a pretty long time.”
7. Count American Matthews and Canadian John Tavares among those disappointed to hear the plans scrapped for the 2024 World Cup of Hockey.
“I mean, it’s tough. It’s like a tough thing to follow, I guess. Seems like it’s always changing. But you know, I think a lot of guys — myself included — would love to see a best-on-best tournament here sometime soon, especially with the last couple Olympics not working out and obviously this news of the World Cup,” Matthews said. “I think everybody would love to see that, from a player perspective and from a fan perspective, too. That’s some of the best hockey you’ll see. So, hopefully it gets figured out.”
Added Tavares: “It’s obviously tough with all the circumstances surrounding it, but I think everybody’s dying for best-on-best hockey, including us as players.”
From different nations and at different career stages, the teammates have discussed the topic. Both would be interested in a Canada-U.S. series down the road.
“Yeah, I think there could definitely be some positive potential to that,” Tavares said. “No doubt, I think, from the league and the PA side, things (are) being talked about, and players talking about ideas too. … You feel the competitiveness and the special nature of the Canada-U.S. battle.
“But it’s been a while since we’ve had a true best-on-best overall tournament. So, it would be great to get to one of those. And then once you start to establish that again, I think that’s when you can build some of those spinoffs or those unique series. Obviously, everyone knows about ’72, right? And we talk about what that can do for the game and specifically the kind of the era we’re in, the type of players we have.”
A young Tavares began dreaming of repping the red and white on the Olympic stage watching Canada win 2002 gold in Salt Lake City. His gold medal from Sochi is proudly showcased inside his Muskoka cottage.
Tavares, 32, is a realist. He knows his chances to play for his country won’t be as plentiful as Matthews’.
“Even though he’s got a lot of runway, you don’t take ’em for granted. And for myself, obviously Team Canada is a very difficult team to make, so I got my work cut out for myself before we start worrying about having to try to slow down him, which is near impossible to do,” Tavares said.
“But I think we all agree how great that would be to see the game internationally at that level — especially the players we have in our game right now.”
8. Standing in the bitter November cold alongside the Hockey Hall of Fame red carpet Monday, the warmth of two legends stood out: Nicklas Lidstrom and Teemu Selanne.
Of all the dignitaries invited to the ceremony, these two far and away took the most time to interact with all those gathered to get a glimpse of hockey royalty, to snap a photo, secure an autograph or ask a question.
Selanne radiates raw joy.
I got a kick out of seeing him pull out his smartphone from the audience to capture Finnish countrywoman Riikka Sallinen’s welcome to the Hall.
Here’s a rapid-fire Selanne on a few peers.
On Borje Salming: “Because of him, we have all the appreciation and respect for European hockey. We’ve got to be so thankful for what he has done for hockey, and obviously we pray for him and hope all the best. But what a great man. A great hockey player.”
On Daniel Alfredsson: “Unbelievable player. What makes him really special is that if you look at his game, he always makes the right decision at the right time. He didn’t have any weaknesses, and of course the passion he brought on the ice every time was very special.”
On the Sedins: “You don’t see very often guys who look same, think same. They probably have the same taste in women and everything. They have unbelievable chemistry and were fun to watch.”
On Trevor Zegras: “It’s unbelievable. Like, the skill level he has and his imagination and how creative he is, it’s fun to watch. I’m very happy he’s in Anaheim. I can see him very often.”
9. Upset of the Week: The stoic Sedin twins dropping more laugh-out-loud moments from the Hockey Hall of Fame podium than Roberto Luongo.
After accepting his plaque from Brian Burke, Daniel Sedin said: “First off, I want to thank anyone who picked me to speak before Henrik.”
The younger (by six minutes) sibling concluded his speech by telling Henrik: “In my mind, you’re a better hockey player than me and a better person than me. And I’m saying this sincerely, but also knowing you’ll be standing up here in about 10 minutes.”
Henrik was thrilled to appear at his induction despite recovering from COVID. He began with this: “As our coaches always said, ‘Henrik at 70 per cent is a lot better than Daniel at 100.’”
Reflecting on his career, Henrik said he never quite understood how the twins found such great chemistry with Alex Burrows: “You spoke French, we communicated like dolphins …”
Great material, gents.
10. Rasmus Sandin is fighting it.
“Looks like he’s low on confidence,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “We need to help him get back to being himself. Confidence is a strength of his and allows him to play his game and feel good about getting involved offensively. And as that happens, it just naturally feels better defensively.”
The 22-year-old is a team-worst minus-4 and has made some glaring errors that have resulted in goals against. Sandin’s 16 giveaways through 18 games already exceeds the 15 freebies he handed the opposition as a rookie playing 28 games in 2019-20.
Keefe said he analysed this pizza Sandin served to Sidney Crosby Tuesday and spoke with the youngster again Thursday, encouraging him to clear his head.
“It’s the right play,” Keefe said. “I watched that 100 times to see what he’s thinking there. Pittsburgh’s on a line change and (Zach) Aston-Reese is wide open in the middle of the ice to get us going very quickly the other way. That’s a play that normally he would hit — and all of our defencemen would hit — with a high degree of success. It just rolls off the back of his heel. Sometimes it happens, and unfortunately on that line change, Crosby comes onto the ice and walks into one.”
“He’s got far more to give us here, so we’ve got to help him find that.”
11. As wonderful a talent as Hischier is, New Jersey wants you to know how his greatness goes beyond hockey.
“Probably a better person than he is a player, which counts for a lot,” Coach Ruff said. “He cares more about his teammates than he probably does about himself. And he’ll wear that. You’ll see that sometimes in his mannerisms. He wants to take care of every one of his teammates. Maybe to a fault sometimes. He wants to lead by example.”
Wood gets downright giddy when Hischier’s name is brought up by a reporter.
“I love when guys ask about him, because it’s finally a chance to tell people how great he is for us,” Wood said, smiling. He doesn’t get nearly enough credit.
“He’s a guy who’s been known for years, but until you start winning games, it’s not really talked about.
“He’s unbelievable. You guys wouldn’t even believe what he does behind the scenes. I can’t say enough good things about him as a person.”
What does he do behind the scenes?
“He takes care of us, put it that way,” Wood replied. “I probably owe him a dinner.”
“Our captain,” added Hughes. “Heart and soul of the team. A 200-foot guy who probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves.”
With Hischier leading hockey’s hottest team in goals (nine) and plus/minus (+13), and dominating the dot (58.2 percent faceoff success), the Selke buzz is churning.
Will he win one?
“He will,” Wood declared. “I’ve been around a while. I’ve played against guys like (Patrice) Bergeron and other guys who are Selke material, and I don’t see why not.”
Ruff agreed Hischier deserves serious consideration: “I do. For sure. He’s a power-play guy. He’s one of our top penalty killers. You look at where he is with his play away from the puck. I actually think he should be a candidate this year, if he can stay healthy. His two-way game is right up there with a Bergeron.”
Hischier said he originally fashioned his game after three-time Selke man Pavel Datsyuk. Now, he takes cues from five-time winner Bergeron.
So, Nico, would you like to hoist that award one day?
“You know what? My goal is the Stanley Cup. That’s about it,” Hischier said. “All others, you’d be honoured to win something like that, but for me it’s always the big picture — the Stanley Cup.”
12. Bergeron skated up to Tage Thompson right before facing off on Hockey Fights Cancer Night and asked the Sabres star how his wife, Rachel, is doing.
Rachel had a cancerous mass removed from her right leg in January 2019. So far, her bone scans since surgery have come back clean.
The gesture was an easy one for Bergeron and a meaningful one for Thompson.
“It’s big,” Thompson told The Buffalo News. “Obviously, he didn’t have to say anything. He kind of went out of his way to check on her and ask how she’s doing. It’s just the kind of guy he is. He’s just a genuine guy, cares about other people.”
There’s history here.
A teenage Bergeron skated with Thompson’s father, Brent, on the Providence Bruins during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. Bergeron struck up a bond with the Thompsons and even played street hockey with a seven-year-old Tage and younger brother, Tyce.
