A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Passing up empty-netters since 1976.
1. As multiple pucks zipped high and clean over Matt Murray’s left hand and bulged the Bell Centre twine during his maiden voyage as a Toronto Maple Leaf Wednesday, Ottawa Senators fans tripped over themselves to crack wise about a glove hand they’d grown to hate.
To be fair: Murray’s sample size as Kyle Dubas’s reclamation project is all of 60 minutes long. The skaters in front of him were handing out Grade-A scoring chances like Grandma will candy apples in, oh, about 16 nights from now. And, hey, that Caufield kid can fire the biscuit.
Coach Sheldon Keefe said the other Leafs “hung him out to dry.”
Still, the goalie dropped Game 1 with an underwhelming .826 save percentage, and his understudy won his first game with a .923.
Murray’s second stab at a Leafs victory looked like it would arrive on a Saturday night in the hockey mecca — against a bitter provincial rival and the organization that is paying him $3.125 million not to tend the nets over the next two seasons.
Then, he left Maple Leafs morning skate with groin discomfort Saturday morning, putting that in jeopardy. Keefe said his status for the game is yet to be determined.
Having just been denied by another former Ottawa netminder, Buffalo’s Craig Anderson, the young Sens should come in firing with pep if Murray is cleared to play.
Asked a couple times to explain why things didn’t work out for him in Ottawa, Murray politely declines. “There are no hard feelings,” he maintains.
Some in Ottawa chalk it up to bad luck, his inability to stay healthy, or a lack of agreement as to the ideal technique the tall, lanky goalie should be working on.
“I’m sure our guys are going to say hi to him and what have you,” Sens coach D.J. Smith told reporters. “But once the game starts, he plays for the Leafs and [Anton] Forsberg is our guy.”
Murray is Dubas’s guy, make no mistake. He’s got the rings to prove it.
That doesn’t mean Ilya Samsonov won’t be doing his best to swipe these prime-time starts as soon as possible.
Absolutely, the goalie mystery in this town won’t be solved quick — it’s an 82-act drama, a slow burn.
Still, if Murray takes the net, a high-pressure response challenge against a familiar foe presents an intriguing test, and another early peek to see how he handles the (high) heat.
2. Jake Muzzin delivered a strong response effort Thursday against Washington. He was killing penalties, throwing big checks, and clearing the zone with regularity.
The veteran needed that as much as the Leafs did following his game-ending gaffe in Montreal.
How this winter plays out for Muzzin, 33, is one of the more fascinating storylines in Toronto.
He’s a man of few words publicly and often masks his true thoughts with humour, so it was refreshing to hear his theory on why he was a little off in 2021-22.
“It’s a long season. I think it’s just getting back to having fun. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself last year to be the perfect player — and that’s impossible. So, just get back to having fun, enjoying the group, and my play usually flourishes from that,” Muzzin explained.
“I felt like we had a really good group, and I wanted to be the best version of myself, and sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself. It’s not easy. It’s a tough league. A lot of games. Sometimes you can get a little lost, a little confused about what really makes you a good player.”
Keefe appreciates the veteran acknowledging the mental stress he was under.
“He had a lot going on in his head last year. A lot of it is, he knows and he feels like he’s a very important player for us, on and off the ice, in terms of what he provides on the leadership side of it, the experience side of it, and then what he can do on the ice for us,” the coach said.
“I think it affected him.”
Muzzin believes he’s in a clearer headspace today.
Who knows how things might’ve spiralled had that season-opening mistake snowballed?
3. Some rapid-fire trophy predictions.
Presidents’: Toronto Maple Leafs
Hart: Connor McDavid
Norris: Cale Makar
Vezina: Ilya Sorokin
Calder: Matty Beniers
Art Ross: Connor McDavid
Rocket: Auston Matthews
Frank J. Selke: Mark Stone
Jack Adams: Jim Montgomery
Ted Lindsay: Connor McDavid
4. Anyone else concerned about the Capitals?
It’s only two games, but the oldest team in the NHL (average age: 30.6) appears like a fading shadow of its powerhouse self without Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson in the lineup.
Its once-mighty power-play has stumbled out the gate, going 0-for-9 against Boston and Toronto, as Alex Ovechkin has become not just the primary threat but the only threat.
The focal point is trying to mix things up, but nothing’s clicking.
“Ovechkin is starting to pass the puck or deliver the puck to the net a lot more frequently now because like teams have been taking him away for so long now — and he’s adapting,” Keefe notes.
OK. But someone has to finish the play off.
5. Necessity breeds creativity.
As your local contender wrestles with yet another year of a relatively stagnant salary cap, front offices keep getting shrewder when it comes to maximizing their long-term injured relief.
Five teams with big aspirations came within $170 of maxing out their LTIR space: Edmonton ($167), Tampa Bay ($33), Vegas ($16), Toronto ($4) and Vancouver ($0).
How did the Canucks Rummikub their way to the perfect $82.5-million limit?
Well, according to CapFriendly.com, it was a four-step process: They slid Phillip Di Giuseppe on season-opening injured reserve, reassigned Linus Karlsson to the AHL, recalled Danila Klimovich, then placed Michael Ferland on LTIR.
Of course, this comes with significant risk.
Had John Tavares not recovered from his oblique strain a week earlier than initially projected, the Leafs would’ve played opening night short a forward.
The Oilers indeed had to ice a 19-man lineup in their opener — and won anyway.
We’ll see more short benches as the season rolls on, guaranteed.
6. Even opponents are recognizing the wonderful underdog story that is Montreal Canadiens rookie Arber Xhekaj.
Here’s Mitchell Marner on the undrafted Costco employee–turned–NHLer:
“It’s the kind of story that kids need to look at and grow up watching, because it’s not always the prettiest way to get to where you want to be. It’s about working hard and keeping your dreams alive.”
7. Just because the technology exists doesn’t mean it should be used.
These new virtual dasherboard ads, which change and move during game action, are rightly getting panned.
Everyone is scrambling to maximize revenue yesterday, but capitalism can reach too far and ruin the fan experience. Hockey isn’t static like baseball.
Our eyes are already busy enough tracking the puck and trying to spot Leon Draisaitl’s passing options before he does.
Flip the advertiser during stoppages in play only, please.
And another thing…
8. Quote of the Week.
Connor McDavid on Jack Campbell having an easier go in Edmonton than in Toronto when it comes to outside noise: “He’s going to face more pressure there than here. Nothing compares to that pressure cooker in Toronto.”
9. The 2023 class of UFA defencemen is rapidly going from thin to thinner.
Calgary’s MacKenzie Weegar signed for six years and $50 million. Now Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim has done the exact same.
Provided they don’t re-up themselves, a handful of established D-men who can skate top-four minutes will be a hot and rare commodity next summer.
John Klingberg, Matt Dumba, Damon Severson, Shayne Gostisbehere and Ryan Graves head up that select group.
10. No one should doubt Ondrej Kaše’s dedication to hockey.
Heck, the guy pushed through yet another concussion last spring to return and appear in the playoffs for the Maple Leafs.
Noting his perseverance through multiple head injuries, Toronto writers voted the winger its Masterton nominee.
“We’re always conscious and aware of his health. But when he’s played and when he’s practising, he gives you nothing but everything that he has — and you can’t help but appreciate that,” Keefe said. “It just speaks to his love for the game.”
Individuals should be free to make their own medical choices.
Yet with news that Kaše, 26, is already unavailable to skate for his new club, the Carolina Hurricanes, after one game played because he’s being evaluated for another concussion, one can’t help but think it’s time to place quality of life ahead of love for a contact sport.
He’s at his best playing fast and borderline reckless. Watching his resurgence over 50 games last season, I’d wince with every high hit, knowing his history of brain injuries.
Teammates love this kid, and he’s got years ahead of him. Hope he’s getting smart advice.
11. Here’s to Rasmus Dahlin’s 50-goal campaign!
12. For those still stressing over The Rock putting his own spin on the Maple Leafs’ fan chant on opening night — calling an audible and flipping “Go! Leafs! Go!” into “Let’s! Go! Leafs!” — well, Dwayne Johnson responded on Twitter Friday night.
“Ha I asked coach before I went out into the arena if I can chant ‘Lets Go Leafs’ and he said you can chant whatever you want and we’ll chant it too. We just wanna win,” he tweeted with a laughing emoji. “I then asked how bout I chant ‘Let’s F—— Go” and he said probably not that one. Appreciate all the luv.”
