The Hockey Writers Daily - August 5, 2023
A daily Substack newsletter with all the best content from The Hockey Writers
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition we have Maple Leafs blue line talk, prospects who are ready to take the next step in Chicago, the latest in Calgary, a Red Wings flashback, and much more.
It would be great if you’d share the THW Daily with your friends and family so that they can subscribe and enjoy everyday.
Here’s the good stuff:.
Maple Leafs Need a Couple Cheap Experienced Defensemen
The Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of experience on the back end. The average age of their top-six defensemen is 30.6 years old. Mark Giordano is the grandfather of the group at 39 years of age. T.J. Brodie is 33. Newly signed John Klingberg is 30. Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe are both 29. Timothy Liljegren is the baby of the group at just 24.
The total number of NHL games played by the six players is an astounding 4,142 games. This includes 3,915 regular season and 227 playoff games. Once again, Giordano has by far the most games played with 1,143 regular season and playoff games in total. Brodie has played 885 games; Rielly, 769; Klingberg, 682; and McCabe has played 515. All five have over 500 games played. The 24-year-old Liljegren has the least experience with 148 games played. Any way you put it, the Maple Leafs’ top six has a ton of experience.
Blue Jackets Who May Struggle Under Mike Babcock
The Columbus Blue Jackets are making a massive change to the organization’s culture by bringing Mike Babcock into the mix as the team’s head coach. We’ve already discussed a few players who may benefit from his style of game, but there are a few who may not work very well in the new coach’s system as well.
While this is typical for most coaching changes, if Babcock plans to stay with the organization for the long haul, then this will certainly be bad news for the future of these players in Columbus. There’s a chance of course that they may be able to turn things around and become Babcock players, however, it’ll require a complete overhaul of their playing style so it’s not very likely.
4 Blackhawks Prospects Who Could Reach the NHL in 2023-24
The Chicago Blackhawks are a little more than two months out from the start of the 2023-24 regular season, and the roster appears mostly set. While they’re still a few seasons from contending, their prospect pool has improved drastically over the last two years. General manager Kyle Davidson deserves credit for overhauling the scouting department, as the Blackhawks’ farm system is in great shape overall.
Flames News & Rumors: Lindholm & Gudas
In this latest edition of Calgary Flames News & Rumors, prominent NHL insider Elliotte Friedman provided a concerning update on the Elias Lindholm contract talks. In other news, Julian McKenzie and Shayna Goldman of The Athletic discussed six possible landing spots for Lindholm if the Flames were to trade the star center.
Meanwhile, hard-nosed defenseman Radko Gudas recently confirmed that the Flames were one of the teams that targeted him in free agency before he joined the Anaheim Ducks. Let’s discuss all of this now in today’s (Aug. 4) Flames News & Rumors column.
Sharks’ Return for Karlsson Will Determine Future of Organization
The San Jose Sharks and Erik Karlsson are going to go their separate ways in the near future. That’s essentially guaranteed at this point. The return is the part that will remain unknown until the deal gets done, though, and depending on what they receive, it may cause a change in their future plans. There are a few different ways that this can go, so let’s evaluate the options.
Red Wings’ Moves That Built a Dynasty in the 1990s
The Detroit Red Wings organization was seen as a powerhouse and a perennial contender throughout the 1990s, making the Stanley Cup Final in 1995, 1997, and 1998. Many players had been brought in throughout the 90s though to help build them into the contender and championship-winning team that they were. So how were these players all brought to Detroit to play for the “Winged Wheel”?
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Vegas Golden Knights - 3 Bold Predictions for the Golden Knights’ 2023-24 Season
Edmonton Oilers - Oilers Find Cheat Code to Keep McDavid with Jeff Jackson Hire
NHL News & Rumors - Oilers, Penguins, Golden Knights
From TSN - Pens’ Guentzel undergoes ankle surgery
From Sportsnet - Capitals sign Tom Wilson to seven-year, $45.5M contract extension
From the NHL - Murdoch, 2-time Cup champ, Jack Adams winner dies at 76
We hope you enjoyed today’s THW Daily, and we hope to expand our daily offerings as we develop and experiment with this new platform. Cheers!
Thanks for a CBJ story!!👍
I look at your e-mails each time you send one. You never have ANY articles on the Buffalo Sabres... so I may be unsubscribing REAL soon. They have as many prospects in the pipeline as the Red Wings or especially the Blackhawks...