The Hockey Writers Daily - July 27, 2023
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In today’s edition we have the Devils’ top prospects heading into the season, the latest Maple Leafs’ news & rumors, why Mark Scheifele is still a Jet, five things for Blues’ fans to be excited about, and much more.
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Devils’ Top 10 Prospects: Preseason 2023-24
The New Jersey Devils will enter the 2023-24 season as legitimate Cup contenders. General manager Tom Fitzgerald and his staff have utilized the draft and made trades to create a prospect pool that is the envy of most teams in the league. While top “prospects” Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier have graduated into superstars, there is a diverse, well-stocked group knocking on the door to join them. We examine the top ten prospects in the pool and name four honorable mentions.
Bruins: 5 Things to Be Excited About for 2023-24 Season
As we inch closer to August, it is hard not to think about the start of the 2023-24 NHL regular season. In two months, the Boston Bruins will begin playing preseason games and the regular season will soon follow. Although the Bruins’ historic 2022-23 season ended in a truly disastrous fashion, it is time to move forward. Due to this, let’s discuss five things that Bruins fans should be excited about for the 2023-24 season.
Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Reaves, Samsonov, Murray & Sparks
In this edition of Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll take a look at newcomer Ryan Reaves’ off-ice impact and his community engagement. He’s one of the players who will embrace the challenge of living and playing hockey in Toronto. Second, I’ll briefly look at Ilya Samsonov‘s contract negotiation and arbitration outcome with the team and how he might approach the season after his hearing.
Third, I’ll bring up a name from the past. Former Maple Leafs goalie Garret Sparks just re-connected with his former general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins. It looks like Sparks is setting up to play with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season.
Oilers Goaltending Should Improve in 2023-24 NHL Season
Over the past five years, goalies such as Adin Hill, Darcy Kuemper and Jordan Binnington led their respective teams: the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues, to Stanley Cup glory. All three are good goalies, but I wouldn’t call them elite. The only exception would be Andrei Vasilevskiy, who backstopped the Tampa Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2020 and 2021. The big question for Oilers fans is – are Skinner and Campbell good enough to win the Stanley Cup?
Mark Scheifele Still a Jet Today for Many Reasons
The Winnipeg Jets are the center of attention this summer as their core players have dominated trade speculation and rumours. Yet, Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele are still with the team. Both players’ situations are distinctively unique, but Scheifele has a special place in Jets lore due to being the first pick in the franchise’s rebirth.
For this reason, I assume management is trying its hardest to re-sign the player. However, this isn’t the only reason Scheifele hasn’t been traded, as there are many other factors affecting the Jets’ decision to hold onto him. Jets management isn’t afraid to play hardball, as it is becoming more and more likely that he will start the 2023-24 season as a member of the team.
St. Louis Blues: 5 Things to Be Excited About for 2023-24 Season
As the St. Louis Blues head into this season, there are several things to look forward to as they try to improve from a lackluster 2022-23 season. Even without wholesale changes throughout this summer, the Blues have a roster that can compete for a playoff spot this season.
Several trends from last season must flip the other way for the Blues to succeed this season, and I think that’s possible. They have a solid roster and plenty of continuity to go along with it. Let’s get into five things to be excited about for the Blues 2023-24 season.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Vancouver Canucks - Vancouver Canucks’ Best Trades with the Chicago Blackhawks
NHL News & Rumors - Maple Leafs, Bruins, Kings, Flyers
New York Rangers - Walt Poddubny: Rangers’ Brief and Tragic Star
From TSN - Maple Leafs G Murray out indefinitely, will go on LTIR
From Sportsnet - Hurricanes sign Sebastian Aho to 8-year, $78M contract extension
From the NHL - Lightning add depth at forward with Sheary, Glendening, Archibald
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