The Hockey Writers Daily - July 28, 2023
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In today’s edition we have the Penguins being a destination for Matthews in a couple seasons, a fifth-round steal for the Islanders, bounceback candidates for the Capitals, some kind words for the late Rocky Wirtz from some top Blackhawks, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff:.
Penguins Could Be a Serious Destination for Matthews in 2024-25
Like The Magnificent One, Yags, Sid the Kid, and Gino in Pittsburgh, Auston Matthews is similarly revered and aptly named by fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The moniker AM34 sounds like a fighter jet, and if you’ve ever seen Matthews smoothly skate the puck down the middle of the ice, shift onto the left side, and release his unique and devastating wrist/snapshot, you’ll understand why that nickname works.
It’s also one of many reasons why Pittsburgh Penguins general manager (and former Maple Leafs general manager) Kyle Dubas will be ready if Matthews becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next summer.
Holland’s Patience With Oilers’ Prospects Could Pay Off in Big Way
Ken Holland has always had a ton of patience in developing prospects before bringing them into the NHL, and for many years as the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, it worked great. When he took over the role of GM of the Edmonton Oilers, he brought the same philosophy with him. But unfortunately, he couldn’t implement it on some of the former first-rounders that lacked the same proper development before he took full control, like Jesse Puljujarvi.
There is no denying that Holland has made some great draft picks since coming to the Oilers. And although nobody should expect every single pick to hit, with the proper depth and development that has been a proven strategy under his management for many years, it will produce impactful players at all positions.
Islanders May Have Potential Steal in Matthew Maggio
It’s a name that if you are a fan of the New York Islanders, you should start to take notice of. Matthew Maggio, of the Windsor Spitfires, was drafted by the Islanders in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. He had an outstanding season for the Spitfires, leading the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in goals and points. He also won the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player Award when he finished the season with 111 points. On May 1, general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello rewarded the young forward by signing him to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Leafs’ Murray Going on LTIR Shouldn’t Give Senators Cap Relief
Teams in the NHL have been finding more and more ways to work around the salary cap, and the biggest discussion as of late has been surrounding Toronto Maple Leafs’ goaltender Matt Murray. The team announced that he will be placed on long-term injury reserve (LTIR) to start the season, and will remain there indefinitely.
The Tampa Bay Lightning utilized LTIR very well during their pair of Stanley Cup-winning playoff runs, as they had superstar Nikita Kucherov on LTIR for the entire season, but was removed come playoff time. With this, the Bolts were over the salary cap ceiling and were able to add more depth to finish off the season and activate Kucherov for the playoffs, where the salary cap doesn’t play a factor.
3 Capitals Bounceback Candidates for 2023-24
The Washington Capitals had an interesting 2022-23 season. They were expected to be a solid team going into the year, but it quickly turned for the worst as they never found their confidence and missed the playoffs. The eighth overall selection in Ryan Leonard was a solid consolation prize but with the Capitals’ core pieces getting older, their window to compete for another Stanley Cup is closing fast, so they’ll want to get back into the playoffs as soon as possible.
There were a few players on the Capitals last season that were expected to play well and didn’t. Those players will be given a short leash and will be hoping to bounce back in the 2023-24 season. The team will have to make some tough decisions this upcoming season as far as trades and contract renewals, so it’s going to be a huge season for these three candidates.
Kane, Toews, Sopel Praise Rocky Wirtz After His Passing
On July 25, Chicagoland and the hockey world were stunned to hear of the passing of Chicago Blackhawks’ principal owner and chairman, Rocky Wirtz. His death was sudden and unexpected after a short illness, and he was only 70 years old. Wirtz took over the Blackhawks in 2007 after his father Bill Wirtz died, and he transformed the franchise from a forgotten team to a dynasty. Yes, there are a few tarnishes to his legacy. But we’ll get to that.
A plethora of Chicago sports teams and prominent fellow business members of the community honored Wirtz with public statements in the days following his death. I’d like to remember Wirtz by highlighting condolences sent from some former Blackhawks; namely Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Brent Sopel.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
New Jersey Devils - Devils Can Wait Until 2024 to Target a Goalie
St. Louis Blues - Top 5 Forward Prospects
Buffalo Sabres - Jiri Kulich Should Reach NHL Before Matthew Savoie
From TSN - Sens sign F Tarasenko to one-year, $5M contract
From Sportsnet - Breaking down NHL’s 2022-23 top value performers, All-Bargain Team
From the NHL - Capitals add Pacioretty, coach Carbery in bid to get back to playoffs
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!
Are the LA Kings still in the NHL? Just sayin…