The Hockey Writers Daily - September 7, 2023
Discover more from The Hockey Writers Substack
The Hockey Writers Daily - September 7, 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 a prediction for the highest-rated Senators in NHL 24, why the Red Wings shouldn’t sign Patrick Kane, six improved NHL teams from 2023 offseason, 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 every day.
Also, don’t forget to check out all of our FREE team Substacks, and sign up for your favorite…or all of them if you want.
Here’s the good stuff…
Predicting the Senators’ Best-Rated Players in NHL 24
September 6, 2023 by Raphael Caron
NHL 24, the next installment of EA Sports’ hockey-themed gaming franchise, is set to be released to the masses on PlayStation and Xbox on Oct. 6, with Cale Makar as its cover athlete. With the Ottawa Senators growing as a team this previous season, chances are many player ratings will look different. In this article, I will be predicting the best-rated players for the Senators in the upcoming season and what I think their ratings will be.
To give some context for my ratings, I’ve based them on the fact that Connor McDavid, who was – and will probably remain – the highest-rated player in the game, was rated as a 95 in NHL 23. To give a lower comparison point, former Ottawa Senators forward Mika Zibanejad was rated as an 88 in the previous game, which I believe will be about the same in NHL 24.
6 Improved NHL Teams From 2023 Offseason
September 6, 2023 by Alex Chauvancy
Labor Day has come and gone in the United States and Canada. Summer may be coming to a close, but that means the 2023-24 NHL season is right around the corner. It wasn’t as active a summer as expected, at least trade-wise. But plenty of teams made moves to improve their rosters. In no particular order, let’s look at some organizations that made notable improvements this summer.
Matthew Knies Causes Stir By Backing Auston Matthews
September 6, 2023 by Jim Parsons
In the ever-evolving world of NHL debates, the conversation surrounding who holds the title of the league’s best overall player has become a hot topic. Depending on who you ask and what their situation is, answers will vary around the NHL. Some will respond that their teammates are the best, while others choose players they see more often in games and struggle to defend. Some might even choose to dodge the question by saying there are many great candidates. But, whenever a Toronto Maple Leafs player is involved, it seems to bring fans out of the woodwork on both sides of the debate.
A recent comment by Maple Leafs’ forward Matthew Knies has only added fuel to the fire and stirred up debate, all because he wanted to compliment his teammate Auston Matthews.
Hurricanes’ Offensive Issues the Result of System Weakness
September 6, 2023 by Conor Power
Most will point to their offensive production when asked about the Carolina Hurricanes’ weaknesses. When your top point producer scores 71 points, it is usually a bad sign. There were 12 100-point producers around the NHL last season, with 22 hitting the 82-point mark for a point-per-game pace. None of them were Hurricanes. You have to go all the way down to the 58th leading point scorer in the league to find Martin Necas, who led the organization last season.
If Sebastian Aho or Andrei Svechnikov takes that next step, they’ll be among the best in the league and give the Canes the punch up front they are missing. Well, a quick dive into the numbers beneath the Hurricanes’ offensive drought will show you everything wrong with the offense in Raleigh.
Flames’ Sharangovich Will Prove to be Worth Trading Toffoli
September 6, 2023 by Rupert McDonald
When the Calgary Flames announced that they had traded Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils in late June, fans were not happy. Toffoli was quickly becoming a fan favourite in what was his first full season in Cowtown, and led the team in scoring last season with 34 goals and 73 points.
Having Sharangovich and a third-round pick as the return for Toffoli also angered Flames fans, as they felt it wasn’t fair market value. That is a fair point, but those who are questioning Sharangovich may quickly come to realize that he is a very good player himself. In fact, he could prove to be one of the Flames’ best forwards in what will be an increased workload in 2023-24.
Red Wings Shouldn’t Sign Patrick Kane
September 6, 2023 by Tony Wolak
Let’s talk about Patrick Kane and the Detroit Red Wings. On Sunday, John Dietz of the Daily Herald suggested that signing with the Red Wings could be of interest to Kane, who is currently recovering from hip surgery.
I was expecting to see many things over Labor Day Weekend – friends, family, sunshine, and the water to name a few. A rumor about Kane and the Red Wings was not one of them. So let’s talk about it. Does a player like Kane make sense for the Red Wings?
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Chicago Blackhawks - Blackhawks Bytes: Davidson, Murphy, Jones, Bedard & More
Buffalo Sabres - Reasons for Optimism Heading into 2023-24
NHL News & Rumors - Bruins, Oilers, Maple Leafs, Ducks
From TSN - Coyotes sign GM Armstrong to multi-year extension
From Sportsnet - NHL's 8 unsigned RFAs: Latest rumours, reports
From the NHL - Wilson hired by Penguins as senior adviser, was Sharks general manager
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!