The Hockey Writers Daily - September 18, 2023
The Hockey Writers Daily - September 18, 2023
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In today’s edition, we have more on the Blue Jackets’ hiring of Pascal Vincent after the resignation of Mike Babcock, winger battles in training camp for the Canucks, why the Maple Leafs might trade Nick Robertson, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff…
Rangers’ Goodrow & Trocheck Need to Live Up to Contracts
September 17, 2023 by Brian Abate
The New York Rangers 2022-23 season ended in disappointment, as they lost to the rival New Jersey Devils in the first round of the postseason. Though a lot of players struggled in the series, forwards Barclay Goodrow and Vincent Trocheck stood out because both are signed to long-term deals. They will both face pressure to bounce back this season, and the team is relying on them to play up to the expectations of their contracts.
Blue Jackets Hire Pascal Vincent Following Babcock’s Resignation
September 17, 2023 by Mark Scheig
The Columbus Blue Jackets made major news as training camp week is about to start. They have made a coaching change. On Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jackets announced that “after much discussion and careful consideration”, the team and Mike Babcock together agreed to begin the process of stepping down effective immediately. In addition, the team announced the hiring of Pascal Vincent as Babcock’s full-time replacement. It is a two-year deal for Vincent with the Blue Jackets.
3 Canadiens You Should Lower Your Expectations For in 2023-24
September 17, 2023 by Rob Couch
One thing should hold true about the Montreal Canadiens in 2023-24, they will be better than last season. This will be due to a healthier team overall, young players getting another year of development in the NHL, some of the dead weight cut, and new exciting faces in town.
While we will have some high expectations for certain players and a higher expectation for the team, there are those who you shouldn’t be so quick to place as high expectations on. This is who we’ll be looking at today, three Canadiens you should lower expectations for in 2023-24.
Penguins Set to Be Back Among NHL’s Best This Season
September 17, 2023 by Ben Wagner
The chips are really falling in the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ favor right now, only one year after their first playoff miss in nearly 20 years. They managed to entice Kyle Dubas, one of the brightest young executives in hockey to join their staff. They’ve committed to both their head coach and their No. 1 goaltender, eliminating any doubts that were present about those two players. They’ve also begun a rebuild of PPG Paints Arena, meaning the new look team will have a new look home as well.
After a season that was arguably the most disappointing of the Sidney Crosby era, the Penguins are in a prime position to make this season better than the last in a truly all-encompassing manner.
Canucks Training Camp Battles: Wingers
September 17, 2023 by Matthew Zator
The Vancouver Canucks’ 7-2 win over the Calgary Flames at the Young Stars Classic marked the beginning of hockey season for many Canucks fans. Before too long it will be training camp and the battles for roster spots will be front and center. This year’s festivities will feature yet another new coach running the drills as the Canucks have not had the same bench boss two years in a row since Travis Green in 2020-21 and 2021-22. In 2022-23 it was Bruce Boudreau, this season it will be Rick Tocchet.
This year’s training camp promises to be a difficult one too, as Tocchet has made it clear that conditioning and hard work will be paramount to success this season. As a result, the roster battles will likely be won by the players who come to camp prepared and ready to work. With that said, in the first of a three-part series let’s start with the wingers and dive into the different battles everyone will be watching throughout camp and into the preseason.
Maple Leafs May Finally Fold Hand, Trade Nick Robertson
September 17, 2023 by Jim Parsons
As the NHL season approaches and the Toronto Maple Leafs round out their “new and improved” roster, word is that Nick Robertson is in great shape and ready to roll. His brother, Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson said Nick is in the best shape of his life, which is great news for a Maple Leafs team that has been more than patient as Nick has spent most of his career on the injury list. The only problem now is that it might be too little, too late.
With talk this summer that the Leafs might consider moving Robertson in a trade, the driving force behind this speculation lies in the team’s desire for grit and depth in the bottom six, a factor that may limit Robertson’s role on the roster. And, if the player is finally healthy, maybe this is the time to use whatever value he has left on the trade market and fill a position of need.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers’ Key Standouts From Rookie Camp Games
Tampa Bay Lightning - Lightning Stock Up, Stock Down: Kucherov, Brisebois & Sergachev
NHL News & Rumors - Canadiens, Flyers, Kraken, Wild
From TSN - Babcock resigns as head coach of Blue Jackets
From Sportsnet - Why the Canucks' Pettersson is heading toward a very rich payday next season
From the NHL - Marner of Maple Leafs hosts 2nd annual charity miniature golf outing
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!