The Hockey Writers Daily - September 15, 2023
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In today’s edition, we have a player projection for Blues forward Jakub Vrana, thoughts on six Wild camp invitees, the latest analysis from Beantown, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff…
Canadiens’ Goalie Tandem Among NHL’s Worst This Season
September 14, 2023 by Rob Couch
Goalies rankings in the NHL is always a fun topic to discuss. While certain goalies hold their team together and elevate them to success, others hold teams back. Here we will dive into the goalies rankings and where the Montreal Canadiens’ duo fits in. To be clear, since the Canadiens are actively trying to trade Casey DeSmith, the tandem that will be compared to the rest of the league includes Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen.
First, we’ll kick things off with the top NHL tandems, then the middle-of-the-pack goaltending, and finally on to the bottom of the league. We’ll evaluate the skill level, which group the Canadiens fall into, and where their tandem ranks.
St. Louis Blues 2023-24 Player Projections: Jakub Vrana
September 14, 2023 by Owen Singh
As the St. Louis Blues prepare for a season currently defined by uncertainty, one of their recent acquisitions in Jakub Vrana is similarly draped with some significant element of such. After several strong years in Washington and an excellent stint in Detroit, Jakub Vrana’s career was halted by his enrollment into the NHL’s Player Assistance program last season, with his return several months later brief before a trade to St. Louis.
In the 20 games Vrana saw with the Blues, he seemingly resumed his highly productive mode of play, scoring 10 goals in this span and 14 points in total. Now, Vrana is set to play in his first full NHL season since the 2019-20 season, seeking fulfillment of the promise displayed in his early career.
6 Minnesota Wild Camp Invitees With the Potential to Surprise
September 14, 2023 by Tyson McKay
Some of the best players in NHL history have gone undrafted or unsigned, only to find a chance later in their careers that they took advantage of and never looked back. The Minnesota Wild’s very own Mats Zuccarello is a prime example of someone who probably assumed his hockey career was over very early in life, but has turned into an elite first-line winger on a playoff-caliber team.
With NHL prospect camps and tournaments starting up this weekend there are a bunch of young, undrafted invitees that are looking to impress. Here are the six hopefuls that can be found on the Wild’s squad at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase.
Maple Leafs’ Knies Makes Huge Impression on Easton Cowan
September 14, 2023 by The Old Prof
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ first-round pick Easton Cowan has only started his journey into professional hockey. The team selected Cowan from the Ontario Hockey Leagues (OHL’s) London Knights with the 28th-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and since then it’s likely been a bit of a blur. It’s interesting to recall being so young and impressionable and then entering into a situation where you are engaging your dreams.
As Cowan engages in all these “new things,” he’s likely to be impressed and (at times) perhaps even a bit overwhelmed. A recent interview suggested just how much he has been in awe of some of the things that have been going on in his life. For example, he’s already had his “welcome to the Leafs” moment.
Oilers: Erne Has Good Chance To Earn Contract On PTO
September 14, 2023 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
The Edmonton Oilers have added their third player on a professional tryout (PTO) deal for the 2023-24 training camp and its forward Adam Erne. He becomes the third forward the team has invited on a PTO, along with long-time Oiler Sam Gagner and former Vancouver Canuck Brandon Sutter.
The roster is very tight on the Oilers, and it’s going to be very tough for any of the players on a PTO to earn a spot over certain players. Players such as Lane Pederson, Raphael Lavoie or Drake Caggiula are all under full contracts with the Oilers already, and with the star-studded lineup the team has already built over the past few seasons, it will be tough to squeeze into any bottom-six forward spot on a Stanley Cup contending team.
Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down: DeBrusk, Pastrnak, Prospects & More
September 14, 2023 by Scott Roche
It has been a long four and a half months since the Boston Bruins were eliminated in stunning fashion in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last April by the Florida Panthers. Since that night, the Black and Gold have gone through a roster overhaul and they are going to look quite different when training camp begins on Sept. 20 at Warrior Ice Arena.
Now that the 2023-24 NHL season is upon us, it’s time for the first edition of the Bruins 3 Up, 3 Down for the new season.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Carolina Hurricanes - Hurricanes Should Retire Eric & Jordan Staal’s Numbers Together
New York Islanders - Islanders Have Options For Defense Reinforcements
NHL News & Rumors - Canucks, Flames, Blues, Maple Leafs, Atlanta
From TSN - Senators sign veteran forward Bailey to PTO
From Sportsnet - With a fat passport and a leaner body, Canucks scorer Kuzmenko aims to up game
From the NHL - Larkin looks to lead hometown Red Wings back to playoffs
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