THW Daily - Sabres' Tage Thompson's Two-Way Stardom & Red Wings' Jake Walman Becoming Elite Shooter
Also, why Bruins shouldn't trade Linus Ullmark, Maple Leafs and Flames trade talks & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have an article on why Tage Thompson is emerging as a two-way star, how Red Wings’ Jake Walman is becoming an elite shooter, trade talks between the Maple Leafs and Flames, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff…
Yesterday’s NHL Scores…
Bruins Shouldn’t Trade Linus Ullmark This Season
November 10, 2023 by Hannah Garfield
The Boston Bruins’ goaltending has been in the conversation a lot in the past few weeks. Both Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are off to terrific starts to their season and are arguably the best goaltending tandem in the league right now. But the conversation has not simply revolved around how talented they are.
At one point over the offseason, some thought there was a chance Ullmark could get traded. He was coming off his Vezina Trophy win, and entering the third year of his current contract that carries an average annual value of $5 million. In the third year of his contract, his no-move clause turns into a modified no-move clause, meaning that if the Bruins wanted to trade him, they now could. It was thought that the team could leverage him into a top-six center, as with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, there was real concern about the state of the center position for the team.
Sabres’ Tage Thompson Showing Early Defensive Dominance
November 10, 2023 by JP Gambatese
There’s no going around it – the Buffalo Sabres are one of the leakiest teams in the NHL in the early goings of this season, especially at even strength. At 5-on-5, they have given up the ninth most goals in the league (29), though the underlying statistics send a somewhat different message, with Buffalo being slightly above average in terms of expected goals against per-60 minutes (xGA/60) at 2.53.
What this means is that their goaltending has been largely the reason for such a discrepancy between the number of goals expected to get past them and the actual number of goals against. As such, it’s reasonable to claim that the additions that Buffalo made over the offseason are paying dividends and that the returning Sabres’ players have had some defensive development between this season and last. No Sabres player has had more development on this side of the game than Tage Thompson.
Maple Leafs and Flames Held Trade Talks Over Big D-Man
November 10, 2023 by Jim Parsons
It has been a busy few days for the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. Just before the Maple Leafs announced defenseman John Klingberg’s sidelining due to injury (the assumption is that the injury reports are true), rumors of trade discussions with the Calgary Flames had surfaced. Hockey analyst and insider Kevin Weekes revealed that the Maple Leafs had been in contact with the Flames regarding defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
While it’s not clear that Klingberg was part of those discussions (likely not), the nature of Klingberg’s struggles this season have become a topic of content among Leafs Nation. The overall lack of strong defense and grit on this Maple Leafs team has also been a huge area of concern. So, to hear that GM Brad Treliving is trying to correct the situation — in part, because of a poor decision he made to sign Klingberg in the first place — is not shocking.
Oilers in Crisis: Almost Made Huge Goalie Move On Wednesday
November 10, 2023 by Jim Parsons
In the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek delved into the turmoil surrounding the Edmonton Oilers, particularly in the aftermath of their disheartening loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. The conversation centered on the pressing need for change, the rumors of a pending move, and whether the hammer is going to drop on the coach, the GM or a player.
Friedman hinted at a potential upheaval in the Oilers’ camp, suggesting that something significant was in the works earlier in the week. While he was told it had to do with the goaltending situation, the exact nature of the move remained unclear. He noted that the speculation was not centered around goaltender Jack Campbell, meaning his move to the minors was potentially (at least partially) unrelated to whatever the Oilers had cooking.
Red Wings’ Walman Becoming One of the NHL’s Best Shooters
November 10, 2023 by Logan Horn
The Detroit Red Wings are off to their best start in many years, largely thanks to the talented players at the top of their lineup who have stepped their games up to lead Detroit. While guys like Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat are all getting plenty of attention league-wide, there’s someone else who has been a huge piece of the team’s success that hasn’t received the same level of acclaim quite yet. That player would be Jake Walman.
Walman made the leap from depth defender to legit top-pairing caliber defenseman during the 2022-23 season so many were intrigued to see if he’d be able to replicate that success. Through the first 12 games of the season, the answer to the question “is Walman the real deal?” has been an emphatic YES!.
Canadiens Need to Make Tough Decisions on Future of Blue Line
November 10, 2023 by Trege Wilson
The Montreal Canadiens have built their future defence through the draft over the last few years. Since 2018, the organization has drafted 18 defencemen out of 58 draft picks. This made sense, considering the Canadiens had an issue with depth on the left side of the defence, and then by 2021, they had a depth issue on the right side.
Of these 18 picks, three were selected in the first round, four in the second – the rest were from the third round or later; only two of these defencemen are no longer with the team. Montreal has established defensive depth and is reaping the rewards with two picks already on the roster and four more in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Laval Rocket. This depth, however, could cause a significant logjam in the next couple of seasons with decisions to make about who stays and who goes.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Colorado Avalanche - Avalanche Linked to Free Agent Patrick Kane by NHL Insiders
Columbus Blue Jackets - Blue Jackets Must Prioritize Optimizing Johnny Gaudreau’s Offense
Vegas Golden Knights - Kings Emerging as the Golden Knights’ Toughest Opponent
NHL News & Rumors - Oilers, Maple Leafs, Flames, Flyers
From TSN - Penguins to retire Jagr's No. 68 on Feb. 18
From Sportsnet - Now at peace, Boeser re-emerges as a force for Canucks
From ESPN - Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen taken to a hospital after collision into boards
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