THW Daily - Future of the Winnipeg Jets & Rangers’ Stats To Be Excited About
Also, why the Flames made massive mistake in trading Toffoli, open spot in Maple Leafs lineup & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have the future of the Winnipeg Jets, stats to be excited about for the Rangers, why the Flames made a massive mistake in trading Tyler Toffoli, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff…
Yesterday’s NHL Scores…
Flames Made a Massive Mistake Trading Toffoli to the Devils
October 27, 2023 by Rupert McDonald
The Calgary Flames turned plenty of heads early this offseason when they announced that they had traded Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils. Given that Toffoli had led the Flames last season with 34 goals and 73 points, the expectation was that they would be getting plenty back in return. Instead, however, they received just a forward struggling to find his way in Yegor Sharangovich, along with a third-round draft pick.
While fans slowly started becoming excited about Sharangovich’s potential, the general consensus was still that the Flames moved Toffoli for a well below market-value price. Now, as we approach the 10-game mark of the 2023-24 season, it is becoming clearer by the day that the Flames absolutely botched this deal.
Jets’ Chipman Confident in Winnipeg and Better Future Attendance
October 27, 2023 by Declan Schroeder
The Winnipeg Jets’ attendance is at its lowest point in 2.0 history, but True North Sports & Entertainment (TNSE) executive chairman Mark Chipman is confident the trend can be reversed and is downplaying concerns about the team’s long-term viability.
McCabe Injury Opens the Door for Maple Leafs’ Benoit, Lagesson
October 27, 2023 by Andrew Forbes
It shouldn’t be surprising when fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs wake up on Friday to see either Simon Benoit called up to the NHL roster again or William Lagesson getting a shot from his AHL post after Jake McCabe was injured on Oct. 27 in the team’s 4-1 win in Dallas. The 30-year-old McCabe played just 10 seconds against the Dallas Stars on Thursday before he was forced to leave the game and did not return with what the team is calling a lower-body injury (LBI).
While the Maple Leafs are awaiting further testing to announce the severity of the injury, it was noted postgame that McCabe would likely miss the team’s next contest in Nashville against the Predators on Saturday night. Looking at what the Maple Leafs have on the depth chart, the popular vote would likely be Benoit to get the next opportunity. However, there should be a discussion centred around Lagesson at this point as well.
Canadiens Showed Blue Jackets Two Things To Improve On
October 27, 2023 by Mark Scheig
The Montreal Canadiens won a wild game over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night 4-3 in overtime. Cole Caufield was able to secure the game winner with just 43 seconds left in the extra session. Although the Blue Jackets suffered their second consecutive overtime loss, they are now 2-0-2 in their last four games. Taking six points out of a possible eight in any four-game stretch is a sign that they’re coming along. But with that said, the Canadiens did manage to show the Blue Jackets two important areas of improvement moving forward. Both of these factors were key in Thursday night’s outcome.
3 Rangers’ Stats to Be Excited About Early This Season
October 27, 2023 by Brendan Azoff
A 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night (Oct. 26) improved the New York Rangers‘ record to 3-0-0 on their five-game road trip through Seattle and Western Canada. More importantly, it improved their overall record to 5-2-0, good for 10 of a possible 14 points, putting the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division’s top spot through seven games of the 2023-24 season.
Head coach Peter Laviolette’s club has played a shutdown defensive style, which has become his bread and butter, limiting the opposition’s chances and getting some timely goaltending. It has not been perfect, and there are a lot of areas in which the Rangers can improve their game, but for a club with a new coach, new systems, and new pieces, this is as good a start as you could hope for.
Oilers’ Ekholm Wrongly Cursed Out in Reaction to Player Rankings
October 27, 2023 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
The Edmonton Oilers are off to a horrific start. After their 3-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday (Oct. 26), they are 1-5-1 through their first seven games, putting them second to last in the NHL. They have had some strong moments, but they’ve been unable to finish strong and have paid the price. They have a team built to win a championship, but they have to put in a full 60-minute effort every game.
Away from the rink, the most recent player rankings The Athletic did back in September are gathering a lot of mixed reviews from fans and players around the league. Some were upset that Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm was ranked above Calgary Flames defenceman Rasmus Andersson, with one anonymous player even going as far as to curse out Ekholm in response…
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
New Jersey Devils - 4 Immediate Changes the Devils Have to Consider
Vancouver Canucks - Canucks’ 3 Up, 3 Down: Hughes, Podkolzin, Goaltending & More
Chicago Blackhawks - Blackhawks’ Slow Start to 2023-24 Isn’t Cause for Panic
NHL News & Rumors - Oilers, Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Senators
From TSN - Maple Leafs return F Minten to WHL's Blazers
From Sportsnet - Cold, hard truth is first Heritage Classic set standard for NHL's outdoor games
From ESPN - Hurricanes activate forward Andrei Svechnikov from injured reserve
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