THW Daily - Week 17 NHL Power Rankings & Charlie Coyle's Bruins Career
Also, ranking the Maple Leafs' All-Stars, thoughts on the Rangers' core & more
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In today’s edition, we have power rankings for Week 17 in the NHL, the play of Charlie Coyle in his career with the Bruins, and much more.
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Vancouver Canucks: Canucks Weekly: Hughes Wants Tanev Back, Lotto Line Runs Out of Luck & More by Matthew Zator
Winnipeg Jets: Jets Prospect Round-Up: Barlow, Levis, Julien & DiVincentiis by Jacob Billington
Philadelphia Flyers: Flyers Flash: Needing of a Reset by Justin Giampietro
Carolina Hurricanes: Hurricanes Player of the Month: Jordan Martinook by Zach Martin
Washington Capitals: Capitals Player of the Month: Dylan Strome by Jesse Courville-Lynch
St. Louis Blues: Blue Note Weekly Audio Report: Five Straight Wins for the Blues by Ethan Carter
Check Out THW’s Professional Women’s Hockey League Coverage
Yesterday’s Scores…
Ranking the Maple Leafs’ 4 All-Stars
January 29, 2024 by Peter Baracchini
After winning four-straight games to start the month of January, the Toronto Maple Leafs followed that up with a disappointing stretch of four straight loses where they had the lead and blew it. Then came four wins in their last five games– which included two wins in a home-and-home with the Winnipeg Jets– heading into the All-Star break on a high note.
While it’s a great chance for many on the Maple Leafs roster to regroup and unwind, the star players are being well represented for the All-Star festivities in Toronto. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner were all selected to attend the event with Matthews being named captain. All four players have had strong seasons to this point and deserve the recognition, but some standout above the rest. Here are how the Maple Leafs All-Stars rank amongst each other in terms of overall impact.
NHL 2023-24 Power Rankings: Week 17
January 29, 2024 by Eugene Helfrick
For most, sports are a break from day-to-day reality. Win or lose, watching a game, discussing it with friends, listening to podcasts, or obsessing over a fantasy team is a fun distraction. Sure, it hurts when your team loses, but that makes the victories feel all the better.
While revamping this weekly NHL Power Rankings article, I tried to embrace the fun nature of sports. Yes, there are real-world negative implications of a coach being fired or an injury occurring, but those actions happen within the realm of hockey.
Oilers CEO Says at Trade Deadline, “Anything on Table”
January 29, 2024 by Jim Parsons
Jeff Jackson of the Edmonton Oilers spoke to The Athletic and talked about what the team’s trade deadline plans are. Noting that the organization is looking at the market and all of its options, the Oilers like where they are. That said, they are ready to make a move if that move makes sense.
With the deadline looming, the current challenge is that numerous teams remain in playoff contention. No one is hastily selling assets yet. When teams are prepared to engage in a deal, and a move makes sense, Jackson says the Oilers are poised to act.
Rangers’ Core Not Good Enough to Win a Stanley Cup
January 29, 2024 by Lucas Standel
Although the New York Rangers won their last game, a 7-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators, they have been playing mediocre hockey since the beginning of December. The team started the season 18-4-1, but since the start of December, they are 14-11-2 and are 4-5-1 in their last ten games. With the Rangers now entering their bye week, now seems like a good time to look at the team and see what the issues are.
The main issues are coming from the core and highest-paid players on the roster. Many of them have been inconsistent this season and this inconsistency has been seen in the past, most notably in the past two playoffs. If the Rangers want to win a Stanley Cup, they need their core players to play better and if they can’t start playing that way, some hard conversations need to be had and some tough choices might need to be made.
Coyle Proving to Be Sweeney’s Best Acquisition as Bruins GM
January 29, 2024 by Hannah Garfield
Don Sweeney has been in the general manager position for the Boston Bruins for almost a decade now. While there have been plenty of highs and lows, he has certainly put together two great rosters in the last two seasons. The team is currently first in the Atlantic Division with 71 points, five points ahead of the second-place Florida Panthers.
As a GM, the area where Sweeney has excelled the most has been his trades. As it’s been discussed many times, he has been fairly weak in his draft classes and while his most recent free agency signing class (James van Riemsdyk, Morgan Geekie) has been really great, he hasn’t always hit in that area. But, he has arguably one of the best trade records out of all the active GMs in the league at the moment. The most recent performance of a player is always going to affect the rankings, and obviously, Charlie Coyle has excelled in 2023-24. When taking in his entire tenure in Boston along with the phenomenal season so far, I think it is safe to say that Coyle remains the best trade acquisition of Sweeney’s career.
Canadiens Should Target Prospects Not Picks at Trade Deadline
January 29, 2024 by Blain Potvin
The Montreal Canadiens are going to be sellers, of that there is little doubt. As of Jan. 28, the club sits nine points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild card position and would need to leapfrog over five other teams to get there. Realistically, general manager (GM) Kent Hughes will be busy taking calls.
This doesn’t mean Hughes should go all in for futures, he could speed up the rebuild process by targeting prospects or young NHL-ready players in return for his top trade assets. In a seller’s market, Hughes can trade one of his veterans and get a first-round pick in 2024, but a buyer’s pick would fall in at 24th overall or later, that is why targeting a young NHL-ready prospect would have more value to Montreal.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Edmonton Oilers - Oilers’ Success During Win Streak Is Sustainable Over Long Term
Chicago Blackhawks - Blackhawks Headed in Right Direction at All-Star Break (Seriously!)
Philadelphia Flyers - Assessing the Flyers’ Future at the All-Star Break
NHL News & Rumors - Oilers, Senators, Bruins, Rangers
From TSN - Blue Jackets rookie Fantilli suffers cut to leg, to receive further evaluation
From Sportsnet - Maple Leafs Mailbag: Who should Toronto target in a trade?
From ESPN - USA Hockey mandates neck protection for players under 18
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