THW Daily - October's Standout Players & Maple Leafs' Offseason Additions Struggling
Also, overreactions and proper reactions to start of season, why Rangers could trade Kakko & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have October standouts, Maple Leafs’ offseason addition struggles, a possible Kakko trade, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff…
Yesterday’s NHL Scores…
Rangers’ Kakko a Trade Candidate Again if Struggles Continue
November 2, 2023 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
The New York Rangers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL to start out the 2023-24 season. Their start has opened the eyes of doubters who didn’t expect them to be as strong as they have been, especially with the departure of superstar forward Patrick Kane and the questions surrounding new signing Jonathan Quick. Another storyline many fans were following heading into the new season was the short leash that Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko were on.
The former first and second-overall picks, respectively, have been underwhelming offensively and haven’t been meeting many fans’ expectations since joining the NHL. While they have been solid at both ends of the ice, fans expected more.
14 NHLers Who Stood Out in October
November 2, 2023 by Alex Chauvancy
Yesterday, we looked at teams who surprised and defied expectations one way or another in October. Today, we’ll be looking at the same but for players who stood out last month, good or bad. Let’s dive in and review some individual standouts from October.
Capitals Should Target Hoglander in Mantha Trade With Canucks
November 2, 2023 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
The Washington Capitals have started the 2023-24 season out quite well. A lackluster 2022-23 season had them outside of the playoffs, and now they’re hoping they can ride their strong start back to the playoff picture this season. While the team didn’t make many changes during the off-season, they did sign Matthew Phillips, who’s had a really strong start, and Max Pacioretty, who is dealing with a major injury.
One of those potential trade pieces is forward Anthony Mantha, who has one year left on his contract worth $5.7 million. He has one goal and one assist for two points through seven games and has been a fourth-line forward to start the season while having been a healthy scratch for one game. All signs are pointing to the 2023-24 season being the last for Mantha with the Capitals, whether he’s traded or not, but the team should try to move him and bring in some assets.
5 Ways the Oilers Can Wisely Use Cap Space From This Season
November 2, 2023 by Rob Couch
The Edmonton Oilers may have started the season on a down note, but their analytics show that they will soon turn things around in a big way. I still think of them as Stanley Cup contenders since it’s very early in the season. The team has been very limited this season with a lack of cap space. They have enough for a 21-man roster and a little bit left over, but no more.
It has hurt the Oilers even more when someone gets injured, and it isn’t long enough to place them on the LTIR. Just sitting out a few games shortens the roster even further, and the cap hit of that player continues to count against the cap. Accruing cap space is very important for teams that are against the cap, like the Oilers are. According to PuckPedia, with the current cap space available, the Oilers will be able to fit a cap hit of $775,000 on the roster by day 98 of the season, or $1.8 million at the trade deadline.
Overreactions and Proper Reactions to Start of 2023-24 Season
November 2, 2023 by Ryan Ventura
November’s arrival brings with it some cooler air, fewer leaves on the trees, and the feeling that the NHL season is well underway. Thus far, NHL teams have played close to ten games apiece, which means they are directionally an eighth of the way through their seasons. While the 2023-24 campaign is still in its infancy, we have already seen some surprises, some pleasant and some not-so-pleasant.
Keeping in mind that all 32 teams have over 70 games left to play, here are some overreactions and proper reactions to the start of the 2023-24 season.
Maple Leafs’ Offseason Additions Not Meeting Expectations
November 2, 2023 by Peter Baracchini
Whenever there’s a roster turnover and new additions, the expectation is that they come into their team and make a big impact. With the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offseason additions, there hasn’t been a whole lot of anything to start the season.
With nine games played Ryan Reaves, Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi and John Klingberg have been underwhelming to say the least. Whether it’s the added toughness from the three forwards or the mobility and added offense from Klingberg, the results haven’t been there consistently for a team with aspirations of a deep playoff run. As a result, there are more questions than answers at this point as they haven’t delivered with their play. While it’s still early in the season and there’s time for the players to turn things around, the non-existent impact early on has left many disappointed.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Youngster Showdown - Coyotes’ Cooley & Canadiens’ Slafkovsky Square Off For First Time
Detroit Red Wings - Red Wings’ First 10 Games: What We’ve Learned
New York Islanders - Islanders Should Target Oilers’ Ceci To Fill Mayfield Void
NHL News & Rumors - Senators, Penguins, Flames, Bruins
From TSN - Kessel 'a little surprised' to still be unsigned
From Sportsnet - NHL Power Rankings: Checking in with the new guys on all 32 teams
From ESPN - Panthers' Sam Bennett out again after another lower-body injury
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