THW Daily - Week 7 NHL Power Rankings & Why Canucks Should Avoid Trading Nils Höglander
Also, Maple Leafs players exceeding expectations, the mess in Columbus & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have power rankings for week seven of the NHL season, why the Canucks should not trade Nils Höglander, more on the mess in Columbus, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff…
Yesterday’s NHL Scores…
3 Maple Leafs Players Exceeding Expectations in 2023-24
November 20, 2023 by Spencer Lazary
So far in the 2023-24 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have played 17 games. Their record sits at 10-5-2 for 22 points and they currently sit third in the Atlantic Division. At times this season, the Maple Leafs seemed to struggle a lot, but in the last two weeks, they appear to have righted the wrongs and have line combinations that work.
The team now finds themselves in Sweden and it looks like this trip could be the thing that brings the team together and gets everyone to buy into their program. Unfortunately, this was the year that the Maple Leafs could have taken over the Atlantic Division but due to their early season struggles, they didn’t and are now playing catch up in an attempt to take over the top spot. Nevertheless, as mentioned before we are 17 games in, and with that here are three players who are leading the charge and exceeding expectations so far this season.
NHL 2023-24 Power Rankings: Week 7
November 20, 2023 by Eugene Helfrick
The talk of the NHL world this week was the 2023 Global Series taking place in Stockholm, Sweden. In a change to the format, this year four teams played two games each over the course of multiple days.
The teams making the trip across the Atlantic Ocean were the Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, and Toronto Maple Leafs. While these franchises came into the Global Series in various forms of disarray, they all brought an incredible effort to the ice, with some local European stars showcasing the best the sport has to offer. At the very least, we can say the NHL put on quite the show in Stockholm, with most games taking wild swings in momentum
Blue Jackets Issues Larger Than Mess On Ice
November 20, 2023 by Mark Scheig
The Columbus Blue Jackets were hoping a weekend getaway to Washington and Philadelphia could finally put an end to a long winless streak. Instead, there remains more questions than answers for a team who looks lost on the ice. The Blue Jackets lost both their games over the weekend. They dropped a 4-3 decision to the Washington Capitals and then a 5-2 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers. The losses gave the Blue Jackets a nine-game losing streak which tied their franchise record.
To say the Blue Jackets have issues might be the understatement of the season. We’ll touch on some of those issues that came up this past weekend. However the bigger takeaway here is what all of their issues are pointing to. It’s bigger than what we see on the ice. Yet we may not know the full scope of what’s happening on the inside.
Sabres Should Steer Clear of Patrick Kane
November 20, 2023 by JP Gambatese
Rumors have been circling that Patrick Kane is interested in signing a contract with the Buffalo Sabres, but until that’s set in stone, they’re just that — rumors. However, between that and Tage Thompson’s recent long-term injury, there’s reason to believe that Kane might be on his way to Buffalo.
Kane’s resume speaks for itself. He’s a career point-per-game player (1237 points in 1180 games), has three Stanley Cups under his belt, and is widely regarded as the best American player of all time. Even at 34, he put up 57 points in 73 games last season. He’s been one of the premier passers in the league, and that aspect of his game has never slowed down regardless of age. Still, there are some major red flags that should keep the Sabres away.
Canucks Should Not Trade Hoglander for Help on Defence
November 20, 2023 by Matthew Zator
The Vancouver Canucks have exploded out of the starting gates and are currently 12-5-1, second in the Western Conference and only three points back of the league-leading Boston Bruins. They also boast a three-headed monster at the top of the NHL’s leaderboard as Elias Pettersson, JT Miller and Quinn Hughes are all tied with 28 points apiece. I think it’s safe to say that 18 games into the 2023-24 season, no Canucks fan expected their team to be this good. Everyone wanted them to get off to a better start than last season, but this is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
To potentially avoid that, general manager Patrik Allvin could scour the trade market, which he has seemingly done already with rumours of the Canucks pursuing both Nikita Zadorov and Chris Tanev from the Calgary Flames. Unfortunately, nearly every trade requires something going the other way, and the latest has Nils Hoglander as the speculated piece that could be on the move. But as much as the Canucks would benefit from the addition of a defenceman like Zadorov or Tanev, trading a promising young player like Hoglander would be a mistake.
Halak’s PTO Release from Hurricanes Ideal Timing For Oilers
November 20, 2023 by Jim Parsons
While the Edmonton Oilers could have signed Jaroslav Halak at any point this season, now might be the time to strike. News broke on Monday morning that Halak was being released from his PTO with the Carolina Hurricanes. The veteran netminder certainly isn’t a starter at this point in his NHL career, but as a viable backup option to Stuart Skinner, he might be a fit.
There’s been no official link between the two sides, but the news is fresh. Edmonton might choose to see how tonight’s game against the Florida Panthers goes and then pick up the phone and call Halak’s agent.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Boston Bruins - Bruins News & Rumors: Geekie, DeBrusk, Coyle & More
Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers Farm Report: Reading Royals’ Chyzowski, Paliani & More
Edmonton Oilers - Oilers Reportedly Interested In Habs Goalie Trio
NHL News & Rumors - Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets, Oilers, Bruins
From TSN - Avs' Makar, Leafs' Nylander, Pens captain Crosby named NHL's 3 stars
From Sportsnet - St. Louis runs Canadiens through hard practice after "soft" performance in Boston
From ESPN - Sources: NHL looks to put on four-nation tournament in 2025
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