THW Daily - Week 4 Power Rankings & Early Buy-Low Trade Targets in Fantasy Hockey
Also, early positive storylines for the Canucks, McDavid's impact on Oilers & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have power rankings for Week 4 in the NHL, early buy-low trade targets in fantasy hockey, Connor McDavid’s impact on the Oilers, and much more.
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Here’s the good stuff…
Yesterday’s NHL Scores…
Canucks Have 3 Positive Storylines Emerging Early This Season
October 30, 2023 by Matthew Zator
The Vancouver Canucks have started the 2023-24 season on a tear going 5-2-1 along with a ton of positivity for the first time in what seems like a decade. In the last three seasons, they have gotten off to horrible starts; last season in particular they went 0-5-2 and didn’t get their first win until their eighth game against the Seattle Kraken.
Could this be the season history repeats itself but in the normal playoff format this time? It sure looks like it early on. So, let’s put the optimism hat on for a bit and take a look at three positive storylines that have emerged early this season.
NHL 2023-24 Power Rankings: Week 4
October 30, 2023 by Eugene Helfrick
Now that we are a few weeks into the 2023-24 NHL season, it really feels like we are starting to get somewhere… but I don’t know where that is just yet. This was one of the most eventful weeks of hockey in recent memory, where every team played on Tuesday as part of the “Frozen Frenzy,” 10 shutouts occurred, and the remaining unbeaten franchises were humbled by teams we were expecting to be bad.
Oh, and the Heritage Classic took place on Sunday, which is one of the biggest games on the NHL’s schedule this season, but the teams competing in the event were desperately struggling heading into it. This created an atmosphere of uncertainty for an event that’s normally a celebration of the sport but it still was a lot of fun to watch either way.
Concerning Remarks About McDavid’s Impact Surfacing for Oilers
October 30, 2023 by Jim Parsons
It’s absolutely, unequivocally, undeniably better to have the best player on your team than to not have him on your team. For the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid returning to the lineup at the Heritage Classic was a huge plus, one that seemingly made an immediate impact as the team looked good against the Calgary Flames and won the contest handily by a score of 5-2.
McDavid had two shots on net and an assist, and the Oilers played with more confidence and swagger than they had in most of their previous games. In the two they lost without him, the Oilers looked nothing at all like the Stanley Cup contenders many has them pegged to be, and certainly not like the team that made a run last year with virtually the same lineup.
Maple Leafs Could Trade Jarnkrok to Help Their Blue Line
October 30, 2023 by Spencer Lazary
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs have played fairly well offensively this season, their defence hasn’t. Not just their blue line, but their team defence as a whole hasn’t been at the level that it should be for a contending team. We are now seven games into the season, and it looks like their offence could turn around and offer more support to their back end.
However, their defence core lacks a true stay-at-home defenceman who likes to throw the body and protect the house. Every contending team needs one or two defencemen of this calibre to help them in the postseason. It is not a secret that Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Brad Treliving enjoys having big-bodied defencemen from his time with the Calgary Flames. But how is he going to fix that problem with his new club? Well, it will be difficult, but he could look to trade Calle Jarnkrok to improve his defence core before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.
2023-24 Fantasy Hockey Advice: Early Buy-Low Trade Targets
October 30, 2023 by Justin Giampietro
It’s early in the fantasy hockey season, yet some players maybe have not lived up to their early expectations. That makes several athletes good candidates to trade for, as their value may be the lowest it will be all season. Which players that some fantasy managers might be panicked about are the best trade targets?
Penguins Need to Switch Up Their System
October 30, 2023 by Sylvie McCarthy
After losing three games in a row, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 on Thursday, Oct. 26. The Avalanche came into the game undefeated and were favored to win. Despite all the changes the Penguins made over the summer, they have been struggling so far this season to find their footing.
With the league constantly changing, it is vital that teams tweak their system to stay competitive which is something Pittsburgh has not done. However, they switched up their strategy against Colorado and it paid off. That is why this game needs to be the blueprint for the rest of the season.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Tampa Bay Lightning - Lightning Stock Up, Stock Down: Johansson, Kochetkov & More
Columbus Blue Jackets - Blue Jackets News & Rumors: Scoring Slumps, Martin & More
Carolina Hurricanes - The Finntastic Finns: Hurricanes’ Finns Just Keep Getting Winns
NHL News & Rumors - Maple Leafs, Bruins, Oilers, Blues
From TSN - English Ice Hockey Association making neck guards mandatory in 2024
From Sportsnet - Why Maple Leafs’ lack of defensive depth means maximum Giordano
From ESPN - Oilers' Connor McDavid returns from injury in Heritage Classic
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