THW Daily - Questions To Answer for Maple Leafs & Capitals’ Roster Surprises
Also, why Zach Benson makes Sabres roster better, EA Sports NHL 24 season simulation & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have an EA Sports NHL 24 season simulation, opening night roster surprises in Washington, roster-cut victims in Detroit, and much more.
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Yesterday’s NHL Scores…
4 Maple Leafs Questions That Must Be Answered Before Season
October 10, 2023 by The Old Prof
Sunday was the day Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been expecting for a while now. The team made a trade and placed six players on waivers so it could become salary-cap compliant.
Sam Lafferty was traded. He was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. For those fans interested, the only round the Maple Leafs do not have a pick in the 2024 Draft is the second round. That pick was moved to the St. Louis Blues as part of the trade-deadline deal that brought Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari to the organization. The Maple Leafs now have two picks in the fifth round as well as two in the seventh round.
EA Sports NHL 24: 2023-24 Season Simulation
October 10, 2023 by Ethan Carter
The 2023-24 NHL season is set to begin today with the first game of the season being between the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning. Last season, the Vegas Golden Knights dominated their way to a Stanley Cup victory over the Florida Panthers.
EA Sports recently released their new installment of the NHL video game series, NHL 24, with Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar on the cover. For this article, I simulated the entire NHL season from a neutral perspective and the results are interesting. Let’s get into it.
Zach Benson Makes the Sabres’ Roster Much Better
October 10, 2023 by Jacob D. Strozyk
Throughout the course of the preseason, Zach Benson has been the player to watch on the Sabres’ roster. As of Oct. 9, Benson has officially made the team out of training camp and is slated to play on the third line with Casey Mittelstadt and Jordan Greenway. Benson making this team is not only an incredible personal feat, but it also means that the Sabres are willing to make the tough choices to make their roster the best it can be.
Kevyn Adams has generally functioned under the idea that allowing prospects time in the junior, college, European, or minor leagues to develop is the right choice to allow them to grow at the right pace. He has done so with Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen, Noah Ostlund, and Matt Savoie last season, so seeing Benson on the opening night roster is big news. Now that the Sabres have their sights set on opening night, it is only a matter of time before fans get to see how Benson matches up to full-blown NHL competition.
Washington Capitals’ Opening Night Roster Surprises
October 10, 2023 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
The Washington Capitals have made the last few touches to their 2023-24 opening-night lineup, and while there are no jaw-dropping additions, some happy surprises made the team. New acquisitions Joel Edmundson and Max Pacioretty will start the season on injured reserve – although both have technically made the opening night roster. The Capitals released Vincent Iorio, who will start the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears, along with Aliaksei Protas.
After a lackluster 2022-23 campaign, the Capitals are hoping to move back into the playoff picture this season. Their roster is built around the greatest goal scorer of all time, Alex Ovechkin, and they have more than enough depth at every position to make the postseason. With Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren backstopping the team, there is no fear in net, but there have been some changes at forward and on defense. Here are the happy surprises that made the cut.
Jets Excited for 2023-24 Season After Hellebuyck, Scheifele Deals
October 10, 2023 by Connor Hrabchak
The Winnipeg Jets shocked the world on Monday, Oct. 9, when both Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck signed identical seven-year contracts worth $8.5 million per season.
On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the Jets held a press conference with the two players, General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, and Head Coach Rick Bowness. There were plenty of photo opportunities, as the players signed their contracts at the same time alongside management.
5 Red Wings Roster Cut Victims to Watch This Season
October 10, 2023 by Jordan Orth
With the Detroit Red Wings wrapping up cuts to get to their 23-man roster heading into opening night on Oct. 12, numerous players have either been sent down to Grand Rapids to play in the American Hockey League (AHL) or returned to their junior teams for the season. Here are five Red Wings to keep an eye on who did not make the cut for the final roster.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Edmonton Oilers - Edmonton Oilers’ Worst-Case Scenarios in 2023-24
Montreal Canadiens - Montreal Canadiens’ Worst-Case Scenarios in 2023-24
NHL News & Rumors - Oilers, Canucks, Blue Jackets, Bruins, Maple Leafs
From TSN - Insider Trading: Latest on Nylander; Canucks working to deal Garland
From Sportsnet - Sportsnet NHL Insider predictions for 2023-24 season
From ESPN - ESPN's Barry Melrose retires after Parkinson's disease diagnosis
We hope you enjoyed today’s THW Daily, and we hope to expand our daily offerings as we develop and experiment with this new platform. Cheers!