THW Daily - Most Likely Trade Candidates in Buffalo & Crosby and Pavelski Defying NHL's Youth Trend
Also, what to watch for Red Wings in second half, the major line change made by Oilers' Knoblauch & more
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In today’s edition, we have the most likely trade candidates in Buffalo, how Crosby and Pavelski are defying the NHL’s youth trend, and much more.
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Columbus Blue Jackets: 3 Candidates to Replace Elvis Merzlikins by William Espy
Detroit Red Wings: Red Wings Weekly Recap: Larkin Leads the Way & Offense Sputters vs Carolina by Jordan Orth
Florida Panthers: 10 Thoughts on the Florida Panthers: From Winning Ways to Loser's Lounge by Joey Ganzi
New York Rangers: Rangers Have Some Questions to Answer at the Halfway Point of the Season by Jesse Courville-Lynch
Ottawa Senators: Senators: Grading Every Player at the Midway Point by Jacob Billington
Check Out THW’s Professional Women’s Hockey League Coverage
Welcome to the THW Professional Women's Hockey League Substack
Schroeder & Downie-Landry Lead PWHL New York and Loren Grobel & Alina Müller Lift PWHL Boston
Yesterday’s Scores…
What to Watch for in the Red Wings’ Second Half of the Season
January 25, 2024 by Jordan Orth
The Detroit Red Wings have played 46 of their 82 regular season games and have found themselves in the middle of the playoff hunt to this point.
With the All-Star break just around the corner, the Red Wings look to continue their push toward ending their playoff drought, but what else is there to watch for in the second half of the season?
Sabres’ 4 Most Likely Trade Candidates
January 25, 2024 by Matthew Morris
With the Buffalo Sabres’ 2023-24 season inching ever closer to a free-fall status, it’s becoming less and less likely each day that they’ll be looking to upgrade in any way at the upcoming trade deadline, even though they could definitely stand to.
It’s far more likely that the Sabres will be sellers as March 8 approaches and try to clear out space that they’ll need going forward. The following four players, in particular, are approaching the end of their contracts and stand little to no chance of returning next season. As such, it would make perfect sense for Buffalo to deal them away and get something in return rather than have them walk away for nothing over the summer.
Canadiens Can’t Go Scorched Earth Trading Away Veterans at Deadline
January 25, 2024 by Ryan Szporer
RDS displayed an interesting stat during the Montreal Canadiens’ (latest) embarrassing loss to the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 23. During a power play, RDS showed that Mike Matheson co-leads all defensemen across the league in goals scored on the man advantage with five. The Habs’ power play then proceeded to fail to score on that specific power play and in, coincidentally, five total opportunities during the game. This is a recurring problem. So, naturally people are thinking he’s one of the ones who’s got to go by the trade deadline? Huh?
Obviously, Matheson would hold value on the trade market as the March 8 deadline approaches. It’s likely every contending team would love to be able to fit a defenseman capable of scoring 10-plus goals and 50-plus points in a season under their respective salary caps. And Matheson’s cost-effective $4.875 million hit (up until 2026) makes it possible. That doesn’t mean the Canadiens should pull the trigger, though… far from it.
Flames’ Next 2 Games Will Decide Rest of Season
January 25, 2024 by Rupert McDonald
The next two games will be the biggest games of the season for the Calgary Flames. Both are games they should be able to win, as they come against inferior opponents in the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks. If we have learned anything from this team in the past, however, it is that this Flames team is a hard group to predict.
Just one week ago, things were going quite swimmingly for the Flames, who were tied points-wise for a playoff position after winning their fourth-straight game versus the Arizona Coyotes. All of a sudden, a team that everyone expected to be major sellers at the trade deadline looked like they may have postseason aspirations. Since then, they have gone on to lose three straight, and talks of selling have jumpstarted once again.
Crosby and Pavelski Defying NHL’s Youth Trend
January 25, 2024 by Nick Haydon
The NHL has become a young man’s league. Players are faster, more skilled, and integrate into the league more quickly. Watch any game, and you will inevitably see a commercial boasting about these factors. From Connor Bedard to Connor McDavid, players are proving that the game has evolved.
But the old guard is not quite ready to pass off the baton, let alone retire. Sidney Crosby and Joe Pavelski are making that clear. According to all the analytics, both players are well past their prime — Crosby at 36 and Pavelski at 39. That does not seem to bother them in the slightest, as each has at least 42 points halfway through the season. Clearly, the hard work, both on and off the ice, is paying off for these age-defying skaters. In an era where speed and skill are prized above all, it is worth looking closely at how each of these players is bucking the trend of the NHL.
Knoblauch Makes First Major Line Changes as Oilers Coach
January 25, 2024 by Jim Parsons
Kris Knoblauch has been, if nothing else, consistent. It’s easy to do so when your team has won 14 games in a row and the mantra rightfully should be not to fix what isn’t broken. With that said, it’s a bit surprising that the lines coming out of Thursday’s practice for the Edmonton Oilers suggests the coach is making a major change.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic is reporting that the Oilers swapped around the top six forwards and a couple of familiar faces might start Thursday night’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks together. The top line consisted of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman. The second line was Evander Kane, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Warren Foegele.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Philadelphia Flyers - 4 Flyers Prospects Who Could Be Late-Round Gems
New York Rangers - Rangers’ Bye Week Arriving at the Perfect Time
New York Islanders - New York Islanders Can’t Trade First-Round Pick This Time
NHL News & Rumors - Senators, Oilers, Avalanche, Devils
From TSN - Toronto-Montreal PWHL game on Feb. 16 to be played at Scotiabank Arena
From Sportsnet - Monahan scores twice, Canadiens hang on for win vs. Islanders in Roy's homecoming
From ESPN - Penguins deal defenseman Will Butcher to Wild for prospect
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