THW Daily - Senators Firing D.J. Smith Wouldn't Solve Issues & Why Canucks Top Line Must Start Producing Again
Also, thoughts on where Gabe Vilardi fits into Jets lineup, possible trade bait in Edmonton & more
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In today’s edition, we have why the Senators firing D.J. Smith would not solve the team’s issues, why the Canucks top line must produce again, where Gabe Vilardi could fit in the Jets lineup upon return, and much more.
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Yesterday’s NHL Scores…
Minnesota Wild Roundtable: Thanksgiving 2023
November 24, 2023 by Mariah Stark (Holland)
The Minnesota Wild have been a hard team to cheer for this season, and as American Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s time for another roundtable to determine where they are and where they’re headed. It was pretty easy to come up with things they hadn’t done well, but finding success was a little more complicated.
The Hockey Writers Wild team of Tyson McKay and Mariah Stark came up with some hard-hitting questions to answer about some of the things that have made it difficult for the Wild and some of the small bright spots. A team like the Wild need to see both sides and focus on the good things. We’ll start with the most significant issue the Wild have and go from there.
Senators Firing D.J. Smith Won’t Solve Team’s Problems
November 24, 2023 by Paul Quinney
Firing head coach D.J. Smith as many Ottawa Senators fans are demanding would be a mistake – at least for now. Senators management needs to give him some more time to demonstrate that he can guide his underperforming team to success this season – and that’s an appearance in the postseason.
It is nothing more than fantasy to think that turning a run-of-the-mill team like the Senators into a good one is as simple as putting Smith’s head on a pike on Parliament Hill. There’s no doubt that firing the coach of a struggling team in mid-season feels good for many fans, but by itself, it generally doesn’t work. The cries of “Fire DJ” are just a knee-jerk reaction from fans demanding instant gratification and simple fixes to a complex problem.
Jets Getting Gabe Vilardi Back Raises Lineup Questions
November 24, 2023 by Brian Finlayson
With interim head coach Scott Arniel suggesting Gabriel Vilardi could play on the Winnipeg Jets’ upcoming road trip, it opened up a discussion about his placement in the lineup upon his return. Vilardi has been out since Oct. 17 after suffering a sprained MCL against the Los Angeles Kings. Since then, the Jets have found stability with their lineup construction. The top line, which Vilardi opened the season on, is now finding success on the scoresheet with Alex Iafallo occupying the right wing slot.
The middle six is also playing at a high level, allowing the Jets to consistently roll their lines without fear of being overmatched. Having that depth and production makes for a much more consistent 5v5 attack, which the Jets have excelled at during this impressive stretch of games. The question remains, though, where does Vilardi fit upon his return?
Oilers’ Ryan McLeod’s Tough Start Should Open Trade Discussions
November 24, 2023 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
The Edmonton Oilers have been disappointing, to say the least, this season, and there are many reasons why they haven’t been successful. It’s easy to point the finger at bad goaltending, bad luck, or bad defensive play, but it seems that nothing is clicking for the team.
Ryan McLeod, who doesn’t have a goal this season, hasn’t had a great start offensively and continues to struggle defensively. There are plenty of better options around the NHL, and the Oilers should consider trying to upgrade sooner rather than later.
Canucks Need Top Line to Start Producing
November 24, 2023 by Sartaaj Bhullar
The Vancouver Canucks have lost four of their last seven games after their hot start to the regulation. However, it isn’t time for the team to panic as they still sit second in the Pacific Division and fourth in the league with their 13-6-1 record.
What the Canucks do need is their top line to produce. The club has been getting points from their top players, Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser, for most of the season. However, Pettersson and his linemates, Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev, have slowed down lately. Over the past seven games, the trio has combined for eight points. Four of those eight points have come at even strength, and the trio has combined for one goal over the seven-game stretch. Head coach Rick Tocchet commented on the lines play.
Lightning Stock Up, Stock Down: Tomkins, Stamkos and Overtime
November 24, 2023 by Jim Bay
At the quarter mark of the season, the Tampa Bay Lightning are 9-6-5 and are sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division. This is not totally surprising, as many pundits felt that the Lightning would finish the 2023-24 season in that position. However, getting to that position has been quite a roller coaster ride. After going through a three-game losing streak at the beginning of November, they just finished a recent three-game homestand going 2-0-1 after the Thanksgiving eve (Nov. 22) overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
The upside to this record was they were able to earn their 23 points without all-world goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who underwent back surgery to address a lumbar disc herniation in late September and was initially ruled out for the first two months of the season. However, it appears that the Lightning’s first-round pick in 2012 will be returning to the ice when they start a three-game road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday (Nov. 24).
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Arizona Coyotes - Coyotes’ Daniil But Proving Doubters Wrong
Philadelphia Flyers - Flyers’ John Tortorella Should Not Coach Past Team’s Rebuild
Edmonton Oilers - 6 Times Oilers Rallied From Being Outside Playoffs at Thanksgiving
NHL News & Rumors - Oilers, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs
From TSN - Leafs prospect Minten dealt from Blazers to Blades
From Sportsnet - Coach Rick Bowness returns to Jets after wife's 'life-changing moment'
From ESPN - NHL nixes Marc-Andre Fleury's mask honoring Native Americans
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