THW Daily - Senators' First 10 Games Under Jacques Martin & Midseason Top 100 NHL Prospects
Also, the latest from Detroit, Evan Bouchard's prominence as an offensive defenseman & more
Welcome to The Hockey Writers Daily
In today’s edition, we have an evaluation of Jacques Martin through 10 games as the Senators head coach, the top 100 NHL prospects at midseason, the latest from Detroit, and much more.
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New Jersey Devils: 5(ish) Questions With Devils Defenseman Colin Miller by Josh Reinitz
St. Louis Blues: Blue Note Weekly Audio Report: Two Big Wins To Start the New Year by Ethan Carter
Pittsburgh Penguins: Penguins Will Be a Playoff Contender by Sylvie McCarthy
Florida Panthers: Is Aleksander Barkov the Greatest Florida Panther of All-Time? by Joey Ganzi
Detroit Red Wings: Red Wings Weekly Recap: Alex Lyon Backstops West Coast Sweep by Jordan Orth
Colorado Avalanche: Avs Player Grades at Halfway Mark of 2023-24 Season by Stefano Rubino
Yesterday’s Scores…
Red Wings News & Rumors: Help On Defense, Free Agents & More
January 11, 2024 by Tony Wolak
After a few days off, the Detroit Red Wings are back in action Thursday night. Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are in town and hoping to end Detroit’s three-game winning streak.
While we wait for puck drop, get caught up on the latest Red Wings news and rumors, including trade deadline notes, what to do with pending free agents, and more.
Evaluating Jacques Martin’s First 10 Games as Senators Coach
January 11, 2024 by Paul Quinney
Jacques Martin has been interim head coach of the Ottawa Senators for 10 games, and the cold-hard statistics say it hasn’t made any difference to the team’s performance. In fact, the numbers show the Senators have taken a step backward under Martin and his understudy, assistant coach Daniel Alfredsson. (all statistics quoted in this article are from Hockey Reference and statmuse.com)
The Senator’s former head coach, D.J. Smith, probably has too much class to say, “I told ya’ so.” Yet if he did, he’d be pointing out what should be blindingly obvious to Senators fans. At some point, a team is what its numbers say they are, and after 36 games, those numbers say the Senators are a bad hockey club. Firing Smith, as so many fans demanded earlier this season, changed nothing.
Are Maple Leafs As Mediocre as Hockey Analysts Think?
January 11, 2024 by The Old Prof
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs are on a bit of a winning streak, that’s not making much of an impression on hockey analysts who do power rankings for various sites. On Wednesday, the CBS Sports NHL Power Rankings came out, and the Maple Leafs were in the top 10 of the NHL, but barely. They were ranked 10th in the league with a playoff probability of 91.4%.
Interestingly, in Leafs Nation most of us consider our team a lock for the playoffs. We take it for granted; and, our concerns turn to the deep postseason run we hope the Blue & White go on. Others suggest that the team’s chances are relatively high, but not a sure thing. They see the team as a bit mediocre. For those interested, here are some notes from the CBS power rankings and the Maple Leafs NHL competition.
Bouchard is Oilers’ Best Offensive Defenceman Since Coffey
January 11, 2024 by Brian Swane
Evan Bouchard is playing the best hockey of his young NHL career for the Edmonton Oilers. The 24-year-old defenceman has honed his offensive game and made great strides defensively over the last several weeks since the Oilers hired Hall-of-Famer Paul Coffey as an assistant coach who works most closely with the team’s rearguards. So it’s perhaps not coincidental that Bouchard is now on course to have the greatest statistical season by an Edmonton defenceman since Coffey was leading rushes from the Oilers backend.
Through the first 37 games of Edmonton’s 2023-24 schedule, Bouchard has scored nine goals and assisted on 30 others to tie for third among all NHL defencemen with a total of 39 points. Meanwhile, his three game-winning goals (GWG) are the most by any blueliner in the NHL this season.
The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Midseason Rankings
January 11, 2024 by Logan Horn
Now that the 2023-24 NHL season is well underway, it’s time to update our ranking of the top 100 drafted NHL prospects. In the last year we’ve seen top prospects like Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson break into the NHL full-time, becoming important players for their respective teams. We’ve also seen prospects like Adam Fantilli, Kevin Korchinski and Pavel Mintyukov make their NHL debuts as well.
This year’s NHL rookie class is rightfully earning a lot of early attention, with a massive group of talented youngsters who each have a claim at the NHL’s Calder Memorial Trophy for the league’s best rookie. From Bedard and Fantilli to Logan Cooley and Luke Hughes, the NHL is experiencing a massive influx of young talent this season. Before we get into the top 100 prospect ranking update, here are a few notes on the criteria and content of this list.
Bruins Buy or Sell: DeBrusk, Lysell, Frederic & Heinen
January 11, 2024 by Scott Roche
Nearly halfway through the 2023-24 regular season, the Boston Bruins continue to lead the Atlantic Division ahead of the Florida Panthers who are just three points behind them. Since the three-day holiday break from Dec. 24-26, the Bruins have rebounded from their pre-break slump with some good performances to remain in first place in the division.
As the NHL season reaches its midway point for all teams, that means that the 2024 trade deadline on March 8 is going to come quickly. Some decisions are going to have to be made by general manager (GM) Don Sweeney as to whether or not his team will need an addition or two at the trade deadline to improve their roster for the stretch run into the spring. With all that said, it’s time for the latest Bruins Buy or Sell.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
Edmonton Oilers - Oilers’ Draisaitl Not Focused on Upcoming Extension Talks
New York Islanders - Is Oliver Wahlstrom’s Islanders Tenure Coming to an End?
Calgary Flames - Flames Signing Perry May Not Be as Crazy as It Sounds
NHL News & Rumors - Maple Leafs, Flyers, Flames, Perry Return
From TSN - Craig’s List: Dominant defencemen set to take over 2024 NHL Draft
From Sportsnet - NHL Power Rankings: Jets lead the way with halfway mark around the corner
From ESPN - Ducks lose Trevor Zegras for 6-8 weeks with broken ankle
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