What a year can make regarding the ever-changing landscape of hockey affiliations. During the summer of 2023, the Carolina Hurricanes lost their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliation with the Chicago Wolves and entered a working agreement with the Norfolk Admirals. The Admirals were their primary ECHL affiliate team before they…
The Carolina Hurricanes are 80 days from their home opener and the season’s first game. They are scheduled to play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, Oct. 11, to kick off another season of Hurricanes hockey. However, there are still questions about the team that need to be answered. From…
While we count down the days, 80 for the Carolina Hurricanes, until opening night, fans are chomping for any content about their teams. Over the weekend, some Hurricanes went off to Prague, Czechia, and Finland to attend Sebastian Aho and former teammate Petr Mzarek’s weddings. Back in the U.S. however,…
Columbus Blue Jackets’ GM Don Waddell set out on a mission in his search for a head coach. The team was missing some key elements. In the hiring of Dean Evason, Waddell believes those missing pieces will fall into place. Both Waddell and Evason spoke to the media on Tuesday for the first time since the hiring was announced. It was abundantly clear what both men want to bring to the Blue Jackets. In both cases, each component was said by name 11 times each over the course of the availability. Those two components? Passion and structure. Why Evason Was…
A pair of “Original ”6 National Hockey League rivals made a one-sided trade on this date. Also, July 23 saw a long-time executive take a new job, the face of a franchise get traded to a new team and a rare NHL Entry Draft take place. The THW time machine has plenty of fuel to take us back through the decades to relive all the memories. Blackhawks Acquire Two Legends The Detroit Red Wings made a deal on July 23, 1957, that they went on to regret. They traded forward Ted Lindsay and goaltender Glenn Hall to the Chicago Blackhawks…
The long wait for an announcement is over. The Columbus Blue Jackets have found their next head coach. On Monday, the team announced that they’ve hired Dean Evason to run the bench. Evason was one of three reported finalists along with Todd McLellan and Jay Woodcroft. After the Blue Jackets could not come to an agreement with McLellan, they brought in both Evason and Woodcroft for interviews. In the end, it was the experience of Evason that won out. Reactions to Hiring GM Don Waddell said all along that he was looking for a head coach that would have NHL…
Every year, the Frank J. Selke Trophy is awarded to the NHL forward who possesses exceptional defensive skills. Following the end of the regular season, the Professional Hockey Writers Association determines who will become the top three finalists based on who has the highest number of votes. The Selke Trophy was first awarded in 1977-78 to Bob Gainey of the Montreal Canadiens, and Aleksander Barkov is the most recent winner of the coveted award. For the upcoming 2024-25 season, I think the New Jersey Devils will have a strong Selke contender with their captain, Nico Hischier. Hischier was a Selke…
New York City. The Big Apple. A city that never sleeps. It’s the biggest city in the United States and has no shortage of entertaining, exciting, and inspirational attractions. For hockey fans, the most important thing the city offers is three hockey teams the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders, and the New Jersey Devils just a train ride away in Newark, New Jersey. Related: Rangers’ Most Impactful Trades of All-Time For a lot of fans who travel to the city, it can be overwhelming and they end up arriving realizing they have a lot of unanswered questions. Where…
A pair of “Original ”6 National Hockey League rivals made a one-sided trade on this date. Also, July 23 saw a long-time executive take a new job, the face of a franchise get traded to a new team and a rare NHL Entry Draft take place. The THW time machine has plenty of fuel to take us back through the decades to relive all the memories. Blackhawks Acquire Two Legends The Detroit Red Wings made a deal on July 23, 1957, that they went on to regret. They traded forward Ted Lindsay and goaltender Glenn Hall to the Chicago Blackhawks…
The New York Islanders had a busy start to free agency, signing Anthony Duclair to a four-year contract and bringing back Mike Reilly on a one-year deal. From there, they re-signed Simon Holmstrom and some skaters to play in the AHL. While the moves so far have addressed some issues from last season, the team still needs to add upside, specifically in the bottom six. Luckily, free agent Alex Nylander is still available and would be a great fit. Who is Alex Nylander? Nylander is a 6-foot-1 winger who has 121 NHL games under his belt. At 28 years old,…
New York City. The Big Apple. A city that never sleeps. It’s the biggest city in the United States and has no shortage of entertaining, exciting, and inspirational attractions. For hockey fans, the most important thing the city offers is three hockey teams the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders, and the New Jersey Devils just a train ride away in Newark, New Jersey. Related: Rangers’ Most Impactful Trades of All-Time For a lot of fans who travel to the city, it can be overwhelming and they end up arriving realizing they have a lot of unanswered questions. Where…
Patrick Roy’s head coaching tenure with the New York Islanders is filled with promise and upside. He took over halfway through the 2023-24 season and willed the team to the playoffs by leading them to a 20-12-5 record down the stretch. Now, the hope is that Roy, with a full offseason to prepare, can help the Islanders take a big step forward and finish near the top of the Eastern Conference in 2024-25. Related: Ranking Patrick Roy Among NHL’s 2023-24 Midseason Coach Hirings He’s not like other coaches as he brings an energy and passion behind the bench unmatched by…
Free agents and contract extensions in the NHL can often be hit or miss. Just ask the New York Rangers, who have had their share of brutal contracts over the past decade. Related: Rangers Shouldn’t Rush Igor Shesterkin Extension Some of the worst comes from the Glen Sather era, which included Dan Girardi, who was later bought out after signing a six-year, $33 million contract extension in 2014. Or Barclay Goodrow’s long-term contract, which carried a $3.6 million cap charge, only to become an expensive fourth-line penalty kill specialist. But the Rangers have hit some home runs, and have some…
With much of the New York Rangers‘ defense corps suddenly in flux and shrouded in uncertainty, the Blueshirts are hoping the time has come for two of their young mainstays to step up in a big way in 2024-25. Those would be K’Andre Miller and Braden Schneider, the former first-round draft picks that got a late-season whirl as a pairing in 2023-24 and whom the Blueshirts need to make significant strides this coming season – perhaps taking over as the club’s matchup duo from the get-go. Miller, with four NHL seasons under his belt, and Schneider, with 2 1/2, had…
On this date, the Los Angeles Kings brought back one of the great players in their franchise’s history for the third time. Also, a dramatic coaching move was finally made official. Plus, some talented Stanley Cup winners are celebrating birthdays today. Let’s begin our daily trip back in time to relive all the best memories July 24 has given us. Robitaille Returns to Hollywood…Again The Kings signed free-agent forward Luc Robitaille on July 24, 2003. This marked the third time Robitaille wore a Kings sweater. He was originally one of the best draft picks in franchise history when he was…
The Philadelphia Flyers‘ stadium was finished being built all the way back in 1996, undergoing several name changes in the process. From 1996-1998, it was known as CoreStates Center. From 1998-2003, it was known as First Union Center. From 2003-2010, it was called Wachovia Center. Of course, from 2010 to the present, we know it as Wells Fargo Center. But after nearly a decade and a half of taking on the same name, Wells Fargo is dropping its naming rights due to an expiring contract. This change is set to take place following the 2024-25 season. (from ‘Wells Fargo to…
With their seventh and final pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers selected defenseman Austin Moline in his hometown of Las Vegas. A product of Shattuck-St. Mary’s boarding school in Faribault, Minnesota, the 6-foot-5, 201-pounder was selected in the seventh round, 205th overall. Related: Philadelphia Flyers 2024-25 Prospect Pyramid A physically imposing blueliner, Moline is the first player to be selected in the draft from “Sin City.” He is part of a solid Flyers’ draft class highlighted by first-round pick Jett Luchanko, which also includes one other defenseman and five forwards. A bit of a gamble on…
There are a lot of things that Matvei Michkov of the Philadelphia Flyers is. He combines an incredible hockey mind with dynamic talent in a way that is extremely rare to see out of prospects. But neither of those two things is his biggest asset. In fact, it has nothing to do with his on-ice abilities at all. What makes Michkov special is much simpler than that: it is his (borderline unhealthy) desire to win. Michkov’s Love for Hockey Is a Coach’s Dream On July 23, 2024, Michkov landed a 22-hour flight from Russia all the way to New York,…
When Kyle Dubas took over as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer, everyone knew he had his work cut out for him. The organization has been mismanaged for years, and there was no way all that damage would be fixed overnight. A year later, Dubas is still trying to untangle the Penguins’ mess. After missing the playoffs two years in a row and staying relatively quiet this offseason, no one is expecting much from the team heading into 2024-25. Has Dubas Done Enough This Offseason? Whether it’s fair to hold Dubas responsible for the Penguins’ current state no…
Patrick Roy’s head coaching tenure with the New York Islanders is filled with promise and upside. He took over halfway through the 2023-24 season and willed the team to the playoffs by leading them to a 20-12-5 record down the stretch. Now, the hope is that Roy, with a full offseason to prepare, can help the Islanders take a big step forward and finish near the top of the Eastern Conference in 2024-25. Related: Ranking Patrick Roy Among NHL’s 2023-24 Midseason Coach Hirings He’s not like other coaches as he brings an energy and passion behind the bench unmatched by…
It may seem cut and dry who the top defenseman in Pittsburgh Penguins history is, but the players leading up to it have made a case for themselves. While the Penguins’ franchise isn’t a gold mine of elite, long-term defenders, they have had some luxuries over their 56-year history. Before we go any further, a couple of honorable mentions should be given. First, to Doug Bodger for being a top-10 pick by the Penguins the same year they drafted Mario Lemieux. Talk about a shadow to play in. Bodger started his 16-year career in Pittsburgh after being the 9th overall pick…
The Edmonton Oilers have hired a new general manager and despite the inevitable PR issues that will come with the hire, Stan Bowman is now calling the shots. Meanwhile, Cliff Fletcher has renewed his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Finally, Evgeny Kuznetsov is rumored to be headed to the KHL, but his agent has said the forward is waiting to see if any NHL teams make him an offer worth sticking around for. And, what will the Washington Capitals do with the money that was freed up by his contract termination? Oilers to Introduce Stan Bowman a GM The…
The Washington Capitals have been fortunate in their history to have many solid defensemen play for the organization. They had Kevin Hatcher, Larry Murphy, and Rod Langway during the earlier parts of their history. One of the best blueliners they ever drafted, though, was Scott Stevens. He was selected with the fifth-overall pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft and made an immediate impact when he joined the team for the 1982-83 season. In 77 regular-season games, Stevens posted nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points. He only continued to become a bigger point producer on the back end…
When the 2007 NHL Entry Draft was underway, the top two picks were Patrick Kane to the Chicago Blackhawks and James van Riemsdyk to the Philadelphia Flyers. James van Riemsdyk became a solid NHL winger between two stints in Philadelphia and other tenures with the Toronto Maple Leafs and, most recently, the Boston Bruins. James, currently a free agent, has been a solid complementary scorer for the teams he has played on. In 1,011 regular-season games, he accrued 311 goals and 318 assists for 629 points. He also has 36 playoff points in 82 games (21 goals and 15 assists)….