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  • Pesce, Noesen, Dillion Make Deals With the Devils

    Pesce, Noesen, Dillion Make Deals With the Devils

    Happy July 1st and the opening of NHL Free Agency! It didn’t take long for the New Jersey Devils to pounce as they brought in three new key pieces to the lineup. First, it started with the signing of former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce to a six year thirty-three million dollar deal with an annual average value of 5.5 million. Then, New Jersey signed big bodied and physical defenseman Brenden Dillon formerly of the Winnipeg Jets to a three year twelve million dollar deal with an annual average value of four million. Finally, the Devils reunited with a familiar face in Stefan Noesen (once a Devil and now former Carolina Hurricane) to a three year deal worth $8,250,000 and with an annual average value of $2,750,000 per season. Below are the announcements of the deals from the New Jersey Devils and my reaction to them:

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    New Jersey Devils signing announcements

    Brett Pesce

    Stefan Noesen

    Brenden Dillon

    Scott’s Take

    I’m loving the moves GM Tom Fitzgerald is making so far this offseason. He’s actually taking steps to correct areas the Devils were having issues with last year which were goaltending and on defense. Obviously I loved getting Jacob Markstrom in net but, Pesce & Dillon will definitely make his job much much easier. Brett Pesce is a defensively and positional sound defenseman who is an upgrade over John Marino who was dealt away to the Utah hockey club at the draft. Braden Dillon is a tough, rugged, & physical defender that the Devils have been lacking since former Devil Ryan Graves left for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    Getting Stefan Noesen back is the cherry on top of an already delicious sundae today. He will provide depth and can chip in here and there on the goal scoring sheet with a timely goal. I do think GM Fitzgerald has one more card left up his sleeve to play as he looks to add another forward to the top six group. Does that mean recent Stanley Cup champion and free agent Vladimir Tarasenko could be an option? He certainly could be. We’ll have to wait and see what’s next. For now, the New Jersey Devils are an already well improved squad that should get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Till the next cards get played, we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

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  • Washington Capitals Acquire Andrew Mangiapane in Trade

    Washington Capitals Acquire Andrew Mangiapane in Trade

    As we prepare for the 2024 NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals would acquire forward Andrew Mangiapane from the Calgary Flames.

    A week after the Caps made their first big move of the offseason when they traded goaltender Darcy Kuemper for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, General Manager Brian MacLellan would continue to make moves as he would trade Colorado’s 2025 second round pick (from the Lars Eller trade) to the Flames for forward Andrew Mangiapane.

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    The Player

    Mangiapane made his debut with Calgary during the 2017-18 season where he would play ten games, but would not record any points. Then during the 2018-19 season Mangiapane would play in 44 games for his rookie season and record eight goals and five assists for 13 points. He would then record 32 points in both the shortened 2019-20 (17g, 15a) and 2020-21 (18g, 14a) seasons. In what would be his first full NHL season, Mangiapane would play in all 82 games and record a career high 35 goals and 20 assists for also a career high 55 points.

    Then in the past two seasons, Mangiapane would crack 40 points as he would record 17 goals and 26 assists in 2022-23, and 14 goals and 26 assists in 2023-24. Mangiapane would also be a combined +39 his past three seasons. Overall in 417 games played, Mangiapane has 109 goals and 106 assists for 215 points.

    In the playoffs, Mangiapane has appeared in the playoffs three times with the Flames where he has played in a combined 27 games, and has recorded six goals and six assists for 12 points.

    The Contract

    Mangiapane will be entering the final year of a three year contract that he signed in the summer of 2022. His salary cap hit will be $5.8 million, and as part of the trade, the Flames did not retain any salary, so the Caps will be on the hook for the full amount during the 2024-25 season. Mangiapane’s deal also carries a Modified No Trade Clause where he needs to submit an 8 team no trade list. Mangiapane will be an unrestricted free agent when the 2024-25 season has concluded.

    Overall Thoughts

    Overall, I love this trade. Mangiapane is someone I’ve always liked on the Flames, and is someone who has also brought good fantasy value for those that do Fantasy Hockey. I can see that the change of scenery will be good for Mangiapane, and he is someone that you can plug in the middle six part of the lineup. I also wouldn’t be surprised if he gets some looks on the powerplay and penalty kill as well. I’m very interested to see how Spencer Carbery will utilize him this upcoming season.

    Also, this goes without saying, but I’d probably expect Mangiapane to wear 88 this season, but we’ll see.

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  • Breaking Down the Caps 50th Anniversary Branding

    Breaking Down the Caps 50th Anniversary Branding

    It has finally come! The Washington Capitals unveiled their 50th Anniversary branding on Monday morning, and there is so much to take in and breakdown in regard to what we’ll be seeing for the next year.

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    The 50th Anniversary Logo

    Taking a look at the Primary Logo first, we have a sleek, retro look that features the original lowercase Capitals font in it’s reverse-italic design that debuted back in 1974. The logo features the original Capitals wordmark up above the number 50 with the iconic Stick and Puck that has always been associated with the Capitals logos throughout their history. Underneath the “5” you see it say “Est. 1974” to recognize the year the team was established, and at the very bottom we see five stars alternating between red and blue. The stars represent how many decades the Capitals have been in the DMV. The colors for the primary logo use the original red and blue that were used back in 1974 to give it that true retro feel.

    Overall, I like it. It’s a simple logo that does what it’s supposed to do and pay tribute to the past, and that’s all that really needed to be accomplished.

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    Jersey Patch

    Moving onto the jersey patch, the Capitals are utilizing what they are calling the secondary logo for the 50th Anniversary. Same style font and look with the 50 and stick and puck, but this time it has a more 3D feel to it which allows for it to pop more when it’s on the jersey. Gone are the stars and the “Capitals”, but the “Est 1974” remains but in a cut ribbon fashion. Again, an overall solid look.

    One other thing that I like about this is that the patch’s colors match that of the jersey it is on. So for the home and road jerseys, the patches will be in the current red and navy blue, so it blends really nicely with the jersey.

    However, with that said, where it’s going to be placed on the home jersey is very disappointing. Due to the ill-advised ad patch for that sportsbook, the 50th Anniversary patch will not sit on the right breast like tradition usually has it at, but instead it will be placed on the left breast of the jersey where the C and A’s go for Alex Ovechkin and the rest of the leadership group. This will lead to clunkiness, and will not look appealing at all. I dread media day and seeing those player head shots with the patch on it with a C or A next to it.

    I would expect that on the road white jerseys the 50th Anniversary patch would be on the right breast like normal.

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    Alternative Logos

    Next up we have the alternate logos, and we’re also going to include the wordmarks here too. For the alternative logo the Capitals placed their primary 50th Anniversary logo in a circle border that is blue but with a white filling for the background. Now I know what you’re thinking, that’s not much of an alternate, and you’re right, but it’s what they are doing with the alternate that makes me excited.

    So we know the primary logo is in the 1974 red, white, and blue, but as we have learned through both the info graphics, and in the promotional video introducing the 50th Anniversary logo, but there will be a “90’s Era” version and a “Modern Era” version. The primary is in what the Capitals are calling “Caps Classic”. The “90’s Era” is the one I’m personally more excited for as it features the Blue, Black, and Bronze colors. As of now we don’t know how often we’re going to get to see these colors, but I’m hoping that it’ll be just as frequent as the other versions. The third version is obviously the “Modern Era” with the current colors, and it looks fine.

    Wordmarks

    Looking at the wordmarks for the Capitals, they took a page from the secondary logo, and gave it a more 3D look to it which makes it standout really nicely. The three versions they have say “Capitals 50th”, “Capitals 50th Anniversary” with anniversary underneath Capitals 50th, and “Capitals 50th Anniversary” with all three in a straight line. For all three they utilize the secondary logo for the “50”. As of now we have only seen the wordmarks int eh 1974 colors, and will be interesting to see if they release them in the 90’s and Modern era versions.

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  • NHL Daily – Panthers Make History with the Cup

    NHL Daily – Panthers Make History with the Cup

    The Florida Panthers would make history as they would win Game 7 to earn their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

    NHL News and Notes from Monday, June 24th, 2024

    News

    • In celebration of their upcoming 50th Anniversary, the Washington Capitals unveiled their 50th anniversary logo and branding.

    • The Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins would make a trade.
      • The Senators acquired goaltender Linus Ullmark.
      • The Bruins acquired goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, forward Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 1st Rd Pick (BOS).
        • Ottawa retains 25% of Korpisalo’s salary.

    • Despite being on the losing end, Edmonton Oilers forward and captain Connor McDavid was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy.

    PWHL News

    • Ottawa would sign forward Rebecca Leslie to a one year deal.

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    Game Recaps

    Edmonton Oilers v. Florida Panthers – Game 7 – 8p ET

    • In the final game of the 2023-24 NHL season, the Florida Panthers would play host to the Edmonton Oilers for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and one way or another, history will be made. In the first period Carter Verhaeghe would open the scoring for the Panthers to take the 1-0 lead, but Mattias Janmark would score a little over two minutes later to tie the game at one for the Oilers. Then in the second period, both teams would generate some great chances, but after a missed opportunity for the Oilers, it would be Sam Reinhart with the tally to retake the lead for the Panthers. Going into the third period all of the pressure would fall on the Oilers as they would like to tie the game at two, and the Panthers defense and Sergei Bobrovsky would stand up to the task to keep the Oilers off the board and win Game 7 2-1 to become the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions.

    Today’s Games

    • No Games Scheduled

    Noteworthy in Hockey

    • Capitals Unveil 50th Anniversary Logo, First Look At Fanatics Jersey (The Hockey News)
    • Capitals Launch 50th Anniversary Campaign and Unveil Commemorative Logo (Uni-Watch)
    • Washington Capitals Celebrate 50th Anniversary With New Logos, Patches, and More (SportsLogos.net)
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  • NHL Daily – The Final Sleep

    NHL Daily – The Final Sleep

    It is the final sleep before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final takes place in Florida. Will Edmonton complete the reverse sweep? Plus PWHL News from the weekend.

    NHL News and Notes from Sunday, June 23rd, 2024

    PWHL News

    • In the PWHL, Toronto would make some under the radar (or at least TXHT’s radar) signings.
      • On Thursday Toronto would sign forward Emma Woods to a two year deal.

    • Then on Friday, Toronto would sign forward Daryl Watts to a two year deal.

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    Game Recaps

    • No Games Scheduled

    Today’s Games

    • EDM v. FLA – Game 7 – 8p ET

    Noteworthy in Hockey

    • 32 Thoughts Podcast: The Really Did It… (SportsNet)
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  • NHL Daily – One. More. Game.

    NHL Daily – One. More. Game.

    One. More. Game. That’s what we’ll need as the Oilers become the first team since 1945 to force a Game 7 after going down 3-0 in the Final.

    NHL News and Notes from Friday, June 21st, 2024

    News

    • Andrew Cogliano announced his retirement from the NHL.
      • Cogliano play 17 seasons in the NHL for the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, and Anaheim Ducks.

    • The Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they have re-signed forward Yegor Chinakov.
      • Chinakov would sign a two year deal with a $2.1 million AAV per season.

    • The Arizona Coyotes announced that the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) has unilaterally canceled the auction that was scheduled to occur on June 27th for the site that was identified as the future home of the Coyotes.

    PWHL News

    • In the PWHL, Toronto announced that they have re-signed forward Hannah Miller to a one year deal.

    • Montreal signed their 2024 1st round pick defender Cayla Barnes to a three year deal.

    • Minnesota would make a series of signings.
      • First they would sign a pair of draft picks as forwards KlĂĄra HymlĂĄrovĂĄ and Britta Curl would both sign two year deals.

      • Then Minnesota would re-sign forwards Liz Schepers and Michela Cava to one year deals, and forward Denisa Krizova to a one year extension to have her contract run through the 2025-26 season.

    • Boston announced that they signed forward Lexie Adzija to a one year deal.

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    Game Recaps

    Florida Panthers v. Edmonton Oilers – Game 6 – 8p ET

    • Back in Edmonton for the final time for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers look to send the series back to Florida for Game 7 while the Panthers would have other ideas, and in the first period Warren Foegele would strike to give the Oilers the 1-0 lead. In the second period Adam Henique would score to grow the Oilers lead to two, and while the Panthers thought they would get themselves back within one ten seconds late, the Oiler would be successful with the coach’s challenge to keep the Panthers off the board. Late in the second period Zach Hyman would score on a breakaway to give the Oilers the 3-0 lead going into the second intermission. Then in the third period Aleksander Barkov would strike for the Panthers to get them on the board, but Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse would score a pair of empty netters to give the Oilers the 5-1 victory over the Panthers to tie the series at three and force Game 7 for Monday night in Florida.
    https://youtu.be/luWWiJWergk?si=2cNjDzwkwr6XOPju

    Today’s Games

    • No Games Scheduled

    Noteworthy in Hockey

    • Color of Hockey: Tennessee State unveils first-ever hockey jersey for HBCU team (NHL.com)
    • Kuemper Reflects On His Tenure With Capitals: ‘Really Tough, Really Frustrating At Times’ (The Hockey News)
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  • NHL Daily – One Rebrand and PWHL Signings

    NHL Daily – One Rebrand and PWHL Signings

    As we await Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, we would see the Kings do a rebrand plus multiple signings in the PWHL.

    NHL News and Notes from Thursday, June 20th, 2024

    NHL News

    • The Los Angeles Kings debuted new branding for the team going into the 2024-25 season.
      • The Kings are returning to their Gretzky Era look, but with a more modernized design.
      • New jerseys for the rebrand will be unveiled next week.

    • The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have re-signed goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.
      • Nedeljkovic would sign a two year deal with an AAV of $2.5 million per season.

    • The Washington Capitals would announce their 2024-25 preseason schedule.
      • With the Caps entering their 50th Anniversary, the graphic hints at what they could be doing to celebrate the special milestone season.

    PWHL News

    • In the PWHL there would be a series of signings. Starting in Toronto, they would re-sign defender Allie Munroe to a two year deal.

    • Boston would re-sign four players to new deals.
      • Forward Hannah Brandt would sign a two year deal.
      • Defender Emily Brown would sign a tow year deal.
      • Defender Sidney Morin would sign a one year deal.
      • Sophie Shirley would sign a two year deal.

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    Game Recaps

    • No Games Scheduled

    Today’s Games

    • FLA v. EDM – Game 6 – 8p ET

    Noteworthy in Hockey

    • ‘NHL in ASL’ provides unique viewing experience for deaf, hard of hearing fans (NHL.com)
    • Jeff Marek Show: Breaking down the Blockbusters (SportsNet)
    • Jeff Marek Show: What the Caps are Getting with PLD (SportsNet)
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  • NHL Daily – Goalies on the Move

    NHL Daily – Goalies on the Move

    Goalies would be on the move as Jacob Markstrom would move to New Jersey and Darcy Kuemper would go to Los Angeles in a pair of trades.

    NHL News and Notes from Wednesday, June 19th, 2024

    News

    • The New Jersey Devils and the Calgary Flames would make a trade.
      • The Devils would acquire goaltender Jacob Markstrom.
        • Flames retain 31.25% of Markstrom’s salary.
      • The Flames would acquire defenseman Kevin Bahl and a 2025 1st Rd Pick.
        • The 2025 1st Rd Pick is Top 10 protected.
    • Devils Make Their “Mark”strom (TXHT Trade Recap)

    • The San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars would make a trade.
      • The Sharks would acquire forward Ty Dellandrea.
      • The Stars would acquire a 2025 4th Rd Pick (via WIN).

    • The San Jose Sharks announced that they have claimed forward Barclay Goodrow off of waivers from the New York Rangers.

    • The Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings would make a trade.
      • The Capitals would acquire forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.
      • The Kings would acquire goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

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    Game Recaps

    • No Games Scheduled

    Today’s Games

    • No Games Scheduled

    Noteworthy in Hockey

    • 32 Thoughts Podcast: The Rat Pack Is Dragged Back To Edmonton (SportsNet)
    • LeBrun: As Oilers shift momentum in Stanley Cup Final, all eyes on a comeback (The Athletic – $)
    • How the Oilers got closer to making epic Stanley Cup Final feat a reality (The Athletic – $)
    • Johnston: Connor McDavid rises to the moment in the biggest game of his career (The Athletic – $)
    • Pressure mounts on Panthers as they try to avoid historic Stanley Cup collapse (The Athletic – $)
    • Yes, Pierre-Luc Dubois Has A Reputation And Comes With Risk. But That Gamble May Just Be Worth It — And More — For The Capitals (The Hockey News)
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  • Devils Make Their “Mark”strom

    Devils Make Their “Mark”strom

    In the midst of the Stanley Cup final still going on, we have a pre-offseason splash of a trade that went down today between the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom is on his way to the Garden State to become the Devils number one goalie in between the pipes after agreeing to to waive his no trade clause. This is a previously rumored trade that has been in discussion between the two teams heading up to the trade deadline that didn’t come into fruition until today.

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    New Jersey is sending defenseman Kevin Bahl and a 2025 first round draft pick that is top ten lottery protected in exchange for Markstrom. The Calgary Flames are also retaining slightly over thirty percent of Markstrom’s salary in this trade as well. Below is an announcement from the Devils with details of the trade and my reaction to Markstrom becoming a Devil:

    NJ Devils trade announcement

    Scott’s take

    This was a trade the New Jersey Devils had to and wanted to make going back to the trade deadline. Goaltending besides health was a HUGE problem for the team. Vitek Vanecek (who was eventually traded to San Jose) & Akira Schmid last season in particular demonstrated they were not the answer in goal for the team going forward. Getting Markstrom to pair with Jake Allen who was acquired at the deadline turns what once was a weakness now into a strength. There’s no doubt about who the number one goalie is anymore as we’ve all seen what Jacob Markstrom can do in net and is a former Vezina trophy finalist. Allen is a great backup with plenty of experience and has won a Stanley Cup previously with the St. Louis Blues. I’m looking forward to seeing a more stabilized & well performing goalie tandem in New Jersey.

    As for what the Devils are giving up, they are losing Kevin Bahl who’s starting to figure out what it takes to be a reliable and dependable NHL defenseman. Bahl can be a tough, mean, and nasty defender to play against who has great size to use to his advantage. On the other hand, the Devils have plenty of upcoming defense prospects who are ready to play with plenty of talent. As they say, you have to give something to get something.

    Now to the draft pick. The fact New Jersey was able to hold onto this years number ten overall pick and lottery protect next years first rounder are great signs. I anticipate the Devils using this years pick to either acquire a top six forward or top four defenseman. This gives them the flexibility to go out and make a big move to help improve the team and get them back into the playoffs. By protecting next year‘s pick, it definitely helps because next year’s draft is supposed to be really deep with a very good prospect pool.ïżŒ Overall, this trade is a win win for the New Jersey Devils. Stay tuned as the offseason heat will get turned up soon after the Stanley Cup has been awarded.

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  • NHL Daily – Oilers Make History to Force Game 6

    NHL Daily – Oilers Make History to Force Game 6

    The Edmonton Oilers would make history as they would become the first road team to win Game 5 after going down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final.

    NHL News and Notes from Tuesday, June 18th, 2024

    News

    • On Monday the Columbus Blue Jackets announced that they have relieved Pascal Vincent as Head Coach.
      • Vincent took over right before the start of training camp going into the 2023-24 season after Mike Babcock resigned.

    • The Carolina Hurricanes announced that they have named Eric Tulsky as their new General Manager.

    • The New York Rangers placed forward Barclay Goodrow on waivers.

    • The Vancouver Canucks announced that they have signed defenseman Filip Hronek to a new contract.
      • Hronek agreed to an eight year deal that carries an AAV of $7.25 million per season.

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    Game Recaps

    Edmonton Oilers v. Florida Panthers – Game 5 – 8p ET

    • Back in Florida for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers look to try again to finish off the Edmonton Oilers, but this time at home, and in the first period Connor Brown would strike shorthanded to give the Oilers the 1-0 lead. In the second period Zach Hyman and Corey Perry would both score powerplay goals while Connor McDavid would score for the Oilers, but goals from Matthew Tkachuk and Evan Rodrigues would get the Panthers on the board as the Oilers would take a 4-2 lead into the second intermission. Then in the third period Oliver Ekman-Larsson would strike early for the Panthers to pull within one, but with 19 seconds left, McDavid would net his second of the game with an empty netter, which also featured an amazing defensive effort by Tkachuk moments earlier, as the Oilers would force Game 6 on Friday night back home in Edmonton with the 5-3 victory.
    https://youtu.be/PM3aa4Vn28E?si=4ujCmGeNAQ1lvYvw

    Today’s Games

    • No Games Scheduled

    Noteworthy in Hockey

    • Blue Jackets’ firing of Pascal Vincent is no surprise, but they also did him no favors (The Athletic – $)
    • Report: Capitals Among Players To Sign Jake Guentzel This Summer (The Hockey News)
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