Tag: NHL

  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – Vancouver Canucks

    2019-20 NHL Previews – Vancouver Canucks

    2018-19 Record: 35-36-11  81pts. – – 5th Place in Pacific

    Playoffs: Missed

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    VAN HomeVAN RoadVAN 50 Alt 1VAN 50 Alt 2

     

    Key Additions: F – Micheal Ferland, F – Justin Bailey, F – Tyler Graovac, D – Oscar Fantenberg, D – Tyler Myers, D – Jordie Benn, F – JT Miller

     

    Key Departures: F – Markus Granlund, D – Derrick Pouliot, F – Brendan Guance, D – Luke Schenn, F – Tom Pyatt, G – Marek Mazanec, F – Ryan Spooner

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    Entering their golden year, the Vancouver Canucks look to have a memorable 2019-20 season. Along with some new threads for the 50th year of the team, along with the return of the beautiful Black Skate jersey, the Canucks also did some retooling to their roster.

     

    The Canucks retooled half of their defense with the free agent signings of Tyler Myers, Jordie Benn, and Oscar Fantenberg. The Canucks also traded for JT Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning, and signed free agent forward Micheal Ferland. With the additions of Ferland, Benn, Myers, and Miller the Canucks added size, experience, toughness, and scoring to a team that ranked 26th last season in the latter department.

     

    The Canucks need to create some Cap space so they can re-sign restricted free agent forward Brock Boeser, but they also need to deal with forward Loui Eriksson who no longer wants to be in Vancouver. Could a trade or buyout of Eriksson help the case of signing Boeser, or could something else come into play to get Boeser signed to a new contract? One way or another the two are tied to eachother in this certain situation.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – Toronto Maple Leafs

    2019-20 NHL Previews – Toronto Maple Leafs

    2018-19 Record: 46-28-8  10pts. – – 3rd Place in Atlantic

    Playoffs: Lost in First Round to Boston

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    TOR HomeTOR Road

     

    Key Additions: F – Kenny Agostino, F – Nick Shore, D – Tyson Barrie, F – Alexander Kerfoot, D – Cody Ceci, D – Ben Harpur, F – Jason Spezza, F – Pontus Aberg, D – Jordan Schmaltz

     

    Key Departures: F – Tyler Ennis, D – Calle Rosen, F – Connor Brown, D – Nikita Zaitsev, F – Nazem Kadri,  D – Ron Hainsey, F – Patrick Marleau, F – Josh Jooris, D – Igor Ozhiganov, D – Andreas Borgman, G – Garret Sparks

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    For the Toronto Maple Leafs the continued journey to make it past the first round of the playoffs and deep into the playoffs for a chance at the Stanley Cup would be addressed with a pair of trades that saw the Maple Leafs send forward Nazem Kadri and defenseman Calle Rosen to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Tyson Barrie and forward Alexander Kerfoot. Then they would do a big six person trade that would see the Maple Leafs aqcuire defensemen Cody Ceci and Ben Harpur from the Ottawa Senators.

     

    The Maple Leafs would also trade forward Patrick Marleau to the Carolina Hurricanes, whould buy him out five days later, and then sign forward Jason Spezza to keep some veteran depth on the team.

     

    The Maple Leafs, however, have a much bigger concern and that is with restricted free agent forward Mitch Marner who could go the route of William Nylander, but actually miss the entire season instead of signing at the 11th hour. Last season Nylander set a very dangerous precedent for Toronto’s top restricted free agents, and we will see a repeat performance from Marner as the days move closer to the start of the 2019-20 NHL season.

     

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  • Capitals Announce 2019-20 Third Jersey Schedule

    Capitals Announce 2019-20 Third Jersey Schedule

    Today the Washington Capitals announced their 2019-20 third jersey schedule, which will see them wear the retro red, white, and blue jerseys in 12 homes games this season.

     

     

    The Capitals will wear their third jerseys in the following games this season with our jersey tracking to show the respective matchups:

    Nov. 11th – v. Arizona Coyotes

    ARI RoadWAS Alt

    Dec. 9th – v Columbus Blue Jackets

    CLB RoadWAS Alt

    Dec. 27th – v. Columbus Blue Jackets

    CLB RoadWAS Alt

    Dec. 31st – v. New York Islanders

    NYI RoadWAS Alt

    Jan. 11th – v. New Jersey Devils

    NJ RoadWAS Alt

    Jan. 16th – v. New Jersey Devils

    NJ RoadWAS Alt

    Feb. 2nd – v. Pittsburgh Penguins

    PIT RoadWAS Alt

    Feb. 8th – v. Philadelphia Flyers

    PHI RoadWAS Alt

    Feb. 10th – v. New York Islanders

    NYI RoadWAS Alt

    Feb. 23rd – v. Pittsburgh Penguins

    PIT RoadWAS Alt

    Mar. 4th – v. Philadelphia Flyers

    PHI RoadWAS Alt

    Mar. 26th – v. New York Rangers

    NYR RoadWAS Alt

     

    As seen the Capitals will wear their thirds against the Devils, Islanders, Blue Jackets, Penguins, and Flyers twice, and the Rangers and Coyotes once. Interestingly the Capitals will not be wearing their thirds against their other Metropolitan Division Rival Carolina Hurricanes who will wear their thirds against the Capitals on January 3rd in Raleigh, NC.

     

    It is very cool to know that the Capitals will be wearing their thirds against the Coyotes in November, and the Coyotes will do the same when they wear their Kachina jerseys in February against the Capitals, but I think it would be even cooler if the two teams wore their respective thirds in the same game against each other.

     

     

    *Feature Image courtesy of the Washington Capitals.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – Tampa Bay Lightning

    2019-20 NHL Previews – Tampa Bay Lightning

    2018-19 Record: 62-16-4  128pts. – – 1st Place in Atlantic and NHL

    Playoffs: Lost in First Round to Columbus

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    TB HomeTB RoadTB Alt

     

    Key Additions: G – Curtis McElhinney, D – Luke Witkowski, G – Scott Wedgewood, D – Luke Schenn, G – Marek Mazanec, G – Mike Condon, D – Kevin Shattenkirk

     

    Key Departures: D – Anton Stralman, F – Andy Andreoff, F – JT Miller, F – Ryan Callahan, D – Dan Girardi

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    Going into the 2019 Offseason the Tampa Bay Lightning were looking for answers after their shocking defeat at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets in four games. Given the salary cap space they had to work with the Lightning only made small depth moves instead of any larger moves.

     

    The Lightning would sign goalie Curtis McElhinney and defensemen Luke Schenn and Luke Witkowski, and then trade injured forward Ryan Callahan to Ottawa for goaltender Mike Condon. The trade being an obvious move to dump salary so they can re-sign restricted free agent forward Brayden Point.

     

    The Lightning will still be a dominant force this upcoming season, but will they coast through the season like they did last season, or will they hit some speed bumps along the way and force them to battle adversity? That will be the key to how the Lightning do during the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs.

     

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  • TXHT Podcast – A Conversation with Steve Seftel

    TXHT Podcast – A Conversation with Steve Seftel

    Ladies and Gentlemen the TXHT podcast is back a whole new episode as we are joined by former Washington Capitals player Steve Seftel.

     

    Audio:

     

    We speak with Seftel on a number topics including his hockey career, his time with the Washington Capitals, why he decided to write the book “Shattered Ice”, and why he felt that it was important to become an advocate for Mental Health.

     

    To Purchase “Shattered Ice” please click the picture of the book below.

    Shattered Ice Book Cover.png

     

     

    Opening Music:

    “Modern Guns” by Eyeshine

     

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  • Capitals Trim Roster by One

    Capitals Trim Roster by One

    Today the Washington Capitals have announced that they have trimmed their training camp roster to 34 before heading into the second half of the preseason.

     

    Sent to Hershey

    #27 – Alexander Alexeyev (D)

     

    This would be the Capitals lone roster cut before heading to Chicago for their three game road trip to finish the preseason.

     

    The Capitals are now carrying 19 forwards, 11 defensemen, and four goaltenders going into tonights preseason game against Chicago.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – St. Louis Blues

    2019-20 NHL Previews – St. Louis Blues

    2018-19 Record: 45-28-9  99pts – – 3rd Place in Central

    Playoffs: 2019 Stanley Cup Champions

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    STL HomeSTL RoadSTL AltSTL Heritage

     

    Key Additions: F – Nathan Walker, D – Jake Dotchin, D – Derrick Pouliot, D – Andreas Borgman, D – Justin Faulk

     

    Key Departures: D – Michael Del Zotto, G – Jared Coreau, D – Chris Butler, F – Nikita Soshnikov, D – Jakub Jerabek, F – Pat Maroon, D – Jordan Schmaltz, D – Joel Edmundson

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    After winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history this past summer, the St. Louis Blues will look to repeat as champions with their roster very near intact. First major move, and the only one really, was the official signing of Craig Berube as head coach and removing the interim label.

     

    For the Blues they went out and signed defensemen Jake Dotchin and Derrick Pouliot to add to their depth, as well as forward Nathan Walker who will be more of a fourth liner when in the lineup for the Blues.

     

    One of the big questions that will face the Blues is will goaltender Jordan Binnington live up to the hype in his first full NHL season? While what he did in the second half of last season and in the playoffs was miraculous, but can he build upon it and become the long term number one guy for the Blues in the years to come?

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – San Jose Sharks

    2019-20 NHL Previews – San Jose Sharks

    2018-19 Record: 46-27-9  101pts – – 2nd Place in Pacific

    Playoffs: Lost in Western Conference Finals to St. Louis

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    SJ HomeSJ RoadSJ Alt

     

    Key Additions: D – Nikolai Knyzhov, D – Dalton Prout, F – Tom Pyatt

     

    Key Departures: F – Gustav Nyquist, F – Joonas Donskoi, F – Joe Pavelski,  D – Joakim Ryan, D – Justin Braun

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    This offseason the San Jose Sharks made some questionable moves by re-signing “defenseman” Erik Karlsson, and allowing forwards Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi, and Gustav Nyquist, and defenseman Joakim Ryan to walk in free agency. Plus they are holding out hope that 40 year old forward Joe Thornton will return, and they traded away defenseman Justin Braun.

     

    With these moves the Sharks weakened themselves going into the 2019-20 NHL Season. They should have let Karlsson get overpaid for his lackluster defense and decaying offensive game by another team. He has been injury plagued the last few seasons, and that will be a note of concern for him too. The eight year contract the Sharks gave him will be regretted in the near future.

     

    Also with the departures of some of their key players, the Sharks lose a decent number of core players that have been major contributers to the team these last few seasons. Also with the prospect of getting forward Patrick Marleau back, and the attempts to bring back Joe Thornton, the Sharks do not look like a contender in our book.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – Pittsburgh Penguins

    2019-20 NHL Previews – Pittsburgh Penguins

    2018-19 Record: 44-26-12  100pts. – – 3rd Place in Metropolitan

    Playoffs: Lost in First Round to NY Islanders

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    PIT HomePIT RoadPIT Alt

     

    Key Additions: D – David Warsofsky, F – Brandon Tanev, F – Alex Galchenyuk, F – Dominik Kahun

     

    Key Departures: F – Matt Cullen, F – Phil Kessel, D – Olli Maatta

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    The Pittsburgh Penguins looked to the 2019 Offseason as an opportunity to change thier team in a few areas after being swept by the New York Islanders in the first round. One of the key move the Penguins did was part with forward Phil Kessel.

     

    Kessel, who spent four seasons with the Penguins, was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in return for forward Alex Galchenyuk and defensive prospect Pierre-Oliver Joseph. This will mark the third team in three years for Galcheyuk, and he will look to fill into Kessel’s spot in the top six and on the powerplay.

     

    Also with the trade of Kessel it would open up Cap space for the Penguins as they would sign forward Brandon Tanev to a six year contract. Also the Penguins would trade defenseman Olli Maatta to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Dominik Kahun. The Penguins still have some Cap issues that general manager Jim Rutherford will need to resolve going into the 2019-20 season.

     

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  • The Capitals Salary Crunch – A Case to Send Down Copley

    The Capitals Salary Crunch – A Case to Send Down Copley

    With NHL Training Camp in full swing, and the Washington Capitals having played through half of their preseason games to this point, there still is a looming question that the Capitals will need to answer and that involves the $1.3 million in salary they need to shed to get under the Salary Cap. So how should the Capitals go about doing this, and what are some trends we are seeing currently around the NHL that could give the Capitals the ability make such moves without having to do a trade or two to make it happen?

     

    So to recap real quick, through arbitration defenseman Christian Djoos was awarded a one year $1.25mil contract, and forward Chandler Stephenson was awarded a one year $1.05mil contract. The two contracts combined put the Capitals $1.3mil over the salary cap going into training camp. However, the Capitals will get minor relief for the first three games of the regular season as suspended forward Evgeny Kuznetsov’s cap hit will come off the books for the duration of his three game suspension. However, that will not help the Capitals in the long term, but a recent trend we have seen these last few days may help give the Capitals that long term solution. Waivers.

     

     

    In the last few days goalies Louis Domingue (TB), Mike Condon (TB), Garret Sparks (VGK), Oscar Dansk (VGK), Alex Lyon (PHI), and a few other NHL back up caliber goaltenders have been placed on waivers with the purpose of assignment. Some because teams are already in good shape with their goaltending, while others like Tampa Bay are doing it to help with the salary cap.

     

    Domingue is a cap hit of $1.15mil this season and Tampa Bay is still looking to re-sign restricted free agent forward Brayden Point, so the cap pressure is there for them. Sending Domingue down to the minors provides some of that relief.

     

    So what does this mean for the Capitals you are asking. Simple. The Capitals send Pheonix Copley down to Hershey. Now while Copley will need to go through waivers to be sent down to Hershey, and that leads the risk of someone claiming him, but that is not a bad thing because let’s say Copley does clear, and based off of what we have seen thus far all players are clearing at this time, then that means we can have Vitek Vanecek as Braden Holtby’s backup. Plus Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov are both waiver exempt this season so if the Capitals chose to they can have them rotate throughout the season so they both would be guaranteed playing time. Also with moving Copley that would free up $1.1mil in cap space for the Capitals.

     

    However that only gives the Capitals a little bit of relief as I would predict at least two more moves will need to be made, and they should come in the form of Chandler Stephenson being placed on waivers and keeping Shane Gersich, who is waiver exempt this season, and also Christian Djoos being placed on waivers and keeping either Tyler Lewington, who is not waiver exempt, or Colby Williams, who is waiver exempt.

     

    So here is a breakdown for those keeping track of the moves we would make.

     

    Placed on Waivers for Assignment:

    G – Pheonix Copley — $1.1mil

    F – Chandler Stephenson — $1.05mil

    D – Christian Djoos — $1.25mil

     

    Total Cap Space Cleared — $3.4mil

    Actual Cap Space Available — $2.1mil

     

    Players to Keep on Roster:

    G – Vitek Vanecek — $716,667

    F – Shane Gersich — $700k

    D – Tyler Lewington — $675k

     

    Cap Space Used — $2,091,667

    Cap Space Available — $8,333

     

    With this breakdown you can see that it’ll get the Capitals under the cap, but may still need to make another pair of moves to make themselves comfortable under the salary cap. The clock is ticking and only time will tell as to what the Capitals will do.

     

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