X75 Productions

Tag: NHL

  • Capitals Trim Training Camp Roster to 35

    Capitals Trim Training Camp Roster to 35

    Today the Washington Capitals have announced that they have trimmed their training camp roster down to 35 after sending the following players to Hershey of the AHL.

     

    Sent to Hershey

    #84 – Kristofers Bindulis (D)

    #46 – Tobias Geisser (D)

    #36 – Connor Hobbs (D)

    #45 – Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (F)

    #49 – Brett Leason (F)

    #16 – Philippe Maillet (F)

    #88 – Bobby Nardella (D)

    #40 – Garrett Pilon (F)

    #91 – Joe Snively (F)

     

    In total the Capitals cut four defensemen and five forwards. None of the roster moves made today were that surprising. Both Brett Leason and Joe Snively were not going to make the opening night roster, and both will spend the season in Hershey to get a full year under their belts in the pros. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby should also be a main fixture in Hershey this season and also get a full year in North America to gain experience playing the North American style.

     

     

    The Capitals are now carrying 19 forwards, 12 defensemen, and four goaltenders. The Capitals are still running two groups with the Blue group consisting of the majority of the Capitals opening night roster while the Red group features a decent number of the opening night roster as well.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – Philadelphia Flyers

    2019-20 NHL Previews – Philadelphia Flyers

    2018-19 Record: 37-37-8  82pts. – – 6th Place in Metropolitan

    Playoffs: Missed

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    PHI HomePHI RoadPHI Alt

     

    Key Additions: D – Nate Prosser, F – Kurtis Gabriel, F – Andy Anderoff,  F  -Tyler Pitlick, D – Justin Braun, D – Matt Niskanen, F – Kevin Hayes, Coach – Alain Vigneault

     

    Key Departures: F – Justin Bailey, F – Phil Varone, G – Cam Talbot, F – Ryan Hartman, D – Radko Gudas, F – Jori Lehtera, G – Michal Neuvirth, D – Andrew MacDonald

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    For the Philadelphia Flyers change was abundantly clear and it took form before the start of Free Agency on July 1st when the Flyers hired Alain Vigneault as their new head coach.

     

    General Manager Chuck Fletcher would not stop there as he would trade for teh negotiating rights with center Kevin Hayes, whom they would sign to a seven year contract. The Fletcher would trade defenseman Radko Gudas to the Washington Capitals for right handed shot defenseman Matt Niskanen, and then in another trade would acquire right handed shot defenseman Justin Braun from the San Jose Sharks. The Flyers would also re-sign goaltender Brian Elliott to work with Carter Hart, who will be looked to as the number one goalie in his first full NHL season.

     

    With all of these moves the Flyers add veteran experience, and also give the Flyers a boost to their lineup. One could expect the Flyers being Playoff contenders this upcoming season.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – Ottawa Senators

    2019-20 NHL Previews – Ottawa Senators

    2018-19 Record: 29-47-6  64pts. – – 8th Place in Atlantic

    Playoffs: Missed

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    OTT HomeOTT Road

     

    Key Additions: F – Tyler Ennis, F – Connor Brown, D – Nakita Zaitsev, D – Ron Hainsey, Coach – DJ Smith, F – Artem Anisimov, F – Ryan Callahan (injured)

     

    Key Departures: F – Darren Archibald, F – Brian Gibbons, D – Cody Ceci, D – Ben Harpur, F – Zack Smith, G – Mike Condon

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    The Ottawa Senators are a team looking for an identity after the free fall they have been going through these last few seasons. Their first big change came when they hired DJ King as their new head coach. Following that some trades would be made to see if they can improve their overall team.

     

    The Senators would go out and trade forward Zack Smith to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Artem Anisimov. Then in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs they would acquire defender Nikita Zaitsev and forward Connor Brown. Then the Senators would sign aging defenseman Ron Hainsey and forward Tyler Ennis from Toronto.

     

    Despite these moves, the Senators are still in trouble. DJ King has a long uphill battle to help remold the Senators back into being a respectable team again. Goal scoring is going to be paramount. Youngster Brady Tkachuk is showing great promise, but to put all of that responsibility will be a tough task to carry. Only time will tell to see how the Senators pan out this season.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – New York Rangers

    2019-20 NHL Previews – New York Rangers

    2018-19 Record: 32-36-14  78pts. – – 7th Place in Metropolitan

    Playoffs: Missed

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    NYR HomeNYR Road

     

    Key Additions: F – Kaapo Kakko, F – Greg McKegg, F – Artemi Panarin, D – Jacob Trouba, D – Adam Fox, F – Phillip Di Giuseppe

     

    Key Departures: G – Dustin Tokarski, F – Jimmy Vesey, D – Neal Pionk, D – Kevin Shattenkirk

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    For the New York Rangers the 2019 Offseason wasn’t just a part of the rebuild process for the Rangers, but that of a statement that the Rangers are looking to come back to dominance with the hopes to give their aging cornerstone Henrik Lunqvist one more chance at a Stanley Cup. The key to the Rangers moves this offseason amounted in one trade, a free agent signing, and a draft pick.

     

    First we will look at the trade that bolstered the Rangers defense with the addition of Jacob Trouba, whom the Rangers acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for Neal Pionk and the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Trouba will add size and defensive stability. Rangers also made a trade back in April for defensive prospect Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes, and Fox is expected to be in the Rangers Opening Day lineup depending on how he impresses at training camp.

     

    Next up you had the big free agent signing of forward Artemi Panarin, which many believed would have gone to Florida with Sergei Bobrovsky, who gives the Rangers a legitimate scoring threat. Panarin will also provide a boost to the Rangers powerplay which will be much needed.

     

    Then lastly the Rangers hit the jackpot with with the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft when they selected forward Kaapo Kakko. This past season alone Kakko helped Finland win the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the 2019 IIHF World Championship. Kakko will be viewed as the future of the franchise in the years to come.

     

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  • Capitals Trim Training Camp Roster to 44

    Capitals Trim Training Camp Roster to 44

    Today the Washington Capitals announced that they have trimmed their training camp roster down to 44 after making the following moves.

     

    Loaned to Juniors

    #24 – Connor McMichael (F) (London; OHL)

    #59 – Aliaksei Protas (F) (Prince Albert; WHL)

    #58 – Eric Florchuk (F) (Saskatoon; WHL)

    #53 – Alex Kannok-Leipert (D) (Vancouver: WHL)

     

    Returned to Europe

    #94 – Damian Riat (F) (Biel; Swiss NLA)

     

    Sent to Hershey

    #71 – Kody Clark (F) (Injury Rehabilitation – Upper Body)

    #67 – Riley Sutter (F) (Injury Rehabilitation – Upper Body)

    #82 – Casey Bailey (F)

    #80 – Erik Burgdoerfer (D)

    #56 – Tommy Hughes (D)

    #89 – Kale Kessy (F)

    #73 – Chris McCarthy (F)

    #25 – Matt Moulson (F)

    #35 – Logan Thompson (G)

    #86 – Matthew Weis (F)

    #85 – Steven Whitney (F)

     

    Released from ATO

    #60 – Beck Warm (G)

    #31 – Hayden Hawkey (G)

     

    In total the Capitals cut three goaltenders, three defensemen, and 12 forwards. The most surprising roster cut is that of forward Connor McMichael who was the Capitals first overall pick in this past summer’s NHL Draft. From what we saw in the first two preseason games he looked solid, and played well with who is was put with. McMichael may not have made the opening night roster, but an extended look was more or less expected for him. The Capitals obviously saw enough and told him what he needed to work on under Dale Hunter in London this season.

     

     

    The Capitals are now carrying 24 forwards, 16 defensemen, and 4 goaltenders. The Capitals have also gone from three groups to two with the Blue group consisting of what the NHL roster will look like with the possible exception of Vitek Vanecek as Braden Holtby’s backup, as Pheonix Copley will be looked to fill that role once again this season.

     

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  • TXHT Card Share – 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee

    TXHT Card Share – 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee

    Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of TXHT Card Share as we take a look at the latest Upper Deck release with the 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee set.

     

     

    O-Pee-Chee is one of the longer running sets when it comes to hockey and is usually the first one to offer a massive set to start the season with their 600 card set. The set includes 500 common base cards and 100 short print cards which covers 50 Marquee Rookies, 31 team checklists, 10 season highlights, and 9 League leaders cards.

     

    20190912_122839

     

    For the Rookies it is the same deal as with MVP as players like Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko will be added later in the season as part of the update packs, but you still get players like Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Filip Zadina, and many other rookies. Also just like MVP because it was being printed during Free Agency you still have players with the teams they finished 2018-19 with like with Phil Kessel with the Pittsburgh Penguins instead of the Arizona Coyotes.

     

     

    O-Pee-Chee also comes with its own inserts and specialty cards, and one of the main stays of the O-Pee-Chee series has been the retro editions of the base set cards. there are also parallels to the base cards as well. for the parallels there are Blue Border cards (1:3 packs) and Gold Glossy Border (1:24 packs), plus for the Retro (1 per pack) there is a special Hobby box exclusive Retro Black Border (#/100).

     

     

    O-Pee-Chee has also brought back the Playing Cards (#2 to King – 1:5 packs) and short print Aces (1:120 packs). The playing cards is very creative and has been done the last couple of seasons, and is always a welcome sub set to collect. Also there is a new sub set known as Caramels which honors the retro design with 2″ x 3.5″ sizing. They average 1:5 packs for the base cards, with the 40 card set also features six short prints (1:44 packs) and six super short prints (1:88 packs). For the Blaster boxes they have exclusive Caramel Border Parallels for the base (1:9 packs), short print (1:76 packs), and supershort print (1:152 packs).

     

     

    There are also 2019 Stanley Cup Final Moments (1:360 packs), In Action (1:1152 packs), and Retro High Series Cup Captain (1:4608 packs) cards. O-Pee-Chee Patches also returns, and this season features trophy winners along with Hall of Fame logos and some logo updates from past seasons sets. The Patches are exclusive to the Hobby boxes and range from 1:937 packs to 1:18,750 packs for the odds of pulling one.

     

    Overall the 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee set is a solid one and for those who wanted to do some bigger set building, this will keep you occupied in building the full 600 card set until November when the next big set debuts with 2019-20 Upper Deck Series 1 (Upper Deck does have at least one more set coming out before UDS1).

     

    *All pictures taken by Michael Lindenbaum. All cards pictured were purchased by Michael for his personal collection.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – New York Islanders

    2019-20 NHL Previews – New York Islanders

    2018-19 Record: 48-27-7  103pts. – – 2nd Place in Metropolitan

    Playoffs: Lost in Second Round to Carolina

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    NYI HomeNYI RoadNYI Alt

     

    Key Additions: G – Jared Coreau, G – Semyon Varlamov

     

    Key Departures: F – Steve Bernier, F – Valtteri Filppula, G – Robin Lehner

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    After sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round only to be swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round, the New York Islanders look to make it back to the playoffs this upcoming season. However, they will not be doing it with Robin Lehner in goal, but that of Semyon Varlamov who was the Islanders only major pick up of the offseason. Whether or not Varlamov will be an improvement over Lehner will remain to be seen, especially given Varlamov’s injury history.

     

    For the Islanders though, they did save face after last offseason’s departure of forward John Tavares when they resigned forward Anders Lee. However, the Islanders still need scoring, and their powerplay needs a lot of work.

     

    Can the Islanders make the playoffs again in 2019-20? Sure, but they will need to play with that same mentality that head coach Barry Trotz made everyone buy into last season.

     

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  • 2019-2020 New Jersey Devils Training Camp Preview

    2019-2020 New Jersey Devils Training Camp Preview

    Hello ladies & gents, my name is Scott Fairchild and I will be providing hockey coverage for TXHT as I follow the New Jersey Devils this season! Last season I did game recaps for another favorite team of mine (Washington Capitals) & playoff coverage following the Colorado Avalanche. Here’s a little bit of background info on me. I am a native New Jerseyan (Butler) & grew up as a big Devils fan growing up in North Jersey. I have countless memories of the three Stanley Cup championships that were won (1995,2000, & 2003). I was fortunate getting to watch great players such as Marty Brodeur, Scott Niedermeyer, Patrik Elias, ,Ken Daneyko, & my all time favorite Devil Scott Stevens. Those Stanley Cups were a long time ago and it’s time to build another contender in the present. Anyway, I will be taking a look at the Devils as training camp has just begun. First, let’s take a look at what transpired during off-season

     

    Offseason Moves

    Well, to say the Devils had a good offseason would be a HUGE understatement. They had the BEST offseason out of any team in the National Hockey League in my opinion. The Devils really made big moves to help improve their team and putting them on a path to being Stanley Cup contenders.

     

    Let’s start with the 2019 NHL Entry Draft:

    Draft Moves

    First, they had the number one overall pick and selected arguably the best player in the draft in Jack Hughes. He has the potential to be an elite number one center that has the abilities to change the game both offensively and defensively. Hughes potentially could win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie as long as the coaching staff put him in a position to succeed & build chemistry with teammates. While Hughes is the headlining move at the draft, the Devils had 12 overall draft picks as they moved back in the draft order at times to gain more prospects. The Devils did a great job here in restocking their farm system.

     

    Trades/Free Agency

    After the draft, the New Jersey Devils did not stand pat and were highly aggressive in their pursuit to vastly improve the team. On day 2 of the NHL draft, the Devils traded prospects Steven Santini/Jeremy Davies & draft picks for former Norris Trophy winner & elite defenseman PK Subban. The Devils are hoping he shores up the defense and will help to improve the Devils offense, especially on the power play which struggled mightily. Also via trade, the Devils acquired a very intriguing Nikita Gusev from the Vegas Golden Knights. Gusev is considered to be one of the best players who has not played in an NHL game yet. He was a big scoring star in the KHL and the Devils are hoping he can provide the same offensive flair he showed while playing over in Russia. The Devils also acquired forward John Hayden from the Chicago Blackhawks. They are hoping through more playing time he will capitalize on the potential they think he has and what the Hawks used to think he had.

    In Free Agency, the Devils went out and acquired veteran winger Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds is being counted on to provide a veteran presence and a net front presence while providing a scoring touch for the Devils.

     

    Training Camp Battles

    As fun as it is talking about Jack Hughes, there are some other intriguing story lines in training Camp that are just as intriguing as he is. We all know Hughes is going to make it onto the roster but let’s take a look at some other potential training camp battles. Two Devils rookies have a big chance to make it this year and crack this years opening night roster. One of them being defenseman Ty Smith. Smith was the Devils 17th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of the Western Hockey League. He almost made the opening night roster last year before being returned back to the WHL for some more development. He is considered to be the best defensive prospect the Devils have had in a long time. He had 69 points in 57 games which definitely opens up your eyes to the potential this kid has as a two-way defenseman that can certainly provide offense. Another potential Scott Niedermeyer? Maybe, who knows? Smith went onto win CHL Defenseman of the Year award. It’ll be interesting to see if you can crack the lineup this year.

    On the forward side, Devils 2017 2nd round pick from Sweden Jesper Boqvist has a great chance to nab a spot in training camp in the bottom six forward groups. Boqvist has shown while playing in Sweden why the scouts liked him as he played for Byrnas IF in the SHL. On tape, he shown that he has explosive offensive abilities and potentially can play anywhere in the lineup. His ability to crack the lineup is going to depend on where the Devils envision him and getting the best out of this young forward.

     

    Taylor Hall

    Another intriguing training camp highlight is going to be the return of superstar left winger Taylor Hall. Hall is coming off a left knee injury which kept him from playing the second half of last season as the Devils went downhill along with Taylor Hall (amongst other injuries). However, Hall is healthy and is hoping to return to his Hart Trophy form of two season ago when he produced 93 points which helped propelled the Devils into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Taylor Hall is a valuable asset to this team and they’re counting on him to produce offense which they were sorely lacking without him in the lineup towards the end of last year. However, Hall is entering the final year of his contract and the Devils are hopeful they will be able to convince him to stick around especially with the offseason moves they made to show him how serious they are about winning and taking the steps necessary to win a Stanley Cup.

     

    Potential Opening Night Lineup:

    Forwards:

    LW- Taylor Hall C-Nico Hischier RW- Kyle Palmieri

    LW- Nikita Gusev C- Jack Hughes RW- Jesper Bratt

    LW- Blake Coleman. C- Travis Zajac. RW- Wayne Simmonds

    LW- Miles Wood. C- Pavel Zacha. RW- Jesper Boqvist

     

    Defense:

    Will Butcher- P.K. Subban

    Andy Greene- Damon Severson

    Ty Smith- Sami Vatanen/Connor Carrick

     

    Goaltenders:

    Cory Schneider

    MacKenzie Blackwood

     

    Overall Outlook

    • All I know is this, the New Jersey Devils have a very bright future ahead of them as they brought in very good additions through trades/Free Agency and restocking their minor-league system through the draft. It also helps by having the number one overall draft pick and selecting a generational talent such as Jack Hughes as well! There’s a lot to be excited for being a fan of Jerseys team! It would not surprise me if the Devils qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, they are not ready yet to win the Stanley Cup. Concerns such as goaltending & keeping players on the roster healthy are the only things that are holding this team back! With what has transpired this off-season certainly does give hope that the New Jersey Devils could win another cup in the very near future!
  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – New Jersey Devils

    2019-20 NHL Previews – New Jersey Devils

    2018-19 Record: 31-41-10  72pts. – – 8th Place in Metropolitan

    Playoffs: Missed

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    NJ HomeNJ Road

     

    Key Additions: F – Jack Hughes, F – Wayne Simmonds, F – Ben Street, D – Matt Tennyson, F – John Hayden, D – PK Subban, F – Nikita Gusev

     

    Key Departures: F – Kenny Agostino, F – Kurtis Gabriel, D – Steven Santini, F – John Quenneville

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    The New Jersey Devils entered the 2019 Offseason with the first pick overall in the NHL Draft, and they selected forward Jack Hughes. The Devils would also acquire defenseman PK Subban from the Nashville Predators and sign forward Wayne Simmonds.

     

    Some good solid pickups for the Devils without any real subtractions from their roster. The Devils will look to bounce back from their abysmal 2018-19 season, though let’s be honest. Once they started getting hit with injuries they went into tank mode.

     

    This season should be different, and it will be interesting to see how they do this season and if they can return to the playoffs once again.

     

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  • 2019-20 NHL Previews – Nashville Predators

    2019-20 NHL Previews – Nashville Predators

    2018-19 Record: 47-29-6  100pts. – – 1st Place in Central

    Playoffs: Lost in First Round to Dallas

     

    2019-20 Jersey Guide:

    NAS HomeNAS Road

     

    Key Additions: F – Daniel Carr, F – Matt Duchene

     

    Key Departures: F – Wayne Simmonds, D – PK Subban, F – Brian Boyle, F – Phillip Di Giuseppe

     

    2019-20 Preview:

    Going into the offseason the Nashville Predators decided to shake things up, and that they did when they traded All-Star defenseman PK Subban to the New Jersey Devils and sign free agent forward Matt Duchene to a long term deal. The moves made by general manager David Poile were made to give his team some new options to work with.

     

    With the signing of Duchene, the Predators finally get their guy after being part of the three team deal during the 2017-18 season that sent Duchene from Colorado to Ottawa, and Kyle Turris to Nashville. Something tells me that at the end of the day, Nashville won that trade.

     

    With the Predators trading away Subban, they get rid of both a distraction off the ice, and a player that had a big contract that needed to be moved. On the ice, when healthy, Subban is a great offensive threat but is also a liability on the back end. Off the ice he has been known to rub others the wrong way, and now has a show about his life, that no one asked for. Getting Subban out of Nashville, who is looking to win the Stanley Cup, is what is best for the Predators in the long run.

     

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