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  • 2018-19 Montreal Canadiens Preview

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    Last Season: 29-40-13 71 pts (6th in Atlantic Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

     

    Key Additions: D Xavier Oullet, F Max Domi, F Tomas Tatar, F Tomas Plekanec, F Joel Armia, and F Matthew Peca

     

    Key Departures: F Alex Galchenyuk, F Max Pacioretty, F Ales Hemsky, and F Daniel Carr

     

    The Habs biggest move they made this off-season is trading Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar, and a conditional second rounder in the 2019 NHL Draft. Habs fans shouldn’t be complaining about the return in this deal. Suzuki is a 19 year old center that has proved he can score in the OHL but hasn’t gotten any NHL or OHL experience until his belt.

     

    The Habs were expected to be players this offseason but ended up not doing much to improve the team during free agency. The biggest loss for us may have been Alex Galchenyuk who we traded to the Coyotes for the Maxi Domi. This is a deal as a Habs fan you should like. Galchenyuk never became the true center we needed thus the reason for his departure. Daniel Carr was a player I think the Habs will regret not re-signing. Carr was a streaky scorer and was a guy who could be a solid third or fourth liner without a doubt. He never really got a chance in Montreal which was is unfortunate, Carr will be a 15-20 scorer next year with Vegas.

     

    Top Questions Facing The Team

     

    The Defence

    The Canadiens defence without Shea Weber last year was pitiful and when he did play he had no support. The Habs do have some young defencemen who should help fill that hole. Victor Mete and Xavier Ouellet will be key pieces on the blue-line this year.  Mete is expected to play on the first line with Petry to start the year, Petry by far was the Habs best defenseman throughout the year. Once Weber returns expect to see a nice combo of Petry-Weber and Mete-Juulsen which should make a solid top four. The Habs should also look to give guys like Cale Fleury and Josh Brook a shot as the Habs are obviously in a rebuilding mode and should take this time to asses their assets and up and coming assets.

     

    Scoring

    With the loss of Max Pacioretty, Montreal doesn’t have that big 30 goal scorer but they have a ton of guys who can put up 20 goals a year without an issue. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Jonathan Drouin look to score more with the amount of set-up guys the Habs have. Some of the names that you look to have a decent season with montreal are: Paul Byron, Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher.

     

    The Empty Vacancy At Captain

    With Pacioretty gone that leaves a vacancy at the captain position. The Guy who deserves to wear the C is Brendan Gallagher. The guy is a gritty player, always looking to protect his teammates and is a fan favorite in Montreal. There has been a debate about giving it to Weber but why give it to a guy who is going to be out till at least the all-star break and is old. Gally is young, his is going to be part of the Canadiens future for a long-time and is an essential part of the Habs current rebuild.

  • 2018-19 Florida Panthers Preview

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    Last Season: 44-30-8 92 pts (4th in Atlantic Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

     

    Key Additions: F Troy Brouwer, F Mike Hoffman, and G Michael Hutchinson

     

    Key Departures: F Radim Vrbata

     

    Top Questions Facing the Panthers:

    1. Can the Panthers continue where they left off?

    Once the Panthers cleaned house in their front office, they were able to get back on track. They alsonwere one point away from making the playoffs last season. With a couple of added pieces like Troy Brouwer and Mike Hoffman on offense, the Panthers are working their way in the right direction.

     

    2. What impact will Roberto Luongo have?

    While still playing at an elite level, one has to consider the health of Luongo and if he can stay healthy and be a major contributer to the success of the Florida Panthers. At 39 years old, Luongo is still the number one goalie, but he played fewer games than James Riemer did last season due to injuries.

  • 2018-19 Detroit Red Wings Preview

    DET

    Last Season: 30-39-13 73 pts (5th in Atlantic Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

    Key Additions: F Thomas Vanek and G Jonathan Bernier

    Key Departures: D Xavier Ouellet, F Eric Tangradi, and G Jared Coreau

    Top Questions Facing the Red Wings:

    1. Will Henrik Zetterberg play this season?

    Detroit could be without their captain as reports are suggesting that Zetterberg could miss the entire season due to his back. With him turning 38 at the start of the season, one has to wonder if Zetterberg will see the ice at all this season, especially since Zetterberg himself has said thatnhe has not been able to train this offseason.

    *Update* Effectively today it was announced by the Red Wings that Henrik Zetterberg is not medically cleared to play hockey anymore. As a result Zetterberg announced his retirement. More on this soon.

    2. Can the Red Wings have a good season?

    Despite being a “bottom dweller” that is rebuilding, of sorts, the Red Wings have the highest Salary Cap number in the League. The amount of veterans, and number of young kids that are developing nicely, Detroit could in theory surprise a lot of people even if they don’t make the playoffs.

  • Montreal Canadiens Sign Joel Ward to a PTO Contract

    Joel Wards Signs PTO Contract With Habs

    The Montreal Canadiens have Signed free agent winger Joel Ward to a PTO Contract. Ward will look to earn himself a contract with the Habs out of training camp.

    Over the course of Ward’s 11-year career, he has played for the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals, and San Jose Sharks. He has scored 133 goals and 171 assists for 304 points in 726 games. Ward also has 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points in 83 career Stanley Cup Playoff Games.

    Last season he scored five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 52 games with the Sharks. He also added 20 minutes in penalties. Ward is coming off a three-year, $9.825 million dollar deal that he signed with the Sharks in July 2015.

    What Ward Can Bring To Montreal

    The Habs are loaded on the left side but don’t have many right-wingers. Ward will look to be a filler for the Habs on the right side if he is able to earn himself a contract. At 37 years old don’t expect Ward to get anything more than a one year deal. Montreal is currently in the process of a rebuild. Ward who has had two 20+ goal seasons would be a perfect fourth-line winger for the Habs for the first part of the season. The Habs are already without Andrew Shaw who will miss the beginning of the season with a knee injury.

  • 2018-19 Columbus Blue Jackets Preview

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    Last Season: 45-30-7 97 pts (4th in Metropolitan Division; Lost in Eastern Conference 1st Round)

    Key Additions: D Adam Clendening, F Anthony Duclair, and F Riley Nash

     

    Key Departures: D Ian Cole, D Jack Johnson, F Thomas Vanek, and F Matt Calvert

     

    Top Questions Facing the Blue Jackets:

    1. Will Artemi Panarin be in Columbus come the Trade Deadline?

    With Artemi Panarin in the last year of his contract, and his unwillingness to negotiate on an extension leads one to ask if Columbus will try to trade Panarin before the Trade Deadline. Alsonone has to wonder how much of a distraction this can be for the team especially since goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is also in the last year of his contract as well.

     

    2. What do they have to do to advance in the playoffs?

    For the third time in franchise history the Blue Jackets made the playoffs,nbut once again they couldn’t get out of the first round. They held a series lead for the first time in franchise history, but would thwn lose four straight to the Washington Capitals once they did have the 2-0 series lead. Columbus is a team that has a great compete level, but they need to figure out how to get leads and finish off their opponents in the playoffs.

  • News and Notes from around the NHL and NWHL

    Thursday September 13th, 2018 was an exciting day in the world of hockey. Here’s the biggest news that took place and some notes about them:

    Carolina Hurricanes announced Justin Williams as their new captain. Justin Faulk and Jordan Staal will be Williams’ alternate captains.

     

     

    Also the Hurricanes announced that Victor Rask will be out indefinitely due to a hand injury he suffered in his kitchen.

    Tyler Seguin resigns with the Dallas Stars for 8 years with a $9.85 million AAV. Also the Dallas Stars announced in the coolest way possible as seen below:

     

    Elliotte Freidman of “Hockey Night in Canada” breaks down the new Seguin contract which kicks in July 1st, 2019 below:

    Arthur Staple of “The Athletic” put out an amazing article today on New York Islanders goalie Robin Lehner as he opens up about his battles with addiction and bipolar diagnosis.

     

    In NWHL news, it was announced that four more players signed with teams today. Two players signed with the Minnesota Whitecaps, and one each with the Metropolitan Riveters and Connecticut Whale.

    And speaking of the Whitecaps, it was announced today that TRIA will be the official healthcare provider for the team and will feature an all female medical staff.

     

    Erik Karlsson traded to the San Jose Sharks by the Ottawa Senators in a massive trade.

    Here are the full trade details courtesy of TSN:

     

    And lastly here are the two conditions in regards to the Conditional Draft Picks potentially going to Ottawa:

    Lastly, after the Karlsson trade, the Senators announced that Jean-Gabriel Pagaeu is out potentially for 4 to 6 months due to surgery to repair his Achilles’tendon, per reported by Renaud Lavoie.

     

    You can watch TXHT every Wednesday at 8p EST live on both Twitch and Facebook Live.

  • 2018-19 Carolina Hurricanes Preview

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    Last Season: 36-35-11 83 pts (6th in Metropolitan Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

     

    Key Additions: D Calvin de Haan, D Dougie Hamilton, F Jordan Martinook, F Micheal Ferland, F Andrei Svechnikov, and G Petr Mrazek

     

    Key Departures: D Noah Hanafin, F Jeff Skinner, F Joakim Nordstrom, Elias Lindholm, G Cam Ward, and Coach Bill Peters

     

    Top Questions Facing the Hurricanes:

    1. Who are the Carolina Hurricanes?

    With Tom Dundon as the new owner of the Hurricanes, he has made both good and very questionable decisions. Naming Don Waddel, who did an abysmal job with the Atlanta Thrashers, as General Manager raises a lot of questions. Though while he did a great trade with Calgary that brought Dougie Hamilton, and then signing Calin de Haan, however, the trade that sent leading goal scorer Jeff Skinner to the Buffalo Sabres took them a step back.

     

    2. What type of coach will Rod Brind’Amour be?

    This will be Rod Brind’Amour’s first opportunity to be a head coach, so one has to wonder what type of systems he implement, and how he will do his lineup. Also being how this is Brind’Amour’s first ever opportunity to be a head coach, how much of his playimg experience really help him? Sure, he’s been an assistant coach, but never a head coach. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares this season behind the Hurricanes’ bench.

  • 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres Preview

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    Last Season: 25-45-12 62 pts (8th in Atlantic Division; Did Not Make Playoffs)

     

    Key Additions: D Matt Hunwick, D Rasmus Dahlin, F Jeff Skinner, F Patrik Berglund, F Vladimir Sobotka, F Conor Sheary, and G Carter Hutton

     

    Key Departures: F Ryan O’Reilly, F Jordan Nolan, G Robin Lehner, and G Chad Johnson

     

    Top Questions Facing the Sabres:

    1. How will Carter Hutton handle being the #1 goalie?

    Last season with the St. Louis Blues, Hutton played 32 games with a 2.09 GAA and a .931 Save % which earned him a 3 year deal with the Sabres to be their new #1 goalie. This will be Hutton’s first opportunity at being a true startimg goaltender in the NHL, and he is doing it with a team that was dead last season.

     

    2. How will the new pieces fit together?

    Phil Housley has a new challenge going into his second season behimd the Buffalo bench as GM Jason Botterill brought in a lot of new faces to helpbthe Sabres rebound after last season’s disappointing year. It will be interesting to see how Housley will set up his lineup thisnseason with all of the new options at his disposal.

  • 2018-19 Boston Bruins Preview

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    Last Season: 50-20-12 112 pts (2nd in Atlantic Division; Lost in Eastern Conference 2nd round)

    Key Additions: D John Moore, F Joakim Nordstrom, and G Jaroslav Halak

     

    Key Departures: D Nick Holden, F Riley Nash, F Rick Nash, F Tim Schaller, and G Anton Khudobin

     

    Top Questions Facing the Bruins:

    1. How will the Top 6 look for the B’s?

    One of the best lines in the NHL last season featured David Pastrnak with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, but do you want to keep the majority of your scoring on the first line? One could say putting Pastrnak with David Krejci could bring better scoring balance to the second line, but then who would you put with Bergeron and Marchand as well as with Pastrnak and Krejci? Which leads to a few possibilities.

     

    2. Which young kids will take it up a notch?

    Forwards Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen had good success last season, and Ryan Donato and AndersBjork will get the opportunity to grow their games this season. All four of these young men have the potential of playing in the top 6, and to see them all battling for it will make for good competition to watch.

  • TXHT Returns!!

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    TXHT is back!
     
    On today’s Season Premiere, Michael does the 2018-19 Western Conference Previews. Plus TXHT’s St. Louis Blues writer Aryan joins the show.
    You can watch TXHT live every Wednesday Night at 8p EST on Twitch and on Facebook Live.