X75 Productions

Tag: NHL

  • 2022-23 Team Preview – Tampa Bay Lightning

    2022-23 Team Preview – Tampa Bay Lightning

    2021-22

    Record: 51-23-8 110p (3rd in the Atlantic)

    Playoffs: Lost in the Stanley Cup Final to COL

    Key Losses

    D – Ryan McDonagh (Trade – NAS), F – Ondrej Palat (NJ), D – Jan Rutta (PIT)

    Key Additions

    D – Ian Cole, F – Vladislav Namestnikov, D – Haydn Fleury, D – Philippe Myers

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    2022-23 Preview

    After failing to three peat as Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning will come into the 2022-23 season with a chip on their shoulder as they will look to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final and win their third Cup in four years to solidify themselves as a dynasty. However, they’re going to do so with some changes to their lineup as forward Ondrej Palat (signed in New Jersey) and defensemen Ryan McDonagh (traded to Nashville) and Jan Rutta (signed with Pittsburgh) have all departed while Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak all signed eight year deals to keep the core together.

    Defenseman Ian Cole was signed to bring some grit and veteran experience to the blue line after losing both McDonagh and Rutta, plus Philippe Myers (acquired in McDonagh trade) and Haydn Fleury add some depth to the Bolts blue line. Forward Vladislav Namestnikov returns for his second stint with the Lightning.

    The Lightning are still built very strong and for another long run into the playoffs, but one needs to ask, how much is left in the tank for the veterans who’ve been going deep these last three years, or will they have enough to make it deep once again? One way or another the Lightning are playoff contenders and Cup favorites.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – St. Louis Blues

    2022-23 Team Preview – St. Louis Blues

    2021-22

    Record: 49-22-11 109p (3rd in the Central)

    Playoffs: Lost in Semi-Finals to COL

    Key Losses

    G – Ville Husso (Trade – DET), G – Charlie Lindgren (WAS), F – David Perron (DET), F – Mackenzie MacEachern (CAR), Tyler Bozak

    Key Additions

    G – Thomas Greiss, F – Noel Acciari

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    2022-23 Preview

    After a disappointing end of the season, and an offseason with much hope and speculation, the Blues will start the season with largely the same roster as the one that got soundly beaten by the Colorado Avalanche, minus one of their key pieces of the last several years – David Perron. The Blues performed relatively well against Colorado in the playoffs – some even suggesting that they could have beaten the champs had Jordan Binnington not been injured. That said, the Blues needed to upgrade this offseason and they did not.

    They will miss David Perron, who scored 27 goals in 67 games last year, who was lost as a cap casualty. The Blues used some of that money to sign both Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou to long term deals, both 8 years. Kyrou and Thomas each had phenomenal seasons last year, but it remains to be seen whether Kyrou can keep up his level of offensive performance now that the league has gotten a better look at him. His speed is unmatched, and his offensive performance in the playoffs shows much promise, but he, at this point, is a defensive liability and commits too many turnovers.

    Goaltending will be another issue to watch. Binnington came out strong in the playoffs – reverting back to his Stanley Cup run form, but had a lackluster regular season. The Blues got by because the now departed Ville Husso played strongly, and Thomas Greiss will likely be a downgrade. As long as Binnington keeps playing like he did in the playoffs though, goaltending should not be an issue.

    Offensively, beyond Thomas and Kyrou, the Blues will look to have continued stellar performances by Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich – both registering 30 or more goals last year. Ryan O’Reilly will also look to return to form after a solid, but relatively down, offensive year.

    Defensively, there really is no way to slice it – they need to be better. Colton Parayko, for all his potential, has not quite lived up to it, and was a true liability against Colorado in the playoffs. Justin Faulk had a great year last year and will look to continue his upward swing, and it will be seen if young Scott Perunovich will have an impactful season.

    Overall, the Blues were a solid team last year and there is no reason to believe they will not be one this year. Will it be enough to overcome Colorado at the top? That remains to be seen.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – Seattle Kraken

    2022-23 Team Preview – Seattle Kraken

    2021-22

    Record: 27-49-6 60p (8th in the Pacific)

    Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

    Key Losses

    D – Haydn Fleury (TB), F – Riley Sheahan, F – Victor Rask, F – Daniel Sprong

    Key Additions

    F – Andre Burakovsky, D – Justin Schultz, G – Martin Jones, F – Oliver Bjorkstrand

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    2022-23 Preview

    The very first season in Seattle Kraken team history didn’t go as well as many had thought and hoped, with unrealistic expectations that they would repeat what the Vegas Golden Knights did in year one. Clearly that was not the case as they were out of the playoff picture early on. However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any bright spots at all. Jared McCann was a key pickup in the expansion draft, and former first round draft Maty Beniers showed he has a lot of promise and potential as a top two center on the team. This season will definitely be one for more development but will be much more competitive with the additions GM Ron Francis made at the draft and in free agency.

    Seattle will definitely be a much better and improved team. However, they’re still not ready for the playoffs just yet. I think they may push for one of the last wild card spots but will not qualify.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – San Jose Sharks

    2022-23 Team Preview – San Jose Sharks

    2021-22

    Record: 32-37-13 77p (6th in the Pacific)

    Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

    Key Losses

    Head Coach Bob Boughner, D – Brent Burns (Trade – CAR), G – Alex Stalock (CHI), G – Adin Hill, F – Ryan Dzingel

    Key Additions

    General Manager Mike Grier, F – Luke Kunin, F – Oskar Lindblom, F – Steven Lorentz, F – Nico Sturm, D – Markus Nutivaara, D – Matt Benning, G – Aaron Dell, Head Coach David Quinn

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    2022-23 Preview

    The San Jose Sharks made history when they made Mike Grier general manager, and he hit the ground running as he brought in David Quinn as head coach and then made several moves make his team more competitive. The biggest move being the trade that sent Brent Burns to Carolina for Steven Lorentz. Moving one big contract for a much smaller provides some Cap relief the team has needed for some time. Now they just need to find a way to move on from Erik Karlsson and his albatross of a contract.

    Offensively Grier did some small retooling adding the likes of Oskar Lindblom, Luke Kunin, Nico Sturm, and Lorentz. On defense he added Markus Nutivaara and Matt Benning to add some stability. Aaron Dell was also brought in and will play third string to Kaapo Kahkonen and James Reimer. Grier admitted that he wants the Sharks to be a competitive team, but steps back have to be taken to step forward. I feel that there were more steps forward than back by Grier, and while the Sharks won’t make the playoffs, they will be a tough, competitive team to play against.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – Pittsburgh Penguins

    2022-23 Team Preview – Pittsburgh Penguins

    2021-22

    Record: 46-25-11 103p (3rd in the Metropolitan)

    Playoffs: Lost in First Round to NYR

    Key Losses

    G – Louis Domingue (NYR), D – Mike Matheson (Trade – MON), D – John Marino (Trade – NJ)

    Key Additions

    D – Jeff Petry, F – Ryan Poehling, D – Ty Smith, G – Dustin Tokarski, D – Jan Rutta, F – Josh Archibald, F – Drake Caggiula

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    2022-23 Preview

    Well, this team could have looked a lot different if they had not re-signed Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. The hope here is that there is enough to keep the core together with C Sidney Crosby to chase after one more Stanley Cup championship. The only issue here is that Malkin, Letang, and Crosby are all reaching the latter parts of their careers and all three will be playing in their 17th season.

    The defence will look different as Mike Matheson was traded to Montreal for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling, and John Marino was shipped out to New Jersey for Ty Smith and a sixth round pick in next summer’s NHL Entry Draft.

    The bigger question is can the Penguins, who have the longest active postseason appearance streak at 16 straight seasons, advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season with a virtually similar team?

    The biggest question mark for this writer is at goaltending. Can Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith get over the demons in net and be the tandem that gets the Penguins far this season and far in the postseason? Only time will be able to tell.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – Philadelphia Flyers

    2022-23 Team Preview – Philadelphia Flyers

    2021-22

    Record: 25-46-11 61p (8th in the Metropolitan)

    Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

    Key Losses

    F – Oskar Lindblom (Buyout – SJ), G – Martin Jones (SEA), D – Keith Yandle, F – Nate Thompson

    Key Additions

    Head Coach John Tortorella, D – Tony DeAngelo, F – Nicolas Deslauriers, D – Justin Braun

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    2022-23 Preview

    A team with no direction. That’s the Philadelphia Flyers in a nutshell. General Manager Chuck Fletcher, along with team Governor Dave Scott, are continuing to prove that they don’t know what they are doing up on Broad Street. The one bright light for the Flyers though was the hiring of head coach John Tortotella, who will make the Flyers a competitive and tough team to play against. However, the pieces that Tortorella is being given to work with is less ideal. There is hope that if they can get players like Sean Couturier, Ryan Ellis, Kevin Hayes, and Joel Farabee back and at 100 percent then that can also give the Flyers a bit of a boost

    Carter Hart should be able to bounce back though with Tortorella as head coach as the defensive play will improve in front of him. Justin Braun rejoining the team after finishing the season with the New York Rangers after the trade deadline will give Tortorella a veteran that he can use with Cam York to help him adjust to the NHL in a more full time role. However, one storyline to look at will be that of Tony DeAngelo. He had a good season with the Carolina Hurricanes last season, but they were a winning team and made it to the playoffs. The Flyers aren’t expected to do a lot of winning, and the exceedingly high price they paid to acquire him and sign him may (will) come back to haunt them. One has to ask though, how long until Tortorella and DeAngelo have their first headbutting publicly?

    This is going to be a rough season for the Flyers. The best thing that can happen to them is Fletcher getting let go and getting a more competent person in the General Manager position.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – Ottawa Senators

    2022-23 Team Preview – Ottawa Senators

    2021-22

    Record: 33-42-7 73p (7th in the Atlantic)

    Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

    Key Losses

    G – Matt Murray (Trade – TOR), F – Colin White (Buyout – FLA), F – Connor Brown (Trade – WAS), F – Adam Guadette (TOR), D – Victor Mete (TOR)

    Key Additions

    G – Cam Talbot, F – Alex DeBrincat, F – Claude Giroux

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    2022-23 Preview

    The Ottawa Senators continued to build for success as they became a much more rounded team with their pickups of Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat, and Cam Talbot. With Giroux they gain leadership and guy who can still contribute, and is excited to play for his hometown team. DeBrincat is possibly one of the biggest steals as they got him from Chicago for draft picks, but they gain an offensively gifted player that will help drive offense just as much as Giroux will. And then with Talbot, he helps secure the net after two abysmal seasons with Matt Murray in net.

    Along with the veteran pickups, it’s the development of their younger players that are a highlight for the Senators. How Brady Tkachuk has grown into the leader that he is to Josh Norris who has become a viable number one center for the Senators to Tim Stutzle who continues to grow and develop into a solid player, and Artem Zub who has developed in a solid two way defender. I could list them all, but the Senators have a really great core, and should make a real push for the playoffs this season.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – New York Rangers

    2022-23 Team Preview – New York Rangers

    2021-22

    Record: 52-24-6 110p (2nd in the Metropolitan)

    Playoffs: Lost in the Conference Finals to TB

    Key Losses

    G – Alexander Georgiev (Trade – COL), F – Andrew Copp (DET), D – Patrik Nemeth (Trade – ARI), D – Justin Braun (PHI), F – Frank Vatrano (ANA), F – Ryan Strome (ANA),

    Key Additions

    G – Jaroslav Halak, G – Louis Domingue, F – Vincent Trocheck,

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    2022-23 Preview

    After three steps forward, the New York Rangers look to have taken a few steps back. As the Rangers look to continue their progress that saw them head to the Eastern Conference Final, they will be doing so without some key names in their lineup. Gone are trade deadline acquisitions, and key pieces to their playoff run, Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano. As well as Ryan Strome, whom many among the fanbase were happy to see leave but could come back to haunt them, and Alexander Georgiev. The departures of Patrik Nemeth and Justin Braun are not to heavy as the Rangers do have a strong defensive corps with a couple prospects in the wings.

    The Rangers for their offseason additions picked up capable backup Jaroslav Halak, along with journeyman Louis Domingue to give the Rangers more stability in net. They also signed forward Vincent Trocheck to become their new second line center, however, outside of these moves the Rangers haven’t done a lot to improve upon their surprisingly great 2021-22 season. They’re still saddled with Ryan Reaves for one more season, and Barclay Goodrow played ok, but wasn’t the player the Rangers were signing from the then defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning last offseason. Sammy Blais will look to make an impact this season after missing the majority of last season due to a knee injury. The Rangers are going to be looking to their very young core or players to continue to develop, and hope for a couple of breakout seasons to continue their overall team growth.

    The Rangers will be a top three team in the Metropolitan Division, but guys are going to need to step up and improve if the Rangers look to get into the Stanley Cup Final and get back to the promise land for the first time since 1994.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – New York Islanders

    2022-23 Team Preview – New York Islanders

    2021-22

    Record: 37-35-10 84p (5th in the Metropolitan)

    Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

    Key Losses

    Head Coach Barry Trotz, F – Austin Czarnik (DET), D – Zdeno Chara, D – Andy Greene, D – Thomas Hickey

    Key Additions

    Head Coach Lane Lambert, D – Alexander Romanov

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    2022-23 Preview

    I’m going to be honest, I have no idea what the hell Lou Lamoriello is doing with this team. The New York Islanders are an abysmal team that only has success because of the forced trap system put upon them by Lamoriello. The firing of Barry Trotz made absolutely no sense, and I wouldn’t expect much change under Lane Lambert.

    Just looking at the depth chart for the Islanders I don’t see many desirable players on this team. Why Lou insists on having players like Zach Parise and Kyle Palmieri on his roster when their best years are way behind them, and then you have the so called “best fourth line in the NHL” with Matt Martin (3g, 4a, 7p), Casey Cizikas (10g, 6a, 16p), and Cal Clutterbuck (6g, 9a, 15p) is outright laughable given how there are much more productive, both offensively and defensively, fourth lines throughout the NHL. And then a lot of the guys that populate the first line for the Islanders, they would most likely be bottom six forwards for any other quality team, with maybe the exception to Mathew Barzal (if he can round out his game to become a more complete player) and Anders Lee. Brock Nelson is a solid player, but was his 37 goals in 2021-22 because he is that good, or because the talent is that lacking on Long Island that he was the beneficiary of a good season because of being placed higher in the lineup than he would on a normal team?

    Oliver Wahlstrom should be given better opportunities to succeed with the Islanders, but I think a trade to a new team would be better for him at this rate. Speaking of trades, the only good move Lou did make was acquire defenseman Alexander Romanov from Montreal, who a lot of us were surprised how quickly the Canadiens gave up on him. Romanov is going going to be a solid defender in the near future.

    I would talk about any of the signings, but Lou hasn’t done any as of me writing this (Sept. 13th), and I don’t anticipate any real movement either. The Islanders are not going to be a good team. They’ll be competitive, but they will not be good. Anyone thinking they are a playoff is delusional. If they get even a sniff of the playoffs it’s mainly because they got the breaks going their way, but outside that, it should be a long season in Long Island.

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  • 2022-23 Team Preview – New Jersey Devils

    2022-23 Team Preview – New Jersey Devils

    2021-22

    Record: 27-46-9 63p (7th in the Metropolitan)

    Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

    Key Losses

    F – Pavel Zacha (Trade – BOS), D – Ty Smith (Trade – PIT), D – PK Subban, F – Janne Kuokkanen

    Key Additions

    F – Ondrej Palat, G – Vitek Vanecek, D – Brendan Smith, F – Erik Haula, D – John Marino

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    2022-23 Preview

    Even though the New Jersey Devils didn’t qualify for the playoffs again last season, they certainly did take big strides in setting themselves up for that next big step this season. Adding fellow Czech countrymen Ondrej Palat and Vitek Vanecek in goal will certainly help. Palat will add some more scoring and valuable leadership, while the Devils hope Vanecek can help stabilize the revolving door of goaltenders the last few years to help push and compliment MacKenzie Blackwood.

    If the Devils can get great goaltending, an overall healthy team, repeat strong performances from the core (Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and especially Jesper Bratt), then this team certainly has a chance to knock off one of the teams in the Metropolitan to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2018. This team has a lot of young talent that is due to break out. My prediction is that this will be the year New Jersey and it’s young team will make the playoffs as one of the Wild Card teams.

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