The 2021 World Junior Championship will be like no other. First, and maybe most obvious, is that the tournament will be conducted with no fans present, much like the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. It will remain in Edmonton as originally planned, but Red Deer will no longer split duties. Instead, the two cities will get
Previews and Predictions
After consecutive first-round exits, Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving made some tweaks to the forward group moving into the 2020-21 season. After rumors swirling about the possibility of moving Johnny Gaudreau or Sean Monahan, it looks like Calgary will stick with their core group. The additions of Dominik Simon, Josh Leivo, and Joakim Nordstrom
There are a lot of unknowns regarding the status of the 2020-21 NHL season, let alone this year’s New York Rangers squad. General manager Jeff Gorton and President John Davidson won’t explicitly tell the media that the rebuild is nearing completion, but when you see the talent level currently in Rangers’ blue, we know that
In 2018 when David Quinn officially became the head of the New York Rangers coaching staff, it was agreed to be a five-year contract. As Quinn enters the third season of his first stab at being a head NHL coach, he — like the rest of the organization — will continue to be evaluated. The
The prospective 2020-21 NHL season still has plenty of question marks: Will there be an all-Canadian division with hub cities? Will the teams play a full 82 games? The prospect of an all-Canadian division is appearing more and more likely as Covid-19 rages across North America and the world. Personally, if the league must play,
The San Jose Sharks are headlined by Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture, both great two-way centers. However, both had injury-riddled seasons in 2019-20, and the team was forced to utilize their young centers. Management also traded Barclay Goodrow at the deadline and lost Joe Thornton to free agency, making the Sharks’ lack of center depth
After the significant changes this offseason, the makeup of the Minnesota Wild’s roster is drastically different from last season. If the team desires a playoff berth next season, it will be essential for several players to have breakout seasons. A breakout season from a young player can really impact a team’s outlook. The Wild saw
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion has been a busy man this offseason. From the two top-five picks at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft which translated into Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson, to his work in free agency, on the trade front, and signing some key restricted free agents, he’s done a fabulous job of
Who knows when a puck will drop for the 2020-21 season, but it’s never too early to start looking at who could be taking the ice on opening night for the Vegas Golden Knights. Between the blockbuster acquisition of Alex Pietrangelo, the departure of Paul Stastny and Nate Schmidt, and the rise of some of
The New York Rangers avoided arbitration with their two remaining RFAs in Ryan Strome and Brendan Lemieux, finalizing the puzzle that was their 2021 roster. Awarding Strome’s 59-point campaign with a two-year, $4.5 million contract ensured that the 27-year-old would remain the second-line center, while tough-guy Lemieux was brought back on a two-year, $1.5 million
The Los Angeles Kings had a miserable 2019-20 season, posting a record of 29-35-6. This left LA in second-to-last place in the Western Conference and 27th in the league. Despite this record, LA had an eight-game winning streak at the end of the season and has a promising future due to their deep prospect pool.
Slated to enter their 21st season as an NHL franchise in 2020-21, the Minnesota Wild have always taken a lot of pride in drafting and developing many top-tier defensemen. As we gear up for next season (whenever that may be), the Wild defense core is certainly beginning to take shape. Who makes the cut on
The NHL’s 2020-21 schedule is not yet set. Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen may do some more wheeling and dealing. First-line center Pierre-Luc Dubois is still a restricted free agent, as is top-four defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov. None of that has stopped our intrepid Blue Jackets columnists from making their opening night roster predictions.
It has been a strange year for everyone, and Vegas Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer is certainly no exception. He took the reins in January after Gerard Gallant’s surprise termination a little over 18 months after he won the Jack Adams Award. In an ironic twist, DeBoer replaced the man who had famously called
Despite the Chicago Blackhawks’ open letter to fans, foreshadowing that the team won’t see much winning in the near future, this doesn’t currently appear to be a full rebuild. They maintain a proven veteran presence, yet opportunity is being granted for their youth to complete a takeover. As the franchise fine tunes their plan, many
After the significant trades orchestrated by Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, the team’s bottom-six depth up front will play a huge role in the upcoming season. In the past couple of seasons, the Wild have been a four-line team, with the first line and the fourth line being equally valuable and deployable. The Wild
There’s no local bias involved in the Vegas Golden Knights being among the most probable Stanley Cup contenders in the early odds for the upcoming 2020-21 season. At +900, they rank just behind the Colorado Avalanche (+450) and defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning (+800) as the third-largest favorite heading into next season. And it’s easy
It is officially safe to say that the St. Louis Blues blue line is going to look different in the 2020-21 season after former captain Alex Pietrangelo signed a seven-year, $61.1 million deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. I believe that it is inevitable that the Blues defensive unit will take a step back with