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Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman: Can’t compete with top NHL teams now
“But what I don’t want it to mean is we’re trying to tear this team apart and trying to bring in a whole new group of players in the next year and a half,” Bowman told ESPN in a wide-ranging interview on Monday. “But we do need to rebuild the depth of our team. We […]
Continue readingNHL free agency 2020: Winners, losers and other big takeaways
The NHL free-agent frenzy was unprecedented this offseason — and not just because it took place when the regular season is usually scheduled to start. The new collective bargaining agreement kept the salary cap flat at $81.5 million. Otherwise, it would have plummeted, just as team revenues have during the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial landscape […]
Continue reading2020 NHL playoffs preview: First-round matchups, bracket, series picks
The 2020 NHL playoffs officially begin on Tuesday, as the 24-team tournament — with five-game qualification round series and round-robin seeding matchups — has moved on to a more recognizable, 16-team version. This round includes several matchups where revenge will be on the mind of one team (or both, for separate reasons), and based on […]
Continue readingAdam ‘Pacman’ Jones sets ablaze Joe Haden Steelers jerseys received in mail
Jones pulled one of the jerseys out of the box, poured lighter fluid on it and lit it on fire in his driveway. He continued to burn jerseys from the box, documenting the process in a series of Instagram videos posted Wednesday. “I opened up my mailbox today, and I had these jerseys in my […]
Continue readingBlackhawks stun Oilers in four games to advance to playoffs
No. 12-seeded Chicago eliminated the No. 5-seeded Oilers with a 3-2 victory in Game 4 of their five-game series, played in an empty arena in the NHL’s Edmonton “hub.” The Blackhawks would not have been in the postseason were it not for the NHL’s decision to expand the postseason field to 24 teams, after pausing […]
Continue reading2020 NHL postseason preview: Qualification-round matchups, series picks
Unlike the traditional playoff format, the league is running a 24-team tournament, with 12 teams from each conference playing in fan-less arenas in Toronto (for the East) and Edmonton, Alberta (for the West). The top four teams in each conference are in the round of 16, and seeds 5 through 12 will square off to […]
Continue readingNHL viewers club: An Oilers-Blackhawks postseason preview?
The Blackhawks entered this game clinging on to the playoff bubble. They were in the second of a five-game Western Canadian swing, and desperately in need of points. The Oilers were in decent shape with a dynamite offense, but would have to play this game without Connor McDavid. Why? Don’t worry, you’ll hear plenty about […]
Continue readingThe best lines of the past 30 years for all 31 NHL teams: Top overall, cult classic and current
It’s created by a coach attempting to mesh three players together into a cohesive unit; it’ll stick around for anywhere from a few periods to a few games; and then it’s either broken up, with the spare parts added to different lines, or it passes the chemistry test, living on for months or perhaps for […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey rankings update: Need to know playoff pickups
When injuries or ineffectiveness strike your roster, you need to know who’s available and who’s performing. Here are a few names ranking better than 105th on the ESPN Player Rater for the past 30 days, and available in at least 40 percent of leagues. Duncan Keith, D, Chicago Blackhawks (available in 60 percent of ESPN […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey rankings: How to handle late season injuries
Steven Stamkos is definitely out for the remainder of the regular season, while Mark Stone and Chris Kreider sound like they’ll miss a good chunk of what’s left. These are all massive impacts to fantasy, as all three players have been top-50 fantasy assets thus far. While the replacements on their respective NHL clubs won’t […]
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