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NHL experts predict big deadline trades, Blue Jackets’ finish, more
The Pittsburgh Penguins took one of the big names off of the 2020 NHL trade deadline board this week with their acquisition of Jason Zucker, but a number of interesting players remain on the menu of available options. As the Feb. 24 deadline approaches, there are also playoff races to monitor, including a surprising run […]
Continue readingNHL Trendspotting: How do the Columbus Blue Jackets just keep winning games?
Since coach John Tortorella’s volcanic eruption at the expense of the officials (and his bank account), which happened to coincide with the loss of their starting goalie, the Jackets have had a 13-3-2 stretch. If you extend it to include their most recent 25 games, they’re a remarkable 18-3-4. Just how have they managed to […]
Continue readingThe NHL’s best and worst this week: Ryan Strome is making a case to stay in New York
On June 22, 2017, then-New York Islanders forward Ryan Strome was flying from Toronto to Chicago. He was supposed to meet his brother, Dylan, at O’Hare International Airport, and together, they were going to attend the NHL draft to cheer on their youngest brother, Matthew. While surfing Twitter on the plane, Ryan saw that there […]
Continue readingNHL trade deadline preview: Possible moves, latest rumors, what to watch for all 31 teams
Now that the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend is in the rearview mirror, the league’s trade season is underway in earnest. The next several games for each team will be pivotal, as general managers decide whether their teams should be buyers, improving their chances for the Stanley Cup playoffs, or sellers, perhaps accelerating rebuilds. Get caught […]
Continue readingThe Wysh List: Stanley Cup contender tiers and long-shot dreams
The St. Louis Blues’ Stanley Cup victory last season has affected the NHL as if someone poured hallucinogens into its water supply. It has created delusions of grandeur, making any team that’s seemingly out of it by the end of January feel as if, theoretically, it could be very much in it by mid-April. On […]
Continue readingNHL Power Rankings: 1-31 poll, plus every team’s best decision this season
The 2019-20 NHL season will take a pause this week as the league descends upon St. Louis for All-Star Weekend, a celebration of the league’s best. For this week’s edition of the Power Rankings, we identified the best decision each team has made since the end of the 2018-19 season. Note: Standings point pace is […]
Continue readingThe NHL’s Analytics Awards at midseason
But rather than running down the current leaders for individual awards, heralding players who will be recognized for their work in St. Louis this weekend or in Las Vegas at the NHL Awards this summer, let’s have some fun with it by creating new categories of our own. Here are your Analytics All-Stars for the […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey rankings: Instant fixes for your defense
Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is out for eight weeks or so with a fractured foot, while Carolina Hurricanes blue liner Dougie Hamilton has a broken fibula and is out “indefinitely” (but that’s an injury that should also keep him out until late March, just like Rielly). While Tyson Barrie was almost assuredly on […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey: Goalies who could be the next Jordan Binnington
Ilya Samsonov, GSAA: 5.26, Washington Capitals (48.7%): After registering his first shutout versus the Hurricanes Monday, Samsonov is scheduled to make his inaugural back-to-back NHL start Thursday. Capitals coach Todd Reirden: “I just thought he obviously played phenomenal last game. … I think he’s earned it. Now it’s a chance to for him, again, to […]
Continue readingFantasy hockey rankings update plus players on new lines
In order to catch up on some teams limping along with relatively new scoring lines, here are some of the players forcing themselves onto the radar due to injuries to their teammates. Dominik Kubalik, W, Chicago Blackhawks: Even before Dylan Strome was sidelined, the Hawks have been tinkering with a Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews […]
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