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The 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 readingWhy this will be the ‘worst possible offseason’ for NHL free agents
He doesn’t know when the offseason begins or when it ends or how long it lasts. He doesn’t know how the coronavirus shutdown will affect the financial ability of NHL teams to offer him a contract, nor how much escrow will be withheld from that contract to make up the owners’ revenue shortfall this season. […]
Continue readingHow to avoid risking players’ health in a restarted NHL season
NHL players are creatures of habit, living a regimented life of training, nutrition, rest and recovery. Their bodies are machines built to withstand an 82-game regular-season grind and whatever postseason action their team earns beyond it. What Gary Roberts fears is that these machines aren’t built for several months of home confinement, off the ice […]
Continue readingBrian Burke on NHL playoff possibilities, memories of the Whalers, Phil Kessel stories and more
Brian Burke is now an analyst for Sportsnet, but most people know him as the former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Hartford Whalers, and 2010 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team — and also as a man with unvarnished opinions on just about everything. Burke joined Greg Wyshynski and me […]
Continue readingThe feel-good stories of the season for all 31 NHL teams
The 2019-20 season was shaping up to be a good one, and there were plenty of positive stories across the league. To cheer you up during this lonely time, we revisited a feel-good story for every team this season: Note: Emily Kaplan handled the Metro and Central divisions, while Greg Wyshynski wrote on the Atlantic […]
Continue readingNHL Power Rankings: 1-31 poll, plus every team’s X factor in the final month
It’s hard to believe, but we’re staring down the final month of the 2019-20 NHL regular season. For this week’s ESPN Power Rankings, we identified the X factor for each team down the stretch. How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1-31, and those results are tabulated to the list […]
Continue readingAnswering big U.S. hockey questions: Best moment, most underrated player, top women’s player and more
The best moment in U.S. hockey history (outside of the Miracle on Ice) The most underrated American player of all time Potential U.S.-born Hart Trophy winners on the horizon Challengers to Cammi Granato for the greatest American women’s player ever Winners of a theoretical 2020 international best-on-best men’s competition Let’s jump in. Greg Wyshynski, senior […]
Continue readingNHL Power Rankings: 1-31 poll, plus the most captivating U.S.-born player on every team
This week, we’ve taken a deep dive into Hockey Week in America. There was our attempt to identify the center of the U.S. hockey universe, a look at how Seattle is building a hockey town, a “future ranking” of the best U.S.-born players and a look at the enormity of the “Miracle on Ice” upset […]
Continue readingNHL trade-asset tiers: Buyers guide to the 2020 deadline, including rental trade targets, goalies and more
The baseline reaction to the annual NHL trade deadline is that it’s always underwhelming, which is frankly unfair. It’s like going into a movie having seen all the trailers and read all the spoilers and then being disappointed when the action on the screen doesn’t match the movie in your head. The movie in your […]
Continue readingWild trade Jason Zucker to Penguins for Alex Galchenyuk, Calen Addison
Zucker, 28, has been rumored to be part of several deals over the years and was reportedly headed to Pittsburgh last year, until Penguins winger Phil Kessel refused to waive his no-trade clause. Zucker, who has 14 goals and 15 assists this season, had career bests of 33 goals and 31 assists in 2017-18. He […]
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