For NHL fans, early March highlights a special time of the year when the hockey world seems to go stir-crazy at the end of winter. No, I’m not talking about the annual start of the Stanley Cup playoffs but the stakes are just as high when you look at the March 8th trade deadline this year.
With the 2023-24 NHL season approaching it’s final third of regulation games left, the time is clearly now for teams to make any last minute moves before the March 8th trade deadline to help them get into the playoffs. For franchises riding on a wave of postseason contention, buying additional playoff support clearly needs to be a point of discussion.
The sport of hockey can be related to in terms of putting together a large jigsaw puzzle. If you have all the pieces in front of you and they fit properly, then you can assemble a nice picture of something and feel a sense of accomplishment in completing a project. However, when a few pieces are missing or you just can’t match the remaining pieces together, jigsaw puzzles can feel like an exercise in futility.
Ah yes, the All-Star break is coming to an end and you know what that means, right? Of course it means the resumption of second half of the 2023-24 NHL season but the real excitement is coming to a hockey franchise town near you – the NHL Trade Deadline. That’s right, step on up and ride the trade bait rollercoaster and see where your favorite team lands after March 8th.
If you’ve followed the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, you are no doubt familiar enough with the trials and tribulations that netminder Ilya Samsonov has faced so far this season. From a hot start in October to a December collapse and demotion down to the AHL, Samsonov looks more and more like a mercurial subject for trade bait discussions within the NHL ranks…
Are you ready for the annual All-Star break, hockey fans? Well, it should be noted that some NHL teams certainly could use the upcoming break week to lick their wounds and trudge on with the rest of the season. For teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, the All Star break may in fact be a detriment because things are starting to tick right now in southern Ontario and a break from the daily action grind may be a roadblock to further success.
With the 2023-24 NHL season reaching about the halfway mark, the Ottawa Senators may have something to start celebrating about with their fortunes turning around in their favor. With an organization that seems to define the word dismal, the Sens have actually won a few games lately and are starting to resemble a hockey team with a purpose in life.
Ah, yes, the new year always sprouts eternal hopes that this will be the year that the Toronto Maple Leafs will hoist the Stanley Cup come this late spring. After all, it’s only been a year or two or 57 years since the Leafs laid claim to Lord Stanley’s big hockey trophy, and why not have some optimism this year, right?
It’s really hard to essentially write off a hockey team and their entire season when you know that season isn’t even half over but lately it feels like the Ottawa Senators have already booked their summer golf vacations for mid-April. The entire 2023-24 NHL campaign has been a ritual of disappointment night after night and in the words of the great Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, it’s like “deja vu all over again.”
It’s the first week of the new year and we’ve probably worn out the “Happy New Year” greeting to everyone we’ve come across at this point. There’s always something about a new year with its endless possibilities and heightened optimism as we get a fresh start. Then there are the Ottawa Senators, who start this year out with an elevated sense of dread as the season is, well, slipping away.
Sometimes when we follow a specific NHL team, we start to sound like a broken record when discussing the pros and cons of said franchise, and I’m sure I don’t sound much different when talking about the waxing and waning of the Winnipeg Jets. At least the Jets are getting some press coverage right now and why not?
When a team star and leader goes down in professional sports, either that organization crumbles or they find a way to find some intestinal fortitude with a “next man up” mindset. Kyle Connor being out with an MCL sprain for 6-8 weeks means the loss of some serious offensive firepower until the All-Star break or even later. So how are the Jets overcoming the loss?
Sometimes it just takes a few days for predictions to come true and for the Ottawa Senators, head coach D.J. Smith just got flame-broiled and now is unemployed. Merry Christmas, Coach. Now clean out your office. The NHL head coaching carousel keeps going in circles and where it stops-nobody knows.
The 2023-24 NHL season isn’t even officially one-third over with about 30 regular season games played and already three head coaches have been torched due to their current team’s “performance.” With big-time sports dollars riding on winning it all, having a winning season and making the playoffs certainly is no guarantee of job security for a head coach these days.
Professional sports teams always have team leaders who are the physical and often emotional cornerstones of their organizations and when those team leaders go down to an injury, teams tend to either fall apart or find themselves with the “next man up” mentality. Can Gabe Vilardi help make up for the loss of Kyle Connor?
As the old adage goes, “time flies” and as we approach the one-third mark of the 2023-24 NHL season, are the Winnipeg Jets truly ready to fly in formation? We are now in Year Two of the Rick Bowness era and as the cold wind blasts down from Lake Winnipeg, the winter is ready to set in over Manitoba and that means the Winnipeg Jets need to get down to business.
The St. Louis Blues have fallen into hockey mediocrity this season but are leading the way with key trades prior to the March 3rd NHL trade deadline.
The St. Louis Blues continue their Jekyll and Hyde routine with a modest two-game winning streak after the All-Star break to make up for a five-game losing streak just prior to the break. If the Blues have any chance to make the Stanley Cup playoffs, NOW is the time to wake up and start melting the ice with nine home games in the month of February.
Vladimir Tarasenko may be seeing his last days in a St. Louis Blues’ sweater as the March 3rd NHL trade deadline rapidly approaches.
With around 50 or so games played (give or take a few depending on the individual team,) the annual All-Star break allows for us to press a pause button and let the ice settle a bit to see that the Central Division remains highly competitive and entertaining.
The 2022-23 St. Louis Blues have been fighting inconsistency as their greatest enemy this season, and look to turn things around in order to make the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring.
As we move through the Christmastime break in NHL action, it’s noteworthy to recognize the turnaround that the Winnipeg Jets have been able to accomplish through 34 games this season. And one of the great surprise stories for the Winnipeg Jets this season – Cole Perfetti’s breakout season – really isn’t much of a surprise if you follow the story lines of top NHL rookies on a regular basis.
The Vancouver Canucks are making more headlines this season about possible trade deals than they are with their on-ice play and the controversies seem to help keep this team stuck in perpetual mediocrity.
The Vancouver Canucks have found a way to win again despite the drama surrounding potential Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser trades.
The Arizona Coyotes need both a permanent home to call their own and a string of successful draft picks to help develop this franchise into a contender in the Central Division. Edmonton native and 2021 first round draft pick Dylan Guenther is one of those key pieces of the puzzle who may help this franchise in the long run.
The Arizona Coyotes receied a critical vote of confidence from the Tempe City Council to move forward with plans to build an ambitious entertainment complex that will give them a new permanent arena of their own east of Phoenix.
The NHL Central Division is tightening up, and teams are making moves up the standings with top goaltending play from their starters and backup netminders.
The St. Louis Blues hit the skids early in the season with a franchise record eight losses in a row. However, the tide is turning for the Blues as they are “hot” again and in the midst of a solid four game win streak-all on the road.
The Vancouver Canucks are trying to recover from their early-season woes and find a sense of themselves as they worked their way through a recent 4-1-1 winning streak that helped make up for earlier losses.
Unless the Vancouver Canucks can find a way to quickly turn around their season, they are possibly destined to end up as one of the “bottom feeder” teams in the NHL. Backup goaltender Spencer Martin has been more effective early on than Thatcher Demko, and maybe it’s time to reevalaute Martin’s playing time heading into the second month of the season.
