Pearlo Wisdom

PearloWisdom@THNN

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Purveyor Of Fine NHL Takes

I quit my job 12 years ago to follow my passion for the greatest game on earth. My study and appreciation of the game compel me to express myself in any way possible about my findings and to learn more. It just never stops, nor do I want it to. I watch a divorce-worthy amount of hockey.

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All Underrated Players Team Frolic 2026/27- Left Defensemen

Definitely not enough love for Lindell out there from what I hear. One of the best shut down D men in the game and has been a better offensive play driver than given credit for over the years, Plays a tough hardnosed game but draws way more penalties than he takes. Took a little dip last year but really the whole team did in the play driving department.  Lacombe is really Mr. Everything for Anaheim and will be counted on even more this year with the loses of Carlson and Trouba. A player that has long been mentioned as the most underrated that won't be on this list this year is Jacob Slavin.. Well Lacombe is about as good as Slavin is and only getting better, Jackson plays in every situation and excels at all of them. There is nothing he doesn't do well and when you consider that Anaheim's forward group really is weak at assisting the D it is even more impressive. Borderline elite and hardly talked about I said the Rangers were going to rue the day they traded K'Andre and so far I imagine that is the case, Miller had a rough 2024/25 season but was mired in a very toxic environment in New York. I wouldn't doubt if he asked to be traded behind the scenes with how things were going there  , This chart is a three year average and includes the poor 2024 season. His rating probably should be up above the 90 percentiles, and I expect that to keep climbing. Miller is a big elite skating D man that covers a ton of ice, which he uses to skate the puck out of his zone amazingly well and also cover zones defensively at an elite level. Combine tat with his elite P.K. work and it is just dumbfounding that the Rangers let this guy go. Carolina has a beast for years that may even get Norris consideration down the road,  6h

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All Underrated NHL Players Team Frolic 2026/27 - Centers

Lundell's first shot at playing top line for Florida with Barkov out with injury was a projectable success. Becoming a shutdown center in the NHL is not an area many players are able to achieve and those that have the capacity for it work their balls off to do so successfully. Anton has a very high hockey I.Q. and had been a student of the game to get where he is now. At 25 he is trending towards at least one Selke in his future I would say. His offensive game keeps improving every year as well. Just highly committed intelligent work horse. Thomas just keeps getting better every year. Seems to add a new wrinkle to his game all the time. There just isn't a flaw in Roberts game, one of the best playmakers there is and has worked on his shooting game to the point where we could see a 30 plus goal year ot of him yet. Thomas doesn't back down from anyone and his attention to detail and commitment to his craft has put him to where he should be getting more Selke consideration. Thomas' point totals are modest compared to some elite centers but he really has not had much elite offensive talent to work with. The other teams know that if you take out Thomas from a game you are probably beating the Blues so he has a target on his back. Even with that he keeps producing and shuts down the opposition at the same time. Great player. Dickinson has been a hidden gem in Chicago and Dallas for years. Jason does not wow you with offense for sure but he is one of the best shut down center in the game that can do so against the other teams best players extremely well. Dickinson gives an opportunity for the best players on his own team to get better matchups so thy have more opportunities for offence, Also one of the best PK guys in the game. It is players like Dickinson that can work at a lower cap hit with max return.  I have to add one more spot for Pinto. It will probably be the last year we can call him underrated as I imagine he will be known to most soon if he isn't already. If Shane ends his career without a Selke it will be a travesty. 1d

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All Underrated NHL Players 2026/27 Frolic. Right Wingers

                                This may be a bit biased because Tom Wilson is probably my favorite player in the league. However, I still do not think Wilson gets enough credit for how complete a player he is. Plays against elite competition every night and can shut them down, as well as score and, of course, hit while pissing everyone off. In my next life, I want to be Tom Wilson It is time for Stone to get his token Selke next year as long as he plays close to a full season. Dude has been shutting down top lines his whole career and bring a competitiveness that is unmatched while having 60 plus point season regularly. Should be a for sure Hall Of Famer and they will probably think long and hard about it. For sure one of the smartest players of all time. Even the analytics card I am using does not give enough credit to Amadio here. I think competition metrics should get a higher weight in value to be honest. Michael is so calm with the puck in pressure situations and never seems to be out of position in all three zones. He could easily get more minutes and still be just as effective. When coaches talk about players " doing all the little things right" they are talking about guys like Amadio. Even at 30 years old I think he is only getting better.2d

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Which NHL team has the most top-heavy forward group?

Montreal Canadiens  Suzuki isn't getting enough love for how amazing of a season he had last year in my opinion. I do not always agree with award choices, but Suzuki was the absolute correct pick for the Selke. On a team that had few defensively aware forwards, he was elite defensively in all three zones and still managed 101 points deployed against the other teams' elites every night. Datsyuk and Fedorov level stuff. Demidov had a great year for a 20-year old, and I do think he has some Fedorov in him as well. He will be an elite 2-way player in short order Caufield is one of the best goal scorers I have ever seen, straight up. As long as he has Suzuki to prop him up at the other end of the ice, he will continue at a 40-50 goal pace. One of the few players I have seen that can have a bad game and score the big goal anyways. Slafkovski is power forward that will get his slot game figured out and can drive to the net well. Still room to develop but I see nothing but up for him After these four the rest are average third liners or lower. I still think Bolduc develops into a solid third line shutdown winger and I am aware that Montreal has Hage and a few others that can potentially move the needle soon but Anderson is very overrated and Evans is not even really a solid 3C let alone 2C, When Newhook got the green light to fly the zone in the playoffs he brought some surprise offence but I do not see that happening consistently in the future. Great coaching by St. Louis to get max from the lower lines but top heavy indeed.5d

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Should The Red Wings Have Signed Steven Stamkos ?

Unpopular Take Warning  There is a simple answer to this question being that Stamkos is a 40 goal scorer and with him Detroit is more likely to make the playoffs and that is that... I get it. The problem here was at the time Stamkos had become a niche 40 goal scorer, I know, sounds weird right? Detroit was in a team building mode and should have been looking for vets that would help define their identity in the future. Players that can help their young players in areas that usually need to be taught at the NHL level. Detroit had just hired Tod McLellan as coach who his known for his tight defensive systems that are usually pretty foreign to players coming out of Junior and College. Stamkos, who was 34 at the time had become more of a complimentary type of scorer in Tampa. He was not asked to play much D or drive play really. He was basically finding spots in the O zone and getting his still wicked shot off. A full sheet player he was not anymore. The Red Wings already had Kane to help with the P.P and mentor the offensive side of the game. Learning to play positionally defensively in all three zones is a huge learning curve for younger players and having players that can model that on the ice is of huge vale. The Sharks did well with guys like Wennberg and Toffoli in that regard but besides Copp there wasn't much in Detroit. For the sake of making the playoffs and maybe giving the team a boost in confidence I could understand the move, but from a team building perspective it made more sense for me at the time to not gamble 8 mil a year on a 34 year old player that seemed to have to be propped up to keep his scoring numbers up.  Conclusion Apparently IIlich is much more analytics driven than Yzerman was and was asked for data Stevie Y did not produce a glowing report. I would have had to agree at the time and would also not have made the move. Mistake? Maybe. What i would have done though is realized that a more progressive approach was overdue and moved on from Yzerman at that time. I would like to know how Stevie Y got other contracts like Chiarot under the nose of IIlich though? Maybe it was just time to step in and that should have had alarm bells ringing enough to end it all together.6d

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Time For Pearlo's House Of NHL Trades. Cutter Gauthier Edition

With Anaheim matching Leo Carlsson's staggering 18 million AAV contract, there are rumblings that Gauthier could be looking for 15 million himself. That would put the Ducks in a pretty tough bind cap-wise moving forward and leads me to wonder if they may explore the trade market to help their very thin RD situation and provide a more balanced lineup. Trade Proposals To the New York Rangers   Cutter Gauthier  To Anaheim Alexis Lafrenière LW/RW Braden Schneider RD E.J Emery 2027 1st Round pick Both teams would still have some work to do with cap space in this deal, but I am pretty positive both can shave off the extra if need be. For Anaheim they have some time with Troy Terry being injured and the Rangers would only have to shave off a million which shouldn't be that hard to do. This would give the Rangers another top goal producer to go with Dorofeyev whom they picked up earlier in the summer from Vegas and a potentially lethal top line . This is a tough gulp move for the Ducks but Lafreniere added a nice wrinkle to his game last year in that he had a huge boom defensively and really started to show some promise he could reach closer to his draft projection offensively. He may never reach those heights but I like the direction. Schneider adds some much-needed stability to Anaheim's right side on D and still has good upside in my opinion to a be dependable RD as he has made steady improvement every year. Emery could be switched with several prospects but I figured the Ducks would continue looking towards mending the loses they took on defense over the summer.  To the Detroit Red Wings  Cutter Gauthier  To the Anaheim Ducks  Emmitt Finnie C/LW Lucas Kasper C/LW Axel Sandin Pellikka RD Whether Detroit finally makes the deal with Minnesota we all expect will happen or find a way to persuade Larkin to reconcile of which this deal could help a lot to show they are serious about improving. Getting a 40 goal scorer with plenty of upside would be a huge boost to everyone that dawns a winged wheel. Yes the center position would still have to be figured out but whether it is Larkin or someone on the market, Cutter would be a great piece to attract a player to Detroit to fill the position. Nate Danielson is also on the cusp and might be a able to succeed with Gauthier and Raymond on his flank For Anaheim they get two players with bright futures. Finnie fared well last year against top competition as a 2o year old which is not an easy feat and has plenty of upside while Kasper had a sophomore slump for sure but that is really par for the course for most young player. I personally think it was just a bump in the road that will see him turn out as a dependable 2C. Pellikka would be the RW that the Ducks desperately need moving forward. Axel is still a bit raw but has all the tools to be an excellent defenseman in the near future.  1w

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The X Factor for the Oilers Is fascinating. How will players respond to Babcock?

The hiring of Mike Babcock by the Edmonton Oilers is one of the most fascinating coach hiring that there has been in quite some time in my mind. As Brenden Smith mentions in the clip above, Babcock has been known for being an elite tactician as far as preparing for teams and setting up systems. However, he has also been known to be known to be very manipulative in his approach to the point of even being accused of being a bully by some. Johan Franzen who Babcock coached in Detroit once said this.  “He woke up one day and decided to hate me. To this day, I don't understand why.” and  “The worst was when he stopped practice just to stand there and yell at me for several minutes in front of everyone. I was completely broken. I was shaking and didn't know where to go.” There are other examples of this sort of conduct from Mike Babcock but let me shed some light on what I believe this is about from my experience and how possibly this issue could possibly not be a problem for the Oilers and how it definitely could be a problem.  What Is The Problem? As a Gen X person, let me say that I am very familiar with tactics like what I have heard from people in interviews and such about what Babcock has done. Babcock is a borderline baby boomer who appears to be an "old soul" in that regard. In general baby boomers felt they had to live by a very determined philosophy of working hard and not letting anything bother you. A very "push back" way of thinking that equates success with being able to handle anything and not letting anything get in your way. They have a tendency to judge a person's ability to succeed by how they respond to negative situations. They do not care if you respond in anger or otherwise as long as it doesn't bother you and you become more determined to either prove yourself or just be better. If they sense weakness in this area they will attack it in hopes that a person eventually responds. Another thing boomers have a tendency to do is use someone like this as a scapegoat for their own personal frustrations. and well.. that is what we call today bullying and abuse. In the boomer age and in a lot of my life it was labeled "motivation". If you want to see an even more intense version of this do a google search on the Mike Keenan school of coaching. To Millennials' and Gen Zer's as well as just people not brought up in this environment like Franzen probably wasn't this can seem batshit crazy... and well it kind of is but... How It Could Work . First and foremost, I believe, you need a baby boomer translator in between the boomer and the Millennials and especially the Gen zers. Someone that can help them realize that the seemingly heartless direct approach that the boomer is taking is simply a product of what he knows. Sort of like the Mom that told us Gen X kids how to listen to their fathers. "Listen to what he is saying and not how he says it". If you ever wondered why the Gen X folk are not easily offended, this is why. We had to learn early that it was not getting you anywhere. Boomers demand respect and do not buy into the earning it part. I have the title and that is the authority. That is why Brenden in the clip above mentions that Brind'Amour used a style of gaining trust while Babcock does not. Brindy is more Gen X and has come to realize a more effective way. That will not matter here though as it does not appear that Babcock has embraced that.  Enter DJ. Smith as assistant coach. A full-on Gen X minded Boomer raised player coach who is known for his exemplary communication skills. This could be the ingredient that can smooth over the possible perceived toxic approach of Babs. The support for the hurt feelings and confusing messages that will likely come down the road and the translator that keeps things on the rails. It will take leadership to keep support as well. Hyman could be that guy who seems to have been the catalyst for support for Mike from his time in Toronto. How It Could Not Work  For the younger players in this line up and even possibly older really. The idea of being disrespected and bullied can be just incomprehensible. As a Gen Xer I cannot disagree that it should be actually. For most that have lived their lives from the 90s until now the type of "motivation" that people like Babcock seem to embrace is not to be tolerated. The whole concept of beating people down in order to motivate them is foreign and could be thought of as something to be punished not embraced. If the players cannot remove themselves from the offense they may feel from this approach it may not matter how it is attempted to be smoothed over. If this is the case it could end up being a long season and/or a short tenure for Babcock.     1w

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My heart goes out to Detroit Red Wings fans.. Well what I have of one.

This is a video of how I would sum up my feelings and reasons as to why I have predicted what I have with Larkin from the beginning. A discussion with a Twitter follower that highlights everything.1w

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What If Dylan Larken Expanded His List To 12 Teams

I mentioned in my previous article that I think it is possible that Minnesota would eventually offer something in the range of Yurov, Brodin, and 2 first-round picks for Larkin. Let's do an experiment and say Dylan opened up his list to 12 teams, with Minnesota still being his preferred destination. Now if that were the case, I am going to try to pick 11 other teams that would not likely offer more than Minnesota. Note: Larkin's agent would also make it clear to all of those teams of his client's displeasure with going there. Feel free to make offers with these teams  12 Teams  Dallas Stars  Florida Panthers  Tampa Bay Lightning Vegas Golden Knights  Those four are obvious based on cap space, need and available assets  Calgary Flames - Rebuilding team looking to trade away players in a rebuild not give up assets to acquire them. Colorado Avalanche - All notable players have NTCs and very few assets to offer or cap space Toronto Maple Leaf's - I will take my chances that the Leafs would have no interest in offering Knies in this deal which would leave Cowan and not much else which would still not provide enough cap space. They also are not scrambling for centers  Pittsburgh Penguins - Can not see them giving young assets for a 30-year-old player or first round picks and besides maybe Novak there is not much there to offer.  Utah Mammoth - After acquiring Trocheck and Lee they have two great filler vets until Desnoyers and Iginla are ready. No need for Larkin at all. L.A. Kings If you think Laferriere and one year of Moore with maybe 2 firsts is better than what Minny is offering then I would say Minny has the better deal. L.A has a pretty weak prospect pool.  Anaheim Ducks - Not giving up Gauthier or Senneke straight across let alone adding so it would just be futures trade, Vancouver Canucks - Have given an expressed interest to cut payroll and Pettersson is not likely to wave to go to a bottom feeder like Detroit. If he would be willing I believe it would be a huge mistake for Detroit to do this anyway. Would probably be getting more if they three wayed this deal with Minnesota and Larkin goes to Minny. Tell me what you thi nk you could get for Larkin from any of these teams .1w

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Werenski speaks out about the future of his time in Columbus .

Count me as a person who will be rooting for Columbus this year. When news first came out that Zack Werenski made public that he would not be resigning with the Blue Jackets earlier this summer I have to admit my stomach dropped. I am not specifically a Columbus fan but I felt for the fan base who have so heartily supported the Jackets. Columbus is not talked about enough about how much their fans have supported them. The Blue Jackets have a very passionate fan support that is load and proud and it pained me a bit to think of where the state of the club would be if they lost the best player that has dawned their Jersey. This statement by Zach to me is something to celebrate. Winning is something that all players desire and I understand why a player would want to move on if they felt it wasn't going to happen in the city they play for (See Dylan Larkin). The challenge to win in Columbus is real as they have not had much success in their time in the league but here is hope that it changes now. No fans deserve it more.1w

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How will the Larkin situation end for Detroit?

The Detroit Times @HelenStJames has recently reported that Dylan Larkin "has not budged" on his trade request following the firing of Stevie Yzerman a couple of weeks ago, and apparently Florida and Vegas are out of the picture. (They were never really in the picture, as I have previously predicted) So what now? Watch the video for my take.1w

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How good is the New Rangers newly revamped defense?

The Rangers made some significant moves this offseason, and one thing they made the most changes to was their defense core. The only significant loss was Will Borgen, whom they moved to Boston for a third-round pick, while Sean Durzi was added in a return for Trocheck, and Marcus Pettersson came back in a deal with Vancouver for a 2030 1st rounder. Are they better? Let's take a look.                                                                    TOP PAIR  Gavrikov was brought in from the L.A Kings last summer and really did not disappoint. He did dip a bit defensively but still solid while his play driving metrics dipped heavily I will chalk that up mostly to a bad year all around for the Rangers who seemed to have many players checked out and or struggling. He still managed to pot 14 goals and was one of the few consistent performers on the team. I would heavily lean to him having a stronger year this year with more familiarity and a better team energy in general. I am not sure there is any defenseman that takes more unfounded criticism than Fox. Last year he did play against lower competition than normal but that can be more attributed to injuries and the fact that Sullivan was giving some younger players a shot against elites to see where they were at. He is a beast and one of the best in the game. Especially considering he is a righty.                                        Second Pair This was simply an excellent pick up for the Rangers who appear to be attempting a very quick retool with their moves. Much like Gavrikov I would scratch last season's play driving metrics and chalk it up to a poor situation in Vancouver. Pettersson is one of those low-key defensive D men that plays a very strong positional game in all three zones that rarely gets recognized. Coaches trust him against elite comp. because of his smooth skating ability and gap control often and he is very solid on the P.K. Sullivan coached him in Pittsburgh as well so he can be a strong voice in helping players adapt to the new system and support its effectiveness. Always nice to have for a newer coach. Durzi brings a purer offensive flavor to New York. Sean is used heavily in the offensive zone and is a fine pair for a more defensively aware player like Petterson. Durzi is a significant upgrade on last year's second pair RD Will Borgen in that he can skate the puck out more efficiently when it gets on his stick and drive play with stronger passes. Durzi is also fairly adept on the power play that should give Gavrikov more 5 on 5 time which would be more ideal.  Robertson has done well i his development to position himself to have eventual 2D upside or at the very least strong 3D. Matthew is another Rangers D man with a strong skating stride and solid play driving ability. He does get overwhelmed still against more elite players at times as he is still working out some positioning issues and can get caught reaching or holding as his low penalty score suggests, That score does take into account his physicality and aggressiveness which you want to see in a player with his size. In the 3D spot Robertson is more than serviceable though and has significant upside.   Another player for the Rangers that gets slagged quite a bit by fans it seems that probably is a little unwarranted. Although I can understand where many fans are coming from from a eye test perspective, the main issue really has been the Braden has had to play higher up the lineup than he has been ready for. Now that Durzi is on board Schneider can continue developing with more protected deployment and I think that will serve him well. Schneider is never going to be the game changer many might of thought he might become but a trajectory towards a serviceable RD that can be trusted to support more talented players is certainly likely.  Conclusion I feel New York has done a very good job upgrading their defense core from last year. This is a very mobile bunch that has a few more tools in the toolbox for coach Sullivan to work with. I could see nice jumps in effectiveness from the young players in Robertson and Schneider and with more support from the second pair that are a significant upgrade from lasy year we could see some big years from Gavrikov and Fox. I do have my concerns with some forward support issues that could make things look tough to the eye test for this D core, but if those are ironed out through better manpower in the forward depth area I think we see a much better-looking Rangers team this year. Overall, at least from a defenseman standpoint. This was nice work from Drury and his staff.2w

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Will There Be A Team That Overvalues Nikishin?

There has been much talk about the availability of Alex Nikishin out of Carolina and for good reason. Reports have suggested that Alex is looking for 8 million or more for 8 years on a long-term contract. The question is... is he worth that? I would suggest no, and I am pretty sure the Canes will be suggesting that as well. I am not saying Nikishin is not a good prospect, but he is on the older side of prospect age at 25 years and really has been given very sheltered deployment be Rod Brind'Amour as far as line deployment is concerned. In fact, it is pretty amazing that Brindy was able to keep Nikitin's minutes so high with so sheltered opponent deployment. Defensively it has been tough for Nikishin and that is with very little time against elite talent. There is a lot to like about Nikishin's game. Big shot, good PK ability, big frame that is willing to hit, but I want to see more before I am dropping 8 sheets for 8 years. I will also note that Nikishin has played often on his off side which is a big feather in his cap and probably also contributes to his poor 5 on 5 defense. Alex's minutes and effectiveness dropped considerably in the playoffs when teams could isolate him as a weak link on the roster because they working Xs and Os focused on just one team. Still has planet of late bloomer potential but a tad overrated and more towards the Mason Lohrei side of things than an 8 mil player. Unless you think Lohrei, Who played tougher deployment in Boston is an 8 million plus player.2w

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Remaining NHL Free Agents And Where They May Go. Part 2

Micheal Bunting is a utility player that has formed into that roll very well. he is capable of playing up and down the lineup when need be with his above average skating and agitating style, Not at all afraid to get into the dirty areas in the O zone, bunting will drive to the net with the puck and camp out in front of it without it. His greatest attribute in my opinion is his ability to be tenacious without taking penalties while drawing players into taking them against him. His high energy relentless game keeps the oppositions eyes on him often allowing him to use his considerable passing skills in tight quarters to create plays. He does have a tendency to burn himself out in the offensive zone and get caught behind the play when trying to get back to his defensive spots but it is a necessary evil for his style really. Best played with more cerebral defensive players like Tolvanen whom we discussed in part one. Like Tolvanen I think he is waiting out some teams to make some room with trades or injuries to give him more options. I think Montreal would be a good landing spot for him but doubt they would be interested in too much term. Montreal could have used his tenacity and net drive in the playoffs in the top 6 though for sure and a line with Evans and Demidov would be great to compensate for his defensive deficiencies. Short of the I could see Winnipeg being very interested, especially if the Hellebuyck trade happens opening up cap space. Detroit will be looking as noted with Tolvanen in part one. Both players could form a nice line in that regard as mentioned. I will put a flyer out there for Carolina to take a stab to bring him in again.  Poor Logan Stanley. He is a victim of being completely misrepresented. he is often spoken about by media folk as being a shutdown defense first player that bring size and physicality, and there is certainly truth to the last two attributed but the first two? Well he tries for sure but that is about as far as it goes. To be fair Logan does have that sort of effectiveness if deployed against weaker second lines or fourth line competition, but it is average at best, The physicality aspect is awkward looking and often leads to egregious penalties mostly stemming from being a step behind the play and having to compensate for late hits or holds. Stanley does have a boomer of a shot though and if he can find the room to get it off he can create chaos in front of the net and drain a few. He needs big forward support in the D zone as he is limited in ability to make passes when the puck is on his stick and/or a D partner that can back him up when he gets possession which is something he is not bad at doing. In the right situation with a puck moving partner, he can get some licks in and bring some pain while navigating himself to shooting position in the offensive zone that can cash occasionally. At this point I think St.Louis might be Stanley's best chance of being able to fight for a third pairing against Tyler Tucker who is deployed against very weak comp. and only really has rookie Theo Lindstein to compete with as of now. Stanley stands a chance of winning that race and might be able to pull out a little raise on his previous 1.2 mil for hopefully 2 years to get the chance, Otherwise Montreal looks to be moving away from Xhekaj and Stanley probably offers more that Arber does but likely it would be about the same price as he was at last year. Stanley might have over valued himself on the market and could be forced to league min somewhere if there are no offers from those spots. Here is my sneaky under the radar pickup. Kurashev was not one to comply with the defensive side of the game most of his career, In fairness it might have had more to do with the fact he was playing for a very weak Chicago team that was often playing from behind and offensive risk was more often the mode more applicable to the situation. whether it be one or the other or both Philipp has formed himself into a very reliable defensively aware player the last two years against impressive quality of opponents. Coach Warsofski found trust in his game to be sure and I am sure he would love to have Kurashev back in some capacity, but with the drafting of young phenom Stenberg and the acquisition of the more physically imposing Mason Marchment it appears that Kurashev is the odd man out. Hard to gauge what the center turned winger's ask is right now but i wouldn't be opposed to 3 plus million for a couple years for him. If I am Winnipeg, I am hot on the phone here and of course as we have mentioned Detroit should be in on anyone with value. Kurashev doesn't bring much of a physical element but seem to be developing into a smart positional forward that does all the things people often miss and go under the radar. Sounds a lot like a Carolina type play. A team like Boston would make sense as they seem to be trying their hardest to keep from a tear down rebuild and Kurashev being only 27 would provide them with a younger player that could contribute for several years. Thak for reading and look forward to your comments and thoughts,2w

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Remaining NHL Free Agents And Where They May Go.. Or Should They? Part 1

                                                   Tolvanen is an interesting player who at one point was a mainstay with Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand which was a very solid third line before Gourde and Bjorkstand shuffled off to Tampa. Last year he was moved around a bit more but played most minutes with Chandler Stevenson and Eberle whom he fared well with as he likely would on most lines as he is excellent in a shutdown roll with two other strong defensive players or he can take on those responsibilities on a line with some good transition players that fly the zone a little more. Eeli is a very smart low risk player that gets the idea of not missing assignments in all three zones and does it well. Not sexy to the eye test but very valuable to any line, My guess is Winnipeg and Detroit are waiting for his agent to call and he is holding out for a more appetizing landing spot. Unless he takes a cheaper one year deal though he might have to settle now. Tarasenko is one of those players that seem to be falling off the vine in the NHL today. At this stage of his career he is becoming a one trick pony that has to be put in the right situation to perform that one trick. If Vladamir is feeling it he can get a team 20 goals but it has to be in weak matchup situations with relatively skilled players that can also compensate for his lack of attention to defensive play. Last year he seemed to click with Yurov in Minnesota that way and when given the opportunity to play with EK it was prime for him. EK does the work and Vlad capitalizes with his strong shooting ability when the work is done. Those players are hard to put a value on and with most of the lineups complete now Tarasenko is kind of sitting on an island waiting for an injury. Oddly enough for a 20 plus goal scorer he might have to PTO and hope for a major injury. I have heard Edmonton was in contact, but I hope for their sake they wait out a better spot. L.A is light on righties and had problems scoring last year but cap space would have to be moved. If a team can get the puck on Klingberg's stick in the D zone or anywhere really he can do good things. If it is not on his stick though things can get crazy in a bad way. John doesn't win battles well and needs open ice to be effective. Simply put, with Anaheim needing righties as bad as they do I think he lands there eventually.2w

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Ville Koivunen pots Eight Year Four Million AAV contract With The Pens

This is a fascinating contract as Koivunen has barely gotten his feet wet in the NHL and has had pretty moderate point production when doing so. However, when you look at the macro data, you can see that he has been very impressive defensively when deployed against lower competition. Ville's major issue was skating speed when he was drafted in the second round in 2021, but he has worked hard to get much closer to league average, and that has shown in increased point production in the A.H.L., culminating in 41 points in 34 games last year. Hard to say if much of that offence will translate into N.H.L production, as it hasn't been so thus far, and data shows it also to be unlikely but Pittsburgh has shown to be a team that utilizes analytics well with finding gems like Wotherspoon, Chinahkov, Novak, and you could even say Kindell whom they moved up to nab in the 2025 draft. Koivunen has shown so decent play driving ability as well although a smaller sample size. With Pittsburgh's track record so for I will give them the benefit of the doubt with the fact that they have watch Ville extensively in the minors and honestly? He seems to be at least trending towards an effective fourth liner, and this seems to be the going rate now in the market. If he can hold on to that level of pay this contract will be pretty darn good long term. 2w

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Defense Of The Defense Moving Forward And Werenski Needs Some Love In Columbus

This is an extension of my last article, which revealed the Columbus Blue Jackets as having the most underrated defensemen in the league, which begged the question, "Why was Columbus only 17th in the league defensively"? The answer to this question is why I have embraced analytics over the last few years. I watched a lot of Jackets games last year, as I have with every team, and for some reason my eye test didn't register how poorly Columbus's forwards paid attention to their defensive responsibilities.  The only exceptions were Cole Sillinger, Mathieu Olivier in a limited role, and Coyle, but even he dipped quite a bit from last year. So I decided to take it upon myself to watch a couple of recorded CBJ games from last season to see what my eyes were missing. Yes, this is what the summer of an obsessed hockey geek looks like. What I found was an alarming number of players who are not known for normally doing so playing a very undisciplined brand of hockey where they were jumping the gun towards offense in the D zone far to often and sitting on the half boards waiting for defensemen that were out manned to get them the puck for far to long instead of offering support down low. Boone Jenner, Marchenko, Voronkov, Monahan, Johnson, and Fantilli were the most notable culprits, but in general it seemed to be a habit that had spread through the room. Werenski and the gang were left to their own devices far to often and did extremely well under the circumstances but by no means is this an ideal way to go about playing the game. The most surprising thing about this was Jenner and Marchenko, who are usually as sound as it comes in this area. Fantilli really has always been way behind the curve defensively. horrible you could say, away from the puck and might not every get to even poor status, Voronkov actually slightly improved but is much the same as Fantilli and Johnson just struggled all around last year. I now have more understanding as to why Evason looked like he was going to explode behind the bench more than usual last year and why Bowness lost his shit at the end of last year.  Now I will look at this spin.. What if Werenski realized this shift that was happening and was just as frustrated as the coaches were in many ways? I mean he did pooch out at the end of the season as much of the defense did, which is completely understandable now that i have put it together. Seems like there was a malaise within the room somehow and a loss of commitment to the way that a team needs to play. If Bowness' message at the end of the season manages to perk up some ears and he can renew the fire that seems to have been waning throughout the season..Is it possible a change of heart is accomplished for Werenski? The challenge is on the board. Only time will tell.2w

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What Is The Most Underrated Defensive Core In The NHL.?

I had to double-take this year while perusing each team's defensive cores this year analytically. The one team that didn't hit my eye test this past season as well as it should have during my partaking of divorce-worthy levels of hockey was? The Columbus Blue Jackets. Yes sir.  Zack Werenski  The Norris winner had one of his best defensive season last year (Still think Seider should have one) but for pure offensive impact I would certainly not poo poo the decision to give him one this past year. Elite he is and that is obvious. Zach played with almost every Dman on the team as well and stayed consistent regardless of who he was with Ivan Provorov This surprised the hell out of me honestly. Provorov has never has a positive defensive season in his career. Not even close. I mean this is not spectacular, but it far exceeds anything he has ever accomplished and if the Jackets could get him more in the second pair slot he could very well be playing at an elite 2 D level. Damon Severson If you have read my previous article on my "All Pearlo team" You will know that this one does not come to surprise to me. Severson has been underrated for a log time now and last year he probably had his best season, Damon has been a great play driver for years now and above average defensively. Last year he brought it to another level though and quietly played top end shut down hockey while having a huge positive affect on all of his line mates. Werenski got a lot of help on his way to his Norris playing with Severson more minutes than any other D partner. Denton Mateychuk i have been championing Denton since he was drafted. He has an absolute bomb for a shot and his offensive skills have always shown to be trending towards the elite side so I am not completely surprised by his rise but honestly did not see his offensive play control hitting this lever quite this quick. for a 22 year old his defensive awareness in all three zones his very good and I imagine will remain so or even more likely blossom more. He will likely get more of a look against elite competition this year from coach Bowness and it appears he will be willing to take it and run. This top 4 all of a sudden is something to be reconned with and should be considered up there with some of the best in the NHL. The depth gets a little shallow unfortunately, but Dante Fabbro is a very serviceable 3D who does not hurt you at all for sure. Christianson finally got his feet wet in the NHL last year but honestly struggled quite a bit and Gudbranson whom they resigned this year at a low AV can provide some spot work at this stage but is nothing to write home about at this stage of his career. Really never was.  With all that being said though defense shouldn't be a problem with the Jackets should it? Greaves had a 17.5 goals saves above expected and yes, Merzlikins was not great as a backup, but what gives with Columbus being only 17th in the league in goals against? I took it upon myself to rewatch some Columbus games from last year and that combined with other analytics gave me an interesting answer as well as maybe some intel on why Werenski is wishy washy on resigning at the end of this contract. I will tell you about in my next article. Untill then I hope you are all enjoying your summer and thanks for reading.2w

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Best Reasonably Available All Pearlo Team. Defense And Goaltending

This is a team of high-value players that I believe are undervalued in the market and would be solid contenders in my opinion. They cannot be on the ELCs and must have a reasonable chance to be acquired.  Can not be players that I figure are untouchable. Check out my previous forwards article. LD - Brayden McNabb (VGK)  RD Damon Severson LD - Alex Vlasic (CHI)              RD - Jordan Spence  LD   C.E D'Astous                      RD - Cale Fleury     Goalies  Justus Anunnen (NSH) Connor Ingram (FA)  McNabb might be the most underrated and underpaid D-man in the NHL. Consistently deployed against elite competition and consistently crushes defensively. Brayden also is more of a play driver than usually given credit for as well as being well above average on the PK. Add the physicality element and warrior like attitude and I would give be willing to give up a healthy package to acquire him even at his advanced age. Vlasic has been deployed against elite competition in Chicago and has fared very well for a 25 year old as well as being a solid PK guy. Signed until 2029 he has plenty of upside yet to become a solid number 1 defensive defenseman  Severson is very underrated. A way above average 2nd pair stud on a great contract that can do a little bit of everything and is deployed confidently versus top lines  . I would not be afraid at all to play him top RD. Spence is a tough one as far as acquiring as he just signed a new contract, but he does not have trade protection and I have been on him to be a very good RD since he was in L.A. He can play the powerplay alright and started to show his potential in the last half of the season last year. Plenty of upside and a decent chance of rising above projected ceiling of even the more optimistic experts on his game. D'Astous blossomed well in Tampa and as a late bloomer I would love him as a smooth skating all around player at under a mil Cale Fleury Has improved every year since his draft year and I believe he has huge potential to be similar to what Wotherspoon was to Pittsburgh last year Justus Annunen . Might be hard pressed to get Anunnen from Nashville but Nashville does nee scoring and have cap space and I just realized that I am over the cap now. So off the forwards group I did ( Check it out in my profile) I will trade Fialla for picks to someone to fit Annunen in. See how easy that is G.Ms? LOL  Ingram was just fine with Edmonton last year and I love his story of taking time to focus on whatever mental health concerns he had. if 2.5 Mil will work for him welcome aboard .3w

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Best Reasonably Available All Pearlo Team. Forwards Edition

This is what I would consider as a roster of players who are reasonably able to acquire, and I believe would not only make the playoffs but could do damage in them. LW -  Rickard Rakell     C-Robert Thomas     RW- Luka Evangalista  LW - Tyson Foerster   C- Shane Pinto           RW- Lawson Crouse  LW - Kevin Fiala           C - Ryan McLeod       RW- Ryan Hartman LW - Jake DeBrusk      C- Jason Dickinson    RW- Evan Rodrigues Extras Pontas Holmberg, Cody Glass, Michael Amadio  Although this is a fantasy sort of illustration. I put restrictions on myself that all players who were under the age of being an unrestricted F.A. must already be signed. I will admit that Thomas being reasonably attainable is probably a stretch but out of all the top line centers that I would consider he is probably the most attainable since it seemed he was help up as bait last year at the deadline. 1Cs are no easy feat to nab so play with me on that one. When I say attainable, I mean they are not untouchable really. Comment if you disagree on any of them. So, the way I went here was that most of the players have been shown to be able to play well against above average to elite competition. Meaning their coach has had no problem using them against top lines and they have fared very well. the exception being Rodrigues but that was on a very deep Florida team and with playing on a line with Debrusk and Dickinson I think his speed would be valuable and he would do well. Pretty much every player besides Hartman is above average to elite defensively in all three zones which is why I think they are all undervalued and as a group they would be extremely tough to play against especially in the playoffs. The great advantage with having all lines fully able to play top comp, is that coach can roll all four and take advantage of other teams lower competition lines while still being able to negate the oppositions top players with every line. Hartman was added for his offense and physicality. Hartman is also a great energy guy that has intangibles that do not equate to data well. Hartman stands up for his teammates and keeps everyone accountable. It would be very hard to find room on the ice with this bunch. Scoring maybe a little tough, so a lot of 3-2, 2-1 wins but at 67 million for the forwards there should be quite a bit of wiggle room after we get done with the D-men and the goaltenders . Comment is you have your own takes or would like to know how I came up with these players. Like it if you would enjoy seeing the rest of the roster. Thanks for popping by.3w

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