Stan Fischler's colleague disagrees with his take on the New York Rangers being Cup favorites, while Monday's report compares Huberdeau and Gaudreau and more.
WHY TAMPA BAY – NOT THE RANGERS – CAN WIN THE CUP
Not everyone agrees with The Maven's choice of the Rangers to win the Stanley Cup. New York's acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko may be a good one. But that doesn't make the Blueshirts any better than two-time Cup champ Tampa Bay, argues Florida reporter Al Greenberg. Here he disputes The Maven and explains why the Bolts are better:
Despite what Stan Fischler wrote on Friday – that the Rangers will win the Cup – I respectfully disagree.
Tampa Bay has what New York does not have – a two-Cup championship pedigree. It's almost 30 years since the Blueshirts tasted champagne.
Granted that the Bolts’ runs to the Cup final over the last three years have been costly. No successful team in the cap era can retain its personnel indefinitely. But with its nucleus of stars tied into long-term deals, the Stamkos-Hedman-Kucherov-Vasilevskiy-Point aggregation is just as strong as it was when the team won the Cup in 2020.
The rest of the squad is not too shabby either, including the perfect combination of scorers, top defenders and their share of sandpaper.
GM Julien BriseBois has done Houdini-like magic with his cap space in making deadline deals in the last three seasons. Last year’s trades were particularly effective because Brandon Hagel had two years remaining on a cap-friendly contract, and he was able to re-sign Nick Paul to a long-term deal.
There is no reason not to expect more of the same this year. According to CapFriendly, the Bolts do not have enough cap to add a minimum-wage player without removing a body from the roster. First-round draft picks for the next two years were already traded in the Hagel deal, so BriseBois has little to offer. Players with expiring contracts, such as Alex Killorn, who will likely be lost after the season, are simply too valuable to give up in a deal.
The forward lineup is almost identical to the one that went to last year’s final. On defence the biggest loss was Ryan McDonagh, so they probably can use a veteran defender for depth. Arizona’s Shayne Gostibehere would be a great rental but is likely unaffordable. Anaheim’s Dmitry Kulikov has a more reasonable contract and might be affordable with some financial wizardry.
Then there is old favorite Luke Schenn on an expiring deal in Vancouver at under $1 million. He has served the Lightning like a warrior in the past.
Whether or not BriseBois pulls off another stunner, this team has the proven pedigree to do it all over again with its current cast.
Finally, a couple more reasons to doubt the Rangers' ability to go the route:
1. They need more sandpaper to run at the opposition. 2. They remain an East-West team when North-South is the way to go. (Sorry, Stan.)
GAUDREAU AND HUBERDEAU ARE MISSING THE POINTS
As Glenn Dreyfuss tells us, two of last season's standouts have had tough transitions with their new teams.
Calgary lost one 115-point scorer to free agency in the off-season (Johnny Gaudreau), but gained another through trade (Jonathan Huberdeau). Unfortunately, the changes of address haven't worked out for either star.
Last year, Huberdeau capped a decade in Florida with a league-leading 85 assists. Gaudreau, who had spent all nine of his NHL seasons with the Flames, had a league-best plus-64. Both finished top five in Hart Trophy voting.
Johnny Hockey's dropoff in Columbus is more understandable, as injuries have decimated the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau's possession metrics are below last season, largely due to limited offensive help. With a strong finish, he could still break the Jackets' single-season points record of 87. Columbus and Chicago are neck and neck for the fewest points in the NHL, so Gaudreau's best hope is for his team to win the Connor Bedard sweepstakes this summer.
Huberdeau, traded to Calgary in a multi-player off-season blockbuster, is on pace for half of last season's goals and assists. Just this week, an NHL.com headline blared, "Huberdeau Needs To Be Way Better." Of course, his Flames this season are down both Gaudreau and former linemate Matthew Tkachuk, who went to Florida in the trade. The culture changes from South Beach to the windswept prairies of Alberta can throw even a veteran off stride, but Huberdeau freely admits he needs to regain his confidence.
Huberdeau does have a path to redemption not available this year to Gaudreau: the playoffs. Whether Calgary makes the post-season may hinge on Huberdeau regaining his form.
As TSN analyst Mike Johnson put it, "They probably do need more depth at forward, but I think a lot of that could be cured with a very good and productive Jonathan Huberdeau. They have the bodies – they just need to play to their capabilities."
I'M JUST SAYIN'
* If you believe the bromide "Where there's smoke, there's fire," then talk of Jim Rutherford leaving the Canucks' hierarchy must be closely watched.
* De-Maven me if you will, but I can't think of which team would hire Barry Trotz next season.
* My assumption, of course, is that Trotz would not want to undertake an Anaheim rebuild.
* It wouldn't be the end of the world if Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane wind down their careers in Chicago.
* After all, how many Cup rings does a player need before retiring? Plus, the Blackhawk vets could work with the rebuilding kids.
* Some buyer will want to nab Kevin Hayes, having a career year in Philly. Then again, at age 30 for Kev, it could be downhill from here on in, don't-cha think?
* For those who like to look ahead and surmise, a Rangers-Devils playoff "Battle of the Hudson" looms as a doozie.
* There are many big reasons why the Devils have remained aloft in the new year. Start with Dougie Hamilton playing Norris Trophy-type hockey.
* End it with the return of Mackenzie Blackwood playing like a starting goalie even though he's now backup to Vitek Vanecek.
* Every once in a while, it's a good idea to remind ourselves that the regular schedule is a marathon, not a sprint.
* The biggest challenge confronting the Coyotes will emerge in May when the Tempe City Council meets to approve plans for a state-of-the-art arena.
* Assuming Tempe green lights the 16,000-seat rink, the ground will be broken, and building will begin in what's described as "a great location."
* For those critical of the Coyotes playing at 5,000-plus seat Mullett Arena, every game is a sellout even though every seat may not be occupied. What matters is the standing-room numbers.
* Patrick Kane saying he was disappointed that the Rangers traded for Vladimir Tarasenko is borderline ridiculous since he still has not made up his mind about whether he wants to leave Chicago.
* Chris Drury never wanted Kane in the first place. Tarasenko is more the Blueshirts' kind of right wing.
* Breaking News: The term "blockbuster" – as in "blockbuster trade," has just reached the cliché stage.
* What if it's a tiny deal, does it merely become "a grenade trade?"
* Nice Guys Get Gigs Dept. Happiness is Bruce Boudreau back at work doing TV commentary. The Canucks' loss is NHL-TV's gain.
* Adam Fantilli's "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" for Michigan on Saturday night was the first in college hockey since 2014 and only the seventh on our books.
* One Fantilli scouting report goes like this: "He's been a torrid scorer on the NCAA level and has everything. The question is whether he can do it at NHL speed."
* A while back, Evgeni Malkin was omitted from the top 100 NHL players list. A revised list should include him. Malkin leads all Russian players in points per game with 1.16 (min. 200 games).
* Habs owner Geoff Molson has seen the light. He's committed to building the Canadiens "the right way."
* Translated, that means patience will be the franchise's virtue. Being competitive for the long haul is Geoff's crusade.
* Calgary's quest for a new rink got a boost from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Her comment says it all: "I don't want to see 'Quebec Flames,' I can tell you that."
A KNIGHT, KNIGHTHOOD AND HOCKEY CHIVALRY
Like all his colleagues in the Goaltenders' Union, the Panthers' Spencer Knight could have had his new mask painted in any cockamamie manner. But Spence chose a different kind of artwork.
His face protector features paintings by young patients at the Hollywood, Fla. Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.
As website columnist and hockey analyst David Dwork of WPLG Local 10 in Miami pointed out, "This was Spencer's idea and honestly one of the coolest things I've seen an NHL goalie do with his mask."