With signing RFA hold outs, Patrick Laine and Kyle Connor complete, the Winnipeg Jets are looking to not only repeat, but out due their performance from last season.
There is one major hiccup with that plan though. The defensive lineup the team will have available to them to start the season.
The Jets have lost Tyler Myers (Vancouver), Jacob Trouba (New York), Ben Chiarot (Ottawa) and recently Dustin Byfuglien (Personal). In short, the Jets defense core is decimated.
Tyler Myers signed a shiny new 5 year/30 million dollar deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Trouba was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for defenceman Neal Pionk and the 1st round pick in the 2019 draft (Ville Heinola), and Ben Chiarot signed a free agency deal with the Montreal Canadians on July 4th for 10.5 million dollars over 3 years.
Now those are some large names from last season who have left the team over the last few months. And to top it all off, Dustin Byfuglien has asked (and been granted) for a personal leave from the team to decide his future of playing.
The plus side of the Byfuglien leave is that he can still come back. There are rumors out there right now that he has said he will return to Winnipeg soon and resume his role with the team. And for Jets fans that can't come soon enough.
With the disappointment of last seasons playoff exit still sitting in the back of their throats, the Jets appear to be aiming for a deeper run into the post season. They extended defenceman Josh Morrissey another eight years (starting in the 20/21 season), and they signed defenseman, and previously mentioned 2019 first round draft pick, Ville Heinola to a three year entry level deal. They still have Dmitry Kulikov in the line up and as well as newly acquired Neal Pionk.
Also as of today, they have acquired left handed, Swedish defenceman Carl Dahlstrom off of waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks.
So while some familiar names may be gone, the Jets have begun the task of restocking their roster to help them get through the regular season and beyond.
Will the new additions be able to soar to new heights carrying the load that will undoubtedly be placed on their shoulders, or will it be too much for them to handle and have it ground the team?
For me I feel the defense will crack a bit under the pressure and not be able to repeat their success from last season. I hope I'm wrong and we get to watch a Canadian team in the playoffs in the spring of 2020.
Tuesday, 1 October 2019
Monday, 30 September 2019
The Return
Hello again all.
After a couple of years away from posting on my hockey blog, I've decided that maybe I could get back into it a little.
My first post in my return will be about "my" team, the Vancouver Canucks!
I was reading through some recent articles surrounding the team and seeing who has survived the pre-season with out being cut and it made me think; will this team amount to anything this year? Or am I cheering for a draft pick already?
There is the obvious upside to the team with Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and last seasons Calder Trophy winner, Elias Pettersson.
The middle of the road players who, if they have "up" seasons, could propel the team into the playoffs. Players like, Brandon Sutter, Michael Ferland and Jake Virtanen (all middle to bottom six forwards), need to have steps in the right direction to help this team accelerate their re-build/re-tool or whatever it is you want to call it.
Of the big three that I mentioned earlier, I would like to see, and expect, around 25-30 goals from each. Of course that is also dependent on if they can all stay healthy or not.
With all of that said about some of the forwards, it won't mean a thing if the defense on the team doesn't mesh and they can't keep the puck from entering their net.
The free agency addition of hometown boy Jordie Benn from the Montreal Canadians, the back end seemed to get a little more grit inserted into the lineup. He will add a nice veteran presence, along with Alex Edler, to the youthful squad on the blueline. But learning the in's and out's of a new team can take some time, no matter how much you are on the ice in the early stages of the season. I don't expect to see many growing pains from Benn, but you never know when it comes to new systems and coaches.
Young Quinn Hughes only had five games at the end of last season to show what he can do in the NHL, but he managed to tally three assists in those games and show everyone what he already believed; he was ready. Expect Hughes to pair up with a vet, probably Benn, in the early part of the season until he gets his feet wet and gets himself comfortable.
In net there is the same duo from most of last season. Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko.
With a combined total of 32-26-10 record last year, (the rest of the games were covered by Anders Nilsson, Richard Bachman and Michael DiPietro) there is still room for improvement. Especially if they want to make the post season and prove their worth to this management team.
Markstrom will get the bulk of the starts again this year, but with decent numbers posted by Demko, he may be able to take a few more games off and relax a bit.
It seems that Markstrom performs better when he sees a lot of rubber fired at him. While Demko appears to play better when he sees consistent shots and play through the game.
When Demko has a lot of shots in a short period of time, he occasionally gets a little scrambled and the puck will then end up in the net.
While both goalies are good, they are not what you would call bonafide starters. Since Roberto Luongo, there hasn't been a solid (ok maybe Ryan Miller) starter in the lineup for the Canucks. With one still seemingly missing, both of these goalies are going to have to work in tandem to stay consistent and perform well to help this team win some games.
With a lot of potential on the front end showing some heavy firepower, big bodies, speed and skill, the Canucks have a shot to make it through the regular season and into the post season. But like every other team out there, staying healthy and consistent will be the key.
Every hockey fan loves September/October, since it's the most optimistic time of year for both them and their teams. Myself included.
After a couple of years away from posting on my hockey blog, I've decided that maybe I could get back into it a little.
My first post in my return will be about "my" team, the Vancouver Canucks!
I was reading through some recent articles surrounding the team and seeing who has survived the pre-season with out being cut and it made me think; will this team amount to anything this year? Or am I cheering for a draft pick already?
There is the obvious upside to the team with Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and last seasons Calder Trophy winner, Elias Pettersson.
The middle of the road players who, if they have "up" seasons, could propel the team into the playoffs. Players like, Brandon Sutter, Michael Ferland and Jake Virtanen (all middle to bottom six forwards), need to have steps in the right direction to help this team accelerate their re-build/re-tool or whatever it is you want to call it.
Of the big three that I mentioned earlier, I would like to see, and expect, around 25-30 goals from each. Of course that is also dependent on if they can all stay healthy or not.
Since Boeser has already entered concussion protocol once this pre-season, it may be a stretch for them all make it through the grind of an 82 game season.What are you doing, Chris Tierney? pic.twitter.com/Kjb6OJAnQt— Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) September 24, 2019
With all of that said about some of the forwards, it won't mean a thing if the defense on the team doesn't mesh and they can't keep the puck from entering their net.
The free agency addition of hometown boy Jordie Benn from the Montreal Canadians, the back end seemed to get a little more grit inserted into the lineup. He will add a nice veteran presence, along with Alex Edler, to the youthful squad on the blueline. But learning the in's and out's of a new team can take some time, no matter how much you are on the ice in the early stages of the season. I don't expect to see many growing pains from Benn, but you never know when it comes to new systems and coaches.
Young Quinn Hughes only had five games at the end of last season to show what he can do in the NHL, but he managed to tally three assists in those games and show everyone what he already believed; he was ready. Expect Hughes to pair up with a vet, probably Benn, in the early part of the season until he gets his feet wet and gets himself comfortable.
In net there is the same duo from most of last season. Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko.
With a combined total of 32-26-10 record last year, (the rest of the games were covered by Anders Nilsson, Richard Bachman and Michael DiPietro) there is still room for improvement. Especially if they want to make the post season and prove their worth to this management team.
Markstrom will get the bulk of the starts again this year, but with decent numbers posted by Demko, he may be able to take a few more games off and relax a bit.
It seems that Markstrom performs better when he sees a lot of rubber fired at him. While Demko appears to play better when he sees consistent shots and play through the game.
When Demko has a lot of shots in a short period of time, he occasionally gets a little scrambled and the puck will then end up in the net.
While both goalies are good, they are not what you would call bonafide starters. Since Roberto Luongo, there hasn't been a solid (ok maybe Ryan Miller) starter in the lineup for the Canucks. With one still seemingly missing, both of these goalies are going to have to work in tandem to stay consistent and perform well to help this team win some games.
With a lot of potential on the front end showing some heavy firepower, big bodies, speed and skill, the Canucks have a shot to make it through the regular season and into the post season. But like every other team out there, staying healthy and consistent will be the key.
Every hockey fan loves September/October, since it's the most optimistic time of year for both them and their teams. Myself included.
Sunday, 8 October 2017
Jaromir Jagr and the Calgary Flames
After not receiving a NHL offer this past summer, it seemed that long time and multi team player, Jaromir Jagr, may be done playing in North America. But after lack luster pre-season performances from Curtis Lazar and Spencer Foo, the Flames brass thought it may be worth it to sign the Czech forward to play one more year in the NHL.
At 45 years old, Jagr adds one more team to his long list of stops during his career; and gets to add to his stats package that seems to scroll on forever when you look at it.
He currently sits 4th in all-time games played and has a chance to leap frog into 1st if this season pans out well for him and he can suit up for almost all of the remaining games. He is 3rd in goals scored, behind legends Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. 5th overall in assists with a chance to gain a spot and pass Ray Bourque. And he is 2nd overall in points behind the untouchable Wayne Gretzky total of 2857, which is over 900 points on Jaromir's 1914.
Even last season with the Florida Panthers, Jagr managed to amass 46 points in 82 regular season contests which seems impossible given his age. The reason behind such a decent showing? Skill, hockey IQ, strength and seemingly never ending drive to want to play the game.
Many people know that Jagr has a habit of working out late into the night when at the arena and is often times one of the last ones out of the building. But what people may not see is the ability to teach young players new tricks and learn a new thing or two himself. For a man who has seemingly done it all in the sport of hockey, he never seems finished with it. There is always a new technique to try, a new move to master and a new player for him to help turn into a pro. And what better teacher to have than the greatest Czech player of all time.
But what does it mean for some of his new teammates with his arrival? Well Spencer Foo was sent down to the AHL (Stockton Heat) and Curtis Lazar was given notice that if he doesn't pick it up, there will be more time in the press box in his future. Jagr didn't participate in last nights home opener for the Flames (6-3 W over the Jets), but all indications from his teammates were that he seemed ready during practice. He did mention in an interview that it's possible to see him play on the upcoming California road for the Flames, but it depends on how he feels before that decision will be made. That means that any player that possibly plays RW for the Flames may find themselves out of the line-up for a night or two or in a new position.
It's a given that Johnny Gaudreau, along with Sean Monahan and company will eventually get some playing time with the Czech veteran, but it remains to be seen how much and when that will happen. Rumor has it now that Jagr will see more 3rd line time with Sam Bennett and Kris Versteeg, and some potential time on the Power Play unit (either first or second).
Whenever it does happen, Flames fans are already rejoicing that Jagr has signed in their city and they are looking forward to the first game he pulls that iconic #68 over his head wearing their colors.
At 45 years old, Jagr adds one more team to his long list of stops during his career; and gets to add to his stats package that seems to scroll on forever when you look at it.
He currently sits 4th in all-time games played and has a chance to leap frog into 1st if this season pans out well for him and he can suit up for almost all of the remaining games. He is 3rd in goals scored, behind legends Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. 5th overall in assists with a chance to gain a spot and pass Ray Bourque. And he is 2nd overall in points behind the untouchable Wayne Gretzky total of 2857, which is over 900 points on Jaromir's 1914.
Even last season with the Florida Panthers, Jagr managed to amass 46 points in 82 regular season contests which seems impossible given his age. The reason behind such a decent showing? Skill, hockey IQ, strength and seemingly never ending drive to want to play the game.
Many people know that Jagr has a habit of working out late into the night when at the arena and is often times one of the last ones out of the building. But what people may not see is the ability to teach young players new tricks and learn a new thing or two himself. For a man who has seemingly done it all in the sport of hockey, he never seems finished with it. There is always a new technique to try, a new move to master and a new player for him to help turn into a pro. And what better teacher to have than the greatest Czech player of all time.
But what does it mean for some of his new teammates with his arrival? Well Spencer Foo was sent down to the AHL (Stockton Heat) and Curtis Lazar was given notice that if he doesn't pick it up, there will be more time in the press box in his future. Jagr didn't participate in last nights home opener for the Flames (6-3 W over the Jets), but all indications from his teammates were that he seemed ready during practice. He did mention in an interview that it's possible to see him play on the upcoming California road for the Flames, but it depends on how he feels before that decision will be made. That means that any player that possibly plays RW for the Flames may find themselves out of the line-up for a night or two or in a new position.
It's a given that Johnny Gaudreau, along with Sean Monahan and company will eventually get some playing time with the Czech veteran, but it remains to be seen how much and when that will happen. Rumor has it now that Jagr will see more 3rd line time with Sam Bennett and Kris Versteeg, and some potential time on the Power Play unit (either first or second).
Whenever it does happen, Flames fans are already rejoicing that Jagr has signed in their city and they are looking forward to the first game he pulls that iconic #68 over his head wearing their colors.
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