• The 2026-27 season was the final year of Brad Treliving’s original contract. The Maple Leafs were not going to allow a cliffhanger. The choice was extend him or move on. I’m not sure how far along it went, but, according to multiple sources, over the Olympic break, there was at least one conversation about extending Treliving. 

With his firing coming 24 days after the trade deadline, some Leafs fans wondered how the GM was allowed make decisions at that time. There’s your answer. When the Olympics ended on Feb. 23, there was still a chance he’d have the job next September.

Where did it change? Things nosedived when the season resumed, two wins in 14 games. But it often goes deeper than results, and although Pelley took pains to avoid specific complaints, there are two statements from his Tuesday media conference that stand out. 

The first was that the next leader has to “really understand data and the importance of data and where data is moving…Every single decision that we will make will be evidence-based. Evidence-based decisions are never wrong. That’s not to say that there’s not room for the heart, that doesn’t mean there’s not room to check culture, but it’s evidence-based.”

Pelley sat in meetings for a day or two at/around the deadline. Something about the process did not satisfy him. 

The second quote was about culture. While stating “I don’t believe that the current state of the team rests entirely on Brad’s shoulders,” Pelley added, “We didn’t have the alignment, we didn’t have the culture, we didn’t have the structure that we needed to be successful.”

That could mean several things, but one of the situations he is believed to be referring to is the lack of immediate on-ice reaction to Radko Gudas’s knee to Auston Matthews. Ironically, hours after Treliving was fired, the Maple Leafs and Ducks engaged in a nasty, fight-filled rematch where Max Domi fought Gudas at the opening draw. Toronto won in overtime, one of the most intense and entertaining games of the season. 

I also believe the Maple Leafs considered bringing back Treliving with changes around him, but ultimately decided against it.

• Pelley took several internal and external meetings over the past few months to get opinions/ideas. This bothered the Hockey Operations staff, who felt people on the outside were trying to undermine them. About a week ago, as rumours intensified that Treliving was in trouble, the GM asked for clarity. Again, according to several sources, he made it clear he felt this was a one-year blip (something Pelley agreed with in his media conference) and wanted to stay. 

However, he also asked that if the organization wished to fire him, just do it. Don’t let things drag. There is organizational precedence for this. In 2004, Raptors GM Glen Grunwald, in the final year of his contract, asked about his future. When the team told him they would not be keeping him, Grunwald said there was no point in delaying, so he was let go with eight games to play.

In this case, I believe Pelley had to ask ownership permission, which was granted. As he said Tuesday, it allows them to get started early on the process.

• Pelley’s comments about data reverberated across the industry. “There aren’t a lot of people who fit that description,” an executive said. Another pointed out the Maple Leafs already have a deep data department, led by Darryl Metcalf, a super sharp guy who is one of the assistant GMs. 

Pelley, however, also made sure to point out any data-driven leader must be surrounded by hockey-smart supporters. 

Here’s my theory: I work for Rogers, majority owners of MLSE. I don’t really mix with its leadership — more their choice than mine, of course — but over 11 years, I have a better understanding of how it functions and what’s important. 

Rogers (and Sportsnet) aren’t afraid to spend money, to try things. But they believe these gambles must make sense. They need hard evidence. They’ll debate, and they’ll challenge, but they’ll take their chances if presented something they can buy into. Pelley, their sporting liaison, knows that. 

So, what he’s saying is the Maple Leafs’ next Hockey Operations leader must be someone who can explain their vision to ownership in a way they understand and will want to follow. Then do it again and again and again with all of the decisions that must be made. 

If you can’t do that, you’re not getting this job.

• As it stands, I don’t have clarity on what St. Louis owner Tom Stillman is willing to consider — if anything. This summer, Doug Armstrong moves into an overseer role for incoming GM Alexander Steen. The last time there was a Toronto opening, members of the Leafs ownership wanted to at least talk to Armstrong, but Stillman shut it down. We’ll see.

• You’re kidding yourself if you don’t believe there’s going to be a ton of interest. The risks are high, but so are the rewards. I’ll throw out a few names, but generally hate doing that because I guarantee I’ll be missing some serious contenders. Overall experience matters, but we’re also on a run of first-time GMs winning Stanley Cups. 

I believe there’s been some contact with former Canucks GM Mike Gillis, who definitely embraces the data-driven desires. (A couple of sources indicated he also spoke to Nashville, but won’t be the new GM hire. Speaking of the Predators and Maple Leafs, Nashville sought permission to speak to Brandon Pridham, currently Toronto’s interim co-GM with Ryan Hardy.) 

He won’t be craving a front-facing role, but Dean Lombardi is someone else I can see resurfacing from witness protection to survey the landscape. He’s an evidenced-based guy, too. If Jason Spezza feels he’s ready, I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t get an interview. If they want a fresh-faced data-driver, Florida’s Sunny Mehta fits. 

There’s lots out there. We’re just getting started. 

More from Sportsnet

‘We just didn’t deliver’: Brad Treliving’s firing shocks Maple Leafs

How Pelley envisions path forward for Maple Leafs’ ‘data-centric’ retool

Like many of you, I was confused by two similar video-review challenges from last weekend: Morgan Barron’s 2-1 goal during Saturday’s Winnipeg/Pittsburgh game, followed by Anders Lee’s disallowed score from Sunday’s Columbus/Islanders tilt. 

The playoffs may not officially be underway, but for any team close to the cutline, they’ve already begun. You feel the intensity and the passion. There’s so much at stake. Part of my job is explaining these decisions. The people in the Situation Room watch more hockey than I do, so if there’s nuance I’m missing, I’d like to know about it. 

Thursday evening, minutes before a heavy 13-game schedule, I got on a zoom call with six of them. We walked through the two plays, and they explained to me why one was a goal and one wasn’t. It should also be mentioned that one former official is in the room with Hockey Operations. Last weekend, it was Dan O’Halloran, who refereed in the NHL from 1995-2020.

My goal here is to explain. What did they see? Why did they rule this way? And, inform everyone so we hopefully have a better understanding of what we are looking for. 

The Penguins are up 2-0 when Barron scores the disputed goal. Keys: the puck is in front of Barron, and he doesn’t change his path in an obvious attempt to wipe out the goalie. His only interest is getting in position to score, and the contact occurs immediately after he makes contact with the puck.

Watch from the camera above and behind Arturs Silovs. Erik Karlsson makes an incredible attempt to disrupt this play, coming a long way to bother Brad Lambert before spinning to get his stick on Barron’s effort. (I didn’t appreciate how hard Karlsson competed here until I saw this angle.) The Situation Room feels Karlsson’s own momentum plays the biggest part in the ensuing contact, since he’s spinning into Barron’s path. 

When referee Kelly Sutherland says it is a goal “due to the initial contact by the Pittsburgh defenceman,” he’s referring to Karlsson and Barron, not Karlsson and Silovs. That added to the confusion. 

The Penguins hilariously distributed the rule to media in attendance at that game, but Hockey Operations, which admits not all rulings have unanimous internal agreement, said there wasn’t much dispute on this one. (To be honest, I was surprised at how many people said this to me, too. When I saw it live, I thought for sure no goal.) They did not feel Barron pushed, shoved or fouled Karlsson. They felt this was a battle Barron won.

I was playing cards Sunday night when my phone blew up about this one. I was shocked the Blue Jackets challenged, because no way I would have after Barron’s goal. But their video coaches knew something, because the goal was overturned.  

Right away, I’m shown one major difference between the two plays: puck location. On Barron’s goal, the puck is between him and the net, either on the ice or in the air. When Lee collides with Jet Greaves, it is behind him — not in the crease. As the Islanders captain goes to the net, Mathieu Olivier deflects it away from his stick, and it doesn’t move towards the goal until it hits Olivier’s skate. That’s Lee’s biggest problem. He takes out Greaves with no puck in the crease, and the carnage prevents the goalie from recovering before it goes in off Olivier. 

The big question here is obvious: doesn’t Olivier push Lee? As we were discussing this play, that’s what I had the toughest time reconciling. I freely admit the ex-players in Hockey Operations have much more on-ice experience than I do, so they see things I don’t. 

Lee is no softie, but the Columbus winger is one of the NHL’s toughest, most physical players. On the side-angle view, they point out how Lee smartly manoeuvres around Olivier before the latter recovers to knock the puck away, and doesn’t fall on Lee until after everyone’s in the crease. The majority of the Situation Room staff feels this was more about Lee’s own momentum. 

At the end of our conversation, I told them they should be putting out these videos themselves. Maybe I don’t agree with everything, but, at the very least, the walk-through opened my eyes to critical factors. 

Number one: where is the puck? Barron’s goal, it was in front of him. Lee’s was behind him, and he clearly beat the puck into the crease. That matters. And it was the first thing mentioned in both cases. This is something all of us should be watching on any disputed play.

Number two: who creates the contact? This is more judgemental, but it’s a factor. We might not always see it the same way, but we have to look for it.

Of course, while I was writing, the Penguins lost another challenge. But in both of these they lost, they won the game. (So did the Islanders.) We plan, God laughs.

32 THOUGHTS

1. Tuesday, led by intrepid Sportsnet Features producer Jeremy McElhanney, we drove to Buffalo. The Sabres are playoff-bound, so we taped a few pieces. The best thing about Buffalo right now is you feel the energy. Reporters covering practice were excited. It’s an awesome fan base, extremely deserving of late-April hockey. Josh Norris said that, during the first post-Olympic home game, he and Tage Thompson were next to each other on the bench. The crowd was so loud they couldn’t have a conversation. They started laughing, marvelling at the enthusiasm.

2. One of the most fascinating things about the Sabres’ season is that it went from zero-to-100 at F1 speeds. There was no build, no climb — just an immediate charge from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to the top. It’s obvious: everyone believes the 4-3 overtime victory in Edmonton on Dec. 9 is Buffalo’s pivotal moment. A collision knocked out Colten Ellis in the first period, but in front of Alex Lyon, they played 40 great minutes and led 3-0. Then, Edmonton scored 10 seconds into the third and tied it with two seconds remaining in regulation. The Oilers are a nightmare in three-on-three overtime, and the Sabres stared at a fourth-straight loss. But Alex Tuch scored at 0:33 and a 10-game win streak was born.

“That could have been the game that broke our back,” head coach Lindy Ruff said. “Lots of excuses that could’ve led to a loss, but we made it a big win.” 

3. Heading into Thursday’s games, Buffalo was tied atop the East with Carolina, also holding the top tiebreaker — 37 regulation wins. (Tampa Bay is second with 35.) Every team has its slogans — everyone remembers John Tortorella’s “Safe is Death” — and Ruff was nice enough to share four themes surrounding the Sabres in 2025-26:

“Everybody Ropes, Everybody Rides.”

Self-explanatory. I assumed Ruff, a good Alberta boy, authored this one, but he wouldn’t take credit. “The players probably didn’t know this and I didn’t tell them, but when I went to Dallas, somebody else brought this in.” (Another Western Canadian, he said.)

“Share the Morning Coffee.”

“Talk to your teammates. Get to know them. When you walk in the building, your teammates sit in there. Enjoy something with them.” 

“Grab a Guy.”

“Means a lot of things in hockey. There might be something going on on the ice. You’re going to have to grab a guy.” Nowhere did the Sabres better illustrate this than during their wild, fight-filled 8-7 win two weeks ago over the Lightning.

Or, “There might be a guy that’s struggling off the ice or with his play, that means just grab the guy, help him out. That can go a lot of different directions and a lot of these are stuff the players and our group came up with before the season.”

“(Bleeping) Give-r.”

“When you put the skates on, it’s 100 per cent plus.” Not too many nights Buffalo’s given anything less since that northern Alberta night last December. Chippewa Street in the playoffs is going to nuts. About time.

4. Ruff played for the Rangers; coached the Stars and Devils. But Sabre blood flows through his veins. He’s been so close, particularly in 1999 and 2006 — the phenomenal series against Carolina where a puck-over-glass penalty overcame their injury-depleted blue line. He loves this group. I asked him if he still thinks about erasing all of that.

“Well, it’s a shot to get done what I haven’t been able to get done,” he answered. “In my eyes, I’m not going to quit trying.” Does that mean you’re back next year? (His contract expires June 30.) “The thing we’ve kind of wrapped our arms around as a coaching staff has been, ‘Let’s just win one more game.’ We keep saying, ‘Just one more.’ That’s it. And we get to tomorrow, and we’ll say, ‘Just one more.’” Then, he smiled. “When we get to that ‘Just one more,’ we’ll see if it’s just one.”

5. Nashville is shrinking its list of GM contenders. I don’t believe any external candidate has interviewed in-person. Not sure of the timeline, but that’s going to change in the near future. In addition to the already reported names, others who have been spoken to include St. Louis Vice-President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli and an intriguing fresh name, Edmonton assistant GM Bill Scott. It’s a wide net and we’re still figuring out who else is involved.   

6. The Predators’ late-season push is exciting, but hasn’t changed their long-term outlook. As someone joked with me this week, “birth certificates are still the berth certificates.” They will need to continue developing and injecting youth. 

7. One former Nashvillian will be closely watched as the games heat up. That’s Michael McCarron. The Predators and player had a sizeable gap during negotiations. A few team executives said that’s because he’ll have a strong market. Nothing ridiculous, manageable for most, but there’s a scarcity and he’s a physical, competitive sizeable centre. 

8. I wouldn’t rush to assume anything about Auston Matthews’ intentions. There is much to play out before we get a true understanding of how he feels. While there are changes coming in Toronto, we don’t yet know what they will be.

9. Connor Ingram after Edmonton’s thrilling 4-3 Thursday night victory over Vegas: “We’ve found a way to play that’s given us success. Now it’s not being stubborn and sticking with it. Playing simple. We’re a good enough hockey club we’re going to get our chances. As long as we don’t give them that many, we’re going to be just fine.”

The Oilers’ penalty kill, ranked 26th, had three huge kills, including one in overtime. During Tuesday’s win over Utah, the Oilers had some way-above-average defensive metrics for them (per Sportlogiq), including blocking almost double the amount of even-strength shots as usual and a much stingier defence of their blueline. Baby steps, but big performances. 

10. Alexander Ovechkin took his first defensive-zone five-on-five faceoff of the season Thursday in Utah — a night he scored a hat trick in a 7-4 win. Part of me thinks it would have been tremendous to go 82 games without one. I’ve also wondered if he does play next year, does he also get something unheard-of for the NHL: a lengthy multi-city sendoff.

11. For much of this season, the Jets felt this year was a blip — not a true indication of who they are, especially due to Connor Hellebuyck’s early-season injury. But there has to be disappointment post-Olympics they got within striking distance of a playoff position and haven’t made a better push.

12. In the debate about playoff format, someone made a thoughtful point: that Commissioner Gary Bettman wants things this way because it protects time zones. There’s reason to believe this. Bettman has said he will never go away from every team having All-Star Game representation because you give a market incentive not to watch. Not everyone makes the playoffs, but this way you get the best shot at multiple teams from every region. Every division has its down cycle. Before the Pillow Pacific, remember the SouthLeast? I do wish there was a way to give Central teams (and fans) better start times. 

13. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said this week the NBA will have a special Board of Governors meeting this May to enact tougher anti-tanking rules. Leagues watch each other, so I’m curious to see what Silver comes up with.

The NHL adjusted its draft a few years ago, with teams blocked from rising more than 10 spots and falling more than two — but that was because the worst teams felt they were consistently getting clobbered in the lottery (Detroit). Silver made it very clear this is a problem that needs to be solved at the ownership level. The first team out of the playoffs in the East is nine-and-a-half back. In the West it is 10.5. That’s a drama-free few weeks, everybody’s nightmare. Fortunately, hockey doesn’t have the same issue this season, thanks to some awesome races. But the NHL will watch what the NBA does, just in case. 

14. A few Canucks said Filip Hronek is quietly trying to exert more influence in a positive way. As the Canucks chart a new path, Hronek’s discussed everything from practice habits to how workouts are done to punctuality to attire in an attempt to sharpen things. Lots of talk he’ll be the new captain. Whether or not that’s true, he’s definitely acting as one. 

15. Vegas is notoriously private about injuries but there is expectation Carter Hart will return before the end of the regular season. 

16. It’s now or never for the Kings. One point out, seven in a row at home, two of them against Nashville. Have to overcome a terrible tiebreaker, though. 

17. We’ll see how things progress with James Hagens, but I don’t believe returning to Boston College is a realistic outcome. What’s interesting is that several advisors and executives wanted him to try if he doesn’t sign this spring with the Bruins, just to see how the NCAA handles it. While there is educated guesswork Hagens wouldn’t be eligible now that he’s appeared in the AHL, the fact a couple of players have returned to college after playing professional hockey has others wondering if he could be stopped. In this case, however, the question appears moot.

18. Someone asked me if the Bruins don’t want to burn the first year of his contract so a new one is needed in three years instead of two. Only Boston can answer that, but one thing I’ve learned is some clubs aren’t scared of this because it can actually hurt a player’s comparables due to lower counting stats. I mean, if Hagens does what he can do, it’s not going to matter. But some agents and teams will tell you burning a year with no huge numbers can help a club’s negotiation/arbitration case.

19. As part of the being-worked-on NHL/CHL/AHL eligibility rules, there will be a date prior to the CHL trade deadline (second week of January) for 19-year-olds to rejoin their junior clubs rather than stay. Past that date, they can’t go back.

20. Originally, the plan was for one 19-year-old per NHL team to be loaned, but that’s been amended to any first-round selection. Teams with multiple picks argued they shouldn’t have to create problems with players, families and/or agents by choosing between eligible players. As I’ve written, I don’t think this means we will see a flood of players headed there. NHLPA must still approve. 

21. Loved Travis Green saying “get ready to win” when asked what he was going to do against Detroit with a depleted defence. It’s all about attitude, although I admit it didn’t hurt that Linus Ullmark played one of his best games of the season. Also excellent that Carter Yakemchuk scored two points in an emergency NHL debut. He’s only 20, long way to go, but the pressure builds for impact when you’re a first-rounder. For both player and for a scouting staff under new management. 

22. The only north-of-the-49th team not to host an outdoor game is Montreal. The issue is not “want,” but “where?” The Canadiens are trying to solve that. TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reported Wednesday the plan is to build a temporary stadium where summer music festivals are held at Parc Jean-Drapeau, near the Canadian Grand Prix site. I’ve heard 42,000 seats (Renaud said 40-45K) with a target of the 2028-29 season. A women’s game would be part of the festivities. Would be awesome, and we need an outdoor game in that city.

23. Don’t overcomplicate things: make Toronto the opponent.

24. Speaking of Montreal, a few executives who saw Alexander Zharovsky recently said the Canadiens got away with grand larceny picking him 34th in last year’s draft. Apparently, that selection in that spot is a discussion point in scouting circles. 

25. A couple post-Olympic thoughts still in my notebook. After the Bronze Medal Game, I asked several Finns and Slovaks who they thought would win gold. Mikael Granlund answered, “I have my thoughts, but I’m not going to say them yet.” I haven’t forgotten Mikael, and some day I’m going to get it out of you. 

26. American-born Shane Pinto said the more Canada couldn’t score, the more he began to believe “we were actually going to win.” I heard this from a few different people.

27. Vincent Trocheck said when he checked his phone after the win, there was a text from one of his best friends with the on-ice video of Trocheck saying, “I am going to get (bleeped) up tonight.” He was laughing about that this week, saying the other text that stood out was a congratulatory message from Patrick Kane. They became pretty close during the future Hall-of-Famer’s Ranger tenure.

28. Don Granato will be coaching Team USA at the World Championships. His Buffalo contract is expiring. Enjoyed working with him at Sportsnet and no doubt this will be a good opportunity to remind everyone of his availability. 

29. Kevin Maxwell, AHL Springfield’s GM, may be leaving the Blues as they enter the Alex Steen era. Prior to that, he worked for the Rangers for 15 years. Possible reunion?

30. To make the whole goalie interference situation even more muddled, when it briefly came up at the GM meetings, one manager complained about the netminders embellishing, too.

31. Not my expertise, but I’ve been reading this week about PWHL salary disclosure in The Hockey News. It’s a controversial topic, because this information is supposed to be private and not all players and/or reporters are thrilled about it. (No doubt the league isn’t happy.) I’d just say this: full salary disclosure was great for the NHL players. A friend is taking his kids to the Takeover Tour game this weekend in Detroit (New York Sirens vs Montreal Victoire) and they are pumped. 

32. Just wanted to send the best to Victor Hedman, one of my favourites. Respect his privacy, but hope whatever he needs to take care of solves itself quickly and positively. 

More from Sportsnet

Three up, three down: What underlying trends say about potential playoff teams

Scout’s Analysis: What to expect from James Hagens in pro hockey

Eric Tulsky declined comment, but it was Carolina’s general manager who had an exchange with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about head contact during this week’s GMs meetings. (Bettman wouldn’t comment, either.)

It happened Tuesday. According to several sources, Bettman raised the topic, saying there is an owner who feels strongly the league needs stronger enforcement on this issue. He asked the GMs if they agree with the current standard/interpretation of Rule 48: Illegal Check to the Head. There was a second or two of silence before Tulsky said he supported the owner’s position, leading the commissioner to say something along the lines of, “Well, I guess we know which owner this was.”

Since he arrived in the NHL, Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has made no secret: He wants more protection for the head and stricter punishment for violations. A few sources said his ire was re-ignited by a Tyler Pitlick hit on Jalen Chatfield in November. Pitlick was ejected, but not suspended.

Bettman followed up with, “Does anyone else agree?” Again, silence. End of discussion.

Was it contentious? People definitely tiptoe around the commissioner, but this was extremely low on the scale. They’ve seen much, much worse dressing-downs. But several sources said Tulsky had no reason to be embarrassed. He stood up for himself (and his franchise) politely, but firmly. They respected he stuck to his guns.

Maybe it’s fitting it happened this week, considering player safety dominated the conversation. We will see after the playoffs if players truly are motivated to force a deeper conversation about the process. There are NHLPA meetings every spring/summer. Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly pointed out Wednesday the discipline process did not come up last season during collective bargaining. Any negotiation always includes, “If we do this, what’s the benefit for us?”

But Connor McDavid is a powerful voice. And, in addition to his dismay at the Auston Matthews injury, there’s zero doubt he’s forgotten he believes his three-game suspension for crosschecking Conor Garland was one too many.

Making sure players don’t pay too heavy a penalty is a longstanding union cornerstone. Before Bettman’s arrival, former NHL president Gil Stein suspended players for practices and not games, something then-NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow fought to stop. He felt teams should pay as much of a penalty as the player.

And, remember: when Brendan Shanahan became Doctor of Discipline in 2011, he came out hot: nine suspensions in 10 days during the pre-season, including eight regular-season games for James Wisniewski, and five each for Jody Shelley and Brendan Smith. Players — and teams — weren’t thrilled. Other than Shanahan suspending Raffi Torres for 25 games during the 2012 playoffs, things were dialled back.

I misspoke last Saturday when I said the NHLPA brought up kneeing-suspension history during Radko Gudas’s hearing. But there is no question both the league and the union are well aware of history and precedent in these cases; the players’ association is much more aggressive with appeals now than it ever was. Senior vice president of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety George Parros made a point of saying Gudas’s suspension was the second-longest in recent memory for kneeing. (Matt Cooke’s seven playoff games in 2014 is first.) It still leaves an empty and unfulfilled feeling, but Parros believes he stretched it as far as he thought he could.

This is why anyone who’s done this job, from Brian Burke to Colin Campbell to Shanahan to Stephane Quintal, has burned out. There is no “team” backing you, except your staff, which Parros took pains to support this week. (I’m calling his 8 a.m. Tuesday media conference “Parros’s Revenge.”) Everyone hates your guts.

I didn’t get the sense Parros is at wits’ end or ready to leave — unless a job opens he thinks is better. He did the toughest job as a player, too, and backs down from no one.

One of my suggestions over the years is there should be a term limit on this position, maybe five years. (Parros took the reins in 2017.) Fresh eyes, fresh thoughts. But, one of the challenges is, it’s not easy to find people willing to step into this inferno. The list of people who’ve turned it down over the years, apparently, is quite extensive.

The other obvious idea is a three-person panel. One NHL representative, one NHLPA representative, one “third party.” However, it would mean both the league and the players cede a powerful vote to someone (in theory) out of their influence.

League leadership likes control. Union leadership likes control. An unencumbered swing vote? I’ll believe it when I see it. But I’m always open to ideas.

32 THOUGHTS

1. If something from this meeting actually was contentious, I’d pick goaltender interference. A few GMs left unsatisfied with where we are and where we are going. That second goal from Anaheim-Ottawa last Saturday has everyone in knots. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek wasn’t convinced and Tulsky is among those who backed him. One of the league’s concerns is that disallowing goals too often takes us back to the horrible toe-in-the-crease days of 1999. It doesn’t need to be like that; you can go in the crease, but if you come into contact with the goalie, it’s on you. I recognize that the NHL’s hockey operations feels a little bit under siege. I can only speak for myself, but I’m confident the opposition to that goal comes from a desire to avoid post-season chaos.

2. When the NHL and NHLPA agreed to their new CBA, one unfinished item of business was allowing one 19-year-old CHL draft pick to go to the AHL, which is not allowed under previous rules. NHL teams have pushed to eliminate restrictions, saying that if they have more than one who is capable, why shouldn’t all of them be able to go? I don’t think teams believe the AHL will be flooded with 50 of them. It’s too good a league and there aren’t anywhere near that many who could do it. But, it was pointed out that, in these days of teams having multiple first-round draft choices, teams should not be forced to choose between more than one who legitimately are ready to play at a higher level. You’re walking yourself into trouble, potentially alienating a prospect. I’m sensitive to the needs of the CHL because it is still a massive pipeline to the NHL. As the developmental landscape continues its seismic shift, a few GMs said we’re headed to it being the choice of the best 17- and 18-year-olds. That’s another reason these teams want more freedom when kids hit 19.

3. In considering Russia’s World Cup of Hockey participation, I’ve been told several times that North Americans don’t always understand or recognize the depth of European passion on this issue. There is at least one agent who brought up Russia’s return at January’s NHLPA meetings, and he was reminded of that. On behalf of our Slovak podcast producer, Dom Sramaty, I asked if there could be a joint Czechia-Slovakia entry, but was told that is premature.

4. We’ll see when it happens, but it sounds like surgery will be part of Auston Matthews’ recovery. There is still plenty of confidence he will start next season on time.

5. Not really interested in further discussion about that night. The horse is dead, and there’s no point in continuing the pummelling. What I did hear is that several other teams — if not every other team — had conversations about how such an incident can affect a dressing room and an organization. Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin joked about how going for beers together can build camaraderie, but another Buffalo player told Kyle Bukauskas, “You don’t have to be a guy’s best friend to be a great teammate.”

6. One more note about Leon Draisaitl: Oilers GM Stan Bowman said there’s no reason to compare his situation to Mattias Ekholm’s from one year ago, that only a long playoff run would be necessary for him to play in the post-season.

7. Nashville’s GM search has been pretty interesting. A lot of zoom calls, conversations and feelers. They’ve reached out to/asked for permission about a lot of people. Gathered information, listened to ideas, and it’s possible they’ve already spoken to some candidates two or three times. Some former managers (Marc Bergevin, I believe, among them), several assistant GMs on their way up (Florida’s Brett Peterson believed among them), maybe an agent or two. Sooner or later, the Predators will cut their list and really dig in. Could happen as soon as next week.

8. Columbus GM Don Waddell reiterated that he will talk about Rick Bowness’s future with the coach after the season. “We’re the only two people who aren’t worried about it,” the Blue Jackets GM said. Some of the players would like clarity, too, but there’s time.

9. I don’t know where it’s going to go with Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida. But there is word that the contract Brad Marchand signed (six years, $5.25 million AAV) was, at one point, used as some kind of a comparable. Marchand signed that at age 37. Bobrovsky is 37. Panthers were not willing to do it. Not sure where it stands now.

10. Mason McTavish was scratched again Wednesday as the Ducks lost 3-2 to Philadelphia in overtime. You can always rewrite your own narrative, and Anaheim has several big games to play yet this season. Jeremy Swayman signed on Oct. 6, 2024, after a lengthy, bitter contract dispute and it played a big part in Boston’s season going sideways. But, with a summer of peace, Swayman showed up ready to go, and has been excellent, a huge part of the Bruins’ resurgence. McTavish signed Sept. 27, 2025, after a lengthy, bitter contract dispute and hasn’t been the same. The good news for the Ducks is they are in the race, allowing McTavish the chance to save this season. But I can’t help but wonder if he’s next year’s Swayman.

11. With the cap going up and the free-agent class shrinking, teams believe term will become even more valuable for trade targets. That’s one of the reasons the Rangers didn’t move Vincent Trocheck. Maybe someone would’t pay the price this month, but how about this summer? That’s their bet.

12. Teams that showed serious interest in Matthew Knies included Anaheim, Chicago, Montreal, New Jersey and Utah. Everyone has denied that the Canadiens went far down the road, but … we’ll see. There were some teams who didn’t believe the Maple Leafs were serious about it, but now recognize the possibility.

13. The Canadiens have done a nice job of shielding their true intentions. There were rumours of a defenceman, of Knies, and even something else they might wish to revisit. They definitely explored moving money. There were discussions about Patrik Laine ending up either in Philadelphia or Toronto, but it obviously didn’t work out.

14. Minnesota was more judicious about dealing Charlie Stramel than we thought. That isn’t to say they didn’t offer to include him in something big, but the Wild were very particular about what they’d consider. It wasn’t an automatic.

15. Same with Carolina and Alexander Nikishin. The return had to be elite for the Hurricanes to consider it.

16. Buffalo’s new regime’s budged a bit with Alex Tuch, but obviously not enough yet that we’ve got a deal. It’s always hardest on the player, but there’s a lot of experience in the negotiations (Jarmo Kekalainen and Josh Flynn on one side, the Bartlett family on the other). No one’s going to panic. Maybe it gets solved before the post-season, but I could see this coming down to playoff performance. If Tuch has a big April, May and/or June, it forces the Sabres’ hand.

17. I think there are a lot of people around the league who are happy to see Buffalo rising. It’s been too long and their fans deserve it. If there’s any question, it is: Can their style work during grind-time? “It’s river hockey,” one opposing player said, “although they are very good at it.” Another challenge: can you make life hard for Rasmus Dahlin, who clearly enjoys making life hard on others? It will be strategy to punish the Dahlin-Mattias Samuelsson pair.

18. Bobby McMann has six points in three Seattle games. It’s early, but the Kraken crave scoring. A few years ago, the NHLPA successfully fought to erase trade compensation based on a player re-signing. This was the kind of trade a few years ago where you could have seen Toronto getting a first-rounder if McMann extended, but that’s no longer an option. You can see this marriage continuing, though. Coach Lane Lambert even smiled in a post-game media conference.

19. It’s the time of year for trophy debate. Norris is going to be nuts. You know who’s not getting enough shine? Erik Karlsson. Don’t think he wins it, but he deserves to be on ballots. He’s played some of his best hockey in years.

20. Karlsson is one of two Norris winners to be traded right after being honoured. He went from San Jose to Pittsburgh in 2023, two months after winning. Doug Harvey moved from Montreal to the Rangers in 1961. The next season, he would be named the NHL’s best blue-liner for the seventh and final time. Quinn Hughes has 44 points in 37 games for Minnesota and could finish third in team scoring. Could he become the first to win it after an in-season transaction? Joe Thornton won the 2006 Hart playing for both Boston and San Jose.

21. At the Olympics, I met an Oilers fan from Fort McMurray who was wearing an Evan Bouchard Team Canada jersey. “They didn’t bring Evan Bouchard to Milan,” he said, “so I did.”

22. Most of the free-agent blue-liner talk is about Darren Raddysh, for very good reason. Excellent timing — 17 goals and 58 points as he needs a new contract. His numbers aren’t as sexy, but I’m very curious to see how the market reacts to another potential free agent, Pittsburgh’s Ryan Shea. Just turned 29, having a strong season, featuring a career-high 28 points and more responsibility than ever. Tampa is very disciplined from a contract perspective. The Penguins played last summer very intelligently. You know one of my sayings: Don’t fool around with happy. But will their best offers be where they are?

23. You have to think that, after he retires, Hockey Canada is going to ask Sidney Crosby if he wants to follow Wayne Gretzky’s footsteps and run the Olympic team.

24. At last June’s Board of Governors meeting in Los Angeles, a firm hired by the NHL to formulate an improved international strategy targeted Germany. It wasn’t about going there once, it was about a sustained series of games in that country. Real opportunity was seen there. We know Ottawa and Chicago are playing there next season, but the NHL and NHLPA committed to three years of games in that country. There was also a “Hockey Day in Germany” last weekend. This is going to be a serious run at boosting hockey in a country with some tremendous young players.

25. Speaking of European audiences, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope reported there could be a few more weekday afternoon games in North America, which puts them in primetime overseas. Will it work? Who knows, but I like that the NHL is thinking of trying it. Never be afraid to try stuff. I’d take it a step further, and make sure the rinks are full of screaming kids. Work with the schools to get new, young fans into the buildings.

26. I made the mistake of asking Patrick Roy if Connor Hellebuyck’s gold-medal excellence was the best single-game performance ever. Roy was hugely complimentary, but he hilariously reminded me how much he believes in himself. Oooooooooops.

27. Reading an entertaining book called The Why is Everything, by Michael Silver. When Raheem Morris was hired as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, good friend Mike Tomlin told him, “Dude, there’s a tube over your desk, and (bleep’s) just going to fall out of it, and you’ve got to handle it. That’s basically what (the job) is.” The more I thought about it, the more I thought how true it is.

28. One year ago, around 500 people bought tickets to watch B.C.-born Logan Stankoven play in Vancouver. But he was traded to Carolina in the Mikko Rantanen deadline deal days beforehand, a tough reminder that this is a business. This year, the Hurricanes were in Vancouver two days before the deadline. No big get-together this time, but Stankoven got his homecoming without interruption.

29. People of my vintage loved Youngblood, the 1986 hockey movie starring Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Cynthia Gibb. An absolute classic, Swayze’s third-best movie after Road House (I accept no debate on this) and Point Break. The new version, which opened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, moved into theatres on March 6. A week earlier, I saw director Hubert Davis give a quick talk prior to a private screening for the Seaside Hockey Association at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Looking forward to a full watch.

30. Excellent ceremony on Feb. 27 by the Brantford Bulldogs, honouring Michael Andlauer, who sold the team to the Hyman family in 2025. In addition to the banner, Andlauer was given a custom goalie mask featuring the current logo, the previous logo (when the franchise was in Hamilton) and championship rings from their 2016 and 2022 OHL championships.

31. Very, very sad to hear agent Jay Grossman passed away on Wednesday. He represented Ilya Kovalchuk when Kovalchuk signed that massive contract with New Jersey, and I remember a lengthy, multiple-coffee conversation months where we broke down what happened. One painful lesson: Jay had been battling cancer for some time, but found the strength to go to last year’s draft in Los Angeles. He texted during the first round to me let know he was there. I got caught up in work, and by time I was finished, he’d left the site. We never got a chance to catch-up in-person again. That’s a regret. Always make time. All the best to his family and friends.

32. Tampa at Vancouver, Thursday night. The annual Canucks For Kids Fund telethon, co-hosting with Olivia McDonald. Missed it last year, honoured to be invited back. (I might be wearing one of Dan Murphy’s suits. Mine didn’t get to Vancouver and we are similarly muscular.) Every year, I meet families who benefit. They cannot accurately convey how thankful they are for your help. It’s too hard to find the words, but you should know every cent makes a difference. Please donate to Canucks.com/telethon.

• Toronto is all about adding assets. Young players, prospects, picks. You name it, they want to hear about it. There aren’t a ton in the system, so they want to accumulate. Then, they can start figuring out their future — maybe use what they get to chase bigger fish. 

The chances of Auston Matthews getting traded now are equal to John Blutarsky’s grade-point average. William Nylander and John Tavares aren’t going anywhere. I heard some Matthew Knies, and that, to me, is the Maple Leafs seeing if there’s a massive offer they can’t turn down. That is the only way I see it happening. 

• If not a first for Bobby McMann (and contenders are running out of them to trade), then Toronto would consider two seconds, which is what Vancouver got for Kiefer Sherwood.

• Prior to trading for Nicolas Roy, Colorado and Calgary did discuss Nazem Kadri. I have to assume the same picks Toronto received (a first and a fifth) were available, and there was an understanding of some level of retention. Never got over the finish line. 

• Kadri has stuck to his no-trade list, so far. 

• One of Thursday’s bigger stories was Colton Parayko declining to waive his no-trade for Buffalo. That’s his right. Blues GM Doug Armstrong spoke to his leadership group; told them he’s trying to make changes. He let them know they might be asked, so they’d be mentally prepared. It’s hard to know exactly — there are always semantics — but I do not believe Parayko’s trade is the only one that has been vetoed. That, or players have indicated there are certain teams they will not go to. But the Blues have not given up, and continue to work at things — including Jordan Binnington, Justin Faulk and Jordan Kyrou. 

• I believed Utah was the best match for Robert Thomas, but so far they have balked at the ask. It’s poker. Detroit is believed to be in there, too. 

• Detroit was also involved in conversations about Vincent Trocheck, as is Carolina. (There are always teams I don’t see coming.)

• I am not expecting the Mammoth to trade Nick Schmaltz. I’ve heard there’s been positive movement in contract negotiations, and chances are dropping he reaches free agency. 

• New Jersey made all defencemen available besides Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce. Simon Nemec switched agents, always a bad sign for an incumbent. That’s one reason he’s out there.

• Quiet on Elias Pettersson. Interest in Teddy Blueger. Not a coincidence Jesperi Kotkaniemi was back in the Carolina lineup on Wednesday night, but not convinced the Canucks will do it. (This would not be a Pettersson deal.)

• Ryan O’Reilly continues to express his desire to stay in Nashville. (He has a verbal no move.) As of earlier Thursday, it was quiet around Steven Stamkos — although I am terrified of absolute proclamations around this time. I do believe there are serious efforts to find Jonathan Marchessault a new home.

• Vegas is always a stealth team, but another one could be Anaheim. Ducks are interested in wingers, for sure.

• Seattle has interest in Florida’s Mackie Samoskevich. Good young player, but Panthers will make them pay a high price. Shane Wright wouldn’t move in that trade, but they continue to discuss him for either an elite scorer or a younger talent that needs a change. (Just me, but does Wright for Kent Johnson make any sense? Would reunite Johnson with college buddy Matt Beniers.)

• Other names to keep an eye on: Oliver Bjorkstrand (TB), Michael Carcone (Utah), Paul Cotter (New Jersey), Stephen Halliday (Ottawa), Patrik Laine (Montreal), Maxim Shabanov (NYI), Luke Schenn (WPG).

More from Sportsnet

Maple Leafs’ trade of Nicolas Roy only hints more moves are coming

NHL Rumour Roundup: Could Canadiens swing for Kadri, Trocheck?

There was one player consistently texting Artemi Panarin while the newly crowned King considered his future: former teammate Patrick Kane.

“I hate him, so I didn’t want to come to Detroit,” Panarin chuckled during a zoom call with reporters Thursday afternoon.

The winger made it very clear Los Angeles became the sole preference as his next NHL home, informing the Rangers of this decision hours before being traded there. Without confirming exact details, he admitted the Kings slow-played things, sensing they had an advantage. 

“(GM Ken Holland) waited pretty long, he made me nervous,” Panarin said. “I have experience being a free agent, so it was kind of similar. … I was not ready to pick a team where I didn’t want to go. I probably go back to Russia if LA doesn’t give me anything.”

We’ll never know if he was serious about that one, but added, “If Kenny knew how much I wanted to play for the Kings, he probably would’ve given me $5 million.”

Panarin signed a two-year, $22-million extension minutes after the trade, which was essential to him.

“I don’t like to switch teams back and forth. I played already with three teams. I have two kids, a dog, a wife. It’s just too much stuff. I don’t want to be rented for a couple months, then go somewhere else.”

The deal concluded two crazy weeks. Tuesday, talks with the Kings fell apart when the team got squeamish over a $45-million extension. That led to a wild night of rumours and whispers hinting he was headed elsewhere and had a $60-million offer. It is believed something in that vicinity was offered by Seattle, at a number greater than $14 million per season. 

Panarin was asked about that and didn’t deny. 

“(This decision was) not so much about money,” he answered. “Do you want to play with guys or not want to play with guys?”

Conversations with Ranger defender Vladislav Gavrikov, who played 179 games with the Kings, sent him down this path. The only negative is that Panarin said he wants to wear 72, currently worn by Bailey the mascot. Maybe he can buy Bailey a Louis Vuitton dog fleece jacket, retailing for $1,090 (US) on the designer’s website (I checked). 

Panarin also confirmed what had been previously reported, that the Rangers wanted him to take a short-term contract with a lower AAV. Not exactly what Anze Kopitar did (two years, $7 million per season), but that philosophy. You can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the contract he signed in Los Angeles was available in Manhattan, but no one would have expected that last September.

“I don’t know if I should say this but I feel like the contract offer (said), ‘We’re not sure if we want you or not.’ We talked not much in the beginning before the season starts and then after, obviously, my start of the season was not great. And then probably we talked in the middle of year, but not much.”

When the Rangers lost 10-2 to Boston on Jan. 10, he thought, “Even if (GM Chris Drury) wanted to give me a deal, he probably can’t.”

Days later, Drury delivered the news, face-to-face. 

32 THOUGHTS

1. Panarin’s arrival does not diminish the Kings’ desire for a centre. There were reports they tried to add Vincent Trocheck to this deal. I can’t speak to that, but word is Trocheck prefers to stay East with what control he has. That doesn’t mean it’s a guarantee, but it is his preference at this time. Talking on TNT Thursday night, Holland mentioned Warren Foegele — who has been a scratch — as someone he’ll need to move.

2. Detroit, by the way, went hard at Trocheck when he was a UFA. Rangers beat them for his services.

3. I’m the wrong guy to ask about Liam Greentree. We’ll see in a few years. In theory, the Rangers could have refused to trade Panarin on Wednesday. Hold him past the Olympic freeze. One of my theories is that New York, battling to restore its image among players, chose to make the move rather than drag it out. If Panarin wasn’t going to budge (leaving $30 million on the table is a pretty strong sign), your only hope is the Kings fold under pressure — but their actions even had the player sweating.

After a series of skirmishes and hard feelings, Chris Kreider and Carson Soucy thanked the Rangers for how their exits were handled. Picking a fight with Panarin might have undone what New York is trying to do. But it is a reminder this scenario is extremely difficult for the team to win. Vancouver found that out with Ryan Kesler, Calgary with Noah Hanifin. The Flames fought much harder with Rasmus Andersson, extracting a better return from Vegas than originally offered. Same with Philadelphia when it sent Claude Giroux to Florida. They had to fight for more. 

4. Mike Sullivan and J.T. Miller are on a business trip to Italy. Gold is the goal and nothing can get in the way. But, at some point, they need to sit down and discuss some Rangers. I understand that losing sucks and Miller doesn’t want to pour gasoline on the fire with his post-game commentary. But there has to be a better way than how he’s answering questions right now. It’s only inflaming tensions. Sullivan clearly is just as frustrated, feeling his message is not getting through. He’s the coach and Miller is the captain. They have to work with each other to make it better. Or the Rangers are going to have to change something there, too.

5. Seattle’s massive offer to Panarin turned eyeballs northwest. They’re not going to do this for anyone, but now it is known they will do it for the right on-ice someone. 

6. The roster freeze is underway until 11:59 pm ET on Feb. 22. No trades, and while players can be put on waivers, they do not have to report to their new team until Feb. 17, if claimed. What you can do is extensions, and there will be discussions.

For example, how do both the Jets and Jonathan Toews feel? Does he extend for another year? Does he want to move to chase a championship? While I’ve heard “some” discussion between Buffalo and Alex Tuch, it is clearly not enough to get a deal done. The Sabres have indicated they are not interested in “making their team worse,” a wise decision considering how hot they’ve been. To me, that says they could keep Tuch even if not signed, and if I was in charge, I’d do it. There come times you have to think about the now, reward your players and your fans. 

I could see them adding a beefier blueliner, if possible.

7. Nashville’s begun feeling out potential hockey operations leaders. Still very early, though. 

8. Another player to add to your trade boards: Jonathan Marchessault. Nashville has the big names and strong complementary players (Michael McCarron and Nick Perbix would be two), but I sometimes forget Marchessault, and now have been reminded a couple of times. He has control, but there’s a willingness between team and player for something to happen. Unique in his case: his preference is somewhere with good minor hockey infrastructure for his children. 

9. Eric Engels dropped a really good interview with Jeff Gorton. My theory is they like Ryan O’Reilly. But we don’t know if he will go anywhere. There’s been a lot of Blake Coleman talk, but I don’t believe that’s feasible.

10. One of the reasons Nazem Kadri’s market slightly slowed is the availability of Trocheck and Robert Thomas. Add teams making sure they don’t miss anything with O’Reilly and it’s a kind of stasis. Utah checked in, and no doubt this will pick up. There’s a slight concern about term, but the Flames are flexible. Picks-and-prospects style or hockey-trade style, they will consider both options — and a lot of other stuff, but hands-off their high-ceilinged young players. 

11. Toronto is looking for a first-rounder for Bobby McMann. Big and fast, can see the possibility. One challenge for 2026: Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton, Minnesota and Vegas have already traded their first-rounders. (Carolina dealt theirs, but got another one from Dallas.) Ottawa doesn’t have one, and is unlikely to get it. That limits potential partners. Tougher, but not impossible. McMann’s a good player. 

12. There’s a lot to discuss in Edmonton, but let’s start with this: the Oilers need to move Andrew Mangiapane. It’s clear he’s not a fit for Kris Knoblauch, and there’s no point in pretending otherwise. Cut the losses and move on. They’ve searched for more players who’d be willing to accept a bottom-six role, like Kasperi Kapanen has. That’s one thing I still see them battling, carving out roles everyone accepts and is comfortable with. This was something Toronto battled with in the Core Four era and has evaded the Oilers. Empowering everyone on the roster to feel valuable and important turned Florida from good to great. 

13. Leon Draisaitl’s “starts with the coaching staff” line following Wednesday’s loss to Calgary was really something. You almost never hear a player say that — although his general honesty is a Godsend. I’m not sure if he’s talking about preparation or energy, but it’s led to local speculation the team will put Paul Coffey back on the bench. He brings an edge they could use. I asked about this earlier in the season, and was told no. Does everyone involved really want that?

14. San Jose is active. Two signed defencemen after this year: Sam Dickinson and Dmitri Orlov. Eying more, while also trying to alleviate their contract logjam, at 49 out of a maximum 50. 

15. The most complaints I’ve received about a call in recent memory was the Sandis Vilmanis hit on Charlie McAvoy. Not that there wasn’t supplemental discipline, but that the Panthers ended up with a power play. People were furious about that one.  

16. Speaking about refereeing, let’s move to the Olympics. Last week, one Olympic executive said that, when IIHF officials were invited to join their NHL counterparts at last summer’s orientation camp, there was special emphasis on teaching international referees not to overreact to big hits. Will it work? We’ll find out. But it’s critical to watch, because an adjustment in this direction makes a major difference for say, Tom Wilson, who has been a wrecking ball over the past week.

The more I looked into this, the more I heard there is a real desire to move hockey away from “an NHL game” versus “an international game.” Less, “This hit wouldn’t be legal in a IIHF game.” More, “one standard, not NHL or IIHF.” I’m extremely curious to see how this goes.

17. During video review of hits, referees on the ice have final say. 

18. A month ago, Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong did an interview on Real Kyper and Bourne where he discussed how he felt North American referees would call a North American game because, essentially, that’s how they are wired. There was a lot of agreement with that. He did say he was under the impression that Canada will get NHL refs in their games, but there was slight pushback on that.

Here’s how it’s going to work in Milan. Only one official from the World Juniors (a linesman) will be at the Olympics. The NHL is sending seven referees and six linesmen. The IIHF is sending six referees and seven linesman. So, the math for Canada (or the USA) to only get NHL officials doesn’t add up, especially during the quarterfinals. That said: there is a recognition that you want to put the right officials in the right games to have the best possible outcome for the tournament. So, in the NHL-heavy games, you probably will get an NHL-heavy crew, although nothing is contractually guaranteed.

19. Since Brayden Point played with Connor McDavid at the 4 Nations, I thought it would be Zach Hyman replacing him. When I heard it was Seth Jarvis, I remembered what Jon Cooper said last week about loyalty to the players who won that event. 

“Let’s be honest, of course it matters. You’ve gone through 12 days of not only what went on on the ice, what went off the ice and the political landscape and what the guys had to go through. And familiarity is a real thing…Would we have loved to have kept the 4 Nations team and just added two guys? For sure. Because when you win with people, you know them, you trust them, you want to keep going through a wall for them.”

20. Cooper, who was an assistant coach on Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, on Macklin Celebrini: “This is probably a completely unfair comparison, but I remember in the World Cup…a kid named Auston Matthews who we’d never seen play. We’d heard of (him), he was some young kid playing in Europe somewhere, and he was coming to be on the team. And so we had him as the 13th forward in that tournament going in. And soon after, I don’t know if it was game two or whatever he was playing with McDavid and they were making magic together.”

Cooper’s Lightning faced San Jose twice in January. They won both and kept Celebrini statistically in check, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t impressed. “Let’s take the playing side out of it, what a special kid for what is he at 19 years old. That kid deserves to play and we’ll find a spot for him.”

21. Finally, Cooper on the pressure of “Gold or nothing” for Canada: “Would you rather be in a situation where, ‘Oh my God, I can’t wait to see if we can just get the Bronze? No way, man. I want to be the team that’s Gold or bust…If you’ve got that, that means you have a chance to win, and I’d rather have that.”

Not everybody’s wired for that though.

“I’d rather be the king of the mountain, knock off the hyenas coming up instead of being down there and trying to fight your way to the top.”

22. That is an outstanding Lion King reference. Cooper does have one small placard on a shelf about Being Brave.

23. Also: does anyone get shut down after the Olympics? A few sources think we might see players from teams who may be out told to get necessary surgery and be ready for next year rather than going through the March/April meat grinder to come. I wondered about Florida, with so many who’ve played a ton of hockey over four years. Some clearly aren’t 100 per cent.

24. Between the end of the Olympics and the trade deadline, Dallas will get clarity on Tyler Seguin. Is it possible he can return this season? No doubt he wants to. It affects how much space they’ve got to play with. 

25. One thing that’s really surprised me is the number of players willing to rip up guaranteed contracts. Two summers ago, with his Detroit role diminishing, Filip Zadina walked away from a guaranteed $4.5 million. Radical, but he was adamant. Now, it’s a trend.

Over a seven-week span, David Kampf (owed more than $3 million), Alexandre Texier ($1.5 million) and Egor Zamula ($2.4 million) terminated their contracts. Texier has since signed an extension in Montreal, so that was a good gamble. But the NHL is not thrilled with the trend, especially when signing bonuses are already collected. Kampf had a $1.325 million bonus, Zamula $500,000. The league felt that, if the bonuses were not going to be returned, the money should remain on someone’s cap. Both terminations were delayed as the league pushed for that outcome. Ultimately, that didn’t happen, but it bears watching.

26. Some Devils fans were surprised at the Nick Bjugstad deal. Two things: they might be moving out players and need replacements. But, when times are tough, you need good pros. Bjugstad’s a good pro. 

27. Great ESPN stat from Thursday’s Florida/Tampa game: they played seven times this year, including exhibition. Almost 800 penalty minutes. 

28. On Monday’s pod, I suggested moving the Winter Classic to the week between the NFL Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl. The Boston/Tampa Stadium Series was such a success because it wasn’t overshadowed by football. Pigskin is king. There’s no avoiding it, too powerful, we must worship our football overlords.

It’s possible the college playoffs spread out even more over New Year’s, which makes it harder on the current date. One of our executives, Ed Hall, pointed out that open weekend is taken, because that’s when the NHL usually does All-Star Weekend. I thought about it. What about one the week before the Super Bowl and one the week after?

Someone texted me about doing an outdoor game for All-Star. I asked about that a few years ago, and got a good answer: Why turn two events into one? Makes no sense.

29. Over Christmas, the Islanders had so much demand for Matthew Schaefer jerseys that they ran out of numbers four and eight. Had to rush-order them.  

30. I was doing a highlight last week where I said Darren Raddysh scored on a blast from the forward tees. Someone texted he’d be insulted. He’s the former champion at Pulpit Golf north of Toronto, and those guys play from the tips.

31. Tough few weeks, with several sad losses, including three Alberta-based junior hockey players who died in a car crash.

The Santa Clarita Lady Flyers showed incredible spirit, winning a tournament in Colorado days after a van accident hospitalized two players and killed one of the parents.

John Gardner, who coached at Avon Old Farms, died in December and won a New England championship in each of the last five decades with an alumni list including Brian Leetch, Jonathan Quick, Spencer Knight, Chris Higgins and Cam Atkinson.

Colin Campbell delivered an excellent eulogy for David Branch, as did Florida’s Jonah Gadjovich, who played minor hockey for the Whitby Wildcats, the team Branch coached. The longtime junior hockey executive loved Christmas, and Gadjovich told a story of how, every year, the Wildcats “adopted” a family in need and bought them gifts. (He remembered buying for a single mother with three children.)

But I also wanted to mention Brian Feschuk. I went to Western with Brian’s sons Scott and Dave, and got to know their dad a bit. Brian and close friend Bill Anderson introduced me to some very competitive bocce, and there was one golf outing where Dave and Brian started yelling at each other on the first tee because one tried to hit from outside the blocks. I was also reminded that, on Dave’s wedding weekend, Brian “stuck” me with the tab at the Fort Garry Hotel bar in Winnipeg. I was happy to pay, but forgot the machinations to make sure it occurred. Great times. Great person and father. 

32. See you in Milan. Can’t wait. The players will put on a great show. 

More from Sportsnet

Real Kyper’s Trade Board 3.0: How deep will Toronto’s changes go?

Scout’s Analysis: What Kings, Rangers got in Artemi Panarin trade

The team held a media conference at noon central time to confirm the news that Trotz is retiring at the end of the regular season.

Most importantly, Trotz is healthy. This is a retirement; he is not interested in coaching. And, the team has hired CAA to run its search process.  

After a rough start to the 2025-26 season, the Predators rallied to within four points of a playoff spot as of Sunday night. However, with just days remaining until the Olympic freeze and a month until the trade deadline, the team was also investigating all of its options. 

Trotz is one of the greatest figures in Nashville hockey history, named as its inaugural head coach one year before the Predators dropped the puck. He stayed until April 2014, before moving to Washington (winning the Stanley Cup in 2018) and the Islanders.

He became the second GM in Predators history in 2023, replacing David Poile. 

Trotz, 63, said Monday he informed majority owner Bill Haslam in December that he intended to step away when his contract expired at the end of the 2026-27 season.

“After some discussion, we elected to begin a search for my replacement now, but I am happy to work in my current role until we make a new hire, however long that might be,” Trotz said. 

Haslam aims to have a new GM in place by the draft in late June. He downplayed any disagreement between ownership and Trotz that led to this plan.

Trotz’s second act with the Predators was much shorter than his first, when he coached them from their inception in 1998 through 2014, bringing respectability and relevancy to an expansion team playing in a so-called non-traditional market.

–with files from Sportsnet staff, the Associated Press

“We didn’t bother discussing Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel,” one former staffer said, laughing. “We knew we weren’t getting them.”

Strome went third, to Arizona. 

Maple Leaf diehards know this lore. Passionate arguments were made for a defenceman, with Hanifin ahead of Provorov. But Mark Hunter, who ran the draft and had final say, refused to back down. He knew Marner better than anyone.

“What I remember,” another former Leaf staffer said this week, “was how thrilled his entire family was that he’d been selected by Toronto. It was a dream come true for them. And, every time we saw him the next few months, development camp, rookie camp, etc., that smile never left his face.”

“We were so down at that time. We badly needed that enthusiasm.”

Marner makes his Toronto return on Friday night (7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+), in what is going to be an emotionally charged evening. I’m honestly not sure what to expect. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Marner should have been remembered as the greatest Toronto-born Maple Leaf of all time, and, at some point, everyone’s going to admit their regrets it didn’t happen. He’s a great player and Vegas is much better with him. 

But, over nine seasons, the smile faded and the relationship fractured, leading to a divorce with hard feelings from player, organization and fans. How did we get there?

After being drafted, Marner was sent back to OHL London. Those Knights were loaded, the talented winger winning the Memorial Cup alongside Christian Dvorak and Matthew Tkachuk, adding tournament MVP to his growing resume. 

In 2016-17, he joined No. 1 overall draft pick Auston Matthews and William Nylander as the franchise’s young cornerstones. Again, several Maple Leafs players and staffers who were there talked about the enthusiasm, the positive energy around him. Marner loved hockey, and it showed. 

One thing became very clear: if someone praised him for something he did well, Marner would be incredibly thankful — especially if it wasn’t obvious. There would be small plays or moments many of us might not notice, but he thought they were important. It meant a lot to him that someone would say something. He’d light up. He wanted to matter, to feel he made a difference.

One Leaf remembered Game 1 of the 2019 first-round series against Boston, where Marner scored twice, including a short-handed penalty shot, and was the best player overall. Teammate after teammate found him post-game to tell him what a beast he was.

“He was beaming,” one said. “So proud.”

Toronto led that series 3-2, but couldn’t close, falling to the Bruins in seven. Marner’s entry-level contract expired that summer and it was time for a new one. Months earlier, Matthews signed a five-year extension at an $11.634 million cap hit, and it became apparent there were two issues some in Marner’s airspace couldn’t forget. 

When Marner signed his entry-level contract, he did not get the full bonuses. Some have attributed this to Lou Lamoriello, who wouldn’t allow them. Others disputed that, pointing out Lamoriello was hired five days before Marner signed, with the process far along. Toronto indicated it would be a cap team; declining bonuses would give flexibility. Twelve months later, Matthews got the full package on his entry-level deal. 

The Maple Leafs were exasperated this was a thing years after it happened. They felt it wasn’t a ton of money (relatively speaking) and Marner would be extremely well compensated in the aftermath. Incredibly, in 2024-25, it remained an occasional talking point. 

Second was that Marner never got a chance to play in the NHL as an 18-year-old. The Leafs argued it turned out to be the correct call. Sometimes they wondered if any of this even mattered to him, personally. 

Regardless, the reality is that the organization recognized any slight — no matter how small — had lasting consequences. 

After a tense and public negotiation, Marner and the Maple Leafs agreed to a six-year, $65.41 million extension as training camp began in September 2019. Many of you reading this are aware of the public ups and downs, so Iet’s look at what happened behind the scenes. 

Marner became even more hypersensitive to what was being said about him after getting that new contract. He read too much social media. He’d check replies to his posts, search out reaction to his play. Players and staff worked with him to ease up, or delete apps from his phone. There was also the problem that, as a Torontonian, he was surrounded by family and friends who would text him or tell him what was said about him. (There is zero doubt this is a major reason Marner chose to go to the Western Conference.)

That’s a disaster. Whenever I’m asked, I always tell families: don’t tell your kids what is said about them, and don’t let anyone else in your circle do it, either. For one thing: your kids have enough pressure. For another: you always make it sound worse than it really is. 

Anyway, as Toronto endured playoff disappointment, many felt Marner was crushed and affected on-ice by what he read. 

“He played better than what was said about him (online),” one ex-Leaf said. “But you couldn’t convince him of that. He’d believe what some troll wrote on Twitter or what someone said in the media over what we were telling him.”

That also affected how coaches would talk to him. 

A pattern emerged: when things were good, Marner was a major reason, enormously effective and many times the best player. At the same time, he was the music-master, the party-planner, inclusive and generous, flashing that great smile. When things were bad, no one sunk lower emotionally, no one was harder to pull out of a funk.

A perfect example was the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. Toronto finally broke its first-round curse with a cathartic 2-1 Game 6 John Tavares overtime winner against Tampa Bay. Marner had a phenomenal series with 11 points in the first five games. Thirteen days later, they were gone, eliminated in five by Florida. He had three points. He wasn’t the only Leaf who struggled, but, as usual, he wore it most. 

That was a chaotic off-season. Brendan Shanahan fired Kyle Dubas on May 23, hiring Brad Treliving eight days later. The Maple Leafs had 31 days before Marner’s no-move clause activated. 

That summer, on Aug. 23, Matthews signed a four-year extension 10 months before hitting unrestricted free agency. There is a story behind this no one knew. According to several sources, the groundwork for that contract was actually laid in the summer of 2022. Two years before he could leave, one year before he could even sign, the Maple Leafs wanted to know if there was any reason to worry. After conversations about the state of the franchise and how everyone envisioned the future, Matthews told the Leafs he would re-sign as long as the train didn’t suffer a Fugitive-like crash — a promise he kept.

Two years before Marner could exit, there were conversations, but the Maple Leafs did not receive the same assurances. There was internal discussion about trading him, but as Shanahan has said many times, he was determined to bet on talent. He believed, like his mid-90s Red Wings, the Maple Leafs would figure it out. 

Whenever the time came, everyone knew this was going to be another brutal negotiation. But the choice was to let the no-move kick-in.

Nylander extended on Jan. 8, 2024 — an eight-year, $92 million contract. Marner celebrated along with everyone else. He was genuinely happy for his teammate. The Maple Leafs planned a future where Marner would slot in somewhere between Nylander ($11.5 million per season) and Matthews ($13.25 million). 

Then came the nightmarish 2024 first-round loss to Boston, won on David Pastrnak’s Game 7 overtime goal. Nylander missed three games with migraines, Matthews two due to illness. Joseph Woll was injured right at the end of a Game 6 win, knocking him out for the decider. Marner, who returned right before the playoffs after missing a month with a high-ankle sprain, played all seven, finishing with three points. He was not himself, and took enormous criticism (alongside everyone else) for the defeat. 

Several people I spoke to for this story wondered if, with 20/20 hindsight, that was when Marner seriously started thinking about leaving. The criticism he took after this series really hurt. There were complaints the Maple Leafs did not defend him enough in the face of injury, although GM Brad Treliving did mention days later that Marner was playing through several things. (Treliving would not comment for this story.)

Toronto did investigate trade options. Carolina offered Martin Necas, but the Maple Leafs did not think Marner would waive for the Hurricanes. 

There were discussions with Vegas, who did not want to part with Shea Theodore. Alex Pietrangelo’s name came up, but the Maple Leafs decided not to pursue him because of the health concerns that sadly shortened his career. (I don’t believe he was ever asked to consider it.)

What did happen was the Leafs began to believe Vegas was Marner’s choice if he didn’t stay. They thought they would never get what they considered a fair offer from the Golden Knights, because Vegas believed if he left Toronto, they’d get him. 

No one has ever confirmed this, but I believe the Maple Leafs brought up the idea of an eight-year, $96 million extension. But no agreement ever came close, and negotiations faded. While researching this story, a few people asked why Toronto didn’t do a Steven Stamkos-style pitch to him, lay it on thick to convince Marner he was wanted. Throughout last season, the Maple Leafs bristled at the idea they ever created the impression they didn’t want him. They get very angry at the idea, and feel they defended him plenty. But a fatigue and weariness set in between the two sides, and any conversations were strained.

Veterans both on the ice and off said Marner didn’t act any differently. Not everyone handles uncertainty the same, but the stress of not knowing where their next NHL home will be can consume players. Didn’t happen with him.

In hindsight, a few of them wondered if Marner knew his time was over, something he has forcefully denied.

En route to a career-high 102 points, Marner also played the game of his life with the tying and winning assists in the 4 Nations Final. It was a massive performance on a gigantic stage, and he was ecstatic upon returning to Toronto. He talked about Sidney Crosby always keeping things positive on the bench. No matter what, Crosby said, keep calm and everything would work out. 

He was also excited to become a father, his wife pregnant with their first child.

As the NHL returned following Canada’s thrilling victory, another storyline developed 1,200 km south of Toronto. The Hurricanes, long a Marner admirer, had traded for UFA-to-be Mikko Rantanen, and he wasn’t going to re-sign. Carolina was ready to pivot.

According to several sources, the Maple Leafs were told sometime before the New Year by Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris, that the winger might consider a trade to a Western Conference contender. (Ferris did not agree to be interviewed for this story.) No specific team and it was not a demand, but the message was received.

According to the globe in my office, Carolina is not in the west. But, with indications Rantanen would sign in Toronto, the Maple Leafs needed clarity. If Marner wished to stay, they’d work it out. If not, this was the best option — by far — to replace him. 

They wanted to act, one way or the other. There wasn’t a lot of time to decide. One conversation came after a game, and teammates, not sure what was going on, said they saw him flustered and upset. Ultimately, Marner said no to that trade.

Toronto came up with another idea. Suspecting his interest in Vegas, the Leafs tried a three-way with the Golden Knights and Hurricanes. There just wasn’t a match. About eight hours before the trade deadline, they were told Rantanen wouldn’t be coming north.

Twenty-four hours later, the story broke. Teammates had two reactions. First: “Oh God, we thought the trade deadline meant all of this was over.” And, second: “Wait, there are no ongoing negotiations? No contract is being discussed, at all?”

It was then that other players realized the true circumstances. 

We know how this played out. Toronto beat Ottawa, then lost a soul-crushing home-ice Game 7 to Florida. No matter what anyone says, you cannot convince me that if the Maple Leafs beat the Panthers — as they could, and probably should, have done — this wouldn’t have worked out. Somehow.

But we’ll never know. 

Right after elimination, both Marner and John Tavares were asked if they wanted to stay. Luke Fox, Sportsnet’s dogged Leaf reporter, tweeted Tavares made it clear he did, while Marner was non-committal. In the replies, someone posted Marner’s home address. 

Fox received an urgent call from the Maple Leafs, asking if the reply could be removed, so he deleted the tweet. At their next availability — the last of the season — Marner thanked him.

There’s been debate about how much of a factor that was. I’ll say the same thing I said about the Linus Ullmark rumours: as a public figure in the social-media age, you sign up for some of this stupidity. Your family doesn’t. 

Don’t be naive about the effect this can have. 

That post wasn’t the cause, there was a lot beforehand. But I do believe it was the end.  

As we headed into draft weekend, the Leafs and Golden Knights worked out the Marner trade, which was announced days later. Marner’s been very good for them, moving to centre when injuries created a need. After a very rough start, the Leafs pulled themselves off the mat, climbing back into playoff contention. 

Vegas won the first meeting last week, a spirited comeback leading to overtime victory. But this is the big one, the return to Toronto.

How will the crowd react?

More from Sportsnet

‘This one meant a little more’: Marner booed but gets last laugh over Maple Leafs

How Auston Matthews’ in-season turnaround has lifted Maple Leafs

“This will not be a rebuild,” the letter added.

According to several sources, before releasing the letter, Drury met individually with members of the leadership group and addressed the team as a whole. As part of this retool process, Artemi Panarin was informed that he will not be offered a contract extension, and that Drury was prepared to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to trade the winger anywhere he wishes to go. 

Neither Drury nor Theofanous could be reached for comment.

Panarin has a full no-move clause and could, in theory, play out the season. But the decision brings clarity, giving him seven weeks before the trade deadline to consider where he could try to win the Stanley Cup this season, or extend long-term.

There are a ton of storylines to follow now that the Rangers are changing course. But Panarin’s will be the biggest. 

More from Sportsnet

Real Kyper’s Trade Board 2.0: Rebuilding the Vancouver Canucks

Rangers GM Chris Drury tells fans team will ‘retool’ in letter

A name to watch closely: Carolina’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi. 

Not making Finland’s Olympic team is understandably painful for him, and word around the NHL is the Hurricanes recognize he needs a fresh start.

According to several sources, Carolina is considering offers as you read this. The Hurricanes are contending for a Stanley Cup, so they want either something that can help them now or something they can use to help them now. Either path is necessary to get something done.

He’s been involved in some discussions already: with Los Angeles (for Phillip Danault) and Vancouver (in the offered package for Quinn Hughes). 

Keep in mind: 31-year-old Alexander Wennberg just signed for three years and $18 million; soon-to-be 30-year-old Christian Dvorak for five years and $25.75 million. It’s hard enough to find centres, there’s two off the free-agent market for higher AAVs than what Kotkaniemi, who will be 26 in July, is owed — four years remaining at $4.82 million AAV. 

I do believe there is legit interest, and we will see where things go. 

“What you’re going to see,” answered Mammoth owner Ryan Smith, “is a majestic mountain backdrop that you can’t un-see.”

“Even before we closed the deal on the team, I had seen the outdoor game. I said, ‘Even if you can’t give us a team, let’s do an event there. Let’s do the outdoor game.’”

Smith got both. The Winter Classic is headed to the Beehive State in 2027 — a massive victory for a franchise in its second NHL season.

“The speed with which they have accomplished things is breathtaking,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “You remember, we announced the (move from Arizona) in April (2024). It closed in June. They were up and running. September, the players were in for training camp. They managed to put together a temporary training facility. They then in the year built the training facility that you yourself quoted people as saying was spectacular. They designed it and built it in a year. They’ve retrofitted half of the arena and the fans have been engaged and connected in ways that are just spectacular. Everything they’ve done has exceeded our expectations, and our expectations were incredibly high to begin with.”

“It’s been less than two years since (Smith and wife Ashley) bought the team and they’ve turned it into a major NHL market. The response has been incredible from the fans and they’ve earned the right.”

“It’s not only a celebration on the game it’s also the celebration of a new beginning for an entire market,” Smith said. “It’s the 2034 Olympic opening ceremony venue.” 

“The amount of people I wouldn’t have believed are hockey fans, who have turned into hockey fans is something that I shouldn’t be surprised with at this point, but it’s unbelievable to me. I’m driving out of the arena at night. It’s 10:30 or 11 p.m., and I’m two blocks down and all I see are black Mammoth sweaters. Cooley and Sergachev and Keller and you can’t un-see it. It is different than anything I’ve ever been a part of. It’s just this wave that, whoa, two years ago, this didn’t exist.”

The date and time are not yet set, but it will be in the usual window. (Bettman did say that sunlight is a major factor, making sure it does not have negatively impact the ice or the players’ ability to see.) Colorado is the opposition. Vegas also made sense, but it’s believed the Golden Knights will be Dallas’s opponent in the Stars’ 2027 outdoor game. 

“We don’t have an NFL team,” Ryan Smith added, “But it’s either the Raiders or the Broncos (on television in Utah). To have that natural rivalry come in…that’s what makes it even greater. I mean, we’ve got, I don’t know, six flights a day going into Denver. I hope they all come out, right? It’s not a far drive. Whoever was in charge of that was smart, because I think it’s gonna be, it’s going to be a really cool thing that I think a lot of people in two states look forward to.”

More from Sportsnet

Zibanejad nets hat trick as Rangers top Panthers in Winter Classic

Sights and sounds from the 2026 Winter Classic in Miami

GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube are not on the firing line.

Columbus’s 3-1 win in Los Angeles on Monday night dropped Toronto to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, a jarring reality no one expected 35 games into the season. That’s a factor: the organization does not wish to make hasty decisions before being thoroughly prepared. And, those same sources indicate the immediate No. 1 concern is igniting Auston Matthews, finding ways to get his game going.

While removing Savard definitely won’t solve all of Toronto’s problems, Matthews’ struggles played a major role in that decision. He has just three power-play goals (tied for 63rd) and four power-play points (tied for 182nd) this season. 

Savard and Berube are close, and the head coach fought in support of his assistant as the man-advantage struggles mounted. But that’s where the changes stop for now, with Treliving and Berube not in similar danger.

More from Sportsnet

Maple Leafs take easy way out with firing of assistant Marc Savard

Maple Leafs fire assistant coach Marc Savard

Quick note: while I’m getting into a better rhythm with the written 32 Thoughts, it’s going to take a Christmas holiday. Next will be week of Jan. 5.

I avoid overreacting to one game. 

We all have bad days. You’re not at your best, maybe you’ve slept badly, maybe it’s the sniffles, maybe you’ve cut your face on your car door and everything’s just…off. 

Happens to everyone.

Toronto lost 4-0 in Washington on Thursday night, but what struck us on the broadcast was how mildly, quietly and passionless it finished. One night later, down 8-2 to Dallas, Anaheim’s Frank Vatrano was hacking at Jason Robertson, causing a ruckus, blowing off steam in a game the Ducks would lose by five. 

We knew this would be Toronto’s season of change, with Mitch Marner not a key piece of the core for the first time since 2016. But we’re beyond that. Something’s missing, and it’s not a player. 

What’s missing? Let’s look:

• The connection between Craig Berube and his players. Berube is not hard to play for. If you compete, he gives you a long leash. But we’re seeing him angrier and angrier on the bench, more often than coaches show. There’s been several exchanges with William Nylander, and, on Tuesday, he lit into the team for having only one shot in the first 11:27 against Chicago. 

What’s even more striking is his post-game commentary. For the most part, he goes out of his way to protect players publicly, even when it’s obvious in-game he’s not happy. Last week, Berube admitted he admonished his leadership for a tepid third-period performance and on Thursday, he told reporters to ask the players why the Washington game lacked urgency. 

Coaches have to pick their spots with that stuff, and it’s rare you see them do it twice so close together. He’s not covering for them.

• Consistent passion and a conviction in what they are trying to do. I loved it when Auston Matthews held his hand to his ear after tying the Chicago game. At his best, Matthews has a swagger, an edge and a smirk to him. We haven’t seen enough of that this season. 

There’s a lot of debate about the captain, both internally and externally. His speed — both his feet and his shot — are down, and there’s a lot of debate why. I thought maybe that goal would ignite him and his team. You’d think the Maple Leafs would go into Washington feeling good about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, but it didn’t translate. They had three power plays in the first period, but trailed 2-0, outshot 8-4. 

Speaking of missing, the power play qualifies. They tried sending Max Domi and Matthews outside the offensive zone to come downhill with speed. It created some openings, but the Capitals adjusted. Berube started using the second unit more often. I thought they might give Matias Maccelli another shot on Saturday, but the practice lines indicate otherwise.

Reporters who covered Friday’s practice (the team stayed an extra day in Washington before going to Nashville) said it was quiet and somber.

• Success at either end of the ice. The Maple Leafs are 29th in offensive zone time, 27th in preventing opponent offensive-zone time. Last year, goaltending covered up a lot of blemishes. Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby aren’t the problem (without Hildeby it might have been 10-0 in Washington), but their even-strength save percentage is 23rd. 

Last year, it was second overall. Maybe that’s everything. Last year’s saves are this year’s goals against. 

In the East, no one is out, so this is not yet crippling. But, if things don’t straighten out, the organization will be forced into existential questions they didn’t think they’d have to consider — beyond the coach, beyond management, into the core of their lineup and about overall direction. 

This was not the plan.

There’s a lot of heat on Berube. The more I’ve thought about this season, the more I go back to May, that seven-game Panthers showdown. Under his watch, they had a 2-0 series lead, and a 3-1 edge in Game 3. They had the Panthers on the ropes with this coach. Then came three straight losses, including a Game 5 home meltdown, followed by a gutsy Game 6 road victory, and the soul-crushing Game 7.

Berube is no different now than he was up 2-0 in that series, an overtime goal away from being ahead 3-0. Did it all end then? Did that loss smash the group’s belief in him and each other? 

You can always re-write your story. The Maple Leafs have 49 games to go, beginning with the Predators and a brutal back-to-back in dangerous Dallas. But, it’s hard to watch now and not think about last season’s loss, wondering if the hangover is still there.

32 THOUGHTS

1. Two late-night pre-freeze deals. In the aftermath of the Phillip Danault deal, Kings GM Ken Holland was asked if he preferred to get a player, rather than a second-round draft pick. “Ideally, probably a roster player,” he said. “Centres are hard to find.” He added he was prepared to keep Danault through Christmas, but “ultimately felt this deal was our best.”

Danault’s rough start (no goals, five points) and contract ($5.5M AAV in 2026-27, although $4.25M cash) limited potential return. Holland expertly deflected queries about needing to do this now, but the relationship between Danault and the Kings was fractured beyond repair — evidenced by Quinton Byfield meeting the team on the road after recovering from illness while it was agreed Danault would stay in California.

It’s too bad, because this was a mutually beneficial partnership for years. The Kings gave him a contract Montreal wouldn’t in July 2021, and he was well worth it. Big opportunity in LA for Sami Helenius and Alex Turcotte, although the Kings will survey the landscape for a centre (along with almost everyone else).

There will be opportunity for Danault back in La Belle Province, where he blossomed after a 2016 trade from Chicago. Number to watch: his shooting percentage. First three years in Los Angeles: the best of his career, led by a 13.9 in 2021-22. Last year: the worst (6.5), with this year obviously tracking below. Offence is not Montreal’s problem, and maybe he rides the wave.

2. Mason Marchment went to Columbus for a second- and a fourth-round pick. The marriage between Marchment and Seattle didn’t work, unfortunately. Move on. They got back a little more than they paid, good business. Zach Werenski’s frustration with losing boiled over Wednesday night, so I’m not surprised Columbus would do this. When he was Carolina’s GM, Don Waddell chased this winger in 2022, only to lose him at the last minute, so here’s a player he really likes.

This is the kind of trade you saw a lot of in pre-cap days, where teams did things to jolt their rooms. Ah, I miss those simpler times.

Interesting note: Stars GM Jim Nill did Marchment a solid in sending him to Seattle, because both Texas and Washington are no-tax states. Marchment took a little less when he signed this contract. Ohio isn’t a no-tax state, but it’s got a lower rate. 

3. I heard it Friday from annoyed Sabres fans, aghast at the idea of trading red-hot Alex Lyon, even if Edmonton needs him. The Oilers looked into Lyon last summer and again earlier this season. Here’s why those fans might get their way: new GM Jarmo Kekalainen, while challenging Buffalo’s players to make the playoffs, recognized he took over during a three-game win streak (now four thanks to a Thursday win over Philadelphia). The Sabres haven’t always felt great about themselves over the last few years, but now is one of those times, and you can lose your room if the first thing you do is disrupt that. Don’t be an immediate buzzkill.

Both publicly and privately, in messages to fans and media, to players, coaches and staff, Kekalainen is making a pointed observation: this roster is waaaaaay too talented to be owner of the sport’s longest current playoff drought. The Sabres have a reputation: they aren’t grinders. They’re too loose, don’t make life hard enough on opponents. The most impressive thing I’ve heard so far about Kekalainen in Buffalo is a saying he’s repeated internally: “Don’t tell me what someone can’t do. Tell me what they can do.”

He’s throwing a challenge at his new team: do you have the fortitude to win games the nights skill isn’t enough? That’s what he’s asking those players to prove to him. If you focus on next year, you give everyone an out. Long as the odds may be, he wants them thinking about springtime in Western New York. 

4. One source said Wednesday there were people last summer who warned Kevyn Adams bringing in Kekalainen could mean hiring his own replacement; he should consider someone who wouldn’t be a threat. Credit to Adams for ignoring that advice. If you’re scared of that, you shouldn’t be running a team.

When Kekalainen arrived, it wasn’t with a bang. He observed as much as he spoke, trying to get a feel for the organization. As time progressed, his presence grew, particularly asking players to honestly discuss their feelings. I’ve heard for years one of the biggest impediments in Buffalo is that there are too many cooks in the kitchen. You can have only one Gordon Ramsay calling people an idiot sandwich.

Owner Terry Pegula has confidants that pre-date his NHL ownership, and as the Sabres struggled, they leaned in harder with opinions. He has to shut that down. Kekalainen, who said he has full autonomy, is no shrinking violet. It has to be one voice, or the same problems will undermine new leadership.

5. Early word is Kekalainen likes more than he dislikes about the roster — especially down the middle. So much of this is dependent on Josh Norris’s health; he has nine points in six games since coming back. They love their centre depth: Norris, Tage Thompson, Ryan McLeod. That’s pretty good. Mattias Samuelsson’s played some of his best hockey, and they are thrilled with Josh Doan. The Lyon speculation came from the new GM saying they have to end this three-goalie experiment. Kekalainen is said to like Colten Ellis, and I’m not sure what the market is for Ukko-Pekko Luukkonen. We’ll see how that plays out. As for Lindy Ruff, if he keeps winning, things take care of themselves. 

6. Okay, Alex Tuch. As mentioned on Friday’s podcast, I’ve heard two stories: that the Sabres offered him in the vicinity of Thompson’s number ($7.14M AAV) and that they discussed concepts without making an official offer. Whatever the case, they were not anywhere near what Tuch considers his market value — around $10.5M.

What I do know for certain is that Adams felt if he went that far, it would prevent him from doing other things, especially with Jeff Skinner’s buyout figure jumping to $6.44M next season (although it significantly drops afterwards). I believe two of those items were extensions for Zach Benson and Josh Doan, who is arbitration eligible. The Sabres would have less flexibility. We’ll see how Kekalainen approaches it. 

7. I heard that, on his final team flight from Seattle back home, Adams took a photo of the group. That’s when everyone knew the rumours were true. There’s something very poetic and meaningful about that.

8. The key Quinn Hughes quote from last weekend was this: “Obviously, I’ve got a lot of time for (Bill Guerin), ‘Sacking up’ and making the deal like he did. How he valued me. There are other teams that probably could have thrown in certain packages like that too, but at the end of the day they didn’t want to do that…I’ll remember that.” The more I’ve thought about this and looked into it, the less I think about it being a direct shot at Detroit or New Jersey as much as a window into Hughes’ thought process. How he ended up in RussoWorld. 

9. Let’s look at the ingredients. First, Hughes decides right before Thanksgiving he’s not re-signing this summer in Vancouver. Second, the Canucks did not want a record-setting gong show. Third, even though their captain had no specific trade protection, Vancouver tried to make this extremely challenging process as easy as possible on everybody involved. (Notice how Hughes bent over backwards to thank them.) Fourth, he won’t commit long-term, at least not at this point.

According to several sources, Vancouver did everything possible to send the defenceman east — his preference, but every offer is flawed. Buffalo didn’t make a serious pitch. Philadelphia didn’t have the centre. The Rangers, legitimately interested and somewhere that would appeal to him, don’t have enough. Washington isn’t interested in parting with Ryan Leonard or one of the Protas Giants (not sure which was the preference). I’m now convinced Detroit played it conservatively, unwilling to dive in the deep end without some kind of long-term commitment. That, more than parting with Simon Edvinsson, is why their pursuit never really left the driveway.

Carolina, that one’s interesting. Jim Rutherford was in Raleigh two weekends ago as part of their Stanley Cup 20th anniversary celebrations, so face-to-face possibilities existed. There was something in that offer the Canucks liked (I assume 23-year-old defender Alexander Nikishin was involved), because a few sources indicated Vancouver looked hard at it. I don’t know if we’ll ever find out for sure, but a couple other teams thought the Hurricanes were the frontrunners until Minnesota showed up. Does it even matter? Who knows. Anyway, enter Guerin.

10. Understand where Hughes’ head is when the Wild arrive like Rodney Dangerfield at Bushwood. He wants to go east. There isn’t an offer screaming “you must do this” at Vancouver. Suddenly, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, Marco Rossi and a first-rounder are on the table. Many times, when these trades happen, someone says privately, “We could have beaten that.” Not here. This is their best route.

The Canucks want to do it — and they could have said, “Too bad, Quinn” — but they want to do it with Hughes’ blessing. So, he has to wrap his head around: am I willing to go midwest, to a team I’d never considered? He badly wants to win. Can the Wild win? He starts to look at the roster. Their three best forwards are signed until 2029 (Joel Eriksson Ek), 2030 (Matt Boldy) and 2034 (Kirill Kaprizov). Jonas Brodin is signed until 2028, Brock Faber to 2033. Filip Gustavsson (2031) and rising Jesper Wallstedt have the ability to be a great goaltending tandem for years. Hughes, a hockey nerd (a compliment), starts to think, “This could work.” 

11. One GM referred to the Central as “Death Valley Division.” Do not underestimate Hughes’ competitive juices. Some might shy away from this three-way bludgeonfest with Colorado and Dallas. He won’t. He’ll want to go head-to-head with Miro Heiskanen and Cale Makar — just as they will want to go head-to-head with him.  (And don’t forget Josh Morrissey.) These guys are the best. They want that challenge.

And, the more Hughes thinks about it, the more he convinces himself: Okay, I’m good. This can work. He understands why the Canucks want this trade. So, when he’s glazing Guerin, he’s crediting him for making him believe in a situation he wouldn’t have given a second thought two weeks ago. And I do think he’s serious when he says he’ll remember Guerin’s big gamble. He understands what they gave up to get him. Boston, Washington and Columbus had less chance this week than me against my backyard raccoons. Let’s see when the Wild come back to earth. 

12. It’s hard for Canucks fans. I get it. But it was necessary for Canucks players. “It sucked in the moment,” one said, “but Quinn wanted to go and needed to go. This gave us fresh air.” They are 3-0 since the trade, competing hard. The Canucks learned from last season, moving quickly to excise negativity.

Buium is like the Tasmanian Devil, a whirling dervish of positive energy. Rossi will get points, and we’ll see if there’s another level. Ohgren was a point-per-game player at 20 in the AHL, not a small thing. If he can score — and he got his first of the year in Manhattan on Tuesday — that will be massive for them. Kiefer Sherwood’s hat trick beat the Islanders on Friday. Three back of his career-high in goals (19), Sherwood stayed put as the Christmas freeze set in.

13. Sportlogiq’s Mike Kelly posted that Hughes leads the NHL with the puck on his stick: four minutes per night. Toronto’s Scott Laughton saw that and laughed. “It would take me 30 games to reach four minutes,” he said.

More from Sportsnet

Canucks’ surge after Hughes trade continues with win over Islanders

Scout’s Analysis: What the Canucks got out of the Quinn Hughes trade

14. Okay, New Jersey, with massive wins this week in Vegas and Utah. (More importantly, arguably Jacob Markstrom‘s best performance of the season versus the Mammoth.) Vancouver made an honest attempt with the Devils, who I believe were the first team contacted. (Package led by Simon Nemec. There’s been dispute about Dawson Mercer, although he may have been in and out of different proposals.) They couldn’t outbid Minnesota.

Where I think things get complicated is I don’t believe the issue was clearing cap room. Once they realized they weren’t going to win the Hughes auction, they weren’t racing to shed salary with an injury-depleted roster. They need the bodies they have. Why make yourself even more shorthanded?

They’ve had at least one — and possibly two — vetoed trades. There are several players with protection. I have my suspicions, but no proof. I’ve never heard Ondrej Palat’s name, and I suspect that if they want to move Dougie Hamilton, it will have to be to one of the 10 teams on his list. If not, forget it. This chapter of the book is not over, however. At the very least, they continue to investigate options to move money when the time comes. 

15. The Wild aren’t done. They need another centre, at least. What arrows remain in Guerin’s quiver?

16. Others looking around: Winnipeg. No specifics, but the Jets want to know their options. New Nashville owner Bill Haslam is meeting with the media on Monday (with minority partner Nick Saban). Predators fans are very interested to hear his vision. Haslam’s been asking a lot of questions privately, but wanted to wait before saying anything publicly. 

17. I’m careful writing about Rasmus Andersson, because I don’t want him telling Eric Francis I have no idea what I’m talking about (and Eric gleefully writing it). The Flames were looking for a first-rounder and a good prospect for him last season. Back then, he wasn’t a rental, so we’ll see if the market’s changed. 

18. One thing the Flames (and other teams) learned from the Noah Hanifin deal: don’t give permission for another team to talk to your player unless you have a trade you like. If you do it the other way around, you’re stuck talking to one team. This way, no one can officially talk until you have something you really like.  

19. The Oilers went to Minnesota for a suddenly spicy Saturday matinee with the Wild, while Tristan Jarry flew back to Edmonton to determine the severity of his injury. There is concern, but it was too early to know for sure until deeper examination. One thing about Edmonton: they were not panicked by their bad start. They were confident they’d figure it out.

Something that might interest only me: I wondered what happens to Jarry’s Penguins hockey bag. (Any player who gets traded, really. Do they get to keep them?) The Oilers returned it to Pittsburgh when they played this week. 

20. When Calvin Pickard beat Seattle 9-4 on Dec. 4, there were social media posts about his postgame hug with Stuart Skinner. It was their regular routine, but they milked it when Edmonton beat the Red Wings 4-1 a week later. They hugged for about 30 seconds, a fun inside joke. Incredibly, Skinner woke up the next morning to the phone call telling him he was being traded. Adam Henrique told a couple of great stories in Toronto, saying he would pick up coffee for Skinner and that Brett Kulak was responsible for restaurant reservations on the road. So he was thinking, “Do I still get coffee for Stu?” and, “Can we still ask Brett to set us up in Toronto?”

21. We’ll see what happens with Kulak. There were teams interested before he went to the Penguins, but didn’t have the cap room to add — and the Oilers couldn’t take money back. Remember, last season Pittsburgh flipped Luke Schenn to Winnipeg after acquiring him from Nashville. 

22. Washington, as good a pick to win the East as anyone, made things very clear this week: they are going to grab the best offensive player they can. They feel every goal is work for them. 

23. Does anyone else think Matthew Tkachuk makes his return at the Jan. 2 outdoor game? It’s the perfect stage.

24. You know who looks rejuvenated? Josh Manson. Every night I watch, he’s manhandling someone. 

25. For all the debate about experience in the GM chair, the last six Stanley Cups were won by first-time managers: Bill Zito (2024-25), Kelly McCrimmon (2023), Joe Sakic/Chris MacFarland (2022), Julien BriseBois (2020-21). All were experienced in the sport some way or another. There are multi-job winners in recent history: Doug Armstrong (2019), Jim Rutherford (2016-17), Dean Lombardi (2012 and 2014). Best approach: find confident people with backbone and a plan. 

26. Fenway Sports Group bought the Penguins in Nov. 2021 for approximately $900M (US). The sale price is $1.7B. That’s a nice return, for approximately 80 per cent of FSG’s majority share. The sale took longer than expected, a bit of a rough ride. One reason Fenway’s NHL existence didn’t last is it had trouble adjusting to Commissioner Gary Bettman’s iron grip. Fenway owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC (let’s see about NBA expansion into Las Vegas) — flexing considerable muscle without much opposition, as many owners do. The other North American commissioners don’t have Bettman’s power. It was a source of friction.

27. The International Ice Hockey Federation wanted Olympic team reveals after the upcoming World Juniors. But with the rosters due New Year’s Eve, Canada, in particular, knew there was zero chance they’d stay secret so long. So the Canadians go that day, with Finland, Sweden and the United States to follow on Jan. 2. I can’t argue with Jakob Chychrun — having an incredible season — or Matthew Schaefer, but after the way the 4 Nations blue line navigated Shea Theodore’s injury, Cale Makar’s brief absence and Josh Morrissey’s illness hours before puck drop of the final, I’m slightly surprised they’d make changes. 

28. Tom Wilson, asked about Canadian fans’ fears that tighter international rules could make him a liability on the Olympic Team: “Yeah, I’d say it’s still hockey…I’ve been around long enough that I hope that I can adapt to whatever game is going on in the Olympics. You could be playing Sweden, Slovakia or whoever, you could be playing the Americans and it could be fast and heavy and physical. And I’ve always tried to be a well-rounded player. That’s something that I’ve focused on my whole life. So whatever’s happening in that game, I hope that I could help. And at the end of the day, I hope the team would want me going in to play USA or one of those big, heavy, fast teams. I hope my teammates and the other Canadian guys would want me there with them. And if I’m lucky enough to be there, they know I’ll have their back and do whatever I can.”

John Carlson had an interesting theory on Wilson’s evolution. “When he was younger he was playing less,” the veteran defender said. “He wanted to make a statement, he wanted to find ways to impact the game. Now he’s playing on the first power play for years and he’s on the first penalty kill. He plays 20 minutes a night and I think that he thinks rightfully his physicality will still shine through. He can go out one night, not hit one person and his presence and what he’s capable of has the same effect as if he is running around a little bit and trying to forecheck a little harder or trying to line someone up a little more.”

Carlson added that any fight Wilson gets into “is not really a good trade for the Washington Capitals and I think he knows that. That’s helped him refocus his game on what he does best.”

Wilson was asked about warning players he’s coming. He doesn’t do it all the time, but it does happen. “There was a play a couple of games ago where a young kid came down the left side, came right across the blue line into the middle of the ice,” he said. “I was backchecking and came the other way to meet him…And we’re both going full speed and it’s going to be a big hit but at some points it’s just, it is tough to execute the hit clean. And that would be a point where I would just say, ‘Hey, heads up and then maybe bump into him.’ Makes you look bad if they put it through your feet and go in and score, so you gotta be smart about it.” 

What the power forward wouldn’t admit is that he backed off Connor McDavid on Nov. 17, a 7-4 Washington victory. Wilson eased up as McDavid came up the right-wing boards on a breakout. “I mean I like the guy, he is great for the game,” he said sheepishly, with a smile. “You know, sometimes you just don’t need to make the hit, but I won’t either deny nor confirm that.”

29. One coach’s replay suggestion: At the beginning of the season, each team is allotted three challenges. They may be used at any time for any call that can be challenged. Get it right you maintain your three. Get it wrong and you are down to two. He thinks it would cut down the number of frivolous challenges, and coaches may want to save them for later as playoff races go down to the wire. Personally, I’m not sure three would be enough (maybe five or 10), but I like the idea.

30. Two weeks ago, Troy Stecher joined the Hockey Night in Canada pre-game and was asked why his Toronto transition’s gone so smoothly. “At the end of the day,” he said, “I’ve never lost faith in my own game as an individual player. I feel like I have a good opportunity here to showcase that.” Critical quote. I always tell my son: If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else has reason to believe in you.

31. Went to this week’s Chicago/Toronto game in seats owned by our producer Brian Spear. It’s kind of funny how the entire crowd can spend almost three hours grumbling, then walk out saying “great game” when the home team scores twice in eight seconds to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

A couple of shoutouts to people I met on the walk back to my car. First, Blackhawk father-and-son fans Danny and Kane Wray. I’ll give you one guess who Kane is named after; he was born in 2010 — and the first game he ever attended was the 2015 banner raising. (As I asked more questions, Kane wondered if I was trying to steal his identity.) Also: Andrew Robb. He’s a former high-school volleyball player who became a referee. He’s officiated some international competitions and said his goal is to do it at the summer Olympics. Good luck, Andrew, I hope you get there. 

32. Terry Crisp once told a story that when he first won the Stanley Cup in 1974 as a Philadelphia Flyer, he looked up in the crowd to find his wife, Sheila, wanting to make sure she knew in that moment he was thinking of her amidst his greatest on-ice accomplishment. I thought of that this week when Sheila Crisp passed away at age 82. 

That’s the same age as Michael Whalen. I didn’t know Michael very well, but enough to realize what everyone else did — he was a really kind and easygoing person.

And, there are times along the trail I run into friendly and energetic Blackhawks scout Rob Facca, whose father, Bob, died this week. It’s never easy, but it’s even harder around Christmas. This is supposed to be the best family time. Thought it would be right to finish this column by wishing the best to Sheila, Michael and Bob’s family and friends. 

Let’s open with a few thoughts on Quinn Hughes. Everything I think I know and admissions on what I don’t.

WE’RE HERE SOONER THAN EXPECTED

Back at the NHL/NHLPA media tour in Vegas, Hughes deflected questions about his future, stating his sole concern was getting off to a good start. Everyone — including both Hughes and the Canucks — thought we’d see how this season went, and go from there. Unfortunately, the Canucks aren’t anywhere near where they hoped, and recently let teams know they were willing to discuss their veterans. 

That wasn’t supposed to be about Hughes, but, as Brian Burke said in 2005 after not realizing Joe Thornton’s availability until too late: if you snooze, you lose. So they asked. Rutherford’s reputation for moving early put other GMs on alert. Plus, you don’t want to move your best assets elsewhere if Hughes is what you crave.

Before they were really prepared to, the Canucks had to consider an acquisition cost. And, Hughes had to wrap his head around the fact he might not finish the season in the Lower Mainland. There were rumours Hughes informed the Canucks last summer he wouldn’t re-sign, but this has been ferociously denied by multiple sources. I don’t think he was expecting this when the puck dropped in October. 

WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN?

This is what I’m least certain about. Vancouver has to get this right. I’ve heard the ask is very high, as it should be. One exec told me it is “outrageous.” I replied, “Probably not outrageous enough.” He laughed. 

A young, impactful centre is very important to them. A deal is not impossible without one, but it will require something special to offset that desire. I got a few notes wondering if Detroit was “hiding” Marco Kasper Monday in Vancouver as a winger, but, as a lefty, he splits faceoffs with righty Nate Danielson, depending on where it is. That game, he took six and Danielson four.

Not impossible they wait until the draft, preferring no deal than a bad deal. But all of this noise exists for a reason. Talks are underway.

WHO’S IN THIS?

I always believe there are teams I don’t see. This is Quinn Hughes, for God’s sake. Who wouldn’t want him? 

New Jersey is obvious. I’ve been on Detroit for a while. Washington is around, but I don’t think the Canucks can snare the Capitals’ best young players. I know there’ve been suggestions about the Rangers, but I don’t see the trade match. Philadelphia doesn’t have the centre, so what else can the Flyers come up with? I mentioned Pittsburgh, but a few sources pooh-poohed this brainstorm.

Team I always assume tries: Carolina.

This, however, ignores the entire Western Conference. You know who has a lot of picks and prospects? Utah. Which brings us to …

HOW MUCH SAY DOES HUGHES HAVE?

This is a multi-layered question. 

Hughes does not have no-trade or no-move protection. Therefore, the Canucks can trade him anywhere they wish, and have indicated they are prepared to do just that. While it’s believed Hughes prefers East long-term, the Canucks could send him West if one of those teams stepped up and took a chance. 

Of course, there’s no tampering in the NHL, but you can be certain any landing spot will want an idea if it appeals to the 2024 Norris Trophy winner. A few teams believe Washington, depending on the price, would consider a two-year stay, because there’d be something very special about another Stanley Cup run while Alexander Ovechkin remains a Capital. 

WHAT ARE THE WILD CARDS?

Again, I always ask myself what I don’t see. 

There’s one option we haven’t considered: the Canucks can’t extend Hughes until July 1, but nothing prevents them from talking to him. They could promise eight years at a monster number. It would require Hughes committing for a few more seasons, with the understanding that if he doesn’t like what he sees at a certain point, he would be moved. 

On Sept. 15, 2026, new CBA contract rules kick-in, with maximum term dropping to seven years and tighter limits on bonus payments. You’d think, if Hughes is traded, he’d get an extension before then, but it’s not guaranteed. And, if Vancouver holds him into next year, he might not get one until the rules change. 

My only question is if this would work. Hughes might not get what the Canucks are willing to do somewhere else, but he’s still going to be handsomely paid. If he doesn’t believe in what’s around him, I don’t see this working.

A lot of variables, no doubt. Which path is really the Canucks’ choice.

32 THOUGHTS

1. Best quote from the Board of Governors: Was talking with an executive about how close the standings are. I said there used to be a joke about long-time NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle wanting pure parity, every team at 8-8. “We don’t have parity,” the governor said, deadpan. “We have Gar-ity,” a nod to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. I’m still laughing. 

2. On the Devils: they are legitimately trying to get business done, but to add, they have to subtract. If the team they are trading with isn’t willing to take back salary, they must find other options — which they are trying to do. There are several no-trade or modified no-trade clauses, harder to thread the needle. That’s why I believe things got out, they have hands in a few different places. (And all the best to Timo Meier, away for family reasons.)

3. In addition to Tristan Jarry, I believe the Oilers poked around Alex Lyon. Not as seriously as Jarry, but it was there. One thing I should have mentioned last Saturday about Jarry, in addition to Pittsburgh’s unwillingness to eat salary, is that the Penguins’ surprise addition to the Eastern Conference race gives them less motivation for an in-season sale. Not impossible, but not as high a priority. 

4. Also with Pittsburgh: the Hoffman family’s exclusive window to purchase the Penguins has expired. Doesn’t mean the sale can’t (or won’t) happen — I’ve heard they are still pushing to close — but the process is once again open to other bids. 

5. I had several sources indicate Los Angeles is not inclined to deal Phillip Danault without very good reason, because it is so hard to find centres. No matter his current struggles now, he’s been very good for the Kings in the playoffs, despite their inability to climb the Edmonton mountain. 

6. Those looking for a middleman are keeping a closer watch on Anaheim’s Ryan Strome. Delayed start to the season, in-and-out of the lineup. Ducks surging, is there a spot for him? If not, there will be interest. 

7. Some other names to keep an eye on as they fight for lineup time: Maxim Tsyplakov (Islanders) and Matias Maccelli (Toronto). I’m surprised at Tsyplakov, I think there’s a good player there. He had a strong NHL debut in 2024-25, but struggled to start this year and was squeezed out of the now-deeper Long Island lineup. Thankfully, Patrick Roy said Bo Horvat’s injury isn’t serious, so there may be a short window for Tsyplakov re-establish himself, but I heard other teams are poking around.

Maccelli, unfortunately, hasn’t been a fit for the Maple Leafs. I don’t believe they were the only team who looked at him in the summer, so some of those clubs may circle back. 

8. It probably won’t happen until Jaden Schwartz returns, but keep an eye on Seattle’s Mason Marchment. He’s another one who had several pursuers that could re-visit trading for him. 

9. It’s very clear now the fate of the highly-anticipated, long-awaited 2026 Olympic men’s hockey tournament is with the players. As deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Monday, “If players feel the ice is unsafe, then we’re not going to play.”

We know this: if the event was being played on a surface made of pancakes and syrup, the players would shrug and compete pedal to metal. The Olympics matter to them. They fought for it in this CBA, more of a priority to them than many financial issues. And, we all know what physical punishment they will ignore in games of high-consequence.

This whole situation reminds of the 2003 Montreal/Edmonton Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium. It was so cold and the ice so brittle that the late Bob Goodenow told the players they had the option not to play. Led by captains Saku Koivu and Jason Smith, the two teams felt cancellation was not an option and agreed to make it a no-hitter. The show was so successful that outdoor games are a yearly event.

The most interesting voice will be NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey, who said last weekend that “the health and safety of our players while playing on any ice surface will not be compromised.” During his 1,132 NHL games, Hainsey fought hard for player rights, so if he gets to Milan and thinks the ice is dangerous…we’ve got a serious problem. But, hearing Daly say what he did convinced me more than ever only an absolutely epic screwup of historic proportions will prevent this tournament from happening — because the players will make it work. 

10. My attitude there will be: no matter what happens, I’m going to enjoy it. That said, you can feel the frustration, concern, and anger among the league/governors, who feel they were given more empty promises than a parent asking a teenager to clean their room. What’s happened is “laughable, but not funny,” one said. Even those who support NHL participation “because of the big picture” are shaking their heads.

Then-Ottawa GM John Muckler always felt Dominik Hasek’s 2006 Turin injury cost the Senators the Stanley Cup. The Islanders were furious at John Tavares’ 2014 broken leg. The construction delays increase their worries of a 2026 version ruining this season. Part of the deal the NHL made with the International Olympic Committee was that team owners received tickets and access to the games. Daly said Monday the league also learned that Hockey House — for hospitality — won’t exist at all. It’s a smaller thing, but part of the overall annoyance. Hopefully, on Feb. 22, when the gold medals are awarded, we are celebrating such a phenomenal tournament we will laugh at how concerned we were. 

11. Teams certainly sound like they don’t want the cap raised from the targeted $104 million in 2026-27. If revenues continue at the current pace (Bettman said between $6.8 billion and $6.9 billion in US dollars), there would be room to rise. But, now it appears they would rather send a “top-up” payment to the players (to ensure the revenue split is 50/50) rather than raise the cap. That’s new, but it shows how much they are wary of the rapidly-rising ceiling — even with new revenue-sharing rules to help the middle-class.

12. Okay, now we arrive at hand-pass craziness, which has only gotten worse this week. I’m very impressed the Situation Room remembered a 2024 Yegor Sharangovich score as precedent for why the puck hitting Brad Marchand’s glove should not erase the goal that started Florida’s 7-6 comeback against Columbus. But, it’s not right the Blue Jackets were penalized.

Two days after the Lightning’s tying goal against Pittsburgh was erased, how could Dean Evason not challenge? Is it reasonable for him to remember something from 13 months ago? Within 10 seconds of Florida’s goal being ruled good, one GM texted, “Let’s see you explain this one.” In fairness, there are some who felt that if the puck deflects backwards, that’s not a hand-pass. Anyways, I think replay rules should be amended, and a wrong challenge on your first attempt should not be penalty. There are too many inconsistencies, too many plays — especially goaltender interference — that look similar and are ruled differently. You get one freebie. Second miss (and on from there), bench minor.

Some coaches feel very strongly there should be no penalty ever, that it should simply be about getting it right, but, then replay gets used as a tactic, an extra timeout to slow opponent momentum. That’s awful to watch, too. But too many people who watch too much hockey cannot differentiate between too similar plays. Maybe that’s life in a judgement-call world, but I don’t feel anymore it should be an automatic penalty on first offence. 

13. As for hand-passes themselves, there has to be a better way to define them. Montreal’s winning goal in Buffalo on Remembrance Day 2024 counted because the puck hit Mike Matheson’s glove when he was reaching with his stick. He wasn’t trying to use his hand, it just hit him there. Maybe it’s that simple: if you try to play the puck, it’s no goal no matter where it goes.

The great Lou Nanne suggested allowing players to use their hands everywhere, since it’s already allowed in the defensive zone. I’m not as crazy about that idea. I’d actually prefer no hand passes anywhere, but was reminded the league would rather not have more whistles blowing play dead when defenders do this under pressure — because they will.

14. As promised, the NHL did warn teams about players not wearing helmets as mandated for pregame warmups. (Exemptions: players in the league before 2019-20 and rookie laps.) Clubs were notified of $25,000 fines to either them or the head coach for a first offence, increasing “exponentially for each successive violation.”

15. The NHL said it would announce 2028 World Cup venues sometime after the Olympics. Vegas was one of the bidders. It makes a lot of sense for what the league and NHLPA are going for. Biggest challenge: in the past, they have said they don’t like a Western North American location when teams are coming from Europe for the final rounds. Really long travel. Extra few hours. 

16. Idea that may make sense to only me: Canada names Adin Hill to its initial Olympic roster. Hill’s earliest return date was Christmas, which is unlikely. So they name him, and replace him with someone else who steps up — or continues to play well — in January. Maybe Hill comes back and keeps the job himself. Of course, Canada could just name Jordan Binnington, Darcy Kuemper and Logan Thompson right away. 

17. Went to Washington on Wednesday to do a piece on Tom Wilson’s bid for a Team Canada berth. Boy, are his teammates and the Capitals organization lining up in support of him. Whenever we enter a post-Ovechkin world, very good chance Wilson is the Capitals’ next captain. His brother Jamie is a huge Blue Jays fan. After they lost the World Series, Tom texted condolences. Jamie didn’t respond for days. Many Canadians can identify with that. 

18. John Carlson — without a second of pause — destroyed any rumours about retiring. “No chance.”

19. Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, asked if he’d called Jon Cooper on behalf of Nick Suzuki: “I pleaded my case in the summer.”

20. Teammate Luke Gazdic did a segment on a recent Canadiens broadcast praising Cole Caufield because he doesn’t stick-handle a ton. “Catch and release. Trusts the puck,” Luke said. Asked about that last weekend, St. Louis said he thinks many young players “stickhandle too much.” He prefers lacrosse-style, always in position to shoot. He also pointed to Nikita Kucherov, saying he’s always got his stick in a place where it is dangerous.

21. Toronto promised to be very careful with Joseph Woll, and Dennis Hildeby’s strong performance gave them room to breathe. He could play as soon as this weekend, and if not, early next week. But they won’t push him too hard as he returns, again.

22. Have mentioned a few times now that the NHL wants to increase its footprint into Germany. Edmonton (Leon Draisaitl) vs. Ottawa (Tim Stutzle) makes too much sense not to happen. In his Board of Governors interview with Kyle Bukauskas, Senators owner Michael Andlauer sure made it sound like that’s as inevitable as Thanos.

23. For record-keeping purposes, percentage of teams to make the playoffs who held a spot on American Thanksgiving, post-COVID: 75 per cent in 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25; 81.3 per cent in 2022-23. 

24. Another note about how close NHL games are: a couple of weeks ago, a friend did a calculation of what every team’s record would look like if we still had ties. The NHL record is 24, set by the 1969-70 Flyers. He found 11 teams en route to break it, and 11 more “just off the pace.”  

25. Through Wednesday, Sidney Crosby is on-pace for 51 goals. Now 38, he has a chance to break Alexander Ovechkin’s record as the NHL’s oldest 50-goal scorer. The Great Eight was almost 37 when he did it in 2021-22.

26. As I write this Thursday night, Nathan MacKinnon is plus-38. Only one player since 1986-87 has reached the Top-50 for a single-season plus/minus in NHL history. That’s Johnny Gaudreau, plus-64 in 2021-22, tied for 45th place. Brad Park (1971-72), Al Sims (1973-74), Mike Bossy (1978-79) and Brian Engblom (1980-81, better broadcaster than a defenceman) are in a four-way tie for 47th at plus-63. MacKinnon has a shot at that extremely rare air. Bobby Orr holds the record, a ridiculous plus-124 in 1970-71.

27. I’ve had a few debates about Mark Stone’s Olympic candidacy, mainly because of the injuries. The smaller ice makes him more of a lock for me. Plus, he’s got 24 points in 14 games. He leads the NHL in points-per-game at 1.71, slightly ahead of MacKinnon.

28. Some good podcast Thoughtline help this week. One listener asked if the Olympic break counted towards the 75 days necessary between trades, allowing a player’s contract to be eligible for double-retention. We checked with the NHL, and were told the answer is yes. Anyone moved before the Dec. 20 Christmas freeze can have retention a second time. If that pause in the schedule did not count, no one traded now would qualify. 

29. Detroit’s 1-0 goal last Saturday in Seattle was Emmitt Finnie from Nate Danielson and Axel Sandin-Pellika. Several Red Wings fans asked if that was the first time in NHL history three players from the same draft combined for a goal in their Rookie season. Great question. Shockingly, it was the 10th. (I would have guessed it happened, like, three times.) The last was Dec. 13, 2006 in a game Philadelphia lost 8-4 to Pittsburgh: Ryan Potulny from Stefan Ruzicka and Alexandre Picard.

30. The excellent Florida broadcaster, Steve Goldstein, has a son, Jake, who spent four years as a team manager for Western Michigan’s hockey program. He then went to grad school at St. Thomas University in Miami, which decided to start a hockey program at the club level. They will play out of the Panthers’ practice facility and Jake is running things. If you’re interested in playing, email him at JGoldstein@stu.edu. I’m always happy to spread the hockey gospel and why not play where you can get a tan?

31. Shoutout to Eli Pulver from Vancouver, the backup to Daniel Hauser at NCAA Wisconsin. An old friend’s son, Eli beat then-No. 1 Michigan State 5-4 and 2-1 on back-to-back nights in his first career starts at the end of November. 

32. When I left the Fan in 1997, Eric Smith took over from me on the Raptors beat. He did a far superior job than me, for sure, and has now written a great book We The Raptors about 30 of the players he’s covered throughout the team’s 30-year history. He has a great story in there about Doug Christie’s daughter wanting Michael Jordan’s autograph after Toronto beat the Bulls, and he initially says no, because Pat Riley taught him that’s not what you do. Of course, Christie relents, because it’s his daughter. We’re all suckers for our kids. 

When Vancouver notified teams of its desire to discuss “veterans” — and the note said veterans, not UFAs — the message was unmistakable: we want to know what you think about our players. 

Without specific names attached, the Canucks, by design, left things to everyone else’s imaginations. No limitations, talk to us, we’ll decide what we’re willing/able to do. We know Quinn Hughes is not available, for now (we’ll get to him in a minute). Even if Filip Hronek didn’t have a no-move clause, I don’t think there’s any desire to move him. We know the UFAs definitely are out there, and we know that the Canucks will listen on those with term, although several control their futures. And, as mentioned the other day, when Jim Rutherford signals he’s ready, you’d better be ready, too. 

This is not a total teardown. The Canucks prefer young players in the NHL (or ready for it) over draft picks and/or greener prospects, but we’ve got to be prepared for everything.

The immediate watch is Kiefer Sherwood. Excellent start, absolute heater (28.6 shooting percentage), competes hard, playoff-style skillset, salary everyone can handle. Ultimately, the Canucks will decide how fast they move, but if anyone could go quickly, it’s the feisty winger.

Other than that, we’ll see. I’ve always liked Tyler Myers in the right scenario. Long, mean right-shot defenders with reasonable cap hits are coveted, but I’m not convinced he’d waive during the season — protection negotiated in good faith. 

There’s been some discussion about Conor Garland, but I’ve heard the preference is to keep him. Another incredibly competitive guy who works. It comes down to someone making an offer they can’t say no to.

Hughes? We can guess where this is going, although several sources pushed back hard — very hard — on the idea he’s already made a decision. Rutherford’s prepared Canuck Nation for the possibility he’d leave. It’s solid strategy that he and GM Patrik Allvin try to be proactive, make the franchise cornerstone believe in the future. But Hughes has looked unhappy, although I think there was a conversation addressing that. Your captain must project properly. Eventually, there will be a discussion about his future, I thought Olympic break, might be sooner. Obviously, he’ll have a huge say over the process. But elite engines aren’t available often, and interested parties won’t screw around when/if the day comes.

Eighteen months ago, Vancouver lost a 3-2 Game 7 to Edmonton — a fierce, thrilling series pushing the Oilers to the precipice before they became two-time Western Conference champions. The core of that team was Garland, Hronek, Hughes, JT Miller and Elias Pettersson. Injured Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko did not play. Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov were strong support pieces. The future seemed so bright.

But it imploded, as much because of personalities as anything else. There’s a six-part podcast to be done, sometime. 

I didn’t think we’d go from that to this. But here we are. The Canucks are ready to reshape their future.

32 THOUGHTS

1. One thing that makes me crazy is how organizations trip over themselves avoiding the word ‘rebuild’. On some level, I get it because the word can be as radioactive as gold kryptonite to Superman. But you can walk yourself into trouble using a thesaurus, and my number one rule is, “Don’t pour gasoline on your own fire.” I’m still 1.5 credits shy of my English degree, but I’ve found a solution. Say either “we’re starting over,” or, “we’re making changes but we’re not tearing it all down.” Simple.

For the rest of us, including myself, ignore the noise and watch what’s happening. If you really look at Calgary and Nashville, they have begun the process of change. The Flames are assembling a strong prospect group, and no matter what anyone says, won’t make short-term moves to save this season. If it’s a high pick, they will take it. They also believe that Dustin Wolf is too good to let them consistently hit rock bottom, and his start-of-season struggles were more of a blip than anything. (And shoutout to the NHL’s Friedrich Nietzsche, Devin Cooley, who almost lost his job but has played very well.) 

2. I’d be surprised if Calgary GM Craig Conroy, in the final year of his contract, is not re-signed. For one thing, I don’t believe head coach Ryan Huska is the only person in the organization to receive a recent extension, so the Flames are taking care of business. An executive from another team told me it’s not unheard of for conversations to slow down or halt when things are rough. Doesn’t mean it changes your long-term plans, but there is an allergy to reward when on-ice results go sideways. I don’t think Don Maloney should be fired for last week’s comments. You just need to know the right time. A GM needs someone to manage up.

3. I don’t like to overreact to one game. For Edmonton, this is more than one game. After Tuesday’s 8-3 Dallas destruction, the Oilers have no choice but to ask themselves if it’s time to trade Stuart Skinner — for their benefit and his. Everyone. I understood their philosophy: don’t waste resources on a lateral move, because, with the limited chips you have, you might only get one shot at being right. Like my grandmother always said, “You plan, God laughs.”

It’s 100 per cent true the Oilers are sieve-like defensively: at even-strength, they are 25th in shots against from the slot on the cycle, 29th from the slot overall and 30th from the slot against the rush (Sportlogiq). You need prime Dominik Hasek against those numbers, and captain Connor McDavid did the right thing by saying how bad they were in front of Skinner.

Calvin Pickard basically saved his job with a strong performance in a 2-1 loss in Tampa Bay on a tough back-to-back. His teammates, who love Pickard, rallied around him in that one. Then, the Oilers won an emotional game in Florida. To go home and perform like that against the Mikko Rantanen-less Stars was ugggggggggggly.

One of the reasons the Oilers wanted it to work so badly is Skinner’s budget-friendly $2.6M AAV in a tight cap situation. They felt very strongly that they had to know they were getting a guaranteed upgrade to give up on that. Now, you have to ask yourself: are you losing by not trying to come out even? Is there a situation where you feel someone will be rejuvenated in Edmonton, like Skinner might be elsewhere? The other question you have to ask: will a change lift our team? Is this weighing on them, too?

4. Nick Kypreos stirred up a hornet’s nest in his trade board by suggesting Jordan Binnington could end up with the Oilers. I strongly suspect Edmonton can’t trade for Binnington without his permission, even if St. Louis wanted to do it. 

5. Goalie team to watch: Pittsburgh. Four guys ready to play between the NHL and AHL. 

6. Someone else to keep an eye on: Laurent Brossoit. Long road back for Brossoit, who last played a game on April 28, 2024. But he’s practising and headed for a conditioning stint in the near future. There’s no room for him in Chicago, so when he does dress in the AHL, goalie-needy teams will be watching. Good luck to him, would have been easy to give up. 

7. I do think Peter DeBoer will be back in the NHL, but would be stunned if it was in Edmonton.

8. Scott Oake to Jim Nill on After Hours: Can the Stars afford both Rantanen and Jason Robertson? “We’ll find a way to do it,” the GM answered. “We’ve always found ways. These are great players. It’s hard to find goal scorers. When I talked to Jason over the summer — he had a tough year the year before, he missed all of training camp, got off to a slow start — that’s what we discussed. Come in, I want you to have a good year, it’s an Olympic year, lot of things going on. He’s performing for us and it’s great to see.”

Robertson said a healthy summer made a big difference for him and the proof is right in front of your eyes.

9. Last blog, I listed a bunch of teams circling around the trade market and what they are looking at. A few people I texted left out Utah. The Mammoth stabilized themselves after a rough stretch. Definitely want to add, and a quiver full of picks/prospects. 

10. Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies return Wednesday night for Toronto, and not a moment too soon for the Maple Leafs. The timelines were frustrating both internally (you could see it on Crag Berube’s face) and externally. Once again, there was debate about injury clarity and I was asked about it on a couple of my regular interview spots. It’s something I’ve been thinking about, especially with the number of gambling scandals in different sports.

First, let me just say I am sympathetic to injuries getting targeted — especially in the playoffs. It 100 per cent happens, and anyone denying that is certifiably insane. Players are fiercely protective of injury information primarily because of that, and also, as many have said, “It’s none of your business.” (That’s a different debate, which we will get to.)

11. When I’ve asked Commissioner Gary Bettman about gambling concerns, whether injury or prop-bet related, he makes a point of saying he believes NHLers wouldn’t do it. It’s good to support your players — scores points — but I remember being blown away years ago by a Diana Swain report on match-fixing in a low-level Canadian soccer league. Where money can be made, vigilance matters.

When it comes to prop bets, Bettman believes hockey’s randomness and speed make it much harder to manipulate than other sports. That mind-boggling Emmanuel Clase first-pitch accusation? Much harder to pull off in hockey. The NHL’s Chief Security Officer, Jared Maples, spoke with the managers at the recent GM meetings. A few people who were there said it was a fascinating presentation. He reminded that betting on hockey or gambling illegally will be met with severe punishment.

But the thing that really stood out was that anyone complicit in these scandals doesn’t seem to understand it’s the betting companies themselves noticing aberrations or weirdness, informing the leagues and law enforcement when something’s awry. “You really have to be dumb to not see who is policing this,” one said.

Therefore, the league feels as certain as it can that if something happens, they are going to be told about it. (In the aftermath of the Clase case, Major League Baseball announced a $200 limit on individual pitch wagering, with those specific bets removed from parlays. At this time, the NHL is not pursuing anything similar.) 

12. Now, let’s go back to injury information. This is where I see the weakness. Maples stressed that managers be extremely discreet with it, and relay that message to their players. (Not a hard sell, lol.) One of the people charged in the recent NBA sweep was an assistant coach, Damon Jones, accused of providing secret LeBron James intel to bettors. This is where I’d be most concerned if I were the NHL.

Again, the players are adamant this not be shared. Even if I argue that Matthews — being the most important player on the NHL’s most newsmaking team — and the Maple Leafs have to expect the highest scrutiny, they don’t want to hear it, saying it is their business. But if it ever leads to scandal…

I never thought legal betting would lead to greater clarity on hockey injuries, but this is where we are in the year 2025.  

13. All of the injuries stink, but shoutout to Tampa Bay — which has moved from last to first in the Atlantic — despite being crushed by them. Also, New Jersey and Carolina, atop the Metropolitan despite being able to put together a decent roster with the players who haven’t been in their lineups. And anyone else I didn’t credit. You have to find a way.

14. Not surprised Juuso Parssinen cleared waivers. But I think there is interest, depending on what the Rangers are willing to do. Next season at $1.25M is the challenge. 

15. In Nashville, GM Barry Trotz said this week on his regular 102.5 radio appearance there will be more opportunity for the Joakim Kemell-type prospects at the NHL level. I stick to what I said last week, that the Predators are still feeling their way through things, from ownership on down. This is a critical time in franchise history, and they want to get it right. Like Vancouver, Nashville is exploring the market, well-aware there are teams lusting after Ryan O’Reilly. Remember: he’s got big say in any move. I don’t buy Filip Forsberg trade theories at this time, and am not convinced they want to retain money. 

16. Some well-meaning Jets fans wondered if local boy Chris Driedger’s KHL contract termination was tied to Connor Hellebuyck’s injury, that he was returning to fill the gap. It’s unrelated, at least right now. For one thing, assuming no surprises, Hellebuyck could be back on the ice in the not-too-distant future. Winnipeg wants to see Thomas Milic, looking like he will make his NHL debut Saturday in Nashville. It’s always better to solve your problem internally, if you can. Things can always change, but the timing is a coincidence.

17. Colorado’s Scott Wedgewood joins Matthew Schaefer as late additions to Team Canada’s Olympic player pool. If you’re added now, you aren’t one of 90 — the original list. You’re one of 35, and a serious candidate. Are Canada’s goalies down to some combination of Jordan Binnington, Darcy Kuemper, Logan Thompson and Wedgewood? Even with Binnington’s struggles, what he did last February makes him feel like a lock. 

18. A scouting report on 16-1-5 Colorado: “Much better defensively earlier in-season than in years past.”

19. Heard this week there’s going to be a landing spot for Robby Fabbri. One of the rumoured teams was Ottawa, but it won’t be them. 

20. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported Tuesday that the Penguins’ sale to the Hoffmann family has “halted,” and that nothing “appears to be the least bit imminent.” What I can confirm is this process has taken longer than expected and is more difficult than current owners Fenway Sports Group hoped. The Hoffmans do remain in their exclusive negotiating window and are moving forward to close. We will see.  

21. The NHL and NHLPA, although annoyed at the overall situation, are biting their tongues about the Milan rink delay until around Christmas. The IOC is saying all the right things about everything being ready when it really matters, but this is waaaaaaaay too close for anyone’s comfort. There definitely will be concerns about ice quality. Wildest rumour: the roof was too low and had to be raised. Still can’t wait to get there. 

22. Joseph Woll is the latest goalie to have his mask knocked off during play, angry at the delay before a whistle. While there’s been debate about the current rule — which allows action to continue when the offensive team is in control — another way of attacking the problem is changing the masks themselves. Instead of a buckle snap, there are suggestions to bolt the strap to the outside or thread it through the shell to the inside.

Senior Director of Hockey Operations Kay Whitmore, who played 155 NHL games in goal, made a presentation to the GMs at the recent meetings, showing these examples. The active goalies obviously have a say, but this could be a solution.

23. Last Saturday, Jonathan Huberdeau fought Mikko Rantanen after the hit that cut Matt Coronato and landed Dallas’s winger a one-game suspension. Huberdeau received an instigator. Maybe I’m crazy, but I don’t think anyone should get an instigator when the guy he fights receives a game misconduct. 

24. I howled when I saw Adam Foote’s quotes about using publicly available analytics: “They’re just looking at numbers from people that could be in Russia in a basement, having cigarettes and cashews.”

Three things on this: first, and foremost, Foote will protect his players. He knows anything negative he says about a Canuck will be used against them, so he bends over backwards not to do it. View everything he says through this lens. If he does criticize someone, that’s really un-good.

Second, teams do claim what is privately available to them is much more accurate than public information. This is not an atypical attitude across the NHL.

Third, I rushed to the schedule, begging we have Vancouver on Saturday. Santa considers me a good boy, because my wish came true — they are playing the Kings. I will be on-set to discuss this game with a box of cashews, and promise to smoke if Sportsnet lets me. 

25. It was special watching Arber and Florian Xhekaj make their NHL double debut last Saturday. Florida loved Florian heading into that 2023 draft, meeting with him multiple times in the lead-up. That included the night before the draft, apparently targeting him anywhere between the third and sixth rounds, I believe. Montreal found out. They got him in the fourth round, 101st overall.

26. I think some organizations would like to know more about the people in Florida’s front office, but GM Bill Zito keeps them locked in his trunk. 

27. Wednesday night is Game 2 of the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge, in Lethbridge. The Americans won Game 1 4-2 Tuesday night in Calgary. Anyone can have a bad day, but everyone I know there was disappointed with the CHL performance. Canada swept the two-game series last season, and coach Willie Desjardins saw how motivated the American players were. “They were more ready at the start,” he said. “I think they had a lot to prove from last year. I think we thought that maybe we could get away with it, just had to show up.” How you perform after a bad day is a true test of who you are.

28. Morgan Geekie is tied for the NHL lead in goals (17, with Nate MacKinnon). Kyle Bukauskas walked up to him a few weeks ago and opened with, “How’s life as a 30-goal scorer?” Geekie replied, “Same as it was as a nine-goal scorer.” Kyle hasn’t been rejected that badly since the Campbell River Collegiate prom. 

29. Podcast thought-line question that should be shared with a wider audience: What team has allowed the most “Revenge Goals” — goals scored against by former players? The crack Sportsnet Stats team looked through all active players and discovered the answer is Chicago (64). Phillip Danault and Artemi Panarin lead with eight. Most by one player against one team: William Karlsson, clobbering the Ducks with 16. Utah has the fewest with one (Matias Maccelli), Seattle has six. Fewest with a longer history: Detroit (11). Highest Canadian team is Toronto (44). James van Riemsdyk is the most prolific ex-Leaf, with eight.  

30. Duncan Keith’s induction means that every eligible defensive winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy is in the Hall of Fame: Serge Savard (1969), Bobby Orr (1970 & 72), Larry Robinson (1978), Al MacInnis (1989), Brian Leetch (1994), Scott Stevens (2000), Nicklas Lidstrom (2002), Scott Niedermayer (2007) and Keith (2015). Still to come: Victor Hedman (2020) and Cale Makar (2022). Feel confident predicting they will be enshrined, too. Bold, I know. 

31. Speaking of the Hall, I’m a Curtis Joseph truther. He should be in. His book is outstanding, and last week he did an excellent interview on the St. Louis Blues YouTube page (Life As A Blue). Something he said stuck with me: his 1993 playoff breakthrough, a stunning first-round sweep of Chicago, a Stanley Cup Finalist the previous season.

“It felt amazing because my teammates gave me the response I was craving,” he said. “And the response that I was craving was, ‘Great job. Way to be there for us.’ I need to be needed. When those guys would come back to me and go, ‘Great job,’ I felt a sense of team, I felt a sense of family, which I hadn’t had in my entire life. That experience gave me all of that in a two-week period. Everything that I needed in life.”

32. Our Hockey Night in Canada Hockey Fights Cancer broadcast is Saturday. There are three people I’d like to mention.

Molly Kay Friedman (1947-82): My mother died on her 35th birthday. Our relationship was…complex. Forty-three years later, I have greater understanding of how this insidious disease affected her not only physically, but emotionally. I learned painful lessons: how life is fleeting, how nothing is guaranteed. How we all have responsibilities, but those cannot prevent you from finding time to do what you enjoy and chasing your dreams. You never know when things we take for granted will be taken from you. 

I remember her funeral, feeling pleasant surprise at some of the people who showed. Even now, when I’m more remotely connected to someone who’s passed (or their family), I try to attend. If there’s one piece of advice I’d share, it’s this. So meaningful for people to see faces they don’t expect. 

Charles Pollock (1964-2016): I don’t have an older brother, but always admired two older cousins, Charles and his brother, Andrew. We didn’t see a ton of each other, but loved hearing their stories when we did — both big, charismatic personalities. When I covered basketball, Charles, who became a stockbroker, would request my NCAA men’s basketball bracket to try and win the company pool. Last memory of him: at my wedding, we had these plastic tubes full of Reese’s Pieces. Charles walked out with two handfuls as I laughed my head off. 

Jason Brenzel (1984-2025, seen here with son Levi): My brother-in-law’s brother (we are married to sisters).

From his wife, Natalie: One year ago, almost to the day, Jason was diagnosed with Stage Four esophageal cancer, at the age of 40. Jason was the ultimate “Master of All Trades,” excelling in everything from golf, skiing, mountain biking, carpentry and watch repair, cooking, etc. etc. He brought that determination to this challenge and spent more than eight weeks in-and-out of hospital, undergoing painful tests, chemotherapy and radiation, enduring heartbreaking conversation after heartbreaking conversation. But Jason maintained his trademark quiet courage, strength, and appreciation for the support around him.

His family was never ever far from his mind, especially Levi. One afternoon, towards the end of Jason’s final hospitalization, Levi came for a visit and Jason somehow mustered the strength to pick him up and wrap him in a huge hug. It took almost everything out of him, but “it was worth it,” he told his family. After an incredibly courageous 15-week battle, Jason passed away March 13th, surrounded by his family. He is never far from our minds, and so very missed. 

There isn’t a person reading this blog who hasn’t been affected by cancer. As we approach Saturday’s show, these three are uppermost in my mind. 

The obvious question is: Does this mean Quinn Hughes? I’m told the answer is no, at this time.

“They’ve made it clear (trading him) is not their priority right now,” one executive said. (Filip Hronek is another player teams feel is unlikely to go anywhere.)

What it does appear to mean is potential UFAs and potentially a player or two with term, but the Canucks have also indicated they do not desire to tear it right down to the studs.

This action is noteworthy because of Jim Rutherford’s track record. Historically, once he decides to act, he does not wait. His resume is full of moves consummated well before the trade deadline.

Now, he and GM Patrik Allvin want to know what could be available to them. 

More from Sportsnet

Slumping Canucks finding things ‘very hard and frustrating’ after loss to Flames

Q and A: Canucks’ Jim Rutherford on rebuilds, injuries and overall outlook

Last week, at the NHL GM meetings in Toronto, commissioner Gary Bettman jumped on the Generation Z bandwagon.

There was a video highlighting the fact Zoomers led 18 teams in goals, with 10 per cent of all goals scored coming from players aged 21 or younger — the highest since 2018-19. There were slides showing a 20-year age range among the top 10 scorers, with both teenagers and 35-plus geriatrics represented.

Seven days after that presentation, Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini put on another show. Energized by an “A” stitched onto his jersey (smooth move, Blackhawks), Bedard sealed a 5-2 win over Calgary with his second hat trick of the season. Ninety minutes later, Celebrini matched with his third of the night an overtime winner to beat Utah.

It was the second night in NHL history with hat tricks by players 20 or younger. Almost 82 years ago, on Feb. 19, 1944, Jack Hamilton and Bud Poile combined for seven Toronto goals in a 10-4 victory over Boston.

Bedard and Celebrini deserve a ton of credit. Bedard’s been very private about last summer’s training — the one detail that’s understood is better co-ordination of his workouts to truly impact on-ice performance — but the impact is obvious. In all of 2024-25, he had 70 speed bursts of at least 32 km/h. That was in the 55th percentile of the NHL. By last weekend, he was already at 60, now in the 97th percentile. He’s Barry Allen, after the lightning bolt struck his forensic lab. 

More importantly, the back-to-back No. 1 picks are elevating their organizations. Entering Wednesday’s games, Chicago is a wild-card team and San Jose is two points out of the playoffs. No one saw this coming. (Apropos of nothing, if this continues, Spencer Knight is going to build himself a heck of a Vezina case.) 

Now, there is an even bigger conversation.

Twenty years ago, Team Canada left 18-year-old Sidney Crosby off the Olympic team. Did it prevent them from winning gold? That’s a stretch. But, with 20/20 hindsight, would a different decision be made?

Both Bedard and Celebrini attended the August Olympic orientation camp in Calgary. You can definitely see Canada thinking, “We hope one of them forces us to think hard.” Two? Nope. No way, not happening, not even a conversation over GM Doug Armstrong’s favourite Scotch. 

Yet here we are in the year 2025 AD. Team Canada is careful about discussing these decisions, knowing the nuclear nature of discourse. 

The case for Bedard/Celebrini is obvious: use your eyes. And: not taking them is anti-fun. 

But there are enough clues to understand where resistance might come. In putting together the 4 Nations champion, Canada emphasized winning pedigree at the senior level. That mattered. It was a short, stressful event with a nail-biting championship that had an entire country sweating buckets on their couches. The calmness of those who’d played in multiple main events won the day. 

Bedard and Celebrini don’t have that experience, due to their age and that when you get taken first overall, you don’t get an elevator straight to the top. Bedard won back-to-back World Junior golds, featuring highlight-reel material and 31 points in 14 games. He had eight points in 10 games at the 2024 World Championship, where Canada finished fourth. Celebrini had eight points in five games at the 2024 World Juniors, and six points in eight games at the 2025 World Championship. Canada was eliminated in the quarterfinals at both. (Obviously, that’s not solely on him.) 

I think you can, however, shape this into an argument for them. Mitch Marner celebrated junior success — a Memorial Cup — and won silver at the 2017 World Championship, but had not been past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He talked at length about Sidney Crosby’s poise, how the bench never lost positivity, then set up the tying and winning goals in the 4 Nations gold-medal game. 

If that attitude elevated Marner, there’s no reason it can’t do the same for Bedard and Celebrini.

The more I think about it, though, the more I wonder if the real debate is defensive play. If the 4 Nations taught us anything, it’s that if you weren’t committed to being a two-way demon, you weren’t going to be trusted. Look at all of the players on the Canadian and U.S. rosters who were more dogged defensively than with their regular teams. Look how hard it was for even Connor McDavid, the most dynamic player in the sport, to do what he needed to do. Every inch of the ice was a fight.

Neither Bedard nor Celebrini have seen this before, but, again, it’s a factor of being drafted to bad teams. I think it’s safe to say they’d do whatever they could to show they’d adopt the same attitude. The underlying numbers indicate Chicago and San Jose give up more goals (and shots) when they are on the ice as opposed to when they aren’t — although it should be pointed out they do play against the best players.

The debate is not Bedard vs. Celebrini. It’s about both. There’s no way Team Canada thought this would happen. The brain trust is remembering 4 Nations overtime: can they play 200 feet in that?

32 THOUGHTS

1. All of that discourse and didn’t even mention Matthew Schaefer. As impressive as Bedard and Celebrini are, Schaefer’s ascension to this discussion is mind-blowing. He was added to the Olympic drug-testing protocol, making him eligible to be selected by Team Canada. Total credit to him. He’s been above 25 minutes six times in 20 games, and his arrival breathed new life into Long Island. You can’t tell me his positive aura isn’t an important factor in their rise to a .600 points percentage.

Canada was very happy with its 4 Nations defence, so it would be a surprise if anyone was deleted. (Drew Doughty’s injury timeline is not a factor.) There’s an extra spot in Milan that Schaefer’s in the fight for. The Islanders do an excellent job deploying the defender, shielding him a bit against the toughest competition so he can freely wreak havoc. His ice-times (at home) vs. key opponents: 

Kirill Kaprizov: Schaefer 4:05 (Adam Pelech 9:39)

David Pastrnak: Schaefer 1:22 (Pelech 8:21)

Macklin Celebrini: Schaefer 2:52 (Pelech 14:03)

Connor McDavid: Schaefer 2:06 (Pelech 8:43)

The numbers were closer against Dylan Larkin, Alexander Ovechkin and Mark Scheifele. Would Canada be comfortable with his lack of experience against the best? His attitude would be welcome anywhere, though.

2. Patrick Roy’s eruption at Alexander Romanov’s injury is about one thing: standing up for his team, making sure the players know he has their backs. That resonates.

Florida and Tampa Bay were warned last weekend before their first meeting since the exhibition brouhaha, and Roy will be too before the Dallas/Islanders rematch in March. Don’t let things go too far. (Didn’t stop the Panthers and Lightning from playing their typical, nasty affair.) One thing the officials were told to do that didn’t happen during the pre-season meeting? Throw players out of the game, right away. Don’t be afraid of that. 

3. One more Olympic note: At the 1956 Summer Olympics, the equestrian events were held in Sweden, away from the rest of the Games, in Australia. That country’s laws required all foreign horses to be quarantined for six months, an impossible ask. So, while there’s precedent to host one event separately from the rest, the NHL and NHLPA made it very clear they are not interested in anything remotely similar this February. Both sent emissaries to the Milan rink this week. Reaction: There’s still a lot of work to do, although the hosts are saying the right things. One source who saw photos last week called the facility “Stonehenge.” I said no way it’s that bad. He laughed. Clearly, Bettman is agitated that this is even a discussion. The last thing he wants is injury because of a rushed rink.

4. It is impossible not to look at what is happening in Anaheim, Chicago and San Jose without wondering about attitudes to rebuilds. The arguments against them are simple: there are no guarantees, the lottery is a fickle mistress (ask Detroit) and, perhaps the one that scares owners the most — you get financially pummelled while going through them. Organizations will tell you fans may support rebuilds, but not the way it most matters in a gate-driven league. There was a lot of pain for the Ducks, Blackhawks and Sharks. That said, every team reaches a point where you must consider it. You can’t help but look at those rises and think: wouldn’t it be easier to sell that now?

5. Those three teams are must-watch, with a new, particularly promising trend arriving in Anaheim. At the GM meetings, another slide was about power play/penalty kill differential. A couple of people noticed the Ducks weren’t in their customary position, last. Heading into Wednesday, they were even: 67 power plays, 67 penalty-kills, and were around plus-7 until last week.

Over the past 20 years, the Ducks were the worst team in the NHL in this differential — a gap the size of the Pacific Ocean, minus-722. Second-worst was Boston, minus-327. It’s kind of hilarious that the difference between 31st and 32nd was more than the Bruins’ entire total. When the Ducks won the Stanley Cup in 2007 and were at their peak, it was a tactic. They bullied you and dared you to do something about it. But they made a conscious point of trying to change that this year, and so far, it’s working. A few coaches on other teams have said that several members of the staff received short-term contracts (I think two years), so they’re happy for their peers to make an instant impact.

6. Best teams? Carolina (plus-518) and San Jose (Plus-411).

7. There was never a question Adam Lowry wanted to stay, the latest Jet in a close-knit group to make a Manitoba commitment. Lowry showed why he’s the captain, not complaining that he wasn’t the first priority, knowing Kyle Connor’s puzzle piece needed to be inserted first. He’s a unique case at his age (33 when the deal kicks in) and has intangible value to the organization. I have zero doubt the Jets wanted to make a splash at their Wednesday-night gala, and bent a bit to get it done in time. His teammates will be thrilled to see him taken care of.

8. After back-to-back healthy scratches, word filtered that Ducks defenceman Pavel Mintyukov would like to be moved if he’s not going to play. He has fallen behind Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger on the left side of Anaheim’s defence. Ian Moore, who had a strong camp, was elevated in Mintyukov’s place. This is the 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft, so Ducks GM Pat Verbeek will not be rushed into anything. Something to keep an eye on. 

9. There was no mention of Marner during Toronto GM Brad Treliving’s media meeting on Tuesday. I’m not interested in re-litigating the past, but it’s impossible to look at their current struggles without recognizing the connection to his departure. Marner was everywhere: gobbling up points, getting it to Auston Matthews, entering zones, power play, penalty-kill, defending leads and a huge part of the off-ice social construct. They are still adjusting, and if the first six weeks taught us anything, it’s that this may take much longer than everyone hoped.

Toronto’s been looking for a top-six forward since the summer, but if that was an easy solve, it would be done already. Before our Nov. 8 broadcast, head coach Craig Berube shared some thoughtful observations regarding the fact he’d used 20 forward lines by that date, tied with Edmonton for most in the NHL. Injuries, which everyone is dealing with, are obvious. He wasn’t sure Matthews and William Nylander would work because the latter likes to hold the puck and the former prefers give-and-go, but they’ve showed real promise. He likes Steven Lorentz with Scott Laughton. He wanted Matias Maccelli with Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy, because Maccelli’s greatest success in Arizona came with bigger players: Nick Bjugstad and Lawson Crouse.

Now, Matthews is out, maybe (?) back Saturday. Laughton is out. Roy is out. Add Matthew Knies — who didn’t play Tuesday — although they don’t seem worried it’s long-term. There is not a definitive timeline for Chris Tanev. Tough to build chemistry.

10. The second part of this problem is that, barring the injection of another elite offensive talent, Toronto may have no choice but to change its identity and mentality. Last year, Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll were human swiffers, cleaning up all messes. In 2024-25, the Maple Leafs were fourth in save percentage. Now they are 23rd. (Woll just returned with two strong starts, but Stolarz is injured.) Adding deeper Sportlogiq numbers, they were second in even-strength save percentage and eighth in inner-slot save percentage. Now they are 29th in both.

It’s not simply: goalies, make more saves. They have to defend better, particularly against the rush. That was the focus of a harsh meeting last Monday, about the way they have to play as they adapt to their new reality. Last Thursday, they played one of their best defensive periods of the season, structured and disciplined, leading Los Angeles 2-0. But it’s not what they are used to, and they couldn’t hang on. Tuesday brought a massive win against St. Louis. It’s going to be a grind until they figure it out. 

11. I do not believe Berube is in trouble. Treliving, as is his way, has looked around. He would like to do roster-for-roster deals, if he can. They do not want to trade futures (include Easton Cowan in that). They will listen to anyone not named Matthews, Nylander, Knies or John Tavares. 

12. The Bruins outbid Toronto by $500,000 for Nikita Zadorov in the summer of 2024. Now that the Maple Leafs have a WWE partnership, maybe they dress Roman Reigns against him on Jan. 4. 

13. Treliving called his team “vanilla.” I see the same with Edmonton. I believe the Oilers’ desire is to let their players figure it out. I admit, though, I’m surprised at how long this malaise continues. There are a lot of reasons not to panic. They’re too good, too experienced, they always start slow, they’ve played a lot of hockey, there’s always one weirdly awful stretch every season and the compressed travel is harder on teams in more… remote outposts. But they are sleepwalking, and it continued Wednesday in Washington.

The most insane stat I’ve seen so far this season was unearthed by Jonathan Willis in his The Corsi Knight blog. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers had nine five-on-five rush attempts in their first 21 games. That shouldn’t be possible. There were rumours last week that Edmonton was considering bringing back Paul Coffey, but that was denied to me. It’s easy to throw everything on Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard, and you always hope a goalie bails you out, but it’s not like Edmonton is playing like the 1977 Canadiens in front of them.

I’m waiting for Kris Knoblauch to pull some shock benching to wake up everyone. There was a hilarious post-game interview last weekend with AHL Bakersfield’s Connor Clattenburg, a first-year pro out of OHL Flint. I don’t know that he’s ready for NHL action, but I thought his energy is what they need.  

14. I am a big Brett Kulak guy. Big. Every year, people are like, “Oh, he’ll drop down to a third-paring guy.” When the games get bigger, he gets better, the Oilers lean on him more and more. Never fails. Happened before he got to Northern Alberta, too. Someone sent me a stat that Edmonton’s been outscored 15-0 this month at five-on-five with him on the ice. That’s insane. Just as crazy as the lack of rush chances. 

15. Less than one week after David Kampf terminated his contract to stay in the NHL at a lower salary, there are rumours that Alexandre Texier is considering the same. He has played only one game for St. Louis since Oct. 28 and is making $2.1 million.

16. Would Texier make any sense for Montreal? The Canadiens are looking to plug injury holes. The standings are tight, so few white flags are waving.

Here’s what’s out there.

Calgary gets a lot of calls, but few they’d consider serious (reminder: all it takes is one legitimate conversation to change everything). They can be patient, they have players people want. Nashville is starting to get calls and will have decisions to make. (More on them shortly.) We mentioned the Maple Leafs. Minnesota’s been pretty consistent, looking for forwards and edge on defence. Vancouver and centres is the romance waiting to be consummated. Washington, looking for speed. The Hurricanes, as always, and the Senators are lurking, looking to hit a home run. 

17. St. Louis? The thing about Armstrong is he’s sent thunderbolts before, including an epic pre-Christmas 2018 memo laced with holiday shopping motifs. Six months later, they won the Stanley Cup. He’s gone to that method a couple of times since, hoping it shocks everyone back to their senses. One of the Blues said this week that “everyone’s been bad at the same time, which never happens.” Another said they were trying to be more aggressive, particularly with a lead. When it comes to Brayden Schenn, teams that have talked to St. Louis the last two seasons say the price was very high. 

18. I’ve talked quite a bit about Buffalo’s goalie situation, because there are a lot of bodies. The thing I can see becoming an issue here is if Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen feels the cluttered crease costs him a shot at the Olympics. He’s only played four games. He has to be better, too. 

19. Not surprised Andrew Brunette survived Nashville’s post-Sweden break. Mid-season changes usually come when a team shows zero pushback, and the Predators’ late comeback in the first game was the exact opposite.

20. The toughest thing with trying to read Nashville’s decision-making process is that we don’t have a long runway with new owner Bill Haslam. What we do know is that he went with the team on their Canadian road trip early in the season, and joined them in Sweden. I’ve heard that, in his wish to make informed decisions about the future, he is making sure he spends “up-close” time before committing to anything. So, what we’re getting here is an education into his process. It’s not as fast as fans might like, but it’s the right move. He’s also trying to keep a lid on things because the NHL can be leaky. (No way that’s true.)  

21. It seems like there are a billion injuries out there. I asked Steve Fellin, one of the brains behind Sportsnet Stats, who did some work with the people behind the invaluable nhlinjurybiz blog. (Thank you to both.) We are on-pace for 7,230 man games lost to injury in 2025-26. That’s more than last season (6,723), but less than 2023-24 (7,375) and 2022-23 (9,152). Just seems like 15 guys are going down every night. 

22. Anze Kopitar took about 20 sticks on the Kings’ recent road trip. A few were, obviously, for game use. Others were given to opponents wanting a keepsake from his final season. Apparently, a referee received one. Let’s see who gives the Kings a few extra power plays down the stretch. One teammate, asked if Kopitar has changed at all during his last season, laughed, “No, he’s still a robot.”

23. Flames president of hockey operations Don Maloney joined Brendan Parker during the first intermission of Calgary’s Wednesday win in Buffalo. On the John Beecher waiver claim: “We need more speed in our lineup. It’s clear from the first 20 games, we need to be quicker.” Overall, Maloney called the season start “terribly disappointing,” adding they weren’t giving up.

“We’re just determined not to throw young players in before they are ready,” he said. “It doesn’t work, it’s not good for your culture. We go into the season, we want to win hockey games. We expect to be a playoff team. That’s how we have to enter in our minds, every season… We want a team people will want to watch and be proud of… this identity we established (last year) as a hard out, a hard-working team, that’s who we are. When (our young players) are ready, they are going to get a chance.” 

24. That quote will raise eyebrows locally, but it’s part of another conversation in hockey development circles. The NHL and NHLPA agreed in the new CBA to allow one 19-year-old per organization to play in the AHL, beginning in 2026-27. However, that’s more of a guideline than a negotiated rule and teams are pushing for more flexibility.

The Flames are used as an example, with another executive saying, “If Calgary wants to put Matvei Gridin and Zayne Parekh in the AHL, why shouldn’t a team be able to do what’s best for their development? These are million-dollar investments.”

I don’t speak to everyone, but have received a lot of sympathy for this position and I don’t sense — yet — the NHL is against the idea. Some teams are protective of the CHL, recognizing it is an excellent development path and not wanting to hurt that, others don’t care as much. But, one thing everyone seems to agree on is that there aren’t 50 19-year-olds who would bolt. The AHL is a tough league and not everyone is ready for that. The NHLPA has a vote here, too. This is one to keep an eye on.

25. The NHL made it very clear it wants the USHL to be protected. One CHL executive agreed, saying, “It’s not good to have every 16-year-old American playing in Canada.” That’s why you are hearing a lot of rumours about its future. At the GM meetings, there was also a stat tossed out saying this NCAA freshman class was more than 50 per cent Canadian. Crazy times.

26. There’s a lot of Gavin McKenna slander out there. Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala and Sam Cosentino — who are much more plugged in than I am — dropped him out of the No. 1 draft position. I’m not an expert, but I’ll say this: All of this is the best thing that could happen to him. The road is never straight. When you’re a big dog, everyone comes after you. Get used to it now, and, even more importantly, get used to handling it.  

More from Sportsnet

Sportsnet’s 2026 NHL Draft Rankings: November Edition

Scout’s Analysis: Why Keaton Verhoeff is the No. 1 NHL Draft prospect

27. The NHL’s time of game (regulation only) is up one minute. From 2:32 to 2:33. You’d be surprised at how much they care about this, but they do.

28. Smiled when I saw Ben Hutton score his first of the season the other night. One of the NHL’s nice people still carving out a role in Vegas. There’s another great story unfolding, Braeden Bowman. Undrafted three times, captain of the 2023-24 OHL Guelph Storm. Attends Golden Knights prospect camp last year, ticketed for the ECHL. Does enough to get an AHL deal, where he finishes second in scoring. Now, an injury replacement, he’s playing with Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev, earning first power play time. Love to see it. 

29. Dallas players call rookie Justin Hryckowian “Ritz-Carlton” because it’s easier to pronounce than his real name.

30. Attended the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame last weekend. I’ve said it 100 times, but every team should be doing this. It’s such a fantastic event. Was great to see Joe Nieuwendyk recognized, because, as you can imagine, he needed time after being let go as GM. There are so many players who name him their favourite teammate, including Jamie Langenbrunner, who introduced him (and Mats Sundin). Nieuwendyk looked it up in preparation for the speech, but Lanny McDonald was 36 when the Flames won the 1989 Stanley Cup. Then he added, “Jamie Benn is 36.” The message was not lost on the other players. 

He also told a great story about Jere Lehtinen, who was there. Nieuwendyk said Ken Hitchcock kicked the great checker’s line — with Brett Hull and Mike Modano — out of practice once to make a point. Hull and Modano rushed to the showers to make an earlier-than-expected tee time, while Lehtinen sat on the bench “apologizing like he was in a church confession.” 

The Builder inductee was Ralph Strangis, like so many play-by-play orators, the voice connecting the fans and the team. Introduced by Dan Stuchal, he was afire. He had a priest deliver grace, later saying, “You think you have a hard job? He’s my priest, and I’m an atheist.” He revealed that, when he got divorced, Tyler Seguin helped him create a Tinder profile. And he added advice we all need from time to time: “If you want to create things, don’t listen to anyone.”

31. The great Michael Russo added another Nieuwendyk story after listening to the podcast. Nieuwendyk signed with Florida in 2005, when he covered the Panthers. Russo was vacationing in Italy at the time, and his hotel room was robbed. He still needed to file a story, so he got a note to Nieuwendyk asking him to phone an internet cafe. “I’m sitting at one of the computers, and all of a sudden the guy working there asks, ‘Is there a Mike Russo here?’” Nieuwendyk made the call. Russo sheepishly admitted he offered to reimburse the cost, but switched jobs and never got the opportunity. Nieuwendyk should collect, with interest.

32. Last week, Major League Baseball debuted a new off-season golf event, called the MLB Open, at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Vegas. It was a two-day tournament won by the duo of Twins third basemen Royce Lewis and recently retired Aaron Hicks. I would love to see something like this in the off-season for NHL players. The NHL has looked into it, but cost is an issue. Golf is notoriously expensive to produce. The league is brainstorming “a signature off-season event.” This is something I’d love to see tried at least once. There are some great golfers, active and retired.

Exact details are unknown at this time, but it’s believed he slipped and cut his hand, in what multiple sources are calling a “fluke accident.”

He is not expected to play Saturday against Washington, but the exact timeline is not yet known. 

Hughes was off to a fantastic start, with 10 goals and 20 points in 17 games for the 12-4-1 Devils, who lead the Metropolitan Division. He had two assists during Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime victory in Chicago, one of the best games played in the NHL this season. 

More details as they become available, but it’s something Hughes, the Devils and Team USA are hoping is not a serious scenario. 

This get-together can introduce potential rule-change discussions for the larger meeting in March. Not this time. 

“Lots of housekeeping,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

“Just a boring report from us,” per executive vice-president Colin Campbell. “The game’s in a good place, we’re not worried about any big issues.”

The newsiest item is that NHL senior director of facilities operations/hockey operations Derek King and executive vice-president for NHL events Dean Matsuzaki are headed to Milan after this week’s Nashville/Pittsburgh games in Sweden. The main Olympic hockey rink is behind schedule and they will get an eyewitness view.

Is there real concern? 

“We’ll know when they get there,” one source deadpanned.

“It’s something that we’re monitoring closely and we have absolutely no control over,” Bettman said. “We constantly get reassurances from the (International Olympic Committee) and the (International Ice Hockey Federation) that everything will be fine.” 

Whatever the case, this is more of a headache than everyone hoped. 

I remember walking into my hotel room in Sochi 2014, surprised by two gentlemen installing the screen door. But, as Bettman has said, the arena was completed in plenty of time, hosting the World Under-18s 10 months before the Olympic Games. One test event scheduled for Milan has already been moved.

We’ll know better next week.

• Other than that, it looks like both Team Canada and Team USA will announce their Olympic squads around New Year’s Day. (The roster submission deadline is Dec. 31.) Other countries may wait until after the World Juniors, with the gold medal game scheduled for Jan. 5. 

• There were a number of progress reports, everything from scoring trends to time-of-game trends to penalty trends to goalie masks getting knocked off to the development pipeline.

• Deputy commissioner Bill Daly had a good line about the wild west conditions created by CHL players now eligible to compete in the NCAA: “Water finds its level over time.”

As soon as next season, one 19-year-old per organization drafted out of the CHL is allowed to play in the AHL. The process was not discussed in serious detail on Tuesday, but it’s clear this will be a conversation of consequence over the next few months. NHL clubs want more flexibility than that. The CHL wants to protect itself and the NHLPA definitely has a say. 

• There has been some grumbling about the “paper transaction” change in the new CBA. Previously, if teams wanted to send down a player for cap reasons, they could just do it. Now, anyone transferred to the AHL must actually play at least one game. NHL teams weren’t happy with the idea even before it became law, because gaps in AHL schedules could mean someone gets “trapped.” 

That happened when Vancouver demoted Victor Mancini on Oct. 20 to maximize its LTIR cap space. Abbotsford didn’t play until the 24th, so the Canucks asked for a one-time waiver since there was so much time between games. 

They didn’t get it.

Teams have asked for this to be revisited, but I’m not sure we’re going to see any change.

More from Sportsnet

Scout’s Analysis: Monitoring Gavin McKenna’s progress over weekend games

NHL’s top 12 UFAs of 2026: Latest rumours, reports

Quick note before we officially begin the blog: November is Hockey Fights Cancer month, one of the best things the NHL and NHLPA do. 

The timing is coincidental, but I just went for a colonoscopy. (A friend asked if I scheduled it after the Vikings game because I expected the Lions to win 40-0.) I’m probably like most guys when it comes to health. I ignore almost all ache or pain, and abhor even taking one aspirin. 

That said, as much as I despise Dulcolax and Peglyte, I don’t fool around with this.

I’m 55, and this is my third since 40. Got the thumbs up, don’t need another for 10 years. Don’t be an idiot. Take the time, get it done. It’s not just for you, but especially for a partner/children depending on you. 

According to several sources, the NHL re-opened its look into Arthur Kaliyev’s gambling following Monday’s Mollie Walker New York Post story. 

I’m going to stick to what I can confirm at this time — as the NHL, the NHLPA and Kaliyev’s representatives aren’t commenting.

Before the story was published, the league was aware of social media posts accusing him of running up gambling debts. Kaliyev was questioned about it. I’m not sure who did the questioning, but he was asked. Generally, in these situations, the league is worried about two things: a) did you bet on hockey? and b) did you bet illegally?

At that time, the answers were “no and no,” and there was no evidence to prove otherwise. When the NHL suspended Shane Pinto, they had hard evidence that someone had access to his account and was doing things they shouldn’t be doing. This wasn’t the case with Kaliyev, who, again, has maintained he didn’t violate any rules. 

Sources also indicate that, as of Wednesday afternoon, nothing new had been discovered linking Kaliyev to anything that would get him penalized.

Walker’s story brought new eyeballs and attention. No idea where this is going to go — if it goes anywhere at all — but it is notable they are looking to see if they missed anything. 

32 THOUGHTS

1. Let’s start with the ending of Nashville/Minnesota. My general rule is: How would I feel if the Stanley Cup Final was decided this way? Answer: about as good as I felt after four litres of Peglyte. Two things can be true: A) If I was Nashville, I’d be super pissed and B) If this makes defenders/goalies think twice about pushing the net…I’ll take it.

In live action, I didn’t think it would count. In its official statement, the NHL quoted rule 63.7: “In order to award a goal in this situation, the goal post must have been displaced by the actions of a defending player, the attacking player must have an imminent scoring opportunity prior to the goal post being displaced, and it must be determined that the puck would have entered the net between the normal position of the goal posts.”

What had the Predators angry — and the reason I thought it would be disallowed — was that Marcus Johansson hit the side of the net. That violates the rule, as the puck wouldn’t have entered the net between the normal position of the goal posts. Gord Stellick had an interesting counter on his NHL Radio show Wednesday: that if he was lining up a putt and someone did something to the hole, no one would accept the interference. (Gord also wanted to make sure everyone knew he got a hole-in-one at Cabot last summer.)

If this is our baseline, stick with it. The worst thing is when you say, “Okay, this is how it’s going to be,” and three weeks later, you get a directly opposite interpretation. That’s terrible. When I vote, I vote for goals. Offence. Give me an excellent reason not to count them. It was bonkers watching this in real time, but the best possible outcome is every team in the NHL showing this to their players, saying, “This is the risk you take.” 

2. Despite the loss, what a huge goal at 19:59 of the third period for Steven Stamkos. It got the Predators a point and gave him something to feel good about. Earlier in the third, he’d misfired a prime Jonathan Marchessault setup, and I was thinking, “That’s when you know it’s bad.”

The biggest indicator of concern about the Nashville/Stamkos match is his shot rates. The last three years in Tampa, he had 241, 240 and 262. Last year in Tennessee was 174 (he shot 15.5 per cent, a 40-goal pace with 262 shots.) This season, he’s on-pace for 175. He’s just not getting attempts as often as he used to. That said, it’s never a one-way street. Barring a trade for a distributor, he’s got to do everything he can to make an impact, whether that means changing his game or impacting it in other ways. He even played net-front on one of the power plays last night. But Stamkos is in the NHL to score, first and foremost. I do not believe any kind of bold trade request is the plan, but I think if there’s a situation that made sense everyone involved would have to look at it. 

3. Extension I’m starting to wonder about: Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia. Eligible now. Yes, it’s only been 13 games, but it looks like a good fit and I can see the Flyers gauging interest in lengthening the relationship. 

4. I don’t know that there’s anything going on trade-wise with Mason Lohrei. But I do know that when a talented, young player like him sits four games in a row, others call and ask what’s up. 

5. Minnesota and St. Louis were among the most active teams last week — probably to make sure they weren’t missing any possibilities. The Wild won two straight to temporarily calm the waters, but the Blues’ performance Wednesday in Washington won’t make them any happier. 

6. I’m not expecting anything in the near term, but here’s an under-the-radar team to watch on the market: 6-2-4 Seattle. These Kraken resemble the 2022-23 version, hard-working, greater than the sum of their parts, a team that upset Colorado in the playoffs. Their issue, as usual, is scoring (24th in goals per game).

The trade they made last year with Tampa Bay, where Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde went to the Lightning for a return including two first-round picks (top 10 protected) gives them five first-rounders (and four seconds) in the next three drafts. They don’t have to rush into anything, but those are the kinds of assets that can add an impactful offensive player. Other teams have noticed what they could, in theory, move.

7. Lane Lambert on what he learned in Toronto: delegate. He said Craig Berube is very good at empowering his assistant coaches to get critical work/strategy done so he can focus on the players. 

8. Nothing major, but a few other locations to keep an eye on: Edmonton’s roster. The Oilers could send players to the minors and through waivers to ease the upcoming roster crunch as injured players return. But they are trying to get Troy Stecher a new opportunity. 

9. Carolina’s goalies. Brandon Bussi played his way into the rotation, and waivers is a risk. They’ll carry three, they’ve done it before, but can’t use waivers as an avoidance option since Pyotr Kochetkov can’t escape them either. They were looking for defence, but injured blueliners are getting closer to returns. 

10. Buffalo’s goalies. Devon Levi split the net in AHL Rochester early on, but it looks like he’s getting the lion’s share of the work now. They are trying to find a new home for Alexandar Georgiev. The Sabres have made it clear Colten Ellis is staying. Someone asked me if Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen could be moved, but I’d be surprised. He’s still their most-experienced and best option, assuming he is healthy. 

11. David Kampf. I’ve heard there is pushback to terminating his contract. We’ll see how things play out. But he remains on leave from AHL Toronto, and it was clear his heart wasn’t in it. 

12. An undrafted free agent picking up steam is soon-to-be 24-year-old Belarusian Vitali Pinchuk. Point-per-game player in the KHL, big, left-shot centre. There are several teams looking at him.

13. When Jonathan Huberdeau missed the start of the season, the Flames couldn’t wait to get him back because he’s their most creative offensive player. Scoring is a challenge for them, and even harder when he’s not there. It’s been overshadowed by their tough start, but he’s been very good, via both the eye test and the underlying numbers. He’s got to keep going in a positive direction, but I can’t help but wonder if the rising cap takes the focus off his contract and more to his play. 

14. Logan Thompson’s off to a dynamite start for Washington. He wasn’t selected to the 4 Nations because Canada wasn’t certain he’d handle being the backup. I’d heard the snub motivated him to prove that wouldn’t be case, that he wanted to be in the conversation and was prepared to talk to the selectors about it. (No confirmation, but I’ve heard there was communication.) Jordan Binnington is a lock, and deserves to be unless he completely craters off the the face of the earth. After that, there are questions, especially since word is Adin Hill is out a few months. I think Thompson is a contender, on merit. 

15. Binnington trying to steal Alexander Ovechkin’s 900th goal puck reminded of a similar situation in the 2006 playoffs. Ray Emery’s first postseason win that year against Tampa Bay. Tim Taylor grabbed the puck at the end of the game before any of the Senators could. The next day, he told media he “threw it in the garbage.” Ottawa eliminated the Lightning in five games. During the handshake line, Taylor — who kept the souvenir the entire time — presented it to Emery, saying he hoped the goalie understood the gamesmanship. Emery laughed it off. 

16. Best early-season trend of 2025-26 is there are fresh, new, exciting teams to watch. Anaheim, obviously. Montreal and Detroit. Utah and Chicago. I find a season more exciting when different teams and players demand your attention. My biggest question about the Ducks is staying power. It’s hard to make the playoffs in this league, a true grind. It’s not that they aren’t capable, it’s just that so many of their best players have never done it.

There’s isn’t another good team right now where so many of their top guys are so bereft of playoff experience. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, however. At the European media tour in 2024 that was held in Czechia, the Czech players went out of their way to praise Lukas Dostal. They said we were sleeping on him. He’s the backbone. Everyone’s awake now. 

17. When Dostal signed his extension last summer, he filmed a video for the Ducks social media pages. The location was Urho Vaakanainen’s apartment, where he was visiting at the time. Vaakanainen said it took Dostal “50 or 60 tries” to get it right. Dostal couldn’t believe this slander. “He’s a liar, it’s not true,” he gasped, claiming the number was actually closer to 15-20. Doesn’t that seem like a lot of attempts? “No, no, 15 or 20?” he laughed. “I think that’s good.”

18. One of the things that’s really struck me about watching Matthew Schaefer is how seamlessly he’s fit in and how much he’s being embraced on a veteran Islanders team. We’ve seen situations before where No. 1 picks have trouble gaining the respect of peers and teammates. There can be pecking orders and jealousies. That’s not happening here. Not at all. They have a pack mentality in protecting him, and it’s not fake. Says a lot about who they are.

19. Something I’d laugh at if it happened to me: When the Islanders visited Washington last week, someone with the Capitals who is friendly with Mathew Barzal jokingly had an alarm clock placed in his dressing room stall. The talented forward missed the previous night’s game in Carolina because he was late for the morning skate. We learn our lessons, take our lumps and move on. 

20. Speaking of the Islanders, I would not be surprised if Bo Horvat is a less-discussed name on the Team Canada radar. Nine goals, and the brain trust looked hard at him when the Olympics were a possibility for 2022. 

21. When Dan Muse was hired to coach Pittsburgh, one person who knew him said he wondered if Muse was “too nice” to be a successful head coach. Everyone knew his work ethic, his love and knowledge of hockey, but would he be able to command respect and bring the hammer down on a treading-water Penguins team with such dominant personalities?

Despite what happened Tuesday in Toronto, the early returns are strong. There’s a long way to go, and injuries are piling up, but Pittsburgh is better than expected and the kids look good. I posed the “too-nice” question to 19-year-veteran Kris Letang, who had a great answer.

“Sid, Geno and I have been around 20 years,” he replied. “We’ve seen all kinds. You know what matters? Can you make us believe in what you’re trying to do?” Letang called Muse’s training camp “the hardest I’ve ever had,” saying that the coach made every drill a competition with the losers getting bag skated. (Letang added that, due to the influence of Rich Rotenburg, those hard skates involved more crossovers as opposed to stopping-and-starting to avoid early-camp groin injuries.)

He also said Muse made sure to inform players of the drills before on-ice sessions began so there was no standing around and placed the onus on them not to forget what to do. Wins matter. It’s hard to sell your vision when you are losing. But Muse certainly got his veterans’ attention. 

22. Letang’s best quote was this one: “I said to Sid, ‘It’s tough out there. All that extra skating when you lose.’” Crosby replied to him: “My team didn’t lose.”

More from Sportsnet

How are NHL’s nine new coaches faring so far?

What’s behind Pittsburgh’s surprising start, and is it sustainable?

23. Erik Karlsson is killing penalties again. It’s early, but he’s averaging 1:48 per game shorthanded, fourth-highest of his career — on the league’s 10th-best unit entering Wednesday’s games. He did it sporadically the last few seasons, but this is, so far, a bigger commitment. Karlsson said Muse is trying to challenge players with more responsibility, or different responsibilities than they were used to.

“I see him say, ‘Maybe you can’t help us the way X player can, but you can help us in another way.” One example was of a player who wasn’t physically dominant, but had a great stick. He encouraged that player by saying, “If you get the same results with your stick that the other player gets with his body, that helps us.” 

24. Karlsson’s off to a strong start, and we’ll see where this goes. His dollars are now very manageable, and may be even more enticing with the cap’s rise. He’s got control of his future, but the better he goes, the more options there could be — including finishing his term in Pennsylvania. 

25. Deeper down their organization, there is an unusual story involving one of Pittsburgh’s prospects: Emil Pieniniemi. A defenceman drafted 91st in 2023, he had 60 points in 60 games last season for OHL Kingston. Pieniniemi did not make the big club in training camp (as expected) but where this went sideways is he objected to going to ECHL Wheeling as opposed to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He’s gone back to Finland, and is suspended by the Penguins. At issue is the belief that his skillset would be better served developmentally in the AHL than the ECHL, that the latter league isn’t the right place for him at this time. The Penguins are holding firm.

26. The only thing that annoys me about Dallas’s outdoor game is that it’s on a Saturday, so I won’t be able to go. Initially, I thought Colorado was the obvious opponent, but doesn’t Edmonton make a lot of sense, too? Wouldn’t Connor McDavid at JerryWorld be an obvious sell? Whatever the case, the calendar is filling in. All-Star Game on Long Island, outdoor game in Dallas and a Heritage Classic brewing in Winnipeg. Let’s see what else arrives.

27. Not every team cares about the 10-game mark for rookies. What they all do care about is 40 on the roster. That’s where you accrue a season towards unrestricted free agency, and decisions will be made about who really gets to stick around. 

28. I don’t have an answer for this, but there is a lot of concern about all of the injuries. Maybe next year is different when the season starts earlier and the schedule isn’t so compressed. But everyone mentions the amount of injuries. 

29. I really liked Tampa Bay recalling Scott Sabourin to make sure his four-game NHL suspension was served. They did right by him. Letting it linger would have doomed any chance of a future call-up.

30. My Nov. 1 stat: 82-game seasons, during the cap era, 72 teams were at least four points out of the playoffs after games on that date. Only 10 made the postseason. That’s it. Last year, it was 0-2. This year’s challengers — Calgary, St. Louis and San Jose. No one in the East, way too tight.

31. A couple of shoutouts: Nobody loves sports more than Peter Loubardias, inducted last weekend into the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. Extremely deserving, and even more impressed that Sam Cosentino, a former Blue Jays employee, made the trip even though it was the night of Game 7. Lesser friends would have bailed. Also wanted to mention Vanessa Kezwer, one of our teammates at Sportsnet who left for a role in the PWHL. We are dumber without her. 

32. Next Tuesday is the 40th anniversary of Pelle Lindbergh’s death, a day remembered for all of the wrong reasons. Lindbergh died in a car accident after a team get-together at a bar. Alcohol was involved. Later this week, filmmaker Charlie Minn is debuting “The Swede of Philadelphia,” a personal project about that day and the lives affected by the crash. Link to the trailer: https://swedeofphiladelphia.com/trailer.html.

I don’t know what I’ll feel after watching, but I do remember how sad and unnecessary his loss felt. 

Wednesday was a nice night at home, relaxing on the couch with some turmeric tea and hockey. Montreal beat Calgary 2-1, thanks to an absolutely brilliant Ivan Demidov creation, waiting for the perfect moment to feed Mike Matheson for the overtime winner. (I know there’s Russian trepidation, but it’s looking crazier and crazier that Demidov fell to fifth in the Sphere Draft.)

The guy I thought of right after was Flames GM Craig Conroy.

The game was typical for what we’ve seen from his team: an honest, competitive effort, but not enough offensive juice for two points.

If he wanted to make a lateral move — or a panic one — he could. Easily. It’s one of my favourite lines: When there’s blood in the water, your peers don’t throw lifelines. They throw anvils. There are several with extra players looking for a fresh start or new opportunity.

Last year, led by rookie sensation Dustin Wolf, the Flames made a surprising, workmanlike run at the postseason, missing on a tiebreaker. Bill Parcells said it so well: “You are what your record says you are.” That team was greater than the sum of its parts. 

This season started with Calgary in danger of getting blown out in Edmonton, only to impressively pull themselves off the mat to ruin their northern rival’s home opener. Since then, however, they are winless (0-6-1). 

This is the danger zone.

There are two things Conroy has done extremely well since taking the GM job three summers ago. The first is building a prospect base. Those who know this area much better than I do (including Sportsnet’s own Jason Bukala and Sam Cosentino) say impactful players are on the radar around the time the Flames open their new arena in Fall 2027. That’s important for this organization. You want your fans to be excited about what’s on the ice when those doors open. 

The second thing he’s done very well is eliminate noise. The 2023-24 season was a painful one. Noah Hanifin was traded during, Jacob Markstrom in the aftermath. Other veterans indicated they wanted to follow, but Conroy held firm — asking them to come to camp ready to go with an open mind, seeing how the season went before making any bold proclamations. Those players fulfilled their side of the bargain, helping push Calgary past what was expected.

There was no drama, a welcome change. 

It’s early and I don’t like to panic. But, what I think the Flames know is that this “quiet” may only last as long as everyone feels they are in postseason contention. The best thing Conroy can do is remind everyone the easiest solution is to pull together to climb out of the early-season pit. But, if it doesn’t change…will the agents be calling, asking for trades?

Some fans might say, “I’ll drive them to the airport!” While I understand the emotion, its not entirely practical. The Flames have a tough time attracting free agents (something they hope their new building addresses). A mass exodus creates more holes to plug. Not everyone is as dedicated to Southern Alberta as Mikael Backlund.

The Flames missed the playoffs seven straight seasons at the turn of the century, and five straight seasons last decade. It’s soul-crushing, and those of us on the outside don’t always recognize the internal damage, fear and stress that causes. It leaves scars. You don’t forget. 

You worry that one bad season snowballs into three or four, with your veteran players walking out the door. But, even if there is short-term pain, the Flames are not without hope of long-term gain. You get a great deal you can’t say no to, that’s one thing. But to beg for something fleeting is another. Panic and short-term thinking are to be avoided at all costs.

Calgary’s biggest challenge is consistent scoring. There is young talent (Matt Coronato, Connor Zary as obvious examples) but especially when Jonathan Huberdeau is out, you can see how hard it is for them to create elite chances. This draft is loaded with high-end skill, especially at the top.

If I was Conroy, every time someone said, “We need to add something now!” I wouldn’t say a word. I’d pull out my smartphone and play that Demidov highlight. Calgary’s best shot to add a player like that comes on Draft Day 2026.

It’s not easy to hear in October. It will bother the veterans who want to contend. But, if the Flames don’t steady themselves and surge back into the race, the right option, as much as it sucks for the players, is to take your best shot at one of those top picks, believing that will energize your franchise and add the type of skill your lineup desperately needs. 

32 THOUGHTS

1. One thing about Nazem Kadri: his contract switched this year from a full no-move to a partial, 13-team no-trade.

2. Friday’s podcast features an interview with Commissioner Gary Bettman. He’s very good throughout, as we recorded about an hour after the massive NBA gambling story broke. The obvious question is if he’s concerned about a story like that exploding across the NHL.

A 2022 memo warned players and other league personnel that wagering on any NHL game, even where legal, is absolutely prohibited and constitutes “conduct that is dishonourable, prejudicial to, or against the welfare of the League or the game of hockey.” (Shane Pinto was suspended 41 games in October 2023, but that was over illegal use of a proxy account with friends as opposed to fixing performance for the benefit of prop bettors, which is alleged here.)

“The fact is the incident we had, (it) had nothing to do with betting on hockey,” Bettman replied. “I really have confidence in our game, the integrity of our game, and the integrity that our players and all of our personnel bring to the game. If you look at the nature of our game, it’s not really susceptible to outside influences and our players play hard and to win every night. We know we have to be very mindful and we can’t take anything for granted, but I have confidence in what we do.”

3. In the aftermath of that suspension, players were warned to avoid certain things and, just in case, here’s a reminder: Don’t share your account; don’t place bets with third parties; if you do a prop, it’ll be treated the same as betting on a hockey game. Don’t joke about odds with friends. If one texts, “You’re plus-300 to score tonight,” tell him to be quiet and not do that again. Don’t share insight on injury information and don’t bet illegally.

4. I had a few people reach out to tell me to pump the brakes on a $107M cap next season — for now. Basically their comment was, “Too soon.” (It’s currently set at $104M. Bettman poured cold water on the idea at the Board of Governors.) The revenue projections are positive, but we probably won’t know the likelihood until closer to the end of the season. 

5. One of the reasons this is even being whispered is escrow holding. Usually a percentage of each player’s paycheque is withheld to ensure revenues are split 50/50. There will be nothing withheld from any payments now. I don’t think a zero to start the season has ever occurred. (The highest percentage I can find was 22.5, and that was at the time of the 2009 All-Star Game in Montreal.)

Players were also notified they are getting a 0.5 per cent return of their 2022-23 payments; a full refund of what was withheld in 2023-24 (the number that year was six), plus an additional 3.5 per cent of their 2023-24 salaries. As for last year, they are getting all escrow money back (2.7 per cent), with expectation of an additional payment once all accounting is complete. Seeing it takes three years to sort out this stuff explains why my father wanted me to follow him into the accounting business. Lots of billable hours. 

6. Alright, let’s get back to some regular business. I expect extension talks between Los Angeles and Adrian Kempe to resume in the near future. Maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t it seem like the Kings have to get this done? 

7. In their search for a centre, the Canucks have made it clear they don’t want to move their 2026 first. So far, they’ve held to that and we’ll see where things go.

8. It’s early, so I don’t know how much massive movement is expected. But there are some situations to watch. San Jose is interested in moving a defenceman. The Vincent Iorio waiver pickup gives them nine. No one in particular, but will listen to ideas. Edmonton also has a lot of blueliners, including some they like at AHL Bakersfield. That’s another team that could move one at some point. Detroit has Erik Gustafsson in the AHL, and some forwards who might need a change of scenery because their runway is shortening in Motown.

9. Toronto is investigating options for Nick Robertson. At some point in the summer, they pitched a move for Yegor Chinakhov, but that wasn’t to the Blue Jackets’ liking. That file remains open in Columbus, however. Same with Lukas Reichel in Chicago. 

10. The Maple Leafs are struggling, which can’t be considered an enormous surprise with all the heavy lifting Mitch Marner did in their lineup. That’s a big role to fill, and it’s going to take multiple people to do it, unless they do acquire the top six forward they’ve been chasing.

Toronto never seriously considered trading Marner until near the end of his term there. For one, they never really wanted to. For another, they never felt there was a deal that could actually be made that could make them equally good or better. (Until the Mikko Rantanen possibility briefly fell on their lap.) We’re seeing the struggles. Now Craig Berube is uniting Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Scott Laughton skated Thursday. No doubt he wants to be able to play in Philadelphia on Nov. 1. 

11. When asked, the Rangers have requested good AHL prospects in exchange for Brennan Othmann. 

12. Vegas will have a surprisingly interesting decision to make in goal. Akira Schmid is 4-0, coming off the bench for an injured Adin Hill as the Golden Knights became the first team to beat Carolina. When Hill is healthy and Carter Hart is eligible, will they carry three, make a move, or risk losing Schmid on waivers? He’s been excellent with his job on the line.

13. Similar situation for Buffalo. The Sabres brought back Ukko-Pekko Luukkonen after he stopped 21 of 23 in a 4-2 win Wednesday night for AHL Rochester against Syracuse. He rejoins early-season saviour Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis, who snared his first NHL win Wednesday. Considering the Sabres’ injury issues at this position, I could see them carrying three. They’re worried Ellis will be reclaimed by St. Louis if put on waivers and don’t want to lose him. Buffalo has a back-to-back with Toronto Friday and Saturday. (Toronto fans might be too distracted by some other sporting event to pour over the Peace Bridge.)

14. I do believe that if Ottawa and Pinto reach an extension, it’s likely to be short-term. He has two seasons after this one before unrestricted free agency. Three years makes a lot of sense. 

15. Connor Bedard’s been pretty private about his off-season training regimen. There’s a lot of interest because he’s started the season so well. But one of things I did hear: the goal was to streamline Bedard’s plan, making sure everything was in sync and made sense. There was a belief he’d spend a lot of time skating or working on something, but the off-ice and on-ice routines didn’t do enough to benefit each other. So that was a major focus: that everything connected in a proper way.   

16. External requests for permission to talk to Jeff Gorton: Toronto (2023), Columbus (2024), Islanders (2025). Montreal owner Geoff Molson consistently declined, stating Gorton would be a long-term Montrealer. Molson delivered: complete with a promotion and trusty sidekick Kent Hughes extended alongside him. 

17. At the start of the regular season, Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said one thing they had to do to be better was “stop plays,” right as the opponent entered the zone. The answer so far is yes. In 2024-25 (per SportLogiq), opponents spent 6:12 per game in the offensive zone at five-on-five. (Carolina was best at 4:28.) Entering Thursday’s games, Montreal was all the way up to seventh, at 5:16. (Ottawa was first at 4:38.)

18. Wanted to share this video, which I thought was very interesting. Whatever rink you go to for games, you’ve probably noticed some of the same faces for years. Toronto is no different, with several long-time ushers and security guards. As the Canadiens arrived for the season-opener in the Ontario capital, several players turned towards the corridor that leads to the back entrance. That’s pretty normal. Then watch Nick Suzuki. He shakes hands with a couple of the building veterans. The Montreal players walking behind him copy. Small thing, maybe. But you know what else it says? He’s their leader, they follow his actions.

19. Was in Winnipeg for about 24 hours to tape our interview with Jonathan Toews. What absolutely stood out is the local population’s pride that this native son chose to play for the Jets. 

20. I do believe that Toews’ comments about being captain at a young age will matter. Toews was the youngest captain in Blackhawks history and third-youngest ever in the NHL when honoured at 20 years and 79 days.

“I don’t think it’s really fair for a 21- or 22-year-old kid in that situation because you’re trying to find yourself as your hockey career is taking off and it’s not a normal life for anyone, let alone a 20-year old kid,” he said. “You’re not maybe allowing yourself to just grow and mature at your own pace. You’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Whatever criticism or shortcoming or just any sort of weakness that maybe someone else can expose, I mean, I would really feel that and be very sensitive to it. I would absorb that and kind of take it personally and then try to better myself as opposed to just like…kind of just rub off there or just flatten it a little bit and just be patient. Accept your own flaws, your own weaknesses as you’re growing as a young man. So I think that pressure and…the pressure I put on myself was a lot.”

Toews said it’s only been in the last couple of years that he learned how to do a better job of letting things go.

“I think it’s not carrying the stress around like I used to.”

It’s a reminder, you rarely know what’s really going on in someone’s head. There are teams with young franchise cornerstones (Chicago, San Jose, potentially Anaheim after Radko Gudas). Will Toews’ words affect how they shape their leadership groups?

21. Heritage Classic in Winnipeg gaining steam for next season. Nothing is done until it is done, however.

22. One last note from Brad Marchand’s return game to Boston. Spoke to his mother, Lynn, the day before the game, who was hugely complimentary of the Bruins and the fans, as I wrote earlier this week. She said she was nervous about her son being traded to Florida, because “most fans of other teams hate him.” Now, she’s just as grateful to the Panthers and their fans, because of how they embraced him. “A wonderful, positive experience,” she said. 

23. St. Louis’ second goal in Thursday’s game against Utah came milliseconds after a Robert Thomas shot knocked off Karel Vejmelka‘s mask. That’s three times in the last nine days the whistle hasn’t blown with a goalie’s face exposed, although that is correct by rule if the attacking team has a scoring chance. In the two previous cases (Adin Hill on Oct. 14 and Anthony Stolarz on Oct. 16), the goalies made a bare-faced save. The league doesn’t want goalies shaking off their masks to eliminate scoring chances. It’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t, but none of us is going to be happy if one of them gets hit.

24. When reporting that Vegas placed Alex Pietrangelo on end-of-season LTIR, making him ineligible to play at all in 2025-26, I referred to him as a Future Hall-of-Famer. There were people who debated this. Come on. Anyone arguing should not be allowed to operate machinery, not even an electronic screwdriver.

25. Per Sportsnet Stats, no player in the cap era has signed for more salary than Jack Eichel, who is approaching $200M.

26. Kevin Bieksa’s Olympic idea: Evan Bouchard on Team Canada as power play insurance in case anything happens to Cale Makar.

27. In the week after their fantastic opening night mask giveaway, the Ducks sold 4,700 of them. Orders came from all 50 states and 12 countries — including Brazil, China, France, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand and Spain. Imagine enjoying the scenery in a Venetian gondola and someone passes by in a Ducks mask. 

28. Until early this season, I didn’t realize that puck-over-glass challenges only involved determining if the puck wasn’t deflected or didn’t hit anything. Dallas wanted to see whether Thomas Harley was out of the defensive zone when he did it during the Jets’ home opener, but you aren’t allowed to review that. (A player in the neutral or offensive zones isn’t eligible for a penalty.) 

29. We’ve talked in recent months about the NHL’s interest in expanding its German footprint. Remember this name: Max Penkin. He’s 2027 draft eligible. First player ever to be granted exceptional status to join Germany’s Under-20 league one year early. 

30. While I was in Winnipeg, I ran into Ron Paterson, owner of the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s White Rock Whalers. Paterson, a goalie in his younger years, played internationally for Team Canada in the Father David Bauer years, including the 1980 Olympics. He had just attended a reunion of those players, including former Ottawa Senators GM Marshall Johnston, who captained the 1968 Olympic team, and Dallas GM Jim Nill, also on that 1980 group. They were ecstatic Nill could make it, considering his regular job keeps him kinda busy.  

31. One of the NHL’s greatest success stories is Hockey Fights Cancer, which raised $8.2M in 2024-25, double the previous season. (Big challenge this year!) Boston and St. Louis were the first teams to hold their special nights, on Thursday. Florida has a special event coming Saturday, and I spent some time going through the @panthersotprowl Instagram page, incredibly impressed by the artistry of the life-sized Panthers’ sculptures on display. A $5,000 donation to the American Cancer Society means you receive one of them. As someone with no artistic skill, I have great admiration for those who do. 

32. Total homer pick: Jays in six.

More from Sportsnet

NHL Power Rankings: Youngsters who are lighting it up

The most interesting contract on every NHL team