A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. ’Bout to hop on the phone with my boy Fitzy.
1. He gone.
That was the prevailing takeaway from the all those hot stoves held by hockey media types in Las Vegas two months ago at the NHL’s Player Media Tour, where the Canucks’ most critical asset (and his star brother) gave multiple interviews, none of them comforting to folks in Vancouver.
Before the puck dropped, Quinn Hughes was speaking in the past tense about his current team.
We’ve all seen this movie before, and it doesn’t end well for the franchise pulling at the shirttails of a superstar who already has one foot out the door.
If some bozo reporters could gather in one afternoon that the captain wasn’t long for British Columbia, surely Jim Rutherford & Co. read the tea leaves as well. (In another universe, where the Canucks dominate the Pacific, perhaps Hughes’ mind gets swayed. But we’ll never know.)
And so, on the morning after they dealt away the greatest talent to slip on their sweater, we’re giving kudos to the Canucks.
For not wasting time and not wasting an asset.
For fixing a problem before it festered into a greater one.
For trading Hughes when he was healthy and his value was high — giving his purchaser two playoff runs.
Now, don’t get it twisted: the organization deserves to take flaming arrows for not building a true Stanley Cup contender around a Norris defenceman. (You know how many GMs would kill for a true No. 1 on their blue line?!)
But Vancouver saved face under dire circumstances.
For starters, the Canucks didn’t give a young Hughes trade protection, smartly giving them an out. And they got a bunch of legit assets in return: centre Marco Rossi, winger Liam Ohgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick.
All that said, the Vancouver’s trade partner secured the best player, got out from under its “Minnesota Mild” reputation, and announced itself as a contender. The State of Hockey should now be taken seriously.
The Central was already the NHL’s best and most competitive division. It’s now the Group of Death.
2. Two things can be true.
One: the Edmonton Oilers needed to try something — anything! — different in their crease as they sort themselves out of their annual slow start and gear up for another playoff run. We get it. Things needed to feel fresh. Possible.
Two: the Penguins won the trade.
We really like the goalie swap for Pittsburgh, which sheds a $5.37 million cap hit through 2027-28 and a player it put on waivers less than 11 months ago. (Yes, Tristan Jarry was free in January; his salary wasn’t.)
The Penguins nab a second-round pick and useful defenceman Brett Kulak.
That both Kulak and Stuart Skinner — three years younger with 42 more games of playoff experience — are impending free agents allows GM Kyle Dubas the chance to flip one or both players to a contender before the March trade deadline and increase the return.
With young Arturs Silvos and Sergei Murashov in the system, re-signing Skinner is not essential.
Oilers win the Cup by 2028, when both Connor McDavid and Jarry’s deals expire? Oilers win the trade, laughing.
Otherwise, we’re giving this one to Dubas.
3. How long has it been since Oiler-turned–Maple Leaf Troy Stecher was so useful to an NHL team?
“Probably my rookie year in Vancouver,” the defenceman said, thinking back to 2016-17. “Yeah, Willie Desjardins was my coach there. Back then, I was running the power play with Henrik and Daniel (Sedin), and I was playing with Alex Edler — a shutdown pair with him. And if it wasn’t us, it’d be (Chris) Tanev and whoever he was playing with.
“It’s been a while.”
A young Stecher averaged 19:59 for those crummy, 30-win Canucks. He’s well above 20 in Toronto — this after pacing a career-low 13 and change in Edmonton before hitting waivers.
The 31-year-old allows a trip down memory lane to sketch the circumstances of his opportunity.
“You’re going back 10 years now, but at that time, we finished 29th in the league. Hank and Danny were on their last two years of their career. Everybody knew they were about to retire. And just the makeup the team was getting older, so they wanted to give young guys opportunity,” Stecher recalled.
“I came out of college with young guys, so they gifted me a bunch of opportunities. I don’t think it was necessarily earned or deserved, but just the transition period of where the organization was. Happens around the league from time to time. But, yeah, I definitely got more than I deserved my rookie year. In saying that, I tried to make the most of it.”
He posted a career-high 24 points.
Stecher explained that the dramatic spike in usage since switching sweaters forces him to stay more mentally and physically engaged in the action.
“There’s no lulls between your shifts. Even on the other side, if you make a mistake, you don’t have that time to sulk on the bench. You got to gear up and get ready for your next shift in 35 seconds. You know what I mean?” he said of the adjustment.
“As far as energy-wise, (I emphasize) good habits away from the rink — make sure you’re eating the right food, make sure you go to bed on time. If you have to take a nap to catch up on sleep, you do that. It’s all part of being a pro and being prepared to play at nighttime.”
Stecher’s partnership with Jake McCabe as Toronto’s shutdown pair was a happy accident only resulting from a scrambled pairing in Pittsburgh two weeks ago — because McCabe’s default partner, Simon Benoit, rushed back home to Quebec for his father-in-law’s funeral and missed a game.
The two college products clicked instantly. It helped that the lefty McCabe could shift to his strong side. Now when that duo hits the ice, mostly against opposition’s top lines, the Leafs are outscoring teams 9-3.
“We play similar styles, as far as moving the puck. And Troy does a good job moving his feet, which helps my game out a lot,” McCabe said. “We’ve been supporting each other well, talking a lot. Yeah, it’s been a natural fit for us, for sure, and been playing some big minutes. We’ve been feeling good.”
Suddenly, the small guy deemed expendable in aim-big Edmonton will be tasked with shutting down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl Saturday.
And plenty assumed Stecher was nothing more than a five, six or seven.
“It’s important that when you do get an opportunity, you grasp it and take control of it, which he has so far this year,” McCabe said. “Getting put on waivers is not a fun thing. It’s easy to pout and be down about it. But he came here, and right from the get-go, he was talkative on the ice, talkative in the room. Just a really good veteran presence, frankly, and played confident, which is a testament to him, because it's not easy thing to do come into a new team. I can't speak highly enough about him.”
Stecher considered how rapidly coach Craig Berube has trusted him.
This feels different than the gift he received from Coach Desjardins.
“Respect is earned. It’s definitely not given, especially at this level. You know, the epitome of where you want to be in your hockey career is playing the NHL. So, definitely thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given,” he said.
“But at the same time, I understand if I don’t play to the calibre that I’m playing, I’m probably not getting the ice time that I have been.”
Usage-wise, Stecher is back where he’s been trying to get to for a decade. His mission now is to “make this my new norm.” And he has the wisdom to know this doesn’t come with a guarantee.
“I’ve got a good opportunity here to showcase that,” he said. “Now, I either continue to do it, or I take a dip and my ice time probably gets diminished. So, it’s a good balance. I’ve enjoyed it.”
4. OK, stop the fight. We’ve seen enough.
Logan Thompson should be Canada’s Olympic starter, full stop.
In addition to leading all NHL goalies (minimum 12 games) — not just the Canadian ones — in goals-against average (1.96) and save percentage (.926), Thompson celebrated a nifty milestone this week.
The Capitals goaltender required the 16th-fewest games (167) in history to reach 100 wins among all goaltenders in NHL history. He did so in style, posting a 39-save shutout performance. Among active goalies, only Igor Shesterkin (159) and Matt Murray (166) reached the mark quicker.
“I owe a big thanks to the two organizations that gave me a chance,” the undrafted Thompson, who also spent time with the Vegas Golden Knights, said afterward.
Time for Hockey Canada to give him a chance. Challenge the world to figure out that right glove hand.
5. Quote of the week.
“Sometimes you feel, as coaches, we’re working at the Apple store.” — San Jose Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky, on the players’ constant ask to look at iPads on the bench
6. Excitement over a potential Phillip Danault trade (Montreal homecoming in the works?) should tell you just how difficult it is to make moves of any consequence in a league high on parity and low on risk.
God bless the man. He’s defensively sound, wins most of his draws, and has enjoyed a fine career.
But the 32-year-old Danault has not scored a goal this season. He has just five assists through 30 games. His balance of takeaways (four) to giveaways (25) is trending toward a career worst.
Still, the Kings want a nice return to part with a $5.5-million checker.
Centres are so hard to find that the Vancouver Canucks were using Toronto’s fourth-line castoff, David Kämpf, as their No. 1 pivot for a spell.
The Danault buzz highlights (A) the league’s general lack of impact talent and (B) the stagnant trade landscape for forwards.
7. Would love to know what Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong was thinking when we spotted him in Sunrise, Fla., scouting the shifts of 4 Nations fourth-liners Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett.
A couple of serial winners who rank 11th and 36th, respectively, among Canadian forwards in scoring this season, behind the likes of Nick Suzuki, Connor Bedard, Tom Wilson and others.
“Anybody that might be up for consideration is playing as well as they have all year, so that’s positive,” said Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who has not spoken with national management about his Olympic candidates.
“Marchy, I guess, is the guy who’s been consistently good for us all year. He’s just been lights out. So, I don’t think anybody's trying harder than they normally would.”
Maurice does believe, generally, that the five-ring carrot has snapped top-end players into focus right from puck drop.
“I’m sure for elite players, there’s more of a focus on the start of the year right now than there would be in a non-Olympic year. If you’re an elite player on a good team, 82 games is a lot. And sometimes in those December, January months — when you’re too far from the end but your body feels like you've been at it for a while — you need to find that extra energy to push,” Maurice said.
“And I’m sure a lot of these guys have that (push) right now, because the decision is gonna be made here pretty quick and they wanna be at their peak.
Some of the greatest hockey players on earth will be celebrating Christmas on pins and needles.
“These are world-class guys on the bubble,” Maurice said.
“It’s the only time in their lives they’re not sure, right? They came in as rookies, make an awful lot of money. They’ve all elevated themselves rightfully to kind of a star status. And now they’re like rookies again, trying to make their junior team at 16.”
8. As if the always-in-contention Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t already snapping opponents to attention, head coach Jon Cooper feels like he’s watching tryouts every other night.
“It’s one of those things. Like, being a Canadian coach, you really get the best effort of the Canadians every time you’re in a game,” Cooper said. “I’m one of many that are watching these players, but I can't stress enough the work that’s going into picking this team. And the decisions are going to be tough — like, excruciatingly tough — which is a good thing. That means the kids are playing well, and we’re coming down last next couple of weeks here. This is crunch time.”
Busy trying to keep the injury-ravaged Lightning afloat, Cooper said he spent more time communicating with his national stars during the lead-up to 4 Nations than he has the Olympics.
Rapport with guys like Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon has already been built. A few text messages will fly around, and Cooper will meet up with his roster locks when their NHL squads cross. But the newness of last February’s tournament demanded more relationship building.
“You talk briefly about your teams, and then it’s lots about the Olympics and what’s going on,” Cooper said of Captain Crosby. “He’s excited, just because he loves them. He’s got to play in a few. And to have him around as the guy that is the voice of experience, that’s a big win for us.”
9. Two concerning blows for the back end of Team Sweden and the Atlantic Division Thursday, as Victor Hedman and Oliver Ekman-Larsson both went down to injury.
Yet both defencemen hold hope for a speedy recovery.
Ekman-Larsson’s lower-body injury isn’t believed to be as serious as it looked when he needed two teammates to help him off the ice Thursday. He stayed off the ice Friday and is hoping to give his left leg a test Saturday morning.
Hedman, then 23, was the most notable snub of the 2014 Winter Games. Ekman-Larsson had to settle for silver last time NHLers went to the Olympics.
The Lightning captain will undergo an elbow procedure Monday and is trying not to obsess over a deferred Olympic dream that may be save in the (surgeon’s) nick of time.
“For me, it’s all about what I can do here now. Olympics is still a couple months away,” said Hedman, still seeking his first goal of 2025-26. “So, my focus is on getting back to the player that I know I can be and trying to be as good as I can for us here and keep getting Ws.”
Those W’s are critical in the league’s muddiest division (the Mid-lantic? Meh-tlantic?), which features eight teams within eight points of each other.
“It’s super tight. Whole conference super tight. So, every game is important. Every point is important, especially divisional games,” Hedman says. “It feels like teams are coming… finding their way. And, yeah, it’s going to be an interesting season, that's for sure.”
The Maple Leafs, for example, beat the Bolts in regulation Monday and have earned points in six straight games — yet they are still closer to the Atlantic basement (three points) than the penthouse (five points).
“Everyone’s winning. Everyone’s good,” Nick Paul said. “So, you can’t really make mistakes. Go on runs where you’re losing, you got to stop it now. Or else the standings can change pretty quick.”
We agree: Everyone’s good.
We’ll add: No one’s great.
10. Wild Stat of the Week.
Tie-It-Up Tuesday brought us the first night in NHL history in which four game-knotting goals were scored within the final 15 seconds of regulation.
Anaheim’s Beckett Sennecke scored at 19:59, Vegas’s Pavel Dorofeyev at 19:46, Edmonton’s McDavid at 19:58 and Colorado’s Cale Makar at 19:52.
Only the Ducks, however, rode their buzzer-beating heroics to a shootout victory. The other three comeback attempts only salvaged a loser point.
11. Friendly reminder, the holiday roster freeze kicks in at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 19 and lifts at 12:01 a.m. ET on Dec. 28.
That means no trades, no waivers and no loans.
Set your alarms accordingly.
12. That “Canadian tears” commercial pumping up Team USA and NBC’s Olympic coverage?
Auston Matthews says the American players filmed it without knowing which actor would be playing the lead.
Funny. Jon Hamm is a diehard fan of the St. Louis Blues, run by Team Canada GM Armstrong, and a friend of Coach Cooper’s.
“If it brings more eyes to the sets, that’s a good thing,” Cooper said.
“But here’s the thing: How many times is Canada going to play the U.S.? Potentially zero. One at the most. So, the tournament, for me, is about them as one of the 11 other teams we got to beat.
“It’s probably easy to put a lot of thought into, like, Canada vs. U.S., but we may never even play each other.”
5:31