It would appear Matt Murray's Cinderella run last postseason was no fluke.
Four games in after returning from a broken hand suffered at the World Cup of Hockey, and Murray has been nearly perfect. The 22-year-old is riding a 4-0-0 record and a league-leading 1.25 goals-against average and .961 save percentage.
Murray's hot start has helped the Pittsburgh Penguins jump out to a 10-3-2 record, putting them in a tie with the New York Rangers for top spot in the Metropolitan Division. There is no question he is the team's goaltender of the future.
Following his three-year contract extension signed on Oct. 20, general manager Jim Rutherford stated the move had nothing to do with the pending expansion draft and the team would deal with it when it comes.
Well, it's coming.
Sure, Marc-Andre Fleury has been a dependable option for the Penguins, but his numbers falter in comparison to Murray's. The veteran of over 660 games has turned in a 3.06 goals-against average (good enough for 37th in the league) and a .910 save percentage through 11 games.
In turn, Murray has started three of the team's past four contests and is quickly becoming head coach Mike Sullivan's most reliable option, meaning Rutherford will soon have to face the facts.
The NHL expansion draft will likely force the Penguins to deal either Murray or Fleury. With the former outperforming the latter and signed for the next three years at a cap-friendly $3.75 million per season, Murray is the consensus pick to be protected by the team.
Of course, Fleury is no throwaway, and the team won't simply let him walk without receiving something in return. So, while Rutherford may want to dance around the issue, he's going to have to find a way to move his veteran netminder sooner or later.
It certainly won't be easy saying goodbye to the franchise leader in almost every goaltending statistic, but the Penguins only have Murray's emergence as a star in the league to blame.
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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NHL fantasy picture for Sunday, November 13:
Triple Threat
C David Krejci (45K), RW David Backes (40K), D Torey Krug (36K), Bruins (at Avalanche): No trio in the NHL plays a larger percentage of 5v5 time together than the Bruins' second line. Krejci, Backes and C Ryan Spooner play 23.73 percent of all 5v5 minutes together as a unit. With Spooner and Krejci listed at the same position, Krug offers the pivot.
LW Brad Marchand (54K), C Patrice Bergeron (49K), RW David Pastrnak (56K), Bruins (at Avalanche): The Bruins' top line ranks third in TOI percentage, per Corsica.Hockey, at 23.37 percent. Colorado's possession metrics have made a noticeable improvement under new head coach Jared Bednar this season, but they still allow three goals per game.
LW Chris Kreider (45K), C Mika Zibanejad (44K), RW Mats Zuccarello (39K), Rangers (at Oilers): While the trio has cooled down slightly, their Corsi For percentage of 51.82 is the best of any Rangers trio with at least 50 minutes played together at 5v5. They average 68.75 percent of all scoring chances while on the ice.
Bargain Plays
LW Jimmy Vesey (26K), Rangers (at Oilers): Vesey has finally started shooting more frequently, tallying three shots on goal in each of his past two games. It translated to his seventh goal of the season Saturday, against the Calgary Flames. The Rangers have a short distance to travel for the second game in as many days.
RW Mikko Rantanen (29K), Avalanche (vs. Bruins): Rantanen has multiple shots on goal in each of his eight games this season. He scored his first goal of his NHL career Friday, against the Winnipeg Jets. The Bruins are likely to start backup G Zane McIntyre, presenting a much better opportunity than the red-hot Tuukka Rask.
D Brian Campbell (25K), Blackhawks (vs. Canadiens): Campbell scored his second goal of the season Friday, though it came on just one SOG. He hasn't recorded multiple SOG in a game since Oct. 22, when he tallied four in back-to-back games. He did play 20:03 Friday night, and he remains a focal point of a largely inexperienced second power-play unit.
Top Fades
C Leon Draisaitl (46K), Oilers (vs. Rangers): Draisaitl has recorded multiple SOG in just one of six November games. He has just one goal and one assist in the month. He has been below 50 percent possession in both Corsi and Scoring Chances For at 5v5 this season. The Oilers have been outscored 9-6 when he's been on the ice.
LW Max Pacioretty (64K), Canadiens (at Blackhawks): Pacioretty hasn't tallied more than two SOG in four consecutive games. He had his ice time limited in Saturday's 5-0 victory, but he'll be playing a rested Blackhawks team on the second half of his team's back-to-back. The Canadiens won't be able to rely on G Carey Price.
D Shea Weber (43K), Canadiens (at Blackhawks): Weber has played more minutes in the second of half of each of Montreal's two back-to-backs this season, and like Pacioretty, he was awarded more rest than usual in Saturday's lopsided win. Still, while the Blackhawks aren't as deep as usual, Weber's ice time will come against their best forwards.
Contrarian Options
C Nathan MacKinnon (66K), Avalanche (vs. Bruins): MacKinnon has just one goal and an assist in November, but he has four or more SOG in four of the six games, including each of his past three outings. He logged a season-high 23:46 in ice time Friday, picking up a power-play assist. He'll face a tired Bruins team and a backup goaltender Sunday.
LW J.T. Miller (37K), Rangers (at Oilers): Miller's ice time has dropped since the calendar flipped from October to November, but he hasn't played less than 14 minutes in a game. He has two goals and three assists in the month, and the Rangers have a strong advantage in the battle of third lines.
RW Jarome Iginla (38K), Avalanche (vs. Bruins): Iginla has been dropped to the Avalanche's third line, but it offers promise in a matchup against his former team, as he'll be able to avoid the Bruins' top two lines. He has been well below his typical SOG pace, but this is a good spot for his breakout game of the season.
As a player, he towered at well over six feet in skates that carried around a muscle-dense 200-plus-pound frame. He was sleeves-rolled-up strong, intrinsically tough, and held a physical advantage over just about every player he competed with and against in his era.
Off it, he was inquisitive, curious, and fascinated by many things, leading him to pursue higher education. He took up law between coaching stints, augmenting his bachelor's degree in economics with a diploma from the Widener University School of Law. This was after many decades prior to nearly surrendering his future career in sport to dedicate his life to the church - only to learn the policy on sport at seminary school was far too stringent.
For his talent, versatility, affability, and wit, and considering the minds and lives he touched through his decades in the NHL, the stories that will be shared this weekend, and Monday, when he'll be posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, will be boundless.
Here's what made the cigar-smoking, scotch-sipping giant - sometimes gentle and often not - so special to the game:
On the ice
Make no mistake: Quinn belongs to the builder classification. He was never an elite player in nine seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Atlanta Flames. His most noteworthy moment on the ice came in his rookie season, when he knocked Bobby Orr (who he says is the greatest player ever) unconscious with a hit that sparked a bench-clearing brawl - and had fans attacking him in the penalty box - in the 1969 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Quinn was chosen in consecutive expansion drafts after his two seasons with the Leafs. His most productive years came with Atlanta, where he spent the bulk of his career before a persisting ankle injury suffered riding his daughter's skateboard (there will be stories about this, we're sure) prompted him to retire.
Behind the bench
Within two years of his post-playing career, Quinn was running an NHL bench. His introduction came under legendary Philadelphia Flyers coach Fred Shero, who hired him as an assistant one year into his retirement. He was promoted after a half-season with Philadelphia's minor-league affiliate, and, in his first full year at the helm, led the surprise Flyers to a record 35-game unbeaten streak, smashing the previous record. Philadelphia went to the Stanley Cup Final that season, and Quinn won his first of two Jack Adams Awards.
After a failed stint with the Los Angeles Kings, and a contentious contract dispute that prevented him from coaching for several seasons, Quinn led the Canucks to a Western Conference championship in the final year of a successful three-season run, but once again fell short in the Stanley Cup Final.
Quinn was hired by the Maple Leafs in 1998, leading them to a franchise-best 45-win season in his debut. He compiled the best winning record in the history of the franchise in his seven years with the Maple Leafs, and guided them into the postseason in six straight seasons. He then coached the Edmonton Oilers for one season, and finished with 684 wins - seventh-most all time.
On the officials
Quinn was notoriously hard on the officials, who would often wear the wad of gum he chomped on the bench if they formulated an opinion that clashed with his.
One official believed his dislike for referees, who he often called a "waste of skin," was engendered in his first Stanley Cup Final appearance. A blatant offside call was missed early in Game 6, and the Islanders wound up beating the Flyers in overtime to clinch the Stanley Cup that would elude Quinn in his career.
As time progressed, though, the fire that made him such a great coach faded. And even the officials that experienced Quinn's bite saw the immense heart he had for his teammates, players, fans, and family shine through.
In the executive chair
Though delayed by circumstances beyond his control, a management role was the correct progression in Quinn's career. Exercising his legal background in a real-world setting, Quinn broke free from his contract with the Kings and began running the Canucks in 1987. He drafted franchise legends Trevor Linden and Pavel Bure, and executed a trade to bring in netminder Kirk McLean - a trio at the forefront of the conference championship roster Quinn constructed in 1994.
Quinn was appointed GM in his second year with the Leafs. He maintained the club's competitiveness through executing a series of signings and trades, but certainly didn't have a faultless record in Toronto. His influx of talent brought in included Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker through trade, and Gary Roberts, Alex Mogilny, and Ed Belfour via free agency.
For Canada
As Quinn progressed into his 60s, he became a tournament coach for Hockey Canada. His greatest success came at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, where he coached the Canadian outfit that snapped the country's 50-year gold medal drought. He failed to repeat that success at the 2006 Olympics, but led the national team to an international triumph before that failure, coaching the undefeated 2004 World Cup team. He also won development-level gold on the international stage, coaching the U-18 and world junior teams.
These aren't the Columbus Blue Jackets many expected, but they clearly have no problem scoring early on this season.
The Blue Jackets' offense kicked into high gear again Saturday night, moving up to second in the NHL in goals per game (3.46) with an 8-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues.
This win comes eight days after their 10-0 destruction of the Montreal Canadiens, and a week after the Blues defeated the Blue Jackets 2-1 in overtime in St. Louis.
Zach Werenski's goal early in the third period was Columbus' only power-play marker of the game, but the Blue Jackets lead the league with a 33.3 percent conversion rate on the man advantage.
The offensive production has been impressive, but there are two signs regression might be on the horizon.
Columbus is averaging an NHL-worst 26.9 shots per game, and it's allowing the third-most in the league at 33.4 per contest.
The Blue Jackets' mettle will be tested again this coming week, when they host the Washington Capitals on Tuesday and the New York Rangers on Friday.
"I did ask him (Saturday), I said, 'Is any of this true?', and he said, 'Look, I came into this job with my eyes wide open. I knew there was a chance we were going to go through a difficult time. I accept that, I get the criticism and the scrutiny,' but ... he says he's not going anywhere. He is staying in his current role."
The Canucks are 5-9-1 through 15 games, and only the Calgary Flames have a worse goal differential than Vancouver's minus-16 mark.
Linden was hired by the Canucks in his dual role back in April 2014.
