Well, if you thought the men's hockey showcase at PyeongChang 2018 was going to be boring or uneventful due to the lack of NHL-ready talent, think again.
On the opening day of the tournament, colossal underdog Slovenia provided one of the biggest Olympic hockey upsets in recent memory, shocking the United States in overtime by a score of 3-2.
The U.S. was pegged to be in contention for at least a medal and went into Wednesday's contest as heavy favorites against a Slovenian side that had only two previous Olympic victories in its history.
Not to take anything away from Slovenia, but this was a collapse of epic proportions on the part of the Americans. So naturally, Twitter had a field day.
Tournament favorite Russia loses opener to Slovakia. USA loses to Slovenia. That's all you need to know about the men's Olympic hockey tournament this year. Sure looks like a wide-open tournament!
Slovenia pulled off one of the biggest upsets of PyeongChang 2018 thus far, rallying to defeat the United States 3-2 in overtime during the men's hockey opener.
Jan Mursak scored his second goal of the game 38 seconds into overtime.
When the NHL made its decision not to let its players participate at PyeongChang 2018, it was met by immediate trepidation among those who were eagerly anticipating watching the world's best battle for a gold medal.
Sorokin enters the competition as one of the tournament's most talented goalies. The Islanders drafted the youngster in the third round in 2014, as seven other goalies went before him. Only time will tell, but the talented Russian netminder could prove to be quite the steal for New York.
Sorokin, fully committed to the KHL, has put up video-game-like numbers for CSKA Moscow. Since hearing his name called by the Islanders, he's put up a 1.41 goals-against average, 23 shutouts, a .937 save percentage, and a 66-14 record in 103 games. If he gets the starting job, which he should, his performance will be monitored very closely.
Gilbert Brule, Canada
Age:31 | Position: Center | Team: Kunlun Red Star (KHL)
As Crosby, Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, and John Tavares watch from home, the veteran Brule will help to guide a Canadian team to back-to-back-to-back Olympic gold medals. No easy task.
While Chris Kelly, Wojtek Wolski, and Maxim Lapierre all have extensive NHL experience, Brule - drafted sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2005 - should be a key contributor. Brule failed to live up to the hype he generated as a prospect, topping out at 37 points with the Edmonton Oilers in 2009.
Now playing in his fifth season in the KHL, Brule is in the midst of a breakout campaign with 35 points (17 goals) in 47 games. As Canada shoots for a medal, it's Brule's time to shine on the big stage.
Troy Terry, United States
Age:20 | Position: Center | Team: University of Denver (Anaheim Ducks)
Similiar to Sorokin, the 20-year-old Terry is one of the tournament's most intriguing young players.
Terry, a fifth-round pick of the Ducks in 2015, has been dominant playing for the University of Denver over the past two seasons. After compiling 45 points and 22 goals in 35 games in 2016-17, he's been equally effective this year with 32 points (11 goals) in 28 contests.
He made waves with his performance at the 2017 World Junior Championship, scoring three shootout goals to help the U.S. advance past Russia. He'd go on to score the lone shootout goal in the gold-medal game against Canada, sealing the win.
Jiri Sekac, Czech Republic
Age:25 | Position: Right Wing | Team: Kazan Ak-Bars (KHL)
Montreal Canadiens fans are most familiar with Sekac, a once-highly touted prospect out of the KHL. Signed by the Habs in 2014 after a solid 28-point campaign with Prague Lev, Sekac failed to produce in North America and struggled to earn an expanded role under former head coach Michel Terrien, whom Sekac criticized following a trade to the Ducks in 2015.
Now comfortably back in the KHL, Sekac has been a steady contributor with Kazan. In 48 games this season, he has 15 goals and a team-high 40 points. On a Czech squad lacking high-end skill, the 25-year-old will need to be an offensive catalyst.
Few rookies have the confidence to pull out a shootout move like Omark's from 2010, but it worked, and the goal became a talking point at the time it was executed.
Omark managed to impress in 51 games on a young Oilers team, putting up 27 points and leading many to believe he would be part of the new wave of talent in Edmonton. The good times were short-lived, as Omark was later traded to Buffalo and would last only 13 games before leaving for Sweden.
Much like other European-born hockey players who failed to stick in the NHL, Omark has since been incredibly consistent in the KHL. He compiled over 50 points in each of the past two years and has surpassed that mark again this season, with a team-high 51 points in 53 contests. Whether or not Omark breaks out an epic shootout move at the games remains to be seen.
Even after a hard-fought comeback win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, and despite a very successful regular season to date, the Jets captain emphatically stated it's far too early to consider his team to be Stanley Cup contenders.
"I just think that we've got to pump the brakes here a little bit," he said after the game. "We're talking Stanley Cup contender, we haven't even made the f---ing playoffs yet. We're building this up a bit bigger than it is. We're just trying to get better every single game."
Wheeler added it's difficult to avoid hearing how heightened the expectations are in a small market like Winnipeg, especially after the team has posted a record of 33-15-9 and sits second in the competitive Central Division.
"That's what makes this a special place to play," Wheeler continued. "But this is an organization that has never won a playoff game. So we're working on changing that culture every single day.
Wheeler, of course, has been part of the organization dating back to late in the Atlanta days. He's seen the Jets appear in only four playoff games since moving to Winnipeg, resulting in four losses to Anaheim back in 2015.
He's keeping expectations in check, but not making the playoffs or going four-and-out would seem to be a great disappointment for the up-and-coming Jets.
There's no question that a Phaneuf-for-Gaborik trade would have blown the roof off of the NHL a decade ago, but with father time catching up to both, it's a little less significant this time around.
That being said, the deal has major implications for both and each team is better having made the trade than they were before.
Kings get their guy
It was no secret that the Kings approached the deadline with the hopes of giving a boost to their blue line. As The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun noted earlier in the day, the club was in pursuit of a No. 4 or No. 5 defenseman.
They were also looking to make a hockey deal and not necessarily to trade for a rental. Check and check.
Phaneuf can play in all situations, can eat up minutes, and can defend against the game's biggest names. For the Kings, there's not much to hate about that kind of player being slotted into the club's bottom pairings.
With the trade, the Kings were able to get Marian Gaborik off their books. With a cap hit of $4.875 million for the next three years, an inability to stay healthy long term, and decreased production, he was more of a liability with the club - who is starved for offense - than he was an asset.
As for the swap of Shore for Thompson, the Kings get a more veteran presence with Thompson who joins the club with nearly 600 games of NHL experience, compared to Shore, who at 25 years of age, has 221 games under his belt.
Shore is also set to become a restricted free agent, so dealing him avoids the potential of Rob Blake having to hand Shore a raise from his current $925,000 deal.
But while money is good and all, let's face it, the Kings are still eyeing the playoffs.
The club currently sits three points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but should get a boost in the form of Jeff Carter - who's expected to return to the lineup soon.
After missing out in two of the last three seasons, the Kings are eager to get back into the postseason. Phaneuf gives them a push in that direction and with the deadline still two weeks away, the team has ample time to get another potential deal done.
Senators create valuable cap space
Whoever said Phaneuf's contract was untradeable was severely mistaken.
For the second time since signing a monstrous seven-year, $49-million deal as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2013, Phaneuf has been dealt.
The Senators were able to get out from his $7-million cap hit - with three more years on his deal - even though they will still pay 25 percent of his contract.
In Gaborik, the Sens get a player who can produce offensively - albeit not nearly at the same clip as he once could - and someone who could serve as an extra veteran voice in a dressing room that looks to have dealt with some dysfunction this season.
Further, despite his cap hit of $4.875 million for the next three years, he is owed much less in actual salary: $4.575 million next season, $3.175 million in 2019-20, and $3.075 million in 2020-21.
Of course, there's always the potential to buyout Gaborik's contract to shore up even more money. But that's for Pierre Dorion to decide later.
Then there is Thompson's $1.65 million coming off the books, which helps. As for Shore, he enters as a pending restricted free agent next season, so the team could elect to not offer him a qualifying offer in the offseason, making him a UFA and thus freeing up more space.
My quick math was a little off. It's more significant. Including what players were owed remainder of this season, #Sens will save $5,455,107 in real cash with the transaction - even by eating 25% of Phaneuf contract. Suffice to say, I think this was the key to the deal.
All this shedding of money is important for one sole purpose: signing Erik Karlsson.
Karlsson will become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of next season, but can be signed to an extension any time after July 1. It's quite clear that the reigning two-time Norris Trophy-winner will command at least $10 million per season, so the Senators will need to pinch every penny they have over the next little while if they are to get a deal done with their captain.
That's what makes what the Senators did on Tuesday that much more significant.
Lot of people seem to be making more of this trade than what it is. Ottawa is cutting costs. This will be a common theme, for better or worse, for next two weeks.
The Kings and Senators are two clubs clearly headed in different directions. The Kings are hoping to sneak into the playoffs, while the Senators have their eyes set on the future.
But whether it's for a boost to their roster or some extra pocket cash, it's quite clear the Phaneuf deal is exactly what each club needed.
Down 3-0 to the St. Louis Blues with a touch over 11 minutes left in the third period, the Predators' comeback was kick-started by Calle Jarnkrok and greatly aided by a pair of goals from Austin Watson.
There's a new team atop the Atlantic Division, for the time being at least.
After Tampa Bay's loss to Buffalo and Boston's win over Calgary, the Bruins now sit ahead of the Lightning by mere percentage points.
(Image courtesy: NHL.com)
The Lightning remain in first thanks to their 79 points through 57 games, while the Bruins are only one point back with two games in hand.
Both teams have played 32 games since Dec. 1, and since then, the Bruins hold a distinct advantage:
Boston: 24-4-4, 52 points
Tampa Bay: 21-10-1, 43 points
Keep in mind that under the NHL's playoff format, the division winner gets a wild-card team in the first round, while the second-place team draws the third-place team. At present, Toronto ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 73 points, meaning there's a big advantage to claiming the Atlantic crown.
The way things are going lately, the Bruins may very well rise to the top in points sooner rather than later. The Lightning, however, should never be counted out.
There's a new team atop the Atlantic Division, for the time being at least.
After Tampa Bay's loss to Buffalo and Boston's win over Calgary, the Bruins now sit ahead of the Lightning by mere percentage points.
(Image courtesy: NHL.com)
The Lightning remain in first thanks to their 79 points through 57 games, while the Bruins are only one point back with two games in hand.
Both teams have played 32 games since Dec. 1, and since then, the Bruins hold a distinct advantage:
Boston: 24-4-4, 52 points
Tampa Bay: 21-10-1, 43 points
Keep in mind that under the NHL's playoff format, the division winner gets a wild-card team in the first round, while the second-place team draws the third-place team. At present, Toronto ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 73 points, meaning there's a big advantage to claiming the Atlantic crown.
The way things are going lately, the Bruins may very well rise to the top in points sooner rather than later. The Lightning, however, should never be counted out.
