When asked which player Kane would most want by his side when going in on a two-on-one, he didn't hesitate.
"I know I played with him (Panarin) a couple of years, but the way he sees the game and the way he plays it was very similar to the way that I saw the game," Kane said on a video conference call Monday. "Just really, really fun hockey ... just kind of playing off each other, hanging out on our sides, and almost mirroring each other, what the other person was going to do. That was probably the funnest hockey that I've ever played was playing with him."
In 2015-16, their first season together, Panarin took home the Calder Trophy while Kane grabbed the Hart and Art Ross Trophies. Across both seasons together, Kane racked up 80 goals and 195 points while Panarin posted 61 goals and 151 points.
Panarin said in February that he expected to play his whole career in Chicago and revealed that his trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017 still confuses him. The 28-year-old inked a seven-year, $81.5-million contract with the Rangers last summer.
The two dynamic wingers have continued to play at elite levels separately. In the three seasons since Panarin's trade, Kane has mustered up 104 goals and 270 points in 230 games, while Panarin has potted 87 goals and 264 points in 229 games.
Danny Briere, former star NHL forward and current vice president of operations for the ECHL's Maine Mainers, joins the show to discuss a variety of topics, including:
Danny's wife Misha working on the COVID-19 frontlines
His interest in the business side of pro hockey
Going to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final with the Flyers
Living with teammates Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier
Co-captaining those dominant mid-2000s Sabres teams
Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.
With the 2019-20 campaign likely in the books, there's no time like the present for hockey bettors to take a way-too-early look at next season.
The exact salary cap isn't known for next season, but using the rise from 2018-19 to 2019-20 as a point of reference, we can probably expect something just shy of $85 million, which would be on the lower end of the range given by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly in March.
With that figure, we can point out some teams facing cap issues that are worth monitoring closely this offseason, as they could become clubs to fade in 2020-21.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Cap issues aside, the Leafs are usually a reliable fade. That's not a knock on the team itself, it's a comment on the brand. Much like the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Lakers, sportsbooks are never going to be lacking for Leafs money. That results in inflated lines, with the public quick to bite.
If you had bet against the Leafs in every game in 2019-20, you would have come out ahead. The same goes for 2018-19. With the team keeping its hyped forward core intact, there's every reason to believe the same should be true in 2020-21.
Toronto's defensive issues should be amplified next season with Cody Ceci, Tyson Barrie, and Travis Dermott all impending free agents, while Ilya Mikheyev, Jason Spezza, and Frederik Gauthier also need new deals. With the Leafs being so tight up against the cap, they're likely going to lose at least a handful of these guys, and that's going to hurt this team's depth at both ends of the ice. While none of these names individually shift the needle, that actually helps our cause, as sportsbooks likely won't adjust despite the team getting worse.
Arizona Coyotes
With nearly $75 million invested in 17 players (including two goalies), the Coyotes will likely have under $10 million to re-sign restricted free agents Vinnie Hinostroza and Christian Fischer, leaving them with little money left to bring back, or find replacements for, unrestricted free agents Taylor Hall, Carl Soderberg, and Brad Richardson.
Arizona will have little to no flexibility to improve the roster and it's going to be hard for general manager John Chayka to get creative with Conor Garland and four of the team's top-five defensemen set to be free agents after next season. Playing in such a small market, the Coyotes weren't valued highly by oddsmakers to begin with, but the roster should more fairly reflect their value next season.
Chicago Blackhawks
It's going to be a messy offseason for the Blackhawks and GM Stan Bowman, who is no stranger to a cap crunch. Restricted free agents Dominik Kubalik, Drake Caggiula, and Dylan Strome are in line for considerable raises, while both of the team's goaltenders are impending free agents. With $74 million already tied up, the team will have just over $10 million to re-sign those three and get a pair of goalies under contract. That's not going to happen without Bowman shedding some serious salary.
But even if he magically finds a way to get rid of some low-impact guys and fit everyone else under the cap, there will be no money remaining to improve the roster. Without reinforcements, a ton of pressure will be on Strome and Alex DeBrincat, who have both had disconcertingly down seasons, as well as Chicago's ageing stars.
The Blackhawks are another popular team that often sees a bit of inflation with their odds, and given the predicament they find themselves in, we should be able to take advantage.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.
With the 2019-20 campaign likely in the books, there's no time like the present for hockey bettors to take a way-too-early look at next season.
The exact salary cap isn't known for next season, but using the rise from 2018-19 to 2019-20 as a point of reference, we can probably expect something just shy of $85 million, which would be on the lower end of the range given by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly in March.
With that figure, we can point out some teams facing cap issues that are worth monitoring closely this offseason, as they could become clubs to fade in 2020-21.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Cap issues aside, the Leafs are usually a reliable fade. That's not a knock on the team itself, it's a comment on the brand. Much like the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Lakers, sportsbooks are never going to be lacking for Leafs money. That results in inflated lines, with the public quick to bite.
If you had bet against the Leafs in every game in 2019-20, you would have come out ahead. The same goes for 2018-19. With the team keeping its hyped forward core intact, there's every reason to believe the same should be true in 2020-21.
Toronto's defensive issues should be amplified next season with Cody Ceci, Tyson Barrie, and Travis Dermott all impending free agents, while Ilya Mikheyev, Jason Spezza, and Frederik Gauthier also need new deals. With the Leafs being so tight up against the cap, they're likely going to lose at least a handful of these guys, and that's going to hurt this team's depth at both ends of the ice. While none of these names individually shift the needle, that actually helps our cause, as sportsbooks likely won't adjust despite the team getting worse.
Arizona Coyotes
With nearly $75 million invested in 17 players (including two goalies), the Coyotes will likely have under $10 million to re-sign restricted free agents Vinnie Hinostroza and Christian Fischer, leaving them with little money left to bring back, or find replacements for, unrestricted free agents Taylor Hall, Carl Soderberg, and Brad Richardson.
Arizona will have little to no flexibility to improve the roster and it's going to be hard for general manager John Chayka to get creative with Conor Garland and four of the team's top-five defensemen set to be free agents after next season. Playing in such a small market, the Coyotes weren't valued highly by oddsmakers to begin with, but the roster should more fairly reflect their value next season.
Chicago Blackhawks
It's going to be a messy offseason for the Blackhawks and GM Stan Bowman, who is no stranger to a cap crunch. Restricted free agents Dominik Kubalik, Drake Caggiula, and Dylan Strome are in line for considerable raises, while both of the team's goaltenders are impending free agents. With $74 million already tied up, the team will have just over $10 million to re-sign those three and get a pair of goalies under contract. That's not going to happen without Bowman shedding some serious salary.
But even if he magically finds a way to get rid of some low-impact guys and fit everyone else under the cap, there will be no money remaining to improve the roster. Without reinforcements, a ton of pressure will be on Strome and Alex DeBrincat, who have both had disconcertingly down seasons, as well as Chicago's ageing stars.
The Blackhawks are another popular team that often sees a bit of inflation with their odds, and given the predicament they find themselves in, we should be able to take advantage.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
The 2012 draft was more wide-open than most, as there was no consensus top couple of players. Burke, who was serving as Toronto Maple Leafs general manager, held the fifth overall pick. The club selected defenseman Morgan Rielly, whom it had No. 1 on its draft board.
While discussing how the draft unfolded, Burke made it clear that he wasn't going to take Yakupov, even if the Russian winger fell into his lap.
"We weren't going to take him. His draft interview was the worst interview I've ever had in my life. Terrible," Burke said on Monday's episode of the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast.
When asked why the interview went so poorly, Burke did not hold back.
"He was defiant, obnoxious, and sullen," he continued. "John Lilley, one of our scouts ... almost fought him in the interview, so it was not a good interview."
Yakupov went No. 1 to the Oilers and ultimately became a bust. He enjoyed a solid rookie year, tallying a career-high 17 goals and 31 points in the lockout-shortened 48-game campaign, but his performances steadily declined. He was traded in 2016 and out of the league in 2018.
Here's how the 2012 draft's top five played out:
Pick
Player
Team
GP
PTS
1
F Nail Yakupov
EDM
350
136
2
D Ryan Murray
CLB
347
110
3
F Alex Galchenyuk
MTL
549
320
4
D Griffin Reinhart
NYI
37
2
5
D Morgan Rielly
TOR
517
270
Rielly only played 23 games in his draft year due to injury. Burke said he never saw Rielly play live but "tripled up" the scouts for his games and watched every shift on video twice.
The decision was ultimately one of Burke's best during his Toronto tenure. Rielly has blossomed into a star blue-liner, finishing inside the top five in Norris Trophy voting last year after a career-high 72-point season.
Burke also discussed some of the best draft interviews that he encountered during his days as a GM and gave some high praise to Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.
"He finished his interview and we wanted to have him sit down, help us talk to the other kids," Burke said. "I think he'll be a general manager in the league. I really do. I really respect him."
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
New York Rangers superstar Artemi Panarin isn't in favor of the NHL going straight to the playoffs with only 16 teams if the season resumes.
"You hear so many things. There is no certainty. I am waiting to be told something definite. But if we play, it would be unfair if the Rangers don't have the chance to be in the playoffs. If (the NHL) goes straight to the playoffs, the Rangers deserve to be there," Panarin told the New York Post's Larry Brooks.
The Rangers sat two points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot - by points percentage, they drop further - when the league paused the season March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For his part, Panarin is likely to garner some Hart Trophy consideration this season, as he's posted 95 points - tied for third-most in the league - in 69 games.
The NHL is reportedly prioritizing playing regular-season games before heading to the playoffs. The postseason could then be condensed, depending on how much time the league has to wrap up the campaign.
Multiple cities, including Grand Forks, North Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan have contacted the league about holding neutral-site playoff contests, if necessary.
Panarin has played a role in helping during the pandemic, as he donated 1,500 N95 masks to the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.
"I heard on the news that the healthcare workers had an urgent need for masks and were in danger without them, so I thought that would be a great way to show support," Panarin said. "It was not a big deal for me. It is really the smallest thing I could do. I am very happy to be able to help in some way."
About six months ago, toward the end of a live TV broadcast in Columbus, TSN color commentator Ray Ferraro suddenly lost his ability to speak.
Auston Matthews had just scored in a way few others can and all Ferraro could muster in real time was nearly inaudible: "Oh!" Flabbergasted, it took Ferraro longer than usual to process Matthews' assassin-like snipe on Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo.
Ferraro composed himself quick enough to gush over a replay of the goal. Then, as the game started up again, he summed up what was on the minds of everybody watching. "His release," Ferraro said, "is just unbelievable."
That was goal No. 3 for Matthews in his finest season to date. The 22-year-old Maple Leafs superstar had 47 goals in 70 games, putting him on pace for a franchise-best 55, when the NHL suspended play March 12. He trailed only Alex Ovechkin and David Pastrnak - who each had 48 - in what was shaping up to be a thrilling sprint for the Rocket Richard Trophy.
"It's pretty cool and humbling to be in the same conversation as a guy like him," Matthews said last week of Ovechkin. "Being in a scoring race with a guy like him, he's been a generational player, and he's made a big impact beyond the game, and led the way for lots of players and lots of guys.
"It's humbling, and hopefully, we can get back to playing hockey and can compete again, that's what everyone wants to do."
The NHL's indefinite hiatus gives us an opportunity to take stock of career trajectories, and we're starting with Matthews' body of work through 282 career games in an effort to better understand how special a goal-scorer he really is. Spoiler: Matthews should certainly be in the same conversation as Ovechkin.
––––––––––
A quick rundown of Matthews' standing among the league's elite marksmen:
He's one of only four players to score 150 goals since the start of the 2016-17 season, his rookie year. Ovechkin has 181, Matthews 158, Pastrnak 155, and Nikita Kucherov 153. Matthews is the youngest of the four and also the lone center.
Ovechkin, who has an opportunity to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time record for career goals if he can remain healthy through his late 30s, reigns supreme on a per-game basis, too, at 0.58 goals per game. Matthews is a close second at 0.56, while Pastrnak (0.53) and Kucherov (0.50) aren't too far behind.
Matthews sets himself apart from the group at a more granular level. His rate of goals per 60 minutes played is 1.79, with Ovechkin coming in at 1.74, Pastrnak 1.73, and Kucherov 1.54, according to the advanced stats website Evolving-Hockey.com. At even strength, Matthews is first in goals (121), goals per game (0.43), and goals per 60 (1.54). Ovechkin ranks second in all three categories (116, 0.37, 1.27).
Mark Blinch / Getty Images
Based on those statistical measures, it's fair to suggest Ovechkin and Matthews are in a tier of their own, with Pastrnak and Kucherov just below. (Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Patrick Kane, Patrik Laine, John Tavares, and Brad Marchand round out the top 10 for goals scored since 2016-17. For what it's worth, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby sit 11th and 12th.)
What's fascinating is that when you close your eyes and picture a classic Ovechkin goal and then do the same for a classic Matthews goal, the images are completely different. With Ovechkin, the left circle of the offensive zone is affectionately known as the Ovi Spot because he's buried so many one-timers from there throughout his 15-year career. Matthews, on the other hand, boasts a patented wrist shot that he often launches through traffic with dizzying speed, pinpoint accuracy, and funky body positioning.
The goal below, scored on the Colorado Avalanche in November, shows Matthews corralling a pass like a lacrosse player before rifling the puck between a defender's legs and under the goalie's armpit. Most impressively, Matthews is gliding backwards as he releases 30 feet away from the net. As in Columbus, this strike has a super high degree of difficulty.
Tavares, in an interview back in February, applauded Matthews' knack for attacking in a variety of ways. The incomplete list includes: Off the rush or on the forecheck; in tight on the goalie for a tip, deflection, or wraparound or far away from the crease for a seeing-eye shot; on his strong side or on his weak side; top corner or along the ice; blocker side, glove side, or five-hole; straight angle off his stick, or weird angle off his stick; one-timer or catch-and-release wrister.
"I think everyone's probably got the ability to do it," Tavares said of Matthews' catch-and-release method. "It's his ability to get it off as quickly as he does, and the amount of velocity he gets on it. I would love a little more of it, for sure."
Matthews hides his intentions so well, too, sometimes releasing the puck from an unconventional shooting stance - hips opened up, gloves tight against his torso, skates pointed in different directions - that forces goalies to guess.
"It looks very easy. I mean, I wish it was that easy for me," Leafs rookie defenseman Rasmus Sandin said. "I feel like it looks like he's going to shoot high and he ends up shooting low, and the other way around. He's just very tricky with his stick and how he's opening up his blade."
Mark Blinch / Getty Images
Matthews' shot profile reveals a few interesting trends. He established a new career high in shots on goal per game in 2019-20. He totaled 290 shots in 70 games, or 4.1 a game, which is a notable jump from 3.4 per game and 3.0 per game in his rookie and sophomore seasons, and up from 3.7 per game last season. It didn't hurt that his nightly ice time rose to 20:58 from 18:33 in 2018-19, thanks in large part to a coaching change. Rookie head coach Sheldon Keefe showed great trust in Matthews and Toronto's other stars through the first 47 games of his tenure.
The type of shots Matthews commonly calls upon - wrist, snap, slap, backhand, tip, deflection, wraparound - has also evolved over time. While he's always relied on his wrister, which has accounted for 40%, 46.5%, 57.7%, and 57.6% of his total shots year over year, he took more slap shots than ever this season:
Season
Games
Slap shots
% of total shots
2016-17
82
6
2.1
2017-18
62
12
6.4
2018-19
68
11
4.4
2019-20
70
43
14.8
Source: NHL.com
Matthews was winding up so often - and adding to his goal-scoring toolbox - thanks to his new role on the Toronto power play. He's become a premier shooting option with the man advantage, parking himself inside the right circle in anticipation for a one-time pass.
"As you're young coming into the league, you've been doing a couple of things that have made you successful for so long, and then you realize how difficult it is (to dominate in the NHL) year in and year out," Tavares said. "But, at the same time, great players just have great minds for the game. So they start to visualize and feel different things and understand how to be better and how to come back and be more productive and improve their game."
Matthews, who bypassed major junior or college to play pro for a year in Switzerland before being drafted first overall by Toronto in 2016, was hardwired at an early age to think outside the box. He played small-area games and worked one-on-one with longtime instructor Boris Dorozhenko. More recently, he became a success story for renowned skills coach Darryl Belfry, who's now employed by the Leafs as a player development consultant.
Over the years, Matthews has improved his skating, too. In 2020, he's deceptively fast for such a large man (6-foot-3, 223 pounds). The list of big centers (6-foot-2 or taller, 200 pounds or heavier) who've scored 40 goals in one season since Matthews broke into the league is extremely short. It's Matthews, Draisaitl, Mika Zibanejad, and Eric Staal. (Evgeni Malkin, who looks massive and scored 42 in 2017-18, is listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds.)
There's a subtle element of physicality in Matthews' game as well. He doesn't hunt for big hits like Ovechkin did early in his career, but lately Matthews has more frequently deployed his frame and strength to break up the opposition's attack and drive play the other way. He's smart about it, using his stick to collect 78 takeaways in 2019-20, two more than his previous high during an 82-game rookie season. On the whole, Matthews has rounded out the defensive side of his game to the point where he should be considered an above-average two-way player, at the very least.
Here's a prime example of No. 34 using his improved skating and stickwork to create something out of nothing in a November game against the Coyotes, his childhood team. Matthews' pressure on Oliver Ekman-Larsson - using his reach in tight and his unique ability to lift his stick over and around the defenseman in one seemingly fluid motion to create pressure on both sides - eventually leads to a goal:
All of this combined makes Matthews a true force. He consistently puts himself in high-percentage scoring areas, and he almost always beats goalies cleanly. He's an efficient, artsy sniper who rarely scores by fluke. Of his 158 tallies, only three are empty-netters. The vast majority - 121 at even strength - have been earned.
It's too bad we probably won't see the conclusion of the regular season and Matthews' first real crack at the elite goal-scorer's milestone of 50 goals. He's young, though, and will surely continue to flabbergast both broadcasters and goalies again soon, challenging Ovechkin along the way.
"He's such a smart, intelligent player," teammate and close friend Tyson Barrie said of Matthews in February.
"It seems like every night he's scored. I'm not sure anybody's figured it out yet."
Residents in the town of Battleford, Saskatchewan, will welcome home the family of the late Colby Cave.
Members of the community are asking those who are able and willing to form a line of vehicles on a local highway to show support for the family as they return to the province Monday following the Cave's death in Toronto on Saturday.
Colby Cave’s family is returning to #SK from Toronto on Monday. Members of the Battlefords’ community are asking people who are able & willing to form a line of vehicles on the Westbound shoulder of HW 16 to show the family support during this challenging time.
Cave died at the age of 25 after suffering a brain bleed earlier in the week. He was placed in a medically induced coma at Sunnybrook Hospital following emergency surgery to remove a cyst that was causing pressure on his brain.
He was in his second season with the Edmonton Oilers organization after spending parts of five campaigns with the Boston Bruins to start his career.
