Jannik Hansen joins Sat and Dan on the show. Jannik talks future of Canucks, Ethan Bear, and Pettersson being a potential captain. The guys preview potential duos with the teams new additions.
This Podcast was produced by Dominic Sramaty
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Meier is arguably the best player rumored to be available for the March 3 frenzy. The versatile 26-year-old has logged 48 points in 51 games this season while firing 227 shots and adding 107 hits across nearly 20 minutes per contest.
He carries a $6-million cap hit before becoming a restricted free agent this summer. Meier's qualifying offer will then be $10 million.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier worked in the Rangers' front office as a hockey operations advisor before taking over in San Jose this past offseason. He also has a longstanding relationship with Rangers GM Chris Drury from their playing days with the Buffalo Sabres in the mid-2000s.
The Rangers have approximately $6.7 million in deadline cap space, according to Cap Friendly. On top of financial flexibility, New York has the assets to swing for the fences before the deadline. The club has two first-round picks in 2023, young NHLers in Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, and a prospect pipeline headlined by 2021 first-rounder Brennan Othmann.
The market for forwards was set earlier this week as former Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat was shipped to the New York Islanders for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a conditional first-round pick in 2023.
The New Jersey Devils have also been linked to Meier after GM Tom Fitzgerald recently said he's looking to add a top-six forward with cost control at the deadline.
As it stands, the Devils and Rangers are set to face each other in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Both are 29-year-old defense-oriented blue-liners who have term remaining on their contracts. McCabe is signed through 2024-25 at a $4-million cap hit, while Murphy's deal runs through 2025-26 at $4.4 million per season, via CapFriendly.
McCabe's in his second season with the Blackhawks. The left-shot is playing 19:20 per night and has tallied 14 points in 45 games, the highest scoring rate of his career. His 45.3% five-on-five Corsi-for leads Chicago defensemen, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Murphy has recorded five goals and seven points through 48 contests. At 19:28 per game, the right-shot is averaging under 20 minutes for the first time since 2018-19. He's been with the Blackhawks since the 2017-18 campaign.
McCabe has a seven-team no-trade clause, which reportedly includes each Canadian team except for the Maple Leafs. Murphy has a 10-team no-trade clause.
The Blackhawks are last in the Central Division with a 15-29-4 record.
Sidelined to start the season thanks to shoulder surgery, Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk watched his team explode out of the gate in October and says half-jokingly that he began to worry.
"Ah, I hope I don't come back and mess this thing up!" a smiling Grzelcyk said Wednesday from his dressing room stall at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Grzelcyk, of course, didn't mess anything up. Later Wednesday, the Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 to stop a season-long skid at three games and elevate their record to 39-7-5 ahead of the All-Star break.
Josh Lavallee / Getty Images
The Bruins were riddled with uncertainty coming out of the offseason. They had a new coach, an aging core, and injuries to key players. Boston was a popular choice to either miss the Eastern Conference playoffs or barely make them. Toronto and the Tampa Bay Lightning were expected to rule the Atlantic Division, while the Bruins would be chasing down the third spot alongside the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings.
Now, 51 games later, the Bruins are on pace for a stunning 134 points. That would establish a new NHL record, while their projected 62 wins would tie the 1995-96 Red Wings and 2018-19 Lightning for most all time. None of the factors identified in the preseason have proved to be an issue, while a number of Bruins players - chief among them forward David Pastrnak, goalie Linus Ullmark, and defenseman Hampus Lindholm - are enjoying career years.
"You couldn't have predicted this," Grzelcyk said.
Brian Fluharty / Getty Images
One catalyst for the Bruins' unexpected dominance: Coach Jim Montgomery telling his defensemen to be more aggressive in the offensive zone.
"He showed us a lot of video early on, and he would say, 'Instead of being here, you want to be a little bit lower.' Or, 'Instead of having to play rush defense, why don't you try to keep the puck in?'" Grzelcyk said. "We'll spend 20 extra seconds in the offensive zone now, where the other team is trying to flip the puck out for a change but they just can't. This approach allows you to go right back down their throat, versus always being conscious defensively."
Added Lindholm, who's racked up 33 points in his first full season in Boston: "If you look at the teams that have had success over the years, they have five players involved both defensively and offensively to create that offense."
In Grzelcyk's eyes, the Bruins have two No. 1 defensemen in Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy. "He's 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and he literally skates like he's 5-foot-7. It's insane," Grzelcyk said of Lindholm. "He's supercompetitive, too. He's played a hard game for us this year - harder than people on the outside probably think - and he takes a lot of pride in shutting the top guys down."
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
One thing Montgomery didn't have to tinker with was the Bruins' culture. Led by captain Patrice Bergeron and alternate Brad Marchand - who learned from retired Bruins great Zdeno Chara - Boston's veterans set a daily standard of professionalism, focus, and togetherness.
"Everyone holds himself to a certain level and accountability. It starts with our leaders and then works its way down," defenseman Brandon Carlo said. "(Montgomery's) recognized that as well, that it's not necessarily something he needs to be harping on us because we're already hard enough on ourselves."
Lindholm, acquired at last year's trade deadline, joked, "It's not like you come here and you sign a waiver." It's instead obvious what's acceptable and not acceptable, and buying into the culture is a no-brainer.
"If you see your leaders and you see your top guys doing certain things, it makes it easy for you to do it as well, and then you pass it along to whoever comes in after you," he said. "It's fun that way, and you do accomplish things better when you're a big group. No one's valued more in this locker room than anybody else. Everyone's on the same page and fighting for the same thing."
Old man Giordano still thriving
Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images
What a career arc for Mark Giordano.
In 2004, he was signed as an undrafted free agent. Two years later, at 22, he made his NHL debut for the Calgary Flames. He didn't earn his first Norris Trophy vote until 30 then won it at 35. At 37, he was an expansion-draft selection by Seattle. He was traded a few months later to Toronto.
Giordano, now 39, is the oldest skater in the league - and a massive bargain. His $800,000 cap hit is money well spent for the Maple Leafs. In Giordano's 830 five-on-five minutes spread across 52 contests this season (he has yet to miss a game), the Leafs have outscored the opposition 35-24.
"He just manages the game really well," teammate Morgan Rielly said last week. To Rielly, experience is a big part of Giordano's game. "He really doesn't chase the game. He's calm. He has a good feel for when things are going well and when things need to change."
Mark Blinch / Getty Images
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe was asked what he's learned about Giordano since the high-IQ veteran arrived roughly 11 months ago.
"I just didn't have a great enough appreciation for how much he battles, whether it's the shot blocks and getting in lanes or recovering or competing at the net front or engaging physically to kill plays and kill cycles," Keefe said.
At the All-Star break, Giordano leads the Leafs with 100 blocked shots.
"He makes very good reads to make sure the opposition has to come through him," Keefe said. "Mistakes that he makes are very few. Defensively, there's not a lot of times you notice somebody getting by him or him making a poor read."
Nobody deserves - or needs - the Leafs' nine-day break more than Giordano. Load management down the stretch would be wise, too. If the Leafs are going to finally make some noise in the playoffs, the old man must be well-rested.
Whirlwind continues for Horvat
Eliot J. Schechter / Getty Images
All-Star Weekend can be a dizzying few days for players. They're pulled in every direction to meet fans, sponsors, and reporters. There's a social aspect to being around 40 of your peers. The on-ice portion is a giant production.
It's safe to say no All-Star will have his head spinning quite like Bo Horvat, who on Monday was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Islanders. On Thursday, he was fielding media questions from Fort Lauderdale.
"You never think about getting a trade call. Ever," Horvat, 27, said. "To actually get one, it was definitely weird. I really didn't know how to take it. It still hasn't sunk in, really, yet. I think it'll start to more and more when I get (to Long Island) and meet the guys and put on the jersey for the first time."
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
Technically, Horvat will be putting on New York's jersey for the first time this weekend. He's a member of the Pacific Division All-star Team, which means he'll play alongside former teammate Elias Pettersson one more time. However, the NHL wants him to rock an Isles jersey with his new No. 14.
"Four plus one is five and four minus one is three," is how Horvat and his wife landed on 14 after nine years of 53 in Vancouver. "I really had to concentrate to write '14' instead of '53' today," he said of autographing a jersey in Florida.
Horvat, a pending unrestricted free agent, says he hasn't thought much about a possible extension. He's trying to get through the weekend and then focus on the hockey part of the transition. Who can blame him?
Parting shots
Vincent Trocheck: Count on the New York Rangers winger breaking through offensively after the All-Star break. Trocheck's shooting percentage is 9.5% this season, down from 12.5% last year and 13.8% in 2020-21. He could be due for a rebound. He's also rung 10 pucks off the post and another off the crossbar; his total of 11 is tied with Elias Pettersson (seven post, four crossbar) for most in the NHL.
Trocheck, who's tied for ninth in the league in scoring chances off the cycle per game and tied for 11th in chances off the forecheck per game, lives around the net. He constantly creates high-leverage opportunities. Those posts and crossbars ought to turn into goals sooner than later.
Mini Sticks CO: Tucker Shedd, a defenseman for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, is just 18 years old but is already giving back. Shedd runs the Mini Sticks Charitable Organization, a nonprofit supporting children who are battling cancer. The program offers tickets to Lancers games, a tour of the club's home rink, a seat on the bench for warmup, a shoutout on the overhead video board, and a care package to take home.
"I've never had to deal with cancer myself, but seeing it from the outside, I understand what they're going through," said Shedd, whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was 9. (She's doing well now.) "I know distractions can go a long way. It gives them a night off from what's going on in their life." Shedd plans on continuing the program at Michigan State when he starts college hockey in the fall.
This past Friday, we had the honor of hosting The Mini Sticks Co. Kid of the Game, Caysen Courtright! ⚔️🔥
Read Caysen's full story on our FaceBook & Instagram!
Cousinly love: Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes grew up around NHL players. His late older brother, Jimmy, played in the league and his cousins Keith Tkachuk and Tom Fitzgerald enjoyed long careers. This led to an interesting dynamic when Keith's kids, Matthew and Brady, started eyeing the pros. Guess who the younger Tkachuks listened to when it came down to hockey tips? "Keith would have me and my brother tell them things that he wanted to tell them," Hayes said with a smile Thursday at media day. "They thought we were really good because we were at Boston College or drafted to the NHL. It was funny, having Keith Tkachuk, (arguably) a Hall of Fame player, ask us about his kids because his kids don't want to listen to him."
Kevin Hayes was asked to spell Tkachuk. He did, in fact, spell his cousins' names correctly.
Ottawa Senators AHL head coach Troy Mann gave some of the team's pre-scouting material to another NHL club prior to his firing, sources told TSN's Claire Hanna.
The occurrence was the final straw in burgeoning trust issues between Mann and the Senators.
Mann was relieved of his duties as the Belleville Senators' head coach Thursday night following a 5-3 win over the Rochester Americans.
"While a change at the head coach position during the season is not an ideal scenario, we felt it was necessary to deliver improved team performance," Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion said in Thursday's release announcing Mann's firing.
Trent Mann, Troy's younger brother, has been in the Senators' front office since 2011. He was promoted to assistant general manager last summer.
The elder Mann had been the Senators' AHL head coach since the 2018-19 campaign. Players including Drake Batherson, Josh Norris, and Nick Paul developed into NHLers under Mann's tutelage in Belleville.
Paul credited Mann for helping turn his career around following his nomination for the Masterton Trophy in 2021.
"One of the biggest things that helped me turn around, is (Mann) came in when I was at a lower spot in my mental state," Paul said to The Athletic's Ian Mendes in May 2021. "I was very negative with myself with no confidence. And he kind of came in and gave me the confidence that I needed. He really had trust in me, put faith in me, and played me a lot. He taught me the game and how to be successful. So, Troy Mann coming in really helped me turn it around."
Belleville ranked sixth in the AHL's North Division with a 17-22-4 record and had allowed the second-most goals in the league at the time of Mann's firing. The 53-year-old had a 150-117-22 record at the helm of the AHL Senators across five seasons.
The 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition is just around the corner, and theScore has you covered. Below, we break down each event, introduce the participants, and try our hand at predicting the winners.
Where: FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida When: Friday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. ET TV: Sportsnet, TVA Sports (Canada); ESPN (United States)
Fastest Skater
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Skate! Skate like the wind!
In this iconic event, playerswill take a timed lap around FLA Live Arena. Participants can choose to go in whichever direction and can begin up to three feet behind the starting line. There will be two rounds, with the first go-around determining which two players will meet in the final.
Unfortunately, known speedster Connor McDavid is sitting this one out. The Edmonton Oilers superstar won the event three times from 2017-19, but he's been upset the past two years: New York Islanders stud Mathew Barzal bested him in 2020 and St. Louis Blues forward Jordan Kyrou won in Las Vegas, but those two players also won't participate this time around.
Participants
Kevin Fiala, Los Angeles Kings
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
Chandler Stephenson, Vegas Golden Knights
Andrei Svechnikov, Carolina Hurricanes
With the three most recent winners out of the mix, the competition may be a little more open for a first-time victor. However, Larkin is the most experienced player in the field: This will be his third time taking part in the event, and he earned the crown in 2016 after setting a still-unbeaten record for the fastest lap with a scorching run of 13.172 seconds.
2022 winner: Kyrou Prediction: Larkin. We're not about to bet against this record-holding speed demon.
Breakaway Challenge
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
This popular event returned last year for the first time since 2016, and it's here to stay in 2023.
During the Breakaway Challenge, shooters start from anywhere in the neutral zone and can essentially do whatever they want in the offensive zone - including going behind the net. Participants will attempt one shot, and a panel of judges will rate each on a scale of one to 10. Whoever earns the highest score wins.
Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo will be the celebrity goaltender for the proceedings, but he joked that he isn't sure why he agreed to do it. He'll have his hands full, though, seeing as generational talents Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby will be participating together somehow.
Participants
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins
David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
This was one of the more controversial challenges last year in Las Vegas. Trevor Zegras' blindfolded hommage to "Dodgeball" was the night's most memorable moment, but Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo ultimately bagged the victory. He indulged in some showmanship, incorporating comedian Carrot Top and Vegas Knight Line drummers into his attempt, but he missed the net. That didn't matter to judge and St. Louis native Jon Hamm, who gave the former Blues captain an extremely favorable score.
2022 winner: Pietrangelo Prediction: Ovechkin and Crosby. We're sure Tkachuk has something awesome up his sleeve, but we wouldn't be any fun if we didn't go with the pair of legendary rivals.
Tendy Tandem
Jeff Bottari / National Hockey League / Getty
This new challenge puts the heat on the goaltenders.
In Tendy Tandem, Atlantic Division goalies will take on their Metropolitan Division counterparts, while Central Division netminders will test their mettle against the Pacific Division backstops. One player from each pair will be designated as the shooting goalie, while the other will be the in-net goalie.
The shooting goalie will take a shot from a designated mark and try and get it into a hole in the net. If he is successful, he'll earn three points. He'll get two points if he hits the in-net target and no points if he misses the net.
Depending on how many points the shooting goalie earned, the opposing in-net goalie will face rushes of up to three shooters, who will include Alex Carpenter, Hilary Knight, Emily Clark, Rebecca Johnston, and Sarah Nurse. The shooters must start from center ice, and drop passes will be allowed. The tandem with the most points will win.
Participants
Linus Ullmark and Andrei Vasilevskiy, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning
Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin, New York Islanders and New York Rangers
Juuse Saros and Connor Hellebuyck, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets
Stuart Skinner and Logan Thompson, Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights
Prediction: Sorokin and Shesterkin. As a Vezina Trophy candidate this season, Sorokin can hold things down as the in-net goalie for the Metropolitan Division. Shesterkin should star as the shooting goalie, seeing as he can really sling the puck.
Splash Shot
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Splash Shot, one of three events making its debut in Sunrise, will take place on the beach at Fort Lauderdale, which is cool. Even cooler? This event features a dunk tank. How refreshing!
Eight players will be divided into four teams of two. Participants will compete head-to-head in a single-elimination tournament, racing to knock down all the targets before attempting to dunk their opponents. Whoever sends their adversaries into the water first will claim victory.
Participants
Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins
Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk, Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators
Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
Prediction: Team Tkachuk. This event was made for some mischief, and the brothers are more than well-versed in mischief.
Accuracy Shooting
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
For this tried-and-true challenge, skaters must knock out four styrofoam targets in each corner of the net.
The four players with the fastest times in the first round will move on. During the semifinals and finals, two nets with targets will be placed side by side along the goal line. The skater who hits all four targets in the fastest time during the final will earn the victory.
In this truly Floridian event, players will get to flex their hockey and golf skills on a par-4 island green.
Predictably, the winner will be whoever takes the fewest shots to sink their ball into the hole. The participants' approaches will combine both golf and hockey shots.
If there is a tie, the longest drive will determine the victor.
Participants
Johnny Gaudreau, Columbus Blue Jackets
Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens
Prediction: Suzuki.We've gotta be honest - we don't have intimate knowledge of the four participants' golf game, but check out Suzuki's form while using a golf simulator during the 2022 NHL player media tour.
Hardest Shot
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
Another classic event and one that is pretty straightforward. The title goes to whoever records the shot with the fastest speed.
Each skater will get two attempts to shoot the puck into the net from 30 feet away. The shot must be on goal to count, and players will get another chance if their stick breaks or the tracker fails to calculate the speed.
Participants
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
Seth Jones, Chicago Blackhawks
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
Just like for the Fastest Skater, the three most recent winners of this event aren't in the lineup in Sunrise, but Ovechkin has a chance to become a two-time victor. He last participated in 2018 when he won after firing a shot that touched 101.3 mph. This will be his sixth time showing off just how hard he can rip it (we're already well aware of what he can do - he has 812 goals to show for it - but still).
Zdeno Chara set the record in 2012 with a 108.8-mph blast.
2022 winner: Victor Hedman Prediction: Ovechkin. Who wants to get in the way of one of his shots?!
Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl might be the only person in the world who isn't impressed by his performance this season.
"Yeah, it's been a funny year for me personally, to be honest. I haven't really been happy with the way I've been playing necessarily," Draisaitl said during media day ahead of the 2023 All-Star Game.
"Obviously, the statistics would probably tell you otherwise," he added with a laugh. "I think there's another level to the way that I just want to play, not about statistics or goals, assists, or whatever it is."
Draisaitl has 76 points in 48 games this campaign, putting him at a 130-point pace over 82 contests. He's well on his way to surpassing his previous career high of 110 points, which he set in 2019-20 and 2021-22.
Right now, he'd be the leading point-getter on every team in the league except his own due to Connor McDavid's 92 points in 50 matchups.
As for how he can get to a new level? Draisaitl said it's all mental.
"Myself, my mind, my ability to just play and not overthink and just go out and do what I do best," he said. "That's a lot of times easier said than done, but that's what's going to make me successful."
Before the puck dropped on the 2022-23 campaign, Draisaitl said the high ankle sprain he suffered in the playoffs during the Oilers' run to the Western Conference Final actually "evolved" his game.
"It kind of showed me that there's a way that I can become better, in a way, with doing almost less. ... When you're healthy, you try and play your best, you try and play with speed, you try and play fast," he said in August during an appearance on Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts: The Podcast."
"I didn't have that to my game, so I tried to find a way to be productive in a different way. I thought I did a pretty good job of that."
Draisaitl wasn't the only Oiler who made eyebrow-raising comments regarding his own performance on Thursday.
"I've never been an elite goal-scorer," McDavid told reporters in Florida. "I always create chances, and I've always gotten chances, but for some reason, this year, it's going in."
McDavid has hit the 40-goal mark four times in his career (including this season), and his 280 tallies since entering the league in 2015-16 are the fourth-most in the NHL in that span.
Edmonton has won seven out of its last 10 games, and the team currently holds the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a 28-18-4 record.
