Dan and Sat discuss the outlook of JT Miller this season and what he can do under Rick Tocchet. Also, hear from Brett Festerling with his thoughts ahead of the season and how the Canucks are shaping up.
This podcast was produced by Josh Elliott-Wolfe.
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.
Matt and Blake reminisce over Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider with the former getting his Ring of Honour day announced and the latter announcing his retirement. They also discuss Rick Tocchet carving Dakota Joshua, lineups for preseason games, the Athletic's model prediction for the season, Ilya Mikheyev's progress, and rookie defenceman Cole McWard. Other topics include the Lions and Caps with huge playoff-implication games; Taylor Swift's influence on the Kansas City Chiefs' and Travis Kelce's marketing; the passing of former Vancouver Mountie Brooks Robinson; and this weekend's Ryder Cup in Rome. Frank Corrado knows what it's like to be on the NHL bubble. He tells us the dos-and-donts for those players in preseason. Frank interprets Tocchet's criticism of Joshua, as well as sharing stories about his time as Schneider's teammate. Sean Whyte is "husband material" and joins to discuss reaching 200 CFL games and his two stints with the Lions. Whyte tells us this is one of two special teams he has played on; and takes us inside a kicker's preparation, including detailing his relationship with special teams coach Mike Benevides. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
The Calgary Flames are closing in on a two-year extension with veteran forward Mikael Backlund worth $4.5 million per season, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.
Calgary Flames forward Jakob Pelletier will undergo shoulder surgery next week and will be out indefinitely, the team announced Tuesday.
Pelletier's left shoulder was injured during Monday's preseason game against the Seattle Kraken when Marian Studenic drilled him into the boards.
The 22-year-old Pelletier was vying for a full-time job with the Flames. He tallied three goals and four assists while averaging 14:11 per game in 24 NHL contests last season. Pelletier added 37 points in 35 games with the AHL's Calgary Wranglers.
The Flames selected Pelletier 26th overall at the 2019 NHL Draft.
Given the high-variance nature of the goaltending position, it's not necessarily surprising that nobody has won the Vezina Trophy in back-to-back years since Martin Brodeur in the late 2000s.
Let's see the top of the oddsboard and then take a closer look at three goaltenders I see value in backing to unseat last season's winner, Linus Ullmark.
Player
Odds
Ilya Sorokin
+400
Igor Shesterkin
+600
Juuse Saros
+600
Connor Hellebuyck
+700
Andrei Vasilevskiy
+800
Jake Oettinger
+1100
Filip Gustavsson
+1800
Linus Ullmark
+1800
Alexandar Georgiev
+2500
Carter Hart
+3000
Jacob Markstrom
+3000
Jeremy Swayman
+3000
Thatcher Demko
+3000
Ilya Sorokin (+400)
Sorokin checks all the boxes for a potential award-winning goaltender. He consistently posts elite save percentages, he wins a lot more than he loses - despite limited offensive support, he is 17 games above NHL .500 (which excludes overtime losses) the past two years - and he carries an insane workload.
Sorokin played in 62 games a season ago, which was more than all but Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros. And there is every reason to expect another monster workload this year.
With the Islanders opting to bring back almost the exact same roster, their margin for error in terms of trying to make the playoffs is slim. They simply don't have enough talent to breeze through the regular season. That means they'll need Sorokin in the net as often as possible in order to seriously contend for a playoff spot.
Although many goaltenders see rather extreme variance in their numbers on a year-to-year basis, Sorokin is a rare exception. He's posted save percentages of .924 and .925 as a starter. He ranks top three in both total save percentage and high-danger save percentage in that span.
He is as reliable as they come and has been knocking on the door of a Vezina. It's only a matter of time.
Jake Oettinger (+1100)
Oettinger is one of the NHL's brightest young stars - no pun intended - at his position. He is already one of the better goaltenders in the league and he's still getting better.
Oettinger has played three NHL seasons. Each year his save percentage has risen, as has his workload.
He is coming off a monstrous 2022-23 campaign in which he posted a 37-11-11 record and .919 save percentage. Although it wasn't enough for a Vezina nomination, there's plenty of reason to believe he'll be in the mix in 2023-24.
The Stars are clearly willing to give him all the starts he can handle. With only $1 million committed to journeyman backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood, that is surely their plan once again.
Dallas is one of the best defensive teams in the NHL - last year, it ranked sixth in expected goal suppression - so Oettinger shouldn't see many high-quality chances on any given night. That'll make it easier to post strong numbers.
The Stars can also score in bunches, so Oettinger won't leave many wins on the table due to a lack of run support.
Alexandar Georgiev (+2500)
Georgiev is a mouthwatering dark horse to bring home some hardware. His debut season with the Avalanche couldn't have gone much better, with Georgiev posting a 40-16-6 record and .919 save percentage over 62 games.
The Avalanche are fairly heavily invested in Pavel Francouz as a platoon candidate, but he has dealt with a lot of injury problems and appears to be out of the picture for a while to start this year. That means another heavy workload for Georgiev, who proved he could handle it a season ago.
Colorado is a true Stanley Cup contender that overwhelms opponents with its offense almost every night. Georgiev is going to get a ton of run support and, thus, wins.
Nobody in Georgiev's price range plays for a team that's even close to as good as the Avalanche. Considering the numbers he put up a year ago, and the fact Francouz's injury troubles have already popped up, there is a lot of value at +2500.
Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.
Washington Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing a procedure to stabilize a fractured hand, the team announced Wednesday.
Edmundson sustained the injury during a scrimmage on Sunday.
The 30-year-old was acquired by the Capitals this summer from the Montreal Canadiens with 50% salary retention in exchange for a third-round and seventh-round draft pick.
"It's tough," Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery told TNT's Tarik El-Bashir on Tuesday. "He's battled some stuff over the last couple of years. This was a little bit of a fresh start for him. I felt like he was in a really good place."
Edmundson missed 79 games over the past two seasons due to various ailments. Last year, he suited up in 61 games with the Canadiens, registering two goals and 13 points to go with a team-worst minus-29 rating.
The Philadelphia Flyers appear open to taking on Ottawa Senators forward Mathieu Joseph's contract.
The Flyers like Joseph and see a fit with him, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. However, that doesn't mean the two sides are close to agreeing on a trade.
Philadelphia is asking for a high-level prospect or possibly a first-round pick, Friedman adds. The Senators have two 2024 first-rounders: their own and a conditional first-round pick acquired from the Detroit Red Wings as part of the Alex DeBrincat trade. Ottawa reportedly isn't willing to meet that price at this point.
The Senators are looking to clear cap space to sign their last remaining restricted free agent, Shane Pinto, who projects to play a critical role as the club's third-line center.
Ottawa has $120,953 in cap space, per CapFriendly. The club could likely increase that total to $1.7 million with a roster of only 17 skaters and two goalies. But that number still may not be enough to sign Pinto. Evolving-Hockey projects him getting a two-year deal at $1.88 million per year.
The Senators drafted Pinto 32nd overall in 2019. The 6-foot-3 center tallied 20 goals and 15 assists in his rookie year in 2022-23.
Joseph, who makes $2.95 million per season through 2025-26, has been rumored as the logical candidate to get dealt to make room for Pinto. The 26-year-old speedy winger managed just three goals and 15 assists in 56 contests last season. The Sens acquired the 2021 Stanley Cup winner and a fourth-round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 for Nick Paul.
The Senators are determined to make the leap and snap their six-year playoff drought - the third-longest in the league.
The Flyers appear to be in the early stages of a rebuild and are willing to weaponize their cap space (over $7 million) to gain assets.
The only thing worse in fantasy sports than missing out on a breakout talent one year is to overcorrect the following season and end up with a bust.
Here are five candidates to be wary of in your fantasy draft who could be in store for regression after posting great 2022-23 campaigns.
Jamie Benn, LW, Dallas Stars
Christopher Mast / National Hockey League / Getty
Benn turned back the clock last season with 33 goals and 78 points to finish second on the Stars in scoring. It was the first time he eclipsed the 30-goal, 70-point mark in five campaigns.
As a result of the 34-year-old's return to form, he's naturally a player to be hesitant to take early in fantasy drafts. Benn's average draft position in Yahoo leagues is 75.7 - ahead of Kevin Fiala, Johnny Gaudreau, and teammate Joe Pavelski.
Benn's 13.1% five-on-five on-ice shooting percentage was the highest in the league among those who played more than 50 games. However, Benn averaged 7.7% in this statistic from 2018-22.
In addition to Benn's five-on-five luck likely to regress, the Stars added more offensive depth this summer in the form of Matt Duchene. That means more competition for offensive opportunities at five-on-five and on the man advantage.
Benn can still be a useful asset in fantasy this season, but he's being drafted too early when other higher-end forwards are still on the table. After an unexpected bounce-back campaign, Benn's ceiling is what he accomplished last year. Pass on the veteran in his current slot and opt for a player with a clearcut shot to operate in their team's most advantageous situations.
Andrei Kuzmenko, LW, Vancouver Canucks
Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / Getty
Kuzmenko burst onto the scene last year, making his awaited North American debut following a superb career in the KHL. The Russian exceeded expectations with the Canucks, racking up 39 goals and 74 points to set team records as a first-year NHLer.
While Kuzmenko remains in an excellent spot on Elias Pettersson's wing, there's a significant warning sign that he could be in for regression as a sophomore.
Kuzmenko's 39-goal campaign came off the back of a sky-high 27.3% shooting percentage. It's the highest single-season shooting percentage by a player since 2004 and the top mark by a 30-goal scorer since Sergei Makarov in 1990-91.
It's doubtful Kuzmenko will operate at such a clip again this campaign. Looking at the 10 highest single-season shooting percentages from 2018-22, no player increased their goal output the following year. Even Leon Draisaitl's and Brayden Point's goal productions dipped after scoring at 20-plus percent rates during this span.
Readjust your hopes if you expect Kuzmenko to build on his previous season and crack the 40-goal plateau.
Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg Jets
Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / Getty
It's an understatement to say Morrissey exploded on offense in 2022-23. He recorded 16 goals and 76 points from the Jets' backend, more than doubling his previous career high.
Morrissey never received Norris Trophy votes in his six previous full-time campaigns before vaulting into second in scoring among defenders last season.
The 28-year-old will remain a workhorse on Winnipeg's blue line with minimal competition for prime minutes on the power play. However, it isn't realistic to expect Morrissey to continue scoring at such a drastically different rate than he did before last season.
With Morrissey going around No. 70 in Yahoo drafts, opt for the higher-end upside of Evan Bouchard or safer options in Brent Burns or John Carlson.
The Calgary native will be a useful asset in fantasy this season, but he likely won't hit the massive highs of the previous campaign to be worthwhile as the No. 11 defenseman off the board.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C/LW, Edmonton Oilers
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
Nobody predicted a 100-point season from Nugent-Hopkins coming into the 2022-23 campaign. Thanks largely to a historic Oilers power play, the former No. 1 draft pick set career highs with 37 goals and 104 points.
Since the 2007-08 season, no 100-point player scored a higher percentage of their points on the man advantage than Nugent-Hopkins last campaign. A whopping 62.5% of his points a year ago came on the power play.
Of course, Nugent-Hopkins isn't just a power-play scorer. His 39 points at five-on-five were in line with the likes of Gaudreau and Mark Scheifele. But neither of those two is sniffing the top 30 in Yahoo drafts like Nugent-Hopkins.
Nugent-Hopkins will need the Oilers' power play to be at the level it was last season for him to be a worthwhile pick at his average draft position of 32.5 - a higher slot than Steven Stamkos and Artemi Panarin.
Yes, Edmonton's man advantage is outrageous and will likely lead the league again, but we're talking about the highest success rate for a power play in NHL history. It's unrealistic to expect the Oilers to repeat that, making Nugent-Hopkins an unnecessary risk at that stage in drafts.
Linus Ullmark, G, Boston Bruins
China Wong / National Hockey League / Getty
There isn't enough to say about Ullmark's remarkable 2022-23 campaign - just look at his eye-watering .938 save percentage and 40 wins in 49 appearances.
That earned him the Vezina Trophy last season and slots him as the No. 6 goaltender off the board in Yahoo leagues. Despite how well Ullmark performed a year ago, that isn't a risk worth taking.
The odds of the Bruins replicating their historic 135-point regular season from 2022-23 are incredibly low. Boston lost its top centers, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, to retirement and deadline additions Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov to free agency.
The Bruins need to be one of the top teams in the league to justify taking Ullmark as a top-30 player, and that isn't likely with the immense competition in the Atlantic Division.
Boston has split starts between Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman for the most part, and that projects to continue this season.
After Ullmark at an average draft position of 29.7, the top tandem goaltenders being taken in Yahoo drafts are Swayman (52.3), Filip Gustavsson (66.2), and Frederik Andersen (79.2). It's incredibly low that the Bruins will be good enough to justify a 30-slot difference between Ullmark and the next highest drafted non-Bruins tandem goaltender.
With Ullmark going in drafts ahead of workhorse netminders like Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros, let others pick Ullmark too high and either take a workhorse starter in this range or wait until later to snag a tandem netminder.
