Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel will share the same sheet of NHL ice for the first time in their professional careers Tuesday night in Buffalo.
Huge deal, yeah?
Perhaps to everyone except the first and second overall selections in last year's draft.
Naturally, McDavid and Eichel rejected the notion that Tuesday night's clash was anything more than the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Edmonton Oilers in a matchup of two clubs desperate for points.
"The media has us pegged as not liking each other or being rivals (when) we really just don't know each other," McDavid said.
Eichel was particularly dismissive in his media availability.
"I think you guys all probably want to view it that way but I think inside the room you don't look at it like that. It's a team game. There's five guys on the ice and a goalie. It's a lot more than two people playing against each other," Eichel said.
"We're playing the Oilers tonight, we're not playing Connor McDavid. Obviously he's a key component to their team, and he's a good player. Right after I get out of here I'll go pre-scout Edmonton and I will know what to do."
Though they'll have to deal with this line of questioning for at least the next several seasons, there's hope for McDavid and Eichel to escape their constant comparison eventually.
These days, the Oilers and Stars can meet without "Taylor versus Tyler" dominating the pre- and post-game chatter, and even Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin's apparent distaste for one another seems to have subsided, too.
Ovechkin was named second star after scoring at nearly a goal-per-game clip in February. He tallied 12 goals in 13 games, highlighted by his league-leading 40th marker.
Forsberg took home the third star after leading the Predators to a 7-3-3 record. The 21-year-old matched Ovechkin with 12 goals in 13 games, and recorded a pair of natural hat tricks.
.@EliasSports: Filip Forsberg is the first player from any team to record multiple natural hat tricks in three/fewer games since Nov. 1986.
With an 11-point cushion in the Presidents' Trophy race, it's no surprise oddsmakers have pinned the Washington Capitals as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
Oddsmakers Bodog released the latest betting odds Tuesday, and once again the first-place Capitals are leading the charge.
Despite missing over half the season, Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid now sits second with odds of 5-1 to win the Calder Trophy. He trails Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin, who leads at 3-10 odds of bringing home the hardware.
Suspended Anaheim Ducks center Shawn Horcoff was back at practice for the first time Tuesday since it was announced in January that he had violated the NHL and NHLPA's Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
Though he can skate with the team now, after a month of inaction, he will not be at head coach Bruce Boudreau's disposal until March 11.
Horcoff had 10 points through 45 games in his first season with Anaheim, which has shot up the league standings in his absence.
The Connor McDavid effect will be put to the test once again Tuesday.
Nail Yakupov is staying put past the trade deadline, and it appears he'll have every opportunity to show the Edmonton Oilers what he's capable of in the final 18 games of the season. With Benoit Pouliotreportedly sidelined indefinitely due to a separated shoulder, Yakupov will slot in next to McDavid and Jordan Eberle on Edmonton's top line against the Buffalo Sabres.
"He's been waiting for this opportunity & we're giving it to him. We expect big things." Coach McLellan on Yak joining McDavid & Eberle
The 22-year-old forward has struggled mightily this season, failing to register a point in his last five games, while recording just three goals in 20 contests since returning from an ankle injury on Jan. 14. The good news is, McDavid can certainly elevate his play.
Two-thirds of Yakupov's 15 points in 42 games this season have come while playing on a line with McDavid:
Games
Points
With McDavid
13
10
Without McDavid
29
5
Growth in production is nothing new for players playing alongside the 19-year-old rookie phenom:
Player
Games Without McDavid
Points
Games With McDavid
Points
Jordan Eberle
37
22
14
16
Benoit Pouliot
34
14
27
21
Amid endless speculation surrounding Yakupov's future with the Oilers, there's clearly no better time than now for the former first overall pick to turn his career around. If not, it's certainly possible he could find himself playing somewhere else in the near future.
He might be one of his best friends, but Alex Ovechkin plans to bring the hurt when he faces former teammate Brooks Laich.
The Washington Capitals host the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday in the first matchup between the clubs since the two executed the trade that sent Laich, Connor Carrick, and a second-round pick to the Maple Leafs for forward Danniel Winnik and a fifth-round pick, and Ovechkin doesn't plan to take it easy.
"When we have a power play he’s gonna be PK and I’m gonna shoot him in the foot and laugh about it," Ovechkin said, according to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.
Ovechkin sent his well wishes early Sunday morning after learning about the trade. The two had been the longest-serving Capitals on the roster, both suiting up for their first full season with the team in 2005.
Trotz said he thinks it'll be "awkward" for Laich tomorrow. But thinks it's good for Laich to get that reunion over with fast.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) March 1, 2016
With the Maple Leafs already hampered by injuries, hopes are that Ovechkin goes a little easy on his pal.
The NHL cited Rinaldo's lengthy suspension history, and ultimately deemed that Paquette's head - the principal point of contact - was avoidable in his attempt to separate the Lightning center from the puck.
Rinaldo has now accrued 19 games in suspension from four separate incidents in his NHL career, as Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe points out.
He will forfeit nearly $52,000 as a result of his latest ban.
The NHL Trade Deadline came and went Monday, and, aside from a flurry of activity after 3 p.m. (13 deals were announced following the deadline), it was certainly a day containing very little drama.
NHL trade deadline day is like Christmas, if your mean parents made you talk about your presents all morning without ever opening anything.
There were a pair of trades - Mikkel Boedker to the Colorado Avalanche, and Kris Russell to the Dallas Stars - with real consequence, but it was otherwise another over-hyped morning and afternoon that continued a recent trend of inaction on the final trading day of the season.
Since an absolutely insane 31-trade deadline day in 2009-10, there has been a downswing ever since, with the exception of last season. Over the last six years, there has been an average of 19 trades on deadline day, which matches Monday's total.
Year
Deadline Day Trades
2015-16
19
2014-15
24
2013-14
20
2012-13
17
2011-12
16
2010-11
16
2009-10
31
With the Chicago Blackhawks (buyers) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (sellers) serving as prime examples, it's becoming evident that the trade deadline is no longer about one specific day, but more so about the plethora of moves in the days leading up to it.
Starting from when the Maple Leafs sent Shawn Matthias to the Avalanche on Feb. 21, there were just as many trades in the eight days leading up to the deadline than the actual day itself.
Since Feb. 21
Deadline Day
38
19
In fact, more players were traded during the aforementioned eight-day period than on the deadline.
Since Feb. 21
Deadline Day
81
37
Perhaps the most interesting thing that stood out from the 38 deals was the draft picks involved:
2016
2017
2018
Since Feb. 21
18
10
5
33
There was only one first-round draft pick exchanged - in the Andrew Ladd deal. However, there were nine second-round picks involved in trades, accounting for 27 percent of the 33 picks that were dealt.
The value of a first-round pick has never been higher than this season, perhaps due to a deep, top-heavy draft class. The price for a rental player has also dropped significantly, which can certainly be attributed to a lack of star power available on the market.
The top seven point producers - all forwards - traded since Feb. 21 head into play Tuesday on pace for an average of 47 points over a full 82-game season. That's a very underwhelming total, making it evident that many teams aren't interested in selling off their top assets for what is, in many cases a depth addition for a playoff run. However, that didn't stop a group of sellers and buyers from remaining active, albeit with many minor deals.
Team
Trades (Since Feb. 21)
Chicago Blackhawks
5
Edmonton Oilers
5
Colorado Avalanche
4
Toronto Maple Leafs
4
Carolina Hurricanes
4
Calgary Flames
4
Arizona Coyotes
4
Florida Panthers
4
Anaheim Ducks
4
As big-name players in Steven Stamkos and Dustin Byfuglien came off the market, and the likes of Jonathan Drouin and Dan Hamhuis stayed put, there were certainly deals with blockbuster potential that quite simply never came to fruition. Although this surely had an effect on Monday's trade deadline, it's becoming increasingly evident that it is no longer about one specific day. The biggest deals, which are not anywhere near as significant as they once were, will ultimately come in the days leading up to it.
