Columbus Blue Jackets sniper Patrik Laine isn't quite sure why he was stuck to the bench during the late stages of the club's 5-4 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
The 22-year-old logged just 2:20 of ice time in the third period and didn't play in the final seven minutes of regulation or overtime despite having what he believed to be a strong game.
"Yeah we got scored on a couple of times but I think the first two, if you take out the one play where the puck was bouncing a little bit and I couldn't get it out and they ended up scoring, I thought I was playing good, but I guess I thought wrong," Laine told reporters following the loss.
Laine, who said earlier Thursday his confidence was "closer to zero" amid a seven-game point slump, tallied one goal and one assist to help Columbus open a 4-1 lead after two periods. However, his line was out for a pair of Panthers' third-period tallies, which could have led to his benching.
Head coach John Tortorella didn't offer much when asked about his decision to shorten the bench as the game progressed.
"At that point in time that's just the way it worked out," Tortorella said.
The Blue Jackets acquired Laine from the Winnipeg Jets in January. The Finnish forward was benched in just his fourth game with the club in February for reportedly verbally disrespecting a member of the coaching staff.
The 36-year-old was in goal Wednesday for the Golden Knights' 4-3 loss against the Minnesota Wild.
Fleury is arguably the favorite for the Vezina Trophy this season. He leads all netminders (minimum five starts) in save percentage (.938) and goals-against average (1.73) through 17 appearances.
Puck-stopper Robin Lehner has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since Feb. 8, and was sent to the AHL on a conditioning loan Wednesday.
The Golden Knights had multiple players and members of their coaching staff added to the COVID-19 protocol list at the end of January.
Vegas hits the road for a two-game set with the St. Louis Blues on Friday and Saturday. Netminder Oscar Dansk will likely take over starting duties until Lehner or Fleury are available.
After a solid start to his stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets, sniper Patrik Laine seems to have hit a wall both mentally and on the ice.
"Probably closer to zero," Laine said Thursday when asked where his confidence is at right now, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline.
Laine amassed six goals and four assists in his first 10 games with the club. However, he's gone pointless in his last seven contests, matching the longest drought of his career.
Starting with a new club midseason is never an easy task, but the 22-year-old has nothing but good things to say about Columbus.
"Haven't been here for a very long time, but it starts to feel like home, Laine said, according to Portzline.
"Can't thank the guys in the organization enough for making this as easy as possible for me," he continued. "Everybody's been great. My teammates are awesome. Everybody who works here is awesome. It's been an easy transition to come here, and I've enjoyed every minute of it.
The Blue Jackets acquired Laine and forward Jack Roslovic from the Winnipeg Jets for Pierre-Luc Dubois in late January. Laine has eight goals and five assists in 18 games this season.
With the NHL looking to make some tweaks to its draft lottery system, commissioner Gary Bettman doesn't believe teams have intentionally played poorly to obtain better picks in the past.
"There are some clubs who recently think it's important that the teams that are struggling the most get the most help. There are other teams ... that think there is nothing wrong with the present system at all," Bettman said to media via Zoom Thursday. "I don't believe there's tanking in the game. I think our players, and our organizations, our coaches, are too professional."
The NHL recently proposed to the league's board of governors some changes to its lottery system. The reported alterations include limiting teams to no more than two lottery wins in a five-year period, allowing clubs to jump up only 10 spots, and reducing picks in the lottery from three to two.
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday that it's "more likely than not" the upcoming 2021 NHL Draft will be held in July, according to The Associated Press' Stephen Whyno. The NHL's general managers were reportedly in favor of postponing the draft.
The league last altered its lottery format in 2016, making the top three picks available in the lottery for non-playoff teams instead of just the No. 1 selection. Bettman said he thinks the current system doesn't need a complete overhaul, just a few minor adjustments.
"Yes there's been an anomaly or two here and there, but the system wasn't necessarily crying out for major change," Bettman said. "I think these adjustments are more in the form of tweaks than anything else."
The NHL's last-place team has picked first overall just twice in the past nine years.
Our streak of eight overtime losses in a row - including six in four days!! - came to an end Tuesday thanks to the Hurricanes. Hopefully, that Jordan Staal goal will trigger a 180 in the luck department.
We're sitting at 77-63 (+13.71 units) on the season heading into Thursday night. Here's what I've got so far, but as always, pay attention to Twitter for any adds.
Winners of six of their last seven, the Capitals are coming in hot, while the Flyers are reeling a bit after losing three of their previous five, with just one regulation win. But Philadelphia has played much better despite the results not going its way, controlling a terrific 57.89% of the expected goal share at five-on-five over the last seven contests.
A big part of the Flyers' struggles has been the play of Carter Hart, who simply can't find his game. The difference between him and Brian Elliott has been massive for this team, and we're getting an Elliott start tonight, which is a big part of the reasoning behind this play. Hart started the 3-1 loss to the Capitals on Sunday, and Washington feels a bit overvalued here because of it, especially with Tom Wilson still suspended.
It's hard to find many positives surrounding the Blue Jackets right now, who have lost seven of their last nine and have scored just 11 goals in their previous seven games. However, much like the Flyers, they've been playing a lot better. They're top 10 in expected goal share at five-on-five over their last seven contests and owned a 53% or greater share in five of those games.
A big part of the issue for Columbus has been in net. Since Elvis Merzlikins got hurt, Joonas Korpisalo has started eight straight games. Over that span, the Blue Jackets allowed just 2.31 xGA/60, the fifth-best mark in the league, but are allowing 3.03 GA/60. Korpisalo has struggled, with his minus-7.7 GSAA and minus-11.67 GSAx, ranking 66th and 68th out of 71 goalies this season. Merzlikins is a significant upgrade in both regards.
As for the Panthers, their goaltending situation is much shakier. Chris Driedger is cooling a bit after his hot start, and while Sergei Bobrovsky has been a bit better of late, he still hardly inspires confidence. The underlying numbers have been strong for this team, but I'm reluctant to buy in. There's a lot to like up-front when you look at this roster, but their blue line really isn't all that good. I have a hard time believing this defense can sustain the level they're playing at, and that's especially concerning with a shaky goaltending situation backing them up. The Blue Jackets are good value here in a revenge spot on home ice in Merzlikins' return to the crease.
Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. 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, despises how the NHL handles starting goalie announcements, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
The Buffalo Sabres have hit rock bottom. The team was supposed to contend this year after the additions of Taylor Hall and Eric Staal, but they sit dead last in league standings.
General manager Kevyn Adams has vowed to make changes, calling the team's struggles "unacceptable."
How far Adams goes to shake up the roster remains to be seen. Hall, Staal, and Brandon Montour are all pending UFAs and it's seemingly a foregone conclusion the trio is gone by the April 12 trade deadline. If Adams fails to move them, the Sabres will miss out on valuable returning assets; re-signing any of those three players is highly unlikely.
And then there's Jack Eichel. Trading him is not necessarily the best course of action, but it's definitely in the cards if Adams is intent on starting a new rebuild. Remember, Adams was just promoted to GM this past offseason, he may want to build this team from the ground up.
Before we explore two potential franchise-altering trades the Sabres should consider, there's an important piece of business Buffalo needs to address.
Management shake-up
Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / Getty
The Sabres should hire a president of hockey operations. It may seem unlikely since it hasn't happened to this point, but it would be highly beneficial to have an accomplished executive oversee Adams, given that his front-office experience is fairly limited.
Ideally, the hire would have a track record of NHL success - perhaps Dean Lombardi, for example. Finding a top hockey executive by the offseason should be a priority for owners Terry and Kim Pegula.
Not only would the president of hockey operations provide another voice in any Eichel trade negotiations, but the potential hire would help Buffalo find it's next head coach. It's clear Ralph Krueger's message is not getting through. The Sabres need to replace him in the offseason.
Hurricane Hall
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
There are a number of potential suitors for Hall. The Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Boston Bruins all make sense. But the Carolina Hurricanes may be the most intriguing option.
This year could be Carolina's best chance to win a Stanley Cup. Andrei Svechnikov's entry-level deal expires after this season and Dougie Hamilton is a pending UFA. Both players are due for hefty raises.
Carolina has some cap space to burn this season, though. It makes sense for them to go all-in.
To CAR
To BUF
F Taylor Hall*
F Warren Foegele
F Eric Staal*
F Morgan Geekie
D Brandon Montour*
F Jack Drury
D Jake Gardiner
2021 2nd-rounder**
*Buffalo retains 50% salary **Becomes first-round pick if Hall re-signs in Carolina
There are a couple caveats to this deal. Staal has a 10-team no-trade list, but it's hard to imagine the Canes are on there. An opportunity to return to his old stomping grounds to try and win another Stanley Cup - this time alongside his brother, Jordan - would be appealing.
Gardiner also has a seven-team no-trade list. Buffalo is not the most desirable market, so it's possible the Sabres are on there. If that's the case, it would be hard to make this deal work from a cap perspective. He's signed through 2022-23 at $4.05 million per season. Carolina has tried to move him in the past - as recently as this offseason - to no avail.
For Sabres fans, this deal may look a tad underwhelming considering the haul the New Jersey Devils received for Hall last season. There are a few important factors to consider here. The Arizona Coyotes acquired him well before the deadline, Hall is in the midst of his worst season, and this year is a buyer's market - partially due to the flat cap.
However, Foegele - an RFA after this season - is a high-floor, top-nine forward at just 24 years old. Geekie, a 22-year-old center, has dominated the AHL and appears to be NHL ready. Drury, the son of Sabres legend Chris, was a 2018 second-round selection. Factoring in the draft pick, that's a solid return for three pending UFAs.
Eichel to the Big Apple
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Firstly, an Eichel trade would have to wait until the summer. Massive deals like this with plenty of money moving around are too difficult to pull off during the season.
Secondly, the Sabres don't need to trade Eichel since he's locked up through 2025-26 at $10 million per season. So if they're going to deal their captain, it would take an offer they can't refuse.
The Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers would reportedly be the front-runners to land the star center, but we've opted to go with the latter, since the Blueshirts are seemingly further along in their rebuild. New York has plenty of young talent required to land Eichel, and their farm system would remain strong even after this proposed trade.
To NYR
To BUF
F Jack Eichel
F Kaapo Kakko
F Vitali Kravtsov
F Ryan Strome
D Nils Lundqvist
2021 1st-rounder*
2022 2nd-rounder
*Buffalo receives New York's 2022 first-rounder if trade occurs after draft, or if pick is in the top five
It's possible the Rangers aren't interested in paying a price this steep, but Eichel is a bonafide superstar and still just 24 years old. Plus, it's hard to imagine Buffalo parting with its franchise player for much less. New York also gets this done without subtracting much from its current roster.
Buffalo's haul includes a lot of high-end talent. Kakko has been a disappointment early on in his NHL career, collecting just 27 points in his first 83 games. However, there's been some strong underlying improvements this season, showing that the 2019 second overall pick still has loads of potential.
Kravtsov and Lundqvist are not far behind. They were two of New York's three first-round picks in the 2018 draft. Kravtsov - a big, goal-scoring winger - was taken eighth overall. Lundqvist - a right-handed offensive defenseman - was chosen 28th overall.
In this scenario, the Rangers hold on to Alexis Lafreniere - who has more value than Kakko. And they manage to keep Filip Chytil and K'Andre Miller - who are arguably more important to the club's future than Kravtsov and Lundqvist.
Strome, who's signed through 2021-22 at $5.35 million per season, is included for cap reasons. But he's no slouch, as he's piled up 18 points in 24 games this season. He could be used as future trade bait for Buffalo, too.
Buffalo's next step
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
There's still a lot that could happen in Buffalo's 2021 offseason if this trade goes through. They could immediately flip Strome before he ever suits up as a Sabre. They could also trade defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (a 2022 UFA) and Sam Reinhart (2021 RFA, eligible 2022 UFA).
But for the sake of this exercise, we're including that trio in a 2021-22 roster projection. All three could still be moved ahead of the 2022 deadline.
With ample cap space, the Sabres re-signed UFAs Jake McCabe (potentially the next captain) and Linus Ullmark. We're also predicting Buffalo loses Colin Miller in the expansion draft.
LW
C
RW
Victor Olofsson
Dylan Cozens
Sam Reinhart
Jeff Skinner
Ryan Strome
Kaapo Kakko
Warren Foegele
Casey Mittelstadt
Vitali Kravtsov
Zemgus Girgensons
Morgan Geekie
Tage Thompson
Cody Eakin
Kyle Okposo
LD
RD
Jake McCabe
Rasmus Ristolainen
Rasmus Dahlin
Henri Jokiharju
Jake Gardiner
Nils Lundqvist
Will Borgen
G
Linus Ullmark
Jonas Johansson
This team is obviously lacking the high-end talent to compete, but it's a much younger squad with more depth.
Plus, the Sabres will likely have a top-five pick in the 2021 draft that should be ready to suit up within a year or so. Buffalo will also have Drury, Jack Quinn, John-Jason Peterka, and other prospects ready to come through the system.
An Eichel trade would obviously be devastating for Sabres fans, but if management can hit a home run on the return and properly support that young core, Buffalo could finally begin its journey out from rock bottom.
