BLH provides you with the latest NHL news, rumors, and speculation featuring Carter Savoie, Team Canada, a new Might Ducks TV Series, Mikael Backlund, Rasmus Sandin, and more!
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NHL Rumors and Speculation
- David Staples (Cult of Hockey): “Fabulous Freshman” Carter Savoie right now outpacing Habs hot shot prospect Cole Caufield”.
BLH’s Thoughts: I watched the first couple games of Savoie’s season with Denver and I was really underwhelmed. Since then he’s simply continued scoring goals. I’m probably just nitpicking, but I believe most of those ginos were scored with the man advantage. I could be wrong, but what’s his plan when he makes it to the next level and he’s not getting that cherry PP TOI? He can’t choose to bring the intangibles every five or six games like he is now. His shooting % is otherworldly right now too, right? I think I heard Bob Stauffer say he has only 16 shots but 6 goals?…
That said, he’s doing a fine impression of Brett Hull at the moment and I’m very happy to watch him continue that.
- Mark Spector (Sportsnet): Darnell Nurse on shutdown defensemen in today’s NHL,
- “Shutdown guys are different now. Everyone thinks of the stereotypical shutdown guy from the ‘90s, early 20000’s. They didn’t cross the red-line. I’ve watched every game — the games I am most effective is when I am moving my feet. It’s not just sitting back. It’s closing on things quick and taking away time and space.”
BLH’s Thoughts: In that article Nurse also says that the Oilers’ M.O. has been to work on getting the goals-against down for a while now, my question is, how’s that been working out for you?
The way I see it, we’re at the “Jeff Petry before getting traded to Montreal” stage of this team’s defence. It’s decent, but not great, yet… If the club gives up on it, we could be in for more bumpy roads. As it is though, Nurse will have his work cut out for him and I’m rooting for him for at least another year until I have to get back on his case because he’ll be looking for more money than he’s worth.
- Sportsnet: Twenty years on and The Mighty Ducks ARE BACK! Disney is bringing back Gordon Bombay’s boys in a new series entitled “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers”.
- Eric Duhatschek (The Athletic): Reckons the Flames are set to lose core forward Mikael Backlund to Seattle in the upcoming expansion draft. He says that Backlund’s age and salary are the main reasons that the long-time Flame will be left exposed for the Kraken.
- “His contract and the number on his birth certificate (he’ll be 32 by the expansion draft). Seattle will have a lot of cap flexibility. But do they want to burn a substantial amount on a 30-something forward, earning over $5 million per season for three more years? Maybe not.”
BLH’s Thoughts: Man. Backlund would be a fantastic pick-up for Seattle. He’s got that same competitive edge that Peter Forsberg had in his prime. Too bad for Calgary he doesn’t have Foppa’s skill either. Even at $5M/yr, that’s a cheap top-6 center in today’s game and as I’ve always said, you have to build from the middle out with a franchise. Your top-two centers, top-three defenders, and your starting goalie need to be the priority from the get-go if you’re planning to succeed.
- Hailey Salvian (The Athletic): Says that the Senators might look to dump defenceman Mike Reilly at the NHL trade deadline this year.
- If I was putting money on it, I’d say Reilly is the first to be moved, which would potentially allow the Senators to give Erik Brannstrom a run in the latter half of the season after some time in the AHL.
BLH’s Thoughts: Sure. Every year there’s a bottom-pairing puck mover who gets traded to a contender for a pick. You can’t have enough good NHL blueliners in the post-season.
- Adam Gretz (NBC): On how the teams stack up in the Canadian Division,
- “Toronto is the best team on paper, but that has not meant much in recent seasons. Ottawa is the one team clearly rebuilding and at the bottom of the pack, but there is not much separating the rest of these teams.”
BLH’s Thoughts: I don’t agree that Toronto is the best on paper. They simply have the most popular players. I think Edmonton and Montreal are right up there and it wouldn’t shock me if Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Ottawa battled it out for the lottery spots this season.
- Shug McSween (NHLtraderumors.me): Could Rasmus Sandin force the Toronto Maple Leafs to trade Travis Dermott?
BLH’s Thoughts: Sandin is soooo good. The Leafs are lucky to have this guy. Dermott could go, Holl could go too. But how much will Toronto really do before the expansion draft?
Lastly, Team Canada’s roster for the 2021 World Juniors is set! Check it out below and let me know what you think? It’s pretty stacked (as it should be)… I can’t wait to watch Edmonton Oilers 2020 first rounder Dylan Holloway crush it!
Team 🇨🇦 lines at 1st practice after final cuts
Quinn – Cozens – Dach
Zary – Byfield – Tomasino
Holloway – Newhook – Pelletier
Perfetti – McMichael – Krebs
Suzuki (C) Mercer (RW)Byram – Drysdale
Harley – Korczak
Guhle – Barron
Schneider (R) – SpenceGauthier
Levi
Garand— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 11, 2020
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