Morning Skate - Tuesday, November 1

Morning Skate - Canadian Consternation & Hair to Care

November 01, 2022

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Yesterday's NHL Scores

Last Night's News 📰

DUCK AND RECOVER: Anaheim announced that defenseman Jamie Drysdale is out for four to six months with a torn labrum. Drysdale, 20, will require surgery but has yet to set a date. He has played 113 games with the Ducks and scored seven goals with 33 assists.

CRAZY 8S: Halloween night was extra scary for Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Nedljkovic, who allowed all eight goals in an 8-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Tage Thompson led the way for the Sabres, scoring three goals and adding three helpers—after arriving at the arena dressed as Wayne Gretzky.

(OTHER) MURRAY BECOMES A STAR: On Monday, the Dallas Stars announced they signed goaltender Matt Murray to a one-year, entry-level NHL contract. With starting goaltender Jake Oettinger out due to a lower-body injury and the Stars not having the salary cap space to call up Anton Khudobin from the Texas Stars, Murray is the logical replacement. After signing a two-year AHL deal in July, the 24-year-old has played in five games for Texas, sporting a 2-2-0 record.

FINNISH YOUR NAP: Following their loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, the Colorado Avalanche boarded a plane for Helsinki to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Global Series. However, goaltender Pavel Francouz was almost left behind. While changing planes due to a maintenance issue, the Avalanche players let their slumbering netminder be, only for him to wake up on an empty "flight."

Tuesday Trivia

How Well Do You Know Al Arbour?

Head Coach Al Arbour of the New York Islanders follows the action from the bench. (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)

1) How many teams did Arbour play for throughout his career?

  • Three

  • Two

  • Four

  • Five

2) How many Stanley Cups did Arbour win as a head coach?

  • Three

  • Two

  • Four

  • Five

3) Arbour was the ___ recipient of the Jack Adams Award (first awarded in 1974).

  • Second

  • Sixth

  • Fourth

  • Fifth

Answers can be found at the bottom of the email.

Panic Watch: Maple Leafs vs Canucks Fans

The calendar has officially switched to November, and discussions about hot starts, slow starts, and just about every kind of early-season trend are out there. North of the border, the Battle of Alberta is off to a strong start, the Winnipeg Jets look solid while the Ottawa Senators do not, and the Montreal Canadiens are the inconsistent, youth-driven entity they probably should be. Then, you have the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

While the Canucks' first month of action has been dramatically bad, the Maple Leafs' first 10 games offer some stiff competition. Both fan bases are already in panic mode as they've watched their respective playoff hopefuls lose more games than they won in October. So, who has more reason for panic? Let's compare:

What's Going On Here?

Vancouver CanucksFirst came the blown leads, then a pair of heartbreaking overtime losses, and finally, a couple of stinkers on home ice. A modest two-game win streak looks encouraging, but we'll see if these Canucks are turning the corner with New Jersey, Anaheim, and Nashville coming into town this week.

Toronto Maple LeafsMatt Murray's injury cast a dark cloud over the organization early on. Fortunately, Ilya Samsonov has been better than expected to date. Still, that hasn't saved the Maple Leafs, riding a porous blue line and an under-performing forward corps, from humiliating losses to Montreal, Arizona, San Jose, and Anaheim.

Coach on the Hot Seat?

Vancouver CanucksIt feels like yesterday that fans at Rogers Arena were serenading head coach Bruce Boudreau with those "Bruce, there it is!" chants. Now, a series of gut-punch losses has some of the shine coming off Boudreau. With jerseys thrown onto the ice at Canucks home games, President Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin have already had to come out in support of their head coach.

Toronto Maple LeafsToronto is always a pressure cooker, and head coach Sheldon Keefe is starting to feel the heat for the first time. It's worth noting that the last coaching change made by the club came Nov. 2019 when Keefe replaced Mike Babcock after an underwhelming start by the team.

Why All the Angst?

Vancouver CanucksThis year marks the first full season of Rutherford/Allvin brain trust in Vancouver, and suffice it to say this isn't what the new-look front office envisioned. Hoping to carry over the momentum from the second half of last season, these Canucks instead look like the team of the Jim Benning/Travis Green era. And the extensions for Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller don't exactly look like masterstrokes, either.

Toronto Maple LeafsWe probably don't need to go through the history again, but here it goes—no Cups since 1967, and a five-year streak of first-round playoff defeats now seem like the least of their concerns. A deeper hole could spell doom for not only Keefe but also Kyle Dubas, who is currently a lame-duck GM. That ticking sound you hear is the pending free agency of Auston Matthews in less than two years.

A Whole Lotta Lettuce

On Oct. 28, the

had their home opener at their new arena: Mullett Arena at Arizona State University. To celebrate their new humble abode, the Coyotes

. In honor of celebrating the mullet, we thought we would look at some of the best hair in hockey, or as NHL players like to refer to it, lettuce.

Jon Merrill

Because we mentioned the Mullett Arena, we have to take the time to mention a player with an actual mullet: Minnesota Wild defenseman Jon Merrill. Merrill said back in 2021

, and he has grown accustomed to it. He also stated he has no plans to change his look anytime soon. We hope he doesn't, as it is a fun look for hockey!

Erik Karlsson

Besides being known as one of the best defensemen in the NHL, San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson has also gained a reputation for his long hair. He was voted best hair in the league by fellow NHL players back in 2019, but now is sporting a short hairstyle. Last season, he got a haircut and

after the transformation. However, he admitted that the long hair could make a comeback in the future, but we are digging the sophisticated 'do in the meantime!

Mika Zibanejad

has been growing his hair for a couple of years now, and we think it's safe to say that he has the lengthiest hair in the NHL.

, but it is doing wonders for his game. After having a career-best 81 points last season with the New York Rangers, we don't think he will be cutting his hair anytime soon, and he is rocking it!

Moritz Seider

Mo Seider is one of the NHL's most exciting young players, winning the Calder Trophy as the best rookie last season. He also has some of the most impressive hair, as the NHL

" when drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2019. Seider has a distinct curly hairdo that fits him like a glove, making his defensive plays look even smoother!

Trivia Answers

NHL Standings

NHL's Leading Scorers

Today's NHL Schedule