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THW's Canadiens News for 09/10/2020
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09/10/2020 edition:
By Greg Boysen on Sep 10, 2020 07:35 am
Sept. 10 has been a pretty busy date throughout National Hockey League history. Two “Original 6” rivals made a trade that left only one side feeling good years later. A very successful general manager took the reins in New Jersey and one of the most popular captains ever in Montreal announced his retirement.
Maple Leafs Pull Off Heist
The Toronto Maple Leafs made one of the best and most lopsided trades in franchise history on Sept. 10, 1943. This is when they traded the rights to defenseman Frank Eddolls to the Montreal Canadiens for the rights to 17-year-old center Ted Kennedy. Eddolls played in just 57 games over three seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to the New York Rangers, while Kennedy became one of the greatest Maple Leafs ever.
Kennedy spent his entire career in Toronto. He played in 696 games, scoring 230 goals and 560 points between 1943 and 1957. In 1954-55, his last full season in the NHL, he won the Hart Trophy for being voted the league’s most valuable player.
He was a part of five Stanley Cup championships with the Maple Leafs, including four in five seasons between 1945 and 1949. He scored 29 goals and 60 points in 78 career Stanley Cup playoff games. Kennedy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.
Keon & Savard Headline Hall of Fame Class
Speaking of the Hockey Hall of Fame, they inducted four new members on Sept. 10, 1986. Leo Boivin, Dave Keon and Serge Savard where the players voted in and Bill Hanley was added as a builder.
Boivin played in 1,165 games, over 19 NHL seasons, for five different teams between 1952 and 1970. After three seasons with the Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Boston Bruins in 1954. The defenseman spent 12 seasons with the Bruins, scoring 47 goals and 211 points in 717 games. He also had stints with the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota North Stars before retiring.
Maple Leafs’ center Dave Keon played in 1,296 games, scoring 396 goals and 986 points. He played in Toronto from 1960 until 1975. He won four Stanley Cups with the Maple Leafs including three in a row between 1962 and 1964. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1967, for being the most valuable player of the postseason, leading the Leafs to another championship.
Keon moved over the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1975 and played four seasons in the league with four different teams. He played three more seasons for the Hartford Whalers when they merged with the NHL in 1979. He is still third-all time in Maple Leafs’ history with 365 goals and 858 points.
Savard was a star defenseman for the Canadiens during their 1970s dynasty. He played in 917 games in Montreal, scoring 100 goals and 412 points while posting a plus-497 rating. He was a member of seven Stanley Cup-winning teams and won the Conn Smythe during the Canadiens’ 1969 championship run. He played two seasons with the Winnipeg Jets before retiring in 1983.
Hanley’s life in hockey started as a timekeeper for the Toronto Marlboros and he eventually got the same position with the Maple Leafs. He became the business manager of the Ontario Hockey Association in 1951 and held onto to that title until 1973. The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) gives out he William Hanley Trophy every season to the most sportsmanlike player in the league.
Lamoriello Takes Over as GM
On Sept. 10, 1987, New Jersey Devils president Lou Lamoriello added general manager to his job description. The previous general manager, Max McNab, was promoted to executive vice president. The first big move Lamoriello makes was traded forward Greg Adams and goaltender Kirk McLean to the Vancouver Canucks for forward Patrik Sundstrom.
Lamoriello remained as the Devils’ general manager until 2015. Under his leadership, the team made 21 playoff appearances, won nine division titles, five conference championships and three Stanley Cups.
Some of his most notable draft picks while he was general manger include Bill Guerin, Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer, Patrik Elias. Petr Sykora, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Zach Parise and Travis Zajac.
Odds & Ends
The Canadiens acquired Hall of Fame defenseman Babe Siebert, along with Roger Jenkins, on Sept. 10, 1936, from the Bruins for LeRoy Goldsworthy, Sammy McManus and $10,000. He won the Hart Trophy in his first season with the Canadiens. In total, he played three seasons after the trade before retiring in 1939. Siebert was named the head coach of the Canadiens upon his retirement, but he never coached a game because he drowned in Lake Huron on Aug. 25, 1939.
The Chicago Blackhawks purchased the contract of Red Sullivan from the Bruins, on Sept. 10, 1954. He scored 33 goals and 101 points in his two seasons with the Blackhawks before being traded to the Rangers, in 1956, for forward Wally Hergesheimer.
Free-agent goaltender Arturs Irbe signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on Sept. 10, 1998. He spent the final six seasons of his NHL career with the team. He went 130-122-44 with a .906 save percentage (SV%), 2.49 goals-against average (GAA) and 20 shutouts.
The Phoenix Coyotes named Shane Doan their captain on Sept. 10, 2003. He was the 15th captain in franchise history and just the third since the team relocated from Winnipeg. Doan wore the “C” on his sweater until he retired following the 2016-17 season.
On Sept. 10, 2014, Saku Koivu announced his retirement after 18 seasons in NHL.
He originally drafted 21st overall by the Canadiens in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He missed nearly the entire 2001-02 season after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He scored 792 games for the Canadiens, scoring 191 goals and 641 points while serving as team captain for nine seasons. Koivu signed with the Anaheim Ducks in 2009 and spent the final five seasons of his career with them.
Happy Birthday to You
Sept. 10 has produced 21 players who have skated in the NHL. The first was Paul Runge, who was born on this date in 1908. He scored 40 points during the 1930s for the Bruins, Montreal Maroons and Canadiens. The most recent Sept. 10 birthday boy to debut was Ducks forward Troy Terry, who turns 23 today.
Joe Nieuwendyk is the lone Hall of Famer celebrating a birthday today. He was born in Oshawa, Ontario on Sept. 10, 1966. He played in 1,257 games, scoring 564 goals and 1,126 points during his 20-season career.
He is one of only 10 players to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams, doing so with the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars and Devils. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1999 for scoring 11 goals and 21 points during the Stars’ championship run.
Other notable players with birthdays today include Jim Pappin (81), Tim Hunter (60), Chris Joseph (51), Denis Pederson (45) and Jordan Staal (32).
The post Today in Hockey History: Sept. 10 appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Alex Chauvancy on Sep 09, 2020 10:41 am
What does it take to be a good agitator in today’s NHL? Obviously, you must have the ability to get under the opponent’s skin, but you don’t want to be consistently putting your team at a disadvantage by taking silly penalties. You have to be able to annoy your opponent on the scoresheet as well and you certainly can’t be a waste of a roster spot. There are some players who have mastered the art of toeing the line of illegal and legal to find a way to get their opponents off of their games. Here are the five best at it in the entire NHL.
Nazem Kadri
For better or worse, Nazem Kadri has become one of the biggest pests in the NHL. He isn’t afraid to play a physical game, but that’s come with a cost. He’s faced five suspensions by the NHL since 2013 for behavioral issues, with his most recent one coming during the 2019 NHL playoffs against the Boston Bruins, where he was suspended for five games for a cross-check to Jake Debrusk.
When Kadri isn’t acting up, he’s a very effective two-way forward. And that’s why the Colorado Avalanche took a chance on him when they acquired him for Tyson Barrie and Alex Kerfoot last offseason. He’s averaged 54 points per 82 games over the last three seasons and eclipsed 30 goals in 2017-18. His five-on-five scoring rates are that of a second liner, too, as he’s averaged 1.91 points per 60 minutes (P/60) since 2017-18.
Kadri has been a boost for an Avalanche team needing center depth behind Nathan Mackinnon. The price is having to deal with his lack of discipline. But there’s no doubt they’re a better team with him in the lineup. He can score and if he can play physically while being within the rules, the Avalanche are a tough out on most nights.
Andrew Shaw
Andrew Shaw’s regular-season production has never been that of Kadri’s, but he did hit new heights in 2018-19. He finished with 19 goals and 47 points in 63 games, the best production of his career. He always finds himself in front of the goalie and quite bravely so. At 5-foot-11, 179 pounds, Shaw isn’t a very big guy, but he sits and takes a beating in front of the net to make things happen for his team.
He’s not always doing legal things in the crease, but he certainly gets his point across. Another thing that hasn’t been confirmed is the biting of Victor Hedman in the Stanley Cup Final. If that happened, Shaw may have taken the “get under the opponent’s skin” expression a bit too literally.
Shaw’s underlying numbers are impressive as well and further adds to how frustrating an opponent he is. He takes a lot of hits but dishes them out at almost an equal rate. He draws more penalties than he takes at even strength, helping get his team to the power play. Once his team is on the man advantage, Shaw usually finds himself skating straight to the crease and impairing the vision of the goaltender. Like many agitators, he makes a living in front of the net and is a big reason why the Blackhawks re-acquired him last offseason.
Brendan Gallagher
Some might find Brendan Gallagher’s name on this list a bit surprising, but go ahead and YouTube some of his highlights real quick and you’ll know why he’s here. The Montreal Canadiens needed a pest to match their rival’s pest, who you’ll see further down this list. They have that in Gallagher. His added ability scoring-wise makes him better than Shaw as Gallagher is a consisten 50-point scorer. He’s no stranger to the agitator part of the game, either.
Gallagher can get under your skin and it is truly impressive what he can do with how small he is. At just 5-foot-9, he isn’t afraid of fighting or mixing it up with players bigger than him. He once tripped Zdeno Chara in the playoffs right before a faceoff and if Chara dropped the gloves, I don’t think Gallagher would have backed down. He’s always around the goal crease hacking away at players and goaltenders and just being a general menace. Every team in the league should want Gallagher on their roster due to his ability to bother opponents with his actions and his scoring talent.
Matthew Tkachuk
You might not think of someone who’s capable of totaling 70-plus points as an agitator, but that’s Tkachuk’s game. He’s not afraid to get in the dirty areas and cause havoc around the net. He has 302 penalty minutes since coming into the league, ranked first on the Calgary Flames. Tkachuk has also faced a handful of suspensions, including one for elbowing Drew Doughty in 2017.
Related: Matthew Tkachuk Is An Elite Agitator
Like Kadri, Tkachuk is a standout two-way forward. He’s averaged 1.99 P/60 at five-on-five, ranked fourth on the Flames since 2017. He’s fifth on the team in Corsi percentage over that stretch and has an expected goals percentage of 53.43%. Tkachuk is also a solid defender as he’s one of the team’s best shot suppressors. He does a bit of everything, which is why he’s one of the best young players in the league. And he hasn’t reached his full potential yet.
Brad Marchand
You had to figure we would be seeing his name at some point during this discussion. How do I know that Brad Marchand is a good agitator? He seems to enjoy bothering opponents, and he doesn’t always do it legally. He’s faced six suspensions from the NHL for a total of 19 games and is not a popular guy around the league thanks to some of those actions. Generally, his actions are pretty harmless, like when he started licking NHL players for some unknown reason. Much like Gallagher, he is a smaller player, but he doesn’t shy away from dropping the gloves.
Marchand is another one of those pests who hurts you on the scoreboard as well. He finished with 85 points in each of 2016-17 and 2017-18 and set a career-high this past season, with 100 points in 79 games. He plays a ton of shorthanded minutes for the Bruins and is quite productive in doing so, too. And with his offense reaching new heights, it’s safe to say he’s capable of inflicting the most damage from the NHL’s agitators.
The post The 5 Best Agitators in the NHL appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Ryan Szporer on Sep 09, 2020 07:55 am
Like it or not Montreal Canadiens fans, the NHL is a copycat league. Imitation of the last Stanley Cup champion is the sincerest form of flattery or, in the case of the 1995 New Jersey Devils, what led to the dead-puck era.
While the Canadiens had an impressive first-round showing against the Philadelphia Flyers, there is room for improvement. Here are the top lessons general manager Marc Bergevin can take away from each of the final four teams still around… if he hasn’t already.
5. Backups Are Useful
Credit where it’s due, Bergevin seems to have already addressed having failed to provide Carey Price with an adequate backup up to now. Jake Allen is quite possibly the 1B they need to give Price the amount of rest he requires to help lead the Habs to a long playoff run.
Nevertheless, to drive the point home, take a look at the four starting goalies left alive:
Dallas Stars goalie Anton Khudobin is technically a backup, albeit arguably the best backup in the NHL.
Robin Lehner was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights at the trade deadline, effectively usurping actual No. 1 Marc-Andre Fleury down the stretch.
New York Islanders backup Thomas Greiss actually pulled out the clinching Game 7 victory in Round 2 against the Flyers, after starter Semyon Varlamov almost let a 3-1 series lead slip away.
Really, the only legitimate No. 1, No. 2 tandem of the bunch comprises Andrei Vasilevskiy and Curtis McElhinney of the Tampa Bay Lightning. And McElhinney has proven himself to be quite reliable as a backup in the past to the point that he made 32 appearances for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014-15. That’s around the number Bergevin and head coach Claude Julien should be aiming for with regard to Allen.
4. Max Pacioretty Wasn’t the Problem (Golden Knights)
Now, obviously the Max Pacioretty trade has worked out for the Canadiens. Knowing what we know now and even then, it would be exceedingly difficult to argue the Habs shouldn’t have made the deal, as Tomas Tatar has worked out and Nick Suzuki looks like the real deal.
Nevertheless, there was a false narrative perpetuated during Pacioretty’s time here, that he couldn’t perform during the playoffs. Not only do his 10 goals (eight assists) in 19 playoff games with the Golden Knights prove just the contrary, but his 19 points (10 goals) with the Habs in 37 games were hardly as horrible as many of his detractors made them out to be.
To illustrate, Brendan Gallagher, who is considered the Habs’ top goal-scoring talent (and heart and soul), was on the same four Habs playoff teams as Pacioretty. In 40 games, he scored just 21 points. That’s effectively the same scoring rate as Pacioretty. Ex-Hab Alex Galchenyuk? Same four playoff teams, same story with 13 points scored in 28 games. In other words, it was/ is systemic.
Maybe you can make the argument that, as Habs captain, Pacioretty was expected to do a better job of leading from an offensive standpoint. Conveniently disregarding how the captaincy is largely a symbolic position that means very little, he only wore the “C’ for one of those playoff teams (2017). Except for a single player, that entire Habs squad had trouble putting points on the board, including current captain Shea Weber.
That one player? Alex Radulov, who Bergevin failed to re-sign the following posteason. It just goes to show that sometimes it’s about keeping players in the fold and not driving them out of town.
3. Locking Up Talent Is an Art Form (Stars)
Since we’re on the subject of Radulov, he ended up signing what has turned out to be a very affordable five-year, $31.25 million deal with the Stars. Reports are such that Bergevin had made the same offer. Tax rates aside, Radulov ultimately signed with the better team and, even though he didn’t have the best season for the Stars (34 points in 60 games), he’s having a decent playoffs (tied for third on the team with seven goals).
The situation may yet change, but, with just two seasons remaining on Radulov’s contract, it’s conceivable the Stars far from regret it. Considering other deals Bergevin has either signed himself (Price) or taken on (Shea Weber), Radulov’s probably wouldn’t even rank in the bottom five. Remember, Bergevin also still has to deal with the contract to which he signed Karl Alzner, who he effectively chose over Radulov that summer three years ago.
Regardless, the Stars prove, with exception to the Jamie Benn deal (eight years, $76 million), that long-terms deals don’t have to handcuff you. Ignoring the admitted benefit of favorable tax rates, the Stars have the following cost-effective deals on the books:
Tyler Seguin (eight years, $78.8 million; expires at age 35)
Joe Pavelski (three years, $21 million; expires at age 38)
Esa Lindell (six years, $34.8 million; expires at age 31)
John Klingberg (seven years, $29.75 million; expires at age 30)
Ben Bishop (six years, $29.5 million; expires at age 36)
In his defense, Bergevin has made a few decent signings over the years. He should still take notes, considering Gallagher, Phillip Danault, Tomas Tatar and Jeff Petry all become unrestricted in one season. It’s also a matter of locking up the right ones and letting the wrong ones go.
2. Draft and Develop Your Talent Properly (Lightning)
No joke, eight of the top 10 playoff scorers on the Lightning are home-grown talents. They were each either drafted by the Lightning or signed by them to their first NHL deals (Kevin Shattenkirk, Blake Coleman).
Keep in mind that doesn’t include Vasilevskiy or Steven Stamkos, who’s injured and hasn’t played a single playoff game this posteason. Also, presumably as Habs fans, maybe you should conveniently ignore how Names Nos. 11 and 12 on the list are Mikhail Sergachev and Ryan McDonagh. Just fair warning.
In any case, compare and contrast that with the Habs’ situation, in which only three Habs draftees ranked among their top 10 scorers (Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Artturi Lehkonen and Brendan Gallagher). Hell, only eight in total played games for them this postseason.
It’s not just a matter of prestige, to be able to claim you draft and develop players better than other teams. There’s a very practical benefit to not having to deal away assets to acquire key building blocks like Suzuki.
Thankfully, signs are pointing to a positive change in direction in that respect, as the Habs have one of the best prospect pipelines in the NHL (on paper). No one knows for sure, though. Hopefully, those Habs hopefuls begin to develop with more regularity than in the past, along with some of their 12 projected picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
1. Yes, the Rules Let You Roll Four Lines (Islanders)
You can make the case that the Islanders winning this whole thing would be the worst-case scenario. After all, if the whole copycat argument holds true, you can then expect a new era of shutdown hockey to come to pass.
Look at it from a different standpoint though, a positive one: how the Islanders are finding success without a legitimate star player to their name (even if Mathew Barzal is quietly entering that territory). Head coach Barry Trotz rolls four lines to the point that his third-line center, Jean-Gabriel Pageau is tied for second on the team in goals.
More to the point, his bottom-pairing defensemen, Nick Leddy and Andy Greene, have five and four points respectively. In fact, Greene is also his lowest-ranking defenseman (with exception to Johnny Boychuk with only one game played) in terms of time on ice. He’s played an average of 17:42 per game. Greene’s counterpart on the Canadiens would be Victor Mete (12:30).
Hell, Casey Cizikas plays 14:09 on average, with his fourth line regularly getting shifts late in games. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the Habs’ third-line center, for all intents and purposes, played just 13:53 per game these past playoffs.
Put simply, the Canadiens should aspire to have that same kind of depth. Any team should. Maybe the Habs are on their way, but one pre-playoff-round victory does not a contender make. Properly drafting, developing, signing and then playing the right players does. Even after that point, the actual winning is the hardest part of all.
The post Lessons for Canadiens from Each Final Four Playoff Team appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on Sep 08, 2020 12:35 pm
In today’s NHL rumors, one hockey scribe suggests five possible trade destinations for Canadiens forward Max Domi. In Toronto, another scribe walks through how the Maple Leafs might fit Alex Pietrangelo onto their roster. Tyler Toffoli is apparently ready to talk contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks and a forward out of Nashville has told the Predators he’s going to test free agency. The Edmonton Oilers talk when they’ll make trades and the NHL has changed the date of the draft.
Granlund Confirms He’ll Test Free Agency
As per a report from Adam Vingan of The Athletic, agent Todd Diamond, who represents forward Mikael Granlund of the Nashville Predators, says his client will be testing free agency this offseason.
“We will be seeing what the open market has to offer,” Diamond said Monday. Diamond added that Granlund could re-sign with the Predators, it just won’t be before free agency opens and the player sees what’s out there. Vingan notes in his article:
Granlund signing elsewhere would not come as a surprise, as he could seek a team in free agency that better fits him stylistically. Acquired from the Minnesota Wild for forward Kevin Fiala in February 2019, Granlund has 18 goals and 35 points in 79 games, and three points in 10 playoff games with the Predators. His expiring contract carries a $5.75 million cap hit.
Toffoli Open to Talking Contract with Canucks
As per TSN 1040’s Rick Dhaliwal, Vancouver Canucks forward and pending unrestricted free agent Tyler Toffoli has made it known he’s open to re-signing with the Vancouver Canucks.
Dhaliwal posted on Twitter that Toffoli has reached out to the team and will talk to general manager Jim Benning at the appropriate time. Toffoli said he loved the city, the team and enjoyed his time in Vancouver.
What his new deal will look like is unclear. He was a $4.6 million player last season and there’s expectations he should receive a sizable raise but that raise could be limited based on the flat salary cap and whether or not the Canucks decide to invest heavily in goaltender Jacob Markstrom or move other pieces to make room for Toffoli’s new deal.
Five Possible Destinations for Max Domi
Matt Larkin of SI.com via The Hockey News examined five possible locations the Montreal Canadiens might look to in an effort to trade forward Max Domi. Domi’s new agent has said he’s not asking for a trade, but the expectation around the league is that the Canadiens will still move him.
Among the teams listed were the San Jose Sharks, Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets.
One destination to watch, according to Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch is Columbus as the 2020 playoffs showed the Blue Jackets need an upgrade at center, specifically on the second line. Hedger noted how big the void is between first-line center Pierre-Luc Dubois and third-liner Boone Jenner.
Hedger adds:
Should the Jackets go the trade route, however, they have a wealth of chips to use — including a stable of NHL defensemen, talented young forwards and a pair of goaltenders in their mid-20s who performed at elite levels this season.
NHL Draft Date Changing
According to tweet by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the NHL is reportedly moving the 2020 NHL Entry Draft up a few days from October 9th-10th, 2020 to October 6th-7th, 2020.
There was no clarification or explanation as to why the date was moved, but it has to be assumed the league is ahead of schedule on the games and wanted to get into the draft and free agency sooner to ultimately give the NHL options for next season’s schedule.
Oilers’ Holland Looking at Trades In Late September
It appears the Edmonton Oilers will be looking at trades, they just won’t be looking at them yet. According to general manager Ken Holland, the team knows what they need to find on the market (goaltending is a priority), but doesn’t believe that market will open up until almost October.
As per Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Holland said, “This year, the chatter will pick up in late September (before the Oct. 8-9 draft). Stuff will get done in October.”
Holland added that this year things are quite different. He said:
“I’ve talked to many of the teams out (of playoffs), but this is like mid-May (before COVID 19 and the NHL Pause) in the old days after a regular-season. You know how it normally is. There’s lots of chatter leading up to the June draft, trades are made, then there’s UFAs on July 1. Usually stuff gets done from, say, June 22 to July 10.”
Can Maple Leafs Fit Pietrangelo In?
James Mirtle of The Athletic notes there is a way that the Toronto Maple Leafs could fit Alex Pietrangelo into their roster, should they want to. He says, not only is it possible, but explains how the team might actually be built around adding the defenseman. It’s just a matter of whether or not the St. Louis Blues can get something done with their captain.
Mirtle writes that the Blues are going to have trouble fitting in Pietrangelo’s salary (even with the trade of Jake Allen) and adds:
If this stalemate goes much longer, meanwhile, other teams are going to come circling. Which brings us to Toronto.
Given where the Maple Leafs are at, and the gaping hole at right defence, it’s worthwhile to ponder if Kyle Dubas should be part of the potential bidding war.
In the end, after all the work he did to show how the Leafs could do it, Mirtle says, “I don’t think it’s likely that Pietrangelo leaves St. Louis, even with where the talks are at.”
The post NHL Rumors: Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Canucks, Predators, Oilers, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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