The New York Islanders acquired Bo Horvat from the Vancouver Canucks today. In exchange, the Isles sent Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a protected 2023 1st round pick. Let’s dig into the deal to see how it fits each teams needs, using the Roster Regeneration framework as a guide to sustainable roster building.
Transaction Assessment: Canucks Sign Andrei Kuzmenko
The Vancouver Canucks signed Andrei Kuzmenko to a 2 year extension yesterday. The deal comes with a cap hit of $5.5M as well as a modified no-trade clause (12 team no trade list). Let’s dig into the deal to see how it fits with Kuzmenko’s projected performance as well as the Canucks overall roster situation.
Roster Roadmap: Vancouver Canucks – January 22, 2023
If you’ve been following the blog this week, we’ve been walking through a teambuilding framework I’ve termed Roster Regeneration. The intent is to set up a team for long term success through multiple core groups without the need for a lengthy rebuild in between. I first laid out the framework, then we looked at the Vancouver Canucks roster to see how their current roster aligns with the framework. Now it’s time for the heavy lifting; putting together a strategy to bring the Canucks roster inline with the Roster Regeneration framework.
Roster Review: Vancouver Canucks – September 21, 2023
I recently posted some thoughts on roster building that I think is a more sustainable approach to long term success compared to the typical patterns currently displayed across the NHL. I termed the approach Roster Regeneration and today we’ll try to put it into practice.
Roster Regeneration: A Sustainable Teambuilding Philosophy
There’s a prevailing mindset among both NHL teams and NHL fans that a team should either be contending or rebuilding. I’ve long thought that to be a strange dichotomy. In no other business would an entity strive for excellence only when circumstances permitted. There must be a better way.
22/23 Mid-Season Power Rankings: #10-#1 – Jostling Juggernauts
Today, it’s the third and final installment of our mid-season power rankings as we get to the top 10.
22/23 Mid-Season Power Rankings: Meddling in Mediocrity – #21-#11
Today we continue our way through the team strength rankings with a look at the middle third of the league, looking at teams #21 to #11. If you missed the bottom third, find #32-#22 here.
22/23 Mid-Season Power Rankings: #32-22 – Lusting for Lottery Luck
We’ve hit the mid point of the 2022/23 regular season. I thought it would be a good time to check in on how the NHL’s 32 teams stack up against one another based on their projected roster strengths.
Today we’ll start with the bottom third of the league, looking at teams ranked #32 through #22. Most of these teams are clearly in the tank mode looking to land a top pick in the 2023 draft but there are a few surprises…
Team Synopsis: Carolina Hurricanes – January 6, 2023
I last looked at the Carolina Hurricanes during the preseason. They were one of the NHL’s best 5v5 teams last season and they looked ready to replicate that this season. They’ve been on a tear of late, with their loss to the Rangers on Tuesday ending an 11 game win streak and 17 game point streak. Let’s take a look at their performance this season, with data from games played through December 31.
Team Synopsis: Edmonton Oilers – January 5, 2023
My last look at the Edmonton Oilers was in August, after the majority of offseason moves were complete. The Oilers were headed toward the 2022/23 season with a roster quite similar to the one that went to the Western Conference Final last season. The results have been more like the team’s regular season last season though, so what should we expect for the second half of the season? Let’s take a look at the Oiler’s performance this season with data from games played through December 31.