Barry Trotz sent shockwaves through the NHL this summer with an aggressive free agency period. The Nashville Predators caught some of the summer’s biggest fish, Continue Reading
Armchair GM
Dallas Stars Roster Roadmap: Regenerative Cohorts
In the last couple of posts, I’ve put together roadmaps for a couple of teams in very different positions. The Calgary Flames are in the Continue Reading
Roster Roadmap: Extending the Edmonton Oilers Window
Nine years into the Connor McDavid era, the Edmonton Oilers are still searching for a Stanley Cup. They came up one win short last spring, Continue Reading
Building A Cohort Contention Roadmap: Calgary Flames
I’ve been looking at teams from a high level strategy perspective in my Roster Ruminations series of posts. It’s been interesting to see how the Continue Reading
Roster Ruminations: Detroit Red Wings – April 2024
It’s been 5 years since Steve Yzerman was named GM of the Detroit Red Wings. Fans have been very patient with the ‘Yzerplan’ over that time, trusting that their former captain’s direction would bring them back into contention. The Red Wings stood pat at the deadline this year and are finally in a fight for their playoff lives down the stretch. Is this season’s relative success the tip of the iceberg?
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.
Team Roadmap: Calgary Flames – December 13, 2022
Yesterday, I looked at the Calgary Flames 22/23 season performance and roster profile. We saw a team that looks like a potential contender this season and left off with the question of how the Flames can maximize their roster for a playoff run this season. Today, we’ll dig into that question and look at team needs and possible targets to upgrade their roster.
Pacific Division Snapshot: September 26, 2022
We took our last look at the Pacific Division on July 20, two days before the biggest trade of the salary cap era rocked the NHL. Training camps are underway and, while teams still have some final roster decisions to make, we have a pretty good idea of what each team will look like this season. Let’s take a look at how the landscape has changed since mid July as we get set for puck drop on the regular season.
Trade Proposal: Paul Stastny (NYR) / Schneider+ (WPG)
The New York Rangers have fallen off their early season pace as their mediocre 5v5 results have started to catch up to them, but still look like a contender in the Metropolitan. The Jets sit 6th in the Central and look like they need to re-tool the roster to get back to contender status. These two teams could be excellent trade partners, so let’s take a look at a hypothetical trade proposal.
Trade Proposal: EDM – Jake Allen / MTL – Mikko Koskinen+
The Edmonton Oilers are in free fall and rumors are swirling about what needs to be done to right the ship. Meanwhile in Montreal, the Canadiens started their free fall in October and now find themselves with a new GM and what looks like a lost season. Let’s look at a trade proposal that could help the Oilers contend this season and help the Canadiens start a rebuild.