Phillip Danault was already one of the top unrestricted free agents available heading into the 2021 offseason before his stock rose further with his performance in the Canadiens unlikely playoff run to the cup finals. With the prospect cupboards stocked, the Los Angeles Kings landed Danault as they started looking to turn the corner on their re-build.
Regular Season Brief: Nov 24
andings are starting to take shape as we approach the quarter mark of the season. Historically, most teams that sit in playoff positions at American Thanksgiving are still there at the end of the season. Yet there are most often a few surprises mixed in. This week, we’ll look for one team in each division that appears most likely to break into the playoff picture over the rest of the season, along with one team that looks most likely to fall out.
UFA Signing Check-in: Dougie Hamilton (Nov 2021)
Dougie Hamilton was the premiere unrestricted free agent available in the 2021 offseason. The New Jersey Devils had piles of available cap space and looked to Hamilton as a piece that could help them turn the corner with their rebuild. With a small sample of games played in his new threads, let’s take an early look at the results of the signing.
Trade Check-in: Garland, Ekman-Larsson / Eriksson, Beagle, Roussel (Nov 2021)
With the Vancouver Canucks currently in disarray, I decided to check in on one of the biggest trades from the past offseason. The Vancouver Canucks acquired Conor Garland and Oliver Ekman-Larsson from Arizona for a package of players and picks in what was clearly a move to win this season. Let’s take a look at the early returns on the deal.
Regular Season Brief: Nov 17
e’re now far enough into the season that we’re starting to the see the true strength of most teams. The bubble has burst on some teams who got off to hot starts, while others who started slow relative to expectations have started picking up points. Let’s take a look at the past week around the league.
Trade Check-in: Bear / Foegele (Nov 2021)
As the Edmonton Oilers looked to improve their forward depth this offseason, a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes materialized that saw the Oilers acquire Warren Foegele from the Hurricanes, while Ethan Bear headed to Raleigh. With less than 15 games played with their new teams, let’s take a much too early look at the trade returns for both teams.
Regular Season Report Card: Carolina Hurricanes (13 GP)
league before eventually falling to the Florida Panthers. While their skeptics wondered about offseason decisions to move on from Dougie Hamilton and Alex Nedjelovic, the Hurricanes don’t seem to be missing them to start the season. Let’s take a closer look the Hurricanes early season results.
Trade Check-in: Buchnevich / Blais (Nov 2021)
While it’s much too early to hand out final verdicts, I thought it would be fun to check in on the early returns for some of the offseason’s more significant moves. First up, the trade that sent Pavel Buchnevich to St Louis and Sammy Blais to the Rangers.
Regular Season Report Card: Nashville Predators (14 GP)
The Nashville Predators were certainly not a consensus pick as a favorite in the Central Division this season. Yet the Preds are hanging with the division leaders and seem intent on making some noise. Let’s take a look at their early season results to see how they’ve done it and assess whether it’s sustainable.
Regular Season Report Card: St Louis Blues (11 GP)
The St Louis Blues came out of the gate strong, stringing together 5 wins to start the 21/22 season. They have cooled since then, but have quietly climbed atop the Central Division full season projections with their solid start. Let’s take a look at their early season results.