We’re now well into the 21/22 NHL season and teams have generally settled into a pecking order in the standings. Some teams are performing as expected. Others are not. Let’s take a look at which teams have been the biggest surprises relative to the model projections so far this season in terms of overall performance.
canadiens
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.
Trade Proposal CGY / MTL: Lehkonen / Dube + Pelletier
The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens find themselves in very different positions this season. The Flames are rolling and look like a legitimate contender in the Pacific while the Canadiens are off to a horrific start and have recently cleaned house in management. Also in different conferences, the two teams make for excellent trade partners. The difficulty is cap situations. The Flames currently have under $500k in projected cap space this season and the Canadiens have none, so any trade involving roster players needs to be balanced from a cap hit perspective.
Armchair GM: Montreal Canadiens (Dec 2021)
The Montreal Canadiens cleaned house in their front office on Sunday and brought Jeff Gorton as Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. Today, we’ll put ourselves in the GM’s chair and put together an Armchair GM Plan for the Canadiens.
Season Performance Report: Montreal Canadiens (Dec 2021)
In the Season Performance Report, we’ll look at the performance of one team for the current season considering both team level results and individual player impacts. The results will provide a picture how the current team is performing relative to the league and relative to expectations, providing a key input for an Armchair GM Plan. Let’s take a look at the Montreal Canadiens season so far.
UFA Signing Check-in: David Savard – MTL (Nov 2021)
With Shea Weber sidelined for at least the entire 21/22 season due to injury, the Montreal Canadiens looked to shore up their blueline during the 2021 offseason. They signed UFA David Savard, fresh off a Stanley Cup win with the Tampa Bay Lightning, to a four year deal. Let’s take a look at the early returns.
Trade Check-in: Christian Dvorak – MTL/ARI (Nov 2021)
offseason. Montreal’s decision not to match the offer sheet spawned a trade with the Arizona Coyotes as the Habs looked to fill the hole left in their forward group. Today, I’m checking in on the trade that brought Christian Dvorak to Montreal.
RFA Signing Check-in: Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Nov 2021)
Montreal Canadiens Assistant GM Scott Mellanby resigned on Saturday after being notified that he would not be considered for a promotion, the winds of change seem to stirring in Montreal. This week, I’ll be checking in on some of the key moves the Canadiens made (or didn’t make) in the 2021 offseason leading up to an Armchair GM post for the Habs. I’ve already taken a look at one key UFA that left town last summer in Phillip Danault. Today, I’m checking in on another newsworthy offseason loss for the Habs. Jesperi Kotkaniemi is a Hurricane this season after signing an offer sheet that the Canadiens declined to match.
Regular Season Report Card: Montreal Canadiens (9 GP)
ast spring, the Habs lost a number of key players over the offseason. What’s gone wrong? Is there reason to believe they can turn things around? Let’s take a look.
2021-2022 Regular Season Update: Oct 27
After last night’s games, 30 of the league’s 32 teams have played at least five games. While it’s still too early to get a good sense of which early season performances are sustainable over the long haul, we’re starting to get a better picture of how the 2021-2022 standings may look.