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We have reached the end of All-Star break weekend with the figures of Chel ready to get back to business on the ice. We have seen plenty of headlines spark the puck universe in the past week and at the intermission. Two forces atop the league make a trade to bolster their squads for a Cup run, the NHL announces the return to the Olympics, announces an in-season tournament, and of course the madness from Hockey Canada. We get locked inside the 'bin to discuss the new tournament announcement, the two trades, and a quick half-way review: team to fear, biggest surprise, and my three Hart front-runners. Strap the skates; lets go.
Western Conference beasts Vancouver and Winnipeg get active in the books as we near the final month until the trade deadline (March 8th). Both teams spent some solid capital to bring in a piece each, that they believe will bolster their clubs on the final stretch of case building. Canucks with a big-time player swap, and the Jets adding fuel with a center upgrade. Did the trades fare well for the two?
Canucks trade Kuzmenko to Calgary for Lindholm:
Canucks and Flames sent some shockwaves across the league when they came to an agreement on a trade that many didn't expect to happen. Vancouver sends three players, including veteran winger Andrei Kuzmenko, and two picks to the Flames for center Elias Lindholm. On the stat sheet, a Kuzmenko and Lindholm swap in '24 is meh, but the swap changes the Canucks rotation and skillset. It also changes the Flames' rotation as they look for Kuzmenko to add some chemistry with Yegor Sharangovich on their second line. Here is the full trade deets:
What cha thinking... overhaul? Fleeced? I think both with the Flames runnin' away like they pulled off a heist. Frankly, Lindholm and Kuzmenko could have been a simple swap. Throwin' in the two picks and adding two defensive prospects creates the appall. Both teams have a plan with this package and despite the overhaul, both teams are content with the trade. Despite Lindholm's stellar career year in 2021-22, the Flames are moving on as they think Kuzmenko will better align their plans and the second line. I like the move for Calgary. I like the move for Andrei Kuzmenko. A fresh start can turn around a player. Fresh starts can alter career paths. Calgary general manager Craig Conroy understands that to the bone from his own personal experiences which is a big reason he was attracted to takin' this deal. After bouncing around lines with the Canucks- Kuzmenko is given an opportunity for a fresh start with the Flames as they look for him to step into the second line to aid Sharangovich. Considering the haul and the decline of Lindholm, this is a great trade for Calgary who still have some slight hope in making the playoffs. It's going to take a helluva second half of puck, but gettin' active in the trade department shows they are game.
Canucks sent a lot in exchange for Lindholm in hopes that he can turn around his game now that he is on the league leading Canucks. It could be a slap-shot goal, or a swing and a miss botch. Time will tell, but the move in my opinion is great considering the type of anchor Kuzmenko was beginning to be for each line of Vancouver. The Canucks now have four stellar centers, which is giving head coach Rick Tocchet the idea of lining up the four cats at the middle of the four forward lines. We will see if that's what they do moving forward, but as of now Lindholm is slated to work the second line along with Elias Pettersson. Lindholm is a big get for Pettersson and left-winger Ilya Mikheyev. Lindholm is a much better passer than Kuzmenko and plays with much better spacing and vision. The number one ranked offense just got better. If Lindholm can get back to being a scorcher, than this trade will be a major win for Vancouver. If you are a Canucks fan, then you gotta love their motives. They are GAME.
Jets trade for Sean Monahan:
Aye look at Winnipeg gettin' active in the trade game! Jets acquired veteran center Sean Monahan from the Habs to elevate their power-play, all around special teams, and second line. Acquiring Monahan came at quite the price, however. Here are the full deets:
Canadiens used the center market to their advantage as they played the leverage game to receive a good get-back for a player that had seen his career in Montreal fall off the tracks due to injuries. Montreal gettin' two picks for Monahan is a win and you can't fault them for selling out as they sit bottom three in the Eastern Conference at the intermission. A rebuilding franchise adds more to their chest of draft capital. On the other side of the table, the Jets may have spent a hefty price for Monahan, but they desperately needed a good power-play skater.
Monahan is playin' his best puck since 2019-2020. His play on the man advantage is where most his production has come from. Monahan had been quite solid in front of the net for the Canadiens' first power play unit, and that helped him revitalize his career. Coming into the season, Monahan hadn't tallied more than 10 goals or 18 assists since that 2019-20 campaign. This year, Monahan already has 13 goals and 22 assists, and 45.7% of that production has come with the man advantage. Monahan is a huge get for a Jets team ranked 24th in power-play percentage. The power-play is really the only weakness of what has been a powerful Jets unit as we start the second half of puck. I like where their head is at on this trade. They knew what pieces were needed and acted on it. The price is hefty, but the decision is fair. A big chance for Monahan to fully revitalize his career after a lackluster stint in Montreal. Bs all around.
With the quick intermission, I used the time to reflect and cover what transpired in the first half of action on the ice. You already know that led me to revisit my Hart Ladder. I haven't touched on it much as I allow the best of the best the time to build their cases. It's time I give my three front-runners their spotlight going into February. I also will briefly talk about what team is my biggest surprise of the campaign thus far, and what team should be considered the most feared amongst the top of the league.
The race for the Hart Trophy is wide-open in my opinion. The last time I dropped my ladder, I had two superstar defenseman make up the top half. They have since dropped from the top to be replaced by a scorer, a scorer, and a scorer. Three cats who have separated themselves from most, but not from one another. One cat is putting up the top scoring numbers as he leads his team up the standings while the two other cats have been dominant for their dominant teams. Mackinnon. Kucherov. Pastrňák. The race is on!
Both Nathan Mackinnon and David Pastrňák have been superb as they rank atop many offensive categories to continue to elevate their clubs atop the highest echelon of Chel. I give the slight advantage to Mackinnon over Pastrňák, although, the stats between the two are quite identical. Offensive Point Shares: Mackinnon 2nd; Pastrňák 3rd. Total Points: Mackinnon 2nd; Pastrňák 3rd. Plus/Minus: Mackinnon 11th best among forwards; Pastrňák 16th best among forwards. Mackinnon has the edge over Pastrňák in almost every category, but not over Nikita Kucherov.
Kucherov is my current front-runner for the Hart with Mackinnon in second and Pastrňák in third. Canucks' tandem of Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller individually look in from the outside. Kucherov has been money this season with his Lightning teammates EXTREMELY grateful for his stellar production. Kuch leads the league in Points (85), Goals Created (31.4), and is tied with Mackinnon in Assists. Kucherov also is ruling the advanced stats as he is 1st in Offensive Point Shares and 2nd in total Point Shares. He has been the epitome of valuable for Tampa Bay. You take Kuch's production away from the Lightning and they barely are in the bubble for the playoffs yet alone the 5th best team in the Eastern Conference. Kucherov is the lead man and could create some separation from the pact in February if he returns from the intermission with more step than he showed at the All-Star skills challenge.
There has been a few surprises in the first half of action. Vancouver has been quite the shock becoming a top contender, Vegas is playin' rollercoaster typhoon, and Oilers went from pure devastation to hell's gate hot. That's a whole lotta surprise, no doubt, but my biggest surprise is the rise of the Red Wings. Detroit got off to an unreal start, a wildly unexpected start at that. Then they land the returning Patrick Kane in a stunner, who has performed decently well as he breaks the rust off and attempts to avoid more injuries. Red Wings rank 7th in Goals For per game after finishing last season ranked 24th. They are 5th in Points after finishing 22nd last season. The offense has improved in grand fashion led by the arrival of Alex DeBrincat, who has elevated captain Dylan Larkin to find the back of the net at a rapid pace. Newbie J.T. Compher has also been a major plus as he is building a solid tandem with Robby Fabbri to spark production off the second line. A list of recent moves by Steve Yzerman since the beginning of the '23 off-season has flipped the switch quick for the Red Wings organization.
There is still room for growth to be made, but Red Wings Nation outta be thrilled with what the Red Wings have done to this point. If this team can continue to gel together in the second half of action; if they can continue to win and stay in the mix in the Eastern Conference, then they could be a scary out in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This team thrives off a spark and high energy. Very scary come playoff time indeed, but they aren't done building their regular season case! A wonderful surprise Detroit has been; I am excited to see where their potential leads them.
Well, Panthers are provin' their Stanley Cup Final appearance was no fluke. This team has it and should be feared to the bone. Florida as a team is as raw as it gets. Panthers play with grit to create and deliver high octane motives. Arguably the most entertaining team in Chel and maybe the most dangerous team... come playoff time that is. The more this team wins, the more they need to be feared across the league. I'm not sugarcoatin'. We saw what they did on a hot streak in the last Stanley Cup Playoffs... this team is set to be even more superior.
Panthers currently hold the two spot atop the Eastern Conference and have won 13 of their last 17 games that includes a 9-game winning streak. They were 23-22-6 at this point last season. Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad are playin' like a top defensive pairing in the league while Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart are playin' like a top 1-2 punch for the first line. Matthew Tkachuk is continuing to do his dance and sprinkles in some enforcer vibes on top of his all-around production on both ends of the ice. The stellar play of Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues, Anton Lundell, and Sam Bennett has made the Panthers deep in depth which has created major damage to their foes and those below them in the standings. This team can be scary-scary. When you add in their hard nosed demeanor and in your face intent: they are without a doubt the most feared team going into the final stretch.
The Panthers may be my "most feared" squad, but they still look up to the Canucks and Bruins in the standings. Vancouver and Boston are the first two teams to eclipse the 70-club, which has me asking myself: who has more bark at the intermission? A serious question, because last year we raved about the Bruins' bark until they faced a first-round playoff exit from the hands of the Panthers.
Bruins may not be winnin' at the historic pace they had been winning at last season, but they still find themselves one of the two teams making up my half-way point question. Boston has been rock solid leadin' the way for the Eastern Conference. They hold the second best point differential in the league and have shown some extreme spurts of winnin' with two separate five-game(+) winning streaks. Impressive they have been, but they don't have a louder bark than the Canucks, cha heard. Vancouver is the best team in hockey right now, as I said on my last puck piece. That hasn't changed. Frankly, I think the Panthers have more of a bark comin' out of the Eastern Conference than the Bruins, despite being five points back the Bruins for the top spot and not eclipsing the 70-Club just yet. Neither have the level of bark that the Canucks have. The Prez is the Canucks' to lose.
Some exciting news for the future of hockey got dropped this week when NHL commish Gary Bettman announced the return of NHL players to the Olympics (2026 & 2030) and a brand new Four Nations Face-Off in-season tourney that will take place in 2025. Finally we have the right steps in place that will allow all of the greatest hockey players on the planet the rightful opportunity to square off in international competition with no setbacks or excuses.
Big time news for hockey, the growth of the NHL across the globe, and the global hockey scene. Four Nations Face-Off is set to be a building block for a more broadened World Cup of Hockey in 2028. It also will be a teaser for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, Italy now that the league announced the NHL players to be eligible again. The new in-season tournament is splendid for next season. It will feature players from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. Each team will be comprised of 23 players selected by each nation's hockey association... you know the four: Hockey Canada (...), Finnish Ice Hockey Association, Swedish Ice Hockey, and USA Hockey. Here are the rules:
The tourney will take place instead of an All-Star game. Which is good news. How can we not be excited about this!? Not only is the tourney a great building block, but it shows that the league and commissioner's office is listening to the players and fans. The face of the league, Connor McDavid, has been a very vocal advocate for this action. He is a big reason this all is happening. Bettman announced that the NHL wants a schedule to stick for the future. A schedj of every two years (after the 4-Nation), a World Cup of Hockey, and every four years, the Olympics with all NHL-contracted players eligible. Finally. It's been a long time comin' for them to make the right decision. A decision that will elevate the sport and the league. I'd give you a gold star Bettman, but this is way past over due.
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