nhl

Tenative agreement will allow the New York Rangers to take the ice again

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A tentative agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA will allow the New York Rangers to hit the ice in the near future. According to multiple sources, the plan would be to start the season on Jan. 13, though the date is not finalized. This hope aligns with the NHL’s prior plan, which included the mid-January start date. Under the new agreement, training camps will start on Dec. 31 for non-playoff teams and Jan. 3 for playoff teams. The NHL plans on having a 56 game schedule. Sportsnet of Canada was the first to report on the agreement.

The NHLPA executive board gave the agreement a green light to proceed on Friday night, but players and owners must hold formal votes and Canadian health officials give their approval before it becomes reality.

It’s unclear whether teams would play in their home arenas or in “hub” cities, though an all-divisional schedule is expected.

The tentative agreement calls for no exhibition games to be played, meaning the NHL will go directly from the off-season and training camps into regular-season games.

The biggest stumbling block at the current time is how the league’s division will look for this season.

The NHL is hoping to go with a proposed division realignment that includes a seven-team Canadian division which will require approval from local health officials. If those approvals are given in Canada, the NHL’s realignment would look like this:

Boston-Buffalo-New Jersey-NY Islanders-NY Rangers-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh-Washington

Carolina-Chicago-Columbus-Detroit-Florida-Dallas-Nashville-Tampa Bay

Anaheim-Arizona-Colorado-Minnesota-Los Angeles-Las Vegas-San Jose-St. Louis

Ottawa-Montreal-Toronto-Winnipeg-Edmonton-Calgary-Vancouver

If games cannot be played in Canada, the NHL has considered a plan that would see Canada’s teams play their seasons in the United States.

The agreement, confirmed by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, is pending a vote by the NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA.

The league’s Board of Governors could vote on the plan as soon as this weekend. Approval from health officials in the five Canadian provinces that have teams is still needed before the NHL can go ahead with the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Islanders: Expectations for Samuel Bolduc for the 2021 season

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The New York Islanders drafted defenseman Samuel Bolduc in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, the 6’4 defenseman has been tearing up the QMJHL. Bolduc played in 61 games last year and recorded 11 goals and 32 assists for a total of 43 points. His +/- was great too, coming in at a +13, that stat doesn’t really matter, though.

Bolduc, who is now 20 years old, will have a shot to prove his worth in the minors. And I believe that he will surprise many and become the next “guy” for the Islanders. What are the expectations for Samuel Bolduc for the upcoming season?

Role

There’s no doubt in my mind that Bolduc will be on the top pairing in Bridgeport by the end of the year. Brent Thompson might be a terrible coach, but it’s hard to misjudge a guy like Bolduc. Samuel Bolduc is a big defender, and that’s exactly what the Islanders need. But there’s no way Bolduc gets pulled up this year. He’s not beating out Noah Dobson, Nick Leddy, Andy Greene, or Sebastian Aho.

Islander fans will have to wait at least two more years for him to be truly ready. I still think Bolduc plays well in his first year at Bridgeport. The kid has been pretty much dominant at every level so far. I have high hopes for the Islanders’ 2019 second-round draft pick.

Scouting Report

All I’ve done so far is praise Samuel Bolduc, but I’ve stated no evidence to back this praise up. Bolduc has an absolute cannon of a slapshot, and he relies on it a lot. It’s nowhere close to what Ryan Pulock does, but it’s still a heat-seeking missile. Bolduc should use his wrist shot a bit more often, it would confuse defenders for sure. Sometimes Bolduc is really great with his breakout passes, sometimes he’s a mess. That’s something that has to be cleaned up, you can’t play at the next level and make those mistakes. I think Bolduc could use his body a bit more, he’s a big guy, and he needs to throw his weight around. His skating could also be better and his decision making. Most of these unwanted qualities will be fixed before Bolduc hits the NHL ice. Mark my words, Samuel Bolduc will become a top 4 defenseman.

New York Islanders: Who is Dmytro Timashov and what does he bring to the Island?

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New York Islanders, Dmytro Timashov

The New York Islanders made the first NHL trade in 60 days. The last trade in the NHL saw the Islanders trade away top 4 defenseman Devon Toews to Colorado. General manager Lou Lamoriello has now traded for the rights to Red Wings prospect Dmytro Timashov.

This trade is an absolute win for the Islanders. If Timashov breaks out and solidifies a spot in the top 9, this trade makes Lamoriello look like a hero. But, if Timashov fades away to the AHL forever, no one remembers this trade. Future considerations for a possible up and coming prospect, it seems like a good deal on paper. But, the paper doesn’t matter, the player does. Now, who is Dmytro Timashov?

Scouting Report

When Dmytro Timashov was drafted, he was praised as one of the most exciting players from the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He was a very agile skater with great mitts for his young age. Elite Prospects called him a dangerous player who could wow audiences in the future.

It’s been 5 years since he was drafted, what happened to all this potential? Timashov now seems a step slower than the competition. And I’m never the guy who uses height against someone, but Timashov is lacking height. This doesn’t mean that he can’t use his height to his advantage though. He just needs to be taught how. Timashov will most likely be a top 9 forward in the NHL who could get some serious ice time on the power play kill.

Production

Despite all the negatives I’ve just pointed out in his game, he still puts up some good numbers. In the AHL, he recorded 48 goals, 69 assists, and 117 points in just 241 games. That means he put up around half a  point per game.

Remember, the AHL isn’t just a league for bums, it’s real competition, and Timashov proved he could contribute. Timashov played in 39 games for the Maple Leafs this season and recorded 4 goals and 5 assists. I believe that with good coaching and a better system, Timashov could break out very soon. Dmytro Timashov will most likely start the year in the AHL and maybe break onto the 3rd line halfway through the season.

New York Islanders: Making the case for Max Pacioretty

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Islanders, Max Pacioretty

The New York Islanders have two sizable problems going into the 2020-2021 season. One problem is that they don’t have a winger who can score at will. The other problem is that they don’t have the cap space to make a move to get one. But, luckily for them, the Islanders still have two second-round picks laying around from the Devon Toews trade.

What if I told you that there’s a way to kill two birds with one stone? That the Islanders can resign all their guys and still get a top 6 forward. Enter Max Pacioretty.

Scouting Report

Max Pacioretty was just an average top 6 forward who was declining with age when he was shipped to the Vegas Golden Knights. Then the 2019-2020 season hit, and Max Pacioretty broke out for the second time. It’s almost like he was reborn when he went to Vegas.

Well, there are two reasons for this. “Patches” got back to powerlifting, the thing that gave him his famous speed, and he had something to prove. Max Pacioretty turned back the clock 6 years. He played like a 26-year-old but had the experience of a 32-year-old. Max Pacioretty is exactly what Mat Barzal needs.

The Trade

Speaking of Mat Barzal, how can the Islanders retain his salary and take on Patches’? It’s actually a lot easier than you think. Barzal signs a bridge deal, 3 years $7 million. This deal works for both sides, Barzal gets a good amount of money, and the Isles still have cap space. Then, Matt Martin and Andy Greene both get $1.25 million for 1 year. Now, Andrew Ladd must be sent to LTIR, this deal doesn’t work without that. Next, Thomas Hickey, Leo Komarov, and Ross Johnston get sent down to the AHL. Finally, the Islanders trade both second-round picks and Robin Salo to Vegas in exchange for Max Pacioretty. The deal is done, the Islanders get everything they want, and the Island is happy.

New York Islanders: Breaking down the possible division realignment

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New York Islanders

The National Hockey League has taken giant steps to get a 2020-2021 season on the way. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that the season will start on January 13th. Only a couple of hours later, the NHL announces there will be a division realignment due to COVID-19.

The New York Islanders are in the “USA 1” division. This is just my name holder for the division, so don’t look so far into this. This division has a bunch of good teams and a few terrible teams. I think it’s the most well-rounded division out of the four. Let’s see who will be the Islanders’ toughest task in this new 56 game season.

Boston Bruins

There’s something about Boston. I don’t know if it’s in the drinking water or the clam chowder, but every year one Boston team is great. The Bruins have been great for so unbelievably long, and they show no signs of slowing down. Their true top line is the scariest line in the league. Along with forwards like Jake Debrusk, Craig Smith, and Charlie Coyle, their forward core is deep.

On the other hand, their defense got much worse during the offseason. They lost two key defenders in Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug. The speedy Islander forwards shouldn’t have much trouble navigating through the new defense.

Washington Capitals

I love and hate the Washington Capitals. They’re such a good team, and I love their top line, but man, they need to go away. People call the Islanders pesky, but what about the Washington Capitals? They keep getting more and more talented as the years go on. Yes, they lost Braden Holtby. But, they gained Daniel Sprong, Justin Schultz, and Henrik Lundqvist. I fully expect the Capitals to make another run at the Stanley Cup with their newly improved roster.

Division realignment looks like a go for the New York Rangers

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National Hockey League, NHL

A temporary division realignment is almost finalized for the New York Rangers for the upcoming season. The information comes from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of TSN after the NHL held a Board of Governors call Wednesday.

The new realignment was also recently confirmed by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

According to the information, this is what the league’s realignment currently looks like:

Toronto-Ottawa-Winnipeg-Vancouver-Calgary-Montreal-Edmonton
Boston-Buffalo-NYI-NewYork Rangers-New Jersey-Philly-Pittsburgh-Washington
Tampa-Florida-Nashville-Carolina-Columbus-Detroit-Chicago-Minnesota
San Jose-LA-Anaheim-Vegas-Colorado-Arizona-Dallas-St. Louis

This realignment would allow scheduling that the majority of players and owners think the upcoming NHL season should feature, which is MLB-style three-game series, as first reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski. Owners and players would prefer not to have any kind of bubble during the season, but having three games in five or six days would provide some kind of bubble-like protection.

With COVID-19 still rearing its ugly head across North America, using hybrid bubbles or hubs is still reportedly a possibility. If a hub city is used, teams would travel to a location for two weeks to play around 10 games. A squad would then return home for a week before going back to the hub. A hybrid bubble would be similar to the playoff bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton, but not nearly as strict.

New Jersey, Columbus, and Las Vegas are reportedly three U.S. cities receiving attention to be potential hubs. Arenas in all three areas are home to only one primary tenant, with two sheets of ice on-site or nearby and enough hotel accommodations. This would also keep the Rangers relatively close to home.

The downside of this plan is if it has to be implemented, it may push back the start of the season from its reported date of January 13. The two sides are aiming to play either a 52- or 56-game schedule, as opposed to the traditional 82-game season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Islanders: Making the case for Otto Koivula

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Otto Koivula, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders have some big decisions to make before the expansion draft next year. One of these decisions is if they should protect Casey Cizikas. The talent and the attitude he brings to the team makes it obvious to protect him. But, there are other players on the team that has priority over him. Especially with Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin nearing their final days on the Island, it’s more of a reason why Cizikas will be in Seattle. That’s probably one of the worst-case scenarios for Islander fans. But, for the sake of argument, let’s say Cizikas heads to Seattle. Who can try to replace him?

Otto Koivula

Otto Koivula is one of the more puzzling prospects in the Islanders pool. He’s obviously improving every year since he was drafted, but he hasn’t put it all together yet. In 69 games with Bridgeport last year, Koivula recorded 21 goals and 25 assists. He also had 2 assists in 5 playoff games.

I think Koivula can replace Cizikas, just off his playing style. It’s very similar and very different at the same time. Having a guy like Casey Cizikas on the 4th line is energizing and exciting. Having a guy like Otto Koivula promises responsible yet boring Hockey. It’s not like Koivula can dangle and skate past anyone, he’s more of a grinder who gets in the corners and uses his shoulders well.

Scouting Report

Otto Koivula is a nice power forward who has some dangles and can score consistently. But, he lacks the creativity to really make an impact in an NHL game. With the right coaching, this will change, luckily the Islanders only have Barry Trotz. Sometimes it feels like he’s really only out there skating. In 12 NHL games last year, he logged nothing but ice time and hits. Koivula has time to fix his game, as he probably won’t be needed this year, but he has to be ready soon.

New York Rangers may begin season mid-January (Report)

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New York Rangers fans may finally get to see the team play a meaningful hockey game since the summer via a report by the New York Post’s Larry Brooks.

Despite a financial impasse between the NHL and NHLPA, Brooks wrote on Sunday morning that the January 1 start date is pretty much off the table but a mid-January start date is being looked at.

“The league has moved off its Jan. 1 start date and is now targeting Jan. 15 for a schedule of up to 56 games.”

Should the NHL want to start on Jan. 15, discussions this upcoming week would need to be substantial and include the escrow/deferment payment debate that is one of the reasons the league is not going with its original plan.

Most states have different quarantine requirements with the coronavirus spiking all across the country. Players have would be required to return to their home cities and at the very least self-isolate for 10 days while also taking Covid- 19 tests.

A second situation reported by Brooks would have the season start playing 48 games with a Feb. 1 start date.

The Rangers players who are overseas currently will probably be called back to New York by the last week of December in order for them to attend training camp which at this time has yet to be scheduled.

Chaos

Added to the chaos of beginning the 2020-2021 season, is the question of where the games will be played. It’s already obvious a realignment will need to be conducted since all of the teams based out of Canada would need to be in one division and play only that country.

Hub cities or hub divisions, limited travel, what to do when a player or a team has an outbreak of the virus, along with rescheduling of games at times will all need to be agreed upon prior to any announcements of a start date for the NHL.

The good news that comes out of the road map of questions with little answers is at least all parties involved are talking about playing games.

With that bit of good news, Rangers fans may soon be able to circle the calendar to indicate the first time they get to see Alexis Lafreniere don his #13 for the first time.

 

New York Islanders: It’s time to give pp on Jakub Skarek

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New York Islanders

The New York Islanders drafted goaltender Jakub Skarek with the 72nd pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Normally third-round picks don’t pan out for a couple of years, but I think it’s time to call it on Skarek. He was an average goalie coming out of Czechoslovakia.

Now, Skarek is one of the worst goalies I’ve ever seen. Jakub Skarek was loaned out to Mestis in order to hone in on his skills before returning to Bridgeport. Skarek hasn’t won a game, and he’s started all four games. He currently has a GAA of 4.44 and a save percentage of .833%. There are multiple reasons why it’s time to give up on Jakub Skarek.

Depth

I view Jakub Skarek as the 5th goalie in the Islanders’ system. Obviously, Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin are numbers 1 and 2. Cory Schneider is number 3 just off his veteran experience.

Then, I say Henrik Tikkanen is the 4th goalie in the depth chart. I base this off of what he’s currently doing in Finland. In 9 games at Mestis, he’s rocking a 2.55 GAA, and a .901 save percentage. These two goalies are in the same league, and one is way better than the other one. Despite Skarek having 30 games of experience in North America, I’m giving this one to Henrik Tikkanen.

Regression

As I’ve said before, when the Islanders drafted Skarek, he was an average goalie from Czechoslovakia. Now, Skarek can’t save a volleyball from scoring. Jason Chimera, who has literal cataracts, could score easily on Jakub Skarek. Ever since 2018, when Skarek played in the International Juniors, he’s been a liability.

His stats in that tournament was a 6.75 GAA, and a .808 save percentage in 4 games. Then he went on to post a 3.27 GAA, and a .888 save percentage in Bridgeport. I like him as a person, but he needs to get out of his head ASAP.

New York Rangers: No Lafreniere at World Juniors

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Hockey Canada announced Thursday that New York Rangers winger Alexis Lafreniere, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, will not be released to Canada for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships.

“After ongoing discussions with the New York Rangers, Hockey Canada has been informed that Alexis Lafrenière will not be released to represent Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton,” Scott Salmond, senior vice-president of national teams for Hockey Canada said in a statement. “Although we are disappointed Alexis will not be able to join our team for World Juniors, we understand and respect the decision made by the Rangers.”

The Rangers have yet to say whether Kaapo Kakko, the second-overall pick in 2019, will be released to Finland for the tournament.

Lafreniere led Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 junior championship in the Czech Republic. He had four goals and six assists in five games and was named tournament MVP, but also missed a few games due to an injury.

All activity at Canada’s camp has been suspended from Nov. 25 until at least Sunday after two players and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, something that may have also factored in the Ranger’s decision to keep his off Team Canada’s roster.

Of course, the news is not sitting well in hockey-crazed Canada, as pundits and fans have pointed out that the Blackhawks’ Kirby Dach, Avalanche’s Bowen Byram, and the Sabres’ Dylan Cozens have been made available to Canada.

While the above three are fine players, they are not generally considered the Rangers and/or the league’s next superstar. Also factored in is the fact that COVID-19 is continuing it’s spread across North America, prompting the NHL to consider an all-Canadian division this season. Lafreniere also did not return to the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL and instead has been in New York preparing for the NHL season. Traveling and border crossings are not recommended by the CDC at the current time.