• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Podcasts

Facing Off Podcast: Canadiens, Oilers Suffer Losses, Others Suffer Injuries

By Larry Fisher November 16th, 2016

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Facing Off is a weekly column debating five of hockey’s hottest topics each and every Monday. From current events like trades and hat tricks to bigger-picture stuff like scandals and expansion — you name it, we’re debating it. Albeit, not always with a serious tone. We’re keeping this column light, so keep that in mind when reading, and feel free to join in on the fun by leaving a comment. Follow us on Twitter (@FacingOff_THW) and get in on the debate there too.

Facing-Off-Logo

It’s been quite the week already in the NHL — Tuesday was a wild night full of emerging storylines — so what better time than now to bust out another episode of the Facing Off podcast.

This is Episode 5 and Félix Sicard is back — back again — for his third appearance and second straight, to debate recent losses by the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, the impacts of Shea Weber and Carey Price on Montreal’s successful start, and the Anaheim Ducks’ ascension to the top of the Pacific Division again.

We touch on injuries to Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau and New Jersey’s Taylor Hall, and discuss which team will miss their star forward the most.

.@NJDevils forward Taylor Hall will miss 3-4 weeks following arthroscopic surgery on a torn meniscus. https://t.co/9VxFUSTqCX

— NHL (@NHL) November 16, 2016

.@NHLFlames forward @johngaudreau03 will have surgery after breaking a finger against the Wild on Tuesday. https://t.co/KoPZUU1V7G

— NHL (@NHL) November 16, 2016

#TBLightning captain Steven Stamkos is out indefinitely with a lateral meniscus tear, per GM Steve Yzerman. https://t.co/x7Fy2uy9lX

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) November 16, 2016

We also take a closer look at the struggles of Toronto’s Auston Matthews, Nashville’s Filip Forsberg and Ottawa’s Derick Brassard.

The one straggler we forgot to address was Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov, who has only two goals and seven points through 16 games, and was held off the scoresheet again in Wednesday’s 7-1 blowout win over Pittsburgh. In his last seven games, Kuznetsov has scored just once, without any assists, which is inexplicable for a 24-year-old coming off a breakout season that saw him finish as a top-10 scorer in the league last season with 77 points (tied for ninth), including the fourth-most assists with 57.

Auston Matthews led Leafs in shots (5) & shot attempts (9) but goal drought reaches 10 games

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 16, 2016

There hasn’t been a coaching change yet this season, but a few teams could be close to firing their bench bosses — namely Jack Capuano of the New York Islanders, Willie Desjardins in Vancouver and possibly even Glen Gulutzan in Calgary. We debate who will be the first to go and who could be brought in as replacements.

Who Gets Fired First? – https://t.co/beROU5YvdY #hockey #THW pic.twitter.com/h5JOzl1Fft

— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) November 16, 2016

We do talk lots of Ducks and Oilers again, rehashing Anaheim’s win over Edmonton from Tuesday, but we try to put the spotlight on some other teams for a change too. Especially the surprising teams like the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Lastly, we look ahead to the rest of this week’s schedule, starting with tonight’s showdown between Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin — the first meeting of the season between those future Hall-of-Famers.

There are a handful of other intriguing matchups on the horizon, including James Reimer’s first start back in Toronto and Round 2 between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens on Hockey Night in Canada this Saturday.

Give the show a listen and feel free to make your voice heard in the comments section below.

The one topic we didn’t have time to get into but deserved some attention, in my opinion, is the Arizona Coyotes’ handling of Dylan Strome.

Dylan Strome Arizona Coyotes
(Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports)
Dylan Strome has been a healthy scratch more often than not to start his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes.

With Martin Hanzal returning tonight against Calgary, Strome is slated to be a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game and the ninth time in 15 games to start the season. Strome hasn’t drawn into Arizona’s lineup in almost two weeks — he last suited up on Nov. 4 — and he’s only managed one assist in six appearances to date, with a minus-5 rating in limited minutes.

I have a lot of respect for Dave Tippett as a coach, he’s been around for a long time, but I really don’t understand the rationale for keeping Strome in the press box. If there’s not already a #FreeDylanStrome hashtag on Twitter, there should be.

I mean, Arizona (5-9-0) is currently a last-place team in the Western Conference and has been dressing as many as nine rookies, so why not make it 10?

What do the Coyotes have to lose? Especially against a fellow bottom-feeder like the Flames (6-10-1), this should have been an opportunity to see what Strome is capable of.

I would have played Strome tonight and played him in a prominent role, on a scoring line and on the top power-play unit. This kid can’t be that bad, and he’s supposed to be really good.

Mitch Marner Toronto Maple Leafs
(Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports)
Mitch Marner has been lighting it up lately for the Toronto Maple Leafs, while Strome has been stuck in the press box.

Remember, Strome was the third overall pick in 2015, selected just ahead of Toronto’s Mitch Marner — who is now second in the rookie scoring race with 15 points in 16 games — and behind only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Buffalo’s Jack Eichel in that draft.

Strome is still a world-class talent for his age, but he needs to be playing in order to realize that potential. I do feel Strome has probably outgrown the OHL and junior hockey — although he should be loaned to Canada for the world juniors again — but I don’t think Strome is learning all that much from merely practising.

He’s only going to get better — and get up to NHL speed — by actually playing NHL games. So let him play. #FreeDylanStrome

Of course, the CHL-NHL agreement is playing a part in Strome staying on the sidelines. The current rules only allow junior-aged players, the 19 year olds, to play nine games in the NHL before the first year of their entry-level contracts kick in with game No. 10.

Strome has three more games before that decision needs to be made — and one of them should have been tonight, in my opinion — but rules are also preventing the Coyotes from sending Strome to their AHL affiliate, the Tuscon Roadrunners, for further development.

The way it works, the only other place Strome can play is back in Erie of the Ontario Hockey League, where he’s been a dominant force by totalling more than 100 points in each of the past two seasons and averaging almost two points per game last season (1.98, with 111 in 56).

Strome has proven all that he can prove at that level, and now appears to be stuck in the middle — too good for junior and perhaps not quite good enough for the big league.

The other catch is that if Arizona did demote Strome to OHL Erie, then he’d be there to stay and couldn’t be recalled by the Coyotes at any point this season. Thus the hesitation.

One other thing to note, if Strome is still on the Coyotes’ roster by the team’s 40th game of the season — Jan. 9, at home to the Islanders — then Arizona also loses a year of his services towards unrestricted free agency.

To some teams, it seems that 40-game deadline is more meaningful than the 10-game limit, but it’ll be interesting to see how rookie general manager John Chayka and Tippett navigate these murky waters while keeping Strome’s best interests in mind.

This is a touchy subject — when it comes to the CHL-NHL agreement — and I can see it from both sides.

Covering junior hockey, I know WHL teams are already struggling with attendance, so if you’re taking away the top drafted 19-year-olds — like Strome — and allowing them to play in the AHL, that is going to be a big financial blow to their junior teams.

Less talent on the ice will translate to fewer butts in the seats — that or cheaper ticket prices in order to keep the buildings full. Either way, the junior clubs are bound to lose money, with the paying public and sponsors also losing interest in their product.

The question that ultimately needs to be answered is: What’s more important, business or development? You’d hope that answer, from all parties involved, is development.

That makes me think that, maybe, NHL teams could start paying some sort of compensation for placing a 19-year-old in the AHL — like a transfer fee, to offset the expected revenue losses from ticket sales and merchandise to advertising and sponsorship.

If that type of system were to be implemented in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, then the NHL teams would basically be buying the young players if they wanted them playing in the AHL instead of junior. That seems fair enough, but it’s a slippery slope and you’d hate to see the NHL put the CHL out of business.

What do you think of Strome’s situation and the CHL-NHL agreement going forward? Have your say on that front and the rest of our podcast topics in the comments below.


Who won this round of Facing Off? Feel free to weigh-in with your opinions. We will be checking in periodically to both defend and expand on our initial answers. If you want to see us face-off over a topic in a future column or podcast, we’re open to suggestions as well.

  • Tags
  • Auston Matthews
  • Carey Price
  • Facing Off
  • Jack Capuano
  • Johnny Gaudreau
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 19th 7:42 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Wild Acquire Ian Cole From Avalanche for Greg Pateryn

Jan 19th 6:05 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Need to Be More Disciplined if They Want to Stay Hot

Jan 19th 5:50 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

9 Blue Jackets’ “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” Fun Facts

Jan 19th 5:40 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Babcock Bombs as Former Leafs Coach Tries to Clarify Marner Drama

Jan 19th 5:25 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Are 3-0, But Still Have Plenty of Work To Do

Jan 19th 5:15 PM
New York Rangers

Rangers News & Rumors: Essential Workers Night, DeAngelo, Trouba & More

Jan 19th 5:05 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Should Add Forward Oliver Okuliar to Prospect Pool

Jan 19th 4:55 PM
Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens: 3 Takeaways from Week 1

Jan 19th 4:45 PM
Hockey History

Top 3 Penguins Trades Under Jim Rutherford

Jan 19th 3:45 PM
St Louis Blues

Blues Weekly: Up and Down Start to the 2020-21 Campaign

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information