NHL Atlantic Division Auston Matthews Steven Stamkos Patrice Bergeron

Boston Bruins

Today in Hockey History: March 11

The rivalry between Boston and Montreal is one of the best in National Hockey League history, and both franchises had numerous memories on this date. The pioneers of the sport started to pave the way for today’s stars, and this was a big date for setting new records as well. It is time for our daily trip through the decades to relive the best moments March 11 has had to offer. A Huge Date for the Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins’ historic run on March 11 began in 1930 when they extended their NHL-record home winning streak to 20 games….

Bruins Getting the Very Best From Morgan Geekie

The Boston Bruins have had to be creative with their signings in the last year due to their cap situation. They’ve relied on taking bets on either older guys or ones that hadn’t completely established themselves, giving them cheap contracts, and seeing if it will work out. In the 2023-24 season, it luckily has. James van Riemsdyk and Danton Heinen are two great examples of this, but the one that has really caught my eye recently is Morgan Geekie.  Related: Bruins Rookie Spotlight: Justin Brazeau The 25-year-old Canadian was signed to a two-year, $4 million contract with an average annual…

NHL Rumors: Bruins, Maple Leafs, Flyers, Senators

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Boston Bruins did have conversations about trading Linus Ullmark and while nothing ultimately happened, this could be a deal that is moved to this coming offseason. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs knew they couldn’t get everything done at the deadline they wanted to. Flyers’ head coach John Tortorella refused to leave the bench after being ejected on Saturday. What will the fallout be? Finally, the Ottawa Senators tried to make moves on deadline day. What’s next for that team? Bruins Had Multiple Conversations About Ullmark Trade According to Elliotte Friedman, the Boston Bruins did…

Buffalo Sabres 

Today in Hockey History: March 10

This date in National Hockey League history was pretty eventful in the state of New York. Plus, a whole slew of Hockey Hall of Famers added to their great resumes and some big names were traded, as well. The THW time machine is warmed up and ready to go. Let’s take our daily trip through the decades and relive all the best from March 10. New York Islanders’ Greats Have Quite a Day The Islanders may have added the final piece to their dynasty’s puzzle on March 10, 1980, when they acquired Butch Goring. They sent forward Billy Harris and…

Sabres News & Rumors: Power, Luukkonen, Bryson & Thompson

On Saturday afternoon, the Buffalo Sabres faced the Edmonton Oilers in what turned out to be one of the oddest endings I’ve seen in a game – ever.  The game was intense, almost playoff-like. The Oilers had the bulk of the play, but the Sabres hung in there. Despite falling behind early, they rallied to overcome a two-goal deficit and eventually finished with a thrilling 3-2 shootout victory over the Oilers.  Related: Grading the Sabres’ 2023-24 Trade Deadline Acquisitions Buffalo’s two goals were scored by Jacob Bryson and Tage Thompson to even the score.  Item One: The Game’s Odd Ending As…

Grading the Sabres’ 2023-24 Trade Deadline Acquisitions

It was a fairly tame trade deadline this season overall, and Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams followed suit. Only making a handful of deals, he brought in a couple of draft picks, a minor league defender, and a top-end young defender to round out their defensive core. With most of the teams around them buying key assets, the Sabres made moves to improve now and later, which is exactly how they should be looking to improve. Sabres Swap Mittelstadt for Byram Before the trade deadline even came, the Sabres were ahead of the curve and made a pure hockey trade…

Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Berggren Enters Critical Point with Organization

In a season headlined by a ton of new faces such as Alex DeBrincat, Shayne Gostisbehere, J.T. Compher and even Patrick Kane, a lot of chatter surrounding the Detroit Red Wings pertained to a lesser-known forward outside of Detroit: Jonatan Berggren. The Swedish forward made his NHL debut last season at 22 years old and recorded 28 points in 67 games. While those numbers aren’t exactly eye-popping, Berggren showed a ton of promise as a playmaking winger that could produce in a middle six role. However, as you almost certainly know by now, he was assigned to the American Hockey…

Red Wings: What to Watch for the Rest of the Way

Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, and with Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman standing pat outside of sending forward Klim Kostin to the San Jose Sharks, there are plenty of different things to keep an eye on the rest of the season for Red Wing fans. Does the Playoff Drought End? The Red Wings have not made the playoffs since the 2016-17 season, but as of March 9, they are in a wild-card spot. The team is on a five-game losing streak and has not looked particularly good. They are missing captain Dylan Larkin due…

Oilers Should Have Pursued Kostin as Brown Replacement

The Edmonton Oilers made some strong moves at the trade deadline and proved they were willing to go all-in this season. They acquired Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from the Anaheim Ducks who were both retained to save the Oilers money, which allowed them to also acquire defenceman Troy Stecher. There were plenty of other moves that occurred on the March 8 trade deadline, including the massive blockbuster that sent Tomas Hertl to the Vegas Golden Knights, but the Oilers missed out on the opportunity to bring back a fan favourite from last season. The Detroit Red Wings traded forward…

Florida Panthers

Panthers Get Veteran Help with Kyle Okposo Trade

The Florida Panthers are the top team in the NHL. They currently sit above the entire league with a record of 43-17-4 with 90 points. Additionally, they’ve won eight of their last ten games. The trade deadline has come and gone, and Florida has already made a couple of moves to offer depth pieces to their forward core. On Friday, they got a huge veteran presence to assist their forward corps. That forward is former Buffalo Sabres captain Kyle Okposo. Okposo’s Seen it All in His 16 Season-long Career Okposo has seen it all across the NHL. The New York…

Florida Panthers Acquire Kyle Okposo From The Buffalo Sabres

The Florida Panthers have acquired Kyle Okposo from the Buffalo Sabres in return for defenceman Calle Sjalin and a conditional 2024 seventh-round pick, which can upgrade to a 2024 fifth-round pick if Florida wins the Stanley Cup. The Panthers continue to bolster their winger depth with Okposo, and the Sabres get a solid return for their old captain. Panthers Gearing up for Another Stanley Cup Run The Panthers, who are first in the Atlantic Division with 90 points, want to prove that last season’s playoff push to the Stanley Cup wasn’t a one-off thing. They have already made an excellent…

Flyers’ Garnet Hathaway the Hero in 2-1 Win vs. Panthers

The Philadelphia Flyers had arguably their gutsiest effort of the entire season against the Florida Panthers, a team that had won 16 of their last 18 games. Without four key defensemen in their lineup that they’ve been used to having, they won on a late third-period goal to beat the NHL’s best team in terms of points 2-1. Moving to 33-23-8 on the season, what were some takeaways? Hathaway Continues to Perform Ever since Garnet Hathaway got moved up from the Flyers’ fourth line around the start of February, things have been clicking for him. On the third line with…

Montreal Canadiens

Recapping Kent Hughes’s First 3 Deadlines as Canadiens GM

The Montreal Canadiens had a quiet 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, but a successful one. They were able to fix their three-goalie issue, and general manager (GM) Kent Hughes proved he sticks to his guns and won’t make a trade unless he feels it will improve the team. After three trade deadlines, Hughes is becoming a hard negotiator and improving as a GM every season. Here is a look back at his deadline history and how they are helping to shape the Canadiens’ future. Hughes’ First Deadline During a Turbulent Season The 2021-22 season was very odd and disappointing for the…

Today in Hockey History: March 11

The rivalry between Boston and Montreal is one of the best in National Hockey League history, and both franchises had numerous memories on this date. The pioneers of the sport started to pave the way for today’s stars, and this was a big date for setting new records as well. It is time for our daily trip through the decades to relive the best moments March 11 has had to offer. A Huge Date for the Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins’ historic run on March 11 began in 1930 when they extended their NHL-record home winning streak to 20 games….

Canadiens Taking a Gamble with Reclamation Projects

Montreal Canadiens general manager (GM) Kent Hughes has a plan, and the patience to implement that plan. Fans and media alike can be critical, disagree, or even dislike that plan, but there is no denying that every decision has made sense when explained by Hughes. Part of that plan involves maximizing assets.  Related: Canadiens Rebuild Rests on Cap Management   There will be top ten draft picks, multiple first-round picks, young promising prospects and even the trade values of the NHL roster players that aren’t part of the core. However, this piece looks at maximizing the depth of the prospect pool….

Ottawa Senators

Senators Should Think Twice Before Trading Jakob Chychrun

Plenty of armchair general managers in Bytown had Ottawa Senators’ blueliner Jakob Chychrun on the move at the NHL trade deadline on March 8. Yet in the absence of the proverbial “offer you can’t refuse”, it would have been a big mistake for Senators president of hockey operations and general manager (GM), Steve Staios to have rushed to sell him. Sure, everything is for sale at a price and Chychrun is no exception. So he could very well be booking a flight out of Ottawa this summer to parts unknown. But before trading him, Staios needs to think long and…

NHL Rumors: Bruins, Maple Leafs, Flyers, Senators

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Boston Bruins did have conversations about trading Linus Ullmark and while nothing ultimately happened, this could be a deal that is moved to this coming offseason. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs knew they couldn’t get everything done at the deadline they wanted to. Flyers’ head coach John Tortorella refused to leave the bench after being ejected on Saturday. What will the fallout be? Finally, the Ottawa Senators tried to make moves on deadline day. What’s next for that team? Bruins Had Multiple Conversations About Ullmark Trade According to Elliotte Friedman, the Boston Bruins did…

3 Ways the Blues Can Upgrade Center Position for 2024-25

The words inconsistent and confusing come to mind when watching the St. Louis Blues play, and that sentiment appears to be felt league-wide. The team shows up and competes hard on some nights and lacks energy the next. Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts Podcast were discussing the Blues on their episode that was released this past Monday, and they believe “when you have a team as inconsistent as the Blues, it’s because you have guys playing one or two spots too high in the lineup.” It’s hard not to agree with that statement when looking at…

Tampa Bay Lightning

Grading the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Trade Deadline

The NHL Trade Deadline is now behind us. The Tampa Bay Lightning chose to be busy at the deadline and got themselves some extra assistance for the remaining stretch of the season. How good of a trade deadline did the Lightning have? We will take a moment to look at the team’s moves and give a final letter grade at the end. Lightning Trade for Draft Pick The Lightning started their transactions by acquiring a 2025 fourth-round pick from the Edmonton Oilers as part of a three-team trade with the Oilers and Anaheim Ducks. As part of acquiring the pick,…

Lightning’s 2022 Trades Are Shaping the Team’s Future

There have been plenty of trades in recent memory that have had an impact on the Tampa Bay Lightning, both good and bad. The 2018 trade to get JT Miller and Ryan McDonagh from the New York Rangers has aged particularly well. On the flip side, there are some trades, like last year’s deal to send Tanner Jeannot to Tampa, that have not panned out as planned. What year, though, saw moves that altered the Lightning’s future the most? That seemed like an interesting question to ponder in lieu of the trade deadline. After some careful consideration, the year 2022…

Lighting Acquire Matt Dumba From The Coyotes

The Tampa Lighting have acquired Matt Dumba and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick. No salary retention on Dumba The Lighting fill in their defense with Sergachev out, and the Coyotes move a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) for more excess draft capital. Tampa Bay Round Out Their Defence It’s been a rather interesting year for the Tampa Bay Lighting. Nikita Kucherov is playing at a Hart/Art Ross Trophy level, but they currently sit out of the wildcard spot for the playoffs. After the unfortunate stretch of Mikhail Sergachev getting healthy…

Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs’ Bobby McMann Can Be Impactful Playoff Performer

The definition of a power forward is an NHL player who blends a combination of size, strength, and skill. Strong power forwards excel at using their physicality to dominate opponents and create scoring opportunities. They often play a gritty, hard-nosed style and are often effective in front of the net, along the boards, and in the corners.  The perfect example is Washington Capital, Tom Wilson. He’s strong, plays with speed and grit, and can physically dominate. The recently retired Wayne Simmonds had a go-around with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but by the time he got to Toronto, his best days…

7 Cool Things About New Maple Leaf Shane Doan

If you are an Arizona Coyotes’ (or formerly Phoenix Coyotes) hockey fan, you are probably well-acquainted with Shane Doan. He’s been a legend in the desert for more than two decades. He’s also known among NHL hockey fans everywhere for his remarkable career and lasting impact on the game.  Doan’s name is synonymous with loyalty and leadership. Although his career in hockey as an active player ended after the 2016-17 season, his work in hockey as a leader is far from over. In June 2023, he was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs as a special adviser to the general…

Maple Leafs’ Dewar Brings Missing Element to the Team

It’s official, the NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. While many anticipated the Toronto Maple Leafs try to do something big, they did most of their shopping in advance, bringing in size and a strong defensive presence in Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson. With talk about bringing in another right shot defenseman, they went and addressed their bottom-six on deadline day, acquiring Connor Dewar from the Minnesota Wild.   While it may seem like a move that may not offer much on the surface, Dewar brings a lot more to the table for a team’s bottom-six that could use a…