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The Stanley Cup Final is here and so are the ever evolving rules for Nick’s hockey pool. The Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning meet up in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. Who is the favorite and how do they match up? And will Steven Stamkos play? (Please play.) Gary Bettman spoke about next season. Will we get to play hockey next year? Alex Pietrangelo and the St. Louis Blues are at odds at contract negotiations. Where does he end up? Eric Staal and Marcus Johansson were swapped between Buffalo and Minnesota. Is the VP of Business Development doing good work in Buffalo? The mainRead More →

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2020 has been unpredictable and challenging for all of us, so it’s nice to know that the Leafs, after ending yet another season with a collapse, are attempting to provide us with a sense of normalcy in these trying times. After a five game loss in the play in round, GM Kyle Dubas once again has a plenty of decisions to make, and questions to answer. So where does he go from here? And who’s left standing when all’s said and done? The Big Four The Leafs’ roster starts and ends with the big four up front. Their core forwards are among the best (andRead More →

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The Stanley Cup Finals are almost here and these playoffs are getting canasty! The Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning are both up 3-1. Again. Will this round see more blown 3-1 leads? We look at who are the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) favorites for each of the remaining teams in the bubble. Can a defenseman win it for a change? (Inspired by articles from the writing team at The4thLinePodcast.com). Geoff Ward is back as the coach of the Calgary Flames. But what will his roster look like next season? Bruce Cassidy won the Jack Adams Award, while Lou Lamoriello won the GM of the YearRead More →

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The New York Islanders are a long way from their storied years four straight Stanley Cups, but this version of the Isles are hoping to add another chapter to that book. Looking to make their way back to the Stanley Cup final, they will need to beat a red hot Tampa Bay Lightning team, but with Barry Trotz’s system, they can extinguish that flame. Embed from Getty Images Front Runner: Mathew Barzal No John Tavares? No problem. Picking up the talismanic role of the franchise, Barzal has done just that in these Stanley Cup playoffs. From his skill and his skating to his leadership on theRead More →

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Looking to avenge their loss in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks the revenge tour has brought the bolts against some familiar opponents. Remember the Lightning’s unceremonial ejection from last year’s playoffs against the Columbus Blue Jackets? Everyone remembers. Division rival and this year’s president trophy-winning Boston Bruins? Check. Now facing the New York Islanders this team will once again have to prove they have not forgotten the lessons of the past. Front Runner: Embed from Getty Images Andrei Vasilevskiy The big cat is on the prowl for some silverware. Known as one of the quietest players in the Tampa Bay LightningRead More →

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Vegas once again is the dark horse during the playoffs. We forget this team is less than three years old, yet they are firmly among the league’s elite. After seeing off the Canucks in seven games in the semi-final (still piecing my broken heart back together), the Knights will be a formidable showdown for Dallas. Embed from Getty Images Front Runner: Their standout performer by far has been blueliner Shea Theodore. Currently standing on 16 points from 15 games, Theodore has excelled at both ends for Vegas. Already coming off a career high 46 points in the regular season, the 25-year-old British Columbia native hasRead More →

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With the Dallas Stars looking to make their first trip back to the Stanley Cup Finals since losing to New Jersey in 2000, here’s a look at the front runners for the Conn Smythe Trophy should they claim Lord Stanley’s Cup. Embed from Getty Images Front runner: Miro Heiskanen: There really has to be one consensus pick at this point for Dallas. The young stalwart has shown why the Stars were reticent to move in him in a potential deal for Erik Karlsson and his play has many believing he’ll likely join him as a Norris Trophy winner before long. Already in the conversation withRead More →

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The NHL Conference Finals are here! Before we look forward, we look back at the multiple Game 7’s that defined the 2nd round. How did Carl handle the defeat of his Colorado Avalanche? What do the Canucks do with Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko? Should the Flyers make roster changes to fix their funk? Looking ahead to the finals, will “suffocating” be the key word defining this series? It just might be! Also, will Steven Stamkos ever get a chance to play in a big game? Ryan Reaves was suspended one game for his hit on Tyler Motte. Did the NHL DoPS finally get oneRead More →

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A 3-0 loss to Vegas in Game 7 wasn’t the ending the Canucks deserved. However, when you consider they battled from 3-1 down to force this game, the story reads differently. Vancouver showed a tremendous amount of spirit and skill. Travis Green and his young side have proven that there is life in this franchise with a clutch of new talent. The Stanley Cup won’t be returning to Canada for yet another year, but you have to concede this could be the start of something exciting. Youth and Experience Combine Embed from Getty Images Thorough this postseason the Canucks showed that they finally have theRead More →

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The Florida Panthers made huge waves last off season landing one of the most prominent UFA’s in goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. The general perception was, despite the high cap hit and lengthy term that, at least for the foreseeable future, the former two time Vezina winner would be a significant upgrade. Like so many things in 2020, they didn’t see this coming… Embed from Getty Images What We Thought: After establishing himself as one of the best in the game with Columbus, and coming off an impressive first round upset over the heavily favoured Lightning, Bobrovsky was a coveted free agent and the Panthers seemed anRead More →