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In: Central Division
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It is officially the time of year where we go from the euphoria of a Stanley Cup Final and a Cup Champion crowned to that roughly three week period of rumors and rampant speculation before free agency hits and the NHL Draft cranks up the trade insanity. Every team has fat to trim and holes to fill, and there tends to be no shortage of players dangled in an effort for each team to accomplish both goals. The Blackhawks have done a lot of maneuvering over the last eight years, and because of their successes they haven’t always been the ones in power because simplyRead More →

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In: Central Division
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There is not a person out there that would argue that the Chicago Blackhawks had a terrible season in 2017-18. It started off great with a pair of dominant wins over the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets, but things spiraled quickly when it started to become clear that Corey Crawford was working overtime to plug a bevy of holes in the beat up dinghy masquerading as their blueline. In the span of a couple of years the Blackhawks blueline has gone from an unsinkable ship to the SS Minnow. Blackhawk Down Things went further off the rails when Crawford went down with anRead More →

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In: Central Division, Pacific Division, Playoffs
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The Winnipeg Jets had the Nashville Predators on the ropes, but last year’s runner up was able to dig deep and force a Game 7. While a Game 7 win is energizing on its own, Game 1 on Saturday could be a rude awakening for the Jets as the Vegas Golden Knights have been kicking back since last Sunday. The question is, will the advantage be to the fresh team or the one riding a wave of adrenaline to kick off the series. The Ride So Far These two teams both came into the season with something in common, no one was really sure they’dRead More →

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In: Central Division, Playoffs
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The Nashville Predators came into the NHL playoffs expected to be a real contender for the Stanley Cup, and many believed that they were poised to make a return to the Stanley Cup Final.  They won the President’s Trophy; they had a historic season where they dominated on their home sheet of ice, and on the road. The Preds were the big tough schoolyard bully, and they came into the 2018 NHL Playoffs ready to shakedown some opponents and take their allowance. That is not what’s happened. Shakedown Street? The Preds rolled into the first round looking to annihilate the wounded Colorado Avalanche. A teamRead More →

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In: Central Division
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Zach Parise has had an excellent career by just about any standards. He’s played 13 seasons, garnering votes for several major awards including the Selke Trophy (Defensive Forward), Lady Bing Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship), and the Hart Trophy (MVP) throughout. Though Parise has never taken any of these awards home, not every player gets that kind of recognition across the board. He has even been to a Stanley Cup Final (2011-12), though his New Jersey Devils succumbed to the Los Angeles Kings in six games. Zach Parise: The American Dream Parise has also played on one All-Star team (2009 while a member of the New JerseyRead More →

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In: Central Division, Playoffs
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The scene is now set in the for the second round games in the Western Conference, with the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets vying for a place in the Conference final. We’ve already previewed the Golden Knights Vs Sharks series, now it’s time for the Central division match-up: How did we get here? Before Jacob Trouba‘s game winning goal in the first period sealed the deal on Friday, the last time an NHL team in Winnipeg made the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs was in 1987. That was with the original iteration of the Winnipeg Jets. The current franchise has never been ableRead More →

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In: Central Division
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The Colorado Avalanche roster has seen better days. With season ending injuries to goalie Semyon Varlamov, and defenceman Erik Johnson; the Avs’ playoff hopes now rest on the young shoulders of Nathan Mackinnon and slighty less young Jonathan Bernier. This has some Avs fans in a panic: Great. Awesome. It's over https://t.co/pcsJ4JBbha — Carl Landra (@CarlLandra) March 31, 2018 Is it over, Carl? Is it? With just a handful of games left in the regular season, the Avs are still in the fight for the playoffs, but only just. Colorado, St. Louis and Anaheim are separated by just a few points and the difference betweenRead More →

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In: Central Division, General, NHL
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Amateur Scouting for the NHL is far from an exact science despite improvement in player rankings over the past decade. Technology continues significantly impact player evaluation across the board, providing access to talent outside of North America. If Pavel Datsyuk were draft eligible in 2018, he would be a top-three prospect. Potential first overall selection, Rasmus Dahlin, would have fallen through the cracks back in the 90’s. Scouting staffs have nearly unlimited access to upcoming talent and it continues to drive Central Scouting reports. The Draft Pick Even with advances in talent evaluation, did Nashville Predators’ GM, David Poile, expect the impact that Viktor ArvidssonRead More →

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In: Atlantic Division, Central Division, Metropolitan Division
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Taylor Hall. Nikita Kucherov. Nathan MacKinnon. These three are currently the front runners to win the Hart Trophy this season as the league MVP. But who will win it? Chace, Joe and Carl make their case for each. Taylor Hall (by Chace McCallum) The NHL’s Hart Trophy goes to the”player judged most valuable to his team“. This is an important caveat in Taylor Hall’s MVP case. He has fewer points per game than Nathan Mackinnon and Nikita Kucherov, his biggest opponents. This likely knocks Hall out of the most outstanding player debate, however in terms of value to their team, it’s Hall and it’s not close.Read More →

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In: Atlantic Division, Central Division, General, NHL
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Growing up in the Buffalo area exposes one to every opinion on tanking for the best draft odds. The local media shares contrasting views as the Sabres were in last place, for two consecutive years. As Buffalo is close to last in the NHL again, the debate is ongoing. The 2015 race for 30th achieved the desired result: a franchise center. Before you comment; yes, Jack Eichel is a franchise center despite the suckfest that is the Buffalo Sabres. Lacking significant improvement since then, certain media claims that tanking leads to a losing culture. Just look at Twitter and notice the heated discussions about theRead More →