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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 →

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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella has fallen out with the NHL again. His expletive filled tirade after the Jackets’ shoot-out loss to Chicago has already hit headlines. If you’re not familiar with the reason for this, it’s because Columbus’ game winning goal was ruled no good as the buzzer had already sounded to end overtime. However there was an infraction prior to this and Tortorella argues that not enough time was added back in. Had that extra second been added then the goal would have stood. Instead the game went to a shoot out and Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo was hurt while blockingRead More →

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Pushing the chips into the center can go one of two ways, and for the Columbus Blue Jackets and GM Jarmo Kekalainen,  their gamble came up empty. While the Blue Jackets were able to knock out the Tampa Bay Lightning, their playoff run did not end in them hoisting the cup. While the silverware cabinet sits empty; the dressing room and cupboard of draft picks are also limited thanks to the team trading away their second and third-round pick in 2020 and a second in 2021. Notable Players In: Gustav Nyquist, Elvis Merzlikins Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out: Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin, RyanRead More →

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In: Metropolitan Division, NHL
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The tilt of the Earth’s axis slowly moving away from the sun can only mean one thing; fall will soon be here and we can all rejoice at the impending return of the NHL. Here at 4th Line Towers we can’t wait to watch some proper hockey again. This year we’re approaching our previews in a different way; the word count for each team’s preview has been dictated by the number of points that team scored last season. To further mix things up, we’ve divvied up the teams between our writers. Let the Metropolitan division preview begin! Our other previews are: Central Division 2018/19 Preview PacificRead More →

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As the playoffs rumble on Joel, Joe and Mike are here to take a look at which players teams should protect from the upcoming Las Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft. Today, we’re looking at the Eastern Conference teams eliminated in round one of the playoffs. Click here and here to read about the teams that couldn’t even make it that far. While the Western conference surprised with which teams were knocked out, the east has been somewhat less exciting. Pittsburgh, Washington, Ottawa and New York all advanced while the Boston, Montreal, Toronto and Columbus all exited. Those latter four teams are the four we’ll be looking at, saving Joel’sRead More →

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Remember the Columbus Blue Jackets? Oh right, Rick Nash came from there! After losing their star player in 2013, it hasn’t been an easy ride for CBJ. However, in the last few year’s this team has shown signs of becoming more stable. In the last five years, Columbus has only made one trip to the postseason. With the right results, 2016-17 could merit another visit. The hiring of Head Coach John Tortorella in 2015 was met with a mixed reception. JT’s style of management has never been everyone’s cup of tea. Outspokenness and public shaming of players have caused friction in past jobs. Although heRead More →

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As it comes close to the start of the season every team and their fans get excited about the team’s potential.  Everyone starts with a clean slate and has the potential to make the playoffs and win it all. Everyone dreams of hoisting the cup over their heads just like Phil Kessel and the Pittsburgh Penguins did last year.  It is never fun being the one that has to bring bad news but someone has to do it.  I thought about writing another Stanley Cup prediction article but really who wants to read another one of those?  So I figured it is my duty toRead More →

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There’s nothing like going into another team’s house and beating them on their own ice, in front of their fans. But road trips are a double-edged sword. Sometimes you can see the sights that a new city has to offer, other times it’s just a blur of airports, hotel rooms, buses and hockey rinks. Thousands of miles away from your fans, friends and loved ones. Some prolonged road trips are self inflicted. The New York Rangers started the 2013-14 season with a nine game road trip, as renovations to Madison Square Gardens were still being completed. The Rangers went 3-6-0 in a trip they’d probablyRead More →