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All-Star Skills Competition Assignments Released

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With the All-Star game one day away, many NHL fans often get more excited for the 2018 GEICO NHL All-Star Skills Competition, which will be tonight. The NHL released the list of who will be participating in each of the six competitions with the winner of each receiving $25K.

Enterprise NHL Fastest Skater – Each skater is timed for one full lap around the rink.
Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Rickard Rakell (Anaheim Ducks)
Noah Hanifin (Carolina Hurricanes)
Josh Bailey (New York Islanders)
Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
Jack Eichel (Buffalo Sabres)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)

Dunkin Donuts NHL Passing Challenge – Requires three skills over one round, including Target Passing (making four passes to a target that light up randomly), Give-and-Go (must complete four successful passes through a course in the neutral zone) and Mini Nets (must complete four passes over barricades and into mini-nets).
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
Brayden Schenn (St. Louis Blues)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes)
Eric Staal (Minnesota Wild)
Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues)
Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)

GEICO NHL Save Streak – Goalies attempt to win by making the most consecutive saves against an opposing division on a minimum of nine shots.
Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) vs. Central Division
Connor Hellebuyck (Vancouver Canucks) vs. Pacific Division
Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators) vs. Metropolitan Division
Marc-Andre Fleury (Vegas Golden Knights) vs. Atlantic Division
Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) vs. Central Division

Gatorade NHL Puck Control Relay – A timed event that involves three skills, including Stickhandling (where a skater must control a puck through a series of eight pucks in a straight line), Cone Control (where a skater controls a puck through a series of eight cones in a zig-zag formation) and Gates (where a skater must shoot or choose to guide the puck through a lighted rung of a gate).
Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)
Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)
Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)
John Tavares (New York Islanders)
Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars)
Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)

PPG NHL Hardest Shot – Over two rounds, each player will attempt two shots measured in miles per hour with the highest speed recorded.
John Klingberg (Dallas Stars)
Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
P.K. Subban (Nashville Predators)
Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Honda NHL Shooting Accuracy – A timed event in which a skater is positioned 25 feet behind the goal line and must shoot at five LED targets in the goal. A target will light up and the players has three seconds to hit it.
Brian Boyle (New Jersey Devils)
Blake Wheeler (Winnipeg Jets)
James Neal (Vegas Golden Knights)
Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks)
Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins)
Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles Kings)
Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Eastern Notes: van Riemsdyk, Price, Ho-Sang

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While the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in an interesting cap situation in the future, the team seems to be content with making a playoff run and using their trade deadline assets in James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov as “own rentals” instead. All three players will be unrestricted free agents next season and it seems unlikely that all three will be retained.

While the team may be able to find a way to keep one or two of the free agents, there is a lot of speculation that the team is unlikely to be able to extend van Riemsdyk due to the scorer’s likely high contract demands this summer and their own cap situation, The Athletic’s James Mirtle (subscription required) asks the question whether it’s a good idea to lose the veteran wing for nothing. The in-depth story begins by looking at van Riemsdyk’s value as he currently has 19 goals in 47 goals and is on pace for one of his best seasons ever. Breaking down the numbers, Mirtle suggests that the team could easily afford the 28-year-old for the first two years of a deal, but complications will come after that when the team must start extending their young stars in Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. That doesn’t even get to the thought the team might want to bring in a big-name defenseman at some point.

No matter how you look at it, the scribe writes, there is no easy way to fix the problem. He writes the team should have moved van Riemsdyk a year ago to have gotten the true value they needed, but can’t move him now when the team is poised for a playoff run. It seems clear the team intends to invest elsewhere in the future and will have to fill the veteran’s place from within.

  • Eric Engels of Sportsnet writes that Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price said that he was suffering from chronic fatigue at the beginning of the season and couldn’t recover his energy after games and practices. “I was always tired,” Price told TVA Sports. “A guy who eats well and sleeps well like me isn’t supposed to be tired like I was.” After seeing a nutritionist, it turned out he had vitamin deficiencies in vitamin D and B12. Once taking supplements, Price said it took about three weeks before he began to see an improvement in his energy levels. Before being injured on Nov. 2, Price had a 3-7-1 record and a .877 save percentage.
  • Newsday’s Arthur Staple writes that while the New York Islanders have made a number of moves, bringing up players from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to help the team, many fans have noticed that prospect Joshua Ho-Sang has not been among them. That’s because, according to head coach Doug Weight, Ho-Sang is not trying very hard in the AHL. He was a healthy scratch with the AHL squad last week with finger-pointing towards his lack of effort. “It’s a crying shame he’s not playing with John Tavares when (Josh Bailey) goes down,” Weight said. “We had six guys out. It was a perfect opportunity. And Josh should be upset with himself. Whether our view of the world is wrong is something we can argue later. But the fact is, we need to be able to look at how some guys are laying it on the line [in Bridgeport] and he’s a healthy scratch. So to go from that to the first lineup here, where is he learning from that? That’s a big, big part of this.” Ho-Sang has five goals and 10 assists in 20 games with Bridgeport.

2018 Midseason UFA Power Rankings: 1-10

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With the halfway point of the season now behind us and the trade deadline fast approaching, it’s time to take a preliminary look at the UFA Class of 2018.  Here is the first half of our top-20 rankings, based on votes from writers Gavin Lee, Brian La Rose, Nate Brown, Zach Leach and Holger Stolzenberg. We ran numbers 11-20 yesterday, and will release an honorable mention group tomorrow.

1. John Tavares, C, New York Islanders — There was never any doubt that Tavares would hold the top spot on this list, and he was ranked #1 on all five ballots. The superstar Islanders center will only be 27 on July 1st, and could challenge Connor McDavid for the largest cap hit in the league if a bidding war starts over his services. Even with all of his career success, Tavares may have not experienced a season quite like this one, as he is currently tied for second in league scoring with 54 points in 46 games. There is very little negative that can be said about him, and teams could legitimately change their franchise direction by landing the biggest fish on the market.

2. John Carlson, D, Washington Capitals — Though it’s a steep drop off after Tavares, Carlson is an elite free agent in his own right. It’s rare that a defender of his caliber hits the open market, and the fact that he only just turned 28 makes him a target for 31 teams in the NHL. Logging more than 26 minutes a night this season on a depleted Washington blueline, Carlson trails only John Klingberg in terms of scoring from defensemen with 35 points through 45 games. Though it’ll be a tough case to make at the end of the season, Carlson should get some Norris consideration and could land a huge long-term contract.

3. Evander Kane, F, Buffalo Sabres — Everyone’s favorite trade rumor is headed to free agency after the season, as the Sabres haven’t even approached him to discuss an extension. Unless he’s so enamored with his next team and signs a contract right away, he should be able to pick a landing spot from a dozen or more suitors in the offseason. How many years teams will offer him has been disputed at times, but at just 26 he’s one of the youngest free agents to hit the market and should provide several years of prime performance.

4. James van Riemsdyk, F, Toronto Maple Leafs — van Riemsdyk doesn’t carry the puck a ton, and doesn’t often score from far out, but might be the most dangerous scorer in the league within five feet of the net. He’s well on his way to another 30 goal season this year, even while playing the fewest average minutes since he was 21. Expected to ask for something around $36MM over six years, there will be no shortage of teams looking to add him to their powerplay.

5. James Neal, F, Vegas Golden Knights — Before this season, free agency or even the expansion draft, we looked at Neal’s incomparable consistency and how he was headed for a big contract on the open market. He’s never recorded fewer than 21 goals in a season, and already has 18 this year. Obviously a huge part of what the Vegas Golden Knights have done to start their franchise history, they’ll try to retain him on a reasonable deal. If they can’t, he might just end up scoring 20 for his fifth organization in 2018-19.

6. Josh Bailey, F, New York Islanders — It’s not just Tavares that the Islanders have to worry about leaving this summer, but Bailey (and de Haan below) too. He and Anders Lee have formed the perfect wing pair for Tavares this season, and Bailey is going to blow his career-high in points—set only last season—out of the water just at the right time. He’s 28, has 50 points in 42 games and is a lethal powerplay setup man. Who doesn’t want to add that on the open market?

7. Mikael Backlund, C, Calgary Flames — Maybe underrated because of his personality and lack of flash on the ice, Backlund is nevertheless one of the most valuable assets available this summer. Soon to be 29, he’s coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons and is a legitimate long-term center option. Centers with 50-point upside and responsible defensive ability don’t hit the market that often, and Backlund should be able to cash in because of it.

8. Paul Stastny, C, St. Louis Blues — Speaking of centers, Stastny is in good position to cash in on one last multi-year contract. The 32-year old is still logging big minutes for the St. Louis Blues, and though he may not be the 70-point man of his youth is still an effective weapon at both ends of the rink. A decline is coming, but with 33 points through 47 games this season including 20 even-strength assists, he will still be able to command an audience on the first day of free agency.

9. Calvin de Haan, D, New York Islanders — That’s right, the third Islanders player in the top 10 is de Haan, who has steadily developed into an excellent all-around defenseman. While he doesn’t have the offensive upside of Carlson, his youth—he’ll turn 27 in May—and ability to plug into a top-4 will still have teams knocking down his door. Our writers had him placed everywhere from #7 to #16, but no one disagrees he’ll have plenty of options on the open market.

10. Mike Green, D, Detroit Red Wings — There was a time, nearly a decade ago, when Green was the shining example of an offensive defenseman. Two years in a row, starting in 2009, he finished second in Norris voting behind a more well-rounded player—first to Duncan Keith, then Zdeno Chara—despite point totals in the seventies. In 2008-09 he even recorded 31 goals, the highest total from a defenseman since Kevin Hatcher in 1992-93, and unmatched in the years since. At 32 years old he won’t be putting up 70 point seasons anymore, but is still an excellent puck mover and can quarterback a powerplay. He’ll likely be one of the stars of the trade deadline and free agent day.

Midseason Poll: Will John Tavares Re-Sign In New York?

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In July, we asked out readers to take a look ahead at the free agent class of 2018 and determine who would be the very best option available. The instructions were to decide who was the best player, among those who would actually make it to free agency.

At that point, just a few weeks after the 2017 free agent frenzy had occurred, almost 66% of our readers picked John Tavares, believing he’d make it to the open market.

Has that changed with the knowledge that the Islanders will have a new home at Belmont Park within the next few years? Is Tavares going to re-sign with the only franchise he’s ever known?

Obviously, none of us can know for sure until Tavares signs a contract making him one of the highest paid players in the league, or July 1st rolls around. But, where does your confidence lie at this point? Vote below and explain what you think will play out over the next few months.

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

2018 All-Star Rosters

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The NHL released the rosters for this year’s All-Star game in Tampa Bay, leading to an inevitable onslaught of discussion over who missed out and who didn’t deserve to go. The event will take place on January 27-28th. The full rosters can be found below:

Atlantic Division:

F Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning (captain)
F Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning
F Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs
F Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers
F Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins
F Jack Eichel – Buffalo Sabres
D Victor Hedman – Tampa Bay Lightning
D Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
D Mike Green – Detroit Red Wings
G Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning
G Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens

Head Coach: Jon Cooper

Metropolitan Division:

F Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals (captain)
F Taylor Hall – New Jersey Devils
F Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
F Josh Bailey – New York Islanders
F John Tavares – New York Islanders
F Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
D Seth Jones – Columbus Blue Jackets
D Noah Hanifin – Carolina Hurricanes
D Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
G Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
G Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals

Head Coach: Barry Trotz

Central Division:

F Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche
F Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg Jets
F Brayden Schenn – St. Louis Blues
F Eric Staal – Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars
D P.K. Subban – Nashville Predators (captain)
D Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis Blues
D John Klingberg – Dallas Stars
G Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators
G Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette

Pacific Division:

F Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers (captain)
F Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames
F Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
F James Neal – Vegas Golden Knights
F Rickard Rakell – Anaheim Ducks
F Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
D Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
D Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Arizona Coyotes
G Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings
G Marc-Andre Fleury – Vegas Golden Knights

Head Coach: Gerard Gallant

Help Wanted: Islanders’ Defense Corps

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In his most recent 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman notes that the New York Islanders need help on defense as they deal with injuries to Calvin de Haan and Johnny Boychuk. Brock Nelson, a pending restricted free agent, is listed as a possible trade chip whose name is “starting to creep out there” though Friedman provides no further details other than noting that the Islanders are in a desperate win-now mode.

Brock NelsonThat’s mostly because of the continued intrigue around John Tavares and his potential free agency, but it’s not just him that could walk this summer. Josh Bailey, Thomas Hickey, Jaroslav Halak and de Haan are all set to become unrestricted free agents, which could result in a very different Islanders team taking the ice next season. If they’re to compete with this group, it has to happen now.

If the Islanders are to put Nelson up for sale, he would certainly garner interest despite his down year. Coming off three consecutive 20+ goal, 40+ point seasons, Nelson has just 14 points on the season this year playing reduced minutes behind Tavares and Mathew Barzal. His ability and size are still attractive attributes for teams looking to upgrade down the middle, especially when they come with just a $2.5MM cap hit. Most teams in the league could afford to add a contract like that, especially if a defenseman is headed back the other way.

Defense isn’t the only thing Friedman mentions in regards to the Islanders, as he sneaks in a thought about their goaltending situation and a potential interest in Robin Lehner of the Buffalo Sabres. This doesn’t seem to be based on any inside information, but just seems like a logical fit from his point of view—for what it’s worth, Joe Yerdon of NHL.com has considered this idea before as well.

The Islanders could use an upgrade in net, and with Lehner heading towards restricted free agency once again this summer with an increasing price tag, the Sabres might consider moving him for the right price. After all, they do have Linus Ullmark waiting in the minor leagues for his chance in the NHL and a team that has holes all over the roster.

The biggest takeaway perhaps from Friedman’s notes is that the Islanders are indeed a team to watch as the trade deadline approaches next month. With a lot riding on this season to show Tavares where their future lies, and their current position in last place in the Metropolitan Division, we could see some fireworks before long.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Islanders Find Themselves In Precarious Position

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Just a few weeks ago, the New York Islanders seemed to be a solid team on the upswing, who were in a good position to land a playoff spot, and convince soon-t0-be restricted free agent John Tavares to re-sign with their franchise. Oh, and they fixed that whole stadium issue too.

Suddenly, the team has lost five straight and are at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. Granted, they are just two points out of a playoff spot, but they are one of five teams competing for those final two spots. One has to wonder how Tavares will look at re-signing with the team if the Islanders find themselves out of the playoffs again? In fact, in his Sunday column, Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes the team is getting nervous about Tavares future. And since Tavares’ camp doesn’t want to talk about an extension during the season, the Islanders more and more, find themselves in a tough predicament. The scribe writes that as long as the team is within striking distance of a playoff spot, the Islanders and general manager Garth Snow won’t consider trading Tavares. But what if the team continues to slip? Can they really allow Tavares to walk away for nothing?

While the team have some key injury issues on defense, much of the issue falls on New York’s goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss, who have truly struggled. In 13 of the last 17 games, the tandem have allowed four or more goals. Their .8913 save percentage is 30th in the league (only behind Arizona), leading The New York Post’s Larry Brooks to point to poor decision making by Snow. Might the team have miscalculated on its defensive strength before they traded Travis Hamonic to Calgary? Why haven’t they upgraded their goalies after they struggled last year? Greiss has really struggled this year with a 3.89 GAA in 20 games this year, while Halak has been the star (sarcasm intended) with a 3.22 GAA in 26 appearances.

Injuries have also plagued the team who lost three more players Friday in their 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh, including wingers Josh Bailey and Andrew Ladd along with defenseman Ryan Pulock. Bailey is out for today’s game. However, offense hasn’t been the problem. The team still is ranked among the best offensive teams, as they are currently tied for third for goals scored at 3.31. It’s the defense that hasn’t fared well. They are last (or first) in goal allowed as they’ve allowed an average of 3.64 goals against and by a wide margin. Arizona is second in goals against at 3.44. Granted two of their better defenders, Johnny Boychuk and Calvin de Haan have been injured. Boychuk has missed five games so far and might still miss a couple more, while De Haan is likely to miss extensive time and will be an unrestricted free agent himself.

Nevertheless, the team decided to stick with Snow last year after not reaching the playoffs and likely won’t make any major decisions until the Tavares dilemma is settled, according to Arthur Staple of Newsday. The scribe writes that while Snow’s job should be unstable, the team probably won’t want to have the look of “starting over” when trying to make their franchise look as good as possible for their 27-year-old superstar. What the team, however, needs to do is to utilize the assets they got from the Hamonic trade and add some defense as quick as possible before their season and next few years falls apart.

Who Is On Pace To Score 60 Points In 2017-18?

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In 2016-17, only 42 NHLers hit the 60-point benchmark for the season. It was the lowest total since the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season (obviously), when only Martin St. Louis notched sixty, and down eleven from the 53 players who hit the mark two years earlier in 2014-15. However, with scoring up this season in the NHL, will the league increase it’s number of top scorers? Or will a greater depth and distribution of talent continue to limit players from reaching the high numbers of yesteryear?

As of now, with the 2017 segment of the season about to close, here are the players on pace for 60 points in 2017-18:

  1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 54 points in 37 games, Projection: 120 points
  2. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 48 points in 37 games, Projection: 107 points
  3. John Tavares, New York Islanders – Currently: 49 points in 38 games, Projection: 106 points
  4. Josh Bailey, New York Islanders – Currently: 49 points in 38 games, Projection: 106 points
  5. Jakub Voracek, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 46 points in 38 games, Projection: 99 points
  6. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 46 points in 38 games, Projection: 99 points
  7. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 45 points in 38 games, Projection: 97 points
  8. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 43 points in 37 games, Projection: 95 points
  9. Blake Wheeler, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 44 points in 39 games, Projection: 93 points
  10. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames – Currently: 41 points in 38 games, Projection: 89 points
  11. Phil Kessel, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 41 points in 39 games, Projection: 86 points
  12. Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals – Currently: 41 points in 40 games, Projection: 84 points
  13. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 40 points in 39 games, Projection: 84 points
  14. Anders Lee, New York Islanders – Currently: 39 points in 38 games, Projection: 84 points
  15. Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks – Currently: 38 points in 37 games, Projection: 84 points
  16. Brock Boeser*, Vancouver Canucks – Currently: 38 points in 36 games, Projection: 84 points
  17. Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues – Currently: 41 points in 41 games, Projection: 82 points
  18. Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins – Currently: 32 points in 29 games, Projection: 82 points
  19. Jon Marchessault, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 34 points in 33 games, Projection: 81 points
  20. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals – Currently: 39 points in 40 games, Projection: 80 points
  21. Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils – Currently: 36 points in 36 games, Projection: 80 points
  22. Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  23. Vincent Trocheck, Florida Panthers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  24. Mathew Barzal*, New York Islanders – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  25. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 36 points in 38 games, Projection: 78 points
  26. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 35 points in 35 games, Projection: 78 points
  27. Vladimir Tarasenko, St. Louis Blues – Currently: 38 points in 41 games, Projection: 76 points
  28. Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres – Currently: 35 points in 38 games, Projection: 75 points
  29. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  30. Mark Stone, Ottawa Senators – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  31. Brayden Point, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 34 points in 37 games, Projection: 75 points
  32. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins – Currently: 35 points in 39 games, Projection: 74 points
  33. Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars – Currently: 35 points in 39 games, Projection: 74 points
  34. David Perron, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 29 points in 30 games, Projection: 74 points
  35. Evander Kane, Buffalo Sabres – Currently: 34 points in 38 games, Projection: 73 points
  36. Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers – Currently: 33 points in 37 games, Projection: 73 points
  37. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 33 points in 37 games, Projection: 73 points
  38. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 32 points in 34 games, Projection: 73 points
  39. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs – Currently: 29 points in 29 games, Projection: 72 points
  40. Artemi Panarin, Columbus Blue Jackets – Currently: 34 points in 39 games, Projection: 71 points
  41. Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars – Currently: 34 points in 39 games, Projection: 71 points
  42. Vlad Namestnikov, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 32 points in 37 games, Projection: 71 points
  43. Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild – Currently: 33 points in 39 games, Projection: 70 points
  44. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks – Currently: 18 points in 15 games, Projection: 70 points
  45. Sean Monahan, Calgary Flames – Currently: 32 points in 38 games, Projection: 69 points
  46. Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings – Currently: 31 points in 37 games, Projection: 69 points
  47. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars – Currently: 32 points in 39 games, Projection: 67 points
  48. William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 29 points in 36 games, Projection: 66 points
  49. Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche – Currently: 28 points in 33 games, Projection: 66 points
  50. Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers – Currently: 29 points in 35 games, Projection: 66 points
  51. Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  52. Alexander Radulov, Dallas Stars – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  53. Patrik Laine, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 31 points in 39 games, Projection: 65 points
  54. Clayton Keller*, Arizona Coyotes – Currently: 31 points in 40 games, Projection: 64 points
  55. John Carlson, Washington Capitals – Currently: 31 points in 40 games, Projection: 64 points
  56. Reilly Smith, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 28 points in 36 games, Projection: 64 points
  57. Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets – Currently: 30 points in 39 games, Projection: 63 points
  58. P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  59. Mats Zuccarello, New York Rangers – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  60. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  61. Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  62. Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes – Currently: 29 points in 38 games, Projection: 62 points
  63. James Neal, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 27 points in 36 games, Projection: 62 points
  64. Kyle Turris, Nashville Predators – Currently: 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 62 points
  65. Danton Heinen*, Boston Bruins – Currently: 26 points in 33 games, Projection: 62 points
  66. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  67. Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  68. Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs – Currently: 29 points in 39 games, Projection: 61 points
  69. Jordan Eberle, New York Islanders – Currently: 28 points in 38 games, Projection: 61 points
  70. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks – Currently: 26 points in 35 games, Projection: 61 points
  71. Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild – 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 61 points
  72. Rickard Rakell, Anaheim Ducks – Currently: 27 points in 34 games, Projection: 61 points
  73. Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 27 points in 36 games, Projection: 61 points
  74. Erik Haula, Vegas Golden Knights – Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 61 points
  75. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning – Currently: 27 points in 37 games, Projection: 60 points
  76. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins- Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 60 points
  77. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators – Currently: 25 points in 32 games, Projection: 60 points

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Snapshots: Tavares, Vegas, Gudbranson

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The New York Islanders announced their plan for a brand new arena at the Belmont Park location today, and front and center at the ceremony was none other than John Tavares. The team captain spoke very highly of the decision, something he’s supported since the beginning.

For us as players and our fan base to have somewhere you know it’s written in stone that we’re going to have a home built for the Islanders on Long Island is pretty special.

The Islanders are called the Islanders for a reason. This is really where the team belongs.

Still, Tavares isn’t willing to announce that he’s re-signing with the team now that it has a long-term future ahead of it. In speaking with Arthur Staple of Newsday at the event, he calmly said that while a positive outcome, it’s not “going to change or ultimately make my decision.”

  • The Vegas Golden Knights are in an extremely interesting position as they continue their inaugural season, and one that GM George McPhee likely didn’t expect when he selected a team heavy on pending free agents. Though they’re one of the top teams in the league, they might still have to decide whether the long-term future of the club is more important as they head towards the trade deadline, something Gary Lawless of NHL.com discussed in an informal Q&A on Twitter. Lawless explained that though they obviously have assets that could be valuable at the deadline, he doesn’t expect management to break up the core while they’re experiencing so much success, instead pointing at the cap space that Vegas possesses as potential bait. That’s something we’ve discussed about at length in the past, and an obvious avenue for the Golden Knights to add to the future while maintaining the present.
  • In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, he speaks about several players who might need a fresh start as we head toward the trade deadline. One of those, Erik Gudbranson, has been rumored available in the past and Friedman believes that he’ll price himself out of the Vancouver Canucks market when he hits free agency after this season. Though Gudbranson certainly doesn’t make the impact that some hoped he would when he went third-overall to the Florida Panthers, he can still be a helpful player for a team with defensive depth issues. The fact that he only makes $3.5MM will make him an affordable piece at the deadline, if a team believes they can get good shutdown minutes from him down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Belmont Park Decision Expected Wednesday Morning

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Jim Baumbach of Newsday reports that the decision regarding a potential new home for the New York Islanders at Belmont Park is expected on Wednesday morning. The Islanders are competing with MLS franchise New York City FC for rights to build a new facility in the area.

Fans of the hockey team have been following the story closely, as the future home is expected to be an influencing factor in the decision of John Tavares this summer. Tavares is a pending unrestricted free agent, and has said that he’d wait to see what kind of plan the team had for a new building before making any decision. The 27-year old superstar would be arguably the biggest name ever to hit free agency, and could potentially break Connor McDavid’s $12.5MM cap hit as the league’s highest-paid player.

A new arena would go a long way for the Islanders, who admitted they don’t have a “Plan B” behind the Belmont proposal. While that demonstrates the confidence they have that the city will award them the site, NYCFC has a strong proposal of their own. When the decision is made, we’ll know more about how the Islanders plan to go about construction, and whether they’ll use the upcoming Janurary deadline to opt out of the current lease at Barclays Center.

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