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Patrik Laine

Snapshots: Three Stars, Metropolitan Division, Laine

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For the second straight week, a Philadelphia Flyer has been named the first star of the NHL.

Jakub Voracek had nine points in four games (3-6-9) as the Flyers went 4-0-0 as they continue their incredible nine-game winning-streak. The high point of the week was a four-point game in the Flyers 6-5 win over the Oilers. Voracek is now third in NHL scoring with 32 points in 31 games behind only Vladimir Tarasenko (32 points in 29 games) and Connor McDavid (39 points in 31 games).

Antti Raanta went 3-0-0 with two shutouts as he temporarily takes the net over from Henrik Lundqvist. His back-to-back shutouts marked the first time that a Rangers goaltender earned back-to-back shutouts since 2003 when Mike Dunham did it. Raanta now has an 8-1-0 record with a sparkling 0.943 SV%.

Sam Gagner may be the best value contract (non entry-level) in the NHL, with 19 points in 25 games for just $650K. He had six points in three games this past week (3-3-6) as the Blue Jackets added to their six game winning streak. He has already surpassed his point totals from last season (16 points in 53 games with an AHL demotion).

  • The Metropolitan Division is the best division in hockey right now, writes NBC Sports’ Jason Brough. The New York Rangers are tied for first in the NHL, but just below them are the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, the Philadelphia Flyers who have won nine games in a row, the Columbus Blue Jackets who have won 11 of 16 and six in a row, and the reigning President’s Trophy winners in the Washington Capitals. All those teams are four points apart. They’re at least seven points up on the Devils, Hurricanes, and Islanders. The latter has gone 6-1-1 in their last eight, but are still ten points behind the fifth place team. Those top five teams are all in the top eight of the NHL.
  • Patrik Laine is leading all rookies in goal scoring and is third in the entire NHL with 17 goals in 32 games, but he had a rough go last night. With the Jets and Oilers tied at two in the last ten minutes of the third, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck kicked a Mark Letestu shot into the slot and Laine one-timed the puck into his own net, in an apparent attempt to clear the puck. It stood up as the winning goal. New Jets captain Blake Wheeler did a good job consoling Laine on the bench and Laine got another shot-on-goal as the Jets fought to tie the game.

Injury Updates: Chara, Boyle, Scandella, Connor, Eichel

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Zdeno Chara is day to day after the Bruins released a very short release on his status. Chara left the game after one shift in the second period, and bench boss Claude Julien reported that he knew nothing further about the injury. In the statement, the Bruins characterized the injury as lower body, while Mike Loftus tweets that the Bruins don’t expect Chara to play Thursday and that he’s “iffy” for Friday’s game. Chara is a +12 this season and has six points (1-5) in 19 games.

In other injury news:

  • Bryan Burns tweets that Tampa Bay center Brian Boyle is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Erik Eriendsson also tweets his day-to-day status and writes that he’ll be out for the game tonight. Boyle was also not at the morning skate.
  • The Minnesota Wild’s Marco Scandella is back in the lineup after missing the last 10 games. Mike Halford writes that Scandella has been skating for the past 10 days after suffering an ankle injury. He also writes that his Scandella’s return will bolster a blue line tasked with stopping the Jets’ Patrik Laine.
  • Speaking of the Jets, Kyle Connor has taken his non-contact jersey off in practice tweets Ken Wiebe. Connor has been out with an upper body injury since last week.
  • Jack Eichel might be back in 3-5 games tweets Mike Harrington. Head coach Dan Bylsma believes that “the end is near” for the Sabres being without their star center, though there is no expected timetable per Bylsma.

Rookie Report: Laine, Marner, Nylander, Werenski, Matthews

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The last three drafts have produced a number of all-world talents who are not only leading respective rookies, but the league as well. Here’s a look at the scoring leaders as the first quarter of the season nears completion.

Starting with Patrik Laine, the #2 overall pick in the 2016 draft, the Finnish forward has already recorded two hat tricks in his first pro season and has been drawing comparisons to his hero, Alex Ovechkin. Laine has been as advertised: a speedy sniper who always seems to be where the puck is. Not only does Laine lead all rookies with 12 goals, but he’s #1 in the league amongst goal scorers, tied with a guy by the name of Sidney Crosby.

Oct 2, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) controls the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during a preseason hockey game at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Mitch Marner is #2 in scoring with 16 points and has been so dominant, that it has CBC wondering if he’s the “face” of the Maple Leafs. Marner has been nothing short of exceptional, notching seven goals and nine assists, buoyed by ten points in his last seven games. His commitment to a total game–not just scoring–even has bench boss Mike Babcock gushing. From CBC:

“You look at all the kids in our lineup — [defencemen Connor] Carrick and [Nikita] Zaitsev and [forwards Zach] Hyman and [Connor] Brown, and then the three guys that have elite skill — he not only has the skill but he competes every night,” said Babcock.

“He competes with and without the puck. That’s really positive. I’ve never coached a kid that good that young.”

William Nylander and Zach Werenski are tied with 14 points apiece. Nylander, the eighth overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft,  has given the Maple Leafs a huge boost in terms of production, joining teammates Marner and Auston Matthews in turning the Leafs’ fortunes around. For a kid who said back in March that he wanted to be “great,” he’s lived up to his expectations. Werenski is the only defenseman on the list and has been a major player in Columbus’ surge over the past few weeks. Tom Gulitti writes that Werenski is a major reason the Jackets are off to a 10-4-2 start and the 19-year-old has been quarterbacking a the power play, another sign that he’s a major player in Columbus’ improvement.

Matthews rounds out the top five with 13 points, and much has been written about the number one overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft. Matthews scored four goals in his NHL debut, but has been silent for the past 11 games. Yet it’s the maturation that Matthews and his fellow rookie teammates have shown that has caught the eye of his coaches and the league. Matthews commitment to a two way game, despite failing to score in nearly a dozen games, shows that he has bought into the Babcock system.

With three Leafs in the top five of scoring among rookies, happier days certainly seem to be on their way to Toronto.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. 

NHL, Stakeholders Discuss Possible Change To Draft Age

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Could the NHL change the draft age from 18 to 19?

TSN’s Bob McKenzie spoke about the possibility on Tuesday night’s edition of Insider Trading. Former third-overall-pick Pat LaFontaine is leading a group of stakeholders that includes the NHL, NHLPA, CHL, USHL, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and NCAA to discuss a “whole new development model.”

According to McKenzie, the model would go from age five to age 20, and would include changing the NHL Draft-eligible age to 19, with “some obvious exceptions for exceptional players.”

The system would likely feature an expanded version of the CHL’s Exceptional Player Status. Normally, players aren’t eligible to play in the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL (the CHL’s three leagues) until they’re 16. However, there is a process (outlined extensively by McKenzie here) where players deemed exceptional can begin to play Major Junior at age 15. Players and their families apply to the CHL and Hockey Canada, and the player is examined on and off the ice to determine if he truly is exceptional. So far, only six players have ever applied, with John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, Connor McDavid, Sean Day, and 2018-eligible Joseph Veleno being successful candidates. The first thee on that list went first overall in their OHL and NHL draft years, while Day went fourth in the OHL draft was a third-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2016. While it’s still early in his career, McKenzie noted that “some were questioning whether he was as blatantly exceptional as Tavares, Ekblad or McDavid.”

Changing the NHL Draft age would drastically change the way the draft is conducted. Looking back over the past two drafts, top selections like McDavid, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, and Patrik Laine would likely have been able to still be drafted at age 18. All four of them have been successful in their rookie seasons, and were clearly NHL-ready at age 18/19. While McDavid was a CHL exceptional-status player, the other three played NCAA, Swiss National League, and Liiga in their draft years. The NHL and other stakeholders would need to find a way to coordinate with all leagues to determine which players are truly exceptional and deserve to be drafted at age 18.

While the above mentioned players would still have been drafted at 18, elite prospects like Dylan Strome, Mitch Marner, Noah Hanifin, Jesse Puljujärvi, and Pierre-Luc Dubois may have been forced to wait an extra year, depending on the rules set out. As it stands now, several teams have issues with how the NHL-CHL agreement is laid out, as it forces 19-year-old draft+1 players to either play in the NHL or CHL when the AHL may be the best for their development. Strome is a current example: he’s posted 129 and 111 points in his last two years in the OHL and has nothing to gain from returning to junior, where he will dominate and potentially learn bad habits because of how dominant he is at that level. Strome has just one assist in six NHL games this year, and would be well-served by 40 games in the AHL to learn the pro game. That’s currently prevented by the NHL-CHL agreement. On one hand, it’s easy to see that CHL teams don’t want to lose their brightest stars before they absolutely have to, but at the same time it may not be in the player’s best interests to go back to junior. Changing the draft age to 19 could alleviate this issue, with drafted players only playing one more year of junior, at most, before turning pro.

LaFontaine and the stakeholders will meet again on Wednesday. On Insider Trading, McKenzie said they’ll “need to get some traction soon if it’s going to happen.”

The NHLPA would also need to agree to the change in collective bargaining when the current CBA expires in 2022 (both sides can opt out two years early). Convincing the Players Association that players will have to wait an extra year before making an NHL salary could be a tough argument, but it will be interesting to see how the discussion goes over the next little while.

Rookie Reports: Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine

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Despite a goal drought, Auston Matthews shouldn’t worry too much writes Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. The 19-year-old from Arizona scored an NHL record four goals in his first game, but is currently goalless in his last seven. But Johnston writes that Matthews knows droughts and poor play are part of the professional hockey experience. When he was a member of the ZSC Lions last season, Matthews had a similar streak but it didn’t faze him, going a similar number of contests where he wasn’t “playing well.” Johnston feels like Matthews is a recipient of a lack of puck luck than poor play. The Leaf center leads the team in shots during those seven games and had 32 in his past four. Johnston also adds that Matthews isn’t pouting on or off the ice about his struggles.

Meanwhile, Greg Wyshynski writes that Patrik Laine is playing Alex Ovechkin to Matthews’ Sidney Crosby in terms of being a competitive number two pick in comparison to the number one pick. Wyshynski writes that Laine is overtaking Matthews both from the eye test perspective and on the score sheet. Laine has already tallied 11 goals this season, and leads rookies in both goals and points (15). More impressive, Laine notched his second hat trick of the season, and becomes just the fourth player in NHL history to record two hat tricks before his 19th birthday.

Wyshynski figures that Laine, who idolizes Ovechkin, will lead rookies in either goals or points at the end of the season, making his case for the Calder Trophy. Further, Wyshynski writes:

As we said, the Calder still comes down to which rookies lead in points and goals at the end of the season. It’s hard to imagine, barring injury, Laine won’t lead in one of them. And just a month into the season, you can feel that familiar momentum from a decade ago: Flashy, sniping European winger stealing the headlines from the North American prodigy.

While there are still a great crop of rookies in the NHL this season, it will certainly be fascinating to continue watching Matthews and Laine not only this season, but hopefully throughout long and productive careers.

U20 Notes: McDavid, Laine, Matthews

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“I think he’s the best 19-year-old hockey player I’ve ever seen.”

Wayne Gretzky had some high praise for Connor McDavid on Tuesday night. In an appearance on the NHL Network (transcribed by Chris Nichols of Today’s Slapshot), Gretzky called McDavid the “catalyst” of the Oilers. Edmonton is off to a 9-4-1 start, tied with Chicago for tops in the Western Conference, and McDavid is a major part of that. He is tied for second in the NHL with 17 points.

Tuesday night marked the first time McDavid, the future face of the NHL, took on Sidney Crosby, the current face of the NHL. The Oilers captain posted three assists while Crosby was held pointless for the first time this season. McDavid won the battle, but his team lost the war on a Benoit Pouliot own-goal with less than two minutes remaining.

Despite his high praise for McDavid, Gretzky still believes Crosby is the best player in the NHL, until “somebody knocks him off that mantle.”

McDavid leads the way for several highly-skilled young players like the top two selections from last June’s draft: Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. Laine is leading the NHL with 11 goals in 14 games; he already has two hat-tricks in his young career, earning him the nickname “Hat-trick Laine”.

ESPN’s Joe McDonald relayed a story from the World Cup, where Laine represented the Finns. During a team practice, Laine ripped a shot past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. Rask admitted he never even saw the puck go past him. Laine’s 11 goals in 14 games ties former Winnipeg Jets sniper Teemu Selanne’s record for goals in his first 14 NHL games. While Laine may not reach Selanne’s mark of 76 goals this season, he will certainly be among the NHL rookie leaders.

In Toronto, Matthews set an NHL record with a four goal outburst in his debut, but has slowed down slightly since then. He has six goals and 11 points in 13 games on a rebuilding Maple Leafs squad.

On the NHL Network, Gretzky complimented a few young players, including McDavid and Matthews for accepting “a responsibility of being that person for their city.”

Still in their prime, Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin are two of the best player in the NHL. With McDavid, Matthews, and Laine now in the picture, the future appears to be in very skilled hands.

Rookie Notes: Laine, Werenski, Marner

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After writing yesterday about the incredible group of teenagers that inhabit the NHL right now, they continued to show why they deserve to have ink spilled every night about them. Patrik Laine, playing in his 12th NHL game scored his seventh goal (while seemingly practicing his golf game) which is the fastest since it took Evgeni Malkin just six games in 2006. The Finnish sniper now has 9 points in those 12 games, and is showing why he was drafted so high.

The Jets are obviously pretty high on Laine, as he’s averaging over 19 minutes a night which leads all rookie forwards this season. As fans watch him play, they must be reminded of another Finnish scoring winger that made an impact as a rookie once upon a time – Teemu Selanne’s amazing rookie season started with 11 goals in his first 12 games, and ended with 76.

  • The idea that defensemen take longer to develop than forwards is being thrown out the window in Columbus, as Zach Werenski continues to dominate in his rookie season. The Blue Jackets are currently tearing the Montreal Canadiens apart (8-0 as this article is written), and Werenski is a big part of it. Though he has just one assist tonight, he’s also the quarterback of an effective powerplay that has gone 4/5 in the game. This 19-year old blueliner was drafted eighth overall in 2015 and is providing huge dividends already for the Blue Jackets; they’ll be 5-3-1 after tonight, with Werenski scoring (at least) nine points.
  • Though Mitch Marner wasn’t included in the original post, he probably should have been.  His start with the Maple Leafs has been overshadowed slightly by Auston Matthews, but the former fourth-overall pick has played extremely well in his own right. Two goals last night led the Maple Leafs to victory in Buffalo, a place they’ve had trouble winning in for years. Though Marner now has eight points in eleven contests, it’s his defensive play that is repeatedly mentioned by head coach Mike Babcock. The diminutive winger has nine blocked shots on the season, which leads all Toronto forwards.

 

Teenage Superstars On A Historic Pace

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The NHL has always been good to its young stars, allowing the top-tier talents to succeed at the earliest of ages. Teenage superstars are not something new, we’ve seen them with every generation. Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Eric Lindros, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky. All have had huge seasons before they were able to drink (in the US at least).

This year, there is a new crop trying to put their name in the history books. Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski, Travis Konecny are all off to blistering starts and look like all-stars already in the league.

There have only ever been 22 seasons in which a teenage player scored at a point-per-game pace (minimum 40 games), but that is what each of these players is close to. Obviously, to keep it up for an entire year is incredibly difficult but it isn’t so long since we’ve seen it happen.

McDavid fought through injury last season to put up 48 points in 45 games, though the second ranked teenage Jack Eichel only had  0.69 PPG. Both teenagers are leaders of their teams already, and expected to lead their franchises to the promised land.

We saw Crosby do it twice, in both 2005-06 and 2006-07. He recorded seasons of 102 and 120 points, actually setting the high mark for his career so far. He was alone though in the teenage group, as Alex Ovechkin lost out on his age-19 season due to a lockout (he’d go on to score 106 points as a 20-year old).

Perhaps the best example of a group this talented, this young, is way back in the early 80’s, when we saw the debuts of Larry Murphy, Denis Savard, Ron Francis, Dale Hawerchuk, Phil Housley and Steve Yzerman, among others. It was an unprecedented youth movement, that defined the game as we know it. While obviously this isn’t quite the same as those all-time greats (especially when speaking after just 10 games), this group should at least compete to have their names put in the all-time teenager lists.

Early Calder Trophy Candidates: Matthews, Marner, Laine

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The Hockey News’ Mike Brophy writes a very preliminary guess as to the front runners for the Calder Trophy, awarded yearly for the league’s best rookie. Brophy concedes that it’s still very early in the season, but based on what he’s seen over the first three weeks, he lists some players to watch as the year progresses. Some names Brophy highlights:

  • Toronto Maple Leafs forward and #1 overall pick in 2016 Auston Matthews leads the pack, turning in a four goal performance in his first NHL game and following that up with being second overall in league scoring with 10 points (6-4). Linemate William Nylander is right behind him, with four goals and nine points in seven games.
  • Teammate Mitch Marner is also an early candidate, notching a goal and six points in seven games.
  • Winnipeg Jets rookie Patrik Laine has eight points (6-2) in seven games and is showing that he was absolutely worthy of the second overall pick in the 2016 draft.
  • Jimmy Vesey, the focus of nearly every team this summer as a free agent out of college, has proven the Rangers right so far. Vesey had four goals (4-1) in seven games thus far.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski had two goals and five points in just six games, being a bright spot on what has started out as a disappointing start for the Jackets.

Regardless of who wins, Brophy talks of how the injection of youth in the league is hopefully leading to another wave of talent. Further, Brophy talks about how the excitement of the player’s speed, and skill could hopefully bring back the excitement that Brophy feels has been missing for some time.

Snapshots: McKenzie’s ’17 Draft Prospects, ‘Jackets, North America

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It’s never too early to scout talent. Bob McKenzie released his preseason top 15 prospect list for the 2017 NHL Draft and the top slot wasn’t even close. Brandon Wheat Kings center Nolan Patrick is the clear #1 prospect, being voted the top prospect by ten out of ten scouts McKenzie spoke with. Though it’s not clearly as exciting as the Jack Eichel–Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews-Patrik Laine debates, the report on Patrick is his ability to score goals. But he doesn’t boast the same franchise type standing as McDavid, Eichel, Matthews or Laine. After Patrick, however, the draft seems to dip in terms of overall talent. McKenzie writes that the draft is “not as exciting a group” as years past.  Further, McKenzie reports that the top ten talent isn’t nearly as defined as in the past. McKenzie lists Patrick, D Timothy Liljegren, F Klim Kostin, F Maxime Comtois, F Eeli Tolvanen, F Gabe Vilardi, F Kristian Vesalainen, F Owen Tippett, D Cal Foote, and F Lias Andersson as the top ten best prospects in the 2017 Draft.

In other hockey news:

  • Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno can’t wait to see the new talent make their way to Columbus writes Alison Lukan. Foligno was one of many Jackets to congratulate the prospects in Cleveland who captured the Calder Cup this past summer. Now, Foligno is ready to welcome any of those prospects who can make an impact in Columbus.

“If you’re going to come and help us, we’re going to welcome you with open arms. We’re excited to see who is going to rise to the occasion and come and help our group. But it’s my job to be competitive and push everybody. If you want to be here, then you’ve got to beat me.”

Lukan reports that after a disappointing 2015-16 season, the Jackets will look to their younger players to push for playing time and help the team improve this year.

  • Team North America captured the attention of the hockey world, and gave a glimpse of the future of the NHL writes the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc. Canada coach Mike Babcock called the “young guns” team “one of the most exciting things of the tournament,” while saying that they would garner the attention of a whole new group of fans. Kuc described the North American team as the “darlings” of the tournament with a style of play that caused fans to experience “whiplash.” Amalie Benjamin adds that it was hockey at its “most brilliant, most entertaining, and most delightful.”

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