Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Polls

Poll: Who Are The Best Wingers In The NHL?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Over the last few weeks the NHL Network have released their lists of the Top 20 Centers and Top 20 Defensemen in the league, sparking huge debate across the hockey world. In a response to this we polled the readers in the PHR community and came up with our own lists, which varied greatly from the original. For our centers, Sidney Crosby came out just ahead of Connor McDavid for the best in the NHL, while John Tavares and Patrice Bergeron were given much more respect.

On the blue line, NHL Network had Victor Hedman as the best defenseman following his Norris Trophy season while several other respected names found themselves off the list entirely. After nearly 10,000 votes, PHR chose Erik Karlsson as the top dog despite his disappointing 2017-18 campaign. Karlsson just barely edged out Drew Doughty and Hedman at the top of our list, while there were some other interesting inclusions further down. Our PHR community-voted Top 20 Defenseman list currently looks like this:

  1. Erik Karlsson (867 votes)
  2. Drew Doughty (862 votes)
  3. Victor Hedman (857 votes)
  4. P.K. Subban (694 votes)
  5. Brent Burns (633 votes)
  6. Roman Josi (429 votes)
  7. Seth Jones (387 votes)
  8. Oliver Ekman-Larsson (378 votes)
  9. Alex Pietrangelo (373 votes)
  10. John Carlson (341 votes)
  11. Dustin Byfuglien (326 votes)
  12. Shea Weber (219 votes)
  13. Aaron Ekblad (215 votes)
  14. John Klingberg (203 votes)
  15. Ryan Suter (194 votes)
  16. Kris Letang (166 votes)
  17. Dougie Hamilton (165 votes)
  18. Duncan Keith (163 votes)
  19. Ryan Ellis (139 votes)
  20. Charlie McAvoy/Ivan Provorov (137 votes)

Today, the NHL Network released their next ranking, this time valuing the Top 20 Wingers in the league. Nikita Kucherov took down the top spot after once again proving he is an elite offensive talent for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Registering a career-high 100 points last season, Kucherov led the Lightning in scoring for the third consecutive season despite only just turning 25 and was rewarded with a huge eight-year $76MM contract extension this summer. He’ll be in Tampa Bay for quite a while putting up huge point totals and driving an offense that is among the best in the NHL.

Behind Kucherov was the ageless Alex Ovechkin who recently took home his seventh Rocket Richard trophy as the league’s best goal scorer, and finally won the Stanley Cup after being ousted annually by nemesis Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin also broke the 600-goal threshold in 2017-18, and will likely end up among the very best goal scorers to ever play the game. Reigning Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP falls in just behind the top two, as Taylor Hall managed to hold off Patrick Kane and Brad Marchand for third in the ranking. The rest of the group is a mishmash of veteran stars like Blake Wheeler and Phil Kessel, and young talents like Brock Boeser and Mikko Rantanen.

Just like the debate over centers and defensemen, we will now as you at PHR to rank the top wingers in the NHL. The NHL Network did their own fan vote which ended up being somewhat hijacked by Jake Virtanen fans, but also included other names like Mitch Marner and Tom Wilson. Where do you think those players fall in? Since there are an incredible amount of talented wingers in the league, this time we’ll ask you to cast your vote by selecting 20 names. Make sure to leave a comment below on who you think deserves to be recognized, or your thoughts on how the center and defense polls ended. We’ve included many names that could be considered, but if you think we’ve missed someone important (which we undoubtedly have) make sure to leave his name down below.

Who are the best wingers in the NHL?
Alex Ovechkin 6.75% (638 votes)
Taylor Hall 5.66% (535 votes)
Patrick Kane 5.65% (534 votes)
Nikita Kucherov 5.58% (528 votes)
Patrik Laine 5.43% (513 votes)
Vladimir Tarasenko 5.10% (482 votes)
Brad Marchand 4.53% (428 votes)
Artemi Panarin 4.19% (396 votes)
Claude Giroux 3.96% (374 votes)
Jamie Benn 3.96% (374 votes)
Johnny Gaudreau 3.67% (347 votes)
David Pastrnak 3.50% (331 votes)
Phil Kessel 3.42% (323 votes)
Blake Wheeler 3.41% (322 votes)
Filip Forsberg 2.80% (265 votes)
Mitch Marner 2.08% (197 votes)
Brock Boeser 1.85% (175 votes)
Logan Couture 1.76% (166 votes)
Jakub Voracek 1.66% (157 votes)
T.J. Oshie 1.41% (133 votes)
William Nylander 1.38% (130 votes)
Gabriel Landeskog 1.34% (127 votes)
Wayne Simmonds 1.33% (126 votes)
Jonathan Marchessault 1.30% (123 votes)
James van Riemsdyk 1.26% (119 votes)
Mark Stone 1.25% (118 votes)
Mikko Rantanen 0.98% (93 votes)
James Neal 0.94% (89 votes)
Max Pacioretty 0.94% (89 votes)
Jaden Schwartz 0.91% (86 votes)
Jonathan Huberdeau 0.85% (80 votes)
Nikolaj Ehlers 0.79% (75 votes)
Evander Kane 0.76% (72 votes)
Sebastian Aho 0.76% (72 votes)
Jeff Skinner 0.66% (62 votes)
Rickard Rakell 0.61% (58 votes)
Patric Hornqvist 0.58% (55 votes)
Anders Lee 0.50% (47 votes)
Corey Perry 0.47% (44 votes)
Alexander Radulov 0.47% (44 votes)
Viktor Arvidsson 0.44% (42 votes)
Jordan Eberle 0.41% (39 votes)
Clayton Keller 0.40% (38 votes)
Patrick Marleau 0.39% (37 votes)
Kyle Connor 0.38% (36 votes)
Jonathan Drouin 0.37% (35 votes)
Mikael Granlund 0.33% (31 votes)
Teuvo Teravainen 0.32% (30 votes)
Jason Zucker 0.31% (29 votes)
Travis Konecny 0.26% (25 votes)
Alex DeBrincat 0.24% (23 votes)
Anthony Mantha 0.24% (23 votes)
Reilly Smith 0.23% (22 votes)
Brendan Gallagher 0.22% (21 votes)
Mike Hoffman 0.21% (20 votes)
Dustin Brown 0.20% (19 votes)
Josh Bailey 0.20% (19 votes)
David Perron 0.20% (19 votes)
Evgeny Dadonov 0.12% (11 votes)
Yanni Gourde 0.08% (8 votes)
Total Votes: 9,454

[Mobile users click here to vote]

2006 NHL Draft Take Two: First Overall Pick

at CDT | by 11 Comments

Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

In the fall of 2016, PHR ran a series where fans were able to choose the order in which draft picks should have been selected during the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. While Sidney Crosby was still the obvious choice for first overall, there was huge turnover for the rest of the first round. Even looking back less than two years later some voters may change their mind, given Carey Price’s (voted second overall) recent struggles.

This time around we’ll be looking at the infamous 2006 draft, in which Erik Johnson was picked first overall ahead of star forwards like Jonathan Toews, Phil Kessel and Nicklas Backstrom. Three players from the 2006 first round would never suit up for a single NHL game, while seven others would last fewer than 100 games. The 2006 draft was loaded with talent at the top, but where would these stars go if selected today with the benefit of hindsight?

Over the next month as we wait for training camp to begin, we’ll be going through the entire 2006 NHL Entry Draft and have the PHR community select who they would have picked knowing the result of the player’s career. We’ll include a list of players to vote for, and update the first round as it progresses. While 2005 was a clear cut answer at first overall, there might be a little more debate on who is the first off the board this time around.

The St. Louis Blues had the first selection over a decade ago, and went with a big physical defenseman from the US National Team Development Program in Johnson. After a year at the University of Minnesota, Johnson stepped right into a full-time role with the Blues and hasn’t looked back. With 637 career games under his belt and still an important part of the Colorado Avalanche blue line, Johnson can’t be considered a bust. Was he the right selection though at the very top of the draft?

With the first pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, who should the St. Louis Blues select? Cast your vote below!

2006 Redraft: First Overall
Jonathan Toews 57.18% (1,521 votes)
Claude Giroux 13.61% (362 votes)
Nicklas Backstrom 11.88% (316 votes)
Brad Marchand 7.41% (197 votes)
Phil Kessel 6.39% (170 votes)
Erik Johnson 0.86% (23 votes)
Jordan Staal 0.49% (13 votes)
Milan Lucic 0.41% (11 votes)
Cal Clutterbuck 0.30% (8 votes)
Trevor Lewis 0.26% (7 votes)
Patrik Berglund 0.23% (6 votes)
Kyle Okposo 0.15% (4 votes)
Shawn Matthias 0.15% (4 votes)
Semyon Varlamov 0.15% (4 votes)
Chris Stewart 0.08% (2 votes)
Michael Grabner 0.08% (2 votes)
Jonathan Bernier 0.08% (2 votes)
Nick Foligno 0.04% (1 votes)
Bryan Little 0.04% (1 votes)
Derick Brassard 0.04% (1 votes)
Nikolay Kulemin 0.04% (1 votes)
Artem Anisimov 0.04% (1 votes)
Jamie McGinn 0.04% (1 votes)
James Riemer 0.04% (1 votes)
Michal Neuvirth 0.04% (1 votes)
Michael Frolik 0.00% (0 votes)
Steve Mason 0.00% (0 votes)
Total Votes: 2,660

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Poll: Who Will Be The Top Free Agent Available In 2019?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The 2019 Superclass is losing some of its power. At this point a few months ago, hockey fans across North America were drooling with anticipation while thinking about the group of players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2019. There were some incredible defensemen set to hit the open market, and real questions about whether their current teams would be able to hammer out an extension in time. Now, just six weeks into that extension period and we’ve already seen several names crossed off the list.

On July 1st alone, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Drew Doughty, Ryan McDonagh and Niklas Hjalmarsson were all removed from a possible free agent frenzy by inking huge contract extensions with their respective teams. Ekman-Larsson and Doughty would re-up for eight years each, while McDonagh would receive seven and Hjalmarsson an extra two. It took a few more weeks but Ryan Ellis would join them with an eight-year extension of his own, taking another elite defenseman off the market well before anyone could even prepare a sales pitch.

It wasn’t just defensemen. Logan Couture received an eight-year $64MM extension from the San Jose Sharks as soon as they could give it out, and Adam Henrique was given five more years from their state rival Anaheim Ducks. Marc-Andre Fleury was rewarded for his playoff performance with a three-year deal that makes him one of the highest-paid goaltenders in the league, despite only playing 46 regular season games for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18.

A ton of talent has already been locked up, but it wasn’t dubbed a Superclass because of just a few players. The 2019 market still has a long list of talent scheduled, including superstar forwards like Tyler Seguin and Artemi Panarin. Erik Karlsson hasn’t signed an extension with the Ottawa Senators and may still be traded before the season, while Sergei Bobrovsky and Pekka Rinne provide some elite goaltending options if they aren’t re-signed.

So who will be the best free agent to make it all the way to market? After John Tavares showed that a superstar can indeed change teams in the prime of their career, who will be next to follow the money (or the home cooking) to a new club? Cast your vote below not for the player who you think is currently the best, but the best player you think will actually become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, 2019. Explain your thoughts in the comment section below.

Who will be the top UFA in 2019?
Erik Karlsson 31.44% (454 votes)
Tyler Seguin 24.03% (347 votes)
Artemi Panarin 18.21% (263 votes)
Blake Wheeler 3.60% (52 votes)
Matt Duchene 3.46% (50 votes)
Sergei Bobrovsky 2.70% (39 votes)
Mark Stone 2.35% (34 votes)
Pekka Rinne 2.35% (34 votes)
Wayne Simmonds 2.29% (33 votes)
Max Pacioretty 1.87% (27 votes)
Jordan Eberle 1.32% (19 votes)
Joe Pavelski 1.18% (17 votes)
Jeff Skinner 0.76% (11 votes)
Tyler Myers 0.62% (9 votes)
Jake Gardiner 0.62% (9 votes)
Anders Lee 0.62% (9 votes)
Gustav Nyquist 0.55% (8 votes)
Nate Schmidt 0.48% (7 votes)
Kevin Hayes 0.42% (6 votes)
Eric Staal 0.42% (6 votes)
Mats Zuccarello 0.35% (5 votes)
Jakob Silfverberg 0.35% (5 votes)
Total Votes: 1,444

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Poll: Who Are The Best Defensemen In The NHL?

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Last week the hockey world exploded into debate when the NHL Network released their list of the Top 20 Centers in the league. They had Connor McDavid ahead of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at the top of the list, while others like Jonathan Toews were left off completely. At PHR we did our own poll in which readers were asked to rank the ten best, and after more than 10,000 votes the list looked quite different. The PHR community-voted Top 20 Center list currently looks like this:

  1. Sidney Crosby (1,213 votes)
  2. Connor McDavid (1,127 votes)
  3. Evgeni Malkin (817 votes)
  4. John Tavares (797 votes)
  5. Patrice Bergeron (732 votes)
  6. Auston Matthews (696 votes)
  7. Nathan MacKinnon (689 votes)
  8. Steven Stamkos (596 votes)
  9. Anze Kopitar (591 votes)
  10. Mark Scheifele (435 votes)
  11. Tyler Seguin (401 votes)
  12. Evgeny Kuznetsov (335 votes)
  13. Jonathan Toews (307 votes)
  14. Nicklas Backstrom (301 votes)
  15. Jack Eichel (237 votes)
  16. Aleksander Barkov (160 votes)
  17. Ryan Getzlaf (156 votes)
  18. Ryan O’Reilly (100 votes)
  19. Sean Couturier (99 votes)
  20. Mathew Barzal (85 votes)

Today, the network released their ranking of the Top 20 Defensemen in the NHL right now. At the very top is Victor Hedman, who has established himself as not only one of the best two-way defensemen in recent history, but an absolute superstar for the Tampa Bay Lightning capable of taking home a Norris trophy in any season. Hedman took home the trophy for the 2017-18 season after averaging nearly 26 minutes a night and recording 63 points in 77 games. Behind him though will bring plenty of controversy, as the rest of the list contains some interesting decisions and leaves out several seemingly deserving candidates.

Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and P.K. Subban, winners of four out of the five previous Norris trophies before Hedman took home this year’s award round out the top five. Duncan Keith, who won his second Norris in 2013-14, is nowhere to be found on the list after a down year with the Chicago Blackhawks. Taking up spots previously given to older players like Keith are a handful of youngsters, including Zach Werenski, Seth Jones, and Charlie McAvoy.

Just like the center debate, we’d like to ask you at PHR who you think deserves to be on the list. Can others like Ivan Provorov, Hampus Lindholm, Mattias Ekholm or Marc-Edouard Vlasic make it into the top group? Once again we’ll ask you to cast your vote by selecting 10 names. Makes sure to leave a comment below on who you think deserves to be recognized, or your thoughts on how the center poll ended. We’ve included many of the names that could be considered, but if you think we’ve missed someone important make to to leave his name down below.

Who are the best defensemen in the NHL?
Erik Karlsson 9.23% (906 votes)
Drew Doughty 9.05% (888 votes)
Victor Hedman 9.04% (887 votes)
P.K. Subban 7.33% (719 votes)
Brent Burns 6.73% (660 votes)
Roman Josi 4.50% (442 votes)
Seth Jones 4.05% (397 votes)
Alex Pietrangelo 3.91% (384 votes)
Oliver Ekman-Larsson 3.90% (383 votes)
John Carlson 3.56% (349 votes)
Dustin Byfuglien 3.41% (335 votes)
Shea Weber 2.36% (232 votes)
Aaron Ekblad 2.22% (218 votes)
John Klingberg 2.13% (209 votes)
Ryan Suter 2.00% (196 votes)
Kris Letang 1.81% (178 votes)
Dougie Hamilton 1.71% (168 votes)
Duncan Keith 1.68% (165 votes)
Charlie McAvoy 1.49% (146 votes)
Ryan Ellis 1.46% (143 votes)
Ivan Provorov 1.43% (140 votes)
Zach Werenski 1.40% (137 votes)
Jaccob Slavin 1.40% (137 votes)
Zdeno Chara 1.35% (132 votes)
Marc-Edouard Vlasic 1.22% (120 votes)
Shayne Gostisbehere 1.19% (117 votes)
Mark Giordano 1.03% (101 votes)
Ryan McDonagh 1.02% (100 votes)
Colton Parayko 0.98% (96 votes)
Morgan Rielly 0.90% (88 votes)
Torey Krug 0.67% (66 votes)
Cam Fowler 0.67% (66 votes)
Jacob Trouba 0.66% (65 votes)
Hampus Lindholm 0.61% (60 votes)
Rasmus Ristolainen 0.58% (57 votes)
Mattias Ekholm 0.56% (55 votes)
Matt Dumba 0.43% (42 votes)
Nate Schmidt 0.42% (41 votes)
Matt Niskanen 0.29% (28 votes)
Brady Skjei 0.26% (26 votes)
Tyler Myers 0.25% (25 votes)
Keith Yandle 0.25% (25 votes)
Dmitry Orlov 0.24% (24 votes)
Jared Spurgeon 0.21% (21 votes)
Tyson Barrie 0.16% (16 votes)
Jonas Brodin 0.12% (12 votes)
Oscar Klefbom 0.10% (10 votes)
Total Votes: 9,812

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Poll: Who Is The Best UFA Left On The Market?

at CDT | by 10 Comments

The unrestricted free agent frenzy dried up extremely quickly this season, and we haven’t seen single contract signed in the first week of August. The last UFA to ink a deal was Matt Read, who signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild to try and compete for some fourth line minutes and continue his NHL career. Though the cap situation for many teams is quite tight and roster spots are more and more valuable every year, it is somewhat shocking to see how much NHL experience is still out there. The talent of the remaining players can be questioned, but the league has always seemed willing to give veteran players a chance on one-year deals in the past.

Last August, we saw older players like Matt Cullen, Francois Beauchemin, Drew Stafford and Matt Hendricks given another chance to extend their careers while several minor league players were brought back on two-way contracts. That is still bound to happen over the next few weeks, but the more surprising part is how many veteran names may be left searching for a professional tryout or heading to Europe to find work. There are dozens of skaters who played in at least one NHL game last season still available on the UFA market, and several goaltenders including three with plenty of previous experience.

So which would you most likely sign if you had control of your favorite franchise? Rick Nash may be the obvious choice, given his relative youth and previous star status, but he’s been kept out of our poll given that he hasn’t even decided whether he wants to play next season. Nash may come back to the game at some point, but right now he should be considered off limits. Among the other names though there are several players who’ve shown real effectiveness in the past, some even as recently as last season.

Cast your vote to decide who is the best free agent left on the market, and make sure to leave a comment down below explaining your choice. We’ve included many of the available options, but speak up if there’s someone you think is being overlooked.

Who is the best unrestricted free agent left on the market?
Toby Enstrom 11.82% (181 votes)
Luca Sbisa 10.32% (158 votes)
Mike Cammalleri 6.79% (104 votes)
Scott Hartnell 6.14% (94 votes)
Kris Versteeg 5.88% (90 votes)
Antoine Vermette 5.81% (89 votes)
Joel Ward 5.09% (78 votes)
Tommy Wingels 4.64% (71 votes)
Troy Brouwer 4.64% (71 votes)
Alexei Emelin 4.38% (67 votes)
Kari Lehtonen 4.31% (66 votes)
Steve Mason 3.85% (59 votes)
Drew Stafford 3.53% (54 votes)
Nick Shore 3.20% (49 votes)
Mark Letestu 3.07% (47 votes)
Kevin Bieksa 3.00% (46 votes)
Johnny Oduya 2.81% (43 votes)
Lee Stempniak 2.74% (42 votes)
Benoit Pouliot 2.02% (31 votes)
Dominic Moore 1.89% (29 votes)
Ondrej Pavelec 1.83% (28 votes)
Daniel Winnik 1.70% (26 votes)
Jakub Jerabek 0.52% (8 votes)
Total Votes: 1,531

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Poll: Who Will Be The First Coach Fired In 2018-19?

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Not a single NHL head coach was fired during the 2017-18 season, though several changes have been made since. Barry Trotz and Bill Peters resigned their positions in Washington and Carolina, and were each hired to replace the outgoing bench bosses in New York and Calgary. Those two were Doug Weight and Glen Gulutzan, who both failed to get their teams to the playoffs in year two of their coaching history (Weight replaced Jack Capuano partway through the 2016-17 season). Assistant coaches moved up the ladder in Washington and Carolina, while the NCAA ranks were mined for new openings for the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers. Jim Montgomery and David Quinn took over for Ken Hitchcock and Alain Vingeault respectively, bringing new ideas and fresh faces to the NHL coaching circuit.

It’s not new for coaches to be fired in the offseason, but seeing no one sent packing during the year is a very rare occurrence. It was the first time it had happened since 1966-67, meaning the likelihood of it happening again in 2018-19 seems very low. So then, who will be the first to feel the seat burning underneath him? The last time we asked a question like this the readers correctly guessed that Vingeault was on his way out, but also listed Claude Julien in Montreal, Jeff Blashill in Detroit and Rick Tocchet in Arizona as possibilities.

Who will be the first coach fired in 2018-19? Will it happen at all? Cast your vote below and make sure to explain why in the comment section.

Who will be the first coach fired in 2018-19?
Guy Boucher - Ottawa Senators 14.61% (274 votes)
Todd McLellan - Edmonton Oilers 13.76% (258 votes)
Claude Julien - Montreal Canadiens 12.37% (232 votes)
Jeff Blashill - Detroit Red Wings 7.73% (145 votes)
Joel Quenneville - Chicago Blackhawks 6.40% (120 votes)
Randy Carlyle - Anaheim Ducks 5.07% (95 votes)
John Tortorella - Columbus Blue Jackets 4.96% (93 votes)
Mike Yeo - St. Louis Blues 4.91% (92 votes)
Dave Hakstol - Philadelphia Flyers 3.57% (67 votes)
Bruce Boudreau - Minnesota Wild 3.47% (65 votes)
No coaches will be fired in 2018-19 3.41% (64 votes)
Phil Housley - Buffalo Sabres 2.72% (51 votes)
Rick Tocchet - Arizona Coyotes 2.13% (40 votes)
Travis Green - Vancouver Canucks 1.76% (33 votes)
Mike Babcock - Toronto Maple Leafs 1.71% (32 votes)
John Stevens - Los Angeles Kings 1.33% (25 votes)
Rod Brind'Amour - Carolina Hurricanes 1.23% (23 votes)
Todd Reirden - Washington Capitals 1.07% (20 votes)
David Quinn - New York Rangers 0.96% (18 votes)
Mike Sullivan - Pittsburgh Penguins 0.80% (15 votes)
Paul Maurice - Winnipeg Jets 0.75% (14 votes)
Bruce Cassidy - Boston Bruins 0.69% (13 votes)
Bill Peters - Calgary Flames 0.69% (13 votes)
Jim Montgomery - Dallas Stars 0.59% (11 votes)
Peter DeBoer - San Jose Sharks 0.59% (11 votes)
Bob Boughner - Florida Panthers 0.53% (10 votes)
Jared Bednar - Colorado Avalanche 0.48% (9 votes)
Peter Laviolette - Nashville Predators 0.48% (9 votes)
Jon Cooper - Tampa Bay Lightning 0.48% (9 votes)
Barry Trotz - New York Islanders 0.37% (7 votes)
John Hynes - New Jersey Devils 0.21% (4 votes)
Gerard Gallant - Vegas Golden Knights 0.16% (3 votes)
Total Votes: 1,875

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Poll: Which Playoff Team Won’t Make It In 2019?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Yesterday we asked which non-playoff team would end up in the postseason tournament in 2019, and the St. Louis Blues have received a huge amount of support. After some big moves this offseason including acquiring Ryan O’Reilly, Tyler Bozak and David Perron, the Blues are leading the poll with almost 30% of the vote. That’s more than 700 votes ahead of the Ottawa Senators, who are bringing up the rear with just 0.82% of voters thinking they’ll make it back. St. Louis is certainly a good candidate to make it back to the postseason, but the second place team might be an even more interesting case.

The Buffalo Sabres finished dead last in 2017-18 and were lucky enough to win the rights to draft defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, and yet sit second in our poll of teams who could make the jump to the postseason. One would think it’s not often that teams go from dead last in the NHL to the playoffs in one season, but it has actually happened the past two years. The Toronto Maple Leafs rode a rookie wave led by Auston Matthews to sneak into the playoffs in 2016-17, and the Colorado Avalanche found incredible success on the back of Nathan MacKinnon last year. Can the Sabres make it a three-peat of teams going from prison-to-playoffs?

If the Sabres or Blues are to make it into the postseason in 2018-19, someone else will have to drop out. Today we ask you to predict what team that will be, given their offseason and situation heading into next year. Will a superstar-driven team experience a drop like the Edmonton Oilers did last season, when even Connor McDavid’s second consecutive Ted Lindsay Award wasn’t enough to get them to the playoffs? Which team will blow it up at the deadline and admit they can’t truly contend for the Stanley Cup like the New York Rangers did earlier this year? Who will be the biggest disappointment and miss the playoffs entirely despite loading up this summer?

Cast your vote below and make sure to leave your reasoning in the comment section!

Which playoff team won't make it in 2019?
Vegas Golden Knights 15.83% (295 votes)
Minnesota Wild 15.18% (283 votes)
New Jersey Devils 14.70% (274 votes)
Colorado Avalanche 11.80% (220 votes)
Anaheim Ducks 11.75% (219 votes)
Columbus Blue Jackets 6.76% (126 votes)
Philadelphia Flyers 6.28% (117 votes)
Los Angeles Kings 5.58% (104 votes)
Toronto Maple Leafs 3.92% (73 votes)
San Jose Sharks 2.15% (40 votes)
Boston Bruins 1.72% (32 votes)
Washington Capitals 1.34% (25 votes)
Pittsburgh Penguins 1.23% (23 votes)
Winnipeg Jets 1.07% (20 votes)
Nashville Predators 0.48% (9 votes)
Tampa Bay Lightning 0.21% (4 votes)
Total Votes: 1,864

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Poll: Which Non-Playoff Team Will Make It In 2019?

at CDT | by 4 Comments

We’ve seen a large amount of turnover on NHL rosters over the last few months, with the trade deadline, entry draft and plenty of action in free agency. Now as we get closer to training camp every team in the NHL has its sights set on the playoffs and a chance at the Stanley Cup. Even those who finished outside the postseason picture last season are aiming for a different result in 2018-19, and everyone who did get into the tournament is just hoping to hold on.

Last summer we asked which non-playoff team from 2016-17 would make it in 2017-18 and the results were clear. The Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning were the easy favorites, earning more than 18% of the vote each. Unfortunately for Dallas that prediction didn’t come true, as the team missed the postseason for second consecutive year. Not so for the Lightning though, who bounced back from an injury plagued year to once again be a force in the Eastern Conference.

Interestingly the Colorado Avalanche came in last with just 11 votes (0.73%) after posting a historically bad 2016-17 season, and yet the team bounced back and just made the playoffs in the Western Conference. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen were a huge part of that, but a solid performance by the entire roster should be credited for them finding their footing again last season. Can the Buffalo Sabres do a similar basement-to-playoffs run in 2018-19 with their young core of Jack Eichel, Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt?

Cast your vote below on who you think will make the playoffs in 2018-19 and make sure to explain your choice in the comment section below. Even leave your thoughts on who will fail to reach the postseason next year.

Which non-playoff team will make it in 2019?
St. Louis Blues 29.69% (868 votes)
Buffalo Sabres 10.12% (296 votes)
Edmonton Oilers 9.20% (269 votes)
Calgary Flames 8.58% (251 votes)
Chicago Blackhawks 8.55% (250 votes)
Dallas Stars 5.88% (172 votes)
Florida Panthers 5.75% (168 votes)
New York Islanders 4.65% (136 votes)
Detroit Red Wings 4.24% (124 votes)
Carolina Hurricanes 3.45% (101 votes)
New York Rangers 3.15% (92 votes)
Arizona Coyotes 2.56% (75 votes)
Montreal Canadiens 2.26% (66 votes)
Vancouver Canucks 1.03% (30 votes)
Ottawa Senators 0.89% (26 votes)
Total Votes: 2,924

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Poll: Should The Ottawa Senators Trade Mark Stone?

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Ottawa Senators have just two weeks to sign Mark Stone before an arbitrator awards a one-year contract that would send him to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019. His hearing is scheduled for August 3rd, after which there will still be a short window to get a deal done before the one-year deal is awarded. Getting him signed to a multi-year contract appears to be a priority, but what if the team can’t get him to sign this summer?

If Stone makes it to the arbitration award and the Senators decide not to walk away from it, it would put them in an interesting situation. He wouldn’t be eligible to sign an extension—or even discuss one—until January 1st, 2019 since he’s on a one-year deal, which would also put him just a few months from the end of the season and a potential bidding war for his services on the open market. After all, Stone has developed into one of the most consistent two-way wingers in the NHL and put up 62 points in just 58 games during the 2017-18 season. His ability to create turnovers and strip unsuspecting players of the puck is almost unmatched around the league, and he can be used in many different offensive roles depending on the situation. Though there are other top forwards scheduled for free agency next offseason, Stone would be right among them as one of the top options available.

So, if there is any indication that Stone won’t sign a multi-year contract in the next two weeks should the Senators consider trading him? The team has already lost Mike Hoffman this summer to the Florida Panthers, and traded Dion Phaneuf at the deadline to free up some cap space last season. If it’s to be believed that captain Erik Karlsson is the next one out the door, what is left for Stone to accomplish this season for the club? The Senators aren’t expected to compete for the playoffs let alone the Stanley Cup, and could be several years away from contention given that they also owe their 2019 first-round pick to Colorado for Matt Duchene—who is also scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2019. Would moving Stone following his arbitration hearing be the ideal time? Should the team be considering it even if they can work out a multi-year deal with their 26-year old forward? Or is waiting to see how the team reacts this year the best option?

Cast your vote below and explain how you’d be approaching the situation in Ottawa if you were GM Pierre Dorion. Is Stone part of the turnaround, or just an asset to get a head start on the incoming rebuild?

Should the Ottawa Senators trade Mark Stone?
Yes 55.64% (538 votes)
No 44.36% (429 votes)
Total Votes: 967

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Poll: Who Will Be The Next Big Name To Be Traded?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

We’re getting close to the slowest time of the year for NHL news, as arbitration cases start to be wrapped up and teams are finished their free agent shopping. Through August there won’t be a ton of intrigue in terms of new contracts, but it’s shaping up to be a very interesting month with regards to the trade market.

The biggest name remains Erik Karlsson, the Ottawa Senators captain who is heading into the final year of his current contract. Still a superstar defenseman, Karlsson could command a huge package from nearly any team in the league if he’s willing to sign an extension, but his feelings on the situation still aren’t entirely clear. Now 28 years old, Karlsson has always maintained his love for the city of Ottawa and it’s not exactly apparent where else he would want to spend the next chapter of his life and career. To give up a package including top prospects, an acquiring team would want to know they have him for more than just one year.

Other than Karlsson though, there are other huge names still floating out there. Artemi Panarin, Max Pacioretty and Jeff Skinner have all been rumored as available in one sense or another and could supply a big offensive boost to any acquiring team. Panarin especially could draw a huge package given his overall offensive repertoire, but all three are marked with the same issue that hurts Karlsson’s trade value—each of them has just one year left on their current deals.

It seems unlikely that all of them will begin the year on their current teams, but the market has been quiet for some time as teams deal with other things. That might change in August after arbitration ends, and teams have a full concept of where their financial situation and roster structure has landed. Who do you think will be the first to move? We’ve included a list of oft-rumored players, but feel free to share your idea in the comments below!

Who will be the next big name to be traded?
Max Pacioretty 33.61% (403 votes)
Erik Karlsson 19.10% (229 votes)
Artemi Panarin 16.85% (202 votes)
Jeff Skinner 13.18% (158 votes)
Justin Faulk 10.43% (125 votes)
Jason Zucker 2.67% (32 votes)
Other (leave in comments) 2.50% (30 votes)
Oscar Klefbom 1.67% (20 votes)
Total Votes: 1,199

[Mobile users click here to vote!]

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top