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Stretch Run Storylines 2020

Stretch Run Storylines: Vancouver Canucks

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues (something the league remains hopeful of doing), there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Vancouver.

The Canucks have been a team trying to pry their way into the playoffs after several years of rebuilding. The team even took that next step, trading their first-round pick last offseason to Tampa Bay in exchange for goal-scoring forward J.T. Miller, a deal that paid off as he leads the team in scoring with 72 points and is tied for the team lead in goals with 27. The team has been in the playoff race all season, but might have some challenges in the months ahead.

Playoff Race

The Canucks have 78 points at this point in the season and currently, based on points percentage, they would be the first wildcard team if the season ended today. That’s great news, but if the regular season resumes and is based on points, the Canucks would be out of the playoffs, meaning they would need to prove they can overcome teams like Nashville and Winnipeg, among others, to squeak into the playoffs.

Vancouver does have the advantage of being a young team that might have a better shot of jumping out quickly like it did when the regular season started and the Canucks dominated the Pacific Division for the first couple months of the season. Players like Quinn Hughes would be playing as if he was a second-year player and should be able to provide even more stability in their back end to help the team gain their way into the playoffs. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who was on LTIR before the suspension of play, is already fully healed from his knee injury, and ready to go — another big plus.

Pending UFAs

The team does have quite a bit offseason work to complete this season. The team has to lock up Markstrom to a long-term deal. The UFA could be one of the bigger names on the goalie market for teams, although he recently told Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, that he has no intention of playing for another team and wants to re-sign in Vancouver, which is good news for Canucks fans. The 30-year-old had his best season to date with a 2.75 GAA and a .918 save percentage.

However, the team has other issues, which could be challenging, considering the team is capped out. Barring a compliance buyout that could save them, the Canucks may have to make some significant moves to stay under a cap that likely won’t increase this offseason. The team also must consider contracts for veteran defenseman Chris Tanev as well as trade-deadline acquisition Tyler Toffoli, who looked exceptional in 10 games, scoring six goals and 10 points in a Vancouver uniform. That doesn’t even consider the team’s RFAs for next season, including Jake Virtanen, Adam Gaudette, Troy Stecher and Tyler Motte.

Hughes For Calder?

Hughes will have chance to walk away from the offseason with some hardware as it looks more and more like a two-person race for the Calder Trophy, for the best rookie. While many feel that Cale Makar was the runaway leader for the trophy, the play of Hughes in the second-half of the season has been exceptional and could be enough to vault himself past Makar in the running. Hughes did win our PHR poll in March by quite a landslide.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Calgary Flames

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues (something the league remains hopeful of doing), there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Calgary.

The Flames have had a bit of a tumultuous season.  After winning the division last year, Bill Peters was let go early in the season for prior incidents that came to light.  Their top five scorers from 2018-19 are all producing at a lower clip this season.  They’re allowing more goals than a year ago while scoring less per game.  But despite that, they’re still sitting in a playoff spot and are within striking distance for second in the Pacific.  Here’s what to watch for from them down the stretch.

Scoring Races

Despite underachieving considerably compared to last year, Matthew Tkachuk (61 points) and Johnny Gaudreau (58) are in a tight battle for the team lead in scoring.  Both were starting to heat up before the break as well with Gaudreau averaging a point per game over his last 16 contests while Tkachuk had 19 points in that same span.  Neither will come close to their mark from a year ago but it should make for an interesting scoring race over the final few weeks.

There is another scoring race to watch for in Calgary between a current winger in Milan Lucic and their former winger in James Neal.  As part of the offseason trade, a 2020 third-round pick from the Oilers to the Flames was put in it with some rather unique conditions.  For the pick to transfer, Neal has to score at least 21 goals this season and have 10 more tallies than Lucic.

Let’s look at where things stand now.  Neal is at 19 goals so he’s two shy of getting the first half.  Meanwhile, Lucic has rebounded slightly from his goal total a year ago but he only sits at eight.  If Neal picks up a couple over their final stretch, Calgary should net themselves the pick unless Lucic comes back and gets on a hot streak right away.

Rebound From Rittich?

Expectations were high for David Rittich heading into the year.  The goaltender was coming off of a strong 2018-19 campaign and was expected to push for even more playing time this season.  He got off to a strong start as well, posting a .915 save percentage across his first 35 appearances.  That was a little better than a year ago (.911) and it helped him make it to his first All-Star Game when he took the place of Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper.

Things haven’t gone as well since then.  In his last 13 games, his save percentage plummeted all the way down to .883.  In other words, from about NHL average to below-average backup territory.  That’s not the biggest of sample sizes but his struggles and a nagging elbow issue paved the way for Cam Talbot to play more regularly before the pause in the schedule.

Can Rittich rebound after the break or will Talbot, who took a one-year deal last summer to take another run at landing a starting job this coming offseason, continue to cut into his playing time?  This is a potential dual-goalie situation which would be ideal for a compressed stretch run but come playoff time, they’ll likely want to stick with one netminder over a platoon.

Valimaki Ready?

Juuso Valimaki didn’t look out of place in Calgary last season.  The blueliner made the team and held his own early before being sent to the minors.  However, he was recalled late in the year and even saw some playoff action.  That had him in line to push for a regular spot on the back end until he tore his ACL in early September.  He wasn’t expected to play this season but the break in the schedule has made that a legitimate possibility now.

From a short-term standpoint, adding another defenseman would be ideal for a stretch run that will likely be compressed if it gets off the ground.  It’d also certainly be beneficial from a development perspective.

But there is another consideration at play.  If Valimaki plays in a single game in 2019-20, he would become eligible for selection in next summer’s Seattle expansion draft.  But if he doesn’t, he won’t accrue a professional season of service which means he’d fall under the exempt category.  By the way, that applies for any AHL playing time either in the unlikely event that their season resumes.

That presents Calgary with a potentially intriguing decision.  It’s hard to justify sitting someone that could help in a late-season or playoff game but are a handful of games from someone who has been off so long enough to justify making him required to be protected.  Worth noting, Mark Giordano, Noah Hanifin, and Rasmus Andersson will all require protection next summer and teams only have three guaranteed protection slots.  It’d be an interesting decision either way.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Edmonton Oilers

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Edmonton.

No one was quite sure what to make of the Edmonton Oilers coming into the 2019-20 season. Back in 2016-17, the team made a promising playoff run, suggested that Connor McDavid was set to take Edmonton to years of deep playoff runs. Instead, the team collapsed for two straight years, being bounced from the playoffs both years and struggling with a weak defense and a lack of top-six talent. Add a new general manager in Ken Holland and the team under new head coach Dave Tippett is back in the playoff race, beginning to look like that 2016-17 team.

Hart Trophy For Draisaitl?

McDavid may be the face of the franchise, but Leon Draisaitl has been grabbing many of the game-to-game headlines as the German center has finally moved from McDavid’s wing to center his own line and has found success. He has formed his own line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, which has had great success throughout much of the second half of the season. The 24-year-old who had 50 goals and 105 points a year ago, has already surpassed that point total in less games. He has 43 goals and 110 points through 71 games and is leading the league in scoring.

Could Draisaitl be joining McDavid as a Hart Trophy winner? He is 13 points ahead of McDavid who is second in the league in scoring. With the turnaround success of the Oilers, who are in second place in the Pacific Division, Draisaitl may just be the lead candidate for the trophy.

Trade-Deadline Acquisitions

The Edmonton Oilers picked up three players at the trade deadline in a hope to bolster their defense and their offense to another level. The team gave up two second-round picks in order to pick up the speedy Andreas Athanasiou, while also moving a future fifth-rounder for winger Tyler Ennis. They also moved Kyle Brodziak and a fourth-round pick to Detroit for veteran defender Mike Green.

However, the Oilers have yet to get much of a return on those investments as Athanasiou has appeared in just nine games with just one goal. Ennis has fared better with two goals and four points in nine games. Green has appeared in just two games due to injuries. The hope is all three can make significant strides when/if play resumes. However, if the season is cancelled, the Oilers will only have Athanasiou left as the other two will be unrestricted free agents and no guarantees that they will return next season.

With so few games under their belt, the learning curve for all three players could be significant as they have to learn a new coaching system and how to play with new linemates.

Loss Of A Teammate

With all the tragedy stemming from the COVID-19, the Oilers suffered a separate loss when forward Colby Cave passed away on Apr. 11 when he was placed into a medically-induced coma due to a brain bleed. The forward had appeared in 44 games with the Oilers over the past two years and he played in 11 games this year with Edmonton.

While he wasn’t a full-time player with the Oilers, he was a big part of the team and the Oilers will have to deal with that loss as a team. How the team handles it could have a big effect on how the team performs in the playoffs when/if the league gets the season re-started.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Vegas Golden Knights

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We begin our look at the Pacific Division with Vegas.

The Golden Knights’ third NHL season has had some surprises along the way.  Chief among those was Gerard Gallant getting replaced midseason by Peter DeBoer who coached the team that put Vegas out of the playoffs last season, a move that has paid some early dividends as they’ve gone 15-5-2 under their new bench boss to reach the top of the division.  While they’re sitting comfortably in a playoff spot for any potential stretch run, there is still plenty to watch for if games resume.

Reset For Tuch

This has not been a season to remember for Alex Tuch.  The winger was coming off of a breakout sophomore campaign and it looked as if he was going to be a fixture in their top six.  However, things went off the rails before the year even got underway.  An upper-body injury late in training camp cost him more than a month and that setback has affected his entire season.  He has struggled considerably offensively and then a mid-February leg injury put him on the shelf again where he remained when the shutdown was put in place.

If there was anyone on the Golden Knights that could benefit from a reset, it’s Tuch.  Now healthy, he’ll be able to start fresh if and when a mini training camp is held in advance of games being played and will be at a similar level in terms of conditioning as everyone else.  That presents him with an opportunity to be much more of a difference-maker in the postseason after being basically a supporting cast type of player when he has been in the lineup this year.  If that happens, that will be a nice boost to a Vegas attack that was in the top ten in the NHL before the pandemic.

Goaltending Minutes

At the age of 35, Vegas was understandably hoping to limit Marc-Andre Fleury’s minutes this season.  However, Malcolm Subban’s struggles made that a challenge and the team was ultimately forced to look for an upgrade for their backup goaltender.

However, they didn’t just get a backup when they acquired Robin Lehner from Chicago at the trade deadline for a package involving Subban.  They got someone who is capable of handling a larger workload and he’s someone with a lot to play for as he’s slated to be one of the more intriguing netminders to hit the unrestricted free agent market this offseason.

If regular season games resume, there could be a few sets of back-to-backs which would have the Golden Knights well positioned to get through the stretch.  But what if they jump to the playoffs right away?  Fleury has been their undisputed starter since joining them in the Expansion Draft but with a capable number one in Lehner behind him, will his leash be shorter this time around?  It’s a nice challenge for DeBoer to navigate if it happens although Lehner has been vocal that he doesn’t expect games to resume this season.

Scoring Race

While Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone won’t be contending for any scoring titles, the pair have been locked in a close battle for the team lead in scoring, one that could very well go down to the wire if games resume.  Stone actually had the narrow advantage before suffering a lower-body injury in late February that caused him to miss the last six games and likely took him out of contention of pursuing a new career high.  In his absence, Pacioretty picked up four points to take a three-point lead, 66 to 63.

Stone will be back to full health if play resumes and a small gap like that can easily be made up if they play close to an 82-game season.  Pacioretty, meanwhile, would be in the midst of his own scoring battle as he sits just one point of his career best of 67, a mark he reached twice with the Canadiens in the past.  If there are any more regular season contests to be played, this will be one of the tighter internal scoring races in the league.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Detroit Red Wings

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We wrap up our look at the Atlantic Division with Detroit.

After a tough 2018-19 campaign, expectations were low for the Red Wings heading into this season.  New GM Steve Yzerman was committed to keeping the current rebuilding strategy intact and not surprisingly as a result, the team has struggled mightily as they sit dead last in the NHL by a whopping 23 points.  That leaves some big questions ahead, some of which could help be answered if regular season play is able to resume.

Blashill’s Future

With this season being a transition year at best, it was understandable that head coach Jeff Blashill was kept around despite a tough 2018-19.  The record is a whole lot worse this season but Yzerman has said he has liked some of what he has seen with regards to player development and compete level.  The latter stands out considering they have been out of playoff contention for the majority of the season.

If the NHL is able to get in the rest of their games, that 11-game stretch would serve as an opportunity for Blashill to make a late push to stick around for another season which would be the final one of his contract.  There would inevitably need to be a mini training camp and how he’s able to motivate a team that would be getting put through their paces in the late spring or early summer to play 11 meaningless games may actually have an impact on showing what type of hold he still has on the room.

Bernier’s Opportunity

With Jimmy Howard struggling mightily this year (a 2-23-2 record with a 4.20 GAA and a .882 SV%), Jonathan Bernier has had the opportunity to show that he can be the starter.  The end result has been mediocre numbers (15-22-3, 2.95 GAA, .907 SV%) but given the state of the team in general, mediocre isn’t that bad.

Bernier isn’t playing for a contract as he has one year left on a deal that carries a $3MM price tag.  However, with several notable free agent goalies hitting the market this offseason (including Corey Crawford, Braden Holtby, and Jacob Markstrom as starters and platoon options like Anton Khudobin and Jaroslav Halak), he will certainly be looking to prove that he can be counted in his current role.  The stretch run would afford him one more chance to stake his claim to the number one job for next season.

Youth Movement

With any remaining games having no bearings on the standings (they’ve clinched 31st overall even if the full schedule has been played), Detroit should be using any remaining games as an opportunity to give some of their prospects some extra playing time.  Filip Zadina was close to returning before the shutdown and should be in line for a prime role.  Longer looks at players like Gustav Lindstrom, Taro Hirose and Dmytro Timashov would also be beneficial to see if they can be counted on in a regular role for 2020-21.  Michael Rasmussen has yet to play with Detroit this season after playing 62 games for them a year ago while Evgeny Svechnikov, a first-round pick in 2015, has played just four times.  NHL action for them would certainly be ideal.

But beyond them, there are other prospects that would certainly benefit from some late action.  The initial plan before the postponement of games was that Moritz Seider would get an opportunity to play.  He’d be capped at nine games but even that many would be a good introduction before trying to compete for a spot in training camp a few months later.  Joe Veleno wasn’t in the plans to bring up as the Red Wings wanted to keep him in the minors where he was starting to play better.  But with this stoppage, any momentum from that has passed so it may be time for him to get a chance as well.

The longer this stoppage goes on, the likelihood of AHL games resuming gets lower.  There are no post-deadline roster restrictions as long as teams stay under the salary cap and Detroit is in good shape in that regard; they have room to bring up some more players while remaining in compliance.  Forget just the mini conditioning camp to get back into shape, any remaining games are basically opportunities for an extended training camp for 2020-21.  Accordingly, they need to feature a lot of Detroit’s up and coming talent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Ottawa Senators

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the coming weeks, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Atlantic Division with Ottawa.

Many experts had the Ottawa Senators finishing dead last for another season with a team that is in a full rebuild and so far very few stars to speak of. The team also fired its head coach Guy Boucher and replaced him with young coach D.J. Smith and was continuing with plenty of questions surrounding the team and the issues that always seem to arise with the franchise. However, the Senators didn’t look like the worst team in the league — granted they were the second worst, but at the same time, the Senators looked like a team that was improving and the long-term outlook of the team suddenly doesn’t look as bleak.

Draft Lottery

Just a year ago at this time, the draft was a sore spot as the Senators had traded away their first-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche for Matt Duchene. They had the best odds of giving the Avalanche the first pick in the draft. Instead, the odds went with them at the draft lottery as Colorado emerged with the No. 4 pick — still a good pick, but not as bad as a media relations disaster as it could have been had Colorado emerged with either of the top two players in the draft in Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko.

Suddenly one year later, the tables have turned. The Senators now have two lottery picks themselves. They have their own first-rounder (second-best chance to win the first-overall pick) and the San Jose Sharks’ first-rounder as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. With a dismal season, the Sharks are handing Ottawa the third-best chance to net the first-overall pick. Between those two lottery picks, the Senators have a 25 percent chance to walk away with top pick Alexis Lafreniere. Even if they don’t net the top pick, the draft is loaded at the top of the draft with up to 10 franchise-changing players, meaning that no matter where Ottawa lands, they are adding two stud prospects at the draft this year.

Goaltending Questions

With the contract of long-time starter Craig Anderson ending this offseason, the team finds itself in an interesting situation regarding their goaltending situation. The 38-year-old Anderson is a long-shot to return after a season in which the veteran allowed a 3.25 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 34 appearances. The team does have Anders Nilsson and Marcus Hogberg as potential replacements, but neither dominated last season. Nilsson, who dealt with injuries for a large chunk of the season, appeared in 24 games with a 3.18 GAA and a .908 save percentage, while Hogberg fared well in 20 appearances with a 3.12 GAA and a .904 save percentage. While neither showed any dominance, the team has to decide what they intend to do. Do they look at either netminder as a future starter?

The team may have to consider signing a goaltender to fill that starting role, whether that is a long-term fixture in net or a temporary replacement. There are a number of interesting goaltenders who will be available this offseason, including Braden Holtby, Robin Lehner or Jacob Markstrom. The question is whether Ottawa is willing to spend some money in order to add that piece. Of course, the other question is whether to free-agent goalies would want to go to Ottawa anyway with all the turmoil that has surrounded the franchise in previous years.

Rebuild Moving Into Next Phase?

The rebuild has been underway for a couple of years now and the team has gotten some quality play from some of that youth that the team has added with the draft picks its used with its many draft picks and trade acquisitions over the past few years. The team has been extremely cautious with many of those young players as they have put an effort in keeping many of them together this past year with the Belleville Senators. The AHL franchise was the top team in the North Division and looked to be heading for an interesting playoffs before the season was suspended. However, many of those talents are close to being ready to join the NHL club next season.

Players like Joshua Norris, Drake Batherson, Erik Brannstrom and Rudolfs Balcers look ready for full-time roles next year with several others not far behind, including Alex Formenton, Logan Brown, Vitaly Abramov, Filip Chlapik and Christian Wolanin. Developing that youth will be critical for an impressive full rebuild.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Buffalo Sabres

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the coming weeks, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Atlantic Division with Buffalo.

The Buffalo Sabres had high hopes the team would make that next step this offseason and the team did start strong once again with Jack Eichel leading the way. However, once again, the Sabres struggled midway through the season and saw them drop in the standings and out of the playoff race. The team in some ways is quite young, but with no playoff appearances since the 2010-11 season, there is quite a bit of pressure on the team to figure things out and get back to winning.

Lack Of Long-Term Deals

One of the most interesting things about the Sabres is that their future is quite open as Buffalo has locked up just five players past the 2020-21 season and will have to start looking at locking up some of their talent long-term at some point down the road. The biggest problem for Sabres’ management is that they have made some poor decisions over the years with long-term deals handed out to Kyle Okposo and more recently Jeff Skinner, both of which currently look like questionable deals.

The team should gain quite a bit of cap space this summer with a number of players about to hit unrestricted free agency, including Wayne Simmonds, Michael Frolik, Jimmy Vesey, Zemgus Girgensons, Johan Larsson, Matt Hunwick and Vladimir Sobotka. While the franchise may bring one or two of them back, it does free up some cap room to add some talent. The team also have a number of restricted free agents, who could be eligible for long-term deals, including Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson, Dominik Kahun, Brandon Montour and Linus Ullmark. The question is whether Buffalo is ready to lock some of these players up.

Goaltending Questions

The Sabres thought they solved their goaltending issues a couple of years ago when they signed Carter Hutton to a three-year deal. However, that experiment hasn’t gone well either. The goaltender has struggled in a starting role, struggling even more this year than in his first season. This year in 31 appearances, the 34-year-old has a 3.18 GAA and .898 save percentage and finally the Sabres decided to split the starts between Carter and Ullmark.

Ullmark is a lock to return, but the question is what to do with Carter. Do they want to give him one more chance or perhaps buy out his final year. Is Ullmark, who did show significant improvement this season (2.69 GAA, .915 save percentage in 34 appearances), ready for a starting role? Should the team go out and sign one of the many big-named unrestricted free agent goalies this offseason? Lots of questions, but the team must make a decision down the road to fix those woes.

Development Of Youth

The Buffalo Sabres now need their youth to take that next step in their development. The team has finally seen Eichel take that next step into both a leader on and off the ice, which is something the Sabres needed desperately. Olofsson proved extremely valuable in his rookie campaign with 20 goals and 42 points in 54 games, but dealt with some injuries that prevented him from making an ever bigger impact on the ice.

However, what the Sabres need is for more of their young talent to take that next step. Casey Mittelstadt struggled even more in his second season with just four goals and nine points in 31 games and was sent to Rochester to work on his confidence. Promising youngster Tage Thompson also spent the season with the Americans of the AHL to work on his game and was injured quite a bit. Defensive acquisition Henri Jokiharju struggled in his first season as well.

What the team needs is for some of their young players to take that next step like Eichel. Buffalo needs more from Rasmus Dahlin, the first-overall pick in 2018, and they must successfully develop prospect Dylan Cozens if/when he makes the team next year. Others need to step up as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Montreal Canadiens

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the coming weeks, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Atlantic Division with Montreal.

After narrowly missing out of the playoffs a year ago, the Canadiens chose to bring back virtually the same roster in 2019-20 and the results haven’t been as good.  As this point, their only playoff chances are if the NHL opts to go with an expanded field over resuming the regular season.  Nevertheless, there are a few players in particular to watch for if games resumed and they headline Montreal’s stretch run storylines.

Lindgren’s Time?

The Canadiens have been seeking a legitimate backup goaltender behind Carey Price for a long time now.  In recent years, they’ve used Al Montoya, Antti Niemi, and Keith Kinkaid with the results largely being underwhelming.  Throughout that time, they’ve had Charlie Lindgren in the fold but other than as an injury recall, he has rarely had the opportunity to establish himself as someone that could legitimately serve as the number two option over a full season.

Just prior to the shutdown, Lindgren had played in a couple of games and it looked as if he was going to have a chance at regular playing time over the final month of the season.  If play resumes, he should get that opportunity.

From his perspective, at 26, he’s nearing the point of being labelled a career third stringer if he doesn’t prove himself in the NHL soon.  From Montreal’s point of view, they need to see if he can be counted on for next season.  If not, they’ll be among the teams going after someone in free agency and with Seattle’s expansion draft on the horizon, they may have to commit a two-year deal to whoever they get which would be a big blow to Lindgren’s NHL aspirations.  If the NHL returns to regular season play, how he fares in his remaining games (as limited a sample as it may be) could very well determine his future with the team and potentially around the league.

Domi’s Next Deal

Max Domi’s first year with the Canadiens was impressive.  He blew past his career highs with 28 goals and 44 assists while adapting to play center on a full-time basis.  Heading into 2019-20, both Domi and Montreal were hoping for a repeat performance, one that would have solidified a long-term contract as a restricted free agent in the summer.

But that hasn’t happened.  Instead, it has been a roller coaster year and the numbers haven’t been anywhere near as good.  He set a franchise record with a six-game road goal streak but he only has 11 other goals outside of that stretch.  His assist total (27) is comparable to that of his time with the Coyotes which, while not terrible, is not long-term contract material either.  The team has experimented with moving him back to the wing to try to get him going and when that didn’t work, they moved him back down the middle but dropped him to the third line.

That’s not the type of platform year he was hoping for.  All of a sudden, a shorter-term deal is looking more realistic but a strong stretch run could certainly bolster his leverage as Domi is eligible for arbitration.  It was only a year ago that Domi looked like a core player in Montreal but that could be changing.

Which Version Of Drouin?

One of GM Marc Bergevin’s reasons for keeping the team largely intact from last year was the hopes that some of his younger players would show signs of improvement.  Number one on that list was Jonathan Drouin.  While he’s in his sixth year in the league, he only turned 25 last week and after a disappointing season, it was understandable to think he might yet have another gear.

In the early going of 2019-20, he looked like he was indeed taking that next step as he collected 15 points in the first 17 games of the season.  But things went downhill from there.  He was injured about a week after that hot stretch and the ensuing wrist surgery kept him out for the better part of three months.  After returning to action, a lingering ankle issue hampered him considerably and he was held off the scoresheet before being taken out of the lineup in late February.

The first version of Drouin from this season was a core player while the other version is a player that a team would have to provide extra incentive to take on.  Now that the ankle issue has healed, the Canadiens would certainly like to see if Drouin can get back to his early season form if games resume.  If things don’t go well, it’s a hole in their lineup that they may have to add to their offseason shopping list to try to improve upon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Florida Panthers

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the coming weeks, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Atlantic Division with Florida.

Optimism was high for the Panthers heading into this season.  Bolstered with a high-priced new starting goalie and a well-respected head coach (not to mention some other smaller upgrades), they were hoping to be in contention this season.  Instead, they’re presently on the outside looking in at the playoffs but are close enough to get in if regular season play resumes.  Their positioning in the standings is just one of the elements to watch for down the stretch.

Who Stays, Who Goes?

With a little over $60MM in commitments for next season, the Panthers have some wiggle room to work with this offseason although with only 13 players counting towards that total, they have a lot of spots before they can fill out their roster.  Heading into the season, it was looking like Florida would only be able to retain one of their two notable pending unrestricted free agents on the wing in Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman.  Trading Vincent Trocheck was supposed to help their chances but the potential for a flattened or lower salary cap now largely offsets that.  Accordingly, they may not be able to keep both of them after all even with Trocheck off the books.

After putting up 70 points apiece last season, Hoffman was producing at a nearly identical rate this year while Dadonov’s numbers dipped a little bit as he was on pace for less than 60 points, a mark he reached in both of his seasons with the Panthers.

Hoffman is about seven months younger than Dadonov and both will be expected to command a reasonably long-term deal this summer.  Even in a potentially deflated market, a five-year or six-year term may be doable.  As things stand, both should be looking at raises on their current price tags ($5.1875MM for Hoffman, $4MM for Dadonov).  If they can only afford to keep one of them, how they fare down the stretch and potentially in the postseason could go a long way towards determining which one stays with Florida.

Bobrovsky’s Struggles

In recent years, one of the themes around Florida was ‘if they only had even average goaltending’.  That position had been their Achilles’ heel but Sergei Bobrovsky was supposed to change that.  The Panthers demonstrated how confident they were with him being the long-term solution when they signed him to a seven-year, $70MM contract.

Let’s just say that they haven’t been rewarded on that investment yet.  The veteran has a .900 SV% on the season, his lowest since his sophomore campaign in Philadelphia when he posted a .899 mark in 28 games.  His GAA of 3.23 is the worst of his career by nearly a quarter of a goal per game.  These are numbers that are expected of a journeyman backup, not the second-highest-paid goalie in NHL history.  Instead, they’re getting basically the same results as last year, just at a higher price tag.

But some cause for optimism here isn’t unfounded.  Bobrovsky has gone on hot stretches in the past and carried a team on his shoulders and with the firepower Florida has, they don’t even need him to do that.  If he plays even close to a level of an average goaltender, that could very well be enough to get them over the hump.  He will certainly be one to keep an eye on if games resume.

Standings Watch

There are a handful of teams that will be unhappy if the NHL jumps immediately to the playoffs without expanding the format and Florida is certainly among those.  Earlier this week, captain Aleksander Barkov told George Richards of The Athletic (subscription required) that he doesn’t “think it would be right if we’re left out”.

That point of view is understandable as the Panthers are within striking distance of both a Wild Card spot and the third seed in the Atlantic Division; they’re within three points of each.  On top of that, they have a game in hand on Columbus and Toronto, the teams they’re chasing for those two positions.  They also have a game against the Maple Leafs that could very well make or break their fortunes.  Florida controls their own destiny if they get the opportunity to play out the rest of the regular season or at least part of it.  They’re likely to be the team that’s right in it until the end, assuming the end hasn’t hit already.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Stretch Run Storylines: Toronto Maple Leafs

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As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the coming weeks, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Atlantic Division with Toronto.

It has been an interesting season for the Maple Leafs.  An early coaching change yielded some early returns but before long, they were back to being consistently inconsistent.  At their best, they’ve shown they can contend with the top teams in the league but when they’re not on, they’ve been highly beatable.  A return to form for some of their top players would go a long way towards helping them secure a playoff spot if games resume and those underachievers are highlighted in the storylines to watch for.

Goaltending

Frederik Andersen has had some hot and cold moments throughout his tenure with the Maple Leafs and before this stoppage came, he was in the middle of one of those cold streaks, posting a save percentage of .879 over a three and a half week stretch in February.  That’s a below average mark for any NHL goaltender, particularly a starter on a team that has eyes on a long playoff run this season.

To his credit, Andersen was a lot better over his final three starts before this stoppage and that’s the level of play they’ll need from him if they want to contend.  Can he stay at that level?

GM Kyle Dubas decided to bring in some insurance just before the trade deadline with the acquisition of Jack Campbell who started off strong enough that he’d have pushed for a bigger role had Andersen’s struggles continued.  There’s something to watch for on his end as well – if he wins six games in the regular season, the conditional 2021 third-round pick would upgrade to a second-round selection.  Campbell is halfway there; if the season is played out in full, he’ll have a shot at getting there.  If not, it will be interesting to see if any proration occurs by the league to determine if the condition was met.

Playing For A Contract

Tyson Barrie’s first season in Toronto hasn’t gone as well as anyone would have hoped.  As a high-skilled offensive blueliner, going to a team with a lot of top-end firepower seemed like a good fit for him to have a big season in his UFA walk year.

But that hasn’t happened.  Instead, he has dropped to just five goals on the season, his lowest full-season total of his career.  It’s not due to a lack of playing time either as he’s averaging slightly more ice time than he was last season with Colorado when he had a career high in points.

Not surprisingly, his name was in trade speculation leading into the trade deadline although clearly, nothing came of it.  With the Maple Leafs hoping to contend and them only carrying half of his contract with the Avs paying the rest, it was going to be hard to find a right fit that would have brought them another top-four defender back.

Not only would Barrie rebounding be a big boost for Toronto but it would also be a boon to his free agent stock which has taken a bit of a hit this season before even factoring in the looming questions regarding the Upper Limit of the salary cap.  There’s certainly a lot riding on how the rest of the year goes for him.

Matthews’ Quest

Auston Matthews was having quite the season offensively before the rinks went quiet.  He sits just three goals shy of the 50-goal mark and if he can get there, he’d become just the fourth player in franchise history (joining Dave Andreychuk, Gary Leeman, and Rick Vaive) to reach that mark.  If games resume with close to a full schedule, he’ll have a good shot at getting there.

That takes us to the second half of his quest.  Vaive holds the franchise record at 54 with Matthews sitting at 47 in 70 games, a goal per game mark of 0.67.  Toronto had 12 games left in the season.  At that rate, Matthews would project to get eight more which would have got him the record.  He’d likely need the league to play out the full 82 games to have a shot at setting the new record but if that happens, this will certainly be something to watch for.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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