A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Justin Trudeau taught me how to clap.
1. Amid the longest production drought of his excellent 15-year career, John Tavares felt the need to publicly pass the “I’m not a (hockey) robot” captcha test.
“I’m human, too,” Tavares, acutely aware of his public perception, said in his patented monotone. But with a tongue-in-cheek smile.
By any measure — his demeanour, his vocal tone, or his in-game and in-practice habits — you would be hard-pressed to determine the difference between the Toronto Maple Leafs captain on a nine-game point streak or a nine-game drought.
Well, he’s on the latter.
And the slump will reach double digits if Tavares is unable to get on the board Saturday in Winnipeg, against the NHL’s stingiest defensive squad.
“Johnny’s the ultimate pro. He’ll never waver from his routine, his work ethic. I know everyone likes to focus on goals and assists, but that’s not the only thing that wins hockey games,” defends defenceman Mark Giordano, pointing to Tavares’s work ethic, battle effort, and faceoff expertise. “He plays every shift the same way… just the way he lives his life, to be honest.”
OK. But at age 33, is it possible 1,000-point man Tavares, the model of consistency, has hit a wall?
“A lot of it’s BS. He hasn’t slowed down one bit,” Giordano continues. “We all know that in here.”
OK. But reason for concern is there.
Tavares has gone 10 games without a goal and 22 without one at even-strength.
The Leafs’ second line has dipped severely since (checks notes) William Nylander secured his $92-million extension. Left wing Tyler Bertuzzi, who took Wednesday’s game off to welcome his second child, isn’t exactly lighting it up either. So, it was appropriate that Nylander asked his centreman to hang around after Friday’s practice to pour in a few extra reps.
“They haven’t been playing to the same level that they were earlier in the season, but I think it has less to do with the line and more with the individuals,” coach Sheldon Keefe explained.
“They are in — let’s call it — a cold spell right now. But, to me, they are still giving us good minutes and working hard. We were talking about John the other day. To me, the details of his game have been really good. That is what’s most important.”
Both Tavares and Nylander lean on the power-play for stats and confidence, and Toronto has one goal with the man-advantage over its past 20 attempts.
Tavares is a career 12.8 per cent shooter converting at a career-worst 7.1 per cent rate.
He peppered a team-high seven shots against the Jets in Wednesday’s win. He fired six in Vancouver last Saturday. So, eventually his luck will turn, right?
“I can’t say it’s a great feeling or an easy feeling,” Tavares says. “It will go in.”
To his credit, Tavares isn’t pressing to bulge the net or sacrificing defence to do so. He’s not sulking or wearing this slump the way others might. Yet, his identity is tied to offence, and Toronto needs more of it these days.
“At this point in his career, he has a far greater perspective of what is really important,” Keefe says. “He needs to help this team win. Of course, producing on offence is part of that, but to me, there is way more to it. If a couple of pucks fall in but his habits are poor, that does not help us win. That is really the message for not just him but our entire team: Those habits, the details, the work, and the defending all come first. The rest of it falls into place.”
Tavares’s second-worst drought occurred way back in his rookie year, when he was a teenager still figuring out the league. He’ll proudly tell you he’s a different person, different player than he was back then.
There is a mental key to digging himself out of this hole.
Says Tavares: “I believe confidence is a choice.”
2. If we concede that Cale Makar–Devon Toews is the best all-Canadian defence pairing, we should also recognize Josh Morrissey–Dylan DeMelo as the best all-Canadian defence pairing we don’t talk about.
Reasons for the Winnipeg Jets‘ ascent to the best defensive team in the league are plentiful: overall maturity; a buy-in to coach Rick Bowness’s hard-checking structure; an influx of defensive forwards via free agency and trade; elite goaltending; and an eye-opening Round 1 loss to defend-first Cup champion Vegas.
But leading the way is the club’s top blueline duo, taking on top lines and still tilting the ice to the point they’re generating more than 55 per cent of scoring chances.
Individually, DeMelo, 30, and Morrissey, 28, have played their best hockey together.
They eat dinners together on the road. They sit across from each other on Winnipeg’s jet. They talk life and strategy and have grown tighter with every shift, each roadie.
“He’s become a really good friend of mine outside of hockey, too. So, it’s been a lot of fun,” righty DeMelo says. “Every year we’ve gotten better, better individually and collectively. There’s just such a comfort factor.
“Our styles complement each other really well.”
DeMelo is content to guard the house while the riskier Morrissey bursts true north to stir up scoring chances.
Though interviewed separately this week, both players point to the other’s intelligence as integral to the duo’s success.
“He’s such a smart player,” Morrissey says of his righthand man. “He’s very consistent with his routes on the ice and his positioning. It’s been very easy for me to read off him from Day One, and I just think our styles complement one another.
“He allows me to be more aggressive offensively, use my tools, and I guess he uses his strengths as well. We’ve become good friends off the ice, and his game is very consistent.”
The duo’s off-ice friendship has given way to honest communication and critique. That bond matters when points are on the line.
“Makes a difference,” Morriseey says. “The more time you spend with anyone, the more connection you have — and it translates on the ice.”
3. For a top-pairing defenceman, DeMelo is on a sweetheart of an expiring contract.
The 30-year-old is in line for a significant raise from his current $3 million cap hit and acknowledges his bargaining power has never been stronger.
Among pending UFA right-shot defencemen, no one has a better plus/minus than DeMelo’s plus-28, which rates fourth-best leaguewide. Among that same group, only Florida’s Brandon Montour logs more minutes than DeMelo’s 21:46.
He kills penalties, is an important cog of the NHL’s stingiest defensive team, and all 15 of his points have come at even strength.
What team couldn’t use a guy like DeMelo?
Although Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff already extended Nino Niederreiter midseason, DeMelo says “there hasn’t been many talks” between he and his current team on an extension. Only a general discussion to see what the sides are thinking.
DeMelo doesn’t sound insulted by that. He sounds genuinely eager to stick in Winnipeg.
“I would love to stay, absolutely. There’s no doubt,” he tells me.
“If it works out, I’d be more than willing to sign and be here for whatever it is, how many years. I really do think this group has something special, and it’s something I’d love to be a part of.”
Morrissey wastes no time making his pitch for Cheveldayoff to re-sign his partner:
“That’s where my vote stands. I understand it’s a business. I’ve been around the game long enough to know there’s so many variables at play for teams and players, but certainly I love playing with him. I think he’s really allowed me to take the next step in my game, just with our partnership. And I just think he’s a great player, a great teammate, a great guy in the locker room, so I sure hope he’ll stick around for a long time going forward.”
4. The Los Angeles Kings have flipped from unstoppable road warriors — winning their first 11(!) away games — to a high-expectations outfit in disarray.
They’ve lost five in a row, dropped 13 of their past 15, and haven’t defeated a playoff-positioned team since Dec. 3 (Colorado).
While GM Rob Blake says he is “not at all” considering the firing of Todd McLellan, the head coach is owning this tumble down the standings.
“I’m responsible for this,” McLellan told reporters, following Wednesday’s 5-3, blown-lead home loss to the Buffalo Sabres. “When you looked at the team that played the first, what would we call it, 25, 30 games if you will, it doesn’t look like the team that’s playing right now. And I’m responsible for it.”
Drew Doughty called out his peers that same night.
“We got guys in this room too worried about themselves and their points. We got a 3-1 lead tonight, and guys think it’s a cooking night,” Doughty said. “It’s about the team. It’s not about yourself. And guys on this team need to realize that.”
Bam.
Negativity is creeping.
“We’re trying to stay positive. We’re trying to get back to having fun out there,” Doughty continued. “But it’s hard to do that when you’re on a streak like this. This has been a struggle for us.”
5. The NHL’s Department of Player of Safety can’t make a ruling without upsetting a portion of the fan base. Every punishment is either too steep or too light, folks will argue.
Suspension lengths divide us like elections.
But we can’t recall a more unanimous “too light!” reaction than the one Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher earned for his blatantly dirty and head-targeting shot on Islanders defenceman Adam Pelech Thursday:
Gallagher’s hearing was phone-only and resulted in five-game suspension for an elbow that only needs one replay to notice intent.
By nature, our fast, aggressive contact game has plenty of debatable, grey-area plays. This ain’t one of them.
Taking a harder stance on the black-and-white cheap shots would help eliminate them and help the DoPS’s own reputation.
6. In a silo, two years and $8.5 million seems like a lot to commit to Petr Mrazek, a decent but unspectacular goaltender. Just as two years and $9 million feels like a lot for Nick Foligno at age 36. Or two years and $8.5 million is steep for Jason Dickinson, a 28-year-old forward with just one 30-point season on his resume.
Thing is, these contract extensions are specific to a team, the Chicago Blackhawks, that (a) needs to reach a 2024-25 salary floor that will be on the rise and (b) wants to avoid a yearly scramble in June to do so. (Hefty 2023 deals to players like Corey Perry and Andreas Athanasiou and the trade for Taylor Hall stick out.)
GM Kyle Davidson is smart enough to know Connor Bedard’s prime contention window is still two more winters away, so he’s identifying solid, established NHL pros and paying them more than market value to have them stick with a non-playoff team and create a culture of development for his young hopefuls. Thus, Davidson avoids the year-by-year mercenary approach and a roster that is too young.
(We hear the cries out of Ottawa, as the Senators now look to sprinkle in a couple quality veterans among their promising but struggling youth movement.)
Davidson is also avoiding the dreaded no-trade clause in these contracts, freeing his vets up to be potential chips at the 2026 deadline.
Even after this trio of extensions, a peek at the Blackhawks cap picture reveals 19 players in the system on expiring deal.
Davidson has a ton of work left in surrounding Bedard with a legit team.
Why not get ahead of the frenzy if he can avoid the madness and finds players that already enjoy being in Chicago through its downturn?
7. We’re all for second chances.
We understand why Ken Holland would want to add a more playoff experience and win-at-all-costs determination to the fringes of his forward group, especially at a team-friendly, prorated $750,000.
We appreciate Perry prioritizing a second Stanley Cup above money and weather and tax rates.
And yet: Watching Perry’s welcome press conference and knowing the NHLPA has yet to grieve his contract termination in Chicago, this story still feels like it has loose ends.
8. Quote of the Week.
“Yeah, it would be easy to stay home and play golf and enjoy life. But this is what makes me feel I’m alive.” —Patrick Roy, new coach of the New York Islanders, out here making the league a livelier place
9. Yes, Roy is inheriting a rather directionless team from Lane Lambert.
He is also inheriting Noah Dobson, who trails well behind Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar in terms of hype but not so much in terms of performance this season.
The fifth-year pro needed just 47 games to reach the 50-point mark.
“It’s just been actually great just to see him develop,” Mitch Marner says. “If I recall correctly, there was a lot of doubters on him. So, he’s turned into a hell of a player. He makes a lot of great plays, especially when his eyes are up. And he’s very good at getting pucks through.”
Auston Matthews agrees: “He skates really well. He’s big. Obviously, he’s got a big shot. Offensively, he’s a threat. And defensively, he’s really good in his own end too. He’s a guy that makes a lot happen for them on both sides of the puck.”
10. Sure, there are 11 more months to go. Still, hockey should be safe to crown its 2024 Blooper of the Year.
Circling back on a delayed penalty, while the Coyotes were on the man-advantage, the Penguins pull the goalie, and Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin linked up for one of the sloppiest and most bizarre own goals you’ll ever see.
As a result, Arizona became the first team — and lucky Lawson Crouse the first player — to register a power-play goal without recording a power-play shot in a game.
11. NHL expansion feels like inflation: inevitable.
You might not enjoy it or completely understand it, but you can’t fight it.
Vegas paid $500 million to the other owners to get a team in 2017. Seattle paid $650 million in 2021.
The Ottawa Senators — a not-so-competitive franchise operating a not-so-ideal location — sold for $950 million in 2023.
The average NHL club is worth an estimated $1.31 billion, according to Sportico.com. According to commissioner Gary Bettman, that figure is too low.
So, Ryan Smith could reportedly dish out as much as $2 billion to secure the league’s 33rd franchise. All that money, again, goes to the owners, not the players. (And, hey, you can’t have lopsided conferences, so a 34th team would be around the corner, right?)
“Grow the game!” they scream. (“Even if dilutes the product,” they whisper.)
Think your favourite contending team has a few holes to fill at the trade deadline? Well, just wait until the Utah Bees steal your third-line centre in the expansion draft.
12. When trained concert pianist Fraser Minten becomes a permanent member of the Maple Leafs, those piano battles in the lobby of those five-star road hotels are gonna be wild…
