A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Your source for great observations.
1. Nikita Zadorov flattened Tyler Bertuzzi hard and clean in open ice Friday night and stood six feet, six inches tall, waiting for a response. None came.
No one wanted that smoke, particularly in a tied game when every point matters and every penalty could prove costly.
As sturdy as Zadorov’s body check was, however, and as nasty as his slapshot goal was, the Calgary Flames defenceman made a far more thunderous impact after the teams skated off the ice.
The outspoken defenceman’s outspoken agent, Dan Milstein, fired off a tweet expressing discontent with his client’s third-pairing ice time and suggesting Zadorov, an impending UFA, would not be re-signing in Calgary.
Kevin Weekes soon followed up with news that Zadorov had formally requested a trade out of Calgary (4-7-2), which has a minus-12 goal differential and faces an uphill battle toward playoff relevance.
The joke at Scotiabank Arena Friday night, as the victorious Maple Leafs walked out of the rink and the incoming Vancouver Canucks equipment staff loaded in bags for Saturday’s marquee match, was that Zadorov might want to skip the bus and sleep in the arena.
For both the Canucks and Maple Leafs could use Zadorov, both are willing to trade for him and Zadorov (who has zero trade protection) is open to joining either.
Milstein has a history of striking deals with the Canucks and the Leafs, and Toronto GM Brad Treliving, who recruited Zadorov to Calgary in the first place, has never hidden his affection for the player. (Those won’t be the only two teams interested in a big, bruising D-man with offensive upside, of course. The New Jersey Devils, we’re told, “are in for sure.”)
The pressure — suddenly very public pressure — shifts to rookie Flames GM Craig Conroy, who took a little heat for his trade of the last player who wanted out, Tyler Toffoli, now lighting it up in New Jersey.
The market for Zadorov’s services will be competitive, and if Conroy concedes to a rebuild on the fly, he should fetch some useful assets in a rental.
Would Treliving part with, say, Nick Robertson, whose stock is suddenly soaring? His 2024 first-round pick, despite not having a second? Fraser Minten? Would Calgary take on John Klingberg’s contract with enough of a sweetener?
“[The Leafs] want him bad but need money out first,” one source says.
The equally cap-tight Canucks also hold a first-round pick but not a second. Could they offload Conor Garland somehow?
Zadorov trade chatter heats up leaguewide. Toronto and Vancouver are doing their due diligence and exploring ways to shift salary off the books. If draft picks were the only cost, the Leafs or Canucks would have acquired Zadorov “weeks ago,” we’re told.
As time passes and the losses pile, the pressure on Conroy to find the best deal for Zadorov will escalate. But rest assured, Treliving and Patrik Allvin will be in the mix.
2. If the Flames can’t grind their way up the standings, understated right-shot defenceman Chris Tanev is another defenceman both Toronto (Tanev’s hometown) and Vancouver (Tanev’s former employer) will be eyeing as a pre-deadline trade rental.
Calgary coach Ryan Huska compares the veteran’s intuition in the D-zone to that of an elite goal scorer in the O-zone.
“I learned in a hurry when we first started working with him,” Huska says. “You look at the offensive players in this league, and they see it differently, where they go. They know how to find open ice.
“Chris does that on the defensive side. And he’s pretty special in that regard, where he has an understanding of where that next play is going to go. So, he always finds himself in the right position, and he has great composure and poise with the puck. He knows where the pressure is coming from. He knows where his open man is. And he makes great plays for us, too.”
3. Former Canucks president Trevor Linden revealed in a Sportsnet 650 radio interview that he was unhappy with the club’s draft process in 2016, when Vancouver drafted Olli Juolevi fifth overall, one slot ahead of Matthew Tkachuk, two ahead of Clayton Keller and four ahead of Mikhail Sergachev.
In 2017, Linden insisted chief amateur scout Judd Brackett run the show and stick to his list, overruling then-GM Jim Benning. The Canucks picked Elias Pettersson fifth overall, over Cody Glass.
In other words, the correct choice.
“Jim wasn’t sold. If Jim had his choice, he probably would’ve taken a different player,” Linden revealed. “I didn’t feel we did a good job in 2016, and I think it cost us. Well, I know it cost us.”
Spicy.
4. Exhibit No. 4,080 in the case that good team defence can help make good goalies.
Cam Talbot with Ottawa Senators: .898
Talbot with Los Angeles Kings: .930
Joonas Korpisalo with Kings: .921
Korpisalo with Senators: .902
5. The Steven Stamkos stalemate a) doesn’t seem to be shaking loose anytime soon, and b) doesn’t seem to be affecting the captain’s performance.
“I mean, there’s not much that can be done,” Stamkos reasons. “We said what we needed to say.
“Everyone understands where everyone’s at and we’ll continue to play hard.”
Stamkos has come out of the gates flying, scoring five goals and 15 points in 12 games. At 33, the impending UFA is on pace to eclipse his 84-point showing of a year ago.
Is Stamkos drawing extra motivation from his unsettled contract situation?
“No, I don’t think so,” he replies. “Listen, if you need motivation in other ways, then you’re probably not playing for the right reason, right? I’m going out there trying to perform every single night. Whether you have eight years left on your deal or you got half a year left on your deal, it doesn’t change my mindset. I think that’s been a pretty easy thing for me to not think about.”
What has driven Stamkos this fall is Tampa’s unusually long summer, thanks to its first-round ouster by the Leafs.
“A reminder of how hard it is to win in this league,” Stamkos says. “I had a good summer of training. Obviously, we had some more time than we’ve had in the past.
“My skating’s felt really good so far this year.”
6. Sportico dropped its annual valuation list of NHL franchises this week, and it brings good news for owners.
The average club is worth an estimated $1.31 billion, a 29 per cent bump from 2022. The total value of all 32 teams, including ownership stakes in real estate, venues, TV networks and team-related holdings, has hit $41.9 billion.
Still, compared to the value of the average franchise in the NFL ($5.14 billion), NBA ($3 billion), and MLB ($2.36 billion), the NHL lags.
That the gap between the average MLS club ($582 million) and the average NHL one is tighter than the NHL and MLB is concerning. In other words, there is room for even more growth.
The list proves that winning helps (surprise), with recent champs Vegas (33 per cent) and Tampa (37 per cent) seeing notable jumps in worth.
Minnesota was the greatest gainer in the rankings, moving up six spots to 14th overall, while the Stars (20th) and Jets (28th) each dropped six spots.
Also worth noting: The 32nd-ranked Coyotes ($675 million) are estimated to be worth 23 per cent less than 31st-ranked Columbus ($880 million).
7. One of the Wildest early-season trends is the flailing defence in Minnesota, considering that the club’s identity has long been its buttoned-down blueline.
Heading into Friday’s action, the Wild was surrendering four goals per game, dropping the team to 30th overall in the category. Last season, Minnesota surrendered just 2.67 goals per game. And the Wild’s most porous season in franchise history was 2019-20, when they averaged 3.14 goals against per game. (The Wild has crept over 3.0 GA/GP only twice in the franchise’s 22 seasons.)
The problem certainly isn’t all goaltending; Minnesota’s 32.5 shots allowed per game is also trending to be a franchise worst.
No wonder GM Bill Guerin moved out riskier young defenceman Calen Addison (to San Jose) and recruited a safer pure defender in Zach Bogosian.
Good news: Friday’s return of captain Jared Spurgeon from LTIR should go a long way to stabilizing the blueline.
“He’s one of the best defencemen in the world,” Wild coach Dean Evason said.
8. William Nylander regularly catches the TTC to work, and on Wednesday thought it’d be funny to sit beside the guy with the Leafs cap. Occasionally, fans will say hi or ask for a quick photo, but no one bothers the superstar too much when he rides the people’s chariot.
“I hate being in traffic,” he explains. “I don’t want to sit in the car for 45 minutes getting down here.”
Does Auston Matthews also scan a Presto card before taking the ice?
“No,” Matthews said, smiling. Then he spots a lane and gets a shot off. “I usually like to give myself enough time to get to the rink. I don’t know if he’s in the same category.
“So, the weekday games, he’ll find himself on the subway every once in a while. I don’t blame him. It’s probably better than sitting in traffic for an extended period of time.”
9. Enjoyed this faceoff breakdown from Mike Rupp, who notices how Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk takes over the draw from centre Josh Norris once Max Domi starts getting in Norris’s ear:
10. When the Boston Bruins got priced out on UFA Tyler Bertuzzi, they instead signed left winger James van Riemsdyk for a much more palatable $1 million.
Well, the 34-year-old has established himself in Boston’s top six and on the top power-play unit. He is scoring at a 63-point pace, which would be a career high.
“Hey, he’s a good player,” says Nazem Kadri, who counts van Riemsdyk as a good friend. “JVR has been doing it a while. He’s a good pro. He understands. He’s smart. He’s got the hockey IQ.
“Even when those kinds of players’ feet start to slow down, he can always think the game at a high pace — and that’s what’s helped him have the success he’s had, even at this age.”
11. Kadri himself is enjoying his hottest five-game stretch since he first joined the Flames as a free agent in 2022: seven points, 19 shots during the streak.
“Now, he’s starting to play like the real Naz,” teammate Jonathan Huberdeau says.
Kadri credits “puck luck” for his uptick, but the veteran has found chemistry centring Connor Zary, 22, and Yegor Sharangovich, 25.
“Naz has been re-energized a little bit. He’s playing with a couple of younger players. There’s some guys with skill-set on his line. And it feels like he’s taking on a bit of a mentorship-type role,” Huska says. “He’s really embraced it. His level has been raised over the last number of games, and I think he’s enjoying playing with Zar and Shars.”
12. Oh. My. Oshie.