Off Day Updates - February 9th

There are no games tonight in the East Division, so this post will be a general update regarding the covid situation, as well as me introducing a new section. After every game update starting tomorrow, I will post my 2 thoughts on each team in the division. Although because there are no games interdivision tonight, I will post updates on all 31 teams in the NHL to give you an idea of where I think each team is going.

Hershey Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania - Circa 2013

(Chosen to represent the times, as no fans are allowed in most arenas across the NHL)

Today, quite a few things happened in the NHL. For that matter, quite a few things happened within the East Division, let alone the whole league. Let's start from the top of the alphabet and work our way down.

Anaheim Ducks - No major updates from them, my two observations posted below.

- They are still kind of lingering in the middle of the standings, and there's no real direction for them that I can see. They do, however, have young pieces mixed with some good veteran leadership which could surprise some teams in that West Division.

- John Gibson is still an elite goaltender, being one of the only things that is continuously good for the Ducks game in and game out. They have no major covid issues at this time.

Arizona Coyotes - No major updates from them, my two observations posted below.

- The Yotes are coming off a big win in St. Louis last night, in which they tied the game with only 1/10th of a second left on the clock.

- This team is interesting, they should be better than they are, with all the young pieces. However, they keep finding ways to get in contention for division titles. The loss of Taylor Hall in the offseason will eventually hurt this team. They have no major covid updates to report at this time.

Boston Bruins - No major updates from them, besides the return of Jake Debrusk from injury. This can only help a team that doesn't seem to miss him much, being in the top three in the East Division.

- The Bruins are a dynamic team, even after the major losses of Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara in the offseason. Center Patrice Bergeron was named captain after Charas' departure, and Brad Marchand continues to be one of the best douchebags in the NHL.

- They had Debrusk return from injury today in practice, as I previously mentioned. that will only help them get better, and faster, which they don't seem to need. They have no major covid updates at this time.

Buffalo Sabers - The Buffalo Sabers haven't played since January 31st, and remain on pause until February 15th. They are dealing with multiple absences due to the coronavirus, and will return coming off a loss to the Devils in regulation.

- Jack Eichel has been dynamic once again, but that's about where it ends for Buffalo. The team is struggling to find depth scoring, and is once again near the bottom of a competitive East Division.

- The addition of Taylor Hall has been excellent for them, but still can't get them toward the top half of the division. The Sabers are not deep enough yet, but have seen decent goaltending from Linus Ullmark so far this season.

Calgary Flames - The Flames are in the new highly-anticipated All Canadian Division, which features all seven of the NHL's Canadian Franchises. There is no major updates from them, besides continuing trade rumors around forward Sam Bennett.

- The Flames are heating up lately (hah, get it?), with the stellar play of forward Johnny Gaudreau. He and other alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk have led the way so far this year, as they should, being the leaders on that offense. Third alternate and center Sean Monahan has also been good, and continues to produce offense in critical situations.

- Calgary won the intense Battle of Alberta vs. Edmonton last night, 6-4. They will face each other eight times this season, which means we are in for a treat. The Flames have no major covid issues at this time.

Carolina Hurricanes - The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off of a loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2, in which newcomer Patrick Laine scored what would turn out to be the game winner. They have been good at times, and struggled at others.

- This tems continues to be led by young superstar Sebastian Aho, who continues to amaze in his sixth season with the Hurricanes. Vincent Trocheck has also been dynamic, coming over in the trade from the Florida Panthers last season.

- This team is always a dark horse team for me, with the young talent they have, plus their assets on the back end. Goaltending is also a strong suite for them, especially the way Peter Mrazak has been playing the last few seasons overall. They have no noticeable covid issues currently.

Chicago Blackhawks - The Hawks have no direction. They are stuck in between rebuild and contend mode, due to the fact they refuse to trade Kane and Toews. I will expand on this more below.

- This team is in trouble. They have good young pieces, but not enough of them are willing to stay given their current cap situation. Artemi Panarin was so dynamic with Patrick Kane when they drafted him, but the Blackhawks couldn't afford to keep him, so he went to Columbus. They have about 20 Million Dollars tied up in Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith.

- Their upside is the young players they have drafted and managed to keep. Forward Alex Debrincat has turned into a pretty solid linemate with Kane, and they continue to produce despite struggling defense and goaltending. The Hawks have no covid issues at this time.

Colorado Avalanche - This team is for real. A lot of people had them winning the Stanley Cup last year in the Edmonton Bubble. They ended up losing to a formidable opponent in the Dallas Stars, but that doesn't take away from how good they are.

- The Avalanche are a great team all around. If there is a team on paper that should win every game, it would be this Avs team. Center Nathan Mackinnon has been absolutely sensational the last few seasons. He continues to thrive on a team with an excess of young talent such as Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Makar has been a stud on the backend, a year removed from his Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in the NHL.

- The Avs will be deadly this year. It may take them some time to find their identity, but they will continue to contend for the West Division. Their goaltending is also quite superb, with Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz as their two goalies. Their are no covid issues with the Avs at this time.

Columbus Blue Jackets - The Blue Jackets are an interesting one. They have good, young talent, but will not get rid of John Tortorella. This is continuing to be a problem for the organization, as players don't want to play for him and demand trades because of it.

- The team is stuck in mediocrity, because of John Tortorella. They haven't made serious push in the playoffs since they swept the Tampa Bay Lightning three years ago in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They made the bubble last year, but got outed by the Lightning in 4 games.

- The Jackets team is pretty good up front, especially with the additions in the trade with Winnipeg for forwards Patrick Laine and Jack Roslovic. They have both made contributions to the team right away, with Laine and Roslovic scoring in their mini-series with the Hurricanes. CBJ has no covid issues to speak of at this time.

Dallas Stars - This team is another one that could contend for a position in the playoffs. They came close to Stanley Cup title in the bubble last year, but ran into a HOT Tampa Bay team that wouldn't take losing for an answer.

- The Stars are one of the few teams that can allow fans in their building due to the cities' restrictions on covid. I believe that this is unfair, as it gives the home team an advantage to have a crowd. They have not been playing like it though, coming off a loss to the BlackHawks in overtime on Sunday.

- Their forward situation is good, and it showed in the bubble last season. Center Joe Pavelski and winger Alexander Radulov carry the bottom six while captain Jamie Benn and alternate center Tyler Seguin do the rest. The stars have no covid issues to report at this time in the season.

Detroit Red Wings - The Red Wings have taken steps in the right direction in the past offseason, with the addition of center Bobby Ryan and the return of Center and newly-named Captain Dylan Larkin. The Wings are a team that has been rebuilding for a while now, and they seem to be

- The defense for this team is in disarray, and is young. This means they will have to learn and continue to grow before they can be a contender in this league. They also have to add some goaltending, with their 46 goals against being the most in the Central Division.

- Their forwards are not bad, with Robby Fabbri, Dylan Larkin, and Bobby Ryan leading the charge up front. However, they lost winger Andreas Athanasiou in the offseason, and they miss that speed. Their game will need to improve soon or they could be in an endless rebuild cycle for the foreseeable future.

Edmonton Oilers - The Oilers are built around center Connor Mcdavid and center Leon Draisaitl, and that's about where it ends. The team has no depth on forward, although they did get James Neal back. He should be able to help a little bit with his quick shot.

- Connor Mcdavid is widely regarded as the best in the NHL. He has the hands of no player anyone has seen for some years now, and can make magic happen at a moments notice. He also has a great partner in Leon Draisaitl, who carries some weight.

- Leon Draisaitl has also been regarded as one of the best in the NHL, and can set up plays at an elite level. He is a premier center on this team, and often plays on the powerplay with Mcdavid, which makes it a hard one to defend. Unfortunately for the Oilers, this is where the list ends. Their goaltending and defense both need a good bit of work, and they need to build up some more depth behind Mcdavid and Draisaitl. They have no covid issues to report at this time.

Florida Panthers - This team is starting to get a little bit better, with the additions they made in the offseason, and the young forward promise they have. I believe this is a fringe playoff team right now, and could contend for the division in a few seasons.

- The addition of Patric Hornqvist was hard for me, especially because i'm a Penguins fan and wanted to keep him as long as possible. He said in his leading interview with the Panthers that "I want to play for this team, because they want me and Pittsburgh didn't". As a fan, that was hard. Although, he's right, the Panthers have seen him become a pretty good forward on that second line.

- Their defense is very good, but they're still pretty young. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle lead the defenseman for the panthers in ice time, and yet Keith was almost scratched this year. The PR wouldn't have it and fans demanded he play, especially with how good he has been for them over the years. Their goaltending is a problem, especially because they are paying Sergei Bobrovsky 8.8$ MIL. AAV, for average numbers. (so far, only the second year of his deal) The Cats have no covid issues to report at this time.

Los Angeles Kings - Their is really not much to say about the Kings, they are not very good. Simply put, they are too old, and are in the rebuilding phase in their franchise.

- Their best forward remains Anze Kopitar, even after they put some picks in the draft and tried to get better. There is some hope for center Alex Iathalo, but he needs a little bit more development before he can be on the top line. Goaltender Jonathan Quick is still good, but he is also aging and should be talked to soon about his future there.

- The Kings defense is older, especially because they still have Drew Doughty. Doughty is known for being a bit undesirable off the ice, but also makes some all star plays at times during the season. He still has one of the best shots in the NHL, and can score better than people think. I just think it's time for LA to get younger and move on. They have no covid issues surrounding the team out there in sunny Los Angeles.

Minnesota Wild - The WIld are going to shock some people this season. They made some good moves in the offseason, behind General Manager Billy Guerin.

- The WIldest addition to this team was their drafting of center Kirill Kaprizov. He has made them into a offensive unit. Zach Parise is still good too, and he should not be overlooked. They also have some good firepower from the backend, with defensive leaders like Matt Dumba, and Ryan Suter.

- Minnesota made moves to bring in depth pieces like center and Two-Time Stanley Cup Champ Nick Bonino, and goaltender Cam Talbot. This has improved them, but they still have a few years of finding an identity before they will be lethal. They have no covid problems as of now.

Montreal Canadiens - The Habs are a very good team, and they should not be overlooked AT ALL. This team is my dark horse to win some big games, and make a big push in the postseason if they continue to play like this.

- This team is gelling and firing on ALL cylinders right now. The additions of Nick Suzuki have proven to help that offense, especially during their run in the bubble where they ousted the Penguins in 5 games. Brendan Gallagher has also been phenomenal, and helped improve that offense.

- Another thing that makes them so good, is their depth. They have Jonathan Drouin back to his old form, and Tomas Tatar flying like he usually does. Another pleasant surprise is the play of newly-acquired winger Josh Anderson, who leads the NHL in goals so far this season. The also have a good defense, with Shea Weber and Jeff Petry being their centerpieces on the backend. Their goaltending always comes to mind as well, with stud backstopper Carey Price in net.

Nashville Predators - The Preds are a team that need some work. They have struggled to find a good groove ever since falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins in game six of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

- The team is led by forward and All Star Filip Forsberg, and you know what you're going to get out of him. This place where they struggle though, is depth. They have to trade for some depth pieces and build back up to that fast, physical team they were in 2017.

- Their depth isn't entirely awful, with pieces like Mikael Granlund and Viktor Arvidsson, as well as another All-Star in Roman Josi. Their goaltending, however, is a problem. Pekka Rinne is getting older, and is going to need to be dealt with if they want to compete again in the near future. They have no covid issues that I am aware of.

New Jersey Devils - This is a team that has surprised people so far this season. They have been dealing with some issues lately, which can be attributed to covid outbreaks.

- The Devils were hoping that 2020 number one draft pick Jack Hughes would turn out to be what he was in Juniors, and now, he is playing as he was advertised. New Jersey has turned out to be better than they were predicted, especially as of late. Their depth has also been very good, with fourth line forward Miles Wood putting some points on the scoresheet lately.

- The other thing is the Devils defense has been playing up to par. PK Subban has been excellent so far this season, and seems to always contribute offensively. Their goaltending has been excellent as well, with Scott Wedgewood playing very well in goal.

- This team has had significant covid issues, and had games postponed as a result. They had four games against Pittsburgh postponed in the last two weeks, and placed 10 players on the covid protocol list last weekend.

New York Islanders - The Islanders are not a super offensively stacked team, they just play well under the system of head coach Barry Trotz. He seems to know what the players will respond to, and get his message across effectively.

- The Islanders are playing well right now, coming off a win against the Rangers a few nights ago. Their defense has always been good, with Ryan Pollock, J.G. Paguau, and Adam Pellic being a few of their main blueliners. They also have solid goaltending in Semyon Varlomov, who leads the league in shutouts this season with three.

- Their forward group is also solid, and they seem to gel pretty well. Mat Barzal and captain Anders Lee lead the way, with guys like Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey to support them. They have no major covid issues to report at this time.

New York Rangers - The Rangers are a team that is up and coming. They aren't quite there yet, but their time is coming to compete for a Stanley Cup.

- The Rangers had some issues off the ice with defenseman Tony Deangelo last week, and placed him on the waiver wire because of it. He and goaltender Alexander Georgiev got in a fight after an OT loss to the Penguins. Supposedly, Deangelo blamed the young goaltender for not making the save. The team has sent him down to the AHL, and is exploring options to trade the young defenseman.

- New York is a good team up front, and has built some pieces to play at a high level. They are still trying to figure it out defensively, however. They have good pieces in place on both sides of the puck, like forwards Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad. On defense, they've got Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba. Number one pick Alexis Lafreniere has not quite fit in to the system yet, as he has only one goal in his first 11 games with the team. They have no significant covid issues to report at this time.

Ottawa Senators - The Sens were everyone's dark horse coming into this shortened season, but have to yet to show why. They are off to another bad start, having lost 11 games in their first 14.

- The team is built up front for success. Their forwards consist of guys like Brady Tkachuk, and Evgeni Dadonov, who have shown signs of hope this season. Their offense isn't the problem, however. They have given up 58 goals and are -27 on the goal differential. They have a great offense, but they don't score enough.

- The other problem to that stat I previously mentioned, is the early failure of Matt Murray, who was newly acquired in the fall to be the number one goaltender. His defense is young too, with guys like the number two overall pick Tim Stutzle. His play has been good, but they don't have enough defensive depth to carry the weight against good teams. They have no significant covid issues at this time.

Philadelphia Flyers - If I had to pick a team to win a Stanley Cup today, this would be the team I choose. I think Philly is built to win now, and will be good for years to come.

- The Flyers are rolling early in the season offensively, as guys like Travis Konecny and Scott Loughton have gotten hattricks already. They are also getting contributions from their bottom six forwards, with help from Joel Farabee and Jake Voracek dishing out assists. Claude Giroux is also joining in on the fun, with 11 points in 14 games.

- Their defense is very good as well, with the likes of Ivan Provorov and newly acquired Erik Gustafsson playing big minutes, and handling it very well. IF there is one thing that is hurting them, its that third year goaltender Carter Hart is not quite up to par yet. The Flyers ran into some issues this week with covid, as they added two players to that list, and forced their game against Washington on 2/9 to be postponed.

Pittsburgh Penguins - This team is interesting, I am not really sure which way I see them going. They are my team, and I mention that in my info section, but I still don't know how it's going to turn out with a new GM.

- Former Flyers general manager Ron Hextall and former TSN analyst Brian Burke were hired to help the Penguins determine a direction. I think the two of them will help the team immensely with their experience in the NHL, especially because Hextall assembled a beast of a team in Philadelphia. These moves come a week or so after Jim Rutherford left the team due to some inside issues, which I believe to be the ownership limiting his ability to make trades.

- The Penguins have been slumping lately, with their most recent loss coming at the hands of the Islanders last weekend. Defenseman Kris Letang is going through a rough patch, as he tries to correct his late game mistakes, and All Star center Evgeni Malkin also needs to get on track if this team wants to start winning in regulation. I mention that, because the penguins have just one regulation win this season. They have no covid issues, but other team’s problems are causing them to have to adjust their schedule and add big midweek breaks. They have significant Injuries on the blue line, and that isn’t helping their case either. Nor is it helping first year starter, Tristan Jarry in goal, as he goes through some struggles.

San Jose Sharks - The Sharks are a struggling team, and that is evident. They have lost pieces that I don't think they can get back for a few years. The departure of Joe Thorton and Joe Pavelski have hurt this team in ways they can't fix for a while.

- The Sharks are a struggling team, and not much more has to be said about them. They have some good forward talent, with players like Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl. These players can score, but that's about where the scoring ends on this roster. They also have center Evander Kane and newly named captain Logan Couture to look to for scoring.

- San Jose has two solid defenders on the back end, in Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. Their defense has some issues, however, and that is evident by the 40 goals they've given up this season. Their covid issues are none at the moment, but they had eight players test positive a few weeks ago.

St. Louis Blues - The Blues won the Stanley Cup two years ago, and are still considered one of the better teams on paper. They are in a bit of a slump right now though, having lost their last three games against the Arizona Coyotes.

- The Blues are a dynamic team upfront, with players like newly named captain Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, and newly acquired left wing Mike Hoffman. These guys can score, and that is clear, with their goal differential being even at 43 GF - 43 GA.

- Their defense has also been revamped, with the departure of long time captain Alex Pietrangelo, and the signing of veteran Torey Krug to replace him. Robert Bortuzzo has also been solid for them for the past few years, and can score from the backend as well.

St. Louis is still riding Jordan Binnington in goal, and is clear from any covid issues at this time.

Tampa Bay Lightning - Not much to be said about this team, they finally got over the hump, and won a Stanley Cup. Steven Stamkos is a Stanley Cup Champion.

- The bolts have LOADS of talent up front. It starts with their big guys up top like captain Steven Stamkos, winger Brayden Point, and right winger Nikita Kucherov. Their depth is also very good, with players like Blake Coleman and Anthony Cirelli filling out their bottom six.

- Their defense is loaded as well, with players like Norris-Winner Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev, and Ryan McDonough. Is this enough for this team to repeat? I don't know, but the only team I could see giving them a run in the East, is Philly. They also have Vezina-Winner Andrei Vasilevsky in goal, which can't hurt. They have no covid issues at this time.

Toronto Maple Leafs - The Leafs have had stellar regular seasons, but struggled in postseason contention. They have a good team on paper, but can't seem to win when it matters. They also have Steve Dangle on their side making videos, so that counts for something.

- I think the Leafs are due for a good postseason run. Do I think that will happen this year? I don't think so. I think there are too many good teams out there that will cause them to derail from the tear they are on right now. I think they are on this run because the teams around them in the Canadian Division are all struggling to build momentum.

- Make no mistake about it, this team is loaded up front. With players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, you can't go wrong. Their defense and goaltending is also solid, with players like Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly, and Freddie Anderson. They have no covid issues to report at this time.

Vancouver Canucks - The Canucks have potential, but haven't quite reached it yet. Their run in the playoffs last year was a start, but I think they can do better.

- The forward group here is strong, with players like Brock Bessor, Elias Pettersson, and J.T. Miller. These guys can all score at high rates, and that is evident. They have to pick up the pace a little bit this season if they're going to get out of the hole they're in.

- They have a young defense too, which bodes well for their future. As for the present, I think they need to work out the kinks this season, and they'll be a contender in the next two years. Quinn Hughes has been very good at times, but also struggled at times this season. Their goaltending is solid with second year Thatcher Demko starting the majority of games so far this year. They have no covid issues at this time.

Vegas Golden Knights - Vegas is good, there's no doubt about it. They have been a legit threat every year since they entered the league in 2017-2018, losing to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Final that season.

- They are loaded up front as well, with players like winger Max Pacioretty, center William Karlsson, and left wing John Marchessault. These guys can score, and have a big hand in their current position at the top of the West Division.

- Their defense also got better this offseason with the addition of veteran Alex Pietrangelo, and the continuous production of Alex Tuch and Shea Theodore. The goaltending remains solid for the Knights with Marc Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner. Their covid situation was bad a few months ago, as they needed to shut down the facility for two weeks to limit the teams' exposure. They got over it though, and are back at it and rolling again.

Washington Capitals - The Caps are good on paper, but I think they made mistakes this offseason. They picked up older defenseman Zdeno Chara and Justin Schultz, for a defense that struggles with speed and can't seem to keep up with other teams.

- Their offense is really good, with some solid young forwards and veteran players, and they score a lot of goals. You may have heard of them before: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin, Tom WIlson, and T.J. Oshie, to name a few. They can score, and that shows with their goals for this season at 44.

- The Caps are struggling on defense and in the goaltending department. Their best defenseman, John Carlson, has been on the ice for a lot of goals against this year with a +/- of -eight. Their goaltending is a concern as well, having lost veteran Braden Holtby in the offseason. They are now looking to Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanacek to make the saves, after the expected starter, Henrik Lundqvist, opted out due to a heart problem. Washington went through some troubles with covid, and were fined for their breaking of the protocol after an overtime loss in Pittsburgh in January. The only players that remain out from that list, is Samsonov and Kuznetsov.

Winnipeg Jets - This team continues to puzzle me. They are extremely talented at the center position, yet they can't seem to be good enough to win in a playoff series.

- The offense is pretty solid for the Jets, consisting of players like Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, and Kyle Connor. These players are consistently scoring and making plays, but their production isn't enough in the playoffs to get the jets over the hump.

- Their defense has always been solid, although they have lost a few pieces over the years. The key departures have caused goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to have to carry the weight, which the former Vezina-Winner is very capable of doing. They made an interesting trade when they sent former first-round pick Patrik Laine to the Blue Jackets in exchange for Forward Pierre Luc Dubois. This was a big one, and it has worked out for the Jets so far. They have no covid issues to report at this time.