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Thankful Series 2020-21

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Winnipeg Jets

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We’ve made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this season comes with a bit of a change. Typically at this time of the calendar year, the trade deadline is fast approaching but now, we’re only at the one-quarter mark.  Still, we’ll analyze what they’re happy about so far and what they can be hoping for in the months to come.

What are the Jets most thankful for?

For years, Winnipeg has been looking to improve their depth down the middle which resulted in several trades for rental players including adding Paul Stastny for the second time last fall.  With Mark Scheifele established as a legitimate number one center, Stastny gave them a bit of insurance with Bryan Little out for the season.  That’s good but not great.

That changed with last month’s acquisition of Pierre-Luc Dubois from Columbus.  Dubois, who was the top pivot with the Blue Jackets, gives Winnipeg a second high-quality option down the middle.  Perhaps more importantly, Dubois is team-controllable for three more years which lines him up with Scheifele.  There are some strong one-two center punches in the North Division and Winnipeg now has one of them and will have them in place for a while yet once Dubois moves to the middle (he has started on the wing for the time being).

Who are the Jets most thankful for?

Connor Hellebuyck.  Last year’s Vezina-winning goaltender hasn’t had the best of defenses playing in front of him (more on that shortly) and with some inconsistent performances from his backups, he has had to log a heavy workload, leading all netminders in games played in two of the last three seasons and facing the most shots in each of the last two years.  Despite that, Hellebuyck has been able to provide the Jets with steady, above-average goaltending on a regular basis for a reasonable price; his $6.167MM AAV is eighth in the league and is only about $1MM higher than the median price tag among starters.  He’s still signed for three more years after this one so Winnipeg doesn’t have to worry about their goaltending anytime soon.

What would the Jets be even more thankful for?

One of their young defensemen stepping into a top-four role.  Josh Morrissey is a capable core blueliner and Neal Pionk has thrived since coming over from the Jacob Trouba trade.  After that, the depth starts to go down in a hurry.  Dylan DeMelo is a capable third-pairing option which is nice to have but right now, Derek Forbort is logging more than 21 minutes a night just one season removed from being limited to all of 20 games, most of which were on the third pairing.  He’s a serviceable blueliner but in an ideal world, he’s not playing anywhere near that much.

Meanwhile, Winnipeg has several young defenders with some upside in Tucker Poolman, Sami Niku, Logan Stanley, and Ville Heinola that have all seen NHL action this season.  The latter two were both first-round selections and are key cogs of their back end of the future but haven’t shown that they’re ready yet for a top-four spot; Heinola also has contract considerations in terms of extending team control to factor in.  Unless they’re able to add someone via trade over the next six weeks, the improvement is going to have to come from within.  One of these four stepping up would give them a huge boost heading into the playoff push.

What should be on the Jets’ wish list?

Let’s stick with the defense.  A top-four blueliner is a piece that would really elevate the Jets to another level for the stretch run.  They do have some LTIR space at their disposal – about $2.8MM worth – and with Little out for the year, they can safely spend without having to plan about getting into compliance.  It’s not a situation where it will increase in value on a daily basis like regular cap room so if GM Kevin Cheveldayoff finds the right fit, he can pull the trigger sooner than later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Washington Capitals

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We’ve made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this season comes with a bit of a change. Typically at this time of the calendar year, the trade deadline is fast approaching but now, we’re only at the one-quarter mark.  Still, we’ll analyze what they’re happy about so far and what they can be hoping for in the months to come.

What are the Capitals most thankful for?

A consistent stream of firepower.  While a few players have come and gone due to salary cap constraints, the majority of Washington’s core has been intact for a while.  The end result has been plenty of offense.  The Caps are in the top ten in goals scored this season and that’s a spot they’ve been in for a while.  You have to go back all the way to 2013-14 to find the last time they weren’t in the top-ten in that department (they were 11th that year).  Yes, it’s an expensive core which has presented some challenges for GM Brian MacLellan along the way but it’s also an enviable foundation to build from and knowing that there’s a top-ten attack year in and year out certainly makes things a bit easier from a roster-building perspective.

Who are the Capitals most thankful for?

Alex Ovechkin would be the best answer but there will be more on him shortly.  Instead, let’s look at another significant offensive threat in John Carlson.  He’s the one Washington defender that produces with any offensive consistency; he almost has as many goals so far this season (five) as the rest of their back end combined (six).  Last year, he outscored the rest of Washington’s blueliners 15-11 while leading the team in points.  Carlson’s defensive zone play has also improved and it has reached the point where his $8MM price tag went from being viewed as a reasonable gamble to an outright bargain.  He was the Norris Trophy runner up last season and should be in the mix for that award for a few more years.

What would the Capitals be even more thankful for?

Getting an extension done with Ovechkin.  He has been their franchise player since the moment he first set foot in the league back in 2005 and the 13-year, $124MM contract he signed back in 2008 that seemed a bit outlandish at the time has wound up yielding a lot of value for the Caps.  Ovechkin has committed to re-signing with Washington although his playing career is likely to come to an end back in Russia.  Even so, it’s something that MacLellan will want to get done sooner than later just to get a sense of what their salary cap situation will be down the road.  They’re not in a position to ask him to take a significant hometown discount and his next contract may very well come in close to his current $9.538MM AAV.  They can wait until the offseason if they need to but getting it done now would certainly make everyone thankful.

What should be on the Capitals’ wish list?

With cap space at an absolute premium right now – they can’t afford to recall anyone right now even with Henrik Lundqvist and Michal Kempny’s LTIR room, MacLellan’s hands may ultimately be tied in terms of trying to add anything by the April 12th trade deadline.  But if the opportunity presents itself, adding center depth would be a worthwhile addition.  When Evgeny Kuznetsov was on the CPRA list, the Caps were forced to turn to T.J. Oshie down the middle and they don’t really have any reliable proven options on the taxi squad or with AHL Hershey right now.  They have high hopes for Connor McMichael who could be their best option for any extended absence but as a junior-aged player, that would be a tough ask.  Finding someone that could cover in the bottom six and allow Lars Eller to move up if necessary would be a great luxury to have – if only they could afford it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vegas Golden Knights

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We’ve made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this season comes with a bit of a change. Typically at this time of the calendar year, the trade deadline is fast approaching but now, we’re only at the one-quarter mark.  Still, we’ll analyze what they’re happy about so far and what they can be hoping for in the months to come.

What are the Golden Knights most thankful for?

Their scoring depth.  Most teams in their fourth year of existence haven’t typically built up a deep group of veterans but Vegas hasn’t been a typical newer team at any point along the way.  They have five forwards that scored at least 15 goals in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season and have two players not in that group that have a shot at that mark this season.  Having three lines capable of putting up strong offensive production is a luxury that many teams aren’t able to afford.  Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon has gone through quite a few hoops to assemble this roster which is one of the deepest in the league that should give them enough firepower to win most nights, even if one of their two starting-caliber goalies has an off night.

Who are the Golden Knights most thankful for?

Mark Stone.  While he isn’t a player that’s going to be contending for the Art Ross Trophy, he’s a consistent offensive producer having hovered near the point per game mark for the last three seasons plus this one while being one of the top defensive forwards in the league.  That’s a rare combination to have.  Sure, Vegas is known for the glitz and glamour but Stone is anything but flashy and that’s just what they need from their captain.  He’s signed for six more years after this one so it’s safe to say that he’ll be a fixture on their top line for a long time yet.  There has been considerable roster turnover in the early going for the Golden Knights but Stone gives them some much-needed stability.

What would the Golden Knights be even more thankful for?

A big jump forward from Cody Glass.  The sophomore is off to a nice start to his season with two goals and five assists through his first ten games so he’s already trending in the right direction.  However, they had to part with Paul Stastny over the offseason while William Karlsson isn’t the number one center he was in their inaugural year.  That’s left them a bit thin down the middle with Chandler Stephenson also taking on a bigger role.  His ceiling is nowhere near that of Glass, however.  Their first-ever draft pick, Glass was picked with the expectation that he will one day become their top pivot.  He’s definitely on the right track although the sooner he can get there, the more dangerous Vegas can become.  That’s a lot of pressure but with an inability to afford any additions, any further improvement is going to have to come from within the roster and he has the highest ceiling.

What should be on the Golden Knights’ wish list?

Cap space.  They’ve been able to stay in cap compliance this season by often dressing just five defensemen and are currently using LTIR to carry a more typical gameday lineup.  There aren’t many ways to free up cap room without subtracting a key piece off the roster but if they could find a way to sneak a depth forward like Tomas Nosek to the taxi squad and just bring him up for games they’re going to use him.  Forget about accruing enough cap space to make a deadline acquisition; instead, the focus for McCrimmon should be trying to bank enough room to afford to merely call someone up.  Such is life with a team that’s as well-stocked with veteran talent as they are.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Vancouver Canucks

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We’ve made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this season comes with a bit of a change. Typically at this time of the calendar year, the trade deadline is fast approaching but now, we’re only at the one-quarter mark.  Still, we’ll analyze what they’re happy about so far and what they can be hoping for in the months to come.

What are the Canucks most thankful for?

Their young and controllable core up front.  Of their current top-six forwards from last game (Tanner Pearson being the exception), five are 27 years of age or younger and all have at least two years of team control remaining.  On the back end, Quinn Hughes has already established himself as a core defender while Olli Juolevi has worked his way into a regular spot in the lineup.  Over the weekend, when team owner Francesco Aquilini gave his management team and coaching staff a vote of confidence, he referenced the core of young talent.  It’s an impressive group regardless of how much the team has struggled through the first quarter of the season.

Who are the Canucks most thankful for?

Elias Pettersson.  Let’s look past his slow start to the season (one he has quietly come back from with 11 points in his last 11 games) and look at the bigger picture.  He has established himself as a consistent offensive threat and after spending most of last year on the left wing, Pettersson now finds himself down the middle again, his natural position.  He’s already a key cog in their attack but if he can stick at center, he could become a homegrown top pivot which is something that many teams covet but not many have.  Yes, there’s a pricey contract extension on the horizon as his entry-level deal is up this summer but they shouldn’t be too worried about locking up a franchise cornerstone to a long-term contract that buys out some UFA years.

What would the Canucks be even more thankful for?

Jake Virtanen rediscovering his offensive touch.  There’s being in a slump and there’s being in worse than that which is about where the winger is.  After scoring a career-high 18 goals last season, he’s at just one in 14 games while failing to record an assist.  Not surprisingly, he’s been bumped down the depth chart and has been scratched multiple times already.  At some point, they need to get more from him.  And since his name is out there in trade speculation, a return to form would make finding a palatable trade a whole lot easier than trying to land full value at a point where Virtanen’s trade value likely has never been lower.

Beyond that, they’d be quite thankful if Thatcher Demko bounced back as well.  This was supposed to be the season where he took a big step towards establishing himself as a legitimate starting goaltender but that hasn’t happened yet.  Instead, he has basically platooned with Braden Holtby with neither of them playing particularly well most nights.  They need to know if Demko can indeed be their goalie of the future (and present).  He’s not building himself a strong case right now.

What should be on the Canucks’ wish list?

Veteran defensive depth.  They lost some depth over the offseason and then early-season injuries tested that depth early on with their struggles helping contribute to the team allowing the most goals in the league.  While Juolevi and Jalen Chatfield have had some good moments, a capable fourth or fifth defender would go a long way towards shoring things up.  The cap will be a challenge with several veterans on pricey, above-market contracts but GM Jim Benning will need to find a way to make it happen if they want to get back into a playoff spot in the North Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Toronto Maple Leafs

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We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this season comes with a bit of a change. Typically at this time of the calendar year, the trade deadline is fast approaching but now, we’re only at the one-quarter mark.  Still, we’ll analyze what they’re happy about so far and what they can be hoping for in the months to come.

What are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

Their collection of top-end offensive talent.  When you’re spending nearly half of the salary cap on four forwards, it better be a highly-skilled group.  There’s no denying that Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander qualify as highly-skilled.  Few teams can match up with a one-two center punch in Matthews who is scoring at a torrid pace in the early going and Tavares and Marner is one of the premier playmakers in the league.  Nylander is a little streakier than the others but has the ability to take over a game as well when he’s on.  There’s shouldn’t be many long offensive droughts with that level of firepower at the top of their lineup.

Who are the Maple Leafs most thankful for?

The answer is Matthews but he’s already been mentioned above so instead, let’s highlight Jake Muzzin.  With all of the money they have spent up front, it has come at the expense of being able to spend much on the back end.  When they acquired Muzzin, the hope was that he’d bring some defensive stability and grit to Toronto’s defense corps but there were questions as to whether or not they’d be able to afford to keep him.  He was as advertised and the two sides worked out a four-year extension last season, ensuring he’d stick around.  With Morgan Rielly up for a new deal after next season, the Maple Leafs will at least be able to enter those talks knowing that they have one key cog on the back end locked up already.

What would the Maple Leafs be even more thankful for?

Avoiding short and medium-term injuries.  The cap structure of this team still works when players are placed on LTIR but anything under 10 games or 24 days becomes a little trickier to navigate.  They can afford one extra skater over the minimum when fully healthy but if more than one skater is unavailable due to a short-term injury, they’ll be in a situation where they have to play short a player for a game.

On a similar note, they’d also be thankful for Jack Campbell returning soon and staying healthy.  His absence has forced Toronto to use Frederik Andersen more than they’d like early on.  And with Andersen set to become an unrestricted free agent next season, they need to get a good look at Campbell to try to determine if he can take on a bigger role in 2021-22.  It’s hard to make that evaluation when he’s on IR.

What should be on the Maple Leafs’ wish list?

With their cap situation being where it is, there isn’t a whole lot they’ll be able to do on the trade front.  A forward who can play on the third line that extends their depth would certainly help but it’s someone that will need to be making close to the minimum.  Today’s pickup of Alex Galchenyuk ($1.05MM) may be tough to carry on the roster on a full-time basis so they may need to look cheaper.  Goaltending depth has been hard to come by but given their hesitance to use Michael Hutchinson so far (Aaron Dell was originally in the reserve role before short-term injuries forced them to waive him to open up cap room), bringing in a different third option that they’d be comfortable using would also be beneficial.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Tampa Bay Lightning

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We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, things are just getting underway. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the league approaching the one-quarter mark of the season.

What are the Lightning most thankful for?

Steven Stamkos picking up where he left off.  After missing the end of the regular season plus all but 2:47 of the playoffs, it was fair to wonder if the oft-injured star would be able to go back on the top line and pick up where he left off.  With seven goals and seven assists in just 11 games, he has done exactly that.  His minutes haven’t changed despite Nikita Kucherov’s season-long absence but he’s still logging over 18 minutes per game, second only to Alex Killorn among Tampa Bay forwards.  Yes, he was a late scratch last night but it wasn’t injury-related as he was added to the CPRA list today although Stamkos tweeted earlier today that the belief is it’s a false positive test.  If true, he should be back soon.  Kucherov’s absence puts more strain on Tampa’s top players and despite the question marks surrounding Stamkos heading into the season, he has certainly delivered so far.

Who are the Lightning most thankful for?

Brayden Point.  The 24-year-old has worked his way up from being a third-round pick back in 2014 to a franchise center quite quickly.  His two-way play earned him plenty of playing time early in his career and his offensive output soon followed with a 92-point season back in 2018-19.  In the early going this season, he’s producing at an even higher point per game pace with 16 points in just a dozen contests.  Along the way, his defensive play has blossomed to the point where he’s regularly garnering Selke Trophy votes.  Teams are happy when players picked in the middle of the third round make it to the NHL for a handful of games and feel even better if they can become a regular somewhere in the lineup.  Getting a cornerstone piece with a third-round selection though is something they’re ecstatic about.

What would the Lightning be even more thankful for?

No setbacks for Kucherov.  While they’re ruled him out for the entire regular season, that’s as far as they’ve gone, suggesting that they hope to have him back at some point in the playoffs when the salary cap isn’t in effect.  With how deep they’ve had to go into LTIR already, Tampa Bay basically has no wiggle room to work with in terms of trying to make any in-season moves so when it comes to trying to add so they’ll be quite thankful if Kucherov’s recovery simply goes according to plan.

What should be on the Lightning’s wish list?

With minimal LTIR room at his disposal, GM Julien BriseBois can’t do a whole lot.  They’d still love to find a taker for Tyler Johnson who’s off to a bit of a tough start this year but that contract still isn’t movable without a significant sweetener.  In terms of what they can realistically do, depth additions at or near the league minimum will be the goal.  Defensive help would be ideal but when that’s all a team can do, any minor upgrade would be worthwhile.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: St. Louis Blues

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We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, things are just getting underway. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the league approaching the one-quarter mark of the season.

What are the Blues most thankful for?

A strong start to the season from Justin Faulk.

It was only a year and a half ago that GM Doug Armstrong surprised many by trading for Faulk, giving them a big upgrade on their back end.  Or so they thought.  The 28-year-old struggled mightily with his new team and after being brought in to bolster their offense from the defense, he had the worst statistical year of his career.  Instead of serving as insurance in case they couldn’t re-sign Alex Pietrangelo, Faulk’s $6.5MM contract extension signed at the time he was acquired ultimately was instrumental in the former captain heading elsewhere.

As it turns out, Pietrangelo’s departure has been a boon for Faulk.  Now entrenched in a top role that he was accustomed to, he has been much better in the early going this season.  His production has rebounded a bit and he’s leading the team in ice time at just under 24 minutes a night.  This is what they were expecting from him when they acquired Faulk – it just took him a while to get there.

Who are the Blues most thankful for?

Their new captain, Ryan O’Reilly.  He has been exactly what they were hoping for when they acquired him (for what has turned out to be a very minimal return) from Buffalo and has established himself as a legitimate top-line center.  He had a career year offensively in his first season with the team, matched what was his previous career high last season despite the pandemic, and is off to a quick start this year where he’s just under a point per game.  He’s a reliable defensive pivot with two straight top-three Selke finishes (including winning in 2018-19) and is as dominant as ever at the faceoff dot.  O’Reilly has quickly become a key cog for the Blues who remains under contract for two more years after this one.

What would the Blues be even more thankful for?

Finding the right fit for a Vince Dunn trade.  The blueliner is clearly out there in trade talks and while he’s now in his fourth NHL season, he hasn’t really been able to work his way into a more prominent role.  At 18:12 of ATOI per night, he’s only fifth on the Blues among their defenders and that’s basically where he has been for most of his career.  He’s coming off a quieter year offensively and that resulted in a one-year deal over the offseason.  He’ll be arbitration-eligible next summer where his offensive numbers will play a bigger role so a trade seems like the likely outcome at this point.  With a cap hit that’s affordable this season, they should be able to find a taker for him and still get good value in return.

What should be on the Blues’ wish list?

Vladimir Tarasenko getting healthy and staying healthy.  He has resumed skating, albeit lightly, as he tries to work his way back from his latest shoulder surgery.  This has been a lingering problem for years which has taken away their top pure offensive player for extended periods of time.  If he can stay healthy, St. Louis will add a capable top-liner to their lineup for the second half of the season which would be a huge boost as they look to secure one of four playoff spots in the West Division.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: San Jose Sharks

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We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, things are just getting underway. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the calendar having now flipped to 2021.

What are the Sharks most thankful for?

Last season, San Jose finished dead last in the Pacific Division but while most teams in that situation could at least take solace in knowing that such a performance would yield a high draft pick, that wasn’t the case as Ottawa held their first-round pick from the Erik Karlsson trade, using it on Tim Stutzle.  This season, they’re not off to the best of starts either (currently sitting in last place in the West Division) but they at least have their first-round selection this time.  After underachieving last year and getting off to a sluggish start this season, there isn’t much to be thankful for in terms of on-ice success but at least they have their top pick in their pocket this time around.

Who are the Sharks most thankful for?

While many of San Jose’s players have underachieved lately, that can’t be said for Tomas Hertl.  After leading all of their forwards in scoring in 2018-19, he produced at a rate that would have been good enough for the team lead had it not been for a knee injury last season.  He has returned without any lingering issues and currently leads the Sharks in scoring in the early going this year.  After starting his career on the wing, Hertl has also successfully transitioned to a full-time center role, giving them a second homegrown fit down the middle with Logan Couture.  Hertl still has this year and next left on what has become a below-market contract with a $5.625MM AAV and will likely be looking for a deal around Couture’s price tag ($8MM) in 2022.

What would the Sharks be even more thankful for?

Karlsson providing a better return for their investment, both in terms of price paid to get him and his contract.  The pick used on Stutzle and Joshua Norris have given Ottawa two potential franchise cornerstones (not to mention the other players they parted with including Chris Tierney and Dylan DeMelo) while Karlsson hasn’t come close to living up to expectations.  His point-per-game average has dipped each year since 2015-16 which is concerning for an offense-first defenseman and he has managed just nine goals in a San Jose uniform.  With a record-setting $11.5MM AAV through 2026-27, the Sharks need a whole lot more from Karlsson than they’ve received so far.

What should be on the Sharks’ wish list?

Two areas come to mind with one being a lot more attainable than the other.  The realistic one is trying to add scoring help; the Sharks are averaging just 2.75 goals per game and no one has more than three with Brent Burns being the only defender to get on the board (this despite having the priciest back end in the league).  They are pegged to finish more than $4MM under the cap, per CapFriendly which is quite important in this environment where so many teams are capped out.  If they can hang around the playoff race, they could put themselves in a spot to add.

The less likely one is getting a reliable goaltender.  The Sharks added Devan Dubnyk in the hopes that a change of scenery could spark him after a tough showing with Minnesota last year while also giving Martin Jones a bit of a reprieve to help him improve.  Neither have happened.  Jones has been pulled twice already and is narrowly allowing less than four goals per game while Dubnyk has just a .902 SV%.  However, while getting a steadier option would certainly help, given the difficulty in acquiring any sort of goaltending help this season, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to adequately address this area.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Pittsburgh Penguins

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We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful for. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, things are just getting underway. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the calendar having now flipped to 2021.

What are the Penguins most thankful for?

Their dynamic duo down the middle.

Yes, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin aren’t in the primes of their careers anymore but they still form one of the more formidable one-two punches at center.  Both are sure-fire future Hall of Famers and in Crosby’s case, he still has five years left on a contract that has wound up being a team-friendly one.  Malkin’s deal is up after next season but it’s safe to say there will be interest in keeping him in the fold.  Both players are off to a bit of a quieter start than usual this year but while there are some valid question marks surrounding other elements of the team, Pittsburgh fans should be quite confident in believing that those two will be able to produce more in the near future.

Who are the Penguins most thankful for?

It would be easy to pick Crosby – too easy perhaps – so let’s go with Jake Guentzel instead.  When he signed his five-year, $30MM contract, it was a deal that carried some risk given that he had only been a full-time NHL player for one season.  However, he has produced just under a point per game since the day the contract was signed.  In this environment, a $6MM price tag for a point per game front-line player is a bargain.  Pittsburgh’s veteran core has turned over considerably in recent years and there will likely still be some changes to come but Guentzel should be around through that and then some with three years left on a below-market contract still to go.

What would the Penguins be even more thankful for?

A return to form from Tristan Jarry.

After being on the trade block at the start of last season, Jarry got off to a great start, earning an All-Star Game nod and outperformed Matt Murray.  With their cap situation, they were only going to be able to afford to keep one of the two and opted for the cheaper one in Jarry, a decision that was certainly the expected outcome but one that carried risk given his inexperience.  They’re currently seeing the downside of that right now as the 25-year-old has struggled considerably in his first six starts this season.  That cap situation also limited them to having Casey DeSmith as the backup, someone who is relatively unproven.  They need Jarry to turn his performance around if they want to be battling for top spot in the East.

What should be on the Penguins’ wish list?

Before their rash of injuries, they could have benefitted from some defensive upgrades.  Now, with multiple injuries, they really need some defensive upgrades and more depth on top of it as they’ve had to go ten-deep on the back end already.  Can they really afford an impact upgrade?  Not really and the fact they’ve had to dip into LTIR already is eating into the limited cap room they do have.  Low-priced depth additions like Yannick Weber’s recent signing is more of what they’re going to be able to do so interim GM Patrik Allvin is going to be working the phones if he hasn’t been already since taking over for Jim Rutherford to try to get something done on that front sooner than later.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Philadelphia Flyers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

We’ve now made it past the holiday season but there is still plenty to be thankful. Like the last few years, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for but this year comes with a bit of a change. Normally teams would have an idea of where their season was heading, coming up on the one-quarter mark with mountains of statistics to analyze. Instead, in this unprecedented year, things are just getting underway. We’ll still take a look at what each group is excited about and what they could hope for with the calendar having now flipped to 2021.

What are the Flyers most thankful for?

A group of young impact players changing the look of the team.

It’s taken a few years, but the team is suddenly loaded with young talent that is contributing in a major way for the team. Just a few years ago, the team brought in players like Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim and  goaltender Carter Hart to name a few. Those players have established themselves as elite players on a playoff team that is hoping to now take that next step. Other younger players have more recently stepped in as well, including Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Philippe Myers, etc. The hope is the next wave can also take the next step.

Who are the Flyers most thankful for?

Their veteran forwards.

The team may have quite a few young players they can count on for support, but the team continues to be held together by their veteran depth. The team still has their top three long-time forwards, Sean Courturier (the 2020 Selke winner), Jacob Voracek and Claude Giroux, but have also gotten great contributions from Kevin Hayes, who has looked outstanding in his one-plus year with the team, even posting eight points in six games with the team so far this year. Even James van Riemsdyk has posted solid numbers this season, giving the offense a solid core presence.

What would the Flyers be even more thankful for?

Rebound seasons for Oskar Lindblom and Nolan Patrick.

The Flyers lost a pair of impressive young players for the season last year. Lindblom was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a form of cancer and spent the season receiving treatment. He was cleared of the cancer late in the year and even made the trip with the team into the playoff bubble, although he didn’t play. Regardless, now healthy, the team hopes that Lindblom can pick up where he left off, which was producing at a high level. So far, he has spent quite a bit of time on the first line.

Patrick, on the other hand, missed the entire 2019-20 season due to concussion issues with plenty of questions on whether he would be back when the season started. However, Patrick is back, centering the third line and looking sharp, perhaps sharper than he has ever played before, giving hope to the Flyers future.

What should be on the Flyers’ wish list?

Improved defense.

The loss of Matt Niskanen has had quite an impact. The veteran blue liner announced his retirement during the offseason, something the team hadn’t planned on. The Flyers did go out and re-sign veteran Justin Braun, but the team has put a lot of pressure on their young defense this year and it has showed so far. The team could really use a veteran, perhaps at the trade deadline, to bolster their defense if they want to make any type of run in a shortened season and in a challenging division this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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