Quick Shifts: Can Maple Leafs resolve goalie woes through commerce?

Now, neither man is up for the duty.

When Anthony Stolarz returns is anybody’s guess, and Joseph Woll seems to wish time to recuperate from the “lower body” damage he suffered Thursday.

In the quick time period, third-stringer Dennis Hildeby will get thrown into the hearth, the prospect going through an unrelenting schedule that begins with key divisional matches Saturday versus Montreal and Monday versus Tampa Bay, two rivals forward of Toronto within the Atlantic race.

Prospect Artur Aktyamov is the subsequent (masked) man up. He’s 24. He’s by no means performed within the present. He has an .896 save proportion on the farm.

So… does GM Brad Treliving go goalie searching, once more?

Never having Stolarz and Woll accessible on the similar time this season, the Leafs already introduced in and discarded James Reimer and Cayden Primeau.

Yes, some intriguing however flawed commerce choices are on the market.

Be it acquisition value or cap value, an even bigger swing for a goalie feels far-fetched, particularly contemplating Treliving’s restricted belongings.

Past behaviour suggests the manager will maintain pat and watch the waiver wire like a hawk.

Moreover, are we positive these commerce choices are higher than Hildeby, who has a .919 by seven scattered appearances, all in robust circumstances?

Hildeby can shoulder work; he performed 41 video games in his rookie AHL season and posted a .913.

Of course, that doesn’t assure he’ll go Beast mode within the NHL gauntlet. 

But, in the intervening time at the very least, Toronto can be sensible to at the very least see what the light big can do.

2. The low level of the Maple Leafs’ season was two Saturdays in the past, after they acquired steamrolled 5-2 on the Bell Centre and hung poor Woll out to dry. An embarrassing exhibiting.

Since then, Toronto launched into a 4-1 street journey and performed its finest hockey.

Wild what number of Leafs introduced up the Canadiens earlier than they’d even peeled off their gear Thursday night time in Raleigh. 

“We needed this. We needed that energy, and we’re just gonna try to bring that home,” Matthew Knies mentioned. “We’ve got a tendency to be flat at home, but we’re gonna come Saturday and give some payback to these guys in Montreal.”

The Zamboni hadn’t rolled out but, they usually had been already eyeing a Hockey Night in Canada revenge match. Yep, the speedy Habs left a mark.

“Seeing the standings and everything going on, we just play the same way and continue to roll,” Scott Laughton mentioned. “We’re at house now for just a little bit. We’ve acquired to be actually good and powerful, and we’ve acquired to type of do what they did to us.

“Continue to play hard for each other.”

The Canadiens would possibly effectively make the most of an inexperienced goalie, however they’ll be in for a extra assured opponent at Scotiabank Arena.

“What we did on the road, bring it home. Be urgent,” coach Craig Berube mentioned. “Urgency, for me, is everything in that game.”

3. Devastating damage for Tyler Seguin, whose torn ACL seemingly finishes him for the season.

The Dallas Stars are one of many few legit Cup contenders, and Jim Nill was already going to be a purchaser on the commerce deadline.

How he treats Seguin’s $9.85 million cap house, which might shift to LTIR, shall be fascinating. 

Yes, Nill can buy groceries in the most costly aisle of forwards.

But the brand new CBA, with its playoff wage cap, may throw a wrench into any massive buy. 

What if Seguin — determined to win a second Cup — rehabilitates and is prepared for April or May.

No longer can a crew go over the cap come postseason the way in which Chicago did with Patrick Kane and Tampa did with Nikita Kucherov.

Surely, the Stars will add. But our wager is that Nill waits to get extra readability on Seguin’s reasonable return date earlier than deciding how massive to swing right here.

“I drive around with my skates in the back of the car.” —An unemployed Peter DeBoer, when requested on Real Kyper & Bourne if he’s prepared to teach once more

5. We’re not able to low cost the champs and rule out the opportunity of a threepeat simply but. The Eastern Conference is simply too mid and muddled.

But, boy, do the Florida Panthers look each bit like a Twenty seventh-place crew proper now.

“The bigger challenge is when you lose the players underneath,” Maurice says. 

So ravaged by damage, the Cats have performed video games with out six or seven of their common forwards and a few necessary defencemen. 

“One of the most impactful injuries for us this year was Dmitry Kulikov. We lost him halfway through Game 2. Because that’s the underpinning that helps you survive losing those one or two great guys. Kills penalty, block shots, plays heavy, right?” says Maurice, highlighting Eetu Luostarinen’s absence too. “It’s the kind of character glue guys.”

“Our margins on our wins and losses over the last three years, especially in the playoffs, are very close. So, you miss those guys,” Maurice says.

“It’s kind of at that risky place for us. This can either be really good, or it could be really bad with what we’re dealing with. The really good part about this is, I’m going to get a bunch of guys that are going to get even more experience in different roles.”

The coach is desperately spinning constructive. He thinks of how a lot centre Anton Lundell can enhance unsheltered by Barkov.

“If you could survive it and then fill your roster,” Maurice says, “you would have much better players in a year. That’s what we’re shooting for.”

6. Since starting November with a six-game level drought, Owen Tippett has piled 12 factors over his previous 10 video games.

His Philadelphia Flyers have gone 7-3 over that stretch, leaping above the playoff line. Only the conference-leading Capitals have been higher the previous 10.

“Ultimately, we just want to play for each other,” says Tippett, who has been inquired about in commerce talks by the Vancouver Canucks.

“Obviously, pretty good start to the year. I still think there’s another level I can get to. But I’ve reflected on years past and taken some strides already this year. Just taking it game by game and trying to build my game.” 

The 26-year-old is on tempo for his most efficient marketing campaign but (57 factors). More importantly, although, he’s on the plus aspect of the ledger. He completed his earlier six seasons as a splash.

“I’ve never been a really point-hungry guy,” he says. “It’s just little habits I’m trying to get in my game — being harder on pucks. That’s something I feel has come a long way in the last couple years, being harder to play against. More consistent.”

We perceive why the Canucks inquired.

Tippett is signed by 2031-32 and he’s nonetheless on an upward trajectory. 

His $6.2-million cap hit ought to solely look higher, and that is his ultimate season with out commerce safety (a 10-team no-trade kicks in for 2026-27).

Tippett credit John Tortorella for instilling a basis constructed on work ethic and defensive accountability within the younger Flyers room: “Playing the right way and playing fast and playing hard.”

New coach Rick Tocchet’s expectations are the identical. 

“Two strong personalities. And, you know, I think it helped us having Torts around. A lot of guys loved him, including myself. And the adjustment has been good so far,” Tippett says.

“Getting better every day, whether that’s on the ice or in (the dressing room) doing film. Hanging on to pucks, making sure we’re comfortable with guys on our back and improving the little details is what he’s pounding home.”

Tippett and the Flyers are each getting higher day by day.

His play this contract season, which led to a Dallas Stars document purpose streak this week, makes him plain in the case of qualifying for his nation’s Olympic squad.

Robertson leads all Americans in targets (17), factors (36) and pictures (114). He leads all U.S. forwards in plus/minus (+15) whereas skating almost 20 minutes an evening. 

“His mind’s on making the Olympic team,” says Jason’s brother and largest fan, Nick. “It’s an opportunity to play the best level of hockey. So, I’m sure he really wants to be on it. And, obviously, he should. And he’s making a case for himself that he should be on the team.”

8. With Sam Reinhart enjoying his 800th sport this week, Maurice drew a comparability to Hall of Famer Ron Francis, whom he coached in Carolina.

“The things that make him great aren’t almost physically based,” Maurice explains. “He’s acquired an unimaginable launch, an incredible shot, proper? But it’s his mind that makes him actually distinctive. So, we’re gonna get an excellent participant for a really very long time.

“What excites me is his ability to impart that knowledge to other players.” 

Maurice believes winger Reinhart is “underestimated” and that he’s had a constructive impression on centres Anton Lundell and Aleksander Barkov.

“He doesn’t speak on a whole lot on the bench, but he’s right every time he does. He’s a great resource for the coaches, what he sees on the ice, where the team is at,” Maurice says. “He’s not gonna tell you that you look good if you don’t, but he’s gonna point it out when you do. So, it’s a really valuable kind of positive feedback.”

Best of all, he doesn’t cheat the sport. 

“He was a Selke nominee last year and scored 57 the year before. There’s just not a lot of those guys,” Maurice says.

When it’s recommended that Reinhart could possibly be a GM sooner or later, Maurice smiles and factors to the wage hole.

“These guys now are moving more into the Mario Lemieux class. They could just own a team,” he cracks. “But Sam could do whatever he wanted to do in the game at whatever level, really.”

Engrave the trophy yesterday. 

Has anybody right here torn their ACL earlier than? If you’ve, think about getting up by yourself energy, choosing up your stick, skating to your bench, stealing a puck, then making a number of stickhandles and a fast backhand sauce setup in your strategy to season-ending surgical procedure.

“That’s the hockey culture,” tweeted fellow magnificence T.J. Oshie. “Torn ACL and still made his way to the bench without help. Oh, and he stripped the puck and got an assist on the way. What a warrior. What a sport. Hoping for a full recovery.”

10. Tidy bit of labor in Tampa this week, extending 36-year-old Ryan McDonagh for what could possibly be the remainder of his profession: three extra years at a $4.1 million AAV.

“Mac is one of a kind,” coach Jon Cooper mentioned. “If guys like Ryan McDonagh can’t get in the Hall of Fame, I’m not sure why we would have a Hall of Fame.”

McDonagh remains to be logging 20-plus laborious minutes at night time, discovering methods to tilt the ice whereas beginning a ridiculous 68.5 per cent of his shifts within the D-zone.

The marketplace for established minute-munching UFA defencemen continues to shrink.

We anticipate Calgary’s Rasmus Andersson to modify sweaters and Washington’s John Carlson to not.

Curious to see if extra groups press to increase in-season or if a number of of those D-men choose to create a bidding battle for themselves.

11. Faceoff beasts John Tavares (61.1 per cent) and Nicolas Roy (54.5) each extolled the virtues of Jordan Staal (57.5) within the dot when rolling by Raleigh.

Playing in his twentieth season, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Staal’s faceoff prowess stems from a mix of expertise, power and smarts. Having an excellent instructor doesn’t harm, both.

“I remember going up against Rod Brind’Amour for a long time, a tremendous faceoff guy that certainly has had a good influence on him,” Tavares says of a Hurricanes coach who received 59.4 per cent of his attracts as a participant.

“You add that with the physical attributes and his hockey IQ and all sorts of things, it’s always a tough test. Got to be at your best and your sharpest when it’s a guy like Staal in the dot.”

The equally sized Roy was drafted by the Hurricanes in 2015 and took early faceoff suggestions from Staal.

“Being two big guys, that bottom hand has got to be strong. And he’s really tough to win those battles,” Roy says. “Really strong on the dots.”

12. Gotta say, I’m having fun with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk’s Wingmen podcast greater than anticipated. The brothers are relaxed, enthusiastic, and — better of all — dishing some enjoyable behind-the-scenes tales.

On this week’s episode, Brady particulars a prank he pulled on Claude Giroux. He reduce three of his teammate’s sticks midway up the shaft at observe sooner or later, simply sufficient to weaken the weapon. Then immediately forgot he’d carried out so.

Skip to sport time, and Giroux’s stick snaps on the power-play. He rushes to the Senators’ bench for a substitute, and the subsequent one snaps too. He’s shedding his thoughts and accuses an opponent of sabotage.

Brady lastly clues in that he’s responsible one and instructs the coach to ditch the third stick. Suffice it to say, the captain is fortunate Ottawa ended up successful that sport.

Oh, and Brady’s drug-test story is straight out of a Farrelly Brothers comedy…