Category: Damien Cox
Bluelines: Explaining the Inexplicable Rise of Vegas and Boston
Bruce CassidyStan Fischler shares an analysis of the surging Bruins and Golden Knights, recounts Jacques Plante's game-changing decision and more.
Read morePatrick Kane Continues To Surface In The NHL Rumor Mill
BlackhawksPatrick Kane remains a fixture in the off-season rumor mill. The Chicago Blackhawks' rebuilding process combined with the 33-year-old winger's free-agent status next July continues to fuel media conjecture over his future.
Read moreBluelines: Is Patrick Kane the Butt of a Trans-Canada Joke?
David StaplesStan Fischler looks at trade rumors involving Patrick Kane, the very first NHL player union, how the Rangers almost stole Johnny Bucyk from Boston, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the 1972 Summit Series, Connor McDavid and so much more.
Read moreYou Knew This Was Coming
Auston Matthewsfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, Stamkos decided Tampa Bay was a much better place for his talents, and that decision has paid off with two Stanley Cup rings. Tavares came for $77 million (U.S.) only to quickly be usurped as the saviour-in-waiting by Auston Matthews, and probably Mitch Marn...
Read moreThe Toronto Maple Leafs Are A Different Team This Season
Leafsfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, Of course the playoffs matter more. But there isn’t a team heading for the second season that’s thinking, “Hey, who cares if we even win a game? Our fans will just be thrilled with what we did in the regular season.” Four of the Leafs, Bruins, Lightning, Pan...
Read moreGoaltending Issues Heading To The Playoffs
Damien Coxfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, So this week’s Petr Mràzek news was, well, interesting. Not that you’d ever want to see an athlete injured. So here’s hoping Mràzek, who surely has had a black cloud following him all season, gets better soon. That said, despite two solid starts of l...
Read moreAvailable Rentals
Joe Pavelskifrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, Rentals, as usual, are likely to generate the most action. Along with Giroux, the rental group may include Arizona winger Phil Kessel, Chicago goalie Marc-André Fleury, Dallas centre Joe Pavelski and defenceman John Klingberg, New Jersey blue-liner P.K. Subb...
Read moreGoing For A Three-Peat
Boltsfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Sun, The Lightning lost an entire forward line: Barclay Goodrow was traded and Blake Coleman lost through free agency, while Yanni Gourde went to Seattle in the expansion draft. Another key forward, Tyler Johnson, was dealt to Chicago. Defenceman David Savard, bri...
Read moreDon’t Make A Move Toronto
Kyle Dubasfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, Kyle Dubas, as most Leafs general managers in similar situations have tried before him, went this route again last year, adding Nick Foligno from Columbus for a first round-pick and a fourth-rounder as the Leafs finished first in the now-defunct North Divisi...
Read moreWill The Tampa Bay Lightning Hoist The Stanley Cup Again?
Damien Coxfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, The Tampa Bay Lightning, despite back-to-back Stanley Cups, won’t go down as one of the great teams in NHL history. The bloated nature of the league — we’re up to 32 teams now — and a flat salary cap for the conceivable future will make true greatness imposs...
Read moreGood For The Fans And Players
Connor McDavidfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, So we’ll finally get to see Connor McDavid in a Canada jersey. Not as a teenager this time, but as the NHL’s marquee player. That’s good. Who wouldn’t want to see that? How about McDavid on a line with Brayden Point and Mitch Marner? Auston Matthews...
Read moreWaiting On Mitch Marner
Damien Coxfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, If all goes according to the NHL’s plan to get back to normal, Marner will have 82 games to get through before the real opportunity to prove himself comes in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, assuming the Leafs get there again. It’s going to be a long wait....
Read moreInterest In Olympic Hockey Has Faded
National Hockey League Players' Associationfrom Damien Cox at the Toronto Star, Today, with it still unclear whether the NHL will release players to compete in the 2022 Olympics in China less than six months from now, Bettman has made it abundantly clear he and his owners would rather not take a break in the 2021-22 season. If the playe...
Read moreToo Much Money Spent
Damien Coxfrom Damien Cox of the Toronto Star, It was another week for the economics of the NHL to defy the laws of, well, economics. This is a league, let’s not forget, that has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the past 18 months because of COVID-19. Maybe a billion. Maybe more. To deal w...
Read moreThe Real Reason For NHL Expansion
Damien Coxfrom Damien Cox of the Toronto Star, The expansion Vegas Golden Knights, blessed with ambitious ownership and a smart, experienced executive, used the expansion draft process to acquire enough good players that — incredibly — the team went to the Stanley Cup Final in its first year. This wa...
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