What does SWAMI See for 22-23!
FLASHBACK to Swami 17-18 some 5 years ago,,,, Tampa Bay- Rookie GM Tim Matte made 9 trades last year & has 4 First round picks & 3 in the 2nd round. Bolts need new infusion of talent after scoring a League-low 176 Goals & finishing in last place! FAST-Forward 5 years & we are Congratulating Tim & Tampa on their 3rd Straight Swain Cup! Will they go for FOUR? Swami’s Crystal Ball was spot on saying San Jose, Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, Dallas & Toronto would miss Playoffs ! The “Ball” kinda hedged on New York & St Louis giving them a chance to make it…but they didnt! Swami had the Flyers missing, but GM Todd Martin traded for the “Flower” & that made all the difference in the world as they finished 2nd overall! So what does Mr Know-it-all, I mean Swami, see for 2022-23?
TORONTO- Oh my, another last place finish for the Leafs as the rebuild is still in progress. 50 points this season is one better than last year but the fans are getting impatient! Swami seen an Award called the “Green Jacket” in another league that’s given to the worst plus-minus & the GHC’s winner with a -41 is Miles Wood, he wont repeat as Miles has been placed on injured reserve for the season! 21-22 Rookie Draft- 3rd Overall- Trevor Zegras 16th Overall- Eli Tolvanen 2nd round- K’Andre Miller 3rd- Jack Studnicka, Tobias Bjornfot 5th- Alex Barrie-Boulet Grade- B+ Camp Lines- 6 Players(with 20 or more)Goals Nikolaj Ehlers(28G), Sam Reinhart(33G) & Jordan Kyrou(27G) skated as the Top Line in Camp! Pavel Zacha, Nick Suzuki(21G) & Val Nichushkin(25G) was the 2nd line. Ryan Donato, Trevor Zegras(23G) & Patric Hornqvist was line 3. A checking line had Jake Evans, Michael Rasmussen & Matthieu Joseph together. On defense, Vince (well)Dunn & Rasmus Andersson were the Top Pairing! Ivan Provorov skated with Neal Pionk on pair 2! The 3rd pair featured K’Andre Miller & Andrew Peeke. Veteran Freddy Andersen was touted as #1 Goalie in camp & he looked like a Vezina candidate! Craig DeSmith & Brian Elliott were both vying for the backup job! Leafs are getting out of last place,,,Playoffs- Lets not get carried away!
LOS ANGELES- The Kings won the Lotto last season & selected Kirill Kaprizov, who led the League in PP Goals(19) & Shots(346). Despite Kirill “The Thrill” offensive heroics, the Kings finished 15th for the 2nd year in a row! Offense wasnt the problem as Los Angeles outscored(240 Goals) nine teams, but they gave up(296 Goals), the 2nd most in the League! 21-22 Rookie Draft- 1st Overall- Kirill Kaprizov 2nd round- Owen Tippett 3rd- Vitek Vanecek 4th- Nicolas Beaudin 5th- M Maltsev Grade B+ Camp Lines- 9 Players with(20 or more)Goals. Kirill “The Thrill” (47G), Jack Hughes 49 GP(26G) & Patrick Kane(26G) skated today as the Kings Top Line! Andrew Mangiapane(35G), Nico Hischier(21G) & Tage Thompson(38G) was Line 2. Patrick Laine 56 GP(26G), Jonathan Toews & Kevin Fiala(33G) wore the 3rd Line Jerseys. Brandon Saad(24G), Christian Dvorak 56 GP & Connor Garland had 4th Line duties. Extra’s Craig Smith,Alex Tuch & Danton Heinen played soccer in the concourse! On the Blueline Matthias Ekholm was paired with Brandon Montour as the Top D-Pair! Samuel Girard & youngster Adam Boqvist(52 GP) took turns as Pair 2. Veterans Duncan Keith & David Savard hit the ice as Pair 3. It was rumored that Duncan Keith will retire at season’s end! Goaltending- Picked in the 3rd round Rookie Draft a year ago, Vitek Vanecek looked the best in camp. Carter Hart,Ilya Samsonov & Martin Jones all battled for the backup job. This team can score Goals with the best of them, but the Question is, Can they keep that disc out of their net? Better than 15th, but no action in the spring just yet!
MONTREAL- The Canadiens scored 51 PP Goals last season, tying Colorado for 2nd Most in the League. Now the Bad News- Habs Penalty Killing was the 2nd worst in the GHC at 74.1%. 21-22 Rookie Draft- 9th Overall- Oliver Wahlstrom 2nd round- Michael Bunting 3rd- Alex Formenton 4th- J Kiviranta 5th J Hanley Grade- B+ Camp Lines- 9 Players with(20 or more)Goals. Pierre-Luc Dubois(28G), John Tavares(27G) & Pavel Buchnevich (30G) got Top Line reps in camp! The 2nd Line saw Michael Bunting(23G), Elias Pettersson(32G) & Jake DeBrusk(25G) together! Max Pacioretty 39 GP, Phillip Danault(27G) & Jared McCann(27G) made up the 3rd line. Alex Formenton, Jeff Carter & Dylan Strome(22G) had checking line jerseys on. On Defense Devon Toews & Filip Hronek was the #1 Pairing followed by Mark Giordano & Jeff Petry as Pair 2. The Oldest Player in the League Zdeno Chara was out their hacking with Anton Stralman as they were Pair 3 tonight! Goaltending- Taken 4th Overall two Rookie Draft’s ago, Igor Shesterkin was stopping everything in camp & backups Antti Raanta & Kappo Kahkonen also looked sharp, as the Goaltending looks to be the strength of this club! If the PK can improve a bit, Swami thinks the Goaltending will carry the Habs to a Playoff spot!
DALLAS- The Stars missed the Playoffs for the 1st time since the 14-15 season & landed in a Lotto spot for the 2nd time in their 40 year history, as they had a Lotto pick back when Christobal Huet was Playoff MVP, as the Islanders defeated Jay Edlin’s Jets in 7 games to win the Cup. The Home team in that series lost at home thru 1st 4 games as Kevin Miron’s Islanders won the 06-07 Cup! Dallas gave up 265 Goals, the 3rd worst in the GHC! One bright spot was Brad Marchand ,who led Stars in Points for the 5th year in a row(47-49-96) & finished 2nd in Goals to Sid Crosby’s 49. 21-22 Rookie Draft- 12th Overall- Nils Hoglander(should have taken Sorokin) 2nd round- Pius Suter 3rd- Cal Foote 4th- Alexander Carrier 5th- pass Grade C- Camp Lines- 11 Players with(20 or more)Goals. Brad Marchand(32G), Ryan Johansen(26G) & Timo Meier(35G) was the Top Line today! J.T. Miller(32G), Brayden Point(28G) & Troy Terry(37G) was Line 2. Tyler Bertuzzi(30G), Ivan Barbashev(26G) & Cam Atkinson(23G) made up Line 3. Josh Bailey, Pius Suter & Tom Wilson(24G) had checking Line Jersey’s on. On Defense a gimpy Jake Muzzin(47 GP) was paired with Colton Parayko as the #1 Pairing. Carson Soucy(who me) was on Pair 2 with part-timer Erik Karlsson(50 GP). Jake McCabe & Alexander Carrier was the 3rd pairing! T.J. Brodie looked to be 1st sub. Goaltending- No clear cut #1 though Sergei Bobrovsky still thinks he’s the one, but Pavel Francouz is back after a year off & veteran backup Anthony Stolarz both looked sharper then “Bob” in camp! Stars look to Free Agent draft to upgrade Left-Defense as GM Steve Yzerman & Swami see’s Coach Dale Hunter’s squad back in the Show!
VANCOUVER- The Nucks just couldnt score enough to make Playoffs, their 214 Goals only saw two teams score less(Stl- 209) & Vegas(213). With the 2nd worst road record 12-24-4(28 pts) to the Leafs 26, Vancouver brass brought in the retired Sedin twins to camp for shooting drills! 21-22 Rookie Draft- 13th Overall Jeremy Swayman 2nd round J Anderson Dolan 3rd- Matthias Samuelsson 4th- J Korenar 5th- N Merkley Grade- C Camp Lines- 5 Players with(20 or more)Goals Johnny Gaudreau(40G), Roope Hintz(37G) & Brock Boeser(23G) were ripping the puck by Georgiev in camp as the #1 Line! Boone Jenner(23G-59GP), Calle Jarnkrok(66 GP) & Marty Necas was Line 2. Jordan Greenway, Adam Lowry & Marcus Johansson skated as Line 3. Oscar Lindblom, Alexander Texier & Rudolph Balcers was thrown together for a 4th line. The Blue Line was a little more competent with Roman Josi(23G) & MacKenzie Weegar as the Top D Pairing! Veteran Nick Leddy & Shane Gostisbehere was Pair 2. M. E. Vlassic & Chris Tanev was the 3rd Pairing. Goaltenders- With Tuukka Rask retired, only two Goalies showed up for camp as Jeremy Swayman & Alexander Georgiev took turns in the nets. Looks like Swayman has won the starting job as the Nucks sent last year’s 4th round Rookie Pick Josef Korenar to Utica in the AHL. Coach Stan Smyl has his work cut out for him to prove Swami wrong, as the Crystal Ball has the “Nucks” headed for a Lotto Spot!
ST LOUIS- History was made…..The Blues missed the Playoffs for the 1st time in 14 season’s dating back when the club was in Atlanta in the 07-08 season. Coach & GM Rob Gallamore won the “Cup” twice during that span. The 07-08 playoffs saw Jay Edlin’s Jets make the Finals for the 2nd year in a row, but they lost to Dave Lever’s Wild in 5 games. 21-22 Rookie Draft- 11th Overall- Bowen Byram 2nd round- Shane Pinto 3rd round- Isac Lundestrom 4th- Wade Allison 5th- Olli Juolevi Grade- C+ Camp Lines- 8 Players with(20 or more)Goals. Kyle Connor(47G), Mark Scheifele(29G) & Vlady Tarasenko(34G) were ready to terrorize opposing Goalies as the #1 Line in a Blues uniform. Matthew Tkachuk(42G), Evgeny Kuznetsov(24G) & Jespar Bratt(26G) was Line 2. Another 40 Goal-Scorer Filip Forsberg(42G) anchored the 3rd Line with Adrian Kempe(35G) & Charlie Coyle. Scott Laughton, Isac Lundestrom & Mikael Granlund & Robbie Fabbri all showcased for 4th line duties! The Defense saw Shea Theodore & Alex Pietrangelo skate as the Top Pair! Oliver Ekman-Larsson was matched with Justin Faulk on Pair 2. Derek Forbort & Brent Burns was Pairing 3 today! Goaltenders- Carey Price went AWOL so that left just the “Big Cat” Andrei Vasilevskiy as the only Goalie in camp. Vasey will take on a heavy workload(63 GP) but the Blues will need a capable backuup! With 3 Fourty Goal Scorers on the Left-Wing, Swami see’s a bounce-back season in St Louis & a trip back to the Playoff’s!
SEATTLE- That’s right ! The Islanders have moved west to Climate Pledge Arena to become the “Kracken” ! GM Christobal Huet said “It’s a new day in Seattle as we tried to negotiate for a better lease at Barclay’s, but they wouldnt budge, so we left! Coach Ray Ferraro & his assistants grabbed the banners from Nassau to hang at our new arena! The Islanders led the GHC 3 years ago with 106 points but have missed the Playoffs the last 2 years, Will a new streak start in Seattle? 21-22 Rookie Draft- 4th Overall- Josh Norris 2nd round- Alexander Romanov 3rd- Logan Stanley 4th- Phillip Kurashev 5th- Nathan Bastian Grade- B Camp Lines- 7 Kracken with (20 or more)Goals Victor Olofsson(20G), Patrice Bergeron(25G) & David Perron(27G) was the Top Line in camp although the 2nd line could be called 1A, as all played for the same minor league team(Senators) Brady Tkachuk(30G), Josh Norris(35G) & Drake Batherson(46 GP). Veteran James Van Riemsdyk (24G), William Karlsson & Andre Burakovsky(22G) lined up as Line 3. Connor Sheary, Kevin Hayes(48 GP) & Dillon Dube was the 4th line! Zach Sanford & Anthony Mantha were late to camp & not dressed. On Defense Cam Fowler & Charlie McAvoy was the Top Pair! Jonas Brodin & Jacob Trouba was Pair 2. Ben Chiarot went with youngster Alexander Romanov as the 3rd pairing while Brendan Dillon & Logan Stanley skated at the other practice rink! Goaltending- Thatcher Demko has emerged as the best in camp, with Korpisalo, Mrazek, & Bernier just hoping to make the squad! It could be the changing of the guard, as Josh Norris couldnt miss in camp on the Power-Play, will he replace Veteran Patrice Bergeron on the 1st unit? Got Scoring-check, got mobile defense( 4 L Passers)check, Good Goalie-check, Playoffs- Check
SAN JOSE- The Sharks led the League in PP Goals(52)but finished 9th for the 2nd season in a row! The hopes are that new management can right the ship! 21-22 Rookie Draft- 8th Overall- Tim Stutzle 2nd round- Victor Kravtsov(AWOL) Filip Gustafsson 3rd- traded 4th & 5th- pass Grade- C Camp Lines- 10 Sharks with(20 or more)Goals Gabriel Landeskog(30G-51 GP), Aleksander Barkov(39G-67 GP) & Mikko Rantanen(36 G) was the Top Line today! Line 2 saw Teuvo Terravainen(22G), Nazem Kadri(28G) & Oliver Bjorkstrand(28G) together. Tim Stutzle(22G), Logan Couture(23G) & Nikita Kucherov(25G-47 GP) was Line 3. Adam Henrique, Tyler Seguin(24G) & Jesse Puljujarvi had checking line Jersey’s on! J. T. Compher & Phil Kessel were signing autographs for the fans! On Defense Josh Morrissey & Noah Dobson came out as the Top Pairing! Pair 2 had Adam Pelech & veteran Drew Doughty(39 GP) together. Travis Sanheim & Rasmus Ristolainen(66 GP) was the 3rd pairing. P K Subban was designated as 1st sub & waiting on the bench! Goaltending- Connor Hellebuyck was being challenged by Linus Ullmark for the #1 job, as the competition heated up in camp! New GM John Carter has a few players that have to miss quite a few games(Kuch, Landeskog,Doughty,Barkov, to name a few) so it’ll be a dogfight to make Playoffs! Swami has them on the fence, dont make any Tee Times just yet, could be Hockey in the Spring!
BOSTON- Leon Draisaitl & Connor McDavid were 1-2 in Scoring last season as Leon led the GHC with 112 Points, while McDavid was 2nd with 108. The B’s were the last team to make playoffs in 8th place, which meant a match-up with the Lightning, which didnt go well for the Bruins! 21-22 Rookie Draft- 14th Overall- Ilya Sorokin 2nd round- traded 3rd- J Zboril 4th- Trent Frederic 5th- Steve Lorentz Grade- B- Camp Lines- 7 Bruins with(20 or more)Goals Ondrej Palat, Connor McDavid(44G) & Mats Zuccarello(24G) was the #1 Line tonight. Line 2 had Jamie Benn, Leon Draisaitl(55G) & Blake Wheeler doing reps! Joel Farabee, Chandler Stephenson(21G) & Ryan Hartman(34G)were skating as Line 3. Tyler Toffoli(20G), Evegny Malkin(20G-41 GP) & Corey Perry had Line 4 duties. Back on the Blueline…..Quinn Hughes & Aaron Ekblad(61 GP) was the Top Pairing. Zach Werenski(68 GP) & Dougie Hamilton(62 GP) were Pairing #2. The 3rd pair saw Jacob Slavin & Kevin Shattenkirk together. Goaltending- Youngster Sorokin looks like he is #1 on the depth chart while Jacob Markstrom could be trade bait or kept for insurance! Colin Delia & Michael Hutchinson will probably be given their walking papers or sent to Providence of the AHL! MacKenzie Blackwood & Craig Anderson might just never dress except for practice! Swami says this Russian in Goal is almost as good as that other Russian in Montreal & they(B’s) have a Good Offense & a very mobile(All L Passers)Defense, Swami says Playoffs again in Beantown!
VEGAS- It’s been 6 long years since this franchise(Phi-Vegas) made the Playoffs & it’s the 1st time since moving to the desert that the Fortress has hosted a Playoff game! The Golden Knights press have waited 4 years to cover a Playoff game & it was Ironic that the (Buf-Phi) franchise took them out in 6 games. Can they(Knights)make it to the Playoffs again this season? 21-22 Rookie Draft- 6th Overall- Cole Caufield 2nd round- traded 3rd- Brandon Hagel, Kevin Lankinen 4th- Jack Rathbone 5th- pass Grade- B Camp Lines- 10 Knights with(20 or more)Goals Jake Guentzel(40G), Bo Horvat(31G) & Elias Lindholm(42G) is a very dangerous Top Line, followed by Jeff Skinner(33G), Matt Barzal & Cole Caufield(23G) as the 2nd Line. Lawson Crouse(20G), Joel Eriksson-Ek(26G) & Brandon Hagel(25G) was the 3rd Line. Line 4 saw Alex Iafallo, Matthias Janmark & Warren Foegele skating together! Veterans Zach Parise, Jaden Schwartz, & Sam Gagner were in the video room watching a movie! On defense, Victor Hedman(20G) & Cale Makar(28G) is the best Defense Pairing in the League(Breakaway- LD if 4 or RD if 4 ….Swami thinks both will be 4 Breakaway! Pair 2 had Thomas Chabot(59 GP) & Aaron Ekblad(61 GP) together for 3/4 of the season. Gus Forsling & Seth Jones was Pair 3 tonight in camp! Miro Heiskanen was an extra & rumors abound that the youngster could be dealt for a #1 type Goalie. Goaltending- Vegas traded for Cam Talbot last year & it looks like he will get the bulk of starts! The battle for backup & thirty some starts is between Elvis Merzlickens & Matt Murray & neither was very impressive in camp. Is Jack Campbell available? Swami says plenty of offense(two 40 Goal scorers) & everybody on defense is a Pass L, but the Question mark is in the nets, stay as is-could miss playoffs! Just a little improvement(Rookie or trade) & the Fortress will be rocking post season again.
MINNESOTA- GM Dave Lever’s club finished 6th in the regular season & then upset the Jets in the opening round of the Playoff’s! In the next round, the Wild got hit by Lightning & got swept in 4 games! The mood in camp was upbeat as the Wild believe they can make a run again this season! 21-22 Rookie Draft- 5th Overall- Jason Robertson 2nd round- Dylan Cozens, Ross Colton 3rd- P.O. Joseph 4th- Keegan Kolesar 5th- Zach Whitecloud Grade- A Camp Lines- 9 Wild Players with(20 or more)Goals Jason Robertson(41G), Nathan MacKinnon(32G) & Brian Rust(24G- 60 GP) lined up as the Top Line in camp. Line 2 saw Carter Verhaeghe(24G), Brock Nelson(37G) & Anthony Duclair(31G) doing reps. Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde(21G) & Connor Brown was the 3rd Line. The checking Line had Ilya Mikheyev(21G-53GP), Ross Colton(22G) & Josh Anderson skating together! Youngsters Dominik Kubalik, Dylan Cozens & Keegan Kolesar were playing foosball with veterans Mark Stone(37GP) & Sean Monahan. On Defense Hampus Lindholm was paired with Tyson Barrie as the Top Pairing. Pair 2 had Ryan Graves & Cody Ceci together. Ryan McDonagh & Jamie Oleksiak took turns on LD with Justin Holl(RD) as the 3rd Pairing. Goalies- Jusse Saros(67 GP) will see a heavy workload as #1 & quite possibly be in the Star of the Game Points Leaders all season. With veterans Jonathan Quick & Robin Lehner as the backups, will one or both be traded? With only one L Passer (Barrie)on Defense, will the Wild move a Forward to get a mobile Defenseman? Everybody on Board, jump on Saros’s back, cause he is gonna carry the Wild to the Playoffs!
NEW JERSEY- Semyon Varlamov led the GHC in both Goals-Against Average(2.28) & Saves%(.933) to help the Devils to a 5th place Regular Season finish! The Avalanche burned the Devils in 5 games in the Playoffs! GM Matt Hotchkiss has already declared to be looking for another Goalie for the upcoming season. 21-22 Rookie Draft- 7th Oveall- Ty Smith 2nd round- Jake Oettinger 3rd- Ty Dellandra 4th- Eetu Luostarinen 5th- traded Grade B- Camp Lines- 7 Devils with(20 or more)Goals The Top Line in camp had Jonathan Huberdeau(30G), Matt Duchesne(43G) & Clayton Keller(28G) blasting pucks by 3rd string Goalie Thomas Greiss. Nino Niederreiter(24G), Tomas Hertl(30G) & Sam Bennett(28G) was Line 2. Tanner Pearson, Brayden Schenn(24G) & Riley Smith(56 GP) was the 3rd Line. Frank Vatrano, Nick Bonino & Barclay Goodrow was the checking Line! Tomas Tatar, Vlady Namestinkov & Jack Eichel(34 GP) were on the “Put me in Coach” bench. Blueline Depth- Noah Hanifin & John Klingberg was the Top Pairing. Dimitri Orlov & Adam Fox was Pair 2 today. Oliver Kylington & Tyler Myers skated as the 3rd pairing. Goaltending- Last years 2nd round Rookie Jake Oettinger had the edge in camp over incumbent Sergei Varlamov, but Devils Brass isnt real comfortable with status quo. It took 90 points to make the Playoffs(Boston), New Jersey had 94 for 5th place, if they drop 5 points to 89, they could be calling in early Tee times. Swami thinks this season will be very competitive for the Top 8 spots, Devils finish 9th!
COLORADO- Philipp Grubauer tied for 2nd with Saros & Vasilevskiy with 32 Wins helping Avs to a 4th place finish & runner-up in the Swain Cup Finals! His Reward- Grubauer was sent to the Colorado Eagles in the AHL halfway thru camp. 21-22 Rookie Draft- 10th Overall- Jamie Drysdale, 15th Overall- Yegor Sharangovich 2nd round- Jake Bean, Connor Timmins 3rd- Liam Foudy 4th- Jacob Bernard-Docker, Ian Mitchell 5th- Wayne Kalynuk-cut Grade- B Camp Lines- 10 Avs Players with(20 or more)Goals Alex DeBrincat(41G), Auston Matthews(60G) & Robert Thomas(20G) was the Top Line in camp this afternoon. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Steven Stamkos(42G) & Andrei Svechnikov(30G) was Line 2. Anders Lee(28G), Vinnie Trocheck(21G) & Yegor Sharangovich(24G) was the 3rd Line. The 4th Line had Ricard Rakell(20G), Nick Schmaltz(23G) & J. G. Pageau together! Veterans Kyle Palmieri & Max Domi were talking with reporters about being on the trade block again as Kyle said “Every year I hear my name going here or there, but I’m still here” Blueline Depth- Mikhail Sergachev & Jared Spurgeon was the Top Pairing. Brady Skjei & Ryan Pulock(56 GP) was Pair 2. Vladdy Gavrikov & Jake Bean were the 3rd pairing. Jamie Drysdale & Matt Grzelcyk should see time as subs. Goaltenders- Darcy Kuemper(57 GP) will get the bulk of action & Jack Campbell will also make some starts, as the Avs look really good in the nets! No Guesswork here for Swami, Avs have a 60 Goal Scorer & maybe the 3rd best Goalie in the League, Ball Arena again will be hosting Playoff games!
WINNIPEG- 99 Points & a 3rd place Finish in a well played Regular Season came to an early halt when the Wild pulled the upset in the Playoffs 1st round! Now this was a valuable Defense Pair- Jeff Chychrun & Damon Severson tied for 6th(+ 34) in plus/minus in the Regular Season. 21-22 Rookie Draft- 2nd Overall- Alex Lafreniere 2nd round- Gabe Valardi 3rd- Morgan Geekie 4th- Nico Sturm 5th- pass Grade- C+ Camp Lines- 8 Jets with(20 or more)Goals Artemi Panarin(22G), Ryan O’Reilly(21G) & Jordan Eberle(21G) was the Top Line. Chris Kreider(52G), Ryan Strome(21G) & Kailer Yamamoto(20G) was Line 2. Marcus Foligno(23G), Jack Roslovic(22G) & Mike Hoffman was Line 3. Alex Lafreniere, Jordan Stall & Kasperi Kapanen had checking line duties today! Anthony Beauvillier, Nick Roy & Nico Sturm were working out in the weight room,waiting to get on the ice! On Defense Rasmus Dahlin & Damon Severson was the Top Pairing. Jeff Chychrun(47 GP) & Matt Dumba(57 GP) was the part-time Pair 2. Mike Reilly & Scott Mayfield(61 GP) was the 3rd Pair. Goaltenders- Houston…We have a Problem. OK Mike Smith is good for 28 Games but after that, close your eyes cause thats what John Gibson did last year playing Goalie(3.19 GAA & .904 saves%) Youngster Cal Petersen wasnt much better(2.89 GAA & .895 saves%) Can a Goalie save this squad? Not this year says Swami, too many holes(GP)on Defense. A tough schedule( 4 home & 4 road vs TB, PHI & COL) equals a long season in Manitoba!
PHILADELPHIA- The Flyers with 102 Points took 2nd in the Regular Season(thanks Marc-Andre) & also had the Best Penalty-Killing % (84.6)in the League. A Classic 7-Game Playoff Series with the Avalanche that ended with the Home Team(Philly)on the short end of the stick did nothing to damper their hopes for the upcoming season! 21-22 Rookie Draft- 16th Overall- traded 2nd & 3rd- traded 4th- Ville Husso 5th- Alexander Volkov, N Knyzhov Grade- B Camp Lines- 7 Flyers with(20 or more)Goals Jonathan Marchessault(30G), Sidney Crosby(31G-69 GP) & David Pastrnak(40G) were lighting up veteran Anton Khudobin in a scrimmage as the Top Line in camp! Claude Giroux(21G), Dylan Larkin(31G-70 GP) & Evander Kane(22G- 43GP) was Line 2. Taylor Hall(20G), Alex Kerfoot & Travis Konecny had Line 3 Jersey’s on. A checking line saw Michael Backlund, Lars Eller & Brendan Gallagher(56 GP) skating in circles. Oscar Sundqvist,Adam Erne & Radek Faska will see action as subs. Ryan Getzlaf(56 GP) has announced this would be his Final Season. On Defense Torey Krug & Kris Letang was the Top Pair. Veteran Ryan Suter & Nate Schmidt was Pair 2. Brian Dumolin & Adam Larsson was the 3rd pairing although Radko Gudas was hitting everything in his way, trying to impress the Flyer Brass. Goaltending- 4th Rounder Ville Husso looked impressive in camp(what a find) as he looked to share duties with the “Flower”. Lots of games to miss up front(Kane,Gallagher,Crosby,Larkin,etc) & only one Rookie pick. Could see a Defenseman(Ryan Ellis-no card)traded for depth Winger. I think Swami has too many teams in the post-season but I cant leave Crosby & Pasta out!
TAMPA BAY- The “LIGHTNING” had the 2nd Most Goals(268) & the 2nd Best Goals-Against(202) in racking up 108 Points for 1st in the Regular Season on way to their 3rd Straight Swain Cup! 21-22 Rookie Draft- 15th Overall- traded 2nd round- Janne Kuokkanen 3rd- Artem Zub 4th- Mason Marchment 5th- Connor Mackey Grade- B Camp Lines- 11 Bolts with(20 or more)Goals Alex Ovechkin(50G), Sebastian Aho(37G) & Mitch Marner(35G) returned as the Top Line for Tampa. Zach Hyman(27G), Mika Zibanejad(29G) & William Nylander(34G) was Line 2. Alex Killorn(25G), Anze Kopitar & Joe Pavelski(27G) skated as the 3rd Line tonight. The 4th Line had Andrew Copp(21G), Anthony Cirelli & Evgeni Dadonov(20G) together. Youngsters Yakov Trenin & Mason Marchment, along with veterans Paul Stastny & Eric Haula played cribbage while waiting for a turn on the ice! Defense- Morgan Rielly & John Carlson was the Top Pair. Darnell Nurse & Brett Pesce was Pair 2. Esa Lindell & Alex Goligoski was the 3rd Pairing. Goaltenders- Tristian Jarry seems to have won the Starting job over the other 4 Goalies in camp! Adin Hill might have the edge for the back-up job & get 20(22)something starts. Look for Tampa to eye a Rookie Goalie to compete for that back-up job! There is no doubt the Champs are Playoff bound, the Fans want more as they go for Four!
It’s gonna be like musical chairs for the Playoffs, Swami has like 10 teams in & a couple with a chance, but there is only 8 spots & when the music stops, You gotta be seated!
NEWS FLASH….. The LOTTO Results are in & the LEAFS have the 1st Pick, the Habs moved up for #2 while the Kings dropped a spot to 3. Swami’s Stars stayed at 4 (Boo-Hoo)wahhhhhh Ever seen a Grown Swami cry?
RUMOURS AND GUYS ON THE BLOCK
The Avalanche are looking at possibly moving up in the draft order in the 1st ,2nd and 3rd round The Avs are willing to add later picks to swap spots in either of these rounds. Teams looking to add prospects or youth can reach out to our front office.
Also looking on the trade block are: Max Domi
Luke Kunin
Jonathan Drouin
Emil Bernstrom
Barret Hayton
Kevin – Colorado
The St.Louis Blues are looking for a goaltender. Looking to deal picks or players for somebody…anybody… that can be a back up . Contact Rob if you have a goalie you are looking to move.
Rob St.Louis
ISLANDERS OFF TO SEATTLE
The New York Islanders have packed up shop and moved to Seattle to become the Kraken. They will show off their spiffey new duds this coming season. Go Kracken!!!
Gordie Howe Classic 