Month: May 2021

Those were great first-round playoff series we watched the past few weeks. The best teams showed depth, determination and who can win in overtime. This will be the last of the division play-ins before the conference finals. Without further delay, it’s time to decide which three teams in the U.S. have the best chance of advancing.

West Division

#1 Colorado Avalanche v. #2 Vegas Golden Knights

The first of two great series in the second round. Like the remaining two teams in the central division, the winner is a favorite to go to the finals and win the championship. Colorado’s in the best health possible compared to the last four years they’ve advanced to the second round, while Vegas’ Max Pacioretty is back at the best possible time.

The Avalanche were gifted additional rest after sweeping the St. Louis Blues. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer needed it more than anyone since he’s started most of their games. Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog combined for eight goals and nine assists, destroying any chance St. Louis had of winning one game. After a week off, Colorado can jump on Vegas early and pick up where they left off.

The Minnesota Wild wouldn’t have fared well against the Avalanche if they advanced. Vegas is the right opponent this round. The Golden Knights defense and scoring is enough to counter and test how ready MacKinnon, Grubauer and Landeskog are for the big stage. Robin Lehner should have a few starts in this series, a move Peter DeBoer should’ve made last round against the Wild. The Avalanche are one of two teams Vegas didn’t have a winning record against this regular season.

Key matchup: Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Samuel Girard and Ryan Graves v. Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault

The league’s third best offense v. the league’s third best defense will determine who advances. While Vegas has the league’s best defense and Colorado the best offense, it’s these two that determines who advances. Makar may leave after the season because of restricted free agency, and both Girard and Graves haven’t faced many top offenses in playoff rounds in their five years in the league (combined). On the flip side, Toews played some of his best defense with Barry Trotz in New York and helped the Islanders reach the conference finals last year.

Pacioretty’s return in time before game one is the boost Vegas needs and is a main talking point. His performance in game seven against the Wild led the Knights to ringing up six against a disciplined defense. Mark Stone’s passion combined with original franchise playmakers Karlsson and Marchessault is a lot to handle. It won’t be a surprise if Vegas wins at least three games.

Verdict: Colorado’s week off and Vegas struggling to close out a Minnesota team that took positive steps forward plays to the Avalanche’s favor. This is the healthiest coach Jared Bednar’s team has been in years in the second round. A young team this deep can swarm a defense at will, and Vegas has to be ready early.

Prediction: Colorado wins series 4-3

Eastern Division

#3 Boston Bruins v. #4 New York Islanders

Boston and New York had a two sided series in the regular season. The Islanders were the better team in the first half, shutting down the Bruins’ dominant first line in almost every game. Boston looked much better in the second half once they acquired Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar, winning three of their final four games against New York.

Better play from Boston’s second line led the third line to increase productivity. Nick Ritchie is the top scorer, but Jake DeBrusk is playing with more confidence, something the Bruins wanted heading into the playoffs. Charlie Coyle is a dependable center with playoff experience. It’s important this line has as much production as the second line. It puts more pressure on the Islanders to play better defense against more than one line.

If New York has any chance against a surging Bruins team, they’ll need to see which goaltender plays best. Coach Barry Trotz switched to Ilya Sorokin against the Penguins when he won two games to even that series. We’ll see if Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov plays better the first two games. The Islanders have better depth and it’s possible Trotz knows how to attack Boston since he’s seen their updated roster four times before the playoffs.

Boston dispatched Washington in multiple overtime games, gaining additional rest. They could start slow and New York could take advantage, hitting them early and often. Both defenses are in the NHL’s top five. The Islander offense has to score more than three goals a night against a defense that’s much better than the one they faced last round.

Prediction: Boston wins series 4-2

Central Division

#1 Carolina Hurricanes v. #3 Tampa Bay Lightning

This series defines great hockey; outstanding offense, phenomenal defense and great coaching. Somehow we knew at the beginning of the season these two teams would have a showdown to determine who would advance to the conference finals. Both Carolina and Tampa have offensive depth, great goaltending and penalty-killing defenses. The winner has a high chance of not just reaching the championship, but winning it all.

The Hurricanes may have one more shot at not just reaching the championship, but winning it. Andrei Svechnikov and Warren Foegele are restricted free agents the Seattle Kraken will target this offseason, and coach Rod Brind’Amour needs a contract extension. They will lose someone critical to their championship run in the future. One would think this motivates Carolina to push past Tampa Bay.

The Lightning players get a lot of the credit for their wins, chemistry and individual play, but coach Jon Cooper deserves more credit. Tampa’s collapse in a game three against the rival Panthers angered Cooper to the point where he pushed the team to play better collectively the last two of three games. Cooper’s creativity on the power-play shattered Florida’s defense and confused the goaltenders regarding shots and passes.

Key matchup: Jaccob Slavin, Brady Skjei, Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce v. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat

Tampa’s defense was the focus of last round since Florida had one of, if not the best offense in the NHL. Tampa’s defense has a similar challenge, but it’s Carolina’s defense that will be tested more. In his first game against the Hurricanes this season, Nikita Kucherov will spearhead the Lightning offense, having Point, Stamkos and Palat with him on the power-play.

Carolina’s defensive quartet bottled up Nashville’s offensive playmakers on home ice their first two games. This series depends on how Slavin, Hamilton, Skjei and Pesce contain and shut down Tampa’s top four playmakers.

Verdict: Surprisingly, Tampa was the first team to finish their series last round. Carolina not sweeping a scrappy Predator team could be their undoing since the Lightning had more time off.

Prediction: Tampa Bay wins series 4-1

First round U.S. series records: 4-2

The NBA’s eastern conference made progress compared to years past. The Toronto Raptors took a plunge as most expected, but the Brooklyn Nets are the team everyone’s interested in. Philadelphia took the next step to being a complete team with coach Doc Rivers, and Atlanta looks to be a contender for years to come.

The playoffs are now upon us and that means predictions for the first round. Time to break down which teams have the best chance of advancing to the second round.

#4 New York Knicks v. #5 Atlanta Hawks

Both teams deserve praise for reaching the playoffs where many analysts and fans didn’t have either getting in. One team will be blessed to make it to the next round where they’ll have a shot at the conference finals.

The hiring of Tom Thibodeau was the best move the Knicks made since superstar Carmelo Anthony left. The acquisitions of Julius Randle, Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel made New York a dangerous team on defense. Randle is the team’s star and likely wins the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award.

Nate McMillan was hired in the second half of the season for the Atlanta Hawks after the team blew their 17th lead of the season. Rajon Rondo was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Lou Williams, and Atlanta rose in the standings. The incoming coaching staff and the upgraded roster made the most of these quick changes.

The only downside is both Nate McMillan and the Hawks still need better experience in the playoffs, and the Knicks have more answers to shut down Atlanta than the other way around.

Prediction: New York wins series 4-1

#3 Milwaukee Bucks v. #6 Miami Heat

Probably not the series Milwaukee wanted in the first round. Miami was built for the playoffs while the Bucks succeed best in the regular season. Coach Mike Budenholzer has to learn from his mistakes the last few years.

Jimmy Butler counters Giannis Antetokounmpo better than any player in the east. It comes down to who’s supporting cast can put better numbers up. Miami added Trevor Ariza while Milwaukee traded for Jrue Holiday and signed Bobby Portis. The rosters are as good as it gets and they’re close to even.

Coaching determines who advances. Budenholzer is known for not adapting in the playoffs. The offense goes through Giannis, but that doesn’t mean he should drive down the middle most possessions. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra knows how to get the most out of his roster, even if long-range shooting didn’t show up in the latter half of the season.

Upset Prediction for the East: Miami wins series 4-1

#2 Brooklyn Nets v. #7 Boston Celtics

A lopsided series would be an understatement. Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams ensure they won’t advance past the first round. Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum will take the Celtics as far as they can.

Brooklyn needs a full return for Kyrie Irving and James Harden. They haven’t played much with superstar Kevin Durant or mid-season pickup Blake Griffin, and they need chemistry in a series to make a push to the finals.

Prediction: Brooklyn wins series 4-0

#1 Philadelphia 76ers v. #8 Washington Wizards

Washington had less than a one percent chance of making the playoffs in mid-April. They made the eighth seed and have a better shot of taking out the 76ers than most analysts think. Russell Westbrook struggles in the playoffs, but he’s not the only star player. Bradley Beal makes everyone better, and the tandem combined with Scott Brooks’ better coaching is why they stand a chance.

Defending Joel Embiid in a seven game series is why Philadelphia is favored to win. Despite flaws in Doc Rivers’ playoff coaching, Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle are a solid supporting cast to help lock down premier players or help out on offense.

Prediction: Philadelphia wins series 4-1

Regular Season playoff picks: 6-2

The first three playoff spots were clinched by teams in the western division. Surprisingly, one of those was the Minnesota Wild, a team that exceeded everyone’s expectations and gave two of the other three playoff teams in their division a scare.

This is a unique season where the top four teams of each division play each other until one team remains. The remaining four teams play each other in the conference finals. Without further delay, here’s the playoff predictions for the 2021 western division.

#2 Vegas Golden Knights v. #3 Minnesota Wild

A lot of fans and analysts probably had a mix of either Vegas, St. Louis or Colorado for the two/three spot. That’s fair considering those were the three dominant names before the season began. The Wild are the third spot because Vegas and Colorado are further ahead chemistry-wise. This series will prove a problem for Vegas because of their struggles with Minnesota the past two months.

Both teams have a great 1A/1B goalie tandem. Minnesota brought in both Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen this offseason, while Vegas’ tandem of Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner have gotten better with continued work and games played.

The tilt goes to the Wild, who have better defensemen capable of locking down Vegas’ star centers and forwards. It’s how the Wild beat Vegas the past couple of months. Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Kevin Fiala and Matt Dumba locked down Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson, Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault. It gave the Knights’ offense fits while Shea Theodore, Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez struggled to contain Kirill Kaprizov, Marcus Foligno and Joel Erikson Ek.

Upset Prediction of the First Round: Minnesota wins series 4-2

#1 Colorado Avalanche v. #4 St. Louis Blues

The Avalanche and Blues hope to start their series healthy. Both Bednar and Craig Berube have dealt with adversity during the season with their clubs. The former has to keep the roster healthy unlike the past few years in the playoffs, and push them to championship aspirations while the latter has seen team productivity dip after being the top team in the west last year.

The Avalanche weren’t going to play Vegas in the first round, but the Blues are the harder of the two between them and Minnesota. Colorado steam-rolled over the Wild in most of their games. St. Louis is grittier, harder to put away, and have their star players back at the right time. That’s the formula to having a successful playoff run.

Blues goalie Jordan Binnington didn’t play stellar most of the season, a big reason the they had to battle most of the season to get the fourth seed. Part of the dip in play is because captain Alex Petrangelo was signed by Vegas in the offseason, but it’s worth mentioning because the Avalanche will take full advantage of any defensive mistakes St. Louis has.

This series is full of what-ifs, notably on the Avalanche’s side if they can’t stay healthy. Coach Bednar’s decision to rest Philipp Grubauer and Nathan MacKinnon before the playoffs helped.

Prediction: Colorado win series 4-1

Regular Season Playoff Picks: 3-1

The northern division was predictable after February. The top four teams stayed in their spots with little turnover. The question was where Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal aligned.

This is a unique season where the top four teams of each division play each other until one team remains. The remaining four teams play each other in the conference finals. Without further delay, here’s the playoff predictions for the 2021 northern division.

#1 Toronto Maple Leafs v. #4 Montreal Canadiens

The oldest rivalry in the NHL clashes in the playoffs for the first time in 42 years. Toronto and Montreal locked up their spots even before clinching. Their different styles have made for great games and ratings.

The losses of Brendan Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin to long-term injured reserve hurts the Canadiens. Their physical play kept games close even if Toronto won. Montreal needs Phillip Danault, Alexander Romanov and Erik Gustafsson to step their physicality and offense up a notch in order to stay even against a layered and overwhelming Toronto offense.

The Leafs finally have the players and talent to play physical and pushback against quality playoff teams. Their big question is who starts in net when the series starts. Jack Campbell should have the nod until he falters.

Prediction: Toronto wins series 4-1

#2 Edmonton Oilers v. #3 Winnipeg Jets

What a series this is! The Oilers and Jets have played great games against each other this season, with Edmonton winning most of them. Luckily for Winnipeg, playoffs are a different kind of competition.

Playoff series go more than one week, and they expose who lacks roster depth and who’s built for championship runs. Edmonton has a superstar duo of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. There’s not much depth to push the offense when neither are on the ice, and it could be a problem past two games in the series.

The Jets are opposite. Blake Wheeler, Adam Lowry and Nikolaj Ehlers return from injury to provide much needed scoring depth at center and forward. The Jets need goalie Connor Hellebuyck to steal a win those first two games in order to expose the lack of depth the Oilers have later on in the series.

Deciding Factor: Mike Smith is nearly 40 years old and runs hot-and-cold in important games. Hellebuyck hasn’t been lights out all year, but he’s more stable than Smith and healthier.

Prediction: Winnipeg wins series 4-2

Regular Season Playoff Picks: 2-2

The central has been hockey’s powerhouse division since the season began. Carolina and Tampa Bay have been Stanley Cup contenders with their roster depth and coaching. The Florida Panthers upgraded defensively, and announced they’re a solid Stanley Cup contender at the trade deadline acquiring Sam Bennett from Calgary. One of these three teams who comes out on top in the central has a great chance of not just going to the finals, but winning the championship.

This is a unique season where the top four teams of each division play each other until one team remains. The remaining four teams play each other in the conference finals. Without further delay, here’s the playoff predictions for the 2021 central division.

#1 Carolina Hurricanes v. #4 Nashville Predators

No matter what happens, congratulations to Nashville for making it to the playoffs. John Hynes’ club was considered dead in the water, about to sell at the trade deadline. Depth scoring propelled the Predators past the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars. This team fights hard and plays great defense.

They’re rewarded with a first round series against a top three team in the NHL record-wise. The Hurricanes should be thrilled to not face the Boston Bruins in this year’s re-alignment. Nashville had to win one of their games against a deeper and more talented Carolina team to clinch a playoff berth. Now the Hurricanes know every move the Predators make first round.

Carolina has to take Nashville out fast. The Battle of Florida won’t go four games. The Hurricanes have home ice advantage throughout the central. If they can sweep the Predators, they’ve gained a bigger advantage resting players a few more days while watching their next opponent.

Prediction: Carolina wins series 4-0

#2 Florida Panthers v. #3 Tampa Bay Lightning

The first ever Battle of Florida playoffs matchup. This is the most exciting series for playoff hockey. Both teams score when they want and solidified defensive play. All but two games played against each other the winner put up at least five goals. Now we’ll see who the better team is when it matters most.

The Lightning’s two best players in Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov finally return from long-term injured reserve to lead their team. Tampa goes from needing every available player, to long-term depth past their third line. Their success in previous playoff series (minus last year’s championship) puts them in a great position to make another deep run. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy will show us why he’s a Vezina finalist against an offensively deep rival.

Joel Quenneville’s second year in Florida is reminiscent of his second year in Chicago. The Panthers will have the extra home game and know how to beat the Lightning with or without Stamkos playing. Sergei Bobrovsky has played much better than last year, but the Florida defense has been the highlight. Mackenzie Weegar, Gustav Forsling, Anton Stralman and Keith Yandle have taken the next steps to being an elite defense without Aaron Ekblad.

Series matchup: Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Carter Verhaeghe and Frank Vatrano v. Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and Mikhail Sergachev

The Panthers’ offensive firepower runs on their captain Barkov and his counterpart Huberdeau, but both Vatrano and Verhaeghe have elevated their games to levels analysts and opposing coaches didn’t expect. These are Florida’s top scorers. While there’s great veteran presence and solid depth on the third and fourth line, this core sets the tempo in the first two periods of play.

Tampa’s defense is lead by the best defenseman in hockey, Victor Hedman. McDonagh and Cernak have improved and crafted better play since they won a championship. Sergachev and even the addition of David Savard at the trade deadline are the right counter to a deep and layered Panther offense…this year at least.

Prediction: Tampa Bay wins series 4-3

Regular Season Playoff Picks: 3-1

Sports fans and analysts knew before the season started the Eastern division seemed the most difficult deciding who would make the playoffs. Questions about all three New York and both Pennsylvania teams arose. Analysts questioned if Washington would look anything close to their championship run three years ago especially on defense.

Those questions are answered. In fact, the east became the first division to have all four teams clinch specific seeds before May 11th. Pittsburgh has home ice advantage and a chance to take out a team they’ve had success against, while Washington and Boston have gone opposite directions in scoring depth since the trade deadline.

This is a unique season where the top four teams of each division play each other until one team remains. The remaining four teams play each other in the conference finals. Without further delay, here’s the playoff predictions for the 2021 eastern division.

#1 Pittsburgh Penguins v. #4 New York Islanders

Pittsburgh is the most consistent team in this division all year, so it makes sense they’re the number one seed as playoffs begin. Coach Mike Sullivan gave both goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith time off, and Evgeni Malkin should return in the first game against New York, a team they beat six times.

New York has dipped since the trade deadline. The additions of Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac haven’t played to the offense’s strengths as hoped, and the Islanders don’t have time to figure it out. The defense has been stellar, but the Penguins have given coach Barry Trotz headaches during the regular season. Unless the offense starts scoring consistently, they’ll be an easy out.

Prediction: Pittsburgh wins series 4-0

#2 Washington Capitals v. #3 Boston Bruins

Before the trade deadline, the Capitals’ scoring depth was the teams strength. Washington almost cemented first place in the East. Boston struggled to find a depth scorer outside of Nick Ritchie. Since the trade deadline, the Bruins have been white hot while Washington is trying to find scoring past their second line.

It couldn’t be more polar. Boston’s acquisitions of Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar solidified the second and third lines, relying more on depth than just the flawless first. Lost in the offensive improvement is the rise of goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who stepped up when both Jaroslav Halak and Tuukka Rask were out with lower body injuries.

The Capitals will always find ways to score with Alex Ovechkin’s first line, but Ovechkin himself has to come back healthy for the Capitals to counter one of the best defensive lines in hockey. The Tom Wilson debacle, injuries, and the shaky play of Vitek Vanecek has contributed in why the Capitals slipped to second place. Carlson and Backstrom’s return matters just as much because they create better chemistry and scoring chances.

Despite the issues on offense, the series comes down to goaltending. It would be better if 40 year old veteran Craig Anderson started in net. Ilya Samsonov isn’t ready to start the series and Vanecek isn’t a solid number one option. The goaltending issues will prove the difference in this series.

Prediction: Boston wins series 4-2

Regular Season Playoff Picks: 3-1

Fight night on ice, a 32nd team, and records galore, the 2021 NHL regular season hasn’t been boring. None the less, the blog’s creator Justin Minckley has received questions on different topics from his Ottawa Senators to the ire of Tom Wilson. This is for Justin to answer questions and bring objectivity to hockey topics people are looking for.

First, let’s start with what happened Wednesday with fight night in Madison Square Garden. Six fights in less than five minutes. Your thoughts on these past two games between the Rangers and Capitals, and where we go from here.

We won’t remember the final scores years from now. We’ll remember the fights and how the league has dealt ineptly with Tom Wilson. Wilson should be banned from the NHL for what he’s pulled off. When sports broadcaster Kenny Albert says, “Wilson should’ve been suspended multiple games”, that magnifies how NHL executives failed to de-escalate malicious contact.

So where do we go from here? Don’t get me wrong, Pavel Buchnevich deserves a suspension too for cross-checking Anthony Mantha’s face, but natural fights and physicality are a part of the game even if it’s not as common as it was ten years ago. Sometimes you need that spark to get back in a game. There’s a difference between Barclay Goodrow knocking someone out because his team is down by three versus calculated targeting.

That brings me to another question: is what the Rangers president John Davidson and GM Jeff Gorton said about the NHL not doing enough to Wilson a reason why owner James Dolan fired them?

This is a very good question because it’s not being covered as much by media outlets and it should be. I think it is a reason. Dolan doesn’t want to fight Gary Bettman right now especially with playoffs coming. That would be a bad business move. The Tom Wilson issue has to be addressed by the league itself, then by teams if the response isn’t good enough.

I do think there are more issues than just this, and it has a certain amount of roster moves attached. Fans are still mad Henrik Lundqvist got the shaft, while Alexandar Georgiev had his no-trade clause revoked last year. It seemed they had no idea who would be starting in net besides Igor Shesterkin. Those moves have made the progress of getting Jacob Trouba and Artemi Panarin cancel out.

Speaking of legendary goaltenders, unfortunately with what happened Wednesday, it hasn’t been talked much how Marc-Andre Fleury is officially third all-time in wins by an NHL goaltender, passing Roberto Luongo. How great is Fleury when we’re talking about all-time best goalies?

Decades from now we’re going to look back and ask (if we aren’t now) how Sergei Bobrovsky won multiple Vezina awards but Marc-Andre Fleury hadn’t in two decades. Fleury will be remembered as Mr. Golden Knight himself who drew people to T-Mobile Arena. He’s made hockey popular in the state of Nevada, an accomplishment seldom talked about.

He’s top-five all time, and can cement himself as top three if he can surpass Roy’s win total before retiring. Treasure every game this man plays.

As we know, the Vegas Golden Knights have been a top team in the NHL since their league debut. They have a great shot of making the Stanley Cup Finals. Who can go a best of seven series against and top them?

A lot of people will throw the Colorado Avalanche here because of division rivalry and how they’ve gone punch-for-punch with Vegas when they’ve played. I think the Avs could face injury problems if they play a best of seven late May/early June. If I had to pick one or two teams, they’re both in the Central division. The Tampa Bay Lightning will get my vote of confidence because they’re the reigning Cup champions. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos coming back will have Vegas’ first two lines on their heels. Tampa’s got the best third line in the NHL with Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde and the aforementioned Goodrow. They do everything to perfection they don’t need coach Jon Cooper to motivate them. You don’t hear of that of a third line in this league.

I do think Carolina could do the same because this is the best chance they have. With Andrei Svechnikov’s future in doubt after this season, no playoffs against the Boston Bruins and Petr Mrazek back at full health, the Hurricanes will be the hardest team to play against.

You brought up Svechnikov and since he’s a restricted free agent (RFA) at the end of they year, he’ll be eligible to be targeted by the Seattle Kraken, as could Coach Rod Brind’Amour since his contract expires after the season. Could the Kraken get both?

Andrei Svechnikov is the prize RFA, so I expect this to be Seattle’s first contest. They’re getting former Hurricanes play-by-play broadcaster John Forslund to call their games when they start play. While I see them prying Svech away from Carolina, it’s a new level of nasty if they take Rod away too. I don’t think the Tar Heel State will like the Kraken at all those first few years.

Let’s pivot to the Kraken targeting some Senators players. Ottawa has a load of restricted free agents entering the offseason. Who would the Kraken eye?

The difference between franchises like the Capitals and Kings decades ago was the lack of power they had coming into the league. Seattle and Vegas have the juice and rules in place to take better players, that’s what separates taking a player like Colin White v. Brady Tkachuk.

Tkachuk, Ryan Dzingel, Artem Zub, Filip Gustavsson and Drake Batherson are RFAs. Four of the five are young and are great for further development. I see Ottawa retaining most of these players, but they won’t be able to keep everyone. It’s possible the Kraken get a great player for years to come from Ottawa, which let’s be honest, who hasn’t since the Senators are a league pipeline.

Since you mentioned Gustavsson, this brings up the goalie question of who stays with Matt Murray and who gets released/unsigned after the season. Who could be let go, or more importantly, how do you view this situation?

I mean, this goes back to why Davidson and Gorton were fired in New York. They mis-managed the Lundqvist-Georgiev-Shesterkin trio and the Rangers have paid for it on ice. I have no problem with the five goalies the Senators have put out this season. In fact, I think it’s the best problem and best depth a team could have. Both teams in Alberta would kill for more than one good goalie, and the Leafs and Canadiens have been trying to catch up depth-wise since Anton Forsberg became the fifth goalie to start.

The Senators have more goalie prospects such as the 6’7(!) Mads Sogaard, so I believe general manager Pierre Dorian has a great idea of when to move on from some of the goalies already on the roster. If there’s an odd man out, it’s Marcus Hogberg for multiple reasons: he tends to start slow and makes a few gaffes each game, even if he plays lights out. Outside of him, I don’t think the Senators should let anyone else go. They believe in Murray and extended Forsberg, but I think Gustavsson and Joey Daccord are too valuable to let go, especially if the former is taken by the Kraken.

Finally, the Senators have the third best record in the North division since February 12th. When do you think this team will be a true threat in the league?

They’ve proven they can hang with all but one of the Canadian teams, but we need to see how this roster plays against the American teams, especially those who are in the middle like Philadelphia, Dallas and Arizona. I think this team needs one more year before they make the playoffs. There’s a lot of guys to re-sign, but there’s more to tweak with the roster especially skilled veteran presence.