Category: NHL

“You really don’t remember, was it something that he said? Are the voices in your head calling, Gloria?”. What a team. What a ride. What a moment for the St. Louis Blues during their 2019 Stanley Cup Triumph, the first cup in the franchise’s history. It’s been a long time coming for the Blues and their passionate fan base out in the Midwest, but it all came together in mesmerizing fashion during the 2018-19 campaign.

If someone were to ask me seven to eight years ago if the National Hockey League would ever put a team in Vegas, I’d probably laugh. Low and behold the NHL now has a team in Las Vegas, and in just three short seasons, the Golden Knights have taken the league by storm. As they say at T-Mobile Arena, home of the Knights…“Vegassss, itsss knighttt Timmeee”.

There aren’t many organizations in the NHL who are as set up for success as the Tampa Bay Lightning are for right now and the future. The Bolts have a core locked up for the next few seasons that are as talented as any other in the league. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Andrei Vasilevskiy lead the way for this Ulta-talented group. Although core players are signed to multi-year deals, there are a few other pieces who might sign elsewhere due to salary cap restraints. Let’s take a look at some young talent groomed to be next in line to fill some holes on the roster in our “Big 3” Prospect Report.

Anaheim, California. Although certainly not a traditional hockey hot-bed, Lord Stanley was raised here during the 2006-07 season. Fast forward nearly 14 seasons later, and that Ducks team without question looks much different. That so-called “Death Valley”, California road trip, has a whole new persona behind it with the drop in the play of the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks.

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang. Not only are these three all future hall-of-famers, but they also represent the core of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. When hockey fans think of the Penguins, their first thought is usually that of Sidney Crosby (aka Sid the Kid), and why wouldn’t it be? Crosby is an integral part of the city of Pittsburgh, and one of the most respected and celebrated players in the National Hockey League. Simply put, there’s been something special about the Pens since Crosby entered the league 15 years ago.

What an interesting season it has been for the supposedly rebuilding New York Rangers. The February 24th trade deadline has come and gone and the team comes to terms with power forward Chris Kreider for $45.5 M over seven years. The Rangers obviously see themselves as competitors in the race with a record of 32-24-4, It was once a foregone conclusion that Kreider was going to be traded. Not now. The Blue Shirts are in it for the here and now and the future. Let’s take a closer look at some players who are likely to join a team destined to make some noise in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.

Mathew Barzal, Josh Bailey, Devon Toews, Ryan Pulock, Anthony Beauvillier, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. These are just some of the names that make up a pretty good hockey team in the New York Islanders. on the New York Islanders hockey club. When the face of the franchise, John Tavares left for Toronto last summer (yes, Islander fans are probably still ruing over it to this day), not many expected the team to play as well as they did. The days of the“run and gun” Islanders have been replaced by a solid four-line team, that can break a game open with their skill. In just a few short seasons, the islanders have morphed into one of the most exciting teams in the National Hockey League.

When you think of the Washington Capitals one thing comes to mind, and that’s “The Great 8”, Alex Ovechkin. For the past 15+ seasons, “Ovie” has been the face of the Capitals franchise with 700+ goals to his name. Quite simply, Ovechkin is one of the single-greatest goalscorers in the history of the National Hockey League. He’s consistently dominant, feared amongst opponents, lethal all over the ice, and awakened a fan base in D.C. that was rather dormant prior to his arrival back in 2005-06. Oh, and let’s not forget that Ovechkin also spearheaded the team to their first Stanley Cup triumph two seasons ago after years and years of playoff shortcomings and disappointments.

Dom Lunardo | April 15th, 2020 The Columbus Blue Jackets…the team that sent shock waves across the National Hockey League. It’s been just about 12