Good morning Hockey fans,
Hope all is well with you. We are back with more news from around the league as we had a busy weekend of hockey.
- The Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks have made a massive trade again, moving centre Elias Lindholm for Andrei Kuzmenko, a 2024 first round pick, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo and a conditional 2024 fourth round pick. Lindholm, 29, who is in the final year of his $4.85 million deal, has 9 goals and 23 points in 49 games this season and was named to his first All-Star Game in January. There are rumblings that they will be working on getting a new deal with Patrik Allvin. Kuzmenko, 28, who was a dynamic winger for Vancouver last season, has struggled this season by only putting up 8 goals and 21 points in 43 games this season. He has been scratched this season as he has struggled under head coach Rick Tocchet. He did have Calgary on his NTC, but waived it to go play in Calgary. This is a great haul for Calgary who are 22-22-5 thus far before the All-Star Break, and are still in the hunt for a wildcard spot, and it looks like GM Craig Conroy wants to rebuild on the fly.
- Speaking of the Vancouver Canucks, they have now extended General Manager Patrik Allvin to a multi-year extension. Allvin, who was brought in the off-season has made many changes and trades within the organization and helped the team become so competitive, they are currently first in the league with a 33-11-5 record, and at +59. They have become stronger, and all of their top guys: Elias Petterson, JT Miller, Thatcher Demko, Quinn Hughes have been playing elite hockey. They seem to be all in this season, and could both win the President’s Trophy and make waves in the playoffs.
- On the East coast of the league, the Columbus Blue Jackets will now be without Patrik Laine, as he enters the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for an indefinite amount of time. Laine, 25, has 6 goals and 3 assists in 18 games, and has really struggled to find his game this year. He has been scratched by head coach Pascal Vincent, as the team has struggled to find their footing and be competitive for a playoff spot. The other bit of bad news is that their young stud rookie Adam Fantilli will miss eight weeks with calf laceration, which he suffered when the team played the Seattle Kraken. Fantilli, 19, has 12 goals and 15 assists in 49 games this season, and has been one of the brighter spots for a team finding itself at the bottom of the standings. They have a good core there, but some changes may come to Columbus if things don’t improve soon.
- We know that there is no easy way to talk about this, but that 5 former Canadian world junior hockey players now face sexual assault charges from the London Police and have all taken leave from their respective clubs. Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, Dillon Dubé, Carter Hart and Alex Formenton all confirmed the charges and all of them have pleaded not guilty. There will be a case set to be before a court in London, Ontario on Monday, February 5, 2024.
- It also sounds like 3 rinks at Toronto parks will be upgraded thanks to over $500K donated from MLSE (who own the Toronto Maple Leafs) and the NHL as part of an NHL legacy project. According to councillor Ausma Malik, who represents the area, that this will “provide more than 23,000 young people in our neighbourhood with a place to hang out, have fun and make connections to each other”. This is a great way to give back to the community and we here at Two Guys want to see more of this in other communities across North America (and Europe).
- We also have the All-Star weekend happening this weekend in Toronto, showcasing the best on best from all around the league, but we will also get to see some of the elite PWHL players showcase their skills with a 3-on-3 competition. Some of the players to expect are Sarah Nurse, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Marie-Philip Poulin, and Brianne Jenner (as well as others) will be a part of the event. We are excited to see what they can do.
Thoughts? Questions? Suggestions? Then remember to tune in each week to get all the latest news in the world of hockey. For more hockey news, different takes or if you want to chat about anything hockey give me a follow @hockey_two on TWITTER and give us a follow on YouTube, or at https://twoguysandhockeytalk.com/.
- Pawel ‘The Cat’
