GOALTENDING ALREADY AN AREA OF CONCERN FOR MANY NHL CLUBS
You can moan all you want about Matt Murray getting injured three days after making his regular season debut, but the Toronto Maple Leafs aren't. Nor should they.
Last time I checked, they weren't the only team dealing with goalie issues this early in the NHL season.
Ottawa's Cam Talbot, who the Senators acquired after trading Murray to Toronto, hasn't even played a game yet and is still out for another three weeks or more with an upper-body injury.
Edmonton's Jack Campbell, who the Leafs let walk as a free agent, was pulled after allowing four goals on 11 shots against Calgary on Saturday. And Minnesota's Marc-andre Fleury, who was a trade target of the Leafs, was booed off the ice two days after allowing 11 goals in two games.
“I don't blame them,” Fleury told reporters. “I'd boo myself. I was not good.”
Meanwhile, Vegas is without both its starter and backup, while Philly, New Jersey, Columbus and Seattle are dealing with goalie injuries. Believe it or not, losing Murray for a month or so because of an adductor injury might be the best thing to happen to the Leafs.
For one, it gives them a longer look at Ilya Samsonov, the former first-rounder who is 2-0 after a 26-save performance against the Senators on Saturday. It also allows the capstrapped team some financial flexibility in being able to call-up forward Nick Robertson, who shined during the pre-season but was sent down to the AHL'S Toronto Marlies because they couldn't fit his salary under the cap.
Most importantly, it provides an early-season challenge for a team that was in danger of sleepwalking their way to the playoffs. This makes it easy for head coach Sheldon Keefe to convince the players that they need to tighten up defensively and finish checks and block shots, while building upon the kind of habits that will one day lead to playoff success.
We saw some of that already in the 3-2 win against Ottawa, in which Auston Matthews knelt down in front of Samsonov to block a shot, while also recording a game-high six hits.
I'm not sure that happens if Murray is in the net.
SENS VET MAKING IMPACT — ON AND OFF THE ICE
Claude Giroux scored a goal and an assist in a 3-2 loss against the Leafs on Saturday. But when I asked him if it was a relief to get his first points with his new team out of the way, the 34-year-old was more focused on the fact that the Senators are still searching for their first win.
“I'm here to win hockey games,” said Giroux.
“That kind of stuff, obviously it helps the team if you're producing but some nights you just got to find (other) ways to help the team. That's just what matters.”
This is why the Senators signed Giroux to a three-year deal worth US$19.5 million last summer.
This is why he is so important to a young team that is trying to make the jump after missing out on the playoffs for the past five years.
Yes, he can still produce. But like when the Leafs brought in Patrick Marleau or Joe Thornton or Jason Spezza, his leadership — what Senators head coach D.J. Smith called a “calming presence” — is far more valuable for a team that in the past wasn't able to stop the bleeding after losing a couple of games early on.
“We know what kind of position we're in right now,” said Giroux, who wasn't panicking just yet.
“Since the season started, we said that we're going to get better every day and whatever the outcome is we believe that if we play the right way we want to, the results are going to come.
“Sometimes it's important not to play for the result, just build on your game and your identity will come and then the results will come.”
NHL WAS WRONG TO TRY TO CANCEL BOLTS' COLE
The NHL set a dangerous precedent when the Tampa Bay Lightning suspended Ian Cole with pay last week, following sexual assault and grooming allegations that were made via a social media post.
Cole ended up missing three games, while the league — and the rest of the hockey world — tried to cancel him.
Here's the thing: The league couldn't find a shred of evidence to support the allegations. They couldn't even find evidence to prove that the person who made the allegations existed. And yet, they had no problem suspending him because of an anonymous Tweet.
The Lightning, meanwhile, went 1-2-0 in Cole's absence.
Maybe that is why the NHLPA released a statement on Saturday, saying that “players should never be subject to suspension or discipline in response to unsubstantiated and anonymous accusations.” It's not only “inappropriate and grossly unfair” but it sets a precedent that could have greater ramifications.
After all, what's stopping someone from making anonymous allegations against Auston Matthews or Connor Mcdavid or anyone whose absence could have an impact on the result of the game?