Early season storylines in the NHL
Winner of Laine-Dubois deal might depend on which team's star signs long-term contract
This shortened NHL season is only two weeks old, but there are already some interesting early storylines developing that could be worth following throughout the schedule.
Here’s a look at a few of them.
• The Montreal Canadiens opened this season on a roll, going 4-0-2 on their seasonopening road trip. They enter this week jostling with the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the overall standings. Off-season additions Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson, Jake Allen and Joel Edmundson have quickly become key players, along with promising youngsters like Nick Suzuki, Alexander Romanov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
• Goaltending has become an early problem for the Edmonton Oilers. Aging Mike Smith is already on long-term injury reserve while Mikko Koskinen remains an inconsistent starter. Oilers general manager Ken Holland could soon regret his inability to address that issue in the offseason.
• Speaking of goaltending, Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning could be soon kicking himself for failing to re-sign Jacob Markstorm last fall. Markstrom’s off to a hot start with the Calgary Flames while the Canucks’ tandem of Braden Holtby and Thatcher Demko enter this week with a league-leading 33 goals against.
• After managing just three goals in regulation time in their first three games, the Boston Bruins enjoyed a burst of 10 regulation goals in their last two contests. Help will be coming soon when sniper David Pastrnak returns after recovering from off-season hip surgery.
• COVID-19 is already affecting the schedule. The Dallas Stars finally hit the ice on Friday after their seasonopener was postponed due to several players testing positive. The Carolina Hurricanes also had their last three games postponed for the same reason.
Alex Ovechkin was among four Washington Capitals forced to miss at least four games for breaking the league's COVID protocols by gathering in a hotel room without proper facial coverings.
One of them, goaltender Ilya Samsonov, tested positive for the coronavirus. Sidelining a big star like Ovechkin indicates the league won’t tolerate any violations of its rules. Some observers criticized the decision, but the players voted for those rules and must abide by them.
BLOCKBUSTER
Early season blockbuster trades are rarities in the NHL’s salary-cap world, but the Columbus Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets pulled it off on Saturday. The Blue Jackets shipped Pierre-Luc Dubois and a draft pick to the Winnipeg Jets for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic.
Laine, 22, is a gifted scorer with 50-goal potential. The 22-year-old Dubois is considered a fine all-around centre, while the 23-year-old Roslovic is a versatile forward who can play centre or wing.
The winner of this trade could be decided by whether Laine or Dubois are willing to commit to long-term contracts with their new teams. Laine is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer, while Dubois will have the same status next year.