I need to start out on a somber note and say I'm thinking and praying about everyone in Rhode Island. We all love the game of hockey and sports in general because they help us escape and it brings joy to our lives, but last night at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, many lives were changed forever. My condolences to all that were involved.

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These Olympics have been a lot of fun to watch. Unfortunately, we have already had a couple of injuries and hopefully no more:

• It sounds like Josh Morrissey should be okay when the NHL resumes, with the potential to play in the knockout round.
• Kevin Fiala was not granted that same luck as he suffered a devastating leg injury that had to be operated on in Italy. The LA Kings announced he would be out the remainder of the season.

Now the acquisition of Artemi Panarin becomes even more valuable as the Kings have to replace Fiala in their lineup. He was mostly lined up with Quintin Byfield, but now he'll need a new running mate. Having him shutdown for the rest of the year will open a lot of cap space for LA to make another big move if they so choose. 

I was really hoping we would see a Panarin-Kopitar-Fiala line and let the two wingers go while Kopitar holds it down on the other side of the puck, but now we will never know. One player who could benefit from this injury, if they don't add anyone before the trade deadline, is Trevor Moore. 

Moore is only two seasons removed from a 30-goal campaign, has familiarity with his teammates, and now has an opportunity to seize it. 

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Going back to the Olympics, Connor McDavid is your leading point scorer (shocker) with nine and his line mate, Macklin Celebrini, leads the tournament with four goals, along with Tim Stutzle from Team Germany. The top line for Team Canada has been nothing short of spectacular as they clinched the number one seed for the tournament over the weekend. I was afraid this tournament was going to slow Celebrini down for the remainder of the NHL season, but with the success he is having, that confidence should translate back onto NHL rinks to conclude the 2025-2026 season.

In turn, I was having a fire sale on all my Sharks players because if the teenager was going to run cold when he came back, he has been a part of 47% of all the goals scored for San Jose this campaign so I imagine the whole team would slow down scoring. Instead, we should continue to see his dominance on the ice and him pull his teammates along for the ride.

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Looking back at some of my preseason thoughts, I really thought this was the year we see Jack Eichel break the 40-goal plateau with the addition of Mitch Marner and how he seems to be taking his game to the next level every season, but he currently sits at 21 lamp lighters. It does not help that he has missed seven games so far, but he has truly developed into an elite all around center. And even though he hasn't been the goal scorer I had thought, he has elevated his line mates to record numbers.

Mark Stone has been one of Eichel's wingmen this entire campaign when both are healthy and has helped him score 60 points in 41 games. The Canadian winger has always hovered around the point-per-game mark, but this season he is averaging a point and a half per contest.

And when Stone was hurt, rookie Braeden Bowman was promoted and averaged a point-per-game in his absence. Eichel has factored into 50% of Bowman's total points on the year, so while he isn't scoring the goals, he is leading and making those around him better.

If you want to talk hockey, need any trade/start/sit advice, or just need someone to listen, hit me up on Twitter @LAM1926. My DMs are always open.