thomas drance

Breaking down the Vermette trade, saying goodbye, and more...   ***   On Saturday night The Chicago Blackhawks acquired centreman Antoine Vermette from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2015 first-round pick and American Hockey League defenseman Klaus Dahlbeck. There really will be no trades left to occur on Monday's deadline, it seems.   [...]

The Kings are hot, Blake Comeau's big night, and the Maple Leafs need to take a tanking class.  ***   The New York Islanders stole a single point from the Washingon Capitals thanks to a late goal by Ryan Strome, but ultimately fell in the shootout. It was a fast paced, physical game and hopefully [...]

Winnipeg's new additions pay off, are the Kings after Phaneuf?, and a look at Mike Hoffman's peripherals...    ***   As the trade deadline nears, the hockey world is buzzing with rumours. Dion Phaneuf to Los Angeles? Andrej Sekera to Dallas? Jeff Petry to an NHL caliber team?    For now the asking prices seem [...]

A unified theory of goalie analysis, Los Angeles rights the ship, Dubnyk can't be scored on and more...   *   The Toronto Maple Leafs finally ended their franchise record 11-game losing streak on Saturday, defeating the lowly Taylor Hall-less Edmonton Oilers by a score of 5-1. Goaltender James Reimer, who has been on a [...]

Carey Price is unconscious, should Mike Smith be a buyout candidate?, and why isn't John Klingberg generating Calder buzz?    ***   Let's begin with the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens, who played to a 0-0 draw through 60 minutes before Max Pacioretty gave the Habs an extra point with an overtime goal.   [...]