Hockey Rambling

Cuts from skates are just a part of playing hockey and in the NHL. We have seen some absolutely gruesome injuries in this manner over the years, with Evander Kane being an example from this season alone. Something similar happened to Ryan Johansen a few nights ago and that was why he left the game [...]

Ryan Johansen was not on the ice for Nashville’s third period at home against Vancouver on Tuesday night. He left the game with an injury late in the second period, needing help from his teammates, and did not return. We got word from Elliotte Friedman on Wednesday that Johansen was having surgery: https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1628412514387083266 No immediate [...]

I put out my initial list of the 2023 free agency salary projections late last week, and while I publish it with a small ramble to lead into it, I wanted to talk about a few more players here. If you need any details on what I do or how the numbers come to be, [...]

The Pittsburgh Penguins got a boost to the lineup as goaltender Tristan Jarry was in net for the team’s game at home to the New York Islanders on Monday night. He had missed nearly a month with an upper-body injury and has just three starts in calendar 2023. Staying healthy has been an ongoing concern [...]

Mark this down – the Ottawa Senators will be the offensive juggernaut next season that the Buffalo Sabres have been in this one. Mark it! All the pieces are there. So much upside in their young players – and that’s without the services of Josh Norris (mostly), as well as without Alex Formenton, who would [...]

Let’s start the Ramblings with an official puck drop. Who doesn’t like a good boy or good girl? https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1627116811836698624 I have to be honest – I had never heard of Carter-Finley Stadium, since I don’t follow college sports as closely as professional sports. Yet between the marching band, Ripken the dog, and strong fan support, [...]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are loading up for their Stanley Cup run (or just for getting past the first round), acquiring Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari from the St. Louis Blues for Mikhail Abramov, Adam Gaudette, a first-round pick in 2023, a third-round pick in 2023 (from Ottawa) and a second-round pick in 2024. St. [...]

Sergei Bobrovsky seems to be at a point where he can be relied upon again. The Panthers goalie picked up 29 saves in a 6-3 win over Washington. If not for a late third-period power-play goal, Bob would have had his fifth consecutive quality start. However, he also has wins in four of his last [...]

Auston Matthews was back in the lineup for Toronto on Wednesday night as the team hosted Chicago. He missed nearly three weeks (though one of those was the All-Star break) due to his injury. He was back on the top line with William Nylander and Michael Bunting, which is interesting because Matthews/Nylander had been spending [...]

Despite Valentine’s Day being over-corporatized, it is a great reminder to reach out to your loved ones, and remind them how much they mean to you. Shoutout to Roman Josi and K’Andre Miller! On another note, even though it’s a day notable for making pairings, there were no NHL trades yesterday. When they do come [...]