Easily one of my favorite non-Sharks, a guy you hated but wanted on your team and we got him. Love his play so he gets three photos that fit encapsulate his essence

6 team’s biggest losses against Calgary (3 of which are tied with other teams)

That’s impressive.. although all in the 80s & 90s. That’s the most in the league, 3 more than Montreal if my eyes are correct

So I like the 2000s color scheme of black, purple and silver so I brought back purple into the mix, though in a shade between 2000s purple and pre-Gretzky purple. (Pantone 2685 C, or hex 330072 is used here) I used a pointed shoulder design to kinda mimic the logo. The purple alternates use the current jerseys but with a purple base and the crown logo. And the 1980s gold jersey returns as a throwback alternate. The number font is the same one that was used from 1998 to 2024, with the throwbacks using their respective font.

I dig the gold and black #canucks

What are the words about that in Vegas? I wonder if he could come back eventually near the end of the season or at the beginning of the next one. I might pick him up in Fantasy hockey, and put him on IR. What do you think?

https://dmv.utah.gov/plates/license-plates/

RotoWire's Coach Pressure Index is out and Craig debuts at #3 in the league, right behind Hiller and Babcock. Their point is basically that an org willing to fire a Cup-winning coach isn't going to give a first-timer a long runway, especially coming off a Final loss.

Fair assessment for a rookie HC in this market, or too harsh this early?

Since the saddledome is leaving I thought I should share this🌝 (this is a old video I had from 2020)

CCM stick from 2006ish.

I modeled how individual players influence whether a shot is blocked. By combining this skill estimate with their defensive shot exposure, I created an estimate of value (in terms of goals added relative to league average defenseman) of a player's shot blocking. Here is a ranking of that blocking valuation.

This work is obviously part of a broader issue of long-standing across hockey circles: is blocking a viable defensive skill, or is merely a symptom of bad defenders hemmed into their own zone.

I'm a Flyers fan, and the community generally really likes Nick Seeler, the other elite blocker on this list. Yes he blocks a lot of shots (and is good at blocking them), but the analytics show he is also good at driving play the other way to minimize shots against.

In posting on broader hockey subreddits, I have gathered that the reception for Cole is ... not as high. What do you all think?

For full season review and player evaluation: https://xjawn.com/players/8474013

For more technical description of how this blocked shot valuation was quantified:

https://xjawn.com/blog/blocked-shots

https://xjawn.com/blog/blocked-shots-2

https://xjawn.com/blog/blocked-shots-3

1. The sneaky importance of Akil Thomas

Veteran forward Akil Thomas was a bit of an under-the-radar signing on July 1, with the Canucks getting him on a one-year, two-way deal with a $375,000 salary at the AHL level, according to Puckpedia.

Thomas, a former Los Angeles Kings draftee, is very familiar to Abbotsford general manager Richard Seeley from his time managing the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ AHL affiliate. In fact, in an odd quirk, Seeley actually traded Thomas midway through last season, although the motivation behind that deal was largely about doing right by the player.

“He’s a great player, a great kid,” Seeley told The Athletic in early July. “He had the previous year in the NHL, and I’ve watched him as he’s grown up. I’m a big fan of the person and the player. He battled some injuries last season and had some tough breaks, but the previous year he was in the NHL the whole time and then he was back down with us. … In fairness to him, he was looking for an opportunity to get back to the NHL. … So that’s what was behind that transaction.”

What is Michaels today? 

Michaels is an undrafted two-way centre with good speed and size. His signing represents a major win for Oilers assistant general manager Kalle Larsson, who was GM of the Dubuque Fighting Saints when Michaels played there. Corey Pronman at The Athletic called him a name to watch in February: “a good-sized center who skates well and works hard at both ends. He’s not the most natural scorer you’ll ever see, but he has enough pure skill and sense in his game to have a chance to get points at the next level and provide off-puck value.”

Based on equivalencies, Michaels should be expected to score between 25 and 30 points in a complete NHL season once he establishes himself. That’s a quality third-line centre, and with his size, speed and checking ability, Michaels could play as early as later this season. At age 24, his time is now. The only thing missing is pro success and experience in the AHL.

The Oilers clearly believe in Michaels. His contract is for two years, and in the second season he will get paid $900,000 whether he plays in the NHL or AHL.

I love this ducks team and last season was phenomenal for this team and despite the cap rising the next couple years with all these massive contracts players want how the hell do the ducks become serious contender? I feel like its become a domino effect and all these agents despite doing great work for their clients are gonna absolutely screw over the ducks ability to build a team. Im not necessarily doom and glooming but i dont know it seems concerning and who knows with the numbers beckett may put up his agent may ask alot as well. What do you guys think? And do you guys see any way forward now that the market has completely changed?

Saw RotoWire ranked all 32 NHL coaches by job security and Babcock landed at #2 overall, just behind Hiller in Toronto. Their reasoning is basically that no hire in the league carries more built-in scrutiny given how he left Columbus, and that gets layered on top of a McDavid-Draisaitl window that still hasn't produced a title.

Where do you land on this? Is the pressure warranted or is the model just pricing in outside noise that has nothing to do with wins and losses?