On Tap For Today — Vegas at Toronto; 7:00 pm EDT; TSN4, ATTSN-RM | Detroit at Montreal; 7:00 pm EDT; TSN2, RDS, BSDET+ | Arizona at Philadelphia; 7:00 pm EDT; NBCSP, BSAZ+ | Ottawa at Minnesota; 7:00 pm CDT; BSN, BSWI+, TSN5, RDS2 | Dallas at Winnipeg; 7:00 pm CDT; TSN3, BSSW+ | Nashville at Calgary; 7:00 pm MDT; SN360, BSSO | NY Rangers at Vancouver; 7:00 pm PDT; SN1, MSG | New Jersey at Anaheim; 7:00 pm PDT; ESPN+, HULU | Buffalo at San Jose; 7:30 pm PDT; ESPN+, HULU
Last Night’s News 📰
ADAM’S (BIG) APPLE: The New York Rangers announced they signed Adam Fox to a seven-year contract extension with sources stating he will get an average annual value (AAV) of $9.5 million. Fox is only 23 years old and the reigning Norris Trophy winner, making this the largest deal in NHL history coming off an entry-level contract. Hopefully, the Rangers won’t trade him to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a few years!
KANE STOP ME NOW: It was quite the day for Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks. Kane was cleared from COVID protocol and able to suit up for the Hawks’ game against the Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, Chicago finally earned its first win of the season on the strength of its star sniper’s hat trick and four-point night. In doing so, Kane surpassed Denis Savard for third on the Blackhawks’ all-time scoring list.
COLE-LESS CANADIENS: Montreal Canadiens forward, and early season Calder Trophy favorite, Cole Caufield was sent down to the AHL by the NHL club on Monday. Caufield, who has one assist in 10 games, will look to build his confidence while down with the Laval Rocket.
PAQUETTE ON THE BENCH: To make matters worse for the Canadiens, they will be without center Cédric Paquette for the next two games as he will serve a suspension for boarding Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras on Sunday night. Paquette was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct on the ice and was handed the suspension on Monday.
VAL JAMES NIGHT: While Monday marked the 40th anniversary of when Val James, the first Black US-born NHL player, made his debut with the Buffalo Sabres, the team will honor James’ achievement during its next home game on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. More information on James’ journey to the NHL can be found here.
Trivia Tuesday
How well do you know Ryan Getzlaf?
- In 2013, Getzlaf earned his first hat trick and registered four points in the first period against which opponent?
- Nashville Predators
- Buffalo Sabres
- Phoenix Coyotes
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Early in his career, Getzlaf was part of the “Kid Line” in Anaheim. Who were his linemates?
- Corey Perry & Tim Brent
- Corey Perry & Chris Kunitz
- Corey Perry & Dustin Penner
- Corey Perry & Drew Miller
- Who was the captain of the Anaheim Ducks prior to Getzlaf?
- Scott Niedermayer
- Saku Koivu
- Chris Pronger
- Teemu Selanne
Answers can be found at the bottom of the email.
Climbing the Franchise Moutain
Yesterday in this space, we celebrated Ryan Getzlaf’s newfound status as the Anaheim Ducks’ franchise scoring leader by profiling the other active top-dogs for franchises across the NHL. Today, we continue that theme by looking at the players poised to follow the Ducks’ captain to the top of their own organization’s scoring chart.
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks – 370 Points Away
On Monday, Kane returned off the COVID Protocol list to record three goals and an assist, bypassing Denis Savard for third on Chicago’s points list while leading the Blackhawks to their first win of the season. All in all, not a bad day. Stan Mikita’s 1,467-point mark remains somewhat distant, but does an average of 74 points over the next five years really seem that out of reach for the 32-year-old?
Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers – 344 Points & Anže Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings – 294 Points Away
We’re putting Kopitar and Giroux together here, as they face the same reality with regard to their respective franchise scoring lead chases. Both decorated veterans have reached their mid-30’s (Kopitar is 34, Giroux is 33) and remain a couple of hundred points shy of the high watermark in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, respectively. Both men would get there with another five years or so of sustained, consistent production, but how realistic is that as they approach 40?
Roman Josi, Nashville Predators – 111 Points Away
No disrespect intended toward Nashville scoring leader David Legwand, but it’s a little surprising that no one from Nashville’s strong stretch of consecutive playoff appearances has unseated the club’s first-ever draft pick yet. Well, better late than never, as Josi and Filip Forsberg (175 back) are each closing in on the franchise lead—with Josi ahead but also four years older.
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning – 75 Points Away
Even amidst some performance-related decline in recent years that has seen him take a back seat to teammates Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point, Stamkos is a shoo-in to take over the franchise lead. With just 75 points needed to catch Martin St. Louis, the 31-year-old captain should be comfortably on top once his contract expires in 2024.
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins – 398 Points Away
Alright, let’s finish with a fun one: can “Sid the Kid” unseat his owner, Mario Lemieux, and finish his career as the Pens’ leading all-time scorer? As a 34-year-old with plenty of miles on his body and nearly 400 points to cover, it doesn’t look encouraging on the surface for Crosby. That said, the three-time Stanley Cup winner averaged 1.14 points per game over the past two seasons. If he can match that production and remain healthy, he would get there in a very makeable 4.5 years.
Hot Hand: Fredrik Andersen Passes Frank McCool for NHL Record
Frederik Andersen now holds the NHL record for the longest undefeated streak after debuting with a new team, opening with a 7-0-0 record to begin the season with the Carolina Hurricanes. Looking back at history, there are very interesting names that came before him that most wouldn’t be able to guess. The last goaltender to accomplish this feat made numerous saves and was unbeatable to begin his tenure with his new team.
That player was Frank McCool of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was a sensational start for McCool, who potentially has the best last name ever in NHL history, as he went 6-0-0 in his debut with the Maple Leafs during the 1944-45 season and was considered a prodigy at the time. It wasn’t until the seventh game against the Detroit Red Wings that he finally lost with his new team, 4-2. McCool finished his rookie season by going 24-22-4 in 50 games, playing every minute for the Maple Leafs that season.
With World War II raging and Canadian and American players serving overseas for their respective countries, McCool was discharged from the Army as being medically unfit to serve due to stomach ulcers. Although McCool was two years removed from junior and collegiate hockey, Leafs head coach Hap Day liked what he saw from the netminder and, because of the war and the Montreal Canadiens refusing to loan Paul Bibeault back to the Leafs for another season, gave McCool a chance.
He ended up winning the Calder Memorial Trophy that season as the league’s best rookie and won the Stanley Cup as well. Toronto defeated the Canadiens in six games in the opening round of the playoffs, with McCool outplaying Vezina Trophy-winning Bill Durnan. He then went on to set an NHL record for most consecutive shutouts in the postseason with three, as the Leafs beat the Wings in seven games for the Cup. For Andersen and the Hurricanes, they are hoping that history can repeat itself in terms of hot starts leading to Stanley Cup victories.
Trivia Answers
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