Joe Thornton Undecided on Returning for 25th NHL Season After Panthers' Playoff Loss
Joe Thornton and the Florida Panthers fell short in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a second-round sweep to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and now it's unclear if "Jumbo Joe" will get another shot at a Stanley Cup.
The Ontario native, who will turn 43 on July 2, told reporters Wednesday that he hasn't decided whether to return to the NHL for a 25th season in 2022-23.
"My wife was kind of asking me last night," Thornton said. "And really, I have no plans. It's kind of exciting that way. I came here to win a championship, and we fell short of that. But I think the Florida Panthers are going to be good for a long time. It's exciting around here now."
Thornton signed a one-year deal with the Panthers ahead of the 2021-22 campaign because he thought the team would give him his best shot to win a Stanley Cup.
Thornton told reporters at the time:
Well, I watched the playoffs last year, Florida-Tampa, and it was a great series and I love their team and it left a big impression on me. I talked to [Panthers general manager] Bill [Zito], I talked to 'Lou' [special adviser Roberto Luongo], I talked to [coach] Joel Quenneville, and they were just so excited about their team, what they're building down there and just thought I'd be a great fit with this group. My family was behind me. I have two young kids who are on board in meeting the players and they're excited. But talking with Bill, Lou and Joel, it was an easy decision after that."
During the regular season, the Panthers were the best team in the NHL, finishing with a 58-18-6 record to earn the Presidents' Trophy with 122 points. They set franchise records in goals, wins and points and looked primed to make a deep run in the playoffs.
The Panthers eliminated the Washington Capitals in the first round but had an incredibly disappointing performance against the Lightning.
Thornton appeared in only one playoff game—the Game 4 loss to the Lightning. He was a minus-one in 6:18 and didn't record a shot.
He appeared in just 34 regular-season games, tallying five goals and five assists.
That said, Thornton could be a solid locker room presence for a Stanley Cup contender next season. In 1,714 games with the Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins, the centerman tallied 430 goals and 1,109 assists.
Thornton is also a four-time All-Star and won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Art Ross Trophy during the 2005-06 campaign, when he tallied 29 goals and 96 assists in 81 games for the Bruins and Sharks.
Thornton is sixth in regular-season history in games played and seventh in assists. He also ranks 12th with 1,539 points.
When Thornton does decide to retire, there's little doubt he will be enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Panthers Ripped for Lack of Fight After Falling into 3-0 Series Hole vs. Lightning
The Florida Panthers were lambasted Sunday on Twitter for a perceived lack of effort in a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series.
Florida looked listless at times in getting outplayed and outworked by the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, and the Panthers now find themselves in a 3-0 series hole, one loss away from elimination.
The teams were tied 1-1 after one period Sunday, but after the Panthers were unable to beat Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy in the second period despite a bevy of scoring chances, the Bolts took over.
David Lang of WPLG-TV in Miami offered perhaps the most worrisome and brutally honest assessment of the Panthers' performance:
Lang was joined by several observers who made fun of the Panthers' play and effort level in the playoffs compared to what they did in the regular season en route to winning the Presidents' Trophy:
Twitter users also questioned why the Panthers have looked so different against the Lightning than they did in the regular season, plus TNT NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette had some strong words regarding Florida's lack of grit:
Another popular reaction on social media was comparing the Panthers' uninspired effort to what the Miami Heat have accomplished thus far in the NBA playoffs, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals and going up 2-1 in the series on the Boston Celtics:
Despite the fact that the Panthers finished with the best record in the NHL this season and made the playoffs for a third consecutive year, Sportsnet's Nick Alberga even suggested that a coaching change should be considered:
Andrew Brunette took over as head coach of the Panthers this season after they parted ways with Joel Quenneville in October, and he did a remarkable job in the regular season.
It seems unlikely that the Panthers would fire him after a second-round playoff exit, but it is fair to wonder if a coach like Barry Trotz would be able to get more out of the team.
The season isn't over quite yet for the Panthers, but given all the Lightning have accomplished in recent years and how thoroughly they have outplayed the Panthers during this series, coming back from a 3-0 deficit seems nearly impossible.
Panthers Lambasted For Abysmal Power Play in Game 1 Loss vs. Lightning
The words "power" and "play" might just be banned from the city of Miami.
The Florida Panthers failed to score on three power plays in a 4-1 Game 1 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning, moving to 0-for-21 with a man-advantage in this year's postseason.
Power plays were the difference in the game, as the Lightning scored three extra-man goals on their six attempts. And after the game, fans were livid with Florida's inability to take advantage of their special teams' opportunities:
Game 1 started off on a high note for the Panthers, as Anthony Duclair opened the scoring in the first period.
But Corey Perry evened the proceedings in the second period, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Nikita Kucherov and Ross Colton each struck in a dominant third period for the Lightning.
Florida's power-play woes took a turn toward the cruel in that decisive third period, when it appeared the team had scored while a man up. Just before the goal, however, the puck hit the netting, and the play was overturned on review:
Granted, the Panthers beat the Washington Capitals without scoring a power-play goal, and they also lost Game 1 of that series.
So perhaps it isn't all doom and gloom for the Panthers. Maybe they'll just take the path less traveled:
Maybe. But it's more likely a trend they would prefer to end quickly. Beating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions will be near impossible if the Panthers can't take advantage of those chances.
Dear Abbey: Community Members Choose Their NHL Award Winners
Welcome to another edition of Dear Abbey. I don’t give life advice like the real Dear Abby, but I do talk about hockey.
The end of the regular season means voting season for the members of the hockey media. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and broadcast media vote on most of the major awards. A few are voted on by players and NHL general managers. The hype for the NHL Awards doesn’t quite hit its peak until after the Stanley Cup Final, but they are being talked about quite a bit at the moment since voting for all awards occurs before the start of the playoffs to fairly judge regular season performances.
Currently, I'm in the process of completing my ballot. It's not an easy, or quick, exercise. It once took me an entire cross-country flight to complete my ballot, and in the process of writing this, I've already changed my mind about a few rankings and candidates. It takes a lot of time to look at all of the traditional metrics and the underlying metrics, and I do try and talk to some people throughout hockey to try to get a feel for the contributions of players on teams I may not be as familiar with.
These awards mean a lot to players and that needs to be taken into consideration.
At a later date, I'll go into detail on my thought process for choosing and ranking the finalists. But today is all about giving the fans a voice in the awards. We asked members of the B/R hockey community who they would choose for the major honors: The Hart, Norris, Vezina, Calder and Selke Trophies and the Jack Adams and Jim Gregory Awards.
Hart Trophy: Most Valuable Player
Matthews: Hart, McDavid: Ted Lindsay just because it’s a damn coin flip for the Hart. (@eddystros84)
Josi should win the Hart (@frankthetank95)
Igor for the Hart and Vezina and it’s not even close (@T8Salt)
I would definitely vote Josi for the Hart if I could. For what the award is, player most valuable to his team, I feel like nobody else represents that better than Josi, Man has carried that team on his back into a playoff spot. (@jrs99)
I expected fans to choose New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin and I expected voters for Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid. But it appears as though Roman Josi has entered the chat.
The Nashville Predators defenseman has been the Norris Trophy frontrunner all season. He recently became the first blueliner to eclipse 90 points since Ray Bourque did it during the 1993-94 season with the Boston Bruins. The 31-year-old Swiss defender logged the highest-scoring season by a defenseman in the salary cap era (Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson played at an 89-point pace in 2019-20 but the season was shortened because of COVID-19 and he finished with 75).
The Preds have exceeded expectations this season. Matt Duchene is having a career renaissance at age 31 with his first 40-goal season. Filip Forsberg also turned in a 40-goal year. Juuse Saros has been one of the best goalies in the league.
But Josi is the engine that makes the car go.
And for the record, in 2018, there was another player that “carried that team on his back into a playoff spot,” that had the same coach: Taylor Hall, who was then a winger for the New Jersey Devils. That should speak to John Hynes' abilities as a coach, and possibly garner him some Jack Adams votes.
The Hart is an exceptionally difficult award to predict this year. Matthews became just the 21st player in NHL history to score 60 goals, Johnny Gaudreau put up 113 points for the Calgary Flames and has become a more complete player off the puck, McDavid is the best player in the world and continues to play like one and Jonathan Huberdeau's 85 assists demonstrate his importance as a distributor for a team that has averaged more than 4.0 goals per game this season.
Josi will get votes. So will Shesterkin. The rest on this list probably will too. Is there a wrong answer? It’s difficult to say when there are so many deserving candidates.
Norris Trophy: Best Defenseman
Josi: Norris (@eddystros84)
Makar for Norris (@crybabycarr)
If Makar wins the Norris, that’s just pure bias because people like him more and he’s the flashier player. No offense to him at all, but this year Josi is the better defenseman. (@noahquesnelle)
I disagree that a win for Makar, the Colorado Avalanche defenseman and 2020 Calder Award winner, would be pure bias because he's an elite defenseman and he has played at an elite level this season. As for who has the edge? It's a tough call.
Makar has outscored Josi 27-22 but Josi edges him in points, 93-85.
Makar is defensively responsible, but Josi is the better defender. However, the old Paul Coffey adage still rings true in today’s NHL: The best way to play defense is have the puck. When Makar is on the ice, the Avs are generating 55.71 percent of the shot attempts; when Josi is on the ice, the Preds are taking 86.85 percent of the attempts.
Sure, you could make the argument that Makar is on a stronger team with more talent and Josi, the 2020 Norris winner, has been carrying the Preds and making everyone around him better. But that’s an argument for the Hart Trophy, not for the Norris. The Norris Trophy is an award for the most outstanding defenseman, not the most valuable defenseman.
The two are neck-and-neck, so I think the one thing we can (mostly) agree on is that this isn’t the year for Victor Hedman or Adam Fox, despite the fact that those are two exceptional defensemen.
Vezina Trophy: Best Goaltender
Igor: Vezina (@eddystros84)
As a reminder, the Vezina is voted on by general managers, not the media.
But if it was up to the fans, the winner would be Shesterkin.
It’s clear that Shesterkin’s play this season has put him in the upper echelon of netminders, with his name in the same conversation as Andrei Vasilevskiy, Marc-Andre Fleury, Connor Hellebuyck, Sergei Bobrovsky and Robin Lehner. The metrics used to evaluate them aren’t as accurate as the metrics used to evaluate the skaters and they can vary wildly from year-to-year.
Goaltending stats can be more easily influenced by the skaters in front of them, which is why goals against average is sometimes discounted, and one bad game can wreck their save percentage.
At one point this season, Shesterkin had an absurd .945 save percentage. He'll end the season somewhere around .935, which could lead all goalies by about 5-10 percentage points, with New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin likely to finish second.
You can bring in the argument about value to a team in Vezina Trophy discussions because goaltending is absolutely crucial to success. The Devils could really fly this season and up-and-coming young players generated offense in all sorts of ways, but their minus-57 goal differential showed just how much of an Achilles heel goaltending was.
Shesterkin is the favoite despite the fact that he’ll make less than 55 starts, but a 1A and 1B model is largely favored in today’s NHL game, so I don’t think that will take away too many votes.
I would also expect Saros, Frederik Andersen, Jakob Markstrom, Darcy Kuemper and possibly even Sorokin to garner some votes as well.
Calder Memorial Trophy: Rookie of the Year
Bunting (@thedudeyaknow)
Seider (@jrs99)
Seider: Calder (@eddystros84)
There was one reader who called Michael Bunting an old man, which made me laugh because at 26, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward is considerably older than most rookies. In fact, he barely qualifies as a rookie. Sportsnet's Justin Bourne said he dodged the qualifications "matrix style" and that's exactly how it should be described.
From the official hockey operations guidelines:
To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons. Any player at least 26 years of age (by September 15th of that season) is not considered a rookie.
The AHL and ECHL veteran played in 21 games last season and five in the 2018-19 season before and he made the birthday cutoff by only two days.
It’s quite a feat, as are his 63 points which lead all NHL rookies. He might be about 5-6 years older than the other top first-year players, but it’s great to see players like Bunting and 24-year-old Predators rookie Tanner Jeannot, the rookie goals leader with 24, finally break through at the NHL level after grinding in the minor leagues for so long.
Moritz Seider has already become the franchise cornerstone the Detroit Red Wings expected him to become when they drafted him in 2019. The German defenseman has logged heavy minutes in important situations for a rebuilding Red Wings team and has looked as mature and effective as some of the longtime NHL vets. His teammate Lucas Raymond, a 20-year-old rookie, was one of Detroit’s top forwards this year and showed immense potential.
Trevor Zegras, second in rookie points with 60, wasn’t mentioned by fans, but the Anaheim Ducks center has been one of the most entertaining young players in the league this season. He displays tremendous skill with his lacrosse-style goals and, while maybe frustrating to some, his flashy plays are redefining the way the game is played.
Seider seems to be the favorite, but you can’t overlook Zegras, Raymond, Matt Boldy in Minnesota or Seth Jarvis in Carolina.
Frank J. Selke Trophy: Best Two-Way Forward
JEEK Selke (@thedudeyaknow)
Lindholm (@jrs99)
Selke this year is the hardest but I think two players stand out, Barkov and Erickson Ek (@eddystros84)
Patrice Bergeron has won the Selke four times, come in second place four times and third place in voting twice. Bergeron and Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar have become the gold-standard of two-way centers.
However, the fans are higher on Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek. I think Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames has a strong case as well, and Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov can never be counted out of a Selke competition.
In recent years, the Selke Trophy has become an award to recognize the best two-way forward. If that's the case, then we're really not giving Matthews or McDavid enough credit. Technically, that's not the criteria. The definition states, "the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."
What constitutes a good defensive forward is up for debate, which is why this award is somewhat subjective. Minnesota winger Marcus Foligno told The Athletic that a Selke winner should have shutdown defensive abilities and also contribute offensively. How much offensive contribution is up for debate.
Physicality, shot suppression and puck possession are factors as well.
Matchups may be the biggest factor. Are these forwards regularly playing against other teams' top lines and limiting their production? Barkov and Bergeron do that, so are players like Rangers center Mika Zibanejad.
The Hart and Selke leave the most room for interpretation but expect the regular suspects like Bergeron and Barkov to be named finalists and don’t be surprised if Eriksson Ek, Lindholm and even Matthews are in the mix as well.
Jack Adams Award: Coach of the Year
Darryl Sutter (@thedudeyaknow)
Jack Adams goes to Dean Evason (@eddystros84)
This is award is voted on by members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association.
Darryl Sutter hockey is not the most exciting brand of hockey. It's a low-event game with a lot of cycling, checking and shooting the puck into the netting. But the grizzled cattle farmer from Viking, Alberta has proven that it’s still an effective brand of hockey and it works with a more modern-day personnel group.
The two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach has guided the Flames to a 111-point season and a Pacific Division title. Sure, the Pacific was a mess this season but the Flames never let any other team even make it a competition. A plus-87 goal differential shows how overpowering Calgary’s powerful offense could be, and the Flames also excelled in special teams.
Sometimes the award ends up going to the coach of the team that best defied expectations, and Sutter's Flames squad did that. You could say they got some help from the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights, but to me, the goal differential speaks for itself.
The other coaches that meet that criteria are Hynes and Rangers bench boss Gerard Gallant. The Rangers were pegged as a playoff team but they've risen to become one of the Eastern Conference powers this season.
We can't mention this award and not discuss the job that Andrew Brunette has done down in Florida. Brunette was named the interim coach in October after Joel Quenneville resigned amid the fallout from the Kyle Beach case. The Panthers have gone 51-17-6 under Brunette and he helped keep things together at a time when they could have come undone.
Sure, Brunette had an elite roster to work and that roster got stronger at the trade deadline with additions like Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot, but he did lose one of the best defensemen in the game in Aaron Ekblad for several games. The team's recent 13-game winning streak also bolsters his credentials.
Evason, the coach of the Wild, has done a great job this season and was rewarded for his recent success with a contract extension right before the New Year. But I think other coaches may have stronger cases.
Jim Gregory Award: General Manager of the Year
Jim Gregory to Bill Guerin (@eddystros84)
This award is decided by a 42-member panel that includes all 32 general managers, five NHL executives and five media members.
A team is only as good as its starting goaltender, and Guerin acquired a very good one this year in Fleury. The Fleury trade was arguably the biggest one made at the trade deadline, but there were other smaller moves made as well to add depth and toughness to the lineup.
Rangers general manager Chris Drury should not be overlooked for this award, either. The first-year GM made savvy moves for forwards Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano and Tyler Motte (although Motte has been injured since early April) and defenseman Justin Braun that gave the Rangers a much deeper bottom-six and a stabilizing presence on the blue line.
Bill Zito in Florida, a 2021 finalist, should get consideration as well considering the remarkable season the Panthers had. However, while this roster was constructed by Zito, it was former general manager Dale Tallon that acquired many of the key players.
This has not dissuaded voters in the past. Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello has won the last two awards, and many of the players that reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and the Stanley Cup semifinal round were acquired by the GM he succeeded, Garth Snow.
Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois has mastered the salary cap and Kyle Dubas (Toronto) and Don Waddell (Carolina) have constructed two top-tier teams, so I wouldn't be surprised to see any of their names when the finalists are announced.
6 NHL Storylines to Watch in Final Week of the 2021-22 Regular Season
We've made it to the final week of the 2021-22 NHL regular season. The playoff picture is starting to become clear, and on the other end of the spectrum, the draft lottery odds are starting to come into focus as well.
But some things are still undecided. The awards race is heating up, and the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers are in a battle for the President's Trophy. Plus, there is still time for teams to battle for playoff positioning.
With that in mind, let's get into some of the questions that still need to be answered over this final week of play.
Which team has the best odds for the No. 1 overall draft pick?
The rights to draft Shane Wright are on the line.
The NHL will hold the draft lottery remotely on May 10. The odds were adjusted this season to allow for the addition of a 32nd team, the Seattle Kraken.
The 16 teams that did not make the Stanley Cup playoffs will be entered into the lottery. The team with the fewest points will have an 18.5 percent chance of winning the top pick, while the second-worst squad will have a 13.5 percent chance.
Currently, the Arizona Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens have the fewest amount of points with 51. The Coyotes kinda sorta openly tanked this season, and the franchise is in a strange state, with the team temporarily relocating to a college arena next season while it attempts to work out a deal for a new arena in Tempe. Winning the lottery and drafting Wright, who is projected to go No. 1 overall, would be a boon to an organization struggling to attract fans.
However, the Habs are hosting the draft in July, and that city could see a celebration even rowdier than the one we saw when the team advanced to the Stanley Cup Final last year.
The Philadelphia Flyers and Seattle Kraken will likely be the next-worst teams.
The Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils have point totals in the low 60s.
There are two new rules this year: A team will be restricted from moving up more than 10 spots if it wins one of the lottery draws, and it cannot win the lottery more than two times in a five-year period. However, wins in lotteries prior to 2022 will not be counted, which is good for the Devils, who won the lottery in 2017 and 2019.
Will Igor Shesterkin win the Hart Trophy?
Full disclosure: I'm an awards voter as a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. It's a privilege that I take seriously, and I do a lot of research when it comes to my ballot each season. I'm not going to disclose my ballot, especially since I have yet to finish my deep dive on the candidates, but Igor Shesterkin is making my job and the job of other voters interesting.
It's not often that a goalie makes a case for hockey's version of the MVP award, but the New York Rangers goalie will certainly be a finalist. He would be the eighth goalie to win the award. It would be the ninth time it was given to a goalie (Dominik Hasek won it twice) and the first since Carey Price won it in 2014-15.
Shesterkin leads the league in save percentage (.936) and goals-against average (2.03). His 36 wins are tied for fifth. But the traditional analytics don't illustrate his full value, in part because sometimes it is difficult to quantify a goalie's full value.
But if fancy stats are more your thing, then consider his 24.46 goals saved above average at five-on-five, which is second behind New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin and his 0.887 high-danger save percentage (also at five-on-five).
It's tough to compare a goalie to skaters, which is why they're often overlooked in the Hart Trophy race. And there is also the age-old question of what constitutes the most valuable player: Is it the player who make the biggest contribution or the one who does the most for the team without ending up on the scoresheet?
Shesterkin is also a strong candidate for the Vezina Trophy, the award given to goalies and voted on by NHL general managers.
Other top candidates for the Hart right now are Jonathan Huberdeau, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid. If it was up to Huberdeau, who has a career-high 114 points, he would give it to Matthews.
And speaking of Matthews…
Will he score 60 goals?
Matthews is sitting at 58 with two games left to play against the Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins. The Toronto Maple Leafs have already grabbed a playoff spot, but they cannot win the Atlantic Division. They enter the week five points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning, so there isn't much left to play for in these last two games and this is typically where we see some veterans and some top players resting in anticipation of the playoffs.
But no one has netted 60 goals in a season since Steven Stamkos did a decade ago. The only other active player to have scored 60 or more is Alexander Ovechkin, who really hasn't slowed down much considering he scored 50 this season, marking his ninth season with at least 50. It's a remarkable feat that has only occurred 39 other times and has been done by only 20 players.
Matthews might have already reached the milestone had he not missed eight games this season, especially three he sat out last week with an injury. But he returned to the lineup Saturday and tallied two assists on Sunday in a win over the Washington Capitals.
Is the injury nagging him enough that he should sit out and get ready for the postseason? Or should he go for 60? It's a tough call, but he appears to be well enough to play for now.
Will the Golden Knights make the playoffs?
Things sure have changed in Las Vegas since the club began its inaugural season in 2017-18. The expectation has been to win a Stanley Cup, and they went all-in this season by acquiring star center Jack Eichel, but injuries derailed the 2021-22 season.
The Golden Knights are currently sitting on the outside looking in, six points behind the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division and three points behind the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference wild-card standings.
Their playoff prospects are nearly dead after a disaster of a game on Sunday night against the San Jose Sharks. San Jose was down by two with two minutes left but came back to tie it with 0.9 seconds left. The Sharks killed off a penalty in overtime and won in a shootout.
They do have a game in hand on the Stars, and they will play in Dallas on Tuesday. However, goalie Robin Lehner has been battling a knee injury since early March, and there seems to be a disconnect between him and the club as to whether he will undergo surgery. He did back up Logan Thompson on Sunday night against the Sharks, but it's been a little bit of a soap opera of late.
A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Eichel trade needs to be judged for the long-term benefits and that the season shouldn't be considered a disaster if the team fails to make the playoffs. However, it's tough to know what management and ownership make of the situation.
This team has been known to turn on a dime when it comes to decision-making. They jettisoned former coach Gerard Gallant in January 2018 with the team sitting in fifth place in the Pacific Division and traded goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in a salary-cap maneuver last summer. Both moves were quite unpopular. How will the management and ownership groups view the situation with current coach Peter DeBoer? DeBoer is widely regarded as one of the top coaches in the league, but there could be some heat on his seat as the season winds down.
Can anyone beat the Panthers?
The Panthers saw their franchise-best 13-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday night in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Avs have been stuck at 116 points for a week. They've lost their last four games, and backup goalie Pavel Francouz has been injured after an errant puck struck him on the bench.
The schedule for Colorado isn't light this week with games against the St. Louis Blues, Predators and Minnesota Wild. So the attention turns to the Panthers to see whether they can stay hot in the postseason against either the Capitals or the Boston Bruins.
The good news for Florida is that star defenseman Aaron Ekblad appears to be on the mend. He skated with the team on Long Island last week, so there is hope he can return for the postseason. He's been out since March 18 when he was injured in a game against the Anaheim Ducks. Without him, the Panthers have gone 15-1-0. If that's how they play without one of the best blueliners in the league, imagine what they might look like in the playoffs with him.
How will the brackets shake out?
We have one postseason matchup set: The St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild will square off in the first round. The rest of the matchups are still up in the air, but you can probably pencil in the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings.
The two series I would most like to see in the first round are Rangers-Bruins and Toronto-Tampa Bay. The second one is still in play.
The first round continues to vex a Toronto squad laden with talent and questionable goaltending. However, if the Leafs can get past the two-time defending champs in the first round, then it would make a huge statement that this team is ready to move on from its recent history and finally contend for a Cup once again.
As for the Rangers and Bruins facing one another, it's not quite Yankees-Red Sox, but it could be close. The intensity seems to ratchet up a few notches when Boston and New York teams play one another. Boston vs. New York might be the greatest rivalry in sports, and this is coming from a born-and-raised Californian.
This scenario would mean the Rangers leapfrog the Carolina Hurricanes in the standings. The two will play each other on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, but the Rangers are four points behind the Canes.
It's a race to the finish for some and a race to the bottom for others. This next week should be high on drama and build up some excitement for the upcoming playoffs.
NHL Playoff Picture 2022: Panthers Clinch Postseason Berth, Updated Standings
The Florida Panthers are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a third consecutive season.
Florida became the first team in the NHL to clinch a spot in the 2022 postseason with a 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday at KeyBank Center. With the win, the Panthers moved to 48-15-6 and extended a commanding lead in the Atlantic Division.
Here's a look at the Eastern Conference standings:
Atlantic Division
1. Florida Panthers: 48-15-6, 102 points
2. Toronto Maple Leafs: 44-19-5, 93 points
3. Tampa Bay Lightning: 43-18-7, 93 points
Metropolitan Division
1. Carolina Hurricanes: 45-16-8, 98 points
2. New York Rangers: 44-20-5, 93 points
3. Pittsburgh Penguins: 41-19-10, 92 points
Wild Card
1. Boston Bruins: 43-20-5, 91 points
2. Washington Capitals: 37-21-10, 84 points
And here's a look at the Western Conference standings:
Central Division
1. Colorado Avalanche: 49-14-6, 104 points
2. Minnesota Wild: 42-20-5, 89 points
3. St. Louis Blues: 38-20-10, 86 points
Pacific Division
1. Calgary Flames: 40-19-9, 89 points
2. Los Angeles Kings: 38-23-10, 86 points
3. Edmonton Oilers: 39-25-5, 83 points
Wild Card
1. Nashville Predators: 39-25-4, 82 points
2. Dallas Stars: 39-25-3, 81 points
The Panthers have spent most of the 2021-22 campaign atop the Eastern Conference standings thanks to incredible seasons from Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart.
Huberdeau has posted 97 points (24 goals, 73 assists), Barkov has 72 points (33 goals, 39 assists) and Reinhart has 65 points (24 goals, 41 assists).
Florida has also received key defensive performances from MacKenzie Weegar, Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour. In addition, the team's depth has been one of the best in the league, featuring six players who have tallied at least 20 goals and 11 players who have reached the 30-point mark.
The Panthers have never won a title and are hoping to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996. However, they'll face a difficult path, even if they finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Despite sitting third in the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning are primed to make a run at their third consecutive title. The Boston Bruins are also shaping up to be one of the best teams in the East, having gone 8-2-0 in their last 10 games.
Still, the Panthers have a solid chance to win it all. Their younger players have matured after being eliminated in the first round in each of the last two seasons. In addition, Florida added veteran Claude Giroux in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers, and his experience should help push the team forward.
Dear Abbey: 2022 NHL Playoffs Matchups You Want to See
Welcome to another edition of Dear Abbey. I don't give life advice like the real Dear Abby, but I do talk about hockey.
The trade deadline has passed, and we’re in the home stretch of the regular season with a month left to play. Things are getting interesting as the Western Conference teams battle for those two wild-card playoff spots and the Eastern Conference teams jockey for positioning. The teams on the outside of the playoff pictures can play spoilsport, which can be beneficial for the developing prospects to get some NHL experience.
But this edition is about the playoffs.
The way the Stanley Cup Playoffs are currently structured, regional and divisional rivalries are typically played in the first few rounds. This isn’t always ideal since it often leads to some of the best teams being knocked out early on, but it does make for some interesting storylines in the first and second rounds.
This format has been around since 2014, and in that time the San Jose Sharks have faced the Los Angeles Kings twice in the first round and the Vegas Golden Knights once in the first round and once in the second. We’ve seen quite a few iterations of Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins and the memes on Twitter with pens next to pen caps that come along with it.
So this week, we asked members of the B/R community what matchups they would most like to see in the postseason this year. The fans have spoken, and they want some new rivalry action, some tough-guy action and they really want to see the two Florida teams go at it.
Here are five matchups readers would like to see.
Boxing on Broadway
@jeff73883: Rangers-Caps. Let Reaves beat Wilson up.
This was one of the more popular answers. To give some background, last year there was a debacle between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers that resulted in a three-day news story and a statement from the Rangers calling for the removal of George Parros, the head of the NHL’s department of player safety.
Former New York general manager Jeff Gorton and team president John Davidson were also dismissed from their posts, and though the timing was suspect, it was never clear whether or not the two incidents were related. Either way, it was…a lot.
During a post-whistle scrum in a late-season game, Wilson threw a helmetless Artemi Panarin to the ice and was only fined $500,000, which was an incredibly small amount for a repeat offender.
But the Rangers went out over the summer and got tougher. They're now better able to counter Wilson with Ryan Reaves, and it appears as though New Yorkers want to see some revenge.
Wilson has always been an interesting case study because he doesn’t have to fight or play dirty. He’s a talented top-line winger and he’s extremely well liked in the Washington locker room. So well liked, in fact, that some people around the organization have said he could someday become a captain when Alex Ovechkin retires.
But Wilson seems to enjoy fighting. He’s an investor in a D.C.-area boxing gym called BASH Boxing because he enjoys their boxing/cardio interval workouts.
Reaves, on the other hand, is very much what you’d expect from an enforcer: He’s a bottom-six grinder and an excellent fighter.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have also been guilty of trying to get tough enough to counter Wilson and it came at the sacrifice of skill in the lineup. But the Rangers have a good balance of skill and toughness, especially since adding Andrew Copp, Tyler Motte, Frank Vatrano and Justin Braun at the trade deadline.
Regardless of any fights, this would be an entertaining matchup between two Metropolitan Division teams in very different places: The Rangers are trying to end their rebuild, while the Capitals are trying to keep their window of contention open a little longer.
For what it’s worth, Reaves also has an equally cool off-ice investment in a beer company, 7Five Brewing Co. Maybe they can all grab a stout after the playoffs.
A Wild one in the Rockies
@jimjamflimflam: Wild-Avs. They legit hate each other.
Hate is a very strong word for a matchup that has only been played in the postseason three times, especially since the two teams just did business with one another at the trade deadline, with Colorado sending Tyson Jost to Minnesota in exchange for Nico Sturm.
Most professional athletes across all sports will tell you that rivalries are created in the postseason. Defenseman Drew Doughty once told me that the rivalry between the Kings and their Southern California rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, was entirely created by fans.
However, the fans make a difference. The Kings and Ducks played one another for the first and only time in playoff history in 2014. It was an exciting seven-game series that featured an electric atmosphere. There was a solid mix of fans from both sides in both arenas, and Teemu Selanne ended his career to a standing ovation, drawing cheers from fans who had previously always rooted against him.
The following season, Doughty was asked again how he felt about the rivalry. He said it had become an official rivalry because of that heated postseason series.
So to make this Central Division rivalry official, we need it this spring.
Both of these teams have been perennial also-rans in recent years, more or less. Minnesota has made 11 playoff appearances since the club’s first season in 2000-01 but has only advanced past the first round three times.
Colorado was once a juggernaut and has recently been a favorite to hoist the Cup, but the Avs haven’t had great results in the playoffs.
Both of these teams are going for it. Both of them are capable of going deep and will be good for the next few years. This could be the start of something contentious and something exciting.
Getting After it in Alberta
@frankthetank95: BoA
@Zaphgod: Battle for Alberta
This used to be a fantastic postseason rivalry…back in the 1980s. The last time these two teams met after the regular season was in 1991. Connor McDavid, Johnny Gaudreau and, well, most of the two rosters had not yet been born.
Maybe Mike Smith, Edmonton’s 40-year-old goalie, has some memories of that series.
The Oilers have the best player in the world in McDavid but have not been able to build much around him. It’s been a roller coaster of a season in Edmonton, which, let’s be honest, is not uncharacteristic for the franchise. The club fired its coach, Dave Tippett, in February, and replaced him with their AHL coach Jay Woodcroft. The results have been positive, as the Oilers have gone 15-7-2 since the change behind the bench.
The goaltending situation has been better as of late, but Smith and Mikko Koskinen haven’t exactly been the most reliable tandem in hockey, and general manager Ken Holland failed to land a goalie at the trade deadline. But the Anaheim Ducks slid from contention and traded away some top veterans to continue their rebuild and the Vegas Golden Knights are trying to stop their own skid, so the Oilers will (probably) secure a bid.
The Flames are on the upswing. They’re one of the top shot-volume teams at 5-on-5 and they create scoring chances at a high rate at even strength as well, they have a top-10 power play and goalie Jacob Markstrom has the fourth-best save percentage in the league.
Darryl Sutter hockey is not the most exciting brand of hockey. It’s low-event with a lot of cycling, but it’s clearly still effective. The system is the star, and in this case, Sutter might be too.
The story writes itself: He’s from Viking, Alberta, and still operates a cattle ranch there. It’s closer to Edmonton than Calgary, but this is his second stint with the Flames, so the fans love him.
But while the mercurial Sutter can deliver some witty soundbites in the postseason ("Fly at 11" is still often repeated among Los Angeles media members), players can find him grating.
When things are going well, everyone gets on board. But even after the most dominant wins, he can be extremely critical, which is not great for morale and confidence and can cause players to tune him out.
It’s the rising coaching star with the game’s biggest star against a grizzled, two-time Cup-winning veteran coach and a deep group trying to bring prominence to the prairie. This particular Battle of Alberta would not disappoint.
Sunshine Showdown
@joelguinand: Bolts and Panthers. It was a damn good series and I’m sure this year it would be even better.
@hialeah1987: Bolts-Cats. It’s time to show Tampa that So Fla rules hockey in Florida now.
This was the most popular matchup from the B/R community. And I agree with @joelguinand; it was a fantastic series last year. This is the Eastern Conference Final we deserve.
The Panthers are averaging 4.06 goals per game. The forward group is exceptionally deep, but they’re also creating offense from the blueline. This team is loaded and playing in front of an elite goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Lightning are still the champs until they aren’t. They are without some of the key role players who helped them win back-to-back Stanley Cups, but that hasn’t held them back because of the high-end talent on the roster, savvy coaching and strong player development.
Tampa Bay and Florida haven’t exactly been neck-and-neck all season, but they’re close. The Lightning are eight points back of the Panthers and would almost certainly need to fall into the wild-card spots to play them in the first round.
The Lightning already have a fervent fanbase in the Tampa Bay area, which happens when you win three Stanley Cups and establish a foothold in the market. But a series like this would help grow the game exponentially throughout the state. New fans, learn-to-play programs and other grassroots outreach are important in non-traditional hockey markets, and the exposure that a playoff series brings would help fuel those efforts on the eastern side of the state and in other parts as well.
The Panthers have never exactly been a marquee franchise, but knocking off Tampa Bay in a conference final could change that.
The Heavyweight Title Bout
@Ryst: Avs-Panthers. The ultimate “Did Giroux pick the right team” matchup
Former Flyers captain Claude Giroux used his no-trade clause to engineer a move to the team he felt he would fit with the best. The Panthers were the winners of the sweepstakes, despite interest from the Avs. So in this hypothetical scenario, after the Cats knock off the Lightning (in seven games, just to maximize the drama), they would take on the Avs.
Things have worked out quite well for Giroux since the trade. He already has five assists in five games with the Panthers, four of them wins (3-1-0). For now, it seems as though he made the right decision.
Colorado has somehow managed to stay dominant throughout the season despite injuries to several top players like Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. But the good news is that MacKinnon returned to the lineup Thursday and talented young defenseman Bowen Byram is on an AHL conditioning stint, so there is hope that he can return after a series of head injuries.
One could make the argument that these are the top two teams in the league right now, though you could certainly include the Carolina Hurricanes in the discussion. These are probably the two top contenders for the Cup Final, though, and the rosters are built to withstand several rounds of intense playoff hockey.
As for Giroux, he’s a pending unrestricted free agent, so he'll have another decision to make following the season. The only decisions he’ll be worried about in a championship series are the ones on the ice, but it’s still a fun storyline.
Eastern Conference Loads Up, but Panthers and Lightning Remain a Class Ahead
The road to the Stanley Cup goes through Florida. That became even more apparent at the 2022 NHL trade deadline Monday.
Whether or not the top team in the Eastern Conference comes from the gulf side of Alligator Alley or the East Coast side of the Sunshine State, the additions made by the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning have put the teams in prime position to play deep into the postseason and beat each other up in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Eastern Conference playoff spots have been locked up for months. All that's left is to jockey for playoff positioning. All of the East teams got better, but they're all still chasing the two Florida clubs.
The goal shouldn't be to get into the playoffs, it should be to win the Stanley Cup. Sometimes postseason experience can benefit young players, but oftentimes, if teams that aren't ready to contend for a Cup end up in the postseason, it only sets them back. Some clubs—such as the Anaheim Ducks—wisely understood that and decided not to buy to try to grab a wild-card spot.
Instead, some of the Ducks' top players ended up on Eastern Conference teams. Will they be enough to make a difference? Did any franchise do enough to cross over into that contender territory?
Let's unpack some of the most impactful trades and see how the teams in the deeper of the two conferences stack up.
The Contenders: Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes
The Florida Panthers have pushed all of their chips to the center of the table.
Which, honestly, is what a team scoring more than 4.0 goals per game and leading the league in shot volume should do. Florida was marred by chaos in the front office and behind the bench for years, with the Panthers famously leaving coach Gerard Gallant at the curb after firing him in 2016.
Joel Quenneville resigned in October during the investigation of the Chicago Blackhawks' handling of sexual assault allegations from former player Kyle Beach, and Andrew Brunette has deftly guided the team to the top of the conference.
The Panthers already have elite talent at nearly every position, but the rich got richer with the additions of defenseman Ben Chiarot and forward Claude Giroux, who is having an All-Star season. The former Flyers captain used his no-trade protection to engineer a deal to the Panthers.
"I’m here to win. I’m here to help the team win," he told reporters in his opening press conference. "I think this team has a great chance to go far in the playoffs."
For the second year in a row, the biggest nemesis for the two-time Stanley Cup champions in Tampa was the salary cap. But still, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois found a way to maneuver around it and make additions.
Brandon Hagel cost first-round picks in 2023 and 2024 and rookie forwards Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh, but he has two years on his contract before restricted free agency, which basically means four years of team control.
The club is hoping he's its 2022 version of Blake Coleman, the under-the-radar power forward it acquired from the New Jersey Devils at the 2020 deadline. They also brought in forward Nick Paul from the Ottawa Senators and fit him under the cap thanks to his previous club's willingness to retain 44.5 percent of his salary, per ESPN.
The Carolina Hurricanes only made one notable deal, acquiring Max Domi right at the deadline in a three-team trade with the Panthers and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Columbus sent Domi and a 2022 sixth-round pick (which was previously acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs) to the Panthers for defenseman Tyler Inamoto, and then traded Inamoto to Carolina for defenseman Aidan Hreschuk, while Florida sent Domi to the 'Canes for Egor Korshkov.
Are you following yet?
Even if you're not, what you need to know is that the all-offense Domi will be moved to the wing, which is probably where he's most effective. The question is whether he can get along with coach Rod Brind'Amour, considering his issues with coaches Claude Julien and John Tortorella.
These teams didn't need to make big moves, but they did because good clubs use the trade deadline to get better.
Could Make a Run: Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins
Not only did the Toronto Maple Leafs fail to address their goaltending situation, but they also lost Harri Sateri on waivers. However, Petr Mrazek cleared waivers, so it's status quo for Toronto in net, though not for lack of effort.
Toronto GM Kyle Dubas had conversations with the Blackhawks about Marc-Andre Fleury, and they were leaked to the media, which he was clearly unhappy about.
“I’m disappointed that that conversation is public,” Dubas said of Darren Dreger's report. “I’m not criticizing you, I’ve just never had that before where these specifics like that have been made public. I think, frankly, that’s probably a conversation to ask Kyle Davidson on his availability in Chicago.”
However, they did address a big need on the blue line by bringing in Mark Giordano and added to the forward depth with Colin Blackwell in a trade with the Seattle Kraken.
A Toronto native, Giordano isn't exactly isn't in his prime at age 38, but he's still an effective, respected defenseman, and it reunites him with his former Calgary Flames defense partner, TJ Brodie. It was a necessary move with Rasmus Sandin (knee) and Jake Muzzin (concussion) injured.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins made big improvements thanks to Anaheim. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm was traded to Boston and subsequently signed to an eight-year deal. The Bruins gave up a lot to get Lindholm, and for good reason—the 28-year-old is a mobile puck-mover with two-way abilities and was the top defenseman on the market.
They also kept Jake DeBrusk, who requested a trade earlier this season. Nothing materialized after they had discussions about moving him, and they extended his contract for two years at $8 million.
"I’ve been having discussions on Jake for months. Today wasn’t any different in terms of where teams thought he fit into their group and what they were trying to do," general manager Don Sweeney said. "Some teams were down the road on other things, and we’ll pivot back maybe. But it doesn’t really matter at this point. Like I said, sent a clear message to Jake and he sent one to us, that he just wants to play hockey. Bottom line is he knows he’s an important part if he plays to his capabilities, he’s going to help us and help himself."
The Penguins added Rickard Rakell, which gives the forward group a big weapon. He creates a lot of offense off the rush and is a responsible defender. He's scored 30 or more goals twice, though he's coming off a few down seasons. Some of that can be attributed to the Ducks' rebuild, and the 28-year-old should return to his old form with better linemates around him.
The biggest issue for the New York Rangers was depth. They boast a star-laden roster, but it had a steep drop-off in talent from the top two lines to the bottom two. First-year GM Chris Drury addressed that by adding Frank Vatrano, Andrew Copp and Tyler Motte.
Veteran defenseman Justin Braun takes the pressure off rookie Braden Schneider. With salary-cap issues looming in the next few years, Drury did what he could to bring in rentals without sacrificing too much talent from an exceptionally deep prospect pool.
The Pretenders: Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals brought back Marcus Johansson, who played seven seasons in Washington, in a trade with the Seattle Kraken. General manager Brian MacLellan likes his familiarity with the system and the personnel.
"He knows our power play really well, he can come in and he's comfortable right away, in my mind," MacLellan said. "He knows how guys play, he knows what he can do to play with them. That was attractive in our mind. We'll work it out. We'll see what works in the lines, the coaches will have him, try him with different guys and see what role he can play with us."
But the problem with the Capitals is their goaltending. It's shaky at best, as Ilya Samsonov has underachieved, Vitek Vanecek was out with an upper-body injury and the team has filled the gaps with Zachary Fucale and Pheonix Copley. The Caps aren't the only team with questions in net, and the best defense in the NHL is offense, which the Caps do have.
You could say the Leafs or the Bruins belong in this category, and you could make the argument that the Caps don't belong here. It's such a deep conference. Any of these teams could be capable of making a run, or they could get eliminated in the first round, like Tampa Bay in 2019.
There is plenty of time for teams to integrate their new players and plenty of time for things to go wrong, so let's drop the puck on the rest of the season.
Advanced statistics via Natural Stat Trick. Salary-cap info via CapFriendly unless otherwise noted.