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We’re back for another edition of ‘5 Questions’ after starting off the series with questions focusing on Auston Matthews. Today’s piece moves from Matthews to his right wing, as we check in with Mitch Marner.

Marner had himself a huge summer, tying the knot and now appears set for a career season in 2023-24. He’s been absolutely buzzin’ during camp and in preseason action and is poised to put up some numbers alongside Matthews and new linemate Tyler Bertuzzi. Here’s five questions for #16 of the Maple Leafs:

Are 100 points on the horizon?

We saw last season how close Marner was to getting 100 points as his teammates were doing whatever they could the last game of the year to try and get him another point. This season there shouldn’t be much need to press like that, because with another year under his belt, he should have the ability to reach 100 with ease.

The trio of Marner, Matthews, and Bertuzzi are going to do some serious damage. They’ve shown already in camp and preseason that chemistry is not an issue and they’ll be hitting the score sheet early and often this year. Expect to see Marner eclipse the 30-goal mark once again this season as Bertuzzi is a much better playmaker than Michael Bunting. There’s also the penalty kill to consider. Marner and Matthews look like they’ll be paired up shorthanded, meaning he could finish with more than the five shorthanded points he registered in 2022-23.

100? I’m gonna guess he hits 108.

Is a Selke trophy in the cards this season?

With Patrice Bergeron retiring, it finally gave everyone else in the league a fair shot at winning the Selke trophy as the league’s best defensive forward. Marner finished third last season in voting, and he could be in a battle with Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils for top spot. Hischier was the clear cut runner up to Bergeron in 2022-23 and will once again be in the conversation at season’s end.

Marner’s 200-foot game is as solid as they come and it seems like it’s been gradually improving these past few seasons. Expect to see much more of the same as the forward is very committed to both sides of the puck. His ability to read the play and get into passing lanes is some of his best work.

With how much Matthews is emphasizing on the defensive-side of the puck this season, could we see both #34 and #16 finish top-5 in Selke votes? They were #3 and #14 in 2022-23.

The last Maple Leaf to win the award was Doug Gilmour in 1993.

How many times will Leafs Nation yell ‘SHOOOOT’?

The first few seasons of Marner’s career, he was overpassing. There would be multiple times throughout a game where the crowd would yell ‘shoooot’. He was looking for the extra pass and looking to make highlight reel plays almost every shift.

I think he’s done a great job shooting more of late and he should continue putting pucks on net this season. Marner finished last season with 196 shots , so surpassing the 200-shot mark shouldn’t be out of the question.

However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be moments of frustration. Marner, Matthews and Bertuzzi are going to get fancy from time to time and look for the extra pass or ‘easier goal’. It’s going to be fun to watch the Leafs top line, but they’ll also make us all shake our heads at times.

Will the ‘Clutch Gene’ continue?

While there’s been a ton of focus on this Maple Leafs core not being able to produce when it matters, it’s important to appreciate Marner’s work. He registered 14 points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season and the year before it was eight points in seven playoff games.

Even after a couple of terrible showings in the postseason, Marner’s career numbers are just under a point-a-game in the playoffs (47p in 50gp).

Add in 16 game-winning points during the course of the regular season and it’s not surprising to see how much impact Marner has on the Maple Leafs’ victories. He’s improving in that department, and he is going to continue to develop the ‘clutch gene’.

The Maple Leafs have an opportunity to go deep this season, and if they do, Marner will be a big part of it.

What is his ceiling?

At 26 years old, Marner is smack dab in the middle of his prime. So, what is his ceiling? 100-points and a Selke trophy? Or is it possible he hits 110-120 points and puts his name in the conversation for the Selke and the Hart?

The possibilities are endless with Marner. He’s playing alongside his best buddy who also happens to be a world-class talent and Bertuzzi, who is the perfect compliment to the line. He contributes on the power play, penalty kill and on both sides of the puck.

Kids, if you’re trying to learn the game, watch #16 of the Maple Leafs. He plays the game the right way and he’s one of the players who could be instrumental in getting this team to heights we haven’t seen around here in a very long time.

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The Calgary Flames played their final home pre-season game on Monday evening when they hosted the Winnipeg Jets. The Flames were a bit flat to begin the game, but they found their execution as the game went on. They came from behind to beat the Jets by a 5-4 score.

The rundown

The Flames were a bit leaky defensively in the opening period, and a few key lapses led to a couple Winnipeg goals.

Early on, the Jets got some zone time and Cole Perfetti found a pinching Ville Heinola with a nice backhanded pass. Because of some defensive zone confusion, Heinola had oodles of time and a clear shooting lane and beat Jacob Markstrom stick-side (inside the far post) to make it 1-0 Jets.

Later on, a Logan Stanley point shot went wide and ricocheted off the end boards into the home plate area. Amidst some confused players in red sweaters, Dominic Toninato jumped on the loose puck and chipped it past Markstrom to make it 2-0 Jets.

The Flames broke the goose-egg late in the first period, as some nice offensive zone puck movement ended with a one-timer from Elias Lindholm past Connor Hellebuyck to cut the Winnipeg lead to 2-1.

Five minutes in the second period, the Jets padded their lead a bit. The Flames had a bunch of pressure but couldn’t turn it into strong chances. The puck went the other way, Noah Hanifin lost his stick, and the Jets took advantage of the broken defensive formation as Hanifin went to retrieve his lumber with Parker Ford finding David Gustafsson with a great pass in front from below the goal line. His shot beat Markstrom to make it 3-1 Jets.

But the Flames went to work in the back half of the second period and got back into the thick of things. After a successful penalty kill, the Flames threw together a line of Matt Coronato, Yegor Sharangovich and Adam Ruzicka. They had a great shift of puck cycling en retrieval in the Jets zone, ending with Coronato putting Ruzicka all alone in front with the puck. Ruzicka beat Hellebuyck to cut the lead to 3-2 Jets.

A little later, the Flames scored again. This time, Nazem Kadri found a pinching Jordan Oesterle entering the zone off the rush as the trailer. Oesterle’s shot was stopped by Hellebuyck, but Dillon Dube buried the rebound to tie the game at 3-3.

Slightly after that, the Flames took the lead. They won a face-off in the offensive zone and Coronato did a great job protecting the puck and throwing it on net. Mikael Backlund jammed in the loose rebound to make it a 4-3 Flames lead.

But right after that, the Jets tied things back up off a rare whoopsie from winger Dryden Hunt. Hunt was trying to exit the Flames zone, but had his pocket picked by Ford. A quick pass later and Gustafsson’s shot found a way past Markstrom to make it a 4-4 game.

But early in the third period, the Flames retook the lead on the power play. After a nice bit of puck movement from the second unit, Coronato received a pass from Backlund and fired a wrister past Hellebuyck to give the Flames a 5-4 edge.

The Flames held on for the victory.

Why the Flames won

The Flames were fairly disorganized in the defensive and neutral zone to begin this contest, but they gradually put their game together and began to generate chances and pounce on Winnipeg’s mistakes.

It wasn’t a perfect game for the Flames and they were a bit porous throughout this one, but they just got a bit better offensively as the game went on.

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Coronato was superb in this hockey contest, posting a goal and two helpers.

Turning point

The back half of the second period was excellent for the home side.

This and that

Here’s how the Flames lined up:

Jonathan Huberdeau – Elias Lindholm – Andrew Mangiapane
Adam Ruzicka – Nazemi Kadri – Dillon Dube
Yegor Sharangovich – Mikael Backlund –  Matt Coronato
Blake Coleman – Cole Schwindt – Dryden Hunt

MacKenzie Weegar – Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin – Chris Tanev
Jordan Oesterle – Nikita Zadorov

Jacob Markstrom started for the Flames and went the distance, backed up by Dustin Wolf.

Mikael Backlund wore the captain’s C. His alternates were Chris Tanev and Elias Lindholm.

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The Flames are back in action on Wednesday when they visit the Edmonton Oilers.

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The Vancouver Canucks’ home opener and first game of the regular season are just nine days.

All through training camp and the preseason, we’ve seen Rick Tocchet and his coaching staff work plenty on systems, structure, and overall teaching, and today’s practice was no difference. No shenanigans, just right to what went down at today’s practice out at UBC!

What we saw

Don’t worry, Elias Pettersson was just feeling a little bit under the weather and was told to stay home from Monday’s practice. He hasn’t been cut from the team because Jack Studnicka has outplayed him for the first line centre spot.

No, the real things to pay attention to from today’s line rushes are:

-Dakota Joshua is up on the third line while Nils Höglander skates on the fourth line. During Sunday’s practice, Joshua rotated in and out of the fourth line with Nils Åman, so it will be interesting to see how the Canucks line up on Wednesday night in Abbotsford.
-Cole McWard is here to stay, and he’s getting at least one more look playing most of his minutes alongside Quinn Hughes. What was more interesting though, was what Tocchet said when asked about the Canucks’ pairings…

What was said

Rick Tocchet‘s quote about the defence pairings and having regular partners is the story here. All offseason long, fans and media asked the golden question of “who is going to play with Quinn Hughes?”, and it turns out the Canucks’ answer appears to be “everyone.”

“I think we’re a committee, and I want them to get used to it,” said Tocchet when asked about Ian Cole and Filip Hronek being split up. “I thought Coler and Hronek, it was more Coler — it wasn’t so much he struggled, I didn’t really like his first a little bit — and I said to Footy [Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote] ‘it’s up to you’ but Footy wanted to make the change and I think it settles things down. I don’t think that’s an issue with our team, I think it’s okay to have a committee. I don’t think we’re going to have true partners the whole year, so might as well get used to playing with different guys. That was our thought process.”

“Huggy’s going to get his minutes, Hronek’s a guy that can get a lot of minutes, and I think the other guys are guys that sporadically can play heavy minutes but also have other guys that can fill in. We’re built like a committee and I like that. Some teams are built different where they’ve got three guys that play 20+, obviously Huggy and Hronek going to get his time.”

When asked specifically what skill set he’s looking for in Hughes’ potential partner, Tocchet said:

“Just like all our defence, defend the puck well, can pass the puck, can participate in the offensive zone too. I feel like all our D have those attributes it’s just a matter of this committee thing. I know you guys [the media] want this ‘Who’s the guy?’ Right now, we don’t have that guy per se. To me, we do have the guys, we have a bunch of guys that can do it. Just like in baseball, you have a lot of relievers that are great relievers, that’s the way I look at it.”

Let’s just hope Ethan Bear’s recovery is ahead of schedule…

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Date: 10/02/2023
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On a night where there was much ado about nothing in the world of sports, the Edmonton Oilers’ pre-season chugged along in promising fashion Monday night.

With Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman in toe, the Oilers went toe-to-toe with the Seattle Kraken coming out on top in a 4-1 game.

The Oilers weren’t exactly led by this trio, however, as it was another three players who came up in big ways: Xavier Bourgault, Ben Gleason, and Jack Campbell.

Bourgault led the way with the Oilers’ first and third goals of the game, while Gleason notched apples on two tallies — the second of which McDavid scored in McDavid-esque style. Bourgault’s first saw him drive to the net and bury a rebound, while his second tally was a thing of beauty.

The Oilers had a power play just expire when defenceman Philip Broberg walked down the right side wall as Bourgault slid from the half-wall to a soft spot towards the centre of the ice ripping home a one-timer. McDavid’s goal, meanwhile, saw him get a Gleason pass near the Oilers’ blueline,  walk down the wall and rifle one past Kraken netminder Phillip Grubauer.

But what might’ve been the most important development from the game was the continued strong pre-season play from Campbell in the Oilers’ crease. He turned aside 32 of 33 shots faced tonight making multiple big saves along the way. While the Oilers brought their top line to play, there was a lot more “depth” level players they brought on the trip, too.

The second line, for example, was centred by Derek Ryan — a more than respectable NHL’er, but not someone you’re going to see on a second line in a regular season game. The Kraken, meanwhile, had an NHL-heavy lineup f their home game.

If you can put two and two together, you’ll see where I’m going here.

Campbell didn’t have much in the way of defensive support tonight and while the Oilers tried to keep as much as they could on the outside, Seattle had a few good looks from in tight. One, for example, when Jared McCann was robbed on a surefire goal from down-low on a cross-crease feed. Flying across to make the save was Campbell, who looked nothing short of dialled in all night long.

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For the Oilers, this is a tremendous development. Campell’s struggles were more than well-known last season, and this now makes two games in which he has been solid for the Oilers in net. His previous performance in the pre-season saw him turn aside 35 of 36 against the Calgary Flames last Friday night.

Based on last season alone it’s safe to say that Campbell is a long shot to usurp Stuart Skinner in the crease, but he’s putting together some very, very competitive games. If he can rebound to his career average .910 save percentage, the Oilers would be in a tremendous spot.

Notes…

  • While Bourgault scored twice, he played just 7:07 of 5×5 time — the lowest of any Oilers forward. I’d imagine he’s heading to Bakersfield in short order.
  • The Oilers freed Raphael Lavoie tonight playing him with some skill. He spent 3:45 on a line with McDavid and Dylan Holloway with the three controlling 77.78 per cent of the shot attempts (7-2), 99.12 per cent of the expected goal share (0.25-0), and outscoring the opposition 1-0.
  • While Lavoie didn’t get on the scoresheet, I liked his effort on McDavid’s goal. As McDavid drove low, Lavoie pushed to the backside of the net pulling the Kraken defenders with him and opening up the lane for McDavid’s shot. Not only did it give 97 the lane, it put himself in a spot to clean up a rebound, should there have been one.
  • Seattle’s goal scorer? None other than Kailer Yamamoto. Of course.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.

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Date: 10/02/2023
Player: Brayden Guy (F)
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Date: 10/02/2023
Player: Adam Dawe (F)
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On this day in 2000, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Bryan McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2001 and defenceman Alexander Karpovtsev.

When McCabe first entered the NHL landscape in 1995 after being drafted by the New York Islanders as their 40th overall selection in 1993, he was not expecting to move to a different city every one or two years and be guided by a new coach nearly every year. However, that became his reality until he landed in the hands of the Maple Leafs.

When the deal was being arranged the Blackhawks were reluctant to let go of McCabe, in fact, general manager Mike Smith confessed he wasn’t keen on trading the 25-year-old at all.

“McCabe has every quality you’re looking for in a player,” Smith told Toronto Star reporter Ken Campbell. “I tried all training camp to get a top defenceman without giving up Bryan McCabe and I couldn’t do it.”

Even though the Blackhawks organization wasn’t wanting a trade, Kapovtsev was the better defender and was what they needed to bolster their team defensively, resulting in the trade ultimately being finalized.

Although a defenceman McCabe showed effective offensive prowess notching consecutive 20+ points seasons. “There is nothing better out there and we didn’t want any better,” Leafs executive Bill Watters, told Campbell at the time of the trade. Despite this being his fourth NHL team in six years, McCabe was starting another new chapter as a Maple Leaf.

Bryan McCabe traded to Toronto Maple Leafs, 2000

His first season in Toronto was one of his highest point-producing campaigns at that point in his career, tallying five goals and 29 points while maintaining a 16 plus-minus rating, and that was just the beginning.

As the seasons progressed so did McCabe. He became an offensive force, paired up with teammate Thomas Kaberle the two created a dynamic that was truly incredible to watch. During the 2005-06 campaign the two became a formidable pair, not only did they dish out rugged hits, McCabe nearly produced a point per game for the Leafs scoring 19 goals and 68 points throughout 73 games. His career highs lead to a lucrative deal for McCabe–who was set to become a free agent on July 1st, 2006– earning him a five-year deal worth nearly $29 million.

“Bryan is one of the premier defenceman in the game,” Leafs general manager John Ferguson told the Canadian Press. “As a key member of our team keeping him in Toronto was one of our top priorities this off-season.”

The year following his big extension he played solidly, his near point per game production diminished a little, but not a lot. McCabe posted 15 goals and 57 points throughout his 82 games with the Leafs, but with the entire Leafs market now putting the pressure on the 31-year-old it started to show. In 2007-08 the blueliner only appeared in 53 games for the Leafs, scoring five goals and 23 points–his lowest since his 1998-99 campaign with the Vancouver Canucks. His physical effectiveness seemed to take a hit of it’s own, he went from over 100 penalty minutes the two years previous to only 81 in 2007-08. Additionally, two injuries sidelined him for 28 games.

Regardless, the pressure grew on him and wore him down until eventually, the Leafs were looking to part ways by the end of the season, asking his camp to wave the blueliners’ no-movement clause just two years into his shiny new contract.

Eventually, McCabe found himself in a new city once again after being traded to the Florida Panthers on September 2nd, 2008 along with a fourth-round pick in 2010, in exchange for defenceman Mike Van Ryn.

McCabe went on to play two and a half seasons in Florida scoring 28 goals and 104 points through 199 games. His journey in the NHL ended with the New York Rangers, his final trade destination in 2010, he played just 19 games for the club scoring two goals and six points.

McCabe wrote quite the story during his time with the Leafs, but his enthusiasm both on and off the ice is noteworthy. Even his blue mohawk he showcased during the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs was replicated amongst fans. In total McCabe played several years in Toronto with 523 appearances, 83 goals and 297 points. His 785 penalty minutes in Toronto make up over 45 percent of his total career time spent in the sin bin.

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Date: 10/02/2023
Player: Maxence Wagret (F)
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We’re into the final week of the National Hockey League’s pre-season calendar, when rosters begin to get heavy with big-league players and the games start to get pretty competitive. The Calgary Flames begin a week of three games over five days with a visit from the Winnipeg Jets, who they beat in Winnipeg last week.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. MT and you can catch the action streamed on the Flames website or listen live on Sportsnet 960 The Fan!

The Flames

Here are guesswork lines, based on the posted roster and Sunday’s skate:

Huberdeau – Lindholm – Mangiapane
Sharangovich – Backlund – Coronato
Ruzicka – Kadri – Dube
Hunt – Schwindt – Coleman

Weegar – Andersson
Hanifin – Tanev
Zadorov – Oesterle
Solovyov – DeSimone

Jacob Markstrom and Dustin Wolf are listed as the goaltenders. We expect (obviously) one of the posted defensive pairings to be sitting, and based on Markstrom playing two periods so far and Wolf playing two games, maybe expect to see Markstrom go the distance on Monday evening.

After Friday’s cuts the Flames are down to 42 players.

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The Flames have played five games so far: a 10-0 win over Vancouver, a 5-3 loss to Seattle, a 3-2 shootout win over Seattle, a 3-2 shootout win over Winnipeg, and a 2-1 overtime win to Edmonton. They all count the same in the standings.

The Jets

Projected lines for Monday night:

Alex Iafallo – Brad Lambert – Vladislav Namestnikov
Nino Niederreiter – Cole Perfetti – Mason Appleton
Dominic Toninato – Rasmus Kupari – Parker Ford
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby – David Gustafsson – Jeffrey Viel

Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon – Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley – Ville Heinola
(Dylan Samberg – Nate Schmidt)

Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start and go the distance, with Collin Delia backing up.

In four pre-season games so far, the Jets have won twice (beating Edmonton twice) and lost twice (losing to Calgary and Winnipeg).

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We’re back for another edition of ‘5 Questions’ after starting off the series with questions focusing on Auston Matthews. Today’s piece moves from Matthews to his right wing, as we check in with Mitch Marner.

Marner had himself a huge summer, tying the knot and now appears set for a career season in 2023-24. He’s been absolutely buzzin’ during camp and in preseason action and is poised to put up some numbers alongside Matthews and new linemate Tyler Bertuzzi. Here’s five questions for #16 of the Maple Leafs:

Are 100 points on the horizon?

We saw last season how close Marner was to getting 100 points as his teammates were doing whatever they could the last game of the year to try and get him another point. This season there shouldn’t be much need to press like that, because with another year under his belt, he should have the ability to reach 100 with ease.

The trio of Marner, Matthews, and Bertuzzi are going to do some serious damage. They’ve shown already in camp and preseason that chemistry is not an issue and they’ll be hitting the score sheet early and often this year. Expect to see Marner eclipse the 30-goal mark once again this season as Bertuzzi is a much better playmaker than Michael Bunting. There’s also the penalty kill to consider. Marner and Matthews look like they’ll be paired up shorthanded, meaning he could finish with more than the five shorthanded points he registered in 2022-23.

100? I’m gonna guess he hits 108.

Is a Selke trophy in the cards this season?

With Patrice Bergeron retiring, it finally gave everyone else in the league a fair shot at winning the Selke trophy as the league’s best defensive forward. Marner finished third last season in voting, and he could be in a battle with Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils for top spot. Hischier was the clear cut runner up to Bergeron in 2022-23 and will once again be in the conversation at season’s end.

Marner’s 200-foot game is as solid as they come and it seems like it’s been gradually improving these past few seasons. Expect to see much more of the same as the forward is very committed to both sides of the puck. His ability to read the play and get into passing lanes is some of his best work.

With how much Matthews is emphasizing on the defensive-side of the puck this season, could we see both #34 and #16 finish top-5 in Selke votes? They were #3 and #14 in 2022-23.

The last Maple Leaf to win the award was Doug Gilmour in 1993.

How many times will Leafs Nation yell ‘SHOOOOT’?

The first few seasons of Marner’s career, he was overpassing. There would be multiple times throughout a game where the crowd would yell ‘shoooot’. He was looking for the extra pass and looking to make highlight reel plays almost every shift.

I think he’s done a great job shooting more of late and he should continue putting pucks on net this season. Marner finished last season with 196 shots , so surpassing the 200-shot mark shouldn’t be out of the question.

However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be moments of frustration. Marner, Matthews and Bertuzzi are going to get fancy from time to time and look for the extra pass or ‘easier goal’. It’s going to be fun to watch the Leafs top line, but they’ll also make us all shake our heads at times.

Will the ‘Clutch Gene’ continue?

While there’s been a ton of focus on this Maple Leafs core not being able to produce when it matters, it’s important to appreciate Marner’s work. He registered 14 points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season and the year before it was eight points in seven playoff games.

Even after a couple of terrible showings in the postseason, Marner’s career numbers are just under a point-a-game in the playoffs (47p in 50gp).

Add in 16 game-winning points during the course of the regular season and it’s not surprising to see how much impact Marner has on the Maple Leafs’ victories. He’s improving in that department, and he is going to continue to develop the ‘clutch gene’.

The Maple Leafs have an opportunity to go deep this season, and if they do, Marner will be a big part of it.

What is his ceiling?

At 26 years old, Marner is smack dab in the middle of his prime. So, what is his ceiling? 100-points and a Selke trophy? Or is it possible he hits 110-120 points and puts his name in the conversation for the Selke and the Hart?

The possibilities are endless with Marner. He’s playing alongside his best buddy who also happens to be a world-class talent and Bertuzzi, who is the perfect compliment to the line. He contributes on the power play, penalty kill and on both sides of the puck.

Kids, if you’re trying to learn the game, watch #16 of the Maple Leafs. He plays the game the right way and he’s one of the players who could be instrumental in getting this team to heights we haven’t seen around here in a very long time.

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The Calgary Flames played their final home pre-season game on Monday evening when they hosted the Winnipeg Jets. The Flames were a bit flat to begin the game, but they found their execution as the game went on. They came from behind to beat the Jets by a 5-4 score.

The rundown

The Flames were a bit leaky defensively in the opening period, and a few key lapses led to a couple Winnipeg goals.

Early on, the Jets got some zone time and Cole Perfetti found a pinching Ville Heinola with a nice backhanded pass. Because of some defensive zone confusion, Heinola had oodles of time and a clear shooting lane and beat Jacob Markstrom stick-side (inside the far post) to make it 1-0 Jets.

Later on, a Logan Stanley point shot went wide and ricocheted off the end boards into the home plate area. Amidst some confused players in red sweaters, Dominic Toninato jumped on the loose puck and chipped it past Markstrom to make it 2-0 Jets.

The Flames broke the goose-egg late in the first period, as some nice offensive zone puck movement ended with a one-timer from Elias Lindholm past Connor Hellebuyck to cut the Winnipeg lead to 2-1.

Five minutes in the second period, the Jets padded their lead a bit. The Flames had a bunch of pressure but couldn’t turn it into strong chances. The puck went the other way, Noah Hanifin lost his stick, and the Jets took advantage of the broken defensive formation as Hanifin went to retrieve his lumber with Parker Ford finding David Gustafsson with a great pass in front from below the goal line. His shot beat Markstrom to make it 3-1 Jets.

But the Flames went to work in the back half of the second period and got back into the thick of things. After a successful penalty kill, the Flames threw together a line of Matt Coronato, Yegor Sharangovich and Adam Ruzicka. They had a great shift of puck cycling en retrieval in the Jets zone, ending with Coronato putting Ruzicka all alone in front with the puck. Ruzicka beat Hellebuyck to cut the lead to 3-2 Jets.

A little later, the Flames scored again. This time, Nazem Kadri found a pinching Jordan Oesterle entering the zone off the rush as the trailer. Oesterle’s shot was stopped by Hellebuyck, but Dillon Dube buried the rebound to tie the game at 3-3.

Slightly after that, the Flames took the lead. They won a face-off in the offensive zone and Coronato did a great job protecting the puck and throwing it on net. Mikael Backlund jammed in the loose rebound to make it a 4-3 Flames lead.

But right after that, the Jets tied things back up off a rare whoopsie from winger Dryden Hunt. Hunt was trying to exit the Flames zone, but had his pocket picked by Ford. A quick pass later and Gustafsson’s shot found a way past Markstrom to make it a 4-4 game.

But early in the third period, the Flames retook the lead on the power play. After a nice bit of puck movement from the second unit, Coronato received a pass from Backlund and fired a wrister past Hellebuyck to give the Flames a 5-4 edge.

The Flames held on for the victory.

Why the Flames won

The Flames were fairly disorganized in the defensive and neutral zone to begin this contest, but they gradually put their game together and began to generate chances and pounce on Winnipeg’s mistakes.

It wasn’t a perfect game for the Flames and they were a bit porous throughout this one, but they just got a bit better offensively as the game went on.

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Red Warrior

Coronato was superb in this hockey contest, posting a goal and two helpers.

Turning point

The back half of the second period was excellent for the home side.

This and that

Here’s how the Flames lined up:

Jonathan Huberdeau – Elias Lindholm – Andrew Mangiapane
Adam Ruzicka – Nazemi Kadri – Dillon Dube
Yegor Sharangovich – Mikael Backlund –  Matt Coronato
Blake Coleman – Cole Schwindt – Dryden Hunt

MacKenzie Weegar – Rasmus Andersson
Noah Hanifin – Chris Tanev
Jordan Oesterle – Nikita Zadorov

Jacob Markstrom started for the Flames and went the distance, backed up by Dustin Wolf.

Mikael Backlund wore the captain’s C. His alternates were Chris Tanev and Elias Lindholm.

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The Flames are back in action on Wednesday when they visit the Edmonton Oilers.

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The Vancouver Canucks’ home opener and first game of the regular season are just nine days.

All through training camp and the preseason, we’ve seen Rick Tocchet and his coaching staff work plenty on systems, structure, and overall teaching, and today’s practice was no difference. No shenanigans, just right to what went down at today’s practice out at UBC!

What we saw

Don’t worry, Elias Pettersson was just feeling a little bit under the weather and was told to stay home from Monday’s practice. He hasn’t been cut from the team because Jack Studnicka has outplayed him for the first line centre spot.

No, the real things to pay attention to from today’s line rushes are:

-Dakota Joshua is up on the third line while Nils Höglander skates on the fourth line. During Sunday’s practice, Joshua rotated in and out of the fourth line with Nils Åman, so it will be interesting to see how the Canucks line up on Wednesday night in Abbotsford.
-Cole McWard is here to stay, and he’s getting at least one more look playing most of his minutes alongside Quinn Hughes. What was more interesting though, was what Tocchet said when asked about the Canucks’ pairings…

What was said

Rick Tocchet‘s quote about the defence pairings and having regular partners is the story here. All offseason long, fans and media asked the golden question of “who is going to play with Quinn Hughes?”, and it turns out the Canucks’ answer appears to be “everyone.”

“I think we’re a committee, and I want them to get used to it,” said Tocchet when asked about Ian Cole and Filip Hronek being split up. “I thought Coler and Hronek, it was more Coler — it wasn’t so much he struggled, I didn’t really like his first a little bit — and I said to Footy [Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote] ‘it’s up to you’ but Footy wanted to make the change and I think it settles things down. I don’t think that’s an issue with our team, I think it’s okay to have a committee. I don’t think we’re going to have true partners the whole year, so might as well get used to playing with different guys. That was our thought process.”

“Huggy’s going to get his minutes, Hronek’s a guy that can get a lot of minutes, and I think the other guys are guys that sporadically can play heavy minutes but also have other guys that can fill in. We’re built like a committee and I like that. Some teams are built different where they’ve got three guys that play 20+, obviously Huggy and Hronek going to get his time.”

When asked specifically what skill set he’s looking for in Hughes’ potential partner, Tocchet said:

“Just like all our defence, defend the puck well, can pass the puck, can participate in the offensive zone too. I feel like all our D have those attributes it’s just a matter of this committee thing. I know you guys [the media] want this ‘Who’s the guy?’ Right now, we don’t have that guy per se. To me, we do have the guys, we have a bunch of guys that can do it. Just like in baseball, you have a lot of relievers that are great relievers, that’s the way I look at it.”

Let’s just hope Ethan Bear’s recovery is ahead of schedule…

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Date: 10/02/2023
Player: Dante Sheriff (F)
From: Tulsa Oilers
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On a night where there was much ado about nothing in the world of sports, the Edmonton Oilers’ pre-season chugged along in promising fashion Monday night.

With Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman in toe, the Oilers went toe-to-toe with the Seattle Kraken coming out on top in a 4-1 game.

The Oilers weren’t exactly led by this trio, however, as it was another three players who came up in big ways: Xavier Bourgault, Ben Gleason, and Jack Campbell.

Bourgault led the way with the Oilers’ first and third goals of the game, while Gleason notched apples on two tallies — the second of which McDavid scored in McDavid-esque style. Bourgault’s first saw him drive to the net and bury a rebound, while his second tally was a thing of beauty.

The Oilers had a power play just expire when defenceman Philip Broberg walked down the right side wall as Bourgault slid from the half-wall to a soft spot towards the centre of the ice ripping home a one-timer. McDavid’s goal, meanwhile, saw him get a Gleason pass near the Oilers’ blueline,  walk down the wall and rifle one past Kraken netminder Phillip Grubauer.

But what might’ve been the most important development from the game was the continued strong pre-season play from Campbell in the Oilers’ crease. He turned aside 32 of 33 shots faced tonight making multiple big saves along the way. While the Oilers brought their top line to play, there was a lot more “depth” level players they brought on the trip, too.

The second line, for example, was centred by Derek Ryan — a more than respectable NHL’er, but not someone you’re going to see on a second line in a regular season game. The Kraken, meanwhile, had an NHL-heavy lineup f their home game.

If you can put two and two together, you’ll see where I’m going here.

Campbell didn’t have much in the way of defensive support tonight and while the Oilers tried to keep as much as they could on the outside, Seattle had a few good looks from in tight. One, for example, when Jared McCann was robbed on a surefire goal from down-low on a cross-crease feed. Flying across to make the save was Campbell, who looked nothing short of dialled in all night long.

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For the Oilers, this is a tremendous development. Campell’s struggles were more than well-known last season, and this now makes two games in which he has been solid for the Oilers in net. His previous performance in the pre-season saw him turn aside 35 of 36 against the Calgary Flames last Friday night.

Based on last season alone it’s safe to say that Campbell is a long shot to usurp Stuart Skinner in the crease, but he’s putting together some very, very competitive games. If he can rebound to his career average .910 save percentage, the Oilers would be in a tremendous spot.

Notes…

  • While Bourgault scored twice, he played just 7:07 of 5×5 time — the lowest of any Oilers forward. I’d imagine he’s heading to Bakersfield in short order.
  • The Oilers freed Raphael Lavoie tonight playing him with some skill. He spent 3:45 on a line with McDavid and Dylan Holloway with the three controlling 77.78 per cent of the shot attempts (7-2), 99.12 per cent of the expected goal share (0.25-0), and outscoring the opposition 1-0.
  • While Lavoie didn’t get on the scoresheet, I liked his effort on McDavid’s goal. As McDavid drove low, Lavoie pushed to the backside of the net pulling the Kraken defenders with him and opening up the lane for McDavid’s shot. Not only did it give 97 the lane, it put himself in a spot to clean up a rebound, should there have been one.
  • Seattle’s goal scorer? None other than Kailer Yamamoto. Of course.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.

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Date: 10/02/2023
Player: Brayden Guy (F)
From: Springfield Thunderbirds
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Date: 10/02/2023
Player: Adam Dawe (F)
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On this day in 2000, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Bryan McCabe from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2001 and defenceman Alexander Karpovtsev.

When McCabe first entered the NHL landscape in 1995 after being drafted by the New York Islanders as their 40th overall selection in 1993, he was not expecting to move to a different city every one or two years and be guided by a new coach nearly every year. However, that became his reality until he landed in the hands of the Maple Leafs.

When the deal was being arranged the Blackhawks were reluctant to let go of McCabe, in fact, general manager Mike Smith confessed he wasn’t keen on trading the 25-year-old at all.

“McCabe has every quality you’re looking for in a player,” Smith told Toronto Star reporter Ken Campbell. “I tried all training camp to get a top defenceman without giving up Bryan McCabe and I couldn’t do it.”

Even though the Blackhawks organization wasn’t wanting a trade, Kapovtsev was the better defender and was what they needed to bolster their team defensively, resulting in the trade ultimately being finalized.

Although a defenceman McCabe showed effective offensive prowess notching consecutive 20+ points seasons. “There is nothing better out there and we didn’t want any better,” Leafs executive Bill Watters, told Campbell at the time of the trade. Despite this being his fourth NHL team in six years, McCabe was starting another new chapter as a Maple Leaf.

Bryan McCabe traded to Toronto Maple Leafs, 2000

His first season in Toronto was one of his highest point-producing campaigns at that point in his career, tallying five goals and 29 points while maintaining a 16 plus-minus rating, and that was just the beginning.

As the seasons progressed so did McCabe. He became an offensive force, paired up with teammate Thomas Kaberle the two created a dynamic that was truly incredible to watch. During the 2005-06 campaign the two became a formidable pair, not only did they dish out rugged hits, McCabe nearly produced a point per game for the Leafs scoring 19 goals and 68 points throughout 73 games. His career highs lead to a lucrative deal for McCabe–who was set to become a free agent on July 1st, 2006– earning him a five-year deal worth nearly $29 million.

“Bryan is one of the premier defenceman in the game,” Leafs general manager John Ferguson told the Canadian Press. “As a key member of our team keeping him in Toronto was one of our top priorities this off-season.”

The year following his big extension he played solidly, his near point per game production diminished a little, but not a lot. McCabe posted 15 goals and 57 points throughout his 82 games with the Leafs, but with the entire Leafs market now putting the pressure on the 31-year-old it started to show. In 2007-08 the blueliner only appeared in 53 games for the Leafs, scoring five goals and 23 points–his lowest since his 1998-99 campaign with the Vancouver Canucks. His physical effectiveness seemed to take a hit of it’s own, he went from over 100 penalty minutes the two years previous to only 81 in 2007-08. Additionally, two injuries sidelined him for 28 games.

Regardless, the pressure grew on him and wore him down until eventually, the Leafs were looking to part ways by the end of the season, asking his camp to wave the blueliners’ no-movement clause just two years into his shiny new contract.

Eventually, McCabe found himself in a new city once again after being traded to the Florida Panthers on September 2nd, 2008 along with a fourth-round pick in 2010, in exchange for defenceman Mike Van Ryn.

McCabe went on to play two and a half seasons in Florida scoring 28 goals and 104 points through 199 games. His journey in the NHL ended with the New York Rangers, his final trade destination in 2010, he played just 19 games for the club scoring two goals and six points.

McCabe wrote quite the story during his time with the Leafs, but his enthusiasm both on and off the ice is noteworthy. Even his blue mohawk he showcased during the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs was replicated amongst fans. In total McCabe played several years in Toronto with 523 appearances, 83 goals and 297 points. His 785 penalty minutes in Toronto make up over 45 percent of his total career time spent in the sin bin.

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Date: 10/02/2023
Player: Maxence Wagret (F)
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We’re into the final week of the National Hockey League’s pre-season calendar, when rosters begin to get heavy with big-league players and the games start to get pretty competitive. The Calgary Flames begin a week of three games over five days with a visit from the Winnipeg Jets, who they beat in Winnipeg last week.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. MT and you can catch the action streamed on the Flames website or listen live on Sportsnet 960 The Fan!

The Flames

Here are guesswork lines, based on the posted roster and Sunday’s skate:

Huberdeau – Lindholm – Mangiapane
Sharangovich – Backlund – Coronato
Ruzicka – Kadri – Dube
Hunt – Schwindt – Coleman

Weegar – Andersson
Hanifin – Tanev
Zadorov – Oesterle
Solovyov – DeSimone

Jacob Markstrom and Dustin Wolf are listed as the goaltenders. We expect (obviously) one of the posted defensive pairings to be sitting, and based on Markstrom playing two periods so far and Wolf playing two games, maybe expect to see Markstrom go the distance on Monday evening.

After Friday’s cuts the Flames are down to 42 players.

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The Flames have played five games so far: a 10-0 win over Vancouver, a 5-3 loss to Seattle, a 3-2 shootout win over Seattle, a 3-2 shootout win over Winnipeg, and a 2-1 overtime win to Edmonton. They all count the same in the standings.

The Jets

Projected lines for Monday night:

Alex Iafallo – Brad Lambert – Vladislav Namestnikov
Nino Niederreiter – Cole Perfetti – Mason Appleton
Dominic Toninato – Rasmus Kupari – Parker Ford
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby – David Gustafsson – Jeffrey Viel

Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon – Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley – Ville Heinola
(Dylan Samberg – Nate Schmidt)

Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start and go the distance, with Collin Delia backing up.

In four pre-season games so far, the Jets have won twice (beating Edmonton twice) and lost twice (losing to Calgary and Winnipeg).