NHL storylines Top 10 after seven nights

April 4, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing Dwight King (74) and center Jeff Carter (77) celebrate the goal scored by defenseman Alec Martinez (27) against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Storylines – Top 10 Headlines from Week One

No shortage of NHL storylines to open the 2015-16 regular season. It’s only been seven nights of play, but there’s more than enough headlines taking center stage.
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While the first week of hockey doesn’t necessarily mean anything with teams only having played two to four games. It can often paint an picture for the early warning of things that can become glaring issues if they were to persist.

10. Injury-Bug Strikes Early

Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins

The Bruins did get good news when Zdeno Chara made his season debut on Monday vs. Tampa Bay. Although, the day before they received news that agitator Brad Marchand would be out indefinitely after suffering his second concussion. We’ve got an article with more details that can be found here for those interested in further information.

James Wisniewski, Carolina Hurricanes

Both Eddie Lack and James Wisniewski were major acquisitions for the Carolina Hurricanes this past offseason. Both had expectations to play key-roles in this teams success moving forward. Wisniewski went down awkwardly in the very first game of the season and did not return. It was later discovered that James Wisniewski suffered a torn ACL and would miss the next six months.

Robin Lehner, Buffalo Sabres

Sep 25, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner (40) in second period against Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

The Sabres gave up a 2015 first round pick to acquire Robin Lehner from Ottawa this past offseason. Unfortunately, he suffered a high ankle sprain that is expected to keep him sidelined for the next six to ten weeks. Right now, the Buffalo Sabres are rolling with Chad Johnson and Nathan Lieuwen between the pipes. There is a chance that GM Tim Murray could be on the market for a goaltender. We’ve put out a couple pieces on the options for Murray, as well as a Bleacher Report article found here referencing the link between Tim Murray and Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson.

Dwight King, Los Angeles Kings

Premier bottom-six forward and former Cup winner Dwight King broke a bone in his foot and is expected to miss eight to ten weeks. The news is devastating for a team that has had its struggles early-on to begin the season. King is coming off a 26-point campaign last season and has played an integral role to the Los Angeles Kings success over the past half decade.

Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders

Jaroslav Halak has yet to play a game this season due to what is being deemed an upper-body injury. In his absence, the Islanders have featured both Thomas Greiss and Jean-Francois Berube, who was claimed off waivers from the Kings at the end of preseason. The New York Islanders have the skill and ability to fight for a top spot in the Eastern Conference, and they’ll need their goalie who broke several Islanders records last year to do that.

Robby Fabbri, St.Louis Blues

Prior to the start of the season, Robby Fabbri was in the conversation for Calder Trophy candidates. The good news is that is sounds as though the injury shouldn’t keep him sidelined for too long. The bad news is that we’re dealing with a concussion. The St.Louis Blues are off to a bit of a slow start, so having the scoring depth that Fabbri offers even as a rookie plays an important role in the Blues success this season.

Next: Goaltending Performances

Oct 7, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Peter Holland (24) watches his shot on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) just miss the net during the second period at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

9. Goaltenders continue to shine early in 2015-16

Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks

The prized offseason acquisition for San Jose had some question marks going into the season having a small sample size of NHL experience to use in the decision to make him starter. After three starts, Martin Jones has looked great piling up three wins in as many games with two shutouts while stopping 77 of 78 shots faced. It’s only been three games, but its safe to say the Sharks have likely found their man between the pipes.

Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

Picking up exactly where he left off in 2014-15, Carey Price has already won all three of his starts facing 91 shots and only allowing five goals in the process. A sub 2.00 GAA is less than surprising for this Canadiens goaltender. The performance given by backup goaltender Mike Condon was a refreshing one compared to the ones Habs fans were used to last season from Dustin Tokarski. Condon played well enough last season in the AHL, and this year in the preseason to prove he can continue delivering solid performances on those limited times that he’ll be called upon.

Ryan Miller, Vancouver Canucks

Miller has started four games for the Canucks this season accumulating three wins and one overtime loss. Over that span, he’s stopped 107 of 112 shots that he’s faced while picking up a shutout in one of those games. He’s not likely to steadily maintain that 1.21 GAA and .955 save percentage throughout the season, but it’s a nice start for a goaltender playing on a team that had a lot of defensive questions heading into the 2015-16 campaign. The workload for Ryan Miller is a little higher right now with Jacob Markstrom sidelined with an injury. Markstrom will re-assume the role as backup upon return from injury and add some serious stability behind Miller.

Honorable Mentions:

Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
Has stopped 78 of 80 shots over three games that included three wins

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
3-1 record having faced 134 shots while giving up nine goals

Mike Smith, Arizona Coyotes
Only two games played, both wins with Smith stopping 67 of 69 shots

Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings
Has appeared in two games winning both. Has a shutout while stopping 42 of 43 shots

Michael Hutchinson, Winnipeg Jets
Two games played, both wins. Has stopped 60 of 62 shots, 1 goal in both games.

Next: Old Faces on New Teams

Oct 10, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Patrick Marleau (12) celebrates with the bench after scoring against the Anaheim Ducks in the 3rd period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

7. San Jose is NHL’s best after three games played

San Jose Sharks have played two games on the road and one at home to open the NHL season, winning all three in regulation. During the process, G Martin Jones has already produced two shutouts, stopping 77 of 78 shots. The San Jose Sharks have scored 12 goals for, while only allowing one to opposition, giving them a league high +11 differential.

Oct 10, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski (8) reacts after missing a shot on goal against the Anaheim Ducks in the 3rd period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Newly-named captain Joe Pavelski leads the way in scoring with four points, followed by Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Brent Burns who all each have three points. Joel Ward, Matt Nieto, Barclay Goodrow, Tomas Hertl, Tommy Wingels, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and Chris Tierney have all chipped in with two points in three games.

Undoubtedly the Sharks have been the most explosive team offensively, most notably the man-handling they laid on the Los Angeles Kings last Thursday night. The Sharks proved they had more depth than experts gave them credit for when they had the ability to send down Melker Karlsson and Nikolay Goldobin to begin the season in the AHL.

The only question marks still remain on the blue-line, although free agent signing Paul Martin has been a noticeable presence to strengthen a severely weakened back-end. Justin Braun has been one of the bright spots early into the season. The decision to send down D Mirco Mueller was somewhat curious after a strong preseason, but the Sharks defense have looked better than expected so far.

As highlighted above, perhaps the biggest factor to San Jose’s early success has been from goaltender Martin Jones. It will be interesting to see how much time backup Alex Stalock sees if the hot play continues from Jones. This could be a goaltending tandem that could carry the San Jose Sharks into playoff contention.

Next: Re-Build looming in Beantown?

Oct 12, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center David Krejci (46) celebrates his goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning with defenseman Torey Krug (47) and center Ryan Spooner (51) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

6. The Bruins underwhelming, as expected

The hockey world was not going to be fooled by GM Don Sweeney‘s odd moves made in the offseason. After trading away Reilly Smith, Dougie Hamilton, and Milan Lucic, the Boston Bruins are off to a dreadful 0-3 start being decisively outplayed in all three games. The voids left from offseason departures are noticeably effecting the team, both offensively and defensively. Replacing that intimidation and hard-nosed intensity that Milan Lucic plays with is nearly impossible.

Oct 10, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins center David Krejci (46) skates with the puck during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Good news is that David Krejci is healthy and producing to open the season, putting up five points in three games so far. David Pastrnak is still looking for a more expanded role, but has three points in three games playing just over 15 minutes of ice-time on average. Free-agent signing Matt Beleskey has a goal and an assist with an ugly minus-five in three short games. The Bruins season won’t get any easier up front with Brad Marchand sidelined indefinitely with his second concussion.

Upon the bad news that Marchand would be out indefinitely, the Bruins did get some good news on Monday when Zdeno Chara appeared in his first game of the season vs. the Lightning. Aside from Torey Krug who has four assists already, there are no other active defenseman on the roster capable of adding the necessary offensive element from the blue-line. Guys like Kevan Miller, Joe Morrow, and Adam McQuaid are serviceable d-men, but probably being depended upon a little too much.

In goal, Tuukka Rask has not been his usual self allowing 14 goals on 91 shots to open the season. That’s a 4.72 GAA and .846 save percentage accompanied with three losses. The performance in goal can be better, but much of the blame can be pointed towards an overall poor defensive team.

Speculation was brewing Monday afternoon on “Leafs Lunch” between hosts Bryan Hayes, Jeff O’Neill and Jamie Mclennan as to what a Boston re-build would look like. They were also asking the question whether or not the city of Boston could handle a re-build. The Bruins may not have an option if the season continues the way it has. It’s not unrealistic to think that fans could see players like Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, or David Krejci on the trade block at some point this season.

Next: The Powerhouse of the Eastern Conference

Oct 11, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Montreal Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty (67) and Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) battle for the puck in the third period at Canadian Tire Centre. The Canadiens won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

5. Are the Montreal Canadiens the team to beat in the East?

Perhaps it isn’t so shocking to see the Canadiens atop the standing early-on, but what has been most surprising is their dominating play against opponents. The scores might not be as reflective on that point, but the Habs have controlled the flow and play of games. They’ve been one of the, if not the most responsibly defensive teams to open the regular season.

Up front, Max Pacioretty has taken that “C” on his sweater and ran with it, showing how a leader gets it done on the ice with four goals and two assists in four games played. The move to center seems to have been the right decision for young Alex Galchenyuk who has already produced a goal and three assists in four games. The move for Galchenyuk forced Lars Eller to the wing, which after four games has produced two goals. Even Tomas Plekanec is off to a hot-start with three goals in four games.

On the back-end, P.K. Subban is a production machine year-after-year always among the top in defensive scoring. Four assists in four games makes for a nice start to the season for this potential Norris Trophy candidate. Andrei Markov, Jeff Petry, and Alexei Emelin have all played well for the Canadiens early-on. Let’s see if the NHL’s most expensive blue-line can continue its dominating play as the season wears on.

To think how much better the Canadiens could have done last season had Dustin Tokarski not been the backup. Well, lesson learned. And now Mike Condon, who is coming off a solid year in the AHL gets a chance to step-in and cement himself as Montreal’s backup. His one early performance looks promising after a strong preseason, just don’t expect him to get a ton of starts this season. Carey Price is elite and can handle a big workload, the good news is Montreal might now have a reliable option to turn to if their starter is ever fatigued.

Next: Winless and Undefeated Teams

Oct 10, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators players celebrate after a win against the Edmonton Oilers at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

4. Winless and Undefeated Teams (in Regulation)

Undefeated

Montreal Canadiens 4 gp 4 wins (0-0 home) (4-0 road)

What’s made the Canadiens wins all that more impressive is the fact that each of them came on the road. They topped it off Tuesday night by knocking off the Pittsburgh Penguins and leaving them among the basement of teams without a win. With the next three games at home, we could be looking at a 6-0 team, that is if they can get by three solid teams in NY Rangers, Detroit, and St.Louis. Things get a little easier after that when they go on the road to play Buffalo, then square off at home against Toronto later in the month.

Detroit Red Wings 3 gp 3 wins (2-0 home) (1-0 road)

The tandem of Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek could be a deadly one moving forward for the Red Wings. It’s probably worth noting the Red Wings have accomplished this all without their star defensive center Pavel Datsyuk. Justin Abdelkader has four goals and one assist in three games and was awarded with the “NHL’s First Star of the Week Award”. After Tuesday nights game, captain Henrik Zetterberg leads the team in scoring with two goals and five assists in three games. Free-agents Brad Richards and Mike Green have been decent fits so far, but the most talked-about player is rookie Dylan Larkin, who won first line duties out of training camp.

Nashville Predators 3 gp 3 wins (2-0 home) (1-0 road)

Even though the Predators are undefeated, it hasn’t been without its offensive struggles. Nashville has only managed to score seven goals in three games, but luckily have only managed to give up two. The Predators have one of the most fearsome back-end’s in the entire NHL with guys like Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Seth Jones, and Ryan Ellis to highlight just a few. If they could just find more of an offensive flare beyond Filip Forsberg, then you could be looking at a Stanley Cup contender with the elite Pekka Rinne between the pipes.

Honorable Mentions:

Minnesota Wild 2 gp 2 wins (1-0 home) (1-0 road)
A hat-trick by Zach Parise helped propel the Wild to a victory in their first game

San Jose Sharks 3 gp 3 wins (1-0 home) (1-0 road)
Number seven storyline from our list

Arizona Coyotes 2 gp 2 wins (1-0 home) (1-0 road)
Smith looks good early in goal. Domi and Duclair look destined for quality seasons.

Winless Teams

Pittsburgh Penguins 3 gp 0 wins (0-1 home) (0-2 road)

Perhaps the most shocking part about a winless Penguins team is the fact that they sit tied for 28th in goals for with three, while allowing a respectable eight goals. The problem for the Penguins has been exactly what experts feared heading into the season, defensive play. The defense core is among one of the bottom five in the NHL. It gets little help from an offensive group that has struggled to maintain possession for extended periods at times in the opposition’s end and has been victim of arrant turnovers.

Toronto Maple Leafs 3 gp 0 wins (0-2 home) (0-1 away)

Most in the hockey world had the Maple Leafs pegged as a basement dwelling team. Surprisingly, the team has shown signs of improvement under new bench boss Mike Babcock. So far the struggle has been goaltending, seeing Jonathan Bernier let in his first shot during both starts to begin the season. James Reimer didn’t fair much better in the limited amount of time he’s seen in relief and his only start. If the Leafs can get some goaltending, they may be able to pile up some wins.

Los Angeles Kings 3 gp 0 wins (0-3 home) (0-0 road)

Los Angeles Kings fans have been treated to three stinkers at home to begin the 2015-16 regular season. Arguably one of the worst defensive-looking teams to open the year, the Kings problems run deeper than defensive woes. Undisciplined penalties have hampered the Kings in each of their first three games. An array of mental lapses have led to bad turnovers and missed assignments leading to goals against. It could be a long season for Los Angeles if they can’t add another piece on the blue-line.

Edmonton 3 gp 0 wins (0-0 home) (0-3 road)

Always tough to start the season on the road, so it shouldn’t be long before the Oilers grab their first “W” of the season. All the news leading up until now has circulated around phenom Connor McDavid. The Oilers did make some other moves in the offseason however, acquiring Cam Talbot from the Rangers who looks to have solidified the starter’s spot with quality performances. Oilers new bench boss Todd McClellan has been juggling the lines looking for the right chemistry while Jordan Eberle is out to begin the season. Once McDavid settles in with a consistent line-mate, then we may see what the 18-year-old can do in his rookie season.

Honorable Mentions:

Anaheim Ducks 2 gp 0 wins (0-1 home) (0-1 away)
Simply too small of a sample size to make any judgments thus far. (1GF-4GA)

Columbus Blue Jackets 3 gp 0 wins (0-1 home) (0-2 road)
GM Jarmo Kekalainen expressed his concerns already

New Jersey Devils 3 gp 0 wins (0-2 home) (0-1 road)
They were always destined for top odds to land Auston Matthews

Carolina Hurricanes 3 gp 0 wins (0-2 home) (0-1 road)
Had it not been for Wisniewski going down in game one, the Canes may be doing better.

Boston Bruins 3 gp 0 wins (0-3 home) (0-0 road)
Number six storyline on our list doesn’t need further explaining

Next: Calder Trophy Class

Oct 7, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) makes a save on a shot by Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) in the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

3. Calder Trophy Class – Besides Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid

Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings

Larkin was the first Red Wings player to score a goal as a 19-year-old since Steve Yzerman after winning top-line duties out of training camp. With one goal and three assists in three games, Larkin has been an unexpected delight for Detroit with Pavel Datsyuk slated to miss the first part of the season. The skill-set on this young man is impressive, and looks like he could not only compete for the Calder but have a long storied career with the Red Wings.

Noah Hanifan, Carolina Hurricanes

After losing James Wisniewski for the first six months of the season due to injury, it’s a relief that 2015 first round pick Noah Hanifan hasn’t looked out of place. In fact, at times he’s looked like a veteran out there, somewhat resembling the play we saw from Aaron Ekblad last season in Florida. The Canes have a gem in Noah Hanifan, and is likely the only Calder candidate on the back-end during 2015-16.

Oscar Lindberg, New York Rangers

After producing 56 points with AHL Hartford last season, some hockey experts had Lindberg pegged as a sleeper to crack this squad out of training camp. However, experts weren’t predicting four goals in the first four games with all this being done in under 13 minutes of ice-time per game. If Oscar Lindberg can see an expanded role, he could make some noise in the competition against Eichel and McDavid.

Artemi Panarin, Chicago Blackhawks

Much speculation existed in the summer surrounding this former KHL star making the jump to North American style hockey. After a limited preseason due to injury, Panarin hit the ground running in his first three NHL contests producing two goals and two helpers in four games. After developing chemistry with Patrick Kane, it could be the perfect line pairing to help Artemi Panarin threaten Eichel and McDavid for the Calder Trophy.

Mattias Janmark, Dallas Stars

An off-the-radar prospect that cracked a spot with the Dallas Stars to open the season after starting his career in Detroit. This young man could have his spot threatened upon return of Brett Ritchie from injury, but he’s expected to be out for awhile. For the time being, Janmark is doing what he can to stay in the NHL and has done a pretty good job so far racking up two goals and an assist. He probably won’t push for the Calder Trophy, but for now he’s worth of keeping in the conversation until further notice.

Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets

One of those outside chance players to take the Calder Trophy heading into the 2015-16 season has yet to disappoint. Ehlers has a goals and two assists in three games played while seeing just over 15 minutes ice-time on average. The Jets are going to have to immerse him in a bigger role if they want to overcome their offensive inability to produce goals regularly. Either way, this kid has the skill to be a threat for Calder Trophy nomination this season.

Max Domi and Anthony Duclair, Arizona Coyotes

The sample size has been pretty small for these two young Coyotes forwards with high hopes for 2015-16. Max Domi, while a bit undersized has not looked at all out of place early into the NHL season. He’s tallied a goal and an assist to open the campaign and looks poised to have a healthy point total if the Coyotes can keep winning games. Anthony Duclair had an excellent stint with the Rangers last season before heading back to junior. He was the prized piece in the Keith Yandle trade and has not disappointed after two games putting up two assists already. Imagine these two guys with players like Dylan Strome, Brandon Perlini, and Christian Dvorak, the future of the Arizona Coyotes is highly promising.

Next: Changes to the Game

May 8, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) argues with referee Kevin Pollock (33) in front of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) after an apparent Capitals goal is ruled no goal because of goalie interference during the second period of game five of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

2. Rule Changes take Center Stage

The Coach’s Challenge

While some enjoy the new coach’s challenge, others have addressed important concerns surrounding the use of it. A coach’s challenge can only be used on a goal scored to determine if a) there was goaltender interference, or b) whether offside occurred on the play. It proved effective last Wednesday on opening night when it seemed as though Leafs D Roman Polak may have pushed Montreal F Tomas Plekanec into goaltender Jonathan Bernier. However upon review, it appeared there was unintentional contact with a stick to the neck of Bernier by Plekanec. The Coach’s Challenge effectively did what it was created to do, and that’s to get the call right. Frankly, getting the call right is the only thing that matters in the end.

There’s always another side to things though, as some have suggested the new rule has an ability to be abused. Ideas have floated around that teams could use these coach’s challenges as an extended timeout opposed to the 30-second one they would lose. A more sturdy and viable point made is the ability to impact the flow or momentum of a game. Sports like football can endure the breaks for constant video replay because the flow of the game is slow enough between plays to allow it. In hockey, momentum swings and shifts are occurring constantly, and it’s a valid point to suggest the Coach’s Challenge could have momentum shifting consequences.

It’s still early in the process so we haven’t seen a large enough sample size to draw a precise conclusion on what kind of effect this rule will have on the game. But the fact that the NHL is taking necessary steps to do the best job they can to get the call right on the ice should be a refreshing one for fans.

3-on-3 OT

The big experiment came in NHL preseason when we saw all the mandatory experimental 3-on-3 that resulted in 78 percent being decided during the five minute overtime period. This particular rule change has been outstanding for the league in numerous ways. The most obvious being that it results in less games going to a shootout, and more games being decided on the stats sheet. This results is more goals and assists individually for players, while taking some goals out of that “shootout goals” category that most fans don’t bother to follow.
*link to article
3-on-3 has universally been praised as exciting by fans and experts alike, as the extra ice space opened up creates more exciting odd-man rushes. One missed 2-on-1 results in the same going back the other way. Speed seems to be the highlight trait to possess early-on, but teams are still tinkering with strategy on how to attack and defend the new rule change. We simply have not seen enough 3-on-3 action to begin the season to truly begin to appreciate a rule change that many fans will much prefer to shootouts.

Next: Eichel vs McDavid: The Great Debate

Oct 10, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel (15) takes a shot on the Tampa Bay Lightning net during the third period at First Niagara Center. Lightning beat the Sabres 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

1. Jack Eichel vs. Connor McDavid

There’s a reason these two have been topping social media and search engine trends for the last month, and that’s because the hype is comparable to that of Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin in the early days. Except now, we have developed social media networks that bring everyone together, and truth is that Eichel and McDavid have been heavily trending for awhile now.

So what have we learned after seven nights of NHL hockey in this debate? Well, anyone who thought the battle between these two would result in a landslide victory by McDavid are certainly having second thoughts. Connor McDavid got off to a bit of a slow start with the winless Oilers, but after Tuesday night got his first NHL goal (one of three Edmonton goals this season). Jack Eichel has impressed early looking like the Buffalo Sabres best player, which is a compliment with players like Evander Kane and Tyler Ennis kicking around. Eichel has scored two goals in three games with the Sabres this season seeing the most average time on ice among rookies with 19:38/game so far.

For the time being, the edge still goes to Connor McDavid. The Oilers have yet to win a game and have only scored three goals total to begin the campaign. With Jordan Eberle due to be back from injury eventually, the depth is only going to deepen in Edmonton and offer better options for McDavid to play with. Regardless, these are two young-men capable of several multi-point games this season. Who will be the first to net a hat-trick? Which one will have the biggest individual performance in one game by the time the season concludes?

The Connor McDavid vs. Jack Eichel argument is one that is just getting kick-started and will likely resume for many years to come. It should make for an exciting debate, and race down the stretch this season, and will continue to be one of the leading headlines throughout the 2015-16 NHL season. Sit back and enjoy folks!

Next: NHL Fights Shouldn't Be Banned

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