NHL Daily: World Juniors, 2017 Predictions, Minnesota Wild
NHL Daily: Canada and Finland met up on Monday night for pre-tournament action ahead of the World Juniors, USA Today released their top 10 predictions for the 2017 calendar year, Minnesota Wild outlook at the trade deadline, and more! (Morning Coffee Headlines)
Grab your morning cup of coffee and join us here at Puck Prose for a compilation of NHL daily links that will help keep you updated with everything going on in the hockey world.
Five games were on the schedule Monday. The Carolina–Detroit match-up was postponed due to ice conditions (more on that further down). Nashville notched an extra point in their 2-1 shootout win in Philadelphia. Anaheim edged the Maple Leafs for a 3-2 road victory. The Oilers grabbed an extra point in a 3-2 win over St. Louis. Lastly, the Flames got a solid outing from Brian Elliott after a shaky first goal en route to a 4-2 over the Coyotes.
Here is your highlight of the night:
NHL Daily: Morning Coffee Headlines
Canada/Finland Pre-Tournament WJC
Canada and Finland met up for pre-tournament action ahead of the World Juniors. The Canadians dominated on the scoreboard with a decisive 5-1 win. Isles prospect Mathew Barzal stood out arguably as the top player. Only thing Team Canada needs to clear up is the lack of discipline. They got away with it Monday night on a perfect PK, but someone will bury those chances. [Sportsnet]
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Wild at the Deadline
Danny Lambert over at Gone Puck Wild thinks Minnesota is in a tough spot as we near closer to the trade deadline. While conventional wisdom suggests the Wild should add for a playoff run, Danny wonders whether too big of a trade might upset the chemistry that is working so well this year. [Gone Puck Wild]
Canes-Red Wings Postponed
The Red Wings/Hurricanes game in Carolina was postponed Monday night. It was due to a broken seal on the main compressor that runs the ice chiller. Games are usually played at -7 degrees celsius, but the ice had risen to roughly -1 an hour before puck drop. [Yahoo Sports]
World Juniors Prospect Profile: Julien Gauthier
With the World Juniors just around the corner, the team over at Cardiac Cane are looking at participating prospects from the organization. Yesterday, they featured 21st overall selection in 2016, Julien Gauthier, who will represent Team Canada. [Cardiac Cane]
2017 Predictions
USA Today handed out their 2017 predictions on Monday. Among the top ten, they believe Jets rookie Patrik Laine will outscore Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin. Also, they think Mathieu Perreault, Dmitry Orlov, and Jonas Brodin are headed to Las Vegas in June. [USA Today]
Islanders Prospects Worthy of Call-Up
Colby Guy over at Eyes on Isles takes a look at three prospects in the Islanders system that he believes are worthy of a call-up. It’s difficult to argue with any of the names: Michael Dal Colle, Josh Ho-Sang, and Ryan Pulock. [Eyes on Isles]
Next: 5 Storylines to Watch out for in 2017
NHL Daily Morning Rant
The NHL roster freeze has officially kicked in. Teams will be unable to make moves until play resumes on December 27th. Interestingly enough, GMs will see a bit more of one another over the holiday season as the World Juniors is played between Toronto/Montreal. That means that trades are a definite possibility once WJC play concludes in early January.
Here’s a list of my top five players most likely to be dealt in the near future:
1. F Martin Hanzal, Arizona Coyotes
2. D Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues
3. G Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets
4. G Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
5. F Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche
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