Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips July 24, 2020

Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets goalies have little time to get on track PAGE 04: Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets’ Emil Bemstrom regains scoring touch after layoff PAGE 06: The Athletic: Sticking around: Jackets, goalie coach Manny Legace agree to multiyear extension PAGE 08: Sun: Blue Jackets centre not worried about shutting down Maple Leafs stars

Cleveland Monsters/Prospects

NHL/Websites PAGE 10: The Athletic: A night in the NHL bubble: What players can expect when they arrive in Toronto PAGE 15: The Athletic: Down Goes Brown: Ranking all 59 team names in NHL history, including the Kraken PAGE 23: Sportsnet.ca: NHL Qualifying Round Preview: Outlier stats that will matter in each series PAGE 29: Sportsnet.ca: NHL Training Camps Day 11: Rangers not ready to name starting goalie PAGE 31: TSN.ca: has shown a blueprint for long-term success PAGE 33: USA Today: Release the Kraken! Seattle, NHL's 32nd team, unveils name and logo

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Columbus Dispatch / Blue Jackets goalies have little time to get on track By Brian Hedger – July 24, 2020

Ordinarily, it wouldn’t be much of a concern to see numerous pucks getting past a during scrimmages this early in a training camp. But most training camps are held in September, before an NHL season, and last nearly a month. They also include five or six preseason games, and after that goalies might still need a couple of more weeks of playing regularly to hone their timing and puck-tracking skills. In other words, there’s plenty of time. And that’s what is unique about the training camps the Blue Jackets and 23 other NHL teams are now conducting. It’s only week 2 of camps intended to prepare teams for the league’s adopted format to finish the 2019-20 season and time is already running out for goalies. "We practice a lot and it’s a little bit different than games," said Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who had a tough start to this week by allowing 13 goals split between scrimmages Monday and Tuesday at the OhioHealth Ice Haus. "Of course, the intensity is really high (in practices), but it’s a different situation on the ice when it’s game time," Korpisalo said. "Timing-wise and things (like that), there’s a lot more happening when it’s a real game, so it’s a little bit different." Finding that timing is key for Korpisalo, fellow Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and other goalies in the upcoming postseason. Merzlikins hasn’t allowed nearly as many goals as Korpisalo in four scrimmages, but also hasn’t faced as many prime scoring chances. Those hoping for an assessment of the goalie competition from coach John Tortorella or goaltending coach Manny Legace haven’t gotten one yet — Tortorella declined to speak with reporters after a simulated game Tuesday — and there’s a good chance it might not happen until a decision is made. The Blue Jackets begin the postseason Aug. 2 with Game 1 of a five-game series in the qualifying round against the on their home ice at . That’s in 11 days and there will only be one preseason game, July 30 against Boston, for the Jackets to see both goalies in a true game setting. Neither has a shred of playoff experience in the NHL, either. "I’m not questioning, ‘How are they going to handle it?’ " Tortorella said last week, after saying both goalies proved themselves in the regular season. "I’m anxious to see who steps up and takes it, because it’s not going to be my decision. It’s going to be their decision, as far as who carries the ball here in (the) . I’m sure they’re both very excited for this opportunity." Korpisalo might be a little less enthusiastic at the moment. He took a lot of lumps in the Jackets’ past two scrimmages, allowing all six goals in a 6-0 loss Monday and then allowing four goals in the third period of a 7-3 defeat on Tuesday. To a casual observer, his timing appears off after four-plus months spent in Finland during the pandemic. That usually takes time and game action to correct, and those are two things that are scarcities for goalies of every playoff team.

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Across NHL camps, Korpisalo probably is not alone in his early struggles to stop the puck, but there isn’t much time for him or other scuffling backstops to find a comfort level. "I’ve never played any playoff hockey in the NHL and I’m looking forward to it," Korpisalo said last week. "It’s a five-game series, so there’s no time to play any ‘off’ games. You’ve got to be ready on day 1." The Blue Jackets are counting on it, whether Korpisalo or Merzlikins is in net. "I feel a lot better about this situation (being) new to them than (when) it was new to them coming to play a regular season, because I think they’ve grown mentally," Tortorella said. "I do think both of them pull for one another and it’s a really healthy situation with those two guys. I’m anxious to see how it plays out."

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Columbus Dispatch / Blue Jackets’ Emil Bemstrom regains scoring touch after layoff By Brian Hedger – July 24, 2020

Emil Bemstrom was just getting comfortable. The Blue Jackets’ rookie forward, known for a booming one-timer and goal-scoring prowess in his native Sweden, was starting to find his groove when the NHL suspended its season March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic. In 10 games before the pause, Bemstrom scored five of his 10 goals to regain his scoring touch from a dynamic 2018-19 season in the Swedish Hockey League. The skills that allowed him to score a league- best 23 goals for Djurgardens were revealing themselves on a regular basis for the Jackets. Then it all came to a screeching halt. "It was kind of tough," said Bemstrom, 21, who returned to Sweden after the pause. "I think I had my best couple of games there at the end, (but) it’s the same for everyone. I just have to get right back to it." He appears on track, based on the Jackets’ scrimmages Monday and Tuesday at the OhioHealth Ice Haus. More than a week into a playoffs "training camp," Bemstrom is getting scoring opportunities and scored a jaw-dropping goal on Tuesday. After edging Seth Jones in a race to the puck off a long flip pass from Devin Shore, Bemstrom sent a quick backhand into the net for his first goal of camp. The shot and his hustle showed the kind of speed and skill that could be critical in the Jackets’ qualifying-round matchup against Toronto, a team loaded with elite talent and speed. "I had a lot of speed there and I skated by Jonesy," Bemstrom said with a smirk. "That doesn’t happen that often, I guess … I’ve been feeling very good the last couple of days here." Foligno out After missing a practice and scrimmage Monday, Nick Foligno watched Tuesday’s simulated game in street clothes with Josh Anderson, who is rehabbing after shoulder surgery on March 2. Anderson is listed as "unfit to play," the NHL’s new phrase to describe why players miss time. Foligno is listed as "unable to practice," wording that a team source said is meant to designate Anderson’s issue as a prior injury. The heightened level of secrecy is tied to an agreement between the NHL and its players association to maintain privacy for players testing positive for COVID-19. Drawing attention At the start of camp, the Jackets were divided into two practice groups — the first filled with NHL players and the second comprised mainly of players from the . Among those in Group 2 were forwards Nathan Gerbe, Shore and Kevin Stenlund, each of whom played roles in keeping the Jackets in playoff contention despite a mountain of injuries.

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The four-month break allowed most of those injuries to heal, so there is limited space within the Jackets’ rotation for those not in the main practice group. Gerbe, Shore and Stenlund all stood out — and scored — in a 7-3 victory for Shore’s "visiting" team on Tuesday. Gerbe, who had hernia surgery in March, has scored two scrimmage goals thus far. Shore’s play is picking up and Stenlund is beginning to show off a hard, accurate wrist shot, which he used to beat goalie Elvis Merzlikins from the top of the right face-off circle Tuesday. This and that Four of the 10 goals Tuesday were scored by Swedish forwards (Bemstrom, Stenlund, Gustav Nyquist and Alexander Wennberg). … Rookies Alexandre Texier and Liam Foudy switched teams before the third period. Coach John Tortorella declined to speak with reporters afterward and the Jackets were off Wednesday, so the reason is unknown. … About 30 masked spectators watched the scrimmage by looking through the exterior windows of the Ice Haus.

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The Athletic / Sticking around: Jackets, goalie coach Manny Legace agree to multiyear extension By Aaron Portzline – July 24, 2020

COLUMBUS, — Goaltending coach Manny Legace has been with the Blue Jackets organization for seven years now, including the last two at the NHL level, where he helped steer the position through a turbulent transition with mostly stellar results. It looks like Legace will be staying put for a while. Sources told The Athletic that Legace has signed — or at least agreed to terms — on a multiyear contract extension to continue working with Joonas Korpisalo, Elvis Merzlikins and others. The Blue Jackets have not announced the signing, and general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen would not confirm the news. Terms of the deal were not immediately available. Columbus coach John Tortorella has barred Legace from talking to the media during training camp, but he spoke glowingly about his work earlier this week. “I’m not in the ’ meetings; I’m not involved in the teaching part of it,” Tortorella said. “But I do watch the relationships, I watch the interaction. “Manny’s done a terrific job, first of all trying to understand (Korpisalo and Merzlikins) as people. I’m really happy how they’re responding, really, all of our goalies. “I watched (Legace) on the bench today with one of our minor-league goalies, and you can see there’s just a really good relationship, and that’s very important. Manny has that way of disarming the person so they can have a conversation.” Legace, 47, was elevated to the NHL level in 2018 after spending five seasons with the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate in Cleveland and Springfield, Mass. It was an interesting time to arrive in Columbus on many levels. Not only did Legace replace longtime Blue Jackets goaltending coach Ian Clark, who got along very well with then-Columbus netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, but he took over just as Bobrovsky was heading into the final season of his contract with plans to leave via free agency. It was a delicate situation that nearly went off the rails a few times — with Bobrovsky’s “performance art” press conference on the eve of training camp that season and his early departure from the bench to the showers after getting pulled from a game in Tampa Bay. Bobrovsky was suspended for leaving the game in Tampa, and there was near-constant friction between him and Tortorella, including one blow-up in Vancouver late that season. But Bobrovsky pulled it together and helped guide the Jackets to their first-ever playoff series win, a sweep of the heavily favored Lightning in the first round. This season, Legace had an equally challenging task: getting Merzlikins acclimated to life in the NHL and the smaller rinks of North America. It started shortly after Merzlikins arrived in Columbus from Switzerland after signing a contract in the spring, but it intensified beginning at the Traverse City prospects tournament.

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“Manny … he’s a great coach,” Merzlikins said earlier this season. “I love him. He helped me a lot, and he’s helping me a lot, and every day after practice I feel better and better thanks to him. He’s teaching really well.” Meanwhile, Legace was prepping Korpisalo for his first season as a starter after spending several seasons in Bobrovsky’s shadow. It was, on the whole, a smashing success. Columbus’ goaltenders finished the regular season with a .913 save percentage, fourth-best in the NHL, trailing only Boston (.921), Dallas (.920) and (.919). The Blue Jackets allowed 2.61 goals per game, tied with Arizona for fourth-best in the league. Korpisalo was named an NHL All-Star, though he missed the game after suffering a knee injury in December. Merzlikins went on a tear when Korpisalo went down and finished fifth in the league in both goals-against average (2.35) and save percentage (.923). Both Korpisalo and Merzlikins signed two-year contract extensions with the Blue Jackets during the NHL’s pause. Tortorella has come to lean hard on Legace, whose responsibilities go beyond just making the goaltenders’ schedules and picking starters. “We’re always talking,” Tortorella said. “He brings up some points that I don’t even think about, and they’re interesting, about how a goalie things. I don’t know how a goalie thinks. He does, he’s played the position. “It’s been a really good relationship. He puts the time in. That position … they’re kind of off on their own. They have their own little thing back in Manny’s office. But it’s very important how that relationship has bonded.”

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Toronto Sun / TRAIKOS: Blue Jackets centre not worried about shutting down Maple Leafs stars By Michael Traikos – July 24, 2020

The person who has the unenviable task of matching up against either Auston Matthews or wants to make one thing clear: He is not necessarily the only person responsible for shutting them down. According to Pierre-Luc Dubois, the Columbus Blue Jackets do not play a man-on-man defence. They play zone. And they happen to play it better than any team in the NHL. “To me — and I think a lot of guys also think this — there is nothing harder than playing against a team that defends in a block of five,” Dubois said in an interview on Thursday. “A lot of teams have good defencemen or a good defensive line or things like that. But when it really comes down to it, having to beat five guys at a time is when it becomes hard.” Don’t believe it? Just ask Nikita Kucherov. Or Steven Stamkos. Or Brayden Point. A year ago, the were by far the best team in all of hockey. They were also the most explosive offensively, with Kucherov leading the league with 128 points and Stamkos and Point amongst the top-12 with 98 and 92 points, respectively. As a team, the Lighting was averaging nearly four goals per game. Of course, all those stats went out the window in a suffocating sweep that saw Tampa Bay manage just eight goals in a four short games. Stamkos and Point combined for two goals and four points. Kucherov, who had no goals and two assists, was so frustrated that he received a one-game suspension for boarding in Game 2. “That’s one of the reasons why we beat Tampa last year,” said Dubois. “We just defended in groups of five. You can beat your guy one-on-one, but then you’ve got to go through four other guys. Whether it’s the Leafs or any other team, it’s hard to play against.” Keep in mind: that was a Columbus team that still had forwards Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel on its roster. With those three gone as free agents — and injuries plaguing the entire lineup for most of the season — the Blue Jackets have had to double-down on their defence-first approach. In other words, if head coach John Tortorella has his wish, this series is going to be more boring than the trap-heavy hockey we saw when the were winning all those Stanley Cups. “We don’t have the biggest superstars in the league. And if we do, they’re probably on defence,” GM Jarmo Kekalainen said in a phone interview on Thursday. “But our strength is playing as a team, as a unit, defending well and being relentless in our competitiveness. That can’t change. That’s how we’ve been successful.” Indeed, the Blue Jackets didn’t have a player ranked among the top-70 scorers this season. Their top goal-scorer, winger Oliver Bjorkstrand, had as many goals (21) as Toronto’s Zach Hyman.

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On paper, Dubois and Alexander Wennberg should be no match for Matthews and Tavares. The 23 goals that the Columbus centres combined for this season was less than half of the 47 goals that Matthews produced on his own. But this isn’t a 1-v-1 matchup. The Blue Jackets, who have five defenceman listed as 6-foot-2 or taller including Seth Jones and Zach Werenski, are big and physical. They swarm. They grind. They play below the dots. They give up nothing. Sure, the Blue Jackets had the third-worst offence in the league this year. But despite losing more man- games than any other team, they also allowed the sixth-fewest shots. Only Dallas and Boston allowed fewer goals. Scoring goals is going to be a challenge for a Leafs team that likes to play run-and-gun hockey. Maybe that is why Toronto has been mixing and matching forward lines and fooling around with the idea of a so-called “all-star” trio comprised of Matthews, Tavares and Mitch Marner. Whatever the combination happens to be, the series will answer an age-old question: does offence or defence win Cups? “They have a good team,” Dubois said of the Leafs. “I’m not 100% sure about the stats, but I think they’re top-3 in goals-scored and we’re top-3 in goals-against, so it’s going to be a good matchup. Interesting for the fans. Interesting for us. A good challenge.” For Dubois, it’s a challenge that he was selected for. It was four years ago when Kekalainen surprised onlookers at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by passing on Jesse Puljujarvi and selecting Dubois with the third-overall pick. At the time, Kekalainen defended his choice by saying the 6-foot-2 Dubois had the potential to be a top-line centre. In this league, that’s worth a top-3 pick. The 22-year-old, who had 18 goals and 49 points in 70 games this season, still might not be there yet offensively. But if Columbus hopes to play the role of spoiler again, Dubois will have to make Matthews’ and Tavares’ life miserable. “He’s taken big steps,” said Kekalainen. “He’s here to learn. He wants to be good. He wants to be the best. The Leafs offence is as good as anybody’s in this league. It’s going to be as much of a challenge as you could possibly get as far as playing against some of the best forwards in this league. “I’m itching to see how it plays out. I can tell you that much.”

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The Athletic / A night in the NHL bubble: What players can expect when they arrive in Toronto By Hailey Salvian and Joshua Kloke – July 24, 2020

Reporting from the Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto by Hailey Salvian. Additional reporting by Joshua Kloke in Toronto. I’m having my temperature checked at the Fairmont Royal York’s “wellness desk” when the eerie stillness of the upscale Toronto hotel’s usually bustling lobby is broken by a special delivery to the front desk. Even in these extraordinary times, with thermometers, masks and hand sanitizer the new hallmarks of a luxurious hotel check-in process, this delivery seems out of the ordinary: Two cases of Pink Whitney, a pink lemonade flavoured vodka. “These are for the NHL teams staying here,” says the woman carrying the libations. This weekend, players, coaches and staff from seven Eastern Conference NHL teams will arrive in Toronto, hoping for an extended stay at the hotel, which has been mostly empty in the months since the pandemic put life — and sports — on pause. The Royal York, across from Union Station and connected to Scotiabank Arena by an underground tunnel, is one of two Toronto hotels that has been chosen to host teams vying for the in a tournament set to begin August 1. The other, Hotel X, is located on the city’s Exhibition grounds, close to practice facilities and other amenities. It’s Tuesday afternoon — the final day the hotel is open to the public before the NHL arrives — and I’m checking in to try to get an early sense of what life in the NHL bubble might be like for the players and personnel who will live inside it, potentially for more than a month. Today, the hotel is a ghost town. The lobby bar is closed. So is the restaurant. There are no events in the conference rooms. The streets outside the building, in the heart of downtown, are quiet, too. But over my one-night stay, signs emerge of the life the NHL is about to bring. There’s a cautious excitement among staff that is noticeable. Nearly everywhere you turn, someone is cleaning something. Conference rooms are being transformed into team lounges. Wi-Fi connections are being set up. And, yes, the vodka has been delivered. By Friday some players are expected to start arriving in the bubble, according to one Royal York staff member. Everyone must arrive by Sunday, according to the NHL. The league has set strict travel guidelines for all players arriving in the hub city on, or after as early as Wednesday afternoon. For players and teams arriving by charter, there is no quarantine requirement, but for five days individuals can only participate in essential work and interact with their travelling party. For players and teams travelling commercial, there is a four day quarantine in their hotel room, until four daily COVID-19 tests come back negative. Like in Edmonton, Toronto’s hub will be split between two locations.

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The top five teams in the Eastern Conference by points percentage (the , Tampa Bay Lightning, , and ) will stay at Hotel X, a luxury hotel inside a campus-like bubble being established a 10-minute drive from Scotiabank Arena. The remaining seven teams, including the hometown Maple Leafs, will stay at the Royal York, a less- than-10-minute walk to Scotiabank Arena via Toronto’s PATH network of underground walkways. According to the Royal York’s website, there are no rooms available from July 22 until August 23. Which is in line with the tentative dates set by the NHL for the playoffs. The second round is set to begin Aug. 25, where it is believed the four remaining Eastern Conference teams would all stay at Hotel X. By the Conference Finals, all teams will move to the Edmonton bubble. Hotel X is scheduled to re-open to the public on Sept. 8. Shuttles will be available to take players to and from the Royal York to the main campus near Hotel X on the shores of Lake . All transportation will be league provided. Facilities on the 40-acre grounds of Exhibition Place will include the training facility, OVO Athletic Centre, the ’ home rink, Coca-Cola Coliseum, which will serve as a practice facility along with the Leafs’ multi-pad practice facility, the , in nearby . All 12 Eastern Conference teams will use the Ford Performance Centre for practice while in the bubble. The facility has three NHL-sized ice sheets that will be scheduled for use by each team. No media or fans will be allowed at practices. The league said it will be providing maps of club entrances, locker rooms and workout areas to teams. Everything about the bubble, or “secure zone,” is going to be strictly scheduled to keep teams apart and players and staff safe. “We’re going to be restricted with where we can go and with what our boundaries are,” said Leafs captain John Tavares. “But I think the league, and I know the PA are working together extremely hard and have taken a lot of feedback from us to try and do the best they can to make it as normal as possible and give us things to do outside from the rink.” Ask players what they’ll be bringing into the bubble and one answer comes up often: gaming consoles. “I think we’re going to be playing a lot of Call of Duty: Warzone,” said Leafs defenceman Justin Holl earlier this week. “Provided the internet works OK.” As NBA teams started to arrive at the NBA bubble in Orlando earlier this month, several players took to social media to complain about the wireless conditions. At the Royal York, the NHL appears to be making moves to keep players connected. As I look to tap into the hotel’s Wi-Fi, two new internet options (in addition to the standard guest networks) were within range in my room: “NHL_Fairmont” and “NHL_CONSOL.” A separate network for console use? Players are bound to like that. During my stay, few hotel amenities were available to the public. The gym and pool were closed. The Fairmont was not available to comment for this story, so it is unclear if the restaurants, pool and gym will open for the players. Staff at the hotel spoke on the condition of anonymity.

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In a press kit, the NHL stated that hotel pools are permitted for use in the secure zone, only if they are open. Spas, steam rooms and saunas will be closed, the league said. There will also be a daily schedule for the use of hotel gyms established by the league. The schedule will allow for players and personnel to workout separately and allow proper cleaning time between the time slots. One staff member at the Royal York said teams will have their own sections of conference rooms, “hospitality lounges,” where they will be served breakfast every morning. The staff member did not know for certain how the remaining meals would work. According to the league, there will be several dining options for players and staff. Including the hospitality lounges where each team will have buffet-style meals where players and servers will be separated by plexiglass barriers. The league has also permitted hotel restaurants and bars, room service and delivery from local restaurants. Both restaurants in the Royal York were closed during my stay, however on Wednesday as I was checking out, there was staff cleaning the “Reign” restaurant, perhaps preparing to re-open. This could not be confirmed by the hotel. Meanwhile, Matt Black, director of marketing and revenue at Hotel X, said the hotel was focused on making life inside the hotel as comfortable as possible. There are three restaurants in Hotel X, including the Falcon Skybar, a three-level bar that offers unobstructed views of Lake Ontario. On the nine-acre Hotel X grounds, Black said players will have access to a rooftop pool, a 6,500-square foot sheltered patio, a 250-seat cinema which can show the most current of releases, a 56-seat screening room, a 90,000-square foot fitness facility that includes four tennis courts, eight squash courts, studios for hot yoga and Pilates, as well as a court. “That’s the one thing we have an abundance of — space,” he said. “With our location, you couldn’t find that amount of space anywhere else downtown.” All players will stay in single-occupancy rooms. There are 404 rooms in Hotel X, all of which will be available to NHL players and staff. Black called every room “quite spacious.” Most of the rooms come with tubs and separate showers. By contrast, the Royal York boasts 1,343 guest rooms and suites. It’s elegant. But the rooms run on the small size — the standard Queen room is around 250 square feet. Players can expect team-specific personalized touches on their hotel floors. The Athletic asked every Eastern Conference team in the playoffs if they will be personalizing their hotel floor in some way. Four teams responded to email inquiries and said they had plans to personalize their hotel space in some way, but these teams declined to give specifics in the hopes of surprising their players upon arrival. “I don’t feel like we need too much,” said Leafs forward Jason Spezza. “We’ve got each other, a deck of cards, and some games on TV, we’ll be fine.”

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“The biggest challenge for us,” he added, “will be to get outdoors a little bit and not feel like you’re cooped up in the hotel.” Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reported this week that at the Hotel X site, BMO Field, home to Toronto FC and the , is being converted into an outdoor lounge area for players, similar to plans outlined in the Edmonton bubble, which included Olympic Village-style amenities at Rogers Place and the JW Marriott. He also said that excursions outside the bubble could be made available for players but only after players have served their necessary quarantine time. According to the league, the secure zone will including some dining destinations and indoor and outdoor “demarcated areas.” It is not known at this time what those areas could be. However one could assume it’s favourable restaurants or golfing excursions. Sitting outside at the Royal York’s Clockwork Terrace, the hotel’s only open dining option during my stay, it’s a bit difficult to picture players from the Maple Leafs or Columbus Blue Jackets sitting on the patio — only feet away from the busy intersection of University Avenue and Front Street. But, according to a staff member, the restaurant and patio will re-open on Friday — with some updates. There will be a deep clean, of course. And there’s talk of a barrier that will separate the patio and the sidewalk to keep players and team personnel safe, and give them privacy. Safety and cleanliness are paramount. It’s evident even as I dine on Tuesday. There are no menus for guests to physically touch. Instead, an electronic QR code to scan with a smartphone, or the link to the online menu. Tables are more than six feet apart and even the condiments are presented on a safety-first basis (there’s no communal ketchup, for example; only single-use small bottles). As guests left the patio, the tables, chairs and umbrellas were thoroughly disinfected. One staff member said that, once teams arrive on the weekend, staff will be expected to have frequent COVID-19 tests and undergo temperature checks, including before they report to shifts. Hotel staff are not required to live inside the NHL’s bubble. But according to the NHL’s press kit, they will be subject to secure zone protocols, which include daily COVID testing, mandatory protective face covering, temperature checks and symptom reporting. As well as agreeing to refrain any activities in large groups when outside of work. Players have said that they are confident in the safety measures being taken. “I’m positive that the NHL is taking everything into effect and keeping us safe,” said Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen. The Royal York’s patio is an extension of what’s happening throughout the hotel. In my 24 hours at the hotel there was constant cleaning in the common areas from countertops to handrails and floors. My temperature was checked each time I entered the hotel after leaving. There was hand sanitizer throughout public areas, such as the lobby and hallways. And face masks were required in common spaces inside the property.

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One staff member at the front desk said the hotel is doing everything possible to ensure the safety of players. She pointed to how frequently everything is cleaned. Sometimes, she said, she will clean all the counters and 30 seconds later a whole cleaning crew will do it all over again, even though nobody has been to the desk or the lobby. She also noted that no player would stay in the room I checked out of on Wednesday, because the hotel leaves significant space between bookings. Recently, she said, they’ve been leaving rooms untouched for four days after checkout to let any germs “die” before anyone even goes in to clean, which also helps keep staff safe from any potential infection. During my stay, there was no turndown service or housekeeping. However, for guests staying more than three days (like NHL players), housekeeping will be available when the room is vacant and the cleaning staff will wear extra personal protective equipment. There are little things the hotel is doing, too. Wellness kits with hand sanitizer and masks were available upon request. Typical room conveniences that are common touch points — pens, magazines and alarm clocks — have been removed from all guest rooms and suites. Even my TV remote was wrapped in plastic. As I check out of the hotel Wednesday morning, the hotel lobby is still quiet. But there’s a bit more action than on Tuesday. I hear whispers of NHL team names. And there’s some action in the conference room as tables are being unfolded. As I leave the hotel, I walk through the PATH tunnels under Toronto’s streets. There’s no updated signage about the NHL, or anything that indicates the stretch to the arena will be closing soon. Maybe it’s unnecessary. There’s no one else down here. Still, inside the hotel, there’s a clear feeling that something good is on the horizon, something hotel workers haven’t seen in months: Mass check-ins — and a little bit of the ordinary in extraordinary times.

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The Athletic / Down Goes Brown: Ranking all 59 team names in NHL history, including the Kraken By Sean McIndoe – July 24, 2020

So now we know: It’s the Seattle Kraken. After months of rumors, speculation, fakeouts and fan feedback, the NHL’s newest team officially has a name. Let’s welcome them to the league by figuring out where the Seattle Kraken lands in a ranking of NHL team names. As in, all of them. Through NHL history, there have been 59 different team names, and we’re ranking all of them. That list includes Seattle and the other 31 current teams, plus several defunct franchises from the league’s earliest days, many more teams that changed names after moving cities and a few that evolved while staying put. (It does not include teams that changed just their city name but not the team name, which we’ll make a note of but won’t count separately.) Let’s be clear what we’re doing here. This is a ranking of team names, and team names only. We don’t care if the name lends itself to a cool logo. We don’t care if it looked good on a uniform. And we certainly don’t care about all the history and memories that have become attached to it over the years, decades or even a century. Instead, imagine you’re brand new to the sport, or a little kid, or an alien from another planet. Would you think this was a cool name for a hockey team? That’s all we’re worried about. And to go one step further, we’re just interested in the name itself, without any fancy backstory about how it came to be. If your team is called The Rainbow Unicorns, then that’s how it will be judged, regardless of whether Jedediah “The Rainbow Unicorn” Brickenback was actually the name of some local war hero or the owner’s great grandfather or whatever. You are what your name says you are. (And for the record, Rainbow Unicorns would be a fantastic team name. Top five for sure.) Tradition would say we go from worst-to-best on this sort of thing, counting our way down to No. 1. But I’m going to flip the script on this one because I know my readers, and you all just want to see which names I’m going to dump on. Also, you’re going to be cranky at me for not picking your favorite team as the very bestest name ever, and I want to get that out of the way early because if that’s the way you feel after this is all over, you’ll hit the “meh” button and then Mirtle drives up to Ottawa and kicks my dog. So we’ll begin at the beginning, starting with the best name ever and working down to the worst. Is all of this just one guy’s opinion? Yes, of course. Is it some sort of objectively correct ranking that’s exactly right in every single spot from one all the way through to 59? Also yes. Here we go. 1. Nordiques This is just a phenomenal team name. They basically named the team the Northmen, which makes sense geographically and sounds intimidating without being too over-the-top. Then they went with the French version, which is a rare case of being true to your roots rather than your marketing department. But the key here is that you don’t need to know French or to even know what the name means for it to work. It just sounds great. Que-BEC Nor-DIQUES. It sounds like somebody is punching you in the face. Which for a 1970s hockey team is pretty much perfect. Yeah, I know, you’re already mad at me. Pace yourself, we’ve got 58 more of these to go.

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2. Maybe I’m leaning too heavily on the northern-based names or my nostalgia for the clubs we lost in the ’90s. But “North Stars” is just a fantastic name, and so much better than what the watered-down names we got from the move to Dallas or the resurrected team in Minnesota. 3. This is just an excellent sports name. Even Al Pacino agrees. He claws with his fingernails for that inch! OK, Sharks don’t have fingernails. I didn’t say it was a perfect metaphor. Still, Sharks are cool. Do you know what would have been cooler? North Sharks, but nobody asked me, so here we are. 4. Pittsburgh Pirates Simple, intimidating, and brimming with fun possibilities for fans. The Pittsburgh Pirates only lasted five seasons in the NHL’s early days, and they have the misfortune of sharing the name with a team that’s largely become a joke. Still, this is a cool name and we should find a way to bring it back. Somebody get on that. I recommend Yaaaaaar-mo Kekalainen. 5. Quebec Bulldogs There’s a reason half the high schools and colleges out there seem to go by “Bulldogs,” it’s a great name. And we can’t even complain about the lack of originality, because this team dates back to the 1800s. The WHA stalwart and (kind of) charter member of the fledgling NHL lasted until 1920 before moving to Hamilton. Say this about Quebec, they’re not very good at keeping their teams but they damn sure know how to name them. 6. Boston Bruins 7. Detroit Cougars 8. 9. 10. Phoenix/ We can file these together in the generic “scary sounding mammals” category. But generic isn’t necessarily bad, because this is a perfectly solid category to draw a team name from. When you’re a little kid making up fake sports teams, this is the category you reach for once you’ve already used Dragons, and that’s because it works. The Bruins get the top spot here for their alliteration, and the extra creativity by not just going with “Bears.” 11. Vegas Golden Knights I admit, it took a little while to grow on me, but a few years down the road I’m convinced it works. Maybe the same thing happens with Seattle. If so, I’ll publish an updated version of this list and everyone can yell at me all over again. But for now, Golden Knights is a good name. 12. Swords are cool man, I don’t know what to tell you. 13. This is pretty much the oldest of the old school sports naming conventions, as fans and media just started calling them the Maroons because that’s the color they wore. No consultants, no contest, no marketing department. Just some dudes wearing maroon, who became the Maroons. I kind of love that. 14. St. Louis Blues Like with the Maroons, the idea of just naming a team after the uniform color is old school and I’m into

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it. The idea had kind of faded by 1967, but that’s OK because the name applies as a musical reference too. If your name works from two different angles, it’s a good name. 15. Colorado Rockies A name so good that when the team moved, a completely different sport came along and ripped it off. 16. Detroit Falcons 17. St. Louis Eagles These two pre- era teams are basically the same as the “scary mammal” category, but birds. Birds are cool enough, I guess, even though they’re not as scary as some hairy beast that’s going to claw your head off instead of just cawing angrily and flying away. Still, if you’re going with a bird name, better to go with one that can peck your eyes out than with, just hypothetically, something that waddles. 18. New Jersey Devils When you first hear the name and assume it’s some weirdly inappropriate satanic reference, you’re intrigued. When you hear it’s actually a reference to some piece of local historical lore, your eyes start to glaze over. Then you hear what that legend actually is – it involves a witch who had a baby with a demon that turned into a screaming goat-bat-monster thing – and you are all the way back in. We said we wouldn’t get too deep into the name origins, but even if we stick with the basic interpretation, that’s still pretty cool. 19. This is one of those teams where it’s really impossible to separate the name from the logo or the history. Still, we’ll stick with the color theme here, because the idea of naming a sports team by taking a common noun and slapping a color in front of it almost always works. I said almost, Columbus, settle down. 20. It works. Like with the Nordiques, I like the French twist, although in this case, you don’t even have to notice it’s there to get what the name is going for. Naming your team after a country always feels a little weird, but only a little, so this is a good name. 21. This one’s a tough call, since if you’re an American, you may not have any idea what the name is all about. But the team arrived in 1970 and there were like seven American hockey fans back then, so we’ll allow it. Bonus points for suffering through years of national angst over Canada getting a third NHL team, and then steering hard into the national identity when it was time to pick a name. 22. As a sports name goes, it checks most of the boxes. It’s big, dangerous and intimidating. It’s also more famous for a college team that’s already using it, but we can mostly overlook that. Is it kind of weird to name your team after an actual disaster that shows up and kills people every year? Yeah, a little. 23. Toronto St. Patricks This was the official name, although the colloquial St. Pats sounds better. I like the name. The green uniforms the modern Leafs break out once a year these days as a cynical merchandising ploy tribute, not as much. 24. Tampa Bay Lightning How do we feel about team names that don’t end in “s?” The traditionalist in me doesn’t like it,

17 although it does give a distinct flavor to an otherwise ordinary name. Tampa Bay was the first NHL team to drop the plural, and I think it works. Did you know that Tampa is the lightning capital of the world? Of course you don’t, because nobody does, but apparently that’s part of what they were going for. 25. Seattle Kraken It’s hard to react to a new name that’s only a few minutes old, so take this ranking with a grain of salt. But we can’t say we weren’t warned, since “Kraken” had been mentioned as the favourite for months. By now, you’ve probably already formed your opinion. Some of you think this is super cool and should be in the top five. Others will think it’s lame and/or trying way too hard and should be bringing up the rear. At the very least, we can say that it’s different, not just for the NHL but across all of sports. My kids love it, and they’re probably the right target audience for a brand new team. My wife thinks it’s cool, even though she says they’re pronouncing it wrong. I’m not completely sold – I was Team Sockeyes, for whatever that’s worth – but I’m willing to let it grow on me. For now, it makes the top half of the list, but not by much. (The logo rocks, though.) 26. Calgary/ Fun fact: This is the only name in NHL history that went with a team when it relocated, as Calgary kept it after stealing Atlanta’s team in 1980. It feels like if you were going to go with a fire theme you could think a little bigger, like the CWHL’s did. But Flames is fine, even if it’s a little odd that Atlanta named their NHL team after something that once destroyed the city. 27. Cleveland Barons The last North American pro sports team to fold had a perfectly serviceable name and pretty much nothing else. 28. As with barons, kings are powerful. They’re also usually wrinkly old guys. It’s not a great name, but there are plenty worse. 29. In theory, you could group them in with the “scary mammal” group, since that’s clearly what they were going for in naming the team after a sabre-tooth cat. But when it was time to pull the trigger on Nashville Sabre Tooths, they lost their nerve (and/or a trademark lawsuit with Buffalo). 30. New York/Brooklyn Americans A neat rule of thumb for naming teams is that the first team in a league to do the “name it after the country” thing is cool, but the second one is kind of lame. I just made that rule up right now, but too late, it’s the law now. 31. We said we wouldn’t worry about the context around a name’s history or the logo that goes with it, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention the ongoing controversy over a team’s branding. On its own, “Blackhawks” sounds kind of cool, and in theory, that’s all this list cares about. But whether you agree or not, it’s just about impossible to skip past the objections that have been raised. 32. Here’s the thing: By the time they changed the name in 1970, the team was already kind of a joke. They

18 chose to steer into that, and I respect it. Does it make the name better or worse that seals are not in fact golden? (Answer: Better.) 33. Teams named after natural disasters that kill people: Yep, still weird. 34. Columbus Blue Jackets On the one hand, it sounds completely ridiculous when you first hear it, as if a toddler was asked to name a team based on the first thing he saw on the floor in his front hallway. But while we said we weren’t going to dig too far into deeper meanings here, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect your audience to know some basic history, and on that level, this name works well enough. It certainly stands out. Could they have gone with something simpler? Undoubtedly, but be careful what you wish for: The other finalist was apparently “Justice.” Blue Jackets it is. 35. 36. Winnipeg Jets (tie) Two different franchises, one team name. It’s not a great name, especially since there’s a more famous pro sports team already using it. Still, I’ll say this: the modern version made absolutely the right call in going back to Jets instead of something new like Moose or whatever other terrible ideas some consultant probably had a PowerPoint for. Stick with what works, right? (Checks playoff history of the original Jets.) OK, stick with what could eventually work. 37. “Hey, we have a new NHL team, they just moved from Minnesota.” “Do they have a super cool name?” “They absolutely do.” “Cool, find a way to make it shorter, far less cool and if possible, also make it sound like we’re trying to rip off the branding of the local NFL team.” I realize that geography means you couldn’t stick with the original name, but either go with Lone Stars or pick something completely new, you cowards. 38. There’s at least a small amount of tradition behind naming your pro sports team after an important local industry, like the Steelers or Packers or Brewers. There’s almost always going to be a better way to name your team, but if you insist, then this one’s fine. 39. It’s an island. They’re the Islanders. Look, some students put a lot of work into the project, some just scribble down the first thing they think of that morning on the bus and hand it in. 40. What exactly is a Thrasher? Nobody was quite sure. Is it a general statement of aggression? Is it a bird? A terrible WWE wrestler? A skateboarding magazine? Actually, they did run into some legal trouble with that last one. It turns out it’s the state bird, which I suppose is cool once you figure out what they’re going for, and the name was at least a little unique. But if you’re going to pick something that flies, why not go with something bigger, like a jet? All in due time I guess.

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41. The name works fine now because the team has nearly a century of history to draw on, but if a team picked this name today you’d wonder why. (The answer: The owner was named “Tex” so people were making a “Tex’s Rangers” joke. A bad pun and a fawning tribute to the team owner? Awesome.) 42. Philadelphia Flyers “Any ideas on what we should name the new team?” “How about after something that flies?” “Perfect, Flyers it is.” “No, I mean I have a list of flying things we could …” 43. Look, I love everything about the Whaler franchise. I love the absolutely perfect logo that will be at the top when I do my rankings for every logo ever. I love the green uniforms. I love Brass Bonanza more than my own children. But … Whalers? I get that they wanted something that started with “WHA,” and that does kind of limit your options, but I don’t know. I guess it’s OK. 44. Is it a good name? Not at all. Is it better than what they had before? Hold that thought. 45. Quebec Athletic Club Depending on the source, this may have been the official name when the original NHL team was going by Bulldogs. It’s fine, if a little dull, but it was kind of annoying when they made every new player they acquired immediately write an essay about why they joined. 46. The Wanderers were one of the league’s first four teams. But they lasted just five games before their arena burned down, leaving them homeless. There is such a thing as a name being a little too on-brand. 47. Literally nothing The Toronto team that won the inaugural NHL championship in 1918 has retroactively been recorded as The Arenas. But that didn’t officially become the team’s name until later. The first champion in league history actually didn’t have a name; they were just “Toronto,” or “The Toronto team,” or sometimes “The Torontos.” That wasn’t entirely unusual back then, as other teams like Ottawa also went nameless at times. And yes, the lack of any name at all being ranked 47th means what you think it means: Anything that comes after this entry is officially worse than nothing. 48. California/Oakland/Bay Area Seals They could change the city name as much as they wanted, but none of them worked, because “Seals” on its own is a terrible name for a hockey team. Seals are fat and weird looking and not remotely intimidating. The team eventually figured this out before switching to the vastly superior “Golden Seals” after a few years. 49. Step one: get an NHL team. Step two: name that team after the people who are in charge of finding good players. Step three: fail to actually find any good players. Step four: move to Colorado and be immediately forgotten.

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50. “Hey, you remembered to come up with a team name, right?” “Oh yeah, absolutely. I wouldn’t forget something that important.” “OK, what did you come up with?” “Um, we’re … (looks around frantically at immediate surroundings) … the Arenas.” 51. The wild what? Sports team names are supposed to be nouns. Every once in awhile, you might be able to pull off a particularly aggressive verb. An adjective? No. You go back to the dictionary and you try again. 52. Pittsburgh Penguins Penguins are cute and have adorably fuzzy tummies, but I’m not sure that’s really what you’re going for with a pro sports team name. It’s not even like there are a lot of Penguins in Pittsburgh. If this is really the direction you wanted to go, you could have at least classed it up a bit. 53. Washington Capitals Yes, we get it, you’re the capital city. This is what happens when you go with the first idea anyone comes up with and call it a day. 54. 55. Ottawa Senators (tie) There have been two “Senators” in NHL history, both in Ottawa. The first was an original that lasted until the ’30s. The second was the expansion team that appeared in the ’90s, and in true Ottawa form they just went “Eh, I’m not feeling creative, let’s just use whatever they did before.” Is it a good name? To find out, find a Canadian and ask them if they like any of the country’s actual senators. The modern team half-heartedly pretends it’s a reference to a Roman senator, then uses a spartan soldier for all the imagery, because even they know this name is awful. 56. Philadelphia Quakers No. 57. Chicago Black Hawks – The original name of the team was “Blackhawks.” Then they spelled their own name wrong when the team debuted, adding an unnecessary space. Then they didn’t realize what they’d done until 1986, roughly six decades later, at which point they subtly changed it back and just kind of hoped nobody would notice. Proofreading is your friend. 58. Toronto Maple Leafs It’s… a leaf. Oooooh. And yes, the actual team was named after a military unit. (Well, there’s actually a good chance that they may have been named after a more popular local baseball team that they were trying to rip off, but we’ve all settled on the military unit thing.) That’s fine. But we said we were doing this without context, and without context, this team is named after something you find stuck to your boot after you walk home from school. Do most hockey fans know where the Leafs name comes from? Based on how many of them are still making “Maple Leaves” jokes almost a century later, they do not.

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59. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim You let a monster media company like Disney into your league, and they thank you by using their team name to advertise a bad movie. Yes, that’s right, a bad movie. I said it. Mighty Ducks is a cliched mess that you only remember fondly because you saw it when you were a child and your brain hadn’t developed yet. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks would have been an inexcusably terrible name. But to somehow make it even worse, they went with the extra pretentious phrasing of “The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.” Oh, aren’t you ever so fancy? Get the duck out of here. Worst team name ever.

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Sportsnet.ca / NHL Qualifying Round Preview: Outlier stats that will matter in each series By Justin Bourne – July 24, 2020

During the NHL season coaches prep for upcoming matchups differently, but invariably they receive a pre-game package from their analytics team with all the numbers they may want to consult. That usually features any notable outliers a particular matchup might bring, like a player or line who’s done particularly well/poorly in previous matchups, or a game state where a team has shown to be uncommonly vulnerable. Niche parts of the game. The aim is to ensure the staff doesn’t miss anything unique about a given opponent. We don’t have access to each team’s internal data, but those outliers are generally laid out in plain sight if you just look in the right places. We can still pick through some general numbers and find a few that point to some series advantages. The difference is we may see them as “that team gives up too many goals,” where the team sees “we give up too many goals because we can’t defend zone entries on our right side.” But at the end of the day, the point for us is the same — too many against ain’t good. So let’s pick through some stats to see which teams have notable advantages/disadvantages heading into their upcoming play-in series. EASTERN CONFERENCE Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets A few stats to discuss… 1. Columbus can’t score, like at all. Yes they had injuries throughout the year, but here’s a look at the bottom of the standings in goals-for per game this season, which includes only two teams that made the 24-team “playoff.” That’s not great company, injuries or not. (Interestingly, if you sort the league by goals-against per game, twice as many play-in teams show up at the bottom: the Panthers, Leafs, Rangers and Wild. You just have to be able to score. I’m also of the belief that you can “bear down” your way to better defence, but not to creating more goals. Not being able to score is a bigger concern than struggling to defend during the regular season.) If Columbus were healthy all year, I’m sure they’d be higher than 28th, but against any fully healthy opponent with playoff stakes, goals won’t be easy to come by. The Leafs were 26th in the league in goals against this season, though from the time took over, they were 17th. 2. Of the 16 play-in teams, only Montreal had a worse goal differential than Columbus’ minus-7. Again, Columbus was crushed by injuries this year… NHL top 5 teams, impact of man-games lost (by average time on ice of skaters lost, IIT-skater) 1 PIT 2 CBJ 3 TOR 4 DET 5 WPGhttps://t.co/cjkOOD5tgy

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But Pittsburgh had more man-games lost than Columbus and were plus-28 this season. The Leafs, who are right behind Columbus in man-games lost, had a plus-11 goal differential. So, take that as you’d like. 3. Still, there’s a ton in the positive column for Columbus. Their excellent defence left them with the fifth-best shot differential at 5-on-5 (Leafs were 12th), and as I wrote previously, Columbus created more than any team in the NHL off the forecheck. They have the tools to push the play out of their own end and on to Toronto’s defence, exactly where the Leafs don’t want to be. Toronto’s D gave up more goals against off the cycle than any team in the NHL this season (per SportLogiq). 4. The Leafs had more O-zone possession time per game than any other team in the NHL — nearly seven minutes at 5-on-5 with the puck squarely in their possession. The territorial battle is going to be key. New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers A few stats to discuss… 1. Florida gave up piles of goals this season, finishing 28th in the NHL in goals-against per game. Yes, a big part of that was due to clean-but-concerning numbers for Sergei Bobrovsky: Cap hit: $10 million Save percentage: .900 But the bigger point is that being 28th in goals against isn’t just a few saves away from being average. They give up a ton. 2. But they survive because they’re sixth in the league in goals-for per game. So the Isles have the silver lining that while they don’t score a ton — they were 22nd in GF/G — they’re not exactly going up against the trapping New Jersey Devils of yore. The Isles will have other problems, though. 3. Florida does score, as we noted, and the Isles actually get filled in from a shot attempt perspective. They were 26th in shot attempt differential, with only Ottawa allowing more raw shot attempts against in 2019-20. The Isles block a pile of shots, so the actual shots against numbers aren’t so bad, but that’s a dangerous way to live against a team that can finish like Florida. Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers A few stats to discuss… 1. The contrast between the Hurricanes being 11th in goals-for per game and the Rangers being 23rd in goals-against per game should be a concern for Rangers fans. They also traded away a pretty good defenceman in Brady Skjei at the deadline. The levees to keep back the Hurricanes … I’m not sure I trust ‘em. 2. The Rangers’ saving grace is they can certainly score as well, finishing fifth in goal-for per game. And the Hurricanes’ crease is a legitimate question mark. So … bet the over in these games? 3. I expect the Rangers to have to score a lot to win the series, because New York’s PK is 23rd and Carolina has a top-10 PP. Dougie Hamilton is back healty, too. 4. Only five teams in hockey stacked up a better goal differential than the Canes’ plus-29 this year (the Rangers were plus-12), and further, Carolina were third in shot attempt differential. Those are bright, shining positives. Given the Rangers were 21st in shot attempt differential, I expect there to be a ton of

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play in New York’s end. The Rangers definitely have the goalies in this series, but they’re gonna need an A-plus-plus performance from whoever gets the nod there. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Some stats to discuss… 1. If this series looks pretty lopsided, it’s because it almost certainly is. Stay tuned for the but maybe at the end here, but the reality is Montreal was 19th in the league in goals-against per game, 19th in goals- for per game, 19th in penalty kill, and 22nd in power play percentage. Pittsburgh was better (by a good deal) in every category. 2. That all led to a minus-9 goal differential for the Habs, the worst of any team in the play-in round. Pittsburgh, as mentioned earlier, was plus-28. Here’s your but maybe… 3. One thing that’s been strange about the Habs all year? They’re not just “OK” in the shot attempt differential category, they’re downright dominant. At 5-on-5 the Habs were second in the entire NHL when it came to controlling the percentage of shots that were taken in their games. Montreal took 53.44 per cent of them. It may not look like much, but it’s a pretty noteworthy number. That means you’ve got a team that controls the shots in-game as well as anyone, and has a goalie with a ceiling as high as any in the league. So yes, they’re massive underdogs, but let’s not pretend there isn’t a formula where the Habs could surprise the Pens. WESTERN CONFERENCE vs. Winnipeg Jets Some stats to discuss… 1. At 5-on-5 the Flames were 20th in the NHL at producing goals, while the Jets were inside the top-10 at preventing them. Obviously if that holds true, it’s a problem for a Flames team whose output doesn’t seem to line up with its ample talent. 2. A huge part of — all of, maybe? — that Jets defensive success can be credited to their goaltending, which had the fifth-best all-strengths save percentage in hockey (a bit over .913 as a tandem). As we know, Winnipeg’s starter Connor Hellebuyck was even better than that. The website Clear Sight Analytics has some great goalie stats that go beyond the standard GAA and save percentage. One is “goaltender save contribution” which is the difference between how many goals a netminder should give up based on the quality of chances they face, versus the amount of actual goals they allow (a more thorough explanation exists on the site). Hellebuyck was the best in the league there, just edging out Vancouver’s Jacob Markstrom: As I understand that, Hellebuyck prevented more than 20 goals this season that a league average keeper would’ve given up. 3. With that kind of performance in net, though, you’d expect more than what the Jets actually did over the 2019-20 schedule. Had the season ended cold when it did in March and picked back up with a regular playoffs, they’d have been on the outside looking in. That’s partially because they were 28th in

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shot attempt differential, tallying less than 48 per cent of the shots taken in the games they played this year. (The Flames were 20th, taking 49.2 per cent of shots in their games.) 4. It’s not hard to find skepticism around “expected goals” as a stat, but it can be useful in finding the outlier teams that should likely be doing better or worse than their actual spot in the standings. The shot attempts stat I mentioned above — the Jets give up a lot — contributes to Winnipeg’s awful expected goal percentage, which the analytics site Evolving Hockey has at 43.1 per cent (at 5-on-5), dead last in the NHL. And don’t forget, the Red Wings exist. The Flames were just inside the top half of the league in expected goals. Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild Some stats to discuss… 1. I mentioned earlier that Carolina/NY Rangers might be a good series to look at the overs. Methinks we’ve got another one here. Vancouver: 8th in GF/G Minnesota: 24th in GA/G So the Canucks should be able to score. Minnesota: 12th in GF/G Vancouver: 20th in GA/G The Wild should be able to score, too. Vancouver: 4th in PP (24.1 per cent) Minnesota: 25th in PK (77.2 per cent) Vancouver’s power play should be able to score. That’s pretty lopsided. And sure… Minnesota: 10th in PP (21.3 per cent) Vancouver: 16th in PK (80.5 per cent) Minnesota’s power play should be able to score, too. 2. The above stats are sorted to suit my narrative that I think there’s gonna be a lot of goals, but you could also look at it as: Vancouver scores more, gives up less, has a better power play, and a better penalty kill. Four green checks for the Canucks there. 3. Minnesota is no pushover, but they’ve been submarined by their goalies. You remember the Clear Sight chart where Markstrom showed as the league’s second-best goalie this season? Now here’s the bottom five: Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes, these guys have to be licking their chops. Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes Some stats to discuss… 1. In some respects, this is the opposite of the potential offence-fest I alluded to above, starting with Nashville being 16th in scoring this year, going up against a Coyotes team that was third-best at

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preventing goals. Combine that with Arizona being just 23rd in goals-for this season and, well, it’s not impossible to see a low scoring matchup. I smell overtimes. 2. Nashville’s power play was 25th in the league this year (while the Coyotes’ PK was fifth-best), and Arizona’s power play was in the bottom half of the league, too, at 18th. (Will anybody score? Tune in to find out!) The Predators’ PK was one of the worst in hockey, but still: doesn’t seem like a lot of 7-4 shinny-style scores coming our way here. 3. Where we do have a similarity to the Vancouver/Minnesota series: one team was statistically better pretty much everywhere — in this case it’s Arizona, save for their offensive output at 5-on-5, which wasn’t far behind Nashville’s. And with that, the team with the better stats also received far better goaltending. Arizona had the third-best save percentage this year (all-strengths), while Nashville was 23rd. Darcy Kuemper was a Vezina front-runner before injury took him out. Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros combined for a .906 this year. In all, this series seems most misaligned with public perception. I like how Arizona matches up. Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks Some stats to discuss… 1. The below might be relevant in this series, don’t ya think? Edmonton: 1st in PP (29.5 per cent) Chicago: 9th in PK (82.1 per cent) Chicago: 28th in PP (15.2 per cent) Edmonton: 2nd in PK (84.4 per cent) Still, I feel like teams that thrive via special teams could run into some roadblocks in the play-in round, given that everyone has had so much time to pick apart how they’ve had their success. It’s true that when you have more players you should be able to execute and continue to have success, but if Chicago can game plan to take away Edmonton’s best options, it could complicate things for the Oilers a bit. Still, the Oilers should be OK given that their success hinges so much on raw talent and not just structure. In terms of goals at 5-on-5 these teams have been basically pick ‘em: Edmonton: 15th in GF/G Chicago: 16th in GA/G Chicago: 18th in GF/G Edmonton: 15th in GA/G 2. According to Evolving Hockey, only three teams in the NHL were worse than the Blackhawks when it came to controlling shot attempts. The Oilers weren’t great either (21st, with 48.6 per cent) but that’s closer to company like the Canucks and Stars, while the Hawks are within a stick’s length of the Senators and Devils.

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3. The thing is, Chicago has some offence. The numbers I mentioned in point two exist because at 5-on-5 the Blackhawks gave up over 1.5 shots against more than the next-worst team in the NHL in that category (per 60 minutes). If the whole game were 5-on-5 the Blackhawks would still give up close to 35 against per night. It’s a five-lane highway to their net. 4. So the Hawks don’t defend well, but they did get the seventh-best goaltending in the NHL this season. They’ll need more of that for a chance to get past the heavily favoured Oilers.

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Sportsnet.ca / NHL Training Camps Day 11: Rangers not ready to name starting goalie By Emily Sadler – July 24, 2020

Thursday is Day 11 of NHL summer training camp, which means it’s crunch time for clubs as they prepare for life in the bubble. As we’ve been doing throughout camp, here’s a collection of news and notes from the day’s action around the league: We’ve got some intriguing goaltender battles happening around the league, with the New York Rangers being a particularly interesting case. Between veteran Henrik Lundqvist, third-year Alexandar Georgiev, and rookie Igor Shesterkin, head coach David Quinn has quite the decision on his hands. Luckily, he knows he’s got time to ponder this one — and he’s going to use it. Quinn has maintained throughout camp that he’s taking a careful approach to this crucial decision, and has been quick to praise all three. Shesterkin’s strong showing at camp and excellent numbers as a rookie this year — he was in the starter at the time of the NHL pause in March, but has just 12 games’ worth of NHL experience — makes him the exciting new netminder many fans want to see. Lundqvist’s experience, however, could lead him to get the upper hand. The latest news on the Montreal Canadiens‘ newly signed defenceman is that he’ll be quarantining in Toronto after all. Alex Romanov flew to North America earlier this week so he could join the team in the Toronto bubble for practices. The initial plan was for him to land in Toronto to get a head start on fulfilling his quarantine requirements, but the league ruled against it and said he’d have to head to Montreal instead. Another day and another reversal later, it looks like the rearguard can finally rest his head (for at least seven days) in Toronto. The 23-year-old put up strong numbers prior to the hiatus this season, and while the return-to-play starting gig has long belonged to veteran Braden Holtby, the Capitals would certainly feel a lot more confident knowing Samsonov’s ready and waiting just in case. Samsonov is the only member of the Capitals who has yet to participate in Phase 3. A happy note we missed from yesterday’s Flyers practice: Couturier wasn’t at camp Wednesday for the happiest of reasons — he was headed to the hospital as his wife, Laurence, went into labour. The couple is expecting a baby girl. He wasn’t listed on either of the Flyers’ scrimmage rosters Thursday. “Next time we see him, he’s going to be a father,” head coach Alain Vigneault told reporters during a media availability Wednesday. “That’s good news for him, it’s certainly good news for the Flyers family — we’ve got another beautiful young child coming on the way.” Goaltender Brian Elliott, father of two boys, said he’s glad his teammate is able to still be in Philadelphia for the life-changing moment, but feels for Couturier as he’ll be leaving so soon after meeting his newborn daughter. “I feel bad for him, you’re having a kid and you’ve got to leave right away,” Elliott said. “It’s such a magical moment and you want to be part of it as much as you can. It’s going to be tough leaving a new

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mom and a baby behind short term, but I’m really happy for them. It’s such a cool time. I’m just glad that they’re able to do it while he’s here. I can’t wait to meet another one of the Flyers family, for sure.” Will Hurricanes have to play without Hamilton again? The Carolina Hurricanes were without Dougie Hamilton for Thursday’s practice, one day after the star defenceman left the ice midway through Wednesday’s session. Those in attendance on Wednesday said the rearguard skated off in visible discomfort — a troubling sight for the ‘Canes, who were forced to play without Hamilton for the second half of the season. “He’s a talented player and very unique on the offensive side of things,” head coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters on Thursday. “He was certainly missed when he was out for a large portion of the year and he’s a huge part of the offence of our team, so obviously we’re hoping that this isn’t something that’s long term.” Hamilton underwent surgery in January to repair a broken left fibula. With a recovery timeline of four to six months, he was still on the mend when the league pressed pause on March 12 but was back to good health when training camp opened earlier this month. Teams about to preview life in the bubble The NHL will share full details of life inside the hub cities with players and team staff this afternoon. Restaurants, activities, lounges, security setup, renderings of how arenas will look, the philosophy behind in-game presentation, new campaign intiatives, etc. We’ve seen some photos from Toronto’s bubble, and now Mark Spector shares a progress report from Edmonton — which includes a COVID-style outdoor lounge for players. The good news for the Chicago Blackhawks is that captain Jonathan Toews returned to practice on Thursday after missing a few days for “maintenance.” The worrisome news is that No. 1 goaltender Corey Crawford has still not joined the team at camp. Crawford has been listed as “unfit” for all of Phase 3, with general manager Stan Bowman still sounding hopeful earlier this week that the netminder would be able to accompany the team into the Edmonton bubble ahead of their qualifying round series against the Oilers. Colorado’s Calder finalist, Cale Makar, has missed most of this week’s practices but did hit the ice earlier Thursday for a skate prior to the main group’s session (which he didn’t join). A good sign for the Avalanche. A number of players have missed time due to maintenance ahead of the marathon that will be life in the bubble. While teams’ inability to comment on reasons for players’ absences leads to some worst-case thinking, here’s hoping for Colorado’s sake that it’s just maintenance for No. 29.

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TSN.ca / Vegas Golden Knights has shown Seattle Kraken a blueprint for long- term success By Travis Yost – July 24, 2020

On July 23, 2020, the Seattle Kraken were introduced as the ’s 32nd franchise. Thursday’s introductory event was largely designed to let hockey fans fawn over logos and sweaters, both of which are beautiful. But the real work starts now. The Kraken are entering the league in unprecedented times. The NHL is staring down the barrel of a flat salary cap due to the ongoing public health and economic crisis, and teams around the league – especially contenders who have been aggressively spending over the past few seasons – are going to be forced to displace some talent from their roster. What may be a tough story for every other team in the league presents an opportunity for the Kraken. The one element the Kraken won’t have on their side is that of surprise. Seattle’s introduction to the league comes just a few seasons after expansion in Las Vegas. While Vegas’ entrance to the league hasn’t been without mistakes, it’s hard to imagine any scenario in which an expansion team in any pro sports league could have as much success as the Golden Knights did over their first three seasons. What was supposed to be a ragtag lineup ended up being quite structured and talented under the watchful eye of former head coach Gerard Gallant. And it was far from a fluke – the Golden Knights are still considered one of the favourites in the Stanley Cup race. Vegas has set a high bar. Maybe the highest bar. But there are still at least three points of consideration for Seattle – points that should put the team on the right path for long-term success. The chance of an NHL team being competitive without stable goaltending, considering the degree of parity around the league, is somewhere between slim and none. Marc-Andre Fleury may be in a quiet dogfight for playing time with the newly acquired Robin Lehner these days, but Fleury was the rock behind Vegas’ defence for the team’s first two and a half years. The Golden Knights convinced Fleury to waive his no-movement clause to come to Vegas. But the fact that Vegas even had that opportunity was the result of a number of factors well outside their control. Fleury just so happened to be having one of his worst seasons in Pittsburgh and was commanding nearly $6-million against the cap each year. Further, prospect Matt Murray was in the midst of what would end up being his best season to date, setting the stage for Fleury’s displacement. What did Vegas get as a result? Well, a respectable starting goaltender for three seasons and counting: Nothing explains a team’s position in the standings more than the play of its goaltenders. And while not every team with quality goaltending is playoff calibre, it is very hard to find teams with poor goaltending pushing into the playoff picture. What has become a part of hockey lore is how many teams ended up working out “side deals” with the Golden Knights – deals intended to protect certain players outside of the Expansion Draft rules. These side deals, just about every single time, carried a massive premium penalty for the other team.

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The Florida Panthers get picked on a lot for this, but they are the best example of what not to do come Expansion Draft time. In order to protect another defenceman (Alex Petrovic, specifically) and shed some salary in the process, the team exposed Jonathan Marchessault and subsequently traded Reilly Smith to Vegas for a fourth-round pick. To call that decision a disaster would be an understatement, but Florida wasn’t the only team that worked out a deal on the side that benefited Vegas more than the draft ever could. - Fleury was acquired along with a second-round pick from Pittsburgh. - Defenceman Shea Theodore – a first-pairing star and just 24 years old – was acquired from Anaheim as a sweetener for Clayton Stoner’s contract. - William Karlsson, along with a first-round pick (swapped to Winnipeg later) and a second-round pick were sent by Columbus as a sweetener for David Clarkson’s contract. - A first-round pick that became Nick Suzuki, who became sniper Max Pacioretty, was acquired from Winnipeg as a sweetener for Chris Thorburn’s contract. - Alex Tuch and Erik Haula were acquired in order to protect the rest of the Minnesota core. - Multiple picks – including one that would become prospect Erik Brannstrom – were sent by the New York Islanders to Vegas in order to protect their core, too. Brannstrom was later traded as the prized piece in the Mark Stone deal. You could go down the rabbit hole for days on this, but the point here is that most of Vegas’ core was not secured by the Expansion Draft, but rather by extension of the Expansion Draft. That is a big distinction. And the picks accumulated over that timeframe were later cashed in to acquire more talent. I’m scratching the surface here but look how dominant this group – all of whom, except for Haula, remain on the Vegas roster – have been since the 2017-18 regular season: This collection of talent and depth is a big reason why the Golden Knights have been such a competitive team. That’s six top-six forwards acquired through some gentle arm-wringing by the Golden Knights’ front office, a first-pairing defenceman, and a goaltender who ranks 11th in starts since the 2017-18 season. It’s about as strong of a core as you can get – an embarrassment of riches provided by some overly friendly teams from around the league. Front offices of expansion teams have the type of luxury that others do not – ownership is generally going to be more patient with the overarching process, understanding that it usually takes some degree of time to lay the foundation of a winning team. Acquiring talent is not an overnight process. One key piece underpinning Vegas’ draft strategy was to go with the best player available at the time of selection. Vegas picked five times in the first two rounds of the 2017 Entry Draft, and four of the five players selected (excluding Regina’s Jake Leschyshyn) have already carved out roles at the NHL level. Cody Glass and Nicolas Hague have both become regular mainstays for the big-league club, while Suzuki and Brannstrom were traded to build one of the most dominant lines in hockey. Not every prospect needs to be part of a team’s long-term plan, but nailing value at the draft is key on two fronts – more talent to grow into your own lineup, and more talent to dangle in front of desperate teams hunting for young skill on the market.

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USA TODAY / Release the Kraken! Seattle, NHL's 32nd team, unveils name and logo By Jimmy Hascup – July 24, 2020

As the NHL gets set to make news with the resumption of its season, a franchise that is not yet part of the action on the ice grabbed all the headlines Thursday. Seattle, the league’s 32nd team, announced its nickname: the Kraken, a nod to the mythological sea creature. The logo includes a twisting "S" shape as an homage to the Seattle Metropolitans, the city's first pro hockey team and first U.S. squad to win the Stanley Cup in 1917. It includes colors inspired by the Puget Sound – lighter blue "S" on navy with a red Kraken eye. The NHL Board of Governors approved Seattle’s expansion bid in December 2018 with the team slated to begin playing during the 2021-22 season. It will become the city’s first winter sports franchise since the NBA’s SuperSonics, who relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. The league received an expansion fee of $650 million, up from $500 million for the Las Vegas franchise (Golden Knights), which joined the league in 2017-18. The Kraken will play in the Pacific Division, with the league moving the Arizona Coyotes into the Central when Seattle joins. That will give all divisions in the league eight teams and each conference 16 clubs. Seattle’s ownership group includes billionaire investment banker David Bonderman, Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and it touts Tod Leiweke as its CEO. The organization hired Hall of Famer Ron Francis as its first general manager. He was previously the GM of the Carolina Hurricanes. It has yet to name a coach. Climate Pledge Arena, formerly KeyArena, will be its home. The existing facility is being renovated. The expansion draft for the Kraken to fill out their roster will take place some time next year. The NHL's regular season will resume Aug. 1 after the pause because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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