Timmins native and TSN hockey analyst Dave Poulin gave us some of his thoughts on the brand new NHL season:
The youth movement in Toronto
Likely the most polarizing team in hockey, the Maple Leafs, is now clearly committed to giving key ice time to their young players this season.
"They have done a total rebuild. They've taken the team apart, now the hard part is putting it back together. They've got some good young pieces. We drafted Morgan Rielly and William Nylander, when I was still part of the organization. I think those are two bright young stars" said Poulin, who was the Leafs Vice President of Hockey Operations for 5 years, ending in 2014.
"This kid Auston Matthews is absolutely the real deal. He is that good. I've watched him for a couple years now. He has a chance to be very, very special."
Matthews, the 1st overall pick in last year's draft, made history on Wednesday night by scoring four goals in his first NHL game against the Ottawa Senators.
"So now its a case of continuing to build. Its just really hard to win in this league you know. The Leafs finished in 30th place last year, and its fine to say 'things are looking up' but you have to jump over teams in order for things to look up. If you look across the east, everybody else thinks they're better too. Ottawa thinks they're a better team. Montreal is absolutely a better team, because they're going to have a healthy Carey Price it looks like" said Poulin.
"They've focused on the forwards. They probably have more depth with young forwards and defence. They hope Freddy Andersen is an answer in net."
Overall, he does not see the Leafs making the playoffs this season.
The impact of the Subban trade in Montreal
Habs fans were stunned in late June when fan favourite P.K. Subban was traded to Nashville for intimidating defenceman Shea Weber.
It was a move that divided fans, with some feeling the team actually improved, while others believing they traded away one of hockey's best young players with a one-in-a-million personality. Couple that with the fact that last fall Subban committed $10 million of his own money to the Montreal Children's Hospital, it was a dagger to the hearts of many.
But how will the the trade affect the Canadiens on-ice play this year?
"You know who'd be an interesting person to ask about that is Carey Price. Short term, I think Carey Price would rather have Shea Weber in front of him as a defensive presence, yet P.K. Subban is a very special player. Subban fits much more with the modern, puck-moving defencemen. It's so hard to create offence. Weber does it in a different manner, more of a classic style with the big shot from the point on the power play," said Poulin.
"From an defensive standpoint, I've give the edge to Weber. From an offensive standpoint, rush, and creation standpoint, I'd give it to P.K. From a power play standpoint, it would go back to Weber, and from an entertainment standpoint it would go back to P.K. So it is a pretty even trade," he said with a chuckle.
Poulin said that major deals like the Subban-Weber trade are a positive for the league, even though they occur much less frequently than in the 80s and 90s before the salary cap era began.
"I love the fact that teams are willing to make trades like that because they each think that they're better off, and that says something for what they knew about the player they traded away."
Former Philadelphia Flyers captain Dave PoulinCanadian content
The 2015-2016 proved to be a dismal one for fans on this side of the border. It was just the second season in NHL history where zero Canadian teams qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Poulin says that is unlikely to happen again.
"I think there could be as many as five in this year. Montreal, we talked about, Carey Price is healthy. I think with him in the lineup, Montreal is a playoff team. I like what Ottawa has done. They're banged up a little bit, with Clarke MacArthur being out, who I think is an important part of that team. I like the Derrick Brassard trade short term. I think they're going to get a lot more out of Bobby Ryan with Brassard in the lineup, and their defence is really stabilized with Dion Phaneuf there. He stabilizes the top-4 defence. Cody Ceci is an up-and-coming player, and Erik Karlsson is a special player. So I think Ottawa has a very good chance to make it."
"Jumping west, boy oh boy, at some point Connor McDavid's team is going to make the playoffs, and it could very well be this year. They still have to prove themselves defensively, I don't think they're there defensively yet. But with (Milan) Lucic coming in to play with McDavid, and take some pressure off of Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, they have a shot. I think Calgary could very well be a playoff team. They've addressed their goaltending, their defence is solid, and this (Matthew) Tkachuk kid is going to change the mix up front for them. Winnipeg is right on the edge for me. They've done a good job of mixing their young players in. They have one of the best stables of young players coming, and if they choose to continue to integrate them, it may take them another year."
Poulin does not see a playoff appearance in the cards for the Vancouver Canucks.
Top story-lines around the league
When asked about someone who could dominate hockey discussions this season, Poulin's answer was quick - "Crosby."
"Half way through last year, he had that miserable start, and half way through they made that coaching change and he just took his game to a whole different level."
Crosby scored the most points by any player in the second half of the season, and led the Pittsburgh Penguins to their fourth Stanley Cup, and second during the Crosby era. This week the Penguins announced that Crosby has suffered another concussion, and will not play in the team's season opener.
Poulin said the Chicago Blackhawks likely have another strong run in them, and that both the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning will be in the mix to win the Eastern Conference.
This season began uniquely with the World Cup of Hockey taking place in September, which would seemingly give the players who competed in that tournament a leg-up heading into the NHL season. Does Poulin see it having a significant impact early on?
"I would say yes, but come and talk to me in February" he said, adding that players such as Crosby, and San Jose forward Joe Thornton also played well into June in last year's playoffs, which could be a factor in the second half of the season.
"What's their mileage level going to be like after a long run in the Stanley Cup, and then coming back to play fairly intense hockey in September? You'll want to monitor that closely."
He says the NHL feels that the World Cup of Hockey is 'here to stay'. The next tournament is scheduled for 2020. As far as the NHL's participation in the Olympics going forward, and specifically for the 2018 games in South Korea, he said its still very much up in the air. A decision will have to be made soon.
"This new Director of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) is throwing significant barriers up, such as not paying for travel, and not paying for insurance, and things like that. Whether or not that's posturing, remains to be seen," said Poulin.
