2026-27 Season Thread

[PuckinUgly57]

Just got home, fired up the SportzX app, is working well.

Pens smoking the Flyers at 2nd Intermission 5-0

I used it all weekend for football, nice to see my Giants and not spend a fortune on Sunday Ticket.

Dallas Baltimore was not a national game which was surprising to me, two big names and that was absolutely the game of the weekend.

It was my weekend with the boys so Junior I and the GF were sporting their Dallas jerseys and Junior II was wearing his #52 Ray Lewis Baltimore jersey. Enjoyed the day with them all, I trolled all three of them being a bystander haha.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Did you guys see this? Crazy.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/50059634/wild-top-pair-d-man-brock-faber-surgery-fractured-skull

 

[xis]

Did you guys see this? Crazy.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/50059634/wild-top-pair-d-man-brock-faber-surgery-fractured-skull

Yeah saw it last night. Scary and sad. Hope he'll make a full recovery

Hyman also out "day to day" likely longer

Hyman out for Oilers against Canucks with upper-body injury | NHL.com

Top-line forward listed day to day, but timeline for return unclear

www.nhl.com

 

[Kings4OT]

Rumor is LA offered Anderson, Armia and a 1st for Nikishin lol. Out of all the mediocre dmen LA could send, he is last on that list...like wtf really? Armia? Another wtf the 1st I get...but i just dont understand what this does....if your going after a C ok lets boogy...a 2/3 dman 1 game into the season tells me you suck at your job and have no clue what your doing


Supposedly they like the blues offer better... So there's that

 

[Kings4OT]

Wonder how long Shesterkin has more goals than Buster and most of the Kings

 

[PuckinUgly57]

TA, the All Intrigue Team (one player from each team to watch this season):

Artemi Panarin, Los Angeles Kings

Remember him? Smooth winger, playmaker, had 120 points just a few years ago? He’s with the Kings now, thanks to that trade that was overshadowed because it dropped right before the Olympics. Panarin picked his destination, which was his right, and he didn’t land the Rangers much at all. Now he’s the marquee player on a team that nobody seems to think will do much. And they probably won’t — unless a guy who’s still only 34 can rediscover some magic in his first full season in Tinseltown.

Shocked it wasn't Buster actually, he's come up in almost everything this summer as a player who needs to step up.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

There's the Buster article, TA on the NHLs top 10 breakout candidates:

Quinton Byfield, Los Angeles Kings

This is a make-or-break season for Byfield. Everybody loves his size, speed and flashes of game-breaking skill, but we’ve been waiting forever for him to break out of the 50-55 point range he’s been stuck in for the last three seasons.

With Anže Kopitar’s retirement, though, Byfield is going to get the kind of cushier role and usage that should fuel meaningful offensive growth. Last season, Byfield did a ton of dirty work defensively, eating up more own-zone starts and significantly tougher matchups than Kopitar. That also meant playing mostly with checking line players; his five most common five-on-five linemates last season were Alex Laferriere, Kevin Fiala, Trevor Moore, Joel Armia and Warren Foegele. Fiala is the only winger on that list with legitimate top-six talent.

Now, Byfield is centering a line with two stars in Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe, which is a massive upgrade. He should also get extra first-unit power-play time with Kopitar’s departure.

Another promising sign is that he caught fire after the Olympic break and Jim Hiller’s firing, scoring 13 goals in his final 24 games.

 

[histkng23]

This would suck for him if he's gone for another year, barely into the season, didn't look good

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/50082210/panthers-aleksander-barkov-exits-early-sharks-injury

 

[PuckinUgly57]

This would suck for him if he's gone for another year, barely into the season, didn't look good

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/50082210/panthers-aleksander-barkov-exits-early-sharks-injury

I saw it on NHLN, it was weird. Just doing his thing and it looked like his left leg just gave out. Not the same injury he had last season (other leg) but didn't look good. The good news is he walked off on his own but was limping, hope it isn't too bad.

Have always liked Barkov, Anze Kopitar East and probably the classiest Panther there is in this iteration.

 

[Kings4OT]

TA, the All Intrigue Team (one player from each team to watch this season):

Artemi Panarin, Los Angeles Kings

Remember him? Smooth winger, playmaker, had 120 points just a few years ago? He’s with the Kings now, thanks to that trade that was overshadowed because it dropped right before the Olympics. Panarin picked his destination, which was his right, and he didn’t land the Rangers much at all. Now he’s the marquee player on a team that nobody seems to think will do much. And they probably won’t — unless a guy who’s still only 34 can rediscover some magic in his first full season in Tinseltown.

Shocked it wasn't Buster actually, he's come up in almost everything this summer as a player who needs to step up.

Only thing he has left to prove is he isnt too old to play yet...hs gonna need a lot of h0elp.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Something brewing in Detroit, damn:

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nhl-insider-reports-simon-edvinsson-010356933.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJBm-GxYaI3x0P0O2LZOs1Pb0PsBLNNWL8vEgYj1C9UwZ6lyCbIYuYULW99ri3DvugCcKNy7IL8iCynEe4A7994nEQZ2-FXsg1aHsPGFGtTKynarfLvr0fH1r-BjRIjrESGvtTsN5_5bM0jAARxUHV5UllpUOrFOuq3dlzMf0f3P

I remember a time under no cap every player wanted to go there.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

I think Luc and Co are done at the end of this season, if this continues. I haven’t watched a single game but, I’ve kept up with the scores.

 

[davnlaguna]

Ovechkin announces this will be his last NHL season: ‘I know in my heart it’s the right decision’

This season will be Alex Ovechkin’s last in the NHL. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer made the announcement to his Washington Capitals teammates on Monday.

www.tsn.ca

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Ovechkin announces this will be his last NHL season: ‘I know in my heart it’s the right decision’

This season will be Alex Ovechkin’s last in the NHL. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer made the announcement to his Washington Capitals teammates on Monday.

www.tsn.ca

Another legend hanging them up but nothing to chase now having beat Gretzky's record. Could do without his politics but whatever.

I'll never forget the Panthers trying to draft him in the 9th round in 2003 claiming since he was born in a leap year he is eligible for that draft as well as 2004. Funny stuff.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Fiala skating with the team, appears to be on track for that Nov 1 return date.

 

[histkng23]

Not that many of us have any confidence that this team is any good, their playoff chances took the biggest hit of any team in the WC...

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Not that many of us have any confidence that this team is any good, their playoff chances took the biggest hit of any team in the WC...

I said summer time they aren't even a WC team this season.

I said they'd barely squeak in and done in the WCQFs last season which unfortunately came true, don't see how this team is any better than last year plus teams around them have improved. Older, slower. Only hope is the first year Lava factor and maybe Edmo implodes or something but I don't think that'll happen.

And speaking of old Suckarello already had a maintenance day today, only two games in. That $5M 10 GP bonus should have been at 50 GP minimum.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Missed this over the weekend, Lyle Odelein dead at 58:

Odelein dies at 58, was first Blue Jackets captain | NHL.com

Defenseman played 16 NHL seasons, won Cup with Canadiens in 1993

www.nhl.com

Tough as nails defenseman, he was a Kings nemesis especially during that 1993 Cup run for Montreal.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

TA, seven players who could make or break their team this season. Damn, wish LA had a guy like him right?

Jordan Spence, Ottawa Senators

The Senators fleeced the Los Angeles Kings by acquiring Spence for just a 2025 third and a 2026 sixth in June 2025. Spence needed time to adjust early on (he was a healthy scratch for a couple of games last October) but found his groove and was an excellent top-four contributor by the end of last season. He parlayed that into a four-year, $20 million contract extension this past summer.

However, with Ottawa’s early injury woes, the pressure and responsibility on Spence are higher than ever. Artem Zub, Ottawa’s usual top-pair RHD, is injured, and there’s no concrete timeline for his return yet. Similar to Tanev, there are always going to be questions about Zub’s durability given his lengthy injury history, meaning this could be a recurring issue. Worse, the Senators also lost No. 1 defenseman Jake Sanderson to injury in their season opener against the Leafs and starting goalie Linus Ullmark against the Bruins.

As a result, Spence and Thomas Chabot are the top pair keeping this blue line together. Spence has averaged 23:40 so far this season and looked terrific doing it, which is a key reason the team is off to a 2-1-0 start. The 25-year-old’s smooth skating, efficient puck-moving and secondary offense are incredibly valuable, and he’s become an analytical darling over the last couple of years. If he can sustain that impact while logging heavy minutes (which he did during the last 20 games or so last season), it’ll go a long way toward the Senators staying in the playoff hunt despite early injuries.

 

[Kings4OT]

TA, seven players who could make or break their team this season. Damn, wish LA had a guy like him right?

Jordan Spence, Ottawa Senators

The Senators fleeced the Los Angeles Kings by acquiring Spence for just a 2025 third and a 2026 sixth in June 2025. Spence needed time to adjust early on (he was a healthy scratch for a couple of games last October) but found his groove and was an excellent top-four contributor by the end of last season. He parlayed that into a four-year, $20 million contract extension this past summer.

However, with Ottawa’s early injury woes, the pressure and responsibility on Spence are higher than ever. Artem Zub, Ottawa’s usual top-pair RHD, is injured, and there’s no concrete timeline for his return yet. Similar to Tanev, there are always going to be questions about Zub’s durability given his lengthy injury history, meaning this could be a recurring issue. Worse, the Senators also lost No. 1 defenseman Jake Sanderson to injury in their season opener against the Leafs and starting goalie Linus Ullmark against the Bruins.

As a result, Spence and Thomas Chabot are the top pair keeping this blue line together. Spence has averaged 23:40 so far this season and looked terrific doing it, which is a key reason the team is off to a 2-1-0 start. The 25-year-old’s smooth skating, efficient puck-moving and secondary offense are incredibly valuable, and he’s become an analytical darling over the last couple of years. If he can sustain that impact while logging heavy minutes (which he did during the last 20 games or so last season), it’ll go a long way toward the Senators staying in the playoff hunt despite early injuries.

Yea, kinda disappointing that it was easy to see he was a keeper....but Jill and company looked anywhere but at him....fans followed suit, didnt think much of him