6 Hot Takes After 1st Month of NHL Season
The first month of the 2023-24 season has come and gone, and it has presented some interesting surprises. For one, the Canucks seem genuinely good in a way that isn't too good to be true. For two, the Oilers seem genuinely bad in a way that might finally actually break Connor McDavid.
As for the East, the Bruins still somehow refuse to be mid (during the regular season, at least), the Senators aren't exactly giving us the "That'll show the haters" performance we were anticipating, and spoiler alert: The Tampa Bay Lightning aren't having some insane drop-off just because we feel they're due for it.
Now that we've seen a pretty solid sample size to muster up a first impression of every team around the league, some actual spicy takes are starting to form. These aren't the early-season hot takes you spew to see what sticks; these are the ones you're actually talking yourself into.
Here are six of mine.
Boston Should Keep the Goalie Tandem Together
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Is it a hot take to say the Boston Bruins shouldn't break up the Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman goalie tandem, the best tandem in the league that has given the team a sense of consistency in the midst of so many otherwise moving parts?
Is it a hot take to say the Bruins shouldn't trade their reigning Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender who happens to only carry a $5 million cap hit?
Apparently to some it is, because there's been plenty of buzz the last few weeks surrounding the Bruins' hot start and how they could get some help down the middle and potentially go on a deep run.
Look, we're living in reality, and that reality includes a Bruins team that had a historic regular season and then a first-round exit last year, and a Bruins team this year without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. The injuries keep piling up down the center as well, with Milan Lucic on LTIR and now Morgan Geekie week-to-week. The idea of some move being made for more center insurance isn't the ridiculous part, and it's worth exploring as the trade deadline inches closer.
The ridiculous part would be messing with the one tried-and-true aspect of the team, that is both inexpensive and at the most valuable position on the ice.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if it's one of the few consistencies you've got, you might want to leave it alone. It's clear that, for now, Swayman has commanded the No. 1 spot in net, but anything could change, and there's no insurance quite like having a Vezina winner still in his prime to share the load with and take back over if needed.
Alex Ovechkin Might Not Do the Thing
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Folks, can I be completely honest? I'm in a little bit of disbelief that I find myself feeling like Alex Ovechkin might not do The Thing. It seemed inevitable as he's spent the past few seasons keeping up the same production or better that he'd had his whole career, despite the Capitals' overall decline.
It's a different story one month into his 2023-24 campaign. He's had his slowest scoring start to the season in forever (actually, maybe ever), with only two goals in 11 games. I'd be shocked if he doesn't pick it up at least a little, but at this rate he's projected to end the season with only 15 goals if he plays every game, which would be by far the worst goal-scoring season of his career.
It doesn't help that since longtime teammate and often linemate/power-play buddy Nicklas Backstrom has stepped away from the game (as is his right, and as he should to take care of his health), Ovechkin has been picking up slack in the assist column.
The 38-year-old who had 40-plus goals in each of his last five 82-game seasons needs 71 more to eclipse Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals scored record. October has historically been the most productive month of his career, and that clearly didn't happen despite full health this year.
Perhaps this is just a fluke of a year, or some growing pains as the Capitals' decline combines with older age catching up. Say he gets his projected 15 goals this year. He's going to need to score 58 more, and two seasons of 29 goals or three of 20 is still completely doable for someone with Ovechkin's consistent track record and nature of play.
But headed into the season I never even doubted it, and now there's some added urgency to get back on track.
Let the Sharks Cook
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The 2023-24 San Jose Sharks had the worst start of any NHL team in the modern era. It's not just the 1-10-1 record, but the nature of the losses—back-to-back 10 goals allowed, no signs of life anywhere.
So what? Isn't that the point?
You're starting to see rumblings that the Sharks, general manager Mike Grier, and/or head coach David Quinn need to "do something."
They are already "doing something," and if they're going to tank, they might as well tank in a way that is authentic, brutally fascinating, and meme-able.
The only thing the Sharks need to "do" is give their social media manager a raise.
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The Stars Might Win the Cup
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Three words to describe the Dallas Stars: Complete. Consistent. Nasty.
Every time I watch this team play—even in their rare losses—I just get that feeling that they have what it takes. They play good opponents close and come at you from all angles.
Jake Oettinger is looking as solid as ever in net with his 2.11 goals against average and .933 save percentage. According to MoneyPuck, he's No. 8 in the league with 5.7 goals saved above expected.
You've got dynamic players at every position in the lineup, with both Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski averaging at least a point per game down the middle, and Jason Robertson, Jamie Benn and young Wyatt Johnston coming close. Miro Heiskanen? Still sick. Matt Duchene? A solid depth player on this team, and you know you're in good shape when Duchene and Tyler Seguin get to be the center depth.
Life is good in Dallas, and you'll have a hard time convincing me that many teams are more complete right now than this one.
The Canucks Should Go All-In
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I've been begging the Vancouver Canucks to just give up and be bad for the past few years. I couldn't take the same song and dance every year, and the feeling (true or not) that management was content with mediocrity. I was over it.
I'm still not going to pat "management" on the back, although I acknowledge all of the staff changes mean you can't view the entity and its choices in a vacuum. But for the first time in a long time, all the promising pieces of the Canucks look like a cohesive team working together to be consistently good. It's not the intoxicating 20-game win streak followed by the 20-game losing streak that takes you on a dopamine-filled trip and then prompt crash.
Quinn Hughes is taking the captaincy well, leading all NHL defensemen in points by far with five goals, 20 points and a plus-16 in 12 games. Elias Pettersson looks as invigorated as ever approaching a contract year, and he's No. 2 overall in the league in scoring with six goals and 21 points in 12 games. People are even eating crow about Brock Boeser.
So, my plea to management is this: Please actually roll with this, notice the legitimacy of this team, and do anything and everything you can to reward the guys who have been there forever with some shiny, trade-deadline toys you see fit.
Connor Bedard Won't Win the Calder
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Many—if not most—NHL rookies who go on to have iconic NHL careers don't win the Calder Trophy. This award just warrants so much context: What league and situation is the player adjusting from, how old is he, who are his linemates, how much time on ice is he getting, where is the franchise at, what position does he play?
There's no doubt in my mind Connor Bedard is going to have an iconic NHL career. I've loved watching him play and get more comfortable as he jumped into a first-line center NHL role. I've loved watching his interviews and feeling like the future of the league is in decent hands, personality-wise. I'm loving the shot, as strong as advertised, as he ties for the rookie lead in goals with five.
But I was expecting to love all of this. You know what I wasn't quite expecting? How much I've equally loved watching a handful of other rookies this year. This is such an exciting NHL rookie class, with seamless and shifty defensemen like Pavel Mintyukov coming in and dominating. I wasn't expecting Matty Poitras to come in and win not only an NHL roster spot with the Bruins, but one they desperately needed filled. There's Bobby Brink's arrival in Philly, Matthew Knies providing a bright spot in Toronto, Luke Evangelista, Logan Cooley and Marco Rossi refusing to be ignored, and the list goes on.
All I'm saying is Bedard isn't a lock for the Calder, and that's totally fine.
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