Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

Here is a list of the Awards candidates and recipients from the 2022-23 season Stanley Cup-Vegas Golden Knights Prince of Wales Trophy-Florida Panthers Clarence S. Campbell-Vegas Golden Knights Presidents' Trophy-Boston Bruins Conn Smythe-Jonathan Marchessault (VGK) Art Ross-Connor McDavid Maurice Richard-Connor McDavid Jennings Trophy-Linus Ullmark Hart Trophy Finalists Connor McDavid, F, EDM David Pastrnak, F, BOS Matthew Tkachuk, F, FLA Prediction: Connor McDavid Vezina Trophy Connor Hellebuyck, WPG Ilya Sorokin, NYI Linus Ullmark, BOS Prediction: Ilya Sorokin Ted Lindsay Trophy Erik Karlsson, D, SJ Connor McDavid, F, EDM David Pastrnak, F, BOS Prediction: Connor McDavid James Norris Trophy Adam Fox, NYR Erik Karlsson, SJ Cale Makar, COL Prediction: Erik Karlsson Calder Trophy Matty Beniers, F, SJ Owen Power, D, BUF Stuart Skinner, G, EDM Prediction: Matty Beniers Frank J Selke Trophy Patrice Bergeron, F, BOS Nico Hischier, F, NJ Mitch Marner, F, TOR Prediction: Patrice Bergeron...

The Calgary Flames have gotten off to a terrific start to the season, but have cooled off since getting off to a red hot start. In order for Calgary to have a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup this year, they need to add some pieces to the team. This is how the Calgary Flames could improve their chances to win the Stanley Cup this year. Needs for the Calgary Flames: 1. Top 4 LD 2. Top 6 Winger 3. Goal Scoring Depth The biggest weakness of the Calgary Flames is the left side of their defense. Noah Hanifin, Oliver Kylington, and Nikita Zadorov may be good enough for the regular season, but if the Flames are to make a deep playoff run, they need to really improve the left side of their defense and their defense in general.  Although the Flames have enough goal-scoring from their top 6, it is always a good idea to add a proven veteran player with playoff experience to their top 6. In addition, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have not had great performances in past playoff ser...

The Edmonton Oilers are in utter disarray right now, after getting off to a hot start to the season. As the season has progressed, the team's weaknesses have been exposed more and more and if they don't fix them, they won't make the playoffs at all. This is what the Oilers have to do to make the playoffs and potentially win a Stanley Cup. Issues w/ Edmonton Oilers: 1. Goaltending has not been good 2. Goal Scoring depth 3. Defensive depth The Goaltending situation for the Edmonton Oilers has not been stable to say the least. Mike Smith has been constantly hurt, so Mikko Koskinen has been the starter for most of the season, and he has proven to be quite inconsistent from game to game. In 20 appearances, Koskinen has a 3.19 GAA and .900 SV%, and Stuart Skinner started 10 games as well, with a 2.70 GAA and .916 SV%. If Mike Smith is going to be constantly hurt this year, the Oilers will definitely need to make a trade for a veteran goalie because Koskinen isn't going to get...

 The Minnesota Wild are currently sitting in first place in the Central Division now and are tied for 1st in the Western Conference. This is quite a surprise considering their team on paper is not that impressive, so there has to be something special about their play on the ice that makes them a powerhouse in the Western Conference under Head coach Dean Evason. In order for the Minnesota Wild to win the Stanley Cup this year, they will have to make a few moves to improve the team. These are some of the issues w/ Minnesota Wild: 1. Lack of a 3rd line center 2. Defensive Depth 3. Lack of offensive depth If there is one issue that the Minnesota Wild do have is that they lack a solid 3rd line center. The lack of center depth will be even more obvious with Joel Eriksson Ek out for an extended period of time. Eriksson EK is their best overall center, and without him in the lineup, they will struggle because he does so much for the team on both sides of the puck. To make up for the loss o...

 The Nashville Predators have never won a Stanley Cup in their Franchise history, the closest they came to winning a Championship was in 2017 when they lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is how the Nashville Predators could become Stanley Cup Champions. Before the expansion draft, the Nashville Predators make a huge trade. Nashville Predators trade Mikael Granlund, Rocco Grimaldi to the Seattle Kraken for 2021 2nd round pick, 2022 4th round pick. The Predators get a few draft picks in exchange for Mikael Granlund, who was going to be a UFA, and Rocco Grimaldi, who was seldomly used last season. Nashville Predators lose Erik Haula to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Before the 2021 draft, one trade is made. Nashville Predators trade Mattias Ekholm to the Boston Bruins for Urho Vaakanainen, Jeremy Lauzon, Nick Ritchie, 2021 1st round pick. The Predators trade Mattias Ekholm to the Bruins for Vaakanainen and Lauzon, two good young defensemen, Ni...

 The Seattle Kraken is set to join the NHL in the 2021-22 season, so I thought i would be fitting to try and draft the Seattle Kraken from scratch and turn them into a contending team. At the Expansion draft, the Seattle Kraken make a few trades: Seattle Kraken acquires Zach Parise, Connor Dewar, 1st round pick 2021 from the Minnesota Wild for a 2021 4th round pick. The Kraken is willing to take on Zach Parise's contract but it will cost the Wild Connor Dewar and a 1st round pick as well. Seattle Kraken acquires 3rd round pick '21, 3rd rd pick '23 to protect Cizikas, Clutterbuck from being selected by Seattle. This is a no-brainer for the Islanders because Cizikas and Clutterbuck are part of their identity line; they need to keep them at all costs. Seattle Kraken acquires Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, 2022 1st round pick from the San Jose Sharks for 2021 3rd round pick. The Kraken takes on Vlasic's terrible contract at the cost of the Shark's first-round pick in 2022. Seattl...

 The Arizona Coyotes have never won a Stanley Cup in their franchise history, so my goal is to turn the Arizona Coyotes into a Championship caliber team. It will take some time to do so, but the Coyotes could potentially be a Stanley Cup Champion if they rebuild correctly. At the Expansion draft, the Coyotes make a major trade. The Arizona Coyotes trade Phil Kessel to the Seattle Kraken for their 2023 1st round pick. Phil Kessel gives the Seattle Kraken a household name that can draw people to the game, and at the same time give Kessel a change of scenery. Arizona Coyotes lose Antti Raanta to the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion draft. Before the 2021 Draft, two trades are made: Arizona Coyotes trade the rights to Niklas Hjalmarsson, Derick Brassard to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the rights to Blake Coleman. This is a good trade for both teams because the Lightning probably isn't going to be able to re-sign Coleman, so they get two veteran players who could be signed for a cheap co...

 The San Jose Sharks have never won a Stanley Cup in their franchise history, but if they make the proper changes and draft correctly, they could win Lord Stanley's Cup. This is how the San Jose Sharks could win their first-ever Stanley Cup. Before the expansion draft, one trade is made: San Jose Sharks trade Marc-Eduord Vlasic, Ryan Merkley, 1st rd pick '23 to the Seattle Kraken for 2nd rd pick '23. The Sharks retain 25% of Vlasic's contract until the 2024-25 season. This trade allows the Sharks to get rid of Vlasic's contract and trade away Ryan Merkely, who is ultra-talented but his discipline issues. San Jose Sharks lose Marcus Sorensen to the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft. Before the 2021 Draft, two trades are made: San Jose Sharks trade Ryan Donato, Radim Simek, Noah Gregor to the Arizona Coyotes for Lawson Crouse, Tyler Pitlick, 4th rd pick '21. The Sharks add more physicality to the lineup with the additions of Lawson Crouse and Tyler Pitlick, wh...

 The Winnipeg Jets are a borderline playoff team right now, but if they want to win a Stanley Cup, they will need to make a few changes. This is how I would turn the Winnipeg Jets into a Stanley Cup caliber team.  Before the 2021 Draft, two trades are made: Winnipeg Jets trade Paul Stastny to the Detroit Red Wings for 3rd rd pick '21. The Jets don't need Paul Stastny anymore because they intend on playing Pierre Luc Dubois at center for the upcoming season. The Jets also trade Mathieu Perreault, Derek Forbort, Trevor Lewis to the Calgary Flames for Joakim Nordstrom, Brett Ritchie, 4th rd pick '22. Winnipeg bulks up with the additions of Joakim Nordstrom and Brett Ritchie, and they get a 4th round pick as well. Winnipeg Jets lose Dylan DeMelo to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. 2021 draft 18-Corson Ceulemans 50-Sean Behrens 82-Shai Buium 95-Kalle Vaisanen The Winnipeg Jets greatly bolster their defense with the additions of Ceulemans, Behrens, and Buium. Winnipeg ...

     The Minnesota Wild have never won a Stanley Cup in their franchise history, so my mission is to transform them into a cup-winning team. To do that, they will have to make some improvements to the roster. This is how I would turn the Minnesota Wild into a Cup-winning team. At the Expansion draft, the Minnesota Wild trade Zach Parise, 2021 1st rd pick to the Seattle Kraken for Logan Brown, 2021 3rd rd pick. The Wild dump Zach Parise's on Seattle by including a 1st round pick in the trade. Minnesota Wild lose Victor Rask to the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft. Before the 2021 draft, two trades are made: The Wild trade Ryan Suter, Nick Bjugstad to the Boston Bruins for Jeremy Lauzon, Connor Clifton, Jake DeBrusk, Jack Studnicka, 2022 1st round pick. The Wild retain 25% of Ryan Suter's annual cap hit until the 2024 season. The Boston Bruins fill a much-needed hole on the left side of their defense with the addition of Ryan Suter, while the Wild get two solid young...

 The Vancouver Canucks have been flat-out terrible this season, and they are far from being a Stanley Cup caliber team. So I will be taking on the Challenge of rebuilding the team in an attempt to bring the first Stanley Cup to Vancouver. Before the Expansion Draft, the Vancouver Canucks make one trade: Vancouver Cancuks trade Braden Holtby, Brandon Sutter to the Detroit Red Wings for 2021 2nd round pick.  Vancouver Canucks get a 2nd round pick in exchange for Braden Holtby and Brandon Sutter. Vancouver Canucks lose Olli Juolevi to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft.      Before the 2021 draft, two trades are made: Alex Edler is traded to the Buffalo Sabres for Linus Ullmark. The Canucks and Sabres swap pending UFAs and they both fill much-needed holes on their roster with this trade. The Canucks also trade Tanner Pearson, Jake Virtanen, Jay Beagle to the St.Louis Blues for Jordan Kyrou, Zach Sanford, 2021 3rd round pick. This is a good deal for bot...

 The Florida Panthers have never won a Stanley Cup in the existence of their franchise; the closest they came to winning a Stanley Cup was in 1996 when they lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Colorado Avalanche. If the Florida Panthers want to win a Stanley Cup, they should make these moves. At the expansion draft, one trade is made: Florida Panthers trade Keith Yandle to the Seattle Kraken for a 2021 2nd round pick, 2021 3rd rd pick.  If the Kraken make the playoffs, the Panthers get an additional 2022 2nd rd pick. Keith Yandle would have to waive his no-move clause, but I think he would be he would get more ice time with the Seattle Kraken, who could use a veteran defenseman like Yandle. Florida Panthers lose Chris Driedger to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Before the 2021 draft, two trades are made: Florida Panthers trade Anton Stralman to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2021 4th round pick. The Panthers unload Stralman's contract, while the Blue Jackets get...

The Ottawa Senators have never won a Stanley Cup since rejoining the NHL in 1993, but I think they have the pieces necessary to do so. Today, I will be trying to turn the Ottawa Senators into a Stanley Cup Contender and get them their first Stanley Cup victory. Before the Expansion Draft, the Ottawa Senators make one major trade. Ottawa Senators trade Evgenii Dadonov to the Seattle Kraken for a 2021 3rd round pick. Evgenii Dadonov hasn't quite fit in with the Ottawa Senators, perhaps going to Seattle might revive his career a bit. Ottawa Senators lose Derek Stepan to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Before the 2021 Draft, one trade is made: Ottawa Senators trade Artem Anisimov, Ryan Dzingel to the Nashville Predators for Nick Cousins, Rocco Grimaldi. The Predators improve their depth on offense with the additions of Anisimov and Dzingel, while the Senators add some decent role players in Cousins and Grimaldi. The Ottawa Senators finished the 2020-21 season with the 4th w...

 The Minnesota Wild are a mediocre team that is stuck in no man's land; they aren't good enough to be a contender, but at the same time, they aren't bad enough to be a lottery team. So the most logical thing to do is to trade their veteran players and rebuild for the future. At the trade deadline, the Minnesota Wild make two blockbuster trades. Minnesota Wild trade Jonas Brodin, Nick Bonino to the New Jersey Devils for Will Butcher, Andreas Johnsson, and a 2021 2nd rd pick.  The Devils get a top 4 defenseman in Jonas Brodin and a top 9 forward in Nick Bonino, while the Wild get Will Butcher, Andreas Johnsson, and a 2nd round pick. The Wild also trade Marcus Johansson, Victor Rask, 1st round pick '21 to the Detroit Red Wings for Vladislav Namestnikov, and a 2021 2nd round pick. This is a good trade for both sides because the Wild gain cap space, while the Red Wings get Marcus Johansson and a 1st round pick. The Minnesota Wild finish the 2020-21 season with the 10th worst...