It’s June 25th – you know, the heart of summer – and hockey continues to roll.
The winter-ish sport enjoyed one of its busiest days during the past 24 hours with ramifications locally and across the continent.
Let’s have a look.
BEST FINAL IN YEARS ENDS IN HIGH DRAMA?
You cannot argue that.
This Edmonton versus Florida clash was one of the finest witnessed from this corner of your page.
One of the best ever, in fact.
The finish was exactly like the beginning and middle: Unpredictable.
After a quick start, the series looked to be a proverbial piece of cake for the eventual winning Panthers. Three straight wins off the top was a bit of a shocker and had the Florida faithful ready to hit the beach after the expected sweep.
Sergei Bobrovsky was steamrolling, the attack and forecheck was relentless and fierce and either Bobrovsky or Aleksander Barkov were being fitted for the Conn Smythe.
Then Connor McDavid awoke, the third and fourth lines on the Oilers started creating a personality for themselves and – most importantly – scoring. This while Bobrovsky tumbled down to Earth.
Northern Canada was a madhouse as Edmonton convincingly took the next three games.
Game 7?
Again – unpredictable, and hard to call.
So, back to Florida we go and the heart-wrenching result for folks up here who buy into the whole ‘Canada against the World’ thing came to fruition – a 2-1 loss to the Panthers.
It’s a shame the set-to had to finish. So many storylines here: The emergence of Stuart Skinner who Canada could go to at the next Olympics; the battle of polar opposite coaches, where Knoblauch was church-mouse quiet there was Maurice smirking and cracking wise seemingly at every presser; the anointment of McDavid as the absolute best player in the game (and it’s not even close); the evolution of Evan Bouchard; the exposure to the hockey universe to the game’s ultimate two-way skater in Barkov.
What a final.
What a couple of weeks.
Well done gentlemen.
WHAT IS BOSTON THINKING?
Not much, apparently.
Not too clearly, either.
The Ottawa Senators get an NHL Top-5 netminder from the Bruins in a deal that comes across, at first blush, as pure larceny.
In Linus Ullmark, the locals land the Vezina winner of 2022-23. In Ullmark they get a 30-year-old, large-bodied stopper with very few holes in his game. In Ullmark Ottawa hopes to have (finally) found a goalie who can replace Craig Anderson.
What did they surrender?
A fourth-line centre with limited skating ability who acts, at times, as a reluctant enforcer, the 25th-overall selection at this coming weekend’s draft (which is being labelled as a weak one), and the believed-to-be over-paid goalie who no one appeared to want back.
The initial analysis does not paint a pretty picture for Boston general manager Donald Clarke Sweeney.
It’s far too early to get carried away (. . . fully. I reserve the right to get somewhat carried away here), but you have to wonder, if you’re a Bruins’ fan, why Sweeney couldn’t get more.
Add the fact that the B’s sent Ullmark to a divisional rival and the head gets scratched a bit further.
This was new(ish) Ottawa GM Steve Staios’ first significant move. It could be a steal.
In Sweeney’s defence though, the reality was (according to reports) that the market was getting thin for Ullmark. The Swedish goalie is also entering the final year of his contract and is slated to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Boston has seven UFAs to deal with from its current roster this summer. Money was clearly an issue.
As was organizational depth. Boston didn’t own a single pick in the first three rounds of the upcoming draft. Getting in at No. 25 should help.
In Joonas Korpisalo, Sweeney gets cost certainty. Ottawa is also picking up 25 per cent of Korpisalo’s salary for the remaining four years on his deal.
It will be intriguing to watch how Ullmark adapts to playing on a team not noted for its defence. The Bruins were and are a sound defensive troop. Staios obviously has some heavy lifting to do in this area before the puck drops in the fall.
Still, Ullmark’s history is stellar, regardless of who’s in front of him. In three full seasons backing a bad Buffalo team (prior to going to Boston), Ullmark’s save percentages were .905, .915 and .917.
On the other hand, Sweeney must believe the Korpisalo that played in front of that Three Stooges defence last season is a lot better than characterized. The previous year, Korpisalo was excellent in both Columbus and LA.
Bottom line though?
Ottawa hauls home the best player in the deal and didn’t give up very much.
DRAFT, ALREADY?
Yes.
Friday night in Las Vegas the 2023-24 season keeps on keeping on as the entry draft begins.
Given that Ottawa surrendered one of its two first-round selections in the Ullmark trade the likelihood of swapping out from No. 7 overall is not likely at all. (That’s unless a whopper of a deal lands on Ottawa’s table).
The Senators could be involved in even more personnel movement though. The belief is that Staios is just getting started with his shake-up and names such as Jakob Chychrun are making the rounds. Erik Brannstrom’s name is also out there.
It’s a defence-heavy draft this year, and with that, many are projecting the Senators go that route. Saginaw blueliner Zayne Parekh is a possibility with the seventh-overall selection.
thegrossgame@yahoo.com
Photo: Linus Ullmark, courtesy sportingnews.com