The first round of the NHL playoffs is in full swing and to this point, it has been fairly underwhelming.
Of the 19 games played so far, 10 have been decided by three or more goals. Not exactly nail-biting action. One team (Los Angeles) already finds itself in a 3-0 hole and that list could grow by four teams as Toronto, New Jersey, Colorado and Anaheim could all be pushed to the brink later tonight. The first round is usually the most exciting of the four too.
Obviously I may be a little bit biased here but it just seems like the first five days of the post-season have been a little bit of a letdown. Needs more Karlsson. Although I guess San Jose, Las Vegas and Washington (sort of) each of have one. Okay, needs THE Karlsson.
Anyway, time for another edition of Monday news and notes. Only without the news…or the notes.
-While the Ottawa Senators may have missed the post-season, a couple of their top prospects find themselves in the midst of long playoff runs. Logan Brown and his Kitchener Rangers closed out their second round series against the Sarnia Sting this weekend, booking a spot in the Conference Final against the winner of Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and the Owen Sound Attack. Game 7 of that series goes on Tuesday night. Logan Brown has been key to Kitchener’s success too, leading the entire OHL in playoff scoring with 21 points in 12 games. Meanwhile, Drake Batherson sits atop QMJHL playoff scoring with 18 points in just 9 games. His Blaisville-Boisbriand Armada will take on the Charlottetown Islanders in Round 3 beginning on Friday night.
-The Belleville Senators wrapped up their inaugural season over the weekend, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Toronto Marlies yesterday. Daniel Ciampini, Nick Paul and Andrew Sturtz scored the goals for the BSens. While the team on the ice struggled badly in their first season in the American Hockey League, it’s safe to say that pro hockey in Belleville was a huge success. With their season coming to a close, the team handed out a bit of hardware over the weekend- Patrick Sieloff was named best defenceman, Colin White was named best rookie and Jim O’Brien took home most valuable player. Mike Blunden was the player’s choice for MVP.
-Rebuilding the NHL team will be a focus this off-season but they also have to find a way to put a better product on the ice in Belleville next season. That will primarily fall on the shoulders of Assistant General Manager Randy Lee. In year one, the organization put an emphasis on plugging in veteran guys in key roles down there and it obviously didn’t work out the way they planned. Of course their season-long reliance on PTO and ATO probably didn’t help their cause either. Similar to the situation with Guy Boucher, the Senators have to make sure that the Head Coach down there next year is willing to find spots for young players and ensure they are prioritizing player development throughout the season. That’s something that Kurt Kleinendorst was criticized for regularly this season.
-Last week, news broke that previously forgotten prospect Mikael Wikstrand was looking at a return to the National Hockey League. Wikstrand is now 24 years old and is coming off a successful season with Farjestad along with an appearance for Sweden at the Pyeongchang Olympics. His performance was apparently enough to catch the eye of Senators Management and they have apparently contacted him and shown an interest in bringing him back to North America next season. Wikstrand sounds interested too although his current contract has two years left and apparently, does not include an out clause. Wikstrand is also in the mix to land a spot on Team Sweden at the upcoming World Championships.
-The Draft Lottery is still a good 12 days away but the debate about who the Senators should target with their first round selection is already well underway. Pierre Dorion has confirmed that they plan on keeping the pick regardless of how the lottery goes. Earlier today, NHL Central Scouting released their list of top North American and International skaters and to nobody’s surprise, Andrei Svechnikov and Rasmus Dahlin remain at the top of their respective lists. There was a bit of a surprise at number two on the list of North American skaters though as Brady Tkachuk was slotted ahead of Filip Zadina. Defenceman Evan Bouchard was ranked third on that list. You can see both lists here
North American Skaters
International Skaters
