Oilers’ Tyler Benson: 3 Reasons to Root for Edmonton Forward

In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Anaheim Ducks have a couple of pieces they are trying to move. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils have a potential backup plan for Timo Meier. Will the Toronto Maple Leafs be willing to pay the asking price to acquire Jake McCabe out of Chicago, and are teams willing to take on Anton Khudobin’s salary to have a viable backup goaltender?

The trade deadline is just about a month away, and all eyes are on the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks because of it. After announcing the start of their full-on rebuild last season, the Blackhawks currently have a 15-29-4 record and only the Columbus Blue Jackets have fewer points. As a result, they are going to be clear sellers at the deadline, and they have several players who could be dealt like Jonathan Toews, Max Domi, and Jake McCabe. Yet, they have no bigger trade target than franchise legend Patrick Kane.

Jacob Markstrom may have been what the Calgary Flames needed for one season, but he hasn’t been reliable for most of his time spent with the organization. This is his third season as a member of the Flames after signing a six-year, $6 million average annual value (AAV) deal in 2020 and the majority of it has been underwhelming play the goaltender would like to forget.

The St. Louis Blues have hit their lowest point of the 2022-23 season. They aren’t winning games and can’t get away from injury issues. When one player comes back, another one hits the shelf. The vision for the rest of this season is becoming clearer – get a good draft pick.

The Buffalo Sabres have plenty of things going right for them offensively, but there is always room for improvement on a young team. Owen Power is taking a big step offensively as of late, the top line is looking fresh and in sync, and the speed of the forward group continues to give opposing teams trouble. Where there is room for improvement is in their second-line scoring and their physicality, and they can get better in both categories by adding San Jose Sharks forward Timo Meier via trade.

The Ottawa Senators have scratched and clawed their way back to a .500 winning percentage with an impressive three-game winning streak. Within those games, head coach D.J. Smith has tinkered with his forward lines, and they seem to be providing some of the best offensive performances of the season. These...

In the latest edition of the Battle of Ontario, the Ottawa Senators came out on top with a commanding 6-2 victory. The Senators’ offense was firing on all cylinders, they were defensively stable, and Anton Forsberg had a great showing. When the entire team can click the way they did Friday (Jan. 27), they show the true potential of the exciting, improved team that many expected to see more consistently throughout the season.

In today’s NHL news and rumors rundown, the New Jersey Devils are expected to be buyers. Who do they have their eyes on? Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are said to be a team that has an interest in Nick Bjugstad of the Arizona Coyotes. Could Bo Horvat be on...

As the All-Star Break approaches, the St. Louis Blues are in a stretch of form that has many fans finally convinced that a rebuild or at least a short-term retool that involves trading Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly is the best path forward. They’ve lost four in a row, three against non-playoff teams, highlighted (if one can say that) by embarrassing losses to the archrival Chicago Blackhawks and a 5-0 drubbing by the Arizona Coyotes. A date with the Winnipeg Jets is all that stands between them and an extended break, and the time is now to start thinking about what moves the team will make at the deadline. But truth be told, almost no one expects that general manager Doug Armstrong will be in the buyers’ market.

Yep, the cardiac New Jersey Devils it is. In what was their fifth overtime affair in their last six games, the Devils somehow found a way to secure another crucial two points. Thanks to a stellar outing from Vitek Vanecek and an all-star-worthy performance from Jack Hughes, the Devils defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime to head into the all-star break with a 32-13-4 record. Here are four takeaways from the win.

Edmonton Oilers assistant general manager Brad Holland attended the game between the Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 27. This is multiple times now the Oilers have been seen scouting the Canucks, but they might also be interested in available Blue Jackets. Both teams are expected to be...

Of all the adjectives and phrases I’ve read on social media to describe the Winnipeg Jets’ play of late, a text I got from a good friend who is an avid fan was my favourite. “The Jets are playing like hot garbage lately” made me laugh out loud in an empty room. He’s not wrong. The Jets are currently not playing to the system head coach Rick Bowness has implemented but instead have reverted to the bad habits they fell into under former coach Paul Maurice.

Leading the NHL’s rookie scoring race, Matty Beniers looked prime to contend at his first NHL All-Star Game. Unfortunately, his first appearance is now in doubt after a highly-questionable hit by Vancouver Canucks’ defenseman, Tyler Myers. With little clarification on his status for the All-Star Game on Feb....

It’s said that timing is everything, and that’s certainly the case for Detroit Red Wings forwards Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi as they await their next contracts. The two forwards are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents (UFAs) this summer. Larkin and Bertuzzi’s agents have been hard at work negotiating new contracts with Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings, but have not agreed to anything yet.

The Vancouver Canucks have acquired Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a 2023 protected first-round pick from the New York Islanders for captain Bo Horvat. After months of speculation and trade rumors, general manager Patrik Allvin announced the trade Monday afternoon amidst the team’s bye week and just before the 2023 NHL All-Star Game this weekend.

As we get closer to the 2023 Trade Deadline, the Chicago Blackhawks are arguably going to be the biggest team to watch. After all, general manager (GM) Kyle Davidson has begun the team’s full-on rebuild, and they have several notable pending unrestricted free agents (UFA) who are likely going to be on the move because of it.

Looking to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time in 2022-23, the Boston Bruins were looking to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 26 when they played the Florida Panthers for the final time in the regular-season on Saturday (Jan. 28). It looked like they were on their way to avoiding their first back-to-back losses before disaster struck.

During his tenure as general manager (GM) of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney has mostly been a buyer instead of a seller at the annual NHL trade deadlines. His teams have been to the postseason for seven straight seasons and barring an all-time epic collapse, they are well on their way to an eighth consecutive season playing for the Stanley Cup.

At the outset of the 2022-23 NHL season, goaltending did not seem like something that the Calgary Flames might struggle with. After all, starter Jacob Markstrom was a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 2021-22, the first in franchise history since the legendary Miikka Kiprusoff in 2007. He went a resounding 37-15-9 with nine shutouts, a .922 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.22 goals-against average (GAA). But as this season has progressed, Markstrom has not replicated that same success and has instead played wildly inconsistent hockey. At the time of writing, he sits at 13-13-5 with a lowly 2.86 GAA and .893 SV%. While the sport of hockey is a team game and the Flames as a whole have struggled at certain points, there have been a few too many occasions where their starting goalie has let them down.

The month of December was brutal for the Chicago Blackhawks; there’s no doubt about it. They won just two of their 13 contests. Granted, they were up against some stiff competition. But they struggled with their team game and just couldn’t seem to put it all together. January, on the other hand, was much more productive. The Blackhawks won seven of 13 games. They’re finally seeing their hard work pay off, and it’s starting to show in a much better all-around game. Not to mention some wins!