Thursday’s Dump & Chase: Closing Time
Exit interviews are over, the players are going home, and the offseason begins in earnest
Nashville Predators News
On The Forecheck Podcast Episode 20: Change Is Gonna Happen - Featuring Alex Daugherty
Former On The Forecheck staffer and current member of A to Z Sports Alex Daugherty joins Shaun and Nick to discuss the playoffs, Juuse Saros not being named a finalist and much more as we head into the offseason.
2021 NHL Entry Draft Profile: Sean Behrens
Eric continues his profiles of 2021 draft-eligible prospects with a dive into the likely second-round defenseman. Make sure you’re following Eric as draft season is nearly here.
Juuse Saros Snubbed as a Vezina Trophy Finalist
Speaking of A to Z sports, the folks over there discuss why the Nashville goaltender should have his incredible performance recognized at least as a Vezina trophy finalist.
Rinne Will Take Time to Decide Future, Grateful for Support from Preds
The team held exit interviews with the media yesterday, and of course the main topic of discussion with Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne was what his future held in store. The career Nashville Predator’s contract is set to expire this offseason, and he mostly held the line that he is not ready to make any decisions going forward.
Hockey is For Everyone
Rescheduled 2021 World Championships to be held in Calgary | The Ice Garden
The status of the women’s IIHF World Championships has been very much in doubt since the tournament was cancelled with no backup plan. Good news arrived yesterday, as the tournament will be held in Calgary from August 21-30.
Whale sign free agent Kennedy Marchment | The Ice Garden
The NWHL free agency season was kicked off yesterday with Marchment’s signing by the Connecticut Whale.
How Team Sonnet’s power play cost them the Canada Secret Cup | The Ice Garden
Its tough to ice a team with players like Sarah Nurse and Natalie Spooner - the high expectations are natural. The Ice Garden’s Mike Murphy breaks down what went wrong for Nurse, Spooner and the rest of Team Sonnet in the Canada Secret Cup that eventually led to a disappointing Finals loss.
Around the NHL
Sabres win No. 1 pick in 2021 NHL Draft in lottery | NHL.com
Does it still count as a lottery win for Taylor Hall, even though he finished the season in Boston - I’m thinking so. The expansion Seattle Kraken landed the 2nd pick the draft - see below for the rest of the lottery field:
1. Buffalo Sabres
2. Seattle Kraken
3. Anaheim Ducks
4. New Jersey Devils
5. Columbus Blue Jackets
6. Detroit Red Wings
7. San Jose Sharks
8. Los Angeles Kings
9. Vancouver Canucks
10. Ottawa Senators
11. Chicago Blackhawks
12. Calgary Flames
13. Philadelphia Flyers
14. Dallas Stars
15. New York Rangers
Rantanen, Avalanche defeat Golden Knights in OT in Game 2, extend lead | NHL.com
Can anyone stop the Avalanche? Vegas has a potent offense, but once again the Avalanche were able to come up strong against the toughest competition.
Canadiens start fast, hold off Jets in Game 1 | NHL.com
A lot happened in this game, but the biggest was Montreal - fresh off a 3-1 series comeback against Toronto - starting quick and fending off the rested Winnipeg Jets to take a one game lead in the series.
Evans leaves Game 1 for Canadiens on stretcher after injury against Jets | NHL.com
Near the end of Montreal’s 5-3 win, Canadien forward Jake Evans was injured on the ice after an egregious hit by Mark Scheifele and left the game on a stretcher. This story is not close to over, as (once again) the world will turn their eyes to the NHL Department of Player Safety to hand out punishment.
NHL facing unique situation with potential Scheifele charging suspension | Sportsnet.ca
The big guns are already out drawing attention to DoPS “inconsistent” rulings as of late - as Elliotte Friedman breaks down the situation completely.
Scheifele’s predatory hit on Evans takes shine off Canadiens’ Game 1 win | Sportsnet.ca
Like I was saying - this is going to be a big deal this week.
Marner won’t be traded by Maple Leafs, GM says | NHL.com
I mean, let’s use our heads here. Marner is insanely good no matter how his performance was in the playoffs this season. On the other hand:
Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen have more goals than Mathews-Marner in the playoffs
— Bryan Bastin (@BryanBastin) June 1, 2021
That's a free one, Canadian media
Maple Leafs’ Tavares ‘doing really well’ in recovery from traumatic hit | Sportsnet.ca
It’s great to see that John Tavares is recovering well after his scary injury in the playoff series against Montreal. Silver linings though - he is the only Toronto Maple Leaf immune from criticism for the 3-1 series comeback.
Tweet of the Day
I think about this quote a lot lmao https://t.co/huvDjfJSCQ
— EvolvingWild (@EvolvingWild) June 3, 2021
While the usual suspects made sure to point out that two teams “built with analytics”, Edmonton and Toronto are both out of the playoffs, it seems like people forget about teams like Carolina and Colorado who have invested heavily in integrating analytics departments in hockey operations. And then you have reminders like this from former Nashville assistant GM and former Wild General Manager Paul Fenton showing what is perfectly acceptable for player evaluation right now.
Song of the Day
Look y’all - I don’t do the Dump & Chase as often these days, so even though the song has been out for months doesn’t mean I’m not gonna play it every chance I get - especially with an audience. I can’t tell you how much I love this song - it’s smooth.