Evan's Daily
Evan’s NHL Daily: Tkachuk Sends Hurricanes Home, Benn Only Gets Two Games
One NHL team has punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup final, and it’s the team that entered the playoffs with the lowest point total. They have Matthew Tkachuk and Sergei Bobrovsky to thank for that.
Jamie Benn received punishment for his dirty cross-check on Mark Stone, but was it enough? I don’t think so. His recollection of the play was…something.
For the Colorado Avalanche, we took a deep dive into the game of top prospect Nikolai Kovalenko.
All that and more in this Thursday edition of Evan’s Daily.
Colorado Hockey Now
Nikolai Kovalenko is one of the top prospects for the Colorado Avalanche. However, outside of some highlights here and there, very few have seen him play. In part one of a three part deep dive, we focused on Kovalenko’s fearlessness, which may remind you a bit of Artturi Lehkonen…
A recent study showed that Ball Arena (yes, Ball Arena) is the best NHL arena for fans. The criteria they used is important, as they were looking at it more in terms of the experience, as opposed to the actual arena itself.
On Thursday, look for a big deep dive into what a potential Devon Toews extension with the Avalanche could look like. It will be one tricky negotiation.
NHL Playoffs
Just as we all predicted a month ago, the Florida Panthers are headed to the Stanley Cup Final. Matthew Tkachuk scored three of the four game-winners in the series, and he does not believe in jinxes.
For his ridiculous cross-check on Mark Stone, Jamie Benn was given a whopping two game suspension. Light, in my opinion, but what would you expect from the NHL Department of Player Safety? Stone got up, and that’s all they really care about. It sure looked like there was an intent to injure on Benn’s end, and no one is buying his absurd excuse.
On talking with Player Safety, if he'll use the "I fell on him" defense:
“We'll probably go through the whole play starting from our end and I'll try and tell them how I was feeling and what was going on in that situation," said Jamie Benn of @DallasStars
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 24, 2023
National Hockey Now
BHN: Can the Bruins find a way to keep Dmitri Orlov? Seems doubtful, but he was a great pickup for them.
SJHN: The Sharks have cap space to give, so what buy-low candidates can they take on, in hopes of picking up an asset?
WHN: The Capitals local TV network is actually picking up their AHL teams playoff games.
Calgary: New GM Craig Conroy has to hire a coach, and he wants to be on the same page as them.
MHN: Much like the Sharks, the Canadiens have room to spare that they can use to pick up some players and gain assets.
LAHN: Could the Kings pursue Connor Hellebuyck?
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Best, Worst Drafts in Colorado Avalanche History
Evan’s NHL Daily: Maple Leafs To Hire Treliving, Concern Over Landeskog After Ball Report
Avalanche Offseason: Colorado Native D Nate Clurman Re-Signed
Former Avalanche Players Hired Around League For Coaching Vacancies; More Coming?
Avalanche Film Room Series: Shades of Lehkonen in Kovalenko
In Final Season, Patrick Roy Leads Remparts to QMJHL Championship; NHL Next?
NHL Mock Draft Roundup: Who Are The Avalanche Forecasted To Select?
Avalanche Mailbag: Kyle Dubas, MacFarland, Shopping Manson, and More
What Could A Devon Toews Extension Look Like For The Avalanche?
I am sure that it hurt the NHLDPS to have to punish one of it’s fellow goons! Where did I see another play similar to that where someone cross checked a player in the head/neck area while he was on the ice?
https://www.reddit.com/r/ColoradoAvalanche/comments/12z0rqt/game_2_815_left_in_the_3rd_period_borgen/
So much for regular season records. I’m glad for Florida – – a nice trip back to the finals and when we last checked, wasn’t that the year of the first major championship of any sort in Denver? Moral of the story? Forget MacFarland’s “moral victory” about winning the Central Division and focus on winning the Cup. His response should have been – “While we overcame a lot of adversity and even won the Central Division, we fell well short of our goals in defending the Stanley Cup.” Build a team that’s ready for the playoffs. Not the regular “Ice… Read more »
Rico, I keep upticking you but never enough to get you into positive territory. I always enjoy reading your posts. Tkachuk is simply a stud who will probably win several Cups in his career. I doubt that he would pass the Av’s metrics requirements for being an outstanding citizen. The Av’s could use more players with his personality, grit and determination. It was interesting to listen to him being micced up last night, nothing but very positive things coming from his mouth encouraging his teammates..
FWIW, the Avs loved Brady Tkachuk, so they would not have had any issues with Matt.
Don’t forget that if the Pittsburgh Penguins won their last two games of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets, the Florida Panthers did not make the playoffs. In recent years, many Avalanche fans have taken the playoffs for granted when only half of NHL teams participate. Unfortunately, one team can’t always rely on other teams to make the playoffs. It also has to win games.
Florida Panthers Organization:
“We are very grateful to Darryl Sutter and the Calgary Flames for sending Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. These players are doing an unexpected job for us on the ice in this playoffs. We will be sure to make a detour to Calgary with the Stanley Cup as a thank you. You can count on us.”