Evan’s NHL Daily: MacKinnon A Star, Patrick Roy’s Way Back Into League?

We already know Nathan MacKinnon is a star in the league, but on Monday afternoon, the NHL named him the first star of the week. After the week he just had, not a real surprise.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators finally did the thing everyone has been waiting for them to do – fire Head Coach D.J. Smith. With his connections to current owner Michael Andlauer, could this be the way Patrick Roy gets back into the NHL?

All that and more in this Tuesday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

Take every rumor you ever hear about the Colorado Avalanche with a grain of salt, but could they be targeting Elias Lindholm in a trade? It would take a lot to get him, and somebody would almost certainly have to go back the other way, but he’s a fit. Then again, there are a few other players the Avalanche could be looking at as well.

Speaking of centers, the Avalanche have been using Ryan Johansen in more of a grinder role of late, and it’s getting some better results compared to them using him as the 2C.

MacKinnon A Star

On Monday, the NHL named Nathan MacKinnon the first star of the week. In four games last week, MacKinnon picked up three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He’s currently riding a 15 game point streak, which is the longest in the NHL at the moment, and has a point in every home game. Oh yeah, and the game is really slow for him right now. Not good news for everyone else.

Senators Make A Move; Could Patrick Roy Be The Replacement?

The Ottawa Senators tried as hard as they could to wait and let D.J. Smith play out the final year of his contract, but they couldn’t wait any longer. They currently sit dead last in the Eastern Conference, and are the third worst team in the NHL. On Monday, they fired D.J. Smith, with their former head coach Jacques Martin taking over in the interim.

Martin is 71, and can’t be expected to coach long-term, so they’ll be looking for a replacement.

How about Patrick Roy?

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, Roy is someone who could get a look. Roy is not coaching right now, and went out as a champion with the Quebec Ramparts, winning the Memorial Cup over the summer. He has a prior relationship with Michael Andlauer, who was part owner of the Montreal Canadiens prior to taking over the Senators. If it’s going to happen, this might be his best chance.

And I certainly hope it does. There’s a lot of talent on that team, and there’s no way they should be as low in the NHL standings as they are. Get Roy in there and give them a kick in the butt.

National Hockey Now

The Pittsburgh Penguins tried to blow it, but they did the Avalanche a favor, taking out the Minnesota Wild in regulation.

Boston is loaning Matt Poitras to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships.

Former Avalanche defenseman Justin Barron is doing pretty well in Montreal, and scored the game winner in overtime on Monday night.

The Blackhawks and Phil Kessel should have a chat.

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