Evan’s NHL Daily: What Could Have Been For Avalanche, Jagr’s Still Got It

Social media, as it typically does, caused a bit of confusion on Wednesday afternoon. Word came out that Nolan Patrick, the former second overall pick in the NHL Draft back in 2017, had retired. Later in the day, that was debunked, although Patrick hasn’t played in the NHL in almost two years. It got me thinking about what could have been for the Avalanche in that 2017 draft if they had won the lottery…

Meanwhile, over in Europe, Jaromir Jagr was back on the ice in the Czech League, and he made an immediate impact.

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

Colorado Hockey Now

After the ugly loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, Devon Toews made some comments that got national attention. The issue, for me, isn’t really what Toews said or that he said it publicly, but the fact that this isn’t the first time this year we’ve heard something similar.

The Colorado Avalanche were their own worst enemy against the Blackhawks. (+)

Colorado will be back home on Thursday night to take on the Ottawa Senators, who are the worst team in the East. Ottawa blew a two goal lead the other night in Arizona. I’ll have live coverage from Ball Arena, as usual.

Nolan Patrick News

Is Nolan Patrick‘s NHL career over? According to him, not yet, although he hasn’t played a game in nearly two years. He ran into a lot of injuries that unfortunately really derailed his career, but it got me thinking back to that 2017 NHL Draft.

As all of you will remember, the Avalanche were just awful during the 2016-17 season, and were the worst team in the NHL. They had the best odds at the #1 pick, and if they had won the lottery, my understanding is that they preferred Patrick.

That is, of course, not how it all went down. The Avalanche didn’t win the lottery, and in fact, they dropped out of the top three completely. At fourth overall, they ended up taking some guy named Cale Makar, and the rest is history.

Do the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup if they win that lottery? Given how vital Makar was to that team, I’m going to go ahead and say no. Who could have guessed that by losing the NHL lottery, the Avalanche would have ended up better off in the long run?

Jagr Can’t Stop

Jaromir Jagr is still going, as he wants to keep playing for the team that he owns back in the Czech Republic. His fear is that the team will crumble if he retires, so he wants to keep going. On Wednesday, he played his first game, and immediately chipped in.

51-year-old Jaromir Jagr with the primary assist.

Unreal.

pic.twitter.com/ZO78JUmObC

— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) December 20, 2023

The unfortunate part of all of this is that the Hockey Hall Of Fame won’t make an exception and just put him in the Hall Of Fame. Everyone knows his NHL career is over, but they are still going to make him wait, and the earliest he can be inducted is 2027. Sometimes, you have to make exceptions to rules, and I think this should be one of those times.

National Hockey Now

While in Pittsburgh, Marc-Andre Fleury made sure to pull some pranks on his old friends.

FHN goes 1-on-1 with Ryan Lomberg.

Patrick Kane hasn’t fixed the Detroit Red Wings, as they’ve now lost seven of eight games.

Even though he’s gone, Nikita Zadorov looked back on his time with the Flames and discussed the contract offer they never made.

Taking a look at the Montreal Canadiens prospects and their year-over-year production.

Jack Hughes messed up, and he knows it.