Deen’s Daily: Amazon’s 6-Part NHL Series; Alex Newhook’s Fit in Montreal

Connor McDavid is the face of the NHL, and the trailer for the upcoming Amazon series ‘Faceoff: Inside the NHL’ gave us a glimpse of just how badly this guy wants to win. I’ve often heard players speak of his intensity behind closed doors. But we’ve never really seen it before.

Until now.

Connor McDavid had a FIRED UP moment in the new trailer for the BTS Amazon Prime series “FACEOFF: Inside the NHL” 😳

(via @NHL) pic.twitter.com/QpROUvajfI

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 23, 2024

The series, which debuts on Oct. 4, seems to be just what the NHL needs. It’ll give fans an inside look at what some of the NHL’s best superstars are like at the most intense time of the year. We’ve seen behind-the-scenes series like this before. Most notably, the road to the Winter Classic, which followed the two teams that took part in the outdoor game over three years.

The first season involving Pittsburgh and Washington was perhaps the best of the bunch. In the second season, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers offered a handful of notable moments. But by the time the show was on its third leg, the lead-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings battle at the Big House, the show had already lost its luster.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman made it very clear to teams this time around that they needed to be more accepting of this concept, and that footage can’t be censored or cut out at their discretion. There was a scene in one of the Toronto-Detroit episodes that showed Red Wings coach Mike Babcock kicking the HBO camera crew out of his locker room during an intermission. That’s the type of stuff that Bettman is trying to not let happen this time around.

The trailer is exceptional, and the McDavid clip above is just one of many that I’m looking forward to. I love that the camera crew also caught the Mitch Marner bench meltdown while his teammate William Nylander was giving him an earful.

Be sure to keep an eye out for Episode 4: ‘The Captains.’ It features Quinn Hughes, Jacob Trouba and Gabriel Landeskog.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche were back on the ice Wednesday following a day off. With 48 players still on the roster, the groups were still split into two. CLICK HERE for my observations from practice, which include quotes from head coach Jared Bednar and defenseman Sam Malinksi.

Also, Logan O’Connor earned high praise from his teammates and coach after signing a six-year contract extension. It was cool to see just how happy everyone was for O’Connor and the excitement some of the core guys displayed when asked about getting to play with him for seven more years.

Around The NHL

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins are still without goalie Jeremy Swayman. But their captain, Brad Marchand, was finally a full participant at training camp after spending the offseason recovering from several injuries suffered throughout the 2023-24 season.

Crazy to think that “the little ball of hate” is already 36 years old.

Montreal Hockey Now: Remember Alex Newhook? This latest depth chart from Marc Dumont suggests that the 2022 Stanley Cup Champion is best suited on the wing playing alongside two top-3 draft picks from previous years.

Newhook had a career-high 34 points last season despite playing just 55 games. To me, he was always a good example of a great player at the wrong time for the Avs. He was ultimately asked to develop into a top-6 center seemingly overnight because the Avs couldn’t afford to keep Nazem Kadri. And that’s not entirely his fault.

Did I think he would take that step? Yes. Was I disappointed when we all quickly realized it wasn’t going to happen? Also yes. But, Newhook is a good reminder that some guys take longer to develop. If he stays in the top six and gets to play with a healthy Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine all season, I expect to see him blow past his career numbers.

I also think he should stay on the wing. That’s where he played when he won the Stanley Cup, anyway.

Marner: Speaking of Marner, and the whole NHL Faceoff series. Toronto’s star forward openly admitted that he probably isn’t going to watch the first episode, which highlights Nylander and Boston’s David Pastrnak.

Aside from his meltdown, the episode is likely going to be centered around the Bruins’ seven-game series victory over the Maple Leafs in the first round. Makes total sense why Marner wouldn’t be excited to catch that episode if you ask me.