May 5, 2020The isn’t back yet, but we’re going to pretend it is. Over the last month, we’ve of how the NHL’s regular season might have played out if the league hadn’t been suspended on March 12. Now, the standings have been set and we’re carrying that forward through the playoffs. This time around, one of our beat writers from each team will be in charge of every lineup decision, the narrative for every playoff game and they’ll get to decide what “happened” in each game. Join us as we make our way through the simulated postseason to crownThe moment has finally arrived: The Stanley Cup final...…May 5, 2020The isn’t back yet, but we’re going to pretend it is. Over the last month, we’ve of how the NHL’s regular season might have played out if the league hadn’t been suspended on March 12. Now, the standings have been set and we’re carrying that forward through the playoffs. This time around, one of our beat writers from each team will be in charge of every lineup decision, the narrative for every playoff game and they’ll get to decide what “happened” in each game. Join us as we make our way through the simulated postseason to crownThe moment has finally arrived: The Stanley Cup final...WW…

Mar 3, 2021Back-to-back shutout wins with your backup and third-string goalie against Connor McDavid’s Oilers and without your best player to take control of first place in the league is a statement. The have the league’s best record at 17-4-2 and the second-best goal differential at plus-26. They look like a juggernaut.In any other year, it would be enough to cement the Leafs as one of the league’s best teams. There would be detractors saying nothing matters until they prove literally anything in the postseason, sure, but even they would have to admit the team’s current pace (128 points...…Mar 3, 2021Back-to-back shutout wins with your backup and third-string goalie against Connor McDavid’s Oilers and without your best player to take control of first place in the league is a statement. The have the league’s best record at 17-4-2 and the second-best goal differential at plus-26. They look like a juggernaut.In any other year, it would be enough to cement the Leafs as one of the league’s best teams. There would be detractors saying nothing matters until they prove literally anything in the postseason, sure, but even they would have to admit the team’s current pace (128 points...WW…

Feb 22, 2021It was another subpar game for on Saturday against the .He earned a power-play assist on the ’ opening goal, his first power-play assist of the season, but again found himself on the wrong side of the ledger at five-on-five. Malkin had just a 31 percent expected goals rate on the night and was on for both Islanders goals against. It’s safe to say he got what he deserved, too.On the first goal, he put a rather routine pass into the skates of on a three-on-two, only to see it go back for a rush the other way — one in which Malkin absolutely dogged the backcheck. The second was a...…Feb 22, 2021It was another subpar game for on Saturday against the .He earned a power-play assist on the ’ opening goal, his first power-play assist of the season, but again found himself on the wrong side of the ledger at five-on-five. Malkin had just a 31 percent expected goals rate on the night and was on for both Islanders goals against. It’s safe to say he got what he deserved, too.On the first goal, he put a rather routine pass into the skates of on a three-on-two, only to see it go back for a rush the other way — one in which Malkin absolutely dogged the backcheck. The second was a...WW…

Feb 5, 2021It’s the answer to a classic SAT-style word analogy: is to as  is to .Each of these dominant-down-the-middle one-two punches features one player widely considered to be transcendent, the best player in the world, and a second considered the sidekick, a dazzling top-five player capable of looking just as good on many nights. Of course, McDavid has been compared to Crosby — as The Next One — since before he even entered the league, and it’s only fitting that Draisaitl would get the Malkin treatment as McDavid’s accomplice.That’s been particularly true this season, when McDavid...…Feb 5, 2021It’s the answer to a classic SAT-style word analogy: is to as  is to .Each of these dominant-down-the-middle one-two punches features one player widely considered to be transcendent, the best player in the world, and a second considered the sidekick, a dazzling top-five player capable of looking just as good on many nights. Of course, McDavid has been compared to Crosby — as The Next One — since before he even entered the league, and it’s only fitting that Draisaitl would get the Malkin treatment as McDavid’s accomplice.That’s been particularly true this season, when McDavid...WW…

Jan 11, 2021An email was sent out to 20 or so people in the . The request to this group of coaches, executives and analysts was a little more complex than usual. For starters, it included a color-coded PDF with over 100 players’ names on it. And we weren’t necessarily looking for concrete answers. Just for people within the walls of NHL teams to check our work. It was an audit, really.The work? We were attempting to replicate our colleague Seth Partnow’s project in which he . In our case, we were omitting goalies, already covered in our annual Goalie Tiers package.We wanted it to be more...…Jan 11, 2021An email was sent out to 20 or so people in the . The request to this group of coaches, executives and analysts was a little more complex than usual. For starters, it included a color-coded PDF with over 100 players’ names on it. And we weren’t necessarily looking for concrete answers. Just for people within the walls of NHL teams to check our work. It was an audit, really.The work? We were attempting to replicate our colleague Seth Partnow’s project in which he . In our case, we were omitting goalies, already covered in our annual Goalie Tiers package.We wanted it to be more...WW…

Press 'Enter' to see all resultsMost Recent StoriesAuthorsAtlanticMetropolitanCentralPacificAFC EastAFC NorthAFC SouthAFC WestNFC EastNFC NorthNFC SouthNFC WestAtlanticCentralSoutheastSouthwestNorthwestPacificAL EastAL CentralAL WestNL EastNL CentralNL WestFeatured Teams Featured TeamsLeaguesMLS Featured  CompetitionsFeatured Teams Tampa Bay Lightning 2020-21 season previewThe Lightning finally did it. After years and years of being the proverbial favorites, and another few months of waiting for last season to resume, they won the Stanley Cup. That it took as long...…Press 'Enter' to see all resultsMost Recent StoriesAuthorsAtlanticMetropolitanCentralPacificAFC EastAFC NorthAFC SouthAFC WestNFC EastNFC NorthNFC SouthNFC WestAtlanticCentralSoutheastSouthwestNorthwestPacificAL EastAL CentralAL WestNL EastNL CentralNL WestFeatured Teams Featured TeamsLeaguesMLS Featured  CompetitionsFeatured Teams Tampa Bay Lightning 2020-21 season previewThe Lightning finally did it. After years and years of being the proverbial favorites, and another few months of waiting for last season to resume, they won the Stanley Cup. That it took as long...WW…

Press 'Enter' to see all resultsMost Recent StoriesAuthorsAtlanticMetropolitanCentralPacificAFC EastAFC NorthAFC SouthAFC WestNFC EastNFC NorthNFC SouthNFC WestAtlanticCentralSoutheastSouthwestNorthwestPacificAL EastAL CentralAL WestNL EastNL CentralNL WestFeatured Teams Featured TeamsLeaguesMLS Featured  CompetitionsFeatured Teams By the numbers: The NHL’s 10 best contracts, 2020 editionThere’s a point in each offseason where most hockey fans will peruse CapFriendly and say “it’s just not fair.” That statement can go both ways, it could mean an amazing contract on...…Press 'Enter' to see all resultsMost Recent StoriesAuthorsAtlanticMetropolitanCentralPacificAFC EastAFC NorthAFC SouthAFC WestNFC EastNFC NorthNFC SouthNFC WestAtlanticCentralSoutheastSouthwestNorthwestPacificAL EastAL CentralAL WestNL EastNL CentralNL WestFeatured Teams Featured TeamsLeaguesMLS Featured  CompetitionsFeatured Teams By the numbers: The NHL’s 10 best contracts, 2020 editionThere’s a point in each offseason where most hockey fans will peruse CapFriendly and say “it’s just not fair.” That statement can go both ways, it could mean an amazing contract on...WW…

Sep 22, 2020On Sept. 10, was awarded the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. On Monday night before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and finished second in voting for the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenceman.I left all three off my PHWA ballot entirely.It was tough going against the wisdom of the crowd, especially in my first year of voting, and it’s hard to go much further against the grain than leaving two winners and a runner-up off the ballot. There’s value in thinking differently and it’s a good thing that a voting body isn’t one...…Sep 22, 2020On Sept. 10, was awarded the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward. On Monday night before Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and finished second in voting for the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenceman.I left all three off my PHWA ballot entirely.It was tough going against the wisdom of the crowd, especially in my first year of voting, and it’s hard to go much further against the grain than leaving two winners and a runner-up off the ballot. There’s value in thinking differently and it’s a good thing that a voting body isn’t one...WW…

Aug 19, 2020Scoring goals is hard work. In hockey, you miss 91 percent of the shots you take and even the best of the best only convert on one-in-five of their chances. It’s why the league’s most captivating players are often the ones that make scoring goals look easy, like they’re out for Sunday morning shinny rather than playing in the majors.A goal is the single most exciting moment in a hockey game and we wanted to highlight some of the players who do it best in a variety of ways. That’s made easy with the help of Micah McCurdy, site-runner for and the king of hockey visualizations in...…Aug 19, 2020Scoring goals is hard work. In hockey, you miss 91 percent of the shots you take and even the best of the best only convert on one-in-five of their chances. It’s why the league’s most captivating players are often the ones that make scoring goals look easy, like they’re out for Sunday morning shinny rather than playing in the majors.A goal is the single most exciting moment in a hockey game and we wanted to highlight some of the players who do it best in a variety of ways. That’s made easy with the help of Micah McCurdy, site-runner for and the king of hockey visualizations in...WW…

Jul 13, 2020No two hockey players are the same, but some are more similar than others. They may not look or play the same way on the ice, but the end result is close enough to wonder what it means for a player’s career trajectory. For young players, a statistical comparable from the past can showcase a potential path forward – hope for a brighter future. They won’t follow the same specific path, but the similarities shown to date can help visualize what could happen going forward. These players might be the next ones.This is the third in a five-part series. |The Player: Alex Nylander, age...…Jul 13, 2020No two hockey players are the same, but some are more similar than others. They may not look or play the same way on the ice, but the end result is close enough to wonder what it means for a player’s career trajectory. For young players, a statistical comparable from the past can showcase a potential path forward – hope for a brighter future. They won’t follow the same specific path, but the similarities shown to date can help visualize what could happen going forward. These players might be the next ones.This is the third in a five-part series. |The Player: Alex Nylander, age...WW…