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New York Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NHL 2024-25 awards predictions: End-of-season picks for Hart, Calder, Jack Adams and more
By Sean Gentille, Shayna Goldman, Jesse Granger, James Mirtle, Mark Lazerus and The Athletic NHL Staff With the Stanley Cup playoffs underway, the regular season is officially in the rearview mirror. When The Athletic asked its NHL staff to make awards predictions in the 2024-25 preseason, Connor McDavid was the clear favorite for the Hart. Now the MVP race seems to have a few legitimate candidates, but McDavid isn't one of them. Instead, his superstar teammate Leon Draisaitl has emerged as a contender, along with goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, to make things extra interesting. Who will win? Advertisement We asked our staff for their end-of-season predictions for the Hart, Norris, Vezina, Selke, Calder and Jack Adams. To analyze and critique the picks, we've brought in senior writers Sean Gentille, James Mirtle and Mark Lazerus, analytics know-it-all Shayna Goldman and goaltending expert Jesse Granger. Note: Tables display the percentage of votes received each month. You can find our awards predictions from October here, November here, December here, January here and March here. We skipped staff awards predictions in February to give readers a chance to share their picks, which you can check out here. Granger: For the first time this season, Hellebuyck leads this race. I've been banging this drum since December. He's had an exceptional season and would be a deserved winner. Looking back at the past votes, what stands out most is Kirill Kaprizov's 69.2 percent in December. What could have been if he had stayed healthy … Gentille: Same goes for Quinn Hughes. He was on track to at least merit some consideration before his injury. Alas. Goldman: Two things can be true: Hellebuyck may not reach the bar Carey Price set when he won in 2015 and that bar is too unrealistically high for goaltenders. Yes, they have their own award, but how many forward awards are there? It's nice to see more positional versatility in this race. Mirtle: I think this is going to end up being a really close vote. Maybe even a three-way split. I wonder how much having McDavid and Cale Makar also pulls votes away from Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon. Lazerus: I believe Hellebuyck is going to buyck (har har) the trend and bring home a well-deserved Hart for the most important position in sports. I was most curious about who would be the third finalist after Hellebuyck and Draisaitl, but based on these results — and remember, some of our staffers are also voters — it seems like MacKinnon is comfortably ahead of Jack Eichel and Nikita Kucherov. Wish we could have seen what Quinn Hughes could have done with a full season. Granger: The only thing that could've prevented Makar from winning this trophy in a landslide was a fully healthy season by Quinn Hughes, and we just didn't get it. Goldman: If Zach Werenski and the Blue Jackets didn't go through a cold streak, maybe he could have stolen a few votes. But he, Makar and Quinn Hughes have been locked in for some time. The more interesting element is who gets votes around them. Advertisement Gentille: I'm definitely more interested in seeing the guys who get a vote or two at the bottom of the ballot. Could see some funny ones. Mirtle: I actually think Werenski might have had a shot if Columbus snuck into the playoffs. He definitely had a monster season regardless and put himself on the radar for a Norris in the future. Hard to overcome Makar's 30-goal, 92-point season, though. Lazerus: This looked like it was going to be incredibly competitive early on. Now, I'd be surprised if Makar isn't indeed unanimous. He's pretty good. Granger: This is obviously a lock for Hellebuyck, so I'd like to take this opportunity to throw some praise on Ducks netminder Lukáš Dostál, who I believe should be a Vezina finalist. He had a spectacular season despite playing behind one of the worst defenses in the league, but he won't likely get many votes from the general managers because of the losses. Goldman: Again, duh. Even general managers with faulty processes for this award shouldn't get this one wrong. Mirtle: OK, who didn't vote for Hellebuyck … Lazerus: I forgot we had Darcy Kuemper's parents on staff. Gentille: He's a really nice guy, though! Granger: There are so many deserving candidates for Selke this season, and when that is the case, reputation usually wins out. Goldman: I feel like this could be a good year for wingers to get some votes around Aleksander Barkov and Anthony Cirelli — guys such as Sam Reinhart, Brandon Hagel, Seth Jarvis and Mitch Marner should all get some top-five appreciation. Some of these guys may get docked for playing with elite shutdown centers, but they shouldn't be overlooked, either. Gentille: I'm wondering if Barkov missing a little bit of time — he played 67 total games — opens up a path for someone else. Reinhart, specifically. Mirtle: This would be the third win in five years for Barkov. Only five players in league history have won three — and only Patrice Bergeron and Bob Gainey have won four-plus. Given that Barkov is only 29, it feels like he could take a run at the record. Lazerus: I'd love to see Reinhart get his due here, but it's hard toiling in the shadow of Barkov. I do wonder if they split the vote a little bit and clear a path for Cirelli or Adam Lowry, both of whom also would be worthy winners. Granger: Lane Hutson and Dustin Wolf both had historically great seasons for a rookie at their respective positions, and yet Macklin Celebrini was so good that he still belongs in the conversation with them. What a season it was for rookies. Gentille: Celebrini just had a 25-goal season as an 18-year-old, and people are going to be mad when he gets first-place votes for the actual award. Advertisement Goldman: Such a fun race this year, with a forward, defensemen and goaltender leading the way. See, it is possible to measure these positions against each other … maybe we can take this energy into the Hart conversation some more. Mirtle: Trivia question: Who was the second-best rookie defenseman this year? We had to answer that question for the all-rookie team voting and let's just say Hutson didn't have a lot of competition in that regard this year. Well-deserved for the Calder. Wolf should be ahead of Celebrini, though. Lazerus: I was genuinely considering defensemen who had played single-digit games for that all-rookie team. Congrats Denton Mateychuk on your recognition by default, I guess? Anyway, this was Wolf's to lose until Hutson absolutely ran away with it the last month or two. Fabulous year for the kids. Goldman: This is Spencer Carbery's to lose, since he didn't win the award last year (when he really could have). Dean Evason deserves a lot of credit, and I wonder if he would have stolen some first-place votes if Columbus reached the playoffs. It would be nice to see Jared Bednar get some appreciation behind those two, considering how well he managed a lineup with a ton of in-season turnover. Lazerus: Bednar and Rod Brind'Amour are reaching that Jon Cooper stage where it doesn't matter how difficult their jobs actually were in a given season, they'll never win this award, which is basically the We Didn't See That One Coming award (as voted on by the broadcasters). Both deserve serious consideration. Mirtle: This one is going to be a landslide given the last two seasons Washington has had. The Rangers really missed out when they passed on Carbery. Gentille: Easiest choice on the board. Carbery should already have one of these, by the way. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Bailey Hillesheim / Icon Sportswire, Jonathan Kozub / NHLI, Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
New York Times
11-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
4 Nations Face-Off predictions: Picks for champion, USA vs. Canada matchup, MVP and more
By Sean Gentille, Shayna Goldman, Jesse Granger, James Mirtle and The Athletic NHL Staff The wait is (basically) over. On Wednesday, best-on-best international hockey returns after more than eight years in mothballs. And while the 4 Nations Face-Off isn't perfect — it lacks the cachet of the Olympics, and plenty of countries and elite players aren't in the mix — it's still a big deal. Before the games began, The Athletic surveyed its NHL staff for predictions. Providing commentary on the results are senior writers Sean Gentille and James Mirtle, analytics know-it-all Shayna Goldman and goaltending expert Jesse Granger. GO DEEPER Do NHL players care about the 4 Nations Face-Off? Here's what they said Mirtle: Well, that's certainly overwhelming. A few of Sweden's top forwards have had tough seasons, so there's no doubt Canada is the favorite here, but it's pretty close on the blue line and I'd give the Swedes the edge in net. Probably more of a toss-up than this. Gentille: Yeah. It'd be a whole lot easier to pick Sweden here if Elias Pettersson and Mika Zibanejad were in top form — and who knows, maybe some time with the national team is what they need. Still, this one is cut and dry. Advertisement Granger: Sweden is going to need Linus Ullmark or Filip Gustavsson to significantly outplay Canada's goalie in order to win this one. Goldman: The key to a Sweden upset is its best goal scorers taking advantage of Canada's goaltending. A few key Sweden forwards are slumping this year, but maybe there will be some fuel from the blue line to help lead an upset. Goldman: Poor Finland — its blue line has been decimated with injury. So it's no surprise that everyone is leaning toward the powerhouse that is Team USA. Mirtle: I know this event is taking some heat for not having the Czechs and more nations involved, but Finland's defense illustrates why an NHL-only tournament can't really handle that. Only five Czech defensemen have even played a game this season in the league! You wonder what Finland does if it has another injury back there … Gentille: Hey, at least Finland replaced Rasmus Ristolainen with an actual NHL defenseman; Nikolas Matinpalo has played 18 games for Ottawa this season. It's all a bit of a shame because the Finns have really good down-the-middle depth and goalies who can steal games. Granger: Finland was already fighting an uphill battle before the injuries to the blue line. Its only hope is that the roster syncs together as a team more quickly than the other countries with such a short runway into this tournament, which I think is actually possible. Goldman: Finland-Sweden is one of the best rivalries around, so hopefully this can still be a good game despite how short-handed Finland is on the back end. Mirtle: I'll be interested in what Finland does in goal. I assume Juuse Saros gets a lot of the runway, but statistically, Kevin Lankinen has been its best goalie this year. Can the Finns get a steal-a-game performance from one of them? Granger: Finland always plays a tough, tight-checking game in these international tournaments, and in this rivalry game that should be even more magnified. I expect it to be a low-scoring contest with a late winner. This game should be a lot of fun. Gentille: Finland's top three lines are centered by Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho and Roope Hintz. That alone might make this interesting. Mirtle: Oh really? I wonder if this tournament is going to be remembered as the event where the U.S. showed they've taken a big step. Winning this game would be a start. Granger: It's going to be a pretty big letdown if the U.S. doesn't take the step you're referring to, James. It's hard to find a true weakness on this team. It has skill and strength up front, a great defensive group and the best goaltending in the tournament. Advertisement Gentille: Let the 'Canada is the underdog, actually' narratives commence! Goldman: The real question is whether this is going to be the only USA-Canada matchup of the tournament — the next one could be the one that really matters. Mirtle: Pray for Esa Lindell, who might have to play 35 minutes in this one. Granger: Throw a prayer in there for Saros while you're at it. Gentille: Brayden Point is probably going to take regular shifts against AHL defensemen. Neat. Goldman: Get ready for the "Barkov, Aho and Hintz are the most underrated centers" stories if Finland pulls this off. Mirtle: I'm sensing a lot of belief in Team USA from our American staff. Granger: Sweden is behind Canada and the U.S. in terms of overall talent on the roster, but the Swedes are strong in the right positions: up the middle and in goal. Their centers could make this a closer contest than we might expect. Gentille: I thought about picking Sweden here, just so the number would look a little less lopsided. We're tempting fate. Goldman: I really think Sweden is going to pull off one upset in this tournament, against USA or Canada. Canada feels a bit more likely, but considering the hype around the U.S. this one would be huge. Goldman: I know, that's right. Team USA is the favorite for good reason. This team is absolutely stacked at every position, even without Quinn Hughes in the mix. USA and Canada's skaters may match up pretty closely, but there is a massive disparity in net. Betting that Canada is regretting not picking Logan Thompson right about now! Mirtle: Or Mackenzie Blackwood. Or Cam Talbot. Darcy Kuemper is having a nice season … Granger: Seeing Finland with more votes than Sweden here is very interesting, and not at all what I expected. GO DEEPER Team USA opted for speed and skill over grit and it's made them 4 Nations favorites Mirtle: A changing of the guard? I guess we'll see. The big question for the U.S. is going to be whether it can come together in a short event and pull this off. And, yes, does the goaltending disparity win the day? Sweden should be higher on this list, though. It has a real shot to win. Granger: With how high the expectations have become for the U.S. team, I worry what failure in this tournament would do to Connor Hellebuyck's already shaky playoff reputation. Let's hope we don't get to that point. Advertisement Gentille: It's easy to pick the U.S. to win. Going with Sweden or Finland as the runner-up, though, is reserved for only the most powerful of haters. Goldman: Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid are going to see this and carry Canada to a win. GO DEEPER At the 4 Nations Face-Off, one position rules. Why, and what can we expect? Mirtle: That's a pretty good-looking one-two punch … Granger: Considering how stacked Canada's forward lineup is, it's wild that a defenseman could finish third on this list and not feel out of place. But that's how ridiculously good Cale Makar is. Gentille: I almost went with Sam Reinhart here, just to be different, and then he opened practice on a line with McDavid and Mitch Marner. Worth tracking. GO DEEPER What I'm seeing from Team Canada: Latest on Sidney Crosby and lines from a 'super intense' first practice Mirtle: Auston Matthews has been playing a lot better of late for Toronto, but he's not up to his 69-goal standard of last season. What version of him the U.S. gets is going to be important for them in the tournament — although this list shows how many other weapons the team has now. Granger: I was one of the few to vote for Kyle Connor. He has one of the best releases in hockey, and he's playing on a team with a lot of pass-first playmaking forwards. He should get plenty of looks, and he knows how to finish them. Gentille: Jesse has quite nearly pulled me into Camp Connor, but I still feel like Jack Eichel was built for tournaments like this. GO DEEPER What I'm seeing from Team USA: Replacing Quinn Hughes, splitting up the Tkachuks, practice lines, more Goldman: William Nylander makes a lot of sense here, but let's see Filip Forsberg cook on a super-skilled Team Sweden. The dark horse pick has to be Lucas Raymond, who is emerging into a total superstar. Mirtle: Nylander has been on a huge heater, especially with how many breakaways he's been getting, so that'll be something for other teams to watch out for. Granger: Pettersson has been in a bit of a funk, but I wonder if getting away from the team and into this international environment might be what he needs to snap out of it. I could see him scoring one early and finding his game quickly. Gentille: Nylander is the best player on the roster. Thus, he's my guy. GO DEEPER What I'm seeing from Team Sweden: 'Phenomenal' goaltending, do-it-all D and lines from first practice Goldman: Mikko Rantanen is the favorite for good reason — he's an elite player who rises to the occasion in big moments. His injury is the one potential wrinkle in this because a player such as Barkov can definitely steal the spotlight if he isn't 100 percent. Mirtle: Not enough love for Matinpalo in my opinion. Playing in this without having an NHL point — in either this season or your career — is a real feat. Advertisement Granger: Patrik Laine is the type of player whose stick turns to red-hot magma and everything he shoots goes in for a week. Is that likely to happen this week? Probably not, but it's certainly possible. Gentille: Mirtle and I, watching the tournament in matching Matinpalo jerseys. GO DEEPER What I'm seeing from Team Finland: Mikko Rantanen good to go, following their own path Mirtle: I think if the U.S. is going to win this thing, it is going to have to limit the damage from Canada's two-headed monster, possibly twice if the teams meet on two occasions. Granger: Once again, I'm banging the drum for Connor as a dark horse here. That's only if the U.S. gets the better of Canada, though. Gentille: Sometimes, the boring choice is the correct choice. GO DEEPER Team Canada's 4 Nations nuclear option: Could they channel 1987, put MacKinnon, McDavid together? Mirtle: The right choice. I know save percentages are down leaguewide, but in such a short tournament, there's a chance for a goalie to steal this thing with a few big games. Granger: He should be the favorite for the Hart Trophy, and he's rightfully the favorite to win this MVP as well. He's the best player at the most impactful position. Hellebuyck didn't play for any international teams growing up and didn't go through the USA Hockey National Team Development Program like most elite American players. This is a cool opportunity for him to represent his country when he's at the top of his game. (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Ellen Schmidt, Kevin Sousa / NHLI, Jeff Vinnick / NHLI, G Fiume / Getty Images)
New York Times
10-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Weekend NHL rankings: No, your predictions are wrong
Well, well, well, what do we have here? We asked. You voted. The results are in. Fan picks for Stanley Cup winner, awards and more On @TheAthleticNHL ⤵️ — Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) February 8, 2025 GO DEEPER NHL fan predictions: Your picks for Stanley Cup winner, awards and more Yes, it's yet another batch of predictions. But this time it's not me or the other writers making the picks, it's you. Yes, you, personally, because I'm going to assume you took part in The Athletic's recent survey. More than 2,500 readers did. Including you. And that means this week, I get to tell you why your predictions are bad. Advertisement Oh, how the turns have tabled. Give me a second while I get into full 'comment section' mode. (Hits self in the head with a brick several times.) Heh, heh … clicks. OK, let's do this. 1. You don't believe in the Capitals — This was surprising, because it's been explained to me that anyone who watched the games would know this Washington season is for real. I haven't had them in my one-spot all season, despite them starting to pull away at the top of the standings. But I've had them as high as No. 2, and they've been somewhere in the top five for 10 straight weeks. Meanwhile, you all had them as just your seventh-most mentioned Cup pick. Any thoughts on that you'd like to share, Caps fans? 2. You're wrong on the Hart Trophy — You think it's going to be Leon Draisaitl in a narrow win over Nathan MacKinnon, and both of those picks are reasonable. But only 14.2 percent of you have the right answer: This is the year the Hart goes back to the goalies, with Connor Hellebuyck uniting the 'this isn't just supposed to be an offense award' voting block while Draisaitl, MacKinnon and Connor McDavid split the forward vote. 3. You're super wrong on the Calder — Lane Hutson is the best player ever and the 79.4 percent of you who don't think he's the best rookie in the world have never watched a single hockey game in your miserable lives! Am I doing this right, Habs fans? Too calm and reasonable? I thought so, I'll try to get a little more amped up for next time. 4. You're probably wrong on last place — The Sharks have opened up a reasonably significant lead on the Hawks in the battle for dead last, but 53.7 percent of you still think Chicago is going to take the top lottery odds. I thought so, too, up until a few weeks ago, but the Sharks are not only worse right now, they're probably in better position to subtract at the deadline. Also, that people were picking teams like the Sabres, Ducks and (especially) Rangers suggests that some of you don't know how standings work. Advertisement 5. You're still somehow sleeping on the Panthers — I get that picking the defending champs feels boring, especially when that same team also went to the Final the year before. Voter fatigue is real. But still … only 2.7 percent of you have the Panthers as your Cup pick? That's less than what you'd expect if we just distributed the votes randomly among all 32 teams. All this for a team in a very winnable Atlantic, whose only competition for top spot in the division is an inconsistent Leafs team, and whose main competition in the conference finals would either be that Capitals team you don't believe in, or a Hurricanes team you mostly do believe in but that hasn't really clicked since the Mikko Rantanen deal. Sometimes, the boring pick is the right one, and while the Panthers have been in and out of my top five all year long, you'd better believe I wouldn't have them lumped into 'other.' On to this week's rankings, which are better than yours, you imbecile. The five teams with the best chances of winning the Stanley Cup. The trade board has been updated, and … honestly, maybe don't bother taking deadline day off this year. 5. Florida Panthers (34-20-3, +23 true goals differential*) — Hey, after that rant up above, I've got to put my money where my mouth is. But five wins in six to regain top spot in the Atlantic helps make my case. 4. Dallas Stars (35-18-2, +42) — Funniest non-celebration of the week honors go to Jamie Benn, who apparently didn't feel like putting an eight-spot on the lowly Sharks was even worth acknowledging. Jamie Benn joins the Stars scoring party! 🥳 — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 9, 2025 3. Washington Capitals (36-11-8, +59) — The Caps' shootout loss to Utah was a reminder of how weird it is that Alex Ovechkin, the greatest goal scorer in the history of the sport, often doesn't get chosen to take part in the goal-scoring contest. I mean, we get it — he's never been a breakaway guy, and it's hard to set up the top-of-the-circle one-timer in a shootout — but try explaining that to a non-fan. Advertisement 2. Edmonton Oilers (34-17-4, +31) — Prediction contest update: The dreaded all-or-nothing bonus question could be a bloodbath, with Draisaitl sitting as the only player in the league comfortably on pace for 50 goals. About 64 percent of you chose to roll the dice on that question ('Name one and only one player who will finish this season with at least 50 goals, but who is not Auston Matthews') and less than 20 percent of those took Draisaitl. 1. Winnipeg Jets (39-14-3, +68) — Yep, I'm on board. Count me in with the other rankings, who also picked this weekend to move the Jets into top spot. They head into the break having won eight straight, including wins over the Avalanche, Hurricanes and Capitals. And they come off the break with a stretch of seven games in which Ottawa is the only playoff team they'll face. The race for top spot in the West might be over by March. In other Jets news, Mark Scheifele is reportedly next up if Sidney Crosby can't go for Team Canada, although that decision might not come down until right at tonight's final roster deadline. *Goals differential without counting shootout decisions like the NHL does for some reason. Not ranked: Detroit Red Wings — OK, now that they've finally lost a game, let's regroup and see where this team is really at. Saturday's loss to the Lightning snapped a seven-game win streak and left the Wings with a mark of 15-5-1 under Todd McLellan. That's still an excellent record, obviously, and it's been enough to get them into the last wild-card spot. It's been an impressive climb — when the win streak started on Jan. 23, they were 14th in the conference, five points out of a playoff spot. When McLellan took over, they were 15th, and eight points back. To cover all that ground and pass all those teams in just six weeks is an impressive feat. But it still leaves them in a precarious spot, setting up a second half in which every point will be crucial. And for our purposes, it makes them a tough team to evaluate. The pessimist's view is they're a mediocre team that got hot for just long enough to barely climb into a wild-card spot. Every team has a win streak at some point, and while those wins count as much as any other, regression arrives eventually. When it does, these Wings will revert back to being what they've been for a few years now — a wild-card bubble team that ends up falling short. Advertisement The optimist's case is McLellan, and the fact his arrival coincides with the best six weeks this team has played in years, isn't some random quirk. This is his team now, and he's unlocked something here. Derek Lalonde had sucked the life out of this group, and McLellan brought it back. Maybe they won't play at a 120-point pace for the rest of the year, but we shouldn't worry about anything that happened in the pre-McLellan era. And if you buy that, the Wings are going to roll to a playoff spot. Of course, you could also be boring and say the truth is somewhere in the middle. That might be good enough for Wings fans, who haven't seen a playoff game since 2016 and might figure an underdog run as a wild card would be good enough for this season especially given how it started. But at least they can spend the break hoping for something more, as unlikely as it seems. The five teams headed toward dead last and the best lottery odds for a top pick that could be James Hagens, Matthew Schaefer or someone else. The 4 Nations Face-Off is here, meaning the NHL is on break until Feb. 22. We have a ton of insightful preview content coming over the next few days. We also had this post, in which we made a bunch of trades for an event that has no trades, which was maybe not as insightful but you should definitely still read it. 5. Montreal Canadiens (25-26-5, -31) — Well, it was fun while it lasted. 4. Philadelphia Flyers (24-26-7, -30) — It's possible I'm just slipping them in here because nobody in Philadelphia is thinking about hockey this morning. But while they're here: Am I reading too much into it, or is it a little weird to have traded two guys away who then immediately start talking about how they feel respected? 3. Nashville Predators (19-28-7, -36) — Saturday's matchup featured the Predators on a six-game losing streak and the Sabres having won four straight, so it goes without saying Nashville won. They gave Juuse Saros the night off, which was probably a good move given how much action he might be seeing over the next week with that mess of a Team Finland blue line. Advertisement 2. Chicago Blackhawks (17-31-7, -41) — We've apparently made a collective decision that February will be international pick-on-Connor Bedard month. Is that fair? Not necessarily, and Scott went back and broke down Bedard's recent shifts to see which criticisms have been valid and which may have been misdirected. 1. San Jose Sharks (15-35-7, -64) — Saturday's blowout loss to the Stars was the last chance to see them on home ice for a full month. After 4 Nations ends, the Sharks head out on a seven-game road trip and don't get back for a game until March 8. Not ranked: Buffalo Sabres — No Sabres in the bottom five this week, for the first time since mid-December, thanks to those four straight wins heading into the weekend. That stretch hasn't pushed them back into the playoff hunt, mind you; it would probably have needed to hit double digits to even come close to that. So today, I just want to ask Sabres fans one question: Was that win streak a good thing? Yes or no. And this isn't meant to be rhetorical, I'm really not sure. Do you want to see this team win right now? I can see both sides. On one hand, you root for a team because you want to see them win. And even if that's more of a long view, you have to start somewhere. The journey of a thousand miles begins with four consecutive steps, that sort of thing. If there's any hope of the Sabres winning anything with this core, they have to start showing us some proof of concept at some point. If it's happening right now, that's good news. Unless it isn't, because come on, we all know this story. A broken team drops out of the running, then heats up against backup goalies and opponents who are looking past them, winning just enough games to accomplish two things: tanking their lottery odds and convincing their front office to take the path of least resistance and stay the course. The Buffalo Sabres as soon as they're 47 points out of the playoffs race — sba (@essbeeay) February 2, 2025 I'm torn. So Sabres fans, nice and simple: Is this streak a good thing or a bad thing? Let me know in the comments. I'm genuinely curious how this is playing out in the fan base. (Photo of Panthers fans: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Golden Knights Head Coach Ranks Second In Player Poll List
Vegas Golden Knights HC Bruce Cassidy ranked second in a player-voted poll about which NHL head coach they would least like to play for. "The Athletic polled 111 players in recent months on a variety of topics, granting them anonymity so they could speak freely." One of said topics asked was about which NHL head coach players would least like to play for. The Athletic NHL Player Poll• First team on your no-trade list?• Coach you'd most/least like to play for?• Best/Worst facilities for visiting team?• In-season tournament?• Should Gary Bettman retire?On @TheAthleticNHL ⤵️ — Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) February 5, 2025 Ranking second on the list was Golden Knights' own Bruce Cassidy. During his tenure with the Boston Bruins, Cassidy faced criticism about his treatment of the young players on his roster. They at times felt there was no way to please him and that his comments in the media were too harsh. During his Golden Knights career, Cassidy has openly called out players like Phil Kessel, Michael Amadio and most recently his goaltenders Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov. Despite the anguish towards Cassidy, his coaching methods have been successful. With the Bruins, they made the playoffs in each season under his tutelage while bringing them within a game of the Stanley Cup in the 2018-19 season and is now a Stanley Cup champion with the Golden Knights. "That's what I'm hearing from around the league,' one player said in The Athletic's article. "I haven't heard too many good things about the Vegas coach, Cassidy," another said. "I don't really know him that well, but I haven't heard anything good about him." "I thought the linesmen were a lot of calls that did not go our way against a good face-off team." More from #VegasBorn HC Bruce Cassidy on the icing ahead of Nelson's goal after their 2-1 loss to #Isles @TheHockeyNews — Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) February 5, 2025 Cassidy accumulated 12.33% of the votes, trailing the runaway favourite John Tortorella who picked up 38.46% of the votes. Mike Babcock and Lindy Ruff also found their names in the poll and they are both head coaches who have been criticized in the past for their unfair treatment towards young players like Tortorella an Cassidy have. The list doesn't say whether they believe Cassidy is a good coach or not but 12.33% of the 93 players who voted wouldn't want to play on a team ran by him. He did receive 1.89% of the votes when the players were asked about which coach they most want to play for. Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.
