Evgeny Kuznetsov has been quiet this season- at least speaking in goals, and he's finally broken through. He went past two defenders using an amazing toe drag to put the puck in the net using a solid shot. He put the Capitals up 3-1.
If Kuznetsov keeps going at it like this, sooner or later he'll be one of the NHL's elite players.
In another heartbreaking, wretched NHL trade, Brooks Laich, Washington D.C.'s longest-tenured athlete, is no longer a Capital. He is a Leaf, after being a faithful, amazing Capital for 12 years, ever since I was only three years old. Boo.
The Capitals traded away Laich, Connor Carrick, and a second-round pick for Daniel Winnik and a fifth-round pick. In my opinion, the Capitals are trading away their future, as they now do not have any first- or second-round picks for the next draft. On top of that, the Leafs are winning more in this trade because they get better players.
“Daniel is a versatile player who plays with grit and can be used in all situations,” general manager Brian MacLellan said. “This move enables us to add some depth to our forward group and balances our lineup. We would like to thank Brooks for all of his contributions to our organization over the past 10 years. Brooks is a true professional and we wish him all the best in the future.”
The only problem with Laich is that after health complications (injury to the groin) in 2011, he never was the player he had been before and became a fourth-line centre on the Capitals, never again living up to his $4.5 million cap hit. Winnik is much cheaper and by acquiring him and getting rid of Laich's contract, the Capitals have gained $2.2 million in cap space. Still, the trade is heartbreaking, for a multitude of reasons.
The Wawota, Saskatchewan native was a fan favourite in Washington for many reasons. Right after the Capitals' devastating first-round playoff exit in the 2010 playoffs to the Montreal Canadiens, two female Capitals fans were stranded on the side of the road with a messed-up tire. Although the team had just lost and it was clear Laich was going through a tough time, he stopped by the side of the road to fix the tire for them, immediately making their days.
Not only that, but his shenanigans with Michael Latta and Tom Wilson about an Instagram follow were hilarious, with Wilson and Latta leaving comments on his Instagram posts begging for a follow multiple times. Laich had a drone from his fiancee Julianne Hough, and he used it for another hobby of his, film-making, where he filmed several scenes when he had time and used time-lapse on them. I thought it was pretty amazing. He was going to get married to Julianne this August, but I guess, sadly, us Caps fans will not see it.
He even made this hilarious video telling fans five things every man should know how to do:
On his last days in Washington, Laich and Hough, along with TJ Oshie and his wife Lauren, went to a Carrie Underwood concert all together. Laich, my man. This is even worse than losing Eric Fehr and Joel Ward in the offseason. Brooksie, you will be missed. If the Capitals get their Stanley Cup win this year, it will be bittersweet, as D.C.'s longest-tenured athlete and most faithful player, who has been with the Capitals starting from the 2004 rebuild and is the last remaining piece of Peter Bondra, is now gone. Good luck with your new team, Brooksie, and we hope to have you back in a Capitals uniform soon.
Yeah, we all get it. The 2015-16 Montreal Canadiens may not make the playoffs. Their core players "aren't producing," they have a terrible offence, etc., etc. Andrei Markov keeps making turnovers... but PK Subban is even worse. But guess what? You're wrong.
PK leads the Habs in points, with 46, and in assists, with 41. He is a defenceman. When he leads an entire team in these two categories, it must either mean that (1) he is an incredible player, or (2) his team is terrible at offence. To be honest, both of these play a factor. But PK is probably the Habs' most important player aside from Carey Price, and he electrifies games and makes them watchable, even when the Habs are losing. He is a fan favourite, and has done better things off the ice than on it.
Off the ice, PK shines in the spotlight. I remember a few summers age when, while everyone else actually used a bucket of water and ice to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, PK hired a whole truck full of water and ice, sat in a lawn chair in the middle of a main street in Toronto, and had the truck pour a river of water and ice over him. It was the funniest thing I ever watched.
Not only that, but he overflows with charitable acts himself (pun intended). Once, he donated $10,000 to the Montreal Children's Hospital, as well as hosted a Christmas part there, where he bought presents for all the children. Not only that, but once he hit a boy with a puck on accident, and took time after to meet the boy and his family. For these acts, PK shines on and off the ice.
So I don't understand... just because Michel Therrien threw PK under the bus unfairly, while leaving David Desharnais, who has done nothing productive, to keep doing what he is doing, everyone starts hating on PK. Leave him alone! He is one of the Habs' best players, on and off the ice.
I know this is coming a bit late, but right after the All-Stars, I wasn't able to write this, so here it comes. This year, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals were voted into the All-Star Game. Indeed, it was well-deserved for all of them, as well as for Coach Barry Trotz, who got to coach the Metropolitan Division. It was the first All-Star appearance for Backstrom and Holtby, who more than deserved it
However, in a storybook ending, Russian superstar Ovechkin decided not to play in Nashville, and by luck, the next star on the list was none other than his fellow countryman and teammate Kuznetsov. 23-year-old Kuznetsov had 2 goals in a losing effort by the Metropolitan Division.
Another positive from the All-Stars was John Scott. After being voted in by the fans as a way of making fun of him, Gary Bettman and his minions conducted a trade that took Scott from Arizona to Montreal, where he was waived to play for the St. John, Montreal's AHL affiliate. In other words that meant he couldn't play in the game. After he wrote a Player's Tribune article and everyone accused Bettman of plotting to keep Scott out of the All-Star, Bettman allowed him to play, but made him wear a special jersey as humiliation. However, Scott rose above it all, scoring two goals to lead the Pacific Division to a championship and getting named MVP. What a happy ending.
Imagine... a team that started out the season on a historic 9-0-0 record is out of a playoff spot at this point in the year. This is mainly because Carey Price, the backbone of the franchise and reigning league MVP, has been injured since early December; however, Mike Condon and Ben Scrivens have been phenomenal in net and are an above average goaltending duo.
What is really getting the Habs is their lack of offence. Although, often, they are outdoing the other team in shots, Their top scorers, PK Subban and Max Pacioretty are above average at best, and the rest of their players are failing to produce. PK Subban, the defenceman, is leading the team in points, and it is usually a bad sign when a defenceman is the leading scorer on a team. Sure, Gallagher, another one of their best players, was injured for almost a month, but they have to get past all the bad luck and not get too far behind a playoff spot if they want to make a lat-minute push when Price gets back.
Another issue dooming the Canadiens is that they are making too many little mistakes. In a game against the Bruins, Andrei Markov passed the puck straight to a Bruins player after Condon made a great save.
Not only that, but the Habs were wiped with a score of 5-2 twice in two days to the Blue Jackets, and Subban, Markov, and other Habs players put the blame on themselves.
I don't like that the Habs are struggling so much, but when will this end? They have been the NHL's worst team for too long now. When will they get better? And will they be able to make a push for the playoffs once Price returns?
The Hockey Writers decided to make a list of the NHL's five duos, and (yay!) Artemi Panarin and Evgeny Kuznetsov are both featured in the list. It is as goes (and I will add my own opinions as to why these players are featured in the list if needed):
5. Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec (Montreal Canadiens)
There is a reason Pacioretty was picked as the Habs' captain this year, and it has not been without the help of his trusty steed, the 33-year-old Czech forward Tomas Plekanec. They provide dynamic offence to the Habs, adding to their legitimacy as Stanley Cup contenders.
4. Henrik and Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
Ahh... of course. The 35-year-old Swedish twins who have been tearing up the NHL for years. They have an impressive chemistry.. almost a sense of where the other is on the ice. Must be a twin thing.
3. Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov (Washington Capitals)
Two Russians (insert happy emoji here). Of course. This year, Evgeny Kuznetsov leads the Caps with points, with Alex Ovechkin, the goals leader, a few points behind. At the beginning of the year, on the same line, they clicked together perfectly. #RusskiyPower
2. Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
One of the interesting stories in the NHL this season is how Patrick Kane has been tearing up the NHL after his off-season controversy. Of course, this wouldn't be the case without the hands of Artemi Panarin, 24-year-old fresh arrival from Russian KHL, who has helped him tonnes.
1. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars)
This duo has always been one of the most effective in the game, but their role on the Stars has only been magnified now that their team is in the top of the NHL standings.
What do you all think of these ratings? Any other differing opinions? If so, I'd love to hear them in the comments. Happy Holidays...
Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens placed Alex Semin on waivers, then cleared and sent him to their AHL team, St. John's IceCaps, but Semin failed to report. Semin then took his choice and decided to go to Russia to join in the KHL.
Reportedly, SKA St. Petersburg and Metallurg Magnitogorsk were interested in Semin's services, but Semin chose Metallurg over SKA.
Alex Semin had one goal and four points in fifteen games with the Canadiens, and he was often a scratch on the bench; he sat out for eight games. He hasn't had a good season since leaving the Capitals in 2012. Semin scored 239 goals and 517 points in 650 games with the Capitals, Hurricanes and Canadiens.
In Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Semin will join NHL counterparts Wojtek Wolski and Oskar Osala, as well as Capitals first-round draft pick Ilya Samsonov.
