Blog Details

Mikko Rantanen might never get...

November 18, 2022 - BY Admin

Mikko Rantanen might never get the respect he deserves

This week we look at players thriving post-waivers, John Tavares winding it back, the criminally underappreciated Mikko Rantanen, the NHL failing its fans with no international hockey and much more.


The Blues go as Jordan Kyrou does


It was only on September 13 of this year that Jordan Kyrou signed an 8-year, $65-million contract extension with the St. Louis Blues. The extension kicks in next season and will make him, along with Robert Thomas, the highest paid Blues by annual average. Last season he had a breakout year, putting up 75 points in 74 games, along with 9 points (7 goals!) in 12 playoff games. Also, those 75 points surprisingly made him fourth on the team in scoring last season — Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko and Robert Thomas all passed that mark.


Post-waivers Marti nook is thriving

Every season there are a few fringe players that are good, helpful NHLers that get put on waivers, that could have been picked up for free, but they go unclaimed, end up staying with that team and go on to play good hockey. A few years ago Paul Byron was passed through waivers three times, unclaimed each time. He ended up playing in all 22 of the Habs' playoff games that spring, putting up 6 points (three big goals of note) and being an important role player. Of course, he wasn’t put on waivers because the Habs didn’t like him, it was because of his cap hit. There's a group of players that are always part of this bucket — good NHLers that get waived for cap reasons.


Vincent Trocheck's sneaky physicality

When the New York Rangers signed Vincent Trocheck to a sizeable contract this summer, did anyone think they were getting a physical player? Right now, Trocheck ranks sixth among forwards in the league in hits, something that caused me to double take. Was this the case of the Rangers stat trackers being a little trigger heavy? It wouldn’t be the first time — a known secret around the league when it comes to any stats, really, coming out of MSG. But looking back over the past few seasons, Trocheck has been a bit more physical than expected for a player listed at (generously) 5-foot-11, 184 pounds. Last season he was 24th in the league among forwards with 185 hits. The year before that he was still in the top 40.


The Kraken didn't miss on Morgan Geekie

If you were to guess who on the Seattle Kraken is tied for the league lead in game-winning goals who would you pick? Would it be Morgan Geekie? Because that’s the right answer. The Kraken made a number of mistakes in the expansion draft, and while they could have selected the better-now Nino Niederreiter from Carolina, I don’t think going with the early-20s, 6-foot-3 centre was a terrible choice.


John Tavares is turning back the clock

Congratulations to John Tavares for not only scoring his 400th career goal, something only 107 players ever have done, but for turning back the clock in general. One of the biggest hockey lies out there is a player coming to training camp and talking about how they feel good, healthy, had a summer of training, etc, and are fresh and ready to go. More often than not, it’s a whole lot of noise that leads to little noticeable difference. That is not what happened with John Tavares.


Travis Konecny is finding his first-line form again

The Philadelphia Flyers are clearly a team in transition, and part of that process is putting building blocks in place to put you on a trajectory back to being a contender. Travis Konecny has been one of the more confounding players on the Flyers. A few seasons ago he had 61 points in 66 games and looked like one of those legitimate, first-line building blocks. There’s a lot to love about his game when he’s on as he can score, he’s crafty and he can get under people’s skin. He is not afraid to mix it up. Sometimes that can turn into antics that impact his game, though.


Mikko Rantanen's value to Avalanche can't be overlooked

When you think of Colorado, it’s natural that Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar come to mind — they are arguably two of the top five players in the game today. The elite of the elite. Alongside them is Mikko Rantanen, who everyone knows is great, but he’s almost become a superstar in plain daylight. ESPN ranked him 24th among all players headings into the season. Through the last three full seasons plus the beginning of this one, he ranks ninth among all players in points-per-game with 224 in 183 games . His 25 points in 20 playoff games was second on the team (it will never not be hilariously good that Cale Makar led the team in scoring with 29 points in 20 playoff games — as a defenseman).


Appreciating John Marino

One of the more quiet trades this summer was the Pittsburgh Penguins effectively cap-dumping John Marino to the Devils for Ty Smith and a third-round pick. So far, it has contributed to swinging the balance of power within the division. The Penguins, who have been a staple in the playoffs, are struggling. The Devils, who have been a staple in the draft lottery, are thriving. Ty Smith is in the AHL — he has yet to play a game for the Penguins (which is really saying something considering the way the season has gone so far).


Best-on-best hockey seems like a distant memory

Extremely disappointed to learn that there will be no international hockey until *at least* 2025. That means there will be at least nine years passing between true best-on-best international hockey. People should be genuinely upset about this for a number of reasons. Unless you are an American Leafs fan, basically haven’t cheered for Auston Matthews while he is playing for your team since he represented the United States in the World Juniors (or potentially Team North America shortly after). Similarly, unless you are a Canadian Colorado Avalanche fan you haven’t cheered for Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar since they appeared in the World Juniors. There are, of course, a bunch of examples outside those three players but the point is that this is one way that fans really connect with players and that’s a big way to grow the league.


How do you measure all-time greatness in hockey?

And finally, a congratulations to all of the newest members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. While I do not get a vote, my stance on the Hall of Fame has always been this: were you a top-five player in the game (or possibly position) at any point of your career? Alternatively, were you a trailblazer in the sport (i.e. the first one that came from a foreign country to breakthrough in the NHL and set the table for others, changed the way a position was played, etc). Ultimately it’s the Hockey Hall of Fame, the highest individual achievement possible. In a sport like hockey, it’s arguably the toughest to measure.





Daniel Weinman wins World Series of Poker, earns $12.1 million

poker_img Jul 17, 2023, 09:58 PM ET

Daniel Weinman wins record-breaking $12.1M prize in World Series of Poker


Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.


Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.