NHL 2025-2026 Season

[Cap'tain Fantastic]

Devils Suffer 9-0 Home Loss to Islanders:

Declining Devils author 'embarrassing' 9-0 loss

The New Jersey Devils, struggling for nearly two months after a scorching 8-1 start, are now searching for answers after a 9-0 loss to the New York Islanders Tuesday, one in which goaltender Jacob Markstrom gave up goals on the first two shots he faced.

www.espn.com

With the loss, the Devils, stunningly, now have the worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference.

Sheldon Keefe leaving Markstrom to himself until the very end was a very disrepectful decision, I wonder how the players feel about this. It reminded me of the famous Patrick Roy-Mario Tremblay’s disastrous last game against Detroit!

 

[EagerBeaver]

Sheldon Keefe leaving Markstrom to himself until the very end was a very disrepectful decision, I wonder how the players feel about this. It reminded me of the famous Patrick Roy-Mario Tremblay’s disastrous last game against Detroit!

Markstrom's performance has been poor, to be kind. Jake Allen's save % is 35 points higher, having played the same number of games as (22). I don't really like relying on two 35 year old goalies. Behind them is Nico Daws, who probably deserves more PT than Markstrom at this point.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Olympic Hockey Arena Almost Ready!!!!

Progress on near-ready hockey arena pleases IOC

With most of the seating in place, the IOC is pleased with the progress of the almost-ready ice hockey arena for the Winter Olympics amid construction delays.

www.espn.com

 

[EagerBeaver]

Columbus Fires Evason:

Last-place Blue Jackets fire Evason, hire Bowness

The Columbus Blue Jackets, last in the Metropolitan Division, have fired coach Dean Evason, the team announced Monday, and immediately hired Rick Bowness to replace him, president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell confirmed.

www.espn.com

First NHL head coach to lose his job this season. He will not be the last.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Rangers GM Sends Letter to Season Ticket Holders, Warning of Trades, Rebuild:

Rangers GM sends letter to fans signaling retool

New York Rangers GM Chris Drury sent a letter to fans saying that the team will embark on retooling the roster.

www.espn.com

As a Rangers fan this is not what you want to hear.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Rangers GM Sends Letter to Season Ticket Holders, Warning of Trades, Rebuild:

Rangers GM sends letter to fans signaling retool

New York Rangers GM Chris Drury sent a letter to fans saying that the team will embark on retooling the roster.

www.espn.com

As a Rangers fan this is not what you want to hear.

Yesterday Rangers fan posted this letter on X and he replied “Congratulations to JF Miller for destroying two NHL franchises in less than a year!” Lol.

Trades are always expected & do happen when a team is struggling all season like the Rangers are & the organization mis running out of answers. But ‘rebuild’ is not a word passionate fans take lightly because it usually means that the team will be losing (and tanking) for several years & to put it mildly it makes watching this brand of hockey like experiencing severe constipation! It also means that fan favorites will likely be among the players traded away for picks, prospects or to clear up cap space. Having been through this in the past let me tell you that as a fan it sucks!

It also means that fan favorites who are highly regarded will likely request to either be traded away or refuse to re-sign an extension because no one wants to play on a losing team especially a veteran who realizes that his chances to win a cup are getting smaller as he ages! It also means that the top unrestricted free agents will likely want to avoid joining such an organization.

Now going off topic last night was a strange night of hockey in the NHL. Look at some of these scores: Florida losing 9-1 to Carolina & the Avalanche losing 7-3 to lowly Nashville at home! This is unreal! And red hot Tampa Lightning losing 3-2 to the lowly Blues was another surprise. And Bobrovksi remained in the net for the entire game which probably didn’t make coach Paul Maurice very popular with him during & after the game! Lol. Will he pull a Patrick Roy & request a trade? Speaking of Bobrovsky he’s starting to show his age. He’s been very ordinary this season & has struggled in many games. He’ll turn 38 afterthe end of this season & he’s currently on the final year of his long lucrative contract. Are his days i. Florida numbered? Could he be traded to a team needing veteran goaltending help? The team has struggled this season & long term injuries to Barkov & Tkachuk haven’t helped. But Tkachuk has returned to the lineup & the team has even been worse with him in the lineup. Is it Barkov’s absence that’s hurt the team so much or the fact it no longer can count on Bobrovsky to save its bacon? Also this isn’t a young team. Their best players are all older veteran players in their 30’s and some in their late 30’s. Maybe it’s time for the organization to send its own letter to its fan base like the Rangers. However what’s concerning is that the Rangers fans will always be there. This likely isn’t the case with the Panthers who regularly played in an empty arena until the ended up winning the cup.

 

[EagerBeaver]

After a recent 10-2 home loss to the Bruins which highlighted the Rangers' flaws without injured star goalie Igor Shesterkin and injured top puck handling Defenseman Adam Fox, the Rangers management realized the team sucks moose balls and you can't fool the fans any more. The Rangers are 5-13-4 at home, which is absolutely awful. JT Miller, since being traded to NY from Vancouver, has totally sucked. This is the worst the Rangers have been in many years. Alexis LaFreniere, a former #1 overall draft pick, has been demoted to the third line! The only credit I give to management in sending that letter is deciding that they can't fool the fans any more and have to acknowledge that the team is bad and a tear down is in order.