<
        >

          Craig Custance Blog

          What to believe from NHL's opening weekend

          There have been quite a few surprises this NHL season. But seeing improvements from Aaron Ekblad and the rest of the Panthers' defense doesn't qualify as one. AP Photo/Alan Diaz

          We promise not to overreact in this space to early success or failure by NHL teams. It takes a good three weeks to get a sense of whether or not a few early wins or losses mean anything bigger about a team.

          For instance, the Vancouver Canucks, with their win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night, are undefeated. We’ll let that play out for a while.

          But the Florida Panthers are an interesting team to check in on during early action because they are building off the success of last season. They won their division, completely revamped their defense and have jumped out to a 2-0 start with an NHL-best plus-four goal differential, allowing just two goals. Their opening day lineup had nine new players on it.

          The defense that was completely re-constructed? Doing just fine.

          “Great,” Florida coach Gerard Gallant wrote in a text Monday morning when asked how the defense has looked in early action. “Moved the puck well, defended well.”

          That’s exactly what that defense was built to do.

          Even after winning their division, Panthers management wanted to improve the skating and transition game of the defense, doing exactly that with the addition of Keith Yandle, Jason Demers and Mark Pysyk.

          Aaron Ekblad is playing more than 24 minutes per game so far, well ahead of last season’s average of 21:41, and the early returns for rookie Michael Matheson are strong, with the 22-year-old playing nearly 20 minutes per game. The Panthers have controlled 56.7 percent of the even-strength shot attempts through two games.

          The early success is attributed to exactly what it needed to be for this team so far.

          “[It’s the] speed of our team, puck movement and [Roberto] Luongo [being] solid in net,” Gallant said.

          Florida gets a nice test Tuesday against Tampa Bay Lightning, the much more popular pick to win their division. But so far, so good for Gallant and his crew.

          Nine other takeaways from the first weekend of NHL regular-season action:

          2. Under-the-radar star for Florida

          The Panthers' start is especially impressive considering the injuries to Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad. Coaches will always say that injuries open up opportunities for others, and right now, former Lightning forward Jonathan Marchessault is the one capitalizing on his opportunity.

          He’s playing more than 18 minutes per game, and has two goals and two assists in two games. If you’re looking for a short-term fantasy hockey waiver wire addition, he’s worth considering because he’s currently playing on the Panthers' top line with Jaromir Jagr and Aleksander Barkov, which is some pretty prime real estate. He’s got the speed and skill to maintain that spot for a while.

          3. Peak parity?

          Give the Canucks some credit. If there was one consensus among NHL projections, it’s that Vancouver would be in the basement this season. Now, that may still be the case by season's end, but it shows you just how bunched up the NHL is right now that Vancouver is considered the worst team. It’s still a team capable of 75 or 80 points this season.

          With teams like Buffalo, Edmonton, Toronto and Arizona out of tank mode -- and nobody immediately jumping in to replace them -- this may be one of the tightest seasons standings-wise in recent NHL history.

          “We have pure compression going on right now,” said one NHL GM.

          4. The Lindholm saga continues

          This season is also unique because we’re now entering the second week of the season and there are still unsettled roster decisions to be worked out. On Friday, the Ducks got Rickard Rakell signed to a six-year contract worth $3.8 million per season. That has the potential to be a really nice deal for the Ducks considering Rakell’s skill and versatility.

          That turns all the focus in Anaheim to defenseman Hampus Lindholm. According to the Los Angeles Times, Lindholm and the Ducks talked Friday, but there’s still nothing done. Part of the issue is that this team is loaded with defensemen, and may have to make a trade to clear up space.

          “There’s lots of different things that can happen with Hampus’ deal,” Ducks GM Bob Murray told the Times. “It could be a situation where we don’t have to do something. It could be a situation where we do.”

          5. Too many blueliners

          The Ducks are loaded with defensemen, but the challenge is finding the right one to trade because teams aren’t going to do anything to bail Murray out here. The defensemen the Ducks would prefer to move -- Kevin Bieksa, Simon Despres and Clayton Stoner -- likely aren’t going anywhere.

          “[They] don’t have value,” said one NHL team executive of those three defensemen. “They might be stuck moving [Cam] Fowler. I don’t know what the timing would be.”

          6. Two teams that need defensive help

          The best candidates to make a move defensively? It’s two proud franchises off to a slow start. In four games, the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings have combined to allow 17 goals. Detroit’s start has especially been concerning, with the Red Wings already at a minus-5 goal differential.

          “Boston and Detroit would love to get a D,” said one GM.

          The Red Wings like Jacob Trouba, but there’s not a good fit there trade-wise. They also really like Fowler, and if you’re handicapping their chances of trading for one of those two defensemen, that’s the better bet.

          7. Why the Trouba trade is taking so long

          The expectation on the Trouba front is that it could take a while for movement there.

          Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff already has a reputation as one of the most patient GMs in the league, and he’s certainly not going to suddenly change his tactics when faced with a trade that could shape his tenure in Winnipeg.

          A Trouba fit might take time to materialize based on early conversations.

          “I’d be stunned if that happened [quickly],” said one NHL source. “That’s going to take some time.”

          8. Little things make a big difference

          The Oilers' ugly loss to the Sabres on Sunday is a reminder that there are still going to be growing pains as Edmonton tries to shake out of its old ways, and into a team that can consistently win. It’s clear there are still some lingering bad habits from the previous regime.

          One telling quote came from coach Todd McLellan, via Sportsnet’s Mark Spector when asked about Benoit Pouliot. Pouliot has been known to take an offensive zone penalty or two in his career:

          9. McDavid on Matthews

          That’s a strong quote from McLellan, but it might not have even been the best one to come out of Edmonton this weekend.

          The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington shared this one-liner from Connor McDavid on Auston Matthews' four-goal debut:

          10. Matthews-Marner scoring race will be fun to watch

          Matthews got the headlines with his huge opening night game and is going to be a great player in this league. But I’m not convinced that Mitch Marner doesn’t end up with more points than him this season. It should, at the very least, be a good race in Toronto.

          Marner scored his first NHL goal on Saturday, and Toronto coach Mike Babcock said he was Toronto’s best player at times in the opener.

          “The puck comes to him,” said one former player. “He’s always got it. He reads the play so well.”