Author Archives: Jaden Teja

Canucks Defeat Maple Leafs

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Boy, did we need that win! The Canucks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 and head into the Four Nations Face-Off break on a high note. Don’t look now, but the Canucks are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. This season has had its share of ups and downs, but it seems like the Canucks are finally starting to figure it out. The additions of Marcus Pettersson, Filip Chytil, and Drew O’Connor have been great so far. Quinn Hughes missed his fourth straight game, but once again, other players stepped up. Filip Hronek stepped up big time for Vancouver, he had a goal and an assist, as well as playing solid defensively.

Okay, you’re probably wondering how Elias Pettersson played. Petey had a great game; he set up Hronek for Vancouver’s first goal with a beautiful pass. Pettersson finally started to look like himself today, making plays on both ends of the ice. I loved his game today. Another player that started to look like himself again is Thatcher Demko. Demko was coming off two great games heading into Saturday. Unfortunately, Demko had to leave Saturday’s game midway through the first period due to an injury. You could feel every Canucks fan gasp as we were all praying that it wasn’t the same knee that has been bothering him since last year’s playoffs.

Kevin Lankinen came in relief and played amazing. The Canucks shut down the star-studded Maple Leafs, who were on a three-game winning streak on their road trip. Brock Boeser netted the game-winning goal on the power play in the third period, and the Canucks held on for a tight 2-1 win. I don’t know about you, but I’m very happy with how the Canucks are playing. They are starting to look like last year’s team. I don’t care that they are playing boring hockey, a win is a win, and we’ll take those in any capacity. The Canucks have two weeks off to rest up and finish the season strong.

 

Four Nations Face-Off Preview: Team Canada

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Aren’t you excited for the Four Nations Faceoff? We finally get to see best on best hockey again. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the tournament to start. The puck drops on Wednesday, so it’s finally time to start breaking down the teams. Starting with our home and native land Canada. I know some players are questionable for the tournament like Sidney Crosby and Mitch Marner and Canada needs to name another defenceman to the team. For the sake of this article I’m going to pretend that they are healthy. I’ll be breaking down the team by projecting the lines. Let me know what you think.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1887215869291364464

Forward lines: 

 

Line 1: Sam Reinhart – Connor McDavid – Nathan Mackinnon 

 

Line 2: Brad Marchand – Sidney Crosby – Mark Stone

 

Line 3: Brandon Hagel  – Brayden Point – Mitch Marner

 

Line 4: Sam Bennett – Anthony Cirelli – Travis Konecny 

 

Extra- Seth Jarvis

Genuine question, who is stopping that first line? You have two of the best players in the world playing with a player who scored 57 goals last year, good luck everyone else. On the second line I had to keep Brad Marchand playing with Sidney Crosby after they had so much success at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Add Mark Stone to the mix and you have one of the most complete lines in the tournament. For the third you have to keep Brandon Hagel playing with Brayden Point, they have so much chemistry together. Throw in a player with the speed and skill of Marner and you have a lethal trio. Finally, the fourth line. Its may not be the most skilled but these guys can wear opponents out. Bennett and Konecny will be laying out opponents with crushing hits all tournament and I’m here for it.

 

   Defence Pairs: 

 

Pair 1: Cale Makar – Devon Toews

 

Pair 2: Shea Theodore – Drew Doughty*

 

Pair 3: Josh Morrisey – Travis Sanheim 

 

Extra- Colton Parayko 

 

*- Who I think will be on the team

 

The first pair is obvious, Makar and Toews play really well together in Colorado and are the best defence pair in the league, enough said. The second pair is where you can mix it up. Everyone thought Shea Theodore would be playing with Alex Pieterangelo until he decided to sit out of the tournament. My best guess is that Doughty will replace him. He played a key role for Canada in 2010,2014 and 2016 so he has a ton of experience. Even at 35 years-old he can still play north of 25 minutes a game and is exactly what Canada needs. I think the third pair is super underrated. Morrisey is great on both ends of the ice, and Sanheim has had a very solid year in Philadelphia.

 

Goalies: 

 

Starter- Jordan Binnington 

 

Backup- Adin Hill

 

Extra- Sam Montembeault 

 

You could pick either goalie to start, I went with Binnington because he’s older. He tends to be a streaky goalie, so I hope he gets hot at the right time and brings Canada a goal medal. What do you think about my lineup? Would you change anything?

Canucks Defeat Sharks

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Did you see that Canucks game, because what was that? I thought they were going to blow out the San Jose Sharks. I was expecting a dominating game by the Canucks. But it was the exact opposite. They still won but it wasn’t pretty at all.The Canucks power-play without Quinn Hughes was awful, they were outshot 34-24 and only managed to score two goals against the worst team in the league. This Canucks season has been weird, we both know that. With all the chaos that has gone, one of the weirdest things that has happened is that the Canucks play against the top teams, but not against teams near the bottom of the standings. That’s something that makes me feel a little uneasy, what about you?

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1887747137170976967

I feel like I’m focusing on the negatives too much, the Canucks still won the game so how about we focus on the positives? Thatcher Demko played great again. Making 33 saves and finally looking like the Demko we know and love. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself but it’s definitely an encouraging sign for us Canucks fans. It was also another game where the defence looked solid. Quinn Hughes missed his third straight game and the Canucks defence stepped up once again.

 

The Canucks finally scored with 8:04 remaining in the third period when Dakota Joshua tipped in a shot from Pius Suter. Former Canuck Tyler Toffoli tied the game late and the game went to overtime. This is when the nerves really kicked in. However, early in overtime Drew O’Connor was awarded a penalty shot. Which he buried and the Canucks avoided another overtime loss and it seemed like you could feel all of Canucks nation exhale. Vancouver only has one more left remaining before the Four Nations Face Off break. That will b Saturday vs the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Canucks Sharks Preview

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The Canucks are heading down to the shark tank for a visit with the San Jose Sharks. The Canucks are coming off one of their best games of the season vs the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday. Thatcher Demko is coming off his best outing as well, he made some ridiculous saves and had 25 save shutout. Vancouver only has two more games before the four nations face off break. Going into the break on a high note is a huge priority for the Canucks. 

The Sharks are dead last in the NHL but don’t let that fool you. They have some skill on their team with players like William Eklund, Tyler Toffoli and first overall pick Macklin Celebrini. Regardless this should be a game the Canucks win. I don’t want it to be close, they needed to blow them out.

 

This is the perfect game for Elias Pettersson to get going. A game where the Canucks should dominate. Hold on let me emphasize, they NEED to dominate. Peteys been playing well the last couple games, but the casual fans don’t think so because the numbers haven’t been there. This game is a great opportunity to start contributing on the stat-sheet. Do you remember the last he played against the Sharks? He scored two goals and he only played two periods in that game. 

 

I’m expecting a big Canucks win tonight. Especially after shutting out Colorado, the Canucks need to go to San Jose and dismantle the Sharks. They won’t have Quinn Hughes again but they proved last game they don’t need him. (I’m kidding they OBVIOUSLY  need him). But just not as much people thought. Earlier in the year people were calling the Canucks the Vancouver Hughes’s. So its not at that level anymore. Regardless, the Canucks need to take care of business tonight.

Should NHL Teams Let Their Injured Superstars Attend The Four Nations Face Off?

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Should injured NHL superstars play at the four nations face off? It’s a legitimate question. Already Sidney Crosby, Quinn Hughes and Mitch Marner are dealing with injuries that may hold them out of the tournament and representing their country. We’ve  already seen Los Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo announce that he will be missing the tournament to rest. The thing is, he is still playing games for Vegas he’s not even hurt. The thing to remember is that the four nations face off is replacing the all-star game. Players sit out of the all-star game all the time. The thing players care about more is the Olympics which are happening next year.

So what do the players care about more, the four nations or playing for their NHL team? I think it should be the team’s choice to send a player, especially if they are dealing with an injury. Team’s do this with the world juniors and the young players. So why not the stars? Like I said before, it’s not the Olympics. So who are these players more valuable for? I think the answer is their NHL team. 

 

Okay, maybe I’m being a bit bias because I’m a Canucks fan and Quinn Hughes’s status is in question. But Hughes is already super beat up and has been for awhile. He’s already missing important games for the Canucks. I don’t want to see him risk any more injury at this tournament. I don’t care that he’s playing with his brother. I don’t think I’m the only one with this opinion, what do you think? Should teams let their injured superstars attend the four nations?

Jimmy Butler Traded To Golden State Warriors

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With only a day before the NBA’s trade deadline teams are starting to get active. The Los Angeles Lakers made the biggest splash by far trading for Luka Doncic. However, they weren’t the only team in the west making moves. The Golden State Warriors got in on the action as well, trading for Jimmy Butler. Butler has been wanting to get out of Miami for a while and  got his wish granted. He even got a new contract in the process. Butler received a two year 111 million dollar contract from the Warriors. Golden State is sending Andrew Wiggins ,Kyle Anderson and first-round draft compensation. 

https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1887309589307400355


Golden State needed to make a move as they are sitting a .500 record and barely out of a playoff spot in the western conference. They cannot afford to let one of Stephen Curry’s last years go to waste and need to make a playoff push. Even though they lost Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks in free agency this summer, they still have a solid team. They are still led by future hall of famer Steph Curry and lockdown defender Draymond Green. Adding Butler gives them another veteran star for a playoff push. Butler is averaging 21 points per game in 25 games played in Miami. Miami is the sixth seed in the east and seem to be just fine without Butler and even added more depth to the team with the trade. So I don’t think anyone in Miami will be complaining.

Canucks Sign Marcus Pettersson To Six-Year Extension

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The Vancouver Canucks have extended newly acquired defenceman Marcus Pettersson to a six-year contract worth 5.5 million dollars. Pettersson was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, Just a few hours after the Canucks shipped JT Miller off to the New York Rangers. Pettersson who is 28 was set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.  After the Canucks traded for him, it was clear that re-signing Pettersson was a priority. In just two games Pettersson has played really well and has come just as advertised. He is very solid defensively and can play big minutes. He is averaging 24:30 in the two games he’s played in a Canuck uniform this season.

General manager Patrick Alvin had this to say about the Pettersson extension. “In just a couple of games, Marcus has already shown us the type of leadership, poise and character that we want in a top four defenceman, He has a calming influence on the ice, uses his long reach and hockey smarts to break up plays and has a good first pass to help us create more offensively. We are extremely happy to get this deal done and look forward to working with him in both the short term and long term.”

Personally I love the move. Extending Pettersson was absolutely vital for the Canucks moving forward. With the defences play this year it was clear that they needed to add another top-four defenceman to the core. Trading for Pettersson solved that problem and extending him was a bonus. Especially for only 5.5 million dollars. In a day where the cap is going up and defenseman come as a premium. Keeping Pettersson around for the long term is a huge positive for the Canucks.

Demko Domination Vs Avs

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Oh the irony in writing my article about Thatcher Demko. After tonight’s game I’ll gladly eat my words. Forget about what I said about Demko not being healthy. Tonight we saw vintage Demko. It was an amazing 3-0 victory for the Canucks. A win that we really needed, especially in a game without Quinn Hughes once again. The Canucks took care of business tonight vs the Colorado Avalanche. The Canucks played well at every phase of the game.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1886998984713019424

Other than Demko, something that really impressed me was how good the new guys played. Filip Chytil showed off his amazing two-way game once again. Marcus Pettersson was very solid and Drew O’Connor even potted the empty net goal for Vancouver. In case you forgot, the Canucks have a trio of Petterssons now, and two of them are Elias Pettersson. Rookie Pettersson (D-Petey) continued to impress, becoming a fan favourite. He is dominating on both ends of the ice and I love it.

 

One thing that can’t be overlooked is how well Filip Hronek played. In Hughes’s absence he was in charge of carrying the defence and he did. Hronek  tallied two assists in the win and played well defensively. Another positive was that the Canucks top-line was clicking. Even though he didn’t register a point, Elias Pettersson played well and had some chances. Jake Debrusk got on the board scoring Vancouver’s first goal. Finally Brock Boeser scored as well. After having so many chances last game Boeser finally found the back of the net in this game. 

 

All in all it was a great game for Vancouver in a game that they needed to win.

Sports Stadiums That I Want to Attend

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One of the things that makes attending sporting events so great is the venues that they are at. Seeing your favourite team play live is always a very cool but the atmosphere at the stadium is what you remember. I’ll never forget going to the Canucks Predators game in the playoffs. It was game one and the first playoff game in Vancouver in nine years. It was an electric feeling. I’ve heard stories of other great stadiums watch games so I thought I’d share my thoughts on some.

 

Lumen Field Seattle: This might be a little biased because I am a big Seahawks fan. But just seeing the atmosphere at Lumen Field is so electric. Seahawks fans are some of the loudest in the NFL. Like seriously they’ve caused earthquakes before. The building is designed to be loud and I get jealous watching it on T.V. Seeing a football game there is very high on my bucket list.

 

Wrigley Field Chicago: Wrigley Field is much more than just a baseball stadium. It’s an iconic monument. Its been around since 1914 and everything about it is legendary. It’s been talked about  in movies and T.V. shows and is a huge part of pop culture. From the old seats, the ivy on the wall and just seeing the Chicago Cubs play. Attending Wrigley Field itself is a unique experience and something I’ve always wanted to do.

Yankee Stadium New York: Very similar to Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium has so much history behind it. I know the original Yankee Stadium isn’t around anymore, but the new one is still unique. It has a lot of the same characteristics and just there’s just something about attending a Yankees game that seems so special. Seeing monument park and the statues of  all the Yankee legends would be a surreal experience.

 

Madison Square Garden New York: the most famous arena in the world.  All the concerts and sporting events this place has hosted is insane. I have to see a Knicks or Rangers game here. It’s a must. There’s so much history at MSG. It’s been around since 1968 and the celebrities that have been in that building are bonkers. After seeing the Rangers recent playoff runs and the atmosphere attending a game at MSG is a priority.

5 Biggest Trades In The NHL Since 2010

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With the blockbuster trades that have happened the last two weeks in the NHL. I thought it would be fun to look at five of the biggest trades in the NHL since 2010

 

  1. Erik Karlsson to San Jose

 

In the summer of 2018 the Ottawa Senators were shopping franchise corner-stone Erik Karlsson. Karlsson was one of the best defenceman in the league at the time already winning two Norris Trophies and carried the Senators to the Conference finals in 2017. Ottawa had a disappointing year in 2018 and Karlsson wanted out. The dealt him to the San Jose Sharks for  Chris Tierney Rudolfs Balcers Dylan Demelo and draft pick Josh Norris  as well as a 2020 unprotected first-round pick. Looking back at it now, it may look like the Senators won the trade simply based off of how Josh Norris has developed. But the Sharks got to pair Karlsson along side Brent Burns and they went to the western conference final. So it wasn’t all bad but I would have to say the Senators won the deal.

 

  1. Mikko Rantanen to Carolina

 

I know you might think that this is recency bias but its not. Also I know Taylor Hall is technically involved in the deal but we are just going to focus on Rantanen and Martin Necas.

This is at number four mainly because of the shock factor and its two star players getting dealt for each other. At the time of this trade Rantanen was sixth in the league in scoring and Necas was 12th. When do two top scorers ever get traded? Let alone for each other. Rantanen is a bonafide star in this  league and Necas is one of the best young stars. A huge part of this deal is to see if Rantanen will re-sign in Carolina but this is one of biggest trades since 2010 no doubt.

  1. Taylor Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson “ The trade is one for one”

 

Does reading that sentence bring back memories? This trade was part of an iconic day in NHL history. ( I’ll get more into that on the trade on this list). Peter Chairelli had some all-time lows as the Edmonton Oilers general manager.  But this one might sum it up in a nutshell. Taylor Hall might not have been the elite winger everyone thought he was going to be after being taken first overall. But after the Oilers drafted Connor McDavid it seemed like they might have something cooking in Oil Country. That was until Chairelli sent him on his way to New Jersey. The reason this trade is so memorable is the fact Hall won the Hart Trophy the very next year. What a slap in the face that must have been to Oilers fans. Now don’t get me wrong Larsson was a very solid defenseman but Oilers fans may never live this trade down.

 

  1. PK Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber

 

This trade was part of the iconic day that I was previously talking about. Steven Stamkos signed an eight-year extension with the Lightning, Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson happened, the this bombshell dropped. There were Rumors that the Montreal Canadiens might trade PK Subban but I don’t think anyone thought that the Nashville Predators would trade Shea Weber. Let’s start with Subban, he was a fan favourite in Montreal and had won a Norris Trophy. Weber was one of the top defencemen in the league and was Nashville’s captain. In the early years of this trade Nashville seemed like the clear winner. Subban was a Norris trophy finalist and helped Nashville go to the Stanley Cup final. Weber was struggling to stay healthy with his new squad and had an expensive cap hit. All of a sudden that changed. Subban was struggling to stay healthy and Nashville shipped him off to New Jersey in 2019. While in 2021 Weber helped lead the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup final. All in all this turned out to be a pretty even trade.

  1. Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers

After coming off a career high 104 points in 2022, Matthew Tkachuk told the Calgary Flames that he wanted to play elsewhere. So they sent him down to South Beach and in return the Flames acquired  Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt and a lottery-protected 2025 first-round pick. Huberdeau was coming off a career year himself putting up 115 points. A lot of people including myself thought that Flames had won this deal. But boy we were so wrong. In the following season Tkachuk put up 109 points and led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup final. While Huberdeau had one of the biggest point drop offs ever falling from 115 points to 55. Tkachuk turned into one of the best players in the NHL after the Panthers hosted the cup last summer. While Huberdeau is struggling to find his form making 10.5 million dollars. Yikes!