9 seconds into OT

Hunter Shinkaruk with the Vancouver Canucks. Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images As little known as it was to many fans at the time, the Hunter Shinkaruk trade has, for me, quietly gone down as one of the worst trades the Montreal Canadiens made last season. While it didn’t amount to much in the end, it’s immediate effect could be seen by those who paid attention to it. On February 25 th , 2018, the Habs traded long time center and fan favorite Tomas Plekanec to the Toronto Maple Leafs, along with Kyle Baun, in exchange for Rinat Valiev, Kerby Rychel and a 2 nd round pick. At the time, the trade was basically a depth acquisition for the Leafs, wanting Plekanec’s experience and penalty killing acumen as they headed into the playoffs, only to lose in the first round in 7 games. For the Habs, Valiev and Rychel both brought decent depth to the roster and produced well for the Laval Rocket. Come next season, Rychel, on August 20 th , 2018, just before the start of tra...

Jimmy Vesey with the New York Rangers. Credit: NHL.com I think a lot of people will agree when I say that the Hobey Baker award is one of the most hit and miss accolades in sports. With similar collegiate trophies like the Heisman for football, recipients mostly go on to have hall of fame careers, with a few exceptions (Ty Detmer, Doug Flutie, etc.) With the Hobey Baker, this isn’t the case. Collegiate hockey isn’t held in as high a calibre as the CHL in Canada, meaning recipients of the awards are basically a crapshoot as to whether they’ll succeed or not. Johnny Gaudreau won the award in 2014 while playing for Boston College, and despite being a 4 th round pick, has become one of the most exciting players in hockey. On the flipside, Robb Stauber won the award in 1988, yet went on to play only 62 NHL games, mostly as a backup with the LA Kings. Then, we get to guys like Jimmy Vesey. Players whose careers haven’t been or were never terrible, but never amazing ei...

Scott Darling with the Carolina Hurricanes. Credit: NHL.com How the f*** did this happen? The question Scott Darling repeatedly asked himself throughout his long, winding journey to the NHL. It’s all detailed in his Players’ Tribune feature simply entitled, “Goodbye, Chicago” published on June 13 th , 2017 (which is worth a read if you have the time. https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/scott-darling-goodbye-chicago) Less than a month earlier, on May 5 th , 2017, Darling had signed a 4 year, 16.6-million-dollar contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, after having been traded there from the Blackhawks in April. It seemed like the perfect Cinderella fairy tale, a 6 th round pick in 2007 who worked his way up from the Louisiana IceGators of the SPHL to the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. It had never been seen in the league before. Darling with the now defunct Mississippi River Kings of the SPHL. Credit: Mississippi River Kings How the f*** did...