Despite what being in the Toronto market might have you believe, it’s not always about the Leafs. The Toronto Maple Leafs are in action three times this week, twice against division rivals, but there will be plenty of things to read about regarding those games this week.
In this piece, we’re going to travel across the NHL and catch up on some of the bigger stories circulating around the league, with an emphasis on the West Coast this week.
McDavid/Myers to have hearings with DOPS about cross-checks
The Edmonton Oilers/Vancouver Canucks rivalry has become one of the more decorated ones in recent years, fuelled by a heated second-round playoff series last season and continued Pacific Division competition. Saturday night’s tilt between the two teams got a little out of hand at the end of the game, with both Connor McDavid of the Oilers and Tyler Myers of the Canucks under the microscope for a pair of cross-checks delivered on Vancouver’s Conor Garland and Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard, respectively.
Connor McDavid was issued a match penalty on this play for cross-checking Conor Garland. pic.twitter.com/sB2Gpb3xAA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 19, 2025
Both players were offered phone hearings for their cross-checks, with the date and time unknown at this point, but a phone hearing suggests that a suspension in the realm of 1-2 games seems most likely. It’s important to note that Auston Matthews received a two-game suspension for cross-checking Buffalo Sabres defenceman Rasmus Dahlin a couple of years ago, so we’ll see if McDavid specifically is held to the same standard that Matthews was. The cross-checks have stirred a conversation about whether or not players should be held accountable for standing up for themselves, referring to Garland’s antics on McDavid leading up to the cross-check, but any way you slice it, you’re going to get a look from the league if you hit somebody in the face with your stick.
Miller ‘planning on being a Canuck’ amid swirling trade rumours
Staying on the West Coast for this one, specifically in Vancouver, J.T. Miller is adamant that he’s focused on one thing and one thing only amid rumours of a possible trade, and that’s being a Vancouver Canuck.
It’s been a season-long soap opera in Vancouver this season, with a regression from 2023-24 shining further light on reports that there’s a rift in the dressing room between star forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Miller was asked about the rumours and was quick to shut down any questions about it.
“I’m not getting into this,” he said after a two-assist performance against Edmonton on Saturday. “I’m planning on being a Canuck today, tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens. I’m focused on the next game.”
Miller and Pettersson have both been swatting away questions about the alleged locker room drama all season long, but it’s believed that a several-week absence Miller took from the team was related to said drama. He had this to say about it ahead of his return to the lineup back in November.
“I am playing tonight, and I really would appreciate if we just stayed away from the reasons why I wasn’t here,” Miller said upon his return. “I’m not going to dive into the reasons why I wasn’t here the last three, four weeks. So, I’m here with the team, and I am ready to look forward to what’s going to happen in the future, not necessarily what has happened in the past.”
Miller signed a seven-year contract worth $8 million annually prior to the 2022-23 season and is having a bit of a down year for his standards, with eight goals and 31 points in 35 games, but pretty well everybody in Vancouver not named Quinn Hughes or Kiefer Sherwood has had a down year. This is a headache of a situation for Vancouver, no doubt, and one they’ll certainly look to solve sooner rather than later.
Ullmark joins Senators for road trip
The Ottawa Senators have been stuck in the basement for the better part of the past seven years, but they’ve been showing signs of life in 2024-25 and are hot in their push to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. They’re currently 24-18-4, good for the first wildcard spot, and ironically enough, would face the Leafs if the season ended today. But the season doesn’t end today, so they need to keep their foot on the gas if they want to be taken seriously, and the pending return of their starting goaltender should help with that.
“He’s coming on the road. … We’re still day by day,” Senators coach Travis Green said of Ullmark following a 6-5 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
Ullmark, 31, tweaked his back on December 22 against the Edmonton Oilers and hasn’t played since. He has a record of 12-7-2 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.38 and a save percentage (SV%) of .915. Although Anton Forsberg and Leevi Merilainen have been steady with carrying the mail in Ullmark’s absence, the return of the starting goaltender they acquired this summer is coming at a good time and will certainly give them a boost as they look to make the playoffs.
The Maple Leafs will face the Senators on Saturday night at home.
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