NHL weekend rankings: A record-setting week in Florida, and a look back one year

One of the most annoying things you can say to sportswriter is “it’s too early”.

You see it in every comment section, social media reply thread, and reader email. We hear it from friends, family, and random guys in sports bars. It’s the caveat that hangs over everything. “It’s too early,” everyone shrieks, “and you can’t draw any conclusions yet”.

It’s annoying. But not because it isn’t true.

No, it’s annoying because we know it’s true. Everyone does. But that doesn’t change the fact that it you want to talk about hockey in October, it’s going to be too early. Sure, maybe we’d all be smarter if we checked out and then circled back in February. But some of like hockey, and want to talk about it. Also, some of us need to eat.

But yes, it’s too early. And while we’d love to hand-wave that fact away, it’s actually important to remember. So today, let’s look back at what the standings were telling us at this time last season, and consider it a reminder of what “too early” can really look like.

As of last night, the NHL has played 136 games. Last season, Game number 136 was playing on October 25. Here’s what the standings looked like that day.

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One-minute minors in OT? Soccer-style penalty shots? NHL Rules Court returns

All rise, Rules Court is back in session.

It’s been a while. The last time we did this was during the Olympics, when we looked at the differences between international hockey and the NHL. The last time we opened the court up to your proposals was almost a full year ago. It’s time to see what cases you’d like to bring.

As always, you send us your ideas for new or adjusted NHL rules, and our panel of three esteemed judges – Shayna Goldman, Sean McIndoe and Sean Gentille – will give them a yes or no. Convince at least two of us, and your rule is sent to the league office and immediately made official. (Note: That last part does not happen.)

This time around, you want to talk shot clocks, goalie fights and mouth pieces. Let’s see how many of you could make your case.

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How many long contracts are too many? Revisiting the Red Arrow Index

A few years ago, I had what I thought was a neat idea: The red arrow Index, a simple measurement of how many long-term contract commitments each team had. The name came from Cap Friendly, then the most widely used contract tracker, and the way it would use a red arrow to denote any contract that was too long to fit on one screen. The idea was to see what we could learn, and what patterns (if any) we could find, and then revisit the idea annually to track how team approaches changed.

Then I forgot about it. Look, I’m not sure what to tell you, my kids showed me how to use Tik Tok a few years ago and I haven’t had an attention span since that day.

That four-year gap is going to cause a few issues, not least of which is that Cap Friendly doesn’t exist anymore. There are several strong alternatives, including Puckpedia, which I’ll be using today. Puckpedia doesn’t use a red arrow for too-long-to-fit contracts, because they hate fun and whimsy. But the general concept – player signed to deal with six years or more left to run, including this year – remains in place. So let’s see how much things have changed over the years.

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NHL weekend rankings: Jets hope, Rangers disaster, plus five early storylines I'm not buying yet

We’re two weeks into the season, and it’s too early to know anything. But it’s not too early to know what you don’t know. Or at least, what you’re pretty sure you know. That you don’t know.

You know?

Cool, glad we’re all on the same page. Here are five early-season storylines that I’m not buying. Or at least, not yet.

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The Dionne Trophy: a fake award for best season by a player about to switch teams

Our fake trophy case needs some new additions. The last time we came up with a new award to retroactively hand out, we were waiting on the puck to drop on a Western Conference final we all knew the Avalanche would easily win, and the Sabres had just pumped eight goals past a Canadiens team that was on its heels heading into game seven. Oops.

That fake award was the Maruk Trophy, given to each year’s playoff MVP among teams that were eliminated in round one. It joined previous pretend honors like the Jimmy Carson Trophy (for best sophomore season), the Ray Bourque Trophy (for best final season) and the Teemu Selanne Trophy (for best combined season and Olympics). None of these actually exist, but they should, and they will once I'm elected commissioner.

So yeah, we need some new blood. And that’s going to be the theme of today’s award, as we present the Marcel Dionne Trophy for best season by a player who’s about to switch teams in the offseason. We’re not worried about how the change happens – trades, free agency, and expansion drafts are all in play. To qualify, a player simply has to have been on one team’s roster for their final game of the season in question, and a different one on opening night of the following one. And we’re only worried about what they did in that last year with their old team; if they were great that year but then stunk on their new team, that’s fine.

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