This article is part of our The Daily Puck series.
There has been some murmuring about whether or not the Detroit Red Wings will trade one of their goalies this season. Since they have both Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard, some have presumed they would try and take advantage of a goaltending hungry team to try and bolster an area of need. Probably their defense, I say as a Wings fan. The fact Howard has a pretty hefty contract for a backup, if he is a backup and not a 1A option, probably plays into this as well.
However, if any team should be thinking about trading a goalie, it probably should be the Montreal Canadiens. Obviously, they won't be trading Carey Price. What about Al Montoya, though? When Price missed time to start the season, Montoya was great, posting a .955 save percentage. He was also good last year backing up Roberto Luongo in Florida (.919 save percentage). With Price, though, the Habs aren't really in need of a backup goalie all that often. You might counter that when Montreal lost Price last year it killed their season. That's true, but if they lost him again, unless Montoya keeps this up they are going to be in trouble again.
Montoya is unlikely to continue being the best goalie in the NHL, which is one of the reasons to try and strike while the iron is hot. Of course, it takes two to tango in a trade. If the Habs can get any interest in Montoya though, they might as well go for it. This is a team that's going to live or die by Price regardless.
Featured Matchups
Bruins (PP: 29, PK: 14) at Red Wings (PP: 18, PK: 16), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Malcolm Subban (0-1-0, 5.81, .813), Petr Mrazek (4-2-0, 2.48, .925)
Key Injuries:David Backes (elbow), Anton Khudobin (upper body), Kevan Miller (hand), David Pastrnak (suspension), Tuukka Rask (undisclosed), Frank Vatrano (foot), Tomas Jurco (back), Niklas Kronwall (knee), Thomas Vanek (lower body), Joe Vitale (concussion)
Remember when Boston was looking good and Detroit was struggling? That's small sample sizes for you. Now, the Bruins are without two key Davids, but the real issue is in net. Subban is thought of as a solid goaltending prospect, but he really struggled in his second NHL game. You've got to be excited about your Red Wings players. Vanek is off to a strong start to the season, he has eight points in seven games, but obviously he's banged up as well. Still, Gustav Nyquist and his eight points are playing. However, also keep an eye on Dylan Larkin and Tomas Tatar. Combined, they have three goals, but they've both taken 24 shots on goal. A breakout for both of them could be eminent.
Penguins (PP: 6, PK: 16) at Flyers (PP: 5, PK: 21), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Marc-Andre Fleury (5-2-1, 2.97, .910), Steve Mason (2-4-1, 3.15, .886)
Key Injuries:Michael Del Zotto (lower body), Michael Raffl (abdomen), Kris Letang (upper body), Derrick Pouliot (undisclosed), Conor Sheary (eye), Daniel Sprong (shoulder)
The Penguins haven't gotten off to a great start to the season scoring wise. They only have 20 goals in eight games. However, there was a key element to their team missing, and that's Sidney Crosby. Crosby has returned to action and he already has three points in two games. This could be a case of a rising tide lifting all boats, so to speak. Chris Kunitz, who has frequently worked in tandem with Crosby, has zero goals so far, but maybe that's about to change. Speaking of changes, Jakub Voracek only had 11 goals last year thanks to a 5.2 shooting percentage. This year, he already has three goals and a 9.1 shooting percentage. Rookie Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov, who was drafted seventh overall in 2015, has five assists on the season. He's also a minus-5, and it would not be surprising to see a 19-year-old defenseman struggle defensively. Still, there is some real talent there.
Kings (PP: 17, PK: 24) at Blues (PP: 11, PK: 2), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Peter Budaj (4-0-0, 2.21, .901), Jake Allen (3-1-2, 2.13, .908)
Key Injuries:Marian Gaborik (foot), Jonathan Quick (groin), Jeff Zatkoff (lower body)
Like the Bruins, the Kings are down to their third-string goalie. At least they have a veteran in Budaj. Will that be enough for Los Angeles considering how good St. Louis' special teams have been so far? Of course, it's a little early to feel confident in any special teams numbers, although the Blues definitely have the talent to keep up their pace. Vladamir Tarasenko has already taken 40 shots on goal. Nail Yakupov has four points so far. Perhaps a change of scenery will help him. Guess who is leading the Kings in points. Did you guess Alec Martinez? The blueliner has seven points, while Drew Doughty has four and Jake Muzzin just notched his first point.
Other Matchups
Panthers (PP: 22, PK: 7) at Sabres (PP: 12, PK: 16), 1:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Roberto Luongo (3-2-0, 2.20, .916), Anders Nilsson (0-1-1, 2.90, .903)
Key Injuries:Jack Eichel (ankle), Evander Kane (ribs), Nick Bjugstad (hand), Jonathan Huberdeau (lower body), Jussi Jokinen (knee)
Unfortunately, both of these teams are dealing with injuries to key contributors. Jonathan Marchessault's has not snapped back to reality yet. He has 10 points in seven games. Matt Moulson, a former 30-goal scorer, has four goals this season, all on the power play.
Maple Leafs (PP: 9], PK: 16) at Canadiens (PP: 15, PK: 4), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Frederik Andersen (2-1-3, 3.91, .866), Carey Price (4-0-0, 1.51, .947)
Key Injuries:Joffrey Lupul (abdomen)
This is a pretty big disparity in terms of goaltending. Toronto has let in 28 goals in seven games. This will be a real test for Auston Matthews (10 points) and William Nylander (nine points). The trio of Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, and Alex Galchenyuk has been one of the best in the NHL. The first two have seven points, while Galchenyuk has six.
Lightning (PP: 4, PK: 9) at Devils (PP:9 , PK: 5), 7:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Ben Bishop (3-2-0, 3.22, .891), Cory Schneider (3-2-1, 2.00, .936)
Key Injuries:Ryan Callahan (hip), Nikita Kucherov (shoulder)
While Bishop's numbers on this season are bad, his track record means you shouldn't be too concerned yet. You certainly shouldn't be concerned about a Devils team that has little offensive firepower behind Taylor Hall and, maybe, Kyle Palmieri. Steven Stamkos has five goals, but Alex Killorn actually leads the Lightning with six.
Stars (PP: 20, PK: 20) at Wild (PP: 27, PK: 1), 8:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Kari Lehtonen (1-2-1, 2.26, .924), Devan Dubnyk (4-1-1, 1.67, .944)
Key Injuries:Cody Eakin (knee), Ales Hemsky (groin), Jiri Hudler (illness), Mattias Janmark (knee), Patrick Sharp (concussion), Jason Spezza (undisclosed), Erik Haula (lower body), Marco Scandella (knee)
There are a lot of injuries hurting the Stars right now, and also hurting fantasy owners. Devin Shore has six points on the season. These injuries may give him more opportunities than he would have otherwise. Joel Eriksson-Ek, the 20th overall pick in 2015, has five points in four games. However, he's only playing 10 minutes a night, and has only taken seven shots on goal.
Avalanche (PP: 3, PK: 28) at Coyotes (PP: 24, PK: 25), 9:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Calvin Pickard (1-0-0, 3.00, .903), Louis Domingue (1-4-0, 4.74, .857)
Key Injuries:Mike Smith (lower body), Michael Stone (upper body), Fedor Tyutin (groin)
This game feels like it could end up being very high-scoring, owing in part to the expected starting goalies. The Avalanche got blanked by the Jets last night, so they could use some goals. This is especially true of Jarome Iginla, who has one point this season. Oliver Ekman-Larsson already has five goals this season.
Capitals (PP: 28, PK: 27) at Canucks (PP: 24, PK: 14), 10:00 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Braden Holtby (2-2-1, 2.38, .910), Jacob Markstrom (3-0-1, 1.94, .923)
Key Injuries:Alex Burrows (neck), Derek Dorsett (shoulder), Chris Tanev (undisclosed)
Here are two teams really struggling to score. The difference is one of them is loaded with offensive talent, and the other is not. Only Alex Ovechkin has more than two goals, and four points, for the Capitals. Vancouver will be on the second night of a back-to-back. That's beneficial for Washington.
Predators (PP: 2, PK: 29) at Sharks (PP: 12, PK: 12), 10:30 p.m.
Expected Goalies:Pekka Rinne (1-3-1, 3.25, .909), Martin Jones (4-3-0, 2.32, .908)
Key Injuries: None
Rinne is a great example of how quickly a goalie's numbers can change this early in the season. He was looking good, and then suddenly he let in four goals in 17 shots and the statline got a lot uglier. However, since then he has made 42 saves on 45 shots against the Kings. Much like Tarasenko, Brent Burns already has 40 shots on goal. The only difference is that he's a defenseman. Tomas Hertl leads the team with four goals.
Recommended Pickup
Tanner Pearson, LW, LAK – Pearson missed the first couple games of the season due to a suspension, but since then he's been making up for lost time. He's got four goals and six points in five games, and he's notched 17 shots on goal as well. Pearson was the third banana on "That '70s Line" with Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter, but the 24-year-old is playing more than 16 minutes a night this season. It would appear Pearson may be ready to take his game to the next level this season.
