Comments / New

FlightZone: Auston Matthews Rocks the Boat

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

– Robert Frost

After months of speculation, Arizona native and Team USA wunderkind Auston Matthews has decided to embark upon the road not taken, announcing that he will play for the Marc Crawford-led ZSC Lions in Switzerland:

Now it's been suggested that Matthews may serve as "a trailblazer for future prospects of his caliber", but we can probably hold off on worrying about top-tier North American prospects fleeing to Europe en masse. That's because The Auston Matthews League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a very exclusive club indeed:

Here's to a 2015-16 season which truly brings NHL point equivalencies and usage of teenagers in European professional leagues to the forefront. At the very least, we can gather that Auston has pretty good financial savvy so far as 17 year olds go:

And now, your AIH News at Noon.

Central Division

The Hamburg Police Dept. has confirmed they are "investigating an incident that allegedly occurred at the residence of NHL player Patrick Kane last weekend". (WGNtv)

Is this a case of too soon? Perhaps. But Rick Telander has a point when he says that "If this investigation takes a left turn for Kane and goes straight off the cliff, I don’t think it’s too much to say the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup era is over and the NHL is badly wounded", though I feel the former conclusion is stronger than the latter. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Let no one say that Stars owner Tom Gaglardi doesn't believe in his team's prospects. I'd like to also look at everyone else's depth charts, but how he thinks their d-corps pipeline surpasses the Jets is beyond me. (ProHockeyTalk)

Jonathon Blum, the 23rd overall selection in 2007, has signed with Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL. He's had a solid AHL career, but now probably isn't the worst time to go to Europe and hopefully receive a nice paycheck in a brown paper bag. (Sportsnet)

There are a multitude of reasons as to why the Nashville Predators might be better in 2015-16, which is good because these playoff disappointments are beginning to grow a bit tiresome. Their bottom-six is going to be fascinating to watch take shape. (Stu Grimson’s Blog, NHL)

Meanwhile, the Perds also find themselves in a somewhat similar boat as Winnipeg: wondering what their young, talented right-handed defenceman is worth as a pending RFA. Let's see if GM Poile has another stroke of brilliance à la Roman Josi. (Today's Slapshot)

I wonder if "Recent internet-generated trade speculation involving Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien" means us? (The Hockey News)

And All The Rest

As mentioned in this week's Cole's Notes, the Anaheim Ducks have re-signed Jakob Silfverberg to a four-year deal worth $3.75 million per. You don't even have to factor in Nick Ritchie to think that the Bobby Ryan trade has worked out pretty well for Anaheim. (Yahoo! Sports)

TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button gives his early assessment and projected lineup for Team Canada at the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championships. Good Canadian(-ish) boy and Winnipeg Jets prospect Brendan Lemieux actually gets a mention! Also, I'd like to see Hockey Canada try to leave Josh Ho-Sang at home again, considering what a joy he was to watch at the Summer Showcase. (TSN)

Hurricanes Head Coach Bill Peters realizes that to have success, they need Jeff Skinner to bounce-back. And if he doesn't, someone should totally take him off of Carolina's hands. (FOX Sports)

The Red Wings have unveiled the format and schedule for their 2015 NHL Prospect Tournament, where teams will vie for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup. Detroit will play host to our Central Division compatriots Chicago, Dallas, Minnesota and St. Louis, in addition to Carolina, Columbus, and the non-Brooklyn New York. (NHL)

Toronto's being all shrewd and fancy stat-y, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. Daniel Winnik was, and both P.A Parenteau and Shawn Matthias potentially will be, excellent examples of good asset management. I'm not sure if I can handle this new bizarro world reality where the Leafs do the smart thing; let's see if Lou messes it up. (TSN)

Canucks' pipeline bright spot Jared McCann ended up missing the remainder of Team Canada's World Junior Showcase after taking a heavy hit from Russian Nikita Zhuldikov Monday. He flew into Vancouver later in the week to be seen by the team's doctors. (The Province)

Speaking of Russians, long-time KHL fixture Ilya Nikulin is apparently looking at his NHL options. (ProHockeyTalk)

Thanks for reading! Be sure to say in the Comments section below who you feel will be named #24, as our Top 25 Under 25 rankings continue Monday.

Looking for an easy way to support Arctic Ice Hockey?
Use our Affiliate Link when shopping hockey merch this holiday season!

Talking Points