The number of fights in the NHL decreased this season, but don’t expect the fisticuffs to go away anytime soon.
With the World Men’s U-18 Championship underway in Switzerland, does Canada have a good enough roster to overcome the United States and win it all?
Speaking of Canada, why aren’t there more players committing to the World Championship? And there aren’t many Canadian goalies left in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but is an Oilers netminder Canada’s front-runner for the national teams?
Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discuss all that, plus whether they think an NHL Western Conference team will win the Stanley Cup for a third straight year.
Watch the full segment below, followed by a snippet of the Canadian goalie conversation in text.
Q: There are only three starting Canadian goaltenders in the NHL playoffs this year. Has Canada become obsolete in producing starting goalies?
Michael Traikos: Uh, yeah.
Ryan Kennedy: Yes, I was going to say, I was like, “Three? That sounds high to me.”
MT: I’m trying to think, which three are they?
RK: Cam Talbot. Adin Hill…
MT: Logan Thompson.
RK: …Stuart Skinner. Yeah. So, at least one of them will make it to the second round because Skinner and Talbot are playing against each other.
MT: Is Stuart Skinner now the goalie that should be on everyone’s radar when we’re talking about Olympics?
RK: I mean, maybe? I would say Adin Hill would be my guy because he won a Stanley Cup, and he’s going to be behind a team that’s, like, loaded with talent. So it’s like, you don’t need him to be crazy good. You just need him to hold the fort. There’s like Jordan Binnington, you know, but it’s… it’s shallow, man.
MT: We are in the era of U.S. goaltenders.
RK: Totally.
MT: And if you are the U.S., you have to be happy with who’s been coming up, whether it’s Jake Oettinger, whether it’s Thatcher Demko, whether it’s Connor Hellebuyck, whether it’s… Jeremy Swayman. There are just a ton of goalies where it’s like, yeah, we’re talking competition for that next Olympic team. So, Canada, they definitely have to bring it up.
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Related: IIHF U-18 World Championship: 16 Intriguing Players to Watch
Related: ‘Playoff Hockey For You’: How the Los Angeles Kings Silenced the Oilers Crowd in Game 2
News Summary:
- Rapid Fire: Is An Oilers Goalie Canada's Top Netminder? Will Fighting in the NHL Ever Stop?
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.