Pierre-Luc Dubois' agent, Pat Brisson, hasn't been a fan of John Tortorella's recent comments regarding his client.
"From Day 1 of camp, John Tortorella wanted to expose Pierre-Luc Dubois," Brisson said, according to TSN's Darren Dreger on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading." "This included going on (the) radio the second week, which made it more difficult for (general manager Jarmo Kekalainen) to do his job. Now, he continues to use different media platforms trying to justify his position."
Tortorella has repeatedly spoken about Dubois' trade request in late December. In early January, prior to Dubois' trade to the Winnipeg Jets, the Columbus Blue Jackets head coach said on the radio that Dubois "hasn't given a reason why he wants to leave." In an interview that aired Wednesday, Tortorella acknowledged that he and the 22-year-old had conflict while calling today's athletes "softer."
After being dealt to Winnipeg last week, Dubois said he didn't demand a trade due to his relationship with Tortorella.
Additionally, Brisson pointed to Jets head coach Paul Maurice as an example of how he would've liked Tortorella to handle the situation.
"I have not heard Paul Maurice once say anything about a trade request from both (Patrik) Laine and (Jack) Roslovic," Brisson said. "This could've been Operation Submarine, but ah well, Torts wasn't able to help himself."
Dubois has yet to make his Jets debut due to his mandatory quarantine upon entering Canada.
Thursday's contest between the Vegas Golden Knights and St. Louis Blues was postponed as the result of a Golden Knights player and member of the coaching staff entering COVID-19 protocol, the league announced.
Vegas announced Tuesday that its entire coaching staff was isolating "out of an abundance of caution." General manager Kelly McCrimmon assumed coaching duties for Tuesday's overtime loss against the Blues.
The Golden Knights canceled Thursday's skate, and the club's facilities will remain closed until further notice.
The league is reviewing and revising the Golden Knights' schedule, and a decision on next week's games will be made in the next 24-48 hours.
This marks the second game-day postponement for the NHL so far this season.
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We took home some decent profit with Tuesday's picks, finishing 2-1. After a quiet day off Wednesday, we're back at it with another monster NHL slate.
Here are my favorite bets on the board.
Penguins (+110) @ Bruins (-130)
We were on the Bruins in this game Tuesday and got to celebrate an overtime win, but I'm changing my tune this time around. The expectation is the Penguins turn to Casey DeSmith while Boston pivots to Jaroslav Halak, which is a better goaltending matchup for Pittsburgh.
Tuesday's contest was a coin flip. The expected goal share was essentially dead even, sitting at 1.52-1.51 in favor of Pittsburgh at five-on-five and 2.42-2.39 in Boston's favor at all strengths. The Bruins won late in overtime, but the Penguins had a number of chances to win in the extra frame, including a missed three-on-none.
The Penguins have been very good at making adjustments this season when facing the same team for the second consecutive game. We also get a better goaltending matchup and plus money in what essentially boils down to a 50-50 game. There's value with Pittsburgh at +100 or greater.
Pick: Penguins (+110)
Panthers (-105) @ Blue Jackets (-115)
On one hand, the Blue Jackets were unlucky not to win Tuesday's game, with the Panthers scoring the tying goal with three seconds left. On the other hand, they were lucky to even come out with a point. Florida controlled a remarkable 70.08% share of the expected goals (xGF%) at five-on-five.
We've seen this before from the Blue Jackets, who've made a habit of being outplayed in the first contest of a two-game set before bouncing back impressively in the second.
Opponent
xGF% (Game 1)
xGF% (Game 2)
Predators
46.53%
64.05%
Red Wings
36.95%
53.83%
Lightning
33.33%
56.48%
The Panthers have played well this year, but given the small sample size, this feels like a good sell-high spot. The Blue Jackets have a proven ability to perform better in the second half of back-to-backs, and we get them at a bargain here with what feels like an overreaction to Tuesday's loss.
Pick: Blue Jackets (-115)
Maple Leafs (-130) @ Oilers (+110)
It's been a curious start to the season for the Maple Leafs, who don't quite look like their former selves. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as they've been playing strong defensive hockey, but it has come at the expense of their typically high-end offensive production.
They've been below average at generating offense at five-on-five, relying instead on a power play that's converting at an absurd 41.7% clip - second-best in the NHL. That mark is due for serious regression, and with a downgrade to their special teams, their pedestrian five-on-five play will be amplified.
The Leafs were significantly outplayed at five-on-five by the Oilers in their two meetings in Toronto, controlling just 38% and 41.79% of the expected goal share. It was a similar story in both wins over the Flames. Regression looms for a Toronto team that's managed to steal positive results from negative ratios.
Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, loves a juicy puck line, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
The contract is a two-way deal in Year 1 and transitions to a one-way deal ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.
Bowey, 25, recorded three goals and 17 points while averaging 17:54 of ice time over 53 games with the Detroit Red Wings last season.
The Washington Capitals selected the 6-foot-2 rearguard in the second round of the 2013 draft. He's amassed five goals and 39 points over 154 career contests.
Bowey will meet the minimum exposure requirements for the expansion draft by playing one more NHL game. The only Blackhawks defenseman eligible for exposure is Connor Murphy, according to CapFriendly.
Welcome to the first edition of theScore's Norris Trophy Power Rankings.
Our rankings this season are going to focus more on analytics and defensive acumen rather than points.
xGF% calculates the share of expected goals a team produces while a player is on the ice at five-on-five
OZS% calculates the percentage of offensive-zone starts a player receives at five-on-five (excluding neutral-zone and on-the-fly starts)
Note: Jaccob Slavin and Aaron Ekblad were both considered but their respective three-game samples were deemed too small.
5. Noah Hanifin, Flames
Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
OZS%
5
0
2
18:31
61.6
36.4
Hanifin's appearance on this list will surprise many. His basic stats are unflattering, but he's been arguably the league's best defensive defenseman this season. The 2015 fifth overall pick is one of five blue-liners who hasn't been scored on yet - including the penalty kill (minimum 50 minutes played). The metrics support that he hasn't been lucky or bailed out by his goaltender, either, as his expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five (xGA60) ranks 17th among D-men.
It's even more impressive that Hanifin has produced those excellent metrics while being deployed in a shutdown role. He and his new defense partner, Chris Tanev, have been outstanding for the Calgary Flames.
4. Rasmus Ristolainen, Sabres
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
OZS%
7
1
3
22:26
59.8
40
Ristolainen has been a revelation. The Buffalo Sabres blue-liner has always passed the eye test with his size, skating ability, and physicality. However, the underlying numbers suggest he's actually been quite abysmal in his career, posting a sub-50 xGF% in all seven of his previous seasons.
It remains to be seen whether something clicked for Ristolainen in his age-26 campaign, he's become accustomed to Ralph Krueger's system, or he's benefiting from a better team around him than those of past years. Perhaps it's just a giant fluke. Nonetheless, his great play so far is undeniable, and he's doing it while leading the Sabres in ice time and playing against top competition along with Jake McCabe - who's also been excellent.
Ristolainen has been especially strong defensively, ranking fifth in the league in xGA/60 at five-on-five.
3. Shea Theodore, Golden Knights
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
OZS%
7
3
4
23:00
60.3
58.1
Even with Alex Pietrangelo in the fold, Theodore has been the Vegas Golden Knights' most effective defenseman this season. The 25-year-old really came into his own last season, but he's taken another step so far this year. Buoyed by his elite offensive play-driving ability, Theodore ranks 15th among defensemen in xGF%.
He's been very responsible this year, as well. Despite the fact he ranks 10th among D-men in rush attempts per 60 minutes, he's turned the puck over just twice in seven games.
2. Shea Weber, Canadiens
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
OZS%
6
1
3
24:01
60.4
50
Weber is defying the odds at age 35 with his fantastic start to the campaign. He's been a key part of the Montreal Canadiens' 4-0-2 start to the season. The captain leads the team in ice time, and he tops NHL rearguards in high-danger scoring chance percentage and ranks third in high-danger chances allowed per 60 minutes.
The Habs are getting contributions throughout the lineup, but Weber is their most valuable defenseman (though Jeff Petry is racking up the points), as well as their most important player overall.
1. Cale Makar, Avalanche
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
ATOI
xGF%
OZS%
7
0
8
22:52
74.1
59.5
Makar has been head and shoulders above the rest. Everyone knows how explosive he is offensively, but he's really shored up his defensive game. He ranks first among defensemen in xGA/60 and xGF% and is tied for second with five takeaways.
The reigning Calder Trophy winner has also gained more trust from Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. Makar not only leads the Avs in ice time after ranking fourth on the team a year ago, but his OZS% has decreased by five, showing that Bednar trusts him in more defensive situations.
Makar should really be garnering some Hart Trophy recognition as the NHL's most valuable player.
The NHL has put itself into a sizeable financial hole to offset the monetary impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The league has added approximately $1 billion in new debt on the private placement market, Sports Business Journal's Mark J. Burns and Chris Smith report. The NHL will create a central entity with the funds to allow all 31 teams to withdraw as much as $30 million to account for cash-flow problems, payroll concerns, and additional operating expenses.
The funds are reportedly secured against future league revenue. The lenders could not be identified, and the NHL declined to comment.
A league-wide credit facility already exists, but this is separate from that system, according to Burns and Smith, who added that some teams that have "well-financed" owners aren't likely to take advantage of the opportunity.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledged earlier this month that the league is expected to lose billions of dollars this season.
The NBA took a similar step in December, raising $900 million in debt to dole out $30 million to each of its 30 clubs.
San Jose started the season training and playing in Glendale, Arizona, due to COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara County. The ban on contact sports has since been lifted, paving the way for the club to return to the SAP Center.
The Sharks have yet to play a home game as they were scheduled to play eight straight road contests to open the season. The team's upcoming two games against the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 1 and 3 will still be played in Arizona as previously scheduled.
"While we are pleased to have received permission for the team to return to Santa Clara County, there are numerous health and safety issues - both from the county and league level - that need to be implemented to ensure the safety of the returning players and staff," the team announced, according to NBC Sports' Brodie Brazil.
The Sharks' first game at SAP Center will be on Feb. 13 against the Anaheim Ducks. Due to local restrictions, fans won't be allowed to attend.
