Tristin McKinstry Articles - Page 29

The hockey world received a bombshell when the New York Rangers committed to trading Jacob Trouba. It wasn’t a surprising stance from New York, to be fair. The Rangers trade to trade their captain in the offseason before the 2024-25 season. On Friday afternoon, though, Trouba was finally traded to the Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers […]

Over the summer, the New York Rangers explored various Jacob Trouba trade scenarios. In fact, the Rangers reportedly had a trade with the Detroit Red Wings in place around the NHL Draft in June. However, the then-New York captain vetoed the deal. On Friday, Trouba accepted a trade out of Broadway, this time to the […]

The perception of goaltenders has changed over the last couple of decades. Goaltenders going early in the NHL Draft used to be a rather uncommon sight to see. Goalies even went first overall on occasion. However, it’s become more rare as the years go on. It’s part of the reason why ClutchPoints left goalies out […]

The San Jose Sharks got off to another brutal start to the season in 2024-25. It seemed as if San Jose was headed toward another disastrous season much like they did a year ago. However, something has changed within this San Jose team. Players such as Mikael Granlund have become major contributors as the team […]

The Anaheim Ducks are near the bottom of the NHL but are working their way up. Anaheim has some incredible young stars such as Leo Carlsson, Lukas Dostal, and Mason McTavish. Another impressive young player is Trevor Zegras, who is off to a fine start in 2024-25. Unfortunately, he may be out for a while […]

Not too long ago, NHL on TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette was the target of an assault by six people in Arizona. Bissonnette, the host of the Spittin Chiclets podcast, has had quite a sense of humor about the incident. Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand even joked about the incident to his face before a game […]

We finally know who Team USA will take with them to the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament in February. There were some surprises, but Columbus Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski wasn’t one of them. Werenski had a franchise-record point streak before his team’s loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. And he is one pace […]

The 4 Nations Faceoff is on the horizon. Team USA announced their roster on Wednesday evening, followed by Team Canada’s roster announcement shortly after that. As a result, all of the rosters have been announced. Team Finland has an interesting roster in its own right with surprises and snubs abound. Team Finland had a difficult […]

Best-on-best international hockey returns to the NHL in February. The 4 Nations Faceoff begins that month and the teams are already shaping up. Team Sweden announced their roster on Wednesday afternoon, and we also learned of the Team Finland roster for the tournament. Now, Hockey Canada has confirmed the squad for Team Canada. Presenting Canada’s […]

The 4 Nations Faceoff is almost here. Team Finland announced their roster for the tournament on Wednesday afternoon. Team Sweden also announced its roster as the team prepares for best-on-best hockey. Now, the final two countries have announced their squads. USA Hockey has confirmed the Team USA roster for the 4 Nations Faceoff. Some players […]

The New Jersey Devils turned to Sheldon Keefe to lead the team from behind the bench over the summer. Keefe had extensive experience in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And the Devils hoped that Keefe could lead their team — led by Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes — to success despite his playoff […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets dealt with the unfathomable loss of Johnny Gaudreau prior to the 2024-25 season. His tragic passing rocked the entire sports world and has left a hole that may never be truly filled. The Blue Jackets had to prepare for the season without their best player. And so far, their core — […]

The Minnesota Wild made a huge trade for defenseman David Jiricek with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Minnesota traded Daemon Hunt and four draft picks — including a conditional 2025 first-round pick — to Columbus. The Wild are excited to have Jiricek in the organization, and he had a chance to meet current Wild star Brock […]

The Florida Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions. However, they have experienced some rough stretches in 2024-25. Florida went on a stretch of losing six of their last eight before a recent three-game winning streak, for instance. As a result, the Panthers are reportedly checking in on potential moves on the trade market. “My […]

Trade discussions around the NHL are in full swing. The Detroit Red Wings and Utah Hockey Club made the first trade of the season back in October. And more recently, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild came together on the David Jiricek blockbuster. Now, it seems as if New Jersey Devils general manager Tom […]

The Dallas Stars are one of the best teams in the NHL through the first two months of the 2024-25 NHL season. The Stars made the Western Conference Finals last season in a losing effort against the Edmonton Oilers. And they have carried over their successful form in 2024-25 despite some key offseason losses. However, […]

Brady Tkachuk and the Ottawa Senators entered the 2024-25 NHL season eyeing a playoff push. To achieve this aim, the Senators made a massive change behind the bench over the summer. And new coach Travis Green instilled confidence in the current group. It seemed as if things were looking up, but after Sunday’s loss to […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets have had some big wins in 2024-25. And overall, the Blue Jackets have trended positively over the last few weeks. Defenseman Zach Werenski has played a major role in Columbus finding their stride over these recent games. He proved his worth once again in his team’s massive Sunday night victory over […]

The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup back in June. After defeats in the 1996 and 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, Florida claimed their first championship in a thrilling seven-game series against the Edmonton Oilers. Many expected Florida, led by players such as Sergei Bobrovsky, to remain one of the best teams in the NHL. […]

The Jacksonville Jaguars lost quarterback Trevor Lawrence to injury once again on Sunday. He took a nasty hit from Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during their Week 13 contest. Lawrence needed to be carted off the field and he did not return. The Jaguars eventually lost at EverBank Stadium by a score of 23-20. On […]

The Calgary Flames were one of the best teams in the NHL very early on in 2024-25. In fact, they won each of their first four games in regulation in something of a surprise run. Things have cooled down as of late, but players like Dustin Wolf have helped the Flames remain competitive on the […]

In recent seasons, the NHL Draft has had little drama at the top. Connor Bedard was the expected first-overall pick in 2023. And Macklin Celebrini was the foregone selection in 2024. For the 2025 NHL Draft, it seemed as if the first overall pick would be a battle between James Hagens and Porter Martone. However, […]

The Minnesota Wild are one of the best teams in the NHL at this point. With the calendar flipping to December, we are starting to see pretending teams separate themselves from legitimate contenders. Led by Kirill Kaprizov, it’s not unreasonable to think Minnesota may be a legitimate contender in 2024-25. Kaprizov has emerged as a […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs had been without Auston Matthews for an extended period entering Saturday. While they certainly wanted their captain back, Toronto held down the fort without him in the lineup. They won seven games without their captain in the lineup. And upon Matthews’s return, they picked up another huge victory. Matthews picked up […]

The New York Rangers entered play Saturday on a five-game losing streak. New York had suffered some brutal losses after a rather promising start to the year. And legitimate concerns about the Rangers formed during the skid. Saturday night provided better fortunes, however, as the Blueshirts defeated the Montreal Canadiens. Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko scored […]

The Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets came together on the David Jiricek trade on Saturday evening. The Wild traded Daemon Hunt and four draft picks to the Blue Jackets to acquire Jiricek’s services. This move came after long-running trade rumors around the former sixth overall pick. Jiricek has struggled to establish himself at the […]

The Nashville Predators are near the bottom of the NHL at this point. Something needs to change, and Nashville swung a trade to shake things up a bit. The Predators traded goalie Scott Wedgewood to the Colorado Avalanche for goalie Justus Annunen and a draft pick. After the trade, Wedgewood spoke about an interesting interaction […]

Over the last few weeks, trade rumors around David Jiricek reached a fever pitch. The Columbus Blue Jackets explored their options as it became clear that things would not work out in Columbus. Jiricek played in the AHL as he awaited news of his future. Many teams had interest in the former Blue Jackets defender, […]

The Pittsburgh Penguins have already made some trades in 2024-25. The Penguins traded Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals not too long ago to kick off a rebuild. And Pittsburgh added young forward Philip Tomasino through a trade with the Nashville Predators. On Friday night, Tomasino made a big impact in one of his first […]

The Winnipeg Jets broke multiple NHL records as they got off to the best start in league history. It was quite the surprise, as expectations for Winnipeg weren’t quite that high. However, major performances from the likes of Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers helped the Jets take the league by storm. Winnipeg has certainly fallen […]

The New York Rangers are having a tough time on the ice. The Rangers dropped their fifth straight game on Friday night. And there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about the Rangers at this current juncture. However, general manager Chris Drury is looking to shake up the roster, and he may be looking to […]

The New York Rangers are on a brutal five-game losing streak. And the Rangers are heading in the wrong direction extremely quickly. Things began on November 21 with a 6-2 loss to the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Eight days later, they dropped their fifth in a row by a 3-1 scoreline against the […]

Jacob Trouba and the New York Rangers are not playing their best hockey right now. The Rangers began the season as one of the better teams in the NHL. However, New York has hit a major roadblock through the first quarter of the 2024-25 season. Their loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday marked the […]

Head coach Spencer Carbery has the Washington Capitals off to an incredible start in 2024-25. The Capitals lost Alex Ovechkin to injury, which was an unfortunate blow to their team. However, they have weathered the storm quite well. Washington has won four of its last six games, including Friday night’s contest against the New York […]

The Columbus Blue Jackets made David Jiricek the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Jiricek came to the organization with a ton of hype around him. And he even earned an early call-up to the Blue Jackets in his first season as a pro. However, things have not gone as planned for Columbus […]

The New York Islanders are on a downward trajectory in 2024-25. The Islanders made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024 but lost in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes. Many expected New York to improve this year with Patrick Roy around for a full season. Unfortunately, it’s been rocky sailing, and things may be […]

The Washington Capitals are one of the best teams in the NHL early in 2024-25. The Capitals have one of the best offenses in the league and are on track to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs comfortably. However, even great teams make silly mistakes, no matter the sport. This was the case for goaltender Charlie […]

It’s been a rough run of form for Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard as of late. He emerged as Chicago’s best player in 2023-24 even with the team failing to win many games. The Blackhawks made moves to support Bedard at the top of the lineup, but it hasn’t worked so far. In fact, Bedard […]

The St. Louis Blues won their first game with Jim Montgomery behind the bench as head coach. And the team has continued its positive run of form on Wednesday. They entered the second intermission with a 3-0 lead over the New Jersey Devils. However, the good vibes came crashing to a halt with the recent […]