The calendar has flipped to November as the 2024-25 NHL season heads into its second month. There have been a ton of surprises — the likes of the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings have been much better than most anticipated, meanwhile the struggle is real for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres.

Heading into Monday’s action, Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, Avs’ defenseman Cale Makar, and Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart are tied for the league lead in points. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck leads the league with eight wins already and continues to put himself in the conversation for Team USA’s starting netminder for the 4 Nations Face Off in February.

Here’s the rest of the very latest from around the NHL:

Trade talks are heating up.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada this past weekend that the New York Islanders were interested in adding a defenceman via trade. They’ve recently lost Adam Pelech for four to six weeks and are trying to replace his 20 minutes per game. There’s also Alex Romanov and Mike Reilly who are both day-to-day. The Isles have had just one goal come from the blueline this season, so perhaps they’re searching for someone with an offensive touch.

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs remain two teams to watch on the trade market. Seravalli mentioned via Daily Faceoff Live last week that Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell was open to adding a player who some would consider a ‘bad contract’, as long as there was a sweetener involved in the deal.

Columbus has $24.4 million in cap space and Waddell is trying to leverage it as best he can for the rebuilding Blue Jackets. The Leafs meanwhile, have Connor Dewar and Jani Hakanpaa who are on conditioning stints with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, and with GM Brad Treliving having all 23 active roster slots filled at the moment, something has to give once Dewar and Hakanpaa are ready to return. Potential Leafs’ trade candidates include Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, Philippe Myers, Matt Benning, and David Kampf.

Oilers’ Connor McDavid out 2-3 weeks with ankle injury

In what could have been an absolute disaster scenario for the Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid, and potentially even Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face Off, turned out to be the best news possible. The Oilers announced last week that McDavid sustained an ankle injury Monday against the Blue Jackets, and is expected to be out for a few weeks.

McDavid was injured on the opening shift along the half wall, as his skate got caught into the bottom of the boards. 37 seconds in and he sent the whole league into a panic.

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EDM CBJ G10. October 27, 2024. Connor McDavid falls on first shift, leaves game after. 🎥: Sportsnet

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McDavid has 10 points in 10 games so far this season. The Oilers lost after McDavid departed against the Blue Jackets 6-1, however have turned things around since, winning 5-1 against the Predators and 4-2 against the Flames, both on the road.

Edmonton will turn to Leon Draisaitl to carry the load while McDavid heals up, meanwhile, the Oilers could use some more production from Zach Hyman, who only has two goals and four points in 12 games this season.

David Pastrnak benched in 3rd period during Bruins’ victory

Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery doesn’t care who you are, and what your role is on the team, accountability must remain at the forefront. The Bruins defeated the Seattle Kraken on Sunday and all anyone wanted to talk about after the game was how Montgomery benched Bruins’ star forward David Pastrnak for the third period.

Montgomery spoke to Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub and mentioned, “Coach’s decision in the third period, that’s all I’m gonna comment on.” This comes just days after Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand had to answer questions after a game, thanks to Montgomery ripping into him on Boston’s bench during a game last week.

The Bruins are 6-6-1 on the season and will play the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night, in what will certainly be a high-intensity matchup.

Weekly Quick Hits

The Islanders will be without forward Mat Barzal for four-to-six weeks after the star forward suffered an upper-body injury.
Hyman isn’t the only Oilers’ forward struggling, Connor Brown has one goal and no assists in 12 games.
Speaking of struggles, after signing a hefty extension in the summer, Kings forward Quinton Byfield hasn’t scored yet this season, recording just five assists in 12 games.
Lightning forward Brayden Point left Sunday’s game against the Jets due to an undisclosed injury.
Golden Knights’ forward Mark Stone is on fire, recording 20 points in his first 12 games. The same can be said for Caps’ forward Dylan Strome, who has 17 points through 11 contests.
The Penguins have put Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the same line for a few games in a row now and the two Pens’ legends are loving it. “It’s been a lot of fun,” Crosby told Sportsnet after Saturday’s win over the Montreal Canadiens. “It’s been a long time. I think in those early years, we played together a lot more. You forget just how dynamic he is, obviously watching him. But the way he sees it and the way he dances out there, it’s fun to be a part of, and I really love and enjoy playing with him again here.”
According to Rick Westhead of TSN, former Ottawa Senators forward Alex Formenton, one of five one-time National Hockey League players charged by police in London, Ont., with sexual assault, has filed a $20.5 million lawsuit against player agency Newport Sports Management Inc. and Wade Arnott, his former agent, alleging negligence, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty.

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