This Week in the NHL: Legendary milestone for McDavid?
With 32 teams, games every night and countless narratives emerging, the NHL season can make one’s head spin, and it’s easy to miss out on the weekly storylines. Not to worry; every Monday from October to April, I’ll map out the major events, games, plotlines and milestones on tap for the next seven days.
So what’s happening the week of March 9-15?
March 10: Brayden Schenn immediately returns to St. Louis
New York Islanders @ St. Louis Blues, 7:30 pm. ET
Talk about ripping off the Band-Aid. The Blues traded Schenn, their captain, to the Islanders on Deadline Day last Friday. He won’t have much time to ruminate on the feeling of returning, as he’ll visit Enterprise Center just four days later playing on the road side. Schenn played 650 games across nine seasons as a Blue and was part of their 2018-19 Stanley Cup team. Jonathan Drouin, who went from the Isles to the Blues in the deal, will face his former team as well if healthy, but it shouldn’t hurt too badly given he played 53 total games for the Isles.
March 14: Jared Spurgeon’s 1,000th game
New York Rangers @ Minnesota Wild, 6:00 p.m. ET
Spurgeon, one of the smallest players of his generation at 5-foot-9 and 166 pounds, has defied the odds as a sixth-round pick. Now in his 16th NHL season, all with the Wild, he’s second only to Mikko Koivu on the franchise games list. Health permitting, Spurgeon, the franchise’s second-longest-serving captain, will log game No. 1,000 at home on Saturday.
Connor McDavid’s 1,200th point
It’s fun every time ‘McJesus’ hits a scoring milestone, as we get to assess how fast he did so relative to his peers. McDavid opens the week 10 points away from 1,200, but his Edmonton Oilers play a four-game slate, and we know he can pile up points in bunches. When McDavid reaches No. 1,200, he’ll become the third-fastest player to do so, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (504 games, LOL) and Mario Lemieux (593 games). McDavid sits at 776 games played heading into this week.
_____
CHECK OUT OFF THE ROSTER – NEW EPISODES EVERY WEEKDAY
Off The Roster is Toronto sports. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, this is the go-to morning conversation for everything happening in the 6ix – Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and everything in between. From breakout performances and questionable trades to throwback jerseys, viral moments, and the stories fans are actually talking about—it’s smart, sharp, and never scripted. Live weekday mornings on the Nation Network YouTube channel and available wherever you stream podcasts, the show delivers real opinions, real chemistry, and real Toronto energy. Missed an episode? Catch up anytime. Off The Roster—The new sound of the 6ix.