Houston Renegades (Now in NHL20-o-Vision!)

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January 2021: Around The League

STANDINGS


LEAGUE LEADERS


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[PFellah]

RENEGADE ROUND-UP: BREAKING DOWN THE TRADE DEADLINE



Gabe: Welcome to the Renegade Round-Up. I'm your host, Gabe Dominguez, and we're here in the studio to break down where the Renegades stand at the trading deadline. Right now, the Renegades are looking up at the division leaders from 4th place in the division, but it's a tight race, and anything could happen. Let's throw it to our panel -- Logan Marx, Stu Kennedy, Sarah Shaw. So, who wants to go first? What do we see the Renegades doing to shake up this roster? If anything... maybe you think they're good as is.

Logan: A lot of the chatter I'm hearing focuses on goaltending, but I'm hearing different directions on what direction the team wants to go.

Gabe: How so?

Logan: Well, there's been some frustration with Jimmy Howard in net. He's had a few games that have been kinda painful, giving up multi-goal leads late in games. So there's some frustration there. But I'm not getting a sense that they've decided which way to go -- I hear some people just want to stand pat and let Howard sort it out, I've heard that they want to look at the market and see if they could bring someone in, I've also heard a few people in the organization suggest that maybe you turn it over to Eric Comrie and Tristan Jarry, and give one of those guys a chance to win the job over these last two months. One of my sources says there are people that like that because as a cascade effect, they could also call Tristan Jarry up and give Connor Ingram regular starts at San Antonio.

Stu: I'm feeling like they could use some more depth on defense, regardless of who's between the pipes. It's not Howard's fault if guys score off second and third chances because the defensemen aren't getting to loose pucks and pushing guys out from in front of the net. Superman might give up 3 or 4 goals a game if he doesn't get some help in front of him.

Gabe: Let's look at some of those scenarios. Are you hearing any specific rumors?

Sarah: As far as Stu's point, I've heard they had some preliminary talks with Arizona about Niklas Hjalmarsson, who's going to be a free agent. He'd be a great rental acquisition, but at least at this stage, I got the feeling Arizona's asking price was too high -- I'm hearing they want a first-round pick and at least two other pieces. Maybe if they start slipping further in the standings, it might change things, but where things are now, it's hard to see that happening.

As far as goaltending, New Jersey would be a logical partner, since they have both Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jordan Binnington. But beyond that, I'm not sure there's a great fit that makes you say "yeah, that guy's absolutely an upgrade". If they went the other direction and moved Howard out, Tampa seems like the most immediate choice -- they're in the playoff hunt in the Atlantic, and the one thing that's arguably holding them back is their goaltending. So it feels like there's a deal there if they wanted to clear the decks for Comrie and Jarry. There's a few other teams that might want him as a veteran backup, but "veteran backup" doesn't sound like it would be a huge return either.

Logan: The other wrinkle here is that Tristan Jarry is injured down at San Antonio. They may have their direction dictated by what happens with that situation.

Gabe: Anything going on with the forwards?

Logan: I don't see anything leaping out. The top six is actually clicking pretty well, so maybe a modest upgrade on the bottom six, but it's hard to imagine a serious upheaval just to get a better fourth line.

Stu: I've got one for you. I heard Calgary offered a one-for-one of Alexis Lafreniere for Kaapo Kakko. Of course, Kakko's playing on the top line while Lafreniere got sent back to juniors, so it would downgrade Houston's chances this year, but it's quite a rumor.

Sarah: I can't see them doing that today. I do wonder if that's something they'd look at after the season, though. Kakko's up for a new contract, and he's kind of a hard decision -- he hasn't exactly established himself as a dominant force, but he hasn't totally tanked either, and his LINE has thrived even if you want to call him the weak link. Maybe depending on what he's asking, you look at resetting that clock on a younger guy. But that's if the deal's even still there -- Calgary may only be offering it now because Kakko helps them today and Lafreniere doesn't. Next year, it's a new slate.

Logan: Yeah, you don't open up a brand new hole in your lineup in the middle of a playoff race just to change out prospects. So what's realistic for the forwards? I know there's always been some disappointment in Marcus Johansson... maybe you look at some sort of change of scenery trade for him. Maybe you could look at putting a better center on that third line, but there's no big gaping hole there. I think they certainly stay open to offers, but I don't think they're going to chase the market.

Gabe: Well, as always, it'll be interesting to see how things unfold. Exciting times. Thanks for joining us on Renegade Round-Up, and we'll see you next time.

[PFellah]

February 2021: Howard's End


With the trade of Jimmy Howard, the Renegades' hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of new starter Eric Comrie.

2/1 at New York Islanders (19-24-6) – 3-2 W
Houston outshoots the Isles 40-29, but Michal Neuvirth keeps the game competitive with some good work in net. Eric Comrie gets the start and the win. Artemi Panarin notches #20 on the year.
GOALS: HOU – Kakko 9, Johansson 10, Panarin 20. NYI – Beauvillier 15, Ceci 2.

2/2 at Anaheim (29-14-7) – 2-1 L (OT)
The Ducks come in leading the Pacific; Houston sits second in the Central. Future playoff matchup? It’s a valiant 1-1 effort through regulation, but Nick Ritchie gets free and buries the first shot of the overtime period for the Anaheim win.
GOALS: (forgot… oops)

With Tristan Jarry showing healthy, I think it’s time to make a goaltending move. I retain half of Howard’s salary because otherwise I have to take a “real” player back, which will kill the prospect value I can get. After playing around with various combinations, I settle on 21-year-old center Alexei Lipanov and Tampa’s third in 2021. Lipanov is only showing Top 9 potential, but he’s a body. The CPU wants to call up Connor Ingram, but I’d rather he play every day at San Antonio, so I swap him out for Tristan Jarry.

TRADE: Houston trades goalie Jimmy Howard (retaining 50% salary) to Tampa Bay for C Alexei Lipanov and Tampa Bay’s 3rd-round pick in 2021.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ian Baxter (GM)

We felt like Eric and Tristan have the ability to give us quality starts. Eric's been strong when we've needed him, and Tristan has been lights-out in San Antonio. Once we made that decision, we didn't want Jimmy sitting on the bench, but we also felt like we didn't want the young guys looking over their shoulder at Jimmy. So we felt like it would be best to let Jimmy find a new situation where he could play every day.

2/4 at New York Rangers (25-20-6) – 6-1 W
Houston makes it look easy, putting up four first period goals and never looking back. The shots were actually even at 30 apiece, but clearly not the scoreboard. Eric Comrie’s shutout gets spoiled with 53 seconds left to play.
GOALS: HOU – Johansson 11, Burns 10, Pavelski 16, Johansson 12, Panarin 21, Lee 15. NYR – Howden 14.

2/6 vs Ottawa (18-29-5) – 5-4 L
Smooth sailing through the first two, but things start to tighten a little in the third. Ottawa closes to 4-2 before Jordan Kyrou scores his first goal as a Renegade to re-establish a cushion. Bobby Ryan then gets one back with a little less than two minutes remaining, before Kyrou adds an empty-netter for cushion.
GOALS: HOU – Pavelski 17, Panarin 22, Pavelski 18, Kyrou 1, Kyrou 2. OTT – Tkachuk 11, Brown 6, Ryan 15.

2/8 vs San Jose (28-22-3) – 4-2 W
It’s the Ottawa game, but improved, as there’s no third-period comeback. Houston builds a 4-1 lead and a late goal by the Sharks make it look a little more respectable.
GOALS: HOU – Lee 16, Carrier 6, Cirelli 12, Johansson 13. SJ – Couture 17, Larsson 7.

2/10 vs New Jersey (25-24-5) – 5-3 L
The win streak finally comes to an end. Despite getting outshot 35-24, the Devils get matching 2-1 periods in the 1st and 2nd, and then the teams trade goals in the third for the final margin.
GOALS: HOU – Carlo 3, Panarin 23, Pavelski 19. NJ – Bratt 17, Nyquist 19, Coleman 17, Bratt 18, Wood 9.

2/14 at Buffalo (19-32-4) – 5-3 W
The standings say this should be an easy two points for the Renegades, but Buffalo proves to be feisty through the first two periods. Still, Houston finally does prevail for another one in the W column.
GOALS: (hit the wrong button, forwarded through)

2/16 at Florida (33-22-1) – 5-4 W (SO)
After a messy 3-2 first, Florida settles in and rides a lead through the second and into the third period. But Joe Pavelski gets the equalizer to send things to overtime, and Matt Duchene puts the game away in the shootout.
GOALS: HOU – Pysyk 3, Kakko 10, Carlo 4, Pavelski 21, Duchene SOW. FLA – Borgstrom 16, Savard 8, Spooner 7, Dadonov 20.

2/18 at Calgary (28-26-3) – 6-4 W
Houston chases Craig Anderson from the net in the first, and then adds a couple more against Mike Smith for good measure. Calgary eventually gets enough to make the game competitive and make Eric Comrie’s stats hurt, but the two points were safe for most of the contest.
GOALS: HOU – Carlo 5, Duchene 14, Kakko 11, Jones 4, Panarin 24, Matt Duchene 15. CGY – Monahan 18, Neal 7, Tkachuk 23, Perron 14.

2/19 vs Toronto (34-19-5) – 1-0 W
Two of the league’s elite teams, you’d expect a high scoring shootout, but nope… a 1-0 defensive gem. Anders Lee finally puts a puck past Frederik Andersen with 10:21 left in regulation. Tristan Jarry actually gets the rare start and notches the shutout, stopping 28 shots.
GOALS: HOU – Lee 17. TOR – NONE.

Quote: Originally Posted by Jake Muzzin

There's something fun about a 1-0 game, playing all 60 minutes on that edge. Sure, you'd like to win every game 5-0 or 6-0, but 1-0 gives you a little jolt of adrenaline.

2/21 at Dallas (35-19-5) – 5-3 L
The latest Battle of Texas is also a battle atop the division. Houston sits in first at 79 points; Dallas is tied with Colorado right behind us at 75. Unfortunately, after 40, Dallas has built a 4-0 lead, and Houston hasn’t even really made Ben Bishop break a sweat. But in the third period, Houston comes alive with three goals, and brings the comeback all the way to the doorstep with an empty-net faceoff to Ben Bishop’s right with 28 seconds left. But Dallas wins the faceoff and Jamie Benn jams home an empty-netter to seal the deal.
GOALS: HOU – Burns 12, Johansoson 14, Duchene 16. DAL – Hintz 12, Hintz 13, Benn 24, Johnsson 19, Benn 25.

2/23 vs Los Angeles (36-22-2) – 4-1 L
The Kings open up a 1-0 lead after the first and extend it to 3-0 after two. From there, they coast to victory. Sam Bennett spoils Jonathan Quick’s shutout bid in the early moments of the third period.
GOALS: HOU – Bennett 9. LA – Brown 19, Letestu 5, Kempe 21, Kovalchuk 25.

2/25 at Arizona (24-32-5) – 4-3 L
A barn burner, as the teams combine for 80 shots, but a frustrating result as Houston spends most of the game trailing 3-2 and can never quite get the equalizer.
GOALS: HOU – Muzzin 6, Lee 18, Kakko 12. ARI – Keller 25, Keller 26, Demers 7, Galchenyuk 15.

2/28 vs Las Vegas (29-24-5) – 6-2 L
For two periods a mirror image of the Arizona game, as Vegas takes a 3-2 lead and holds it through 2. But this time, the wheels come off for Houston in the third, as Eric Comrie lets in 3 unanswered goals. Rough way to end the month, as the current losing streak hits 4.
GOALS: HOU – Kyrou 3, Gustafsson 5. VGK – Sorensen 22, Latypov 13, Beaulieu 3, Smith 26, Glass 7 Marchessault 17.

Quote: Originally Posted by Matt Duchene

You're gonna get tested in this league and you're going to have stretches like these. Nobody goes 82-0, and even they did, it's not always the team with the best regular season record that lifts the Cup. But yeah, we're going through a rough patch and we've got to sort it out. But we'll get it done.

Before the month ends, we decide to go back to the trade block to look for a defensive upgrade. Hjalmarsson is still out of our price range, but Vancouver is out of the race and has Alexander Edler (done at the end of the year) on the block. We check their ask and it's not that bad -- they want a 3rd (I have more than one), a second-tier prospect (C Albin Grewe or RW Josh Williams) and Mark Pysyk to fill the roster spot. Of the two prospects, they're both at the same age (19), same potential (Top 6), and the same OVR (65). If there's a tiebreak, it's that I'm a little deeper at center. Also, Williams was a 1st-rounder while Grewe was a 3rd, suggesting MAYBE Williams has more of a ceiling. But other than that, it's a fair price for a defensive upgrade.

TRADE: Houston trades Boston’s 2021 3rd-round pick, C Albin Grewe, and D Mark Pysyk to Vancouver from D Alexander Edler.

MONTHLY SUMMARY

STANDINGS REPORT

• MONTH: 8-5-1, 17 points. Was a pretty great month until the four-game slide at the end.
• YEAR-TO-DATE: 38-22-3, 79 points
• DIVISION: Tied for 2nd/3rd with Colorado, trailing Dallas by 4 points. DAL 83, HOU 79, COL 79, MIN 76, WPG 75, CHI 75, NSH 55, STL 49
• CONFERENCE: 2nd/3rd/4th in conference, as Anaheim joins our tie at 79 points. DAL 83, HOU 79, COL 79, ANA 79, LA 78, EDM 77, MIN 76, WPG 75

TEAM LEADERS

• POINTS: Pavelski 60, Panarin 58, Palmieri 51, Burns 43, Muzzin 40
• GOALS: Panarin 24, Palmieri 21, Pavelski 21, Lee 18, Duchene 14
• ASSISTS: Pavelski 39, Panarin 34, Muzzin 34, Burns 31, Palmieri 30
• PLUS-MINUS:Muzzin 24, Pavelski 19, Johansson 11, Bennett 11, Carlo 9, Panarin 9

ON THE FARM
The Toros are going through some growing pains with Connor Ingram now the primary goalie; they now sit in 4th place in the division with 84 points (35-24-2). The playoffs are still a possibility, though it’s not the lock it looked to be through January. Kalle Kossila leads the team in goals with 24, but it’s nice to see Rylan Burish (my low-1st in 2019) second with 19. Connor Ingram isn’t doing terrible in net (15-11-2, .895 save percentage, 2.55 GAA), but Marcus Hogberg’s three appearances since becoming the backup were a disaster (0-3, 5.65 GAA).

[PFellah]

February 2021: Around The League

STANDINGS


LEAGUE LEADERS


CALDER WATCH
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