{"id":6563,"date":"2017-02-12T21:22:39","date_gmt":"2017-02-13T02:22:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=6563"},"modified":"2017-02-12T21:22:39","modified_gmt":"2017-02-13T02:22:39","slug":"otpp-coach-firings-trade-deadline-trade-bait-playoff-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/02\/12\/otpp-coach-firings-trade-deadline-trade-bait-playoff-races\/","title":{"rendered":"OTPP: Coach Firings, Trade Deadline Trade Bait, and Playoff Races"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Word on Sports is proud to present their hockey podcast, On the Power Play with Ben and Dave.\u00a0Join Ben Kerr and Dave Gove each week as they take a look around the Hockey World focusing on the big issues of the NHL and elsewhere.<\/em><\/p>\n

The boys are back and looking at the news from around the NHL.<\/p>\n

OTPP: Coach Firings, Trade Deadline Trade Bait, and Playoff Races<\/h2>\n

The big NHL news of the week surrounds two more NHL head coaches being replaced.<\/p>\n

The boys look at the Boston Bruins and their firing of<\/a> Claude Julien<\/a><\/strong>. \u00a0Was the move justified? Will this change help the Bruins? What are the problems that the Bruins have had this season, and how can they fix them? Could they top the league in possession and still fail to qualify for the post-season? Is it too late, given the games played issue, for the Bruins to turn things around and make the playoffs?<\/p>\n

Next up is the St. Louis Blues replacing<\/a> Ken Hitchcock<\/strong> with Mike Yeo<\/strong>. The Blues biggest problem has been between the pipes. Quite simply, Jake Allen<\/a><\/strong> and Carter Hutton<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>have not provided good goaltending. Can the Blues hold on to their playoff position after the loss of Robby Fabbri<\/a><\/strong>? Will they be trade deadline sellers with Patrick Berglund<\/strong>\u00a0and Kevin Shattenkirk<\/a><\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Trade Deadline<\/h3>\n

The boys look at the Trade Deadline trade bait around the league. \u00a0What will happen with Matt Duchene<\/a>, Martin Hanzal<\/a>, Gabriel Landeskog<\/a>, Marc-Andre Fleury<\/a>, Patrick Sharp<\/a><\/strong>, and more? Who are the big buyers and who can become a real contender with the right moves?<\/p>\n

Nashville centre Mike Ribeiro<\/a><\/strong> demanded a trade, and then was put on waivers and cleared. Why is he down in the AHL, and will anyone take a chance on him going forward?<\/p>\n

We also look at Martin Havlat<\/a><\/strong> retiring; the Florida Panthers getting Jonathan Huberdeau<\/a><\/strong> and Aleksander Barkov<\/a><\/strong> back in the lineup; the Toronto Maple Leafs rookies; Andrei Markov<\/a><\/strong>‘s tragic story; Brandon Bickell<\/strong>‘s return from MS, and more.<\/p>\n

All that and more in this edition of On the Power Play.<\/h3>\n

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