The Coyotes will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, a bitter sweet experience, I am sure, for most Coyotes fans.
That is because while it's a point of pride that the team - which came to Arizona in 1996 - was instrumental in getting Auston Matthews interested in the sport of hockey. Matthews, born and raised in Arizona, is not only the first player born in the southern United States to be selected first overall, but the Coyotes came oh-so-close to being able to select him, picking seventh after Toronto won the Lottery.
It wasn't that close, really, but the point is that the Coyotes were terrible in the year he was available and they didn't get him.
So while everyone in Arizona wishes that Matthews was on the Coyotes, it's still probably great to watch the hometown kid living it up on the biggest stage in the NHL.
As for the game itself, it appears to be Andersen vs Raanta in the battle for Auston Matthews' heart. The Coyotes enter the game on a franchise record two game winning streak and the Leafs are an a six game streak.
While it appears the Leafs are hot, their entire win streak is built upon getting around .960 goaltending and they are a beatable team if they play as they have recently, as weird as it is to say that about a team on such a steak.
The Coyotes have been playing well lately and if they catch a break or two, who knows, the streak could get pushed to thee games.
In addition to the game, there's also a pretty juicy rumour via TSN's Bob Mackenzie. Or it's not a rumour. It's hard to say, as he wrote his article without really saying for sure.
All I can say is that if you're the Leafs and you think you can have OEL for a winger, no matter how good that winger may be, then you are nuts.
Considering there is absolutely nothing to indicate that Strome won't be a star in the NHL, and the team has Domi, Duclair (nice hattie the other night!!) Keller, Fischer and Dvorak, I think trading a top five or ten NHL defenseman in his prime for a forward is preposterous.
Furthermore, the Leafs have Rielly currently outplaying OEL and he's a left-handed shot also. Jake Gardiner is also a left-handed shot. For the Leafs, acquiring OEL would probably mean they have to get rid of Gardiner. Once you do that, and ship out Nylander, and whatever else it takes, it's hard to see how the Leafs would be that much better.
Sure, OEL is better than anything they have, probably by a mile (with all due respect to Rielly's current play) but it's not a fit for either team.
Regardless, should be a good game.