John Matisz, theScore

John Matisz

theScore

Canada

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Recent:
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Past:
  • theScore
  • Toronto Sun
  • National Post
  • The Vancouver Sun
  • Winnipeg Sun
  • Ottawa Sun

Past articles by John:

Breaking down the many winners and losers of the Patrick Kane trade

The Patrick Kane saga has reached its conclusion. Finally.The New York Rangers acquired Kane and minor leaguer Cooper Zech on Tuesday in a three-team trade with the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes.Chicago received a conditional 2023 second-round draft pick, a 2025 fourth-rounder, and minor leaguers Vili Saarijarvi and Andy Welinski while retaining 50% of Kane's $10.5-million salary.… → Read More

Trade grades: Devils and Meier a perfect fit, Sharks opt for quantity

On Saturday, New Jersey Devils fans chanted "We Want Timo!" during a 7-0 trouncing of the Philadelphia Flyers. Their wish was granted 24 hours later.In a mammoth, 13-piece deal, the Devils acquired forwards Timo Meier and Timur Ibragimov, defensemen Scott Harrington and Santeri Hatakka, goalie Zachary Emond, and a 2024 fifth-round draft pick from the San Jose Sharks. In exchange, the Sharks… → Read More

Buy, sell, or sit? Choosing deadline directions for fringe playoff teams

The NHL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and several general managers have decisions to make about the direction they want to take their respective clubs. There are obvious buyers at the top of the standings and clear sellers near the bottom. But what about the cluster of teams in between?Some clubs, including the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators, have been hot of late, but the… → Read More

Trade grades: Leafs go all-in with O'Reilly, decisive Blues collect picks

Kyle Dubas isn't messing around. Not this year.Late Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager acquired forwards Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari and prospect Josh Pillar as part of a massive three-team swap. In return, the St. Louis Blues received a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 second-rounder, a 2023 third-rounder, and prospects Adam Gaudette and Mikhail Abramov, while the Minnesota Wild… → Read More

The good wolf: Justin Bourne navigates sobriety, hockey, and family in memoir

Which wolf are you feeding?That's a question Justin Bourne, the former pro hockey player turned Sportsnet NHL analyst, ponders daily. Like the rest of us, Bourne feeds either his inner good wolf or his inner bad wolf with every decision he makes.This past Sunday, Bourne's daughter Molly suddenly wanted to "play superheroes" in the basement of the family's Toronto home. The timing wasn't ideal,… → Read More

'Still has that aura': Crosby remains your favorite player's favorite player

Sidney Crosby settled into his chair last Friday, gazed at a group of eager reporters, and flashed his patented aw-shucks grin. His plain outfit - white T-shirt, black jeans, comfortable sneakers - matched his tidy mop of hair and scruffy yet short beard. He very much looked like Sid the Kid, only a little older now.In a stately, unimpeachable kind of way, Crosby is still the NHL's lead… → Read More

Trade grades: Making sense of the Islanders-Canucks blockbuster

The first domino has fallen ahead of the NHL's March 3 trade deadline.On Monday, the New York Islanders acquired Vancouver Canucks captain and pending unrestricted free agent forward Bo Horvat in exchange for forwards Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty and a first-round pick in the 2023 draft. (The pick becomes an unprotected 2024 first-rounder if it's in the top 12, while the Canucks retain 25%… → Read More

The Fisherman returns: The redemption story behind the Isles' throwback

When the NHL announced its Reverse Retro series for the 2022-23 season in October, there was a rush to rank the 32 new jerseys. The New York Islanders' entry - a remix of an infamous 1990s look - graded well, ranked fifth, 11th, 12th, 15th, and 17th by various media outlets, including theScore.The Islanders would have dominated the competition if the rankings had been based on origin story… → Read More

In appreciation of Kyle Connor, the NHL's perennially overlooked star

The NHL season has passed its midway point, and lost in the sea of first-half surprises and disappointments is one player who always seems to be hiding in plain sight, both on the ice and in our minds.That player is Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets. Darcy Finley / Getty ImagesIn Manitoba, where they know him best, Connor is celebrated as a superstar. Elsewhere, the 26-year-old's exploits tend to… → Read More

The driving forces behind junior hockey's super blockbusters

As of 3:12 p.m. PST on Tuesday, or 72 minutes after the Western Hockey League's annual trade deadline, Everett Silvertips general manager and head coach Dennis Williams hadn't fully collected his thoughts following a whirlwind week."I've barely taken a breath," Williams said over the phone from the team bus.Last Thursday, Williams guided Team Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior… → Read More

The All-Nobody Team: 6 NHLers quickly becoming somebodies

The NHL season isn't yet three months old and 131 players are classified as rookies with at least one game played. That's the rough equivalent of six full rosters. Put another way: Prospects of all positions and notoriety - the well-known, partially known, and unknown - are breaking through in some way.We're focusing on that last group in order to form the 2022-23 All-Nobody Team. We've… → Read More

Who, what, where, when, why: Breaking down Ovechkin's 802 goals

Alex Ovechkin was about to be mobbed by teammates with a minute remaining in regulation Friday night, and all he could muster was a half-assed shoulder shrug. He'd just scored goal No. 802 into a vacant net.Yes, 802 was anticlimactic for a larger-than-life man known for blasting one-timers and mortifying goalies for 18 seasons. But a goal's a goal, and Ovechkin's now second on the NHL's all-time… → Read More

NHL hot topics: Debating breakout stars, surprising teams, league trends

At the one-third mark of the NHL season, theScore's John Matisz and Josh Wegman offer their takes on four hot topics captivating the hockey world.Which breakout superstar would you rather build a team around, Jason Robertson or Tage Thompson? Joshua Bessex / Getty Images Sport / GettyWegman: Thompson, and I swear this isn't recency bias after watching the Buffalo Sabres star's five-goal outburst… → Read More

Examining trade scenarios for 3 high-profile players

The March 3 trade deadline is three months away, but the NHL rumor mill is already buzzing. One notable report: the Chicago Blackhawks aren't convinced Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will waive their no-trade clauses.That doesn't mean Kane or Toews, both pending unrestricted free agents, won't be traded prior to the deadline. But at the very least, the report suggests neither will be leaving… → Read More

Renewable energy: Cup-hunting Lightning betting on internal growth

At any given moment this season, Jon Cooper can scan the bodies in front of him on the Tampa Bay Lightning bench and see nameplates synonymous with three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final, two ending in elation.Stamkos. Hedman. Kucherov. Point. And so on.Cooper, Tampa Bay's head coach since March 2013, can also see nameplates that barely register with hockey fans and media outside of… → Read More

Meet Jonas Siegenthaler, secret weapon for the dominant Devils

Every other offseason, for a fleeting moment in the tropical heat, Jonas Siegenthaler becomes the center of attention. The New Jersey Devils defenseman can feel eyes lock on his 6-foot-2, 218-pound frame as he walks through the fresh food market in his mother's hometown in rural Thailand."Everybody stares at me," Siegenthaler said during a recent interview, smiling at the mental image. "My mom's… → Read More

Pushover no more: Why and how the Kraken are markedly better in Year 2

It's impossible to make definitive statements about teams and players a month into the NHL season. The sample size is simply too small for a sport as chaotic as hockey and for a league as obsessed with parity as the NHL.That said, half-baked conclusions are welcomed anytime. And here's one the rest of the league would likely agree on: The Seattle Kraken, who lost 39 games by two goals or more in… → Read More

Early returns: Making sense of some eyebrow-raising NHL numbers

The NHL's public relations department sent out a press release Tuesday highlighting amazing performances and trends from 146 October games.One particular line in the release jumps off the page: "Hits per game are among the highest on record at 47.8 - only 1999-00 (50.1), 2000-01 (47.9) and 2014-15 (47.1) have been north of 47.0 at this stage (146 GP)."Offensive skill is at an all-time high, and… → Read More

Early impressions of Torts' Flyers, Price's impact, and McDavid vs. peers

John Tortorella, the face of the franchise, stood at the lectern Thursday night fresh off a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers and kept his answers short."Yeah, we started slow. I thought we picked it up in parts of the second period, and then we just hung in there," the Philadelphia Flyers coach told reporters. Tortorella was shaking his head as he said the "hung in there" part.Tortorella is… → Read More

Fascinating 4: Keep tabs on these NHLers who've charged out of the gate

Tuesday is the two-week mark of the 2022-23 NHL season, which means we've seen enough hockey to have half-baked opinions on teams and players. Below is a look at four fascinating players, and why they've worth tracking. (Stats through Monday's games via Hockey Reference/Evolving-Hockey.)Cole Caufield, Montreal Minas Panagiotakis / Getty ImagesMy take: The top Canadiens storylines heading into… → Read More