This Week in the NHL: ‘Pickles’ Vlasic can join two of NHL’s rarest clubs
With 32 teams and seemingly infinite storylines, it’s hard to keep track of all the weekly goings on during the NHL season. That’s why I’m here to help. Every Monday from October to April, I’ll preview the key events, games, narratives and milestones in play for the week.
So what’s on tap for Jan. 6-12?
Jan. 9: Official halfway mark of the 2024-25 NHL season
It feels like we just watched the Florida Panthers lift the Stanley Cup, doesn’t it? But the third leg of Thursday’s 10-game slate will mark Game No. 656 of the schedule, the exact midway point between the regular season and (licks lips) playoffs.
Jan. 10: Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s 1,300th game
San Jose Sharks @ Utah Hockey Club, 9:00 p.m. ET
This approaching milestone, which Vlasic will hit on Friday if he plays each San Jose game before then, stands out for multiple reasons. For one: ‘Pickles’ returned to action last week and suited up for the first time since April 2024. It didn’t feel like a lock that we’d see him in the NHL again given he’s 37 and was working his way back from a major upper-body injury. Now, he’s just two games away from becoming only the 21st defenseman in NHL history to play 1,300 games. He’ll also become just the 17th player at any position to play 1,300 games with a single franchise.
Jonathan Quick’s 400th win
Projecting win milestones for backup goaltenders can be difficult, as their allotted starts come sporadically, but with Igor Shesterkin on injured reserve right now, Quick holds down the New York Rangers’ starting job and will get multiple cracks at win No. 400 in a shorter-than-planned timespan. He sits at 399 career victories and will soon become the 15th member of the 400-win club – and the first American. While Quick doesn’t have a Vezina Trophy, his two Stanley Cups and Conn Smythe Trophy, coupled with the wins milestone, should all but clinch a future induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Connor Hellebuyck’s 300th win
The two-time – and soon to be three-time? – Vezina Trophy winner sits at 299 victories, denied no. 300 in his past two starts. When he gets his 300th, he’ll become the 41st netminder to do it. Can you say Future Hall of Famer?