It’s been a bit since we have done an Around the Rink and with yours truly is about to go on vacation next week, so now felt like a good time. We have some breaking news to get into and some thoughts on the rest league as well as the stretch run lies ahead of us. Let’s get after it!

Kek’d out of Town: The biggest breaking story of the week comes from Columbus, as General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen was relieved of his duties. The Finnish executive was the second longest tenured GM in the league, having been in charge since 2013. In that time, he oversaw the Blue Jackets most successful period in franchise period, and he really helped give the club a lifeline it did not have before he took over. In that window they won their first playoff series and developed a number of home-grown stars while bringing in high end players that made a lifetime of memories for their fans. While there has been a lot of good, there has been plenty of bad in the last two years, starting with the signing of Johnny Gaudreau. The former Calgary star has struggled in Ohio and things have only gotten worse there with lowlights like the brief tenure of Mike Babcock and the in fighting on a roster of unhappy players. This next hire will be key for the Jackets as they will look to turn things around quickly with a better direction under another GM.

Royal Flush Down the Toilet: On Thursday night I had the pleasure (if you’d call it that) of attending the game between the Kings and Devils at Prudential Center. This is the first of two thoughts stemming from this game, and frankly I could write a whole article about the mess on the ice in Newark. Let’s begin with the Kings, who won the game 2-1 on a late goal by Quinton Byfield. LA was a preseason favorite of mine and despite a strong start, they have become a complete and utter mess. Their struggles led to the dismissal of coach Todd McLellan, who was replaced by interim Jim Hiller. They are 2-1 under Hiller, but aside from their impressive win over the Oilers, they haven’t looked much better since the coaching change. They were hammed 7-0 by the Sabres Tuesday night and then bumbled their way to the win over the Devils. Their powerplay is as dysfunctional as their locker room and their third period effort was as lazy as Pierre Luc-Dubois. This team feels like it needs a facelift, not a tune up, no matter how this season ends.

A Shell of Their Former Selves: As for the Kings opponent on Thursday, the Devils were even worse in the game. With just seven shots halfway through the game and several wasted powerplays, their effort was far from inspiring. For a team that was once considered a favorite to represent the East in the Finals, the Devils are not even close to being the team they were a year ago. While injuries and goaltending have hampered them, the struggles on the ice cannot be solely attributed to those factors. Their unwillingness to break from habitually looking to score flashy goals leads to a stubborn frustration where they can self-destruct a bit. Their once flashy powerplay looks stalled and big money players like Timo Meier aren’t delivering. All of their frustration boiled over in the case of Jack Hughes, who seemingly drew a penalty Thursday night, only to argue with the ref and throw a tantrum while the play went the other way. Hughes is a brilliant player, but he can’t criticize the performance of his goaltenders like he did last week and then behave like this while the team struggles. It’s not the kind of leadership that breeds winning.

Hitting the Right Notes: We transition from two teams in turmoil to a squad that is on fire and thinking playoffs. After an ugly first two months the St. Louis Blues have found their stride under new coach Drew Bannister and are in possession of the final playoff spot out West. They’re 8-2-0 in their last ten games off the back of strong play on both ends of the rink. While leading scorer Robert Thomas and his resurgent sidekick Jordan Kyrou deserve a lot of praise, I wanted to highlight the play of one of their promising young stars. Young Jake Neighbours has scored 19 goals in his first full season in “the national.” His impact has helped turn this season around and it is particularly exciting considering the Blues plethora of prospects in the pipeline. A line featuring Neighbours and USA hockey hero Jimmy Snuggerud is tantalizing to say the least.

Bobby with the Hatty: While Auston Matthews registered a hat trick Thursday night against the Flyers, he wasn’t the only Leaf to pick up a hat trick this week. Bobby McMann, who has shuttled back and forth between the AHL and NHL, had a magical night in “Torona” with a hat trick in the Leafs 4-1 win over the Blues. The Leafs are seemingly always searching for reliable depth to back up their big guns and at least for one night McMann gave them exactly that. It was a feel-good moment that has helped the Leafs put a bad loss in Ottawa behind them last Saturday. They currently occupy the first Wild Card spot in the East and are looking to climb in the Atlantic.

Desert Duldrums: Things never seem to improve in the Valley Sun, on the ice or off it. The Coyote’s once promising season is starting to go up in smoke as they are 2-7-1 in their last ten games and ten points out of the last playoff spot in the West. While this team’s young core has ability, they don’t put it together each year and it seems this will happen again. The struggles are also taking place in the community as their arena situation is becoming quite dire once again. While they would like to move out of their “temporary” home on the campus of Arizona State University, there is no real momentum for an arena deal to get done. With rumor swirling about potential relocation cities, we may be nearing the end of hockey in Arizona.

The Team to Beat: While a lot is being made about a number of teams around the league, it feels like the Panthers are somehow flying under the radar. This comes in spite of the fact that they have won ten straight road games and four straight overall. This brilliant run has gotten them to the top of the Atlantic Division as the Bruins are struggling of late. The “cats” are extremely well rounded and can beat you just about any way they want. It feels like they are emerging as the front runner in weakened Eastern Conference, and it will take a big effort to stop them from repeating as conference champions. The Bruins and Rangers feel best equipped to knock them off, especially if they make some solid deadline additions. Florida has gone from the hunter to the hunted, the question remains…can they remain “kings of the jungle.”

Beanpot Repeat: I wanted to through in a bonus story this time out as there was an epic finish to the Beanpot tournament. For those who don’t know, the Beanpot is a tournament held every year between the top college hockey teams in New England and for the second year in a row, the Northeastern Huskies won it all. The curtain dropped on this as “captain of the all-name team” Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored the OT winner and sent “The Gaaaaaaaaaaaaden” into a frenzy. Quite the moment for one of this upcoming drafts top prospects.

Stay tuned for a special Nights on Broadway Rangers recap on Monday that I will get out I head to some much-needed R&R. We will also have our MLB season previews beginning soon. You can find me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Also, check out our new Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. We’ll be back with more soon.