Is Jonathan Drouin making the right decision?

It has been a major story this season surrounding the 2013 3rd overall draft pick for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jonathan Drouin's season has been surrounded by controversy and doubt, after struggling to crack the lineup early in the season it was clear Drouin was unhappy. After being limited to just 19 games because of injury and only five games in November. So in his second season Drouin was sent down to the Lightning's AHL affiliate the Syracuse Crunch to get more playing time. GM Steve Yzerman stated at the time "he's been dealing with a minor nagging injury that is finally healed. With everyone coming back at the same time, it's a good opportunity to get a young player a lot of ice time, get his game right back on top and bring him back at the appropriate time". With that there was no clear date set for Drouin to rejoin the Lightning. 

Are the Blackhawks still the favorites after the trade deadline?

The Chicago Blackhawks like most top teams in the NHL were busy during the last week before the trade deadline. As one of the best teams in the West and having the best player in the NHL this year in Patrick Kane. The future seems pretty bright for the defending champions looking to go back to back. The Blackhawks have become the gold standard in the NHL over the past six years, being able to move players while still maintaining their core of players. The Blackhawks have made the right decisions by taking chances on Brad Richards, Chris Versteeg and a few other veteran players. They have also been on of the best teams when it comes to cutting ties with players that are reaching the end of the usefulness. Their farm system has also been developing solid young players who have been able to come in and fill those roles for the Blackhawks.

Is Ryan Miller the same goalie?

In the early 2000's Ryan Miller was arguably the best goalie in the NHL, he was the back bone of some of those great Sabers teams under Lindy Ruff. But Miller has fallen off over the last few years, age and news teams have led him into obscurity. Miller has struggled since joining Vancouver as a free agent in 2014. The narrative has been his best years were in Buffalo and has been in decline since the 2010 Olympics. He joined the Canucks on a three year 18-million-dollar contract, he was supposed to lead the Canucks back to the playoffs. He had been one of the most sought after goalies at the trade deadline when he was dealt to the St. Louis Blues to help them in their cup hopes. Miller had a decent run with the Blues helping them make the playoffs. Unfortunately, they fell short in their cup hopes and were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round. 

Should goalie equipment be reduced?

It's been a debate in the NHL for years now, should the equipment that goalies wear be reduced to create more goals. Many believe that because there are bigger goalies in the NHL who get to wear bigger equipment it gives them more of an advantage. We are witnessing the age of the big goalie, gone are the days where we could see a goalie like Jeff Lerg in the NHL. The shortest goalie right now in the NHL is Jhonas Enroth of the LA Kings at 5'10". The league average size for a goaltender is about 6'2", with the tallest goalie being Ben Bishop who stands at 6'7". Bigger goalies are in high demand for NHL teams. But there is an issue that comes with bigger goalies, their equipment is sized for their protection. That means bigger chest protectors, bigger pads, and bigger goalie sticks all of these things add to the massive goalies.