By Canadian Press

New No. 1’s struggle, Marchand still sizzling, Ladd quiet in Long Island

Oct 24, 2016 | 9:15 AM

Big off-season moves in Calgary and Toronto to land a No. 1 goaltender haven’t gone well for either team so far.

Plucked from St. Louis for a pair of draft picks, Brian Elliott was tasked with solidifying a Calgary crease that’s wobbled since Miikka Kiprusoff’s decline and eventual exit. The Maple Leafs also used two draft picks to land Frederik Andersen from Anaheim, hoping for the long-term answer Toronto has lacked since Ed Belfour left town a decade ago.

Elliott, however, surrendered 14 goals in dropping his first three starts with the Flames and was passed over for a start against the Blues, his former team, over the weekend. The 31-year-old had a superb .930 save percentage in St. Louis last season, but has a woeful .839 mark so far this fall.

Andersen, meanwhile, has been hit for at least four goals in three of his four starts. While the 27-year-old played well for long stints of the Leafs last outing in Chicago, he still could not preserve another third-period lead for Toronto, which lost 5-4 in a shootout.

“It would be nice to make a save in the last few minutes there to get the win,” he told reporters afterward. 

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It’s far too early for either team to be overly concerned, but that will change if the struggles persist.

Of the two, Elliott, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, has less room for error than his Toronto counterpart, who signed a five-year contract with the Leafs in the summer.

The unlikeliest goals leader

The NHL’s current goal-scoring leader was a disappointing afterthought playing in the American Hockey League at this time last season.

Richard Panik had fallen out of favour under new Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock and was demoted to the Toronto Marlies, where he played until a January trade to Chicago.

A former Tampa Bay Lightning second rounder, Panik was so-so upon arrival in the Windy City, but has blown off the doors to start this season. The 25-year-old has already scored a league-leading six goals (on only nine shots), matching his total from 30 games with the Blackhawks last year.

Panik’s career-high for goals in the NHL is 11, a mark he hit with the Leafs in the 2014-15 season and one he should eclipse soon if the current, if likely unsustainable, hot streak continues.

No slowing Marchand

It’s been quite the fall season for Brad Marchand.

Shortly after signing an eight-year, US$49 million extension with Boston last month, Marchand scored the World Cup of Hockey-clinching goal for Team Canada, one of his eight points at the tournament, a mark bested by only Sidney Crosby (10). 

The 28-year-old, who had a career-high 37 goals and 60 points last season, has continued to sizzle for the Bruins. He has already rung up three goals and is tied for the league leaf with nine points in his first five games.

First taste in the NHL

Undrafted out of Valencia, Calif., Shane Harper played in more than 400 minor league games before he finally got his first NHL opportunity with the Florida Panthers this season. The 27-year-old scored twice in his fifth game, a 5-2 win over Colorado, pulling in about 10 minutes per game on the Panthers fourth line.

Making a name in Columbus

He won’t draw the buzz of fellow hotshot rookies Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine, but 19-year-old Zach Werenski is off to a fine start in his first NHL season for Columbus. The Michigan native and eighth overall pick of the 2015 draft (third defenceman off the board), Werenski is leading the Blue Jackets in scoring, totalling a pair of goals (both on the power play) and three assists in four games. He’s playing a ton for head coach John Tortorella, raking in more 21 minutes per game while posting fine puck possession numbers (57 per cent) thus far.

Same troubles (mostly) for Senators

Ottawa didn’t do much tweaking to a roster that finished as one of the NHL’s worst defensively last season, counting instead on the efforts of new head coach Guy Boucher. The general results look eerily familiar for Ottawa (3-2-0), though some underlying indicators suggest improvement.

Goals against per game: Tied for 27th (26th last season)  

Shots against per game: 21st (30th)

Penalty kill: Tied for 26th (29th)

Penalty killing shots attempts per 60 minutes: 16th (29th) 

Puck possession: 16th (26th)

Marooned Islander

Former Jets captain Andrew Ladd signed one of the priciest deals of the off-season, seven years, $38.5 million with the New York Islanders. Though he’s been paired with John Tavares on the team’s top line, Ladd has yet to score, picking up his first assist and point of the season Sunday in the Islanders 6-3 win over Minnesota.

Jonas Siegel, The Canadian Press