Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins
In the summer, Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked the every club’s NHL pipeline. The Boston Bruins came in dead last. The only player from the organization who made the list at age 23-and-below was Fabian Lysell.
While the Bruins are currently rolling, without a farm system flush with talent, the organization may be in for some future struggles. Jolly Old Saint Nick to the rescue. His gift is to help the Bruins restock their cupboards through drafting wisely and avoiding the urge to trade away key future picks.
Buffalo Sabres
The present to the Buffalo Sabres is for them to qualify for the playoffs. Currently, the franchise looks to be on the bubble as they contend for a wildcard spot. With their budding star Tage Thompson lighting up the league and the resurgence of Jeff Skinner, unwrapping this present in the spring will surely delight Sabres fans.
Detroit Red Wings
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft was a wild one, especially for the Maple Leafs. The Detroit Red Wings may have found a diamond in the rough in that class. In the third round, at 70th overall, they announced Carter Mazur’s name. The 6’0″, 172 lbs left-winger was playing for the Tri-City Storm in the USHL.
While he remains unsigned, Mazur has taken his game to new heights for the University of Denver. The Red Wings are gifted not only Mazur’s signature on an entry level contract but also having him develop into an NHL forward for their club.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers were hoping to build on their regular season success from last season and lean heavily on their goalie tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight to help them do it. So far, that plan has fallen flat with less than desirable performances from the pair.
The gift to the Panthers is for them to sort out their goaltending. Bobrovsky has been dreadful over his past nine decisions, dropping six of them. The 34-year-old owns a 3.25 goals-against average through 20 games along with an .895 save percentage.
Knight is the younger of the Panthers duo at age 21. He hasn’t won a game since December 3. Through his first 16 games of the campaign, he has a more respectable 2.93 goals-against average along with a .909 save percentage. With help from Santa’s gift, the Panthers will gain confidence in their keepers.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens receive the gift of scoring on the power play. According to statmuse, the Habs are currently last in the NHL in power play percentage. After the first 33 games of the season, they have registered just 14 goals with a man advantage. They’ve scored on 13.6-per cent of their power play opportunities. The Oilers lead the league, scoring on 33.1-per cent of their power plays.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators gift is for them to finalize something that appears to have been in the works for quite some time, bringing Ryan Reynolds in as a part of the organization’s ownership. It has been reported that Reynolds and his group at Maximum Effort have been looking at joining Senators, buying-in as owners.
Having Reynolds in the mix would be great for the organization. He would be able to bring more eyes to the team, much in a similar way that Drake acts as the Global Ambassador for the Toronto Raptors.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The present for the Tampa Bay Lightning is a guarantee that no other club will give defenseman Nick Perbix an offer sheet. The Bolts drafted Perbix in the sixth-round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and he finally earned his first opportunity to play in the NHL this season. Perbix has been a very nice surprise for the team, especially in his ability to be a trusted partner alongside Victor Hedman.
At age 24, Perbix is playing the best hockey of his life and could easily begin taking on a bigger role. While the Lightning are currently enjoying the low salary that playing on an entry-level contract brings, that luxury is coming to an end once the season is over. Perbix will become an RFA in the offseason. While the Bolts may have been worried about losing the young blueliner to an offer sheet, their gift will allow GM Julien Brisebois to negotiate without worry of Perbix being scooped up by a competitor.