In this week’s edition of Bargain Bin, we break down Brad Marchand’s emotional return to Boston, Matthew Schaefer’s immediate impact on Long Island, Mark Scheifele becoming the all-time scoring leader in Winnipeg’s 2.0 history, Jaromir Jagr suiting up for his 38th season of professional hockey, and the Heritage Classic to return in 2026.

We also cover the dumpster fire, taking a look at overpaid players and underperforming teams. We get back into the fantasy hockey world with potential waiver wire options. Conrad also covers his must-watch game of this upcoming week.

Marchand’s Emotional Return to Boston

Former Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand made his emotional return to Boston on Tuesday, October 21st. A video tribute and a lengthy ovation occurred, and Marchand was seen fighting back tears and telling his teammates that “he’s good” to go back and play.

16 seasons with one team does that to a player. Marchand won a Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 and made the Stanley Cup Finals on two other occasions (2013 & 2019), but lost.

His trade from Boston to Florida signalled a rebuild/retool direction for the Bruins, and another chance to compete for Marchand.

Marchand won his second Stanley Cup in Florida in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He later signed a six-year contract with Florida in the 2025 offseason.

A standing ovation and heartfelt tribute were enough to bring tears to Marchand’s eyes, the only organization he had known until March 7th, 2025. Marchand put his hand over his heart and saluted the crowd before resuming play.

The array of Marchand signs and a loud “Marchy” chant made it all the more emotional for the former 71st overall draft selection of the Bruins in 2006.

2025 First Overall Draft Pick Matthew Schaefer has lived up to all the hype throughout the early stretch of the October NHL schedule.

He’s already etched himself in the NHL record books by tying Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky for second place for longest season-opening point streak at 18 years old or younger by an NHL player.

The six-game point streak also puts him in first place among NHL defenseman at 18 years old or younger for an NHL player. He’s one game behind tying Alexandre Daigle’s seven-game season-opening point streak set back in 1993-94 with the Ottawa Senators.

Simply put, everyone knew Schaefer was going to be good, but it wasn’t expected that he’d be making this impact as early as he has. Though he couldn’t pick up a point in the Islander’s 7-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, Schaefer still has this piece of NHL history to his name.

Early on in the season, he’s already cemented himself as the Calder Trophy favourite, and for good reason. If this continues, Schaefer could enjoy a long NHL career with many awards to complement that early success.

Scheifele Passes Wheeler to Become All-Time Leading Scorer in Jets 2.0 History

Mark Scheifele sits alone for most points in Winnipeg Jets 2.0 history, but he’s still eyeing some records in Jets 1.0 history.

With a goal on Saturday, October 18th’s matchup against their divisional rival, the Nashville Predators, Scheifele notched his 813th career point (342G, 471A) since being drafted by the team. He added another goal to notch his 814th career point.

It’s fitting that the Jets’ first-ever draft pick since relocating back to Winnipeg is the leading scorer in franchise history. Add to the fittingness of the moment, Scheifele scored on the play that longtime linemate, Kyle Connor, notched an assist on.

Scheifele’s tear to begin the 2025-26 season is something that most didn’t expect, but it’s certainly needed as the Jets are soaring to begin the year. His 10 points (7G, 3A) in six games played have strengthened the Jets and their pursuit of more postseason success.

Jaromir Jagr Suits Up for 38th Season of Professional Hockey

Last Friday night, hours after the previous edition of Bargain Bin went up, Jaromir Jagr suited up for his 38th season of professional hockey. He played on the fourth line for the Kladno Knights in Czechia, a team he’s been a majority owner of up until January of this year.

Jagr’s served the dual role of owner and player for his hometown team since 2017, and this 38th season marks yet another year fans have to wait for the NHL legend to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The 53-year-old made his professional hockey debut back in 1988 with Kladno before being drafted fifth overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He joined the Penguins immediately and helped them win two Stanley Cups in his first two seasons in 1991 and 1992.

The Kladno native played 24 seasons in the NHL, posting 1921 points (766G, 1155A) in 1733 NHL games. His final NHL game came in the 2016-17 season with the Calgary Flames at the age of 45 years old.

Jagr still sits in second place in the NHL’s all-time points list and is a lock to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame when eligible. Per the current rules, a player must be out of professional hockey for three years before they are eligible for induction.

In 2024-25, Jagr posted 16 points (5G, 11A) in 39 games for Kladno. He has yet to record a point in the 2025-26 season at the time of writing.

Heritage Classic to Return, Winnipeg the Frontrunner to Host

On the latest edition of Saturday Headlines, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the NHL is bringing back the Heritage Classic and the Winnipeg Jets are the leading candidates to host the event.

The outdoor event hasn’t taken place since the 2023 season. and last came to Winnipeg in 2016 when the Oilers beat the Jets 3-0. The inaugural Heritage Classic event was played in Edmonton in 2003 and became the inspiration for the Winter Classic and Stadium Series outdoor games that followed.

The 2026 edition of the Heritage Classic will mark the eighth time the NHL has put on the event. The Winnipeg Jets have competed in the event twice and boast a 1-1 record. As mentioned prior, the Jets lost to the Oilers in the year they hosted, but went on to defeat the Calgary Flames 2-1 in the 2019 edition.

The Jets would host the event at Princess Auto Stadium, and speculation has run rampant that the Jets could be hosting a divisional rival or a Canadian rival. The biggest question surrounding Winnipeg’s potential hosting of the event would be whether they played the Minnesota Wild.

Every game the Jets and the Wild play is must-watch hockey. Add in the Canadian weather elements and an outdoor venue that doubles the Canada Life Centre capacity, and it would be nothing short of a spectacle.

The Dumpster Fire: Week 1

Welcome to the Dumpster Fire, a weekly look at who’s performing in the NHL and who’s not. Every team has a bad contract or multiple, some more than others. Admittedly, some teams aren’t performing up to expectations. Let’s dive right into that for week one of this edition of the Dumpster Fire.

Underperforming Player: Ilya Sorokin (NYI)

I’m going to take heat for this one, but the New York Islanders have a goaltender who could be considered one of the best in the NHL currently, but it’s all being wasted away on an Islanders team that can’t put a solid team in front of him.

Sorokin has a win-loss record of 2-3-0 across five games played to start the 2025-26 NHL season. He’s posted a 3.90 goals-against average (GAA) and a .873 save percentage (SV%) so far. His career numbers are respectable with 22 shutouts, a 2.60 GAA, and a .916 SV% with 127 wins across 258 games played.

The 2014 third-round (78th overall) draft selection of the New York Islanders has appeared in two Eastern Conference Finals with the team, and the stamp of Lou Lamoriello remains with the team this season and for the next few. If Sorokin wants to contend for a Stanley Cup, the Islanders either need to retool fast or Sorokin needs to play like one of the best goaltenders in the league, a job that shouldn’t be hard for Sorokin.

It’s not expected that the Islanders will be in a position to compete for a playoff spot this season, and that could extend into next season, too. With Sorokin getting into his early 30s, his time as an NHL goaltender is limited. However, the Islanders could make moves to get themselves back into contention via trades and free agency. Time will tell if Sorokin goes from underperforming to performing to expected levels.

Underperforming Team: Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning, oh boy, do they look rough to start the 2025-26 season. The Buffalo Sabres have one more win currently than the Lightning do, and given that both teams have played the exact number of games, maybe expectations need to be adjusted for the Lightning.

A 1-3-2 win-loss record to start the season is far below expectations, especially for a team with a Norris-calibre defenseman, a Vezina Trophy favourite goaltender, and a Hart/Art Ross Trophy favourite forward. Up and down the lineup, the Tampa Bay Lightning absolutely have to be better than they are right now.

While the Lightning aren’t in the position to immediately become Stanley Cup Contenders again, they have the pieces to compete game in and game out for an Atlantic Division playoff spot, and right now, they look like a lost team.

It’s ultimately early in the season and even harder to judge if the Lightning will continue this stretch of poor games or bounce back, but something has to give for a team that won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with a good chunk of this current roster just a few seasons ago.

Fantasy Hockey: Week 2

Trade targets and the waiver wire, nothing gets better than Fantasy Hockey early on in the season. Conrad gives you his top waiver wire targets, while also recapping his week in the fantasy hockey scene.

Waiver Wire Targets

Going through a lot of written pieces and looking at numbers on Yahoo Fantasy Hockey, there’s a lot of consensus that there are realistic options available in all positions to make your team better.

In net, Cam Talbot in Detroit is a hot option as he’s only 36% rostered right now. The Red Wings have a Talbot and John Gibson duo in net, and after Gibson’s rocky start, this opened the door for Talbot to earn more games. Talbot’s been strong so far, having started and won three straight games. Talbot could earn any fantasy manager some extra points, even if you acquire him for just a week or two.

Dan Vladar in Philadelphia is another high-potential addition to any fantasy team. The Flyers’ net minder is off to a great start to the year as he’s suited up for four games and doesn’t look like a fluke whatsoever. Samuel Ersson’s struggles opened the door for Vladar to have a strong chance at solidifying his role as the Flyers’ number one, and only being rostered at 19% is surprising considering his strong numbers to start the year.

An option for a player on the Vancouver Canucks’ top power play unit is Conor Garland, who’s rostered at just 30%. Though it’s to be noted that Garland is a streaky player and has bursts throughout the year. However, anyone with an extra roster spot or a willingness to make multiple moves a week would consider looking at Garland.

Low Rostered Gem: Dmitri Voronkov in Columbus (17% rostered) and Jackson Blake in Carolina (12% rostered)

Conrad’s Less Than Ideal Fantasy Week

I mentioned last week that I’m in a rebuilding year, or at least I think I did. I’m coming off a season finishing second place and being the runner-up in the keeper league I’ve played in for the past three years. My regular season record was 22-2, but my loss in my league’s finals signalled that it’s time to get back to my championship-winning ways.

I wasn’t as aggressive in my Fantasy Hockey; I made zero moves to acquire players or make trades, which is a first in a long time for me. I also lost by over 180 points, which is a first in a long time for me since playing fantasy hockey.

It’s a less-than-ideal week because I’ve remained competitive since joining this fantasy hockey league, but my 1-2 win-loss record isn’t so promising so far.

Conrad’s Must-Watch Game of the Week

On Saturday, October 25th, the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche clash at 2:00 pm CST for must-watch hockey television.

This game marks two different teams as the Avalanche are flying with a 5-0-2 record to start the season, while also allowing few goals. The Bruins are in a position to knock the Avalanche off their block and bounce back after a rough 3-5-0 start; it’s just a high bar for the Bruins.

The momentum clash between the Avalanche and Bruins marks an opportunity for the Bruins to bounce back and a huge opportunity for the Avalanche to solidify themselves as the NHL’s best.

This game is a must-watch as it could define early-season trajectories. If the Bruins want to gain momentum and regain some ground on their season, this game is it.

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