Each Monday during the NHL season, Rob Mixer takes a look at the biggest storylines from the hockey week that was.

A couple weeks ago, we were speculating what would happen with Houston and its newfound quest to obtain an NHL franchise.

Now the course has totally reversed. It sure smells like we’re headed for team No. 32 landing in Seattle within the next few years. The NHL has long had its eyes on Seattle, a fantastic Pacific Northwest sports town that had its beloved Supersonics ripped away to Oklahoma City.

Hockey is already part of Seattle’s sports scene. The Vancouver Canucks are a natural Cascadia rival and, last week, Canucks president Trevor Linden said they would welcome a team in Seattle. What happens next is awfully familiar to what happened with Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has given Seattle the go-ahead to run a ticket drive and gauge interest in the city.

In NHL terminology, that’s the unofficial start of the expansion process, whether they will come out and say it or not. They’re locked in on Seattle joining the league sooner than later.

The early success of the Golden Knights has piqued that interest even further; the expansion draft has set George McPhee up with options both at the draft and down the road, giving the club an opportunity to be competitive in the present tense while also collecting assets for the future. It appears as though there’s enough talent for a 31-team league, so what about 32?

Doesn’t sound so crazy anymore.

After the Oak View Group’s proposal to renovate Key Arena in time for the 2020 season was approved by the city last week, the words “expansion” and “Seattle” started to gain more traction — just in time for the NHL’s Board of Governors meetings, where it was reported that the subject of Seattle was addressed.
Oh, and there’s this:

Assuming Seattle's expansion becomes reality, NHL owners will have received $37.6M in expansion fees from it and Vegas.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 8, 2017

It would be a surprise if the NHL didn’t announce something about a potential franchise in Seattle in the coming months. There’s smoke, fire, and matches laying on the floor.

Breadman rising

Artemi Panarin didn’t start fast with the Blue Jackets, but it’s safe to say he’s got his foot on the accelerator right now.
After a record-tying five-point night Friday in Newark (all primary assists, becoming the first NHLer in 22 years to do so), then the primary assist on Josh Anderson’s game-winning goal on Saturday, Panarin is up to 27 points in 30 games and leads the Blue Jackets in scoring.
For a Blue Jackets team that has struggled offensively and is picking up points despite not playing its best, having Panarin on a hot streak has masked a few shortcomings along the way. Sergei Bobrovsky’s fourth shutout of the season — which came in Saturday’s 1-0 win — certainly helps matters.

Metro madness

Not long ago, the Capitals were in a tough spot.
After winning eight of their last 10 games, they’re now in a good spot.

Entering Monday’s slate of games, Barry Trotz’s team is two points behind the Blue Jackets for first place in the Metropolitan, a division that’s as unforgiving as it is competitive. Right behind the Capitals (37 points) are the Devils (36), the Islanders and Penguins (35) and the Rangers (34). That’s six teams separated by five points with 30 games down and 52 to go, setting up what figures to be the craziest divisional race in the league.

Just as a hot streak can vault a team back into the mix, a stumble can mean the opposite: the Hurricanes and Flyers, each having won just three of their last 10 games each, are a full 10 points off the Blue Jackets’ pace.

Senators slide

It’s a fair question: if the Senators continue to fade, is Pierre Dorion going to be the guy making the decisions in a pivotal trade deadline and offseason?
We’ve heard that owner Eugene Melnyk may be looking for a way out. He was reportedly miffed that Erik Karlsson, one of the best players on the planet, said he wouldn’t entertain a hometown discount for Ottawa on his next deal. As recently as Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada, insiders Elliotte Friedman and Nick Kypreos wondered if the time to explore a Karlsson trade was on the horizon.

Can you imagine the silly season frenzy if that were to happen? Goodness.

The team has fallen off the map; the Senators have been shut out in three of their last four games, they’ve lost 11 of 12 overall, and Craig Anderson’s sub-.900 save percentage is haunting for coach Guy Boucher, who can’t count on his goaltender to steal a game when they need it.
Matt Duchene had enough losing in Colorado and wanted a fresh start, so he got traded to a team in a total free fall. And it’s only December