If you did not see the Evgeni Malkin goal, you need to find it immediately. It's almost hard to think anyone else could win the Calder after seeing that. You need to see it in slow motion also, as it makes it look even more spectacular because of how difficult it was.
Watching Versus I also saw the fights breaking out between Ottawa and Toronto. McGratton gave the turtle sign to Belak, so in response Darcy Tucker decided to fight Patrick Eaves. After the "fight" Tucker gave Eaves the turtle sign. Now, I agree with the analysts on Versus that the Ottawa player should have gone to help Eaves since he's not a fighter at all. But you know what? I can only find Tucker giving the turtle sign as hypocritical. You're fighting a small guy who never fights and never will. Really, how tough do you think you are Tucker? You're gloating about taking candy from a baby. It's real easy to start a fight you know you can win, and in my opinion, it just shines poorly on Tucker (if he can truly shine more bad light on himself). You want to impress people? Beat up guys like Chara and Cairnes, not players who have never and never will drop the gloves.
So congrats to you big man for having the courage to only start a fight with a guy you know you can beat. Coward.
-Jordan
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Shake it Up
Well the Flyers have definitely been the most interesting team this past week with placing three players on waivers, and then the firing of Ken Hitchcock and the resignation of GM Bob Clarke.
Only Baumgartner was a surprise to be put on wiaversr, but Dimitrakos is pretty much a dime a dozen player, and Nedved is at the end of his career. I’m not sure I have seen many more people with so much talent and so little drive.
On Sunday the bomb was dropped on Hitchcock (I’m sure much to Robert Esche’s pleasure) along with Clarke resigning. Hitchcock being gone isn’t all that surprising as the coach is normally the first to go when things go bad. Ironically Clarke gave him a large vote of confidence with a three year contract extension that I’m sure Snider is now regretting. As soon as other coaches start taking the fall (except in Phoenix where the only way Gretzky will be removed is by his own admission) Hitchcock will find a job as he has proven he is a good coach, as his two tenures in Dallas and Philadelphia have proven.
Clarke was a bit surprising, and I’m sure has Flyers fans divided. It seemed for as many that liked him, just as much called for his head again and again. Clarke officially resigned, but can anyone really be sure he wasn’t forced out? While I do lean toward the former as after all those years of service you don’t just give someone the shaft. Even the Penguins let Craig Patrick’s contract expire rather than firing him.
In an earlier post I wrote that it was too early to panic. But in this case, I do think it can be an exception. If you care to remember last year (and most Pens fans don’t), it took ten games to win their first. The team was disorganized, undisciplined and tuned out the coach. It was a bad situation all around, and I saw much the same with this Flyer team this year.
Clarke is often chastised, especially since a first round exit, about how he did not account correctly for the new NHL. It’s a little hard to argue as he went for the slower but tough guys like Hatcher and Rathje. He did try to correct that some this year with signing Sanderson and trading for Calder, but it wasn’t enough. Hitchcock took the fall and Clarke let himself go feeling he could no longer help the franchise as its GM.
It will be interesting to see how the Flyers react to this shake up, as if a five player swing last week wasn’t enough. The Flyers are in a pretty big hole, but it is still early in the year and they still have time to turn things around.
-Jordan
Only Baumgartner was a surprise to be put on wiaversr, but Dimitrakos is pretty much a dime a dozen player, and Nedved is at the end of his career. I’m not sure I have seen many more people with so much talent and so little drive.
On Sunday the bomb was dropped on Hitchcock (I’m sure much to Robert Esche’s pleasure) along with Clarke resigning. Hitchcock being gone isn’t all that surprising as the coach is normally the first to go when things go bad. Ironically Clarke gave him a large vote of confidence with a three year contract extension that I’m sure Snider is now regretting. As soon as other coaches start taking the fall (except in Phoenix where the only way Gretzky will be removed is by his own admission) Hitchcock will find a job as he has proven he is a good coach, as his two tenures in Dallas and Philadelphia have proven.
Clarke was a bit surprising, and I’m sure has Flyers fans divided. It seemed for as many that liked him, just as much called for his head again and again. Clarke officially resigned, but can anyone really be sure he wasn’t forced out? While I do lean toward the former as after all those years of service you don’t just give someone the shaft. Even the Penguins let Craig Patrick’s contract expire rather than firing him.
In an earlier post I wrote that it was too early to panic. But in this case, I do think it can be an exception. If you care to remember last year (and most Pens fans don’t), it took ten games to win their first. The team was disorganized, undisciplined and tuned out the coach. It was a bad situation all around, and I saw much the same with this Flyer team this year.
Clarke is often chastised, especially since a first round exit, about how he did not account correctly for the new NHL. It’s a little hard to argue as he went for the slower but tough guys like Hatcher and Rathje. He did try to correct that some this year with signing Sanderson and trading for Calder, but it wasn’t enough. Hitchcock took the fall and Clarke let himself go feeling he could no longer help the franchise as its GM.
It will be interesting to see how the Flyers react to this shake up, as if a five player swing last week wasn’t enough. The Flyers are in a pretty big hole, but it is still early in the year and they still have time to turn things around.
-Jordan
Thursday, October 19, 2006
VS ESPN
There’s an interesting interview with Gary Bettman in the October 12th edition of the Wall Street Journal. In the interview, Bettman is asked to defend his stance on switching to a network with much less visible, OLN/VS, as opposed to sticking with sports behemoth, ESPN/ABC.
While the move sent shockwaves throughout the hockey sports world, it was clearly a wise decision for Bettman to switch to a different network from a fan’s standpoint.
Hockey finally got the visibility it required in my opinion. Bettman states, “We knowingly gave up some distribution in the short term for better coverage of our games. The treatment that Versus gives us is phenomenal. Last year in the playoffs, every night was all NHL. There was wall-to-wall coverage, with double-headers. There was ancillary hockey programming and movies. The intermissions were devoted to hockey. There was extended post-game coverage every night. So in terms of how we were treated, we couldn't have been happier. We knew, at least in the short term, that while Versus was growing, we were going to have to give up some distribution to get that. They've increased, since we've been with them, by over seven million homes.”
While the E networks do reach a number of homes, could the NHL really sustain itself with one game a week during the regular season? Not to mention fighting with other major sports like Football, Baseball, Basketball, Golf, heck even Poker. Does ESPN honestly believe that they can have everything and give each adequate amount of time that each network believes? Please. You think ESPN could break away from 24/7 Terrel Owens coverage for 3 minutes to show Crosby vs. Ovechkin? No way! Do you believe ESPN would even show highlights of hockey anymore? Quite frankly, I’m sure others can attest to this, but did they even show highlights of hockey on Sportscenter towards the end of the partnership? They’d show scores but for hockey to catch on with JOE ADD here in America, they need the highlights. Big hits, clutch saves, and defensive stickchecks should all be a part of a hockey network’s coverage. The hockey fan doesn’t want to see just a simple scoreboard. We want to see what happened in a game like they do with baseball or football – Tell the story of the game and what led to the end result.
Furthermore, has ESPN even marketed the game? Let’s be honest here you would hear about Hockey as being the ugly stepchild of the other major sports. How can ESPN promote a sport when it’s own columnists, writers, TV hosts berate it for being awful etc.
Granted, pre lockout hockey was an abysmal trap fest compared to the free-flowing early 90s and beyond but still. ESPN also wouldn’t showcase some of the lesser known teams. We would see numerous Stars, Red Wing, Avalanche contests in the west as well as Rangers, Devils and Flyers contest in the east. Now am I arguing that these games shouldn’t be shown? -- Of course not. What I am saying is that ESPN could have showed us an Edmonton game or a Calgary game
This is not to say that OLN/VS network is without faults. Shoddy production values, poor camera angles, average announcers among others but the important thing to know is that they are improving. The playoff coverage from the past years playoffs were top notch and the broadcasting of TSN games was also awesome from a fan’s perspective. More so, it serves as a model for which VS can try to attain.
Most importantly, though is Hockey is finally the focal point of a network in America. Sure the production levels aren’t top notch or the announcers aren’t of the highest caliber. That can all improve. But arguing that the game of hockey on ESPN would be better is asinine. Hopefully with the ushering out of the outdoor life brand, we can finally get a new legitimacy to the network and thereby strengthening the look and visibility of hockey. People from all over the country can now witness hockey as it was meant to be. It is a major sport in my eyes and a number of us here in the States share these sentiments. VS gives it the coverage it needs and the marketing potential is also there. Combined with the removal of the whole outdoor redneck value and the raising number of cable TV companies providing VS, maybe the rest of the US will catch on. As a fan of the sport of hockey, I couldn’t be happier.
-OP
While the move sent shockwaves throughout the hockey sports world, it was clearly a wise decision for Bettman to switch to a different network from a fan’s standpoint.
Hockey finally got the visibility it required in my opinion. Bettman states, “We knowingly gave up some distribution in the short term for better coverage of our games. The treatment that Versus gives us is phenomenal. Last year in the playoffs, every night was all NHL. There was wall-to-wall coverage, with double-headers. There was ancillary hockey programming and movies. The intermissions were devoted to hockey. There was extended post-game coverage every night. So in terms of how we were treated, we couldn't have been happier. We knew, at least in the short term, that while Versus was growing, we were going to have to give up some distribution to get that. They've increased, since we've been with them, by over seven million homes.”
While the E networks do reach a number of homes, could the NHL really sustain itself with one game a week during the regular season? Not to mention fighting with other major sports like Football, Baseball, Basketball, Golf, heck even Poker. Does ESPN honestly believe that they can have everything and give each adequate amount of time that each network believes? Please. You think ESPN could break away from 24/7 Terrel Owens coverage for 3 minutes to show Crosby vs. Ovechkin? No way! Do you believe ESPN would even show highlights of hockey anymore? Quite frankly, I’m sure others can attest to this, but did they even show highlights of hockey on Sportscenter towards the end of the partnership? They’d show scores but for hockey to catch on with JOE ADD here in America, they need the highlights. Big hits, clutch saves, and defensive stickchecks should all be a part of a hockey network’s coverage. The hockey fan doesn’t want to see just a simple scoreboard. We want to see what happened in a game like they do with baseball or football – Tell the story of the game and what led to the end result.
Furthermore, has ESPN even marketed the game? Let’s be honest here you would hear about Hockey as being the ugly stepchild of the other major sports. How can ESPN promote a sport when it’s own columnists, writers, TV hosts berate it for being awful etc.
Granted, pre lockout hockey was an abysmal trap fest compared to the free-flowing early 90s and beyond but still. ESPN also wouldn’t showcase some of the lesser known teams. We would see numerous Stars, Red Wing, Avalanche contests in the west as well as Rangers, Devils and Flyers contest in the east. Now am I arguing that these games shouldn’t be shown? -- Of course not. What I am saying is that ESPN could have showed us an Edmonton game or a Calgary game
This is not to say that OLN/VS network is without faults. Shoddy production values, poor camera angles, average announcers among others but the important thing to know is that they are improving. The playoff coverage from the past years playoffs were top notch and the broadcasting of TSN games was also awesome from a fan’s perspective. More so, it serves as a model for which VS can try to attain.
Most importantly, though is Hockey is finally the focal point of a network in America. Sure the production levels aren’t top notch or the announcers aren’t of the highest caliber. That can all improve. But arguing that the game of hockey on ESPN would be better is asinine. Hopefully with the ushering out of the outdoor life brand, we can finally get a new legitimacy to the network and thereby strengthening the look and visibility of hockey. People from all over the country can now witness hockey as it was meant to be. It is a major sport in my eyes and a number of us here in the States share these sentiments. VS gives it the coverage it needs and the marketing potential is also there. Combined with the removal of the whole outdoor redneck value and the raising number of cable TV companies providing VS, maybe the rest of the US will catch on. As a fan of the sport of hockey, I couldn’t be happier.
-OP
Monday, October 16, 2006
No Time to Panic
I will never understand the people that begin to panic in the first week of the season. It’s still early and all the new additions to the team, be it players or coaches, need time to adjust and gel with each other. You can’t expect everyone to just completely fit in and be ready to go even after a few weeks of training camp.
The message boards around this time get pretty funny. Go on any teams boards at this point, be it Philadelphia, Phoenix, or any other team that doesn’t have a good record five or six games in, you will find posters freaking out about the situation. I must admit, it is pretty comical.
Now, if it’s say ten games into the season and like the Pens last year you have one win, yeah you can panic. But five or six games? I think that is a bit much. So for everyone who is sweating bullets right now and wanting to pull a trade or call up guys, take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture. At this point making major roster changes will only add to the problem (I call this the “Michael Barnett Effect” due to the Phoenix GM’s tendency to overhaul his roster every season). So take a deep breath and relax.
I’d also like to mention that LA King’s management is committed to not winning the cup the next three years? How so? They traded for and then signed to an extension Dan Cloutier.
This may be a bit harsh, but after watching him with Vancouver I can’t imagine how any team can think they can go far with him in net. He is an above average regular season goalie, but is horrible in the post season. Then there is the matter of him trying to stop a shot from beyond the blue line.
Though I like some of the young guys the Kings have, they need to hope a young goalie in the system can step up, or even Mathieu Garon can carry the load. While I know it’s early in the season and there is time for him to get better, but I do not think Cloutier is going to improve much if at all. Vancouver couldn’t succeed with him in net, and I don’t think LA can either.
-Jordan
The message boards around this time get pretty funny. Go on any teams boards at this point, be it Philadelphia, Phoenix, or any other team that doesn’t have a good record five or six games in, you will find posters freaking out about the situation. I must admit, it is pretty comical.
Now, if it’s say ten games into the season and like the Pens last year you have one win, yeah you can panic. But five or six games? I think that is a bit much. So for everyone who is sweating bullets right now and wanting to pull a trade or call up guys, take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture. At this point making major roster changes will only add to the problem (I call this the “Michael Barnett Effect” due to the Phoenix GM’s tendency to overhaul his roster every season). So take a deep breath and relax.
I’d also like to mention that LA King’s management is committed to not winning the cup the next three years? How so? They traded for and then signed to an extension Dan Cloutier.
This may be a bit harsh, but after watching him with Vancouver I can’t imagine how any team can think they can go far with him in net. He is an above average regular season goalie, but is horrible in the post season. Then there is the matter of him trying to stop a shot from beyond the blue line.
Though I like some of the young guys the Kings have, they need to hope a young goalie in the system can step up, or even Mathieu Garon can carry the load. While I know it’s early in the season and there is time for him to get better, but I do not think Cloutier is going to improve much if at all. Vancouver couldn’t succeed with him in net, and I don’t think LA can either.
-Jordan
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Western Conference Preview
Central Division
Chicago
Additions- Martin Havlat (trade), Brian Smolinski (trade), Mikal Handzus (trade), Patrick Lalime
Subtractions- Mathew Barnaby (buyout), Curtis Brown (buyout), Kyle Calder (trade), Mark Bell (trade)
This off season for Chicago was a little different than last. Two of the bigger names Dale Tallon brought in, Barnaby and Brown he ended up buying out. Gone also are Calder and Bell, and in their place are Martin Havlat, Brian Smolinski and Mikal Handzus.
Aucoin needs to stay of the injury list and Khabubulin needs to return to his previous all star form for this team to really go anywhere. Ruutu is injured once again, and I think this will be a trend his whole career.
Much like the Isles, I don’t think this team will make any significant improvement until they get new owners. Because when it comes down to it, is there a cowrse owner than Bill Wirtz?
Columbus
Additions- Anson Carter, Feredrik Modin (trade), Eric Boguniecki, Ty Conklin
Subtractions- Marc Denis (trade)
The Jackets will continue to improve as young players like Nash and Klesla keep improving with Pascal Leclaire ready to take over netminding duties.
Getting Zherdev resigned was key, and adding Anson Carter will further help the offense. Of course that’s assuming the Jackets are getting the Carter of last year and not the inconsistent player of recent years.
Modin’s two way play will be a good help, but nothing was done to shore up the defense itself, a much weaker point for Columbus at this point. I’d expect them to miss the playoffs again, but it shouldn’t be long now until they’re there.
Detroit
Additions- Greg Johnson, Danny Markov, Dominic Hasek
Subtractions- Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman (retirement), Jiri Fischer (heart condition), Manny Legace
I know it’s said every year, but this team is getting pretty old. But the notable one is Hasek, who I think lost the title of “Dominator” a while ago. Constant injuries and a bad attitude won’t help the Wings this year in the position they need the most stability.
Gone also is the massive amount of leadership with the departures of Yzerman and Shanahan. The absence of any key additions to replace their losses will also add to what I believe is the beginning of the Wings demise at an elite team (note: that does not mean they will be bad). While Datsyuk and Zetterberg are good players, the Wings don’t have many young ones like them at the core and still have a rather weak prospect system.
Losing Fischer hurts the defense but that almost seems inconsequential seeing as how the situation developed. Markov will help the blue line, but due to his injury history you can’t expect him to play an entire season.
They're still a playoff team, but I think with Hasek in net (or probably not cause of an injury), the Wings can’t expect to be hoisting the cup.
Nashville
Additions- JP Dumont, Jason Arnott, Josef Vasicek (trade)
Subtractions- Adam Hall (trade), Greg Johnsson, Yanic Perrault, Scott Walker (trade), Brendan Witt, Mark Eaton
Despite only adding three players and losing six, the Preds had a good off season. A young and upcoming defensive core with the likes of Ryan Suter and Dan Hamhuis made losing Brendan Witt and Mark Eaton rather painless (though I’m sure they wish they could get that first rounder for Witt back). They lost front line depth from letting go Yanic Perrault, captain Greg Johnson and trading away Adam Hall, but again a deep prospect system helps to fill in the lower lines, while Dave Poile filled in the top lines with bigger names like Arnott and Dumont. Both will help the team immensely and shouldn’t have much trouble fitting into the Predators quick style.
The biggest x-factor will be how well Thomas Vokoun recovers from his heart condition, but Chris Mason showed enough last year that should it be for only a short time, the Preds wont have much to worry about. Look for this team to be on top of the west because their young guys are only getting better.
St. Louis
Additions- Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, Martin Rucinsky, Dan Hinote, Radek Dvorak, Jay McKee, Manny Legace
Subtractions- Scott Young (retirement), Patrick Lalime
Well when you finish last you have no place to go but up, and the additions the Blues made in the off season should help that go a little quicker.
McKee was the primary off season acquisition and should help bring stability to the Blues young blue line corps. Hinote will add some much needed depth to the checking and penalty killing lines as he has proven time and again he is one of the best at it.
However, I think the additions fall steeply from here. Weight, Guerin and Rucinsky are all over 35 and have started their decline. While they won’t be useless by any means, I don’t think you can expect their production to be going up, Guerin the possible exception due to a horrid year.
Dvorak will add some speed to the team, but his production has been limited other than a few years. If he couldn’t produce on an Oilers team that used a system based on many of his strengths, I don’t see his production going up this year.
Having played behind a strong Red Wings team his entire career, I am not sold on Legace as a starter, and judging by his difficulty in getting a job, so did most the of the NHL.
The Blues improvements remind me of the Panthers last year. Yes they were better, but it’s not enough to make them jump into the playoffs.
North West Division
Calgary
Additions- Alex Tanguay (trade), Jeff Friesen, Andre Zyuzin, Jamie McLennan
Subtractions- Shean Donovan, Brian Willsie, Brian Marchment, Jordan Leopold (trade)
Last year Calgary’s lack of offense killed their run. To ensure that wouldn’t happen again Daryl Sutter traded for Alex Tanguay and signed Jeff Friesen. Tanguay will be interesting to see how he performs after no longer having all stars Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg passing to him his entire career. I wouldn’t be surprised if his points dropped some, but he will still be a much added boost to Calgary’s front. Friesen hasn’t had a good past few seasons, so he could very well be a non-factor.
To offset the loss of the Jordan Leopold Andrei Zyuzin was brought in, but with the continuing emergence of Dion Phaneuf the blue line shouldn’t miss a step this year.
Something to watch is how Jim Playfair will, well, fair as new head coach. He has put a lot of time in coaching on various levels, but some do wonder if Sutter has given him full control of the reigns.
Calgary will be on top of the North West again and once more contending for the cup.
Colorado
Additions- Jordan Leopold
Subtractions- Dan Hinote, Alex Tanguey (trade), Rob Blake
The Avalanche took another dive this off season losing Rob Blake and main stay pk’er Dan Hinote. They also traded away a good portion of their firepower in Tanguay for underachieving, but still effective Jordan Leopold. They have now seen two of the bigger names in the league in Blake and Forsberg leave with no compensation.
Theodore should prove to be an upgrade over Aebischer while Marek Svatos will try to improve his successful but shortened rookie year along with hopefuls like Wojtek Wolski to fill in the ranks.
It’s hard to think that this team once had Sakic, Forsberg, Blake, Roy and Bourque all on the same roster, but in the cap era have suffered. Unless some of the young kids really step up, its not out of the realm of possibility they miss the playoffs.
Edmonton
Additions- Marty Reasoner, Petr Sykora, Joffrey Lupul (trade)
Subtractions- Sergei Samsonov, Georges Laraque, Dick Tarnstrom, Jaroslav Spacek,
For a team that so much went right for in the post season, so much went wrong in the off season. The defense took a beating with the departure of Pronger, Spacek and to a lesser extent Tarnstrom. Though getting Joffrey Lupul was a good pickup, as were the picks, the Oilers added more to an already well off forward core, not to mention the addition of Petr Sykora. The Oilers have more than enough scorers for two strong top lines.
Despite a good forward core their defense is still weak, and need to have young players like Ladislav Smid step into the lineup and play a significant role.
While I do think giving Roloson a three year deal at 37 will come back and bite them, he can provide some solid goaltending, and he will need to with a weak defense.
The Oilers will be all about scoring this year because they are so loaded on offense and weak elsewhere. With Calgary a lock for the post season, and the improvements Minnesota made in the off season, Edmonton will find themselves fighting for a playoff birth again.
Minnesota
Additions- Mark Parrish, Pavol Demitra (trade), Kim Jonsson, Keith Carney
Subtractions- Andre Zyuzin
After many disappointing off seasons, Minnesota finally went and did something to improve the team, not to mention repair the damage between management and alls tar Marion Gaborik.
Added through free agency were Mark Parrish and Kim Jonsson, who if the latter stays healthy will provide a good boost to the defense. At this point in his career, Carney will play little more than a supporting role.
Probably their biggest move of the off season was trading for Pavol Demitra from the Kings. He will provide another scoring threat and should compliment Gaborik nicely on the top line.
While much improved, I think they are still not a playoff team due to a lack of depth both on offense and defense.
Vancouver
Additions- Roberto Luongo, Willie Mitchell, Jan Bulis, Taylor Pyatt (trade), Lulas Krajicek (trade)
Subtractions- Anson Carter, Todd Bertuzzi (trade), Bryan Allen (trade), Ed Jovonovski, Alex Auld (trade), Keith Carney
I don’t think Bertuzzi’s trade caught anyone off guard, though the return might have. After many years of shaky goal tending a la Dan Cloutier and his inability to stop a shot from the blue line, they now have arguably the best goalie in the league (for those that say he hasn’t proved anything, how much could he really prove on poorly run and sub par Panthers team!).
I don’t think Krajicek can begin to fill even an injured Jovocop’s skates, but he does have potential to be a solid d-man. While he can’t replace the offense lost on the blue line, Mitchell can at least provide a solid anchor for the defense. I don’t think he is as good as his salary suggests since the only time people really started hearing about the guy was at the trade deadline.
Vancouver needs to worry about their offense. Gone are both Bertuzzi and Carter, leaving Naslund and the Sedin twins to provide nearly all the offense. If you’re wondering why I am not mentioning Brendan Morrison’s name it’s because I don’t think he is really worth mentioning. He has yet to ever prove he can succeed when not paired with all stars named Naslund and Bertuzzi on his wings. I think you can expect a significant drop in his production this year, and I think Nonis would be good to get what he can for him right now, if anyone wants his $3+ million contract.
If they had just about any other goalie than Luongo between the pipes I would say Vancouver doesn’t have much a shot at the playoffs. But if Luongo could almost get the Panthers into the playoffs, I think he can do it with the Canucks.
Pacific Division
Anaheim
Additions- Stanislav Chistov (Europe), Travis Green, Chris Pronger, Ian moran
Subtractions- Joffrey Lupul (trade), Jeff Friesen, Ruslan Salei
Raise your hand if you ever thought you would see Chris Pronger and Rob Niedermayer on the same pairing. No one? Of course not, but it’s happened giving the Ducks the best top defensive pairing in the league. Unfortunately, the depth drops from there. Beauchemin needs to continue his strong play, but O’Donnell is aging and DiPenta is a bottom pairing defenseman. And as a Penguins fan, let me tell you, you do not want Ian Moran on your blue line.
The forward lines are going to rely mostly on younger players like Kunitz and Getzlaf, and I think Chistov’s style will be a perfect fit for the newer NHL. I wouldn’t expect another 40 goal campaign from Slenne, but I don’t think 30+ is out of the question.
There is an interesting situation in net with Bryzgalov and Gieguere. If Bryzgalov can prove he is worthy of the starting job, expect Giguere to be shipped out to help shore up the Ducks defensive or forward depth.
They’ll be back in the hunt come spring, but just because they added Pronger I’m not ready to call them the favorites in the west.
Dallas
Additions- Mathew Barnaby, Jeff Halpern, Eric Lindros, Patrik Stefan, Mike Ribeiro (trade)
Subtractions- Jason Arnott, Willie Mitchell, Janne Niinimaa (trade)
Dallas will try and repeat their regular season success this year while trying to forget about the post-season. Unfortunately, the loss of Jason Arnott may affect them quite a bit, as will their aging blue line corps.
The off season Doug Armstrong focused mostly on adding depth to his roster with the additions of Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Halpern and trading for Patrick Stefan and Jaroslav Modry. He also picked up Eric Lindros to replace Arnott, but I don’t think that will suffice. I don’t believe those who say Lindros will do better in Dallas. They said the same thing in New York, then Toronto. Why would Dallas be any different?
Dealing Ninimaa for Ribeiro was a good move as it helps their center situation and does make them younger. Niinimaa had no success with Dallas, so from their standpoint it probably won’t be much of a loss.
With Turco continuing strong play in the net, you can expect them in the playoffs once more.
Los Angeles
Additions- Alyn Mccauley, Scott Thornton, Brian Willsie, Rob Blake, Oleg Tvederovsky (trade), Dan Cloutier
Subtractions- Jeremy Roenick, Pavol Demitra (trade), Eric Belanger (trade), Tim Gleason (trade)
With a new GM and Coach the Kings have committed to a partial rebuilding this off season (which I think took a bit of a step back when Lombardi’s successor traded Denis Grebeshkov and Jeff Tambellini for Brent Sopel and the now departed Mark Parrish). Though Lombardi did make up by dealing away Pavol Demitra for a pick and prospect, and did land blue chip prospect Jack Johnson in a deal. Though they had to give up Gleason and Belanger in the deal, I do think they will be better off in the future.
To further their depth they brought back Rob Blake, and added Alyn McCauley, Brian Willsie and Scott Thornton to bolster their forward lines.
I don’t think they will make the playoffs again, but will be a strong team in a few years with a good pool of prospects.
Phoenix
Additions- Jeremy Roenick, Owen Nolan, Georges Laraque, Ed Jovonovski, Nick Boynton (trade)
Subtractions- Boyd Deveraux, Paul Mara (trade)
Someone needs to tell Michael Barnett that constant roster overhauls don’t make for a winning team. Last season he added Ricci, Sanderson, Deveraux, Cujo and more, this year it is Jovonovski, Roenick, Nolan and Laraque.
That said, I think Phoenix can expect to be about the same place as last year- still struggling and out of the playoffs. Roenick will recover some, but I don’t think he is very fit for the new NHL. Same goes for Nolan who hasn’t even played an NHL game in over two years.
Jovonovski helps no doubt, though Laraque isn’t really a significant addition (and why a no trade clause?) Dealing the more offensive Mara for a more defensive Boynton should also help steady the blueline.
The sad thing about this team is since last year it’s always about Gretzky. “Nolan comes to Gretzky’s team” or “Wayne Gretzky’s team did this tonight.” I’ve never seen a coach get more coverage than everyone on the team combined. It really needs to be stopped, or just drop “Phoenix” and add “Gretzky.” The Gretzky Coyotes. Because when it boils down to it, that’s what the real media focus on the team always is.
San Jose
Additions- Mike Grier, Curtis Brown, Mark Bell (trade)
Subtractions- Tom Preissing (trade), Alyn McCauly, Scott Thornton
After a lackluster performance through the first half of the season, the Sharks got a boost when they dealt for Joe Thornton. With that addition, they were pretty set for the off season with the exception of a few.
They acquired Mark Bell via trade, giving them a strong punch down the middle with Thornton-Marleau-Bell despite the loss of Alyn McCauly. The additions of Curtis Brown and Mike Grier shores up their gritty lines, especially Grier who finally got some recognition in the playoffs last season.
The defense is well set with a mix of both veterans and youngsters, while there is the goalie controversy between Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov, not to mention Noaln Schaeffer. However, this is one of the “problems” a gm doesn’t really mind having because it means he has something to trade with and get a good return while not affecting his team at that position. If Toskala proves he is a number one, look for Nabokov to be dealt somewhere, which he’ll probably waive his no-trade clause for since goalies don’t like sitting on the bench.
Look for this team to make a serious run for the cup this year.
Chicago
Additions- Martin Havlat (trade), Brian Smolinski (trade), Mikal Handzus (trade), Patrick Lalime
Subtractions- Mathew Barnaby (buyout), Curtis Brown (buyout), Kyle Calder (trade), Mark Bell (trade)
This off season for Chicago was a little different than last. Two of the bigger names Dale Tallon brought in, Barnaby and Brown he ended up buying out. Gone also are Calder and Bell, and in their place are Martin Havlat, Brian Smolinski and Mikal Handzus.
Aucoin needs to stay of the injury list and Khabubulin needs to return to his previous all star form for this team to really go anywhere. Ruutu is injured once again, and I think this will be a trend his whole career.
Much like the Isles, I don’t think this team will make any significant improvement until they get new owners. Because when it comes down to it, is there a cowrse owner than Bill Wirtz?
Columbus
Additions- Anson Carter, Feredrik Modin (trade), Eric Boguniecki, Ty Conklin
Subtractions- Marc Denis (trade)
The Jackets will continue to improve as young players like Nash and Klesla keep improving with Pascal Leclaire ready to take over netminding duties.
Getting Zherdev resigned was key, and adding Anson Carter will further help the offense. Of course that’s assuming the Jackets are getting the Carter of last year and not the inconsistent player of recent years.
Modin’s two way play will be a good help, but nothing was done to shore up the defense itself, a much weaker point for Columbus at this point. I’d expect them to miss the playoffs again, but it shouldn’t be long now until they’re there.
Detroit
Additions- Greg Johnson, Danny Markov, Dominic Hasek
Subtractions- Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman (retirement), Jiri Fischer (heart condition), Manny Legace
I know it’s said every year, but this team is getting pretty old. But the notable one is Hasek, who I think lost the title of “Dominator” a while ago. Constant injuries and a bad attitude won’t help the Wings this year in the position they need the most stability.
Gone also is the massive amount of leadership with the departures of Yzerman and Shanahan. The absence of any key additions to replace their losses will also add to what I believe is the beginning of the Wings demise at an elite team (note: that does not mean they will be bad). While Datsyuk and Zetterberg are good players, the Wings don’t have many young ones like them at the core and still have a rather weak prospect system.
Losing Fischer hurts the defense but that almost seems inconsequential seeing as how the situation developed. Markov will help the blue line, but due to his injury history you can’t expect him to play an entire season.
They're still a playoff team, but I think with Hasek in net (or probably not cause of an injury), the Wings can’t expect to be hoisting the cup.
Nashville
Additions- JP Dumont, Jason Arnott, Josef Vasicek (trade)
Subtractions- Adam Hall (trade), Greg Johnsson, Yanic Perrault, Scott Walker (trade), Brendan Witt, Mark Eaton
Despite only adding three players and losing six, the Preds had a good off season. A young and upcoming defensive core with the likes of Ryan Suter and Dan Hamhuis made losing Brendan Witt and Mark Eaton rather painless (though I’m sure they wish they could get that first rounder for Witt back). They lost front line depth from letting go Yanic Perrault, captain Greg Johnson and trading away Adam Hall, but again a deep prospect system helps to fill in the lower lines, while Dave Poile filled in the top lines with bigger names like Arnott and Dumont. Both will help the team immensely and shouldn’t have much trouble fitting into the Predators quick style.
The biggest x-factor will be how well Thomas Vokoun recovers from his heart condition, but Chris Mason showed enough last year that should it be for only a short time, the Preds wont have much to worry about. Look for this team to be on top of the west because their young guys are only getting better.
St. Louis
Additions- Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, Martin Rucinsky, Dan Hinote, Radek Dvorak, Jay McKee, Manny Legace
Subtractions- Scott Young (retirement), Patrick Lalime
Well when you finish last you have no place to go but up, and the additions the Blues made in the off season should help that go a little quicker.
McKee was the primary off season acquisition and should help bring stability to the Blues young blue line corps. Hinote will add some much needed depth to the checking and penalty killing lines as he has proven time and again he is one of the best at it.
However, I think the additions fall steeply from here. Weight, Guerin and Rucinsky are all over 35 and have started their decline. While they won’t be useless by any means, I don’t think you can expect their production to be going up, Guerin the possible exception due to a horrid year.
Dvorak will add some speed to the team, but his production has been limited other than a few years. If he couldn’t produce on an Oilers team that used a system based on many of his strengths, I don’t see his production going up this year.
Having played behind a strong Red Wings team his entire career, I am not sold on Legace as a starter, and judging by his difficulty in getting a job, so did most the of the NHL.
The Blues improvements remind me of the Panthers last year. Yes they were better, but it’s not enough to make them jump into the playoffs.
North West Division
Calgary
Additions- Alex Tanguay (trade), Jeff Friesen, Andre Zyuzin, Jamie McLennan
Subtractions- Shean Donovan, Brian Willsie, Brian Marchment, Jordan Leopold (trade)
Last year Calgary’s lack of offense killed their run. To ensure that wouldn’t happen again Daryl Sutter traded for Alex Tanguay and signed Jeff Friesen. Tanguay will be interesting to see how he performs after no longer having all stars Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg passing to him his entire career. I wouldn’t be surprised if his points dropped some, but he will still be a much added boost to Calgary’s front. Friesen hasn’t had a good past few seasons, so he could very well be a non-factor.
To offset the loss of the Jordan Leopold Andrei Zyuzin was brought in, but with the continuing emergence of Dion Phaneuf the blue line shouldn’t miss a step this year.
Something to watch is how Jim Playfair will, well, fair as new head coach. He has put a lot of time in coaching on various levels, but some do wonder if Sutter has given him full control of the reigns.
Calgary will be on top of the North West again and once more contending for the cup.
Colorado
Additions- Jordan Leopold
Subtractions- Dan Hinote, Alex Tanguey (trade), Rob Blake
The Avalanche took another dive this off season losing Rob Blake and main stay pk’er Dan Hinote. They also traded away a good portion of their firepower in Tanguay for underachieving, but still effective Jordan Leopold. They have now seen two of the bigger names in the league in Blake and Forsberg leave with no compensation.
Theodore should prove to be an upgrade over Aebischer while Marek Svatos will try to improve his successful but shortened rookie year along with hopefuls like Wojtek Wolski to fill in the ranks.
It’s hard to think that this team once had Sakic, Forsberg, Blake, Roy and Bourque all on the same roster, but in the cap era have suffered. Unless some of the young kids really step up, its not out of the realm of possibility they miss the playoffs.
Edmonton
Additions- Marty Reasoner, Petr Sykora, Joffrey Lupul (trade)
Subtractions- Sergei Samsonov, Georges Laraque, Dick Tarnstrom, Jaroslav Spacek,
For a team that so much went right for in the post season, so much went wrong in the off season. The defense took a beating with the departure of Pronger, Spacek and to a lesser extent Tarnstrom. Though getting Joffrey Lupul was a good pickup, as were the picks, the Oilers added more to an already well off forward core, not to mention the addition of Petr Sykora. The Oilers have more than enough scorers for two strong top lines.
Despite a good forward core their defense is still weak, and need to have young players like Ladislav Smid step into the lineup and play a significant role.
While I do think giving Roloson a three year deal at 37 will come back and bite them, he can provide some solid goaltending, and he will need to with a weak defense.
The Oilers will be all about scoring this year because they are so loaded on offense and weak elsewhere. With Calgary a lock for the post season, and the improvements Minnesota made in the off season, Edmonton will find themselves fighting for a playoff birth again.
Minnesota
Additions- Mark Parrish, Pavol Demitra (trade), Kim Jonsson, Keith Carney
Subtractions- Andre Zyuzin
After many disappointing off seasons, Minnesota finally went and did something to improve the team, not to mention repair the damage between management and alls tar Marion Gaborik.
Added through free agency were Mark Parrish and Kim Jonsson, who if the latter stays healthy will provide a good boost to the defense. At this point in his career, Carney will play little more than a supporting role.
Probably their biggest move of the off season was trading for Pavol Demitra from the Kings. He will provide another scoring threat and should compliment Gaborik nicely on the top line.
While much improved, I think they are still not a playoff team due to a lack of depth both on offense and defense.
Vancouver
Additions- Roberto Luongo, Willie Mitchell, Jan Bulis, Taylor Pyatt (trade), Lulas Krajicek (trade)
Subtractions- Anson Carter, Todd Bertuzzi (trade), Bryan Allen (trade), Ed Jovonovski, Alex Auld (trade), Keith Carney
I don’t think Bertuzzi’s trade caught anyone off guard, though the return might have. After many years of shaky goal tending a la Dan Cloutier and his inability to stop a shot from the blue line, they now have arguably the best goalie in the league (for those that say he hasn’t proved anything, how much could he really prove on poorly run and sub par Panthers team!).
I don’t think Krajicek can begin to fill even an injured Jovocop’s skates, but he does have potential to be a solid d-man. While he can’t replace the offense lost on the blue line, Mitchell can at least provide a solid anchor for the defense. I don’t think he is as good as his salary suggests since the only time people really started hearing about the guy was at the trade deadline.
Vancouver needs to worry about their offense. Gone are both Bertuzzi and Carter, leaving Naslund and the Sedin twins to provide nearly all the offense. If you’re wondering why I am not mentioning Brendan Morrison’s name it’s because I don’t think he is really worth mentioning. He has yet to ever prove he can succeed when not paired with all stars named Naslund and Bertuzzi on his wings. I think you can expect a significant drop in his production this year, and I think Nonis would be good to get what he can for him right now, if anyone wants his $3+ million contract.
If they had just about any other goalie than Luongo between the pipes I would say Vancouver doesn’t have much a shot at the playoffs. But if Luongo could almost get the Panthers into the playoffs, I think he can do it with the Canucks.
Pacific Division
Anaheim
Additions- Stanislav Chistov (Europe), Travis Green, Chris Pronger, Ian moran
Subtractions- Joffrey Lupul (trade), Jeff Friesen, Ruslan Salei
Raise your hand if you ever thought you would see Chris Pronger and Rob Niedermayer on the same pairing. No one? Of course not, but it’s happened giving the Ducks the best top defensive pairing in the league. Unfortunately, the depth drops from there. Beauchemin needs to continue his strong play, but O’Donnell is aging and DiPenta is a bottom pairing defenseman. And as a Penguins fan, let me tell you, you do not want Ian Moran on your blue line.
The forward lines are going to rely mostly on younger players like Kunitz and Getzlaf, and I think Chistov’s style will be a perfect fit for the newer NHL. I wouldn’t expect another 40 goal campaign from Slenne, but I don’t think 30+ is out of the question.
There is an interesting situation in net with Bryzgalov and Gieguere. If Bryzgalov can prove he is worthy of the starting job, expect Giguere to be shipped out to help shore up the Ducks defensive or forward depth.
They’ll be back in the hunt come spring, but just because they added Pronger I’m not ready to call them the favorites in the west.
Dallas
Additions- Mathew Barnaby, Jeff Halpern, Eric Lindros, Patrik Stefan, Mike Ribeiro (trade)
Subtractions- Jason Arnott, Willie Mitchell, Janne Niinimaa (trade)
Dallas will try and repeat their regular season success this year while trying to forget about the post-season. Unfortunately, the loss of Jason Arnott may affect them quite a bit, as will their aging blue line corps.
The off season Doug Armstrong focused mostly on adding depth to his roster with the additions of Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Halpern and trading for Patrick Stefan and Jaroslav Modry. He also picked up Eric Lindros to replace Arnott, but I don’t think that will suffice. I don’t believe those who say Lindros will do better in Dallas. They said the same thing in New York, then Toronto. Why would Dallas be any different?
Dealing Ninimaa for Ribeiro was a good move as it helps their center situation and does make them younger. Niinimaa had no success with Dallas, so from their standpoint it probably won’t be much of a loss.
With Turco continuing strong play in the net, you can expect them in the playoffs once more.
Los Angeles
Additions- Alyn Mccauley, Scott Thornton, Brian Willsie, Rob Blake, Oleg Tvederovsky (trade), Dan Cloutier
Subtractions- Jeremy Roenick, Pavol Demitra (trade), Eric Belanger (trade), Tim Gleason (trade)
With a new GM and Coach the Kings have committed to a partial rebuilding this off season (which I think took a bit of a step back when Lombardi’s successor traded Denis Grebeshkov and Jeff Tambellini for Brent Sopel and the now departed Mark Parrish). Though Lombardi did make up by dealing away Pavol Demitra for a pick and prospect, and did land blue chip prospect Jack Johnson in a deal. Though they had to give up Gleason and Belanger in the deal, I do think they will be better off in the future.
To further their depth they brought back Rob Blake, and added Alyn McCauley, Brian Willsie and Scott Thornton to bolster their forward lines.
I don’t think they will make the playoffs again, but will be a strong team in a few years with a good pool of prospects.
Phoenix
Additions- Jeremy Roenick, Owen Nolan, Georges Laraque, Ed Jovonovski, Nick Boynton (trade)
Subtractions- Boyd Deveraux, Paul Mara (trade)
Someone needs to tell Michael Barnett that constant roster overhauls don’t make for a winning team. Last season he added Ricci, Sanderson, Deveraux, Cujo and more, this year it is Jovonovski, Roenick, Nolan and Laraque.
That said, I think Phoenix can expect to be about the same place as last year- still struggling and out of the playoffs. Roenick will recover some, but I don’t think he is very fit for the new NHL. Same goes for Nolan who hasn’t even played an NHL game in over two years.
Jovonovski helps no doubt, though Laraque isn’t really a significant addition (and why a no trade clause?) Dealing the more offensive Mara for a more defensive Boynton should also help steady the blueline.
The sad thing about this team is since last year it’s always about Gretzky. “Nolan comes to Gretzky’s team” or “Wayne Gretzky’s team did this tonight.” I’ve never seen a coach get more coverage than everyone on the team combined. It really needs to be stopped, or just drop “Phoenix” and add “Gretzky.” The Gretzky Coyotes. Because when it boils down to it, that’s what the real media focus on the team always is.
San Jose
Additions- Mike Grier, Curtis Brown, Mark Bell (trade)
Subtractions- Tom Preissing (trade), Alyn McCauly, Scott Thornton
After a lackluster performance through the first half of the season, the Sharks got a boost when they dealt for Joe Thornton. With that addition, they were pretty set for the off season with the exception of a few.
They acquired Mark Bell via trade, giving them a strong punch down the middle with Thornton-Marleau-Bell despite the loss of Alyn McCauly. The additions of Curtis Brown and Mike Grier shores up their gritty lines, especially Grier who finally got some recognition in the playoffs last season.
The defense is well set with a mix of both veterans and youngsters, while there is the goalie controversy between Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov, not to mention Noaln Schaeffer. However, this is one of the “problems” a gm doesn’t really mind having because it means he has something to trade with and get a good return while not affecting his team at that position. If Toskala proves he is a number one, look for Nabokov to be dealt somewhere, which he’ll probably waive his no-trade clause for since goalies don’t like sitting on the bench.
Look for this team to make a serious run for the cup this year.
Eastern Conference Preview
Rookies are not included as additions, only players acquired through trade and free agency. Players are subracted from the teams they finished the year with. These reviews were made before the rosters of teams were finalized (and before New Jersey cleared cap space).
Atlantic Division
New Jersey Devils
Additions- Mike Rupp, Dan LaCouture
Subtractions- Viktor Kozlov
Lamoriello panicked and now he is stuck with Mogilny and Malakhov, two albatrosses no other team will pick up. While both the offensive and defensive core is intact, something has got to give as four main players- Gionta, Martin, Hale and a TBD back up goalie need to be signed with the Devils already at the $44 million cap. Much of the speculation revolves around Gomez being dealt, and with his $5 million salary and UFA status it’s hard not to see him as the front runner to be shipped out. Chances are the only way one of the two M’s are shipped out is if the Devils give up something worth while in addition and get little return, though Mogilny’s hip is keeping him from playing, possibly clearing $3.5 million from the cap. A lot of people say “if anyone can do it, it’s Lou” but they neglect that everyone knows Lou’s position, and it isn’t one of strength. Regardless, their major players are still fairly young and you can expect them to make the playoffs again.
New York Islanders
Additions- Chris Simon, Viktor Kozlov, Mike Sillinger, Andy Hilbert, Sean Hill, Tom Poti, Brendan Witt
Subtractions- Garth Snow, Common sense in management
I’ll just get it out of the way now: Wang is an idiot and is killing the franchise. That being said, I am thoroughly unimpressed with the Isles signings over the summer. Poti is an offensive d-man whose point totals plummeted in a more offensive league, and he has no defensive skills to back those up, making his nearly $3 million contract laughable, but at least it’s a single year.
Witt is no longer a top pairing d-man in the NHL with the new rules, and his lackluster play continued from Washington to Nashville, so I don’t think he will add much to the isles weakened defense either. Sean hill was bought out by the Panthers, so I don’t consider his signing much of a boost.
Kozlov and Sillinger add third and fourth line depth (why three years to Sillinger though?), but Simon is fading and Hilbert needs to prove he can produce without Crosby, but his quickness does help for drawing penalties and on the PK, so I actually like this signing for the Isles.
Without any significant additions, and a farm system that isn’t the best, don’t expect this team to finish far from the bottom of the east, if not the league.
New York Rangers
Additions- Matt Cullen, Aaron Ward, Brendan Shanahan, Adam Hall (trade)
Subtractions- Martin Rucinsky, Dominic Moore (trade), Tom Poti
This is the first time in a long time I think the Ranger can say they had a good off season. Adding Cullen, Ward, Hall and even an aging but still productive Shanahan more than makes up for the losses of Moore and Rucinsky at the front. And unlike the past large acquisitions, these guys aren’t head cases, and even aren’t among the leagues elite (could probably make a case for Shanahan though).
Lundquist needs to prove his performance wasn’t a fluke, but even if it was Weekes is a good guy to have as a reserve. I’ve always thought he was an under rated goalie, though he’ll never win a Vezina.
Expect the team to be in the running for the playoffs again, competing with New Jersey and Philly for reign of the division. While I do think they over achieved last year, I don’t think there will be a major drop in their performance.
Philadelphia
Additions- Kyle Calder (trade), Geoff Sanderson, Randy Robataille, Lars Jonsson, Nolan Baumgartner
Subtractions- Michal Handzus (trade), Keith Primeau (retirement), Turner Stevenson, Kim Jonsson
I hear quite a bit of rumbling here and there about how slow this team is an how they will have to fight for a playoff spot. As a Pens fan, few things would please me more than them missing the post season, but it’s not going to happen. Despite Rathje and Hatcher being slow, they are still effective (more so Rathje), and are well balanced.
The trio of budding stars in Carter, Richards and Umberger is one any team should want as they will only get better this year. Niittymaki and Eshe are a good tandem, and Sanderson and Calder add some much needed speed up front, even if they did lose a good two way center in Handzus.
I don’t expect the retirement of Primeau and Jonsson going to Minnesota will hurt that much as Philly played much of last year without both.
If other teams give the Flyers as little respect as some of the fans do, they will find themselves in for a rough night. They are not a team to take lightly.
Pittsburgh
Additions- Nils Ekman (trade), Dominic Moore (trade), Jarkko Ruutu, Ronald Petrovicky, Mark Recchi, Mark Eaton
Subtractions- Sebastian Caron (buyout),
There is a chance the Penguins can make the playoffs, but I’d say it isn’t too good, especially with teams like the Devils, Ranger and Flyers in your division.
New GM Ray Shero did something Craig Patrick never did: he provided depth to the lower lines. Ruutu, Moore and Petrovicky, while none huge difference makers, are much better than the fill ins Patrick always assigned there. Plus these three’s willingness to hit and agitate will make the Pens pesky, if not tough to play when paired with Andre Roy and Eric Cairns.
Ekman will add some much needed scoring depth at wing and Eaton, while not a top pairing guy, is better defensively than anyone the Pens have right now, and he blocks shots which none of the Pens do.
A lot of the Pens success again resides in the youngsters developing such as Colby Armstrong up front and Ryan Whitney and Noah Welch on the blue line. Malkin is a definite boost to the roster for obvious reasons, but with his shoulder injury his help to the team may be limited this year. With Michel Therrien taking reigns at the beginning of the season, and most likely no mid-season overhaul the Pens will continue through growing pains, but it shouldn’t be nearly as bad this time around.
North East Division
Boston
Additions- Marc Savard, Shean Donovan, Zdeno Chara, Paul Mara (trade)
Subtractions- Shawn McEachern (buyout), Travis Green (buyout), Nick Boynton (trade)
There’s no doubt that Boston’s defense got instantly better when they signed Chara, but how much better it gets is another question. The Senators have been a better team with a good defense, so we’ll see what kind of impact Chara really has (but I do expect it to be pretty big). Flipping Boynton for Mara was a pretty fair deal, Mara being more offensively gifted, which they’ll need with Leetch and Tanabe departing.
Toivanen needs to continue to perform at the same level from last year otherwise Boston wont have a legit starter between the pipes.
Savard will provide a boost to the offense, but I think there is a big question as to how much. Playing with Kovulchuk, not to mention being in a contract year means the stats will be inflated, but how much? Boston should hope that for $5m a year it was the new rules that gave Savard an extra thirty points over his past season totals and not any of the aforementioned reasons. I don’t think he is as good as his 97 points suggest.
With their additions, Boston should definitely be a better team, and with Boyes and Bergeron continuing to improve, their top six should get better. Their division is pretty tough, so I wont be surprised if they make it either way.
Buffalo
Additions- Jaroslav Spacek
Subtractions- JP Dumont, Mike Grier, Taylor Pyatt, Jay McKee, decent team symbol
This year will usher in the era of the Buffaslug (sorry Sabres fans, it may be a terrible symbol but “Buffaslug” is fun to say). And like the symbol, things probably won’t be as good next year.
I seemed to be one of the few that weren’t surprised the Sabres were a playoff team, though granted I didn’t think they would be as good as they were. That said, they have been one of the teams hit hardest in the off season, in particular losing Dumont, Grier and McKee, Pyatt to a lesser extend. While there is enough depth on the team to cushion the blow, all three of those players will be missed.
I do not agree with the decision to give aging veteran Teppe Numinen $2.6 million to stay and an injury prone Tim Connoly nearly $3 million and letting McKee walk.
Spacek is under rated, and is a decent two way defenseman who finally seemed to get some press with his showing in Edmonton last year. Miller is ready to play the majority of a season, and I think fans can expect good things from him. I wouldn’t expect anyone to take Buffalo lightly next year after their run, losing the aforementioned players or not.
I expect to see this team first or second in their division, and barring some major occurrence be playoff bound once more.
Montreal
Additions- Sergei Samsonov, Mike Johnson (trade),
Subtractions- Richard Zednik (trade), Jan Bulis
Montreal has always been a bit enigmatic to me. They always seem to be juggling coaches, trading goalies and never seem to have more than a few big names on the roster. But every year their they are in the playoffs.
Never a team that makes big splashes in free agency, they splurged a little with Samsonov, whose quick style should fit right into their scheme and add a good punch to their offense. Mike Johnson will help some in that respect, replacing the underachieving Richard Zednik.
Much of this team’s success will hinge on Huet as he tries to earn his new contract. Another concern for the team is that both Toronto and Boston were rather active in free agency, and with Atlanta being so close to a berth last year will make the eastern playoff race interesting. I think Montreal could very well be the victim of other teams on the rise.
Ottawa
Additions- Dean McAmmond, Tom Preissing (trade), Joe Corvo, Martin Gerber
Subtractions- Martin Havlat (trade), Brian Smolinski (trade), Zdeno Chara, Chris Phillips, Brian Pothier, Dominic Hasek
Like Buffalo, Ottawa suffered a bit during the off season with losing Chara to division rival Boston and having to deal Havlat away. Pair with Phillips and Pothier leaving, the defense won’t be as strong as last year. Corvo and the emergence of Volchenkov and Meszaros won’t make defense a liability though.
Missing Havlat most of last season means they wont miss him much more this season, and Smolinski has been declining the past few seasons. Adding Preissing and McAmmond helps depth but aren’t replacements.
Coming from the cup champs Gerber is the hope of Muckler to bring stability to the goalie position. Whether Gerber is capable of building on his regular season success from last season remains to be seen, but his post season meltdown is too coincidently reminiscent of a typical Ottawa playoff meltdown. I’d watch for that one once they make it to the playoffs again.
Toronto
Additions- Micahel Peca, Pavel Kubina, Hal Gil, Andrew Raycroft (trade)
Subtractions- Tie Domi (buyout), Aki Berg, Alexander Khavanov, Ed Belfour
More than anything, the Leafs needed defense. What they got was an offensive defenseman in Kubina to supplement their two more offensive (but not defensively challenged) top pair of McCabe and Kaberle, and a pylon in Gill that is too slow for the new rules. In other words: their defense didn’t get a whole lot better in their own zone. Don’t get me wrong, I like McCabe and Kaberle, but Kubina is only ok defensively. The $7+ million between the two free agents would have been better spent on the likes of McKee and Mitchell because offense from the backside wasn’t a problem.
The only real change at forward was the addition of Michael Peca, as both Lindros and Allison didn’t play enough to be truly effective for the Leafs. Right now there is a question mark above Peca’s head since we don’t know which one the Leafs signed: regular season invisible Peca or playoff clutch Peca?
Gone is long time enforcer Tie Domi and Ed Belfour. In goal is former Calder winner Andrew Raycroft who hopes to regain that form after a subpar year filled with injuries. If he can’t regain his form that leaves Jean Sebastion Aubin and Mikael Tellqvist to carry the load, which neither has yet shown they are capable of.
On paper the Leafs are a playoff team, and Maurice is more adept at placing young players into the line up. Right now I would say they will miss it again due to a tight race that seems to be brewing in the east, and a seeming lack of firepower up front. And just for the record, their top four defenseman all were playing during contract years, and in my book that means they wont be playing as hard this year.
South East Division
Atlanta
Additions- Steve Rucchin, Niko Kapanen (trade), Jon Sim, Vitaly Vishnevsky (trade), Johan Hedberg
Subtractions- Marc Savard, Peter Bondra, Patrik Stefan (trade), Mike Dunham
Had Kari Lehtonen played a few more games, literally, this team would have made the playoffs. Their goalie situation killed them. With a healthy Lehtonen, and a good backup in Hedberg you can expect more stability this year from the pipes.
How much the loss of Savard and Bondra are is something to watch this year. I do think they should have done more to shore up their defense, but Vishnesky is a good boost. Sim is an under rated fore checker and Kapanen will also add lower line depth.
Right now the Thrashers playoff hopes are resting on more than just a goalie situation this year. Gone are 49 goals and 87 assists between Savard and Bondra, their second and fifth leading scorers respectively. And seeing as how the majority of scoring was top heavy with Kovulchuk, Hossa and Savard I think the Thrashers will be hurting some on offense this year, and that could keep them from the playoffs instead of injuries.
Carolina
Additions- Scott Walker (trade), Brad Isbister, Trevor Letowski, David Tanabe, John Grahame
Subtractions- Matt Cullen, Aaron Ward, Martin Gerber
To be honest, I really think this team was a flash in the pan. They only beat Buffalo because half their defense was hurt, and won the cup when the Oilers beat themselves.
Walker and Isbister aren’t sufficient replacements for Cullen and Ward, Isbister being completely ineffective his last few seasons. Tanabe is a decent signing, but now with Kaberle out the Canes have a problem with their defense which wasn’t strong to begin with.
And while it probably wont have any bearing this year, I think the Brind’Amour deal is terrible as it will go against the cap since he was over 35 when it was signed.
Come April we’ll see if I have to eat my words.
Florida
Additions- Todd Bertuzzi (trade), Bryan Allen (trade), Ruslan Salei, Ed Belfour, Alex Auld (trade)
Subtractions- Sean Hill (buyout), Lucas Krajicek (trade), Roberto Luongo (trade)
I distinctly remember last year quite a few fans saying how with the additions of Hill, Roberts, Nieuwendyke and Gratton, three aging veterans and a chronic under achiever, the Panthers were going to make the playoffs. I promptly laughed at that notion and was completely right. And this off season, thanks to Mike Keenan (whose constant employment remains a mystery after getting kicked out of every gig he has ever had), they took another step backwards.
Yes, it is the Luongo trade I am talking about. Luongo won or kept the Panthers in more games than many will probably admit. Not to say he’s bad, but Alex Auld is nowhere near Luongo’s level. Allen will help the blue line, but he wont make a significant difference. That leaves Bertuzzi who in my opinion will not shed his baggage. This man is booed everywhere he goes. At a Pens game last year, the fans saw him only once that year, and with Pittsburgh having nothing to do with the incident, still booed him. I honestly don’t think a change of scenery will help because he is hated everywhere he goes.
Unless they get a major spark from some young players, I’m expecting them to be hitting the course early again this year.
Tampa
Additions- Luke Richardson, Filip Kuba, Marc Denis (trade)
Subtractions- Fredrick Modin (trade), Pavel Kubina, Daryl Sydor (trade), John Grahame
Feaster went into panic mode in signing St. Louis, Lecavalier and Richards into contracts they aren’t worth. They're three very good players, but each makes about a million more than they’re worth. And spending nearly half their cap on three players has created quite a problem.
Defense seems to be what takes the hit since their cup run, this year losing Kubina and having to deal away Sydor. Kuba helps but their blueline is still weak and will continue to hamper them this year. At this point in his career, Richardson is nothing more than a seventh defenseman.
Such desperation was the goalie situation they had to deal a mainstay and well liked Modin to Columbus for Marc Denis. I like Denis and feel he has been under rated since he has always played behind a poor Blue Jackets team. He faces more shots than most NHL goalies per night, and is used to a heavy work load. Expect that to continue in Tampa.
With their big three consuming so much of their cap space, I don think things will be getting better for Tampa this upcoming year. I think their playoff hopes rest on Denis’ shoulders.
Washington
Additions- Donald Brashear, Richard Zednik (trade), Brian Pothier
Subtractions- Jeff Halpern
Everyone says the same thing about the Caps: Ovechkin needs some help. Zednik isn’t quite what people had in mind, especially since he has not performed well since leaving the Caps. Brashear adds nothing at this point as he doesn’t even drop the gloves much anymore. Pothier will help shore up the defense some, but I wonder how much of his success was due to being on Ottawa.
With no major additions, expect the Caps to be at the bottom of the east again. It’s going to be another tough rebuilding year.
Atlantic Division
New Jersey Devils
Additions- Mike Rupp, Dan LaCouture
Subtractions- Viktor Kozlov
Lamoriello panicked and now he is stuck with Mogilny and Malakhov, two albatrosses no other team will pick up. While both the offensive and defensive core is intact, something has got to give as four main players- Gionta, Martin, Hale and a TBD back up goalie need to be signed with the Devils already at the $44 million cap. Much of the speculation revolves around Gomez being dealt, and with his $5 million salary and UFA status it’s hard not to see him as the front runner to be shipped out. Chances are the only way one of the two M’s are shipped out is if the Devils give up something worth while in addition and get little return, though Mogilny’s hip is keeping him from playing, possibly clearing $3.5 million from the cap. A lot of people say “if anyone can do it, it’s Lou” but they neglect that everyone knows Lou’s position, and it isn’t one of strength. Regardless, their major players are still fairly young and you can expect them to make the playoffs again.
New York Islanders
Additions- Chris Simon, Viktor Kozlov, Mike Sillinger, Andy Hilbert, Sean Hill, Tom Poti, Brendan Witt
Subtractions- Garth Snow, Common sense in management
I’ll just get it out of the way now: Wang is an idiot and is killing the franchise. That being said, I am thoroughly unimpressed with the Isles signings over the summer. Poti is an offensive d-man whose point totals plummeted in a more offensive league, and he has no defensive skills to back those up, making his nearly $3 million contract laughable, but at least it’s a single year.
Witt is no longer a top pairing d-man in the NHL with the new rules, and his lackluster play continued from Washington to Nashville, so I don’t think he will add much to the isles weakened defense either. Sean hill was bought out by the Panthers, so I don’t consider his signing much of a boost.
Kozlov and Sillinger add third and fourth line depth (why three years to Sillinger though?), but Simon is fading and Hilbert needs to prove he can produce without Crosby, but his quickness does help for drawing penalties and on the PK, so I actually like this signing for the Isles.
Without any significant additions, and a farm system that isn’t the best, don’t expect this team to finish far from the bottom of the east, if not the league.
New York Rangers
Additions- Matt Cullen, Aaron Ward, Brendan Shanahan, Adam Hall (trade)
Subtractions- Martin Rucinsky, Dominic Moore (trade), Tom Poti
This is the first time in a long time I think the Ranger can say they had a good off season. Adding Cullen, Ward, Hall and even an aging but still productive Shanahan more than makes up for the losses of Moore and Rucinsky at the front. And unlike the past large acquisitions, these guys aren’t head cases, and even aren’t among the leagues elite (could probably make a case for Shanahan though).
Lundquist needs to prove his performance wasn’t a fluke, but even if it was Weekes is a good guy to have as a reserve. I’ve always thought he was an under rated goalie, though he’ll never win a Vezina.
Expect the team to be in the running for the playoffs again, competing with New Jersey and Philly for reign of the division. While I do think they over achieved last year, I don’t think there will be a major drop in their performance.
Philadelphia
Additions- Kyle Calder (trade), Geoff Sanderson, Randy Robataille, Lars Jonsson, Nolan Baumgartner
Subtractions- Michal Handzus (trade), Keith Primeau (retirement), Turner Stevenson, Kim Jonsson
I hear quite a bit of rumbling here and there about how slow this team is an how they will have to fight for a playoff spot. As a Pens fan, few things would please me more than them missing the post season, but it’s not going to happen. Despite Rathje and Hatcher being slow, they are still effective (more so Rathje), and are well balanced.
The trio of budding stars in Carter, Richards and Umberger is one any team should want as they will only get better this year. Niittymaki and Eshe are a good tandem, and Sanderson and Calder add some much needed speed up front, even if they did lose a good two way center in Handzus.
I don’t expect the retirement of Primeau and Jonsson going to Minnesota will hurt that much as Philly played much of last year without both.
If other teams give the Flyers as little respect as some of the fans do, they will find themselves in for a rough night. They are not a team to take lightly.
Pittsburgh
Additions- Nils Ekman (trade), Dominic Moore (trade), Jarkko Ruutu, Ronald Petrovicky, Mark Recchi, Mark Eaton
Subtractions- Sebastian Caron (buyout),
There is a chance the Penguins can make the playoffs, but I’d say it isn’t too good, especially with teams like the Devils, Ranger and Flyers in your division.
New GM Ray Shero did something Craig Patrick never did: he provided depth to the lower lines. Ruutu, Moore and Petrovicky, while none huge difference makers, are much better than the fill ins Patrick always assigned there. Plus these three’s willingness to hit and agitate will make the Pens pesky, if not tough to play when paired with Andre Roy and Eric Cairns.
Ekman will add some much needed scoring depth at wing and Eaton, while not a top pairing guy, is better defensively than anyone the Pens have right now, and he blocks shots which none of the Pens do.
A lot of the Pens success again resides in the youngsters developing such as Colby Armstrong up front and Ryan Whitney and Noah Welch on the blue line. Malkin is a definite boost to the roster for obvious reasons, but with his shoulder injury his help to the team may be limited this year. With Michel Therrien taking reigns at the beginning of the season, and most likely no mid-season overhaul the Pens will continue through growing pains, but it shouldn’t be nearly as bad this time around.
North East Division
Boston
Additions- Marc Savard, Shean Donovan, Zdeno Chara, Paul Mara (trade)
Subtractions- Shawn McEachern (buyout), Travis Green (buyout), Nick Boynton (trade)
There’s no doubt that Boston’s defense got instantly better when they signed Chara, but how much better it gets is another question. The Senators have been a better team with a good defense, so we’ll see what kind of impact Chara really has (but I do expect it to be pretty big). Flipping Boynton for Mara was a pretty fair deal, Mara being more offensively gifted, which they’ll need with Leetch and Tanabe departing.
Toivanen needs to continue to perform at the same level from last year otherwise Boston wont have a legit starter between the pipes.
Savard will provide a boost to the offense, but I think there is a big question as to how much. Playing with Kovulchuk, not to mention being in a contract year means the stats will be inflated, but how much? Boston should hope that for $5m a year it was the new rules that gave Savard an extra thirty points over his past season totals and not any of the aforementioned reasons. I don’t think he is as good as his 97 points suggest.
With their additions, Boston should definitely be a better team, and with Boyes and Bergeron continuing to improve, their top six should get better. Their division is pretty tough, so I wont be surprised if they make it either way.
Buffalo
Additions- Jaroslav Spacek
Subtractions- JP Dumont, Mike Grier, Taylor Pyatt, Jay McKee, decent team symbol
This year will usher in the era of the Buffaslug (sorry Sabres fans, it may be a terrible symbol but “Buffaslug” is fun to say). And like the symbol, things probably won’t be as good next year.
I seemed to be one of the few that weren’t surprised the Sabres were a playoff team, though granted I didn’t think they would be as good as they were. That said, they have been one of the teams hit hardest in the off season, in particular losing Dumont, Grier and McKee, Pyatt to a lesser extend. While there is enough depth on the team to cushion the blow, all three of those players will be missed.
I do not agree with the decision to give aging veteran Teppe Numinen $2.6 million to stay and an injury prone Tim Connoly nearly $3 million and letting McKee walk.
Spacek is under rated, and is a decent two way defenseman who finally seemed to get some press with his showing in Edmonton last year. Miller is ready to play the majority of a season, and I think fans can expect good things from him. I wouldn’t expect anyone to take Buffalo lightly next year after their run, losing the aforementioned players or not.
I expect to see this team first or second in their division, and barring some major occurrence be playoff bound once more.
Montreal
Additions- Sergei Samsonov, Mike Johnson (trade),
Subtractions- Richard Zednik (trade), Jan Bulis
Montreal has always been a bit enigmatic to me. They always seem to be juggling coaches, trading goalies and never seem to have more than a few big names on the roster. But every year their they are in the playoffs.
Never a team that makes big splashes in free agency, they splurged a little with Samsonov, whose quick style should fit right into their scheme and add a good punch to their offense. Mike Johnson will help some in that respect, replacing the underachieving Richard Zednik.
Much of this team’s success will hinge on Huet as he tries to earn his new contract. Another concern for the team is that both Toronto and Boston were rather active in free agency, and with Atlanta being so close to a berth last year will make the eastern playoff race interesting. I think Montreal could very well be the victim of other teams on the rise.
Ottawa
Additions- Dean McAmmond, Tom Preissing (trade), Joe Corvo, Martin Gerber
Subtractions- Martin Havlat (trade), Brian Smolinski (trade), Zdeno Chara, Chris Phillips, Brian Pothier, Dominic Hasek
Like Buffalo, Ottawa suffered a bit during the off season with losing Chara to division rival Boston and having to deal Havlat away. Pair with Phillips and Pothier leaving, the defense won’t be as strong as last year. Corvo and the emergence of Volchenkov and Meszaros won’t make defense a liability though.
Missing Havlat most of last season means they wont miss him much more this season, and Smolinski has been declining the past few seasons. Adding Preissing and McAmmond helps depth but aren’t replacements.
Coming from the cup champs Gerber is the hope of Muckler to bring stability to the goalie position. Whether Gerber is capable of building on his regular season success from last season remains to be seen, but his post season meltdown is too coincidently reminiscent of a typical Ottawa playoff meltdown. I’d watch for that one once they make it to the playoffs again.
Toronto
Additions- Micahel Peca, Pavel Kubina, Hal Gil, Andrew Raycroft (trade)
Subtractions- Tie Domi (buyout), Aki Berg, Alexander Khavanov, Ed Belfour
More than anything, the Leafs needed defense. What they got was an offensive defenseman in Kubina to supplement their two more offensive (but not defensively challenged) top pair of McCabe and Kaberle, and a pylon in Gill that is too slow for the new rules. In other words: their defense didn’t get a whole lot better in their own zone. Don’t get me wrong, I like McCabe and Kaberle, but Kubina is only ok defensively. The $7+ million between the two free agents would have been better spent on the likes of McKee and Mitchell because offense from the backside wasn’t a problem.
The only real change at forward was the addition of Michael Peca, as both Lindros and Allison didn’t play enough to be truly effective for the Leafs. Right now there is a question mark above Peca’s head since we don’t know which one the Leafs signed: regular season invisible Peca or playoff clutch Peca?
Gone is long time enforcer Tie Domi and Ed Belfour. In goal is former Calder winner Andrew Raycroft who hopes to regain that form after a subpar year filled with injuries. If he can’t regain his form that leaves Jean Sebastion Aubin and Mikael Tellqvist to carry the load, which neither has yet shown they are capable of.
On paper the Leafs are a playoff team, and Maurice is more adept at placing young players into the line up. Right now I would say they will miss it again due to a tight race that seems to be brewing in the east, and a seeming lack of firepower up front. And just for the record, their top four defenseman all were playing during contract years, and in my book that means they wont be playing as hard this year.
South East Division
Atlanta
Additions- Steve Rucchin, Niko Kapanen (trade), Jon Sim, Vitaly Vishnevsky (trade), Johan Hedberg
Subtractions- Marc Savard, Peter Bondra, Patrik Stefan (trade), Mike Dunham
Had Kari Lehtonen played a few more games, literally, this team would have made the playoffs. Their goalie situation killed them. With a healthy Lehtonen, and a good backup in Hedberg you can expect more stability this year from the pipes.
How much the loss of Savard and Bondra are is something to watch this year. I do think they should have done more to shore up their defense, but Vishnesky is a good boost. Sim is an under rated fore checker and Kapanen will also add lower line depth.
Right now the Thrashers playoff hopes are resting on more than just a goalie situation this year. Gone are 49 goals and 87 assists between Savard and Bondra, their second and fifth leading scorers respectively. And seeing as how the majority of scoring was top heavy with Kovulchuk, Hossa and Savard I think the Thrashers will be hurting some on offense this year, and that could keep them from the playoffs instead of injuries.
Carolina
Additions- Scott Walker (trade), Brad Isbister, Trevor Letowski, David Tanabe, John Grahame
Subtractions- Matt Cullen, Aaron Ward, Martin Gerber
To be honest, I really think this team was a flash in the pan. They only beat Buffalo because half their defense was hurt, and won the cup when the Oilers beat themselves.
Walker and Isbister aren’t sufficient replacements for Cullen and Ward, Isbister being completely ineffective his last few seasons. Tanabe is a decent signing, but now with Kaberle out the Canes have a problem with their defense which wasn’t strong to begin with.
And while it probably wont have any bearing this year, I think the Brind’Amour deal is terrible as it will go against the cap since he was over 35 when it was signed.
Come April we’ll see if I have to eat my words.
Florida
Additions- Todd Bertuzzi (trade), Bryan Allen (trade), Ruslan Salei, Ed Belfour, Alex Auld (trade)
Subtractions- Sean Hill (buyout), Lucas Krajicek (trade), Roberto Luongo (trade)
I distinctly remember last year quite a few fans saying how with the additions of Hill, Roberts, Nieuwendyke and Gratton, three aging veterans and a chronic under achiever, the Panthers were going to make the playoffs. I promptly laughed at that notion and was completely right. And this off season, thanks to Mike Keenan (whose constant employment remains a mystery after getting kicked out of every gig he has ever had), they took another step backwards.
Yes, it is the Luongo trade I am talking about. Luongo won or kept the Panthers in more games than many will probably admit. Not to say he’s bad, but Alex Auld is nowhere near Luongo’s level. Allen will help the blue line, but he wont make a significant difference. That leaves Bertuzzi who in my opinion will not shed his baggage. This man is booed everywhere he goes. At a Pens game last year, the fans saw him only once that year, and with Pittsburgh having nothing to do with the incident, still booed him. I honestly don’t think a change of scenery will help because he is hated everywhere he goes.
Unless they get a major spark from some young players, I’m expecting them to be hitting the course early again this year.
Tampa
Additions- Luke Richardson, Filip Kuba, Marc Denis (trade)
Subtractions- Fredrick Modin (trade), Pavel Kubina, Daryl Sydor (trade), John Grahame
Feaster went into panic mode in signing St. Louis, Lecavalier and Richards into contracts they aren’t worth. They're three very good players, but each makes about a million more than they’re worth. And spending nearly half their cap on three players has created quite a problem.
Defense seems to be what takes the hit since their cup run, this year losing Kubina and having to deal away Sydor. Kuba helps but their blueline is still weak and will continue to hamper them this year. At this point in his career, Richardson is nothing more than a seventh defenseman.
Such desperation was the goalie situation they had to deal a mainstay and well liked Modin to Columbus for Marc Denis. I like Denis and feel he has been under rated since he has always played behind a poor Blue Jackets team. He faces more shots than most NHL goalies per night, and is used to a heavy work load. Expect that to continue in Tampa.
With their big three consuming so much of their cap space, I don think things will be getting better for Tampa this upcoming year. I think their playoff hopes rest on Denis’ shoulders.
Washington
Additions- Donald Brashear, Richard Zednik (trade), Brian Pothier
Subtractions- Jeff Halpern
Everyone says the same thing about the Caps: Ovechkin needs some help. Zednik isn’t quite what people had in mind, especially since he has not performed well since leaving the Caps. Brashear adds nothing at this point as he doesn’t even drop the gloves much anymore. Pothier will help shore up the defense some, but I wonder how much of his success was due to being on Ottawa.
With no major additions, expect the Caps to be at the bottom of the east again. It’s going to be another tough rebuilding year.
Monday, October 02, 2006
No Back Patting Necessary
Let me start off by saying that I don’t deny that Lou Lamoriello is one of the best gm’s out there. You’d be crazy not to. Good dealer, good drafter. But seriously, why is everyone acting like his dealing of Malakhov and a first to San Jose for two spare parts is such a savvy move? It isn’t in any way shape or form. There is absolutely nothing special about what he did in this trade.
First people say it was inventive. Hardly. Go on any hockey message board and you will see many posts saying the easiest, and possibly only way Lou could get Malakhov off his hands was to deal him along with a high pick or prospect to a team and get the equivalent of nothing in return. This has been said for months and months by probably thousands of people. When that many people say it for that long there is nothing original or inventive about it. It was more common sense than anything else.
Some people also give him credit for making a deal within the guidelines of the CBA. You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Of course he did it within the guidelines of the CBA, the trade wouldn’t have been approved otherwise! I’ve got to give a big “no shit Sherlock” to that comment. Bob Gainey and Doug Armstrong swung a deal last week that was within the CBA guidelines, so why no praise for them? Because every deal is within those guidelines.
There is also one main thing that is being overlooked in this whole ordeal and that is the fact that Lou is the one who created this situation. Everyone keeps saying “if anyone can get out of this mess Lou can!” Well, if Lou had been smart in the first place he wouldn’t have signed Malakhov to a large two year deal knowing full well the salary cap implications, especially since he helped write the thing. Yeah, he’s smart enough to get out of it, but apparently not smart enough to avoid it. And really, what choice does he have other than to find a way out? Does anyone actually think another gm in this situation would just sit there, twiddle his thumbs and just let key players go, or deal them away for nothing? Please.
My point is this. People need to stop acting like everything Lou does is savvy, inventive, original and only able to be pulled off by a select few. Lou did this trade because he had to do it. It wasn’t savvy, it was desperate. He gave away a first round pick and don’t tell me you can’t find a Jim Fahey anywhere in free agency for a small contract or trade a late pick for him. He’s a dime a dozen.
Due to Lou’s good drafting history and core of young players, or ones in their prime, losing that first probably won’t hurt a whole lot, but a first is first no matter where in the draft it is. If anyone thinks that a team other than the Sharks weren’t going to step up and take a deal like this you’re crazy. They were handed a first round pick, and quite literally gave up nothing. They don’t even have to pay Malakhov a dime.
This deal was a result of desperation, and any, ANY gm in the league could have pulled that deal off. So before everyone goes giving Lou a pat on the back for getting out of this mess, just remember this: the answer has been there for months and common knowledge, and just because it’s Lou, doesn’t make it any greater a move that if anyone else did it. It is nothing more than a mundane solution being bloated by fans to be a miracle.
-Jordan
First people say it was inventive. Hardly. Go on any hockey message board and you will see many posts saying the easiest, and possibly only way Lou could get Malakhov off his hands was to deal him along with a high pick or prospect to a team and get the equivalent of nothing in return. This has been said for months and months by probably thousands of people. When that many people say it for that long there is nothing original or inventive about it. It was more common sense than anything else.
Some people also give him credit for making a deal within the guidelines of the CBA. You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Of course he did it within the guidelines of the CBA, the trade wouldn’t have been approved otherwise! I’ve got to give a big “no shit Sherlock” to that comment. Bob Gainey and Doug Armstrong swung a deal last week that was within the CBA guidelines, so why no praise for them? Because every deal is within those guidelines.
There is also one main thing that is being overlooked in this whole ordeal and that is the fact that Lou is the one who created this situation. Everyone keeps saying “if anyone can get out of this mess Lou can!” Well, if Lou had been smart in the first place he wouldn’t have signed Malakhov to a large two year deal knowing full well the salary cap implications, especially since he helped write the thing. Yeah, he’s smart enough to get out of it, but apparently not smart enough to avoid it. And really, what choice does he have other than to find a way out? Does anyone actually think another gm in this situation would just sit there, twiddle his thumbs and just let key players go, or deal them away for nothing? Please.
My point is this. People need to stop acting like everything Lou does is savvy, inventive, original and only able to be pulled off by a select few. Lou did this trade because he had to do it. It wasn’t savvy, it was desperate. He gave away a first round pick and don’t tell me you can’t find a Jim Fahey anywhere in free agency for a small contract or trade a late pick for him. He’s a dime a dozen.
Due to Lou’s good drafting history and core of young players, or ones in their prime, losing that first probably won’t hurt a whole lot, but a first is first no matter where in the draft it is. If anyone thinks that a team other than the Sharks weren’t going to step up and take a deal like this you’re crazy. They were handed a first round pick, and quite literally gave up nothing. They don’t even have to pay Malakhov a dime.
This deal was a result of desperation, and any, ANY gm in the league could have pulled that deal off. So before everyone goes giving Lou a pat on the back for getting out of this mess, just remember this: the answer has been there for months and common knowledge, and just because it’s Lou, doesn’t make it any greater a move that if anyone else did it. It is nothing more than a mundane solution being bloated by fans to be a miracle.
-Jordan
Sunday, October 01, 2006
League Happenings
First let me start off with comments on the Sabres new uniforms after seeing them against the Pens Thursday night. They aren’t as bad as I thought they would be. The pants do help a lot, but I maintain it is a poor design because most t=of the patterns are not very visible being on the inside of the arm and sides.
That said, onto the trades.
To Carolina- Eric Belanger, Tim Gleason
To LA- Jack Johnson, Oleg Tverdovsky
Jordan:
The problem with a deal involving a prospect is you have to go on the potential since they haven’t played an actual game. But I would still have to give the winner to LA. Johnson is a blue chip prospect that can play in both zones and hits. That’s pretty rare for a defenseman. I don’t think LA will have much of a problem signing him as this high up he will get near max, if not that.
Tverdovsky, while a salary dump on Carolina’s behalf can be useful to LA. I wouldn’t be surprised if he recovers from a poor year, but I’m not expecting him to be a points leader among defenseman at all.
Gleason is a pretty good defenseman and still has room for improvement, but most important to Carolina he can make a difference now. Belanger is a quality but oft injured third line player, which Carolina does need more of.
While how good Johnson does depends on who won, I think he will be a good defenseman for many years, so I give it to LA.
OP:
Naturally with a deal like this, the true winner can't be determined until these careers are over. Alas, LA took a worthwhile risk in this. Sure Gleason is still relative young and very solid defenseman. Sure Belanger, when healthy, is an extemely valuable 3rd liner who can chip in somewhat offensively and provide solid depth. The fact of that matter nothing compares to getting a player in the true mold of a #1 Defensemen especially when they are this young for at best a 3rd defensemen and a 3rd liner. Even if Johnson doesn't develop fully offensively, he has more of enough skills defensively to be a true shutdown defense defensemen in the mold of guys like Scott Hannon. Tverdovsky, while never amounting to the hype he had when he was drafted, is still a capable offensive defense with speed to burn. While I don't see Oleg making much of an impact, he can still provide valueable depth to an already solid defensive unit.
Verdict: Incomplete
To Dallas- Mike Ribeiro
To Montreal- Janne Niinimaa, 5th round pick
Jordan:
Can’t say I’m surprised about either of these guys getting dealt, but I am surprised it came right before the start of the season.
In Ribeiro Dallas gets a center to replace the void left by Jason Arnott. While Ribeiro doesn’t have the strong two way play, he should provide the scoring they need while free agent additions such as Jeff Halpern will help with the defensive play.
Montreal gets a much needed defenseman in Niinimaa, who will be trying to prove last year was just a fluke. If he doesn’t pan out then all Montreal will have to show for Ribeiro is a 5th rounder. Right now I would have to give Dallas the upper hand due to Niinimaa’s poor showing last year.
OP:
Solid acquisition for Dallas. The time will tell who will when this deal also but as a fan of Ribeiro, I feel this will be a solid pickup for the Stars. Ribeiro has some skill offensively but its the other "intangibles" that people find faults with. The diving, the showboating, lazy, lack of size, choking, inability to score in the clutch, etc. left an awful taste in Montreal's mouth. The skill is without a doubt there. If someone can light a fire in Ribeiro, than they can very good scoring forward. Regardless a change of scenery was needed. His act in Montreal wasn't helping anyone. However, getting a Janne Niinimaa of today obviously isn't even the same Janne that we've seen only3 years ago. Janne is on his last legs. With a weak defensive core, he can without a doubt see some playing time but how effective will he be? Will he be able to handle himself once the Montreal media gets a hold of him and questions his ability. Janne had trouble getting used to the new game of hockey with sloppy defensive play, missed assignments and endless trips to the penalty box. The habs fans will surely love him if he continues this stellar play. Frankly, that 5th round pick might end up being the best player in all of this. Montreal's defense is still rather weak with him and now there is a hole at center. With that in mind you got to give the edge to Dallas.
Verdict: Let me make an analogy here. This deal is similar to one who can either choose to live with either Gonnorhea or Herpes. It's almost like pick the one that you can deal with the most and hope for the best. As of right now Dallas dealing with Herpes would be probably something they can live with more than the Habs. Hopefully these teams have the proper medication ;)
That said, onto the trades.
To Carolina- Eric Belanger, Tim Gleason
To LA- Jack Johnson, Oleg Tverdovsky
Jordan:
The problem with a deal involving a prospect is you have to go on the potential since they haven’t played an actual game. But I would still have to give the winner to LA. Johnson is a blue chip prospect that can play in both zones and hits. That’s pretty rare for a defenseman. I don’t think LA will have much of a problem signing him as this high up he will get near max, if not that.
Tverdovsky, while a salary dump on Carolina’s behalf can be useful to LA. I wouldn’t be surprised if he recovers from a poor year, but I’m not expecting him to be a points leader among defenseman at all.
Gleason is a pretty good defenseman and still has room for improvement, but most important to Carolina he can make a difference now. Belanger is a quality but oft injured third line player, which Carolina does need more of.
While how good Johnson does depends on who won, I think he will be a good defenseman for many years, so I give it to LA.
OP:
Naturally with a deal like this, the true winner can't be determined until these careers are over. Alas, LA took a worthwhile risk in this. Sure Gleason is still relative young and very solid defenseman. Sure Belanger, when healthy, is an extemely valuable 3rd liner who can chip in somewhat offensively and provide solid depth. The fact of that matter nothing compares to getting a player in the true mold of a #1 Defensemen especially when they are this young for at best a 3rd defensemen and a 3rd liner. Even if Johnson doesn't develop fully offensively, he has more of enough skills defensively to be a true shutdown defense defensemen in the mold of guys like Scott Hannon. Tverdovsky, while never amounting to the hype he had when he was drafted, is still a capable offensive defense with speed to burn. While I don't see Oleg making much of an impact, he can still provide valueable depth to an already solid defensive unit.
Verdict: Incomplete
To Dallas- Mike Ribeiro
To Montreal- Janne Niinimaa, 5th round pick
Jordan:
Can’t say I’m surprised about either of these guys getting dealt, but I am surprised it came right before the start of the season.
In Ribeiro Dallas gets a center to replace the void left by Jason Arnott. While Ribeiro doesn’t have the strong two way play, he should provide the scoring they need while free agent additions such as Jeff Halpern will help with the defensive play.
Montreal gets a much needed defenseman in Niinimaa, who will be trying to prove last year was just a fluke. If he doesn’t pan out then all Montreal will have to show for Ribeiro is a 5th rounder. Right now I would have to give Dallas the upper hand due to Niinimaa’s poor showing last year.
OP:
Solid acquisition for Dallas. The time will tell who will when this deal also but as a fan of Ribeiro, I feel this will be a solid pickup for the Stars. Ribeiro has some skill offensively but its the other "intangibles" that people find faults with. The diving, the showboating, lazy, lack of size, choking, inability to score in the clutch, etc. left an awful taste in Montreal's mouth. The skill is without a doubt there. If someone can light a fire in Ribeiro, than they can very good scoring forward. Regardless a change of scenery was needed. His act in Montreal wasn't helping anyone. However, getting a Janne Niinimaa of today obviously isn't even the same Janne that we've seen only3 years ago. Janne is on his last legs. With a weak defensive core, he can without a doubt see some playing time but how effective will he be? Will he be able to handle himself once the Montreal media gets a hold of him and questions his ability. Janne had trouble getting used to the new game of hockey with sloppy defensive play, missed assignments and endless trips to the penalty box. The habs fans will surely love him if he continues this stellar play. Frankly, that 5th round pick might end up being the best player in all of this. Montreal's defense is still rather weak with him and now there is a hole at center. With that in mind you got to give the edge to Dallas.
Verdict: Let me make an analogy here. This deal is similar to one who can either choose to live with either Gonnorhea or Herpes. It's almost like pick the one that you can deal with the most and hope for the best. As of right now Dallas dealing with Herpes would be probably something they can live with more than the Habs. Hopefully these teams have the proper medication ;)
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