These Are Almost Done, Hooray!

There was a great article on the Puck Daddy Blog on Yahoo Sports that defended The Guardian Project. It made some good points, including how this venture may help attract new hockey fans and how the target market is not for people who are already hockey fans. It does make sense though, and you have to give the NHL credit for trying new ways of attracting fans and spreading interest in the game. Anyway, time to laugh at the heroes presented in the past week.

I think they made up the powers of The Capital as they went along. He's the Jason Bourne of super heroes, not sure whether or not he has spent his life working as a spy. A giant man-eagle with a 14 foot wingspan, he can blend in anywhere. The creators needed an excuse for him to be able to fit in so why not shape-shifting? He has telescopic sight which makes me believe he is The Flyer's pet and I hope he never cheers a goal when the other heroes are around because his voice can destroy objects and people. Along with The Wild, they need to start being careful around each other of this league will get depleted quickly.

This guy just looks silly. The Red Wing is part transformer, part fighter jet, part formula one racer. For whatever reason, the creators made him resemble a hawk, without realizing the 'Hawks are their biggest rival. They are starting to get too many heroes with the same traits, they have a few too many leaders so I don't know who all the others will  listen to. Especially if The Red Wing and The Blackhawk has two different ideas. I'd hate to choose between them and have to deal with that decision in their layer later on. I have been looking and I do not understand what is going on with his wheels. They look like a bicycle attached to his feet so he must be tripping over a lot. They are also useless because he can fly, they just needed to add something to represent The Motor City so threw that in.

I love throwback and vintage stuff, I really do. But who in their right mind is going to fight a modern day war with weapons from 1857? The Blue Jacket, that's who. His entire body is covered in 19th century weaponry and has the ability to communicate with Civil War generals. He is the first hero with a unique ability, his astral plasma Ohio flag has the ability to "cocoon his victim with the flag, giving the illusion the victim has disappeared when in reality, the victim is temporarily suspended in time." Umm...what?

Good news. The Flame is "completely resistant to heat." Whew! For a minute there there, I was worried a man comprised completely of fire would be unable to take himself. Basically, he's the Human Torch with out the back story and added wings. He likes to ski but I wonder how he's allowed on the mountain a second time after melting all the snow on his first run. Keep him away from The Sabre; he's just another hero whose purpose seems to be to destroy the other Guardians.  

The Star is nothing if not confident, so much in fact that any little idea he comes up with he thinks is original and the greatest thought anyone has ever had. I now people like that. They're called pricks. His catch-phrase is an unoriginal cliche and sounds like something this guy would say. He uses nuclear fusion as a weapon to create something he like to refer to as a "solar flare." Yeah, just him and the thousands of scientists who have studied the sun.

All in all, The Coyote seems like a pretty decent guy for a hobo. This poor man's Wolverine can conjure up spirits who apparently appear in the form of a T-Rex in order to give him advice. To me though, fortune cookie seem like a much less scary way to get some good guidance. He just needs to find some new apparel, dusters should be reserved for one badass, and one badass only. 

Another guy resembling Mr. Freeze, The Avalanche has a real problem with, well, everyone he works with. He not only has a problem has a problem with authority, but he takes meaningless risks "not because he actually believes that he can accomplish the act in question, but simply because he wants to see if it's possible." Just what I'm looking for in a superhero. He can create an avalanche at will, "provided of course that conditions allow for it." Yet another hero who is only useful only under the perfect circumstances. 

Offseason Recap-Northwest Division

Beginning the Western Conference, here is a look at the Northwest Division.


Vancouver Canucks - 1
Key Signings
7/1: C Manny Malhotra (SJ) 3 years
7/1: C Joel Perrault (PHO) 1 year
7/1: LW Jeff Tambellini (NYI)
7/1: D Dan Hamhuis (NAS) 6 years
7/12: G Tyler Weiman (COL)
7/12: C Alexandre Bolduc (re-signed)
7/12: LW Tanner Glass (re-signed)
7/12: D Shane O'Brien (re-signed)
7/22: R Jannik Hansen (re-signed)
7/26: LW Mason Raymond (re-signed)
8/25: LW Raffi Torres (BUF)
Trades
6/25:D Keith Ballard and RW Victor Oreskovich from FLA for RW Steve Bernier, RW Michael Grabner, and 1st round draft pick (2010)
Departures
G Andrew Raycroft (DAL)
C Pavol Demitra (KHL, Yaroslavl)
D Willie Mitchell
C Kyle Wellwood
D Brad Lukowich
What To Expect
The city that saw gold last year will be expecting silver this season.Not much has changed on the front lines. Manny Malhotra and Raffi Torres will combine to add plenty of grit. An already solid defensive core was made stronger, despite the loss of shutdown specialist Willie Mitchell. Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard are new in town and combine with Christian Ehrhoff, Alexander Edler, Sami Salo, and Kevin Bieksa to form a solid defensive group. The move most likely to help the Canucks however, may be Dustin Byfuglien heading to the Eastern Conference and away from Luongo's crease.

Colorado Avalanche - 7
Key Signings
7/2: D Kyle Quincy (re-signed) 2 years
7/2: LW Daniel Winnik (PHO) 2 years
7/7: LW Brandon Yip (re-signed) 2 years
Trades
6/17: LW Julian Talbot from STL for C TJ Hensick
6/26: LW Daniel Winnik from PHO for 4th round draft pick (2012)
Departures
D Brett Clark (TB)
D Brian Fahey (WAS)
G Tyler Weiman (VAN)
RW Brian Willsie (WAS)
LW Chris Durno (TB)
D Ruslan Salei (DET)
RW Marek Svatos
C Stephane Yelle
LW Darcy Tucker
What To Expect
Its up to the young players now in Colorado. If second year players Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly can avoid the sophomore slump and Peter Mueller can get back to his rookie form which showed after being ntraded to Colorado from Phoenix last season, the Avalanche should be able to make the playoff two seasons in a row for the first time since the lockout. There were not many changes from the team that finished last season. Super pest Darcy Tucker and the uber-talented but ultra-frustrating Marek Svatos are gone,


Calgary Flames - 10
Key Signings
7/1: LW Alex Tanguay (TB) 1 year
7/1: C Olli Jokinen (NYR) 2 years $6 M
7/2: RW Tim Jackman (NYI) 2 years
7/2: LW Raitis Ivanans (LA) 2 years
7/17: RW Kris Chucko (re-signed)
7/18: D Matt Pelech (re-signed) 1 year
7/20: LW Brett Sutter (re-signed) 1 year
7/30: D Ian White (re-signed) 1 year
8/11: C Craig Conroy (re-signed) 1 year
Trades
6/30: C Logan MacMillan and 7th round draft pick (2013) from ANA for RW Jason Jaffray and 7th round draft pick (2013)
Departures
LW Eric Nystrom (MIN)
LW Chris Higgins (FLA)
D Brett Palin (NAS)
F Jamal Mayers (SJ)
LW Colin Stuart
LW Nigel Dawes
What To Expect
For a team that boasts one of the best forwards and goalies in the league, the Flames do not seem like a playoff team. GM Darryl Sutter brought Olli Jokinen back to Calgary after already making the right move and getting rid of him at the trade deadline last year. Alex Tanguay has had some of his best seasons in Calgary and with just a one year deal, thats not a bad signing. The defense is the same as it was at the end of last year when they tied for the fifth best goals against average. That really won't matter too much if they continue to struggle to score goals.


Minnesota Wild - 14
Key Signings
7/1: LW Guillaume Latendresse (re-signed) 2 years
7/1: C Matt Cullen (OTT)
7/1: LW Eric Nystrom (CAL) 3 years
7/2: D Drew Bagnall (LA) 1 year
7/2: C Warren Peters (DAL) 2 years
7/8: Robbie Earl (re-signed)
7/14: G Josh Harding (re-signed) 1 year
7/15: G Anton Khudobin (re-signed) 1 year
8/6: C John Madden (CHI) 1 year
Trades
6/21: RW Brad Staubitz from SJ for 5th round draft pick (2010)
Departures
LW Derek Boogaard (NYR)
D John Scott (CHI)
C Andrew Ebbett (PHO)
D Jamie Sifers (MIN)
C Andy Hilbert (NYI)
What To Expect
The new era of hockey in Minnesota didn;t really improve the team's success last season and it doesn;t look to be getting any better. Matt Cullen is a solid signing, he can flirt with 20 goals and play on the special teams, but it will not be nearly enough to help a team that finished in the bottom third in offense. Niklas Backstrom will be a workhorse once again behind a defense that didn't get any better. The State of Hockey looks to in for another long winter.


Edmonton Oilers - 15
Key Signings
7/1: D Kurtis Foster (TB) 2 years, $3.6 M
7/1: C Colin Fraser (CHI) 2 years
7/2: F Steve MacIntyre (FLA) 1 year
7/2: D Jason Strudwick (re-signed) 1 year
7/13: G Devan Dubnyk (re-signed)
7/14: LW J. F. Jacques (re-signed) 1 year
7/15: D Theo Peckham (re-signed) 1 year
7/27: C Gilbert Brule (re-signed) 2 years, $3.7 M
7/31: G Jeff Deslauriers (re-signed) 1 year
8/9: LW Liam Reddox (re-signed) 1 year
8/29: C Sam Gagner (re-signed) 2 years, $4.55 M
Trades
6/24: C Colin Fraser from CHI for 6th round draft pick (2010)
6/26: 2nd round draft pick (2010) from CAR for C Riley Nash
6/30: D Jim Vandermeer from PHO for C Patrick O-Sullivan
Departures
LW Chris Minard (DET)
LW Ethan Moreau (CLB)
RW Fernando Pisani (CHI)
What To Expect
There are benefits to being last overall as Edmonton was awarded the number one overall draft pick and the right to choose Taylor Hall. He will join a young group of forwards trying to prove themselves in the NHL. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano needs to have breakout seasons and Duntin Penner must continue the upward trajectory he showed last season if they wish to improve their 27th ranked offense. Having Ales Hemsky for a full season will certainly help. Nikolai Khabibulin is healthy again as well but has his legal troubles to deal with before thinking about playing goal. Hopefully if the youth movement goes as planned, Edmonton be toiling in the basement much longer.

Sources: NHL.com Free Agent tracker, TSN.ca TradeCentre, The Hockey News Yearbook