The Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup over a week ago, but the season has still been going strong. There were the NHL Awards, a few big trades and the draft. Let's start with the awards.
Here are the winners, along with who I had picked.
Award - Winner - My Pick
Norris - Nicklas Lidstrom - Shea Weber
Selke - Ryan Kesler - Ryan Kesler
Jack Adams - Dan Bylsma - Barry Trotz
Calder - Jeff Skinner - Jeff Skinner
GM - Mike Gillis - Steve Yzerman
Ted Lindsay - Daniel Sedin - Corey Perry
Masterton - Ian Laperriere - Ray Emery
Lady Byng - Martin St-Louis - Nicklas Lidstrom
Vezina - Tim Thomas - Tim Thomas
Hart - Corey Perry - Martin St-Louis
Messier Leadership - Zdeno Chara
Jennings - Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider
Art Ross - Daniel Sedin
Rocket Richard - Corey Perry
King Clancey - Doug Weight
There are no really surprises here, other than Perry winning the Hart Trophy. While I wanted St-Louis to win, I wrote a post on that a while back, I expected it to go to Sedin. He was consistent all season while Perry got the majority of his points in the final quarter of the season and I think being there all season is more important than being there for the stretch run. Though that is not to say that wasn't important, because he was a huge reason the Ducks went on a last-season surge and were able to take hold of the fourth spot.
I was also surprised to see Laperriere win the Masterton Trophy since he didn't play at all this season. But I'm really happy he won it. If there is one person who is more dedicated to hockey more than anyone else, its Lappy. Why else would he get right back out every time he got hit with the puck or punched in the face. But he is more than a role player, he is a consumate professional and one of the best teammates in all of sports. Wayne Fish said of him in 2009 "You get a lot of P's with Ian Laperriere: Penalty-killer. Pest. Physical force. Perfect teammate." He was so loved in Philadelphia after just one season, his introduction led to one of the best moments of a thrill-a-game 2010 playoff run.
One final thought about the awards. Having random celebrities at the show is fine, but they should try to keep it more hockey related. Are there really that many people out there who like hockey and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? It seems unlikely to me, so let's get someone who is capable of remembering the correct pronunciation of three names. Pronouncing Martin St-Louis' name Saint Lewis isn't the worst thing ever, but it shows they really weren't interested in being there. Even the host, Jay Mohr, wasn't perfect saying WHYzerman instead of EYEzerman when talking about Best GM nominee Stevie Y.
The Flyers shocked me a few days later, trading Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, two first-round picks from what is going to be one of the best draft classes ever. I thought they should get rid of Carter, but I never thought they would trade, or even be able to trade, Richards. I was upset over that, but the more I look at the return, the better the trades look. They now have top-rated prospect Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek and three picks in the draft, including the eighth overall which they used to select Sean Couturier (Full draft results can be found here). These trades have caused a major stir in the forward unit so let's take a look at what the line could look like next season.
van Riemsdyk Giroux Voracek
Hartnell Briere Leino
Simmonds Schenn Versteeg
Carcillo Betts Powe/Nodl
I was expecting Adam Larsson to go first overall to the Edmonton Oilers, but they went with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins allowing Larsson to be taken by the Devils in the fourth slot. This worked out great for the Devils as they now have a solid prospect to rebuild their defense around. It was a strength of theirs before the lockout, but has since been pulled apart, mainly through free agency and retirement, and the talent level now is nowhere near what it was. Larsson is certainly as good a start as any to become a dominate defensive team again.
Showing posts with label New Jersey Devils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Jersey Devils. Show all posts
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Consequences Of A Long Night
The Vancouver-Nashville game last night looked as though it would go on for a long time before Matt Halischuk found a hole in Roberto Luongo's armor. It wouldn't have been a surprise to see these two teams, led by Vezina-nominee goalies and strong defenses that helped Vancouver finish first in goals-against average in the regular season and Nashville third, play in one of those classic marathon games that causes fans to sleep at the rink and local pizza parlors to get a surprise spike in business at two in the morning.
Winning those games is one of the toughest thing for a team to do. They are well beyond their usual physical fatigue levels and their mental fatigue is catching up quickly. They get through their shifts by sheer willpower and equipment managers work harder than ever in an effort to keep their equipment dry. The winning goal doesn't just mean a celebration for the win, it brings relief that the game is over and they can finally begin to rest as their next game is less than two days away.
Those long games go a long way towards helping to win a series. Both teams are equally exhausted, but the wining team gets a huge mental boost while the losers are dejected as the loss becomes too much to handle. Of the 10 longest games in NHL history, nine of the winners have gone on to win the series, proving there is a short-term boost from winning those games. It isn't until the next series that the games start to take a toll as those nine winner are a combined 4-5 in the following series and 4-7 through the rest of the playoffs. No team would ever throw a game on purpose, but in the long run it may be better to lose the game early in the overtime and have more reserves going forward than to win a long game and be too tired to continue the playoff run. Here are the results of what happened after the 10 longest games in NHL history:
Date: Round, game of series; winner-score over loser-score in time taken; how the winner fared in series; how they fared in series after.
3/24/36: 1, 1 of 5; Red Wings-1 over Maroons-0 in 2:56:30; won series 3-0; won next series (Cup final) over Maple Leafs 3-1.
4/3/33: 1, 5 of 5; Maple Leafs-1 over Bruins-0 in 2:44:46; won series 3-2; lost next series (Cup final) to Rangers 3-1
5/4/00: 2, 4 of 7; Flyers-2 over Penguins-1 in 2:32:01; won series 4-2; lost next series (conf. final) to Devils 4-3.
4/24/03: 2, 1 of 7; Mighty Ducks-4 over Stars-3 in 2:20:48; won series 4-2; won next series (conf. final) over Wild 4-0; lost next series (Cup final) to Devils 4-3.
4/24/96: 1, 4 of 7; Penguins-3 over Capitals-2 in 2:19:15; won series 4-2; won next series (conf. semifinal) over Rangers 4-1; lost next series (conf. final) to Panthers 4-3.
4/11/07: 1, 1 of 7; Canucks-5 over Stars-4 in 2:18:06; won series 4-3; lost next series (conf. semifinal) to Ducks 4-1.
3/23/43: 1, 2 of 7; Maple Leafs-3 over Red Wings-2; lost series 4-2
5/4/08: 2, 6 of 7; Stars-2 over Sharks-1 in 2:09:03; won series 4-2; lost next series (conf. final) to Red Wings 4-2
3/28/30: 2, 1 of 3; Canadiens-2 over Rangers-1 in 2:08:52, won series 2-0; won next series (Cup final) over Bruins 2-0.
4/18/87: 1, 7 of 7; Islanders-3 over Capitals-2 in 2:08:47; won series 4-3; lost next series (conf. semifinal) to Flyers 4-3.
The team that won the game have a combined 14-8 record (.636 winning percentage) in the rest of the series following the win, not counting the three series in which that win was in the deciding game. In the 11 series after the one featuring the game, the record drops to 29-29 (.500) for a total record of 43-37 (.538). This shows marathon games take too much out of teams to continue their runs to the Cup.
One of the biggest examples of this is with the Flyers. The third-longest game help them tie their second round series against the Penguins at 2-2 after they lost the first two games at home. Then, after building a 3-1 series lead against their arch-rival Devils, they managed only three goals in the final three games of the series and missed out on the Stanley Cup final.
The Devils benefited from an opponent's marathon again in 2003. After the Mighty Ducks won their series against the Stars, they swept their way through the Western Conference final against the Wild, only allowing one goal in the four games. But then they got the the Stanley Cup final and were shutout three times in a grueling series including a 3-0 loss in Game 7.
The Islanders won the Easter Epic against the Capitals on Pat LaFontaine's turn-around shot from the blueline, then faced the Flyers in round two. That series went the full seven games and of the first six, five were decided by two goals or fewer. They would lose Game 7 5-1. The Stars also wrapped up a series with a history-making game, then dropped the first three games of the 2008 Western Conference final against the Red Wings. They battled back to force Game 6, but lost that game 4-1.
Even though the Canucks lost the game, surrendering home-ice advantage to the Predators in the process, the fact they didn't play all night may have helped them in the long run. Ultra-long overtime games just don't leave enough in the tank to continue playing at a high level
Winning those games is one of the toughest thing for a team to do. They are well beyond their usual physical fatigue levels and their mental fatigue is catching up quickly. They get through their shifts by sheer willpower and equipment managers work harder than ever in an effort to keep their equipment dry. The winning goal doesn't just mean a celebration for the win, it brings relief that the game is over and they can finally begin to rest as their next game is less than two days away.
Those long games go a long way towards helping to win a series. Both teams are equally exhausted, but the wining team gets a huge mental boost while the losers are dejected as the loss becomes too much to handle. Of the 10 longest games in NHL history, nine of the winners have gone on to win the series, proving there is a short-term boost from winning those games. It isn't until the next series that the games start to take a toll as those nine winner are a combined 4-5 in the following series and 4-7 through the rest of the playoffs. No team would ever throw a game on purpose, but in the long run it may be better to lose the game early in the overtime and have more reserves going forward than to win a long game and be too tired to continue the playoff run. Here are the results of what happened after the 10 longest games in NHL history:
Date: Round, game of series; winner-score over loser-score in time taken; how the winner fared in series; how they fared in series after.
3/24/36: 1, 1 of 5; Red Wings-1 over Maroons-0 in 2:56:30; won series 3-0; won next series (Cup final) over Maple Leafs 3-1.
4/3/33: 1, 5 of 5; Maple Leafs-1 over Bruins-0 in 2:44:46; won series 3-2; lost next series (Cup final) to Rangers 3-1
5/4/00: 2, 4 of 7; Flyers-2 over Penguins-1 in 2:32:01; won series 4-2; lost next series (conf. final) to Devils 4-3.
4/24/03: 2, 1 of 7; Mighty Ducks-4 over Stars-3 in 2:20:48; won series 4-2; won next series (conf. final) over Wild 4-0; lost next series (Cup final) to Devils 4-3.
4/24/96: 1, 4 of 7; Penguins-3 over Capitals-2 in 2:19:15; won series 4-2; won next series (conf. semifinal) over Rangers 4-1; lost next series (conf. final) to Panthers 4-3.
4/11/07: 1, 1 of 7; Canucks-5 over Stars-4 in 2:18:06; won series 4-3; lost next series (conf. semifinal) to Ducks 4-1.
3/23/43: 1, 2 of 7; Maple Leafs-3 over Red Wings-2; lost series 4-2
5/4/08: 2, 6 of 7; Stars-2 over Sharks-1 in 2:09:03; won series 4-2; lost next series (conf. final) to Red Wings 4-2
3/28/30: 2, 1 of 3; Canadiens-2 over Rangers-1 in 2:08:52, won series 2-0; won next series (Cup final) over Bruins 2-0.
4/18/87: 1, 7 of 7; Islanders-3 over Capitals-2 in 2:08:47; won series 4-3; lost next series (conf. semifinal) to Flyers 4-3.
The team that won the game have a combined 14-8 record (.636 winning percentage) in the rest of the series following the win, not counting the three series in which that win was in the deciding game. In the 11 series after the one featuring the game, the record drops to 29-29 (.500) for a total record of 43-37 (.538). This shows marathon games take too much out of teams to continue their runs to the Cup.
One of the biggest examples of this is with the Flyers. The third-longest game help them tie their second round series against the Penguins at 2-2 after they lost the first two games at home. Then, after building a 3-1 series lead against their arch-rival Devils, they managed only three goals in the final three games of the series and missed out on the Stanley Cup final.
The Devils benefited from an opponent's marathon again in 2003. After the Mighty Ducks won their series against the Stars, they swept their way through the Western Conference final against the Wild, only allowing one goal in the four games. But then they got the the Stanley Cup final and were shutout three times in a grueling series including a 3-0 loss in Game 7.
The Islanders won the Easter Epic against the Capitals on Pat LaFontaine's turn-around shot from the blueline, then faced the Flyers in round two. That series went the full seven games and of the first six, five were decided by two goals or fewer. They would lose Game 7 5-1. The Stars also wrapped up a series with a history-making game, then dropped the first three games of the 2008 Western Conference final against the Red Wings. They battled back to force Game 6, but lost that game 4-1.
Even though the Canucks lost the game, surrendering home-ice advantage to the Predators in the process, the fact they didn't play all night may have helped them in the long run. Ultra-long overtime games just don't leave enough in the tank to continue playing at a high level
Saturday, 8 January 2011
The (Stupid) Guardian Project
The NHL has had trouble gaining credibility in the United States, often failing to get recognition as one of the "Big Four" and rarely featured on national sports networks like ESPN. Even the "sport" of NASCAR has a wider audience in many places, especially in the deep south. As a result, many teams are forced to come up with gimmicks and publicity stunts in order to attract fans, including this little gem by the Atlanta Thrashers. But of all ways to try and get fans, there is a new low. The National Hockey League and Stan Lee have teamed up to create The Guardian Project, a collection of 30 superheroes, one inspired by each team. At the All-Star game, they will all be revealed as the same time and shown in their first adventure. I can't wait to see what kind of problem they come up with that takes 30 heroes to solve. Seriously, having 30 heroes solve one crime is like having 30 firetrucks show up to put out a barrel fire. Wouldn't it be easier just to call Superman? He's one guy, can only be harmed by a substance found on a planet that has already been destroyed, and won't have anyone helping him out that will get in his way.
Each day a new superhero will be revealed and each week I will look at the past seven heroes and make fun of them. Here are the first eight that have been revealed so far.
Looks suspiciously like Cyclops except this one can't shoot lasers out of his eyes. He has a set of wings that don't let him fly, yet he can maneuver through the air. How the heck is that not the same exact thing?! And the last time someone had his powers, they belonged to this guy, and he was evil. Among all of The Guardians, he is the least willing to be placed in a box so at least you know when you're in need of help, you can count on him, more than anyone else, on not being in Abu Dhabi. (that's right, a Garfield reference)
The King is apparently more celebrity than anything else. For whatever reason, his shield creates a forcefield. Seriously, why does he need both? His sword can create an earthquake (like LA doesn't get enough already) so he can crumble the city he loves in one fell swoop as he strikes down his enemy.
From what I can tell, this hero is a bit of an alcoholic and keeps somebody's brain inside of a jar. The hair seems crazy at first, but my theory is that he killed and scalped Storm, dyed the hair red, and implanted her hair on his head. Apparently it was the hair all along that allowed her, and now him, to control the weather.
Here we have a giant man-boy who all the other Guardians are supposed to look up to. That's right, the apparent leader doesn't take anything seriously and is all happy-go-lucky. Exactly what I look for in a leader. He wears enough armor that he needs six wings in order to fly and controls the element of wind which is already a power belonging to The Hurricane.
OK, they are just ripping off other comic book characters now. This is similar to Mr. Freeze (yep, this guy again)but instead of an ice cannon, just has an over-sized super soaker. He is said to be highly intelligent, yet turned down free trips around the world in order to pay for them himself. He gained his powers in an experiment that went wrong, and is now completely comprised of water. OK, he is not similar to Mr. Freeze, he is Mr. Freeze, just on a hot day.
Cut him and he bleeds rainbows. He has incredible vision that makes him only "slightly more valuable in certain situations" than the other heroes. So even when things go 100% his way, and even though he can control people with his mind, any other hero would have come out just as well, except maybe with one more black eye. He also has a titanium eagle and can see what it sees. Since eagles have such amazing vision in the first place, makes you wonder why he needs his own super vision. Good news though, he finally has the granite chin that has been lacking from other Philly based heroes.
A hero BP would be proud of, The Oiler is also the third hero already that can control the weather. I think these guys should stop fighting crime and start fighting global warming. Weighing in at nearly half a ton, he probably doesn't get to the scene of the crime too quickly, especially since he spends most of his time lost in the woods laughing at his own jokes because no one else will.
I have a hard time believing this is a hero. He (it?) spends most of his time screwing around with the other heroes and I think he should be on some sort of watch list, seeing as he spends the majority of his time making sure kids see him as good people. Probably with candy. He has a titanium tail covered in barbed wire. I don't know about you, but I do not think having someone with that thing swinging around should be fighting anywhere near me.
Each day a new superhero will be revealed and each week I will look at the past seven heroes and make fun of them. Here are the first eight that have been revealed so far.
Looks suspiciously like Cyclops except this one can't shoot lasers out of his eyes. He has a set of wings that don't let him fly, yet he can maneuver through the air. How the heck is that not the same exact thing?! And the last time someone had his powers, they belonged to this guy, and he was evil. Among all of The Guardians, he is the least willing to be placed in a box so at least you know when you're in need of help, you can count on him, more than anyone else, on not being in Abu Dhabi. (that's right, a Garfield reference)
The King is apparently more celebrity than anything else. For whatever reason, his shield creates a forcefield. Seriously, why does he need both? His sword can create an earthquake (like LA doesn't get enough already) so he can crumble the city he loves in one fell swoop as he strikes down his enemy.
Friday, 7 January 2011
Prediction Reviews-Eastern Conference
Before the season began, I took a shot at predicting the end of season standings. As we are now halfway through the season I thought it would be a good idea to revisit my predictions. As it turns out, predicting where teams will finish is a lot more difficult than I had thought.
Atlantic Division
rank-team-(my prediction)
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (1)
2. Philadelphia Flyers (3)
3. New York Rangers (4)
4. New York Islanders (5)
5. New Jersey Devils (2)
Northeast Division
1. Boston Bruins (1)
2. Montreal Canadiens (3)
3. Buffalo Sabres (2)
4. Ottawa Senators (4)
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (5)
Southeast Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (2)
2. Washington Capitals (1)
3. Atlanta Thrashers (4)
4. Carolina Hurricanes (3)
5. Florida Panthers (5)
Here is a look at the conference as a whole:
rank-team-points-(my prediction)
1. Pittsburgh Penguins 56 (2)
2. Tampa Bay Lightning 53 (7)
3. Boston Bruins 48 (3)
4. Philadelphia Flyers 55 (5)
5. Washington Capitals 52 (1)
6. Atlanta Thrashers 50 (12)
7. New York Rangers 49 (11)
8. Montreal Canadiens 47 (9)
9. Carolina Hurricanes 42 (8)
10. Buffalo Sabres 39 (6)
11. Florida Panthers 38 (14)
12. Ottawa Senators 37 (10)
13. Toronto Maple Leafs 34 (13)
14. New York Islanders 30 (15)
15. New Jersey Devils 22 (4)
Biggest Surprises
Atlanta Thrashers: The Southeast Division as a whole is much better than I had anticipated. Steve Yzerman has done a phenomenal job in his first year as GM in Tampa Bay, revamping the team and speeding along their resurgence, but the Thrashers have really impressed me the most. that they are having their best season ever leads mt to believe there is a "Kovy Curse" and any team he plays on will greatly underachieve (more on that soon). The trade that landed them four players from last years Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks has really paid dividends for them. New captain Andrew Ladd has quietly been a great leader for them, s they have gone 15-6-3 since he was named captain on November 18, and Dustin Byfuglien has emerged out of nowhere to become one of the league's best defenseman. they are getting contributions across the lineup and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec has recovered from a scary incident during the first game of the season and has been terrific so far this season.
New Jersey Devils: There really isn't much I can say here that hasn't already been discussed. Nothing has gone right for them this year. Somehow, the entire team is out of shape and Martin Brodeur looks like he can't stop a beach ball on most nights. He has set numerous records in the past few seasons, but now it seems since he has nothing else left to prove, he has given up. Good news for Devils fans though, they only have 14.5 years left of Ilya Kovalchuk. Every team he has played on has underachieved; the Thrashers had a few promising teams in the early mid-2000s but could only muster up one playoff appearance in which they were swept by the New York Rangers, Team Russia completely flamed out during the Olympics last year, and the Devils hardly showed any life in a five game loss to the Flyers last year. Usually his team loses while he gets pretty goals, but this year they aren't even getting that. Changes have begun recently with the firing of coach John MacLean and today's trade of captain Jamie Langenbrunner back to Dallas, but they still have plenty of work to do before they get back to respectability.
As it looks now, the playoff picture is pretty much set. The Carolina Hurricanes are in 9th place, five points behind Montreal for the eighth and final spot. There is always a chance for the 'Canes, or even the Sabres, Panthers, or Senators to go on a hot streak and pull closer to playoff position, but unlike the Western Conference, there is a clear distinction between the upper echelon and the bottom feeders of the conference.
Atlantic Division
rank-team-(my prediction)
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (1)
2. Philadelphia Flyers (3)
3. New York Rangers (4)
4. New York Islanders (5)
5. New Jersey Devils (2)
Northeast Division
1. Boston Bruins (1)
2. Montreal Canadiens (3)
3. Buffalo Sabres (2)
4. Ottawa Senators (4)
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (5)
Southeast Division
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (2)
2. Washington Capitals (1)
3. Atlanta Thrashers (4)
4. Carolina Hurricanes (3)
5. Florida Panthers (5)
Here is a look at the conference as a whole:
rank-team-points-(my prediction)
1. Pittsburgh Penguins 56 (2)
2. Tampa Bay Lightning 53 (7)
3. Boston Bruins 48 (3)
4. Philadelphia Flyers 55 (5)
5. Washington Capitals 52 (1)
6. Atlanta Thrashers 50 (12)
7. New York Rangers 49 (11)
8. Montreal Canadiens 47 (9)
9. Carolina Hurricanes 42 (8)
10. Buffalo Sabres 39 (6)
11. Florida Panthers 38 (14)
12. Ottawa Senators 37 (10)
13. Toronto Maple Leafs 34 (13)
14. New York Islanders 30 (15)
15. New Jersey Devils 22 (4)
Biggest Surprises
Atlanta Thrashers: The Southeast Division as a whole is much better than I had anticipated. Steve Yzerman has done a phenomenal job in his first year as GM in Tampa Bay, revamping the team and speeding along their resurgence, but the Thrashers have really impressed me the most. that they are having their best season ever leads mt to believe there is a "Kovy Curse" and any team he plays on will greatly underachieve (more on that soon). The trade that landed them four players from last years Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks has really paid dividends for them. New captain Andrew Ladd has quietly been a great leader for them, s they have gone 15-6-3 since he was named captain on November 18, and Dustin Byfuglien has emerged out of nowhere to become one of the league's best defenseman. they are getting contributions across the lineup and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec has recovered from a scary incident during the first game of the season and has been terrific so far this season.
New Jersey Devils: There really isn't much I can say here that hasn't already been discussed. Nothing has gone right for them this year. Somehow, the entire team is out of shape and Martin Brodeur looks like he can't stop a beach ball on most nights. He has set numerous records in the past few seasons, but now it seems since he has nothing else left to prove, he has given up. Good news for Devils fans though, they only have 14.5 years left of Ilya Kovalchuk. Every team he has played on has underachieved; the Thrashers had a few promising teams in the early mid-2000s but could only muster up one playoff appearance in which they were swept by the New York Rangers, Team Russia completely flamed out during the Olympics last year, and the Devils hardly showed any life in a five game loss to the Flyers last year. Usually his team loses while he gets pretty goals, but this year they aren't even getting that. Changes have begun recently with the firing of coach John MacLean and today's trade of captain Jamie Langenbrunner back to Dallas, but they still have plenty of work to do before they get back to respectability.
As it looks now, the playoff picture is pretty much set. The Carolina Hurricanes are in 9th place, five points behind Montreal for the eighth and final spot. There is always a chance for the 'Canes, or even the Sabres, Panthers, or Senators to go on a hot streak and pull closer to playoff position, but unlike the Western Conference, there is a clear distinction between the upper echelon and the bottom feeders of the conference.
Saturday, 25 December 2010
Bad Nicknames, The Devils' Chances and Caps in the Final
- Enough is enough, I've had it with NHL nicknames these days. The Hockey News website has a quote of the day on their page and in the most recent one, Christ Drury refers to Rangers teammate Derek Stepan as "Steps." Read the Getting To Know You features on the THN website and most of the nicknames are God-awful. Brandon Prust's is "Prusty," Chris Campoli's is "Camper," Todd Bertuzzi's is "Bert," Chris Niel's is "Neiler," Kevyn Adams' is "Ads," Adam Oates' is "Oatesy," and the list goes on. I think too many players are getting hit in the head too often for them to come up with anything more complex than adding an "s," "y," or "er" to the end of someone's name or even just shortening it all together and calling it a day. Head injuries must be an even bigger problem than anyone else thought if these are the best players can come up with. What the hell happened to the creativity of the old days? What happened to Walter "Turk" Broda, named after the fact he looked like a turkey egg because of his freckles when he was younger; Georges Vezina the "Chicoutimi Cucumber," named for his hometown and the fact he was cool under pressure; Yvan "The Roadrunner" Cournoyer; Ken Dryden, the "Thieving Giraffe;" Martin "The Eliminator" Gelinas; Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, the inventor of the slap shot named for the sound of his stick hitting the puck and the puck hitting the boards; Pat Verbeek, the "Little Ball of Hate" and don't forget the Rockets, Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Henri "Pocket Rocket" Richard, and Pavel "Russian Rocket" Bure. There are tons of other classic old nicknames, each infinitely better than the ones today. Even the ones that took part of their names showed some creativity. There was "Super Mario" Lemieux, Stu the "Grim Reaper" Grimson, Curtis "Cujo" Joseph, and "Burnaby Joe" Sakic just to name a few. A pretty good list of nicknames can be found here. And as a plea to all NHLers, the next time you're asked if you have a nickname and the best you can come up with is something to the effect of "Kaner" or "Prongs," just say no.
- The Devils have finally done the expected and fired John MacLean. He made it 33 games and and led (more like watched) the Devils to a 9-22-2 record, good for last overall in the NHL. Some growing pains should have been expected with the new look roster, but a drop in the standings like this would have been impossible to predict. Jacques Lemaire has re-taken over as head coach and has quite the uphill battle in front of him. The Devils remind me of the Carolina Hurricanes last year who, after 33 games, had a record of 8-19-6 mainly due to injuries, most notably Eric Staal and Cam Ward. They weren't able to turn things around and by game 41, they had a record of 11-23-7. They were able to turn things around and became one of the hottest teams during the second half of the season, but going 24-14-3 was only good enough to get them to 11th place and eight points out of a playoff spot. A survey on The Hockey News website asked if the Devils have a chance at making the playoffs but it appears highly unlikely. At this point the deficit is too great but they can still have a god second half to the season and begin preparing for next year. The search for a coach is going to be critical though, I don't know how long Lemaire will want to stay on as it seems he was enjoying his retirement. There are a lot of qualified coaches out there but I think Ken Hitchcock would be a good fit. He stresses defense which is how the Devils have always won, and is a great motivator. A good kick in the ass may be exactly what the Devils need.
- The fact the Capitals are the visiting team in this year's Winter Classic in Pittsburgh is a reason why they are struggling this season. If recent history is any indication, the Capitals are destined to make the Stanley Cup Final, an appearance that will ultimately end in a loss. In the inaugural Classic in 2008, the Pittsburgh Penguins made the trip up to Buffalo to face the Sabres in a snow globe-like atmosphere that saw Sidney Crosby pot the game winner against Ryan Miller (sound familiar?) in the shootout. The Penguins would go on to lose to the Detroit Red Wings in that season's Cup Final. The next year, those Red Wings would visit Chicago to take on the Black Hawks at Wrigley Field, a game they would take 6-4. The Wings would then lose in a rematch to the Penguins for the Stanley Cup. Last season's Classic involved the Philadelphia Flyers taking on the Boston Bruins in a physical battle in which the Bruins squeaked out a 2-1 overtime win. The Flyers said fine, take the Winter Classic, we'll take the epic playoff series comeback. They rode that momentum all the way to the Cup Final where the Black Hawks were inevitably too much to handle. This year the Caps will take the trip to Pittsburgh to take on the hated Penguins in hopes of continuing the trend of advancing to the Final. The Caps, while not playing bad, are not playing up to the lofty expectations they have set for themselves the past few years. Fortunately for them, each team goes through highs and lows and the Caps still have plenty of time to go on a hot streak. If things go right for them, it will happen in time for the playoffs. Captain Alex Ovechkin has the ability to go on fire for extended periods of time. Will this be the year that includes an extended run through the playoffs?
Friday, 26 November 2010
Surprises and thanks
Only one team, Detroit, has played fewer than 20 games. Here are some thoughts on the season so far:
- Some growing pains should have been expected, but a season as bad as this one is a total shock. The Devils haven't won three games in a row in almost a year and are looking less and less like the team that frustrated me and every other Flyers fans for years. Does anybody else think Martin Brodeur should go back to his old style mask? For years, the Devils were all about the team, now it seems they are thinking more on individual terms. A player like Ilya Kovalchuk would never have been signed by the Devils a decade ago and for the past three years it seems their main focus has been getting Martin Brodeur his records. If there's one thing that shows this transition, its Marty's mask. It used to feature half the logo because he wasn't sure if he was good enough to make the team when he was younger. Now it says MB 30, like he just wants to promote himself, again, something that would not have happened a decade ago.
- Henrik and Daniel Sedin lead the Canucks with an identical 26 points in 21 games. Three other Canucks are tied with 14 points. The difference between the two brothers is that Daniel has 13 goals while Henrik, last season's Hart Trophy winner, has two. For those too lazy to do the math, that is a pace of eight over an entire season. That's right, stylistically, I am not allowed to write the projected goal totals of last season's Hart Trophy winner numerically, I must write it out. Does that seem wrong to anyone else?
- The Buffalo Sabres are in 12th place in the East and the Devils sit in 14th while the Rangers and Thrashers occupy the 7th and 8th spots. In the West, the Blue Jackets are in 4th, the Blackhawks are in 7th, and San Jose sits in 9th place and out of playoff position. I know its early, but if you thought any of those teams would be where they are (not counting fans of those teams), maybe you should be interning for The Hockey News instead of me (but not really).
- for Danny Briere's fist pump on one knee after each goal.
- for Ryan Miller's spectacular performance during the Olympics that had many non-hockey fans coming up to me and talking about hockey in the weeks after the Games.
- I get to watch the Ovechkin/Crosby rivalry from start to finish, whenever that may be.
- for Jeremy Roenick and the three years he spent in Philadelphia. Few are as passionate about hockey as he is and unlike many players, he is never afraid to show a little emotion. We need more of that in today's game.
- for being able to witness history twice last year: the Flyers completing the greatest comeback in sports history after being down 3-0 (twice) and the Blackhawks winning their first Cup since Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull were a couple of young guns in 1961.
- Ray Bourque's Avalanche beat the Devils in 2001 in a series that marked my official beginning as a hockey fanatic.
- for Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Eric Desjardins, Keith Primeau, Mark Recchi, Rod Brind'Amour, Brian Boucher, Simon Gagne and all the other Flyers I watched when I was younger.
- for playoffs beards and those who can't really grow them but try anyway.
- for my Mom winning a trip to the Olympics which led to my chance meeting with Ken Campbell in what what was beyond the greatest trip I could have ever dreamed.
- I live in a place where I will be able to spend my life talking about a game I have loved since I was six.
- for my parents loving hockey as much as I do and taking me to all of those games.
- my Mom did everything in her power to make my high school somewhat tolerable and got it a hockey team.
- for my Dad's willingness to drive for several days to watch a hockey game that means nothing to us as Flyers fans but everything to us as hockey fans.
- my brother loves sports in a fashion other than 'my team rules and your team sucks because I say so' and that it rubbed off on me (eventually).
- my sister makes an effort to like sports and even when she doesn't for the uncanny ability to make me laugh.
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
$6.66 M: The Number of the Beast...
...or at least the average cap hit on Kovalchuk's monster 15 year, $100 M contract that was finally approved on September 3.
There has been a lot of talk about the whole ordeal, whether or not this contract was really any worse than Marian Hossa's or Chris Pronger's. Here are Kovalchuk's thoughts on the contract situation. It seems for now that those three players, along with Roberto Luongo and Marc Savard, are safe from investigation for now. The loophole in the CBA was closed, but the issue will undoubtedly be brought up during the next negotiations. Scott Burnside of ESPN.com explains what this means for the salary cap hit:
But what exactly will this mean for New Jersey?
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is either losing his touch or is more of a genius than anyone thought. My vote is on the latter. For nearly two decades, the centerpiece of the team has been Martin Brodeur who is only under contract for two more seasons. He will not be around forever and when he leaves, the Devils will need to find a new identity. They have been a defense first team since they won the Stanley Cup in 1995, but that foundation has slowly been eroding for a few years now. Nevermind that they led the league in goals in 2000-01, they have always won through defense.
The exodus began after the 2001-02 season when grinding center Bobby Holik crossed the river to New York. After each of the next two seasons, major components to their defense would play their last game in Ken Daneyko and Scott Stevens respectively. Scott Niedermayer would leave to join his brother in Anaheim once the lockout ended. Underrated plugger Sergei Brylin left for the KHL two seasons ago. One of the top defensive duos in John Madden and Jay Pandolfo was broken up when Madden wasn't resigned after 2008-09. Pandolfo will not be back in New Jersey next season. Once Brodeur is gone, the Devils will need to be able to score goals if they want to win.
Enter Ilya Kovalchuk and his six consecutive seasons of at least 40 goals. He only had 10 in 27 games last season after being traded from Atlanta, a pace of 30 goals over 82 games. Should Lamoriello be able to sign Zach Parise long term too, the Devils should be able to roll out two scoring lines. Think about it, Parise had a down year and still scored 38 goals last season. He, along with Travis Zajac who is blossoming into a top points producer should form a formative duo for years to come. Jamie Langenbrunner is getting better with age and Patrick Elias should have a few more 60-70 point seasons in him. According to The Hockey News Yearbook, the Devils have a few strong offensive players waiting in the shadows. They include Mattias Tedenby from Jonkoping in Sweden and Adam Henrique who had 38 goals and 77 points in 54 games for Windsor in the OHL last season.
The Devils appear to be headed towards a new identity as a team, hopefully one that will actually bring fans to The Rock.
There has been a lot of talk about the whole ordeal, whether or not this contract was really any worse than Marian Hossa's or Chris Pronger's. Here are Kovalchuk's thoughts on the contract situation. It seems for now that those three players, along with Roberto Luongo and Marc Savard, are safe from investigation for now. The loophole in the CBA was closed, but the issue will undoubtedly be brought up during the next negotiations. Scott Burnside of ESPN.com explains what this means for the salary cap hit:
More information about how this contract will affect the rest of the league can be found on NHL.com.
Under the new guidelines, the salary cap hit of any deal five years or longer that takes a player into his 41st year is calculated on all the years leading up to the year in which the player turns 40. The remaining years, traditionally when the value of the contracts has fallen off the map, would act as their own separate cap hit.The new ruling means we've seen the end of these so-called "cheat deals" that front-load contracts that take a player well into the retirement zone with payments falling completely off the map to drive down the average cap hit. The league had been warning GMs about those deals for a couple of years, and it finally drew a line in the sand this summer right outside the Prudential Center in Newark.
But what exactly will this mean for New Jersey?
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is either losing his touch or is more of a genius than anyone thought. My vote is on the latter. For nearly two decades, the centerpiece of the team has been Martin Brodeur who is only under contract for two more seasons. He will not be around forever and when he leaves, the Devils will need to find a new identity. They have been a defense first team since they won the Stanley Cup in 1995, but that foundation has slowly been eroding for a few years now. Nevermind that they led the league in goals in 2000-01, they have always won through defense.
The exodus began after the 2001-02 season when grinding center Bobby Holik crossed the river to New York. After each of the next two seasons, major components to their defense would play their last game in Ken Daneyko and Scott Stevens respectively. Scott Niedermayer would leave to join his brother in Anaheim once the lockout ended. Underrated plugger Sergei Brylin left for the KHL two seasons ago. One of the top defensive duos in John Madden and Jay Pandolfo was broken up when Madden wasn't resigned after 2008-09. Pandolfo will not be back in New Jersey next season. Once Brodeur is gone, the Devils will need to be able to score goals if they want to win.
Enter Ilya Kovalchuk and his six consecutive seasons of at least 40 goals. He only had 10 in 27 games last season after being traded from Atlanta, a pace of 30 goals over 82 games. Should Lamoriello be able to sign Zach Parise long term too, the Devils should be able to roll out two scoring lines. Think about it, Parise had a down year and still scored 38 goals last season. He, along with Travis Zajac who is blossoming into a top points producer should form a formative duo for years to come. Jamie Langenbrunner is getting better with age and Patrick Elias should have a few more 60-70 point seasons in him. According to The Hockey News Yearbook, the Devils have a few strong offensive players waiting in the shadows. They include Mattias Tedenby from Jonkoping in Sweden and Adam Henrique who had 38 goals and 77 points in 54 games for Windsor in the OHL last season.
The Devils appear to be headed towards a new identity as a team, hopefully one that will actually bring fans to The Rock.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Offseason Recap-Atlantic Division
There is still plenty of work to be done this offseason, but here is what has happened so far. I will be doing this by division, with teams in order I think they will finish with projected conference ranks included as well. I will look at signings, trades, departures while providing as much contractual information as I could find. Let's begin, shall we?
Pittsburgh Penguins - 2
Key Signings
7/1: D Zbynek Michalek (PHO) 5 years, $20 M
7/1: D Paul Martin (NJ) 5 years, $25 M
7/2: F Ryan Craig (TB) 1 year, $500,000/
7/3: LW Brett Sterling (SJ) 1 year, $500,000/
7/7: D Andrew Hutchinson (DAL) 1 year, $500,000/
8/20: RW Aaron Asham (PHI) 1 year, $700,000
Trades
6/25: D Dan Hamhuis from PHI for 3rd round draft pick (2011)
Departures
D Sergei Gonchar (OTT)
D Jordan Leopold (BUF)
D Mark Eaton (NYI)
LW Alexei Ponikarovsky (LA)
LW Ruslan Fedotenko
RW Bill Guerin
What To Expect
Its not an easy task to replace one of the top offensive defenseman of this generation in Sergei Gonchar, but GM Ray Sherro did the best he could in signing Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. Martin's underrated offensive skills should help Pittsburgh's transition game and Michalek will be a step up in the defensive zone. A team that was already weak on the wing lost Alexei Ponikarovsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Bill Guerin. The signing of Aaron Asham brings grit and defensive responsibility to their forward lines while providing time and space for the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal.
New Jersey Devils - 4
Key Signings
6/30: RW David Clarkson (re-signed) 3 years, $8 M
7/1: D Henrik Tallinder (BUF) 4 years, $13.5 M
7/1: D Anton Volchenkov (OTT) 6 years, $25.5 M
7/1: G Johan Hedberg (ATL) 1 year
7/28: D Mark Fraser (re-signed) 1 year, $500,000
Trades
6/19: C Jason Arnott from NAS for RW Matt Halischuk and 2nd round draft pick (2011)
Departures
D Paul Martin (PIT)
C Rob Neidermayer (BUF)
LW Andrew Peters (FLA)
LW Jay Pandolfo
D Mike Mottau
C Dean McAmmond
G Yann Danis
What To Expect
The Devils probably aren't done this offseason, as they still have the Ilya Kovalchuk situation to deal with. With Paul Martin having signed with rival Pittsburgh and long-time grinder and fan-favorite Jay Pandolfo asking to leave, they have few, but important roles to fill. GM Lou Lamoriello brought in an old face in Jason Arnott who has already made his mark in Devils' history. Henrik Tallinder was brought in to replace Paul Martin and Anton Volchenkov gives the Devils the intimidating physical presence they haven't had since Scott Stevens retired.
Philadelphia Flyers - 5
Key Signings
6/30: G Michael Leighton (re-signed) 2 years, $3.1 M
7/1: Braydon Coburn (re-signed) 2 years, $6.4 M
7/1: Sean O'Donnell (LA) 1 year, $1 M
7/1: LW Jody Shelley (NYR)
7/9: Nikolai Zherdev (KHL) 1 year
7/13: Dan Carcillo (re-signed) 1 year
7/22: Darroll Powe (re-signed) 1 year, $700,000
7/22: David Laliberte (re-signed)
Trades
6/19: D Dan Hanhuis and 7th round draft pick (2011) from NAS for D Ryan Parent
6/25: 3rd round draft pick (2011) from PIT for D Dan Hamhuis
6/26: 7th round draft pick (2010) from CAR for F Jonathan Matsumoto
7/1: D Andrej Meszaros from TB for 2nd round pick (2012)
7/19: D Matt Walker and 4th round draft pick (2011) from TB for LW Simon Gagne
Departures
G Ray Emery
D Lukas Krajicek
RW Aaron Asham (PIT)
What To Expect
GM Paul Holmgren didn't waste time committing to Michael Leighton as the number one goalie, signing him the day before free agency started. With the team thats in front of them, Leighton and Brian Boucher probably won't have to steal many games for Philadelphia. Sean O'Donnell and Andrej Meszaros create a much improved third defensive pairing over last year when coach Peter Laviolette was wary about giving time to the combination of Ryan Parent, Oskars Bartulis, and Lukas Krajicek. Not much has changed on the forward line where Philadelphia is among the deepest in the league. Longest tenured Flyer Simon Gagne was traded for salary cap reasons and replaced by Nikolai Zherdev who spent last season with Mytishchi Atlant of the KHL.
New York Rangers - 11
Key Signings
7/1: Erik Christensen (re-signed)
7/1: Martin Biron (NYI) 2 years, $1.8 M
7/1: LW Derek Boogaard (MIN) 4 years, $6.4 M
7/1: C Vinny Prospal (re-signed) 1 year
7/2: F Brandon Prust (re-signed)
7/9: D Dan Girardi (re-signed)
7/12: RW Jeremy Williams (re-signed)
7/27: Alexander Frolov (LA)
Trades
5/25: D Jyri Niemi from NYI for 6th round draft pick (2010)
6/26: 6th round draft pick (2010) and 2nd round draft pick (2011) from CAR for D Bobby Sanguinetti
7/9: D Steve Eminger from ANA for LW Aaron Voros and LW Ryan Hillier
7/19: D Matt McCue from ANA for LW Thomas Zaborsky
8/2: F Todd White from ATL for F Patrick Rissmiller and F Donald Brashear
Departures
G Alex Auld (MON)
LW Jody Shelley (PHI)
C Olli Jokinen (CAL)
F P.A. Parenteau (NYI)
C Jamie Lundmark (NAS)
What To Expect
Not a whole lot has changed for the Rangers as GM Glen Sather has had an unusually quiet offseason. Martin Biron is a proven goalie but won't see much ice time behind Henrik Lundqvist who will likely reach 70 games played for the fifth consecutive season. Other than depth defenseman Steve Eminger being brought in, not much has changed on the back end. Alexander Frolov will try to find his niche in New York and take some of the offensive pressure off of Marian Gaborik. Letting Olli Jokinen go falls under the addition through subtraction category.
New York Islanders - 15
Key Signings
7/2: D Mark Eaton (PIT)
7/2: D Milan Jurcina (WAS)
7/2: P.A. Parenteau (NYR)
7/2: F Zenon Konopka (TB)
7/15: C Robbie Schremp (re-signed)
7/15: D Dustin Kohn (re-signed)
7/27: LW Matt Moulson (re-signed) 1 year, $2.45 M
8/3: LW Jon Sim (re-signed) 1 year
8/18: C Andy Hilbert (MIN) 1 year
Trades
6/25: 6th round draft pick (2010) from NYR for D Jyri Niemi
7/30: D James Wisniewski from ANA for 3rd round draft pick (2011)
Departures
G Martin Biron (NYR)
LW Jeff Tambellini (VAN)
LW Sean Bergenheim (TB)
D Freddy Meyer (ATL)
What To Expect
Neither New York team had busy offseasons as GM Garth Snow is either content to let the young players develop or New York is simply not an attractive place for free agents. They added toughness in the form of Zenon Konopka and P.A. Parenteau will be given a chance to see what he can do on the forward lines. Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, and James Wisniewski all help the defense but they simply won't be enough to lift the Islanders out of the conference basement.
Sources: NHL.com free agency tracker, TSN.ca tradecentre
Pittsburgh Penguins - 2
Key Signings
7/1: D Zbynek Michalek (PHO) 5 years, $20 M
7/1: D Paul Martin (NJ) 5 years, $25 M
7/2: F Ryan Craig (TB) 1 year, $500,000/
7/3: LW Brett Sterling (SJ) 1 year, $500,000/
7/7: D Andrew Hutchinson (DAL) 1 year, $500,000/
8/20: RW Aaron Asham (PHI) 1 year, $700,000
Trades
6/25: D Dan Hamhuis from PHI for 3rd round draft pick (2011)
Departures
D Sergei Gonchar (OTT)
D Jordan Leopold (BUF)
D Mark Eaton (NYI)
LW Alexei Ponikarovsky (LA)
LW Ruslan Fedotenko
RW Bill Guerin
What To Expect
Its not an easy task to replace one of the top offensive defenseman of this generation in Sergei Gonchar, but GM Ray Sherro did the best he could in signing Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. Martin's underrated offensive skills should help Pittsburgh's transition game and Michalek will be a step up in the defensive zone. A team that was already weak on the wing lost Alexei Ponikarovsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Bill Guerin. The signing of Aaron Asham brings grit and defensive responsibility to their forward lines while providing time and space for the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal.
New Jersey Devils - 4
Key Signings
6/30: RW David Clarkson (re-signed) 3 years, $8 M
7/1: D Henrik Tallinder (BUF) 4 years, $13.5 M
7/1: D Anton Volchenkov (OTT) 6 years, $25.5 M
7/1: G Johan Hedberg (ATL) 1 year
7/28: D Mark Fraser (re-signed) 1 year, $500,000
Trades
6/19: C Jason Arnott from NAS for RW Matt Halischuk and 2nd round draft pick (2011)
Departures
D Paul Martin (PIT)
C Rob Neidermayer (BUF)
LW Andrew Peters (FLA)
LW Jay Pandolfo
D Mike Mottau
C Dean McAmmond
G Yann Danis
What To Expect
The Devils probably aren't done this offseason, as they still have the Ilya Kovalchuk situation to deal with. With Paul Martin having signed with rival Pittsburgh and long-time grinder and fan-favorite Jay Pandolfo asking to leave, they have few, but important roles to fill. GM Lou Lamoriello brought in an old face in Jason Arnott who has already made his mark in Devils' history. Henrik Tallinder was brought in to replace Paul Martin and Anton Volchenkov gives the Devils the intimidating physical presence they haven't had since Scott Stevens retired.
Philadelphia Flyers - 5
Key Signings
6/30: G Michael Leighton (re-signed) 2 years, $3.1 M
7/1: Braydon Coburn (re-signed) 2 years, $6.4 M
7/1: Sean O'Donnell (LA) 1 year, $1 M
7/1: LW Jody Shelley (NYR)
7/9: Nikolai Zherdev (KHL) 1 year
7/13: Dan Carcillo (re-signed) 1 year
7/22: Darroll Powe (re-signed) 1 year, $700,000
7/22: David Laliberte (re-signed)
Trades
6/19: D Dan Hanhuis and 7th round draft pick (2011) from NAS for D Ryan Parent
6/25: 3rd round draft pick (2011) from PIT for D Dan Hamhuis
6/26: 7th round draft pick (2010) from CAR for F Jonathan Matsumoto
7/1: D Andrej Meszaros from TB for 2nd round pick (2012)
7/19: D Matt Walker and 4th round draft pick (2011) from TB for LW Simon Gagne
Departures
G Ray Emery
D Lukas Krajicek
RW Aaron Asham (PIT)
What To Expect
GM Paul Holmgren didn't waste time committing to Michael Leighton as the number one goalie, signing him the day before free agency started. With the team thats in front of them, Leighton and Brian Boucher probably won't have to steal many games for Philadelphia. Sean O'Donnell and Andrej Meszaros create a much improved third defensive pairing over last year when coach Peter Laviolette was wary about giving time to the combination of Ryan Parent, Oskars Bartulis, and Lukas Krajicek. Not much has changed on the forward line where Philadelphia is among the deepest in the league. Longest tenured Flyer Simon Gagne was traded for salary cap reasons and replaced by Nikolai Zherdev who spent last season with Mytishchi Atlant of the KHL.
New York Rangers - 11
Key Signings
7/1: Erik Christensen (re-signed)
7/1: Martin Biron (NYI) 2 years, $1.8 M
7/1: LW Derek Boogaard (MIN) 4 years, $6.4 M
7/1: C Vinny Prospal (re-signed) 1 year
7/2: F Brandon Prust (re-signed)
7/9: D Dan Girardi (re-signed)
7/12: RW Jeremy Williams (re-signed)
7/27: Alexander Frolov (LA)
Trades
5/25: D Jyri Niemi from NYI for 6th round draft pick (2010)
6/26: 6th round draft pick (2010) and 2nd round draft pick (2011) from CAR for D Bobby Sanguinetti
7/9: D Steve Eminger from ANA for LW Aaron Voros and LW Ryan Hillier
7/19: D Matt McCue from ANA for LW Thomas Zaborsky
8/2: F Todd White from ATL for F Patrick Rissmiller and F Donald Brashear
Departures
G Alex Auld (MON)
LW Jody Shelley (PHI)
C Olli Jokinen (CAL)
F P.A. Parenteau (NYI)
C Jamie Lundmark (NAS)
What To Expect
Not a whole lot has changed for the Rangers as GM Glen Sather has had an unusually quiet offseason. Martin Biron is a proven goalie but won't see much ice time behind Henrik Lundqvist who will likely reach 70 games played for the fifth consecutive season. Other than depth defenseman Steve Eminger being brought in, not much has changed on the back end. Alexander Frolov will try to find his niche in New York and take some of the offensive pressure off of Marian Gaborik. Letting Olli Jokinen go falls under the addition through subtraction category.
New York Islanders - 15
Key Signings
7/2: D Mark Eaton (PIT)
7/2: D Milan Jurcina (WAS)
7/2: P.A. Parenteau (NYR)
7/2: F Zenon Konopka (TB)
7/15: C Robbie Schremp (re-signed)
7/15: D Dustin Kohn (re-signed)
7/27: LW Matt Moulson (re-signed) 1 year, $2.45 M
8/3: LW Jon Sim (re-signed) 1 year
8/18: C Andy Hilbert (MIN) 1 year
Trades
6/25: 6th round draft pick (2010) from NYR for D Jyri Niemi
7/30: D James Wisniewski from ANA for 3rd round draft pick (2011)
Departures
G Martin Biron (NYR)
LW Jeff Tambellini (VAN)
LW Sean Bergenheim (TB)
D Freddy Meyer (ATL)
What To Expect
Neither New York team had busy offseasons as GM Garth Snow is either content to let the young players develop or New York is simply not an attractive place for free agents. They added toughness in the form of Zenon Konopka and P.A. Parenteau will be given a chance to see what he can do on the forward lines. Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, and James Wisniewski all help the defense but they simply won't be enough to lift the Islanders out of the conference basement.
Sources: NHL.com free agency tracker, TSN.ca tradecentre
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)