As you all know, hockey on TV in America is kind of bland. There's regional coverage in every market, as there is for every sport, but national coverage is somewhat laughable. What some of you may not know is that the leagues current deal TV is set to expire after this season, and they are in a great place to do one or more of the following things.
Negotiate a deal that brings more revenue into the league. Coming off the lockout, the NHL basically had to pay to get games back on TV with national carriers (in the US it was NBC and Versus). The league is actually splitting revenue with NBC for their coverage. That's pretty pucking ridiculous. However, ratings have steadily gone up and are back to pre-lockout levels. This is giving the league tremendous bargaining power when they finally step back up to table to negotiate new deals with their broadcasting partners...if they don't look to other options (ie: ESPN). Now with more money going back into the league the salary cap should increase and thus help some teams struggling with cap constraints right now. That however is speculation at best, given the economy and such.
As I mentioned above they could always go to other carriers looking to get in on the action. Most of us in the states will remember the ESPN coverage in the late 90's and all those classic games we saw. Even ESPN is talked to and set up, they can still use Versus and NBC. Despite my personal loathing of some of Versus on air commentators, their coverage isn't that bad. They also have more than one game a week and other sports shows that still talk about hockey. Coverage in the media today is so paltry that most of us look to international sources to get our hockey news. Current "coverage" on ESPN might as well be during the credits of sportscenter. It's laughable at best. Although, I think I am naive in the fact that if ESPN does pick up hockey as part of it's broadcasting schedule, then MAYBE they will actually talk about it, instead of being nonchalant in its coverage. "oh yeah...he's a crosby goal. or something"
Bring in more fans: The more hockey is on TV, the more people will watch it. If you don't believe my theory, just look at reality television. People will watch what you put on. While a part of me enjoys being in a sports minority, it certainly can't hurt to have more fans involved in the game. It's a win-win if the viewership grows. More fans equal more revenue. More revenue means the league grows. A growing league is a good league, at least financially. I won't get into the pros and cons of expansion, because I think the opposite has to happen, but if revenue can reach cash strapped teams, then maybe that expansion/reduction wouldn't be an issue.
At the end of the day this is all speculation, because no one knows what will happen when the NHL and their partners discuss new deals. personally i would love to the league take a hard stance and tell these networks that they know they're getting a good product and if you're not willing to pay for it, they'll go to someone who will. Now obviously you have to be careful not to be too firm in your stance, but have faith in your product. The on ice product is better than it ever has been (although some recent performances by certain teams suggest otherwise), and the league needs to capitalize on this. I know we will almost certainly never reach a point of Hockey Night in Canada type of coverage, but it would be nice to see hockey actually in the mix of things here in the states. So to the NHL front office...or whoever handles these things, don't puck this up.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
early season oh pucks
So the season is a few weeks old, and already some teams have some serious questions.
Let's just get it out of the way, so everyone in Toronto can read it and cry. After pulling out gutsy wins against the Penguins and the Rangers, as well as beating Montreal and Ottawa, the Maple Leafs are back to their losing ways. While you can certainly say this team is still finding it's chemistry with an overhauled roster, the fact remains that they're not scoring right now. Kessel is off to a promising start with 6 goals as of this evening, but they need the secondary scoring. Phil Kessel will not be able to carry this team on his back. also, with a defensive core as deep as the Leafs should be looking so "meh." And what about the promising young netminder Jonas "the monster" gustavsson? The Monster struggled early, but played well during the end of last season, and they were looking to him to have a strong sophomore year, but he seems to be falling victim to the dreaded slump. Also, former Conn Smythe winner J.S. Giguere has also been a bit of a mystery looking sharp at times, and marginal at best at others. Again, the season is early, and Ron Wilson is a decent coach, so i expect this to be a little bit of a hiccup. Although given the lack of quality seasons up in Toronto in recent years, there's always cause for alarm when they start to slump.
The New Jersey Devils are another enimga. The best goaltender to play the game, both actively, and of all time has looked like a shaky back up for most of the season. Yes Martin Brodeur has two shut outs, but one is against Montreal, a team he has dominated for most of his career and the other was against Buffalo where the Devils carried much of the play only to skate away with a 1-0 overtime victory. it is quite apparent that Brodeur is still quite capable of those brilliant performances, but at the same time you can tell he's not the same goalie who has dominated the position for years. The real concern is not so much this season, although with this caliber of goaltending I can see them finishing much lower than everyone has anticipated. After tonight Johan Hedberg has only shown why he has never handled a number one job. He looked overwhelmed against buffalo and didn't even last 40 minutes. If Brodeur is still going to be effective, he has to rest more during the season. the days of 70 some odd starts are well behind him...unless you want to turn into the Sharks of the East and win your division but vanish in the playoffs. Devils faithful have to wonder what is instore for the future of this club in net. Both goalies are in the latter halves of their 30's and their best days are behind them. Having seen more than my fair share of Devils broadcasts, I have yet to hear of any kind of goaltending depth in their farm system. This has to be a huge concern for both fans and the front office of the Devils. This is of course, all speculative considering they have a GM who could lead the CIA when it comes to keeping a secret. "In Lou We Trust" right Devils fans?
What i was astonished to see tonight was the healthy scratch of Ilya Kovalchuk. Yes, you read that correctly. The second leading scorer in the league behind Alex Ovechkin was a healthy scratch. I don't know if this is simply being used as a motivational tool by the coaching staff to light a fire under Ilya, or if this 15 year experiment is already beyond saving. He seems to still be stuck in his "I'll do everything myself," when he doesn't have to be. The Devils top line of Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk is one of the best in the league. Also why is Kovalchuk playing the right wing? A right handed coming off the left wing can be devastating, and he's shown it. I don't know why they don't move Parise to right wing, or split up the lines and have a 1-2 punch in Kovalchuk-Parise. Whatever. I'm not the coach.
It's also obvious that Tyler Myers misses Henrik Tallinder up in Buffalo as his seems to be in the sophomore slump on a team where he cannot afford it. This isn't to say that he wasn't worthy of his Calder trophy win last season, but can't help but wonder how much of that was aided along by having more expirienced d-men at his side. And what about Roberto Luongo? one would've thought that the captaincy going to Henrik Sedin would ease some of the pressure on him, but apparently not. He's still playing mediocre hockey...as far as a player of his ability is concerned.
There's definitely more to blog about right now, but I'll say it for later.
Let's just get it out of the way, so everyone in Toronto can read it and cry. After pulling out gutsy wins against the Penguins and the Rangers, as well as beating Montreal and Ottawa, the Maple Leafs are back to their losing ways. While you can certainly say this team is still finding it's chemistry with an overhauled roster, the fact remains that they're not scoring right now. Kessel is off to a promising start with 6 goals as of this evening, but they need the secondary scoring. Phil Kessel will not be able to carry this team on his back. also, with a defensive core as deep as the Leafs should be looking so "meh." And what about the promising young netminder Jonas "the monster" gustavsson? The Monster struggled early, but played well during the end of last season, and they were looking to him to have a strong sophomore year, but he seems to be falling victim to the dreaded slump. Also, former Conn Smythe winner J.S. Giguere has also been a bit of a mystery looking sharp at times, and marginal at best at others. Again, the season is early, and Ron Wilson is a decent coach, so i expect this to be a little bit of a hiccup. Although given the lack of quality seasons up in Toronto in recent years, there's always cause for alarm when they start to slump.
The New Jersey Devils are another enimga. The best goaltender to play the game, both actively, and of all time has looked like a shaky back up for most of the season. Yes Martin Brodeur has two shut outs, but one is against Montreal, a team he has dominated for most of his career and the other was against Buffalo where the Devils carried much of the play only to skate away with a 1-0 overtime victory. it is quite apparent that Brodeur is still quite capable of those brilliant performances, but at the same time you can tell he's not the same goalie who has dominated the position for years. The real concern is not so much this season, although with this caliber of goaltending I can see them finishing much lower than everyone has anticipated. After tonight Johan Hedberg has only shown why he has never handled a number one job. He looked overwhelmed against buffalo and didn't even last 40 minutes. If Brodeur is still going to be effective, he has to rest more during the season. the days of 70 some odd starts are well behind him...unless you want to turn into the Sharks of the East and win your division but vanish in the playoffs. Devils faithful have to wonder what is instore for the future of this club in net. Both goalies are in the latter halves of their 30's and their best days are behind them. Having seen more than my fair share of Devils broadcasts, I have yet to hear of any kind of goaltending depth in their farm system. This has to be a huge concern for both fans and the front office of the Devils. This is of course, all speculative considering they have a GM who could lead the CIA when it comes to keeping a secret. "In Lou We Trust" right Devils fans?
What i was astonished to see tonight was the healthy scratch of Ilya Kovalchuk. Yes, you read that correctly. The second leading scorer in the league behind Alex Ovechkin was a healthy scratch. I don't know if this is simply being used as a motivational tool by the coaching staff to light a fire under Ilya, or if this 15 year experiment is already beyond saving. He seems to still be stuck in his "I'll do everything myself," when he doesn't have to be. The Devils top line of Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk is one of the best in the league. Also why is Kovalchuk playing the right wing? A right handed coming off the left wing can be devastating, and he's shown it. I don't know why they don't move Parise to right wing, or split up the lines and have a 1-2 punch in Kovalchuk-Parise. Whatever. I'm not the coach.
It's also obvious that Tyler Myers misses Henrik Tallinder up in Buffalo as his seems to be in the sophomore slump on a team where he cannot afford it. This isn't to say that he wasn't worthy of his Calder trophy win last season, but can't help but wonder how much of that was aided along by having more expirienced d-men at his side. And what about Roberto Luongo? one would've thought that the captaincy going to Henrik Sedin would ease some of the pressure on him, but apparently not. He's still playing mediocre hockey...as far as a player of his ability is concerned.
There's definitely more to blog about right now, but I'll say it for later.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Joe Thornton
So the Sharks and Joe Thornton have agreed to a three year contract extension totaling $21million dollars. It's a great deal for "Big Joe" but I question the positives for San Jose.
Thornton has always put up spectacular regular season numbers. An 11 time 20 goal scorer, with two of those seasons were 30+. He has the ability to put 30-40 goals in for the sharks, but I think his main asset is his playmaking ability, with eight seasons with 50+ assists. Most of those seasons even surpassing 60 or more. If the season was only 82 games long and no playoffs, I would be the first to applaud this deal (you can see it coming I know), but it's not. Looking at his playoff stats you see a sharp decrease in production. The playoffs is usually a time where the star players take it up a notch, not shy away. Now I will be fair to Joe, and say that every early exit is not his fault. We can look at the subpar play of Nabokov as a main culprit as well, and he too suffers from terrific regular season numbers, but poor clutch performances. If you don't believe me, look at the playoffs the past 3-4 years, and his play in the Olympics.
But for a team that just name Thornton captain, and I suppose this is part of the motivation for the deal, one would suspect that they want more from him. Hopefully the "C" will motivate Thornton to get the team finally over the hump. This team routinely finishes atop their division and the conference at the end of game 82, but they've yet to win the ultimate prize. I won't use the term "bust" to describe Joe Thornton, as someone who wins both the Hart and Art Ross would certainly not be your typical idea of a bust, but again until the sharks are hoisting the cup I can only think of labeling "Big Joe" as an underachiever. Again to be fair, there are plenty of elite players who have never won a cup, but they all come with that stigma. I think the Sharks have to at least make the cup finals to finally shake some of their critics.
Thornton has always put up spectacular regular season numbers. An 11 time 20 goal scorer, with two of those seasons were 30+. He has the ability to put 30-40 goals in for the sharks, but I think his main asset is his playmaking ability, with eight seasons with 50+ assists. Most of those seasons even surpassing 60 or more. If the season was only 82 games long and no playoffs, I would be the first to applaud this deal (you can see it coming I know), but it's not. Looking at his playoff stats you see a sharp decrease in production. The playoffs is usually a time where the star players take it up a notch, not shy away. Now I will be fair to Joe, and say that every early exit is not his fault. We can look at the subpar play of Nabokov as a main culprit as well, and he too suffers from terrific regular season numbers, but poor clutch performances. If you don't believe me, look at the playoffs the past 3-4 years, and his play in the Olympics.
But for a team that just name Thornton captain, and I suppose this is part of the motivation for the deal, one would suspect that they want more from him. Hopefully the "C" will motivate Thornton to get the team finally over the hump. This team routinely finishes atop their division and the conference at the end of game 82, but they've yet to win the ultimate prize. I won't use the term "bust" to describe Joe Thornton, as someone who wins both the Hart and Art Ross would certainly not be your typical idea of a bust, but again until the sharks are hoisting the cup I can only think of labeling "Big Joe" as an underachiever. Again to be fair, there are plenty of elite players who have never won a cup, but they all come with that stigma. I think the Sharks have to at least make the cup finals to finally shake some of their critics.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Why does the league even have a disciplinarian?
this entry will be noted that as of the time of this blog, no decision has been handed out from the league. At least not as far as I have read/heard or whatever.
So today two incidents were supposedly handled by Colin Campbell, chief ruler supreme czar of all things naughty in hockey. The first is the "obscene gesture" made by James Wisniewski towards Sean Avery during Islanders-Rangers game. While I understand that you cannot allow the players to make spectacles of themselves on ice, and some form of disciplinary action is due, I don't see how this is a more pressing issue than the blindside hit into the boards? I would think a fine would be more appropriate in this situation, especially when you're looking into the other player involved in the incident as well.
Here's the incident, since most major networks aren't showing the replay
What is truly disturbing about this, is the inconsistent views of on ice violence (for lack of a better term) against opposing players. Hockey is a fast paced physical sport and will always have injuries. That is an unavoidable fact. However, with all the recent talk of increased in game repercussions against blind side hits to the head, you would think they would include any and all blindside hits, regardless of the head or not. Hjalmarsson deliberately hit a dude from behind before he even had the puck. See for yourself, if you haven't already.
UPDATE: Hjalmarsson just got 2 games as well. clearly, these are both offenses on the same level.
So today two incidents were supposedly handled by Colin Campbell, chief ruler supreme czar of all things naughty in hockey. The first is the "obscene gesture" made by James Wisniewski towards Sean Avery during Islanders-Rangers game. While I understand that you cannot allow the players to make spectacles of themselves on ice, and some form of disciplinary action is due, I don't see how this is a more pressing issue than the blindside hit into the boards? I would think a fine would be more appropriate in this situation, especially when you're looking into the other player involved in the incident as well.
Here's the incident, since most major networks aren't showing the replay
What is truly disturbing about this, is the inconsistent views of on ice violence (for lack of a better term) against opposing players. Hockey is a fast paced physical sport and will always have injuries. That is an unavoidable fact. However, with all the recent talk of increased in game repercussions against blind side hits to the head, you would think they would include any and all blindside hits, regardless of the head or not. Hjalmarsson deliberately hit a dude from behind before he even had the puck. See for yourself, if you haven't already.
UPDATE: Hjalmarsson just got 2 games as well. clearly, these are both offenses on the same level.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Henrik Sedin. Captain, Henrik Sedin
I think this is a great move by the Canucks. Luongo clearly couldn't handle the pressure, and it affected his play. I think Henrik is a much better choice. He has shown his ability to thrive under pressure while having a career year last season despite losing his usual playing partner to injury. It was also his brother, someone he has seemingly always played alongside.
In my limited viewings of western conference games, I cannot say for certain he is always this way, but I have always seen him play hard. He seems like the type to lead by example rather than huge pep talks. Which I think is good. Leave it all on the ice and let your actions speak for you. With the Canucks favored by almost everyone, I think that Henrik will be able to handle the expectations of the media. However, I do think there are a few other teams in the West who will have something to say come playoff time, but that's still a ways off, so no need to jump the gun.
Some more Western Conference ramblings. How about those Oilers? They put a hurtin' on the Flames, both literally an figuratively, then win another over the lowly Florida Panthers. While not exactly what I would call the hardest of competition, the Oilers have played well. Khabibulin hasn't been arrested yet, and the young talent of players like Eberle and Hall seem to be capable NHLers already. I hope this isn't just a flash in the pan or an early season surge, but right now they look like a much improved squad from last season. If Hemsky can stay healthy this season, the Oilers will have a much improved goals for, as opposed to last season when they couldn't score in a monkey whorehouse with a fist full of bananas. Anyway, they should prove to entertaining if anything. I still don't think they're a playoff team, but they'll be fun to watch and could possibly play the spoiler come late march-early april.
In my limited viewings of western conference games, I cannot say for certain he is always this way, but I have always seen him play hard. He seems like the type to lead by example rather than huge pep talks. Which I think is good. Leave it all on the ice and let your actions speak for you. With the Canucks favored by almost everyone, I think that Henrik will be able to handle the expectations of the media. However, I do think there are a few other teams in the West who will have something to say come playoff time, but that's still a ways off, so no need to jump the gun.
Some more Western Conference ramblings. How about those Oilers? They put a hurtin' on the Flames, both literally an figuratively, then win another over the lowly Florida Panthers. While not exactly what I would call the hardest of competition, the Oilers have played well. Khabibulin hasn't been arrested yet, and the young talent of players like Eberle and Hall seem to be capable NHLers already. I hope this isn't just a flash in the pan or an early season surge, but right now they look like a much improved squad from last season. If Hemsky can stay healthy this season, the Oilers will have a much improved goals for, as opposed to last season when they couldn't score in a monkey whorehouse with a fist full of bananas. Anyway, they should prove to entertaining if anything. I still don't think they're a playoff team, but they'll be fun to watch and could possibly play the spoiler come late march-early april.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
the hits just keep on coming
Sorry, i don't have a wittier joke. Looks like the wheels have fallen off the wagon for the Islanders. In addition to Mark Striet and Kyle Okposo being out indefinitely, John Tavares sustained a concussion tonight. I'm just going to assume that Rick DiPietro will be injured at some point because well, when isn't he? I mean really what else can happen to this team? Hell last year one of their players was hit by a car.
In other injury news, Michael Leighton will be out 6-8 weeks after a hidden injury from last season got progressively worse. Check out CSNPhilly's article about "full disclosure" for injuries.
In other injury news, Michael Leighton will be out 6-8 weeks after a hidden injury from last season got progressively worse. Check out CSNPhilly's article about "full disclosure" for injuries.
Thoughts on opening weekend so far
So the season is underway, and most of us couldn't be more excited. Great games so far, and it seems to me that the games are faster than last year. Not quite a playoff pace, but it doesn't look like the teams are still finding their way. Well some teams look that way, but we'll get to that.
Carolina has started out strong with two wins up in Finland against the Wild. OK sure, it's the Wild, but this is also Carolina, a team that went winless in their first 14 games last year. They finished the season last year with one of the best records post olympic break, but still couldn't make the playoffs. If they keep this up though, they should be back in the playoff hunt. Minnesota on the other hand, still looks like a bottom 5 team and a lottery pick. Backstom played well, but with no one in front of him expect a lot of losses.
The Hawks looked a lot like everyone expected. With the core of the team still in tact and loaded with talent they at times looked amazing, but then you see how all those off season cap casualties affected their overall performance. Still a solid team who will be competitive. Colorado came out gangbusters again, so far putting off the "sophomore slump" discussion for now. Still have to wonder if the wheels will come off. Stastny had a nice return to form with 2 goals.
Flyers and Pens was everything you expect from the keystone state rivals. Both teams dominated play at times, but the Flyers came away with the first win in the Consol Energy Center. Better luck next arena Pens. The real story of the game was the play of Russian rookie netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. Essentially hung out to dry in the first period he kept the team in it, and looked rather impressive. Time for Flyers faithful to replace their dashboard Jesuses with Bobrovsky statues.
Devils look like a far cry from their old trap days where they won most games by boring the opposition to sleep. Gone are the days of 1-0, 2-1 NJ wins. the youth movement in dallas moved them into an overtime win with a nice goal short side top shelf over marty brodeur. While no one in New Jersey will actually see it, since they don't care, somewhat exciting hockey is being played in the garden state.
Washington loses to the east coast Blackhawks...I mean the Thrashers. Evander Kane came out with a multigoal debut to help beat the Caps 4-2. One wonders what made Atlanta goalie Pavelec collapse early into the first period though. Still a nice start from the Thrashers.
the battle of Alberta was a great showing by the Oilers, dominating on the scoreboard and in the fights. As posted on the facebook page, MacIntyre absolutely destroyed Ivanans in a fight, resulting in Ivanans being helped off the ice. It was a terrific punch to end the fight, but you never want to see someone hurt like that. Unless you're a dick. Jordan Eberle had a beautiful first professional goal with a nice toe drag to beat Kipper.
Currently watching the Bruins and Coyotes. Phoenix so far have looked like last season was not a fluke. I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. They were absolutely dominating a flat Bruins squad through two periods with a 4-0 lead. I fully expected to see Tim Thomas come out and spare Tuuka Rask, but he has played decently, and Claude Julien apparently has the confidence in him to leave him in. And with just over 6 minutes to go, newly acquired Nathan Horton has netted two goals to make this game somewhat interesting. Watching this early, it looked like the Bruins were going to be picking up right where they left off last season, which was losing. They still look like they're going down in this game, but at least they're showing they are capable of battling back. At least a little bit.
But enough of this...there's still hockey to watch.
Carolina has started out strong with two wins up in Finland against the Wild. OK sure, it's the Wild, but this is also Carolina, a team that went winless in their first 14 games last year. They finished the season last year with one of the best records post olympic break, but still couldn't make the playoffs. If they keep this up though, they should be back in the playoff hunt. Minnesota on the other hand, still looks like a bottom 5 team and a lottery pick. Backstom played well, but with no one in front of him expect a lot of losses.
The Hawks looked a lot like everyone expected. With the core of the team still in tact and loaded with talent they at times looked amazing, but then you see how all those off season cap casualties affected their overall performance. Still a solid team who will be competitive. Colorado came out gangbusters again, so far putting off the "sophomore slump" discussion for now. Still have to wonder if the wheels will come off. Stastny had a nice return to form with 2 goals.
Flyers and Pens was everything you expect from the keystone state rivals. Both teams dominated play at times, but the Flyers came away with the first win in the Consol Energy Center. Better luck next arena Pens. The real story of the game was the play of Russian rookie netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. Essentially hung out to dry in the first period he kept the team in it, and looked rather impressive. Time for Flyers faithful to replace their dashboard Jesuses with Bobrovsky statues.
Devils look like a far cry from their old trap days where they won most games by boring the opposition to sleep. Gone are the days of 1-0, 2-1 NJ wins. the youth movement in dallas moved them into an overtime win with a nice goal short side top shelf over marty brodeur. While no one in New Jersey will actually see it, since they don't care, somewhat exciting hockey is being played in the garden state.
Washington loses to the east coast Blackhawks...I mean the Thrashers. Evander Kane came out with a multigoal debut to help beat the Caps 4-2. One wonders what made Atlanta goalie Pavelec collapse early into the first period though. Still a nice start from the Thrashers.
the battle of Alberta was a great showing by the Oilers, dominating on the scoreboard and in the fights. As posted on the facebook page, MacIntyre absolutely destroyed Ivanans in a fight, resulting in Ivanans being helped off the ice. It was a terrific punch to end the fight, but you never want to see someone hurt like that. Unless you're a dick. Jordan Eberle had a beautiful first professional goal with a nice toe drag to beat Kipper.
Currently watching the Bruins and Coyotes. Phoenix so far have looked like last season was not a fluke. I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. They were absolutely dominating a flat Bruins squad through two periods with a 4-0 lead. I fully expected to see Tim Thomas come out and spare Tuuka Rask, but he has played decently, and Claude Julien apparently has the confidence in him to leave him in. And with just over 6 minutes to go, newly acquired Nathan Horton has netted two goals to make this game somewhat interesting. Watching this early, it looked like the Bruins were going to be picking up right where they left off last season, which was losing. They still look like they're going down in this game, but at least they're showing they are capable of battling back. At least a little bit.
But enough of this...there's still hockey to watch.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Guerin cut
Without looking back through my blog history, I'm pretty sure this is my first Flyers specific entry. With that I say, what the puck?
Bill Guerin was released from his professional try out contract this morning, in what I suspect was the final call by GM Paul Holmgren and his desire to go with a more youth oriented (ie cheaper) roster spot. Looking back a comments made by him throughout the preseason, he seemed indifferent to Guerin's play. I also suspect that there were probably some issues with salary, but I have no way of knowing that so I won't say either side of this was being unreasonable.
What I will say is that it's a bad move. The Flyers are still lacking quality wingers, and Guerin is a perpetual 20 goal a season man, and proved he still has something left in the tank. More importantly he brings the presence of a veteran and a winner. With Laperriere on the LTIR as he battles his post concussion issues, a quality guy like Guerin would have fit in rather well in that locker room. I would imagine his roster spot is going to go to Mike Testwuide who had a decent camp, but I don't see him bringing the presence Guerin would have.
For many of the Flyer faithful, Paul Holmgren has made some, for lack of a better term, thought provoking moves. For the most part though, he has managed to continually improve the quality of the club, and with the exception of moving Gagne this off season for a 6 pack and a bag of pucks, I have agreed with the majority of his moves. This one however, I don't really see how this is a good thing for a team that came so close last year. One would think that a guy who has been there and won it all, twice, would be invaluable. Apparently not.
Update: Testwuide sent down to Phantoms. so much for my guessing.
Bill Guerin was released from his professional try out contract this morning, in what I suspect was the final call by GM Paul Holmgren and his desire to go with a more youth oriented (ie cheaper) roster spot. Looking back a comments made by him throughout the preseason, he seemed indifferent to Guerin's play. I also suspect that there were probably some issues with salary, but I have no way of knowing that so I won't say either side of this was being unreasonable.
What I will say is that it's a bad move. The Flyers are still lacking quality wingers, and Guerin is a perpetual 20 goal a season man, and proved he still has something left in the tank. More importantly he brings the presence of a veteran and a winner. With Laperriere on the LTIR as he battles his post concussion issues, a quality guy like Guerin would have fit in rather well in that locker room. I would imagine his roster spot is going to go to Mike Testwuide who had a decent camp, but I don't see him bringing the presence Guerin would have.
For many of the Flyer faithful, Paul Holmgren has made some, for lack of a better term, thought provoking moves. For the most part though, he has managed to continually improve the quality of the club, and with the exception of moving Gagne this off season for a 6 pack and a bag of pucks, I have agreed with the majority of his moves. This one however, I don't really see how this is a good thing for a team that came so close last year. One would think that a guy who has been there and won it all, twice, would be invaluable. Apparently not.
Update: Testwuide sent down to Phantoms. so much for my guessing.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Theodore to wild
I think the wild made a decent pickup this weekend with the signing of Jose Theodore. Now before you call me crazy and throw out Jose Threeorfour, as even I have done more than once, just think about it. While Jose is certainly not the same Vezina winning goalie he once was, he still managed to go 30-7-7 last year. I think the biggest problem in Washington was that his coach had no confidence in him. One bad game and he would be benched. I can somewhat understand it, with Varlamov being a solid goaltender in his own right, but the guy deserved a chance to at least attempt a bounce back performance.
I don't expect him to put up better numbers in Minnesota, as the Wild are an entirely different club, missing a lot of the top level talent that Washington has. However, I do expect him to be a solid performer and a capable backup 1a kind of goalie. I don't think the Wild will have to rely completely on Backstrom now to get through some games. Sure, the Wild will still need their goaltenders to play well every night to have a chance, I don't think it's going to be Backstrom or bust now. This is also a decent move by Minnesota, because if they become sellers at the deadline he could be a very attractive backup/veteran presence to a playoff bound team looking to secure it's goaltending. 1.1 million is a steal by the Wild for a goalie like Theodore. Other teams comes trade deadline will find his remaining salary even more attractive.
So here's to the Wild, and Theodore. Hope it works out for both of them. Although I still don't see the Wild making any kind of playoff push this year.
I don't expect him to put up better numbers in Minnesota, as the Wild are an entirely different club, missing a lot of the top level talent that Washington has. However, I do expect him to be a solid performer and a capable backup 1a kind of goalie. I don't think the Wild will have to rely completely on Backstrom now to get through some games. Sure, the Wild will still need their goaltenders to play well every night to have a chance, I don't think it's going to be Backstrom or bust now. This is also a decent move by Minnesota, because if they become sellers at the deadline he could be a very attractive backup/veteran presence to a playoff bound team looking to secure it's goaltending. 1.1 million is a steal by the Wild for a goalie like Theodore. Other teams comes trade deadline will find his remaining salary even more attractive.
So here's to the Wild, and Theodore. Hope it works out for both of them. Although I still don't see the Wild making any kind of playoff push this year.
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