We'll now continue our journey down I-95, to some "unconventional" hockey markets. Four of the five teams in the conference came into existence in the 1990s (although you can argue Carolina existed before. Bring back the whale!). Anyway, the Southeast is home to some exciting hockey with the scoring machine in Washington and the Dynamic Duo in Tampa Bay. We also have some news to report that the Chicago Blackhawks have relocated to Miami. Well, alright, that's only partly true, and we'll get into that in a bit.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION:
Last year's standings.
Washington 48-23-11
Tampa Bay 46-25-11
Carolina 40-31-11
Atlanta/Winnipeg 34-36-12
Florida 30-40-12
Washington Capitals: While you car argue it would be difficult for the Capitals to get better, they did it this off season. Amongst rumors of Semyon Varlamov looking to go back to Russia, GMGM (George McPhee) managed to trade him to Colorado for 1st and conditional 2nd round draft pick, which is more than the compensation for his salary if the Avalanche tendered and offer sheet. The capitals also signed Nashville playoff phenom Joel Ward. As if that wasn't enough, they might have made the shrewdest signing this year, Tomas Vokoun, for roughly 1.5 million dollars. The Capitals have had some success with their young goaltenders, but now they have one of the best goalies in the league in recent years at a bargain basement price. Will this be the Capitals year finally? Unfortunately, Vokoun's playoff record is less than stellar, but with a team as deep as Washington's, this could be THE move to bring them over the hump.
Tampa Bay Lightning: What a bizarre summer for the Lightning. RFA scoring machine Steven Stamkos was a challenge to re-sign, but they managed to come to an agreement to keep Stamkos around for awhile. They're also bringing back Dwayne "Rollie the Goalie" Roloson. The ageless wonder continues to defy the critics, as well as nature seemingly. At 41, he appears to play about 10 years younger, with no real signs of stopping. He's possibly the best goalie the Lightning have had since their Cup run in 2004 with Khabibulin. Perhaps the most underrated component to their success is coach Guy Boucher. The Lightning have drafted well, but never managed to click, that is until Guy took the reigns and off they went.
Carolina Hurricanes: Ahh the Cardiac Canes. Or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Carolina Hurricanes have been as enigmatic as they've been exciting the past few seasons. With Eric Staal, Cam Ward and soon to be sophomore Jeff Skinner, the core of this team is still young and highly skilled. The problem lies in their consistency. Will they be a team that looks more at home in the AHL, or will they look like the team that has won the Stanley Cup 06? If the Canes can get their act together and play consistent hockey, they will soon return to the playoffs. If not, it's another year of outside looking in.
Winnipeg Jets (formally Atlanta Thrashers): A brief moment to say how nice it is to see the Jets back in the 'Peg. With that said, I don't see them making the playoffs this year. While it's not impossible, it doesn't seem like they did enough this year to get past their tougher divisional rivals. They do have some quality young players like Kane and Bogosian, as well as Pavelec in goal. This is another team that has the potential to make a run, if they can string together a nice string of wins, but with Tampa and Washington to climb over, it will be an incredibly tall order.
Florida Panthers: This is a team that has made a lot of noise this off season. GM Dale Tallon has stock piled draft picks and took on some salary to make this team more competitive. This year's draft pick Jonathan Huberdeau has a chance to make the lineup, but some of the more established acquistions this year include Kris Versteeg, Scottie Upshall, Theodore, Kopecky, Jovanovski and Brian Campbell. that's 3 cup winning Blackhawks acquired in less than a week. While a good portion of these players could be considered overpaid, they are winning vets who have a want to win, which is something that's been missing in Florida for quite some time. Will Jose Theodore returned to his Hart and Vezina winning form and help propel this team up the standings, or will he be simply an adequate stop gap replacement for Vokoun? Only time will tell, but on paper the Panthers have improved quite a bit.
Predictions: The Southeast Division is still a two horse race between the Capitals and Lightning, but the rest of the division has the potential to play spoiler to either their divisional rivals or other teams in the conference. It certainly looks like the Panthers have the potential to make the biggest splash in the division. However, the Cardiac Canes and Cats will still leave their fans perplexed and at times furious I'm sure. Look for Washington and Tampa Bay to duplicate their 1-2 position in the division once again this season.
Washington-Tampa Bay-Florida-Carolina-Winnipeg
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Division previews, take 2
It's time to head down I-95 and take a look at the Atlantic Division. Yesterday I mentioned that the Northeast Division is one of the toughest in hockey. I stand by that in terms of how evenly matched the teams are. To the Atlantic Division I say it's arguably the deepest and/or best division in hockey. Three of the past four Stanley Cup Finals have featured a team from the Atlantic Division, and this division routinely sends multiple teams to the playoffs year in and year out.
ATLANTIC DIVISION:
Last year's standings
Philadelphia 47-23-12
Pittsburgh 49-25-8
New York Rangers 44-33-5
ATLANTIC DIVISION:
Last year's standings
Philadelphia 47-23-12
Pittsburgh 49-25-8
New York Rangers 44-33-5
New Jersey 38-39-5
New York Islanders 30-39-13
Philadelphia Flyers: What a long, strange trip it's been for Flyers fans. In the matter of hours, the faces of the franchise are shipped cross country in some of the most shocking trades in Flyers history. After a lifeless performance by the Orange and Black against Boston, owner Ed Snider put the world on notice, the Flyers were going to get a goaltender. GM Paul Holmgren wasted no time in trading for the rights to pending UFA, Ilya Bryzgalov. With cap issues before the 4million increase, the Flyers would have to make room to fit Bryz's hefty new contract, so out went Jeff Carter to Columbus for the 8th overall pick in the 2011 entry draft (Sean Couturier) and Jakub Voracek. Not even an hour later word was given that Mike Richards went to Flyers West, I mean the LA Kings, for prospect Brayden Schenn and feisty Wayne Simmonds. In the span of an afternon the Flyers announced their new goalie and the departure of their leading goal scorer the past few seasons, and their captain once likened to be the next Bobby Clarke. Oh yeah, they also signed Max Talbot to a long term deal and brought in Jaromir Jagr. Yes, you read the correctly. After July 1, I think it's safe to say that Pittsburgh was more like Pissedburgh. Worse joke ever, right?
This future is now in Claude Giroux and James vanRiemsdyk's hands. In the immediate future however, the veterans are going to handle the leadership. With Pronger expected to be completely healthy in October, and the rest of the D intact, look for the offense to be the question marks. How will Giroux handle being the #1 center, and will he and JvR mesh with either Voracek or Jagr? Also look to see how Bryzgalov handles the increased pressure of a hockey mad town compared to playing the desert, where it's plaus 32 all year. If he can weather the storm and play like he has been, apart from his poor playoff performance this year, Flyers faithful will be loving every bit of his large contract.
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pens towards the end of the season were those people you see running marathons, finishing long after the competition, but still finishing it despite not winning accolades. Except for the fact that they still almost won the division, despite losing Crosby and Malkin to season ending injuries earlier in the year. Somehow playing the trap can win you the Jack Adams trophy by the way, so aspiring coaches take note. They did manage to blow a 3-1 lead against Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs, but given the injuries the team sustained, just making it is a feat in itself. Now the good news for the Pens is that Malkin is fully healed and ready to go, but the bad news is Crosby's concussion issues have resurfaced with more intense workouts, so when (and just to say it, if) he returns is still in question. Still to be "stuck" with Malkin and Staal as your 1-2 centers isn't a bad place to be. The James Neal trade at the deadline last season and the free agent signing of Steve Sullivan should help the Pens lack of depth on the wing. If and when Crosby returns, the Pens will be a very serious threat to take the division.
New York Rangers: Well the Rangers finally got their center to play with Gaborik. In a move a blind man could see coming, the Rangers somehow "managed" to land free agent gem Brad Richards. Let's face it, Gaborik can shoot, and Richards is more of a playmaker than a sniper, this is a match made in hockey heaven...providing Gaborik can stay healthy, which is always a concern. Couple their all star center/wing combo with a young, but sturdy defense and one of the best goalies in the league in recent years, and you have a team that can make some serious waves. Maybe now the Rangers won't need to wait till the last day of the season to make or miss the playoffs. Maybe.
New Jersey Devils: The Devils were they hottest teams in hockey down the stretch, unfortunately that was about the only time they got hot all year, and ended up missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Floundering under then head coach John McLean, and decimated by injuries, the Devils soon found themselves at the bottom of the league and well out of the playoff picture. Enter Jesus with a comb over, I mean Jacques Lemaire, and the team played with a new found vigor. Kovalchuk found his killer instinct and backup goalie Johan Hedberg was simply phenomenal when called upon. Now the Devils got the pick of the draft with Adam Larsson, the big right shooting Swedish defenseman to help add youth and talent to the blue line and the now healthy Parise to be in the lineup at the start of the season things are looking up for the Devils. Biggest questions for the Devils are how much the injury to Travis Zajac will affect them, and whether or not Martin Brodeur can continue to spit in Father Time's eye and play above his years suggest he should be. If the Devils can do that, they will once again be in the playoff hunt.
New York Islanders: If hockey teams were cartoon characters then the New York Islanders would be Eeyore. It's always raining on the Islanders parade. The potential on this team is immense, but when one thing happens to them, it seems like a million more are right around the corner. Injuries to key players Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit ended their seasons before they began, and of course Rick DLiPietro was injured. We all remember when Ty Conklin literally broke DiPietro's face! It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Islanders though, as they had five 20+ goal scorers, Matt Moulson and rookie Michael Grabner potting 34 goals, six of them short handed. the Islanders also managed to deal with the mess with Evgeni Nabokov, and he will play this season, so once DiPietro gets hurt (and you know it'll happen eventually) Al Montoya and Nabokov should be more than able to handle the goaltending duties for the Isles.
Will last year's first round pick Nino Niedereitter make this year's big club after another season in the WHL? And what about this year's pick in Ryan Strome? The Islanders give their youth every chance to succeed at the NHL level, so it will be an interesting preseason to watch out on Long Island. Even without all the drama of a new arena or possibly relocation, a healthy Islanders club should be a fun club to watch, but I cannot stress the healthy aspect enough. Injuries flat out destroy this team's chance at being competitive in an already cut throat division.
Predictions: With the injury to Crosby looming over Steel City like a storm cloud, I expect them to stumble a bit this season. They will certainly be competitive, but right now I think it's a two horse race for the division crown between the Rangers and the Flyers. On paper the Rangers are the most improved team in the Atlantic, while the Flyers certainly have some possible chemistry issues to contend with before they can be truly considered a contender at this point.
New York Rangers-Philadelphia Flyers-New Jersey Devils-Pittsburgh-New York Islanders. I'll say the top four in the division all have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.
New York Islanders 30-39-13
Philadelphia Flyers: What a long, strange trip it's been for Flyers fans. In the matter of hours, the faces of the franchise are shipped cross country in some of the most shocking trades in Flyers history. After a lifeless performance by the Orange and Black against Boston, owner Ed Snider put the world on notice, the Flyers were going to get a goaltender. GM Paul Holmgren wasted no time in trading for the rights to pending UFA, Ilya Bryzgalov. With cap issues before the 4million increase, the Flyers would have to make room to fit Bryz's hefty new contract, so out went Jeff Carter to Columbus for the 8th overall pick in the 2011 entry draft (Sean Couturier) and Jakub Voracek. Not even an hour later word was given that Mike Richards went to Flyers West, I mean the LA Kings, for prospect Brayden Schenn and feisty Wayne Simmonds. In the span of an afternon the Flyers announced their new goalie and the departure of their leading goal scorer the past few seasons, and their captain once likened to be the next Bobby Clarke. Oh yeah, they also signed Max Talbot to a long term deal and brought in Jaromir Jagr. Yes, you read the correctly. After July 1, I think it's safe to say that Pittsburgh was more like Pissedburgh. Worse joke ever, right?
This future is now in Claude Giroux and James vanRiemsdyk's hands. In the immediate future however, the veterans are going to handle the leadership. With Pronger expected to be completely healthy in October, and the rest of the D intact, look for the offense to be the question marks. How will Giroux handle being the #1 center, and will he and JvR mesh with either Voracek or Jagr? Also look to see how Bryzgalov handles the increased pressure of a hockey mad town compared to playing the desert, where it's plaus 32 all year. If he can weather the storm and play like he has been, apart from his poor playoff performance this year, Flyers faithful will be loving every bit of his large contract.
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pens towards the end of the season were those people you see running marathons, finishing long after the competition, but still finishing it despite not winning accolades. Except for the fact that they still almost won the division, despite losing Crosby and Malkin to season ending injuries earlier in the year. Somehow playing the trap can win you the Jack Adams trophy by the way, so aspiring coaches take note. They did manage to blow a 3-1 lead against Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs, but given the injuries the team sustained, just making it is a feat in itself. Now the good news for the Pens is that Malkin is fully healed and ready to go, but the bad news is Crosby's concussion issues have resurfaced with more intense workouts, so when (and just to say it, if) he returns is still in question. Still to be "stuck" with Malkin and Staal as your 1-2 centers isn't a bad place to be. The James Neal trade at the deadline last season and the free agent signing of Steve Sullivan should help the Pens lack of depth on the wing. If and when Crosby returns, the Pens will be a very serious threat to take the division.
New York Rangers: Well the Rangers finally got their center to play with Gaborik. In a move a blind man could see coming, the Rangers somehow "managed" to land free agent gem Brad Richards. Let's face it, Gaborik can shoot, and Richards is more of a playmaker than a sniper, this is a match made in hockey heaven...providing Gaborik can stay healthy, which is always a concern. Couple their all star center/wing combo with a young, but sturdy defense and one of the best goalies in the league in recent years, and you have a team that can make some serious waves. Maybe now the Rangers won't need to wait till the last day of the season to make or miss the playoffs. Maybe.
New Jersey Devils: The Devils were they hottest teams in hockey down the stretch, unfortunately that was about the only time they got hot all year, and ended up missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Floundering under then head coach John McLean, and decimated by injuries, the Devils soon found themselves at the bottom of the league and well out of the playoff picture. Enter Jesus with a comb over, I mean Jacques Lemaire, and the team played with a new found vigor. Kovalchuk found his killer instinct and backup goalie Johan Hedberg was simply phenomenal when called upon. Now the Devils got the pick of the draft with Adam Larsson, the big right shooting Swedish defenseman to help add youth and talent to the blue line and the now healthy Parise to be in the lineup at the start of the season things are looking up for the Devils. Biggest questions for the Devils are how much the injury to Travis Zajac will affect them, and whether or not Martin Brodeur can continue to spit in Father Time's eye and play above his years suggest he should be. If the Devils can do that, they will once again be in the playoff hunt.
New York Islanders: If hockey teams were cartoon characters then the New York Islanders would be Eeyore. It's always raining on the Islanders parade. The potential on this team is immense, but when one thing happens to them, it seems like a million more are right around the corner. Injuries to key players Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit ended their seasons before they began, and of course Rick DLiPietro was injured. We all remember when Ty Conklin literally broke DiPietro's face! It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Islanders though, as they had five 20+ goal scorers, Matt Moulson and rookie Michael Grabner potting 34 goals, six of them short handed. the Islanders also managed to deal with the mess with Evgeni Nabokov, and he will play this season, so once DiPietro gets hurt (and you know it'll happen eventually) Al Montoya and Nabokov should be more than able to handle the goaltending duties for the Isles.
Will last year's first round pick Nino Niedereitter make this year's big club after another season in the WHL? And what about this year's pick in Ryan Strome? The Islanders give their youth every chance to succeed at the NHL level, so it will be an interesting preseason to watch out on Long Island. Even without all the drama of a new arena or possibly relocation, a healthy Islanders club should be a fun club to watch, but I cannot stress the healthy aspect enough. Injuries flat out destroy this team's chance at being competitive in an already cut throat division.
Predictions: With the injury to Crosby looming over Steel City like a storm cloud, I expect them to stumble a bit this season. They will certainly be competitive, but right now I think it's a two horse race for the division crown between the Rangers and the Flyers. On paper the Rangers are the most improved team in the Atlantic, while the Flyers certainly have some possible chemistry issues to contend with before they can be truly considered a contender at this point.
New York Rangers-Philadelphia Flyers-New Jersey Devils-Pittsburgh-New York Islanders. I'll say the top four in the division all have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Is this thing on?
*blows the dust off*
Hello motherpuckers! We are a little over two weeks away from training camps opening up, and with that, the season will not be far behind. Time to shake off the cobwebs of inactivity the off season has oh so generously placed upon on, and look towards the 2011-2012 regular season. Only way I know how to welcome in the season is with previews, predictions and breakdowns. So let's get to it. However, I would be remiss to start anything without mentioning the latest in an unfortunately growing list of former player leaving us all too soon. Wade Belak was found dead in a condo in Toronto today. I have heard conflicting reports of how he died, but common theme is suicide. He is the third player to found dead this year along with Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien. There seems to be a connection between "enforcers" and suicide/accidental death now that the league should certainly look into in some fashion before this becomes even more common.
now, on to the "fun" stuff....
NORTHEAST DIVISION:
last season's standings.
Boston 46-25-11
Montreal 44-30-8
Buffalo 43-29-10
Toronto 37-34-11
Ottawa 32-40-10
The Northeast Division is one of the toughest divisions in hockey. The three most recent Vezina trophy winners are in this division. Tim Thomas-Ryan Miller-Tim Thomas. That's a nice goaltending sandwich right there. Of course we also have Carey Price, who finally staked his claim as the legitimate #1 goaltender in Montreal. How good does that Halak trade look now? And the upstart James "Optimus Reim" Reimer who managed to displace both former Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastian Giguere and Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson as the Maple Leafs starter and goalie of the future. Rounding out this goaltending pinwheel is Craig Anderson. He had a bit of a let down year last season, compared to 09-10, but started to bounce back after being traded to Ottawa. If you like goaltending, you'll love this division.
Boston Bruins: Last year's Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins will enter the season largely unchained. Nothing drastic in terms of roster moves this off season, which will either help or hinder them coming into this season. Gotta love the ambiguity of that statement. With a mostly identical roster, you bring back chemistry and familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt does it not? The Bruins have won the ultimate prize. While one is never enough, there is always the dreaded "cup hangover" to contend with next season. The Bruins certainly have the tools to compete for the cup again without a doubt, but they are their own biggest obstacle this year.
Montreal Canadiens: Free agent pick up of Erik Cole was a bit of a surprise, but a solid pick up to help bolster their offense. The biggest surprise was the extension given to Andrei Markov, who has had nothing but injuries the past few seasons. It seems like Montreal is banking on Markov overcoming the injury bug. Perhaps Pierre Gauthier is looking to beat the odds two years in a row with this signing. Will Peter Budaj be a better backup than Alex Auld? With the amount of games Carey Price plays in a season, it probably won't matter. In an already tight divisional race every year, it's quite possible the Habs will be even more competitive.
Buffalo Sabres: Apparently the Sabres new owner was like a kid in the candy store come July 1 this summer. Ville Leino, Christian Ehrhoff and trading for Robyn Regehr mark the key off season moves for the now free spending Buffalo Sabres. Whether or not Ehrhoff and Leino will be worth their hefty pay will be a big question mark. Leino played his first full NHL season last year and appeared to be out of gas down the stretch. Ehrhoff had two good years in Vancouver and cashed in big time with a 10 year deal. While Buffalo is a solid team, they're not as good or deep as Vancouver. Will these moves come to get Buffalo over the hump, or will they be ones the Sabres ultimately lament? One move they will not regret is bringing in Robyn Regehr. He can act as the older mentor for Tyler Myers which he was lacking last season. Look for Myers to have a much more consistent year this year, which will also help Buffalo greatly.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Tim Connolly, John-Michael Liles, Matthew Lombardi (good news on his part, concussion symptom free) and Cody Franson are the newest players to don the blue Maple Leaf emblazoned sweater. Draft picks Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy look to be solid prospects to come up in the future. For now, this is going to be the Optimus Reim show. Will James Reimer be a flash in the pan, like so many goalies before him (even Brian Burke has called him out on this possibility), or will he be new coming of Felix Potvin? There is a very real possibility that the Maple Leafs will become more like their division counterparts in the respect that they will go only has far as their goalie(s) will allow. Tim Connolly will also need to stay healthy to be an effective pivot for Phil Kessel. Connolly hasn't played more than 75 games since 2002-2003, and has lost almost two full seasons due to concussions, so that will also be something to watch up in Toronto. Regardless of all that, the Maple Leafs will need to get off to a better start than previous seasons if they wish to have a shot at making the playoffs. Something they haven't done since before the lockout.
Ottawa Senators: Ahh the redheaded stepchild of the Northeast Division. They really are the Edmonton of the Eastern Conference...but without all that 1980's glory. After a great run to the cup finals against the Ducks, the Senators have consistently gotten worse and worse. This team is completely dependent on their top line for essentially all their offense. Couple that with a goalie who has an injury report longer than my arm, and you have a recipe for disaster. Drafting Mika Zibanejad goes towards bringing depth and youth down the middle, but that's assuming the young Swede will be able to crack the line up immediately. I'm not so sure that will happen, and so once again, if anything happens to Spezza or Alfredsson, the Sens could be in serious trouble...unless Craig Anderson pulls some of Avalanche magic and carries this team on his back like he did in 09-10 for Colorado.
Predictions: I want to say Boston will win their division again, but I think Buffalo has made some much needed additions to take the top spot. A healthier Atlantic Division will make it a tall order for the other teams in the east to make the playoffs, but once again it is possible for over half of this division to make the playoffs. I'm going to call it like this though.
Buffalo
Boston
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa
Yes, I might be predicting it a possibility that Toronto actually ends the dry spell of playoff appearances. That said, don't plan the parade yet, Leafs Nation. It's a long hard road to get there, and they have to play much better out of the gate to make it plausible. Otherwise, it's the Habs in the third spot and taking one of the 6th-8th spots in the East.
Other divisions to follow shortly, so keep your pants on. Also, new season, new reminders. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Hello motherpuckers! We are a little over two weeks away from training camps opening up, and with that, the season will not be far behind. Time to shake off the cobwebs of inactivity the off season has oh so generously placed upon on, and look towards the 2011-2012 regular season. Only way I know how to welcome in the season is with previews, predictions and breakdowns. So let's get to it. However, I would be remiss to start anything without mentioning the latest in an unfortunately growing list of former player leaving us all too soon. Wade Belak was found dead in a condo in Toronto today. I have heard conflicting reports of how he died, but common theme is suicide. He is the third player to found dead this year along with Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien. There seems to be a connection between "enforcers" and suicide/accidental death now that the league should certainly look into in some fashion before this becomes even more common.
now, on to the "fun" stuff....
NORTHEAST DIVISION:
last season's standings.
Boston 46-25-11
Montreal 44-30-8
Buffalo 43-29-10
Toronto 37-34-11
Ottawa 32-40-10
The Northeast Division is one of the toughest divisions in hockey. The three most recent Vezina trophy winners are in this division. Tim Thomas-Ryan Miller-Tim Thomas. That's a nice goaltending sandwich right there. Of course we also have Carey Price, who finally staked his claim as the legitimate #1 goaltender in Montreal. How good does that Halak trade look now? And the upstart James "Optimus Reim" Reimer who managed to displace both former Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastian Giguere and Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson as the Maple Leafs starter and goalie of the future. Rounding out this goaltending pinwheel is Craig Anderson. He had a bit of a let down year last season, compared to 09-10, but started to bounce back after being traded to Ottawa. If you like goaltending, you'll love this division.
Boston Bruins: Last year's Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins will enter the season largely unchained. Nothing drastic in terms of roster moves this off season, which will either help or hinder them coming into this season. Gotta love the ambiguity of that statement. With a mostly identical roster, you bring back chemistry and familiarity. Familiarity breeds contempt does it not? The Bruins have won the ultimate prize. While one is never enough, there is always the dreaded "cup hangover" to contend with next season. The Bruins certainly have the tools to compete for the cup again without a doubt, but they are their own biggest obstacle this year.
Montreal Canadiens: Free agent pick up of Erik Cole was a bit of a surprise, but a solid pick up to help bolster their offense. The biggest surprise was the extension given to Andrei Markov, who has had nothing but injuries the past few seasons. It seems like Montreal is banking on Markov overcoming the injury bug. Perhaps Pierre Gauthier is looking to beat the odds two years in a row with this signing. Will Peter Budaj be a better backup than Alex Auld? With the amount of games Carey Price plays in a season, it probably won't matter. In an already tight divisional race every year, it's quite possible the Habs will be even more competitive.
Buffalo Sabres: Apparently the Sabres new owner was like a kid in the candy store come July 1 this summer. Ville Leino, Christian Ehrhoff and trading for Robyn Regehr mark the key off season moves for the now free spending Buffalo Sabres. Whether or not Ehrhoff and Leino will be worth their hefty pay will be a big question mark. Leino played his first full NHL season last year and appeared to be out of gas down the stretch. Ehrhoff had two good years in Vancouver and cashed in big time with a 10 year deal. While Buffalo is a solid team, they're not as good or deep as Vancouver. Will these moves come to get Buffalo over the hump, or will they be ones the Sabres ultimately lament? One move they will not regret is bringing in Robyn Regehr. He can act as the older mentor for Tyler Myers which he was lacking last season. Look for Myers to have a much more consistent year this year, which will also help Buffalo greatly.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Tim Connolly, John-Michael Liles, Matthew Lombardi (good news on his part, concussion symptom free) and Cody Franson are the newest players to don the blue Maple Leaf emblazoned sweater. Draft picks Tyler Biggs and Stuart Percy look to be solid prospects to come up in the future. For now, this is going to be the Optimus Reim show. Will James Reimer be a flash in the pan, like so many goalies before him (even Brian Burke has called him out on this possibility), or will he be new coming of Felix Potvin? There is a very real possibility that the Maple Leafs will become more like their division counterparts in the respect that they will go only has far as their goalie(s) will allow. Tim Connolly will also need to stay healthy to be an effective pivot for Phil Kessel. Connolly hasn't played more than 75 games since 2002-2003, and has lost almost two full seasons due to concussions, so that will also be something to watch up in Toronto. Regardless of all that, the Maple Leafs will need to get off to a better start than previous seasons if they wish to have a shot at making the playoffs. Something they haven't done since before the lockout.
Ottawa Senators: Ahh the redheaded stepchild of the Northeast Division. They really are the Edmonton of the Eastern Conference...but without all that 1980's glory. After a great run to the cup finals against the Ducks, the Senators have consistently gotten worse and worse. This team is completely dependent on their top line for essentially all their offense. Couple that with a goalie who has an injury report longer than my arm, and you have a recipe for disaster. Drafting Mika Zibanejad goes towards bringing depth and youth down the middle, but that's assuming the young Swede will be able to crack the line up immediately. I'm not so sure that will happen, and so once again, if anything happens to Spezza or Alfredsson, the Sens could be in serious trouble...unless Craig Anderson pulls some of Avalanche magic and carries this team on his back like he did in 09-10 for Colorado.
Predictions: I want to say Boston will win their division again, but I think Buffalo has made some much needed additions to take the top spot. A healthier Atlantic Division will make it a tall order for the other teams in the east to make the playoffs, but once again it is possible for over half of this division to make the playoffs. I'm going to call it like this though.
Buffalo
Boston
Toronto
Montreal
Ottawa
Yes, I might be predicting it a possibility that Toronto actually ends the dry spell of playoff appearances. That said, don't plan the parade yet, Leafs Nation. It's a long hard road to get there, and they have to play much better out of the gate to make it plausible. Otherwise, it's the Habs in the third spot and taking one of the 6th-8th spots in the East.
Other divisions to follow shortly, so keep your pants on. Also, new season, new reminders. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Here Lies Da Islanders
'Ey yo! you shuda voted!Ok, now that I've gotten that awful accent out of the way, let's look at the bleak future of the New York Islanders. Votes are still be tallied, but as of 11:30PM it's looking like 58% say no, 42 yes on a new arena for the Islanders. While this certainly isn't the last hope for the Islanders, it doesn't look too good for the near future.
The Islanders have a dramatic history in the NHL, with their four consecutive Stanley Cup wins in the 1980's, to a franchise put firmly in the skids of mediocrity, to the point where they've essentially been an AHL+ team. I won't rehash all the stupid things Mike Milbury has done as Gm, because he's too oblivious anyway, and we all know them well enough by now. Rest assured he's somewhere forming more idiotic opinions about hockey with Pierre McGuire, who's probably dreaming of Sidney Crosby and Mike Richards. Alas, I digress.
It's no secret that the Nassau Coliseum is one of the most outdated and antiquated facilities in the league right now. It's a pain in the ass to get to, and no one wants to go there anyway to see the Islanders lose another game. Even their own commentators dread watching them play. Don't believe me? Go ahead, click here and see for yourself. Anyway, it's easy to see why the average fan, and those not familiar with the game would vote down a measure to pay for a new arena to be built for a team as woeful as the Islanders. However, they are a young team with tremendous talent that will be, if they can stay healthy, an exciting group to watch.
Update: the AP is calling the vote at approximately 11:40pm as a NO for the new arena. So now Charles Wang and the Islanders will have to explore new avenues to secure a new building. Does this mean the team will be fleeing the island? I highly doubt it at this point, but I can't lie, it's not a bad idea. The Islanders are currently under contract through 2015 with the city/arena so there is still time to go ahead and get something done. With the talent the Islanders have on the rise, it would be nice to see them start to turn it around in a new building, with actual fan support. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, months and even years it'll be worth keeping an eye on. A team like the Islanders won't be moved easily, so the league could possibly get involved. Will it actually come that? Who knows. All we do know is that this part of the Islanders saga is over, but a new one is just beginning.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Brian Burke
Brian Burke. You know him, and you either love him or hate him. It's easy to understand why either way. Burke is the kind of GM who doesn't hide behind jargon or double speak, and he is honest in both his approach to the media and building his teams. He has proven to be successful no matter where he has been, whether it was laying the building blocks for a franchise like Vancouver, or building the cup winner in Anaheim. Now he's been in Toronto for a few seasons, with mixed results. However, most will admit that the future is now bright for the Leafs, first time in a long time someone can actually say that.
After a seemingly disastrous trade with Boston for Phil Kessel, which got them Tyler Seguin and a Stanley Cup as well as this year's pick up defenseman Dougie Hamilton, Burke has managed to right the ship, and the team when on a remarkable late season run, being in the playoff hunt towards the end of the season, after yet another dismal Maple Leaf October. He also managed to recoup a first round draft pick (from boston of all teams) by FINALLY trading the last of the Muskoka 5, Tomas Kaberle in exchance for Joe Colborne, a 2011 first round pick, and a conditional pick in 2012. Let us not forget that he also managed to trade Brent Lebda for Cody Franson and Matthew Lombari (who is still battling concussions, but in a Lebda trade, it's a good pick up)...and there was much rejoicing. yay.
Despite his off season moves, there is another reason to like Brian Burke, and that's simply because he doesn't give one single miniscule puck what anyone thinks of his job. Let us go back to July 1st, the start of this crazy free agency period, and the absolute joke that was the Brad Richards frenzy. Let us not kid ourselves, everyone on their mother knew Brad Richards was going to sign in New York. Why they had that circus is beyond me, but regardless, Brian Burke was overseas visiting Canadian servicemen and women on Canada Day....and oh yeah He's American. Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons, who I generally appreciate his candor, went on to say that you don't do that kind of thing on the start of free agency. I can ALMOST understand the point he is trying to make, however in this technological age, there is no way Brian Burke wasn't in contact with the other people in the front office. The Leafs did manage to re-sign Grabovski and MacArthur, who were excellent last year for them, as well as sign Tim Connolly, who if healthy, will be their number one center which is something they sorely need to play alongside Kessel.
Perhaps the most, endearing (for lack of a better term) quality about Burke is how he speaks to the media. He's upfront, candid and honest. There is no mincing of words or tiptoeing through the tulips with Burke. Case in point, watch this video of the press conference he did a few days after free agency began. Look how he defends his players to the media, and doesn't take shit from anyone. Feel free to jump to about 9 minutes in and hear him respond to Steve Simmons. The fact that he is calling shenanigans on all these long term deals is great too. It's not like he's doing it to be spiteful or to complain for the sake of complaining *coughdeanlombardicough*. He's saying what everyone knows and no one else will admit. For that I have to say kudos to Brian Burke. Here is a guy in the biggest hockey market in the league, essentially giving the league the finger. I can only imagine that when all is said and done, when all these contracts aren't played out, Burke is going to have a shit eating grin on his face. Just to bring leafs fans down to Earth a bit, that'll happen before a parade.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Goalie Faceoff
The dust seems to be settling after the opening weekend of free agency, and it's fair to say most of the high level talent has been signed. Brad Richards made his "shocking" decision to go to the New York Rangers (I really hope you can feel the sarcasm there), and just about everyone who was expected to go, ended up going somewhere. Unlike the goalie bonanza of last year, this year's crop was a bit thinner, but had the likes of Dwayne Roloson (who re-signed in Tampa), Mike Smith (Phoenix) and of course Tomas Vokoun. Vokoun was thought to be the prize of prizes amongst the goaltenders this year, but he only went today after teams like Colorado and Phoenix, who desperately needed starting goaltenders, signed other free agents. The size of Vokoun's contract with the Washington Capitals (1.5 million) has Flyers fans irate at the long term contract they signed Ilya Bryzgalov to and the difference in money. In an attempt to explain both, we're going to compare both goalies as best we can.
Regular Season
(Career stats)
Tomas Vokoun: (632 NHL appearances) 262-267-41 2.56 GAA .917 save% 44 shutouts
Ilya Bryzgalov: (326 NHL appearances) 156-116-35 2.53 GAA .916 save% 23 shutouts
So what does this tell us? While both goalies have played on less than stellar teams for the majority of their careers, statically, Bryzgalov wins more games. The offense of Florida was worse than Phoenix's last season (195-231), the defenses were almost identical (226-229). Both teams ranked 9th in their respective Conferences for goals for, so it's not like we're comparing apples to oranges here. To start splitting hairs, Vokoun just turned 35, while Bryzgalov just turned 31. While goalies certainly seem to perform at higher levels longer than other positions on the ice, you have to wonder how many more "good" seasons Vokoun has in him. The greatest goalie in the game, Martin Brodeur (39) has been on decline the past two seasons, and started showing his age (injuries, late season fatigue) even before that. Yes everyone is different, I'm not suggesting the the exact same thing will happen to every goalie, but it can cause for some concern for a team looking for a durable goalie. Over the past 3 seasons, Bryzgalov has started an average of 67 games, while Vokoun has started just under 60. Again, this is purely speculation, but perhaps the rigors of a starting job are starting to wear on Vokoun. Bryzgalov has also earned a Vezina nomination for his play with the Phoenix Coyotes, while Vokoun has never been nominated for the award.
Playoffs:
(Career stats)
Tomas Vokoun: (11 appearances) 3-8 2.47 GAA .922 save% 1 shutout
Ilya Bryzgalov: (27 appearances) 12-13 2.55 GAA .917 save% 3 shutouts (and a stanley cup ring)
For all the worrying that Flyers faithful have done, here comes some news, Vokoun never won a playoff series either! Shocking I know, but it looks like that greener grass over there is the same color. Again the numbers are similar, with Vokoun saving a little more that comes his way, but not enough to win games apparently. Yes, this year's playoff series for Bryzgalov was not very good, but neither was the team in front of him. Aside from Bryzgalov's stint in Anaheim, Bryzgalov hasn't had a team in front of him that can play a complete game. Nor has Vokoun to be fair, but he made those appearances in Nashville who have always played a defensive minded system. In Phoenix Bryzgalov won three playoff games in 09-10 series, while Vokoun has only three wins to his career.
When you break it down, there isn't much of a difference between the two goalies. "But what about the money," I hear you screaming at your computer screen. Alright, let's talk about the money. Is Ilya Bryzgalov getting too much money? You can certainly argue that he is, but after looking at the stats and resumes, Bryzgalov would've been the best free agent goalie on July 1. With the mandate handed down from up on high of Mt. Comcast, the Flyers were almost destined to overpay to make a goaltending controversy a thing of the past. Doubt that will actually solve anything for awhile, since it's Philadelphia, and you can't have hockey in Philadelphia without hearing about goaltending problems. However you want to look at it, Bryzgalov is the first, and best, clear cut number one goaltender they've had since Hextall in the late 80's. It's been something they've been searching for since 96-97 when the playoffs consisted of whoever played better the night before. The great and powerful Snider said it needs to stop, and for better or worse it has, and so the Flyers needed to pay. They would've "overpaid" whoever they ended up signing because they weren't going to be outbid. Similar to when Curtis Joseph and Felix Potvin were both UFAs, and the Flyers sign John Vanbiesbrouck instead. Yes Vokoun signed a 1.5 million dollar deal with Washington, but that was AFTER Colorado traded for the rights to Semyon Varlamov and signed Jean-Sebastian Giguere. It seems like Vokoun took the route of another former Flyers goaltender, Martin Biron, and priced himself out of the game. Looking at some of the "big name" goalie signings this July, it's not like last year. Dwayne Roloson signed for 3.5 million, and Mike Smith signed for 2 million. Vokoun had his eyes on a prize and it looks like he lost.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Steven Stamkos Saga
Nice alliteration huh?
We can really replace his name with a few of the high profile pending RFA's to be lately, but it seems to be that his name is at the top of the list, and on the tips of tongues and fingers everywhere. For good reason I suppose. As currently as this afternoon Tampa Bay has been signing other players (D-men Bruno Gervais and Marc-Andre Bergerson), arguably deemed lesser players, to their roster but have yet to sign Stamkos to a deal. I can hear you asking yourselves already, what pucking gives?! Quite honestly no one really knows, but I'll try to figure it out as best as I can.
According to Capgeek.com, the Lightning have 21 million dollars in cap space right now. Let us just assume for a moment, that Stamkos is looking for Vinny LeCavalier type money (a 7.7 mil cap hit until next millennium). With the current state of of long term deals it seems simple enough to ink him to a long term front loaded contract with a cap hit around 6 million dollars. There is some speculation out there that Steve Yzerman trying to follow the Detroit business model where the top end guys take a little less money for the good of the organization, and it looks like Stamkos isn't biting. Why should he? Back to back 90+ point seasons, with 45 or more goals. The kid is turning into everything that he was expected to be, and possibly more. He has every right to ask for more money. Now on June 22nd TSN reported that Stamkos Says He's "close" to a Deal with Lightning. What could've happened within the span of a week to change all that? With mum being the word from all sides, it's hard to gauge. Without trying to dissect this even further, I'm going to skip right to the speculation flying around. Yeah yeah, enough pucking around, I know.
Let the rumors begin. July 1 is literally right around the corner. Tampa Bay has cap room, but it is being reported that they have lost from anywhere from 20-30 million dollars this past season, despite coming within one game of the Stanley Cup finals. That certainly doesn't bode well for a long term lucrative deal for Stamkos. There are also reports that Stevie Y. has said that he's ready for anything, you have to wonder if there will be money enough to match any/every offer sheet that comes through the door. With the cap floor being so high, a lot of teams are struggling to make it there, so an offer sheet could come from teams with cap room to spare, or from a big market club with space and money to burn. Barring an offer that is completely out of reach you have to wonder if Tampa Bay will match year after year until Stamkos becomes a free agent, or they will manage to iron out a deal before someone else comes along with an offer sheet to good to refuse.
Undoubtedly the compensation will be four consecutive 1st round draft picks, as there is no way the Lightning will be unable to match a smaller offer, nor will one be issued in all likelihood. Teams rumored to be in on the possibility of an offer sheet are Toronto and Philadelphia although any number of teams can make a move, as long as they have their picks to offer as compensation. However, it doesn't make any sense for those to clubs. For starters, Philadelphia has only 8.2 million in cap space currently, and still has to reach deals with recently acquired RFA's Voracek and Simmonds, while also attempting to re-sign pending UFA Ville Leino, whom the Flyers have expressed great interest in locking back up. Not to mention the Flyers are in need of some depth players and possibly a younger defenseman to come in and learn the system while playing a limited minutes role until some key veterans retire, which may be sooner than later. Despite what amounts to rumor mongering by Frank Seravelli of the Philadelphia Daily News, it just seems illogical for the Flyers to make that kind of run at a player. Although to be fair to Frank, this is Philadelphia we're talking about so anything is possible. Toronto seems more likely with over 18million in cap space and an overwhelming need for a number one center. However, with the state of their team, and the bitterness over losing two first round picks for Phil Kessel (which resulted in the second overall pick in the draft, Tyler Seguin and a Stanley Cup for Boston) I cannot see Brian Burke willing to give up four years worth of draft picks. However, if anyone is "crazy" enough to do it, it would be Burke.
Another option could be the New York Rangers. While they are front runners for Brad Richards once free agency opens up, if that goes awry, they do have the space and the craziest of all GM's in Glen Sather to possibly pull this off. I see this as a dark horse at best, simply because they're freeing up their cap space for Brad Richards, and given that player's close relationship to current coach John Tortorella, it's hard to imagine Richards going anywhere else. Other teams with cap space to burn and some offensive woes are the Ottawa Senators (who have holes up and down their line up), Nashville Predators (who play a defensive system), St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche (who are currently deepest at center position).
So as free agency prepares to open its flood gates, we sit and watch as these rumors continue to fly. If you take the time to pause for a moment though, it only seems to make sense that he stays in Tampa Bay. Yzerman will be forever defined by what happens in the coming days, possibly weeks. He's smart and competitive, and there's no way he's simply going to be out bid for a player. If a team puts together a deal, he can simply match it for a year and spend all that time negotiating a long term contract. While fans are enjoying the thoughts of Stamkos in their favorite team's sweater, at the end of the day it's just a pipe dream. Anything is possible, sure, but this one is probably the furthest from it, without being officially impossible.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
A What the Puck Kinda Day
The truth about Ryan Smyth requesting a trade comes out, the Canadiens sign the best d-man on the IR to a 3 year deal and oh yeah, the Flyers take over the hockey world in a span of about 20 minutes. What the pucking puck just happened today?! We're going to try to make sense of it all.
In terms of trade rumors, Jeff Carter's name comes up just below Tomas Kaberle's. Just in the past few weeks he has been traded to every team in the NHL...twice. Probably rumored to play in the KHL or form a new league, the JCHL, where he would be every team. The long term extension he signed earlier this year put a kink in the speculation chain, but since the Flyers early exit and their acquisition of the rights to Ilya Bryzgalov, Carter had once again become the center of trade rumors. The most popular, and ultimately the actual deal made, was Carter to Columbus for their first round draft pick, 8th overall, winger Jakub Voracek and a 3rd round pick. While Voracek doesn't have the stats resume, but he was amassing 40-50 points in Columbus and could certainly do more on a deeper Philadelphia squad. The big piece here is the 8th overall draft pick. The Flyers now have a chance to get another young top prospect. Even more rumors abound with this draft pick possibly being packaged with Kris Versteeg to Florida for the 3rd overall pick. Either way, the Flyers have a top 10 pick, something they haven't had in recent years. Oppositely, the Blue Jackets get what they have sorely needed since their inception, a number one center. While Carter is a shoot first center, he will be able to free up space for, and help distribute to Rick Nash.
Then shortly after the Carter trade was announced, the Mike Richards trade broke. This trade was certainly a shock. For all the news the rumor mill "leaks" this was held incredibly close to the vest. This is probably THE trade that shook up the hockey world, and particularly flyer fandom, the most. A player once regarded as the next Bobby Clarke became the next Eric Lindros over the course of a season. Mike Richards was their captain, and a player who gave his all on the ice. It's being reported that the trade call between GM Paul Holmgren and Richards was an emotional one, and I don't doubt it. Thought to be the Flyers captain for life, Richards managed to help the team even as he's leaving. The Los Angeles Kings got what they also needed in a legitimate top 6 foward. He will most likely play behind Anze Kopitar on the 2nd line for the Kings. In return for their coveted 2nd line center the Kings sent the Flyers a 2nd round draft pick, winger Wade Simmons and prospect Brayden Schenn. Schenn is widely regarded currently as the best player not in the NHL. A young gifted center who has been a point-per-game player (or better) at both the WHL and AHL levels. While it is unknown whether or not Schenn will immediately jump in the line up (presumably at the 3rd line spot) or play for the Flyers AHL affiliate, Wayne Simmons is a player who can jump in the line up now. Possibly a 2nd or 3rd line winger who is close to reaching the 20 goal mark, Simmonds will help to replace some of that offense the Flyers have traded away today.
The probable catalyst for at least one of these trades today was the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov to a 9 year deal worth 51 million dollars. The Flyers have now put their goaltending fate in the hands of the 31 year old Russian netminder. While this now puts a question mark around fellow Russian Sergei Bobrovsky, the Flyers got their "elite" netminder and are set to move forward. It's uncertain whether or not these trades will pay off or not, but regardless of the outcome, it's fair to say June 23rd will be a day Flyer fans everywhere won't soon forget.
A few quick words on the Markov signing by Montreal. Markov is a good player, but a player who has missed significant time the past two seasons with lower body injuries. A ten year veteran in the league, it is possible that his best years are behind him in terms of durability. A 3 year deal with a cap hit of 5.75 million seems like a gamble to me, but I suppose that's why I don't work as a GM in the league.
As far as the Ryan Smyth rumors are concerned, it has been handled ridiculously. Here is a player requesting a trade for family reasons that for whatever reason has been turned into a he said-she said debacle. While I understand trade possibilities leak all the time, this situation could certainly have been handled better from all sides. Reporters report what they are given. I don't blame Bob McKenzie for "breaking" the story, nor do I blame the Edmonton Journal for asking Smyth about it. However, I do think that it might not have turned into the circus it has become if handled in a slightly different matter. This isn't like Danny Heatley who simply wanted out of Ottawa (or Atlanta), and became a drama queen about where he was possibly traded. This is a player who has carried himself with nothing but class his entire career, and has asked to go "home" for whatever reasons (it's none of my business to know). Let's not try to crucifying him. Oddly enough everyone, there are things more important than hockey. Well sometimes anyway.
In terms of trade rumors, Jeff Carter's name comes up just below Tomas Kaberle's. Just in the past few weeks he has been traded to every team in the NHL...twice. Probably rumored to play in the KHL or form a new league, the JCHL, where he would be every team. The long term extension he signed earlier this year put a kink in the speculation chain, but since the Flyers early exit and their acquisition of the rights to Ilya Bryzgalov, Carter had once again become the center of trade rumors. The most popular, and ultimately the actual deal made, was Carter to Columbus for their first round draft pick, 8th overall, winger Jakub Voracek and a 3rd round pick. While Voracek doesn't have the stats resume, but he was amassing 40-50 points in Columbus and could certainly do more on a deeper Philadelphia squad. The big piece here is the 8th overall draft pick. The Flyers now have a chance to get another young top prospect. Even more rumors abound with this draft pick possibly being packaged with Kris Versteeg to Florida for the 3rd overall pick. Either way, the Flyers have a top 10 pick, something they haven't had in recent years. Oppositely, the Blue Jackets get what they have sorely needed since their inception, a number one center. While Carter is a shoot first center, he will be able to free up space for, and help distribute to Rick Nash.
Then shortly after the Carter trade was announced, the Mike Richards trade broke. This trade was certainly a shock. For all the news the rumor mill "leaks" this was held incredibly close to the vest. This is probably THE trade that shook up the hockey world, and particularly flyer fandom, the most. A player once regarded as the next Bobby Clarke became the next Eric Lindros over the course of a season. Mike Richards was their captain, and a player who gave his all on the ice. It's being reported that the trade call between GM Paul Holmgren and Richards was an emotional one, and I don't doubt it. Thought to be the Flyers captain for life, Richards managed to help the team even as he's leaving. The Los Angeles Kings got what they also needed in a legitimate top 6 foward. He will most likely play behind Anze Kopitar on the 2nd line for the Kings. In return for their coveted 2nd line center the Kings sent the Flyers a 2nd round draft pick, winger Wade Simmons and prospect Brayden Schenn. Schenn is widely regarded currently as the best player not in the NHL. A young gifted center who has been a point-per-game player (or better) at both the WHL and AHL levels. While it is unknown whether or not Schenn will immediately jump in the line up (presumably at the 3rd line spot) or play for the Flyers AHL affiliate, Wayne Simmons is a player who can jump in the line up now. Possibly a 2nd or 3rd line winger who is close to reaching the 20 goal mark, Simmonds will help to replace some of that offense the Flyers have traded away today.
The probable catalyst for at least one of these trades today was the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov to a 9 year deal worth 51 million dollars. The Flyers have now put their goaltending fate in the hands of the 31 year old Russian netminder. While this now puts a question mark around fellow Russian Sergei Bobrovsky, the Flyers got their "elite" netminder and are set to move forward. It's uncertain whether or not these trades will pay off or not, but regardless of the outcome, it's fair to say June 23rd will be a day Flyer fans everywhere won't soon forget.
A few quick words on the Markov signing by Montreal. Markov is a good player, but a player who has missed significant time the past two seasons with lower body injuries. A ten year veteran in the league, it is possible that his best years are behind him in terms of durability. A 3 year deal with a cap hit of 5.75 million seems like a gamble to me, but I suppose that's why I don't work as a GM in the league.
As far as the Ryan Smyth rumors are concerned, it has been handled ridiculously. Here is a player requesting a trade for family reasons that for whatever reason has been turned into a he said-she said debacle. While I understand trade possibilities leak all the time, this situation could certainly have been handled better from all sides. Reporters report what they are given. I don't blame Bob McKenzie for "breaking" the story, nor do I blame the Edmonton Journal for asking Smyth about it. However, I do think that it might not have turned into the circus it has become if handled in a slightly different matter. This isn't like Danny Heatley who simply wanted out of Ottawa (or Atlanta), and became a drama queen about where he was possibly traded. This is a player who has carried himself with nothing but class his entire career, and has asked to go "home" for whatever reasons (it's none of my business to know). Let's not try to crucifying him. Oddly enough everyone, there are things more important than hockey. Well sometimes anyway.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The 2011 Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft is right around the corner. Unlike the hype of "Taylor vs. Tyler" from last year, there is no clear cut #1 draft pick amongst the group. While there is still plenty of talent in this year's draft, the number one pick could be any of the few top rated picks. The NHL's central scouting has both North American and European skaters ranked seperately, and TSN has them listed together. It looks like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Larsson have staked their claims as the number one ranked skaters in North America and Europe respectively. Will either one of these players be taken first overall, or will it be someone like Landeskog or Huberdeau? We'll find out on Friday. With that in mind, let's take a look at the teams in the top 5 and what they need to address right now.
1: Edmonton Oilers
Their second year in a row leading the dance, and while they have plenty of young fowards now, they still lack a legitimate top line center as well as a top shutdown defensemen. Obviously they can have their pick of the litter. What Edmonton really needs to decide is who can have the most immediate impact on the team. While a player like a Nugent Hopkins or a Huberdeau have number one center potential, my main concern with them right now is their size. RNH comes in at 6'0" and 164 pounds and Huberdeau is 6'1" 170 pounds. With a team like Edmonton, who lacks depth down the middle, these players won't have time to develop and mature physically. Instead they would be thrown to the wolves early on and take a beating. Certainly having them play another year of juniors or down in the AHL is a possibility, but the Oilers need help now. They could always go with Mika Zibanejad, the 6'1" 192lbs center from Sweden or Shane Couturier (6'4" 197lbs). Odds are they will go with RNG, but if they choose to address their defensive woes, Adam Larsson will be the number one pick in this year's draft.
2. Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are over flowing with centers, so the odds of them going after another centerman are probably low. They will look to add to depth to their wings or defense. Swedish born Gabriel Landeskog seems the best choice. Already a solid two way player, he has been compared to former Kitchener Rangers product Mike Richards, Landeskog comes in with decent size (6'1" 207lbs) and a scoring touch. He also has the ability to bang with the best of them if need be. Only reason I don't see him being a first overall pick is due to the Oilers depth on the wing. However their is the task of attempting to replace Adam Foote on the blue line. While definitely a cause for concern, the Avalanche aren't too thin in the back to have to use their first round pick on a player like Larsson (if available) and look for them to address their offensive deficiencies first.
3. Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a team who are simply looking to get the best player available. Assuming RNG goes first and Landeskog or Larsson goes second, the Panthers will look to get whoever they think will be the best for them. Look for them to draft Huberdeu if available or defenseman Dougie Hamilton. If he doesn't have a name made for hockey, I don't know who does. GM Dave Tallon was the architect behind the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks, and certainly he's bringing his formula down to Florida with the same goals in mind.
4. New Jersey Devils
Draft lottery winners, the New Jersey Devils will not be turning down their first round draft pick this year. The Devils had one of the strongest 2nd half runs last season, and will look to build on that success. While they are currently coachless, the Devils still have GM Lou Lamoriello and "In Lou We Trust." The Devils are looking for a player who can become a top 6 center to replace either Patrick Elias or supplant Travis Zajac at the number one spot. The Devils will also look to pick up a puck moving defenseman. Some mock drafts have Couturier going to the NJ, and he would certainly add a nice physical presence down the middle. The knock on Larsson's game is that his foward skating isn't the best, making him an inconsistent puck carrier. Nathan Beaulieu could also be on their radar. Lou also has a knack for trading up or down if he sees something he likes, or dislikes. The Devils will be one of the more interesting teams to watch.
5. New York Islanders
Garth Snow again has a lottery pick and the Islanders once again look to be on the cusp of making some waves, but have to stay injury free. Look for last year's pick Nino Niederrieter to crack the line up next year, but until then look for the Islanders to follow the Panthers plan and simply draft the best player available. Looking at their roster, they have a solid crop of young fowards. I'm expecting them to target a defenseman, but as stated before whoever is the best player available.
With a draft class like this, plenty of solid players but few legtimate impact players, this will be a time to address depth and holes in the line up. Looking at the top ranked skaters, there are only a few who seem ready to make the jump right to the NHL. There are also plenty of rumors flying around, there seems to be a desire for teams to enter the top 10 or possibly top 5 via trades. Hopefully this Friday will be more interesting than the trade deadline. Thankfully the draft usually delivers. I'm sure we'll be watching.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Final Thoughts on 2010-2011
No, this isn't going to be a Jerry Springer rip off, although that would be hilarious. Anyway, with the puck having been dropped for the final time, and the Cup awarded I think now is a good time to comment on the Cup Final series as well as look back at the season in general.
The Stanley Cup Finals certainly lived up to their own already impressive reputation. Not since 2007-2008 has a President's Trophy winner competed in the Stanley Cup Finals. It also saw two Vezina finalists; Tim Thomas, the eventual Conn Smythe winner; and Roberto Luongo, the scapegoat of the millenium, go head-to-head. Also center stage were the Sedin twins, perhaps the first brothers to win Hart Trophies, and possibly doing it consecutively. With the previous rounds providing seemingly endless amounts of water cooler moments, the finals proved to be no different.
This series saw two teams with radically different approaches to the game. The Canucks are a much more effective puck moving team, and early results showed that as crisp passing would pull Thomas out of position on more than one occasion, giving Vancouver easy goals. Unfortunately for the Canucks, they ran into a much more physical team in the Boston Bruins. Boston presented something the Canucks didn't really face in the playoffs until the Cup finals. Boston used their bodies effectively and won the war of attrition against the Canucks and as series wore on it paid dividends, ultimately leading them to their first Cup win since 1972. Injuries to key defensemen as well as undisclosed injuries to members of their foward core rendered Vancouver's offense all but useless.
The unofficial battle for the Vezina was a sight to behold in games 1 and 2. It took until the final 19 seconds of game 1 to see a winner and OT in game 2 to see Vancouver come away with a 2-0 series lead. Unfortunately, Boston's TD Garden was anything but kind to Luongo. Losing 8-0 and 4-0 in games 3 and 4 to bring Boston even. Whether or not the hit to the head of Nathan Horton was the official catalyst or not for Boston's surge remains to be seen, but it certainly looked like it turned something on for the Bruins and they ran with it. Games 5 and 6 once again saw the home teams winning, with Luongo picking up his 2nd shutout of the series in game 5, forcing the decisive game 7 on Wednesday night.
It seems that Nathan Horton's delivery of water from the TD Garden ice surface proved to be the good luck charm the Bruins needed as they scored in the first period and never looked back. Despite Luongo giving up four goals, you cannot place all the blame on his shoulders. At the end of the day your best players need to be your best players, and for Vancouver they were anything but the best. In a series that should've shown the best of the best that hockey can offer, it showed us that diving and whining about officiating was more important than bearing down and trying to outwork the competition for the Canucks. From where I was watching, there seemed to be a sense of entitlement surrounding the Vancouver team that I simply cannot explain. The better team on paper, got outworked by a group of guys who simply wanted it more. Desire will always win when talent doesn't want to perform.
Regardless of the awful display by certain people set on willful destruction and mayhem following the end of game 7, the Stanley Cup playoffs were excellent all around. Boston's greatest moment will be the lifting of the cup, but they cannot forgot the remarkable comeback season of Tim Thomas, setting the modern day record in save percentage and basically having the best season anyone can remember for a goalie in quite some time. Let us not forget the Nashville Predators advancing to the second round in their history, mark with exclamation points on Pekka Rinne's regular season and playoffs, as well as Joel Ward being a beast in the playoffs. Although I'm fairly certain most people in Nashville will want to forget Bobby Ryan's incredible goal in their first round series. We can also look at Tampa Bay's climb back towards the top of their division and Conference Finals appearance (their first playoff appearance since 06-07) with their impressive erasing of the 3-1 Pittsburgh series lead to eliminate them, then moving on to sweep the Washington Capitals. Despite what the front office, players and fans would regard as a disapointment, the Flyers James vanReimsdyk burst on the scene with one of the most single handedly dominating performances in recent memory in game 2 against Boston in the 2nd round.
The Stanley Cup Finals certainly lived up to their own already impressive reputation. Not since 2007-2008 has a President's Trophy winner competed in the Stanley Cup Finals. It also saw two Vezina finalists; Tim Thomas, the eventual Conn Smythe winner; and Roberto Luongo, the scapegoat of the millenium, go head-to-head. Also center stage were the Sedin twins, perhaps the first brothers to win Hart Trophies, and possibly doing it consecutively. With the previous rounds providing seemingly endless amounts of water cooler moments, the finals proved to be no different.
This series saw two teams with radically different approaches to the game. The Canucks are a much more effective puck moving team, and early results showed that as crisp passing would pull Thomas out of position on more than one occasion, giving Vancouver easy goals. Unfortunately for the Canucks, they ran into a much more physical team in the Boston Bruins. Boston presented something the Canucks didn't really face in the playoffs until the Cup finals. Boston used their bodies effectively and won the war of attrition against the Canucks and as series wore on it paid dividends, ultimately leading them to their first Cup win since 1972. Injuries to key defensemen as well as undisclosed injuries to members of their foward core rendered Vancouver's offense all but useless.
The unofficial battle for the Vezina was a sight to behold in games 1 and 2. It took until the final 19 seconds of game 1 to see a winner and OT in game 2 to see Vancouver come away with a 2-0 series lead. Unfortunately, Boston's TD Garden was anything but kind to Luongo. Losing 8-0 and 4-0 in games 3 and 4 to bring Boston even. Whether or not the hit to the head of Nathan Horton was the official catalyst or not for Boston's surge remains to be seen, but it certainly looked like it turned something on for the Bruins and they ran with it. Games 5 and 6 once again saw the home teams winning, with Luongo picking up his 2nd shutout of the series in game 5, forcing the decisive game 7 on Wednesday night.
It seems that Nathan Horton's delivery of water from the TD Garden ice surface proved to be the good luck charm the Bruins needed as they scored in the first period and never looked back. Despite Luongo giving up four goals, you cannot place all the blame on his shoulders. At the end of the day your best players need to be your best players, and for Vancouver they were anything but the best. In a series that should've shown the best of the best that hockey can offer, it showed us that diving and whining about officiating was more important than bearing down and trying to outwork the competition for the Canucks. From where I was watching, there seemed to be a sense of entitlement surrounding the Vancouver team that I simply cannot explain. The better team on paper, got outworked by a group of guys who simply wanted it more. Desire will always win when talent doesn't want to perform.
Regardless of the awful display by certain people set on willful destruction and mayhem following the end of game 7, the Stanley Cup playoffs were excellent all around. Boston's greatest moment will be the lifting of the cup, but they cannot forgot the remarkable comeback season of Tim Thomas, setting the modern day record in save percentage and basically having the best season anyone can remember for a goalie in quite some time. Let us not forget the Nashville Predators advancing to the second round in their history, mark with exclamation points on Pekka Rinne's regular season and playoffs, as well as Joel Ward being a beast in the playoffs. Although I'm fairly certain most people in Nashville will want to forget Bobby Ryan's incredible goal in their first round series. We can also look at Tampa Bay's climb back towards the top of their division and Conference Finals appearance (their first playoff appearance since 06-07) with their impressive erasing of the 3-1 Pittsburgh series lead to eliminate them, then moving on to sweep the Washington Capitals. Despite what the front office, players and fans would regard as a disapointment, the Flyers James vanReimsdyk burst on the scene with one of the most single handedly dominating performances in recent memory in game 2 against Boston in the 2nd round.
Even the 2010-2011 regular season had some great moments. The second half pushes from the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils were truly remarkable. Both teams played some of the best hockey of the year when it mattered most. While early season stumbles proved too much to overcome, it was certainly entertaining to watch them make everyone take notice. I would be remiss to not mention the Maple Leafs who also put together a late season surge, led in no small part by the play of James Reimer, aka Optimus Reime. The Leafs already did the smart thing and locked him down to an extension and for the first time in a long time the future seems legitimately bright in Toronto.
Corey Perry in Anaheim was this year's only 50 goal scorer and was part of one of, if not the most, dangerous line in hockey with Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan. Martin St. Louis put together his best season since 06-07 playing with Steven Stamkos, proving to be one of the most dynamic duos in the league today. While talking about Philadelphia goaltending is both repetitive and usually depressing, the performance of Sergei Bobrovsky certainly deserves mention. Undrafted out of Russia, he won the starting job in training camp, when most predicted he would be in the AHL. With the usual rookie ups and downs he turned in a solid rookie season and only looks to get better.
And now it is time to say goodbye to the 2010-2011 NHL season. We all had our good times and bad. Playoff beards have been shaven by all but the grizzliest of men, and we turn our eyes to the draft next week and July 1 for the start of Free Agency. I would also like to thank those of you who have actually taken the time to read this over the season. For being not even a year old, and far from a "professional" blog, it's nice to know that there are some of you out there who read this and (hopefully) enjoy it. The season is over, but the mediocre coverage you've come to know and...tolerate will continue this off season. I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about, so keep reading.
Corey Perry in Anaheim was this year's only 50 goal scorer and was part of one of, if not the most, dangerous line in hockey with Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan. Martin St. Louis put together his best season since 06-07 playing with Steven Stamkos, proving to be one of the most dynamic duos in the league today. While talking about Philadelphia goaltending is both repetitive and usually depressing, the performance of Sergei Bobrovsky certainly deserves mention. Undrafted out of Russia, he won the starting job in training camp, when most predicted he would be in the AHL. With the usual rookie ups and downs he turned in a solid rookie season and only looks to get better.
And now it is time to say goodbye to the 2010-2011 NHL season. We all had our good times and bad. Playoff beards have been shaven by all but the grizzliest of men, and we turn our eyes to the draft next week and July 1 for the start of Free Agency. I would also like to thank those of you who have actually taken the time to read this over the season. For being not even a year old, and far from a "professional" blog, it's nice to know that there are some of you out there who read this and (hopefully) enjoy it. The season is over, but the mediocre coverage you've come to know and...tolerate will continue this off season. I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about, so keep reading.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
"Elite" Goaltending
Can you win without it? This has been the debate for awhile now and with two high paid, Vezina battling it out for the Stanley Cup, I figured it's high time to put this to the test. We will be going back to the lockout looking at goaltending match ups and seeing who is an "elite" goaltender (in terms of talent and price) and who isn't. Both winners and losers, so let's get right to it.
note: most numbers will come from hockeyzoneplus.com a nifty little site for crunch numbers, past and present. Capgeek.com provides the rest.
2005/2006 Edmonton Oilers vs Carolina Hurricanes
Dwayne Roloson:
salary during cup run - $1,672,000
salary post cup run (average) - 3.25 million (currently 2million)
Roloson has built a reputation on being a competitor and all but unbeatable in elimination games. His first elimination game loss in his career was this year in game 7 of Eastern Conference finals to Boston. A late bloomer, and a fierce competitor, Roloson comes relatively cheap for an expirienced and reliable goaltender.
Cam Ward:
salary during cup run - $684,000
salary post cup run (average) 1.91 million (currently 3 million with a cap hit of 6.3 million through 2016)
Ward was what everyone wants, a young cheap goaltender with top level talent, who rode a hot streak at just the right time. 05-06 was his rookie season and his stats were average at best. 14-8-2 with a 3.68 GAA and a save percentage of .882. Yet, in the playoffs he went 15-8 with a GAA of 2.14 and a .920 save percentage en route to hoisting the Stanley Cup and winning the Conn Smythe trophy. His numbers have improved steadily in each year following his rookie campaign, despite not making it back to the Cup finals. Ward is the kind of goalie you want behind your team, as he will give them a chance to win game in and game out.
2006/2007
Anaheim Ducks vs Ottawa Senators
Ray Emery:
salary during cup run - $925,000
salary after cup run (average) - $1,410,000 (currently in a 500,00 one year deal)
Ray Emery has quite the story. He comes out of nowhere to help Ottawa get the closest they've ever been to win the Cup, and then quickly falls from grace with reckless off ice behavior and poor work ethic. After a year in KHL, he improved his work ethic and play, only to fall victim to a potentially career ending hip injury. He has since battled back and got a job with Anaheim, but will be a UFA at the end of the season. With his athletic style and competitive nature, one can only imagine what he could be commanding if he had more commiment a few years ago....and stayed healthy.
Jean-Sebatian Giguere
salary during cup run - $3,990,000
salary after cup run (average) - approx. 7million (currently in the last year of a 6million contract)
Giguere is one of the highest paid on this list, both before and after the cup win. A Conn Smythe winner in 02-03, and a Cup winner in 07, J.S. Giguere comes with a winning pedigree and, when healthy, a chance to win every game as well as a chance to steal a game or series. What has lead to Giguere being a question mark for a lot of teams has been his health. A UFA on July 1, the big payday will be hard to come by for the oft injured Giggy. For the right price he could still be a reliable 1B in a tandem or veteran backup for a team.
2007/2008 Detroit Redwings vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Dominick Hasek:
salary during cup run - $2,050,000
salary after cup run (average) - retired
Hasek is a rare case here, as he was a veteran with enough hardware; 6 Vezina trophies, 3 William H. Jennings, 2 Lester B. Pearson awards and a Hart Trophy. All that was missing was a Stanley Cup, which he narrowly lost in a controversial goal in 1999 scored by Dallas' Bret Hull. A Bargain at just over 2 million, Hasek made the most of his opportunity, and finally won the last piece missing from his already impressive collection, a Stanley Cup.
Marc-Andre Fleury
salary during cup run - $1,600,000
salary after cup run (average) - currently in a long term deal with a 5 million cap hit
Fleury, in just his 3rd season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, helped the team to within two wins of the Stanley Cup in 08. While the Penguins were beaten by the seasoned veterans of the Red Wings, they would turn the tables next season.
2008/20009 Detroit Redwings vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Chris Osgood:
salary during cup run - $1,700,000
salary after cup run (average) - $1,416,667 (UFA july 1)
Osgood has been a staple in the Redwings lineup for the better part of his career since 93-94 (barring a 3 year stint with the Islanders and St. Louis). At times the starter and backup others, Osgood has seemed to as much a part of the Redwings as the Winged Wheel. Nearing the end of his career, it seems he took a home town discount to be in Detroit for what one would assume would be the final years of his career. Once again the battle tested Redwings made the playoffs and looked to repeat as Cup champions, but this year the Penguins would turn the tables and win in a dramatic game 7.
Marc-Andre Fleury
salary during cup run - 3,500,000
salary after cup run (average) - currently in a long term deal with a 5 million cap hit
Marc-Andre Fleury would not be denied a second time, and with the clock winding down in game 7, the man they called Flower made an incredible diving save to deny the redwings a chance to tie and the Pittsburgh Penguins hoisted their 3rd Stanley Cup, and first since 1992. Fleury has cemented himself among the games best goaltenders in the game today with that save.
2009/2010 Chicago Blackhawks vs Philadelphia Flyers
Michael Leighton:
salary during cup run - $600,00
salary after cup run (average) - $1,500,000
Michael Leighton, and the story of the 09-10 Philadelphia Flyers goaltenders, will probably one of the most bizzare and talked about events of that season, at least among Flyers fans. Michael Leighton was claimed off waivers as an emergency back up when Ray Emery was injured, as was seemingly every other goaltender in the Flyers organization at the time. A career backup/AHL netminder, Leighton captured lightning in a bottle and took the starting job not once, but twicew from Brian Boucher and led the Flyers within two wins of the Stanley Cup, the closest they've been since winning it all in 74-75. However remarkable the run was, including 3 shutouts in the conference finals against the Montreal Canadiens, the reasons he has spent a lot of time in the minors became apparent on the bad angle Cup Winning goal by Patrick Kane.
Antti Niemi:
salary during cup run - $826,857
salary after cup run (average) - $2,000,000 (in a long term deal with 3.8 million cap hit)
Coming into the playoffs, the biggest question mark for the Blackhawks was the play of their goaltenders. Niemi, a 26 year old rookie, and Cristobal Huet were seen as the weakest links for Chicago, when arguable goaltending needs to be the strongest. Niemi managed to silence all but the harshest of critics. He wasn't spectacular, but he managed to close the door when it mattered most, and helped Chicago win their first cup since 1961. Niemi was eventually allowed to walk after an arbitration hearing where the cap strapped Blackhawks could not afford to re-sign him. He ended up in San Jose and took them to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the Vancouver Canucks.
2010/2011 Boston Bruins vs Vancouver Canucks
Tim Thomas:
salary during cup run - $6,000,000
salary after cup run (average) - $6,000,000 (5 million cap hit)
Tim Thomas has had a bounce back year where he looks to be all but assured his 2nd Vezina Trophy. Despite some games against Montreal and Tampa Bay in the playoffs, Thomas has continued his excellent performances from the regular season. He has kept the Bruins in close games, and has managed to stifle the competition in others. Whether or not he will hold the Stanley Cup above his head remains to be seen, but with play like his, it's not hard to imagine it already.
Roberto Luongo:
salary during cup run - $10,000,000 (5.3 million cap hit)
salary after cup run (average) - long term deal with 5.3 million cap hit
Luongo will forever be labeled as a choker, until he wins the Stanley Cup, and he is the closest he has ever been. Having passed to two tough mental challenges to get here, the Chicago Blackhawks who have twice defeated the Canucks in the 2nd round, and making it out of the 2nd round, Luongo finally looks ready to silence the critics. Until games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup finals where he has allowed 12 goals on 58 shots. I don't need to do the math to know those are terrible numbers. Luongo will have to shake the cobwebs off and be much more solid in game 5, or else he will find himself again on the bench watching the younger and cheaper Cory Schneider try to win it all for the Canucks.
So now the question is, do you need "elite" goaltending to win the Cup? After last season, the common answer is no, but looking at all the winners (and in some cases the losers) of the Stanley Cup, the answer seems to be yes. Are there bargain goalies who can get hot and help you win, or at least get you close? Absolutely, and the Flyers are proof positive of that last year, as are the Blackhawks. However, both teams tried it again this year (Sergei Bobrovsky/Boucher/Leighton for the Flyers, Corey Crawford for the Blackhawks) and they both came up well short of a rematch. It is entirely possible for a young goalie to get hot and help you win, as proof by Cam Ward's run in 06, but at the end of the day you need someone who can stop the puck when it matters most. Judging by the track record of so-called bargain goalies, you get what you pay for...and that's close, but not close enough. The eventual winner of the Stanley Cup for the 2010-2011 season will have one of the highest paid goaltenders in the league, as well as possible Vezina winner. For two teams looking to end a drought or bring home the franchise's first, the price paid to hold that piece of silver up will be worth every penny.
note: most numbers will come from hockeyzoneplus.com a nifty little site for crunch numbers, past and present. Capgeek.com provides the rest.
2005/2006 Edmonton Oilers vs Carolina Hurricanes
Dwayne Roloson:
salary during cup run - $1,672,000
salary post cup run (average) - 3.25 million (currently 2million)
Roloson has built a reputation on being a competitor and all but unbeatable in elimination games. His first elimination game loss in his career was this year in game 7 of Eastern Conference finals to Boston. A late bloomer, and a fierce competitor, Roloson comes relatively cheap for an expirienced and reliable goaltender.
Cam Ward:
salary during cup run - $684,000
salary post cup run (average) 1.91 million (currently 3 million with a cap hit of 6.3 million through 2016)
Ward was what everyone wants, a young cheap goaltender with top level talent, who rode a hot streak at just the right time. 05-06 was his rookie season and his stats were average at best. 14-8-2 with a 3.68 GAA and a save percentage of .882. Yet, in the playoffs he went 15-8 with a GAA of 2.14 and a .920 save percentage en route to hoisting the Stanley Cup and winning the Conn Smythe trophy. His numbers have improved steadily in each year following his rookie campaign, despite not making it back to the Cup finals. Ward is the kind of goalie you want behind your team, as he will give them a chance to win game in and game out.
2006/2007
Anaheim Ducks vs Ottawa Senators
Ray Emery:
salary during cup run - $925,000
salary after cup run (average) - $1,410,000 (currently in a 500,00 one year deal)
Ray Emery has quite the story. He comes out of nowhere to help Ottawa get the closest they've ever been to win the Cup, and then quickly falls from grace with reckless off ice behavior and poor work ethic. After a year in KHL, he improved his work ethic and play, only to fall victim to a potentially career ending hip injury. He has since battled back and got a job with Anaheim, but will be a UFA at the end of the season. With his athletic style and competitive nature, one can only imagine what he could be commanding if he had more commiment a few years ago....and stayed healthy.
Jean-Sebatian Giguere
salary during cup run - $3,990,000
salary after cup run (average) - approx. 7million (currently in the last year of a 6million contract)
Giguere is one of the highest paid on this list, both before and after the cup win. A Conn Smythe winner in 02-03, and a Cup winner in 07, J.S. Giguere comes with a winning pedigree and, when healthy, a chance to win every game as well as a chance to steal a game or series. What has lead to Giguere being a question mark for a lot of teams has been his health. A UFA on July 1, the big payday will be hard to come by for the oft injured Giggy. For the right price he could still be a reliable 1B in a tandem or veteran backup for a team.
2007/2008 Detroit Redwings vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Dominick Hasek:
salary during cup run - $2,050,000
salary after cup run (average) - retired
Hasek is a rare case here, as he was a veteran with enough hardware; 6 Vezina trophies, 3 William H. Jennings, 2 Lester B. Pearson awards and a Hart Trophy. All that was missing was a Stanley Cup, which he narrowly lost in a controversial goal in 1999 scored by Dallas' Bret Hull. A Bargain at just over 2 million, Hasek made the most of his opportunity, and finally won the last piece missing from his already impressive collection, a Stanley Cup.
Marc-Andre Fleury
salary during cup run - $1,600,000
salary after cup run (average) - currently in a long term deal with a 5 million cap hit
Fleury, in just his 3rd season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, helped the team to within two wins of the Stanley Cup in 08. While the Penguins were beaten by the seasoned veterans of the Red Wings, they would turn the tables next season.
2008/20009 Detroit Redwings vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Chris Osgood:
salary during cup run - $1,700,000
salary after cup run (average) - $1,416,667 (UFA july 1)
Osgood has been a staple in the Redwings lineup for the better part of his career since 93-94 (barring a 3 year stint with the Islanders and St. Louis). At times the starter and backup others, Osgood has seemed to as much a part of the Redwings as the Winged Wheel. Nearing the end of his career, it seems he took a home town discount to be in Detroit for what one would assume would be the final years of his career. Once again the battle tested Redwings made the playoffs and looked to repeat as Cup champions, but this year the Penguins would turn the tables and win in a dramatic game 7.
Marc-Andre Fleury
salary during cup run - 3,500,000
salary after cup run (average) - currently in a long term deal with a 5 million cap hit
Marc-Andre Fleury would not be denied a second time, and with the clock winding down in game 7, the man they called Flower made an incredible diving save to deny the redwings a chance to tie and the Pittsburgh Penguins hoisted their 3rd Stanley Cup, and first since 1992. Fleury has cemented himself among the games best goaltenders in the game today with that save.
2009/2010 Chicago Blackhawks vs Philadelphia Flyers
Michael Leighton:
salary during cup run - $600,00
salary after cup run (average) - $1,500,000
Michael Leighton, and the story of the 09-10 Philadelphia Flyers goaltenders, will probably one of the most bizzare and talked about events of that season, at least among Flyers fans. Michael Leighton was claimed off waivers as an emergency back up when Ray Emery was injured, as was seemingly every other goaltender in the Flyers organization at the time. A career backup/AHL netminder, Leighton captured lightning in a bottle and took the starting job not once, but twicew from Brian Boucher and led the Flyers within two wins of the Stanley Cup, the closest they've been since winning it all in 74-75. However remarkable the run was, including 3 shutouts in the conference finals against the Montreal Canadiens, the reasons he has spent a lot of time in the minors became apparent on the bad angle Cup Winning goal by Patrick Kane.
Antti Niemi:
salary during cup run - $826,857
salary after cup run (average) - $2,000,000 (in a long term deal with 3.8 million cap hit)
Coming into the playoffs, the biggest question mark for the Blackhawks was the play of their goaltenders. Niemi, a 26 year old rookie, and Cristobal Huet were seen as the weakest links for Chicago, when arguable goaltending needs to be the strongest. Niemi managed to silence all but the harshest of critics. He wasn't spectacular, but he managed to close the door when it mattered most, and helped Chicago win their first cup since 1961. Niemi was eventually allowed to walk after an arbitration hearing where the cap strapped Blackhawks could not afford to re-sign him. He ended up in San Jose and took them to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the Vancouver Canucks.
2010/2011 Boston Bruins vs Vancouver Canucks
Tim Thomas:
salary during cup run - $6,000,000
salary after cup run (average) - $6,000,000 (5 million cap hit)
Tim Thomas has had a bounce back year where he looks to be all but assured his 2nd Vezina Trophy. Despite some games against Montreal and Tampa Bay in the playoffs, Thomas has continued his excellent performances from the regular season. He has kept the Bruins in close games, and has managed to stifle the competition in others. Whether or not he will hold the Stanley Cup above his head remains to be seen, but with play like his, it's not hard to imagine it already.
Roberto Luongo:
salary during cup run - $10,000,000 (5.3 million cap hit)
salary after cup run (average) - long term deal with 5.3 million cap hit
Luongo will forever be labeled as a choker, until he wins the Stanley Cup, and he is the closest he has ever been. Having passed to two tough mental challenges to get here, the Chicago Blackhawks who have twice defeated the Canucks in the 2nd round, and making it out of the 2nd round, Luongo finally looks ready to silence the critics. Until games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup finals where he has allowed 12 goals on 58 shots. I don't need to do the math to know those are terrible numbers. Luongo will have to shake the cobwebs off and be much more solid in game 5, or else he will find himself again on the bench watching the younger and cheaper Cory Schneider try to win it all for the Canucks.
So now the question is, do you need "elite" goaltending to win the Cup? After last season, the common answer is no, but looking at all the winners (and in some cases the losers) of the Stanley Cup, the answer seems to be yes. Are there bargain goalies who can get hot and help you win, or at least get you close? Absolutely, and the Flyers are proof positive of that last year, as are the Blackhawks. However, both teams tried it again this year (Sergei Bobrovsky/Boucher/Leighton for the Flyers, Corey Crawford for the Blackhawks) and they both came up well short of a rematch. It is entirely possible for a young goalie to get hot and help you win, as proof by Cam Ward's run in 06, but at the end of the day you need someone who can stop the puck when it matters most. Judging by the track record of so-called bargain goalies, you get what you pay for...and that's close, but not close enough. The eventual winner of the Stanley Cup for the 2010-2011 season will have one of the highest paid goaltenders in the league, as well as possible Vezina winner. For two teams looking to end a drought or bring home the franchise's first, the price paid to hold that piece of silver up will be worth every penny.
Monday, May 16, 2011
This is the song that doesn't end
yes it goes on and on my friends. No, we're not talking about Lambchop, but the idea of a team relocating to Winnipeg. Well, one thing is for certain, it won't be the Coyotes. Now all eyes have turned to Atlanta, Ga to see if the Thrashers will be the new Jets...or if they'll have another name.
With the city of Glendale voting to keep the Coyotes in the desert for next year, the good folks of True North have elected to pursue the Thrashers. While no one likes to see a team move, due to the loss of jobs and obvious fan desertion, the question is where were the fans all along? The Thrashers and Coyotes have one thing in common; they lose money. since 2005 the Thrashers have lost $130 million dollars. For you lazy types, that's 21.6million dollar lost per season. It's almost like they're still paying Marion Hossa. Seriously though, this is a team that has no viable support locally. The ownership has been looking for a buyer for at least six years. Disinterested ownership and a lackluster fan base is disaster for any team. There are now grass root movements to keep the Thrashers in Atlanta, but to these people I ask, where have you been?
The upside for the Thrashers, wherever they end up, is two fold. For starters, they have a young nucleus of players and they have shown improvement the past few seasons, despite not making the playoffs. Smart drafting and young talent is a great recipe for success. They currently have 21million in cap space. Assuming they get an owner that is committed to winning (see: Buffalo Sabres) and they take on some salary they can become more of a realistic threat within the Southeast Division. Now don't go reading that thinking I'm saying they're Cup contenders, but they are on the right track. Slow and steady wins the race right? The second part is a bit more ambitious and contingent on them actually relocating (assuming Winnipeg). They will be in a more hockey friendly community and in theory make more money. More money means that a team can spend more, and spending can lead to winning. This really all boils down to money.
At the end of the day, hockey is a business. Despite all our attachments to teams and players, and we all know how emotional we can be as fans (see touching Derek Boogaard memorial in Minnesota the other day), they aren't given to us out of the goodness of the league/owners' hearts. They are a commodity and an investment. I will not sit here and say that non traditional hockey markets like Atlanta and Phoenix are doomed to fail, as there are plenty of markets not normally associated with hockey that are thriving. Look at all three California teams. The Kings have been in the league since 1967 and they have yet to win the Cup, but are sustained by a loyal fan base, and a sports friendly town. Also Nashville is finding success in a town known more for giant belt buckles and cowboy hats than ice skates and hockey helmets. Hockey can work almost anywhere it seems, but if the cities of Glendale and Atlanta have taught us anything, it's that it's not working there. I'm not saying any team needs to be moved for the sake of moving, but when will enough be enough? The NHL is already knee deep in the Coyotes saga, how much longer before the Thrashers are caught up in the mix too?
And now with that said and done, assuming the the Thrashers do in fact move to Winnipeg, there will need to be realignment in the NHL. Well there doesn't have to be, but I can only imagine a back to back home and home series between the Winnipeg Whatevers and Florida Panthers. That second game would be boring as well with a nice 2400mile commute. So let us break down how the league is set up now, and how it could (and in my opinion SHOULD) change. There are only 3 divisions listed simply because I can't see this affecting any more than the divisions listed.
Southeast Division: (currently)
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
Atlanta Thrashers
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Northwest Division: (currently)
Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver Canucks
Colorado Avalance
Calgary Flames
Minnesota Wild
Central Division: (Currently)
Detroit Redwings
Nashville Predators
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Bluejackets
St. Louis Blues
Now if Atlanta moves to Winnipeg it stands to reason that they will be in the Northwest Division, in which case this is the most likely of scenarios.
Northwest Division: (Realigned)
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg
Calgary Flames
Colorado/Minnesota
Either Minnesota or Colorado will mostly be the odd man out in the division. A lot of people are suggesting Minnesota be the most likely candidate out of the Division and it makes sense geographically, but the idea of Colorado moving to the Central Division could be great, and hopefully reignite the Avalanche/Red Wings rivalry.
Central Division: (Realigned)
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus/Nashville
Colorado/Minnesota
Again people are saying Detroit wants to come back east, but I think they're too big a draw for Western market teams. Detroit is a team you want to see when they come to town, whether you love or hate them. So for now anyway, I pick them to stay in the Central. As listed before, I can see the Avalanche or the Wild come over from the Northwest, and the odd men out in the Central are either Columbus or Nashville. Going back to the geographical debate, Nashville is the most likely candidate to move into the Southeast division. It's close to all other teams in the divisions, and gives great exposure to a team that deserves all it can get. Great team hockey and terrific coach. It also gives the Eastern media a chance to see great players like Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber on a more consistent basis. It's a win win for the league and the Predators. I think that's something almost everyone can get behind. Well everyone that doesn't live in Atlanta anyway. So after all that, here it is. I think it looks like a pretty good division.
Southwest Division: (realigned)
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Nashville Predators
With the city of Glendale voting to keep the Coyotes in the desert for next year, the good folks of True North have elected to pursue the Thrashers. While no one likes to see a team move, due to the loss of jobs and obvious fan desertion, the question is where were the fans all along? The Thrashers and Coyotes have one thing in common; they lose money. since 2005 the Thrashers have lost $130 million dollars. For you lazy types, that's 21.6million dollar lost per season. It's almost like they're still paying Marion Hossa. Seriously though, this is a team that has no viable support locally. The ownership has been looking for a buyer for at least six years. Disinterested ownership and a lackluster fan base is disaster for any team. There are now grass root movements to keep the Thrashers in Atlanta, but to these people I ask, where have you been?
The upside for the Thrashers, wherever they end up, is two fold. For starters, they have a young nucleus of players and they have shown improvement the past few seasons, despite not making the playoffs. Smart drafting and young talent is a great recipe for success. They currently have 21million in cap space. Assuming they get an owner that is committed to winning (see: Buffalo Sabres) and they take on some salary they can become more of a realistic threat within the Southeast Division. Now don't go reading that thinking I'm saying they're Cup contenders, but they are on the right track. Slow and steady wins the race right? The second part is a bit more ambitious and contingent on them actually relocating (assuming Winnipeg). They will be in a more hockey friendly community and in theory make more money. More money means that a team can spend more, and spending can lead to winning. This really all boils down to money.
At the end of the day, hockey is a business. Despite all our attachments to teams and players, and we all know how emotional we can be as fans (see touching Derek Boogaard memorial in Minnesota the other day), they aren't given to us out of the goodness of the league/owners' hearts. They are a commodity and an investment. I will not sit here and say that non traditional hockey markets like Atlanta and Phoenix are doomed to fail, as there are plenty of markets not normally associated with hockey that are thriving. Look at all three California teams. The Kings have been in the league since 1967 and they have yet to win the Cup, but are sustained by a loyal fan base, and a sports friendly town. Also Nashville is finding success in a town known more for giant belt buckles and cowboy hats than ice skates and hockey helmets. Hockey can work almost anywhere it seems, but if the cities of Glendale and Atlanta have taught us anything, it's that it's not working there. I'm not saying any team needs to be moved for the sake of moving, but when will enough be enough? The NHL is already knee deep in the Coyotes saga, how much longer before the Thrashers are caught up in the mix too?
And now with that said and done, assuming the the Thrashers do in fact move to Winnipeg, there will need to be realignment in the NHL. Well there doesn't have to be, but I can only imagine a back to back home and home series between the Winnipeg Whatevers and Florida Panthers. That second game would be boring as well with a nice 2400mile commute. So let us break down how the league is set up now, and how it could (and in my opinion SHOULD) change. There are only 3 divisions listed simply because I can't see this affecting any more than the divisions listed.
Southeast Division: (currently)
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
Atlanta Thrashers
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Northwest Division: (currently)
Edmonton Oilers
Vancouver Canucks
Colorado Avalance
Calgary Flames
Minnesota Wild
Central Division: (Currently)
Detroit Redwings
Nashville Predators
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Bluejackets
St. Louis Blues
Now if Atlanta moves to Winnipeg it stands to reason that they will be in the Northwest Division, in which case this is the most likely of scenarios.
Northwest Division: (Realigned)
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg
Calgary Flames
Colorado/Minnesota
Either Minnesota or Colorado will mostly be the odd man out in the division. A lot of people are suggesting Minnesota be the most likely candidate out of the Division and it makes sense geographically, but the idea of Colorado moving to the Central Division could be great, and hopefully reignite the Avalanche/Red Wings rivalry.
Central Division: (Realigned)
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus/Nashville
Colorado/Minnesota
Again people are saying Detroit wants to come back east, but I think they're too big a draw for Western market teams. Detroit is a team you want to see when they come to town, whether you love or hate them. So for now anyway, I pick them to stay in the Central. As listed before, I can see the Avalanche or the Wild come over from the Northwest, and the odd men out in the Central are either Columbus or Nashville. Going back to the geographical debate, Nashville is the most likely candidate to move into the Southeast division. It's close to all other teams in the divisions, and gives great exposure to a team that deserves all it can get. Great team hockey and terrific coach. It also gives the Eastern media a chance to see great players like Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber on a more consistent basis. It's a win win for the league and the Predators. I think that's something almost everyone can get behind. Well everyone that doesn't live in Atlanta anyway. So after all that, here it is. I think it looks like a pretty good division.
Southwest Division: (realigned)
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Nashville Predators
Friday, May 13, 2011
8 down, 8 to go.
We’re halfway home. The Conference Finals start Saturday the 14th and well, we’ve come this far, so let’s break down the match ups and pick some winners. Although last round predictions were terrible going one for four so let’s see if this will be better or worse.
Western Conference Finals
#1 Vancouver Canucks vs #2 San Jose Sharks
The age old battle of the choke off. Which team wants to lose marginally less is how most people are looking at this. Both teams blew 3-0 series leads this year, only to win their respective game 7’s in dramatic fashion. The Canucks gave up a one goal lead inside of the final two minutes of regulation against the Blackhawks in the first round to conjure up shades of the past two years where they were eliminated by Chicago in the conference semis. Somehow, Chicago managed to beat themselves in OT and Vancouver moved on to face Nashville who they defeated in six games.
The Sharks had their own little voyage of “they’re going to blow it…again” moments this year as well. After defeated the injury depleted Los Angeles Kings in six games, they faced Detroit, a team they faced in the second round last year as well, and handily beat in five games. San Jose are the poster boys for post season futility, as they consistently perform well in the regular season, but fail to win when it counts. They advanced to the Conference Finals last year, but were swept by eventual cup winners Chicago.
Breakdown: The Canucks have a lot of pressure on them, having won the President’s Trophy this season and advancing to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1994, when they advanced to the Stanley Cup finals, losing to the New York Rangers in seven games. The Sharks have never been to the Cup finals, but are looking to shake their underachieving reputation once and for all with a trip of their own. San Jose has a bit of history on their side this year. He currently stands between the pipes and goes by the name Antti Niemi. He was in goal last year for the Chicago Blackhawks when they dispatched the Canucks, and I’m surely the Sharks are hoping he continues his winning ways against them.
While the Sedins have been relatively MIA this post season, the play of Ryan Kesler has been simply outstanding for Vancouver. 11 of his 15 postseason points came in the series against Nashville, and he appears to be finding his groove, which is something the Sharks can ill afford to let continue. Offensively both teams are rather well balanced in terms of depth, but you have to give the edge defensively, at least on paper, to Vancouver. So far Luongo has played well, outlasting Corey Crawford and Pekka Rinne but given Nashville’s lackluster offensive numbers, that wasn’t a huge task. The Sharks are a much more offensively gifted team than Nashville was, and he will need to play some of the best hockey of his career to advance the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 16 years.
Bottom Line: Sharks in 6. I believe that Antti Niemi will be the better goaltender in the series, but given the actual clutch play of “Jumbo” Joe Thorton, the Sharks are finally getting playoff production from their top players. If Vancouver cannot get that same kind of production from the Sedins, this series will be over pretty much before it began.
Eastern Conference Finals
#3 Boston Bruins vs #5 Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning waste no time. This is their first playoff appearance in four years and here they are now, four wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals. The Boston Bruins on the other hand haven’t been to the Conference Finals since 1992. Tampa Bay has had a remarkable run this post season. Coming from 3-1 down to eliminate the Crosby/Malkin-less Penguins, they then went on to sweep the top seeded Washington Capitals, where they managed to make them regress a few seasons in a matter of a few periods. The Tampa Bay Lightning also have one of the most dynamic playoff goaltenders in Dwayne Roloson. This guy is practically unbeatable in elimination games, and he carried the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup finals in 06, where if not for his injury in game one, many believe they would’ve won the Cup.
The Boston Bruins have no slouch between their pipes either. All but guaranteed a second Vezina trophy for his absolutely dominating performance this season, Tim Thomas has returned to the form he seemingly lost a year ago. The Bruins defeated their bitter rivals the Montreal Canadiens in a seven game classic series in the opening round before having their way with the Flyers in a four game sweep in the Conference semifinals. A balanced attack and solid team defense, along with Thomas stopping almost everything that comes his way makes the Bruins a tough out this post season.
Breakdown: Tampa Bay is getting scoring from the unlikeliest of places. Vinny Lecavalier. While that seems like a joke, Vinny hasn’t been his 50 goal self in a long time, and he is finding his touch this post season, as he is second on the team with 12 points, behind Martin St. Louis with 13. Other unlikely scorers are former Islander Sean Bergenheim. He has 8 points (7, 1) in 11 games. His career high regular season numbers are 29 points (14, 15) which he scored this year. It’s not impossible to think that he can match his regular season goal total in the playoffs this year. Steve Downie also continues to thrive down in Tampa as he is tied with Lecavalier for points in the playoffs. If Steven Stamkos can start to contribute regularly (4g, 2a, -2) this Tampa Bay Lightning team will become even scarier.
The Bruins finally got some scoring from Milan Lucic in the second round where most of, if not all, of his points came in the series against the Flyers. He and Nathan Horton have found some chemistry and they are a dangerous pair coming down the wing. The biggest concern for Boston is the loss of leading playoff scorer Patrice Bergeron, who was concussed on a questionable hit from Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux. Taking his place in the lineup will be 19 year old rookie Tyler Seguin. Seguin doesn’t bring the complete game Bergeron has, but he has speed, an excellent skill set and youthful energy. It’s unlikely he will produce the kind of points that Bergeron did, but he can give the Lightning one more thing to think about. David Krejci and Nathan Horton will be looked on to contribute more in the points department, but after watching Krejci in the Philly series, that shouldn’t be a problem. Look to Tim Thomas once again to stop the vast majority of pucks thrown his way. He will be there to bail the Bruins out should any type of defensive lapse or breakdown occurs.
Bottom Line: This will be a great goaltending match up to watch. Tim Thomas is a Vezina winner and Rollie the ageless goalie is simply an unbelievable playoff performer. Two potential Conn Smythe winners will be battling it out in the Eastern Conference for a right to play for the Cup. At the end of the day, I think that Tampa Bay has more “elite” talent (as much as I hate to use that reasoning) and Roloson’s will to win, will put Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup finals once again. Lightning in 7.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Round and Round...
goes the goalie carousel. The circus that is the Philadelphia Flyers goaltending situation has once again come to a head, this time on the brink of elimination from the playoffs. Once again the Flyers are mired in a "who's the #1 goalie" dilemma and at this point, the Flyers have no room for error, nor do they have time to work through this.
We'll be changing this blog a bit from the last Flyers goaltending blog, because let's face it, this is getting old for everyone. It's a broken record since the trading of Hextall to Quebec for the Lindros rights. In addition to breaking down the goalies on the roster, we'll be looking at the impending UFA's for July 1 to see who might be a good fix for this mess...if there is such a mythical beast.
Sergei Bobrovsky
We start with the brightest spot for the goaltenders. Simply put, Bobrovsky is the future of the Philadelphia Flyers in net for the foreseeable future. The man they call Bob, had a stellar outing to start the season but floundered down the stretch. The rigors of the NHL schedule, coupled to the faster pace of the North American game seemed to take their toll on the young netminder who never played more than 35 games in the season. In his rookie campaign he started 54 games, posting a 2.59 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. In his four playoff appearances this year (two starts, two in relief) his numbers rose, but was pulled early after a bad start in game 2 against Buffalo. His record is 0-1 with 3.50 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. While it's easy to say he was bad, he played absolutely beautifully in game 1 against buffalo, yielding only one goal, but was bested by Ryan Miller posting the shutout. If you have watched Bobrovsky play you know he is a young incredibly athletic netminder, and for playing without a goalie coach in Russia, he has an immense amount of raw talent. With a year or two in an NHL system, Bobrovsky will have time to develop the technical side to his game, because the athletic aspect seems to be covered quite well. He will also need to work on his puck handling as it certainly leaves something to be desired at the moment. However, barring a miracle season by Nic Riopel or Johan Backlund, Sergei Bobrovsky will be the man behind the mask.
Brian Boucher
The longest tenured Flyer goaltender, if you add up all his tours with Philadelphia organization, this being his 3rd, has had quite the story to tell. Traded to Phoenix with a 3rd round draft in 2002 for Michael Handzus and Robert Esche, then bouncing around the league, until he signed a minor league deal with the Phantoms in 07, then returning for this third tour with the Flyers in 2009. He has the most starts of anyone on the Flyers in the playoffs (42), so he has seen it all, including the 3-1 collapse against the Devils in 2000, as well as the 0-3 come from behind series win against the Boston Bruins. A well traveled journeyman, Boucher has proven his mettle more as a backup goaltender than a starter, although he does have the record for consecutive shutouts with 5. Boucher has seemingly embraced his role as the elder backup/mentor to the younger starter, a situation he knows the other side of as well. In the 1999-2000 playoff run, a younger Brian Boucher stole the starting job from veteran netminder John Vanbiesbrouck. Beezer took Boucher under his wing, and helped the young goalie with what can come along. Boucher has never been forgotten by the Flyer faithful, through all the ups and downs. Last year when injured during the Boston series, he was received warmly and loudly (see video)
Unfortunately, "Boosh" is an unrestricted free-agent, and with other goalies under contract, he will most likely be the odd man out at the end of the season. While he may not be the best or flashiest goalie in Flyers history, it seems that he will be one of the ones best remembered.
Micheal Leighton
What can be said about Michael Leighton? The man has seen almost as many teams as Mike Sillinger. A career that seemed destined to be a life of backing up, or playing in the minors took a turn last season when the Flyers, who were decimated by injures at the goalie position, claimed Leighton off wires from the Carolina Hurricanes. An insurance policy that stole the show not once, but twice. He took over for Boucher when he was injured and took the team on a dramatic run up the standings, until he too got bit by the injury bug with a high ankle sprain. Then on his first day back he had to replace Boucher who was injured in game 4 of the Boston series, and then backstopped the team to game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals. Yes, let us not forget the dreadful goal he gave up to Patrick Kane to lose, but without Leighton it's a distinct possibility the Flyers would've been golfing by then. The biggest surprise to most Flyers fans came in the off season when GM Paul Holmgren decided to sign Leighton before the free agency period, seemingly passing on many other FA goaltenders. The icing on that cake was that Leighton was hiding a nagging back injury until after he signed his contract and was forced to leave a preseason game. He spent the majority of the early season on the IR, then appeared in one game (a win 4.00 GAA) and was sent to the minors to recuperate and get more playing time, as both Bobrovsky and Boucher were playing too well to upset the balance. Called up towards the end of the season, Leighton has seen action in two games this year. Coming in relief in game 5 against Buffalo where he was solid despite giving up the OT goal, but was dreadful in game 6. Doing his best Dan Cloutier impression, a beach ball would have easily passed him. Leighton signed a two year deal last summer so he will be on the roster in some fashion, barring a trade in the offseason.
It's worth noting that Johan Backlund is also under contract with the Flyers, but his playing time is almost as elusive as Neil Little's. Look for him to be down with the Phantoms again next season. Now onto the impending UFA market. All following information will be taken from Capgeek. It is also worth noting that the salary cap is expected to rise by approximately 3million, so the Flyers will have some much needed space, but will still need to shed salary to potentially sign some of the more high priced UFA's
For the sake of sanity, and time, here is the list of the top 10 UFA goaltenders salary wise. We will whittle it down before really diving in.
| Player | Pos | Team | Age | Cap Hit | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giguere, Jean-Sebastien » | G | TOR | 33 | $6,000,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Vokoun, Tomas » | G | FLA | 34 | $5,700,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Bryzgalov, Ilya » | G | PHO | 30 | $4,250,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Leclaire, Pascal » | G | OTT | 28 | $3,800,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Roloson, Dwayne » | G | TBL | 41 | $2,500,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Smith, Mike » | G | TBL | 29 | $2,200,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Hedberg, Johan » | G | NJD | 38 | $1,500,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Osgood, Chris » | G | DET | 38 | $1,416,667 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Turco, Marty » | G | CHI | 35 | $1,300,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
| Conklin, Ty » | G | STL | 35 | $1,300,000 | 2011 (UFA) |
Immediately, let's strike off all backups off this list. So adios to Conklin, Osgood, Smith, Turco, Hedburg. That leaves the top 5 goalies on this list, but it's safe to say that Pascal Leclaire will be looking for work anywhere, but I can't even imagine the Flyers taking this kind of risk. So the four that are left are Giguere, Vokoun, Bryzgalov and Roloson. One would expect Roloson to either re-sign with Tampa Bay or retire, depending on their post season run so we rule him out. Giguere will certainly be available as Toronto has James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson on their roster, and Reimer has staked his claim to the starting position for the Leafs. Giguere also brings a winning pedigree, capturing both the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy in 2007 with the (then) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The drawbacks to Giguere are his potential salary demands and his durability. He has missed 20 games this season due to recurring groin/"lower body" injuries. While he isn't on par with Rick DiPietro in terms of injuries, it is a cause for concern. Wherever he ends up, the team will need a capable backup.
Tomas Vokoun has been one of the best goalies with a losing record. Playing down in Florida, he's averaging a save percentage of .923 and a goals-against average of 2.56. Respectable numbers for a goalie on a team that has been in the bottom of the league during his tenure. While that could be seen as a reflection of his abilities, it comes down to the team in front of him, which to be kind has been...well awful. There were surely be teams knocking on Vokoun's door July 1, and assuming his asking price is right, the Flyers are sure to have their fist on his door. Obvious drawbacks are that he has little playoff expirience, and he was a loser in both series, although his numbers were impressive.
Ilya Bryzgalov is the last on the list and is already being coveted by some, including one of the Flyer's beat writers. Since being claimed off waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes, Bryzgalov has been one of the best goaltenders in the league, helping to take Phoenix out of the basement and into the playoffs for consecutive seasons. He has posted 21 shutouts during his tenure in the desert, including 15 in the last two seasons. Ilya has become of the elite goaltenders in the league. With the ownership issue in Phoenix STILL unresolved and possibility of moving back to Winnipeg, a move Bryzgalov has already commented on with disapproval, he seems the most likely to move out of the desert. He is also the cheapest of the top three on the list, although he would most certainly be looking for a raise. His most recent playoff performance will call for some detractors to say he won't be worth it, but his track record over the past few seasons have been impressive, and at 30, there's still plenty of gas left in the tank.
A far more pressing concern will be finding the space to sign a new goaltender. While the cap is expected to rise, the Flyers have key FA's to re-sign and other line up issues to address. Whatever happens the rest of the playoffs for the Flyers, they will certainly need to find a way to fix the glaring problems not only in their net, but in front as well. Watching the Flyers, their team defense has been terrible, and they seemingly lack the heart of last season's team. At the end of the day, this season will be looked at as a failure, barring another miraculous come back and then hoisting the Cup, but the blue print for success is there. Now is the time to finally put them all together.
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