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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.