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.

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.

Western Conference Semifinals

While the east is currently wrapping up in dramatic fashion, the West is ready to go so let's take a look at the match up for the Western Conference Semifinals. just a note. I was 3 for 4 with western conference picks. Not bad for my first "official" predictions.

#1 Vancouver Canucks vs #5 Nashville Predators
Regular season results, series split 2-2

The Canucks barely escaped a monumental collapse against the 8th seeded Chicago Blackhawks, while the defensive minded, disciplined Nashville Predators moved past the Anaheim Ducks for their first ever playoff series win.

Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks blew a 3-0 series lead against the banged up Chicago Blackhawks and also lost their 1-0 lead in game seven with less than 2 minutes to go. While they did manage to win in OT, the Canucks have to be shaken. GM Mike Gillis was fined by the NHL after voicing his displeasure with the officiating in the series, and some of the Canucks players have had less than complimentary things to say about letting Chicago comeback. Luongo will still be this team's question mark, and going up against a Vezina candidate in Pekka Rinne, the pressure will be on to perform.

Nashville Predators: Finally over the hump! After numerous appearances in the playoffs, the Predators have finally won a playoff series. They did it the way they have always won, with a solid team effort on defense and taking advantage of their chances. Look for the trend to continue. The Canucks are a deeper team, but still rely heavily on their top 6, well the Sedins +4. Expect to see a lot of Weber and Suter this series as they will be tasked with stopping the twins.

Breakdown: Another David and Goliath match up for the Predators. It is clear that Barry Trotz has the faith of his players, and they believe in each other and the system. Vancouver has the deeper line up, but Nashville played them tight all year, and I expect the confidence they have from dismissing the Ducks to give them some swagger coming into this round.

Bottom Line: Nashville in 7. Yeah, I said it. The Vancouver coaching staff is lacking confidence in Luongo, despite what they might say publicly. Pekka will need to step up his game, as he will be facing the majority of the shots this series, but at the end of the day I think the confidence and belief in themselves that the Predators have will get them over the hump.

#2 San Jose Sharks vs #3 Detroit Redwings
Regular season results, San Jose won 3-1

Detroit comes in with the longest break between rounds after the sweep of the Phoenix Coyotes, while San Jose comes off the hard fought series win against the Los Angeles Kings. The rest will do Detroit wonders as they've had time to rest key players and nurse injuries. San Jose comes off a gutsy win in game six against the Kings and look to build on their momentum.

San Jose Sharks: Another year, another playoff series. A rematch of last year's semifinals where they easily defeated the Detroit Redwings. This isn't last year though. As cliche as it is, their best players will need to be their best players. Marleau, Heatley and Thorton will have to play hard as will Clowe, Couture and Setoguchi. If they can get secondary scoring from players like Wellwood, the Sharks will be tough to beat. Also Niemi will need to put the doubters to rest and return to Cup winning form and not give up three goals on four shots again.

Detroit Redwings: The Redwings easily defeated the Phoenix Coyotes without one of their best players in Henrik Zetterberg. Look for Hank's return to start the series as well as well rested Lidstom and Datsyuk. Franzen will also be rested, and hopefully looking a little less like Franzenstein. The biggest question mark for the Wings, as it has been all season will be the play of Jimmy Howard. He will need to play his best hockey of the year against a team with the scoring talent of San Jose.

Breakdown: This will be one of the more intense match ups of the playoffs. Detroit showed that even without their best player, they're still one of the best teams in the league. The addition of Zetterberg will be huge for the Wings. The Sharks have the edge in goal, but the Wings are an entirely different animal come playoff time, and they will be incredibly tough to beat.

Bottom Line: Detroit in 6. No need to explain any further. They're the Wings. you can't spell wings without win. holy puck, did I really just say that?

Wild Wild West

Eastern conference is covered, so we'll head over to the Western Conference. These should be some epic match ups. At least in theory.


#1 Vancouver Canucks vs #8 Chicago Blackhawks
Regular Season results, Vancouver Wins series 2-1-1

Vancouver Canucks have run away with the regular season winning the Presidents Trophy, have potentially the first brothers to win consecutive Art Ross trophies (and possible Hart Trophies) and a goaltending duo who have won the William M. Jennings trophy, one of whom could be a Vezina winner as well. The Canucks are a team that on paper looks unbeatable. The Hawks on the other hand lost their last game of the season, and had to hold their collective breath while they waited the results of the Dallas-Minnesota match up to see if they would make it. The cap issues they've had, coupled with some injuries to key players have made this season quite the roller coaster ride for Chicago. As they say, win and you're in and while they didn't win, they're still in, and that's enough.

Vancouver Canucks: As stated by their accolades above, the Canucks are impressive on paper. On the ice, they're not too shabby either. With a defense core deeper than just about any other team in the league and they have a nice mix of high end talent and depth fowards. Added to their goaltender who is having a career year, and the Canucks seem unbeatable. I have to admit that I still have my doubts about Luongo in the post season. The Canucks have been a good team for a few years, but Luongo has been prone to collapsing under pressure. With the weight of being the best regular season team, which seems to have a curse of its own, and coupled with his own track record I have to wonder if he will be able to get the Canucks to hoist the Cup.

Chicago Blackhawks: How many times can we mention how Chicago was dismantled after their Stanley Cup victory last season? Well we're gonna do it again, because it's an important part of thier story. The vital core remained in tact as Toews, Kane, Hossa, Sharp, Keith and Seabrook all returned. What they lost, and what seemed replaceable, were their depth players. Credit where it's due as the Hawks tried to replace them, but as evident by their play against the Red Wings sunday afternoon, they couldn't match up against the top end players of the opposition. Also the play of Cory Crawford has been good, but he hasn't been up to the level of Niemi during the stretch run, and it's unknown how he'll respond to the rigors of playoff hockey.

Breakdown: The Blackhawks have had the Canucks number the past two years in the Western Conference semis, but these were both two different teams. The Hawks have been dismantled and patchworked back together. The Canucks have slowly built themselves into a powerhouse. Vancouver looks like they have the pieces to finally get over their playoff nemesis in the Blackhawks.

Bottom Line: Canucks in 6. Hawks will remain competitive throughout the series, but the tide is turning for the Canucks. Crawford's inexpirience will be a factor.


#2 San Jose Sharks vs #7 Los Angeles Kings
Regular Season results, split 3-3 (San Jose 3-1-2, Kings 3-3)

The San Jose Sharks quietly won the Pacific Division. The Sharks floundered (ok, I honestly didn't mean to make a fish joke) earlier in the year and were out of the playoff picture at one point, but without all the expectations on their shoulders, could this finally be the year? The Kings meanwhile have had their own ups and downs, but managed to hold on to a playoff spot despite losing their best player indefinitely due to injury, and lost 10 of 15 games in a stretch. However they have gotten some of the best goaltending in recent memory in Jonathan Quick, who has been near the top in almost every goaltending category.

San Jose Sharks: Despite of their big three having double digit drop offs in production, the Sharks have once again clinched their division. Ryan Clowe is having a career year in terms of points and goals while playing alongside rookie sensation Logan Couture. Defensively the Sharks have been quietly adequate. While not grabbing any headlines, they haven't caused any serious problems for the Sharks. When added to Niemi finding his game in San Jose, the Sharks turned it on when everybody stopped looking and now that the pressure's off, maybe this is the year.

Los Angeles Kings: While everyone has been quick to criticize the King's goaltending (puck, another awful pun. I'm racking them up today), more often than not it has been a lapse in team play in front of them. The Kings defense is solid crop of players lead by Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson along with some veteran know how from Rob Scuderi and Willie Mitchell. Offensively the Kings have been led all season by Anze Kopitar, who has recently been lost to a "lower body injury" (broken ankle) which will pose a challenge come this opening round series. Will trade deadline acquisition Dustin Penner be able to find his scoring touch in California once again? Los Angeles enters the playoffs with six 20 goal scorers, so they are getting contributions from multiple players, but someone will need to step into that dynamic role and attempt to replace Kopitar's team leading 48 assists.

Breakdown: The Sharks took advantage of the Kings towards the end of the season in a 6-1 drumming that seemed to expose every one of the Kings weaknesses. Coupled with the back to back losses to Anaheim to lose the 4th seed, the Kings are stumbling into the playoffs. The Sharks appear to be healthy and ready to make a run. The Kings will need their star players to step up. The Kings seem to be the team everyone loves to hate, and they can certainly use that to their advantage. The Sharks have lost their media favorite status this season, and that could be what they need to finally get to the Cup. Without the pressure of a fantastic regular season and high praises of their roster, they're finally free to just play hockey. This should be a classic matchup, and a hard fought series.

Bottom Line: Sharks in 6. It pains me to say that, as I like what the Kings have done for the most part this season, but you cannot deny the Sharks talent. Down the stretch Niemi has played really well and they seem to be clicking offensively. There is definitely potential for "upset" here though, so I can't truly rule out the kings.

#3 Detroit Redwings vs #6 Phoenix Coyotes
Regular Season results, split 2-2 with 3 of 4 games going to OT or SO (phoenix won the only regulation game)

A rematch of last year's first round Detroit beat Phoenix in a thrilling 7 game series. Detroit has been rather Detroit like all season, overcoming what most teams would consider insurmountable adversities only to thrive when it matters. They ended their season with a playoff like performance against the Blackhawks where the Wings showed why they are one of the teams to beat every April. The Coyotes are back in the playoffs for the second straight year, which has to be some kind of franchise record. Bryzgalov has been his excellent self between the pipes and constantly gives the 'Yotes a chance to win, and win they have. Keith Yandle has had a career year for Phoenix with 59 point campaign, which is good for 3rd amongst all NHL defensemen and 2nd on the Coyotes behind Captain Coyote, Shane Doan.

Detroit Red Wings: The list of players who have missed significant time this season for Detroit almost reads like a fantasy roster: Datsyuk, Rafalski, Osgood, Cleary, Modano, Draper, and they are currently without Henrik Zetterberg. This is a team that should be out it right? How quickly we forget that the Red Wings are the cockroaches of the NHL, they can survive anything. Jimmy Howard has had a drop in his performance, both goals-against and save percentage have taken a hit compared to last year, and Chris Osgood has missed most of the season with a groin injury, leaving the backup duties to journeyman Joey MacDonald. Howard's play must improve in order to advance. Zetterberg is listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury, so who knows when he will actually suit up for the Wings. If he is healthy enough to return, it will give this Detroit line up even more weapons up front.

Phoenix Coyotes: Is there something in the water in Glendale, or is Tippett really that good of a coach? I'm going to have to go with B, seeing as how he's guided this team to consecutive playoff appearances. Bryzgalov has been the bargain of the century in terms of waiver pick ups, and he has delivered consistent, if not phenomenal, play for the Coyotes ever since. Keith Yandle has been one of the more surprising stories this season, not just for Phoenix, but the entire league. He has an 18 point increase in points over last season, and improved his personal best in assists by 19. Look for Yandle to continue to push the offensive envelope during this series, especially if they have any hope of passing the Wings.

Breakdown: The regular season is almost like an 82 game warm up for the Detroit Red Wings. Forget what you think you know about them during that time because they always step their play up come April. Expect this year to be no different. You could even see it in Sunday's play against the Blackhawks, the Red Wings are ready for the playoffs. Phoenix continues to thrive under Dave Tippett, even with the ever looming controversy around ownership of the team and possible relocation. They even gave the Wings a scare last season as they took them all the way to game 7 in the opening round of the playoffs. Look for this series to be more of the same. The Coyotes have already proven that last year wasn't a fluke, and they've played Detroit hard this year. Look for this to be another instant classic.

Bottom Line: 7 games. All the "experts" are picking Detroit, and I have to agree, but I can't officially rule out the Coyotes. This might be the best match up in the West in the first round.


#4 Anaheim Ducks vs #5 Nashville Predators
Regular Season results, Nashville won 3-1

Nashville is a team that plays defensive hockey (3rd in goals against and 5th on the PK) and tries to make the most of their offensive opportunities. The Ducks on the other hand are led by Richard trophy winner and Hart nominee Cory Perry as they are 11th in goals per game and 3rd on the power play. This will be an offense versus defense battle. Pekka Rinne is undoubtedly a Vezina trophy finalist, finishing 2nd only to Tim Thomas in most categories. The Ducks have had some goaltending woes with at least four different goalies starting between the pipes for them.

Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks have one of the best lines in Perry-Getzlaf-Ryan, and Temmu Selanne is showing everyone that age is just a number putting up his best season in five years with 80 points in 73 games. Anaheim's top three scorers (Perry, Selanne, Getzlaf) have all scored at better than point per game pace this season. Lubomir Visnovsky leads the league with 68 points by a defenseman. Even their defense can score. the Ducks biggest cause for concern is goaltending. Is Jonas Hiller finally healthy enough to return to form that saw them almost topple the Red Wings in the playoffs a few years ago, or will his vertigo like symptoms return? Are Dan Ellis and Ray Emery capable of bringing the Cup back to Anaheim should Hiller not be able to play?

Nashville Predators: The Predators are seemingly the negative of Anaheim. There is no goaltending questions here, aside from whether or not Pekka Rinne win the Vezina trophy. He has been a work horse for the Predators, and his numbers are outstanding, 2.12 GAA and .930 save percentage with 6 shutouts. This is a goalie who knows how to close the door on the opposition. He will need to do that, with Nashville ranking near the bottom of the league, 26th, in goals per game. Rinne and the Predator defense, led by Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, will have to be on top of their game to beat the Ducks. Nashville has only two players over 20 goals and no one with more than 50 points. The Predators will have to be patient and weather a few offensive storms from Anaheim and make the most of their opportunities when they arise.

Breakdown: Anaheim seems to be the team to beat in this series, but Nashville can stop them. Regular season numbers don't mean much in the post season, but Predators coach Barry Trotz, knows how to get the most from his squad, and he knows how to prepare. The Ducks are not the most disciplined team as they have 4 players near or over 100 PIMs, so they will give Nashville chances on the power play. If Nashville can stay disciplined and tight defensively they could pull an upset. In the end it will be up to Pekka Rinne to steal a few games, possibly the series. If he can continue to play as well as he has, he can be a major source of frustration for the Ducks.

Bottom Line: Ducks* in 7. I'm making this conditional on the Ducks keeping their noses clean and keeping their heads in the game. The Predators can make life difficult for the opposition and if they can do that consistently, they can pull out a win in this series. Patience is a virtue, and both teams will need a lot of it to come out on top.


OK, we're all done. Time to count down till the playoffs start and then get glued to our televisions and internet feeds. Oh yeah, been a while since I've done this, but follow us on Twitter @WTPuckingPuck and like us on facebook. seriously. we need "friends"