Breakout Pass

Pronger a huge asset for the Flyers

2009-10-31T15:36:00.006+01:00

I have to admit - as a Flyers fan I have never had a chance to see a defenceman as good as Chris Pronger wear the orange and black. It was too late for me to admire the play of Mark Howe (although I saw three or four classic games with him playing), so until recently Eric Desjardins was the ideal - he was smart in joining the rush and he was exceptional at using his stick to stop the opposing forwards. On joining the Flyers Kimmo Timonen showed that he is just as good or even better than Desjardins (who retired in 2006). Pronger is really good on the PP and his breakout passes are near perfect, but what sets him apart from the other defenceman in the league is the defensive presence. An opposing team's rush against him usually ends up around the blueline - not only because of a hit but also because of Pronger's stick or positioning. With Timonen and Braydon Coburn struggling Pronger is currently leading the league in ATOI with 28:12 (1:10 more than no.2 Joe Corvo). The fact that Luca Sbisa is back in the WHL is another argument that shows that the Flyers trade for Pronger was a great move for the team, at least in the short term.

Image: Davey darling, source: Wikimedia Commons

Leaders in goal

2009-10-28T12:33:00.006+01:00

As of right now Ryan Miller and Craig Anderson are statistically the best goaltenders in the NHL. Miller is not a surprise here so he gets overlooked by the media - Anderson gets all the coverage, because he came out of nowhere this season - his first as a starter. If the Avalanche manage to keep playing the way they are now, he is going to be the biggest free agent steal of this past offseason and might be one of the nominees for the Vezina Trophy.

Ilya Bryzgalov is still keeping his GAA under 2.00, but seems to be cooling off after his great start. However his career suggests that although his GAA should be higher, his high save percentage should remain at the current level. The Russian's performance is good news for the struggling franchise in Phoenix - especially after Bryzgalov's average season last year.

In Chicago a Finnish rookie - Antti Niemi is fighting to steal icetime from Cristobal Huet, while Washington's Simeon Varlamov has lost his fight to the veteran Jose Theodore. The former Hart and Vezina winner has started strong for the Capitals, despite the fans' and media's attention on Varlamov. The Caps once again look like one of the teams to beat in the East, but this time around they have two legit options in the net.

Leaderboard full of surprises

2009-10-27T11:31:00.004+01:00

A quick look at the scoring leaderboard shows some familiar names - the highly touted Anze Kopitar with his breakout season, the healthy for a while Marian Gaborik, Alex Ovechkin, Joe Thornton and Gaborik's linemate Vinny Prospal. But if you look further down the list, some surprises start to pop up - Dustin Penner the last year's scapegoat in Edmonton is showing the skills that made the Oilers' brass think that he will be a star - he now has 15 points (including 8 goals) in 10 games. Brad Richards is the other player who is looking to put his career back on the right track - the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner is now the playmaker in Dallas (13 points in 9 games), setting up young James Neal (12 in 11. The usual suspect Dan Boyle is currently tied for the defenseman scoring lead (12 points in 12 games) with... Michael Del Zotto - a player who once was listed among those that could push Steven Stamkos out and become the first pick, but fell from grace because of his iffy defensive play. Del Zotto is now the quarterback of the NY Rangers powerplay unit lead by Gaborik and is not looking out of place - he is a sure bet for a Calder nomination right now.

Speaking of Stamkos - he is on a tear, scoring 11 points (7 goals) in 9 games and pushing Vinny Lecavalier out of the spotlight in Tampa Bay. It is also worth to mention the starts of Rich Peverley, Mikael Samuelsson and Ryan O'Reilly. Peverley (10 points in 8 games), whose powerplay scoring and chemistry with this year's first round pick Evander Kane have finally given the Thrashers some scoring depth. The injury-plagued Canucks are relying on free agent acquisition Mikael Samuelsson to provide scoring and he currently has 10 points in 11 games. O'Reilly is one of the biggest stories this year - the 18-year-old was picked in the second round (33rd overall) of this year's draft and not only made the team out of training camp, but also is currently outplaying Matt Duchene, the Avs' first round pick - he has 10 points in 11 games and is one of the league's leaders in +/- with +10.

Although some of those players should cool down soon - especially Samuelsson (might have a reduced role if Demitra and Sedin return from the injuries), O'Reilly (experts are predicting the Avs' fall in the standings) and possibly Penner (is he strong enough mentally to withstand the additional pressure?), they all have the potential to sustain their scoring paces until the end of the season.

Rangers dump Zherdev

2009-08-04T19:16:00.004+02:00

After a $3.9 million arbitration award, the Rangers have decided to walk away from a contract with Nikolai Zherdev the 4th overall pick from 2003. The Russian has always been a question mark - his defense, desire and physical play made many people ignore his unquestionable offensive talents. His last two seasons were just ok, he only showed glimpses of his potential - right now it is possible that this will be said after each season of his future career. Nevertheless he is an attractive option for a team looking to boost its scoring and believing that he still has time to improve. The Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild or Boston Bruins (if they are forced to trade the rights to Phil Kessel) seem to be the potential buyers.

Cap? What cap?

2009-08-03T20:29:00.003+02:00

The Hudler situation is officially over after Detroit signed him to a two-year contract and, immediately after, let him go to the KHL. Hudler has a two-year contract with Dynamo Moscow, so the fans in Detroit won't see him soon. The good thing is that after his European contract expires, he either returns to the Red Wings (I presume that they could be over their cap problems by then) as an affordable secondary scorer or stays in Russia with Detroit off the hook with his salary. Hudler is set on playing in Europe, so Detroit couldn't have done anything to stop him, especially with the current cap situation, but they have guaranteed that his rights remain with them and have left the possibility of the Czech returning open. Score another one for the Ref Wings.

Tampa Bay surprises again

2009-07-28T21:53:00.005+02:00

The Lightning have bought out forward Vaclav Prospal, thus ending his third career stint with the team. This buyout is important, not only because Tampa now has too many d-men and too few forwards, but also because it changes the UFA market significantly. The versatile (can play as C or LW) Prospal automatically becomes the second or third best available forward behind Alex Tanguay and Mats Sundin (if he doesn't retire). Additionally his cap hit should be lower than Tanguay's which might mean that he'll find a new home faster than the Canadian. He didn't have his best season last year, but no one in Tampa did, so this shouldn't scare off the teams looking for veteran scoring. Tanguay's negotiations have just gotten a lot more difficult - he use the argument that he is clearly the best option on left wing.

The triumphant return of Andy Delmore (sort of)

2009-07-28T21:31:00.003+02:00

According to TSN the Detroit Red Wings have signed defenseman Andy Delmore, who spent the last two years in the DEL, to a two-way contract. A fantastic scorer, Delmore always was absolutely awful in his own zone - a quality that has always hindered his progress as a defenseman. Nevertheless he has cracked 30 points twice in Nashville and was one of two heroes of Philadelphia's playoff run in 1999-2000. He also managed to win the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's best defenseman in 2005-2006.

It will be interesting to see whether he manages to crack Detroit's lineup. Lidstrom, Kronwall, Rafalski, Stuart and Ericsson seem to be untouchable - this leaves Lebda, Lilja and Delmore battling for the remaining spot in the lineup with one of the losers getting the 7th defenseman's spot in the pressbox. Depending on his cap hit (it hasn't been revealed yet), Delmore could make a run at pushing Lilja out of his spot - Detroit is one of the teams fighting for every Penny and Lilja, an UFA next year is being paid $1.25 million. Delmore also has a higher offensive ceiling than Lebda but he has to be paired with a great stay-at-home defenseman to be effective - fortunately the Red Wings have a lot of those.

Boston's plan?

2009-07-25T09:04:00.005+02:00

After trading Aaron Ward back to the Canes for Patrick Eaves and announcing that they will buyout Eaves, the Boston Bruins were expected to sign their top goalscorer Phil Kessel. The yesterday's signing of Derek Morris shows this is not the case - their cap space has actually decreased, so a new contract to Kessel seems to be out of the question - at least until Bruin's GM Peter Chiarelli makes some other moves.

This might actually mean that the Bruins are exploring possibilities of trading Kessel, because his salary demands are too high. They have $4.2 million in cap-space and can trade Chuck Kobasew ($2.33 million) to free some space, but it might not be enough. Kessel showed his potential last season and might want as much as $6 million per year - the $533,000 space that would be left if he gets it might not be enough for the Bruins - if they want to make a run for the Cup, they need more financial flexibility.

The next rookie race

2009-07-21T20:03:00.002+02:00

John Tavares, Victor Hedman, Matt Duchene, Evander Kane, Nazem Kadri and even Toni Rajala already have NHL contracts - not all of them will make their respective teams, but all will get a chance to get a spot in the NHL and fight to be the best rookie. Nikita Filatov and Alex Pietrangelo are still eligible, joining Cody Hodgson and Jordan Eberle as possible candidates for the Calder Trophy. James van Riemsdyk probably won't play with the Flyers due to his cap-hit - around $2 million with bonuses (Patrick Maroon is the rookie to root for in Philly) but his fellow 2007 draft pick Mikael Backlund from Calgary will be in the mix. The Rangers have as many as three off-the-board candidates in defensemen Mike Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh and Bob Sanguinetti.

Who has the best chance to win? It appears that Filatov is the hottest name, especially if Ken Hitchcock gives him the icetime he deserves. Tavares is the biggest talent but he won't get much support in NY, thus might even be overtaken by Duchene. Pietrangelo is also a good pick, especially if the Blues have a strong beggining of the season. As for the next Versteeg, a player not expected to fight for any honors - Eric Tangradi, the prospect traded by the Ducks to the Penguins for Ryan Whitney, could be the one, because he has a great chance of making the roster on one of the top two lines - he has enough skill to play either with Crosby or with Malkin, but has never played pro hockey.

Gearing up for a trade?

2009-07-18T19:44:00.003+02:00

The Minnesota Wild have signed Wade Dubielewicz, who played last year for AK Bars Kazan and the Columbus Blue Jackets, but is best known for leading the New York Islanders to a playoff appearance in 2006/07 with a shootout win in the last game of the season. This might be an indication of a possible trade of Josh Harding, who has a lot of talent but is stuck in Minnesota behind Niklas Backstrom. Dubielewicz had awful stats last year but this might have been caused by the problems with finding a right team - after he started in the KHL, he wanted to go back back to the Islanders, but was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jackets.

Antti Miettinen and some underrated stats

2009-07-16T19:42:00.003+02:00

As a part of the season review on NHL.com.pl I was asked a question whether Antti Miettinen's good season was caused by the great chemistry with Andrew Brunette or was a sign of the Finn reaching his full potential. The answer? It actually wasn't a good season.

He scored at a great pace at the beginning of the season, but slowed down considerably towards the end (4 points in the last 20 games). In the end his 44 points in 82 games were only a slight improvement over his 82-game pace from a year ago (34 in 69 means 40 in 82). What was the cause of the drop in production in the second half? Increase in ice time - he was used to playing 12-14 minutes a night and in Minnesota he ended up with an ATOI of 18:17. During the first few months he played even more - this probably caused him to be too tired in April.

Furthermore the PROD stat given by ESPN (example here) - the average time spent on ice between points shows that he actually had two better seasons (05/06 and 07/08). This is also supported by his shot percentage.
05/06 - 30:50 PROD 10.3 SH%
06/07 - 42:25 PROD 7.8 SH%
07/08 - 28:24 PROD 11.0 SH%
08/09 - 34:03 PROD 8.1 SH%

The conclusion? According to these stats the 4 minute increase in ice time didn't help Miettinen - it made him less effective.

The new look Habs

2009-07-11T16:23:00.002+02:00

The Montreal Canadiens seem to be one of the most active players on this year's market - after acquiring Scott Gomez, they have signed Travis Moen, Paul Mara, Jaroslav Spacek, Hal Gill, Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri. They also parted ways with Alexei Kovalev, Chris Higgins, Alex Tanguay, Robert Lang, Tom Kostopoulos, Mathieu Schneider, Patrice Brisebois, Saku Koivu, Mathieu Dandenault and Francis Bouillon. The result? A completely new line-up.

Gomez will be the new top center - he might play with both Gionta and Cammalleri on his wings, but it is also possible that one of them gets moved to the second line and one of the Kostitsyn brothers gets promoted. Despite Gionta and Cammalleri both being right wingers, the option of switching one of them to the left side seems to be the best - Gomez is the best playmaker on the team, so he should play with the best scorer - Cammalleri, but also with Gionta, because they have chemistry together after playing in New Jersey.

The Kostitsyns should form the second line with Tomas Plekanec (a RFA still to be signed), unless top prospect Max Pacioretty has a camp strong enough to jump up a line. Maxim Lapierre should be the center for the third line with the defensive forward Moen and Pacioretty, Matt D'Agostini (RFA) or Guillaume Latendresse (RFA), Glen Metropolit and Georges Laraque shouldn't play higher than on the fourth line.

The defense is as overcrowded as Tampa's - Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik are returning to be the top pair, while newcomers Spacek and Gill seem to be destined to be the second pairing. Paul Mara, looking to rebound after a subpar stint with the Rangers, should be challenging them for playing time. This leaves Josh Gorges and Ryan O'Byrne fighting for the sixth spot with the loser sitting in the pressbox. Unfortunately it also means that prospect P.K. Subban will probably not showcase his shot in the NHL this year.

Bolts stack their D

2009-07-11T15:31:00.002+02:00

Last year, the Tampa Bay Lightning had a roster full of forwards and no defenseman. This year they are trying to compensate for their mistakes - they have signed an experienced backup goalie in Antero Niittymaki and d-men Matthias Ohlund, Kurtis Foster, Matt Walker as well as Victor Hedman, this year's second overall pick. They also still have the RFAs Matt Lashoff, Mike Lundin and Matt Smaby left to sign. Returning from last season are Andrej Meszaros, Paul Ranger, Lukas Krajicek and goalie Mike Smith.

The Smith-Niittymaki tandem has the potential to surprise everyone during the season. Smith was brilliant in autumn, but a concussion forced him to miss half of last season. Niitymaki is a former Olympic star, who seemed to regress after securing a roster spot with Philadelphia - this might have been caused not only by chronic hip injuries, but also by Reggie Lemelin, the recently fired Flyers' goalie coach, who was widely criticized for his inability to correct the goalies' technical mistakes without causing new ones. If the Finn leaves the injuries behind, he might challenge a healthy Smith for the starting spot.

On defense Victor Hedman seems to have a guaranteed spot, probably beside the veteran Matthias Ohlund, who was brought to Tampa to be the younger Swede's mentor. Meszaros is also safe and his abilities allow him to be paired with both an offensive and a defensive player. He should end up beside the two-way Paul Ranger or the stay-at-home Matt Walker. The battle for the sixth spot should be interesting - Lukas Krajicek is the most versatile and has a lot of potential, so he should have the inside track, but Lashoff, Boston's first round pick in 2005, really impressed as a power play quarterback last year. Foster cannot be discounted too - he has both skill and size to win this battle. If Lashoff doesn't make the top 6, it is safe to assume that one of the older guys - Foster or Krajicek gets the no. 7 spot.

Leafs at work

2009-07-07T17:05:00.004+02:00

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a couple of moves beside attracting NHL's attention in the form of a tampering investigation. They have signed the hyped Swedish goalie Jonas Gustavsson, the former Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin and this year's seventh overall draft-pick Nazem Kadri.

The Beauchemin signing solidifies and overpays the blueline - the $3.8M (cap hit per year) seems to be a steep price for a player, who spent most of last season on the IR and who had a large spike in production when playing alongside either Chris Pronger or Scott Niedermayer. Kadri is a good signing. An excellent playmaker, he needs to build his muscles up, but could be a great player and a Calder Memorial Trophy candidate as soon as next season.

The story of Gustavsson is well known - a star in Sweden, the 6'3 goalie has never played in the NHL but was rumored to be the most sought after free agent this year. He had magnificent stats in the SEL, but his ability to smoothly transition to the NHL is a question mark. For some he is the second coming of Henrik Lundqvist - a relatively unknown goalie, who will get the opportunity of running away with the starting spot. For others he is another one in the line of "best players not in the NHL" (previously - Jiri Dopita, Fabian Brunnstrom or Roman Turek), who will fail in the NHL. As always, the truth is in the middle - Gustavsson probably won't be a Vezina candidate, but his size should help him to adapt to the North American game. Fortunately for Toronto his modest contract ($810,000 for one year) allows the Leafs to be patient with his development.

$2.7M per year - the value of a top checking center

2009-07-04T16:40:00.004+02:00

John Madden signed with the Chicago Blackhawks for $2.75M (1 year) and Samuel Pahlsson with the Columbus Blue Jackets for $2.65M (3 years, 7.95M total) - salaries quite low by today's NHL standards (Rob Scuderi got $3.4M, Chris Neil got $2M). But actually what they bring to the table seems to be worth more - both players are top defensive centers, who have won Cups. Additionally Madden has a Selke Trophy and is capable of getting 40 points per season. Although they play a very important role in their teams, they seem to be underrated. This is especially surprising due to the NHL teams' tendency to overpay for all kinds of contributions. Madden's and Pahlsson's talents cannot be measured by stats, so they can disappear during the negotiations but their agents should be creative enough to work around it. It is also worth to notice that Madden has the scoring and the trophy but he got only $100,000 more than Pahlsson

The big three

2009-07-02T19:27:00.004+02:00

The top three UFA forwards have found new teams. Marian Hossa went from Detroit to Chicago, Martin Havlat left Chicago for Minnesota to occupy the resident injury risk spot, which was abandoned by Marian Gaborik who joined the New York Rangers. Who won?

Marian Gaborik (27 years old) - New York Rangers - 5 years, $7.5 million cap hit
Marian Hossa (30 years old) - Chicago Blackhawks - 12 years, $5.23 million cap hit
Martin Havlat (28 years old) - Minnesota Wild - 6 years, $5 million cap hit

The length of Hossa's contract stands out, but it is because the Blackhawks wanted to keep the cap hit down (and succeeded - Hossa's injury history makes him the most valuable of the three). On the other hand Havlat, who had an almost injury-free season before suffering a concussion in the playoffs - this last injury should have made his value even lower, but this price still seems good, provided that Havlat plays about 70 games or more. Gaborik, also often injured, got a contract about equal to his value - he is an unquestionable star and is capable of putting up 100 points, but the injuries and Minnesota's defensive system have prevented him from doing so. However the length and the value of the contract in comparison to Havlat and Hossa don't look so good. The Rangers seem to have overpaid him, especially considering the injury risk and failed to guarantee his services for a longer period of time (which would additionally lower the cap hit).

Other signings - day one

2009-07-01T22:11:00.002+02:00

The Capitals quickly found a way to replace Viktor Kozlov - they signed the aging Mike Knuble to a 2-year contract. Knuble is nothing more than a powerplay specialist right now and even in this role he tends to take unnecessary penalties - nevertheless he's capable of playing on the first PP unit and

The Flyers continued the reclamation project in goal by signing their former rookie star - 32-year old Brian Boucher. He was a star for Philly in 2000 and later with the Coyotes, but until last season his career was quickly spinning out of control. He found more confidence in San Jose and will get a chance to fight Ray Emery for the starting spot. It will be interesting to see whether his experience will help Emery to calm down.

Tampa Bay has finally acquired a steady stay-at-home veteran on D - Matthias Ohlund. This is actually a great move for the Lighting and their young defense. This might be the sign of the franchise finally turning things around after last years' crazy season.

Hossa till 42

2009-07-01T22:04:00.004+02:00

Marian Hossa, the best player available through free agency, signed a 12 year, $5.85 million (cap hit) contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. This is a great contract for the next few years - $5,85 mil. is clearly below market value, although the length is scary. In 12 years Hossa will be 42 - it is safe to presume that his scoring will gradually fall and he will be ready for retirement in 6-8 years. After he retires, the cap hit will disappear from Chicago's payroll. Thus the length is just a way to bypass the cap - the league should look into ways of limiting such situation (maybe by introducing maximum length of contracts in the next CBA?).

Oduya off the market

2009-06-30T19:58:00.003+02:00

The New Jersey Devils have made another great move - this time they have re-signed D Johnny Oduya. His contract, rumored to be worth about $3 million per season is not below market value, but if he hit free agency, he probably would have been overpaid by a different team. Oduya is a bit underrated, but he has become a great defensive player, who can also chip in some points because of his passing and shot. He was one of the best D options on the market. This signing seems to have set the value of comparable defenseman at $3 million. This means that Dennis Seidenberg should get a similar contract.

The Draft pt. II - OIlers and Bolts are early winners

2009-06-28T12:59:00.004+02:00

The second day of the draft always features players that were really hot names at the beginning of the season before later falling from the map and players that were unknown before exploding either at the WJC or U-18 WC.

Right now the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning seem to be the big winners. The Bolts drafted the best defenseman in the draft - Victor Hedman and power forward Carter Ashton in the first round. In the second round they chose Richard Panik, who is said to be the biggest Slovakian talent since Gaborik - he was actually projected as a top-10 player in September, but didn't really capitalize on his chances in the WJC - nevertheless everyone knows that power forwards develop longer, so he could still have a great career. They followed this pick with 5'10 Alex Hutchins, the leading scorer of the OHL's Barrie Colts, who seems a bit similar to Martin St.Louis. Their next pick was a bit surprising - in the fourth round the Bolts went with goaltender Michael Zador - his 5-12-1 record in Oshawa is not something to be proud of, but it follows the tendency of drafting junior backups higher than starters (see: Adam Morrison - 2009 Philly, Jacob Deserres - 2008, Philly). In the fourth round Tampa Bay went with Jaroslav Janus, another goalie - he was the hero of team Slovakia at the WJC after he showed that he can win games on his own. With the last pick the Bolts went a bit off the board and selected Kirill Gotovets, a Belorussian defenseman playing for Shattuck-St. Mary's High School (and probably being a friend of the Bolts' owner's son). Despite the picks of Zador and Gotovets, this seems like a really strong group of players that could really shine alongside Tampa's Steven Stamkos.

The Oilers are not far behind - after picking Swedish superstar Magnus Paajarvi-Svenson with the 12th overall pick, they took his teammate Anton Lander in the second round, hoping they will have instant chemistry. They provided them some defensive support with the 6'2 Troy Hesketh, a future d-man for the University of Wisconsin Badgers. The next pick of the Oilers was arguably their worst one - RW Cameron Abney, a 6'4 throwback enforcer for the WHL's Everett Silvertips. Their next pick Kyle Bigos is a physical stay-at-home defenseman from the BCHL - he'll get a chance to show off his skills in the NCAA next year. The last two picks of the Oilers are what really separates them from other teams. With the 10th pick in the fourth round they chose Toni Rajala, the biggest Finnish offensive star of this years' draft, arguably the best player of the U-18 and the forward that embarrassed Hedman at the WJC. Rajala could be the fastest player of the draft, a great forechecker able to score goals - he was supposed to be drafted as high as in the mid twenties of the first round but he disappointed in the WJC and despite his play at the U-18 never really regained his status. His 5'8 size might be the only thing that keeps him from being an NHL star. In the fifth round the Oilers took the smallish goaltender Olivier Roy, also formerly projected to be taken during the draft's first day - he actually fell down in the rankings despite improving his stats in the QMJHL. He has great reflexes is solid positionally and could immediately become the top goalie prospect in Edmonton's system.

Dissecting Chris Pronger

2009-06-27T11:31:00.007+02:00

The first day of the draft featured only one trade that involved actual players - but this one trade will surely be one of the biggest this offseason. The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired Chris Pronger (and career minor-leaguer Ryan Dingle) from the Anaheim Ducks for Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, two first-round picks (2009 and 2010) and a conditional third-round pick.

GM Paul Holmgren seems to be focusing on winning now. The 34 year old defenseman will be the second Norris Trophy winner on the Flyers all-time roster - Paul Coffey, who won it with the Oilers and Red Wings, is the only other one. He definitely makes the Flyers D better - they will be able to split him and Kimmo Timonen, when the opponents use two top lines (e.g. Crosby and Malkin) and pair them in tough situation. Pronger will be also the physical presence on the blueline that the Flyers were lacking.

The trade gets harder to defend, when you look at Pronger's contract situation and the assets the Flyers had to give up. Pronger's contract is only for the next year and although he stated that he would like to open negotiations on an extension and there are rumors that he chose the Flyers as his new home, it is still possible that Philadelphia could lose him next year. By trading Lupul (who was also traded for Pronger in the Oliers-Ducks deal) for him, the Flyers lose an additional $1 million in cap space. Thus the Flyers still have to trade someone (Briere?) for cap relief.

Lupul - a monster contract coupled with consistency problems was the perfect player to trade. By giving up Sbisa, the Flyers have given up their best defensive prospect - a 19 year old, that already has experience in the NHL and is by far a better talent than anyone in the Flyers system. If you add two first round picks - and the Flyers recently have a high success rate in the first round, the Flyers have given up a big part of their future.

Can the Flyers win the Cup with Emery in goal? If they will, it will be only because of the D - if Pronger leaves town without the Cup, the trade will be a bust.

The Draft pt. I

2009-06-27T11:13:00.004+02:00

Tavares first, Hedman second, Duchene third - the first picks went just as expected. The Thrashers took their scorer in Kane, LA acquired yet another premier offensive player in Schenn and the Yotes got their top D prospect in Larsson. Magnus Paajarvi-Svenson joined the young core in Edmonton. The Islanders provided the surprise yet again by picking Calvin De Haan at no. 12 - ahead of such players as David Rundblad or Dmitri Kulikov.

Vancouver Canucks seem to be the big winners - they got potential game-breaking talent in Jordan Schroeder (rated by the CSS as the 4th North American skater) with the 22nd selection. Schroeder, a slick playmaker, outshined James Van Riemsdyk at the WJC. His size is the big concern (5'8), but his abilities should have caused him to be picked in the top 15 - especially after he had showed both in the NCAA and the WJC that he can compete with bigger players.

Strange comparisons

2009-06-25T19:27:00.005+02:00

TSN.ca has published an article comparing John Tavares to Alexandre Daigle and Victor Hedman to Chris Pronger. There is always possibility that the Daigle/Pronger situation will repeat itself, but right now this comment has no basis. Tavares is a bigger talent than Daigle and actually has a lot more hockey sense and passion for the game. On the other hand it is Hedman, who failed to live up to the expectations at this year's WJC despite normally shining against older players in the SEL. The bias is strange, because in previous years, although the Daigle story was mentioned, the media were sure that the players were going to reach their potential. Even the Kane pick, which could have been easily doubted because of the winger's size, was not received with such comments.

A tough task for the Rangers

2009-06-22T17:06:00.006+02:00

The New York Rangers currently have the following NHL players signed (according to nhlnumbers and HF Boards) - Henrik Lundqvist, defensemen Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Bobby Sanguinetti and Michael Del Zotto, forwards Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Sean Avery, Aaron Voros and Artem Anisimov. This means that they have to sign or acquire a backup goalie and 7 forwards. However this situation doesn't give the Rangers much flexibility. The contracts of Drury and Gomez are a burden to the team and some RFAs are crucial for the Rangers.

The Rangers will definitely try to re-sign Ryan Callahan, Lauri Korpikoski, Nik Antropov, Nik Zherdev and Brandon Dubinsky. The youngsters Callahan and Korpikoski shouldn't be a problem but if Zherdev and Antropov have too high expectations, they will have to be let go. Additionally Dubinsky's success will surely translate to a raise. The raises aren't a problem until you consider that the Rangers already have around $40 million spent. If Dubinsky demands $2 million and both Nik's around $4 million each (realistically there is a chance that they will want more), the Rangers might even have trouble completing the roster, especially after they give a new contract to Callahan.

Will Richards keep his star?

2009-06-20T19:29:00.005+02:00

When Todd Richards was introduced as the new head coach of the Minnesota Wild, everyone pointed out his offensive style of coaching. This is of course an exaggeration by the Wild PR staff aimed at convincing Marian Gaborik to stay with the team - Richards' Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins finished in the middle of the pack in GF in 07/08 (223 GF, 77 behind league leading Chicago Wolves) and were fourth in 06/07 (276GF, 55 behind the Wolves). Fortunately for Gaborik there is no doubt that Richards' system will be less defensive than Jacques Lemaire's - simply because that Lemaire is the guru of the neutral zone trap and has completely avoided giving offense a key role. Will it be enough for Gaborik, who might have a yearly cap-hit in the range of $8 million?

It might, simply because the Slovak's health is a big issue - his first three years in the NHL were near perfect, but after the injuries started in 2003/04, he played only 70+ game season (07/08). For a lot of teams, especially in the salary cap era, this is a warning sign before giving him a big contract. Gaborik's agent should be aware of it - his delaying of negotiations might force Minnesota to offer the rightwinger a salary higher than they planned - and higher than Gaborik would have gotten from a different team as an UFA.

On Flyers' goaltending Pt. 2

2009-06-18T18:00:00.003+02:00

Second post about Philly in a row, but quietly there's a lot going on for the Flyers. Paul Holmgren has confirmed that Martin Biron has fired his agent and TSN's Darren Dreger is saying that the Flyers are interested in bringing back Robert Esche.

The goaltending carousel continues in Philly - since 99-00 Philly's starters (at least for a short period of time) were John Vanbiesbrouck, Brian Boucher, Roman Cechmanek, Jeff Hackett, Robert Esche, Antero Niittymaki and Martin Biron. In the same period the New Jersey Devils had only one starter Martin Brodeur (he, obviously, didn't lose this label even when he was injured). The signing of Ray Emery continued the trend of getting goalies that were already past their prime. Only Niittymaki and Boucher where Philly's prospects, with Roman Cechmanek being drafted by the Flyers as a veteran from the Czech league. Because of the the fact that Cechmanek and Boucher where the only goalies from the above list that were able t carry the team on their backs, it is surprising to see Holmgren turn to former busts and not try to acquire (or develop) a young goaltender with lots of potential.

Esche played well for St'Petersburg SKA in the KHL last season, but his ability to successfully come back to the NHL is being questioned. He left the Flyers not because of contract reasons, but because his play cost the team games - during his last NHL season he, arguably, had the worst rebound control in the league. Giving the team to him and another reclamation project - Ray Emery is very risky and I dare say that has disaster written all over it.

Meanwhile Biron's contract demands were rumored to be in the $5-6 million dollar per season range - a sum the Flyers definitely couldn't afford, especially for a player who isn't worth that much. Biron was never a game-stealer - when he had his good games, he saved everything that he should have saved, but usually didn't have any spectacular stops - the perfect shots always went in. The firing of the agent suggests that Biron realized that his demands were too high and he had no chance of staying in Philly. Unfortunately it appears that the Flyers are looking for cheap players that have a history of great play and a chance of regaining their old form. Biron seems to have reached his peak a long time ago so he shouldn't end up back with Philly.

The Hatcher saga comes to an end

2009-06-16T22:06:00.003+02:00

Derian Hatcher has announced that he won't come back to the NHL after undergoing knee replacement surgery. Hatcher, the only American-born player to captain a team to the Cup, didn't play since the end of the last year's playoffs - he spend the whole season on LTIR. His contract with the Flyers, one of the last moves by former Flyers' GM Bobby Clarke proved to be a complete failure - he was too slow for the "new NHL", he lacked the positioning play and was often injured. His retirement was obvious since last year, but he was kept on the team to ensure that he would get the full salary from his contract.

Hatcher will now replace Eric Desjardins - he will work with the Flyers prospects and younger players. This switch seems bad for the Flyers - Desjardins was the defenseman Philly is somewhat lacking right now - not physical, but superb positionally and able to lead the rush. Desjardins would have been an ideal candidate to help Luca Sbisa to take the next step. Hatcher's style of play and skillset, which will be reflected in his work as a development coach, might not be so suitable for the young d-man.

Shirokov finally makes it

2009-06-14T20:02:00.003+02:00

According to The Vancouver Canucks have agreed to a deal with 23-year old Sergei Shirokov, the top scorer of CSKA Moscow in the KHL and former WJC star. In 2005 during the WJC he showed that his offensive skills were on par with Ovechkin and Malkin, but he became famous for taunting the American crowd during the semifinal game against the US. Nobody questioned his talent for scoring, but all of the teams were concerned with his size (5'10) and willingness to leave Russia. This is why he was drafted in the sixth round two years after becoming eligible for the draft. The Canucks seem to have convinced him to playing in the NHL. Although nobody knows how Shirkov will adapt to the North American style of play, the Canucks seem to have made a great move.

The Penguins win - Talbot triumphs

2009-06-13T14:54:00.005+02:00

Sidney Crosby didn't step up, Evgeni Malkin didn't step up - it was Maxime Talbot, who won the Pens the Cup. The grinder scored two goals for the second time in these Finals and, with some help from the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury, gave the Pens the victory. Talbot, the Penguins 8th round pick in 2002, averaged 24 points in each of the last three regular seasons in Pittsburgh. Despite a 100-point season in the QMJHL, he has actually shown no progress in developing his scoring touch (his 80 career points in 261 games give him an average of 25 points per 82 games - almost the same as his three-year average). Nevertheless he has scored six points in seven games against the Red Wings - he was the key to the Penguins win not only in game 7, but also in the whole series.

The end is coming!

2009-06-12T19:39:00.004+02:00

Stanley Cup Final, game 7 - there's nothing more exciting in hockey. The fact that the home team has won every game of the series, makes the Detroit Red Wings the favorite to win and gives them a big chance to become the first team to win the Cup twice in a row since the Red Wings of 1997-98. This is a real test for Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby - they are undoubtedly great players and true stars in the league. But they have to show that they can step up, that they are capable of completely dominating the opposing team in a game that really matters. This will also be a test of Sidney Crosby's leadership - coach Dan Bylsma has done everything possible to win the series and his line matching has been excellent (more on that on James Mirtle's blog here) - the rest is up to the players and Crosby is the key. The Penguins star has scored only three points in six games against the Wings (one in game 3, two in game 4) - he needs to give his teammates an example both off and on the ice. If he manages to do it, the Penguins still have a chance.

Another one for Heatley

2009-06-10T19:27:00.003+02:00

After Bruce Garrioch published the report that Dany Heatley has asked for a trade, a lot of potential trade destination have been mentioned. As of right now only Minnesota and LA seem to have a chance and motives for the trade (if, of course, Garrioch is true). With Heatley carrying a cap-hit of $ 7.5 million for the next five seasons, both of those teams have necessary cap space - the Kings have Jack Johnson as their only signficant free agent and the Wild are looking at Heatley as a possible replacement for Marian Gaborik, who currently also has a $ 7.5 million cap-hit.

The Wild seem to have less tradeable assets than the Kings. The Wild's Benoit Pouliot seems to be past the sell high stage but Colton Gillies is an option - especially after coach Jacques Lemaire, who's style was a perfect fit for the rugged young forward, left the team. The new style of play might also make Jim Sheppard expendable. The Wild also have Josh Harding, stuck behind Niklas Backstrom and rumored to be shopped around. Meanwhile the Kings have a young team and a full cupboard of prospects - Jack Johnson is the frontrunner to be dealt, because of his contract demands, but the potential deal might also include Justin Williams. The Kings also might decide to part with one of their goaltenders - either Jon Quick or Erik Ersberg will have to go sooner or later to make room for Jonathan Bernier. The Kings dept allows them to trade one of their highly rated defensive prospects (Thomas Hickey, Colten Teubert, Vyacheslav Voinov), one young forward (Oscar Moller, Wayne Simmonds, Ted Purcell, Brian Boyle) and a roster player like Johnson for Heatley.

If Heatley really is being shopped, this makes the Kings the most probable destination. And if the trade happens, Heatley might help take Anze Kopitar to the 80-90 point level.

Image: kaatiya, source: Wikimedia Commons

Sutter steps down - will he stay there?

2009-06-09T20:32:00.006+02:00

Brent Sutter's announcement on resigning as the New Jersey Devils' coach is a surprise. He was successful in the regular season but lost twice in the second round. The media are speculating that Brent will be hired by his brother Darryl to coach the Calgary Flames - although I think that he would be a perfect fit there, I'm not sure it will happen. The announcement was made from the offices of WHL's Red Deer Rebels, a team that Brent owns since 1999. He was always considered a great mentor for young players, a perfect coach of Canada's junior team, a real teacher. It was also visible in New Jersey - the progress of Zach Parise was not unexpected, but I dare think that it wouldn't be so rapid without Sutter. Brent's decision might be caused by his desire to come back to developing young players (like potential superstar Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) - something he was really successful at. Thus it wouldn't surprise me, if he decided not to come back to the NHL.

The Red Wings domination

2009-06-07T13:16:00.006+02:00

A look at the Game 5 shots/hits chart on NHL.com reveals some interesting facts.

1. The shots chart shows that the first and third period were quite even, but the second was dominated by the Red Wings - the Penguins managed only six shots: four from just inside the blueline, two from center ice and one from their own blueline.

2. Most of the Red Wings 15 shots in the second period were from the slot and only three of them came from around the blueline (including Brian Rafalski's goal). The Red Wings actually had 7 total shots from around the blueline (and neutral zone), while the Pens had 12 - this means that 55% of the Pens' shots and 24% of the Red Wings' shots were from long range. This might be the reason for the Red Wings success - shots from the slot and other high risk areas.

3. According to the chart, there were only three open-ice hits - two by the Penguins. None of them happened in the second period. All other hits were along the boards - this means that both teams avoided leaving their positions to go for big hits.

Stat of the day: 6

2009-06-05T19:54:00.002+02:00

6 - Darren Helm's career NHL playoff goals

Helm has played in 23 NHL regular season games during the last two seasons, scoring only one assist. In the playoffs he has played in 18 games last year (2 goals, 2 assists) and 20 so far this year (4 goals, one assist). A talented scorer in the WHL, Helm is showing that he knows how to step up when it matters. Despite playing a checking role, Helm's physical play and offensive talent makes him create chances almost every time he steps on the ice. In Game 4 his TOI was only 13:03, but he scored a goal, won 8 of 12 faceoffs, had 5 shots (only Hossa and Franzen had more) and 6 hits (most on the team). It looks like the Red Wings have found yet another gem.

The "answer" is Emery

2009-06-04T20:09:00.004+02:00

When the Flyers were run by Bobby Clarke, everyone knew that he neglected the impact goaltending has on the team. As Paul Holmgren stepped in, the fans hoped that this will change. It appears that it hasn't - according to Chuck Gormley (Courier Post) the Flyers are set to sign Ray Emery to a one year, $2.5 million deal.

No one questions Emery's talent, it's his temper that has caused trouble. Sean Avery always wanted to be Brett Hull and Emery wants to be Ron Hextall. The difference here is that Hextall was a stellar goaltender who was really aggressive on the ice and Emery's antics continue off the ice - he fought with teammates, got pulled over by police for various violations and battled with management of his KHL team over contract issues.

If he is just a backup and doesn't cause conflicts in the locker room, he might be a good signing. But the situation is a bit deeper with both Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki becoming UFAs on the 1st of July. Biron certainly wants a raise, despite being inconsistent and the management seems to have given up on Niittymaki. If Emery is signed, he could be the only goalie on the Flyers roster. It would be interesting to know whether the Flyers are really negotiating with Biron to return as a starter or hoping to sign or trade for a different goalie. There is also the possibility that they want to get another goalie of Emery's caliber ("Nitty", Tellqvist, Danis) and let them fight for the no. 1 status (making more cap space available for forwards and defencemen). The second option is probable but has a great chance of ending badly for the Flyers - there is no guarantee that the two mediocre goalies can lead to Flyers to a successful postseason.

Krejci's numbers

2009-06-03T18:07:00.005+02:00

The Boston Bruins have resigned David Krejci to a three year contract with a cap hit of $3.75 million per year. In today's NHL that's a nice contract for a 22-year old 70+ point playmaker with great potential, especially when you factor in the great chemistry he has with Blake Wheeler. Despite his current injury, he's definitely worth that kind of money. On the other hand the Bruins are getting into a tight spot cap-wise - they still have their best goalscorer Phil Kessel to resign, along with one of the many positive surprises on this season's team Matt Hunwick. The underrated P.J. Axelsson's contract is also up this year. And the Bruins management cannot forget that next summer they'll have to resign Marc Savard (and he won't come cheap after getting more than point-per-game during his current $5 million per year conract). With the possibility of the cap being lower then, it's safe to say that the Bruins are hoping Krejci will be Savard's potential replacement.

Image: Dan4th Nicholas, Cambridge, MA, USA, source: Wikimedia Commons

Hull out, Nieuwendyk in

2009-06-01T18:33:00.005+02:00

The Dallas Stars finally figured out that Brett Hull, one of the greatest goalscorers in the history of the league, is not a good GM, especially if he doesn't even have full power over the team (he and Les Jackson were co-GMs). His signing of Sean Avery wasn't as bad as everyone says, but it appears that he was not objective when he brought the controversial winger to Dallas. Avery was Hull's roommate with the Red Wings - he later admitted that his behavior was based on Hull's. The Stars GM appeared to see a bit of himself in Avery and gave him a second chance

It turned out badly, because Avery wasn't Hull - he is vocal, but not about his own greatness. Avery attacked opponents directly, while Hull tried to show his ego. Hull also had the numbers to back his comments up - even when he said that he was the smartest in the game, people thought about his 86-goal season and thought "maybe he's on to something". Failing to spot this difference lead to the Avery fiasco and to he's firing.

Is Nieuwendyk better? He was always a better leader than Hull, he also didn't make any controversial comments. Nevertheless he seems like Hull 2.0 - he has little managerial experience and is not far removed from his playing days (Hull retired in 2005/06 after the Phoenix fiasco, Nieuwendyk a year later). He might have the same problems as Hull - inexperience and personal relationships with many current players. It would be perfectly understandable if the Stars replaced Hull with someone experienced, who has held a front office position for a longer time (Ron Hextall?). Adding Nieuwendyk seems to be a good move, if only because he will be a real one-man GM, but expecting a big improvement in the way the Stars are run seems a bit too optimistic.

Pens losing the draws

2009-05-31T14:36:00.004+02:00

The Detroit Red Wings are up 1-0 after a victory that came easier than they expected. Meanwhile the Pens have to win tonight's game to show that Detroit can be beaten at Joe Louis Arena. In the first game faceoffs were a big weakness of the Pens. Crosby went 6/20, Staal 6/19, Malkin 4/9, Talbot 0/4, Adams 0/2 and Kennedy 0/1 for a combined rate of 16/55. Meanwhile Zetterberg was 15/20, Darren Helm (who really stepped up as a defensive forward during Datsyuk's absence) 11/15, Filpulla 6/11 and the other Wings 7/9. Both of the teams seem to base their play on puck possession, so winning the faceoffs gives Detroit an advantage.

The Ducks Connection

2009-05-29T21:23:00.004+02:00

38-year old Dan Bylsma has a perfect start to his head-coaching career - he didn't even have a full season as a head coach in the AHL before he was named the Penguins coach and now his team will play in the Stanley Cup Finals. His opponent - Mike Babcock has a lot more coaching experience - in the WHL, AHL and NHL. It is worth to mention that they know each other - In 2002/03 and 2003/04 Babcock coached Bylsma in Anaheim. They reached the Finals together in 2003, but Anaheim lost to New Jersey.

Thus it appears that Bylsma knows Babcock's coaching style and might try to counter some of his tactics in his own strategies. Although Detroit is a lot more offensive team than the pre-lockout Ducks, it is safe to say that Babcock still uses some of his previous tactics. It will be interesting to see whether the Bylsma-Babcock connection will have any actual impact on the upcoming games.

Hawks looking forward

2009-05-28T21:08:00.003+02:00

The story of the eliminated Chicago Blackhawks reminds me of the Pittsburgh Penguins - the first playoff appearance of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin ended in the first round. The Blackhawks' dynamic duo - Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane managed to win two rounds before losing to the Detroit Red Wings. Fortunately Kane, Toews and the rest of Chicago's core players - including Cam Barker, Kris Versteeg, Dave Bolland, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook still haven't reached their prime and should be better with each passing year - this is especially true for defencemen. Thus it is safe to say that the Hawks will get another chance to reach the Stanley Cup Finals soon.

Pens are in

2009-05-27T17:40:00.003+02:00

I have to admit that I have been sceptical about the Penguins chances of winning the Stanley Cup. I saw a team with suspect defense and little offensive depth beside their biggest two stars. Now, after the sweep of Carolina and injuries to Detroit's Nick Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk, even I have to admit that they might even beat the Red Wings (or Blackhawks) in the Finals. We all knew that Crosby and Malkin are great, that Fleury can be solid or that Gonchar is a great powerplay quarterback. But the contributions of deadline acquisitions Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz are also very important to the team. Together with Ruslan Fedotenko and Gonchar's future replacement Kris Letang they have provided enough scoring to stop the opposing teams form concentrating only on the two stars. It's also nice to see Mark Eaton, one of the most underrated defenseman in the league, have four goals and be +10 (third on the team behind Crosby and Guerin)

The Russians are fleeing

2009-05-26T19:53:00.002+02:00

With the Pat Quinn story set to take center stage in the world of hockey the other important story might quickly be forgotten. TSN reports that both Sergei Fedeorov and Viktor Kozlov will sign contracts with KHL teams. They were (obviously) not the biggest stars for the Capitals, but still managed to provide some scoring, defensive play and veteran presence. It is doubtful that the Capitals would have resigned them both, but it can be assumed that they wanted at least one of them back. This is a slight blow for the Capitals. What's even more interesting is that none of the two veterans wanted to play alongside their country's biggest star (sorry Geno).

Young goalie's chance

2009-05-25T20:14:00.003+02:00

With the NHL playoffs being so interesting, the AHL's battle for the Calder Cup gets almost no attention. Only the story of Tony Hrkac got some publicity. It's interesting to see four young goalies battling in the Conference Finals. Cory Schneider, Michal Neuvirth and Tukka Rask are the usual suspects - top prospects ready for the NHL, but waiting for a roster spot. Houston Aeros' Anton Khudobin is the weakest of the four statistically, so his performance might be overlooked. The 23-year old Russian was Minnesota's seventh round pick in 2004 and although he played for the Russian junior team at the WJC (silver medals in 2005 and 2006), almost no one expected him to make it to the NHL - even after his 20-1-4 rookie season in the ECHL in 07-08. He actually spent most of the current season in the ECHL and couldn't find his game in the short time he had spent with the Aeros. He still hasn't reached the level of Schneider or Rask, but his performance in the playoffs might make him a candidate to be Niklas Backstrom's backup in Minnesota if Josh Harding gets traded.

Another end for Iron Mike

2009-05-24T15:41:00.004+02:00

Mike Keenan's firing shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. He spent two years as the head coach of the Calgary Flames - his teams qualified for the playoffs twice but never won a playoff round. When he was hired, everyone was afraid that his coaching style will lead to conflicts with the team's forwards - fortunately for the Flames this wasn't the case. He did not limit the offensive production of Jarome Iginla and Mike Cammalleri reached 80 points for the second time in his career.

The surprise of Keenan's tenure was that the Flames, an elite defensive team, were the playoff team that allowed the most goals in the regular season - both the goalie and the defense failed. Keenan didn't fin a way to stabilize Miikka Kiprusoff's stats (regular season GAA from 05-06 till 08-09: 2.07, 2.46, 2.69, 2.84; sv%: .923, .917, .906, .903) and appeared to overwork him. Furthermore Dion Phaneuf, Calgary's young defensive star, had his worst season this year - not only offensively, but also on D. his willingness to get out of position to make a hit was often the reason the Flames lost a goal. The coach had a lot of chances to try and correct Phaenuf's and Kiprusoff's mistakes but wasn't able to do it. Thus Keenan's firing was expected.

Keenan is an interesting case - despite failing as a coach in seven cities (he won a Cup in his only season in New York, but it's argued that his influence on the team was marginal), he will probably be hired soon to "lead his new team to the Stanley Cup".

Huet in, finally

2009-05-23T20:20:00.002+02:00

Whether Nikolai Khabibulin really had an injury or just the coach felt that his performance hurt the team remains unkown, but the fact is that Cristobal Huet got the first chance to play in this years' playoffs. He didn't have much to do, but he managed to stop six shots in a little more than one period - before Patrick Sharp ended the game in OT.

Khabibulin was undoubtedly the weakest goalie remaining in the playoffs - although he is a former Cup winner, his performance in the playoffs was subpar. He outplayed Huet in the regular season, but now the Frenchman has a chance to step up. If he can play, like he did last year for Washington, the Blackhawks could actually beat the Detroit (I think that they have just enough depth to compensate for the loss of Martin Havlat).

Nice move!

2009-05-22T21:16:00.004+02:00

Evgeni Malkin had the most spectacular game of his career and the Penguins inched closer to the Finals. Malkin's third goal is on all highlight reels because of the no-look backhand, but that play had two other interesting aspects. Malkin had the puck on his stick coming from behind the net, but let it go for a moment, as if he wanted to begin a toe-drag move - this appeared to freeze Cam Ward. As a result Ward was setup too low and too far from the post to stop Malkin's great shot. Although Malkin probably didn't plan it exactly that way, the goal is still a sign that he is a great player.

Say no to Giggy

2009-05-21T19:22:00.007+02:00

Everyone's favorite rumor creator Eklund has posted that acquiring Jean-Sebastien Giguere is Flyers GM's Paul Holmgren's offseason priority. Most of the Flyers fans seem to be ok with it, but this acqusition would have a lot of drawbacks. His $6 million cap hit would force the Flyers to clear room by trading Briere (hopefully), Lupul or Jones and letting Knuble walk. But the recent play of Giguere is a bigger concern - he had the worst season of his career in terms of GAA and SV% and lost the starting job to Jonas Hiller. He seems to have lost his confidence and it lead to some soft goals. There is no guarantee that he'll bounce back and his price tag doesn't give any team the luxury of being patient.

It's interesting that Flyers fans are quick to point out that the Vanbiesbrouck signing from 1998 was a mistake, because he was past his prime and there were better options available (CuJo). Giguere has actually had worse numbers than "Beezer" in 1997/98. The problem for the Flyers is that there are no good alternatives - Biron is not a goalie that can steal a series, Niittymaki is streaky and the management doesn't trust him. Kari Lehtonen is inconsistent and it is hard to predict his performance on a team better than the Thrashers. Niklas Backstrom and Tim Thomas - two players the Flyers were also rumored to be after - are gone from the market. This leaves the option of trading for Josh Harding (if he doesn't figure into Minnesota's new management's vision of the team) as the best one - although he too is unproven, he has shown remarkable consistency and rarely made mistakes. His price tag should also be lower than Lehtonen's and and the cap hit a lot lower than Giguere's.

Not a trade-bait anymore

2009-05-20T18:42:00.009+02:00

With the Chicago Blackhawks down 0-2, the great play of Brent Seabrook and Martin Havlat's fight for a new contract it is easy to overlook the contributions of Cam Barker. During the first half of the regular season he was featured in almost all the trade rumors - according to most of them he was supposed to be dealt to Ottawa. Fortunately Chicago avoided a Braydon Coburn situation and kept the former third overall pick. Barker responded with 40 points in 68 games - he benefited from an extended powerplay role (29 PPP) but, although his defensive game needs some improvement, was also quite solid in even strength situations. He continued to play good in the playoffs - he was arguably Chicago's best defenceman against the Flames, but disappeared a little in the series against Vancouver.

Despite great offensive numbers he still remains in the shadow of Brian Campbell, but at least almost everyone agrees that the Blackhawks should do everything to resign him in the summer. If the team lets Havlat go (or at least signs him for no more than 5 million) and hands the goaltending reigns to Cristobal Huet, it will surely have the cap room to keep Barker and another important RFA - Versteeg. But with the Patrick Kane-Jonathan Toews duo (now earning less than 0.9 million each) due for a raise next year and the albatross contracts of Brian Campbell and Huet the Blackhawks must leave themselves some cap room for next year.

Tavares-Hedman deal won't happen

2009-05-19T21:06:00.008+02:00

TSN's Bob McKenzie has speculated that the Islanders will trade down from first to second overall in this years' draft and get Victor Hedman, a 6'6'' Swedish defenceman. This is the kind of move, that Mike Milbury would be proud of - without a surefire offensive prospect (Kyle Okposo is good, albeit streaky, but his development has slowed down) the Islanders, lead by their former backup goalie and current GM Garth Snow, will remain bottom-feeders for the next few years. John Tavares could play in New York in October and has a good chance to be a star as early as in his first season. On the other hand Hedman (like all defenceman) will need more time to develop. And without offensive support on the Islanders, Hedman's progress might be even slower. The fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning, currently holding the second overall pick, already have two forwards, who were first overall picks - Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos and a shallow prospect pool on D, also points to the fact that the situation suggested by McKenzie is not likely to happen.

The next one?

2009-05-19T19:25:00.004+02:00

Here we go.

As of right now Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are respectively first and second in both playoff points and playoff goals. It’s a nice story for the league and it confirms the league’s marketing department’s vision on who the best players are. Ovechkin will not get another point in these playoffs but Crosby statistically has a chance for his first NHL record. Reggie Leach (1975-76) and Jarri Kurri (1984-85) are currently tied for most goals in one playoff year with 19. Crosby’s 12 goals in 14 games put him on a pace for 21 goals in 25 games – a seven game series in the Conference Finals and a four game series in the Cup Finals at the current clip will make him the first playoff 20-goal scorer in the history of NHL. Will he get there? Actually it’s doubtful – in his four years in the NHL he never scored as often as now for a longer period of time. There’s also a high chance of him getting finally tired from other teams’ physical play and the higher tempo of play in the playoffs.