Ice Chat - NHL News

NHL Releases 2008 Entry Draft Site

2008-05-12T13:06:00.001-07:00

The NHL continues to make baby steps in the right direction when it comes to the use of the World Wide Web as today they launched their NHL 2008 Entry Draft site.

No longer are you relegated to browsing through PDF files downloaded from some obscure location on the NHL.com site. You can now browse through all the skaters right within your browser as they've coded everything up in HTML.

That's the right way to do it! I hope they keep pushing forward with new online initiatives such as their new NHL.tv player, their early adoption of blogs including ones from celebrities like Kevin Smith and now setting up a specific site for what is one of their premiere events in the NHL entry draft.

People want more and more information and they want it online in an easily digestible format. Now if only they had added some sort of forum for people to talk about the draft...

Related Links
Countdown to Draft '08

Marty Turco Silences Doubters

2008-05-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

If Marty Turco didn't silence his doubters last year with his 1.30GAA, .950 save percentage and 3 shutouts in the Stars first round exit, then I can't see how they could still be talking after last night's performance.

Marty Turco is absolutely the only reason the Dallas Stars are headed to the conference semi-finals to face the Detroit Red Wings. He faced 62 shots in the Stars marathon win - 8th longest in playoff history - over the San Jose Sharks and did it with style. Turco's amazing save on Patrick Marleau was the defining moment of last night's game and the entire series.

The Sharks owned the vast majority of this game including the first three overtime periods and needed their goaltender to steal them this one. I have to wonder though, just how much magic Turco will be able to pull out against the Red Wings.

NHL Finally Figures Out New Media?

2008-04-05T17:09:00.001-07:00

It appears that this coming Wednesday will herald a big change at NHL.com. The website will be host to NHL Online which is described as a seven-channel digital network - really? they have digital on computers these days? - which will bring you further inside the league than you could ever imagine.

The biggest issue I've had with the NHL - ok, maybe just one of the issues - has been the lack of access to interesting content. From hot dog reviews by Rick Dipietro to shopping sessions with Alexander Ovechkin, this appears to be taking steps to remedy that.

In today's world, online video is huge and second-nature and the NHL tried to answer with the NHL.tv portal earlier this year. The final grade? A giant F. The filing system is confusing at best, videos are rarely updated - who wants to watch a pre-game media conference two days after the game? - and where are these "Classic Games" that are supposed to be there?

So will this be the panacea to keep casual and hardcore fans interested in the game? Or will they launch this and fail at the ultimate litmus test of all online endeavours: regular updated content.

Related Links
NHL all the time with NHL Online

Ilya Kovalchuk to be Suspended? Think Again

2008-01-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

Eric over at the FanHouse brought up a game of "Guess the Suspension" which, with Colin Campbell as disciplinarian, is always a crapshoot.

However I think this one has an easy answer. Zero.

The league has always gone a little soft on suspensions for star players and I can't see this one being any different.

Fortunately for Kovalchuk, you could spot Roszival glance over his shoulder and see Kovalchuk coming. That might be all Campbell needs to say "Players need to protect themselves better" and then hope it all goes away.

Remember the Ovechkin hit on Briere? Not only was he not suspended, Campbell didn't even give him any sort of verbal reprimand.

If that's not a double-standard, I don't know what is.

UPDATE: Shortly after publishing this, Kukla put up a link to the official announcement of a one-game suspension. I bet that'll teach him a lesson.

Notable quote from Kovalchuk:
“I just tried to finish my check, and he kind of turned right before I tried to hit him,” he said.

Dude, we've got it on video. Roszival had his back turned the whole time.

Related Links
Kovalchuk Hits Roszival Video

Ovechkin Signs Record Contract

2008-01-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

It was reported very early at On Frozen Blog, TSN then said "Hang on a sec..." and now TSN is declaring it officially finished.

Yes, Alexander Ovechkin has shockingly re-signed with the Washington Capitals. My condolences to all Habs and Preds fans.

"What's the price?" you might be asking? Well it's the steepest price in history. It weighs in at a 13 years and a whopping $124M US. I have trouble fathoming having that amount of money.

"What is he going to do with it?" you might ask next? Whatever the hell he wants!

Alexander Ovechkin now has the richest contract in the NHL and the dollar values are well-deserved. He's scored more goals over the past 3 years than anyone in the NHL and he did it with virtually nobody around him.

However that begs the question of how you build a team when nearly 1/5th of your cap amount is going towards one player?

Add in contracts to Michael Nylander and Alexander Semin, both around $4.5M next year, and you've got the makings of a Tampa Bay Lightning squad.

Of course for now they have Olie the Goalie to shore up the pipes but he's a UFA at the end of the year and is 37 years of age.

He's not a long-term solution and they may not be able to afford a top-tier goaltender once they fill up their roster for next year.

Hopefully Mr. Mcphee can pull it off and start drawing some crowds so the other teams aren't paying for the privilege of having Ovechkin score against them!

Sidney Crosby Channels Gordie Howe

2007-12-20T20:25:00.001-08:00

Sidney Crosby hit another milestone in his young yet illustrious career as he scored his first Gordie How hat trick.

In the Pens 5-4 victory over the Bruins tonight, Sid the Kid dropped the mitts with Andrew Ference and looked good while doing so.

He immediately knocked off the helmet and tried to jersey him. Of course with the fight straps that didn't work so well so he decided to let 'em fly. He got in about 3 good shots that I could spot before Ference wrestled him down. Ference walked away with blood coming from his skull and Crosby looked no worse for wear.

But hey, he's from Canada and all Canadians know how to fight on skates, eh.

Straight From the Horse's Mouth

2007-12-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

The Calgary Sun has an excellent article up where they polled NHL players on various questions such as "Who is the smartest player?" and "Who is the most overrated?"

It's well worth the read. Of course for myself as an Avalanche fan I got particular joy out of Sakic being #2 on the smartest list and Phaneuf being #3 on the overrated list.

Sure, Bertuzzi was #1 but did we really need a poll for that?

Glenn Healy Mocks Kari Lehtonen Ad Nauseam

2007-12-14T18:44:00.000-08:00

So I get home after a long day of work and notice that the Leafs are playing the Thrashers on TSN. I enjoy watching the Leafs get beat as much as anybody so I figured I'd tune in and hope for the best. Unfortunately it was already 2-0 for the Leafs at that point but hey, it's Friday and I'm tired so I'll keep watching.

The third period starts and I hear Glenn Healy call Kari Lehtonen "Kari Let-it-in". And I think "Ok, I guess he gave up a stinker." Well, when they finally showed the replays it turns out he has let in 2 stinkers.

One was a giveaway behind the net and the other was a shot from nearly below the goal line. Clearly goals you don't want to give up in a game. And remember, I'm an Avalanche fan so I feel their pain.

During the replays, Healy again referred to Lehtonen as "Let-it-in" where he clearly enunciates each separate word to ensure you know he's making a joke. A lame, juvenile joke.

At the end of the replays though, Healy shows a clip where Ilya Kovalchuk tosses his hands up in frustration at the second softie. He then proceeds to berate Kovalchuk for not giving his goaltender a break because it's not like Kovalchuk has never made a mistake.

Talk about jumping from foot-to-foot to suit your needs, you grandiose ass. Now anyone who watches TSN knows that Healy is a vehement defender of goaltenders in any situation. And if anyone knows about goaltenders making mistakes, it's got to be Healy.

Which makes it all the more baffling that he'll continuously call a goaltender by a childish, demeaning nickname live and on the air. Does TSN not have better standards than this? I thought the "real media" was above cat-calls and juvenile mocking.

Oh, and Toronto just scored twice to make it 4-0. I'm changing channels.

Flyers Deal Timonen to Stars

2007-12-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

A tricky headline by the folks over at TSN nearly had me eating my own words. Just as I was thinking about how few trades there were going to be this year based on who the rumoured targets are, I saw the headline on TSN:
Flyers Trade D Timonen to Dallas

It was the fourth article meaning it was relegated to the right side as just a headling with no blurb. And for a Timonen trade, that seemed a bit odd. Sure, it didn't involve any Canadian teams but a deal like this should be more important than the Leafs being ready for a game, right?

And on a sidenote, when has a team ever said "Damn man, we're not ready for this team at all. Stake the farm against us, we're gonna lose."??

Anyways, in this case, it was Jussi Timonen who was a fifth round pick by the Flyers in 2001. So on finding that out, I think it can fall even farther down the TSN article list. But kudos to them for drawing more page views by not giving away that it wasn't Kimmo Timonen.

Broadstreet Bullies Back in Action

2007-11-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

So I log on to TSN.ca to check the latest scores and what do I find? Another article about a Flyer slamming a Bruins player into the boards. This time it was Scott Hartnell rubbing Andrew Alberts face into the boards while Alberts was sliding on his knees.

It was a supposed grudge match between the teams after Randy Jones knocked Patrice Bergeron out of the game on October 27th. This was not long after Jesse Boulerice tried to KO Ryan Kesler with his stick. Oh, and remember before that it was Steve Downie going airborn on Dean McAmmond.

There has to be some supplemental discipline to the team this time. Four times before the halfway point of the season is far more than a coincidence.

Related Links
Scott Hartnell Hit on Andrew Alberts
Flyers Need Message Sent After Another Cheap Shot
Flyers Cross the Line Again

The Neil Show Interviews TSN's James Duthie

2007-11-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

The Neil Show at nhldigest.com recently sat down with TSN panel host James Duthie. In typical style, Duthie has some humourous comments mixed in with some solid hockey thoughts.

If you watch the TSN hockey panel and don't think that Duthie is the glue holding the group together...what show are you watching?

Related Links
The Neil Show Interviews James Duthie

Pinky and the Brain Twins

2007-11-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, thoughts about the Ohlund slash aside, Derek Boogard has come up with the line of the month for sure. When asked about what would happen the next time the Wild and Canucks meet, he stated:
"Maybe I can go and check Naslund or those Pinky and the Brain twins."

Ah, Pinky and the Brain. One is a genius, the others insane. They're laboratory mice, they're genes have been spliced, etc, etc. What a great show and what a great reference to a couple creepy looking, yet insanely skilled Swedish twins.

Related Links
Boogard Blast Canucks

Danny Markov Signs in Russia

2007-10-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Paul Kukla reports that Danny Markov has signed with Dynamo Moscow in Russia. The deal is believed to be for 2 years at around $2M US per year. The deal has an out-clause so he could return to the NHL if a team presents him with an offer he agrees with.

Was there seriously no team willing to give this guy a deal on similar terms? He was reportedly looking for a $3.5M per year deal during the offseason so signing for almost half is a bit surprising.

However, he is from Moscow and may have weighed the option of playing in his home country as worth more than the extra cash he was looking for in the NHL. Good luck to him.

Shooting Down the Tavares Rumours

2007-10-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

The big talk yesterday was the supposed discussions between John Tavares and John Ferguson Jr. JFJ was allegedly attempting to convince Tavares to sign with the Marlies to play in the AHL this season. It would be a one-year deal with a *wink,nudge* agreement where Tavares would refuse to sign with the team that drafts him in 2009, likely forcing a trade to the Leafs.

The only problem...Tavares is ineligible to play in the AHL under the current rules. From the Globe Article: "Only players who turn 18 by Sept. 15 are allowed to play in the AHL that season, which means Tavares would not be eligible to play until the 2009-10 season, the same year he becomes eligible for the NHL draft."

So he's going to sign with the Marlies this season to...not play with the Marlies this season? He's certainly not going anywhere this season so maybe it's the start of a plan to sign him for next season?

Tavares is in an interesting position but it doesn't look like anybody is about to bend the rules for him. Even if it is an arbitrary rule.

Related Links
Bob McKenzie Remains Skeptical
Mirtle: Toronto Eyes Tavares
Shoalts: Hint of Logic Behind Story

Boulerice Gets 25 Games

2007-10-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

Jesse Boulerice has been handed a 25-game suspension for his hit on Ryan Kesler. Kesler is all right after the hit and should be in the lineup tonight to face the Oilers. However the hit was as dirty as it can get and was really for no good reason. He and Kesler were battling back and forth all night then Kesler hit - legally - a Flyers D and Boulerice greeted him with a stick to the jaw.

25 games matches Simon's suspension and is a bit more than Downie's. So it was a lengthy suspension. A lifetime ban would have been better. Yes, he was sorry after and didn't try to justify his actions after the game. It looked like he was trying to goad Kesler into a fight. But this isn't a one-time offender. He has a history - he was charged with assault while in the OHL - of making stupid decisions on the ice.

Why should he be privileged with a spot on any teams roster?

Related Links
Duhatschek Weighs In
Bob McKenzie Has Some Thoughts

Price Solid in NHL Debut

2007-10-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

I waited anxiously all day yesterday for the chance to catch Carey Price's debut against the Penguins and he did not disappoint. He played a rock solid game on his way to winning his regular season debut against the Penguins by a score of 3-2.

He got help from the post at times - what goaltender hasn't - but he made flashy saves look routine and appeared to not even break a sweat during the game. His poise and confidence just emanates forth and at times I wondered if he knew just how many people were studiously watching his performance.

After watching his play during the World Juniors and hearing of his heroics during the Bulldogs Calder Cup run, I couldn't help but be excited. And I'm not even a Habs fan. Once you find out how hard he worked to make his hockey career happen, there should be no way you could not want him to succeed. Except when he plays your team.

Related Links
AP - Price Wins Debut
Canada.com - Price Picks up Win
Globe and Mail - Wharnsby:Is Price Destined for Greatness

Matt Keetley Sheds "Fat Matt" Moniker

2007-10-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

NHL.com has an excellent article up on Calgary Flames prospect Matt Keetley's rise to the NHL. I was surprised to read he was formerly a 240lbs youngster with a slushie addiction. You wouldn't know it after seeing the performances he put on with the Tigers during their Memorial Cup run.

He has been an extremely clutch goaltender in the WHL and was a huge part of the Tigers making it to the Memorial Cup Final, a year in which he won the WHL's Most Valuable Player award. His career GAA in the WHL hovers around the 2.0 mark and his save percentage is around .920. Solid numbers for a goaltender who was only ever expected to be a backup, if that.

He's not ranked high by Hockey's Future (6.0C) but he'll take that as a challenge.

Milbury Fitting in Nicely with TSN

2007-10-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Globe has an article up on Mike Milbury's position as a studio analyst for TSN. They are entirely positive about his performance and I was extremely happy as well. Maybe it's just leftover from having Tie Domi sit in on the panel at the start of last year and completely blowing it, but I enjoyed his commentary.

You don't need to agree with everything an analyst says - something I feel people forget at times - but you can at least respect the way he says it. Milbury, the architect of a DiPietro for Luongo trade among others, pulled no punches in his analysis of Raycroft starting over Toskala calling it "absolutely crazy".

He was quick to provide his opinion, he didn't interrupt, he didn't get upset if someone disagreed with him, and he presented it all in a fairly calm manner. All the hallmarks of a good commentator/analyst.

The same cannot be said for Pierre McGuire's "rookie watch". Take a breath, Pierre. Take a breath.

Downie Suspended for 20 Games

2007-09-28T11:18:00.001-07:00

The league has handed down a 20-game suspension to Steve Downie following his hit on Ottawa's Dean McAmmond. It's a lengthy suspension compared to similar incidents but it appears the NHL is ready to finally start sending a message. That message being: you will be punished. No longer is the message: We frown on this.

And it's about time as I'm sick and tired of seeing players carted off the ice on stretchers. I know a lot of people, mostly Flyers fans, are calling it an overreaction. However that's comparing it to previous suspensions like Prongers elbows. Unfortunately, there will always be a double standard when it comes to punishments. However, there will also always be a time where the punishments need to be re-evaluated to ensure it's a useful punishment.

This is one of those times.

Duhatschek: NHL Gets it Exactly Right
Mirtle: "[It's] long overdue"
Two For Elbowing: "Good for them"

TSN Releases Power Rankings

2007-09-28T01:09:00.001-07:00

With the season almost set to begin, TSN has issued their first set of power rankings. Topping the list are the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks, in that order.

It's hard to get in too much of a tizzy over this since the season has yet to get underway. So to folks who get rankled over rankings like this, sit back, grab a beer, take a screen cap of the page and enjoy the season. Then once it's over, look back at the screen cap and get a chuckle at its inaccuracy.

Because no doubt about it, there are going to be surprises along the way.

Heatley Deal at a Crossroads

2007-09-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

It appears the Ottawa Senators and Dany Heatley's agents are hitting the wall during contract talks. The two sides have agreed to take a break and re-evaluate their positions before giving it another shot in about a week.

Heatley, who has had back-to-back 50 goal, 100+ point seasons, is reportedly seeking a long-term deal averaging $8.5M per year, similar to Sidney Crosby's extension. Or at least that's what his agents are reportedly seeking. The Senators, meanwhile, are countering with a figure closer to $7M, in line with Joe Thornton's contract extension.

If the Senators can't lock him up at $8.5M,then somebody will be willing to pay that come free agency in the summer. Those who are claiming Heatley isn't worth "Crosby money" are forgetting how inflated the free agent market is. If he does become unrestricted and puts in another 50-goal season, he could command in excess of $8.5M.

McKee Out 4-6 Weeks With Broken Foot

2007-09-28T00:47:00.000-07:00

The Blues have announced that Jay McKee has to sit out at least the first month of the season with a broken foot. He suffered the injury while blocking a shot in the Blues 7-0 walloping at the hands of the Wild. The injury won't require surgery to heal properly so he's set to come back in late October/early November.

I'm not too high on the "injury-prone" label but if I was, I'd be attaching it to Mr. McKee. Check out his injury list just from Sep 05 through to 07. He only played 23 games last season with the Blues, contributing 0 points and gathering a -9 rating. That's certainly not the performance the Blues envisioned when signing him to a 4 year, $16M contract last year.

Luongo Set to Retire Based on Net Size

2007-09-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

So Roberto Luongo says he would retire if the NHL expanded the net size. The idea of expanding the net size came up back in the lockout glory days and at first, I was happy it wasn't instituted. It seemed like a stupid idea that would wreck "the tradition of the game". After much analysis and reading rationale on both sides...I still think it's a stupid idea.

Luongo might come off sounding like a baby until you really think about it. He has learned to play his position based on...positioning. He knows where the net is at all times and it's just instinctive. If the net size were to change, scoring would go up because the goaltenders would look like fools.

They wouldn't know where the net was without thinking about it or looking to see where they are positioned. And it wouldn't be some sort of quick adjustment for them either since it's ingrained in their movements.

There are ways to increase offensive opportunities and while larger nets is one of them...it's still a stupid idea.

Dean McAmmond Concussed Again

2007-09-25T21:44:00.001-07:00

Dean McAmmond was carted off the ice again tonight after a vicious hit by Steve Downie left him face down on the ice.

There is no doubt the hit was ill-intentioned (Downie was plastered earlier in the shift) and it shows blatant disregard for player safety. If anyone says "McAmmond should keep his head up.", then you're not grounded in reality. How many players do people need to see face down and motionless to realize it's a problem?

After Brian McGrattan's post-game comments, I just hope nothing even more stupid happens the next time these teams meet. If Downie is still on the roster.

Bob McKenzie weighs in with an excellent post. Click here to read it.

Please Dean, just retire.

Dan Cloutier Placed on Waivers

2007-09-21T10:18:00.001-07:00

Dan Cloutier has been placed on waivers by the L.A. Kings. So shortly after he decided the best way to end the catcalls was by playing better, the Kings decided it would be much easier to end the catcalls if he just didn't play for them anymore.

It sounds like Jonathan Bernier has impressed enough in camp that he and Jason Labarbera will share duties. Bernier is quite young and we've seen what happens with goaltenders rushed in too early ala Marc-Andre Fleury. I hope for nothing but the best for Bernier but I'm concerned.

I wonder if Marc Crawford will be Cloutier's agent when he signs his next contract. If he signs another contract.

Report: NHL Schedule Format to Change

2007-09-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

After a 4-hour board of governor's meeting, it appears the schedule is set to change next year. Though it hasn't been voted on, it sounds like it's almost unanimous at this point and Mr. Bettman himself said it's apparent the schedule needs to change. Who knew.

To paraphrase Dan O'Toole from SportsCentre: "The fans wanted the NHL to change the schedule. So the NHL changed the uniforms." Sounds about right.

The main issue now is exactly what the change should entail. The main two options appear to be:

1 - dropping to seven divisional matchups then playing each team in the other conference once

2 - dropping to six divisional matchups then playing a home-and-home against every team in the other conference.

If I had to pick one, I'd choose #2. It would mean more travel for the players but I think it would be more exciting for the fans. So with that said, #1 will be chosen.

UPDATE: Bob McKenzie weighed in with his thoughts. He's betting on a return to the pre-lockout format:

- Six games against each of the four divisional rivals for a total of 24 games.

- Four games against each of the 10 conference rivals for a total of 40 games.

- One game against each of the 15 out-of-conference teams for a total of 15 games.

- Three wildcard games (which for the Canadian teams meant more games between the eastern trio of Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto and western trio of Calgary-Edmonton-Vancouver)

Works for me. Obviously has worked in the past. Why it changed nobody will ever truly know.

Buffalo - Pittsburgh Ice Bowl Sells Out

2007-09-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

A day after the announcement of an outdoor game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh, it has been sold out.

Buffalo is a decent city to host an outdoor game as the weather, while below freezing, is still fairly mild. That didn't stop Eklund from praising the fans as they bought tickets to an outdoor game "in one of the coldest cities in North America".

With an average temperature in early January of about -3 degrees Celsius and with the thermometer not having dipped below -17 degrees Celsius in a couple decades, it's a pretty ideal venue for an outdoor game. I'd actually hope for it to be a little colder than -3 but maybe that's just the Saskatchewan in me coming out.

McKenzie: NHLPA Ire Misses the Mark

2007-09-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Bob McKenzie has a great article up in his TSN blog about the NHLPA reaction to Mark Bell's suspension. It's a long read but well worth it.

The NHLPA almost has to come to the defense of their players on any issue. However that's going to lead to a lot of friction down the line. It shouldn't be an "us vs. them" mentality but it looks like that's the way it's going.

For more excellent readings on the NHLPA, check out James Mirtle's suite of posts surrounding the recent meetings.

Senators Sign Fisher to Extension

2007-09-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Ottawa Senators have signed Mike Fisher to a five-year, $21M extension. Fisher, while mildly "injury prone", is an extremely hard worker on the ice. He has tons of grit and leadership and he can also put points on the board with 48 points in 68 games last season.

Some folks are worried that one of their big guns in Heatley and Spezza have been forced to be expendable. However Redden ($6.5M) will likely hit the free market feeding frenzy in the summer and Murray will be doing all possible to dump Gerbers salary ($3.7M).

Taking in a 0% increase in the cap, that leaves the Senators with $14M in cap space. Plenty left to sign a quality backup and fill out their forward roster. Don't worry Sens fans, it will all work out.

3 Canucks Players Injured in Intrasquad Match

2007-09-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Roberto Luongo, Trevor Linden and Sami Salo all left the annual intrasquad game with injuries. Roberto Luongo caught a one-timer up high, Salo jammed his wrist which is now in a cast, and Linden pulled his groin.

Vigneault seemed unconcerned of Luongo's injury but both Linden and Salo will be re-evaluated on Monday. It's unknown at the moment if Salo's wrist is broken.

Tough start to the preseason for the Canucks.

Ducks Won't Repeat

2007-09-15T16:28:00.001-07:00

That's right folks, the Ducks hopes of repeating took a serious blow last night as they lost their first preseason game to the Los Angeles Kings.

It'll be interesting to see how the Ducks rebound from this setback.

Mark Bell Suspended

2007-09-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

Mark Bell has been suspended by the league for 15 games for his involvement in a hit and run incident which will possibly see him serve jail time once the season is up. He can still practice and train with the team during that time.

The NHLPA of course does not agree with the suspension stating:

"The NHLPA sees no basis for the excessive suspension Gary Bettman has imposed upon Mark Bell. Mark has fully accepted the serious consequences of his actions."

Well, it's fair enough to accept the consequences of your actions but there is still a price that needs to be paid. I think jail time plus a 15 game suspension is a decent deterrent if any other NHL folks decide to step behind the wheel after having some drinks.

But what about Jay Bouwmeester?

Saku Koivu Says No to Stanley

2007-09-04T19:03:00.001-07:00

Saku Koivu thinks the Canadiens have a playoff team this year. But he doesn't think they'll be holding the Stanley Cup when June rolls around. In remarks to reporters this afternoon, Saku delivered some refreshing honesty which put a smile on Bob Gainey's face. Next time, Gainey will likely want to cut Saku's mic midway through his answers.

I wonder what Saku answers when his wife asks "Do I look fat in this?"

Roenick Sharking It Up

2007-09-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Roenick isn't retiring after all. He has signed a one-year contract for $500K with the San Jose Sharks. It's surprising that a decent team signed him rather than a team looking for some veteran presence. The Sharks have a young squad but also have players such as Marleau, Thornton, Grier, Rivet, McLaren, etc. to bring the veteran presence.

If he finds a good spot on the 3rd or 4th line and contribute, then he's an excellent deal for the Sharks at almost the league minimum. If he can't, well he just might retire after he finds the net 5 times to reach 500 in his career. It'll be no real skin off the Sharks back.

Marleau Signs 2-year Extension

2007-08-31T11:19:00.000-07:00

The ballyhoo is over and Patrick Marleau has signed a 2-year extension with the Sharks. The deal pays him $6M per year and keeps him in teal through 09/10. So it appears some folks were wrong on thinking Marleau would be shipped out, even when Wilson continually denied it. And it appears other folks were right saying he wasn't going anywhere. I'm not saying who those people were but I'm sure you can all figure it out.

Patrick is consistently one of the most underrated players in the league, possibly due to the expectation people had as he entered the NHL as an 18-year old WHL phenom. He hardly misses a game (20 missed games in 9 seasons), has deceptive speed, great patience and good hands. The last 2 seasons he's been a point-per-game producer and, while having an off series against Detroit, has been an excellent playoff performer.

Doug Wilson's quote from the official release sums it all up:
“Patrick understands what we are trying to do, where we’ve been and where we’re going,” said Wilson. “He appreciates what our goals are and where we need to go. That is very important. Patrick is among the game’s top forwards and his stats speak for themselves”

Best Bang for the Buck - Goaltending, Finale

2007-08-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

I was off at wedding festivities for a good friend of mine most of the weekend so I'm a bit late. By my timezone though, I still got this out before the weekend was over.

This one took a lot more thought than picking a winner for Bang for the Buck on Defense. Goaltending is more than just stats and numbers as the defensive corps of a team can make a huge difference on how well the goaltender looks.

So aside from just perusing stats and projecting abilities for next season I've tried to take into account who was playing in front of the goaltender. If you feel my picks are way off base, feel free to leave a comment.

We'll start with a rundown of the final four, in alphabetical order.

Buffalo Sabres - $3.4M
Ryan Miller played on the #1 offensive team in the league last season and didn't put up eye-popping numbers. His GAA was 2.73 and his save percentage was .911. Not exactly stellar on paper. But on screen it was a whole different story. He was a rock in goal for Buffalo and gave them the freedom to play a run-and-gun style offense with little thought for the consequences. With a winning percentage of 63%, he's a steal at just $2.7M for the next years.

Calgary Flames - $3.3M
Miika Kiprusoff continues to be cool as a cucumber for the Calgary Flames - at least for one more year. Posting up numbers of 2.46 and .917, he continues to show that he is one of the premier goaltenders in the world today. Next year he will wave goodbye to his $3.33M cap hit and quite possibly find himself in a new city as well.

Minnesota Wild - $3.8M
Manny Fernandez was given the #1 job when Roloson was traded but when he suffered an untimely injury, Nicklas Backstrom proved he was up to the test. Posting stellar numbers of 1.97 and .929, Backstrom soon made Fernandez expandable as well. A 41 game season is a decent test for a goaltending but how will Backstrom do with upwards of 60 starts? If he falters, Josh Harding will be waiting.

New Jersey Devils - $5.9M
Martin Brodeur is still a good deal at a cap hit of $5.2M. He won 62% of his games while posting a GAA of 2.18 and a save percentage of .922. His numbers dipped a bit in the playoffs as the Lightning seemed find a hole in his game, but he still managed a GAA of 2.44 with a .916 save percentage. Just as you shouldn't bet against Randy Couture in UFC, you shouldn't bet against Marty Brodeur.

Let's jump right into the winning order now:

#4 - Minnesota Wild - $3.8M
Nicklas Backstrom showed he could get it done for half a season, but can he get it done for a full season? Josh Harding played superb in his 7 games last year so looks to make a very safe backup should Backstrom falter.

#3 - New Jersey Devils - $5.9M
The highest cap hit of the bunch but for good reason. Martin Brodeur is world-class and the reigning workhorse of the league with 78 games under his belt last season. Kevin Weekes will show up for his half dozen or less games and as long as he wins 2 or 3 of those, the Devils should be happy.

#2 - Buffalo Sabres - $3.4M
Ryan Miller stepped up his game in the playoffs and Jocelyn Thibault will be a competent backup for the 15 games he's likely to see. If Miller can find the ability to put in a 70+ game season, he'll be moving into some illustrious company.

#1 - Calgary Flames - $3.3M
Miika Kiprusoff pulls out the win here, as he often does in goal. Calgary gave up a lot of shots last year and Kiprusoff was there to bail them out more times than they can count. His calm demeanor might be a bit too calming, making it easy for the Flames to think less about defense and more about offense. He'll be looking for a big contract next year so look for his numbers to improve.

Honorable Mention

Vancouver Canucks - $7.4M
Yes, it's a lot of cash but it's hard to argue against a world-class goaltender - and in my opinion the best goaltender in the NHL - receiving that kind of money. A goaltender that can carry a team on his back almost into the conference finals is near priceless. He also posted a 2.29 GAA and .921 save pct in the regular season and upped those numbers to 1.77 and .941 in the playoffs. Who wouldn't want him?

Best Bang for the Buck - Goaltending, Part 3

2007-08-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

It's the final installment before I pick a winner in the Best Bang for the Buck - Goaltending series. Part 1 and Part 2 are still available on the homepage.

Ottawa Senators - $6.9M
Ray Emery was rewarded with a 3-year, $9.5M contract over the summer after cementing himself as the #1 in Ottawa. With Martin Gerber making nearly $4M per year, you can bet the Senators will be looking to move him at the right price. As long as Emery continues to improve, and all indications are that he will, the Senators need to find a backup who can play about 15 games over the season while being light on the pocket book.

Philadelphia Flyers - $4.7M
Martin Biron was brought in at the trade deadline to become the Flyers #1 goaltender for the remainder of the year. He was then signed to a two-year extension and is expected to be the #1 this year as well. However Antero Niitymaki, also signed to a two-year extension, will look to challenge him for that title. Niitymaki is coming off of a poor season where he posted 9-29-9 record, 3.38 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in 52 games. This duo has potential and, with an improved defensive corps, could live up to it.

Pittsburgh Penguins - $1.9M
Marc-Andre Fleury is still working on his game but he's shown obvious improvements every year. I still feel the sting of his unfortunate mishap during the '04 World Juniors but I forgive him. At a cap hit of just $1.3M, he looks to be a bargain this year. Dany Sabourin and Ty Conklin were brought in to battle it out for the backup position and should provide reasonable results. Conklin is on a two-way contract while Sabourin, poached off of waivers by the Canucks last year, is one-way. Those two pieces of information could play into who gets the backup job.

Phoenix Coyotes - $1.4M
The Coyotes have a logjam in the crease and they're still under the league minimum salary by a fair amount. They signed David Aebischer to a dirt cheap $600,000 contract but based on his play in Montreal, that might not be too out of whack. Mikael Tellqvist is still on board and the Coyotes added Alex Auld recently. With prospect David Leneveau in the background, it will make for quite a battle in training camp. Aebischer and Auld have everything to prove and everything to lose at this point but can either handle the pressure?

San Jose Sharks - 5.4M
Evgeni Nabokov is in as the undisputed #1 after Vesa Toskala was traded to Toronto. The writing was on the wall for Toskala long ago and finally Doug Wilson found an appropriate trading partner. Nabokov played well in the regular season and playoffs and is quite capable of stealing games when necessary. The new backup, Dimitri Patzold, comes in on the heels of a couple slight fallback seasons in the AHL after previously showing continuous improvement. He likely won't be called upon too much as Nabokov will likely gobble up 65+ starts with Toskala out of the picture.

St. Louis Blues - $2.7M
Manny Legace put up decent numbers with the Blues last season as he split duties with Curtis Sanford and Jason Bacashihua. Sanford is gone and Hannu Toivonen is in to challenge Bacashihua for the backup position/#1b position. Not an enviable crew by any means but they do have Marek Schwarz being groomed in the background.

Tampa Bay Lightning - $3.9M
The goaltending duo of Marc Denis and Johan Holmqvist returns to give John Tortorella more fits than he can shake a stick at. Denis and Holmqvist combined to produce a league worst goals to shots ratio and often left Tortorella frothing at the mouth after their performances. Note to Tortorella: sometimes screaming doesn't help.

Toronto Maple Leafs - $4.1M
The Leafs made their goaltending situation interesting after acquiring Vesa Toskala from the Sharks. Andrew Raycroft, brought in last year to be the #1 in exchange for top prospect Tuuka Raask, fizzled out and never performed up to the lofty expectations set upon a Calder winning goaltender. If Raycroft isn't dealt before the season begins, there will be a battle for the #1 spot which I believe will be won by Vesa Toskala. The Leafs also have Scott Clemmenson in the fold who would become the backup if/when Raycroft is dealt.

Vancouver Canucks - $7.4M
What can be said about Roberto Luongo. Like him or love him, he's one of the best in the world and anybody who thinks otherwise is deluding him or herself. The Canucks have brought in Curtis Sanford who should prepare himself to start about half a dozen games this season. Luongo has slowly increased his amount of starts each year but I've got to believe he won't start more than 76 games. If he does, I'll start to question whether he's a robot sent back in time and not an actual living, breathing human.

Washington Capitals - $6.3M
Olaf Kolzig continues to fly under the radar as one of the better goaltenders in the league. Of course a lot of that has to do with his choice to stay with the Washington Capitals for so long. His numbers have declined slightly, in accordance with Washington's declines, and at 37 years old is likely not going be a game breaker anymore. However he's a great mentor for Brent Johnson who will back up Kolzig again this year.

And so ends the review of all 30 teams in the league. I will let this all sink in for everyone, including myself, and post up the winners sometime over the weekend.

Best Bang for the Buck - Goaltending, Part 2

2007-08-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

Continuing my Best Bang for the Buck - Goaltending series, part two is below.

Detroit Red Wings - $4.9M
Hasek held out for a full season with the Wings and helped lead them to the Western Conference finals with a steller 1.78 GAA and .923 save percentage. His regular season numbers, 2.05 and .913, were also exceptional and he has shown that he still has it. Sure, he was playing behind the team that gave up the least shots against per game but the goals to shots ratio was still in the top-half of the league. Chris Osgood was very capable in a backup role and could become an adequate starter should Hasek succumb to an injury.

Edmonton Oilers - $4.8M
The Oilers snagged Mathieu Garon to fill up the backup role behind their #1, Dwayne Roloson. Roloson played decently last season but is still saddled with inconsistency issues. He will come up with huge saves from time to time but then falls back to being an average goaltender shortly afterwords. If he can't shake off those troubles, the Oilers may lean on Garon to take some pressure off Roloson as he tends to play better under a 1a/1b situation.

Florida Panthers - $6.4M
After acquiring Tomas Vokoun on draft day, they signed Craig Anderson to back him up. With these two deals, they've again landed a solid #1 goaltender and a decent backup. It wasn't a long wait for Panthers fans after seeing their franchise netminder, Roberto Luongo, shipped out west. Vokoun carries a pretty hefty price tag of $5.7M per season which lands him up amongst the highest paid goaltenders in the league.

Los Angeles Kings - $3.9M
The Kings have an issue in the crease and Dan Cloutier is most definitely not the answer. When he's not injured, he's underperforming and putting up a near 4.00 GAA. Labarbera won the Best Goaltending award in the AHL last year - he also won it in 03/04 - and this could be his first full year in the NHL. It appears he has the potential but it's anyone's guess if he'll ever fully realize it.

Minnesota Wild - $3.8M
When Manny Fernandez went down with injury, Niklas Backstrom stepped up to the plate and eventually superceded Fernandez as the #1, posting a stellar 1.97 GAA and .929 save percentage. With Josh Harding primed for his first full season as a backup this duo, on paper, looks excellent.

Montreal Canadiens - $3.4M
Cristobal Huet was not the saviour that all Canadiens fans were hoping for. And when he went down to a hamstring injury, the supposed #1b David Aebischer couldn't hold on to the ball leading to Jaroslav Halak being called up. Halak played so well that many felt he was the saviour they were hoping for. Wrong again. With Huet healed up for this season, Halak is likely to back him up while the organization grooms their true saviour, Carey Price.

Nashville Predators - $1.8M
Chris Mason was only ever regarded as a minor-leaguer with potential to be a backup in the NHL. However when Tomas Vokoun went down to a thumb injury, he stepped in admirably posting a 2.38 GAA and .925 save percentage. Pekka Rinne will play the role of the unproven backup to back up the unproven #1. Rinne performed well in the AHL last season but management has to feel a tinge of fear with this duo. But they may be too caught up with other things to care.

New Jersey Devils - $5.9M
After turning in a standard Brodeur performance, a Vezina winning one at that, in the regular season, he seemed to falter a bit in the playoffs. His numbers were excellent but he seemed a bit lost on the ice. Could we be seeing the start of the downward slide of the pressure-loving Brodeur? I doubt it. With Weekes to back him up if he does falter, there isn't a big safety net.

New York Islanders - $5.0M
After signing a 15-year contract, Rick DiPietro put in a good performance in the 06/07 season as the Islanders had one of the best ratios of goals against to shots against. Wade Dubielwicz put up decent numbers but played in less than 10 games so it's tough to judge what he'll do as a backup who could play in up to 20 games. They've also got Mike Dunham and Joey McDonald in the fold which makes me go "Meh".

New York Rangers - $4.9M
Henrik Lundqvist re-signed to a one-year deal worth $4.25M. I'd get on my soapbox and say "That was exactly the number I predicted" but I won't. Or maybe I just did. Anyways, they've got their #1 back in the fold for the upcoming season and they're going to need him to step up as they don't have the greatest of lineups on defence. It's possible that Al Montoya could see some ice time this season but they'll likely use Valiquette as the backup. Lundqvist played 70 games last season and there's no reason to subject Montoya to sitting on the bench when he could continue to develop in the AHL.

Part 3 yet to come followed up by a finale naming the team with the Best Bang for the Buck in Goal. Stay tuned!

Best Bang for the Buck - Goaltending, Part 1

2007-08-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

After finishing up my Best Bang for the Buck, Defence series, I'm moving on to goaltending. Please feel free to continue leaving comments on the Defence series and on this one as well. Thanks to Kukla's Korner for sending a lot of traffic my way. I hope it was worth the read.

Anaheim Ducks - $7.2M
J.S. Giguere and Ilya Bryzgalov are fresh off a Cup win and Giguere is fresh off a renewed contract. Unfortunately he's also fresh off of hernia surgery. It appears it wasn't a severe hernia so his play shouldn't be affected by it but it's tough to say for sure. Bryzgalov is publicly on the shopping block but Burke will likely be more picky - if that's possible - than before when analyzing a deal involving Ilya. But with two #1 goaltenders on board, they'll be getting some quality performance. Unfortunately it's not a price they can afford to pay.

Atlanta Thrashers - $3.35M
They've got 3 goaltenders affecting their cap right now: Kari Lehtonen, Johan Hedberg and Freddie Braithwaite. It's going to be a battle between Hedberg and Braithwaite as to who backs up Lehtonen out of training camp. My money is on Hedberg which would bring their hit down to $2.85M once Braithwaite is sent down/traded. Lehtonen has certainly shown his potential but he's also demonstrated his inexperience at times. If he can be all he can be, it's a solid price point.

Boston Bruins - $5.4M
The Bruins big off-season move was acquiring Manny Fernandez from Minnesota to help fill in their rotating door position in goal. Last season Tim Thomas was the #1 backed up by Hannu Toivonen. This year he will likely find himself splitting duties as the #1a with Fernandez, who fared well in his first season as #1 with the Wild last year but was unseated by hot-shot Nik Backstrom after going down to injury late in the season. The question is whether these two goaltenders can co-exist without Thomas seriously maiming Fernandez in the locker room if he whines too much.

Buffalo Sabres - $3.4M
I followed the Buffalo Sabres closely in the playoffs as they were an exciting team to watch. None more exciting to me than Ryan Miller - no, not even Afinogenov. Ryan Miller is one of the skinniest goaltenders I've ever known and boy does he know how to use his frame, speed and agility to their penultimate ability. Jocelyn Thibault is a good backup at a reasonable price which gives this team a pretty solid price to performance ratio.

Calgary Flames - $3.3M
Miika Kiprusoff is as cool as goaltenders get and about as good as they get too. He performs superbly in the playoffs and is a workhorse during the regular season. He has a well-deserved Vezina to back up his abilities as well as a run to the Stanley Cup finals in which he played an integral role. Jaime McLennan has headed off to Russia and that will pave the way for either Brent Krahn or Curtis McElhinney to back up the perennial all-star while Leland Irving continues being groomed in the background.

Carolina Hurricanes - $4.1M
Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward leads the charge and John Grahame looks to back him up again this year. Ward did not look like a Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup winning starter last season as he posted up a 2.93 GAA so he'll be looking to rebound. Meanwhile John Grahame turned in an equally forgettable season as he continues to be dogged by inconsistent play. They need more out of this duo to match the $4.1M price tag.

Chicago Blackhawks - $7.7M
After Nikolai Khabibulin helped lead the Lightning to the Cup in 03-04, he bolted to Chicago and hasn't been able to regain that form. He had a bit of a bounceback last season but still didn't look like the Bulin Wall of old. Unfortunately he doesn't have much support on the backend right now. Patrick Lalime is the scheduled backup which is all he'll ever be at this point in his career. Unfortunately the price point is too high compared to other duos in the league.

Columbus Blue Jackets - $1.9M
Two backup-quality goaltenders, Pascal Leclaire and Fredrik Norrena, enter training camp battling it out for #1. If I was a Columbus fan, I'd be worried. Leclaire has the ability to be #1 but is still battling some holes in his game. This pair is dirt cheap for a reason. I really do feel for the Jackets fans and hope the team turns it around at some point.

Colorado Avalanche - $6.0M
The albatross contract of Jose Theodore still hangs over this teams head reminding everyone of the latter days of Pierre Lacroix. Although Theodore will be given a shot at the #1 spot again this year, he'll likely end up backstopping Budaj before long. Although Theodore has put in good performances in contract years, it just doesn't seem likely based on the last 2 seasons that he'll show his magic again. Budaj has made great strides but he is still young and unproven. His play during the stretch run has shown that he does have the ability to lead a team to victory.

Dallas Stars - $6.7M
Marty Turco finally silenced his biggest critics as he put on an excellent playoff performance last season. Unfortunately, 3 shutouts and a 1.29 GAA still couldn't get the Stars past the first round. Turco consistently performs well in the regular season and Mike Smith displayed some intriguing possibilities as he put up a 2.22 GAA in his 22 games last season. Turco is one of the highest paid goaltenders in the league and if he can continue his playoff performance this season, it could be worth it.

Stay tuned for the next round of teams in a couple days.

Best Bang for the Buck - Defence, Finale

2007-08-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

It's time. On the tails of Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 comes the grand finale. I've got it narrowed down to 4 teams so let's go over the final four and then find out who the big winner is. In no particular order (ok, it's alphabetical):

Calgary Flames
You can't go wrong with Phaneuf and Regehr with Warrener bringing up the rear. But it's hard to say which Adrian Aucoin will show up and I have my reservations on Sarich's worth.

Dallas Stars
The combination of Zubov and Norstrom is one of the best in the league and Boucher rounds out a nice top-3. It's essentially the same squad which allowed the 2nd least shots against in the league last year, except they've added Norstrom and lost Sydor and Modry. So it's a win for them.

San Jose SharksEven without Hannan, this squad has some grit and veteran leadership. They've also got some excellent young d-men to help lead the charge. Top-5 in goals against and shots against last season, they may slip a bit but should still land in the top-10 this season.

Vancouver Canucks
Possibly the most unheralded squad right now. Fitzpatrick is likely out, Bourdon is likely in and that will likely mean an improvement. With Kevin Bieksa still under a $0.5M cap hit, they're a cheap squad and should provide excellent results.

After much bally-who, it's time to put a true order on these teams and decide who has the best ratio of performance to price.

#4 - Calgary Flames ($14.7M) - unfortunately Aucoin and Sarich are question marks in my mind and even though Regehr and Phaneuf are studs, the price point doesn't cut it

#3 - Vancouver Canucks ($13.6M)- Salo and Ohlund are solid, as is the rest of the squad but their cap hit to performance ratio doesn't cut it compared to the next two teams

#2 - San Jose Sharks ($9.9M) - at a mere $9.9M they were my early favorite when I started this series. If it wasn't for the lack of a solid #1, they'd be the shoo-in.

And what you've all been waiting for (if you haven't figured it out by process of elimination)

#1 - Dallas Stars ($13.6M) - Zubov and Boucher put up points and are reliable defensively, while Norstrom will do nothing but help this squad. Top-3 in goals against and shots against last year and they've improved their corps this year.

Hopefully everyone enjoyed the Best Bang for the Buck series. I hope I find time to do the same for goaltending and forwards in the near future.

Best Bang for the Buck - Defence, Part 3

2007-08-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's the final installment before I pick a winner in the Best Bang for the Buck - Defence series. Part 1 and Part 2 are still available on the homepage.

Ottawa Senators - $17.5M
Wade Redden was previously the anchor to this lineup but Anton Volchenkov really came into his own last year and may challenge Redden for the throne. In fact, Redden is a good trade bait candidate as he's unrestricted next year. Although Preissing is a loss to this squad, Meszaros, Phillips, Corvo and Schubert will make the loss much easier to bear.

Philadelphia Flyers - $16.7M
Kimmo Timmonen is a great addition to the group and he definitely assumes the #1 role with the departure of Joni Pitkanen. Jason Smith, coming in as part of the Pitkanen trade, adds a good defensive d-man and a ton of leadership. He'll also take some ice-time away from the declining Derian Hatcher which has to be a good thing. Denis Gauthier should provide some fear and punishment and Braydon Coburn should land a full-time spot to help out on the punishment front.

Pittsburgh Penguins - $15.5M
They've got Sergei Gonchar and Darryl Sydor to provide some veteran leadership, and Gonchar is still a point producer at 33 years of age. With Ryan Whitney locked up long-term and Kris Letang likely to join the squad, they've got a nice mix of talent both young and old. Scuderi and Orpiks provide a decent tail-end for this group.

Phoenix Coyotes - $15.6M
The best line I've heard so far this off-season was "Phoenix Coyotes - When bad just isn't good enough". That was in reference to their log-jam in the crease but it could be applied to their defence as well. If Ed Jovanovski can't stay off the injured reserve, it's going to be a tough year for the Coyotes. And their defense has been the bright spot for this team. Ouch.

San Jose Sharks - $9.9M
The Sharks biggest loss is Scott Hannan which definitely stings. Thankfully they've got Kyle McLaren to step up on the leadership and physicality front. Craig Rivet should help anchor their powerplay while the ever-improving young duo of Matt Carle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic - otherwise known as Pickles - will round out a very respectable top-four. Christian Ehrhoff should continue improving. He's a solid puck-mover but needs to get a bit more physical.

St. Louis Blues - $14.75M
Eric Brewer, Jay McKee and Barret Jackman anchor this squad and that's quite an anchor. If Erik Johnson makes the team, they will have quite the top-four. A group of big, bruising D who can also put points on the board. One of the top squads in the league but adding in Johnson's cap hit ($3.7 counting bonuses), puts them out of the "deal" category.

Tampa Bay Lightning - $9.8M
Dan Boyle and Filip Kuba are the top 2 on this squad which is solid, but not spectacular. Paul Ranger and Shane O'Brien should continue to improve while Brad Lukowich will...well he'll be there. They still a couple more guys signed on to fill out their squad though.

Toronto Maple Leafs - $20.8M
Do I even have to explain why these guys are not a candidate for best bang for the buck? They're a better squad than most people give them credit for, but not good enough to account for a 20+M cap hit.

Vancouver Canucks - $13.6M
A largely unheralded squad, they've got Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo leading the charge with hometown hero Luc Bourdon possibly on the way in. Unfortunately Bourdon has likely made journey-man - and candidate for the Andy Warhol award of 2007 - Rory Fitzpatrick expendable. A very solid squad for a reasonable price.

Washington Capitals - $8.9M
*Exhales* Well, Tom Poti will certainly help out but there's a reason Olaf Kolzig is an underrated goaltender - he doesn't have the defensive help to make him known. They narrowly avoided giving up the most shots against last season - Boston helped them avoid that crown - and will be hanging around that part of town this season as well.

And so ends the review of all 30 teams in the league. I will let this all sink in for everyone, including myself, and post up the winners late tonight or early tomorrow morning.*

*Early Saturday morning means about 11:00a.m. CST.

Best Bang for the Buck - Defence, Part 2

2007-08-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Continuing my Best Bang for the Buck - Defense series, part two is below. If you have any comments ("You're so right", "You're so stupid", etc) please feel free to leave them.

Detroit Red Wings - $19.1M
Brian Rafalski is likely to be seen as an upgrade over an aging Mathieu Schneider but that's no knock on Schneider. With multi-time Norris winner Niklas Lidstrom leading the charge, and never-aging vet Chris Chelios bringing up the rear, it's a solid lineup. Oft-injured Niklas Kronwall has yet to live up to expectations but if he can stay healthy, he'll be great on the second line. An above-average lineup at an above-average price.

Edmonton Oilers - $15.5M
They traded away their captain Jason Smith to get Joni Pitkanen - for at least one season - and then signed Sheldon Souray to give them some more offense on D. Steve Staios will pick up the slack from the departure of Jason Smith and Dick Tarnstrom will try and rebound after a year in the Swiss league. For the service they'll receive from this squad, they've slightly overpaid. Unless Pitkanen starts to live up to his expectations, and soon.

Florida Panthers - $13.9M
Jay Bouwmeester has one year left on his contract and will certainly be looking to show the Panthers that he's worth big money. And Bryan Allen is all that's left of the Luongo trade. Ouch. Tomas Vokoun will need to turn in a big year behind this group.

Los Angeles Kings - $15M
Rob Blake, Tom Preissing, Lubomir Visnovsky, Brad Stuart. How's that for a top-four! With Visnovsky still under his previous contracts cap hit of a mere $1.8M, this team is looking like quite a steal. If Jack Johnson can make the lineup, they'll possibly be icing the most well-rounded ratio of youngsters to vets and offensive to defensive d-men. But if Johnson makes the lineup - when he does - that will bring their cap hit up around $18M due to bonuses (unless they defer the bonus payouts to next year) making them less of a steal.

Minnesota Wild - $14.9M
An overall solid, not spectacular, lineup that just missed being in the top-10 in shots against per game last year. There likely isn't room for Shawn Belle unless they make some roster moves but the Wild will be icing a solid lineup at a reasonable price.

Montreal Canadiens - $19M
Replacing Sheldon Souray with Roman Hamrlik is a slight win for Montreal. Hamrlik has a very underrated point shot and is better defensively than Souray can ever hope to be. Andrei Markov is signed up to lead the squad while Brisebois is signed on for...something. But I don't see them getting $19M worth of defense out of this group.

Nashville Predators - $10.4M
The absense of Kimmo Timonen is certainly not helpful. Greg DeVries will bring in some veteran leadership and combined with Shea Weber - who has developed quite nicely - they can help make up for that absensce. If Ryan Suter can continue to develop then the Predators could have an under-the-radar squad on their hands for a bottom-dollar price.

New Jersey Devils - $12.6M
That is a bargain basement price and for good reason. The loss of Rafalski will really hurt the Devils as they're now left with Colin White and Vitaly Vishnevsky, who are solid defensive defenceman, and the offensive slack will be picked up by Karel Rachunek and Paul Martin. That duo combined for less points than Rafalski produced last year. I can't see the Devils not trying to upgrade their D before Christmas. EDIT: Cap hit adjusted to account for Paul Martin's new deal.

New York Islanders - $9.2M
The Islanders also have a pretty rag-tag group on D. The Isles snagged up one of the top remaining booby prizes for UFA defencemen in Andy Sutton. He is a big shot-blocker who likes to hit, but he's certainly not a #1 defenseman. He and Brendan Witt will do the job clearing the crease while Marc-Andre Bergeron will quarterback the powerplay. While you don't need a marquee defenceman to win a championship, you do need more than this.

New York Rangers - $13.2M
The safe bet says their cap number will drop by approximately $2.989M before the season starts. Coincidentally, that's the cap savings they would get if they sent Kasparaituis to the minors. Weird. Paul Mara is a quality defenceman and Marek Malik is a game-breaking shootout star. Rozsival puts up a solid 0.5 PPG on the offensive side. If Marc Staal can be all he can be and crack the lineup, this will be an acceptable squad.

Part 3 yet to come followed up by a finale naming the team with the Best Bang for the Buck on Defence. Stay tuned!

Best Bang for the Buck - Defence, Part 1

2007-08-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

With most team rosters solidified, I thought I'd examine which team had the best bang for the buck on defense, offense and goaltending. I'll be using the numbers listed at nhlnumbers.com. Looking at all 30 teams at once would make for a gigantic post so I'm going to do it in 3 installments and hope to have it completed by the weekend.

Anaheim Ducks - $22.9M
Well, with the highest cap hit of any team (counting Scott Niedermeyer's hit), it would seem fairly safe to say that the Ducks do not have the best bang for the buck. Until you look at the names. Pronger. Niedermeyer. Schneider. Beauchemin. That is hands down the best top four in the league.

Atlanta Thrashers - $10M
Their #1 is Alexei Zhitnik. And it goes downhill from there. Even at a paltry $10M, they're a candidate for the worst bang for the buck.

Boston Bruins - $15M
Zdeno Chara headlines this backend and also gobbles up one half of their cap hit. The rest of the group is rounded out with Ward, Ference, Mark Stuart, Alberts and Wideman. One stud D followed by a group of mediocre to average D-men with an in-the-middle cap hit. Ouch.

Buffalo Sabres - $15.7M
An average group of defenders at an average cap hit. There is something to be said for a well-rounded group of d-men. Just ask Carolina. However at $15.7M, I wouldn't count this squad as being a deal.

Calgary Flames - $14.7M
I can't believe what Cory Sarich cost and I bet they're hoping Aucoin suddenly develops a better attitude. However it's tough to go wrong when you have Regehr and Phaneuf as your top pairing. Whith Warrener providing a solid defensive d-man as a 3rd-pairing/PK man and Sarich adding some extra muscle, it's a very solid group. But with three Saskatchewan-raised products in the group (Warrener, Sarich and Regehr), I could be biased in their direction.

Carolina Hurricanes - $10.9M
A Stanley Cup winning group for under $11M, you can chalk them up as a candidate for the best bang for the buck. Another squad filled with solid players (and one aging vet in Glen Wesley) but no superstar. Can Frantisek Kaberle come back from shoulder surgery and lead this squad deep into the playoffs again?

Chicago Blackhawks - $7.8M
After trading Adrian Aucoin, they have the lowest cap hit of the 30 teams. They also have one of the lowest average ages, weighing in with an average of 24 measly years. That youth comes with 2 former WHL stars in Cam Barker and Brent Seabrook. Those two will certainly be expected to carry a big load this year but are they ready to handle it?

Columbus Blue Jackets - $10.2M
Led by an aged Adam Foote, this group could be one of the worst in the league. Poor Rick Nash.

Colorado Avalanche - $12.4M
With the addition of Scott Hannan and the departure of Patrice Brisebois, the Avalanche have certainly improved in the defensive category. The question is whether Leopold can stay healthy enough to help anchor the #1 unit and contribute on the PP.

Dallas Stars - $13.6M
With Norstrom on board they now have one of the best defensive d-men to go with one of the best offensive d-men in Sergei Zubov. Aside from Boucher, the rest of the squad are 3rd pairing/reserve d-men. They'll be relying on big minutes from Norstrom and Zubov.

Stay tuned for the next round of teams in a couple days.

Ducks Let Penner Walk

2007-08-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Anaheim Ducks have let Dustin Penner march on to whiter pastures as he is on his way to Edmonton to play for the Oilers. The Ducks will receive a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round draft pick as compensation and that #1 could be a top-ten pick. As long as Niedermayer doesn't announce his retirement tomorrow - thereby shedding the necessary cap space - then this is the right move for the Ducks.

They still have to sign Perry and Getzlaf before anyone can toss an offer sheet their way next year. They also have a spot or two to fill at forward for this year though that's likely waiting to have a rookie step in. Bobby Ryan perhaps? Or perhaps Teemu will take a hometown discount to come back and defend the cup.

I didn't think the Ducks would match this offer since it meant shedding a lot of salary. I wasn't the only one as I think the majority of bloggers didn't see the Ducks matching this one - and a lot thought Lowe was nuts. Nuts he may be as Penner could fade into oblivion after one decent, full NHL season under his belt. But hey, he'll fade away as a millionaire.

Avery Awarded $1.9M, Rangers Accept

2007-08-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

The Rangers have accepted the arbitrators decision of a 1-year, $1.9M contract to agitator Sean Avery. It was a bitter negotiation by all accounts and likely left Avery and Sather with some residual bitterness towards each other. So basically, just like anybody else Sather knows or deals with.

As for their cap situation, the best summation is found in the NY Daily News. It is still making assumptions - Kasper sent down and Staal making the team being the most notable - but they are reasonable assumptions.

Parise Signs Multi-Year Extension

2007-08-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

The Devils locked up Zach Parise for an extra four years at a cost of $3.125M per season. Not a bad price for their leading goal scorer (31) who will fill the LW spot on the Devils now defunct EGG line. Will it now be ZEG line? The PEG line?

Why an offer sheet wasn't extended to Parise, I don't know. Best guess, most teams knew it would cost them a whole lot of first-rounders to pry Parise away from the Devils. Especially since the Devils still have a good chunk of cap space left.

TSN Close to Signing New Deal

2007-08-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

The Globe and Mail is reporting that TSN is close to signing a contract extension with the NHL. The deal is purported to last into the 2013-2014 season (matching CBC's latest extension) and would include more Canadian team games, which does mean more Leafs games. Good with the bad folks.

The best part of this deal is the inclusion of broadband rights to games televised on TSN. TSN has done a great job of streaming international competitions such as the World Juniors and World Championships. If they also start streaming NHL games, all the better. The more accessible games are, the more people you will attract.

I've railed in the past about how the NHLs implementation of streaming video. Their policy up until last year was to effectively ignore online video though so I didn't complain too much. It looks like they are wising up. Or they're being dragged kicking and screaming by their partners and competitors.

Oilers Sign Penner to Offer Sheet

2007-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

It was just reported on tsn.ca that Kevin Lowe has tendered an offer sheet to RFA Dustin Penner and he has signed it. At a price of $21.5M over 5 years, it's kind of deal Penner couldn't pass up and the kind of offer that the Ducks may be forced to pass over.

Anaheim only has $2M in cap space at the moment with their $7M dollar defenseman still pondering whether he will retire or not. Brian Burke has stated he will match any offers to Penner but what GM would say "Offer away, we won't match."

The compensation to the Ducks would be a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick. So Burke has some interesting options to weigh as we all wait for the profanity-laced press conference that will come once Burke has made his decision.

Pitkanen Signs One-Year Deal

2007-07-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Joni Pitkanen has signed a one-year, $2.4M deal with the Oilers. So in return trading away their long-time captain and one of the other pieces of the Pronger trade, they were able to secure an offensive defenceman who has yet to realize his potential and will be a free agent again next year.

That has to be a bit disheartening to the Oilers and probably the Oilers fans. They've got an offensive blueliner in Souray, who had a career year he likely won't match, locked up long-term and now another offensive blueliner who has untapped potential, but he's only locked up for a season.

That's bass-ackwards if you ask me.

Aebischer Signs One-Year Contract with Coyotes

2007-07-19T16:56:00.001-07:00

David Aebischer has signed on with the Phoenix Coyotes for the upcoming season. It's the third team for the 29-year old after stints with the Colorado Avalanche and Montreal Canadiens. With the Avalanche he posted respectable numbers until the blueline crumbled. He was then shipped to Montreal for fellow fledgling goaltender Jose Theodore. Both goaltenders joined the .300+ club which is definitely not a club you strive to join.

I haven't seen any confrimation on salary but have read that it's $600,000. That is a big step down from his previous salary but it's a chance for Aebischer to prove his mettle as a #1 goaltender. He'll be battling it out with Mikael Tellqvist for that position as well.

I'm actually surprised at the low salary. Even though Aebischer hasn't shown himself to be worth much more, the Coyotes are still trying to crack the minimum salary defined by the cap. Plus they have enough players under contact at the moment to ice on opening night. So it should be interesting to see what they have planned.

Senators Swap Schaefer for Shean Donovan

2007-07-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

The Ottawa Senators made some news this morning as they traded Peter Schaefer to the Bruins in exchange for Shean Donovan. Schaefer is signed for 3 years at $6.7M while Donovan has just one year left with a hit of $925,000. For all intents and purposes, this looks to be nothing more than a salary dump to make way for re-signing Ray Emery.

The extra $1M in cap space should go a long way to this re-signing. If they can now manage to trade Gerber, they should be comfortable signing Heatley to an extension before the season is out. And you have to believe Heatley is going to command top dollar after 2 straight 50-goal seasons.

Michel Therrien Signs Extension

2007-07-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed head coach Michel Therrien to an extension that should see him behind the bench through the 08-09 season. After taking the reigns from Ed Olcyzk following a dismal start to the 05-06 season, Therrien allowed the Pens to finish that dismal start and decided to start fresh in 06-07.

Therrien helped guided the Penguins through an excellent 06-07 season where they essentially reversed their win/loss totals and found themselves in the playoffs for the first time since '01. The first-round of the playoffs exposed the inexperience level of the team and they got bounced by the Stanley Cup finalist Ottawa Senators in 5 games.

Some may argue that the injection of super-rookies Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal along with continued improvement from other young guns such as Ryan Whitney, Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury were a bigger contributer than Therrien. Along with veterans such as Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts around along with Sergei Gonchar, who did some conversion services for Evgeni Malkin, the Pens had a good lineup of young guns, old stars and grit players.

There were also rumblings that Therrien was holding Crosby down a bit by refusing to play him late in games when it really mattered and giving him less ice-time than you'd expect. However it's always easy to blame the coach for any ill that is seen on the ice and I'm reluctant to do so.

This is pretty much the last piece for the Penguins to getting a mini-dynasty going on and, though I'm not a Penguins fan, I'm excited to see what they can do next season.

Sheldon Souray Signs with the Oilers

2007-07-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Sheldon Souray has agreed to terms with the Edmonton Oilers so we can finally put to rest any and all rumours about where he may be headed. Admittedly it was a bit strange that he wasn't snapped up within the first 2 or 3 days of free agency but you can somewhat understand the reason teams were reluctant.

While putting up big numbers with a booming point shot, he isn't the most defensive minded defenceman out there and is often made to look like a fool in one-on-one situations. However the Oilers made it clear that they were looking for defensive help and couldn't find any takers on the trade market after the Pitkanen deal.

With Souray and Pitkanen on the blueline, the Oilers will certainly have upgraded their powerplay unit. The question is whether they have degraded the overall defensive quality of their blueline.

Brent Sutter to Coach the Devils?

2007-07-11T21:52:00.001-07:00

TSN is reporting that Brent Sutter may very well be stepping down as head coach and GM of the Red Deer Rebels to take the head coaching position of the New Jersey Devils. If this is true, it just may be a coach that lasts throughout the entire season for the Devils.

Sutter coached Team Canada to back-to-back World Junior championships - while not knowing the term "defeat" - and has led his Red Deer Rebels to success in the WHL over the past 10 years. He has gathered three 1st place finishes in the Central Division, 3 births to the Finals and was able to hoist the Memorial Cup in '01.

Along with all this he had the opportunity to coach his son Brandon right into the NHL as the Carolina Hurricanes choose him with the 11th overall choice on the 2007 entry draft.

I think it's fairly obvious that all that is left for Brent is to land in the NHL and chase the cup again, albeit from a slightly different perspective this time. Let's hope Lou doesn't have him whacked before the season can end.

Lundqvist Signs One-Year Deal

2007-07-11T11:19:00.000-07:00

Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers have agreed to terms on a one-year, $4.25M deal. I know a lot of people were expecting - or hoping - for a $3M deal but you had to know that was a pipe dream. You know what else was a pipe dream? Getting all these guys signed under the cap amount. As it stands, the Rangers sit with ($1.399M) in cap space. Those parentheses...that's accountant speak for "negative".

They currently are over the cap and need to bring themselves under. And did anyone mention that they still don't have a full roster? There are rumours of sending Kasparaitus down to the minors which would free up almost $3M in cap space. That would allow them to sign Avery for about $1.6M and be right at the cap. The only problem there is they still need a couple more forwards to fill out their offense.

EDIT: Ok, so after reading on some other boards it appears the Rangers have more cap space than most people think. If you assume that Kasparaitus goes to the AHL - or gets suspended after refusing the assignment - and they defer Shanahan's bonuses to next season, they have $3.23M available. That should be enough to sign Avery, Hossa and maybe one more depth forward to fill up the roster. It does mean that Shanahan's bonuses will likely count against next years cap which is obviously not ideal but if the cap goes up again, they should be all right.

And they need to hope that Marc Staal is a stud on the blue line this coming season.

Shanahan Signs with Rangers

2007-07-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Brendan Shanahan has signed a deal this afternoon that will keep him with the New York Rangers. Terms have not yet been released but it is likely a one-year contract and the rumour is that it will be an incentive laden deal with a discounted salary. It is confirmed that the deal is for $2.5M with an additional $2.8M bonus structure. The first $2M bonus is for playing in at least 10 games this coming season and the rest are related to playoff performance.

The Rangers already made a huge splash in signing both Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. With Shanahan on board, the Rangers will have two excellent offensive lines this upcoming season since, in case you didn't know, they have Jaromir Jagr as their franchise wingman.

The only question is how close to the Cap the Rangers end up being after this signing. Since Shanahan signed for $2.5M, that leaves them with $5.6M in cap space. At the moment they only have 10 forwards signed according to nhlnumbers.com and of course have yet to re-sign #1 goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and uber-pest Sean Avery.

I think it's a safe bet that Henrik alone could take up most of that remaining cap space leaving $1M or $2M to fill out the roster. So what will the Rangers do?

Sydney Crosby Signs Five Year Extension

2007-07-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Sydney Crosby agreed to a five year, $43.5M contract extension this morning. His cap hit this season will still be $850,000+bonuses but starting next year, he's a 9 million dollar man (or close enough anyways). After winning the Art Ross and Hart trophies in only his second year of play, it's an obvious move on the part of the Penguins.

Crosby was said to be pushing the Penguins to give him assurances that Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal would remain vital cogs in the Penguins re-birth. Crosby is smart enough to realize that no matter how great a player he is, he needs a supporting cast to head for the Cup. With a trio down the middle of Crosby, Malkin and Staal, they're well on their way.

This signing was rumoured for a while and isn't much of a shock, particularly after the Vanek offer sheet. There is no way Pittsburgh wouldn't have matched whatever a team threw at Crosby and you can almost guarantee a team would throw the league max of just over $10M.

The Birth of Ice Chat

2007-07-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

For the last couple weeks I've been wrestling with starting a site dedicated to hockey news in general. I've got my Avalanche Talk site which I will most certainly put most of my writing efforts towards, but I often find that I've got one of those darn things called "opinions" on a lot of the happenings in the hockey world. The question I had was whether I would be able to devote enough time to keeping on top of things and I've come to the conclusion that I will.

The usual answer I give when somebody says "I don't have the time to do XYZ" is "No, you just don't want to allocate the time to it". So I gave myself a taste of my own medicine and decided that I will find time within my day to cover off some of the happenings in not just the NHL but the AHL, CHL (Canadian Hockey League, not Central) and possibly even some college and international stories if they are interesting enough. Heck, if there is a story about local hockey that I come across and find interesting, I'll put something up.

I haven't promoted this site much yet so I don't anticipate that too many people are reading this but to those who are, bookmark it or subscribe to the feed and I'll deliver some opinions for you to fire back on. I'll also be cleaning up the site a bit but for now, I've just given it a standard Blogger template to work on.