We're almost three weeks into the 2010-2011 campaign and already there are some key injuries around the league. Let's take a look.
1- Craig Anderson from the Colorado Avalanche is not travelling with the team and is going to get his knee checked out by some doctors back home. This is not good news, but opens the door for Budaj to once again be the #1 goaltender
2- Jason Pominville is still feeling the effects of his concussion and is out indefinitely. Buffalo is feeling his absence and if it is prolonged, look for Buffalo to try and make an acquisition.
3- Brian Rafalski has already been out for a couple of weeks and is expected back in early November. How good is Detroit if they don't even need this guy to compete!
4- Drew Doughty was about to continue on his path to the hall of fame when a concussion came along and has kept him out of the game for a couple of weeks now. Let's hope its not too serious and he can come back and wow fans all over again.
5- Marian Gaborik is fragile like glass and again he finds himself on the IR, this time with a separated left shoulder. The Rangers need him back as soon as possible as he is their elite player and creates space for everybody else.
Notables: Pierre-Marc Bouchard is taking part in contact drills again which is excellent news for the Wild and their fans.
NHL
NHL
Friday, October 29, 2010
NHL Free Agency: Early Winners and Losers
By Jack Johnson - King of Hockey
While last year's crop of free agents didn't have many GMs foaming at the mouth, there were some key moves made to help bolster many NHL team's effort to win Lord Stanley's Cup. Here are the top 5 winners and losers of last year's Free Agency Market.
WINNERS
St-Louis Blues: By signing goaltender Halak from Montreal, the Blues now have a solid #1 goaltender in nets. Halak is picking up right where he took off in last year's playoff run.
Dallas Stars: Another goalie signing translates into early success for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen is showing NHL fans why he was drafted 2nd overall in the 2002 draft.
Boston Bruins: Nathan Horton has been a great acquisition for the Bruins who are suffering without Marc Savard. Horton has 9 points in 6 games and is +3.
Calgary Flames: Here the flames lucked out with two players. First they brought back Alex Tanguay and he now has 6 points in 8 games. They also took on Brendan Morrison as a last minute move to compensate for Stajan and Langkow's injuries. He now has 7 points and played just over 18 minutes in October 24th win over San Jose.
Minnesota Wild: They needed speed and Matt Cullen is providing just that. With 9 points in 8 games he is leading the team in scoring.
LOSERS
Tampa Bay Lightning: Simon Gagne is injured and has zero points thus far. Add his -8 rating and essential the Lightning are better off without him right now. The Lecavalier curse continues...
San Jose Sharks: Niemi is regretting leaving what would have been a starter job in Chicago. He is likely now the Shark's back-up goalie and rumours are that San Jose would be willing to part with him to make room from Griess...how to end a career in 2 months.
Ottawa Senators: Deemed to be the biggest free agent signing, Gonchar was supposed to reinvigorate the Senators' offense but he has been disappointing to say the least. He doesn't seem to be playing with any intensity and chemistry is lacking with most forwards.
Detroit RedWings: When Detroit brought back Jiri Hudler, I bet they didn't expect a minus 6 rating and only 2 points.
Philadelphia Flyers: Zherdev has 1 point in 8 games, is minus 2 and is getting no power play time. In fact, he is playing 10-12 minutes a game, not exactly the replacement they had in mind for Gagne.
POP QUIZ: Who has the worst +/- in the league?
ANSWER: Joe Thornton...WOW!
While last year's crop of free agents didn't have many GMs foaming at the mouth, there were some key moves made to help bolster many NHL team's effort to win Lord Stanley's Cup. Here are the top 5 winners and losers of last year's Free Agency Market.
WINNERS
St-Louis Blues: By signing goaltender Halak from Montreal, the Blues now have a solid #1 goaltender in nets. Halak is picking up right where he took off in last year's playoff run.
Dallas Stars: Another goalie signing translates into early success for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen is showing NHL fans why he was drafted 2nd overall in the 2002 draft.
Boston Bruins: Nathan Horton has been a great acquisition for the Bruins who are suffering without Marc Savard. Horton has 9 points in 6 games and is +3.
Calgary Flames: Here the flames lucked out with two players. First they brought back Alex Tanguay and he now has 6 points in 8 games. They also took on Brendan Morrison as a last minute move to compensate for Stajan and Langkow's injuries. He now has 7 points and played just over 18 minutes in October 24th win over San Jose.
Minnesota Wild: They needed speed and Matt Cullen is providing just that. With 9 points in 8 games he is leading the team in scoring.
LOSERS
Tampa Bay Lightning: Simon Gagne is injured and has zero points thus far. Add his -8 rating and essential the Lightning are better off without him right now. The Lecavalier curse continues...
San Jose Sharks: Niemi is regretting leaving what would have been a starter job in Chicago. He is likely now the Shark's back-up goalie and rumours are that San Jose would be willing to part with him to make room from Griess...how to end a career in 2 months.
Ottawa Senators: Deemed to be the biggest free agent signing, Gonchar was supposed to reinvigorate the Senators' offense but he has been disappointing to say the least. He doesn't seem to be playing with any intensity and chemistry is lacking with most forwards.
Detroit RedWings: When Detroit brought back Jiri Hudler, I bet they didn't expect a minus 6 rating and only 2 points.
Philadelphia Flyers: Zherdev has 1 point in 8 games, is minus 2 and is getting no power play time. In fact, he is playing 10-12 minutes a game, not exactly the replacement they had in mind for Gagne.
POP QUIZ: Who has the worst +/- in the league?
ANSWER: Joe Thornton...WOW!
Top 5 Early Under-Performers in the NHL
By Jack Johnson - King of Hockey
While it is still early in the season, some GMs and Coaches around the NHL must be worried about some of their star performers.
5 - Nikita Filatov - Columbus Blue Jackets: Drafted 6th overall in 2008 and dubbed the "next Malkin" has been handcuffed as of late and only has 2 pts in the first 5 games. He is also only averaging 13:47 of ice time per game
4 - Nikolay Zherdev - Philadelphia Flyers: Drafted 4th overall in 2003 (again by Columbus) only has 1 pt in 5 games and is under 13 minutes of ice time per game. To his defense, Coach Laviolette is not giving enough ice time and opportunities to get on the score sheet.
3 - Alexei Kovalev - Ottawa Senators: Drafted 15th overall in 1991 and a usually dominant presence on the ice, known as the "magician" by habs fan has not been able to pull a rabbit out of his hat. He has 1 pt in 6 games and is minus 3.
2 - Mike Green - Washington Capitals: Drafted 29th in 2004, Mike Green only has 1 assist in his first 4 games. While he is currently injured, 1 pt in 4 games is not what will get him to the top of the scoring race for defensemen.
1 - Marc-André Fleury - Pittsburgh Penguins: Drafted 1st overall in 2003, Fleury has 3 losses, no wins, a 3.41 GAA and a terrible .853 save percentage. He'll get a chance to redeem himself against Nashville on October 21.
Other notables: Sergei Gonchar (2 pts in 6 games), Nik Antropov (1 pt in 6 games), Zdeno Chara (1 pt in 4 games), Oli Jokinen (1 pt in 5 games), Patrice Bergeron (0 pts in 4 games), Jay Bouwmeester (0 pts in 5 games), Simon Gagné (0 pts in 5 games)
Time to turn it around boys!
While it is still early in the season, some GMs and Coaches around the NHL must be worried about some of their star performers.
5 - Nikita Filatov - Columbus Blue Jackets: Drafted 6th overall in 2008 and dubbed the "next Malkin" has been handcuffed as of late and only has 2 pts in the first 5 games. He is also only averaging 13:47 of ice time per game
4 - Nikolay Zherdev - Philadelphia Flyers: Drafted 4th overall in 2003 (again by Columbus) only has 1 pt in 5 games and is under 13 minutes of ice time per game. To his defense, Coach Laviolette is not giving enough ice time and opportunities to get on the score sheet.
3 - Alexei Kovalev - Ottawa Senators: Drafted 15th overall in 1991 and a usually dominant presence on the ice, known as the "magician" by habs fan has not been able to pull a rabbit out of his hat. He has 1 pt in 6 games and is minus 3.
2 - Mike Green - Washington Capitals: Drafted 29th in 2004, Mike Green only has 1 assist in his first 4 games. While he is currently injured, 1 pt in 4 games is not what will get him to the top of the scoring race for defensemen.
1 - Marc-André Fleury - Pittsburgh Penguins: Drafted 1st overall in 2003, Fleury has 3 losses, no wins, a 3.41 GAA and a terrible .853 save percentage. He'll get a chance to redeem himself against Nashville on October 21.
Other notables: Sergei Gonchar (2 pts in 6 games), Nik Antropov (1 pt in 6 games), Zdeno Chara (1 pt in 4 games), Oli Jokinen (1 pt in 5 games), Patrice Bergeron (0 pts in 4 games), Jay Bouwmeester (0 pts in 5 games), Simon Gagné (0 pts in 5 games)
Time to turn it around boys!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
NHL Trade Talk: Time to Trade Lecavalier
By Jack Johnson - King of Hockey
I'm not starting any rumors here, but with the arrival of the dominant Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay has a new "Franchise Face". Lecavalier is not performing as he once was and frankly the team has had trouble finding him the right wingers. They failed with Tanguay and Simon Gagne is off to the same start.
In theory, the Lightning are right where they were a couple of years before they won the cup in 2004.
In 2004, the Lightning's core group consisted of Brad Richards, Lecavalier and St-Louis up front, Dan Boyle on the point and Khabibulin in nets. In 2010, the Lightning's make up is quite similar. Their first line is a force to reckon with. Stamkos, Downie and St-Louis all enjoy playing with each other and its translating to on-ice success. Some would argue the back end is even stronger with Kubina and Hedman. Where does the problem lie? In nets of course. Ellis and Smith are just not going to bring you to the finals.
If I was Steve Yzerman (wow that would be awesome!), I would look to trade Lecavalier while his value is still high and try and get a #1 goalie and centre man to replace Vinny.
Possible trading partners: The LA Kings and the Florida Panthers have too many good goalies in their system. Vancouver has Cory Schneider just itching to be a starter. Add Quick, Vokoun or Schneider to Tampa and you just might have a cup winner.
Unfortunately for Habs fans, there are no goalies left in the Montreal system to entice Tampa unless there is a three-way trade. But if Vinny went to Montreal, watch out! Habs fans would push their team to the cup finals.
I'm not starting any rumors here, but with the arrival of the dominant Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay has a new "Franchise Face". Lecavalier is not performing as he once was and frankly the team has had trouble finding him the right wingers. They failed with Tanguay and Simon Gagne is off to the same start.
In theory, the Lightning are right where they were a couple of years before they won the cup in 2004.
In 2004, the Lightning's core group consisted of Brad Richards, Lecavalier and St-Louis up front, Dan Boyle on the point and Khabibulin in nets. In 2010, the Lightning's make up is quite similar. Their first line is a force to reckon with. Stamkos, Downie and St-Louis all enjoy playing with each other and its translating to on-ice success. Some would argue the back end is even stronger with Kubina and Hedman. Where does the problem lie? In nets of course. Ellis and Smith are just not going to bring you to the finals.
If I was Steve Yzerman (wow that would be awesome!), I would look to trade Lecavalier while his value is still high and try and get a #1 goalie and centre man to replace Vinny.
Possible trading partners: The LA Kings and the Florida Panthers have too many good goalies in their system. Vancouver has Cory Schneider just itching to be a starter. Add Quick, Vokoun or Schneider to Tampa and you just might have a cup winner.
Unfortunately for Habs fans, there are no goalies left in the Montreal system to entice Tampa unless there is a three-way trade. But if Vinny went to Montreal, watch out! Habs fans would push their team to the cup finals.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
NHL: Goaltending Strategies Still a Mystery
There used to be a time when each NHL club would have their #1 goalie and that was that. However, the NHL has seen a wind of change in the past of couple of years, where goaltending duos is becoming more and more of a familiar site.
While having two capable goalies can be seen as an advantage, as an ex-hockey player I can tell you that most hockey players play differently depending on who is in nets. This is due to the fact that different goalies have different strengths and weaknesses. If a goalie is well known for letting in fluke goals from beyond the blue line, defenseman will have a tendency to try and block these shots, even if it takes them out of position. Or if a goalie is week on 3 on 2s then some forwards will backcheck more than they would of with another goalie in nets.
All this to say that: having rotating goalies is not just about who is in nets. It affects the team's psyche and its overall play.
The situation in Pittsburgh is an interesting one right now as Marc-André Fleury is struggling out of the gate. His team is definitely playing better in front of Brent Johnson and one could argue that it is because the players know what they are getting with Johnson, while Fleury will often disappoint with a weak goal, deflating the whole team's attitude.
The Philadelphia Flyers have also had to deal with a lot of goaltenders over the past couple of years. I suspect that that team's philosophy is now "offense must win the game, because you can't count on the back-end".
The Ottawa Senators are now going through a similar situation where they just have no stable goaltending and it's affecting the team's play. Inevitably, confidence goes down. The team gets nervous when they are up a goal or two and players stop playing naturally, which is what makes then superstars.
On the flip side, there are teams that have "star quality" first rate goaltenders such as New Jersey with Brodeur and Vancouver with Luongo, however both these teams have not had much playoff success in the past couple of years.
It must be tough the be a coach in the NHL, when one year a goalie like Niemi wins you the cup and the next he has a 3.71 GAA average and a save percentage of .879
Goalies are a weird bunch when you think about it. When a kid chooses to play hockey, he can either try and put the puck in the net or try and stop it. Usually, there are 20 plus kids that feel they want to put the puck in the net, while a few oddballs choose to try and stop it. They are just different.
This difference continues into their NHL careers. In this writer's opinion, having one star goalie is still your best option. It brings stability to the team throughout a long 82 game season. As well, no NHL team ever seems to continue rotating goalies in the playoffs anyways, so why create the confusion in the first place.
While having two capable goalies can be seen as an advantage, as an ex-hockey player I can tell you that most hockey players play differently depending on who is in nets. This is due to the fact that different goalies have different strengths and weaknesses. If a goalie is well known for letting in fluke goals from beyond the blue line, defenseman will have a tendency to try and block these shots, even if it takes them out of position. Or if a goalie is week on 3 on 2s then some forwards will backcheck more than they would of with another goalie in nets.
All this to say that: having rotating goalies is not just about who is in nets. It affects the team's psyche and its overall play.
The situation in Pittsburgh is an interesting one right now as Marc-André Fleury is struggling out of the gate. His team is definitely playing better in front of Brent Johnson and one could argue that it is because the players know what they are getting with Johnson, while Fleury will often disappoint with a weak goal, deflating the whole team's attitude.
The Philadelphia Flyers have also had to deal with a lot of goaltenders over the past couple of years. I suspect that that team's philosophy is now "offense must win the game, because you can't count on the back-end".
The Ottawa Senators are now going through a similar situation where they just have no stable goaltending and it's affecting the team's play. Inevitably, confidence goes down. The team gets nervous when they are up a goal or two and players stop playing naturally, which is what makes then superstars.
On the flip side, there are teams that have "star quality" first rate goaltenders such as New Jersey with Brodeur and Vancouver with Luongo, however both these teams have not had much playoff success in the past couple of years.
It must be tough the be a coach in the NHL, when one year a goalie like Niemi wins you the cup and the next he has a 3.71 GAA average and a save percentage of .879
Goalies are a weird bunch when you think about it. When a kid chooses to play hockey, he can either try and put the puck in the net or try and stop it. Usually, there are 20 plus kids that feel they want to put the puck in the net, while a few oddballs choose to try and stop it. They are just different.
This difference continues into their NHL careers. In this writer's opinion, having one star goalie is still your best option. It brings stability to the team throughout a long 82 game season. As well, no NHL team ever seems to continue rotating goalies in the playoffs anyways, so why create the confusion in the first place.
Goalie Woes Continue for the Ottawa Senators
Is Ottawa turning into the "new" Philadelphia? - Ottawa has not been able to have consistent goaltending since the departure of Patrick Lalime. As is the case in Philadelphia, Ottawa has had a long line of goaltenders go through its crease. Gerber was suppose to be the ray of hope after having a stellar season in Carolina, however Ray Emery quickly stepped in and established himself as the #1 goalie. He even brought the Senators to the Stanley Cup, only to lose in 4 straight games to the Anaheim Ducks. The following year Emery was booted out of town for his antics and his lack of respect for team rules.
In its most recent move, the Senators practically gave away Antoine Vermette to Columbus in return for Pascal Leclaire. Where are these two players one year later? Leclaire barely played last year being plagued with injuries and he re-injured his groin/knee against Carolina on October 14 and will be sidelined for some time. Vermette, however is centering the top line in Columbus playing with Rick Nash and logging a ton of power play minutes.
As a result of Leclaire's recent injury, Elliot will once again be pushed into the spot light and Sens fans can only hope that he repeats his strong play from last year. Leclaire is done. No other team will want him. If ever you wonder when and what triggered a player to no longer be in the NHL, for Leclaire, last night's injury was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Its time for the Sens to start drafting goalies in the first round.
In its most recent move, the Senators practically gave away Antoine Vermette to Columbus in return for Pascal Leclaire. Where are these two players one year later? Leclaire barely played last year being plagued with injuries and he re-injured his groin/knee against Carolina on October 14 and will be sidelined for some time. Vermette, however is centering the top line in Columbus playing with Rick Nash and logging a ton of power play minutes.
As a result of Leclaire's recent injury, Elliot will once again be pushed into the spot light and Sens fans can only hope that he repeats his strong play from last year. Leclaire is done. No other team will want him. If ever you wonder when and what triggered a player to no longer be in the NHL, for Leclaire, last night's injury was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Its time for the Sens to start drafting goalies in the first round.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A Younger NHL
By Jack Johnson - King of Hockey
In an era of multi-million dollar contracts, one would think that the older NHL players would get the bigger the contracts. Well, that is not the case. In fact recent contract signings suggest that GMs around the NHL would rather spend money quickly at the beginning of their young guns' careers than later on when the players are well established elites.
Remember Shanahan, Tkachuk, Roenick, Nolan, Guerin...well none of them are in the NHL anymore and its not because they wanted to retire.
The most recent such event occurred when Kirk Maltby retired from the NHL after 16 seasons, mostly with the Detroit Red Wings. Did he want to retire? No. In fact, what happened to him is happening all around the cash-strapped/salary capped NHL - some young gun took his place. Was it Hudler's salary or Justin Abdelkader? It doesn't matter.
What matters is that what it means to be a veteran in this league has changed drastically.
Would you believe that Sergei Samsonov is the oldest forward of the Hurricanes at just 32 years of age. Rob Brind'Amour had to feel the pressure from new snipers such as Brandon Sutter.
In the end, this new blood around the NHL is creating new heroes and new players on which to lay huge hopes. The emerging issue for the NHL however is that with so much player movement and with these shorter careers, the NHL may be loosing some of its long time fans.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5888226/a_younger_nhl.html?cat=14
In an era of multi-million dollar contracts, one would think that the older NHL players would get the bigger the contracts. Well, that is not the case. In fact recent contract signings suggest that GMs around the NHL would rather spend money quickly at the beginning of their young guns' careers than later on when the players are well established elites.
Remember Shanahan, Tkachuk, Roenick, Nolan, Guerin...well none of them are in the NHL anymore and its not because they wanted to retire.
The most recent such event occurred when Kirk Maltby retired from the NHL after 16 seasons, mostly with the Detroit Red Wings. Did he want to retire? No. In fact, what happened to him is happening all around the cash-strapped/salary capped NHL - some young gun took his place. Was it Hudler's salary or Justin Abdelkader? It doesn't matter.
What matters is that what it means to be a veteran in this league has changed drastically.
Would you believe that Sergei Samsonov is the oldest forward of the Hurricanes at just 32 years of age. Rob Brind'Amour had to feel the pressure from new snipers such as Brandon Sutter.
In the end, this new blood around the NHL is creating new heroes and new players on which to lay huge hopes. The emerging issue for the NHL however is that with so much player movement and with these shorter careers, the NHL may be loosing some of its long time fans.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5888226/a_younger_nhl.html?cat=14
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)