Gold Medal: Canada
This team is too strong, has too many highly touted prospects that have already been drafted, and are solid across the board. They have several offensively talented forwards and defense men. And they also have a good mix of two-way and defensive players. In net they have returning goalie Mark Visentin who is a first round 27th overall pick of the Phoenix Coyotes. And they have Scott Wedgewood who has been one of the best goalies in the CHL this year and can get the job done if Canada calls on him.
Silver Medal: United States of America
Like Canada, the USA has many highly touted prospects on their team, and they have many returning players. Their goaltending is superb, as they have Jack Campbell who has stolen more than a few games as a member of this team the past 2 years. They have a potent first line of Emerson Etem, Nick Bjugstad and Charlie Coyle. And possibley the most defensively sound defense men of all the teams in the tournament.
Bronze Medal: Sweden
This team showed that it had what it takes to win a medal when they beat Canada in a close pre-tournament game.This team has good goaltending, good defense, and fantastic forwards. They have some great draft eligible players in Pontus Aberg, and Filip Forsberg who is touted to go in the top 5 in the 2012 NHL entry draft. They also have a bunch of high picks from last years draft in Mika Zibanejed (6th, Ottawa), Jonas Brodin (10th, Minnesota), Oscar Klefbom (19th, Edmonton), Rickard Rakell (30th, Anaheim), And Victor Rask (42nd, Carolina)
4th Place: Russia
They still have Yevgeni Kuznetsov, who was arguably the best player at the tournament last year when Russia won gold. However, they don't have many returning players, including their captain from last year Vladimir Tarasenko, who was a major factor in Russia winning gold last year. They also don't have Igor Bobkov anymore who backstopped Russia the last 2 years as their goalie. They may have replaced those players with solid other players, but they just don't have enough experience this year.
5th Place: Finland
With Christopher Gibson, who was a second round pick of the LA Kings this past year, as Finland's goalie, they should be in pretty good shape there. They have got some fabulous offensive weapons in the Granlund brothers Mikael and Markus. They have an amazing defense man in Olli Maata. But the thing that will prevent Finland from medalling, will be their lack of depth at both forward and 'D'.
6th Place: Czech Republic
This team is very similar to Finland. They have a couple great players like David Musil, Dmitij Jaskin and Martin Frk, they just have very little depth. Their stars might win them a couple of games, but then teams like Canada or USA that have a very small difference between their best and worst players will beat Czech Republic.
7th Place: Switzerland
This team doesn't have great goaltending, but they have good team defense. They only have one 'star' player in Sven Bartchi who was drafted 13th overall by the Flames last year. If there is a game changer on this team, it's Bartchi. They also have some good two-way players like Alban Rexha. But they just don't have the same quality of players to contest with the top teams.
8th Place: Slovakia
Slovakia is similar to many of the bottom teams in this tournament in the way that it has a couple great players but nothing else. Those players are: Martin Marincin and Tomas Jurco.
9th Place: Denmark
Denmark only has one good player and that is Niklas Jensen. He'll score a couple of goals this tournament, but will be one of few bright spots on this team.
10th: Latvia
I don't even recognize anybody on this team. Latvia is going to be in for a long tournament.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The Rookie Report
Obviously in this post your going to hear a lot about Ryan "The Nuge" Nugent-Hopkins and some of the other big name rookies, but in this post I will also point out rookies who nobody had on their radar until now, and some rookies who even after great play, still haven't gotten much recognition.
I'm going to start by talking about the Nuge himself and some of the bigger name rookies:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: Too Young? Too Frail? Not Ready? Not a chance. The Nuge has been huge for a young Oiler's team. He has 29 points in 27 games so far and 12 of those points have been goals. He has been outstanding defensively posting a plus 4 rating. Only part of his game that has been a bit of a weakness has been his faceoffs where he is hovering around winning 35% of them. Of course for young rookies this is normal.
Gabriel Landeskog: Landeskog has been a beast for the Avalanche. Most people expected him to make the 10 game mark in the NHL to solidify his spot on the Avalanche but I don't think that many people expected him to look like a 10 year NHL vet. He thinks the game better than many veterans, and you don't see him make many mistakes. He has been amazing defensively, and he's been good offensively posting 13 points in 27 games.
Cody Hodgson: He has been doubted ever since he didn't make the team out of camp last year. People thought that he would be a 4th liner this year and be up and down from the minors all year. People had written him off as a hockey player. Well Hodgson has silenced most people. He hasn't been the defensive liability that people thought he was going to be, and he has an impressive 12 points in 26 games from the 3rd line.
Now time for the rookies that nobody had on their radar.
Craig Smith: He is second in rookie scoring behind Nugent-Hopkins with 21 points in 26 games and is leading the Nashville Predators in points. Smith is a player who was a 4th round pick just 2 years ago. It's quite the feat that he even made the team at all. Yet now he is stealing ice time from Nashville's previous leading scorers Martin Erat and Sergei Kostitsyn on the first line.
Matt Read: This guy has been lights out good for the Philadelphia Flyers. The undrafted 25 year old rookie was signed last off-season by the Flyers. Now get this, Read was signed this past summer as an undrafted player, and now he's averaging almost a point per-game in the NHL and playing on the Flyers second line. It's crazy, Read was overshadowed by Sean Couturier making the team, but now Read is the one lighting it up. He stole Brayden Schenn's roster spot. Brayden Schenn who this past summer was called "The best player not in the NHL" by Flyers GM Paul Holmgren.
Adam Henrique: The 3rd rounder in 2008 was expected to make the Devils this year... as a 3rd or 4th liner. Now Henrique has 17 points in 22 games, is ahead of player such as Ilya Kovalchuck, and Zach Parise who play on the Devils. The only player on the Devils who has more points than Henrique is Patrick Elias who has 21 and has played 3 more games then Henrique. Henrique has been a great two-way player on a struggling Devils team.
Roman Horak: Horak was just a throw in, in a deal between the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers. The Rangers just threw him into the deal along with 2 second round picks for Tim Erixon and a fifth round pick. The Rangers didn't think that their 5th round pick in 2009 would have the slightest chance of really doing anything in the NHL, at least not for a couple years. Well they were wrong, Roman Horak has been fantastic for the Flames this year. He has been a fabulous defensive forward on a 13th place Flames team in the west. Horak has posted a plus 5 rating on a team that has lost more than they have won. Horak might not be lighting it up, with only 9 points in 24 games, but when they need to hold a lead late in a game, he's the one that they will be sending out.
I'm going to start by talking about the Nuge himself and some of the bigger name rookies:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: Too Young? Too Frail? Not Ready? Not a chance. The Nuge has been huge for a young Oiler's team. He has 29 points in 27 games so far and 12 of those points have been goals. He has been outstanding defensively posting a plus 4 rating. Only part of his game that has been a bit of a weakness has been his faceoffs where he is hovering around winning 35% of them. Of course for young rookies this is normal.
Gabriel Landeskog: Landeskog has been a beast for the Avalanche. Most people expected him to make the 10 game mark in the NHL to solidify his spot on the Avalanche but I don't think that many people expected him to look like a 10 year NHL vet. He thinks the game better than many veterans, and you don't see him make many mistakes. He has been amazing defensively, and he's been good offensively posting 13 points in 27 games.
Cody Hodgson: He has been doubted ever since he didn't make the team out of camp last year. People thought that he would be a 4th liner this year and be up and down from the minors all year. People had written him off as a hockey player. Well Hodgson has silenced most people. He hasn't been the defensive liability that people thought he was going to be, and he has an impressive 12 points in 26 games from the 3rd line.
Now time for the rookies that nobody had on their radar.
Craig Smith: He is second in rookie scoring behind Nugent-Hopkins with 21 points in 26 games and is leading the Nashville Predators in points. Smith is a player who was a 4th round pick just 2 years ago. It's quite the feat that he even made the team at all. Yet now he is stealing ice time from Nashville's previous leading scorers Martin Erat and Sergei Kostitsyn on the first line.
Matt Read: This guy has been lights out good for the Philadelphia Flyers. The undrafted 25 year old rookie was signed last off-season by the Flyers. Now get this, Read was signed this past summer as an undrafted player, and now he's averaging almost a point per-game in the NHL and playing on the Flyers second line. It's crazy, Read was overshadowed by Sean Couturier making the team, but now Read is the one lighting it up. He stole Brayden Schenn's roster spot. Brayden Schenn who this past summer was called "The best player not in the NHL" by Flyers GM Paul Holmgren.
Adam Henrique: The 3rd rounder in 2008 was expected to make the Devils this year... as a 3rd or 4th liner. Now Henrique has 17 points in 22 games, is ahead of player such as Ilya Kovalchuck, and Zach Parise who play on the Devils. The only player on the Devils who has more points than Henrique is Patrick Elias who has 21 and has played 3 more games then Henrique. Henrique has been a great two-way player on a struggling Devils team.
Roman Horak: Horak was just a throw in, in a deal between the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers. The Rangers just threw him into the deal along with 2 second round picks for Tim Erixon and a fifth round pick. The Rangers didn't think that their 5th round pick in 2009 would have the slightest chance of really doing anything in the NHL, at least not for a couple years. Well they were wrong, Roman Horak has been fantastic for the Flames this year. He has been a fabulous defensive forward on a 13th place Flames team in the west. Horak has posted a plus 5 rating on a team that has lost more than they have won. Horak might not be lighting it up, with only 9 points in 24 games, but when they need to hold a lead late in a game, he's the one that they will be sending out.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
You Know What They Say, They Are Hired To Be Fired
In the last month, 5 coaches have been fired, 4 of them head coaches. Perry Pearn was an assistant coach for the Montreal Canadiens, until about a month ago. Davis Payne was head coach of the St. Louis Blues until 2 weeks ago. And Paul Maurice (Carolina Hurricanes), Bruce Boudreau (Washington Capitals) and Randy Carlyle (Anaheim Ducks) all in the last week. However Boudreau, was hired in place of Carlyle with the Ducks just 2 days after being fired. The beneficiaries of these head coach firing's are: Kirk Muller (Carolina Hurricanes), Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues), Dale Hunter (Washington Capitals) and Bruce Boudreau (Anaheim Ducks). It is interesting how so many coaches are fired pretty early in the year. And in someone like Paul Maurice's case, to a team that didn't necessarily have too big of expectations. I guess GM's and management have decided that if the team isn't performing by the quarter mark of the year, it's time to pull the plug. And rightfully so. A stat shows that post-lockout 71.9% of teams that are in the playoffs at the quarter point of the year make it in to the playoffs at the end of the year. one thing that will be interesting to see is how Dale Hunter does in Washington. Some people may remember him as a Capital in the 80's and 90's. Hunter is making the jump from junior coaching to NHL coaching, which hasn't gone too well in the past. In fact, that jump has only worked a couple of times. Some notably good junior coaches that didn't do to well in the NHL and are currently in junior are: Craig Hartsburg and Don Hay. Both these coaches have had tonnes of success at the junior level, and at the junior international level, but couldn't get it done at the NHL level. Which begs the question, Why? Is it the Pressure? The players? I don't know. But good luck Dale Hunter. You and all the other new coaches have quite a bit of work to do.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Stories First 10 Games of the Hockey Season (Roughly)
Obviously the first 10 games of the hockey season has had it's share of surprises and stories. But I will go over 10 of them
1. Edmonton Oilers: Crazy Kidz
2. Boston Bruins: What Happened?
3. Phil Kessel/James Neal: Can It Continue?
4. Pittsburgh: Still Getting It Done Without Their Stars
5. Colombus: Carter, Wisniewski Lots Of Money, No Results
6. Nikolai Khabibulin: He Got Game!
7. Jonathan Quick: 3 Shutouts In A Row!
8. Ottawa Senators: Comeback Kids
9. Roberto Luongo: Just An October Slump?
10. Alex Ovechkin: 50 Goal, 100 Point Years Behind Him?
1. Edmonton Oilers: Crazy Kidz
Oilers look like a completely different team then the one that finished last year in last place. Obviously, this early in the year it is impossible to know what will happen. Hall, Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins have been lights out good. And Correy Potter has jumped out of the blue and has himself a pretty good start to the year. Edmonton even knocked off the 7-0 Capitals (well 7-0 before Edmonton beat them) that even the likes of the Detroit Red Wings lost to.
2. Boston Bruins: What Happened?
you can blame it on a Stanley Cup hangover, or injuries but when it comes down to it, the Big Bad Bruins simply aren't winning games. Tyler Seguin has been a nice surprise, but he can't do it all. If the Bruins aren't careful they could end up like the Chicago Blackhawks of last year. Either barely making the playoffs, or missing them.
3. Phil Kessel/James Neal: Can It Continue?
Both Kessel and Neal took flack last year and both of them had many lackluster performences. Neal quite simply couldn't score after being traded to Pittsburgh, and Phil Kessel had a hard time scoring, and didn't play very well in the defensive zone. Both are tied for first in the league with 9 goals, and Kessel has been praised for fantastic defensive play. First of all, I don't think even a Gretzky in his prime could keep up at that pace all year, in today's NHL. I think that Both of these players will have themselves career years. Neal- 35 goals, 75 points. Kessel- 43 goals, 88 points.
4. Pittsburgh: Still Getting It Done Without Their Stars
I guess we shouldn't really be surprised as they managed to take the Tampa Bay Lightning to Game 7 in the first round without Crosby or Malkin, and the Tampa Bay Lightning would eventually take the Stanley Cup champions to Game 7 in the conference finals. Howevere this time around they (sometimes) have Malkin. But a player who has emerged , I don't know if he has reached 'star' status just yet, but Kris Letang has been fabulous. But the way that Pittsburgh has been winning games is with great special teams, and incredible attention to detail defensively.
5. Colombus: Carter, Wisniewski, Lots Of Money, No Results
Carter didn't even get a goal in the five games that he played before getting injured. and Wisniewski has only played 2 games because he made a stupid play in the pre-season and got suspended, and rightfully so. I don't know, but the more that I look at this team, the more I think that these guys might be a bust. Wisniewski has got to calm down, and I don't think that Carter and Nash will work very well together because they are both shooters.
6. Nikolai Khabibulin: He Got Game!
I don't know what sparked him but Nikolai Khabibulin has been stellar! Has been a key part of the Oilers success through the early going. Reminds me of Tim Thomas from last year. The vet still has it!
7. Jonathan Quick: 3 Shutuouts In A Row!
This is mostly just a shoutout to Jonathan Quick. 3 shutouts in a row and he has gotten little to know notice from people outside of LA. Solid start to the year for Quick.
8. Senators: Comback Kids
The Senators are a very young team that has comeback in several games this year. Obviously that isn't the way you want to play, but it has gotten them sitting at 500 as of now, which is way better than people expected Ottawa to be at. By far the best third period team this year.
9. Roberto Luongo: Just An October Slump?
I think that Lui's start to the year is just an October slump. However I don't think that Canucks management and coaching staff are going about it the correct way. They keep starting Luongo even though Cory Schneider has been better. You know what they say, wins at the beginning of the year are just as important as the wins at the end of the year. And at this point in time Cory Schneider gives the Canucks a better chance to win. Luongo is getting starts because of how much money he makes, and that isn't right.
10. Alex Ovechkin: 50 Goal, 100 Point Years Behind Him?
I think that OV needs to get back to what he is best at. And that is playing offensively. If he keeps playing in the defensive way he has playing, we won't see 50 goals and 100 points from The Great 8. Period. That's the bottom line. However, if he goes back to what made him successfull we will see it again.
1. Edmonton Oilers: Crazy Kidz
2. Boston Bruins: What Happened?
3. Phil Kessel/James Neal: Can It Continue?
4. Pittsburgh: Still Getting It Done Without Their Stars
5. Colombus: Carter, Wisniewski Lots Of Money, No Results
6. Nikolai Khabibulin: He Got Game!
7. Jonathan Quick: 3 Shutouts In A Row!
8. Ottawa Senators: Comeback Kids
9. Roberto Luongo: Just An October Slump?
10. Alex Ovechkin: 50 Goal, 100 Point Years Behind Him?
1. Edmonton Oilers: Crazy Kidz
Oilers look like a completely different team then the one that finished last year in last place. Obviously, this early in the year it is impossible to know what will happen. Hall, Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins have been lights out good. And Correy Potter has jumped out of the blue and has himself a pretty good start to the year. Edmonton even knocked off the 7-0 Capitals (well 7-0 before Edmonton beat them) that even the likes of the Detroit Red Wings lost to.
2. Boston Bruins: What Happened?
you can blame it on a Stanley Cup hangover, or injuries but when it comes down to it, the Big Bad Bruins simply aren't winning games. Tyler Seguin has been a nice surprise, but he can't do it all. If the Bruins aren't careful they could end up like the Chicago Blackhawks of last year. Either barely making the playoffs, or missing them.
3. Phil Kessel/James Neal: Can It Continue?
Both Kessel and Neal took flack last year and both of them had many lackluster performences. Neal quite simply couldn't score after being traded to Pittsburgh, and Phil Kessel had a hard time scoring, and didn't play very well in the defensive zone. Both are tied for first in the league with 9 goals, and Kessel has been praised for fantastic defensive play. First of all, I don't think even a Gretzky in his prime could keep up at that pace all year, in today's NHL. I think that Both of these players will have themselves career years. Neal- 35 goals, 75 points. Kessel- 43 goals, 88 points.
4. Pittsburgh: Still Getting It Done Without Their Stars
I guess we shouldn't really be surprised as they managed to take the Tampa Bay Lightning to Game 7 in the first round without Crosby or Malkin, and the Tampa Bay Lightning would eventually take the Stanley Cup champions to Game 7 in the conference finals. Howevere this time around they (sometimes) have Malkin. But a player who has emerged , I don't know if he has reached 'star' status just yet, but Kris Letang has been fabulous. But the way that Pittsburgh has been winning games is with great special teams, and incredible attention to detail defensively.
5. Colombus: Carter, Wisniewski, Lots Of Money, No Results
Carter didn't even get a goal in the five games that he played before getting injured. and Wisniewski has only played 2 games because he made a stupid play in the pre-season and got suspended, and rightfully so. I don't know, but the more that I look at this team, the more I think that these guys might be a bust. Wisniewski has got to calm down, and I don't think that Carter and Nash will work very well together because they are both shooters.
6. Nikolai Khabibulin: He Got Game!
I don't know what sparked him but Nikolai Khabibulin has been stellar! Has been a key part of the Oilers success through the early going. Reminds me of Tim Thomas from last year. The vet still has it!
7. Jonathan Quick: 3 Shutuouts In A Row!
This is mostly just a shoutout to Jonathan Quick. 3 shutouts in a row and he has gotten little to know notice from people outside of LA. Solid start to the year for Quick.
8. Senators: Comback Kids
The Senators are a very young team that has comeback in several games this year. Obviously that isn't the way you want to play, but it has gotten them sitting at 500 as of now, which is way better than people expected Ottawa to be at. By far the best third period team this year.
9. Roberto Luongo: Just An October Slump?
I think that Lui's start to the year is just an October slump. However I don't think that Canucks management and coaching staff are going about it the correct way. They keep starting Luongo even though Cory Schneider has been better. You know what they say, wins at the beginning of the year are just as important as the wins at the end of the year. And at this point in time Cory Schneider gives the Canucks a better chance to win. Luongo is getting starts because of how much money he makes, and that isn't right.
10. Alex Ovechkin: 50 Goal, 100 Point Years Behind Him?
I think that OV needs to get back to what he is best at. And that is playing offensively. If he keeps playing in the defensive way he has playing, we won't see 50 goals and 100 points from The Great 8. Period. That's the bottom line. However, if he goes back to what made him successfull we will see it again.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
30 Team Predictions For The Regular season And Finals
I will first quickly analyze each teams: Strengths, Weaknesses, Forwards, Defensmen and Goalies. Then I will predict where each team will end up in the standings, and will predict who will make it to the finals and who will win the Stanley Cup.
Eastern Conference
Boston Bruins:
Strengths: A great 1-2 punch in goal with Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask, Amazing depth at centre and a solid defensive corps.
Weaknesses: No glaring weaknesses, and I guess that is why they won the cup, but their special teams could definitely be improved
Forwards: Like I said earlier Amazing depth at centre, and there wingers have taken some losses like Mark Recchi, and Michael Ryder but a couple centre's can step up and play wing.
Defense: Definitely solid with guys like Chara, Corvo and Seidenberg.
Goalies: Probably the best goaltending tandem in the league (behind Luongo and Schneider ;) ) with Thomas and Rask.
Buffalo Sabres:
Strengths: Always great in net with Ryan Miller who is one of the top 5 goalies in the league. Could have a great first line with Vanek, Roy and Leino.
Weaknesses: Not the greatest depth.
Forwards: They have a great first line and and decent supporting cast with guys like, Pominville, Stafford, Boyes and Ennis.
Defense: Have some very good defensemen in the top 2 pairings, bu thave guys like Andrej Sekera and Marc-Andre Gragnani filling the bottom paring. They already had Tyler Myers, but they aquired Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr over the off season.
Goalies: No question have one of the best goalies in the league with Ryan Miller, but also have a very good young backup in Jonas Enroth.
Carolina Hurricanes:
Strengths: Good forwards, and good top 2 defensive pairings.
Weaknesses: Lack of depth at defense
Forwards: Carolina has some of the best young forwards in the league. Jeff Skinner (Calder winner last year) Zac Dalpe, Zach Boychuck, Drayson Bowman and Brandon Sutter. And Eric Staal (Captain) is still only 26.
Defense: They have some pretty good defensemen in Gleason, Kaberle, Allen, McBain and Pitkanen, but will have an AHL defenseman playing the sixth spot.
Goalies: Any team with Cam Ward will have good goaltending.
Florida Panthers:
Strengths: I don't know what to say. They've got a great youth movement?
Weaknesses: Too many to count. Will be relying on the 21 year old Jacob Markstrom and Jose Theodore in net. They have a couple good players but lack depth everywhere.
Forwards: They've got a couple good forwards like Tomas Fleischmann, David Booth and Steven Weiss, but like I said, they have no depth.
Defense: They will be relying on over the hill defensemen like Ed Jovanovski and Brian Campbell. Only spark of life on that blueline will be Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson.
Goalies: Jacob Markstrom has impressed thus far in his life, but can he start an entire year in the NHL at 21, not sure.
Montreal Canadiens:
Strengths: Speed goaltending and depth defensively.
Weaknesses: Not enough size up the middle and too many slow defensemen.
Forwards. They have a bunch of guys that can score. Cammalleri, Plekanec, Gionta, Kostisyn and Gomez (although I'm not sure if he is still in that category). What do they all have in common except for Kostisyn? They are all under 6 feet tall.
Defense: They have guys like Gill and Spacek who are over the hill and over paid. However this could be a very solid defensive corps if Gorges and Markov can stay healthy. Add them with Subban and you've got a very solid top 3.
Goalies: If Carey Price can continue playing the way he played last year, they shouldn't have problems in net. Except maybe with backup Peter Budaj.
New Jersey Devils:
Strengths: Great 1-2 punch offensively with Kovalchuck and Parise.
Weaknesses: No depth anywhere and a bad defensive corps.
Forwards: They will have a good first 2 lines with Kovalchuck, Zajac, Parise and Elias. But after that they will be hurting.
Defense: Anton Volchenkov is their best defenseman, and after that bright spots are few and far between defensively.
Goalies: Two years ago I would have said the Devils have some of the best goaltending in the league. But I just don't know how good Brodeur is anymore. Something's wrong when your starter is 39 and your backup is 38.
New York Islanders:
Strengths: Plenty of young, skilled forwards.
Weaknesses: No depth and too many fighters in their bottom six forwards, Horrible defense.
Forwards: John Tavares, Michael Grabner, Josh Bailey PA Parenteau, Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo. They have no shortage of skilled forwards for their top six, but it is their bottom six they should worry about.
Defense: Besides Mark Streit all their other defensemen are either AHL caliber or last pairing depth caliber. They definitely need work defensively.
Goalies: Hard to gauge how good the Islanders goalies are. DiPietro will be great for the first 15 games of the year, but then he will get injured and Nabokov will have to take over from there. I don't think Nabokov is an elite caliber goalie anymore. So I think that the Islander goalies are good but not great.
New York Rangers:
Strengths: Great depth at forward and a great first line.
Weaknesses: Awful depth defensively.
Forwards: Like I said, they have great depth and will have a great first line of Richards, Wolski, and Gaborik.
Defense: Only four good NHL defensemen: Mark Staal, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and Steve EmingerAHL players.
Goalies: The Rangers have a solid goaltending tandem of Henrik Lundqvist starting, and Martin Biron as the backup.
Ottawa Senators:
Strengths: Nothing outstanding, but they have tons of solid prospects so they will be good someday.
Weaknesses: Nothing glaring but they might have a couple prospects playing in the NHL that aren't quite NHL ready.
Forwards: Of course there is Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, but Bobby Butler intrigues me. He is a great scorer and impressed in his call up from the AHL last season.
Defense: This team has a solid defensive corps, with the exception of Erik Karlsson nobody is outstanding, as Gonchar isn't what he used to be.
Goalies: Not great but not bad. Craig Anderson and Alex Auld are both good goalies but neither are outstanding.
Philadelphia Flyers:
Strengths: Great depth everywhere and a first line of Giroux, Briere and Van Riemsdyk that will make the other team's goalies cringe. Solid goaltending.
Weaknesses: Nothing that is horrible, but they definitely are a young team.
Forwards. Great depth and they are jsut all around good.
Defense: Basically the same as the forwards.
Goalies: Bryzgalov hopes to impress with his new team, and I think the backup role will be better for Bobrovsky.
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Strengths: Solid forwards, solid defense, solid goaltending and they have the best player in the game in Sidney Crosby (of course we don't know when he will be back from his concussion).
Weaknesses: Their best 2 players are injured, and are lacking wingers.
Forwards: They have 2 of the best forwards in the game, but they are both injured. They still have plenty of other solid forwards, but they could use some better wingers.
Defense: Kris Letang is a very good defenseman but other than him they don't have any star defensemen, just a bunch of very good shut down defensemen.
Goalies: Marc-Andre Fleury will probably once again battle inconsistency, but he is still a very good goalie.
Tampa Bay Lightning:
Strenghts: Very good 1-2 punch in St louis and Stamkos, and just good forwards in general.
Weaknesses: A very old starting goalie in Roloson, and I'm unsure how many games he can play.
Forwards: Like I said earlier they have good forwards and Stakos will probably get 40+ goals and 90+ points with St Louis assisting him every step of the way (pun intended).
Defense: Okay defense, nobody is a standout, but then again nobody is not an NHL caliber defenseman.
Goalies: Roloson is old but still good, and they have a decent backup in Mathieu Garon.
Toronto Maple Leafs:
Strengths: They have no major wholes in their lineup.
Weaknesses: If James Reimer doesn't have the same magic of last year and Gustavsson continues on his downward trend, they are screwed.
Forwards: They have a solid top 2 lines, and their bottom 6 has plenty of players with sandpaper in their game. They also may have found a set up man for Kessel in Tim Connolly.
Defense: Brian Burke built this team around defense, this team has great defensive depth so they should have no problems there.
Goalies: Like I said earlier, their goalies are going to be a roll of the dice this year.
Washington Capitals:
Strengths: Almost everything.
Weaknesses: Only thing I can see is lack of playoff experience.
Forwards; Every year Washington has great forwards, and this year is no different, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin... the list goes on and on.
Defense: This team has a great defensive corps with Green, Hamrlik, Alzner, Carlson, Wideman, Schultz and Poti.
Goalies: They have finally answered the bell and got a starting goalie in Tomas Vokoun. this team could be a powerhouse this year. The only thing stopping them is the playoffs.
Winnipeg Jets:
Strengths: Solid forwards.
Weaknesses: Don't have very good all round depth.
Forwards: They don't have anyone who will bring you out of your seat, but they have a bunch of solid forwards.
Defense: If Byfuglien and Enstrom play the same way they played last year, this team has 2 star defensemen. oustide of them their defense isn't great.
Goalies. I think that Ondrej Pavelec will be great this year. And I think that with Chris Mason as a backup, this team is set in the net.
Eastern Conference Standings
1. Washington Capitals
2. Boston Bruins
3. Pittsburgh Penguins
4. Buffalo Sabres
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
6. Philadelphia Flyers
7. Montreal Canadiens
8. New York Rangers
9. Toronto Maple Leafs
10. Carolina Hurricanes
11. New York Islanders
12. Winnipeg Jets
13. New Jersey Devils
14. Ottawa Senators
15. Florida Panthers
Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks:
Strengths: Great top 6 forwards, Perry, Getzlaf, Ryan, Selanne, Koivu and Blake.
Weaknesses: They aren't really weak anywhere but it would help if they had someone better that Sheldon Brookbank playing in their lineup.
Forwards: This team has got a great mix of scorers and grinders, and like I said earlier, their top six is deadly.
Defense: Cam Fowler is coming off a great rookie year so you can expect great things from him. Besides not having the greatest depth, the Ducks have no problems defensively.
Goalies: Now that Jonas Hiller is finally healthy, the Ducks are great in the blue paint.
Calgary Flames:
Strengths: As always, they have great goaltending in Miikka Kiprusoff.
Weaknesses: All of their good players are either old, or aren't that good anymore. Also they don't have good secondary scoring.
Forwards: Jarome Iginla will probably score 30 goals and get 75 points once again, but they just don't have good supporting players for Iginla.
Defense: Their top 2 pairings look good but after that they are hurting.
Goalies: Like I said, Miikka Kiprusoff will once again play 70 to 75 games, and play very well, but if they were to make the playoffs (which they won't) he will be too burnt out to play very well.
Chicago Blackhawks:
Strengths: Great depth at forward, and a spectacular first line.
Weaknesses: They have AHL caliber defensemen like John Scott playing in their lineup.
Forwards: They have great depth and that first line of either Hossa or Sharp, and Toews and Kane is downright scary.
Defense: After Keith and Seabrook their defensive corps could use a facelift.
Goalies: Not sure about this, Corey Crawford impressed in his rookie year last year, but can he repeat that. And if he stumbles will rookie goalie Alexander Salak be able to play at the NHL level.
Colorado Avalanche:
Strengths: Plenty of youth and energy.
Weaknesses: Not much depth at any position except goalie.
Forwards: Will have a good first line of Duchene/Statsny and Mueller and Hejduk.
Defense: They don't have any AHL caliber players on defense but besides Erik Johnson they aren't that great defensively.
Goalies: Semyon Varlamov is good enough to be a starter but has battled inconsistency in the past. That is why the veteran G-S Giguere can play a couple games every once in a while if Varlamov stumbles.
Colombus Blue Jackets:
Strengths: A deadly top line of Carter, Nash and Umberger.
Weaknesses: Defense is terrible.
Forwards: They have some great scorers and a bunch of role players, and they also have some secondary scorers in Brassard, Huselius, Prospal and Vermette.
Defense: A top three of Russel, Wisniewski, and Tyutin. And they have 3 AHL defensemen playing in the NHL in Martinek, Clitsome, and Methot.
Goalies: If Mason can return to his Calder winning form they are going to be great, if not it's gonna be a long year.
Dallas Stars:
Strengths: Nothing really stands out as a strength, after losing Richards, they lost a lot of offense.
Weaknesses: They don't have a major weakness but they could use a couple more NHL forwards.
Forwards: They have a good but not great first line in Morrow, Benn and Eriksson, but after them they need some work.
Defense: Their defense is not bad but not great. They don't have a real stand out defenseman, but they don't have any AHL defensemen playing in the NHL either. The difference in ability form their top defenseman to their worst defenseman isn't much.
Goalies: If Kari Lehtonen can stay healthy they are set in goal.
Detroit Red Wings:
Strengths: All around depth at every position.
Weaknesses: They don't have many weaknesses, but they could use a big physical forward.
Forwards: Despite the fact that they don't have many physical forwards, the Wings boast one the the best group of forwards in the NHL.
Defense: After losing Brian Rafalski to retirement, they picked up a poor-man's Rafalski in Ian White. They also got more physical when they added Mike Commodore.
Goalies: If Jimmy Howard plays the way he has played the last 2 years, they should have no problems. Especially with the best backup of all time in Ty Conklin.
Edmonton Oilers:
Strengths: No major strengths except that they play with a lot of energy.
Weaknesses: They need some more centremen, and defensemen, and their goaltenders aren't very good.
Forwards: Edmonton boasts some of the best young forwards in the league, Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Omark, Gagner and Nugent-Hopkins. But other than a few good forwards like Hemsky, Horcoff and Smyth, they aren't that great up front.
Defense: One of the worst defensive groups last year but now they aren't quite as bad. They added guys like Cam Barker and Andy Sutton, to make this team only bad, not terrible defensively.
Goalie: They are hurting in net with Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk.
Los Angeles Kings:
Strengths: Arguably the best team in the NHL up the middle with Mike Richards, Anze Kopitar and Jarret Stoll.
Weaknesses: Nothing major but they could use a couple more depth forwards.
Forwards: Like I said earlier they are great at centre, and they also have a couple good supporting wingers in Brown, Williams, Penner and Gagne.
Defense: He isn't currently signed but the Kings have a future Norris winning defenseman in Drew Doughty. And when Doughty and Jack Johnson are on the power play together, the other team has to look out.
Goalies: Quick has impressed in the last 2 years, and Jonathan Bernier is a great NHL ready goalie and he is only 22.
Minnesota Wild:
Strengths: Great goaltending and a great first 2 lines.
Weaknesses: Lack of depth defensively.
Forwards: They totally revamped their forwards, bringing in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi and the first line of Setoguchi, Heatley and Koivu is going to light it up.
Defense: They lost a lot when they traded Brett Burns, and I don't like the way their defense looks.
Goalies: Nik Backstrom is a very good goalie so I think that they won't have any problems in net.
Nashville Predators:
Strengths: Very solid defensively.
Weaknesses: They lack offensive firepower.
Forwards: When Martin Erat is your leading scorer with 50 points, something is wrong. But I expect Colin Wilson to emerge and get 25+ goals and 45+ points.
Defense: Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are a dynamic duo, and this team has some good supporting defensemen like Ellis, Klein, Blum, Hillen and Bouillon.
Goalies: If Pekka Rinne plays the same way he played last year (especially in the playoffs) they might have a Vezina winning goaltender.
Phoenix Coyotes:
Strengths: Great team defense.
Weaknesses: Not much offensive firepower, and no legitimate starting goalie.
Forwards: Sure they have Doan and Whitney and Langkow but none of those guys are scoring at the rate they used to. But I expect that Kyle Turris will have a breakout 40+ point year.
Defense: Keith Yandle had a breakout 59 point year last year, but can he repeat. This team on paper doesn't have the greatest defensemen, but the team plays great defense.
Goalies: I think with the loss of Ilya Bryzgalov goaltending will be this team's downfall.
San Jose Sharks:
Strengths: Great depth everywhere, and a scary first line.
Weaknesses: Don't have a great starting goalie (Antti Niemi).
Forwards: Thornton, Couture, Marleau, Pavelski, Clowe, Havlat and Sheppard. This team has a bunch of great forwards.
Defense: They have good depth, and I can't wait to see Burns and Boyle on the power play together.
Goalies: Not great but not bad with Niemi and Nittymaki
St. Louis Blues:
Strengths: Some great young forwards in Berlund, Oshie, Perron, Backes and Stewart.
Weaknesses: Lack defensive depth.
Forwards: They have a great mix of veterans, players in their prime, and young stars like I just mentioned.
Defense: Not much depth, but Kevin Shattenkirk is emerging as a very good player.
Goalies: If Halak can play as good as he did in Montreal, St. Louis will have a Vezina caliber goalie.
Vancouver Canucks:
Strengths: The Canucks have several strengths, so I will list just the one that I think is the most important. Team depth.
Weaknesses: Nobody to stand up for their star players when they are being pushed around.
Forwards: They boast arguably the best dynamic duo in the NHL with Daniel and Henrik. Also they have the Selke winning Ryan Kesler.
Defense: No stars but plenty of very good defensemen, Ballard, Bieksa, Edler, Hamhuis etc... Also I think that Ballard will have a bounce back year and take the place of Ehrhoff on the power play.
Goalies: Luongo and Schnieder are one of the best goaltending tandems in the league, the Canucks should have no problems in net.
Western Conference Standings
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Chicago Blackhawks
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Nashville Predators
8.Columbus Blue Jackets
9. Minnesota Wild
10. Colorado Avalanche
11. St. Louis Blues
12. Dallas Stars
13. Calgary Flames
14. Phoenix Coyotes
15. Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup Finals Prediction
Western Conference:
Vancouver Canucks
Eastern Conference:
Washington Capitals
Cup Winner:
Washington Capitals
Eastern Conference
Boston Bruins:
Strengths: A great 1-2 punch in goal with Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask, Amazing depth at centre and a solid defensive corps.
Weaknesses: No glaring weaknesses, and I guess that is why they won the cup, but their special teams could definitely be improved
Forwards: Like I said earlier Amazing depth at centre, and there wingers have taken some losses like Mark Recchi, and Michael Ryder but a couple centre's can step up and play wing.
Defense: Definitely solid with guys like Chara, Corvo and Seidenberg.
Goalies: Probably the best goaltending tandem in the league (behind Luongo and Schneider ;) ) with Thomas and Rask.
Buffalo Sabres:
Strengths: Always great in net with Ryan Miller who is one of the top 5 goalies in the league. Could have a great first line with Vanek, Roy and Leino.
Weaknesses: Not the greatest depth.
Forwards: They have a great first line and and decent supporting cast with guys like, Pominville, Stafford, Boyes and Ennis.
Defense: Have some very good defensemen in the top 2 pairings, bu thave guys like Andrej Sekera and Marc-Andre Gragnani filling the bottom paring. They already had Tyler Myers, but they aquired Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr over the off season.
Goalies: No question have one of the best goalies in the league with Ryan Miller, but also have a very good young backup in Jonas Enroth.
Carolina Hurricanes:
Strengths: Good forwards, and good top 2 defensive pairings.
Weaknesses: Lack of depth at defense
Forwards: Carolina has some of the best young forwards in the league. Jeff Skinner (Calder winner last year) Zac Dalpe, Zach Boychuck, Drayson Bowman and Brandon Sutter. And Eric Staal (Captain) is still only 26.
Defense: They have some pretty good defensemen in Gleason, Kaberle, Allen, McBain and Pitkanen, but will have an AHL defenseman playing the sixth spot.
Goalies: Any team with Cam Ward will have good goaltending.
Florida Panthers:
Strengths: I don't know what to say. They've got a great youth movement?
Weaknesses: Too many to count. Will be relying on the 21 year old Jacob Markstrom and Jose Theodore in net. They have a couple good players but lack depth everywhere.
Forwards: They've got a couple good forwards like Tomas Fleischmann, David Booth and Steven Weiss, but like I said, they have no depth.
Defense: They will be relying on over the hill defensemen like Ed Jovanovski and Brian Campbell. Only spark of life on that blueline will be Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson.
Goalies: Jacob Markstrom has impressed thus far in his life, but can he start an entire year in the NHL at 21, not sure.
Montreal Canadiens:
Strengths: Speed goaltending and depth defensively.
Weaknesses: Not enough size up the middle and too many slow defensemen.
Forwards. They have a bunch of guys that can score. Cammalleri, Plekanec, Gionta, Kostisyn and Gomez (although I'm not sure if he is still in that category). What do they all have in common except for Kostisyn? They are all under 6 feet tall.
Defense: They have guys like Gill and Spacek who are over the hill and over paid. However this could be a very solid defensive corps if Gorges and Markov can stay healthy. Add them with Subban and you've got a very solid top 3.
Goalies: If Carey Price can continue playing the way he played last year, they shouldn't have problems in net. Except maybe with backup Peter Budaj.
New Jersey Devils:
Strengths: Great 1-2 punch offensively with Kovalchuck and Parise.
Weaknesses: No depth anywhere and a bad defensive corps.
Forwards: They will have a good first 2 lines with Kovalchuck, Zajac, Parise and Elias. But after that they will be hurting.
Defense: Anton Volchenkov is their best defenseman, and after that bright spots are few and far between defensively.
Goalies: Two years ago I would have said the Devils have some of the best goaltending in the league. But I just don't know how good Brodeur is anymore. Something's wrong when your starter is 39 and your backup is 38.
New York Islanders:
Strengths: Plenty of young, skilled forwards.
Weaknesses: No depth and too many fighters in their bottom six forwards, Horrible defense.
Forwards: John Tavares, Michael Grabner, Josh Bailey PA Parenteau, Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo. They have no shortage of skilled forwards for their top six, but it is their bottom six they should worry about.
Defense: Besides Mark Streit all their other defensemen are either AHL caliber or last pairing depth caliber. They definitely need work defensively.
Goalies: Hard to gauge how good the Islanders goalies are. DiPietro will be great for the first 15 games of the year, but then he will get injured and Nabokov will have to take over from there. I don't think Nabokov is an elite caliber goalie anymore. So I think that the Islander goalies are good but not great.
New York Rangers:
Strengths: Great depth at forward and a great first line.
Weaknesses: Awful depth defensively.
Forwards: Like I said, they have great depth and will have a great first line of Richards, Wolski, and Gaborik.
Defense: Only four good NHL defensemen: Mark Staal, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi and Steve EmingerAHL players.
Goalies: The Rangers have a solid goaltending tandem of Henrik Lundqvist starting, and Martin Biron as the backup.
Ottawa Senators:
Strengths: Nothing outstanding, but they have tons of solid prospects so they will be good someday.
Weaknesses: Nothing glaring but they might have a couple prospects playing in the NHL that aren't quite NHL ready.
Forwards: Of course there is Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza, but Bobby Butler intrigues me. He is a great scorer and impressed in his call up from the AHL last season.
Defense: This team has a solid defensive corps, with the exception of Erik Karlsson nobody is outstanding, as Gonchar isn't what he used to be.
Goalies: Not great but not bad. Craig Anderson and Alex Auld are both good goalies but neither are outstanding.
Philadelphia Flyers:
Strengths: Great depth everywhere and a first line of Giroux, Briere and Van Riemsdyk that will make the other team's goalies cringe. Solid goaltending.
Weaknesses: Nothing that is horrible, but they definitely are a young team.
Forwards. Great depth and they are jsut all around good.
Defense: Basically the same as the forwards.
Goalies: Bryzgalov hopes to impress with his new team, and I think the backup role will be better for Bobrovsky.
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Strengths: Solid forwards, solid defense, solid goaltending and they have the best player in the game in Sidney Crosby (of course we don't know when he will be back from his concussion).
Weaknesses: Their best 2 players are injured, and are lacking wingers.
Forwards: They have 2 of the best forwards in the game, but they are both injured. They still have plenty of other solid forwards, but they could use some better wingers.
Defense: Kris Letang is a very good defenseman but other than him they don't have any star defensemen, just a bunch of very good shut down defensemen.
Goalies: Marc-Andre Fleury will probably once again battle inconsistency, but he is still a very good goalie.
Tampa Bay Lightning:
Strenghts: Very good 1-2 punch in St louis and Stamkos, and just good forwards in general.
Weaknesses: A very old starting goalie in Roloson, and I'm unsure how many games he can play.
Forwards: Like I said earlier they have good forwards and Stakos will probably get 40+ goals and 90+ points with St Louis assisting him every step of the way (pun intended).
Defense: Okay defense, nobody is a standout, but then again nobody is not an NHL caliber defenseman.
Goalies: Roloson is old but still good, and they have a decent backup in Mathieu Garon.
Toronto Maple Leafs:
Strengths: They have no major wholes in their lineup.
Weaknesses: If James Reimer doesn't have the same magic of last year and Gustavsson continues on his downward trend, they are screwed.
Forwards: They have a solid top 2 lines, and their bottom 6 has plenty of players with sandpaper in their game. They also may have found a set up man for Kessel in Tim Connolly.
Defense: Brian Burke built this team around defense, this team has great defensive depth so they should have no problems there.
Goalies: Like I said earlier, their goalies are going to be a roll of the dice this year.
Washington Capitals:
Strengths: Almost everything.
Weaknesses: Only thing I can see is lack of playoff experience.
Forwards; Every year Washington has great forwards, and this year is no different, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin... the list goes on and on.
Defense: This team has a great defensive corps with Green, Hamrlik, Alzner, Carlson, Wideman, Schultz and Poti.
Goalies: They have finally answered the bell and got a starting goalie in Tomas Vokoun. this team could be a powerhouse this year. The only thing stopping them is the playoffs.
Winnipeg Jets:
Strengths: Solid forwards.
Weaknesses: Don't have very good all round depth.
Forwards: They don't have anyone who will bring you out of your seat, but they have a bunch of solid forwards.
Defense: If Byfuglien and Enstrom play the same way they played last year, this team has 2 star defensemen. oustide of them their defense isn't great.
Goalies. I think that Ondrej Pavelec will be great this year. And I think that with Chris Mason as a backup, this team is set in the net.
Eastern Conference Standings
1. Washington Capitals
2. Boston Bruins
3. Pittsburgh Penguins
4. Buffalo Sabres
5. Tampa Bay Lightning
6. Philadelphia Flyers
7. Montreal Canadiens
8. New York Rangers
9. Toronto Maple Leafs
10. Carolina Hurricanes
11. New York Islanders
12. Winnipeg Jets
13. New Jersey Devils
14. Ottawa Senators
15. Florida Panthers
Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks:
Strengths: Great top 6 forwards, Perry, Getzlaf, Ryan, Selanne, Koivu and Blake.
Weaknesses: They aren't really weak anywhere but it would help if they had someone better that Sheldon Brookbank playing in their lineup.
Forwards: This team has got a great mix of scorers and grinders, and like I said earlier, their top six is deadly.
Defense: Cam Fowler is coming off a great rookie year so you can expect great things from him. Besides not having the greatest depth, the Ducks have no problems defensively.
Goalies: Now that Jonas Hiller is finally healthy, the Ducks are great in the blue paint.
Calgary Flames:
Strengths: As always, they have great goaltending in Miikka Kiprusoff.
Weaknesses: All of their good players are either old, or aren't that good anymore. Also they don't have good secondary scoring.
Forwards: Jarome Iginla will probably score 30 goals and get 75 points once again, but they just don't have good supporting players for Iginla.
Defense: Their top 2 pairings look good but after that they are hurting.
Goalies: Like I said, Miikka Kiprusoff will once again play 70 to 75 games, and play very well, but if they were to make the playoffs (which they won't) he will be too burnt out to play very well.
Chicago Blackhawks:
Strengths: Great depth at forward, and a spectacular first line.
Weaknesses: They have AHL caliber defensemen like John Scott playing in their lineup.
Forwards: They have great depth and that first line of either Hossa or Sharp, and Toews and Kane is downright scary.
Defense: After Keith and Seabrook their defensive corps could use a facelift.
Goalies: Not sure about this, Corey Crawford impressed in his rookie year last year, but can he repeat that. And if he stumbles will rookie goalie Alexander Salak be able to play at the NHL level.
Colorado Avalanche:
Strengths: Plenty of youth and energy.
Weaknesses: Not much depth at any position except goalie.
Forwards: Will have a good first line of Duchene/Statsny and Mueller and Hejduk.
Defense: They don't have any AHL caliber players on defense but besides Erik Johnson they aren't that great defensively.
Goalies: Semyon Varlamov is good enough to be a starter but has battled inconsistency in the past. That is why the veteran G-S Giguere can play a couple games every once in a while if Varlamov stumbles.
Colombus Blue Jackets:
Strengths: A deadly top line of Carter, Nash and Umberger.
Weaknesses: Defense is terrible.
Forwards: They have some great scorers and a bunch of role players, and they also have some secondary scorers in Brassard, Huselius, Prospal and Vermette.
Defense: A top three of Russel, Wisniewski, and Tyutin. And they have 3 AHL defensemen playing in the NHL in Martinek, Clitsome, and Methot.
Goalies: If Mason can return to his Calder winning form they are going to be great, if not it's gonna be a long year.
Dallas Stars:
Strengths: Nothing really stands out as a strength, after losing Richards, they lost a lot of offense.
Weaknesses: They don't have a major weakness but they could use a couple more NHL forwards.
Forwards: They have a good but not great first line in Morrow, Benn and Eriksson, but after them they need some work.
Defense: Their defense is not bad but not great. They don't have a real stand out defenseman, but they don't have any AHL defensemen playing in the NHL either. The difference in ability form their top defenseman to their worst defenseman isn't much.
Goalies: If Kari Lehtonen can stay healthy they are set in goal.
Detroit Red Wings:
Strengths: All around depth at every position.
Weaknesses: They don't have many weaknesses, but they could use a big physical forward.
Forwards: Despite the fact that they don't have many physical forwards, the Wings boast one the the best group of forwards in the NHL.
Defense: After losing Brian Rafalski to retirement, they picked up a poor-man's Rafalski in Ian White. They also got more physical when they added Mike Commodore.
Goalies: If Jimmy Howard plays the way he has played the last 2 years, they should have no problems. Especially with the best backup of all time in Ty Conklin.
Edmonton Oilers:
Strengths: No major strengths except that they play with a lot of energy.
Weaknesses: They need some more centremen, and defensemen, and their goaltenders aren't very good.
Forwards: Edmonton boasts some of the best young forwards in the league, Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi, Omark, Gagner and Nugent-Hopkins. But other than a few good forwards like Hemsky, Horcoff and Smyth, they aren't that great up front.
Defense: One of the worst defensive groups last year but now they aren't quite as bad. They added guys like Cam Barker and Andy Sutton, to make this team only bad, not terrible defensively.
Goalie: They are hurting in net with Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk.
Los Angeles Kings:
Strengths: Arguably the best team in the NHL up the middle with Mike Richards, Anze Kopitar and Jarret Stoll.
Weaknesses: Nothing major but they could use a couple more depth forwards.
Forwards: Like I said earlier they are great at centre, and they also have a couple good supporting wingers in Brown, Williams, Penner and Gagne.
Defense: He isn't currently signed but the Kings have a future Norris winning defenseman in Drew Doughty. And when Doughty and Jack Johnson are on the power play together, the other team has to look out.
Goalies: Quick has impressed in the last 2 years, and Jonathan Bernier is a great NHL ready goalie and he is only 22.
Minnesota Wild:
Strengths: Great goaltending and a great first 2 lines.
Weaknesses: Lack of depth defensively.
Forwards: They totally revamped their forwards, bringing in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi and the first line of Setoguchi, Heatley and Koivu is going to light it up.
Defense: They lost a lot when they traded Brett Burns, and I don't like the way their defense looks.
Goalies: Nik Backstrom is a very good goalie so I think that they won't have any problems in net.
Nashville Predators:
Strengths: Very solid defensively.
Weaknesses: They lack offensive firepower.
Forwards: When Martin Erat is your leading scorer with 50 points, something is wrong. But I expect Colin Wilson to emerge and get 25+ goals and 45+ points.
Defense: Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are a dynamic duo, and this team has some good supporting defensemen like Ellis, Klein, Blum, Hillen and Bouillon.
Goalies: If Pekka Rinne plays the same way he played last year (especially in the playoffs) they might have a Vezina winning goaltender.
Phoenix Coyotes:
Strengths: Great team defense.
Weaknesses: Not much offensive firepower, and no legitimate starting goalie.
Forwards: Sure they have Doan and Whitney and Langkow but none of those guys are scoring at the rate they used to. But I expect that Kyle Turris will have a breakout 40+ point year.
Defense: Keith Yandle had a breakout 59 point year last year, but can he repeat. This team on paper doesn't have the greatest defensemen, but the team plays great defense.
Goalies: I think with the loss of Ilya Bryzgalov goaltending will be this team's downfall.
San Jose Sharks:
Strengths: Great depth everywhere, and a scary first line.
Weaknesses: Don't have a great starting goalie (Antti Niemi).
Forwards: Thornton, Couture, Marleau, Pavelski, Clowe, Havlat and Sheppard. This team has a bunch of great forwards.
Defense: They have good depth, and I can't wait to see Burns and Boyle on the power play together.
Goalies: Not great but not bad with Niemi and Nittymaki
St. Louis Blues:
Strengths: Some great young forwards in Berlund, Oshie, Perron, Backes and Stewart.
Weaknesses: Lack defensive depth.
Forwards: They have a great mix of veterans, players in their prime, and young stars like I just mentioned.
Defense: Not much depth, but Kevin Shattenkirk is emerging as a very good player.
Goalies: If Halak can play as good as he did in Montreal, St. Louis will have a Vezina caliber goalie.
Vancouver Canucks:
Strengths: The Canucks have several strengths, so I will list just the one that I think is the most important. Team depth.
Weaknesses: Nobody to stand up for their star players when they are being pushed around.
Forwards: They boast arguably the best dynamic duo in the NHL with Daniel and Henrik. Also they have the Selke winning Ryan Kesler.
Defense: No stars but plenty of very good defensemen, Ballard, Bieksa, Edler, Hamhuis etc... Also I think that Ballard will have a bounce back year and take the place of Ehrhoff on the power play.
Goalies: Luongo and Schnieder are one of the best goaltending tandems in the league, the Canucks should have no problems in net.
Western Conference Standings
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Chicago Blackhawks
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Nashville Predators
8.Columbus Blue Jackets
9. Minnesota Wild
10. Colorado Avalanche
11. St. Louis Blues
12. Dallas Stars
13. Calgary Flames
14. Phoenix Coyotes
15. Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup Finals Prediction
Western Conference:
Vancouver Canucks
Eastern Conference:
Washington Capitals
Cup Winner:
Washington Capitals
Friday, August 19, 2011
Free Agent Frenzy Signings and Trades
I will be writing my opinion on the free agent signings and trades. For trades, which team wins and why, and which team loses and why. And for the free agent signings I will write about if I think it was a good move for the team and why, and if it was a good move for the player and why. I will also decide whether it was a good price for the player and if it was a good amount of years. Also I won't write about minor signings and minor trades.
Trades:
1. San Jose Sharks trade Dany Heatley (RW/LW) to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Martin Havlat (RW).
Winner: Minnesota Wild
Out of the three trades Dany Heatley has been apart of, this is the first one he didn't publicly ask for. Minnesota wins this trade because they get a former back to back 50 goal scorer, while giving up an injury prone play maker. Also Dany Heatley will be able to play on the top line with play maker Mikko Koivu, and I think that both players will see a spike in points. Heatley had an off year with 64 for points, which is 2 points ahead of Havlat's 62. On the San Jose side of things, Heatley has had declining numbers, but so has Havlat, so I think that both teams are hoping a change of scenery will motivate the players. I just don't understand where those extra points are coming from with Havlat. Havlat is a play maker, playing on a line with either: Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, or Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. He would be in the same situation he was in in Minnesota. Havlat (a play maker) playing on a line with another play maker (San Jose = Joe Thornton, Minnesota = Mikko Koivu). However it wasn't a terrible trade for San Jose, just a less than stellar trade. But Minnesota definitely engineered a trade that will help.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs trade Brett Lebda (D) and Robert Slaney (LW) to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Matthew Lombardi (C) and Cody Franson (D).
Winner: Toronto Maple Leafs
Not much to analyze here. It was mostly a salary dump for Nashville as they just signed defense man Shea Weber to a 7.5 million dollar deal and are going to have to deal with restricted free agents Ryan Suter and Pekka Rinne next year. Franson is a second or third pairing D'man as of now, but is only 23 and has the potential to be a top four defensman. Lombardi is a top six forward but has been out with a concussion all year and it is uncertain whether or not he will be back for the start of next year. Lebda is a depth defense man and Slaney is a prospect and it is hard to gauge what his potential is. He will have to spend at least 2 more years in the AHL. It wasn't really a bad trade for Nashville. They gave more than they got, but the purpose of this deal wasn't to get better, it was to get cheaper.
3. Colorado Avalanche trades a 2012 first round pick, and a conditional pick to the Washington Capitals for Semyon Varlamov (G).
Winner: Washington Capitals
Sure Varlamov will be a starting goalie in the NHL some day, but I don't think that he will be a star. And I don't think that he is worth a first and a second, or third round pick. Plus he was expendable. Washington just signed veteran goalie Tomas Vokoun to a deal. Washington also has 2 very good young goalies in Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby. On the Colorado side they did need a goalie for the future, because although they signed Veteran goalie J-S Giguere, he isn't going to cut it in 2 years. Varlamov is only 23. It was actually a good trade for Colorado. But it was a great trade for Washington.
4. Buffalo Sabres trade Chris Butler (D) and Paul Byron (C) to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Robyn Regehr (D), Ales Kotalik (RW) and a second round pick in 2012.
Winner: Buffalo Sabres
Like the Nashville-Toronto trade there isn't much to analyze because it was a salary dump for the Calgary Flames. Buffalo gets a top pairing shut down defense man in Robyn Regehr. Ales Kotalik who is washed up and was really just a throw in in this trade. And they get a second round pick. Calgary gets a depth defense man in Chris Butler. And a 22 centre man in Paul Byron who will probably need a couple years in the minors before making Calgary. Byron will probably be a second or third liner when he is fully developed. This wasn't a bad trade for Calgary. The goal was to save money and they did just that in this trade. But Buffalo gets much better with this trade.
5. Chicago Blackhawks trade Brian Campbell (D) to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Rostislav Olesz (RW).
Winner: Florida Panthers
This is a salary dump for Chicago getting rid of the 7.1 million dollar cap hit of Campbell. However, unlike the other salary dumps (Calgary-Buffalo, Nashville-Toronto) Chicago got a player of almost the same value as Campbell in Rostislav Olesz (not same cap value). OleszCampoli this year. Without Campbell they will probably have to end up using a couple AHL caliber D'men in their starting roster. Florida is hurting at forward and defense, so it doesn't really matter which position the players they trade are. Come to think of it, if Jacob Markstrom doesn't do very well this year, they would be hurting a goalie too!!
6. Minnesota Wild trade Brent Burns (D) and a second round pick in 2012 to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Devin Setoguchi (RW), Charlie Coyle (F) and first round selection in this year's NHL draft 28th and with that pick the Wild drafted Zack Phillips (C).
Winner: Minnesota Wild
Both teams did do a good job in this trade and got what they wanted. However I think the Sharks gave up too much for Burns. I think that a this trade would have been more even if the Sharks only gave up a second or third round pick instead of a first round pick. The Sharks did do a good job in filling in a defensive corps that had a couple holes. And with this trade the Wild do a good job of filling in some hole up front for now and for the future with Zack Phillips and Charlie Coyle. Charlie Coyle was a first round draft pick (28th) in the 2010 NHL draft. Also Setoguchi is still only 26 so he isn't exactly long in the tooth either. San Jose got a defenseman that hasn't quite lived up to the expectations that were set upon him. People thought Burns was going to be a star. But then injuries kind of derailed his career. He had a bit of a bounce back year last year, and is only 25, but I still don't think that he will ever be a star. Don't get me wrong though, there is still a chance that Burns could someday be a star but I think that he is a solid #2 D'man.
Seeing as I have already analyzed the Philadelphia trades in a previous blog, I will be moving on to the signings.
Free Agent Signings:
One quick note: I will only be doing signing from July 1st and on.
1. Shea Weber (D) re-signs with the Nashville Predators or one year at 7.5 million dollars.
Slightly over paid, I personally think that Weber is currently only good enough for a 6.75 million dollar deal, but this signing is key for Nashville. The only problem is that it is only for 1 year so they will have to lock him up long term sometime this year, and that is easier said than done when you only have a 55 million dollar cap ceiling when every other team has a 64 million dollar limit. However this is still a step in the right direction for Nashville with Weber.
2. Zach Parise (LW) re-signs with the New Jersey Devils for one year at 6.0 million dollars.
I think this is just the right price for Parise, if he hadn't been out all of last year with an injury he might of been worth more. Like Nashville, the Devils will have to renegotiate another, probably more long-term deal, in the near future. The Devils are right up against the cap ceiling, so it will be difficult to get Parise signed long-term. This is a good signing for the Devils though.
3. Ryan Callahan (RW) re-signs with the New York Rangers for 3 years at 4.275 million dollars a year.
Callahan had a breakout year this year with the Rangers and plays a similar game to Ryan Kesler. Callahan had a breakout year offensively and defensively. He finished the year with 48 points in 60 games. His teammate Marian Gaborik finished with 48 points in 62 games. Callahan plays a grinding style defensively and is getting quite good at scoring now too. I think this is a good price for a 26 year old player that will be good for years to come.
4. Vaclav Prospal (C) signs with the Colombus Blue Jackets for one year at 1.75 million dollars.
I think this is a great signing for the Blue Jackets. Although Prospal had an injury riddled year and only played 29 games, he got 23 points in those games. Not bad for a 36 year old vet. Also in the year before last Prospal had 58 points . Prospal is still an effective NHLer and will have a great veteran presence on a Blue Jackets team that has been lacking in that area. Also he is good enough that if the Carter, Nash combination isn't working he can fill in on that top line. And the Jackets got him for the bargain price of 1.75 million dollars. Fantastic signing for the Blue Jackets.
5. Brandon Dubinsky (F) re-signs with the New York Rangers for 4 years at 4.2 million dollars a year.
Good signing for the Rangers but I think they may have slightly over paid Dubinsky. Dubinsky plays very much alike his Ranger teammate Ryan Callahan. Dubinsky is one year younger than Callahan at 25. I don't think that Dubinsky is quite as good as Callahan, so I think that 3.5 million is probably his value.
6. Steven Stamkos (C) re-signs with the Tampa Bay Lightning for 5 years at 7.5 million dollars a year.
This is a huge signing for the Lightning locking up Stamkos for 5 years. Stamkos is the face of the franchise and worth every penny they are paying him. He is a dynamic scorer and is only 21. Fabulous signing for the Lightning.
7. Jason Arnott (C) signs with the St. Louis Blues for one year at 2.8 million dollars.
The Blues are a very young inexperieced team, bringing in Arnott will have a great impact on this team. Arnott is a 36 year old vet that can still contribute at both ends of the ice. He had 31 points in 73 games in a year split between New Jersey and Washington. A bit over paid but not anything major. Good signing for the Blues.
8. Jamie Langenbrunner (RW) signs with the St. Louis Blues for one year at 2.8 million dollars.
Like the Arnott signing, the Blues brought in a veteran presence in Jamie Langenbrunner. This is a decent signing for the blues. The 36 year old Langenbrunner is still contributing but just doesn't really have it any more. I would be a much bigger fan of this signing if it was a 1.5 million dollar signing instead of a 2.8 million dollar signing.
9. Tomas Kaberle (D) signs with the Carolina Hurricanes for 3 years at 4.25 million dollars a year.
Kaberle is 33 and still playing at the same level he was playing at five years ago, however, I'm not so sure how good this signing will look when Kaberle is 36 and making 4.25 million dollars. He was down right terrible in the first 2 rounds of last year's playoffs with Boston, but played alright in the final 2 rounds. This signing will help the Hurricanes with the loss of Joe Corvo. Also this should help a defensive corps that had a couple holes in it last year.
10. Keith Yandle (D) re-signs with the Phoenix Coyotes for 5 years at 5.25 million dollars a year.
Yandle had a breakout year last year and showed that he is one of the premier offensive defense men in the game today. Yandle had 59 points in all 82 games. Some people may say that he is over paid with this contract but I disagree. Yandle is only 24 and should keep improving year after year, so 5 years from now, this signing might look like a bargain. Great job Coyotes.
11. Ian White (D) signs with the Detroit Red Wings for 2 years at 2.875 million dollars a year.
I think Kenny Holland and the Red Wings got this signing just right. I think that White will be one the Red Wings defense men that will help make up for the loss of Brian Rafalski. White is a power play specialist and is only 27. I don't think that this signing over paid, or under paid him. I think that this was just an all round good signing.
12. Simon Gagne (LW/RW) signs with the Los Angeles Kings for 2 years at 3.5 million dollars a year.
Gagne had a bit of an off year with the Lightning last year but I think that Los Angeles will be a great place for him to have a bounce back year. Gagne is 31 so he isn't old. Gagne is another piece to Los Angeles's solid forwards. They have been building the forwards up this off season, trading for Richards, and now signing Gagne. Good signing for the Kings.
13. Tim Connolly (C) signs with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 2 years at 4.75 million dollars a year.
Connolly has had an injury riddled career and has only played 82 games in a single season twice. In 11 years. one year he didn't even play at all because of an injury. Connolly is 30 years of age and had 42 points in 68 games last year. I think this deal over pays Connolly by about 1 million dollars. However I see what Brian Burke and the Maple Leafs are trying to do. Connolly could be the play making centre that Phil Kessel has been waiting for. Anyways, a decent signing for the Leafs.
14. Brad Richards (C) signs with the New York Rangers for 9 years at 6.666666 million dollars a year.
This may be the play making centre that Marian Gaborik needs to jump start his offense. The 31 year old Richard broke out the last 2 years getting 91 points in 80 games, then 77 in 72 games. Richards is not over paid in this deal, in fact I thought he was going to get at least 7 million dollars, so I think that this deal is a great one for the Rangers.
15. J.S. Giguere (G) signs with the Colorado Avalanche for 2 years at 1.25 million dollars a year.
I think that this is a good cheap signing for the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche just traded for the 23 year old Semyon Varlamov and so I think that the 34 year old Giguere will be a good mentor for Varlamov, and if Varlamov stumbles during the year Giguere can play a couple extra games.
16. Tomas Fleischmann (C) signs with the Florida Panthers for 4 years at 4.5 million dollars a year.
This is a good signing for the Panthers with a forwards corps with plenty of holes, I think that Fleischmann will be a good hole filler. The Panthers over paid him by about 750 k. but Fleischmann is still only 27 and is a great offensive producer, in the last 2 years Fleischmann has played 114 games and has 82 points in those games.
17. Ville Leino (C/W) signs with the Buffalo Sabres for 6 years at 4.5 million dollars a year.
Buffalo over paid Leino in this deal, but with new owner Terry Pegula, Buffalo has money to spend. The 27 year old Leino had a breakout year last year with 53 points in 81 games. Leino should help the offensively challenged Sabres.
18. Joel Ward (W) signs with the Washington Capitals for 4 years at 3 million dollars a year.
The Capitals are looking for playoff performers, and Ward is just that. However they slightly over paid him for the regular season part of the deal. Ward had 13 points in 12 playoff games. But in 80 regular season games just 29 points. I do see why Washington made this deal: they are trying to add some sandpaper to their lineup, but they paid a bit much in my mind.
Well that concludes this blog, talk to you later.
Trades:
1. San Jose Sharks trade Dany Heatley (RW/LW) to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Martin Havlat (RW).
Winner: Minnesota Wild
Out of the three trades Dany Heatley has been apart of, this is the first one he didn't publicly ask for. Minnesota wins this trade because they get a former back to back 50 goal scorer, while giving up an injury prone play maker. Also Dany Heatley will be able to play on the top line with play maker Mikko Koivu, and I think that both players will see a spike in points. Heatley had an off year with 64 for points, which is 2 points ahead of Havlat's 62. On the San Jose side of things, Heatley has had declining numbers, but so has Havlat, so I think that both teams are hoping a change of scenery will motivate the players. I just don't understand where those extra points are coming from with Havlat. Havlat is a play maker, playing on a line with either: Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, or Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. He would be in the same situation he was in in Minnesota. Havlat (a play maker) playing on a line with another play maker (San Jose = Joe Thornton, Minnesota = Mikko Koivu). However it wasn't a terrible trade for San Jose, just a less than stellar trade. But Minnesota definitely engineered a trade that will help.
2. Toronto Maple Leafs trade Brett Lebda (D) and Robert Slaney (LW) to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Matthew Lombardi (C) and Cody Franson (D).
Winner: Toronto Maple Leafs
Not much to analyze here. It was mostly a salary dump for Nashville as they just signed defense man Shea Weber to a 7.5 million dollar deal and are going to have to deal with restricted free agents Ryan Suter and Pekka Rinne next year. Franson is a second or third pairing D'man as of now, but is only 23 and has the potential to be a top four defensman. Lombardi is a top six forward but has been out with a concussion all year and it is uncertain whether or not he will be back for the start of next year. Lebda is a depth defense man and Slaney is a prospect and it is hard to gauge what his potential is. He will have to spend at least 2 more years in the AHL. It wasn't really a bad trade for Nashville. They gave more than they got, but the purpose of this deal wasn't to get better, it was to get cheaper.
3. Colorado Avalanche trades a 2012 first round pick, and a conditional pick to the Washington Capitals for Semyon Varlamov (G).
Winner: Washington Capitals
Sure Varlamov will be a starting goalie in the NHL some day, but I don't think that he will be a star. And I don't think that he is worth a first and a second, or third round pick. Plus he was expendable. Washington just signed veteran goalie Tomas Vokoun to a deal. Washington also has 2 very good young goalies in Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby. On the Colorado side they did need a goalie for the future, because although they signed Veteran goalie J-S Giguere, he isn't going to cut it in 2 years. Varlamov is only 23. It was actually a good trade for Colorado. But it was a great trade for Washington.
4. Buffalo Sabres trade Chris Butler (D) and Paul Byron (C) to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Robyn Regehr (D), Ales Kotalik (RW) and a second round pick in 2012.
Winner: Buffalo Sabres
Like the Nashville-Toronto trade there isn't much to analyze because it was a salary dump for the Calgary Flames. Buffalo gets a top pairing shut down defense man in Robyn Regehr. Ales Kotalik who is washed up and was really just a throw in in this trade. And they get a second round pick. Calgary gets a depth defense man in Chris Butler. And a 22 centre man in Paul Byron who will probably need a couple years in the minors before making Calgary. Byron will probably be a second or third liner when he is fully developed. This wasn't a bad trade for Calgary. The goal was to save money and they did just that in this trade. But Buffalo gets much better with this trade.
5. Chicago Blackhawks trade Brian Campbell (D) to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Rostislav Olesz (RW).
Winner: Florida Panthers
This is a salary dump for Chicago getting rid of the 7.1 million dollar cap hit of Campbell. However, unlike the other salary dumps (Calgary-Buffalo, Nashville-Toronto) Chicago got a player of almost the same value as Campbell in Rostislav Olesz (not same cap value). OleszCampoli this year. Without Campbell they will probably have to end up using a couple AHL caliber D'men in their starting roster. Florida is hurting at forward and defense, so it doesn't really matter which position the players they trade are. Come to think of it, if Jacob Markstrom doesn't do very well this year, they would be hurting a goalie too!!
6. Minnesota Wild trade Brent Burns (D) and a second round pick in 2012 to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Devin Setoguchi (RW), Charlie Coyle (F) and first round selection in this year's NHL draft 28th and with that pick the Wild drafted Zack Phillips (C).
Winner: Minnesota Wild
Both teams did do a good job in this trade and got what they wanted. However I think the Sharks gave up too much for Burns. I think that a this trade would have been more even if the Sharks only gave up a second or third round pick instead of a first round pick. The Sharks did do a good job in filling in a defensive corps that had a couple holes. And with this trade the Wild do a good job of filling in some hole up front for now and for the future with Zack Phillips and Charlie Coyle. Charlie Coyle was a first round draft pick (28th) in the 2010 NHL draft. Also Setoguchi is still only 26 so he isn't exactly long in the tooth either. San Jose got a defenseman that hasn't quite lived up to the expectations that were set upon him. People thought Burns was going to be a star. But then injuries kind of derailed his career. He had a bit of a bounce back year last year, and is only 25, but I still don't think that he will ever be a star. Don't get me wrong though, there is still a chance that Burns could someday be a star but I think that he is a solid #2 D'man.
Seeing as I have already analyzed the Philadelphia trades in a previous blog, I will be moving on to the signings.
Free Agent Signings:
One quick note: I will only be doing signing from July 1st and on.
1. Shea Weber (D) re-signs with the Nashville Predators or one year at 7.5 million dollars.
Slightly over paid, I personally think that Weber is currently only good enough for a 6.75 million dollar deal, but this signing is key for Nashville. The only problem is that it is only for 1 year so they will have to lock him up long term sometime this year, and that is easier said than done when you only have a 55 million dollar cap ceiling when every other team has a 64 million dollar limit. However this is still a step in the right direction for Nashville with Weber.
2. Zach Parise (LW) re-signs with the New Jersey Devils for one year at 6.0 million dollars.
I think this is just the right price for Parise, if he hadn't been out all of last year with an injury he might of been worth more. Like Nashville, the Devils will have to renegotiate another, probably more long-term deal, in the near future. The Devils are right up against the cap ceiling, so it will be difficult to get Parise signed long-term. This is a good signing for the Devils though.
3. Ryan Callahan (RW) re-signs with the New York Rangers for 3 years at 4.275 million dollars a year.
Callahan had a breakout year this year with the Rangers and plays a similar game to Ryan Kesler. Callahan had a breakout year offensively and defensively. He finished the year with 48 points in 60 games. His teammate Marian Gaborik finished with 48 points in 62 games. Callahan plays a grinding style defensively and is getting quite good at scoring now too. I think this is a good price for a 26 year old player that will be good for years to come.
4. Vaclav Prospal (C) signs with the Colombus Blue Jackets for one year at 1.75 million dollars.
I think this is a great signing for the Blue Jackets. Although Prospal had an injury riddled year and only played 29 games, he got 23 points in those games. Not bad for a 36 year old vet. Also in the year before last Prospal had 58 points . Prospal is still an effective NHLer and will have a great veteran presence on a Blue Jackets team that has been lacking in that area. Also he is good enough that if the Carter, Nash combination isn't working he can fill in on that top line. And the Jackets got him for the bargain price of 1.75 million dollars. Fantastic signing for the Blue Jackets.
5. Brandon Dubinsky (F) re-signs with the New York Rangers for 4 years at 4.2 million dollars a year.
Good signing for the Rangers but I think they may have slightly over paid Dubinsky. Dubinsky plays very much alike his Ranger teammate Ryan Callahan. Dubinsky is one year younger than Callahan at 25. I don't think that Dubinsky is quite as good as Callahan, so I think that 3.5 million is probably his value.
6. Steven Stamkos (C) re-signs with the Tampa Bay Lightning for 5 years at 7.5 million dollars a year.
This is a huge signing for the Lightning locking up Stamkos for 5 years. Stamkos is the face of the franchise and worth every penny they are paying him. He is a dynamic scorer and is only 21. Fabulous signing for the Lightning.
7. Jason Arnott (C) signs with the St. Louis Blues for one year at 2.8 million dollars.
The Blues are a very young inexperieced team, bringing in Arnott will have a great impact on this team. Arnott is a 36 year old vet that can still contribute at both ends of the ice. He had 31 points in 73 games in a year split between New Jersey and Washington. A bit over paid but not anything major. Good signing for the Blues.
8. Jamie Langenbrunner (RW) signs with the St. Louis Blues for one year at 2.8 million dollars.
Like the Arnott signing, the Blues brought in a veteran presence in Jamie Langenbrunner. This is a decent signing for the blues. The 36 year old Langenbrunner is still contributing but just doesn't really have it any more. I would be a much bigger fan of this signing if it was a 1.5 million dollar signing instead of a 2.8 million dollar signing.
9. Tomas Kaberle (D) signs with the Carolina Hurricanes for 3 years at 4.25 million dollars a year.
Kaberle is 33 and still playing at the same level he was playing at five years ago, however, I'm not so sure how good this signing will look when Kaberle is 36 and making 4.25 million dollars. He was down right terrible in the first 2 rounds of last year's playoffs with Boston, but played alright in the final 2 rounds. This signing will help the Hurricanes with the loss of Joe Corvo. Also this should help a defensive corps that had a couple holes in it last year.
10. Keith Yandle (D) re-signs with the Phoenix Coyotes for 5 years at 5.25 million dollars a year.
Yandle had a breakout year last year and showed that he is one of the premier offensive defense men in the game today. Yandle had 59 points in all 82 games. Some people may say that he is over paid with this contract but I disagree. Yandle is only 24 and should keep improving year after year, so 5 years from now, this signing might look like a bargain. Great job Coyotes.
11. Ian White (D) signs with the Detroit Red Wings for 2 years at 2.875 million dollars a year.
I think Kenny Holland and the Red Wings got this signing just right. I think that White will be one the Red Wings defense men that will help make up for the loss of Brian Rafalski. White is a power play specialist and is only 27. I don't think that this signing over paid, or under paid him. I think that this was just an all round good signing.
12. Simon Gagne (LW/RW) signs with the Los Angeles Kings for 2 years at 3.5 million dollars a year.
Gagne had a bit of an off year with the Lightning last year but I think that Los Angeles will be a great place for him to have a bounce back year. Gagne is 31 so he isn't old. Gagne is another piece to Los Angeles's solid forwards. They have been building the forwards up this off season, trading for Richards, and now signing Gagne. Good signing for the Kings.
13. Tim Connolly (C) signs with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 2 years at 4.75 million dollars a year.
Connolly has had an injury riddled career and has only played 82 games in a single season twice. In 11 years. one year he didn't even play at all because of an injury. Connolly is 30 years of age and had 42 points in 68 games last year. I think this deal over pays Connolly by about 1 million dollars. However I see what Brian Burke and the Maple Leafs are trying to do. Connolly could be the play making centre that Phil Kessel has been waiting for. Anyways, a decent signing for the Leafs.
14. Brad Richards (C) signs with the New York Rangers for 9 years at 6.666666 million dollars a year.
This may be the play making centre that Marian Gaborik needs to jump start his offense. The 31 year old Richard broke out the last 2 years getting 91 points in 80 games, then 77 in 72 games. Richards is not over paid in this deal, in fact I thought he was going to get at least 7 million dollars, so I think that this deal is a great one for the Rangers.
15. J.S. Giguere (G) signs with the Colorado Avalanche for 2 years at 1.25 million dollars a year.
I think that this is a good cheap signing for the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche just traded for the 23 year old Semyon Varlamov and so I think that the 34 year old Giguere will be a good mentor for Varlamov, and if Varlamov stumbles during the year Giguere can play a couple extra games.
16. Tomas Fleischmann (C) signs with the Florida Panthers for 4 years at 4.5 million dollars a year.
This is a good signing for the Panthers with a forwards corps with plenty of holes, I think that Fleischmann will be a good hole filler. The Panthers over paid him by about 750 k. but Fleischmann is still only 27 and is a great offensive producer, in the last 2 years Fleischmann has played 114 games and has 82 points in those games.
17. Ville Leino (C/W) signs with the Buffalo Sabres for 6 years at 4.5 million dollars a year.
Buffalo over paid Leino in this deal, but with new owner Terry Pegula, Buffalo has money to spend. The 27 year old Leino had a breakout year last year with 53 points in 81 games. Leino should help the offensively challenged Sabres.
18. Joel Ward (W) signs with the Washington Capitals for 4 years at 3 million dollars a year.
The Capitals are looking for playoff performers, and Ward is just that. However they slightly over paid him for the regular season part of the deal. Ward had 13 points in 12 playoff games. But in 80 regular season games just 29 points. I do see why Washington made this deal: they are trying to add some sandpaper to their lineup, but they paid a bit much in my mind.
Well that concludes this blog, talk to you later.
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