Blue Jackets in shambles; Arniel to be first coach fired?

 

    Within the next 24 hours we could have our first coaching casualty in the NHL. Saturday night’s contest in Ottawa is a must win for the Columbus Blue Jackets. If they lose again, going winless for eight straight, it will likely be Scott Arniel’s final game as the team’s head coach.

    If he does lose his job, would it be fair? It’s not his fault he’s got a goaltender in Steve Mason who cannot stop a beach ball if his life depended on it. Mason in 7 games this year had 3.46 g.a.a with a .881%  allowing 3 or more goals every game. Arniel’s partially responsible that his team has failed to score 3 goals once this year.

    Some nights this season they’ve been without six regulars due to suspension or injuries; for a team lacking in depth in every position, you’re behind the eight ball before the puck is even dropped.

    The fact is this; with the losses mounting for the Jackets, they’ve got no chance in making the playoffs this year. Going into Saturday’s contest, Columbus has to go 49-26 in their final 75 games, and that would only give them 99 points; and over the past few years 99 point have not be enough to make the playoffs.

Coaching change or not; there will be no quick fix

    In my expert opinion it doesn’t really matter who’s behind the bench. Arniel could be replaced by assistant coach Todd Richards, or by Springfield Falcons head coach Rob Riley and they’d still be a struggling team. You can even bring in Mike Keenan, Scotty Bowman and Pat Quinn, none of them could make a difference this year.

    Do you want to know why they’ve scored 2 goals each game this year? They’ve got one bottom six forward in Samuel Pahlsson who has scored more than 10 goals in one season and it was six years ago (Pahlsson has 10 goals in 161 games with Columbus). The next highest goal input from the bottom six is Derek Dorsett and his career high 4 goals

How soon before the fire sale begins?

     On Wednesday night TSN’s Bob Mckenzie said it best; the teams owners could walk up to general manager Scott Howson and tell him to start the fire sale. The Jackets have over 58 million in players salaries this year; and they’re drawing flies; 9200 per game to be exact, in fact last week they had a franchise low 8200 at one game. It’s only a matter of time before Pahlsson, Vaclav Prospal, Radek Martinek, are unloaded for anything. This team has so many bad contracts its shocking; starting next year alone, RJ Umberger will be making 4.6 million (27 goals, 57 points) career high; Fedor Tyutin will be making 4.5 million a year.

    If I were team owners I’d keep Arniel for the year; on top of that I’d get rid of Howson, before he makes matters even worse.

Rant of the year; the double standards, instigator and the Penguins

by Brandt Corbin

                Before January 1, 2011 most NHL fans would say who the hell is David Steckel. Now the former Washington Capital and current New Jersey Devil center is best known for his hit on superstar Sidney Crosby at the 2011 Winter Classic. Some consider it dirty saying “Steckel knew what he was doing,” others say it was accidental contact.

                But nobody can dispute the fact that during the second intermission of the Classic, Crosby was scene telling teammates, trainers and coaches he did not remember anything about being hit. To me, not a professional trainer... that’s the biggest sign he might have a concussion. But no, the Penguins allowed him to return and play the third period, on top of that he was allowed to play the next game against Tampa Bay.  In that game, Crosby was smoked from behind by defenseman Victor Hedman, we all know since then he’s not played another game.

                Since then everyone has jumped on the bandwagon, calling for changes against head shots, concussions. Some have gone to extremes blaming the violence in hockey, wanting it completely removed. No one seemed to care that St. Louis Blues forward David Perron missed over 65 games with a concussion after being blindsided by Joe Thornton. With the exception of those in Montreal, not many seemed to care that Zdeno Chara slammed Max Paxcioretty’s head into the turn buckle (fracturing his 4^th cervical vertebra along with a severe concussion). Can you imagine if Chara did that to Crosby? A Holy War would have been started in the game of hockey, the NHL would have had no choice but to suspend Chara.

                If you to take out Thornton and Chara out of the equation and replace them with Sean Avery or Zenon Konopka, can imagine the length of suspension it would have been? I’d say 5-15 games minimum is what they would have gotten, despite Avery and Konopka having less suspensions or fines in their past. Am I suggested a double standard? Your dam rights I am. If Steve Ott would have elbowed Danny Heatley instead of the other way around, how many games would have the Dallas Star forward have gotten? Seven games maybe Ten? Not the two game joke that Danny got.

                For some reasons players like Heatley, Thornton, Chara have reputations of being clean players. That is itself is a complete joke. How does Chara have a positive reputation, after he jumped and rag dolled Mathias Timmander on March 24^th 2004? I don’t have enough time to get into why Heatley or Thornton have never been nominated for a Lady Byng trophy.

What needs to happen?

                Some will suggest we eliminate all violence. Take fighting out, what hits should be allowed what should not. Think about the 80’s and 90’s, look at the treatment Lemieux and Gretzky dealt with compared to a Cam Neely. You touched or looked at #66 or #99 the wrong way it was quickly dealt with by players like Marty McSorley, Jay Caufield or Tony Twist. Neely on the other hand had to fight his own battles and because of this his career was cut short. What do we need to do, to ensure this does not happen to a Crosby or a Stamkos?

                #1> Change the instigator rule. Take away the 10 minute misconduct away. That penalty deters players from standing up for their teammates after being hit legally or illegally. Let the players look after each other, this way the cheap shot artists, Maxim Lapierre, Jarko Ruttu, Patrick Kaleta might have second thoughts before acting recklessly.

                I was watching a game the other night, March 23, 2003, St. Louis @ Dallas. Late in the first period Philippe Boucher laid out Petr Cajanek (knocked him out of the game). The hit was declared legal, too most observers the hit was borderline at best. Early in the 2^nd period, St. Louis enforcer Reed Low instigated a fight with Boucher and was subsequently ejected from the game. Then Blues Captain Chris Pronger, visiting TSN’s play by  play team at the time, TSN’s Gord Miller asked him why does Boucher need to defend himself? Pronger replied back saying, “we can go over Dallas’s best player” similar to watch Boucher did to Cajanek.  Later on in the Blues-Stars game, Derain Hatcher jumped Blues star forward Pavol Demitra during a line brawl, forcing Blues de-man Jeff Finley to leave the penalty box to intervene.

                The mindset Pronger had has gone away, mainly because of the instigator penalty. You did not hit Gretzky, if you did your star player would get the same treatment or the player who hit #99 would be seeing stars all night in his head.

                #2> When it comes to league discipline have the same standard for first time offenders, whether it be a fourth line enforcer or a #1 line center. If the players a repeat offender, treat them the same as every other repeat offender would be treated. If Nicklas Lindstrom elbows Darryl Boyce, he should be suspended the same as if Boyce elbowed the Red Wing defenseman.

What goes around comes around

                For some reason I’ve got very little sympathy for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans. Is it my wish for Crosby to be out with a concussion? Absolutely not, I like others wish he’d be 100%. But it’s their antics on the ice that piss me off.  People want us to believe they’re sweethearts and the last thing they want to do its hurt others. We all know by now they employee Matt Cooke, I was going to compare him to Dale Hunter, but even Hunter had the balls to fight his own battles when need be. But, it was others like former Penguin Max Talbot, current Penguin Chris Kunitz and Brooks Orpik that in my opinion are less than honest players.

But another Penguin pisses me off just as much as Cooke. Once in a blue moon we’ll come upon a defenseman like doesn’t like to be hit, and flips out when he does. Kris Letang’s stick work (slashes and cross-checks) is dangerous. He has little or no respect for his opposition, it’s only a matter of time before someone gets a broken ankle or ribs because of his stick work. Another thing that drives me nuts about him, is his tendency to embellish/dive, then again he is French Canadian... you give me a choice of players I’d like to sucker punch, Letang would be at the top of my list even more so than Cooke.

                I could throw up every time I hear the Penguins refer to themselves as victims. I wonder how many New York Islanders suffered concussions because of Talbot and Cooke. Marc Savard he’s a victim, I can never and will never join the Pittsburgh Penguin Pity Party.

The low down on Ales Hemsky

by Brandt Corbin

    Not to sure if you’ve heard, but according to some Edmonton Oiler experts.... sorry I take that back bloggers, the Oilers anytime they’d want could trade Ales Hemsky for a huge package. According to some, they could acquire Kris Letang from Pittsburgh or Nick Kronwall and a top draft pick from Detroit for of all people Hemsky. Then again its the same bloggers who also said the Kings were to acquire Hemsky for Brayden Schenn and/or Wayne Simmonds at the trade deadline. When and if that trade was mentioned, the Kings quickly hung up the phone

    The fact of the matter is this, the eight year veteran is an overrated, undersized often injured winger. Hemsky is also set to become a UFA in 2012-13. The 28-year-old has never been a point a game player, has a career high 23 goals and has missed 95 games in the last two seasons.

    Lets sit back think about it for a minute, and calmly. What is Czech native’s market value really at right now?  I personally believe he will be this years Tomas Kaberle, unfortunately they won’t get half of what the Leafs got in return. I see the Oilers making a mistake and playing the waiting game. But when its all said and done, when Hemsky moves on, they’ll get a good prospect or a mid first rounder for the forward. They won’t be getting much more than that. I’d move him sooner rather than later, because knowing him he’ll get injured.

Who might want him now?

    One team that has the cap space, and could use a top six forward would be the defending champs in the Boston Bruins. If Oilers GM Steve Tambellini was a thinking man, he’d find a way to get goaltender Tukka Rask out of Boston (who will be a RFA in 2012-13. Even though Oiler fans might deny it, they’d need to give up a little more (3rd or 4th rounder) to make it happen. Only thing holding this deal back is Hemsky is likely the opposite of what Boston is looking for.

    The Carolina Hurricanes sometime during the season might take a gamble on his. They’re top six as it stands right now is limited, if the two teams come together something potentially could get done.

When its all said and done

    Penguins GM Ray Shero and Detroit GM Ken Holland did not go dumb overnight. They can never and will never trade a top 3 defenseman is Letang or Kronwall for someone like Hemsky. Tambellini has to decide at some point what’s the most he can get in return for this asset. The Oilers eventually need a player or players that can help now whether they ever find that deal remains to be seen.

 

 

 

Biggest WTF moments of the 2011 NHL off-season

    Darcy Hordichuk gets a one  year, one way deal for 750k with the Edmonton Oilers. They finally get rid of one unwilling scrapper in Zach Stortini and they bring in another. Hordichuk’s agent deserves 25% of the salary just for convincing a team to take his client. I love rough and tumble hockey more than anyone else, but the Kamsack native is past his prime, unless he plays like he did in Nashville.

    Scott Howson and the Columbus Blue Jackets deserve major kudos for getting Jeff Carter, while not having to trade Ryan Johansen. While the price was high the signing of James Wishniewski was an upgrade. But the teams philosophy in net is mystifying at best. Their goaltending last year was below average. When or if Steve Mason, lays another egg, their backup plan is Mark Dekanich. Who the f**k is Mark Dekanich? If you follow the AHL you’d have an idea. Reason being he’s had three great seasons in the AHL, but tell me the last 25 year old AHL goalie to be a proven NHLer? Last one that comes to mind is Jason Labarbera, and the last time I checked he’s been an ok backup. They better pray this risk pays off, if not this could be another nail in the coffin for hockey in Columbus.

   

    One year after signing Derek Boogaard (god rest his soul) to a four year 1.65 million contract, the Rangers do almost do the exact same type of a deal for Mike Rupp. While the Cleveland Ohio native is more of a useful player, is he really worth 3 years @ 1.5 million per year? He’s been around a while, and has a career high 13 goals, 49 goals in 497 NHL games. Again good for the player, but what was the team thinking.

   

    Andrew Brunette is one of those underappreciated veterans who’s been around forever. He signed with the Blackhawks, one year @ 2 million. This could be the bargain of the decade, a top six forward who will play with a Sharp or Hossa, his numbers will only get better. Brunette had 18 goals and 46 points with the talentless Minnesota Wild last year.

    

    Have you ever heard of Aaron Gagnon, Andrew Gordon? Both smaller, AHL forwards were given two year deals by Winnipeg and Anaheim, the second year of the deals gives both one-way money. Other teams are doing the same thing, Joey Macdonald and Matt Ellis have the same types of deals with their respective clubs.

   

    Similar to 2010, the Vancouver Canucks have given minor leaguers one way contracts. Last year it was Joel Perrault and Jonas Anderson, both spent the majority of the season in Manitoba. This year they’ve given Andrew Ebbett and Mark Mancari one-way contracts, if they’re not in the AHL, they’ll be fourth liners at best in Vancouver.

    

    Kudos to Tim Brent and Anthony Stewart, both guys had career years last year and both earned themselves a two-year guaranteed contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. As a Leaf and a Jet fan, I was disappointed to see both guys move elsewhere.

Have the Flyers gone soft?

by Brandt Corbin

Over the past few decades what have the Philadelphia Flyers been known for? Two things of course, one being they’ve never had the great number one goaltender. Two they’ve always been known as the Broad Street Bullies. Going into the 2011 season, the City of Brotherly Love seem to bucking that trend. They of course signed Russian netminder Ilya Bryzgalov to a long term contract. Through a flurry of moves made the Flyers are not as tough as they have been over the past few years. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards are goners, same could said for scrappy players Daniel Carcillo and Sean O’ Donnell.

Are the Flyers the most passive team in the Atlantic?

    Yes the Flyers still have Chris Pronger, Jody Shelley and Scott Hartnell in their line-up. But if you recall January 20th 2011, Ottawa physically pounded the Flyers in the third period. Overall they were no match for the Senators from a toughness standpoint. Now have the Flyers added Wayne Simmonds and Maxim Talbot? Simmonds is a lightweight, but Talbot is more of yapper who only will fight when he had to, Flyers fans know this all too well after watching the former Penguin for many years. The Senators on the otherhand have added Zenon Konpoka.

    So far in the off season, other Atlantic Division teams have been changing the makeup of their teams, all of which have gotten tougher or stayed at staus quo.

    One of the problems last year for the New Jersey Devils was the how passive the team was as a whole. Yes they have David Clarkson, Mark Fraser and Rod Pelley, but they were pushed around every other night. Bring in Cam Janssen and Eric Boulton on back to back days in the offseason and that all of a sudden changes.

    The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost Mike Rupp and Eric Goddard, but have brought in “Big Mac” Steve MacIyntyre. Add on top of that, Deryk Engelland, Aaron Asham with Craig Adams and all the Pens are still one of the tougher teams in the East.

    Replacing the heavyweight champion Derek Boogaard promises not to be an easy feat. But, the New York Rangers have tried in bringing in Rupp, combine that with Brandon Prust, Brian Boyle, Sean Avery and Michael Sauer, they’re not to be pushed around.

    The New York Islanders this season will feature Matt Martin, Trevor Gillies and Michael Haley, without question one of the nastiest fourth lines in hockey.

    Back to the Flyers, Shelley could be replaced by a cheaper less experienced forward Tom Sesito. Small chance the Flyers would keep both kicking around, unless the tougher they were playing the tougher teams. Sesito overall has got more skill and speed then Shelley, but likely could not go toe to toe with the league’s top heavyweights.

    Phili was not the toughest team in the league before, and that was before they acquired Jamy Jagr and Jakub Voracek. The smaller speedy game might favour them in the long run, but the fans will grow tired of this, especially when the Pens, Sens and Rangers attempt to push them around in their own barn.

Is this the tip of the Iceberg?

by Brandt Corbin

    We’re just over 24 hours away from the NHL Entry Draft in St.Paul Minnesota, and if today is a glimpse of what is to come, all hell could break loose. We’re going to go over some more trade rumours.

Has Paul Holmgren gone mad?

     Early afternoon, it was a calm then it because a complete fire storm. The Philadelphia Flyers pulled the trigger on a huge much rumoured deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The deal saw Jeff Carter to CBJ for Friday’s 8th overall selection, a 2011 3rd round pick plus Jakub Voracek. The original holdup for this trade was the Flyers insistence to get last years fourth pick overall Ryan Johansen. When it was all said and done, the Blue Jackets did not budge. If the Flyers insisted on the prized prospect, CBJ had a backup deal in place for Colorado’s Paul Stastny.

    Not even 30 minutes later, the Flyers moved team captain Mike Richards to the L.A Kings for prospects Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and a 2nd round draft pick. While some people seen Richards getting moved, other were absolutely stunned by the move. This is a win-win for both teams, we will not know for 7-9 who truly won this trade.

    After moving their two young studs, the Flyers signed goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to a 9 year 51 million dollar deal. But the million dollar question is this, are they done? Some crazy talk has the Flyers preparing a massive package to acquire Steven Stamkos from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Could they be preparing a 1rst, 2nd & 3rd draft pick along with Schenn, Simmonds and Voracek for Stamkos deal? Either way Tampa has to look at the possible offer.

Many players in play on Friday

    Stastny is one of the many players in play, and lord knows there are plenty of teams that need to take on more salary. The teams looking to a number one center are, the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and possibly the Kings.  The Avalanche are desperately seeking a goaltender and preferably a young one.

    Other rumours were running rampant that the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators were talking trade and a big one. Would the Flames be seeking Jason Spezza? The only name going back to Ottawa that makes sense would be Jay Bouwmeester, but he has a no trade clause. Other talk is the Senators are hard after St.Louis Blues forward T.J Oshie, who is an RFA.

    Kris Versteeg is likely in play at the draft as well. Chances are the Flyers have no hope of getting back nearly as much as they gave up. They originally traded a 1rst and 3rd 2011 to get him from the Leafs, they’re lucky if they can get a late first rounder or early second rounder for him. Florida again desperately needs salary (30 million needs to be added) so they could make a few surprising moves tomorrow. If they cannot make a hockey move that makes sense, look for them to take on some veterans who have one year left on their contracts, one name comes to mind, Montreal’s Scott Gomez.

    What would Ales Hemsky fetch for the Oilers? Middle first rounder plus a late second rounder. Would Colorado entertain an offer from Winnipeg for Zach Bogosian, maybe for Stastny?

 

   

Can and will Scott Howson pull the trigger?

by Brandt Corbin

    Put yourself in Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson shoes for a few minutes. Your going into your fifth season with a team, that has made the playoffs one time, in the other seasons, you’ve finished no higher than 13th place in the conference. One would he’s running on borrowed time, and that this year will be his final year unless they make the playoffs.

How far is too far?

     So is you’re Scott Howson how far is too far? One would assume he’d be a busy man in the off-season, but then again why would impending free-agents line-up to come to Columbus of all places. Again one would assume starting Thursday night, the day before the draft (if not sooner) that he and his hockey operations department would be willing to make a deal and desperate to do so. A rumour for some time now has the Jackets trading #8th pick overall and Jakub Voracek to Philadelphia for power forward Jeff Carter. Now if this trade could have been made two weeks ago, one would have assumed the Jackets would have pulled the trigger. Do they need to ante up more to get Carter? If you are Howson, would you at all consider moving former first round pick Ryan Johansen to get Carter? I personally would do whatever would be necessary to get Carter to Columbus. Can you imagine having two players like Carter and Rick Nash on one line? Nash has scored 30 goals or more 6 of the last 7 seasons, and Carter the last three season has an average 38 goals per season. It would be a start to get the Jackets somewhere they’ve been before, respectability.

    Aside from Carter, other forwards possibly available are Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. One would assume the asking price would be more than the 8th pick overall and Voracek, so why get a player who’s (Hemsky) contract is expiring in one year, or Spezza who makes 7 million per year (1.8 million more than Carter each season).

Backend and in net

    The team needs more improvement than just up front, they also require more help in net and on the backend. Good news if anything is there are at least six veteran netminders available to go hand and hand with Steve Mason. Another good thing is a few of these goalies Jose Theodore and Jean-Sebastien Giguere could be had for a 1 year deal likely around 2 million per year. That to would be an upgrade over Mathieu Garon as a backup goalie.

    Currently the Jackets have three defenseman under contract, two of the three would be considered 4-6 on the depth chart. Fedor Tyutin not on most teams, but on Columbus is in the top three. Come July 1, there are as many as 15 UFA’s on the backend available, these defenseman could be top three defenseman on this team. So if they make that upgrade up front some of those de-man might more enticed to come to Ohio.

    When it’s all said and done, it’s all up to Howson. Stay the course, miss another year of playoffs, lose more of your fan base and likely be fired. Take a chance and acquire Carter, and look at over paying for some decent defenseman, this team has a chance to do damage. If anything, getting Carter might by Howson 1 or 2 more years, and shows the fan base that you want to win and badly. To the extreme, did the fans last year in Atlanta think there any chance they could be moved? How soon before the owners in Columbus say enough is enough.

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Blockbuster Friday? June 24th could be entertaining.

 by Brandt Corbin

 

                Mark down June 24 on your calendar, I was thinking of starting my vacation that day but new developments plus more trade rumours are making me delay it 24 hours. On that day the 2011 NHL Entry Draft commences in St.Paul Minnesota, where the bigger deals of the year likely are to be made. Now some of the players that could be moved will surprise you, same can be said for the teams that are looking to make a move. Lets first go over the teams that are looking to make a major move, to either shake up their current  roster or elevate them to the next step.

Three teams come to mind

St. Louis Blues> Over the past few days and weeks, word out of St. Louis is that young power forward T.J Oshie could be moved but make no mistake only for thr right price. Two setbacks last year for the 24-year-old, he broke his ankle early in the season missing  a few months of action. The second setback was late in the season when he missed a team practice because of an unannounced absence.  The Blues have been status quo for the past three years, a young, up and coming team that has been unable to take it to that next step. How long will the fans tolerate the Blues being average? After traded Erik Johnson in February, you know they have the balls to pull of a block buster. Would they be looking for a top three defenseman or a top six forward? If Oshie is made available for discussions, make no mistake they will get a lot of calls.  The Blues could take salary back in any move, they’ve got 37.4 committed to 13 players next year, but that includes their top six forwards, top five de-man and starting goaltender.

Minnesota Wild> Might the hosts of the draft want to make a big splash? They will have 8 million in cap space and with Brunette, Miettinen, Kobasew and Madden all moving on, they have an opening for improvement up front.  Last season they were one of the big disappointments, only because they spent over 56 million to be out of the playoff picture with 12 games left in the season. They like St. Louis need to change the face of the franchise, staying at status quo will get them another year outside of the playoffs. Thus far the fan base has been rock solid, but another year of losing could start a downward spiral for attendance.

Winnipeg?>The old Atlanta Thrashers and now unnamed Winnipeg hockey club, have been inconsistent since coming into the NHL, making the playoffs one time in 11 years, and being swept that same year. Winnipeg has one thing most teams do not have and that is cap space. They could be in the market for a higher priced talent that has one or two years left in a contract, they likely will not seek a player with more than 2 years left at big money.  They also have assets that could be very attractive to some teams. Mainly they could dangle their 7^th pick overall, late last season Tobias Enstrom’s name was mentioned in some trade talk. Zach Boogasian could also be dangled if the right trade comes along, but that could be a long shot.

Columbus Blue Jackets> Rumors had been running rampant last week that the Blue Jackets and Flyers could make a blockbuster. Talks had Carter to CBJ for Jakub Varocek and the 7th overall pick, one would assume Columbus could make that trade in a second, Phili would have second thoughts. If that trade falls through look for GM Scott Howson to inquire about Jason Spezza, mainly because Columbus has to do something, status quo has not been working.

Jets & Thrashers; common similarities

by Brandt Corbin

        When one sits back and look at it, there are many similarities between the old Winnipeg Jets and the recent Atlanta Thrashers. Unfortunately both teams have one common similarity. They both had bad, ok let’s be honest, horrible general managers in Mike Smith and Don Waddell. Because of those two, both teams struggled horribly with lacking attendance and year after year below average results. These two would be considered two of the worst GM’s in sports history. It’s just amazing those two kept their jobs as long as they did.
Mike Smith
        Smith was with the Jets for 14 years, first being hired as head coach in Tulsa (farm team) in 1979. Smith was then promoted to director of scouting, assistant general manager, then in 1988 he was hired as GM. A few years after he took over the team started to draft europeans, but mainly Russians and allot of them. Year after year it seemed to get worse and worse. Stupid trades such as the team acquiring Dave Manson for two top prospects and a first rounder.  After Phil Housley set a career high in points Smith traded him to St. Louis for Nelson Emerson and Stephane Quintal. But when it was all said and done they had Jason Doig and Darren Turcotte to show for moving Housley. Early into 1994 Winnipeg hockey fans prayers were answered when he got him walking papers, but the damage was done and the team could never recover.
 Don Waddell
        In all fairness to Waddell he had to take over an expansion team, and attempted to build it from scratch. But after five season, there is no excuse to see the lack of depth that they had, some will say to this day the depth is below average. When the team built up assets they did not manage them very well. In 2008 Waddell traded Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first rounder (Daultan Leveille). Esposito played 55 games in the AHL, scored 3 goals all season.
No legacy from Hossa
        When you trade the face of the franchise in Hossa  you have to have something to show for it, if you don’t it sets back the team years. From the Hossa trade, you have Eric O’Dell (20 year old center man who was traded for Christensen) and Esposito to show, Armstrong was allowed to walk as an UFA and Leveille was never signed. Some people do not realize how much the Thrashers suffered from that trade, neither Christensen nor Armstrong became top six forwards.
Thrashers worst drafting team ever in the NHL?
        When  you draft players like Patrick Stefan first overall it will come back to bite you in the ass.  But the Thrashers drafting history is shockingly bad, likely the worst in NHL history. Current Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelic in 2005 became the first ever 2nd round pick for the Thrashers ever to play in the NHL. The Thrashers have had (7) third round picks, four of those picks played in the NHL combining for only 62 games ever played all together. They also had (17) fourth round picks, only 4 of those picks ever played in the NHL, combining for 169 games, 151 of those games are from Patrick Dwyer. We should all be thankful director of scouting Dan Marr was fired when the team moved to Winnipeg.
 Dudley did some good work
        If recently fired general manager Rick Dudley did not acquire both Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd last year, the new Winnipeg would look like the old Winnipeg except even worse. So thank you Rick Dudley for giving this team a chance for years to come.
       All we can hope for going forward is that if the new regime is failing, that True North doesn’t wait 10 years to clean house, because that is exactly what the previous owners have done in both teams past.

Report: Drury and Wolski to be bought out soon

by Brandt Corbin

                Can one imagine the New York Rangers with $25 million+ of cap space? A decade ago that would the scariest proposition because they’d snap up all of the UFA’s by offering them to many years at too many dollars.

As we speak they have 18.4 million left to spend next year (assuming Wade Redden is buried again in the minors). Now this is before they buyout captain Chris Drury which according to a Daily News source “He’s gone.” The same story is reporting that Wojtek Wolski will also be bought out of his 3.8 million dollar contract.  According to capgeek.com Drury’s buyout would be counted on the 11/12 and 12/13 season at $1.6 million per season, Wolski on the other hand would be a buyout of $466,666 11/12 season  & $666,666 for 12/13 season. Thus those two buy outs give the Rangers over $29 million in cap space for 2011/12.  For Drury and Wolski both will be UFA’s July 1... neither will command more than 1.5 million for maybe a one or two year deal, both have allot to prove to themselves, their new team and the Rangers.

Brad Richards

                I’ll bet my house that on July 1 Brad Richards will sign with the New York Rangers, likely a five year deal over $7 million per season. They covet a center man that can get Marian Gaborik the puck, plus we also cannot forget Richards & Rangers coach John Tortorella have won a Stanley Cup together in Tampa Bay. The Rangers are fortunate that the Dallas Stars ownership is a mess, and that they did not give into their demands for Richards during the trade deadline last year.

Winnipeg hires new GM

 by Brandt Corbin
       One of the worst kept secrets in hockey has now been revealed as True North Sports & Entertainment has hired Kevin Cheveldayoff to become general manager of Winnipeg’s unamed hockey club.  The former 1988 New York Islander first rounder, recently was the Chicago Blackshawks assistiant general manager, and before that was the GM of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
This announcement came about last week when True North informed Rick Dudley he was being bought  out of his final four years of his contract. The very next day True North recieved permisson from the Hawks to speak with Chevedayoff, then on Sunday they officially offered the job of general manager.
       Without question True North targeted Chevedayoff, likely that process began once ownership realized bringing a team Winnipeg was a reality. It’s a mortal lock that Craig Heisnger a long time Manitoba Moose employee will remain with the hockey club in some capacity likely assistant general manager. Who else will he bring with him to get this organization back to respectability? That question should be answered in the days and weeks to follow.
Ramsey to stay or go?
     Cheveldayoff’s  first act as general manager will be making it public whether Craig Ramsey and his coaching staff stays on board, or joins Rick Dudley on the unemployment line. As stated here yesterday, associate coach John Torchetti worked along side the new GM with the Chicago Blackhawks, so chances are he might stay on board even if Ramsey goes. Odds are Cheveldayoff could depend on a few of his reliable veterans and get their two cents in on the Thrasher head coach. If the team last season made the playoffs, likely the veteran coach keep his job, but instead they stumbled during the second half of the season, subsequently missing the playoffs.
If the coaching staff stays does Bogosian go?
     It wasn’t a hidden secret this past season that third year defenseman Zach Bogosian had issues with Ramsey and Torchetti, whether they were minor or major issues it affected his play for parts of the season. The question then becomes this, if the coaching staff stays in place does Bogosian move on, or do all parties try and make this work? "I don't think that John is mean to him. I don't think he's overly vocal with him. I think John is just trying to do what he thinks is best for Zach and for everyone," Ramsay said told espn.com in February.
     Despite having his statically worst season in 2010-11, it’s fair to say the 20-year-old’s stock has never been higher. Does Cheveldayoff take the risk that he straightens out his game, because if he doesn’t perform up to par, his stock drastically plummets. If Winnipeg were to package up the 2011 7th overall pick and Bogosian could they land big centerman Jeff Carter from the Flyers, would one consider that over paying for the former 50 goal scorer? I would suggest if Bogosian would be dealt it would either be at the Entry Draft June 24th or mid August, one thing is for certain we’ll find out soon enough.

Rome suspended, TV Ratings Great, Carolina Hires two coaches

by Brandt Corbin

                A surprise to some but not to others Vancouver Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome has been suspended for four games for his late hit on Bruins forward Nathan Horton. The incident occurred early in the first period, when Rome nailed Horton over 1 second after releasing the puck. Horton is said to be out of the finals with a severe concussion.

"Two factors were considered in reaching this decision," said NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Mike Murphy in a statement. "The hit by Rome was clearly beyond what is acceptable in terms of how late it was delivered after Horton had released the puck and it caused a significant injury."

Ratings up for Finals

                Both North and South of the border the tv ratings are up big time. NBC sported the best ratings since game 1 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals. They had a 3.2 share, 14% increase on game one from the 2010 Finals. CBC on the other hand drew an average of 5.6 million viewers for game one, compare that to game 1 last year of 3.2 million viewers.  Game one on CBC was the second most viewed sporting event ever, only behind the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal finals between Canada and the USA.

New Assistant Coaches in Carolina

                The Carolina Hurricanes have brought in two new assistant coaches for next season. Rod Brindamour former Hurricanes captain assume one of the two openings, he will also continue to be the teams developmental coach. The other new ass’t coach is former Detroit and Boston head coach Dave Lewis.  They take over former Hurricane great Ron Francis, who moved upstairs to become ass’t general manager. Questions will be asked now, if the Canes struggle early in the season, how long before Lewis becomes head coach?

Dudley out, but who's next?

by Brandt Corbin

        In business whether it be hockey or any other big corporation, when new ownership is brought in often they bring in their own people to run it for them. Well history is repeating itself, less than four days after moving to Winnipeg, True North (new owners) have announced Atlanta Thrasher general manager Rick Dudley would not be retained. That will be surprising to some being Dudley had four years remaining on his contract, some others like myself seen this coming before the move was announced.

        Corby’s Hockey Central first reported on May 20th the following. “Another question that has to be asked is the job security of general manager Rick Dudley, head coach Craig Ramsay and their supportive staffs. Do Mark Chipman and David Thompson (True North) want to bring in their own management and coaching staff? If they do wish to make these changes, look for the change to come very soon mainly before the middle of June.” http://corbyshockeycentral.blogspot.com/2011/05/winnipef-jets-are-finally-coming-home.html

Familiar face stays in Winnipeg.

        The first sign of this move was a few weeks ago, it was made all but public current Manitoba Moose general manager Craig Heisinger was going to remain in Winnipeg with the NHL club. Along with Heisinger True North is working feverously to bring in Kevin Cheveldayoff who is currently the Chicago Blackhawks assistant general manager. Cheveldayoff’s resume boasts a Calder Cup (AHL) and a Stanley Cup with the Hawks last season, and its being reported tonight that the Hawks have given permission for Winnipeg to speak with him. Experts have pointed out tonight, saying he likely wouldn’t go to Winnipeg unless he receives a promotion. Look for an announcement within 10 days, reason being so they can have a game plan going into the entry draft at the end of the month.

Ramsey next to go?

        The first question that would be asked when the new GM is announced is what would there plans be with current head coach Craig Ramsey? If so who would that general manager bring in? If Cheveldayoff is brought in to run the hockey team, look for him to bring in John Anderson as an assistant coach. Now you’re going to say and you’d be correct, Anderson is Atlanta’s old head coach, but Anderson also coaches the AHL’s Chicago Wolves for 10 years, who was the general manager during the majority of the duration? You’re right Kevin Cheveldayoff. Soon enough we’ll fine out what the teams next move is. 

Season Tickets hot commodity in Winnipeg

by Brandt Corbin

            The fans of Winnipeg wanted it and they got it, and they’re showing their support big time. Tuesday it was announced that True North Entertainment had purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and would be moving them back to Winnipeg.  “NHL welcome back, here in Winnipeg Manitoba. We’ve missed you and we’re going to make it work forever now that you’re back,” said Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger. Also at the press conference they announced the drive to sell 13,000 season tickets.

Dream of return started four years ago

            Four years ago, True North Chairman Mark Chipman made it known to the NHL that Winnipeg was seeking and ready for its second chance of its return. After finding no local ownership in Atlanta, the group pounced on its chance to bring a team back to Manitoba’s capital.

           “To actually move something forward, its distinctive it makes a difference in peoples lives so I am committed to this community as I am this country, its about time,” said David Thomson of True North Sports & Entertainment.

Club looking for 5 year commitment

            To become a season ticket holder for the new hockey club, it requires a minimum 5 year commitment, with the average ticket being anywhere from $39 (low end) to $139 (high end). The average ticket will be worth $75-$82 per ticket, something required because the MTS Center seats just over 15,000. Winnipeg also has 50 luxury suites, with an asking price of $190,000 per box suite. NHL commissioner Gary Betman made it clear for the NHL to be successful long-term, sell outs are a requirement.

            Showing loyalty for the long time Winnipeg fans, the club gave the option for Manitoba Moose (

IHL & AHL team since 1996) season ticket holders a chance to by season tickets first. True North announced over 1,870 season tickets were sold within four hours to those Moose season ticket holders. There were some fans as far away as Kenora Ontario trying to get season tickets but were told to wait until Saturday.

            This is a safe bet, if you want season tickets you better be planning on camping over night come Friday.

New Panthers coach, Kevin Dineen has long road ahead

by Brandt Corbin

 

            Can and will the Florida Panthers take the next step and finally qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs? It’s unreal to believe that it’s been nine years since they’ve qualified for the post season, furthermore they’ve missed 11 out of the past 12 years. As soon as Wednesday they will have a leader behind the bench in former NHL veteran Kevin Dineen.

 

Six years of AHL coaching experience

            For the past six years, Dineen has been the head coach of the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League, in five of those seasons his team was over .500 having a minimum of 39 wins in those seasons. The former Hartford Whaler legend will bring his fierce intensity behind the bench of Florida, obviously hoping to enjoy similar success.

            Dineen played 1188 games in the NHL over 18 seasons. He played with five teams, scoring 355 goals, 405 assists for 760 points with 2229 penalty minutes.

No easy task in taking over

            The Panthers next season will be heading into year two of their latest rebuild. With the hockey club making several of moves at the trade deadline, the Panthers likely next year can have as many as seven to eight first or second year players. They will count largely on David Booth to have a bounce back season, same thing can be said for Stephen Weiss. They have a very young defenseman, so much so that veteran Mike Weaver (six years experience) is the only experienced de-man. Out of the seven de-man, as many as three rookies are expected to be in the lineup.

Panthers need to be more abrasive

            Over the past several seasons, the Panthers have played a very soft, non-checking game. They need to get more aggressive through and through the lineup, they cannot be as soft as they have been. To often the team has been taken advantage of, they need to start protecting their best players. Dineen will see going forward the rough and tumble Panthers will be back and ready for action.

Who can object to old time hockey?

by Brandt Corbin

  

        While some may frown upon it, who’s kidding who, we all love old time hockey. I think there are several terms for “Old time hockey” mainly rivalries that mean something. The players go to the rink with a nervousness but some excitement, the fans go to those games with knowing its not if but when something will happen. I’ve played the odd game like that. Back 15 years ago my team had a bench clearing brawl against our arch rival. Five days later we went into their barn, without our 2 tough guys, they on the other hand all of their enforcers dressed. I was sick to my stomach going into the game, but some how some way, there was little if not any rough stuff that night.

Addicted to Old time hockey

        You can call me the mayor of old time hockey. In my hockey central (my basement) I’ve got a loaded library of VHS tapes (200 or more). I started recording games in 1993, and thanks to NHL Classics (NHL Network & ESPN Classics) you can PVR games the early 80’s, 90’s etc. You can even call me addicted to Old time hockey. There have been some days, I cannot think of anything but the game that night. Use February 11th, Penguins-Isles this year, especially when the Islanders recalled Michael Haley, that game lived up to its billing. 

        Some of the best guarantees of old time hockey nowadays are the Habs-Bruins, Ducks-Kings, Penguins vs Caps, and Flyers vs Rangers just to name a few. One of the main reasons for this is the closeness in proximity, plus it helps that some of these teams have had heated battles going back 30 years or more. Then you have the characters involved. Use the Flyers and Rangers as an example, you’ve got Daniel Carcillo fighting Marian Gaborik then every year Brandon Dubinsky and Mike Richards have a set to.

Started with Rangers-Isles in 1994

        I’ll try and explain to you as best as I can. I got 100% addicted to hockey and old time hockey in 1994. The Rangers-Isles, first round series in 1994, Rangers best team throughout regular season, the Isles limped into the playoffs. It was game 3 at Nassau Coliseums, the Islanders had gone over 145 minutes without a goal in the series. Isles Ray Ferraro got a breakaway but did not score, for the next 85 seconds the Isles hemmed the Rangers in their own zone. Rangers goaltender Mike Richter and defenseman Kevin Lowe both had broken their sticks, the Isles had five “grade a” scoring chances. Finally after a failed clearing attempt, Ferraro finally buried it to give the Islanders their first goal of the series, “Woo ha the boys are alive,” declared TSN play by play announcer Jim Hughson.

        In the late 90’s the Battle of New York got more and more intense hitting the powder keg April 4, 1998. Seven fights in all, including a five on five line brawl, seeing Dan Cloutier pounded on Islander goaltender Tommy Salo. In 2002 Islander great Bryan Trottier became Rangers coach, to Islanders fans that was betrayal, they became happy half way through that season when Trottier was subsequently fired. Still to do this day, despite the Islanders struggles, that rivalry still remains one of the best.

Av’s vs Red Wings

        Has there ever been a more classic rivalry ever in the NHL? Two great teams, both loaded with skill, grit, size and great goaltending. The best thing is they hated each others guts and then some. Claude Lemieux’s hit from behind on Kris Draper started it all, then there was March 26, 1997. That game remains likely the most classic regular season game in decades. Early in the contest Darren McCarty beat up Lemieux blooding him up, he only received a double minor for roughing. Over the course of the game 10 fights broke out during the first half of the game, McCarty then scored the overtime winner beating the Av’s 6-5.

Go back with old schedule

        Just my opinion but I prefer the schedule of three-four years ago, the schedule where divisional rivals play eight times a season. By the last three games of the eight game series, it was back to old school hockey. Compare that to where a team like Florida, Carolina or the Islanders go into Vancouver, Nashville or Columbus once every second season, compared to every third season.

        My preference for the schedule is to play divisional rivals eight times a year, keep it the way east plays west, then as an example Central Division teams would play one game less per season against the Pacific. As a Flyers fan would you not rather see the Rangers, or Penguins one more time compared to Minnesota or Edmonton? 

Towel Power comes back to Winnipeg

by Brandt Corbin

            The real white towel power is coming back. In 1996 the Winnipeg Jets picked up and moved their franchise to Phoenix. Now 15 years later, the Atlanta Thrashers are packing up and moving back to Winnipeg. Will the results of the Thrashers team be different compared to the old Jets or the team based in Atlanta. One would have to lean towards nothing but success.

            Over the past few years, the players when going to play at Phillips Arena (Atlanta) had not much to be excited about. More often than not they played in front of a half empty building; and it would get tiresome after awhile to hear the PA announcer say offside, icing... pointing out what’s happening on the ice for beginner fans. Instead now the team will be going to the MTS center, playing in front a full building of fans who craved NHL hockey for over a decade and a half.

New team in Winnipeg much different than 1996 Jets

            In 1996, the Jets exhausted all of their resources, regarding players. In total then Jet coach Terry Simpson dressed 41 players (including five goalies), during the 1996 season, 33 of those players played 15 or more games. Back then the Jets had one of the best lines in hockey with Teemu Selanne (only played 51 games), Keith Thachuk and Alexei Zhamnov (58 games played). After that it was a big drop off from lines two to four. The number one line accounted for 34% of the Jets offense; despite missing a combined 61 games due to injury.

                Now the 2010-11 Thrashers are not overly loaded up front, allot less potent than the Jets old top line, but have a much better second line than the 96 Jets. Another advantage going into next season, the team only has seven forwards guaranteed of a spot next year. The team defense in 1996 scored 32 goals all season, the 2011 Thrashers scored 45 goals from the back end. Their top two de-men, Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom had 31 goals between the two, totalling up 104 points.

                  The goaltending is very similiar compared to the old days. Nikolai Khabibulin was a young netminder which back then didn’t reach his potential. Nowadays Ondrej Pavelic the current goalie has had loads of international success with the Czech Republic, but has been inconsistent with Atlanta. The backups are almost the same now compared to then. Then it was Tim Cheveldae, now its Chris Mason.

                       The old Jets had a few promising back then. When it was all said and done, Jason Doig and Chad Kilger never panned out as good NHLers. Without question Shane Doan has gone onto the most promising career. Fot the new Jets, Evander Kane is showing the most promise, followed up by Bryan Little, Alexander Burminstrov, the future looks somewhat promising.

Off ice staff

                Sounds pretty safe that general manager Rick Dudley will be leading the team into Winnipeg. The main reason why he’s returning is because he had four years remaining on his current contract. Same goes with head coach Craig Ramsey, he as well is under contract. One possible change is Craig Heisinger the current general manager of the Manitoba Moose, appears to be staying on as Assistant General manager of the team based in Winnipeg.

Are the Canucks the prohibited favourites?

                Is it just me are do the off-days seem stupidly boring. Some of the “so call experts” were claiming the Western Conference Final was the actual Stanley Cup Final, making those believers think that the Eastern Conference weaker. One would hope and assume the Vancouver Canucks are thinking the opposite, knowing they are only four wins away from winning Lord Stanley.

                Are the Canucks the favourites going into the finals? Yes, mainly because they are the President’s Trophy winners, plus they have home ice. But would I put money down in Vegas on this series, no chance in Hell. This series is going minimum to six games, at this points it’s a coin toss.

Who wil come up big

                Some of these “experts” are calling into question Tim Thomas and if he going to be on his game, after somewhat struggling versus Tampa. I think he made a statement come game seven, in his shutout performance. Same could have been said for Roberto Luongo who struggled during the Chicago series, to the point where he was pulled once, and his backup started a game instead of Luongo. These two wash each other out, they’ll let in a weak goal or two, but they have not gotten to the finals this year by accident.

                If I were Claude Julien, I’d be showing Milan Lucic the video’s of Dustin Byfuglien. We all know at times Byfuglien had Luongo’s numbers, mainly because he got in his kitchen. It’s not farfetched to say Lucic couldn’t do the same type of job, the Bruins philosophy should be, do whatever they have to do to get Luongo off his game. The Canucks likely would do the same, with Burrows and Kesler. So without question look allot net-drive in this series.

                With the Sedin’s going head to head with Chara and Seidenberg, Kesler versus the Bruins top line, it could come down to the bottom two lines and who’s better at the right time. The Canucks third line of Larpierre, Torres and Hansen , can change the momentum of a game with their speed and physicality. The Bruins third line against Tampa at times was dominant offensively, as an example Tyler Seguin had 6 points in the first two games of that series. That too could be a coin-toss, but could change from game to game.

                Absolutely no disrespect to Canucks Manny Maholtra, but am I the only one getting tired of him coming back for the finals. If you think he can come back, play on the third line and pick up where he left off, you’re kidding yourself. If anything he can help a bad fourth line, a fourth line that changes each and every game.

Numbers that matter the most

                Key things people have to remember, the Canucks of course play out of the Northwest Division, by far hands down the worst division, some would make the argument the weakest ever.  That benefited the Canucks, because it helped them clinch home ice.

                The numbers do not lie. If this becomes a specialty team series, it will be all Vancouver. The Canucks have 17 power play goals compared to Boston’s 5. If the majority of this series is played at even strength,  it will be all Boston who’ve outscored the Canucks 48-31. Those numbers are pretty damming either way, and folks these numbers are after three rounds of action not one. One other number in Boston’s favour is they are scoring 3.22 goals per games, compared to Vancouver’s 2.78.

                When its all said and done, it’s up the league and the officials with how the series will end up. Near the end of each of the last series, anything and everything was let go, that favours the Bruins. If they clamp down and

Various Staney Cup Notes

Canucks Manny Maholtra has been cleared to practice, after suffering a severe eye injury. On March 16^th, the veteran center got struck in the eye with a puck, had to have 2 surgeries to save his vision. If he returns for the finals, he’d wear a full shield. He would likely start off with the 4^th line, with getting key ice time on the penalty kill and key face off situations.

The team whose players win’s the Conn Smythe this year has a smaller price to pay. The winner of the award gets a 1.3 million dollar bonus, because each team is up against the cap this year, that bonus would count against next year’s salary cap. That occurred that year to the Chicago Blackhawks when Duncan Keith won playoff MVP.

After winning game seven on Friday night and advancing to the Stanley Cup finals, the Boston Bruins 2^nd round 2011 draft pick now belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs. A clause in the Tomas Kaberle trade had the Bruins sending the pick to the Leafs if the Bruins got to the finals, or re-signed Kaberle. This now gives Toronto 12 draft picks this year, four in the first 2 rounds.

Bruins-Canucks; Stanley Cup Preview

by Brandt Corbin

           

            Before the puck was dropped for the 2011 playoffs, it was painfully obvious there were a few coaches looking for work if they did not get out of the first round. Two of those coaches were Boston’s Claude Julien and Vancouver’s Alain Vigneault. We all know by know they’ve made it past that first round, and are on their way to fight for the Stanley Cup. Think about how close both Vancouver and Boston were in the first round... both teams had to win in overtime to advance, now arguably the two best teams during the regular season for the past two years, finally go head to head.

Up front

            Both teams throughout the playoffs have had three lines of offense. The Canucks have the statistically the better top line during the regular season, but during the post season, the Bruins top line has been better consistently game in game out. The second and third lines have been coming up timely offense, when the either team’s needed a goal, it been the secondary scoring getting it. The fourth lines have been absent offensively. The Bruins on a regular basis plays 7-10 mins, Canucks 4th line has maybe been averaging 4-6 mins at the most, so look for this trend to continue in the finals.

Bruins power play needs to start firing

            Eventually one would assume the Bruins will start clicking on their power play, they have not done so thus far and it has not cost them yet. Both teams even in the conference finals had patches on being very undisciplined, both teams have some hot headed players, the team that can be nasty but not cross the line will do themselves a favour. The main reason why the Canucks advanced past San Jose was their incredible power play, while the Bruins have been completely dominant 5 on 5 in the playoffs.

No edge in net

            This will be the best goaltending matchup in many years, Vezina Nominee vs Vezina Nominee, Tim Thomas vs Roberto Luongo. Both veterans have had there struggles during the playoffs, but when it mattered most they came up huge for their team. Neither goalie will have the edge in this series, the one that can fight through the traffic without losing his composure should prevail the champion.

Home ice not a big advantage

            The Bruins for the most part are a veteran laden team, you think about this years playoffs, they’ve played in the most intimidating buildings, the Bell Center and the Wells Fargo Center (Montreal and Philly). Same can be said for Ryan Kesler, and the Sedin’s they are calm cooled and always collected. The only time I see anyone being really nervous is the night the Cup could be awarded, both for the team who could win it, or lose it. You do not want to go this far and then lose it in finals.

Head to head matchups

            The key matchups will be the following, Zdeno Chara vs the Sedins and Kesler, Bieksa versus the Bruins top line of Krejci-Horton and Lucic. Physically the Sedin’s will be hit every chance Chara can legal or not legal. I look forward to Lucic vs Bieksa, it will be a reminder of Lucic vs Komisarek 3 years ago.... which can be compared to Samuelson vs Neely. 

When its all said and done

            A Bruins fan not a Canuck fan will ever admit it, but realistically neither team is the favourite going into this series. Its to close to call, its not far fetched to say Chara will shutdown the Sedins, and for Kesler to shutdown the Bruins top line. When its all said and done, it will come down to who’s second and third lines play better and that as well is a toss up. This series will likely come down to a 7th game, with it maybe going to overtime, if it does I will predict either Nathan Horton or Alex Burrows to score the Cup clincher.

 

Sharks need to move into another direction, coach included

 by Brandt Corbin

 

            Some teams in pro sports just cannot get over that hump. A team considered the perennial favourites according to the experts because of what appears to be the endless amount of talent. In the National Hockey League, that team is the San Jose Sharks. For the past four or five season they’ve been called the Stanley Cup contenders, I’ve tried to point our for at least the past two seasons its nothing more than a mirage.

            This is the second time in two years they’ve beaten the Detroit Red Wings to advance to the conference finals, their only problem is they’ve gone 1-8 in the third round. How many times can you go back with the same core group, one would have thought you’d want to shake things up. It’s become to apparent that San Jose’s star players are great during the regular season but below par come the playoffs, when going gets tough and one is forced to play hurt.

Virtually impossible to move the big three

            The Sharks major problem and it’s a big one, their big three players (salary wise) Danny Heatley, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau make a combined 21.7 million per year, for the next three seasons. Each and every single one of them has either a no movement or no trade clause. So unless the Sharks are willing to take Wade Redden from the Rangers, they’ve got no chance to trade Heatley.

            The Sharks supporting cast is strong, but are they built for the playoffs? Ryane Clowe is more than made for the playoffs; one could say the same regarding Joe Pavelski who was strong in the 2010 playoffs.  But part of San Jose’s problem is they need more than two or three guys showing up for one playoff series.

            The main reason why the Sharks went down in five games to the Canucks was there pathetic penalty kill. In the series, San Jose allowed nine power play goals while shorthanded only 20 times. In all 50% of Vancouver’s production was on the man advantage.

What changes can and should be made

            Because the core group cannot be traded, and it’s unlikely Clowe or Pavelski would be moved, what changes can be made? Are the Sharks content with making the conference finals, because it’s clear they’re not good enough to get out of the west.

            I personally would start with head coach Todd McClennan, he’s had three kicks at the can, and he’s gotten them no further than his predecessor Ron Wilson. One can say this, come playoff time his message is not getting through to those difference makers. Is he had a bad coach, absolutely not, will he get rehired, within weeks. Another reason why I feel McClennan should be held accountable is his player management. In game three the Canucks went 2-5 on the power play. But the penalty kill was worse than number suggests. The coach stayed status quo in game 4; keeping Andrew Desjardins in the line-up instead of Scott Nichol, whose main responsibility is penalty killing, subsequently the Canucks power play went 3-4 in game four. ALl year Nichol was the teams primary penalty killer, for some reason when it mattered most the coach lost confidence in him.

I personally would bring one of two coaches in; give them only a two year contract with an option. Ken Hitchcock and Andy Murray are not task masters, but they’re anything but a player’s coach. It’s got to be there way or the highway, or you’ll be sitting at the end of the bench. McClennan is not a players coach, but you rarely hear about him laying down the law, especially against his star players, for that there needs to be  change.

            The team’s bottom half of forwards needs to be re-worked. They need more muckers and grinders, whose speciality is penalty killing, think about how big a Manny Maholtra would have been against the Canucks, that’s the type of player they do not have.

            When its all said and done, if thinks are not changed up, they come back with the same coach, no changes to the top two lines, we’ll again be making this same point this time next year.

Kesler a shoe in for Conn Smythe

          I was sitting back trying to think of the last player to do absolutely everything then on top of that win the Stanley Cup. Couple of names right off the bat, Pavel Datsyuk and defenseman Scott Niedermayer. The new name on the block is Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler. 

          Despite going goalless in the first round versus the Chicago Blackhawks, Kesler kept Jonathan Toews off of the scoreboard, a feat not to be done easily. Come the second round, Kesler was the main and maybe only reason why they defeated the Nashville Predators. The 26-year-old American, had 11 points, while the Canucks only managed to score 14 goals versus the Preds. In the conference finals, Kesler did a mixture of both, stopping big Joe Thornton practically the entire round, while managing to produce offensively including game tying goal in game five with only 14 seconds left.

          But if anything its the price that Kesler is willing to pay, in the fifth game it appeared evident he had hurt his groin, he hobbled off but was back out for the next shift. Its a price he wanted to pay, something that cannot be said for the likes of a Joe Thornton.

If you wanted to start a team

          Aside from maybe Sidney Crosby, there are not to many other players that one would choose to start a team. Kesler’s obviously the best two center in the league, his 41 goals this year is not to shabby, then you enter in his 5 million dollar salary. There are 30 teams in the NHL that would love someone of his ilk and if the Canucks do win the Cup, there could be some general managers that would prefer him over Crosby.

Shoe in for the Conn Smythe?

          Win or lose, it will take a miracle for Kesler not to win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. The only way that does not occur is if the Canucks go down in four or five games, or if Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo has two or three repeat performances (like he had in game 5). In the past 24 years, only Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Ron Hextall have won the playoff MVP without winning the Cup the very same season. Again it will take a miracle for Kesler not to become the third player.