Here is the leader-board through the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs:

1) Woodward –> 9-for-12

2) Philp –> 6-for-12

3) Levin –> 2-for-4

4) Muscat –> 6-for-12

5) Cohen –> 5-for-12

Eastern Conference

(6) New Jersey Devils vs. (1) New York Rangers

Cohen– Rangers win in 7 . X-Factor –> Devils’ Record-Breaking Penalty Kill vs. Rangers’ Lifeless Power-Play

Philp– Devils win in 7. X-Factor –> Martin Brodeur

Muscat– Rangers win in 7. X-Factor –> Rangers’ Third Line

Levin– Devils win in 7 . X-Factor –> Adam Henrique

Woodward– Rangers win in 7. X-Factor –> New York’s Power-Play

Western Conference

(8) Los Angeles Kings vs. (3) Phoenix Coyotes

Cohen–  Kings win in 7. X-Factor –> Mike Smith vs. Jonathan Quick: Who Cracks First?

Philp– Coyotes win in 6. X-Factor –> Mike Smith

Muscat– Kings win in 5. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

Levin– Kings win in 6. X-Factor –> Drew Doughty

Woodward– Kings win in 6. X-Factor –>Mike Richards/Jeff Carter Line

Stanley Cup Finals

Cohen (Edit #2)– Rangers Over Kings

Philp (Edit #2)– Devils Over Coyotes

Muscat (Edit #2)– Rangers Over Kings

Levin–                    Devils Over Kings

Woodward (Edit #1)– Kings Over Rangers

Conn Smythe Award

Cohen– Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)

Philp– Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils)

Muscat– Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)

Levin– Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey Devils)

Woodward– Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings)

Here is the press release from the Predators,

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn will not play Game Three of the team’s Western Conference Semifinals series vs. the Phoenix Coyotes as result of violating team rules.

“The Nashville Predators have a few simple rules centered around doing the right things,” Poile said. “We have always operated with a team-first mentality and philosophy. Violating team rules is not fair to our team and their teammates.”The Predators trail the Coyotes in their semi final series 2-0. Tthe third game of this series is in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena.

While this certainly removes two offensive threats from the Predators line up, I commend GM David Poile and the team for the consistent application of the team rules and not bowing to playoff pressure.

The nature of the violation is unknown at this time. Both Kostitsyn and Radulov are on the ice at the morning practice for the Predators.

Eastern Conference

(7) Washington Capitals vs. (1) New York Rangers

Cohen– Rangers win in 7 . X-Factor –> Marc Staal

Philp– Capitals win in 7. X-Factor –> Capitals’ Penalty-Kill

Muscat– Rangers win in 7. X-Factor –> Rangers’ Third Line

Levin– Rangers win in 7 . X-Factor –> Michael Del Zotto

Woodward– Rangers win in 6. X-Factor –> Dan Girardi

(6) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers

Cohen– Flyers win in 6. X-Factor –> Ilya Bryzgalov

Philp– Flyers win in 5. X-Factor –> Philadelphia’s Prolific Power-Play

Muscat– Flyers win in 6. X-Factor –> Ilya Bryzgalov

Levin– Devils win in 7. X-Factor –> Patrik Elias

Woodward– Flyers win in 5. X-Factor –> Martin Brodeur’s Ability To Overcome Father Time

Western Conference

(8) Los Angeles Kings vs. (2) St. Louis Blues

Cohen–  Blues win in 7. X-Factor –> David Perron

Philp– Blues win in 6. X-Factor –> The Blues’ Defense

Muscat– Blues win in 7. X-Factor –> T.J. Oshie

Levin– Blues win in 6. X-Factor –> Jamie Langenbrunner

Woodward– Kings win in 7. X-Factor –>Mike Richards

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (3) Phoenix Coyotes

Cohen– Predators win in 6. X-Factor –> Mike Fisher

Philp– Coyotes win in 6. X-Factor –> Mike Smith

Muscat– Predators win in 5. X-Factor –> Alexander Radulov

Levin– Predators win in 5. X-Factor –>Patric Hornqvist

Woodward– Predators win in 6. X-Factor –> Phoenix’s Secondary Scoring

Stanley Cup Finals

Cohen (Edit)– Rangers Over Predators

Muscat (Edit)– Blues Over Rangers

Philp (Edit)– Capitals Over Coyotes

Woodward (Original)– Rangers Over Predators

Eastern Conference

(8) Ottawa Senators vs. (1) New York Rangers

Cohen– Rangers win in 7 . X-Factor –> Brandon Dubinsky

Muscat– Rangers win in 6. X-Factor –> Ryan Callahan

Philp– Rangers win in 5 . X-Factor –> Henrik Lundqvist/Rangers’ Physicality

Woodward– Rangers win in 7. X-Factor –> Chris Phillips/Filip Kuba

(7) Washington Capitals vs. (2) Boston Bruins

Cohen– Bruins win in 6. X-Factor –> Nicklas Backstrom

Muscat– Bruins win in 4. X-Factor –> Brad Marchand

Philp– Capitals win in 7. X-Factor –> Alexander Ovechkin

Woodward– Bruins win in 6. X-Factor –> Boston’s Power-Play

(6) New Jersey Devils vs. (3) Florida Panthers

Cohen– Devils win in 6. X-Factor –> David Clarkson

Muscat– Devils win in 5. X-Factor –> David Clarkson

Philp– Devils win in 6. X-Factor –> A Healthy Martin Brodeur

Woodward– Devils win in 6. X-Factor –> Florida’s Secondary Scoring

(5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins

Cohen–  Penguins win in 7. X-Factor –> Ilya Bryzgalov

Muscat– Penguins win in 6. X-Factor –> Marc-Andre Fleury

Philp– Penguins win in 5. X-Factor –> Pittsburgh’s Depth/Matt Cooke

Woodward– Flyers win in 7. X-Factor –> Ilya Bryzgalov

Western Conference

(8) Los Angeles Kings vs. (1) Vancouver Canucks

Cohen–  Canucks win in 6. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

Muscat– Kings win in 7. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

Philp– Kings win in 7. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

Woodward– Kings win in 7. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

(7) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) St. Louis Blues

Cohen– Blues win in 6. X-Factor –> Andy McDonald

Muscat– Blues win in 5. X-Factor –> Alex Pietrangelo

Philp– Sharks win in 6. X-Factor –> Joe Thornton Exorcising Playoff Demons

Woodward– Blues win in 5. X-Factor –> Antti Niemi

(6) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (3) Phoenix Coyotes

Cohen– Blackhawks win in 6. X-Factor –> Keith Yandle

Muscat– Coyotes win in 6. X-Factor –> Mike Smith

Philp– Coyotes win in 6. X-Factor –> Mike Smith/Phoenix Defense

Woodward– Coyotes win in 7. X-Factor –> Corey Crawford

(5) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) Nashville Predators

Cohen– Predators win in 6. X-Factor –> Alexander Radulov

Muscat– Red Wings win in 7. X-Factor –> Pavel Datsyuk

Philp– Red Wings win in 6. X-Factor –> Detroit’s Special Teams

Woodward– Predators win in 7. X-Factor –> Detroit’s Second Line

Stanley Cup Finals

Cohen– Penguins Over Predators

Muscat– Red Wings Over Penguins

Philp– Red Wings Over Penguins

Woodward– Rangers Over Predators

However, something happened on the way to making the NHL more palatable to the masses. You might have noticed that your favorite player or players have been missing in action quite a bit this season.As of Thursday, 51 NHL players have been lost to concussions this season. On that list is the player many believe is the league’s best, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Crosby has played in just eight NHL games since suffering a concussion on Jan. 5, 2011.

That list has become a gargantuan story this season, much to the alarm of the league and teams, who have in the past attempted to minimize what independent medical experts have been citing for years: hockey has a concussion epidemic on its hands.

< READ MORE ON CBS New York >

Other pieces on CBS by BD:

HOW PLAYERS, NOT THE ISLES COACH WILL WALK PLANK THIS SEASON

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE? TELL THAT TO NY ISLANDERS FANS! 

I’ll use the top seven defensemen of each team as a reference and will take the financial numbers from CapGeek.com. Players that are injured are included in the calculation.

1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,33 millions 25 games 15 wins 7 losses 3 OTL 33 points (5th EC)
Kimmo Timonen – $6,333,333
Chris Pronger – $4,921,429
Andrej Meszaros – $4,000,000
Matt Carle – $3,437,500
Braydon Coburn – $3,200,000
Matt Walker – $1,700,000
Andreas Lilja – $737,500

2. Los Angeles Kings – $22.56 millions 26 games 13 wins 9 losses 4 OTL 30 points (7th WC)
Drew Doughty – $7,000,000
Jack Johnson – $4,357,143
Willie Mitchell – $3,500,000
Rob Scuderi – $3,400,000
Matt Greene – $2,950,000
Alec Martinez – $737,500
Davis Drewiske – $616,667

3. Winnipeg Jets – $22.30 millions 26 games 11 wins 11 losses 4 OTL 26 points (11th EC)
Dustin Byfuglien – $5,200,000
Ron Hainsey – $4,500,000
Tobias Enstrom – $3,750,000
Johnny Oduya – $3,500,000
Zach Bogosian – $2,500,000
Mark Stuart – $1,700,000
Randy Jones – $1,150,000

4. Toronto Maple Leafs – $22.04 millions 26 games 14 wins 10 losses 2 OTL 30 points (6th EC)
Dion Phaneuf – $6,500,000
Mike Komisarek – $4,500,000
John-Michael Liles – $4,200,000
Luke Scheen – $3,600,000
Carl Gunnarsson – $1,325,000
Jake Gardiner – $1,116,667
Cody Franson – $800,000

5. Phoenix Coyotes – $21.48 millions 25 games 13 wins 9 losses 3 OTL 29 points (9th WC)
Keith Yandle – $5,250,000
Michal Rozsival – $5,000,000
Rotislav Klesla – $2,975,000
Derek Morris – $2,750,000
Adrian Aucoin – $2,000,000
Kurt Sauer – $1,750,000
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – $1,750,000

6. Detroit Red Wings – $20.96 millions 25 games 16 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 33 points (4th WC)
Nicklas Lidstrom – $6,200,000
Brad Stuart – $3,750,000
Jonathan Ericsson – $3,250,000
Niklas Kronwall – $3,000,000
Ian White – $2,875,000
Mike Commodore – $1,000,000
Jakub Kindl – $883,333

7. Vancouver Canucks – $20.53 millions 26 games 15 wins 10 losses 1 OTL 31 points (5th WC)
Kevin Bieksa – $4,600,000
Dan Hamhuis – $4,500,000
Keith Ballard – $4,200,000
Alexander Edler – $3,250,000
Sami Salo – $2,000,000
Andrew Alberts – $1,225,000
Aaron Rome – $750,000

8. Chicago Blackhawks – $20.31 millions 27 games 16 wins 8 losses 3 OTL 35 points (2nd WC)
Brent Seabrook – $5,800,000
Duncan Keith – $5,538,462
Niklas Hjalmarsson – $3,500,000
Steve Montador – $2,750,000
Nick Leddy – $1,116,666
Sean O’Donnell – $850,000
Sami Lepisto – $750,000

9. Calgary Flames – $19.75 millions 26 games 11 wins 13 losses 2 OTL 24 points (13th WC)
Jay Bouwmeester – $6,680,000
Mark Giordano – $4,020,000
Cory Sarich – $3,600,000
Anton Babchuk – $2,500,000
Chris Butler – $1,250,000
Scott Hannan – $1,000,000
Derek Smith – $700,000

10. Washington Capitals – $19.07 millions 25 games 13 wins 11 losses 1 OTL 27 points (8th EC)
Mike Green – $5,250,000
Dennis Wideman – $3,935,500
Roman Hamrlik – $3,500,000
Jeff Schultz – $2,750,000
John Erskine – $1,500,000
Karl Alzner – $1,285,000
John Carlson – $845,833

10. San Jose Sharks – $19.07 millions 23 games 14 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 29 points (8th WC)
Dan Boyle – $6,666,667
Brent Burns – $3,550,000
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – $3,100,000
Douglas Murray – $2,500,000
Jason Demers – $1,250,000
Jim Vandermeer – $1,000,000
Colin White – $1,000,000

In comparison, the league-leading Minnesota Wild with 37 points, are spending only $12.36 millions on their defensive brigade.

As you can see, there is no guaranteed success if you spend a lot of money on your defensive brigade, as only the Chicago Blackhawks are leading their division amongst the teams that spend the most money on their blue line.

2010-11 rankings
1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,89M
2. Toronto Maple Leafs – $24.28M
3. Vancouver Canucks – $23.35M
4. Detroit Red Wings – $21.83M
5. Calgary Flames – $21.59M
6. Chicago Blackhawks – $21.29M
7. Atlanta Thrashers (Winnipeg Jets) – $21.06M
8. Montreal Canadiens – $20.25M
9. Pittsburgh Penguins – $19.11M
10. Boston Bruins – $18.58M

———-
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

Follow Fred on Facebook and Twitter

GOON:

In our support of the lack of hockey movies, comes this info from the movie company to us.

“We have a great throwback hockey movie coming out and we would love to get your support. Its violent and insanely funny.”

Starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill and Liev Schreiber
Written by Jay Baruchel, Evan Goldberg (SUPERBAD and  PINEAPPLE EXPRESS)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Synopsis
Labelled an outcast by his brainy family, a bouncer overcomes long odds to lead a team of underperforming misfits to semi-pro hockey glory, beating the crap out of everything that stands in his way.

The film opens on VOD on 2/24 and In Theatres 3/30

Based from the book “Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey”

www.goonthemovie.com

Official Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/GoonFilm

Some more on the movie comes from Slash Film

If you took the summer off from following the coolest team in the desert, you missed a lot.  Bryzgalov high tailed it to Broad & Pattison, leaving former Lightning goalie Mike Smith as the featured net minder.  JovoCop surfed on back to South Beach, and Bellanger, Ebbert, and Stepniak have moved on as well.  In addition to Smith between the pipes, the Yotes have brought in a plethora new blood to help the team take shape.  You may need a score card to keep track of all the new center icemen on the roster this season.  Daymond Langkow is the most noticeable addition, as he makes what he and fans hope will be a triumphant return to Arizona.  Other additions at the center positions include Petteri Nokelainen, Boyd Gordon, Kyle Chipcura, and Alexandre Bolduc.  A couple of wingers were also added to the mix in Raffi Torres and Patrick O’Sullivan.

While some of the faces and names have changed, the song, for the most part, remains the same.  Defense is still the order of the day in the desert.  While Lanks has been known to find the back of the net on occasion, most of the off-season moves were made with an eye toward making the defensive play even stronger than it has been in the recent past under returning Coach Dave Tippett.

Goalies:

This team starts between the pipes, so that’s where we’ll begin our tour of the ice.  Newcomer Mike Smith has some big skates to fill in Bryzgalov.  Goalie coach Sean Burke will take Smith under his wing this season.  While Smith’s career high games came in 2009, when he logged 42 games in net for the Lightning, he will be the man on opening night.  Look for Smith to improve in the defensive-minded system in Phoenix.  This is a best case scenario for Smith, and he has all of his ducks lined up for him as the starter.  Jason LaBarbera returns as the #2 man.  LaBabs appeared in just 17 games the last two seasons.  Look for this number to go up a little this year, and he should benefit from the added PT.

Defensemen:

Like Bryzgalov, Ed Jovanovski also headed East.  Like the goalkeeping situation, the Yotes did not sign a high-priced free agent to replace the departing vet, instead choosing to replace him from within.  While they’ll miss Jovo’s physical presence on the blue line, this year’s defensive corps will remain largely the same as last year’s.  Keith Yandle will again be the anchor of the defense.  Look for him to kick his game up a notch this year, perhaps delving into the 70 point range.  Derrek Morris and Adrian Aucoin may be getting a bit long in the tooth, but they’re still as steady as they come defensively.  Larsson, Rizsival, and Kessler look to round out the defensive troops.  If there is an area for need, it’s another offensive threat on the blue line to compliment Yandle.  But the Coyotes have proven their detractors wrong before with their extreme defensive style.  They’ll look to do the same on defense this year.

Captain Shane Doan will attempt to lead the Coyotes deeper into the playoffs during the 2011-12 season.

Forwards:   

It’s only fitting that we take a look at the offense last, as that’s what the Yotes seem to do as well.  While there is some offensive potential in the front line this year, most all of these players share one important attribute: playing rock-solid defense.  In fact, it’s highly possible that no Coyotes forward will top 60 points scoring this season.  The Coyotes may be the only team in hockey that can say that proudly.  If any other team had no 60 point scorers, their season would surely be more doomed than Barry Melrose on stroll through Newark.  But for the Yotes, that’s business as usual.  The Cap’n, Shane Doan, will lead the way again this year.  Look for him to be somewhere right in the neighborhood of 60 points on the season.  Doan has the dubious honor of helping to form one of the oldest lines you’ll find anywhere this side of well, Arizona.  His likely line mates will be elder statesmen Ray Whitney and Langkow.  Phoenix fans will be hoping Whitney has one last hurrah in him; and that Langkow can fully recover from his neck injury and regain some old magic.  Kyle Turris is still sitting out there unsigned, with no obvious resolution in sight.  Thus, the 2^nd line will likely consist of Vrbata, Hanzal, and youngster Boedker to start the year.  There are others that will contribute, including Brett McLean, Kyle Chipkura, and Raffi Torres.  None of them, however, seem likely to light the lamp with great regularity.  Paul Bissonette returns to his familiar enforcer role.

Bold Prediction:

The Coyotes will compile a record of 47-28-7, for 101 points and 2^nd place in the Pacific division.  The Yotes will win at least one playoff series, with a chance for more if everything comes together.  With all the changes, the goalkeeping is likely to be the key for success this season.  Phoenix management managed to avoid the traps of overpaying for free agents this off-season, and it will surely pay off in the long run.  As for this year, if Smith or LaBabs can get hot come crunch time, the Yotes have the system and the experience to make a deep playoff run.   The Zamboni’s fired up and ready to roll.  Buckle up and hold on tight.  It’s gonna be a wild ride!

Follow me on Twitter @Rabid_Jack for the latest on the Coyotes, the NHL, fantasy sports, and sports humor!

HOCKEY LEGENDS PAT LAFONTAINE AND STEVE WEBB TO RIDE 550 MILES FOR W20
FOUNDATION AND COMPANIONS IN COURAGE FOUNDATION

NEW YORK (September 19, 2011) –NHL alumnus Steve Webb and Hockey Hall
of Fame inductee Pat LaFontaine began a 550-mile bike ride this morning
from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in route to the NHL Powered by
Reebok Store in New York City in support of their respective charitable
efforts, the W20 Foundation and the Companions in Courage Foundation. Both
are expected to complete their historic ride on Wednesday, September 21 at
12:00 p.m. ET with a special celebration at the NHL Powered by Reebok Store
in midtown Manhattan.

“The NHL is proud to support these two hockey legends as they embark
on this epic charitable ride. On behalf of the NHL family we proudly salute
Pat and Steve, and wish them the best of luck” said Ken Martin, Jr., NHL
Vice President of Community Affairs.

LaFontaine’s Companions in Courage Foundation is an official
philanthropic partner of the National Hockey League (NHL) and helps to
create “Lion’s Den/NHL Legacy Classrooms” featuring Cisco System’s online
conferencing system, WebEx, which allows young patients to connect to
family, friends, schools and teachers anywhere in the world during a
hospital stay.

The Foundation has now opened 12 Lion’s Den rooms throughout North
America, including two with the NHL in Boston, Calgary and Montreal. The
NHL unveiled the first fully functional “NHL Legacy Classroom” at North
Carolina Children’s Hospital to commemorate the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend.
Plans for an “NHL Legacy Classroom” in Pittsburgh were unveiled during the
2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic to commemorate the outdoor game.

Webb’s W20 Foundation provides young student ice hockey players with
partial academic scholarships to continue the pursuit of their hockey
dreams. Now the organization also highlights athletes as influential agents
of change and creates opportunities for athletes to give back in their
communities. Webb will also commit a portion of the ride’s proceeds to fund
Alzheimer and dementia research in Ontario.

The riders will be joined by a support team that includes Graham
Fraser, founder of Centurion Cycling, host of North America’s premier
series of distance bicycling events.

For more information on how you can support this please visit
www.CiC16.org
or www.w20Foundation.org.  To follow the progress of the ride, fans are
encouraged to visit www.W20Foundation.blogspot.com. ]]> http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/bdgallof/38698/feed/ 0 http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/woodwardb/38002/ http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/woodwardb/38002/#comments Wed, 31 Aug 2011 05:38:28 +0000 Benjamin Woodward http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=38002  

Hello again, and welcome to Part II of my 4-Part NHL season preview.  In part I, I gave you all my Eastern Conference Predictions. In part 2, I will give you my predictions for the Western Conference.  I will approach these predictions a bit differently than I did those for the Eastern Conference. Today, I will give some strengths and weaknesses of each of the 8 playoff teams out west. I will be upfront here in saying that I do not usually follow the Western Conference as much as I do the East, over the course of the season, so many of you may have differing opinions here. Like always, feel free to chime in with your opinions below.

1) Vancouver Canucks

Strengths:

The defending conference champs return in 2011-12 as without a doubt one of the clear-cut contenders for a Stanley Cup. Arguably the deepest team, top to bottom in the entire NHL, the Canucks will once again be lead by former Hart trophy winners Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Ryan Kesler returning to full health will also be a welcome sight for Vancouver’s offense.  Perhaps the biggest strength of the Canucks, will be the retribution factor. The Canucks’ were so close to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, they could taste it. They always say that a team must learn how to lose, before you can learn how to win;  and in 2010-11 , the Vancouver Canucks sure learned how to lose.

Weaknesses:

Truth be told, there isn’t much to put here. The loss of puck-moving defenseman Christian Ehrhoff will undoubtedly play a role in the Canucks’ success in 2011-12. However, a team that employed 9 NHL-quality defensemen in 2010-11, a replacement should not be hard to find. The only real question mark in Vancouver, is the ability of star goaltender Roberto Luongo to bounce back from a rough finish to the post-season of 2011. But even if Roberto is to falter, young Cory Schneider will be ready and willing to carry the load.

2) Los Angeles Kings

Strengths:

The popular favorite in the West, is without a doubt the LA Kings. After losing out on key free agents Ilya Kovalchuk and Brad Richards over the past two summers, GM Dean Lombardi opted to pull the trigger on a trade sending Wayne Simmonds and  uber-prospect Brayden Schenn to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for  former Flyer-captain Mike Richards. Richards should make an immediate impact on the LA roster, and provide perhaps the best 1-2 punch at center, along with all-star pivot Anze Kopitar.

Weaknesses:

While the addition of Mike Richards went a long way to solidifying the Kings 2nd line, the team’s lack of depth after the top 2 lines is perhaps the team’s biggest achilles heel. Beyond Richards, Kopitar, Williams and Stoll, the Kings lack much skill on the offensive end. In order to be successful in 2011-12, the Kings will need improved production from the likes of Kyle Clifford and Brad Richardson.

3) Chicago Blackhawks

Strengths:

The 2010 Stanley Cup Champions are perhaps the deepest team in the entire NHL. Led by stars, the likes of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Pat Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Sharp, the Blackhawks will be back and looking for a return to the Cup Finals. Look for Chicago to once again be near the top in the Western Conference for most of 2011-12.

Weaknesses:

After making some solid depth acquisitions this offseason, the Blackhawks only true weakness entering 2011-12 is the play of young goaltender Corey Crawford. While Crawford did have an excellent rookie season, it is unclear whether or not he can continue his strong play, going forward. The sophmore slump can be a huge issue in hockey, and it will be critical to the Blackhawks success, that Crawford is able to battle through.

4) San Jose Sharks

Strengths:

Scoring. San Jose is one of few teams that can legitimately run 3 very productive offensive units. The addition of Brent Burns will also significantly help out on the back end, and go along way to replacing Rob Blake as an offensive force from the blueline, who retired last summer.

Weaknesses:

The swap of Dany Heatley for Martin Havlat will be sure to pay dividends for San Jose in the post-season , but it is unclear whether or not Havlat can produce at the same rate as Heatley can, during the regular season. However, on a team with Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Patrick  Marleau and Ryan Clowe, I am sure goal scoring should not be an issue.

5) Detroit Red Wings

Strengths:

With Captain Nicklas Lidstrom returning for what looks to be like 1 final year in the league, 2011-12 looks like it’ll be Detroit’s last crack at the Cup for  a few years. Look to the Red Wings to rely on top end talent and a bevy of experience to lift them to the top of the Western Conference.

Weaknesses:

Perhaps the only weakness of the Red Wings, is age, and with age, comes a proneness to injuries. Star pivot Pavel Datsyuk missed most of 2010-11 with a wrist injury, but looks to be 100% entering training camp. However, if the Wings want to succeed in 2011-12, they must get key contributions from younger depth players.

6) Nashville Predators

Strengths:

The biggest strength, of a cash-strapped Nashville squad, is none other than the man standing behind the bench, Barry Trotz. Trotz, arguably the best coach in the game, always finds a way to get his Nashville team to over-achieve and get into the post-season.

Weaknesses:

Uncertainty over the futures of the big 3; Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, and Pekka Rinne, will surely cause a stir in Nashville, as the season draws on. It will be up to those 3 all-stars to put away thoughts of contracts and focus on hockey, if Nahville wants to once again be a playoff team, in 2011-12.

7)  Anaheim Ducks

Strengths:

The RPG line is unquestionably the most dynamic scoring line in hockey, and will once again be relied upon to provide most of the Ducks’ offense. The RPG line is perhaps the only line in hockey that can truly carry a team to the playoffs.

Weaknesses:

The biggest knock on the Ducks, is that they are a very top-heavy squad. Beyond the RPG line, there really aren’t many reliable offensive forwards on the Anaheim roster. Also, beyond Lubomir Visnovsky and budding superstar Cam Fowler, there isn’t a whole lot of depth on the Ducks’ blueline. Also, concerns over the health of goaltender Jonas Hiller will be huge in determining the Ducks’ success in 2011-12.

8) Columbus Blue Jackets

Strengths:

The Blue Jackets have finally found a true #1 center to play along side Rick Nash. It is my belief, that given the chance to play with a legit play-making pivot, Rick Nash can be one of the top-5 players in all of hockey. He is mean, nasty, big, strong, has a fantastic shot, and really knows how to finish. He has now been given that opportunity, thanks to GM Scott Howson’s acquisition of Jeff Carter.

Weaknesses:

The biggest issue for Columbus is their depth, or lack there of. There really aren’t many proven NHL defenders on this roster. The addition of James Wisniewski will do wonders for the Jackets’ Power-Play, however, beyond Wiz, I do not see much strength on that blueline.

9) St Louis Blues

10) Minnesota Wild

11) Calgary Flames

12) Edmonton Oilers

13) Phoenix Coyotes

14) Dallas Stars

15) Colorado Avalanche

Thanks For Reading!

Be Sure To Follow Me On Twitter at @BruinsHockey365

Participants: Fred Poulin, Cris Cohen, Lawrence Duchenski, John Scott Moore, Jeremy Scriven, Alexander Monaghan, Jamie Fraser, Andre Garabedian, WB Philp, Al Cimaglia, Adrian Fung, Gordon Fall, Kevin Vanstone, Su Ring

Round 1
LAWRENCE 1 Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are proud to select, from the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
We believe that Ryan will be an elite player in this league for years to come. He has both the vision and the passing ability to centre our first line and we are happy to bring him into the organization.

JOHN 2 Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are proud to select, from Skelleftea HC in Sweden, Adam Larsson. The Avs most pressing issue besides a net-minder is defense. Larsson is the big man on the blue line that this team needs to be competitive. With newly acquired Erik Johnson and veteran John-Michael Liles, Larsson will complete a core of defense that should last for years. Larsson’s highly rated skating for a 6-3, 200 pound blueliner is just what the team needs. Also noted is his poise and patience with the puck, a good quality to see this early.

JAMIE 3 Panthers
The Florida Panthers select Gabriel Landeskog of the OHL’s Kitchener Ranger. Gritty. Determined. Physical. Tough. Mean. These are characteristics not common to the average Swedish hockey player. Gabriel Landeskog is truly a made in Canada Swede. He’s physical mature player who’s the most NHL ready in the draft. Landeskog is pure leadership material, he’s a difference maker every time he’s on the ice. This past season he scored 66 points (36-30) in 53 games. Here’s Landeskog take on his style “I’m a powerful guy who likes to play rough and tough,” “But I do see myself as a skilled guy but it still comes down to hard work and being gritty and being in your face. That’s what I want to do.”

JAMIE 4 Devils
The New Jersey Devils select 4th overall Jonathan Huberdeau of the Saint John Sea Dogs. Huberdeau an excellent two-way forward recently won the Memorial Cup with Saint John. He draws comparisons to Jason Spezza but with a better defensive hockey mind. Huberdeau has assets that you can’t teach such as vision, his 6’1″ frame and his ability to play under pressure. Truly a great fit for a Devils trap system. Scoring 105 points(43-62) this season in the QMJHL he has the offensive abilities to command at 1st/2nd line duties in the future.

ANDRE 5 Islanders
With the 5th selection of the 2011 entry draft, the NY Islanders are proud to select, from the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Sean Couturier. This was a very tough choice. Hamilton, Couturier, Strome, Murphy are all gifted players who can help fill a need for the Islanders and were right there for us, but the feeling was that adding a player of Couturier’s skill set, combined with his size made him a sensible choice. Not only is he a top player, but he also fills a need for size on a relatively small Islander team. He is gifted offensively, but also has displayed a commitment to the defensive side of the ice making him a solid 2-way prospect. Much of his time was spent against opposing top lines — giving him the oppor tunity to dominate at both ends of the ice. He is size speed and skill — all of the tools the Islanders need.

The “knock” on Sean was that he was coasting this season, and does not have the “commit” level that he should. We feel Sean is committed to both ends of the ice, and we are sure he will be a proud part of the Islander family for many years to come. We feel Sean is an excellent player that adds to a dynamic core of players in our development system.

JAMIE 6 Senators
With the 6th pick overall in the NHL 2011 entry draft the Ottawa Senators select Ryan Strome. Ottawa needs help for that 2nd line centre position. Ryan Strome lacks the size of Sean Couturier, but this kid put up 106 points(33-73) with the OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs. He draws similar skill sets to Patrick Kane. Strome is a player who is at his biggest part of his game with the puck on his stick and will often make opposing defenders look absolutely ridiculous in YouTube highlight reel moments. While many of his goals belong on highlight reels, Strome has a great shot and excellent hockey sense. Make sure to follow Ryan Strome on twitter @strome18

FRED 7 Thrashers (Winnipeg Jets)
The Winnipeg team is proud to select, from the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL, defenseman Dougie Hamiilton. His strong and smooth st aking abilities allow him to skate out of trouble in own zone. Can quarterback the power play thanks to great vision and accurate shot. The team also needs more size on defense to complement Dustin Byfuglien. Hamilton scored 12 goals and added 46 assists for 58 pts in 57 games this season. The 6’4” 195 lb rearguard could very well become a top-2 defenseman in a near future.

FRED 8 Flyers from the Blue Jackets
The Philadelphia Flyers are proud to select from Djurgarden of the Swedesih Elite League, centre Mika Zibanejad. After trading two quality centers in Mike Richards and Jeff Carter on Thursday, the Flyers need to restock their middle lane with top-end prospects. A very intelligent two-way player with a great shot, Zibanejad has an above-average sense of hockey and anticipation. He uses his 6’2”, 190 lb frame to his advantage and his strength to battle pucks along the boards. He is not afraid to play physically and likes to initiate contact. He has excellent faceoffs skills and great skating abilities. He draws some comparisons to Ryan Kesler and Mike Fisher.

FRED 9 Bruins from the Maple Leafs
The Boston bruins are proud to select from the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL, defenseman Ryan Murphy. An exceeding talented puck-moving defenseman, the diminutive Murphy draws comparisons to Ryan Ellis and former NHLer Brian Rafalski. In 63 games last season, the offensive defenseman scored an impressive 26 goals and 53 assists for 79 points. A good fit for the Bruins as the team really needs a power play quarterback, Murphy is an outstanding skater and puck carrier a la PK Subban. He is very agile, possesses soft hands and boasts a hard and accurate slapshot. The 5’11, 175 lb will be a steady fixture on the Bruins’ blueline for years to come.

CRIS 10 Wild
The Minnesota Wild take, from the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, Sven Bartschi. The Wild, after being a defense-first team under Jacques Lemaire their first 7 seasons and losing Marian Gaborik to Free agency in 2009, this team needs offense. Havlat with 22 goals was their leading scorer this past season and no other Wild hit the 20-goal plateau. Bartschi, and excellent skater possesses good passing and stickhandling skills and a good, quick shot. He will need to work on the defensive side of his game, though.
JOHN 11 Avalanche from the Blues
With the 11th pick the Colorado Avalanche are proud to pick Duncan Siemens of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. The 6’3″, 192 lbs defenseman is just too good for the Avs to pass up. Despite needs on offense, the big D-man will be an asset to the Avs in the future and possibly forming a formidible defensive core for years. Naming Scott Stevens as his favorite player, Siemens will lay a hit and even fight. But better yet he is a shutdown defenseman with mobility.

SUE 12 Hurricanes
With the 12th pick, the Carolina Hurricanes are proud to select Joseph Morrow of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. We like Morrow for his strong skating, great speed and talented two-way game. He has the uncanny ability to see the entire ice and create smart plays and scoring chances.
He’s also very strong on both the power play and penalty kill and uses his size to every advantage on the ice. He played a key role in helping the Winterhawks clinch the WHL’s US Dvision and Western Conference titles during the regular season and helped propel the team to the WHL Championships, which they lost to the Kootenay Ice.

SUE 13 Flames
With the 13th pick, the Calgary Flames are pleased to select Mark McNeill from the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL. McNeill can play Center but he also has experience at Right Wing. He’s big, smart and an accurate shot, whether it comes to scoring or passing. His size also makes him strong defensively- this kid is not afraid to go after the puck. McNeill led the Raiders to their first playoff appearance since the 2006-2007 season.

ALEXANDER 14 Stars
With the 14th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the Dallas Stars take Rocco Grimaldi, Center, USA Under-18-USHL. After losing a great player like Brad Richards, we felt our organization took the best player available and added a great deal of skill. If not for his size, Grimaldi likely could have gone in the top 10 as he displays an excellent amount of agility, top speed and overall skill. In addition, we find Rocco to be a hard-working, determined individual who can eventually play on our top line. Picking at number 14, we are quite pleased to select a player of his stature.

CRIS 15 Rangers
With the 15th pick the New York Rangers select from the USHL Tyler Biggs. He brings a size (6′ 2″, 210) that most of the forwards in the Rangers’ system do not possess. He’s willing to hit opponents and fight when necessary. While not overly impressive from an offensive standpoint (19G, 12 A in 55 games) and not speedy, his size and strength should provide more room for offensively skilled teammates he could be paired with to be free to do their thing.

The second part of the mock draft will be posted later today. Stay tuned!

Jakub Voracek, 1st round pick, and....3rd round pick...(Opens Envelope) Name 3 things traded for Jeff Carter!

This year, once again with the assistance of my good friend Andrew R (and some Bitches Brew…..both the beer and the music), I sat down to do my NHL Mock Draft.  As per usual, trades were considered, and by a phenomenal stroke of luck we called Carter to Columbus for Voracek and the 8th pick….so we’re ready to go.

This was fun and challenging, as always, but especially this year, because it’s such a fluid draft and people are seriously all over the place.  I’ve seen guys ranked top 10 in some drafts and out of the 1st round in others.  I’m sure some of these picks will sound stupid, but I’m sure I’ll be wrong a lot….but hey, nobody thought Dylan McIlrath would go before Cam Fowler last year.

Without further ado, here we go…

1. Edmonton Oilers: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Red Deer (WHL)

I think there are a few question marks about Nugent-Hopkins, specifically his size and willingness to go to the dirty areas, but despite this the Oilers think he’s too good to pass up at #1.  They hope he and Taylor Hall form a dynamic duo for years to come.

2. Colorado Avalanche: Gabriel Landeskog, W, Kitchener (OHL)

We agonized over this pick, but we thought at the end of the day the Avalanche would be seduced by the size, heart, grit, and NHL readiness of Landeskog.  He’s a Chris Stewart type – the kind of player you hold on to, and never trade, come hell or high water!  Wait….what?

3. Florida Panthers: Sean Couturier, C, Drummondville (QMJHL)

Dale Tallon is a well-known fan of big players, and he overlooks the “analysis paralysis” in the scouting community to jump on Sean Couturier.  Back-to-back 96-point seasons (despite having mono at the start of this year), experience at the WJC, winning the Mike Bossy Award, and his size (6’4) make him the right move for the Panthers.

4. New Jersey Devils: Adam Larsson, D, Skelleftea (SEL)

The Devils, by most accounts, should have lost their 1st round pick this year in the Kovalchuk chicanery.  Instead, they won the draft lottery, and Lou Lamoriello looks like the cat who ate the canary after Larsson falls to him at 4.  He had a sub-par year in the SEL by most standards, but Larsson’s talent and hockey sense will make him the best Devils blueline prospect since Scott Niedermayer.

5. New York Islanders: Ryan Strome, C, Niagara (OHL)

I can already hear the Dougie Hamilton fans sharpening their knives, but hear me out.  In addition to resembling Mr. Burns (according to Niagara fans), I believe Strome is the best long-term fit for the Islanders.  He projects as a top center with playmaking ability and creativity, and the Islanders justify this pick by citing his higher projection.  At the end of the day, when you pick 5th, you want the guy who will be the better player down the road, not the biggest positional need or the guy who will calm Josh Bailey’s nerves about being replaced.  I’ve had a hunch about Strome for a while, and I will not back off from it like I did last year with Nino Niederreiter.

Here’s a Strome highlight reel goal:

Highlight Reel Goal From Strome

6. Ottawa Senators: Jonathan Huberdeau, C, St. John’s (QMJHL)

Huberdeau slips to Ottawa despite his incredible playoff run with the Memorial Cup champions, and Bryan Murray is glad he did (especially since Brian Burke is nowhere to be seen and can’t take the pick out of spite).  Huberdeau projects as a flashy offensive player, and he’ll be a good one for Ottawa.

7. Winnipeg Not Yet Jets: Dougie Hamilton, D, Niagara (OHL)

Gary Bettman was much like the father in this famous Simpsons scene recently:

The NHL has indeed gone back to Winnipeg, and they bring this hulking (6’4) d-man with them.  Hamilton is a smart player who will be a good fit on this team.

8. Philadelphia Flyers (From Columbus): Duncan Siemens, D, Saskatoon (WHL)

I had this as a mock trade, and now it’s a real trade.  Siemens is big (6’3), mean, and a hard hitter….just the kind of kid the Flyers love.  They pick him over my other option here, Mika Zibanejad, and hope Chris Pronger’s influence helps him become a star.

9. Boston Bruins (From Toronto): Ryan Murphy, D, Kitchener (OHL)

Fresh off their Cup win, the Bruins add Ryan Murphy, whose suspect D is more than balanced out by skilled offense.  He could be a true difference-maker on the Bruins PP for years to come, and they could always hide him with a defensive d-man in even strength situations to mask his weakness.

10. Minnesota Wild: Nathan Beaulieu, D, St. John’s (QMJHL)

The Wild step up to grab mobile but raw D prospect Nathan Beaulieu, whom some scouts have ranked above Hamilton, continuing a run on defense in this part of the draft.  Beaulieu is a few years away but the Wild fans will cheer this one tomorrow night at the Xcel Energy Center.

11. Colorado Avalanche (From St. Louis): Jamieson Oleksiak, D, Northeastern University (NCAA)

The Avalanche have their forward and possible future captain in Landeskog.  Now, playing with house money, they feel like they can reach just a bit for the hulking (6’7) defender Oleksiak, and give him time to develop at his own pace that he might not have received if he were a team’s top pick.  He may leave Northeastern to play major junior next year; let’s keep an eye.

12. Carolina Hurricanes: Mika Zibanejad, President of Iran C/W, Djurgarden (SEL)

Zibanejad finds a home with the Carolina Hurricanes, who still need depth at every position and grab the best player available.  Some teams have him ranked top 5, but he slips due to being 2nd choice for a few of the teams above (Islanders, Winnipeg, Flyers, Avalanche).  The Canes are glad to have this tough, hard-nosed player, and their fans will be as well.

And I ran......I ran so far away....

13. Calgary Flames: Joel Armia, W, Assat Pori (FIN)

The Flames go for the home run by picking Armia, one of the more talented Finnish forward prospects in the last 10 years.  There are some questions about his work ethic, but the Flames love his talent too much to let him slip away.

14. Dallas Stars: Sven Bartschi, W, Portland (WHL)

The Stars jump on The Other Swiss Winterhawk, Sven Bartschi, who was a force of nature in this year’s Memorial Cup playoffs.  Some are surprised to see him slip so far, but he was again second choice for many teams, and the Stars practically pinch themselves on the way to the podium.

15. New York Rangers: Nicklas Jensen, RW, Oshawa (OHL)

The Islanders have a Dane, and now the Rangers have one too. Jensen’s hockey sense is off the charts, and the Rangers, after targeting D in the first round in previous years, think he’s the right move at 15 this year.

16. Buffalo Sabres: Oscar Klefbom, D, Farjestad (SEL)

The Sabres go for the BPA with Oscar Klefbom, a mobile, agile, and incredibly smart Swedish defenseman.  He has the potential to be the steal of the 1st round at this slot.

17. Montral Canadiens: Rocco Grimaldi, F, US NTDP

The Canadiens have trouble finding a forward taller than 5’3, and this does not get better with Grimaldi, who would be the shortest player in the NHL should he make it (yes, even smaller than Nathan Gerbe…who is a gnat).  However, he may be the most skilled player in the whole draft, and you can’t doubt his will to make it.  The Habs will look for size elsewhere….or not…

18. Chicago Blackhawks: Matt Puempel, W, Peterborough (OHL)

Puempel is a pure goal-scorer, and the Blackhawks go for the home run in continuing the rebuild of their farm system.  There are questions about his consistency, but Puempel is a great call here.

19. Edmonton Oilers: John Gibson, G, US NTDP

The Oilers have many goaltenders in the system, including Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, but none project as a solid #1 goaltender.  Therefore, with Nugent-Hopkins in the fold, the Oilers jump up and take Gibson, hoping he will stabilize the crease for years to come.

20. Phoenix Coyotes: Mark McNeill, C, Prince Albert (WHL)

McNeill is strong in the corners, kills penalties well, and generally drives hard to the net.  The Coyotes have some danglers in the system, and McNeill projects as a strong, safe pick….they’re glad to have him.

21. Ottawa Senators (From Nashville): Brandon Saad, LW, Saginaw (OHL)

Ottawa is also playing with house money after nabbing Huberdeau at 6, and they can afford to take a flyer on Brandon Saad.  Saad will either be a home run power forward or a groundout, but with Huberdeau hogging all the attention as a top pick the Senators can let the Pennsylvania native find himself without a lot of pressure.

22. Anaheim Ducks: Joe Morrow, D, Portland (WHL)

Joe Morrow rocketed up the draft board due to his hockey sense, tenacity, and offensive potential.  The Ducks grab him and hope he’ll anchor the blueline for years alongside Fowler and Sbisa.

23. Pittsburgh Penguins: Tyler Biggs, RW, US NTDP

Even though the Penguins absolutely deplore violence in all its forms, they can’t resist another boom or bust type in Biggs.  He has size and a great net-front presence, and they hope he develops into his full potential.

24. Detroit Red Wings: Jonas Brodin, D, Farjestad (SEL)

This is almost too easy.  Smooth-skating, intelligent but raw d-man out of Sweden?  The Red Wings live for picks like this.  Brodin oozes talent and potential, and in Detroit he may have the best chance to harness them.

25. Toronto Maple Leafs (From Flyers): David Musil, D, Vancouver (WHL)

At a time, the hulking Musil was rated a potential top 5 pick in this draft.  His performance steadied, and he fell amid concerns his ceiling is not as high as originally thought.  He still plays a mean game and has offensive potential beyond that of his father, Frank, and he’s just truculent enough to fit Brian Burke’s bill.

26. Washington Capitals: Alexander Kochlachev, C, Windsor (OHL)

This is another almost no-brainer, as we know the Capitals LOVE their Russians.  Kochlachev oozes skill and pure offense, making him a potential home run pick this late in the draft.

27. San Jose Sharks: Mark Schiefele, C, Barrie (OHL)

The Sharks pick Schiefele as best player available, slightly ahead of J.T. Miller from the US NTDP.  Schiefele has discipline, playmaking ability, and  great net-front presence, making him a good complement to the current crop of prospects in the South Bay.

28. Tampa Bay Lightning: Connor Murphy, D, US NTDP

Murphy is a big, competitive 2-way winger who will do a little bit of everything for Steve Yzerman’s club in Tampa.  He’s best available for them.

29. Vancouver Canucks: Scott Mayfield, D, Youngstown (USHL)

He’s big, he’s smooth, he’s poised with the puck, and he’ll be a great fit in Vancouver.

30. Toronto Maple Leafs (From Boston): Zach Phillips, C/W, St. John’s (QMJHL)

Toronto closes out the pick by making it a trio from the Memorial Cup champions.  Phillips is a smart player with great puck skills and an ability to score.  Good fit for what they’re building in Toronto.

The deal, which has not been completed yet, would move the team to Winnipeg, where the defunct Jets played until 1996 before moving to the desert in Phoenix. The talks have been on-going and if they materialize into an agreement, the Thrashers could very well relocate to Manitoba, maybe as soon as next season.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has yet to confirm the above rumor, but he said last week that he can’t guarantee the Thrashers will play in Atlanta next season.

Technically, NHL owners do not have to seek league approval to sell a franchise. However they would have to get permission to negotiate with a party interested in relocation. Once an agreement in principle has been reached, the NHL’s Board of Govenors would be asked to judge the acceptability of the new ownership.

NHL bylaws demand that a team owner looking to relocate his club submit a written application to the NHL commissioner by January 1st of the year preceding the suggested move — “unless a majority of the team agrees to a later filing date.” This means the NHL board of governors would have to approve the move of the Atlanta franchise to another city before the league releases its 2011-12 schedule, which is usually done shortly following the end of the playoffs.

The Atlanta Spirit has been trying to sell the franchise for a very long time to local interests, but they haven’t been able to do it so far, and the clock is ticking. The purchase price for the Thrashers has been reported to be at around $110 million and the NHL would receive a relocation fee from the sale (most likely around $60 million) for a total price of $170 million.

That doesn’t mean it’s a certainty that the Thrashers will move to greener pastures before next season, as we witnessed with the Coyotes, who were all but certain to move until the city of Glendale, Arizona (home of the Coyotes), stunningly agreed to pay $25 million to the NHL to keep the team in the desert for at least one more season.

Despite this breather, the future is bleak for the Coyotes, especially with the lack of interest to keep the team locally. The whole Matthew Hulsizer saga has been going on for months now, but the team and this prospective buyer have yet to reach an agreement because a local watchdog has blocked the deal citing that Glendale is paying Hulsizer with $100 million in bonds without proving a roughly proportional economic value in return.

That situation has raised questions about the two-fold of the NHL regarding the two franchises above. First, Gary Bettman has done everything in his power to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix over the past few years, while he doesn’t seem to care much about the situation in Atlanta. Some say the Thrashers’ fight has been private compared to the public combat for the Coyotes, but I highly doubt the NHL can afford two take control of another NHL franchise.

The transfer fee of $60 million would help the league recover part of its losses in the Coyotes and the move to Winnipeg would bring more stability to the league, especially with shaky financial situations in Dallas, Columbus, Florida and Phoenix.

Should the sell be approved by the league and the team move to Winnipeg, the divisions outlook for next season would likely be the following:

The most logical move would be to slide Winnipeg into the Northwest Division and take the place of the Colorado Avalanche. This would create a geographical rivalry with the Minnesota Wild and the three other Canadian teams in the West (Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary). Colorado would then jump to the Pacific Division where they would take the spot of the Dallas Stars. The Stars would then slide into the Central Division where they would take the place of whichever team between the Red Wings, Jackets, and Predators is heading East.

The problem with the first two teams is that moving them to East would not only disturb the Southeast Division, but all of the Eastern Conference. As a result, the most logical step would be to move the Nashville Predators in the Thrashers’ spot. This would create natural rivalries with their southern counterparts in Tampa Bay, Florida and Carolina. That move coupled with sliding Dallas into the Central Division where they could reinvigorate rivalries with Detroit and Chicago would give the NHL some dynamic divisional battles.

At this point, all the above is just pure speculation but I hope this gives you a clearer picture of what the NHL would be like should the Thrashers move before the puck drops in October.

Don’t hesitate to give me your opinion on the situation and the divisions re-alignment in the comment box below!

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Quebec City would contribute $187-million while the province would put in $200-million.  A private consortium that has been selling seat reservations for the new arena would be responsible for the remaining $13-million.  However, Quebeckers waiting for the federal government to pitch in were disappointed 12 days later when Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Josee Verner announced that the Conservatives would not be contributing any funds.  Nonetheless, media company Quebecor entered the fray on March 1 by agreeing to a deal worth up to $200-million if the arena becomes home to an NHL team in exchange for 25 years of naming and management rights.

But why did the federal Conservatives not contribute to the arena project given that any party with dreams of forming a majority government in an election needs to retain or win seats in Quebec, a province with 24% or 75 of Canada’s total of 308 national seats?  After all, 6 of 10 current Conservative seats are located in the Quebec City-Lévis region.  Why risk alienating Conservative voters who will one day live in the shadow of the arena?  Ominously, why did the Conservatives heavily redact a 60-page document that assessed the feasibility of funding the arena?

Part of the reason is that there is no Canadian precedent for federal governments funnelling large amounts of money towards the erection of sports facilities or supporting professional sports teams.  In the mid-1990s with Canada recovering from economic recession, no level of government wanted to risk the public backlash that would have resulted if subsidies were granted to the ill-fated Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets or the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Canadian Football league franchise while amounts allotted to health care, education and other social programs were being slashed.

In 2000, the Liberal federal government announced plans to give the Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver franchises $2.5-million each as a form of assistance payments.  At the time, the U.S. dollar was close to 40% more valuable than the Canadian loonie.  Clubs north of the border, while taking in revenues in Canadian dollars, pay out salaries in U.S. dollars.  Just three days later, the Liberals cancelled the scheme due to a strong public outcry.  One vocal opponent was Stephen Harper, then-president of the National Citizens’ Coalition, a conservative public advocacy group, who said, “Canadians are being forced to subsidize millionaire hockey team owners and that’s a misconduct.”

Thus Harper in 2011, currently the nation’s prime minister, reasoned that reneging on his stance from a decade ago would be politically more dangerous with an election campaign looming than the risk of not offering funding and losing votes in Quebec.  The opposition will likely try hard to focus the campaign on several high-profile cover-ups and lack of transparency during the Conservatives’ five years in power.  If Harper chose to open the federal treasury for the arena he would surely be accused by the opposition of contradicting himself and using money to buy votes in Quebec and risk alienating the Conservative bedrock base in the province of Alberta.

Additionally, a decision to start cutting cheques for sports arenas or professional teams would set a dangerous financial precedent that would not be fiscally prudent in these uncertain economic times.  If federal money was granted for a Quebec arena, then how could subsequent governments deny funding for future proposed sports facilities?  What about Saskatchewan’s dream of a $431-million domed football stadium?

Ironically, on the same day that Quebec City mayor Regis Labeaume glowed when announcing the Quebecor partnership, Regina, Saskatchewan mayor Pat Fiacco tried to put on a brave face when talking about the federal government’s lack of funding toward his city’s proposal.  It was estimated that $100-million of federal funds were needed to start the Regina project.  These are not small-scale ideas but major, multi-million dollar projects that would severely hamper future federal budgets, already swimming in deficit situations.

In the end, the Conservatives likely administered their own private, internal polling to gauge the level of support in their Quebec City base.  Quite possibly, “big-C” conservatives in Quebec City reacted the same way they might react if they live in Alberta or other parts of Canada: they prefer small government, low taxes, limited spending on social programs and actually don’t want astronomical amounts of public money subsidizing professional sports teams or facilities.  Alternatively, the Conservatives surmised that this issue will hardly be a factor during the campaign and the number of outraged citizens who refuse to vote for them will not significantly affect the final poll results in Quebec.

Either way, when it comes to hockey, sports, money and governmental involvement in Canada, issues always tend to be a political football.

NHL clubs made 16 trades involving 35 players today prior to the 3 p.m., ET, trade deadline. Following is a list of the transactions:

• Anaheim traded C Maxim Lapierre and C MacGregor Sharp to Vancouver for C Joel Perrault and Vancouver’s 3rd-round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft.
• Atlanta traded RW Niclas Bergfors and LW Patrick Rissmiller to Florida for RW Radek Dvorak and Carolina’s 5th-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft (previously acquired).
• Atlanta traded G Drew MacIntyre to Montreal for D Brett Festerling.
• Atlanta traded LW Fredrik Modin to Calgary for Calgary’s 7th-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft.
• Boston traded D Jeff Penner and RW Mikko Lehtonen to Minnesota for G Anton Khudobin.
• Carolina traded LW Sergei Samsonov to Florida for D Bryan Allen.
• Chicago traded C Ryan Potulny and a 2nd-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft to Ottawa for D Chris Campoli and a conditional 7th-round pick in 2012.
• Colorado traded D Kevin Montgomery to Edmonton for D Shawn Belle.
• Columbus traded D Rostislav Klesla and LW Dane Byers to Phoenix for LW Scottie Upshall and D Sami Lepisto.
• Columbus traded LW Tom Sestito to Philadelphia for C Michael Chaput and RW Greg Moore.
• Edmonton traded RW Dustin Penner to Los Angeles for D Colten Teubert, Los Angeles’ 1st-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft and a conditional 3rd-round pick in 2012.
• Florida traded D Dennis Wideman to Washington for C Jake Hauswirth and Washington’s 3rd-round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft.
• Florida traded LW Chris Higgins to Vancouver for D Evan Oberg and Vancouver’s 3rd-round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft.
• New Jersey traded C Jason Arnott to Washington for C David Steckel and Washington’s 2nd-round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft.
• St. Louis traded LW Brad Winchester to Anaheim for Anaheim’s 3rd-round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft.
• Toronto traded C John Mitchell to NY Rangers for the Rangers’ 7th-round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft.

There also were three waiver claims today:

• Atlanta claimed C Rob Schremp from NY Islanders.
• Calgary claimed D Brett Carson from Carolina.
• Ottawa claimed G Curtis McElhinney from Tampa Bay.

Trade Deadline Activity Since 1979-80

Season Date Trades Players
1979-80 March 11, 1980 3 5
1980-81 March 10, 1981 12 22
1981-82 March 9, 1982 5 11
1982-83 March 8, 1983 1 1
1983-84 March 6, 1984 2 2
1984-85 March 12, 1985 4 7
1985-86 March 11, 1986 8 14
1986-87 March 10, 1987 5 9
1987-88 March 8, 1988 8 12
1988-89 March 7, 1989 9 21
1989-90 March 6, 1990 10 16
1990-91 March 5, 1991 14 33
1991-92 March 10, 1992 11 22
1992-93 March 22, 1993 9 14
1993-94 March 21, 1994 18 35
1994-95 April 7, 1995 19 32
1995-96 March 20, 1996 13 21
1996-97 March 18, 1997 18 35
1997-98 March 24, 1998 19 38
1998-99 March 23, 1999 21 30
1999-00 March 14, 2000 12 23
2000-01 March 13, 2001 17 31
2001-02 March 19, 2002 17 35
2002-03 March 11, 2003 24 46
2003-04 March 9, 2004 20 32
2005-06 March 9, 2006 25 40
2006-07 February 27, 2007 25 44
2007-08 February 26, 2008 25 45
2008-09 March 4, 2009 22 47
2009-10 March 3, 2010 31 55
2010-11 February 28, 2011 16 35

First, the Columbus Blue Jackets have claimed veteran defenseman Craig Rivet from the Buffalo Sabres on re-entry waivers. Rivet, an impending unrestricted free agent, will bring leadership and experience to an inexperienced Jackets team. The Sabres will be responsible for half of his $3,500,000 salary prorated on the remainder of the season.

Also, the Philaldephia Flyers claimed rearguard Nick Boynton from the Chicago Blackhawks. That move was necessary due to their lack of space and the loss of their 7th defenseman, Oskars Bartulis, for the remainder of the year due to a shoulder injury. That means Adam Foote, is not in the Flyers’ plans anymore. Strange move by the Hawks as Boynton his only earning $500,000 this year (the league minimum salary).

Then, in a strange move, the Los Angeles Kings put winger Marco Sturm on waivers to clear cap space in anticipation of the next 48 hours. Sturm was claimed by the Washington Capitals, who desperately needed scoring help on their second line. The Kings had acquired Sturm from the Boston Bruins earlier this season.

The following players were put on waivers today (most notables in bold):

Jason Jaffray (ANA), Tim Stapelton (ATL), Brett Carson (CAR), Nathan Lawson (NYI), Robbie Schremp (NYI), Pascal Leclaire (OTT), Ty Conklin (STL), Curtis McElhinney (TB), DJ King (WAS).

Schremp will likely get picked up by a team looking to add depth up front. As for the other ones, I highly doubt there is a market for them. Back-up goalies are not in high demand this season… Conklin lost his back-up job to giant Ben Bishop, who earned his first NHL shutout yesterday against the Oilers. Leclaire’s season has been riddled by injuries and inconsistent play. McElhinney (acquired in exchange from Dan Ellis from the Ducks) has been dreadful so far this year and with Mike Smith (who cleared re-entry waivers) and Dwayne Roloson in front of him, the Lightning doesn’t need his services.

The Atlanta Thrashers have extended forward Chris Thorburn. The deal is three years at an average salary of $867,000 (2.6M total). The rugged winger has 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points in 62 games for the Thrashers. He was slated to become a restricted free agent at season’s end.

With Chris Pronger slated to miss tonight’s game, the Philadelphia Flyers were forced to recall rearguard Erik Gudbranson from the AHL to take his spot. As a result, they had to send a player down, and James Van Riemsdyk was reassigned temporarily to the AHL. He will miss tonight’s game in Ottawa, and with Blair Betts nursing an injury, Nikolay Zherdev will draw back into the line-up despite having gone unclaimed on waivers earlier this week.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly been offered a first and third round pick for forward Clarke MacArthur who’s a RFA after the season. Negotiations are ongoing, but GM Brian Burke is not willing to meet MacArthur’s salary expectations following a strong season. Burke is also seeking defensive help, and he’s willing to give a 3rd rounder in exchange for an offensive d-man. The Colorado Avalanche is asking a 2nd round pick in exchange for John-Michael Liles.

As told by Jamie Fraser, the Ottawa Senators are still negotiating with impending UFA Chris Phillips in an attempt to extend the veteran defenseman. If a deal is not reached before Monday’s deadline, expect the rearguard to be traded to a contender.

UPDATE: via Bob MacKenzie, the Florida Panthers have just traded Bryan McCabe to the New York Rangers for a 3rd round pick and Tim Kennedy.

The numbers in bold indicate the team’s best season attendance-wise.
NHL attendance since the lock-out (Downloadable Excel format)

Here you can find a link to all the current NHL arenas and their capacity

Below you will find the team ranking by division:
Northeast Division:
1. Canadiens
4. Maple Leafs
6. Senators
8. Sabres
19. Bruins

Atlantic Division:
3. Flyers
10. Rangers
16. Penguins
27. Devils
30. Islanders

Southeast Division:
11. Lightning
20. Capitals
21. Hurricanes
24. Panthers
28. Thrashers

Northwest Division:
5. Flames
7. Canucks
9. Wild
17. Oilers
22. Avalanche

Central Division:
2. Red Wings
12. Blackhawks
18. Blues
25. Blue Jackets
26. Predators

Pacific Division:
13. Sharks
14. Stars
15. Kings
23. Ducks
29. Coyotes

Conclusions: All Canadian cities fare very well, five of them ranking in the top-seven teams in attendance, with the exception of the Edmonton Oilers, mainly because Rexall Place has a seating capacity of only 16,839 fans (albeit each game has been sold-out since the lock-out). Rexall Place, built in 1974, is also the third oldest arena only behind the Madison Square Garden and the Nassau Veterans Coliseum. Thus, the need to build a new facility in Edmonton.

Among the Sunbelt cities, only the Tampa Bay Lightning, the San Jose Sharks, the Dallas Stars and the Los Angeles Kings rank in the top fifteen teams in attendance since the lock-out.

Unsurprisingly, the New York Islanders, the Phoenix Coyotes, the Atlanta Thrashers, the Nashville Predators and the Florida Panthers are among the worst in attendance. Each of these teams has had moderate success on the ice since the lock-out, having problems qualifying for the playoffs.

The only exception being the New Jersey Devils, ranked 27th in the league despite being perennial playoffs team since the lock-out thanks to Martin Brodeur, among others.

Eight NHL teams are having their best season so far at the gates, such as the Nashville Predators, whose attendance numbers have improved by more than a thousand so far this year. Teams with ownership uncertainty like the Dallas Stars, have experienced the biggest drop in attendance this year, a drop of almost 3,000 fans per game.

Finally, only three teams have had an average attendance below 80% of their arena’s capacity since the lock-out. Without much surprise, these teams are the Islanders, the Coyotes and the Thrashers, three of the most unstable NHL organizations these past recent years.

You can also follow me on Twitter for more information on the NHL.

About a month ago I posted a Q&A Panel with several bloggers covering various Western Conference teams providing their take on the 15 team bloodbath that the West has become. Susan Crosby was to be a part of said panel, but her answers went above and beyond the call of duty. So instead of drastically increasing the length of the first blog, she earned her own. Below are her responses to the questions the panel answered. Edited for time appropriate responses.

For those who don’t know Susan, her unique flavor of hockey analysis can be found all over Twitter. Either on @kittypets or @ThrowThePuck. She is also the lead writer for BleedinBlue.com. Her coverage and passion goes beyond the Blues, but to the LA Kings as well. She contributes her LA POV on RinkRoyalty.com.

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Are the Red Wings back as an elite force in the conference after a slight let down in 2009-10? Why or Why not?

I know I sound like a broken record but this question never ceases to amaze me. When did the Red Wings go anywhere. They had a very injury plagued season with major parts of the year being missed by Homstrom, Filppula, Rafalski, Cleary, Helm, Kronwall, Franzen, Williams and Maltby. Yet, as always their farm system and the best run organization in hockey filled in the gaps with players like Justin Abdelkader (who is now a force and a mainstay on the team) to finish with 102 points. Only 7 points behind the Coyotes, and one point behind the Canucks, who finished in third place.

They came second in their division to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions by 10 points, but only lost two more games than the Hawks. It was almost doubling them up on OT games that caused the point spread. They still were able to come back in the playoffs and get past the Phoenix Coyotes who were riding both an emotional high and electric atmosphere (not to mention being up in the series) and then only lost to the best team in the league, the San Jose Sharks. A Sharks team, mind you that were battling their own demons AND were now coached by someone extremely familiar to the Red Wings organization: former Assistant Coach (and power play guru) Todd McLellan.

So, I ask again. Where did the Red Wings go for them to come back? And yes, they are an elite force. Even with Datsyuk and Dan Cleary now out for a bit of time, the NHL will watch them fill the void and continue ticking. Not that it won’t hurt. When I originally started this answer, it was just Datsyuk and that was one hole. Cleary has become almost as, if not just as invaluable as Datsyuk. Losing both, simultaneously is going to make things tough.

Despite these key losses, they will, with just a couple hiccups here and there keep moving it on along like they always do. It is just what the Red Wings do. When you are waving players like Kopecky, you are just too stocked. It just isn’t fair. The Red Wings already sit atop the Western Conference by three points and they have the Blues and Blackhaws by 9, in their division.

Are the Dallas Stars the biggest surprise or biggest overachiever in the conference?

Not to ride the fence, but a little of both. I think their forwards are underrated but their defense will hold them back come the playoffs. It won’t stick out as much during the regular season. The joke I made the other night, when someone in the media asked: When do we take Dallas seriously? I said I believed that Toronto and Dallas were the last two undefeated teams in the NHL; who is waffling now? Heh.

It is becoming almost comical how no one wants to take them seriously but every team (real or fantasy) wants to make some insane trade for one of their players. Right now? Brad Richards and Jamie Benn. Why? Not just their production but their character and grit (and mind you Benn is sitting at the ripe old age of 21. Richards is just in his prime at 30).

Not even half way through the season Richards has 40 points. This includes 5 goals on the power play. Benn on the other hand, is your all too rare (now a-days) power forward but still has 20 points on the year to go nicely with his 30 penalty minutes. Two of his goals have come on the power play which shows faith from the coaching staff on his two way play. He may be a bruiser but besides some mistakes from his young age, he’s not irresponsible in his physical play.

Overall, the team has 4 players on the 30 point mark (2 at 29 points- but I’m taking rights to include them in) which gives them a balanced attack.

Defense? In 38 games they have given up 1198 goals, which lands them at 27th in the league and averages out to 31 shots against per game). However, their saving grace is Kari Lehtonen, who has played in 28 of those games and is sitting 11th in the league with 15 wins, 2.6 goals against and has a .915 save%. Can Lehtonen keep this up through the playoffs? Stamina is a huge question throughout the Western Conference. Dallas is not immune.

Which team is the biggest underachiever?

Rough question. Can you underachieve in the West? It is a bloodbath and tighter then my budget.. HA! Division leaders aside, you have 6 points separating 12th place to 4th place and straight-up? Eight points separate 1-9.

However if I’m going to choose one and if I’m being honest, the LA Kings are not where they should or let’s say could be.

What you say? But they are in 4th place. Actually they could be anywhere from 4th to 10th place on any given day, and that is where their problem lies. The LA Kings, with an attitude adjustment could easily have 6 more points and still be sitting on top of the Western Conference as they were in November. However here is just one excuse you will here:

1) Alexei Ponikarovsky and Willie Mitchell were and are again out. It was devastating. <– Exhibit A of excuses given.

Really? Last time I checked Drew Doughty was the golden boy and when he had a concussion the Kings were on a tear of wins. So exactly how is this a good excuse for the slump the Kings went on. A slump that sent them from 1st place in the Western Conference, to at one point about 13th place? They had just now started to recover by tying together 4 games and some of the best performances this year, then they played Phoenix on the 30th. Ouch. The team didn’t show up to play the game. They showed up to watch it.

2) That horrible mental trap that so many sports teams fall into: Play up for the great teams and underestimate the “bad teams,” get lazy and lose.

Considering how much the Kings have been disrespected and how teams still underestimate them, this is one trap I would never expect them to fall into. But they have, and badly. The Kings are going to Overtime or straight out losing games they have no business losing. If you beat Edmonton straight out, beat the St. Louis Blues when you have a lead most of the game and actually make sure your defense shows up to games in Phoenix then you win the points that are must-wins. Take those points and combine them the games where every player looks like they finally took the reigns and played their individual best, leading to the team at its best and the league thinks, finally the Los Angeles Kings are turning the corner. But then games like Phoenix happen. Jack Johnson and Dustin Brown played like doppelgangers were sent in their place. In the last 12 games the LA Kings Captain had 19 points in 12 games. Then there is Jack Johnson who is one of the best, and most frustrating defenseman in the league. By means are they the only players on the team, not by a long shot, that runs like a deer caught in headlights at times, but it is a perfect example. Even superstar, Drew Doughty has had stretches of games with only a point, defensive break downs and just an overall lack of presence.

Your consistent players that the LA Kings better start building on? Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth. It’s not nearly enough. Last I checked Alexander Frolov was traded. While all teams hit bad times, this unexplainable lack of focus that comes and goes should be gone by now. The Kings have proven their ability to compete with the best in the conference. This was apparent after the last game against Detroit. The Kings shut them out on the road. However, without consistency, then you really can’t compete with the best. The best are consistent.

The top 8 in the East at times were dramatically outscoring the top 8 in the West. Is the style of game play out west more about defense and goaltending than before?

By default, I think it has had to become so. As a fan, the West has become nearly impossible (and a day-to-day nauseating experience) to keep up with when it comes to standings. One day a team is in 12th place and the next day it could be in 4th. When a conference is that tight, good teams are going to get left out of the playoffs. Points lost in January are going to come back and haunt you in April. Because of this, there has to be more attention paid to defense and keeping other teams off the board. There isn’t one team in the West that you can let-up against. Even the cellar dwellers are good enough to play spoiler and will come at teams hard. Having said that, at one point Calgary was in 14th place and only 7 points out of 8th place.

Additionally, the Western Conference is a far more physically demanding type of game. There is a combination of speed and physicality that you don’t see in the East but with certain teams. In the West, it is every team, every game. That kind of grind will tire teams out. The easiest way to buy yourself some breathing room is to play a defensively strong game and stick to a system that produces a productively sound Western Conference style, which should be fast, physical and defensively sound. Often teams finish top 4 in the West and get blown out of the playoffs. That is all about defense (most of the time).

Impressions of the kids out in Edmonton?

There is so much hype around these kids now that they don’t have any time to develop. Everyone wants instant impact and not every team is in a place where one or two players can make a huge difference. I think people were “disappointed” Taylor Hall didn’t walk into the NHL and dramatically throw Edmonton into a playoff caliber team. The same thing happened to Steve Stamkos. However, it is just that development comes in different stages and some players will be worth that #1 draft pick but you have to bring them up right and through the system. Not all first-round players are going to be those that change the position from the second they skate onto NHL ice.

Hall has been picking up more and more and everyone is acting like they’ve been holding their breath and praying to the Hockey Gods in Edmonton. As if his “silence” through December showed he was a bust of a first-round pick. It is his rookie year. You may not see his full potential until 3 years from now. Hopefully he’ll keep going at this pace and have an impact next season when other younger players start taking their next steps. However, all of the NHL need not have a panic attack because Hall isn’t producing on an 80 goal pace this season.

Which team in the league is the toughest to play when 100% healthy?

Detroit. See above. They are the most consistent team in the league and they aren’t healthy. They aren’t as banged up as other teams, but they have lost quite a bit in quality and quantity over last year and now this year. Still they keep going and pick up the points they need to stay on top of not just the Western Conference, but again-the league. The Red Wings are one point off the Penguins for the best record in the NHL (and again, the Penguins have two games in hand).

Put your biases down. The Red Wings are the best run organization in the NHL (and arguably sports) and it shows year after year. Players age out and they have young guys come in that are just as good as the ones before. And you think… but how and where do they come up with this. On top of that they have now, turned out what is, arguably, the next great General Manager in the NHL: Steve Yzerman (and I’m not even sure that can be objectively argued). He has resurrected the Tampa Bay Lightning and Steve Stamkos in less than a season.

When you are this good at developing both coaches (see San Jose), management (see Tampa Bay) and players (see… their whole roster for the past 10 years), you stay consistent. Players come to Detroit knowing what is expected of them. They understand and value the emblem that is worn and the history behind it. Injured, healthy or otherwise, the Red Wings were and still are the team to beat in the West, if not the NHL.

The top line in the conference is?

Dallas. As stated above… their forwards are their strong suit and the first line is where it starts. When mentioning trade bait I started with Richards and Benn, however it far from ends there. Richards’ line mates: Loui Eriksson and James Neal will make any General Manager and fan base drool. Not only are they individually talented, but they click together as a unit. Everyone knows Richards provides the playmaking ability when there is open ice created for him to do so. He is also the leader of this first line and has helped the wingers that join him grow dramatically. So let’s look at Neal and Eriksson.

Neal has a cannon of a shot and has grown into a well-rounded winger that sees the play develop rather than just the one-dimensional, throw the kitchen sink at the net till you score kind of player. Having said that, he has not lost the aggressive nature he always had and is able to protect the pucks, dig them out and get it to Richards often (helping to create the open ice that Richards flourishes in). Combine this with his increased awareness and involvement with the entire play and you see why his assists have come up quite a bit since the beginning of his career (this is his third season).

A week ago Eriksson scored the 100th goal of his career. To those that watch him consistently, this was not a shock. To those that don’t, you may not even know who he is. Sticking to the basics of the game is how Eriksson does his best work. He doesn’t get creative like the names everyone knows in the NHL but he is one of the more consistent players there is. Additionally, Eriksson is “steady as she goes” and brings a constant level of both intensity and effort to the ice every night. Lastly, the natural “can’t be taught” chemistry between Eriksson and Richards is just plain sick. The fact that Marc “if I put player A with Z on Monday, can A play with D on Tuesday” Crawford has stuck with this line outside one of two games, is a tribute to their production and ability.

As mentioned above as an overall team weakness; this line has to work on its defensive game. Catch them tired or frustrated and they’ll cough it up, fail to clear the zone at key times and take unecessary calls at bad times.

Which team currently on the playoff bubble has the best chance at making it back in?

I honestly don’t think any team other than Edmonton is currently out of it. And truthfully, I see this remaining a solid 12 team race throughout the year. I don’t believe it is necessarily a matter of what team but what circumstances cause teams to make it. Health and stamina are going to be two huge factors. This is going to be a dog fight, the wild-west come to life. A team that can’t stay healthy, focused and consistent won’t be able to sustain the efforts it is going to take every night to just get into the playoffs, let alone past the first round.

However having said that, the Columbus Blue Jackets are not staying down. They can be better than both Minnesota and Nashville. However, Minnesota has the distinct advantage of beating up on Calgary and Edmonton on a semi-regular basis. Do not be surprised if Columbus ruins someone spring plans and grabs the eighth spot. The Anaheim Ducks don’t have any real good reasons (unless circumstance comes into play) for them to not make the playoffs.

But then you have to think: who’s spot would Columbus or Anaheim take?

The Colorado Avalanche, in my opinion are way ahead of schedule in their development, and have a long run of success ahead of them. Right now, they are playing a bit over their heads. Anaheim can easily make a run that shoots the Avalanche from 5th place (or the 5th through 8th place tangled tie-up) and 43 points to being out of the playoffs.

Another team that could be thrown out by Columbus and/or Anaheim? If the St Louis Blues make it , they will become the NHL darlings of these playoffs and right now they are fighting with all they have. The problem with that, as endearing and respectable as it is, is that they’ve been doing it since Thanksgiving. If exhaustion (or heaven help the Arch, more injuries) set in then there is a big question mark. Can the Blues can maintain this ability to knock down the walls and leave it all on the ice every night with a completely depleted roster? That is a huge feat to ask any team, no matter the merits of the coaching, leadership or the player’s focus. If they don’t make it to the 8th spot, it isn’t for a lack of talent or trying but a freak set of those oh so tough circumstances that will keep deserving teams out of the playoffs in the west.

In hockey circles you have your black aces, plumbers, pipefitters, fillers, bridges and so on.

There’s also a whole different type of role player. This guy has played in less than 100 NHL career games, has scored three goals total over three seasons and averages only five minutes of ice time a night for the Phoenix Coyotes.

Yet, he had more All Star Game votes this year than Matt Duchene (Colorado), John Tavares (NY Islanders) and Dustin Brown (Los Angeles).

If Howard Stern is the King of All Media, then Paul Bissonnette is certainly the Champ of Twitter (sorry Ashton Kutcher, you lose).

Tweeps know all about @BizNasty2point0. However, if you’re not connected to the twitterverse yet, you’re missing his takes on PT Cruisers, homeless people, hot girls, scrabble games with teammates, attempted translations of Ilya Bryzgalov quotes and shopping tips like this one – “Just bought the beats by Dr. Dre Pro. These things make William Hung sound like Pavarotti.” Followed by “These headphones are like the shake weight on crack.”

Over the last few days the Kings and Coyotes have faced off in a home-and-home series.  Prior to the first game in LA, Bissonnette stopped by MayorsManor for a quick interview.  The highlight (or lowlight?) of the interview was him saying this about Kings’ rookie forward Kyle Clifford – “(He) jumped me in pre-season. Then, I asked him to fight last game like a man, (he) wouldn’t.”

That evening, the Kings lost the first game 2-0 and Bissonnette ended up as a healthy scratch.  So, the whole thing was put on hold for another 48 hours.

Although the video doesn’t exactly support his case from the first incident (back in pre-season), before the re-match in Phoenix on Saturday I had a chance to follow-up with Clifford and Kevin Westgarth to see what they thought of all this…

MM: Bissonnette says you jumped him in the pre-season…

KC: It’s great to say that’s kinda what happened. I grabbed him, he’s got a reputation as a fighter around the league. So, it’s pre-season, you want to show what you can do. I guess he didn’t want to drop them at the time. So, I just kept swinging away.

MM: He says he asked you to fight during the last game and you declined…

KC: Yeah. He’s a heavyweight fighter. I’ll leave that up to Westie, that’s why we have him out here. I’m more of a middleweight. I can score goals and put points on the board. He (Bissonnette) is just out there to fight. That’s his job. I’ll go with guys like (BJ) Crombeen - guys that can play the game and fight as well. He can fight the heavyweights, that’s his role and that’s why he’s on that team (Phoenix).

MM: Walk us through a situation like that. When you decline, do you let Westgarth know that a guy is chirping out there and probably willing to go?

KC: Westie just kinda takes charge usually. Before a game he knows who’s who and who their heavies are. He knows who is more my (weight) class. We talk about it before games. There’s guys that won’t fight him and there’s guys that I won’t fight. We know our jobs. We know who we have to fight and with Simmer (Wayne Simmonds) too – between the three of us we can take care of it from all ends, middleweights and heavyweights.

And Westgarth’s thoughts…

KW: I would probably agree with the video. Biz can think whatever he wants. I think a lot of the fighters, a lot of guys in the role, are inclined to think they won every fight – I know I am. I’ll leave it at that I guess. But, Clifford’s a tough kid. So, he better watch out.

MM: Kyle says he declined his offer for a re-match last game and he’ll leave that up to you as the resident heavyweight…

KW: Absolutely. That’s one of the reasons I’m here. Cliffy can obviously take care of himself against a guy like Biz. But, that’s what I’m here for too and to make sure that if we’re in a tilt, that we’re going to win it for sure. That’s the way I like to look at it.

Ironically, Westgarth was scratched from the game Saturday night.  The Kings won 4-3 though. 

Biz Nasty and The Colonel (Clifford’s nickname, due to his initials being KFC) had a few close calls on the ice, but nothing serious ever developed.

The two teams will meet again March 3rd in Los Angeles.

Stay tuned.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Paul ‘Biz Nasty’ Bissonnette – original interview prior to LA-PHX game on 1/20

Interview with Eric Belanger – Game Preview prior to the last LA-PHX game

Interview with Cam Janssen of STL Blues – he comments on Kings and Biz Nasty

Interview with The Colonel – Kyle Clifford on his awesome nickname

Westgarth on The Week Ahead

Interview with Bobby Ryan – talks about his friendship with Kings’ players

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In the St. Louis Blues 4-3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes it was two lapses in play that tore away two points in a key match-up for playoff positioning.

After a fairly well played opening 20 minutes the Blues came out lame yet again. The Yotes pushed the pace and scored twice to wipe away David Backes’ first period tally. Lauri Korpikoski netted his 10th on a deflection. Another instance where the Blues failed to box out the forward establishing net presence coming off a cycle play. Lee Stampniak’s 9th summed up where this game was heading.

As the Blues gain the zone and begin their rotation Erik Johnson cmmits himself to a high risk move with no support. Taking the puck from the bench side he curls on his backhand between the tops of the circles and the blueline. Stempniak is high in the zone, reads the play, steps up and strips EJ. Yet another instance where Jaroslav Halak has been hung out to dry against a breakaway by the former 1st overall pick. Johnson completely missed his pairing partner Carlo Colaiacovo swinging in to open space back towards the bench. Instead of draw two or three defenders to the far side for a reverse, he coughs up the turnover.

Halak was strong in net aside from the tip and breakaway so coming in to the final set the Blues just needed to get back to work. Which they did. The rediscovered tempo lead to a pair of goals in 20 seconds time. First was Matt D’Agostini’s 10th when he sniped one past Jason LaBarbara after picking up his onw blocked shot. Brad Winchester made it 3-2 when he visited his favorite hangout, the crease. He banged in a lose puck from a Jay McClement rebound to raise his goal total to 8.

With 3/4 of the period left the Blues looked to be in good shape. Then the allegedly exorcised demons of 2009-10 made their presence felt. Halak gave up a pair of soft goals to give Phoenix the win. As good of a shot as Kyle Turris has, the third Yotes goal shouldn’t have ended up behind Jaro. Perhaps a little too deep in his crease? If he is on top versus sitting towards the middle he has that in his glove. Taylor Pyatt broke the tie at the 16:48 mark with a warp around attempt Halak stops 99 times out of 100. A very inopportune time to not get the paddle down and leave space between the pads. He just didn’t look ready for that play. As if he expected the energy line winger to dangle. That’s not how those guys operate.

Quick Hits vs. Coyotes

- Davis Payne deserves a little tongue lashing for putting the 4th line out inthe third period in a 1 goal game. Their inability to hold the offensive zone lead to the Turris goal. TJ Hensick, Chris Porter and Cam Janssen were a combined Minus-6. Compare that to Phoenix’s 4th line who notched the game tying and winning goals.

- Alex Pietrangelo lead the Blues with 22;42 TOI with a Plus-2, 3 Blocked Shots, 1 Hit and a Takeaway.

- How was Johnson not credited with a Giveaway for his part in Stempniak’s goal?

- D’Ags is playing his way in to an interesting niche. He, like Vladimir Sobotka, has been perceived to be a 3rd or 4th line contributor, but has stepped up with impressive performances alongside Backes. He isn’t the powerful forward Rene Bourque can be, but his progression could be something similar. A winger with some skill playing in a lesser role shows a strong scoring prowess at even strength and becomes something more. His goal and assist moves his totals up to 10 goals and 21 points. Has 3 goals and 8 points in his last 10 games.

- Halak stopped 29 of 33. LaBarbara stopped 33 of 36.

- How often do the Blues control the face-off circle? Not often, but they did against Phoenix. Winning 33 of 61 draws, 54%. Backes lead the way with 7 of 12 won.

- Colaiacovo was a Minus-3. Blindly quoting Plus/Minus rarely properly describes a players play, but in this case it does. On the ice for three of the four scores and didn’t contribute much else.

- After this game there is little doubt, or there should be, that Backes is a difference maker. When the fires hot and under control he is a beastly force.

- Yes, Janssen and Bissonette got in to it. Cam got in tight early, but BizNasty2Point0 took over with the size and reach advantage. Bam Bam is a gamer, but he was outmatched.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Big Back to Back Set

The Blues head out to a much warmer climate for a three games in four nights California road trip. First stop in Anaheim Wednesday night and Los Angeles the day after. Can the Blues find their 2010 version of the Boston Miracle or will they find a deflating swing like they did out West back in 2008?

When Last They Met

Anaheim: All the way back on October 11th the Blues defeated the Ducks in a afternoon goonfest. The outcome was positive for the Blues. A galvanizing 5-1 win that held club over till the parade of injuries began. The Ducks were in a tailspin of poor performances and trying to work their way out of it. Backes and Andy McDonald scored 6 seconds apart in that game. Halak stopped 13 of 14 Anaheim shots. Jonas HIller was chased and Curtis McElhinney filled in the gaps. The duo stopped 48 of 53 shots.

LA: On December 16th Sobotka and Backes lead the way with a goal and an assist each to a 6-4 victory. Without that W the Blues would have had a third 5 game losing streak as it is sandwiched between a pair of two game skids. Alex Pietrangelo, McDonald, TJ Oshie, David Perron and Roman Polak were all out of action. Ty Conklin stopped 25 of 29 shots and Jonathan Quick stopped 25 of 30.

Storylines

The Blues face what could become their third 5 game losing streak. A win in Anaheim not only stops the bleeding, but would bring a much needed moral boost. The players aren’t showing the dip in confidence, but its creeping in. Both the Ducks and Kings are in similar positions to the Blues. Sitting in the cluttered 5th-12th spots in the West. With just 4 points separating the three clubs, regulation wins are a priority.

Anaheim is 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. Five of those minus team leader Ryan “Gold” Getzlaf. In his absence Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan must carry the offensive burden. However, Goaltender Jonas Hiller is carrying the team. Stopping all 64 shots in the last two games. His back to back shutouts coming against San Jose and Columbus.

LA is swinging the opposite of their neighbors. The Kings are 4-6-0 in their last 10.They’ve allowed 33 goals in that span. An half a goal increase per game over their season average. Their scoring hasn’t taken a dip though. Putting 29 behind the enemy netminder for a clip equal to their season average. Be on the lookout for Anze Kopitar. He leads the club with 46 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 42 games.

Lineup

With Phil McRae and Ryan Reaves recalled (more on that in a minute) and TJ Hensick sent back to Peoria, the lines will be shaken. Not positive on where Payne makes his tweaks. Here is a guesstimate on where he could go.

Phil McRae – David Backes – Matt D’Agostini
Alex Steen – Patrik Berglund – BJ Crombeen
Brad Winchester – Jay McClement – Brad Boyes
Chris Porter – Vladimir Sobotka – Ryan Reaves/Cam Jansse

Eric Brewer – Roman Polak
Barret Jackman – Alex Pietrangelo
Carlo Colaiacovo – Erik Johnson

A flip of the coin may decide who gets the nod in net, but expect Thursday starter to be Wednesday’s backup. Will Payne go with the historical approach? May not matter too much as Conks is 6-1-0 with a 2.30 GAA and .914 save percentage vs. LA and 4-0-0 with a 1.25 GAA and .951 save percentage vs. Anaheim.

The Winchester, McClement, Boyes line has been good lately. As have Backes with Sobotka and D’Ags. With the failures of the 4th line against Phoenix, Sobotka stabilizing that line is an option. Leaving McRae a chance to fill in a role he is more accustomed to.

(UPDATE: Per Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, McRae practiced between Porter and Reaves/Janssen. How effective will he be on the 4th line? Not much , so why pay him a NHL salary for 5 minutes of play? Trust in Payne for making a reasonable move, but this is a little odd.)

(UPDATE #2: Per Rutherford, Brewer paired with Johnson and Colaiacovo with Polak. McRae to wear #25. He will center Porter and Reaves. Go Go Peoria Line! Janssen looks to be the scratch.)

Bluenotes

- In a surprise move the Blues recalled 20 year old forward Phil McRae from the Peoria Rivermen. The 3rd rd pick in 2007 had a productive OHL career and was a role player in the US’ Gold medal efforts at the 2010 WJC. With the Rivermen he has 11 goals and 22 points in 37 games. He may be the closest thing to a scoring power forward the Blues have in their system, but he is far from that playstyle in the NHL. He has serviceable skating ability and deft hands to make plays. The only knock on him is the ability to absorb the physical abuse and react quickly to the big league pace. Which is hopefully where #42 comes in. Backes creates space while McRae can pick up pucks and find D’Agsotini. The door is open for Phil to open eyes, he just has to keep it simple and skate straight through.

- Backes will represent the Blues as their lone All Star. Should Halak feel jipped? He did lead all Western Conference goalies in fan voting and has good enough numbers. However, the rest an All Star Game brings is a better option for him. On a personal note, as a huge David “Inglorious” Backes fan, I’m quite happy. Though Alex Steen more than deserves some attention as well.

- News broke Tuesday, via Bob McKenzie of TSN, that the Blues were signing Kyle Wellwood. According to General Manager Doug Armstrong, it’s not going to be soon. he confirmed interest, but there is concern over his contract status with his KHL club. Sportsnet Insider Nick Kypreos reported yesterday it could take the weekend to get the requisites completed. While the Blues would love to add scoring, this move is about adding depth down the middle and winning draws. In 2009-10 he won 390 of 725 draws (53.8%) and in 2008-09 he won 357 out of 621 (57.5%). The Blues won’t balk at his potential to chip in upwards of 10 goals through season’s end as well.

- Just thinking out loud… Sobotka seems to factor in to the Blues mid range plans now. His ability to jump from 1st to 3rd to 4th line duties and produce results is a big bonus to Payne. Who prefers to roll three all around effective lines and use the 4th to go north and hit defensemen. Jay McClement found a role over the last three seasons as an effective checking / shutdown center. Securing his roster spot and contract over the likes of a capable Ryan Johnson due to payroll concerns

Is another turnover approaching? Could Jay be moved and then use Sobotka as the third centerman?

So far McClement has had mixed results in 10-11. Playing more of a two way role versus shutting down the opposing top line. Could his $1.25 million contract for 11-12 be moved in hopes of freeing up more money to pursue a difference maker in the off season. The Blues are a much better team on the ice with Jay, than with a draft pick. However, if cheaper depth can be found (Wellwood?) is he available for a team that doesn’t need him to score at all? One that just needs that stopper? Flyers? Caps? Options are great to have and Armstrong has been making solid ones in his first full season as Blues GM. He has been king of the periphery player type moves so far.

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As always, you are invited to follow @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news. Please also check out the St. Louis Blues Blogs Facebook Fan Page for links to Blues blogs all over the Internet.

The Panel

Josh Sargent (@Josh_Sargent)- Minnesota Wild correspondent for NHLHotStove.com.

Andy Ajer (@FightNightAtJoe) – Detroit Red Wings blogger. Runs Fight Night At The Joe.

Mike Murgani (@Draft_Mike) – LA Kings correspondent for NHLHotStove.com.

Kevin Navarre (@Jabberwockkie) – Dallas Stars Correspondent for NHLHotStove.com.

Brian Haenchen (@Brian_Haenchen) – Covering the St. Louis Blues on HockeyIndependent.com and operates HanksSportsBlog (@HanksSportsBlog).

Christina Roberts (@franzenmuth) – Detroit Red Wings Correspondent for NHLHotStove.com.

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Are the Red Wings back as an elite force in the conference after a slight let down in 2009-10? Why or Why not?

JS: I don’t think they have changed, the only difference between this year and last is that the talent in their division is a little lower, all last year they had to try and keep up with Chicago and may have put too much pressure on themselves.

AA: Yes, the let down last year was mainly because of the 311 games lost to injury, but this year’s team is scarily deep and once they get over their inability to play a full 60 minutes they are going to be even better than they are now.

MM: The Red Wings really never went anywhere. No team in the league drafts as well or develops talent better then Ken Holland. With a team decimated by injuries the Wings still managed to finish 5th in a tough conference and won a playoff series. That just proves the depth the Wings have in the system.

KN: Yes. The Red Wings are healthy again (until Datsyuk went down to injury) and doing what they do best which is intimidate every opponent with that winged wheel.

BH: When healthy, the Detroit Red Wings have proved themselves to be a very good team in the Western Conference. Just based on their experience and skill, I’d say they are the team to beat in the Central Division. However, I think it’s too early to label them as an elite force in the conference.

First of all, the Western Conference standings are such a mess right now. The top 12 teams are all within striking distance of each other meaning that a team currently sitting outside of the playoffs all together could find itself atop the conference with any sort of significant win streak.

Also, I’m not completely sold on Jimmy Howard. I think the juggernaut Detroit has offensively makes up for any shortcomings Howard has. Don’t get me wrong, Howard’s a damn good goaltender, but I question his consistency and it will be interesting to see how he and the team as a whole respond to the recent injury to star forward Pavel Datsyuk.

CR: At the start of the season, I would have immediately said yes, the Wings are an elite force. But the stuttering for the past few weeks has me thinking that they may not be “elite.” But they’re still a force to reckon with. Despite the losses as of late, they’ve only lost eight games in regulation. And their blue line is deadly. As of last Monday, they were ranked second for the most offensive with eighteen goals, just behind Atlanta’s twenty goals. The 2009-2010 season had everyone wondering if age was finally catching up with the Red Wings (which is thrown around after pretty much every season now), but if you look at the team’s stats from after the Olympic break, they were back in that prime form, having all of their major injuries back in play. And the second-round loss to the San Jose Sharks gave them a few extra weeks of well-needed rest. Pavel Datsyuk’s injury will also be a test of how well the team can cope without him and whether Datsyuk can come back and perform to the same level he had before; it was a Hart Trophy season prior to the injury

Are the Dallas Stars the biggest surprise or biggest overachiever in the conference?

JS: They are the overachiever in the Pacific but what is helping them out the most is that San Jose, Los Angeles, and Phoenix are not playing up to their levels. I think second half of the season Dallas falls out of the top.

AA: Surprise for sure. But they are dependent on staying healthy and their top players performing cause they definitely aren’t the deepest team in the league.

MM: I feel the Stars are the most over rated team in the NHL we are almost 3 months into the season and the Stars have played the most home games in the league and have yet to go on more the a 3 game road trip and that trip had 5 days off between games. Also the Stars have only played 2 back to backs fewest in the league. The Stars have no more the a 3 game trip the rest of the season and a season high 9 game home stand in March and only 3 more back to backs.

KN: The Stars are definitely surprising and turning heads and I follow the team and feel that way.  The big “if” this year was defense and goaltending and they’re getting a good effort in the former and an A++ in the latter with the same offense they ha last year.  We all thought they could be as good as they are but a couple years down the road.

BH: I have been shocked with how well Dallas has been playing this year. Heading into this season, I definitely thought the Stars were a playoff team, but I did not see them battling for the top spot in the Western Conference at any point during the season.

Right now, they’re a team that seems to have everything going for them. Brad Richards is having a solid year offensively and their goaltenders in Andrew Raycroft and (now that he has returned) Kari Lehtonen have been good enough in tight games to help ensure the team manages to get at least a point each game.

I don’t think anyone could have predicted the 30-year-old Richards to be having the season he’s been having. Right now, he’s on pace to set a career high in goals scored and could come close to matching his career high point total from last season.

It will be interesting to see if the Stars are able to maintain this pace over the long haul. I think these next few games will be very telling as to if this team is a legitimate Conference Title contender or just a flash in the pan.

Right now, I see Dallas sustaining this high level of play and contending with Vancouver for the Western Conference title. Between the one-two punch in net with Raycroft and Lehtonen and the offensive production from Richards, the Stars should have no problem hanging in there with the other division leaders.

CR: I would say neither, though I would probably lean more toward the overachiever part of it. But thinking about it, the Stars made it to the Western Conference Finals three years ago and had to struggle with injuries these past few seasons. Finally getting healthy and consistent and picking up some solid players they needed (like Adam Burish and Andrew Raycroft) and although it’s hard to say, getting rid of Mike Modano certainly helped them align themselves much better. They seem to have found that groove they’ve been grasping for the past two seasons and if people were paying closer attention, maybe it wouldn’t be such a surprise to them.

Which team is the biggest underachiever to date?

JS: With the addition of Jaroslav Halak to the Blues along with a healthy Erik Johnson I thought they would be a lot better but can’t completely place blame on the team when they are missing key players on IR.

AA: The Kings and Coyotes are both better teams than their point totals indicate at the moment. I’d say the Kings, I think they should be good enough to challenge for the division title.

MM: I feel the St Louis Blues getting a starting goaltender would improve the club, but the Blues have struggled all season.

KN: I’d have to go with LA.  they started off hot and dangerous but have fallen down quite drastically.  on paper I don’t see many weaknesses but maybe they lack the confidence or the expectations this year are weighing them down.

BH: Calgary Flames. Jarome Iginla is heating up, but it’s not enough to make up for the lack of production from his teammates and the underwhelming performance thus far from Miikka Kiprusoff.

CR: Calgary. This team has struggled the past few seasons and hasn’t really found its groove just yet to get on a hot streak and parade up the rankings. But with star players like Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Jay Bowmeester, and Alex Tanguay, wouldn’t you think this team should be doing better than they are? Right now, they’re sitting three points above fifteenth in the conference, but look at the flip side and they’re only seven points out of eighth. They do still have a chance to make something of this season; it hasn’t hit the halfway point quite yet.

Who has done the best coaching job as of the end of December?

JS: Colorado’s Joe Sacco, at the start of the season I thought that Vancouver was the clear winner in the Northwest but he has this Avalanche team believing they can win the division.

AA: Hate to say it, but Marc Crawford in Dallas and Joe Sacco in Colorado have both gotten very good stuff out of rosters that should have holes and that in Sacco’s case have seen a flurry of injuries.

MM: Barry Trotz. Losing 2 of your best forwards one of your best blue liners and your starting goaltender and sill in play off contention amazing.

KN: I would like to be a homer and say Marc Crawford but I’m not a fan. Probably go with Alain Vigneault as the Canucks are even more dangerous this year and flying under the radar.

BH: Davis Payne. The Blues have been decimated by injuries and are playing with a roster chalked full of AHL call-ups. Yet, Payne has kept his team motivated and, as a result, in a position to make a run at a spot in the top 8 of the Western Conference.

CR: My initial response is Mike Babcock, just with how much he’s been able to help his team rebound from last year’s injury-riddled season (not to mention how he still managed to get them to yet another 100+ point season) and remain at the top of the Western Conference so far this season. Dealing with Pavel Datsyuk’s injury will be a difficult task to see how the team can fare; the loss of Modano is something Babcock has had to work around as well. Thankfully this season, injuries haven’t been as serious and numerous as last year and Babcock has enough “healthy scratch” players to come up and fill in the gaps to the best of their abilities. I’d throw Joe Sacco into the mix as well. Colorado’s a team that shouldn’t be undermined for how well they’re doing. But his challenge will be to see if the team can stay afloat with the injuries so far this season.

Who is the conference MVP to date?

JS: Tossup between Cory Perry and Brad Richards due to the fact that I didn’t see either of their teams being viable playoff contenders but both players giving their teams hope and leading by example along with averaging over a point per game

AA: The best player has probably been Pavel Datsyuk, he is really on this season, but Brad Richards is the one that is most valuable to his team. Without him Dallas would be in trouble.

MM: Henrik Sedin

KN: No question but Brad Richards is an elite force this year and has done and is going to do some amazing things. I can’t imagine where the stars would be without their MVP.

BH: Brad Richards – Dallas

CR: Honestly, you can name at least a dozen players that deserve the MVP title for the conference so far. But I’ll settle for the guy who received the Conn Smythe trophy in 2002: Nicklas Lidstrom. Last season, his play was mediocre to his normal standards of beyond-human defense. His offensive side struggled, too, and this led everyone to wonder if age was finally catching up to “The Perfect Human.” But it seems that it was due to half of his teammates being injured that hurt Lidstrom’s output last season. Look at his statistics after the Olympic break and you’ll see that he definitely was back on track once the team was healthy.

Contrary to all of that, so far this season he’s looked like a twenty-five-year-old playing hockey. He’s nearly everyone’s favorite to win the Norris for the seventh time. And just last week, he managed his first career hat trick at the nice young age of forty and currently has 28 points in 34 games; it puts him on pace for 66 points this season, just below his output in his Cup-winning 2007-2008 season. That sounds like a pretty good MVP, right?

The top 8 in the East were dramatically outscoring the top 8 in the West. Is the style of game play out west more about defense and goaltending than before?

JS: I think that style of play between the 2 conferences are starting to become more alike. Colorado is the highest scoring team in the league while only 2 teams out east have outscored the #8 seed Chicago at the moment. The lower scoring teams such as Nashville, Dallas, and Anaheim have to play more defensive to stay competitive and in the playoff hunt.

AA: The West plays a much sounder game with more focus on a two-way game, while the East is more run and gun with more sloppy play and turnovers.

MM: Simple, the goaltending in the west is much better also there is a tighter style played in the west. Take a look at the top teams in the East and how many have goaltending issues. Tampa, Philly, Washington, cant decide on a starter New Jersey Buffalo injuries. Other then Carey Price and Tim Thomas tell me who is playing well in the East.

KN: I think the quality of the teams in the west is better and so with fewer high quality teams in the east, the upper echelon east teams can score more against the bottom feeders.  The stars finished 12th last year in the west and had the same number of points as the 7th & 8th place teams in east. Enough said.

BH: The West is definitely more about defense and goaltending than before. While the East has an advantage in terms of star goal scorers, the West is far superior between the pipes. Teams seem to be much more balanced in the Western Conference compared to the East. Teams in the East (i.e. Washington) seem to rely completely on their offense while in the West you could look at teams like Detroit, Vancouver, and Dallas who have been successful due to their balance of goal scoring and solid goaltending.

CR: I think it’s more about the defense and goaltending in the West than the East for sure. Games in the West seem to be much closer than in the East. In the East, you have the scoring demons on particular teams that jettison them over their opponents (Crosby and Malkin, Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin to name the well-known combos); in the West, you have those same combination (Getzlaf, Ryan, and Perry, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, Sedin and Sedin), but even if these lines are dominant in a game, that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones scoring or even blowing the opposition out of the water. But I think more of the factor is how the conference standings are much tighter in the West. The top eight teams in the east are so much better than the bottom seven in the east. If you look at the standings, in there’s a decent gap. In the East, it’s ten points separating first and eighth and twenty points separating eighth and fifteenth. But compared to the West, it’s so much tighter; ten points separate eighth and fifteenth while six points separate first and eighth. The tight play makes for a harder push on solid defense and goaltending.

First impression of the kids out in Edmonton?

JS: Very bright future in Edmonton and can’t wait to see what they will do to build around Hall, Eberle, and Paajarvi. 2-3 years and the Oilers could be the class of the conference.

AA: They have played pretty well and are exciting, but they’re not gonna turn the team around without some help and a few seasons of experience.

MM: What impression? The Oilers are the Kansas City Royals of hockey. They are a very good AHL team playing with the big boys. Taylor Hall is just a skater and the rest of them will not stay around in Edmonton to see it threw. First chance they get there gone.

KN: Talented but green.  Fun to watch though.

BH: I haven’t seen enough of Edmonton this season to answer this question, but I will say from what I’ve heard and the few games that I have seen, they’re a team that’s headed in the right direction.

CR: Taylor Hall has some great potential in him for sure. I was lucky enough to see him play when he was on the Windsor Spitfires (I saw him play against Tyler Seguin, no less) and he impressed me then, too, even though he didn’t score on the penalty shot he received. He will definitely be a player to watch in the upcoming years. First overall draft picks are usually like that.

Jordan Eberle seems like a solid player. I haven’t been able to see as much of him as I would like, but to me he seems like he could be one of those excellent players that sneaks under the radar a lot of the time. But maybe not – I mean, his first NHL goal coming on a penalty kill will definitely make people look at him twice.

And Linus Omark just now caught people’s attention with flashy shootout attempts? Did people not see the one when he was playing in Sweden, the one that Datsyuk replicated against Chicago last season? Omark will be a great player for sure, just as long as his flashiness doesn’t get the best of him.

Which team in the league is the toughest to play when 100% healthy?

JS: Detroit is a stacked team from top to bottom and full of players that know what it takes to play at the top level of hockey.

AA: Detroit should be. Their lines can match their equivalent on any other NHL team. Vancouver can be a tough team too. For both of those it is as much about being ON as it is about being healthy though.

MM: Simple, Detroit Red Wings

KN: Detroit

BH: Detroit. They may not be an elite force in the West, but they’re still sick.

CR: I’ll go off on what could be considered a crazy limb here and say Montreal. After the upsets in last year’s playoff run, with Jaroslav Halak playing like a brick wall, and then proceeding to trade Halak away from the team and relying on Carey Price, everyone’s kept an eye on this team. And honestly, they are delivering. I went to the Original Six matchup game at Joe Louis Arena when the Habs visited and after the game, it was decided unanimously between me and my hockey-crazed brothers that a Wings/Habs Finals matchup would be absolutely epic. The Habs can definitely give the Red Wings a run for their money. Their play is amazing to watch.

The top line in the conference is?

JS: The Sedin line in Vancouver, it doesn’t matter who you put with them they are an unstoppable force that racks up points. I can’t prove it but I am pretty sure that they have some kind of twin ESP thing going on.

AA: I’m a total homer here, but Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmström, or the Circus line as we call it is probably the best. It has two of the best players in the league on both ends of the ice and they tend to play real well together. It also works great when Cleary plays instead of Homer. But Babcock has switched it all up lately, so who knows when we will see this one again.

MM: Getzlaf,Perry,Ryan

KN: Richards-Eriksson-Neal

BH: When Datsyuk’s in there, Detroit’s top line.

CR: Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan is definitely one of the top lines out there. This is one of the most annoying lines to play against. I honestly believe they are on the ice for about 57 minutes of every game; they are that annoyingly good. They dominate the play when they are out on the ice together; right now, they have a combined 46 goals and 58 assists. Compare that to the Sedin-Burrows-Sedin line, which has 33 goals and 68 assists, or the Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom line, which has 33 goals and 61 assists. The Getzlaf line definitely can be ranked up there among the elites.

Which team currently out of the top 8 (as of the Hlidays) has the best chance at making it back in?

JS: I don’t think Anaheim can keep up with everyone in the West. They are the only team that is in the top 8 with a minus in GF/GA and think that LA will make the jump in the second half to take their spot.

AA: The LA Kings will make the playoffs. They are way too good to miss them. The Coyotes should also have a pretty good shot.

MM: Los Angeles Kings

KN: Since 9 points separate 1st through 12th (as of this questions answering) I’d say at least 4 different teams.  Of the 4 currently out, I say for sure LA makes it back in by seasons end.

BH: St. Louis. Alex Steen is heating up. Oshie could be back sooner than expected. Defense is improving which only benefits an already solid goaltending tandem in Halak & Conklin. Oh, don’t forget they’re only 7 points out of first place despite all these injuries.

CR: With how close the standings are in the West, it’s honestly hard to say because one day, they could be in and the next day, they could be out. The St. Louis Blues seem fairly consistent and have a great chance. And with their goaltenders – Jaroslav Halak and Ty Conklin – always seeming to play solid games, it gives them a fighting chance. And their goalies have to be solid when their top guys like T.J. Oshie and David Perron are sidelined with injuries. When those guys come back, I’d watch out, honestly. This team can be dangerous.

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Look for further Q&A discussion regarding the West with another blogger as well as an Eastern Conference panel coming soon.

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The Phoenix Coyotes (19-13-9, 47 points) were just in town for a New Year’s Eve party, but make their second and final appearance at Scottrade Center. Did the players only closed door meeting make a sufficient impact on the St. Louis Blues (20-14-6, 46 points)? The proof will be left on the ice as two teams fighting for the same position do battle.

When Last They Met

Friday, December 31st, 2010 – Blues Win 4-3.

The Blues jumped out to an early lead and pushed it to 4-0 at one point in the third period. Then Phoenix came back with three goals to make the game a little more interesting. The Killer B’s lead the way for the Blues. Eric Brewer, David Backes, Patrik Berglund and Brad Boyes all performed well. Combining for for 1 goal, 2 assists, 6 shots, 7 hits and 4 blocked shots. Jaroslav Halak stopped 30 of 33 Yotes shots. His adversary at the other end of the rink, Ilya Bryzgalov, did not have a good night. Stopping just 18 of 22 Blues shots. Phoenix captain Shane Doan was his club’s leader. Netting two goals on six shots in more than 19 minutes played.

Under Davis Payne the Blues are 2-1-0 against Phoenix. Against the Pacific Division the Blues are 4-5-1 this season. Phoenix is 5-2-2 against the Central Division.

Getting Back On Track

After Saturday’s post game “Kumbayah” session, the Blues hope to be better in sync on the ice. More of a cohesive five man unit than a quintet of individuals that are mired in a 3 game skid.

Participation in the “system” is important for any team, but in Payne’s version it’s paramount. Much like the Pittsburgh Penguins, the method of attack is support in all zones, quick transition and playing in the offensive zone. The accelerator must stay down at a consistent pace. Ready to ramp up at the slightest glimpse of weakness. The slightest bit of coasting and suddenly the flow is in reverse.

A demanding philosophy, but one that produces results when implemented correctly.

With little roster alterations from the last season the guys wearing the note know what it takes. For whatever reason they go on forgetful streaks of regrettable performances.

Is there a better time for the veteran leadership to step up and reinforce the standards set? For such a young team at a crucial juncture in their campaign, there can’t be. The clogged Western Conference is as clogged as ever. Another chance to prevent an extended losing streak can’t be missed.

Minus Andy McDonald that burden falls squarely on Barret Jackman and Eric Brewer. Not to chastise for failures, but promote confidence through experience. Judging by the comments coming from the players only meeting, that was the message.

One point separates Phoenix and the Blues. This tilt may “just” be at the mid point of the season, but the importance is high. A loss digs a deeper hole and a win puts the ladder out back in place. Will resolve be on display?

Scouting Report

4th in Pacific Division | 9th in Western Conference

Goals For/Game: 16th, 2.71
Goals Against/Game: 16th, 2.78
Power Play: 23rd, 16.0%
Penalty Kill: 25th, 77.8%

Top Scorer: Defenseman Keith Yandle – 6 goals, 30 points, 24:35 ATOI

The smooth defenseman has come to prominence over the last two seasons as an effective puck mover, offensive contributor and power play threat. In the Dec 31st loss, the Boston native notched an assist with a Plus-2 rating in over 27 minutes played.

Who To Watch For: Forward Lee Stempniak – 9 goals, 17 points, Plus-7 rating

While the “General” isn’t having a spectacular year, but how can you not love to see the former fan favorite back in St. Louis? Mainly because he rarely hurts his former teammates. He is a Minus-3 with no points in 3 career games against the Blues.

Between the Pipes: Jason LaBarbara | 5-5-3, 3.03 GAA, .914 save percentage, 2 shutouts.

Career vs. Blues: 5 games, 2-2-0, 2.80 GAA, .907 save percentage, 1 PPG allowed

Injury Report

Bryzgalov was out with the flu, but is expected to be available for Monday’s game. The Blues will once again be without forwards Andy McDonald (concussion), T.J. Oshie (broken ankle), David Perron (post-concussion syndrome) and Dave Scatchard (knee).

Bluenotes

TJ Oshie is still “weeks away” from being game ready. It’s great to have him back earlier than expected, but thinking he would see action on the upcoming California road trip was greedy. The All Start Game / break is still a fair target.

The “Other TJ”, TJ Hensick, did not look good in his first performance as “a scorer” with the Blues. He was more out of sync with the game play than any of the other skilled forwards. He can drift and move through traffic in the AHL, but the grinding and effort level to create scoring chances in the NHL seems to be a little above his abilities.

Brad Winchester just keeps on doing his thing.

Ryan Reaves may not be a left winger, but would anyone like to see a line with Reaves and Janssen on the wing. Not very reliable in their own end, but think of the havoc they could wreak on squishy defensemen. Reaves would likely have more of an impact on the game than Hensick would. He was serviceable in his brief call up while Cam was out.

Speaking of @CamJanssen55, will he get to dance with @BizNasty2Point0?

Lineup

Halak did nothing wrong to earn himself a night off. Per Norm Sanders, he is back in net. This season in 32 games Jaro is 15-12-4 with a 2.49 GAA and .911 save percentage. In his career against Phoenix, Halak has just the New Years Eve game.

Norm also says a minor line tweak is in place involving Hensick and BJ Crombeen.

Vladimir Sobotka – David Backes – Matt D’Agostini
Alex Steen – Patrik Berglund – BJ Crombeen
Brad Winchester – Jay McClement – Brad Boyes
Chris Porter – TJ Hensick – Cam Janssen

Eric Brewer – Roman Polak
Barret Jackman – Alex Pietrangelo
Carlo Colaiacovo – Erik Johnson

Jarsolav Halak

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To get something of value, you have to give up something of value.

It’s an old adage when it comes to making trades in the NHL and it almost always proves true. Perhaps, not as often in the salary cap era – when more and more teams seem to be making ‘cap trades’ instead of ‘hockey trades’ (see Marco Sturm) – but, it certainly was true in the summer of 2006.

Shorty after Dean Lombardi arrived as the new GM of the Kings he started tweaking the roster, with one of his stated goals being to build his reserve list (i.e. add young players). In a trade that shocked some of the fan base he shipped popular Eric Belanger and young defenseman Tim Gleason to Carolina for Oleg Tverdovsky and an unknown blueliner named Jack Johnson.

Sure, in the years to come, many in the hockey world would come to sing the praises of Johnson. However, at the time, he was a college defenseman who had been drafted by the Hurricanes – hardly things that put you on the national hockey radar.

Belanger had cemented his place in Kings history five years earlier when, as a rookie, he scored an overtime goal to defeat the Detroit Red Wings in a playoff game known as the ‘Frenzy on Figueroa.’

Five teams later, Belanger now finds himself in Phoenix, having just signed a free agent contract there this past summer.  Prior to the Kings-Coyotes game on Wednesday night we caught up with him…

MM: Dave Tippett, your coach in Phoenix, was somebody you knew from your time in LA – how is he different now than he was as an assistant with the Kings?

EB: As an assistant coach it’s a different role. I remember being young back then and he was always there for me with good advice. I had a good relationship with him and that was one of the main factors to come here when the deal fell through with Washington. He’s just a player’s coach. That’s what you want.

MM: Former teammates Luc Robitaille and Ian Laperriere speak so highly of you – can you talk for just a moment about what those two have meant to your career?

EB: Lappy was like a big brother when I came to LA. I lived at his house and he took me under his wing my first year. I learned a lot and I’ve tried to carry that forward with other guys when I’ve had the opportunity. Luc has been the same. He’s a guy who I watched growing up and he’s just been a role model for me. Those two guys have had a big impact on my career and now I’m happy to call those two guys friends. It doesn’t happen that much in this business, so it’s great to have those two guys as friends.

MM: Size up the game for us tonight – the two teams have met once so far this season, with the Coyotes winning 4-3 and you had 2 assists. What are the keys to the game for the Kings and the Coyotes?

EB: I watched a little of the (Kings) game in San Jose. They’re a young team that’s playing with a lot of confidence right now. Just looking at the standings, every game is a must win. It’s been like that for almost the whole year. We’re out of the playoffs right now. We played the Ducks last night and they’re coming in rested. So, we have to be ready to play our best, especially because it’s a division game and those points are huge right now.

MM: Going back to your time with the Kings, what’s your favorite memory?

EB: The first team you play for in the NHL is always special. Being drafted and playing my first game on a line with Luc and Ziggy Palffy was a big highlight. I think I had a goal and two assists. Scoring that overtime goal and being part of the playoffs my first year was pretty amazing too. I have a lot of great memories and made a lot of great friends in LA and it’s always going to be a special place for me.

MM: Along those lines, you’ve been traded a few times and then went through free agency last summer, was there ever a point where you thought maybe you were coming back to the Kings?

EB: Not really. You look at their team now and they have a lot of money invested in centers. I always felt that when I was traded it was a good trade for them. But, I always wished I could have stayed there my whole career. It doesn’t happen much these days. But, you never know. I still have some good years ahead of me and you never know what the future can hold.

MM: In a playoff game with the Capitals last year the cameras caught you removing a tooth. Did you realize that would become such a national story?

EB: No. I didn’t do it for the cameras or for anything else. There just happened to be a camera looking at me while I did it. It was just one of those things in the heat of the moment where I wanted to get back and help my team win. It’s ended up being a good thing for me I guess.

MM: Go out strong Eric, give us a prediction for the game – final score Kings-Coyotes…

EB: Oh boy…I have to say a 3-2 win for us. Hope I’m right (he laughs).

We’ll, he picked the right team.  However, the score wasn’t nearly as close.  Coyotes won 6-3 in a game they pretty much dominated in all areas of the ice.  Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov picked up another win vs. LA, running his lifetime record to 13-0-2.

On the flip side, LA has gone 9-3-1 in the month of December with one more game to go on Thursday night vs. the visiting Philadelphia Flyers (preview available here w/ Ian Laperierre).

The Mayor
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