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! 

For months leading up to the NHL Entry Draft on June 25, 2010 former Windsor Spitfire Taylor Hall and Plymouth Whaler Tyler Seguin were caught in a whirlwind of hype and attention. While both were coming off 100-point seasons in 2009-’10 in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League), it was widely speculated that these two Canadian-born forwards would be taken with the first two selections in the draft. The question on the minds of many was who would end up where? When draft day arrived, Edmonton Oilers’ GM Steve Tambellini stepped up to the podium and ended all speculation when he announced Taylor Hall as the first overall pick in the 2010 Draft. Thus leaving  the Bruins’ Peter Chiarelli to select Seguin, using the second overall pick that they acquired in the Phil Kessel trade in September of 2009.

Now, as we sit on November 10, 2011, nearly a year and a half removed from Draft Day 2010, both players have been successful in their brief NHL careers and have already made a name for themselves, even at the ripe young age of 19.

Taylor Hall, a native of Calgary, Alberta registered 22 goals and added 20 assists, while posting a -9 in 65 games of an injury-shortened season in 2010-11. While Taylor enjoyed the luxury of being able to play top-6 minutes on a consistent basis for a struggling  Oilers squad one year ago, he was forced to sit back and watch the post-season as Edmonton was once again unable to reach the post-season.

For Seguin, last year’s regular season was much more of a struggle. The 19-year-old Brampton, Ontario native notched only 11 goals and 11 assists, while posting a mark of -4 in the plus/minus category in 74 games of action. Unlike Hall, Seguin was forced into a multitude of roles and faced limited ice time while suiting up for a playoff contender like Boston. Fortunately for Tyler, the benefits of being drafted by a team as deep as Boston payed off in the end as on June 15, 2011 –only 11 months after being drafted– Seguin hoisted the Stanley Cup above his head after his Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in game 7 of The Final. Helping to end Boston’s 39-year Cup drought, Seguin managed to contribute with with 3 goals and 4 assists while posting a +5 through 13 playoff contests.

As we re-visit the debate of “Taylor vs. Tyler”, we also prepare for tonight’s game between Hall’s Oilers and Seguin’s Bruins. Both players are off to a hot start in 2011-’12 as Hall, playing with fellow wunderkids Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle, has registered 3 goals and 6 assists with a +3 rating through 13 games for the NorthWest Division leading Oilers.  Seguin on the other hand has been playing alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand on Boston’s top line and has notched 8 goals and added 7 assists in 13 games played this season. To go along with Seguin’s 15 points, he is sporting a league-leading +11 rating.

At this point it is evident that both players have gone down clearly different career paths, and will continue to evolve on and off the ice. However, whether they like it or not, each of these two young superstars of the NHL will always be connected and compared thanks to that fateful day in June of 2010.

Tonight’s Line-Up (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Horton–Krejci–Lucic

Peverley/Hamill–Kelly–Caron

Pouliot–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Rask

Thomas

– Tonight’s game can be seen on NESN (Edwards, Brickley) and heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers), the Flagship radio station of the Boston Bruins.

Thanks For Reading!

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Or You Can E-Mail Me At BWoodward.HI@gmail.com

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

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/the-mayor/38378/ http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/the-mayor/38378/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:59:51 +0000 The Mayor http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=38378 Last week, Ethan Moreau got his first taste of being inside Staples Center as a member of the Kings. It between observing the work being done to the ice and taking photos with other guests, he shared several thoughts about signing his recent deal with Los Angeles.

First off, even though it’s a one-year contract, he doesn’t see this as his last year in the NHL. Sure, he’s already played 900 games over 15 seasons in the league. However, he says he’s finally healed up and ready for more – much more.

In fact, at 35, he says he wouldn’t mind playing until he’s 40.

Yet, that’s the road ahead. And before moving on to training camp with the Kings in a few weeks, he reflected back on the travels that have brought him to this stage of his career.

“Going to the Finals was probably the high and the low point,” he said, when speaking of his time playing in Edmonton. “We were one game away from winning a Stanley Cup. Then, losing was probably the low point because you come so close to realizing a dream that doesn’t happen – you’re left with a very, very empty feeling – which is motivation to get back there with this team and to win it. That’s the only thing that will kind of make that feeling go away.”

Things were different in Columbus, where he was limited to just 37 games last year due to injuries.

“It was exciting to start last season there. I had a lot of responsibility and I played a lot early in the season. Unfortunately, I broke my hand and had to have surgery, which really derailed my year. Like you said, I only played 37 games, so it was tough to get a great feeling for the organization or the city. But, I enjoyed my time there, even though it was short.”

Although Moreau and fellow LA roster addition Mike Richards are very different players, one thing they have in common is knowing what it’s like to play in a hockey-crazed market.

Richards has already acknowledged he thinks he’ll like it better in LA, where he can focus more on the game and less on answering questions away from the rink.

Moreau already had a taste of a ‘less intense’ market when he was the Blue Jackets last year. Did he find it any easier?

“As a player, when you come to the rink, this is your place of work and you’re going to prepare the same way, regardless of what city you’re in,” Moreau explained. “When I was in the environment of Edmonton, you couldn’t really get away from it. Your privacy is next to nothing – you can’t really live a normal life without talking about hockey ten times a day. If you want to go to your kids’ school or the grocery store or a restaurant, you’re constantly talking about the team. Which is OK. But, after a while, it does wear on you. So, I think the difference in a less-than-traditional hockey market is you don’t have as many conversations about hockey. That’s probably the best way to put it.”

Although nobody would ever mistake Los Angeles for Edmonton, Moreau still sees similarities in the overall approach – “Your focus is still the same. There’s still a passionate fan base here and an organization that really wants to win, as do the players.”

To see a 90-second time lapse video of the ice coming to life at Staples Center this week – featuring the entire start to finish process – click here.

Or…for more with Moreau, including him explaining why he’d rather be playing with the Kings than against them this season, click here.

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

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

The last first overall pick to be sent back to his junior team was Mike Modano in the 1988-1989 season. Much has changed since then in terms of player development, salary cap and the skill level of draft eligible players. So to think that Nuge will be sent back to the his club straight out of Training Camp is highly unlikely. Most believe that he will be given his nine game tryout, but will not quite make the cut. But many seem to forget that this player was ranked as the top draft eligible player by nearly every scouting service and drew comparisons to Pavel Datsyuk along the way. Oilers fans are among the most passionate in the league, but at times they can be misguided, this seems to be one of those times.

The Oil have a few centres in their system, with Shawn Horcoff, Sam Gagner and Eric Belanger, along with a few youngsters coming up in their system who can play in the middle of the ice. Gilbert Brule is still seen by some to be a legitimate NHL centre, while he is better suited for the long term injured reserve. Anton Lander is a solid two way centre who is making the jump to the North American game, but he could use a season on the farm. Chris Vande Velde and Ryan O’Marra are decent players, but they too could use some more time on the farm, if in fact they will even be ready to make the jump.

So why the hesitation to throw Nuge into the fire? Most people point to his diminutive frame. He ended the season with Red Deer tipping in at just over 160lbs., but is said to have put on at least ten pounds of muscle since then, and said at the Oilers rookie development camp that he was planning to enter main camp at 180. So would it not make sense for him to continue his development, and weight gain, with the help of a professional staff, rather than on the bus riding around western Canada with the Rebels?

Further to that point, what more does he have to prove playing against kids in the WHL? He finished fourth in the league with 106 points in 69 games, and has little left to prove against such competition. Sure it would be nice to see him suit up for Team Canada at this years World Juniors being held in Calgary and Edmonton, but I would rather see him playing between Hall and Eberle during the holiday season rather than between Ty Rattie and Jonathan Huberdeau. Nuge can play soft “second” line minutes, throw him on the half boards on the powerplay, and see what he can do.

Nuge has already been singed to his entry-level contract, so the club is best off getting three years of big league service out of him, rather than wasting one third of his years of service on development in junior. Hall, Eberle and MPS will be up for extensions in the next few years, and now that RNH has his clock ticking, it is best to take advantage of his skill with the Oil.

What about the thought of putting the most competitive and skilled team on the ice this year and trying to prevent being the worst team in the league for three years in a row? That would be pleasant for Oilers fans to see. Most have bought into the past two years failure with the assurance that highly skilled players would be the reward, but how many years can the fan base stay patient? The city of Edmonton and Oilers owner Daryl Katz are currently working on a deal to build a new downtown arena for the team, and it seems as if a competitive team would be more likely to gain public support than a bottom feeder.

What if the Oilers managed to even make the playoffs this year? The city still remembers the miracle run that was 2006, and many city councillors and possibly even provincial politicians may change their tune about funding the arena project if a successful team is one the ice. Is is ridiculous to say that an 18-year old rookie, with his ridiculous skill set, could have on impact on municipal and provincial politics, along with the negotiations of funding a $500 million dollar project? Sure it’s ridiculous, but crazier things have happened. After all the Ryan Smyth was acquired for a damaged Colin Fraser and a 7^th round pick.

So how do lines like this look?

Smyth-Horcoff-Hemsky

Hall-Nuge-Eberle

Paajarvi-Gagner/Belanger-Omark

Eager-Gagner/Belanger-Jones

Belanger and Gagner are interchangeable based upon defensive match ups and Gagner’s inevitable streaky play. The top line has been effective in years past, and a winger here and there could be switched up with the kids if need be, for leadership and such.

It is hard to believe that someone like Sam Gagner, Eric Belanger, or Anton Lander would prevent Nuge from playing with the big club for the entire season. He is a generational talent, and needs to be playing in Oilers silks for the entire season to ensure that he reaches his potential. So for those that thinks that he needs another year in junior, well can you really deal with another year of bottom feeding? Despite a few shrewd moves on July 1, the Oilers are hardly playoff contenders without Nuge in the lineup. Why not put the most talented players on the ice, and let them work through the struggles of the NHL game?

Let’s hope that the Oilers brass has a similar train of thought.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Yet, leave it to Dean Lombardi to throw that one out the window.

First, he made a huge trade with the Flyers, acquiring their captain Mike Richards in exchange for a package that included hockey’s number one prospect, Brayden Schenn.

Then, hours later, he dropped another bomb on the conference call – yes, Ryan Smyth DID ask for a trade.

As discussed here on MayorsManor earlier in the week, Smyth’s team of preference was the Oilers. And our poll showed fans were split on what the Kings should expect in return (results here).

Lombardi, known for his honesty when answering these type of questions, was his usual blunt self…

“This has kind of evolved over the last two months, actually. When Ryan asked to be moved, at first I was really troubled. Ryan, in our first 40 games last year I thought he was one of our better players. He kind of tailed off a little and then, in the playoffs, was one of our best players. And certainly, left wing, it’s not one of our strongest positions. So first off, my reaction was, `No way,’ and I couldn’t figure out why, because I think Ryan had adapted well.”

Over the course of several subsequent conversations, Lombardi came to a sort of peace with the idea – “He was very clear that it had nothing to do with hockey, that it was strictly for his family, that he wanted to go home. I thought about it (for) a week or so and talked to his agent and said, `If it’s a hockey issue, I would not approve of this, because if it’s coaching, the power play, his ice time, who he’s playing with, these are things that we will work through.’ But if it’s a personal thing, a family issue, it’s hard to argue with that and have a player that’s not going to be happy.”

What now? Well, the trade is likely to come at the draft - “I’ve primarily dealt with three teams, and particularly two right now. This kind of hit the front burner last week, in terms of coming out publicly, because of the predicament I was in. I was talking to other teams about getting a left winger if Ryan goes, and teams say, `Why is he going?’ and I had to explain it to them. I tried to move this along because I have to replace him. I’m not in a great position here. We’re just going to have to adapt. I’ve talked to one team a number of times, and they’ve been very forthright in trying to piece it together. I hope to have that wrapped up here in a day or two.”

Although he (somewhat) jokingly said “Maybe he changes his mind now that Mike Richards is in our lineup, I don’t know,” it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen. For family reasons, Smyth wants to return to Canada.

Lombardi went on to say “It’s an awkward situation. I’ve never had this before. It’s nothing I’ve certainly ever planned on. I think his contract is very favorable, in terms of the cash and (it being) the last year, but we’ve got to adjust to it.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

UPDATE I:
Ryan Smyth is about to test the theory that you can’t go home again.

In a deal that came together after the Calgary Flames are believed to have entered the race, the Oilers agreed to send Gilbert Brule and a fourth round draft pick to the Kings in exchange for Captain Canada.

Brule, a center, is under contract for one more year but is most likely being bought out.

He was a first round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2005 and was traded to the Oilers in 2008.  At this point, his talents – even though seven goals in 41 games last season aren’t bad numbers - are probably not enough to crack the roster in Los Angeles. Thus, all of Smyth’s salary comes off the books and frees up GM Dean Lombardi‘s budget just a week before NHL free agency opens up next Friday.

Smyth, a left wing, was a top goal and point producer for the Kings this season.  So, his departure creates a real hole in coach Terry Murray’s offense.  Expect the Kings to be active in the weeks to come while looking for a solution.

For a look back at key moments in Smyth’s career – including his very first NHL game, played between the Oilers and Kings at the Forum in Inglewood - check out this article I did with him earlier this season.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
update II: Although neither team has confirmed the trade yet, Don Meehan (Smyth’s agent) confirmed it to Yahoo Sports Canada

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Update III – it looks like the deal, even though confirmed by several sources, never was 100% done as far the NHL was concerned.  It may still happen.  However, at this time, the health of Brule is causing some issues with the deal.  If he’s injured, the Kings can’t buy him out.  Calgary looks to be back in now.  Stay tuned.  It’s still not over.

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

plenty more Los Angeles Kings notes on www.MayorsManor.com

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.

Here we go….1-10 Only….

1. Edmonton Oilers – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins C Red Deer (WHL)– RNH is the best player in the draft, and with the number 1 pick, you use that on the best player. It just so happens that Edmonton is in need of a Number one Center and RNH is just that. He is as dynamic as they come and will look great centering Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle.

2. Colorado Avalanche – Adam Larsson D Skelleftea (SEL) – Many mocks are saying Colorado takes Gabriel Landeskog with this pick, but remember 2 things, first Defenseman like Larsson don’t grow on trees, and second, Colorado also has the 12th pick as part of the Erik Johnson/Chris Stewart trade. After trading top young defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk in that deal, he’ll be replaced with the smooth skating Larsson. The Avs will target wingers with that 12th pick.

3. Florida Panthers – Sean Couturier C Drummondville (QMJHL) – This is the wild card pick here. Florida already has 2 top young defenseman in Dmitri Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson, and they also drafted wingers Nick Bjugstad and Quinton Howden in last year’s 1st round. Florida GM Dale Tallon will look for the big 2 way center in Sean Couturier here. Tallon (who drafted Jonathan Toews with Chicago) knows the importance of having a player such as Couturier and won’t let an opportunity to get a top 2 way player pass him up.

4. New Jersey Devils – Jonathan Huberdeau C Saint John’s (QMJHL) – The Devils are already stacked at LW with both Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise, and with a lack of a true number 1 center in their system (Travis Zajac is the closest they have), the Devils take the super talented Huberdeau here. One scout was quoted as saying that he’s never seen a junior player take such a big leap in just one year as Huberdeau has. The Devils will have a player they can slot right into their lineup and not look back.

5. New York Islanders – Gabriel Landeskog LW Kitchener (OHL) – Landeskog is a steal for the Islanders at 5. He is the most NHL ready player in the draft and will look great playing with John Tavares and Nino Niederreiter on the Isles first line. With 3 picks in the top 50, GM Garth Snow can take his time and add another big defenseman early in the second round or as he likes to do, trade his way back into the late first round.

6. Ottawa Senators – Ryan Strome C Niagra (OHL) – Strome is a highly skilled offensive player who will slot in nicely behind Jason Spezza (if Ottawa keeps him). Having 2 top defensive prospects in David Rundblad and Jared Cowan, Ottawa will add some firepower with Strome.

7. Atlanta Thrashers – Dougie Hamilton D Niagra (OHL) – Back to back Niagra picks here as Atlanta takes the big 2 way Hamilton with the 7th pick. Atlanta has Big Buff and Tobias Enstrom on D already but after taking Evander Kane and Alexander Burmistrov in the last 2 drafts, it’s back to building a strong D for the Thrashers.

8. Columbus Blue Jackets – Ryan Murphy D Kitchener (OHL) – With Fedor Tyutin considered their only offensive defenseman on the NHL team, and with young and very talented John Moore working his way to Ohio, the Blue Jackets take the explosive but smallish Ryan Murphy. Some scouts think if Murphy was 6’0, he would be the number one overall pick. He has outstanding skating and offensive skills, his only issues is he’s listed as 5’10 160lbs. Either way, the Jackets get themselves a heck of a player at number 8.

9. Boston Bruins – Jamieson Olesiak D Northeastern (NCAA) – Olesiak is a player who needs at least another year of college but he’s 6’7 and extremely tough. He would form a nasty tandem with Norris finalist Zdeno Chara and the Bruins can afford to wait a year or 2 for Olesiak to fine tune his skills.

10. Minnesota Wild – Mike Zibanejad C Djurgarden (SEL) – Zibanejad is a fast riser on the 2011 ISS list. He has great skill and will look great with fellow 1st round pick Mikael Granlund. The Wild have chosen more gritty players such as Colton Gillies and James Sheppard in years past, but the Zibanejad has too high a ceiling for Minnesota to pass up.

My next Mock Draft will be a full 30 team pick, but it’s too early to tell what the later teams will do (especially since the draft order hasn’t been set yet.

Thoughts??

It has been another terrible season for the Edmonton Oilers. They will end the regular season in last place in the league for the second year in a row, and are hoping that they will be awarded the first overall pick once again in  order to justify their play on the ice.

Injuries were once again a common theme for the Oil, with Hemsky, Hall, Horcoff and Whitney all missing significant time with various ailments. With those four being arguably the most valuable players on the team, it was surely not easy to get any wins this year. With the two-headed monster of Dubnyk and ‘Bulin in net, it was nearly impossible to do anything well.

But as many around the league have been saying, there is at least hope for the Oilers. Despite their play in the past few years, they have a serious wealth of young talent that will hopefully take the next step next year. Hall, Eberle, Paajarvi and Omark all had an impact up from this season, and they should only get better. Petry surprised many on the blueline this year with his consistent play amidst so much on-ice disaster. To add to the future, 2010 2nd round picks Martin Marincin, Curtis Hamilton and Tyler Pitlick all had inmpressive seasons in the WHL, and it is possible that one of them breaks camp with the big squad next year, with the other two possibly making the jump to the AHL.

So where do the Oil go from here? They will likely have first overall pick again this year, depending on how the Draft Lottery goes on April 12th. They have the Kings first round pick form the Dusty trade, and that pick looks like it will end up in the 20′s somewhere. Then they have the 31st overall pick as well to kick off the second round of the draft.

There are two approaches that head scout Stu MacGregor and co. can take come draft day. They can either go defence first overall, and then try to find another solid two-way player late in the first and early in the second. Or they can go for the elusive first-line centre with the first pick, then based on who is available they can do for the blueline with one of the next two picks.

So what do the Oilers need more? They have been missing that franchise d-man ever since Chrissy Prongs left town. We all remember what Prongs brought to the team, and no one is quite saying that Adam Larsson, the highly rated Swedish defenceman, will ever become a Pronger/Lidstrom type, but he is the closest thing available this year.

Larsson has been on the draft radar for several years, but there are questions about how immediate his impact would be upon the league. If he goes on a timeline similar to Hedman down in Tampa, Oil fans will be calling for his head before his rookie season is over. Larsson is not quite the physical specimen that Hedman is, but he is still a sturdy, smooth-skating player. It is tough to really evaluate players coming from the Swedish Elite League, as the argument always goes that they are “playing against men”, so they will surely take the next step in the NHL. Then these guys have a few good games at the World Jr.’s and they are considered top-5 picks.

This is not to say that Larsson will not become a solid player in the league, but just how good? Will be be Lidstrom? No. Will he be Niklas Kronwall? Possibly. Will he be Joni Pitkanen. Very possible. Nothing amazing, but a solid player.

So here is the other option. Take the first-line centre with the top pick, and deal with the blueline later in the draft of through free-agency. The top ranked centres are Ryan Nugent-Hopkins out of the dub, Sean Couturier and John Huberdeau out of the Q and Ryan Strome out of the O. At this point, Nugent-Hopkins is the top ranked one amongst them, drawing comparisons to Sakic and Datsyuk along the way with his somewhat diminutive size and high-end skills. Couturier has drawn the Jordan Staal comparisons due to his size and two-way skills. Strome and Huberdeau are still a little unknown, but both had enormous seasons respectively for their junior teams.

Anyone of these could become the franchise centre that the Oil so badly need. Hall/Eberle/Paajarvi/Hemsky can play on their wing, and with Gagner centering the other two on the second line, the City of Champions could have a solid top two set of lines.

My personal choice at this point is Nugent-Hopkins. He absolutely dominated in the first round of the WHL playoffs against the Edmonton Oil Kings, and simply has too much raw skill to pass up. He is small, at just 6′, 160, but he is so dynamic on the ice that he can make up for it. Many would like to see Couturier as the player selected by the Oilers, as his 6’4 size seems too good to pass up. But it depends if he can play his size, or simply happens to be tall. Much will be determined in the rest of the junior playoffs, but it is sure to be another tough decision for the Oil brass.

So do the Copper and Blue go for the two-way player with size, or the highly skilled offensive dynamo? Or focus on the hole on the blueline and get the best players available later in the draft? Take your pick.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi paid a steep price on Monday to acquire the player he needed.

Or did he?

In Dustin Penner he got a 29-year old left wing who’s under contract for one more year and brings plenty of size, at 6’4″ 250 lbs.

The deal was Penner for Colten Teubert (a former first round pick), the Kings 2011 first round pick and a 2012 third round pick this year, based on LA’s playoff performance (it will upgrade to a second rounder if the Kings win the Stanley Cup this season).

Teubert was originally selected 13th overall in 2008 after the Kings made multiple deals to end up with the pick, including moving Mike Cammalleri to Calgary.

Below are 10 Points on Penner – news, facts and random items to help you get to know the newest Kings forward…

* Penner is a former Duck, who now becomes one of the few former Anaheim players to ever end up wearing a Kings jersey. He left there under some rather controversial circumstances though when the Oilers signed him to a five-year, $21-million offer sheet (something most GMs have been unwilling to do). In fact, it created quite a war of words between the Ducks and Oilers.

* He’ll be another former college player in the Kings locker room, having played at the University of Maine. They’re already near the top of the league in this category – with guys like Jack Johnson, Willie Mitchell, Matt Greene, Rob Scuderi, etc. having all played NCAA hockey.

* In 2004 Penner and Maine went to the NCAA Championship game vs. Denver. In the semis they beat a Boston College team that included current King Peter Harrold and former King Brian Boyle.

* A few years later, the big left winger won a Stanley Cup in what was officially his rookie season with the Ducks – even though he had played 19 NHL games the season before. Per NHL rules “To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons.”

* He wore #17 in Anaheim and #27 in Edmonton. Obviously, those numbers are taken by Wayne Simmonds and Alexei Ponikarovsky.  If he goes with #37 in LA, he’ll become the 11th Kings player with that number – joining a list that includes former Duck Kip Brennan, former Oiler Denis Grebeshkov and fellow Maine Black Bear alum Patrice Tardif, who was part of the deal that saw Wayne Gretzky leave LA for St. Louis.  [update: he'll wear #25 - his college number - in his debut for the Kings on Thursday night]

* Over the last four plus seasons he’s only missed four games.

* Last year he played in all 82 games and scored a career high 32 goals and 31 assists.

* Away from the rink, his significant other is a Montreal-born actress who recently has been living in LA.

* He’s expected to play on the top line with Anze Kopitar. He also was teammates with Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene from the 2007-08 season in Edmonton.

* Penner says he was playing ping pong at the time of the trade. And he’s glad it went down went it did because he was about to lose $50 to Shawn Horcoff.

The most positive aspect of the deal?  The Kings didn’t have to give up any players on the current roster – namely Wayne Simmonds.

Penner needs to produce though to make the hefty price not seem so bad.

For now, it seems it a bit rich.

The Mayor
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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.

Midway in the first period Wisniewski was brutally cut by a shot off the stick of Taylor Hall that deflected on his own stick and hit him right in the face. The Wiz stumbled onto the ice instantly in a pool of blood. The rearguard immediately left the game after this gruesome injury, leaving the team shorthanded on defense for the rest of the game. Jacques Martin was left with only five defensemen to complete the game, resulting in a 4-1 loss to Edmonton.

Wisniewski, who was acquired late December by GM Pierre Gauthier, has been a key cog for the Habs due to his strong offensive play since joining the team, notching 2 goals and 14 assists for 16 points in 20 games. He will be joining veteran defensemen Hal Gill, Jaroslav Spacek, Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges all out with various ailments.

Spacek is expected to miss two to four weeks while Hal Gill is day-to-day, despite reports indicating he needs to undergo a season-ending injury.

The acquisition of veteran Paul Mara yesterday from the Anaheim Ducks looks even more important now that the team has lost another defenseman in battle. Mara, who was unable to suit up for the Habs yesterday because his equipment didn’t follow him in time for the game, will be ready to face the Calgary Flames on Sunday for the NHL Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium, home of the Stampeders.

With the addition of Mara, the team now has only six healthy rearguards at its disposal: Roman Hamrlik, Alexandre Picard, as well as rookies PK Subban, Yannick Weber and Brandon Nash.

The situation in Montreal is similar to that of the Vancouver Canucks, who are depleted by injuries to their defensive corps, losing Alexander Edler, Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis, Keith Ballard and Andrew Alberts to long-term injuries. Both teams will meet on Tuesday in Vancouver.

The Canadiens, who desperately need help on offense to boost their lethargic attack, will likely address the situation by calling-up a defenseman from their AHL affiliate. Mathieu Carle, a good puck-moving rearguard, is a good candidate to be called upon.

Stay tuned for more information on the situation by following me on Twitter.

updatedFinally, the Wiz has no fracture, only a deep cut and is now considered day-to-day. He fight even suit up for the Heritage Classic, although I doubt it. Good news for the organization.

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.

Kudos to the St. Louis Blues. Though they played a fairly sloppy game at times with the Edmonton Oilers they displayed the most resiliency they have in a month.

When Edmonton pushed early and piled on the shots, the Blues bent and never really broke. When scoring chances came, they finished them. Hits and after the whistle shenanigans were returned in kind.

Sure, the Oilers may be the “worst” team in the West, but  Rome wasn’t built in a day. Starting out “small” to build the needed confidence to take on stronger opponents may be the magic elixir.

So too are those returning from injury. Andy McDonald picked up where he left off. His speed and mobility, especially in transition, have been sorely missed. He racked up 18+ minutes and a helper. Recent returnee TJ Oshie scored his second goal since coming back from a broken ankle. His line with Alex Steen and Patrik Berglund was the best on the ice by far.

Though Jaroslav Halak was unable to play, Ty Conklin filled in nicely.  Stopping 29 of 32 Oilers shots. Many as acrobatic as Jaro’s best have been.

Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle were effective on Andrew Cogliano’s wings. Lots of speed on that line and they were able to penetrate the defensive box on several occasions. An area the Blues still need to improve on.

Two points is two points…

Blues vs. Bolts

The Blues (23-20-7, 53 Points) started off February on the right foot. On Super Bowl Sunday they head to Florida to take on the southern most Stanley Cup Champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning (32-16-5, 69 Points). Will a winning streak take shape or will the hard times continue to roll?

Playing With Fire

The Blues played a rather loose game with the Oilers. Both clubs didn’t have much trouble penetrating the high value real estate. A trend that cannot carry over to today’s contest. The Lightning are a team that can flat out put the put in the net. With 160 total goals they have 31 more than Edmonton. Allowing as many scoring chances to high quality finishers like Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis is playing with fire. The dynamic duo #91 and #26 have combined for 59 goals and 130 points. Hall and Eberle are highly skilled players, but nothing like Stamkos and St. Louis.

Clamping down on the top producers for the Bolts is priority number one.

Scoreboard Watching

With the Columbus Blue Jackets win over the Detroit Red Wings Saturday night the Blues currently hold 14th place in the Western Conference all to themselves. A win moves them to 13th and 5 points behind 8th place LA Kings. There is a 10 point swing between 4th place Nashville and the Blues. A cluster of 11 teams.

Tampa is fighting for the Southeast Division lead. Owning a three point lead over the Washington Capitals. The Caps could pull within one point of the Bolts if they can beat the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday.

A game that on paper may appear to lack intensity should be full of it. Tampa jostling for positioning and the Blues fighting for their playoff lives.

Questions in Net

Originally Halak was to start Friday, but was unable to do so because of an upper body injury. Prior to practice on Saturday he skated with trainer Ray Barile. As of early Sunday morning, no news was to be had on the Halak front. The Blues did bring three netminders on the road trip though. Ben Bishop is tagging along for the ride at this point. If Halak is still unable to go, Conklin is the likely starter.

Is there anyone associated to the Blues comfortable with the idea of Conklin carrying the load during the most critical stretch of the season? If they are, they’re telling a good story. Conks is a more than serviceable backup, but asking him to fill in as the go to puck stopper when the club needs to climb at least 6 spots in the standings is expecting too much.

The Lightning have had their own issues between the pipes. Mike Smith, part of the return for former Conn Smyth winner Brad Richards, has struggled all season. He cleared waivers and is with their AHL affiliate, Norfolk Admirals. Dan Ellis continues to have problems  as well. Not just on Twitter and his checkbook. His 2.98 GAA and .887 save percentage cast his signing in a rather negative light. Dwayne Roloson escaped Long Island and provided some stability in the back end. Going 8-4-0 in 12 games with a 2.21 GAA and .927 save percentage.

Blues fans remember Roloson from his Blues killing days in Edmonton. Luckily it sounds like Ellis starts. Maybe the Tampa coaching staff doesn’t know about Roloson’s history with the Blues. Or they could just see it as an opportunity to give the old timer some rest against a non-Conference opponent.

Career vs. Blues
Ellis: 2-1-1, 2.35 GAA, .898 save percentage
Roloson: 9-4-4, 1.90 GAA, .929 save percentage

Fight Card

The last pugilist throw down was December 18th, 2009. Carlo Colaiacovo and Blair Jones dropped the gloves. Wasn’t much of a fight. The hit on Brad Boyes was a bigger deal than the subsequent fight.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Injury Report

Forward David Perron (concussion recovery) and Colaiacovo (eye) are both out. Captain Eric Brewer who missed Friday’s game for the birth of his second daughter did make the trip and will likely play. Halak is day to day with the upper body injury.

Tampa could be without defenseman Mike Lundin (groin/abdomen) and forwards Mattias Ritola (illness) and Ryan Malone (undisclosed). All are considered day-to-day.

Scouting Report

Guy Boucher has come in as the new bench boss and had much success under first year General Manager Steve Yzerman. Boucher is a bit unconventional, using a 1-3-1 set up instead of a 1-2-2 or 2-1-2. Using one forchecker to pressure the play to the three stacked at the red line. The lone defender back retrieves dumps. A scheme that works for slowing neutral zone speed, but can be susceptible to effective chip and chase techniques. Much like the Caps did the other night (at least according to @Lightning Shout).

When the Blues are really clicking, the chip and chase game is their most effective tool. Getting that part of their game set up will allow the eventual speed in transition Davis Payne likes to attack with. Can the Bolts find the effort level to beat the Blues in that regard?

Besides Stamkos and St. Louis they’ve got some firepower. Vinny Lecavalier is still a very effective hockey player and a leader on the club. Registering 8 goals and 24 points in 37 games. Steve Downie is another to watch for. He leads the Bolts with 118 PIMs and has scoring skill to boot. The big scorer of late has been Teddy Purcell. The right winger has 4 goals and 9 points in his last four games.

Victor Hedman, the 2nd overall pick in 2009, is logging 21:11 TOI a game, tops on the team. He may only have 20 points, but only two have come on the man advantage. Solid production at even strength for the second year blueliner.

Tampa’s 6th ranked power play (20.7%) will be tough to handle for the Blues consistently inconsistent penalty kill (80.4%, 20th). Stamkos sets up much like Brad Boyes did in his heyday, the off wing face-off circle. Keeping sticks and bodies in lanes to prevent cross ice passes to him.

Blues Lineup

There will likely be few changes to lineup.

Andy McDonald – David Backes – Brad Boyes
Alex Steen – Patrik Berglund – TJ Oshie
Vladimir Sobotka – Jay McClement – Matt D’Agostini
Brad Winchester – BJ Crombeen – Cam Janssen

Barret Jackman – Alex Pietrangelo
Eric Brewer – Erik Johnson
Nikita Nikitin – Roman Polak

If there is any shuffling, it will likely come on the blue line. Petro and EJ could go together again with Polak pairing with Jackman as the shutdown pair in charge of Stamkos’ line.

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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.

An Important Game & Big Returns

The Note’s first game since January 26th comes at a critical juncture. A poor performance in January has earned the Blues a tie for 14th in the West. Now 8 points back of 8th place Phoenix the leapfrogging must begin. If it doesn’t happen against the only team below them in the standings, it’s not likely to happen at all.

Injuries have played a large role last month’s slide and this seasons overall inconsistency. Good news came this week regarding two key veteran presences to the club.

Forward Andy McDonald returns after missing 24 games with a concussion sustained in the last game against the Oilers on December 4th, 2010. In 25 games the speedy attacker has 8 goals and 17 points. McDonald was averaging 19:56 ATOI, but don’t expect that type of ice time in his first game back.

Defenseman Barret Jackman has been hampered by a groin injury since the 4-3 OT loss to Detroit on January 20th. Causing the gritty team leader on the blue line to miss the three games leading up to the All Star Break.

The two combine for 1,084 games of NHL experience. Don’t think that the young lineup hasn’t missed their presence. The proof is in the Win/Loss differential. The Blues went 10-11-3 without McDonald and 0-0-3 without Jackman.

On The Mend

Three have returned, but two regulars are still out of the lineup.

Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo has been out since January 18th with an eye injury. According to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Cola “escaped a career-threatening injury” and “lost his vision in his left eye for about five days”. He has resumed skating, but there is no timetable for his return.

Forward David Perron is still on his road to recovery from a concussion. Sustained on November 4th, Perron has missed 39 games. Last month he was cleared for light work outs and Andy Strickland reported that some weight training has been added to his rehab effort.

Erik Johnson nearly joined the injured list when he took a puck to the mouth at practice earlier this week. While working on the power play a deflection by McDonald struck EJ. Though three teeth lighter, he will not miss a game. He has a smile that Big Walt would be proud of.

Fight Card

The Blues are tied with the Anaheim Ducks with 49 fighting majors for tops in the NHL. The Oilers are 13th with 31.

The last scrap was between AHL callup Stefan Della Rovere and Colin Fraser.

Click here to view the embedded video.

They did have six battles in 2009-10 though. Expect some fireworks to get the home crowd in to the game.

Know the Oil

The Oilers may be at the bottom of the standings, but can be an exciting team to watch.

Dustin Penner is having a solid season. Leading the club with 16 goals and 32 points in 50 games. Top pick at the 2010 draft Taylor Hall is hot on Penner’s heels. Tallying 16 goals and 31 points in 50 games. Offensive catalyst Ales Hemsky has brought his 9 goals and 29 points in 33 games back to the lineup.

Magnus Paajarvi and Linus Omark are highly skilled young wingers capable of making plays and finishing scoring chances.

One of their young scoring dynamo’s was going to be out of the lineup. Canadian Junior hero Jordan Eberle had out with an ankle injury, but will return for tonight’s game. He was on the shelf along with Forward Gilbert Brule (Upper-Body) and top defenseman Ryan Whitney (Knee). Eberle and Brule are listed as day to day and Whitney is out for the season. Prior to injury Whitney was logging 25+ minutes a night with 25 assists and 27 points through 35 games.

Nik Khabibulin still covers the crease, just not as well as he used to. He is 8-23-2 with a 3.44 GAA and .891 save percentage. Though it appears Devan Dubnyk may start. In 17 games he is 5-6-4 with a 2.76 GAA and .916 save percentage. He has taken points in three of his last four starts. Winning two and taking another to OT.

Blues Lineup

With McDonald’s return the lines will be altered some for certain. How much is not yet known. As reports come in I’ll update the blog.

Jaroslav Halak was the expected starter per Louie Korac. However, he is out with an upper body injury. Ty Conklin will start and Ben Bishop has been recalled from the Peoria Rivermen.

Lineup Update: Per Lou Korac here are the lines and pairings.

Andy McDonal – David Backes – Brad Boyes
Alex Steen – Patrik Berglund – TJ Oshie
Vladimir Sobotka – Jay McClement – Matt D’Agostini
Brad Winchester – BJ Crombeen – Cam Janssen

Barret Jackman – Alex Pietrangelo
Eric Brewer – Erik Johnson
Nikita Nikitin – Roman Polak

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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.

Without a doubt, Dudley has a reputation as a dealer and thusly does not get too attached to his players. And his message in the paper could not be any clearer about his desire to shake up the roster mix. While there is always a chance that Dudley’s posturing has as much to do with trying to motivate underperforming players — like the recently demoted Rich Peverley, who’s recent struggles have landed him on the 4th line as a right wing — as it does with sending up an obvious “bat signal” above the league’s landscape for all GM’s to see, there remains little doubt that something must change in order for the team to have any chance for post-season play. Tonite the Thrashers welcome in their franchise predecessor Calgary Flames, who come in scorching hot having won their last 5 games. High above the ice, Dudley will be letting his fingers “do the walking” to canvass GM’s about potential deals as many players on the Thrashers’ roster ponder the thought of getting their “walking papers” in the very near future.

So who on the team should be worried about getting dealt? Using a process of elimination, one can whittle it down to a list of about 8 players who could be candidates for getting shipped out of Atlanta. First of all, you can cross off the following players who most certainly constitute Atlanta’s core for the future: Ondrej Pavelec, Tobias Enstrom, Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Evander Kane, Alex Burmistrov, Patrice Cormier and most likely Zach Bogosian even though he has been the object of many a fan’s ire and derision this season. Secondly, don’t count on injured players like Jimmy Slater or Chris Mason to have much trade value at the current juncture, nor should you expect call-ups Tim Stapleton and Drew MacIntyre to have much more than “throw-in” potential for a trade. Thirdly, you can probably take Ron Hainsey and even Nik Antropov off the list of likely trade candidates as both have either a limited or modified “No Trade Clause” and both collect large salaries with a cap hit of more than $4 M that makes them difficult to move.

After eliminating those 15 players, you are left with a small collection of 8 or 9 players who’s future in Blueland may be coming to a close very soon. The lucky nine fellows who may get to sample life elsewhere are Nicklas Bergfors, Eric Boulton, Freddy Modin, Rich Peverley, Anthony Stewart, Chris Thorburn, Freddy Meyer, Johnny Oduya and Brent Sopel. In all likelihood, Boulton, Thorburn and Meyer probably don’t need to worry that much about a potential change of scenery. Boults, Thorbs and Meyer are either role players who are too valuable to unload or a depth reserve without much trade value on the open market. Plus, all three are UFA’s this summer so unless Atlanta loses 7 or 8 of their next 10, don’t expect them to get sold off the island.

That leaves us with the select and ultra-lucky few of Bergfors, who has been mentioned in trade rumors since he started getting the healthy scratch last fall; Oduya, who came over in the Ilya Kovalchuk deal last winter; Modin and Stewart, both of whom were acquired as free-agent pick-ups prior to this season; and Sopel and Peverley, who could attract the most interest from playoff bound teams looking to fortify a deep roster and make a serious run at the Cup. Having watched Oduya play for the last year up close and personal, I would say he is also in the category of “attractive veteran who can fill a serious need on a contending team”, but I’m not so sure Coach Ramsay and Dudley are that keen on letting him go. Ramsay’s system needs adept puck movers and Oduya may be too valuable to the team’s fortunes to part with in a trade. Plus, he’s under contract for another year at a decent price ($3.5 M per). Of course, that makes him attractive trade bait as well.

There aren’t a lot of obvious trade partners right now as the playoff races in both conferences are so tight right now that only 4 or 5 teams are ready to throw in the towel: New Jersey, Ottawa, Edmonton, Columbus and the Isles. However, the latter two are both limited by their small salary budgets and aren’t necessarily ready to give up on young players who still have plenty of upside. CBJ’s GM Scott Howson has been actively pursuing potential deals, but since he plays it close to the vest, it is tough to speculate what he’s looking for and what he’s willing to give up. Toronto’s GM Brian Burke is always open to discussion on the trade front and he would desperately like to get back into the first round of this year’s draft after trading for winger Phil Kessel from Boston.

That brings me to the most interesting scenario of them all as the Boston Bruins are reportedly looking to make a deal in order to address the loss of pivot-man Marc Savard to yet another frustrating concussion injury. With his timetable for return very uncertain, the Bruins might very well be interested in two players from the Thrashers: Peverley, who can play center and wing, and Nick Bergfors, who would be an attractive piece in a trade involving a high draft pick since Boston has their own 1st rounder in addition to the one from Toronto. This blogger would personally love to see Dudley swing a deal that would net not only the B’s first rounder (not the Toronto one), but also RW Blake Wheeler, who has fallen into disfavor much like Bergfors.

Since the B’s are looking to address obvious needs to cement their roster for the stretch run – Montreal is hot on their tail for the Northeast Division race lead – they may covet a versatile player like Peverley, who would be better served playing third line center on a deep roster laden with talent rather than struggle playing top line minutes for a team still building an identity. Peverley is excellent in the face-off circle and can add lower line scoring punch to a team that is built on puck possession. Wheeler is big and fast and seems like a good fit in Ramsay’s system, which places a premium on aggressive forechecking. His size is an attractive option for the Thrasher’s top six and his hands are certainly better than those of RW Anthony Stewart, who would look better playing in a 3rd line checking role rather than top-6. Since Boston’s roster is replete with RW, perhaps even LW Freddy Modin would be an option, but since 41 year-old Mark Recchi and lumbering RW Michael Ryder have uncertain futures with the club, the right-handed Bergfors would certainly seem like the type of sniper they could use going forward.

While there haven’t been rampant rumors emanating forth from Boston about making a deal, there seems to be a lot of potential for a deal between these two teams that would help both teams address well-defined needs. The Thrashers could certainly benefit from adding a player like Wheeler, a D-man like Mark Stuart, who has been mentioned in rumors, and a high draft pick to give them flexibility for perhaps another deal closer to the deadline. Perhaps a 4-player swap along with a pick for a prospect could be in the offing? Something like Wheeler, Stuart — Dudley has mentioned he’d like to add a top-4 defenseman — and their #1 pick in return for Bergfors, Peverley and a prospect such as blueliner Arturs Kulda, who may not fit the mobile D-man profile that Thrashers management prefers (see Paul Postma). Regardless of what happens, there aren’t many teams desperate to wheel and deal just yet so Dudley may need to wait things out another week or two.

Ottawa or New Jersey may be the most likely to unload expensive veterans, but I’m not sure the Thrashers have the depth of prospects or picks (they are without a 2nd rounder as it was traded to Chicago in the Andrew Ladd deal) to swing a deal with either team. Edmonton could be an option, but both players that have been rumored as available, Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky, have an expensive remaining year left in their contracts that may not be as palatable for a salary-strapped franchise like Atlanta. More logical options for a swap are depth forward Ryan Jones and/or bottom-pair D-man Jim Vandermeer. That’s why a deal with a team like Boston, who isn’t desperate to trade, might make for an attractive partner especially considering Ramsay’s familiarity with their personnel as a former assistant coach in Beantown for 3 years. I realize it may be a longshot, but I also know that I’m not alone when it comes to a restless fanbase desperate to see some changes for the final two months of the season. If nothing else, we know Dudley’s cell phone volume is set on high!

For those who are not familiar with the city of Edmonton and the questions that surround the new arena, they are fairly simply. The Oilers have been playing in Rexall Place (formerly Skyreach Centre, Edmonton Coliseum and Northlands Coliseum) since 1974, and with the Pittsburgh Penguins moving into the new Consol Energy Center in 2011, the Oilers will be playing in the second oldest building in the NHL.

Artist rendering of the proposed district. Courtesy The Katz Group

Edmonton is a city that has lost much of its identity to urban sprawl over the course of the past decade. Driving to the the south side of the city, you can often stumble upon entire subdivisions that seemingly came out of nowhere. So the current proposal to build an arena and entertainment district in the heart of downtown seems rather logical.

The downtown core of Edmonton is not exactly the highlight of the City of Champions. There is an new art gallery and a several music and theatre venues, but it has relatively little life aside from the bar scene on the weekends. The arena project has the potential to revitalize the area with not only 41 NHL games a year, but the proposal calls for theatres and restaurants to be part of the development.

But many people in the city remain skeptical. Some say there is not enough parking. Others say there will be too much traffic in the downtown core. Many do not think that taxpayers should have to foot any part of the bill for the project. An open public debate is the solution for some, but how much would get accomplished at such an event, aside from screaming at one another?

The Edmonton Oilers are owned by pharmaceutical billionaire Daryl Katz, and as part of a funding model that the Katz Group released, the city could have to fund $250 million while he will put forth $100 million. While putting taxpayers money toward a project such as this can surely raise many concerns, it must be remembered that the Oilers are not the only ones who will be benefitting from the district. It will make downtown Edmonton a desirable location for entertainment, rather than going to the deep west or south end of the city. Many who work in the downtown core will be able to walk from work, go to dinner and then directly to the game.

A recent poll showed that the majority of Edmontonians not only supported the project, but public funding of it as well. But despite this majority, those opposed always have a way of making themselves heard, and this case has been no exception. Journalists and city councillors have been taking sides on this issue, and whether or not rezoning is approved, this will not be the last of the debate.

Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel has been one of the biggest supporters of the project, and in a way has made it the entire focus of his current term in office. If he is successful in completing this project, it will be the crowning jewel of a successful political career. But don’t let that make you think that he is pushing this project for personal gain, it truly is what is best for the city.

Katz

For the opponents that continue to think that giving the Katz Group rezoning on the land would give them some form of blank cheque, such as Central McDougall Vice-President Dan Eckel, you must ask them, if not now then when? The Oilers clearly need a new arena. Downtown Edmonton clearly needs revitalizing. We have someone who is willing to put forth $100 million towards the project.

Enough politics though, how does this arena proposal affect the Oilers on the ice? Well as we all know they are currently in the process of a serious rebuilding process, but they could have the timing down perfectly. The Oilers are currently tied for the second least points in the NHL, and look like they are well positioned to get another top three pick in this years Entry Draft. Whoever they select will join the likes of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi to form the core of a team that has the potential to be competitive in several years.

As the current proposal sits now, the Oilers would move into the new arena in 2014, and by that time the Oilers rookies, along with whoever they draft after this year, will have had a few years of NHL experience under their belt. If any of the Oilers 2010 2nd round picks, Martin Marincin, Tyler Pitlick or Curtis Hamilton, pan out, then the Oilers could have one of the best young cores in the league by the time they move into their new home.

What would the sentiment in the city be about a new arena be if this proposal were tabled after the 2006 run to the Stanley Cup Finals? The amount of money that restaurant and bar owners made off of those playoff games would be fresh in everyones mind, and the public would surely be much more receptive to the prospect of a new arena. But instead, the Oilers finished last in the league last year, and they could very well do the same this year, and this clearly affects what people think of putting their tax dollars towards this project.

People who live in Edmonton seem to have quite a short memory. It was 1998 when the team almost relocated to Houston before businessman Cal Nichols saved them from disaster. Those who think that this option is off the table this time are simply being shortsighted. Daryl Katz, despite being born and raised in Edmonton, is in the business of making money. So if he is given an opportunity to make more money with the team elsewhere, don’t think that he would refuse based on his home town bias. The threat of relocation is very real, and if we are not careful then the Oilers could very well be calling another city home once their lease is up in 2014.

In the lead up to the 2010 Entry Draft, Oilers fans were constantly debating between Hall and Plymouth Whalers centre Tyler Seguin. Taylor v. Tyler swept the city, with great arguments being made on either side. Hall was seen to be a better goal scorer, more flashy, but not as good in his own zone. Also, despite playing in the centre for the Windsor, Hall was projected as an NHL winger. Seguin on the other hand was seen to have a more complete game who’s game was improving much more rapidly. He is a true two-way centre with comparisons being drawn to Steve Yzerman.

While Seguin and Hall found themselves as the two highest rated players entering the 2010 NHL Draft, their path to that point were distinctly different. Hall was a prodigy from a young age, and put up gaudy numbers in the OHL from a young age. He went from 84 to 90 to 104 points in his three years with the Spitfires. But some thought that he was going to peak too soon. Seguin on the other hand went from 67 to 106 points for the Whalers, and some thought that he was destined to have a longer more successful career than Hall.

So the day in June came, and Steve Tambellini stepped to the podium at the Staples Centre, he could not contain himself as he selected Taylor Hall as the first overall selection for the Edmonton Oilers. The City of Champions struggled mightily last season, but the fan base was excited for this season due to the potential of Hall, along with fellow rookies Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi. But despite the magic that Eberle had with Team Canada in the World Juniors in years past, and the mysticism of Paajarvi as a Swedish sensation, Hall was seen as the centrepiece of the rebuilding franchise.

Those on Seguin’s side said that you need a franchise centre to build your team around, while those on Hall’s said that you have to take the best player available. But what if Hall actually is that franchise centre after all? He has played the last two games as the first line centre, and has played well so far. Whether or not Hall develops into the top line centre will have a huge impact on the future of the franchise. If he ends up being a better winger, then the Oil could focus on drafting that franchise centre this year, whether it is Sean Couturier or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. But if Hall can be the number one man down the middle, then Swedish blue liner Adam Larsson could be this years target.

So let’s take a look at how well Hall has played so far this year considering the hand he has been dealt, and in comparison to first overall selections of the past. The Oilers have been bitten by the injury bug in recent seasons, and this year has been no different. Ales Hemsky was out for a month with a groin injury, Shawn Horcoff injured his right knee in early December and is just now starting to skate again and the most recent casualty was Eberle when he went down awkwardly on New Years Day against the Flames and hurt his left ankle. All of this has thrust Hall from playing protected minutes with Horcoff in the middle and Eberle on his other wing, to the middle of the top line with Hemsky and Penner.

Hall is currently on pace for 50 points this season, but based on his play as of late and his increased minutes and special teams roles, it is possible that he could put up as many as 60 this year. John Tavares put up 54 points in his rookie season on the Island in all 82 games last year. Steven Stamkos put up 46 points in 79 games as a rookie for the Bolts two years back. Stamkos and Hall had similar starts to their career as Steve was playing for Barry Melrose for the first few games of his career and struggled to get on track early. As everyone knows, Stamkos has since exploded onto the scene and some say his is second to only Sid the Kid right now. His career exploded after his rookie season, but what have others done?

Click here to view the embedded video.

To look back one year earlier, Patrick Kane was taken first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks and had an exceptional rookie season. He put up 72 points while playing all 82 for the ‘Hawks, but then only scored 70 in his sophomore campaign. He then put up 88 last year in helping Chicago win Lord Stanley. It seems as if Kane is set to be a career point per game player, while Stamkos is a level or two ahead of that. It is unclear where Tavares is going to fit into this mix, as the Islanders are continuing to struggle badly this year with injuries, and Tavares has not been able to play with any line mates consistently.

You can look back further to Sid and Ovy, but everyone knows about their potential. So where does Taylor Hall fit? Comparisons before the draft put him somewhere between Pavel Bure and Mark Messier, and while that is rather lofty, anything is possible at this point. Something closer to Patrick Marleau or Mike Modano seems to be more spot on.

Depending what the Oilers decide to do at the deadline this year, where they will surely be sellers, Hall could finish the season on a tear similar to Gagner-Cogliano-Nilsson three years back. If Tambellini decides to sell big and shit one of Hemsky or Penner out, then Hall will likely entrench himself as a top line player for the rest of the season.

So what is the best comparison for Hall? How many points will he finish with this year?