Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov is out for the remainder of the season to a knee injury, which naturally has some observers wondering what GM Pierre Gauthier might do to address his absence.

Gauthier currently has approximately $1.069 million in available cap space but with Markov on long-term injury reserve the Habs GM can go over the salary cap by spending up to the equivalent of the blueliner’s $5.5 million salary if required to bolster his roster.

The Canadiens so far have played well during Markov’s absences, dating back to the second round of the last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs, so Gauthier isn’t in a hurry to either replace Markov or look toward addressing other roster needs.

That however hasn’t stopped speculation over potential moves Gauthier could or should make.

Toutsurehockey.com suggested Gauthier pursue Jack Johnson of the LA Kings, believing the Kings can’t afford to re-sign both he and Drew Doughty next summer when they become restricted free agents. The site recommended Gauthier offer up forward Max Pacioretty and defenseman Yannick Weber.

It’s highly unlikely the Kings will move Johnson this season but if they were it certainly wouldn’t be for two guys who’ve yet to prove themselves at the NHL level.

The Kings are in the market for an established scoring left winger, which Pacioretty isn’t, and the Habs don’t have enough of their own to offer up for Johnson.

If the Habs remain in the top four of the Eastern Conference up to the February trade deadline Gauthier could use his extra dollars to pursue a physical scoring forward, not a defenseman who’s not going to be available this season.

The Montreal Canadiens will be starting the upcoming season without their best player in defenseman Andrei Markov, who’s expected to miss at least the first two months recovering from knee surgery.

Canadiens management reportedly have no current plans to bring in any short-term replacements opting to evaluate their current blueline over the next two weeks in training camp and pre-season play.

“Eklund” of Hockeybuzz.com however claims there’s “persistent” rumors the Canadiens are in talks with the Vancouver Canucks, especially for a deal which would send defenseman Kevin Bieksa to the Habs.

“The longheld feeling that Salo’s injury would kill off Bieksa rumors or keep the Canucks from moving Bieksa is a thought of the past.”

It remains of course to be seen what the Canucks will do regarding their defense but Salo’s sidelining is a serious loss to their blueline and moving out an experienced blueliner like Bieksa at this time simply makes no sense.

It makes even less sense for the Canadiens, who have less than $800K in cap space, to acquire Bieksa, who’s set to earn $3.75 million this season.

Yes, the Habs will be able to spend over the cap by the equivalent of Markov’s $5.75 million salary while he’s on long-term injury status but they’ll have to free up space for his return, which won’t be easy to do with Bieksa’s salary on the books.

The Canadiens would therefore have to ensure they move out at least $5 million to the Canucks in order to comfortably absorb Bieska’s salary plus leave enough space for Markov’s return.

Problem is, the Canucks are now above the salary cap by over $3.1 million and even with Salo on LTIR they cannot afford to take on too much additional salary, certainly not another $5 million.

Clearly if the Canadiens intend early in the season to seek a short-term fill-in for Markov they’ll probably do what they did last season and sign an affordable free agent to a one-year deal as they did with Marc-Andre Bergeron.

When considering the validity of trade rumors or the possibility a rumored deal might happen in today’s salary cap world it’s important to determine whether or not the salaries fit. It’s clear that Vancouver shipping Kevin Bieksa going to Montreal simply doesn’t fit for either club.

Lyle Richardson

SpectorsHockey.net
twitter.com/spectorshockey

In a developing story, Conor McKenna of the team 990 (later posted on Habs Inside/Out and RDS) has reported that Habs defenseman Andrei Markov has made the flight to Pittsburgh along with his teammates.

RDS has confirmed the story, but added that he will not play tomorrow. Nevertheless, McKenna has hinted that since Markov has not had surgery yet, there is a possibility that he could return to action before the Canadiens’ playoff run is done, just like, ironically, Sergei Gonchar in last year’s playoff run for the Pens.

An ACL injury like the one Markov has could be devastating for a player, but most injuries can be played with before the player goes in for surgery.

If Markov is indeed available to play, it will be the second miraculous recovery of this very series, with Jordan Staal returning from a severed tendon mere days after surgery.

We will stay on this story as it develops, and I’ll have more on this and last night’s game 4, as well as tomorrow night’s game 5 at Mellon Arena, tomorrow afternoon.

In other news, Sergei Kostitsyn, the pariah of this Montreal Canadiens team, was NOT on the flight to Pittsburgh and has likely been sent home for the remainder of the playoffs. Also making the flight was defenseman Paul Mara, out for half the season with a shoulder injury. He is guaranteed not to play though, and is merely with the team for moral support.

More tomorrow,

Prax
www.thecheckingline.com
www.twitter.com/thecheckingline

It truly is a time for rejoicing for Habs fans, despite recent struggles on the ice for their favorite team.

Despite the uncertain status of his injury, it looks as if Andrei Markov will be returning to action tomorrow night as the Habs visit the New York Islanders. RDS broke the story only a little while ago. This news comes only days after Pat Hickey broke the news that Markov could return this week. RDS has essentially confirmed Pat Hickey’s story. (English story here)

Markov met with team doctors last night, and it looks as if they gave him the go ahead for tomorrow’s game, far ahead of the original return timetable, which was February at the earlier. Markov proved to be resilient in his rehabilitation, showing incredible desire to heal and return to action. He should be a big help for the struggling habs, who look to break a 5 game losing streak, the latest loss coming at the hands of the Minnesota Wild last night at the Bell Centre.

It will not only be a Christmas present for the Habs, but a birthday present for Markov, who turns 31 tomorrow.

In other injury news:

- Brian Gionta skated alone today with the Canadiens conditioning coach, and he will accompany the team on their road trip. No word on when he will return, but it should be soon.

- No word on Roman Hamrlik, but he’s doubtful for tomorrow’s game.

- Yannick Weber, who was recalled to replace Hamrlik in last night’t game, but didn’t see any action due to the returning Paul Mara, was sent back down to Hamilton today. Also along for the trip was Tom Pyatt, who failed to accumulate any points in 19 games. He was a -9, but played better than his statistics showed.

- Marc-Andre Bergeron, who leads all Habs defensemen in points, will dress on the 4th line for tomorrow’s game, and will presumably receive heavy amounts of powerplay time on the point.

More tomorrow before the game,

Prax
www.thecheckingline.com
www.twitter.com/thecheckingline

 ————————–

Update 12:15PM: RDS.ca is now reporting that Markov could very well be returning to the line-up as early as the end of December. He will start working out at a higher pace in December. We can only hope that he’s actually ahead of schedule, and not only doing this to make the Olympics.

More to come

———————–

Update 2:30PM:

Markov interview after he practice.

He says he’s happy, uncomfortable but happy to be back on the ice. He’s eyeing an early year return.

Habs Inside/Out has the full 14 minutes of audio from his interview.

He’ll definitely be back before the Olympics, but no update on whether he plans to be a part of Team Russia in Vancouver next year.

—————————–

For the first time since October 1st, the Canadiens number one defenseman and overall best player skated briefly this morning at the Habs’ practice facility in Brossard. CorusSports and RDS were the first to break the story on their twitter accounts.

Although it wasn’t for long, and for all we know, he could have been severely uncomfortable and have decided he wasn’t ready yet (knock on wood), it’s a good sign for the Habs, who are severely depleted on the blue line and are having big troubles defensively, having been outshot, sometimes baddly, in 5 of their last 6 games, and many more times since the season began.

An early return for the Canadiens would mean stability on the back-end as well as improved special teams. There is no updated timetable for Markov’s return, however he was scheduled for a February return when news of his injury first broke. If the Canadiens can get him back around the new year, it would be excellent news for a group that was missing 9 skaters from their opening season line-up, which translates to 43% of their salaries and half the line-up.

As a result, the Habs are 12-12-1 on the season, a respectable record for a severely injured group with many AHL players in their line-up, all culminating in a 3-1 loss to the Stanley Cup Champion and Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins last night. While Carey Price kept the team in it, it was a gritty effort from the Habs, who were on the tail end of a back-to-back situation, led by Max Pacioretty, who had arguably his best game in the NHL, as well as Mike Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec (big surprise), who had many of the Canadiens scoring chances.

So while there’s nothing to be truly happy about coming out of last night’s game if you’re a Habs fan, there’s also nothing to complain about, really, and some very good news coming out of the Markov situation.

The only other players to skate were concussed forward Matt D’Agostini (who will probably make his return sometime next week), and suspended tough guy Georges Laraque. The rest of the team opted for off-ice practice and team meetings.

The Habs next game will be Saturday Night at the Bell Centre against the Washington Capitals, who may or may not be with their star forward Alexander Ovechkin, after last night’s questionable hit on Patrick Kaleta.

More on the Markov situation as the information becomes available.

Prax
www.thecheckingline.com
www.twitter.com/thecheckingline

- In case you missed it, please check out my Washington Capitals Quarter-Season Review.

Carlson Makes his NHL Debut – Varlamov to Start

The Capitals will welcome the Montreal Canadiens to the Verizon Center tonight at 7pm. This will be the first of 2 games in 8 days between these teams as the Capitals will pay the Canadiens a visit next Saturday.

Washington enters tonight’s game in 1st place in the Eastern Conference while the Canadiens currently sit mired in the bubble groups with 20 points in 21 games. Although they sit in 12th place at the moment, the Habs are only 5 points out of 1st place in the Northeast division, so they must not be counted out.

Montreal has been one of the most heavily criticized teams this season, and with good reason. The summer overhaul by Bob Gainey, the switch in ownership and the makeover of the coaching staff are clearly the largest wholesale changes in the entire league. It’s difficult to expect instant success when cooking without a recipe and that is exactly what it seems like Gainey has done. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, et voila! An expansion team!

I mean no disrespect to the Capitals opponents this evening as the Canadiens do boast some considerable weaponery, but without the services of Brian Gionta and Andrei Markov, the Habs are no better than a first year team trying to find its place in a new league.

Now, obviously the Canadiens are not an expansion team, but the point behind the assessment is that, if there is any team in the NHL that will be the hardest to read, it will be the Montreal Canadiens.

No one can really predict where they will finish because no one can truly gauge the chemistry of the team. It’s hard to focus on specific players when you don’t know who the most dangerous threat is.

And this in direct contrast to the Capitals.

Washington has a buffet of dangerous scoring weapons and everyone knows it.

The Habs are supposed to led by Cammalleri and Gomez, but at the moment are clearly being pulled along by Tomas Plekanec and some serious goaltending from Carey Price.

People can criticize Montreal all they want, but I will shy away from it.

I say they are an expansion team for the simple fact that with so many new faces in and around the team, it’s hard not to think of the Habs as the new kids on the block.

That said, they are in need of their respect or the Capitals will get their just dues.

The Capitals are without top guns Mike Knuble and Alex Semin as well as defensive studs Quintin Laing and Boyd Gordon. In their place, expect to see Tyler Sloan move up to forward while Flash should see time on the top unit and expect Fehr to skate on the 2nd line with Laich and Morrison. Jay Beagle and Mathieu Perreault will be the Caps wildcards tonight as they will likely skate together on the 3rd line with captain Chris Clark.

Jose Theodore will not suit up for the Capitals tonight as the team has recalled Michal Neuvrith and will likely insert him as the backup behind Semyon Varlamov tonight.

Varly made his NHL debut against the Habs last season and played an extremely strong game, so expect more of the same tonight as Semyon enters the game with a 8-1 record this season.

John Carlson makes his NHL debut and I could not be more excited for the 19 year old former London Knight. Carlson is an incredibly dynamic defender who can put up serious points. He is still young, but has already impressed everyone by putting up 14 points with the Bears and a commanding +14. John will skate in his NHL debut alongside Tom Poti and will be given every opportunity to succeed. He has a booming shot and quick feet. His addition to the Capitals blue line makes them a much stronger team.

Game Notes

Welcome to the show – Defenseman John Carlson is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Carlson will be the 10th Capitals drafted player to suit up for Washington this season – Mathieu Perreault became the ninth player after making his NHL debut on Nov. 4 at New Jersey. Carlson was drafted in the first round, 27th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. At 19 years old Carlson will be the Caps youngest player to make his NHL debut since Alexander Semin made his debut in 2003-04 season. The Natick, Mass. native has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) and is a +14 in 17 games for the Hershey Bears this season. Last season the Capitals had six players make their NHL debut – Karl Alzner, Jay Beagle, Sean Collins, Andrew Gordon, Oskar Osala and Tyler Sloan.

Balanced attack –Washington and San Jose are the only teams in the league with more than two players with at least 20 points; they each have four (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Laich and Green are Washington’s). Entering Thursday’s games 12 teams don’t have a single 20-point scorer.
Home run –Washington has won three home games in a row and is 6-0-3 in its last nine at Verizon Center. Its 7-1-3 home record on the year is tied with Philadelphia for the best in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals are 57-18-9 at home under head coach Bruce Boudreau (.732). Washington has just four home games in the next 33 days.
Flash flood –Tomas Fleischmann’s nine-game point-scoring streak is tied for the fourth-longest in the NHL this season; only Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have had longer streaks for the Capitals since the 2004-05 work stoppage. Fleischmann ranks first in the league in shooting percentage (33.3%) and fifth in goals per game (0.70) and already has seven goals and 11 points despite missing more than half the season recovering from a blood clot in his leg.
Happy return –Alex Ovechkin scored just 15:16 into his return from injury Tuesday night and –despite missing six games and 15 days –still holds a share of the NHL lead in goals with 15. Ovechkin also leads in shots (87) and ranks tied for fourth in points (a team-high 24). Ovechkin has scored in four of the last five games he has played, the lone exception coming in the game when he was hurt.
Powerful stuff –The Capitals have scored a power-play goal in 10 of their last 11 games and are 14-for-38 (36.8%) in that time. They are 8-for-17 in the last six games (47.1%) with at least one PPG in each of those games.
Hitting 100 –Head coach Bruce Boudreau is the fourth-fastest NHL coach to reach 100 wins in his career and the fastest among coaches who made their debuts during the season. Boudreau won No. 100 in his 164th game (100-45-19), and did it after inheriting a team that had 70 points the year before he arrived. The coaches who reached 100 wins faster inherited teams that posted 99 points (Tom Johnson, 138 games), 98 points (Mike Keenan, 152 games) and 95 points (Terry Crisp, 158 games).

Lineups

Washington Capitals

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fleischmann
Laich-Morrison-Fehr
Beagle-Perreault-Clark
Sloan-Steckel-Bradley

- With Semin, Knuble, Laing and Gordon out, expectations for Eric Fehr, Tomas Fleischmann and Mathieu Perreault will rise.

- I am completely uncertain what line combinations that Boudreau will use tonight against the Canadiens, but if I had to guess, Flash will be on the top line and Fehr will skate on the 2nd.

Green-Schultz
Poti-Carlson
Pothier-Erskine

- Jurcina and Morrisonn are nursing minor injuries and won’t make it into the lineup tonight.

- John Carlson will make his NHL debut as a 19 year old versus the Canadiens, Semyon Varlamov did the same thing last year, so hopefully the Russian netminder has some good advice for the first round pick.

*Varlamov
Neuvrith

- Varly will get the start and Neuvo will back him up.

- Theo has been practicing with the team all week, but since Neuvrith was called up, the Caps are going to at least give him a chance to backup Varly. It is uncertain as to whether or not Jose will be good to rejoin the lineup tomorrow. If he is not, then expect Neuvrith to get the nod.

Montreal Canadiens

Cammalleri-Gomez-Moen
Kostitsyn-Plekanec-Pacioretty
Latendresse-Lapierre-Pyatt
White-Metropolit-Laraque

- According to habsinside.out, Travis Moen will be skating on the 1st line tonight while Georges Laraque will be patrolling the 4th.
- The Habs have also been decimated by injuries, perhaps as bad as anyone else in the NHL this season, having now lost Brian Gionta for an undetermined amount of time thanks to a broken foot.

Hamrlik-Spacek
Mara-Gorges
O’Byrne-Bergeron

- Things get a little better for the Habs tonight as they will get a boost from the return of Ryan O’Byrne.
- Of course, Andrei Markov, the Canadiens best player, remains out recovering from surgery to repair a sliced tendon.

*Price
Halak

- Carey Price seems likely to get the nod versus the Caps tonight. Price has been phenomenal over the last little stretch, so if the Canadiens expect to get the better of the Capitals tonight, it will likely be because of their goaltender.

For the Habs perspective on tonight’s game, I highly suggest you check out Eric Engels’ coverage.

I will be back with more as I get it.

I am now on Twitter, so feel free to follow me!

www.twitter.com/StevenHindle
stevenhindle@hotmail.com

Go Caps!!!!!

Although we have yet to see a single team hit the 10 game mark yet, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at which teams are already facing serious problems due to injuries.

With the likes of Markov and Franzen already sustaining near-season ending injuries, it seems that depth is going to a major factor in how a team will fare throughout the long haul.

Keeping that in mind, here is the current list of players Injured Players per team:

Anaheim Ducks

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

James Wisniewski | 10-11-09 | on IR | Sprained Right Shoulder

- no major injuries thus far to the Ducks and given how deep they are, I would not expect a major injury or two to phase this team. They will be contenders so long as they do not suffer more than one major injury to their core.

Atlanta Thrashers

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Kari Lehtonen | 10-01-09 | on IR | Back Surgery
Boris Valabik | 10-07-09 | on IR 4-6 weeks | Left Ankle Surgery
Nik Antropov | 10-16-09 | Probable | Knee

- The Thrashers are a much improved team, or at least Ilya Kovalchuk hopes so. Until Antropov and Lehtonen return though, Kovalchuk won’t truly know how much this team has improved.

Boston Bruins

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Dennis Wideman | 10-16-09 | Doubtful for Friday’s game | Left Shoulder

- The Bruins are relatively healthy, although missing Wideman for a game or two isn’t great. Boston is in need of staying healthy all year long if they expect to recapture their division.

Buffalo Sabres

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Andrej Sekera | 10-11-09 | on IR at least 2 weeks | Ribs
Thomas Vanek | 10-16-09 | Doubtful for Friday | Upper Body
Adam Mair | 10-16-09 | Questionable for Friday | Hip Surgery

- Injuries to Vanek, Connolly and Miller cost the Sabres a playoff spot last year. With Miller playing incredible hockey and Connolly trucking along, all Sabre fans can hope for is that Vanek can avoid missing any significant stretch of time this season.

Calgary Flames

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

John Armstrong | 09-17-09 | on IR | Undisclosed
David Moss | 10-16-09 | Questionable for Friday | Upper Body

- Calgary is deep on D, but not on offense. If the Flames expect to do better than their opening round ousting at the hands of the Blackhawks this season, they can ill afford any injuries to Jarome Iginla or Olli Jokinen.

Carolina Hurricanes

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Casey Borer | 09-14-09 | on IR | Broken Neck
Michael Ryan | 09-22-09 | on IR | Concussion
Erik Cole | 10-04-09 | expected miss 4-6 weeks | Broken Left Leg
Joni Pitkanen | 10-15-09 | Questionable for Saturday | Knee

- Losing Cole hurts, but with the expected return of Pitkanen within the next 10 days, the Hurricanes should be ok. Cole is injury prone so this does not come as a great shock to Cane fans, and considering how durable Eric Staal and Cam Ward have been, Carolina should have a consistent season.

Chicago Blackhawks

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Marian Hossa | 09-14-09 | on IR indefinitely | Right Shoulder Surgery
Adam Burish | 09-22-09 | on IR indefinitely | Knee Surgery
Ben Eager | 10-08-09 | on IR | Concussion

- Chicago may be one of the deepest teams in the league. Despite starting the year without Marian Hossa and losing Burish for nearly the entire season, the Hawks are rolling along. Missing Burish will hurt, but when Hossa and Eager return to the lineup, this team will only continue to get stronger.

Colorado Avalanche

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Tom Preissing | 09-14-09 | on IR expected to miss 4-6 weeks | Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Brandon Yip | 10-01-09 | on IR | Undisclosed
Ruslan Salei | 10-09-09 | on IR | Back
John-Michael Liles | 10-14-09 | expected to miss 1-2 weeks | Bruised Right Shoulder

- The Avs do not have much in the way of expectations this season, but having kicked the year off with such a hot start, they may just turn out better than expected. Missing regulars like Preissing, Salei and Liles certainly hurts Colorado’s blue line, but having handled both the Leafs and Canadiens so easily while on the road, these Avs may surprise us yet.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Mike Commodore | 09-19-09 | on IR | Groin
Frederik Modin | 09-29-09 | on IR | Knee
Jan Hejda | 10-14-09 | expected to miss 4-6 weeks | Sprained Left Knee

- The Jackets are now considered a playoff team and have a surplus of youthful depth on their roster, but in order for them to find success during the regular season they are going to need to keep their superstars(Nash and Mason) healthy and insulated. Losing Modin is somewhat normal in Columbus, but missing Commodore and Hejda pose problems, albeit temporary. If Columbus does not suffer any serious injuries to either Nash or Mason, this team will turn a lot of heads.

Dallas Stars

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Warren Peters | 09-25-09 | on IR out indefinitely | Broken Orbital Bone
Luke Gazdic | 10-02-09 | on IR | Shoulder
Steve Ott | 10-14-09 | out 1 week | Oblique
Mike Modano | 10-16-09 | expected to miss Friday’s game | Ribs

- The Stars no longer rely on Modano as their backbone, but missing out on the veteran leader’s services and that of pest/grinder Steve Ott certainly leaves a void in Dallas’ lineup. The playoffs are already considered a challenge for the Stars this year, if they suffer any serious injuries to key players like Morrow, Ribiero or Turco, those hopes will get even slimmer.

Detroit Red Wings

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Andreas Lilja | 09-14-09 | on IR | Post-Concussion symptoms
Cory Emmerton | 09-28-09 | on IR | Upper Body
Johan Franzen | 10-09-09 | on IR expected to miss 4-6 months | Torn Left ACL
Pavel Datsyuk | 10-16-09 | Questionable for Saturday’s game | Upper Body

- Having already lost nearly 100 goals with the departures of Hossa, Hudler and Samuelsson, Detroit must now suffer through the loss of the “Mule” for almost the entire year. It was already going to be tougher in Motown than in season’s past, but with such heavy losses to the offense, it’s plain to see that this Red Wings team just is not as deep as they used to be. Losing Datsyuk, Zetterberg or Lidstrom could be the final piece that could cause these Wings to fall from grace.

Edmonton Oilers

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Fernando Pisani | 09-30-09 | on IR out indefinitely | Back
Marc Pouliot |09-30-09 | on IR | Pubic Bone
Sheldon Souray | 10-09-09 | on IR | Concussion
Steve Staios | 10-16-09 | Doubtful for Friday’s game | Concussion

- The Oilers are missing two hulking blue-liners in Souray and Staios, without them patrol Edmonton’s zone, the Oilers must be considered a vulnerable team. They are not all that big up front and will rely on their size on defense to get them through a tough Western Conference. The playoffs may be a bit out of reach this season, especially if their depth on defense is tested.

Florida Panthers

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Steven Reinprecht | 10-16-09 | Probable for Friday | Lower Body
Radek Dvorak | 10-16-09 | Probable for Friday | Flu
Nathan Horton | 10-16-09 | Probable for Friday | Lower Body

- The Panthers have no major injuries at the moment and would like to keep it that way. Not exactly one of the strongest teams in the East, Florida is going to need to stay healthy and use all of their depth players in an effort to break into the post-season.

Minnesota Wild

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

P-M Bouchard | 10-04-09 | out Indefinitely | Concussion/Headaches
Cal Clutterbuck | 10-13-09 | on IR | Sprained Left Ankle
Pety Sykora | 10-16-09 | Doubtful for Friday | Groin
Martin Havlat | 10-16-09 | Doubtful for Friday | Groin

- Having replaced their former duo of Demitra and Gaborik with the new tandem of Havlat and Sykora, the Wild better hope that their bad luck as a team with groin injuries disappears. Unfortunately, as the list suggests, that is not the case as both Sykora and Havlat are already suffering with groin issues. One has to wonder what’s in the ice at the Xcel Center that leads to all these groin issues.

Montreal Canadiens

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Andrei Markov | 10-02-09 | on IR expected to miss 4 months | Left Ankle Tendon
Ryan O’Byrne | 10-04-09 | on IR expected to miss 6-8 weeks | Knee
Glen Metropolit | 10-06-09 | on IR | Ribs

- With the greatest science experiment ever attempted in the NHL underway, this year’s edition of the Habs has already run into big issues. Losing their best player and the rock on their blue line in Andrei Markov for almost the entire season has immediately thrown the Canadiens hopes for making the playoffs into jeopardy. Of course there is no replacement for a player of Markov’s talents, so it should be very, very interesting to see what the Canadiens do beyond the recent signing of Marc-Andre Bergeron. The Habs are a one-line team at the moment and are but one more major injury away from an already disastrous season.

Nashville Predators

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Jordin Tootoo | 10-03-09 | on IR | Hip Flexor/Quads

- Nashville, like many of the bubble teams, can ill-afford injuries to their major players. Having dealt with the loss of Steve Sullivan over the last couple of seasons, the Predators are finally hoping for full strong seasons from Dumont, Arnott and Sullivan to help edge Nashville back into the playoffs.

New Jersey Devils

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Mark Fraser | 09-29-09 | on IR | Upper Body
Patrik Elias | 09-29-09 | on IR expected to miss 3-6 weeks | Groin Surgery

- The Devils had to deal with the season-long loss of Martin Brodeur last year and are in no mood to repeat that fate. Although Elias is currently injured, he is recovering from off-season repairs, New Jersey is pretty much healthy and looking to get back into the good ‘ol days of team winning systems. With Jacques Lemaire back behind the bench in the Swamp, the Devils will rely more on their systems and less on individuals, but if they lose Marty again or if Parise or Elias miss serious time, things could get tricky in Jersey.

NY Islanders

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Frans Nielsen | 09-22-09 | on IR | Arthroscopic Surgery
Jeremy Reich | 09-30-09 | on IR out indefinitely | Broken Left Wrist
Mark Flood | 09-30-09 | on IR | Lower Body
Rick Dipietro | 10-01-09 | on IR out indefinitely | Knee Surgery
Trent Hunter | 10-10-09 | on IR expected to miss 4-6 weeks | Torn Pec
Pascal Morency | 10-16-09 | Undisclosed | Undisclosed

- The Isles are in the midst of a full rebuild and do not have wild and crazy expectations, but if they can manage to get some of these players back off of the IR they could find themselves as a fairly competitive squad. If, and when, Rick Dipietro returns, the Isles may very well be able to pursue some more depth by trading away either Dwayne Roloson or Marty Biron.

New York Rangers

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Donald Brashear | 10-15-09 | Questionable for Saturday | Body Soreness

- Healthy, but dreading any mention of a groin injury, the Rangers are relying on the incomparable Marian Gaborik to lead them to success. Unfortunately for New York, they do not possess all that much depth beyond Gaborik and if they lose him, the Rangers could be in big trouble. If he can avoid his annual sojourns to the Injured List though and these Rangers will be dangerous.

Ottawa Senators

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Filip Kuba | 10-16-09 | Doubtful for Saturday | Lower Body
Peter Regin | 10-16-09 | Probable for Saturday | Upper Body
Jesse Winchester | on IR, probable for Saturday | Knee

- The Sens are a much deeper team thanks to the trade of Dany Heatley and are likely going to enjoyed renewed success thanks to it. Combine the acquisition of Michalek and Cheechoo with the signing of Alex Kovalev and the Sens are once again deep offensively. Injuries won’t necessarily slow this team down, unless it is to their new starter Pascal Leclaire.

Philadelphia Flyers

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Mike Rathje | 10-01-09 | On IR for the season | Hip/Back
Blair Betts | 10-07-09 | on IR | Dislocated Right Shoulder
James van Riemsdyk | 10-16-09 | Probable for Friday | Concussion symptoms

- The Flyers are extremely deep, even though they ponied up a King’s Ransom to the Ducks for Chris Pronger. It will take a lot of injuries to a lot of major players to slow this team down. The major questions will remain in nets and if Emery gets injured, Philly better hope that Boucher is up to the task. That said, Philly looks to be one of the deeper, more dangerous teams in the NHL this season.

Phoenix Coyotes

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Kurt Sauer | 10-16-09 | Questionable for Friday | Headaches

- There are a lot of questions surrounding this edition of the Coyotes, but with an impressive collection of talent up front, the only thing to worry about in Phoenix will be if Ilya Bryzgalov can stay healthy. He has been conisistent and strong over the last few seasons, but if the ‘Yotes were to lose him for an extended stretch they will be in big trouble.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Maxime Talbot | 09-14-09 | on IR out indefinitely | Left Shoulder Surgery
Mark Letestu | 09-17-09 | on IR | Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Ben Lovejoy | 09-29-09 | on IR out indefinitely | Shoulder

- They are the defending champs and should not be questioned. They suffered through injuries and brutal stretches at times last season, but given that they have started the season with Sergei Gonchar this time around, Pittsburgh likely won’t find themselves out of a playoff spot at any time this year. With perhaps the most elite depth in the NHL, the Pens will have no problem hanging around to defend their Cup title.

San Jose Sharks

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Torrey Mitchell | 09-30-09 | on IR | Left Knee Tendonitis
Joe Pavelski | 10-05-09 | on IR | Foot
Douglas Murray | 10-16-09 | Questionable for Saturday | Flu

- The Sharks, much like the Penguins, boast perhaps the most elite depth in the Western Conference(although you could argue Chicago). If they can stay healthy in nets, they should have no problems.

Saint Louis Blues

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

DJ King | 09-27-09 | On IR | Thumb
Barret Jackman | 10-09-09 | On IR | Sprained Left Ankle

- Although I thought that Eric Brewer was still on the IR, the Blues must be very happy to have started the season with both him and Eric Johnson in their lineup. St.Louis is an up and coming team in the West and are loaded with youthful depth. This team will be able to handle a lot of adversity, yet like most other teams, they will be relying heavily on Chris Mason.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

David Hale | 10-16-09 | Probable for Saturday | Flu

- Tampa’s hopes rely on netminder Mike Smith. Having missed most of the last season with Concussion like symptoms, Marty Turco’s former backup will be the determining factor in the Lightning’s pursuit of a playoff spot. They have insulated themselves by signing Antero Nittymaki and blueliners Mathias Ohlund and Kurtis Foster(as well as 2nd overall pick Victor Hedman), but if Smith, who was the team’s best player last season, is injured for any extended period of time, TBay could falter.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Phil Kessel | 09-19-09 | on IR out indefinitely | Shoulder Surgery
Mike Van Ryn | 09-30-09 | on IR out for the year | Knee Surgery
Wayne Primeau | 10-04-09 | on IR | Shoulder
Jonas Gustavsson | 10-08-09 | on IR | Strained Groin
Vesa Toskala | out 1-2 weeks | Knee

- Having endured serious struggles already, the Leafs will now be without the services of Mike Van Ryn for the remainder of the year. Van Ryn will have the same kind of knee surgery as Steve Yzerman and will not be expected back until next season, if at all. The Leafs are currently without both of their starting goaltenders and their best forward so it’s not that hard to see that this season may very well be another struggle in Toronto. Management will have to stay on top of things, especially if injuries continue to decimate this newly rebuilt lineup.

Vancouver Canucks

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Pavol Demitra | 09-14-09 | on IR out indefinitely | Shoulder Surgery
Mathieu Schneider | 09-29-09 | on IR | Shoulder Surgery
Jannik Hansen | 09-30-09 on IR expected to miss 6-8 weeks | Broken Right Hand
Daniel Sedin | 10-11-09 | expected to miss 4-6 weeks | Broken Foot
Sami Salo | 10-12-09 | expected to miss 3-5 weeks | Sprained Right MCL

- The Canucks are considered Cup contenders by many, yet are currently plagued by injuries to serious contributors. That said, Vancouver should have no problem rolling along once these players return to their lineup. In terms of depth, the Canucks would sorely miss Roberto Luongo, but with Andrew Raycroft as backup and an elite goaltender of the future in Corey Schneider sitting in Manitoba just aching for a shot, this team is set to have a spectacular year.

Washington Capitals

Player | Date | Status | Injury Description

Tomas Fleischmann | 09-14-09 | on IR | Blood Clot in Left Leg
John Erskine | 10-15-09 | on IR | Hand
Jose Theodore | 10-16-09 | Questionable for Saturday | Back Spasms
Boyd Gordon | 10-16-09 | Questionable for Saturday | Back

- The Caps are fairly deep as they have Michael Nylander as a healthy scratch, yet it’s the depth of the team’s defense which has fans questioning how far this club will really go. There are elite prospects waiting to take spots on the blueline, but until the team can clear out some of their current defenders, and some cap space, there will continue to be questions about how far this team will be able to go in the playoffs.

- information obtained from TSN.ca

Although this NHL season has only just begun, it’s plain to see that certain teams are already stuck in the middle of some serious injury troubles.

Injuries will severely affect trade values as the season continues on, so it should be interesting to see how the deeper teams handle all of the trade enquiries from GM’s seeking to salvage seasons being crushed by injuries to major players.

Steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!

Credit Picture to Habs Inside/Out

Edit: I learned just after writing most of this blog that Markov just underwent surgery and will be out for 4 months. God help us all.

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Last night, I was so ecstatic about the Canadiens victory over the Leafs that I almost posted a blog right away. I figured I’d wait, seeing as letting a few realities of the game sink in might reduce my homerism and allow me to transmit a more objective viewpoint (ya right).

Needless to say, I think I speak for a lot of Habs fans when I say that our egos are at least somewhat deflated this morning, despite the impressive victory the boys put together last night. Some of it certainly has to do with the fact that the Canadiens weren’t even near to playing a solid game (more on that a bit later).

But what’s weighing heavily down on this important yet early-season victory is the potentially serious injury to All-Star defenseman Andrei Markov. Word broke this morning that Markov could require surgery to repair a potentially damaged tendon in his leg after he sliced his leg on Carey Price’s skate during the third period last night. Markov spent the night in a Toronto hospital and did not travel with the team to Buffalo.

Needless to say, the entirety of the Habs nation is holding their breath right now. Markov is the key to this team, the all-star, the best defenseman, the key to the powerplay, and arguably their best player. On nights where he’s been injured or out of the line-up for whatever reason, this team has looked lost. Even this past pre-season, after the habs acquired defensemen Hal Gill and Paul Mara in order to build defensive depth and make sure defensive injuries wouldn’t hurt as bad.

And to be honest, if Markov is out long term, it won’t hurt as much as it would have last season. Gorges and O’Byrne are more mature and they can step up, Spacek can make up for his absense offensively, and Mara and Gill can take over his leadership and presense role, not to mention Hamrlik who can step up and play like a number one defenseman on some nights. But if we are to expect the worst (and that’s an injury similar to Robert Lang’s last year, which ended his season and severely limited his chances at ever playing in the NHL again, before the Coyotes picked him up), then any combination of our improved defense corps won’t be able to make up for Markov’s total contribution. Not in the long term anwyay.

And that, my friends, is scary. Nevertheless, we shouldn’t panic until we know more about his injury.

There is still a game to review, and another 81 games on the schedule to look forward to, and last night, the Canadiens proved that there is hope for this team this season and that fans should be excited about most of the arrivals. They put together an effort that was good enough to beat a much improved and very tough team in the leafs in front of their home crowd, and both the team and habs fans should be proud of that.

Leafs fans shouldn’t worry either, their team showed grit, effort, toughness, and any new big words Brian Burke decides to learn, and in reality the game was extremely close.

But for now, it’s time for the Habs to celebrate.

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But without further adieu, here is The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly that I took in from the game:

THE GOOD

- Josh Gorges: A solid performance from this young defenseman. Josh Gorges had a lot of Habs fans worried this past little while due to a less than stellar training camp and pre-season, but he stepped up last night, and in a big way. Scoring the game winner and adding an assist, and playing an overall solid game that allowed him to garner the first star of the game, and a deserved star. Hopefully, he can continue to play like this and impress.

- Carey Price: The best performance we’ve seen out of Price in a long time, the former 5th overall pick managed to stop 43 out of 46 shots in what was an incessant Leafs offense. Despite Bob Gainey’s assurances that the defense would be there for Price this year, he showed a lot of nay-sayers that he isn’t done as a starting goaltender in this city and that he can perform.

- The 18-million dollar trio: Bob Gainey took more criticism than praise this off-season when he traded for Scott Gomez and signed Brian Gionta and Mike Cammaleri, so they too had something to prove last night and they accomplished just that. They started the night on different lines but played many shifts together, and all three looked comfortable. Gomez was the ”worst” out of the three, but he wasn’t bad, even drawing a 4 minute penalty out of Komisarek which the habs scored quickly on, and winning the faceoff on the game-tying goal. Gionta scored early and played his heart out, and Cammaleri blossomed late in the game, in the end createda spectacular play, rushing up the ice at full speed and forced Gorges’ game winning goal, finishing the night with 2 assists.

- Travis Moen: 2 fights, 1 goal +1 in less than 10 minutes of ice time. Not much else you can say, and not much else you could ask out of him.

- Georges Laraque: Big Georges played played just a bit over 5 minutes and spent about the same time in the box, but he did what he needed to do out there last night. He fought (even though it was staged against Orr), created a play that led to Moen’s goal, and looked out there the rest of his ten-ish shifts. If he can learn to lay in a big hit once in a while and remain healthy, Laraque’s contract won’t look so bad after all.

- Leafs truculence and pugnacity: Gotta give credit where credit is due. Even though they lost, they came out flying, hitting, fighting, and tough. They proved that they mean business and despite losing the game in overtime made a statement to the habs, the rest of the league and certainly their fans that they’re going to be much tougher to play agains this season.

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THE BAD

- The rest of the Canadiens defense: While Gorges had a solid game, the rest of the defenders in red didn’t look all that great. Markov was alright, Spacek looked slow out there and Hal Gill even slower. We knew coming into the season that they would be slow and weren’t signed because of their speed, but when they’re eating up 20 minutes + of ice time each playing like they were, it might be a cause for concern if Markov is out for a while. There isn’t much to say about Mara and O’Byrne, but one would hope they’d be at least a little more physical in the future.

- ”Gone are the days of 38-39-40 shots against the Canadiens”: That’s a gem of a quote from Mitch Melnyk on his radio show yesterday, during his segment with Pierre McGuire. What happened to the solid defensive trap system that Martin wanted to put into place? I understand that the players are still getting used to each other and the defense is to come, but giving up 46 shots to the leafs is nothing to be proud about.

- Francois Beauchemin: He had no positive effect on the game last night and looked pretty bad on a couple of Canadiens goals. Hopefully he’s 100% after missing most of the season last year, but that’s someone to keep an eye on.

—————————–

THE UGLY

- Mike Komisarek: I said he was going to be the center of attention last night, and he was. I don’t know what he was trying to prove last night, or to whom. Did he want to prove to Habs fans and his old teammates that he was tough? Did he want to show Brian Burke that he made a ”good” decision to sign him? It’s one thing to play tough, but his toughness translated to stupidity on the ice. 2 minor penalties, one double minor and a fight. He could have had at least 3 more minors if the refs had called the game a little tighter, and he could have injured Brian Gionta, cross checking him from behind, dangerously close to the boards. Needless to say, for the first time in a long time, Mike Komisarek contributed to a Canadiens victory, so thanks for that Komi. Can’t wait to see you again at the end of the month.

- Line Juggling: Once again, I know that Martin is getting to know his players and how they work well together, but it seemed like every shift out there tonight, the players had different linemates. And it wasn’t like they had to adjust to injuries or someone getting kicked out of the game (at least not with the forwards), but sometimes there were even 2 centers at a time out on the ice. It didn’t make much sense to me as you’d imagine that Martin would allow his players to get used to each other before juggling lines. In the end it worked, but it might be a long season if he continues coaching like this. Just reminds me a little too much of what we went through with Carbonneau last year…

- Andrei Markov out for 4 months: :(

- What the F*CK are we going to do without Markov: Ugh…

- Kill me now: Markov!! :(

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More on the Markov injury and what the Canadiens should do about it tomorrow, along with a Habs/Sabres pre-game and more.

Prax
www.thecheckingline.com

First Look @ Gomez & Gionta on 1st Line

The Canadiens will play their 5th exhibition game in as many days this evening versus the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7pm at the Bell Center. Montreal, having opened their pre-season schedule with a couple wins, will be looking to snap a 2 game losing streak versus the Penguins, who have only played 2 pre-season matches thus far.

The Stanley Cup champions will be icing their two superstars together for the first time this September along with other qualtiy NHL’ers in Guerin, Kunitz, Orpik, Gonchar and Letang. The Habs, on the other hand, will be icing 4 of their top 6 forwards as well as 3 of their top 4 defenseman. It will be very interesting for Habs fans as it appears that Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta will lineup with Max Pacioretty on the first line this evening. This will be the first taste of the Gomez/Gionta duo in Montreal and I am sure that Jacques Martin is just as interested as everyone else to see how they perform in the debut of their reunion tour.

Here are is the Habs lineup(pairings are from this morning’s skate) as per Dave Stubbs of Habs Inside/Out, as well as the skaters for Pittsburgh:

Montreal Canadiens

Forwards

• Gomez-Gionta-Pacioretty
• Maxwell-Cammalleri-A. Kostitsyn
• Lapierre-Latendresse-D’Agostini
• Pyatt-Neilson-Stewart

Defense

•  Spacek, Gorges, Belle, Weber, Carle, Markov

Goal

• Price, Sanford

Pittsburgh Penguins

Forwards

• Dupuis, Guerin, Kunitz, Jeffrey, Wallace, Adams, Godard, Bayda, Caputi, Tangradi, Malkin, Crosby.

Defense

• Engelland, Lovejoy, Orpik, Gonchar, Letang, Despres

Goal

• Fleury, Curry

It will be very interesting to see how the speedy Pacioretty keeps up with Gomez and Gionta and also how the 2 former Devils do in their first outing on a line since 2006. Cammalleri playing with Akost will also be something to keep your eye on as, in my opinion, Cammy is going to replace Kovalev on the Canadiens 2nd line of Plekanec and Kostitsyn. Other than that, expect Price and Fleury to both play the entire game and a packed, noisy Bell Center.

Puck drop is @ 7:30pm at the Bell Center and the game will be broadcast on RDS and TSN2.

Stevenhindle@hotmail.com