Nylander, who will turn 39 in October, hasn’t played in the NHL since 2008-09 with the Washington Capitals when he tallied nine goals and 24 assists for 33 points in 72 games.

The Swedish center played in seven games with the Rochester Americans in the AHL last year before undergoing successful spinal fusion surgery in late October. He had four goals and two assists.

His last good season in the NHL came in 2006-07 when he was with the New York Rangers when he scored 26 goals and registered 83 points in 79 games. Both were career highs.

With Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, Brayden Schenn and Blair Betts on the roster, Nylander’s chance to make the Flyers are slim. He will have to outplay youngsters Matt Read, Ben Holmstrom, Tom Sestito and Zac Rinaldo.

A possible reason for the Flyers to invite Nylander to training camp is to give Jaromir Jagr a familiar face in the locker room to make the transition process from the KHL to a team that he dominated for his entire NHL career’s locker room.

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I’m not a fan who boos opposing players; I just don’t see the point. If I thought I could affect their game then I probably would but I’d rather put some effort into cheering on my team instead. But everyone in the building paid good money for their seat, so if they want to boo a player then they should boo.

Twice before I’ve gone a game when you knew that a player on the opposition was going to be booed relentlessly – when Comrie returned as a Flyer and when Pronger came back as a Duck. But there is one major difference between those situations and the Heatley situation; Pronger and Comrie actually played here and left on less than good terms with the club, Heatley just chose not to play here.

Is that really worth getting all worked up over?

What about Hossa and Nylander, both were pursued by the Oilers who offered more money and years to both but in the end they each signed elsewhere. Why was their snub of the Oilers not worthy of wrath at the hands of Oiler fans?

Hossa and Nylander both entered into discussion with the Oilers about playing here; on some level they must have at least considered Edmonton an option. All Heatley did was exercise his contractual right to not come here (more on the contract later). He never led the Oilers on in any way, he was very clear that this wasn’t a preferred destination for him. The Oilers could have let it end there but instead continued to try and convince him to come here. That says more about the Oilers than it does about Heatley.

In some ways I think that Oiler fans should thank Heatley. I mean it, if you see him on the street give him a big hug because had he not rejected the trade Penner and Smid aren’t Oilers right now they’re Senators. I thought the price for Heatley was high in July but I could have lived with it. Seeing the growth in Penner’s and Smid’s game it looks to me like that trade would have been a big loss for the Oilers. Not getting Heatley might very well be the Oilers best offseason move.

If there is a reason to boo Heatley it would be for the way he treated the Senators. The Sens negotiated a long term, and very lucrative, contract with Heatley; a deal that included a no movement clause. Players want a no movement clause as a form of protection so that in the future should the team wish to trade them they have a measure of control over the destination.

For the most part the is nothing wrong with a no movement clause. Where it goes south is when it isn’t used to protect the player but instead handicap the franchise. When Heatley decides that he no longer wants to play in Ottawa, even though he signed a six year deal with the Senators, he shouldn’t be able to use his no movement clause to choose his destination. As far as I’m concerned his no movement clause should be voided as soon as he requests a trade.

This summer Heatley acted like a spoiled brat, but Senators fans should be mad at him for that not Oiler fans.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have assigned center Michael Nylander to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) on a conditioning stint, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Nylander, 37, has played 920 career NHL games for the Capitals, New York Rangers, Boston, Chicago, Tampa Bay, Calgary and Hartford. He has not played a game this season.

Quick Note

Nylander would have had to clear waivers to go to Hershey and they are already a pretty loaded team. His presence wasn’t necessary and the fact that he would have had to clear waivers is why he didn’t end up in Hershey.

He was loaned to Grand Rapids. As a result there is no need to clear waivers.

Nylander still remains a paid member of the Caps with his salary still counting against Washington’s cap total.

This move is basically designed to give Nylander a chance to play and show off his skills while they showcase him one last time.

My belief is that if Nylander does not light it up in Grand Rapids and does not attract interest from any of the NHL’s GM’s, he will likely bite the bullet and head over to Russia.

I will be back with more as I get it.

Steven Hindle

stevenhindle@hotmail.com

Tomas Kaberle currently remains a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but with Brian Burke’s hopes of finding a way to regain the draft picks that he lost to the Boston Bruins in the Phil Kessel deal, trading Kaberle may be the only way to do it.

Toronto has opened the season with only 1 out of 12 possible points and as Pierre McGuire opined on Montreal radio earlier in the week, ‘if you lose 10 straight points at any point during the season, you are likely not going to make the playoffs.’

Pardon my paraphrasing, but the reality is that the Leafs are looking at a seriously steep climb if they are going to be in contention come March.

Also consider the fact that if the Leafs keep playing this way then Brian Burke may have very well traded away the 1st overall pick in the 2010 Draft to a hated division rival. For all of the wonder and awe over what Phil Kessel may do for the Leafs over the next 5 years, who’s to say that the deal will have been worth it when the Bruins draft Taylor Hall 1st overall next June?

Leaf Nation would absolutely explode if this turns out to be the case.

Given the risks that Burke has already taken with the Maple Leafs future, perhaps it’s time for the GM extraordinaire to explore the possibilities of regaining some of those picks.

Considering he may have very well given up the 1st overall pick, Burke should fight like hell to get some picks back because the 2010 Draft is going to be a very deep one.

In order to do that though, Burke is going to have to go through with the one move he has put off the most since he arrived in Toronto, trade Tomas Kaberle.

Obviously there are many teams that would be interested in the valuable blue-liner with the extremely affordable cap hit of $4.25 mil per season.

But will Burke ever trade him?

Considering how long he has held out on dealing away the Czech defender, it’s only too easy to assume that Burke has driven the trade value through the roof. And that right there may be why all of the rumours of teams pursuing Kaberle have disappeared.

Burke may have jumped the gun on dealing away his uber valuable picks to the Bruins for Kessel, but he has a very good chance of regaining some of those picks by finally dealing away Kaberle.

…

Although Pronger was too expensive for the Caps tastes, perhaps a deal for Kaberle could be reached with the Leafs.

I have previously suggested that Caps GM George McPhee should be more inclined to part with high round picks now that the team has reached the level of contenders. The Capitals future is now and lies in the players currently on the team and the prospects who are currently closing in on being NHL ready. If the Capitals are interested in adding to the team without entirely subtracting from its current lineup, McPhee may be more inclined to part with some picks in the 2010 or 2011 drafts. With so many 1st and 2nd round picks turning out positively for the Caps current lineup, there is no doubt that GMGM will be willing to consider parting with future 1st and 2nd rounders, exactly what Burke should be looking for.

Of course McPhee also holds the rights to a certain centerman who should hold some trade value…but no one seems to be interested in the services of Michael Nylander.

I firmly believe that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the one team in the NHL that would immediately benefit from the Swede’s services, but given his cap hit and the risk that comes with trading for him, most teams, including the Leafs, are more likely scared than interested.

Yet, even with the inherent risks of acquiring an expensive contract, doesn’t it seem like the Leafs could use a top line center? With no disrespect to Grabovski, Stajan and Primeau, Michael Nylander would offer the Leafs a better option on their top line as well as adding a veteran element to their forward corps which they currently lack.

To read more of my thoughts on who might be interested in the services of Tomas Kaberle, read on HERE.

Steven Hindle

stevenhindle@hotmail.com

Going Green – Capitals defenseman Mike Green was a revelation a year ago, scoring twice on opening night to kick-start a record-setting season. Tonight he and the Capitals face off against the only defenseman to garner more Norris Trophy votes than Green, Boston’s Zdeno Chara. Despite his overwhelming offensive performance, Green appears to still have something to prove – ESPN.com surveyed six experts who named four other defensemen as favorites for the Norris this year. Add in the chance to represent his country at the 2010 Olympics and Green truly has an opportunity to grab the spotlight even more in 2009-10.

Start at the top – The top two teams in the Eastern Conference in 2008-09 square off to open the 2009-10 season. These two teams combined for four of the six members of the NHL First All-Star Team last season (Zdeno Chara, Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin and Tim Thomas) as well as the top two finishers in the Norris Trophy voting (Chara and Green).
Get it started – Washington is an even .500 in season openers in the club’s history (16-16-2) as it starts its 35th season. The Capitals have only faced the Bruins once in a season opener, a 4-3 Boston win on Oct. 8, 1987. Washington is 5-11-2 overall when opening the season on the road and is starting on the road for the fourth season in a row.
Jump start – This matches the earliest start in Capitals history; Washington opened on Oct. 1 once before, winning 4-1 at Toronto in 1997.
Intros needed – Washington’s two significant free agent acquisitions, Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison, should make their Capitals debuts tonight. Knuble and Morrison have been teammates before at the University of Michigan and with Linkopings in Sweden in 2004-05. Four players – left wings Boyd Kane and Quintin Laing, defenseman Tyler Sloan and goaltender Semyon Varlamov – have made an NHL opening-night roster for the first time in their careers.
Familiar faces – Washington’s top five point scorers and top six goal scorers from last season are on the opening-night roster, as are seven of the top eight defensemen (by games played) and the top two goaltenders.
 

Popular guys – Each of Washington’s first three games are televised nationally in either the U.S. (tonight and Tuesday, VERSUS) or Canada (Saturday, CBC).

 

Caps Lineup & GameDay Notes

• as per Tarik @ CapsInsider:

Forwards

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin
Laich-Morrison-Knuble
Laing-Steckel-Clark
Kane-Gordon-Bradley

Defense
Morrisonn-Green
Poti-Jurcina
Erskine-Pothier

Goaltenders
Theodore
Varlamov

Lineup Notes

• Now, I realize I said that Boudreau is likely to give with the “safe” option in Theo, yet Gabby has surprised us before and it has yielded positive results for the Caps. That said, Bruce has still maintained that Jose is the starter and for that reason and that reason alone, it will be Jose Theodore opening in goal for the Capitals this evening.

• The Caps are healthy apart from Tomas Fleischmann and Eric Fehr, both of which won’t be out of the lineup long as they are recovering from injuries and should join the team within in the next 4 weeks.

• Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and Alex Semin are all in top shape, having recovered from their respective injuries, bumps and bruises from last season, and are raring to go.

• Nicklas Backstrom is awesome.

• Mike Knuble is going to be a force on the top line and is going to make that top trio even harder to contain. Expect him to get in Thomas’ face quite abit tonight.

• Brendan Morrison appears to be fully healed from all of the injuries that prevented him from playing to the best of his capabilities over the last few seasons. If he can stay healthy and return to form, he is going to be an excellent compliment to super-sniper Alex Semin and yeo-man Brooks Laich.

• Although Quintan Laing wasn’t slated to play on the 3rd line with David Steckel and Chris Clark, he will bring 110% energy to that line and will pester the likes of Marc Savard, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron mercilessly.

• Michael Nylander remains on the outside looking in(and a healthy scratch) and will continue to watch and wait as Caps GM George McPhee seeks to find a suitable home for the banished centerman.

The Opposition

Here is what the Bruins lineup should look like tonight:

Forwards

Milan Lucic- Marc Savard- Marco Sturm
Blake Wheeler- David Krejci- Michael Ryder
Mark Recchi- Patrice Bergeron- Chuck Kobasew
Shawn Thornton- Steve Begin- Byron Bitz

Defense

Zdeno Chara- Derek Morris
Andrew Ference- Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart- Matt Hunwick

Goaltenders

Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

- As per Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe.

• It is interesting to note that David Krejci is going to be seeing his first game action this evening after taking all of the pre-season to recover from summer-time surgery. I expect that this is going to be a tentative move and that Krejci will not get too much ice-time. I would expect that Patrice Bergeron will likely step into the 2nd line role if, and likely when, Claude Julien determines that Krejci begins to fall behind by a step.
• The Bruins have a few new faces in town in Morris and Begin, while the return of Marco Sturm should help ease the loss of Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs.
• These two teams finished 1 – 2 in the Eastern Conference last season and every game they played felt like a true playoff battle. It may be tough for both squads to gear into playoff form for the season opener, but there is no doubt that this will be an exceedingly exciting game between two of the top teams in the NHL.

• Washington took 3 out of the 4 games last season, but never by a wide margin and always while fighting off a rugged Bruins squad.

I have also written a GameDay Feature for Versus, which you can check out HERE.

steven.hindle@hotmail.com

Considering the lineup tonight, again no Nylander, one has to wonder when the veteran Swede will get to show if the still has what it takes?

Despite the clarifications by both Boudreau and Nylander that “no bad blood exists,” I still find it hard to believe.

From Nylander’s stand point, he has all the power in this situation. His right to veto any type of move proposed by the Capitals gives him ‘Dany Heatley-esque’ bargaining power. Of course, Nyls isn’t exactly a 50 goal scorer in his prime, but you get what I mean, Nylander is the one who will ultimately decide where Nylander plays.

Except in Washington.

In DC, that honor falls to coach Bruce Boudreau. And from the looks of things, no matter how much leverage Michael may have in deciding where he <i><b>can</b></i> play, as far as the Capitals go, it certainly seems like there isn’t much Nylander can do to get into the lineup.

Now, how long will it take until Nylander cracks and decides he wants to see ice-time? What will it take for him to get a shot on the Caps roster?

Apparently not any time soon.

That leaves Nylander with the option of working out a trade to a destination of his choice.

Ultimately, GM George McPhee, is going to have to settle for a reasonably cheap package of picks or prospects for the veteran play-making center. It is highly unlikely that he will get much more than that.

In my estimation, given the ugly course this situation has taken, there are not many suitors out there for Nylander who will offer up more than a 2^nd rounder or a 3^rd. The 2^nd rounder being on the higher end of what Nylander might fetch, of course.

And that is a brutally honest truth, for both the player and the team.

The cap hit will keep teams away, but eventually someone in Washington is going to give and, with the way that Boudreau continues to shun Nylander from the lineup, it’s likely going to be Michael…

Read more @hockeybuzz.com
 

steven.hindle@hotmail.com

The Caps trimmed their training camp roster by 15 players on Sunday, they were:

• Boyd Kane
• Michael Dubuc
• Joel Broda
• Patrick Wellar
• Zach Miskovic
• Joe Finley
• Anton Gustafsson
• Trevor Bruess
• Jake Hauswirth
• Dylan Yeo
• Vladimir Denisov
• Josh Godfrey
• Ryan Jasinsky
• Todd Ford
• Braden Holtby

Following the 15 cuts, the Caps are now down to 42 skaters at camp. Here is the updated roster:

FORWARDS      

• 20   AUCOIN, Keith                
• 19   BACKSTROM, Nicklas   
• 83   BEAGLE, Jay                   
• 36   BOUCHARD, Francois  
• 56   BOURQUE, Chris           
• 10   BRADLEY, Matt               
• 17   CLARK, Chris                  
• 16   FEHR, Eric                       
• 14   FLEISCHMANN, Tomas           
• 33   GIROUX, Alexandre       
• 63   GORDON, Andrew         
• 15   GORDON, Boyd              
• 61   JOUDREY, Andrew        
• 22   KNUBLE, Mike                
• 21   LAICH, Brooks                
• 53   LAING, Quintin                
• 9      MORRISON, Brendan    
• 92   NYLANDER, Michael     
• 48   OSALA, Oskar                 
• 8      OVECHKIN, Alex            
• 85   PERREAULT, Mathieu   
• 90   PINIZZOTTO, Steve        
• 28   SEMIN, Alexander          
• 39   STECKEL, David            
• 25   SUGDEN, Brandon        
• 57   WILSON, Kyle                 

DEFENSEMEN

• 27   ALZNER, Karl                  
• 74   CARLSON, John             
• 62   COLLINS, Sean              
• 4      ERSKINE, John
• 52   GREEN, Mike                  
• 23   JURCINA, Milan              
• 46   McNEILL, Patrick            
• 26   MORRISONN, Shaone  
• 2      POTHIER, Brian              
• 3      POTI, Tom                        
• 55   SCHULTZ, Jeff               
• 89   SLOAN, Tyler                  

GOALTENDERS

• 31   BACASHIHUA, Jason    
• 30   NEUVIRTH, Michal         
• 60   THEODORE, Jose          
• 40   VARLAMOV, Semyon

Of the 42 remaining in camp, only slightly more than half will get to suit up for tonight’s rematch against the Sabres tonight.

Here is Washington’s lineup for tonight’s game at the Verizon Centeras per Tarik El-Bashir(http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/tonights-lineup-sabres-at-caps-1.html#comments)

Forwards

• Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
• Giroux-Aucoin-Semin
• Bourque-Beagle-Bradley
• Joudrey-Steckel-A. Gordon

Defense

• Schultz, Erskine, Alzner, Carlson, Green, Collins

Goalies

• Theodore, Bacashihua

stevenhindle@hotmail.com

 The Big TWO-FOUR

Today is Alexander Ovechkin’s 24^th birthday and he will be enjoying a very odd day off as a result. The Capitals are set to kick off the pre-season tonight against the Sabres and, although it is OV’s 24^th birthday, he will be celebrating it from the Press Box.

Playing or not playing, Happy Birthday Alex!

For the rest of the Capitals who are playing in tonight’s game though, it shall be business as usual.

Here is the lineup the Caps will be icing tonight at the HSBC Center in Buffalo at 7pm:

Forwards

• Laich-Backstrom-Knuble
• Giroux-Morrison-Clark
• Bourque-Gustafsson-A. Gordon
• Finley-Beagle-Pinizzotto

Defense

• Pothier, Alzner,
• Schultz, Carlson,
• Sloan, Collins

Goaltenders

• Varlamov
  Bacashihua

Those not playing tonight include Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Jose Theodore, Michael Neuvrith, Michael Nylander, Dave Steckel, Boyd Gordon, Matt Bradley, Tom Poti, Shaone Morrison, Mike Green and Milan Jurcina. Expect those players to suit up for Saturday nights tilt versus the Blackhawks. 

Pre-season for the Caps will be very interesting as coach Bruce Boudreau will be auditioning players for the remaining two spots on the top 2 lines as well as figuring out who the 7^th and 8^th defenseman should be and who will be Jose Theodore’s backup.

The game will not be broadcast on TV, but if you want to listen in to the action, be sure to tune into Washingtoncaps.com for the live audio.

stevenhindle@hotmail.com