Happy NHL UFA Day (Canada Day in Canada)

This has already been an intriguing offseason for the NHL, and things can get even more interesting today.

Here are some notes I’ve collected on various teams, players, and situations:

*Brad Richards is interesting, but the real drama surrounds Steven Stamkos, the 21 year old restricted free agent from the Tampa Bay Lightning. After a surprise trip to the Conference Finals this year, Steve Yzerman is probably going to match any offer thrown Stamkos’ way, but it will be interesting to see at what price the market bears, and if there is any line that Yzerman will not cross to retain his young franchise Center. According to Capgeek.com, at least 19 teams have the available cap space to offer Stamkos a league maximum $12.86M contract.

*Speaking of all that cap space: some GMs are going to make utterly stupid, franchise soul crushing deals today. It’s just a given, with the weak crop of FAs and the amount of space created with the surprising increase in league revenues. Giving Glen Sather $25M of cap space on July 1^st is like putting Charlie Sheen in front of a small mountain of cocaine on his birthday. Come December there will already be hoards of fans looking back in regret at some dumb moves made today.

*Even some traditionally lower spending, less aggressive, teams have been throwing some weight around in the pre-July 1^st buildup. The Florida Panthers have taken on over $10M in salary from the Chicago Blackhawks in the form of Brian Campbell and Tomas Kopecky. The Buffalo Sabres traded for the rights to, and then inked Christian Ehrhoff to a 10 year deal and added tough blueliner Robyn Regeher to go with him. The Columbus Bluejackets dealt for Jeff Carter, formerly of the Philadelphia Flyers, and brought in James Wisniewski to sign for a big deal. And even the lowly New York Islanders have been making some noise about trying to bring some marquee talent back to Long Island.

*One of the reasons we have seen some trades, is that after the big guy (Brad Richards) at the top, there is not a lot of premium talent out there at the UFA level this year. Simon Gagne is intriguing, but a definite injury concern. Erik Cole might be able to help bolster some teams offense, but proved in his stint in Edmonton that he can’t carry a load himself and needs some good supporting guys on his line. After that it’s a bunch of mid-tier guys like Tyler Kennedy, Scottie Upshall, Tim Connolly, Ville Leino, Brenden Morrison, and Sergei Samsonov. Those are all guys who may have some potential, but none of them are elite game breaking talents. They are either really talented 3^rd liners or fill in quality top 6 forwards.

*Then you have the older guys looking for one last deal. For Mike Modano, Kris Draper, and Doug Weight that magic # of 40 may mean the end of the road. Teemu Selanne proved he still had it last year, but for him its supposedly the Ducks or nothing. Alexei Kovalev will probably find warmer welcome in the KHL than any North American rink this fall. John Madden, Andrew Brunette, Cory Stillman, and Jason Arnott are all in their late 30s and could fill in well in a role for a contending team, or chase the most money on a retirement deal in say, Long Island.

*On the Defensive side of the zone, Tomas Kaberle is the big “get.” Ask any Toronto fan how much they want him back. Ed Jovanovski could be an intriguing pickup for some teams looking for blueline help. I irrationally hate Roman Hamrlik. Ian White is versatile. Bryan McCabe and Sean O’Donnell are old, and play like it.

*If a team is looking for help between the pipes, some options are available. No big names are out there, but plenty of 1A type guys who will get you through. Tomas Vokoun and Brian Boucher are the most solid of the bunch. After that it is a mismash of former Senators, Redwings, Bluejackets, and Avs.

Flyers Explode Roster; Shakeup Hockey World

When the Flyers goalie situation imploded in the 2nd round of the Playoffs this spring and the team was swept by Tim Thomas and the eventual Cup winning Bruins, owner Ed Snider had finally seen enough. He ORDERED General Manager Paul Holmgren to rectify the situation in the Flyers net that had been left derelict since Ron Hextall skated away to Quebec in a fit of rage.
In following his bosses orders Holmgren brought in the hottest name available, trading for the rights to restricted free agent Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes. Holmgren only then faced one problem: he was up against the salary cap and would need to move some cash off his roster to free up room to sign the hottest goalie on the market. Rumors swirled around trade deadline addition Kris Versteeg and middle pairing defenseman Matt Carle. Absolutely nobody in the hockey world saw the combination of brazen moves that Holmgren was really cooking up coming down the pike.
Within an hour time span yesterday, instead of tinkering around the margins, Holmgren boldly blew up the very core of his roster, trading away Team Captain Mike Richards to the LA Kings and Assistant Captain and prime sniper Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In doing so Holmgren cleared out a combined 20 years and $109.6 million off the team’s books through the 2021-2022 season.
In trading Richards to the Kings, the Flyers picked up versatile tough guy winger Wayne Simmonds and the Kings top prospect, 19 year old Brayden Schenn, and a 2nd round pick for the upcoming NHL entry draft.
In dealing Carter to Columbus, the Flyers acquired a former 1st round pick in Czech Winger Jakub Voracek, and two more picks for the current draft, the 1st round (8th overall) and 3rd round picks from the Jackets this year. Schenn is signed on an entry level contract for the next 3 seasons, and Simmonds and Voracek are both restricted free agents. Holmgren had better do his damndest to ink those guys by July 1, or he will have some major egg on his face. He did manage to bring Bryzgalov under wraps, signing him to a 10 year deal, with an annual Cap hit of $5.6 million dollars. That leaves his squad with $7.5 million in cap space, and sets them up nicely with a bunch of young assets to build around at forward. It does hurt them however in short term production up front, for a team who’s defense and goalie are signed to win RIGHT NOW.
There is rampant speculation that the other shoe is ready to drop, whether it be a UFA signing of Brad Richards from the Stars, or deal to bring in restricted Free Agent Steven Stamkos from the Tampa Bay Lightning, one hardly gets the feeling that things are completely settled in Flyerland. If they had simply traded Carter for Voracek and picks, that would have been an understandable salary dump to sign a goalie. But in moving their Captain in Mike Richards, the Flyers signaled a seismic shift in the way the organization will be structured going forward. And as the ground shifted under them, other teams felt some aftershocks as well.
The team setup to come out best immediately from this is the LA Kings. With Anze Kopitar already in the fold, Richards gives them an elite 1-2 punch at Center along the lines of Cup contenders like Detroit(Datsyuk/Zetterberg), Pittsburgh (Crosby/Malkin), and Chicago (Toews/Sharp). They have some good young goaltending in place, adequate role players at wing, and a solid defensive core. They will also be able to unload winger Ryan Smyth, whose numbers have been decreasing in production relative to his salary in recent years. Smyth wants to go home to Alberta, and the Kings will probably get something decent in return from either the Flames or the Oilers for the Canadian hero. The Flames already moved Robyn Regehr to the Buffalo Sabres in anticipation of bidding for Smyth.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are not as close to contention as the Kings, but they FINALLY have their legitimate #1 Center in Carter to play alongside their longtime standout Rick Nash. So the Flyers have a solid Goalie and the Jackets have an elite Center. This may be signs of a forthcoming hockey apocalypse. I like the Blue Jackets up front now, especially if they bring back Scottie Upshall, but on their blueline it’s a bad combination of too young, and too average. When Grant Clitsome and Fedor Tyutin are your ‘name’ guys on defense, that is never a good sign. They do have a massive $21 million in cap space however, and some key pieces in place to at least shape themselves into a playoff team, so lets wait and see how the situation unfolds for Ohio hockey.
Things got very interesting in the trade market yesterday, and with the draft taking place this weekend, Jagr still floating out there (although the league ruled he won’t be able to sign till July 1 now) and Ryan Smyth ready to move back home, don’t expect things to settle down from now through the start of free agency.

Why the NHL Needs to Keep its Edge

As the 2010-2011 NHL season winds down with what now promises to be one of the nastiest and chippiest Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory, some folks in the general sports media, and within the Hockey World itself, are loudly proclaiming that something needs to be done to clean up this game.

While I agree that headshots and concussions are a problem the league has to deal with, I hope they can manage to achieve this much needed goal without blunting some of the edge off the game.

As the great John Buccigross has written, "Hockey is a blood sport. It is played with a searing emotion most people can't empathize with unless they have played and lived the sport. Hockey is mostly difficult and frustrating. Which is why there is such an explosion of excitement whenever someone scores. Just about every goal is well-earned in some way. In this game, nothing comes cheap."

When Bucci refers to the game of Hockey here as a "blood sport," he is certainly not taking the perspective of some neanderthal wishing to see gladiatorial style combat upon the ice. He is putting into words the raw emotion and fury that inherently part of a hard hitting, high speed game played by rugged men.

It is not about the blood spilling out onto the ice after Steven Stamkos takes a puck to the face in Game 7 against the Bruins that draws us to the sport. It is him waving off the trainer, racing into the locker room, and returning less than five minutes later with a full cage guarding his now exploded nose and continuing on in the game without a second thought.

My instant response: a moment you can only have in the NHL playoffs.

At one time concussions were viewed in many circles the same way Stamkos’ broken nose was. Get some smelling salts, clear your head and get back out there for the next shift. The sport has learned the hard way that such a policy is reckless and dangerous for the safety and long term health of its participants.

It is right and proper that the NHL address hits to the head that lead directly to these concussions as a serious and dire matter. I implore the league however to be careful not to totally take away the mentality, the unquestioned willingness to sacrifice limbs in order to lift the Stanley Cup with heart and heart alone. Planting the seeds of doubt within the players would cheapen the game, cheapen the Stanley Cup, and lessen the impact of the sacrifice guys have spoken about for ages that it takes to win the Hardest Trophy in Sports.

My suggestion: target specifically blindside and direct hits to the head with harsher and automatic suspensions of 10 games for a 1st offense and escalate a scale from there. Fine the team that employees the offender on sliding scale as well. Leave the periphery stuff go. Players will adapt quickly to launching shoulders into chests rather than elbows into craniums. Scrappy, dirty stuff, like Alex Burrows biting Patrice Bergeron? Leave that kind of decision to the referees on the ice. Keep a hands off approach and let the player’s police themselves and send their own messages. Tell me that incident did not add an element of drama and edge to these Stanley Cup Finals. Having that edge is a good thing for the sport. Hockey is a game that needs to be played on the edge.

The fans who get into the game buy into this and understand such things. And they are your target audience NHL.

One of my favorite fan stories of this post season came from the “non-traditional” hockey market of Tampa Bay (there have been more Cups there than Toronto has had since ’67, just sayin).

Steven Paul, a Bolts season ticket holder was told by his Home Owner’s Associaton that his “GO BOLTS” sign in his yard was violation of the mandate within the neighborhood that no signage was allowed with the exception of security company signs. His response was the same as Stamkos flying back onto the ice for game 7. He pressed on in the face of clear and present danger with an edge to his game and a thin shield to guard himself from further ‘harm’:

"Protected By:

GO BOLTS

Security"

My instant response: a moment you can only have in the NHL playoffs.

Boston to make first finals appearance since '90

Boston edged Tampa Bay, 1-0, Friday night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in Boston.
The Bruins' will face Vancouver in the Stanley Cup finals. Game 1 is Wednesday in Vancouver at 8 p.m. on NBC for those of us in the states. CBC and RDS will also carry the game. Boston, winners of two Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972, are heading to the finals for the first time since 1990, while the Canucks are in their third finals appearance, and first since 1994.
Boston's Nathan Horton scored the game's only goal at 12:27 of the third period on a tip-in off a David Krejci pass past the Lightning's Dwayne Roloson, who made 37 saves. Andrew Ference had the secondary assist. Ference said the Bruins' had used it as a set play to break Tampa Bay's 1-3-1 trap, and it worked.
Horton was tabbed the No. 1 star, while Boston goalie Tim Thomas was the No. 2 star with 24 saves in a shutout. Roloson was the third star, as voted on by the media.
Although only one goal was scored, the game was exciting from the first face-off. Pierre, Edzo and Doc repeatedly stated that it's a shame someone had to lose, and I'm inclined to agree with them.
Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos showed plenty of character after returning from a puck to the nose. Thank God he was wearing a visor. Stamkos will have some work done.
Stamkos had only one shot, was a minus-one, but was on the ice for 18:57 and showed how bad he wanted to help his team. Stamkos' effort is what playoff hockey is all about.
Referees Dan O'Halloran and Steven Walkom let the players decide the game as no penalties were called. Usually the refs get blamed, but I think they made the right decision. I did see some penalties occur, but nothing blatant, and the guys in the stripes deserve to be congratulated.
The Bruins outshot the Lightning 38-24, and had a 15-9 advantage in the first. They put 14 shots on Roloson in the second, compared to 8 for Tampa Bay and had a 9-7 edge in the third.
Roloson had the tougher task than Thomas, in my opinion. Thomas was the second star because he won, but Roloson was very good. He stopped a breakaway and made far more tough saves than Thomas.
Take nothing away from Thomas, he put himself in good position and made the routine stops.
Boston kept putting the pressure on and had the puck in Tampa Bay's zone for lengthy periods of time using a strong cycle.
The Lightning had some good opportunities and my gut feeling was their were going to score late on a fluky goal, but the Bruins got the late goal, however, it was not fluky.
NOTES: Boston captain Zdeno Chara didn't touch the Prince of Wales Trophy, but had all his teammates and coaches gather around for a picture. For what it's worth, the Bruins seemed to be more amped up than the Canucks. Martin St. Louis and Tim Thomas, former college teammates, shared an embrace.

Bruins tie series

Boston scored five goals in the second period en route to a 6-5 victory over Tampa Bay Tuesday in the Eastern Conference finals at Boston.
The Lightning jumped out to an early 1-0 lead before the Bruins tied the game at one. Tampa Bay scored in the last minute of the first to take a 2-1 lead into intermission.
The Bruins responded by scoring three goals in the early stage of the second for a 4-2 lead with two goals by Tyler Seguin and a goal by David Krejci.
Seguin wasn't even supposed to play in the this series, but a concussion to Patrice Bergeron has inserted the 19-year-old into the lineup.
Tampa Bay cut the lead to 4-3 on a goal by Vincent Lecavalier, but two goals by the Bruins' Michael Ryder put the home team up 6-3 heading into the third.
Dwayne Roloson was pulled after the second, which was his first bad game of the playoffs, and Steven Stamkos and Dominic Moore scored to cut the deficit to one, although Boston was able to hold off the Lightning.
Although he gave up five, Tim Thomas made 36 saves for Boston, including several breakaway chances in the second.
The Bruins also won the special teams battle by going 2-for-6 on the power play and allowing only one goal against Tampa Bay's vaunted PP.
That said, I still like the Lightning to win Games 3 and 4 at home before closing out the series in Boston.

Penguins lay egg on Easter eve

The NHL doesn't use aggregate scoring in the Stanley Cup playoffs, which is very fortunate for Pittsburgh.
The Penguins got blown out in Game 5 by Tampa Bay, 8-2, and have been outscored 13-3 in two losses to the Lightning.
On the other hand, their wins have been by scores of 3-0, 3-2 and 3-2 in double OT for a 17-9 advantage for Tampa Bay.
If you asked any Penguin player or coach, they would tell you none of that matters. All they are concerned with is going to the St. Petersburg Times Forum and closing it out Monday.
I would agree with that, and Pittsburgh is still in the driver's seat with a 3-2 lead, but Saturday's loss has to be a tad concerning.
For starters, why can't the Penguins close out playoff series on their home ice? I would say it's just coincidence, but not closing out a series is troubling. Cup-winning teams put series away when their opponents are down.
Also, they have to stay out of the box, or do a better job of killing penalties. The Lightning are very dangerous with the man advantage.
Pittsburgh's power play, on the other hand, has been on life support. I won't say dead because it scored in Game 4.
The Penguins have played great five-on-five, but in tight games, low-scoring games they need to take advantage of their PP opportunities.
Pittsburgh will not beat Tampa Bay in a track meet, or any team for that matter.
Not having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin takes away a great deal of offense form the Penguins. Crosby and Malkin also play as decoys that allow players like Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal to get more opportunities.
Malkin will not be back for the season and Crosby's return is in question, so they will have to win without the superstars.
Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled after the Lightning went up 4-0 in the second period. Brent Johnson relieved Fleury.
Fleury gave up four goals in a short period of time, but when Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier are getting point-blank shots from the slot, a few are bound to go in. Stamkos came to play. He had two goals and an assist. Good timing for him. The Penguins are hoping it was a one-game incident.
The defense can't give up chances like that. I believe Fleury will come back strong in Game 6. He always does.
Pittsburgh will win Game 6, and close out another series on the road. Penguins 4, Lightning 2.
NOTES: Youtube it, go on the Ducks' website or watch ESPN. Bobby Ryan's goal in the Anaheim's OT loss to Nashville was incredible. One of the tops of the year.

Game 2 is key for Lightning

For Tampa Bay to make this a series, it must win Game 2 tonight at the CONSOL Energy Center. Usually, the experts don't go for must wins until a team is down 0-2 heading into Game 3, but the Lightning need this game. They played a solid game Wednesday, but Marc-Andre Fleury was too good. The Penguins play very well on the road, and should have a majority of fans at the St. Pete Times Forum, so it is very important for Tampa Bay to steal this one. If they do, I see a seven-game series. If Pittsburgh wins, this one may only go five. For the Penguins to win the series early would be in its favor. I predict at least one of the other series will go six or seven games, and Matt Cooke could get on the ice for practice after his suspension. It is also possible that Sidney Crosby could return. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay will come away with a 3-2 victory tonight. Steve Stamkos, who was basically nonexistant in Game 1 after Brook Oprik lit him up, will net the game winner. Enjoy the weekend.

Fleury steals the show

Pittsburgh earned a 3-0 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals Wednesday night at CONSOL Energy Center, although Marc-Andre Fleury probably stole it for the Penguins with 32 saves for his fifth career playoff shutout. From stopping former temmate Ryan Malone, to denying another former Penguin, Dominic Moore, who actually raised his hands in celebration, the "Flower" was the difference from the opening faceoff. Fleury also stopped Vincent Lecavalier on a shot by the forward between his legs early in the second period. Pittsburgh came out swinging when Brooks Oprik's hit on Steven Stamkos set the tone. The game was hard hitting and low scoring with good goalie play. It was the typical playoff game, and we could be in for possibly six more. Alex Kovalev scored the game winner. The playoffs are nothing new to Kovalev. The Lightning's Dwayne Roloson was impressive in goal, although the night belonged to Fleury. Fleury's greatest asset is his mental makeup. Nothing fazes him. Go back in time to Game 5 against Detroit in the Stanley Cup finals in 2009. He was chased after the Red Wings built a 5-0 lead in the second period. He licked his wounds, came back three nights later, and was the No. 1 star in a 2-1 Penguins' victory in Game 6. He was equally stellar in Game 7, and Pittsburgh won its third Stanley Cup. There is no questioning Fleury's ability, however Tampa Bay will come back. They didn't come this far to fold. The Lightning could very easily take Game 2 and head home with the momentum. That's what they're thinking. The objective for the road team is to split one of the first two, and then it becomes even. Fleury will give up a goal in this series, but I still believe he will be the difference. This all coming from a guy who was supposedly not good enough in October.

NHL Playoff Moments 2011.V1-04.13

As the years go by individual playoff games, and even whole series, seem to blur together in my head as one big mix of sports euphoria. Out of the meddled junkyard of my mind however, certain moments stand out to me as Big Playoff Moments, segments of action that just embody what makes the NHL postseason the greatest in all of sports. These moments are what the playoffs are all about to me, and I can pull them up in the internal clip reel of my mind, as clear as the day they happened, years later. It is to the point where I will be watching a playoff game now and as a sequence unfolds I will check it off in my head as a Playoff Moment. In the spirit of these moments I would like to start a video journal of the 2011 NHL playoffs here on the blog of plays that encompass what I feel the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup is all about.

Here we go with the 1st night of action, I'm not planning on necessarily doing one of these entries after every host of games, but last night there were certainly enough big moments to put together a solid list of 5: (All video's courtesy and copyright of NHL.com)


1) Welcome to the NHL Playoffs Steven Stamkos

Brooks Orpik took a moment right off the bat of the 1st Round Series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning to show the Bolts standout sniper playing in his first playoff game what this voyage is all about. The bone rattling hit seems to have thrown Stamkos off his game a bit too, as he only recorded a single shot on the night, late in the 3rd period.

2) Fleury robs Lecavalier

An absolutely stunning save by Pensguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after a remarkable between the legs move by Lightning star Vincent Lecavalier. Great shot, better save. Fleury kept the Pens in the game early and eventually earned the victory in a 3-0 shutout win.

3) Weber makes the Ducks pay

Shea Weber slapshots are awesome things to behold. He is a crucial part of the Nashville power play and a big reason why the Anaheim Ducks would be wise to drop all shenanigans and stay far away from the penalty box in their 1st round series. He just unleashes a pure howitzer here from the top of the offensesive zone and the next thing you know the puck is trickling out from the back of the net.

4) Luongo stones the Hawks

The Chicago Blackhawks have been the arch-nemesis of Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks for the past two seasons, bouncing them from the playoffs both times. For one night at least Luongo and his squad exorcised those demons and slammed the door the Hawks to take a 1-0 series lead.

5) Semin wins it in Overtime

There is nothing better than sudden-death playoff overtime. With no commercial breaks it glues you to the TV for a duration where any bounce, break, or dazzling play can bring the curtain down. The Washington Capitals Alexander Semin has struggled to make his mark in the playoffs after putting up gaudy stats in the past few regular seasons. Last night he was the beneficiary of a great takeaway a setup by teammate Jason Arnott and Semin buried the one timer into the back of the net 18 minutes and 24 seconds into the bonus period. Game over.