On this past Saturday’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show, Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province came on the show to discuss the latest on the Vancouver Canucks.

On the Cody Hodgson trade for Zack Kassian

“I think everyone got what they wanted, Cody Hodgson was in a pretty awkward situation here, he’s the third line centre, and he’s playing behind an Art Ross Trophy (Henrik Sedin) winner and a Selke Trophy winner (Ryan Kesler), he’s going to play ten to twelve minutes per night, he’s on the second power play unit, but he has sixteen goals. What do you do with the guy? He’s a natural centre, you can’t really play him on the wall (wing).”

On Hodgson’s relationship with Coach Alain Vingeault

“It was an uneasy relationship with the coach, if you go back to the ‘09 training camp, Cody Hodgson had a back injury, he had one point through six or seven preseason games, he had a lot of back pain, a lot of sciatica nerve, he couldn’t push off, couldn’t play very well. The coach framed it publicly at the time that Cody was using the injury as an excuse for a poor training camp. I don’t know about you, but if a coach said that about me, as much as you may try to put it in some perspective, I’m sure that was always simmering on the back burner.”

On David Booth’s ability to drive the net

“Corey Schneider has a great quote the other day, “we didn’t have that in the playoffs last year, we didn’t have a guy who could come off the wall and go hard to the net and finish.” By finish, that’s either shooting or scoring on your initial shot. A lot of David Booth’s goals are on rebounds he’s diving, he’s flopping and banging home rebounds. If you think about today’s NHL that’s how a lot of goals are scored, I think there’s a real attractiveness about David there.”

On the acquisition of Marc-Andre Gragnani

“He was on the second power play unit the other night against St. Louis, he gives them a nice option of a guy he’s 24, and he’s been around for a bit. He skates well, he moves the puck well. The Canucks have to realize they better have another option back there. Their big weapon on defense is Sami Salo on one of their power play alignments. Outside of Zdeno Chara he may shoot the puck as hard as anybody in the league. You always worry about a guy who’s getting on in age, and injury problems and the fact that you’re going to lose guys in the postseason. The interesting thing about Gragnani is that he gives them another option as another guy who can move the puck.”

On potential first round match-ups

“I don’t think they are salivating about any match-up, there are six or seven teams in this conference that are going to cause anybody grief. From what I have seen recently, in Phoenix, Dallas or St. Louis, it’s already playoff hockey, you’re basically playing the trap, waiting for one turnover, and all these low scoring games. The Canucks can play those kind  of games and it’s good that they can, because you’re going to see it in the postseason. We’re already getting a taste in March what it’s going to be like in April, May and maybe into June. To the Canucks credit they are tailor to play that kind of game. I’m a little concerned about their offense right now. Coming out of the conference it’s one land mine after another, the reason they made those moves at the deadline is they might lose a body or two along they way and you better have some depth.”

On the Canucks defensive depth

“That’s where it really falls off in a hurry here, you have Hamhuis and Bieksa as their shutdown pairing, and then Edler regularly pairs with Salo. The nice thing about Edler is that he’s really getting his physical game back, he’s throwing some devastating hits out there and he’s got a pretty good shot. But after that, Ballard’s out right now with a concussion. If Salo were to go down…Keith Ballard’s getting paid like a top four guy, but he’s not playing like a top four guy. That’s where they run into a problem. That’s where you wonder, guys like Aaron Rome, they are third paring guys. When they’ve had injury problems here they’ve paired (Aaron) Rome with (Andrew) Alberts on the third pairing and they’ve struggled. That’s why they called (Chris) Tanev up because they think the kid who’s only 22 can play. He’s challenged physically, but he’s extremely smart in moving the puck. The problem is if Salo goes down, can Ballard handle that load, that’s what we’re going to find out in the playoffs.”

The entire interview is available here at Illegal Curve, or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Devan Dubnyk

Taylor Hall

Lennart Petrell

Coach Renney

Nikolai Khabibulin

Ryan Smyth

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Coach Renney

Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The following analysis was taken from the show.

Columbus receives: Jack Johnson, a conditional first round pick

Los Angeles Receives: Jeff Carter

Tale of the tape:

Jack Johnson: age 25, under contract until 2017-18 at a cap hit of $4.35 million per season.

Jeff Carter: age 27, under contract until 2021-22 at a cap hit of $5.27 million per season.

This is a trade that must be looked at through two different perspectives. The first is looking at the trade as a single trade. The second view is to look at it on a whole, meaning, Columbus effectively traded Jakub Voracek and the 8^th overall pick (Sean Couturier).

Off the ice, the reasons for trading Carter were about his contract, and his character, says Illegal Curve Hockey Show analyst Richard Pollock:

“I don’t think Columbus did as badly as I thought they would have, because there was no market for Jeff Carter. It was restricted by the fact he has ten years left on his deal, which restricted him to a couple of teams, and other teams were concerned about his character.”

“The market for him was very small, the fact they were able to get the first round pick, and Jack Johnson, who’s game I have concerns about, but does have potential, was fine work by GM Scott Howson on an evaluation of just this trade. If they can nail the draft pick, they can make it look like an all around good deal.”

“Jeff Carter is a good skater, a good stickhandler, he’s got a terrific shot, he can distribute the puck, but he’s not great at it. He’s good defensively, he can play in all situations, he’s an all around really good player.”

Host of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show Drew Mindell added, “he’s a regular 30 goal scorer, which doesn’t ocme easily.”

Pollock continued on Jack Johnson saying, “he’s as good of a skater as Zach Bogosian, good slapshot, good offensive talent, can join the rush. His hockey sense and defensive awareness leave much to be desired.”

In terms of contracts, Johnson’s is more favourable to Carter’s, as it is for less years and money, he is also younger, and defenseman tend to peak at a later age.

Pollock was not in favour of the deal overall, and would not pick a winner. It was a move of desperation for both teams.

Columbus receives: 2^nd round pick in 2012, conditional 5^th in 2013 and Curtis McElhinney

Phoenix receives: Antoine Vermette (age 29, under contract until 2014-15 at a cap hit of $3.75 million per season)

Off the ice: It is interesting to note that this is a salary dump by Columbus, who is assuredly losing money this season, to the NHL owned Phoenix Coyotes.

Antoine Vermette is a limited player offensively, he skates well, and can handle the puck, but is not a point producer (27 points in 62 games this season). Vermette is a player who is better defensively than offensively.

Columbus is shedding a bad contract, at $3.75 million with three years remaining is a lot for a guy who is not a point producer. The value that they are receiving in this deal is in the 2^nd round pick, as well as the removal of his contract on the salary cap. The Blue Jackets can fill the hole left by Vermette with players such as RJ Umberger, Derick Brassard and the return they get for Rick Nash (assuming he is traded before next season).

Curtis McElhinney is a throw in, a back up goalie who’s been injured all year. He is not the answer for Columbus’ goaltending situation.

From a Phoenix perspective, they are getting a player who fits well into their system. Phoenix loads up on veterans who buy into their boring trap style system. Vermette’s speed can create pressure on the opposition and he can play in all situations. He is a “tweener” a 2^nd or 3^rd line player, and on the Coyotes squad he will play a bigger role. He fits the veteran defensively responsible type player that coach Dave Tippett wants.

This is a good move for both teams.

New Jersey Receives: Marek Zidlicky (age 35, cap hit of $4 million until 2012-13)

Minnesota Receives: Kurtis Foster, Nick Palmieri, Stephane Veilleux, a 2^nd round pick In 2012, a conditional 3^rd round pick in 2013 (if New Jersey makes the conference finals this season or next).

New Jersey is filling a need by getting an offensively talented defenseman who can skate and move the puck. From watching New Jersey this season, it is easy to tell they are missing an offensive defenseman. Players such as Anton Volchenkov, Henrik Tallinder and Bryce Salvador are defensive types who can block shots and hit. They did not have a guy with the ability to lead the power play and move the puck out of the defensive zone well enough.

Zidlicky should have no problem fitting into the dressing room with fellow countrymen Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias. He’s signed for next season at $4 million, which is a lot, but offensive defenseman like Zidlicky don’t grow on trees.

Minnesota was in a situation where they were not playing Zidlicky, and he fell out of favor with Coach Mike Yeo.  They receive ex-Wild Kurtis Foster who’s contract comes off the books next season, he is a big body who can chip in with his point shot.

Stephane Veilleux , also an ex-Wild is 13^th forward and his contract expires after the season.

Nick Palmieri has the potential to be a 3^rd or 4^th line player for Minnesota.

Comparing the deal to the Hal Gill deal, the Predators gave up a 2^nd round pick and Blake Geoffrion for Hal Gill. Because the Foster and Veilleux contracts expire at the end of the season, the Devils gave up Nick Palmieri and a 2^nd round pick. If they do reach the conference finals, they will be happy to relinquish the 3^rd round pick.

This is an even trade for both teams.

Colorado receives: Steve Downie

Tampa Bay receives: 1^st round pick from Detroit.

Detroit receives: Kyle Quincey

While this was two separate trades by Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman, it should be looked at as one move.

The trades Yzerman has made leading up to the deadline show that the former Detroit Red Wing is ascending up the ranks as one of the top GMs in the NHL.  He is aware that his team is not a Stanley Cup Contender this season and is selling off assets in order to build for the future. As of February 26, 2012, Tampa Bay now has six picks in the first two rounds of the 2012 draft.  The net result of this trade is that Tampa Bay receives Detroit’s first round pick in exchange for Steve Downie.

Detroit adds depth to their defense in Kyle Quincey. Quincey who was drafted by Detroit in 2003 is a player who skate well, can move the puck, but isn’t the most physical. He is brought in to play the 3^rd defense pairing with Jonathan Ericsson, which should take some pressure off of rookie Jakub Kindl. He  fits into Detroit’s system,  and will be an RFA after this season so they will be able to retain him.

Colorado receives Steve Downie who gives their team some much added toughness. He’s a player who can get in your face, go to the net, hit, and move around in the lineup. While he doesn’t have great hands, he can provide 10-15 goals and 30-35 points. Ideally, he’s a 3^rd line right winger. Downey will be an RFA after this season.

A reasonable deal for all sides.

Philadelphia receives: Pavel Kubina

Tampa Bay receives: Jon Kalinski, 2^nd round pick in 2012 or 2013, 4^th round pick in 2013.

This is a depth acquisition by Philadelphia, which may not have been completely necessary, but he is a big body who fits in well with the Flyers team.

Steve Yzerman is stockpiling picks and building for the future.

The bottom line: An even deal.

Florida receives: Jerrod Smithson (age 33, under contract until 2012-13 for $800,000)

Nashville receives: 6^th round draft pick in 2012

Jerrod Smithson is a 4^th line centre who is better than incumbent John Madden. He is a depth acquisition, whose skill lies in winning draws, playing a defensively responsible and killing penalties. Smithson won’t be counted on to provide offense.

Nashville is a well run club and if hey are giving away players for 6^th round picks, this means they have no use for Smithson. His $800,000 salary will come off the books for next season, making this a quasi-salary dump. The Predators are looking to make a run for the cup this season, the trade also opens up a roster spot for additional moves.

This isn’t a significant move, that shouldn’t be overrated.

Tune in to TSN 1290 all day on trade deadline Monday for round the clock coverage. Drew Mindell and Richard Pollock of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show will be on from 12pm-4pm breaking down all the trades, as well as previewing the Winnipeg Jets contest against the Edmonton Oilers.

Semyon Varlamov

Matt Duchene

Coach Sacco

Thanks to Trevor Rinn for the Avs (Duchene & Varlamov) audio.

Guillaume Latendresse – Scoring a goal.  Playing in 1st game back since concussion.

Cal Clutterbuck – Thoughts on the game.  Playing through injuries.  Talking about the Bogosian hit.  Wild turnovers.  MTS atmosphere.

Coach Mike Yeo – Talking about hit.  Game summary.  Soft plays with puck.  Maintaining focus.  Thoughts on Latendresse play.  MTS Centre atmosphere.  Setting tone for good rivalry.  Preparing for Chicago.

Mikko Koivu – How the Wild have had success.  What Mike Yeo has brought to the table.  Close-knit team?  What Dany Heatley brings to the squad.  What Antti Miettinen will bring to the Jets.  What the guys know about the Jets team.  Talks about MTS Centre.

Dany Heatley - What has led the Wild to being so successful.  What the Wild are like.  Developed chemistry quickly.

Central Division

• If this is just Marian Hossa’s adjustment period, it will be scary to see what he can do at full steam, writes Chris Kuc.  “I think we can learn off some of the things he does with and going into puck areas. A lot of good things happen when he’s on the ice,” said coach Joel Quenneville about Hossa’s presence.
• Derick Brassard lacks a bit of confidence so far this season, explains Tom Reed.  One of Derek MacKenzie or Mike Blunden could find themselves going through waivers this week.  Here are the Blue Jackets’ projected lines for tonight’s game.
• Valtteri Filppula had his cast removed on Tuesday and is slated to return later this month.  With many injuries on the team, Justin Abdelkader has been given more responsibility and coach Mike Babcock has been happy with his play.
• Martin Erat recorded a hat trick last night, which prompted Barry Trotz to talk about the value of getting shots on net, as the Predators defeated the visiting Canucks.  Meanwhile, the Predators are hoping Jerred Smithson’s penalty on Alexandre Burrows is rescinded.
• Many Blues have had scoring trouble this season, so coach Andy Murray had his team practice hitting the goalie and going to the net on Tuesday.

Northeast Division

• Playing without Robyn Regehr has been the Flames’ downfall in the past, so Flames fans have to be hoping that his injury isn’t serious.  Colby Armstrong will have many family members in the Saddledome tonight when the Thrashers visit the Flames.
• Joe Sacco was happy enough with his club on Tuesday that he gave them the day off, explains Terry Frei.
• Jim Matheson answers reader’s questions in the Edmonton Journal.  Lubomir Visnovky and Ladislav Smid have developed some nice chemistry on the Oilers’ back-end.  Jeff Deslauriers has played well enough that he’s made people stop asking when Nikolai Khabibulin is returning to the lineup.
• Mikko Koivu was many people’s pick for Wild captain prior to the season and he is sure proving his worth in that position, explains Michael Russo.
• “Right now we have guys who can play a lot better, who have to play a lot better,” said an angry Alain Vigneault after yesterday’s loss to Nashville.  Mikael Samuelsson was so unhappy after the game that he refused to talk to the media.  When is Cody Hodgson going to return from a back injury?

Pacific Division

• Just when you had the Ducks written off, the team stormed back from a three-goal deficit and pulled out an important overtime victory at home against Dallas, writes Eric Stephens.  With Teemu Selanne injured, both Bobby Ryan and Joffrey Lupul will be counted on to carry the load.
• “That can’t happen, it just can’t happen,” said Stars captain Brenden Morrow after the team blew a 3-0 road lead to Anaheim.  Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News likes what he’s seen from youngster Ivan Vishnevskiy.
• Wayne Simmonds has taken advantage of the opportunities that coach Terry Murray has provided for him this season in Los Angeles.
• There are a number of reasons why the Coyotes are surprising the NHL, but strong penalty killing is definitely one of them.
• After some early season struggles, Ryane Clowe has found his game in the Bay Area.

If you are looking for a holiday gift and want to support IllegalCurve, take a look at our touques that can be purchased for only $9.99 plus shipping.  Also, if you want to add IllegalCurve on Twitter, click here.

The Devils have almost completely shut down the soft spot between the circles, especially when compared to the number of goals they allowed from that same area a season ago.

Is it Lemaire’s system keeping the play on the perimeter? Or is it a matter of Martin Brodeur being a significantly better goaltender than Clemmensen and Weekes, and stopping whatever high-percentage shots the Devils are allowing?

Read the entire terrific article here.

Very good work here by Adam.  Lemaire’s ability to have his team play a style that keeps teams to the perimeter is certainly a testament to his teaching ability and his team’s willingness to buy into what he preaches.  Of course, all those Cups from Montreal and his Cup as Coach of New Jersey go a long way in providing him what that type of teaching platform.  Something tells me his players would not buy into his system as easily if not for his amazing success.

Lemaire is simply a mastermind; why do you think Team Canada named him an assistant coach for the 2010 Olympics?  No one strategizes any better than him and he is a huge asset behind the bench. 

That said, his coaching style isn’t the only one that works.  To be fair, the Devils have 0.4 less goals through 24 games this season than the team did last season under Brent Sutter.  However, it should be pointed out that the team has also scored 0.2 less goals than last season through 24 games.  Now, of course, that is still a 0.2 goal improvement in an NHL that doesn’t see many goals–but Brent Sutter is probably just as effective a head coach as Lemaire, just with a different style of coaching–both in terms of motivation and strategy.

Fans, in general, may prefer Sutter’s style to Lemaire’s, but fans of those respective teams most likely prefer winning with whatever strategy works.

Apparently, Avalanche fans are going to need a little more proof that their team is as good as its record before they start showing up in larger numbers.

The smallest crowd in Avs history witnessed Colorado’s Western Conference-leading 11th win and 24th point Wednesday night, a 4-1 triumph over the Phoenix Coyotes. The announced attendance of 11,012 was more than 2,000 fewer than the previous low crowd, but that didn’t stop the Avs from staying perfect (5-0) on home ice.

“Our job is just to go out and play hockey and our job is to provide entertainment for our fans,” Avs coach Joe Sacco said. “I think that we’ve done a good job of that this year so far.”

Terry Frei said just three days ago that the Avalanche’s early season success was a bigger story in Canada than it was in Denver.  Well, I guess it is fair to say that he wasn’t kidding.  That is all I could think of when I read Dater’s numbers that you see above. 

Now, attendance is a touchy subject, especially with the economy as it is.  You never want to tell people how to spend their hard earned money, but these numbers are extremely surprising.  First, the economy was bad last year, and the Avs were worse, yet last night’s crowd was the worst of all-time.  That boggles my mind; especially considering the Avs’ amazing start.  Sure Avs fans may not believe this team is for real, and in that respect they are not alone, but can’t at least 12,000 fans come out to cheer this team on?

After taking a look at the Avalanche’s ticket prices, you can get tickets in the upper deck for tomorrow’s game against the Hawks for $38.00 each.  Sure that isn’t cheap, but it isn’t outlandish for a hockey game. 

Is Denver a good hockey market?  I think so.  But this city needs to show its support for the team when it isn’t winning–and let’s admit, the area was spoiled with successful Avalanche teams for a long time.  If the Avs keep winning and the fans continue to stay away, that will be a big concern for the NHL.

Strangely enough, my colleague David chose the same issue to write his Morning Papers Take on.  Here is David’s opinion:

The Avs are a 1st place team but only drawing 25th overall with an average so far this season of 14,759 fans.

Now a number of Avs fans have come to their team’s defense suggesting that there were a number of factors involved in last night’s poor attendance, namely;   high ticket prices, it was a mid week game, possible World Series clinching game on TV, Phoenix Coyotes in town, ownership dumping salary in the offseason and finally these were the 2 worst teams in the Western Conference last season.

The average ticket price for Colorado is around $71.  While many are pleasantly surprised by the Avalanche’s current position, the fact of the matter is this was a 15th place team last season and Colorado didn’t factor that into their ticket pricing.  Combine that with the poor economy, poor season ticket sales as many expected this team to be re-building and you get an exciting, 1st place team with only 11,000 in the stands.  Ownership made a mistake not factoring same into its pricing structure this summer.

Kesler now has 16 points in 16 games and leads all American players in the NHL.

It was just two training camps ago when he talked about taking a bigger leadership role. He’s done that, and can now dictate how the Canucks play.

“I think everybody in this locker room wants to go on the ice and wants to be a game changer,” Kesler said.

“Every time I step on the ice, that’s the only thing on my mind. A couple of seasons ago it was defence, defence, defence. Now, I’m trying to push that offence really hard.”

It was only last season that Ryan Kesler agreed with his teammate Alexandre Burrows that certain Canucks players would have to take less to keep the current core of the team together.  While I know Kesler somewhat backed off those comments, we will see how honest he was really being when the time comes this upcoming summer.  That is because Kesler is an RFA after this season and is only making $1.75 million in 2009/10.  With Willie Mitchell the only really other significant free agent next summer, the Canucks almost have $41 million already tied up for 2010/2011.  Clearly the team will do what it can to keep Kesler but the days of him taking less have probably passed by.  The rugged American center leads the team in scoring, and has improved in the points-per-game department in each of his six NHL seasons. 

The question is: How much is Kesler going to get paid?  The player that most comes to mind as a comparable for me is R.J. Umberger.  Both players are big American centers that are able to play a two-way game and are very physical in the process.  Over his career, Umberger has posted 171 points in 323 games; whereas, Kesler has posted 153 points in 335 games.  So, Umberger has a points-per-game of .529, while Kesler has a points-per-game of .456.  Taking into account the fact that Umberger signed his contract last summer, he was the same age that Kesler will be this summer.  Umberger currently makes $3.75 million (cap hit) per season on a four-year deal.  Something tells me that Kesler’s agent will be shooting for $4.00 million this summer.

Taking less sounds good when you say it, but not when you have a chance to sign that big contract.  Time will tell, but something tells me there is no way Kesler takes less.  And you know what, who can blame him?

New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils

These teams don’t like each other and never have.  Tonight’s game marks the second of the season for the Devils, after the team was dominated by Philadelphia on Saturday night in Jacques Lemaire’s return to Jersey.  Needless to say, Martin Brodeur wasn’t at his best in the team’s first game (he allowed five goals) and said in the morning papers that he was looking to change a thing or two about his positioning after the opening night loss.

The Rangers started the season by getting defeated in Pittsburgh but then returned the next night and beat Ottawa in the team’s home opener.  In positive news, Marian Gaborik looks healthy and motivated, so the Rangers are going to try and ride the Gaborik train as long as they can. 

Columbus Blue Jackets at Vancouver Canucks

Well, some are already calling this game a “must-win” for the Canucks.  First off, that is absurd, as it is the third game of the season.  Regardless, the Canucks started poorly in Calgary on Thursday and only really started playing in the second half of the game.  Unfortunately for Alain Vigneault and company, his team didn’t fare much better in Colorado on Saturday afternoon and the team is faced with an 0-2 record.  While there shouldn’t be panic in B.C., Vigneault hasn’t wasted any time calling out his non-Sedin lines.  Something tells me the Canucks will be mighty motivated tonight.

As for Columbus, this is a team that defeated the Wild 2-1 on Saturday and is a confident bunch.  Unfortunately for Ken Hitchcock and company, the Jackets play three straight home openers starting with tonight in Vancouver.  That said, Hitchcock will have his much improved team ready to roll.  Expect a higher scoring affair than in the team’s first game of the season.

Forwards:

Is Sergei Shirokov Vancouver's secret weapon?

Though the Canucks were not one of the highest scoring teams in the league last year, their surprising offensive output was one of the reasons for their success. They averaged 3 goals/game, 5th in the Western Conference. The Canucks are led offensively by Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Both were re-signed shortly before becoming free agents. Daniel led the team in goals with 31, and Henrik led the team in assists with 60. Both players amassed exactly 82 points in 82 games.

Daniel and Henrik have been incredibly durable over their careers. Daniel has missed 14 games in 8 seasons while Henrik has missed only 8 games in 8 seasons. At 29, it is unlikely to expect an increase in production from the twins, but they are certainly capable of being point-per-game players this year.

It has yet to be determined who will line up alongside the twins. Reports earlier out of Vancouver training camp had Samuelsson as the early favorite. The former Red Wing has never eclipsed 45 points in a season but could easily see new career highs if he plays with Daniel and Henrik. He brings grit, size, skating ability and a solid shot.  Recent reports, however, have Samuelsson playing on a line with Ryan Kesler and Sergei Shirokov.

Alex Burrows is an excellent two-way forward who broke out offensively last season. Burrows significantly improved his career bests with 28 goals and 23 assists. If Burrows lines  up alongside the Sedins, he should  eclipse those totals. He was also a +23 and registered 150 penalty minutes. He is a hard-worker and an agitator and is major all-around contributor to the team.

Ryan Kesler is another Canuck that had a breakout season last year. The 25 year-old Kesler registered 26 goals and 33 assists last year. Though he struggled in the post-season, Kesler should rebound nicely and at least match last season’s offensive output. He should enter the season as Vancouver’s second-line centre.

Pavol Demitra can still be one of Vancouver’s offensive leaders, but durability is a concern. The oft-injured Demitra has missed at least eleven games in each of the last five years and will miss the first month of the season after undergoing major shoulder surgery.

After an impressive 39 game rookie campaign with the Sharks, Steve Bernier has been a disappointment. Bernier has failed to become a scoring threat for Vancouver despite spending time on a line with the Sedins. Another 24 year-old, Mason Raymond will be counted on to contribute more. Raymond will likely be paired on the second-line with Ryan Kesler.

Kyle Wellwood is the favorite to be Vancouver’s third-line centre. The much-maligned Wellwood is reportedly in much better shape this year and may have found a home in Vancouver. Competing with Wellwood is potential Calder candidate Cody Hodgson. Hodgson, the 2008 10th overall pick is a high-scoring forward. He will play centre or right wing if he makes the team. Hodgson may not begin the season with the team, however, as he has already been called out for his poor play by GM Mike Gillis.

Sergei Shirokov debuts with the Canucks after spending considerable time in various Russian leagues. Shirokov has potential to make a valuable offensive contribution. Face-off specialist Ryan Johnson, tough guys Rick Rypien, and Darcy Hortichuk, and Jannick Hansen will be competing for the final roster spots.

Defense:

The Canucks lost Mattias Ohlund to the Lightning in the off-season but signed Mathieu Schnieder and acquired Christian Erhoff, and Brad Lukowich. The 40 year-old Schnieder may not play every game and probably will not be ready to start the season. Schnieder’s most valuable contribution comes as a quarterback on the power play. Newly acquired Christian Erhoff will probably also play a role on the power play. Erhoff recorded 25 of his 42 points with the man-advantage. At most, Brad Lukowich will be relied on as Vancouver’s seventh defenseman.

Alex Edler looks to improve on an impressive 2008-2009 campaign

Kevin Bieksa is the Canucks #1 defenseman. He will not spend as much time on the power play this year, but logged almost 25 minutes of ice-time en route to a 43-point campaign. Alexander Edler had a career best 37 points and was a pleasant surprise for the Canucks. Edler is only 23 and could become one of the NHL’s better offensive defensemen.

Though Willie Mitchell set a career high in points last year, his role is firmly entrenched as Vancouver’s top shutdown defenseman. Like Mitchell, Shane O’Brien is a stay-at-home defenseman. He will probably play only in Mathieu Schnieder’s absence.

The oft-injured Sami Salo is back for another season on the Canucks blue-line. Salo has the potential to be an above average offensive defenseman, but injuries and reduced power play time this year could leave Salo vulnerable to a career low (with Vancouver) in points.

Goaltending:

What can you say about Roberto Luongo? The 30 year-old continues to put up stellar numbers. Last season he was 33-13 with a GAA of 2.34. Luongo missed time due to injury last year, but has been relatively durable over his career. Luongo is one of the top goaltenders in the league, and the Canucks’ success will be dependent on their captain.

Win or lose, it's Roberto Luongo's team

Andrew Raycroft will be counted on to back up Luongo. Raycroft has been shaky since an incredible 2003 with the Bruins. Cory Schneider is clearly the Canucks goaltender of the (distant) future and should Luongo get injured, it is Schneider that will likely play a majority of the games.

Prediction:

Ceiling – The Canucks are one of the favorites for the Northeast Division. They could easily win the division as long as their key components stay healthy. 1st in division 3rd in conference.

Floor – An injury to Roberto Luongo or a prolonged offensive slump could put this team on the playoff bubble in a competitive Western Conference. 4th in division, 10th in conference.

It is no secret that the Edmonton side has been hampered by an anemic power play for the last several seasons. In fact, one could argue that this ineptitude cost them a Stanley Cup in 2006. This sad sack unit seems to rely on Sheldon Souray’s shot and a whole lot of prayer, because they haven’t had any fresh ideas for some time.

The display the Oilers special team (like, very special) put on last night was nothing short of atrocious. Despite the absense of the hard-shooting Souray, the Oilers still tried the extremely bland “pass it to the point and hope” play, leaving a variety of different shooters to attempt a high and wide blast on net. I tell you, there was so much perimeter play out there I thought they were buidling a road around Winnipeg.

On the 4-3 powerplay in overtime, Gagner and Cogliano were standing so far in the corner when Visnovsky was shooting I swore Pat Quinn had sent them there for misbehaviour. There is absolutely no way they were in any position to get a rebound, and even if they did, their shooting angle was so slim it would take two tubes of KY to squeak a shot into the net.

I realize that they didn’t have the complete lineup out there, but I am sure they could have come up with a few slightly better configurations. I mean, there was more passing out there than you would see on a Showcase Showdown. Pass, Pass, Pass, Turnover. Even the 4-year old sitting behind me knew better, constantly asking his daddy why they wouldn’t shoot.

Fully willing to admit that I am arm-chair coaching here, I know its much harder to get a good shot on net than it looks. That being said, I have played enough hockey to know that directing something (anything) towards the net isn’t all that hard. And this is coming from a guy who offensive skills are so limited I have trouble scoring with Winnipeg girls.

If this poor power play is allowed to continue, I guarantee it will cost the Oilers at least 6 to 8 points in the standings, and thats huge come April, when very few points typically separate 8th from 10th in the Western Conference. Lets just hope this problem works itself out before October, when these losses will really mean something.

Having only seen the Oilers on a web feed so far this pre-season, I was excited to see them live in action. They easily fulfilled the “live” part, but the “action” was pretty sparse. Despite erasing a 2-0 deficit and holding a lead for about a period, the Oilers effort last night left me a little cold.

The first period was by far the worst, with several defensive miscues and about 9 forwards who seem to think they are irreplaceable in the lineup. The first Lightning goal featured a defensive breakdown of epic proportions, as Ryan Malone was all alone in front to tuck in a rebound. The Oilers penalty kill let them down on goal #2, as Martin St. Louis wired an Alex Tanguay feed to increase the deficit to 2-0.

The Oilers clawed back with a nice power play goal by Robert Nilsson, who is making a strong case to stay on the team. Andrew Cogliano converted a partial breakaway to make it 2-2 after being sent in on a stretch pass by Denis Grebeskov. Tom Gilbert buried the third goal on a wrist shot from the high slot after a nifty feed from Gilbert Brule, who picked a covvenient time to show up.

Holding the lead until the wee moments of the game, the Oilers passed up several chances to put the Lightning away on the powerplay, and the 5 on 5 play was mediocre at best, with only Ryan Stone and Robert Nilsson putting in consistent efforts. Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, who was a little shaky on the St. Louis goal, effectively barred the door for most of the 2nd and 3rd, twice stoning Steven Stamkos from close range.

While I will comment on the power-play in a separate post, the Oilers penalty kill is worthy of a quick mention. While the penalty killers (Brule, Stone, Moreau, Reddox and even Penner) were not terrible, they had no answer for the puck possession and quick puck movement of the Lightning forwards. Furthermore, the Oilers continued difficulty in the faceoff circle would haunt them, as an ill-timed Steve Staios penalty in the offensive zone with 10 seconds to play in OT gave the Lightning the win. A quick face off win by the Bolts, followed by a heads up pass to St. Louis for a slap shot that he simply blew by Deslauriers ended the Oilers night.

The lines and pairings broke down as follows:

Cogliano-Gagner-Nilsson- Easily the best trio of the night. Ethan Moreau started out with this unit, but was very lacklustre and was soon replaced with Robert Nilsson, who had all kinds of jump. They provided most of the offense and clearly like playing with each other. They could use a little more size on the PP, but they move the puck well and Cogliano looks better on the wing.

Penner-Schremp-Eberle- All of them did some things individually and Penner played well in 4 on 4 situations with Brule. Schremp is trying way too hard and is a little snake bit. Eberle is talented but needs a little seasoning, and Penner needs Horcoff and Hemsky.

Moreau-Brule-Stone- The second best unit on the night, for my money. Moreau was mostly invisible save for one shot he rang off the iron. Stone was the best of this trio, and plays a rough and tumble game with some offensive upside. He hits a lot and that is skill that is rare on this roster. Brule showed some flashes, but also disappeared for stretches at a time. He did have a real nice pass to Gilbert for the 3rd goal.

MacIntyre-Stortini-Reddox- The 4th line bunch didn’t see the ice much, but they competed every shift. Reddox skates miles covering for MacIntyre, who often put himself out of position trying to kill someone. Stortini did ok in spot duty at centre, and was a bit of an agitator. Reddox also saw duty on the PK, where he did quite well.

Visnovsky-Smid- The de facto first pairing, they played a pretty decent game, save for their miscue on the first goal. Smid is developing into a pretty good shut down guy, and opposing players don’t get much when he is out there. Visnovsky was his usual smooth self, and really needed some help on the PP. The only one with a clue out there.

Chorney-Gilbert- The two former collegians played pretty well together, and Gilbert is showing an increased offensive acumen. As a former Chorney fan, and recent Chorney detractor, I was very pleased with his game. He is staying within his comfort zone and is thriving as a result. Skates well and making nice passes, he also did well on the PP. I have no problem with him as the 7th defender.

Grebeshkov-Staios- Steady Steve played a solid game and was pretty physical for an exhibition game. I still like how Grebeshkov plays, but he was really fighting the puck last night, which cost the Oilers a lot of precious time on the power play.

Deslauriers- I really have no idea about goalies, but found his performance adequate. He was suspect on the two St. Louis goals, which were stoppable in my opinion. The 3rd lightning goal was redirected, and the first one he could have used some defensive help. That said, he made up for these possible miscues with several big time saves. Looks like he wants the backup job in the worst way.

Here is the video:

Wild Scrimmage

Minnesota Wild Scrimmage II

Wild Scrimmage III

Wild Training Camp IV

Wild Scrimmage V

Wild Scrimmage VI

Forwards

Under Jacques Lemaire’s trapping system, he emphasized the use of one forechecker pressuring the puck, while the other forwards focus on taking away passing lanes.  Lemaire’s system is actually quite restrictive for centers, as he prefers that one of the two wingers forecheck and has the center stay high in the system virtually all the time (yes, even in the offensive zone). 

Well, expect lots of change to the Wild’s forechecking and offensive zone strategy under new coach Todd Richards.  The former head coach of  Wilkes-Barre Scranton of the AHL, wants to push the pace of play (think Tortorella in Tampa and New York) and increase scoring in the land of 10,000 lakes.  While his style is welcomed by many Wild fans, it may take sometime for the personnel to catch up with the systematic changes the team is currently undergoing.

The Wild’s top all-around forward is Mikko Koivu.  Koivu has good size (6″2, 205 pounds”), skates really well, is strong positionally and has very good offensive instincts.  He, as a center, was certainly restricted offensively by playing under Lemaire–granted he was a favorite of Lemaire’s for his two-way prowess.  In any event, Koivu lead the Wild in scoring last season with 67 points and considering his age (26), expect his point totals to increase this season.

Mikko Koivu could breakout this season with more offensive freedom. (Picture courtesy of sportsnet.ca)

With the loss of Marian Gaborik (I’m sure Wild fans must be quietly smirking at word that Gaborik is already “sore” in Rangers camp), the team is hoping to replace his lost offense with that of Martin Havlat.  I have to admit, I’m a Havlat fan.  He has tremendous skill, is arguably a top-five NHL stickhandler, can shoot the puck and brings it when it matters most.  Unfortunately, his biggest drawback, like Gaborik, is that he is injury prone (190 games played over the past four seasons).  If he stays healthy, which he did last season in Chicago (although some would point to his pending free agent status as one reason for that), he can produce at a clip similar to that of Gaborik–especially at even strength where Gaborik’s loss was always so crippling to the Wild’s chances.

Koivu and Havlat and Pierre-Marc Bouchard are the team’s most dangerous offensive players.  Bouchard (25 years old) is a diminutive player who possesses more offense talent than his numbers have indicated over the years.  He can skate like the wind and has a terrific shot.  Of course, his size is a detriment to his ability to battle for pucks, but his awareness should be able to sufficiently offset that drawback.  Last season, Bouchard was in the first year of a new contract and struggled to return to his 2007/08 form.  With a new more offensive coach and more ice-time as a result (he played under 17:00 minutes per contest last season), Bouchard could very easily exceed his previous career highs.

After the top three, the Wild’s roster is composed of a combination of veterans and unestablished youngsters.

The veterans include Andrew Brunette, Owen Nolan and Antti Miettinen.  Brunette is getting up there (36 years old) but is still strong on the boards, can complement offensive players by playing a responsible two-way game and can throw in 20 goals for good measure.  Additionally, his presence in the locker room should not be understated.

Nolan brings a different veteran presence to the table.  He is rough around the edges, plays a mean game and has a terrific slap shot.  The former number one overall pick has certainly lost a step over the years, but he was still the Wild’s fourth leading scoring at even strength last season.

Antti Miettinen was a nice off-season signing by the old regime last summer.  He contributed on a line with Brunette and Koivu for a large part of last season and contributed some respectable offensive totals (15 goals).  Unfortunately for Wild fans, Miettinen is more of a third line player than a top-six forward–the role in which he was primarily used last season–so, if the Wild is to have success, Miettinen’s role probably cannot be anymore than it was in 2008/09 (18:00+ minutes per game).

If the Wild is to make a step forward this season, the performances of James Sheppard, Colton Gillies and Cal Clutterbuck will have a lot to do with that.

Sheppard was drafted in the top ten of the 2006 Entry Draft and has yet to demonstrate  (on a regular basis) why he was so highly regarded.  He played in all 82 games last season and posted an ugly line of 24 points and a -14 rating.  While he only played just over 15:00 minutes per game, he was given equal time on the penalty kill and the power play and was anything but productive at even strength.  Luckily he is only 21 and has the offensive talent to far exceed last season’s totals; the 2009/10 season will be a big one for the former QMJHL star.

Colton Gillies came along last season and impressed many onlookers.  He get much ice-time or post high point totals but for a 19 year old to crack a Lemaire coached team, you have to be doing something right.  Gillies is big and uses his size to his advantage.  Given time, he will turn into a very productive power forward, however, next season may be a little bit too early to predict a breakout season.

Cal Clutterbuck became a cult hero in Minnesota last season.  The man is a wrecking ball and had a whopping 258 more hits than the next closest player on the Wild (no that was not a typo).  Clutterbuck actually led the entire NHL in hits last season with 356 and contributed a respectable 11 goals, as well.  He is only 21, so expect him to be a crowd favorite in Minnesota for a long time.

Among the veterans, let’s not forget Eric Belanger.  He was second on the Wild in face-off percentage (52% win rate) and played significant time (over 2:00 minutes) of both power play and penalty kill time per game.  At 31 years old and with the Wild in somewhat of a rebuilding mode, I expect Belanger’s ice-time to come down a bit from last season where he saw the ice more than 17:00 minute per game.

Filling out the team’s fourth line will be newly acquired Kyle Brodziak who played the last few seasons with the Edmonton Oilers.  Brodziak is your typical fourth line center, he won over 50% of his face-offs in 2008/09 (51.6%), plays a responsible two-way game and is fairly limited offensively. 

Along with Brodziak, the Wild has arguably the most intimidating fighter in the NHL in Derek Boogaard.  The Saskatoon native is 6″8, 257 pounds and plays bigger than that.  Seriously, he may hit harder than anyone I have ever seen and his presence on the ice is evident in the way opposing skill players play when he is around on the boards. 

The Wild is also hoping for Benoit Pouliot to prove his worth, as he, like Sheppard, was once upon a time a top ten draft selection.  Pouliot did not really see eye-to-eye with the old regime, so maybe the new cast in town will instill a breath of fresh air into the skilled forward. 

Finally, the Wild has just recently brought in Petr Sykora on a tryout contract, but Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune says it is basically a done deal that Sykora signs on for a one-year deal.  If so, Sykora should add a nice scoring element to the Wild’s forwards.  He is not especially fast but is a smart player with a good shot.  His addition should help the power play, but anything more than 16-20 goals should not be expected.

All in all the Wild boasts a respectable forward group; however, it is nothing spectacular and is probably going to be the reason that the Wild misses the playoffs again this season.

Defensemen

After talking up Brent Burns all last summer, the multi-talented defenseman went through a rough 2008/09 season making me look a tad foolish.  After a prolonged stint at forward (still do not understand that) and concussion issues, Burns had a very difficult season.  Coming into this season, he appears refreshed and ready to once again take over as the Wild’s go-to defenseman.  When healthy, Burns can be a shutdown defenseman because of his skating and defensive awareness.  Additionally, he has the ability to alter the course of a game with his offensive skill.  In fact, if he starts off the season well, I would not be surprised at all to see him make Team Canada 2010.

If Brent Burns returns to his 2007/08 form, he could be wearing the Maple Leaf in Vancouver. (Picture courtesy of tsn.ca)

Joining Burns on the back-end is another puck-mover in Marek Zidlicky.  The smooth-skating former Predators defenseman had a bit of an up-and-down transition to Minnesota in 2008/09.  At times he looked great and others he looked lost.  Overall, he logged over 22:00 minutes a night and was a key member of the team’s power play.  His offensive skills are evident, he led the Wild defense with 42 points in 76 games last season (17 at even strength) and makes a terrific first pass.  Unfortunately, he has his drawbacks in his own zone, as he can get caught out of position at times and his size sometimes allows him to be pushed around in the corners. 

Along with the two offensive defensemen listed above, the Wild has stay-at-home defenseman Nick Schultz to play against the other team’s top offensive players.  Schultz is limited offensively, but is physical (led the team’s defensemen with 78 hits), blocks shots (led the team’s defensemen with 152 blocked shots) and can log over 20:00 minutes per game (3:20 per game on the penalty kill).  Schultz is a very important cog and is a leader for this group, as well.

So far, three Wild defensemen have been listed, yet the team’s leader in ice-time last season, Kim Johnsson, has yet to be discussed.  Johnsson skates extremely well and can play in all game situations (24:00+ minutes per game).  His offensive game isn’t what it once was when he played in Philadelphia and New York but he still added a respectable 24 points in 2008/09 (16 of which were at even strength).  Also, his ability to make a strong first pass helps the Wild’s transition game.

The aforementioned four defensemen were obviously with the team last season, so Greg Zanon is the first newcomer we will breakdown.  Zanon is one of my favorites.  He logged over 20:00 minutes per game on a very deep Nashville defense last season.  Moreover, he blocked shots, laid hits and was an underrated presence on the Nashville back-end.  At $1.7 million this season, Wild fans will grow to love Zanon as a real bargain.

Fighting for the team’s final starting defense spot will be the likes of John Scott and Shane Hnidy, although with the depth listed above (all five aforementioned defensemen played over 20:00 minutes per game last season) this spot isn’t overly significant.

As a group, I really think the Wild is strong on the back-end.  There is a good mix of veterans and players in their primes.  If the team is to make the playoffs, these defensemen need to contribute at both ends of the ice and stay relatively healthy.

Goaltending

The Wild has no issues in between the pipes.  Niklas Backstrom had a .923 save percentage last season and was nominated for the Vezina Trophy.  The Finnish netminder is a stalwart for the Wild back there and posted an impressive eight shutouts last season.  Barring a poor decision by Finnish hockey, Backstrom should be starting for his home country in the 2010 Olympics.  Also, if you are concerned that Backstrom is a one year wonder, don’t be; he posted a .920 save percentage in 2007/08 and .929 save percentage in 2006/07.  Yes, he is really that good.

Niklas Bacstrom is the real deal. (Picture courtesy of sportsnet.ca)

Backing up Backstrom is Josh Harding.  Harding would be a starter on most other NHL teams but unfortunately for the Ontario native he is locked in behind Backstrom.  Harding will most likely see himself traded–once the Wild receives what Fletcher believes to be a fair market offer–because Backstrom just signed a new four-year, $24 million deal.  So, Harding and his .929 save percentage and 2.21 G.A.A. is probably not long for Minnesota. 

Prediction

Ceiling: The Wild gets stellar goaltending as per usual, stays healthy on defense and adjusts well to the new coach.  3rd place in the Northwest Division and 8th place in the Western Conference.

Floor: The Wild still cannot score on a consistent basis, doesn’t play razor tight defense like they did under Lemaire and struggle at special teams (were 9th in power play last season and 2nd in penalty kill).  4th place in the Northwest Divsion and 13th in the Western Conference.

As found at sportslogos.net

Ok, now that I have your undivided attention, let’s talk some Edmonton Oilers hockey. The Oilers, as you may have noticed, have been ubiquitous in the news this summer over their failed attemts to land Dany Heatley. This PR nightmare has thankfully faded with the dog days of summer and the new coup is the recent signing of former bad boy Mike Comrie.

Add this signing to the moves (Nikolai Khabibulin) and non-moves (Heatley, a third line centre) and you are left with many of the same question marks that plagued the Oilers last season. Namely, is this a playoff team?

I can’t answer this question here (but see below!) and only time will tell what a couple of new faces and a host of new coaches will bring to the former City of Champions. New bench boss Pat Quinn and associates/assistants Tom Renney and Wayne Fleming will certainly bring a new look to the team, and I expect the special teams to show some marked improvement.

Many Oiler players are reporting for camp in much better shape and ready to compete for jobs, which is a good thing because I doubt Quinn and Co. will stand pat (pardon the pun) for very long if they don’t like what they see on the ice. So, without further ado, lets take a look at what the Oildrop has to work with this season:

Forwards:

Courtesy of dasgamer.com

The forward corps for the Edmonton Oilers is crowded to say the least. With a legion of players either cemented into roles or ready to compete for ice time, something will have to give sooner rather than later. Yesterday’s signing of Mike Comrie (pictured below , with Hilary Duff for scale) further complicates matters.

Adding to the mess is the fact that several of the players (Dustin Penner, Rob Schremp, Robert Nilsson) have come to camp in much better shape and seem reluctant to give up their spots (or in Schremp’s case, his chance at a spot). Even with the departures of Kyle Brodziak (traded to Minnesota) and Ales Kotalik (signed with the NY Rangers), the Oilers simply do not have enough spots for everyone.

Further complicating matters is that in addition to the over-abundance of players, they have several guys who have basically the same skill set. Smallish forwards Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Mike Comrie, Robert Nilsson, Rob Schremp, Jordan Eberle, Gilbert Brule, and Patrick O’Sullivan are all under 6 feet and essentially fill the same role. None of them are really suited to a 3rd or even a 4th line role, so someone (ideally a couple of them) have to go. Granted, Schremp and Eberle are in tough to make the team, while Brule could be sent packing to Springfield.

Even with these three players potentially out of the picture, you are still left with 5 guys and 6 spots. The problem is that Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky and Dustin Penner are all likely at least penciled into 3 of those 6 spots, leaving another 2 guys left out in the cold (or the press box/4th line). Word is that Comrie will get a look as the first line left winger, and Cogliano will get one last shot to prove he is a centre.

Stopping to evaluate what we have here, it would seem likely that Horcoff retains his spot as the 1st line centre (unless Quinn sees him as the shut-down guy) with Hemsky staying at 1st line right wing. That leaves Penner and Comrie to battle for a spot on the left side. If these three our four guys comprise the 1st line (for arguments sake) then that leaves Cogliano, Gagner, Nilsson, O’Sullivan and a host of others for the 2nd line.

Perhaps Quinn will experiment with the Kid Line (Gagner, Cogliano, Nilsson) that had some success two years ago or maybe he blows it up. At this point, its really tough to tell since we have no template to judge what the Mighty Quinn will do. I would expect (at least) that Gagner will be playing centre and Cogliano will get at least a shot at it. If he is successful, watch him to be the pivot on the 3rd unit. If not, he would make an excellent winger with blazing outside speed for any line.

Courtesy of studyofsports.com

Robert Nilsson might be the odd-man out in this situation. His skills are, like I mentioned, replicated elsewhere on the roster. He is smallish, doesn’t hit much or check well and there are several cheaper prospects (and Comrie) who can likely replace his production. So, trade bait, right? Well, wrong actually. Reports indicate that Nilsson has been hitting the gym hard all summer and is in excellent shape (having added 15 pounds of muscle). Plus, trading a guy with a lacklustre resume won’t likely fetch you much at this point. If he shines in the pre-season, don’t be surprised to see him kept around for at least an audition. Failing that, he could also be sent to the minors (owner Darryl Katz said he has no problem putting a big contract in the minors) to await an injury or a slump.

Patrick O’Sullivan is yet another question mark here. He is said to be willing to play centre, and is adept at either wing. Of all the small forwards, he is likely the most defensively responsible, he can kill penalties AND he will actually shoot the puck. I personally think he will be a favorite of Quinn’s and expect he will be a fixture on one of the top two lines.

This situation is, at best, fluid and, at worst, a mess. The good news, dear readers, is that the bottom two lines may be a little easier to figure out. A little easier, but not a lot. As mentioned, there is a slight chance Shawn Horcoff gets slotted in as the 3rd line centre due to his checking skills. He is never going to be a huge point producer, but with good linemates, he can get you 60 points. These totals probably wouldn’t change too much if he skated on a 3rd line with say, Fernando Pisani and Ethan Moreau.

These veteran wingers will definitely see their share of T.O.I with Quinn behind the bench. Both are getting into their mid-thirties now, and injuries are a concern. If they stay healthy, they will counted on to kill penalties and shut down the other teams top lines. If Horcoff keeps the 1st line, Cogliano might get a look here too, if Renney can teach him how to win a faceoff. If not, prospects Marc Pouliot (he is still a prospect to me) or Gilbert Brule might get a chance. Heck, there is even talk at giving Comrie this role. My best guess is that a veteran is either signed during camp or is brought in via trade.

The fourth line could go a couple ways, by my way of thinking. One, Quinn stays true to form and has a couple of knuckle draggers and a babysitter for the rough stuff. This was his M.O. in Toronto (Domi, Belak, Perrott et al) and the Oilers have the personnel to fulfill this role. Zach Stortini certainly likes to fight and is becoming a very useful player in the agitator role. Steve MacIntyre is the epitome of a knuckle-dragger and is a fearsome fighter, but can’t offer much past that. J.F. Jacques is also a big body but really doesn’t use his size effectively and Geoff Paukovich is a dirty mofo who Quinn might like. As for the babysitter portion, the aforementioned Marc Pouliot and Gilbert Brule might find themselves down on the 4th, as might MacTavish favourite Liam Reddox. Colin MacDonald, Ryan Potulny and Ryan Stone are other candidates here.

The second option is go for a high energy unit with some scoring talent. Potulny, Stone, Reddox, Schremp and Jacques could all fit the bill here, as could Brule and Pouliot. The Oilers also signed a 31 year old from the Slovak league named Miroslav Lazo. I don’t have a clue about him, but who knows.

I apologize for the rambling breakdown of the forwards. But, as you can see, there are a plethora of possible combinations and a trade seems inevitable. The only real known knowns (thanks Donald Rumsfeld) are that Hemsky will be counted on to shoulder a lot of the offensive load, Penner should be better under Quinn, the brass hopes Cogliano and Gagner continue to improve and Stortini should get lots of ice and P.I.M.S. Past that, anything could happen between now and the season opener. Your guess is really as good as mine, so let me know in the comments.

Defence:

Courtesy of talk-sports.net

Defencively, the Oilers a little easier to figure out. Led by Sheldon Souray (pictures sans shirt, to the left) and Lubomir Visnovsky, the blueline boys are the strength of this Oilers team.

This group has a reasonably nice balance of actual defence and offensive capability. Souray’s 23 goals were tied for the team lead, and Gilbert and Visnovsky (before he was injured) were steady contributors on both sides of the ledger. Denis Grebeshkov, acquired with little fanfare a couple of seasons ago, has rounded into a solid top 4 guy who can help at both ends of the ice.

Also making great strides was Ladislav Smid, the key return in the Chris Pronger deal. He had a career high in points, and exhibited a real nasty edge to his game, which was a pleasant surprise and a great help to the Oilers. Rounding out the defenders are veterans  Steve Staios and Jason Strudwick, plus the up and coming Theo Peckham.

The key to this season for the back-enders is getting a full 82 games (or close to it) from Souray and Visnovsky. Having these contributors around full-time would be a serious boost to the Oilers’ chances of making the playoffs. Visnovsky’s steady presence and Souray’s grit and offensive punch could potentially be the difference makers in what is shaping up to be yet another dog-fight for 8th in the West. The more help the aging Nikolai Khabibulin gets, the better he plays.  Souray is the real key there, as he (along with Smid) is one of the few guys that makes opposing forwards pay for getting near the crease.

Examining the other skaters, the Oilers will need Tom Gilbert to continue his steady improvement, as he (along with Grebeshkov) figures to be a fixture on the 2nd pairing. A smooth skater with offensive upside (he used to be a centre), Gilbert needs to improve his own zone play while adding some scoring (especially from the powerplay). Grebeshkov, is in the same boat. He showed some offensive flash last year and was really cutting down on defensive miscues by the end of last season. Both players are candidates for their respective countries Olympic teams, so I would bet they are solid, especially in the early going.

Rounding out the top 6 are Steve Staios and Ladislav Smid. Staios has lost a step but still has this season and next on an ill-conceived contract. He isn’t likely to go anywhere as he likely wouldn’t fetch much in return (unless a team needs to reach the cap floor) and the Oilers are short on experience past Souray and Visnovsky. He is prone to getting beat wide, but is still serviceable in a limited role, especially in tutoring Smid. The newly crust Czech is finally starting to live up to his advance billing. The left-handed shot is not any kind of offensive threat, but his defence is sound. Somewhat tough to play against, he closes gaps well and looks after his own end while adding some much needed grit. Count on him being a little meaner this year, as he is another Oiler who is apparently buff and ready to go.

The extra skaters here are likely Jason Strudwick (whose place on the roster isn’t guaranteed) and Theo Peckham, who was very good for a bad Springfield team last season. Strudwick is a guy that just plays a solid up and down game, and is reportedly very good in the room. Not flashy, he can also fill in on forward if need be, and with the diminutive group of forwards, that may be necessary. Peckham is another rough and tumble type, who isn’t afraid to drop the gloves and plays an in-your-face style. Taylor Chorney saw a little action at the end of last season, but still figures to start the year in Springfield, as he needs some more maturity. The same goes for Cody Wild, who doesn’t have Chorney’s pedigree, but could conceivably pass him on the depth chart this year.

Courtesy of talk-sports.net

The Oilers could still acquire another veteran d-man (which I think they need) if the forwards are thinned out via trade. Adding one more calming presence (or dumping Staios), would go a long way to solidifying an already decent group. They certainly aren’t in Calgary’s class personnel wise, but they are better than most of the league and should be the bright spot on the 2009-10 edition of the Oilers.

Goaltenders:

Courtesy of Hockey Capital

The goaltending story for the Edmonton Oilers starts and stops with Nikolai Khabibulin. The newly signed goalie will be counted on to hold the fort for the Oilers, as they currently don’t have a battled tested back-up.

In a somewhat surprising move, GM Steve Tambellini signed the aging netminder to a long term for big dollars, after allowing Dwayne Roloson to walk. Though the signing is not terrible, fans and bloggers are understandably concerned about the terms and the injury history of their new goalie.

That being said, Khabilbulin turned in a solid season with the Hawks, and still can still play at a high level. He should, at the very least, provide the Oilers will steady veteran goaltending and will hopefully steal a few games for the Oil. Given the precarious nature of the forwards, they will likely need the help. I would expect Quinn to ride Khabibulin hard if the keeper is playing well, so something in the range of 50 to 60 games is not out of the question.

Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers is the likely backup, and saw some limited action last year. Looking great for stretches and like a confirmed rookie at other times, Deslauriers may be thrust into the spotlight this season if Khabibulin gets hurt. He may be ready for more work, but I bet Quinn eases him into game action very gently. If he is found wanting, I would think that the coaches demand a trade or acquisition of someone a little more veteran.

A little further down the chart we find former first round pick Devan Dubnyk. Tall and lanky, Dubnyk played quite well in Springfield last year considering the team in front of him. Though he hasn’t progressed quite as fast as the Oilers would have liked (they didn’t have their own farm team for two seasons), he has shown improvement every year and might be ready to steal the backup job from Deslauriers. Again, only time and Quinn will tell.

Predictions:

This could really go either way. Using the current group of players as the measuring stick, I would say its a status quo type year for the Oilers as Quinn and Renney try to assess what they are dealing with. I wouldn’t call it a rebuilding year, and they likely won’t contend, so I guess you just chalk it up to an 82 game audition. Another year lost in the wilderness for Oiler fans.

To get a little more technical, I would put the ceiling for this team somewhere in the 5th or 6th in the Western conference range. In order to accomplish this, EVERYTHING will have to go right for the blue and orange. Wayne Fleming will have to breath life into a moribund power-play, Horcoff will need 70 points, Hemsky will need to crack 90, Cogliano needs 20 goals plus, and Gagner needs to flirt with 60 points. The defence will need to chip at least 60 goals and Khabibulin will have to have flashbacks to the wild nights at Rae and Jerry’s. Vancouver or Calgary will have to falter, and the Oilers will need to discover what 2 points looks like in St. Paul, MN (and in Dallas).

Should the worst happen, the floor for this team could be ugly. While they won’t be last in the West, I could see a 12th to 13th finish. A lack of direction for the forwards, a spate of injuries and wet behind the ears goalie tandem and you will have anarchy on Whyte Avenue as the Oilers bloggers tear that mother down. The calculators and stats text books will be smoking and a new series of downcast and depressed blogs will be born. We are basically talking Armageddon in North Alberta.

“Pfffft”, you say, “This isn’t breaking news. Teams sign players every year just before training camp.” True, true. They do indeed. However, our readers may recall that Comrie left the Oilers 6 years ago in what could be generously called a ball of flame, calling Oilers’ management communists. Now don’t get me wrong, I love using the c-word on everyone from my in-laws to people slightly to the left of Attila the Hun, but Comrie had just come off a poor playoff season at a time when a lot was expected of him, and there was an obvious disconnect between what he thought he was worth and what management thought he was worth. So, they traded him.

Needless to say, this news hit me like a brick (get it? get it?). The Oilers are awash with forwards right now, and smallish forwards especially. I wonder where Comrie will fit into this group? Is he still a top 6 guy? Was he part of the rider for Hilary Duff’s contract to play Rexall? Are they going to sign him and trade him for Corey Perry to rectify a past mistake? Can he become a checker, or will be part of an offensively geared 4th line? Was this move motivated by Katz, whose is a friend to the Comrie family?

Comrie is not without skill, but those he possesses are replicated (in triplicate) on this roster. It seems to me that this is the precursor to more moves. Moves that are expected to happen once the new coaching regime takes a look at what the Oilers actually have under the hood. Quinn and Renney won’t stand for anyone giving a lacklustre effort, so expect moves within days of training camp starting.

I personally don’t mind the Oilers adding a veteran presence, but with so many good players still out there, why Comrie? Perhaps it is the aforementioned relationship between Katz and the Comrie’s, or maybe the management group feels Comrie has something to prove and enough left in the tank to do it. He is certainly more mature and perhaps he will be a good fit, but part of me is very worried about this move because it does little to address some of the holes the Oilers need filled (thats what she said) and it doesn’t make the Oilers a playoff team.

Lets hear your thoughts in the comments.

Watch Mike Comrie drop the mitts (as an Oiler) versus Daniel Briere here:

Mike Comrie Fights Daniel Briere

Let’s be honest. The Colorado Avalanche had a worse year than Pauly Shore last year. After finishing in last place in the entire Western Conference during the 2008/09 regular season (that’s right, that’s how bad it got), Colorado basically pulled a General Motors and slashed a huge portion of their managerial and coaching staff, albeit at various stages.  Greg Sherman was summoned to replace Francois Giguere as the team’s new general manager and ex-NHLer Joe Sacco was brought in to replace Tony Granato as head coach (Patrick Roy is still trying to find himself). The task ahead for these two men is not that daunting except when you factor in the whole rebuilding of a hockey franchise thing.

In addition, Hall of Famer and Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques icon Joe Sakic decided to hang up his skates this summer after 20 seasons with the franchise, a huge blow to a team that was hoping that by some miracle, Sakic could drink a magic elixir, sign on for one more year and return to his usual 100-point form.  Unfortunately, Burnaby Joe’s mid-season injury last year was a sign of bleaker things to come for the storied Colorado Avalanche franchise, who missed the playoffs last year for the first time since moving from Quebec City in 1995.

The new men in charge of the Avalanche are going to have to learn to be patient this season because this team will undoubtedly experience a sharp learning curve. How could they not, knowing that their supreme leader Joe Sakic, and his heir apparent, Ryan Smyth will not be around this year.  Yes, I know, Center Paul Statsny is a fantastic player and is at the right stage of his career to take over this team, but what about the rest of this group? The Avalanche have been gutted (eight regulars from last year are gone) and the remaining parts leave much to be desired.

Forwards

Would it be wrong to say that keeping Tyler Arnason might have actually been a smart move?  Maybe not, because when you look at the forward depth chart for the Avalanche, it quickly becomes easy to find holes and question marks on almost every line.

The number-1 triumvirate of Paul Stastny between Wojtek Wolski and Milan Hejduk is a respectable National Hockey League line but it is not exactly Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry is it? Hejduk led the Avalanche in scoring last season with (yikes!) 59 points and although Wolski is a crafty winger, he struggled mightily last year when Joe Sakic and Paul Statsny when down with lengthy injuries. Clearly, Paul Stastny will be counted on as the offensive catalyst for this line, and the entire team for that matter.  Stastny has excellent vision on the ice and has a genetic predisposition for finding the back of the net on a nightly basis. If he stays healthy, Stastny has the potential to register 100 points this season, and he may very well have to, as the void left by Sakic and Smyth is huge.

The success of Colorado’s forward group this season will have a lot to do with how well Joe Sacco and his coaching staff micro-manage the team’s uber-young second, third and fourth lines. There is some talent here, no question. Veteran Marek Svatos, Sophomore T.J Hensick and gritty winger Cody McLeod will most likely form the team’s second line, although it is difficult to tell at this point, as Sacco will tinker with his lines significantly beginning in training camp later this week. After that, Darcy Tucker, Chris Stewart, rookie center T.J Galiardi, and David Jones will form part of the team’s third and fourth lines.  The wild card here is 2009 1st Round Draft Pick Matt Duchene, a two-way forward who played with the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey league last season (57 games played, 31 goals, 48 assists, 79 points). The Avalanche were ecstatic to land Duchene at the Entry Draft in Montreal at the third overall position as they feel he might be a better all-around player than No.1 selection John Tavares.  Duchene will be given every opportunity to make the team this year as will University of Minnesota prospect Ryan Stoa.

Grade of Forwards: C+

Defensemen

Colorado has a lot of experience on defence but the team is lacking on speed and skill. Adam Foote, Scott Hannan and Ruslan Salei are grizzled veterans to be sure, but the physical component of the game is their specialty. American rearguard John-Michael Liles is Colorado’s No.1 quarterback on the power play and he will benefit from the acquisition of Kyle Quincey from Los Angeles, who enjoys the power play himself.  Quincey had a career year in 2008’09 in Hollywood (38 points) and has developed into a fantastic breakout passer. Tom Preissing, was also acquired in the Ryan Smyth trade, will look to rebound from an injury-plagued season. Preissing usually posts between 35-45 points so he should add some offensive flair to a group that will spend most of the time in their own zone this season.

Grade of Defensemen: B

Goalie

Former Florida Panther Craig Anderson is the man in the Mile High city this year and he may see more rubber than a Colorado highway if all indications are accurate. The 28-year-old has always been relegated to 1A status during his career in the National Hockey League, but this year should be different as Peter Budaj  proved last year that he is not ready to be an everyday NHL goaltender, instead preferring to serve in a back-up role.  Anderson is a big, stand-up goalie who likes to handle the puck and get involved in his crease.  His .924 save percentage last season is pretty impressive when you consider the team he played for.  Budaj signed a one-year contract in the off-season and may split duties with Anderson early on, but NHL coaches are starting to steer away from this approach as it often has detrimental consequences.

Grade of Goaltenders: B

Overall

The Avalanche are not going to make the playoffs this year and the shelves have been left bare by a franchise that has preached win-now for the last decade-and-a-half. It will be interesting to see if talented prospects Matt Duchene and Ryan Stoa can make an impact in their rookie years.

Final Prediction (ceiling): 4th in Northwest Division, 12th in the Western  Conference, and a very interesting year ahead in the Rockies.

(floor): 5th in Northwest division, 14th in the Western Conference

• Landon Ferraro has impressed so far at Wings prospect camp.  It’s in the bloodlines, plus you always have to trust anyone that the Wings’ brass believes worthy of a high draft pick.
• Here is a look at Nikolai Khabibulin’s new Oilers helmet.  Nice looking mask.
• The Canucks don’t want this travel issue to affect the team’s already ridiculous travel schedule.  I see this situation getting worked out.
• Capitals prospect Joe Finley has apparently been injured on the first day of Capitals camp.  No word on the severity of the injury for the massive defenseman turned forward.

Forwards:

Up front, Mike Cammalleri’s nose for the net will be greatly missed.  His 39 goals is one thing, but his ability to gel seamlessly on either of the top two lines, and play the point on the power play will be hard to replace.  Don’t worry, to fill the void the Flames signed Brian McGrattan and his 5 games played last season.  In all seriousness, the Flames will be looking for in-house promotions to replace Cammalleri’s production.  David Moss had a decent campaign potting 20 goals, as did Renee Bourque with 21.  Of course, the Flames still have big snipers in Iggy and Jokinen, so not to worry.  As always, Langkow provides a solid two-way game as an effective second line centre.  To review, the top two lines will likely be composed of:  Bourque, Jokinen, Iginla, and Boyd, Langkow, Moss.  Not a bad top 6 actually, only if Bourque and Moss can step up once again.

Can Iggy provide enough offense once again? (Photo from CBC.ca)

On the power play, look for Iggy and Olli to be front and centre, with either Moss or Bourque circling around to pop in some garbage.  Luckily with the Flames’ new acquisition on defence, Iggy probably won’t have to play the point on the PP.

Looking at the bottom six, a lot of energy and speed seems to be the theme; especially for Craig Conroy who seems to be on speed during every post-game interview.  Off-season, and former Coyote and Ranger players Nigel Dawes and Fredrik Sjostrom can both skate like the wind, and will fit in nicely on the penalty kill.  Dawes actually could be the x-factor here, as he has the potential to chip in offensively too.  Look for promising rookie and 2007 first rounder Mikael Backlund to get a crack and centering the fourth line, although he probably needs some good old fashioned seasoning in the AHL.  The bottom six will likely break down with Nystrom, Lundmark, Prust, and Dawes, Backlund, Van Der Gulik/McGratton/Jaffray/Brett Sutter/any other Sutter family member.

Defense:

Here comes the fun part.  Who needs a good top four group when you have an amazing top three.  Phaneuf, Regehr, and Bouwmeester arguably make up the best top three in the entire NHL, and could all be playing for Team Canada come February.  Although Regehr isn’t lightning quick, he still possesses shutdown capabilities that dreams are made of and is the type of calming presence the Flames need on their blueline.  Phaneuf on the other hand is the antithesis

Prized summer acquistion Jay Bouwmeester. (Photo from SI.com)

of Regehr, who often at times goes bonkers on the ice and runs around trying to hit his opponents, leading to him being caught out of position.  The former Norris Trophy finalist needs to have a bounce-back year if he wants to make Team Canada, and if the Flames are to advance past the first round.  Then we get to J-Bo.  The most anticipated free agent of the summer who never actually made it to free agent status, Bouwmeester will be counted on heavily.  The minute munching rearguard will be playing 30 plus minutes per night, seeing extensive power play and penalty killing duties.  Bouwmeester will probably improve on his 42 point numbers from last year.  There are still some key departures on the Flames’ blueline worth mentioning, as Leopold (part of the Bouwmeester deal), Rhett Warrener, Adrian Aucoin, and Jim Vandermeer are all gone.  No need to worry, as the Flames’ top three will surely TCB (take care of business) all season long.

Goal:

The Flames motto the past several seasons has been “Win one for the Kipper”, as Kiprusoff has played a ridiculous amount of games.  Maybe this year he will sit out of the Olympics once again as he did in 2006 to “nurse injuries”.  If not, Kipper could get warn out once again when playoffs role around.  Even though Kipper did put up the most wins in the NHL, his save percentage and GAA were awful.  These should improve with the Bouwmeester acquisition, but Kipper needs to get some more time off.  Hello Curtis McElhinney.

Predictions:

Ceiling – the Flames can fill Cammalleri’s departed offense and get the first seed in the Northwest Division and finish 2nd in the West.

Floor – Phaneuf has another brutal campaign, Kipper tweaks his groin, and the Flames barely scrape into the playoffs by finishing 8th in the West.

First off, I’m thankful that something hockey–not law–related was actually at the forefront of all hockey webpages around the world.  For the first time in a while, an NHL story can actually be analyzed for its on-ice merits. 

With that said, let’s analyze the Canucks’ recent acquisitions.  Before analyzing each player, let’s set forth their respective contracts. (The figures are courtesy of NHLnumbers.com)

Mathieu Schneider: 1 year on his contract at $1.55 million.

Christian Ehrhoff: 2 years remaining on his contract;  2009/10–$3.15 and 2010/2011–$3.4.

Brad Lukowich: 1 year remaining on his contract at $1.8 million.

It certainly says something about the current free agent market when Brad Lukowich is actually going to make more money than Mathieu Schneider.  That aside, the three acquistions didn’t really cost the Canucks much–aside from money cap room and two lower-tier prospects.

In Schneider, the Canucks get a player who has obviously seen his best days; however, that does not mean that Schneider cannot be a helpful player on the Canucks’ back-end.  Schneider brings tremendous puck-moving skills, specifically an ability to effectively quarterback the power play.  In 23 games with Montreal last season, the veteran American blueliner tallied an impressive 17 points (14 of which were on the power play).  Additionally, he logged over 20 minutes of action per night. 

While he doesn’t possess the defensive ability he once did–nor the mobility–his smarts, along with the number of Canucks’ defensemen ahead of him on the depth chart (Mitchell, Bieksa, Edler) who can eat up the tough minutes against the opposition’s more talented and challenging offensive players, makes this a very astute signing.

In Ehrhoff, the Canucks have added a two-way defenseman who possesses solid offensive skills and sometimes questionable defensive skills.  His 42 points in 77 games was an impressive total for the 27 year old defenseman.  Unfortunately, Ehrhoff was -12 for the Sharks last season, which was 15 +/- points lower than the next worst Sharks defenseman (Alexei Semenov +3).  So while his offense took a step forward last season, his defense took a step back.  In Vancouver he’ll be counted on to help the team’s speed and size on the back-end, but if he continues to struggle in his own zone, his playing time will be limited to less time than he saw in San Jose.  If that is the case, he’ll prove to be overpaid.

As for Lukowich, the Canucks are getting a smooth skating veteran defenseman who knows his role and can adequately fill in if need be.  On the Canucks, Lukowich figures to slot in behind Salo, Bieksa, Edler, Schneider, Mitchell and Ehrhoff on the depth chart.  Additionally, the team has Aaron Rowe and Shane O’Brien on the back-end, so Lukowich should see himself as the 7th/8th defenseman on the team.  Luckily, the 33 year old B.C. native is a profesional player and should be a solid addition to the locker room.  His skating is his biggest asset and his defensive awareness is solid, but he won’t be counted on by the Canucks who boast a deep defense corps.

All in all, the Canucks have done well to shore up the team’s defensive depth.  Clearly GM Mike Gillis figured he could not count on Sami Salo to play a whole season and saw the opportunity to create team competition for defensive playing time, as well as an ability to get younger (Ehrhoff) and more skilled (Ehrhoff and Schneider) on the back-end.  Obviously helping the team’s middle-of-the-road power play (17th in the NHL) was a factor too.

Give Gillis a thumbs-up for these moves; however, something tells me the move for Schneider will be more significant than the move for Ehrhoff and Lukowich.

The Edmonton Oilers are pulling out of the Dany Heatley sweepstakes.

General manager Steve Tambellini was expected make that announcement in a conference call with journalists later Friday.

Heatley, the disgruntled Ottawa Senators forward, twice refused to waive his no-trade clause to complete a trade that would have sent him to the Oilers for Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid.

Read the story here.

No surprise.  Let’s be honest, the Oilers Nation didn’t even want this guy anyhow.  The way Heatley has handled this situation boggles my mind.  His disdain for Ottawa, unwillingness to go to Edmonton, and lack of ability to realize that no one wants him is going to end up with him returning to Ottawa.  I say that because there is no way he sits home and let’s that salary go to waste. 

If I’m Bryan Murray, I make Heatley play for the Senators (a pretty good top-six forward group there if that happens) and wait until he drives up his trade value.  Give Murray credit for not selling low on Heatley; although that may be mainly due to the fact that no one wants him.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Wayne Primeau from the Calgary Flames for defenceman Anton Stralman and forward Colin Stuart, the teams announced Monday.

The Leafs will also receive a second-round draft pick in 2011 while Calgary will take a seventh-round pick in 2012.

Read the story here.

I have to say that I do not totally understand this deal from Calgary’s perspective.  Now, I realize that Wayne Primeau makes $1.4 million next season (thank you NHL Numbers–boy, they are quick), and this trade takes the team’s cap hit down to $53.74, but a second round pick is a valuable commodity in today’s NHL. 

First, let’s throw the seventh round selection out the window, because it carries little value.  So, the Flames gave up a second round selection and Wayne Primeau (which is a benefit to them, as he isn’t worth close to $1.4 million) for Anton Stralman and Colin Stuart. 

Stuart is a checking forward who will see time on the fourth line of Calgary at best.  His size is an asset (6″2, 205lbs) but his hands are nothing special (never scored more than 18 goals at any level). 

Stralman adds depth to the Flames’ blue line, as his strength is moving the puck, but they already have Phaneuf, Sarich, Bouwmeester, Pardy, Regehr and Giordano under contact for next season.  So, at best, Stralman slots in as the team’s seventh defenseman.  That is not exactly the toughest spot in the lineup to fill; especially considering the ice-time that Phaneuf, Bouwmeester and Regehr will eat up.

So essentially, the Flames dumped off an expensive veteran center for two fringe NHL players and a second round pick.  Was a second round pick worthy of dumping that contract?  Not in my opinion. 

The Colorado Avalanche have traded Ryan Smyth to the Los Angeles Kings for defencemen Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing and a fifth-round pick.

Read the full story here.

After losing out on several big UFA’s this week, the Kings finally make a splash and acquire Captain Canada, who at 33 isn’t getting any younger, but is exactly the type of player this young Kings team needs.  Quincey put up 38 points in his breakout season and was the key piece in this deal for Colorado.

NHL

• The Thrashers have signed Nikolai Antropov to a 4 year, $16 million contract.  As well, the team also re-signed Chris Thorburn.  A lot of cash to be throwing at Antropov but really not out of line with the ridiculous spending we’ve already seen the past day and a half.  Antropov gets a lock of criticism but he can be a 25 goal scorer and 60 point player in Atlanta. 
• Mark Recchi has re-signed in Boston for 1 year, $1 million.  Good signing for both sides.  It is reasonable and gives Recchi another shot at the Cup.
• The Flames have signed Riley Armstrong and Garth Murray.  Murray is a plugger who will help to fill out the two-way roster.  Armstrong is also a depth player but he has a bit more scoring touch.
• James Gordon of the Ottawa Citizen asks why the Oilers would even want Dany Heatley?  Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Team Canada

• As Neil mentioned early today, Marc Savard has not been invited by Hockey Canada to the team’s training camp in August.   I like Marc Savard as a player but his representation of Canada has not exactly been exemplary.  Additionally, would he slot in ahead of Crosby, Getzlaf, Richards, Lecavalier or Staal on your team?  It is arguable, but I don’t think he would.
• The Hurricanes will be represented at Team Canada’s camp with Eric Staal and Cam Ward in attendance.  Both worthy invites.
• Ryan Smyth and Joe Sakic have been invited from Colorado.  The question is, will Joe Sakic be playing hockey next season?
• Rick Nash and Steve Mason have been invited from Columbus.  As I said yesterday, Nash’s value will sky-rocket after the Olympics, so Columbus better get him signed before.
• Brenden Morrow and Stephane Robidas have been invited from Dallas.  As Heika says, a big boost in confidence for Robidas.
• The injured Brent Burns has been invited from Minnesota.  If healthy, I think he has a real shot but concussions are tricky to deal with.
• Mike Green was the only Capitals player invited.  He better shore up his defense if he wants to be in Vancouver for the tournament.
• No Steve Stamkos invite from Team Canada.  Still too young and too many good centers ahead of him.  He’ll gets his chance down the road.

Once again, I am rather blown away by the term here.  Six years for a fragile forward like Havlat seems like a lot.  But, as Chuck Fletcher probably knew going in, if you are going to make a play in free agency, then you have to be willing to go long-term. 

Here are Havlat’s games played stats from the past four NHL seasons since the lockout:  18, 56, 35, 81 (total 190).

So, the Wild has rid themselves of one injury-prone forward in Marian Gaborik, and has replaced that injury-prone player with Martin Havlat. 

Here are Gaborik’s games played stats from the past four NHL seasons since the lockout: 65, 48, 77, 17 (total 207).

For all that’s written about Gaborik, he’s been more durable than Havlat over the past four seasons and is arguably the most productive player in the NHL at even strength.  So overall, the Wild may have actually gotten a bit worse with today’s news (losing Gaborik and gaining Havlat), but at least they didn’t lose Gaborik and not replace him at all.

In Bouwmeester, the Flames get a player who can play in all situations (power play, even strength and penalty kill) and is able to log big minutes.  Additionally, he skates as well as any defender in the game, isn’t shy about throwing around his body and is adept at moving the puck quickly and effectively.  What is there not to like?

I realize that Dion Phaneuf had his struggles last season, but few people believe he doesn’t have the necessary qualities to turn that back around.  The addition of Brent Sutter behind the bench should really help Phaneuf regain his old form.

Along with Bouwmeester and Phaneuf, the Flames have defense-first Robyn Regehr punishing the opposition.  His work ethic is impeccable and his desire for the team to move in a defense-first direction will be realized with the hiring of Sutter. 

So, Flames fans can now count on having one of Jay Bouwmeester, Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf on the ice at all times (I’m not trying to short change Cory Sarich–a player I think is fairly underrated).  Just ask any player in the Northwest Division and I’d bet that they aren’t the least bit pleased by that news.

Give Darryl Sutter a ton of credit here.  Talk is cheap and Darryl proved that.  He took action to acquire Bouwmeester by giving up a third round pick (w/o any assurance of Bouwmeester signing) for a few extra days of exclusive negotiating rights.  While some GMs don’t believe in that, Sutter went with it and came out on top.  He secured the best free agent defenseman on the market and signed this player at only 26 years of age. 

Finally, for all the Flames fans that are worried about the salary cap, you can worry about that later.  You have Jay Bouwmeester on your team for the next five seasons and whatever you do to accomodate him will almost certainly be well worth it.

Todd Richards will be the second coach in Wild history, multiple sources around the NHL tell the Star Tribune.

Sources say an official offer has been made, negotiations are underway and a news conference could come as early as Tuesday to introduce Richards, an assistant with the San Jose Sharks.

Read the entire story here.

No real surprise here.  Chuck Fletcher, the new Wild GM, has a good relationship with Richards from their days in Pittsburgh together and is said to think very highly of him.  In fact, Richards was really the favorite from the outset.  After a successful stint as coach of Wilkes-Barre in the AHL, Richards moved on to coach with the Sharks and Todd McLellan last season and was not expected to be an assistant in the NHL for long.

By all accounts, Richards is a rising star  in the coaching fraternity.  He is still young at 42, coaches an aggressive system (the new way in the NHL) and is a Minnesota native to boot.  In reality, he is the perfect hire for the Wild moving forward. 

Now, Fletcher’s next job is to get Richards the personnel that will work in his system.  That, unfortunately for Wild fans, is a lot harder than hiring a head coach.

Sutter has said that his decision on whether he would return to New Jersey next season would be based solely on family and business commitments in Red Deer.

There has been some speculation that his brother Darryl, the general manager of the Calgary Flames, has been waiting to make a decision on his team’s head coaching opening to see if Brent would be available.

Read the entire article here.

Credit to Rich Chere who had this story in the Star-Ledger this morning.  Anyhow, with Sutter set to announce his resignation from the Devils, the rumors of him heading to Calgary will probably begin in full force.  However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.  I would think it is extremely unlikely that Lou Lamoriello would let Sutter walk and pick up with another franchise (albeit a non-Eastern Conference franchise) without compensation.  So, unless there is some sort of package Lamoriello and Brent’s Brother Darryl have agreed upon, I would think that Darryl Sutter is probbaly the most likely head coach of Calgary next season.

That said, Brent Sutter is, in my mind, one of the top five coaches in the NHL and Sutter may believe that he is worth the compensation being asked for.  Obviously I’d have to see that compensation to determine whether I’d believe it to be reasonable or not.  Either way, things should start to work themselves out before the Draft in Montreal.

Stanley Cup Final

• Compared to their other championship teams, this Wings squad has faced the most significant injuries.  Good point by Wilkinson.  This is obviously a testament to the Wings’ depth.  Consider that they can insert Ville Leino or Justin Abdelkader into the lineup and get solid production, as well as see players like Valtteri Filppula take on more responsibility and their depth truly is impressive.
• Bruce Garrioch wonders if Marc-Andre Fleury can find his game when he needs to most?  I believe he can, but I may be in the minority.
• Seth Rorabaugh links up the CBC’s opening for Game 5.  CBC’s ratings may be down, but their ability to dominate the headlines with eye-catching openings is probably the best it’s ever been.

Everyone else

• It is expected the Carolina Hurricanes coaching staff will be the same next season.  Good work by Rutherford to bring back the same group.  They clearly did a tremendous job with the club they had, and with a full season under this coaching staff, the Canes are surely aiming to finish higher than the sixth seed next season.
• The Blackhawks have signed four prospects.  Nothing overly significant, or surprising about these moves.
• Michael Russo thinks Derek Boogaard could find himself on the move this summer.  He is one of the most physically intimidating players in the NHL and a player that would fit well on a number of teams Russo mentioned. 

New Colorado Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman has apparently wasted no time in hiring a head coach.

According to the Denver Post, the club will announce the hiring of former player Joe Sacco at a 2pm pt news conference.

The move comes just one day after Sherman was named the new general manager of the team and that previous head coach Tony Granato had been fired.

Sacco has spent the last two seasons as a coach for the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League.  Last season, the Monsters won 34 games and finished out of the playoffs with 76 points.

Read the full article here

Instant analysis: Obviously, new Avs GM Greg Sherman thinks very highly of the opinion of columnist Woody Paige. If you missed it earlier this morning in the Morning Papers, Woody Paige opined that the Avs should not hire Sacco, deeming him unsuited for the head coaching position in the NHL. I can’t argue with him necessarily, as if he wasn’t able to lead the Avs farm team to success in the AHL, what evidence is there that he will be able to do so in the big leagues with a minor league roster? I suspect that Sacco is working for relatively cheap, which may have been an influence in this hiring. Really though, if I was Joe Sacco, given the talent around him on the Avs, I would be renting and not buying in the Denver area.

The Colorado Avalanche parted ways with head coach Tony Granato and five other members of the franchise’s hockey operations staff on Wednesday.

The Avalanche also relieved assistant coaches Jacques Cloutier and Dave Barr, goaltending coach Jeff Hackett, assistant to the general manager Michel Goulet and video coordinator PJ DeLuca of their respective duties.

In another move, Greg Sherman will be named the new general manager of the club. Sherman had been serving as the team’s assistant GM.

Read the entire article here.

This comes as a surprise to no one, after the Avalanche’s fairly transparent pursuit of Patrick Roy to run the show in the Rockies.  The way Granato has been treated by the Avalanche organization leaves much to be desired.  Say what you will about his coaching ability, and we’ll get to that in a second, but he is a class act and always has been.  He deserved better treatment throughout the past few weeks and should resurface with another organization as an assistant coach fairly quickly.

In terms of his coaching ability, I have to admit I was not a fan of Granato’s work the first time around in Colorado.  I felt he didn’t play to his team’s offensive strengths and shifted around his lines far too often.  However, this time around was a different story.  He was never given a fair shot.  Granato had to deal with injuries to centers Paul Stastny and Joe Sakic and was saddled with two netminders that would not have started on any other NHL teams last season. 

When taking all of that into account, the fact Granato was released after one season behind the bench makes little sense.  What were the Avalanche’s expectations last season?  Obviously they didn’t think they’d be as bad as they were, but the playoffs were really not realistic.  While some may point to the fact that he was Francois Giguere’s guy, and Giguere has been fired, the fact is he was Pierre Lacroix’s guy the first time around. 

You have to believe Granato is better off moving on to another organization.

• Luck played a factor in yesterday’s result, writes Mitch Albom.  With Game 2 tonight, Albom believes the Penguins saw many signs that gave them confidence heading into Sunday night.  Last night had to be frustrating for Pittsburgh, explains Bob Wojnowski.  Dave Dye says Marc-Andre Fleury wasn’t as sharp as Chris Osgood.  Jonathan Ericsson probably wouldn’t have played had this been a regular season game.
• The Penguins probably deserved to win on Saturday but a few bad bounces led to a Game 1 loss, writes Dave Molinari.  Pittsburgh needs to be a lot better in the face-off circle.  Penguins coach Dan Bylsma made sure to reinforce to his team that they should not be in awe of the high-powered Red Wings.  In a rare appearance, Mario Lemieux spoke to the media yesterday.  (Writer’s note: Mario looks like he can still play.)  The Penguins’ fans sure travel well.

Teams that are not in the playoffs

• Terry Frei says that Avalanche coach Tony Granato would be fighting a losing battle if he coached the team next season.
• Damien Cox likes the fact that the game can take some of the spotlight away from the NHL’s off-ice problems.
• Gary Bettman wants to see stronger drug testing in the NHL, writes Corey Masisak of the Washington Times.

Sunday special articles

• Fluto Shinzawa subs in for Kevin Paul Dupont in this week’s edition of Hockey Notes from the Boston Globe.
• Bucky Gleason warns the Blackhawks of possible salary cap problems down the road. 
• Larry Brooks says Gary Bettman needs to drop his personal issues with Jim Balsillie and negotiate with him to take the Coyotes to Hamilton.

Coyotes situation

• Gary Bettman addressed the Coyotes situation at his league news conference yesterday.
• The city of Glendale has seen some hope in the results of the court hearings so far.
• Chris Chelios is in favor of another team in Ontario.

Calder Cup Final

• Last night, Alex Giroux demonstrated why he was the MVP of the AHL this season, writes Ken Wiebe.  Paul Friesen says last night’s game had all the action one could have hoped for.  “Our pain was self inflicted. We had a number of guys that didn’t bring their A-game,” said Moose coach Scott Arniel.

Playoff teams:

• Pittsburgh could be two-sport champions if the Penguins win the Cup.  The Steel city is enjoying some great success as of late.

Teams not in the playoffs:

• The Bruins ownership wants to get Peter Chiarellin signed to a contract extension this summer.  He has done a terrific job in Boston and with a big summer of decisions ahead of him, it’d be smart to sign him to an extension in the next few weeks.
• There was a lot to remember from the Hurricanes’ 2008/09 season.  Nice post by Alexander.
• Adrian Dater says that Pierre Lacroix gambled and lost on the Patrick Roy situation.  How does Tony Granato feel at this point?
• If Ken Hitchcock is one of the coaches Darryl Sutter is interested, it shouldn’t matter because Hitchcock is happy in Columbus.  He’d actually be a great fit for Calgary but there is no reason for Columbus to let him go.
• David Staples does a good job of clipping together newspaper articles from Pat Quinn’s final days with the Leafs.  I think Tambellini made two great hires yesterday.
• Donald Brashear comments on reports of possible steroids deals involving the Washington Capitals.  This story was broken in the Tampa papers this morning and was included in the Morning Papers.
• Reports out of Russia have the Habs letting go Saku Koivu and re-signing Alexei Kovalev.  Although they may be true, I really don’t believe these reports.  That would mean giving Kovalev a boatload of money and basically make the Habs “his team.”  I’m not sure that’s the best role for Kovalev in any city, never mind the pressure-filled Montreal.

After two weeks of thinking it over, Patrick Roy has turned down the Colorado Avalanche’s offer to be their new head coach, according to the Denver Post.

According to the paper, Roy phoned Avalanche president Pierre Lacroix on Tuesday night to tell him that he would not be accepting the offer because of family reasons, as he wants to spend more time with his children.

Read the entire article here.

I would guess that family probably wasn’t Roy’s only consideration when turning down this job.  Some may speculate that Roy is waiting on other jobs such as the Canadiens opening, but I think a large part of his decision is attributable to the Avalanche’s long rebuilding process ahead of them.  The team has needs on defense, in net and, to a lesser extent, up front and isn’t expected to contend for at least the next two seasons.  Roy, being the ultimate competitor, probably sees himself growing tired of losing very quicky and felt it was best to wait for another opportunity. 

Like Richard alluded to, Quinn is a players coach type who knows how to push the buttons of his charges. Renney is the x’s and o’s guy, and I think the combination should be formidable. While the front office-coaching ensemble on display here did not have much success in Vancouver, I think that the extra motivation supplied by a market in desperate need of a winner plus the young players on the roster should produce some results.

Looking at the young core of the roster, I see some guys whose games should improve with a motivator and teacher combination behind the bench. If nothing else, the power play should see a spark now that there will (or should be) one guy dedicated to making it hum. If the coaches recognize that the strengths of the roster are youthful exuberance and speed, then they should be able to coach to the team, rather than the approach that MacTavish employed, which was to make the team conform to his plan.

I am curious to see if Renney’s inclusion in the braintrust will lead to Jaromir Jagr finding his way to Edmonton, and who the coaches will target in the draft/free-agent period. If nothing else, the hiring will provide a spark to this somewhat moribund franchise and its fans. The one glaring negative I see right now is that Charlie Huddy might not be returning. I liked his knack for teaching defensemen and for finding other teams’ cast-offs and turning them into NHL defenders.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Kyle Kosior.