A few things I think I think, Part 3

In House:

1. The Canucks need somebody that's not from Sweden to score. Kesler might be learning if last night's three point performance is any indication that he feels like producing under a 1.9 million dollar contract. But the occasional goal from the likes of Burrows and Bulis won't cut it. There has to be more production for the Nucks to have any sort of success.

2. In relation to number 1., Brenden Morrison has to reach the 65 point mark, and score about 25 goals. There are way too many pass first players on the team, and he is one of them.

3. I retract my top 6 defensemen in camp, and place Patrick Coulumbe ahead of Bourdon. It might be better that young Luc plays one more year at the junior level. If it wasn't for Coulumbe's amazing play, remember this guy was a walk on, this decision couldn't be made.

4. I don't think it really matters who's on the fourth line. The fact is it's just going to stink.

5. Overall, not many good impressions thus far in the preseason. With a 1-5 record the Canucks aren't looking like the "dark horse" candidates experts are predicting. Luongo will have to have the season of his career for the Canucks to go somewhere this season.

Out House, or Rest of the League:

1. Rookie prospect Brett Sterling of the Atlanta Thrashers has some of the best hands in the world. I used to play roller hockey against this guy and the things he did with the puck most NHLers could only begin to imagine. But, he is only 5'6 (I'm thinking even 5'4/5'5) and so odds are he'll be in the AHL this year. Too bad for fans, he would fill the highlight reels that'll be yearning for Tim Connolly.

2. Again, I mentioned it before but the key to the Northwest is goaltending. Every team has an unarguable excellent number 1. The biggest question is which team has the best backup, just in case someone falters or gets injured. Come playoff time backups are essential. Note: review the Carolina Hurricane's and the Ottawa Senator's last post-seasons.

The Canucks of course have Luongo, but if something happens can the 38 year-old Wade Flaherty be relied upon in an emergency? My answer is no. Look to see Nonis address the situation accordingly.

The Flames went out and acquired Jamie McLennan after losing faith in struggling Brian Boucher. But same question arises with this much travelled veteran backup, is he good enough to fill in? Hard to tell. He's a great back up that hasn't been able to stay consistent. He had a fairly good run with the Flames in 2003-04 before the lock out, but it wasn't good enough to win games for the Flames. That's what Kiprusoff does best, and what the Flames now rely upon. So, the answer is no, come playoffs it's Kipper or bust.

Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson were the best 1-2 punch in the league for three years until Rolly got traded to Edmonton. With Fernandez as the undisputed number one and a more potent offense up front the Wild look like a contender for the playoffs. The Wild have two guys fighting it out for second spot, Niklas Backstrom the Finnish veteran, and Canadian youngster Josh Harding. While Harding has the inside track, Backstrom has the pro level experience. Both of these guys are a huge question mark when it comes to the NHL.

Will we see Jose Theodore of 2001 or Jose Theodore of 2005? Whichever the case may be, the Avalanche will play him at least 60 games. The Avs, have in my mind the best relief in Peter Budaj. He played extremely well in his 29 starts last season posting 2.86 GAA, with a .900 SV%. If in fact Theodore falters Budaj will be there to soften the load and perhaps split games with the unconfident veteran.

"Rolly the Goalie" came into the spotlight in 2005-06, after being traded to the Edmonton Oilers before the trade deadline. Without the untimely injury in game one of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes we might be still talking about Kevin Lowe's excellent move that turned the Oilers season right around, and helped them capture the Stanley Cup. But words die slowly when 'almost' is mentioned. The back story of course is that Jussi Markannen was unable to " get the job done " as number two. That was a lofty task to ask for an inexperienced backup, but one that he will be asked if the situation arises again this year. The Oilers will hope he can get it done this time if needed. My guess, no way.

3. If preseason numbers have any indication of who's the team to beat, and I argue there's a good case, here's how it'll look like atop each division:

Atlantic: New York Rangers (4-1)
Northeast: Boston Bruins (4-2)
Southeast: Tampa Bay (2-0-2)
Northwest: Edmonton (5-1)
Central: Chicago (6-0)
Pacific: San Jose (5-1)

Which one does not look like the others? ...If you picked Boston I'll give you a 1/2 point.

If I was Alain Vigneault Pt. 1

Great game tonight! I was fortunate to catch the highlights. Luongo looked good. He's struggling now in preseason but I've got no worries.

Based on the stats and what was mentioned on TSN after the game, I think Vigneault should keep Markus Naslund with the Sedin twins to start the season, especially after the 5 point performance they just had against Anaheim. It's a sign for good things to come. The Canucks will be hard pressed for scoring so loading up an excellent first line like this one will should be as effective as it was two years ago with Naslund, Bertuzzi, and Morrison. The question you have to ask is whether a second unit with Bulis and Morrison is strong enough? It's at least worth a try. As for the rest of the lineup I'm hoping this is what we'll be seeing come opening day:

Forwards- 1st Line: D. Sedin, H. Sedin, Naslund; 2nd Line: Pyatt, Morrison, Bulis; 3rd Line: Linden, Kesler, Cooke; 4th Line: B. Reid, Chouinard, Burrows; Alternate: J. Schultz

Defensemen- 1st Pairing: Ohlund, Salo; 2nd Pairing: Mitchell, Krajicek 3rd Pairing: Bourdon, Bieksa; Alternate: R. Fitzpatrick

Goalies- Starter: R. Luongo; Backup: W. Flaherty

Having 6'4 Taylor Pyatt alongside playmaker Brenden Morrison and emerging goalscore Jan Bulis just makes sense. They all bring different dimensions on the ice so there's loads of potential there.

Ryan Kesler may or may not move up to the 2nd line by the end of the season. This all depends on his production and Pyatt's. These two may see-saw back and forth depending on consistency.

Guys I liked in training camp and deserve a chance are Jesse Schultz and Brandon Reid. I've like Reid since his days in the QMJHL. He's a speedster that can score and create oppurtunities. Although his size has restricted him in the past, in the new NHL he has the potential to get between 25-40 pts as a 3rd/4th line winger. That would be good production compared to what Kesler, Linden, Burrows, Green, and Goren were putting up last year (Kesler had the most with 23 pts, followed by Linden with 16). The battle in my mind is with Schultz and Rick Rypien for that last spot. We got to see Rypien last year and he was decent checker with lots of intensity, but seeing is the Canucks need all the scoring they can get Schultzy is the man for the job. I know coaches like their 4th liners to be battlers and grinders but really with a potential checking line of Kesler/Linden/Cooke we already have enough guys that will annoy the crap out of the opposition's star players.

Overall, looking forward to a brand new Vancouver Canucks season.

Naslund on the Team's Success This Year

Change is good.

Sure it's a cliche, but one that’ll probably see some heavy use as players filter into Vancouver prior to training camp.

There’s a definite sense of optimism surrounding this team despite the fact they finished outside of the playoffs last season for the first time in six years.

“It’s a fresh start for everyone, new coaching staff and a lot of new players,” said Markus Naslund, following his first on-ice training session since arriving in the city. “It’s going to be a new look, that’s for sure.”

Naslund, along with a handful of Canuck veterans including Daniel Sedin, Mattias Ohlund, Brendan Morrison, and newcomer Willie Mitchell, skated at Burnaby 8-rinks Wednesday morning.

To a man, they say they’re excited about the changes and are looking forward to a new season.

“I think we all feel we want to prove ourselves and are out to get some revenge for the past few seasons,” said Naslund. “Hopefully we’ll get that hunger back that we had a few years ago.”

Wednesday was mostly casual drills, followed by a light, half-ice scrimmage. Aside from strength and conditioning coach, Roger Takahashi - who exclusively worked out with Morrison - it was simply players finding their legs and getting acquainted after the summer.

“First of all, it looks like a lot of the guys have worked really hard in the off season and have come back focused,” offered Naslund. “And that’s a great start. Moving forward we have to find the type of game that we’re going to play, and that obviously is going to come from the coaches.”

Alain Vigneault, along with assistants Rick Bowness, Mike Kelly, and Barry Smith won’t get their fist look at the new group until training camp opens in two weeks. But it’s no secret they’ll be watching with an eye for filling a few key roster spaces vacated by Todd Bertuzzi, among others.
“I have no idea,” said Naslund, when asked who he thought he might be playing with this year.

“I haven’t spoken with the coach yet, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
So will everyone else, though that hasn’t stopped speculation. Following the skate the captain was asked if he thought Matt Cooke would be a good fit on right wing.

“I think that Matt Cooke has proved, especially in the playoffs against Calgary when we played there, that he can be more than just a checking, physical player. So I think Matt is definitely going to get a bigger role and hopefully he can take advantage of that.”

The right wing position isn’t the only spots in need of a new face.

Wade Flaherty – who finished his second season in Manitoba last year – was the only goalie on the ice Wednesday. He’ll audition for a back-up role behind Roberto Luongo when camp opens in Vernon.

“I think he’s a great guy first of all, and a quality goaltender,” Naslund said. “He’s proven that the last few years in Manitoba. He can definitely fill [the back-up] role. Whether it’s going to be him or not, we’ll have to wait and see.”

As will the rest of Vancouver. Though one thing’s for sure, all the changes will undoubtedly make for exciting pre-season.

- From The Official Vancouver Canucks Website @ www.vancouvercanucks.com

Off-Season " Team's Transactions " Review Part 6

Western Conference,

Pacific Division:

San Jose Sharks, 1st Place:

Key Acquisitions: Mark Bell from Chicago, 3-year 6.5 million; Mike Grier from Buffalo, 3-year 5.3 million.

Key Departures: Nils Ekman to Pittsburgh; Tom Preissing to Ottawa, Alyn McCauley to LA.

Analysis: B-

With a terrific second half surge that saw them with the best NHL record after Christmas the San Jose Sharks have much to look forward to this upcoming season. Joe Thornton and Jonathon Cheechoo are just now hitting their prime so there's no need worrying about added bite up front. The addition of Mark Bell from Chicago for Tom Preissing and makes the Shark Tank look even more dangerous. A possible two-line punch might look like this: Cheechoo/Thornton/Bell, followed by emerging Steve Bernier/Marleau/Michalek. Deadly. There'll be a lot of sunburns on the necks of opposing tenders this season.

Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 2nd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Chris Pronger from Edmonton, 6.25 million (this season).

Key Departures: Joffrey Lupol to Edmonton; Jeff Friesen to Calgary; Ruslan Salei to

Analysis: B+

The addition of Chris Pronger gives the Anaheim Mighty Ducks the best D-pairing in the league with Scott Nediermayer. The Ducks are now well suited to make another decent run at the cup. The only question lingers who'll be in net come playoff time. First it was backup Gerber vs. struggling Giguere, and now it's backup #2 Bryzgalov coming off a phenomenal season vs. struggling Giguere. With Bryzgalov wanting the limelight and Giguere with the longterm contract- who'll Brian Burke part with? Bryzgalov's the logical choice, but who knows maybe there's another backup goalie in the Ducks' system ready to challenge Giguere for number one spot.

Dallas Stars, 3rd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Eric Lindros from Toronto, 1-year 1.5 million; Darryl Sydor from Tampa Bay, 1-year 2.128 million; Patrick Stefan and Jaroslav Modry from Atlanta, 900,000 and 1.9 million respectively (this season).

Key Departures: Niko Kapanen and Johan Hedberg to Atlanta; Jason Arnott to Nashville; Willie Mitchell to Vancouver; Bill Guerin to St. Louis.

Analysis: B-

The Dallas Stars surprised a lot of supporters and shut up a lot of critics with their superb 2005-06 campaign. The reason: a revival of the veterans. Jason Arnott, Mike Modano, Sergei Zubov, and Jere Lehtinen put on fabulous performances to kick start a latent and depleted Stars lineup. I'm guessing that success won't be translated this year as Arnott (probably their best forward) is gone, Mike Modano is only gonna get older and slower, Zubov will struggle with consistency, and Lehtinen will continue to be a good player where he has yet to live up to his skill and become a "great" player. Look for the Stars to be down at the bottom of the playoff pool this time around opposed to up top.

Phoenix Coyotes, 4th Place:

Key Acquisitions: Ed Jovanovski from Vancouver, 5-year 32.5 million; Dennis Seidenberg from Philadelphia, 2-year 1.5 million; Georges Laraque from Edmonton, 2-year 2.4 million; Nick Boynton from Boston, 3-year 9 million; Jeremy Roenick from LA, 1-year 1.2 million.

Key Departures: Mike Johnson to Montreal; Geoff Sanderson to Philadelphia; Paul Mara to Boston.

Analysis: A+

Gretzky coming off the worst coaching debut one could conjure up for the Greatest Player of all time, the kind of season you only dread in dark and lonely nightmarish episodes in dreams. Fortunately the Great One came back to prove that he's able to shrug a truck load of soot off his polished resume, and do what he loves to do- be around hockey. In any event the scouting and the transactions this offseason for Gretzky's Crew in Phoenix has been outstanding and the team that the Gretz has to mold into champions in September is astronomically better than the one he had last year. The additions of Ed Jovanovski, Nick Boynton, and Dennis Seidenberg will only tighten a solid backline. Adding Georges Laraque was not needed considered his primitive game is going like the way of the smoking dinosaur (yes, like the recently deceased hockey boxer Tie Domi), but signing Roenick will add some character on a straight forward dump-and-chase attack. Perhaps the weakest link this year will be coaching where Gretz showed a lot of weaknesses as a rookie (remember the misscheck on the scoresheet). Give the Coyotes one more year before a return to the post-season.

Los Angeles Kings, 5th Place:

Key Acquisitions: Patrick O'Sullivan from Minnesota, unsigned; Dan Cloutier from Vancouver, 2.55 million (this season); Alyn McCauley from San Jose, 3-year 6 million; Rob Blake from Colorado, 2-year 12 million; Scott Thornton from San Jose, 2-year 3 million.

Key Departures: Pavel Demitra to Minnesota; Jeremy Roenick to Phoenix; Mark Parrish to Minnesota.

Analysis: B+

I like the trade for Patrick O'Sullivan. He'll deffinately be a Star in this league all too soon. The Kings have made some nice moves this offseason in the re-acquiring of defensive stalwart Rob Blake and the trade for Dan Cloutier, who Marc Crawford obviously twisted some arms for, but they'll not see that turn around into any kind of regular season success, partly because of the talent crop in their division. All four teams San Jose, Anaheim, Dallas, and now Phoenix have more overall depth and offensive punch for LA to move up in the standings. As a result they'll probably even move behind Phoenix this year and claim glum chum last. It's a shame the NHL doesn't think about picking divisions at random before each season. Say, make it like the draft lottery where everyone puts their name in a hat and the teams are placed into new divisions each year. These are the kinds of suggestions I bet were shoo shoed from all the conferences during the lockout. Alas, I can still dream under the stars in my bed each night of my own NHL.

Western Conference Overall Standings Prediction:

1. Nashville Predators
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Calgary Flames
4. Detroit Red Wings
5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Dallas Stars
8. Vancouver Canucks
9. Phoenix Coyotes
1o. Colorado Avalanche
11. Minnesota Wild
12. Los Angeles Kings
13. Columbus Blue Jackets
14. St. Louis Blues
15. Chicago Black Hawks

* The top 5 biggest jumps in the standings will be Dallas five spots down 2nd to 7th; Detroit three spots down 1st to 4th; Edmonton three spots up 8th to 5th; Colorado three spots down 7th to 10th; Phoenix three spots up 12th to 9th.

Biggest Offseason Winners: Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames, and the St. Louis Blues.

Biggest Offseason Losers: Chicago Black Hawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Colorado Avalanche.

Off-Season " Teams' Transactions " Review Part 5

Western Conference,

Northwest Division:

Calgary Flames, 1st Place:

Key Acquisitions: Alex Tanguay from Colorado, 3-year 16 million; Jeff Friesen from Anaheim, 1-year 1.6 million; Brad Ference from New Jersey, undisclosed; Jamie McLennan from Florida, (this season) 575,000.

Key Departures: Jordan Leopold to Colorado; Chris Simon to New York Isles; Shean Donovan to Boston.

Analysis: A-

Brent Sutter made just the right kind of moves to keep Calgary perrenial contenders for the Stanley Cup. Losing to Anaheim in that 7th game at home was a heartbreaker, but considering the lopsidedness of the affair, and Sutter having the best seat in the house- it was only a perfect sign that Calgary still had a lot more to be desired in the Sniper department. Now with newly acquired Alex Tanguay and veteran Jeff Friesen the Flames have a nice veteran forward corps alongside Tony Amonte, and Jarome Iginla. The keys to Calgary's success will be whether some of the younger guys can contribute on a regular basis as well. The loss of Leopold won't effect the team at all as they're already stocked heavy with great defensemen.

Edmonton Oilers 2nd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Joffrey Lopul from Anaheim, undisclosed; Marty Reasoner from Boston, 2-year 1.9 million.

Key Departures: Chris Pronger to Anaheim; Jaroslav Spacek to Buffalo, Mike Peca to Toronto.

Analysis: B

Chris Pronger's departure was a shocker because he fit so well with the Oils, but in this day in age the players have less affinity for the guys in their locker room than they do with the money in their pocket. Or maybe it's always been that way. Getting Lopul wasn't the worst thing in the world, as of now the Edmonton Oilers boast alongside the Buffalo Sabres arguably the best group of young forwards in the league with the likes of Ales Hemsky (77 pts), Shawn Horcoff (73 pts), Fernando Pisani (league leading 14 playoff goals), Jarret Stoll (68 pts), and Raffi Torres (27 goals). The weakest part of the team this year will be on defense as Chris Pronger's 28 minutes a game will be replaced by understudies like Danny Syvret and Matt Greene.

Vancouver Canucks 3rd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Roberto Luongo and Richard from Florida, 4-year 27 million and undisclosed contract respectively; Jan Bulis from Montreal, 1-year 1.3 million; Marc Chouinard from Minnesota, 2-year 2.2 million; Willie Mitchel from Dallas, 4-year 14 million.

Key Departures: Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen, and Alex Auld to Florida; Keith Carney to Minnesota; Nolan Baumgartner to Philadelphia; Ed Jovanovski to Phoenix; Dan Cloutier to LA; Jarkko Ruutu to Pittsburgh.

Analysis: C+

The Canucks have lost a lot this offseason in regards to free agent signings. Jovanovski, Baumgartner, Ruutu and Keith Carney all left after the trying 2005-06 campaign which saw the Canucks drop from 1st in the Division at Christmas Time to 4th come playoffs. The biggest weakness was goaltending and with Roberto Luongo that problem has been solved. Unfortunately, with a glaring gap up front there's not enough scoring depth past the 1st and 2nd lines, that's coupled with inexperience on the blueline past the top three of Sami Salo, Mattias Ohlund, and newly acquired Willie Mitchell. For the Canucks to have any immediate success they will have to get a lot out of their rookies, and there will be tons of them in the lineup this season with plenty of oppurtunity to prove it.

Colorado Avalanche 4th Place:

Key Acquisitions: Jordan Leopold from Calgary; Tyler Arnason from Ottawa; Ken Klee from New Jersey

Key Departures: Alex Tanguay to Calgary; Rob Blake to LA; Dan Hinote to St. Louis.

Analysis: C-

The Avs made one foolish error this offseason and it'll probably going to cost them a playoff berth: the Tanguay/ Leopold deal. The loss of Blake stung, and it's because he was the glue to the back line. The Avs were lucky to get away with the atrocity that was last year's Avs blueline- but with Blake gone that weakness is glaring. Making a quick fix by attaining Leopold was flighty and foolish. Desperate times, but no need for desperate measures. The loss of Tanguay (78 pts) is going to hurt even more, he's the youngest of the scoring trio alongside Milan Hejduk (58 pts) and Joe Sakic (87 pts), and Sakic still scoring 80 pts + a season at 37 years of age which is phenomenal, but let's face the fact- it won't last forever. If the Avs plan on getting in to the playoffs it'll be on the back of a Jose Theodore MVP-like campaign that we all haven't seen in a few years.

Minnesota Wild 5th Place:

Key Acquisitions: Pavol Demitra from LA; Kim Johnsson from Philadelphia; Keith Carney from Vancouver.

Key Departures: Randy Robitaille to Philadelphia; Filip Kuba to Tampa Bay; Marc Chouinard to Vancouver.

Analysis: B+

The Wild, I mean Jacques Lemaire is slowly realizing the trap is now pre-historic and futile with the rule changes. I mean rightly so, it was his Devils that killed the league in 1995 and it's been boring ever since. If Lemaire's trap is going down with a fight god help Minnesota fans who'll see they're bolstered lineup restrained by the oppositions blueline. If Lemaire takes the high road and thinks about his club first he'll play a lethal unit of Pavel Demitra, Marian Gaborik, and Brian Rolston that could turn into this year's version of Joe Thornton/Jonathan Cheechoo/Marco Sturm.

Off-Season " Teams' Transactions " Review Part 4

Western Conference,

Central Division:

Nashville Predators, 1st Place:

Key Aquisitions: Jason Arnott from Dallas, 5-year 22.5 million; Josef Vasicek from Carolina, (this year) 1.3 million.

Key Departures: Scott Walker to Carolina; Adam Hall to New York Rangers; Mike Sillinger and Brendan Witt to New York Islanders; Mark Eaton to Philadelphia; Danny Markov to Detroit.

Analysis: B-

With Thomas Vokoun recovering nicely from his blood clots and the addition of power forward Jason Arnott who had a great year with Dallas collecting 32 goals and 76 points respectively, the Predators look to control the Central Division in 2006-07. A few key members may have left but with the emergence of younger players such as Ryan Suter and Dan Hamhuis on the blueline and David Legwand and Scott Hartnell up front there is nothing for fans to worry about in terms of off-season departures. The Preds will most likely take the Western Conference crown if only because they face the likes of Columbus, Chicago, and St. Louis eight times each due to the new NHL schedule.

Detroit Red Wings, 2nd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Danny Markov from Nashville, 1-year 2.5 million.

Key Departures: Brenden Shanahan to New York Rangers; Steve Yzerman to retirement.

Analysis: C+

The departures of Shanahan and Yzerman will cripple the confidence of the now much younger Detroit Red Wings. But as a new age is passing, a younger one is coming into effect. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg lead the new wave of Detroit forwards who have as much promise as the younger group of Red Wings in the 90's who ended up winning 3 Stanley Cups in 10 years. The backline still has veteran savvy with the returning of four time Norris Trophy winner Niklas Lidstrom and ageless Chris Chelios. It's a little difficult to interpret how much the Wings will drop off from their impressive 123 point campaign from last year, but my odds are with this group it won't be too far.

Columbus Blue Jackets, 3rd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Fredrik Modin from Tampa Bay, 2.2 million; Ty Conklin from Edmonton, undisclosed.

Key Departures: Marc Denis and Andy Delmore to Tampa Bay; Trevor Letowski to Carolina.

Analysis: C-

After making the worst deal in 2006 for Sergei Federov's 6 million dollar per year contract, and the 12 goals he paid for ( In exchange for Francois Beauchamin, the biggest coming out party in the playoffs), GM Doug MacLean has settled down and made a positive trade with T-Bay to acquire some more depth up front in Freddy Modin. This transaction is still a gamble considering Pascal Leclaire is still in the audition period to prove whether or not last year was a fluke. But when your a new franchise is still lying in the basement cellar gambles are to be made. If Nash finally has a full season with the club, and Gilbert Brule translates his superb WHL career to the bigs, Columbus have something to look forward to. Unfortunately I'm hearing reports saying Nikolai Zherdov is going back to Russia? I thought he was desperately trying to leave? Well, Columbus had better show him a good time this summer or there'll be just as many tallies in the loss column next year.

St. Louis Blues 4th Place:

Key Acquisitions: Doug Weight from Carolina, 2-year 7 million ; Jay Mckee from Buffalo, 4-year 16-million; Dan Hinote from Colorado, 2-year 2 million; Bill Guerin from Dallas, 1-year 2 million (more with incentives).

Key Departures: Patrick Lalime to Chicago.

Analysis: A-

Much needed acquisitions considering the catastrophe which was last season. Mckee will add some much needed veteran grit and skill to an atrocious blueline, and Weight and Guerin will add some scoring punch to a depleted forward group. If the youngsters can stay healthy and get back on track the Blues will be able to speed up this rebuilding period and move closer to the good ol' days when Chris Pronger and Al Macinnis were manning the blueline. Seems so long ago now doesn't it. Youngster Curtis Sanford will have to build on last year's success for the Blues to start moving up the Standings anytime soon.

Chicago Blackhawks, 5th Place:

Key Acquisitions: Martin Havlat and Bryan Smolinski from Ottawa, 3-year 18 million and (this year) 1.52 million respectively; Patrick Lalime from St. Louis, 1-year 700,000.

Key Departures: Mark Bell to San Jose; Matthew Barnaby to Dallas

Analysis: D

Ok, so you trade for a good young forward in Martin Havlat. But then you give him a superstar salary and jeopardize future franchise success with a payroll clot? Not only that you gave away one of your top in-house forwards Mark Bell for him; a very minimal upgrade in talent. This is why Chicago has done nothing since going to the Finals in 91'. They have continually made poor business choices; and yet again, their reputation precedes them. Yes, their youngsters are playing exceptional (Pavel Zorobiev, Brent Seabrook, and Duncan Keith), but what happens when they're all looking for a new contracts? Will the Club dump them for more underachieving overpriced free agents? Time will tell.

Off-Season " Teams' Transactions " Review Part 3

Eastern Conference,

Southeast Division:

Carolina Hurricanes 1st Place:

Key Acquisitions: John Grahame from Tampa Bay, 2-year 2.8 million; Trevor Letowski from Columbus, 2-year 1.6 million; Scott Walker from Nashville, 1-year 1.52 million.

Key Departures: Josef Vasicek to Nashville; Matt Cullen and Aaron Ward to New York Rangers; Martin Gerber to Ottawa; Mark Recchi to Pittsburgh; Doug Weight to St. Louis.

Analysis: C+

Losing rent-a-veterans Mark Recchi and Doug Weight was a given, but the Stanley Cup Champs paid a price this offseason for their success. Matt Cullen, Aaron Ward and Martin Gerber were key contributors on the road to Lord Stanley and were even more valuable considering their previously low salaries (only Gerber was making over a million). In any case adding Trevor Letowski and Scott Walker will only strengthen an already lethal forward group that is still only coming into age.

Tampa Bay Lightning 2nd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Marc Denis from Columbus, 3-year 8.6 million; Filip Kuba from Minnesota, 2-year 9 million; Luke Richardson from Toronto, 1-year 500,000.

Key Departures: Fredrik Modin to Columbus; Darryl Sydor to Dallas; Pavel Kubina to Toronto; John Grahame to Carolina

Analysis: B-

The defense was horrid last season, but worse was the goaltending. The Marc Denis deal was a great move for the club and you know John Tortorella will be delighted about that (remember his press table goaltender rant after the Ottawa series was over?). With Denis securing the net the Lightning will take another serious stab at the title but there are still some pending questions in regards to their top 3 of Vincent Lecalvalier, Brad Richards, and Martin St. Louis who all took extended summer vacations last winter and couldn't get into gear in the post season. Kubina and Sydor will be missed but not as much since the quick emergence of Paul Ranger (?) that was very unexpected but greatly needed, and the addition of Filip Kuba who will fill in the other starting spot.

Atlanta Thrashers 3rd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Niko Kapanen from Dallas, 2-year 1.7 million; Johan Hedberg from Dallas, 2-year 1.7 million; Steve Rucchin from New York Rangers, 2-year 4.25 million; Fred Brathwaite (overseas), undisclosed.

Key Departures: Jaroslav Modry and Patrick Stefan to Dallas; Marc Savard to Boston; Ronald Petrovicky to Pittsburgh.

Analysis: B-

Although I knew he would eat his words when it came time, I like a man with some marbles who's not afraid to gamble with them now and again (although he seems to have lost his other marbles a long time ago). The Thrashers did not make the post season for the first time ever this spring, but at least we had a long laugh at GM Don Waddell who GAURANTEED they would. 1st off- in order for one to make such an adacious bet, one would have to be quite SURE it was at least a) realistic and b) plausible. Ok, so it wasn't a) realistic, but at March it was technically possible. a) was scratched out when you look down a roster sheet and would rather play with six men on the ice before any of the 6 or so goalies that made an appearance in the Thrashers net this year. Lehtonen, give him credit had flashes of consistency, but he's still only a young man in a sharpshooters league. Even looking outwards you cannot rely on de Vries, Havelid, and Sutton as part of your core defensemen, it's not going to slip you into the playoffs. The additions of Johan Hedberg and Fred Brathwaite along with Niko Kapanen and Steve Rucchin will.....but now you've lost your only A-list defensemen in Jaroslav Modry. Where they go from here is quite obvious- down.

Florida Panthers 4th Place:

Key Additions: Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen, and Alex Auld from Vancouver, 5.269 million (this year), 1.55 million (this year), 1-year 1.475 million; Ed Belfour from Toronto, 1-year 750,000; Ruslan Salei from Anaheim, 4-year 11.1 million.

Key Departures: Roberto Luongo to Vancouver

Analysis: A

Mike Keenan was drooling over the idea of having a top line consisting of Oli Jokinen, Gary Roberts and Todd Bertuzzi (wouldn't anybody) last November with the Luongo/Bertuzzi trade winds a blowin' and now he has it. The trade made sense for both sides as aforementioned in previous blogs but for Florida it was the dominating style of play that Bertuzzi brings to the table up front. Jokinen a skilled and fiesty forward has flashes of brilliance but does not change the tempo of the game like Bertuzzi does. Adding Salei was another smart move to add some experience and depth to a young blueline. It'll also be interesting to see how the goaltending gets divided up between Belfour and Auld this year.


Washington Capitals 5th Place:

Key Additions: Richard Zednik from Montreal, 1,967 million (this year) ; Brian Pothier from Ottawa, 4-year 10 million; Donald Brashear from Philadelphia, 1 million (this year).

Key Departures: None

Analysis: F

How do you not sign any big free agents when you have arguably the best all-round hockey player in the league entering just his second season in the NHL and more cap room than any other team (i think). Ovechkin is great, but he's no Zeus. This guy needs competent forwards. And the Caps had Cap room for that. And what did they do with it? Nothing. Richard Zednik, yes Richard Zednik from the Canadiens for a third round pick. And their replacement for Brendan Witt-wait for it..... Brian Pothier. Yeah exactly. My guess is Ovechkin widens the gap between the Caps' second leading scorer this year. Last year it was Ovechkin 106 to Danius Zubrus' 57; a difference of 49 points. This year I'll take 3-1 odds on Ovechkin making it a plus 50 point difference. Any betters?

2006-07 Prediction of the Final Standings in the Eastern Conference:

1. Ottawa Senators
2. Philadelphia Flyers
3. Carolina Hurricanes
4. Buffalo Sabres
5. New York Rangers
6. Toronto Maple Leafs
7. Tampa Bay Lightning
8. New Jersey Devils
9. Montreal Canadiens
10. New York Islanders
11. Atlanta Thrashers
12. Boston Bruins
13. Florida Panthers
14. Washington Capitals
15. Pittsburgh Penguins

* The top three biggest jumps from last year will be New Jersey down five from 3rd to 8th, Toronto up three from 9th to 6th, and Philadelphia up three from 5th to 2nd.

Off-Season Winners: Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers.

Off-Season Losers: Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals.

Off-Season " Teams' Transactions " Review Part 2

Eastern Conference,

Northeast Division

Ottawa Senators 1st Place:

Key Acquisitions: Martin Gerber from Carolina, 3-year 11 million; Tom Preissing from Chicago, 1-year 600,000.

Key Departures: Martin Havlat and Bryan Smolinski to Chicago; Zdeno Chara to Boston; Tyler Arnason to Colorado.

Analysis: C+

The losses were inevitable. The club had to choose between Zdeno " Goliath " Chara or Wade Redden. Redden was the choice and a logical one at that, he's a better leader and more consistent on the back end then his ex-"D" partner. The Chicago trade was a bit of a head scratcher but it was the only real option because Havlat was gone anyway. I thought giving up Smolinski was a bit much but Tom Preissing is an underrated blueliner and with the loss of Chara this at least helpst he back end. With the signing of Gerber the Sens have etched there way to another 1st Place etching- but slowly the mighty will fall, and we all know the Senators do that in the playoffs anyway.

Buffalo Sabres 2nd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Jaroslav Spacek from Edmonton, 2-year 6.5 million

Key Departures: Taylor Pyatt to Vancouver; Jay Mckee to St. Louis; Mike Grier to San Jose.

Analysis: B+

The loss of their defensive leader Jay Mckee will hurt a bit, but not as much as the loss of some of their core group of forwards that led them within inches from a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sabres were fortunate to scrape up Spacek from Edmonton that will almost balance out the loss of Mr. Mckee. Look to see the Sabres build on their team depth 2006-07 with a lot of their prospects maturing and developing into great players.

Toronto Maple Leafs 3rd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Hal Gill and Andrew Raycroft from Boston, 3-year 6.3 million and 3-year 6 million respectively; Pavel Kubina from Tampa Bay, 4-year 20 milllion; Mike Peca from Edmonton, 1-year 2.5 million

Key Departures: Eric Lindros to Dallas; Jason Allison; Ed Belfour to Florida;

Analysis: B-

John Ferguson or Pat Quinn, Pat Quinn or John Ferguson. Even though dear old Pat has left the scene, with Ferguson manning the tower it really doesn't feel a lot different. I think the young lad has taken a chapter or two out of the old fella's book. Two words: hasty and desperate. And yes Quinn was both of those. But so too is Ferguson. A 7-million dollar per year contract should only go to a top 10 maybe top 25 player in this league. So when Bryan McCabe starts asking for that kind of money any sane man has to laugh. But no- of course if that's what the man wants, that's what the man gets in Leafs (Laughs) Land. Smartly, Kubina and Gill pursued overpriced contracts of their own, and eventually got them. At least this time around Ferguson has focused on the teams' weakness (it hasn't changed in the last 10 years....Defense) instead of overpriced veteran forewards a la Quinn...but wait Michael Peca now? Yes, the Leafs will do better this year and make the playoffs. So no worries Leaf faithful you will add a little more cheer with your beer....this year.

Montreal Canadiens 4th Place:

Key Acquisitions: Mike Johnson from Phoenix, one-year 1.9 million; Sergei Samsanov from Edmonton, 2-year 7 million

Key Departures: Jan Bulis to Vancouver; Richard Zednik to Washington

Analysis: C+

Not much going on in the Front office of " Les Habs ", but based on last year's success and the changing of the guard in goal, Montreal can hang tough and coast into 8th spot in the post season... I mean work there ass off to fall a few points out of that spot. On a positive note, Alexei Kovalev now has a buddy he can talk to in the dressing room with the addition of fellow Russian Sergei Samsanov. Wah hoo!

Boston Bruins 5th Place:

Key Additions: Zdeno Chara from Ottawa, 5-year 37.5 million; Marc Savard from Atlanta 5-year 20 million; Paul Mara from Phoenix, one-year 3 million; Shean Donovan from Calgary, 2-year 1.85 million.

Key Departures: Andrew Raycroft to Toronto; Nick Boynton to Phoenix; Marty Reasoner to Edmonton; Hal Gill to Toronto

Analysis: A

At the end of the season following the firing of coach Mike Sullivan I was certain the Bruins were going to be the worst team in the NHL next season. Yes, even worse than St. Louis, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. The Roster had three decent NHLers in Glen Murray, Brad Boyes, and Patrice Bergeron and then a truck load of AHL talent and 4th line hacks including Travis Green (barf!), Alexei Zhamnov (Alexei who again?), and Jiri Slegr (the NHL whore...7 teams, plus Vancouver and Boston- twice, in an 11 year career). But with the flurry of offseason moves the Bruins look to be the up and coming club in the next few years, especially after stealing arguably the best goalie prospect in Tuuka Raask from Toronto for a struggling Andrew Raycroft.

Off-Season " Teams' Transactions " Review Part 1:

Eastern Conference,

Atlantic Division (In order of projected 2006-07 placing):

Philadelphia 1st place:

Key Acquisitions: Nolan Baumgartner from Vancouver, 2-year 2.4 million; Randy Robitaille from Minnesota, 1-year 600,000; Geoff Sanderson from Phoenix, 2-year deal.

Key Departures: Kim Johnsson to Minnesota; Donald Brashear to Washington; Dan McGillis to New Jersey.

Analysis: B

No big changes made in the city of brotherly love, but none were needed to be made. GM Bobby Clarke made sure all of his team was in tact and signed, and did an excellent job of keeping things positive by not losing any key players. Clarke's main concern leading up to this upcoming season will be deciding on a number one: either Antero Niitymaki or veteran Robert Esche. If neither want to play back up for the other than perhaps Bobby has some potential trade bait on his hands. Look for someone like Ed Belfour or Marty Turco to be wearing the orange and black come playoff time.

New York Rangers 2nd place:

Key Acquisitions: Brendan Shanahan from Detroit, 1-year 4 million; Matt Cullen from Carolina, 4-year $ 11.2 million; Aaron Ward from Carolina, 2-year 2.5 million.

Key Departures: Steve Rucchin to Atlanta; Tom Poti to New York Isles.

Analysis: B+

Great move to get Brendan Shanahan. The Rangers have always had success with skilled veterans leading the way, and with the likes of Shanahan and Matt Cullen from Carolina, Jaromir Jagr can focus on what he does best (scoring) and not what he has trouble with (leadership). Unfortunately the Rangers aren't looking any better on the blueline with the loss of Tom Poti, where they suffered terribly in the post-season against a subpar New Jersey offense.

New Jersey Devils, 3rd Place:

Key Acquisitions: Dan McGillis from Philadelphia, 1-year 2.2 million.

Key Departures: Ken Klee to Colorado.

Analysis: C-

The Devils have yet to make any deals, but have not lost any to make up for it. The problem New Jersey has right now is in regards to money. The number of big contracts they have yet to sign (Scott Gomez in particular) and the ones they have already made, prevents them from going after any big free agents ( Patrick Elias 7.5-million this season, Colin White 3-million (? what was that signing), and Jamie Langenbrunner 2.8 million). Looks as though the Devils' head office is clearly satisfied with a team that is aging on defense and sporadic on the statsheet, go figure.

New York Islanders, 4th place:

Key Acquisitions: Tom Poti, 1-year 2.75 million; Brendan Witt, 3-year deal around 7.5 million; Chris Simon 1-year 1million.

Key Departures:

Analysis: B-

Good moves to strengthen the blueline. Although Bryan McCabe was their first free agent choice, Tom Poti and Brendan Witt will do more than enough to better the back line. If ex-number-one-draft choice Rick De Pietro can deliver a solid static season- look for some head turning on Long Island this fall.

Pittsburgh Penguins, 5th Place:

Key Acquisitions: Mark Eaton 2-year 3.2 million; Jarkko Ruutu 2-year 2.3 million, Mark Recchi one-year 2.8 million; Nils Ekman from Nashville 1.1 million.

Key Departures: None

Analysis: D+

Why, why, why do the Pittsburgh Penguins always keep picking up Mark Recchi's tab. Does the franchise eternally owe him for some great unspoken deed? When will they sign someone who is not over 35 for a change? Oh wait I forgot about Jarkko Ruutu- my bad. With all that cap room you'd think they would have gone for a big time free-agent (or two or three or four). Perhaps, I'm being a little bit hard, I guess it must be a little difficult to lure anybody to Steel Town where Football Players are Gods and an 18 year-old Maritimer is their best professional hockey player. Anyway, Luck out to Crosby, my bets are he'll rack up more penalty minutes than last season from frustration. Really can't say I blame him though. Let's hope Malkin is to Crosby as Jagr was for Lemieux.

The Trade Winds

Great things are happening in Canuckville, BC. Nonis has finally given me what I wanted in Roberto Luongo, In my opinion the best goaltender in the league not on a playoff team. I'm even happier he's inked the hard working tender to a lucrative long term deal. With Luongo in Vancouver for 4 years, in the prime of his career, we don't have to worry about arguably the most important position in hockey.

Transactions the good:

Signing the 29 year old Center Marc Chouinard is a positive move because of the Canucks' lack of depth down the middle. Choinard is a two-way specialist who'll be able to boost the third line who suffered from the absence of Matt Cooke who was struggling with injuries all last season.

Perhaps the cost of veteran blueliner Willie Mitchell was a little too much (4-year, 14-million dollar contract) but it was necessary considering the loss of Ed Jovanovski (we'll miss you man, thanks for all the hard work and great things you've done for the team!), and up and comer Bryan Allen. Mitchell won't make up for Jovanovski's offense but he'll improve on where Jovo Cop often times forgot about- his own zone.

Signing the Sedins was crucial. The loss of the twins would be devastating for the Canucks, it would have put them automatically into a rebuilding stage. Living off the offense from an older/slower Naslund and a struggling Morrison would be like a band of bloody leeches trying to live off a heart stroke patient. Phew- Nice job Dave Nonis!

Transaction the bad:

Giving away Dan Cloutier was not what any of us had in mind. Nonis had more time and smarts to exchange a starting goaltender for high round picks. It's not as if having Cloutier on the bench for the first part of the season and trading him when his stock is high (ie. when teams are frustrated with their struggling no. 1's) is necessarily a bad thing. It takes time, patience, and a good eye for the right oppurtunities to make good transactions. A sense of urgency is most often times a GM's downfall.

What's next:

Well number one priority in my mind is the re-signing of Anson Carter. He meshed so well with the Sedins last year that it would be a shame to break up that line. Since the twins have been steadily coming into their own, with a guy like Carter around the net, that line which should be the number one line for the Nucks on opening day, will be very dangerous for the opposition and would cause many match up problems if Morrison and Naslund return to form.

Filling up the empty spaces, because the key holes have been more or less filled. Perhaps signing one or two more skilled wingers would be necessary for early September success, but no hurry. If Nonis can grab an all-star calibre forward from the remaining flock of free agents it would be merely icing on the cake. But nobody should be surprised or disappointed if the signings stop here.

Depth Chart Thus Far:

Left Wing: Center: Right Wing:

Naslund H. Sedin A. Chubarov
D.Sedin B. Morrison B. Reid
A. Burrows M. Chouinard
J. Green M. Cooke
R. Kesler
T. Linden

Defensemen: Goaltenders:

M. Ohlund R. Luongo
S. Salo M. Noronen
W. Mitchell
L. Krajicek
L. Bourdon
K. Bieksa

A Few Things I Think I Think Part 3

1. Surprise surprise Erik Cole is back prematurely from his leg injury. Makes me feel a little better I took him for my last pick in a friendly hockey pool. I am now a meager 5 points off the lead and a chance for 500$ moolas, but is it too little too late for both myself and the Carolina Hurricanes? Tune in Monday Night, same bat time- same bat channel.

2. The Edmonton Oilers said they felt that they were better than the Canes 5 on 5. Well I disagree, I can't see much of a difference. Both clubs put a real hurting on their opponents when scoring and defending on special teams. Last night was no exception. The Oilers heavily outworked the Canes, and the Canes responded with sloppy defensive plays that lead to turnovers and penalties. Edmonton was 3 for 8 with the man advantage while shutting down the Canes with the penalty kill as the visitors struggled 0 for 5 with the extra attacker.

3. My prediction for game 7 will be 3-2 for the Carolina Hurricanes with no other than Rod Brind'Amour with the game winner. No surprises either way, but the Canes will deffinately play hungrier and desperate as they have to be feeling pretty angry at themselves having not yet closed out the series. The Oilers will go the way of the Calgary Flames two years ago and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks three years ago: play the feisty underdog to the finish only to be beaten by a more skilled club in the last game- C'est la vie.

4. The top 5 players in this year's draft will be....

Erik Johnson, Defensemen: American born stay at home blueliner with smarts and speed.

Jordan Staal, Forward: The third edition of the Staals, skilled with the puck and strong on his feet.

Phil Kessel, Forward: A few months ago touted as the undisputed number one pick has lost his stock through mediocre play at the Under 19 World Championships in Vancouver and the IIHF World Championships earlier this spring.

Jonathan Toews, Forward: Speedy Winger playing in his junoir year with North Dakota.

Nicklas Backstrom, Forward: First European picked in the draft, explosive speed and delicate touch caught the eyes of many scouts.

5. With the candidates leaking out to the media this week about who's in the running for the Canucks' coaching position, my favorite of the front runners has to be Alain Vigneault. I like his experience in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens and the success he had in the early nineties with the Hull Olympiques. I think he'd do a fine job in Vancouver and I hope he gets the position.

Of course I've stated why Quinn would be awful, but in regards to the others, starting with Mike Johnston: I don't think he has the experience as bench boss, and I think being alongside Crawford the last couple of seasons with the Canucks has hurt his reputation. Whether it's ill-deserved or not, the question still arises- does he still have respect from the players?

Kevin Dineen has made a great impression with Dave Nonis and he seems to be the dark horse in the group, I just wouldn't take him- again, for lack of experience. He's a great guy I'm sure I just don't think his resume is as encouraging as Vigneault's.