Johan Franzen, who played well in the playoffs last season and had his breakthrough season in 2008-2009 has really shown he can step up when it really matters. He leads the Red Wings with 18 points, half of which come from goals. He has been the biggest asset to Detroit in these playoffs. 

Chris Osgood has also been outstanding. Many doubted his play because of his season stats and most people do not look at him as a Stanley Cup goalie even after last season. He has shown that he is more than capable though. His stats may not be up there with Fleury or even Khabibulin but his 0.922 save percentage and 2.06 goals against average have proven to be strong enough, even without Brian Rafalski in the first five games of the Anaheim series. 

Scoring has been coming from other unexpected places. Pavel Datsyuk has been seldom seen in these playoffs and has been held to just five points in 12 games. Second and third line players like Dan Cleary, Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler have stepped up their game and have combined for 27 points in only 12 games.

Detroit was able to take game 1 of its series against Chicago because of these backup goal scorers. The series is not over yet though, not by a long shot. Detroit won the season series against the Black Hawks 4-2 but they lost the last two meetings. Detroit will need to keep up with the speed and skill of Chicago’s young players like Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews. Chicago’s young blue liners like Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will also need to be contained. Veterans Brian Campbell and Martin Havlat pose major threats offensively as they have combined for 22 points in twelve games. 

Detroit’s goal-tending has to remain rock solid and their go-to offence-men like Datsyuk have to step up in order for them to win three more games in this series.

If Malkin’s suspect play in the first two games of the second round was an isolated incident, it would be easy to chalk it up to a couple off nights. However, combined with his lacklustre performance in last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, and you have to wonder if the Penguins have a case of “Jumbo Gino” on their hands.

Here’s hoping that Malkin breaks out in a big way and is able to show Ovechkin and Crosby that another superstar came to play in this series, too.

This did not quite come out of nowhere. You get that impression from Brent Sutter but I refuse to believe it. The bottom line is the New Jersey Devils came up short pretty much since Game 1. Even when they won…you were left with the feeling that it could fall apart. Tonight it did. Two strategic mistakes in the final seconds led to two goals by Carolina. Just like that, the Devils went from winning to OT to regulation Game 7 loss in one of the most cruelest ways imaginable.

However, the reality is the Devils were not good enough. Guys like Niklas Havelid, Colin White, etc…etc. are not defensemen you want to hang your hat on. There is a reason why this team had to score a ton in the regular season. These guys are just NOT GOOD! I will say it once and I will say it again. Look back to Game 5 when they just BARELY held on to a 1-0 win against Carolina. The defense sat back and let Carolina do whatever it wanted to. That is not acceptable and nor will it ever be acceptable!

People are going to second guess Martin Brodeur again and say he cannot win the big game. That is also nonsense! What simply happened is this team got caught with the deer in headlights look. Instead of recovering like a good team would when they got scored on…they let something happen that was even more improbable and that was give up a series winner in regulation. One cannot fault Brodeur for what happened there. The defensive breakdowns were many like they were all series. What happened was they kind of got lost in the shuffle until the most crucial moment of the season.

Again this team is too built for the regular season and not enough for the postseason. One line and a grizzled vet showed up tonight (Brendan Shanahan had 2 assists). There are going to need to be some pretty drastic changes. The first starts at defense. Because that is the main core of where the problems lie in Jersey!

First off…whatever it takes to make Colin White go away….do it! Colin has been a nice player for NJ for a long while but hey this is a business and its time to get better. There are guys like Steve Montador and Jay Bouwmeester who will be UFA’s among others. Throw a line out there….buy out White if you have to but this team needs a major overhaul on D. I can live with Bryce Salvador to a point but if by some miracle Jay-Bo does come to New Jersey…then its time to ship out Paul Martin as well. Cut the salary and send him to Minnesota. After that, make sure Mr. Havelid has a nice long walk off a short pier and bring up Matt Corrente from Lowell. Surely this will not fix all the problem on the Devils’ blueline but hey it is a start.

Next up…Rolston, Elias, and Gionta are not too bad together but Patrik Elias has to learn to SCORE in the playoffs again. It seemed Elias missed several glorious chances in this series that he normally would not miss. Patrik had a bad series…it is okay to say it. You cannot miss wide open nets like Elias did in this series if you want to be considered an elite player again. Until he lights the lamp enough when it counts…Patrik will just be another regular season performer. Lou Lamoriello will likely mend whatever fences with Brian Gionta and will offer him a deal. Question is will Gionta take it? If not, Lou Lams could go out into the UFA market. At this point….it could not hurt.

The fourth line was not too bad….Rupp and Clarkson were not so good tonight for whatever reason but overall during the season David Clarkson started to make those slow steps to becoming a better NHL player. I think next year he breaks the 20 goal barrier and with some more time on the extra man…he could get close to 25 goals. The duo makes for a nice energy line and hopefully they can find someone in Lowell to make a trio because Bobby Holik likely will not be back. At 2.5 million he is too expensive to have. In the end, the Holik reunion tour did not work.

Now whatever it takes to break up Madden and Pandolfo…..do it! The team is getting older and older and honestly for as hard as these two work….2003 is now 6 years ago. They are beginning to show their age together on the ice. John Madden paired with a younger gritty forward could work. However either Madden or Pandolfo or both may go and I would rather it be Pandolfo. Madden is too valuable on short handed situations still.

If that is not enough…oh believe me there is much more. It is now apparent and needed to take a deeper look at this farm system. When you are ranked at the bottom of the prospect heap…worse than teams like Colorado….its time to take a second look. I will never figure out why John Carlson was not taken over Mr. Tedenby. Everyone has seen what Carlson did with London of the OHL this year. Time to see where scouting can be improved because that once vaunted Devils scouting has slipped several rungs in the past few years.

Do a system’s check. Its like taking a car out and giving it a full tune-up after say 50,000 miles. The Devils are now six years removed from a Stanley Cup and for most fans and franchises…that would be a great thing. However for this fan…it is not! It really is time to take a look at all parts of this organization. Is Brent Sutter really the right coach for this team? Could John MacLean be replaced for a more NHL savvy assistant? From goaltending coaches to personnel…..this checkup needs to be done and done quickly. The draft is coming up in late June and July 1st is the free agent frenzy.

Can the Devils learn something from this? Yes they can but only if they really take a deep look in the mirror and realize what they have become is not the team they envisioned at the start of the 2008-2009 season. Ultimately that divergence led to their eventual and sudden downfall.

Pride is good in small doses, but never something to depend on. With last nights’ varying adjustments in pride, attitude, and stripping away false senses of security, the bottom eight of both Conferences as well as that elusive shot at the Prize of the West, are anything but solid.

The firestorm from Calgary arrived in Charlotte, and an eager Canes band, newly re-united with Eric Cole proceeded to put them out like a dog soaking a lit cigarette in the street. Any boost the recent trade deadline produced, coupled with the win over Philadelphia was sufficiently damped.

I don’t think this was truly much more than a bad shift of the moon and just one of those nights that the best intentions go awry. Calgary was at least present during the game, but flat. They certainly owed their goaltender Curtis McElhinney more than they have delivered to him in his 13 NHL appearances.

On the flipside, it has been nice to see Sergei Samsonov in the similar form he was as an Edmonton Oiler, with the Moscow native netting 2 points, and the game winning goal.

While not an utterly critical game for the Flames, it was a necessary duece for the Hurricanes, who remain on the cusp of a Playoff hunt.

The Great One led his pack of canine-like creatures into the Herd to tangle in Buffalo. And now you know what it sounds like when a great crushing occurs.

Even with the best efforts of Ilya Bryzgalov and one of my favorite defencemen, Ken Klee, Maxim Afinegenov and the Slug pack pulled a win out of the hat. Even if watching Klee bank Afinegenov off of the boards like a five cent bouncy ball made me hold me breath for a moment.

With one point and one game separating the Sabres once again from the Stanley Cup Playoffs it was a do or die game delivered to throngs of blue and gold from familiar names like Jason Pominville and Tim Connolly. Having Patrick Lalime minding the net for Buffalo’s injured Miller Time hasn’t been a bad call on Lindy Ruff’s part, either.

A Sabres win tonight against Ottawa will bounce Pittsburgh out of the Top 8, and Buffalo into the golden block.

Nothing says retribution like playing against the team that traded you only two weeks before. But for Mathieu Schneider, it’s a full circle come to life as the current Habs defenceman plays on the roster of the very man who centered his 1993 Stanley Cup victory against the Los Angeles Kings, Guy Carbonneau. It would not only be the last time the Canadiens would hold the Cup, but the last time they would even see the Stanley Cup Finals since.

Unfortunately, with the way Les Habitats played in Philips Arena, minus the obvious work of Schneider and excellent goaltending of Cary Price, Playoff dreams could potentially slip away. The play was lackluster and uninspired at best.

Atlanta, however, actually brought a game to the arena to give the fans something other than the door prizes to take home. At the worst, it would have made a South Park caricature.

Carbo believes that the Habs brought some effort. I didn’t see it. Except for when young Zach Bogosian took a healthy beating with a smile on the assaulting Hab’s face. That was like warm cocoa on a cold winter night.

Skate ‘em, Carbo, for old time’s sake.

St. Louis met the Lightning at home in Tampa Bay’s St. Pete Times Forum, where they proceeded to sing a song of good ole hockey that gave the Bolts the blues. In typical fashion, Tampa responded to a 3 goal deficit in the third period with their own set of three to force overtime.

But there would be no tacos.

First, they were in Tampa. Second, in sudden death overtime, a forth goal was the night’s limit.

Since that made no sense to most hockey greenhorns, I’ll explain it. Before the infamous Hockey Lockout of 2004-2005, local Taco Bell restaurants in the St. Louis area offered thirty-five cent tacos the day following a Blues game when the Blues scored five goals or more. On the forth goal, the crowd would begin to chant, “We Want TACOS!”

And I’m going to miss Gary Roberts. It was an honor to have him grace the Bolts jersey.

In a must-win battle for the potential 8th seed in the West, the Dallas Stars and 10th ranked Anaheim Ducks met in a battle royale. The Stars, in an onslaught once again spearheaded by Ribiero and backended by Marty Turco, show us what the Dallas Stars do best on the ice, divide and conquer.

They continually kept Anaheim split on the forecheck, drove a triangle pattern to the net, and somehow it worked. I haven’t seen much of Anaheim this year, but it appears the Ducks are flying south, with the Stars rising into the eighth slot. With the matchup of Edmonton and Toronto, the future of that slot remains insecure.

The bottom ranks of the East and West are shifting day to day, so get ready for March’s Hairy Ride to the Finish.

And that, my friends, is hockey as we know it.

And yes, I love this job. Thanks to Alin Mateescu and staff for bringing me to RMT.

Arguably, the best fan-centric franchise in the NHL resides at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. In their fledgling nine years, as of January 3rd, 2009, the Wild have sold out every home game in their arena’s history. They have also retired only one jersey in that nine year history. It chokes me up to think about it, because when I look deeply into my inner canuck, I realize that this is simply the way things should be in our great sport.

The Minnesota Wild will never have a player with the number 1 on their jersey, because that star player is their fans.

If you drive north for three hours, you are still in Wild territory. You will also find yourself in the presence of the World’s Largest Hockey Stick, in Eveleth, Minnesota.

Waivers. There’s something disheartening about that word, one that makes a player rethink their history, hope for the future, and attempt to avoid a sense of misery. It’s not a trade, a trade has a larger sense of respect to it.

Yet, there he was. He had been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Anaheim, in the megolithic age of players like Steve Rucchin, Paul Kariya, and Niclas Havelid, back when the Ducks actually had a logo.

He had a ring with the Carolina Hurricanes, when against a storm of attacks from the League’s best in Chris Pronger, Michael Peca, and Ryan Smyth, he was allowed to have his day with Lord Stanley’s Cup.

And yet again, the silver taste on his lips hung as he chased it, once again in the Playoffs with Ottawa as a Senator.

Then, he found himself on waivers.

There’s something brewing in Toronto, and as much as many of us outside of Burke’s domain have ridiculed him, we saw, as Alex Ovechkin also watched from the sidelines, a sense of urgency and fury that we should not so quickly expect from a currently bottom third ranked team.

Ovechkin’s good, but I’m gaining faith in the Swiss Martin Gerber. For a goaltender who has been to the Playoffs with every team he’s played on, this could be a sign, Toronto.

It’s easy to get a big head. You have the contract, get to date the pretty models, and if you are proactive enough, you find yourself in the news quite a bit. It’s all cake until your only claim to fame is the “Most Hated Player in Hockey”. Bettman gets kudos. I’ve been watching the interviews, watching the play of our titled anti-hero, and I have to say, the guy I used to despise is growing on me.

I can’t believe I’m truly beginning to like Sean Avery. Finally, the guy has come to actually play hockey.

If I had nothing to like about the Rangers before, as a Bolt fan first and foremost, I have to say Torty is an excellent fit. Maybe with these and the new trades of Antropov from Toronto, and Morris from Phoenix, there will be a Rangers team Mark Messier can once again respect.

The West is nothing less than a horse race to the finish every year. I am pleased to actually see the Blue Jackets gracing the Top 8, for the first time in their history. Although the Wild have tasted Playoff hockey, Columbus has not, even with the incredible talents of Rick Nash and the former defenceman Sergei Fedorov. With Kristian Huselius and the newly acquired Antoine Vermette, expect more firepower from the already impressive arsenal to reach into May.

While the Jackets suffered a visceral defeat from a determined Predators team, don’t count them out. We certainly have not seen the last of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He won a Stanley Cup, and then found himself traded to the Flyers for some upshot named Rick Tocchet. You know where I’m going with this. He won a second Stanley Cup with our aforementioned Martin Gerber. He has been to more teams than even he would care to name, and in just over a calendar year, has now played on four different teams: the Penguins, Thrashers, Tampa Bay, and now called forth to add to an already impressive Boston Bruins. While his service as a player under the coaching of the very upstart in 1992 that placed him with the Flyers, Mark Recchi is the man you call when you need something solid, something with heart. Having Recchi on your roster is the same as loading up with sorghum syrup before a happy day of logging.

Playing Boston was rough before. Now it’s like playing the Bruins on crack, with the Jolly Green Giant for a Captain.

Don’t feed the Bears, folks.

The Atlanta Thrashers have a new motto: “When you care enough to get rid of the very best”. First it was Mathieu Schneider to Montreal (who will be in Atlanta to clean their collective clocks tonight), now Niclas Havelid to New Jersey. If there is a player more professional and dedicated to his sport and his fanbase, I’d like to meet them.

For me, since I have met Havelid personally, this is a well-deserved move, both for Havelid and New Jersey. He taught my son that you can’t touch the Cup until you win it. So when it came to Atlanta, the little one wouldn’t. Perhaps this is his year. He certainly belongs on a team of the Devils’ caliber.

Now that God is back in the net, this should all get very interesting.

Tonight, Carolina and Buffalo are in must-win games, and the fate of Dallas-Anaheim hangs in the balance with each team striving to displace Edmonton for 8th seed in the West. The gangly roots of the Playoff Beard are beginning to grow.

And that, my friends, is hockey as we know it.

The point was the New Jersey Devils made their move on Monday….acquiring Niclas Havelid from the Atlanta Thrashers for Anssi Salmela and a minor prospect. It was the kind of move that probably needed to make for defensive depth given the high trade returns meted out on Wednesday…it was likely the best move GM Lou Lamoriello could have made. Ideally in a market of few sellers and many buyers…one had to see that coming.

Everyone remembers the guns and butter theory of economics. When the balance is optimum….that is when the economy does best. It is very similar to the success of the fate of a hockey team. For a hockey team, it is weapons that can score and the butter to defend. The issue that the New Jersey Devils had was defense and clearly they addressed it their way.

Now players like Pandolfo and Clemmensen did not get traded….maybe there just was not a market for them. Notice just how much of a dud this trade deadline actually was. Other than that 4-way trade and the Jokinen trade…it was just a lot of dumping and exchanging. Maybe New Jersey was the smartest of all in not getting too involved and making their move while the asking price was low.

So in the trade that was made…..it was a solid one for the New Jersey Devils. Getting Havelid will make the defense that much stronger in facing some of those top offensive lines out there. Could they have made another move perhaps? Yes…maybe! That does knock down the Devils overall grade a little bit. I just cannot give them an A on this one.

What grade do they get? Well they get some praise for the Havelid trade but it would have been nice to pawn off Clemmensen and/or Pandolfo for maybe some draft picks. So overall…..they get a B because getting Brodeur back was the highlight of this deadline…a rested Brodeur at that!

What got them there? Well honestly a resilient offense and timely goaltending from someone not named Martin Brodeur for most of the season is what got the Devils to this point. When Brodeur went down on November 1st…did anyone expect them to be in this position? No! Scott Clemmensen did an incredible job under the worst circumstances with 25 wins for Jersey. However he did tail off the last 10 days sort of like he did the first 10. Patrik Elias has 65 points for the team and Zach Parise has 73 points. The Devils, in all, have scored 186 goals in 61 games which is good for 3.05 goals per game. As an oh by the way Jamie Langenbrunner, the captain has chipped in with 52 points including 19 goals and 5 GWG’s….he is a clutch man when clutch is needed. Travis Zajac in his third year also has 52 points which has been a huge surprise for a team that did not expect quite that much from him.

Now what got them there to me is a simple philosophy that quite a few people forgot about. That started during last year’s playoff series in Game 3 where the Devils decided to play a little more of a run and gun style. They would go on to lose to the Rangers in five games but it set the stage for this season. Signing Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik helped play a big part in that. Now they have not produced in the way expected but they have been effective. Effective works as most know! Still this team does have some needs and that is a cold reality as team vie for the Stanley Cup come April.

What they need? It looks like the team needs a defenseman for starters. The goaltending is obviously covered. Never hurts to have an all-world netminder….ever! Ideally the Devils need a two way defenseman to create some more offense while being able to muscle guys out of Brodeur’s way. A guy like Jay-Bo wouldn’t hurt but the reality may dictate more a return of Scott Niedermayer or Jordan Leopold and even that might not be all that likely. After all, that is the whole point of a wish list. You wish for it but it does not mean you will get it. Sad commentary on life that your team cannot always get what they want.

This team could use another scoring forward especially if Brian Gionta really is as digruntled as people have said. That of course depends on who you read and who you ask. The Devils could bring up someone from Lowell if they really had to. It would not hurt to get a little younger as Gionta is having a nice season but should have just about a point a game with who he is playing. He did nearly score 50 once but that seems like eons ago! Rolson has also been a bit of a disappointment in that sense…people just expected more I guess. Maybe it will come next year but for chemistry’s sake a 2nd line scorer couldn’t hurt. Who could they get? Well Gabork is out…how about maybe a Tim Connolly perhaps. Time will tell.

What Will They Get? Not sure truthfully….there are so many wild rumors out there that usually the quiet ones are hard to gauge. This time of year really is like a “Christmas” of sorts for teams as they find out what they will have to work with as they go into battle for the Stanley Cup! Leopold might be the most practical and affordable but will the Devils have enough “goods” to aim higher? Brian Gionta and a pick or two, toss in a Pandolfo and the Devils might be able to address their needs. Then again the trade deadline is like high stakes poker….sometimes you have to go all in to get what you want.

Come Wednesday Evening we will see what the Devils wind up getting. Will it be enough? I do not know but surely we will be back with analysis of the Devils Trade Deadline as well as the NHL Trade Deadline. Enjoy the hockey till then!

It started when the Leafs took him in the first round, 10th overall, when many believed he would be an early second-rounder.

But he had a very dominant season in the second tier of the then, RSL, and so the Leafs went out of their way to make him a part of their future.

He went from being No. 11 to No. 80, but the injuries would never escape him.

Today, he is considered by many as our only legitimate Top Six forward, although the recent play of Jason Blake, would have him too, being considered in that class. 

With the recent remarks by Brian Burke, stating that Big Nik should basically not expect a contract renewal, where does Antropov go next? It is almost an absolute guarantee that he will be donning the colours of a different team come the end of March 4—but for who, where, and what will HE do there?

Obviously, we fans are most concerned by the first two—who are we getting in return, and where is he going? However it is amusing to wonder how he will do once he goes to the new city. Obviously, we as Leafs fans should not really care how he does, just as long as what we received for him is adequate.

So I’ll go through my three opinions, on those three questions, but I ask anyone who chooses to read this, to state their opinions as well.

Who Will The Leafs Receive In Return? Where Is Antropov Going?

This is pure speculation, and we all have our own opinions on his worth, and who we’d want in return.

If I were the GM of the Maple Leafs, and I’m moving Antropov, I’d be starting with an offer for a second-round pick and a prospect. This would entice a number of “buyers” to consider him as a great option. As a result, I would have the opportunity to field numerous offers, and create bidding wars.

Hopefully when all is said and done, Antropov will be heading to another city, with either a first-round pick coming back our way, or a second-round pick and a good prospect. Considering the rumours of where Leafs scouts have been, I would hope that the Flyers, Bruins, Blue Jackets, and Penguins show considerable interest.

The pick is a pick, but the thought of the prospect in return, is something I would wonder about.

The Flyers have a few considerable options in the prospect field. Considering it is Antropov, JVR is untouchable in this trade, perhaps if it was Kaberle going to the city of brotherly love. Claude Giroux would be a great option, and considering the second-round pick, should be a higher choice, he would be an excellent player for the Leafs to look at.

The Bruins also have some good young prospects coming up as well. When I first think of the Bruins’ prospect pool, Brad Marchand first comes to mind, for obviously his Canadian heroics. But a guy like Zach Hamill would also be highly touted by me, if I’m dealing with the Bruins.

The Blue Jackets have an excellent crop of impact prospects, most notably the likes of Brassard and Filatov. Again, its Antropov, not Kaberle, so we need to be reasonable. Perhaps, a guy like Cody Goulobef would serve us well.  The Blue Jackets also have apparent interest in Kubina.

You could also throw the Penguins’ hat into the Antropov sweepstakes, considering they lack secondary scoring. It would be difficult to acquire their first round pick, but perhaps a second-round pick and a good young player/prospect. It’s a tough call, but if Burke really wanted Staal, he could definitely attempt to expand the deal to include another payer and Antropov, and maybe the Penguins’ bite.

What Will He Do There?

Any team that acquires Antropov gets a quality big forward, who at times does not play big. He would be an excellent addition to any power-play unit, either first or second, due to his excellent ability to tip the puck, screen, and be a big body in front of the net. He brings something similar to what Holmstrom brings to the Detroit power play, but with more skill along the boards, and the ability to generate offense.

He has apparently cured the injury bug (KNOCK ON WOOD), and should be capable of the rigorous grind of the playoffs.

With the comments made by Burke, about not expecting to offer Antropov a contract for next season, and that he should look at a change of scenery, as a GM of the team that acquires him, I see it as a great thing.

I’d be less worried of the Hossa factor with the Penguins, because Antropov’s number-one destination of choice going into July 1,would have been the Maple Leafs. With them apparently out of the picture, Antropov is much more likely to choose to resign. 

Overall, Nik Antropov is a guy that is expected to find a new home come March 4th, but who, where, and what he will do there, is still uncertain. About as uncertain as his health has been in the past. 

————–

Crazy Trade Thought Of The Day:

To Detroit:

Vesa Toskala

Domenic Moore

To Toronto:

Thomas McCollum 

Chris Osgood 

Daniel Cleary

The game was scattered with missed opportunities for both teams.  The Pens played well and looked sharp, but for the longest time could not find the net to save their lives.  The Netminders were very impressive, Yann Danis stopped 27 shots for the Islanders and Marc-Andre Fleury had 21 saves in his shutout performance.  It was Petr Sykora who snapped the scoreless tie with 2:28 remaining in the third period, lifting the Penguins to the 1-0 triumph over the Islanders.

The goal may have been Pittsburgh’s biggest score of the season because it keeps them right in the hunt. A loss or overtime loss to the Islanders would have been a crushing defeat.  To a team struggeling to find its identity this late in the season. 

The Penguins did climb a little higher in the standings with the win but there is no time to stop and rest. Now the Penguins will embark on an 11-day road trip through Chicago, Dallas, Tampay Bay, Florida and Washington. This will be a critical week in the Penguins season and the playoffs are on the line.

A Roadtrip like this is what will make or break the Pens this season.  Even though only 5 points seperate them from the 5th place Monreal Canadiens, they seem far removed from the Easten Conference Champions of last year.

Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is rumored to be shopping Brian Gionta to shed some salary to add a veteran top four defenseman. Gionta, who is making $4 Million, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season end and could be the most valued trade commodity for the Devils.

The veteran forwards productivity has continued to decline since his 48 goal season in 2005-2006. This season, while playing on a line with Patrick Elias and Dainius Zubrus he has netted 11 goals and 30 assists but only has 2 goals in the last 14 games. 

The addition of Brendan Shanahan has given the Devils some scoring depth upfront and the freedom to move a forward via a trade. The Devils have also been shopping forwards Jay Pandolfo and John Madden, both who earn just under $3 million this season, though Pandolfo has been a healthy scratch the past five games and Madden’s lack of offensive ability make them much less valuable than Gionta.

With several top line defenseman available like Scott Neidermeyer, Chris Pronger, Jay Bouwmeester, Tomas Kaberle, just to name a few, the Devils will need to shed some salary. Currently just sitting under the cap, the Devils will be forced to package a forward, defenseman and draft picks if they are to land one of the high priced veteran defenseman.

Over the past 13 seasons, the New Jersey Devils have won three Stanley Cups, only the Detriot Red Wings have won more in that time. The Devils have made the playoffs 11 consecutive seasons and had 11 consecutive 40-plus win seasons, never finishing with less than 95 points and breaking the 100 point barrier in nine of those eleven seasons. So why would everyone doubt one of the most successful franchises in sports over the past 15 years? You gt me!

The Devils will return from the All-Star break sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 61 points (29-15-3), one point ahead of the New York Rangers and two points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils have been able to achieved this, despite being without Martin Brodeur for 37 games and free agent signings Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik for 18 games a piece. So here is a look back at the first half and how the Devils have gotten to where they are?

MVP: Zach Parise / Patrick Elias
Zach Parise has become one of the best young NHL stars and Patrick Elias has once again become one of the NHL elite players. For the first time, maybe ever, their could be two Devils who finish the year in the top 10 in scoring in the league.

Parise, whose 28 goals ranks him 3rd behind Ovechkin and Carter, is currently 7th in the league with 55 points, while Elias ranks 9th with 54 points. The best part is they play on different lines, giving the other teams fits and the Devils two scoring lines.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Travis Zajac
Zajac’s 15 goals and 21 assists already surpass his numbers from last season and with 35 games remaining he should easily break his career high of 42 points. Of late, Zajac has been the hot stick for the Devils as he has 5 goals and 3 assists in the past 7 games. Best of all has been his improvement on defense playing at a plus-19 compared to last seasons minus-11 rating.

BIGGEST SUPRISE: Scott Clemmensen
When the season started Scott Clemmensen was barely on the Devils radar. He would be headed to Lowell and spend time there all season and be an insurance policy. Well the Devils cashed in that insurance policy and more than they expected.

Not only has Clemmensen come in and held down the fort, he has asserted his presence. The Devils goal, who may have been snubbed for a trip to the All-Star game, has put up Brodeurian numbers in the absence of the star goaltender. Clemmensen is 7th in the league in wins (19), 6th in Goal-Against-Average (2.29) and 8th in save percentage (.922).

Now the big questions are, can he keep it up and what will the Devils do once Marty comes back at the end of February? Who will go and who will stay? One thing is for certain, Clemmensen will see a nice pay day from some team next season.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Jay Pandolfo
The long time Devil signed a three year 7.5M dollar contract over the summer and now with the signing of Brendan Shanahan, Pandolfo is watching the games from the press box.

He and long time linemate, John Madden, have been separated for most of the season and when he has played of late he has only seen time of late on the fourth line. There has been speculation of trading Pandolfo, but he will be difficult to move in the salary cap era.

TRADE DEADLINE: To Trade or not to trade, that is the question?
The Devils added Brendan Shanahan and may be happy with the depth they now have at the forward position. The defense has been underrated all year, but their solid play has the Devils ranked 5th in the league on defense. But GM Lou Lamiriello has been known to always add a veteran to the mix at the trade deadline. Looking back Lamiriello has brought in defenseman like Bryce Salvador, Jason Weimer, Phil Housley, Shawn Chambers and Vladmir Malakhov at the dealine and I would expect him to do the same. Except for Malakhov, there is one thing that ties all these players together. Lou got them for cheap and without breaking up the current roster.

THE FUTURE: Five things to look out for in the second half
Here are a few things to look out for after the all-star break:
1) Can John Madden keep it going? The Devils center has struggled all year and has been rumored in trades for a few weeks. Since Shanahan has joined the team, Madden has 1 goal,6 assists and a plus-6 rating in the past five games. Now can he keep playing the way he has of late, or will the Devils look to move him at the trade deadline?
2) Will Parise be the first Devil to score 50 goals in a season and will he or Elias break the 100 point plateau? Parise is on pace for 95 points and 48 goals, just short of the two marks.
3) How much of a difference will Shanahan make? He scored in his first game, but his presence may be felt far more than just on the score sheet.
4) Will Lou stand still or make a move? As we already stated, will Lou add a veteran blueliner or will he look for a 3rd line centerman to play with his wingers Rolston, Shanahan and Clarkson.
5) How will Brodeur play when he returns? He has never been out of the line-up for this long in his career. Will the rest help him and have him fresh for the playoffs or will he come back not in top form and send the Devils into a funk.

WHAT IS UP NEXT: The homestretch begins.
The Devils will come back from the all-star break with two road games at Ottawa and Boston and then play seven of eight on home ice. Scott Clemmensen and the Devils will need to try and put some distance between them and the Rangers and Flyers, while they await the return of Brodeur between February 26th and March 7th.

With 35 games remaining the Devils have nine divisional games left, including three against the Islanders and two against the Flyers, Rangers and Penguins. The Devils will not be doing much traveling the remainder of the season, as their furthest trip is a game at Chicago on March 27th. Besides that game every game will be played in the eastern time zone.

With the recent losing streak the Pittsburgh Penguins have been on, it is no surprise that everyone is looking to GM Ray Shero to make some moves to help the team get out of the midseason slump they are in.

I believe that prior to the trade deadline, Shero will be under a bit of pressure to make all the necessary changes to get the team back on track, similar to what he did by bringing Marian Hossa on board last season.

Although I believe that the team has a wealth of talent to work with, a few changes need to be made for them to become the Stanley Cup contending team they once were that led them to within two games of winning the Cup last season.

With all the new players the Penguins acquired during the offseason, they failed to pick up a replacement to fill the skates of Ryan Malone. I believe this is definitely one area where the Penguins are lacking and it has had a big impact on their success as a whole.

Malone was a huge presence in front of the net which was one of the keys to the team’s achievements last season. They initially were looking to Jordan Staal to move into this role, however, he still needs time to develop such skills.

Another important role they neglected to fill was that of a veteran leader which was eliminated with the departure of Gary Roberts and more recently Daryll Sydor. The majority of this team is made up of younger players who obviously still need the experience of a veteran to guide them through the normal highs and lows of a season.

The coaching staff may be another area that the organization will be forced to look at. The media and a lot of the fans have been quick to point the finger at head coach Michel Therrien and special teams coach Mike Yeo. However, I believe if they choose to go this route it will be Yeo who takes the brunt of the blame.

After all, it is the Penguins’ power play that currently seems to be one of the biggest problems for this team.

Regardless of what changes are made, it is abundantly clear that they are necessary for the Penguins to climb their way back up the Eastern Conference standings in order to even make it to the playoffs.

As for the Rangers, I did not catch the game as I was out with friends on the biggest party night of the year. I will have to catch Rangers in 60 ASAP. The result pleased me, and if I catch Rangers In 60 I will write something up about it. So for now, here is one of my favorite fight videos, almost 4 million views can’t be wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ap_eXEWLJY

Enjoy your Turkey. – Rob

Games:

10/27/08- Islanders 2, New York Rangers 4

10/30/08- Islanders 3, Philadelphia Flyers 4

11/01/08- Islanders 4, Montreal Canadiens 5

New and Notes:

- The Islanders suffered one of the worst meltdowns in franchise history against the Canadiens, allowing Montreal to score four goals in the third period in a comeback victory.

- Starting goalie Rick Dipietro underwent knee surgery to repair a meniscus tear and will be lost for an undetermined period of time.  In his stead, Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis will attempt to hold down the fort.

- C Frans Nielsen has shown signs of improvement as of late.  He has four points in ten games this season.

- D Mark Streit continue to be one of the few bright spots on the Island.  He has recorded points in each of the last five games.

- Hulking LW Mitch Fritz had an impressive scrap against one of the league’s most feared enforcers, Georges Laraque, Saturday night.  He may see more ice time as the Islanders attempt to infuse more toughness in their lineup. 

This Week’s Games:

11/3/08- vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

11/4/08- vs. New York Rangers

11/6/08- vs. Atlanta Thrashers

11/8/08 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Games:

10/23/08- Islanders 3, Dallas Stars 5

10/25/08- Islanders 3, Carolina Hurricanes 4

News and Notes:

- The Islanders set a club record for shots on goal in a game (60) against Carolina. 

- Starting goalie Rick Dipietro apparently injured himself again during the Carolina game.  His inability to stay healthy is proving a huge source of frustration to both him and fans of the team.  He’s scheduled to visit a doctor on Monday for his undisclosed injury and will miss the game against the rival New York Rangers at least.  Joey MacDonald, seeing more work than either he or anybody else ever thought he would, will get the start and be backed up by minor league goaltender Yann Danis.

- D Mark Streit has been red hot as of late.  He recorded four points in games this week.

- C Doug Weight has brought more than just scoring ability with him.  He absolutely crushed Carolina’s Brandon Sutter with a clean open ice check, knocking him out of the game on Saturday night.

- D Brendan Witt left the Dallas game with a leg injury.  His return date is uncertain and he leaves a gaping hole in the Islanders’ defensive corps.  The team hopes Andy Sutton will be able to return shortly from his preseason hand surgery to bolster the toughness factor on the blue line.

Next Week’s Games:

10/27/08- vs. New York Rangers

10/30/08- vs. Philadelphia Flyers

11/1/08- vs. Montreal Canadiens

Speculation is running ramped about which players will represent Canada. From now until early 2010, there will be numerous amounts of newspapers, articles, blogs and other forms of hockey writing from writer’s to aficionado’s across the country, speculating what the final roster of what the beloved team will be. Whomever they decide, we do know this, there’s certainly no shortage of talent. Players such as; Sidney Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier, Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatley, Dion Phaneuf, Chris Pronger & Mike Green are all locks (barring injury) to make the squad. The management crew certainly does not want to be expeditious in determining the line-up, it would be wise to be very methodical in choosing the players as last Olympics did not fair so well. That being said, there is a myriad of other choices when determining the final roster. Canada has enough talent to send 3 full teams to the 2010 Olympics. However, we do not live in a perfect world and management will have to settle for cutting some very good players that deserve to represent their country on the international stage. In the wake of the managers being named, I thought I would offer my two cents on which players have an excellent chance on being selected:

*Joe Sakic & Scott Niedermayer not listed because of career uncertainties

The biggest controversy will be on the situation of goaltenders. Canada is certainly too deep between the pipes. The main question will be; who is more deserving, Roberto Luongo or Martin Brodeur? While Brodeur has the experience, that in itself may be his downfall. There has been talk that he may be showing signs of aging, coupled with his lackluster performance at the last Olympics could prove to management that Luongo is the right man for the job.

With the NHL toying with the idea that this may be the last time they send players to compete for the Olympics, (although I doubt that will be the case) it certainly puts pressure on the players to make a push to represent their country. For all of these players, it will be the first time they will compete for Olympic glory at home in Canada, they will all want a shot to play. Of course injuries and performances of this year and the early part of next year will play a huge role in who ultimately gets to compete in Vancouver. But for now, isn’t it interesting to speculate?

Until next time,

Alex Fineberg