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

The Collective Bargaining Agreement was an utter nightmare for MLSE. No longer could they purchase the most expensive players in the off-season in an attempt to contend for the Stanley Cup like they had in previous years. They were forced to change their ways. In an effort to get a fresh start, they decided to part ways with long-serving GM Pat Quinn and introduced the relatively unknown John Ferguson Jr. However, MLSE was not going to let the former scout do as he pleased. Every trade, signing, waiver move and decision was to be passed to the board for review. CEO Richard Peddie was adamant that every decision go through him, in other words, it was difficult for JFJ to sneeze without Peddie feeling the mist. “Puppeteer” isn’t the right word, but it’s the first word that comes to mind. The situation certainly put the amateur GM in quite the quagmire. Perhaps if JFJ’s tenure were not so assessed, he may still be the boss. However, as we know, after three years of substandard and paltry decision making by the rookie GM, he was finally let go. The past few seasons have left Leaf supporters quite hopeless and disconsolate as John Ferguson Jr. led this team to post-lockout failure.

After the ineptitude of Ferguson was dealt with, it became abundantly clear to MLSE that a promise had to be made to the new GM. Richard Peddie and the rest of the board surely realized the error of their controlling ways, and assured that the new GM would have full autonomy over the club. This announcement came soon after the legendary Scotty Bowman was rumored to take over and demanded that this be a stipulation. Why they did not hire one of the most respected, most knowledgeable men in all of hockey is beyond me. “Mistake” isn’t the right word, but it’s the first word that comes to mind. But who am I to judge? There may have been many other factors contributing to the termination of this deal. Now that Mr. Bowman has joined his son on the revamped Chicago Blackhawks, this speculation is now over. The vacant spot was filled in by former GM Cliff Fletcher. He has taken the reigns for the remainder of the 2008-2009 season and has done an admirable job to date. He has previously stated that he is by no means a full-time replacement and is just ‘keeping it warm’. There have been numerous newspaper articles, press conferences, blogs and other forms of hockey writing that have speculated the future of the dormant General Manager position and the ambiguous state of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Watching past press releases and rifling through hockey articles, it became more and more obvious to me that Brian Burke would fulfill his contractual duties with the Anaheim Ducks and join the Maple Leafs at the inception of the 2009-2010 season. On paper, this seems like the most logical decision. He has long been rumored to want to manage the Maple Leafs, his wife is involved in the media and this hockey-crazed city would certainly bode well for her career, he would join long-time friend Ron Wilson and would undoubtedly be the highest paid figurehead in all of the NHL. Leaf fans should be excited at the prospect of this as Burke had constructed a solid foundation in Vancouver before joining the Anaheim Ducks and winning a Stanley Cup within a couple years of his appointment. Without sounding overly patriotic, my fondness for him stems from his penchant for signing and drafting hard-hitting Canadian born players. For me, this is unparalleled and it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. His resume speaks for itself and is certainly shaping up to be the chosen one for many Leaf followers. While this very well may be case, it’s quite certain by the way MLSE has handled previous situations, that anything is possible.

However, everything in Leafland is not how it seems. This fairy tale is seemingly about to jump through some hurdles. With speculation running ramped, the idea of Burke being the knight in shining armor is slowly becoming less and less of a reality. MLSE may be beginning to explore other options should the long rumored assumption not come to fruition. Something we have all heard before. “Typical” isn’t the right word, but it’s the first word that comes to mind.

In a recent interview with co-owner Larry Tanenbaum, he ostensibly shut the door on recent speculation of long-time Detroit Red Wing Steve Yzerman taking the reigns after this season. I understand MLSE being hesitant to hire another rookie GM as the first experiment did not go as planned. They have stated in previous press releases that the new GM would have extensive experience and a proven track record. But I would not be so quick to dismiss the long time player. For sometime now, Yzerman has been working side by side with Ken Holland, Scotty Bowman and the other brilliant hockey minds that comprise the Detroit Red Wing staff. He has certainly been educated on the intricacies and the savvy of putting together a Stanley Cup squad. As a player, he has won on virtually every level he has played in. As a Peterborough Pete he was a star attraction, he won the championship in both the World Junior’s and the Olympics, if that is not enough, he captained the Detroit Red Wings to three Stanley Cups. I would concur that this Hall-of-Fame candidate unquestionably understands how to win. However, it is argued that these feats have come as a player and he has merely only begun to get his feet wet in a managerial role. Steve Yzerman is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever play the game, but that is by no means a reason to hand over an enormously demanding position, one that he has very little experience in.

Another option that hasn’t grabbed headlines as of yet is the idea of Joe Nieuwendyk becoming Cliff Fletcher’s successor. Considered one of the top minds in hockey today, Nieuwendyk was coveted for quite sometime. In the off-season, the Florida Panthers granted Toronto permission to talk to him and he was hired almost instantaneously. He was recently named special assistant to the GM where he will observe his surroundings and garner the aspects of running an organization. Perhaps Nieuwendyk will be given a long look as the replacement once Fletcher departs. However, much like Yzerman, he may be too inexperienced to assume the job. It’s difficult to speculate at this point what MLSE’s plans are with the former Toronto Maple Leaf, but it certainly seems as he is being groomed for the General Manager position at a later date.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have certainly benefited from the past years of Stanley Cup success dating back 40 years ago. The tradition of being an aficionado of the blue & white has been passed down from generation to generation. Will this trend of blind faith continue with a losing franchise? That question remains to be seen. As MLSE is seemingly putting the business aspect on the backburner in an effort to promote new winning ways, it seems logical that they hire someone competent and experienced enough; to usher in this new era. The new GM, whomever that may is, will be expected to make this losing team contend for a Stanley Cup almost immediately. This organization is on a downward spiral and is becoming less and less efficacious year after year. How long will it take for MLSE to realize that while they may have an extensive collection of faithful fans in the present, this may not be the case in the future if they continue their losing ways. “Panic” isn’t the right word, but it’s the first word that comes to mind. Let’s hope for Leaf fans everywhere, they make the right choice.

Someone forgot to tell the Leafs who the night was supposed to belong to. Although the first period was pretty much a one sided affair, with Detroit gaining multiple scoring chances and almost scoring on multiple occasions on a shaky Vesa Toskala. Unfortunately, near the end of the period Detroit’s sloppy play in their own end finally backfired as Chris Osgood, who had played great up to that point, shoveled the puck blindly into the slot for ‘johnny-on-the-spot’ Pavel Kubina. That goal was the start of a huge momentum swing for the young Leafs, who went on to win the contest 3-2, with rookie Nikolai Kulemin scoring the game winning goal at 7:25 of the third period.

One thing that was refreshingly different for the Leafs was their aggressive play. This has not been a strong point the past few seasons, but it seems that rugged Ron Wilson’s system is starting to rub off in a good way. A pinching Pavel Kubina’s first period body check on Thomas Holmstrom, might have led to a great scoring chance by a streaking Marian Hossa, but it set the tone for more physical Leafs play to come. Jonas Frogren also displayed some grit as well.

There were two more aspects of this evening that were worth noting for Leafs: One was the play of their second and third forward lines.  The Line of Dominic Moore, Nikolai Kulemin and Alex Steen was by far the best Leaf line of the night; with Moore and Kulemin gaining multiple offensive chances. The line of Tlusty,Grabovsky and Hagman showed great excitement as well. The second bright spot was the play of heralded rookie defenseman Luke Schenn. He has a lot of hype to live up to, but he continues to do a great job of playing within himself; body checking and playing sound defense whenever possible.

The likelihood that the Maple Leafs will win a Eastern Conference playoff spot when the Regular season ends, is very slim, but this is just a small step in the right direction, for a franchise in desperate need of showing their loyal fans that the future is finally worth looking towards.

On the other hand, the Redwings will toss this opening loss aside and contend for the Cup yet again. The fact that they continue to outshoot the opponents and play that maddening puck-control game bodes well for them. One thing is for sure, they need to work on play in their own end, and breaking the puck out more smoothly. Marian Hossa was a bright spot in his first game as a Detroit Redwing, earning great scoring chances with hard work and amazing speed. The Viking look-alike, Thomas Holmstrom also got off to a great start, scoring both Detroit goals while again entrenching himself in and around Toskala’s crease.

But the Red Wings’ roster looks remarkably similar this year as it did last. In fact, if the Wings have anything, it’s too much talent, and not enough room to make use of it all – a striking blend of fresh faces who have impressed beyond expectations, and veterans who have been around to see the team through four championships that’s so deep it’s actually squeezing NHL-ready players out of contention. And that’s not really a problem you mind having all too much.

In ‘07-’08 the Wings’ record was 54-21-7, totalling 115 points. They led the NHL in most shots taken per game (34.4) and in fewest shots allowed (23.5), led the league in face-off percentage (53.3) and they outshot opponents in 71 of 82 games. And there is very little reason to expect any of that to change.

Bringing Back the Talent

Forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg have become the face of the organization upon the departure of Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan – both late draft picks hand-chosen by master scout Hakan Andersson. Combined, they totalled 189 points and were a +71. While the Eurotwins will start this season on different lines, countless times when the Wings have struggled it’s been the pairing of these two in combination with Tomas Holmstrom’s antics in front of the net that’s helped them back up – and we have no reason to expect anything different this season.

Secondary scoring shouldn’t be a problem either – between the breaking out of journeyman Dan Cleary and big Swede Johan Franzen last season, and the only increasing production of youngsters like Valtteri Filppula (recently resigned for three years) and Jiri Hudler, the Wings have got it taken care of in terms of production. And of course the old grinders, Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Darren McCarty and the likes, are still around as well.

The Wings’ blueline, logjammed as it is, goes 10 deep. Starting off with Nicklas Lidstrom, the perennial Norris Trophy winner and first European captain to win a Cup, the back end is stacked – former Devil Brian Rafalski, finally injury-free Niklas Kronwall and his new defensive partner, another journeyman who found a home in Detroit, Brad Stuart make up the top four for a blend of skilled puck-moving defensemen, and physical battering rams. Coach Babcock has said the fifth and sixth spots will be taken up by Brett Lebda and Andreas Lilja, but veteran Chris Chelios will also be back, and Derek Meech, Kyle Quincey, and Jonathan Ericsson are waiting in the (no pun intended) wings.

When it comes to goaltending, a lot has been said about Chris Osgood – formerly it was argued that he was perhaps the “worst goalie to win a Cup”, but few can claim him the worst goalie to win two. Ozzie stepped up last season and had a career year, proving that he earned the starting job this coming season and relegating prospect Jimmy Howard to at least one more year of being “the future of Red Wings goaltending”. Of course, Osgood has to keep it up, as he’s not the elite goalie some teams boast – but with the sort of defense the Wings have, his calm, patient demeanor should take him far.

Key Losses

Heading into the summer there were a few questions about who would stay and who would go – but only a few. Elite goaltender Dominik Hasek finally decided to call it quits after a shakier year than he may have liked, wherein Osgood replaced him in the first round of the playoffs and never looked back. The decision to bring Dom back last year was undoubtedly a good one, but his departure shouldn’t make a large impact on the team this season and nor should the other loss to retirement, forward Dallas Drake, who had a strong playoffs – and it was great to see him finally lift the Cup and go out on a high note – but is hardly irreplaceable.

Key Acquisitions

Considering how many players were expected to stay on board, especially after the resignings of Lilja, Stuart and, later on in the summer, Filppula, the Wings weren’t really expected to make too much of a splash in the market this summer. On Free Agency Day they picked up goaltender Ty Conklin who, despite a sketchy history with teams like the Oilers and Blue Jackets, stood tall in net for Pittsburgh this past season and will provide both a strong backup for Osgood and a good challenge for Howard – and most of Detroit expected that to be all. When the announcement came the next day that Ken Holland had landed forward Marian Hossa for a year, fans were stunned. Hossa, an elite winger who had 66 points this past season and 100 the seasonbefore deserted Pittsburgh and scorned incredible offers to come to teams like Edmonton, choosing instead to sign for one year with the team he felt had the most talent and the best chance to win – quite the vote of confidence. Hossa will be paired with Datsyuk and Holmstrom, making the Wings’ line of Zetterberg, Franzen and Hudler arguably the best second line in hockey.

In the System

Wings forward prospects Ville Leino (sought out by Finnish scout Ari Vuori and signed shortly after Fabian Brunnstrom decided to choose Dallas over Detroit this past season) and Darren Helm (who had a fantastic playoff run with the Wings this past season) along with defensive prospect Jonathan Ericsson (once ‘Mr. Irrelevant’, the Wings final pick, 291st in the ‘02 draft) were just sent back to the AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins after being deemed by Mike Babcock “the best players I’ve ever been involved with sending to the minors ever”. The Wings are also currently looking to trade defensive prospect Kyle Quincey despite loving his size and the physical presence he brings – because there simply isn’t room (similarly, enforcer Aaron Downey was recently waived as well and will start the season in GR). Goalie prospect Daniel Larssen will join Jimmy Howard in Grand Rapids this season along with other names who have both seen NHL playing time or are expected to soon – Mattias Ritola, Jakub Kindl, Cory Emmerton. Right now the team’s sheer depth is incredible – and something Detroit will be banking on for years to come.

It will be hard for the Wings to repeat – but if any team has a good chance, it’s this one. The team starts off the season chasing Montreal’s record for repeat 100-point seasons, hoping for #9 this year. There is talent playing on Detroit’s third line that could crack the first line on other teams’ rosters, and most importantly that talent intends to stick around – the Wings have created a system that instills loyalty in its players, many of whom have taken hometown discounts to resign with the team. The players believe in the city, the management, and each other – they play hard, with this sort of talent, every single night, and they’ve creatd a reputation that’s got other teams scared of them.

When goalie Chris Osgood was asked during last spring’s playoffs whether there was anything his team did not have, he snappily replied, “A weakness.” Without being too cocky, his statement does hold some water. Is it true enough, though, to lead the Red Wings to Stanley Cup #12? We’ll see starting this Thursday night when the team raises the banner at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

For the Predators there are three possible answers. First on a positive note, will this be the year the Preds make the playoffs and avoid the first round knockout that they have suffered for the last four seasons? Or will this be the year that they continue along the same path and make the playoffs and check out early again? The final possibility is not a pleasant one. Will this be the year that Barry Trotz, the most underrated coach in the NHL, runs out of rabbits to pull out of his hat to magically get his team to perform far beyond anyone’s expectations?

As has become the norm in Music City over the last few nears, the summer has not been a slow news time for the Predators. After spending the summer of 2007 in a battle to fend off Jim Ballsillie from stealing the team off to Canada and finally establishing a mostly local ownership group it was thought things would quiet down on the financial front. Unfortunately, before the ink was dry on all the contracts, minority owner “Boots” DelBiaggio’s financial house of cards came tumbling down and sent a 27% stake in the team into the hands of a bankruptcy judge.

At this point there is a lot of legal posturing going on by the Predators owners who are trying to get the biggest slice of DelBiaggio’s assets pie from the court that they can. All this poor mouthing about the damage done by the bankruptcy has again fanned the flames of the Canadian media speculating the Jim “Vulture” Ballsillie will try to swoop in and grab the Preds once again. I doubt this will happen but it will be many months before it all plays out.

The other big summer news was the defection of a much improved Alexander Radulov to the KHL in Russia. The fans who adored Rudy when he was a Predator developed an immediate equally intense hatred of him when he flew the coop. In spite of being a player with tremendous upside, A-Rad spent most of his time in Nashville in Barry Trotz’s doghouse due to a lack of maturity and an unwillingness to focus on the defensive side of his game. It is really not surprising that Radulov was easily swayed by Russian money and promises of fame and a loose style of play in the KHL. Again, it will be months or years before this one plays out and we see if Rudy returns with his hat in his hand begging forgiveness of fans and team mates wanting to play in the big leagues.

All this being said, it’s time to talk about the game on the ice which is what most season previews are usually about. This year’s team will be the youngest, most inexperienced team the Predators have put on the ice since well before the lockout year. Fortunately, the youngsters that will be moving into positions of responsibility on this team have pedigrees that indicate they are ready for the move to the NHL.

In goal, the tandem of Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne played a total of 45 NHL games last season. On paper this would send most fans into collective shock and cause season ticket renewals to totally dry up. Last year, however, Dan Ellis escaped the Dallas Stars farm system and burst on the scene dislodging Chris Mason from the number one position. In the last few weeks of the season and in the playoffs against the Stanley Cup Red Wings, Ellis was stellar. Ellis gave the Wings fits and gave David Poile the confidence to unload Chris Mason at a bargain basement price.

Pekka Rinne has been the Predators goalie of the future for several years. Has it not been for an off ice shoulder separation that slowed his performance in camp in 2007 Dan Ellis may have never been given a look last year. Ellis won the battle and Rinne continued to earn his stripes leading the AHL in wins. In preseason action, both Ellis and Rinne have picked up where they left off last season and appear to be ready to stand solid in goal this year. One nagging thought is that over the last two years the number one goalie has lost his job to the back up and then the original goalie was gone. Hopefully the Vokoun, Mason to Ellis merry-go-round will not continue.

The Predators are well stocked in goal in the farm system. AHL veteran Drew MacIntyre would be an emergency call up. College player Mark Dekanich was stellar in goal in the preseason. USA Junior goalie Jeremy Smith is also future NHL star. Finally, the Preds moved up with their second pick in the first round to take junior goalie Chet Pickard. The biggest problem David Poile has will be finding enough work for this crowd to play and further develop their games.

The best thing the Predator’s backstops have going for them is one of the premier young blue line corp in the league. This group can turn a marginal goalkeeper into an NHL performer. The Preds spent their free agent money locking up their own by signing Shea Weber and Ryan Suter to multi year contracts at relative bargain basement prices. This duo along with Dan Hamhuis, Greg Zannon, Greg DeVris, Ville Koistenen and Kevin Klein give the Predators one of the best group of defensemen in the league barring none. Klein was considered such a valuable asset last year that the Preds carried him on the 23 man roster all year to avoid losing him on waivers. He saw limited action but has really impressed in the preseason. Koistenen’s emergence as a point person on the power play made the trade of Maril Zidlicky possible over the summer.

When the Predators need help on defense from Milwaukee they have several near NHL-ready prospects to call on. Alexander Sulzer, Cody Franzon, Teemu Lasko and Robert Dietrich all are capable of filling a spot. Further down the line is nineteen year old Vancouver Giants captain Jonathon Blum who would have probably made every Predator pre lock-out team the Preds skated. He will be a top two defenseman on an NHL team in the not too distant future.

The fight for forward positions on the Nashville Predators has been the most interesting to watch in camp this year. Nine players appeared before camp to have locked in spots on the roster. That group includes veterans Captain Jason Arnott, J P Dumont, Marty Erat, David Legwand, Jordan Tootoo, Scott Nichol, Vern Fiddler, Jered Smithson and Radek Bonk. That leaves prospects and first year players competing for a presumed four or five open slots depending on whether the Preds open with 22 or 23 on the roster. 5 open slots.

Patric Hornquist, who excelled in the Sweedish Elite league and was the leading scorer for Sweden in the World Championships in May has been as good as advertised in the preseason. Rich Peverly who shuttled between Milwaukee and the Preds last year has also matured into an NHL player. It is assumed that the recent acquisition Nick Tarnasky will fill the role left behind by fan favorite Darcy Hordichuk and be the team enforcer whe he recovers from a hand injury. If not, Josh Gratton will be available.

The last position or two will go to Antti Philstrom. Joel Ward or newcomer (from the Wild in the Zidlicky trade) Hobi Baker finalist Ryan Jones. Philstrom has played well in the preseason and could fill several roles on the team being a gritty player with a smooth scoring touch. Joel Ward has done more in camp to impress the Preds brass than any other player. An AHLer from Houston last year, he has played defense the way Barry Trotz demands. Nothing will buy him NHL time in Nashville quicker than what he has done protecting the puck and the goal so far.

Ryan Jones is another star in waiting. It has always been the practice that the road to Nashville starts in Milwaukee but Jones may be an exception. The staff really likes his size and ability to play in front of the goal a la Thomas Holstrom and that is something the Preds have never had. If he doesn’t start the season with the Preds it will only be a matter of time before he is called up. Neither the injured Jed Ortmeyer nor Steve Sullivan appear even worthy of discussion at this point as neither appear close to recovery from long term injuries.

The Predators also have several others ready for call up duty at forward. Cal O’Reilly overcame an early injury to have a good camp. Mike Santorelli also improved his stock immensely before being sent down. Nick Spalling and Andreas Thuresson will probably also see call up duty before the year is over. Further down the line two of the Preds top prospects are still in college. Blake Geoffrion and this year’s first rounder Colin Wilson will be NHLers in a year or two when they decide to leave the college game.

One of the Predators weaknesses over the last few years has been on the power play. The Preds were near last all year in 2007 with the man advantage. The inability of Marik Zidlichy to work the point and the injury to Shea Weber limited the Preds options. It is thought that Ville Koistenin and a healthy Weber will improve this years PP.

The Predators finished third in the league on the penalty kill last year and have improved with an extra year of experience working together as a unit. Jerred Smithson, Scotty Nichol, Vern Fiddler, Radek Bonk and either newcomers Ward or Philstrom will see considerable time on the PK unit.

In summary, if the pieces fall into place the Nashville Predators should finish second only to the Stanley Cup champ Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division. Chicago could challenge the Predators for second and possibly be a third division team in the playoffs. The whole Western Conference will be a battle all year long with Dallas, San Jose, and Anaheim emerging from the West and some combination of two or three teams among Calgary, Edmonton, Minnesota and Vancouver from the Northwest. The remaining teams have too much competition to break into a playoff berth this season.

For ongoing coverage of the Nashville Predators check back to the Nashville Predator page at RumorMeThis for links to the PredsOnTheGlass blog.

Buddy and Jackson Oakes for RumorMeThis

RDS is reporting that there could be a transaction involving Ryan O’Byrne.

There is also the fact that Mathieu Dandenault seemingly has no place in Montreal.

With all of the young talent that impressed both Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau this pre-season, perhaps the Habs are finally in a situation to let some veterans go and make room for more youngsters.

Bob Gainey still wants an impact forward, even though Mats Sundin took too long to decide for the Habs, Gainey has stated for the past two years that he wants an impact forward.

Also consider that the Boston Bruins are actively trying to trade Marc Savard. Could be interesting.

There is the fact that Nashville is upset at Alex Radulov (with good reason) and that they could be looking to move him.

The Game at the Bell Centre against the Detroit Red Wings last night had 22 scouts in attendance. Sure the scouts could have been looking at the Wings also but…..

Although Marion Gaborik still isn’t signed for next season 2009-10, and that the Minnesota Wild are trying to sign him, Gaborik might be traded. All indications point to the Vancouver Canucks so that he could play with his buddy Pavol Demitra. But, there have been some rumours stating that Saku Koivu could be traded there to play with his brother………..

Either way the additions of Alex Tanguay, Robert Lang, and Georges Laraque are greatly beneficial for the Habs, and will bring some excitement to the fans, neither one is the impact forward that Gainey has said he wanted. Will Bob Gainey make a move thanks to the play of his young stars in the pre-season, or will the additions of the above mentioned players combined make the impact forward that Gainey wanted?

I guess we will all see.

What we’re looking for

This is a tentative list of posts and schedule we’re aiming for:

• Season Preview (Oct 1)
• All-Star Break (Midway season review and second-half preview) (Jan 25)
• Trade Deadline
  • Preview (TBD)
  • Review (TBD)
• Playoffs Preview (for every round your team plays)
  • Before 1st round (TBD)
  • Before 2nd round (TBD)
  • Before 3rd round (TBD)
  • Before the Stanley Cup (TBD)
• Playoffs Review (for every round your team plays)
  • After 1st round (TBD)
  • After 2nd round (TBD)
  • After 3rd round (TBD)
  • After the Stanley Cup (TBD)
• Season Wrap-up (TBD)
• The Entry Draft
  • Preview (TBD)
  • Review (TBD)
• Free Agency
  • Preview (TBD)
  • Review (TBD)

What we offer in return

In exchange for their efforts, RumorMeThis will offer all Guest Bloggers the following:

• blogger profile/bio, and a link back to your blog (article and archive pages)
• links to the last three posts on YOUR OWN blog (article and archive pages)
• one 180×150 and one 300×250 ad (article page)
• free registration to the RumorMeThis Hockey Links Directory

Who’s in already?

Thanks to all the following bloggers who have already committed to covering their respective teams for this season:

• Carolina Hurricanes – Jennifer Hammer (hammerrules.blogspot.com)
• Chicago Blackhawks – John Ruhnow (thenhlarena.com)
• Dallas Stars – Cat Court (untypicalgirls.wordpress.com)
• Detroit Red Wings – Stephanie Yates (npi-hockey.blogspot.com)
• Los Angeles Kings – Marie Stiles (purplecrushedvelvet.blogspot.com)
• Minnesota Wild – Jeremy Waschek (wildviewfromsection216.blogspot.com)
• Montreal Canadiens – Ken Beckett (thepowerplay.net)
• Nashville Predators – Buddy and Jackson Oakes (predsontheglass.blogspot.com)
• New Jersey Devils – Chris Wassel (hockeyprogram.blogspot.com)
• New York Islanders – Frank Mazzola (pigskinsandpucks.blogspot.com)
• New York Rangers – Dan Rakusan (sportsfiend.ca)
• Phoenix Coyotes – Tracy Tanner (truecoyotelove.blogspot.com)
• Tampa Bay Lightning – Jessica Lewis (femmesandfisticuffs.com)
• Toronto Maple Leafs – Jared Matchett (diehardblueandwhite.blogspot.com)
• Vancouver Canucks – Mike Pinzuti (yankeecanuck.com)

Want to join?

Interested in participating? Have comments or questions? Contact us.

I think players who fight still deserve a solid amount of money. They’re not out there to pick fights, they are out there to protect star players like Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin or if on the opposing team, to keep those players away from the puck. For instance, Chris Neil of the Ottawa Senators is sent out if any of their star players are being consistently roughed up or having cheap shots thrown at them. He is out there is send a message to the other time. If you want to mess with out players we are going to mess with yours. Imagine the Senators without Alfredsson, Spezza or Heatley. That kind of loss could knock a team out of the playoffs. Neil had 20 points last season which is not a lot less than many other third and fourth line skaters. There are only a handful of skaters who average more fights than they do points. You need guys out there who can hit and let them other team know they are not the only ones who can be physical.

Haisken-DeNew also goes on to say that teams that use violence do better in the standings and that it can help get you to the cup. Let’s take a look at the standings from last season. Detroit Red Wings were the least penalized team in the NHL last season. They won their conference and went on to win the cup. They play a crisp, clean game filled with passing that often confuses the opposition. They are very good at pulling other team’s players out of position.

Daniel Carcillo was the most penalized player in the 2007/2008 season. He plays for the Phoenix Coyotes who finished 12th in their conference.

Fighting could have something to do with what position a team finishes in but you can’t just generalize or predict it does like this economist did.

Anaheim was the most penalized team in the NHL the year they won the cup. Let’s think about the roster though. Chris Pronger, one of the biggest guys in the NHL, loves to throw his body around. It is no surprise he is going to get called eventually, it is inevitable.

Alexander Ovechkin and Dion Phaneuf are two of the most exciting players to watch in the NHL. Both of them love to toss out big hits and often end up injuring players, even though their hits are clean. Each of them love to rack up points as much as they do big hits. Ovechkin lead the league in points and goals last season while Phaneuf was nominated for the Norris. This shows it is possible to be aggressive and productive.

Fighting is used as a strategic advantage but so is having snipers on your blue line. It is just part of the game. If a guy wants to go out, throw his body around, and maybe a few fists he should still be paid well especially because he is putting his own body on the line for the good of his team. There are point getters and fighters in hockey, that is how it has always been and how it will always be.

There are no cheap shots in hockey and the players always agree to fight. If there is a cheap shot or one player doesn’t want to fight but the other one does anyways, fines and suspensions to get tossed around.

The big talented Swede would most likely help the Habs attain the Stanley Cup Final. Mats Sundin would give the Canadiens that big player that is talented down the middle that they have been searching for these past fifteen or so years. Sundin would give the Habs three good scoring lines to play against anyone in the league including the Detroit Red Wings. But enough is enough!

Sure Sundin has earned the right to take his time and make a decision. But how much time is too much? No matter where he plays, his decision is taking far too long. The Canadiens being one of the teams trying to land the big Swede are wasting far too much time waiting for Sundin to make his decision.

Consider this, the Habs tried to acquire Sundin at the trade deadline, but Mats refused to waive his no trade clause. Being that Sundin had a no trade clause, one could see that Sundin was well within his rights to not waive it, but never the less the Habs were still not able to acquire him.

Next try for the Habs was at draft day when they traded for the exclusive right to talk contract with him until July 1, the same result ensued. Since draft day was the second time that Sundin was not able to be obtained by the Canadiens, they should have moved on, but general manager Bob Gainey decided to go the patient route. Alright but it has been one and a half months and still no progress.

Enough! If Mats Sundin still doesn’t know where or if he will play this coming season, either he is stalling, or he does know and it isn’t the Habs but he’s waiting to see if other teams are willing to compensate him the way he wants, not neccessarily with money. Either way the Habs have to look somewhere else and get what they think they need for the up and coming season.

The Habs traded for Alex Tanguay, and signed George Laraque this off-season so they have already improved their team. The Canadiens still need that one player, that un-deniable superstar to push them over the edge. Mats Sundin could be that player, but the waiting game has turned ridiculous. Yes I would like to see a player who has played for two of the Habs enemies play for the Habs only because Sundin would give us an edge over many other teams, however, the Habs should not wait until New Years Eve to hope to acquire him.

How about going after Eric Staal who wasn’t resigned long term? How about Ilya Kovalchuk who is in his last season, and would probably love to change teams, or Marian Gaborik?

Sundin is the star the Habs have been looking for, but if I was Gainey I wouldn’t let Sundin guide me by the nose like he is currently doing. Perhaps the other players that are out there wouldn’t have as profound an impact on the Canadiens as Sundin would, but at least they would help the Habs get further in the post season, and who knows anything can happen.

I would give Sundin another week, after that, too bad so sad, let other teams be used by Sundin to see what his value is.

Too bad, Habs fans would love too see Sundin play for Montreal in his last season. Unfortunately for him, the fans are getting a little annoyed at how much time he is taking to make his decision, and may not even care if he plays for the Habs at all. Way to go Mats!

However, Sundin says that a decision could come later this month.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Sundin said. “I think sometime in August I hope to come to a conclusion on what I’m going to do … if I’m going to play or not this year.”

Word came from Sundin’s agent, J.P Barry, back in late July that Mats would announce his plans by August 1st. Sundin says that was never the case.

“I never had a deadline,” Sundin said. “I know there was talk about the first of August, but …. I said sometime in August hopefully I’ll be able to make a decision. I won’t make that until I really feel comfortable with making a good decision.”

Reports are that there are as many as six teams interested in signing Sundin, but the former Maple Leafs captain says his priority is deciding whether he wants to continue his hockey career and not which team to suit up for next season.

“I haven’t even worried about any teams,” Sundin told Sportsnet. ” I’m just trying to bring my mind to a point where I can make a good decision whether or not I’m going to play hockey right now. That’s my first decision and we’ll go from there after that.”

Still, a return to Toronto has not been ruled out by the Swedish forward.

The 24-year old played in 78 games with Detroit last season, scoring 19 goals and adding 17 assists.

The third round pick in the 2002 Entry Draft has 29 goals in 25 assists in 155 career games in the NHL.

This is a rivalry of the original six and it will be a heated battle as well as a memorable one. The Chicago Blackhawks have revamped their team will some much needed offense, defense, and net minding while Detroit recently acquired Marian Hossa. This will be a good showdown.

Drake was a sixth round pick in the famous 1989 Entry Draft. He scored 177 goals and 477 points in 1009 regular season games and 14 goals and 33 points in 90 playoff games.

I always liked his playing style caused he didn’t play with his hands or feet, he played with his Heart.

To be honest with you I never ever thought Hossa would have signed with Detroit.

In 72 regular season games with Atlanta and Pittsburgh Hossa scored 66 points, in 20 playoff games with Pittsburgh he scored 12 goals and 14 helpers for 26 points.

Stuart played in 9 regular season games, after being dealt at the deadline by the Los Angeles Kings, with Detroit recording 2 points and a plus 6. In playoffs Stuart played 21 games recording 7 points and a plus15

Lilja played 79 regular season games all with Detroit recording 12 points and a minus 2. in Playoffs Lilja recorded 1 assist and a plus 3 in 12 games.

Conklin’s signing was a big surprise (at least for me) that July 1st had. Conklin started in 33 regular season games with 18 wins and a .923 save percentage. He didn’t start any playoff games.

To be honest I thought the Detroit Red Wings would stick to a Chris Osgood/Jimmy Howard goaltending tandem.

I have no doubt in my mind it’s a challenge few are up to, after all its way more difficult than winning the Superbowl, sorry NFL fans, and I’m certain one of the keys to do it is to continue with that DESIRE TO WIN NO MATTER WHAT.

So what should my favorite team do in order to repeat the championship?

First of all try not to lose the core players for the next season, something Kenny Holland already has done (in my mind that’s one of the reasons why the Ducks couldn’t repeat the championship), by core players I’m referring to Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom and Brian Rafalski

Try to create some space for free agents via trade or just letting some players go (hopefully Brad Stuart will stay), like Dallas Drake and Andreas Lilja, although I love those two, they aren’t getting any younger, and over the long haul it would be the best for guys like Justin Abdelkander and Kyle Quincey to get more ice time.

But above all a team must not lose the will to win, the team must continue to drive forward as they did before, because playoffs test which team has the biggest will to win.

One could make a strong argument that this player is one of the best at his position ever in the NHL. WIth his five James Norris Memorial trophies, one Conn Smythe, having appeared in nine All-Star games, having been voted to the NHL All Rookie team and the Olympic tournament All-Star team and just recently winning his fourth Stanley cup Nicklas Lidstrom  also made history.

Lidstrom is the captain of the Wings. Having been named captain after Steve Yzerman retired at the beggining of the 2006-07 season, Lidstrom has never looked back. Being that Lidstrom is the captain of the Wings, this means that he will go in the history books as the first European to be the captain of a Stanley Cup winning team.

Before this season, no European was ever captain of a Stanley Cup winning team. No small feat. Yes one could argue that Europeans haven’t been in the NHL since the beginning of the league, but even so, one could look at some teams that boast having a European as their captain and see if they have ever won the cup with them.

The Mats Sundin Toronto Maple Leafs. Sundin is an excellent player and captain on his team, but for whatever reason, the Leafs haven’t won the cup with him at the helm, albeit not the fault of Sundin.

The Saku Koivu Montreal Canadiens. Same could be said for them.

The Markus Naslund Vancouver Canucks. Same.

The Jaromir Jagr New York Rangers. Same.

To name a few, the European captain teams mentioned above have not won the prestigious cup with those captains. Those teams all have had a chance but have not been able to capture the biggest prize in the NHL.

Not that those captains aren’t good players, they are, but for whatever the reason be it lack of talent on the team, no goalie or whatever, they haven’t won it. This is just an overview but the stats remain.

Nicklas Lidstrom has taken a great team and lead them to the promise land. Something that European born players should be proud of. Lidstrom has now opened the door for others to follow. And this should quiet the “No European has ever been the captain of a cup winning team” talk.

Lidstrom will forever be in the history books as the first European born player to have won the Stanley Cup as a captain.

There is no more of a deserving European captain to be the first. With Lidstrom’s impressive resume, he will undoubtedly be in the Hall of Fame. He might even capture one more cup in the process. And he can now add something else to the list of accolades he possesses, European captain winning the cup.

Congratulations to Nicklas. All his hard work and determination as well as his dominating the offensive defense-man position has paid off before, when he won three Stanley Cups, but this one the fourth, will be the crowning achievement of his career.

First off, RDS is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens are under negotiation with Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn who is slated to become a restricted free agent come July 1, is said to be general manager Bob Gainey’s top priority.

Bob Gainey said this about the RFA,

“We think in Andrei’s case considering the season he just had, that he is the most important RFA that we have to resign.”

When asked about Mark Streit Gainey had this to say,

“Mark brought the team a particular contribution this year. He had many points on the power-play. The question is if we will have enough room in our team salary structure.”

With the Streit statement, one could surmise that the Habs want to keep him but not at any price. Could there be something else going on for the Habs to possibly use their money?
RDS is also reporting that Habs affiliate team the Cincinnati Cyclones have won the Kelly trophy in the ECHL. A team which Bob Gainey has helped to build.

Now for the good stuff.

The Hockey News is reporting that soon to be unrestricted free agent Mats Sundin might not resign with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And that the Detroit Red Wings could be gunning for him. But Sundin is also rumoured to be asking for 2 years at $8 million per year. Montreal and Ottawa are also rumoured to be getting ready to make a pitch to Sundin.

Next we have un-confirmed reports that Saku Koivu could be trying to convince Teemu Selanne to play with the Habs, this being Koivu’s last contract year. Koivu would like his best friend to play at least one year with him before Selanne retires for good.

Another un-confirmed report states that the Canadiens could be interested in soon to be RFA Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators. Although I do believe that Redden still has juice in the tank, is he the answer the Habs need at the blue-line? Redden is a puck mover, and is not physical, considering that when the Sens went to the final last season that the Anaheim Ducks pounded him like there was no tomorrow, I’m not sure that he is the answer. He is still good, depending on the price, and depending on who the Habs will have surrounding him to be the physical presence.

Next there is the fact that Pavol Demitra could be interested in the Vancouver Canucks and the Canadiens. Although this winger might still have a good season or two left in him under optimum conditions, he is not the answer for the Habs. He is good but why take a roster spot away from a youngster, I would rather see Selanne.

Lastly, something I mentioned in another article is that Olaf Kolzig could be in Montreal next season. With the New York Rangers so far being the only other team manifesting interest in him, the Habs could luck out. Kolzig is also part owner of the Tri-City Americans, a team which new number one Habs goalie Carey Price has played for.

Also there is mounting evidence that the Tampa Bay Lightning may be a little worried about Vincent Lecalvalier’s shoulder, and might be willing to trade him. Montreal is rumoured among other names to have thrown in Chris Higgins as part of a possible trade. Wouldn’t that be nice.

It’s almost as if Doug Wilson, the Sharks’ GM, is going to have to pick between a season guy and a playoff guy. Thornton does an outstanding job for the Sharks during the season and Marleau does an Ok job compared to what he use to do before. But who would be the perfect one to include in a trade intended to make the Sharks a better team for the future?

Well apparently, among teams interested in acquiring Marleau’s services are The Montreal Canadiens, The Columbus Blue Jackets, The New-York Islanders and the Ottawa Senators. Any team in the Western Conference interested in his services should forget about it right away because Doug Wilson is never going to move Marleau in the same conference as his. Marleau could bring something good to the Sharks, but I wouldn’t trade him.

If I was Doug Wilson and was about to make a trade, I would think of trading Joe Thornton before Marleau. To do so, I’d have to convince Joe to let go of his NTC, but once that’s done with, I believe trading Thornton would bring better players in a bigger trade to San Jose and maybe it would bring Marleau back to his level of play back when Joe wasn’t in SJ. But where would Thornton accept to be traded? Obviously one wouldn’t mind to go where he really wants to go, and in that case, Joe has said it already that the teams he wanted to play for while growing up happen to be The Detroit Red Wings and The Toronto Maple Leafs. I’m sure Joe wouldn’t mind going there, and obviously, any of these two teams wouldn’t mind adding him to their line-up!

Babcock has been the Wings’ coach for three years now and he has managed to keep the team on top of the NHL by leading it over 100 points and 50 wins every year. Babcock said in a press conference on Sunday that he wasn’t going anywhere away from Detroit. The contract is expected to be done with right after the Stanley Cup final is over. Ken Holland, Detroit’s GM, claims that the contract is close to being finalized and only little details are left to discuss and he expects the whole thing to be done after only one meeting.

It’s no surprise to anyone that Babcock wants to stay in Detroit, and it’s even less surprising that the team definitely wants to have him back for many more seasons to come. If Babcock was to become available for other teams looking for someone behind their bench, I’m sure teams like Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa would’ve done anything to try to sign a guy like him.

Mike Babcock led his team to the President Trophy this season and is now one game away of bringing the Stanley Cup back to motor city. Will he succeed? One thing’s for sure, if he does, his contract might get even juicier…