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.

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

I can’t see the NHL doing something like this, at least not anytime soon. Talks of expansion are big around the league right now, not just in this context. There are talks of teams heading to Europe and teams moving, but nothing about two teams in Toronto has really been publicized until recently. The anonymous governor was not just suggesting that a team would be moved to Toronto but would be created in Toronto. Jim Balsillie had put a bid on the Pittsburgh Penguins two years ago. There were talks that he was going to try to move them to Hamilton. Something like this will be done before a new team is created in an existing hockey market, even one as big as Toronto.

There is a hockey market that already has two teams-New York. The New York Rangers and The New York Islanders are almost opposite teams though. The Rangers have been making the playoffs consistently since they came into the NHL as one of the original six. The Islanders joined the league almost fifty years later and are still looked at as the lesser of the two teams. Over the last ten years their record hasn’t been consistent and they are still trying to figure out their identity. There are already enough basement franchises, including the team already in Toronto, the Maple Leafs, that I just can’t see them adding another team to this city.

Calgary Flames co-owner Harley Hotchkiss told the Globe and Mail, “Our priority is having the current franchises solid (TSN.ca).” I think fans would like to see more equality among the skill of the teams as well, which they will see with so many young, uprising players in the league right now.

This could be good news for Leafs fans though if this were to happen because maybe they would have a team they are proud to cheer for. A question was recently asked to Health Canada.

Q. The Stanley Cup was recently in my town, and I kissed it. Do I have to worry about being infected by listeria?

A. You are safe. The Stanley Cup has not been in contact with any Maple Leaf products in over 40 years.

Anyway, what I watched was a fiercely disputed game that showcased Toronto’s Vesa Toskala and New York’s Steve Valiquette.

There were plenty of chances at either end of the rink, including several posts by each team. The score could have been much more inflated had the two netminders not been razor-sharp.

Anyway, here’s some things I noticed, from both teams:

• Scott Gomez is ridiculously fast! Unless the Leafs are particularly slow, which they didn’t appear to be save for a few individuals, Gomez is simply lightning quick. I’m surprised he doesn’t score more goals, since he seems to be able to win individual footraces against the likes of Tomas Kaberle… Gomez should definitely be taught to shoot rather than pass…
• Vesa Toskala might blow the Leafs’ chances at landing Tavares or Hedman. Really! He’ll end up winning some of those tight games, and with a bit of improvement on his shootout play, the Leafs will wind up in about 6th from the bottom. Maybe they will go after Brayden Schenn???
• Toronto has no star power up front. This team was full of a bunch of over-hyped youngsters like Nikolai Kulemin and Michail Grabovski, and then you had the third and fourth line type players who filled out the roster. It’s very bad when your marquee forwards are Nik Antropov and uhm…
• Steve Valiquette is capable of starting more games than the Rangers give him. His sheer size is intimidating to shooters, and he covers a lot of the net. I think this is key, to keep Henrik Lundqvist fresh and healthy. It’s nice to see that Valiquette can win a tight game. The Leafs were very intent on winning last night, but Valiquette kept his composure, and was rarely forced to make any “lucky” saves.
• Toronto has a surprisingly good pickup in Johan Frogren. He didn’t figure much on the stats sheet, but he played a very solid defensive game, especially against some of the Rangers’ quicker guys, like Nikolai Zherdev. Frogren seemed to find good lines of attack in his coverage. I’m not sure he can be considered as good of a pickup as that Fabian Brunnstrom guy in Dallas, but it’s a nice move for a rebuilding team…

Anyway, as you can no doubt tell, I’m trying to view things as objectively as possible. The Rangers are having a great season, but last night was a far closer game than I expected. Clearly we still have plenty of room for improvement, mainly in terms of finishing scoring chances. Tonight’s game against Detroit should show if Lundqvist’s presence in goal gives the team more confidence in initiating rushes. I’m predicting the Rangers win 4-2.

Key Players: Lundqvist, Naslund, Rozsival

Reports suggest that he died of cardiac failure. At the arena, there are questions as to the condition of the defibrullator equipment that could possibly have re-started his heart, but so far, there is nothing concrete. Adding to the tragedy, it appears as though an ambulance, which is always present at hockey games, had already left the arena, and had to be re-called. It took a reported 17-20 minutes to get Alexei to the hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

Cherepanov was a highly skilled player, who surpassed the rookie goal scoring record of 17, set by Pavel Bure. He was, by all accounts, playing amazing hockey this season, his last year under contract to Avangard Omsk. It was expected he would attempt to make the Rangers squad next season.

From his agent Jay Grossman, it seems as though Cherepanov and Jaromir Jagr had just finished a shift where they had a two-on-one attempt thwarted. Jagr had apparently been speaking to Cherepanov about how they should have scored on their opportunity, when Cherepanov collapsed. TV footage then shows absolute chaos on the Avangard Omsk bench, as players, coaches and medical staff attempted to revive Alexei. Tragically, they were unsuccessful.

My favourite memories of Alexei were from the World Junior Championships in Leksands, where he tallied 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 games en route to a silver medal. He simply oozed raw talent and skill, and looked to enjoy the game as much as Alexander Ovechkin does. I was thrilled when the Rangers saw him fall from a consensus top-5 draft pick to land in New York at 17th overall.

Perhaps most fitting is that Alexei had scored the first goal of the game on Monday. He went out doing what he loved.

REST IN PEACE AC! You will be missed!

The Defense has been fairly strong the last few years as Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook have been the anchors that the blueline strength has leaned on. With Brent Sopel coming in last season to lend a much needed veteran presence, the Defensive core got that much stronger on the depth chart. This season the highest rated free agent defenseman, Brian Campbell, signed a big contract to come be a Blackhawk. Whether Brian is the last piece of the puzzle or not is yet to be seen, but at $7.1 million per year expectations will be high. The depth at the #5/#6 spot was filled out last year nicely by James “Wiz” Wisniewski. But Wiz is out until probably December healing up from his 3rd knee surgery. While Cam Barker played defense for 45 games last season, he has been sent down to the AHL partner in Rockford. Rumors suggest Cam will return to the NHL as early as this weekend. The other surprise on the blueline is defensive specialist Niklas Hjalmarsson. With only 13 NHL games under his belt last season, Niklas will surprise in my opinion. I expect good things on the Blueline this year over all.

On the Free Agent Frenzy day (July 1st) Dale Tallon (Blackhawks GM)surprised and shocked the NHL by signing Christobel Huet while already having Nikolai Khabibulin under contract. With $13 mil worth of starting goaltending, it is most likely that one will be dealt. Rumors have abounded that Khabibulin will be traded, but no substantial action has taken place yet. Having two starting goaltenders has pushed back the promotion of either Corey Crawford or Antii Niemi for now. Look for Khabibulin to be dealt and both Crawford and Niemi to make appearances in the NHL. If it’s Crawford, expect big things from the talented netminder who shut out the Ducks for his first NHL career win. But keep a close eye on camp stand out Niemi, as he has shown alot of promise.

Robert Lang being dealt left the veteran presence on the Forward lines thinner. Craig Adams is the oldest Forward on the team at a measely 30 years old. But don’t let the youthfulness on the club fool you. Kane and Toews have already been mentioned at only 20 years old a piece. They might not be legal to buy beers, but they can still play. No doubt about that. Dustin Byfuglien switched up to Forward from Defenseman last season and has slowly developed into a more competent and able power forward. Martin Havlat claims he’s ready to play 82+ games this season, but I wouldn’t take that to Vegas. Though possibly the most talented forward on the team, his career has been plagued by a string of injuries. IF Havlat was to remain healthy he would no doubt lead the team in scoring and be a giant boost to the entire offense.

It will be a DO or DIE year for 2005 1st round pick Jack Skille. Many expect big things from him, but at this point in his career and contract, it’s breakout or move on for him. Dave Bolland will make his first full season debut having made the NHL roster for this year. Kris Versteeg will also make his first full season debut this year with Colin Fraser. With question marks having over these players’ heads it will make for an interesting season. Whether they will be up to the challenge is up to them.

Andrew Ladd was the surprise mid season addition last year when the Blackhawks unexpectedly traded energy player Tuomo Ruutu. After coming to Chicago his game caught fire and he clicked with the game style played in Chicago. Whether that was a fluke will be seen this season. I suspect him to come out ready to go and surprise.

Patrick Sharp was snubbed in All Star voting last year for I imagine the last time in his career. Every season has seen Patrick’s play improve by leaps and bounds. With a penchant for stickhandling into and through traffic and a dangerous shot, Sharp earned himself an “A” on his sweater. This year he should get the respect and esteem he deserves after flying under the radar last season.

I could not possibly skip over either Adam Burrish or Ben Eager. Eager will begin the season with a 3 game suspension. If he doesn’t step it up, he’ll be playing Rockford before the season is over. While Adam Burrish also spends his share of time in the box, his super pest game and razor tongue get results without suspensions. I have a sneaking hunch that Adam will find the back of the net more than 4 times this year. Despite being a defensive specialist and a pest, he possesses a high level of skill for the game. My advice is to never take your eye of the guy when he’s on the ice.

I expect the Blackhawks to come out hard and heavy from the word “Go!” this season. Having only missed the Playoffs by a measely 3 points last season, they’ll be playing for blood this season. Finally having put the “C” on a player and giving a nod to leadership will be strong. Whether 20 year old Jonathan Toews is up for the challenge of being a Captain in the NHL is yet to be seen, but the players seem to be behind him all the way. Whether that unification will pay off is not known. At any rate I can assure you that Blackhawks hockey will be an exciting entertainment outlet for all Hockey afficiandos. Tune in Friday October 10th to see the Blackhawks kick their season off against fellow Original 6 franchise the New York Rangers.

Last season the Minnesota Wild won their first ever Northwest Division title but were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. The big question for the Minnesota Wild this season is the whether or not they picked up enough goal scorers to make up for the players they lost in free agency. Here’s a quick rundown off who came and went, along with their scoring numbers from last year.

Gone

F Brian Rolston
Dynamic slap-shot guy goes to the New Jersey Devils
31 G 28 A

F Pavol Demitra
Talented but underachieving buddy of Marian Gaborik, goes to the Vancouver Canucks
15 G 39 A

F Mark Parrish
Minnesota native and Jacques Lemaire whipping boy, bought out by the Wild, still unsigned
16 G 14 A

F Aaron Voros
Gritty grinder goes to the New York Rangers
7 G 7 A

F Todd Fedoruk
Hard-skating occasional line-mate of Gaborik and Demitra, goes to Phoenix Coyotes
6 G 7 A

F Branko Radivojevic
Gaborik and Demitra countryman goes to Russia to play hockey
7 G 10 A

F Wes Walz
Gritty epitome of coach Jacques Lemaire-style hockey went MIA after 11 games and retired midseason. He is now an assistant coach for Barry Melrose in Tampa Bay
1 G 3 A, but his intangebles held the Wild together

Added

F Andrew Brunette
He of the biggest goal in Wild history back in 2003, returns to the Wild from the Colorado Avalanche
19 G 40 A

D Marek Zidlicky
Offensive defenseman, signs with the Wild from the Nashville Predators
5 G 38 A

D Marc-Andre Bergeron
Powerplay specialist, traded to the Wild from the Anaheim Ducks
9 G 9 A

F Antti Miettinen
Player looking to capitalize on his potential, signs with the Wild from the Dallas Stars
15 G 19 A

F Owen Nolan
Aging ex-superstar, signs with the Wild from the Calgary Flames
16 G 16 A

F Craig Weller
Guy I’d never heard of, signs with the Wild from Phoenix
3 G 8 A

The departing players add up to 83 goals and 108 assists in lost offensive fire power, while the additions give the Wild 67 goals and 130 assists. A definite drop in goals and most likely a wash in assists given the lack of goal scorers for the Wild. The question is, where will the offense come from? Rolston and Demitra were huge factors in the Wild offense. Demitra actually underachieved last season and towards the end was a non-factor. He and Gaborik never were able to recreate the magic they had in the ’06-’07 season. Rolston will be missed to an extent. He obviously scored a lot of goals and teams had to play for his big slap shot. However, he is relatively one-dimensional with said slap shot.

In the long run, the Wild will need the new players to contribute at least what they contributed to their respective teams last season. They will need to see improvement in goal scoring from returning players such as Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Benoit Pouliot, and James Sheppard. They need Mikko Koivu to continue to blossom into a superstar. They need some rookies, like Colton Gillies, to contribute a smattering of goals. And they need Marian Gaborik to stay healthy, interested, and actually on the team.

What Up with Gabby?
Speaking of Marian Gaborik, that’s the other huge key to this season, and potentially the next few seasons in Minny. Gaborik is on the cusp of being a superstar in the NHL. Gaborik is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. That translates into contract negotiations, or speculation. Rumors are that Wild GM Doug Reisbrough has offered Marian $8.5 M a year, but there are no indications that he is ready to sign. Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin make $9 M a year. Is Gabby worth Sid the Kid and Ovechkin money? Does Gabby even want to play in Minnesota in the defensive system that supposedly limits his offensive potential?

Depending on how the Gaborik situation works out, the Wild may have their first fan grumblings on their hands. The fan base has sold out every game in franchise history dating back to the ’00-’01 season and they eat up whatever the franchise serves. But if there’s no Gabby, and if the team is not competitive, fans will start to find better things to do with what little discretionary income they may have.

Goaltending
Niklas Backstrom is the Wild’s #1 goalie. Josh Harding is the young up and coming understudy. Backstrom has put up some very impressive numbers. 33 wins and a 2.31 goals against last season. Harding shows a lot of potential but he needs playing time. Backstrom and Harding are both in contract years, so both goalies should be at the top of their games. This will be good for the team given the most-likely drop in offense.

Prediction
Last season’s early playoff loss put a damper on a great regular season. This season, I believe the Wild will tighten up their defense this season, returning to more of the type of hockey that got them a surprise run to the Western Conference Finals in 2003. Play very sound defensive hockey and capitalize when the opposition makes a mistake. Following that trend, I expect the Wild to finish 2nd or 3rd in the NW Division, make the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed. And since there’s always at least one surprise team to go deep to the Conference Finals or even the Stanley Cup Finals, why not the Wild?

It’s still weird adjusting to life with no Jagr, but then again, it’s been easy adjusting to the Zherdev era, at least as a fan, as he is clearly not rolling at full tilt yet.

However, despite what someone’s dog apparently told them at some point, Henrik Lundqvist seems fine, and didn’t really look like a player who was ever sore, much less injured.

I still believe it would be more productive to sign Shanahan than Sundin, although it seems neither of them get much mention in the NYR press these days, other than to report that nothing has changed. Realistically, I think the top forward lines are set with Gomez, Drury, Zherdev, and Naslund serving as the core of the offence. Brandon Dubinsky will hope to continue progressing his career, as will Dan Fritsche and Aaron Voros. I think Nigel Dawes will be a fun player to watch this season, as he is turning into a Mike Fisher style player who is all out all the time, and has just enough raw talent to net himself a few 25 goals seasons if he earns a spot in the top lines. A wild card is Ryan Callahan, who like Dawes is a player who thrives on his relentless effort. He’s great on the forecheck, and generates a lot of scoring chances from down low that might be converted on a more potent offensive line.

Defensively, Wade Redden has a lot to live up to in my books – and I live in Ottawa… If Ottawa didn’t think he was worth more than $3.5M per season, then what the hell was Sather thinking by offering $6.5M? Sure, the Rangers needed a puck-moving defenceman… I totally disagreed with that back during the offseason, and I still do. With Michal Rozsival and Marc Staal, you have the foundations of a very good set of powerplay lines, provided you split those guys up. Then you sign Brendan Shanahan, and play him with one of those units, and hope that someone like Dmitri Kalinin can step up to play on the point. Let’s face it, our scoring will mainly come from up front!

Finally, “King” Henrik “Henke” Lundqvist. The dude looked sharp in Europe, save for the goal in the second game, which trickled through the back of his pads after a very nicely designed faceoff play by the Lightning, that was capped off by Adam Hall. He doesn’t appear to have had more than a single cortizone shot over the offseason for his ailing knee, and that is a good sign. I’m hoping the Rangers play him a little less, maybe about 65 games maximum, and give Valiquette some starts against the weaker teams they face over the course of the season. He needs to be sharp for what appears to be a playoff berth that is the Rangers’ to lose…

My prediction? Rangers finish first in the division, third in the conference.

Bob Gainey. Along with Glen Sather (New York Rangers Gm), and Cliff Fletcher (Toronto Maple Leafs Gm). But more to the point, Gainey.

The Minnesota Wild have all but given up trying to sign their star forward Marion Gaborik. Previously the Wild have stated that they were not and will not try to deal Gaborik stating that they want to keep their star forward long term. There are some reports that Risebrough has been asked the same questions and has now replied “no comment”.

The link I tried to provide to the Star tribune who interviewed Risebrough did not work. But you can find the article at the Star Tribune.com in the sports section. Here are some quotes from that interview.

When asked what the progress was in the contract negotiations are between the Wild and Gaborik, Risebrough had this to say,

“Not making any headway. I was trying to do something before the season. It’s not happening… It’s not going to happen by the start of the season”.

When asked if the Wild would put him on the trade block, Risebrough answered this,

“That I’ll have to determine”.

When asked if he had been in or is currently in talks about Gaborik, Risebrough said this,

“I’m not going to comment anymore”.

The good thing about this for the Montreal Canadiens is that Gainey and Risebrough are good friends. Being that the sour taste in Risebrough’s mouth is still fresh, and that the Wild are playing the Habs tonight, could there be a chance that Bob Gainey could work something to get the star forward?

Even though Gaborik is often injured he still has scored 30 goals in almost all his nhl seasons, to go along with his over 40 goal season. Depending on what the trade would involve, it might be a good thing for the Habs.

Needless to say the memories of losing to the New York Rangers in 5 games last year do not fade away. That will definitely take some time. As the Devils lost 5-3 to the Rangers in Game 5, I remember saying to myself… “My god… we score and we can’t defend. We defend and we can’t score. Damn that has to change.”

So chug a beer after last year if you’re a Jersey fan… it may not make you feel any better though. The New Jersey Devils did get smart during the offseason. It did help naturally that the Devils were finally out of the Scott Niedermayer mess. Niedermayer signing with the Ducks messed up the Devils’ Salary Cap for 2+ seasons. Over the summer, the Devils were able to sign Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik and sent Vitali Vishnevski back to Russia. They also resigned several restricted and unrestricted free agents. A notable one was Bryce Salvador for 4 years, 11.6 million (until Jeff Finger signed with Toronto). With an improving, young defensive corp, the Devils could surprise many.

Why do I say that? Think about it! This year has been the annual Devils Bashing from media. I guess I have the right to name names at this point. The Hockey News as usual underestimates the Devils around 7th in the East but they are not the worst. ESPN actually has the Devils out of the playoffs. and they may be further from reality than ever. Case in point… ESPN has the Penguins winning the East. I won’t even say what CBS Sportsline thought.

Now hindsight is 20/20 folks. This is an annual occurrence and no one should be surprised. The reality is someday the New Jersey Devils are going to miss the playoffs but it won’t be this year. Here is why…..

I will say that Eklund is almost never right when it comes to these things. He had said that the Devils had the fifth worst offseason. Imagine what would have happened if the Devils had not signed Brian Rolston. Speaking of brainwashing… have you seen this one from Scott Burnside?

They haven’t missed the playoffs in years, but even if it takes 40 years they will eventually. I will predict it too. But how? I know! I will just predict them missing them every single year. I made look stupid at first but when they finally do miss them I will be looked at as the hockey guru of ESPN.

Sorry that will not happen either. I get the point….most network media does not like the New Jersey Devils. Okay well they do have some valid points. Martin Brodeur plays way too much. Hockeydb.com has all the evidence that you will ever need for this argument. All the practice rest in the world does not mitigate the debate at all. Playing games is playing games folks. You have to rest the big horse because face it, no rest equals early playoff exits and that is bad.

The offense was horrible… yet another valid point. However, it is not all bad for New Jersey. They seem to shoot an awful lot though but yet only had 206 goals (only the Isles at 194 was worse in the East). It is hard to make the playoffs with a stumbling offense. Patrik Elias only had 20 goals and 55 points last year and Zach Parise led the team with 65 points… not exactly numbers that scare opposing teams. These are players that probably should average a point or game… maybe even more.

The defense was not that good. Obviously many have said and rightfully so that Martin Brodeur is the Devils’ best defenseman. He does make the defense look a heck of a lot better than it actually was… especially last year. But with youngsters like Matt Corrente and a full season of Bryce Salvador…this team may not be so bad off after all. An improved defensive core is expected as they could not be worse than last year.

Special teams will improve… it has to. The Power Play was abysmal…. ranking 25th at 15.6%. Brian Rolston will be a key cog here and Bobby Holik may help on the second unit clogging the front of the net. Rolston, a natural QB, on the man advantage may even put the team in the top half of the Power Play rankings when all is said and done. The Penalty Kill was 82.8% which ranked a disappointing 13th. Now 13th does not sound that bad but this is the New Jersey Devils. For years, they were ranked in the top 5 or 10 on the man disadvantage. That may return this year with the return of Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston. Again as good as they are on offense..they are even better on the defensive end. With a little mix of youth thrown in, the Devils will improve on this statistic as well.

Prognosis: The Devils are an old, aging team to a point…they ranked 2nd in the league in current age…only Anaheim is older at 30.6. If Brent Sutter can find a way to keep the window open just a bit longer and playing Martin Brodeur maybe 70-72 games maximum… then the Devils will be better off in the long run. The team will improve overall but so has the rest of the Eastern Conference. However, with injuries and defections from teams… the New Jersey Devils will benefit. The Devils will finish 2nd behind the Philadelphia Flyers and again end up 4th in the Eastern Conference. Question will be what playoff lesson did they learn but that is for another time.

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.

Avery was signed to four-year contract on July 2nd, and brings with him a fierce attitude that will fit in nicely with the Stars already aggressive bunch. Avery comes from the New York Rangers where he finished last season with 15 goals and 18 assists in just 57 regular season games. He did have quite the playoffs, as he had 4 goals and 3 assists in eight games.

Dallas fans have to like the idea of Sean Avery teaming up with Brenden Morrow and Steve Ott. This will make for a nice balance of rough lines that teams will certainly have to be aware of when they take on the Stars.

Avery is not just a physical player, but also one who can attack the net and make those around him better because of the presence he brings. The Stars reported that he is exactly the type of player that will complement their style of play.

The Stars have been locking up players they feel will not only make an impact this year but for the next few seasons, and that is what they believe Avery will deliver. This kind of firepower has to have the Stars as a favorite to make tons of noise in the 2008-2009 season, and it will be exciting to watch this team perform especially with the addition of Sean Avery.

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.

Having swept the Ottawa Senators in four games then taking care of the New York Rangers in five games, it was only fitting that the Pens took care of the Flyers in five games as well. So far in the 2008 play-offs the Pens record is 12-2. Pretty good if you consider the fact that the Pens were not a great defensive team in the regular season.

Pittsburgh’s defence in the post season is, well, great. Pittsburgh with players like Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, Sidney Crosby, Ryan Malone, Jordan Stall, Petr Sykora, and Sergei Gonchar have the offence to compete with any team in the NHL. The elite scoring players of the Pens are not only scoring goals, coach Michel Therrien also has them playing defense.

Pittsburgh goalie Marc Andre Fleury who was sent down to the minors this season for some conditioning has played outstanding this post season. Ty Conklin who took over for Fleury when he was sent to the minors has yet to see a post season game for the Pens. For the past couple of seasons Fleury had not been consistent in his play. Fleury has chosen the right time to play well it would seem.

This new Pens team seems like the old team in 1991-92 when they had such players as Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Alex Kovalev, Mark Recchi, and  Alexei Morosov. WIll this current team have what it take to bring home Lord Stanley’s Cup?

Pittsburgh now awaits the winner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Dallas Stars. The WIngs lead the series 3-2. The Stars will try to tie the series at three games a piece tonight.

Whichever team joins the Pens in the final will meet a rested team ready to prove to the NHL that youth is a good thing.

The NHL is most probably excited that one of the teams that they wanted in the final has already made it. The NHL will never admit that it favors one team or the other, but it must be happy that their t.v. revenues will be high as the Pens are a high t.v. rated team with all their stars. Stars or Wings, doesn’t really matter to the NHL as all three of the remaining teams have marketable players.

Pittsburgh has been waiting for a long time to reach the finals again, question is will they profit from the situation? 

Since the lock-out season in 2004-05, the cap has steadily continued to increase. From three years ago until now the NHL has increased it’s cap, with three years left in the CBA, it isn’t ludacris to suggest that by the end of the current CBA the NHL will have a salary cap of over 70 million at the current rate of inflation.

It’s a good thing that the cap continues to climb, sure the fans are paying more for their tickets, but it also means that even if ticket prices have soared the fans are willing to pay, which in turn means more revenue for the NHL, and teams.

Unfortunately for the NHL when the current CBA ends, if the cap is 70 million or over, teams like the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, and maybe a few others will be able to maintain a competitive team, however there might be another debate as to small market teams like the Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames–to name only two– and if they will be able to survive with the cap and floor being so high.

This could result in the public and players as well as the owners losing one year of hockey and revenues as well as salaries for nothing, Eventually you might have teams being able to support two three or four players making over 8 million a season. That doesn’t mean that a certain team will be the best. Look at the Tampa Bay Lightning, until the trade deadline Tampa had Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, and Martin St-Louis, and they did poorly even though those players had a good year.

I presume that for now all the fans can do is go with the flow, and challenge their respective teams to use the accending cap to acquire better players or keep the good players that they already have. However if the world of hockey is subject to another lock-out in three years I don’t think that the fans will be so quick to come back to the sport.

For now let’s all enjoy the fact that there is hockey, and make our teams use the money that is available to them and acquire some more players, let’s enjoy it while we can.

Avery played the whole game, obviously not knowing what was wrong with him. Apparently he suffered his injury while blocking a shot. He must have been going through alot of pain, but dealt with it and played anyway, proving that the annoying bastard that he is, is able to deal with pain and play.

Since Avery came into the league, he has been a pest to put it mildly. Fortunately for him, he can also play hockey, and he has good hands as well, adding more value to the way he plays. Unfortunately for him, it’s a 50-50 split on his team as to who likes him, and the only reason he is a media darling, is the fact that he gives the media plenty to write about seemingly on a weekly basis.

That being said, if I was a general manager of a team other than the Montreal Canadiens, I would take him on my team, but not at the salary that rumours have put between 3 and 4 million that his agent will be looking for for the 2008/09 season. He does pose a risk, but has talent, and can disrupt the other team, ask Martin Brodeur about that one. He’s a talented pest, although he goes over board sometimes, he is still a good player.

At least Sean Avery didn’t go out because of a vicious hit from behind, which he has also done a little of, but few can boast that they have not done the same. Avery also was not the victim of a high-stick to the eye, as Saku Koivu was a couple of years ago, he got injured blocking a shot, and dealt with the pain for the whole game, way to be a real man.

Although as I stated, I would put Avery on my team if it were anywhere else than Montreal, he isn’t one of my favorite players, as talented as he is, he is a risk. However, I am glad to see that it doesn’t seem to be a life threatening injury, and that he should make a full recovery, and continue to be hated around the NHL. He went out the right way, not the cheap way.

In the Western Conference you will see the Dallas Stars against the San Jose Sharks, and the Detroit Red-Wings against the Colorado Avalanche.

Stars, Sharks: Evegeni Nabokov against Marty Turco. Nabokov is the better goalie this year by far, but Turco has played really well, and didn’t play as many games during the regular season as Nabokov, one would have to think that Nabokov will get tired eventually. Nabokov has the edge as long as he doesn’t get tired. The Stars still don’t have Sergei Zubov, which could hurt them in this series. If the Stars hope to defeat the Sharks they will have to do the same thing as they did against the Anaheim Ducks, as the Sharks are also a physical team, however they might be a little bruised after their last series against the Calgary Flames. Technically the Sharks should win, but then again, everyone had the Ducks winning too, as the Stars had a bad end of the season, and look what happened.

Avalanche, Red-Wings: As much as it pains me to say it, with the recent play of the almost extinct Dominik Hasek, Jose Theodore is the better goalie so far, Chris Osgood is a good goalie, unfortunately Theodore has been standing on his head in the play-offs, the edge to starting goalie goes to the Avalanche. Ian Laperriere, he has got a target on his back after smashing Niklas Lidstrom into cloud nine at the end of the season. The scorers for both teams are about even, the defence however goes to the Red-Wings. This series should go to the Red-Wings, but they didn’t impress too many people in their last series, are they too old? The Avalanche have some speed, but will it be enough to win? Colorado could upset.

In the Eastern Conference you will see the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Rangers, and the Montreal Canadiens against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Penguins, Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist, enough said. Lundqvist is superior to Ty Conklin, and Marc Andre Fleury, by far. Pittsburgh’s offence is better than the Rangers, but, Jaromir Jagr has come out of his shell, that could hurt the Pens. The Pens are all offence, and didn’t have much trouble sweeping the Ottawa Senators in their last series, but the Rangers are not the Sens. The Rangers have Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, to shut down either the Sidney Crosby line, or the Evgeni Malkin line. But will the Pens be able to defend against the re-appearance of Jagr the great, Brendan Shanahan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Martin Straka? Fleury, or Conklin will have their hands full in this series. The only factor that will not be one is Sean Avery, yes he can score some nice goals, which he just might, but his intimidation antics will not work in Pittsburgh with big George Laraque on the ice, Avery better hope that those two don’t meet, or else Avery can book his hospital room right now. Besides goal-tending which the Blue Shirts hold the advantage, the Pens have more explosive talent up front, question is, will they be able to explode on the Rangers, the Rangers aren’t the Sens. Keep the Pens in their own zone. I believe that the Rangers could win this one, if they are able to slow down the Pens, if not, the Pens take it.

Canadiens, Flyers: Where to start, well to keep it short, Carey Price is better than Martin Biron. The Flyers defence is slow, and Derian Hatcher has seen better days. These two teams were no.1, and no.2 in the regular season on the power-play, with the Habs being no.1. The Habs had a hard time against the Bruins on the p.p., but if they can manage to bring it back now that Saku Koivu is back then they will do well as the Flyers are an undisciplined team. Daniel Briere will be deaf when he leaves the Bell Centre, and may have to work on his confidence as well as the Montreal fans will let him have it big time. Montreal has the edge in coaching staff, and defence, as well as in between the pipes. With Mike Knuble, and Simon Gagne out, for sure the Habs have the edge in offence as well, question is, will Philly be able to contain it for seven games if necessary? Montreal should win this one, as the Flyers only impressed themselves by winning, but you never know, still the Habs should prevail if their power-play clicks, and they play their game, and don’t play the Flyers way, yes the Flyers have Steve Downie, but the Habs have Steve Begin, Tom Kostopoulos, Francis Bouillon, and Maxim Lapierre to a lesser extent. The Habs two best players in Alex Kovalev, and Carey Price, are better than the two best players of the Flyers in Mike Richards, and Daniel Briere. Should be a good one to watch.