I think that the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and Brian Burke think too highly of the Kazakhstan-born right winger and therefore will be expecting too much in return. Unless something spectacular occurs between now and the March 4 trade deadline or some team has faith in his skills and makes Burke an offer that he just can not refuse, every trade offer will not be what Burke expects and Nik Antropov will still be a Leaf. The numbers that Antropov has put up so far this year have been a lot better when compared to his statistics from last year but that is only because his teammates rely more heavily on him now with the departure of Mats Sundin and the fact that the Leafs do not have one player that can be considered their “sniper”.

When reporters asked Antropov about the trade rumors surrounding him, he replied with this statement: “The trade stuff probably is in the back of my mind,” Antropov admitted. “But it is not in my control. That is up to Brian Burke.” All that Nik Antropov can think about is the task at hand, that being helping the team put up a few more wins on the board as the Leafs try to make a push for the playoffs, which is highly unlikely this season considering the way the team has been playing. I think that if Antropov strives to do his best for the rest of the season, he will make a name for himself and have a better chance of being signed this off season when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

On the other hand, Ron Wilson has a different point of view of the right winger:

“When you look at his numbers, they’re not unlike his other years in the NHL,” Wilson said. “He doesn’t have someone of Mats Sundin’s magnitude to play with, so I actually think he’s having a pretty good year. He had a slump that he seems to go through every season — a period in December and January when he struggled to score. A lot of players have things like that. But, where we’re going in the future is an entirely different story. We’ve got to get younger; we’ve got to get quicker; we’ve got to get meaner. In many cases, we’ve got to get more skilled. So, there’s going to be a lot of changes, and we’ve talked about that all year. I don’t think this [Antropov discussion] should be a revelation to anyone,” Wilson went on to say.

 All we can do is wait until the deadline approaches to see whether Nik Antropov will have a change of scenery or will lace up his skates as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs – the waiting begins!

Ryan Hamilton, a 23 year old Torontonian was with Minnesota’s AHL affiliate, Houston Aeros when he heard the big news, that he was returning home. With the Aeros this year, Hamilton had pot eight goals, while racking up four assists and 24 penalty minutes.

Before making his NHL debut  Ryan Hamilton played with the OHL’s Barrie Colts where he led the with 45 goals in 63 games played.

With the addition of Hamilton, the Leafs are receiving a physical player who rarely gets his name on the score sheet. The only downside to this acquisition is that Hamilton will probably be with the Toronto Marlies (the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate) for a few seasons, until General Manager Burke thinks that he will have a big impact on the Leafs.

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

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.

The only remaining player on the team that has yet to be sent to the Hamilton Bulldogs formation is Kyle Chipchura. The chipper is being kept s a precaution as the Habs still have some light groin injuries to a couple of their players, but Chipchura should be sent down soon enough.

With all the young talent that has impressed not only the Montreal Canadiens orgainzation, but many other teams as well as both French and English media, it’s a wonder that they were all sent down to Hamilton.

Names like Max Pacioretti, Ben Maxwell, Matt D’agostini,  and soon Kyle Chipchura are all Bulldogs for now. But all these players impressed hard in the pre-season and look to be 90% NHL ready. Are the Habs saying that Mathieu Dandenault is better than all of those players? Dandenault was riding the bench for much of the season last year.

Carey Price having lost 21 pounds this off-season looks NHL ready this year. He played really well and made some spectacular saves during all of his games.

Jaroslav Halak has a tweaked hip but with the demotion of Marc Denis to Hamilton, the Habs believe that Halak will be ready to back up Price for the start of the season. Halak also played well during his pre-season games.

The only acquisition that the Habs made in the off-season that didn’t play one pre-season game is Georges Laraque who is still nursing a groin pull. Scott Livingston ( Canadiens strength and conditioning coach) believes that big Georges should be ready be day one of the regular season.

This year is seemingly the year for the Habs as most of the team is either a restricted or un-restricted free agent at the end of the 2008-09 season.

Christopher Higgins, Saku Koivu, Alex Tanguay, Alex Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, Sergei Kostitsyn, Robert Lang, Steve Begin, Tom Kostopoulos, Mike Komisarek, Francis Bouillon, Patrice Brisebois, and so on are all RFA’s or UFA’s at seasons end.

So it would seem that it’s now or never for the Habs. Or is it?

There has been some speculation as to the 4.5 million of Saku Koivu and where it will end up. Most seem to beleive that Koivu will either be traded or leave at the end of his contract. Would that mean that Plekanec would then become the number 1 centre of the team and the money would go to re-signing him along with someone else?

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in need of some defence-men, could the Habs trade some to them along with Higgins and a prospect for Jordan Staal?

Trades or no trades, speculation or not, Sundin or no Sundin. The Montreal Canadiens have far too many players that will play for their next contracts to be an average team this year. No matter what team individual players play for, when their contract are up at the end of the current season, the players always up their play in the hopes of securing that big money contract they all want. With that notion alone not counting the fact that the Habs won the Eastern Conference last year, should bring them back into the play-offs.

The addition of Laraque should help the Habs not only in the regular season, but in the play-offs as well, as the Habs were a little too small and being pushed around in the post season last year.

Carey Price with his weight loss should be even quicker than last year, and his conditioning will help him not to be tired in the post season.

Not to mention the fact that there are many young players nipping at the heels of some veteran players. Gregory Stewart could replace Begin next year. Pacioretti could replace Guillaume Latendresse. Maxwell could replace Maxim Lapierre, as could Kyle Chipchura. D’agostini could replace Kostopoulos. P.K. Subban, or Pavel Valentenko could replace Bouillon.

Basically, there are many players that could be replaced within the organization, which Habs fans haven’t seen in at least 18 years.

So is it now or never, or is it now or possibly soon? We will all see.

The Habs start the season Friday October 10, 2008 against the Buffalo Sabres, then Saturday October 11, 2008 against the hated Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lets all hope that the players playing for a contract next season coupled with the talent waiting to come up will push the Habs to at least the Conference finals, and possibly the Stanley Cup.

Good luck boys. May the Price be with you.

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.

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.

Now why would Bill Daly and the NHL make this public? It is certainly not an important topic for the time being and when considering the current state of the NHL it emphatically strikes one as superfluous. Are they gauging the reaction from fans and players alike? Do they want to put increased pressure on the newly-formed Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)? There are many questions surrounding this new hot-button issue, queries that I have no intention of answering without any amount of hard evidence. But that is why there is always speculation.

Since ratifying the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), there have been an increased number of games played in Europe every year. There is no doubt that hockey takes precedent over many other sports in Europe as seen by fans in London booing the latest NFL game played at the O2 Center and seemingly would be supported immensely by fans of the game overseas. Hockey tournaments that take place across the Atlantic always have the arenas buzzing with a myriad of fans. With approximately one-third of the players in the NHL from European countries, on paper it’s not difficult to imagine how this abovementioned statement could someday become not only an option but a reality in the near future.

While I do believe that this announcement is certainly laudable, in reality it is hard to believe that this option becomes a certainty in the foreseeable future. As we know, just five years ago, the NHL was engrossed in turmoil as they were the first professional sports league to fold for an entire season due to a lockout. Despite the tumultuous years preceding it, the NHL over the past few seasons has become very renascent. Under the new CBA, it is beginning to come into its own. But are they really ready to become the first of the four main professional sports leagues to expand overseas especially when one considers the fact that the CBA is in its final year?

With 30 teams existing in the NHL already, only the National Football League boasts more than 30 franchises in its league with 32. So where does that leave the NHL in terms of expanding? If expansion into Europe is agreed upon, my estimation is the NHL would have to set up a minimum of 6 franchises overseas, as having one or two would not be sufficient. Let’s take a moment and speculate which cities in Europe would be a viable destination for hockey franchises. Moscow, St. Petersburg and Omsk in Russia would be risky because of the KHL, but would still be high on the favored list. In other popular hockey markets such as Scandinavia; Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland would surely be options. In Eastern Europe; Prague, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia are highly sought after hockey markets. These are cities in which hockey takes a high precedent over other sports and all posses populations above the one million mark. The reason I do not account for megalopolis’ London and Paris, because hockey undoubtedly takes a back seat to soccer (or football) in those cities, although they certainly have the population to support a franchise.

Now, another burning question; do these speculated teams expand into the league or expand via relocation? Which teams are in danger of losing their franchise? It’s been long hypothesized that Southern cities in the United States such as the Nashville Predators, the Atlanta Thrashers and the Tampa Bay Lightning to name a few, have been in danger of relocation. But as long as Commissioner Gary Bettman has any say, those teams are not going anywhere, as he seems hell-bent on auspiciously promoting hockey in the Southern United States. Under his watch, he has admirably attempted to endorse hockey to lesser known markets and has in sorts become his legacy. So I strongly believe he is objurgating relocation as a feasible option. So where does that leave them, 36+ NHL franchises? In the interest of time and space, I will refrain from trying to meticulously break down that nightmare of a schedule.

Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford brought up a very good point in his comments to the Globe & Mail. He went on to say that if the NHL was looking for expansion or relocation, they would be wise to stay in North America. I am inclined to agree with this. Not to sound overly patriotic, but this league is severely lacking in Canadian teams. There are a plethora of cities and untapped markets up and down the 49^th parallel that yearn for a hockey franchise. One city that comes to mind is the once beloved Winnipeg Jets franchise. I’m sure fans in Manitoba and people all over the country would relish the reincarnation of the once storied franchise. It has been widely speculated that the province of Ontario could support many more than the current two teams that it hosts. The city of Toronto could be a possible destination for a second franchise, although it is unforeseen how the Toronto Maple Leafs brass and fans alike would react to this doppelganger. Research In Motion guru Jim Balsille has vehemently tried to relocate a team to either Kitchener or Hamilton in an attempt to feed off of Canadian team success, the new CBA and the high Canadian dollar but to date it has been in vain. I have a feeling that because the aforementioned Balsille was so ostentatious when attempting to create another Canadian franchise, he will have an uphill battle should he ever try again. Fantasizing, I could not envision another way of going about it though. He was trying to prove to the high-ups in the NHL that Canadian teams will work, especially under the CBA. Canadian team hopefuls need men and women like this, people that will stop at nothing to bring another franchise to Canada, one that is long overdue.

While the prospect of the NHL in Europe is exciting, not only for the economics of the game, but for promotion as well, it is simply inchoate to even remotely discuss the possibility of an overseas expansion. There are too many questions surrounding the issue, ones that even the NHL may have difficulty trying to fulfill. In addition to the abovementioned questions, there are a myriad of others; how do the economics work? Can and will fans in European cities pay NHL prices for tickets? Is the travel going to be too difficult for the players? How would it change the playoffs? These are just some of the many issues that they will have to tackle in order to make this proposed transition successful. The truth is it’s difficult to gauge the effects of expansion into Europe, as the NHL would serve as a guinea pig to this experiment and it is unknown what the affects may be. I understand that in recent years the NHL has been in peril and are desperately trying to promote the game. And what better way to do it than to be the first to expand to a different continent? But the NHL needs to reach a state of reliable economic stability and establish itself as more of a perennial powerhouse amongst major sports at ‘home’ first. Fans in America will undoubtedly remember two years ago when networks continually interrupted NHL playoff games for horseracing, NASCAR and even poker. At the risk of sounding redundant, the NHL must ascertain fans here on this continent before they even consider crossing the Atlantic.

Until next time,

Alex Fineberg

One such potential super-star that is making newspaper articles and water-cooler office talk around the country is mega-prospect John Tavares. Unless you’ve never watched a hockey newscast, you would have to be living in a cave for the last two years, not to hear this 17 year-old sensation’s name. Tavares first started grabbing headlines in the summer of 2005 when he was the first player ever to be granted “exceptional player” status by the OHL, which allowed him to be drafted at the age of 14; months before his 15^th birthday. Already being dubbed by TSN experts as the next ‘Next One’ behind wunderkind Sidney Crosby, this exceptional player has amassed quite a resume thus far.

In three seasons, playing for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, he has collected 157 goals and 329 points in only 191 games, and he started when he was 15! Perhaps one of his greatest and most notable achievements to add to his list of accolades is his record breaking 72 goal sophomore season as a 16 year-old which surpassed Wayne Gretzky in that department. He is certainly shaping up to be a super-star NHL player, although perhaps not in the same mold as Gretzky, Lemieux and Crosby, as one of his most glaring flaws is his skating. Although he had an amazing 06-07 campaign as a 16 year-old, last year in the 07-08 season his numbers dipped tremendously, for a player of his caliber.

Obviously, Tavares would prefer to go #1 in the draft this upcoming season, as last year he missed the cut by 5 days, he was then considered a boy amongst men. His spot will be contingent on how well he performs in his last season as an Oshawa General.

It’s hard to imagine this phenomenon of a player has any competition for the number 1 spot in this year’s draft, but alas, he does. Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman is making headway to the top of the 09 draft.

Often mentioned in the same breath as fellow country man and six-time Norris trophy winner Niklas Lidstrom, Hedman has quickly drawn favorable comparisons to the Anaheim Ducks’ Chris Pronger. Certainly, there will be doubters, especially with the recent trend of over hyped prospects emerging out of Europe. Including but not limited to: classic late-bloomer Fabian Brunnstrom, who has yet to step foot on NHL ice, but is already drawing comparisons to Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Alfredsson, which mind you is very possible, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Lest we forget glorified Toronto Maple Leaf defenseman Anton Stralman, who by many accounts from over-zealous Maple Leaf followers is considered to be the next Bobby Orr.

However, while these players receive warranted attention, this particular 6’6, 220lbs defenseman is considered the complete player. He skates like the wind and plays a risky, bordering on dirty game, and completes that with sublime offensive skills. Last year at the age of 17, he was playing full-time for MoDo in Sweden’s Elite League (SEL). A paucity in a league deemed to be not that far removed from the caliber of the NHL. This upcoming season, he will be expected to be a staple on the parent squad. He has franchise defenseman written all over him and has proved time and time again, whether it be in the SEL or a circuit in the World Juniors, that he can play with the best of them.

Of course, there are a select few others that may take the ranks of the #1 spot this fall. 2006 1^st overall selection of the Spokane Chiefs; Jared Cowen is turning heads in the WHL, and is widely considered to be a lock in the top 5. Another standout comes from the WHL, his name is Brayden Schenn. Sibling to Toronto Maple Leaf’s first round selection Luke Schenn. Unlike his brother, he plays forward. In his inaugural season, he amassed 28 goals and 43 assists, for 71 points in 66 games. By all accounts, he is expected to improve on those numbers with aplomb. Rounding out the top 5 is Swedish prospect; Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi. A name I still have trouble trying to pronounce, this slick Swede is being mentioned in the same breath as Ilya Kovalchuck. While these players have an amazing amount of skill, scouts across the globe believe that the number 1 pick belongs to one of John Tavares or Victor Hedman. This upcoming season will be the mitigating factor in which we see these potential franchise players end up.

Personally, I believe that these two players have an inordinate amount of talent. They are both masters at their craft and equally skilled in their own regard. That is why I imagine that when D-day arrives, it will be a choice of position rather than skill. For years, the philosophy amongst NHL GM’s is that they will always take the best player available. While that statement still rings true, I believe that these two franchise players are equal in talent and will ultimately be up to the specific teams needs.

For the purpose of simplicity, let’s analyze only the projected bottom five teams of this years’ NHL season. The Atlanta Thrashers, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings & St. Louis Blues all have a legitimate shot and receiving the 1^st overall pick this June.

With Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract coming to a completion at the conclusion of the 09-10 season, the Atlanta Thrashers will be desperate for offence.

Furthermore, with the inclusion of recently drafted Zach Bogosian, they already have a potential franchise defenseman. Could the addition of John Tavares entice Kovalchuck to stay? Next is the New York Islanders. Seemingly devoid of any top-line talent at forward or defense, they could go either way. A duo of John Tavares and Kyle Okposo could be very intriguing. However, they are severely lacking in defensive prospects as well. The Toronto Maple Leafs recent drafting of Luke Schenn pretty much eliminates them from choosing Hedman, as they are desperate for a scoring forward.

What better way to replace long-time captain Mats Sundin with home-grown native John Tavares, something that will certainly please Leaf nation. The Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues are two teams that are stock-piled with defensive prospects. While the former has Drew Doughty, Thomas Hickey and Jack Johnson, the latter has Eric Johnson, Alex Pietrangelo and Steve Wagner. These two teams would almost certainly jump at the opportunity to bolster their lineup with some much needed offense.

At first glance, it almost seems that the glaring need for these five bottom-feeding teams is offense, in which John Tavares certainly fits the bill. But, in what may become one of the biggest debates throughout the NHL’s 08-09 season, it really comes down to choice. Who would you pick?

Now some of you may say; the last four years have been horrendous for Leaf fans.   They have had to endure a half-decade long playoff drought; so, the Leafs must make the playoffs.  Others would say; rebuilding a team is a process, this method takes time.  This recent trend of black and white thinking has become an eternal struggle, it is an argument I have had with many followers of the Maple Leafs.  Though I do not have a dogmatic, narrow-minded view of the current Maple Leaf situation, I am inclined to agree with the latter.  Simply because while the Maple Leafs do have a myriad of future assets including but not limited to; Jiri Tlusty, Nikolai Kulemin, Justin Pogge and the newly-acquired Mikhail Grabovski, to name a few. None of these potential stars really stands out to attain the status of super-star.  Now that they have finally obtained one of these superstars in Luke Schenn, it is time to acquire someone equally as high in status and talent to launch the Maple Leafs into triumph.

Take a second to look around the league, while the most extreme example being the Pittsburgh Penguins (Crosby, Malkin, Fleury) there are many others around the league who have had high draft picks over the last few years and will surely be successful in the near future.  Perhaps the most talked about turn-around in hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks, have a dynamic duo in Jonathan Toews (3^rd overall in 06) and Patrick Kane (1^st overall in 08) to go along with their abundance of other career NHLers such as Cam Barker, Dave Bolland and Jack Skille.  The Los Angeles Kings who have been quietly stock-piling future talent for years, made there biggest splash this year with 2^nd overall pick Drew Doughty to accompany future stalwart Jack Johnson (3^rd overall in 05).  Another standout of course is Wayne Gretzky’s new and improved Phoenix Coyotes who acquired Danish prospect Mikkel Boedker (8^th overall in 08) to complement Kyle Turris (3^rd overall in 07) and Peter Mueller (8^th overall in 06). FYI: I firmly believe these aforementioned teams will be a top the NHL standings in no later than two years.

These are just mere examples of what the Leafs are now facing. But one thing is abundantly obvious; most dominant teams are built on at least two or three standout prospects.   It has been 41 years since the great city of Toronto has seen the Leafs hoist the Stanley Cup.  Is it really too much to ask to endure one more season of failure?  Personally, I do not wish for a top 10 pick, I believe it’s imperative to obtain a top 3 pick.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have the choice between mega-prospects John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Luke Schenn’s brother; Brayden, among others. The Maple Leafs have been mired in mediocrity for so many years, it has certainly become an exercise in futility.  Many Leaf followers wish for the return of Mats Sundin and for some strange reason, Maple Leaf brass is seemingly leaving the door open for his return.  The team Cliff Fletcher has fielded for the 08-09 season has hockey pundits everywhere saying that not only is this team not good enough to make the playoffs, they will be lucky to escape with the 13^th spot in the Eastern Conference.  It is almost set in stone that the Leafs are a shoe-in for another playoff mishap for the fifth consecutive year. With presumably the only bottom-feeders below them being the Garth Snow inflicted; New York Islanders and the one-pony show; Atlanta Thrashers.  So if Sundin loyalties get their wish, it is my belief that it may only move them up a mere one, maybe two spots in the standings.  Is that really what we want?  You really have to ask yourselves Leaf-fans, do you want another Nik Antropov in the 09 draft, or someone who can vault this team to Stanley Cup success? So I implore you Leaf fans, as a life-long fan myself, we must lose, really lose, to win.

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.

TSN reports are that the Maple Leafs will send McCabe to Florida along with another player, with at least one player coming back from the Panthers. Not Panthers defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, though. Sportsnet’ Nick Kypreos suggests that the player heading to Toronto is defenseman Mike Van Ryn.

However, McCabe’s agent, Ian Pulver, says that his client hasn’t made a decision on his future yet and the two sides continue to talk about a compromise.

“We continue to talk to the Leafs about whether he is going to remain a Leaf or move to another team. Technically he won’t waive the no-trade until there is a trade and there hasn’t been a trade.”

Pulver notes that McCabe may in fact stay in Toronto.

“Having said that, he may remain a Leaf. There’s a lot of things to discuss.”

Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher appears to support Pulver’s stance, saying that a deal is not imminent.

“(McCabe) hasn’t even said he would accept being traded yet. We’re working on it.”

It’s expected that if the Maple Leafs were to move McCabe, they would do it after September 1st, the day he is to receive a $2 million signing bonus.

McCabe is set to earn $6.15 million (including the $2 million dollar signing bonus) this season, and $4.15 million for the next two seasons remaining on his contract. His salary cap hit will remain at $5.75 million.

Jay Feaster had been the club’s GM since 2002 and he was an assistant GM since 1998. This guy turned the Lightning into a cup winner (something no one would have imagined), he brought Martin St. Louis, Dan Boyle and Nikolai Khabibulin.

Although it seems he lost his golden touch after the lockout as the Lightning never returned to its cup winning ways.

In my opinion he did some questionable signings in his last days in the Lightning, but still he could be a good Gm for another team that finds itself with an interim GM (aka Toronto Maple Leafs)

Anyways the Lightning must find a new GM, I wonder who will that be?

Grabovski definitly had enough talent to stay in the NHL, but one thing he didn’t have yet to deserve a spot on the Canadiens’ roster is maturity. Grabovski, unfortunately, is the kind of player that thinks to much of himself and believe me, when you do not show up at the practice simply because you are not playing the next game, that is not only unprofessional, but very immature. It is a good thing he is no longer in the Habs’ plans and that Montreal head coach Guy Carbonneau won’t have to put up with his bull**** anymore.

I’m just surprised Toronto is so desperate.

Will he accept it? Will he retire? Will he sign with other team? Only time will tell. Sundin is yet to make up his mind on his playing future. However, he has stated on numerous occasions that he would prefer to sign a one-year deal.

Sundin recorded 32 goals and 42 assists for 78 points in 74 regular season games with the Maple Leafs.

To be honest with you I consider Ryan Malone a good forward, while he may not enter in the elite category of the NHL he can still raise some eyebrows.

But don’t you think 7 million dollars a season is just too much for a guy that has not yet produced over 70 points?

In my opinion I believe Tampa bay will either sink or swim during the next season.

Either way it should be fun for everyone to see Steven Stamkos play along with Vinny Lecavalier, Ryan Malone, Dan Boyle and Martin St. Louis.

Cliff Fletcher–GM of the Leafs–had this to comment,

“We have given the Montreal Canadiens permission to speak with Mats Sundin. We have no further comments at this time”.

With the Vancouver Canucks waiving their number 10 pick around, coupled with the fact that they most likely won’t resign forward Brendan Morrison and the possibility that Markus Naslund will resign cheaper, the ‘Nucks will try something.

It is still unclear at this point if the Toronto Maple Leafs will resign Mats Sundin. What is clear however is that they are waiving their number 7 pick around and have been linked with Patrick Marleau, Olli Jokinen, and Vincent Lecavalier to name a few.

The Montreal Canadiens have also been rumoured to try and move up in the draft to make a deal go through. Andrei Kostitsyn should be signed by the draft. Marc Streit could be also although rumours suggest that he would be traded. The Habs are also being linked to Marian Hossa, Sundin, Eric Cole, Ryan Malone, and Lecavalier to name a few. In Hossa’s case the Habs are trying to trade for his rights.

The Carolina Hurricanes are rumoured to be in on Joni Pitkanen.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are rumoured to be in on Marleau as well as Malone.

The Calgary Flames are rumoured to be hunting Jokinen.

The Boston Bruins are hunting Hossa.

To be brief, just mentioning seven teams and one could see that the draft this year might live up to the hype that every media source is putting out there.

Perhaps the draft will be more exciting than the first week of July.

Let’s hope that this year’s draft will be one not to miss.

The entry draft is for minor league players to move up in life, unfortunately for the minor leaguers, fortunately for the fans, this year it should be more about NHL players changing addresses.

There are 30 teams in the NHL. Perhaps not all the teams will make something happen, but if one believes the hype, it should be a draft day frenzy.