Friday, March 14, 2008

 

Last ten games of NHL Schedule best there is

You could make a case that this particular block of games is almost as good as it gets in the NHL season. No question, nothing really can beat the first round of the playoffs with eight games going in some way, shape or form every night or every other night. This last couple of weeks of the schedule would be close though.
Leaf mania aside, the playoff race is what it’s all about especially for the eighth position. To many teams these days can win a round in the playoffs despite opening on the road or despite finishing lower in the standings so I don’t think when push comes to shove we’ll see teams going all out for that higher seed but you sure as hell will until they secure that spot in the post season dance. The Devils won the Cup in 1995 and opened every series on the road and the Pens won the cup in 1991 despite losing the first game of every series so the proof is there, it can be done.
Couple of thoughts going from the past few days and weeks in the NHL; Daniel Carcillo of the Phoenix Coyotes is my new favourite player. I love this guy. As of this writing he’s amassed 259 pim’s in 46 games. Over a full season that would work out to 462 pim’s, thirteen shy of Dave Schultz’s all time record set with the Flyers in 1975. Carcillo is 23 years old and is from King City, Ontario. He hits everything that moves and asks questions later, he’s emotional, impulsive, borderline irrational which is one of the reasons he was sent back down to the AHL by Gretzky and company earlier this season but he backs all of his teammates instantly and will fight anybody all the while being a plus player and amassing 15 points, on approximately twelve minutes of ice time. Excellent. Dave Schultz’s name may conjure up a number of different notions or memories all depending on your age but he did play a regular shift, he played in three straight finals and was on the two Cup wins by the Flyers, he was a 20 goal scorer, he scored an overtime goal, something Gordie Howe never did in the NHL and he scored game winners. All on top of having arguably the greatest reputation as a hockey pugilist even though he was far from the greatest fighter. Daniel Carcillo is cut from the same mould and I love it.
I also love Chris Pronger but how he’s escaped a suspension for the skate stomp on Ryan Kesler is beyond me. Kesler is a bit of a S**T disturber along with Alex Burrows on the Canuck roster but he did not deserve that and luckily he was not injured. In my estimation it was not as severe as the Chris Simon incident with Jarrko Ruttu but it was a heinous act none the less and Pronger should have received at least five games in my opinion. I love the rough stuff, hockey is after all controlled violence so I don’t want to appear to be the pot calling the kettle black but the line that I refer to quite often as the difference between what’s acceptable in terms of violence was certainly crossed by Pronger in this instance.
The rookie race is once again going to be a beauty with two, or even four names warranting some consideration. There is no question in my mind that the best rookie is Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks but the games lost due to injury will probably preclude him from winning. His teammate Patrick Kane is the most likely candidate for the award and should get a real healthy run from Nicklas Backstrom of the Capitals and a late run possibly from Carey Price of the Habs but the winner will probably be Kane. Maybe we’ll see a repeat of 1992, a most bizarre year in the NHL for rookie voting when Pavel Bure finally signed with Vancouver after sitting out the first fifteen games or so and ended up winning the Calder Trophy yet was not voted to the all-rookie team in his position instead that distinction going to Tony Amonte. Figure that one out. Then again this is the same league whose forefathers gave the Hart Trophy to Al Rollins in 1954 and Tommy Anderson in 1942. Both of those players were on last place teams that year and frankly it’s hard to imagine given that scenario that their teams were any more valuable with them in the lineups. Can you say collusion?? That’s another story for another time.
Stay tuned for the biggest question of all as it gets set to raise it’s ugly head again in a few short weeks; Will we get screwed out of playoff games on Hockey Night in Canada on our typical Saturday night so the vast American audience is pandered to again by Mr. Bettman and Co.? Answers to be known shortly.
Liam Maguire

Monday, March 03, 2008

 

Trade deadline chat

Trade deadline comments and other hockey news

Heard a great nickname the other day for the Toronto Maple Leaf hockey players who refused to waive their no trade contracts – the frozen five – how good is that? Very appropriate. Sundin, Tucker, McCabe, Kaberle and Kubina. If there ever was a time you’d think at least one of them would want out of this situation it would have been now as they are on route to their third straight season out of the playoffs. You can’t put a price on loyalty but it has to be the absolute most incredibe scenario ever seen leading up to the trade deadline. What will transpire in TO now is Cliff Fletcher who did the best he could shaving more than 3 million off the cap and recouping several draft choices, he now will very seriously comtemplate buying out one or more of these contracts this summer. At two thirds of the total worth pro rated over a number of seasons it is still a cap hit albeit one that Toronto will no question look long and hard at.
So what happens going forward with these no trades and no movement contracts? The no movement is even more restrictive, that means you can’t even put the guy in the minors. I think we’ll see these slowly disappear. Probably not 100% but certainly to a large extent after the frozen five, Wade Redden, Rob Blake and seemingly others of the 104 that have this restriction on their contract, froze their respective GM’s. Granted Brad Richards waived his and promptly went out and tied a franchise record with five assists in one game in his first contest as a Dallas Star but the list of those who would not go and the impact they could have had more importantly how their movement could help their respective franchises will no question lead to this clause disappearing.
Bob Gainey did not make a mistake dealing Christabal Huet. Huet is unrestricted as of July 1, he was making 2.3 million and was not going to be resigned and he was not going to be any kind of saviour for this team come playoff time. In addition his play his last 6-8 games was atrocious and to be fair Carey Price was no stalwart in the pipes either during that stetch and now since the deal, Huet picks up a shutout in his first game with Washington and Price is 3-0. Go figure. No question the deal was done to also clear cap room for Hossa who was snapped up by Pittsburgh but at the end of the day, the deal seemed to be received to the same extent the drafting of Carey Price did. Hab fans and hockey fans scratched their heads when Montreal selected Price who since then dominated the World Juniors, dominated the AHL and is obviously one of the best young goalies in the game on a team that has a history of having young goalies come in and perform miracles in the playoffs. Patrick Roy, Steve Penney, Ken Dryden, Rogie Vachon, Jacques Plante, all burst on the scene in a big way very early in their NHL careers. Can Price do the same? Yes he can but the difference is the team in front of him is no where near as good as their current record indicates. Not with respect to success in the post season. They’ll make some noise and depending on their first round opponent Montreal could win a round but winning two is still a larger forward or two away who can play. After missing the playoffs last year though this is a huge turnaround and Bob Gainey deserves nothing but full credit for this especially given what has happened to him personally.
And while I’m on the topic of Marian Hossa....hell of a player. More talent in one finger than half the league has in their whole body but in my opinion he will never play for a Cup winner. At this point of his career Hossa needs to prove to me that he has the ability to perform in the playoffs. In addition he orchastrated his departure from Ottawa by indicating to John Muckler that if he did not get the money he wanted he would test free agency. Fair enough says Muckler. Here ya go Hossa. And then ten minutes later traded him for Dany Heatley in argueably the second best trade ever in Ottawa history. Subsequent to that and this says it all – Hossa and Co. Indicate to Atlanta GM Don Waddell that they want to know what Atlanta is going to do to improve their lot in life and become a contender. Umm, guess what Marian, they were to become a contender with you part of the process. Your play was to be a cornerstone of the turn around in Atlanta not your exit which you’ve now made. Once Hossa is back from his knee tweak and suits up with a healty Crosby, we’ll see what he has in the tank. If this opportunity does not inspire him to play outside his comfort zone in the post season then nothing will.

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