Bleacher Report - Articles by Kyle Holland

Analyzing the First Five Weeks of the NHL Season

Kyle Holland — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:35:22 -0500

The season is already a month old and so much has been happening in the league. Teams that were expected to be basement dwellers are living in the penthouse, elite teams are struggling, injuries galore to superstars, elite players aren't meeting expectations, while others are making a name for themselves, and some players maybe thinking way too much about the Olympics and aren't focusing enough on their respected teams. Here's a look at all of the above.

First off, let's start with the most surprising story of the season so far, shall we? Everyone with an opinion of hockey, had the Colorado Avalanche finishing either 29th or 30th in the league this season. While a month doesn't make an entire season, still it's amazing to see them on top of the NHL so far.

Craig Anderson is starting to look like the best free agent pick up this season so far, and as well came at extremely affordable cap hit of 1.812 million dollars. He, along with a very underrated defensive corp and surprising contributions from rookies have the Avalanche sitting on top after 17 games.

The Avalanche haven't been able to fight off the injury bug or swine flu epidemic that's been spreading around the NHL, but it's not slowing them down either. Back up Peter Budja has been out with the Swine Flu, Darcy Tucker, Ruslan Salei, John Micheal Liles, Chris Mcleod, Matt Hendricks, and Tom Pressing are out of the line up or have missed time due to injuries.

Along with Anderson, being the first reliable goaltender since the St. Patrick days, Foote is still showing that at age 36 he's still one of the best shut down defensemen in the game. He's at a plus five and logging an average of 21:22 minutes a night. He's certainly making the transition from the Joe Sakic era as painless as possible and showing everyone their rebuilding was short lived.

Kyle Quincey is paying dividends from the Ryan Smyth trade. He is their best puck moving defensemen since maybe when Rob Blake first came to the franchise about a decade ago or even perhaps the slick Sandis Ozolinsh back in the 90's.

Peter Stastny is proving to everyone that this is his team now,leading the team with 16 points in 17 games. Milan Hedjuk is having to bounce back from last season with a respectable 14 points, Ryan O'Reilly, who has 14 points as well, has about 29 other GM's wondering why they didn't pick him before the Avs did with their 33rd pick.

Matt Duchene is having trouble adjusting though with seven points and a minus six rating. But the Wojtek Wolski is powering their offense with his team leading eight goals and 14 points to have a three way tie for second place in points.

Quality goaltending, solid sound defense, and timely scoring, has the Avalanche on top in the NHL so far. How much longer will this hold up? Will they hit a major slump and fall out of contention before the end of the season or will they be the Cinderella story for this season and possibly win the Northwest Division right from under the noses of Calgary and Vancouver?

Phoenix seems to not be having trouble focusing on the ice with all the drama surrounding the club off of it. They have had a strong start and that's mainly due to their goaltending duo of Ilya Bryzgalov and Jason Labarbera. Bryg's currently has an amazing 1.81 GAA and a .93 percent while Labarbera's has a 2.28 GAA and a .927 save percentage. Ed Jovanovski is proving he isn't too old anymore and can still move the backout and as always Shane Doan is providing his steady contributions. However, the additions of Jim Vandermer, Robert Lang, Adrian Aucoin Vadim Vrbata, and Matthew Lombardi, is what is propelling this club. Young players such as Peter Mueller, Kyle Turris, Mikkel Boedker, aren't showing their promise and potential. Mueller has three points so far, Turris isn't playing with the club, and Boedker has only played one game.

The Los Angeles Kings are showing they are becoming what many thought them to be. Will the playoffs go Hollywood though this spring? The addition to Ryan Smyth has paid dividends, as Anze Kopitar has taken his game to a whole new level to propel this team. He currently leads the NHL with 26 points in 16 games(13-13).

The first line of Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth, and Justin Williams are showing they are one of the best top lines in the NHL right now, but how long can they keep this up? If they do it for a whole year, the Kings will make the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and may possibly challenge the Sharks for the Pacific crown...possibly.

Kings management showed they knew what they were doing with putting all their goaltending stock in the young Jonathon Quick, who is playing himself onto the U.S Olympic team as the third goaltender. He has 10 wins in his 15 games with a shoddy 2.58 GAA and a .902 save percentage, but the team is winning.

Drew Doughty is having a hell of a sophomore year with 14 points so far and is giving the Kings fans a lot to look forward to, more so than he did last year. He has a positive rating so far with a plus five. Along with a rookie defensemen who many may not know yet, Davis Drewiski, who is a plus 10. Jack Johnson has some improvements to make as he only has five points and is a minus three so far.

The biggest success for the Kings so far has been their offense. Last year, that was their worst department. But so far, the Kings have three lines that can score and have six forwards who have 10 or more points and two players with nine so far. If they improve defensively a tad bit more, continue their offensive pace, the Kings become one of the biggest threats in the NHL. That's something no one has probably heard of since the early 90's when they had Wayne Gretzky, Lucky Luc, and young Rob Blake.

The New York Islanders are now sitting in the top 10 in the Eastern Conference. They have been fairly competitive in every game so far this season. However, they have been known for giving up in the third period and giving up leads to walk away with one point in overtime.

The Islanders are being powered by a very young team and are getting majority of their offense from John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and surprisingly Matt Moulson. If the Islanders get more out of their defense and some more secondary scoring, as well as play a whole 60 minute game, could they be in the running for a playoff spot this year?

If they have a lot going for them by the time Rick Dipetro comes back from his umpteenth injury since signing his career life contract, maybe the Islanders should think of other options to not mess with the goaltending chemistry of Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson.

The Carolina Hurricanes shocked everyone when they beat the Boston Bruins in the second round to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, but this year they are the worst team in the NHL and only have two wins. They built a team on veterans possibly though they're all too old. It's possible that they're will be a fire sale this year and everyone on the team will be available besides Eric Staal and Cam Ward. Things don't look too well for this club.

I know I had picked them to be the sixth or seventh seed this year, but I don't see them being anywhere else but 15th all year long. Them and Toronto will be duking it out for the basement this year. However, Toronto's fortunes may change as Kessel has sparked this team, but still there's no playoffs this year. They'll be trying to make sure that Boston doesn't get a lottery pick this year or a top five pick.

The Boston Bruins are a team that isn't meeting expectations, but maybe those expectations were a little too high given the off season they have had along with current injury woes. Last season, seems to have been their best chance to have won the Cup in the short term. This season, they should make the playoffs, unless teams such as divisional rivals Buffalo, Ottawa, or Montreal keep one step ahead of them.

There's a lot of factors to why they are doing so terrible so far, that doesn't make it a mystery. When you trade your top goal scorer for future drafts picks, you're going to struggle in the beginning. As well as when you have a player such as Marc Savard get injured seven games into the season and your game changer Milan Lucic in six games.Those three players were Boston's top line last year.

Savard is highly underrated and it's surprising he wasn't invited to the Canadian Olympic camp in August. Savard has been the most consistent play-maker since the lockout and is a great two way player, can play under pressure, is great in the face off circle, and has a great character to have in the locker room. Anyone who listened to him when he was mic'd up during the All-star weekend last year, can tell he's a pretty funny guy and can lighten up tension, but can also be serious when it matters.

Lucic has sometimes been compared to a young Cam Neely, but he'll probably never reach that goal prowess. He does contribute a lot though with his physical play, momentum changing hits, and fights. Boston needs a player like him in the corners battling it out or his presence in front of the net to create traffic.

Along with those three, Boston traded away Aaron Ward, who although is towards the end of his career, is a good shut down defensemen who can play minutes as well. Along with Stephane Yelle who was their checking center, but might not even be a missing factor as he couldn't stay up with Carolina and got sent down to the minors a couple of weeks ago.The Bruins were struggling to score from the get go, which is puzzling why, they traded Chuck Kobasew to Minnesota for more draft picks.

The Bruins have six draft picks in the first two rounds for the 2010 and 2011 draft and may be getting a lottery draft pick from their trade of Kessel to Toronto. But Bruin fans want a Cup now, they deserve one since 1972 when they last won the big one. Trading Kobasew voided the Bruins of a 20 goal scorer and a gritty forward.

Finally though, the Bruins may have put too much on Tim Thomas. Thomas has for every season while with the Bruins, showed he belonged in every single game. He had to prove himself every single minute. After winning the Vezina Trophy last season, he was rewarded with a five-year contract worth $25 million. Maybe Thomas is tired from his style of playing like every game was his last, or maybe his big contract and terms has made him complacent. Whatever the reason may be, he needs to be better than he was last year until this team gets going again.

There have been some quite a few struggling players this season so far. Vincent Lecavalier is playing himself off of Team Canada with only two goals so far this season. Vinny does have 14 points in 16 games so far, but Vinny has been more known as a scorer than a playmaker. The pressures of making Team Canada, along with still adjusting to off season surgery on his wrist and shoulder, may have contributed to him not finding the back of the net. A bigger factor may be though, not having Vascal Prospal on his line anymore.

If Prospal was still with the Lightning, maybe Lecavalier would have had more goals and the Ligntning would have two lines that can score. As of right now though, Vinny is the most overpaid player in the NHL with an 11-year contract with an average cap hit of $7.5 million dollars. Luckily for them, sophomore Steven Stamkos is continuing his production from the second half of last season.

Am I seeing things or has Andrew Raycroft been out playing Roberto Luongo? Luongo has been puilled twice so far and is injured with a broken rib. Luongo has gone 6-6 in 12 games with a 2.87 GAA and a .902 save percentage, While Raycroft is 4-1 has a 1.60 GAA and a .936 save percentage. Could this be the Andrew Raycroft who dazzled everyone in 2003-2004 season when he won the Calder trophy?

Has he found his game again after four seasons? I still don't believe it, but the Canucks have to be thankful they took the gamble on Raycroft as their backup as he'll be keeping the Cancucks competitive without Luongo in the lineup, which isn't clear when he'll return.

The Ducks thought they were getting two lines that could score when they traded Pronger for Lupul and Sbisa; that hasn't transformed so far. Both lines haven't been clicking at the same time and it's taken some time for Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne to find their chemistry they've showed together in the past during international competitions.

However, they do seem to be a geling with each other now. The biggest concern is Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf not finding the back of the net. In 15 games, Getzlaf has a one goal, while Ryan has five. Corey Perry has been consistent and has been leading the charge with 10 goals. Hopefully, his play rubs off on others.

It would also be nice if either Jonas Hiller or Jean-Sebastian Giguere played like the number one goalies they have in the past.

Now many people are writing the Detroit Red Wings off. A lot of people are saying that they're too old and their run is now over as one of the best teams in the NHL. Well, they may not win the Central Division and probably won't be better than the sixth seed, but anything can happen in the playoffs. This team knows how to win, they have enough players who have been their enough times to know what they have to do.

A team like the Red Wings,not only have Mike Babcock as a coach, who is the first coach to coach a team to four straight 50+ win seasons in his first four years with a club, they have veterans such as Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Nicklas Lindstrom, and Tomas Holmstrom who have battled a great deal in their careers to be like a secondary coaching staff to all its other players.

The Red Wings lost a lot in terms of offense. Marian Hossa, Mikkeal Sameulsson, Jiri Hudler, and now Jonas Franzen and Valtteri Filppula are all injured. Amongst those names are four of the top six forwards from last year. A 40 goal scorer, a powerplay quarter back, a great secondary scorer, their cluth 30+ goal scorer, and third line center, who'd be a on the second line on any other team in the NHL.

With the signing of Hossa last year, the Wings relied too much on outscoring other teams instead of playing a solid two-way puck controlling game that has been their success back to when Scotty Bowman changed their style of play back in the 1996-1997 season.

Mike Babcock is trying to instill this system back into the minds of their players and after blowing leads all throughout October, the Red Wings have improved with beating the Flames, 2-1 Saturday, a 2-0 victory over Boston, and a 2-1 shootout win against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. The Red Wings are playing like they did that when they won those championships. Ozzie seems to have found his game and is as focused much like he was throughout the playoffs for the Wings.

Datsyuk and Zetterberg are finding their grooves again. This team is going to come back and come back strong. They won't be as fancy or entertaining to watch, but they won't be boring or dull either. They'll be playing solid two-way hockey and a puck control system that have won them four Stanley Cups in 11 years.

Wow, the injuries are just piling themselves on top of each other this season so far. As I already mentioned above, Jonas Franzen is out with a torn ACL (four months), Valtteri Filppula broken wrist (4-6 weeks) Marc Savard broken foot (4-6 weeks), Milan Lucic broken finger (4-6 weeks). The Russians are seemingly to be taken the biggest hits to their lock players of their Olympic team this year; Markov, Gonchar, Volchenkov, Ovechkin, Malkin, and Kovalchuk.

Ovechkin is shooting to be back by next week, as Malkin is sitting out with a shoulder injury that he has said is playable, but wants to rehab it and heal it so nothing serious happens later on. He also said he should be back by Thanksgiving weekend. However, Kovalchuk is out until possibly December with a broken foot which doesn't bold well for the Thrashers who are trying to stay competitive to convince the pivotal left winger of signing a long term extension with the club.

Gonchar (broken wirst) and Volchenkov (elbow) will be back by at least late November as Andrei Markov is indefinitely after only playing 17 minutes in change of the first game of the season.

Other star players include Eric Staal, Simone Gagne, Shea Weber, David Booth, and Daniel Sedin. All of who are seriously valuable to their respected clubs.

A Look at 2010's Possible Inductions into the NHL Hall of Fame

Kyle Holland — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:05:43 -0500

Next week, the 2009 class will be inducted into the hall of fame, which is arguably the greatest class of all time.

But this isn't about this class; this is a look at next year's class. Some players have been kept out of the hall many years after being eligible, and maybe next year might be the year for them.

Or not...Anyways, here's a look at the top six players I believe have the best chance or maybe should phrase most deserving to make the Hall.

Dino Ciccarelli : With 608 goals, how do you not get in the Hall of Fame? Many contribute it to Dino to have never won a Cup, incidents outside of hockey, and many considered him to only have been an offensive player. But he's also one of the greatest players to never have one a cup.

Hockey is a team sport, though, why should the fact that he hasn't won a cup keep him out? One man cannot win a cup for a team. Do you think Gretzky would've won the Oilers four cups in his tenure if it had not been for Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Glen Anderson, Paul Coffey, Kevin Lowe, Grant Fuhr, or Andy Moog? Most likely not.

Kurri, Messier, Anderson, Coffey, Fuhr are all in the Hall of Fame as well. Not comparing Dino to the great one, but just making a point, one player can't win a Cup.

Joe Nieuwendyk : Joe Nieuwendyk broke into the NHL his rookie year in 1987-1988 season and scored 51 goals, which he repeated his sophomore year, along with a Stanley Cup. Nieuwendyk went on to score a total of 564 goals and 1126 points with three Stanley Cups with three different teams.

Along with a Conn Smyth trophy in 1999 with a Stars team that also had Brett Hull, who is being inducted next week. Nieuwendyk brought success to every where he played and was important piece to all the teams he's played for. He was a great leader on and off the ice and should be awarded with a call to the Hall of Fame he's first year of eligibility next year.

Reggie Vachon : I can't say it any better than Gann Matsuda did in his own article .

Theoren Fluery : Many will disagree with this, while few will agree. I'm not basing this decision after his attempt of a come back and retiring on his own terms either. I believed Fleury should've made the Hall before. Even though he was banned from the NHL for substance abuse, Fluery carried the Flames through the '90s after they dismembered their Stanley Cup team, terrible trades, and poor drafting.

Fleury calls his exit from the Flames the beginning of his end. Which is true, New York is no place for an alcoholic coke head. Fluery was 5'6" and played his career at an average of 160 pounds. Even today, a player of his stature is unheard of.

Yet Fleury, being the warrior he was, prevailed in the NHL. He was a prolific goal scorer throughout the 90's when holding, slashing, hooking, and interference we're at its highest. This little guy battled through men over 6'0" and well over 200 pounds. He was like a British Bull Dog in a fight with Pit Bulls and he more than held his own.

He never took crap from anybody and never backed down or showed weakness. He was an inspiration to all players under 5'10" before he was banned from the NHL and with his latest comeback he is inspiration to more than just hockey players.

With a Cup and a Olympic Gold medal it's hard to keep a man like that, but he probably will get over looked because of his demons and how he chose to deal with them. Although it is amazing to see how he played on the ice when he was a raging alcoholic and coke head off of it.

Mike Richter : Arguably the greatest American born goaltender of all time. Richter was dominate all throughout the '90s and who could ever forget his performance at the 1996 World Cup. He single-handedly stole the Gold from the heavy favorite Canadians. No one could score against him.

You think of the players that team consisted of and how did Canada not win the tournament. Well, Richter was that reason. He stoned everyone and was invincible. He is also one of three goaltenders to win a Cup for the Rangers, as well as the first to do so in 54 years.

He was one of the best big-game goaltenders in his time. Richter is another player who didn't get to finish out a career on his own terms after having to retire due to a concussion he never got over.

As well, Richter suffered after the 1997 season with having horrible teams in front of him. Their playoff drought had nothing to do with his goaltending. But from his beginning on Broadway to then he was possibly one of the best goaltenders in the league which is saying a lot when you have the likes of Roy, Brodeur, Hasek, and Belfour playing in the same era.

Last but not least....

Pavel Bure : Bure is another player I've heard many NHL analysts say he shouldn't be inducted. Most recently Barry Melrose stated that in his latest podcast. His reasoning is a player shouldn't be inducted for being great for a short period of time but over a long period of time and being consistent.

My figuring: If Cam Neely was inducted into the Hall of Fame, why not the Russian Rocket? I also don't consider Bure to be a player who was only great for a short period of time. Bure, when not injured, was always the best player on his team and most nights on the ice against any team. Bure sucked the energy out of the arena, stole games based off his own individual efforts to score goals, and always played at a high-octane speed.

Having five knee surgeries before he was 32 cut his career way too short. As his injuries were affecting him at 29 and limited his playing until his retirement at 31. Bure never played for many great teams besides in his beginning of his career in Vancouver, when he led them to a Game Seven in the Stanley Cup finals against the New York Rangers.

The Cup could've have easily have gone to the Canucks. Bure was one of, if not the, fastest player in his time. He easily had the best stick handling abilities and aim. He could do everything at high speed and left everyone on the ice in awe when he'd go through everyone, then coast in on the goalie and score.

Bure was possibly the greatest and most lethal player on a breakaway. Could you imagine him playing today in his prime with the shootout? He'd be unstoppable. Bure was also the most prolific scorer in the dead puck era. He scored 58 and 59 goals in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 season, to lead the NHL with the Florida Panthers.

On another team with a high-caliber center, he could've scored over 70 goals in those two seasons. In the 2000-2001 season, his 59 goals were 22 more than anyone else had in points total. Bure possibly was more talented with the puck than Alex Ovechkin.

He was an innovator with his dangles and dekes. I somehow doubt Bure will get the call anytime soon, though. I will take a lot of heat for this because I know many readers here will be outraged from it, but if Pavel was a Canadian instead of a Russian, there'd be no dispute over whether or not to induct him into the Hall of Fame.

Bure scored 437 goals in 702 games. He has the highest goals per game average of any Russian player to play over 338 games (Ovechkin right now has a higher percentage of .03 and change).

Hockey was pretty boring during the '90s, with a few exceptions. Simply put, Bure was the most exciting with his god given talent. It's sad when a great player can't finish a career and go out on his own terms because of injuries.

Bure could have easily scored 600 goals in his career and have the most points by a Russian born player. Imagine what a player of his skill could do in the NHL today. Go to YouTube and watch a tribute video to him and tell me he doesn't belong.

That video says it all.

There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel in Toronto

Kyle Holland — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:47:49 -0400

Phil Kessel is no longer a Bruin, and he is probably the most significant talent they have had leave either free agency or trade since Joe Thornton. The Bruins overcame the loss of Thornton after two seasons to reach the playoffs again and last season they won the Eastern Conference with most points, falling only one point behind San Jose for the Presidents trophy for most points in the NHL.

Sure a lot of that had to do with under rated center Marc Savard, who some how managed to not get an invite to Canada's training camp this past August after having 263 assists and 359 points since the lockout.

As well as team captain, reigning Norris trophy winner, and hardest shot, Zdeno Chara and reigning William Jennings and Vezina trophy winner Tim Thomas.

But Kessel had a major impact as well with his team leading 36 goals. Those goals however shouldn't be missed with Bergeron and Krejci getting betterand Wheeler getting more ice time from the departure of Kessel.

As well Boston will be getting 20 sure goal scorer Marco Sturm back into the lineup after a season-ending injury and Recchi and Kobasew will pick up the rest. So those 36 goals won't be hard to replace.

Even without Kessel, the Bruins are a lock to be Northwest division champs and will still be cup contenders. This contract dispute is the third good thing to happen to the Leafs and their fans in some time (first and second being Burke and Wilson, who'll make that team competitive no matter what).

While the Leafs have given the Bruins a first and second draft picks in the upcoming draft and another first round pick in the 2011 draft, they didn't give away those picks for an aging veteran like in the past but for an established 21 year old coming off a 36 goal season.

There's no guarantee that the Leaf's would be able to draft a player of Kessel's ability or immediate impact but there's a very high possibility that they wouldn't.

With a coach like Ron Wilson, who squeezes everything from his players, and a GM like Burke, the Leafs would never get a draft pick again in the top 10 in the next five years before Burke's contract will end. No player they would've drafted would have immediate impact for the team so the Leafs high price for Kessel won't diminish their future.

Right now, Kessel boasts Toronto's chances of making the playoffs this year. Even though the Leafs won't see him til sometime in November, Kessel who scored six goals in 11 games in the playoffs, just had off season surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum. He was still producing while playing hurt. Toronto is need of a player who can do that.

There's a small chance Kessel won't score over 30 goals next year while missing about a quarter to one-third of the season, along with having no obvious number one center on team, especially a center with the ability of Marc Savard or David Krejci.

Kessel is a player who scores his goals up close in front of the net and has the skills to score goals on his own. Even without a center like those in Boston, he'll have no problem continuing his goal production.

If Jason Allison has put his injuries behind him, and makes team, while not having much rust from not playing in the NHL after two years, that gives Kessel a prominent playmaker.

The Leafs are another dynamic scorer away from being a cup threat if rookie goalie Gustavsson meets expectations. As Kessel, under Wilson's watch, can transform into a two way play center. He started his career playing center and could be the Leafs first line center, instead of right wing.

Hitchcock molded Rick Nash, who had similar style of play as Kessel when he first came to the NHL, into an elite complete player after two years. There's no reason to believe that Wilson can't do the same with Kessel.

Hopefully the Leafs can rid themselves of some contracts such as Jeff Finger to free up space to add pieces to their puzzle. If anyone can find a way to rid a team an over paid defense men like Finger, Burke is the man to do it.

While Toronto won't be seeing their cup drought end this year, Leaf fans do have the pleasure of having realistic hopes in the next five years with Kessel joining the core of Schenn, Gustavsson, Komisarek, and Beauchamin.

For once, the future doesn't look dim in Toronto and a trip to the Playoffs may be in their future this season, and maybe in five years the Leafs will win another cup, letting man elderly men die happy in Toronto to see them win a cup again since 1967 and 42 years and counting of new fans to see it for the first time.

The NHL's 2009-10 Division Winners

Kyle Holland — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:45:13 -0400

Training camps for the NHL begin in approximately ten days, summer will finally be over and the withdrawl that many of us puck heads having been feeling since the first week of July will reside. It's been rumored that many deals will go down in the next few weeks as players will be put on waivers and teams will be looking to dump salary as many teams are above the salary cap or pushing it (Vancouver, Detroit, Chicago, Boston, Ottawa most notably.) Here is a premature look at who should win their respective divisions.

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A Look into Each Team's Franchise Player

Kyle Holland — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:07:57 -0400

The new season is about to begin and it's time to take a look at each club's franchise player. Their franchise player is the player they build their entire team around, the center of their puzzle. He is their most important player to their success. He displays leadership and is more than just a one dimensional player. Each team has more than one player who could be considered their franchise player, as others don't have such riches, here's a look at each team's franchise player.

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Complete NHL Second Round Prediction: Who Advances to Conference Finals?

Kyle Holland — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:04:17 -0400

The second round of the playoffs begin tomorrow with Vancouver and Chicago.

This should be an interesting second round, as almost all four series could go either way.

Here are predictions on while will advance to the conference finals.

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6)

The Boston Bruins have a lot of advantages over the Hurricanes—yet they have one big disadvantage going into the series.

While the Bruins swept the Canadiens and will not have a played a game in two weeks when the series begins, the Hurricanes are all full of energy following their seven-game victory over the New Jersey Devils.

The Hurricanes, if fatigue is not a factor, could actually steal a game from the Bruins at the Garden.

The Bruins will most likely need some time to find their legs again and get their gigantic offensive machine pumping again—although, the Bruins could be very much ready for the supercharged ‘Canes.

They had five players with a point or more per-game average, as well as two players score a goal per game.

Cam Ward has been hot since the All-Star break. He was very hot in 2006 as a rookie when the Canes won the Cup, and he is showing that hotness again after upsetting the favored Devils in the first round.

The Bruins are a complete team, though. Tim Thomas was spectacular in the first round, although against a depleted Canadiens team. He is a Vezina finalist and he will have Zdeno Chara, along with two other tough, gritty defensemen in Aaron Ward and Mark Stuart.

The Bruins are very lethal up front. Phil Kessel and Marc Savard are very deadly pair, as are David Krejci and Michael Ryder. It must have felt nice for Ryder to score four goals and seven points against a team that cast him out last year.

The Bruins have plenty of sandpaper with Milan Lucic, Stephen Yelle, and Shawn Thornton.

They also have plenty of playoff experience and leadership from trade-deadline acquisition Mark Recchi, who helped Carolina win its first Cup in 2006 in a deadline deal.

They also have Stephane Yelle, who has two Stanley Cups with Colorado and was part of the Calgary Flames team that lost in Game Seven against Tampa in 2004.

Those two players certainly know what it takes to win the Cup, and will provide much leadership to a team which is fairly young and has no playoff experience.

The Canes are playing like they did in 2006 when they won the Cup.

They're getting dangerous and they're clicking.

Cam Ward trumped King of Kings of goaltenders Martin Brodeur for the second time in the playoffs. The Hurricanes have many of the same key components they did when they won the Cup in 2006.

Paul Maurice has sparked this team from playoff dark horses to the sixth seed after the All-Star break.

The Hurricanes have a very deadly top line featuring Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, and tough guy Chad Larose. Larose, who reached a career high in goals (19) and points (31) this year, has a point per game in the first round.

However, after their top line, the Canes' production goes downhill.

Tim Gleason and Joni Pitkanen have provided some offense on the back end, and Jussi Jokinen has provided some secondary scoring. After that, the team trails off in a bad way.

If the Canes home to make this a close series or have a shot of upsetting the Bruins, they need players like Samsonov—who has one point—and Rod Brind'Amour, who has not scored any points yet, to score too. They also need scoring from Tuomo Ruutu, who has very efficient in the regular season.

Cam Ward will be facing a lot more rubber this round and will be plenty busy.

The Bruins have a lot more offense than the Devils did, and will need to try to take as much out of that factor to survive. Ward will be tested and so will their defense, but the Bruins have too much power and jam.

The Canes might be able to steal a win or two from them, depending on Cam Ward.

But the Bruins take this series with no problem in six games.

Washington Capitals (2) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (4)

This is what everybody has been hoping for since the 2005-2006 season: Sidney Crosby versus Alex Ovechkin in the playoffs. This is history—nothing will be bigger in this round than this series.

This series is the equivalent of Wayne Gretzky vs. Mario Lemieux, if the two had ever played against each other in the playoffs.

These two players are possibly the biggest and most popular players since those two. All eyes will be on these two to see who advances—along with the sub-drama of Alex Ovechkin versus Evgeni Malkin and Alex Semin versus Crosby. I'm sure Crosby hasn't forgotten Semin's comments about him earlier in the season.

The Penguins have a big advantage over the Washington Capitals.

They went to the Stanley Cup Finals last year, and are the first team since the Dallas Stars in 2001 playoffs to advance past the first round after losing in the finals. And they’re playing like the team that went to the finals last year as well.

The Capitals, a heavy favorite against the Rangers, struggled and had to force a Game Seven to win the series—although the Capitals have a lot of energy and momentum following that playoff round.

The Capitals are a young team; virtually no one on that team has any playoff experience besides Sergei Fedorov and Chris Clark. Clark went to the Finals with Calgary in 2004, and everyone should know Fedorov's success in the playoffs with Detroit—three Cups and four Finals visits.

At the age of the 40, just how valuable can a player like Fedorov be now?

Well, if you watched Game Seven last night, you know—very. He played like he did while he was in Detroit; he did not skate like a 40-year-old with bad knees, but like a very confident mid-twenties player, who knows his speed is his gift. He skated down the wing and sniped a very impressive shot over Henrik Lundqvist for the game-winning goal.

Another key component for the Capitals is how well rookie Simeon Varlamov plays against the Penguins. Beating the Rangers and keeping the score low is one thing, but the Penguins are a completely different breed of animal—or species, for that matter.

The Rangers are not flashy, they had to work hard and bang their goals in. The Penguins can score, Gritty one's and beautiful one's. They have three very potent lines lead by Crosby and Malkin.

They also possess a very potent shut-down line of Staal-Kennedy-Cooke.

This line resembles the shut-down unit of Moen-Niedermayer-Pahlsson the Ducks used to win their Cup in ‘07. Penguins coach Dan Bylsma will probably try to match this line against either Ovechkin's or Semin's line as much as possible.

Marc-Andre Fluery has been a very good goaltender in the playoffs the past two seasons. However, he will not be as hard to score against than Henrik Lundqvist was in the first round.

Ovechkin complied only three goals and seven points in the series and was shut out in two games of any points. Yet Ovechkin loves the spotlight, and the spotlight just got a little bit brighter on him in the second round.

Another key component to the Capitals scoring is if Alex Semin can continue scoring goals. He scored five goals and eight-points in the first round. If he can do the same in the second, it will certainly make Ovechkin's job easier with less pressure to deal with.

Another key match-up is the Penguins' Sergei Gonchar versus Capitals' Norris trophy canididate Mike Green. Although Green only scored one goal, he should pick his game up for the second round.

Gonchar has been in the playoffs, and knows what it takes to produce and succeed. The two players are very similar in style of play.

They both get the offense going for their respected clubs. Gonchar has the experience over Green, while Green has the youth and a better knack for scoring goals.

One way to stop the other teams offensive will be to neutralize these players from being able to make the first pass.

This series will be very close. Both teams can score goals, and both are deadly on the power play. This will come down to a very dramatic Game Seven.

I give the edge to the Capitals. Ovechkin is very determined, and his energy and passion will get the better over the Penguins' calm demeanor.

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)

This series will be as exciting as the Ducks' first round. Jonas Hiller was spectacular, and he is in for another round of the same assault he faced from the Detroit Red Wings.

The only difference this round is the Wings are a more disciplined team and have more playoff experience than any team in the NHL. The Red Wings have won four cups in 11 years. They virtually keep the same key ingredients that it takes to win.

They have one of the greatest defenseman to ever play the game in Niklas Lidstrom, and a very great all-around player in Pavel Datsyuk.

Oh, they also have Marian Hossa, Henrik Zetterberg, and power forwards Tomas Holmstorm and Johan Franzen—who are impossible to move out of the way in front of the net—along with a very skilled defenseman in Brian Rafalski.

The Red Wings had eight players have a point or more per game against Chris Mason, who is a Vezina and Calder Candidate. Hiller will be facing just many or more shots than he did from the Sharks.

The Ducks upset the first-seeded team and President Trophy winner, along with many experts' choice to win the Cup this year.

That was no easy task. In all their games, the Ducks were outshot by a large margin, yet they scored key goals and shut down the Sharks' potent offense. The Ducks will be playing this series much as the same as they did the last.

If Jonas Hiller gets burned out from all the rubber or even if the wings manage to get three by him, the Ducks are in trouble.

The Wings are a puck-possession team, and have a great ability to transition in the game. They can go from high-scoring machine to defensive shut-down team. In the first round, the Wings swept the Jackets and never were behind in a game.

If the Wings score first, the Ducks are in trouble.

The Ducks are much of the same kind of team as the Jackets, with the exception that the Ducks have a much better blue line. Pronger and Niedermayer will be playing close to 30-minutes a game trying to shut down the Red Wings potent offense down.

The only problem might be for that the Red Wings have too many lines and combinations to throw at them.

This will be a very exciting series and with the experience and surprising turn-around from Chris Osgood, the Wings will wrap this series up in five games. Hiller will manage to steal one game for the Ducks.

The Wings will create way too much traffic in front of him. He will be burned out, and the Wings will take advantage.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (4)

This is probably the hardest series to predict, besides the Capitals and Penguins.

The ‘Hawks have a very young and inexperienced team, but the Canucks are also inexperienced.

Luongo has never been past the second round and has only gotten there twice, but to be fair this is only his second postseason appearance. The ‘Hawks are riding behind Nikolai Khabibulin, and the Canucks are riding behind Luongo.

The only difference is that the Chicago Blackhawks have a very solid top two forward lines, while until Sundin returns the Canucks only have one.

The Canucks received much of their scoring from three guys—Andrew Burrows and the Sedin twins. The Blackhawks scored seven power-play goals against Calgary from seven different players—although, the Canucks have the advantage, on paper at least, on the blue line.

Their blue line is much more experienced than the Hawks. The only player with experience for the Hawks is Brian Campbell, and his deflection goal against Calgary was his first in 51 games.

I think the Hawks will surprise everyone with their play on the blue line. Cam Barker, Brent Seabrook, and Duncan Keith are all good young defenseman. Although none of them have played in the playoffs before, they didn't show that against Calgary.

I think this will end up being a goaltending dual. Kabby has a Cup; Luongo does not. Although Luongo is still younger than him, Khabibulin will triumph over Luongo in this round.

Prediction: ‘Hawks in a very close six games.

The West Is Wide Open for the Pickings

Kyle Holland — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:03:37 -0500

The teams to make the playoffs in the west are wide open. Pretty much the last four spots in the playoffs can go to any one of the teams that aren't San Jose, Detroit, or Chicago, and maybe Calgary.

If Vancouver we're to have some jump in its game and had Mats Sundin playing like Sundin, or Luongo playing like he did before he went down with an injury in November, they could push Calgary for the Northwest division seed.

Dallas has gone from the basement in the western conference to the fifth seed. Separating them at the fifth seed to the 15th spot is a mere ninth points, St. Louis Blues currently hold the basement in the conference.

They're not out of a playoff race just yet, and one has to wonder where they'd be in the standings if they didn't lose key players to season long injuries such as Ryan Johnson(hurt before the pre-season even started), Andy McDonald, and Paul Kariya.

The Stars have gone back to their now 10 year formula of strong defensive play and goal-tending and timely scoring that has suited them so well. Now their back to their form the key is to keep it up if they want to stay in the playoff picture another slump will certainly take them out of it.

The Blues are still winning games thanks to Brad Boyes to continue a steady production without McDonald feeding him the puck. The Blues goal-tending is an issue as they've placed Lanny Legace on waivers and Chris Mason has been average.

The Blues don't have much offensive punch to stay in the race much longer, they'll certainly make the gap bigger by the March trade deadline. Patrick Berglund has been slipping in production and Keith Tkachuk hasn't been scoring any goals lately like he had before McDonald went down with his season long injury.

Anaheim has been slipping in large part to outside of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Correy Perry, no one on the team is consistent. Chris Kunitz game has been lacking ever since they traded McDonald for Weight to make room for the return of Scott Niedermayer mid-season last year.

Giguire has had family issues all season with the illness and death of his father, Jonas Hillar has been a good fill-in posting a 2.17 GAA but has eleven loses in his 29 starts, stats like that should garner more wins and less loses.

The Ducks have to score more if they want to find themselves in the playoffs and not go out in the first round again.

Minnesota has done better than most would expect without Marian Gaborik. If they want to stay in the playoff picture, they need to add a scorer at the deadline, to release pressure off of its defense and goal-tending.

Vancouver as stated above needs Luongo to play better and Sundin to be worth all the trouble and drama he's garnered since the off-season. If they miss the playoffs this year, it sure has to be in part because Sundin ruined team Chemistry as they were fifth in the conference when he joined and now sit in eighth with a six-point lead from the basement.

Colorado will a playoff appearance isn't far-fetched especially if they ever find consistency in net from either Budja or Raycroft. Are more likely to fall out completely by March and will be selling off players such as Tucker and Svatos.

Injuries to star centers Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny has certainly made it harder for them to contend each night. Tyler Arnason isn't a first line center on any team.

Edmonton is a team most would have thought would be a playoff team after the strong push they made last season behind it's young-star line of Cogliano, Gagner, Nilsson. Certainly having Ales Hemsky in and out of the lineup has hurt Edmonton, and the lack of production from it's three young players, and the goal-tending drama is what is keeping Edmonton from making solid ground.

It also would help if Dustin Penner would ever stay consistent and play to the offer sheet Kevin Lowe signed him for back in the the '07 offseason.

Los Angeles is built for the future behind Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Jack Johnson, Drew Doughty, and waiver pick up Kyle Quincy. Some Stabilization in net would certainly help the kings, but Jonathan Quick has been their best bet so far posting a .92 SV% and a 2.38 GAA in 18 games.

If the gap continues to grow they could trade Alex Frolov for some prospects to add to their re-building project. The biggest surprise this year is the Kings Penalty Kill. Last year it was near the bottom and this year it's 9th in the league. Pretty good for a team with such a young core.

This year has been Columbus' best hopes of making the playoffs but a season ending injury to rookie center Derick Brassard, Pascal Leclaire ever-going injury problems, and Mono recently putting Rookie sensation Steve Mason have put a road block this year.

It's not impossible for them to still make the playoffs, a trade for a veteran center and possibly a winger as well would help. Maybe the Jackets will take Manny Legace off of waivers or re-entry waivers for goal-tending depth to ride out the absence of both Leclaire and Mason.

Nonetheless if the Jackets want to make the playoffs, they have to find someone else to help Rick Nash out on offense as he leads the team in all three offensive categories.

Nashville doesn't have enough scoring punch to stay competitive. The lose of Alex Radulov to the KHL this past summer has certainly hurt them as others leaving. They stay competitive to their strong core of defense. Their goaltending situation looks to be leveled with the emergence of rookie netminder Pekka Rinne.

It's surprising after Dan Ellis almost stole a series from the eventual Stanley Cup winners the Detriot Red Wings last spring, has been anything but great this season.

Phoenix needs to make the playoffs if they are to survive in the desert. The franchise is bleeding money right now. If they make the playoffs it could gain interest and fan base in the desert to keep it afloat. Otherwise the team will probably be moving to Canada or Kansas City, or even Las Vegas.

I guess the record that Oli Jokinen has broken will continue to grow after this season of most games played to never appear in a playoff picture. Maybe if they're sitting too far away from a playoff spot by March Management and the league will find it in the hearts to put him on the trade block to a contending team to end the embarrassment of never playing in the playoffs.

Jokinen is too good of a player to not have played in a single playoff game.

Like I said the fifth spot all the way to the 15th spot is up for anyone in this conference outside of the top four teams. The biggest advantage any team could get is a trade that to fix any holes they have.

Thirty Days And Counting to The Trade Deadline: A Look at Some Fantasy Trades

Kyle Holland — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:46:04 -0500

With the trade deadline coming up in 30 days time, I thought it'd be interesting to write about some fantasy trades that could happen and others that are just pure fantasy.

Scott Gomez to Minnesota for Marian Gaborik and a Conditional Draft Pick

This trade is purely fantasy. No one in the NHL wants to trade for Gaborik and would much rather wait for the offseason to sign him as an unrestricted free agent. Although since it's fantasy anyways, here are the stipulations: Gaborik agrees to sign a two-year contract extension worth $4 million annually but with incentives that can reach the $8-9 million he would be looking for on the open market.

One of the incentives would he plays over 75 games for once in his career. This trade works very well for both sides: One, Minnesota gets a player of equal worth. Two the New York Rangers rid themselves of the $7.6 million cap hit they have from Gomez for the next six seasons. While having large contracts to Redden, Rozsival, and Drury for the next four seasons combined is a large amount of money, nearing around $25 million for four players, all of whom aren't playing to their contract worth. New York also gets a high scoring winger, If Gaborik comes back from his surgery with little to no problems with his groin that's plagued him his entire career, he could post up to 45 to 50 goals.

Jason Arnott to New Jersey Devils for Zubrus and Third and Fourth Round Draft Picks

Nashville isn't going to make the playoffs this year and since Nashville's future has been in jeopardy for the past several years that have seen them trade away or let players leave via free agency due to costs (Vokoun, Timonen, Zidlicky, Kariya, Hartnell, Upshall) Although this is unlikely because Arnott is under contract for another two years, the trade makes perfect sense in what the Devils have been doing this season: Going back into the past, in the offseason they signed Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik, both of whom were vital parts to past success in New Jersey. A couple weeks ago, they signed Brendan Shanahan to a deal bringing his career full circle. I'm surprised Lamoriello didn't try to snag Claude Lemieux from waivers when he was called up by San Jose.

Vincent Lecavalier to Montreal for a King's Ransom

Every has been hearing the rumors circling around the possibility of Lecavalier being traded to his home province in Montreal, unless you've been in cave with no Internet or you don't follow hockey. Either way, in order for this trade to take place involves many variables. Vinny would have to agree to the trade, even though his no-trade clause isn't effective until July. Management has said if they were to trade Lecavalier, they'd ask him permission and which team he'd like to be traded to.

Also, Bob Gainy while under pressure to win a cup in the Habs centennial year, would have to give up quite the package, probably a first and second round in the 2009 draft, second and fourth round in the 2010 draft, Thomas Plakanec, Chris Higgins, Matt D'Agostini and other prospects. When it comes down to it, it's not worth the price. The Habs should focus on adding a top four defense men and adding goaltending depth, maybe Kolzig.

Sidney Crosby to Atlanta for Ilya Kovalchuk, Slava Kozlov, and Eric Boulton

This trade will never happen. Pittsburgh will never ever trade away Sidney Crosby, they'll be determined to have him play out his career in Pittsburgh. Although in this trade, I think everyone wins. Ilya Kovalchuk is one of the most dangerous scorers and has never had a center to help him out since Savard left. Malkin and Kovalchuk could be a dangerous duo and Slava Kozlov adds nice needed scoring depth. Eric Boulton brings a physical presence that the Penguins have lacked all season. Atlanta gets a bona fide center to build its franchise around and the face of the NHL could bring back fans that have abandoned the team through it's poor play and it's poor management since it's existence.

Doug Weight to Columbus for Prospects and Drafts Picks

Sitting in last place, the Islanders will most likely be looking to dump some of its veteran talent to playoff-bound teams or teams looking to break through the bubble in exchange for young prospects and draft picks. Weight's career looked like it was over after last years performance that was split between St. Louis and Anaheim. This season, he looks rejuvenated, although he's missed some time with a lower leg injury he has 25 assists and 33 points in 39 games. Weight could be what Columbus needs to add scoring depth and power play help, Weight has 20 points on the man advantage so far this year. Despite his age, he is still a contributing play-maker and could help Rick Nash add a couple more tallies with his passing ability.

Denis Gauthier to Washington for Future Consideration Draft Picks

Washington has done a pretty good job continuing to win with the number of injuries to key players, especially on the back end. Heading down the stretch, the Capitals will be looking to either add another goaltender or defensive help on the blue line. They need a veteran stay at home defense-man to make a deep run into the playoffs. Gauthier, while not the best option, is one of the few defenders available. He was a part of the Calgary team that lost in Game 7 to Tampa Bay in 2004. He could add the physical presence and playoff experience the club is looking for.

NHL All-Star Weekend Highlights: Alex Kovalev Proves Doubters Wrong

Kyle Holland — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:04:15 -0500

This weekend's All-Star festivities were the most interesting since the lockout.

The skills competition and All-Star Game were quite exciting—more so than in recent years.

Here are a few other highlights:

Kovalev's Homecoming

Alex Kovalev certainly showed he deserved to be in the game, and was named the MVP after scoring two goals, an assist, and the shootout winner in front of his hometown crowd in Montreal.

He may have been voted in as a starter, but he showed through his impressive skills in the fan voting shootout competition—and the game itself—that he belonged there.

Hopefully for Montreal fans, he can bring that play with him when he goes back to action with the Habs Tuesday night in Tampa Bay.

Alex and Evgeni—A Friendly Rivarly?

Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin seemed to be buddy-buddy at the All-Star skills competition, as Malkin helped Ovechkin put on a bucket hat with the Canadian flag and a pair of sunglasses to help Ovie win the fan-voting shootout. After the skills competition Saturday night, the two had dinner with each other as well.

They have said they're not friends but it appears the two super Russian players do respect one another, and I'm sure they'll give each other their best when they play head-to-head on Feb. 22. I guess their rivalry is more friendly and competitive than bitter.

Either way, those two never disappoint when their two respective teams play against each other.

Fast-Shooting Chara

Zdeno Chara set the new record for hardest/fastest shot with 105.4 mph. I think defenders will think twice about blocking the big Slovak's shot now.

No Playing Hooky

One thing I find to be unfair is the fact that both Datsyuk and Lidstrom must sit out their next game when they play the Columbus Blue Jackets. Lidstrom has been playing with tendinitis for several seasons—and wanted to use the break to rest up during the stretch—and Datsyuk left his last game against Phoenix with a sore hip flexor.

Both failed to attend the All-Star Game, and as a result have to miss their team's next game.

However, Sidney Crosby—the face of the NHL—doesn't have to miss his team's next game. He did attend the All-Star Game, but did not play. I feel this is a classic case of star treatment. He should have to sit out his team's next game as well.

Just because he was able to make an appearance at the All-Star Game shouldn't make a difference. He did play in his team's last game and shouldn't be allowed to play. Crosby finished his last game, Datsyuk left his game, and Datsyuk is the one being punished.

Overall Success

The All-Star Game itself was actually pretty exciting, despite there being no hitting. The game was filled with great plays, highlight goals, and spectacular saves.

The third period and overtime put a good frosting on the cake. Tim Thomas made some unbelievable saves to keep the East in it as they staggered through the West's comeback. He held his ground in OT as the East were down a man.

The East also played a very aggressive penalty kill that didn't stop them from taking some scoring chances.

A very exciting aspect was the chemistry between some of the All-Stars. The line of Ovechkin-Savard-Heatley seemed as though they've been playing together for years. (Savard and Heatley actually did play together down in Atlanta.) Malkin-Kovalev-Staal also played together nicely.

This year's game certainly showcased the NHL's most talented players in a very good light, and had one of the highest-scoring All-Star games in NHL history.

Predictions for the 2009 Awards and Standings: Find Out Who Steals the Show

Kyle Holland — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:09:32 -0500

Well it's official now, we're now halfway through the season, which has already has been full of surprises like Claude Lemieux attempting a comeback at the age of 43, someone put down Crosby in the media, and the Boston Bruins look to be one of the best teams in the league.

But I'm writing about that, I'm just going to give a prediction on the following: Individual awards, Division winners, Presidents trophy winner, and what the final look of the standings should look like at the end of this season.

Let's start with the individual hardware:

Art Ross Winner: Alex Ovechkin

This one I really debated with, I couldn't decide whether Ovechkin would in fact pass Malkin who is 11 points ahead of him.

Although Malkin has been playing very well this season, I believe he's going to hit a rough patch around February and into mid-March. Ovechkin already went through his rough patch this season.

He started the season with five points (two goals, three assists) in his first five games and went 9 games without scoring a goal. He went to Russia to visit his ailing grandfather and came back on a scoring tear.

He scored 25 points in 14 games upon his return in November. He caught up to both the leaders in goals and points. While Malkin does have a considerable distance, Ovechkin will catch up to him, but I feel this one will be decided in the final few games.

Honorable Mentions: Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Marc Savard

Hart Memorial Winner: Alex Ovechkin

Now I know people are going to think I'm biased, but if you really look at someone who is an MVP, Ovechkin fits the bill. Alex has revitalized hockey in Washington, he is the first athlete in Washington to win an any major award in all of Washington sports since 1983.

This year, he's currently in third place in scoring, one point behind Sidney Crosby. He's sixth in hits, first in shots, and he's now even playing on the penalty kill unit, which has Ovechkin on the ice in every kind of situation, playing over 23 minutes a game.

He currently has the most T.O.I. average for a forward, and is plus-12. Ovechkin does it all, he scores, he passes, he hits, he kills penalties, he back-checks, and blocks shots.

He'll do whatever it takes to win, and it's showing in the standings as despite inconsistent goal-tending (Washington is currently in the bottom 10 in GA) they're second in the East in points and running away with the Southeast division.

Honorable mentions: Steve Mason, Ryan Getzlaf, Marc Savard, Niklas Backstrom(wild), Patrick Marleau

Vezina Winner: Steve Mason

Many people think Evgeni Nabokov, Mikka Kiprusoff, or Henrik Lundqvist will be up for this award, while I think the writers of the NHL will vote for these three men as the final candidates and give it to Nabokov, I honestly think the best goaltender this year is rookie sensation Steve Mason.

Mason has been giving the Jackets their best chance of making the playoffs in their whole franchise existence. He took over as a starter when Pascal Leclaire got hurt and has since held on to it.

He has excellent stats for a rookie net-minder that resemble one seeing Dominik Hasek or Martin Brodeur having. In 24 games he has 14 wins, 9 loses, and 1 OTL. He's posting a 1.74 GAA and .939 Sv% with 6 shutouts in 24 games.

His GAA and Sv% won't stay that great by the end of the season but they will still be very good. He'll level off with a GAA of 2.07-2.20 and a Sv% of .920-.929.

Those are way better numbers than who many consider the elite goaltenders in the NHL. His stats can't be argued to be inflated by a great defensive team or anything.

He faces a lot of rubber as the Jackets goaltender, and I think it would make a great story for him to win the Vezina as a rookie.

Honorable mentions: Tim Thomas, Ryan Miller, Niklas Backstrom (Wild)

Rocket Richard Winner: Alex Ovechkin

Right now, he's second with 27 goals tied with Tomas Vanek, and is two behind Jeff Carter. Ovechkin was significantly behind in goals by the time he came back from Russia from Vanek and Richards.

But no one has scored more goals than Ovechkin has in the past 30 games. In the past 30 games, Ovechkin has 25 goals, despite the past three games he hasn't scored a goal so in 27 games he scored 25 goals.

Carter is leading the NHL right now but by the end of the season Ovechkin will have between 57-63 goals.

Honorable mentions: Tomas Vanek, Jeff Carter, Phil Kessel, Patrick Marleau

Calder Memorial Winner: Steve Mason

I already wrote about Steve Mason's accomplishments above for the Vezina, but he is the best rookie of the bunch, which is saying a lot, this is one of the best rookie classes ever, right up with the 2006 class that was highlighted by Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Henrik Lundqvist, among others.

As a side note, I find it humorous almost that Steven Stamkos and Kyle Turris aren't anywhere near being considered for this award so far and almost every hockey analyst predicted either of them to win this award.

Honorable Mentions: Bobby Ryan, Kris Versteeg, Blake Wheeler, Matt Hunwick

James Norris Memorial Winner: Mike Green

This category was the hardest to decide, by far. There are so many great defensemen in this league. Dan Boyle has been great but he is only plus 6. I find this award should be give to the best all around defense men.

Denis Wideman makes a good argument with his plus 25 and 28 points (8 goals, 20 assists).

Certainly this season will not see Niklas Lidstrom win it for the seventh time in eight seasons, unless he has a tremendous second half. He's not doing bad by any standards but not like his previous campaigns.

I honestly believe Mike Green is the best candidate to take over for Lidstrom, which makes all the more marvelous he is only 23 and is in his third full season.

Green despite a shoulder injury that's made him miss 13 games this season has 28 points in 30 games (10 goals, 18 assists). He is a plus 15 and averages 25.13 minutes of ice time. He is certainly behind the charge that's taking place in Washington.

While not a big hitter with only 20 hits, he does have 41 blocked shots, which is pretty good for someone who is so valuable.

If Green had not missed 13 games, he would certainly be leading the NHL defense men in scoring and goals scored, as well as having a higher plus minus. Green might not get the nod, as again this award has had a tendency to go with seniority.

I'm sure by the next 41 remaining games, Green will make a great enough statement for his case as this season's best defensemen.

Honorable mentions: Dan Boyle, Denis Wideman, Shea Weber, Brian Rafalski, Andrej Markov

Jack Adams Winner: Claude Julien

While Brett McLellan may have the best record with the San Jose Sharks, he did walk into a pretty good situation already. San Jose was already a great team under Ron Wilson but couldn't get over the hump.

A change in coaching staff and the Sharks are finally playing like they should have. They already had enough established stars to begin with.

The reason I go with Julien over McLellan is simply, while he walked into a great situation, Julien did not. When he came over to Boston in the start of the 2007-2008 season, he turned a team that was predicted to be in the bubble of the Eastern Conference to a playoff team.

Although they were exited in the first round of the playoffs from the first seed Canadiens, they brought the series to a game seven. They played almost the entire season without Patrice Bergeron and the first several games of the series without Savard.

This year again, people predicted the Bruins to be outside the playoffs or finish with a high seed. Not the case, as they are first in the Conference as well as being first in goals scored and fewest goals against in the entire NHL.

The Bruins are the most balanced team in the NHL. They're doesn't seem to be any holes in their lineup. Even with Marco Sturm and Patrice Bergeron out long term, there's no stopping them.

Julien has groomed this team very well; he's getting the most out of his veterans as he is with his young players and rookies.

Phil Kessel has turned into a fine goal scorer, Savard is in fourth place for points in the NHL, David Krejci has been out-standing in his second year as he's already passed his last year's totals, and Michael Ryder seems to not have been a bust free agent signing as he's back on pace to be a 30-goal scorer.

Not many coaches are able to get their team to be consistent night in and night out as well as have his team be first in goals scored and have the fewest goals scored against. He is definitely the best coach in the NHL right now.

Honorable mentions: Brett McLellan, Bruce Boudreau, Mike Babcock, Joel Quinnville

Lady Bing Winner: Patrick Marleau

Marleau has been a classy guy, as well as being a dominant force on the ice. He has only 10 minutes in penalties and has 46 points. He certainly is a gentleman on the ice and has tremendous sportsmanship.

Honorable mentions: Pavel Datsyuk, Daniel Sedin, Niklas Backstrom (Wsh)

Now I'm going to give how each conference should look by the end of the season, along with the Presidents winner and division winners.

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Bruins (Northeast) (Presidents winner)

2. Washington Capitals (Southeast)

3. Philadelphia Flyers (Atlantic)

4. Montreal Canadiens

5. New Jersey Devils

6. New York Rangers

7.Buffalo Sabres

8. Pittsburgh Penguins

9. Carolina Hurricanes

10. Florida Panthers

11. Toronto Maple Leafs

12. Ottawa Senators

13. Tampa Bay Lightning

14. Atlanta Thrashers

15. New York Islanders

Side note: The last two spots in the East are pretty much up for grabs between 7-10. Any one of the those four teams could finish in the last two spots in the playoffs, which I really wouldn't be surprised if Pittsburgh ended up not making the playoffs.

If their current skid that started in December continues, their hole will be a lot harder to overcome, but the top six teams I have listed, unless for an unforeseen injury or circumstance, i.e., trade occurs, should make the playoffs.

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings (Central)

2. San Jose Sharks (Pacific)

3. Vancouver Canucks (Northwest)

4. Chicago Blackhawks

5. Calgary Flames

6. Anaheim Ducks

7. Columbus Blue Jackets

8. Phoenix Coyotes

9. Colorado Avalanche

10. Dallas Stars

11. Edmonton Oilers

12. Los Angeles Kings

13. Nashville Predators

14. Minnesota Wild

15. St. Louis Blues

Side Note: Here is even more difficult, as any team from Nashville to Colorado could push any of the teams who aren't in the top four spots out of the playoffs. The West has a lot of good teams and is a very competitive conference, as there really aren't any weak teams.

The Blues certainly would a contending team if they didn't have injuries to McDonald, Kariya, Becks, and Johnson. This isn't counting the other players who have been in and out of the lineup due to injuries. Even the Stars could manage to limp into the playoffs.

The Evolution Behind Alexander the Great

Kyle Holland — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 06:57:11 -0500

As each season ends and another one begins since the 2005-2006 season, Alex Ovechkin is showing he's not just a guy who can score 50 goals in a season.

Ovechkin finished in third for points and goals, as well in third for voting for the MVP and Lester B. Person awards in his rookie year in 2006.

Last year, Ovechkin finished in first place in scoring, first in goals and won four awards: Art Ross, Lester B. Person, Rocket Richard, and the MVP leading the Capitals to their first division title since 2001 and playoff berth since 2004.

This season, Ovechkin was off to the worst start in his young career, scoring just two goals and three assists in eight games. Ovechkin knows he's a better player and has proven just that since coming back from Russia. He went on a scoring tear in November, scoring 25 points in 14 games.

Many people still believe that Ovechkin is a one-dimensional player who shoots a lot, is a puck hog, and can only score. Ovechkin has matured a lot since coming into the NHL. This year, he's playing more minutes and is killing penalties.

He's been playing in his zone more as this season has progressed as well too. Fellow team-mate and captain of the Capitals had this to say over Ovechkin's evolution as a player:

"It's the defensive side of him that hockey enthusiasts don't see or pick up on. He's usually the first guy back, stopping where he has to stop in the defensive zone. He's responsible and you can see it now when he's penalty killing a lot, and he's out there at the end of the games where, in the past, if we were winning he might not be in there. He's turned into the best all-around player in the league, not just the best scorer."
-- Chris Clark

Ovechkin has also progressed in his size since coming into the NHL. His first season he weighed 215, last season at 222, and this season he's up to 230. His weight gain hasn't slowed him down, but has made it even harder to knock him off the puck, which has also made him one of the biggest hitters in the NHL.

Right now he's sixth in hits in the NHL with 133, which is a lot for an elite goal scorer. Not many players in the past who have scored 60 or more goals in a season have been in the top ten in hits as well.

The most important aspect of Ovechkin's game that has evolved is his leadership ability. While Sidney Crosby may already have the "C" on his jersey, Ovechkin has been acting captain while current captain Chris Clark has been out of the lineup for the most part in the past season and half.

The longer he's been in the States he's more comfortable speaking English, which has made him a strong leader in the locker-room and on the ice.

"My first couple of years I was running around all the time and it didn't matter if I was going forward or going back," Ovechkin said. "I couldn't read situations. Right now I can read situations, when I have to skate or pass it or relax. I have more experience right now."

This is dead on the money, as Ovechkin now is playing smarter, which could be contributed to having Sergei Fedorov as a mentor.

When Ovechkin first started, he would waste a lot more energy correcting mistakes and running around. Now he leads all forwards in ice time played and has been taking long shifts but isn't getting hooking or slashing penalties because of it.

He's learned to conserve more energy and use it more effectively. His play this season has been a prime example of how much he's grown.

I've stated in a previous article I believe one day Ovechkin could also be a Frank Selke candidate. He has certainly shown big strides in his defensive game over the past year and it's not such a far-fetched idea that in five to seven years, he'll be that great defensively as well as offensively.

Ovechkin is one of the most complete players under the age of 25. He can score better than anyone, make a pass just like the rest, hits like the grittiest, kills penalties, and leads his team by example.

:All Quotes are from NHL.com:

Turmoil in Pittsburgh: The Stanley Cup Loser Curse Has Fallen Upon the Penguins

Kyle Holland — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 05:43:07 -0500

The Penguins have certainly fallen to the Stanley Cup losers' curse. After Thursday night's loss to Nashville, the Penguins now find themselves in 10th place in the East.

After getting an easy win over Atlanta, things looked bright for them...until Thursday. The Pens started the game very well and looked to secure a second straight victory with a three-goal lead almost into the half way point of the game.

Then something happened. The Penguins loosened their pressure, didn't play with poise or hockey smarts.

Nashville has been struggling offensively all season, but in a miraculous comeback, the Preds scored five unanswered goals to win 5-3, so the Penguins have lost six of their last seven games.

The Penguins have to score more goals, gain leads, and hold onto them. It's ludicrous that their top two players, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, who are first and third in NHL Scoring, aren't scoring goals.

Malkin is on pace for 29 goals and Crosby is on pace for 31. Both would be career lows.

Coach Michel Therrien wants to keep Malkin and Crosby apart, but to get back into a the top eight spots in the East, he might want to keep the two together and give Staal the second line duties.

It's been a common that Crosby has a revolving doors with his wingers because they are not producing with him, which I find odd they can't find anyone to play with him.

Everyone says Crosby makes everyone who plays with him better. It doesn't appear that way.

After signing Staal to a four-year deal, paying him 3.5 million for two seasons then 4 million the next, they should give him more ice time and duties of second-line center.

He's only 20 years old, yes he did score 29 goals his rookie season but has not scored much since, but give him time.

Therrien hasn't been patient with Staal since his rookie season. He'll give him tests of playing wing with Crosby or playing second line center but yanks him after a few games because he's not getting the results he wants.

That will put a toll on a a player's confidence. Give him more than a few games before you yank him. He doesn't have a whole lot of experience only playing three years.

With the current situation in Pittsburgh, Therrien might want to reconsider his lines and put Malkin and Crosby together, and give Staal second-line duties. Not much else is going well for them, what could it hurt?

Marc-Andre Fleury has to play better. He played like an elite goaltender when he came back from a high ankle sprain down the stretch through the playoffs.

With a 2.97 GAA and a .904 Sv%, that's not the kind of goaltender the Penguins need to make the playoffs, especially since they're not scoring. They need the goaltender who went 1.97 in GAA and a .933 Sv%.

Fleury knows he has to play better and after a good game against Atlanta, he let up against Nashville.

One of the biggest problems for the Penguins is they are too soft. The trade deadline is less than two months away. The Penguins should look to make a trade with one of their defense men, maybe Mark Eaton, Hal Gill, or Phillippe Boucher to get a second line winger and an enforcer.

That hole left from Adam Hall and George Laraque is deeply missed. Maybe the Penguins can get Sean Avery, who'd supplement both, but only if it's the Avery who played in New York.

Last year, the Rangers played better with him in the lineup, but this season they don't seem to miss him all that much. He was poison to Dallas, but Avery can't be to blame when he hasn't played in a month and not all much has changed with them.

Satan has to play better and net a couple more goals as well, especially if they put him out there with Crosby.

Maybe the Penguins can work a deal with Tampa Bay to get Ryan Malone back. He's miserable in Tampa and the Penguins are missing him in front of their opponents net and on the PK.

The Lightning have a lot of offensive players who aren't scoring and need defensemen to help out in front of their own net. The Penguins have some defensemen they can do without that the Bolts could use with skill and leadership.

The Penguins have to turn their current misfortunes around soon before they dig their hole even deeper. They don't want to walk into the playoffs with a high seed and face the Bruins, the red-hot Capitals or the Broad Street Bullies in Philly.

They have to turn things around now and look at the deadline as their best option to fill their holes.

Peril in Pittsburgh: Penguins Face Challenging Decisions

Kyle Holland — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:45:01 -0500

On Monday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins won their first game after losing five straight and winning only five of the past 14 games.

While many speculated that the Penugins would dominate, they too have felt the Stanley Cup hangover that has plagued a handful of teams since the lockout.

One reason could be that this isn't exactly the same team that went to the Stanley Cup finals. Gone are power forward Ryan Malone and right winger Marian Hossa, which had huge impacts on the team last postseason.

In Hossa's case, the Penguins should have just excepted him as a rental skater and not someone they were going to get to sign a multi-year deal. Many are surprised that he left Pittsburgh to join the Red Wings for a one year deal involving simliar money instead of the multi-year deal and play alongside Sidney Crosby, who he had great chemistry with in the playoffs.

Sadly, Malone and Hossa aren't even the beginning of the team's problems. Instead, the loss of role players have hurt the younger players on the team.

Center Tyler Kennedy is young and could become a 20-30 goal scorer in the near future, while center Jordan Staal looks to replicate the season he had as a rookie. Pittsburgh's biggest loss was gritty leadership from Gary Roberts. While he is 42-years old and isn't having that great of a season in Tampa Bay, his leadership was priceless.

He isn't the offensive power he once was that made him a star in Calgary in the late '80s and early '90s, but the leadership he had was a major boost for a young Penguin squad.

Other meaningful losses were Adam Hall, a good defensive forward, an enforcer in forward George Laraque, and an agitator/biter in forward Jarrko Ruutu. If Laraque and Ruutu were still in Penguin jerseys, the little "fights" that Crosby were involved in recently would not exist.

Those four players were important role players and shut down players for the Penguins, along with Malone, who with Staal, formed a very potent penalty kill that was among the best down the stretch and in the playoffs.

To add insult to injury, a preseason injuries to defensemen Segrei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney have hurt the Penguins on the blue line. While it should hurt, the Penguins are deep in defensemen.

To fill that void, young defenseman Kris Letang fought his way and earned a roster spot on the team and has played very well for them. There's also defenseman Hal Gill, who Jaromir Jagr has personally described as "one of the best shut down defensemen in the game."

There was defenseman Daryl Sydor before he was traded for fellow defenseman Philip Boucher, who was an immediate upgrade. Robert Scuderi and Brooks Orpik are great defensemen as well, but there has been another answer. While injuries have plagued Whitney and Gonchar, a rookie by the name of Alex Goligoski currently leads all Penugin defensemen in points and plus/minus.

Another loss to the Penguins was last year's surprising savior, goaltender Ty Conklin. Conklin helped the Penguins stay competitive and in the hunt for the Atlantic Division title while Marc-Andre Fluery was out with a high ankle sprain.

Conklin also left for the Red Wings, but the Penguins still have one of the best goaltenders in Fluery. He was phenomenal down the stretch and in the playoffs. He has struggled this year, but all of that isn't his fault as the Penguins did lose a lot of defensive help. Not to mention, their penalty killing isn't what it used to be.

Many point that the signings of wingers Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko were bad signings. Yet, many overlook the fact that they're really not replacing Hossa and Malone.

Hossa only played 12 games in Pittsburgh during the regular season and had three goals, while Malone scored 27 goals and 51 points during his tenure. Currently, Satan is on pace to get 24 goals and 52 points, which is very comparable to Malone.

Fedotenko arguably was a bad signing because he was never an offensive threat before and he isn't now. He seems to be more of a replacement for the defensive side to Malone's game as Satan is the offensive replacement. Nonetheless, he is on pace for 22 goals and 42 points, which would be a career season if he can hit those marks.

When looking at the Eastern Conference, the Penguins are outside looking in, currently in ninth place as they are one point behind Buffalo for a playoff seed. While leadership has been lost this season, there is no reason why leaders on the team could fill that void and get the team some much needed wins.

Center Evgeni Malkin is first in the league with 63 points and 48 assists, while center Sidney Crosby sits in third place with 51 points while he leads his team with 16 goals. Why can't they help the Penguins become victorious?

Last season, the Penguins did better in the overall standings with Crosby out of the lineup than they did with both Crosby and Malkin in it. When Crosby was injured last season and missed 29 games, Malkin carried the team.

He finished second in points in the league behind Alexander Ovechkin as well as score 47 goals. With his help, the Penguins captured the Atlantic Division crown without the help of Crosby.

Both Crosby and Malkin should currently have more than 16 and 15 goals. Crosby, believe it or not, has a better shooting percentage than Ovechkin does, so why doesn't he just shoot more? Why does Malkin only have 15 goals when last year he finished with 47? It's these questions that need to be answered if the Penguins hope to have any chance in the offseason.

If the Penguins want to make it into the playoffs and compete for the Atlantic Divison title against the Flyers, Rangers, and the Devils, these two leaders have to score more goals. Don't let them blame injuries—Montreal and Washington have had more injuries to more important players and the Capitals are second in points while Montreal is in third place.

I honestly believe Crosby isn't ready to be a captain. He is one of the best in the game, which is evident in what he has accomplished the past three seasons. He was the youngest player to win an MVP award as well as an award for most points in any sport. He is also the youngest player to be named captain of his team. Don't get me wrong, Crosby will one day be a great captain, but right now he isn't ready for the responsibility.

Red Wings great Steve Yzerman was named captain of his squad at a young age but he had more than two years of playing under his belt. Many people also complain of Crosby being a cry baby, which he has proven on the ice.

When you look at past great captains in the past like Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman or Scott Stevens, they never whined or complained if something didn't go their way. Instead, they'd overcome it by scoring a clutch goal or a smart defensive play.

Don't get me wrong—I'm not taking anything from Crosby. He is a class act, but he has to hide his frustrations better and instead of complaining to an official or whining, silent the opposition with a highlight goal or a play.

Many players know they can get under Crosby's skin easily and that doesn't bode well for him. He has to hide it better. Don't get me wrong Crosby, is might be classy, but being known as a "whiner" or a "diver" isn't a label a captain should have.

There's a lot of trade rumors involving trading Jordan Staal for a scoring winger, who the Pens do desperately need. Yet, General Manager Ray Shero has expressed on how much he wants to keep Staal and sign him to a multi-year deal. I agree, but have another idea.

I think a trade that can be very controversial but could either pay off big or back fire terribly would be to trade Crosby instead. Here are my reasons:

1) You would get a huge package in return of at least one high profile scoring winger, a couple role players, which the Penguins desperately need. They would also get draft picks.

2) Malkin plays better without Crosby in the lineup and is a more well-rounded player. That in itself is also controversial, but Malkin has 12 points more than Crosby. I honestly believe if Malkin was the one to go down instead of Crosby last season, the Penguins wouldn't have won the Atlantic Division title as well.

3) As it could really hurt ticket sales because team marketing relies on Crosby, it shouldn't hurt because the trade would hopefully help the Penguins win. Take the Capitals, for example. Fans were not going to games while the team lost even with Ovechkin, arguably one of the best players in the league, on the ice every night. Now that they are winning and are a Stanley Cup contender, all of their games are sellouts.

One trade proposition that could really be considered a pay off would be to trade Crosby to Atlanta for Ilya Kovalchuk, Bryan Little or Slava Kozlov and tough guy Eric Boulton. I think this trade could work for many reasons:

1) The Thrashers know they're going to lose Kovalchuk at the end of the 2009-2010 season when his contract is up. There's no reason he'd stay there any longer. He is not having a quality season by his standards and shouldn't pick it up not because he isn't a great player or isn't a great scorer, but because he's miserable in Atlanta.

He has been there for eight seasons now and has only played in for playoff games. He has carried the team and has been one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the league since he broke out. A change of scenery will do him good for him and his career.

He is a future 500 or even 600-goal scorer. He has had two 50 goal seasons, has won the Rocket Richard Trophy and has a career of 238 goals. He's only 25 and has yet to have a stable elite center to play with in his career. Playing alongside Malkin, the Russian duo could tear up the score sheets.

2) The Thrashers might do without sophmore player Bryan Little, who is their leading goal scorer if they were to get Crosby. Crosby will drive fans to Atlanta, gauranteed. People will buy tickets to see him play. He's getting an even better center in Crosby than Little will ever become, so it's a win-win for both teams involved.

3) Slava Kozlov is at the end of his career but he'd be great at secondary scoring for the Penguins. If Atlanta wouldn't give up Little, they'd certainly give up a 36-year old. He is still a good scorer and can pile in nearly 30 goals.

4) Eric Boulton would add the grit and checking forward Pittsburgh desperately needs. He has 76 minutes in penalties and is only minus one on an awful team. The Penguins need a player who will rough it up for them.

In all honestly, I believe this is a win-win for both teams. Crosby could save hockey in Atlanta like he did in Pittsburgh and the Penguins would be getting a dangerous scorer in Kovalchuk, a good second-line center or scorer with Little or Kozlov and grit and toughness in Boulton.

Nonetheless, this will never happen. Crosby will most likely finish his career in a Penguins jersey and will win the cup once or perhaps twice. You have to believe that, if this is the case, Malkin will walk away once his contract is up.

Sadly, they will lose the better player.

Finally! The Drama Is Over, Mats Sundin Signs With Vancouver

Kyle Holland — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:55:29 -0500

Finally, finally it has happened. Finally the talk on where Sundin will end. As of yesterday Mats Sundin signed a one year deal with the Vancouver Canucks worth 10.2 million which by prorotated equals to 5.6 million against the cap.

Is it any surprise that Sundin went for the money? His chances of at least reaching the Cup finals were much more realistic with the Rangers or Canadiens than with the Canucks. The problem with that, neither had the cap space to sign him.

Being in the super deep western conference rather than the less talented eastern conference, the Canucks will have a tough time getting past the first and second round. Even with Sundin in the line up along with the Sedin twins, and Demitra, the only way the Canucks will get to the Stanley Cup finals is if Luongo plays as if he was Patrick Roy in net. No knock on Lunogo who is a good goaltender and can steal games but he is no way by any standards Patrick Roy in playing ability.

In an interview on espn.com conducted by Pierre LeBrun, he insisted it wasn't about money but more of a decision of not wanting to disrupt the locker room. In either New York, Montreal, Chicago, or Philadelphia , all who wanted the center, only the Canucks had the cap space to do so with out moving anybody.

The Canucks had a hole in their roster down the middle and the money. But in any sense he's disrupting a locker room coming into the season almost at the half way point. Players who have been there since September will be losing minutes to Sundin. Sundin will be playing anywhere from 17-20 minutes a night, those minutes are obviously coming from other players.

The problem with this could most likely start a trend that was inadvertently started last year by Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer, and Peter Forsberg (although Forsberg always wanted to play but couldn't due to injury). Veteran players who are at the end of their ropes, could hold out until the middle of the season when its a little more clear on which teams are playoff teams.

A speculation to this could be made that Sundin wanted to wait to see how good Vancouver is compared to last year, as they didn't want to make the playoffs. This year they're still holding onto the North West division seed and have done so for a month without Lunogo. Now that they're a playoff team and not a bubble team, he decided to sign with them.

That's just speculation, along with it's odd that Sundin was awarded the Mark Messier award, when he didn't waive his no trade clause from Toronto for a hefty package that no doubt would've sped up their rebuilding phase. His reasoning being he didn't want to desert his team, also he didn't want to join a team in the middle of the season to contend for a cup. He wanted to be with a team from the start of camp all the way to the finals.

Instead he leaves Toronto, leaving them nothing in return for the thirteen years he wore their sweater and was their hopes of a cup, at least he could've left them with some nice prospects, draft picks, and maybe a NHL ready player. He signs on with a team in December, not September at the start of training camp but in December. He is a hypocrite. He went against every reason why he didn't want to leave Toronto last year.

Sundin is a selfish player and he does not deserve to raise the Stanley Cup above his head.

Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby: Who Is a More Valuable Asset?

Kyle Holland — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:27:49 -0500

I've debated or have at least mentioned in some previous posts who I believe to really be the better of the two between Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, but in case people haven't read those previous articles, here it goes again—Alex Ovechkin is the more superior player between the two. Here is why:

First thing, If I asked you who the better player was between Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, the majority of people will say Ovechkin. But if I asked you who is better between Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, then there would be a debate. But as of right now, and since mid-season last year, Malkin is the superior player to Crosby.

I was glad to finally see someone in the NHL say something over the hype surrounding Sidney Crosby. Now some people could argue that they're jealous—but believe me, in no way is Alexander Semin jealous of Sidney Crosby.

Don't get me wrong. It's great what the NHL has done is promoting Sidney Crosby and broadening the NHL. Yet the NHL has so many stars to offer other than just Sidney Crosby. He is simply over-hyped and granted, I'm sure he does not want all this exposure. What 21-year old would? He has taken it all in great stride, promoting the NHL and spend all his free time being the ambassador for hockey.

What was lost in translation on what Semin said of Crosby is more that the NHL is promoting one man as the best in the world, when he does not stand far above the other franchise players. Crosby is no Gretzky, or Lemieux for that matter. Not even in this era of the NHL.

Crosby has accomplished a lot in his brief career in the NHL, He was the youngest player in all of sports to win a leading-scorer award and league MVP. But while everyone stated Crosby would run away with the Calder Memorial Trophy, his rookie year he was ousted by Alex Ovechkin.

In the first two years Crosby has had the beneficiary of playing with better players than Ovechkin—especially in their rookie season. Sidney Crosby has had Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney to move the puck out of the defense zone, while Ovechkin had to wait til last season for Mike Green to emerge as a puck-moving superstar.

In Crosby's second season he had the benefit of having both Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal joining the fold as well as two other top-five draft picks. Crosby was surrounded by a better cast of players, but the Caps have caught up with the emergence of Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, and free agent pickups Sergei Fedorov, Viktor Kozlov, Jose Theodore, Tom Poti, Michael Nylander and Brian Pothier—although Pothier has been on the Injured Reserved list for some time.

Now that both teams have consistent depth, the rivalry is getting bigger and Ovechkin is emerging as the better player.

Ovechkin has won more hardware than Crosby has. Both have won the triple crown of the Art Ross, Lester B. Pearson, and the Hart Memorial, yet Ovechkin has also won the Maurice Rocket Richard as well as beaten Crosby for the Calder Memorial for rookie of the year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ovechkin evolve his game even further, and one day win Frank J Selke trophy for best defensive forward, as he does have one of the best as a mentor in Fedorov.

Ovechkin has been more valuable to his team as well. Ovechkin has scored 24 game-winning goals in his career, while Crosby has scored 13. Ovechkin has scored 71 power-play goals to Crosby's 37.

Ovechkin came out of the door late this season due to stress and emotional turmoil of his ailing grandfather whom he is quite close to back in Russia, but when Ovechkin came back, he was back to his dominating ways.

As of today, Crosby has 22 points in 18 games, and Ovechkin has the same in 16 games. Ovechkin has 14 points in the past five games, along with a five-game goal streak. Over than span, Ovechkin has put up six goals and eight assists, and all were multiple-point games.

If Ovechkin keeps up this pace he'll no doubt catch up to Evgeni Malkin and take the lead in the NHL scoring race. With the chemistry of between him, Semin, Backstrom, and Fedorov, the pace should continue.

Contrary to my argument—because I know people are going to bring it up—yes, Crosby has lead the Penguins to the Cup Finals this past year after coming back from a high-ankle sprain that kept him out for 29 games last season. I know that, but everyone knows that hockey is not an individual sport.

Most of a players success can be attributed to his teammates. Crosby would not have been in the finals if he was not on a team with such great depth. In Crosby's first appearance in the playoffs, the Pens were eliminated in five games by the Ottawa Senators who went on to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ovechkin has only been in the playoffs once, but like I said, it is important to be surrounded by other good players. The Capitals had a very intense and one of the most exciting playoff series against the Flyers that went to a Game Seven in overtime.

That game could've gone either way. Had the Capitals won, they would've faced the Penguins in the second round—and that for sure would have been one of the most anticipated playoff match-ups in recent years.

I don't think any two teams have been more anticipated to play against each other in the playoffs since the Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry in 1996.

Crosby's team was eliminated in their first playoff appearance in the first round, as was Ovechkin's. Ovechkin has made a comment about that—except he has stated when the Capitals make the Stanley Cup Finals, they will win the Cup.

It'll be interesting to see as both players progress through their careers which player accomplishes more—but as of right now, Ovechkin is the better player.

As I've stated before, the NHL should advertise more of its stars than Crosby to make more of them household names. By doing so, it will open the game up to more people. Ovechkin never shies away from interviews or doing various charitable events in the Washington area, despite his thick Russian accent, and has made a very good effort in adapting to the North American Culture.

The NHL should promote Ovechkin more. He is one of the most exciting players to ever play in the NHL. Other players that are exciting—even more so than Crosby—include Patrick Kane, Thomas Vanek, Ilya Kovalchuk, Mike Green, Henrik Zetterberg, and Jarome Iginla.

NHL Rule Changes That Need To Be Made

Kyle Holland — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:15:44 -0500

I've been meaning to write about what rule changes should take place since the last GM meeting a couple weeks back but just haven't gotten around to it; so, here it goes.

Since the lockout, the NHL has been trying anything possible to get more scoring going to try and make the product more appealing to the masses; so far, it's been going well, as scoring is up at this season point from last season.

The average goals per game are at a 5.9 compared to last years 5.6. If this pace continues there will be a 369 goal difference by seasons end, also it's a dramatic improvement from the 2003-2004 season of 5.0 goals a game.

This trend should continue to rise as we're seeing more natural goal scorers emerging into the game and as well as players coming into their prime. Players such as Alex Ovechkin, Iyla Kovalchuk, Dany Heatley, Alex Semin, Thomas Vanek, Zach Parise, and Patrick Sharp are all scoring at steady paces since the new era in the NHL.

So far, Semin, Parise, Vanek are all on pace to score more than 60 goals. There hasn't been two or more 60 goal scorers in a single season since 1992-1993 season. At this point, there are six players on pace to record over 100 points as well, which is up from last seasons of two.

Which, by season's end, there should be more if those six players keep up their pace and other players who have had a slow start that have picked up there games such as Alex Ovechkin.

Some rules that have been debated since the lock-out might hurt the product though. Hockey players are essentially known for their toughness, yet the NHL has made some rule changes and have also debated rule changes that might get people to think differently.

Yes, it's unfortunate that players get hurt and it's reasonable to try to reduce injuries as much as possible but at the same time hockey players know there always a possibility for injury in playing one of the toughest and fastest sports in the world. If they didn't want to play a sport that had a risk of injury they'd play golf.

Last season, there were talks about getting rid of touch-up icing when Kurtis Foster broke his leg chasing for a puck in the corner against Torrey Mitchell. This is one rule I love about hockey.

Touch-up icing keeps the game going and gives exciting chases for the puck as well if it turns into a goal scoring opportunity. When I played high school hockey, I hated that there wasn't touch up icing, since many times players could've beat out the other to stop it.

It might not seem significant but it does slow and dull the game down.

One rule the NHL needs to get rid of is the instigator rule. Let the players go back to policing themselves. It will stop the antics of those such as Sean Avery, Ryan Hollweg, and others from taking advantage of it.

If there wasn't an instigator rule, I'm sure someone would have thrown a punch at Avery during his little antic in the playoffs against Brodeur.

Players would be more responsible and more respectful to each other if there's that fear of getting mauled by an enforcer for taking cheap shots. The NHL wants to limit fighting as much as possible but in all honesty, it's a part of the game.

When you're at a game and you see two players drop the gloves how many people are still sitting in their seats? The NHL wants to limit fighting to make it more family orientated, they don't want players pummeling each other and have blood shed, but again that's been all apart of the sport to begin with. Quality hockey fights are just as exciting as a breakaway goal.

One thing I do hate to see is, in the nearing minutes of a tied game, a defenseman is desperately trying to clear the puck and it goes over the glass. He's given a two minute penalty for delay of game.

The opposing team has a power play and an opportunity to end the game in regulation; yeah it's great for the other team but it happened to the Washington Capitals in Game Seven in overtime.

The Philadelphia Flyers scored on that power play opportunity as well. It's a shame when that happens. A good alternative is to treat it as the same as icing. A face off in the team's defensive zone and they can't change players.

This doesn't constitute as a rule but it's more the disciplinary system. It seems the NHL is trying to make enforcers as useless as possible now. In this recent week, two players were suspended for elbowing.

I saw Jarkko Ruutu's hit, yes it was a high hit and with an elbow, but I don't think it warranted a two-game suspension, however I did not see Tomas Pock's elbow but he was given a five-game suspension. The point is the NHL treats star players different from enforcers.

If Alex Ovechkin hit someone like Ruutu did, I guarantee you he would not get any game suspensions. Last season you saw the NHL handle two similar situations differently. Chris Simon was suspended for 30 games for stomping on the right ankle on the skate boot of Jarkko Ruutu's. Later in the season in March, Chris Pronger stomped on Ryan Kesler's leg, not the skate, and there was no suspension initially until Simon complained about it, then the NHL suspended Pronger for merely eight games.

Not that it mattered, in the long run, since Anaheim was eliminated in the first round by the Stars, but Pronger should have gotten the same suspension period as Simon. He would've missed the rest of the stretch, the playoffs, and the beginning of this season.

Simon has been suspended eight different times and received a 25-game suspension when he slashed Ryan Hollweg in the jaw the previous season, but it's not like Pronger hasn't had his fair share of suspensions.

He was suspended in two separate occasions during the Anaheim's cup run in 2007. The NHL needs to be more fair on how it hands out player suspensions, and lately they've been giving them out like candy. I'm not saying all the incidents aren't suspension worthy but there have been a few that don't deserve any suspension.

Also, like I said with the Instigator rule, if it didn't exist maybe some of these incidents wouldn't have taken place.

There's been a debate since during the lockout on whether they should increase the size of the nets or slim down the size of the pads. They definitely shouldn't increase the size of the nets, but there can be some adjustments to goaltending equipment.

The argument against slimming down pads is that goaltenders will get hurt. I say that's pish-posh. Look at the goaltending pads in the '80s compared to now. Goaltenders were not getting demolished by shots, and Al McInnis started his career in the mid '80s and no one has matched the consistency power of his shot in any All-Star Game yet in the hardest shot competition.

There can be at least an inch that can be taken from the width of the pads and there has to be technology that can slim down the chest protectors that will make sure goaltenders will still be safe.

Some goalies have even stated they'd quit if they slimmed down the pads, such as Roberto Luongo. Simply, I find that some goaltenders fear that change because they'd actually have to do more than position themselves in front of the shot and let their Michelin man like pads stop the puck.

Roberto Luongo is a skinny man, but he looks like a sumo wrestler in net with the size of his chest protector. Looking at goaltenders in the '80s was like an art form before Patrick Roy made the butterfly popular.

With an addition to the size of the pads, it's taken a lot of skill out of being a goaltender. Don't get me wrong, there are some spectacular goaltenders in the NHL and make amazing unbelievable saves but one way to increase goal scoring is to slim down the pads, but making sure of the safety of the players as well.

One thing I would like to see is the NHL change the division formats. In each conference, have two divisions, with eight in one and seven in the other. This also changes the playoff format has each team that wins it's division is guaranteed one of the first three seeds.

That's fine, if there's only two divisions. No guaranteed spots except for the one's that win the division. Last year, only one team from the South East Division made the playoffs, the Capitals finished with 94 points to earn the third seed but New Jersey, New York Rangers, and the Philadelphia Flyers had more points than them. Thats not fair that the Rangers who finished fifth, would've had the forth seed instead and home ice advantage.

As well in the west the Anaheim Ducks finished with four more points than the Minnesota Wild and the Wild gets the third seed because they won their division. Cutting the conferences to two divisions will in most cases solve this problem as the top team in each division will more likely than not finish one-two in the standings for their conference.

The NHL could take this a step further and that all teams play every team equal amount of times so there is no debate that teams who play lesser quality teams that their points are inflated.

Yet this will never happen as with the economy it will increase the money spent on traveling but I am glad to see that the NHL have the schedule this season that every team plays each other at least once.

Who Are Players That Have Been Over Looked By HOF Commitee

Kyle Holland — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:19:03 -0500

After I wrote the "Who Should Get The Call NHL Hall In 2009" piece I started thinking about other players who've had excellent careers who have been left out of the Hall Of Fame and which players could or deserve to one day get the call. Also I made a mistake in calling it the "NHL Hall" as it's not the NHL Hall Of Fame but the Hockey Hall of Fame.

I started looking at previous inductees and noticed some peculiar things.

I was shocked to see that Viktor Tikhonov has not been yet been inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame as a builder. For those of you who don't know, he was a prominent Russian player and the coach of the Soviet national team when it was at its most dominant in hockey. He won 13 straight Soviet titles between 1978-1989, 9 world gold medals in 15 years, 3 Olympic gold medals, the 1979 Challenge Cup and the 1981 Canada Cup. He's accomplished a great deal as a coach and should be inducted one day into the Hockey Hall Of Fame.

Kevin Lowe is one Edmonton player that played during the dynasty years that has been left out. Lowe played for Edmonton during all five of the cup victories. He wasn't a big point producer but Lowe was a very great defenseman. He has only been on one team that has not been in the playoffs. He won a personal six Stanley Cups in his career having five with Edmonton and one with the New York Rangers.

Sean Burke is one goaltender who will probably never be inducted, but should be. Burke hasn't had much success in the playoffs, which may keep him out, but he has never played on good teams. He played for nine NHL teams in his 19 seasons, including New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, to name a few. Of 21 goaltenders, he is the only one to post more than 300 career wins. He has won two World Cups for Canada, and a silver medal in the 1992 Olympics.

Claude Lemieux is one of the best agitators to play the game and was effective on offense too. He won four cups with three different teams including two with New Jersey, and added a Conn Smyth to his resume in 1995. He has 80 playoff goals, which is eighth of all time, and scored 379 goals and 785 points in 1179 games. Every team he played for has been in the playoffs except his first year in 2000-01 with Phoenix. He's been an instrumental part of the success his teams have seen. He and his teams' have won the Stanley Cup each time they have made it.

Mike Vernon will one day be inducted in the Hall. He had a remarkable career, back stopped the Calgary Flames to their only Stanley Cup to date in 1989, and helped end Detroit's 42-year Cup drought. He earned a Conn Smyth in 1997, and in 781 games he won 385 and tied 92. He holds all of Calgary's goaltending records.

The Hall Of Fame has been questioned for making Glenn Anderson wait so long to be inducted. It hurt him that he didn't play the meaningful games but he made it count when it mattered, and that's what makes him Hall Of Fame worthy. He holds six cups and has been an essential part of each win. He was a clutch player.

Pavel Bure is another player who might have problems getting in. For an extensive period of time he was one of the most exciting players in the NHL and was a dominant scorer in the "Dead Puck Era". He led the NHL in goals scored on three different occasions in his career and back to back between 1999 and 2001 with 58 and 59 respectively. Go to Youtube.com and type in his name. Tell me if he wasn't one of the most talented and exciting players you've ever seen. He never won a cup and his career was shortened due to knee injuries. He only played on a quality team when he first came into the NHL and never made it to the playoffs. Gretzky didn't either when he played on terrible teams. Bure created a lot of his own scoring chances and a lot of his points were due to his hard work and not just being in the right place at the right time.

Bure, along with Alexander Moginly and Segei Fedorov, was one of the first Russians to jump into the NHL in their young 20's and has inspired more to do so, such as Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Semin, Malkin. They were pioneers in making the NHL what it is, by adding Russian talent. He helped the game a lot and became one of the most accomplished players.

Who Should Get the Call to the NHL Hall in 2009?

Kyle Holland — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:10:25 -0500

Next year could see one of the best Hall of Fame classes ever, and one that could definitely rival 2007's great class that included Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Scott Stevens, and Al McInnis.

Players who are in their first year of eligibility include Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Dave Andreychuk, Alexander Mogilny, and Brian Leetch. All would seem to be a lock for the class of 2009, but only four players can be inducted in a year; so who are the odd men out? I'd have to go with Andreychuk and Mogilny.

Yzerman shouldn't even be a discussion. He was captain of the Red Wings for 20 seasons, and he ranks eighth in goals, seventh in assists, sixth in points, and ninth in playoff points. He won three Stanley Cups, a gold medal, and a Conn Smythe in 1998. The list of his accomplishments goes on.

Hull is another definite. When he came into the NHL he wasn't expected to be like his father, or even a goal scorer. Hull came into his own in the 1990s and became one of the most natural pure goal scorers in the NHL.

He led the NHL in goals from 1989-1992, posting 72, 86, and 70 in those seasons. He finished his career scoring 741 goals and 1,391 points. He captured two Stanley Cups; one with the Dallas Stars and one with the Detroit Red Wings. He didn't just match his father's goal-scoring ability; he perfected it. When he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, he and his father will be the first father and son in the Hall of Fame.

I'd pick Robitaille over Andreychuk because Lucky Luc currently holds most of the records for a left winger. He is the all-time leading scorer among left wingers with 1,394 points, and also leads left wingers in goals in a career with 668. He won a Stanley Cup in Detroit in 2002 and, aside from Gretzky, has been the most important player to ever wear a Kings jersey—even more than Marcel Dionne—playing over 1,000 games for the club.

Leetch was probably one of the best defensemen in the 1990s. He was a very important part when the Rangers ended their 54-year cup drought in 1994. He scored 11 goals and 34 points to lead all players in the postseason, which earned him the Conn Smythe. He became the fifth defenseman to score more than 100 points in a season and is the only American to do so, as well. He's won three Norris trophies as the best defenseman in the NHL in his career.

He currently holds every club record by a defenseman for the Rangers, and also holds the record for career assists and those for most points, assists, and power play goals in a single season. Leetch is one of the most valuable players to ever wear a Rangers jersey in the team's long history. No one has left a more lasting impression in NYC than Leetch did with the Rangers.

Long before Alexander Ovechkin became "Alex the Great," Mogilny was already being called that. He played on one of the most dominant lines to ever grace the World Junior Championship along with fellow countrymen Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Bure. He's a triple crown winner, winning a gold medal with Russia in 1988, a world cup in 1989, and a Stanley Cup in 2000.

Mogilny was the all-time leader in goals by a Russian-born player until this season, when Sergei Fedorov passed him. It took Mogilny only 990 games to score 473 goals, as it took Fedorov 1,204 to pass him. Mogilny scored 76 goals in 1992-1993 season, but he would only top the 50-goal mark one more time in his injury-plagued career.

He finished his career with 1,032 points in 990 games. He was one of the most dominant Russian players to ever play in the NHL.

Andreychuk finished his career with the fifth most games played, at 1,639. He was also 11th in goals with 640, and tied for 23rd for most points, with 1,338. He holds the record for most power play goals in a career with 270, and oldest player to make an appearance in the Stanley Cup finals, in 2004. He won the cup that year for the first time in his career.

All these men deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, but only four players can be inducted in a single year. Out of the players in their first year of eligibility, Andreychuk and Mogilny will likely have to wait another year or so to be inducted. Other players who are still waiting could be argued more deserving than those two, such as Adam Oates, Mike Vernon, Phil Housley, and Pavel Bure, among others.

NHL: Who Is for Real and Who Is Just a Flare

Kyle Holland — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:21:14 -0500

The first month of the season is now over and there are some surprises regarding how some teams have performed so far. The season is only about one-eighth completed, so which teams and players will slow down and who will turn things around?

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto has certainly been a surprise so far this season.

Many predicted them to be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference by the end of the season. But just 12 games into the season they have gone 5-4-3. That's not that great but they have the eighth spot in the east and have won more games than people have expected.

They have been competitive in almost every game they've played and a lot of that is attributed to coach Ron Wilson. His tactics didn't seem to have much of a positive effect on his players in San Jose, but it's working with a team that has significantly less talent and is squeezing more than what is there.

Toronto's strengths going into the season were its goaltending and defense, but so far Toronto has allowed 41 goals against, ranking 27th in the league. That doesn't appear to be a strength.

Their offense has kept them afloat, scoring 35 times to rank 13th in the league. If the Leafs can keep the puck out of their net and rank in the top half (somewhere between 14th and 10th place), and their offense stays consistent, then the possibility of making the playoffs won't seem so far fetched.

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver is another team that was expected to not score many goals and to not let in many either. But so far it's the opposite.

The Canucks have scored 41 times, ranking fifth in the league. That's a big surprise seeing that they weren't expected to get much scoring beyond the Sedin twins.

Luongo hasn't been the man in net he once was when he first came over to Vancover in the 2006-2007 season. So far the Canucks have let in 38 goals ranking 23rd in the league.

The Canucks are sitting in the ninth spot so far, which is where a lot of people expected them to be around at the end of the season. But if Luongo and the defense shape up, then Vancover will be dangerous.

Chicago Blackhawks

Nikolai Khabibulin has been a rumors subject since the Chicago Blackhawks signed free agent goaltender Cristobel Huet. To many people's surprise though, Habby has been better than Huet in net so far.

Huet has played in only four games to Habby's six or seven after the game against Colorado Monday night. Huet has gone 2-1-1, posting a 2.77 GAA and .910 save percentage, while Habby has gone 3-1-2 with a 2.44 GAA and a .918 save percentage.

Not much of a difference between the two's GAA and Sv percentage, but the Hawks have been relying more on Habby in net. It could be because they're giving him more ice time to get him to look more attractive to teams with his 6.5 million dollar contract.

San Jose Sharks

San Jose isn't too surprising to some, but to me they really are. I believed their problem was that their players were much too overrated and the coach is what made them so good.

But the Sharks are off to a great start without Ron Wilson breaking down their egos constantly. New head coach Todd McLellan has taken over in a great way and is leading the Sharks towards becoming serious cup contenders.

It's not surprising that he's doing a good job in his first head coaching job after serving as an assistant in Detroit.

New York Rangers

Nikolai Zherdev has certainly found a new place in New York. He has 12 points in 14 games with the Rangers and has been more consistent in the first 14 games than he has for any period of time in Columbus.

He's reaching his potential on the ice as well as blending in well with the team for once. If Zherdev keeps this up he might be another star Russian player whose name is thrown in with talks of Malkin, Ovechkin, Semin, Datsyuk and Kovalchuk.

Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim started the season 0-4-0 with its top three offensive stars only combining for two points. The past four games, they have combined for 10 goals and 28 points. They're now second in the Pacific behind the Sharks.

Washington Capitals

Alex is scoring at a great pace to start the season off in Washington, except it's not the Alex you're thinking of. Alexander Semin has started off the season with eight goals and 16 points in 10 games and has earned player of the month for October.

Alex Ovechkin has started off with two goals and five points in eight games. Hopefully when Ovechkin comes back from Russia after seeing his ailing grandfather, he'll be producing like he was last season.

For now though, Semin is providing Washington with plenty of scoring to give Ovechkin time to find his touch. If both produce, the Capitals will be a very dangerous offensive threat.

Which Team Will Mats Sundin Choose for a Shot at the Stanley Cup?

Kyle Holland — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:52:41 -0400

At age 37, with 17 NHL seasons under his belt (1305 games played, 555 goals, 766 assist, totaling 1321 points), Mats Sundin seems to be at a crossroads.

After 83 playoff games—including 35 goals and 39 assists—Sundin still has no Stanley Cup ring.

Spending most of your career with the Toronto Maple Leafs will do that for you.

Sundin had the chance to be traded to the Detroit Red Wings at the 2008 trade deadline. He declined his chance to play for a Cup contender. The Red Wings won the Cup, while Sundin sat at home.

Now he's a unrestricted free agent this summer. He currently has offers to play for the Vancouver Canucks (for two years and $20 million), the Montreal Canadiens, and the New York Rangers.

If Sundin wants to win a Cup, he should sign with the Habs. If he only cares about money, then obviously the Canucks. If he wants to play on an old worn-out team with big names but little chance of a Cup, he could sign with the Rangers.

Hossa took a discount to play with the Red Wings for one year in hoping of capturing his first Stanley Cup. Maybe Sundin should take note of that. But if Sundin doesn't really want a chance to win a Cup, he'll sign back with the Leafs.

Even with him in their lineup, Toronto is looking at a worse year than last. It'll be interesting to see where Sundin takes his career as it winds down and the window for a shot at the cup gets smaller and smaller.

Penguins-Red Wings: Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

Kyle Holland — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:46:10 -0400

Well, as the Conference finals wrapped up last night with Detroit advancing to face the Penguins, we now have the showdown of the century. I can't believe that really only hockey news predicted this showdown in the finals from the beginning of the regular season. As for my predictions, I was 2-for-2 on both counts of who advances and the amount of games.

Stanley Cup Finals:

1) Detroit Red Wings: West

2) Pittsburgh Penguins: East

Red Wings in 7...hopefully in OT

I've been waiting for the Red Wings to reach the finals since they won it back in 2002. Last year, they were so close but were outmuscled by the Ducks and had injuries to key defensemen. The first year out of the lockout I thought for sure they'd go all the way with a determined Steve Yzerman, who came back to his old self during the Stretch; the president's trophy; and the best goaltender in the regular season. Somehow they lost to the eighth seeded Edmonton Oilers, who fell ass-backwards into the playoffs, in only six games.

The Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals isn't much of a surprise. They have two of the best centers in the world and countless first-round draft picks on their roster. I guess years of losing and spending time on the bottom is the best rebuilding process.

Results: Ryan Whitney (fifth overall in 2002), Marc-Andre Fleury (first overall in 2003), Evgeni Malkin (second overall pick in 2004), Sidney Crosby (first overall pick in 2005), and Jordan Staal (second overall in 2006). That's five players drafted five years straight in the top five.

Both teams have been pretty much unstoppable on their way to the finals. Detroit went 12-4 and Pittsburgh went 12-2. This is without a doubt the most intense and anticipated Stanley Cup finals in years, most likely decades. I don't remember the last time I was so excited for a Stanley Cup finals.

I want to see close games, hard hitting, fast paced, nail biting, edge of your seat games.

I want to see games lost by one goal, or games tied with seconds left to go in regulation.

I want to see overtime games go past one period.

I want to see Game 7 go into multiple overtimes.

I don't want to see a blowout like last year's finals, which only went to five games.

I don't want to see a sweep.

I want to see an intense, anything-can-happen series.

I want to see Darren McCarty fight someone (hopefully Sid the Kid).

This series is probably the closest of these playoffs. These teams are evenly matched, with an edge of experience going to Detroit. Pooled together, there are 23 Stanley Cup rings in the Red Wings' locker room, five of whom have been with Detroit for all their 1997, 1998, and 2002 Stanley Cup victories. Both goaltenders have won cups with Detroit.

More Stanley Cup experience goes to the Wings, but youth and eagerness definitely go to the young Penguins squad. They've been the most dominant team this year in the playoffs.

Detroit needs to have Franzen come back and for Osgood to be the best he's ever played. Datsyuk and Zetterberg need to keep up their dominance. Detroit needs its second line to pick it up and get a collective support from the rest of the team. Kronwall needs to set the pace up for a major open ice hit to one of Pittsburgh top players in Crosby, Malkin, and Hossa. If Detroit rocks Pittsburgh and grinds them down, they will come out on top.

They have to make them afraid to touch the puck in fear of an open ice hit or a crunching check into the boards. Detroit, oddly enough, haven't won their cups on the basis of their talented offense they've displayed for nearly two decades, they've won them on grit and defense. Detroit holds a lead better than anyone in the league. They display the best composure of any team.

They still use the system drilled into their team by Scotty Bowman; that's been a key to their success since he took the reins in 1993. Detroit bolsters an excellent defensive corps with five-time Norris Trophy winner Niklas Lidstrom leading the way, supported by a very overlooked Rafalski, and a elder in Chelios, with new up-and-comer Kronwell and travel man Stuart. Their goaltending has been solid and if Osgood struggles, Hasek has been dying to get back in the crease to show 43 is the new 23. Which oddly enough, is how old Fleury is.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have one of the deepest and most talented offenses since the cap has been instilled into the NHL, probably since the 2002 Detroit team that featured a Hall of Fame roster.

Crosby and Malkin lead the way, supported by Hossa, who has proven he isn't a playoff choker. He has 19 points in 14 games, the best he's ever produced in the playoffs. They're followed by Malone, Sykora, and Staal. They have the offensively talented Gonchar on their blueline who has also improved his own zone skills.

Pittsburgh has a shut down defenseman in Hal Gill; a young, talented d-man in Whitney; and the hard hitting Orpik.

Fleury has been amazing, proving he is a number one overall draft choice, who is mature enough to be a starter. He became a completely different player after coming back from his injury. He grew up. The best thing to ever happen to his career was his injury and to see Conklin making his way for his starting job. He has been a Vezina Trophy worthy goaltender. None of the Vezina finalists are even in the playoffs anymore or for that matter made it past the second round.

Pittsburgh should make the most of this situation and win the cup. They won't be able to have this dominant of a roster for the long haul. After next season, they probably won't have both Crosby and Malkin on the same team. Hossa will probably go into the market this summer. They're probably can expect to pay Malone around $3.5-4 million if they choose to re-sign him this summer or let him go into the Free Market.

Fleury will be looking for a long-term, big-dollar contract as well. They better lock Fleury up before he becomes a restricted free agent and Kevin Lowe throws him a 15-year contract paying him over $10 million annually and decide to match it or end up not having a goaltender.

Unfortunately under the new CBA, there will never be another dynasty in the NHL. This team would become the next Edmonton Oilers of the '80s if there weren't a cap and Pittsburgh financially could afford it. Crosby and Malkin resemble a Gretzky-Messier punch or to lesser degrees, a Sakic-Forsberg or Yzerman-Fedorov combo. Most likely, they resemble their Pittsburgh predecessors, Lemieux and Jagr.

This series has everything a hockey fan wants in a Stanley Cup final. We will be talking about this series for years to come.

Conference Finals Predictions: Detroit, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia

Kyle Holland — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:22:41 -0400

Wow, the second round was lackluster compared to the first round. I expected some serious Hockey from those who'd advanced. We almost saw three teams sweep their series but I guess seeing the Redwings run all over the avalanche is always good to see, though i did want to see it go to a game 7 just for the intense excitement.

My predictions weren't too bad, I was 3 for 4 on the teams that advanced but only 1 for 4 on games played. I expected the Canadiens to make it to the conference finals but what can you do?

Although I'm so happy that the Sharks are out of the playoffs again in the second round three straight years in a row, I really wanted to see Roenick lift the cup up. Hopefully after the display of clutch he provided in this years playoffs at his age, and the ten game winning goals he knotted in the regular season, a serious cup contending team will pick him up, at his age and desire to win a cup, he should come cheap. Some teams like the Rangers, who are flirting with the cap line with those huge contracts to Gomez, Drury, and Lundqvist, could use a player with his passion and desire, something the Rangers seemed to lack a little of. Excluding Jagr, who was re-energized and showed passion and heart against the Penguins and earlier the Devils.

A side note before I get into the real article, last nights game between Dallas and San Jose, was one of the most exciting, passionate, intense game, I've seen during this whole playoffs and probably in a long time. I guess really a high scoring game isn't whats so exciting as a game tied 1-1 going to 4 O.T periods.

Conference Final Predictions:

East

2) Pittsburgh Penguins

7) Philadelphia Flyers

Winner: Pittsburgh in 5

The Flyers dispatched the Eastern Conference regular season winners in just 5 games, but the Penguins aren't as weak as the Canadiens are. As weird as that is since the Penguins finished behind them, but again they didn't have Fluery or Crosby in the line up for most of the season. The Flyers did well at neutralizing Ovechkin in the first round, but can the Flyers stop Malkin, Crosby, and Hossa at the same time, and if they can they still have to worry about Sykora, Malone, Offensive minded Gonchar? Stopping both Crosby and Malkin alone will be hard enough as they don't usually play together on a line unless they're on the power play or behind. Philadelphia's best bet to upset the Penguins is Daniel Briere. He is currently tied for points in the playoffs among players still in it, but two players he's tied against is Malkin and Crosby. The penguins are a playoff juggernaut destined to make it to the Stanley Cup finals, if not win the Cup. Their team is stacked as a team can be in the new NHL. Fluery is playing to his potential that landed him the number 1 draft pick in 2003, Crosby and Malkin are unstoppable, Letang and Whitney have matured greatly at such young ages, Staal is one the best shut down forwards, and he's only 19. Pittsburgh has finally developed a killer penalty kill that it's lacked for so long and has one of the most deadly power play units in the league. Special teams is in there favor. Offense is in their favor, as well as defense, and goaltending hands down goes to them. Biron has played great in this playoffs but how will he do under the Penguins? He's had cusion's in his first two series by being up 3-1 by game 4. The Flyers need the surprising Umberger to continue his goal scoring assault. The Flyers best weapon is their hitting ability but as that showed in the Rangers series, the Pens aren't going to be pushed around and they can play that game too.

West

1) Detroit

5) Dallas

Winner: Detroit in 6

I'm looking forward to this series. After the 8-2 win by Detroit to advance, and the 4 O.T period win last night by Dallas, this should be an Intense series. This series goes strictly to Goaltending. Marty Turco stopped 63 shots last night, can he still have enough to go on to play a very gifted offensive team in Detroit? Can Osgood keep up his stellar play he's displayed since game 5 in the first round? Dallas is stacked on Offense, But Riberio and Morrow both played over 50 minutes last night, will they be rested in time for this series? Detroit has had it easy in so far. They aren't banged up, they've played 10 games, 4 of them being easy against Colorado. The Red Wing's Johan Franzen seems unstoppable and Conn Symth worthy if Detroit wins the cup. He broke a club record in goals in a playoff season with 11 goals in 10 games. Brett Hull tied the record with 10 in 23 games in 2002. Pavel Datsyuk and Zetterberg have 13 points and Hudler has 9. Dallas has one player with more than a point per game in Riberio but he only has 3 goals. Morrow has 11 points in 12 games with 7 goals. After letting San Jose get back into the series with a 3-0 lead, and the Sharks coming close numerous times to force a game seven, its a question if Dallas has the discipline to keep a lead if they gain one over Detroit. Detroit's core veterans in Lidstrom, Chelios, Draper, McCarty, Osgood, and Maltby if he can play for the first time this Playoff season, have been in a situation where they've been down and come back to win a series. Detroit is very patient, disciplined, and have much composure in their game. Dallas needs to stay focused to have a chance against a Redwings team that's back in the western Conference finals for the second year straight, and a team looking for another cup since 2002. I like Dallas, these playoffs, they've been great, but I love Detroit even more, and I believe they can bring the Cup back to Hockeytown this year and they have the best chance of beating the Penguins.

NHL Playoffs: Second Round Playoff Predictions

Kyle Holland — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:57:13 -0400

Montreal Canadiens (1) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (6)

Montreal has all the tools to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, if not the Stanley Cup finals. They struggled against the eighth-seeded Boston Bruins, but, again, they're running with a rookie goaltender.

Reliable 20-year-old Carey Price has showed he can handle the pressure and responsibilities of a starting goaltender. He didn't buckle under the pressure of a Game Seven—in fact he came up huge with a shut out. With a playoff series win under his belt, he has more self-confidence and may perform better in this round.

The Flyers had a very intense series against the Washington Capitals. A big factor in this round is how Montreal's defense handles the Flyers offense intentionally crashing the net and into the goaltender.

If Montreal's defense punishes the Flyers offense, it may not be on a continual basis—like they did against Cristobal Huet.

Montreal has speed and finesse. The Flyers are deep offensively, but are slow on defense. Aside from Kimmo Timonen, they don't have a fast defenseman. Expect the Flyers to draw a lot of penalties.

If Montreal's power play pick it up this round expect this series to be over quickly.

Winner: Montreal in 6

Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. New York Rangers (5)

The Penguins are definitely the better team offensively and defensively. With probably the best two centers on their team in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Rangers defense and Henrik Lundqvist will have to come up big.

The Rangers are depending on Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Brendan Shanahan, and Jaromir Jagr to score for them.

Shanahan probably was one of the best power forwards in the 90's but at age 38, you can't expect him to do much. Although, Jagr had a great first round against the New Jersey Devils, he's 36 and the question is does he have enough in his tank to keep going.

The Penguins have a lot more depth, Malkin, Crosby, Marian Hossa, Petr Sykora, Ryan Malone, Kris Letang, Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Whitney, and the aging Gary Roberts.

The best shot the Rangers have on tying down the Penguins' power offense is Sean Avery.

If Avery can some how get in the heads of all six of the Penguins' forwards and the offensive ability of their defense, they could pull off an upset, but it's doubtful.

Lundqvist will have to come up big—although, they're both matched goaltending-wise.

Lundqvist is a three-time Vezina finalist, while Fluery has played at Vezina level since his return from an injury and played excellent against the Senators.

The Rangers have to hope to keep the scores close and hope Drury can get his timely goals in.

Winner: Pittsburgh in 6

Detroit Red Wings (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (6)

This series has always been a classic in the playoffs.

This long rivalry began in the '96 playoffs when Colorado dispatched the Wings in six games, after one of the best regular seasons since the 80's.

Patrick Roy and Steve Yzerman are retired. Sergei Fedorov, Brendan Shanahan, and others have moved on.

But there's still Kris Draper, Darren McCarty, Kirk Maltby, and Nicklas Lidstrom, and Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Adam Foote.

It's still a goodie.

This will be a back-and-forth series.

The Wings need Daniel Cleary, Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg to pick up their games and hope that Chris Osgood can keep up his stellar play if they want to win this series.

If not, they have to hope the aging Dominik Hasek can still play and falter like he did against the Preds.

The Aves have to hope that Forsberg and Sakic still has what it takes to pull out playoff magic and Jose Theodore keeps playing like its 2000 and 2003. But with Detroit's role players, youngsters, and veterans expect them to end up on top.

Winner: Detroit in 7

San Jose Sharks (2) vs. Dallas Stars (5)

The Sharks don't have a team that can win the Stanley Cup—they barely made it out of the first round. They're overrated and have been since the lockout ended. If it weren't for the unbelievable play by Jeremy Roenick in Game Seven, Calgary could very well have advanced to the second round.

Don't expect another game like that from him.

The Sharks need that play from Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, and hope somehow Jonathan Cheechoo can get his scoring touch back after losing it when he won the Rocket trophy for most goals in 2006.

The Stars have more depth up front.

Five of their players have a point or more per game, and a few others just a point below that line. They beat the defending champs in six games without Sergei Zubov, who may be back this series, and with three rookie defensemen.

Marty Turco has put those playoff demons behind him, expect him to only get better with this newfound confidence after finally winning a playoff round.

Mike Riberio has been a great pick up for the Stars and has become an elite player under them.

Don't forget they also have a former Conn Smyth winner in Richards.

The Stars will be too much for the Sharks to handle. Maybe after this year, people will stop thinking so highly of the Sharks.

Winner: Dallas in 7