Bleacher Report - Articles by Sebastien Tremblay

Canadiens and Wild Suffer the Same Problem: Farm Team Development.

Sebastien Tremblay — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:43:29 -0500

A lot of teams in the NHL still have a hard time finding and drafting the right prospect. Or maybe it’s simply because they don’t have the tools to make them grow into stars? There is a plethora of talented prospects that never make a real impact at the NHL level for some reason. Reasons can range from lack of effort, disgruntled youth, overrated player, size, competitiveness.

Sometimes the assessment of a junior player is just completely off the mark. And other times, the development system is to blame.

There have been many first round busts through the years regardless of what spot they are drafted. But I noticed a familiar pattern between two teams. Both teams have had prospects over the years coming up the ranks, only to crumble at the NHL level, stay stuck in the minor leagues, or provide only marginal contributions once at the NHL level.

I’m talking about the similarities between the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota Wild. For some reason, many experts thought for many years that Montreal had a awesome prospect pool just waiting to explode into NHL stardom.

In fact, Montreal was ranked No. 2 on the prospect depth chart by Hockey’s Future for years…until this season. They recently realized all that talent and «depth» has apparently vanished, and Montreal dropped to No. 14.

Montreal is, in my opinion, in much better shape than the Wild where there is a dearth of depth. It’s simple really, for those two teams, the rank in the draft does not matter, whatever hot prospect they will get will only provide marginal contribution to their respective teams.

At some point, for a head scout and general manager, you want those «talented prospects» to take over the team and steal the veterans spot and ice time. And for most teams, that's exactly what happens. Chicago, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Washington, Anaheim...I could keep going on and on. But the fact is on almost every roster in the NHL, the core is made up of young players in their early 20’s, drafted and developed by their respective teams.

For the sake of this comparison, I’ll say right now that out of the bunch, Mikko Koivu and Tomas Plekanec are probably the best two. And both are still on the team that drafted them. And both provide about the same offensive numbers. So I’m not going to mention them further.

Now, look at Montreal. The inability to develop young players has forced Bob Gainey’s hand over the years to sign veterans to fill a hole. And not only Gainey, it’s been the same story for years, this is what has plagues the Canadiens since the mid 90’s.

First round draft picks should, at this point, be at the top or near the top of their teams scoring chart. But the reality is very different. Were they all bad choices? Doubtful. Because if you follow junior players and the drafts year after year, you hear about those prospects and scouts are often unanimous. Pro scouts use the same tools and criteria for their analysis and when the scouting reports come out, not always, but often the reports say about the same thing.

So where does it go wrong? Why is Montreal forced to sign established players for their top line? Why is the Wild in the same position? As I mentioned, it’s an inability to develop their talented prospects. I’m not saying these players are bad, just that they never reached expectations and especially, they never show the potential that a first or second round pick should.

Chris Higgins was a big disappointment for Montreal’s management and was shipped away to New York where he continues to struggle. Mike Komisarek showed lot of promise, but decided to leave after a horrible year. Andrei Kostitsyn is lost in translation and seems to be regressing. Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse make an interesting and dynamic duo but are not scaring any defence out there. Kyle Chipchura feels like a career minor league player.

You probably already all forgot about David Fischer, the first choice in 2006 and Cory Urquhart, second round of 2003, picked 21 spots before Maxim Lapierre. Same goes for Duncan Milroy. And as time passes, I feel Matt D’Agostini is fading away as well.

We’ll never know if Ryan McDonagh could eventually replace Komisarek. Max Pacioretty is struggling badly and is not showing much signs of becoming a dominating power forward so far. Mikhail Grabovski, Alexander Perezoghin and Marcel Hossa all left after disappointing seasons.

All those prospects were regarded as «top line talent», «potential stars», «40 goals scorers» or, «defensive stud». So…what happened? Their development was botched. That’s what. By being unable to develop their talent in the AHL or juniors, we’ve lost those «potential stars» in the making.

The result? An average team with average players who need to fill holes with more talented players through trades or free agency.

Now look at the Wild. Have you seen James Sheppard? The Wild have been waiting for him to progress and break out but he’s been going the opposite direction. To his defence, Sheppard is an offensive minded player and has been forced into a defensive system for years. I’m afraid this has effectively slowed if not stopped his development.

Maybe he was brought to the NHL too quickly? The 9th overall pick is 2006 has managed only 44 points in 180 NHL games. He had 225 points in 187 games in the juniors.

And how about Benoit Pouliot? The fourth overall pick in 2005, just one spot before Carey Price. The Wild thought they had a real sniper there. I remember Trevor Timmins talking about him and saying if Pouliot had been available at the number five spot, he was to become the new Montreal Canadiens top prospect. Thank the hockey god he was picked fourth overall. Pouliot is an effortless skater but again, is not developing into an NHL caliber player. He’s struggling even worse than Sheppard with only 65 games in the NHL so far for a weak 18 points.

Patrick O’Sullivan was thought to be a first round pick but dropped quickly thanks to family problems. So scouts thought the Wild could have a real steal drafting him in the second round…only to trade him away for Pavol Demitra before his first NHL game.

AJ Thelen anyone? What? Don’t remember him? Can’t blame you. The 12th overall pick in 2004 has been playing in the East Coast league for the last three seasons. He’s not even fit for AHL duty, that says a lot.

And what about Pierre-Marc Bouchard who, like James Sheppard, tore up the junior league with 235 points in just 136 games!? He’s managed 267 points in over 400 NHL games so far. After draft day, scouts said the Wild drafted a potential star and point per game player, maybe the best forward available in the draft after Rick Nash.

But when Bouchard reached the NHL, scouts suddenly said he was too small and would’ve benefited from at least another year in the juniors and maybe one in the American league. Pierre-Marc Bouchard unfortunately never reached the same level of excellence. And I have to agree with those scouts. He was brought up to the NHL too soon.

It’s easy to look at scouting reports and the ISS ranking and determine who will be the top 10 picks next year. But even getting the first overall draft spot is no guarantee that player will eventually lead your team in any way (see Alexandre Daigle in 1993 as reference, or Patrik Stefan in 1999)

Earlier this summer, general manager Bob Gainey decided not to renew Don Lever’s contract. Everybody was shocked. Lever had been coaching Montreal’s farm club, the Hamilton Bulldogs, for since 2005 and was said to be a genius at developing young players. The Bulldogs even won the Calder cup in 2006-07 after an incredible year.

But after a quick assessment of his younger players, Gainey probably noticed that none of the players Lever developed were actually good enough to build the team around, so he was forced to get those players elsewhere.

And the fact that, in Montreal, coaches have to speak some french to talk to the media, and Lever doesn’t, probably weighted a lot and he was replaced with Guy Boucher who should be, in a few years, the Montreal Canadiens new coach and again, is said to be a magician with developing young players.

So getting a high draft pick is no guarantee of success. Even the best player available can become a bust if not developed properly. Confidence, skill, size, experience and also a feeling of urgency is important.

Skill, you either have it or don’t. Size comes with time. Confidence and experience comes from playing in all situations. And as for that feeling of «urgency» will come once the prospect feels he’s good enough to steal a roster spot from a veteran.

All that comes from developing at lower levels before reaching the NHL. It takes time and a good system in which to develop those prospects. And my feeling is that both Montreal and Minnesota have been in the same boat for years. The prospect pool is there, the talent is there, now all they need to do is find a way to get those guys from minor leaguers to NHL stars.

And it all starts with the farm team system…

Montreal Canadiens: Doubt Setting In or Simple Slow Start?

Sebastien Tremblay — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:08:24 -0500

The Montreal Canadiens have reached the quarter of the season. That said, general manager Bob Gainey must be nervous and anxiously waiting for his summer spending spree come together. It’s been an “ups and downs” first quarter so far, but there have been a bit too many downs for my taste.

The team is in the bottom half of nearly every category. So the first quarter in general is a fail in my book. There are big questions going down the road. Management took big risks on very few players and it hasn’t really been paying off so far.

I’m telling you, behind that cold and calm image of his, Bob Gainey is anxious and worried. How patient do you think the new owners, the Molsons, are? Remember, they were not in control of the team when Bob Gainey went on his summer spending spree. George Gillett was still the owner at the time so legally; the Molsons had no say in the matter.

Bob Gainey’s top three acquisitions during the summer, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri, have shown good chemistry early on. There have been many flashes of what could be a high scoring first line but the trio has come out empty handed on too many occasions. Not that they’re not trying, but when every other NHL team knows this is the only potential threat they’re up against, they come prepared.

Mike Cammalleri has shown flashes of what can be a 40 goals scorer. So with better support, he may just make it—next year! Right now, he too must be worried about the team struggling to score.

As for Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, their offensive production is a bit slow. For a costly $12 million cap hit combined, I’m sure Gainey was hoping for a repeat of the 2005-06 this season. I’m not sure it’s going to happen. Can Gionta still score 30 goals? Is Gomez still capable of being an 70-80 points player? There’s too much money on the line for “ifs”.

At this point, I’m saying thank the hockey gods Tomas Plekanec is there. He’s been arguably the best player so far this year. He seems to have shaken off his demons from last season and has been playing his best hockey I’ve seen him play in his career. At this pace, despite constantly changing wingers, Pleky tops the team in scoring and could put up 70 points this year.

The season is still young and he might not keep up the pace, but besides last year’s horrible performance, Plekanec has been improving every year.

Now here comes the million dollars question. We all know Bob Gainey does not negotiate contract during the season but if he keeps waiting, and Plekanec ends up posting 70 points on a struggling team, it’s going to cost maybe between $4 to $5 million a year long term to retain him in Montreal. And at the present, the Canadiens don’t have the available space under the cap to afford that.

And that’s if he wants to stay in Montreal!

As a restricted free agent he could decide to test the market. Plekanec is one of my favourite players and I’d hate to see him leave but to be honest if I were him that’s exactly what I would do. He’s only 27 years old and may want to try his luck somewhere else just like Mike Komisarek did.

So do you trade him and try to get the best possible return? It’s unlikely Gainey can get a great player, that nameless big first line center, unless he gives a lot more in return.

Bob Gainey spent a lot of money this summer and has put the team too close to the cap limit. Cammalleri, Gionta and Gomez count for 18.3M$ against the cap. And on defence, the top three of Markov, Hamrlik and Spacek count for about 15MS. That’s about half the allowed cap hit on six players.

Right now, he can “breathe” under the salary cap thanks to injuries but it’s not going to last forever. If you want to put so much hope and money on so few players you better make sure you can rely on good, cheap secondary scoring to help you.

And talking about secondary scoring—where is it? At this point, the top five scoring forwards in order are Plekanec, Cammalleri, Gionta, Gomez and Glen Metropolit. Wait. Did I read this right? Yeah, unfortunately, I did! Glen Metropolit has ten points in 14 games. He’s been working hard every game and earned the trust of his coach. He’s currently fifth in scoring.

But the fact that a guy who’s played on the fourth line his entire NHL career has managed to be in the top five scorers scares me. Where are all those “promising young players” Trevor Timmins has been babbling about for years?! How come nobody is stepping up and claim a top six forward spot?

Sometimes I get nightmares and wake up sweating at night asking myself, "Why is Glen Metropolit on the power play?!”

Andrei Kostitsyn, Guillaume Latendresse, Maxim Lapierre, Max Pacioretty, Kyle Chipchura and Matt D’Agostini (pre-concussion) are not proving to be a consistent supporting cast of “promising youngsters”. It’s as if they’ve all suddenly hit the stop button simultaneously.

On the defensive side of things, I see a disorganized squad. It’s curious how a defensive-minded coach like Jacques Martin still hasn’t found a way to make his squad function properly. Okay, Andrei Markov is out until February. But should he alone count for half the defence? That’s what it feels like.

This illustrates well the importance of Markov and how fragile the defence is without him. But even more so, how badly we need defensemen capable of replacing Markov. Neither Spacek nor Hamrlik apparently have the skills to do so.

So let’s blame the goaltenders, shall we? Maybe not. Both Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak have seen a barrage of shots and very little support from their teammates in front of them. Let’s face it, neither Price or Halak are miracle workers and neither can carry the team like a Martin Brodeur or Roberto Luongo can.

After 20 games, the Habs have won only two of nine wins in regular time, have been outscored by ten goals and been out-shot in most of their games. So, is it time to panic yet? Well, it’s only been 20 games so maybe not yet. But I’m keeping my panic button really close.

With practically no room against the salary cap and player value getting lower every game, the hope for a trade that will magically solve everything is very unlikely.

If only every team could get rid of their struggling players to get a star forward or stud defensemen....

Sure. That’s how it works.

At this pace, I hate to say it, but unless there’s a drastic turnaround by some younger players, better defensive strategies and a working power play, we might be looking at a top 10 draft pick for next year.

But it still may be too early for pessimism and when everyone returns healthy, maybe we’ll see what this team is really made of. I hope so, because after all the changes to the roster, last season’s horrible performance and a quick playoff exit, the fans are hungry for success.

Lost Sheep: The Story of Andrei Kostitsyn

Sebastien Tremblay — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:08:46 -0500

Andrei, since arriving to North America a few years ago, has felt like a "lost cause." Lots of people agree and as many don’t. Everybody has their own reason to determine the value of a player, talent, raw skills, size, grit, passion, dedication, pride in your game, contribution to the team and level of competitiveness.

But is he really a lost cause? Is he what all first round pick dread the most, a bust?

First, to give you an idea of what I call "passion and competitiveness," obviously, Ovechkin displays it every single time he hits the ice or you only need to look at a few successful fourth line players.

Now I’m not saying a player needs to throw himself on the boards or do the "sticks on fire" dance every time he scores. But passion can be felt and makes a difference in many many ways. Notably, in the dressing room and then on the ice.

Are you angry when the coach leaves you on the bench? Are you angry when missing an open net? Are you angry if you lose your spot on the top two lines? If yes, you’re on the right track. That means pride just stepped in…

Remember Steve Begin? He never has he had the hands to be a top line player. But he still made it to the NHL and had a good career thanks to the enormous quantity of competitiveness and hard work he displays every night.

Now I’m looking at Andrei Kostitsyn’s play and it seems emotionless, without passion and at this point, he is less valuable to the team than the likes of Glen Metropolit, Travis Moen, and even Kyle Chipchura, who was often tagged as a player who would never gain a regular role in the NHL.

Now, I’m not asking him to smile at cameras. He’s not comfortable with media, fine. Who cares! Markov is not comfortable either…but can anyone say he’s playing with no passion? Nobody would dare, he’s one of the best in the league.

To reach that plateau, you need to be competitive, have the desire to be the best and improve. Can anyone say he can feel that from Andrei K?

Andrei is struggling. He’s struggling to find his place on the team and to determine what type of player he really wants to become. I feel bad seeing him try desperately to finish his body checks and play physical.

Who asked him to be gritty? Jacques Martin? Certainly not, he’s been saying since the season started Andrei needs to shoot more. That’s the sign of a player who lost his game, see Maxim Afinogenov the last two years for another example.

What I call struggling, is a player who is not improving. Do you believe he'll ever be a player worth a 10th round selection? We don’t have the luxury in Montreal of having low draft picks who become stars. So when you pick a guy 10th overall, you expect some level of competitiveness, any level. It’s just not there now.

But now let’s just look at the other side of things. Is Andrei Kostitsyn given a fair shot? And what brought Montreal to draft him 10th overall?

Jacques Martin has tried to put Andrei K with the best forwards the team has to offer. He played first line minutes, had the best linemates possible and still, came out empty handed. But like a lot of journalists and critics, I feel Kostitsyn simply wants to be elsewhere.

Even though he’s not been productive, he’s kept his spot on the first two lines maybe 75 out of 82 games last year and for the first eight games while guys like Latendresse, D’Agostini and Pacioretty are waiting for their chance.

Andrei K went as far as say he was unhappy about his playing time, that he played only seven minutes per game and that was the reason of his struggles. Looking at statistics, Kostitsyn averaged 14 minutes of playing time per game. When he was dropped to the fourth line, he played seven minutes. Two games before, he was on the ice for 17 minutes.

He got zero shot on net while playing on the first line.

To his defense, Trevor Timmins had all the right reasons to draft him. For those who didn’t know, Andrei K was ranked around 18th to 25th overall in the draft and, if not for medical reasons at the time, would have possibly been a top five pick.

Those medical problems were that Andrei had epilepsy/seizure problems. Not knowing whether those problems would carry over into his 20s became a factor and his ranking dropped. Montreal’s doctors were very confident they could find the right treatment and medication to solve that problem. And it did.

So Montreal took a chance on him at the number ten spot. Andrei Kostitsyn has arguably one of the best shots in that draft, I’d say equal to Jeff Carter but was considered a better skater and had that "wow factor" that Timmins was looking for, the kind of player that could wow the crowd with his moves.

And he actually did a few times. Andrei K has a few highlight goals under his belt including this one against Atlanta, this one against Washington…and this one, an Ovechkin style goal while falling and turning around.

Does he have talent? Hell yes he does. Is he using it? Yes, he is actually. But now you got to ask yourself why it’s not working for him…and to me, it all goes back to the complete lack of passion in his game.

Andrei probably feels he can do a lot better given the ice time and the linemates. A couple years ago, he seemed poised for a break out year and finally reach the 30 goals mark we so desperately want him to reach.

The fact is this, Andrei Kostitsyn is a good player with huge upsides, but he’s unhappy in Montreal and being the quiet Bielorussian guy…he shuts up about it and deals with the consequences. He should probably take a page off his brother’s book, Sergei, and ask for a trade. But with his value so low…Gainey won’t risk it now.

Something tells me we will see Andrei Kostitsyn in the top 10 goal scorers eventually. He might even reach the 40 goals mark. But not in Montreal, and not until he figures out what player he wants to be.

It’s the same for every player in the NHL, when things don’t work out, you need to go back to the basics and shot from every and any angle. Andrei has been dropped to the fourth line and seems VERY unhappy about it…but isn’t really doing what management tells him to do.

Will this motivate him to do better to regain his spot on the top two lines or is this going to be his downfall before he gets traded? Time will tell but I don’t think Bob Gainey will wait too long and risk loosing him for nothing in a couple years as a free agent.

He knows the value of his winger and probably prefers he breaks out here in Montreal, but his price tag is high for what he currently brings to the team. So trading him now would be exchanging one dollar for 50 cents. The only one who can now help Andrei K…is Andrei K. But once he comes out of this prolonged slump, teams in need of scoring power will line up to get his services.

Is Andrei a bust? I wouldn’t go that far. He’s shown flashed of brilliance and dominance but consistency and dedication seems to be the issue here. Not his talent. You can have all the talent in the world, but if the effort isn’t there…you end up like Alexandre Daigle…overpaid and under-performing. Let’s hope for us he comes out of his slump before Gainey get’s really tired.

As for me, I like the guy, I do! I think he has so much potential and could be such a dominant player. But maybe not in Montreal, where he seems to be regressing. But with Kovalev gone, he could be that guy that gets the crowd on it’s feet and dazzle the league. He has that chance here in Montreal, but will he grab the opportunity?

Montreal Canadiens Prospects: The Shape of Things to Come (Euro Edition)

Sebastien Tremblay — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:45:58 -0400

The Canadiens first overall pick of 2009 made the crowd jump up and roar : LOUIS LOUIS LOUIS as Louis Leblanc was being selected. Same thing hapenned when Gabriel Dumont's name popped up. Of course, European players don't get that kind of recognition in Montreal...but should they?

Montreal certainly picks up many North Americans skaters but doesn’t draft that many Europeans and to be honest, besides Andrei Markov, Montreal hasn't had much chance with their Euro "future stars". There is indeed a « hole » on the Canadiens European depth chart.

But no matter, still there are prospects that, even drafted in the late rounds, are making Montreal’s management drool in anticipation. A couple of them also make the envy of a lot of NHL and junior teams.

So here are the nominees that are, according to me, the most interesting to watch for in the coming years.

Maxim Trunev – fifth round pick, 138th overall in 2008

Don’t know him? Can’t blame you. I really took notice of him last year when I kept seeing videos on youtube of his dazzling puck handling and scoring abilities. Trunev has one of the best sets of hands and abilities for a young Russian and should be interesting to watch.

The Habs expect him to be a real steal by picking him in the fifth round. Why? Because having played enough internationally, he was eligible and drafted at 16 years old. Scouts believe he could’ve been a first round pick in 2009. Before his stint in the KHL in 2007-08, he had 60 points in 36 games with the Severstal junior club.

Trunev is extremely skilled offensively and has awesome puck handling skills. He’s obviously a finesse player and not very physical. He’s projected as a possible top 6 forward.

Still doubt me? Watch this. Wow. Yes, he’s the one who flies around the ice carrying the puck. That kind of skill makes me drool every time.

Sure, this is Midget AAA hockey and anything can happen until then to hamper his development. Trevor Timmins was hoping Trunev would come over and play for the Portland Winter Hawks who owns his rights in the juniors but, a bit like what happened with Alexei Yemelin, Trunev and his agent agreed to a contract with a Russian. Trunev has said that he is interested in playing in North America so we should see what he’s made of in the next two or three years.

It’s said he’s a cross between both Kostitsyn brothers, minus the disgruntled attitude. He has also been compared to Kovalchuk, but I’m not about to go that far yet but I will go as far and say « doesn’t he remind you of Phil Kessel the way he skates and handles the puck? » Interesting isn’t it? That’s some tantalizing talent!

He currently plays with the big boys of the KHL with the Cheropovets Severstal and had 2 goals in 15 games.

Nichlas Torp – sixth round pick, 163rd overall

A small but feisty swedish defender. At 5’10, it’s pretty small for a defensemen. But then again, that doesn’t stop him. Nichlas Torp is hungry for physical play and loves to bump through traffic. He will play in the Swedish Elite League this season (with an ex Canadiens we all hated…Janne Niinimaa).

Obviously, big defensemen are the ones who are the most prized by NHL teams. But remember a guy named Francis Bouillon? Even at 5’8 he can hit like he’s 6’4. Here is the new version in a swedish mold.

How does he play? A gritty, dirty, agitator style of play which is seriously lacking in Montreal. Himself says he’s been inspired by the likes of Chris Chelios and Darius Kasparaitis. So that says a lot about his style of play! I would welcome that type of physical play on the team.

Torp, before being seriously injured which dropped his rank in the draft, was ranked 7th amongst all European skaters. Not bad for a 5’10 defensemen. But missed half a season with a serious injury and his stock dropped quickly.

He was selected by the Swedish Junior National team and played most of the tournament side by side with the towering Victor Hedman and not once has he looked out of place. For a 6th round pick this is very interesting.

Hey, could it be the Red Wings actually missed a late round Swedish player?! Let’s hope!

Alexander Avtsin – fourth round pick, 109th overall in 2009-10-28

We started hearing about him after the draft as another potential steal by the Canadiens. Because Avtsin, three years ago, was considered a first round pick. He currently plays with the Moscow Dynamo in the KHL but has made it clear his goal is to get to the NHL.

Why did a kid ranked in the top 10 three years ago drop so much? Simply because he hasn’t played enough internationally in the last three years to be noticed so obviously, his stick dropped and being Russian…he dropped much faster than a North American skater would have.

But this guy can certainly electrify a crowd (watch number 9) For the Dynamo’s junior club, in 76 games, he had 110 points including 56 goals. How’s that for scoring talent. And he added to that 130 penalty minutes to show he also has a nasty side.

At this point, he’s considered a low risk and potential high reward draft pick. He is ranked 15th on Montreal’s depth chart. Pretty good for a kid who was just drafted and « dropped » in the rankings.

Avtsin is still untested, so this year with the Moscow Dynamo should give us an idea of what he’s really made of. He’s another one of those prospects who made the KHL at 18 years old only. Fast and smooth skater, great hands, good size and a taste for physical play...sounds like Alex Ovechkin doesn’t it? But he hates the comparison. Avtsin is Avtsin...he says.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here but in a Russian newspaper it read « A draft gem. The new Ovechkin. An incredible steal in the fourth round. »

We’ll just have to wait and see! Expect him to play in North America for the 2010-11 season.

Joonas Nattinen – third round pick, 65th overall in 2009-10-28

Not much is known about Joonas Nattinen besides that he was the top ranked Finnish player available in the draft. He played for the Blues Jr team in Finland putting up 38 points in 30 games. He should play in the SM-Liiga this year.

This is a long-term project for the Canadiens…a very long term project. Scouting reports have not been very pleasing in his case : « not a physical player, no grit, scared to go in the corners, seems to let the play develops instead of creating the chances… » Not very impressive when you think of it. He was tagged as a « floater ». A passive player who sacrifices offensive chances for a better defensive positioning.

Still, ISS ranked him 28th overall, Hockey News 36th and Montreal ended up picking him 65th. So we should not expect the second coming of Teemu Selanne but rather a good two-way checker with good size, passing skills and faceoff ability. He would greatly benefit from AHL seasoning so don’t expect to see him with Montreal until at least three or four years.

To his advantage, Nattinen is the « best friend » of his coaches meaning he gets lots of ice-time in all situations. So his game should improve but as of now, expect third or fourth line center caliber, he’s more a defensive center than anything else.

So this concludes the Euro edition. I decided to skip the smily Petteri Simila, the very lst pick of the 2009 draft simply because he already plays in North America and these four so it’s a lot easier to follow Simila’s development. And of course, goaltenders take a long time to develop, so don’t expect to see him until another four or five years which gives me ample time to come up with an evaluation! Keep watching for the American and Canadian edition!

Montreal Canadiens: Time to Let Them Rebuild Once and For All

Sebastien Tremblay — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:46:43 -0400

Something has been bothering me for a few years now, and I don’t care that we’re not even ten games into the season…I’m pressing the panic button.

My panic button. The button I’ve hoped management would press a long time ago. Let me explain.

Once in a while, I stop thinking rationally about hockey and think "what if." Speculation is dangerous, but in this case, there is reason to believe it would work.

"What if the Montreal Canadiens allowed the team to crumble like Pittsburgh or Chicago in the late 1990s and early 2000s and rebuild like many other teams are doing; what kind of team would we have now?"

That’s a question a lot of experts have pondered and the usual answer is "they’d probably be in a better position now, but the fans would not have allowed it."

They’re right.

Of course, fans do not control what management does, but when you work in one of the biggest hockey markets in the world, they can certainly generate a lot of pressure and through complaints, media, journalism, and even manifestations, they can cost management its jobs. Montreal and Toronto fans and media unfortunately have that "power" over what management do. They "demand" success at any cost.

Montreal has had a dreadfully average team for far too long, hanging in the middle of the standings since the mid-90s. What happened two years ago, finishing first in the East, was indeed an aberration.

So, over the years, to please fans and make the playoffs, management would use prospects and draft picks in trades to patch up holes with aging veterans or role players, thus wasting many years in the middle of the pack. Plus, drafting in the '90s was a pain and Montreal was consistently horrible at it.

Since Halloween is coming up, allow me to refresh your memories on how horrible the drafting was.

The first-round picks from 1990 to 2000 are Turner Stevenson, Brent Bilodeau, David Wilkie, Saku Koivu, Brad Brown, Terry Ryan, Matt Higgins, Jason Ward, Eric Chouinard, Ron Hainsey, and Marcel Hossa.

Very nice group, wouldn’t you say? Impressed?

Now I don’t need to tell you who they missed. It can be easily verified by looking at draft selections the past 10 years. But let me just say, Martin Brodeur and Jarome Iginla are on that list.

And who were the quick fixes? Donald Audette, Joe Juneau, Trevor Linden, Yannick Perreault, Karl Dykhuis, Eric Weinrich, Doug Gilmour, Shaun Van Allen, Sergei Berezin, and Jim Dowd, to mention only a few. Quite the all-star group, huh?

Instead of letting the team go down and get high draft picks that could’ve helped rebuild the franchise and make it stronger, they picked up those quick fixes to appease fans, media, and try desperately to make the playoffs through the back door.

Frankly, I’m more than tired of seeing the Canadiens struggle and hang around the middle of the pack. For the price of the damn tickets, they could at least try to offer a proper show.

Now where I’m going with this? Well, as an avid Montreal Canadiens fan, I want the club to be good and do well. But I’m also very aware of the benefits of high draft picks and high-end prospects. Does Montreal have any? I’m not so sure.

Tell me, are there any top 10 NHL prospects in Montreal’s talent pool? No. Top 15? No. Top 20? No. Top 30? Max Pacioretty was thought to be a great power forward (which is why he was picked over the obvious favorite, David Perron), is ranked 43rd in the league, and is Montreal’s best prospect according to Hockey’s Future. There are more players in front of him than teams in the NHL.

Montreal, as it is, don’t have many prospects to make them the envy of the league. The talent pool is full and apparently deep, but for some obscure reason, there have been no prospects in the last 10 years taking control of the team as there should have been. So where is that depth?

Wouldn’t you be excited about having prospects that makes the Habs the envy of the entire league? How about an Evgeni Malkin? A Steven Stamkos? Drew Doughty? Patrick Kane? Jonathan Toews?

Anyone who tells me they wouldn't be excited is a big fat liar or is dumb enough to think you can do fine through trades and veterans signings—just look at Toronto, there lies the proof this system doesn’t work.

So here is the million dollar question: Are Montreal Canadiens fans ready to finally accept a losing team for a few years, in the hopes of making a complete rebuild that would help the team gain new talentthatwould help the team for years to come?

There are many, many examples around the league of that theory, Pittsburgh and Chicago being the best. Both franchises had to endure a few years at the bottom of the standings, but look at the benefits now!

Isn’t it time the Habs gain back their former glory? The question might not be "are we ready to accept it?," but "is it necessary?"

As for me, I’ve actually been hoping for a complete breakdown, because frankly, there’s just no way the Canadiens fans will desert the team if it does bad. The Bell Centre will be full whatever happens. Hockey is in our blood. And with examples and proof that the rebuilding through drafting system works…why the hell won't they do it?!

Let me ask you, what is Montreal’s identity as a team right now? Can anyone tell me what the Habs are trying to put out there? Who are the poster boys for the team? Gomez and Cammalleri? Don’t make me laugh. If they could be the face of a franchise, they’d already be in that position by now. But they’re not.

Personally, I’d be glad to see the Habs crumble for a few years. Imagine the benefits of having maybe three or four top-five picks. Look around the league; I’d say 25 out of 30 teams have their fresh, young, talented players to build around. Where is ours?

Drafting and prospects are my specialty. I’ve been following the drafts for the last 10 years, at least. I’m still trying to find a single prospect worthy of that tag. Is it Louis Leblanc? Doubtful. Is it Pacioretty? There should be signs already but there are none. Is it Carey Price? Do you really believe we have Patrick Roy/Martin Brodeur talent there? If so, how come the team still lingers around the middle of the standings?

Having 11 free agents at the end of last season, on a badly slumping team with no direction, Bob Gainey missed the perfect opportunity to trade, clear out, and rebuild. Instead, he wasted a lot of cap space on what I consider quick fixes…again. Gosh, I hoped that Gainey would get a freakin' clue and decide to go for it and rebuild. But he decided to try and protect his job and future first; the team’s future comes second.

This situation reminds me too much of the Canadiens of the 1990s, where management would patch up holes with veterans or role players. Gionta, Cammalleri, Spacek, Gill and Mara are players that you can fit into an already-working system with better line mates, which we don’t have. Gomez is a quick fix to replace the departure of Koivu, who was pressured by media and fans to leave town, but the former’s not quite better, just younger.

I’m afraid Gainey just set back the team another 10 years by refusing to admit it’s time for the Habs to go down for the count, only to come back stronger in a few years.

Are the fans going to hold it against him? Some will, those who don’t understand the process. But not if fans are aware of the plan and the benefits of patience. With examples all over the league and young superstars coming out of every draft, a few years in the ditch is the best thing for a Habs resurrection.

Now you’re all free to fire at me for saying this and some of you will try to rip my head off through the comments, but I don’t think anyone can deny it’s time to do something drastic for once.

Just Grow Up Already: Sergei Kostitsyn Deserting the Montreal Canadiens

Sebastien Tremblay — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:32:56 -0400

Now, first of all, let me just say I'm not the kind of writer to go out and report rumours as facts or write casual articles that have no "meat" around them. But I feel this article is "needed" in this case.

The latest news from the Montreal Canadiens is that our dear Sergei K, brother of Andrei, has decided not to report to the farm club in Hamilton. He informed his agent yesterday he was not going to join the Bulldogs after being cut from the Canadiens and has asked to be traded. It's been made official this morning.

I call that the "selfish ego" syndrome.

I don't want to generalize, but it happens more often with Europeans simply because they have the option to go back home and play for the KHL. Sergei expected to make the team right away. He should know you have to earn your place in the NHL...

This is not the first time we read about this. Last year, Montreal lost Pavel Valentenko to the KHL but for very different reasons, in his case, money was a big factor since Valentenko was supporting his entire family an an AHL salary of about $25,000 per year. At the NHL level, he would have made about $800,000. But in Sergei's case, it's not money, it's all attitude.

Now Montreal will have no choice to pack him up and trade him if they don't want to lose him for nothing to the KHL. It sounds like a case of teenage rebellion.

I'm not even going to mention the events from last year concerning mob relations; that's over now and proven they were not related to any crimes.

Sergei Kostitsyn, as per reports, arrived at camp in bad shape. His fitness level was far from acceptable, and he obviously got reprimanded for it. Jacques Martin was far from impressed by his attitude and overall play on the ice, going as far as saying Sergei had to change his attitude drastically if he hoped of having a chance with the big club.

Then Sergei missed the bus that was taking the team to Quebec for training...and that obviously didn't help.

At his best, I really like the kid. I like his competitiveness, his spunk and fire. That's what impressed management during his first try with the team. There is a lot of talent and potential there. But it's not going to help him at all if he has attitude problems.

Grabovski had attitude problems and was shipped to Toronto. I'm starting to think these two are from the same mold. There's also a strong rivalry going on between the two.

Obviously, Sergei got suspended without pay and is not happy.

Now, I need to talk about Andrei K. Andrei is a first round pick from 2003 and took a very long time to adapt to North America and is just barely starting to emerge as a top six forward...just barely.

A few years ago, Montreal decided to draft Sergei in the seventh round and bring him over to play for the London Knights. The reason was to have him play close to his brother to ease the adaptation period. It worked. Andrei suddenly became a point per game player at the AHL level and was quickly brought up by the Canadiens.

Now Sergei is technically gone. So what is Andrei going to do? I remember posting an article earlier where I stated my fears about both Kostitsyn pulling a "Radulov" and deserting the team for the KHL. Now that possibility seems even more likely. Andrei has refused any comments about his brother...which adds to the doubts surrounding them.

Their value is low now, very low. Montreal might have to trade both for some loose change but will definitely lose in the trade. I know Gainey has tried to trade both Kostitsyn brothers late last season and again this summer.

The result? Well, they're both still with the team are they? So that says a lot about their market value...especially since they are still very young but nobody wants to take a chance on them.

Who would want an "underperformer" like Andrei who just can't seem to break out on his own, and his brother who has attitude and work ethic problems. Is there a team desperate enough?

Again, trade demands have been made public and this will likely affect the Canadiens options just as it did with Heatley in Ottawa. But to be honest, at this point, I just don't care anymore about the brother K's. The potential is there, but still untapped and looks like it might never be. Andrei looks and plays like a guy who wants to be elsewhere, and his brother desperately wanted to stay but without having to work for it.

The "fresh start" that Bob Gainey was talking and the 11 players he let go to free agency or trade might extend to the Kostitsyn brother as well.

It's too bad, but probably for the best. Now my No. 74 Kostitsyn shirt will be a vintage product I guess!

Good bye Sergei K. Any takers?

It's Time For NHL Eastern Conference Predictions Again!

Sebastien Tremblay — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:16:06 -0400

Predictions, predictions, predictions. Yes, it’s time to try and determine the rankings again. Every year, before season starts, fans devour every bit of predictions they can get and, of course, those poor writers they don’t agree with are considered amateurs or out of their minds.

So for a writer, predictions are horrible to do. Because there is honestly no way to know how a season will turn out. When a few predictions are off, it screws up the entire thing and we look like we don’t know what we’re talking about.

But predictions are always based on actual rosters, expectations and on the previous year’s results, not on possible injuries, under-performances and trades. It’s like walking on egg shells.

As an example, last season, on paper, the Lightning didn’t look so bad. They even had some analysts and experts thinking they would get back into the playoffs right away thanks to the « new, improved » roster changes over the summer. Well…they were very wrong. The Lightning crumbled to the bottom…again.

Did anyone expect Colorado to have their worst season since the start of the franchise in 1995-96? I don’t think so. But injuries to both Joe Sakic and Paul Statsny, underperformance by both goaltenders and a weak defense did the trick and Colorado crumbled.

The same goes for Boston. On paper, Boston didn’t look so strong. But the combination of young emerging talent, team effort and great coaching helped them rise to the top of the conference. And Montreal two years ago…same thing. Nobody saw it coming.

So predictions are technically impossible. But for the sake of it, and because it’s fun to argue with people about it. I’ll give it a shot. My predictions are based, of course, on current rosters and possible rookies, injuries and last year’s results.

I’m going to focus on the first 8 teams, those who « should » make the playoffs. Keep in mind, things can change quickly... and most likely will!

Top 8 Eastern Conference teams

1-Philadelphia Flyers

Their top six of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Daniel Briere, Simon Gagne, Scott Hartnell and Claude Giroux all have 60-70 points potential and more. They just added a huge scary, snarling monster like Chris Pronger to an already impressive defense corp. With those tweaks, they should rise a few spots in the rankings.

They were fifth last year, tied with Pittsburgh with 99 points. Add to that a more consistent goalie in Ray Emery, well at least more than Marty Biron and the Flyers can only go up the rankings.

2-Washington Capitals

They have the two best offensive weapons of the NHL at their position: Ovechkin up front and Mike Green at the blueline. Add to that another 40 goals scorer in Alex Semin and a 90 points playmaker Niklas Backstrom, the veteran experience of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison, a rookie goalie waiting to prove himself like Varlamov and a great supporting cast…and you’ve got a very scary team.

Just imagine if one of their youngsters suddenly break out?!

3-Boston Bruins

I don’t expect the Bruins to be as dominant, simply because now teams are waiting for them. Who will pick up those lost Phil Kessel goals?

If Bergeron and Sturm can get back to form, if Krejci keeps the same pace and if Wheeler need to avoid sophomore jinx, if Recchi really has one good year left and if Tim Thomas can be as spectacular…then yeah, sure they can do it again. But that’s a LOT of "ifs".

4-Pittsburgh Penguins

The only reason they don’t rank first is because of two consecutive Stanley cup runs. Those « long seasons » wears down players like nothing else. Even super-players can’t play that intense all the time. The blueline is young but very talented.

As for up front, this is where I have doubts. Of course, Crosby and Malkin are arguably the best two centers in the league. But how about some quality wingers?

Are Guerin and Kunitz the right fit for Crosby for a full season? And who is Malkin going to play with? There’s not much depth on the wings…that could, again, hurt them in the regular season.

5-New Jersey Devils

Perennial playoff team and cup contender. Martin Brodeur will be looking to beat more records again and secure his spot as Team Canada’s number one goalie. Zach Parise found his stride last year, which relieves Patrick Elias from a lot of offensive pressure. Rolston should be back healthy.

Travis Zajac has shown he’s a good second or third line center and they have some depth at all position. What else can I say…the Devils are never very far from the top. Lou Lamoriello always finds a way to ice a playoff team.

6-Carolina Hurricanes

Who ever watched the "Cardiac Canes" during the last playoffs has to be wondering what they can do now. If they can follow through on their post-season success…watch out for the Canes.

There have been slight upgrades to their roster but all the key pieces are still in place. Plus, Cam Ward wants the backup job behind Brodeur for Team Canada…so you can bet he’ll be on fire.

7-Montreal Canadiens

The major overhaul in Montreal will make the team more consistent and resistant. Now chemistry has to kick in. There should be a slight improvement from last season. And please stop with the "they’re too small" nonsense. Patrick Kane cruises around the ice at 5’9 and 160 pounds? Ask him if he thinks he’s too small.

Or maybe you don’t know who Derek Roy is? Well he’s only 5’8. How about Marc Savard at 5’10? Or Martin St. Louis at a whopping 5’9? Are they too small? No? Then shut up.

8-Ottawa Senators

With the new addition of Pascal Leclaire, who’s got a lot to prove, Ottawa might have finally found the number one goaltender they’ve been looking for. As long as his health keeps him in the lineup.

Then there’s Michalek and Cheechoo, whom combined, can replace Heatley and add depth, plus, who would want Heatley back after all the crap he had the fans go through. Only thing is the slightly above average defense, it’s not bad, but not very impressive either…so Leclaire will have to work hard.

Those big cannons up front will have to cope for the lack of offensive support on the backend.

The rest…

9-Buffalo – Same roster, not enough improvement. They should try to bring back Briere! Or at least add to their defense but they’re very close. They miss the offensive defensemen they lost in Campbell and the leadership Drury brought.

10-Tampa Bay – Better? Slightly…but Hedman and Stamkos need to develop further before anything great happens. The teams financial trouble will catch up to them again and screw with their minds.

11-New York – Where is the offense besides Gaborik? Is there a legitimate first center? If Gabo goes down, who picks up the slack…Lundqvist can’t do it all alone. Can Sather use a calculator? Or are those overpaid contracts just part of his incompetence?

12-Florida – Lost their best player in Bouwmeester, and made no real roster upgrade. They should stop hoping for Nathan Horton to step up. Let’s hope Michael Frolik picks up where he left off. He should be their best player.

13-Toronto – Many tough guys, but only one true scorer, Kessel…injured until November. Can Niklas Hagman can keep up the highlight goals? And Grabo cool down? Brian Burke has an interesting idea but just wasted two first round picks.

14-Atlanta – Antropov for four years? Are they trying to be bad? Nikolai Antropov

should be spelled like this: Inconsistent Waste. Message to Kovalchuk: DON’T re-sign. You deserve better. Management sucks in Atlanta…

15-Islanders – Poor Tavares. I would have loved to see him wear anything else that an Isle jersey. The Islanders will, again, be dead last. How many hot prospects are they going to waste like this? We should see Tavares sign the very first 30 years contract from Garth Snow…sarcastic? Not really and that’s the problem. Management sucks here too.

These are MY predictions. Obviously, I’m going to be wrong about a few of them…which normally screws up the entire rankings! So let me know what you think, and why, cause a good friendly argument is always welcome with me.

New Faces, New Questions: My "New" Montreal Canadiens Review

Sebastien Tremblay — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:46:14 -0400

Well. Gainey must be sweating right now for two reasons. First, he's never been so active on the free agent market and has to be trying to catch his breath right now. Second, he just took a huge risk by spending 107M$ on four players over five years.

So the five year plan is over and failed. Bob Gainey has decided to clean up and change the core of the team. New, younger and hopefully better players have been signed and the aging ones are left to try their luck at free agency. But some players who left town will be hard to replace...

The reign of Saku Koivu is over. Koivu will, for the first time in his career, play for a different team than Montreal this fall. He's been the target of lots of criticism in the recent years for dozens of reasons but I hope he can finish his career away from the spotlight.

He won't surpass Jean Beliveau as the longest running Montreal Canadiens captain but somehow I think management would not have allowed it...

Kovalev, who was one of the only two along with Komisarek who were offered contracts by Bob Gainey, said all year he wanted to end his career in Montreal. So what has kept him from accepting the offer is a mystery.

But he seemed to have missed his chance to resign now. Unless Bob pulls a rabbit and clears up enough cap space somehow, he likely won't be back next year. It's too bad, I liked the enigmatic Russian and with Komisarek gone he would have been the likely candidate for captain as well as adding more punching power and size to the offense.

Why Bob Gainey talks about how "important it is for this team to have this flavour" talking about home grown talent and french canadian players when asked the question during this years NHL entry draft...and then offer nothing to Alex Tanguay is a total mystery and almost hypocritical.

With the obvious departure of Mathieu Dandenault, Patrice Brisebois, and Francis Bouillon, there are very few french speaking players. And Tanguay is still young. He can provide offense and loves playing here. Why not?

Mike Komisarek...Look at it this way, he accepted a deal, worth 500k more per year from the Leafs. Komi and his agent knew very well Gainey would certainly match if not surpass that offer. But they simply never gave him the opportunity to do so. Komisarek actually never replied to Gainey's offer.

In Montreal, Komi was treated like a king and as the probable next captain. Fans loved him even through all the problems. Management hoped to build around him, they even placed him behind the bench during his injury. Gainey even offered more than what he thought defensemen the likes of Komisarek are worth.

If this isn't indication of how important you are to an organization then I don't know what is. But he turned his back on what was to be his team to lead and signed with the rival Leafs no less. So yes I'm more than disappointed.

The next reunion should be very emotional. Komisarek should expect his next visit to the Bell Center to be tough and leave with a ringing in his ear that goes "boooooooooooo." Sorry, but I just can't wish him luck. He's a great defensemen, but in my own opinion he now officially sucks!

As far as the new guys go, on paper, the team looks a bit better. But not by much. Gomez is a younger version of Koivu. A playmaker, younger and more resistant, he may be a slight upgrade but lacks the size Gainey was probably looking for in a first line center.

He's grossly overpaid but I guess there was nothing else on the market available without giving up too much in return. He was regressing in New York. Maybe a fresh start with good scoring wingers will jump start his production back over the 70 points.

Mike Cammalleri basically replaces Alex Kovalev as the scorer. He's expected to score lots of goals and it's exactly what he wants to do. This responsibility might take some pressure off Andrei Kostitsyn a bit and help him get back on track. He's small, but feisty and fast. It seems Gainey decided to bank on speed and skill rather than size.

Can he be a point per game player along side Scott Gomez? Can he score 40 goals in Montreal? it's been a long time since it happened so I certainly hope so. He might be Gainey's best signing this year.

Then there is Brian Gionta. A lot of people question Gainey for taking on Gomez's huge contract but for me this is where there is a big problem in management.

How can you offer $5M for a regressing player hoping an old chemistry suddenly resurfaces when Alex Tanguay, a fan favorite and french speaking player, would likely play here for less and offer just as much? Let's just say Gionta better score lots of goals next season or Gainey will have lots to answer for.

Already the new trio has a name: the "smurf line". But I prefer the "shrimp line" personally. If chemistry builds between Gomez and Cammalleri and if Gionta can become a 30 to 40 goal scorer again along side his old buddy Gomez, then it should be very interesting to watch. This can either be a stroke of genius...or a total disaster for Bob Gainey. Five years is a long time to endure a mistake.

As for Jaroslav Spacek, it's a pretty good signing. He could actually be a good partner for Markov. Or he can become like Hamrlik...still provides solid defense but the offensive touch is just not what it used to be.

Hal Gill was signed for a single reason: clean the front of the net, a job left vacant with Komisarek's betrayal\departure for the rival Maple Leafs. He's a big downgrade from Komi but he may still have a couple years left in him. He's big but slow...but it's still much better than Ryan O''Byrne!

If you have come across some of my previous articles, I made quite clear I am not a big fan of Chris Higgins. I'm glad he's gone to be honest. He's been disappointment. If he can become a 30 goal scorer someere else than so be it. Good for him! But I doubt it. So I'll just wish him well in New York.

Now I'm certainly hoping that Thomas Plekanec and Guillaume Latendresse, both restricted free agents, come back next year. Plekanec had a horrible year, as did most of the team last season. He was progressing at a steady pace up until last year so let's hope the bad luck has passed.

As for Latendresse, he's young and improving. A big guy at 6'2 and 230 pounds and also he's one of the only french speaking players left!

I agree with Bob Gainey when he said "We have been an average team for far too long. We need to get much better now." And I also agree the "veteran core" of the team needed to be changed as well.

But I don't think spending so much so quickly and on so many small players is a good idea. Maybe the Lecavalier deal was not to be, but the team still needs a big first line center and that player is still missing.

In the end, the team might look better on paper but reality might be very different. I'm not expecting much change or maybe marginal improvement next year. Gainey still hasn't been able to take care of the most pressing and important problem this team has had for years, a first line franchise player.

I like Mike Cammalleri, who could arguably be considered the team's new best player, but he's not the "franchise defining player" the team desperately needs.

Montreal Canadiens Fans or "How to destroy a young career"

Sebastien Tremblay — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:31:15 -0400

This is my own opinion. Feel free to disagree of course.

What happened last night with the Habs was the result of an entire season of disappointment. But what I want to say here has nothing to do with player performances.

Right now, I’m talking to the fans.

Montreal fans pretend to be the best fans in the league. I beg to differ.

I’m a huge hockey fan and have been following the Habs since I was seven years old. Although I feel our expectations about the teams success were too high, I’m just as angry and disappointed about this season. But there is no excuse for what I’ve seen and heard last night.

As I said, I’m not even talking about players. Yes, they were bad. They played without energy and motivation. But the fans made it worse.

Montreal fans may be the loudest, and may be the most emotional about their team. But are easily the most ruthless and degrading in the whole league. Here, in Montreal, fans can easily destroy a player’s confidence or even worse, their career. And I think we destroyed a part of Carey Price this year.

How can we pretend to be true fans when a player struggles, he becomes a target for fans harassment and media scourges.

Price had every right to raise his arms when he was applauded by the crowd after a routine stop. All year fans have pointed at him as the main reason of the team's struggles. My finger has always been pointed at Bob Gainey, all 10 of them actually.

I call that bad management. It’s not just bad goaltending.

Does this situation remind you of another? True fans should remember what happened to Patrick Roy—and mostly, the consequences.

Back then, fans blamed Roy for bad performances when the team in front of him was just horrible. The blame should’ve been dumped entirely on coach Mario Tremblay for not pulling Roy out of the game after he allowed eight goals in a 9-1 loss to the Red Wings.

But the fans blamed Patrick for his performances and booed him. The result? Patrick never played another game in Montreal after that—and the team was horrible for the next 10 years.

What’s happening now could just as easily throw Carey Price out of Montreal. Carey can’t even walk the streets of Montreal without a bodyguard and get insulted—and threatened by fans no less!

So what are you fans trying to prove exactly? Are you trying to destroy his confidence? Are you trying to make him hate Montreal? Are you trying to get him traded?

And what if he does get traded thanks to the fans attitude and then develops into a star goaltender somewhere else? What then? Who’s to blame?

The facts are simple. We were told Carey would be the great goaltender we’ve missed since Patrick Roy left town. We were told that the centennial season would be great and that everything would be done to make it memorable. We were told we had a strong team with all the tools to get far in the playoffs. We were told not to worry, that our young goaltenders could withstand the pressure.

Now ask yourself, who actually said all that? Who promised that great year? Bob. Should I remind you that Bob is no longer a player. He does not make any difference on the ice.

Since when does everything turns out as planned in the NHL??And since when does a general manager’s promises can be taken for granted? Well, Bob was right that this year was going to be memorable. But that’s about it. The rest of his predictions never happened.

Carey is not to blame in all this. Maybe his performances were not up to what we expected. Maybe we wanted him to be a top starter right now.

But again, these are our expectations based of Bob Gainey’s promises. How do you think he feels being the center of attention and being asked to carry an entire struggling team on his 21 years old shoulders with barely a year of experience?

We’re not talking about a veteran here. If it were Martin Brodeur having those problems, I’d understand the fans' disappointment and attitude. Brodeur is a star, has been a top goaltender for years and he’s expected to bring a higher level of play than other goaltenders. He wants the pressure, and delivers—because he has experience.

Look at his early years, for the first three years, Brodeur had Chris Terreri, an experienced goaltender, to mentor him and fall back on.

What does Price has? Nothing. Bob traded Cristobal Huet away.

Anyone that knows a bit about player development should be aware that goaltenders take the longest to develop. So why are we so disappointed about his performances? And haven’t you ever heard of the sophomore jinx?

Only a handful of players become instant stars. And even less goaltenders manage to do so. We’ve been blinded by last year’s success, our desire for a Stanley Cup and a replacement for the long-gone Patrick Roy.

We wanted Carey to be exceptional. We wanted him to skip the development part and become a star right away. It didn't happen this way. Too bad.

Now, unfortunately, Carey will probably need to take a step back before he can move forward again. No thanks to the fans and their lack of support. So even harder times are expected for Carey. I can’t begin to fathom how hard it must be for him. He looks strong, but that doesn't mean he is.

It’s been a very tough year. Rumours of drinking and partying have twirled around him all year. He's been accused of not being focused. What were you doing at 21? I'm sure none of you were partying and none of you were drinking...yeah right! So why should we expect something different for Carey?

He’ll need time to recover from all this. Now what do you think our young goaltender needs to recover? Water bottles thrown at him? Being ridiculed on a routine stop? Being booed? Being harassed on the streets? Cause right now, this is the kind of "support" Montreal fans have been offering.

Carey needs time to develop and mentors and he’s had none of the two. He’s got nobody to look up to right now and nothing to fall back on.

Expect Bob Gainey to resign as coach and general manager. He’s got a press conference today (April 23rd) and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the reason for it. It’s been five years since he arrived, and the team just took a huge step back. His five year plan crumbled at the worst of moments.

My idea is to bring in Patrick Roy as coach. Who better than the last star goaltender we had in Montreal to help a struggling youngster like Price?

Patrick is a guy that can control a dressing room and have players play up to their potential. He’s proved he can coach in the juniors, he’s tough, he’s bilingual and is definitely not afraid of Montreal’s media circus. The perfect choice.

In conclusion, hockey is a team sport and requires a team effort. The responsibility for this year’s bad performance has to be felt by every single of the 34 players who wore the Canadiens jersey this year. This is the reason for the Canadiens struggles, right now, they’re all blaming Price and there is no team effort.

Carey is responsible for his performances at some level, but without the help, support and backup he requires, it’s just not logical to expect legendary goaltending from him.

I hope fans can take that into account before insulting, harassing him, and throwing stuff at him. Because just like Carey Price, who can be either extremely good or extremely bad—Montreal fans can be the best and the worst of the league.

Who's Good, Who's Bad? Montreal Canadiens Annual Review

Sebastien Tremblay — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:15:39 -0400

The year is over and I'm sure management in Montreal have a lot of questions. What a circus this year was, more than it usually is! Strange accusations, players under-performing, criticism, trade rumours.

I'm sure fans and players are happy the year is over and the team is making the payoffs. So here is my Montreal Canadiens Annual Review, just quick notes about the players.

Offense:

Alex Kovalev: 78 GP, 26 goals, 39 assists, 65 points

He hasn't been the player he was last year. But then again, Kovalev has been inconsistent all his career; everyone knows that.

The only problem is that Montreal management and fans expected a similar year and were disappointed.

He started the year with struggling linemates, but still he managed to get 65 points which is what Kovy usually produces on average. So overall, it's an okay year for Kovy.

Saku Koivu: 65 GP, 16 goals, 34 assists, 50 points

Without the injury problems, Koivu might've reached about 60 to 70 points this year, which is usually what he does. And if the Koivu, Tanguay, and Kovalev trio had been united earlier this year, his season might've looked better.

The team's problems have been carried by Koivu for long enough now, and I'm sure he would welcome someone who could take away his No. 1 center status.

Alex Tanguay: 50GP, 16 goals, 25 assists, 41 points

Tanguay has been admirable considering the problems the team has faced this year. When healthy, he was one of the most dangerous player on the roster.

I feel Tanguay could have reached 80 points this year if not for his injury and all the problems and distractions around the team. Gainey would be wise to resign the crafty left winger. We need more guys like him on the team.

Andrei Kostitsyn: 74GP, 23 goals, 18 assists, 41 points

I'm disappointed. I feel he's regressing. He hasn't been as confident and looks like he wants to be elsewhere.

I'm starting to feel he could pull a "Radulov" and split for the KHL...considering all that happened surrounding him and his brother, would you be surprised?

Look at the way he's been playing. Or maybe I'm just imagining things. He should be an impact player by now, just look at the guys drafted after him. But he's not...

Robert Lang: 50 GP, 18 goals, 21 assists, 39 points

I'm happy Gainey brought him in. He's been smiling all year and scoring on a steady pace. Until his injury, he was our best player! Who would've thought that. He's done more than what was expected of him.

Tomas Plekanec: 80 GP, 20 goals, 19 assists, 39 points

He tried. He did! Maybe expectations were too high, maybe he couldn't take the pressure or maybe last year was an aberration? I don't know.

But this is a year to forget for Plekanec. He was on a steady progression until now, let's just hope this was just a very late "sophomore jinx."

Maxim Lapierre: 79 GP, 15 goals, 13 assists, 28 points

I don't think anyone could've asked for more from Maxim. He's surpassed all expectation. To get that kind of consistency and offense from a third/fourth line "energy" player is something a lot of general managers envy.

And for added bonus, Lapierre is a hometown boy who care a LOT about what happens to the team. Every team should have their own Lapierre.

Guillaume Latendresse: 56 GP, 14 goals, 12 assists, 26 points

I've been impressed with the way he's been improving and behaving himself. Considering he plays on a third line with barely any powerplay time, his offensive production has been improving quite nicely.

His skating got a lot better and still improving. He's a big right winger that can bring offence and physical presence which is seriously lacking on the roster. He's still very young and will only get bigger and stronger.

Sergei Kostitsyn: 56 GP, 8 goals, 15 assists, 23 points

Was it too early to give him a regular role? I think so. He has loads of talent and has proved it on many occasion. But like his brother, consistency and focus are a problem.

The Montreal media circus probably didn't help, but as professionals they can't let that affect their play.

Sergei has let his emotions get the best of him many times this year causing stupid penalties. I like the kid a lot, he'll be great but he needs to mature.

Chris Higgins: 57 GP, 12 goals, 11 assists, 23 points

Where has he been? What a horrible year it's been for him. He's been lost all year and got dumped to the fourth line.

I feel Higgy is better fitted as a third/fourth line winger who can pitch in on the first two lines if needed. He can add depth to an already deep roster but is not an impact player on his own and I think he proved that this year.

Tom Kostopoulos: 78 GP, 8 goals, 14 assists, 22 points

You can't expect more from Tom that what he can give you...which is 150% every single game.

Gosh, I wish he'd have better puck dexterity or some kind of scoring touch because he would be dangerous! How many chances did he miss this year? But I can't blame him, he tries so hard!

Matt D'Agostini: 53 GP, 12 goals, 9 assists, 21 points

When he first arrived, he played so well that he made fans and critics go wild. But then he vanished without a trace.

Still, it's only his first year and we'll have to wait and see if that sniper wrist shot of his translates into 30 goals in the NHL. He reminds me of Richard Zednik somehow...

Mathieu Dandenault: 41 GP, 4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points

He's been very helpful, playing both as a winger and a defensemen, and also very patient.

As a veteran looking to sign a new deal it can't be easy being a healthy scratch half the year. Not once has he complained. I hope his patience and versatility will benefit him down the road.

Max Pacioretty: 34 GP, 3 goals, 8 assists, 11 points

I can't say I've been disappointed but not impressed either. He made a similar impression as D'Agostini when he arrived.

But Pacioretty is very young and still has lots of time to grow. He likes to play as a power-forward and those usually take longer to develop.

Glen Metropolit: 21 GP, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points

He's doing a good job killing penalties and seems to mesh well with Higgins. He's doing what he's here to do, which is stabilize the fourth line. As long as he's invisible, it means he's doing his job.

Georges Laraque: 33 GP, 61 PIM

He's been plagued with injury all year and hasn't helped much. But then again, he came to Montreal unprepared and out of shape and suffered the consequences.

I hope he's healthy now because he'll be important during the playoffs. A healthy Laraque can be very scary and tough to move. I hope Bob's investment in Laraque pays off down the line.

Greg Stewart: 20 GP, 32 PIM

Interesting guy. He can fight, he's obviously faster than Laraque and seems to have better offensive potential as well. He could be a useful alternative to Laraque down the road.

He came in this year with five fights in five strait games to prove his point but thankfully quiet down since!

Kyle Chipchura: 13 GP

Forgettable presence for a forgettable player who's time is running out in Montreal. He's just not growing into a consistent player.

Ben Maxwell: 7 GP

Seemed a bit lost but who can blame him? Should be pretty good eventually.

Defense:

Andrei Markov: 78 GP, 12 goals, 52 assists, 64 points

A perfect 10. And he earned it. Markov is an elite defensemen and his absence makes a huge difference. He does everything, power play, penalty kill, passing, scoring. Markov is the kind of defensemen general managers dream about.

He's quiet and extremely effective. If not for his injury, he might have become the first defensemen ever to lead the Canadiens in scoring!

Roman Hamrlik: 81 GP, 6 goals, 27 assists, 33 points

Hammer does his job. He's not as flashy as he use to be but is very efficient. He's tough and reliable and fits in well as a third or fourth defensemen. Good job!

Josh Gorges: 81 GP, 4 goals, 19 assists, 23 points

I think this is the year Josh really proved he could be a solid defensemen. He's been the most consistent defensively thru the year. He even reached career highs in goals, assists, points and plus\minus. He's starting to draw well deserved attention to himself.

Patrice Brisebois: 62 GP, 5 goals, 13 assists, 18 points

This veteran is eyeing retirement. He's been resigned as a backup in case something failed and was helpful. He still does blind passes but in a diminished role they're not as damaging!

I hope we can find someone younger to be the backup next year. Still, 1000 career games is something to be very proud of.

Mathieu Schneider: 23 GP, 5 goals, 12 assists, 17 points

He was brought in to save a struggling powerplay and did just that. Just goes to show how important offensive defensemen are.

If he had played all year in Montreal, things would surely be a lot better for the Habs and his offensive statistics would likely be around 55 to 60 points.

Mike Komisarek: 66 GP: 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points

Where is the scary Komisarek that gave nightmares to his opponents? Since his humiliating loss to Milan Lucic, Komi has transformed into an inconsistent shaky un-confident player.

My guess is he's playing injured or something has bothered him all year. I hope he'll come back next year as the monster defender he once was.

Francis Bouillon: 54 GP, 5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points

When healthy, Bouillon can be a tough opponent. He's small but feisty and hits hard. He's usually reliable defensively and can pitch in on the offense if really needed. As a fifth or sixth defensemen he fits perfectly.

Ryan O'Byrne: 37 GP, 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points

Nobody that have seen him play can give him a passing grade. Scoring in his own goals was just the cherry on the sundae, even before then O'Byrne was struggling badly.

This is a year to forget for him. I think management expect him to be a bit like Komisarek but he looks so uncomfortable in the NHL it's sad to look at.

Yannick Weber: 3 GP

He looked nervous, but that's to be expected. I can't wait to see if we actually got, as I'm told, a Mark Streit replica waiting in Hamilton.

Alex Henry: 2GP
Just came in to help and couldn't stop dropping the gloves so they sent him back!

Doug Janik: 2GP
Again, just came in to help and he did.

Goaltending:

Carey Price: 52GP, 23 wins, 16 loss, 10 OT loss, 1SO, 2.83GAA, .905SV%
Not great stats for someone who stole the starting goaltender job from Cristobal Huet last year. Price has looked unstable, lost, confused and even sometimes drunk in from of the net! I hope it's just sophomore jinx and that he'll be that goaltender Montreal fans are waiting for since Patrick Roy left town.

Jaroslav Halak: 34GP, 18 wins, 10 loss, 1 OT loss, 1SO, 2.86GAA, .915SV%
Halak has been admirable. How many backups play 34 games and get you 18 wins? He has carried the team when Price was down and did a great job. He helped the team out of a major slump near the end of the year. He has done a great job considering the condition he played in.

So there it is. This is, of course, just my own opinion. Feel free to disagree! Comments are always appreciated.

NHL Rookie Mid-term Report Cards

Sebastien Tremblay — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:02:32 -0500

Now that half the season is done, let's evaluate how the rookies have been doing.

Is anyone failing at this point?!

Steve Mason
Grade: A+

Steve is still going strong! I'm pretty impressed with the rookie goaltender! I never thought the skills and potential I saw at the World Junior Championships last year would translate so quickly into NHL success!

It's always a bit tougher for rookie goaltenders to make a big splash and take a run at the Calder, but Steve Mason has been more than impressive. He as taken the entire team on his shoulders and has already won many games on his own.

Playing for what is still a struggling team, if he keeps this pace up, he could not only win the Calder, but take a run at the Vezina as well. He's first in GAA with 1.81, second in SV% with .936 and first in shutouts with six...and he's only 20 years old.

Will the Blue Jackets finally make the playoffs? I sure hope so and if they do, Mason will be the Calder winner for sure. If the season ended today there would be no doubt he would win.

Bobby Ryan
Grade: A

He has the unfortunate tag of being drafted right after Sidney Crosby. But if Bobby keeps playing like this, he could make a big splash and steal the Calder, the trophy Sidney lost to Ovechkin!

He's playing at almost a point per game with 28 points in 29 games. He's obviously too strong for the AHL so I started asking myself, what if the Ducks had kept him up from the start? Maybe he'd have 40 points already?

Nevertheless he's looked very comfortable replacing Teemu Selanne. He's currently fourth in rookie scoring but has played less games than Patrik Berglund (39), Blake Wheeler (45) and Kris Versteeg (42).

Kris Versteeg
Grade: A

Well, maybe he's not a fluke? He might just be one of those classic late bloomers that show up once in a while. Needless to say, the fifth round pick has been a surprise and lead the rookie scoring with 36 points in 42 games. He's even been outscoring former Calder candidate and franchise center Jonathan Toews!

He plays with grit, seems comfortable on the top two lines and is one of the reasons why the Blackhawks are doing so well right now. When Havlat and Toews were not at their top early this year, he stepped up.

He's been one of the front-runners for the Calder since the season started and remains a strong contender.

Drew Doughty
Grade: A

Even if he plays for the perpetually struggling Los Angeles Kings, Doughty who just turned 19, looks like a veteran. I took me just one game to realize just how strong this kid will become. Doughty will be the next big thing on defense.

He may not have an impressive offensive record but his overall contribution to his team has been huge. Doughty seemed to have taken control of the young defense squad and if what he does now is any indication of the future, Doughty will make a huge impact in the league.

He may not be as flashy as some of the other nominees but he should be considered a strong contender for the Calder still.

Patrick Berglund
Grade: B+

Great positioning, smooth hands and a deadly shot, Berglund has a the ability to become as dangerous as Zetterberg. With 29 points in 39 games Berglund has been a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable season for the Blues so far.

They had a promising start, but injuries have plagued the Blues since and Berglund has taken advantage of it and on such a young team, he looks surprisingly at ease.

As I said before, european players usually take a bit longer to adapt to North American hockey but the Blues have found one of those exceptions.

I think the Blues have a first line center in the making in Berglund within maybe two years.

Luke Schenn
Grade: B+

Luke deserves a mention simply because defensive defensemen like him often go unnoticed because of their style of play. Schenn has been a rock on the Leafs blueline and easily one of their best defensemen.

He's not flashy, not very offensive but extremely effective in his own zone. Luke Schenn will become one of those punishing defensive defensemen every team should have. Think about a better version of Anton Volchenkov or Mike Komisarek. Think Scott Stevens in his later years.

I'm not sure if we'll ever see Luke Schenn rack up 50 points although I sure hope so! But he's exactly the kind of kid you want to build your defense around. He's the best prospect Toronto has had in a very long time!!

Blake Wheeler
Grade: B

He slowed down his pace a bit but Wheeler is one of the reasons the Bruins are doing so well this year. At 6'5, he's not easy to push around and at only 22 years old, he will become bigger and stronger still.

He currently stands third in rookie scoring with 28 points in 45 games, but his plus\minus 27 dominates all rookies and is second in the league. Wheeler has been a perfect fit on the Bruins second line and if he picks up his pace from earlier this year, 30 goals is not unreachable on such a strong team.

Worthy of mention:

Derick Brassard
Grade: A

If not for that shoulder injury he would probably still be in the running. But his season is over now and the Blue Jackets are again left without a center for poor Rick Nash. But Brassard can look forward to next year thinking he will probably be Columbus number one center.

Mikhail Grabovski
Grade: B-

The kid has a temper! He plays with much more grit than I thought he would. He was on fire earlier this year and if he picks up the pace he could rise in the top five again. He's become a valuable prospect for the Leafs and should become more consistent when he learns to control his emotions.

Jakub Voracek
Grade: B-

Before the season started, I thought he would be the front-runner for the Calder. He had such a strong last year in the juniors but has had some trouble adapting. But who can blame him, the right winger needs a quality center which the Blue Jackets are seriously lacking. His style reminds me a bit of Paul Kariya so if that's any indication, he should be fine!

Pekka Rinne
Grade: B-

Will Nashville eventually chose a number one goaltender? Vokoun was traded thanks to the strong play of Chris Mason, who then saw his job stolen by Dan Ellis and now Rinne comes in and steals the job once more. All that within three years. Nashville is struggling but Rinne has looked good but for how long?

M. I. A:

Zack Bogosian
Grade: C

It's not is fault, he broke his leg and missed over 30 games. But he just got back in the lineup and posted his very first goal and first assist of his NHL career. As an offensive defensemen, it took him 12 games to do so which I feel is a little slow for a rookie of his caliber. Bogosian wants to do everything on the ice but maybe he's trying to do to much?

Steven Stamkos
Grade: C-

Seen Stamkos? Perhaps once or twice? Maybe he's hiding behind Lecavalier? Or maybe it was too early to make such a big fuss over him. Okay, the Lightning are struggling badly. Stamkos is not gig enough yet, but in a couple years, when he starts tearing up the league, we'll be tired of seeing him!

Kyle Turris
Grade: C-

I had heard so much about his scoring skills that maybe I expected too much. Before the season started, a lot of analysts had him as one of the front-runners for the Calder. I'm not saying he wont be great eventually, but unless he drastically picks up the pace, he's just not in the running.

Agree or disagree? Let me know! Or maybe I forgot someone you think deserves mention? Unfortunately, I can't watch each and every hockey game so these are just my picks based on what I've been able to see. Feel free to let me know about those prospects I could've missed!

The Time Has Come! My Montreal Canadiens Mid-Season Awards!

Sebastien Tremblay — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:33:02 -0500

Inspired by other awards handed out by our colleagues here at on Bleachers Report who hand out mid-season award, I wanted to give out my own awards to the players of my favorite team.

A lot of people here hand out mid-season award and I think it’s a great idea to compare who you thought was best in the first half, and who stepped it up in the second so this will also serve as a comparison tool.

Since there are only trophies and awards given at the end of the season for every single player, I decided create new and specific awards to Canadien’s players for their effort in the first part of the 2008-09 season.

I also renamed the trophies and for some their meaning as well!

Keep in mind these a my personal awards, so feel free to approve or disapprove!

So here are my winners for the Canadiens Mid-Season Awards!

Henri Richard Award
The player who shows the most hard work and dedication.

Winner: Steve Begin

Begin has been admirable considering all that happened to him in the past couple seasons. He’s been injured a lot and has also been a healthy scratch for a few games already.

But Begin never complains and bring 100% every time he hits the ice. He’s not the biggest or most talented player but if he had half the talent of those Kovalev and Kostitsyn he’d be our best player!

Guy Lafleur Award

The award is given to the team’s best goal scoring machine.

Winner: Andrei Kostitsyn (14 goals in 38 games)

To me Andrei edged out Kovalev and Lang simply because he’s shown more scoring abilities so far. This guy has such a dangerous shot and I’ve already seen him score from anywhere in the offensive zone.

He started slow, got benched, got frustrated, started scoring again and never looked back. He’s scoring at a much faster pace he did earlier this year and faster than Lang and Kovy as well so I believe he is that dangerous sniper we’ve wanted him to become.

Larry Robinson Award

Given to the defensemen who shows the best all around abilities.

Winner: Andrei Markov

No surprise here. Markov has no equal on Montreal’s blueline. He’s reliable at both ends, is one of the best playmaking defensemen in the league, he may not score 20 goals from the blueline but will provide 30 to 40 assists and 50 points or more.

Markov is considered one of the best defensemen in the league, he may not be very physical but makes up for it with his speed and puck handling. Honestly, I’ve rarely seen Markov make a mistake.

Ken Dryden Award

Obviously, the goaltender who has shown the best abilities so far.

Winner: Carey Price

No surprise here either. The 21 year old phenom has been awesome. Just considering he came in the league just last year backing up Huet and at 20 showed he was more than good enough to get the number one goaltender job. He plays on a top team expecting a huge season…with just half a year of experience and looks so comfortable!

I honestly feel a lot better when Price is in net. I feel he’ll make those saves to keep the team in the game and already at this point, he’s won a few games all by himself. He IS our goalie of the future.

Guy Carbonneau Award

The best defensive forward on the team so far.

Winner: Maxim Lapierre

Maxim has been stronger than expected and might be the biggest surprise this year. Who knew Lapierre had such offensive talents! Lately, he’s been on fire, scoring and making amazing plays for his wingers.

He’s telling management that he is much more than just fourth line material and most likely, will be marked as the third line center for next year if he keeps it up. He could very well double his offensive production while playing in defensive role on the team. He’s our best face-offs man and he’s currently 13th in the league (for those with at least 400 face-offs).

At this point, I feel more at ease when I see Lapierre killing penalties than most players on the team.

Serge Savard Award

To the best defensive defensemen so far.

Winner: Josh Gorges

No it’s not Komisarek! Gorges has been formidable and is quickly being noticed around the league. He’s not big, physical nor an offensive guy but wow has he been effective on defense. He’s posting a nice plus/minus 15 at this point! Now for a guy who was considered our fifth or sixth defensemen to start the season I think it says a lot about how he’s been playing.

When Komisarek was out, he took control of the defensive aspect beside Markov and has been the perfect replacement. Who thought the trade with San Jose could have been so beneficial? Honestly, I prefer having Gorges and Pacioretty (San Jose’s first round choice) than an aging Craig Rivet.

Bob Gainey Award

Awarded to the player judged the best overall on the team.

Winner: Robert Lang

Lang has been one of if not the most consistent player so far. We took him in as our third center player but with Koivu’s absence and Plekanec’s shortcomings, he has been taking control of first line duties and the oldest players on the team has looked good!

He’s tied for second on the team with a plus/minus 11 so far, tied for first in team scoring with 32 points, first in goals with 16 and third in time for forwards averaging 17:04 minutes per game and he’s our top forward for short handed time on ice. So overall, he’s been our best forward.

Mats Naslund Award

Awarded to the best European player on the team.

Winner: Andrei Markov

There are nine europeans on the team and 8 out of the 10 top scorers are europeans. Markov shares the scoring lead with Kovalev and Lang with 32 points and he’s third in the league in points for defensemen. As far as europeans go, he’s in the top three in almost every category with the Canadiens.

Markov is one of the few players on the team who I don’t feel has been overpaid. He’s been our top defensemen over the last three or four years and would be a top two defensemen on pretty much any team.

Patrick Roy Award

This is just to illustrate who’s been the best rookie or first year player so far. In this category, I’ll also include every player that has played less than 82 games last year but enough so we can see what they can do.

As an example, Sergei and O’Byrne are still elligible but Pacioretty is out having not played enough for me to judge him effectively.

Winner: Sergei Kostitsyn

Oh I can already ear you guys saying "D’Agostini has been much more impressive." I agree…but only for a short period of time. Where has he been lately? He was hot in his forst 10 games but has disappeared in the last 10.

Sergei, although I don’t like his lack of motivation, has shown he will become a geat playmaker in the NHL and make a dangerous duo with his brother Andrei. Sergei has 19 points in 39 games but his on-ice complicity with his brother, great passing skills, grittiness and willingness to play physical that makes him stand out from the others, plus I think he has much more to show us.

Chris Nylan Award

The player who has showed the most physical aspect to his game.

Winner: Tom Kostopoulos

Tom is not a fighter, but he drops the gloves to protect his teammates. He never backs down from a fight and isn’t scared of anyone. He loses most of his fights but it doesn't matter, his dedication to his teammates is admirable.

Every game he throws his body around, plays gritty and is not afraid to go in front of the net. Another one like Begin, if he had the talent of Kovalev or Kostitsyn he’d be one of our best player! He had to raise his physical game this year because of Laraques injury and did an admirable job.

Doug Wickenheiser Award

Named after a player who became a huge disappointment. This award if given to the most disapointing player so far this year.

Winner: Ryan O’Byrne

Not that hard to figure out O’Byrne has been a huge disappointment! Besides the fact he scored in his own goal, Ryan has seemed out of place. He looks nervous, unstable and out of place.

I can remember at least three occasions where he looked completely ridiculous and was deked out if his shorts for a bad goal. You just can’t do that in the NHL. At this point, a grandmother on skates can make him look bad. He’s horrible one on one and, VERY shake defensively and has very little offensive potential.

Most likely Gainey will have him wait a year or two before he’ll become a regular defense…but he’s definitely not fourth defensemen material right now.

Benoit Brunet Award

For the unsung heroes, the ones who persevere even when the odds were against them.

Winner: Jaroslav Halak

How do you feel when you start the season as the backup of the most talked about young goaltender in the NHL? How do you feel when the guy before you is considered as Patrick Roy’s replacement and possibly one who will challenge Brodeur for his records?

It can’t feel great for Halak to know he will never be a number one in Montreal now that Price is here. But still…he’s been patient, waited and now that Price is injured, he has the chance to show what he can do. Although he has had some shaky games, Halak has done the job asked of him. I hope for him he can get a number one spot somewhere in the league because he’ll be number one material within the next two years.

Ice Cold: NHL Players Who Have the Offseason Flu?

Sebastien Tremblay — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:34:57 -0500

First of all, let me just say this is for fun and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. I have no grief against any of the players mentioned.

Something has been happening in the last few years. It happened before but it seems to be a real nuisance now more than ever with the growing player salaries. It’s not sophomore jinx, it’s something else. It’s a sickness a few players get at some point in their career. Still, players, coaches, and general managers are unable to explain it!

It’s a bit like a flu you get during summer. For hockey players, it sticks with them maybe half, maybe all season long, and sometimes even for two years and screws up their stats and playing abilities.

Basically, this "slump flu" or "offseason flu" happens when a player can’t do what he did best the years before. Whatever it is they did.

As an example, Michael Ryder was coming off a 25-goal season and two consecutive 30-goal seasons before falling miserably to 14 goals last year. He had the same linemates with him, Saku Koivu and Chris Higgins. So what happened? Even Ryder has no idea.

You could also call it a curse. It’s up to you really!

So this epidemic spreads to some players every year. So who has the off-season flu right now?!

Maxim Afinogenov

What’s happening to Afinogenov? Is he cursed? He looked ready to become the new Russian Rocket with 61 points in 56 games but dropped badly the last two years and has just two goals and 12 points in 34 games this season.

He has the speed, the skills and the linemates but he’s no longer the player he once was. I admit losing centers like Brière and Drury doesn’t help but Pominville and Roy are very adequate replacements. So where is the problem?

My idea : He’s trying too hard and wants to do too much. He’s one of those players who is such great a skater that he sometimes out-skates the puck and the play!

He needs to slow down and not try to be so dominant. He should leave the pressure to Pommer and Roy and concentrate on bringing that secondary scoring. Right now he’s barely providing that.

Solution: He desperately needs a change of scenery. Afinogenov is good but he always plays the same game based on his speed, so of course teams and defensemen caught on, and now it doesn’t work anymore.

Send him west where they don’t know him much. It might spark his offensive touch. I don’t know why but Colorado or Minnesota sound right.

Thomas Plekanec

Have you seen Plekanec lately? He did get 29 goals last year, second on his team! He had 69 points, second on his team as well. So what’s happening? I think our dear Thomas, back in Czech Republic last summer, caught the flu.

Thomas works hard and plays gritty, which is what made him successful last year. He was marked down as the team's No. 1 center with Alex Kovalev and Andrei Kostitsyn at his side but has produced a tiny 16 points in 38 games and only seven goals. At this pace, he’ll end up with just 15 goals and 34 points.

The worst part is that his present statistics are not even representative of his play so far. He has three multi-point contests after 38 games. He has two two-point games and one four-point game. So basically, half of his points came over only three games.

So apart from those multi-point games, it means Pleky produced only eight points in 35 games. These are very weak stats for a guy marked as a first- or second-line center…

My idea: Expectations are simply too high for Plekanec. To me he’s the perfect third line center. Last season, he centered the revitalized Kovalev and the "breaking-out" Andrei Kostitsyn.

So he obviously took advantage of their production. Both his linemates have become targets by other teams and are struggling a bit early on, so Pleky can’t take advantage anymore, so he’s struggling as well.

Plekanec is good but not a dominant player. Centers need to be dominant on the ice and control the play so maybe he’s better fitted as a third-line center.

Solution: Get a legitimate first-line center, which would drop Koivu as the second center and Plekanec as the third. I think he has the ability to get 40 to 50 points even from a third line and is an awesome defensive player.

If not, he could fit great as a second-line winger? But with a third-line center able to get you 50 points and play great defensively, maybe he could be up for a Selke eventually?

Chris Drury

Chris Drury as well seems to be dropping, although his production is far less problematic as he brings more than just goal scoring to the team. But Drury is also on pace for an unimpressive 20 goals, after being on a scoring tear in Buffalo with 30 and 37 goals.

He got a big deal with New York thanks to those 37 goals. He was brought in to bring leadership and scoring. His leadership is fine but scoring is not. So do you think 20 goals is worth $7 million? I don’t care how much leadership you bring, it’s never worth that much money unless you bring statistics with it.

My idea: Drury has never really been an outstanding scorer. He’s known as a "clutch player" mostly. Drury can bring around 60-65 points in optimal conditions. He had those conditions in Buffalo.

Now they want him to be dominant on the ice but I’m just not sure he has enough left to be a scoring leader. Maybe $4 million is a more appropriate price for Drury?

My solution: There is none, just wait for his deal to be over. He’s still a great leader and a guy I would love to have during the playoffs and important games.

But as far as scoring goes, my guess is it will keep dropping slowly and settle around 20 goals and 50 points until he retires.

Vaclav Prospal

Vaclav Prospal is such a special player. Take a close look at his production over the last five or six years. He keeps having a bad year after a good one. What am I talking about? Simple!

I'll start in 2001-02 with Tampa Bay. That year he was 26 years old and had 55 points. Then the next year, still with Tampa, in 2002-03, he rose to 79 points.

He then went to play for Anaheim in 2003-04, and fell back to 54 points. So after the lockout, in 2005-96, he went back to the Lightning and posted 80 points!

Tortorella was happy to have him back, but then he dropped to 55 points again in 2006-07!

He started the 2007-08 season very well with the Lightning so he got traded to Philly before the deadline and ended up with 71 points, so he's back up again!!

So now take a wild guess and tell me what do you think he’s on pace for this year? Yeah you got it! About 50 points again! This is the strangest thing! What’s going on?!

My idea: Prospal is simply not always playing at top level. He could be getting lazy and his production drops, then realizes he needs to do more or impress to get a bigger deal?

Maybe he gets tired after playing hard for a year?! I don’t know. Obviously he’s not a bad player, being able to post around 70 points…but he’s just incredibly inconsistent.

My solution: Simple, wait for him to have a bad season before you take a chance on him! He’ll bounce back and give you 70 to 80 points.

But never sign him for more than a year at a time! I would not rely on such an inconsistent guy although he has proved he can produce. It’s just not worth paying him $4-5 million for 50 points.

Jonathan Cheechoo

And what about Jonathan Cheechoo!? It’s quite a free fall he’s on! Do I really need to detail his problems?! What a drop!

From 56 goals in 2005-06, he dropped to 37 goals the next year. Although it is a drop, it’s still very good.

But the Cheechoo train is still crashing! He dropped again in 2007-08 to 23 goals and right now, he’s on pace for 18. On a team like the Sharks, he should have much better statistics.

It’s easy to assume that the arrival of Joe Thornton helped Cheechoo greatly, as the duo was unstoppable in the second half of the 2005-06 season. Since, teams have caught on and the duo stopped working. So they were split up.

Thornton still does an awesome job. What I can’t understand is how come Cheechoo is still dropping. He managed 28 goals during the pre-lockout season and there was no Joe Thornton back then. So he can obviously score on his own. So why is he still dropping?

My idea: Maybe Cheechoo thinks he can rely only on his shot. He has a great shot from the slot but the problem is he has no clue how to position himself.

Thornton has the uncanny ability to find anyone on the ice through traffic, so he would find Cheechoo pretty much anywhere he was. Now that they don’t play together, those great passes don’t come anymore and Cheechoo can’t score.

That’s my theory. He relies too much on other players to give him the puck.

My solution: He’s already on the fourth line as it is so he can’t drop further unless they waive him. At this point, I think he’s one of the only downsides to the Sharks' roster. His salary means they expected him to be at the top of the goal-scoring charts.

There is always the solution of waiting, because he’s 28, so he could always bounce back. Just look at Patrick Marleau for an example. But for the Sharks, the best option could be either to waive him but preferably, a trade.

There are probably a few goaltenders that have the few as well. I can think of Manny Legace, who has a .888 save percentage and 3.23 goals against right now after posting .911 and 2.41 last year. At this pace he could also give up 200 goals, which is about 50 more than last year.

But obviously, I can’t mention everybody! So feel free to comment and mention those you think could have the off-season flu!

NHL Wish List for 2009: What Teams Should Be Thankful for...

Sebastien Tremblay — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:05:33 -0500

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks have been contenders for years now. Is it finally their time? I hope so. They work hard, they have a great roster and an impeccable system. Joe Thornton is the perfect set-up man for kids like Setoguchi. So far, half the team is on pace for a career year. It’s your turn boys, don’t let Detroit steal another from you!

Thankful for: Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau’s resurgence and Devin Setoguchi playing like a top 10 NHL scorer. Dan Boyle traded for a future blue-line stud in Matt Carle…and it looks like the best move they could’ve made.

Wishes: Keep the same winning pace they have now strait to the playoff finals.

Gift: A Stanley Cup

Boston Bruins

This year’s surprise team so far, they deserve their success. The Bruins have been on a constant rise since falling to the NHL basement after trading Joe Thornton. A good headline for them would be « The Bruins, or how to quickly rebuild a successful franchise »

Thankful for: Claude Julien’s outstanding coaching. Tim Thomas standing on his head, Phil Kessel’s break out, Marc Savard’s continued greatness. The signing of Blake Wheeler bring new depth and Michael Ryder might bounce back and score 30 goals again.

Wishes: Keep winning at home, win the Eastern conference title. The Big Bad Bruins are back!

Gift: A stunt double to replace Patrice Bergeron during hits.

Detroit Red Wings

Well, in this era, the Red Wings are the closest team to a dynasty! They’ve been consistent, draft well and players love the team. They are the perfect example on how to build a keep a successful franchise. As long as they are able to keep a deep prospect pool, Detroit will remain a top team.

Thankful for: Hakan Andersson (Detroit’s Director of European Scouts). Niklas Lidstrom who doesn’t seem to slow down even at 38. That most of their third and fourth-line players would play on top two lines on other teams?

Wishes: A real dynasty.

Gift: Zetterberg and Franzen agreeing to smaller deals so both get the chance to win another cup with Detroit (see Marian Hossa).

New York Rangers

The Rangers seemed on their way for a Eastern championship early in the season but have been inconsistent since even with a roster full of potential stars. After they overpaid guys like Drury and Gomez, the Rangers expected a championship team…is it?

Thankful for: Nikolai Zherdev actually showing his potential for the first time in his career, the All-Star goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist.

Wishes: Much more consistency from their very highly paid forwards Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. A renewed scoring touch from Naslund to replace the loss of Jagr.

Gift: Something they’ve never seen, an underpaid player who over-achieves!

Chicago Blackhawks

The most exciting young team to watch right now. There’s a real hype in Chicago about the Hawks like there hasn’t been for year! And for good reason, they have a good playoff team for the first time in years! Even Bulin is pitching in!

Thankful for: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, these kids are already stars and will only be better with experience. Well see them both in the league’s top 10 scorers within the next five years. The Philadelphia Flyers for giving them Patrick Sharp for a bag of pucks.

Wishes: Keep the kids development going and rise in the standings.

Gift: Get to the second round of the playoffs at least.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers probably have the most « playoff ready » team in the entire NHL. They have all the tools necessary to win...now if only goaltending could step up. Is the return of Gagné enough to kick start the Flyers?

Thankful for: Jeff Carter taking a shot at the Maurice Richard Trophy, Mike Richards overall play and leadership, the return of Simon Gagné who’s tearing up the league after a bad concussion.

Wishes: Matt Carle becoming the next great steal from GM Paul Holmgren (see Braydon Coburn for the first one!).

Gift: Another No. 1 goaltender. Sorry Martin Biron...it seems Philly don’t want you as their No. 1. They were shopping Biron before the playoffs last season but decided to give him another chance after he eliminated Montreal nearly by himself. Now they seem right back where they were.

Washington Capitals

They are now finally out the NHL basement! Thanks to a plethora of young guys and a apparently amazing coach! Washington is finally back up and much brighter days are to be expected with Ovechkin at the helm.

Thankful for: Do I really need to say Alex Ovechkin? Alexander Semin who broke out big time early this season, Brent Johnson whose solid play has saved this playoffs contender the embarrassment of going back to the bottom after Theodore choked again.

Wishes: 100 points for both Alexs on the team and 70 goals for Ovechkin!

Gift: A shiny new No. 1 goaltender.

Montreal Canadiens

After finishing first last year, Montreal has big expectations. It’s the centennial this year so anything short of Eastern conference finals would be disappointing.

Thankful for: Carey Price who already stole a few games this year, the rookie sensation Matt D’Agostini who’s on pace for a Brad-Boyes-like breakout season, the arrival of Alex Tanguay to help Saku Koivu.

Wishes: More consistent scoring from the big guns like Kovalev and Kostitsyn and hoping Plekanec and Latendresse finally find their game.

Gift: A top four offensive defensemen with a good point shot to save their badly struggling power-play!

New Jersey Devils

Lou Lamoriello did good not to panic when Brodeur went down. They are still winning thanks to the scoring touch of Zach Parise and the inspired play of Scott Clemenson. Patrik Elias seems out of his torpor that saw his production slip the last three years.

Thankful for: Zach Parise’s intensity and conditioning cause at this rate, they’ll be lucky if they somehow don’t burn this kid out before he’s 25! Patrik Elias’ sudden resurgence (see Parise for the reason).

Wishes: A healthy Parise. Brodeur coming back before the playoffs and more consistency from Travis Zajac.

Gift: Another top line center who’s not 35 or 37 years old. Again…see Zach Parise as reference.

Calgary Flames

They made some changes in the offseason by acquiring Camalerri and took a big risk signing Bertuzzi. Both acquisitions seem to be paying off so far. If only Kipper could stop those pucks...

Thankful for: Jarome Iginla, the league’s best power forward. Dion Phaneuf’s crushing open-ice blows. Todd Bertuzzi and Curtis Glencross production surge.

Wishes: Kiprusoff starts playing like he did to earn his big contract.

Gift: Another 10 years of health for Jarome!

Vancouver Canucks

They have been surprising so far. The Canucks are winning without Luongo even though most of us had them lingering at the bottom of the standings…The Sedins look good and with Sundin…who knows!

Thankful for: Captain Roberto Luongo. Their great chemistry. Sundin going for money instead of signing with a top team. Vancouver is doing good, but some teams interested in Sundin were much better.

Wishes: Luongo to stay healthy.

Gift: A younger No. 1 or 2 center to replace Sundin after this season. The Sedins just can’t do it all on their own.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are falling since their cup win a few years ago. With only one legitimate scoring line, it’s not easy to stay on top. They don’t look or feel as strong anymore and now that Burke is gone, who know what the future holds for the Ducks.

Thankful for: Ryan Getzlaf, one of the most complete player in the NHL. Bobby Ryan for showing how wrong the Ducks were to send him back to the AHL. Selanne deciding that $2 million is enough.

Wishes: Scott Niedermeyer to stop screwing up the franchise’s finances and if he plays next year…agrees to sign a Selanne-type deal. A legitimate center for the second line, Brandon Morrisson is just nowhere near second line center material.

Gift: A second scoring line?

Pittsburgh Penguins

With both Crosby and Malkin, the Penguins should remain a force for years to come. They only need to take a page out of Tampa’s book and not forget that defense is just as important as offense. Right now, they are one of the youngest and most dangerous teams.

Thankful for: Malkin and Crosby topping the league. Kristopher Letang and Alex Goligoski doing good replacing top two injured defense Withney and Gonchar considering their age and experience.

Wishes: A healthy defense back in the lineup!

Gift: One or two young scoring wingers to pair up with the 2 wunderkind Crosby and Malkin.

Carolina Hurricanes

I have a hard time trying to figure out where this team is going. Are they a top or bottom team? They can’t keep dwelling midway in the standings. Was their Stanley Cup was a fluke? Cam Ward has been far from exceptionnal…

Thankful for: Eric Staal, who has been great considering the average roster around him. Ray Withney, same as Staal...and Tuomo Ruutu, who seems to have found his calling in Carolina!

Wishes: Depth and prospects. Which is lacking dramatically in Carolina. There is no « hype » for the future...because there is no future pushing for an NHL spot!

Gift: A new director of scouts...besides Brandon Suter, Carolina’s drafting is just horrible.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres came out of the gates flying but slowed down considerably since. Are they going to be back where they were last year? Just barely out of a playoff spot? Are the Drury and Briere scars finally healed?

Thankful for: Derek Roy and Jason Pominville replacing Brière and Drury at some level. Thomas Vanek suddenly worth every penny of his very lucrative contract.

Wishes: To be a contender again. Stop loosing their top players to free agency. A new top two defensemen to replace Campbell.

Gift: A new pair of eyes for Afinogenov who can’t seem to find the net anymore.

Phoenix Coyotes

I’m still wondering when the Coyotes will be moved to a new city. The team with the most prospect debt is still there though. With the addition of Jokinen, will they become a regular playoff team?

Thankful for: The plethora of young guns available for Gretzky to develop. In a few years, once these kids have experience, they will be SCARY.

Wishes: For fans to buy tickets. The ice to become sand so they can play in a more adapted environment!

Gift: Sold-out arena and season tickets.

Nashville Predators

The Preds are an enigma. Like the Sabres, they keep loosing top players every year but somehow stay competitive. Is it their system? Or team chemistry? Whatever it is...keep it up! The constant lingering idea of relocation must be weighting on players...

Thankful for: Shea Weber for his outstanding play so far…and for helping my hockey pool dramatically! J.P Dumont, since his arrival he has done exactly what he was suppose to…be a top player in Nashville.

Pekka Rinne who is probably saving Nashville the same way Ellis saved them last year. Their defensive line, one of the deepest in the NHL.

Wishes: Stop the goaltender shuffling between seasons and get a long-term reliable No. 1 goalie!

Gift: Get Vokoun back? Shea Weber scoring 30 goals?!

Minnesota Wild

The perpetually defensive team is honestly boring to watch even with all those potential high-scoring players…but they’re winning more than they’re loosing. Is Jacques Lemaire’s defensive system the reason the seats are empty? Or maybe they want the Stars back?

Thankful for: Brent Burns, their best defensemen. Mikko Koivu’s breakout season. Backstrom’s consistent play (one of the most underrated goalies in the NHL). The fact that no matter if Gaborik plays or is injured, the Wild keep winning! Do they really need him?

Wishes: A breakout season by James Sheppard. Pierre-Marc Bouchard becoming a legitimate No. 1 center.

Gift: The same winning pattern...minus Jacques Lemaire’s defensive system.

Florida Panthers

They seem to be going nowhere fast. Like every year, they’ll loose…until the last 20 games, then go on a winning streak that will result in Florida getting a useless mid-level draft pick instead of a high one. And again, that will be useless to the perpetual rebuilding process. Clean out and start over…that’s all I have to say.

Thankful for:...can they actually be thankful for anything? Maybe Craig Anderson. But Horton is not breaking out as a franchise player, neither is Weiss…and neither is Olesz. Bouwmeester wants out, Stillman is nowhere to be seen, Vokoun is struggling…so what’s left? Booth? Okay he’s one thing that’s going well.

Wishes: A real franchise player…or two, make that two. Horton, Weiss and Olesz are just not it. They’re not rookies anymore! They should be producing already! What are they waiting for?!

Gift: An epiphany. Realizing they are putting all their hope in hopeless players, they’re not bad, just not what they need. Or maybe some general manager taking Horton, Olesz, and Weiss off their hands for something decent or high draft pics.

Colorado Avalanche

Where are the Avs that won the cup? They probably retired with Patrick Roy...The Avs are struggling. Aging veterans won't last forever and as it is, only one player can replace them: Paul Stastny.

Thankful for: Well…Stastny! Joe Sakic re-signing for a year. Wolski is developing good also. Hejduk still scoring…because right now nobody else is.

Wishes: A better goaltending duo. Both Budaj and Raycroft together don’t even equal one number one goalie to me. Going through a season with a tandem of number twos is scary. More consistency from their young snipers Svatos and Wolski. Ryan Smyth needs to validate his high salary.

Gift: Another Stastny. A No. 1 goaltender and a decent defense. That's a lot!

Toronto Maple Leafs

They are not nearly as bad as I expected them to be. The new face of the Leafs is very interesting to watch. With Brian Burke on board, we can expect major changes in the near future. Nobody is safe anymore and I can’t wait to see how the Leafs roster will shape up.

Thankful for: Luke Schenn, Brian Burke agreeing the Leafs are a worthy rebuilding challenge, Tomas Kaberle who has been great since the very first day he wore a Leafs jersey.

Wishes: The Flyers syndrome...or how to rebuild quickly and successfully without giving up all your talent.

Gift: Braydon Schenn? Luke’s younger brother is most likely a top 10 draft pick this year. Having two « franchise Schenn’s », one forward and one defense, can only help them both develop and also has a high marketing value! Make it happen, Brian!

Columbus Blue Jackets

The Jackets had big hopes early this season. They made a lot of changes, tried to attract a few big names but in the end, they have what I call the « Basement disease »…nobody wants to play for a perpetual bottom team unable to make the playoffs.

Thankful for: Rick Nash. The Jackets must be thanking the stars he hasn’t asked for a trade yet. He could be so much more dominant on a different team. Could Derrick Brassard be that No. 1 center they were looking for all this time?

Wishes: A true, productive, playmaking center for Rick Nash.

Gift: Playoff berth and nothing else.

Los Angeles Kings

Most likely one of the youngest and most promising team in the NHL. They have so many youngsters they don’t know where to put the anymore! After years of bottom dwelling, are those kids finally ready to help the team rise again? Another very scary team within a few years.

Thankful for: Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Kopitar will probably linger in the 70 points range for a couple more years before he explodes over 90 points. Brown will likely stay in the same point range, 60 to 70, but will bring more and more of a physical presence as he gets experience.

Wishes: Patrick O’Sullivan to break out as their true second-line center. Doughty and Johnson to stay healthy.

Gift: A starting goaltender, a real one, not one of those backups from the AHL wrapped into « starter » status. None of their goaltenders from the last three or four years have any worth.

Edmonton Oilers

Poor Oilers…their franchise could be represented by Six Flags. Ups and downs and ups and downs…they have one good year, then one bad. With a plethora of talented kids, you expect them to do better. Sophomore jinx maybe?

Thankful for: Ales Hemsky, who is looking more and more dominant every year. And Sheldon Souray, who bounced back after an injury plagues season.

Wishes: For Sam Gagner to shake the sophomore jinx. And hoping none of their other kids join him.

Gift: Another Stanley Cup chance.

Dallas Stars

Yikes. What’s happening with the Stars?! They are starting to look like Philly a few years ago! From top to bottom within the summer. Avery’s signing didn’t help, actually it did just the opposite. Brendan « heart of the team » Morrow is out till next season and Turco couldn't stop a beach ball right now. So who’s to blame? Brett Hull?

Thankful for: Not much lately. Stephane Robidas still plays strong after great playoffs. Mike Modano is still there…Loui Eriksson is having a break out year…

Wishes: Morrow back in the lineup. Turco to come out of this horrible slump. Some depth in the prospects department. Brunnstrom living up to all the hype about him.

Gift: Scoring wingers to play with either Brad Richards or Mike Ribeiro...'cause they just can’t do everything on their own.

Ottawa Senators

Another dramatic drop. But this one was expected after the horrible finish last season. Ottawa went from Stanley Cup contender to bottom dweller in two years. The problem seems to be chemistry and depth. They have no secondary scoring. What is Bryan Murray doing to his team?!

Thankful for: The Pizza line. Without Spezza, Alfredsson and Heatley there would be close to no scoring in Ottawa. Auld has done good considering he was signed as a backup.

Wishes: Secondary scoring starts rolling. Mike Fisher to be worth his excessive salary. Antoine Vermette to break out as a legitimate top-six forward. A legitimate No. 1 goaltender and a potent defense...now that a LOT of wishes!

Gift: A trade in favor of Ottawa for Jason Spezza. They HAVE to win a trade involving Spezza or they’ll drop even lower.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues started well, but after Andy McDonald and Paul Kariya got injured, they went back to their usual spot in the standings. The Blues will likely get another high draft pick again and keep building. They’re close but not quite there yet.

Thankful for: The Bruins giving them Brad Boyes. David Perron showing he was worth a first round pick. Patrick Berglund having a great rookie season.

Wishes: Be a playoff team again. Erik Johnson in the lineup…

Gift: Less dangerous golf karts! Or keep Erik away from them!

Atlanta Thrashers

They seems to be going nowhere with Don Wadell at the helm. He has the uncanny ability to trade good players for bad ones. I recommend firing him before Kovalchuk decides he’s had enough. Their depth is weak, their roster is average and it doesn't look like it’s getting better soon.

Unless they get either the first or second overall choice this year, there is just nothing worth watching in Atlanta except Kovalchuk.

Thankful for: Kovalchuk is still there. Brian Little is surprising as he was not expected to produce so quickly at NHL level. Ron Hainsey is apparently not such a bad signing!

Wishes: The same thing as Columbus, a real center player to feed Kovalchuk. They had Marc Savard but let him go, now they desperately need to replace him before Kovalchuk gets pissed and leaves (which should come sooner than later)

Gift: Don Wadell’s resignation. Some team who’ll take Kari Lethonen off their hands. He has been nothing but a disappointment so far, has not helped the team much and is not showing signs he is the « elite » he was thought to be. Injured too often, he’ll be more valuable as trade bait for a first round pick.

Tampa Bay Lightning

New owners, new problems. Now that the summer auction has ended and the dust settled, we can obviously see they had no clue what and who they were signing. They are quickly proving that money without experience is worthless. Do they have money? The rebuilding process will be VERY long in Tampa.

Thankful for: Lecavalier agreeing to spend his career with Tampa even though he knows he’d be better somewhere else…most probably he’d be perfect for the West. Mike Smith has been nothing short of formidable considering the horrible defense in front of him.

Wishes: Defense, defense, defense. They have enough scoring forwards...too many, actually.

Gift: A clue on how to rebuild a franchise.

New York Islanders

The most forgettable team in the NHL. Do you know one person who actually likes the Islanders? It’s tough to like a team so empty of talent and excitement. Poor rookies, they just don’t seem to develop in Long Island lately.

Until Kyle Okposo becomes the power forward he’s thought to be and Josh Bailey develops into a playmaker to feed him those passes, the Ilses will remain a bottom team.

Thankful for: Doug Weight’s renewed passion. He’s been like he's 10 years younger. The possibility of drafting John Tavares.

Wishes: Legaly cloning Di Pietro so they can have at least one of the two healthy to play a full season.

Gift: Direction. If the Isles figure out what team they want to be and what they expect from the future they should start improving. But right now they’re going nowhere.

NHL Late-Round Draft Picks Always Full of Surprises (Part Three)

Sebastien Tremblay — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:41:42 -0500

Okay, allow me to introduce you all two more of these over-achieving athletes that became so useful for their respective teams.

This will be an all-European section. In the '80s and '90s, unless the prospect was thought to be a "can’t miss" NHL player, Europeans were usually drafted in the later rounds because of the unpleasant possibility that those players would decide not to come over to America.

Even now it’s still a problem, with the KHL in place, it might be even worse. The KHL can offer some very lucrative contracts to players that would play in the AHL here.

We all know what happened with Alexander Radulov (who, as per Russian news, is trying to nullify his contract and come back to the NHL next year).

The same happened with Pavel Valentenko earlier this year, a Montreal Canadien’s defense prospect, who supported his entire family back in Russia on AHL salary (about $30,000 to $35,000) and couldn't keep it up. So he left the club for "family reasons" and signed a lucrative three-year contract in Russia.

In the light of these problems, I can understand how general managers are hesitant to draft European players. Alexei Cherepanov, who recently made news for unpleasant reasons, was thought to be a top five pick by the International Scouting Services, but was taken 17th overall by the Rangers.

So here are the two European over-achievers…
(Don’t worry, there aren’t just two! More are coming!)

In 1989, the Detroit Red Wings picked Sergei Fedorov with their fourth round pick, 74th overall. To my surprise, Fedorov is another one of those players who defected from the Soviet Union to play in the NHL. CSKA Moscow was playing a game in Seattle, he left his hotel room and escaped to Detroit.

I can still remember how dominant Fedorov was. Unfortunately he left hockey for a couple years and then slowed down a lot since. But I can still remember seeing highlights from him almost every night.

Fedorov quickly became a regular 30 goal scorer. He is playing in his 19th season this year and has scored 30 goals or more 10 times. Remove injuries and the half-season lock-out in 1994-95 and you could add three more 30 goal seasons.

To me, Sergei Fedorov is the original version of Pavel Datsyuk. You want to know what Sergei looked like in his prime, Datsyuk is your man! They have similar styles and both are awesome two-way players. Fedorov won the Selke twice in his career (1994 and 1996).

The 1993-94 season was easily his best, he finished second in scoring (120), just 10 points behind legend Wayne Gretzky, third in goals (56) behind other legends Pavel Bure and Brett Hull, and won the Selke, Hart and Pearson trophy.

Fedorov won so many awards and has so many records that I don’t know where to start. So I’ll just list them all to show how dominant he was (because let’s be honest, he’s getting old and he’s nowhere near what he used to be)

Named to the NHL All-rookie Team in 1991

Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1992, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003

Won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1994 and 1996

Won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1994

Won the Lester B. Pearson in 1994

Won a silver medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics

Won a bronze medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics

Won the 2005 Primus Challenge Bowl for World'Stars

Won gold medals in the 1989, 1990 and 2008 Ice Hockey World Championships

First European player to win the Hart Ross trophy

First Russian player to reach 1,000 NHL points

Fourth in Red Wings history for points

Three-time Stanley Cups Champion in 1997, 1998, 2002, all with Detroit

Most goals scored by a Russian born player with 476 at this point.

Some interesting trivia about Sergei Fedorov:

-When he was a kid, he struggled to chose between tennis and hockey, where he had world class talent in both. But luckily for us, he chose hockey!

-Apparently, he was married to tennis star Anna Kournikova from 2001 to 2003 although she has denied it.

-He experienced legal trouble in 2001 when he was arrested for driving while impaired. It has been resolved since. But apparently he is still being sued to this day for unpaid loans for over $2 million.

At this point in his career, he has 1209 games played, 476 goals, 679 assists for 1155 points. Detroit has some amazing European scouts! That’s darn impressive for a fourth round pick!

My second European player of this All-Euro article is the original "Russian rocket", Pavel Bure. I’ll admit it right away, he’s my all-time favorite player! You can feel the admiration when I talk about him. I still get chills watching how easy it was for him to score.

Pavel was drafted by the Canucks, in the sixth round, 113th overall. He was later traded to the Florida Panthers because of a contract dispute in the trade that brought Ed Jovanovski to the Canucks.

Bure was a “steal” because the Canucks drafted him a year ahead of his eligible draft year. But Canucks scout Mike Penny, at the time, pulled a rabbit out of his hat, and discovered that Bure had played in enough international games to make him eligible a year earlier than expected.

He also won the Calder as the best rookie with 34 goals and 60 points in 1991-92, edging out Niklas Lidstrom and Tony Amonte.

Pavel Bure was poetry on ice. His skating and stick-handling skills had no equal at that time. He was so fast he could easily out-skate defensemen and go on break-aways. Honestly, I think he had at least one per game.

For Bure, 40 goals was easy, 50 goals was decent...but 60 goals was his goal as he was a frequent 60 goal scorer. There hasn’t been many of those since. He did it twice "technically," in two consecutive years in 1993 and 1994. And in both of these seasons he put up over 100 points.

I said "technically " because on two more occasions, Bure came very close. He scored 58 goals in 74 games in 2000 and 59 goals in 82 games in 2001.

His 59 goals in 2001 is all the more impressive if you look at the other players on the team. Bure finished the season with 92 points, the closest being Viktor Kozlov with 37 points! A staggering 55 points behind Bure!

Pavel Bure WAS the Florida Panthers back then. He won the Rocket Richard trophy twice and also led the league in scoring in 1993-94 when there were no awards.

Unfortunately, many injuries cut his career short. It was such a disappointment to me when he decided to retire due to knee problems, but for a star like Bure, known for his speed, not being able to skate is an awful thing.

Immediately after he retired, in 2005, he was named general manager for Russia's Olympic hockey team. He ended his career with 702 games played, 437 goals, 342 assists for 779 points, good for fourth on Vancouver’s all-time scoring list.

You like what Alex Ovechkin does? Go take a look at Bure. As far as snipers go, he was the best. Watch him drop the puck to his skates on a break-away. It’s the only time I’ve seen such a move!

Trivia about Pavel Bure :

-Pavel played along side Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov (mentioned earlier) back in Russia with the CSKA Moscow.

-Like Sergei Fedorov, he also dated Anna Kournikova and has been involved in many lawsuits following his break-up for defamation.

-Bure’s family made precious watches for Tsar Alexander III. Pavel presented the last three gold-replica models from the company to president Boris Yeltsin.

-Bure’s father, Vladimir Bure, was an Olympic swimmer. In the 1972 games, he lost the gold by half a second to legendary American swimmer Mark Spitz.

Bure won many awards. Again, I’ll just list all of his awards because it’s too long to elaborate!

Soviet champion in 1988 and 1989

European Champions Cup in 1988 and1989

Rookie of the Year in 1989 (Russia)

Best Forward in World Junior championship in 1989

World Junior gold (Soviet Union) in 1989

World Championship gold (Soviet Union) in 1990

Calder Memorial Trophy in 1992

Played in six NHL All-Star Games in 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001

NHL First All-Star team in 1994

NHL Second All-Star Team in 2000 and 2001

Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 2000, 2001 (also led the league in goals in 1994)

Most Exciting Player award (Vancouver Canucks) in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998

Molson Cup (Canucks' three-star selection leader) in1992, 1993, 1994 and 1998

Cyclone Taylor Trophy (Canucks' MVP) in 1993, 1994 and 1998

Cyrus H. McLean Trophy (Canucks' leading scorer) in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998

NHL Late-Round Draft Picks Always Full of Surprises (Part Two)

Sebastien Tremblay — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:32:27 -0500

All right! I have a lot more underrated players to mention.

Special mention: Before I continue, I wanted to give a shout out to Matt D’Agostini. He’s a rookie, a sixth-round pick on the Montreal Canadiens roster right now.

In five games, he has five points (four goals and one assist). He’s on his way to a classic overachiever season. It’s only five games, but he’s doing exactly what I’m writing about in these articles.

So take a look at his play if you have the chance; he looks comfortable and right at home in the NHL.

Now for the second part of those late-round draft picks who impressed. Let's go:

Igor Larionov was a smallish Russian center. We can all agree that there are few players in the NHL that are 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds. Larionov would be classified as one of those "diminutive forwards" whot are now slowly getting their chance in the NHL.

Larionov was picked in the 11th round, 214th overall but didn’t get a chance to play in the NHL until 1989-90, simply, because communist Russia wouldn’t let players compete where they wanted.

By leaving his country, Larionov forfeited his place on the Russian national team where his legend actually started. He centered the KLM line (Krutov, Larionov, Makarov) who were the main reason for the Russian dominance in the world championships.

To be honest, Larionov’s numbers are not really impressive. But his usefulness is easily noticeable. He won multiple international titles: Olympic medals in 1984 and 1988 and World championship titles in 1982, 1983, 1986 and 1989. That’s not even half of what Larionov won, and that’s a pretty impressive collection of titles already.

So even though Larionov never really had impressive numbers, but somehow kept on winning wherever he played and for that reason, he’s been inducted in the Hall of Fame this very year.

He ended his NHL career with 921 games, 169 goals, 475 assists for 644 points. As for his hockey career in Russia, in approximately 451 games* he got 431 points, 201 of those being goals.

* In 1980-81, there are no records of how many games he played with Voskresensk Khimik, he had played 42 games the year before and 46 the year after, so I assumed he played about 43 games.

The next one I wanted to mention is another “diminutive forward”. These guys seem to be generally underrated because of their size. But it never stopped Theoren Fleury from being a pest and an incredible scorer!

Fleury was only 5-foot-6! He was smaller than most current NHL players. He was drafted by Calgary in the eighth round, 166th overall in 1987.

Theoren Fleury was a scoring machine in the WHL. With three consecutive seasons of 108, 129 and 160 points, we can say Fleury had a good scoring touch.

I was always impressed with Fleury’s speed and puck control, but what surprised me the most is actually the amount of penalty minutes such a small player piled up!

You can’t really call Theoren Fleury an enforcer or a goon, but he ended his career with 1,840 minutes in 1,084 games! That’s an average of about 2 minutes per game.

Few were as nasty and gritty than Fleury for a scorer of his caliber and size.

His offensive abilities were undeniable. He was a useful, productive player wherever he played until the very end of his career.

In 15 seasons, Fleury managed one 50-goal season, three seasons more over 40 goals, and another five times over 30 goals. Twice, he put up over 100 points.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Flames during his rookie season,, along with a few international medals with Team Canada. He is still the record holder as the Flames' best scorer (830 points) but should be passed this year be Jarome Iginla, who is only 35 points away.

Unfortunately for Fleury, even though he had a productive career, continuous drug and attitude problems had him suspended many times, and his on- and off-ice problems put a bit of a dark shadow on his career.

Still, his statistics are very impressive for a player only 5-foot-6 and 180 pounds! He ended his career with 1,084 games played, 455 goals, 633 assists for 1,088 points.

The next two have been drafted the same year, with one of them still playing as we speak. Mark Recchi and Alexander Mogilny both deserve to be on this list.

Mark Recchi still plays with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a fourth-round pick, 67th overall in 1988. He is in his 19^thseason and already has achieved many milestones. At this point in his career, he stands 19^th on the all-time scoring list, the only active player ahead of him is Joe Sakic (eighth).

First off, out of 19 seasons, he led his team in scoring nine times with three different teams. Already, that shows how versatile he is. He has reached milestones like 500 goals, 1,000 games and over 1,000 points. He could reach 1,500 games if he decided to play next year and should reach 1,400 points this season (he needs four).

He still holds the record for most point in a season for the Flyers (123) and has played in seven all-star games. Recchi, nicknamed “Recchin Ball”, has always been consistent and at this point, has been more productive and reliable than most first-round picks around the league!

If he ended his career today, he can consider his career a great one with 1,437 games played, 528 goals, 868 assists and 1,396 points.

---

As for Alexander Mogilny, I remember fans loved him as much as they hated him. Mogilny was a temperamental player. He could be the best player on the ice as well as the worst. Mogilny was drafted by Buffalo, in the fifth round, 89th overall in 1988.

One thing Mogilny could do was score! During his prime, Mogilny was unstoppable. Easily one of the best scorers in the NHL and with a better attitude and better commitment, his numbers would probably be close to Jagr’s (1,599 points).

But still, Mogilny had a honorable career. He stands at No. 63 on the all-time scoring list with 1,032 points. His most impressive feat is his 76 goals and 127 points in 77 games. During that season, he scored his 50th goal in his 46thgame!

In 16 seasons in the NHL, Mogilny scored over 30 goals eight times, over 40 goals three times (including the 76 goals season) and over 100 points twice.

Interesting facts about Mogilny:

He’s the original “Alex the Great,” a title now passed down to Alexander Ovechkin!

In Russia, he played on a line with center Sergei Fedorov and winger Pavel Bure…now that’s a dangerous line!

Mogilny’s production was delayed due to injury, so Sergei Fedorov reached the 1,000-point milestone just a few games before him. Fedorov latter said in an interview that Mogilny would’ve reached 1,000 points much faster than him if not for all those injuries.

Mogilny was waived by the Devils on the last year of his contract and decided to call it quits after a few games in the AHL. His totals: 990 games, 473 goals, 559 assists for 1032 points.

Keep watching for the rest!!!

NHL Late Round Draft Picks are Always Full of Surprises (Part One)

Sebastien Tremblay — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:35:28 -0500

Some of you have probably seen my articles on underachievers in the NHL. It's really not that hard to point out those who didn’t make it, those who should’ve been good, but never became the stars they were supposed to, and those who disappointed and underachieved.

It’s really easy. You simply need to look at high draft pick selections and see who were the busts and who were the greats.

But overachieving in the NHL is no easy feat. So with the uprising of surprise Chicago Blackhawks prospect Kris Versteeg, a fifth round pick, I wanted to give a shout out to those players we thought wouldn’t make it, and were too small or were "not good enough" to make an impact.

I wanted to show how impressive their careers are, and how they had to overcome much more obstacles than their first, second or third round teammates.

When you’re a late round draft pick, you don’t get the same exposure or the same opportunities. So here are those that raised the bar for the rest of them, and proved to us we were wrong about their talent and dedication.

For this first part, I’ve looked at a 20 years span starting in 1980 up to 2000.

Here they are:

In 1980, the Chicago Blackhawks drafted a smallish kid from the OHA, now known as the OHL. That kid was Steve Larmer and at the time of his drafting, he was only 5’10 and 170 pounds. He was considered a low risk/potential high reward prospect.

Even after a 114 points and 133 points season in the juniors, the Blackhawks still didn’t think much of Larmer who was too small, thus they sent him to their AHL affiliate club the New Brunswick Hawks. It didn’t take him long to prove them wrong however.

In 74 AHL games, he piled 38 goals and 82 points. After that season, Larmer never looked back and ended his career with 441 goals, 571 assists, and 1012 points in 1006 games.

---

In 1982, Doug Gilmour was drafted by St. Louis as a seventh round pick, 134th overall, and became a legend through the NHL.

Some love him and others hate him, but nobody can deny he was one of the great leaders the NHL has ever seen. He set records in Toronto for most points (127) and assists (95) in a season, as well as the most assists in a single game with six. He holds the record for quickest consecutive shorthanded goals in a game (four seconds apart).

He ended his career posting great numbers. In 1474 games, he received 450 goals, and 964 assists for 1414 points.

---

In 1983, the Philadelphia Flyers took a chance on a player that could’ve ended up being just a simple enforcer like so many other before him. At that point, the Flyers already had a few of those. So, by choosing Rick Tocchet with their sixth round pick, 121st overall, the Flyers could’ve had just another goon on their hands.

Tocchet though, became much more that just an enforcer. While racking up penalty minutes, Tocchet also racked up the points. He became a regular 30 goal scorer, putting up over 40 goals, three times in his career. He also reached the 100 point mark with 109 in 1992-93.

There are very few players, if any, in the NHL today that can do what Rick Tocchet used to. That kind of combination of brawn and talent would be priceless in the NHL we know today. He ended his career with 440 goals, 512 assists and 952 points in 1144 games.

---

To end this first part, I have four players that were drafted the same year. It seems 1984 was the year of over-achievement! The next four players are very well known and have earned a place amongst the great. Don’t be surprised if some, if not all of them, get their place in the Hall of Fame.

The first in line is Luc Robitaille. I’ve already spoken about him in my Calder Trophy surprises article. He is indeed a surprise Calder winner because as I mentioned, nobody really expected a ninth round pick to win the Calder Trophy, nor do they expect him to have the career he had.

Robitaille was simply dominant, he became the most prolific left wing in NHL history and surprised everyone with consistent 40 goal seasons, even scoring 63 in 1992-93.

To make an even better point, Robitaille is the most prolific player the Los Angeles Kings have ever drafted. He stands first in points with 1394 (second is Larry Murphy at 1216), first in goals with 668 (second is Bernie Nicholls with 475), third in assists with 726, and second in games played with 1431. Pretty impressive.

---

The second individual needs no introduction. He recently made the news by acquiring pest Sean Avery from free agency last summer, and was a very high scoring forward. This player goes by the name of Brett Hull.

Hull was a sixth round pick, 117th overall by the Calgary Flames. The Flames made the big mistake of trading him for some "loose change" in Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley. To their defense, they probably had no idea Brett's production would explode the next year. They should’ve known because he did score 105 goals in 57 games in the minors.

On the all-time list, he is currently third in goals with 741, scoring 131 goals more than his legendary, Hall of Fame father Bobby Hull. It’s unlikely someone will drop him to fourth place soon, the closest active player being Joe Sakic with 625 goals. With 1391 points in 1269 games, Brett Hull will likely get a place beside his father in the Hall of Fame as one of the best snipers in NHL history.

---

Third on my 1984 list is Cliff Ronning. Although not as flashy as others on the list, Ronning deserves to be mentioned.

Few players reached the 1000 games played mark, as well as 800 points. Ronning, however, reached both. Ronning was drafted in the seventh round, 134th overall by St. Louis. He will likely be passed by many players, but currently stands 99th on the all time scoring list.

An interesting fact about his career is that although he broke scoring records and won multiple awards in the juniors, Ronning never found his scoring touch with the Blues. It’s only after he spent a year away from the NHL in Italy no less (scoring an astonishing 74 goals and 135 points in 42 games), and got traded to Vancouver, that he started producing regularly. He ended his career with 869 points in 1137 games.

---

Last but not least is Hall of Famer Gary Suter. Again, ninth round picks are not expected to have significant careers and win the Calder trophy. So, it stands to reason that fact that he is considered one of the great defensemen in the NHL. Suter was drafted by the Flames, 180th overall.

Few defensemen have had more than a point per game in a season. Suter achieved it in 1987-88 with 91 points in 75 games and a year later, he was lifting the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames.

Throughout his career, Suter was able to maintain a plus/minus of 126, which was not an easy feat to accomplish. Currently, he stands at N. 109 on the all-time scoring list, a mere point behind Marcus Naslund.

It seems they have great defensive abilities in the family, his nephew Ryan Suter being a first round draft pick and pivotal piece of Nashville’s defense corp. Gary ended his career with 203 goals, 642 assists for 845 points, in 1145 games played.

More to come later on!! Keep watching!

Great NHL Underachievers: Jason Bonsignore

Sebastien Tremblay — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:02:08 -0500

Did you think there were only three underachievers to talk about?

Certainly not!

I’m far from done with these articles! So here is another that many might’ve forgotten about, a very high draft pick and very big disappointment—Jason Bonsignore.

During his high school years, Bonsignore was a 13 year old star with Greece High in suburban Rochester, New York. During his two seasons there, he played 36 games, scoring 57 goals and 108 points.

A year later, he played in the Eastern Minor Junior Hochey League, notching 31 goals and 60 points in 60 games. At this point, a lot of scouts had noticed him, and he was already being mentioned as a high draft pick.

He arrived in the OHL at 16 years old with the Newmarket Royals. As he got older and the level of competition got higher, his production started dropping significantly. But somehow, scouts remained confident. They were sure Bonsignore was a "can't miss" prospect and with more experience, he would start producing again.

Jason was drafted fourth overall in 1994. In Junior, Bonsignore averaged just a bit over a point per game but it’s his size that made scouts think he would become great. At 6'4" and 220 pounds, he definitely had the size for the NHL.

Jason scored a goal in his first game with Edmonton, and then had two more—in the next 78 games he played in the NHL. So we can accurately call him a draft bust.

Bonsignore was perhaps the biggest bust in Edmonton’s draft history. But how could Edmonton misjudge him so badly? Simple—having similar style and size, he was constantly compared to Mario Lemieux very early in his career.

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, should be compared to either Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux or Bobby Orr. These 3 guys were unique and we’ll probably never see that kind of excellence ever again in the NHL. Okay, Crosby, Ovechkin and Malkin are close—but no cigar.

Obviously, any team in their right mind would try to draft a new version of Mario Lemieux.

The entire 1994 draft was pretty average, the first-round picks being anywhere from first- to fourth-line players. Edmonton also drafted fan favorite Ryan Smyth sixth overall that same year, and we all know how he turned out.

Funny anecdote—Chicago decided to use the 14th pick in 1994 to draft Bonsignore’s teammate Ethan Moreau. Not only was Moreau doing better in the WHL at the time, but in a bizarre twist, he is now captain of the Edmonton Oilers that drafted Bonsignore!

Other notables from that year would be Ed Jovanovski, Radek Bonk, Jeff O’Neil, and Mathias Ohlund in the first round. But it's the later rounds that you need to watch for. Guys like Daniel Alfredsson, Thomas Holmstrom, and Steve Sullivan were real steals.

Jason Bonsignore remained in the Oilers organization for a while, until a blockbuster trade sent him to the Tampa Bay Lightningand Roman Hamrlik to Edmonton. And again, Bonsignore failed to impress and got bounced around in the minor leagues.

Apparently, it was his on-ice attitude that killed his hockey career. After leaving hockey for two seasons, he was unable to crack another NHL roster. His bad performances and apparent lack of motivation got him a trip to the ECHL, Switzerland, and Finland where he was released again. He later tried out with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2003 but looked out of place and was released once more.

Jason Bonsignore is now 32 and technically, has not announced his retirement yet. He has yet to play a game in 2008, but he could try a comeback with his former ECHL team. Unfortunately, he was never good enough for NHL duty.

Jason actually has two websites under his name. This website is tracking his hockey career, which at this point is most likely over. You can find pictures, statistics. and a bit of history about his career.

And as for the other—well, want to know what Jason is up to now? I was extremely surprised to learn Jason Bonsignore is dirt-biking! Yes, the website actually carries his name!

Take a look at either "What is JBR" or "rider profiles," and you can see No. 64, Jason Bonsignore from Rochester, NY. If you remember, Bonsignore did wear No. 64 during his hockey career. So that’s where Jason has been since his days in the ECHL.

It doesn’t mention if he plans a return to hockey, I’ve tried to contact him through his website, but unfortunately, I've gotten no answer as of yet…

NHL Trades That Shocked the League, Part III

Sebastien Tremblay — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 08:08:03 -0500

In 2005, Boston traded center Joe Thornton to San Jose Sharks for Wayne Primeau, Brad Stuart, and Marco Sturm.

This one was such a shocker. Seriously, who would’ve thought a team could trade Joe Thornton?

At that point, he was the best center the NHL had to offer. He can easily put up 100-point seasons, makes his teammates better, and turn the game around in his favor.

He’s the kind of player you can build your team around. He’s the kind of player that will bring you championships.

So what were they thinking in Boston? Let us see.

The only two reasons I can think of are leadership and his playoffs performances.

Thornton is unfortunately not a leader. He wasn’t on the Bruins and he’s not with the Sharks either. Usually teams like it when their best player can lead their team—as is the case with Iginla, Lecavalier, Crosby etc.

He’s a great player, but not the type of guy to be heard in the locker room or be a "clutch" player.

As for his playoff performance, I can remember when the Canadiens eliminated Boston, coming from behind three to one and taking three games in a row to win the series four to three.

I remember listening to to game seven and hearing the announcer complain about Joe Thornton’s play—and it hit me, Thornton had no points at all through seven playoff games. Somehow, Thornton disappeared the second he stepped on the ice.

He was non-existent. Even at this point in his career he still under-performs in the playoffs. It’s unfortunate that Joe Thornton can’t seem to step up when it’s important.

In the long run, when your best player is not leading your team and is not helping you in the playoffs, what do you do? Expect him to suddenly realize he has to step it up? He’s already your best player!

I assumed that was their reason, better to get a big return in the trade right? I’m not so impressed with the players they got in return for one of the best NHL players in years.

The payoff for Thornton was ridiculous. After that trade, the Sharks became a true powerhouse and contender right through to today. It took a few years for Boston to heal from that loss.

It took them at least two complete seasons to come out of the last five spots, and it isn't Sturm, Primeau or Stuart who helped turn the team around. Rather the arrival of Marc Savard, Zdeno Chara, the resurgence of Tim Thomas and the coaching of Claude Julien that saved the Bruins.

Of the three, only Marco Sturm remains, and although good, his numbers are not quite impressive. Wayne Primeau is a third- or fourth-line player at best. And Brad Stuart obviously was not interested in playing for Boston.

Both were gone after about a year—and to my surprise, there were no first-round picks in that trade. The trade had quickly became Joe Thornton for Marco Sturm. Would you have done this trade? I didn’t think so.

What to think about this trade? I feel Boston somehow wanted Joe Thornton out quickly. They probably took the "best offer," trying to avoid rebuilding the team. They took players they felt would compensate for Thornton’s loss but were wrong. Boston is doing better now, but just imagine what they would be like with Joe Thornton still in the fold.

In 2006, Florida traded Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round pick to Vancouver for Todd Bertuzzi, Barry Allen, Alex Auld and a conditional pick in 2007.

Here is one we all still remember. This is a trade that made me go "Huh, the Panthers did what"?

We all knew Luongo was on his way out of Florida. For a goalie of his caliber, playing on a bad team is never fun.

It didn’t matter how many saves he made every night and how great his GAA and save-percentage were—Florida would still lose and miss the playoffs. So, they had to trade Luongo for a big return. Luongo was and still is compared to Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy.

On Vancouver’s side, Todd Bertuzzi also needed out. His presence in the Western Conference was quickly becoming a nuisance.

His attack on Steve Moore, doubled by his previous suspensions and questionable hits, made him expendable in Vancouver. Bertuzzi was struggling badly, his production was dropping, the fans wanted him out and the media was constantly on his case. A change of scenery should’ve been beneficial for Bertuzzi.

Unfortunately, Bertuzzi got injured after only seven games in Florida and spent the last year of his contract on injured reserve.

Barry Allen is just not an impact player, whichever way you look at it. And Alex Auld, who was thought to be the one to replace Luongo, looked like there were holes in his pads. He just couldn’t stop the 2500 shots per season that Luongo was used to stopping. So he dropped to No. 2 and Florida got Vokoun a bit later to replace him. Except now in Ottawa, he was never considered a number-one goaltender.

Luongo, on the other hand, carried Vancouver to a division championship, into the playoffs, and is now the only goaltender captain in the NHL. He is still considered one of, if not the best goaltender in the NHL and is the heart and soul of the Canucks.

Even if we completely forget about Lukas Krajicek and the sixth-round pick, Vancouver wins this deal all the way.

In 2007 Edmonton traded left-winger Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders for forwards Ryan O'Marra, Robert Nilsson, and a first-round pick

Technically, it isn't such a bad trade.

I’ll admit, I was disappointed too when "Captain Canada" was traded—to an American team, no less. Smyth was sent to the Islanders at the trade deadline, the Oilers were missing the playoffs for sure after reaching the finals the year before.

It was truly heartbreaking trade for the Oilers fan and Ryan Smyth himself, who left the club that drafted him and gave him his chance for more than 11 seasons. It was even more painful, as the Islanders didn’t even go through the first round of the playoffs. Smyth had essentially been traded for nothing.

With the pick, Edmonton selected Western Hockey League defenceman Alex Plante, who has yet to show his worth after a far below average year in 2007-08. They also received center Robert Nilsson and Ryan O’Marra, the first has yet to break out in the NHL and the second hasn’t played an NHL game yet.

Why is this a bad trade and how are you suppose to feel about it? Just think about Gretzky when he left Edmonton.

Okay I’ll admit Smyth never had the impact Gretzky had on the ice but still, in a league where players rarely spend their entire career with one team, Edmonton had Smyth they could rely on.

The city felt betrayed they lost one of their best player, a fan favorite for years, a leader, the guy that represented the team, the face of the Oilers. These days, players are moved and traded so often that someone spending such a long period of time with the same team inevitably becomes the "face" of the franchise. Smyth was that face.

If it weren’t for that trade, I’m sure he would still be there. Maybe the Oilers felt they needed change and a new face for their franchise, maybe Smyth will come back and finish his career as an Oiler in a few years—we’ll just have to wait.

NHL Trades That Shocked the League, Part II

Sebastien Tremblay — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:59:53 -0500

And now for part two!

In 1995, Montreal trades Mike Keane and Patrick Roy to Colorado for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and Jocelyn Thibault.

This day stayed marked in my head as the day I would forever hate Mario Tremblay and Ronald Corey…the two responsible for that horrible horrible trade. How dare you trade one of the best goaltender in HISTORY fortw2 underachievers and a rookie goalie?!

Someone had a big bubble going through his brain when that happened. Colorado still laughs at Montreal for this trade (but then we sent them Jose Theodore a couple years ago…which kinda equals the deal!)

For those who don’t know the entire story I’ll make it short. Montreal was playing Detroit and were being beaten badly. Prior…coach Mario Tremblay and goalie Patrick Roy had lots of arguments. Basically, Roy was king in the locker room (funny, roy translate to king in french…).

Tremblay didn’t quite agree his leadership was being challenged by one of his players. So he wanted to make a point and make Patrick Roy realise he is not the boss of this team. Roy was obviously not doing or feeling well in that game against Detroit. Any coach in his right mind would have pulled off his goaltender after four, five or maybe six goals.

But Mario Tremblay decided to leave Roy in net to make a point. In the end…Montreal lost 9 to 1. And yes…Roy let in all of the nine goals. After the ninth goal, Tremblay pulled Roy from the game.

When he reached the bench, Roy went strait for Ronald Corey who was sitting in the stands behind the bench and spoke seven words: "J’ai jouer mon dernier match à Montréal." Translated it means "I just played my last game in Montreal." So the end of Patrick Roy’s era in Montreal was caused by a stupid coach on a power trip. Since that day I’ve despised Mario Tremblay (who is now assistant coach for Minnesota).

Jocelyn Thibault never became a true No. 1 goaltender. He did okay considering the team he had in fron of him was struggling badly from a series of bad trades and even worse draft picks. Martin Rucinsky had his best season in Montreal, 25 goals and 60 points in 56 games and Kovalenko, played only 51 games for Montreal before running off to Edmonton for his only 30 goals season.

Montreal also lost Mike Keane in that deal. Although not an impact player, Keane did manage to become captain in Montreal before Pierre Turgeon’s arrival. Keane was a superb defensive player much like Guy Carbonneau was in his prime. So Montreal lost lots of leadership as well.

So why is it such a bad trade…Well this trade effectively sent back the Canadiens 10 years, started the rebuilding process in Montreal which they are just barely getting out of the last two years, gave Colorado two Stanley Cups, a "can’t miss" hall-of-famer, not to mention the best goaltender in the NHL at that point. This is why Colorado retired Roy’s number before Montreal.

Just looking at the impact this trade had on the Canadiens makes me quiver. The team was not the same for the next 10 years after. If New Jersey traded Martin Brodeur for a bag of pucks it would have the same effect…

In 1996, Vancouver traded right-winger Alex Stojanov to Pittsburgh for right-winger Markus Naslund.

Well…I don’t think anybody can accurately say they understand this deal. I’m confused as to what went through Pittsburg’s managers minds. It’s a complete mystery.

Okay, let’s just try to understand the trade:

Both are first round draft picks in 1991…a good start. Stojanov was picked higher, seventh overall, Naslund was 16th. Both were expected to have good careers and at the moment of the trade. Naslund is Swedish, Stojanov is…well you probably thought he’s Russian right. Technically he’s not, he’s actually from Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

In a lot of general manager’s minds, North American players have lots more chances to make the NHL and are more "dependable" than Europeans. That might’ve thought Stojanov would have less trouble adapting to pro hockey in America.

Naslund had a slight advantage, being more productive. But that production could’ve been a fluke, Naslund may have taken advantage of a few of his ultra productive teammates like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Petr Nedved, and Sergei Zubov. Stojanov, on his side, had Alexander Mogilny, Trevor Linden, Cliff Ronning, and Russ Courtnall that were less productive.

At the time of the trade, Naslund and Stojanov were both 22. Pittsburgh already had a few youngsters in their ranks ready for prime-time. Jagr, Nedved and Smolinski were all 23. They also had highly regarded Glen Murray at 22 years old. So they probably thought they had enough talented young as it is.

As for Marcus Naslund, well we know what happened with him. He spent 12 years with the Canucks, became captain of the team, notched over 700 points with the Canucks. He had three consecutive seasons over 40 goals and at this point, he’s the most prolific scorer in Vancouver Canucks history.

In the end, Pittsburgh traded a high scoring top three forward, possible franchise player and leader…for a goon. This is definitely one of the worst trades in NHL history if not the worst. Maybe a pro hockey career wasn’t meant to be for Stojanov…especially when you end your career with the New Mexico Scorpions!

NHL Trades That Shocked the League, Part I

Sebastien Tremblay — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:36:26 -0500

I know, there are lots of trades that have us scratching our heads, and lead us wondering what they were thinking. Sometimes the reason of a trade is obvious and, at least, solves a problem for the respective teams. However, sometimes, whatever way you look at it, it just doesn't seem to make sense.

It must've made sense for those involved though right? Hmm, or maybe not. So let's look at a few trades that shocked the NHL world when they happened. I'm not necessarily writing about bad trades, but rather those we didn't expect or still can't understand.

Here we go:

In 1986, Vancouver traded Cam Neely to Boston for Barry Pederson.

June 1986 will go down as one of the darkest moments for the Canuck’s. Vancouver traded Cam Neely, a home town guy, a fan favorite, and a player with amazing potential and upside. And to make matters worse, Vancouver also threw in a first round pick in the deal, who happened to become Glen Wesley.

To Vancouver’s defense, at the time of the deal, Neely had three average seasons of 31, 39, and 34 points and no more than 21 goals in a season. Vancouver was struggling, having posted a loosing record for three consecutive years at this point. They needed scoring and more of an impact player to turn the tide. So, the question is: Did the Canucks do better with Pederson in and Neely out? No. They actually became worse. Thankfully, a young, 18-year-old Trevor Linden was coming in to save them!

On his side, when the trade occurred, Pederson was already a well respected center who had already two seasons over 40 goals and 100 points. Looking at both their statistics, I feel Vancouver was simply impatient and wanted production right away from Neely.

Since it didn’t seem to come fast enough, they went for a guy that had already proved he could score and produce big numbers. When will they learn that statistics don't necessarily represent the player’s potential?

It didn’t take long for Neely to make the Canucks' general managers look bad. Within a year, his production exploded and he became one of the most feared power forwards in the NHL and three-time 50 goals scorer.

In 525 games with the Bruins, Neely racked up 344 goals for the Bruins. Before he was injured in 1993-94, he had 50 goals in just 49 games on pace for a 83 goal season. Impressive numbers.

Pederson was 25 years old at the time and was a huge disappointment, so technically in his prime (Neely was 20). But his career went down from this point, there were no indication that his production would slip like it did. After the trade, Pederson’s production decreased to the point he finished his career in the AHL.

Neely was such an outstanding scorer and is now inducted into the hall of fame. I hope this trade served as an example. BE PATIENT WITH YOUNG PLAYERS, Because they might end up being the franchise player your looking for.

In 1992, Philadelphia traded Peter Forsberg, Kerry Huffman, Steve Duchesne, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, first round draft pick in 1993 and 1994, Chris Simon, and 15 million to Quebec for Eric Lindros.

Well, I hear both sides on this one, some say it was a good trade, some says it was a horrible trade. To me, it was a very bad trade, although sending all those players away didn’t affect the Flyers that much right away.

Eric Lindros was thought to be the next Mario Lemieux and quite honestly, when he started playing, I actually believed he could be a new version of Mario Lemieux. Lindros was big, tough, talented, could score, pass, and hit. He had absolutely everything.

Where this trade becomes a mistake is in the fact that Lindros, although he had a very good career and was one of the top players in the league when healthy, never delivered the Stanley Cup, which is what the Flyers were obviously looking for. Instead, it went to Colorado twice within five years. How you ask?

Those players traded for Lindros were a huge part of that success and those two Stanley Cups. We all know what Peter Forsberg turned out to be, arguably the most creative and productive player in the NHL when healthy.

Mike Ricci helped Colorado get to the finals and win the cup a couple years after the trade. The draft pick in 1993 became Jocelyn Thibault who was then traded to Montreal in return for Patrick Roy (another horrible trade…).

Trading Forsberg for Lindros would still be a mistake. Lindros has had multiple concussions and injury problems within a very short time span. Actually, Lindros has never been able to play 82 games in an NHL season, whereas Forsberg, although having some injury problems towards the end of his career, blossomed into an amazing play-maker quickly.

He later won the Calder, several Stanley Cups, and various medals, you name it. To further prove my point, Forsberg's statistics to this day are 885 points in 706 games. Lindros on the other hand has 865 points in 760 games, which is less points in more games than Forsberg.

So technically, by getting Eric Lindros, the Flyers essentially gave Colorado two Stanley Cups. How about that for a bad trade?!

NHL Calder Trophy Surprises

Sebastien Tremblay — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:24:40 -0500

The Calder race is already on for the 2009 candidates, as we speak. There are already a few surprises, and players that were not expected to do this well. Derick Brassard, Kris Versteeg, and Mikhail Grabovski have never been mentioned as Calder candidates in the past.

The current success of these three players is already surprising. Brassard, in Colombus, doesn’t have such a great team around him, but is flourishing as the first line center.

Versteeg, a fifth round pick, is the biggest upset so far, and out of nowhere he stands second in rookie scoring and looks like the perfect fit for Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in Chicago.

And at this pace, Grabovski, who was traded from Montreal to Toronto, could possibly get 35 goals or more this year.

A few years ago, after the 2003-04 season, I remember there were actually three surprise nominees: Micheal Ryder, Andrew Raycroft, and Trent Hunter. This year, we are all expecting guys like Steven Stamkos, Kyle Turris, Fabian Brunnstrom, Jakub Voracek, and Kylo Okposo to be leading the race, but they’re not, which makes the Calder race for 2009 that much more interesting.

Obviously there have been other surprise Calder winners in the past. So here are a few of them:

Peter Stastny - 1981:

Peter Statsny won the Calder in 1981 (39 goals, 70 assists for 109 points) and was the most prolific player in the 1980’s after Wayne Gretzky. Stastny’s Calder trophy is a surprise when you know the whole story around it.

The Stastny brothers coming to America was a huge deal back then. Marcel Aubut literally, and illegally, hid Peter, Anton, and later Marian to get them out of their native communist Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).

It made news all around the NHL too. Peter and Anton, the first two to come over to America, risked incarceration (Peter was given 18 months jail time back in his homeland and Marian was subject to intense interrogation), they risked their lives to play in North America. They played for the Quebec Nordiques in a league they knew nothing about and in a country they didn’t even know the language of.

It usually takes a couple of years for European hockey players to adapt to North American hockey, but not for Peter. So his Calder trophy is surprising and very impressive, considering the whole story about how he got to play in this league.

Luc Robitaille -1987:

Frankly, I don’t think anybody expected a ninth round pick to win the Calder. Yes, Robitaille, who was the most prolific left wing in NHL history was a ninth round choice, 171st overall by the Los Angeles Kings. He won the award in 1987 after a 45 goal, and 84 point season.

For me, Robitaille is the biggest draft steal I have ever seen. Critics said he was too slow, a bad skater, didn’t have a great shot, and wasn’t physical enough so he was passer over, and over until the ninth round. Obviously skating isn’t everything in hockey, but Robitaille had such amazing hockey sense that somehow, even being a bit slow on skates, he was always at the right place at the right time.

There have been other draft steals since. Detroit is making a habit of it with guys like Zetterberg (seventh round), Datsyuk (sixth round), Holmstrom, (10th round) or even Sergei Fedorov (fourth round). But Robitaille was so outrageously dominant that he remains the undisputed champion of late round draft steals. His Calder, for a ninth round pick, was a very pleasant surprise for the Kings.

Sergei Makarov - 1990:

Makarov came in the NHL in the 1989-90 season, years after being picked in the 12th round by Calgary in 1983. At the time, Makarov felt he would probably never get to play in the NHL. Makarov was famous in Russia and was the focal point of the KLM line, ( Krutov, Larionov, Makarov ) one of the most feared and productive trio in recent hockey. It took him six years to play his first NHL game. Because of that « delay, » nobody expected Makarov to come in the NHL and be good enough to win the trophy.

Makarov became the first from the now deceased Soviet Union to win the award. He won the Calder at 31 years old after a 24 goal, and 86 point season, thus forcing the league to create the « Makarov rule » stating no player over 26 years old on September 15th of his rookie year is allowed to win the Calder. Obviously, the league never thought they needed a « Makarov rule » and never expected a 31-year-old Russian to win the award, hence why his Calder is so astonishing.

Pavel Bure – 1992:

Bure was another Calder winner that nobody saw coming. Can you believe Pavel Bure was picked in the sixth round? The « Russian rocket » was, for a very long time one of, if not, the most electrifying player in the NHL. If you like Ovechkin, you need to check out what Pavel Bure used to do! He became the first Vancouver Canuck to win the Calder, and only the second from Soviet Union (Makarov being the first). He finished third in rookie scoring, edging out Niklas Lidstrom, and Tony Amonte for the win.

For him, scoring 60 goals was nothing out of the ordinary. He won the Maurice Richard trophy twice, reached the 60 goal plateau twice as well in 1993 and 1994, and had 58 goals in 2000, and 59 goals in 2001. He also won the scoring championship in 1993-94, but there was no Maurice Richard award given back then. Quite impressive. Still, it took him two more years after being drafted to make the Vancouver Canucks roster.

Bure won the Calder trophy in 1992 and dazzled the NHL with his speed and puck-handling. He reached the 30 goal mark in his very first season, averaging more that a goal per two games, with 34 goals in 65 games before exploding for 60 goals the next year. To be honest, he’s my favorite hockey player of all time!

Barret Jackman - 2003:

Do you know him? If you don’t know the Blues lineup, you probably don’t. And you’re probably not aware he won the Calder either. Yeah, you’re probably also wondering how he won the Calder in 2003 against Henrik Zetterberg. Well, so am I!

To his defense, Jackman did have an « impressive » year in 2003. I can understand what got him some first place votes he needed in order to win the prestigious award. Barret Jackman logged the most minutes per game of any rookies that year. He also finished the season on a +23 note. Defensemen usually take longer to develop, and Jackman is not a big point producer, so that +23 means he showed some seriously solid defensive play.

The 21-year-old had three goals, 19 points, and a whopping 190 penalty minutes in 82 games, good for sixth in the NHL. That kind of solid play got him the votes needed to win. Since then, he has faded out. He still plays, but compared to other defensemen of relative age and size, his statistics are not impressive. As of this year, he has the lowest point per game average of any Calder winner in history with 0.24 PPG. So it obviously makes him a surprise winner.

Other notables :

Willi Plett – Atlanta Flames, who won in 1977. Had a 33 goals, and 56 points in 64 games. He was a fifth round pick in 1975. Plett was never a scorer in the minors, he played a very very physical game which probably dropped his value in the draft. In 834 NHL games, he piled up 2572 penalty minutes. So Willi Plett could actually be one of the only enforcers to win the Calder!

Chris Drury – Colorado Avalanche, won in 1999. An average regular season on 20 goals, and 44 points in 79 games. The definition on a « clutch player », Drury showed his worth as a defensive forward with Colorado, pitching in the occasional game-winning goal when needed. Hence his « Captain Clutch » nickname. He was the only player to win both Hobey Baker (top NCAA player) and Calder award.

Gary Suter – Calgary Flames, won in 1986. A ninth round pick, and 180th overall. Again, you don’t expect ninth round players to be so productive. The Flames defensemen had 18 goals, 68 points in 80 games, and another 10 points in 10 games during the playoffs.

Mike Bossy – New York Islanders, won in 1979. Not quite a « surprise », he was a first round pick, 15th overall, and was expected to have a great career. What surprises me is the fact so many teams passed over him, thinking he was not big enough or fast enough to make an impact.

Boy were they wrong! He predicted he would score at least 50 goals in his first year, and did just that, notching 53 goals and 91 points. Nobody drafted in 1977 had a better career than Bossy, even though it was cut very short due to injuries

So the race is on. If the season ended today, Kris Versteeg, Derick Brassard, and Mikhail Grabovski would most likely be candidates. All three have been very surprising so far.

So who do you think will end up with the Calder?!