Bleacher Report - Articles by Bryan Thiel

Takin' a T/O with BT: Anton Stralman's Success Against the Numbers Game

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:08:52 -0500

Simply put: Numbers games suck.

Granted, "suck" isn’t the most gracious word to use for that, but it fits doesn’t it?

The word "suck" is ugly and harsh—exactly what numbers games are. It’s harsh because those who win in the numbers games don’t always necessarily have the most talent or the attributes a team needs to complete a well-balanced roster, but it sometimes comes down to contract status and reputation.

A newly signed free agent isn’t going to lose their spot. Barring a complete collapse in their physical abilities, to sign someone to a big-money contract and then decide they aren’t who you wanted four months later is terrible management. That’s how teams get into cap trouble.

Then you get into a situation where players' reputations engulf themselves and their abilities. A player who has given a team a ton of great years is going to be supported by the staff, his teammates, and the fans no matter his struggles thanks to his years of service.

Again, for a player who could earn himself a spot, the numbers game is terrible.

Anton Stralman was a victim of one of those numbers games.

There was a point when Stralman was still a Toronto Maple Leaf that he was supposed to be the next great puck-moving defenseman. He came over from Timra of the Swedish Elite League after producing fairly well (11 goals, 15 assists in 98 games) at the top level with big expectations.

In his two years in Toronto, while his performances went up-and-down on the ice, Stralman’s final lines showed some promise. There were times when he was inconsistent and fans had passed the buck on his defensive capabilities, but by no means was he a bust: 16 points over 36 AHL games last season, and 13 points in 38 NHL games last year seemed to prove that the 23-year-old was developing at the highest North American level.

Then the offseason happened. Before Brian Burke and company signed any free agents, Pavel Kubina was shipped over to Atlanta in a team that brought toughness to the picture in the guise of Garnet Exelby.

Granted, Exelby is a defenseman like Stralman, so there was no extra space on the blueline when Kubina was dealt, but the Leafs had lost a puck-mover coming off of back-to-back 40-point season with the Blue and White, so there was room for competition between Stralman and Ian White for a bigger offensive role.

But then the numbers game came into effect. On the first day of free agency, Mike Komisarek landed a five-year deal with the Leafs to play a shutdown role. Despite owning no break-through offensive ability, Komisarek’s deal not only took up cap space, but space on the blueline as well.

Then things got even more complex. A favorite of Brian Burke's in Anaheim with the Ducks, Francois Beauchemin landed in Toronto after inking a three-year deal, bringing his big shot for the power play along with him.

So if we're playing by the rules that "any recent free agent signing is almost guaranteed a spot unless they've deteriorated physically in just three months", then Komisarek and Beauchemin landed two of the four spots on Toronto's defense.

Then factor in All-Star Tomas Kaberle and rookie holdover Luke Schenn, and things weren't looking so rosy at the top for the Leafs other defenders.

Speaking of those other defenders, there were a lot of them: Stralman and Exelby had to contend with Jeff Finger, Ian White, Jonas Frogren, Mike van Ryn (at that time), and possibly Phil Orsekovic and Carl Gunnarsson of the Toronto Marlies.

Not great odds.

As it turned out, the odds were less than great. They were terrible. Not even a month after Beauchemin had signed, Stralman was one his way out of Toronto to another crowded blue line in Calgary. The defenseman with a mound of offensive skill who wasn’t even afforded a chance to crack a revamped lineup had to crack an even deeper (and better) defense with the Flames.

Until he was traded. Again.

This time to a team that needed an offensive presence, and almost found it in their first round pick from 2009 John Moore.

Much like Andrew Ebbet, who has suited up for three different teams this season (Anaheim, Chicago, and Minnesota) Stralman had bounced between three different teams in a matter of months, but the season had yet to start. When his new team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, opened the season, you'd have to assume that Stralman was ready to throw away the keys to the U-Haul and get back to hockey.

But then a funny thing happened. As has occurred so many times before, Stralman started to take off for the Blue Jackets—another former Leaf reaching his apparent potential somewhere else.

Like Carlo Colaiacovo and Brad Boyes before him (ironically both did it in St Louis), Stralman performed like a top-pairing defenseman. At least, offensively.

He started off slowly with four points in his first ten games, but it then started to pick up. His first two-point game of the season came against San Jose on Nov. 4th, and with an assist the game before that against Washington, Stralman has tallied 11 points over his past 11 games.

That stat alone would almost be good enough to set a new career-high for the Swede, but he's already done that anyhow. With four goals and 15 points in his first 21 games, Stralman's surpassed his career highs in goals and points, and it's a safe assumption he'll beat his assists mark (12—he’s currently got 11).

While his negative eight isn't great, and 10 of those 15 points have come on the power play this year, Anton Stralman seems to have found a home with the Columbus Blue Jackets and meeting his offensive potential.

For Leafs fans, it's a shame he couldn't do it in a different shade of Blue.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with him you can do so through his profile , and you can also reach him via email at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, check out all of his previous work in his archives and on Hockey 54—The Face of the Game!

Takin' a T/O with BT: Junior Seau and the Sports Jobs You Never Knew About

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:48:21 -0500

When you’re young and you look out onto a sports field, or look up to your favorite athletes, you know what you want to be; who you want to be; where you want to be.

Out there. With them. Playing the game you love.

But what so many of us take for granted and overlook are the people behind the scenes.

Sure, distracting a bull while the fallen rider makes a quick exit stage-left isn’t the most glamorous job. Nor is it the safest. And being “that guy that just got worked over by the bull like Barry Switzer during Super Bowl week” isn’t quite what’ll attract the ladies during the after show (chances are they’ll be off with the rider), but hey...someone has to do it, right?

Well, this year on Versus, that someone is Junior Seau.

Yeah. That Junior Seau.

The man you may know better as the linebacker for the New England Patriots (as well as a former Miami Dolphin and San Diego Charger) is teaming up with Versus to investigate some of the dirtiest, dangerous, most awkward, and thankless jobs the sports world has to offer.

Caddying in the LPGA? Where are his cleats? Changing tires for an IndyCar pit crew? Just don’t turn into this guy. Getting up close and personal in the world of MMA? So long as blood doesn’t make you squeamish.

Junior takes on (I could’ve said tackles...but would you have really laughed?) all of these challenges, along with some that you might not have thought of, in his very own show on Versus: Sports Jobs with Junior Seau.

In it, Seau tries everything from changing over the floor in Boston from ice, to hardwood, to ice once more, to trying to meet the same deadlines as the sportswriters who write about him try to meet every week.

Wednesday night following WEC 44, Versus aired a sneak peek at the series with an episode featuring Seau learning how to be MMA fighter Forrest Griffin's cornerman, leading up to Griffin's UFC 101 loss to Anderson Silva.

“Being a part of the National Football League for so long, I’ve come across so many trainers and equipment managers who’ve allowed (and helped) me to be who I am today,” Seau said in an interview with BlogTalk Radio. “This is a way of me giving homage to them.”

Simply put, this is nothing that’s been tried before. We’ve seen regular guys go against athletes, and people get second shots at failed dreams of glory, but an athlete slipping into the world of the "behind the scenes" in sports?

All Seau is trying to do though is “capture the audience with emotions and education.”

With everything he’s trying, he’ll certainly accomplish that.

Just like on the field, though, Seau was challenged throughout the show—the job that provided him the biggest challenge was getting in the ring with a 2,000-pound bull.

"To put it in perspective, the average offensive line in the NFL weighs a combined 1,600 pounds," Seau said. "So you can imagine how much power and how much force is behind that bull. It was frightening, it was new, and it was everything you feel when you’re uncomfortable."

With the fear of the unknown, though, Seau also learned and gained an appreciation for the people behind the scenes—especially in the IndyCar race.

"I came into the show thinking that these guys are just drivers," Seau said. "Scott Dixon is more than an athlete, but the pit crew who have to work in seven seconds while being judged by the world is nerve-racking."

For Seau, it’s not about meeting the athletes; it's about meeting the people behind the scenes and gaining an ever-deeper understanding and appreciation for what they do and who they are, as these are “the heroes that allow the pros to be pros.”

That doesn’t mean he didn’t meet a few recognizable faces along the way, though.

He not only got to caddy for Natalie Gulbis (a career that, as he says, he could see himself doing in real life because of how interesting the relationship is between the golfer and the caddy), but he also met Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and came away very impressed.

“He’s obviously one of the better hockey players, but he’s also so humble,” Seau said. “He’s so much fun to be around, and you can see that he’s a leader by example, but more importantly he doesn’t let anyone (players, trainers, equipment managers) see him differently.”

So how exactly do you choose a guy like Junior Seau for a show like this?

If you take Seau's word for it, “Versus saw me surfing and they liked my body.”

While that may not be the truth, if the show takes off, it could be its own episode: Board-waxer for Kelly Slater.

After all, it’s a low-key job, but someone’s got to do it.

Sports Jobs with Junior Seau is a new series on Versus. Be sure to tune in Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on Versus starting Dec. 2 to see what Junior is up to this week! Hear the BlogTalk Radio interview here.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader with Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile, or you can e-mail him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out his previous work in his archives, as well as at Hockey54—The Face of the Game.

Who'll Line Up Beside the Toronto Maple Leafs' Kessel in Future?

Bryan Thiel — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:10:34 -0500

When the season started off with a slump for the Toronto Maple Leafs, LeafsNation fell into a panic.

All of a sudden they were last in the league, the only team without a regulation win, and without a first round draft pick this year or next.

What they were left with was a question mark, a question mark named Phil Kessel.

For the first time in a long time, the Leafs had an acquisition that no one knew what the Leafs were getting. Kessel was coming off of shoulder surgery, so there was the lingering question as to whether or not he’d be back at full-strength this year, or would it take a season?

There were also questions about his age, just not the age-related questions fans were used to asking.

Unlike previous pickups Brian Leetch, Phil Housley, or Ron Francis, Kessel came in closer to his draft year than his Hockey Hall of Fame induction year, which offered a ray of hope that hadn’t been seen in these parts for a long time.

There were also the concerns about how a quiet, tame guy like Kessel would handle the voracious fans and media of Toronto—a city so starved for quality hockey that it would throw Kerry Fraser a "Get Well Soon" party if the official was balding (but only if it meant a few wins for the Leafs).

Just a few weeks into the Phil Kessel era and the changes have been swift.

Kessel has come in and used his speed to create chances, shot the puck from just about anywhere, and scored goals. He’s added an additional threat to a power play that needed it like Jared from Subway needs SlimFast and he’s become that player for the Leafs; the kind of player that the opposition needs to take notice of if they want to stop the Leafs.

Teams and fans alike have taken notice as well. Then again, when Kessel was the only Leaf to score in over 100 minutes (A span of three games) of hockey action on Saturday night (A streak Francois Beauchemin broke), it’s hard not to notice him.

As if the fact that Toronto cashed in their future on the Madison-native wasn’t enough to give him full-share of the Toronto spotlight, the fact that he’s played more games than just one Leafs’ regular, Jamal Mayers, and is on pace for a higher point total than anyone not named Tomas Kaberle, has certainly done the trick.

But for all of the on-ice attributes that Kessel has brought to the team, the question still remains: Who’s going to play with him?

He’s spent time with John Mitchell and the two have combined for four goals and one assist when they’ve been on the ice together. Along with that, the highest-profile player he’s skated alongside is Jason Blake. The two shooters have totaled three goals and two assists.

So far, Blake has worked out well as a linemate, but do the two pass the puck enough for each other's liking? So far, Blake has 62 shots on the season—in less than half the games Blake has played, Kessel has 41. They also combined for over 500 shots last year.

While Blake is on pace for a career-high in assists (43), each may need their own play-making center to help them out.

For Kessel, his most successful linemate and centerman has been Matt Stajan. When Stajan and Kessel have been on the ice at the same time, the pair have a combined four goals and four assists—the highest scoring forward tandem of Kessel and another Leaf.

For Stajan, this must be a dream come true. After spending years going in and out of the dog house, shuffling up and down between first line and fourth line duty, Stajan has found a role he’s thriving in alongside Kessel. If he wants to stay in the set-up man’s role, Stajan will have to continue to perform,which could be a very realistic goal.

But there’s always the question of what next? Following this year, Matt Stajan is an unrestricted free agent. Depending on the thoughts up top,Toronto could hold on to the lifetime Leaf pass this year’s trade deadline and then concern themselves with whether or not to re-sign him.

However, Stajan is the kind of player that if the Leafs aren’t in the playoff picture, he could have some teams waiting at his door. If that happens and Stajan finds himself on a playoff-bound somewhere else, the Leafs need someone else to step up.

One of the obvious choices to play with Kessel in the future is first round draft pick Nazem Kadri. Currently, the London Knight is sitting at a point-per-game average in the Ontario Hockey League, but is displaying more goal-scoring panache than anything.

However, Kadri’s career numbers seem to indicate that he’ll slide back into a playmaker role, as he’s nabbed 116 assists in his OHL career. The playmaking ability of Kadri is the kind of talent that’s proven to be dominant alongside Kessel before, as so much has been made of the impacts that Marc Savard had on Kessel last year.

Along with Kadri, there’s another player who may work out alongside Kessel who’s already on the active roster.

Although he’s only got one point alongside Kessel this season, Alex Ponikarovsky (Combined for two points when they’re on the ice together) is the perfect big body presence to stick alongside a sniper and a play-maker. Like Matt Stajan though, Ponikarovsky is a free-agent at season’s end and the likelihood of him sticking around will depend a lot on this season.

If Poni sticks around, it’s the old adage of something Old (Poni), something new (Kadri), something borrowed (Kessel—from the Bruins), and something Blue. If we have to go through what the ‘blue’ is, then you obviously haven’t been paying attention.

But if Ponikarovsky leaves, who would be an ideal big body to go alongside the potential duo of Kadri and Kessel? Why not a member of the Super Soph line: Viktork Stalberg or Christian Hanson.

Both Hanson and Stalberg have the ideal size for the position at 6’3/210lbs and 6’4/228lbs respectively. They are also young (23 years old) and like Kadri, have the opportunity to grow alongside Kessel and develop a rapport. At the AHL level, they’re producing as well as Hanson is one of the top-producing rookies in the AHL this year, while Stalberg is a point-per-game player since being sent down.

Hanson would also bring a strong defensive mindset and two-way responsibility that would be great to have on the wing of this potential line.

For the Leafs, Phil Kessel is going to be just a part of the future. They’ve still got pieces to add while finding places to put them and these are just a few possibilities.

Having this one piece in place however, is starting to look like a rosy start for the Leafs.

Bryan Thiel is an NHL Community Leader and Senior Writer for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out his previous work in his archives, and on Hockey54—The Face of the Game.

Takin' a T/O with BT—Bill Belichick and the Patriots Will See Another Day

Bryan Thiel — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:07:48 -0500

It's amazing the amount of time it takes to change something, isn't it?

One play. One pass. A matter of seconds. A handful of yards.

It was all of those things that changed a game that looked like a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat, please-for-the-love-of-God-hold-on win for the New England Patriots, to a state of rejoicing and 9-0 signs for Indianapolis Colts fans.

Good for the Colts. Good for Peyton Manning. Bad for the New England Patriots.

And very bad for Bill Belichick.

In the history of live TV, there's probably never been a play that's been questioned as quickly as that 4th-and-2 was last night. The minute Tom Brady and Belichick met on the sidelines as the timeout was called, people were fretting. People were judging.

I was pacing back and forth, wondering what exactly was going on.

Whether they had seen the game or not, everybody now knows what happened. You could check the highlights from this morning, read a paper or a blog, or just click on the status updates and tweets of Colts fans.

The man who sticks it to the opposition whenever he can, who flies in the face of football decency, and who defies the logic of many had his nose shoved in it last night in front of an international audience.

Belichick knows that. He didn't need reporters at the press conference to ask him about a do-over because he made it very clear he was aware of his actions and the situation.

But he also knows something else that got lost in the shuffle: It's not the end of the world.

At the moment it happened, it certainly felt like the world was ending. Living rooms in the New England area probably resembled a cabin scene out of Airplane or Airplane 2: mad panic, oxygen masks, and a lineup of people waiting to smack Belichick and yell, "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

It sucked. It was a terrible feeling watching that play unfold. It doesn't matter whether Kevin Faulk had the first down or not—the refs didn't think he did. Conversation over. Sequence over. And for all intents and purposes, game over—Manning saw to that.

But you know what? The New England Patriots didn't lose anything from it. Their closest competition for the AFC East crown, the New York Jets, lost earlier in the day, meaning the Pats had an opportunity to distance themselves further.

Granted, the win would have tied New England with the Cincinnati Bengals for the second-best record in the AFC, meaning they could be battling for home field advantage, but the season isn't over: Even if they were tied, New England wasn't guaranteed a thing, and even though they lost, the Bengals have nothing more than the inside track on January football.

If anything, the Patriots may have gained something from it even if they lost the game.

In 2007 the Pats would've tried this play. Up by 19 or nine, they would have taken the shot along with the ridicule and questions that came with it. It all would have been the same.

Last year? There's no way that they even think about putting Matt Cassel in this situation.

Yes, it was said a lot last night post-game on the NFL Network, but the Patriots may have just cemented their swagger.

They tried it earlier in the season against Atlanta , and it worked. They tried it here and it didn't. They'll probably try it again too. That's just what the Patriots do.

Am I (and a lot of other people) giving Belichick the benefit of the doubt on this play? Sure I am. People all over the place are saying that it's because of the Super Bowl rings we accept this; that if Norv Turner or Rex Ryan tried this, we'd eat them alive.

You know what? Those people are right. It is the rings that make Patriots fans trust Bill Belichick more. He still messed up, but for him? Big deal. He went for it in a regular season game and missed. It happens.

The anger will resonate for a little while, but it'll likely fall by the wayside. It's like Clint Eastwood's Pink Cadillac— not very likely it gets remembered in the long run.

Then again, Eastwood also came back with Million Dollar Baby and Gran Torino.

The curious thing in all of this, however, is the reaction of Colts fans. Patriots fans and impartials alike were bound to be confused and drowning in agony. But there are some Colts fans out there acting as if this was a monumental, beautifully orchestrated comeback instead of it being handed to Peyton Manning with 29 yards and two minutes to go.

Is it fairly likely that Manning could have driven the field for the game-winning score had the Patriots punted? Yes. But it doesn't change the fact that Manning had to drive a field slightly longer than the average kickoff return.

The only quarterback who couldn't engineer a winning drive from there would probably be JaMarcus Russell. And this, for many Indianapolis supporters, is a source of joy?

Please. Don't dishonor Manning by counting this among his best—he's had far better comebacks than this, and you know it.

Don't count your blessings before the end of the season either. Remember when the Jets won the week two Super Bowl?

Congrats to the Colts on going 9-0 and getting a big win, because gaffe or not, it's still a big win, and it was still earned.

It was a riveting, yet confusing way for it to happen.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also be sure to check out his previous work in his archives .

Bleacher Report's NHL Awards at the One-Quarter Mark

Bryan Thiel — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:02:12 -0500

From the moment a season starts, people wonder where everyone will be at the end. Who'll be the break-out star? Whose going to be answering questions about retirement? Is anyone going to be out of the league? And most importantly: Which superstars are taking home the hardware? It's a question we can't help but ask because we're so caught up in the glory of the trophies, rings, and aura of professional sport. But that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the most intriguing, on-going arguments in sports. So with that, the Bleacher Report NHL writers got together and mulled over the award winners at the quarter mark. A quick note before we begin: Awards based on performance (Art Ross, Maurice Richard) aren't included because you can just look at the league leaders for that, while the Masterton was also left off today's list.

Begin Slideshow

Staying Up with the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies

Bryan Thiel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:13:31 -0500

In honor of one of the greatest Hockey Hall of Fame classes ever, we’re going to be accomplishing one of the greatest running diaries ever.

Or not.

Undoubtedly, tonight is a great night for four of the most dynamic, memorable, talented, and defining players of anyone’s time. We’re even more fortunate that Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull, and Steve Yzerman are being inducted on the same night, alongside Lou Lamoriello.

7:01: After some glowing words from current NHL players, the proceedings are thrown over to James Duthie. Which is great because he writes things like this .

That, and he’s a Gemini Award-winner.

7:02: And here’s his co-host, Dick Irvin! Although Dick’s reading this as if he’s got a date after, he’s still as smooth as ever.

7:04: Bill Hay, the Chairman and C.E.O of the Hockey Hall of Fame takes to the podium, introducing them as “fine inductees”.

He also thinks that Steve Yzerman is handsome, Brett Hull got his good looks from his mother, Brian Leetch looked good as a Calder Trophy winner, and so did Luc Robitaille.

The former Calder Trophy winner himself (Hay) just asked “Why are we so handsome?”

Needless to say, Lou Lamoriello didn’t even garner a “lookin’ good” and a subtle wink.

7:06: Our first commercial break of the evening has me wondering: Why don’t advertising companies capitalize on ever major event.

Granted the induction ceremony is no Super Bowl, but with most Canadians tuning in to this tonight, wouldn’t it be great to have a few talking-baby commercials or suggestive beer commercials rather than insurance talk?

7:10: Currently, we’re getting a walk-around of the trophy hall which centers around the Stanley Cup and all of the features in some of the most beautiful rooms in Canada.

Once we go from the beauty of the Great Hall, we go to the Webster’s definition of sniper to describe Brett Hull.

7:12: “Giving your son your skill is like giving him 10,000 pieces of gold”. This, apparently, is an ancient Chinese proverb that gets brought up because of who Hull’s father is.

Unfortunately, the elder Hull couldn’t have passed along a lasting Canadian citizenship.

7:14: “Hull and Oates were a hit.” Get it?! Get it?!? That’s almost as funny as Hull’s abbreviated stint in Phoenix.

7:16: Hull’s thanks are in order, and of course he starts with the Blues and everyone who helped him achieve every single one of his goals. Of course, there are also the greatest moments of any speech: Naming names of people not everybody knows.

7:18: Still no thanks to the Calgary Flames. Fortunately enough Hull knows what “When you’re the farthest from the play, you’re the closest to where it’s going.” Ironically enough, Hull’s son is a goalie, which gets a laugh out of the crowd when he says that his bloodline has over 1,600 goals.

7:22: Hull’s speech closes with a few glowing words about Peter Zezel and some final reflection on where he’s been and how appreciative he is to everyone. Very eloquent words from one of the more blunt superstars of our time.

Brian Leetch is up next after these messages from our sponsors.

7:25: Unfortunately…I’m not sponsored, so I made up my own. Unfortunately the CRTC and the FCC have deemed them too racy to air. Let's leave it at that shall we?

7:26: Bill Chadwick, Ted Kennedy, and Clint Smith’s memoriums greet us as we come back to talking about how Brian Leetch’s ascension throughout the ranks of one of the greatest franchises ever as a High School draft pick, to one of the greatest defensemen ever.

7:27: Now we have an ‘Art of War’ quote. How much do you want to bet that Don Quixote is quoted?

7:28: There are so many things that define this class. First of all, every member has a Stanley Cup ring. Then they’re one of the highest-scoring induction classes ever (if not THE highest scoring class…I’m not sure). There are also two of the greatest American players (Leetch and Hull) being inducted, while there are two of the best wingers ever (Hull and Robitaille), and one of the greatest captains (Yzerman).

7:30: Leetch’s quarter season (if that) in Toronto was just brought up. What’s interesting, is that Leetch is one of only two people in this class (Lamoriello being the other) that wasn’t on the 2001/02 Detroit Red Wings team.

But what if he was? Would this have been the first time that a Hall of Fame to have won a ring with the same team?

7:32: This just in: John Davidson still has his moustache.

7:32: Leetch is doing a very honorable thing. He’s reaching out to his youth coaches, which is heart-warming. Every player inducted into the Hall of Fame should do this because, whatever happens, those coaches were always there to support them and they’ve got so much to owe to them.

7:36: There was something that I never noticed about Brian Leetch, and it was how relaxed he seems (at least on television). Leetch’s composure on the ice is replicated in this speech.

He also has one of the best lines about being inducted in to the Hall of Fame: “If you look at this as a team, whether I ever hit the ice or not, it’s still the greatest team to ever be a part of.”

7:42: As the signal cuts out, they were just introducing the Elmer Ferguson Memorial award for excellence in writing and the Foster Hewitt Award for excellence in hockey broadcasting. Ironic no?

7:44: Jim “Bearcat” Murray, the Calgary Flames’ trainer (mentioned periodically in Theoren Fleury’s book) is also being inducted into the Athletic Trainer’s Hall of Fame.

Granted I don’t know much about great hockey trainers, but from what I’ve heard, Murray was one of the best and fastest to get out onto the ice.

7:45: Gary Bettman just crunched the numbers as far as goals, All-Star appearances, and Stanley Cups go, as well as setting up “an All-Star team on the ice (Yzerman, Hull, Robitaille, Leetch), in the front office (Lamoriello), and in the booth (Davidson and David Molinari).

7:48: Not only did a Henry Longfellow lyric just describe Lou Lamoriello, but he also just got compared to Bruce Springsteen. Granted it was simply because they associated the words “Boss” and “New Jersey” with memorable people, but I’d be hard-pressed to find another executive in another sport that this has happened too.

Along with that, Lamoriello is one of a few remaining execs in any sport that can actually build a team and not necessarily get handcuffed by a greedy super star.

7:51: What some might not know, is that Lou Lamoriello was ice hockey coach at Providence University, as well as (eventually) the athletic director, and he also hired Rick Pitino, who is actually attending Lamoriello’s induction.

Something else that you may not know, is that Lou blames his hair loss on Robitaille, Hull, Yzerman, and Leetch.

7:56: The last, and only time, Sergei Brylin may be mentioned in an induction speech as Lamoriello thanks all five players who were on each New Jersey team that won all three Stanley cups. Just for fun, those teams included Scott Niedermayer (future Hall-of-Famer), Martin Brodeur (future Hall-of-Famer), Scott Stevens (Hall-of-Famer), and Ken Daneyko the lifetime Devil.

That's one hell of a team.

8:00: Three granddaughters. A Perfect hat-trick for Lou Lamoriello.

8:06: Station Break I'm assuming. Which begs the question: Which is heavier? A Stanley Cup ring, or a Hockey Hall of Fame induction ring?

8:09: After a ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and TSN Top-Ten break, it’s time for Lucky Luc Robitaille to get inducted under the veil of a Thomas Jefferson quote.

Robitaille however, embodies the fact that you can make the NHL whether you’re drafted first overall, 201st overall, or undrafted, talent trumps all and on every level.

The junior standout scored goals at every level he played, every team he played for, and any continent he set foot on.

The crowning jewel for a player who’ll always be regarded as a lifetime King (Despite stints with the Penguins, Rangers, and Red Wings) was with another franchise, playing for Detroit.

Like legend Dave Taylor though, Robitaille was able to sell-out any arena, always drawing Kings fans to him.

8:13: Brett Hull was cracking up, but I’m curious as to whether Luc Robitaille will be the first to get really outwardly emotional about this.

8:15: Yet another interesting caveat to the speeches, Robitaille just gave a heart-felt speech specifically to his parents (or at least I think) in French. A little later on in that speech he also thanked Claude Therien in French as well.

Again. I'm not sure. He's a fast talker.

8:16: Alex Smart is the scout who convinced the ownership to draft Robitaille, and he couldn't be more thankful. After all, he sold them on a slow kid who was simply "first to a loose puck".

Luc also credits him for his English-speaking abilities (unnecessary if he wasn't drafted), his career, and his wife. Those are three very...uh..awesome...things that Robitaille should be thankful for.

8:19: While Robitaille slips back to French, we also just found out (whether he was joking or not) that he didn’t check out of his rooms during his career—his roommates did it for him, which is kind of strange, but when you truly embody the words “anything is possible” I guess you can have other people do it for you.

8:24: As we await the end of another commercial break, Steve Yzerman is the last inductee to give a speech, which begs an interesting question: Are the speeches organized by which inductees are most-prolific?

It certainly sounds vain, but despite every one of these athletes deserving this honor, Yzerman has had the best career out of the inductees as he joins Mark Messier and Joe Sakic as two of the people to best exemplify that qualities that everyone looks for in a Captain.

8:27: Rene Fasel is now addressing the inductees, who have also had some of the most decorated International hockey careers as well. Lamoriello, Hull, and Leetch were the centerpieces around the 1996 World Cup team, while Robitaille played internationally early on in his career, and Yzerman defined Canada and numerous international competitions. Stevie Y also owns a 2002 Gold Medal and is constructing this year’s installment of Team Canada for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Sort of gratifying to see how many different facets of the game, not only the NHL but international competition as well, each of these men defined.

8:30: TSN should be going to the Monday Nighter (The Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers). Proving how much hockey means to this country, they aren’t pulling coverage.

Take that Ben Roethlisberger (with cheese)!!

8:32: One thing I didn’t know: The Red Wings actually intended to return Yzerman to the CHL out of training camp when he was first drafted. Needless to say, a rookie season that saw him come in second in the Calder Trophy race proved that he belonged at the NHL level.

8:36: Listening to Yzerman speak, he’s truly sincere, but while this is truly captivating it’s chilling to think that for two decades there were players who got to listen to him try to drive them towards an ultimate goal.

It can only be described as a privilege.

8:39: Scotty Bowman hated the line of Robitaille, Hull, and Yzerman and actually split them up on to three different lines.

Then again, do you think if that team of Hockey Hall of Famers that Leech talked about was to take to the ice it’d be worth trying them together again?

8:44: When you consider the people that Yzerman is thanking, it’s outstanding to see the great hockey minds and attitudes all come together under one team. Scotty Bowman, Ken Holland, and Jimmy Devellano are just a few of the great names to work with that organization in recent memory, which says something about the caliber of athlete and person that that Red Wings look for, while explaining how they’ve been able to build such a dynamic, domineering franchise across the past twenty years.

8:47: And with that, it’s a brief good-bye from James Duthie and Dick Irvin, as well as myself. Hopefully if you weren’t able to catch the speeches live, you’ll look for them online.

As it was one of the greatest induction classes ever, it also offered some of the more insightful speeches from some of the greatest performers ever, making today one of the most treasured days in hockey history.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. When he's not writing for B/R or Hockey54.com—The Face of the Game , he's mailing in running diaries. E-mail him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com and be sure to check out his archives .

Takin' a T/O With BT: A Suspension To Follow the OHL and David Branch

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:45:28 -0500

As word was passed down from the Ontario Hockey League's offices yesterday that Michael Liambas' OHL career had, for all intents and purposes, ended thanks to a dangerous hit on the Kitchener Rangers' Ben Fanelli, there were those ready and willing to pass a few words on to the OHL Commish.

Too harsh.

What are you thinking?

What's next? No contact?

In some way, shape, or form, Commissioner David Branch has heard it all before—like when he instituted the head-checking penalty to the teenage league. Many complained that he was on a vendetta to take the intensity out of the league, ill-preparing the "youth of tomorrow's game" for the NHL.

Then there were the "purists" that were offended by the mandatory helmets (during fights) and neck guards—each of which someone, somewhere, claimed would ruin the game.

But you tell me: Have any of these rules hurt the Junior game?

In the time since all of these rules came into practice—and faced scrutiny—from David Branch's office, what's changed? Are the neckguards an eye sore, impeding players' routes to the puck and the speed of the game? No.

Is fighting out of the game because—oh no!—the players can't take off their helmets (which sport mandatory visors mind you) during a fight?

Check the OHL's boxscores from Wednesday night. In fact, here you go .

Looks like there was a little bad blood between the Barrie Colts and Owen Sound Attack doesn't it?

So far, Branch has protected his league without "ruining" the game. Hardly deserving of half the criticism he's received.

While there is no rule change (Yet) being passed down on the hit by Liambas, those people that were offended by all of the previous rule changes have taken it personally that Branch has taken Liambas out of the league (This is his finally season, as Liambas is an over-ager, making him ineligible to return).

But did David Branch really do anything wrong ?

Yes there is the unfortunate and unjust ending to a career, and no it isn't fair.

But who's to say what fair is in this situation.

Branch however, was simply protecting his league. His players. Other people's children.

While there are those who argue that this was "just a clean hockey hit" and "if it happened anywhere else on the ice there'd be no reaction", I'm not entirely sold on that train of thought.

First of all, this is a league for teenagers—open ice or not, you bet they'd look at that hit twice.

Second of all, clean is in the eye of the beholder.

Those that choose to argue, not necessarily in favor of Liambas but in support of him, say that Fanelli turned out of the check, making it worse than it could have been.

Is this true? Yes it is.

But the assessment of the hit as a hybrid boarding/charging hit is true as well. Both are offenses that are met with penalties, and if Fanelli didn't turn Liambas may have still struck him in the head—another penalty in the OHL (head-checking).

Does this mean there was definite intent to injure? I can't say, and neither can you. The only person that can is Liambas

The end result, which left Fanelli in dangerous condition on the ice, doesn't help Liambis' defense, and probably played a part in the hand Liambas was dealt.

So with all of the information sitting at his feet, Branch was left with a decision to make, and not an easy one at that.

Do you let Liambas walk away with a menial five-game suspension and risk a fervent shudder from parents of other players as they fret over their son suffering a similar fate, possibly pulling their kids from the league?

Or do you throw the book at Liambas in hopes that it makes an impact and teaches the other players in the league a lesson? Little did any of us know that the weight of that book would carry Liambas' junior career.

Now they're calling for Branch's head once again: "Would 30 games have not been enough? Even 40?"

While all of those that want it changed pine for their way to be had, consider this: The likelihood of any of us ever having to make a decision as impactful as the one Branch made, is very low.

On a day-to-day basis, Branch has to consider the livelihood and safety of 400-500+ players below the legal drinking age in the States, a lot of which are below the legal gambling age in Canada.

He also has to consider that these players are kids—they're years away from making their multi-million dollar deals in the NHL, while some may not go much farther than Canadian University Hockey following this.

Then there are the parents who decide whether or not to put their kids through the junior hockey program—probably the biggest critics he has to answer to, and not an easy one to answer to at that.

Put simply, it was an ugly situation with an ugly end for one and no end in site for the other, while David Branch's reaction was put to the forefront for what it was: A level-headed insight with the most important thing—the well-being of the players—at heart.

In all likelihood the judgement will come back to bite Branch one day, perhaps when a star player gets caught up in the same situation and the assumptions are made about the severity far too quickly.

Even if that day comes though, David Branch won't be swayed. He's made the tough decisions before and he'll make them again.

Not for glory, not for his name in a paper or on a message board, but simply to support his league, and make his players feel safe.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out all of Bryan's work in his archives , or at Hockey54.com—The Face of the Game!

Takin' a T/O With BT: 10 Bright Spots for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Bryan Thiel — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:36:25 -0500

In Theoren Fleury's book Playing with Fire , Fleury goes on record saying that he would've liked playing in Toronto, except for one thing.

The media.

According to Theo, and this is very apt, the media always keys on a low-point for the team. They could have won 16-straight and there would be something to find a problem with.

So, with the team at an all-time low, why not look for a few positives? And what better time than after they've gotten out of a putrid month?

1. The Power Play

Currently, the power play for the Toronto Maple Leafs is the top-ranked in the league, which is kind of surprising as they've had a few problems scoring (14 of their 30 goals have been on the power play this year).

Whats even more impressive is that they've actually been better on the road with the man-advantage, clicking 30 percent of the time.

2. Put the Puck on Net

Granted bad shots don't get you many places in the league, but they can sometimes get you somewhere. So far, that hasn't been a problem for the Leafs.

Currently ranking 12th in the league in shots-for (395), the Leafs are at least getting pucks to the net in hopes that one day an opposing goalie has a John Gosselin-sized breakdown.

3. The Record Can't Last Forever

When out-shooting opponents, which has occurred in seven of their 11 games, the Leafs are 1-4-2.

If they keep putting the pucks on net and they eventually start going in, then the record will follow.

4. The Play of Jonas Gustavsson

It's fairly safe to say that Gustavsson is the most athletic goalie to play for the Leafs since the Felix Potvin/Curtis Joseph era.

In watching Gustavsson, he moves laterally very well, he's quick, and he's flexible—in other words—exactly what the Leafs need.

5. The Return/Arrival of Phil Kessel

Leafs' Nation is finally going to reap the rewards of their biggest offseason acquisition just over a month after the season has begun.

With a slew of final tests today, Kessel is awaiting word on whether or not his shoulder has reached playing strength. If it has, the Leafs will have another player to put the puck on net.

Hopefully he's as good as he was last year, because the sky will fall if he isn't.

Remember that girl from high school? The one you continually bothered for a date and never got it. Then when you suddenly got it, you were over the moon. Well from there it goes two ways: Either you lived happily ever after until three weeks later the girl from California transferred to your school, or the date went terribly, you blogged about it, and you sulked in disappointment over the next four years.

Either way, the wait is over and the date is at the door.

6. The Play of Tomas Kaberle

After tallying 10 assists and 12 points over the past four games and receiving the NHL's First Star of the Week award, all of the sudden Kaberle is back in the saddle after a slow start to the season and an injury-riddled campaign last year.

Granted, the 116 point pace won't be kept up for much longer, but for a defense that needs a scoring presence, Kaberle is the one to keep that going strong.

7. The Goal Scorers

Even though they've struggled to score goals as a team, the guys who are paid to do so are doing so.

With 11 combined goals, Alex Ponikarovsky and Niklas Hagman are leading the team offensively, and it's a matter of the rest of the team catching up to them.

These aren't flukes either—last year they combined for 45 goals and Hagman wasn't even healthy for the whole year.

8. Winning Faceoffs

While the Leafs aren't leading any categories in faceoffs, there is one positive:

They're currently one of just seven teams in the NHL to not feature a player in the top-30 in shorthanded faceoffs lost—a small victory for a team 25th in the league in overall faceoffs won.

9. Points are Points

I'm the first to admit that the Edmonton Oilers of 2007 proved that overtime losses and single points are no way to make the playoffs. Sure they help, but you need to win along the way.

If the Leafs can start to win though, they would have been able to get themselves a few points over the last few games.

After that 6-3 win over Anaheim, the Leafs rattled off three straight extra-frame appearances and counting against Dallas, Buffalo, and Montreal.

Is it monumental? No. But it's a start.

And every great story needs a beginning.

10. Sticking It to Montreal Canadiens Fans

Three minutes and 55 seconds to go with a two-goal lead, the always-boisterous Montreal fans started bidding the Leafs adieu.

Then Alex Ponikarovsky struck.

And then? The aforementioned Kaberle.

Troublesome month or not, a moral victory is a moral victory.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. You can also check him out at hockey54.com—The Face of the Game . If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com or through his profile . Also, be sure to check out his previous work in his archives .

BT's 31 Scariest Sports Things and Thoughts for Halloween

Bryan Thiel — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:14:49 -0400

For every holiday, people develop their own traditions.

Granted, Halloween isn’t exactly a holiday, but it’s a day to relax and get re-acquainted with friends—whether you’re dressed up like Barack Obama or not.

So, as we do every Halloween, it’s time for BT’s list of 31 Terrifying Sports Trends and Ideas .

1.White Guy Moments: It seems that with every new batch of athletes there comes a group that gives us brand new “white guy” moments.

From watching Mark Sanchez try and pump up the crowd against Buffalo a few weeks ago when no one was looking at him and he just seemed to be awkwardly flailing, to Eli Manning berating Ahmad Bradshaw while he’s got his arm around him, white athletes have the most confusing mannerisms.

You’d think that with all of that coordination and athletic that they’d be better dancers too. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong .

2. Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings: We all knew that the Minnesota Vikings needed a quarterback, and we all knew that Brett Favre wasn’t going to realistically retire (The line is at -3.5 that he becomes the first quarterback to rush for positive yardage in a walker), but I don’t think anyone expected what’s happened.

Alright. That's wrong. We all expected him to go to Minnesota, he just needed a stop over in New York and a shoulder injury first.

The fact is, all Favre keeps doing is giving hope for other old guys. I mean, is a Guy Lafleur comeback that unrealistic thanks to all of this? Maybe Gordie Howe still wants to play hockey.

The Steelers/Vikings game was nice because we got a full dosage of Brett Favre’s “Where are my keys” face. And no, I’m not stealing from Bill Simmons—it’s simply the best way I can describe that face.

On the bright side, we at least know when Ricky Williams and Shaq are going to retire.

3. Joe Thornton + 100 assists: The only players in NHL history with 100 assist seasons are Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Leamieux—which is pretty standard company in a club like that.

As it stands, Thornton has had 96 and 92 assist seasons in his career in San Jose (and a bit in Boston), and seems to have the most realistic shot at breaking in to triple digits.

Toss along Dany Heately and all of the sudden you may have a formula for big-time assist totals.

4. The Grand Slam of Golf: This is the PGA’s great idea to expand the schedule? Throw in a four-player tournament that only gets play in the last five minutes of the first half-hour of Sportscentre? Sure, that’ll work.

And what happens if Tiger Woods (because let’s face it, in the next 50 years NO ONE ELSE will have a chance at it) decides to go and win a Grand Slam. Does he just golf against himself four times a day for two days?

Actually...people would probably watch that. Throw in celebrity caddies while Tiger does his “me against me” bit and then they may have something.

5. Jim Zorn still has a job: Look, I’m not ripping him for being a bad coach. Fact is he’s doing a better job than I could ever do. Besides, the Washington Redskins have all but said it for me.

But to take away his play-calling abilities and just make him a muppet that walks up and down the sidelines? That’s kind of insulting isn’t it? Is there even any reason for him to hold a playcard anymore like he did on the Monday-Nighter?

It’s not like this is a secret either…EVERYONE knows.

Then again, they lost to Detroit. Maybe Kermit the Frog could do a better job.

6. Jim Zorn Part B: Apparently you don’t want to steal Jim Zorn’s job because then he says things like “I don’t want to say that he did a bad job because then it seems like sour grapes” or whatever it was he said.

The fact is, in saying that you just proved to us all that you’re unhappy Zorn. So what? No one expects you to be happy with what happened. But don’t try and shroud it behind some “good guy mantra.” Go insane. Go Denny Green, Herm Edwards, or Mike Ditka.

Then you get your own Coors Light commercial . See? Immortality.

7. Brad Lidge: I won’t lie. I don’t get Brad Lidge. I’m not even sure Brad Lidge’s mom/parent/guardian/other (circle the above) understands Brad Lidge.

The guy has about as many faces as Joan Rivers. One year he’s a lock-it-down closer that teams struggle to get runners on against, let alone runs. The next season he goes from perfection to…um…not. He blows 11 saves and his ERA jumps from 1.95 to 7.21.

Now? He’s allowed one hit and walked three over four innings in the playoffs, has three saves to his credit, and his opponents batting average is .083 (pre-World Series numbers).

I don’t condone excessive uses of Dr. Phil (something about that moustache scares me) but seriously—Lidge needs to find this version of himself and keep it. Forever.

Or just for the playoffs. Whatever works for him.

8. The Sports Broadcaster’s Dictionary: I get that not everything always comes out perfection. In fact I’ve stumbled so many times on air I look like Monet on single-malt scotch. But can we please stop with the made-up (or at least made-up sounding) words?

I know that every so often I’ll make one up in an article and then reference it like this: (See? We’re making up words again.), but saying these things on-air and then trying to pass them off as real words? No. Unacceptable.

Trickeration is not a word. At least not on Dictionary.com, and thanks to years of T.V. exposure I’m too lazy to reach over six inches and grab my dictionary.

Is the English language, the single most complicated language on the face of the Earth, so dull that you’re now reserved to making up words just to have the average public groan it off and sit through another sixty WildCat plays while you make up words out of wonderment?

I vote no.

9. And Another Thing: Just because someone pronounces a name a certain way, does that necessarily make him right? Bill Simmons went on about how, a few weeks ago on the Monday Nighter (fine…nighter is made up….but we’re not changing No. 7 unless I come up with something better), they were pronouncing it Mark San-CHEZ.

The week after? People are still saying Mark San-CHEZ.

To be honest, I may hate him as a Pats fan, but I miss Mark Sanchez. Life was simpler and much less annoying.

Just for that, it’s now Ovech-KIN Take that society.

10. Tim McCarverisms: Alright. We’ve hit a gold mine now with this broadcasting thing so we’re going to keep going.

Tim McCarver has so many sayings, that you might say he’s got a lot of sayings. But why just limit them to baseball?

I say we employ McCarver as a life commentator! You pay him (or an impersonator…or one of those random boards online that you click a button and it says things) to follow you around and comment on your life.

Tim McCarver on Football: “By moving the football down the field, they are getting closer to the Endzone. WHICH MEANS they’re getting closer to scoring.”

Tim McCarver on Marriage: “The difference between getting married and not getting married, is the engagement. If you’re engaged, then it’s more than likely you’re going to get married.”

Tim McCarver on Hamburgers: “You can’t undercook the meat. I repeat: CANNOT undercook the meat. If you do, it’s simply not cooked enough.”

11. Jeff Fisher: I feel bad for Jeff Fisher. I really do.

After all, he told everyone that simply, he wanted to be a winner.

Then he put on an Indianapolis Colts jersey. That’s a step in the right direction right? I mean…put on a Lions’ jersey—they’ve got a win on the season!

But it’s unfortunate that, in a time where coaches are pressured for wins and continually threatened with their jobs, that a man can’t show that he’s not feeling the heat.

This job leads to more than it’s share of divorces because of the time constraints, so shouldn’t a coach be commended for having a little fun?

Herm Edwards would’ve throttled at least one reporter by now. Dennis Green would be wearing a Romeo Crennel mask and hoping that “He’s not who we thought he was”.

Jeff Fisher? He’s just being Jeff Fisher. Good for him.

12. The Terrible Towel: And speaking of these Titans, they were the latest victims of the terrible towel.

Remember? The Towel that Steelers’ fans wave around? And then LenDale White stomped on it?

Now look at him: White doesn’t drink tequila anymore, has lost about 30 pounds, and his team lost 59-0. I mean, the towel is more effective than A/A.

Seriously though, can we trick other people into disrespecting the towel and watching them crumble? The Denver Broncos maybe? Sean Avery? What about every afternoon talk show host not named Rachel Ray (or Dr. Oz)?

Dear Society: Please consider this.

13. Brad Childress’ Facial Hair: So a moustache was the wrong call. Now the guy grows a full beard and the “creepy old man” jokes are in full force throughout the sports world.

Granted if you hear him talk and then take in the beard, it is kind of funny.

It’s not that it looks bad…it’s just that it’s ripe for joke-picking.

So why not go a step further? Why not consider other whacky facial hair trends that Childress might get into? I mean why doesn’t he just let it grow for a little bit and see where it takes him? He could do all sorts of things with it .

And if he’s ever at a loss for ideas, he could just ask Drew Gooden .

14. How many games can the Toronto Maple Leafs win this year: So this article is getting written at a time when the Leafs are 0-7-1. In other words: Without a win.

So my question is: How many games will this team win?

I mean, saying when or if they’ll actually win is out of taste: The schedule is 82-games long. Even last year’s Detroit Lions couldn’t mess it up that long.

Then again, at least the Lions had a draft pick to look forward to.

So, in an effort to disenchant a division rival from a high-end draft pick, how many games do the Leafs win this year? Six? Twelve? Enough to avoid a lottery pick but not enough to pick outside of the top ten?

Yeah…probably the last one. Merry Christmas Peter Chiarelli.

Update: 1-7-3!! Feel that magic!!

15. Anze Kopitar: Simply put, it’s about time someone not named Ovechkin, Crosby, or Malkin was tearing up the NHL.

At one point earlier this week, Kopitar not only led the league in total points, but he also led in goals, and was three assists behind for the league lead.

Everyone had always talked about “when the Kings would get there” but it seems like they finally have—so long as Kopitar keeps up this pace (or…you know, a simple 100-point pace instead of the 140-point pace is good enough…I guess).

And (approaching sports cliché) this guy is ONLY 22. (Voice rising in typical sportscaster fashion) Just HOW CRAZY is that? This guy is only 22 and IS DISPLAYING ALL OF THE TOOLS HE NEEDS TO BE A GO-TO GUY! WOW.

Actually, I may be more excited about the fact that he’s from Yugoslavia. YUGOSLAVIA!!

Hockey around the world…proof that the NHL doesn’t need the Olympics…wait a second. Don't tell that to Gary Bettman.

16. Chan Ho Park’s Beard: If you’ve been watching the playoffs, you’ve seen it . It’s far more magical than Brad Childress’ beard, and this actually marks the first time that the Halloween article has seen TWO beards.

Is it enough to make a guy like Mike Commodore jealous? Probably not. However, if he keeps going he could one day trim it into this .

17. Charles Barkley: Seriously? It’s the first day of the NBA regular season, you’re on TV as an analyst, and you start off by wearing white running shoes that aren’t tied up and verbally abusing your co-workers?

Classy. Oh so classy. Ron Burgundy is unbelievably afraid right now I’m sure.

All this does is re-affirm the faith in people that you don’t have to necessarily be professional to be on TV—you just have to be a professional athlete.

I’m looking forward to the day that he wears flip-flops on set. If it’s already happened, I’m youtubing it. If it hasn’t, call Vegas—we’re gambling on this (oops...too soon?).

18. The Changing of One’s Last Name: Look, me and Chad Ochocinco are in a good place right now: He just won me a game of Madden in overtime on an 80-yard bomb, so he’s got free range from me to do anything weird for the next three weeks and I won’t criticize. Just laugh.

But in a revelation that’s probably struck a lot more people than me (although I'm probably the last to consider this), the name “Ochocinco” does far more than insinuate that Chad just has a strange obsession with the Spanish and their numbers.

It affects everyone’s future.

According to Wikipedia, Ocho-Johnson has four children (I don’t know him personally, so I can’t ask if this is true), one of which is named Chad Johnson II. Did his kids have to change their last names? Is Chad Johnson II still Chad Johnson II or did he become Chad Johnson I. Or did he become OchoCinco II? Or OchoSeis?

Is it possible for him to meet and marry a Spanish lady (or someone as crazy as him) named OchoCuatro? Would this immediately push them to the top of the “Strange Marriage’s that Work Beacause They’re Funny” list?

Or maybe he'll just be left unprotected in the expansion draft for when the NFL moves to Mexico, because that makes more sense than going to London.

19. Hairstyles in the NBA: From big fuzzy beards, to Superman logos etched in the side of players’ heads, to whatever it is that Ron Artest does with his hair on a weekly basis, basketball players have some of the strangest hairstyles.

I suppose it makes sense: They’re the only North-American pro sport that doesn’t have to wear head protection, so they feel the need to expand upon the typical forms of expression (ie. Tattoos) and use their hare.

I want to see Kenny Mayne with the "Mayne Street" logo buzzed into the side of his head now.

20. The Blake Griffin Drinking Game: For all I know this idea has already been stolen, but damn it Jerry—we’re using it anyways!

When the Clippers opened their season on Tuesday, the cameras couldn’t get enough of Blake Griffin—and understandably so. He’s going to be the savior of the franchise and put them back on the map.

But in typical Clipper fashion, he dislocated his kneecap before the season even started. Eerie.

So instead of being down in the dumps Clips fans, why not get some fun out of it with the Blake Griffin drinking game?!

Every time the rookie gets shown on the sidelines, forced to enjoy the game, take a shot. Every time the game reaches a state of utter meltdown or boredom, forcing the announcers to talk about Blake and “if Blake were here”…take a shot. Every time you wonder “Wow…could the Clippers have eliminated that 99-92 deficit on opening night to make the Lakers sweat it out if they had Blake Griffin?” you take a shot.

If you ever see Griffin jump up and down on the sidelines out of excitement after a play and you’re a Clippers fan…pray he doesn’t tear his ACL and dislocate his shoulder on the fall to the floor.

21. Derek Jeter: Like the other baseball portions, this is being written before the World Series starts, but consider these stats:

158 games, .349 batting average, 24 homers, 102 RBI, 19 stolen bases

132 games, .308 batting average, 20 homers, 54 RBI, 16 stolen bases

The line above is Jeter’s best statistical season in 1999. Below that is his career playoff numbers. Factor in that the most you can play in the postseason is 19 games (five-game LDS, seven game CS and WS) in one year and the ridiculous weather conditions, and you’ve got one hell of a performer.

22. Gilbert Arenas when healthy: ‘Nuff said.

23. Craig Anderson and Ryan Miller: While Ryan Miller’s early success is astounding, it’s not entirely unexpected—he has been one of the better goalies in the NHL over the past few years, it's just that no one knows it.

Anderson meanwhile, has given the Colorado Avalanche everything they’ve paid for and way more. He’s tied for first in shutouts, he’s first in wins, and second in goals-against average and save percentage.

He’s also making $1.5 million while Vesa Toskala makes $4 million while injured, J.S. Giguere gets $6 mil to be a backup, and Kari Lehtonen gets $3 mil to copy Vesa Toskala (or is Toskala copying him?).

24. Mountain Dew or Mountain Don’t? If you frequent the sports section on Yahoo!, then you would’ve seen that Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards had an addiction .

To Mountain Dew.

So what exactly does this mean for sports? Do we have to start testing for Mountain Dew now, not based on the fact that it’s a performance enhancer, but because Butler lost 11 pounds giving it up?

Or what if it IS a performance enhancer? How do we know? If Butler averages 6ppg this year do we have our answer? I mean, we’re paying people for the most useless studies in the world…I’m sure someone, somewhere can put aside some money to study this.

25. Larry Johnson on Twitter: So apparently there’s no one that can hide from Johnson—no matter who you are, you may very well feel Johnson’s vengeful tweets.

I mean, he ripped his coach in a three-part tweet! THREE PARTS!!

He then continued to lobby for his own father to take the reigns in Kansas City. Then again, I doubt even his dad could fix that offensive line.

26. Brett Favre Returns to Lambeau: The world implodes. Again. Like it did after the first time these two teams played.

Just remind Brett that if he tries to do the fireman’s carry on Green Bay receiver, it’s a penalty now.

27. Al Davis: Is it really Halloween if we don’t mention the crypt keeper?

No. I didn’t think so.

28. Speaking of Al Davis ...he’s now gone so insane that he’s signing pigeons to play on the kickoff squad. What’s even scarier is that the pigeon was actually positioning himself correctly on the kickoff .

However, what happens if Davis goes even crazier, and starts signing animals like Bears to play defense? And I mean a Cheetah has to have better hands than the Raiders’ receiving core now does right?

29. Marian Gaborik is finally healthy: It’s amazing to see what Gaborik can do when he’s healthy. Currently one of the NHL’s leading scorers, he could dominate this year.

Well…I almost spoke too soon.

30. The Yankees can’t have playoff beards: This is outrageous.

First, Johnny Damon’s Jesus-esque looks were exchanged (along with his soul) for a boatload of money. Now? I’ve just come to the realization that playoff beards are a non-factor in New York?

Why? Because apparently the Steinbrenner’s are after the “clean-shaven, upstanding citizens look.”

The beards are an institution. They’re fun to see and they’re a staple in modern sports.

Just one of the reasons why I’m cheering for the Phillies.

31. Rookie Hazing: It’s Halloween. We may as well finishing with something disturbing that features costumes too .

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile , or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out his work on hockey54.com —The Face of the Game. Be sure to check his previous work in his archives .

Taking a T/O With BT—The Toronto Maple Leafs Long Ride on the Losing Side

Bryan Thiel — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:24:18 -0400

Most times we'd start with something profound. Perhaps a quote, or a line weighed down by cliches, alliteration, or metaphors.

How about this:

It's about [expletive ] time.

For the past three and a half weeks, its been all about "the sky is falling" and "woe is us" in Leafs' Nation. And with good reason: We didn't expect the team to be breaking any wins records or setting the mark for scoring proficiency, but we didn't expect that to happen either.

0-7-1? No one deserves that. Not even Mike Keenan.

No wins. One point. Eight games. Even someone stuck in grade five math can tell you that's a terrible ratio.

That same fifth grader could probably tell you that you aren't going to win many games without a healthy goalie when you score two or fewer goals in six straight.

He (or she) may even be able to beat the Leafs at dodgeball—but seeing as schools have yet to keep formal statistics on that sport, there's no actual proof.

What's even worse—if it gets worse than losing to that ten-year old at dodgeball—was that they had owned a lead for all of six minutes this season.

You spend an hour of your life per day waiting in line. It takes at least 10 minutes to make Kraft Dinner (or Hamburger Helper for the Americans in class today). Bill Simmons' articles are even measured in "lengths of time spent in washroom"—you better believe those are longer than six minutes.

Essentially, six minutes is not a long time. And for a professional sports organization to play eight games and only own a lead for that long—unacceptable.

But here's the good news: It's all changed now.

Granted, there's no guarantee that the Leafs will win again this week. Hell, they may not even win their next game, but that all important "first win" is on the board.

Immediately a ton of pressure is lifted.

Suddenly the question doesn't become "when are you going to win?" but "when are you going to win NEXT?". See? That NEXT in there signifies that they've won before. Don't you feel better now?

Now try this on for size: 1-7-1. Not great, but getting better.

On top of that, a team that didn't have life, that needed (in the words of Brian Burke) "a puck to go in off of someone's ass" got exactly that.

For once, they weren't the ones leading the parade to the penalty box. They were getting athletic, cross-crease play out of their goalie (In fact, they even got saves—25 of them!) and they weren't giving in and slouching during the action.

A week ago, if a puck was dumped out of the offensive zone on a 5-on-3, there's no guarantee that the Leafs would drive the zone again. Last night? They not only got the puck back in, but they scored.

The forwards played with jam. They went to the net looking for rebounds and looking to cause havoc, while those with the puck concentrated on one thing: getting it to the net.

The defense did it's job. While it wasn't spectacular (and there were probably more than a few fans holding their breath when Corey Perry made it 6-3), they got the job done.

And that's all anyone was asking. Just get one. We only need one.

Watching that last night...it was refreshing. Maybe it was all of the pent-up frustrations of the past few weeks, maybe it was stress, or maybe just that it's so hard to enjoy something amidst turmoil, but last night took me back to what hockey used to be like.

I started out worried and nervous about what would happen. A puck would roll off the end of someone's stick and it was the end of the world. But then, the players started to play like they were actually having fun. They'd score a goal and they'd smile. It was as if it was a game all over again.

And that's how I treated it.

I moaned at the lows, but I yelled and screamed—and even jumped up and down—at the ups. Probably not the best choice in an Eastern Time Zone during a West Coast game, but hey—we get one warning on noise violations.

For a night, hockey was fun to watch, which is all I needed.

The Leafs have no quick fix. It's not just going to be Phil Kessel and it's not just Jonas Gustavsson. Long-term it has to be a team-effort.

But for one night, all of the problems went away. It was a win. It was high-scoring and fun. And if they're only going to win once a month but I'll feel like this after? I can accept that.

In other words: don't get ahead of ourselves Leafs' fans. Baby steps.

Baby steps.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report, and a lead writer for Hockey 54—the Face of the Game . If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, be sure to check out all of his previous work in his archives .

Takin' a T/O with BT: 10 Injury-Plagued Teams around the NHL

Bryan Thiel — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:38:28 -0400

Injuries are like babies: The minute they happen, everybody thinks theirs is special.

That is until the doctor comes in, snips the cord, spanks it on the bottom, and leaves.

Then, to the unbiased ear they all sound the same, and to the female eye they're all ridiculously cute and worth at least the next four hours of their time fawning over the infant.

Sidenote: Don't take that as jealously towards babies, because I'm not. I like them. If I were Snoop Dog I'd say "Them b-sizzles is fly dawg."

It just seemed like a natural place to start off for some reasons. Besides, why would I be jealous of something when I have complete control over my opposable thumbs while it's got to spend the next 10-12 years learning how? I'm already that far ahead. Point, me.

Then again, that's exactly what sports fans do. The ones who are connected to the injury spend the course of it simply fretting: The "what are we going to do" and "oh, woe is me" acts take over during the injury as fans worry about the player, their team's record, and the excuses that they're going to have to make when questioned about their team's play.

Of course if they start to win without player X in the lineup, then he can't get traded fast enough.

Or, if injuries mount and they lose something like 500 games, then there's already a built-in excuse that can last for eight seasons!

(See: Blue Jays, Toronto—2002 through 2009)

So with that, who just has the right to complain in the NHL due to injuries? Who's coming in to replace their fallen comrades? Is this list going to go in descending order with cool little band-aidy graphics as numbers?

Yes to all questions (except half of that last one). Damn you limited capacities.

10. The Toronto Maple Leafs

Yay! Another reference as to how goaltending play is so important!

Look, the Leafs aren't one of the more heavily-injured teams in the league up front. In fact, both players on long-term injured reserve (Mike Van Ryn and Phil Kessel) never started the season on the ice. Van Ryn, unfortunately, may never see it again.

But whether they were playing well or not, it's hard to win without your top two goalies in Vesa Toskala and Jonas Gustavsson.

Gustavsson is close to returning (which is a good sign), meaning that Joey MacDonald won't get hung out to dry any longer.

9. Erik Cole, Carolina Hurricanes

Edmonton Oiler fans just stuck their hand in a desk drawer and slammed it as hard as they could.

For some reason, Erik Cole only performs his best when he's in Carolina. Kind of like every other player (Tuomo Ruutu, Sergei Samsonov, Matt Cullen) that goes to Carolina. That's why he makes the list.

Unfortunately for him, Cole seems to get seriously injured in Carolina as well.

Either way, Cole still brings a very gritty presence to the Carolina lineup that is able to produce some points and throw his body around alongside Eric Staal.

There are players on the Carolina roster who can fill in a bit of that physicality (Chad LaRose and Tom Kostoplous) and there are others who can score (Jussi Jokinen, Samsonov, and Ruutu), but it's hard to replace the exact package Cole brings.

8. The Dallas Stars

For the Stars, their injuries fall more in the way of their veteran leadership.

Last year, they lost Captain Brendan Morrow early on to a devastating knee injury and then proceeded to lose their minds over Sean Avery.

This year, defenseman Matt Niskanen is a little banged up, but Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen are missing from action as well. Both players fell off the offensive aptitude scale faster than Lindsay Lohan from the "I want to experiment" phase, so getting a player like Fabian Brunnstrom more time could help him adjust to the North American game.

Thenagain, if it turns out like last year, younger players like Jamie Benn and Tom Wandell are already benefiting from the expanded roles.

7. The Nashville Predators

We'll get to the gruesome solo injuries, I promise. But, because we're talking about team sports, we've got to mention a few team situations.

To start things off, the Predators just lost No. 1 center Jason Arnott to an arm injury. In a season where J.P. Dumont has also missed extended time due to injury and the Predators are looking up at the rest of the Central Division, this is a tough one to deal with.

Fortunately for the Preds, they now get the opportunity to drop two of their top center prospects—Colin Wilson and Cal O'Reilly—into larger roles with Wilson getting expanded responsibilities and O'Reilly getting a call up.

Then there's Jordin Tootoo, who has yet to play again. Despite that, Tootoo brings a Sean Avery quality with him that gives the Predators a different attitude when he's on the ice, much like Avery boosts the Rangers. It's very hard to replace.

But I do have a question: Is it the Rangers Avery likes playing for, or the city of New York? I think we should trade him to the Islanders and see if he's the same, or if he goes the way of Chris Simon and runs to Russia.

6. Sergei Gonchar—Pittsburgh Penguins

One of the more prominent players with a recent injury on our list, Gonchar is lost to the Penguins once again at the start of the season.

Not only does Gonchar's breaking his wrist take away the Penguins' offensive game, but the defense loses its leader and (much like last year) will be forced to cope.

Also, will Gonchar be fully healed from his wrist injury and back at full strength, or is he going to have to take a few games to get back up to speed before making an impact?

Every year, though, it seems that Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang are getting thrust into bigger roles because of injury, rather than brought along slowly.

When life after Gonchar and not between him starts, the Penguins have the advantage.

5. Johan Franzen—Detroit Red Wings

Lose Marian Hossa over the offseason to a division rival, and then lose Franzen at the start of the season. That's a tough one.

The loss of Hossa didn't deter me on the Wings that much. They had a few young players that were due to step up, and they always seem to find that extra production anyhow.

Thenagain, they won the Cup the year before without Hossa.

I was a little more wary about losing Franzen. After all, this is a guy who scored after tearing up his knee and not getting it checked out until the next morning.

Thenagain, the Wings always seem to recover. Whether veterans Jason Williams or Todd Bertuzzi begin to produce a little extra or Ville Leino, Darren Helm, and Justin Abdelkader step it up a little, the Wings will find production.

4. Andrei Markov—Montreal Canadiens

The injury to Markov is only this low because of the volume of injuries to stars on other teams.

Fact is, you can sign as many Marc-Andre Bergerons as you want, but it won't replace Andrei Markov.

He's one of the best defensemen in the league at both ends, and was a point away from leading his team in scoring last year—a feat unheard of for a blue liner.

The Habs will need contributions from all their defensemen, while Yannick Weber and Shawn Belle will have to be steady presences whenever they hear their name called up.

In the realm of "strange players stepping up": Paul Mara leads the defensemen in points with five assists. And this is ahead of names like Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother writing season previews.

3. The Vancouver Canucks

I guess it's a good thing that Vancouver spent all of that money upgrading their defense over the offseason because now it's paying dividends.

Just prior to the beginning of the season, the Canucks lost recent signee Mathieu Schneider. Thanks to that, Canucks fans were a little concerned at who was going to step up with a bit of a hole there.

Fortunately enough, they had Sami Salo, who has the offensive abilities to fill in on a top four pairing. Well guess what? Now he's hurt.

On the blue line, the Canucks don't have many more offensive options. Aaron Rome and Shane O'Brien are providing bodies capable of taking over those spots, but the offensive weight is left to the shoulder of the big guns and Alexander Edler, who'll need to consistently produce at both ends of the ice.

Up front, it was thought the Cancuks took their biggest hit in losing Daniel Sedin. Not only did they lose one player, but the Canucks had to be wary of what Henrik was doing because they're never too far apart on anything it seems.

But even with that loss, many people forgot about the talent from which the Canucks could draw. Not only was Sergei Shirokov still available to be called up, but Michael Grabner got the call and has looked comfortable so far.

2. The Minnesota Wild

The Wild lost Cal Clutterbuck, Martin Havlat, Peter Sykora, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to start the year while they were still waiting on Brent Burns, too.

No team loses that many players (their entire second line) and successfully integrates a brand new system, does it?

Well, apparently not.

The Wild have been dealt a tough hand early on because of the fact that such a rash of injuries leaves them shorthanded with the quality to replace those players. As they get healthier though, expect the Wild to start to recoup their losses.

1. The Boston Bruins

No team came into the season with bigger expectations than the Boston Bruins, and while (numbers-wise) they haven't been hit with the injury bug, talent-wise it has hit them big time.

In losing Marc Savard and Milan Lucic, the Bruins lose one of the top passers and faceoff men in the game and the power forward that everyone is afraid of.

It gives the Bruins a far different look—a look that no one had expected to see (As Savard has stayed fairly healthy over the past few years).

Now, we're seeing Peter Chiarelli's creativity with the team, acquiring Daniel Paille and calling up Brad Marchand in hopes of solving those woes.

Having those injuries at the same time, though, may have Boston out on a limb.

Best of the Rest

Chicago

If Hossa gets injured while playing and you don't sign him that way, you're in.

New Jersey

You don't even notice a missing Patrick Elias when you've got Zach Parise.

Edmonton

It's tough losing both Sheldon Souray and Steve Staios at the same time.

Washington

The numbers are there, but not many of them are as much consequence as the other teams'.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. You can also check out Bryan on Hockey54.com—The Face of the Game! Get in contact with Bryan through email (bryanthiel74@hotmail.com) or his profile and be sure to check out his archives .

Takin' a T/O With BT—Phil Kessel Isn't the Leafs' Solution to Everything

Bryan Thiel — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:25:17 -0400

Whenever a team stumbles out of the gate, the popular thing to do is to pick on them.

Granted, there have been a lot of people poking fun at the Leafs, including their own fans , but it's hard not to do when you're looking at the last-place team in the NHL.

Besides, after years of giving it out, we here in Leafs Nation had to be prepared for a taste of it eventually. I mean, you can only buy playoff berths for so long and the salary cap saw an effective end to that strategy.

Then again, I think two books talking about the same things may be overdoing it a tad, but to each his own.

So right now, as the Leafs sit with just one point in the basement of the NHL standings, everyone has a theory about what's going wrong and what can fix it.

For a lot of people, that theory starts with Phil Kessel.

The Leafs' prized off-season acquisition has begun skating and practicing with the team in hopes of returning at full-strength from off-season shoulder surgery. The Blue and White can't stop wringing their hands at the prospect of his return.

One of eight teams without a four-goal scorer and one of just three without a five-point player, the Leafs need that offensive strength—whether Kessel's going to be a 25-goal scorer or a 40-goal scorer.

But for everyone saying that Kessel's going to be the savior of this 0-6-1 team, it's not likely to happen in one simple return.

Because of the Leafs' slow start, the fashionable thing is to continually re-open the Kessel trade. Due to the fact that they're last, the "Haul for Hall" is full-on, with the Leafs entirely out of the running (although their play will determine the seedings) as Boston owns their entrant.

Talking about it more won't change the trade or the season results so far. It also won't make him the be-all, end-all solution.

Phil Kessel won't solve the injury problems in the crease, nor will he help anyone back there play with more consistency. Good luck getting him to help out the defense. And the likelihood that he's going to bump up the penalty kill?

It's not very high. After all, it took the Leafs until Saturday night, seven games into the season, to get above the 50-percent mark.

What Kessel will solve is the 29th-ranked 2.00 goals-per-game average. While the shots-on-goal mark isn't anemic (31.3 per game), he'll help to increase that (which will help that 29th-ranked stat) and the 16th-ranked power play. (At 20 percent, it's not terrible, but he'll help it).

He may also help out the small fact that the Leafs have yet to score first in a game. Though they'll have probably scored first in a game by the time Kessel gets back in the lineup, with him in it may happen more than once or twice in...an eternity.

Brian Burke didn't acquire Phil Kessel to be the final piece of the puzzle—he is simply a piece. A piece that won't solve every problem, but he'll help dig the team out of a few of their early holes.

He'll do his job, but don't distort hope. Kessel or no Kessel, the Leafs need more than one more piece.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can contact him through his profile or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, be sure to check out all of his previous work in his archives .

Takin' a T/O With BT: The Toronto Maple Leafs Need More Gary Than Goonery

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:25:48 -0400

There have been a lot of things said over the past few weeks: The Leafs don’t have enough offense to compete, the goaltending simply isn’t there to carry them, and wondering when are all these pieces going to mesh.

Some of questions are easy to find answers to. These problems need Carnac the Magnificent and a large express envelope to solve.

While other teams have solved the problems of the past with a quick turnaround, combining effective drafting and quality free agency signings, the Leafs may need to look past that and, in fact, look to the past.

The problem the Leafs face isn’t a lack of talent. Simply put, there are a lot of talented players there who are simply learning the NHL game.

Luke Schenn was the toast of the town last year because of great positioning and his physical play, but he’s off to a slow start this year. Nikolai Kulemin has the tools to be good, but it’s applying them like he did when he played with Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in Russia, while Jiri Tlusty, Christian Hanson, Tyler Bozak, and Viktor Stalberg need the time to develop.

What the Leafs lack is an attitude. That’s what they need to look to the past for.

Over the past two weeks, the Leafs have brought back two of the most defining players in the team’s history.

Earlier this week, the team honored the recently deceased Ted Kennedy.

Quite possibly one of the most honorable players in the history of the NHL, Kennedy came a long way from the player who said the price tag wasn’t high enough for him to play for Montreal.

The price tag that he was willing to pay though was the price of success: Hard work.

That’s what’s written on the wall of the Leafs’ locker room, and it seems that some of the players should look up once in a while.

Over the course of the year so far, fans have grown frustrated with the perceived lack of effort on the part of a number of players on this team. Some players aren’t willing to go hard into the corners after pucks, choosing rather to coast. Others simply aren’t going in to the corners and staying out on the perimeter.

You also don’t win one ring, let alone Kennedy’s team-record five, without recognizing what the sport requires.

“It was never about ‘I’ or ‘me’…it was always ‘we.'”

Simply put. Kennedy said it best.

But that most recent trip down memory lane isn’t what the Leafs can learn from the most.

Over the offseason, Toronto GM Brian Burke said his team wouldn’t be pushed around like it was last year. Burke went out and added toughness and aggression.

In hockey circles, it’s called goonery.

What the Leafs need more of is what the man who dropped the puck on last Tuesday’s game against Ottawa brought to the team.

There was a reason that Gary Roberts was such a big hit in Toronto. It’s because he brought the leadership qualities and attitude of Kennedy, along with edge and scoring ability.

When a player went down, Roberts always stepped up his play. The best example of which was the 2002 playoffs, when he and Darcy Tucker threw the team on their backs—the weight of which led to dual shoulder surgery for Roberts that off-season.

Roberts was willing to run through a wall, whether it was to get to the opposition or score a goal. The player closest to that attitude and abilities is John Mitchell, but he doesn’t have the touch around the net just yet.

After that, they’re divided by a fine line. Their players are either the offensively talented or physically bruising—making the return of Darcy Tucker (another such player) on Tuesday night—when Kennedy was honored—slightly ironic.

Currently, the Leafs are left with a good enforcer in Colton Orr and a pinball in Mitchell. If the rest of the team can’t get on the same page, Mitchell’s efforts be in vain. Orr, while he’s an effective and enticing fighter, simply looks like a goon without reason, due to the fact that no one is worthy of that enforcing right now.

Gene Hackman said it best in The Replacements : The team needs heart.

That’s what they’re missing, and that’s what they need to find.

And this time there’s no halftime reporter to confuse, because everybody knows.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile , or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, be sure to check out all of his previous work in his archives .

Takin' a T/O With BT—Back-End Blues for the Toronto Maple Leafs' Defense

Bryan Thiel — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:09:57 -0400

Last year, I started to distance myself from Don Cherry.

Not in any specific way, but (Before this became the “it” article to write) I started to feel as if we were on two very different wavelengths—which is always unfortunate when you find yourself distanced from someone who was so influential to you.

But sometimes, a distance brings two people together.

As I listened to Coach’s Corner on Saturday night, Cherry began with his assessment of Vesa Toskala, and I found myself nodding along in agreement—something I’ve done a little less of over the years.

And why was I nodding? Because he was exactly right.

Cherry said that Toskala has been jerked around so badly as of late, that he (essentially) couldn’t differentiate between his hockey pants and a swimsuit.

He looked at the fact that Toskala was playing deep in his net—a sign of a goalie low in confidence—and then continued to defend him, saying that the Leafs have given him no reason to be confident, whereas the fans point the finger to say that V-Tosk hasn’t given them a reason to be confident.

The fans have been critical of the man between the pipes so far, but maybe that’s because it’s easier to point one finger at a time than it is to point six.

For a team that spent so much money on their defense in the offseason, there’s been no hint of it early on in the season.

The Blue and White are 0-3-1, and while the accusations have been fast and furious towards Toskala, it’s not his burden to bear alone. Those who are paid to protect the net should be getting accused, identified, or (maybe worse) benched as well.

Granted Toskala hasn’t been great, but is it really that surprising that a goalie that ended last season with surgery on his groin and hip has been rusty to start the year? What’s surprising about this is that a defense with an added 974 games played at the NHL level hasn’t helped this team improve at all.

Sure they’ve allowed fewer shots to this point in the year (129 in 2008/09 to 115 this year) but the goals-against are up there (12 last year to 17 this year), and the penalty-killing is worse, working at just a 53.8-percent clip compared to last year’s 73.9-percent through four games.

Yes it’s a two-way street: Toskala needs to be better so that the defensive efforts aren’t wasted, but he needs to be able to trust those ahead of him if he’s ever expected to regain his confidence.

Leaving Sidney Crosby alone at the side of the net on the powerplay (twice) is no way to do that.

Getting shoved off the puck in behind their own-net is no way to do that either.

The fact is that a market that’s always expected immediate results hasn’t gotten what it wanted. They saw the additions made to the defense and assumed that all of the issues the Leafs had last year would be done away with, and there was a magical fix.

Eventually there very well might be, but right now there’s one thing that can fix it, and it’s a word that is a mortal enemy of any Leafs fan: Time.

For the masses that call themselves Leafs Nation, they’ve given it time. They’ve given it nearly 43 years and they haven’t seen anything different.

In fact, now they’re dealing with rumors that had them nearly losing their team during the 1980’s.

For them, time is no friend. For the team however, it’s the only antidote.

For a defense featuring so many new parts, it’ll take time for Head Coach Ron Wilson to find the pairings that will work. For the players, it’ll take them time to get accustomed to the new system. For Toskala, it’ll take time for him to trust them, and time for them to trust him.

Unfortunately with the ways that both have played thus far, time is acting more as an enemy than anything.

But if this turns out well, perhaps it can say something for the old adage of “keeping your enemies closer”.

If not, time will only become more of an enemy for this team as it wears on the nerves of the fans and they become even more impatient. And don’t even get them started on the ‘P’ word.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out his previous articles in his archives.

Takin' a T/O With BT: Early Season NHL Woes Are Nothing to Fret About

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:06:40 -0400

Fortunately for me, James Duthie and myself are thinking along the same lines. Unfortunately, he's a lot cooler than me.

Each and every year, fans everywhere anticipate the NHL season.

Everyone wants to see their big free agent acquisition get acclimatized to his new surroundings or which draft picks outshine proven veterans and earn themselves a spot in training camp.

On top of that, you’ve got the prospective title defense, the wonderment over a “Stanley Cup hangover,” and nay-sayers praying that they get to utter the phrase “bust” or “sophomore slump” as early as possible.

But what exactly do these things mean so early on in the regular season?

Coming out of the gate last year, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings went 2-1-1 in their first four games. It’s a very respectable record, but the St. Louis Blues owned the division with a 3-1-0 record, while the Wings were just a point ahead of 2-2-0 Nashville and Columbus.

Obviously, that situation wasn’t ideal for an established team such as the Red Wings, but the season didn’t end that way for them, as they were able to finish eight points ahead of their nearest division opponent, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Those exact Blackhawks started the season with one of the worst records in the NHL at 1-2-1, and ended up finishing fourth in the conference.

In fact, the ‘Hawks were one of two teams who started the season with just one win and ended up making the playoffs (the Calgary Flames were the other), while the Philadelphia Flyers started the season 0-3-1 and ended up tied for fourth in the East (fifth in the conference).

On the positive end of the spectrum (record-wise and early on), five teams started the season without a regulation loss, and only one—the San Jose Sharks—ended up being anywhere near that successful by the end of the year. The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens stumbled to the end of the year and low seeds in the playoffs, while Minnesota, Edmonton, and Buffalo fell short of the playoffs.

Two weeks doesn’t make a season, even though you can trace a missed playoff birth back to some missed opportunities early.

In other words: Just because New Jersey, Carolina, Detroit, and Vancouver are lining the bottom of the league right now, doesn’t mean that things will necessarily stay that way.

The likelihood of Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur struggling enough to keep their teams in the basement of their conferences is unlikely, and if Detroit misses the playoffs then…well…I guess whatever happened after the 1989/90 season will happen again.

If it involves a sequel to The Forbidden Dance,I’ll be worried, so here’s hoping we don’t chance that.

Up at the top, while the Colorado Avalanche will be hard-pressed to continue leading the West and the Phoenix Coyotes could win the Cup and the big "for sale" sign on top of the team would still get all the headlines, it’s a team that looks down at the rest of the East that may have trouble holding on.

While the Montreal Canadiens started the season off with two wins on the scoreboard (and were victimized in a big way against Vancouver), it’s a big loss on the ice that’s going to hurt them moving forward.

Last year, Andrei Markov was the big producer on the Montreal power play and he nearly led the team in scoring. This year? He’s out until after the Olympic Break thanks to Carey Price's Rick Flair impression.

Heading into the trade deadline last year, the Habs added Mathieu Schneider as insurance on the power play. Over the offseason they added Jaroslav Spacek in hopes of off-setting that offensive loss, as Schneider walked via free agency, but now Spacek is going to have to step up in a big way.

With Markov out, Montreal is going to have to look to Spacek to lead the defense offensively, while call-up Yannick Weber and recent signee Marc-Andre Bergeron will have to get their legs quickly and start contributing.

All of this brings up a very good question, though: If you can’t bank on the health of our stud defenseman, the spoils of a hot start, or a slouching contender, what can you bank on?

Well, you can probably bank on two Russians: Alexander Ovechkin will always score goals, and Evgeni Malkin will produce. Remember, Ovechkin came up with 56 goals last year after a slump to start the year, and he’s already started the season hot, making 70 a very likely possibility.

Malkin, meanwhile, started last year with three points in four games—a slow start for an eventual 113-point scorer—and he’s got just (I repeat...JUST) two points (as if that’s disappointing) so far this year.

You can also bank on the fact that, no matter what happens, the Sedins will finish within five points of each other—something that’s happened five of eight times over their careers.

And if Marian Gaborik wasn’t the second-highest scorer on my fantasy team, I’d tell you that he’s due for an injury.

But he is, so he’s not. And he’s going to score 40 goals this year. That's just the way it is.

For fans frustrated by slow, disorganized starts, remember that your teams are still trying to integrate new faces into the system, while those players are antsy themselves.

Last year, the Tampa Bay Lightning opened up the season on a troubling losing streak after remodeling their team in the offseason.

Granted, they didn’t climb the standings over the next 76 games, but there were plenty of auxiliary distractions—meaning that a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs, who continue to look a little cris-crossed in their own zone, should be able to fix that fairly soon.

Misguided illusions about fantasy-impacting injuries and fretting over team defense after two of the top four on your team just finished their third game in new colors aside, putting too much stock in the first week of the season isn’t an ideal strategy for fans. It’ll lead to a ton of indigestion, lost sleep, and grey hairs.

In other words: Wait until Christmas to ask for that Just for Men colour gel.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile, or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, be sure to check out all of his previous work in his archives.

Takin' a T/O With BT: Toskala and Gustavsson—Pedaling the Bike Together?

Bryan Thiel — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:20:44 -0400

Without disagreement, differences, or discrepancies, life would be pretty boring.

Everyone would get along, there’d be no differing opinions, and politics would have no playing field—leaving people like Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to their second careers.

If everything was simply cut and dried, then Leafs fans wouldn’t be forcing this decision on Ron Wilson’s hands:

Do you start European veteran Jonas Gustavsson, or two-year Leaf Vesa Toskala?

For many, the decision is an easy one.

Toskala, after providing relief from Andrew Raycroft two years ago, fell quickly from grace. There were accusations about his practice habits last year, while many felt he simply wasn’t at his best.

It was later revealed that Toskala wasn’t. The biggest indicator of that was when he was shut down on Trade Deadline day with hip and groin surgery, and replaced with Martin Gerber.

The Gerber Baby Food experiment didn’t work out, and with the exit of Curtis Joseph, there was a hole behind (or beside if you look at it as a 1A/1B scenario) Toskala.

Enter Jonas Gustavsson: A highly touted Swedish netminder, ready to take his game to the next level in the NHL—he only needed a destination.

Leafs’ management proved that they wanted the man they call the "Monster," going across the globe for him. As Burke’s pursuit of him ended successfully, the heat on V-Tosk was turned up immensely once the big lanky Swede put pen to paper.

There was now a legitimate (or at that point, Leafs fans hopefully assumed legitimate) challenge to Toskala, and no one was giving him much leeway.

With the new addition, fans and analysts alike had one of two wavelengths about Toskala: Either he was going to bounce-back in a big way, acting as the backbone for a team that could surprise and inch it’s way into the playoff picture, or he’d fall victim to more of the same struggles as the "Monster" waited in the wings.

Early on this season there hasn’t been much change—Toskala was left out to dry by a team that looked mysteriously like last year's edition; while Jonas Gustavsson looked strong behind a disorganized team in Washington, and played well against the Ottawa Senators when the rest of the team was described (in the nicest way possible) as flat.

Easy decision right? Just go with Jonas Gustavsson’s hot hand and ride it as along as you can after those performances, leaving number 35 out in the cold.

That may be one solution, but it may also be a tad hasty.

There is a lot about Gustavsson that makes him the ideal candidate to keep running with the starter’s job: He’s got great size, he positions himself well, and he’s very athletic. Even the one perceived advantage that Toskala has over the rookie—experience—isn’t entirely accurate, as Gustavsson played some outstanding hockey in the Swedish Elite League over the past two years, punctuated by leading his team to a championship.

As far as rookies go, you can’t get a much better pedigree than that from a European “prospect.”

Toskala meanwhile, was once good enough to challenge Evgeni Nabokov for the starter’s role in San Jose and win 33 games for the Leafs in 2007-08.

Some believe he still is that good. After all, talent very rarely disappears over night (although it’s not unheard of).

What may have been lacking, was motivation—not from inside, but from an exterior source.

When he struggled last year, Toskala was faced with the prospect of being replaced by either Curtis Joseph or Justin Pogge. While the play of neither goaltender inspired much fear in V-Tosk, Toskala came back after each of CuJo’s games and earned his team at least a point eight of 11 times (His record was 3-3-5). While he did have a handful of high-scoring games, he also allowed three goals or fewer in seven of those games.

Down the stretch, when the question was asked too often about his abilities or the possibility of being a one-year wonder, Toskala responded.

Remember, this is a guy that got the Leafs a point in 12 of 13 games from Jan. 21 to Mar. 3, winning seven of those games.

He was also being left out to dry by a defense that visibly needed improvement, and got it over the winter—the problem is that the new pieces probably haven’t meshed yet.

But let’s recap: You have two goalies. One that’s a big, athletic, Swedish stopper who’s looked very good in recent action, and you have an NHL veteran who seems to play his best when he’s challenged.

So why not use that in your favor if you’re Toronto?

Utilize the fact that Jonas Gustavsson is hungry to prove himself at the NHL level, but also be aware (if you’re the Leafs), that the man fans want sitting behind him now, isn’t chopped liver—Toskala just seems to need a true challenge, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

European experience or not, Gustavsson still has never played the North American game before—something European counterparts Kari Lehtonen and Pekka Rinne did in the AHL—before coming to the NHL. There are still going to be learning points for him, so full-on starting duty isn’t necessarily the best option.

In the games he does play, if the Monster puts out consistently good efforts, Toskala will have no recourse other than to raise his game. If he does, then the Leafs have the perfect tandem. If not, then Gustavsson may hold the inside track.

For Vesa he’s got to pedal, or else he’ll be riding second seat on this bicycle.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile, or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out his previous work in his archives.

Takin' a T/O With BT: Letters Galore for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Bryan Thiel — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:56:43 -0400

Today was an eventful one for the NHL, as announcements around the league ranged in their ramifications.

From trade demands in Montreal and Ottawa, to decision-day in Phoenix, followed up by a continuing of services in Carolina, teams were busy on all fronts.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs weren't outwardly busy, there were still happenings that they're undoubtedly tied to.

In an announcement that was expected and hoped for but unknown as to when it would arrive, Toronto's forlorn son said good-bye in an unknown shade of blue, as Mats Sundin decided to hang up his blades.

Over the past days, the faithful have also discovered that—for a second consecutive year—there will be no one to honour his former responsibilities as his letter will be left unattended.

His other role—that of a dynamic Swedish forward—may have finally found it's replenishment as well.

Those later two items are those that directly concern the Leafs and their fans, and rightly so—it deals with a future that's been made brighter just over the past three years.

Three years ago Luke Schenn was appearing in his second season for the Kelowna Rockets and making people take notice of what the team's staff saw in him.

Seen as such a promising leader that he was invited to sit-along as the Rockets went to the Memorial Cup in 2004/05, Schenn turned heads in his own way and right away.

While others garner attention with top-tier offensive production in junior hockey, Schenn proved that he had the mettle and moxy to play a top-end defensive game and keep the opposition's top units in check. He also had the head to lead under pressure and motivate his teammates in big-time situations.

Both were big reasons for his inclusion on the 2007/08 Gold Medal-winning World Junior squad for Canada.

Both also ended up being big reasons why he caught the eye of the Toronto Maple Leafs as they persuaded themselves to trade up to the number five pick in the draft in 2008 for the burly Saskatchewan native.

The following year, as the Leafs sat without a Captain in their first 'Sans Sundin' season, and Schenn wowed everyone.

His poise, positioning, and understanding of the game had everyone talking about the Leafs' first true top-pairing shut-down defender in eons, while many of those same people had him pegged as the man to one-day wear the 'C'.

Despite not being amongst those named as Alternates (Tomas Kaberle, Mike Komisarek, and Francois Beauchemin), there's no reason not to expect the Schenn will one day don the captaincy...

Three years ago Viktor Stalberg was entering his first season at the University of Vermont. While he had displayed prolific scoring ability in the junior ranks in Sweden, his draft status wouldn't indicate it.

The sixth-round pick was more of a project than anything, with everything being dependant on his ability to acclimatize to the North American style and ice surface.

As he began to round into his 6'3 form, people began to take notice. Stalberg's game was adapting to the new culture, but it was buoyed by an intensity and aggressiveness that's hard to teach younger players—especially those with lofty resumes who are accustomed to coasting as we sometimes see out of North Americans.

Climbing to his pinnacle in his final year of school, Stalberg found himself as a finalist for the Hobey Baker, and one of the most-talked about players in internet circles as all were expectant of his pro abilities.

The Swede didn't disappoint. After a rookie tournament that had many in awe of his physical gifts and how well he used them, Stalberg shot to the top at the big boys' camp as well, scoring six goals and earning ice time in eight of nine preseason games.

Now he's settling in for his first NHL campaign as those keen to see him are twitching with excitement.

While Schenn may be the heir-apparent to Sundin's Toronto-crown, it's the three crowns of Sweden that Stalberg may rest under during his Toronto years.

Faced with the legends of Salming and Sundin, Stalberg will have to avoid becoming like Steen and Stalberg—two countrymen with lofty expectations, but unable to join the ranks of the sweet Swedish "s."

Schenn meanwhile, may one day have the expectations of Conacher, Kennedy, Keon, and Clark if he's ever given the "C."

Sometimes, as history dictates, there's more to a letter.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report, and reports for Hockey-54—The face of the game! If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile, or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs

Bryan Thiel — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:14:56 -0400

Like the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Buffalo Sabres before them, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a shot at second place if they can answer the questions they came into the season with.

These teams may still be a little ways from competing with the Boston Bruins, but it'll at least be intersting top-to-bottom in the Northeast this year.

Toronto Maple Leafs

2008/09 Record: 34-35-13, 81 points, 12th in East

Additions: Phil Kessel—F (Trade w/Boston), Wayne Primeau—F (Trade w/Calgary), Garnett Exelby—D (Trade w/Atlanta), Jonas Gustavsson—G (FA), Colton Orr—F (4 years/$4 mil), Francois Beauchemin—D (3 years/$11.4 mil), Mike Komisarek—D (5 years/$22.5 mil), Rikard Wallin—F (FA), Joey MacDonald—G (FA),

Subtractions: Pavel Kubina—D (Trade w/Atlanta), Anton Stralman—D (Trade w/Calgary), Kris Newbury—F (FA), Jeremy Williams—F (FA), Tim Stapleton—F (Trade w/Atlanta), Justin Pogge—G (Trade w/Anaheim), Jamie Sifers—D (FA), Brady May—F (FA), Curtis Joseph—G (FA), Boyd Devereaux—F (FA), Martin Gerber—G (Europe)

There were two ways I can go with this article.

One way is that I can start a counter on how many times I use the words “truculence” and “belligerence” in describing this Maple Leafs' team, or the other way is that being the only time I say those words this article and keep it that way.

I’m going with option two and I’ll tell you why.

Did the Leafs get tougher over the summer? Definitely. Are they going to be one of the meanest teams in the league to play against? Undoubtedly. Are fans going to the Air Canada Center more likely to see someone get punched in the throat rather than a player end up with a four-goal game?

Well, that depends how many people (or who) get punched in the throat, and whose shooting the puck (or in net for the oppsotion), so we'll go with probably.

The point is, I’ve put up with those two words all summer. I’m sick of them, and I’m a Leafs fan. Granted these previews aren’t a source of literary wealth, but even I can sneak a peak at a thesaurus every so often.

So no more with those two words. At least from me. I promise.

We’re Poggin’ the plug on the lights so that the Monster can come out to play…

It’s really unfortunate that Justin Pogge was traded.

To be honest, despite the fact that the most consistent thing about him last year were his struggles with consistency, I think another year in the system would’ve been fine to wait for him. After all, the guy is 23-years-old and cursed by all of those early successes (Like the World Junior gold medal).

I don’t know if this is the last we hear of him or not in the NHL, but frankly I hope it isn’t.

Moving on to goalies that are still on the Toronto roster, the Leafs are in a very curious predicament.

On one hand they have Vesa Toskala. Two years ago Toskala showed the promise that he could be a top-15 starter in the NHL. On a porous (See? That’s the thesaurus at work…) Leafs team that allowed the fourth-most goals against, many saw sanctuary in Toskala.

Last year they felt that, if he was able to continue playing like that, then maybe the Leafs could sneak into eighth place.

Well, a lack of confidence from the coaching staff and management in his ability to prepare, an immobile defense that left him out to dry on a handful of goals per game, and nagging hip and groin injuries stunted Toskala’s growth as a starter, and his season eventually ended prematurely leading to the Gerber Baby Food experiment.

I hate strained peas.

So this season, after trading away the former “Goalie of the Future” in Pogge, the Leafs went to Sweden (Brian Burke literally went there) to bring back netminder Jonas Gustavsson.

"The Monster" brings a ton of promise with him from the land of Sundin and Salming, and could take over the starter's role from Toskala after V-Tosk's contract ends.

While there’s a ton of potential there, the Leafs need one of either Toskala or Gustavsson to take the reigns this year and lead from the crease out because if both falter, Joey MacDonald could stand in for a little, but a seasons worth may be a bit too much.

Bouncing Beauchemin back and forth on the Blueline…

In no particular order here’s what the Leafs defense is going to look like:

Mike Komisarek: Good shut down defenseman with a good contract (when I heard about the signing my first fear was “overpaid”, but $4.6 mil per year is manageable). Playing alongside Tomas Kaberle gives the Leafs a great top-pairing.

May have his face broken by Milan Lucic.

Garnet Exelby: Will score about as many points as ex-Leaf Gary Valk’s jersey number (10). Runs around a little too often looking for a big hit, but the kind of defenseman teams love to have.

May be able to break Milan Lucic’s face.

Mike van Ryn: May be a victim of a numbers game on the Toronto blue line. Was great when he was healthy last year, but that was the key: Him being healthy.

He may also be scared of Milan Lucic.

Francois Beauchemin: Spent four seasons in Anaheim winning a cup, tearing an ACL, and playing behind two of the best in Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. A cannon of a shot from the point, revitalizing Tomas Kaberle’s set-up pass on the power play.

Tomas Kaberle: Takes over coaching when Ron Wilson gives up (See: Pierre McGuire’s story during Tuesday night’s Pens/Leafs game about how Wilson told Kaberle to “show the team how to pass right”). One of the premier offensive defensemen in the game who doesn’t get enough credit in other markets, and too much in the Toronto market.

Can do this, but doesn’t shoot.

Ian White: Probably the cheapest 30-point defenseman in the world, making him the most trade-able player the Leafs have much to my chagrin. Like van Ryn, the numbers game kills him.

Seriously. We’ve just done six defensemen in point form and we’re at least four away from being done.

Jeff Finger is a great penalty killer and shut-down guy who still owns a slightly confusing contract. He’s a great 3/4 guy, but good luck finding that kind of ice time without someone running into a wall of injuries.

Then you’ve got Jonas Frogren and Phil Oreskovic who are out of the same mould as Finger, and are probably benefited by the fact that they have two way contracts so that they can at least get big time minutes with the Toronto Marlies.

Oh, and there’s also that Luke Schenn kid, but who really needs to talk about a guy who logged the second-most ice time amongst rookies, was the best defender on the entire team last year, is a future captain, and if not for the rambunctious Cal Clutterbuck, he would have led rookies in blocked shots and hits.

And he still fights even after Burke brought in sandpaper. Go figure.

The Oddest Assessment in the world…

For some reason, people keep saying that a team in the top-10 in the NHL in scoring needs to add more of it.

Granted, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin aren’t household names, but the spunky Europeans did fairly well in their first full seasons. Kulemin had 15 goals and 31 points, which is admirable for a higher-scoring version of Darcy Tucker, while Grabovski could have been a Calder candidate if not for a seven-game scoreless streak to start the season and a 17-game goal-less drought partway through the season.

Meanwhile, the Leafs are also carrying over veteran scoring leaders Jason Blake (whose immovable contract led the team with 63 points) and Alexei Ponikarovsky who was two goals away from sharing the goal-scoring lead with Blake.

While neither are franchise material, both are solid scorers who’ll add to the attack, but not push it overboard.

Along with that, last year’s big-time signing Niklas Hagman was also out to prove his contract year was no fluke and I’m fairly certain he did. Coming off of a career-high 25-goal performance in 2007/08, Hagman played 17 fewer games and came up just three goals short of that mark while battling head injuries much of the season.

Speaking of proving themselves, Matt Stajan was able to prove that he had the offensive ability to be a top-six center-man (he just needed the opportunity), while John Mitchell simply wanted to prove he belonged in the NHL. Mitchell certainly endeared himself to Toronto fans with his gritty, all-out style of play, so expect him to stick around for a while.

The addition of Wayne Primeau immediately helps the penalty kill (Which needs it—the Leafs were last in the league when down a man last year), while Rickard Wallin will probably take on much of the same role—especially if his production matches his Minnesota years.

Colton Orr is getting paid $5,000 per penalty minute (or $1,000 a shift), while Jamal Mayers provides solid, low-line leadership and grit, chipping in with the occasional goal and assist in another penalty-killing role.

Then we get in to the youth.

While Ron Wilson said that Nazem Kadri has to score two goals a game to even think about making this team, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s had a great camp for an undersized 18-year old forward. Then again, Victor Stalberg, Tyler Bozak (Who’ll be a great Stephane Yelle-type if his offensive game can’t make the big leagues), and Christian Hanson (a superb penalty killer and a big talent to watch) have had great camps too (Even forming the FROSH line), while Jiri Tlusty is expected by many to make the jump and stick this year.

And we haven’t even gotten to the draftmate of Tlusty, Mr. Phil Kessel.

While I may be soured on the price of two first-round picks thanks to a history of ineptitude and unfortunate results when trading first rounders, the Kessel trade is, simply put, Burke’s defining trade.

If Kessel comes in, scores 30 goals in the four seasons following this one (I’m not sure what to expect this year coming off of his shoulder surgery), and helps the team win a bunch of games, then Burke is a hero. If he comes in and produces along the lines of Lee Stempniak (Who was, and still might, supposed to find his mojo once again in Toronto) and Leafs fans are treated to watch Boston nab two high selections in consecutive years, all of the work he did in revamping the goaltending and defense will be a mere footnote

So what’s it all mean…

Here we go, the Toronto Maple Leafs season.

Like teams two through four in this division, the Leafs have an equal shot at making it as high as second in the Northeast.

If the young forwards prove that they all didn’t have fluke years last year and Vesa Toskala is recovered while the Monster acclimatizes quickly (Hopefully on both counts), the Leafs are set.

If the goalies falter and, for some reason, they start to buy into all this hype that they “don’t have scoring” and, ergo, don’t score…well…then they’re in trouble.

For right now, I have them low in the Northeast for the sake of my sanity (would you actually read these if I just put “FOUR WAY TIE FOR SECOND” for everyone?). Don’t be surprised if they can put it together and jump into the top 10 in the conference though.

4th in Northeast

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Ottawa Senators

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:41:28 -0400

Like the rest of the Northeast, the Ottawa Senators come into the season with a question that, if it gets answered, gives them the best shot at second place.

While he Montreal Canadiens need to find a sustainable level of consistency, the Buffalo Sabres need to find that top-pairing puck-mover, and the Boston Bruins are simply hoping to make a seamless transition to a Kessel-less era, the Sens have the most interesting question ever.

What was this guy prepared to do if Dany Heatley didn't eventually waive his no trade clause?

Ottawa Senators

2008/09 Record: 36-35-11, 83 points, 11th in East

Additions: Jonathan Cheechoo—F (Trade w/San Jose), Milan Michalek—F (Trade w/San Jose), Alex Kovalev—F (2 years/$10 mil)

Subtractions: Mike Comrie—F (FA), Dany Heatley—F (Trade w/San Jose), Alex Auld—G (FA), Brendan Bell—D (FA), Brad Isbister—F (FA), Danny Bois—F (FA)

While many think that the Ottawa Senators didn’t get enough in the Dany Heatley deal, they may have actually gotten just enough.

Yes it would've been nice to see them get a little more, but the package is a fairly good one, given the corner Bryan Murray was forced to work himself out of.

For a disgruntled 50 goal scorer who wasn’t going to be convinced to give 100 percent, the Sens were finally able to solve their secondary scoring issues—at least on paper—with two good forwards.

Then again, the San Jose Sharks look pretty good on paper. Maybe we should check back in with Mr. Heatley come May.

And for desert, a chocolate Leclaire…

Over the past few seasons, the Senators' crease has resembled more of a revolving door than anything.

Last year, Brian Elliot (31), Alex Auld (43) and Martin Gerber(14) split time for the Sens. The previous two years it was Gerber (57 and 28) and Ray Emery(31 and 59), while in 2005/06 Dominik Hasek (43) and Emery (39) split time.

Really, the Ottawa Senators haven't had a real starting goalie carry the load since Patrick Lalime shouldered the load into 2002/03—the year before Martin Prusek truly threatened to take his role.

Oh Martin Prusek...those were the days.

Contingent on whether or not he can stay healthy, the Sens may have finally found their man in Pascal Leclaire.

The biggest detraction about Leclaire, as everyone knows, is his injury problems. There have been three instances in his career where Leclaire has missed double-digit games with injury. All three have been more than 20 games, while last year's missed games total broached 50 (48 games).

When he's healthy however, Leclaire has top-level talent. In 2007/08, the then-Blue Jacket went 24-17-6 with nine shutouts, while posting a 2.25 goals-against average and a .919 on a 12th place team that went 34-36-12.

Although Mason played more games (61 to 54 in his favor) Leclaire's tangible statistics were better than Mason's last year, while Mason had the advantage in wins and winning percentage. These are things I think you should know.

The question that needs answering for Ottawa, is whether or not Leclaire is fully healed from the plethora of problems that have dogged him the past few years.

If he is, this team can jump up the standings. If not, it's once again up to Brian Elliot.

While Elliot played admirably in Ottawa last year going 16-8-3 for the Sens, the jury is still out on his long-term potential. His athleticism, poise, and confidence kept the Senators in a lot of games early on last year, but he's going to have to replicate that this season to prove that he can handle a bit of increased time.

In the instance of injury (and let's face it...it's a very real possibility) the Senators are fairly thin. Andy Chiodo hasn't played NHL hockey since 2003 (eight games with Pittsburgh) and was seen backpacking through Europe post-lockout, while Mike Brodeur still has yet to see NHL ice, leaving the Sens hopeful that Leclaire stays healthy.

You can’t keep Karlsson and Kuba under wraps for long…

Before we get to any returning players, the Sens may have one of the best (if not the best) up and coming rookie defender in the league.

The most talked-about Swedish defender not named Victor Hedman (At least who isn't currently playing in the NHL) has to be Erik Karlsson. The first round pick in 2008 carries the puck with poise and his feet always seem to know where to go. He has one of the easiest skating strides most have ever seen, and carrying the puck out of his own end he looks like Toronto's Tomas Kaberle.

Karlsson's passing ability and offensive instincts will immediately make the Sens defense better (as well as shoot him up the depth chart), as aside from mid-season acquisition Chris Campoli, no defenseman other than Filip Kuba registered more than 22 points last year.

Speaking of Campoli, he produced a nice bounce-back season after seeing his 2007/08 campaign cut short by shoulder surgery.

If Campoli receives the offensive responsibilities that he did late last season with the Sens rather than his time with the Islanders (13 points in 25 games with the Sens, 17 points in 51 games with the Islanders), a second-straight 30-point campaign is more than attainable.

Along with Kuba, the Sens have three good offensive defensemen: One with moderate upside (Campoli); one whose most-likely a future superstar (Karlsson); and one who can move the puck well (84 assists over the past three seasons) and shoot it (Kuba has a shown that can quarterback a powerplay if the Sens choose to use him that way), but is still a little soft in his own end.

If a little more offense is required, the Sens could look towards Brian Lee. The rookie defender made his much-anticipated NHL debut last season and proved that he could stick, netting 13 points in 53 games and playing fairly well.

Obviously Lee has a long ways to go in terms of development, but the fact he was able to keep up with the NHL game last year while owning a projectable offensive game could make him an attractive low-to-mid pairing defender as he acclimatizes to the NHL.

From there it comes down to the team's two shutdown defenders: Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips. While many don't give Phillips his due, last year seemed to be (at least statistically) a down year. His -14 rating was astronomically low after a string of seasons of very high +/-'s.

Even under the argument that he was playing on some offensively inclined Ottawa teams, Phillips has been a strong defender before there was the volatile offense. Phillips is also one of the more consistent Sens, having missed just 14 games in the past five seasons.

Volchenkov meanwhile has the ability and size to be a great defender, he’s just periodically set back by minor, yet nagging injuries. Ideally the Sens would like to have him around for 75-78 games because of his ability to steer the play in his own end and clear out the front of the net, which is going to be a big asset to Leclaire.

The best thing about Volchenkov, is that he's fearless in the physical game. He'll not only lay the body, but he'll block a ton of shots as well, making him a confident deployment for Clouston and Co.

From there, Alexandre Picard will help to fill in on the lower pairings while providing a little offense as well from the back end, giving the Sens some consistent depth.

Alfie the Clown? Kovie the Clutz? Spezza the…spaz?

Alright…sometimes alliteration goes a little far. Jason Spezza isn’t a spaz. It's simply hard to find other words with the letters 's','p', and 'z' in them. Either that or I'm lazy and didn't try hard enough, but you don't know that.

Spezza suffered through a down-year like most of the Senators last year, falling from the 90-point plateau to 70. A player who’s always displayed prominence passing and shooting, Spezza’s goal-scoring never left him last year, it just seemed like his passes (Assists went from 58 to 41) weren’t finding players to put them in the back of the net anymore.

When you look at Daniel Alfredsson, a big reason for Spezza’s drop in production could be the fact that Alfie was one of those who was missing the back of the net.

While there was bit of a disparity in his shot totals between last year and two years ago, it’s not nearly large enough to account for a 16 goal difference, meaning the totals may simply be a result of an “off-year”, although some may even question if it has something to do with his age.

Expect both Alfredsson and Spezza to bounce-back however, as the Senators finally got something they haven’t had for years.

Secondary scoring.

Through the Heatley trade, the Sens were able to acquire Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. Michalek is the biggest draw in this deal, as he can (and already has been in preseason) bumped up to the first line—a role he was shrouded from by Joe Thornton in San Jose.

Michalek has proven to have all of the tools to score as a second-line center, and if he’s given the opportunity to play with top line talent like Spezza or Alex Kovalev, he could net at least 75 points.

Speaking of Kovalev, if paired with Cheechoo, he may be what helps him get back to some kind of level of productivity. After one of the fastest falls from a 50-goal season, a change of scenery along with the attention that someone of Kovalev’s talents requires on the ice may be just what he needs to open up the ice and the goal vault he’s seemingly fallen into.

That doesn't even take into account Kovalev's play-making ability.

With the way Nick Foligno has performed lately, the former Sudbury Wolf may be in line to rake in some OHL-like numbers. Although his 70 and 80-point seasons may be out of reach, Foligno could reach the 20-goal mark this year while settling into the 50-point neighborhood.

With the improvements on the top two lines, Mike Fisher may be able to sneak back onto the 40-point map as well, as the balanced scorer has been victimized in recent years by such a concentrated top-line attack in Ottawa.

The re-signing of Chris Neil ensured Sens fans that they’ll be keeping a bit of sandpaper around, along with the likes of Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Kelly. While the three of them won’t light the world on fire offensively, at least 20 points from each of them and an agitating presence is enough for the Sens.

As a prominent AHL scorer, Ryan Shannon’s abilities will find a home in the NHL this season, but he’s going to have to earn consistent ice time for the offense to settle in too. 20 points in 35 games last year is a great way to start, and if some of the younger talent can crack the Sens’ roster and produce a little with him, there could be chemistry.

When you talk about those potential players, Josh Henessy, Cody Bass, and Zach Smith seem to be at the forefront of those lists, while Jesse Winchester (once he returns from injury) will get some time as well.

While Bass is a scrappy winger that’ll endear himself to Ottawa fans and Hennessey has scored goals at every level, Zach Smith may be the prospect the sticks. Battling for time with playmaking Peter Regin, Smith’s big bad style is something that Ottawa has lacked from their top line players, and Smith has the potential to be one of those.

Of course you also can't forget flex option Christoph Schubert, who can line up at both forward and defense. Where it is up front or in behind, Schubert brings great defensive instincts to this team that will be needed for support.

Although Schubert's offensive plateau may fall within the 25-30 point range, so long as he can help out all over the ice in keeping the puck away frm the net, the Sens have other places to get the offense.

So what does it all mean…

The question for Ottawa (as we’ve been dealing with each Northeast’s team questions) is: If Pascal Leclaire is healthy, do they get the 2007/08 Leclaire?

If Leclaire is on top of his game, then the Sens have a great starting goalie that they can build around.

If not, then that’s where the holes start, while lacking a true number one defenseman (at least until Karlsson fully grows into that role) will hurt as well.

Don’t underestimate the scoring however: They're going to score more than the 213 goals they netted last year.

In Ottawa, the firepower is still there—or at least coming back. Now the goaltending just needs to follow suit, which will give Ottawa their shot at second place.

5th in North East

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also be sure to check out his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Montreal Canadiens

Bryan Thiel — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:35:42 -0400

As we approach the halfway point of the Northeast division, we come to a team that went through wholesale change.

While the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres didn't change much about their team's appearance, settling more on replacing missing players from within and integrating youth into the NHL game, the Montreal Canadiens pulled a Tampa Bay Lightning (Circa 2007/08) and remodeled the entire team.

Now they have a whole new first line, a few new faces on defense, and an untouched goaltending scenario (although there was one minor move that got blown out of proportion over the summer).

Montreal Canadiens

2008/09 Record: 41-30-11, 93 points, 8th in East—Swept in first round by Boston Bruins

Additions: Jaroslav Spacek—D (3 years/$11.5 mil), Hal Gill—D (2 years/$4.5 mil), Mike Cammalleri—F (5 years/$30 mil), Brian Gionta—F (5 years/$25 mil), Paul Mara—D (1 year/$1.675 mil), Travis Moen—F (3 years/$4.5 mil), Scott Gomez—F (Trade w/New York Rangers)

Subtractions: Mathieu Schneider—D (FA), Patrice Briesbois—D (FA), Marc Denis—G (FA), Saku Koivu—F (FA), Alex Tanguay—F (FA), Robert Lang—F (FA), Francis Bouillon—D (FA), Alex Kovalev—F (FA), Tom Kostopoulos—F (FA), Mike Komisarek—D (FA), Chris Higgins—F (Trade w/New York), Doug Janik—D (FA)

With a disappointing 2008/09 in the books, the Montreal Canadiens knew they needed change, and change is what they got.

Former Northeastern rival Jacques Martin was lured away from the Florida Panthers to return behind the bench in hopes that he could revive a team that slowed after a powerful 2008.

After that, the Habs were a boob job away from being Pamela Anderson: They got a fresh pair of legs (well…a few), a new face of the franchise, and something around 6% of what the original product was still remains.

Does this mean I’m saying Anderson is 94% plastic? You’re damn right I am. Who knew Aqua’s one hit song was biographical.

Sorry....I just got caught watching it...

Insert generic Bob Barker jab…

The picture at the beginning of the article captures Carey Price's year perfectly.

With failure already deemed "not an option" for the 21-year old, Price was put on an island all year long: Either succeed or feel the wrath.

Many hoped that the lackluster bow-out from the 2008 playoffs wouldn’t carry over into Price’s season last year.

Initially it didn’t look that way. Price started hot for the Habs, losing just once in regulation over his first eight games (6-1-1).

From there, Price stayed fairly consistent until the end of 2008. Once 2009 hit, it was a very different scenario.

Once the calendar flipped, Price won consecutive games only twice, but each time it was only two straight. Price ended up going 7-12-5 in that streak and shouldering a sweep at the hands of the Bruins in the first round, while he also did his best Patrick Roy impression.

Although some of his struggles may be attributed to a lingering lower body injury, fans were still nipping at the heels of Price, and doing their best to convince management on Jaroslav Halak.

Halak played outstanding hockey for the Canadiens last year, but even the fact that he offers Price one of the best backup options in the league didn’t stop many from wondering if he would be traded.

Especially after the signing of Curtis Sanford.

How long the talented Halak can last as a backup will be a developing storyline for the Canadiens’ this year, but they at least have a very strong tandem, and if they need to shakeup the roster even more, Halak can be used in that process.

It may be in the best case for both parties as well, because don’t expect Carey Price to struggle as often, or as mightily this year.

Five out and three in…

While there was the exodus of a few very familiar faces up front, the losses on the back end may be more limiting to the Canadiens.

Going back to last season, Mathieu Schneider was acquired specifically to help out the Habs powerplay. Well he was able to do that, and this offseason the Habs went out and acquired the Rokycany version of Schneider.

Along with hurting their divisional opponent Buffalo (As the lack of offensive defensemen becomes Buffalo's biggest question mark), Montreal was able to nab a good defenseman who can move the puck and keep the it low from the point in the acquisition of Jaroslav Spacek.

Spacek should slide in perfectly alongside Andrei Markov (offensively) on defense, and his presence will take pressure off of Roman Hamrlik, who was thrust into a number two offensive role last year.

Hamrlik is a quality offensive defenseman with a good shot, but when the drop off between your leading defensive scorer and your second-place defenseman is 31 points, adding in that balance with Spacek was definitely needed.

While Washington and the New York Islanders are the only other teams with comparable differences between their top-scoring defenseman and the rest of the pack, they both also feature one of the premiere defensemen in the league—much like the Canadiens.

The aforementioned Andrei Markov has a great shot from the point, tremendous vision on the ice, and the well-rounded abilities that only a few NHL defensemen posses—underscored by the fact that he was nearly the only defenseman in the league to lead his team in scoring (He probably would have if not for a late-season knee injury).

Offensively, the other additions don’t add much, but they do bring great size to the blueline. Both Hal Gill and Paul Mara are at least 6’4 and 210lbs (Mara is 6’4/212lbs and Gill 6’7/250lbs) and have experience in defensive roles. While Gill is knocked for being slow-footed, he’s physical and mean, and plays a very responsible game. Mara skates much better than Gill and has a little more offensive flexibility, becoming more of a late bloomer.

With that in mind, don't expect Mara to be rivaling Andrei Markov any time soon, but he'll provide a little bit of offense while providing another good, solid, defensive presence.

Josh Gorges is another reliable player who’ll be expected to help replace Mike Komisarek’s top-pairing defensive ability. Gorges is a little slower and still learning the ins and outs of the big-league game, but he should provide another steady presence on the Montreal blueline.

On the depth front Ryan O’Byrne will be battling it out with Yannick Weber and P.K. Subban to stay on the roster. The allure may be too much to turn down from the two youthful offensive defensemen, but with O’Byrne as a backup the Canadiens retain a little toughness on the back end while Shawn Belle and Mathieu Carle could be quality call-up options to keep the defense fresh.

A First-Time First line…

It’s not often that a team goes out and completely restructures their ranks of go-to forwards, but that’s what Montreal did this offseason.

Familiar faces are gone and brought in were the play-making Scott Gomez, the tough scorer Michael Cammalleri, and the minute Brian Gionta. The fortunate thing, is that Gomez may finally have the linemates he needs, as Gionta and Cammalleri would rather fire home the passes they get from Gomez than try to return the favor.

The main concerns about all of the forwards that were brought in was their sizes, as none are above 6’0 and just one is taller than 5’9 (Gomez).

It’s not like this is unheard of in Montreal however.

Andrei Kostitsyn is just 6’0, but he’s another forward who loves to shoot. So long as he and brother Sergei can keep their heads on the ice and stay out of off-ice trouble, Sergei could jump to the 40-point range (he certainly has the talents provided he starts in the NHL), while Andrei could stay within the 23-26 goal range.

Travis Moen’s physicality and 6’2 frame adds to the advantage the French fighter Georges Laraque already provides, but with trouble protecting both the forwards and Carey Price last year, the added size and toughness is certainly welcome.

Looking for improvement, the Canadiens will also look to give bigger roles to Maxim Lapierre who could blossom into the 40-point range, and Tomas Plekanec who should be primed to return to 60-70 point range with an improved supporting cast that will include Glen Metropolit as a good low-line depth option.

To help out offensively, Guillame Latendresse will need to put his instincts to good use and round off his playmaking ability while hopefully breaking the 20-goal barrier for the first time. Matt D’Agostini meanwhile, will have to find a consistent level of production at the NHL level and develop his play-making ability as well.

Most of those forwards can’t take anything for granted however. Ben Maxwell had a good year in the AHL and could be a good low-line option until he finds his NHL legs. Max Pacioretty’s speed could definitely come in handy in a low-line matchup for the Habs, but he needs to find a concrete level of production, as does Kyle Chipchura.

Chipchura put up good numbers in the WHL, and if he can transition those to the NHL, then the Habs will net a quality center, capable of putting up 35-45 points along with 15 goals.

So what’s it all mean…

Even with all of the new forwards, the returning players for Montreal need to find an increased level of production if they want to get back to the plyoffs.

The defense will be better at moving the puck with Spacek and they’ll be meaner and more protective of Carey Price, but unless Andrei Markov puts up 90 points, having him as the leading scorer of this team at the end of the year will be simply unacceptable.

That being said, which all of the new offensive talent it's unlikely that'll happen, but that is where the Canadiens' big question lies however.

Chemistry. If Gomez/Gionta/Gill/Cammalleri/Spacek have trouble working together out of the gate, then the Habs are going to be in trouble. If they mesh, they have one of the most dangerous and shifty first lines in the league that aren't tall enough to ride Behemoth (A Canadian roller coaster).

That's what the preseason is for though, and Habs fans better hope that this science experiment lasts long term, as that's what the Habs need to jump into second.

3rd in Northeast

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile, and you can also email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, be sure to check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Buffalo Sabres

Bryan Thiel — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:45:40 -0400

Yesterday we examined the Boston Bruins.

While the Bruins do have a question to answer in who replaces Phil Kessel and how successful they are, we also have to consider that they were always planning for this a little bit anyhow—after all, they had to be prepared that he was going to be out until November, so they can just extend the contingency plan.

The rest of the Northeast has questions; big questions. The Sabres are just one of those teams with questions and whoever answers them is going to lay claim to second in the division.

Buffalo Sabres

2008/09 Record: 41-32-9, 91 points, 10th in East.

Additions: Mike Grier—F (FA), Cody McCormick—F (1 year/$550k), Joe DiPenta—D (1 year/$550k), Steve Montador—D (2 years/$3.1 mil).

Subtractions: Jaroslav Spacek—D (FA), Mikael Tellqvist—G (FA), Maxim Afinogenov—F (FA), Dominic Moore—F (FA), Teppo Numminen—D (Retired).

The Buffalo Sabres are the lost sister in the Northeast Division.

While everyone talks about the Boston Bruins’ defense of their division crown, the Ottawa Senators’ potential rebound goalie Pascal Leclaire, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ re-vamped…well…team, and the Montreal Canadiens’ full remodel, the lack of activity seemingly left the Sabres in the dust.

The Sabres, however, are not only in a position to better themselves from within, but this year may very well be the year a ton of young talent makes its mark.

The Miller’s Wife Is Churnin’ the Butter…

The phrase "winner" is tossed around when people describe NFL Quarterbacks. In fact, on Sunday, Brian Billick was talking about how San Fransisco 49ers QB Shaun Hill may not pile up the stats, but he's a winner—which is what matters in the end.

Ryan Miller is a winner.

Last season, if not for an ankle injury that derailed his month of March, Miller could've thrust the Sabres into the playoffs by himself.

With just one win in those 13 games he missed, Miller could have posted his third-straight 35+ win season. To put that in perspective, only two other goalies (Miikka Kiprusoff and Henrik Lundqvist) currently hold that streak, while Miller ranks behind Kiprusoff (166), Martin Brodeur (154), Roberto Luongo (150), Marty Turco (144), and Lundqvist (142) for wins (he has 140) post-lockout.

Not bad company, eh? Expect more of the same out of Miller this year, as he's stayed fairly consistent throughout his career: Year-to-year, his goals-against average has never moved more than .15 away from the previous year's total, while the 12-point jump last year (.906 to .918) is the biggest jump ever in his save percentage (previous years it's been within .05, which, admittedly is a little high).

Behind Miller, it'll be a battle between Patrick Lalime and Jhonas Enroth.

While Lalime brings a veteran presence to the Sabres' backup role, his effectiveness has diminished since his soul was crushed by Joe Nieuwendyk in the playoffs. The highly-touted Swede, Enroth, had a great year in the AHL last year and even if he can't steal away the backup job, starting in the AHL will have him fresh and ready to come up in case of injury or back up next year.

On a Defense That Lacks Offense…

The Sabres come into this season lacking one big thing: a solid, top-pairing, puck-moving defenseman.

With the loss of Jaroslav Spacek, the highest-scoring carry-over from last season is Craig Rivet. While Rivet does provide the Sabres a solid, experienced defender to help bring the youngsters along, Rivet has just one season of 30+ assists (30 in 2007-'08 in San Jose) and just three seasons of seven or more goals.

To provide that offensive presence, it'll be a slew of youngsters trying to bridge the gap.

The most experienced of which is Andrej Sekera. Sekera not only has no reservations about shooting the puck, but he's also very good at moving the puck. He's shown consistent improvement at the NHL level and with a full season, he could reach 30 points. Sekera just needs to remember about staying responsible in his own end.

QMJHL graduate TJ Brennan may not be able to rack in 30- or 40-assist seasons, but the New Jersey native carries a heavy shot from the point and will help Buffalo try to maintain last year's seventh-ranked power play.

Another highly-touted offensive defenseman is Tyler Myers, however Myers is trying to jump straight from the WHL (He had 42 points in 58 games last year), so he'll definitely have to impress. His ability to move the puck around the ice is definitely something that the Sabres need and might not be able to overlook if he can make the transition.

Marc-Andre Gragnani's AHL experience may help him beat out Myers, especially because it's difficult to continue throwing a defenseman in the minors with this career line: 154 games played, 23 goals, 80 assists, 103 points, and nine power play goals. Granted the -15 rating (although he had a 14 point improvement to -1 last year) is a little disenchanting, but Gragnani could be exactly what the Sabres need to maintain that power play.

Defensively, Chris Butler will give the Sabres a solid defensive defenseman. Butler came to the NHL in the midst of an up-and-down season in the AHL, but once he entered the pro ranks, Butler settled in. Although his point production may never reach the heights it did in Denver (0.4 points per game), defensively, Butler could shoot right up the depth chart.

Right alongside him will be another solid defender in Mike Weber, who'll be big in stabilizing the defense for years to come. Weber has a good frame (6'2"), but he's also got a little ways to go in terms of filling out, but definitely has the edge.

Looking at the veteran presences on the defense (outside of Rivet), Joe DiPenta will be providing depth for the Sabres while Steve Montador is a good low-pairing defensive solution.

Leading the back end will be Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman, both of whom are sound, stable defensemen who are able to chip in with 20-25 points each year. Neither are going to blow anyone away with their point production, but their poise is what they are paid for.

Lydman especially is underrated, as he can play an effective 22 minutes a game—his steadiness is just overlooked when compared to some of the bigger names in the division and conference.

Up to Increasing the Population of Pominville?

Up front, the Sabres have three prominent young scorers.

Thomas Vanek has been a big time goal scorer since he entered the league with 25 goals in his rookie season. From there, Vanek has posted seasons of 43, 36, and 40 goals and could one day be a 50-goal man easily.

Along with Vanek, Derek Roy has grown into a consistent scorer, but he's also developed into a dangerous two-way threat that is a dynamic play maker as well (133 assists in the past three seasons and not afraid to shoot), while Jason Pominville also has deft playmaking ability off the wing.

From there, the Marian Gaborik-esque Tim Connolly will be required to provide some auxiliary scoring. While Connolly has a ton of potential and is a point-a-game player, he's simply never stayed healthy enough to put it together for a full season since 2002-'03.

If he can, then the Sabres have (potentially) an 80-point player and four devastating forwards. If he can't stay healthy, then Connolly will probably produce as many points as games played.

Speaking of big-time potential, Nathan Gerbe is the same, but simply put in a Martin St. Louis-sized frame. Gerbe is a fairly balanced scorer who loves to shoot the puck, but can set up his teammates as well, meaning he may be good alongside Drew Stafford.

Outside of the big three, Stafford took the most shots out of any Buffalo forward and his 20-goal campaign may just be the beginning.

Even if not paired alongside Gerbe, Stafford's production should inch up like it has in previous seasons, as he may broach 50-point/23-goal territory.

Staying down the wing, Clarke Macarthur continued along his own path of development, doubling his production from the 2007-'08 season. Macarthur's 17 goals last year may be right around where he levels off, while Daniel Paille should be walking along his own "bounce back path" as he looks to get back to the 19-20 goal range.

Providing more experienced depth, Jochen Hecht could bounce back to the low 40s neighbourhood in production, while still providing a great two-way presence.

Along with him, Mike Grier will be providing leadership to the young Sabres as well, but his production is more low-line rather than rivaling Hecht's, who should be in second line territory (although if Hecht can't get back to the 40+ point plateau, he may get bumped for a youngster).

Paul Gaustad will be providing a "rough 'n' tumble" approach from back on the fourth line, while Patrick Kaleta will be right there along with him and Matt Ellis can grind it out as well.

Because Adam Mair won't be starting the season with the team (he had surgery late in the offseason), there is a bit of room up front.

Michigan State alum Tim Kennedy might be fighting for some room up front after an outstanding rookie season in the AHL that saw him net 69 points in 73 games.

Along with Kennedy, the burly Marc Mancari has proved to be a steal in the seventh round, having scored 73 goals in the past three AHL seasons combined. Mancari is the prototypical power forward that the Sabres need and if his transition to the NHL goes as well as his time in the AHL, the Sabres will have a powerful weapon.

Much like Tyler Myers, Tyler Ennis is taking a shot at making the team straight out of Junior Hockey. Although the Sabres are stocked with a ton of bodies up front, Ennis just put up back-to-back seasons of 43 goals and 91 and 83 points, respectively, for Medicine Hat. In other words, Ennis is proven to have real gifts and if those gifts can, they'll translate into an NHL career ASAP.

So What’s It All Mean…

Even though the Sabres lack that big time puck mover on the back end, they still have a ton of pieces to work with.

With three qualified scorers up front, one who’ll be dangerous once he stays healthy, and a top-level starting goalie, the Sabres have the pieces to get back into contention.

While the defensemen might be the on-ice problem, the off-ice one might be that no one believes in them. With each team having their own issues in the Northeast, though, the Sabres have a great shot at capitalizing.

Buffalo's question: Who's going to score from the back end?

If they can get an answer to that question, they can make second place.

Predicted Finish: Second in Northeast

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Boston Bruins

Bryan Thiel — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:50:49 -0400

It's finally here: The end is in sight.

After five weeks we've made it through the Central, the Atlantic, the Northwest, the Southeast, and the Pacific.

Now? We're simply left with the Northeast. And it looks like I've saved the hardest for last.

To be honest, there's no predetermined way that this division can finish. For many, Boston is a foregone conclusion to finish on top, but after that there are so many intricacies facing the teams that two through five is completely up for grabs.

Right now I feel like if I had done this division first I wouldn't have these questions, but then where would the fun come from?

Probably this. Although he uses the transition too often, it's still worth spending three months of your life doing.

Boston Bruins

2008/09 Record: 53-19-10, 116 points, First in East—Lost to Carolina Hurricanes in seven games in second round

Additions: Derek Morris—D (1 year/$3.3 mil), Steve Begin—F (1 year/$850k), Dany Sabourin—G (FA)

Subtractions: Stephane Yelle—F (FA), Shane Hnidy—D (FA), Steve Montador—D (FA), Manny Fernandez—G (FA), Peter Schaefer—F (FA), Phil Kessel—F (Trade w/Toronto), Aaron Ward—D (Trade w/Carolina), Patrick Eaves—F (FA), P.J. Aexelsson—F (FA)

The Boston Bruins took the league by storm last year with a slew of young scorers, a mobile and exciting defense, and a goalie whose style is electrifying.

Then they ran into a Carolina Hurricanes team that was simply winning in playoff style.

Mark Recchi has faith that the younger players on the Bruins will be better and that this team will be well-prepared to battle for the cup this upcoming season—otherwise he wouldn’t have resigned.

The faith from one of the most-respected NHL veterans and another year of experience for the young players could soon turn this into the Big, Bad, Bruin Crew.

Timmy T, Tuukka Rask, and the Prevention of the Tickled Twine…

There is not a person who follows the NHL that isn’t familiar with Tim Thomas’ name now.

After two solid (full) seasons in Boston that saw him net 30 and 28 wins respectively, the well-traveled netminder made his mark and proved that he belonged at the NHL level last year.

Not only did he lead qualifying netminders in save percentage and goals-against average, but Thomas lost the fewest games (11) in regulation of any goalie in the top fifteen in wins (Thomas had 36 wins in sixth place).

Based on that track record its no wonder Thomas won every conceivable piece of hardware for a goalie last year.

While Thomas is a very athletic (and very unorthodox) goaltender whose effectiveness was unquestioned last year, his age (35) and the fact that he only played in 54 games last season are detractors, no matter how minute.

It’s not to say that Thomas’ age will hinder him, because if his numbers stay in the 50-60-start range it’s very manageable for a goalie of his abilities. The Bruins are just fortunate that they have a goalie of Tuukka Rask’s abilities backing him up.

Unfortunately, there are more than a few players around the NHL that have Leafs’ fans holding their heads in dismay that they got away from the franchise. One of those is Rask.

Rask’s one start in the NHL last year was a shutout, he had a 2-1 record in the NHL the year before, and he’s looked outstanding in his AHL stints over the past two seasons.

Then with the way he’s played early in the preseason, Rask looks like a bona-fide starter in net for the Bruins, and Thomas’ age and Rask’s development may work perfectly in tandem, one day offering the B’s a seamless transition.

Channel Your Inner Chara…

If Zdeno Chara couldn’t skate, his physical presence alone would still be intimidating people, just probably as a bouncer in a club or that guy that runs the lines at amusement parks. Would you cut in Zdeno Chara's line? I don't think so.

Also scary is the fact that, without skates, he's still taller than most NHL'ers ON skates.

The man with the biggest frame in the NHL is also one of the most complete defenseman.

Although he’s a little slow-footed at points (Then again you try dragging around a 6’9 frame), Chara can throw the puck up ice to start the rush, rip a humongous shot from the point, or erase the scoring threat of the opposition with his physical presence.

The NHL’s reigning Norris-winner is the ideal defenseman as he can do it all, but his physical gifts prevent him from being controlled by many, if any.

Going from the tallest, the Bruins then feature a few smaller defensemen.

While Dennis Wideman will never be a physical imposition on anyone, he has outstanding mobility and vision. Going back to his time in London, Wideman has always been a gear through which the offense turns, and as he gains experience in the NHL that will only continue (Although that 50 points will probably settle between 35-40).

Solidifying the top four is the acquisition of Derek Morris. Adding another top-end puck-mover to the defense only makes the Bruins harder to play against, because Morris offers a third defenseman who can move the puck effectively.

The discouraging factor, is that he's not as flashy as he could be as he has been saddled with a lack of talent and ineffective players the past few years.

Morris also has a big shot from the point, increasing the danger of both Bruins’ powerplays and ensuring that, whomever Wideman lines up alongside, there will be someone for him to slide the puck to.

After that there’s a little more youth on the Bruins roster. Mark Stuart is a big, strong player who played a strong 82 games last year posting a +20. Stuart is known for being strong physically, as well as in his own end, which will give the Bears a strong, balanced presence on the blueline.

There’s also the offensively developing Matt Hunwick whose a strong, productive low-pairing defenseman with the ability to jump up the depth chart, while Andrew Ference will always be able to add that gritty dimension to the game.

Johnny Boychuk is coming off of a 66-point year in the AHL, which may go to prove that the Bruins are going to have to make room for him in the NHL sooner, rather than later, while Andy Wozniewski, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Jeffrey Penner, and Adam Mcquaid will have to battle for the same spot.

If injuries strike, they each may get a look at the NHL level, but Penner, Bodnarchuk, and Mcquaid will be better served by getting big-time minutes in the AHL and playing consistently rather than trying to crack a tough rotation.

Yes I can Make the Kessel Run in Five Parsecs…

First of all, no I don’t know how long a parsec is. I don’t even know if I spelled Parsec right. Is it even capitalized? I think so, but these are the questions you SHOULD be asking during NHL previews.

Second of all, if there was the opportunity to make a “Wookie” joke with a player’s name on the Bruins, I would have—Wookie is simply a funny word. That and it rhymes with nookie. Awesome.

Third of all, yes, I am a Star Wars nerd. Leonard Nimoy just stopped reading in disgust.

I think it’s an all-but foregone conclusion that Phil Kessel is done with the Bruins (I wrote this a week before the trade. I kept this line in to prove I can tell the future). That being said, he will be missed in Boston for his abilities (not his attitude), as it’s hard to replace 36 goals.

With that out of the way, Boston may be one of the only teams with the resources able to do so.

You’re looking at a team that features dynamic young players Zach Hamil, Brad Marchand, Joe Colborne, and Mikko Lehtonen, and those are the guys who haven’t even played in the NHL yet.

Sticking with the youth, Milan Lucic is a fan favorite of the NHL and it’s no wonder why. The Vancouver-native is the epitome of old-school NHL: A hard-nosed player who can fight, hit, and put up his fair share of points. Although he’s more likely to score a Gordie Howe hat-trick than score like Gordie Howe, Lucic is the next in a long line of players to define the Boston Bruins.

That definition could put him on a list including Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Ray Bourque, and Cam Neely. While it remains to be seen if he has the talent to match them, you still have to be a very special player to earn a place in Boston sports lore.

Another Bruin who’s benefited from the expanded ice time early on is David Krejci. Put into a scoring role, Krejci has shown deft playmaking ability with 71 assists in 144 NHL games. Although he may not score much more than those 22 goals a year, Krejci’s vision will make up for it, especially if he's placed along goal scorers like Blake Wheeler.

Wheeler exploded with 21 goals in his first NHL season and if he continues to develop as an NHL winger, his shot will get better and that shooting percentage will go up—a great thing for a young winger with great size and strength.

Wheeler will have to learn to play against opponents who are constantly scouting and changing approaches, and his ability to last an entire year will be questioned his first few seasons, but improved condition will only be another tool for the young Boston winger.

Even some of the veteran NHL forwards on this roster aren’t what you’d call “veterans”. The 27-year old Chuck Kobasew has played over 300 games in the NHL, but he’s seemed to find a niche in the NHL as a pure goal-scorer, netting 20 goals in three of the past four seasons.

Patrice Bergeron even seems like more of an NHL veteran than he actually is. The 24-year old took baby steps in recovering from a serious concussion two years ago, but questions will always remain about his health. After all, Bergeron missed 15 games last year with another concussion, so how will head injuries effect this world-class talent in the long run?

While his production (39 points) was just above the halfway point of his last full season (70 points in 2006/07), Bergeron will have the time and opportunity to get his legs back.

It does help that Marc Savard’s world-class playmaking ability takes away a lot of the attention, while veterans Marco Sturm (Who they only got 19 games from last year), Michael Ryder, and Mark Recchi will be shouldering some of the load as well.

The first two carry 25-30 goal potential, while Recchi could be in line for at least 55 points given the way he played with Boston down the stretch.

There’s also some grit in Shawn Thornton and Steve Begin, who could be saddled with the job of protecting Bergeron if teams get too rough with him, while Byron Bitz is a great Boston sports name and a great grinder as well.

So what’s it all mean…

The Bruins have the most well-rounded package in the Northeast.

They’ve got great goaltending in both Thomas and Rask, a puck-moving defense that also has a great physical aspect, and their forward lines are dangerous up and down the roster.

Against a division that’s a bit of a mish-mash in places, the Bruins may have a little more trouble than last year, but a second Northeast title should be attainable.

1st in Northeast

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Chicago Blackhawks

Bryan Thiel — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:50:03 -0400

We're finally getting there.

After countless glasses of scotch, cartons of cigarettes, and an endless supply of people approaching my front door saying, "If I could just have a few minutes of your time just to talk to you about the savior," I'm one team away from finishing the Central division—the second-last on this misguided journey.

Speaking of which, I may or may not have an idea what I'm complaining about anymore because this week has been the most fun. I got to talk about Kanye West, female escorts, complain about Beyonce's video, and I openly pursued Taylor Swift.

Is this seriously what the NHL's about? Probably not. But I like my version better.

Chicago Blackhawks

2008-'09 Record: 46-24-12, 104 points, fourth in West—lost to Detroit Red Wings in five games in conference final.

Additions: Marian Hossa—F (12 years/$62.8 mil), Tomas Kopecky—F (2 years/$2.4 mil), John Madden—F (1 year/$2.75 mil), Richard Petiot—D (FA).

Subtractions: Martin Havlat—F (FA), Samuel Pahlsson—F (FA), Nikolai Khabibulin—G (FA), Matt Walker—D (FA).

Tumultuous is one word you could use to describe the Chicago Blackhawks’ offseason.

Confusing is another.

A forgotten physical, a few failed faxes (or mailings...but we're fans of alliteration here), and the firing of long-time GM Dale Tallon and the ‘Hawks have a bit of a different look after a very busy offseason.

While many feel that Dale Tallon set this franchise back a few steps with the too soon big money deals given to Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker, that depends on who you’d ask.

Specifically? I’d ask Martin Havlat. Something tells me that he knows something.

The Cabbie Who Walks with a Kane

Ouch. Too soon? I hope so.

Despite the fact that he’s now out a whole lot more than 17 cents after abusing a cabbie in the club section of downtown Buffalo (seriously, people don’t ask enough questions), Patrick Kane could be eyeing his first 30-goal season this year.

If a sophomore slump for Kane constitutes a four-goal improvement and only a two-point drop off (originally I had point...Freudian slip or am I a raging alcoholic?), then I’m sure that the ‘Hawks are giddy at the prospects of this season for the speedy, shot-happy right winger, especially playing alongside Jonathan Toews.

Toews was also immune to the “sophomore slump” as he increased his goal output by 10 and his points by 15 this past season. An increase in strength and experience can only help the North Dakota alum as he could be on his way to his first 75+ point year if everything stays status quo in Chicago.

While Marian Hossa could have helped both Kane and Toews from the outset with their improvements, it’ll be a few months before we get to see Hossa’s bid to take his third straight team to the Cup finals.

Alright, so maybe it’s more like Hossa could be “following” his third straight team to the Cup finals, but when healthy, Hossa brings a dynamic regular season presence that can do magical things with the puck and wonderful things with the variety of players Chicago has.

Then again, for a "full" regular season presence, the 'Hawks will have to wait until next year. At least if Hossa comes out flat after his return, he's got an excuse that isn't "doesn't this month start with the letters 'M' or 'A?'"

Sidenote: So I figure its time for the first sidenote of these previews. The way I see it, playing (and scoring) alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the playoffs is like being in a movie with Al Pacino and Meryl Streep—you’re so shrouded by talent that something has to rub off on you. Hence his 2008 "breakout" in the playoffs.

I’m sold on the fact that the same thing would have happened if Pavel Datsyuk were healthy last playoffs.

Speaking of that variety, Patrick Sharp is still a Blackhawk after a summer of hot and cold rumors and if he’s healthy (he missed 16 games with a knee sprain last year), Sharp may finally break the 40-goal plateau, although he’ll be good for at least 30 no matter what.

Along the wings, Andrew Ladd garnered a career year for himself in 2008-'09 and could be a good two-way presence for the ‘Hawks capable of 50 points. Dustin Byfuglien hits like a truck and can put up some points as well after deciding between forward and defense.

Then there’s also Calder runner-up Kris Versteeg, whose 20-goal/50-point rookie season certainly looks to tack a ‘W’ up with regards to the Brandon Bochenski deal.

After that, there are two interesting trends among Blackhawks forwards. One trend is the promising upcoming youth, while the other is former London Knights.

In some cases the two even cross over.

Under the heading of “former London Knights” there’s not only Kane, but David Bolland (who could turn into a solid 17-23 goal scorer over his career), the gritty Danny Bois (he’ll provide quality low-line depth if/when called up), and the promising youngster Akim Aliu, who’ll be a great power presence for this team once he matures and settles in.

On the youth side, Kyle Beech is coming along, but he’s still not strong enough in general or on his skates (according to ‘Hawks management) to be an NHL force. Along with him, Jack Skille could be in for a big rookie year so long as he’s allowed to use his speed to open up holes for him to use his shot.

There are also youngsters who may fly a little bit under the radar in Colin Fraser, Adam Burish, and Troy Brouwer that simply shine in complimentary checking roles, with great role models to learn from in the penalty-killing John Madden and the two-way Tomas Kopecky.

Hu Plays between the Pipes? Hu? Well Huet of Course!

Coming in to last season, the Blackhawks had all but handed the starting job to Christobel Huet.

Nikolai Khabibulin was placed on waivers as whispers suggested a possible return to Russia or a list of NHL-caliber teams that were interested.

Now Khabibulin is officially gone (at least someone wants to go to Edmonton) and Huet has his shot.

By all accounts, last year was an off-year for Huet, punctuated by a career-low .909 save percentage for the 20-game winner.

The biggest worry that anyone might have with Huet is that the most he’s ever played in the NHL is 52 games in a season split between Washington and Montreal ('07-'08). With Khabibulin backing him up, that wasn’t a problem as Huet had someone to rely on while he found his consistency.

With Antti Niemi or Corey Crawford behind Huet, you don’t know what you’re getting because they simply haven’t seen that level of competition continuously.

If one of them can step up and provide the Blackhawks with a solid 20 games and Huet stays steady between the pipes for his 60, Chicago will be fine. If Huet slips up or Chicago can’t rely on any of their backups, then you’re getting into a sticky situation.

Campbell’s Soup and the Baker Man—Or the “Soup and Sandwich” Combo…

The defense for the ‘Hawks is set.

Brian Campbell, although lacking defensively, is getting paid to be a wizard with the puck and he did just that last season. If a 52-point season isn’t proof enough of that, improving the power play’s efficiency by four percent and vaulting it into the top half of the league has to help his cause.

After all, that is what Chicago is paying for—and they’re paying a lot for it.

Offensively, Brent Seabrook is a poor man’s Dion Phaneuf right now, but his big body and his ability to log big minutes in the Windy City more than make up for that.

Former all-star Duncan Keith saw a drop off in his goal totals, but upped his points last year. His skating and smarts make him the go-to guy on this back end, as he averaged more than 25 minutes per game for the second straight year, his fourth leading the team in time on ice.

Cam Barker was another player, like Khabibulin, rumored to be on his way out of Chiago last season. The word was he needed to have a big season and he chose the right year to put it all together and rounds out a very balanced top four with Niklas Hjalmarsson as a great number five/top four fill in defender.

Then there’s depth with Aaron Johnson (Though Johnson could use a bigger role to fully develop) and the now healthy Brent Sopel, while Jordan Hendry will have to battle for a spot that could very well be occupied by Shawn Lalonde if Chicago sees what they want out of the Belleville Bull.

So What’s It All Mean…

Martin Havlat’s production won’t be missed in Chicago as they have plenty of young players with the talents to step up along with a productive (eventually) Marian Hossa.

The Blackhawks also have a great top four presence on their defense with some good depth and the key pieces from last year's 216 goals allowed season (third-best in the West) are back.

Helping that out will be John Madden and Samuel Pahlsson, instilling a bit more responsiblity amongst the forward ranks.

The big question, strangely enough like Detroit, is goaltending.

Christobel Huet simply needs to be a good starter (not necessarily a great one) for Chicago and combine that with a consistent showing from whoever wins the backup job.

If Huet can outplay Chris Osgood over the course of the season, this gives the 'Hawks their best chance at the division. If not, Detroit can jump back into first, even with an ineffective Ozzy.

Due to contract statuses and the necessity to resign some big stars within the next few years, the ‘Hawks' time to strike may be now. This could be their best chance to do it, but they've got to be ready.

Predicted Finish: First in Central

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, and you can also email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, be sure to check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Detroit Red Wings

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:36:10 -0400

The Central division is one of the hardest to predict.

Not only do the two teams that should be at the top have some of the most prolific offenses in the leauge (Detroit and Chicago), but it's almost impossible to discount the St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, or Nashville Predators because they each have the pieces to be competitive.

Then there's also the fact that all they seem to do is sign from each other.

Chicago signed two former Red Wings, St. Louis has one former Wing, Columbus signed a former Blackhawk, and Detroit signed a former Blue Jacket and a former Predator.

Detroit Red Wings

2008/09 Record: 51-21-10, 112 points, second in West—Lost to Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games in Stanley Cup Final.

Additions: Todd Bertuzzi—F (1 year/$1.5 mil), Patrick Eaves—F (1 year/$500K), Jason Williams—F (1 year/$1.5 mil), Andy Delmore—D (FA), Doug Janik—D (FA).

Subtractions: Jiri Hudler—F (Europe), Marian Hossa—F (FA), Ty Conklin—G (FA), Tomas Kopecky—F (FA), Mikael Samuelsson—F (FA).

The Detroit Red Wings are continually a threat.

Every year there are whispers about whether this will be the year that the Wings lose a step and fall toward the realm of the mortal. Although there was no big departure (We’ll get to Marian Hossa) over the offseason, the Wings may simply fall victim to the constantly-improving Chicago Blackhawks.

Another Cup Final, Another Team for Marian Hossa…

Here’s the reason why Marian Hossa isn’t that big of a loss for the Detroit Red Wings: They won the Stanley Cup the year before without him.

Simply put, Hossa was a bonus—an unneeded extremity—last season, much like pecans and peanuts on an ice cream sundae or a female escort that lets you “shake her hand” for no extra charge.

And no, that didn’t cross a line.

The reason why Hossa is such a bonus is because of two of the best two-way forwards in the game: Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Datsyuk consistently can put up a 30-goal/60-assist season while staying in contention for the Selke Trophy and Zetterberg has world-class finishing ability that was simply clipped by a stiff back last season.

“The Mule,” Johan Franzen, augments that offensive attack headlined by Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Coming in to last season, Franzen had to prove that his big goal-scoring streak from the 2008 playoffs was no fluke an that it could transfer over into the regular season.

Not only did Franzen carry that scoring streak over, potting his first 30-goal campaign, but his stellar postseason play continued as well.

The big concern around Franzen is going to be his longevity. He’s the kind of guy that’ll push his way through the end boards for the end result, and he suffered through a few minor, yet nagging, injuries last year.

From there, the Wings usually rely on players that pass through the radars of many other teams.

Both Todd Bertuzzi and Jason Williams were seemingly afterthoughts as free agents this offseason as many teams outright ignored them. The Wings, though, are hoping that both former-Wings can bring their familiarity with the system and the city to the franchise and put it to good use.

Both players have seen their careers go off the tracks just a little bit, but with the way coach Mike Babcock mixes his lines up, each will see some time along a variety of talented players—both aforementioned and those we have yet to get to.

While all the attention was paid to Fabian Brunnstrom last year, Ville Leino went unnoticed when he signed with Detroit, but may pan out better than Brunnstrom. The Finn had nine points in 13 games and can dish the puck anywhere at will, as his skills have proved to be transferable to the Noth American game.

Then you have to consider that the depth at center shrouds Valteri Filppula, but he’s already had a productive goal-scoring season (19 in 2007-'08) and play-making season (28 assists in 2008-'09). If Filppula can combine the potential of both of those seasons (and if he plays alongside Leino, he could) he’ll be a big proponent in replacing the lost offense of Hossa.

While the Wings have the finesse down the sides, they also have grit and sand paper. Both Tomas Holmstrom and Daniel Cleary can produce (especially if Cleary replicates the playoffs: 15 points in 23 games) and agitate, while Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby are still good grinders despite being on the high side of 35.

After that, there are a bunch of low-risk, high-reward players like Patrick Eaves, Jeremy Williams, and Kris Newbury, while Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm have gained outstanding experience with the Wings during their past two Stanley Cup Finals runs and have proven they belong in the NHL.

Os-Good as it gets?

Many are wondering who is going to be splitting time with Chris Osgood this season.

Dan Cloutier was invited to training camp, but you have to wonder how good he could be as he hasn’t played in the NHL since an injury-plagued 2007-'08, while Jimmy Howard has just nine games of NHL experience.

That means that Osgood could be seeing his largest load of games since 2003, when he played in 67 games for the St Louis Blues.

While Osgood was outstanding in the playoffs for Detroit the past two seasons, the 2008-'09 regular season had fans less-than-convinced on him heading in to the playoffs as he posted the worst regular season stats of his career.

The Wings were fortunate enough last year to have Ty Conklin to rely on as Conklin provided the Wings with a great tandem option. This year, I’m not convinced that Dan Cloutier can provide that.

I do have high hopes for Jimmy Howard—I'm simply tentative to put two feet firmly on a boat with just nine games of NHL experience.

Try Keeping a Lid on This…

To say that you think of anyone other than Nik Lidstrom when you think of post-Steve Yzerman Detroit might be sheer lunacy. A consistent contender for the Norris Trophy and one of just a few defensemen in the league who would be worthy of a Hart Memorial nomination, Lidstrom is the most consistent and intelligent defenseman money can buy.

The two men after him on the depth chart have learned from two of the best, but get lost in the shuffle when you look at big threes and fours in the NHL.

While Brian Rafalski played alongside Hall-of-Famer and heavy hitter Scott Stevens in New Jersey, his offensive game really opened up in Detroit (he had 44 goals in seven seasons in New Jersey, but 23 in just two Detroit seasons).

His skating ability and intelligence on the ice (due in large part to the smart, responsible systems he learned from in Jersey) are second to none, making him an ideal number two defenseman.

Then you have Niklas Kronwall, who learned from Lidstrom himself. In his time in Detroit, Kronwall’s positioning and instincts have vastly improved, while it’ll be interesting to see if Kronwall’s offensive explosion last year (a 16-point improvement) is for real or not.

While the three aforementioned defenders rely on intelligence and mobility to effectively dodge and dismantle the opposition’s offensive attacks, there is a little size as well in Brad Stuart. Although he doesn’t use it consistently, Stuart does bring a little bit of everything to the game, as he’s also put up a few points during his time.

Following that top four, you get in to the simple strength that the Wings displayed with their forwards: depth.

Wings fans will have their eyes on Andreas Lilja to start the season, gauging to see if the 34-year-old will be at full strength and effectiveness after missing the remainder of last year with a concussion. After that, super rookie Jonathan Ericsson slid in seamlessly during the playoffs last year, and could very well snag a spot from veteran journeymen Doug Janik and Andy Delmore or Brett Lebda.

Speaking of scratching and clawing for a spot, the same can be said for Derek Meech and Jakub Kindl, who have the abilities to play in the NHL, they just have to squeeze out the time, while many have very high hopes for Kindl as soon as this year.

Thenagain, if Meech, Kindl, and Ericsson can prove that they’re the more talented options that the Wings should be going with, Babcock has proven that he has no problem going with effectiveness over experience.

So What’s It All Mean…

Scoring? Bah. The Red Wings won’t have scoring trouble.

Sure, losing the 71 points of Marian Hossa hurts, while the absences of Mikael Samuelsson, Tomas Kopecky, and Jiri Hudler will be noticeable at first, but the replacements that the Red Wings are looking at deploying have the talent and smarts that this franchise covets.

The big question this season is in the crease. There’s no reliable option (unless Jimmy Howard proves otherwise) behind Chris Osgood, and Osgood is going to have to prove that he isn’t just reserved to turning it on for just the playoffs.

If Osgood can turn in a solid effort for 60 games or Howard and Cloutier do in fact surprise, the Wings should have a handle on first place.

That’s the key, however, because if Osgood turns in a year like last year and there's no additional help, the Wings will slide a bit.

Predicted Finish: Second in Central.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: St Louis Blues

Bryan Thiel — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:36:55 -0400

St Louis Blues

2008/09 Record: 41-31-10, 92 points, 6th in West—Swept by Vancouver Canucks in first round

Additions: Ty Conklin—G (2 years/$2.6 mil), Derek Armstrong—F (FA), Brendan Bell—D (FA), Darryl Sydor—(T.C. Invite)

Subtractions: Jay McKee—D (FA), Jeff Woywitka—D (FA), Manny Legace—G (FA), Dan Hinote—F (FA),

The Central Division is by far the toughest division in the NHL.

Not only do you have two of the top teams in the West in the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, but you also three very evenly-matched teams in St. Louis, the Columbus Blue Jackets (who tied with identical records last year), and the Nashville Predators.

As Nashville found out last year, it’s impossible to take a game off and expect to make the playoffs.

Nothing is Brewin’ on the back end this year…

For the Blues, there’s a fair bit of turnover on the back end.

Out is quality low-pairing scoring option Jeff Woywitka, and in his place is former Maple Leaf and Senator Brendan Bell. Bell has great mobility on the back end and offers much of the same assets as Woywitka did, with just a touch more offense and a little more room for improvement.

Then the Blues lost both stay-at-home defenseman Jay McKee through a buyout, and Captain Eric Brewer to injury. While Darryl Sydor won’t replace McKee’s presence or Brewer’s powerful shot or strong frame, he can offer some tutelage to the younger blueliners on this roster (If he makes the team—he's on a training camp invite).

The two that most people think about when they think “young St. Louis Blue blueliners” are Alex Pietrangelo and Erik Johnson—both of whom went in opposite directions last year.

Pietrangelo made the team out of training camp last year and didn’t look out of place at the NHL level. The drawback, though, was that he was kept out of action for six games due to a hit to the head, and eventually returned to Niagara where he registered 29 points in 38 OHL games.

Johnson, meanwhile, suffered through injury concerns of his own, but he wasn’t fortunate enough to get back on the ice in the same season. After tearing his ACL due to “improper use of a golf cart”, Johnson will have to work to get back to where he was before. In the 2007/08 season, Johnson displayed great skating ability and was the point man for the St. Louis powerplay. Although the Blues survived without him last year, a healthy Johnson is a big boost for the Blues.

After being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs last year, Carlo Colaiacovo turned into a go-to defenseman for the Blues, becoming the power play setup man notching 19 assists with the extra man (most likely seeing a boost in those numbers if Johnson returns to form) and averaging big minutes for the team from time-to-time.

Leafs fans had soured on Colaiacovo’s inability to stay healthy, but if he can stay on the ice in St Louis he’ll realize his top-four ability, leaving Leafs' fans to bang their heads of windowns, desks, and frying pans out of frustration.

Along with them, shut-down option extraordinaire Barret Jackman continues to bruise opposing forwards. His offense will always be back and forth, but that’s not what Jackman is paid for—he’s paid for his ability to play sound, smart defensive hockey, and lay the body without remorse.

Roman Polak played his first full year in the NHL last season, and while there were ups (15 points) and downs (-15 rating), Polak will slide in nicely on the lower pairing for the Blues, offering a quiet consistency down low.

There are plenty of other depth options in Missouri like Bryce Lampman, Steve Wagner, and Mike Weaver, but the man worth waiting for is far at the end of the tunnel as Ian Cole should be set to join the Blues’ defense after his final NCAA season.

Conked on the Head, the Mason didn’t know what to do...

The place where the Blues truly lack a star is in the crease.

Once thinking that Marek Schwarz could be that future star, Schwarz left for the Czech league halfway through last season and won't be back, while Ben Bishop is expected to see big minutes in the AHL this season so that he can hone his game and be ready for his next NHL callup.

That leaves Chris Mason and Ty Conklin—two goalies who are very similar.

Many remember Mason as the former starter for the Nashville Predators who supplanted Tomas Vokoun, and then was overtaken by Dan Ellis. In his lone season in St Louis, Mason played in a career-high 57 games last year, and posted a 2.41 goals-against and save percentage.

While those numbers are excellent, one has to wonder if Mason will be able to stay within that realm.

The acquisition of Ty Conklin protects the Blues in the event Mason falters.

Conklin has been a starter in the league, a playoff bust, a backup, and a tandem goalie, proving himself last year when Detroit’s Chris Osgood slipped up.

After having to find himself after a playoff meltdown with Edmonton, Conklin has played two outstanding years with Detroit and Pittsburgh and is a quality option for up to 45 games if need be.

Although he’s far from receiving a full-fledged starting role, Conklin is the ideal man to back up Mason with his preparation and willingness to go in at a moment’s notice.

However, with Mason's ability to grow a beard, the facial hair alone may cement his hold on the spot, as well as his drive to go back to the playoffs.

Boyes…we aren’t going Backes to McDonald’s…

There’s one forward for the Blues that everyone seems to have a vested interest in seeing this season: Paul Kariya.

As Kariya missed 75 games combined last year due to hip surgery, the big things to watch for will be if the agility and speed are hindered at all in Kariya’s game. If not, the Blues have just added a dangerous point-per-game winger to the mix. If there’s any lingering effect, Kariya could be in for another long and difficult year.

While Kariya may or may not see a return to form, and the veteran presence of Keith Tkachuk is approaching the twilight of a grand career, the Blues are certainly prepared.

Waiting in the wings are the likes of Patrik Berglund (a puck-moving center who had a solid rookie campaign last year), Lars Eller (a highly touted forward who’s debut will be delayed by lingering shoulder surgery), the balanced David Perron (touting 15 goals and 35 assists last season), and the pesky TJ Oshie (who’ll turn into a consistent 20-goal scorer).

Along with those promising youngsters, there are established scoring NHLers dotting the lineup. Brad Boyes is the second (first in chronological order) reason on this roster that Leafs fans have grown impatient with their franchise’s lack of patience. The big-time shooting winger may eventually settle in the 35-goal range for a few seasons.

Andy McDonald has the ability to skate with some of the more gifted forwards on the St. Louis roster, and he’s also got the hands and vision to feed a shooter of Boyes’ caliber.

Inching back to the "forlorn Maple Leafs”, Alex Steen will have to stay with third-line responsibilities for the Blues due to all of the depth, but the lesser attention may work for Steen who seemed to rediscover his touch following the mid-November trade from Hogtown (six goals and 18 assists in 61 games).

We’ve also forgotten to mention David Backes, whose 31 goals defined an offensive explosion for the burly winger. While matching those totals may seem a little lofty, Backes will still score goals and will be the big power forward the Blues need.

After that, the Blues feature an outstanding penalty killer in Jay McClement, and some solid depth players in Brad Winchester and DJ King. Enforcer Cam Janssen will continue to drop the gloves, while B.J. Crombeen could develop into a low-line complimentary scorer.

So what’s it all mean?

The Blues need to outperform a Columbus team eager to prove last year was no fluke, and a Nashville team that wants to return to the Spring Fling.

The scoring will be there, whether Kariya is back or not, and the defense can only get better with a returning Erik Johnson and a further-developing Alex Pietrangelo.

Goaltending is the only question for the Blues, but even then it’s not that tough of one with Mason being supported by Conklin. The only time it becomes a question is when you look past this season.

3rd in Central

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets

Bryan Thiel — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:42:34 -0400

Yesterday, during the Nashville Predators preview, Kanye West had a second driving urge to interupt.

And I really don't have a problem with this—except for the fact that Beyonce's video was no where near the best ever.

In fact, because it was simply her dancing for three-and-a-half minutes, it made the song more annoying. Maybe I'm just bitter.

Columbus Blue Jackets

2008/09 Record: 41-31-10, 95 points, seventh in West—swept in first round of playoffs by Detroit.

Additions: Mathieu Garon—G (2 years/$2.4 mil), Samuel Pahlsson—F (3 years/$7.95 mil).

Subtractions: Jason Williams—F (FA), Ole-Kristian Tollefsen—D (FA), Aaron Rome—D (FA), Mike York—F (FA), Michael Peca—F (FA), Manny Malhotra—F (FA), Wade Dubielewicz.

Last year, the Columbus Blue Jackets took a step forward.

You can classify it as a big step forward because it was their first-ever playoff appearance, but the sweep at the hands of Detroit also takes a few inches off of that stride.

Then again, anyone going up against the Red Wings is going to have a tough time.

After all, it did take the Pittsburgh Penguins two tries to beat them, so maybe the Jackets have some hope this season.

Stevie Wonder and His Care of the Crease

You know you’re good when mono can’t even stop you.

Midway through a spectacular rookie season that saw Mason net the Calder trophy, he missed three games due to the “kissing disease.”

Unfortunately, we can’t blame that on him kissing the trophy, but maybe Sean Avery has some diseased “sloppy seconds” he’s still passing along.

Lame Avery jokes aside, the Jackets have something special in Mason. A 30-win goaltender with sparkling statistics, Mason has a bright future in a market that’s traditionally had trouble finding a starting goalie.

This year will be very telling with regard to his mental makeup, however.

Not one to take a night off, Mason is always hungry to prove himself and nowhere are expectations higher than the sophomore season for any player—let alone a goalie.

Fortunately for Mason, there will be no revolving door behind him this year.

In the 2008-'09 season, four goalies saw action behind Mason in a combined 26 games.

This year, that duty will hopefully fall solely to Mathieu Garon.

After a quality 2007-'08 campaign in Edmonton, Garon came into last season hoping that he could hold on to the starter’s role. After suffering through a bout of ineffectiveness to begin the season, not only did Garon lose his role, but he was eventually traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins where he sat shotgun on the way to a Stanley Cup championship.

If the Jackets are going to be successful on days that Mason doesn’t start, Garon is not only going to have to prove that he can be the same 30-win goalie from L.A. (2005-'06), but that he can also keep that mentality when not playing every day.

Commodore 64 and Methot Man

The Blue Jackets really have a variety of parts on the back end, and last year they really came together.

For the team that featured the fourth-fewest goals allowed amongst playoff teams and fifth fewest in the conference, there was no real No. 1 guy as the Jackets were one of 10 teams (and only three playoff teams) to feature a defense with no one player averaging more than 24 minutes.

Fedor Tyutin led the defense, averaging 23:30 per game and finishing with 34 points.

Tyutin’s offensive production definitely benefited from increased ice time and responsibilities in Columbus last season (remember, he was in New York three years prior), but producing much more than last year’s 34 points may be unlikely.

Despite that, his size (6’3", 210 lbs.) will come in handy, as well as the fact that, from what points he does score, a portion of them will be on the power play.

Last year, Jan Hejda received big time minutes as well.

Specializing in a shut-down role last year, Hejda led the team in plus/minus (+23) and shorthanded time on ice (per game), but don't expect him to boost his career high 21 points from last year.

Hejda has played in 163 of 164 games over the past two seasons and limited his penalty minutes to just 38 last season. His penalty-killing compadre, Mike Commodore, allowed an identical 36 shorthanded goals-against last year, but both spent over 300 minutes on the penalty kill last year, averaging 3:58 (Hejda) and 3:44 (Commodore) a man down.

Speaking of Commodore, he had a slightly unrealistic 24 points last year—a kind of surprising stat from a player who’s not known for that sort of thing.

The big reason for that, as well as Tyutin’s career year, is because the Jackets don’t feature a big time offensive weapon from the back end.

Rostislav Klesla, despite a ton of potential when he entered the league, has had trouble staying healthy, which has stunted his offensive growth.

Marc Methot has some offensive potential, but not much more than 20 or 25 points per season, while Kris Russell has a big shot and a ton of opportunity in the NHL—he just needs the ice time and the experience on a big-league power play.

The Blue Jackets also have three good, young defensemen either in junior (John Moore—OHL, Kitchener Rangers) or in the College ranks (Teddy Ruth and Cody Goloubef), but players like Nick Holden, Jonathan Sigalet, and Mathieu Roy will be filling out the ranks this season while Brent Regner and Andrey Plekhanov might get some time as call-ups.

Mustard on Your Umberger? Then You Can Nash Away

After a few down years (if you can count seasons of 31 and 27 goals “down years”) Rick Nash seems to have found his stride at the NHL game again. With 38 goals in 2007-'08 and 40 goals last year, Nash has truly developed into a premier power forward and, with plenty of bountiful young talent surrounding him in Columbus, he can only get better.

Derick Brassard is one of those players, and if it wasn’t for mid-season shoulder surgery, Brassard may have been Columbus’ second contender for Rookie of the Year.

Despite a small frame, Brassard has the ability to feed the puck all over the ice as well as get up and down the rink very quickly.

He’s augmented in the middle of the ice by R.J. Umberger. Umberger started off very slowly on the season with just two points in his first nine games, but from there, Umberger really transformed into a goal-scoring center.

In fact, until Kristian Huselius scored in game four of the Detroit series, Umberger was the only Blue Jacket with a goal (two in three games) in that series.

Speaking of Huselius, his production went down a bit after coming over from Calgary (as expected), but he has developed a level of consistency. Huselius has 20 goals or more in five of his six NHL seasons and he seems to have settled in as a 55-60 point scorer, so that kind of mid-level production for the shifty power player isn't uncommon.

The Jackets were able to add a little more scoring at the trade deadline last year as well by adding Antoine Vermette, who could combine with someone of Huselius’ (or dynamic rookie Nikita Filatov’s) talents to make his way back to the 50-point plateau.

Along with Filatov, Maxim Mayorov may be able to stake a claim to a roster spot as well for a full rookie season, while Jakub Voracek should produce around the 45-point mark this season as well as potting at least 10 goals after getting his feet wet last year and hopefully using his shot more this year.

The Blue Jackets are also fortunate to have plenty of depth. Before coming to Columbus, Fredrick Modin was a 30-goal threat, now however, he’s simply an injury-hampered winger who is still capable of potting a few goals.

Otherwise, Raffi Torres, Jason Chimera, Derek Dorsett, Andrew Murray, and a plethora of others will be providing solid depth for the Jackets and the addition of Samuel Pahlsson replaces some of the depth lost when Mike York, Michael Peca, and Manny Malhotra hit free agency.

Pahlsson also brings a lot of grit and two-way awareness to the Jackets and will boost their checking lines and penalty kill.

So What’s It All Mean

The big advantage that the Blue Jackets have over the two other teams they’re competing with at the bottom of the Central (Nashville and St. Louis) is their offense, while their goaltending is on par with that of Nashville and better than St Louis’.

Where this team lacks is defensively.

Although they had some big performances from their defenders last year, Mike Commodore was really being pushed while Jan Hejda was playing a bit above his head last year.

The team still lacks a big time No. 1 defenseman and a real offensive threat from the blueline unless Russell steps up big time this year.

The differences between those three teams will certainly make the battle for third in the Central interesting.

Predicted Finish: Fourth in Central.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out all of his previous work out in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Nashville Predators

Bryan Thiel — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:33:58 -0400

On to our last division of the Western Conference, it's time for the Central Division.

Nashville Predators

2008/09 Record: 40-34-8 188 points, 10th in West

Additions: Ben Quite—F (FA), Marcel Goc—F (FA)

Subtractions: Scott Nichol—F (FA), Ville Koistinen—D (FA), Vernon Fiddler—F (FA), Greg Zanon—D (FA), Radek Bonk—F (Russia), Antti Pihlstrom—F (Sweden), Greg DeVries—D (FA)

The Predators are in a great spot, which may be a surprise for most people.

Looking at the offseason departures, what the Preds lost were a lot of fringe, role, and bench players as they were able to retain all of their big-timers for another year and re-sign the key pieces.

What’s even better for fans of the Prehistoric Cats is that the vacated roles are going to be filled with young, talented players that should thrive in the immediate future.

Lather, Rinne, Repeat…

Last year Pekka Rinne was one of the most pleasant surprises in the NHL.

After trading starters Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason in previous seasons, it was expected that Dan Ellis would be able to shoulder the starting load.

Although Ellis played moderately well in the game action he saw last year, he did little to prove that he was more than a backup, thrusting Rinne into the spotlight.

And from that thrust, Rinne never looked back.

Entrenching himself firmly as the starter, Rinne set up a great rookie campaign, earning 29 wins along with a tidy .917 save percentage and an impressive 2.38 goals-against.

The latest success story out of now-goalie factory Finland, Rinne used a very big frame to his advantage, helping to prove that the AHL career he crafted for himself was no fluke.

Looking at him technically, there’s no reason to assume Rinne would have lost a step, and at 26 he’s just entering the prime of his career—which is great news for the Predators, as it gives them a bit of an advantage over their Central Division opponents who have to answer questions about their tender rotation.

Speaking of which, here are those questions I'm thinking of: Whether Chris Osgood will just turn it on in playoffs again, how good can a 33-year old Chris Mason be, and possibly Christobel Huet—although he'll be better as a straight-up starter but we'll get to that in their preview.

Kanye: You know what? Those are some great questions and I respect them, but I have to say: LARRY KING HAS THE BEST QUESTIONS EVER!! WOULD YOU EVER NOT ANSWER A MAN NAMED LARRY? NO. 'CAUSE HE'S THE BEST!!

BT: Why do you even feel like this is necessary?

Then again, once rookie Chet Pickard has established himself and become “elite” at the AHL level, there could be a few goaltending questions of Nashville’s own to answer.

Fortunately, that’s only crystal ball material as Rinne will have it locked down this season.

Does it Suter you? Like a spider spinning a Weber it does…

The Predators (and Rinne) are also fortunate to feature one of the strongest defenses in the league as well.

Of course at the top of it all is the multi-faceted Shea Weber, whose physicality, size, awareness, and offensive ability all amount to one of the best defensemen in the league, whose able to play in any and all situations.

Matching up alongside him is Ryan Suter, who is the perfect compliment to Weber.

While Weber features the big blast from the point on the power play, Suter can not only find his man with a crisp pass, but he can also unleash a huge point shot of his own. Defensively Suter seemed to struggle a bit last season (posting a putrid -16), but history may prove that to be little more than an aberration.

Dan Hamhuis will also be back for the Preds, as he went to the Team Canada orientation camp alongside Weber which says a lot about the consensus thoughts of Hamhuis.

A good offensive presence from the back end that can move the puck, Hamhuis relies on his vision to make that first pass out of the zone. He’s buoyed by the fact that Weber and Suter protect him from being a “feature player” on the back end, eliminating some pressure as both eat up a little extra ice time.

From there, we start to see the effect the losses of Greg Zanon and Greg DeVries would have on this team. While Zanon was an excellent penalty killer, DeVries may be missed more as the Preds will now lack that true veteran presence from the back end.

Alexander Sulzer may be able to fill one of those roles, while bringing more offense to it than his predecessors. Although a more physical defenseman may be ideal on the penalty kill (there’s also the consideration that Sulzer’s season was cut short by a shoulder injury last year), Sulzer adds yet another offensive weapon to the team.

Another defenseman looking for an expanded role is Kevin Klein. Although all of the defensemen that the Predators look to be employing have that offensive after touch, Klein’s instincts have always helped him in his own end, and if he adds a bit of muscle he should be able to handle the energetic forwards the Central brings to the table.

But, like always, there’s a wild card with the Predators.

Not only is the drafting of Ryan Ellis an interesting one (although if he makes the team out of training camp it will surprise even Kanye up there), but also Jonathan Blum and Cody Franson are fighting for a roster spot in the Music City.

Although Blum saw outstanding offensive growth last year in the WHL and he’s one of the smartest prospects in the system, Franson has gotten the AHL seasoning and is considered ready to take the jump as well.

The hulking frame (6’5/214 lbs) helps the case for Franson, as does his 50-point AHL season.

Either way, there will be at least one young, promising defenseman making his debut for the Predators this season.

Getting a Legwand up on our competition Arnott (Is not?) our main concern…

Late last season injuries derailed the Predators offense.

With his season cut short by a fractured cheekbone suffered in practice, David Legwand was denied the opportunity to break the 50-point barrier. Although that was an unlikely circumstance with 42 points in 73 games, Legwand would have easily surpassed the 44 points he accumulated the season before.

While Legwand has a big frame and plenty of speed, he hasn’t quite been able to put it together at the NHL level, although he should be good for 20 goals and 50 points this season.

One of the reasons why Legwand gets a little shadowed in Nashville is because Jason Arnott is holding down the number one center spot. Although Arnott is getting older, he brings a ton of experience to the team, as well as offensive ability. Arnott missed much of March last season with a concussion, but he’ll be back and healthy this year alongside two linemates who are expected to be the same.

Everyone knows that Steve Sullivan missed a ton of time due to injury last year (and the last few years) but the more impressive thing is that after so much time way, Sullivan missed just one game after coming back—and that was a pre-determined absence.

Sullivan has dynamic play-making ability, and after getting back into the swing of things last year Sullivan may very well be back to that 60- to 70-point plateau if given a full season.

Across from him on the first line will be Jean-Pierre Dumont. Despite being banged up last year, Dumont was able to play in all 82 games, as he and Jerred Smithson were the only two forwards to do so. J.P. will be able to slide the puck all over the ice to Arnott and Sullivan, and if they're able to finish them off,they'll bump up the fourth-lowest goal total in the West from last season.

Suffering a broken leg late last year, Martin Erat was another forward who wasn’t able to finish the season. Erat should have been able to retain his speed and agility while rehabbing from his injury, and could easily be in line for his fourth-straight 57-point campaign if only he finished last season.

The Preds also have some very hard-working forwards in Jordin Tootoo and Ryan Jones. Jones plays with a ton of jam, as well as being a good defensive presence. Because of that, Jones could be in line for a 25-point season this year, while Tootoo is widely regarded as a pain to play against, and with sometimes.

Surprise of the year Joel Ward will also be back in Nashville, although another 35-point season may be questionable. Ward still brings the attitude of a construction worker to the rink and doesn’t give up, so scoring or not he’ll be valuable to the Preds—much like the aforementioned Smithson.

From there, veterans Marcel Goc and Wade Belak are going to have to battle for playing time on the lower lines while youngsters Cal O’Reilly and Colin Wilson look to make an impact.

Wilson is an early candidate for the Calder Trophy as he brings a full, well-rounded package to the ice, while O’Reilly could be right there with him if his five points in 11 games is the true interpretation of his NHL skills and comfort level.

From there, Patric Hornqvist will have to bounce-back from a disappointing initial NHL campaign if he’s going to earn the faith of the Preds’ brass, while Michael and Mark Santorelli and Peter Olvecky will have to scratch and claw their ways into consistent roles.

So what’s it all mean…

The Predators need to score this year to be competitive—that’s all there is to it.

The defense will be better this year as will the goaltending, because all of the young contributors have another year under their belts, and the youngsters like Blum and Franson won’t be in feature roles unless they’re able to earn them.

A full year from Steve Sullivan and consistent production from the veterans as well as solid efforts from O’Reilly and Wilson up front will be what keeps Nashville in games.

If they can do that, then they can at least jump into fourth ahead of tomorrow's team.

Kanye: You know what? Don't do tomorrow's team. Do the Preds. AGAIN! 'Cause they're the best!! That's right y'all I'm a Preds fan!

BT: Do you realize that you're probably the most self-indulgent celebrity ever?

Kanye: Yes.

BT: Do you also realize that every time you open your mouth it's either ridiculously awkward (George Bush hates black people) or unnecessary (Flashing Lights)?

Kanye: But...I'm the GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!

BT: Go eat a fish stick.

5th in Central

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile or by emailing him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. You can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins

Bryan Thiel — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:41:22 -0400

There are a few things that make the Atlantic so difficult to predict.

For one, last year it had four teams make the playoffs: the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Second, the division also features not only the Stanley Cup champion, but last year's owner of the first overall selection, the New York Islanders.

With such a variety, even though one team may have an upper hand, it's still wide open once the season starts.

Pittsburgh Penguins

2008/09 Record: 45-28-9, 99 points, fourth in East—Won Stanley Cup in seven games over Detroit Red Wings.

Additions: Brent Johnson—G (2 years/$2 mil.), Jay McKee—D (1 year/$800 K), Michael Rupp—F (2 years/$1.65 mil), Wade Brookbank—F (FA).

Subtractions: Rob Scuderi—D (FA), Hal Gill—D (FA), Mathieu Garon—G (FA), Philippe Boucher—D (Retired), Petr Sykora—F (FA), Miroslav Satan—F (FA).

The Pittsburgh Penguins have finally taken the first step along that path that many expected them to in winning the Stanley Cup last season.

Now, despite the off-season losses, the Pens are eyeing a third straight trip to the finals, and the making of a dynasty that the NHL hasn’t seen since the Edmonton Oilers.

Sid the Kid, Gino Malkin, and Staal the Second…

Simply put, Pittsburgh’s big three are what make them tick.

Sidney Crosby has the most pure talent out of any NHLer right now, but depending on who you are, he’s either the model NHL Citizen or he’s an immature child, not fit to be a leader.

Either way, the guy is damn talented.

Then the Pens feature a man considered by many to be more dangerous than Crosby, Evgeni Malkin.

Oh, and they also have the most talented and mis-cast (but that's thanks to the other two) third-line center in the league in Jordan Staal, whose huge frame and two-way ability have teams drooling in hopes they can one day acquire him.

The scary thing is that these guys combined for the following line last year: 90 goals and 175 assists for 265 points. Scary considering that Staal hasn’t even harnessed all his tools as a power center.

Looking to other places up front, however, the Penguins do have some pieces down the sides.

Granted, there’s a very noticeable drop-off talent-wise, but Chris Kunitz has the gumption to get into the scoring lanes and put home some rebounds, as well as the moves and toughness that go beyond his size.

Despite losing his goal-scoring mojo in the playoffs (one goal the entire run), Kunitz seemed to find his niche in Pittsburgh and could feasibly return to the realm of 60 points this season.

From there, although the offense is fewer in numbers, the experience goes way up.

Bill Guerin was supposed to have capped his career with another Stanley Cup ring. Now however, he seems to be rejuvenated for another season in Pittsburgh, which may see him top 50 points one last time in shooting for that third Stanley Cup ring.

Along with him, Ruslan Fedotenko brings two Cup rings worth of experience and a nose for the front of the net that can benefit any of those talented Penguins by drawing in the attention from the defense or wreaking havoc on the netminder when he’s left alone.

Although he was just a throw-in in the Marian Hossa trade, Pascal Dupuis did what Hossa didn’t and stuck around long enough to be a champion in the Steel City.

Dupuis, Craig Adams, Eric Godard, Tyler Kennedy, Matt Cooke, Dustin Jeffery (who showed some good awareness and strength at the Rookie Tournament), and Mike Rupp will provide critical depth, while Maxime Talbot may have earned a slightly larger role with such a big-ticket playoff performance.

From there, the Pens have a handful of youngsters who could step up and provide the auxiliary scoring that’s really lost down the wings.

Eric Tangradi was a big-time goal-scorer for the Bellville Bulls, and even a team like the Penguins can never have enough offense. Tangradi always seems to be around the puck and he's a very swift skater, benefited by the fact that his passes seem to have eyes.

Luca Caputi is another name Pens fans are familiar with and should see on their starting lineups come October, as Caputi may be ready to try and transition his power game to the NHL.

Caputi may have to break the habit of occasionally cherry-picking, but if the Pens get a solid defensive effort out of Caputi, they'll also be blessed with a player who skates hard, drives to the net well, and plays with a bit of an edge.

It’s Back…Way Back…and It’s Gon-Char…

While many are wringing their hands over the fact that Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi have parted ways with Pittsburgh, it’s far from the end of the world.

While Gill provided a solid, yet slow-footed, defensive presence and Scuderi was one of the most underrated penalty killers in the league last year, the Pens have replacements.

For one, they’re going to have Sergei Gonchar back for an entire season. Granted Gonchar’s defensive reputation is far less than that of his offensive one, but a leader returning is a leader returning—something the Penguins lacked for 56 games last year.

As Gonchar looks to find his way into the 55-60 point neighborhood once again, he’ll have a new student to tutor.

With the ice time opened up by the aforementioned Gill and Scuderi, as well as last season’s trade deadline dumping of Ryan Whitney, Alex Goligoski will be able to make use of his brand new contract.

Goligoski’s skating ability and his vision helped him thrive in a time where the Penguins’ defense had really lost its way, missing two of its key components. While 20 points in 45 games isn’t earth-shattering, it is certainly a great start for a fresh-faced defender eager to prove the Pens’ faith right.

Much like the forwards, although Kris Letang offers some offense after the fall-off (33 points last year) while playing a very smooth game, the roster turns into smart, responsible, and experienced players.

Jay McKee brings exactly what the Penguins need to the table in a strong, smart, and physical package. The added bonus is that, while his offense comes in spurts few and far between, his last three goals have been game-winners.

I don’t get it either.

Brooks Orpik brings a big, bad, physical presence as well some leadership to the board, leading in ways other than offensively for the Penguins.

Mark Eaton, Alex Grant, and Nathan Guenin will also be providing the Penguins with depth, while Kitchener Ranger Robert Bortuzzo has a shot to at least make it to the AHL this year.

If he stars there, Bortuzzo could spell someone during an injury, which is useful as the big man has the sense to jump into the open hole on the ice on the power play.

A Fleury of Activity…

After the last two games of the Detroit series, it’s very hard to doubt Marc-Andre Fleury.

Fleury held the Detroit Red Wings to just two goals in the final two games of the Finals last year, while also limiting his goals-against to just six total in all four Pittsburgh wins.

To go along with that, Fleury posted his second 35-plus win season, bouncing back from a 2007-'08 season marred by an ankle injury.

His agility and quickness in the crease are up to snuff with the best goalies in the league and when he’s on his game and playing behind a team truly clicking on all cylinders, there’s no stopping him.

If he’s matured past some of his shakier moments, then Fleury is all the more dangerous.

Buoying that is the fact that Pittsburgh added a very capable backup in Brent Johnson.

Another former St. Louis Blues starter turned backup, Johnson was fairly solid over his Washington Capitals career, but really solidified over the past two seasons, settling into a backup role of about 20 games per year.

Because of Johnson, Fleury should be able to stay in the 60-65 game range, preserving him for an extended Penguins’ playoff run.

So What’s It All Mean?

The Penguins have the three best offensive weapons of any team in the league, while sporting one of the most talked about young goalies as well.

The big thing for them this season is their defense, which many people think will hinder them.

The differences between them and the Flyers defensively (the Flyers are leaps and bounds better) are certainly evident, but the battle for division supremacy will come down to who is between the pipes and how they're playing.

Ray Emery vs. Marc-Andre Fleury—whom would you take?

A question I never thought I’d ask, and one I hoped I’d never have to answer.

Without seeing Emery step on the ice yet this season, however, the edge goes to Fleury.

Prediction: First in Atlantic.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile, or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also be sure to check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009/10 NHL Season Preview: Philadelphia Flyers

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:48:39 -0400

There are so many different weapons in the Atlantic Division.

Of course the Pittsburgh Penguins have their big three, augmented by Chris Kunitz, a dynamic defense, and Marc-Andre Fleury; The Devils sport Martin Brodeur and Zach Parise—two players that really determine the fate of New Jersey; then in New York, if the Rangers' key players can stay healthy, their offense will be improved, while the Islanders are on their way up with some great young talent.

But that still doesn't count out the Philadelphia Flyers.

A dynamic offense and one of the best defensive cores in the league? Now that's something.

Philadelphia Flyers

2008/09 Season: 44-27-11, 99 points, fifth in East—lost in six games to Pittsburgh Penguins in first round of the playoffs.

Additions: Ole-Kristian Tollefsen—D (1 year/600k), Ian Laperierre—F (3 years/$3.5mil), Brian Boucher—G (2 years/$1.85mil), Chris Pronger—D (Trade w/Anaheim).

Subtractions: Mike Knuble—F (FA), Luca Sbisa—D (Trade w/Anaheim), Joffrey Lupul—F (Trade w/Anaheim), Martin Biron—G (FA), Andrew Alberts—G (FA), Antero Niittymaki—G (FA), Derian Hatcher—D (Retired).

The Flyers lost some scoring over the offseason in trading Joffrey Lupul and watching Mike Knuble make is way to Washington, but the big thing for the orange and black was the acquisition of Chris Pronger, who immediately makes any defense better upon his arrival.

It's between the pipes where the final question lies for the Flyers.

A Bundle of Boucher Grazing an Emery Board...

The Flyers will have a very different look in goal this year.

Instead of relying on the inconsistent Antero Niittymaki or the French connection of Martin Biron, the Flyers have added to the "Broadstreet Bullies" persona.

With the addition of Ray Emery, the Flyers not only pick up a goalie with a well-documented history of on and off-ice discipline issues, they have nabbed themselves a chippy tender whose never afraid to do what's necessary for a win.

The gung-ho attitude almost seems to be a necessity for any goalie that's set to deal with the Philadelphia faithful, and Emery's brash style will play well with the fans if he stays out of trouble.

But isn't that the key? If Emery stays out of trouble, he can easily be a 30-win goaltender in the NHL with his size and athleticism. His numbers in Ottawa alone are proof of that, as in his first two "full" seasons (the first being only 39 games), Emery recorded a combined 56 wins and saw big improvements in his goals against and save percentages across those years.

He also saw a Stanley Cup finals series—something the Flyers haven't seen since they were swept back-to-back alongside Washington by Detroit's mid-90s mini-dynasty.

If Emery can't stay out of hot water, the attention will be much greater than it was in the KHL (Emery had a documented run-in with a team trainer with regard to the wearing of a sponsored hat that did receive some press over here), and we may see him publicly crumble once again.

Fortunately for the Flyers, they have a backup who is not only experienced in filling in for his starters at a moment's notice, but a man who is familiar with Philadelphia.

Brian Boucher was once the man in Philadelphia, bouncing back and forth in the starter's role early in his career, and even leading the Flyers through 18 playoff games in the 1999 playoffs.

Since leaving Philly, Boucher has travelled around a variety of organizations, and aside from setting the consecutive shutout record with the Phoenix Coyotes, has had limited success.

Boucher seemed to rediscover himself in San Jose last year, backing up Evgeni Nabokov and getting back to utilizing his size and confidence in the crease, making him an ideal backup whether he's behind Martin Brodeur or Jim Carey.

If Emery fails, it's unlikely Boucher can shoulder an entire season's worth of the load, but he's a quality option to have behind the volatile former Sen.

Don't 'Prong' the 'Co-Bear'...

Defensively, the Flyers have some of the best there is to offer.

If you aren't aware of how good Kimmo Timonen is, then Alan Bass may have a bone to pick with you.

Timonen consistently uses sound positioning and great footwork to neutralize his opponents, while his smarts and stability only add to the package. He has some of the best "hockey eyes" in the league, underscored by the fact that 40 of his 43 points last year were assists.

He kills penalties, plays the power play, and is deadly on even strength, but alongside Chris Pronger (whether metaphorically or physically) the two will be deadly.

While the seven-year extension given to the latest Flyer seems a bit long (considering Pronger will be 42 by the end of it), these aren't season previews for seven years from now—they're this season.

Pronger is still one of the biggest, meanest (most say dirtiest), and most powerful defensemen in the game. Playing alongside Scott Niedermayer only made him better and Pronger's production should see no fall off with Timonen feeding him the puck at the point if they match up on the power play.

From there, youngsters Braydon Coburn and Ryan Parent are finally starting to find their footing at the NHL level. Coburn is starting to utilize his size to his advantage—a key when you consider he's 24 and entering the prime of his career. He's also got a sound offensive game, allowing him to chip in 27-30 points for a season (he may top out at 35) with 10-goal potential.

Parent meanwhile provides all the offensive instincts you could ever want. Thinking of the Nashville Predators featuring a rotation of Weber, Hamhuis, Suter, and Parent right now is scary, but Philly's defense will undoubtedly benefit from the former Pred.

Parent has been gradually worked into the NHL rotation over the past few seasons and if his offensive game catches up to him, he'll be a great mid-pairing offensive mind.

Another defenseman who's provided some solid offensive support is Matt Carle. Although he may never reach the 40-point plateau again (especially buried in Philadelphia), Carle offers the flexibility to move up and down the depth chart, as well as a great power play option for the Flyers.

Depth wise, Philly will feature Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, who'll make defenders think twice about cutting across the ice when Randy Jones isn't out there. Both players can be exploited by their excitement in the hitting game, but the low-pairing physicality will be great for the Flyers' depth and protection if youngsters Oskars Bartulis, Marc-Andre Bourdon, and Kevin Marshall get a shot with the big club.

"I'll Have a Pint of Richards." "White, Orange, or Black?"

Up front, the Flyers will have no trouble scoring goals.

Last year, the black and orange scored the fifth-most goals in the league, relying on six players with 25 goals or more.

The two-way playmaking threat of Mike Richards is back this year as Flyers' captain, threatening to score another 30 goals. Richards has proven to be one of the most devastating scorers in any situation in the NHL, as he led the league with nine shorthanded points last year and fell into the top fifteen of powerplay points amongst forwards.

The bounce-back season of Simon Gagne was a sigh of relief for many Flyers fans and while he didn't get back to the 40-goal plateau last year, if Gagne continues to play well and avoid head injuries, he'll be more prone to all-around seasons that see him make plays as well as he shoots.

When given the opportunity, Scott Hartnell provides plenty of grit alongside his 60-point (30-goal) season, and his gutsy, aggressive, wrecking ball style of play will only wear down the opposing defenses, opening up holes and tiring out opponents for Jeff Carter.

Carter was the hottest player to start the season last year in the NHL, but cooled off considerably in the second half. The man who ended up second in the league with 46 goals will need to find a level of consistency this year—a funny thing to say when you consider that level of production. If he can find a way to sustain himself over an entire season though, watch out.

A question on the minds many Flyers fans will be how does the team offset the production lost in Mike Knuble and Joffrey Lupul.

Well, it's really very simple with these three easy steps:

1) Pray to whichever religious figure you choose to closely relate yourself to that Daniel Briere stays healthy. Briere is small and shifty, and has proven that he can really create anywhere out on the ice.

Last year, Briere fell victim to the injury bug as fans were treated to just a small sampling of his talents with 25 points in 29 games. He may not match his 95-point season from Buffalo, but he's certainly an all-around threat that can fill some twine for the Fly-Boys, and a second 70-point season in Philly will cool the losses.

2) Hope that Claude Giroux's explosive playoffs (five points in six games) is a sign of his true development.

Giroux is one of the most electrifying youngsters out there, and not only did the playoffs prove it, but a three game stretch against Boston and Toronto (he played Toronto twice) late in the season where Giroux had seven points in three games showed what he may be able to do with a full season.

3) Cross your fingers that James van Riemsdyk is ready. Although the young power forward may not be potting anywhere near 30 goals this year, his speed topples that of Mike Knuble, while the strength for the young power forward will come, as he could be netting 20-25 goals within his first few seasons in the league.

After that, depth is the word in the City of Brotherly Love.

While the Blair Betts tryout won't turn many heads offensively, the Flyers not only hurt the Rangers by taking the other half of their top end penalty-killing duo, but they improved their sixth ranked penalty from last year.

In the same light, Riley Cote, Aaron Asham, and Ian Laperriere aren't going to score that much, but they'll remind the opposition just how physically devastating the Flyers are, while Daniel Carcillo has the offensive potential to be a solid second line fill in, he just chooses to use his fists for fights instead.

Darryl Powe will see his second tour of duty for the Flyers this year and may hit ten goals or 20 points, but he may also see some time alongside youngster Patrick Maroon if the Flyers are so inclined to bring up the former London Knight for a taste of NHL action.

So What's It All Mean...

The Flyers are there offensively, and they now feature two of the top defenders in the league.

The main concern is the goaltending.

In a division like the Atlantic, Ray Emery is in a neck-and-neck battle alongside Marc-Andre Fleury for third behind Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist.

Then again, if Rick DiPietro is healthy, this isn't factoring him in to the equation.

The advantage that Emery has is that while Brodeur, Fleury, and Lundqvist will be forced to stand on their heads to keep their teams in games (and don't misunderstand—Emery will as well, just not as many), Rayzor just needs to keep cool in the crease and stop pucks.

If he can do that, then the top of the division is within grasp.

If he can't? The Flyers may be in for a dogfight.

Predicted finish: Second in the Atlantic.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan, you can do so through his profile, or email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, be sure to check out all of his previous work in his archives.

BT's 2009-10 NHL Season Preview: New Jersey Devils

Bryan Thiel — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 08:24:33 -0400

After making our way through both New York teams (the Rangers and the Islanders) we're now making our way across the river to New Jersey (I think it's a river anyhow).

While if you asked most people what they thought would happen if Martin Brodeur went down last year, I think one person may have predicted them winning the division.

Then again that guy sells his toenail clippings for fifty cents down by the pier.

New Jersey Devils

2008/09 Record

51-27-4, 106 points, finished third in the Eastern Conference—Lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games (First Round)

Additions

Yann Danis—G (one year/$500k), Ilkka Pikkarainen—F (Europe), and Ben Walter—F (Trade w/New York Islanders)

Subtractions

John Madden—F (FA), Brian Gionta—F (FA), Michael Rupp—F (FA), Scott Clemmensen—G (FA), and Kevin Weekes—G (FA)

Last season I went on record saying that the New Jersey Devils would be screwed if Martin Brodeur went down.

Well, he did and they weren't.

But simply because Scott Clemmensen was able to pull a career year out of who-knows-where doesn’t mean that the Devils are out of the woods.

Praise Pandolfo, Parise and a Little Bit of Langenbrunner

When you look at the front of the New Jersey Devils' lineup, you notice one thing.

The age certainly shines through.

With the recent resigning of Brendan Shanahan (whose 14 points in 34 games last year make him less-than intimidating), the Devils have five wingers who are 33-years-old or older.

Amongst them are Brian Rolston whose predicted "explosion" never happened last year after leaving a defense-first system (although, he was nagged by injuries), and Jay Pandolfo who dropped to just 10 points last year and experienced his worst season defensively in his career; he also saw his slimmest shorthanded ice-time per game margin since 2002-03.

Though some of the aged wonders in New Jersey are starting to slow down, some began to experience a renaissance last season. Jamie Langenbrunner had a career year, netting 69 points and finished with a career-high 29 goals, while Patrick Elias reached the 70-point/30-goal plateau for the first time since 2003-04.

A big reason for those two experiencing big years, was the youth integrated alongside them in Zach Parise.

Parise, who has long been touted as one of the best and most-intelligent players to be overlooked due to the Crosby/Ovechkin/Malkin/Kane/ect. era, he finally established himself amongst the elite last year, shattering his previous career highs.

His plus/minus improved by 17 points, he saw a 29 point increase over 2007-08, and scored 13 more goals last year. He also showed off some dazzling moves with his jaw-dropping skating ability.

While many thought the day would come, this year will be the first in a long line of those that will be defined by Parise's production.

With Parise drawing all of the attention on the top line, Travis Zajac should be able to thrive in a secondary scoring role. Blessed with a big frame and a propensity to shoot, Zajac should continue on as a 20-goal/60-point man in the NHL, with the ability to bump that up to the 65-range depending on his linemates.

One linemate that could slide well in alongside the big center is Matt Halischuk. The former Kitchener Ranger standout put up a solid debut campaign in the AHL, and even registered a point in his first NHL game.

Fellow Kitchener alum David Clarkson will also be back with the team, providing a sturdy third line presence, while Danius Zubrus will provide some scoring of his own.

In the fresh face department, most them aren't quite "fresh" as much as they were forgotten or seen infrequently.

Ilkka Pikkarainen is one of those quasi-fresh faces. Formerly property of the Devils, Pikkarainen went to the Finnish leagues for a few years where he evolved into a solid producer, netting 24 goals in his final season. While it's unlikely he has a mass impact in the NHL during his second go-around, it's still low-risk, high-reward.

Along with the Finn, Nicklas Bergfors will have another shot at the NHL come training camp, while Mattias Tedenby may get a look as well along with Tom Sestito, Bradley Snetsinger, and Michael Swift.

I Think You’ve Got a Rock-Solid Defense: "Oduya" Now?

Like those before him, Paul Martin has evolved into a defenseman that's undervalued by others, but fits perfectly in New Jersey. Over the past few years, the Minnesota native has seemed to settle in as a 30-point potential defender, while leading the team in time-on-ice last year with 24:22 per game.

The more impressive thing, is that not only is Martin settling into a role that sees him affect every end of the ice, but his shooting totals have gone up over the past few seasons, which will allow him to boost his goal totals after proving he moves the puck well.

Ranking right behind him on the depth chart is Johnny Oduya. After proving himself in 2007-08, Oduya earned his stripes and ice time in 2008-09, ranking second behind Martin in ice time and points for defenders, but potting two more goals than the Devils' leader.

An underrated commodity of his own, Oduya should continue to develop this year, offering the Devils a great duo—each of which have the right attitudes to lead this team.

With that, Colin White has even started to come out of his offensive shell a little bit, notching a seemingly unreal 17 assists (he had 19 back in 2000, but this is his highest total since then). White is a superb big-body presence that'll play through a brick wall to help his team, although, the style has led to some wear and tear on him.

From there, it's a bit of a drop off. Bryce Salvador returns to the team and while he seems to have found his footing in New Jersey over the past season and a half, there isn't much of a ceiling remaining for Salvador outside of his new found niche.

After him, the responsibilities fall to Jay Leach, Rob Davison, Mike Mottau, Cory Murphy, and Andy Greene—not necessarily your household lock-down names.

Because of that group, young defensemen like Tyler Eckford or Matthew Corrente will get some consideration from the big club at some point and a chance to strut their NHL stuff.

Marty, Marty, Marty

Martin Brodeur is a Hall-of-Fame goalie and one of the top-three goalies of all-time.

But there comes a time when every "great" must surrender his crown.

After falling victim to a strange injury last year, after taking a slapshot off of his left arm, Brodeur missed the biggest chunk of games during his career—50 games.

Because of that, many had the Devils as the savvy pick to represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals, as a well-rested Brodeur would be dangerous.

Despite posting some amazing stats in the postseason, the man so many have come to know and love as "Marty" couldn’t help the Devils hold on—their third first round exit in the past five seasons.

At this point in his career, Brodeur shouldn't be the 75-78 game starter that he has been the past few years. It’s not that there’s any doubt that he can play that much, because the numbers and his performance clearly indicate that he can; however, it's the fact that the Devils have almost wasted their most dangerous weapon come playoff time.

Then you start to wonder if Yann Danis can afford Brodeur more time off?

Danis has put up some impressive seasons over his career (his 10-17-3 season with the Islanders last year proved that he could certainly stick), but he’s also been very inconsistent year-to-year.

If Danis can prove that he’s able to hold onto that consistency, then New Jersey may have found a replacement better than Scott Clemmensen (let’s remember that Clemmensen had played in 18 career NHL games coming in to last year) and can afford Brodeur that extra time.

If he's inconsistent or New Jersey is stubborn and continues to mount a heavy workload on Marty's shoulders, they may be in for a first round heart-wrenching exit again.

So What Does It All Mean?

Up front the Devils need some big performances out of their more established forwards, some consistency and the ability to step up from their defenders, and the same old Martin Brodeur if they're going to be successful this season.

On the bright side, they've always seemed to be able to pull it together, get those exact things, and they will once again challenge the Atlantic Division.

On the downside, the influence of Jacques Lemaire may hinder the offensive development of some of their key players.

Lemaire's style wasn’t enough to temper Marian Gaborik's offense, and nor should it slow Zach Parise’s, but gauging the rest of the team and how a slower tempo combats the up-tempo division rivals is difficult to do early on.

Third in Atlantic

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, or you can email him at bryanthiel74@hotmail. You can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.