Bleacher Report - Articles by Faiz-Ali Virji

The Five Players Fantasy Hockey Owners Shouldn't Give the Cold Shoulder

Faiz-Ali Virji — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:11:57 -0400

Every year, there's always a few players that fantasy owners seem to forget about, usually due to injury. These players are usually drafted in the later rounds and go on to have a great season, leading to many a owner kicking themselves. Here are 5 players, based on their Yahoo rankings, that seem to have been forgotten for this season.

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Could This Be The Year Hemsky Breaks Out?

Faiz-Ali Virji — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 02:39:40 -0400

Ever since his 77 point season in 05-06 followed by the Edmonton Oilers magical Stanley Cup run, Oilers fans have been waiting for Ales Hemsky to take the next step and become an "elite" player by reaching the 80 point plateau. Every year, people always ask the question, "Will this be the year?"

All the signs seem to point to yes. Last year Hemsky showed flashes of absolute dominance, especially that game against Columbus on Jan 20, where he was in on all four Oilers goals, scoring two of them, including the winner. He did cool off in the final stretch though, only posting 14 points. The entire team collapsed, however, going 7-9-4 resulting in the Oilers sliding from sixth place in the Western Conference to eleventh.

Now the team hasn't really changed since last season, so why should we expect Hemsky to do any differently this season?

Well the first, and probably biggest, factor is coaching. Near the end of last season, Hemsky expressed his frustration with the coaching staff, saying he felt that he was being forced to be a checker instead of scorer. Well that coaching staff is gone and in comes Pat Quinn and Tom Renney, both of whom prefer an offensive style to the defensive style employed by Craig MacTavish.

Now that's not to say that the coaching will massively improve Hemsky, but it may give him a bit more jump to perform. We have seen the miracles a coaching change can bring about: last season the Penguins were in danger of missing the playoffs when they fired Michel Therrien and hired Dan Bylsma, and we all know how that story turned out.

Another factor for Hemsky to take the next step is his health. If he can play a full season, something he has only done once in his career, then he will have a better chance at putting up 80 points. Why? Well he has been hovering around a point per game since the lockout, posting seasons of 0.95, 0.83, 0.96 and 0.92 points per game.

The biggest thing to remember about Hemsky is that he is just turning 26 years old. Look at some of the big stars in today's NHL: Pavel Datsyuk and Vincent Lecavalier. Datsyuk did not hit a point per game until the 2005-06 season at the age of 27. Before that, he had three seasons of 0.50, 0.80, and 0.91 points per game, at the ages of 23, 24, and 25. Lecavalier did not hit a point per game until 2006-07 at the age of 26 (although he did come with 2 points of it in the 2002-03 season). Before that, he had seasons of 0.98, 0.81, and 0.94, slightly better than Hemsky.

Now I am not saying Hemsky is going to be the next Datsyuk or Lecavalier, but he definitely has the talent, and people shouldn't be so quick to write Hemsky off as a 70 point player. Some players take time to develop, such as Datsyuk and Lecavalier. Is Hemsky one of them? Or will he stagnate from this point in his career? As he enters the prime of his career this season, we will find out for sure.

Five NHL Players Who May Surprise Us Next Season

Faiz-Ali Virji — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 01:56:47 -0400

Every season there is always those players who everyone writes off, saying they are done because they had a bad season or what not. Some times they are right, and those players just never seem to get their game back. Many times, however, fans are left eating a big helping of crow at the end of the season. Here are 5 players who I think will bounce back next season and have great years.

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Dany Heatley Rejected the Edmonton Oilers: Should they Be Happy?

Faiz-Ali Virji — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:08:34 -0400

After 12:00 AM EST, the news broke that Dany Heatley refused to waive his no-trade clause to be traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Dustin Penner, Andrew Cogliano, and Ladislav Smid.

Most Oilers fans are, understandably, irate with Heatley. A few weeks ago, a report stated he would waive his NTC to come to Edmonton and with a deal settled upon by the Oilers and Senators, most Oilers fans were already online ordering their brand new No. 15 Heatley Oilers jerseys. But then, Heatley said no dice.

But could this be a blessing in disguise for the Oilers? Yes, Heatley is that legitimate one-shot scorer the Oil have been searching for to play with Ales Hemsky and he would be the first true all-star they have had since Chris Pronger. But is he worth all three of those players?

Yes, Heatley is a proven 50-goal scorer and has been the most prolific scorer in the NHL since the lockout after Alexander Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk. But Dustin Penner and Andrew Cogliano could both be 20 goal scorers this year, especially with a new coach who probably won't want to affix both of them to a third line grinding role with no powerplay time.

If Penner can get his act together and get in shape, he could possibly score 30 goals (he scored 29 as a rookie, so it's not a stretch). And Cogliano with his speed has the same potential, as well as being toted by some as a future captain.

But the biggest loss could be 23-year-old defenceman Ladislav Smid. Now I know what everybody is thinking, how can a defenceman whose career high in points is 11 points be the biggest loss?

Well, think about it this way: when Smid was drafted ninth overall in 2004, he was expected to be a dynamic offensive defenceman and showed promise scoring 28 points in his rookie season in the AHL with the Portland Pirates. When he was traded to Edmonton in the Pronger trade, he played the next season, scoring 10 points in 77 games as a 20-year-old.

The one thing holding Smid back was the fact that the coaching staff of Edmonton (rightly) wanted to improve his defensive game first. They did a great job, as Smid is billed as a serviceable top four shutdown defenceman.

Now, if he is able to let his offensive instincts take over, he could be a heck of a two-way defenceman. Anyone who has seen Smid skate coast to coast with the puck and make a play in front knows he has a minimum 30 point potential in him, maybe even 40 points. While that doesn't seem to impressive, the fact that he has a mean streak in his own zone would make him a very valuable asset.

Add all these three together and the Oilers may just look back at this whole scenario as the best deal they never made.

Craig MacTavish: Conspiracy?

Faiz-Ali Virji — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:28:53 -0400

Ask almost any Edmonton Oilers fan what is wrong with the team, and 99 percent of the time the answer will most certainly be: Craig MacTavish (followed by a long line of obscenities). Most Oilers fans hate him because, well, it is easiest to blame the coach since there is a better chance they get fired then have all the players traded.

Unless you are MacTavish. He has been the coach of the Oilers for an astounding eight years, and other than one cup run, the team has been the definition of both mediocrity and inconsistency. Most people say it is because Kevin Lowe is his best friend and will never fire him. Others say it is because he is actually a good coach and doesn't have enough to work with.

It is a mystery as to why players seem to struggle under MacTavish. The list is a very long, and is mostly young players. Ales Hemsky recently said he was being asked to be a checker, and he did not seem to pleased about it. Some say MacTavish is just very defensive minded, and wants all his players to be responsible in the defensive zone. While that may be true, here is my theory:

MacTavish wants to be the most successful, accomplished player in the dressing room. The reason he doesn't like Dustin Penner? Sure he says its his work ethic, but in reality, in Penner's first two seasons of his career, he scored 29 and 23 goals. Mactavish's career high was 23 goals.

He cannot let Penner pull ahead of him in the hearts of Oilers fans. Same thing happened with Joffrey Lupul. He claims he wants hard workers, but he just wants players who will have no shot at upping his playing career.

Ok, but what about Hemsky? Once again, Mactavish's career high in goals is 23. Hemsky has yet to hit that, and Mactavish is very anxious of it, lest it be another blow to his "legend". Mactavish is also 13th on the Oilers all-time scoring list with 331 points. Hemsky has 322.

He cannot allow him to be passed, especially when he was just passed by Shawn Horcoff (that has to hurt). Remember, MacTavish only put Horcoff there because he thought he would fail miserably and bring Hemsky down with him. That plan backfired.

In the end, MacTavish has an inferiority complex that stemmed from his playing days. While he was a player, he made up for it by not wearing a helmet, thinking he was a "real man." Now as a coach however, he cannot do anything but make his players fail, and in comparison make his playing career look that much better.

But the players seem to be wising up, and three times this year a player has made a mention of how they don't like the system he coaches. Will Katz wake up and smell the ego? Or will the conspiracy be allowed to continue?

Is Patrick O'Sullivan the Answer for Ales Hemsky?

Faiz-Ali Virji — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:32:00 -0500

The Edmonton Oilers seemed like they were going to stand pat at the 2009 NHL Trade Deadline. The 3:00 PM EST deadline had passed without a mention of any deal.

At 3:53, the Oilers announced they had acquired Patrick O'Sullivan, in exchange for Erik Cole, in a three-team deal with the Carolina Hurricanes and Los Angeles Kings.

Is Patrick O'Sullivan the answer to the Oilers' problem of finding a scoring left winger for Ales Hemsky?

Well, O'Sullivan has proved he can score at every level, with 148 goals in 234 games in the OHL, and 65 goals in only 119 games in the AHL. He scored 22 goals last year in his first full NHL season, and has 14 already this year—good enough for third on the Oilers.

We must remember Dustin Penner scored 29 goals the season before he came to the Oilers, and while he scored 23 last year and has 14 this year, he never seemed to fit well with Hemsky. There would be games where they did have some chemistry, but there were also lots of games where they couldn't get anything going.

Penner may actually benefit from this trade, as there will be less pressure on him to produce. More likely, he will find himself on a line with one of Andrew Cogliano or Sam Gagner—still very good linemates.

As for Hemsky, he's had to do it all by himself. Lately, Hemsky hasn't been producing as much—only two points in his last seven games. With the addition of O'Sullivan, it may take the pressure off of him as well, allowing him to make even more highlight-reel plays that Edmonton fans love.

It will be wait-and-see for the Oilers on O'Sullivan. Hopefully, the Oilers have finally found a match for Hemsky, and the OHH line will live up to its name.

NHL's Six Funniest Interviews

Faiz-Ali Virji — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:44:02 -0500

Hockey interviews are notorious for being boring and cliche. There seems to be no character from the players, and they repeat the same things over and over again: "Gotta work harder" "Stay focused" "Give it 110%" So, here is a tribute to those not so boring interviews that broke from the standard.

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Sabrina Ladha: Vezina or Masterton?

Faiz-Ali Virji — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:51:03 -0500

As I was playing as my Be-A-Pro character in EA Sports NHL 09, I ran into an exceptionally good goaltender playing for the Washington Capitals. No matter what I did, I couldn't seem to score on him. This was my first indication that it was not Jose Theodore.

The mysterious goalie made a glove save on me and I noticed their last name was Ladha. Being an avid hockey fan, I had never heard the name Ladha with reference to hockey. I decided to go to the player stats and saw the goalie's full name was Sabrina Ladha, and there was a picture of a girl who looked no older than 10 years old with a ponytail.

This perplexed me quite a bit, as well as angered me that some random person was screwing up my chance to be on the Oiler's first line (I know, I know, not the greatest accomplishment, but still!). So I went to the Internet and googled the name Sabrina Ladha.

It turns out Ladha is an ill child who is a member of the Make A Wish Foundation. Her wish? To be a goalie in the game NHL 09. The creators from EA went above and beyond just putting her in the game, but made her by far the best goaltender.

That is such a nice thing for EA to do. Everyone agrees right?

Well, not everyone. When I googled Sabrina, I could only find one article talking about her in the seven pages I went through. All the rest were message boards for video games, all discussing Sabrina. While there were people posting about it and saying what a great thing this was that EA did, they were sadly outnumbered by people who thought this was the worst thing to ever happen to them.

People were crying about how she ruined their dynasty or Be-A-Pro mode. I did see a few people retract their statements, like I did, once they realized who she was, but there were quite a few people who did not change their attitudes. One poster said that after working so hard to earn the money to buy their PS3 and NHL 09 game, that they did not deserve to put up with this crap.

Ya, I feel for you man. If only I had that disease this little girl had. So much easier to deal with. I mean, who does she think she is, ruining my video game with her selfish wish? (By the way, that was sarcasm)

Its amazing how many people, after finding out why she was in the game, still cried about how their game was ruined because of her. It is pretty sad to see people losing sight of what is really important here. I could care less if she won the Stanley Cup and any other trophies over me. If it means a dying child will feel better and get a chance to smile, I hope she does. Cause after all this, she deserves it.

Oilers-Stars: Rob Schremp Gets His Shot

Faiz-Ali Virji — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:23:50 -0500

The day many Oilers fans were waiting for has come—Rob Schremp is playing in the NHL.

And unlike the other three games he played, he should be getting significant minutes in replacing the injured Robert Nilsson.

The Oilers are in desperate need of offense. They have scored only 60 goals this year, which is equal to only 2.6 goals per game. They have also lost three of their last four games, and a loss tonight moves them down to last place. Not very good for a team that was expected to challenge for the division crown based on their offensive prowess.

The Stars haven't been much better, with a 9-11-4 record, last in the NHL. They have won their last two games, one of which was a 4-3 victory over the Oilers. The Stars have well underperformed, going from the final four last year to last place this year. But a third straight win tonight could be just what the doctor ordered.

The Oilers need to come out in the first period and play a whole 60 minutes. Once they learn to do this, instead of their routine of starting slow, falling behind, and then trying to catch-up is not working.

Coach Mactavish has tried to add energy guys such as Liam Reddox and Tom Sestito, but it wasn't enough. Now it's Schremp's turn to try and jump start the struggling Sam Gagner.

If he can get Gagner back to last season's form, then maybe Rob will finally have arrived.

Is Mactavish a Right Fit for the Oilers?

Faiz-Ali Virji — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 07:32:51 -0500

Now I know what you are all thinking: Not another Oiler fan losing it after a loss. But this is not the case. The 5-4 loss to the Penguins to make the Oilers lose 5 of their last 7 games was just the nail in the coffin.

The Edmonton Oilers are not playing good hockey.

Sure they only lost by one goal yesterday against a very good hockey team, right? Wrong. They were down 5-0 at one point, and at the end of two periods were down 5-1. A third period too-little, too-late comeback made it seem as though the Oilers played a good game.

So, why should Craig Mactavish be fired?

Well simply put, he is not a right fit for this Oilers team. MacT is a defense first coach. The Oilers are a team built around offense. Even our defense is better in the other teams end of the rink than our own.

We need to play a run and gun offense, and rely on scoring to win, not defense and goaltending. The reason why the Oilers were picked by so many people (including myself) to challenge for the Northwest Division crown was because our offensive depth would allow us to roll three legitimate scoring lines.

We were supposed to just bombard the other team and be a scoring machine. The reality? The Oilers are 25th in the NHL with a measly 2.62 goals per game. What happened?

Mactavish is trying to instill a defensive game on this team, and it simply is not working. The Oilers need to blow out opponents and score a lot of goals. They need to keep the pedal to the metal and never let up when they get a lead. They just are not good enough defensively to try to protect a lead without adding more goals.

Craig Mactavish is a good coach. He was able to take Oilers teams in the past who were just awful into mediocrity. Now, however, he has arguably one of the best teams in recent Oilers history, and they are once again mediocre.

People argue that he took us to the cup in 2006. But in 2005-2006, the Oilers had a very good team, and still had to fight for the eighth spot in the conference. The same thing is happening this year.

The team has not come out to play in the first period. They are last in the NHL with five goals in the first period this entire season. They have also let in the 10th most goals in the NHL in the first period with 13.

The players are lacking intensity, and some of that blame has to go to the coach. He isn't motivating them to play their hardest, and that's a problem. The only player he has called out during the season has been goaltender Mathieu Garon, who had little support.

Coaching is very important in the NHL. If you look at the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have a worse team than the Oilers. But they have a better record than the Oilers. Ron Wilson was not afraid to call out his players that were playing poorly, and he even benched them.

In the end, Mactavish does not seem to be working. Whether it's because the players are tuning him out since he has been there so long, or what have you, he needs to go. Year in and year out, the Oilers have been a mediocre team at best, and while the players have changed, the only constant is Mactavish.

Faiz's Bleacher Report Fantasy Hockey League Team

Faiz-Ali Virji — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 07:12:17 -0400

The first ever Bleacher Report Fantasy Hockey League had its draft last Saturday, and I was fortunate enough to be apart of it. I think on the whole, I have a pretty good team, that is nice and balanced:

Round Pick Player

1 (10) Evgeni Nabokov

2 (20) Vincent Lecavalier

3 (37) Marc-Andre Fleury

4 (48) Jonathan Toews

5 (65) Ales Hemsky

6 (76) Brent Burns

7 (93) Pierre-Marc Bouchard

8 (104) Vaclav Prospal

9 (121) Ray Whitney

10 (132) Tomas Kaberle

11 (149) Lubomir Visnovsky

12 (160) Nikolai Zherdev

13 (177) Wojtek Wolski

14 (188) Phillipe Boucher

15 (205) Mikko Koivu

16 (216) Sergei Samsonov

17 (233) Kevin Bieksa

18 (244) Steve Bernier

19 (261) Robert Nilsson

20 (272) Tim Connolly

My first round pick may seem to be a shocker, and a questionable pick, but I think it was the right one. Based on my past experience in fantasy hockey, I realized that a good starting goalie was key to victory. Since this league had 14 people in it, that meant that 28 goalies would be selected, and maybe more if some people wanted three goalies.

Having the 10th overall pick, most of the elite players had been taken, so I decided to take a goalie. Most people pick either Martin Brodeur or Roberto Luongo in the first round. These two were still on the board, but I decided not to take them because I do not have confidence in their teams.

One of the categories is wins, and i think San Jose is going to do very well this season, while Vancouver and New Jersey will struggle to make the playoffs (although in the past two years I passed on Brodeur for the same reasons, so who knows?). I will be taking a slight hit in the save percentage, but will make it up with GAA.

My second pick was a no-brainer in Vincent Lecavalier, who is guaranteed to score at least 40 goals and 90 points. In the third round, I picked up Marc-Andre Fleury to finish off my goalies, and be able to take some good players while everyone else would begin to start scrambling for goalies.

In the fourth round, I took Jonathan Toews. I believe that he will score at least a point per game on the resurgent Blackhawks, and 30+ goals is very realistic, seeing as he scored 24 in 64 games last year.

I started to panic in the fifth round because a lot of the wingers I wanted were going pretty quickly. So i took Ales Hemsky. While this is a homer pick, I do believe Hemsky will score at least 80 points this year, and I felt quite confident in taking him. Later on, I picked Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Vaclav Prospal, and Ray Whitney to shore up my wingers.

On defense, I first picked Brent Burns, who had a breakout campaign last year with 43 points. Hopefully he will continue improving and maybe hit 50 points this year. I also took Tomas Kaberle, even though he plays on the Leafs. He managed 53 points on a terrible Leafs team last year, and should be good for at least 45 this year.

I took a flyer on Lubomir Visnovsky, hoping that last year's 41 point season was an anomaly, and that he will bounce back playing for a much better team in the Edmonton Oilers than the Los Angeles Kings. I am also hoping for a bounce back season from Phillipe Boucher, who managed 14 points in only 38 games last season due to injuries.

I decided I needed to shore up my forwards, and took Nikolai Zherdev, Wojtek Wolski, Mikko Koivu, and Sergei Samsonov. Hopefully they can all maintain the paces they were at last year, and in Wolski's case, improve.

I decided to take Kevin Bieksa with my fourth last pick because I felt like I was lacking in the penalty minutes. I then took a risk with my last three picks in Steve Bernier, who hopefully score at least 20 goals playing alongside the Sedin twins, Robert Nilsson, who with increased ice time can improve on last years 41 point campaign, and Tim Connolly, who might finally stay healthy for a season.

I think that I should be ready for my first matchup against Jason Klau, although a little tweaking here and there may be needed as the season wears on.

UPDATE: Feeling that LW was too weak, I traded Zherdev for Thomas Vanek. That leaves my RW a little weaker, but if Bernier plays with the Sedins, he should score at least 20 goals, and I am fine with that.

Northwest Division Preview: Edmonton Oilers

Faiz-Ali Virji — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:15:24 -0400

Continuing my preview of of the Northwest divison with the Edmonton Oilers. (My preview of the Colorado Avalanche can be found here, my preview of the Vancouver Canucks can be found here, my preview of the Calgary Flames can be found here and my preview of the Minnesota Wild can found here)

Edmonton was one of the busiest teams in the league this off-season, swinging two major trades, first trading defence man Matt Greene and centre Jarret Stoll to Los Angeles for defence man Lubomir Visnovsky, then sending Joni Pitkanen to Carolina in exchange for forward Erik Cole.

They also made a few other minor moves, such as trading Danny Syvret to Philadelphia for Ryan Potulny, Raffi Torres to Columbus for Gilbert Brule, and signing Jason Strudwick.

Mathieu Garon will get the chance to prove he is a legitimate number one this year, and that last year was not a huge fluke. If he plays to the level that he did last year, for 60+ games, Edmonton will be in good shape, as Dwayne Roloson is a proven, capable backup, who can take on the remaining 20 or so games.

Add in the fact that Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers is on a one-way contract, and will be pushing for the backup position could mean that Roloson and Garon both play their best hockey.

On defence, the Oilers seem to be quite solid. Newcomer Visnovsky should provide the offense from the back end that the departed Pitkanen could not. Last year, he scored 41 points, more than any Oiler defence man, and that was considered an off year for him.

If he gets back to form, with the help of the Oilers new offensive philosophy, he should have no problem breaking 50 points, and could push the 60 point mark.

The rest of the d-corps also looks good, as Tom Gilbert and Denis Grebeshkov are just coming off a great season, and look to be big contributors this year. If Sheldon Souray can stay healthy, the Oilers top four will be one of the best in the Northwest.

Steve Staios will be Edmonton's shutdown defence man this year, and will be called upon to lead this young team. Ladislav Smid will be challenged by Strudwick, Theo Peckham, and Mathieu Roy for the last defensive spot, and will have to prove he belongs in the NHL, and begin to show he can reach his potential.

While still young at 22, Smid risks getting lost in the shuffle, as the Oilers have some good prospects at defence coming up, so it is time for Smid to shine and be the player he was projected to be.

Unlike a couple of years ago, Edmonton's offence is not a concern, and in fact looks to be one of its strengths. Ales Hemsky looks ready to breakout and score 80 points for the first time in his career, as his almost point per game numbers in the last two injury shortened seasons seem to show.

Sam Gagner ended last season at a torrid pace, notching 27 points in the last 28 games. With the return of Shawn Horcoff from injury, Gagner won't be able to maintain a pace like that next year, but 60 points is not out of the question. If Horcoff can continue his all star play, the Oilers will have two very good centres.

Dustin Penner, Erik Cole, Robert Nilsson and Andrew Cogliano are all top six players, but the Oilers only have three spots left. Whichever one is moved down to the third line should help the Oilers have three scoring lines, and may help Fernando Pisani finally hit 20 goals.

The Oilers also have many youngsters coming up on offence, with Rob Schremp, Robert Potulny, Marc Pouliot, and Gilbert Brule all NHL ready. Brule and Potulny will probably be in Springfield for the year however, so that they can get ice time and help their development.

Brule, a former first round pick, seemed to have his development derailed in Columbus, so the Oilers will probably take it slowly with him, hoping he can reach his potential. Pouliot seems to have a spot locked up for him on the fourth line, as does Kyle Brodziak. That leaves one spot for either the skilled Schremp or the pugnacious Zack Stortini.

This season the Oilers should definitely challenge for the division crown, and are probably the favorites to win. The reason for this is their depth at both forward and defence. If the players play up to expectations, especially their goal tending, the Oilers could be playing deep into April, and possibly May.

Northwest Division Preview: Minnesota Wild

Faiz-Ali Virji — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:48:51 -0400

Continuing my preview of of the Northwest divison with the Minnesota Wild. (My preview of the Colorado Avalanche can be found here, my preview of the Vancouver Canucks can be found here and my preview of the Calgary Flames can be found <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/48892-northwest-division-preview-calgary-flames">here</a>)

Minnesota won the Northwest division last year, and even with improvements in other teams, and some of their own losses, they are a favorite to win the division once again. This is because they have one of the NHL's best, albeit most boring, coaches in Jacques Lemaire.

The Wild should be fine in goal, with Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding. Some people believe Harding may even be able to be the starter. And its never a bad thing to have two starting goaltenders on the roster.

Their defense should be good this year, with the up and coming all star Brent Burns, who was a pleasant surprise last year with 15 goals and 43 points. With new addition Marek Zidlicky, who also had 43 points last year with Nashville, the Wild should have no problem getting the puck out of their zone this year.

Look for Kurtis Foster, if he stays healthy, to provide lots of offence. Kim Johnsson, Martin Skoula and Nick Shultz provide the defensive support for the Wild. The addition of Marc-Andre Bergeron is a risk on even strength, but his powerplay ability can't be denied. Look for the defence to spark the offense this year for the Wild.

After losing Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston, Minnesota is a little weak upfront. They still have Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Marian Gaborik and Mikko Koivu, but after that, there isn't much. Andrew Brunette is a good addition, but if he isn't playing with any of the above three, he will be hard pressed to score 20 goals this year.

While Owen Nolan will bring some leadership to the locker room, don't look for him to come even close this year to 20 goals. The rest of their forwards are more defensive forwards in Eric Belanger, Antti Miettinen, and Stephane Veilleux. Benoit Pouliot and James Sheppard should get a chance to show they belong this year, and if they can take advantage, then the Wild will be fine.

All in all, with Lemaire coaching, the Wild will once again be a defensive-minded team, and this year's team seems to be made just for that. Expect them to be in the playoffs, and fighting for the division crown.

Northwest Division Preview: Colorado Avalanche

Faiz-Ali Virji — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:38:13 -0400

Continuing my preview of the Northwest division with the Colorado Avalanche

Colorado is definitely an underdog in the Northwest, and one of those reasons is the goaltending. While the other four teams seem to have rather stable goaltending, Colorado has a tandem of Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft. These two goalies still have yet to prove they belong in the NHL.

Budaj is the favourite for the number one spot, as two years ago he started 57 games for the Avalanche. He posted a respectable 2.68 goals against average and .905 save percentage while winning 31 games.

Last year, he lost the starting job to Jose Theodore. As a result Budaj only played 35 games, posting a 2.57 goals against average and .903 save percentage. However, he still has to prove he can play at a consistent level for him to become a legitimate number one.

A Toronto Maple Leaf outcast, Raycroft has been on a decline since winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie in 2004. Raycroft hasn't had a save percentage on the good side of .900 since then, and seems to be lost.

Maybe the change of scenery, along with the motivation to show everyone he belongs, could lead to his resurgence. Or, he can crash and burn like he has the last three years.

Defensively, the Avalanche seem to be alright, with defensive stalwarts Adam Foote and Scott Hannan to go along with offensive-defensemen John-Micheal Liles and Jordan Leopold.

Leopold has been a disappointment since coming over in the Alex Tanguay trade, playing a total of 58 games the past two seasons, notching 18 points. If he can get over his injury troubles, he will be a very valuable member of the Avalanche team this season.

Ruslan Salei is another good defensemen, who, to go along with being reliable defensively, can help generate some offense. Brett Clark is also a pretty good defensemen, having scored 36 and 39 points the first two years after the lockout.

With Daniel Tjarnqvist and Kyle Cumiskey as reserves, the Avalanche should be in good shape even if a couple of their defensemen go down with injury.

Even with the possibility of losing Joe Sakic to retirement, Colorado still has a good offense led by Paul Stastny, who looks ready to take over as the number one centre in Denver. He's got some good support in Milan Hejduk, Ryan Smyth, Marek Svatos, and Wojtek Wolski.

The Avalanche do have a lot of wild cards. Can Darcy Tucker go back to his 20-goal form? Will this finally be the year Tyler Arnason plays for a whole season? If either of these two can find their game, the Avalanche could have seven 20-goal scorers. Not to mention TJ Hensick should definitely make the team this year, and could make some noise.

In the end, Colorado is ready to compete. The only question mark is their goaltending, and if one of Budaj or Raycroft plays to their potential. If one of them can, the playoffs could be within Colorado's reach.

For a Preview of the Vancouver Canucks, click here.

Northwest Division Preview: Vancouver Canucks

Faiz-Ali Virji — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:05:06 -0400

Who is the favorite in the Northwest division? Maybe the better question is "who isn't?"

Any of the five teams could take the title, and, as usual, it is the tightest division in the NHL.

Lets start with the Vancouver Canucks, the supposed "weak sister". They have arguably the best goalie in the NHL in Roberto Luongo, not to mention one of the leagues top defensive squads with Mattias Ohlund, Kevin Bieksa, Sami Salo, Alexander Edler, Willie Mitchell and Lukas Krajicek. Every one of these guys are legitimate top 4 defencemen, and along with Luongo they make it pretty hard to score against the Canucks.

The weak spot of the Canucks is their offence. Other than the Sedin twins and Pavol Demitra, the Canucks don't have much firepower. They have some players with the potential to put up big numbers in Steve Bernier and Kyle Wellwood, who have shown the ability to be top 6 forwards, but have had some trouble with consistency in the past.

In 2005- 2006 season, Bernier netted 14 goals and 27 points in only 39 games. Thats equal to 29 goals and 57 points over 82 games. The next two seasons saw him take a step back however, only scoring 31 points and 23 points. Having more oppurtunities in Vancouver should help him get back to his old form, as he was lost in the shuffle in San Jose.

After posting a respectable 45 points in 2005-2006, Wellwood had a great season in 2006-2007, scoring 42 points in only 48 games. He looked poised for a real breakout season this year, but fell, scoring only 21 points in 59 games. If he can get over his injury troubles Wellwood should provide solid secondary scoring this season for the Canucks.

They also have Ryan Kesler, who along with being able to put the puck in the back of the net (21 goals last year), is a great defensive forward. The tag team of Kesler and Alexandre Burrows was one of the best checking tandems in the Northwest last year.

The key for the Canucks is defence. They won't be scoring more than 3 goals a game, and if some of their forwards keep struggling, even 2 goals will be a stretch. They will win the 1-0, 2-1 games. As long as their defence stays healthy and Luongo plays like the Luongo we all know. The Canucks will not only be in contention of a playoff spot, but could challenge for the division title.

Sidney Crosby the Baby

Faiz-Ali Virji — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:24:47 -0400

Today, Sidney Crosby showed his immaturity.

With his Pittsburgh Penguins up 3-0 with less then 4 minutes to go in the third period of game 1 between Ottawa and Pittsburgh, Crosby broke into the Senators’ zone and beat Dean McAmmond so badly McAmmond lost his stick. McAmmond stayed with him, however, and pushed Crosby into the boards. It wasn't that hard of a push, but Crosby did lose his footing. As he got up, Sidney looked around to see if Mick McGeough was reffing and was going to make a phantom call. When he realized that was not the case, Crosby got back up and went to the net, where he received a pass and shot on net. Martin Gerber stopped him however, then Wade Redden pushed Crosby away, exactly what any defender would and should do. Crosby then cross-checked Redden, and, in response, Redden gave Crosby a small tap of the shins with his stick. Crosby retaliated by punching Redden, and the brawl started.

Now I ask you, why was Crosby frustrated? His team was totally dominating the Senators. I mean, this game was over after the first period. And its not like he or any of his teammates was the victim of a cheapshot or anything. So why was Sid the Kid so mad?

I'll tell you. The Penguins had 3 goals. Sidney had exactly 0 points. The one good Ottawa was doing in this game was keeping him off the scoresheet. Crosby didn't like that one bit. Who will say what a wonderful player he is if he doesn't even get a point? Who cares if we are winning, I don't have any points.

Is this how a captain in the NHL should act? Look at all the other captains out there, and tell me if one of them would do something like that when their team is winning in the playoffs. I could understand if say, Redden slashed Crosby really hard or elbowed him or something, but if he just pushes you, why would you blow up on him? Maybe if your team is losing, but your team is dominating the game, even if you aren't.

Today, Sid the Kid definitely earned that nickname. It seems the Penguins made a mistake giving Sidney the "C" so early, because he thinks it stands for "Crosby". And it seems that "Crosby" stands for "Crybaby"".

Robert Luongo Made the Right Choice

Faiz-Ali Virji — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:53:00 -0400

The news broke this morning: Roberto Luongo left Colorado to be with his wife in Florida, and may not be back before Friday's game against Minnesota.

Let the arguing begin!

Some will say Luongo was completely wrong leaving Vancouver in the middle of a playoff race. Most others will say that he was right to go be a part of the birth of his first child.

I agree with the "most others." One of the most important moments in a man's life is when his child(ren) is born. Yes, I understand that the Canucks are fighting for their lives, and Luongo is the team. Without him they might as well kiss the playoffs goodbye. But at the end of they day, the Canucks are not a very good team and will probably not go far in the playoffs if they make it.

Which would you prefer? The memory of your first child being born and being with them, or missing it so that you could get your hockey team into the playoffs to lose in the first round?

Anyone who says that Luongo is not dedicated or is not a team player needs to get those loose screws in their head checked out.

This is probably the best thing for the Canucks anyhow. Luongo (and therefore the Canucks) have been playing terrible hockey as of late and are in the middle of a three game losing streak. This is probably due to the fact that Luongo's head hasn't been in the games because he is thinking about his wife and soon-to-be-born baby in Florida.

Although he will probably miss a few games, if Vancouver does manage to hang on while he is gone they will play better when he comes back. Why? Because he will no longer have the distraction of worrying about his wife and baby.

Not to mention he will probably be over the moon with joy, which should only make him better in these high pressured games.

The main thing for Canucks fans to remember is: Whether you make the playoffs or not, do not blame Luongo. The last thing you need to do is drive out the player who makes this team any good.

To make the playoffs, the Oilers and Flames will have to make amends

Faiz-Ali Virji — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:54:14 -0400

Ask any Edmonton Oilers fan which team they would never, ever cheer for, and the answer is always the same: those stinking Calgary Flames.

But now, these fans have to ask themselves what they would prefer: the Oilers in the playoffs, or the Flames not in them.

The Oilers are 3 points out of a playoff spot, with 6 games left, all against Northwest Division foes. The Flames have 7 games remaining, also all against Northwest Division teams. Two of these two teams games are against each other, two games which the Oilers need to win to make the playoffs. So for those two games, it remains the status quo.

Now other than these two games, Edmonton needs Calgary to win all of their games. Why? Well 4 of those 5 games are against teams the Oilers are chasing for a playoff spot: tonight against Colorado, and 3 games against the Canucks. If the Flames were to win these 4 games, and the Oilers win their remaining 6 games, the Oilers would finish with 93 points. Meanwhile, Colorado and Vancouver would finish with a maximum 92 points, giving the Oilers the eigth spot in the West (with Nashville at least losing one game).

Now why would the Flames want this? Well, if they were to win 5 of their remaining 7, they would finish with 98 points. Also—since Edmonton has two games remaining against the Minnesota Wild, and Calgary has one matchup against them left—if the Wild were to lose those three games, they would finish with 97 points, giving Calgary the Northwest Division title.

While this scenario is a long-shot from happening, for the remainder of this season, the Flames and Oilers are best friends.

How the Edmonton Oilers Can Make the Playoffs

Faiz-Ali Virji — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:55:38 -0400

With 12 games remaining, the Oilers have 73 points, and are seven points out of a playoff spot, in eleventh place. If the Oilers manage to win every single one of their remaining games, they will finish with 97 points.

While 97 points pretty much guarantees a playoff spot, the Oilers will most likely not be able to win all of their 12 remaining games. The general cut off to make the playoffs is considered to be 95 points. For Edmonton to reach this point total, they need to go 11-1. Once again not very possible.

So does this mean the Oil should kiss the playoffs good bye?

No, it does not. First of all, this year, the qualifying point number will probably be less than usual because of the competitiveness of the conference. Secondly, out of their remaining 12 games, the Oilers play a team that they are competing with for a playoff spot 11 times. This includes three times against the Colorado Avalanche, and twice against Minnesota, Phoenix, Vancouver and Calgary.

The series with Colorado is probably the most important. If the Oilers were to win all three games against the Avalanche in regulation (I know, for the Oilers that's not an easy thing to do), they will have 79 points, three back of the 82 Colorado has. The Oilers also have a game in hand on Colorado however, and if they win that game, they then have 81 points, one back. This means the Oilers would just have to win one more of their remaining eight games than Colorado, and they would place in front of them.

While being ahead of Colorado does not guarantee the Oilers a playoff spot (there are seven teams competing for four spots), it certainly helps. Throw in the fact that Calgary and Colorado are tied for the Northwest Division lead, and it looks pretty good.

The playoff chances for the Oilers rests in their hands. If they win tonight against Colorado, they are that much closer to the playoffs. Lose, and it will most likely mean game over.

Hey Edmonton Oilers Fans: Lay Off Jarret Stoll

Faiz-Ali Virji — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:57:35 -0500

The grumblings in Oil Country (aka Edmonton Oilers fans) grew louder as trade deadline day neared:

"GET RID OF JARRET STOLL!"

This was the chorus many Oilers fans were singing to GM Kevin Lowe. People said Stoll is a terrible player and should be traded for whatever we can get. Fans said that he isn't as good as he seems, and that his one 68 point season in 2005-06 was a fluke. If Pronger wasn't there, he wouldn't have done as good.

The next season, Stoll notched 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points in 51 games. What most people don't realize is that he was on pace for 21 goals and 42 assists for 63 points in an 82 game season. That's not too shabby when the team was on a steep decline.

The only problem was he got injured. He sustained a concussion after a hit from Andy Sutton of the Atlanta Thrashers, and was out for the season. He trained hard over the offseason so that he could come back this year and play at the level he knew he could.

At least, that's what everybody thought.

Stoll started the year slowly, scoring only four goals and 15 points in the first 39 games. It seemed he still hadn't completely recovered from the concussion, and was probably still a little scared to get his hands dirty in the game again.

He seemed turned it around in the new year, however, scoring four goals and eight points in 12 January games before the all-star break. He declined again, though, in February, only scoring six points in 12 games.

While his scoring may be down, his work in the face-off circle is still absolutely amazing. He has only had less than 50 percent in the faceoff circle in 24 games out of his 65, and only eight of those were below 40 percent, the average faceoff percentage in the NHL.

What people also don't recognize is his special teams contributions. The Oilers are ranked fourth in the NHL in penalty killing percentage, and Stoll is a huge part of that. He is also a big reason the Oilers powerplay has been rejuvenated.

Out of the Oilers' 44 power play goals, Stoll has scored six of them, good for second on the team behind Dustin Penner.

He gives the Oilers a legitimate shooter from the point, which they lost when Sheldon Souray went down with injury, who can also move the puck around and be creative, something Souray is not.

So while Stoll is not having the best of seasons points wise, he is still a major part of the Edmonton Oilers. And Oilers fans should not be so quick to throw him under the bus.

Everyone has their bad seasons, and Stoll is no different.

What people forget is that he is only 25 years old, and this is his fourth NHL season. Give him a couple of years, and I promise, you will not be disappointed.

Difficult Decision Looms for Edmonton Oilers' GM

Faiz-Ali Virji — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:26:26 -0500

The Edmonton Oilers are in quite the situation.

Entering the month of February, the Oilers had a 23-25-5 record, and looked to be out of the playoff picture for sure. But, after going 4-2 in their last six games, Edmonton is now a .500 team, and sits six points from a playoff spot.

If they continue at this pace, the Oil will finish 42-35-5 (89 points), and that’s if they only lose games in regulation. While 89 points usually falls short of a playoff spot, 15 of their remaining 23 games are against teams they are battling for the final two spots.

Also, the Colorado Avalanche, who are currently in the eighth spot, are on pace to finish the year 42-33-7 (92 points). The Oilers play the Avs four more times this year, making these games crucial for both teams’ playoff hopes.

So this poses a difficult question for GM Kevin Lowe: are the Oilers buyers or sellers come trade deadline day?

Sure, he has four games left before that time to evaluate the team, but does he want a repeat of last year, where he waited too long to sell Ryan Smyth, and got minimum value for him? What if the Oilers win the next four games, or even three of the four, and the playoffs look very possible?

If he waits, he may not be able to get that one player the team needs to make the push. But if they lose the next four, and he decides to sell, he may get low-balled again.

So what should he do?

Be a seller. Try to get big contracts out of the way, so that he has the cap room to sign his restricted free agents, mainly Joni Pitkanen, Tom Gilbert, and Jarret Stoll, so that he can avoid any rival GMs trying to get revenge on him from last summer, and any unrestricted free agents over the summer (Marian Hossa anyone?).

I would also suggest trading goalie Dwayne Roloson, seeing as he is no longer the starting goalie here, and is getting paid $3.5 mil a year to ride the pine. If Lowe can get even a second-rounder for him, he should take it.

He should also be listening to any offer for Steve Staios, because while Steady Steve is a good defenseman, he has looked a little lost this year and at a cap hit of $2.7 million a year for the next three years, he is a little costly for just leadership.

Lowe could probably get a deal similar to what the Canadiens got last year for Craig Rivet (a young roster player and a first round pick) because many teams could use a right-handed defenseman who has played in the Stanley Cup Finals.

There are also unrestricted free agents such as Geoff Sanderson and Marty Reasoner, which Lowe could try to get some value for (a so-so prospect, maybe a late round pick).

The key for Lowe is to rebuild for next season, while not throwing the towel on this one yet.

While that sounds contradictory, it is possible. This team is being led by its younger players, and these young guys aren’t playing that bad. What the Oilers need to do is to retain this group, and sign these guys to long-term contracts so that we can get a head start on next season.

However, they can’t tank the rest of this season, because the Ducks have their first-round pick, and it would not be good to be giving them a Top-5 pick. The fans would hate Lowe for signing Penner and would hate Penner too, which would be unfair, seeing how much he has improved from the beginning of the season.

All in all, the Oilers have one heck of a problem going into trade deadline day. Let’s just hope they get it right this time.