NHL Second Half: Top 25 Unanswered Questions
If the Montreal Canadians' run during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year has told us anything, it's to expect the unexpected. That's the beautiful thing about hockey (and pro sports for that matter) that makes it so exciting and interesting.
It's the unknown, the unpredictable, the memorable.
Unlike some television shows and movies where you can read between the lines and figure out the ending, pro sports are a highlight reel of unpredictable, historical events.
Heading into the second half of the season, the NHL is looking to close the season down in style. This will include great playoff races, battles for scoring titles, and hopefully some clarity for award nominees and winners.
Here are the top 25 unanswered questions heading into the second half of the NHL season.
25. The Future of Cory Clouston and Bryan Murray in Ottawa
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The Senators' current season has been disappointing. With star center Jason Spezza sidelined by an injury for a good chunk of the season, the Sens struggled to score with any consistency heading into the break and, for that matter, after.
Where do you start pointing fingers? At management, for bringing in the players, and at the head coach, for not using what he has to its full potential.
It's a sad state of affairs when the team stinks, yet you blame the coaches and management, not the players.
Owner Eugene Molnyk told Clouston and Murray that their jobs are secure, but the reality of the situation is this: their careers with the Senators in the Canadian capital appear to be hanging by a thread.
Will the Sens turn things around and make a playoff push? I doubt it.
24. What Will Toronto Do Regarding Their Situation in Goal?
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The Leafs started out the year decently in regard to goals against, but its been mostly downhill since then. Jean Sebastian Giguere has been fairly inconsistent, not really backstopping the Leafs as expected. More importantly, future cornerstone in goal Jonas Gustavsson has been the goal-tending version of a colander: leaky.
Statistically, Gustavsson may be one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL this year. Only Nikolai Khabibulin has started more games and has a worse goals-against average (3.29 vs 3.44). Dan Ellis has a worse save percentage (.890 vs .887).
Looking at the numbers, you would believe the Leafs would be shopping Gustavsson hard, but that is not the case. Its likely Giguere will be dealt first as he has the massive expiring contract in addition to Cup experience.
All this talk is because the Leafs have got quite the surprise from farm call-up James Reimer. "Optimus Reim" as he's affectionately known by Leaf fans has won games for them on the strength of his solid positional play and ability to react quickly.
A native of Manitoba, like former Leaf goalie Ed Belfour, Reimer is looking more and more like the second coming of Belfour by the start. Will he have as great of a career as Belfour, probably not. But for Leaf fans, they'll enjoy the ride while it lasts.
23. Will Ron Wilson Ever Get Fired?
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In an anonymous NHL/CBC player poll earlier this year, most players named Ron Wilson as the coach they did not want to play under. Needless to say, Wilson began to hear it from the media.
In his typical Ron Wilson fashion, he laughed off the notion, making it clear none of his guys would say that. He alluded to Clarke MacArthur's undying allegiance to him, among others.
But with that said, the Leafs sit nine points out from a playoff spot, and with a very expensive defense and goalie compliment, you would think you could expect results.
But that just is not the case right now.
In three years with the Leafs, Wilson has enjoyed very limited success and, to be honest, his special teams have been awful the entire time he's been here.
Why does he still remain while others, such as John MacLean, were fired for much less "suckage" than Wilson.
Will Ron Wilson ever get fired? I doubt it, unless Brian Burke is fired first, which I also doubt will happen anytime soon.
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22. Are The Devils Back to Playing Hockey?
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In the Devils' last 11 games, they are 8-1-2 and appear to finally be hitting their stride. They are getting solid goal tending from Martin Brodeur, and they are starting to slowly put goals on the board at a more consistent rate.
All-Star Patrik Elias has paced the club while Ilya Kovalchuk figures out how to score again, and within the next six weeks or so, they will likely welcome franchise leader and leading scorer Zack Parise back to the fold.
The addition of Parise may have a ripple effect with the rest of the team and take them to that next level.
If the Devils are winning come trade deadline time, I don't really expect any moves by them; they are strapped by cap issues.
With all that said, they still only sit at 42 points and need to leapfrog a number of teams. They have added the Ottawa Senators to the list of those teams already.
If they continue to reel off wins, are they really a seller anymore?
21. Will The Flames Make the Playoffs?
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After Darryl Sutter was let go and GM Jay Feaster has taken over, the Flames looked to be in total disarray.
Questions flew and the Flames were contemplating dealing captain Jarome Iginla.
However, the Flames have streaked since then, going 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. This record brings them one point from a playoff spot. They have the veteran players to get it done, and they definitely have the goal-tending to get there.
The biggest question facing the club is this: will they score enough to get there?
20. Where Will Sheldon Souray Land?
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Sheldon Souray has been out of hockey for nearly a year, but he has been working in the minors with the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League.
The Edmonton Oilers are willing to trade him to anyone. Why? To get rid of his expensive price tag and presence in the organization.
Souray still has one of the best power-play point shots in the NHL, along with Zdeno Chara, Shea Weber, Steven Stamkos and Alexander Ovechkin. If anything, Souray will be a great addition to any team's power play for the stretch run.
I expect Washington, Los Angeles, San Jose, Tampa Bay and New York to come calling GM Steve Tambellini come deadline day.
19. Who Will Be the Rookie of the Year?
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Probably the hardest thing to do as a NHL player is to come into the league and dominate. The speed, skill and toughness of the NHL compared to the minors is like night and day.
Only a select few can brave the initial storm of the NHL and really make their mark.
All-Star Jeffrey Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes has the slight advantage right now for the award, but don't count out Sharks center Logan Couture, Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, Oilers winger Taylor Hall, Hawks goalie Corey Crawford, Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and lastly Rangers center Derek Stepan. All of the above could give Skinner a good push for the Calder trophy.
18. Is Steve Yzerman the Runaway Winner of Executive of the Year
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Steve Yzerman took over a Lightning team in disarray. Since his arrival, he has turned the franchise around.
After savvy moves such as trading for Simon Gagne, signing Pavel Kubina and Brett Clark, and trading for goaltender Dwayne Roloson, the Lightning are really looking like a legit playoff team at the moment.
At 7-3-0 in their last 10, the Lightning is having its best season since its Cup run in 2004.
Every move he's made, whether big or small, has worked out for the Lightning this season.
On the shoulders of Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, the Lightning are out to take the Southeast Division and silence all the Washington fans.
Is he the best GM in hockey already? No, since there are more GMs with longer and better track records. But this season, Yzerman stands alone for his work to turn the Tampa Bay Franchise around after finishing with the sixth overall selection at last year's NHL draft.
17. The Future of Tomas Vokoun
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Tomas Vokoun, in my opinion, is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. He doesn't get the credit he deserves, due to the fact he plays on the Florida Panthers.
Vokoun is in the last year of a contract that is paying him $6.3 million dollars, and will be probably the best rental option for teams without a legit starting goalie heading into the playoffs.
Expect teams such as Washington, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Chicago and possibly even San Jose to come calling GM Dale Tallon near the trading deadline on February 28th.
16. Can Carey Price Lead the Canadiens to a Northeast Division Title?
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The Canadiens sit two points behind Boston for the Northeast Division crown, and have done so for much of the season due to a breakout season from Carey Price.
Price currently leads the NHL with 26 wins and sports a lofty 2.30 goals against average to go along with a beautiful .922 save percentage as of Feb. 5, 2011.
Heading into the season, Habs fans wanted to rip Price a new one, since the club dealt playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to the Blues in the summer. Price has quickly shut up those doubters.
Questions heading into the year include, can Price even lead this team to the playoffs, and how will he deal with the immense pressure in Montreal?
Well, so far so good, as Price and the Habs have a firm hold on a playoff spot and don't look like they're letting go anytime soon.
15. The Battle of Pennsylvannia For The Atlantic Division
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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers sit three points apart for the Atlantic Crown, with the Flyers sitting on top. They have two games remaining to finish out March, and those games are expected to have a lot of weight attached to them.
How the Penguins and Flyers so in the meantime is anyone's guess.
What it may all come down to is how each team does on trade deadline day. Who do they add? Who do they trade, if anyone? Will the moves, if made, hurt the club, or put them over the top?
14. Will Tomas Kaberle Waive His No-Trade and Get Dealt?
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Tomas Kaberle is easily Brian Burke's best trading chip, and if Burke had it his way, he'd try to either resign him to a similar contract or deal him to the Western Conference for a great prospect and a high draft pick.
That right now is the current asking price, but as the days pass, that price will undoubtedly go down quite a bit.
Do the Leafs take a chance and keep the All-Star defenseman on the squad and risk losing him for nothing via free agency? Or do they trade him and look towards the future?
We will know that answer to those questions by the end of the month.
13. Can All Five Team from the Pacific Secure a Playoff Spot?
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The Dallas Stars sit at 65 points, three points up on the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Coyotes sit at 61 points and in seventh spot, while the Los Angeles Kings sit at 60 points and eighth place in the Western Conference.
All the teams are separated by five points which will make the stretch run in the Pacific that much more interesting come April.
Usually the forgotten division, it may be the most exciting division to keep an eye on right now as all of them could make it to the playoffs.
12. How Will The Norris Trophy Race Play Out?
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Heading into the All-Star break, Nicklas Lidstrom appeared to be the winner of the Norris Trophy, but since then the plot has thickened.
Newcomers to the Norris this year appear to be Keith Yandle, who leads all defenders in points (45), and Dustin Byfuglien, who leads all defenders in goals (`6). Kris Letang is having a wonderful year as well, and you can never count out Zdeno Chara, Shea Weber and Duncan Keith in this race.
The battle will be long, it will be exciting and it will play out in the coming months.
Who do you believe will take the trophy at years end? Will a strong playoff win it for that player, or will the regular season be enough justification?
11. Trade Deadline Day--The Biggest Movers and Shakers of the Day
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It is the most hotly anticipated day in all of hockey--deadline day.
It's usually a busy day in the NHL with roughly about 20-25 trades made that day.
In Canada, we take obsession to a new level: broadcast deadline day on three networks from 8:00 am until the deadline passes at 3:00 pm.
Who will be the biggest movers?
Which team will make the largest splash in the trade pool and land a star?
Deadline day is coming fast, are you ready hockey fans?
10. Who Will Win the Jack Adams Trophy?
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With Art Ross candidate Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Selke award nominee Ryan Kesler, Vezina nominee Roberto Luongo, and of the deepest defensive crop in the NHL, it would be hard to not vote for coach Alain Vigneault. However, he does not get my vote right now.
My vote will come down to Pittsburgh's Dan Bylsma, who has the Penguins playing great hockey, despite not having its two best players, and first-year Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher. Boucher has rallied his team from sixth worst to fourth best in the NHL in just a year.
Sometimes its not about what you have, but rather what you do with the cast and crew you do have. These two coaches have shown me something this year for sure.
Outside guys to make a push for some consideration are Claude Julien, Marc Crawford, Mike Babcock and Peter Laviolette.
9. Will Steven Stamkos Win the Rocket Richard Trophy?
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With Sidney Crosby going down with an injury at the beginning of January, and with a return date still not set, the Rocket Richard trophy looks like it's Steven Stamkos' to lose.
Currently setting the pace with 40 goals in 54 games, Stamkos' next closest competitor is Ryan Kesler, who only has 31 goals.
With his current pace, and the uncertainty regarding Crosby, this is Stamkos' trophy to lose. An injury appears to be the only way he will lose this honour.
I'm still hoping Ovechkin wakes up and gives him a run for his money. But with nearly twice as many goals as Ovechkin, Stamkos will likely not have to worry about " The Great Eight".
8. Will The Vancouver Canucks Win the Presidents Trophy?
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Currently after 53 games, the Canucks sit at 77 points and on pace for around 112 to round out the year.
They have depth, they have the goal tending, and they have the scoring to get it done. However, after losing Alex Edler to injury, and with Sami Salo still on the shelf, there are some small questions being raised about their defense.
Christian Ehrhoff (pictured), Kevin Bieksa, and Dan Hamhuis will have something to say about that, though.
With a four-point lead on the Philadelphia Flyers, the Canucks sit in a good position to keep their spot as the NHL's top team.
Is it really a title they would want, though, with all the added pressure of being the top dog of the NHL?
7. Who Will Win the Race for the Selke Trophy?
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The Selke Trophy is generally awarded to the player who plays the best two-way game--a player who plays as well in the defensive zone as he does in the offensive zone. In other words, your prototypical three-zone player.
In the past three years Pavel Datsyuk has won the award, but this year (with injuries suffered by Datsyuk) a new winner could emerge.
In my opinion, its a three-horse race with Flyers' Mike Richards, Canucks' Ryan Kesler and Bruins' Patrice Bergeron all garnering probably the most consideration for the award.
For what it's worth, Ryan Kesler wih 30 goals, 50 points and +24 rating (as of Feb. 05/2011) should be the winner of the award. Although, how the rest of the season plays out will be anyone's guess.
6. Who Will Win the Art Ross Trophy?
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Henrik Sedin took the title last year for scoring champ. This year? Twin brother Daniel has the slight lead in the NHL for points.
Daniel sits with 69 points, Steven Stamkos is at 68 points, Sidney Crosby is at 66 points and lastly, Henrik sits at 65 as of Feb. 5. It looks to be a four-horse race for the scoring title, and it should be a very good finish to the year for all four players.
If Sidney Crosby is back within the next week or so, my money would be on him. He has the best PPG average among the four players, but if he does not return soon he will be at a great disadvantage.
The Sedin's, since they play with each other, could have the slight advantage right now. Stamkos gets the majority of his points in the goal category, which is obviously the harder stat to record.
Outsiders looking to make a push could be Martin St. Louis--Stamkos' set-up man and possibly Alex Ovechkin, if the stars align.
5. The Return of Sidney Crosby, Penguins Finish Without Evgeni Malkin
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After sustaining a concussion, Sidney Crosby hasn't played the last 13 games for the Penguins.
To make matters worse, the Penguins recently lost Evgeni Malkin to a torn ACL and MCL, thus ending his season. The injury was suffered on a hit delivered by the Sabres Tyler Myers.
How will the Pens fare without their two best players? Is there enough offense to carry them through? As it stands right now, the Pens have won something like eight or nine of the 11 games they've had without Crosby, and really have been playing a sound all-around hockey game as a team.
With Crosby hopefully returning soon, how long will it be until he gets his feel back? With his talent level, probably a couple of shifts.
4. How Will the Vezina Trophy Race Turn Out?
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One of the closest races right now could be the Vezina Trophy for Best Goaltender in the NHL. There have been a few standout goalies in the NHL who are really having some memorable seasons.
Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins has had one of the best statistical years in recent memory for a starting goalie with a 1.80 GAA and .945 SV% to go along with 25 wins and only 6 losses.
Montreal's Carey Price leads the NHL in wins (26) and has a 2.30 GAA and .922 SV%, meanwhile the Vancouver Canucks Roberto Luongo sits with 25 wins with a 2.24 GAA and .924 SV%.
Another couple of tenders to add to the collection are Marc Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.
Last year's Vezina winner Ryan Miller is having a decent season, but right now, its not a season that ranks up there with the goalies listed above.
*All stats taken as of Feb. 5, 2011.
3. Will the Chicago Blackhawks Miss the Playoffs?
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The Blackhawks, the Stanley Cup Champions, are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture, but for how long?
A strong defense, a great forward compliment, and a young up-and-coming goalie in Corey Crawford, would appear to be enough to be in the playoffs, but that is not the case for the Hawks right now.
After signing Marty Turco in the offseason, the Hawks were hoping he would stabilize their goaltending after losing Antti Niemi to the rival San Jose Sharks via free agency.
But Turco has really looked his age this year and has stumbled, and most of the load is on the young Crawford's shoulders.
Are his shoulders large enough to handle the pressure? I guess time will only tell, but I see them making it, and probably even catching Nashville for home ice in the playoffs. If all goes well, another second round match-up against the Vancouver Canucks could be in the cards.
2. Brad Richards--Will He Get Dealt at the Deadline?
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Currently leading his team to a Pacific Division crown and sitting sixth in the NHL with 59 points, you would think Dallas would be crazy to deal Brad Richards. These are the times, I guess.
Richards, who has yet to sign an extension, is in the final year of a contract that is paying him $7.8 milllion this season. With the general production he's putting forth, I expect him to sign a similar contract when his contract runs out.
With the Stars still searching for a new owner, since Tom Hicks is selling the club, the money situation is still tight.
Do the Stars risk losing Richards to unrestricted free agency and keep him for the stretch run and into the playoffs?
He will be the most hotly contested rental first line center in the NHL if he's put up for bids.
Right now its too early to tell if they will deal him, but in three weeks, the picture may get clearer by the day.
At the moment, it's still like looking into a house full of mirrors.
1. Blindside Hits--Will They Ever Learn How to Lay a Clean Check?
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Not saying Crosby is the poster boy for blind side hits here, but he is definitely a victim of one, whether it was intentional or not.
The respect for one another in the game has really taken a hit this year, as many players are suffering concussions and/or have been a victim of a blindside hit.
Mike Brown delivered a blindside hit on Ed Jovanovski and only received three games, Joe Thornton received a two-game suspension for his hit on David Perron (who is still out of the lineup), Daniel Paille received four games for his hit on Raymond Sawada of the Dallas Stars recently. David Steckel received no games, because the NHL believed the hit was unintentional and inadvertent.
What will the NHL do about it? What can they do?
Make shoulder and elbow pads more cushioned? Come up with a new helmet? Outlaw head-shots completely and suspend a player a minimum of 10 games for a first time offence, and more games for repeat offenders?
Those are the many questions facing the NHL right now, but first and foremost it comes down to the safety of their players and stars that will help the NHL survive.
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