5 up, 5 down

I’ve had a few people chastise me for not keeping up with the blog, and I apologize for those of you who actually enjoy visiting.  It’s been a long couple of weeks, but winter is sneaking around the corner, and I’ve got a growing itch for the witty banter between Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley.

Whether this is your first time at the Blue Line, or you’re a seasoned vet, thanks for the visit, and there’s no better honor than hearing from you folks in the form of comments.  Whew! Now that we’ve established my propensity for long, winding sentences, lets begin.

This is as new to me as it is to you, but being the first of the 5 up 5 down posts, I’ll explain.  I considered doing a weekly or bi-weekly rankings, but that idea is done so well by the folks over at Yahoo! and TSN, that I’ll stick to something a little more “me”.  Every week, we’ll look at 10 players whose fortunes have changed for the better and for the worse over the previous week. It sounds straight forward, so lets see if I can do this without screwing up.

5 Up

5. John Tavares (C – NYI) – You can argue that coming into this season he had more pressure than even Sidney Crosby when he made his debut; coming into New York as a franchise saver can do that to a 19 year old kid.  But with 6 points in the last 7 games, and a 5-2 mark over that stretch has people realizing just how good he can be.

4. Ryan Smyth (LW – LA) – He’s cooled down a bit over the last 6 games, despite a 4 point effort against Pheonix, but it cannot be overlooked the type of season Smyth is having.  Many wrote him off at the beginning of the season after a huge step back last season in Colorado.  He’s shown he has plenty left in the tank having 20 points in 18 games.

3. Brad Richards (C – DAL) – Brad Richard has certainly stepped up as a big piece of this Dallas team this year with points in 13 of the 15 games he’s played in. If Richards can stay healthy, which was the issue last year, then I can see him near the top of the league in scoring when all is said and done.

2. Marion Gaborik (RW – NYR) – We all knew Gaborik was a good player, he’s been near point-per-game for his career up until this point, but no one expected him to come out firing like he has in his new Rangers uniform. I have high hopes for a healthy Marion Gaborik.

1. Anze Kopitar (C – LA) – Two Kings on a hockey top-5 list? Is it 1993 again? This is one success story that I’m particularly happy about, as I’ve been a Kopitar fan since he was drafted back in 2005. Who in the world would have bet, though, that twenty games into the season (okay, 17) it wouldn’t be Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, or Joe Thorton atop the scoring leader board, but the Yugoslavian born Kopitar.  He’s been the MAN to this point in the season, carrying the Kings from basement doormats to Western Conference powerhouse.  13 goals and 14 assists give him a 4 point cushion over an injured Ovechkin, and after 6 points in 3 games so far in November, it looks like he isn’t slowing down.

Speaking of Down…

5 Down

5. Martin Havlat (RW – Min) There were a lot of big offseason acquisitions throughout the NHL, one of the biggest being Havlat’s transition from the Blackhawks to the Wild. After starting the season solid, he’s got 2 points in 12 games, and has not looked like a game changer in Minnesota.

4. Dennis Wideman (D – Bos) – Dennis Wideman had a breakthrough season last year with the Bruins, scoring 50 points for the Eastern Conference champions.  This year has been especially embarrassing for the 26 year old defenceman. 2 points in 13 games, and one image of him taking out matt hunwick in an odd, but game changing collision against the Canadiens lands him on this list.

3. Cam Ward (G – Car) – Let me hit you with some stats… 2-9 in 15 starts this season. 5 games of 4 or more goals against. 2.97 GAA and an .899 save percentage. Those numbers are uncharacteristic of Ward, who despite never being a top tier goaltender has always been more than solid in net. And things got even worse on Saturday when Rick Nash’s skate clipped his thigh, leaving a deep laceration that should cost him a month or more of his season.  I feel for the guy, but maybe the Canes’ can win a few now.

2. Brad Boyes (RW – StL) For a team that was considered the cinderella of the NHL last year, there were high expectations for a team returning much of it’s core.  Boyes was the goal scorer this team needed if it were going to make a run at the playoffs this year.  It’s still early, but since Boyes’ last goal (only his second) the team has gone 1-3-3. He’s be an absolute non-factor.

1. Eric Staal (C – Car) Not to be outdone by the Kings, Carolina had to get two players on this list. Too bad their on the Down side. Eric Staal, generally considered one of the more dominant centers in the league due to his size and balance between scoring and passing, has been AWFUL this season.  I could probably put a 1a. for the entire Carolina team, as they’ve struggled to do ANYTHING aside from lose in this young season.  Staal makes me nervous for the simple fact that, without any kind of supporting cast, he’ll have the hardest time turning this season around.

Hopefully you folks have an opinion on this list. Let me know who you’re impressed/disappointed with, and we’ll revisit this next monday.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve visited the site before. I’m not a professional writer, which is a fact that you’ve probably noticed for yourself, but I love the game of hockey, and have a blast with the blog.  With the 2009-10′ season about to start, I’d like to get more involved in the site, and I’d love if you guys could do the same.

Hopefully we can get some great discussion going, and I can better cater to the people who read this thing.  Let me know through comments and e-mails what you guys think, and we’ll all have a great 2009 season!

With less than one month remaining until the NHL regular season, can I speak for the rest of us and say that we’re sick of the soap opera surrounding the Pheonix Coyotes?

And can I also say we’re sick of Gary Bettman’s self indulgent hypocrisy?

I’ve tried to understand the NHL’s position, I’ve tried to read the news articles and blog entries with an open mind, but I keeo coming back to one fact: Gary Bettman has done so much to hurt the league by moving franchises to blatantly unhealhty situations.

So someone tell me why, now, Gary Bettman wants to KEEP a struggling franchise in a crappy hockey market, when there’s a guy who wants to pay ABOVE market value for a crappy team and move it somewhere that makes a heck of a lot more sense than Pheonix?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Balsillie is the answer.  I can’t say I know the man, nor do I REALLY know why the owners dislike him so much.  But what I can say, is the franchise is going to fold if it stagnates in Pheonix.  The market isn’t growing, and if anything, the legal battle that’s going on right now is going to turn a lot of people off.

I think if anything, Gary Bettman needs to think about the players, the families of those players, and the overall health of the NHL, and stop trying to prove he’s right and that everyone else is wrong.

Lets put another notch in the Worst Commish in the history of professional sports belt that sits tightly around Bettman’s waste…

It’s so slow out there in the world of hockey that I find myself actually reading Eklund’s updates, which as you know, isn’t exactly the best way to find your facts, so I’m looking forward to the coming season and some of the story lines we may see.

First, I’m interested to see what the Montreal Canadiens look like when they finally hit the ice.  It seems that they’re going for a simple, overhaul sort of rebuild, yet with older pieces rather than youth and prospects.  I think they’ll compete in the east, as they still have a good bit of talent, but I’m not sure if they can hold it together with teams like Boston and Toronto either holding pat or fixing their holes.

The NHL announced as well that the Winter Classic is a game being played between the resurgent Bruins and the rival Philedelphia Flyers at Fenway Park. I’m as excited as everyone else I’ve talked to about this game, and I think it has the potential to be the biggest hockey game in recent hockey history.

The Avalanche are retiring the great Joe Sakic’s #19 this season in what should prove to be an emotional parting of ways for the 20 year vet and center piece of the Colorada franchise since it’s inception. It will be equal to if not greater than the Roy retirement last year.

The Dany Heatley saga is likely to continue well into the summer, and may not be resolved by the time the season starts.  This leads to a lot of interesting plays that could be made for him at the Trade deadline.  It will be interesting to see as well if Kovalchuk gets a deal done of we’ll be waiting for sparks to fly down in Atlanta as well.

Who’s going to crap out early in the season (this years Colorado Avalanche) and who’s going to be the teams who storm into the playoffs without warning?  A lot of the basement teams have added key pieces to their teams so it’s difficult to gauge who will fall off, but I’d say the Rangers or Islanders stand to lose the most ground, and I see Dallas and LA being the teams who turn it around.

MVP? No brainer. One of the big three (Ovechkin, Crosby, Datsyuk) will win it baring any outrageous regular season performances.  All three of these guys are being set up to be as valuable as the next.

Will anyone replace the Sharks as the best Western Conference team in the regular season?  I think the Red Wings are on a bit of a decline, and despite Calgary getting better, I think the Sharks will roll into the post season with the best record in the west.  In the east, it will be very close.  Washington is my pick for both the Eastern Conference crown and the Presidents trophy.

And lastely, do the Penguins have the pieces to repeat?  As much as I hate to say they do, they’re primed for a deep playoff run and another serious push at Lord Stanley’s cup. A deep team that changed very litte over the off season, why should we believe anything other than what we’ve seen: They are clutch.

I know it’s a long ways away from the 2009-10′ regular season, but things are starting to heat up as developmental camps are getting underway.  From here, there’s no where to look but up.

Winners:

With the free agent frenzy winding down after a few weeks of furious signing/trading/rumors, it’s time we take a look at how the chips have fallen. Granted, we won’t know how all of this will shake out until we have a chance to see the teams next season, but as we’ve always done, lets speculate!

Los Angelas Kings: This one seems fairly agreed upon. The Kings were a young team with a ton of talent that is on the right side of 25, so we expected them to go after some veteran leadership, and they did. The snagged one of the NHL’s good guys in Ryan Smyth, and they even overpaid to bring in the former Oiler and Avalanche and his 20-30 goals per season. It’s nice to see L.A. trying to put together a solid team. Add to their budding defensive core the signing of Rob Scuderi, resigning Jack Johnson to a pretty cheap contract (1.4 m/per) I see these guys putting together a much better season.

Toronto Maple Leafs: These guys put together some of the most dismal seasons in recent memory over the last few years. They gave up 239 goals last season, tops in the league, due to a young, unstable group of D-Men, and did nothing to bulk up and compete with the growing teams in the east. Bring in Brian Burke and suddenly they look like a hockey team again. Garnet Exelby and Colton Orr add some grit and size to a team that seemed unable to hang with the Montreal’s and Boston’s of their division, and they shored up their defense with the addition of Mike Komisarek. Add to that they grabbed Jonas “The Monster” Gustavvson from Sweden and they look like they’ll improve over last year. It remains to be seen if Burke tries to get a big return on Kaberle, but my gut tells me he’ll be a Leaf next year.

Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay faced a season of tough injuries and tough breaks. They still have Vinny, one of the most dominant players in the entire league, they still have St. Louis who will probably be dangled come trade time, and a good stable of young players like Stamkos and Lashoff, these guys have a decent squad. Add to that Mattias Ohlund and Matt Walker, and they look better on the Blue line, at least on paper. Don’t discount the addition of Antero Nittymaki as a back up to the emerging Mike Smith and the drafting of the huge Victor Hedman.

Jay Boumeester: Here’s a guy who claimed he wanted to stay in Florida, blah blah blah, and yet wore a huge smile when his rights were traded to Calgary. From a middle of the pack team to a Western Conference Contender, he gains a ton of confidence knowing he’ll be playing along side the likes of Dion Phanuef and Jarome Iginla, and will put up a career year in stats. Don’t forget he’s making roughly 6.7 mill a year to play in Calgary.

Tim Thomas: This one happened quite a while ago, and that’s one of the reasons he’s a big winner. Going into the playoffs, Thomas knew he had the respect and confidence of his team, and he signed a huge deal worth 5 mil for 4 years after proving his worth as a grinder type goalie who never gives up on a play. At 35, he’s sure to start winding down, yet the team felt it was in their best intrest to lock him up even with “Goalie of the Future” Tuukka Rask waiting in the wings. Big win for the Vezina winner.

Marian Gaborik: It’s strange to me how this guy, who despite the major adoration he’s gotten from the fans and media, is able to get 7.5 mil a year. since the lockout season, he’s played 70+games once, he’s had 1 40 goal season, and he’s had a 3 page list of injuries that his aging body can’t seem to recover from. He’s still only 27 years old, but to give him Hossa money seems a waste. Thank god for him there is the New York Rangers who love to spend money on guys who haven’t proven anything.

Losers:

Chicago Blackhawks: This team seemed to fall apart as Free Agency began.  They lost one of their emotional leaders in Martin Havlat due to an issue involving the GM Tallon and his firing.  They replaced him with Marian Hossa who had an unknown shoulder injury, and after the signing they find out they’re losing him to surgery likely until December. Not only have they alienated the players who came in under Tallon, they’ve ticked off a great number of their fans. With the violation around offers with the UFA’s and the rediculous contract they offered Hossa, this team is going to have a good number of questions going into the next season.

Montreal Canadiens: This opinion may not be shared by many, but after days and days of free agent signings, I’m not sure even the Montreal Canadiens know what they’re going to do when they hit the ice next season.  To their credit, the Canadiens got agressive after a monster let down in their centenial year. Parting ways with Captain Alexei Kovalev, team leaders in Saku Koivu and Mike Komisarek, and many of the free agents they’d signed they year before (Robert Lang, Alex Tanguay), they tried to make steps to improve a club that had lofty expectations a year ago, and a fan base that demands perfection.  I’m afraid that all they’ve done is  bring in high priced (possibly overpaid) players in Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta, and some D line replacements in Hal Gill and Jarslov Spacek that aren’t going to bring the same level of physicality or intimidation that Komi brought. This one could change if the team gels, but to me, with a relatively new coach, an unproven and on the edge goalie, and new ownership, this team maybe made too many moves, and it appears their not done.

New York Rangers: The Rangers are a constant staple for what not to do as an NHL franchise, as they consistently over pay for players that didn’t reach the lofty heights they reached for with their previous teams.  Signing Gaborik for around 38 million for 5 years seems to many like a good deal, but when considering that he’s only had one 70+ game season since the lock out, and averaging around 50 points a season for his career (437 pts in 8 NHL seasons)  I’m not so sure he’s worth the trouble.  His hip injury is the type of injury that is destined to be an achilles heel, and something I’d not be comfortable with over a 5 year span.  Considering that they paid nearly 3 million for Ales Kotalik, a perenial 20 goal scorer who can’t be counted on for more than 40 or so points, and that the big man Nik Antropov signed with Atlanta, and I think the Rangers are losers at the deadline.

Phil Kessel: I hate to see Kessel on the short end of the stick here, but after weeks of free agency, and no offer sheets, Kessel is still dangling in space.  He had major surgery that’s going to require months of rehab, and should be ready a few weeks into the season. That being said, the Bruins leading goal scorer last year is having a tough time finding a club. The Bruins have no cap space left to sign him, and unless they dump a huge contract (Patrice Bergeron or Michael Ryder) then they’re looking at trading him.  He’s not getting the offers he’d like, and the other players of his goal scoring caliber are making an average of 6.5 mil a year. Whether or not you believe the NHL is pushing it’s teams to hold out on their free agents to drive prices down or not, it seems that Kessel is losing out every day he remains a free agent.

Rick DiPietro/Dwayne Roloson/Martin Biron: It’s clear that the Islanders have lost faith in their franchise goalie.  First they went out and got 37 year old Dwayne Roloson who’s been a nice surprise over the last two seasons in Edmonton.  Roloson deserves to start in this league, but with the additional signing of Biron, someone is going to be the odd man out.  Whether the Islanders look to trade one of the three (which seems unlikely considering DiPietro’s trade value can’t be too high, Roloson is up there in age, and Biron is a career backup who’s time in Philly proved he can’t handle the starting job for even a decent club) remains to be seen.  All I know is that this is going to be a mess come the season, and it can’t end well if the roster looks like this for longer than a few weeks.

It’s getting hot out and hockey seems to be the last thing on a lot of people’s minds. But I, like you, am searching for, scouring the internet, and sometimes creating hockey news just to get us by. In the last three days, Eklund has somehow been able to feed into our addiction without ever giving us any information or reason to believe these “rumors”. But what if he’s right?

The rumors right now pretty much focus on three players. Alex Tanguay, Dany Heatley, and Phil Kessel. But the thing that doesn’t make sense is why is Eklund the only one who’s hearing about these?

I personally think Heatley isn’t going to move because he’s far too expensive and won’t waive his NTC for just anyone. The teams that want him are either too close to the cap or aren’t on his list of teams to go to. If he ships, he’ll likely end up on a Western Conference contender.

Tanguay will play somewhere, but it won’t be for much. I figure around 4 mill for 3 seasons. I think the Tampa move makes a lot of sense for him, it’s a young team that could use his leadership, and it’s a team with plenty of room and a history of taking on aging players and making the most out of them. I personally always liked Tanguay, minus his injuries so I’m hopeful he gets what he’s looking for.

As far as Kessel, this one is the closest to my comfort zone and has the biggest impact of any of the players listed above. Boston is a contender in the East and has Cup aspirations, and Kessel was a big reason for their success last season. If they lose him and don’t replace him, can they repeat their success? I believe they can. The depth they have at wing is staggering. Ryder and Sturm are both threats for 30 goals if they play on the right line, Wheeler scored 20 in his rookie campaign and looks to be better, and Lucic, Kobasew and Recchi are all threats to score around 20-25 goals. So that begs the question, what do the Bruins seek for Kessel?

If they were to let him walk to an offer sheet, they’d get the teams 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks, which may be too steep for the teams who are looking at him. There’s a rumor that he could be headed to SJ for God knows what, but that seems unplausible so I expect the Bruins to trade him for some prospects or part of a 3 or 4 team trade and get something back for the future.

One way or another the Bruins have to do some moving and shaking if the want to keep Kessel, and if not, then they better get something back for him.

I’m not sure how I feel about the leagues announcement that it’s contract with NBC will be up the same time as it’s contract with Versus.  Many are beginning to speculate that the reason for this is to leave a larger number of options come contract talks two years from now.

The obvious succsessor, if the league continues to grow in popularity and stability, would be our good friends over at ESPN. There’s one glaring fact that seems to come up whenever this is discussed, and that’s ESPN’s unwillingness to offer face time to the NHL or hockey in general.  Living in the New England area, I’m blessed to have NESN broadcasting the Bruins games, so I don’t have the drop off from the other major sports broadcasting that some of the smaller markets have, so maybe I’m a bit spoiled, but I can’t see the league benifiting from entering into a contract with the folks at ESPN.

So I’ll ask you this question.  Should the NHL re-up with Versus and demand a higher standard of quality, should they sell their souls to ESPN to try and get some casual fans, or should they look at a different option all together?

It’s official.  The NHL announced today that the 2010 Winter Classic will be played in Boston at historic Fenway Park.  As us Bostonians would say, “wicked sick!” I think the NHL made a wise decision picking Fenway as the destination.  It’s a great venue, a team on the rise, and a city that loves it’s sports teams above and beyond.

The league also announced the Bruins opponent: The Philadelphia Flyers.

I’m not so sold on the opponent, but I’m sure the league has better insight than I have. In the spirit of the game, instead of  bash the matchup, I’ll look at some pluses and why this will be the best Winter Classic yet.

Storylines: These are two teams with bad blood.  The Flyers are a team that’s known for physical, borderline dirty play.  They’ve been that way for a long time, and the Bruins have been on the short side of that stick before.  2 years ago, Randy Jones ended a young Patrice Bergeron’s season, and nearly ended his career.  It’s been high tension whenever those two teams participate in a game since then, and I’m sure they’ll play it up the closer it gets to game time.  Oh, and a guy by the name of Goon McGoonery Chris Pronger got a long term deal to play with the Flyers.

I’m already putting aside money for my ticket, and hopefully I’ll see some of you at the game.  No doubt, Fenway will welcome hockey fans from around the country for one of the premier hockey events of 2010.

So we’re less than a few weeks away from the end of the season, and a week since the NHL awards, and the rumor mill is starting to heat up.  Trade rumors are bound to fly, and as the NHL draft rolls closer, the chances a big name gets moved goes up exponentially.  It’s still early, but possibly the biggest name to be attached to a trade rumor this offseason will be Dany Heatley.

He announced during the Cup Finals that he wasn’t interested in playing for the Senators anymore and he requested a trade.  GM Brian Murray and Coach Cory Clouston both expressed their surprise but have made no mention of how they’re handling the request.

I think it’ s likely he’ll be traded as the Senators are an aging team with a shaky core.  Despite having immense talent in Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson, they’re in need of youth and role players.  There were talks during last offseason and this years trade deadline of the Sens front office tearing apart the big three and beginning to infuse some youth and young talent, and now they have the perfect excuse.

I expect something to be done before draft day.  The Senators are already picking in the top 10 in the draft, and it’s not unconcievable to see them try and secure a prospect and 2nd rounder, or something similar.

The biggest question at this point is who would be interested in Heatley’s services?  Heatley is one of the most expensive snipers in the game.  Right now, his salary commands 7.5 million dollars, and judging from the Marian Hossa bidding war of last year there are plenty of teams interested in a high priced guy if he can help bring them a cup.

I’d expect some of the bottom teams to shy away from him and his contract.  Despite having a lot of cap space, I don’t expect the Kings, Thrashers, or Lightning to make a serious move.  I haven’t heard a lot of chatter as to teams that are interested, and it’s a good chance that although there’ve been a lot of nibbles, none have been serious.

If Montreal doesn’t land Lecavalier, would they go after Heatley? They have the money to spend and a team that could use a good goal scorer. What about the Toronto Maple Leafs? Do you think Brian Burke would consider sending a package over to the Senators to bring in the big name Toronto is desperately needing?

It should be interesting to see how this all plays out, and I expect Heatley to be wearing a different sweater next season.

I’m not sure how many people have heard the rumors, but there’s reports coming out of Calgary that the NHL is contemplating hosting a second Winter classic next year.

I’m not going to get into details because I’m not exactly sure of sources, but I ran across an article on Yahoo! quoting news out of Calgary that the NHL thinks one isn’t enough.  It’d be hard to argue with the success that the NHL has seen through the outdoors games over the past few years, but if anything, the event is a marketing stunt.  It’s more about the uniqueness of the event than the hockey.

But would a second event cheapen the effect?

I think it would.  I think that the population of hockey fans looks forward to the Winter Classic, and I think having two would take attention away from the NHL and place it on the teams competing, which shouldn’t be the case.

I think the legaue needs to stick to running one Winter Classic per year.  It’s important to maintain the lore and the exclusivity of the event so it’ll be an important event for years to come.

I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that the Boston Bruins were able to take home 3 individual awards at this years NHL Award Ceremony in Las Vegas. Tim Thomas, by far the biggest favorite to win his award, quietly put together an incredible season in net.  Leading the league in both GAA and SV%, he deserved to take home to the Vezina trophy.  Zdeno Chara overcame the staggering offensive numbers of Mike Green to snag the Norris, and Claude Julien managed to pull down the Jack Adams for turning the Bruins from a barely there playoff team to a 117 point, Eastern Conference leading team.

The playoffs may not have panned out for them, but this year was by far the most successful for the Bruins in 20 years.  Hopefully, that will translate into a trend going into next year.

So it feels pretty good to finally have some closure on an incredible NHL season, and as fans, almost every franchise has it’s reasons to watch for next year.

It was a bumpy ride for some franchises.  Tampa Bay, Los Angelas, Atlanta… these guys struggled all year long, but next year brings new faces and top teir draft picks and potential franchise players.

For fans in St. Louis and Dallas, you watched your teams toil near the bottom just to have surges (some worked out, some didn’t). Fans in Boston, Washington DC, and Chicago found new reasons to chear, and Detroit and Pittsburg reiterated why they were the two best teams last year.

I’m satisfied with the passing of the guard.  Whether Sidney Crosby is the torch bearer or not, it’s nice to see the last few years that were infused with inference and expectations to pan out.  Crosby, Ovechkin, Datsyuk; they were all superstars.  Guys like Bobby Ryan, Kris Versteeg, David Krejci blossomed into top line guys, and yet some of the old familiars are still here.

It’s a tad bit bitter sweet to say goodbye to 2009 season.  Will we ever see Sakic skate in an Avalanche jersey? I hope so. How about Mike Madono, Keith Tkachuk, Brendand Shanahan.

Next year should prove to be one of change. The Cup exchanged hands, along with the leadership roles and superstar spotlight. Does Sid the Kid have enough to put on a dynasty cap?  Will the Bruins and Sharks continue their torrid regular season pace?

I wait with baited breath watching each and every player update, just pining for my fix.  I’m sure it’s the same for the rest of you diehard fans.  It’s going to be hard watching re-runs of Grapes or of Classic games; but we’ll do what he have to do, and we’ll be here when the Ice is laid in each of the 30 arena’s.

After watching saturday’s dismantelling of Pittsburg by the Detroit Red Wings, something finally clicked in my head.  For all the hearalded arrivals of the Crosby’s, Stamkos’ and Taveres’, there’s one guy playing in the league who is heads and shoulders above the rest; and that’s Pavel Datsyuk.

Sure, Detroit’s a strong team without him, they played tough against a Pittsburg team that has two of the three most offensively talented guys in the league, but with him in the lineup, they’re a different beast.

If that doesn’t prove to you how valuable this guy really is, then you don’t understand the meaning behind “total player”.  This guy is absolutely the best hockey player in the NHL right now.  He’s as offensively gifted as Ovechkin and Crosby, but he does it with just the right about of flare, with the rest just being the need to win. He’s as good defensively as he is on the offensive side of the puck, and is their number one special teams player.  When he’s there, he plays his heart out and in turn the rest of the team plays better.

I’ve always put him in the top 5 based on his numbers, but it’s amazing to me that he doesn’t get more credit for his abilities. Who knows, maybe there’s someone waiting in the wings to usurp his place as the best total player in the league, but I think it’s time the rest of the league starts giving him his due.

Sorry for the layoff, I’ve been taking some time to myself and just enjoying the beginning of summer.  But alas, here we are, nearly done with the Stanley Cup playoffs, and I haven’t said peep in a while.

Let’s change that.

I’m sure that many of you feel the same way about this series; been there, done that.  I know it feels monotonous to have the Wings playing the Penguins again in the finals, but for me, it solidifies each teams depth and greatness. Neither team was the favorite going into the playoffs, instead a projected matchup of Sharks vs Bruins was at the top of the list.  Next came the Duck’s have a perfect playoff team, then the cinderella Hurricanes.

But in the end, it came down to two teams and a few key guys.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have finally proved that they belong in the NHL elite and can compete with the Red Wings of the world. The Detroit Red Wings have finally proven to me that they can win without their top guys.  Both Datsyuk and Lindstrom, the Wings two biggest game changers, have battled injuries, and still Detroit has been impressive.

Part of the Red Wings success is the elevated play of Chris Osgood.  He’s been the best goalie in the playoffs, and he’s made some huge saves at big times.  I’ll admit I’ve been a critic of the aging Osgood.  I didn’t think he had what it took to survive a strong West and a high scoring East team in the finals, but he’s silenced myself and everyone else who bashed him for his subpar performance towards the end of the season.

The series is 2-1 in the Wings favor, and I don’t think the series is over just yet.  If the Penguins can put together a convincing win on home ice tonight, then they have a chance at upsetting the Wings in Detroit in game 5 and a chance to close it out at home in game 6.

If Detroit wins tonight, then they’ll be hoisting the cup on home ice in Game 5.

With Ovechkin and the Caps, and Timmy Thomas and the Bruins officially making tee times, the running for the Conn Smyth trophy narrows significantly.

It would be easy to pick Sidney Crosby and his playoff leading points (21) and goals (12), but lets look beyond the glamour pick and the men who could usurp the thrown.

Detroit has the best candidate, and his nickname rhymes with The Stool. Yes, Johan Franzen, aka The Mule, is quietly carrying his team through the playoffs with strong play in both zones, and his goal and point totals place him in the top 5 with 9 goals and 18 points.

The next best is Carolina’s Eric Staal. His heroics in the Devil’s series and stoic play in the grueling Bruins series has him in the running for the trophy; if the Canes can bounce the Pens. His 9 goals are good for 3rd, but he’s only got 4 helpers.

Chicago doesn’t have any clear front runners for the playoff MVP trophy, so lets look at who’s been most important. Toews and Kane both started slow, but are both playing very well now, sitting right in the middle of the pack for goals and points. But it’s Martin Havlat who deserves the talk in Chi-town for his big goals in the first round, and his consistent play.  He’s leading all Chicago skaters with 14 points (good for an 8th place tie in points).

There is, in my opinion, two sleepers in this years playoffs. You may not consider Cam Ward a sleeper for the MVP, but after going to 7 games in both first round series and a loss in the first against the Pens, he’s not exactly garnering the attention he should be. And if Carolina moves on to the Stanley Cup finals, Jussi Jokenin could get some consideration for some huge goals that helped keep them in the Devil’s series, and a few game winners that turned both series in the Cane’s favor.

It’ll be interesting, as both series have the potential to go either way. We’ll keep watching, and hopefully we’ll watch some exciting hockey.