3 Days and Counting til Doomsday.

For what has been called the "deepest draft in years", the GM's of the NHL sure did put us through a real snooze fest this weekend. Sure, I understand the excitement of prospects and the anticipation of Tyler .vs. Taylor, but personally I was really hoping the Draft would be dominated by blockbuster trades! And I was rewarded with a couple small deals with Keith Ballard being the biggest name dealt. Great....

So here we find ourselves, 3 days until July 1st and the opening of free agency in the NHL. So here is what we have to look forward to over the next 2 weeks:

- Let's start at the top, Kovalchuk. The writing has been on the wall for a while with the Russian winger that the Kings were going to take a serious run at him. The only question remains if Los Angeles is the "hockey market" Ilya is going for (I thought he hated the spot light?), because if not, there are still people crazy enough to imagine Kovalchuk as a Leaf. Sure, Toronto has the cap space, but I don't see a dressing room with Kovalchuk and Phaneuf going well, and apparently Brian Burke agrees with me. But speaking of the Leafs, if Kovalchuk does not sign in Los Angeles, they may be interested in Kaberle (If Kopitar is coming the other way, I AM DOWN!). 

- Dan Hamhuis has become everyone's favourite hot potato recently. Being dealt from Nashville to Philly, and now again to Pittsburgh, everyone seems to want a shot at Hamhuis. The unfortunate part to this story seems that Hamhuis seems pretty intent on hitting the open market July 1st. Hamhuis seemed like a replacement for Sergei Gonchar, who seems to also be hitting the road for greener pastures. If the Penguins are unable to sign either of these players, the Penguins could be looking very thin on the back end, which would add another team looking into Tomas Kaberle's services. 

- Now for the goalies. Due to their inability to sign Hamhuis, the Flyers will use their extra cap space for their obvious weakness in goal (and no it's not you Michael Leighton!). Rumors have Evgeni Nabokov coming to the city of Brotherly Love to the tune of $6 million/year. I'm not sure, but something about that signing makes me feel a little uneasy. Maybe it's the fact that Nabokov can't win the big game. Oh wait, yeah, that is it. 

- Other major goalies in play include Chris Mason, Marty Turco, and apparently now Tim Thomas. Turco apparently has already turned down the Flyers, leaving a  "Goodness knows where" feel to the future destination of the former Dallas keeper. On the other hand, both Chris Mason and Tim Thomas have been speculated to possibly be heading to Tampa Bay, where Steve Yzerman needs a goalie and will probably take one of the two. Mason seems like the most likely as the trade price seems too high for Tampa to draw in Thomas. But speaking of Boston.....

- Marc Savard. The Bruins centre has apparently said he will waive his no trade to go to either Ottawa or Toronto. The rumor of the Kaberle for Savard deal has been running 24/7 for the last week in Toronto, and I hate to ruin the story, but it's not happening. If Savard is coming to Toronto, Kaberle will not be going the other way. Injury fears about Savard have turned this deal into a kind of salary dump for the Bruins. Meaning if this deal does happen, names like Beauchemin or Grabovski will be going to Boston. 

- Speaking of our good friend Kaberle, he's still here. If Brian Burke plays his cards right he can make the Savard deal and leave Kaberle open for another trade for a top 6 forward. Now where to depends on the next few weeks. In Los Angeles, if the Kings don't pick up Ilya Kovalchuk, they would definitely be interested in Kaberle. While in Pittsburgh, if the Hamhuis and Gonchar negotiations go wrong, the Penguins will definitely need a #1 defender, and a name like Jordan Staal coming back in return might seem fair. The only problem with Pittsburgh is that past their centres (Staal), they don't have much to offer anyone (Except Malkin), and if the Leafs make a deal to get Savard, the log jam in the middle begins.

The bottom line remains that the next 2 weeks will shape next season, but as a Leaf fan, Brian Burke has some options. If I were Mr.Burke, dealing for Marc Savard for a bucket of pucks (Grabovski/Beauchemin?) is the first step. If that is succesful, Tomas Kaberle can be dealt for a winger, leaving pay open for even Ilya Kovalchuk. I know it seems a little ridiculous, and another recipe for Leaf disaster, BUT if Burke was able to get Giguere for our 2 worst players, it could work out. 

Building Up to the Draft

So as we near Fridays' entry draft and July 1st, the dominoes are slowly falling into place as deals and signings break. Here is a little break down of the deals that have happened so far:

Deal #1.

To Philadelphia: D-Dan Hamhuis and a conditional draft pick

To Nashville: D-Ryan Parent

For Philadelphia, if they can sign Hamhuis, their defence becomes almost too good. Their top 4 D-men carried the Flyers to the Cup Finals this year, and throwing Hamhuis into the mix creates an incredible amount of depth on the back end. Only problem is that once Hamhuis is signed, Philly will be pretty close to the cap with some character guys (Asham/Carcillo for example) left to resign. So the question comes, spend the money on your 3rd/4th line guys or trust Brian Boucher with the goaltending duties?

For Nashville, this opens up a very interesting whole on the back end. One I really hope will be filled by Ryan Ellis. The prospect moves the puck like no one else, and imagine Ellis to Shea Weber on the powerplay? Yeah I just thought about Weber burning a whole in the net at the olympics too. 

Deal #2

To New Jersey:  F-Jason Arnott

To Nashville: F-Matt Halischuk and a 2nd round pick in 2011

For New Jersey, bringing some obvious size and experience back into the line-up will be a definite plus for the Devils. But between the Kovalchuk deal and now this, New Jersey seems a little too eager to trade away their future. Along with the fact that Paul Martin may not come back, and Marty Brodeur isn't getting any younger, and dark days could be ahead for the Devils. But Arnott back in town does make one a little nostalgic of 10 years ago. Wonder what Scott Stevens is doing lately?

For Nashville, losing cap and getting younger. Sounds like the plan up front, cause with guys like Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Ryan Ellis on the back end, with Renne in goal. The Predators are a few forwards away from being a contender. 

Deal #3

To Florida: D-Dennis Wideman and 1st Round pick (15th overall)

To Boston: F-Nathan Horton and F-Gregory Campbell

For Florida, Dale Tallon has come into the sunshine state and declared FIRESALE!!!! and teams are taking notice. Obviously looking to rebuild with the same formula he used in Chicago, the Panthers now own the #3 and #15 overall picks this year. Oh did we mention how bad the Panthers will be this year? Good luck Vokoun.

For Boston, the only thing keeping the Bruins from winning the east this year was goal scoring. Rask is a future vezina winner and led by Chara, they are solid on the back end. With the addition of a 25 goal man in Horton, the Bruins are solving that problem, oh and did we mention they draft #2 overall on Friday? Can I say Philly/Boston East final in 2011?

It has definitely been an interesting past few days, with the next 2 weeks being the busiest movement days of the offseason. Another look at the rumors floating around:

- Jason Spezza would "not be opposed" to a trade. If the Sens can get rid of him, I'll be impressed. Nobody wants that mess.

- The removal of Dennis Wideman in Boston has created an small hole in the Boston defence. The Bruins really like Kaberle. Names like Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder are floating around. As a Leaf fan, unless this deal involves Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, or the #2 overall pick, I'm not listening. 

- Kovalchuk to Los Angeles? That's what everyone is telling me.

- Andrew Ladd could be a cap space casualty in Chicago. Vancouver is apparently there to clean up the mess. 

- Tomas Plekanec re-signs in Montreal for 5 years $30 million. Leaves the Habs with about $7 million left in cap space without a goalie under contract. Pierre Gauthier is not making himself any fans in Montreal. 

I'm going to be on this pretty much everyday for the next 2 weeks, or until the usual off-season moves die down. Stay tuned, because we haven't even seen what is happening with guys like Marleau, Nabokov, and Mason.  

Jaroslav Halak: Mayor of Montreal to hockey obscurity

Today I was texted by a friend who works all summer at a rather remote location asking "Hey man, any update about NHL rumblings?" My reply went something like "not really man, it's all just kind of speculation til the draft next Friday." About an hour later, news of this trade broke:

To Montreal: Prospects Lars Eller and Ian Schultz

To St. Louis: Jaroslav Halak

I'll take that sound as your jaw hitting the floor.

A month ago, Halak was God in Montreal, literally. His playoff performance was being compared to Dryden and Roy, no small feet. Today he finds himself dealt into hockey obscurity, but possibly the franchise goalie for a team on the rise. In return Montreal receives Eller, a 20 year old from Denmark, who is playing decently in the AHL, and Ian Schultz, who for lack of a better word is a goon. So we could go on and on all day about how bad of a deal this is for Montreal, but let's look how this is going to change things going forward:

1.) For Montreal: Apparently they believe in Carey Price. Well let me tell you one thing, Canadiens fans don't! OR is Montreal simply clearing house in the goalie department and Halak is just the first domino to fall? Because with open cap space, Montreal could be looking at Nabokov? Or even Mason? Heck, this could be Montreal trying to silently rebuild, cause they can't be crazy enough to rely on Price, can they?

2.) For St. Louis: Goodbye Chris Mason. Hello playoffs. As great as Mason has been, needless to say, his play at this years World Championships was brutal. But with the team we see in St. Louis with the addition of Halak could be a legitimate playoff team in the West. But what about Chris Mason? This certainly looks like he won't be back in a Blues uniform, and means places like Philly, Tampa, and Dallas will be calling come July 1st. 

This deal really is as bad as it looks, but who knows what Montreal can work in the next month, cause this deal really hurts them. How do you say "I will not make the playoffs!" in french?

Other quick updates:

-Derek Boogard won't return to Minnesota. The heavyweight champ is looking for a new home, Montreal just got rid of Laraque? (Wait, no, I just had a vision of him beating the stuffing out of Colton Orr)

- The Coyotes Ownership Saga continues: Ice Edge Holdings, as the lone remaining group looking to keep the Coyotes in Glendale have until tomorrow to show they have the funds to buy the team and keep in in Arizona, if they do not, the city goes back to the drawing board and has a year to find a potential buyer. Basically here is the less complicated break down: The Coyotes will be in Pheonix next year, if Ice Edge falls through, Winnipeg here we come!

Keep those fingers crossed Jets fans. There is hope in this. 

NHL 2009/2010- The Year of the Others

So here we are ladies and gents, another year of NHL hockey in the books, and what a year it was. From the highs to the lows, it was a year of fantastic hockey. From the beginnings in october, to the incredible olympics, to Chicago's Stanley Cup win last week, it truly has been a treat. 

There has been one thing that has characterized this year though, and that can be described as The Others. Our past few seasons have been dominated by the usual Crosby/Ovechkin dominance, and names like Brodeur, Luongo, Lidstrom, and Niedermayer, but something was different about 09/10. Henrik Sedin was the king of the scoring race, Steven Stamkos tied Crosby for the most goals, and on the back end, names like Keith, Doughty, and Weber dominated. Other names like Toews, Richards, and Cammalleri began to over shadow the usual stars. Even the franchises like Pheonix and Los Angeles showed some signs of life for the future. It was a year where the underrated superstars came out to be shown just how great they are going to be. We now see a future where the young names of Toews, Stamkos, Doughty, and Weber can be discussed in the same importance as Crosby and Ovechkin, and I love that sound. 

For me personally, the highlight of this year definitely had to be the olympic tournament. Some of the best hockey I have ever seen was played and it's only every 4 years that you get to see a checking line with the names Nash, Toews, and Richards on it. The tournament had everything you want to see from hockey in speed, skill, physicality, and fantastic story lines with underdog Slovakian and American teams, the realization just how good Drew Doughty actually is, and seeing Rick Nash show just how complete as player he is (Oh, and the Russian flop was great too!). To top it all off, an overtime winner in the gold medal game by arguably the best player in the world for the most hockey mad place on the planet, you don't write those kind of endings. 

As we look forward to the always interesting summer, I want to make my personal picks for the NHL's yearly awards:

Hart (MVP): Henrik Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)

Vezina (Best Goalie): Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres)

Norris (Best Defenceman): Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)

Calder (Best Rookie): Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanche)

Lady Byng (Sportsmanship): Martin St.Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Selke (Defensive Forward): Ryan Kesler (Vancouver Canucks)

Jack Adams (Best Coach): Dave Tippett (Pheonix Coyotes)

Well we've had ourselves a good run, check out other posts for summer speculation and we will keep you up to date leading up to the draft and free agency. Here's to a great year!

So close to looking forward

So 5 games into this Stanley Cup Final, and we have been on a roller coaster ride. The first four games saw domination by the home side, but with the visitors still keeping the game interesting. But then came Game #5, and Chicago grabbed this series by the balls. Pronger had his worst game of his career (literally though), Leighton looks like he is out to lunch, and Chicago's big men have woken up. Kane is back, Byufglien is in Prongers' head (yeah, I said it), and even though he only had an assist, Toews has his jump back. As much as I don't want Chicago to win a cup on the road, Philly let Chicago up off the mat.

Series over.

As the Finals come to an end we look forward to what will be a very interesting off season. Here is what we are looking forward to:

- Let's start with the draft: Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin? Who will go #1 (I'm picking the guy who rhymes with Tay gin)

- Speaking of the draft, what happens with Mr. Kaberle in Toronto? 3 possible ideas cross my mind. #1) New Jersey desperately wants Kaberle, too bad they have no one to send back. #2) Buffalo? Coming back is Zach Kassian and their 1st round pick (23rd overall). Rumour has Drew Stafford in that package as well. #3) Kaberle to Columbus for the #4 pick which will probably turn into Brett Connoly (hmmm interesting).

- Continuing with the Toronto trend. The other 2 questions come in the form of will Kulemin re-sign and for how much? Also, the talks about Patrick Sharp/Kris Versteeg or Bobby Ryan wearing the blue and white next season are real possibilities. Considering the Anaheim need for defence. But Bobby Ryan means that Burke makes the Leafs look like more of an American national team.

- In Montreal, Carey Price or Jaroslav Halak? Easy decision, expect Halak to get big money and Price to be dealt or see him sign a deal somewhere else. Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Philadelphia are all looking for serious #1 goaltenders. If there is ever going to be a time when Steve Yzerman can move Lecavalier's contract, this is it. Lecavalier to Montreal for Price and Gomez? I would make that deal with Halak set as #1.

- The decline of previous great teams. Baring a bounce back, The Red Wings, Devils, and Flames are all looking old and thin. Without a major re-tooling of these teams they will all end up in the cellar.

- Anton Volchenkov= Out of Ottawa to Washington. Also the Capitals aren't re-signing character guys like Joe Corvo and Scott Walker. So wait, letting go of character and paying Volchenkov $5 million a year? Sounds like another Russian type thing to do. (Prediction #1 for 2010-2011: Washington will not go deep in the playoffs.)

- There are interesting RFA's available all over the league. As you can see here:

http://www.sportscity.com/nhl/2010-nhl-restricted-free-agents-by-team/

- Biggest Question: If you are Doug Wilson, do you blow up the San Jose Sharks? Because I do! Nabokov and Marleau are UFA's and Joe Thornton will be next year. Here are my instructions to Doug Wilson: #1). Get a grenade #2.) Walk into the dressing room #3.) Pull the pin, watch it all go up in smoke, rebuild.

- The saga that is the Pheonix Coyotes and their ownership scenario. Today the group led by Jerry Reinsdorf officially pulled out of the running to own the team. Meaning only one thing, it's Ice Edge or bust when it comes to keeping the Coyotes in Arizona. The NHL supposedly also has an alternative schedule made for a team in Winnipeg, operating in the Northwest division. The Northwest is a PERFECT division to throw Winnipeg into, imagine a 5 team division with 4 Canadian teams (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg) with hockey crazy Minnesota added in? Now that's what we like to see! The move apparently moves Colorado into the Pacific with San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Dallas. Colorado traveling to these places 20 times a year sounds a lot easier than traveling above the 48th parallel. I call a win-win for everyone. (except Pheonix and Gary Bettman)

- Finally, going forward (maybe too far forward to talk about), what does the future hold for sites like Quebec City, Hamilton/Southern Ontario, even Hartford? If it weren't for revenue sharing of the current CBA, franchises like Atlanta, Nashville, and Florida could be moving back to places once holding teams. Because let's be honest, Southern Ontario could hold more than just the Leafs. The hot bed for hockey IN THE WORLD (Sorry Quebec) could hold AT LEAST 2 NHL franchises, if not 3.

End of Year Review after the finals!