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Classy Olympic Predictions

February 16th, 2010

With the men’s Olympic hockey set to start in a number of hours, there’s no better time for us to roll out our tournament predictions. Especially when you consider that we’ve been talking about this tournament for about 2 full years. Below are each writers Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal predictions. Of course, we’d love to hear your thoughts (you know, if you agree with us or not), predictions and more. Folks, get ready for the greatest hockey tournament you’ve ever seen!

Burgundy’s Olympic Predictions
Gold- Canada; Canada might just have the most well rounded team in this tournament and they’ll need to be firing on all cylinders to defeat Sweden in the Gold Medal game. I believe Canada will move pucks better than any other team and their talent mixed with grit will put them over the edge. I predict Sidney Crosby to be the dominating force Canadians hope he’ll be.
Silver- Sweden; Team Sweden is one of the older teams in the tournament and I believe their experience (and Henrik Lundqvist) will get them through to the Gold Medal game. However, as smart and as well coached as the Sweden team is, I don’t think they’ll be able to keep up with the pace Canada will set in the Finals. Plus, for whatever reason, Crosby always scores a few goals on Lundqvist… yeah, you heard it here first!
Bronze- Russia; No one is giving Finland any love whatsoever, so I’m predicting the Fins meet Russia in the Bronze Medal game. Given the depth the Russians have, I believe they’ll win the Bronze medal by defeating Finland in a closer than expected game. I think the Russians won’t win their semi-final game because their defense and goaltending isn’t good enough. In fact, when you consider the talent they carry in forwards, their defense isn’t even comparable (aside from Markov). This will be the #1 thing that hurts Team Russia in 2010.

Fantana’s Olympic Predictions
Gold- Russia; There’s too much offense on this team to be able to contain it all. If you manage to shut down Ovechkin and Semin, players like Datsyuk and Kovalchuk will step up and lead the way. Their defense isn’t the best in the tournament but I think their goaltending is strong enough to bail the D out.
Silver- Canada; Canada is sending a great team to the Olympics this year and they will definitely make up for the disaster in Turino 4 years ago. Having said that, I don’t think they quite stack up against a strong Russian squad, though it will be close. 2nd place is no shame and I think this is where Canada, as a country, needs to learn that it’s no longer our game.
Bronze- Sweden; In the Bronze Medal game, I think you’ll see a great match with the U.S. and the Swedes going head to head. Both teams are lead by solid goaltending and exciting young players who are emerging as superstars around the world. In the end, I give the edge to Sweden because they’re a little bit older and a little bit more experienced on such a large stage.

Champ’s Olympic Predictions
Gold- Russia; What can we say, the Russians have more fire power than the US army. These guys will just come wave after wave with speed and all out talent and will embarass a good number of teams. This will be the year the Russians return to the top of hockey internationally.
Silver- Sweden; The Gold Medalists from 2006 return with a very strong team and will benefit from players currently playing well for their respective teams such as Daniel Alfredsson. Good goaltending and good defence will help this team do well throughout the tournament.
Bronze- USA; Team USA is going to surprise a lot of teams riding Ryan Miller throughout the tournament. I would be surprised if Tim Thomas or Jonathan Quick even see any action. Look for team USA to be a very fast team that many will under estimate.

Notes: What about Canada you ask? As I said I believe the “jinx” will unfortunately hit the men’s hockey team as well as I believe they will be “shocked” in the quarterfinals once again. My heart truly hopes this does not happen as Champ would love nothing more than to celebrate a gold medal like in ‘02, but my gut tells me it will be for not. Let’s hope I’m very very wrong!

Baxter’s Olympic Predictions
Gold- Canada; All round best team. Motivation to win at home should be enough to be a difference maker. Watch for other forwards to capture the limelight as Crosby will be a marked man the entire tournament.
Silver- USA; Ryan Miller will steal games for the Americans. Offense is not much to write home about, but his stellar goaltending will be good for a few key games.
Bronze- Russia;  Surprise upset prediction. Goal scoring will be not an issue, but preventing goals against will be their challenge.

Stay classy, Olympic Hockey.

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Posted in International Hockey, NHL Commentary

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Rumour commentary

February 10th, 2010

With twice the number of deadlines as usual, trades and trade rumours have come early this year. In fact, we’ve already seen a few trades involving some pretty big names (Kovalchuk, Phaneuf, Giguere, Jokinen) with more expected over the next few days/weeks. Here’s a few thoughts from the trades we’ve seen so far, potential fallout and well documented rumours.

  • With the Dallas Stars acquiring Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen last night, one has to wonder what the future holds for Marty Turco. There are all sorts of rumours out there, but I’m assuming bringing in Lehtonen means they are done with Turco this season. Regardless of that, goaltending is a huge question mark for the Stars moving forward. Turco, Lehtonen and Alex Auld all are free agents at the end of the season (Turco and Auld are UFAs while Lehtonen is an RFA).
  • When the New Jersey Devils traded for superstar Ilya Kovalchuk, they traded a pretty handy defenseman in Johnny Oduya. Frankly, if the Devils are serious about going for the Cup this year, they’ll need a better defense than what they currently have. And something tells me they are serious about winning this year. It’ll be interesting to see if they move on any defensemen in the rumour mill (salary cap numbers aside, players like John Michael Liles and James Wisniewski come to mind).
  • New Montreal Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier says otherwise, but it will be interesting to see if Jaroslav Halak or Carey Price is traded before the deadline. The bigger question I have for Montreal is whether Gauthier has his own plans or intends to carry out Bob Gainey’s vision. Time will tell, I guess.
  • Per Andy Strickland (as of last week), the Carolina Hurricanes were asking for a 1st round draft pick (for this summer’s draft) as well as a good prospect in return for Ray Whitney. I wonder if A- they’ll end up getting what they’re asking for and B- which team is actually willing to give up that much for a 37 year old forward. It’s also been reported players like Matt Cullen and Tuomo Ruutu are of interest to a few teams. Could they be available?
  • What are the chances the Edmonton Oilers actually move Sheldon Souray and Ethan Moreau? To be blunt, they’ll be lucky to get anything back for these two players. Getting one or both contracts off their payroll would be a coup for the Oilers, regardless of what they get back (assuming they can dump salary and not trade one bad contract for another). To me, the only Oiler player who’s known to be available that could fetch any return is young forward Andrew Cogliano. There is a market for him (it’s believed the Senators, Rangers and others have shown interest in the past).
  • The New York Rangers were busy last week trading Alex Kotalik and Chris Higgins and replacing them with Brandon Prust and Olli Jokinen. One has to wonder if they are done making moves for the season. I look at Brandon Dubinsky as a player who will be traded between now and this time next season. Dubinsky has a two year contract (this season and next) with a cap hit of $1.85 Million, however, the deal was awarded to him in arbitration. It’s clear he expected a lot more from the Rangers and didn’t like the idea of going to arbitration. I’d imagine his relationship with Glen Sather isn’t great (just my speculation).
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs have a number of players who could be traded prior to March 3rd. Players like Lee Stempniak, Alex Ponikarovsky (who I still believe will end up in Pittsburgh), Garnett Exelby (not sure if there’s a viable market for a slow defenseman who’s cap hit is $1.3 Million) and potentially Tomas Kaberle. According to Brian Burke, Kaberle won’t be traded, but I’m still listing him as a possibility.
  • There are loads of rumours circulating the Washington Capitals and their desire to add a quality defenseman. No idea how accurate the rumours are, but with a number of good defenseman available, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Capitals add another defender. The Capitals have nearly $4 Million (in cap space) to work with, according to NHLNumbers.com.
  • Despite the tailspin the Boston Bruins are currently in (hopefully for their sake getting out of), will they make any shake ups to their roster? I’ve heard the Tim Thomas rumours and I don’t believe them at all. Regardless, scoring is an issue for this club. Maybe they miss Phil Kessel more than they thought they would? Maybe they could trade back their lottery pick to the Leafs for Kessel? Obviously that was a joke.
  • Will any other playoff bubble teams like Detroit, Dallas, Anaheim, St. Louis, Boston, New York Rangers and Atlanta make any moves before the deadline? I’m assuming they’ll be buyers in hopes of adding the final piece to secure a spot in the playoffs. That probably means there will be 3-5 sellers including the Leafs, Blue Jackets, Hurricanes, Oilers and maybe one other team that will soon bow out of the playoff mix.

So, what do you think will happen between now and March 3rd? I wonder what kind of implications will follow from the Olympics? I’m betting a few important players will return from the games with significant injuries. Anyways, what’s your take? Discuss!

Stay classy, NHL trades and trade rumours.

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A few things you don’t know about Lou Lamoriello

February 9th, 2010

The hockey world is still buzzing after last Thursday’s trade that saw Ilya Kovalchuk moved to the New Jersey Devils. Many experts, pundits and creepy classy basement bloggers were blown away by Devils GM Lou Lamoriello picking up a world class superstar for “nothing“. Virtually no one saw Kovalchuk going to the Devils. Everyone predicted the Kings or Bruins to land the Russian star. And since trading for a star rental player isn’t Lamoriello’s style,  it begs the question, what else don’t I know about Lou? To help, I’ve compiled a brief list for you.

  • Lamoriello refers to the Eastern Conference playoff race as “the Eastern Conference trap”.
  • The main reason Lamoriello re-hired Jacques Lemaire is beacuse he likes Jacques hair cut.
  • Lamoriello actually informs Eklund about Devils trades months before they occur. He knows no one believes Eklund anyways.
  • Despite popular belief, Lamoriello does not watch Jersey Shore. Although, he’s had the nickname “The Situation” for years.
  • Contrary to denying reports that he “dumped” Patrice Cormier in the Kovalchuk trade… he did. And he’s pretty happy about it too.
  • Despite the Devils record being 6th best in the NHL, there’s a relatively good chance Lemaire will be fired with approximately 2-3 games remaining in the regular season. Just sayin’.
  • Lamoriello made Bob Gainey step down as the Montreal Canadiens GM.
  • Lamoriello knows you are reading this article and potentially laughing at him.

Stay classy, Lou Lamoriello.

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Posted in NHL Humour

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Fantana gets it wrong… Again! Kovalchuk is traded to New Jersey!

February 5th, 2010

Okay okay… so I blew another trade rumour. Big deal. It’s not like anyone not named Burgundy is counting, right? The only thing I’m trying to figure out now is if I was dumb enough to actually put money on this or not… oh God… what are the odds Burgundy doesn’t read this blog?

Anyway, for the entire season, I’ve been singing the praises of Ilya Kovalchuk and the Atlanta Thrashers. All along, I’ve been talking about how they would eventually get a deal done and keep Kovy in Hot-lanta. Well, I was wrong.

In case you missed it, here’s the deal:

To Atlanta: Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, NJ’s 1st and 2nd round picks in 2010

To New Jersey: Ilya Kovalchuk and Anssi Salmela, ATL’s 2nd round pick in 2010

This is a strange deal for both teams. My first thought I saw this trade was “ew”.

To start with, I’m blown away by Ilya Kovalchuk. Just when you think he’s grown up and gained some maturity, he does his best Denace the Menace impression. All season, he acted like he wanted to remain a Thrasher by saying and doing all the right things. Maybe he never explicitly said he wanted to stay in Atlanta, but he never declared that he had no intention of resigning either. He acted like he was all about ‘the team’ and that he wanted to play for a contender. Didn’t he pressure Atlanta GM Don Waddell to bring in a better supporting cast for him to play with? I understand he’s Atlanta’s captain and leader, but does it not seem a little under-handed to make those kind of demands, essentially get them, and not re-sign? Atlanta are a good team this year and I believe they will still make the playoffs. To make matters worse, Kovalchuk’s apparently demanding to become the league’s highest paid player. One question Ilya: Why?

Remember when Paul Kariya was in the prime of his career and became a UFA in Anaheim? The Ducks offered him a few different deals worth $10 Million a season and Kariya rejected them, instead, opting for a 1 year contract for $1.2 Million with Colorado so he could have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. At least you can say Kariya’s decision wasn’t about the money. He truly wanted to play on legitimate Cup contender, and he believed Colorado was his best bet. Fair enough. That sucks if you were a Ducks fan, but fair enough.

Back to Kovalchuk. He rejected two offers from Atlanta this season. The first was a 12 year deal reportedly worth $101 Million. When Ilya voiced his desire to become the league’s highest paid player, Atlanta acquiesced, offering him a $70 Million contract over 7 years because the $101 Million deal only averaged $8.4 Million per season. Somehow, both offers were flatly rejected. I’m guessing Kovalchuk doesn’t follow the stock markets and I’m betting when he reads the daily paper, he skips the business section and goes straight to the cartoons. Is he not aware of the massive global recession? Obama’s Trillion dollar budget deficit? America’s overwhelming unemployment figures? A $70 or $101 Million contract is way more than anyone needs! The Cherry on the top is that from the way Waddell has described the trade talks, apparently neither of those figures were high enough for Kovalchuk.

When I look at Atlanta’s return, it doesn’t seem high enough. I feel like the return they got for Marian Hossa a couple years ago was roughly the same, maybe even a little better. It’s hard to say, but I suppose like all big trades, this one will come down to how the prospects develop, namely Patrice Cormier and that 1st round draft pick, whoever that may be.

However, when you approach the trade from a ‘rental player’ perspective, which Kovalchuk absolutely will be for the Devils, the return doesn’t seem so bad. Bergfors is an emerging young player who will likely become a top 6 forward and have a good NHL career. Oduya is an affordable, defensive blueliner who plays a lot of big minutes for the Devils and their no-name defense. Cormier, for all the bad plays he’s made in 2010, and there are several, will probably play in the NHL next year. So overall, it’s not a terrible return for Kovalchuk. I think those three players will probably offset most of Kovalchuk’s production over the course of a full season, while adding some depth to the Thrasher lineup. There’s no ‘name’ player coming back in return, but there never usually is with this type of trade. Go ask Sens fans if you don’t believe me.

I also wonder about New Jersey in all this. Adding Kovalchuk up front looks good on paper, but giving up Bergfors and Oduya makes me believe they’ve actually lost ground with this deal. Having said that, a Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk line is a pretty scary thought. This line will need to be really, really good to offset the loss of depth.

I’m also surprised that this was apparently the best offer out there. For all the rumours involving the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks, I’m surprised nobody could beat New Jersey’s package. It could just be that Atlanta were aiming too high and all the other teams in the mix didn’t want to overpay for a rental player. In that case, I say good call.

Finally, I wonder how Kovalchuk will do in New Jersey’s defense-first system. It should be interesting. My best guess is that he’ll look just like Gaborik did in Minnesota – constantly stymied.

I used to really like Ilya Kovalchuk but this whole ordeal has left me a little sour on him. Here’s to Atlanta having a great finish to their season and to making the playoffs. It would truly be awesome if the Thrashers met the Devils in the playoffs and Atlanta came out on top. That would be some major divine retribution! Let’s hope that happens.

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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Surprising NHL goal scorers

January 23rd, 2010

When looking at the NHL’s leading goal scorers, there are the typical names like Alex Ovechkin (32 goals), Patrick Marleau (35 goals – current league lead), Ilya Kovalchuk (30 goals), Dany Heatley (29 goals), and others. There’s also a few names that might come as a surprise to hockey fans. Let’s take a look at some of the lower profile top 30 goal scorers this season:

Alex Burrows – Vancouver Canucks
Why this is a surprise: Alex Burrows has scored 23 goals this season for the Vancouver Canucks while averaging 16-20 minutes of ice time per game. Burrows has scored 13 goals in his last 10 games and is probably the best bargain in the NHL with a cap hit of $2 Million for the next three seasons.

Ryan Malone – Tampa Bay Lightning
Why this is a surprise: Should we really be that surprised Ryan Malone has 21 goals this season for the Tampa Bay Lightning? After all, he is playing with stars like Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, and others. I guess it’s the fact that Malone’s six goals shy of his career high (27) and has almost the same number of goals and points as he did in all of last season.

Patric Hornqvist – Nashville Predators
Why this is a surprise: Patric Hornqvist could probably be the most unknown 20 goal scorer in the NHL right now. He’s 23 years old and was selected 230th overall in the 2005 Entry Draft. This is Hornqvist’s second NHL season and he’s tearing it up on a low scoring Nashville team.

Stephen Weiss – Florida Panthers
Why this is a surprise: Stephen Weiss is already one goal away from tying a career best in goals for a whole season (20, back in 06/07) and is finally living up to expectations in Florida. For whatever it’s worth, Weiss’ shooting percentage is currently better than double what it’s been for the last two seasons.

Stay classy, surprising goal scorers.

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Posted in NHL Commentary

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NHL trade deadline recommendations

January 20th, 2010

With the NHL trade deadline quickly approaching, teams are probably starting conversations with each other that will lay the foundation for trades we’ll see on or before March 3rd.

Whether it’s big name players or subtle character additions, deadline deals rarely pay off. To help GM’s make the best possible decisions, I thought’d I’d make a few NHL trade deadline recommendations:

  • Atlanta should trade Ilya Kovalchuk to Toronto in exchange for approximately 19,000 fans who don’t care about winning.
  • Keith Tkachuk, Bill Guerin, and Doug Weight are always available at trade deadlines. I think Mike Sillinger might be too.
  • Remove any and all deadlines for trades with the Ottawa Senators and Bryan Murray. Unlimited trade time will allow Murray to continue blaming anyone/everyone else for the Sens poor performance.
  • We should all continue to ask Brian Burke about Tomas Kaberle’s availability. Why? To provoke more Angry-Burke reactions, of course.
  • San Jose should trade for a scape goat like Sean Avery or Alex Burrows immediately. That way, when they inevitably lose in the 1st round, they don’t have to blame Thornton or Heatley.
  • Montreal should trade all their disappointing 1st round selections for other disappointing 1st rounders. It worked with  Pouliot/Latendresse, right?
  • The NHL should allow teams to trade GM’s and front office management. This way, Brian Burke could screw up every other Eastern Conference team to help the Leafs finally get in the playoffs.
  • The NHL should encourage teams to place French-Canadian players on the trading block for the sake of the Montreal Canadiens. This way, Vinny Lecavalier’s name won’t be the only one rumoured for the Habs.
  • Continue giving Eklund cryptic/vague ‘E5′ quotes like “The deal is imminent, pending another deal that could shake the very foundation of earth”.

Stay classy, NHL trade deadline.

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Posted in NHL Commentary, NHL Humour

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Kovalchuk to Chicago? Don’t bet on it. Or against it.

January 11th, 2010

Burgundy here. I’d like to introduce Stayclassy’s newest writer, Harken! Please give Harken a warm welcome and enjoy his first article – it’s a good one! What would you do with the Kovalchuk issue?

–

First, let me apologize to Atlanta Thrasher fans. Discussing this possible trade is sort of like viewing the body of a deceased family member of theirs— before they’re quite dead.

And, that said, there is a good chance the Thrashers will re-sign Ilya Kovalchuk.

I am not particularly close to the situation in Atlanta. But what I hear tells me the workings of a new contract might be troublesome. And the trade deadline is less than 60 days from now.

That aside, if the Thrashers should decide to trade Kovalchuk before then, it doesn’t have to be to the detriment of the franchise.

In fact, there are a number of scenarios by which the Thrashers could solve a number of problems through such a deal.

One of those scenarios, perhaps the most obvious, is dealing Kovalchuk to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Let’s pause for a moment, waiting for the echoes of laughter (or outrage) to die down. And now let’s address the “conventional wisdom” point-by-point.

“Chicago can’t afford that.”

Yes, they can, as a rental, in return for some of the salaried players they will have to lose before next season.

“Why would Chicago need him? They’re stacked.”

The Blackhawks’ window for winning the Stanley Cup will perhaps never be better than it is this year— next year’s team will, by necessity, be missing 3-4 key players off the current roster. But there is also no guarantee they will win it this year. To that end, they could benefit, like all teams could, from what Kovalchuk brings at even strength. And the Hawks, in particular, could benefit from adding a right-handed point shot on the power play— of which there are few better than Kovalchuk.

“Why would Atlanta deal with them?”

The Blackhawks need to lose exactly what Atlanta needs to gain in such a deal. The Blackhawks have 5 players, each making $3-4 million per season, who are good, young players with recognizable, marketable names that Don Waddell could plug in to his lineup tomorrow and help build his entire team right away: Cam Barker, Kris Versteeg, Patrick Sharp, Dave Bolland and/or Dustin Byfuglien. Plus, the Blackhawks have two good, NHL-experienced prospects at Rockford in the AHL who could help a team like the Thrashers, goalie Corey Crawford and RW Jack Skille (a former top ten pick). On top of all that, Atlanta Assistant GM Rick Dudley was instrumental in acquiring or developing all these players in Chicago.

“The dollars can’t work. And Chicago needs more than a rental for all those players.”

Untrue, and true. The dollars can work (a lot of different ways) and the Blackhawks can (and will) get more than a rental for all the players they need to deal.

Of the four players mentioned, any two could be dealt for Kovalchuk in an even salary swap. Or, two of those players and one of the high-end prospects just mentioned could be dealt for Kovalchuk with Atlanta absorbing the overage on their cap, or in the minors.

If, say, the package sent to Atlanta included Patrick Sharp and Barker, the Blackhawks might also be able to ask the Thrashers to include a draft pick or two. Further, the Blackhawks would still need to deal 2-3 more players after concluding a Kovalchuk deal, but before the beginning of play next season. And those deals could net futures, like draft picks or prospects.

“Kovalchuk doesn’t fit their defense-first system. He’s not a ‘Bowman’ player.”

Nonsense. Did Patrick Kane fit Chicago’ system last year when his name and ‘backchecking’ could not be included in the same sentence? Does Kris Versteeg, the walking antithesis of smart puck decisions fit Chicago’s system? Plus, Kovalchuk has represented Russia many times in international tournaments. He can adjust to Chicago’s system, about as quickly as Joel Quenneville can say: “Kovy, if you want max ice time, you gotta be on your guy up and down the ice.”

“Chicago can wait ‘til after the season. Why mess with a good thing?”

That depends on how you look at it. It can also be argued that waiting until the offseason to pare roughly $15 million in gross salary, sign free agents and fill out a roster that is sure to have holes, is not just foolish, it’s insanity; it’s too much work to do in a very short period of time.

To wit, the Blackhawks’ playoffs will likely conclude sometime in late May or June, depending on how far they advance. Free agency starts July 1, with the contracts of Nik Hjalmarsson, Andrew Ladd and Antti Niemi to address. Thus, the Blackhawks could benefit tremendously from significantly less payroll, and more clarity on their situation, before that point.

Finally, as mentioned before, the Blackhawks are close, but they are not guaranteed to win the Cup for the first time in 48 years. Acquiring a world-class rental like Kovalchuk in exchange for good players— but good players who are really part of their depth and not the core of Hossa, Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Keith and Campbell— could be the thing that really puts them over the top. Because Kovalchuk also fills at least one gap the Blackhawks have.

There you have it. A perfectly implausible trade scenario, or a perfect storm of factors indicating Ilya Kovalchuk wearing the Indianhead in March.

You tell me.

–

Harken – who’s real name is John Jaeckel – is well known for his work on HockeyBuzz.com. Follow John on Twitter or become a fan of Stayclassy.net on Facebook.

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Posted in NHL Commentary

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NHL Christmas Wish List

December 24th, 2009

It’s that time of year where kids all across the world have spent weeks perfecting their Christmas Wish Lists before sending them straight to the North Pole. Well, the NHL community is no different, as players, teams, and General Managers have been busy doing the exact same thing. At Stayclassy.net, we’ve obtained wish lists from some of hockey’s best and brightest. Enjoy!

  • Ilya Kovalchuk: To be traded
  • Montreal Canadians: Centennial Anniversary season mulligan
  • Ottawa Senators: Some powerplays
  • Jim Balsillie: Three-way cage match with Judge Redfield T. Baum & Gary Bettman
  • Stan Bowman/Chicago Blackhawks: A copy of the NHL’s CBA and a calculator to figure out remaining team cap space
  • Patrick Kane: Calculator to compute proper tips for future cab rides
  • Jason Spezza: Dany Heatley back
  • Alexander Ovechkin: Oven mitts to handle hot sticks
  • Stayclassy.net: More accurate Ottawa Senators Game Day predictions
  • Toronto Maple Leafs: No more games against Buffalo
  • John Tortorella: New GM, season-ending injury to Wade Redden, and for James Duthie to stop talking about him
  • Sean Avery: Congratulate Martin Brodeur with a handshake for his 104th career shutout
  • Ron Wilson: Howard Berger to get fired
  • Boston Bruins: Taylor Hall
  • Vesa Toskala: A bigger glove
  • Carey Price: A glove without a whole in it
  • Brian Elliott: Ditto for what Toskala and Price wanted
  • Bob Gainey: Players to stop asking me about their contracts before the summer
  • Craig MacTavish: For James Duthie to stop asking me about Dustin Penner
  • Phil Kessel: For Geico to stop hiring Kessel lookalikes in their caveman–themed TV commercials
  • Brian Burke: My 1st Round pick back
  • Phil Kessel: For Brian Burke to stop asking for his 1st Round pick back

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays hockey fans!

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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Posted in NHL Commentary, NHL Humour

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Is Tomas Plekanec really that good?

November 26th, 2009

If you take a look at all the players who are currently scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, big names like Marc Savard, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Patrick Marleau come to mind. However, if you watched TSN’s broadcast between Columbus and Montreal on Tuesday night, you might be wondering if Tomas Plekanec’s name belongs with the ones above.

Is Tomas Plekanec classy enough for $5 Million/season?

Is Tomas Plekanec classy enough for $5 Million/season?

Throughout the game, Plekanec was constantly mentioned as a potential UFA this summer and while he’s guaranteed to get a raise on the $2.75 Million salary he’s making this year, is he really worth $5 Million per year or more? I think I even heard Gord Miller saying that Plekanec could be in line to double his salary next season! Whoa! Let’s take a closer look at this, because something doesn’t sound right

Plekanec has scored 20+ goals in each of the past three seasons and his best season was in 2007-2008 where he scored 29 goals and 69 points. He’s also had a strong start to the season and is on pace for 82 points. All this sounds good and you might be able to make a case that he’s worth $5 Million a year, especially if he continues his strong play this year and can hit 80+ points.

But here’s the catch – when you pay a centre $5 or $5.5 Million per season, he’s going to be your #1 centre. Unless you’re Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Having said that, can you really see Plekanec as a first line centre? I can’t, and that’s not meant to be insulting. I see Plekanec as a solid second line player who can be counted on to score around 50 points a year, maybe 60 or 70 if he gets really hot. Outside of his career year, Plekanec’s next best season was a 47 point effort. Plekanec’s playoff record is mediocre at best too. He’s put up 13 points in 21 games, but is -4 during those games, including being held off the scoresheet in all three of his post-season games last April. That’s not worth $5 Million a year.

In terms of comparables, when you look at other centres who are of similar age to Plekanec, 26, the picture becomes much clearer. Ryan Getzlaf has a current cap hit of $5.3 Million, while Mike Ribeiro has a $5 Million cap hit. Daymond Langkow has a cap hit of $4.5 Million and Brad Boyes salary comes in at a cap hit of $4 Million. All of these players have scored more than 69 points in a season, and I’d take any one of these players at their current salary than Plekanec at $5 Million. In my mind, these players are all a notch above him.

The bottom line is that Plekanec is probably worth $3.5-4 Million per season but I’m sure there’s a team out there willing to pay more than that. The big question now is how much is Bob Gainey willing to shell out to keep his #2 centre. If it were me, I wouldn’t be willing to go above $4 Million per season. If you do, you’re basically setting this guy up to fail because the expectations will be way too high. Plekanec is a good player, but he’s not a $5 Million kind of player. He’s not that good.

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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Winning suggestions for the Carolina Hurricanes

November 3rd, 2009

The Carolina Hurricanes hold a 2-8-3 record and are sitting 29th in the NHL, one point ahead of the dead last Toronto Maple Leafs. But with the Hurricanes having played one more game than the Leafs and the fact that Toronto have been playing marginally better lately, it feels inevitable that the Carolina Hurricanes will sink to the bottom of the NHL standings in early November. This certainly isn’t the start many envisioned for a team that had a nice playoff run last spring and with stars like Eric Staal and Cam Ward on board.

I’m sure coach Paul Maurice and GM Jim Rutherford are thinking of everything they can do to get the Hurricanes winning. Sometimes an outside perspective can help, so I’ve decided to put together some suggestions for Paul, Jim and the Carolina Hurricanes.

  • Fire Paul Maurice, hire another coach, fire that coach and then rehire Paul Maurice again. That always seems to work for one season.
  • Get involved in the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes. It doesn’t really do anything for your team, but could help divert attention away from poor play on the ice. Oh wait. We’re talking about Carolina… riiiiight.
  • Ask the NHL to play games in Carolina only. The ‘Canes are 0-5-2 on the road and frankly stand a better chance of having their schedule reworked than winning outside of Carolina.
  • If the NHL says no to the suggestion above, ask to start all games down 3-2 with 1:25 left in the 3rd period.
  • Get Tuomo Ruutu to deliver questionable hits to divisional star players such as Steve Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom and Ilya Kovalchuk like he did to Colorado Avalanche superstar Darcy Tucker.
  • Hold a practice that features a nice game of Naked Shootout. It didn’t really work for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but I’m very confident Rod Brind’Amour would look more graceful wearing half his gear than Marty St. Louis did.
  • Play dodgeball on the ice. Come on! Such an ingenious idea has to work for someone!
    (Note: if that doesn’t work, try these).
  • Trade your 2010 and 2011 first round draft picks to the Boston Bruins for Phil Kessel.

Stay classy, Carolina Hurricanes.

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