Posts Tagged ‘Shea Weber’

Olympic rant!

February 25th, 2010

The Men’s Olympic Hockey Semi-Finals are set to get underway on Friday after the Quarter-Finals wrapped up last night. I’m not going to review the stomping Canada laid on the Russians because I’m sure every other blog and web site has already touched on it. I’m not sure I can offer any new insight either. Evgeni Nabokov easily played the worst game of his career and the Russian forwards were dreadful in the neutral zone. Full marks to Canada for their effort though. They played one of the best first periods I’ve ever seen.

Instead of game reviews today, I’m going to rant about some of the things that have really ticked me off over the last few days in the Olympics. Feel free to add yours below – I can’t be the only one with issues about the Olympics!

  • Luongo’s familiarity with Canada Hockey Place – I keep hearing TV analysts and people online citing Roberto Luongo’s familiarity with the ice, boards, etc… of Canada Hockey Place (or GM Place). I think that’s ridiculous. Do you have any idea how much work went into this arena prior to the Olympics? The glass isn’t the same glass used in Vancouver Canucks games. The boards have basically been rebuilt. The ice is getting chewed up faster than free desert at a Britney Spears dinner. Very little of Canada Hockey Place should be familiar to Luongo or any other Canuck. In fact, the only the thing that’s the same is the doorway to enter the building. Luongo is a great goalie and has been solid for Team Canada, but this isn’t one of the reasons why!
  • Christian Ehrhoff’s Team Canada Comments – Following Germany’s Quarter-Final loss to Canada, Christian Ehrhoff reportedly said he wasn’t very impressed with Team Canada. He went on to say “[The Russians] bring skill, but they also play very hard and physical. They have a great goalie and I think they have the complete package to pull it off here”. According to Chris Stevenson of Sun Meda, Ehrhoff agreed Canada isn’t yet at the level of team play the Russians and Americans have shown so far. Here’s my question: Was Ehrhoff watching the same tournament as the rest of us? The Russians didn’t look very impressive at any point in this tournament. Team USA looked extremely disjointed, prior to the great game they played against Canada. And Ehrhoff’s quotes came after the Germans were soundly beaten by Canada in a fairly dominant Canadian performance. Sounds like someone is bitter…
  • Skates in Faceoffs – As everyone knows, one of the subtle differences between international hockey and the NHL is rules about using skates on faceoffs. In the NHL, it’s perfectly fine. In international hockey, it’s not. Having said that, I can’t tell you how many faceoffs I’ve seen won with skates. In yesterday’s Quarter-Final games alone there were 4 or 5 instances. I don’t really care for the rule, personally, but rules are rules, right?
  • Evgeni Plushenko – OK, this one isn’t so much about hockey, but I found it hilarious. Following a great opening skate last week, the Russian Figure skater took a verbal jab at his competition saying “Without a quad it’s not men’s figure skating”. In other words, you aren’t a man if you aren’t pushing the figure skating boundaries. Uhh, Evgeni, you are still wearing tights, make up and glittery costumes that only Lady Gaga would wear… pretty sure that’s not considered “manly” either.
  • Another Pierre McGuire Quote – No international hockey tournament is complete without at least one eye rolling Pierre McGuire quote. This one was pulled from Tuesday’s Canada-Germany game when McGuire discussed the infamous “Luuuuu” chants for Roberto Luongo. During the telecast, McGuire said the following: “A lot of kids cry, they don’t understand why people are booing Luongo… that needs to be explained to a lot of people”. *Sigh*  Yeah, another great McGuire quote. When I heard him say this, I got the distinct feeling that millions of other hockey fans around the world were rolling their eyes just like I was. It was powerful! I anticipate more great quotes later this week given the size of his current Shea Weber man-crush.
  • Terrible Reffing – I didn’t think the Olympic refereeing would be more inconsistent than the NHL, but wow, it is! How wrong I was. It’s everything, too. From penalties called (hitting, interference, holding or tripping – like last night’s Marian Gaborik penalty), faceoffs and even stopping play when goalies are hit in the head with pucks. There’s been several times this tournament where the play has been blown down and I’ve been completely lost as to why.
  • Olympic Brackets – I realize this isn’t anyone’s fault, but prior to the Quarter-Final games yesterday, you could split the tournament brackets into two groups: top and bottom, with one team from each group making it to the Gold Medal game. The top brackets featured USA, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Finland while the bottom brackets featured Canada, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden. With all due respect to each Country/Team, the bottom bracket’s seemed way tougher. Than again, both Russia and Sweden looked pretty average all tournament… I’m completely confused why. This tournament has been weird…
  • 2010 Miracle on Ice – This one drive me crazy. When you look at the American Men’s Hockey team, it’s a solid NHL team. On paper, perhaps it lacks the big names Canada and Russia boast, but it’s a very strong hockey team. Calling this team the “2010 Miracle on Ice” or even making the comparison is downright insulting to the quality players on the team. Although Team USA wasn’t considered the top team in this tournament, their success so far is hardly a surprise. TV broadcasters need to stop with all the “Ryan Miller played well because Jim Craig was watching” nonsense. Ryan Miller played (and is playing) well because he’s one of the best goalies in the world. End of story!

Stay classy, Olympic hockey.

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Keys to victory for Canada and Russia

February 24th, 2010

It’s the game many figured would be the Gold Medal showdown: Canada versus Russia. This is the game that many around the world have been waiting for. It’s unfortunate one of these teams will finish a disappointing 5th place (at best), but that’s the way it goes in an International tournament as deep as this one. It goes without saying there’s a lot riding on this game for both teams.

While there will be many keys to this game, here’s a few I think stand out and should have a big impact on the final score.

Team Play & Chemistry
I can’t help but think the biggest key to this game will revolve around which group can play more like a team. Both Canada and Russia have struggled finding chemistry between linemates and having star players adapting to different roles.  Canada has the advantage, having played an extra qualifying game (Tuesday night) to work out some kinks. As far as Russia goes, top players like Alex Semin, Alex Radulov and Pavel Datsyuk haven’t played at their best in this tournament as a result of reduced ice time and different roles (compared to their NHL/KHL roles). Canada’s star players have adjusted to their roles better than the Russians over their last two games. Advantage: Canada.

Powerplay
It’s amazing that Shea Weber is the only defenseman of both teams to have a goal in the 2010 Olympics. Having said that, Russia’s powerplay is quarterbacked by Andrei Markov and/or Sergei Gonchar. While Canada’s powerplay has improved, they are still guilty of forcing passes and making predictable plays. Advantage: Russia.

Goaltending
Roberto Luongo versus Evgeni Nabokov. Not sure how much there is to dissect here. This game probably ranks among the biggest starts for both goalies in their respective careers. I try to be as objective as possible, but in all honesty, I don’t have much confidence in Nabokov and big game performances. Frankly, I like Russia’s chances better with Ilya Bryzgalov starting, but that’s just me. Advantage: Canada.

Crosby versus Ovechkin
I suppose no Canada-Russia match-up is complete without mentioning Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin going head to head against each other. So far, I haven’t been overly impressed with Crosby in these Olympic games. Before you yell blasphemy and accuse me of being unclassy, hear  me out. Crosby has been very good in this tournament, but not as dominant as I expected. Maybe it’s because he seems to have new wingers every game. I’d like to see Crosby shoot more pucks to the net, rather than pass off quality scoring chances for potential highlight reel setups. When you look at impacts to their respective teams, I think Ovechkin’s splash is slightly bigger than Crosby’s. My analysis could very well change after tonight’s game. Advantage: Russia.

Regardless of which team wins, this should be a great game. It’s easily the biggest quarter-final game in this tournament and should draw the highest interest. It’s very possible fans will go through enjoyment, excitement and high periods of stress all at once. Consider that your warning! Get ready for some world class hockey and remember, we’re still in the quarter-finals!

So tell me classy readers, what’s your prediction? Who wins and what’s the score? Also, what do you think will be keys to the game? Thanks for reading Stayclassy.net.

Stay classy, highly anticipated Canada-Russia showdown.

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Going rate for NHL offensive defencemen vs defensive defencemen

January 27th, 2010

Each summer, there are prized UFA defenceman every team wants to sign. Brian Campbell, Jay Bouwmeester, and Mattias Ohlund all made off with huge contracts in recent years as a result of this. (I nearly mentioned Wade Redden, but thought better of it. You’re welcome Rangers fans!).

Anton Volchenkov - Ottawa Senators

Shutdown defencemen like Anton Volchenkov are classy players.

The premium is certainly on offensive defencemen who can move pucks and change the pace of hockey games. Come July 1st, its a safe assumption a proven puck moving defenceman will command anywhere from $4.5 Million-$6.5 Million per season from a number of interested teams. But what about defensive minded defencemen?

There’s a growing debate about salary and term for defensive defencemen. What are they worth and how long should their contract be? With defencemen like Ottawa’s Anton Volchenkov, New Jersey’s Paul Martin, and Vancouver’s Willie Mitchell (among others) all in the final year of their respective contracts, it’ll be interesting to see the length and numbers behind their new contracts.

These players play as rugged as possible; the wear and tear can shorten careers and cause long term injuries. In addition to that, the NHL salary cap is forcing teams to get even more efficient with payrolls. Some teams don’t have room for “shutdown defencemen” like the players named above. It probably doesn’t help players like Dan Hamhuis, Nick Lidstrom, and Sergei Gonchar – far more offensive minded defencemen – are also without contracts for next season.

In order to figure out what the defensive defencemen are worth, let’s quickly look at what the league’s premium offensive defencemen currently earn (in terms of annual salary cap hit).

Nick Lidstrom – $7.45 Million
Dan Boyle – $6.667 Million
Duncan Keith – $5.538 Million (as of next season)
Mike Green – $5.25 Million
Sergei Gonchar – $5 Million
Chris Pronger – $4.921 Million
Shea Weber – $4.5 Million

That’s probably what most expected. Now let’s take a look at the annual cap hits of some of the league’s better shutdown defencemen.

Mike Komisarek – $4.5 Million
Brooks Orpik – $3.75 Million
Barret Jackman – $3.625
Chris Phillips – $3.5 Million
Willie Mitchell – $3.5 Million
Brandon Witt – $3 Million
Anton Volchenkov – $2.5 Million

Clearly, the top of the shutdown defencemen pay scale is equal to the lower end of the offensive defencemen pay scale. This is a good starting point in addressing what some UFA defensive defencemen should probably expect as salary going into free agency this summer (or signing contracts to avoid free agency). Where it gets interesting is length. Players want security and GM’s want to bring cap hits down with longer terms.

Let’s use Anton Volchenkov as an example. I don’t think many GM’s like the idea of giving him or a player like him a 6 year contract. Volchenkov is 28 years old and the 6 year deal he’s reported to be seeking (in the neighborhood of $4 Million per season – reportedly) brings him to 34 years old. Will a player who hits/blocks shots as much as he does make it to 34 years old in the NHL? In my opinion, defensive defencemen (I’m getting really sick of typing ‘defensive defencemen’) like Volchenkov and the others above should max out at 4 year contracts in length and average roughly $3 Million-$4 Million per season. It’s simply far too risky to give anything higher or longer.

What’s your take? It will be very interesting to see what some of these defensemen get for their new contracts.

Stay classy, defensive defencemen.

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Olympic concern?

January 19th, 2010

In 2006, the top 4 Western Conference teams all lost in the first round of the playoffs. Of course, 2006 was the last time NHL players took 2 weeks off to play in the Winter Olympics in Turin. Also, 2006 was the last time the Edmonton Oilers made the playoffs… and went to the Stanley Cup finals as one of the biggest underdogs in recent memory.

With the 2010 Vancouver Olympics less than 2 months away, NHL GM’s might be wondering what kind of effects the games will have on their star players and their chances to compete for the Stanley Cup. The potential for burnouts, demotivation, and injuries is very real. And any of those scenarios could have a crippling effect on the top 4 Western teams (as well as other powerhouse Eastern Conference teams like the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins).

At the time of writing this article, the top 4 Western Conference teams are the Blackhawks, Sharks, Avalanche, and Predators. Here’s a closer look at the players each team have participating at the Olympics:

  • Chicago Blackhawks – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky
  • San Jose Sharks – Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Dan Boyle, Evgeni Nabokov, Doug Murray
  • Colorado Avalanche – Kyle Quincey, Paul Statsny, Jonas Holos, Ruslan Salei, Peter Budaj
  • Nashville Predators – Shea Weber, Ryan Suter,  Martin Erat, Patric Hornqvist, Marcel Goc, Alexander Sulzer

It makes you wonder if a Western Conference playoff team with less Olympic-bound players will squeak through each series like the Oilers did in 2006. Perhaps a team like the Calgary Flames (who only have 3 players going – Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, and Miikka Kiprusoff), or even the Phoenix Coyotes (who also have 3 players going – Zbynek Michalek, Sami Lepisto, and Ilya Bryzgalov) could have a better odds in the 2010 Playoffs because of this…

I’m not saying this will or won’t happen. It’s purely speculation. And I’m not suggesting that was the only reason the 2006 Oilers got all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, but it could be a partial explanation why the top 4 Western teams were defeated by lower seeded teams that year. If anything, this probably blurs the line that much more between the top and lower seeds in the West.

With the Western Conference being as tight as it is, the same questions can be asked about Detroit, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. These teams are sending a number of players to the Olympics as well.

While fans can’t wait for the Olympics hockey to get started, I’m sure GM’s across the league are dreading it. Or perhaps they are dreading the impact following the games. At any rate, it will be fascinating to see the effects these Olympics will have on these legitimate Western Conference powerhouse teams. And for a team like Chicago who’s Cup window is small to start with, that’s just another hurdle to climb through in order to meet expectations.

Stay classy, Olympic Western Conference stars.

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Canada’s Olympic team… Finally.

December 30th, 2009

As the title says, Canada announced their men’s hockey Olympic team, finally.

Steve Yzerman and Mike Babcock are classy men.

While a country like Canada will always have more amazing players than available positions, I’m pretty happy with the final roster. Many can and will say ‘he should have taken him over him’, but I feel this is a pretty solid set of players. That can’t be improved that much.

I’m also pretty happy that the television coverage has ended – TSN can make a half hour special on anything, so I’ve come to learn this holiday season. Anyways, here’s the final roster, barring any unforeseen injuries.

Goalies
Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Marc-Andre Fleury

Defencemen
Dan Boyle, Chris Pronger (assistant captain),
Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook
Scott Niedermayer (captain), Drew Doughty
Shea Weber

Forwards
Rick Nash, Sidney Crosby (assistant captain), Jarome Iginla,
Brenden Morrow, Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron
Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Eric Staal
Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley
Jonathan Toews

Of course, there will be debate as to who should of made the team and didn’t. Below is a list of notable omissions

Mike Green, Mike Fisher, Shane Doan, Marc Savard, Jeff Carter, Jay Bouwmeester, Stephane Robidas, Vincent Lecavalier, Dion Phaneuf, Patrick Sharp.

Anyone else I’m missing? What are your thoughts on Team Canada? Can Canada capture gold with this squad?

Stay classy, Steve Yzerman and Team Canada.

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Some World Junior Championship thoughts so far

December 29th, 2009

We’re three games into the 2010 World Junior Championship tournament, at least for most teams. With exception to parts of the Russia-Sweden game earlier today, I’ve only caught the Canadian cakewalks games. It’ll be interesting to see how Canada plays when the real games get going, starting with their (annual) New Years Eve showdown with the American Junior team. But until then, here’s a few things I’ve noted:

  • This year’s Canadian team moves pucks better than most NHL teams. They are smart, fast, and efficient. Honestly, I can’t recall a National Junior team gel this well so quickly. It’s unreal to watch.
  • We’ve seen a different player record a hat-trick in each of team Canada’s three games.
  • Ryan Ellis is the master at holding pucks in the offensive zone on the powerplay. He’s going to be a dominant offensive defencemen for the Nashville Predators for years to come. I know what you’re thinking and yes, another great Nashville defence prospect (Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, etc…)
  • TSN commentator Pierre McGuire has been over the top annoying this year. Normally I can tolerate him and his comments, but he’s on another level this WJC. If I had a dollar for every time he said “[player x] is a fine young man”…
  • Jordan Eberle is a fantastic player. He pretty won me over with that huge performance in last year’s Canada-Russa semi final game, despite his upped play this year. However, it’s possible TSN is over-hyping him a bit too much. Eberle isn’t Sidney Crosby and won’t single handedly save the Edmonton Oilers.
  • Patrice Cormier must be one of the more undisciplined Team Canada captains ever. When I think of recent Canadian captains like Karl Alzner, Thomas Hickey, and Kris Letang, Cormier doesn’t measure up as well.
  • For a kid who’s scouting report included knocks for not passing or sharing the puck with teammates, Taylor Hall is showing some solid play making skills. I’d think the experience in this year’s World Junior Championship would be enough for Hall to be selected 1st overall next summer in Los Angeles. Add in Hall’s outstanding play and it seems like a slam dunk. Sorry Tyler Seguin.
  • Probably one of the best Pierre McGuire quotes ever, “See them making ice cream? [Taylor Hall] doesn’t eat ice cream, he just scores goals.” A quote like that can only be followed up with a bolded WTF?!?

Stay classy, Team Canada.

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Will Steve Yzerman make the hard decisions for Team Canada?

July 29th, 2009

I’m not sure if this is news or not, but earlier this week, it was noted that there would be no long shots for the mens Canadian Olympic hockey team, when the games hit Vancouver in 2010.

Translation: if you weren’t asked to the 46-man orientation camp later this summer, you have better shot at getting on Megan Fox than you do getting on Team Canada.

OK – This isn’t really news.  And I guess its a 45-man roster, now that Joe Sakic has announced his retirement.  And not that it helps much – deep down, I think everyone knows their favorite players not on that list stand little chance of making the squad, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.

I’m disappointed.  I’m tired of seeing “seniority placements” in Canadian Olympic teams.  That was the biggest problem with the 2006 Torino team.  Part of the reason Yzerman was brought in to build this hockey team was to add a fresh feel with younger talent who would make the team better for that tournament and that tournament alone.  I always thought one of Yzermans’s underlying mandates was to pick the best team without worrying who’d be offended.  As a proud Canadian, I want Canada to win and I don’t care who has to be on and off the team for that to happen.

So if Robyn Regehr has a slow start to the 2009-2010 NHL season, should he really be on the team?  Should he really take the place of Shea Weber, Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook even if he has a strong start to the year?  It’s time for change and it’s not like any of the three guys I just mentioned lack international hockey experience.

There will always be guys that are locks to make the team.  But that should be because they have consistently shown they can play at world class levels throughout their careers.  So when I see names like Ryan Smyth and Joe Thornton on the orientation roster, I have to wonder why.  They are great players that I’d love to see on my team any day – but honestly, are they the best players for Team Canada come February 2010?

I’d rather see some of these guys replaced with younger and faster upcoming talent.  These are the guys I’d consider seniority placements.  First thing’s first: replace Smyth with Brendan Morrow – an absolute must if Morrow is healthy.  Next, there are atleast 4 centerman that are more effective than Joe Thornton (Vinny Lecavalier, Ryan Getzlaf, Eric Staal,  Mike Richards) and I’m assuming the younger guys won’t make the squad and Sidney Crosby will be playing left wing.  And Marc Savard and Jason Spezza are considered ‘long shots’ since being omitted from Yzerman’s orientation list.

As far as defence goes,  Regehr, Chris Pronger and Dion Phaneuf shouldn’t make the team.  Not when you have players like Weber, Scott Neidermayer, Dan Boyle, Duncan Keith, Brent Burns, Jay Bouwmeester and Drew Doughty who right now, are stronger hockey players for the kind of up-tempo/fast moving style Canada wants to play.

For goaltenders, despite Martin Brodeur being the all time most winning goalie in the NHL ever, I’d like to see Roberto Luongo named as the started.  Despite his career achievements, Brodeur’s season last year wasn’t good and ended horribly in the Devils disasterous collapse against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the playoffs.  I still think Marc-Andre Fleury should  be the third goaltender on the roster.

Please, Steve Yzerman, don’t just pick the team based on who’s been on it before.  Let’s see the very best of what Canada can offer at that very moment.  Not the best of what once was.

Stay classy, Team Canada.

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The NHL's third Norris trophy candidate: Weber or Lidstrom?

April 23rd, 2009

The NHL announced the 2008-2009′s Norris trophy candidates for top defenseman honors earlier today.  On first glace, the nominations of Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins), Mike Green (Washington Capitals) and Nick Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings) look right, but after further thought, I’m thinking Lidstrom is the odd man on the list.  

With all due respect to the 6 time Norris winner and possibly the greatest defenseman ever, I simply don’t believe Lidstrom was among the top 3 defensemen in the NHL this season.  I believe this was one of the weaker season’s Lidstrom has had in years – maybe ever.  

So the question really is: if not Nick Lidstrom, who’s my other candidate?  Answer: Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators.

Often when trophy’s are voted on, it comes down to who had the greatest impact to their respective teams.  While I don’t think Weber would or should win the Norris this season, I’d argue his impact to the Predators was a big reason they nearly snuck into the playoffs.  I believe his impact to the Preds as far more significant than Lidstrom’s to Detroit’s.  Not because Detroit have a great defense-core, but simply because of Weber’s timely goals, tremendous defensive presence and because I think he may hit harder than Dion Phaneuf.  I’m not aware of any Weber sloppy seconds, either.

Shea Weber had a career year this season, posting 53 points in 81 games with the Nashville Predators.  His 21 goals this year set a team record and was 2nd in the league behind Mike Green.  Weber’s 21 goals is the 4th highest total by a defenseman in the past 9 years.  Not bad, considering Nashville averaged 2.52 goals/game while Detroit averaged 3.52 per game. 

I agree with Chara and Green’s nominations, but feel Weber might of been overlooked for Lidstrom who may of received benefit of doubt after stellar seasons, year after year.  The good news for Predators fans is Weber is under contract for 2 more seasons at a pretty reasonable $4.5 Million/season (reasonable as far as comparable NHL contracts go).

I believe Weber to be a serious contendor for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team in Vancouver next year, too.

So that’s my rant… NHL – take notice.  I’d be happy to serve as a member of the voting media.  Since I’m not, I’ll place my vote/prediction here… the 2008-2009 Norris trophy winner will be Zdeno Chara.  On behalf of all Ottawa Senators fans: thanks John Muckler.

Stay classy, Shea Weber.

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The best NHL Entry Draft – 2003

March 22nd, 2009

It was through doing some research for my previous blog that I came to the conclusion that the 2003 Entry Draft was probably the best-ever NHL Entry Draft. No offense to Alexandre Daigle and the rest of the ’93 Draft Class, but there was just too much depth in the 2003 Draft to ignore.

In my last blog, I discussed building through drafting and the 2003 Draft serves as the perfect example. I stated that I couldn’t (and still can’t) believe that Zach Parise was still available for New Jersey to select with the 17th overall pick. Parise absolutely ripped it up at the World Juniors that year and anyone who couldn’t see that he was destined to be a franchise player was obviously dumber than Jessica Simpson.

After looking through the first round picks in 2003, it’s hard to argue with many of the picks. Here are some of the players picked from the first round in ’03:

    1. Marc-Andre Fleury (PIT)
    2. Eric Staal (CAR)
    3. Nathan Horton (FLA)
    4. Nikolai Zherdev (CLB)
    5. Thomas Vanek (BUF)
    6. Milan Michalek (SJ)
    7. Ryan Suter (NSH)
    8. Braydon Cobourn (ATL)
    9. Dion Phaneuf (CGY)
    10. Alexei Kostitsyn (MTL)
    11. Jeff Carter (PHI)
    12. Hugh Jessiman (NYR)
    13. Dustin Brown (LA)
    14. Brent Seabrook (CHI)
    15. Robert Nilsson (NYI)
    16. Steve Bernier (SJ)
    17. Zach Parise (NJ)
    18. Eric Fehr (WSH)
    19. Ryan Getzlaf (ANA)
    20. Brent Burns (MIN)
    21. Mark Stuart (BOS)
    22. Marc-Antoine Pouliot (EDM)
    23. Ryan Kesler (VAN)
    24. Mike Richards (PHI)
    25. Anthony Stewart (FLA)
    26. Brian Boyle (LA)
    27. Jeff Tambellini (LA)
    28. Corey Perry (ANA)
    29. Patrick Eaves (OTT)
    30. Shawn Belle (DAL)

Every draft year is typically known for a few major busts. One of the biggest busts of all time was Brian Lawton, who was selected first overall in 1983. The real kicker is that Steve Yzerman, Pat LaFontaine, Cam Neely and Tom Barrasso were all picked after Lawton in the first round that year. 1993 saw Daigle as the ultimate bust… perhaps Pam Anderson would have something to say about that – Sorry Sens fans. The draft in 1999 saw Patrik Stefan get picked first overall by Atlanta but he never bloomed into the star he was supposed to be. His Wikipedia page even labels him as “one of the biggest draft busts in NHL history”. Ouch. Good thing Heatley and Kovalchuk worked out for the Thrashers, otherwise GM Don Waddell might be out of a job. Anyone who can trade Braydon Cobourg for an aging Alexei Zhitnik and keep their job must be invincible!

Anyway, back to the 2003 Draft. The thing about this draft year is that of the first 30 players picked, all but one have already played in the NHL (Jessiman, NYR). On top of that, many of these players played significant minutes the following season. Only 5 years later, many of the players drafted in the first round are leaders on their teams and have already seen significant success. Richards, Getzlaf, Parise and Staal all led their teams in scoring last season too. The success of this draft doesn’t stop after the first round.

In fact, there are a number of very skilled players who were drafted late in this draft, including: Loui Eriksson (DAL), Patrice Bergeron (BOS), Shea Weber (NSH), Kyle Quincey (DET), Joe Pavelski (SJ), Jaroslav Halak (MTL) and Brian Elliot (OTT).

Shea Weber is arguably one of the best players to come out of this draft and he was taken 49th overall. Every single team in the league had a chance to select him and some even had two cracks at it. Again, it all comes down to drafting and the strength of your scouting and development. Kyle Quincey could barely crack Detroit’s lineup this year but is now playing 24 minutes a game in Los Angeles. Brian Elliot was selected in the 9th round and was the second last player drafted in 2003, yet he’s won 9 straight games as a rookie, following the Senators win Saturday night against the lowly New York Islanders.

So there you have it folks, the draft class of 2003. Internet, I challenge you to find me a deeper and more skilled draft year than 2003. If you do, I’ll eat an entire wheel of cheese in one sitting! And I’ll do it faster than Baxter is rumored to have done it.

Your Reporter in the Field,

Brian Fantana

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Being the Ottawa Senators GM is like having a broken knee

February 11th, 2009

I’m driving to work, listening to sports talk radio, errr, I mean Sens-talk radio crunched between ads with that Alarmforce guy s aying “Alarmforce” in a weird way. AL-AR-M-for-ce. Like whats up with that?

And if thats not bad enough, every morning is starting to feel like groundhog day. Seems as though the city of Ottawa has collectively banned against the winter season (fair enough, too cold), OC Transpo (also fair, but glad the strike is over) and Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray (huh?).

Why, I ask the faithful StayClassy nation? I can’t understand this one.

Let’s pretend Bryan Murray didn’t build the Anaheim Ducks into Stanley Cup Champions less than two years ago. And let’s pretend he didn’t guide the Senators to their first modern Stanley Cup final appearance (how ironic is that, anyways?). Let’s pretend he’s an NHL general manager, new to Ottawa weeks before last summer’s NHL Entry Draft.

Hockey fans worldwide and more specifically, Ottawans have short memories and an even shorter tolerance for losing seasons. I understand the Canadian hockey markets demand success and the pressures that revolve around that. I wouldn’t have it any other way. But how can we dismiss Bryan Murray this quickly?

Yes, the Senators haven’t acquired their elusive puck moving defenseman (but neither has any other GM this season) and they still don’t have a franchise goaltender (so… they aren’t available at BulkBarn, across from the Jason Spezza turnover aisle?). But consider the following:

Lack of trades
This isn’t an Ottawa/Bryan Murray thing – this is an NHL thing. There are more OC Transpo busses back to work than trades this year. Translation for those of you who don’t reside in Ottawa: that means trades are few and far between. And when they happen, its no-name prospects going back and forth. People can say Murray isn’t doing anything and while I won’t profess to knowing what exactly he’s doing, you could say the exact same about other GM’s around the NHL.

Ridiculous contracts
We’ve seen some ridiculous contracts being thrown around over the last few summers (my buddy Fantana wrote a good column on this last week). I’m sure you’re already thinking of a few now. And thats good, because no matter who you are thinking of, not one of those inflated contracts belong to the Senators (well, except Mike Fisher… but let’s not go there for now). Think of Scott Gomez’ $32.25 Million/5 years, Wade Redden’s $39 Million/6 years, Mats Sundin’s $10 Million/1 year, Sean Avery’s $15.5 Million/4 years, etc… You get the idea. Murray may not have made the splash we all hoped for (*cough, Brian Campbell cough*), but he certainly didn’t handicap the team with crazy contracts that these teams will be paying for years to come.

Drafting
Part of Ottawa’s slide from Conference favorites to lottery hopefuls reflect some of former GM John Muckler’s poor draft selections. In 2005, Muckler drafted Brian Lee over Marc Staal and Anze Kopitar. And in 2003, Muckler selected Patrick Eaves over Shea Weber and Loui Eriksson. Yes, Muckler’s draft record is good (Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, Andreij Meszaros) and I mean real good, but so is Murray’s (Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Joffrey Lupul). Murray drafted Erik Karlsson in the first round last year and that was the best pick they could made. With this summer, the depth of the draft and the number of picks the Senators have, Murray should continue his successful draft record.

Now, if you still want Murray gone, you must explain why. But my point is this: GM’s can’t be judged like players or coaches. I see GM’s in the same vein as various health problems or even injuries. And let’s use an example of a knee injury – Sens Nation should be able to fully grasp (Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and new to the club from Saturday’s Buffalo Sabres game, Chris Neil). Much like knee injuries, its unreasonable to expect overnight improvements with GMs. Teams can’t rebuild overnight (the Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t fare too well this year) and neither can knees. Let’s give Murray two full years of drafts and NHL seasons and then review his work. His track record for success with the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings merits at least that.

Let’s be thankful what what Murray has or hasn’t done for us: no ridiculous contracts/over-paying, start of strong drafting last summer and he hasn’t traded our touted draft picks this year to save his job. That would certainly be the Achilles-Neil.

You stay classy, internet.

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