Chronicles From The Garden

The Sky's Not Falling: Bruins Lose To Habs, But Score!

2009-11-05T23:56:00.003-05:00

Hear that? That’s the sound of the bandwagon getting a tad lighter in Boston.

Following two mind-rattling losses to the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, where the B’s scored a total of zero goals in 120 minutes of play. Tonight, it took the black and gold just over 59 minutes before they finally scored a goal against the Montreal Canadiens en route to a 2-1 shootout loss.

Former Boston Bruin Glen Metropolit got the party started for Montreal, scoring a goal late in the first period after a Dennis Wideman positioning blooper led to a collision with Matt Hunwick, leading to Andrei Kostityn having a clear path to the net with Shawn Thornton in hot pursuit of him. Kostityn was denied by Thomas on the initial attempt but was able to wrap it around the net where Metropolit was able to bang it home for his third goal of the season.

The second period was more of the same Boston and Montreal clash we all know as the B’s and Habs engaged into a defensive battle, fighting for every corner and full of hard hitting, and penalties. However, in what’s becoming expected Bruins fashion, the B’s were unable to capitalize on both powerplay chances in the period, and three in total. At the same time though, the B’s penalty kill was up to the task of shutting down the Habs powerplay, killing both powerplays Montreal had in the night.

The highlight of the second period was a goal-call reversed in favor of the Montreal Canadiens as it appeared that the B’s put one by an unsuspecting Carey Price on a rebound. However, as replay clearly showed, the net was taken off it’s moorings and was put in under the dislodged net.

Near the close of the period, a scrum erupted in front of the Boston crease where Andrew Ference and Maxim Lapierre exchanged words and went as far as Ference dropping his glove to challenge Lapierre to a fight −something Lapierre simply would have no part of, per usual. Ference shook off Lapierre and waved his hand at him, skating away while laughing and having some choice words for the Habs agitator.

It’s not often that you say this when referring to a 22-year old goaltender, but last night was vintage Carey Price.

For much of the night, the story was in net for the Montreal Canadiens as Carey Price played perhaps his strongest game of the 2009-10 season. The oft-taunted goaltender in Boston, Price made one save after another, stopping all 26 of Boston’s shots after 40 minutes of play.

In what was very reminiscent of 2007-08, where Price and the Canadiens beat the Bruins eight times in the regular season and knocked the B’s out of the first round of the playoffs, Price demonstrated excellent mechanics and had absolutely phenomenal poise.

Shutting down Boston in typical 2007-08, Price was less than a minute away from securing a regulation win when Patrice Bergeron banged the puck home for his fifth goal of the season.

In overtime, the B’s had their opportunities, none better than Patrice Bergeron’s shot from just over the blue-line in the attacking zone. Bergeron, a mini-breakaway let one rip and Price went down and made a desperation save straight out of the NHL10, stopping Bergeron’s shot with a filthy glove save.

Following a botched scoring opportunity by Blake Wheeler and Vladimir Sobotka on a 2-on-1, the B’s and Habs were going to the shootout for the first time since November 20th, 2008.

The B’s elected to shoot first and it was Blake Wheeler who was stopped by Price. The first shooter for the Canadiens was Michael Cammalleri, who ripped a wrist shot right by Tim Thomas that to be honest, I saw coming from a mile away. After one round, Montreal had the 1-0 lead in the shootout.

The B’s sent Patrice Bergeron to center ice as their second shooter but again, Price stood tall in net, denying Bergeron’s bid to tie it up. Tim Thomas was also able to stop Scott Gomez with a save off his glove as Boston was in a must-score situation when they sent Mark Recchi onto the ice.

“Mark Recchi?! Not Sturm, Ryder, Sobotka or even Marchand? Mark Recchi?!”

Recchi, although making a great attempt, was stopped by Price and the Habs got their first win against Boston since October of last season, ending a nine game losing streak including the playoffs, against Boston.

While the loss to Montreal may sting, the B’s fans should be thrilled with getting a point, along with the team scoring their first goal in 179 minutes and eight seconds. All things considered, the defense and goaltending for Boston is playing phenomenal, pointing to nothing but good coming from the return of Krejci and Savard along with Milan Lucic in the upcoming weeks.

Dumb Quote of the Night

“It’s different when we get outside buddy, when le fists come into play and at le face” - Completely ignorant B’s fans to group of Habs fans celebrating Metropolit’s goal in the first period.

Honestly, I understand this is a rivalry, but why are we resorting to violence towards fans for being happy that their player scored a goal? This fan proceeded to charge at all of these fans during the first intermission, shoving them up against a wall and calling them all cowards because they wouldn’t fight him. For starters, they were here to watch sixty minutes of hockey, not twenty. Secondly, this man had about seven inches and a good hundred pounds on each on them, I can’t blame them.

B’s fans, it’s time to grow up and leave the fighting to the guys on the ice.

What’s Next?

It’ll be a Saturday night showdown with the Northeast Division leading Buffalo Sabres at the Garden. The Sabres come into Boston winning five out of their last six before tonight’s tilt against the Flyers at the HSBC Arena. They’re led by Ryan Miller, who’s completely playing out of skull right now, posting a 9-1-1 record with a 1.69 goals against average and two shutouts.

The Sabres, who always seem to give the B’s a hard time regardless of their record, should provide a daunting challenge to the Boston Bruins, who will once again be without Milan Lucic, Marc Savard, and David Krejci.

Wings Shutout Boston: A New Streak Begins, Kessel Debuts In Toronto, Winter Classic Tickets

2009-11-04T01:17:00.004-05:00

Unfortunately for Boston, as one streak ends, a new one begins.

In tonight’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the B’s snapped a loss-win pattern that has plagued the club throughout their first 13 games of the 2009-10 NHL season. However, in the process, the B’s failed to score a goal, rendering them goal-less in their past 133 minutes and 58 seconds of play.

Following tonight’s display in Detroit, is the frustration officially beginning to mount in the Hub?

While the Bruins got shutout by an Original Six team for the second time in the past 72 hours, these Bruins simply don’t appear to be trying out there as a cohesive unit.

Yes, top-liners such Marc Savard and Milan Lucic are both on the long-term injured reserve, but isn’t that extra incentive for players such as David Krejci, Michael Ryder and Marco Sturm to step up?

Tonight, it was more of the same from the black and gold−which simply hasn’t been a good thing this season.

The daggers tonight came from Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom, who both scored late in the first period of the Tuesday night contest in the Motor City. Zetterberg’s powerplay goal seemingly happened instantaneously, so quickly that the VS cable crew was nearly unable to catch it on TV.

Three minutes later, and one Thomas positioning-gaffe later, and Tomas Holmstrom put the Wings up by two, which is more than what Chris Osgood needed to earn the ‘W’ tonight.

Osgood, who came into tonight’s match-up boasting a 4-2-2 record with a 3.10 goals against average, was mechanical, lucky and mechanically lucky for sixty minutes, making 29 saves and getting two lucky post-rings to secure his 50th career shutout.

For Boston, the powerplay-woes continue as the Bruins went 0 for 3 tonight with a man-advantage, worsening to 1 for 20 since being without Marc Savard in the line-up due to a broken foot.

Some good for B’s fans to take solace in is that fourth line cogs, Shawn Thornton and Steve Begin, to continue to play strong and create chances even without 6′4″ Byron Bitz out of the line-up. More good news surrounding the slumping Bruins is that since the team’s acquisition of Daniel Paille, the B’s have killed off 17 out of 18 penalties.

Warning: Phil Kessel Talk Ahead

Tonight marked the debut of Boston’s newest-villain, Phil Kessel, in a Toronto Maple Leafs uniform. The formerly-loved and delightfully dangerous goal scorer, who lit the lamp 36 times in 2008-09 for Boston, who demanded/didn’t demand a trade out of Boston this off-season after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new deal.

To the joy of Boston fans, Kessel had an absolutely frustrating night tonight in his Leafs debut. In his return from major shoulder surgery over the off-season, Kessel was on the ice tonight for just under 24 minutes and had a career-high 10 shots, the end result? Zero goals, zero points, and one bone-crunching and bloody-lip inducing hit from Bolts blue-liner Mattias Ohlund. Anyone else want to go out and buy an Ohlund shirt?

Also, honestly what was penalty worthy about that hit? Nothing dirty there, just keep your head up, Ke$$el.

Oh Phil, how Boston will feed off your misery.

Who Got Winter Classic Tickets? Oh Yeah, That’s Right, This Guy!

Honestly, this process was a lot easier than I expected for those of you who have yet to purchase your seats. However, it was still a little questionable to me.

After logging in using my private password and username, I selected the option of “Best Available”. The results weren’t not what I expected. While I knew seats atop the Green Monster, in the left-field grandstands and in the Pavilion Club would be gone, I didn’t expect what I got back.

Two seats, right field grandstand 3, row 13. The view? Here. The price? 225.00 dollars per seat. Errrr, what? For a near-outfield-bleacher view, I simply wasn’t paying this price. I instead opted for seats along the right field line, in right-field box 93, row 7 for 125.00 dollars per seat. My only hope is that I’m not behind Pesky’s Pole.

What’s Next?

On Thursday night in Boston, it’ll be the 700th meeting between the Boston Bruins and the hated Montreal Canadiens. Both Boston and Montreal are coming off losses on Tuesday night. The Canadiens shouldstart Jaroslav Halak for this match-up against the team that eliminated them from the 2009 Playoffs, considering the absolute disaster of a start Carey Price has had to the 2009-10 season. Halak is 5-2-0 with a 2.85 goals against average on the season and has clearly outplayed Price thus far (then again, that hasn’t been hard).

Follow me on Twitter, folks.

Ty

Bruins Return To Garden To Battle Devils

2009-10-29T17:19:00.003-04:00

Hi Boston, remember hockey?

It’s been five days since the Boston Bruins have played a game, a thrilling win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night in Canada’s capital where the B’s scored two goals with under a minute and a half left in the third to tie it and eventually win in the shootout.

Tonight, the B’s will play host the New Jersey Devils, a team that has given the Bruins trouble and close match-up’s for years. Under Claude Julien, the Bruins are 3-2-3 against the Devils and no final score between the two clubs has had a goal differential over three, which has happened only once.

Ten games into the season, the Devils, back with Jacques Lemaire behind the bench, are off to a 6-4-0 start, but their road record has been more than impressive, it’s been perfect. The Devils are undefeated on the road with a 5-0 record.

As always, a main cog in the success of New Jersey has been Martin Brodeur, who missed much of last season with a torn bicep injury. However, luckily for Boston, Marty will be watching tonight’s game from the bench as Yann Danis will make his Devils debut tonight in Boston.

With the departure of Scott Clemmensen to Florida through free agency and retirement of Kevin Weekes, the Devils were without a solid back-up and addressed this issue with the signing of Yann Danis to a one year contract worth league minimum.

For Danis, this is his third NHL franchise in as many years, spending last season with the New York Islanders, where he put together a respectable season on a dreadful team with a 10-17-3 record, .910 save percentage, and 2.86 goals against average.

Despite his decent numbers, the same cannot be said when Danis stepped in between the pipes against the Boston Bruins.

In three games last season against the Killer B’s, Danis went 0-3-0 with a .881 save percentage, including a start against the Bruins in the Isles season finale where he was lit up for four goals in 25 minutes.

For Boston, the focus will be on looking to continuing the momentum they gained last week as the team gained five out of a possible six points while without top-liners Marc Savard and Milan Lucic.

The Bruins will still be without Lucic (finger) and Savard (foot) for tonight’s game, but call-up’s Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka have played considerably well and aren’t causing headaches for fans in the Hub of Hockey when on the ice just yet.

Last week, the success for Boston came in the final five minutes against the Sens, a task they surely don’t want to have to repeat tonight with Danis in net. The keys to the game will be to put the pressure on the Devils early and get Danis rattled. However, given the Lemaire trap-style of play, inducing lullabies everywhere since 1993, the B’s may have very limited chances to do so in tonight’s game, creating the mantra of capitalizing on their chances.

Players To Watch

For Boston, the pressure-cooker has got to be building on Matt Hunwick. Hunwick, who missed nearly all of the Bruins playoff-push last year following a ruptured spleen injury, has struggled out of the gate on a defensive standpoint so far in 2009-10. While the 24-year old has three goals in ten games thus far, he’s been a total liability when it comes to defending the Bruins zone responsibly. If this continues, B’s fans will be clamoring for the return of Johnny Boychuk from the press box in place of Hunwick sooner, rather than later.

Tim Thomas, coming off a huge 27-save performance in Ottawa on Saturday will be in net tonight for Boston and will look to improve to 5-3-0 on the short season. The 2009 Vezina Trophy winner has experienced relatively good success against New Jersey, boasting a 4-3-3 record and .920 save percentage, including a shutout of last year’s Devils.

In red and white tonight, while Patrik Elias is tops among Devils forwards when it comes to career points against Boston, Elias will be inactive tonight still recovering from off-season groin surgery, putting the focus on Devils captain and notorious Bruins killer, Jamie Langenbrunner. In 10 games this season, Langenbrunner is already off to a fast start with seven points and a +4. Always the dangerous playmaker due to his size and effective skating, Langenbrunner has already tallied 23 points in 34 career games against Boston and could have more if not contained by the Bruins.

Follow me on Twitter, friends.

Ty

This Week In Bruins: Tuukka, The Kids, Philly & My Negativity

2009-10-23T23:46:00.004-04:00

Here in the first week of “This Week In Bruins” (okay, I’m cheating, the season is about three weeks old now but who makes up these rules anyhow?), we’re going to examine the past seven days in all things Bruins.

Following a dominating performance against a semi-healthy Dallas Stars team, the Bruins sputtered out of the gate and lost to the currently-untouchable Ilya Bryzagalov the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 in the desert. Before the game, the Bruins lost Milan Lucic for the night, and went on to lose him for the next 4-6 weeks with a broken finger.

Just how does one of the NHL’s toughest players get away with sitting out four to six weeks because of a broken finger? Well, you can ask him if you see him, but I know I won’t be backing you up.

* To add injury to injury, the Bruins also placed linemate Marc Savard on the long-term injured reserve with a broken foot. While Savard’s seven points were good for best on the Bruins, it was deemed best if 91 spent some time in the press box, giving him time to let the broken bones heal. The injury was suffered during the pre-season, but gives Savard more time to pursue a modeling career, photos by the Improper Bostonian, courtesy of the Looch Ness Monster blog.

* The Bruins call up Guilliam Lefebvre, sent him down, call him up for a half hour, and send him down again. While Lefebvre is heading back to Rhode Island for perhaps the rest of the season, I’ve grown curious as to how much gas money Peter Chiarelli has given Lefebvre.

* Brad Marchand gets an assist in his first NHL game, but rubs Bruins, music, and musically-inclined Bruins fans the wrong way before the game when he admits to wanting to interview Nickelback.

* The Bruins acquire Daniel Paille from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for one of the Bruins 1,982 draft picks. Paille impresses Bruins fans the next night with his dogged determination, tenacity and assist on a game-winning goal for Boston.

* Steve Begin continues to make Boston fans miss P.J Axelsson and Stephane Yelle less and less by the game. Currently, Begin is on pace for 54 points and is second on the Bruins with four assists.

* Surprisingly, Patric Hornqvist survived 60 minutes out there against the Bruins on Wednesday. The Sweden native forward, who stands at a whopping 5′11″ and 186 pounds was hacking away at Thomas’ pads all game, crosschecking Sobotka and being an all around irritation to the Bruins.

* Bruins survive a last second melee in front of Tim Thomas’ crease to secure a win against the Nashville Predators, continuing their streak of inconsistency.

* My negativity towards the Boston Bruins via Facebook status leads to the team waking up, I know I’m friends with Zach Hamill on there, but does news really travel that quickly?

* Both Vladimir Sobotka and Brad Marchand admit that Marley & Me made them cry. Winning the hearts of dog-lovers all over, but creating a buzz about just what is going on in the city of Providence?

* Bruins unveil “official” Winter Classic hats during pre-game skate with Philadelphia Flyers, continuing to upset fans with their lack of anything cool for this year’s battle at Fenway Park.

* The scouting report on Tuukka Rask continues to read “top-shelf”. However, Tuukka still performs admirably in the 4-3 shootout loss against the Philadelphia Flyers, including a stellar save against Jeff Carter on a shorthanded breakaway.

* Scott Hartnell has still refused to get a haircut, to the dismay of even his closest family. His search for revenge on Bart Simpson continues.

*Derek Morris scores his first goal with the Boston Bruins and tallies an assist against Philly, stopping the complaining of B’s fans..for now.

* Is there any team more appealing to loathe than the Philadelphia Flyers? Between that clinically-insane punk Daniel Carcillo to Chris “Mr. Stomp” Pronger, is there any reason as to why anyone outside of Philadelphia would bother liking this club? I suppose it fits their city well though, GREEN-MAN!

* The Canadiens continue to stumble, to the joy of Bruins fans, posing the question, est la Coupe truly downtown? Even more joyous, the Toronto Maple Leafs are still winless seven games into the season, with a wonderfully terrible record of 0-6-1, on pace to give the Boston Bruins the first overall draft pick in 2010. Hey Kessel, how do ‘ya like ‘dem apples?

Tomorrow, the Bruins take to the ice in Kanata, Ontario to take on the Ottawa Senators. This will be the first time that the Bruins face off against Alex Kovalev since his departure from Montreal. Will L’Artist have any tricks up his sleeve or will the Bruins continue to play hard, physical and cliche as they prove to be “tougher to play against”?

If you haven’t already done so, follow me on Twitter!

Ty

Glimpse of the Future? B's Without Savard For 4-6 Weeks

2009-10-23T13:55:00.002-04:00

When it rains, it pours.

Earlier this morning, the Boston Bruins announced that they’ve placed center Marc Savard on the long-term injured reserve with a broken left foot, joining fellow linemate on the B’s top line, Milan Lucic.

It’s unclear as to when Savard aggrivated the foot he injured during the preseason, but Savard noted that it was undoubtedly in the best interest if he took some time off. “The best thing now is to shut it down for a couple of weeks and let it heal.” a disappointed Savard said today when talking to the media.

Although the struggling Bruins certainly need the presence of their number one powerplay-producer, could B’s fans be getting a glimpse of the future as Savard could be without the club for nearly two months?

Savard enters 2009-10 in the final year of a four year contract he signed with the Boston Bruins back in July 2006 that pays him five-million a year, a bargain when looking at the numbers put up by the 5′10″ center from Ottawa. In all three seasons in the Hub so far, Savard has put up at least 60 assists or more, something only duplicated in the entire National Hockey League by Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks.

However, given the expected decrease in the salary cap along with the continuing development of players such as David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, and Milan Lucic, all younger players with contracts of 3.75 million or higher, just where does Marc Savard fit into the plan of the Boston Bruins’ future?

When examining the players who finished with the same amount of points and/or more than Marc Savard last season, their average salary totals out at an average of 6.4 million dollars a season. While there’s been plenty of internet chatter about the Bruins interest in signing Savard to a three-year extension worth 6.5 million a season, there’s been no substantial quotes, figures or talks been expressed by both sides to date.

Regardless of the numbers put up by number 91, the Bruins numbers when it comes to the salary cap sets off quite the alarm, creating a large doubt about Savard’s potential return to the club past 2009-10.

Currently, the Bruins have 39.4 million dollars of the 2010-11 cap tied up between 11 positional players and Tim Thomas. However, besides Savard, included in the Bruins pool of pending free agents are promising players Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart, Tuukka Rask and Vladimir Sobotka along with roleplayers such as Andrew Ference, Shawn Thornton and Derek Morris.

Without including Savard, the Bruins would have approximately 15.9 million dollars to spend on 10 players to fill out a roster. While it’s expected that players such as Mikko Lehtonen, Zach Hamill, Jeff Penner and Andrew Bodnarchuk will be challenging for spots on the big league roster next September, the likelihood of Savard remaining a Bruin without Peter Chiarelli having to continue to move pieces around is near impossible.

Posing the question, could what we’re about to witness be the future of the Boston Bruins?

Called up from Providence over the weekend, fiesty smaller forwards Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka are expected to make their cases for a role on the NHL roster with Kobasew out of the equation and will certainly get their chances with the injuries to Lucic and Savard. They will be helped by the addition of Daniel Paille and call-up of journeyman minor leaguer Trent Whitfield.

Also expected to take the load off Savard’s back on the powerplay will be promising and proven NHL capable centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. While David Krejci totaled 73 points in 2008-09, the 23 year old Czech forward has shown some signs of still being in the midst of recovering from off-season hip surgery. On the other hand, center and 2003 2nd round pick Bergeron has been on an absolute tear, scoring five points in seven games this season and playing much like he did back in 2006-07 before concussions took their toll on the B’s alternate captain.

While tonight’s match-up against the 2-4-1 Nashville Predators may be a good way for the young guns to get into the action, the real tests will come as the B’s schedule gets tougher with opponents such as the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers facing off against Boston in the next nine days.

Do you Twitter? Do you want to twitter? Follow on, friends!

Ty

Bruins Acquire Daniel Paille From Sabres

2009-10-23T13:51:00.002-04:00

It didn’t take Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli too long to find an alternative to now former third-line-staple Chuck Kobasew. Today, the club on Causeway announced that they have acquired Sabres forward Daniel Paille in exchange for a third round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft and conditional fourth rounder in ‘11.

While most Bruins fans are no Darren Dreger or Pierre LeBrun, the move has been dubbed as ‘puzzling’, ‘confusing’ and even ’stupid’ on some internet forums so far.

For one, following the placing of Milan Lucic on the long-term injured reserve over the weekend, the Bruins called up forwards Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka to fill in the holes created by Looch’s injury and Kobasew’s departure for Minnesota.

Sobotka, who had an impressive pre-season, creating concerns as to why he wasn’t apart of the NHL roster to begin the season, is absolutely tearing apart the American Hockey League with the Providence Bruins thus far, posting six goals and ten points in just six games so far for the Baby B’s. The same can be said for Brad Marchand, who’s put up eight points, including six goals in six games for Providence.

Seemingly ready for their chance in the National Hockey League, the Boston-hopefuls may have some new competition for ice-time with the addition of Danny Paille into the Boston line-up.

Paille, who’s been a healthy scratch for Lindy Ruff’s Sabres for four games already this season is looking for a new start in the Claude Julien system.

Considering Paille’s decrease in point production by eight points from the season prior, much of that can arguably be attributed to his diminishing minutes as his average time on ice a game went from 13:16 down to 11:54 a game.

So far in 2009-10, Paille has an assist and a +1 in two games for the Sabres. Paille’s career high in goals (19) came in the 2007-08 season, as did his point total, 35, in the same season.

Personally, I love this move. Paille brings many of the same intangibles that Kobasew did, at half the cost with a 1.1 million dollar cap hit. The addition of Paille also gives Boston flexible if Marchand, Sobotka or both, falter at the NHL level, avoiding the idea of thinning out your presumed-NHL-ready depth on the farm.

Kobasew Traded To Minnesota; What's Next?

2009-10-19T13:46:00.001-04:00

Well, this is certainly surprising, at least at seven games into the season it is.

Today, the Boston Bruins have announced the trade of Chuck Kobasew to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for winger Craig Weller, the rights to unsigned fourth round pick from 2009, Alexander Fallstrom, and a second round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Kobasew, a Boston College alumni and first round pick from the 2001 NHL draft, was beginning his third full season with the Boston Bruins after being traded to Boston midway through the 2006-07 season.

Always the fan favorite, Kobasew was known for his strong two-way play and never-afraid-to-get-your-hands-dirty approach to the game and his steady play has been more than welcomed to the Bruins. In 158 games, Kobasew tallied a total of 44 goals and 84 points frequently playing on Boston’s third line. Kobasew was also coming off two consecutive 20-goal seasons in the Hub of Hockey.

However, while Kobasew was a valued and often unsung hero on the Boston Bruins roster, his presence and increasingly unfavorable contract was without question weighing on Boston GM Peter Chiarelli’s mind.

As it stood in the Hub, and now in Minnesota, Kobasew’s making 2.3 million dollars a season through the conclusion of the 2011-12 season. A price simply too rich for the thinning blood of the Boston salary cap.

Coming to Boston in the now is forward Craig Weller, who’s totaled 95 games, 14 points and 127 penalty minutes in two seasons split between the Coyotes and Wild. Along with Weller and the draft choice, the Bruins have obtained Harvard freshmen Alexander Fallstrom, a Swedish forward with a knack for scoring goals in Europe, something he’s looking to replicate with the Harvard Crimson.

So just what does the moving of Kobasew out West create for possible scenarios for the B’s?

1. Deadline Blockbuster – In Boston, one name has been consistently repeated, Atlanta Thrashers captain and star forward, Ilya Kovalchuk. The Russian forward has put up five straight seasons with at least 40 goals and has an expiring contract and may want out of Atlanta if they continue their decline on the map of hockey relevancy. If the B’s are to fail in landing Ilya, they could also used the freed up cap space to perhaps land a top six forward like Nathan Horton from Florida or Alexander Frolov from the Los Angeles Kings.

2. Re-Signing Savard? – The Bruins have reportedly expressed in re-signing top center Marc Savard before he hits the open market this off-season. Savard is coming off three straight 60+ assist seasons and is in the final year of a contract that pays him five million dollars per season. Savard, who’s already off to a good start to 2009-10 with seven points in as many games, is considered a bargain at five million per season and is often looking for his last big contract in the 6.5 million dollar range.

3. Restricted Free Agency Wiggle Room – At the conclusion of this season, young stars such as Blake Wheeler, Mark Stuart and Tuukka Rask headline the B’s crop of restricted free agents. Given the success of the youth while the cap dwindles down, the Bruins are clearly at a disadvantage and need to take the proper steps towards creating a solid crop of players developed into their own system. The clearing of Kobasew’s contract does just that.

Personally, I believe the Kobasew trade makes the Bruins a premier buyer at the NHL Trading Deadline this year. As it stands now, the Bruins have six draft picks in either the first or second round of the 2010 NHL Draft, absolutely huge bargaining chips at the deadline for a cellar-dwelling team looking to unload some expiring contracts.

Also, I’ve noticed a large outcry from Bruins Nation about the trading of Chuck Kobasew. Honestly, my response is just, “At 2.3 million dollars a season, is he really worth what he is on a very talented B’s club, a third liner?”. While Kobasew is, was, a fan favorite at the Garden, his goals will be replaced by a combination of Brad Marchand, Vladimir Sobotka ( who were both called up from Providence today) along with added offensive contributions from role-players Byron Bitz and Steve Begin.

Heading into Wednesday, the Bruins will likely role a set of lines similar to these.

Marco Sturm – Marc Savard – Michael Ryder

Blake Wheeler – David Krejci – Byron Bitz

Mark Recchi – Patrice Bergeron – Vlad Sobotka

Shawn Thornton – Steve Begin – Brad Marchand

Extra Skater: Guillaume Lefebvre

With the shake-up’s seemingly done for now, the Boston Bruins will focus on the Nashville Predators, who come to town on Wednesday for a showdown at the Garden.

Lucic Injured, Lefebvre Called Up

2009-10-17T13:43:00.001-04:00

Tonight, the Phoenix Coyotes will host the Boston Bruins at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona, but a key cog in the Bruins roster will not be active for tonight’s game.

Milan Lucic, who’s coming off a five-hit performance less than 24 hours ago, will be sidelined for tonight’s game and possibly more with a currently undisclosed injury.

In typical Boston Bruins fashion, the injury remains undisclosed, leading me to believe that they’d give us GM Peter Chiarelli’s personal cell phone number before telling us above a top six forward’s injury. Regardless of the info, or lack of, the question remains; Just how did Milan Lucic suffer this injury we know little to nothing about?

It’s very possible that Lucic’s physical play last night could’ve banged him up, as he seemed to have an extra giddy-up (they were playing in Texas, so that’s acceptable for this post) in his physicality. Whatever the injury may be, the Bruins have called up forward Guillaume Lefebvre up from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis.

Essentially when examining the call-up of the 28-year-old forward from Quebec, the Bruins are replacing one menacing force with another.

Lefebvre, who spent all of the 2008-09 season with the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, tallying 206 penalty minutes along with 13 points in 70 games, has already made his mark in the Providence penalty box. Just four games into the AHL season, Lefebvre’s totaled 25 minutes in the sin bin and is expected to be in the line-up tonight for the Boston Bruins.

This likely means that Byron Bitz is getting moved up to the third line while Recchi moves up one, or that Lefebvre will be a direct substitution for Lucic on the second line. However, the latter of these plans seems unlikely as in short, Lefebvre’s there for his physical play, not his offensive skills.

Tonight will mark Guillaume’s first game in the National Hockey League since February 4th, 2006 when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Word from John Bishop via the Bruins official Twitter acount is that Lefebvre will wear number 92 tonight for the black and gold.

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Ty

Desert Bound B's: Bruins vs. Coyotes Preview

2009-10-17T13:23:00.003-04:00

Last night in the Hub of Hockey, the riot squads were called off and the Bruins were able to shut down the Dallas Stars en route to a 3-0 rout that’s settled down the masses of B’s fans, at least for now.

While the Bruins earned a “that’s how you do it” from most B’s fans for their efforts, Claude Julien’s squad was able to do all the things that made them such a successful team last season. For starters, they were able to kill of an early penalty to Patrice Bergeron 18 seconds into the game, avoiding the loss of any sort of momentum. The Bruins also capitalized on their up-ice rushes, putting three goals by Marty Turco on 29 shots.

In the eyes of Bruins Nation, three players stood out in particular. Michael Ryder, who moved up to the top line, playing with Marc Savard and Marco Sturm had arguably his best game of the season. Although he was held to just one point, Ryder had some great opportunities.

Tim Thomas, who stoned all 27 of Dallas’ shots showed some great poise when under fire and was bailed out numerous times by great defensive efforts from his blue-liners.

The Bruins first star of the game has to go to Marc Savard, who had a phenomenal night offensively as he was constantly creating offensive chances for his linemates and took advantage of his own chances as he banged home two goals by Marty Turco, the second being an absolute bullet that I’m convinced Turco simply didn’t see.

Charging into Arizona, the Bruins will look to continue to ride their momentum from last night as they’re hosted by Dave Tippett’s Phoenix Coyotes.

Coming into tonight’s game, the Boston Bruins will be without forward Milan Lucic, who injured himself during last night’s tilt in the Lone Star State and have called up bruising forward Guillaume Lefebvre from Providence to stand in for Lucic tonight. Lefebvre has one assist and 25 penalty minutes in four games with the Providence Bruins so far this season.

The game plan tonight for Boston will be much of the same, put the pressure on the young Coyotes early and often. Although Ilya Bryzgalov is in the midst of a spectacular start to the season, posting a 4-1-0 record with a 1.17 goals against average, including two shutouts, the Bruins will undoubtedly up the pressure on the 29-year-old Russian netminder as they did on Turco last night.

For the Coyotes, the focus will be on Shane Doan, who’s off to a seemingly typical slow start, scoring just three points in six games so far in 2009-10.

Players To Watch

For Boston, keep your eyes out for defensemen Johnny Boychuk, currently filling in for injured blue-liner Dennis Wideman. The AHL’s 2008-09 Eddie Shore Award winning defensemen, Boychuk is coming off two very strong games where he showed a strong awareness of his space and where the play was going while continuing to throw his body around very well. At this rate, Boychuk will make fans forget all about the loss of Shane Hnidy as the team’s seventh defensemen.

Two more players to take note of are Marc Savard and Mark Recchi. Savard is currently sitting at 199 career goals, one shy of 200 while Recchi is just an assist away from 900 in his career.

Currently, as it stands, the Phoenix Coyotes are the Pacific Division leaders (crazy season, huh). A player who’s seemingly thriving under the system put into place by Dave Tippett is forward Radim Vrbata. Three goals and an assist in six games is making a lot of us forget that Vrbata was the same player who jetted back home to Czechoslovakia after being upset with the Tampa Bay Lightning just 18 games into a lucrative three year contract last season.

Scottie Upshall is another player to keep tabs on tonight if you’re a Boston player. Upshall has absolutely killed Tim Thomas, well actually any Boston goaltender, throughout his career and has eight points in as many games against Boston throughout his NHL tenure. While Upshall’s currently sitting with just two goals so far this season, it’s very possible that he could be the one to make the difference between a Boston win and Boston loss.

If you haven’t already, follow me on Twitter!

Ty

Fight Night Round II: Bruins vs. Stars Preview

2009-10-16T13:29:00.004-04:00

“He’s a knee seeking missile, he’s a SCUD.” – Bruins’ play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards on Steve Ott’s questionable hit on Stephane Yelle last season at the TD Garden.

Tonight, the Boston Bruins start their first road trip of the season in Dallas to face off against the 2-0-3 Stars. Fortunately for number 29 and Bruins favorite (wink, wink), Steve Ott, will be witnessing this one from the press box of the American Airlines Center nursing a strained oblique that’s landed him on the injured reserve.

In a rematch of perhaps the most talked about regular season game last year for Boston, the Bruins will seek to get their first win against a Western Conference club this season while the Stars are looking to continue their streak of earning a point in every game of this newborn NHL season.

For Boston, the goal is to get sixty minutes of strong play, something they’ve shown a troubling inability to do five games into the season.

Some changes for the B’s will come up front, as Milan Lucic has dropped down to the second line with Michael Ryder moving up to the top line where he’ll be playing with Marco Sturm and Marc Savard for tonight’s match-up.

The Bruins will also have 2009 Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas back in the crease tonight after a two-game Tuukka weekend in the Hub of Hockey.

Good news for the anemicBoston powerplay, which comes into tonight’s game as the sixth worst in the National Hockey League, converting just four of their 29 opportunities, is that defensive forward and penalty killer Jere Lehtinen will be out for tonight’s game along with two-way forward Mike Modano.

For the Stars, the focus should and will be on goaltender Marty Turco, who’s coming off a shutout of the Nashville Predators. Along with Turco, the Stars will rely on their top line featuring Loui Eriksson, alternate captain Brad Richards and James Neal who have combined for 21 out of 56 points this season by Stars’ players.

Honestly B’s fans, don’t expect a repeat of last year’s fight-filled night of antics in Boston. The reasons?

For one, Sean Avery, the man arguably responsible for ruining any team chemistry in the Stars’ locker room is back in New York with the Rangers while Ott is out for tonight’s game. Secondly, the Bruins just need to head into tonight’s game with a level head, there should be no “revenge for a guy who’s now with the Hurricanes” sort of motive on their mind, “just win” is the idea on the B’s mind tonight.

As nice as it would be to see a Bruins’ blue-liner rearrange Matty Niskanen’s kisser as Jack Edwards so proudly put it last year, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a line-brawl tonight.

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Ty

Oh Captain, Our Captain: Why Is There A Nude Zdeno Chara In My ESPN The Magazine?

2009-10-09T14:24:00.007-04:00

No, that's not Bigfoot from the Patterson footage, that's just the captain of the Boston Bruins, Zdeno Chara.

It's guaranteed that most of the sports fans out there weren't too thrilled to open their ESPN: The Magazine this morning and see a nude 6'9" Big Z starting at them provocatively wearing nothing but his birthday suit.

Just why did ESPN pick Chara for their inaugural "Body Issue"? Or better yet, why did Chara accept the offer put forth by the television station that loves to act as if hockey is less important than NASCAR?

I'm no 6'9" Slovak, but here are just a few ideas as to why Zdeno Chara agreed to do this photoshoot.

Chara saw last season's NHL "Is this the year?" poster that said the only thing more terrifying than Zdeno Chara was Zdeno Chara with a playoff beard and he disagreed vehemently. In fact, Chara believes that the image of his nude stare will in fact burn in the heads of NHL forwards as they make their way up the ice.
He heard that there was a naked painting of Bobby Orr, he felt that he could one-up number four.
Chara realizes that when you're captain of the Boston Bruins, nearly seven feet tall on skates and known for tossing players around like ragdolls you probably won't hear too much about it from the opposition.
After registering the NHL record for hardest slapshot at 105.4 mph, a myth began to grow about how human Zdeno Chara actually was compared to how much of a machine he was. He felt he needed to do this to set the record straight.
Chara felt extreme jealously towards the modeling shots of Andrew Ference and knew that someone had to show up that Earth-friendly blue-liner. After all, while Ference is preserving the mountains, Chara is conquering them.

Regardless that the magazine also contains players such as Sheldon Souray, Bill Guerin and Mike Komisarek, Chara was the only NHL player to pose nude for the magazine. In the process, Captain Zdeno became the first player to ever appear nude in a magazine, sorry Jiri Tlusty.

Powerplay Outage: Hiller, Ducks Beat Bruins 6-1

2009-10-08T23:59:00.000-04:00

Is it too late to change the Boston Bruins motto from “Big and Bad are Back” to “Ten Minutes of Offensive Pressure, Fifty Minutes of Mistakes”?

While it’s still extremely early in the season, there’s no doubting that after a 6-1 demolition of the hometown boys thanks to the at-the-time winless Anaheim Ducks following the steam-rolling of Carolina last Saturday, the fans in the Hub are beginning to wonder what they’re in for this season.

My best advice? Don’t jump off the bridge when there’s still 79 games of hockey left.

Heading into tonight’s showdown at the TD Garden, the Bruins were seemingly back to their offensive-juggernaut ways after lighting up the ‘Canes for 7 goals during a Saturday night physical affair in Boston. Tonight however, Jonas Hiller and the rest of the Anaheim (no longer mighty) Ducks were more than ready. After getting peppered by 19 shots by Boston in the first period of play and only letting one Marco Sturm slapshot get by him, the feeling that this was going to be a difficult night for the Boston offense was beginning to reverberate throughout the minds of the Garden Faithful.

From there on out, it was all Anaheim.

Following an interference call on Matt Hunwick for his rather bizarre knock-down to 6′4″ Evgeny Artyukhin and questionable hooking call against Marco Sturm, the Ducks, who boasted the fourth best powerplay in 2008-09, were set up with one minute and 53 seconds of a five-on-three advantage. Turns out they’d only need a minute and thirty seconds of it to jump ahead.

It was a Teemu Selanne bullet that went by Tim Thomas, who was being screened by Corey Perry uncontested that tied that game and wouldn’t you know it, it was Teemu again who put the puck by a sprawled out Tim Thomas a minute later to give Anaheim a lead they would never relinquish.

After Corey Perry’s goal midway through the second period put the Ducks up 3-1, the Bruins seemed simply unmotivated to win, a sight similar to last week’s home opening against the Washington Capitals. Anaheim, who adopted the idealogy of quality over quantity finished the period with three goals on just six shots whereas the Bruins were held to just one goal on 30 shots through 40 minutes of play.

In similar fashion to the aforementioned game last week, Bruins netminder Tim Thomas gave up three more soft goals in the third period, including a very bizarre shorthanded goal by Corey Perry with under a minute to play and the Bruins were done.

When it comes to tonight’s loss, the Krejci line can simply not feel good about the way they played tonight. Frequently offsides and defensively irresponsible is no way to go through a game, boys. All three members of the Bruins’ second line, Blake Wheeler, Michael Ryder and David Krejci finished the night with an upsetting -3.

Kudos to Boston’s fourth line tonight, which was creating offensive chances and throwing the body around all at the same time. Shawn Thornton, who has a knack for scoring highlight-reel goals was kept off the scoresheet but had a very impressive night when it came to moving the puck around and skating.

All and all, the story of tonight’s loss rests on the unsuccessful powerplay put forth by Boston. The Bruins were 0-6 on the advantage, falling to 4-19 on the season.

Dumb Quote of the Night

“*Sarcastic cheers*” – As Thomas stopped the puck after giving up the sixth goal in the closing minute of tonight’s loss.

Yes, Thomas did get shelled tonight, yes he was looking foolish at times, but why are you booing the Vezina Trophy winner from last season after a rough game? For one, the Bruins defense was not giving Thomas any help whatsoever and secondly, wouldn’t you prefer Thomas to work out the kinks from the off-season in October as opposed to in April?

Jersey-Spotting of the Night

A man walking throughout the balcony tonight in Section 314 was sporting a lovely Boston Red Sox away jersey, bearing the last name “Yankees Suck”, featuring the number 24:7. Interesting to say the least as this last name was so long that it makes Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson look like a nameplate belonging to Steve Ott.

What’s Next?

The Bruins will take to the ice in Boston on Saturday night as John Tavares makes his TD Garden debut when the New York Islanders come to town. The Isles are 0-0-2 on the season following an overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators in Canada’s capital tonight. I’m about 95% sure that following tonight’s frustrating effort put forth by Tim Thomas, who stopped 24 of 30 shots, that the Bruins will give the nod to Finnish phenom Tuukka Rask.

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Three More Years Of Milan: The Lucic Craze In Boston Continues

2009-10-07T01:10:00.003-04:00

At just 21 years old, Lucic has arguably become the face of the Bruins franchise to the casual fan in just his third season in the National Hockey League. Just what makes this hulking left winger so popular in the Hub of Hockey?

For one, he reminds Bruins fans of a certain number hanging in the rafters of the Garden, Cam Neely. While Lucic has yet to develop the offensive skills that Neely possessed, Lucic has the frame of a power forward with a dangerously high level of tenacity and aggression when on the ice.

While Neely still receives booming ovations when shown on the Garden jumbo-tron, be it in classic clips, opening videos or live shots from the ninth level of the TD Garden there’s no louder chants heard than when Lucic is on the ice. As the Boston faithful chant their overpoweringly loud chorus of “Loo”, you know the 6′4 forward is stalking an impending victim for a devastating body check and about to create some offensive chances for his linemates in the process.

To say Lucic is more than a just another fight wouldn’t be doing the Vancouver native any justice, as HockeyFights.com has Lucic boasting a 18-4-2 record in the regular season when it comes to dropping the mittens.

In just the past month alone, Milan Lucic has single-handedly bloodied two guys in fights. Lucic’s first victim was Senators enforcer and known tough-guy Chris Neil, who was essentially asking for it after leveling Boston star forward Marc Savard during a preseason tilt. However, the newest face to get pummeled by number 17 is that of Jay Harrison, a defensemen for the Carolina Hurricanes who was getting under the skin of every Boston player throughout the night until his exchange (or lack thereof on his part) of blows with Lucic.

Already achieving of cult status in the city of Boston, the popularity of Lucic is growing relentlessly. “Lucic Crew” shirts with the number 17 on the back along with the phrase “Ass-Kicker” on the nameplate have quickly become a staple in the balcony of every Bruins home game.

While Lucic may have golden-glove-like qualities, primarily from his days as a teenage boxer in British Columbia, it’s becoming more evident that he has more than mediocre skills on the offensive spectrum of things. Playing on Boston’s top line last season, Lucic put together a 42 point season, including 17 goals, including three game winners. Even more impressive for Lucic enthusiasts in 2008-09 was the fact that his penalty minutes actually increased by 47 minutes from the previous season

Outside of the hockey bubble in Boston, the bruising forward is primarily known for his hate-fueled rivalry with defensemen Mike Komisarek. The two, who have been going at it since Lucic’s rookie season, have not only exchanged words, shoves and checks; but fists, twice, with Lucic winning both decisions handily.

In Montreal, there’s no debating that Lucic has become enemy number one for his refusal to drop the gloves with Georges Laraque on numerous occasions as he prefers to instead beat the Canadiens on the scoreboard rather than toil in the penalty box for five with an old fashioned “goon” by NHL standards.

Without question Boston fans love the physical presence provided by their second round choice from the 2006 NHL Draft, as their near 20 foot tall banner featuring Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic proclaiming that “Big & Bad Are Back” featured on the outside wall of the TD Garden tells us, it’s becoming clear that Lucic has matured immensely through the lessons and mentoring by both head coach Claude Julien and Bruins VP Cam Neely. In just two seasons with the Bruins, Lucic has driven home the point that he’s at his best when the team needs him most. For Lucic, his time to shine has been throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs where in just 17 career games he’s put up 11 points and a +11.

With the Boston Bruins quickly on the rise within their own city and the National Hockey League as a whole, the spotlight on the Bruins prized winger is certainly going to grow larger with the team’s rising success.

Looked upon as a game-changer for the B’s, at the age of 21 mind you, Lucic has shown a willingness to destroy anything and anyone in the Bruins way for a victory and after Saturday night’s display on the Garden ice, we shouldn’t expect him to stop anytime soon as Lucic became a very rich man when he agreed to a three year contract extension through the 2012-13 season worth 12.25 million dollars.

The Chronicles From The Garden's 2009-10 Eastern Conference Predictions

2009-10-01T11:34:00.018-04:00

Can't you feel it? The NHL season is officially upon us. Here's my predictions for the regular season this year in the NHL.

Eastern Conference

1) Boston Bruins - Call me a homer, but what's not to like about this team? You have the Vezina in net with Tim Thomas, the Norris on your blue-line in 6'9 Zdeno Chara and Jack Adams winning coach in Claude Julien behind the bench. Although the leading goal scorer from last season is now a Maple Leaf, the return of Marco Sturm, a full season out of Mark Recchi and continued development from the youth should fill in the void. Expected to help on the powerplay is the addition of Derek Morris, a puck-moving defensemen who finished with a disappointing 20 points last season between New York and Phoenix. What's not to like? The lack of depth on the blue-line due to the departure of Shane Hnidy, Steve Montador (perhaps a blessing) and Aaron Ward.

2) Washington Capitals - Alexander Ovechkin is continuing to build on what's looking to be a career full of record breaking in the Nation's capital. Over the offseason, while Sergei Federov and Viktor Kozlov left for their homeland in Russia, the Capitals were able to add former Bruin and Flyer Mike Knuble to their club. Knuble will be a huge contribution to the Washington offense as he has the ability to bang home many of Ovechkin's rebounds. What's not to like? Given the rather unsettling play of Jose Theodore last season, the Caps may turn to Semyon Varlamov to lead the team. Varlamov, who was run out of Game 7 in the second period against Pittsburgh last season has under 25 games of total NHL experience to his name and could be unprepared to take the full load.

3) Philadelphia Flyers - Following two disappointing Stanley Cup Playoff exits in a row, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren was in the market for making a big move during the offseason. There was perhaps no bigger move made than the Flyers acquistion of 6'6 Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a first round draft pick and expendable forward Joffrey Lupul. Pronger gives the Flyers another valuable weapon on the blue-line and in my opinion, is the one that puts them over the top in their division. What's not to like? The goaltending duo of Ray Emery and Brian Boucher is a stretch for a division winner, if both falter as starter's, then the Flyers may be in the market for a goaltender at the trade deadline.

4) Pittsburgh Penguins - The Pittsburgh Penguins did what many hockey fans, myself included, didn't think they could do, beat the Red Wings without Marian Hossa. Pivotal in the Pens road to the Stanley Cup were veteran Bill Guerin and agile winger Chris Kunitz. Good news for fans in the 'Burgh is that these players have returned to the club for another year. What's not to like? The departure of secondary scorers Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora along with gritty defensemen Rob Scuderi could hurt the Penguins in the dog days of the NHL season.

5) Carolina Hurricanes - As Boston fans felt the sting of on May 14th, 2009, you should never doubt the 'Canes. In net for Carolina is clutch goaltender Cam Ward, who stymied the opposition until hitting the Eastern Conference Finals and became 36+ million dollars richer over the off-season with a six year extension. The Carolina Hurricanes added a bevy of grit this offseason with the additions of Tom Kostopoulos, Andrew Alberts and members of last season's Bruins in Aaron Ward and Stephane Yelle. What's not to like? In the event of an injury to either Eric Staal or Cam Ward, the Carolina Hurricanes could fall from division contenders to on the outside looking in. The fact that they also will feast off a poor division is a knock on them for many people.

6) New Jersey Devils - Given the absence of Martin Brodeur for 50 games last season, it's a marvel that the New Jersey Devils continued to go on and win the Atlantic Division. While the Devils have a familiar face back behind the bench with the return of Jacques Lemaire as bench-boss of New Jersey, the team is already battling injury woes with Patrik Elias' absence from the line-up while recovering from groin surgery. What's not to like? Over the offseason, the Devils lost their two back-up's, Scott Clemmensen and Kevin Weekes. While 'Clem' went to Florida to back-up Tomas Vokoun, Weekes took a job in the booth for the NHL Network and backing up Marty is now Yann Danis.

7) Montreal Canadiens - It's very safe to say that 2008-09 wasn't quite the centennial celebration that the Habs had hoped for. At the start of the season, the Canadiens seemed poised to win the Stanley Cup with the additions of Robert Lang, Alex Tanguay and tough-guy Georges Laraque. However, a severe rash of injuries and inconsistent play by their top six amidst drug-trafficking allegations against the Kostityn's by the Montreal media and the Habs finished with the 8th seed in the East. Over the off-season, the Canadiens went through a major overhaul, adding Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Michael Cammalleri, Hal Gill, Paul Mara, Jaroslav Spacek while parting ways with Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, Mike Komisarek and Chris Higgins. What's not to like? The million-dollar question in Montreal remains "Will Carey Price return to his rookie season form?". If not, the Jacques Martin system could falter in it's first year in Montreal.

8) Buffalo Sabres - While it doesn't feel as if the the Buffalo Sabres were two points away from making the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, they were. While the Buffalo blueline lost veterans Jaroslav Spacek along with Teppo Numminen, they added what they hope will be a rebounding Steve Montador. The Sabres were also able to add gritty forward Mike Grier and once-seemingly-NHL-banished defensemen Joe DiPenta. What's not to like? The health of Ryan Miller and Tim Connolly (what else is new?) will be the Sabres biggest concerns in their attempt to return to the playoffs after a two year hiatus.

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9) Toronto Maple Leafs - The Maple Leafs are set to begin year one of the official Brian Burke reconstruction. Burke and the Leafs had a busy off-season to say the least, adding Mike Komisarek, Francois Beauchemin, Colton Orr, Garnet Exelby, Jonas Gustavsson and Boston's leading goal scorer from last season, Phil Kessel. While Kessel won't be ready to play until around mid-November, the addition of number 81 gives Toronto a top-line forward they desperately need for the future. What's not to like? If Jonas Gustavsson struggles at the top level, the Leafs will be forced to rely upon Vesa Toskala, who has never quite provided the numbers expected of him when initially acquired from the San Jose Sharks.

10) New York Rangers - In typical Glen Sather fashion, the Rangers had an expensive offseason. The biggest addition for the blue-shirts is that of Marian Gaborik, the Minnesota Wild's franchise leading point man, to a five year deal worth over 37 million dollars. The right winger, who's experienced considerable injury woes as of late, has been productive when in the line-up. The Rangers were also able to add toughguy Donald Brashear, Boston University standout defensemen Matt Gilroy and secondary scorers Enver Lisin, Vinny Prospal and Chris Higgins. What's not to like? The lack of NHL-ready defensemen on the New York blueline will be a concern as they're in perhaps the best division in the Eastern Conference when it comes to scoring goals.

11) Atlanta Thrashers - While the big question in Atlanta continues to surround Ilya Kovalchuk and whether or not the captain of the Thrashers will remain that by this year's trading deadline, the Thrashers did go out and get some additions to complement their Russian superstar. The biggest names arriving in Atlanta are none other than Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina, two former Toronto Maple Leafs. The presence of Antropov will without question give the Thrashers another weapon on the powerplay for Ilya and the same goes for Kubina. What's not to like? While Kari Lehtonen is recovering from back surgery, the Thrashers will look to Johan Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec to stop the pucks. The problem arises even more so when Lehtonen does return because injuries to the back are just so unpredictable when it comes to goaltenders.

12) Ottawa Senators - The problem in Ottawa, for seemingly ever, has been the lack of a true number one goaltender. That problem will continue in 2009-10 as the Sens are expected to role with a platoon of Brian Elliot and the surgery-recovering Pascal Leclaire. Without question the biggest news involving the Ottawa Senators came with the trading of Dany Heatley to San Jose in exchange for Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. They, along with the addition of Alexei Kovalev from the Montreal Canadiens will also bolster the Senators anemic secondary scoring situation. What's not to like? The blueline. While players such as Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips are good for a depth chart, they should not be relied upon as a top defensive pairing.

13) Florida Panthers - I almost fell for this club last season, their play, including a shutout of the Boston Bruins made me a believer. I was convinced that the Florida Panthers were going to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and that Jay Bouwmeester would fall in love with the Panthers and re-sign. Boy, was I was wrong. Due in large part to Bouwmeester's struggles following the trade deadline, the Florida Panthers finished 10th in the Eastern Conference. Although disappointment resonated (well, sort of) in Florida, the Panthers were able to see young stars such as David Booth develop and shine brightly in the Sunshine State. With the loss of Jay-Bo, the Panthers were able to add forwards Steve Reinprecht, Dominic Moore, blue-liners Dennis Seidenberg, Jordan Leopold, and goaltender Scott Clemmensen. What's not to like? The puck-moving ability from the blue-line certainly dropped with the departure of Bouwmeester, but the Panthers top six forwards are simply disappointing and not enough to compete in this year's Eastern Conference.

14) Tampa Bay Lightning - Oh the Barry Melrose era in Tampa, what an illustrious 16 games for all involved, especially Steven Stamkos, who flourished with his near no-ice time, right? After a 5-7-4 start, the Lightning fired the famed coach turned ESPN-analyst and following a voodoo-like hex put on the Lightning by Melrose after his departure, the team began to experience limited success under Rick Tocchet. Amid rumors of Vinny leaving for Montreal, the captain of the Lightning remained in black and blue after the trading deadline, investing some sign of faith towards the future for Bolts fans. The Lightning's biggest additions are on the blueline, with the drafting of Sweedish defensemen Victor Hedman and signing of Mattias Ohlund to a contract. The Bolts were also able to add back-up goaltender Antero Niittymaki through free agency and left winger Alex Tanguay on the cheap in September with a one year deal. What's not to like? Even with the addition of Tanguay, the Lightning become the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League after their second line, up front and on defense.

15) New York Islanders - I suppose there should be no surprise here. This team has a lot of woes, perhaps not as many as the Phoenix Coyotes, but still, the concerns are there. While the Jonathan Tavares era is beginning on the Isle, the question is for how long? Following continuing refusals of the "Lighthouse Plan" proposed by Islanders owner Charles Wang, the frustrated owner is beginning to explore other options that involve relocating the team. On the ice however, the Islanders were able to add Rob Schremp from Edmonton through waivers and two fringe-starting goaltenders in Dwayne Roloson and Marty Biron. What's not to like? There's a question that requires an answer almost too big to comprehend. For the Islanders, the fact that their best defensemen behind Mark Streit is Brendan Witt is an obvious cause for concern.

Eastern Conference Finals Prediction: Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers.

Introduction To Offensive Production: New Look Bruins Defense Ready To Shine

2009-09-29T23:13:00.001-04:00

Remember when the best defensemen Boston had to offer was the 6'7 pylon known as Hal Gill and a Brian Leetch just above the age to receive the senior discount at your local Dunkin' Donuts? Oh my, how thing's change.

The official transformation of the Boston blue-line continues into their third year into 2009-10 under head coach Claude Julien and continuing to be anchored by team captain and Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara.

Under Julien and the ever-so-loved defensive trap style of play, the Bruins have gone from 13th to 8th and from 8th to 1st. While Boston has seen a drastic increase in offensive production from their forwards, the focus of their play remains to be on a strong defense that reduces the oppositions scoring chances greatly.

The rock of the defense, as previously mentioned, is behemoth and the tallest player in NHL history, Zdeno Chara. The Slovak blue-liner, who was harshly ridiculed for his poor play under Dave Lewis in 2006-07 has blossomed under Claude Julien and has seen an overall rise in his level of play due in large part to less minutes per game. Along with increasing his powerplay productivity, Chara has become a more effective penalty killer and taken less unnecessary penalties in the process of attempting to save the day.

Alongside Chara for close to three seasons was veteran defensemen and three-time Stanley Cup champion Aaron Ward. Admired in Boston for his no-nonsense attitude and down-and-dirty style of play, Ward gained popularity rapidly in the Hub of Hockey, spawning a short-lived series of t-shirt's depicting fans as members of the "Psych Ward". However, with his rather unfriendly 2.5 million dollar salary counting against the Boston cap in 2009-10, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli made the call and sent the 36-year old back to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Patrick Eaves and a 4th round draft choice.

While Eaves was quickly bought out, the plan of utilizing the newly freed up cap space to sign Phil Kessel was steadily gaining momentum. It came as a surprise to Boston fans across the map as the money was instead used to bring in puck-moving defensemen Derek Morris on a one year contract worth 3.3 million dollars.

Adding another piece of the puzzle, Morris is expected to bring an added presence on the powerplay to take the pressure off Bruins such as Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman to carry the play from the point. Despite his upside, Morris is coming off a rather disappointing season split between Phoenix and the better of the two New York's. In 75 total games last season, Morris tallied 20 points, five of which coming on the powerplay.

As Morris added at the annual "State of the Bruins" meeting at the TD Garden, it's become more about winning than anything else for him and with an attitude like that and willingness to buy into the Julien system, it'll certainly be interesting to see how he performs for the Bruins in 2009-10.

Behind the two headliners on the blue-line, the B's may possess one of the best unsung hero-defensemen in Dennis Wideman. The former oft-criticized defensemen known for his failure in the shootout had a breakout year in 2008-09, scoring 50 points and finishing with a stellar +32. Although his slapshot is still on par with Happy Gilmore when it comes to accuracy, the Ontario native certainly knows how to dish the puck around on the powerplay and has 30 assists on the powerplay over the past two seasons to prove it.

Likely to be paired with Wideman is outspoken activist and gritty defensemen Andrew Ference. Originally acquired in a trade that sent him and teammate Chuck Kobasew to Boston for Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart, Ference has been the epitome of a team player. Whether he's fighting Sean Avery, Sidney Crosby or carbon emissions, Ference has never been afraid to voice his opinion and let his play do the talking.

While the 5'11 defensemen isn't afraid to lay his body on the line, injuries have hindered Ference throughout his tenure as a Bruin. Considering the fact that this is the final year of Ference's deal, expect the 30 year old to leave it all on the ice even more.

Seemingly poised to breakout is Bruins' "caveman" and bruising defensemen, Mark Stuart. Boston's first round selection from the 2003 NHL Draft, Stuart is coming off his best season with the big club. A natural leader, Stuart experienced an increase in offensive output, more than doubling his point total from all of the season before while remaining to be one of the baddest son-of-a-guns to lace them up on a nightly basis.

Hoping to continue to make strides in the NHL as an offensive defensemen despite his lack of a spleen is Matt Hunwick. The 24 year old is coming off a mini-breakout season in Boston where he passed Matt Lashoff on the depth chart and contributed 27 points in 53 games, including an impressive +15. The seventh round pick from the 2004 NHL Draft, Hunwick was also used sparingly as a forward and could perhaps see more time up there if the Bruins elect to use him as a hybrid of sorts similar to Ian White in Toronto or perhaps Dustin Byfuglien in Chicago.

Joining the big club in Boston is Providence Bruins stand-out and Eddie Shore Award winner, Johnny Boychuk. The arrival of Boychuk into Boston although expected, comes at the cost of fan favorite Shane Hnidy, who earned the nickname "Sheriff" and was actually a popular jersey among the Garden crowd. With the Sheriff now in Minnesota with the new-look Wild, the time for Boychuk to fight his way into the NHL line-up is upon us. Boychuk's numbers in the American Hockey League are nothing but promising seeing as how the 25 year old put up 20 goals and 66 points in 78 games for Providence in 2008-09.

On the farm, the Bruins have new faces with limited NHL experience such as Drew Fata and Andy Wozniewski ready to get the call in the event of a rash of injuries striking the boys on Causeway Street (and no, not the five dollar hat guy). Fata, who has eight games of NHL experience under his belt, all with the New York Islanders, is a known tough guy who's never too shy to drop the gloves in defense of his teammates. Loathed in Toronto, Wozniewski will provide a big body on the Providence blue-line is likely to spend the full season down in the AHL unless a plague of injuries finds their way to Boston.

Along with these NHL-fringers, the Bruins also have Adam McQuaid under contract for the upcoming season and could use him as an emergency call-up to fill in with Boston with his 6'4 frame and physical style of play.

Regardless of the offensive surge in Boston, the Claude Julien philosophy promotes a strong foundation on the blue line. Expect to see more of the same grit, passion, physicality and an added offensive boost from the blue-line of the Garden for the good guys this season.

The Vezina & The Flash: Boston Looks To Goalies For Anchoring

2009-09-28T19:52:00.011-04:00

Not since the days of Andy Moog and Reggie Lemelin (Apologies to Andrew Raycroft and Hannu Toivonen) were the Bruins considered to have as much strength in net as they did in 2008-09. The goaltender duo of Tim Thomas and Manny Fernandez proved to be the best in the National Hockey League, taking home the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against along with Tim Thomas leaving Vegas with the Vezina trophy in June.

Heading into the off-season, it was pretty much a known fact that Fernandez wouldn't be returning to the Bruins for a third season with the club. The 35 year old, who was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild back in 2007, was seemingly in a do-or-die moment when it came to his health. Fernandez, who was sidelined for 78 games of the 2007-08 season with a severe knee injury that required surgery had just one more chance to prove he could perform at a high level in a contract year with Boston.

As the rigorous schedule of a National Hockey League season took it's toll on Fernandez's back and knees, the netminder often referred to as "The Mexican" (he's from Canada, go figure) seemed ready for what could be one final go 'round with Boston.

Fernandez performed admirably in 2008-09, finishing with a 16-8-3 record and a .910 save percentage for the Boston Bruins. Manny's big moment in Boston come in October and didn't end until December as Fernandez performed exceedingly well in a platoon role with Tim Thomas, going 12-2-1 in the 2008 calendar year with a 1.94 goals against average.

The lack of playing time that followed Fernandez in 2009 was due in large part to the success of Tim Thomas along with what was considered either a back sprain, although rumored to be an "attitude issue" that limited 'Mandez' to just 12 appearances in the second half of the season. Fernandez went on to finish the season poorly, dropping four of his last six games.

Obviously, the play of Tim Thomas went on to lead to both zero appearances in the postseason for Manny and a Vezina Trophy for the 35 year old Thomas. The Michigan-native and perhaps one of the best stories in Bruins history put up career highs in all categories with his 36-11-7 record and league leading .933 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average. His strong play in 2008-09 led to the once dubbed "poor-man's Dom Hasek" goaltender to receive a four year contract worth 20 million dollars.

Heading into this season, Thomas is clearly the number one starter for the Bruins for the fourth year in a row. However, Thomas will have new competition on the bench as prized Finnish goaltender Tuukka Rask has finally cracked the big league line-up and joined Boston. Rask, who was originally acquired from Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Andrew Raycroft in what's considered the biggest steal in recent Bruins trade history has spent the past two seasons playing for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. In his two seasons of seasoning with the P-Bruins, Rask posted a 60-33-6 record and 2.42 goals against average.

Last season, Rask joined the Bruins for a brief stint and participated in one game during the entire season. This one game proved to be the best of Rask's short NHL career thus far. The Finnish Flash held the New York Rangers off the scoresheet, stopping all 35 shots his faced from the blue-shirts offense. His shut-out on January 31st sparked great internet banter from every wannabe-expert who believed that Rask should have either traded Fernandez to make room for Rask, and or give the reins of the starting job to Rask.

Ignoring the hype from the know-nothings who dub Rask as the Finnish version of Roberto Luongo, there's still a lot to look forward to when it comes to Tuukka. On the surface, Rask appears to be that perfectly mechanical goaltender that every NHL G.M salivates over. At just 22 years old, it's very possible and entirely likely that Rask will only get better with time.

The Boston Bruins are expected to continue to limit the workload of Tim Thomas for stamina purposes while giving Rask his first real taste of the National Hockey League. My realistic expectations of Thomas is to play around 55 games around while Rask will get in for 25, perhaps a little more or less if he is to live up to the hype.

On the farm, the Providence Bruins will have the ability to select through a plethora of goaltending options throughout the year in Dany Sabourin, Kevin Regan and newly signed Matt Dalton. While Sabourin is expected to be the number one for Providence, P-Bruins coach Rob Murray will undoubtedly try to give Matt Dalton a good look while UNH-alum and Boston native Kevin Regan re-cooperates from off-season hip surgery.

Something worthy to note, the Boston Bruins likely have the two most volatile-tempered goaltenders in the crease this season thanks to Tuukka's affection for throwing milk-crates whereas Thomas has a tendency to flip nets off their moorings, tackle forwards, knock down wingers, and chase after agitators when things don't go quite his way.

"Hey, What Happened To 30 In 30?"

2009-09-28T19:47:00.002-04:00

Good question, I'll give you credit.

Over the past two weeks or so, I've had many e-mails, texts, Facebook messages and the like asking me the same thing. That same thing is of course, "What happened to the rest of your 30 teams in 30 days?". My simple answer? College, work, more college and even more work.

Since starting school about two weeks ago, I've had a difficult time finding the time, or making the time to devote serious time to teams such as the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks. Some of the blogs got done, others? Not so much. However, with Bruins season now (almost) upon us, the time to blog is back.

In the end, I apologize to my readers who were looking forward to seeing my thoughts on the Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, and even the Carolina Hurricanes. If the Chronicles From The Garden were a three-piece team, or perhaps even a two-piece team, this task would have ultimately gotten done. As any Chicago Cubs fan would say, there's always next year.

Forget about the other 29 teams because right now, it's all Bruins baby. Tonight will begin my three part preview of the Boston Bruins in 2009-'10.

Ty

Final Farewell To A Legend: Bruins Broadcast Legend Cusick Passes Away

2009-09-15T22:50:00.004-04:00

It may be over twelve years since we've heard announcer Fred Cusick yell "SCORE!", but the memories left with us of Cusick's 35+ years in the Boston Bruins booth have continued to live on with the club through the years.

Sadly, it was revealed this morning that Cusick, who had been battling cancer at the age of 90 had lost his battle with the disease and passed away early today in his Massachusetts home. Arguably Boston's most famous announcer (Johnny Most being the best competition), Cusick was just one day away from his introduction into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

During his 36 years in the booth for Boston, Cusick called what is considered the most formative years in Bruins history. He was the premier announcer for the club during both the Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely era's and called both of the last two B's Stanley Cup victories in the 1970's.

Thanks to his phenomenal work when it came to calling the games and bringing the excitement to your television set, Cusick was the first American broadcaster inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and was also a recipient of the Lester Patrick Award in his career.

Besides his obvious goal calls still heard during most Boston pregame videos, the patented enthusiastic "score" call that Cusick became famous for has transcended into the game calling of current Bruins broadcaster and fan-favorite/loathed Jack Edwards.

Hockey heaven has found their voice.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Stop, Hiller Time?

2009-09-13T00:21:00.009-04:00

When realizing the success of the Anaheim Ducks in this past decade, it's somewhat reminiscent of the Reese's Puffs commercial.."Hockey? In Anaheim?".

Just two seasons removed from their Stanley Cup Championship season, the Ducks were a team seemingly relying on their age time and time again. Would Selanne be back with his ugly JOFA helmet? Would Niedermayer shave his Santa beard and lace 'em up for another season?

The answer to both of these much-pondered queries was a profound yes as both Selanne and Niedermayer provided key clutch performances to propel the Ducks into the NHL Playoffs for a fourth straight season.

In the playoffs, the Anaheim Ducks and young goaltender Jonas Hiller quickly became the top story of the first round as they eliminated the 2009 Presidents Trophy winner and heavily favorited San Jose Sharks out of the first round in six games. On top of having an added advantage as they took on the NHL's perennial choke-artists in the post-season, the breakout of Jonas Hiller is giving Duck fans more than just a few reasons to smile.

After holding San Jose to just 10 goals in six games in the post-season, the 27 year old Swiss netminder finished with a 7-6 record with an impressive 2.23 goals against average, which should stand out even more considering his particularly unfavorable match-up's against both the Sharks and Red Wings on an eighth seeded club.

As the club was sent home following a Game 7 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the off-season topic of what to do with aging defensemen and top dollar defensemen Chris Pronger loomed over the Ducks much like the 6'7" shadow he casts. On the day of the 2009 NHL Draft, this issue was addressed head on as Pronger was sent to Philadelphia in exchange for draft picks and former Ducks forward Joffrey Lupul.

Lupul is coming off his best season with the Flyers where he put up 50 points in 79 games for the black and orange. While Lupul's contract is more of a headache than relief as the 25 year old is set to make 4,250,000 a season through the 2012-'13 season.

As time would tell, this move was just a precursor to a fresh summer makeover done by Ducks GM and chair-tossing fan Bob Murray.

Although the club's youth was beginning to shine with the breakout season of rookie Bobby Ryan, the Ducks were still in the midst of losing veteran leadership up front with the departures of Rob Niedermayer and Sammy Pahlsson through free agency. As one defensive minded Scandanavia based center was exiting town, a one of greater hype was about to step into Anaheim.

Surely stating our initial shock and confusion at the Ducks' signing of Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu didn't quite give it enough justice. All NHL fans heard throughout the entire off-season was that Saku was bound to end up in Minnesota to play with his brother Mikko and be the second line center that the Wild direly needed. If it wasn't the Wild, it seemed to be Montreal. Quite frankly, the idea of Koivu going to Anaheim had the makings of an NHL09 trade coming to life in the form of a rumor mill.

Koivu is coming off another Koivu-like season in Montreal where the Finnish forward put up at least 50 points for the sixth straight season. Regardless of injuries holding the 34-year old center to just 65 games, Koivu's 50 points were good for third on the Habs roster.

Following the major additions of Lupul and Koivu and some key departures with Pronger, Niedermayer and Pahlsson, the Ducks went out and added role players Nick Boynton, Evgeny Artyukhin and Leafs goaltending prospect Justin Pogge.

Barring any trades, the Ducks' line-up should go as follows come opening night.

Corey Perry - Ryan Getzlaf - Teemu Selanne
Bobby Ryan - Saku Koivu - Joffrey Lupul
Ryan Carter - Todd Marchant - Evgeny Artyukhin
Mike Brown - Petteri Nokelainen - George Parros
Extra Skater: Andrew Ebbett

Scott Niedermayer - Ryan Whitney
Nick Boynton - James Wisniewski
Sheldon Brookbank - Steve Eminger
Extra Skater: Luca Sbisa

Jonas Hiller
J.S Giguere

Perhaps it's the added Finnish influence, or maybe it's the varying facial hair on this team which makes them so fun to watch. I believe that this year the Ducks will significantly improve with a steady goaltending situation in place for the 2009-'10 season and continuing progression of Jonas Hiller into a stud goaltender in the NHL.

Players To Watch: A player to keep a close eye on is Jean-Sebastien Giguere. The 32 year old is coming off a troubling season where he finished with a 19-18-6 record and was a bench warmer for the first time in his tenure with the Ducks in the playoffs. If Hiller continues his success and wins the starting job over Giggy, how will the Quebec native take it? Will he willfully accept the role of a back-up goalie or will the Ducks begin to look to move their six million dollar goaltender?

Prediction: 2nd in Pacific Division. 6th in Western Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Ruff's Sabres On The Rebound

2009-09-12T21:56:00.000-04:00

Has it become a fact that Lindy Ruff is the most versatile, underrated and perhaps best coach in the National Hockey League? Love him or hate him (I certainly don't like him) the man has gotten the job done with what he's been given time and time again. As Ruff heads into his 12th year of coaching the Buffalo Sabres, can the Sabres break their recent skid of two consecutive playoff-less years in upstate New York?

It's been a hell of a fall from the 2006-07 season in Buffalo, where the Sabres finished with the best record in the NHL and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, only to be ousted by Ottawa. Since then, with the departure of Daniel Briere along with Chris Drury, the Sabres have failed to make it beyond the regular season and are looking to reverse their fortunes with some new faces and continuing youth movement.

During their 2008-09 campaign, the worst possible injuries struck the Sabres when Thomas Vanek missed time with a broken jaw only to be followed goaltender Ryan Miller going down in late February with a sprained ankle. Miller's ankle kept the 29-year old All-Star out of action for 13 games, complete with the worst timing possible. Those 13 games proved to be a pivotal turning point as the Sabres went 4-7-2 without Miller during this stretch and essentially fell out of the race for a playoff berth.

As the off-season struck, the need for Buffalo seemed to reside on the blue-line. Veteran Teppo Numminen was bound for retirement after 20+ years in the NHL while powerplay blue-liner Jaroslav Spacek was hitting the market as a free agent. The Sabres addressed their need for a defensemen when they signed Bruins defensemen Steve Montador to a two-year contract worth just over three million in total.

Montador, who was simply a train wreck in Boston could be either a productive second pairing defensemen or an overpaid third liner. However, with the Sabres loss of Numminen and Spacek, Montador will surely be given chances to succeed. In 2008-09, Montador finished with an impressive +17 between Anaheim and Boston, but struggled with the Bruins and had just one single point with the Bruins in 13 games with the club following the trading deadline.

Following the addition of Montador, the Sabres went out and brought seemingly castawayed NHL defensemen Joe DiPenta back to North America on a one year deal worth NHL minimum. DiPenta, a member of the 2006-07 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks had a solid season in the Swedish Elite League, putting up 6 points in 47 games for one of Frolunda's clubs. The former Boston University Terrier will most likely be the Sabres seventh defensemen and a discount for what he could bring to the table.

2009-10 also marks the return of an old friend to Buffalo, forward Mike Grier. Before jetting off to San Jose to join Joe Thornton and the Sharks, Greir spent the entire 2005-06 season with the Sabres as they advanced to Eastern Conference Finals. In the following off-season, Grier left Buffalo on what seemed to be bad terms with the franchise. Grier averaged 26 points in three seasons with the Sharks and was honored as an alternate captain throughout his tenure. Grier's seemingly ready to forget the past and pick up where he left off in Buffalo, leading with his strong, physical and poised style of play.

It appears that the Bruins aren't the only NHL club with restricted free agent winger woes as the Sabres and Drew Stafford have yet to agree on a deal as the countdown to the season begins. Just like Phil Kessel, Stafford is coming off a break-out season where he set new career highs in goals with 20, assists with 25 and powerplay goals with nine. Confusion is arises when you try to figure out as to why he has yet to be signed, the Sabres have over five million left in cap space, so why isn't this 45 point man signed yet? With the rumored asking price closer to being four million dollars, it doesn't take a genius to see why Sabres GM Darcy Regier isn't willing to devote large money to an unproven forward.

Here is how the Sabres line-up should shake up on opening night.

Thomas Vanek - Tim Connolly - Jason Pominville
Jochen Hecht - Derek Roy - Clarke MacArthur
Daniel Paille - Paul Gaustad - Mike Grier
Nathan Gerbe - Adam Mair - Patrick Kaleta
Extra Skater: Tim Kennedy

Craig Rivet - Henrik Tallinder
Steve Montador - Toni Lydman
Nathan Paetsch - Andrej Sekera
Extra Skater: Joe DiPenta

Ryan Miller
Patrick Lalime

Barring another injury to Ryan Miller, Lindy Ruff's Sabres should return to the playoffs led by offensive juggernaut Thomas Vanek. Their top nine forwards look to possess great qualities of being complete players (a must for the Lindy Ruff system) and if you add in Drew Stafford, this team looks to be one that will continue to give the Boston Bruins trouble yet again.

Players To Watch: Former Boston College standout and Hobey Baker winner Nathan Gerbe is without a doubt the Sabres biggest x-factor heading into 2009-10. Gerbe tallied just a single point in 10 games with the big club in 2008-09, but the 5'6 forward has shown a high level of play in Portland with the Pirates of the AHL. If Gerbe can produce when given his chances, he'll definitely be logging much more than fourth line minutes. Another player to keep your eyes on is top line center Tim Connolly, who was given a two year extension worth nine million in total. Despite his great production of 88 points in total, Connolly has played in just 98 games in the past three seasons. If health becomes an issue for Connolly again, the Sabres will rely on their youth yet again.

Prediction: 3rd in Northeast Division. 8th in Eastern Conference.

Bruins Winter Classic Jersey Leak?

2009-09-12T19:14:00.004-04:00

On the right is a picture of Tim Thomas and one of the Boston Bruins ice girls or Carrie Milbank of NHL.com as one commentor pointed out (any confirmation is greatly appreciated). Notice anything askew? No, it's not Thomas' new watch, it's the jersey. Poising the question, is this the Boston Bruins 2010 Winter Classic jersey?

If so, here's a few pro's and con's of the jersey that the Bruins will don when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park on New Year's Day.

Pro's

Very reminscent of the photo's from the early Johnny Bucyk era and jersey sold on Willie O'Ree appreciation day. Everyone loves the Chief and diversity.
The sleeve patterns don't stray too far away from the Bruins current scheme. Same goes for the shoulders.
The jersey numbering and letter will most likely be white with black outlining, which should look absolutely awesome.
Incorporates all of the Boston Bruins normal colors, with what looks to be some added brown on the spokes of the 'B'.

Con's

This 'B' is far too cartoon-ish for a serious Bruins fan.
Doesn't this look an awful lot like the old Providence throwback jerseys?
We know that the Bruins were trying to go for a Pittsburgh look with the powder blue, something that would incorporate older colors but still be very popular among the fans, so maybe our expectations were a bit over the top for the (possible) end result.

Overall, this jersey gets a thumbs up from me if this will be the one worn by the Bruins on New Year's Day. Despite the fact that it may not be this one, or this one, or this one (thank Eddie Shore), it'll still be better than whatever the Flyers could possibly put together looking at their jersey history. Bright orange? Not a good look unless you're working the tarmac at Logan Airport.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Wild Expectations In Minnesota

2009-09-11T02:51:00.004-04:00

Remember in that 1990's movie "Jingle All The Way" where Arnold Schwarzenegger was a Minnesota-native trying desperately to find a Turboman doll for his son for Christmas in order to one up neighbor Phil Hartman? Well, I suppose the Minnesota Wild were in the same boat this off-season in the busy Northwest Division.

Following the somewhat surprising retirement of head coach Jacques Lemaire (psych) and firing of GM Doug Riseborough it was clear that the Minnesota Wild, known for their overwhelmingly boring defensive trap style of play, were heading in a new direction.

Honestly, who could blame them? It's not often that you finish second in goals against in the National Hockey League and tops in your conference and miss the playoffs. The Wild's apathetic offense essentially left Vezina-nominee Niklas Backstrom out to dry night in and night out, and the ironic part was that Backstrom actually stood up to the challenge admirably.

Although the Wild were just one year removed from their Northwest Division title, the 2008-09 club just didn't seem to have the same killer instinct. Most notably, players such as Pierre-Marc Bouchard struggled to achieve the same success from the year before while key offensive weapons Marian Gaborik and Brent Burns both missed highly significant amounts of time with injuries.

Marian Gaborik, the franchise's all time leader in goals, assists and points was held to just 17 games in 2008-09 but made great use of his ice time with 23 points and a +3. However, despite his contributions to the franchise since day one of their existence a decision was made and Gaborik was let go into the free agent class of 2009. This move seemingly made sense at the same time, until the Wild found their hopeful replacement for Gaborik within hours.

Martin Havlat, the former Chicago Blackhawk and 77-point man last season for the surging 'Hawks was signed to a six year deal that paid him 30 million dollars in total. It makes sense right, they're replacing the injury prone Marian Gaborik with an even more injury prone winger..wait, what?

Now a Ranger, the oft-injured Gaborik has played in just 207 games since the 2005-06 season (an average of 51.x games a season), but seems like a seasoned veteran compared to Havlat's 190 over that same span. Despite both players producing relatively good numbers when healthy, the concept of being healthy has been for the most part very elusive and hard to find.

Other additions to the Wild include Bruins defensemen Shane Hnidy, who's coming off a respectable season as the club's seventh defensemen. The "Sheriff" finished with 12 points and +6 for the Northeast Division winning Boston Bruins.

Heading into a new season with a new, faster tempo under new coach Todd Richards, the Wild line-up should go as follows.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat
Andrew Brunette - Eric Belanger - Antti Miettinen
Owen Nolan - James Sheppard - Kyle Brodziak
Cal Clutterbuck - Derek Boogard - Benoit Pouliot
Extra Skater: Craig Weller

Brent Burns - Marek Zidlicky
Greg Zanon - Kim Johnsson
Nick Schultz - Shane Hnidy
Extra Skater: John Scott

Niklas Backstrom
Josh Harding

I'm a big fan of the top line, top defensive pairing and goaltender, but after that it gets very questionable when it comes to what you're going to get as far as production.

Players To Watch: Can James Sheppard avoid another rough season and begin to develop into the promising center that the Wild need to anchor their second line? Can Martin Havlat put together a second straight fully healthy season for the first time in well, his career?

Prediction: 3rd in Northwest Division. 9th in Western Conference.

Report: Bruins & Phil Kessel Done Negotiating

2009-09-10T15:34:00.007-04:00

Show Phil the money, right Peter?

Evidently not as Boston.com Bruins blogger K.P Dupont is reporting that Kessel and agent Wade Arnott are done in attempting to reach a deal on a new contract with the Boston Bruins.

To say the two sides have been in disagreement through their negotiations would be putting it lightly as the two sides have almost had no communication according to Kessel's agent. However, reports also indicate that the Bruins have made several offers to Phil all of which varying in length, money, options and perhaps even Garden Gold gift cards and free hats? Regardless of where this saga is bound to turn next, the idea of Phil Kessel and the Bruins coming to an agreement is becoming more of a pipe-dream or pipe-nightmare depending on your stance when it comes to the 21-year old sniper.

Kessel, who achieved career highs in virtually every offensive category in 2008-09 is coming off a 36 goal season and an even more impressive post-season where he had 6goals and 11 points in 11 games. Despite Kessel's success with the club this past season, the winger remains unsigned, but why?

Firstly touching on the 36 goals, keep in mind 22 of them were assisted by 60+ assist man Marc Savard. As something I've vehemently preached, how are we to tell that Phil Kessel could produce without Savard setting him up? Without playing with Savard, Kessel's highest goal total was 19, achieved in 82 games of the 2007-08 season. Especially considering Savard's possibility of leaving Boston when his deal expires, the risk of devoting big money to a player only capable of producing with a number one center is there and could hurt the Bruins greatly.

As a professional athlete, the idea of getting your big payday is understandable after you put together a great season, but it's also something that the Bruins do not have the luxury of doing without having to sacrifice a significant piece of the future. With Kessel's rumored four to five million dollar per year asking price, the Bruins would not only have to move Chuck Kobasew or Marco Sturm on top of Andrew Ference but they'd also have to move someone in the following summer.

This would definitely create issues as Bruins wingers (and more well rounded players) Milan Lucic and Blake Wheeler are up for new contracts at the seasons end. On top of Lucic and Wheeler, the Bruins also have to give new contracts to defensemen and epitomized Bruin Mark Stuart and goaltender of tomorrow Tuukka Rask.

In typical hockey internet fashion, as Kessel remains unsigned the list of teams rumored to have interest is growing. Included in this list of teams and likely to be the favorite are the Toronto Maple Leafs, managed by local boy Brian Burke.

Normally where there's smoke, there's no fire in Toronto but with Burke's recent move of reacquiring the Leafs' 2010 second round pick, the idea of an offer sheet heading Kessel's way from Leaf Nation is seemingly more likely and the odds on favorite as of right now. Next to the Leafs, the list of teams interested are rumored to include the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks.

Despite the rumored interest with Toronto, the problems of Burke giving big money to Kessel would reside in the fact that the Leafs lack a number one center to feed the puck to Kessel. While both Mikhali Grabovski and Matt Stajan are coming off solid seasons, they are simply not in the same caliber or held in the same breath that Bruins center Marc Savard is.

After Toronto, both the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks would have to arguably move key pieces to obtain Kessel. In New York, after the addition of Marian Gaborik, the Rangers have little to no wiggle room left (1.1 million to be exact) to even sign their own restricted free agent Brandon Dubinsky so a trade or offer sheet for Kessel from the Rangers seems very unlikely.

In San Jose, the Sharks have close to four million dollars left in cap space and with Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi on the rise (and up for new deals next summer) they could arguably create a very strong line of the future with the addition of Kessel. If the Sharks are able to either move Marleau or not re-sign him to a new deal when the (former) captain's 6.8 million dollar contract comes off the books the Sharks would be in the clear to add Kessel without any problems.

Personally, I think that with Sturm's return to the line-up along with continuing development of Blake Wheeler, Milan Lucic and David Krejci that Phil Kessel's not a must have on this club if the price is too high, which it appears to be. The Boston Bruins as is are very thin on defense and any trade that will likely send Andrew Ference out of town will hurt the club more than help with Johnny Boychuk and Andy Wozniewksi being next in line to fill in for the big club. Phil Kessel, despite his talent has seemingly been out of place in Boston under Claude Julien and has repeatedly been rumored to be dangled as trading bait at the trade deadline.

Does Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli not believe in Kessel? It's entirely possible, but who could blame him? Kessel, despite being a player with supreme offensive skills, has not shown to be a complete hockey player that'll fit within the Bruins system and in his three seasons with the Bruins has had his stretches of poor play and questionable decision making skills.

As the Bruins head into the upcoming NHL season, the question marks of what magic the club will work with limited cap space following the '09-10 campaign will grow even larger than the year before and the headache of inconsistency that Phil Kessel could be is something the Bruins do not need for years to come.

With the NHL season three weeks away, expect the fate of Phil Kessel and possible future with the Bruins to be decided sooner rather than later before cap space becomes a priority and legitimate issue for many of Kessel's potential suitors.

30 Teams In 30 Days: To Match A Predators Defense

2009-09-10T03:00:00.004-04:00

These ain't your older brother's Nashville Predators. Chances are, they're better, or worse, depending on your brother's age of course.

In just their eleventh year in the National Hockey League, the Predators are looking for their fifth trip to the NHL Playoffs, where anything is possible right? It's entirely possible that the Predators have made a secret blood-pact with Satan to continuously torture their fans as they've never made it out of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Despite their lack of regular season success which lead to no playoffs in Nashville for the first time since 2003, there were quite a few shining moments.

For one, the rise of goaltender Pekka Rinne is sure to be a ray of hope in Tennessee. The 26 year old Finnish phenom is coming off a great rookie season with his 29-15-4 record and 2.38 goals against average. Although being rated just a 77 in NHL09 (take that, NHL09 creators!) the play of Rinne nearly propelled the Predators into the post-season. However it was too little too late as the team couldn't obtain a solid offensive output night in and night out.

A large reason for the drop off in goals can ultimately be traced back to the departure of the top line forward and promising scorer Alexander Radulov for the KHL of Russia. Nashville's first round choice from the 2004 NHL Draft, Radulov was beginning to build a reputation as a clutch performer with eight points in 10 career playoff games. After jet-setting away to his homeland, the pressure was put on Martin Erat to step up as the team's number right winger.

To put it in simpler terms, although Erat is a very solid up and coming player he is nowhere near ready to becoming a team's number one forward and scoring presence.

Following the conclusion to the Dany Heatley saga (thank god) it appears that the newest player in the line of fire for any and all hockey rumors is Bruins winger Phil Kessel. Naturally, with over 15 million dollars in cap space available at their disposal, could the Predators be setting up an offer sheet and/or trade for the Bruins leading goal scorer?

First mentioned by Nashville writer John Glennon, it appears that the Bruins and Predators are very interested in working out a trade for the 21 year old forward. Beyond the obvious set of draft picks and prospects, do the Predators possess anything that could possibly win the bidding war between them and Maple Leafs for Phil The (inconsistent) Thrill?

A wild and considerably unlikely proposition could be the idea of the Bruins obtaining Alexander Radulov's rights and attempting the 23 year old forward to return to the NHL with a Stanley Cup contending team.

Rumors are rumors, but comments made by Predators GM David Poile indicate that the Predators are indeed interesting and could become a major player in the Kessel-sweepstakes. "He's a young player that scores goals,and that's very much of interest to us.''

Barring any movement on the Kessel front by the Predators, this is how their line-up should go come opening night.

J.P Dumont - Jason Arnott - Martin Erat
Joel Ward - David Legwand - Steve Sullivan
Ryan Jones - Ben Guite - Jordin Tootoo
Colin Wilson - Marcel Goc - Jerred Smithson
Extra Skaters: Patric Hornqvist and Wade Belak

Shea Weber - Ryan Suter
Kevin Klein - Dan Hamsuis
Cody Franson - Alex Sulzer
Extra Skater: Jonathon Blum

Pekka Rinne
Dan Ellis

Although I love the Predators top two defensive pairings, the team is simply not ready for a big playoff push in a very tough division. While the powerhouses of the Central are expected to remain in the control of Chicago and Detroit, up and coming teams such as the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets should make it even harder for the Preds to compete this year.

Players To Watch: Will Pekka Rinne continue to develop into a stud goaltender for Nashville or will his struggles lead to a platooning role with Dan Ellis? Don't expect Rinne to repeat his seven shutout performance in 2009-10, but he should still be on pace for the same record wise and prove to be NHL capable. It'll also be interesting to see how right winger Steve Sullivan plays now that the 2009 Masterton Trophy winner is fully recovered from back surgery that kept him out of nearly two seasons in the NHL.

Prediction: 5th in Central Division. 13th in Western Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: New Wall Built In Edmonton

2009-09-09T20:04:00.008-04:00

Is it as hard for you to believe that the Edmonton Oilers are just three years removed from almost winning the Stanley Cup as it is for me?

2008-09 brought more of the same for Oilers fans as the team faltered, due in large part to not having that one player needed to take over the pace of the game and score a big goal or make a huge save. The Oilers were built around the team concept, and had been for several years, but the team concept was simply not getting the job done past April in one of the league's best divisions.

Following their failure to beat the Hurricanes in Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup and trade of Chris Pronger out of town thanks to his wife's distaste for the city, the word in Edmonton was that the team needed that one superstar player mentioned to carry them towards the Cup. Three full seasons later, there's still no star in Oil Country.

Regardless of the failing effort, the Oilers almost got their star. Then again, almost doesn't count for anything in the National Hockey League. On July 1st, rumors circulated and the wheels seemed to be in motion as Edmonton was poised to land Senators star Dany Heatley in a trade by giving up Andrew Cogliano, Ladislav Smid and Dustin Penner. Just as quickly as Edmonton had their arms open ready to welcome the two-time 50-goal scoring Heatley to Alberta, Heatley opted to use his no trade clause and block the move to Edmonton.

Despite their failed attempt at landing Heatley, the Oilers had no time to sit still and play the waiting game as with Dwayne Roloson's expired contract the Oilers were in need of a goaltender.

The Oilers then wasted no time in nabbing arguably the best free agent goalie as they quickly signed Chicago Blackhawks netminder Nikolai Khabibulin to a four year contract worth 15 million dollars. Khabibulin is coming off a great year in Chicago where he went 25-8-7 with a .919 save percentage. The biggest doubt with the Bulin Wall has certainly become his durability considering that Khabibulin missed two stretches of games during the 2008-09 campaign.

The Wall's biggest injury undoubtedly came in the NHL Playoffs, where he posted an 8-6 record and 2.93 goals against average before being replaced by Cristobal Huet due to a lower body injury in the Western Conference Finals. It's very possible that a healthy 'Bulin could have powered the 'Hawks past the Red Wings but thanks to an injury, that idea was slayed by Darren Helm's overtime goal in Game 5 which ended Chicago's bid for their first Stanley Cup in 47 years.

Next to Khabibulin's arrival and Roloson's departure, the Oilers have stood pat on the ice but added a "Pat" behind the bench with the addition of Pat Quinn as head coach. Quinn is taking over for former Bruin Craig MacTavish, who was relieved of his duties as Edmonton bench boss after the team finished with a 35-38-9 record and fourth in the Northwest Division. This is Quinn's fifth tenure as head coach in the NHL and in has made 15 playoff appearances in 19 seasons as a head coach.

Quinn is sure to provide an added element of aggressiveness to the Oilers attack, but just how good will/can the Oilers be in 2009-10?

Here's how their line-up should go when they take the ice at Rexall Place.

Patrick O'Sullivan - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky

Ethan Moreau - Sam Gagner - Dustin Penner

Andrew Cogliano - Mike Comrie - Fernando Pisani

Zack Stortini - Marc Pouliot - Robert Nilsson

Extra Skater: Jean Jacques

Sheldon Souray - Lubomir Visnovsky

Tom Gilbert - Denis Grebeshkov

Steve Staios - Ladislav Smid

Extra Skater: Jason Strudwick

Nikolai Khabibulin

Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers

This team still needs their superstar. It's as simple as that, with the additions in Calgary, Vancouver and Minnesota the Oilers simply won't have enough to compete with the elite of the division, let alone the conference.

Players To Watch: Will Ales Hemsky continue his trend of becoming better than the year before? The alternate captain and chipped tooth-enthusiast is coming off a 66 point season and will be looked upon to carry even more of the Oilers offense this season.

Prediction: 4th in Northwest Division. 11th in Western Conference.

Bruins Sign Defensemen Wozniewski

2009-09-09T18:34:00.003-04:00

Here come the Stephane Yelle and Glen Metropolit-like signings.

Today, the Boston Bruins have announced that they've agreed to terms with blue-liner Andy Wozniewski on a one-year contract with the club. This is the fourth club for the 29-year old defensemen within the past two seasons. After finishing the 2007-08 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wozniewski signed with the St. Louis Blues and was subsequently traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins during the trading deadline.

Wozniewski spent all but except for one game in the American Hockey League between the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins and Peoria Rivermen. In his one NHL game with the Blues in 2008-09, Wozniewski played just under seven minutes and was credited for one hit.

In the AHL, Wozniewski tallied 21 points in 74 games between two AHL affiliates and had an impressive postseason for the Rivermen with his 2 points and +1 in 6 games for the Blues farm team.

Although these AHL numbers may not shine out as greatly as those of Johnny Boychuk, what Wozniewski brought to the Maple Leafs in his last relevant season in the National Hockey League is very noteworthy for a player bound to be a seventh defensemen for the Bruins, if that. On top of having nine points in 48 games for Toronto, Wozniewski didn't shy away from the rough stuff as the big blue-liner was tallied for 43 hits along with 56 blocked shots.

There's no need for an outcry of how this move will take cap space away from signing Phil Kessel because this signing is without question for 550,000 dollars or less.

The beauty of this signing is that it gives the B's another "fringe" player in the event of a rash of injuries striking the Bruins. The mentioned "fringe" are players who are good enough to be top players at the AHL level while also having the talent to fill in on an NHL squad for a short stint. The Bruins now have two presumably waiting in Providence with Drew Fata and now Wozniewski.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of this move for what it brings. In short, Wozniewski is a 6'5 behemoth signed as a cheap insurance policy. Similar to Hnidy, Wozniewski's size will be his biggest strength for the club. If all goes as planned, Wozniewski will only make an appearance for Providence this season. Worst case scenario, he's thrown into a familiar division and defensemen friendly system.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Ottawa & The Heater Bound To Breakup?

2009-09-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

Remember that devastatingly powerful line-up featuring Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley? If you told anyone that two years later, that line would be in jeopardy due to a trade request, surely you would've been ridiculed and seemingly exiled from any sort of discussion. However, is it those people who are now on the brink of having the last laugh?

Were the Senators in the process of rebuilding before the 2008-09 season began? One could argue that the replacement of Wade Redden with Jason Smith was a sign that yes, they were on the fall. Just as fast as that thought crept into your mind, the Sens made an upgrade on the blue-line by trading away Andrej Meszaros to Tampa Bay for Filip Kuba. The mystery continued to grow on into the regular season until they took to the ice and we saw how truly terrible this team was destined to be.

It may have been the lack of scoring beyond the top line, the poor and aged defense or the inconsistent goaltending of Martin Gerber and Alex Auld? Simply put, whatever it was, needed to be fixed as soon as the season ended. The 2008-09 Ottawa Senators went on to finish fourth in the Northeast Division and out of the playoffs for the first time since the 1995-96 season.

Without question the Sens biggest need was, well, everything.

Addressing perhaps their most important need the Senators traded for Blue Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire at the NHL trading deadline. As Leclaire sat at home and recovered from ankle surgery, the Senators continued to give Brian Elliott a test run in the NHL. Elliott played surprisingly well on a poor team, finishing with a 16-8-3 record and .900 save percentage.

During his last fully healthy season for Columbus, Leclaire had an NHL leading 10 shutouts and 24 win season for the Jackets. The duo of Elliott and Leclaire should be key components in the rebuilding of the Senators with these two players possessing great potential to be stars in this league for years to come.

On the back end, the Senators defense was simply too old. Chris Philips, Jason Smith, and Luke Richardson (who retired after just two games) are simply beyond their prime and have arguably, with the exception of Jason Smith, lost their legs. In a market seemingly barren of young NHL defensemen, the Senators made no changes to the defense and will hope for the best without veteran Jason Smith patrolling the ice.

Making the biggest arrival into Ottawa in 2009 is definitely going to be that of Alex Kovalev, who for years tormented the Ottawa Senators and rest of the Northeast Division for that matter with the Montreal Canadiens. Known for his simply remarkable techniques with the stick and smooth skating, but also for his rather lazy-bug attitude, Kovalev has joined the Senators on a two year contract that will pay him a total of 10 million dollars.

Kovalev is coming off what many consider a down year in Montreal where the part-time captain struggled to play at a high level night in and night out and put up 26 goals and finished with 65 points and a -5. Despite the 19 point drop off from the year before, Kovalev still has the skills, leaving the only question to be his work ethic and desire to give it his all for a club with almost no direction for the upcoming season.

Ahead of Kovalev in the newspapers has been the request by Dany Heatley to be traded out of town and to a contender. After refusing a trade that would've sent the disgruntled 39-goal scorer to Edmonton in exchange for Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid it was beginning to appear as if Dany Heatley was going to create a distraction in the Senators locker room and simply wasn't going to be well liked (hell, the desire to be traded went as far as refusing to go to teammate Jason Spezza's wedding).

Heatley's refusal rendered the question among most, including myself, "Why request the trade if you're just going to say no?" and Heatley's motivations were becoming very clear. He wanted to go to an immediate contender, not a team who needs him in order to be a contender. Simply put, he's quickly becoming one of the NHL's few prima-donna's.

Is Heatley the missing piece for the San Jose Sharks, Philadelphia Flyers or New York Rangers? It's very possible, but with all three of teams lacking the cap space and/or players willing to waive their no trade clauses a move to any of these cities seems unlikely. Wherever Heatley may end up (Ottawa being my bet), the price tag for the 28 year old coming off his worst offensive season since 2003-04 is still going to an extraordinarily high one considering his seven and a half million dollar cap hit from now until the end of the 2013-14 season.

The on-going Heatley saga has even irked captain Daniel Alfredsson, who recently suggested that Heatley be traded immediately for the best interest of the team and to avoid creating a distraction for the club once they return to action. Will Heatley be moved? Or better yet, can he be moved? As the season draws closer and closer, the idea of Heatley staying a Senator and creating a distraction is becoming more likely.

Considering that as of right now no Heatley trade is in place, this should be the Senators opening night line-up in 2009-10.

Daniel Alfredsson - Jason Spezza - Dany Heatley

Nick Foligno - Mike Fisher - Alex Kovalev

Jarkko Ruutu - Chris Kelly - Chris Neil

Christoph Schubert - Ryan Shannon - Jesse Winchester

Extra Skaters: Cody Bass & Martin St. Pierre

Chris Phillips - Filip Kuba

Chris Campoli - Alexandre Picard

Brian Lee - Anton Volchenkov

Extra Skater: Erik Karlsson

Pascal Leclaire

Brian Elliott

Despite the addition of Kovalev and arrival of a healthy Leclaire, this team is among the bottom of the barrel not only in the division, but in the Eastern Conference. Once again, the defense will be lit up by all four of the divisional opponents along with the rest of the NHL. The offense, although slightly improved, still lacks the depth to hang with the league's best on a night in and night out basis.

Players To Watch: Firstly and most importantly, goaltenders Pascal Leclaire and Brian Elliott should be two netminders to keep an eye on and present the second most interesting case of a goalie core next to the Ray Emery and Brian Boucher combo in Philly. Elliott, while experience success as a rookie on a bad team has still yet to prove if he is indeed the number one goaltender of tomorrow whereas Leclaire is looking to bounce back and return to form with a fully healed ankle. It'll also be entertaining to see how the fans react to and treat Dany Heatley if he is indeed not traded before the season starts.

Prediction: 5th in Northeast Division. 12th in Eastern Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: These Stars Still Shine

2009-09-07T17:07:00.008-04:00

Welcome to Dallas, home of Mike Modano..for 15 seasons.

Not often do we see a team drop off as drastically as the Dallas Stars did in transition from their 2007-08 near Stanley Cup berth to their 12th place finish in the Western Conference in 2008-09. Although the losing happens on the ice, the roster and coaching staff simply cannot be held 100 percent responsible for the horrid start the Dallas Stars got to.

By far the biggest addition to the Stars during the free agency frenzy of over-payment of 2008 was Rangers pest and arguably the league's most hated man, Sean Avery. The 29-year old Avery was moving to his fourth team in just seven years in the National Hockey League and was never one to shy away from the cameras.

Known more so for his on-ice antics, fashion-designer aspirations and the now legendary "Avery Rule", Avery was anticipated to bring an added edge to the Stars line-up, an edge that Stars GM Brett Hull felt was needed for the Lone Star State's hockey club. The results were in fact just the opposite as on November 30th would be the last time Avery ever suited up for the Stars.

Prior to a game against the Calgary Flames on the road, Avery gathered reporters around him and mentioned how it had become a "common theme for players to date his sloppy seconds", which was of course referring to Elisha Cuthbert, current girlfriend of Flames defensemen Dion Phaneuf and ex-girlfriend of Sean Avery. The NHL suspended the agitator indefinitely and the Stars ultimately bought out Avery's four year contract.

With a member of Avery on the roster, the Stars were just 8-11-4 and were seemingly disconnected with one another on the ice. Avery's signing ultimately rests on the shoulders of Brett Hull, a former player who was once a teammate of Avery in Detroit. As many Stars players admitted, when Avery departed with the club the team felt united and as if a distraction in their locker room was now gone and they went on to finish with a 36-35-11 record.

Playing a large factor in the downfall of the Stars last season were injuries to key players. Most notably, captain Brendan Morrow was held to just 18 games before his season was cut short due to a torn ACL in his knee. After Morrow, the list got longer and included key players such as Sergei Zubov, Brad Richards and Selke-trophy winner Jere Lehtinen. With the bad, comes the good as these injuries opened the doors for players like James Neal, Loui Eriksson and Matt Niskanen to shine for an injury riddled club.

Going into the 2009 off-season, the Stars realized they were in need of some serious help on the blue line with Zubov unlikely to return and the surging offenses of the Pacific Division.

Stars new General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk wasted no time making his changes to the team one year removed from the Western Conference Finals. For starters, Joe sent coach Dave Tippett packing in favor for Marc Crawford, who last coached the dreadful 2007-08 Los Angeles Kings. Crawford comes into the Stars system with a 470-361-100 record with a Stanley Cup championship to boot.

Considering the presumably healthy line-up in Dallas, the changes to the forwards were not needed direly as they were in both defense and goaltending. On defense, the Stars biggest additions will be Karlis Skrastins and Jeff Woywitka and in net backing up Marty Turco will be journeyman Alex Auld.

Personally, I think the trade for Alex Auld was a great move by the Dallas Stars. His price tag was cheap as he was acquired for the Stars sixth round pick in the 2010 Draft and what he brings to the table for one million dollars is more than a bargain. In no way is that an insult to the goaltending of Marty Turco, but a solid back-up may be exactly what he needs behind him considering his 2008-09 numbers.

For the Stars this past season, Turco played in a career high 74 games and had career worsts in goals against average, save percentage and losses. His final numbers of 33-31-10 indicate that Turco indeed does need a solid and proven NHL back-up to stabilize his workload. Auld seems to fit that bill perfectly as he put together a solid season for the mediocre Senators with his 16-18-7 record and .911 save percentage.

With the Stars healthy and ready to rebound, their opening night line-up looks to be a large improvement from last season's injury plagued squad.

Brendan Morrow - Brad Richards - Loui Eriksson

Mike Ribiero - Mike Modano - Jere Lehtinen

James Neal - Steve Ott - Fabian Brunnstrom

Brian Sutherby - Krys Barch - Toby Petersen

Extra Skater: Tom Wandell

Trevor Daley - Matt Niskanen

Stephane Robidas - Karlis Skrastins

Mark Fistric - Nicklas Grossman

Extra Skater: Jeff Woywitka

Marty Turco

Alex Auld

If, emphasize the if, this team can stay healthy they will be back in the playoff picture and playing more than just 82 games this season. Look for Crawford to really light a fire under this team like he during his Colorado days.

Players To Watch: A player to watch for certain is defensemen Trevor Daley. He's seemingly becoming better and better with every additional year in Dallas. With Zubov in the KHL, Daley has officially become the Stars number one defensemen and will be expected to up his point total from the year before. Another player to watch will be Loui Eriksson, the 24 year old Swede is coming off a 63 point season, doubling his total from the year before. Eriksson will without question be defended against with more awareness of his skills following that 36 goal performance. Can he produce those stats again or was he just a beneficiary of a role bigger than his talent.

Prediction: 3rd in Pacific Division. 8th in Western Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: A Tougher Toronto In '09

2009-09-06T22:14:00.006-04:00

Hello Toronto, this is Brian Burke. He's here to fix the cataclysmic series of bad events happening here in recent years and end a near 45-year drought.

Upon the arrival of the 2008-09 NHL season, the Maple Leafs were without a familiar face in not just Toronto, but all of Ontario. Putting a name to the face leads you to 38 year old forward Mats Sundin. The Leafs all-time point leader, Sundin left Toronto, a place he called home and captained for 13 seasons and was officially a free agent. Sundin was still chasing the ever elusive Stanley Cup, a goal he's yet to even come close to in his entire 18 year career.

Following Sundin's departure, fellow Leafs teammates Andrew Raycroft and gritty forward Darcy Tucker left the club through free agency and after a trade that sent Bryan McCabe packing for Florida, the Leafs seemed to be in serious trouble heading into their 91st year of hockey.

The additions to the Maple Leafs in 2008 included defensemen Jeff Finger, Stars forward Niklas Hagman and Montreal-castaway Mikhali Grabovski. Despite these additions, the Leafs couldn't compete in this year's Eastern Conference. The team's lack of a solid goaltender was undoubtedly their biggest downfall as Vesa Toskala spent significant amounts of time on the injured reserve while Curtis Joseph continued to provide loss after loss. This lack of goaltending put the Leafs in the unfortunate situation of rushing Justin Pogge to the NHL along with trading for veterans Martin Gerber and Olaf Kolzig to try and sure up the holes in the crease.

Heading into the summer of 2009, Leafs fans were anxious to see how Brian Burke was going to put his stamp on the club as this was his first real off-season with the club. Burke wasted no time in drafting Nazem Kadri, despite his apparent desire to create another brother combo in Toronto like he did with the Sedin's in Vancouver and Niedermayer's in Anaheim with his interest in drafting Brayden Schenn.

Burke's biggest splash was ultimately made through free agency with size being a major need for the Maple Leafs in his eyes, something he has preached about for years. Addressing this issue, the Leafs signed Mike Komisarek away from their rival Montreal Canadiens with a four year contract worth four and a half million dollars a season. To complement the signing of Komisarek, the Leafs were also able to add former Anaheim defensemen Francois Beauchemin to the roster through free agency. In what was a somewhat expected move, the Leafs then sent defensemen and alternate captain Pavel Kubina to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for Colin Stuart and Garnet Exelby.

In true Burke fashion, the Maple Leafs now had a large set of bigger defensemen with great physical styles of play. Adding to the bigger squad, the signing of Colton Orr to a four-year contract had the Leafs already looking to be a far grittier team in 2009.

The biggest problem remained in the crease of the Air Canada Center. The Leafs goaltending was simply horrid in 2008-09 and Vesa Toskala (and his deceptive record of 22-17-11) was a headache to watch every night and Curtis Joseph, or what's left of him anyhow was no relief. The idea that the Leafs still needed a legitimate number one goaltender for the future remained.

Insert Jonas Gustavsson. Also known as "The Monster" in Sweden, the 24 year old goaltender simply dominated the Swedish Elite League yet again in 2008-09 with his 1.96 GAA and even more impressive and record setting 1.03 GAA, .961 save percentage and 5 shutouts in the SEL Playoffs. Although many rumors indicated Gustavsson was heading to Vancouver to replace former Boston College goaltender Cory Schneider, the Monster signed a one year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs and will become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2009-10 season.

If Gustavsson is to falter, which has become a relatively more common thing involving European goaltenders who dominate their leagues overseas the Leafs have insurance policy Joey McDonald waiting down in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies.

As it stands right now, the Maple Leafs have just over two million in cap space and with the reacquiring of their 2010 second round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks it appears as if Brian Burke is preparing to make a big run at Boston sniper and restricted free agent Phil Kessel. If Boston and Toronto are to work out a deal involving the 21 year old forward, Toronto would gain a first line type player they desperately need while Boston would likely obtain the Leafs first three draft choices from the 2010 Draft.

However, with 2010 expected to be one of the poorer draft classes in recent years the idea of Boston matching the offer in order to work out a trade with Toronto seems likely. This will definitely be a story to keep your eyes on as the NHL season draws closer.

Here is how the Leafs line-up should shake up come October 3rd.

Jason Blake - Mikhali Grabovski - Lee Stempniak

Niklas Hagman - Matt Stajan - Alexei Ponikarovsky

Nikolai Kulemin - Jiri Tlusty - Jamal Mayers

Colton Orr - John Mitchell - Wayne Primeau

Extra Skater: Rickard Wallin

Mike Komisarek - Tomas Kaberle

Luke Schenn - Francois Beauchemin

Jeff Finger - Ian White

Extra Skaters: Mike Van Ryn, Garnet Exelby

Vesa Toskala
Jonas Gustavsson

This team essentially needs a superstar forward in order to make a serious run for the playoffs. Is Kessel that player? It's entirely possible, but still may not be enough and will be a total non-factor until he's officially out of Boston and into Toronto. The defense for the Leafs may be stronger, but it may be a great idea for Burke to look to shop Kaberle for some help on the forward front. It's still too early for the Burke Plan to become a plan lasting into mid-April and will continue to be in process of building a complete team in Toronto this season.

Players To Watch: Luke Schenn, it'll be interesting to see how the 19 year old performs in his second season in the NHL. Him being a prized possession of Brian Burke only tells you good things about his future. Jonas Gustavsson is also an obvious player to be watching for Toronto this season, just how does the Monster handle the NHL? Will he be the next Henrik Lundqvist, or the next Hannu Toivonen?

Prediction: 4th in Northeast Division. 9th in Eastern Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Hockey's Desertion In Phoenix

2009-09-05T18:43:00.009-04:00

When the game of hockey is mentioned in the same breath as the word Phoenix, the simple response I have is often "When will the torture end?". For years now, the idea of hockey continuing to be a winter tradition in the state of Arizona is becoming a fading thought and could soon be a memory of the past.

The debacle known as the Phoenix Coyotes franchise has been a long, painful and Balsillie-filled adventure with little to no action. Although the fact remains that the Coyotes are indeed a franchise in debt, the prospect of moving the team out of Phoenix into a better suited hockey market is simply not being toyed with by the NHL. But, why not?

It's entirely possible that the NHL doesn't want to admit their faults, and their robbery of a team out of Winnipeg and into the dry-heat of Arizona. It's also widely known that the NHL has been supporting the 'Yotes financially since November of 2008. After news of this broke, Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes filed for bankruptcy and rumors of the team moving to Hamilton, Ontario ran rampant over the internet.

A key (wanna-be) factor in this has been Canadian multi-billionaire Jim Balsillie. He's repeatedly stated his desire to move the club, as this is now his third attempt at buying an NHL franchise (the Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins being the first two swing and misses) and has the same intentions of moving the team to Canada, particularly Hamilton, every time. Despite Balsillie's bid for the club, it appears that the NHL will once again assume controls and continue to fund the existence of hockey in the Copper State.

On the ice, the Coyotes were about as ugly as their attendance situation, which only drew an average of 10,943 people at the turnstiles rather than the announced average of 14,866 which is just plain untrue. The team stumbled throughout the entire season, traded away their "difference makers" and finished tied with the Los Angeles Kings for the second worst record in the Western Conference.

The Coyotes 2008 off-season was anchored by the addition of career-long Florida forward Olli Jokinen, who was coming off a 71 point season in Florida and was sent packing to Arizona after being considered dead weight in the Panthers rebuilding phase. Along with Jokinen, the 'Yotes also added enforcer Brian McGrattan and defensemen Kurt Sauer. With Jokinen set to become the center Shane Doan needed, the Coyotes seemed poised to become a dark horse in the 2008-09 season.

The results however, indicated a team in dire need of a new direction. The team struggled from the get-go and finished with just 79 points in the Western Conference, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division for the second straight year. After the trade deadline led to puck-moving defensemen Derek Morris being shipped out to New York while Jokinen was Calgary bound, it was clear this was just the beginning of the demolition of the 'Yotes.

Taking their first step towards the future in Phoenix, or wherever they're likely to move to, the Coyotes drafted Oliver Ekman-Larsson with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. Ekman-Larsson is a Swedish-born defensemen gifted with a great hockey sense and valuable offensive strength, a necessity in the new-era National Hockey League. During the 2008-09 season, Ekman-Larsson played with Leksands IF in Sweden and finished with with 17 points in 39 games.

Besides Ekman-Larsson, the Coyotes have been very quiet this off-season due in large part to their uncertain future. In addition to Oliver, the Coyotes added forwards Vern Fiddler, Taylor Pyatt and blue-liners Jim Vandermeer and Adrian Aucoin and former divisional foe goaltender Jason LaBarbera.

The biggest addition for the Coyotes was Radim Vrbata. Many of you will remember Vrbata as the forward who left the woefully-bad Tampa Bay Lightning early in the 2008-09 season to "clear his head" back home..where he signed with a hometown club of the Czech league and put up 17 points in 18 games. It'll be interesting to see how Vrbata performs back in the Gretzky system.

Here's how the line-up should go for the Coyotes opening night match-up in Los Angeles on October 3rd.

Radim Vrbata - Kyle Turris - Shane Doan

Mikkel Boedker - Matt Lombardi - Peter Mueller

Petr Prucha - Martin Hanzal - Viktor Tikhonov

Taylor Pyatt - Vern Fiddler - Lauri Korpikoski

Extra Skaters: Daniel Winnik and Kevin Porter

Ed Jovanovski - Jim Vandermeer

Adrian Aucoin - Keith Yandle

Kurt Sauer - Zbynek Michalek

Extra Skater: Matt Jones

Ilya Bryzgalov

Jason LaBarbera

Simply put, this team looks to be one of the worst in the league. The offense is too soft, the defense is too old and slow and the goaltending is very suspect. It'll be interesting to see if Doan and/or Jovanovski are moved during this year's trading deadline as they could both be considered very valuable pieces to a team's push towards the Cup. Unfortunately for Phoenix, it won't be there.

Players To Watch: The Coyotes first round selection from the 2007 NHL Draft Kyle Turris is one player on a fairly miserable team that you should keep tabs on in 2009-10. The 20-year old is coming off a mediocre 20 points in 63 games for the big club in 2008-09 and was even sent down to San Antonio of the AHL in February due to his poor numbers, where he posted 7 points in 8 games before being called back up. Does the British Columbia native now begin to show his potential with more expected ice time or will he continue to fizzle and become an after thought?

Prediction: 5th in Pacific Division. 15th in Western Conference.

Bruins & Julien Agree To Contract Extension

2009-09-05T02:01:00.008-04:00

Waking up this morning, Bruins fans can't help but be happy that the coaching carousel of Boston Bruins head coaches is seemingly over. During a morning press conference at the TD Garden on Friday, the Boston Bruins announced that they had agreed to terms with head coach Claude Julien on a multi-year contract extension.

Following the firing of Dave Lewis after just one season (turns out the dump, chase, dump, chase again and ride Thomas for 60+ games system didn't work too well) the Bruins were in need of a total revamping behind the bench. As rumors swirled throughout the web that included names such as Mike Milbury, Scott Gordon and even Ray Bourque as taking over behind the Boston bench, it was former Montreal and New Jersey coach Claude Julien who received the nod of approval from Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli.

Upon his arrival to Boston in the summer of 2007, many questioned how well Julien's defensive trap system would work in Boston considering the Bruins lack of a premier goalie such as Martin Brodeur or the Jose Theodore from 2003-04. However, to say Julien has worked wonders with the tools and roster he's been given would be putting it lightly.

Since his introduction into the Bruins coaching staff, Julien has teamed up with Bob Essensa to transform Tim Thomas from a "lucky" goaltender with no set style to a Vezina winning goaltender who has a better sense of where he should be at all times and how to better utilize his defense in front of him. Under Julien, including the playoffs, Thomas has a 74-38-13 record in the defensive system. Along with the favorable record, Thomas boasts a 2.27 GAA and .927 SV% in regular season play along with eight shutouts.

Julien's style of play not helped out the Bruins goaltenders, but the captain of the Bruins has arguably benfitted the most from the system Julien has placed into the Boston line-up. During the Dave Lewis era, it's often believed that Zdeno Chara was simply logging too many minutes out there, therefore making him less effective. Under Claude Julien, Zdeno Chara's has been noticably better due to less ice time and in both seasons Chara has seen his point totals go up. Chara's biggest achievement in the Julien system thus far has undoubtedly been taking home the Norris Trophy in 2009.

Along with the improvements of Chara and Thomas under Julien, players such as Marc Savard, David Krejci and Marco Sturm have become much better two-way players and have seen their overall play thrive.

In Julien's two seasons as Boston's bench-boss, the team's overall record has dramatically improved from the year before. However, it's tough to top a 116-point regular season and both Claude and Chiarelli realize the potential of the team taking a step back from that total in 2009-'10. Touching on it during the press conference, Julien mentioned the idea of needing to be ready for every team to come at them even more so because they're now one of the league's elite.

There's not much improvement left for Julien to make in the regular season, but this team and Claude's true test will come if and when the team can make a serious run in the playoffs. Despite the success throughout his career, Julien has yet to coach a team beyond the second round of the NHL Playoffs. However, with this year's club seemingly ready to go already it's very possible that Julien will have yet another chance to advance to a Conference Finals appearance in 2009-10.

The players bought into the system of digging deep, fighting for every possession and being fundamentally sound and it's both the fans and Julien who are reaping the benefits as the club heads into this season as the odds on favorite in both the Northeast Division and arguably the Eastern Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Quickly On The Rise In L.A

2009-09-04T23:57:00.009-04:00

Could we be about to witness the next Columbus Blue Jackets circa 2008-09? Although the 2008-09 campaign didn't go as successful as planned for the Kings as they finished with the second fewest points in the Western Conference, there were many positives to take with the defeats. For one, the club finished just 12 points out away from the eighth seeded Anaheim Ducks and Kings fans were able to witness their goaltender of the future, Jonathan Quick.

The 23-year old UMass alum got his first real taste of the NHL in 2008-09, starting in 41 games for the Kings after beginning the year in Manchester. Before getting the call to the City of Angels, Quick was in the midst of posting seemingly average numbers for the Monarchs with his 6-5-2 record and goals against average just under 2.70 before an injury to seemingly solidified starter Erik Ersberg struck and Quick got the call. Quick went on to steal the job away from Ersberg and finished with a 21-18-2 record with a 2.48 goals against average and 4 shutouts.

Going into 2009, he is undoubtedly the starter for the Los Angeles Kings and should continue to develop into a number one goalie for the Southern California based hockey club.

Other than Quick, it seemed that the team was lacking an added edge. Perhaps it was Sean O'Donnell's team leading +2 (yes, the highest +/- on the team was a +2.) or maybe it was the lack of depth on the entire roster. Whatever it was, it can be argued that the Kings are now looking to continue building off what they've already gained this summer.

Firstly, the team continued their additions to what appears to be a strong future when they drafted Brayden Schenn with the fifth overall pick in this year's draft. Schenn, brother of Maple Leaf defensemen Luke Schenn has been billed by scouts as a forward who possesses strong two-way capabilities along with a great work ethic. Schenn is coming off his best season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League where he scored 88 points in 70 games and finished his season with 18 points in 12 playoff games.

Schenn will be added to an already strong group of future Kings players of tomorrow and will be classified in the same breath as Thomas Hickey, Colten Teubert and Oscar Moller.

Following another successful draft, the Kings were entering the NHL off-season with more money than any team in the Western Conference to spend on additional scoring, blue-line help and possibly another goaltender to complement Jonathan Quick in the event of a Raycroft-like collapse.

The Kings wasted no time adding help on the woeful blue-line when they signed Pittsburgh Penguins defensemen Rob Scuderi to a four year deal worth over 13 million dollars. The 30 year old Scuderi set career highs in assists (15), points (16) and +/- (+23) in 2008-09 and led the Pens in blocked shots with 164. Scuderi is expected to bolster the Kings already strong penalty kill, which finished with the seventh best penalty kill in the NHL.

After adding Scuderi, the Kings still needed another offensive threat to be able to score goal for goal with divisional foes such as the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, who possess two of most feared offensive units in the National Hockey League today. As time went on, the Kings couldn't keep sitting on their hands and striking out on free agent after free agent as they went out and grabbed Ryan Smyth away from the Colorado Avalanche in a trade.

The arrival of Smyth meant the departure of defensemen Kyle Quincey, a solid offensive defensemen but with the addition of Smyth the Kings are hoping to have created a very solid top six. Despite the large contract Smyth brings to Los Angeles, the 33 year old is coming off a rebound season where he scored 26 goals for the Av's.

Even with these additions, the Kings rumor mill kept on buzzing about one superstar on the block, Dany Heatley. The disgruntled Ottawa forward has publicly stated his desire to be traded repeatedly and seemingly the Kings are on a short list of clubs with the cap space available to add Heatley without sacrificing a pivotal player of today such as Anze Kopitar or Dustin Brown. However, it appears unlikely that Heatley will be bound for L.A and it's questionable as to whether he'd even accept a trade to Los Angeles after blocking a move that would've sent him to Edmonton, a better club.

For Los Angeles, the future of the crease seems to solely be on Jonathan Quick, but with Erik Ersberg being the current back-up option, the idea of adding a veteran netminder as an insurance policy should be on the agenda for Kings GM Dean Lombardi.

Two names that stick out are Blues goaltender Manny Legace and Bruins butterfly goalie Manny Fernandez. Despite both player's recent injury history, they remained unsigned and can likely be had for cheap money at this point. Fernandez is coming off a revival in Boston where he posted a 16-8-3 record with a .910 save percentage which included a torrid stretch of success in November and into December. For Fernandez, the downside comes with his injury history as an aggravated back held him to minimal playing time from January and onward.

Legace, the former All-Star netminder experienced a fall from grace in 2009 when he was placed on waivers and subsequently demoted to the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL. Before the demotion, Legace went 13-9-2 with a goals against average over three and a save percentage under .900. Although contracts for either seem very unlikely and foolish as of right now, an invitation to Kings training camp could prove to be helpful for the Kings.

When the Kings return to the ice for their 42nd season in the NHL in their quest for their first Stanley Cup in club history, their line-up should go as follows.

Ryan Smyth - Anze Kopitar - Dustin Brown

Alexander Frolov - Michal Handzus - Justin Williams

Brad Richardson - Jarret Stoll - Wayne Simmonds

Raitis Ivanans - Oscar Moller - Teddy Purcell

Extra Skaters: John Zeiler, Trevor Lewis

Jack Johnson - Rob Scuderi

Sean O'Donnell - Drew Doughty

Matt Greene - Thomas Hickey

Extra Skater: Peter Harrold

Jonathan Quick

Erik Ersberg

The additions of Scuderi and Smyth will certainly help the Kings as they begin to incorporate their youth and add veterans at the same time. Although they've upgraded since last season, the Kings still aren't deep enough to compete with the elite of the Pacific.

Players To Watch: The most blatantly obvious name is Jonathan Quick, who's looking to avoid an Andrew Raycroft like sophmore slump this season for the Kings. Another player to watch will be Ryan Smyth, who stumbled in Colorado for two seasons before being moved to Los Angeles. Smyth is expected to log top-six minutes with the Kings and will undoubtedly get his chances.

Prediction: 4th in the Pacific Division. 12th in the Western Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Ilya Exiting Atlanta?

2009-09-03T23:36:00.006-04:00

How far the one time, or rather the one year, mighty Atlanta Thrashers have fallen. The team that once featured a line of Ilya Kovalchuk, Marc Savard and Marian Hossa are coming off their second straight losing season in 2008-09 and have only one player remaining from that All-Star loaded forward line from 2005-06, Russian superstar and captain Ilya Kovalchuk.

Kovalchuk, as pictured on the right is the face of the franchise in Atlanta but this year will certainly provide an interesting year for the number one overall pick in the 2001 Draft. To put it simple, he's sick of losing and is in a contract year. In his case, have the Thrashers begun to try and build a solid team around the winger to solidify his allegiance to the only club he's ever known?

This summer, following a disappointing 35-41-6 season Thrashers GM Don Waddell sat down face-to-face with Kovalchuk and had what he called "constructive" talks with the winger. Kovalchuk, the heart and soul of Atlanta's franchise has been continued his strong play despite the team's lack of success as he is coming off his fifth straight 40+ goal season in Georgia. However, if the team is destined to falter yet again in 2009-10, will Waddell capitalize on Ilya's value in a trade as he did with Marian Hossa in 2008?

Before those talks begin, one needs to take a look at the relatively new look Atlanta Thrashers.

The biggest hope out in Atlanta this year is that first round draft choice Evander Kane will live up to the hype he was praised with throughout his tenure with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. It's not all hype however, as the 18-year old Kane broke the Giants single season record for goals when he put 48 by WHL netminders. He also added 48 assists, finishing with 96 points in 61 games on top of having a very strong World Juniors Championship with Team Canada.

Evander, named after former heavyweight Boxing champion Evander Holyfield will certainly get his nine games with the Thrashers to begin the season. As you are probably familiar with considering how the Bruins handled Milan Lucic in his rookie campaign, players under the age of 20 are given a nine game trial of sorts if you will before the team has to make a decision to either keep the player with the club or send him back to his juniors teams as the teenagers of tomorrow are not permitted to play in the AHL.

Regardless of how Kane performs for those nine games, the Thrashers also added 6'7 forward Nik Antropov to their roster. The 29-year old Kazakh is coming off a career year where he tallied 59 points between the Maple Leafs and Rangers. The right winger is sure to bolster the Thrashers rather weak right side attack and contribute effectively on the powerplay.

Joining Antropov is former fellow Maple Leaf teammate and Southeast Division alumni Pavel Kubina. Acquired in a deal that sent Colin Stuart (brother of Bruins defensemen Mark Stuart) and Garnet Exelby, a member of the original Thrashers team, Kubina comes in with one year remaining on a deal that pays the Slovakian blue-liner five million dollars in 2009-10.

Kubina's coming off yet another 40 point season with the Maple Leafs and is best known for his contributions to the Tampa Bay Lightning during their 2003-04 Stanley Cup run. The 32 year old defensemen is looking to continue his success on the powerplay with the Thrashers already strong core of defensemen in Ron Hainsey, Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian.

Personally, Bogosian is my pick to have a breakout year in Atlanta. The 19-year old defensemen from New York is coming off his first season in the NHL where he registered 19 points in 47 games, finishing with a +11. After proving to be a solid defensemen ready for the NHL, it'll be interesting to see how he performs on the newly revamped Thrashers.

In net for the Thrashers will be Kari Lehtonen. The Finnish netminder is coming off a 19-22-3 season with a .910 save percentage. Despite his disappointing record, Lehtonen put together a strong end to the Thrashers season as he went 6-3-0 in his nine starts in March and April with a 2.65 GAA and two shutouts. Is Lehtonen finally hitting his potential as he showed shades of doing in 2008-09 or will the Thrashers begin to look to utilize Johan Hedberg or even Ondrej Pavelec?

A name generating interest in Atlanta has been New York Ranger turned free agent winger Nikolai Zherdev. Following an arbitration hearing that led to Zherdev's exit from Manhattan, the 24 year old is officially an unrestricted free agent. Although many rumors have led to Zherdev leaving the NHL and joining the likes of Sergei Zubov and Sergei Federov as Russian born players to go back and play in their home country for tax-free contracts, his name is beginning to be thrown into the Thrashers mix. With over 9-million dollars in cap space still free, GM Don Waddell undoubtedly has the money to throw yet another U.S.S.R star.

Here's a preview of what the lines will look like when the Thrashers return to action.

Ilya Kovalchuk - Todd White - Nik Antropov

Slava Kozlov - Bryan Little - Colby Armstrong

Evander Kane - Rich Peverly - Marty Reasoner

Eric Boulton - Jim Slater - Brett Sterling

Extra Skater: Jordan LaVallee

Pavel Kubina - Zach Bogosian

Ron Hainsey - Tobias Enstrom

Boris Valabik - Anssi Salmela

Extra Skater: Noah Welch

Kari Lehtonen

Johan Hedberg

Can the Thrashers compete in the Southeast? It seems possible on paper, but with the strength of both Carolina and Washington it appears that the Thrashers will have to be patient and keep on building towards the future, with or without Ilya.

Players To Watch: It'll be interesting to see how Evander Kane performs in the first nine games of the season and see if he'll stick around with the big club or return to the Vancouver Giants for another season. Angelo Esposito could also be an x-factor for the Thrashers in 2009-10, as you remember, Esposito was the key component of the Marian Hossa trade from 2008.

Prediction: 3rd in Southeast Division. 11th in Eastern Conference.

25 Predictions For The 2009-10 Boston Bruins

2009-09-02T15:07:00.005-04:00

The month of waiting has begun. We're officially 29 days away from the Bruins taking to the ice in their home opener against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, or "Crapitals" as Mike Milbury evidently prefers. To put it lightly, the Bruins are expected to produce huge results in 2009-10 and are favored by many to finish with the top record in the Eastern Conference. In what I'm hoping won't be Montreal Canadiens 2007-08 to Habs circa 2008-09, here are 25 predictions I'm willing to make about this year's Boston Bruins.

1. The Bruins will win the Northeast Division in similar fashion to the 2008-09 club.

2. Tuukka Rask will perform up to snuff and will become the premier piece in any trade rumor involving the Boston Bruins on HockeyBuzz, HFBoards or The Fourth Period. (C'sFromTheG5).

3. Bruins fans will fall in love with Steve Begin's physical style of play by the 5th home game of the season.

4. Dennis Wideman will continue to make Bruins fans forget about Brad Boyes as he'll put up 30+ points on the powerplay, but will continue to frustrate them at the same time with his errant slapshots.

5. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas will continue to get better with age and will continue to build on his Disney-movie-like story as he's named starter for Team USA in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

6. Byron Bitz will continue to win the hearts of Bruins fans, creating the next Lucic-like craze. Expect a song to the tune of Sweet's song "Ballroom Blitz" to eventually come out by someone. Bitz? Bitz? Byron Bitz?

7. Mark Stuart will now officially take over as the Bruins premier juggernaut on the blue-line when it comes to blocking shots, throwing forearm shivers and chime in offensively time and time again.

8. With P.J Axelsson jetting back to Sweeden to play for his hometown of Frolunda of the SEL, Patrice Bergeron will take over as the Bruin with the most stylish hair-doo.

9. Phil Kessel will be a member of the 2009-10 Boston Bruins when he signs a one year tender at the unfortunate expense of Chuck Kobasew and/or Andrew Ference and we conceivably could do this fun saga (of lack thereof) all again in the Summer of 2010, doesn't that sound fun?

10. Michael Ryder will score 30 goals, regardless of playing on a line with Marc Savard or David Krejci.

11. The Bruins Top 9 forwards will be the elite of the Eastern Conference, perhaps the NHL and are better than any Top 9 you can assemble on MySpace.

12. While Aaron Ward will be cheered for his contributions on the Bruins blueline despite his departure with the club for Carolina, Scott Walker will be booed by the Garden faithful louder than Alex Kovalev, Sidney Crosby or Mike Komisarek ever was when the Hurricanes come to town on October 3rd.

13. The Bruins will continue to make the TD Garden a house of horrors for Habs goaltender Carey Price.

14. Patrice Bergeron will officially have his pre-concussion swagger back. The 24 year old center was showing signs of returning to form during the playoffs against Montreal and Carolina where he and line-mates Mark Recchi and Chuck Kobasew acted as the B's number one shutdown line. Although he may not return to the 70-point level in 2009-10, he simply won't need to considering the Bruins talent at the center position.

15. Bruins new comer Derek Morris will perform well in the Julien system and take the pressure off of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Wideman to carry the powerplay from the blue-line. With his expected ice time along with style of play Morris will also record his highest point total since 2003-04 as he'll put up 32+ points with Boston in 2009-10.

16. The 2010 Winter Classic will not disappoint any of it's viewers as Green Monster seats will sell for 15,000 dollars and/or your first born child on craigslist.com.

17. Vladimir Sobotka will continue to struggle on the NHL roster due to his limited role, creating doubts about his career as an NHLer, or at least within the Bruins system. Sobotka may have had a combined 57 points in 58 regular season/post-season games for the Providence Bruins but his dissatisfying -10 on a very well goaltended Bruins team last season is cause for concern.

18. The Providence Bruins will once again put together a highly competitive product under coach Rob Murray with strong play from their netminders and additions of Jamie Arniel, Yannick Riendeau along with others come later in the season and another season out of Brad Marchand.

19. The buyouts of Petr Schaefer, Patrick Eaves and Glen Murray will continue to hurt the Boston Bruins chances of acquiring a possible puzzle piece at the NHL Trading Deadline.

20. Blake Wheeler will have a breakout season as he fully conditions himself to a full NHL season. The 23 year old added 15 pounds to his 6'5 frame and will be expected to use his size to his advantage even more in '09-10. Even if the point totals only see a slight bump, a change in his style of play will be noticed by both Bruins fans and coaches alike as he continues his progression into a solid NHL winger with supreme offensive skills.

21. Matt Hunwick will make strides as a Byfuglien-like hybrid of sorts for the Bruins with his ability to play forward at an acceptable level along with being a sound defensemen.

22. Andrew Ference will still ride his bike to games when the weather permits, but will also make a statement as to why he should remain in Boston and in the Bruins organization with his strong defense and fearless attitude out on the ice.

23. Captain Zdeno Chara will set a new career high in both goals and powerplay goals in 2009-10 due to the possible downgrades in goaltending within the Eastern Conference. (See: Toronto, Ottawa, Philadelphia and Florida).

24. The B's fourth line of Shawn Thornton, Byron Bitz and Steve Begin will absolutely destruct every player of the opposition when out on the ice this season.

25. Jack Edwards will continue to make absolutely insane remarks during games but Boston fans will continue to love him because well, the man calls an absolutely excellent game. He may be no Fred Cusick, but the excitement and enthusiasm Edwards brings to every game regardless of it being Game 7 or a regular season game against the Phoenix Coyotes is enough to keep us entertained. One thing's for sure, the man is high.

30 Teams In 30 Days: Duchene Time In Denver

2009-09-02T12:30:00.006-04:00

When many of us think about the Colorado Avalanche one name comes to mind, British Columbia's own Joe Sakic. Never the dance after a goal kind of player, but a stern and confident leader on the ice who led by example. Sakic, the Av's only captain in their 13 season history in Denver, left the NHL this off-season and opted to retire. His departure is just one of many changes for the Colorado Avalanche heading into 2009-10.

Since their arrival to Colorado, the Avalanche have become a staple of success in the Western Conference. Prior to the 2008-09 season, the Avalanche averaged 100 points a season throughout their history and were coming off three consecutive 95 point seasons. To say that those results didn't repeat in 2008-09 would be putting it lightly.

Following a sweep out of the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals by their arch-rivaled Detroit Red Wings, the future of the Avalanche was uncertain. Peter Forsberg was seemingly out of the equation for good, starting goaltender Jose Theodore was a free agent and Sakic simply wasn't getting younger.

On July 1st, 2008 the now fired Avalanche GM Francois Giguere let veterans and key components of the 2007-08 club walk when Jose Theodore, Jeff Finger, Kurt Sauer, Andrew Brunette and Peter Forsberg all left Denver for other clubs and/or hit the open market uncontested. Rather than finding valuable replacements that could bring the same production, Giguere opted to bring in Toronto tough guy Darcy Tucker and former Bruin and Calder Trophy winner Andrew Raycroft.

The youth movement in Colorado seemed to be officially in motion. With the reins of the starting job seemingly handed down to Peter Budaj, the Av's were set for their 2008-09 club roster. The results? Absolutely horrendous.

Budaj seemingly fell flat on his face in 2008-09, a letdown from his previous three seasons where he went a combined 61-37-16 with a .902 save percentage. The struggles of Budaj let to a battle for the starting job between him and Andrew Raycroft where the Avalanche weren't seeking the best goaltender as much as they were simply seeking the lesser of two evils. Budaj finished with a career worst 20-29-5 record along with a save percentage under .900 for the first time in his career.

When Raycroft left the Av's after just one season to go back up Roberto Luongo for league minimum, the Av's went out and grabbed Craig Anderson to back-up and possibly take over for Budaj if his struggles are to continue. Anderson went 15-7-5 for the Florida Panthers in 2008-09 and is without question an upgrade to the Colorado goaltending core.

At the conclusion of what was a disastrous season where Colorado finished with just 66 points, a remodeling was needed and they did just that. Francois Giguere was sent packing after just three years with the organization as General Manager, which was followed up by the firing of coach Tony Granato. As Joe Sacco will take over behind the bench for the Av's in 2009, the rosters will surely have a different feel to them.

The biggest addition is certainly the Avalanche's first round draft choice and third overall, Matt Duchene. The 18-year old, who grew up an Avalanche fan is coming off another successful season with Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League. His 79 points in 57 games and 26 points in 21 playoff games in 2008-09 show the Avalanche that he's a clutch performer ready to take it to the next level.

Although he may be lacking in size at 5'11, Duchene has the skill set to be a phenomenal center with offensive capabilities and a sound defensive touch for many years to come.

Besides Duchene, the biggest name heard in Denver regarding the Avalanche was the moving of Ryan Smyth to the Los Angeles Kings. The 33 year old winger is coming off a 59 point season and was moved to L.A for defensemen Kyle Quincey in a seemingly obvious cap dump considering Smyth's contract puts him at a 6.25 million dollar salary cap hit for the next three seasons.

As the Avalanche begin to look towards the 2009-10 season, the goal is simple and that is to keep the rebuilding going. A playoff spot for Colorado seems near impossible, but isn't that what we said for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008?

The Avalanche opening night line-up should go as follows.

Wojtek Wolski - Paul Stastny - Milan Hejduk

Darcy Tucker - Matt Duchene - Marek Svatos
Cody McLeod - T.J Hensick - Chris Stewart

David Koci - Philippe Dupuis - David Jones

John-Michael Liles - Adam Foote

Kyle Quincey - Scott Hannah

Brett Clark - Ruslan Salei

Peter Budaj

Craig Anderson

Although the offense is there, the defense in front of Budaj or Anderson is just plain awful. Expect more of the same from this year's Avalanche, lots of goals against and not enough offensive firepower to combat. However, it'll certainly be fun to witness how the Duchene Era will begin now that the Sakic Era is officially done in the Rockies.

Prediction: 5th in Northwest Division, 14th in Western Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: A Power Outage In Tampa

2009-09-01T02:51:00.004-04:00

If you're a Lightning fan, has the charm from the 2004 Stanley Cup championship officially worn off? In 2008-09, the Tampa Bay Lightning's point total dropped for the second consecutive year and was actually lower than the 71 points that earned them the 1st overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. A year later and not much changed besides now instead of the number one overall pick, the Bolts now had the number two overall choice.

Despite their lack of success, you can't say that the Lightning front office hasn't done their part to try and put a competitive product on the ice.

Following the 2007-08 debacle of a season the team drafted Steven Stamkos with the 1st overall pick but they also traded for the rights and signed both Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone away from the Pittsburgh Penguins. After this, the team went out and nabbed veteran Mark Recchi on a one year deal and added Vinny Prospal back to the club.

However, the biggest weakness for the Lightning, like most bad teams, was their woeful goaltending. The offseason addition of Olaf Kolzig proved to be close to meaningless as Ollie played in just eight games and went 2-4-1 with a 3.66 GAA before missing time due to injuries and being traded to Toronto. Injuries also hindered the season of young netminder and terrible hot-head Mike Smith. Post-concussion syndrome ended Smith's season prematurely as the 27 year old finished with a respective .916 SV% despite his 14-18-9 record.

Along with injuries, promising star Steven Stamkos struggled playing under Barry Melrose. During Melrose's tenure with the Bolts, Stamkos had just four points and a -7 under Melrose's game plan. Once Melrose was officially relieved of his duties and Rick Tocchet, Stamkos' production shot up dramatically as the 19-year old was given more ice time and saw his role become larger on a poor Tampa club.

Stamkos finished with 46 points following a red hot final month and a half of the season where he put up 11 goals and 8 assists in the Bolts final 20 games of the season.

With Stamkos confidence surely on the rise, the Lightning have drafted what they hope to be their blue-line stud of the future when they selected Victor Hedman with the second overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. Hedman, frequently compared to Detroit captain and 7-time Norris winner Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Pronger, was considered by most to be a "1a" in this year's draft as he could have arguably gone first over John Tavares.

Hedman is coming off a solid season in the Swedish Elite League for MODO Hockey where he posted 21 points in 43 games. One knock on Hedman came from his performance in the World Juniors with Sweeden as he posted just two points in six games. With a blue-line deep with let's be honest, third pairing caliber defensemen, Hedman is sure to get his chances and a lot of ice time with the 2009-10 Tampa Bay Lightning.

Next to Hedman, the Lightning's biggest addition was also on the blue-line with the signing of long-time Canucks defensemen Mattias Ohlund to a 7-year contract that'll pay him 3.5 million dollars a season. The soon to be 33-year old defensemen is coming off another solid season in the Northwest Division where he put up 25 points and finished with a +14, his first time finishing with a plus since 2003-04.

Ohlund is slated to provide an added veteran presence to the Lightning's group of young defensemen such as former Bruin Matt Lashoff.

Along with Ohlund, the (soon to be) addition of Alex Tanguay to the Tampa Bay roster is sure to bolster what seems to be a rather barren offensive team now considering the buy-out of Vinny Prospal. Tanguay is reportedly going to sign a one-year deal worth 2.5 million dollars to join Vincent Lecavalier and the rest of the Lightning for the 2009-10 season.

The Bolts also added Flyers back-up Antero Niittymaki with a one year deal set to pay him 600,000 dollars. The 29 year old Finnish goalie is coming off a solid season backing up Martin Biron as he went 15-8-6 with a 2.76 GAA.

As of right now, the Tampa Bay Lightning go into 2009-10 expecting this line-up

Alex Tanguay - Vincent Lecavalier - Martin St. Louis

Ryan Malone - Steven Stamkos - Steve Downie

Stephane Veilleux - Jeff Halpern - Adam Hall

Todd Fedoruk - Ryan Craig - Martins Karsums

Extra Skaters: Zenon Konopka & Drew Miller

Mattias Ohlund - Andrej Meszaros

Victor Hedman - Matt Lashoff

Paul Ranger - Matt Walker

Extra Skater: Matt Smaby

Mike Smith

Antero Niittymaki

Despite the depth from the blue-line, when Steve Downie is considered your second line winger, you know your team has issues on the forwards front. It'll be interesting to see if Marty St. Louis, Alex Tanguay and/or Vincent Lecavalier are actually moved this year if this team continues to follow their recent trend and be completely tanked by February.

Prediction: 5th in Southeast Division, 14th in Eastern Conference.

30 Teams In 30 Days: The Tavares Era Set To Begin On The Isle

2009-08-31T17:09:00.009-04:00

To say that the 2008-09 New York Islanders were dreadfully awful would be an understatement. However, considering their loss of 582 man games to injury, the Isles were seemingly already out of the race for a playoff spot and were in the race for John Tavares. Luckily for them, this was the one race that the Isles actually won in 2009.

Notably the injuries struck the Islanders key players and veteran leaders as Mike Sillinger missed 75 games, Doug Weight missed 29 games, Trent Hunter missed 27 games and face-of-the-franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro missed 77 games.

The injuries to DiPietro, who's under contract until the end of the 2022 NHL season, essentially threw the Islanders goaltending department to the wolves of the Eastern Conference. As former Bruins goaltender Joey McDonald was given the starting nod for Scott Gordon's club, the team also relied heavily on Yann Danis and even used Peter Mannino when the injuries piled on.

Despite the lack of success in 2008-09, a ray of light is hopefully showing for the Islanders in the form of 2009 NHL Draft number one overall pick John Tavares. The 18-year old Tavares totaled 104 points in 56 games between the Oshawa Generals and London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League in 2008-09 and tallied 15 points in 6 games for Team Canada in the World Juniors, where he won the MVP award.

Along with Tavares, the Islanders also nabbed promising defensemen Calvin de Haan with the 12th overall pick in the Draft. Although de Haan is expected to remain in the Ontario Hockey League for at least one more season to continue his development, his offensive upside and potential to be a defensive stud make him a valuable asset towards the future.

Tavares, who's drawn many comparisons to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is expected to play alongside Kyle Okposo, the Islanders other prized young forward in the hopes that they will create a one-two punch for the future.

As the draft concluded, the Islanders appeared to have their number one center of tomorrow, but with the status of Rick DiPietro's knee relatively unknown the Islanders needed a goaltender. They addressed this issue with the signing of Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson to a two year deal worth five million dollars. Roloson went 28-24-9 for the Oil with a 2.77 GAA with a .915 SV%. Roloson's biggest contributions for the Oilers in 2008-09 was his 36 straight starts for the Oilers in their attempt to make the playoffs.

When the Roloson signing was made official, the Islanders goaltender core appeared set. However, the additional signing of Marty Biron to a one year deal worth 1.4 million dollars, the idea that Rick DiPietro wouldn't be playing in the 2009-10 NHL season seemed likely. Biron, who's spent two a half seasons in the Atlantic Division playing against the Islanders, went 29-19-5 for the Flyers with 2.76 GAA.

With DiPietro not yet cleared to practice more than just light skating, the Isles appeared ready to roll with a Biron-Roloson tandem in 2009-10.

The newest news regarding the Islanders without the word "lighthouse" or "project" in it involves the retiring of 17-year NHL veteran Mike Sillinger. The 1,000 game veteran Sillinger had spent three seasons on Long Island where he put up a total of 87 points in 141 games. However, hip injuries put an end to the 38-year old's career as he announced his retirement last week.

Sillinger's departure gives the Islanders 15 million dollars remaining in cap space as they still lack serious depth on the wings and on the blue-line. A player who seems to have interest in returning to New York is free agent right winger Miroslav Satan. The 34-year old winger, who spent three seasons with the Islanders before joining the Penguins in 2008-09, is coming off a season where he put up 36 points in 65 games for Dan Bylsma's Pittsburgh Penguins.

Along with Satan, some free agent defensemen that could help the Islanders on the cheap are Mathieu Dandenault, Marc-Andre Bergeron and even Rhett Warrener. All remain unsigned as of today and could be a solid depth signing for around a million dollars or even less.

Barring any moves from here until their season opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 3rd, the Islanders line-up is expected to go as follows.

Sean Bergenheim - John Tavares - Kyle Okposo

Blake Comeau - Doug Weight - Trent Hunter

Jeff Tambellini - Josh Bailey - Richard Park

Jon Sim - Frans Nielsen - Joel Rechlicz

Extra Skaters: Nate Thompson and Tim Jackman

Mark Streit - Andy Sutton

Brendan Witt - Radek Martinek

Freddy Meyer - Bruno Gervais

Extra Skater: Jack Hillen

Dwayne Roloson

Martin Biron

Basically, the rebuilding of the Islanders will continue on into 2009-10 as this team doesn't have enough strength from the blue-line and offensive depth to compete for a playoff spot.

Prediction: 5th in the Atlantic Division, 15th in the Eastern Conference.

UNCONFIRMED: Bruins To Sign Bouillon

2009-08-29T15:00:00.005-04:00

Coming in from CKAC radio in Montreal, reports are indicating that the Bruins are on the verge of signing former Canadiens defensemen Francis Bouillon to a contract. Of course, this signing is currently unconfirmed and as you may or may not remember, rumors had Bouillon signing with the New York Rangers about two weeks ago so take this for what's it worth.

However if the reports are true and Bouillon is set to become a Bruin, this fills the need for a seventh defensemen on the Boston roster. With the departure of Aaron Ward via trade and loss of Steve Montador (thank you) along with Shane Hnidy to free agency the Bruins defensive depth went out the window and the B's were left with just six NHL defensemen.

Bouillon is known as a scrappy, smaller statured defensemen who's not afraid to throw his body around. In 54 games for the Canadiens this year, Bouillon had 9 points and finished with a -7. The 5'8 defensemen was also credited with 112 hits and 55 blocked shots in these 54 games.

For Bruins fans, Bouillon is probably best known for his fight with at-the-time Bruins enforcer Jeremy Reich. That scrap can be viewed here.

If this report is true, this will be the third former Montreal Canadien that's played for Claude Julien in Montreal to be added to the B's roster. Michael Ryder being the first, Steve Begin being the second and now Francis Bouillon.

Two And Done: Kovalev Wants To Retire A Hab?

2009-08-29T02:12:00.009-04:00

Perhaps this wasn't the best way to endear yourself to a new city, but he's Alexei Kovalev, right? During a charity event in the city he called home for five years, Kovalev mentioned his visits back to Montreal throughout the off-season and stated the following,

"Every time you see a fan on the street, they're really disappointed. That's why I say, maybe after two years I'll be back again. It definitely would be nice to retire here.".

Simply put, the Ottawa Senators are quickly becoming the NHL's biggest mess. Between Dany Heatley's riff with the organization becoming so personal that the superstar refuses to go to teammates weddings and the fact that Ottawa's completely fallen from grace following their near capture of the 2007 Stanley Cup, it appears that the hope for the 2009-10 Sens is already fading.

Perhaps it wasn't the quote that got under the skin of Senators fans (okay, it definitely was) but doesn't it already seem as if the 36-year old sniper has no interest in becoming the leader in Ottawa that he initially billed himself as to the fans of the red and black?

To go from "wanting to have a sit down talk with Heatley to keep him a Sen" to "longing to retire in Montreal" is simply Alex being Alex. He's seemingly taking his rather strangely mysterious approach to the game of hockey of flipping, flopping (and diving) between efforts on a given night and applied it to how he feels about being a Senator.

In the interview, Kovalev went on to mention his desire to return to Montreal during this off-season until Bob Gainey pulled the offer from the table following his signing of Brian Gionta to a five year contract. Kovalev went on to wait for what felt like weeks before signing a two year deal with the Ottawa Senators worth 10 million dollars. Despite these comments, Kovalev reiterated his desire for Heatley to remain in Ottawa with him. If his desire becomes reality, Kovalev's addition into the Ottawa line-up gives the Senators some greatly needed secondary scoring to complement their top line of Heatley-Spezza and captain Daniel Alfredsson.

However, I'm not expecting this to be the case. This an Ottawa club already starting off in the hole and relaying on Pascal Leclaire and a weak defense to compete in the high-powered goal scoring Eastern Conference.

Have fun Ottawa, you're going to losing one Heatley headache and take on a new home-sickened Kovalev one.

Leafs Invite Former Bruin Jason Allison To Camp

2009-08-28T15:24:00.007-04:00

Perhaps a footnote if happening in any other month, but with the dreadfully slow month of hockey news in August this stuck out. It appears that, according to the Toronto Globe & Mail that the Toronto Maple Leafs have invited former Bruins captain Jason Allison to their camp on a try-out basis.
If you reside on the West coast, you probably remember Jason Allison best from his tenure with the Kings, where he, Adam Deadmarsh and Ziggy Palffy created the "LAPD" line for the early 2000's Kings team. However, if you're from Boston you remember Allison as the consistent performer and buffer of captains between Ray Bourque and Joe Thornton.

Throughout his tenure with the B's, Allison was a consistent performer for a well, average Boston club. In his fully healthy seasons in the Hub, Allison put up 76 points or more and even in an injury-riddled season that held him to just 37 games, Allison continued to perform strongly and finished with 28 points.

Allison's best stat with Boston was undoubtedly his playoff numbers. The 6'3 center scored 19 points in 18 career playoff games in Boston.

As he left Boston and went on to Los Angeles, Allison continued to be a strong performer before a neck injury shortened his 2002-03 campaign and subsequently kept him off the ice in 2003-04. Allison's return to the NHL came in 2005-06 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he was expected to provide an added veteran presence and size to the Toronto line-up.

Despite his 60 points in 66 games for Toronto, Leafs fans were not pleased with the seemingly lackadaisical effort Allison seemed to put out on the ice. In the midst of personal problems within his family, Allison left the game and hasn't returned since.

However, Leafs GM Brian Burke is willing to role on the dice and grant Allison an invitation to Leafs camp on a try-out basis. Does the 34-year old Allison still have the legs and skill to compete in the NHL? Can the Leafs pull off a Claude Lemieux to San Jose like move and add this veteran on a two-way contract?

Either way, it's a win-win for up and coming Toronto Maple Leafs.

NHL10: Providing Another Year Of Muting Your TV

2009-08-27T16:23:00.008-04:00

Since the introduction of the XBOX360 and PS3 (Sorry Wii, your hockey games are just abysmally bad) the EA Sports series of NHL games has been a sports gaming revolution. The same cannot be said for the soundtrack, or "EA TRAX" provided on the games menu and options screens.

With the release of the track listing of NHL10, it seems as if the trend will continue on into this year's game. I've decided to listen to each track and provides links for you to do the same and give a review. The grades are based on how annoying the song will get for the chronic NHL gamers like myself, how well it fits the game and how it would sound over the PA of a stadium during gameplay.

1) Alexisonfire - Young Cardinals

This song seems to fit the bill of the NHL games. It's fast, aggressive and raw. This song may not be as heavy as NHL06's American Head Charge or Avenged Sevenfold but it gets the job done for not being overbearingly irritating. Grade: B.

2) Cancer Bats - Deathsmarch

Ready for my bias? Cancer Bats have been one of my favorite bands lately and this was a perfect song for this game. The gang vocals on the choruses and heavy guitar riffs from this Canadian hardcore band could seemingly make perfect music as a team is coming onto the ice. Grade: A-.

3) CKY - Hellions On Parade

Personally, I've never been one for CKY. However, this song isn't overpowering dreadful. The only complaints for me comes when the guitar stops shredding and resorts to the typical boring CKY riffage. Grade: B-.

4) Disco Ensemble - Golden Years

Every year's game has featured a pop punk song or two. This year is no exception, they may not be GOB's "I Hear You Calling" from NHL 2002, but this song will do. It's downfall lies within the likelihood of the vocals getting irritating by one month into the game. Grade: B.

5) DragonForce - Heroes Of Our Time

Despite the guitar stylings of Mr. Herman Li, this song is simply too long for a video game. Can you imagine this being a random teams goal song or even hearing this in the building? I respect the music, but talk about unfitting. By the second week, I'll be looking for a "skip" button. Grade: C-.

6) Earl Greyhound - Oye Vaiya

This is absolutely perfect menu music. How it will sound in the game itself is still unknown to me. The bluesy and alternative sound along with vocals should make this a good song for in between face-off's. Grade: B.

7) Green Day - Know Your Enemy

When I think of Green Day and hockey, I think of "Welcome To Paradise" being a staple of the Boston Bruins pre-game skate soundtrack. What I don't think of however, is the ringtone-esque favorable Green Day circa 2009. This song does not fit this game, it could fit Madden10 or possibly even a baseball game, but Green Day singing about an enemy repeatedly is simply going to annoy the hell out of me and everyone else playing this game. Could this song get any more repetitive? Grade: D-.

8) Me Talk Pretty - Wake Up, Wake Up

Perhaps it was Courtney Love's song "Make Me Over" from the old NHL "Rock The Rink" game on Playstation 1 that sparked the idea of featuring girl bands in their games. Or maybe it was Paramore's "Misery Business" from NHL08? Either way, EA decided to head for that route yet again with Me Talk Pretty's "Wake Up, Wake Up".

This song sounds like a Flyleaf imitation more than anything else. Considering my disdain for Flyleaf, I simply do not like this song. Despite the cool guitar solo near the song's close, this track is still too whiny for a hockey game. It doesn't help that the singer spends much of the song seemingly making a cry into the microphone. Grade: C-.

9) Ministry - Keys To The City

Wow, this song should be in NHL99. The industrial sounding guitar and Marilyn Manson-esque vocals seemingly fit it perfectly, no?

I had a problem with this song, for a number of reasons. For one, it sucks. Secondly, it's about the Chicago Blackhawks. If it wasn't bad enough that Patrick "20 Cents" Kane is on the cover, we're going to have a hear a song about how good Tony Esposito and this band bleeds red, white and black? This track also claims that Chicago has the best fans in the NHL and teams need to come to Chicago to see how hockey is played.

It may be catchy, but it's still a poor choice. Grade: D+.

10) MxPx - Kids In America

This song is just plain awful. Who thought this was a good idea to record, let alone put in a hockey game. The fact that this is about the 4,502nd time this song has been covered doesn't help their case. Grade: F.

11) Nickelback - Burn It To The Ground

The continuing shoving of Nickelback down the throats of the world. The guitar in this song seemingly sounds exactly like that in the Ministry song also featured in the game. Wayne Gretzky may have been in your video for "RockStar" Nickelback, but you'll simply never be accepted as a serious rock band by most, including myself.

Despite my personal distaste for Nickelback, this song is plausible to be heard in an NHL arena. Grade: C.

12) Papa Roach - Into The Light

The Pennywise like bass intro reminded me of NHL06 and the vocals were nothing special, but nothing to hate either. It fits the NHL-bill of being heavy and the drums remind me a lot of something you'd hear in any of the NHL games. Grade: B-.

13) Priestess - Raccoon Eyes

Same old stuff if you ask me. Grade: D+.

14) Rancid - The Bravest Kids

I used to be a big Rancid fan, then as time went on I realized how simple every song was and how they never really changed what they were doing from song to song. This song represents my point quite easily considering you can't tell the difference between this track off the new album and anything off the first album.

The good part is, this song's only two minutes long. Grade: D.

15) The Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane

This song will be difficult to stomach considering in hockey terms, you can't hear this without thinking of those (foolish) Hurricane fans at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. However, this song still kicks you in the face, 25 years later. The fact that you actually hear this song at most hockey games only makes it more fitting.

Grade: A.

16) Thousand Foot Krutch - Fire It Up

This is just straight up heavy. Very fitting for this game. Grade: A.

Personally, I find this soundtrack to be hit or miss thus far. There's quite a few songs I know I'll never listen to such as Green Day, Dragonforce and Rancid but there's also a few that I'm curious to hear in the game and at certain points. In all likelihood, we set our own personal playlists into the game when we buy it about a week in and this soundtrack is never heard again until you're at the main menu.

Along with the new features and soundtrack, I'm looking forward to NHL10 for the idea of never having to hear "Cheap and Cheerful" ever again.

10 Worst Contracts In The NHL

2009-08-23T15:32:00.018-04:00

August, as always has been a quiet month in the National Hockey League. While some are participating in Olympic training camps for their respective countries, others sit at home and unwind with their friends and family. For Boston forward Phil Kessel, the waiting game continues as he's still without a contract as the Bruins are just 39 days away from taking to the ice for their first game of the 2009-10 season. While it's rumored that Kessel's asking price is preventing the 21 year old from being signed, it's a good time to look at the ten worst contracts currently active in the NHL.

10) Michael Nylander (Washington Capitals) - For many B's die-hards, Michael Nylander is known as the other half of the Bruins trade deadline acquisitions from the 2003-04 season (the other being Sergei Gonchar) and was the Bruins best offensive presence in their seven game series loss to the Montreal Canadiens. In what appeared to be typical shrewd-Bruins-front-office, the B's made no effort to keep the center and let him walk.

After the lock-out concluded, Nylander became a Ranger and put together two solid seasons in Manhattan where he scored 162 points in 160 games, only to jet off to Washington on a four-year deal that paid him 19.5 million dollars over the next four seasons. Nylander has been unable to stay healthy and has found himself a healthy scratch and in Caps coach Bruce Boudreau's doghouse.

Nylander's -19 and dissatisfying 70 points in 112 games for the Capitals truly show how far this Swedish superstar has fallen. With a 4.875 million dollar cap hit through 2010-11, it's likely that Nylander could be in a buy-out situation and jet off to the KHL for a tax-free paycheck and playing time, something he can't find in the nation's capital.

9) Ryan Smyth (Los Angeles Kings) - To be fair to the purple-and-black that reside in California, this signing wasn't the doings of Kings GM Dean Lombardi. However, when Ryan Smyth was signed to a five-year, 31+ million dollar contract by the Colorado Avalanche the eyebrows of NHL fans were collectively raised and for good reason. The question marks behind throwing over an annual salary north of six million dollars for a player who'd only cracked 70+ points one time in his 12 year career seemed to give off the notion that the Av's were in trouble. That was undoubtedly the case and Smyth produced just 40 goals in total throughout his two seasons in Denver.

In a cap space clearing move for a rebuilding club, Colorado sent the sensitive winger out of town where Smyth is hoping to regain his scoring touch in scorer's-friendly Pacific Division with the Los Angeles Kings. He's likely to be playing with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown and is looking to reach the 70 point plateau. If he is to continue to falter, his 6.25 million cap hit through the 2011-12 could cripple the Kings development into a solid contender.

8) Chris Drury (New York Rangers) - When the New York Rangers stole away the Sabres captain and vocal leader, the move seemed to be a good one for the blueshirts in their attempt to add veteran depth to complement players such as Jagr, Shanahan and Lundqvist but simply put, this has not been 35,250,000 dollars well spent. Despite Drury's career highs in both goals and points in his final year with the Buffalo Sabres, that success has not transpired into success with the Rangers.

In 2006-07, Chris Drury was simply a force for the Presidents Trophy winning Buffalo Sabres. His 37 goals, 17 of which scored on the powerplay, which are both career highs to this day and leadership propelled the Sabres to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second year in a row, only to lose yet again but this time to the Ottawa Senators. Undoubtedly, the Sabres captain was considered among the top free agents available on July 1st, 2007.

However, what he's brought to the Rangers has been simply disappointing compared to what was expected. In two seasons on Pennsylvania Plaza, Drury has posted a total of just 114 points in 163 games for the Rangers with a -11. Drury's lack of anything offensively comes as a surprise when considering he's led the Rangers in shifts per game and has averaged 3:45 minutes of time on ice on the powerplay in two years in Manhattan.

Drury's current cap hit is at 7.050 million dollars a season and will not be coming off New York's checkbook until the conclusion of the 2011-12 NHL season. Was Drury the best captain 32-million dollars could buy for a perennial bubble-team? Glen Sather apparently thinks so.

7) Jeff Finger (Toronto Maple Leafs) - If this wasn't a desperate measure to keep the fans from completely giving up on the 2008-09 Maple Leafs then I'm not sure what would be? Oh yeah, it'd be actually signing Jeff Finger to this contract.

Heading into the free agency frenzy of 2008, Jeff Finger was coming off a solid season for the Colorado Avalanche where he put up 19 points in 72 games and finished with a +12 from the blue-line. Finger, never really the puck-mover made his living getting down and dirty for the Av's, his 121 hits were tops for the 2007-08 club and his 117 blocked shots were good for fourth on the club. Despite these impressive defensive stats, the coffee mugs of Leafs Nation had to without-question shatter on their living room floors when they saw that Jeff Finger was now a member of the blue and white with a four-year contract worth 14 million dollars.

The Finger era in Toronto began in 2008-09, as the 29-year old Michigan native scored 23 points and finished with a -7 on a horrid goaltended team in Ontario. With a contract deeming Finger virtually immovable and the Leafs additions of Exelby, Beauchemin and Komisarek to their blue-line the necessity of Finger simply does not exist. Finger isn't set to come off the Leafs books until 2012, making his contract one of the worst in the National Hockey League.

6) Joffrey Lupul (Anaheim Ducks) - What do Michael Ryder, Brad Boyes, Ales Hemsky and Johan Franzen all have in common? They all make less money than Joffrey Lupul. What do these players also have in common with Joffrey Lupul? They all finished with more points than him in 2008-09. Joffrey Lupul provides great secondary scoring on any club, and that's not really a topic for discussion, but is his production really worthy of 4.25 million dollars a year until 2013?

That question is answered by a simple no considering he's career high in points came in 2005-06 with the Ducks (53). However, in what has seemingly become Flyers-ritual, Lupul was awarded with a monstrous contract well above his market value in order to keep the Alberta native in Philly.

Lupul was sent back to Anaheim in a deal where the Flyers acquired Chris Pronger (only to give him a ridiculous contract as well) and is now officially on the Ducks cap until the conclusion of the 2012-13 NHL season. With guys like Bobby Ryan, Jonas Hiller, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu up for new contracts at the end of this upcoming season, Lupul's contract could hinder the Ducks from being able to re-sign their expected-to-be key players.

5) Wade Redden (New York Rangers) - If I were to ever meet Wade Redden, I'd probably ask him how it feels to be the sixth highest paid defensemen in the NHL.

After all, I'm quite sure the answer would be simple considering he's doing close to nothing and earning a 6,500,000 dollar salary from here until 2014. Redden's performance in his first year with the Rangers was simply dismal, his 28 points and -5 weren't even as embarrassing as his team-defenseman high 40 giveaways.

And we thought Ottawa screwed up when they opted to re-sign Wade Redden over Zdeno Chara in the 2006 off-season. Leave it to Glen Sather to once again prove why the Rangers will be forever basking in the glory of the 1994 Stanley Cup, because it ain't comin' back to Manhattan anytime soon with these wildly gross and reckless over-payments of players.

4) Daniel Briere (Philadelphia Flyers) - In your mind, this signing looks to be a phenomenal one for the Flyers, you know why? Because you have the thought of Briere's performance with the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres embedded in your mind because, well, it was simply a thrill to witness.

When the Quebec native signed an 8-year deal worth 52 million dollars, the idea that the Flyers were on their way to becoming an elite team in the Eastern Conference grew. In 2007-08, Briere didn't disappoint the Flyer faithful as he put up 72 points in 79 games, 37 of which coming on the powerplay. Briere also carried much of the Flyers offense towards their push towards the Conference Finals where he scored 16 points in 17 games.

Injuries struck the 31-year old in 2008-09, as he was held to just 25 points in 29 games. However, it's not the injuries that make this signing so poor, it's the fact that Briere's no-movement clause and annual cap-hit of 6.5 million dollars from now until 2015 really stifles the Flyers ability to add anyone to their roster without having to move a star of equal or greater value. Especially if the Flyers are to continue to develop strong youth players within their organization (Carter, Richards and Giroux to name a few).

3) Brian Campbell (Chicago Blackhawks) - There's no debating that Chicago needed a top defensemen, but a top defensemen for eight years?

Often longer contracts mean smaller cap hits, making the idea of an eight year contract somewhat, loosely plausible. However, Campbell's 7.1 million dollar cap hit is doing nothing but hurting the 'Hawks for years to come. With Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Jack Skille, Andrew Ladd and Adam Burish being the top names for players up for new contracts following the 2009-10 season, the idea of Campbell's cap-hit for years to come is simply nauseating for any Chicago fan.

The difficulties are created within the idea that Chicago won't move Hossa after signing him to a 12 year deal and Cristobal Huet is unlikely to get dealt considering there's no one within the Blackhawks system ready to take over as the number one goaltender. When factoring this in, the likelihood of the Blackhawks being able to keep Kane and Toews for years to come grows unlikely. Along with that, the idea of unloading Campbell's contract and getting anything of equal value in return is just as unlikely.

For the Blackhawks, it appears that 2009-10 is either Stanley Cup or bust.

2) Scott Gomez (Montreal Canadiens) - Ladies and gentlemen, one of the most overrated players in the National Hockey League, Scott Gomez.

Continuing with the Glen Sather trend, the idea of Scott Gomez making 51,500,000 over the next eight years almost seems laughable. Here's a player who thrived under a defensive-trap system and was coming off a season where he registered his lowest point total since the end of the league's work stoppage. However, this didn't stop the Rangers front office from over-paying for the crafty powerplay specialist.

Gomez didn't fail to not disappoint during his tenure with the Rangers before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Despite Gomez's 40+ assists and 16 goals in both seasons with the Rangers, the stats don't even come close to fitting the price-tag Gomez is marked for until 2014.

Can Gomez be the number one center the Canadiens need or will it be another year of mediocrity in hockey's most demanding city? I'm thinking it'll be the latter of the two.

1) Rick DiPietro (New York Islanders) - Just when you thought the Islanders couldn't be more upsetting to their fans. The signing of Rick DiPietro to a fifteen, yes fifteen year contract is enough to make the stomaches of even the most faithful Isles fans turn.

Taken with the number one overall pick in the 2000 NHL Draft by New York (over Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik) the hope for DiPietro was that he was going to be the savior for the Islanders franchise and return them to a competitive level in the Eastern Conference. To say things haven't gone as planned would be an understatement.

DiPietro may be 67+ million dollars richer and has another 12 years of guaranteed money, but he's simply doing nothing to help the Islanders as of right now and possibly for the foreseeable future. With the signing of Marty Biron and Dwayne Roloson, it appears that Rick DiPietro will once again be out for the season for the Isles will a knee injury.

Congratulations Garth, your god awful signing of DiPietro will more than likely, actually strike that, will undoubtedly outlive your tenure as Islanders general manager, but your impact to the club for years to come will unfortunately haunt Long Island, or perhaps Kansas City.

Odd Manny Out: Where Will Fernandez Sign?

2009-08-12T02:40:00.000-04:00

For Bruins netminder Manny Fernandez, the 2008-09 season was a renaissance of sorts. No, he didn't win the Vezina, play in the playoffs or be a consistent starter (due in large part to the spectacular play of Tim Thomas). However, what Fernandez did do was revitalize the idea of a future in the NHL.

Coming off a disasterous 2007-08 campaign where Fernandez played in just 4 games, going 2-2-0 with a 3.93 GAA before injuring his knee during practice. The knee, an injury that nagged the butterfly goalie in Minnesota would go on the keep Fernandez out of the Bruins next 73 games of the season. To put it simply, 2008-09 was in all likelihood Manny's last chance to put together a strong season if he had hopes for another contract in the National Hockey League.

Fernandez answered the call in 2008-09, putting together a solid season inbetween the iron for the Bruins, going 16-8-3 with a .910 SV%. Fernandez's best stretch for the black and gold came in November through December. In these two months, as the Bruins were on a tear Fernandez posted a 12-1-0 record with a 1.47 GAA.

Despite the success in 2008, Fernandez was unable to post stats on par with that into the second leg of the season in 2009. In 2009, Manny went 4-6-2 and was held to limited ice time due to a nagging back injury and Thomas' Vezina-worthy play. However, with Fernandez currently still among a vast sea of free agent goaltenders, where will Manny be playing in 2009-10?

One thing's for sure, it won't be Boston. After another year of seasoning in Providence, it's officially Tuukka Time (to ride the bench) in the Hub of Hockey. Rask is coming off yet another successful season for the Baby B's. In two seasons with Providence, Rask boasts a 60-33-6 record with five shut-out's and a .910 SV%. If Tuukka flops in this contract year, the Bruins have Dany Sabourin waiting in the wings down in Providence on a two-way contract.

As the Fernandez era draws to a close in Boston, what seems next for the 35 year old?

Recently, rumors have ran rampant about Fernandez signing a deal with the Montreal Canadiens. This rumor was generated largely because of the report that Fernandez was buying a home in Montreal. Despite this rumor's emergence, Fernandez is a Canada native and it's entirely possible he just enjoys the city of Montreal. However, an idea that gives this rumor some possible validity is the idea that Montreal is willing to send Tomas Plekanec along with back-up netminder Jaroslav Halak to San Jose in exchange for number one center Patrick Marleau.

Speaking of everyone's favorite northern California team, the San Jose Sharks are a team who could also use the services of Manny Fernandez as an insurance option to Sharks M.V.P Evgeni Nabokov. Although Nabokov has averaged 67 games in between the iron for the Sharks, one would think the lack of success in the playoffs has left Sharks GM Doug Murray contemplating whether or not more rest for Nabokov would be better for the Sharks come April, May and hopefully for them, June. If so, the Sharks best bet may not be to rely on Thomas Greiss in the event of an injury to Nabby, who currently has just three games of NHL experience under his belt, where he's gone 0-1-1 and has allowed 7 goals in 50 shots.

After Montreal and San Jose, a possible option for Fernandez may reside in Detroit. Considering the departure of Ty Conklin to St. Louis and Detroit's love of experienced NHL goaltenders, Fernandez could possibly be an option to ride the pine and fill in for Chris Osgood when needed. However, the age of both Fernandez and Osgood could play a factor in durability, a potentially large issue for the defending champions of the Western Conference.

A dark horse in Manny's search may be the Los Angeles Kings. While the Kings appear to have their man of the future in Jonathan Quick, a veteran such as Fernandez could be a positive mentor to the 23 year old goalie who nearly snuck the Kings into the playoffs.

Wherever he goes, Manny Fernandez is sure to provide a solid spot as a netminder who could easily play 20 to 30 games at a highly competitive level for a playoff caliber team. Given his injury history it's near impossible that Fernandez can be a full time starter for any NHL club. Given the rather barren market and dwindling cap space, it is very likely that Fernandez could be had on the cheap and as it currently stands he is perhaps the best available goalie still on the market considering the struggles of both Manny Legace and Olaf Kolzig in 2008-09.

While he may not have an NHL team yet, it appears as if Manny Fernandez landed a job doing commercials to get his name out there for potential suitors. (No, it's not really Mandez in the commercial, although this goaltender does sport a number 35 on his jersey).

Phil Kessel: A (Potentially) Necessary Evil

2009-08-01T03:59:00.009-04:00

The mystery that has been Phil Kessel has lead the city of Boston to jumping with joy, clenching their fists in agony, cursing his name and then going back to loving him all in the same game. The elusive and skillful skater experienced a tremendous breakthrough in Boston over the course of this past season, but with a month of free agency in the books, the 21 year old winger is without a contract by the Bruins, or any other NHL team for that matter.

From being sidelined from games due to cancer treatment to scoring the game winning goal in the shootout in his first game back, from being benched in the Bruins 2008 Playoffs for his lackluster play to scoring two pivotal goals in the magical Game 6 Boston win, it seems that Phil Kessel has experienced a career worth of tests in just three years with the club.

As he's continued his progression as one of the Northeast Division's premier snipers (look out Kovalev). Beckoning the question, why haven't the Bruins or any other team signed the goal scoring phenom yet?

If Kessel would like to point the blame for why another team hasn't approached him with a contract, that blame would have to be pointed to Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe. Following the Anaheim Ducks demolition of the Ottawa Senators to capture the 2007 Stanley Cup, the Ducks had a plethora of issues regarding their restricted and unrestricted free agents. As Dustin Penner came off a 45 point season where he put 29 goals past 'tenders, he was up for a new contract as one of the Ducks restricted free agents.

Knowing the level of talent Penner seemed to possess, Kevin Lowe put his offer sheet on the table for the Manitoba native. The offer sheet was not matched by the Ducks, as their highly touted young gun left the Honda Center for Edmonton with a five year contract that paid him 4.25 million dollars a season. In two seasons with the Oil, the 26 year old has seen his goal totals drop in each season, making the signing a rather questionable move by Lowe considering the draft picks lost along with the compensation.

Along with Penner, the Oilers sent it an offer sheet to Buffalo star Thomas Vanek for a 7-year deal worth 50 million dollars. The Sabres matched the deal, a price they didn't want to pay just yet, but had to in order to keep their young star. Since these events, Lowe has become an unpopular character among fellow General Managers and offer sheets for restricted free agents are considered messy and can be incredibly risky for what you're giving up.

Even without offer sheets being potentially dangerous moves, another reason Kessel hasn't gained considerable interest with a legitimate contract from a team is due in large part to his recent shoulder surgery. There's no denying that Kessel is a pure shooter, he relies on his shot to make his money. Now, with his recovery from a torn rotator cuff that required surgery expected to keep him out of a line-up until at least December.

Forget the recovery, the question remains, will Kessel still be as lethal as he was in 2008-09? With a smaller frame and non-physical style of play, the chance of Kessel becoming an injury-prone Eastern Conference version of Marian Gaborik during his days in Minnesota is there, whether we'd like to address it or not. Although Bruins players such as Zdeno Chara have come back strongly from shoulder surgery, the concern resides in the Bruins front office when it comes to Kessel's surgery.

Despite not being able ready for the start of the 2009-10, the price tag the Wisconsin native has placed on himself is both justified and not justified. With the rumored price tag between 3.9-5 million dollars a season, is Kessel truly in the position to dictate his own price?

Sure he had 36 goals in 2008-09, and probably would have had 40 if he wasn't stricken with mono in December, but after just one good season is he really worth the money? The stats would indicate he is as the players around Kessel average 6.5 million dollars, but those players with the exception of Loui Eriksson and Jeff Carter have been putting up consistent totals for years, something Kessel hasn't done by any means.

A knock on Kessel's success could undoubtedly be attributed to who he played with throughout the season. Playing with Savard, arguably the Eastern Conference's best playmaking center not named Sidney Crosby. Out of Kessel's 36 regular season goals, 22 of them were assisted by Marc Savard. Now, without Savard, Kessel's highest goal total was 19, that's just over half of what Kessel produced without Savard centering his line.

Now, let's say for argument's sake that Savard doesn't return to Boston when his contract expires following the 2009-10 season and Kessel's production dips dramatically despite being among the highest paid forwards. The reaction in Boston will be that of pure frustration for a player who can look either very good or very, very bad.

There's no denying that Kessel had made great strides into becoming a more complete player, but truth be told, he's still not a complete player. He may thrive on the powerplay, but his defense is still very shaky, he has no physicality in his play and has been oft criticized for not fitting in the Bruins system. Despite all of that, there's no question that Phil Kessel is a necessary evil for the Boston Bruins going forward.

That being said, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli will undoubtedly have to unload either Marco Sturm, Chuck Kobasew or even Michael Ryder in order to keep Kessel in a Bruins uniform.

Marco Sturm, who missed much of the 2008-09 campaign with a major knee injury would seem to be the obvious choice, but with the lack of depth the left wing position and Sturm's 13 points in 19 games last year, he should be back in black and gold with an 'A' on his jersey. Michael Ryder, the Bruins biggest addition in the 2008 off-season seems unlikely as well considering that it's entirely likely that if the Bruins were to trade Ryder, the city of Boston would become a free-agent-free zone because guys wouldn't want to be traded just one year into a contract they signed. Along with that, Ryder's 27 goals on the right side are nothing to sneeze at and he simply seems to thrive off playing under the Claude Julien system.

It currently seems that the odd man out will be grinding forward Chuck Kobasew. Acquired in a trade with Calgary that also sent the Bruins defensemen Andrew Ference, Kobasew has demonstrated strong two-way play when healthy, however, his health has been an issue during his tenure in the Hub of Hockey. Kobasew has missed 30 regular season games in just a little over two years with the club, but when healthy Kobasew has become a great contributor. He's scored over 20 goals in both seasons with the Bruins and had 6 points in 11 playoff games with the Bruins.

With a cap hit of just 2.33 million dollars, Chuck Kobasew seems like the perfect fit for a club in the Western Conference looking for some secondary scoring. Teams such as Vancouver, Edmonton and even San Jose stick out as team's who could afford Kobasew's services.

With two months remaining until the Bruins take to the Garden ice for opening night against the Washington Capitals, the club is sure to make progress with Kessel and explore their options as September is sure to rapidly approach.

Axelsson Returns Home: Signs With Frolunda

2009-07-28T02:32:00.005-04:00

Today marked an official end to the career of P.J Axelsson as a member of the Boston Bruins (for now), and possibly the NHL. It was clearly obvious to the Bruins fan base that their favorite Swede and under-appreciated penalty killer wasn't going to be returning to the Hub of Hockey for a 12th season, but the wishful thinking was active among the Garden faithful.

The doubts were reinforced with the Bruins July 1st signing of grinding left-winger Steve Begin to a one year deal worth 850,000 dollars. This was clearly a move to replace what the Bruins were anticipating to lose with the expected departures of Stephane Yelle and P.J Axelsson on the lower lines. Begin, who turned 31 last month is expected to see most of his ice time on the Bruins penalty kill, something that earned him his pay-checks in Montreal and Dallas.

Despite the addition of Begin into Boston, it's going to feel exceptionally weird on October 1st when we don't see Axelsson take the ice for the pre-game skate for the first time since 1996.

Axelsson's 797 games with the Boston Bruins, a truly rare scene in the current NHL due to the salary cap and free agency, put Axelsson in all different roles within the Bruins roster. Whether it varied from being on the Bruins top line or relying on the crafty Frolunda, Sweeden native to perform his Selke-like defense on the penalty kill, you could never say that P.J didn't give it his all out on the ice for the black and gold.

Personally, P.J Axelsson epitomized the common Bruin. He never had the goal scoring skills or enforcer's mentality, but when Axelsson took the ice, you knew you were going to see a player who'd never quit. His aggresiveness on the puck and smart style of play made him a fan favorite to the point where the 34 year old was running an annual pajama-pledging-drive.

Although reports indicate that the Bruin was offered multi-year contracts by fellow Eastern Conference foes, the deals were based on teams abilities to clear cap space, which (obviously) didn't pan out and with the Axelsson family expecting their new child in October, the idea of moving his family out of Boston became more of a nuisance than anything else when the Frolunda Indians came with a multi-year offer for "Peej".

The four year offer to play in his hometown was an offer P.J accepted with seemingly great ease. This is Axe's second stint with Frolunda H.C, a team he spent the entire duration of the NHL lockout with. In his first stint with the Indians, Axelsson's 10 assists in the playoffs set a record for the Elitserien (or also known as the Swedish Elite League).

Although the door remains open for Axelsson's return to the NHL in the future, it appears that his career as a Bruin is officially in the books.

Thank you P.J, see you in February when you suit up in that blue and yellow in Vancouver for the Olympics.

Bruins Ink Morris To One Year Deal

2009-07-26T02:12:00.001-04:00

The life of a General Manager. In just 24 short hours, Bruins mastermind Peter Chiarelli has arguably revamped the Boston blue-line for the better with the signing of Derek Morris.

When the Bruins traded away fan favorite Aaron Ward, the thought process among NHL fans was "Oh, this makes sense, they do need to keep Phil Kessel and they creates the cap space to do so.". However, the internet started to buzz once again when Chiarelli stated that the move was made because he "had his eye on another defensemen".

Certainly with a limited amount of cap space, the options seemed slim. Many thought the Bruins were going to gamble on the recovering Sergei Zubov, while others thought the B's were poised to steal Mathieu Schneider away from the Canadiens. It turned out 90% of people in the Hub of Hockey were wrong as the Bruins signed puck-moving defensemen Derek Morris to a one-year deal worth 3.3 million dollars.

Bye-bye Kessel. Or at least it's beginning to seem that way, isn't it? With Chiarelli confirming that he was "done for a while", the future of the man who wears 81 remains in limbo, a spot that Kessel has become accustomed to. Considering the B's currently have enough players signed to the roster to put a product on the ice for opening night and plenty of depth at the right wing (Ryder, Kobasew, Recchi, Bitz, Wheeler) it seems more likely that Kessel won't be lighting the lamp at the TD Bank Garden for the Bruins come October 1st.

In the mean time, the mystery around the signing of Derek Morris is beginning to grow. Is he the puck-mover that the Bruins have been desperately seeking? Or is he just a rental player for arguably the Bruins best chance for a Cup come 2009-10? I for one, believe that Morris is simply a rental for this upcoming season when considering the crop of players with expiring contracts.

Despite the addition of the offensive upside that Morris brings to the table, is the price tag reasonable? Then I remember, this is the first month of free agency, nothing's reasonable. Again, I for one don't believe that Derek Morris is a player worth 3.3 million dollars considering the woeful season he had in the desert in Phoenix. Although his struggles were mighty with the 'Yotes, the 30-year-old seemed to regain his offensive spark when he was dealt to the New York Rangers.

When the season concluded, Morris finished with just 20 points and a -10 between Arizona and the Blueshirts. Undoubtedly, Morris' bright spot came with the Rangers, as he put up 8 points in 18 games.

This tenure with the Rangers was Morris' first trip playing for an Eastern Conference team and with the Edmonton-native slated to play along side Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara, it's entirely possible that Bruins fans and the rest of the Eastern Conference can see the revitalization of a player once thought to be dead in the desert.

Bruins Trade Ward To Carolina

2009-07-24T13:48:00.006-04:00

An unexpected trade today became official this morning as the Bruins have sent veteran defensemen Aaron Ward to Carolina in exchange for a 2010 fourth round draft choice and forward Patrick Eaves. After the trade, newly acquired Patrick Eaves was placed on waivers and was going to be bought out if no one claimed him.

This was a cap dump by definition, however, the disagreement in the Hub of Hockey is beginning to grow.

First off, Aaron Ward was a fan favorite. Made popular for his rugged style of play and "Ward Wednesday" on the Toucher & Rich show on WBCN, where he would frequently bash a player from the opposition without care. Despite being overpaid in many people's eyes as Ward's numbers never quite justified the 2.5 million dollar a year salary, he earned the status of Boston's veteran defensive presence for young guys such as Mark Stuart and Matt Hunwick.

The biggest killer in this deal for most B's fans has been the fact that if Eaves doesn't get claimed, that he will be bought out. Boston is currently paying both Glen Murray and Peter Schaefer through buy-outs that are counting against the cap and now they're going to add another to the list? Between Schaefer and Murray the B's have 1.9 million dollars in buy-outs currently against the cap and with Eaves expected to join the list, the amount of buy-outs on the cap jumps up to over two million dollars.

This move was ultimately made to create the cap space needed to re-sign 36-goal scorer Phil Kessel. However, despite the eventual addition of Phil Kessel, the Bruins have created themselves a lack of NHL ready players on the blue-line.

Along with mainstays Zdeno Chara, Dennis Wideman, Andrew Ference and Mark Stuart the Bruins are expected to have young players Matt Hunwick and Johnny Boychuk join the NHL roster as their defensive core. With these six ready for the NHL season, the problem would develop if and when an injury strikes the B's defense. With no defensemen in Providence truly ready for the big leagues, there's a need for a seventh defensemen in Boston.

With Shane Hnidy signed in Minnesota, the obvious choice is gone. Kessel, who's expected to sign for four to five million dollars a season, Peter Chiarelli will simply not have a lot of money to add anyone for more than league minimum. Although Drew Fata was recently signed to a two-way contract, he's an undersized goon who really doesn't bring much to the table at the NHL level.

In a large pool of veteran defensemen looking for new homes, the Bruins may just get lucky. One name that sticks out to me for one, is former Bruin Kyle McLaren. The 32-year old defensemen has certainly experienced quite the fall from grace. After being sent to the AHL with his 2.2 million dollar cap hit, the 6'4 menacing blue-liner put up seven points in 22 games for the Worcester Sharks. When a trade that would have sent McLaren to Philadelphia was nullified after McLaren failed a physical, the doubts are growing that he will never return to the NHL level.

Along with McLaren, 47 year old Chris Chelios is still out there as a free agent. Despite struggling in the 2009 Playoffs for the Red Wings, the veteran could possibly be a nice addition as a seventh defensemen held to limited playing time. He has Stanley Cup experience and could even be a better mentor to the Bruins young guns than Ward was. I fully believe that if both were given to chance to play in the NHL then they'd accept league minimum contracts.

For some, the attempt to get back into the NHL will be difficult following major surgeries. Two names that stick out are Sergei Zubov and Rhett Warrener. Zubov is coming off major hip surgery and looking for a new home. The 39 year old defensemen has been a great powerplay weapon his entire career and had 4 points in 10 games for the Dallas Stars in 2008. Warrener, a former Calgary Flame mainstay is coming off major shoulder surgery and appears to be done in Calgary.

In 2007-08, Warrener's last season played in, he had 4 points in 31 games. With his shoulder possibly unable to hold up, a role as a seventh defensemen for league minimum could be a plus for both Warrener and the Boston Bruins.

One thing's for sure, this cap space freed up by the trading of the three-time Stanley Cup winner has made enough room to sign Kessel to a long term contract. As is the case with many NHL teams and the way they approach their restricted free agents, the Bruins are anxious to get a deal done with the potential 40 goal scorer of the future, which is now fully possible.

10 Bruins Games You Need To Watch Not Played At Fenway Park

2009-07-16T02:10:00.007-04:00

As jubilant as Boston is that they'll be the host of the third Winter Classic, there's still 81 more games to be played in the Bruins quest for a Stanley Cup. Despite these games having roofs over their heads and lacking a 37 foot tall monster (although they do present us with a near seven foot tall captain), there's no denying that there's still a lot of buzz generating around these games.

10. New York Islanders at Boston Bruins (Saturday Oct. 10th: 7 PM)
Rarely is it a big deal when the 15th place team battles against the 1st place team from the year before, but the buzz about the newest Islander makes it worth the viewing. This game marks the debut of Jonathan Tavares at the TD Bank Garden. If the hype is correct and this kid is on the same level as Sidney Crosby was in his first year, then this battle between the rebuilding Islanders and Bruins should be a good one.

9. Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins (Saturday Nov. 28th: 7 PM)
Will Dany Heatley still be a member of the Ottawa Senators come November 28th? I suppose that doesn't really matter because the story here is created by Boston's favorite player to hate, Alexei Kovalev. The long despised Canadien traded in his Montreal sweater for a divisional foe Sens jersey, but I'm sure that won't change the way the Garden faithful views him. It'll certainly be interesting to see how loud and long-winded the boo's are for L'artiste, even without the Montreal jersey on.

8. Vancouver Canucks at Boston Bruins (Saturday Feb. 6th: 1 PM)
Much of the excitement behind this game in my opinion, comes from the fact that this is Vancouver's second trip back to Boston since the lockout ended. Since then, both teams have found a new jersey styles and along with new directions for the better within their franchise. This game will also likely pit two of the best goaltenders in the NHL against one another.

7. Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins (Thursday Nov. 5th: 7 PM)
It's hard to make the case that any Bruins vs. Canadiens game lacks excitement because, well it's just plain not true. This will be the first regular-season meeting between the two teams since the Bruins four game sweep of the Canadiens in their centennial season. With the Habs adding two former Bruins in Paul Mara and Hal Gill while the Bruins add former Canadien tough-guy Steve Begin, expect things to get awfully chippy (per usual) in this Original Six clash.

6. Boston Bruins at New York Rangers (Sunday Nov. 1st: 1 PM)
This game may be competing against the time slots of most NFL teams, but I'm already locked in on this match-up. The Rangers are coming off a frustrating end to their season as they blew a three-game series lead to bow out of the conference quarter-finals and always provide great competition against Boston. A stat worth mention is the fact that seven out of the last eight meetings between these teams were decided by one-goal, including four over-time thrillers. In these eight match-up's the Bruins are 5-1-2.

5. Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins (Saturday Dec. 5th: 7 PM)
Fairly new Leafs GM Brian Burke is already putting his pattened Burke-stamp on the Toronto Maple Leafs. As he did in Anaheim, where he put together a Stanley Cup winning team, he's loading the Maple Leafs up with good ole' fashioned North American bruisers. Undoubtedly, his biggest splash came with the robbery of defensemen Mike Komisarek away from, Montreal, a player loathed by Boston fans and players alike. Along with Komisarek, the additions of Colton Orr and Garnet Exelby make the Leafs a lot scrappier and will ultimately provide a great physical contest when they come to the Garden for a Saturday night in Boston. Doesn't this one have Dallas Stars at Boston Bruins Part II written all over it?

4. Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins (Thursday Oct. 1st: 7 PM)
Opening night always has a great feel to it. From the fan fare outside the stadium, to the anticipation of the fans within the building. With Alexander Ovechkin and the rest of the Southeast Division winning Capitals in town, additional excitement may not be needed for most fans.

3. Chicago Blackhawks at Boston Bruins (Thursday Jan. 7th: 7 PM)
The excitement around this one is stemming from this being my pick for the 2010 Stanley Cup. It may be early, but I fully feel that with the additions these teams have made and the continuing development of their young stars into NHL studs that this game has all the makings to be a fine preview of what could be come June.

2. Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins (Saturday Oct. 3rd: 7 PM)
The villian of all villains, Hurricanes forward Scott Walker and the rest of those Cardiac 'Canes will be making their first trip to Boston on October 3rd, the Bruins first Saturday night game and second game of the season. The reception for the boys from Raleigh will certainly be unwelcoming, as a sure to be rowdy Saturday night Garden crowd will let their feelings be known to the team that knocked the Bruins out of the second round. Also, it'll be interesting to see how the Bruins handle their (not announced, but sure to happen) retribution to Scott Walker for his sucker punch to Aaron Ward in Game 5. The series may be over, but as Shawn Thornton said "We (hockey players), have long memories.".

1. Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (Friday Dec. 4th: 7 PM)
This will be the final send off to the Montreal Canadiens centennial (we can only hope) as the Bruins will square off against their most hated rival at the Bell Centre for the first time in the 2009-10 season. This date also marks the first game the Habs ever had in the league, making it the true centennial. With the crowd of 21,000 plus screaming Canadiens fans sure to give this game a playoff feel, expect the players to have an extra jump in their stride. One query I've pondered is whether or not the Habs will break out their prison-jumpsuit throwbacks for this one? We can only pray not.

Stealing The B's Thunder: Montreal To Have Outdoor Game?

2009-07-14T16:38:00.009-04:00

Let me preface this piece by saying I hate the Montreal Canadiens. Let me preface that preface by saying I've learned that hating the Montreal Canadiens is like riding the biggest rollercoaster at (Original) Six Flags. One week, they're the cousin whose pants you hide in the tree during vacation just to see him get mad, but you'll help him because he's family. The next week they're the brother who decides to reveal your secret fascination with Hello Kitty products to a girl you fancy on the first date, causing you to curse his name and buy voodoo dolls in his honor.

This one though, this one hits a nerve.

Rumor's are growing that tomorrow when the NHL schedule is released, it'll be revealed that the Montreal Canadiens will take on the Washington Capitals at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, former home of the now extinct Montreal Expos on November 28th. Surely you jest, right? If the NHL really decides to take the spotlight of the outdoor game away from Boston, Montreal's biggest rival, by awarding the Habs an outdoor game to close out their centennial celebration, I for one, will probably require a bucket to vomit in.

The Montreal Canadiens centennial season, or apparently never-ending centennial season is going to continue into the 2009-10 season? Seriously? I guess the All-Star Game and NHL Draft weren't enough to appease the Habs faithful, now you're going to give them an outdoor game before the 2010 Winter Classic? I firmly believe that we've all had enough of this Montreal 100 season brouhaha. It's bad enough we had to watch Mike Komisarek become an All-Star thanks to the Habs voting scam, it's bad enough we had to see the Habs wear their red, white, and blue prison uniforms this season and to make this short (like the Habs newest top line) and to the point: The fans of the other 29 teams in the NHL have had enough.

Congratulations on being 100 years old Montreal, you guys really deserve it.

That doesn't make much sense, does it? Neither does rewarding Montreal an outdoor game after they've been rewarded with every other fan attraction possible for a team who finished in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and underachieved throughout the entire season. Legacy and longevity doesn't mean anything when you look at the Habs recent fortunes. They've boo'd their own goalie, chanted the name of the coach they ran out of town when the team faltered to win with a new coach, have gone 1-8 in their last nine playoff games, and currently have a plethora of question marks heading into the 2009-10 season.

They invade Boston three times a year and in the playoffs with their whistles, bells, face-paintings, and signs in French. Despite the Bruins recent success against the Habs, truth is that they've broke the hearts of Boston fans time and time again and now could be in line to steal the thunder away from Boston and the Winter Classic with an outdoor game of their own that could ultimately seat more people. If Bettman realizes the success he and the marketing department of the NHL have had with these outdoor games, he'll make the right choice (and make Boston a slightly less angry city) and limit it to just one game per year and keep Montreal out of this.

Honestly, when it boils down to it, no one outside the province of Quebec cares how old the Montreal Canadiens are.

Wrap In Wilmington: Rookies Conclude Camp

2009-07-13T15:05:00.006-04:00

As is the case every year, the Boston Bruins rookies eagerly arrived in Wilmington to take the ice and show off their skills to Bruins coaches, executives and the fans. As the camp concluded, it appears that the development of players from the 2008 camp has continued to grow strongly due in large part to time with either the Providence Bruins of the AHL or maturity in the junior leagues. With the players officially back home, it's time to look back and review how the camp went.

Among those making their first impressions, defensemen Ryan Button and Russian prospect Yuri Alexandrov certainly made their presence known on the blue-line. Both showed great promise and were more than willing to use their size to their advantage during the drills and scrimmage. Alexandrov, who's spent his last two seasons in the KHL was demonstrating great skating abilities and was showing no signs of being unable to keep up with the North Americans.

Along with the blue-liners of tomorrow, Jordan Caron certainly surprised many of the fans in attendance at Ristuccia throughout the week. For a 6'2 forward, Caron had surprisingly good puck-handling skills and was a more than capable skater. During the drills, Caron frequently got into good battles for the puck with Yuri Alexandrov, which were very Bruin-like. It appears as if the gritty and not-afraid-to-get-your-hands-dirty style of play practiced by the Bruins is even showing up among their prospects.

Speaking of gritty, 2008 draft choice Jamie Arniel had a strong showing throughout the week. Playing on the 'gold-line' with Tyler Randell and U-Mass Lowell forward Scott Campbell, Arniel's strong play surprised fans who mainly know Arniel as a guy who made news clippings for his off-ice issues. Arniel's biggest improvement seems to be his shot, which looked phenomenally better than it was in 2008, and in the scrimmage Arniel showed his two-way style of play after scoring a goal past Matt Dalton on a breakaway after forcing a turnover. Arniel's development will be continued in Providence, where he finished the season in the Bruins attempt for the Calder Cup.

Although Arniel showed great improvement from 2008, he's not the only skater who shined out on the ice compared to last year. Maxime Sauve, the Bruins 2nd round pick from 2008 has shown an all around improvement in his game. Notably, his puck awareness has improved dramatically, along with ability to create scoring chances on the grey line, which consisted of line-mates Zach Hamill and Jordan Caron. Sauve will begin the year back with Val d'Or of the Q, but I'd pick the lefty to finish out the second half of the season with Providence if he continues to develop into a legitimate offensive weapon.

With the draft picks and free agent signings come the camp invites. This year the Bruins invited seven players to their camp, including Boston University's Jason Lawrence and loud-mouth Rob Kwiet, who's deking and loud personality was a hit among fans sitting in the frozen bleachers. Mark Isherwood, another camp invite had a strong showing and displayed some offensive skills for a defensemen. The other three un-signed invites, defensemen Brady Lamb, Tyler Ludwig and forwards Scott Campbell all played worthy of receiving contract offers from Boston as well.

For the Bruins, the need for a possible netminder of the future continues. Although Tuukka Rask is slated to be the goaltender of the future in the Hub of Hockey, it's never set in stone that he can hold up and have the mindset of a full time NHL goalie (see: Hannu Toivonen). Matt Dalton, a pivotal cog in the Bemidji State miracle run had a strong camp, displaying great mechanical skills while his only weakness appeared to be his blocker side. Sporting new pads and a new helmet, Michael Hutchinson had a great camp and looked as if he improved in every facet of his game from the previous year. Despite the strong showing of these two crease-protectors, the play of Adam Courchaine has gotten notably better, specifically when it came down to his shot recovery.

With the rookies set to return in September, they'll now either spend the next month and a half relaxing, or getting up to health as Tommy Cross, Yannick Riendeau and Zach McKelvie were held to minimal on-ice activity or none at all throughout the week.

As the fans got the chance to watch the rookies on the ice, then meet with them and get pictures after, one thing's for sure, the future of the Boston Bruins is looking brighter every year.

Blue-Liners of Tomorrow Shining in Wilmington

2009-07-10T16:28:00.005-04:00

With 25 of the Bruins newest prospects taking the ice in Wilmington, the eyes of many Bruins fans have been focusing on the Bruins 2009 first round draft pick Jordan Caron among the other forwards, looking for the next Blake Wheeler. However, the guys on the back-end, the rugged and notably strong defensemen are getting some well deserved coverage at this year's rookie and development camp at Ristuccia Rink.

Among the crop of defensemen, Russian prospect Yuri Alexandrov is living up to the hype Bruins fans have heard so much of. This has been the first year where the Bruins have been able to lure their 2006 2nd round pick over to join and participate in the annual summer camp. Alexandrov is coming off a solid year with Cherepovets Severstal of the KHL where he put up 8 points in 26 games.

Yuri, at 6'1 has been working on becoming a stronger skater and is showing the promise of fulfilling that, as in all the drills Alexandrov has become a player who has been able to use his stick and size to his advantage and knock skaters off the puck. Along with using his body, the lefty has good acceleration skills and is a smooth skater considering his rather lanky frame.

Despite his fluency in English being in need of some work, Alexandrov's skill set appear to be up the snuff with the rest of the prospects, which is all that really matters when the camp draws to a close.

Another prospect who is showing great promise is the Bruins 3rd round selection in the 2009 draft, Ryan Button. Appearing to be excited to be a Bruin, coming from a family of Boston fans, Button's skating abilities are supreme and he can keep up with any of the forwards out on the ice and able to defend against them with ease. Throughout the camp, he's also shown signs of being a capable puck-moving defensemen who could only get better with time.

Tomorrow is the 2009 Development Camp's finale, as the prospects will take one final skate in Wilmington before returning in September for rookie camp.

One On One Interview With Yannick Riendeau

2009-07-08T16:41:00.007-04:00

While 22 other members of the Boston Bruins organization were busy swiveling with one skate, hopping and testing their skills in physical drills, one man was working on getting back to full strength. That man was 21 year old QJMHL scoring-sensation Yannick Riendeau. Following the first day of public practices, I had the chance to talk with the Quebec native and ask him some questions. Although I took notes during the interview, forgive me if I'm paraphrasing at one point either for myself, or for Yannick, who spoke good English for a recently transplanted French-Canadian.

Some of these may not be direct quotes as stated due to our conversation mentality of the interview and his occasional lack of knowing what to say, being a partially newcomer to the English language.

Ty: Firstly, thanks for giving me the time to answer some questions, and you seem to have quite a resume and I wonder, why Boston?
YR: Well, they chose me and I agreed to sign here.

Ty: We know you've put up some phenomenal stats in the Q in 08-09, are you returning to Drummondville for another season or joining the Providence Bruins?
YR: I'll be playing with Providence in 2009-10 when I'm ready to return.

Ty: Now we know you have the sling on your shoulder, but what exactly happened and when do you anticipate to return and play for Providence?
YR: I tore my labrum in my shoulder, and I'm expected to be out for about 5 months, building up my shoulder back to full health with rehabilitation. I should be out until about the end of November, but if not, I expect to be ready for the second half of the season in the AHL.

Ty: In recent years, Boston has become very good at drafting and developing young talent such as Quebec native Patrice Bergeron, and even attracting young guys such as Blake Wheeler to sign with Boston, how do you feel towards what they're doing?
YR: Yeah, it's become an appealing place for the young guys, even in Quebec. I know they drafted Jordan Caron and I feel like as an organization they're making the right steps to attract the young guys to play for Boston.

Ty: You mentioned the young guys, there's a lot of talk about Phil Kessel and how he may not return to the Bruins, and there's previously been talk about him not fitting into the Claude Julien system, although his 36 goals tell otherwise, do you feel that you could fit in the Julien system and have you met with Julien yet?
YR: I met with Julien yesterday during the first day of training camp, and we got to talking about the basics, getting to know each other, and hockey. I really feel that his approach to the game is smart and his system definitely works and it's a good one to play in and one I think I could fit in.

Ty: Your numbers really don't lie, you seem to have a great shot and be a sniper from what we've seen. Would you say that your time in Drummondville really helped you become a more complete player?
YR: Yeah, I think of myself as a guy who can pass and be a sniper too. My time in the Q definitely made me a more complete player, from playing defense to passing the puck instead of just shooting. The coaches we had were helpful at getting me to get bigger and play harder to get to the next level.

Ty: When do you hope to be in the NHL with Boston?
YR: Well, I need to go through Providence first and you know, it's my dream to be in Boston, playing in the NHL.

Ty: I know you're from Quebec, so here's comes the question: Nordiques or Canadiens fan growing up?
YR: I was a Montreal fan. But not anymore. *laughs*
Ty: *laughs* Yeah, Boston's got to be your favorite now.

Ty: Lastly, who would NHL player would you compare yourself to in terms of style of play?
YR: I'd say Mike Ribiero, he was fast, sneaky and could really create chances.

Ty: Thank you Yannick for making the time to talk with me, I hope your shoulder feels better soon and you're back to full strength soon. Thanks again for choosing Boston.
YR: Thank you for the interview.

Following the interview, all I could say is that this guy's as nice as they come. Following his practice, he came out into the parking lot, keeping to himself while listening to his iPod and texting on his cell phone to a group of eager fans waiting for autographs. He had no issue taking his headphones off to answer the seemingly thousands of questions a small child with a jersey littered with autographs had ranging from "When did you first play hockey and what was your teams name?" to "What's your favorite color?". Personally, I can't wait to see this guy show off his skills in Providence and hopefully in Boston.

Rookies Take Ice, Show Skills

2009-07-08T15:18:00.004-04:00

The arena's bone-chillingly cold temperature may have driven fans to their cars for their sweatshirts, but the action on the ice within the little rink in northern Massachusetts keep Bruins fans eyes peeled. In the first of four sessions of training camp open to the public, the Boston Bruins rookies showed their skills and continue to develop into Bruins hopefuls at the annual summer camp held at Ristuccia Rink in Wilmington.

Last year it was Blake Wheeler who captivated the crowd in attendance with his dazzling skating techniques and acceleration, and the year before the buzz was about now Boston-cult-like-icon Milan Lucic. Raising the question, who'll be the next name to keep an eye on leaving Wilmington? For me, players I had my eyes on were defensemen and Bruins 3rd round pick in 2009 Ryan Button along with Bemidji State netminder Matt Dalton.

Throughout the drills, Button showed strong defensive abilities with his stick and defending during the 2 on 1's. Along with his surely up-to-snuff defensive abilities, Button displayed strong skating skills and balance to make him a player to continue to watch carefully as the camp continues this week.

In Boston, the Bruins have 35-year old Vezina-winner Tim Thomas manning the crease and are expected to have The Finnish Flash, also known as Tuukka Rask serving as his back-up for the 2009-10 season. However, with Kevin Regan's talent poising a question mark to the future of the Bruins in net, GM Peter Chiarelli grabbed Matt Dalton from Bemidji State, who put together a fine season for the Beavers with a 19-11-1 with a 2.19 GAA in their Cinderalla chase for a Frozen Four Championship.

Dalton, in my opinion showed great post to post movement and was going down into the butterfly quickly and effectively. It may be early, but as time passes on, Dalton looked as if he could become more advanced than fellow goaltenders Adam Couchraine and Michael Hutchinson on the Bruins depth chart. Which is by no means a knock to Couchraine or Hutchinson, who both had fine days in between in pipes.

Although there was no sign of Boston College Eagle and B's prospect Tommy Cross on the ice due to a leg injury, the Bruins coaching staff had Yannick Riendeau doing skating drills along with shooting on Adam Couchraine and Matt Dalton without defensemen. Although Riendeau wasn't being defended against, his wrist shot shows to have some serious snap to it, even with a rehabilitating shoulder.

Two surprises out of today were David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Krejci was test driving a new Porsche following an indoor workout and Lucic was trying his best Houdini impression to get out of the parking lot before anyone noticed it was him.

Day two for the public tomorrow. In a perfect world, I get a better look at Russian defensemen Yuri Alexandrov and the newest Bruin, Jordan Caron.

B's Add Depth: Sign Sabourin & Fata

2009-07-07T23:31:00.003-04:00

As is the case every year, the headliners may be off the board for the most part, but for Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, it's become about adding depth in the organization in the event of injuries that could strike at any time. Today, Boston's producer continued to address this issue by adding two players with NHL experience to the depth chart with the signings of defensemen Drew Fata and goaltender Dany Sabourin.

For many Bruins fans, Dany Sabourin sounds familiar and for good reason. Before a trade sent him to Edmonton where he played a grand total of zero games, Sabourin was backing up Marc-Andre Fleury with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sabourin's biggest game for Pittsburgh undoubtedly came against Boston in which he held the Bruins to just 1 goal and stopped 35 pucks as the Pens spoiled the Bruins home-opener with a shoot-out win. He went on to finish with a 6-8-2 record with a 2.85 GAA and .898 SV%. Although Sabourin's win-loss record may not be what the Bruins look forward to he's been the victim of just plain rotten luck when you see that in 8 of his total 10 losses when you include overtime the Pens scored just 2 goals or less.

When having the views of a cynic, the signing of Sabourin could mean two things. One of them being that Sabourin will mine the pipes in Providence of the AHL, or it could mean that Boston is prepared to move Tuukka Rask and rely on Sabourin as a back-up to the 5-million dollar man, Tim Thomas.

However, I'm quite sure that this move is create depth at the goaltending position in the event of an injury to the Vezina-winning Thomas or Finnish rookie Rask. I'm a huge fan of this move considering it adds depth to Boston's chart when you consider guys such as Matt Dalton and Kevin Regan aren't nearly ready for a call-up to the NHL in the event of an injury, and have zero NHL experience, something Dany Sabourin has over 50 games worth of.

Along with Sabourin, the Bruins also added defensemen Drew Fata. The 25 year old defensemen is coming off another year in the AHL where he spent the majority of the season with the Binghampton Senators after a trade sent the lefty out of San Antonio. In 71 games with the AHL Sens, Fata tallied 7 goals and 16 points, finishing with a -4 and over 130 minutes in penalties. Fata is expected to be a physical presence on the Providence blue-line and potentially in Boston if injuries strike the Boston blue-line like it has in year's past.

Fata's signing could also be an insurance policy in the event that Matt Hunwick does not return to Boston, which at this point, doesn't seem to be the reason behind his signing.

Although the financial terms of the contracts were not released per Boston Bruins club policy, it's believed that both players will be making NHL minimum and both contracts are one year deals. With over four million dollars left in cap space, the next guy in line for a contract appears to be Matt Hunwick, who went to salary arbitration on Sunday with Boston.

This Sheriff's Heading To The Wild (Out) West

2009-07-04T01:14:00.007-04:00

Here comes the rough part of free agency. Anyone who expected the Boston Bruins to put out the same roster from the 2008-09 season was being naive. It was to be expected that with the limited cap space and amount of Bruins free agents to be that we'd be seeing some fan favorites take their exit out of the Hub of Hockey for broader horizons. Mark Shane Hnidy as the first of many bound out of Boston.

When the Bruins traded for the bruising defensemen back in January 2008, it was viewed as a desperation move by a GM who was simply running out of defensemen on the depth chart. Pulling the trigger to bring Hnidy into black and gold cost the Bruins winger Brandon Bochenski, a player who had experienced minor success in 2006-07 but failed to translate that into 2007-08 due to injuries and inconsistency under the Claude Julien system. The price for Hnidy was small, but no one expected what Hnidy truly brought to the Bruins blue-line.

Standing at 6'2 and with a face only a mother could love, Hnidy brought an added element of toughness to the Bruins defense. He would have no issues with burying a player into the boards, and his stern style of play earned him the nickname of 'Sheriff' in Boston.

Following another solid season as a 6th defensemen for the Bruins, Hnidy chipped in with the hits and added 12 points in 65 games, tying his career high from 2006-07 with Atlanta. Undoubtedly, his most remember incident came in a brawl with the Dallas Stars where The Sheriff went to work and demolished Matt Niskanen's face with several right hands.

Although never an offensive defensemen by any means and a frequent victim of poor decision making, there's no questioning that Hnidy, like many Bruins players, became a fan favorite with time. However, as the Bruins season ended, many knew that Hnidy would not be returning with Johnny Boychuk on the up-swing and Matt Hunwick anticipated to re-sign with the club for another season. Remaining on the list of 08-09 Bruins in the free agent pool are veteran center and face-off master Stephane Yelle, goaltender Manny Fernandez and restricted free agents Phil Kessel and Matt Hunwick.

With Hnidy bound for Minnesota, the Bruins are now in new need of a Sheriff. Mark Stuart anyone?

Recchi Returns For Another Round

2009-07-02T13:48:00.004-04:00

Doesn't it feel good waking up a Bruins fan and realizing the change this organization has made? In previous years, a player such as Mark Recchi would never want to return to Boston, and even if he did, the Bruins front office would have no intentions of bringing the trading deadline acquisition back. However, under head coach Claude Julien and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, Boston has become a place where players actually want to play.

Following an encouraging message by Steve Begin to the Boston media of "I'm on the right side now" when asked about his tenure in Montreal, reports out of Boston indicate that 41 year old winger Mark Recchi has signed a 1-year contract worth 1 million dollars to remain in Boston.

When Recchi was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange from could-have-been's Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums, the reaction from Boston was welcoming and excited. Recchi's a proven winner, a great powerplay threat and he provides added veteran leadership in the Bruins march towards a Stanley Cup. Despite the Bruins failure to advance to the Conference Finals, Recchi's presence created an even more dangerous Bruins offense and powerplay.

In 29 total games with the Bruins in the regular season and playoffs, Recchi had 13 goals and 22 points, finishing with a -3. In these games, Recchi had a total of 5 powerplay goals and 4 powerplay assists, often gaining his goals through tip-in's and re-directs out in front of the net, a strategy that the 5'10 forward has used to his advantage throughout his entire career.

In the Bruins 7-game battle with the Carolina Hurricanes, Recchi fought through injuries before having surgery to remove a kidney stone the night before Game 7. His resiliency spoke great volumes to the British Columbia native's drive to win, even though he's already won 2 Stanley Cups in his illustrious career.

The addition of Recchi into the Bruins line-up for another season gives the Bruins three deep scoring lines, and that's without Phil Kessel. Also, the signing of Recchi could possibly point to Phil Kessel officially being on the out's in Boston. Recchi's signing adds another million onto the Boston cap, leaving just over four million dollars left to play with and re-sign Phil Kessel, Matt Hunwick and P.J Axelsson. It's obvious that one, or even two of the three will be let go, and will the rumor mill of Tomas Kaberle coming to Boston in exchange for Phil Kessel, thing's are about to get very interesting in Boston.

Bruins Sign Begin; Re-Sign Bitz, Boychuk

2009-07-01T23:50:00.000-04:00

We knew there would be a big bang with just about every other club besides Boston, but still, talk about one crazy day. Today we saw Marian Hossa trade in his Detroit sweater for a Chicago one, Marty Havlat move to Minnesota and the Montreal Canadiens create a line of all players 5'9 and shorter. Some of the contracts were outrageous per usual (If Hal Gill's a 2.25 million dollar defensemen, so am I) but in the end, the Boston Bruins emerged from the day without overpaying for any of the marquee names in this year's pool.

Despite rumors of Marian Hossa coming to Boston lighting up internet boards for the second straight year, the Bruins were wary to not commit large money to players considering they're lack of cap space. As quick as the talks of Kessel for Kaberle seemed to have resumed, the idea was put to rest just as fast and it was deemed false. By 6 o'clock, the Hub of Hockey was still as quiet as it was when Scott Walker ended the Bruins season when news broke of a minor signing.

The Boston Bruins had agreed to a one year contract with forward Steve Begin. The contract will pay the bruising forward 850,000 in 2009-10 and certainly replaces the depth that will be lost by Stephane Yelle's departure, which Chiarelli also confirmed today. In 62 games between the Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars, Begin registered 12 points and finished with a -7. Although his stats may not impress the common Bruins fan, there are plenty reasons to be happy about this guy.

First of, as previously stated, he adds depth to a roster that could certainly use it with the likely departure of P.J Axelsson and question marks surrounding Phil Kessel and Mark Recchi. Also, with the addition of the 31-year old Quebec native, the Bruins become an even more gritty team. Begin's 185 hits in 62 games was good for 3rd among Stars forwards and his 38 blocked shots were only 2nd to Loui Eriksson, who partook in all 82 of the Stars regular season games.

For some, the injuries to Begin pose a question mark. Well, when you look at the style of play he brings to the ice every night, it's no wonder the 1996 2nd round choice by the Calgary Flames has had to spend some time on the shelf. Even in seasons plagued by injury, Begin has managed to dish out over 100 hits in every season. Despite the injury concerns, when you look at Begin's last fully healthy season, you can't help but be happy with this signing.

In 2005-06, Begin played in 76 games for the rivaled Canadiens, where put up 23 points, finished with a +9 and was credited with 202 hits and 64 blocked shots. Throughout his career, Begin has become an established penalty killer and with the future of P.J Axelsson uncertain as mentioned, it only makes sense that Begin is in all likelihood, Axe's replacement on the Bruins penalty killing unit. In his 62 games with the Canadiens/Stars, Begin averaged 1:37 minutes on the penalty kill per game. Along with that minute plus of time on the kill, he averages just over 10 minutes a game, making this signing a great deal for a proven 4th liner willing to drop the gloves when the bell tolls.

Along with Begin, the Bruins also re-signed winger and new found fan-favorite Byron Bitz. The 24 year old Saskatoon native had a solid year in Boston as he put 4 pucks by goaltenders and tallied 3 assists in 35 games for the Bruins. Following a willingness to drop the gloves with legendary scrapper Donald Brashear, Bruins fans began to watch the rookie more closely. After a 2-goal effort against the Florida Panthers where the Garden faithful began chants of "We Want Bitz!" repeatedly, a cult following seemed to be in the works. Shirts reading "We Want Bitz" were made and distributed. After a lackluster playoff performance by Blake Wheeler, the fan favorite found himself in the line-up, suiting up in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time.

It didn't take Bitz long to make an impression as in the Bruins Game 3 demolition of the Canadiens, Bitz netted an assist as time nearly expired in the period. Sure enough, Bitz found himself back in the line-up for the Bruins second round series against the Carolina Hurricanes where he scored a seemingly pivotal first period goal in the Bruins Game 7 loss to the 'Canes. These moments and flashes of scoring capabilities reminded many Bruins fans of an old player they used to call their own, Mike Knuble, a big winger who blossomed into a 20+ goal scorer at the NHL level. With the re-signing of Bitz taken care off, it's clear that the Bruins brass may see the same potential in Byron.

Rounding out the day for Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli was the re-signing of defensemen Johnny Boychuk. Boychuk, who spent most of the season with the Providence Bruins had another fine year at the AHL level, where he finished the year by winning the Eddie Shore Award, the AHL's honor for the best defensemen in the league. Boychuk finished with 20 goals, 46 assists and a +19 in 78 games for the Baby B's. It's a one year deal but as per club policy, the terms of the deal financially were not disclosed.

One issue that B's fans are still discussing is the signings that haven't been involving restricted free agents Phil Kessel and Matt Hunwick. As we close the book on the first day of free agency, both players are without contracts. While we haven't heard much talk about Kessel in the rumor mills today, the word on Hunwick per Joe Haggerty of WEEI.com was that many teams were showing a strong interest in Hunwick, and the Bruins not being one of them. Undoubtedly, this would come as a shock to Bruins fans if Hunwick is to leave, who showed potential of being the 'puck-moving defensemen' Peter Chiarelli so desperately desires in Boston.

With day two of the busiest time of year just hours away, it's just a short sleep for the 30 GM's of the NHL before they roll their sleeves back up and return to their phones.

Free Agent Frenzy: 10 Best Centers

2009-06-28T21:21:00.008-04:00

Nearing the end of the Free Agency Frenzy pieces, we now move to the center position. The center can be the anchor of the offense, the captain of the penalty kill and provide the edge needed for a goal with a decisive face-off win. This year's crop of centers is filled with players who've donned the 'C' on their jersey during their careers and for others, their penalty killing abilities have gotten them to where they are in their career today.

10) Joe Sakic - Someone needs to relay the message to Joe that it's over. He's won a couple Cups, has numbers that'll surely get him into the hockey hall of fame and there's simply no reason to return to the rebuilding Colorado Avalanche for a 21st NHL season. Sakic has just played in 59 games since the start of the 2007-08 season, but his production has still been there. His 52 points in those 59 games and role as one of the best captains in the NHL is still there, when he's healthy. Sakic can still compete at a high level, but can his body truly hold up for another season? Another reason as to why he's ranked at #10 on this list is because he's basically a lock to remain in Colorado and mentor centers such as Matthew Duchene and Paul Stastny, taking the fun out of him being a free agent out of him.

9) Rob Niedermayer - Being the brother of the Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer, it's unlikely we'll see Rob leave for anywhere else, but the option is still there. Rob Niedermayer is coming off a year of highs and lows. His 14 goals were his highest total since the 2005-06 campaign, but he also had a career-worst -17 in 79 games. Fact remains that Niedermayer's presence in a locker room and playoff experience of 104 career playoff games where he's registered 39 points will be gladly taken by any contending team.

8) Jason Williams - When the Atlanta Thrashers signed center Jason Williams over the summer of 2008 to a one-year 2.2 million dollar deal, the move was regarded as a signing that could prove to be a sleeper. Even though Williams had missed the final 35 games of the Blackhawks 2007-08 season with a sports hernia his numbers proved to be impressive as he posted 36 points (13 goals) in 43 games for Chicago. In Atlanta, the Thrashers found themselves in the basement once again due in large part to an anemic powerplay and the inconsistent play of their goaltenders and Williams was traded to Columbus. In Columbus, Williams took great advantage of the familiar division as he played with the Red Wings along with the Blackhawks in the Central throughout his career. His presence in Columbus gave the Jackets a solidified secondary scoring center to skate alongside Antoine Vermette and to largely take the pressure off Rick Nash to carry the team. In his 39 games with the Blue Jackets, Williams' 29 points and +5 made him an added weapon to their offensive arsenal. At 28 years old, the number of teams in the market for a center like Williams should be quite high.

7) Steve Sullivan - The journey of Predators forward Steve Sullivan has undoubtedly been a trying one. After missing the final 20 games of the Predators 2006-07 regular season and all 5 of their playoff games against the Sharks with a back injury, the Preds looked towards next year and the returning health of Steve Sullivan. However, his 'back spasms' led to the Ontario native missed all of the 2007-08 campaign where he required major surgery on his back. The surgery's rehabilitation almost forced Sullivan to miss the first 40 games of the Predators 2008-09 season. Upon his return, nobody could have expected that he'd return so loudly, where he tallied 32 points in 41 games for the Nashville Predators and eventually winning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Although he's played primarily as a left-winger during his tenure in Nashville, Sullivan is an experienced center, but his capability to play both positions only makes him more valuable.

6) Robert Lang - When the Montreal Canadiens acquired veteran center and 87-playoff game veteran center Robert Lang, the feeling among the Northeast Division was something along the lines of "Oh, (expletive).". Lang's addition into the already stacked Montreal offense seemed to push the Habs over the top. As most of the Montreal Canadiens roster either didn't live up to expectations or didn't stay healthy, Robert Lang became the biggest offensive threat on the Habs offense. In 50 games, Lang scored 18 goals and tallied 21 assists, finishing with a +6. His 17 points on the powerplay proved to be just what Montreal needed when centers such as Saku Koivu and Tomas Plekanec failed to produce numbers that made the 2007-08 Habs so effective. Despite Lang's season being ended by a torn achilles tendon injury, the 38 year old still has the skills to be a great supporting center to any contending club.

5) Saku Koivu - The oft wrongly criticized (my opinion) Montreal captain Saku Koivu appears to be leaving Montreal. After a rumored deal was put on the table for Alex Kovalev to take off as full-time captain, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Koivu returns to Montreal willing to resign as captain. At 35, Koivu still has the endurance and stamina to compete at a high level. He was ranked 3rd for Montreal's time on ice among forwards, and Koivu's exceptional two-way play found the Finland gaining great time on the penalty kill and powerplay. In my opinion, he'll end up in Minnesota to provide some veteran leadership on a young club and play along side his little brother Mikko.

4) Nik Antropov - The Kazakh winger and center truly had a career year. He set a new career high in points with 59 for the Rangers and Maple Leafs, and also had a career low -14 in 81 games. The 6'6 center, who is also able to play on the wing scored a total of 28 goals, a new career high. It's beginning to appear as if Antropov's reaching his potential and entering the prime of his career as he's scoring more goals than the season before since the lockout. The 1oth overall pick in 1998's NHL draft scored 3 points in the Rangers 7-game series loss against the Washington Capitals and was often the only player looking to actually care out there by the end of it. His late season efforts with the Rangers certainly increased his stock and with the cap space freed up by Naslund's retirement in New York, Antropov has a decent chance of staying in red, white and blue and in Manhattan.

3) Mats Sundin - At this time last season, all the talk was about free agent center Mats Sundin and where he was going. Montreal was the favorite, then Detroit was, then New York was and by the end of it, Vancouver left as in the winner...in December. The Mats Sundin saga was similar to that of Brett Favre's which by the end of it got progressively more annoying and by the end of it, we had had enough. Regardless of the story, Sundin provided to be the extra edge the Canucks needed to win the division. Sundin instantly became a captain of the Canucks powerplay where he scored 14 of his 28 total points in 48 regular season games. In the Canucks chase for their first Stanley Cup ever, Sundin's presence and poise helped the Canucks effort. His 8 points in 8 playoff games and shooting percentage of 20 showed that the 38 year old's still got it. Approaching 39 and still without a Stanley Cup championship on his resume, the Swedish native will more than likely end up signing with a Stanley Cup favorite for one final go round.

2) Michael Cammalleri - The Calgary Flames forward absolutely tore goaltenders apart this season. Following a 2007-08 season hindered by a rib injury, the 27 year old lefty went on a torrid powerplay pace through 2008-09 and becoming the Flames best offensive weapon. His 19 goals and 14 assists on the powerplay were tops among Calgary players and his 3.5 million dollar a year salary is sure to go up. Poising the question, does Calgary have the cap space to retain the Ontario native? Following the trading for the rights to Jay Bouwmeester, the Flames have less than 24 hours to re-sign the defensemen before he becomes a free agent. In all likelihood, if Cammalleri is bound to return to the Saddledome, it'll be if Jay Bouwmeester is not in Calgary.

1) Henrik Sedin - One half of perhaps the most expensive prize of this off-season, Henrik Sedin and his twin brother Daniel are both free agents at the stroke of midnight on July 1st. The rumored asking price in total for the twins comes out to about 126 million dollars over the next 12 years and to be honest, they're worth it. Henrik is coming off another strong season in British Columbia where he posted 82 points with 22 goals in 82 games. The Sedin's also create a supreme threat on the powerplay, Henrik especially with his 22 assists on the powerplay. Another reason why he's touted as the best free agent center by me is because of his durability. In his entire 8-year NHL career, he's missed just 10 games and has become more effective every season.

Free Agent Frenzy: 10 Best Left Wingers

2009-06-27T23:50:00.005-04:00

In the third of five 'Free Agent Frenzy' pieces, we're moving up to the forward position and addressing the 10 Best Left Wingers available come July 1st. Although this year's crop of left-wingers doesn't really compare evenly to the talent of available right wingers, as always they're still many good and valuable players available. However, this piece will not put Dany Heatley on the list regardless of him being on the move, because he's simply not a free agent. In this year's field of left-wingers, the amount of solid defensive forwards on the left side is especially staggering and overwhelms the category.

10) Taylor Pyatt - Following two consecutive years with 37 points for the Canucks, 2008-09 was an overwhelmingly difficult year for 27 year old Taylor Pyatt. After being sidelined for 8 games with a broken foot, Pyatt was trying to string together a consistent year and was on pace to finish strongly when tragedy struck. Seemingly hours following a Vancouver overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks in which Pyatt recorded his 9th assist of the season in what had been a frustrating year, news broke of a car crash that took the life of Pyatt's fiancee. Devastated by the loss, Pyatt elected to take time off from the sport he loved and grieve. He didn't return until the Western Conference Semifinals where in 4 games, he was held off the board and finished with a -3. Although 2008-09 was considered a down year for the former 13th overall pick, Pyatt still has the talent and skill to return back to form. His 86 hits, 35 blocked shots and penalty killing ability will make the Thunder Bay native a good signing for any team at a reasonable price.

9) Travis Moen - It's not often that you see two teams trade within the division but on the NHL Trading Deadline, Travis Moen found himself packing his bags and leaving the Ducks of Southern California for California's northern jewel and hockey power, the San Jose Sharks. Moen's grinder style of play ejected some life into the rather soft Sharks line-up and took ease off of Jody Shelley to be the premiere enforcer in the Sharks line-up. His 171 hits were tops among Sharks forwards, and was a solid defensive performer with his 42 blocked shots and his average of 20 shifts a game make him a grinder worth keeping an eye on in this year's free agency among teams in need of a youthful down-and-dirty type of player.

8) Ville Peltonen - Who? Why it's every one's favorite 36 year old Finnish forward from the Florida Panthers! The 8-year NHL veteran had another note-worthy year for the Florida Panthers with 31 points in 79 games playing on the Panthers third line. For 1.1 million, Peltonen brings a team everything they could want in a third line forward. He can score, assist, contribute finely on the penalty kill (his 197+ minutes on the penalty kill was good for first on the Panthers among forwards) and can even create chances on the rush on a penalty kill with his 44 takeaways in 2008-09. Despite his age, Peltonen can undoubtedly become a steal for any team willing to take the risk of the Florida Finn.

7) Brendan Shanahan - Honestly, I feel like he's so high on my list based on the name alone. What he brings to any club, even at the age of 40 is more than welcomed to any team. He was brought in to the New Jersey Devils late in the year with the intentions of helping the Devils add more offensive power and compete against teams such as Washington and the Boston Bruins. However, the experiment didn't work out as planned for New Jersey as Shanny's 34 games he had just 14 points along with a -2. His 29 penalty minutes were a surprise to me anyhow, as he was just 6 shy of matching his 2007-08 total in 39 less games. It'd be a stretch to say the 1,354 career point man has "lost it", but it's possible that he needs a full season of play to be productive, which is something at the age of 40 his body may not be able to handle. Perhaps a return to the Rangers is in the works as with Naslund's departure and boatload of free agents (restricted and unrestricted) ready to hit the open market that the veteran could be brought back for another go 'round in Manhattan for close to a million.

6) P.J Axelsson - The man known as 'Axe' in the Bruins locker room and mainstay on the roster since 1997 may appear to be on the out's in Boston due to the lack of cap space and roster room. It's an absolute shame given the penalty killer's success in Boston, especially in 2008-09. P.J's 30 points were the highest the Swede has recorded since the 2002-03 season (36) and his leadership qualities led to an 'A' on his jersey for much of the season. It's clear that even at the age of 34, Axelsson is still among the best penalty killers in the Eastern Conference, and perhaps the NHL. His veteran know-how, resistance to major injury and defensive capabilities make him a valuable asset to any contending team looking for that extra edge on the penalty kill.

5) Ruslan Fedotenko - The pride of the Ukraine, Ruslan Fedotenko experienced success he hadn't felt in the Steel City since his days with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 30 year old winger's 39 points and career-high +18 took great pressure off of the Penguins top line as he proved to be a pivotal secondary scorer for Dan Bylsma's Pens. Fedotenko's stocked has surely risen due in large part to his 2009 playoff performance where he registered 14 points and +9 in the Penguins 24 games en route to their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. With Miroslav Satan's cap hit off the books and unlikely chance of re-signing in the 'Burgh, Fedotenko could be rewarded with a nice pay raise, by another team if not the Penguins.

4) Jere Lehtinen - Obviously, any time a 3-time Selke Trophy winner dips to number four on a list of available players there has to be a valid reason. Lehtinen's no exception, the inability to stay healthy for a full 82 game season should be a fast rising issue for the 36 year old. Upper-body and groin injuries held the Finland native to just 48 games in 2008-09, but as always he proved to be effective when healthy. His 24 points in 48 games (a point every two games for you mathematics majors) and 7 powerplay points were a contributing factor to his still top 5 ranking on my list of players available. Although Lehtinen missed 33 games of the 2007-08 regular season with a sports hernia and the final 4 games of the Stars unsuccesful quest to defeat the Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals, he's still a very solid two-way player for just about any team in the NHL. Despite his 4-million dollar a year paydays being behind him, Lehtinen still has the chance to bring in a decent chunk of change from someone this summer.

3) Erik Cole - Following a failed change of scenery in Edmonton, Erik Cole found himself back in Raleigh playing for the Cardiac 'Canes by the NHL trading deadline. Cole's reemergence into the Hurricanes line-up proved to provide just the spark needed for the Hurricanes push into the 6th seed of the Eastern Conference. His 15 points in 17 games and two-way style of play benefitted the 'Canes playmaking opportunities as Cole wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty to make something happen. His late season play would be sure to add to his stock, had it come in some place other than Carolina as with the lack of success in Edmonton teams are raising their eyebrows and wondering if Cole can produce in someplace other than Carolina.

2) Alex Tanguay - After a rumored dispute with Calgary coach Mike Keenan found Alex Tanguay in Montreal, the super-line set to destroy the Eastern Conference was aligned. A line of Tanguay, Saku Koivu and Alexei Kovalev was sure to feast upon the goaltender of the NHL in the Canadiens journey to a 25th Stanley Cup victory, right? Despite the talent, the numbers never quite added up for Montreal's benefit as Tanguay's battles with a seperated shoulder and minor injuries led to the winger missing 32 games for the Habs and even kept him out of two of Montreal's four playoff games against the arch-rival Bruins. Regardless, Tanguay still put together a solid season for an injury-riddled Canadiens team with his 41 points, +13 and 16 goals on just 76 shots. The addition of Tanguay bolstered the already potent Habs powerplay where he contributed for 16 points on the powerplay and his presence in Montreal was surely welcomed by teammates and fans alike. It's believable that barring any major upgrade at the left wing position, that Tanguay will be back in his hometown playing for le bleu, blanc and rogue.

1) Daniel Sedin - This one was fairly obvious, no? One half of possibly the best 1-2 punch in the Western Conference, Daniel Sedin had another career year out in British Columbia. The Canucks winger lit the lamp for 31 goals and added 51 assists on the Vancouver top line attributing to the Canucks capture of the Northwest Division title. He's also part of the NHL's top prized two-for-one deal as he's sure to sign with whoever his twin brother Henrik chooses to sign. With a rumored asking price of 126 million combined for the two over 12 years, the list of teams in the running for the Swedish twins drops dramatically. However, at the end of the day come July 1st, 2nd or even 3rd, the Sedins will be two of the richest NHL players in the league.

Free Agent Frenzy: 10 Best Defensemen

2009-06-26T18:18:00.006-04:00

Continuing on the "Free Agent Frenzy" pieces, we have the ten best defensemen available come July 1st. In what is rapidly becoming an aging position, the market for defensemen is sure to be big for teams looking to add that big physical presence or that puck-moving defensemen to put their club over the edge for the Stanley Cup.

10) Mathieu Schneider - What a year it's been for the 40 year old defensemen. Schneider's season began in Anaheim, but not for long as he was sent to Atlanta before the season began in a cap-crunching move. In Atlanta, Schneider was relied upon to become a pivotal role player on the Thrashers powerplay. However, the Schneider experiment failed as in 44 games the blue-liner had just 4 points on the Thrashers powerplay and was traded to Montreal days before the trading deadline. In Montreal, Schneider provided a spark to the revitalized Canadiens powerplay with 14 out of his 17 points coming on the powerplay. By season's end, Schneider was battling shoulder injuries and was useless in the Habs 4 game sweep out of the playoffs by the Boston Bruins. Even at 40, Schneider can provide a great veteran presence on a blue-line and is still a very capable weapon for any team's powerplay. His pay day will undoubtedly not be nearly as lucrative as his current 5.6 million dollar salary.

9) Niclas Havelid - Along with Schneider, Niclas Havelid found himself to be exiting Atlanta during the week of the NHL Trade Deadline. The 36 year old's 190 blocked shots put him among the Devils/Thrashers leader and with 37 takeaways he's still a very valuable defensive minded defensemen. With a 2.7 million dollar cap hit, Havelid's future with the Devils is uncertain. The Devils already have their hands full trying to hold on to goaltender Scott Clemmensen, defensive forward John Madden, defensemen Johnny Oduya and speedy winger Brian Gionta so it's entirely possible that Niclas Havelid could be seeking a new home come July.

8) Johnny Oduya - Along with Havelid, 27 year old defensemen Johnny Oduya is another Devil without a contract. In just his 3rd full NHL season, all with the Devils, Oduya is certainly developing a name for himself as a clutch defensmen. 3 of his 7 goals in the 2008-09 campaign came in the final five minutes of the game and 8 of his 22 assists came with under five minutes left in play. After two straight seasons with a +/- over 20 and when you factor in his youth Oduya is certainly a player who can fly under the radar in Newark. His current cap hit of 600,000 is nothing and will certainly get a nice pay raise, likely double his current salary whether it be from the Devils or perhaps the Calgary Flames to re-join coach Brent Sutter as the Flames are in the market for a lower tier defensemen this off-season.

7) Derek Morris - It can be said that 2008-09 was somewhat of a underachieving year for Edmonton native and 'Yotes/Rangers defensemen Derek Morris. The 30 year old's play in the desert took a hit as he struggled to post solid numbers under coach Wayne Gretzky and found himself traded to the Big Apple in a deadline deal. His decrease in powerplay points will surely hurt 1996's 13th overall draft pick in this year's market. Although Morris' numbers picked up in New York with the Rangers, how could a team be sold that Morris wouldn't throw in the proverbial towel if he signs with a team that ends up being a non-contender as he displayed in Phoenix? Morris will surely find a team to sign with and probably with ease, but I for one am doubting the notion that any team is going to offer him more than the 3.9 million dollars a year salary he currently makes or even as much.

6) Francois Beauchemin - Chances are if F.B had played in more than 20 games this year for the Anaheim Ducks he'd be higher on this list. However, due to a torn ACL Beauchemin missed the final 62 games of the Ducks regular season before returning to the line-up for Anaheim's push towards their second Stanley Cup in 3 years. In Francois' 20 regular season games, he scored 4 goals, including 2 game winning goals and tallied 1 assist. In 13 post-season games for Anaheim, Beauchemin registered 31 hits and finished with a +1, showing potential suitors that his physical game was still there even after the surgery. In all likelihood, the team that can sign Francois Beauchemin to a contract this off-season will be making one of the better choices in the sure to be wild free agency market.

5) Scott Niedermayer - The only reason he's lower on this list is because he's pretty much a lock to return to the Anaheim Ducks. How much does the captain still have left in the tank? The soon to be 36 year old blue-liner still has his scoring touch, registering 59 points in 82 games with the Ducks. With Pronger now a member of the Flyers, the load on Scott's back may have just gotten a little bit heavier.

4) Mattias Ohlund - Vancouver's alternate captain and all-time scoring leader among defensemen Mattias Ohlund is set for a new contract. The 32 year old Swede is coming off yet another strong season for the Canucks where he led the Vancouver blue-line to their second divisional title since 2006-07. Ohlund's +14 was second to Willie Mitchell (+29) for the lead on the Canucks point. Ohlund was still a premiere force on the defensive aspect of the Canucks game as he blocked over 150 shots and led the Canucks in shifts and shifts per game. There's no denying that Ohlund's services are greatly taken on any team and with the Canucks having their plate full with re-signing the Sedins, extending Luongo and looking to make a splash in the free agent market it's possible that the 2006 Olympic gold medalist will be moving to another city.

3) Rob Blake - Will age ever catch up to Rob Blake? It doesn't appear to be, for the time being. The 39 year old former King, Avalanche and now Shark had his best season since 2005-06 as he and Dan Boyle became one of the best defensive pairings in the National Hockey League. Blake's +15 was the best among Sharks defensemen and his 45 points were second only to Dan Boyle. With age, the concerns about endurance become a big issue with teams interested in the services of the 18 year NHL veteran. However, Blake's 26.8 shifts a game average and 21+ minutes of time on ice per game give teams reason to not be concerned.

2) Michael Komisarek - Loathed by Boston, loved by Montreal and an undeserving All-Star. Just a few terms and situations that can be used to describe 6'4 Habs defensemen Michael Komisarek. Whether you love his style of play or not (personally, I hate it. Eye-gouging and turtling have never been huge in my book.) fact remains that he's one of the best stay-at-home defensemen in the NHL. The rumored asking price for Komi has become one of the better laughs in the NHL as Komisarek's agent reportedly wants a 5 year contract worth atleast 35 million dollars in total. One issue for potential suitors of the 27 year old bruiser is his lack of showing up in the Canadiens first round series against the Boston Bruins, where his poor attitude was shown as he found himself ejected from Game 4 following a cowardly attack on Milan Lucic from behind after losing a fight against his arch-rival. If the Habs chose to move on from Komisarek and attempt to sign Bouwmeester, Beauchemin or Ohlund I'd expect to see Komisarek dawn the blue, orange and white and sign with the New York Islanders.

1) Jay Bouwmeester - Undoubtedly the biggest prize of the deadline and now the off-season in the market of defensemen is Florida Panthers 6'4 blue-liner Jay Bouwmeester. Following another 40+ point season in Sunrise, Florida it appears Jay-Bo is ready for his big pay day. His 20 powerplay points and upside certainly put the 25 year old at the top of every NHL GM's July 1st wish list. Despite the upside, Bouwmeester's 'disappearance' during the Panthers push to making the playoffs could be a turn-off to some teams who could view this as a sign that perhaps Jay couldn't handle the pressure and intensity of a hockey town or the playoffs. No matter how badly he performed for the last month of the season when looking at his -9 after the trading deadline, Bo's undoubtedly getting his big payday from some team out there.

Report: B's Offer Kessel To Leafs For Kaberle, 7th Overall Pick

2009-06-26T09:07:00.003-04:00

This stove's already heating up in the early hours of the morning here on Draft Day.

According to sources from TSN.ca, it's being reported that the Bruins have offered RW Phil Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defensemen Tomas Kaberle and the seventh overall pick in the 2009 Draft. Kessel, is set to become a restricted free agent come July 1 and it appears that his rumored asking price of $5 million per season is simply too much for the Bruins to add onto their salary cap. Assuming that this report has accuracy to it, it may appear as if Kessel's negotiations have not gone in the Bruins favor and they're not utilizing all options to get the most worth in return for Phil The Thrill.

Kaberle is coming off a season where he battled injuries to his right hand, an injury that kept him out of the lineup for 25 games. However, Kaberle still put together a solid year for the blue and white with his 31 points, 19 of which coming on the powerplay. Kaberle's last healthy season came in 2007-08 where he posted 53 points, including 45 assists in 82 games for the Maple Leafs. Since the lock-out, the Bruins have been highly criticized by analysts and fans alike for their lack of a puck moving defensemen, and Tomas Kaberle could be the perfect fit for filling this void on the Boston blue-line.

It's no secret that new Leafs GM Brian Burke is a fan of North American players and Phil Kessel may just be what the Leafs need. Although with his youth, Kessel's a fast and lethal scorer and his price tag is sure to be less expensive than fellow free agents Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik making him an even more friendly option to Toronto's needs. If Toronto can lock-up the 22 year old Wisconsin native long term, it'll certainly be an upgrade and key building block in the rebuilding of Toronto into a contending team for many years to come.

Along with Kaberle, the Bruins would receive the seventh overall pick in this year's very deep draft, addressing the issue of moving up in the draft, a topic which Chiarelli had touched on in a radio interview earlier this week. If this move is to happen, the Bruins would likely be in the position to select Zach Kassian, Brayden Schenn, or perhaps Jared Cowen.

I'll be following this story along with the other developing stories on draft day in Montreal.