Motor City vs. The 'Burgh: Part II

"When I compared the two teams, I felt like I would have a little better of a chance to win the Cup in Detroit.". These now famous words were said by 2008's free agency top prize Marian Hossa following his signing of a one year, 7.45 million dollar deal with the Detroit Red Wings. The second team mentioned by Hossa is of course, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

During the 2008 trading deadline, Penguins GM Ray Shero took the monumental risk of trading away Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, top prospect Angelo Esposito and a 1st round draft pick to the Thrashers for Marian Hossa along with Pascal Dupuis. When the Penguins pulled the trigger to land the Slovakian winger, the goal was simple: win the Stanley Cup, now. Hossa's signing gave at-the-time Penguins coach Michel Therrien a legitimate sniper to play wing along captain Sidney Crosby.

Hossa's tenure as a Penguin didn't start off well as in the 1st period of his debut against Boston, Hossa suffered a lower body injury that caused him to miss 6 games. However, Hossa finished the regular season strong, registering 10 points in 12 games with Pittsburgh. His strong play continued into the Penguins push for their first Stanley Cup in 16 years, as Hossa led the Penguins in goals scored and was second to Sidney Crosby in point totals. Despite the winger's strong performance, it simply wasn't enough to top the NHL best Detroit Red Wings. As Hossa sat against the boards in disbelief along with the city of Pittsburgh following his inability to put the puck past Chris Osgood in the closing seconds of Game 6, the rumblings and concerns of his future immediately grew.

As free agency rapidly approached, Penguins GM Ray Shero found himself unable to reach an agreement to a long-term deal with Marian Hossa. Despite the Pens offering of a reported 7 year deal worth 50 million dollars, Hossa had elected to hit the free agency market. On July 1st, rumors ran rampant all over North America from Boston's rumored 77-million dollar total contract to Edmonton's 9-million a season contract but Hossa still had not accepted any of these reported offers. Then, the surprising and crushing news to every Pittsburgh fan broke: Hossa had opted to become a Red Wing. Yes, the same Red Wings that had just beat the Pittsburgh Penguins just a little less than a month ago.

Outrage was a light way to put it as a Penguins fan; it was pure salt in a still open wound. Hossa had kicked the Penguins to the curb, essentially stating their inferior chances of winning a Stanley Cup when compared to the Detroit Red Wings. It's been 335 days since Hossa traded a black-and-gold 18 for a red-and-white 81, but Penguin fans have surely not forgotten. Despite the possible underlying bitterness residing within Pens Nation, they have reason to be happy. First off, their team's back in the Finals and secondly, their failure to re-sign Hossa has surely made more fiscal sense for the Igloo's inhabitants.

When comparing these two combatants, their season's had undoubtedly taken different paths in route to the Stanley Cup. Detroit's easy ride through the regular season and Playoffs have come as no surprise, while Pittsburgh's rollercoaster season has led them back to the same stadium and in the same setting as they were a year ago. The mid-season firing of Michel Therrien has worked wonders for the 'Burgh, as Dan Bylsma has completely changed the mindset of the Penguins. At the deadline, the Pens added depth at the wings through acquisitions for veteran Bill Guerin and 29 year old Chris Kunitz. Whereas the Red Wings have once again relied on their post-season experience and know-how in their quest for the franchise's 12th Stanley Cup.

Despite the addition of Marian Hossa, I'm going to have to give the edge to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hossa's production and offensive capabilities have been replaced by the new found depth of the Penguins, as the 'new' guys on the Penguins such as Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz and even Ruslan Fedotenko have all provided the offensive upside the Penguins supposedly lost with the departure of Marian. Simply put, the Detroit Red Wings have cruised through the 2009 NHL Playoffs against teams that lack playoff experience. They steamrolled the Columbus Blue Jackets in 4 games, followed that up with a 6 game series win over Anaheim and a 5 game series win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The common factor with the Red Wings opponents throughout the course of their Western Conference dismantling? Inexperienced playoff goaltenders.

Marc-Andre Fluery, Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby all gained valuable Playoff experience in their 2007-08 run for the Cup. Now, Pittsburgh's big three are a year older, more mature, hungry and ready to take on the wounded Wings. The Red Wings head into Game 1 with a battered captain in Nicklas Lidstrom and will possibly be without top-point man, number one center and powerplay machine Pavel Datsyuk for the start of the series. Despite the depth and experience of Detroit, Hossa's words will come back to bite him as the Penguins will raise their 3rd Stanley Cup banner to the rafters of the Igloo.

Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games.

'Bout Time: Calgary Cans Keenan

“My expectation is to be here to fulfill my contract.” said Flames coach Mike Keenan following the team's second consecutive first round exit last month. However, his expectations were not the same of the expectations that truly matter, Flames GM Darryl Sutter. Today, Sutter relived Keenan of his coaching duties after just 2 seasons in the Stampede City. The Flames GM went on to say in his statement "We believe this is a necessary change required to allow our team to continue toward our objective of winning the Stanley Cup".

Despite the Flames impressive 88-60-16 record under Keenan, there was simply no excuse for the team's lack of playoff success. The Flames have gone just 5-8 with Keenan behind the bench in the NHL Playoffs, failing to make it beyond the Western Conference Quarterfinals in both seasons. The 2007-08 Playoffs created an even larger controversy in Calgary when Keenan pulled starting goaltender Miikka Kipprusoff out of the game late in the 2nd period of Game 7 in favor for Curtis Joseph, killing any chance of a Flames comeback. Kipper wasn't alone, as Keenan's rumored dispute with Alex Tanguay's style of play led to the left-winger waiving his no-trade clause in favor for a trade to Montreal.

Calgary was the 8th stop for Keenan, who's only Stanley Cup Championship came with the legendary 1994 New York Rangers. The future is undoubtedly uncertain for the former Boston coach, and for good reason. It's very possible that Keenan is becoming 'out of sync' with the current NHL standards of coaching a team towards another Stanley Cup considering the constant evolution of the way hockey is played.

Keenan may have the reputation of being a "no nonsense" style of coach, but it's no longer 1994. He's not coaching Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and Adam Graves anymore. His totalitarian attitude towards his players simply doesn't work on a team of veterans and guys who have "been there before" and/or make millions of dollars. The group of proven NHLers in the Flames line-up simply didn't respond to being treated as if they were minor leaguers being taught a lesson of how to perform, and Keenan had to go.

Flames GM Darryl Sutter, who certainly has to be feeling the hinges off his job security loosening has yet to name a replacement for Iron Mike. With 3 jobs now officially open for the job of NHL head coach in Minnesota, Edmonton and now Calgary, options for a boss behind the bench may become a bidding war.

A name that should intrigue any Flames fan is Peter Laviolette. Winning the Stanley Cup is something Laviolette has experienced before, when he coached the Carolina Hurricanes to a 7 game Stanley Cup series win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. Laviolette's track record is more than acceptable, as he's also been the coach of the United States Olympic hockey team and was at one point the U.S's winningest head coach in NHL history. Laviolette's fast and aggressive style may just be what the Flames need, as they were consistently out-skated by the Blackhawks in their 1st round loss. However, Laviolette's services are definitely going to be a hot commodity among other teams without coaches.

Next to Laviolette, a good option for the Calgary Flames could be former Bruins coach Mike Sullivan, who's currently serving as an assistant under Rick Tocchet's staff in Tampa Bay. Sullivan's success as a head coach came with the Boston Bruins in 2003-04, where he coached the team to a Northeast Division title only to be eliminated in the 1st round by the Montreal Canadiens. Following the lockout, Sullivan's Bruins struggled and went from first to last in the division. However, Sullivan should not be held at fault for the struggles of the 2005-06 Bruins, who came into out of the lockout completely unprepared and eventually traded their captain during the season.

However, there's no doubting that Darryl Sutter's brother and coach of the New Jersey Devils, Brent is also in the running for the job behind the Flames bench. Despite being under contract with the Devils, Brent Sutter has expressed his longing to be back in Alberta. A longing that can be changed by his own brother. However, Brent has stated before that he wouldn't like to be under the spotlight of his hometown by coaching the Flames, nor would he want to work under his brother. Surely the speculation will run rampant until a replacement is announced, but Brent Sutter and Darryl Sutter's connection could possibly lead to a family reunion in Calgary.

After these three options, the choices become unlikely and if you ask me, possibly undeserving. Michel Therrien, who was fired by the Pittsburgh Penguins after a sluggish start and lack of consistency in February is sure to be a name that's thrown around. However, Therrien's lack of playoff success could be a turn-off for the Flames considering why Keenan was fired. Ted Nolan, who's last coaching job came with the New York Islanders in the 2007-08 season is also a very unlikely, but possible choice. Another unlikely choice is former Canadien coach Guy Carbonneau, who was fired late in the season by Canadiens GM Bob Gainey.

Keenan's ousting in Calgary is just beginning of a re-tooling in Calgary. The Flames will have 11.4 million dollars to spend in this year's market if the NHL salary cap is to stay the same. They'll have to utilize this money to either re-sign free agents such Adrian Aucoin, Michael Cammalleri and Todd Bertuzzi notably, or move the team towards becoming younger and faster. With the interviewing for a coaching position due next, we will certainly get an idea of where the Calgary Flames are heading as a franchise just by Keenan's yet to be determined replacement.

A Possible Three's A Crowd: The Hamilton Coyotes?

Following the debacle that the possible sale of the Phoenix Coyotes has become, NHL fans keep hearing the mentioning of just one city: Hamilton, Ontario. For those of you who are not so geographically-savy, Hamilton is in the southern area of Ontario, in between Toronto and close to Buffalo, New York. Poising the question, will 3 NHL franchises within an hour of one another be too much?

The perennial NHL loser Phoenix Coyotes, found themselves among the bottom of the Western Conference and out of the playoffs for the 6th consecutive year. Another year where the Coyotes struggled yet again to put a winning product on the ice and fans in stands of the Jobing.com Arena. On top of missing the playoffs, the Coyotes have never advanced past the 1st round in their 13 year history in Phoenix. Their lack of success has undoubtedly produced a lack of serious fans in a questionable hockey market as the Coyotes ownership failed to make a profit for yet another season.

2008-09 was yet another trying year for the Coyotes franchise, as the team faltered so did the ownership's bid of climbing out of the red and into the black. The financial woes of the Phoenix Coyotes were disguised quite well, until a story leaked stating that the NHL had been giving advances in revenue sharing to the Phoenix Coyotes to help the team avoid bankruptcy. Since then, it's been reported that the Coyotes received 80+ million dollars from the NHL in order to avoid massive losses. It's also been rumored that 'Yotes owner Jerry Moyes was at one point buying 1,000 seats to every home game to avoid large losses; a practice reportedly stopped by NHL authorities. The struggling franchise then hit their lowest of lows when on May 5th, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Following the filing of bankruptcy, the news of Canadian tycoon Jim Balsillie offering to purchase the Coyotes franchise for an estimated 200+ million dollars off Jerry Moyes broke, an offer which Moyes reportedly accepted. The name of Jim Balsillie is nothing new to NHL executives, he's the same man who attempted to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, all with the same intention: moving the team to Hamilton. As both attempts by Balsillie were blocked by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, stating that the relocating of the Predators or Penguins franchise was out of the question during Balsillie's bids, Bettman has proved to be willing to move the Coyotes out of Glendale, Arizona and into a market hungry for hockey.

There's no doubting that Hamilton is perhaps the most suitable location, but whether it's most deserving is another question. They possess the biggest advantage and perhaps biggest potential issue for any other city vying for a team: an active NHL ready stadium. Copps Coliseum, an arena currently used by the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate, is a more than capable arena for NHL standards. The Coliseum, can seat up to 17,360 for hockey games and offers an additional parking garage for fans. Ultimately this gives an advantage to the city of Hamilton, who's original motive behind building the Copps Coliseum was to attract an NHL team to their city.

However, they're not the only ones in the hunt for a team. Winnipeg, which is ironically where the Jets left to become the Phoenix Coyotes has expressed their desire to the NHL to bring hockey back to the 'Peg. Despite the demolition of the Winnipeg Arena, the city of Winnipeg feels that the MTS Centre who acts as home to the Manitoba Moose, the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate. The arena located in the heart of downtown Winnipeg currently holds just over 15,000 fans at full capacity, which would make it the smallest arena in the NHL today. However with the NHL's return to Winnipeg, tickets would undoubtedly be in demand and a packed house would only mean good things. Demand is nothing new to the MTS Centre, as a 2008 poll by Pollstar Magazine stated that the arena was the 19th busiest in the world; 3rd busiest in Canada.

Although they may not hold the arena capacity advantage, Winnipeg has the biggest advantage in their corner: the backing of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The head of the NHL has repeatedly stated his own preference of Winnipeg over Hamilton. Bettman has even used the age of Copps Coliseum as a reason not to bring a franchise to Hamilton, stating the fact that the arena was over 25 years old was working against Hamilton's bid for a franchise.

Personally, both cities presents intriguing options considering both are brimming with eagerness towards putting their city on the NHL's map of relevancy. Hamilton's advantage lies within the backing of a multi-billionaire while Winnipeg owns the nostalgic advantage and support of Gary Bettman. As interesting as bringing an NHL team to Hamilton would be, the idea of Winnipeg regaining a hockey team they never should have lost is sure to be a lift to the NHL. Not to mention Hamilton is directly between Buffalo and Toronto, creating a triangle of NHL franchises within an hour of eachother, which would undoubtedly create change for divisonal alignments. I'm rooting for the return of the Winnipeg Jets, after all, who wouldn't want to see the return of the original white-out? Pittsburgh has nothing on Winnipeg.

The downfall of the Phoenix Coyotes had to be expected, especially when your "Save The Coyotes" rally draws only 100 people. In a state that already has an NFL, MLB and NBA team, the introduction of hockey club to the desert was simply not to be. As the battle for the sale of the 'Yotes are heading towards deliberations for a June court date, for once, the eyes of NHL fans will be on the Coyotes.

The Walking Wounded

Not often is a number 1st seeded team losing to a 6th seeded team considering acceptable, but maybe this news can heal up the wound a little bit faster. It was revealed today during the players and coaches "wrap-up" day at the TD Banknorth Garden that many of the Bruins were suffering from more than just minor injuries.

In front of the media today, Phil Kessel revealed that he had played through the final leg of the regular season and through the entire playoffs with a torn rotator cuff. However, the injuries didn't just end there for the 21 year old Wisconsin native as he was also suffering from a torn labrum. The news came as a shock to Bruins fans considering Kessel's strong play in the playoffs. In 11 games, Kessel scored 6 goals and finished with 11 points and a +7.

Perhaps the biggest name joining Kessel in surgery is fellow-restricted-free-agent-about-to-be David Krejci. Krejci, the Bruins 2nd highest scorer suffered a hip injury during the NHL Playoffs. Like Kessel, Krejci is expected to miss 4-6 months recovering.

It appears that with both Kessel and Krejci out for what could be 6 months, that their stock has certainly dropped. However, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli is approaching the situation no differently heading into contract negotiations with two key components of the Boston Bruins future. "As far as their contracts go, I don't see anything being different, other than the fact that they probably won't be playing when the team starts," Chiarelli said. Despite Chiarelli's claim of going into the negotiations no differently, these injuries may have luckily scared some offer sheets from other teams off the table, creating a favorable break for the Bruins.

Along with these major injuries, it was revealed that Chuck Kobasew played through 2 broken ribs, Milan Lucic played through a broken toe, Marc Savard played in Game 7 with a sprained knee, and Zdeno Chara played through a shoulder and knee injury. Then you add in the Bruins obvious injuries to Andrew Ference, who'll have surgery later next month, Matt Hunwick and Marco Sturm and the Bruins were truly the most injury-riddled team in the NHL Playoffs. This is by no means making an excuse for the Bruins lack of intensity in their series against Carolina, but it's a definite indicator as to why they struggled.

Perhaps the only good news coming out of these revelations is what doors it can open for the 2009-10 Boston Bruins. It's now possible that with both Kessel and Krejci going to be rebounding from injuries that they will no longer command the 4.5+ million dollars a season due to the potential issue of becoming injury prone. This could leave enough to cap room to possibly bring back winger Mark Recchi, who at the age of 41 may not be done yet. This could also put the Bruins in the favorable position of not having to trade Marco Sturm due to his rather large salary, giving the Bruins a potentially even more dangerous line-up heading into the 2009-10 season.

Despite losing, the resiliency of the Bruins throughout these major injuries showed the unwillingness of this team to lay down and die, even when they were down 3 games to 1. Their bodies may not have held up their 7 game series loss, but there's no doubting that their heart was as strong as ever.

Sweet Home Chicago: B's Fans Should Root For 'Hawks

With the Boston Bruins out of picture, Bruins fans are finding themselves in search of a new team to root for. With just four teams left in the chase to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup, the options are simple. Two in the East, two in the West. Simple, right? Oh, quite different.

In the Eastern Conference, the favorite to advance to the Stanley Cup has to be the Pittsburgh Penguins. They're led by the "face" of the NHL in Sidney Crosby and their talent stretches roster deep. This is the Penguins 2nd consecutive trip to the Conference Finals. Despite losing key pieces of their 2007-08 Cup run in Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa the Penguins fought their way back near the top of the East under at-the-time interim head coach Dan Byslma. If Crosby can continue to lead the way with his incredible playoff play, the Penguins odds to advance are quite high.

Just because they're the favorites, doesn't mean Bruins fans should root for them. Most Bruins/fans-of-teams-outside-of-Pittsburgh fans can't stand Sidney Crosby, myself included and still don't want to see him raise a Stanley Cup at the age of 21. Perhaps the one thing the Penguins had going for them with Bruins fans was the fact that former Bruin and Massachusetts native Billy Guerin was on their roster..then you look and see so is Hal Gill. Not only that, but they're not too far removed from a Stanley Cup Championship (1990-91 and 1991-92). I'm still not ready to cheer for a city who was a contract signing away from losing their hockey team to the city of Kansas City.

Opposing them are the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that broke, crushed, put back together and then re-broke the hearts of the Boston Bruins to get there. Like Pittsburgh, their push to the Conference Finals was led by the introduction of a new coach. However, for Carolina, this "new" coach was a familiar face in Paul Maurice. Maurice was the coach of the Hartford Whalers when they became the Carolina Hurricanes, and stayed with the 'Canes all the way until he was fired 30 games into the 2003-04 season. Under Maurice, the Hurricanes went on a torrid tear through the NHL, finishing with the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Although the wound is still fresh, the Hurricanes aren't necessarily a hate-worthy team. They simply outworked the top seeded team in the Eastern Conference with team-work, hard-work and never giving up. Even when their team was on the brink of elimination against the New Jersey Devils, the heartbeat of the Carolina Hurricanes simply wouldn't die. A sentimental note for those interested in the 'Canes is the fact that Boston villain Scott Walker's wife was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer, adding an emotional touch into the 'Canes drive to their 2nd cup in 4 years. Despite the emotions, the arrogance of Eric Staal, Paul Maurice and Jussi Jokinen along with 18,000 cowbells (a criminal offence if you ask me) deem the 'Canes unworthy of your root. Plus, they just won it, nobody likes seeing a hard-to-market hockey market raise the Cup twice in a decade.

Out in the Western Conference, it's down to two Original Six rivals: the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. The Detroit Red Wings come into the series as the favorite to win not only the West, but also the Cup. The Red Wings have won 4 of their 11 Stanley Cups within the past 14 years. They only got better over the off-season by adding top-prize free agent Marian Hossa and Pittsburgh back-up Ty Conklin.

Their dominance over the NHL has grown tiresome. The octopus has been played, and their playoff slogan of "The Beard is Back" is just ridiculous. The ridiculous-ness lies within the idea that you can argue that "the Beard" never left considering the Detroit Red Wings haven't missed the NHL Playoffs since the 1989-90 NHL season. Even if the Motor City's economy is collapsing due to Ford's continuing downfall, you won't see me rooting for the Wings to add another Stanley Cup banner to their rafters. They have enough.

Going up against the Red Wings are the Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago, much like Boston, is going through a revitalization of hockey within their city. Night in and night out this season the United Center (and even Wrigley Field) was packed with red, black and white. There was no arena in the NHL outside of Montreal that had better attendance than the Chicago Blackhawks and the future keeps growing brighter and brighter.

Before the Rocky Wirtz era began, the team was ran (very poorly) by Rocky's father, Bill. Bill, was a notoriously cheap owner who made controversial moves such as blacking out all Blackhawk home games unless they were national televised, something that never happened and created his own Pay-Per-View network where Hawks fans would have to subscribe for 30 dollars a month in order to watch their favorite team. There was no doubt that the elder Wirtz thrifty ways surely left scorn on to 'Hawks fans everywhere. When Bill Wirtz lost his battle to cancer, the new era of the Blackhawks officially took over.

The Blackhawks are the epitome of a up and coming team. Their off-season was headlined by the additions of Cristobal Huet and puck-moving defensemen Brian Campbell, adding a mix of youth and experience into their line-up. Since then, the Hawks have taken off, registering their 1st 100+ point season for the first time since 1992-93. Like the Penguins and Hurricanes, the Blackhawks went through a coaching change just 9 games into the NHL season, firing Denis Savard and replacing him with Joel Quenneville, a coach who's only missed the playoffs once in 13 seasons of coaching at the NHL level.

The Blackhawks are led by captain Jonathan Toews, who provides phenomenal leadership ability at a young age. Along side Toews, is the first American born player to be taken with the number 1 overall pick, Patrick Kane. Kane has had a phenomenal playoffs thus far, making Roberto Luongo look absolutely foolish in the Blackhawks 6-game series win over the Vancouver Canucks. Undoubtedly the biggest reason for Bruins fans to root for the Blackhawks is the empathy and similarities they share with Chicago fans. Bruins fans know what it's like to have a fan proclaimed "selfish" owner and be stuck in neutral as an organization for several years. Both cities hockey scenes are now alive and out of the bottom of the Conference standings, but still without a Cup. Chicago is currently on their 48th year without a Stanley Cup, the 1960-61 season being the last in which the Blackhawks raised a banner.

The Blackhawks as stated before, are a young team mixed with a group of veterans in a city regaining their love for hockey who are trying to end the significant drought of a Stanley Cup Championship, sound familiar? It's time to pack away that Tim Thomas shirt in favor for a a Nikolai Khabibulin t-shirt as for Bruins fans, the Chicago Blackhawks are the clear choice as to who to root for in this years Stanley Cup chase.

As One Chapter Ends, The Next Chapter Begins

The night is darkest just before the dawn. Perhaps there was no darker end to the Boston Bruins season as it was on Thursday night. When Hurricanes winger and Boston villain Scott Walker ended the Bruins quest for their 1st Stanley Cup in 37 years, Boston fans fell silent and rally towels littered the ice. Despite the rally cries of "We Want It!", the "Believe" signs and the crowd singing along to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" it simply wasn't to be for the 2008-2009 Boston Bruins. However, as this season ends, it's just the beginning of the Bruins bright future.

2008-09 was the year of the Bruins, they dominated almost every team in the NHL and finished with 50+ wins for the first team since the 1992-93 season. They added veteran Mark Recchi at the trading deadline who contributed nicely, losing just Martins Karsums along with Matt Lashoff, who was never really destined for great things in Boston due to the emergence of Matt Hunwick. Along with Hunwick, Czech center David Krejci had a phenomenal breakout year, who's 73 point season and effectiveness as a special teams threat earned him the Boston Bruins 7th Player Award. 2008-09 also marked the year of continuing development of hulking winger Milan Lucic, Phil Kessel and perhaps the most surprising Byron Bitz.

With 2008-09 officially done for the Bruins, it's time to look towards the future.

First off, one of the bigger questions the Bruins have to address is their free agency situation. Both David Krejci and Phil Kessel are the headliners of the Boston Bruins list of restricted free agents. As the case with all restricted free agents, if a player is to accept an offer sheet from another team, depending on the salary the Bruins receive draft picks from that team as compensation. It's safe to say that Kessel and Krejci should command and earn around the 9 million dollar mark between the two of them, but anything more raises interesting questions.

I think it's safe to pencil in David Krejci for a 4 year contract at 4.5 a season, perhaps a little bit more with added incentives. Krejci is definitely the higher priority of the Bruins if you ask me as at just 22, he's already showing signs of becoming a true number one center in the NHL. There's no doubting that his potential is only going up. Whereas Kessel, despite his ability to often make goalies and defensemen look foolish is too inconsistent to command more than money that Krejci. However, due to both players strong post-season play it's possible that they both of their stocks have just raised.

If either player is to go, it'd be due to another team offering big time money. In which case, it's likely that the compensation would be for over 5 million dollars a season. Which would force the other team to send the Bruins at least their 1st, 2nd and 3rd round picks. Ultimately, if it boils down to it, if Kessel leaving the Bruins brings you in multiple high draft picks, I'm not going to lose sleep thinking that the Bruins had made a terrible choice.

Besides Kessel and Krejci, Bruins defensemen Matt Hunwick and Saskatoon native Byron Bitz are also restricted free agents. Both Hunwick and Bitz made strong strides towards becoming NHL ready players, however neither are ready for big money. In all likelihood, both should sign for around the 850-900 thousand mark, the only difference being that their contracts should become 1-way deals, making them have to go through waivers before getting them sent down to Providence, making them likely to stay with Boston all-season long.

Along with these restricted free agents, the Bruins have an older crop of unrestricted free agents they need to address as well. Headlining this list is life-long Bruin P.J Axelsson, who set career highs in virtually every category this season. Axelsson's current salary cap hit sits at 1.8 million dollars a season, however with the Bruins having to re-sign Kessel and Krejci and the NHL salary cap expected to stay at the same amount of money (if not go down), it's unlikely Chiarelli and Co. will be able to give the Swedish forward and penalty-killing machine a raise, let alone his current salary.

Next in line would have to be the depth guys, such as Stephane Yelle and Shane Hnidy. Both Hnidy and Yelle, provide veteran presences on the lower lines for cheap money. If Yelle and Hnidy can be re-signed for the same amount of money (750k) a piece, then it's probably likely to see them both back with the Bruins. However, this could change if the Bruins decide to hand the reins of 4th line center to Vladimir Sobotka, and 7th defensemen to Johnny Boychuk, who had a very strong year for Providence in the AHL.

Perhaps the biggest question mark is the future of Mark Recchi. Recchi is still a capable NHL player even at the age of 41, but his contract up and his future is uncertain. It's likely that the 5'10 winger with over 1,400 career points will retire, but it's also possible that his thirst to continue playing is still alive and well. If he can be brought back for the same price tag, it's likely that the Bruins will do whatever they can within their power to keep Recchi with the Bruins to provide added veteran presence.

The "automatics" to not return to the Bruins have to be Steve "Watch Me Create A Turnover" Montador and Manny Fernandez. Montador truly never wow'd Bruins fans as he often created turnovers within his own zone and looked to be over-thinking every aspect of the game. Fernandez, who missed over a month due to a back injury, is on the fence on whether he wants to retire or continue playing. The opportunity will surely be there for Fernandez to play as a platoon goalie in Colorado, Ottawa, Detroit or even Philadelphia but there's simply no room for him in Boston as Tuukka Rask looks ready to step into the NHL.

With the NHL having a salary cap, it's unlikely that no cap-saving deals will be made. The 3 players that stick out the most as potential trade-baits to "cap crunch" are Patrice Bergeron, Marco Sturm and Aaron Ward. All players make over 2 million dollars and could be dealt if it means keeping the Bruins under the NHL salary cap. Ward's veteran presence on defense is greatly appreciated, making it unlikely that he'll be traded on account of his veteran know-how. However, the Bruins performed very well without 2007-08's leading goal scoring Marco Sturm, who missed most of the season with a knee injury and is most likely to be dealt if need be.

With the Bruins done until October, one thing's for sure, it's going to be an interesting summer.

Cowardly 'Cane Dodges Suspension

Come on up, take a spin on the Colin Campbell Wheel of Penalties. As if the inconsistencies of the NHL's first round didn't drive you crazy enough, there's more. Sure, Campbell served out some rightful justice by suspending Donald Brashear for his Game 6 actions against the New York Rangers, but that doesn't right all the wrongs he's made thus far in the NHL Playoffs. Perhaps his biggest mistake was made today, as we were informed that Hurricanes forward Scott Walker will in fact, not be suspended for Game 6 against Boston.

Last night during the Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 5 in Boston, with just over 2 minutes left in the game Scott Walker gave Aaron Ward a clear as day sucker punch. Ward, obviously wasn't willing to engage in a fight and in my opinion wasn't expecting the punch. As Ward dropped to the ice due to the punch, mayhem ensued as Milan Lucic gave it his all to get his hands on Walker. Walker was assessed a 5 minute major (As was Ward somehow, how you get a 5 minute major for fighting when you don't throw a punch is beyond me, but hey, who am I, right?), 2 minute minor for instigating and 10 minute misconduct. As NHL rules state, a player who gets the instigator penalty within 5 minutes of the game's end is subject to a one game suspension from the following game. However, the NHL rulebook means nothing to NHL V.P Colin Campbell.

Campbell decided to rescind the suspension issued to Walker, and instead hit him with a 2,500 dollar fine. Essentially, that's nothing to a guy who makes 2.5 million dollars a season. I'm sure that 1% loss of his salary will really teach him a lesson, good job Campbell. Perhaps the part that gets me most angry as a hockey fan is the fact that Ward's status for Game 6 is unknown as it's possible he suffered a broken orbital bone on the punch, meanwhile that coward known as Scott Walker gets to play. Perhaps even more sickening than the actual punch itself, is the quotes coming out of the Carolina camp today.

“Scott probably has sore knuckles,” 'Canes coach Paul Maurice said following the 4-0 loss last night. Funny, considering if the roles were reversed and Shawn Thornton were to strike Joe Corvo, Dennis Seidenberg or Joni Pitkanen in the face you know Maurice wouldn't be cracking jokes. However, the yapping from Carolina doesn't just end with Maurice; "After our team received several punches throughout the series leading up to Game 5, it was a matter of time before one was going to be thrown back." said Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford. I'd honestly love to know what 'punches' he's referring to as the Bruins haven't gotten into any fights before Game 5 and there's been little to no face-washing in this entire series.

There's no doubt that the Hub of Hockey is surely frustrated with Campbell's ruling considering his recent disciplinarian actions against Milan Lucic in the first round of the playoffs. If you recall, Lucic was suspended for a "forceful blow to the head" of Canadiens center and pest Maxim Lapierre. One must ask, how was Walker's punch to the face not deemed forceful?

However, don't expect the man in red wearing the number 24 to get off easy tomorrow night. He's angered the entire Bruins roster and will surely have a target on his back. On top of Walker's actions, another player likely to be targeted for trashings and hard hits by the Black and Gold is Jussi Jokinen, who's slash to the back of Zdeno Chara's leg gave a scare to the entire Bruins roster, coaches and fans. As the Bruins are to commit their clean, but swift action of vigilante justice one thing's for sure, this series has officially gotten nasty, and it couldn't have happened at a better time.

To Believe, Or Not To Believe

Well, it's official. The Boston Bruins back's are up against the proverbial wall. There's no tomorrow for the Bruins if they don't win tonight's Game 5 showdown at the TD Banknorth Garden; As with just one more loss against the Carolina Hurricanes the Bruins will be knocked out of the series 4 games to 1. However, all faith should not be lost as this task albeit daunting, is not impossible. In fact, it's already been done once so far in this year's playoffs. For all you doubters, here are your reasons to "Believe in the B" for Game 5 and the rest of the series.

Firstly, the powerplay cold streak has been snapped. The Bruins went into Friday night's Game 4 going 0 for their last 16 powerplay attempts, but broke that with a Marc Savard powerplay goal. With Boston's playoff lives on the line expect to see Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic trying to direct the tip-in's in front of the red hot Ward. The Bruins also possess veteran know how. Aaron Ward has been apart of 3 Stanley Cup winning teams. Mark Recchi and Stephane Yelle are right behind Ward with 2 Stanley Cup rings of their own. Their presence and leadership are welcomed greatly in what could be a nerve-filled locker room. However, there's also 10 players in the Carolina locker room with Stanley Cup experience.

Also, somewhat expected turn of events has occurred: Tim Thomas and the rest of the Bruins are beginning to have a hatred for the 'Canes. It's been said by the Vezina trophy finalist that he's developed a hatred for the Raleigh based franchise and when the Bruins get angry, they pick up their intensity. (See: Dallas Stars game in November, April 9th vs. Montreal and January 13th vs. Montreal.). The Bruins are also at home, there was no team better at home in the Eastern Conference than the Boston Bruins during the 2008-09 season. With 17,565 screaming fans behind them, the Bruins will surely have some added fire and fury in their step. If all goes accordingly, the Bruins could be back in Boston for a Game 7.

One of the biggest factors going into tonight is the fact that they've been here before. Just last year, the Bruins found themselves in a 3-1 hole against the first seeded Montreal Canadiens. They fought back to bring the series to a decisive Game 7, despite losing it showed the heart in the Boston Bruins. The heart of the 2008-09 Boston Bruins has yet to be seen, and with a much more talented roster this season it'll be interesting to see how they come out tonight.

Perhaps the largest mind-block that the Bruins need to get over in order to win is that contrary to popular belief, Cam Ward can be beat. The Carolina net-minder has been virtually unbeatable over the past 3 games, or at least it's appeared that way. However, the Bruins have put minimal pressure on the 25 year old Saskatoon native. Outside of the 16 shot 3rd period of Game 2, Ward hasn't faced more than 10 shots in a period. It's time for Kessel, Recchi, Ryder, Krejci, and Chara to fire away and make Ward uncomfortable in between the iron.

Wheeler In, Ference Out: Game 4 Preview

With the Bruins 4 hours away from dropping the puck in essentially must win game Game 4 against the Carolina Hurricanes, it's confirmed that Blake Wheeler will in fact play. Despite the good news, the Bruins were hit with bad and somewhat expected news as Andrew Ference will not suit up and play tonight. It appears that Ference re-aggravated the lower body injury that he sustained in an April 4th matinee against the New York Rangers.

Ference, a mainstay on the Bruins 2nd defensive pairing and alternate captain missed all of the 1st round against Montreal before returning in Game 1 against Carolina. Ference was a +1 in the first 3 games of the series, and was averaging over 15 minutes on ice per game. Although the lost of Ference is surely what the Bruins don't need at this point in the series, there's no need to count them out for Game 4, and the rest of the series for that matter as the "Sheriff" Shane Hnidy will step in for Ference.

Hnidy has played in just 3 of the Bruins playoff games so far, scoring 1 goal and providing more physicality into the Bruins defense. The Bruins have won all 3 games in which Hnidy has dressed, and Hnidy himself has a +2 in the playoffs. He comes into tonight's game averaging a little under 15 minutes per game, making Ference's subtraction from the line-up and Hnidy's addition a fair trade off.

One of the biggest tasks on hand for the Boston Bruins to succeed will be playing defense as a cohesive unit. In Game 3, the Bruins defense struggled greatly to contain Eric Staal and the rest of the 'Canes high powered offense. As the Bruins defense focuses on containing Staal, they must keep an eye on the 'Canes secondary scoring. Jussi Jokinen is quietly having a Conn Smyth-worthy post-season, Carolina's top defensive pairing of Joni Pitkanen and Joe Corvo have been tallying up the points and Ray Whitney and Chad Larose have proved to be great line-mates for Eric Staal. Considering Mark Stuart's strong play throughout the entire playoffs, expect to see the Stuart and Hnidy pairing log some serious minutes in their effort to stop Carolina early and often.

For tonight's game, the biggest key will be putting the pressure on Cam Ward early. As demonstrated in Game 1, the Bruins rattled Wardo early and went on to win 4-1. Since then, the 25 year old Saskatoon native has been automatic. He's 2-0 with a .966 SV% in game's 1 and 2 and is looking to follow up with yet another strong performance in front of the hometown crowd. Although Ward's stats thus far have been impressive, he has yet to face the full pressure of the Boston offense. Boston's 0-9 on the powerplay in this series, and as stated before have been out shot in 7 out of the 10 periods of play in the series; truly an unusual position for the NHL's 2nd best scoring team behind the Detroit Red Wings. With tonight's game being a phenomenal chance for the Bruins to tie this series up before heading back to Boston and the 17,000+ yellow towels waving for them expect this to be the biggest test for the Bruins heart.

Wheeler Doubtful For Game 4

The Boston Bruins may have just caught a lucky break. It appears that rookie winger Blake Wheeler will be out for tomorrow night's game between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes. Late in the 2nd period, Wheeler dropped down and blocked a shot. Although successful, the 22 year old was unable to escape the incident without injury. Wheeler played through the rest of the game and into the overtime period, but appeared afflicted by the apparent injury. His intensity was not there, neither was his physical presence.

Granted, Wheeler has never truly been a physical presence but it definitely appeared that something was off. Despite Wheeler being one of the bright spots of the Boston Bruins season, his possible absence in Game 4 may be just what the Bruins need. If Wheeler's to miss tomorrow night's showdown, it's likely that fellow rookie Byron Bitz will step into the Boston line-up. Wheeler has been held off the scoreboard in all 7 of the Bruins playoff games, a disappointing showing from the Robbinsdale, Minnesota native. Meanwhile, Bitz nabbed himself an assist in the 1 playoff game he appeared in.

I've been calling for a Byron Bitz appearance since the conclusion of Game 1 between the Bruins and 'Canes, simply because Blake Wheeler hasn't looked like Blake Wheeler. Number 26 hasn't been as aggressive, tenacious or energetic at getting the puck and creating offensive chances in any of the Bruins post-season games. Whereas Bitz has shown his hunger and eagerness to be playing in the spotlight. With the momentum fully in Carolina's corner, the addition of an eager Byron Bitz and subtraction of what appears to be a gassed Blake Wheeler could be a positive step for the Boston Bruins.

No Time For A Breakdown

I'm sure if you ask any Bruins fan, this isn't how this series was supposed to go. A little less than a half hour ago, the Bruins dropped Game 3 to the Carolina Hurricanes to fall into a 1-2 deficit in the best of 7 series. As Boston's frustration grows like a Tim Thomas playoff beard, we're left asking "What is happening?", or more like "What isn't happening?".

Surely, the Bruins have the edge on the 'Canes in the defensive department, right? Captain Zdeno Chara and Aaron Ward have been an excellent pairing, playing considerably well against the Eric Staal line. However, they can't be out there 60 minutes every game. Steve Montador, a trade deadline pick-up obtained from Anaheim for Petteri Nokelainen has looked absolutely lost out there. He's repeatedly making mistakes in his own zone, misses passes and simply not making passes. Tonight, was perhaps Monty's best example of his playoff incompetence.

In the closing minutes of the 2nd period, the Hurricanes were on a rush up the ice when Steve Montador threw himself down to his knees in an attempt to stop Sergei Samsonov. Not only did this attempt fail, but it actually gave Samsonov an even better shot option. First off Steve, you're not a goalie, you're a defensemen; dropping into the butterfly isn't going to help you. The puck crossed the red line past Tim Thomas and the Hurricanes were up 2-1. As Bruins fans cry out for Shane Hnidy to step in for Montador, it appears they'll get their wish. In a bittersweet way however, as Andrew Ference left the game and did not return which likely means the Steve "The Trainwreck" Montador will remain in the line-up.

It's possible that Aaron Ward said it best during an intermission interview during Game 2 from the Bruins bench, "We're playing pretty, not gritty..and that's not us.". Truer words were never spoken, the Bruins aren't playing as the same grit, claw your way to victory type of team that we've become accustomed to since the season's first game. There's no doubting that Cam Ward is a spectacular goalie, but that doesn't mean every shot taken needs to be a dangle stick attempt from an NHL09 video game. David Krejci, Michael Ryder and Phil Kessel, all key components in the Bruins 4 game sweep of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1st round have all been making attempts at the highlight reel goals rather than the quick wrist shots and passes we've come to expect from them.

An accurate judgement of the Bruins fanciness is the fact that the Bruins have out shot the Hurricanes just 3 out of the 10 periods of play so far. The lack of offensive pressure is inexcusable, as the Bruins continue to sputter on the powerplay as with their 0-2 performance they fall to 0-9 on the powerplay in the series. In fact, they've been terrible in all aspects of their special teams, giving up 1 and a half (I count the fact that it needed to be reviewed in Game 2 as a half goal, but that's a discussion for another day) is disheartening to any team.

The Bruins and 'Canes don't do battle again until Friday night, but I'll be shocked if we don't see some changes for Game 4. It's time for Blake Wheeler to watch the game from the press box as he's shown a lack of consistent effort, especially for someone logging 2nd line forward minutes. It's also a good time to reunite the Axelsson-Savard-Kessel line and drop Lucic down to the Krejci line with Michael Ryder. The 3rd line of Recchi-Bergeron-Kobasew has been the hardest working line for the Bruins throughout the 7 playoff games, therefore there's no need to break up this group. With Axelsson onto the 1st line, you simply slide Bitz onto the 4th line with veteran face-off man Stephane Yelle and the bruising Shawn Thornton.

The pressure's all on Boston heading into Game 4, the Hurricanes have the advantage of 18,000 Caniacs sure to make life difficult for the Boston Bruins and the lead in the series. The keys to a Bruins win are recognizing the Hurricanes offensive weapons not named Eric Staal; Jussi Jokinen is quietly having a spectacular postseason full of clutch goals and playmaking. Also, send a message to Carolina that this is not going to be a walk in the park. Don't let them run into Thomas, don't even let them get near Thomas. They've taken enough liberties on the Vezina favorite, and for Bobby Orr's sake, play 60 minutes of hockey.

Michael Ryder: The Boston Bruins X-Factor

On July 1st, the Bruins struck out on landing right-winger Marian Hossa. The rumored max-level contract offered to Hossa didn't quite work out for him as he chose to instead sign with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Rather than going after another top tier player, the Bruins instead made an offer to a familiar foe. Michael Ryder, a 29 year old Newfoundland native ended his career in le blue, blanc et rouge to sign with the Boston Bruins for 3 years at 4 million dollars a season.

The price was oft criticized following a significantly sub-par season for Ryder, who scored 14 goals and finished with just 31 points in 70 games for the Montreal Canadiens. Early in Ryder's career, he became one of Montreal's most powerful powerplay weapons. In Ryder's first 2 seasons, under at-the-time Habs coach Claude Julien, Ryder scored 118 points total in these 2 years, including a total of 55 points on the powerplay. Despite performing well under Guy Carbonneau in the 2006-07 season, 2007-08 was a polar opposite for Ryder as he found himself a healthy scratch in 5 of the Canadiens 9 playoff games.

Despite the poor season, GM Peter Chiarelli and Claude Julien were confident they could return the sniper to this high level of play he established in his career. The signing looked good from the beginning, as Ryder put up 5 points in his first 4 games as a Bruin. However, Ryder went through his cold streaks, showing his inconsistency. Ryder would often get as cold as he would hot, going scoreless in as many as 4 games but follow that up by scoring in bunches.

As the playoffs approached, Boston looked to Ryder to be that 2nd line scoring threat the Bruins hoped he would become. Ryder didn't disappoint. In the series against Montreal, Ryder posted 7 points in 4 games. As the Bruins eliminated the Montreal Canadiens, helped in part by Michael's 2 points, the former Hab felt avenged as he scored his 4th goal of the playoffs, 1 more than he ever scored in 17 career playoff games as Canadien. Ryder doesn't appear to be done, as in Friday night's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals Ryder scored another goal and added an assist in the 4-1 rout of the Hurricanes, continuing the idea that Ryder is the Bruins x-factor to success in their quest for the cup. Currently, Ryder is tied for 2nd in the NHL for points in the playoffs, tied with Penguins star Sidney Crosby.