Report: Bruins & Phil Kessel Done Negotiating

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.

Odd Manny Out: Where Will Fernandez Sign?

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).

Bruins, Datsyuk Look To Hit Jackpot In Vegas

It's been just 6 days since the Pittsburgh Penguins won their 3rd Stanley Cup in franchise history when they beat the Detroit Red Wings in a phenomenal Game 7. The NHL off-season moves fast, and sometimes too fast when you look where we already are: the eve of the NHL Awards Ceremony in Las Vegas. 2009 marks the first time that the award ceremony has been moved from the annual location in downtown Toronto to the City of Sin. The 2009 Awards Ceremony has also put the limelight on new and interesting faces on the rise in the NHL.

The race for the Calder Memorial Trophy was led by one amazing goaltender out of Columbus, Steve Mason. The 21 year old 'tender out of Oakville, Ontario went 33-20-7 with a 2.29 GAA and a league leading 10 shut-outs. Opposing Mason for the Calder are wingers Bobby Ryan and Kris Versteeg. Versteeg, who was obtained from Boston in a 2006-07 (now regrettable) trade where the Bruins acquired just Brandon Bochenski in exchange for Versteeg has had a more than solid season for the 'Hawks. Versteeg scored 22 goals along with 31 assists and finished with a +15 in his first full NHL season. In Anaheim, the potential of the Ducks 2005 first round selection is just beginning to become reality as Bobby Ryan put together an incredibly strong season despite his journey beginning in the AHL. Ryan went on to score 31 goals in just 64 games for Anaheim and became a serious power-play weapon for the Ducks push to the playoffs. Despite the note-worthy playoff performances of both Versteeg and Ryan, you can't look at the numbers Mason posted as a rookie and not be impressed. When all is said and done, Steve Mason will join the likes of Martin Brodeur, Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito as Calder Trophy-winning goaltenders. My Pick: Steve Mason.

The Nicklas Lidstrom Memorial Trophy, I mean the James Norris Memorial Trophy is given to the NHL player who demonstrates the best play as a blue-liner. Lidstrom, a 6-time winner of the Norris has dominated the competition to say the least, however this year's race may be the tightest Lidstrom has ever competed in. Attempting to knock Lidstrom down are two Eastern Conference defensemen; Capitals d-man and mohawk fan Mike Green and Boston captain Zdeno Chara. Along with setting a new NHL record for the hardest slap-shot during the All-Star Weekend in Montreal, Chara is coming off a strong season where he finished with 50 points and a +23. In Washington, Green set an NHL record when he scored in 8 consecutive games for the Capitals and finished with 31 goals, including 18 powerplay tallies. Despite the reputation of Lidstrom and Green's offensive talent, this trophy's heading back to Boston as Zdeno Chara will join the likes of legendary Boston defensemen such as Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque as he'll bring home the Norris. My Pick: Zdeno Chara.

The Lady Byng Trophy, named after the wife of at-the-time Canada General Governor is awarded to the player who expresses the most "gentlemanly" conduct in the game. This year's nominee's are Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Devils winger Zach Parise and Tampa's Marty St. Louis. My Pick: Zach Parise

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is simply put, the NHL's perseverance award. Cancer survivors such as Jason Blake, Phil Kessel and Saku Koivu have all taken the trophy home in recent years and the awarding of the Trophy is in my opinion, a two-man race. Despite the longevity of Chris Chelios' career, he really wasn't plagued by any injuries or had to over-come anything to find himself in the press box for 44 games this season. This brings it down to Steve Sullivan of the Nashville Predators and Richard Zednik, who both came back from serious injuries to return to the game they love. Sullivan was forced to miss all the 2007-08 campaign due to major back surgery and his return to Nashville was more than welcome this year as he registered 32 points in 41 games for the Preds. Then there's Richard Zednik, who's life was in considerable danger last year when he caught a skate in the jugular and needed to be rushed to a local hospital. My Pick: Steve Sullivan.

The Vezina Trophy is in easy terms: the ultimate award for a goaltender in the National Hockey League. When Martin Brodeur went down in November, the chase for the Vezina blew open. Emerging from this pack as a front runner and favorite was Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. Thomas went 36-11-7 and led the NHL in both GAA and SV%. Opposing him is Columbus phenom Steve Mason (33-20-7) and Wild netminder Niklas Backstrom (37-24-8). Despite Backstrom's anchoring of the Wild and Mason's NHL-leading 10 shutout's, this one's all Thomas. My Pick: Tim Thomas.

The Lester B. Pearson trophy goes towards the NHL player who is considered "most outstanding" by the members of the National Hockey League Players Association. The nominee's are Pittsburgh Penguins and Mrs. Malkin's soup junkie Evgeni Malkin, Caps winger Alex Ovechkin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk. For me, the choice is simple. Malkin's numbers are just undeniable. My Pick: Evgeni Malkin.

The Jack Adams Trophy is the NHL's form of a Coach of the Year award. This year's nominee's include Sharks coach Todd McLellan, Bruins coach Claude Julien and Blues bench-boss Andy Murray. McLellan coached the San Jose Sharks to their President's Trophy in their 18 year history and were seemingly favorites to capture the Stanley Cup but failed to get by the 8th seeded Anaheim Ducks in the 1st round. In Julien's two years with the Bruins, he's brought them from 13th to 8th, and then from 8th to 1st and has done nothing but help the development and get the full potential out of players such as David Krejci, Phil Kessel, Zdeno Chara and Tim Thomas. Behind bench in St. Louis, Murray worked wonders with essentially nothing. The Blues lost their best defensemen Erik Johnson before the season even began and lost top winger Paul Kariya in the first leg of the season but somehow found a way to sneak into the NHL Playoffs with a team effort. My Pick: Andy Murray.

The NHL Foundation Award recognizes the charity efforts of players within their community. This year's nominees are Columbus captain Rick Nash, Kings forward Dustin Brown and Habs leading goal scorer Alex Kovalev. My Pick: Alex Kovalev.

The Frank Selke Trophy is awarded to the forward who excels in the defensive aspects of the game and this year's nominees include two fresh faces: Flyers captain Mike Richards and Canucks center Ryan Kesler. While these two emerging forwards in the NHL look to capture their first Selke, current holder Pavel Datsyuk is looking to bring home the trophy for a 2nd straight season. My Pick: Pavel Datsyuk.

Undoubtedly, the biggest trophy at tonight's festivities in Vegas is the Hart Memorial Trophy. The Hart Trophy is awarded to the player voted to be the most valuable to his team and this year's contest includes three Russian superstars. Defending the Hart Trophy is current holder Alexander Ovechkin who is coming off yet another strong season in the nation's capital where he scored 109 points in 79 games. Opposing him is 2nd time nominee Pens superstar Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk. Despite the strong season of both Datsyuk and Malkin, they are under nearly as much pressure as A.O due to their supporting cast. Ovechkin is without a doubt, the most valuable player to the Washington Capitals and in my opinion, the NHL. My Pick: Alexander Ovechkin.

Ideal Match-ups: Western Conference

In the Western Conference, the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks have already clinched playoff spots and are certain to have the 1 and 2 seeds. This leaves 6 playoff spots remaining for essentially 10 teams in the mix. Consider Chicago and Vancouver locked in for spots, leaving 4 spots to 8 teams. Here's my ideal match ups for the West Conference.

Detroit Red Wings (1 seed) vs. St. Louis Blues (8 seed) - This has been a very one-sided rivalry as of late with the Red Wings dominance over the Central Division along with the rest of the NHL. However, the Blues have been playing great after standing pat at the trading deadline. The history of these teams provide a great stories for a great match-up as the Blues and Red Wings have faced off in the past 28 years more than any other teams besides the Bruins vs. Habs (go figure, right?). Prediction: Red Wings win in 7.

San Jose Sharks (2 seed) vs. Dallas Stars (7 seed) - Another battle of division rivals. The Stars got off to a disastrous start, Marty Turco especially, but has turned back into All-Star form. The absence of Brendan Morrow, Brad Richards and Sergei Zubov could prove too much for the Stars too handle when it comes down to facing off against the San Jose Sharks strong defense. Prediction: Sharks win in 5.

Calgary Flames (3 seed) vs. Vancouver Canucks (6 seed) - Yet another divisional match-up in the West. The Canucks have been nearly untouchable at home and Mats Sundin is starting to play like the guy they payed 5 million dollars for. For the Flames, Olli Jokinen has been on fire since his trade to the Flames but he still has yet to play in a playoff game. Prediction: Canucks win in 7.

Chicago Blackhawks (4 seed) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (5 seed) - The hell with it, let's have 4 divisional match-ups! The battle of the emerging youth. Steve Mason and the Blue Jackets have been on fire in Columbus. Unfortunately for them, the Blackhawks are good on the road and at the United Center. Prediction: Blackhawks win in 6.