I will be travelling for a couple of weeks, so I will be unable to blog or comment for that period. Hence, I just wanted to take the time to quickly weigh in on the upcoming Stanley Cup Final. In Round 3 I went 2-0, bringing my record up to 7-7. This is my chance to end above .500!

There is obviously alot to like about these two teams. Both have gotten solid goaltending. Both have tremendous offense, although I would give Pittsburg a slight advantage there. And both have, for the most part, dominated their opposition through these playoffs. For all the talk of Detroit's experience, to me the real difference lies within the defence. It is an age-old adage, but it is true: defence wins championships. No matter how good the Pens' offense may be, the fact is that Detroit have typically allowed around 20-22 shots per game. And when their defence has faltered, Osgood has been there to bail them out. Furthermore, I just cannot shake the notion that the West is superior to the East, making Detroit's playoff performance all the more impressive to me.

In the end, the bottom line is that I can hardly see myself betting against names like Lidstrom, Chelios and Rafalski. Detroit in 6.

Also, I would like to take the time to thank all of the people who have been commenting on my pieces lately. I realize I do not blog as regularly as I should, the intervals between some of my posts clearly speak to that, so I truly appreciate all of you who read and iniate discussion, it really makes doing this a lot of fun.

In this, the first part of a three part series, I will attempt to get a grasp on the future of Montreal’s key free agents.

Patrice Brisebois (UFA): With the continued emergence of Montreal’s young defence corps, Brisebois could be on the outs next year. The likes of Valetenko and O’Byrne are certainly breathing down his neck, while Streit’s stated preference of playing on the back-end also weighs on Breezer’s future. Having said that, he accepted his limited role in stride this season, showed great character in coming back to the city that essentially booed him out and was a key offensive contributor during the playoffs. Given the tremendous character he has shown, I would love for Brisebois to stick around another year and feel he could bring quality depth to the team, like he did this year.

Michael Ryder (UFA): We all know Ryder is out, but I must admit I find that reality bothersome to a degree. He is exactly the type of player who, with a change of scenery, will regain his scoring touch and come back to haunt Montreal. Then in 5 years we will hear the guys on 110% screaming about how the Habs let go of another good player. Nonetheless, the reality is that he probably does not fit into the team’s plans anymore. Ryder is not a tremendous skater by any stretch and a porous defensive player, so if he is not scoring his use is limited. Also, why, oh lord why, does Ryder ALWAYS elect to deke in the shootout when his strength is his shot? I’m so glad to get that off my chest…

Bryan Smolinski (UFA): He made up for his mediocre season down the stretch and in the playoffs, but that must not cloud our judgement. Smolinski had a mediocre season and was invisible in stretches. Although he has shown that he can make a valuable impact, and he truly did late in the year, it is much more beneficial to attribute his ice time to a younger player.

Mark Streit (UFA): Although he did not have a fantastic run in the post-season, Streit had a breakout campaign. His 62 points speak volumes to his offensive talent and adaptability. There is no doubt that the Canadiens must do everything in his power to retain him. However, given Streit’s stated preference for playing defence, there could be a problem. I cannot see Bob Gainey or Guy Carbonneau guaranteeing him a spot on the blueline, especially with the team’s aforementioned depth at that position. And, for what it is worth, I actually feel that Streit is far better at forward than at defence.

Yann Danis (UFA): Danis never got much of a chance in the big league and its hard to imagine him cracking Montreal’s lineup with Halak or Price in front of him. Even if Halak is moved or goes to Russia, I cannot imagine Montreal going with Danis as their backup. Expect him to explore his options elsewhere.

Josh Gorges (RFA): Gorges was not a fan favourite at first in Montreal, but over the course of the last season he has shown he can be a gritty and solid contributor. I have always felt that patience and time were needed with Gorges, and that is starting to pay off for the team. He does not have much raw skill, but his work ethic and leadership are unquestionable. A must keep for Montreal. Boy that Rivet trade is looking good.

Mikhail Grabovski (RFA): Between his antics (missing a team flight) and the presence of players with similar styles, namely the Kostitsyn brothers, one might think that Grabovski could be used as trade bait this summer. Obviously, it is also possible that he is lured to Russia ala Alexander Perezhogin or that he is simply resigned.

Jaroslav Halak (RFA): Rumours have run rampant for some time that he might head to Russia and he has also expressed is desire for more playing time. This has all the makings of a future distraction and it must be addressed. Halak is an appealing prospect and could easily be packaged in a trade, but I don’t see him coming back to Montreal if he does not expect to play a reasonable proportion of games and I don’t see the Habs rolling on with two extremely young netminders.

Andrei Kostisyn (RFA): Kostisyn has dazzled many this season and he is an obvious priority for Bob Gainey. There should be no problems, the money freed up by Ryder’s anticipated departure can easily be put towards Andrei.

Maxim Lapierre (RFA): The long flowing hair, the constant smirk on his face, his acerbic style of play, Lapierre has all the makings of a super pest. Plus, he is a local kid. No brainer here, he stays.

Ryan O’Byrne (RFA): O’Byrne is a giant at 6’6 and offers Montreal another physical option on the blueline. He is the type of player the Canadiens have been lacking for years and needs to be locked up for as long as possible.  

I am looking forward to hearing what readers and fellow bloggers think! Hope this can get some good discussion going.

In part two of my off season analysis, I will take a look at some of Montreal’s up and coming prospects and what kind of impact they may have in the near future.  

It is widely agreed upon that one of the main reasons, if not the main reason, for Montreal's demise in these playoffs has been their lamentable power play. In the regular season they sported the best man advantage in the whole league, clicking at nearly 25%. Once the post-season came around, they scored only 7 goals, giving them a 14,5% efficiency, good for 11th overall. But even those numbers are somewhat skewed by the 2 goals scored during Derian Hatcher's major penalty. Overall, the team was let down by its most potent weapon and it frequently proved incapable of providing the timely scoring the team sorely needed. One, especially Habs fans, has to wonder, when did it go wrong? Simple, it all went wrong in Game 1 against the Boston Bruins.

Montreal virtually dominated that game end-to-end, out-hitting and out-shooting the B's en route to a convincing 4-1 decision. With frustrations boiling over, Boston took a couple of late penalties which blessed Montreal with a two minute 5 on 3. For the best unit in the league, a long double man advantage should, must, translate into a goal. It did not. On that sequence, Kovalev tried to do far too much while Streit and Markov looked uncomfortable at the points. In the scheme of that one game, the failure of that particular powerplay was irrelevant, but in the scheme of the playoffs, it was crucial. Throughout the rest of the post-season Kovalev continued to make his game uselessly complicated, Streit continuously failed to put pucks on net and Markov remained unable to keep pucks in at the blueline, something he did masterfully, something miraculously, throughout the season.

I know hindsight is 20/20, but at the time I remember having this distinct feeling that "this is not good" when that fateful powerplay expired. Eventually, I connected the dots.  It seems clear to me that this one event drastically hurt the confidence of a usually devastating unit.  

Various reports suggest that Olaf Kolzig's tenure with the Washington Capitals is coming to an end. It has also been widely speculated that the Montreal Canadiens will be looking to add a veteran presence between the pipes in the off-season, especially in light of what happened in the playoffs.

Most of you can probably see where I am going with this and I strongly feel that Kolzig would be a perfect fit as back-up in Montreal, albeit if he is willing to accept such a role. During the lockout, Olaf Kolzig was named goaltending consultant for the Tri-City americans and acted as a mentor to Carey Price, who at the time was plying his trade in the WHL. Both seemed to get along quite well and Price certainly learned much under Kolzig's wing. Perhaps now he can be lured back into playing such a role for a season or two whilst brining valuable insurance to the most important position on the team.

One must also not forget that, in spite of his declining play, Kolzig is nonetheless a former Vezina Trophy recipient, has played over 700 NHL contests and has various international experience, including the Olympics. He has also won the King Clancy Trophy for Humanitarian of the Year in 2006 and is a founding member of Athletes Against Autism.

It has become abudantly clear that the Habs need a veteran presence between the pipes, and given Kolzig's credentials, charitable nature and past history with Price, it seems to me that the Canadiens could do a whole lot worse.

After going an abysmal 1-3 in the second round, leaving my two round record at 5-7, I will now chime in with my Conference Finals picks, albeit a bit late.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Pittsburg (2) vs. Philadelphia (6)

Philadelphia proved to be a pain in my you-know-what. My first feeling was that the Habs wouldn't make it past the second round, but I made the mistake of underestimating the Flyers a tad bit. I say only a tad bit because I did predict that series would go to seven games.

But, without taking away anything that the Flyers have accomplished, I simply cannot see them slowing down the Penguins. Offensively there is simply too much going on with these young Pens that I just don't envision the Flyers defense being able to contain them sufficiently. And even if the Penguins get behind the eight-ball early in a game, they have shown the ability to come back while the Flyers have become notorious for being unable to properly hold on to their leads. In a sense, it is miraculous the Flyers made it this far while having such trouble protecting a two-goal advantage.

The Flyers offense is obviously also very deep, but I don't think it can rival with the Pens on that level. Daniel Briere needs to be better, because I felt he was invisible in the series against Montreal, despite what his point totals seem to indicate. R.J Umberger was outstanding, but lets be honest here, half of his goals would not have gone in if Carey Price wasn't playing like Jim Carey (easy pun, I couldn't resist).  

Pittsburg wins the inter-state battle in 6 games

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

Detroit (1) vs. Dallas (5)

Dallas has undoubtedly been impressive in these playoffs, rolling over the defending cup Champs and the talented San Jose Sharks. That will teach me to believe that the Sharks would stop choking in the playoffs. Dumb dumb dumb. I also made the mistake of thinking Forsberg would be remotely healthy and Theodore remotely good. Dumber dumber dumber.

Marty Turco's play has been stellar while Dallas has been getting contributions throughout their lineup. Their defense has been excellent and has gotten a big boost from Zubov's return.

Having said all that, I cannot bet against Detroit here. Not only do they have a player with the funkiest nickname of all time, "The Mule", but they have a lineup in which each role seems to be filled to perfection. Skill and clutch scoring ooze from the likes of Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Franzen. Draper and Maltby can shut down the best of them. Lidstrom is one of the best blueliners of all time. Drake and McCarthy provide old school grit. It just goes on like that when you skim through the Wing's line up.

Detroit wins in 5 games.  

- In my round 2 predictions I said that I felt Colorado would upset Detroit due to the strong play of Jose Theodore and the continued health of Peter Forsberg. In game 1, which the Avalanche lost 4-3, Theodore got pulled and Forsberg did not play due to a groin problem. Well, lets just say I've felt smarter in the past.

- One has to wonder if the Flyers could hold on to a lead if their mother's lives depended on it. Blown leads cost them two games against the Caps, almost cost them game 7 and now has cost them game 1 against Montreal.

- Montreal's powerplay has not been spectacular thus far in these playoffs, but their unit has come up with some big goals. Of the 4 goals scored on their powerplay, two of them were game winners while another one, from last night, tied the game to send it to overtime. The percentage might not look great, but it still has come up huge.

- This will surely not get much press, but I would like to congratulate the Hungarian national men's hockey team who won their IIHF Division 1B tournamement, hence allowing them to move up to the top international division for the first time in 70 years. They went a perfect 5-0 in the tournament, lead by the terrific goaltending of former Flames prospect Levente Szuper.

Well, in the first round I went 4 for 8 with my predictions. The same success rate as the flip of a coin. Still, I will once again put in my 2 cents for the next round.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Montreal (1) vs. Philadelphia (6)

Montreal has been very uneven in these playoffs and I am not quite sure which version of the team will show up for this second round match-up. One would have to think that they learned from their hard-fought series against Boston and should be mentally prepared. Regardless, the Flyers are not to be taken lightly. They possess a high powered offence that features six 20+ goal scorers the post-season's leading scorer in Daniel Briere. Much of the same can be said about Montreal, and if Kovalev and the Kostitsyn's keep up their play from game 7 this could be a surprisingly offensive series.

Philadelphia’s backline is a slow group and could be exploited by Montreal's speedy forwards. Jason Smith has not looked like himself in these playoffs, committing several mental errors, such as on Ovechkin's tying goal in game 7, and his -7 is second worst in these playoffs. Having said that, the Flyers' defenders aren't inept either, Coburn has looked good in these playoffs while Randy Jones and Derian Hatcher are at a league best +5.

Although Andrei Markov has been underachieving, Montreal's defence corps as a whole has been good, led by the strong physical presence of Mike Komisarek and Roman Hamrlik. It would be very welcome if the defence joined the rush more often. This is not slight to him, but Patrice Brisebois should not be the one leading defensemen in scoring. Furthermore, the defence will need to obtain better support from the forwards and make sure to clear the zone every time they get a chance. Far too often against Boston the Habs were unable to clear their zone, most notably in game 6 when Kovalev’s failed attempt lead to a Bruins’ goal.  

Carey Price has been excellent for most of these playoffs and has shown great mental toughness. Montreal has a few intangibles going for them as well, namely a healthy squad and home ice advantage. In the end, this should be a tough, close and exciting series. I see Montreal taking the series in 7 games. 

Pittsburg (2) vs. New York Rangers (5)

The Rangers looked really good against the Devils, way better than I expected in fact. Sean Avery got into Brodeur's kitchen and the Devil's netminder has been crying for his mommy since, refusing to shake Avery’s hand and blaming him for his refusal of Team Canada's invitation to the World Championships. But, Brodeur's whining is a subject for another post. The Rangers and Sean Avery will not have the same freedom to disturb Pittsburg's star players simply because Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque will keep them in check. 

New York's defence may have looked brilliant against New Jersey but they will face an incredible challenge against the high-powered Pens, who feature stellar offensive players in Crosby, Malkin, Sykora, Hossa, Gonchar, Malone and Whitney while others, such as Talbot, Dupuis and Roberts, can also provide some scoring.    

The Rangers are not push-overs and feature an impressive cast themselves, but Pittsburgh has too much here and, as long as Fleury holds the fort, Pittsburgh will take the series in 6 games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Detroit (1) vs. Colorado (6)

Detroit is an impressive squad, are blessed with tremendous depth and skill and can rely on two competent netminders. But to me Colorado holds the keys to this series if they can answer a few important questions: 1) Can Theodore keep up his fantastic play? 2) Can Forsberg stay healthy? 3) Can Statsny chip in offensively, he who only has one point so far in these playoffs?

I think Theodore will keep up his hot play and that Forsberg stays healthy, leading Colorado past Detroit in six games. (Not too sure about Statsny, but if Theodore and Forsberg hold up their end of the bargain, it won't matter.)  

San Jose (2) vs. Dallas (5)

San Jose passed an important test in the first round and has had contributions throughout their line up. The same can be said for Marty Turco and the Dallas Stars, who won their first playoff round since 2002. The truth is, there are a lot of similarities’ here.

Marleau has looked great so far for the Sharks, he who faced heavy criticism from management, media and fans over the past 12 months. Thornton has also been able to chip in offensively, but many still feel he could bring his game up another notch.  For the Stars, Ribeiro has broken out in these playoffs with 8 points while Lethinen, Modano and Morrow have been their usual selves.

Nabokov is a Vezina-trophy candidate. Marty Turco continues to exorcise his playoff demons with another solid performance.

In the end, what tips the scales to me here is the defence. Mind you, the Stars have a solid backline, but with Zubov and Boucher out, it gives an edge to the Sharks. Not enough can be said about Stéphane Robidas marvellous playoff performance, but he cannot always be on the ice and Ron Wilson will be able to exploit this situation by obtaining favourable match ups for his offensive players.

San Jose takes the series in 6 games.   

More often than not I try to avoid covering subjects that I feel have been beaten to death, but the temptation of throwing in my playoff predictions is just too much. Maybe I will look like a genius, or maybe i'll look really foolish. Here goes nothing!

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Montreal (1) vs Boston (8)

We have all heard of Montreal's dominance of Boston and their great powerplay, so I will not review that for the umpteenth time. Suffice to say Montreal's offensive depth is impressive with 7 50+ point scorers on their team. Same with the defence, Streit and Dandenault have been used at forward most of the season but, should injuries arise, they can pinch in on D. Bouillon and Komisarek should be healthy.

Much has been made of Zdeno Chara's importance in this series, but I for one think he is one of the most overrated players in the league. Players may be intimidated by his size and strength, but when good pressure and forechecking are applied I find that he often reacts poorly. His size and reach may save him at times, but with the increased intensity of the playoffs his flaws will be exposed. There is a reason he was a playoff scapegoat in Ottawa and that they chose to retain Redden instead. As for the rest of the Boston squad, they simply do not have the depth to cope with Montreal's multi-pronged attack, especially with the unfortunate injuries that befell their squad. On the other hand, I can't help but be fearful of them, they are tough, have nothing to lose and seem "due" to win against Montreal.

As far as goaltending is concerned, we have two playoff rookies here but I think that is a non factor with these two individuals. Carey Price seems almost zen in goal while Thomas is an extremly hard worker who has seen his share of hockey in his life, I don't see either "choking".

Montreal should prevail in 6 games, but Boston won't make it easy.  

Pittsburg (2) vs Ottawa (7)

Ottawa is an absolutely jumbled mess right now. The team seems disoriented, injuries have ravaged them and they do not have the depth of a year ago. On the other hand, Pittsburg has learned from its experience from last year and will have a lot to prove in this rematch. Marian Hossa will also be looking to exorcise his playoff demons, especially against his former club.

Pittsburg will make it as painless as possible for Ottawa in 5 games.

Washington (3) vs Philadelphia (6)

THE story of the year has to be the spectacular come back of the Capitals to storm back atop their division. I had predicted earlier in the year that they would win their division, but I wasn't expecting it in such spectacular fashion. I don't see Philadelphia stopping Washington's run just yet, especially with the great acquisitions made by George McPhee.

Washington keeps on rolling, winning it in 6 games.   

New Jersey (4) vs New York Rangers (5)

Martin Brodeur.

New Jersey takes this intense rivalry in 7 games

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Detroit (1) vs Nashville (8)

Nashville always put up a tough fight against Detroit and they should once again do so here. This series almost seems like a possible upset to me. In the end though Detroit's skill, experience and depth are undeniable. The only major variable here is the goaltending of both teams, but unless Detroit's tandem falters in spectacular fashion or that Nashville's netminding is all-world, Hockeytown should handle Music City. 

Detroit in 6 games, Nashville always makes it a battle.

San Jose (2) vs Calgary (7)

Joe Thornton does not seem like a big-game player to me and his San Jose squad seems unable to put the pieces together come spring. Mikka Kiprusoff has had an off year, but should he bounce back in the playoffs the Sharks will hit an early wall in their playoff run. Calgary has a tough squad and is ladden with experienced players who know how to win in the playoffs. 

Calgary upsets San Jose in 7 games 

Minnesota (3) vs Colorado (6)

Colorado is hoping that turning the clock back will push them forward. I find that trying to recreate the past is an often foolish endeavour, but Colorado's recipe seems to be working. Should Theodore perfome up to par, the Avs should make life miserable for the Wild.

Colorado in 6 games 

Anaheim (4) vs Dallas (5)

This in an incredibly close match up and whoever comes out of this war will be a very fatigued squad coming into the next round. Anaheim's experience and defensive depth should give them the edge in this series. However, Dallas can stiffle its opponents defensively and having a former Conn-Smythe winner and the all-time scoring American on their team helps.

Anaheim in 7 games, but I could have just flipped a coin...

I am plainly aware that everybody, from fans, pundits, media and even politicians have put in their two cents about fighting in hockey since the Roy incident. Hence, I will refrain from adding another pointless drop to the well by expressing my opinion on the place of figthing on the game. Truth is, I really do not have a clear opinion anyway. For some time now I have been going over the debate in my head but have come to no conclusion. However, there is one little detail I would like to point out.

You see, I have noticed that most pro-fighting pundits' argumentation revolves around two key notions: that fighting has always been a part of hockey and that if fighting were to be removed, cheap shots would increase. 

The latter is often said with near scientific certainty.  I simply do not comprehend how this point can be incessantly bandied about while in reality none of us can remotely pretend to know what the impact of the removal of fighting would be. You see, as these same pundits love to point out, fighting has always been in hockey. With that in mind, I cannot possibly see how such a bold and clear-cut statement can be made since the experiment has never really been attempted in the first place. To me the argument is, well, unscientific!

- Why are the Florida Panthers getting such favorable off-season grades from analysts? Adding Tomas Vokoun was a brilliant move, mind you, but it still was nothing more than correcting the mistake of trading Luongo last year.  Otherwise they've added the likes of Richard Zednik, Radek Dvorak and Brett McClean, good depth but not team changing individuals either. I realize this is simplistic, but they could not make the playoffs with the all-world Luongo in net, why would it be different with Vokoun?

- The Capitals scare me. Between sure-fire youngsters such as Ovechkin, Semin and Backstrom,  the promising Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann and the added firepower created by the signings of Nylander, Kozlov and Poti, they are going to be good. In fact, should Kolzig stay healthy, i'll be as bold to predict that the Caps not only make the playoffs, but win their division.

- Great, the Rangers upgraded at centre, instead of having a 1-2 of Nylander-Straka they now have improved significantly by adding Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, while they have rid themselves of Nylander. Now, that's all well and good... but how about a defencemen? They'll probably be in the playoffs, but if they are not in the dance in April, let's try not to be too shocked, I mean, have we not seen this before?

According to sources in Montreal, defencemen Patrice Brisebois is on the verge of signing a one year contract with the Canadiens. Earlier reports stated that the Habs had offered the veteran a deal worth 700,000$.

First of all, I must say I am impressed with Brisebois, who is coming back into the lion's den after essentially being booed out by the harsh Montreal fanbase. Many may be disgruntled by his return, but for all the complaining about players not wanting to play in Montreal, it is abundantly clear that Brisebois does.

I believe that Brisebois could actually provide a good boost to Montreal's second power-play unit, considering that after Hamrlik, Markov and Streit the team is left between Dandenault and Bouillon to man the point. In that regard, he is undoubtedly an upgrade. Also, although he is an aging defencemen, one must be mindful that two of his best seasons came in the last three years. Prior to leaving Montreal, he had one of his most solid seasons with the Habs, leading the team in +/- at +17 while avoiding many of the costly brain cramps that earned him the ire of the fans. The following season, post-lockout, in Colorado he obtained a carreer high in points with 38. Although last year was considerably difficult for him, mainly due to injuries, I feel he could still contribute something to the team.

Having said all that, I cannot help but feel that his signing (should it officially occur) is precursor to a trade. Montreal already had a pretty clearly defined top-seven with Hamrlik, Markov, Komisarek, Streit, Dandenault, Bouillon and Gorges. Combine that with Mathieu Biron, Jaime Rivers and J.P Côté who are in Hamilton but have all seen time in the NHL and with Pavel Valatenko and Ryan O'Byrne who both seem on the verge of the big league, it just seems to leave the team with an unreasonable logjam on the blueline.

I guess only time will tell, and this post will be awfully useless if Brisebois doesn't sign after all...   

Recently, there has been tireless debate over the offer sheet tendered to Anaheim Ducks free agent Dustin Penner. Many have put into question Kevin Lowe's rationale for offering such a ludicrously rich contract while others have defended his attempt to improve his team.  On the flip side, Brian Burke has received as much attention for his reaction to Lowe's tactics as well.

Lost in all this debate is the player himself. What exactly was Dustin Penner thinking? There is already great pressure in being one of the top paid players on any team, but when you knowingly have done nothing to command such a salary and you are playing in a hockey-mad town like Edmonton, the pressure could just be too much. Perhaps Penner thought Burke would match the offer and he would stay in Anaheim or perhaps he feels he has an uncanny ability to deal with the ridiculous amounts of pressure he will surely face in Edmonton. Obvisouly he does not seem bother by the fact that he left a team that seems set to contend for the Cup again this year to go to a team that seems no closer to the playoffs than last year. Financially this may be an upgrade for the young man, but as far as potential team success this is a huge drop.

Listen, I understand that the money Edmonton offered was probably incredibly more than anything Anaheim even considered offering, but it saddens me that, at least in apparence, only the notion of rapid monetary gain was considered by Penner in his decision making. Nothing was keeping Penner from simply taking a one year contract that would allow him to continue building his value and negotiate a new contract next year. Nothing was keeping him for obtainning a rich new contract in the 2,5 million range. But now, instead the young man has put his carreer in jeopardy by putting himself in a position of almost unbearable pressure and he has seemingly denied himself the chance at another Cup in the forseable future.

While most of us are shaking our heads looking at the insane contracts being handed out, thinking to ourselves that the owners have not learned squat from the lockout, it has occured to me that we, fans, pundits and media alike, for the most part have not learned a thing either. Most of us are idiotically clapping our heads, proclaiming teams like the Rangers, Flyers and Kings the early winners of free agency. But have we not seen this cassette before? Forget the obvious reference to the absurd spending of the pre-lockout Rangers, rather think about how most people quickly deemed the Pens as serious contenders after they went out and acquired the likes of Palfy, LeClair, Recchi and Gonchar a couple years ago. How did that work out? Oh yeah, not so well.

Or what about the Coyotes when they got Jovanovski, Ricci and cie?

Or what about the Bruins with Savard and Chara?

You should get my vibe by now, yet obviously most of you don't because a lot of you still applaud every expensive, big name, stupid free agent signing. Look, don't get me wrong, I can't help but be at least partially impressed by some of the signings, but we need to get a grip here. Because right now most of us are just like the owners, we haven't learned a thing.

Hello all!

I know I do not post very often anymore, but there is simply something I must get off my chest: If the Sabres win on Saturday afternoon, a.k.a game 5, they will win the series and be only the third team to come back from a 0-3 deficit.

Unlike other teams down 0-3 in the past, the Sabres are not completly overmatched or vastly, if at all, inferior in terms of talent, they are simply underachieving, a sleeping giant if you will. And with the way Ryan Miller is playing, he could simply steal the rest of the series. In contrast, although Ray Emery's numbers are eloquent, one must be mindful that he has not faced many shots and has not been called on to steal a game. In fact, he has been shaky at times, such as on Drury's goal in Game 4, while even in his shutout efforts he typically faced only around 20 shots. Frankly, should Emery win the Cup as Ottawa's starter, he will be the least prominent goaltender to do so since Chris Osgood with Detroit.

Anyway, we will see soon enough.

RDS.ca is reporting this afternoon that a quantity of players have hit waivers. Other than Montreal's Aaron Downey, Michael Leighton , Denis Hamel Niko Kapanen Jason Krog , Marc Chouinard , Brian Boucher, Bryan Berard and Petr Cajanek are available via waivers. 

Downey could actually receive some interest from the Penguins, at least in my opinion. He may not be a top notch enforcer like Laraque, but sure is better than having no protection at all for Sid the Kid.

Also, Montreal might contemplate taking a chance on one of the French Canadians on waivers, Denis Hamel or Marc Chouinard, while centres Niko Kapanen and Petr Cajanek might also be of interest. My feeling is that Cajanek could be particularly interesting as a fill in for a second-line centre for the Habs, he has put up decent numbers with the Blues and could benefit playing with fellow Czech Tomas Plekanec, who can play wing mind you.  

It should be an interesting few hours.