The Hockey News recently published its annual NHL yearbook and as usual one of the notable features is its Top Fifty NHL Players listing for the upcoming season.

Although I’m now a free-lance contributor to THN.com that won’t prevent me from critiquing this list, and no, this isn’t a free plug for The Hockey News on my part as I reviewed their rankings last summer prior to contributing to their site.

Anyway, here’s how THN ranked their top fifty players for the upcoming season:

1.       Sidney Crosby
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Henrik Zetterburg
4. Pavel Datsyuk
5. Vincent Lecavalier
6. Niklas Lidstrom
7. Roberto Luongo
8. Jarome Iginla
9. Evgeni Malkin
10. Dany Heatley
11. Chris Pronger
12. Daniel Alfredsson
13. Marian Gaborik
14. Henrik Lundqvist
15. Brendan Morrow
16. Evgeni Nabokov
17. Marian Hossa
18. Ilya Kovalchuk
19. Eric Staal
20. Zdeno Chara
21. Joe Thornton
22. Dion Phaneuf
23. Martin Brodeur
24. J-S Giguere
25. Martin St-Louis
26. Scott Niedermayer
27. Brian Rafalski
28. Sergei Gonchar
29. Marty Turco
30. Ryan Getzlaf
31. Andrei Markov
32. Zach Parise
33. Ales Hemsky
34. Jason Spezza
35. Vesa Toskola
36. Rick Nash
37. Joe Sakic
38. Scott Gomez
39. Ryan Miller
40. Jonathan Toews
41. Daniel Sedin
42. Daniel Briere
43. Anze Kopitar
44. Miika Kiprusoff
45. Paul Statsny
46. Shane Doan
47. Derek Roy
48. Mark Savard
49. Mike Richards
50. Patrick Kane

If we’re going by last season’s performance I’d rank Ovechkin over Crosby but they’re definitely 1-2 in my estimation and the case can be made for either to be ranked as the league’s top player.

Lidstrom should’ve been ranked higher, perhaps 3rd or 4th, but he’s definitely the league’s best defenseman.  

As for Luongo, he’s a great goaltender and perhaps will justify that higher ranking this season but I’d swap Brodeur for Luongo if we’re basing this on last season’s performance. I know Brodeur’s getting older and he’s fast approaching his best before date but until he does in my opinion he’s still the league’s best goaltender.  Nabokov, Luongo and Lundqvist are nipping at his heels though.

I would also rank Malkin higher than Iglinla and Lecavalier, ranking him no lower than 6th.

Pronger’s ranking will likely draw some criticism given his penchant for dirty play but he’s still among the game’s elite defensemen and every team (yes, even the Oilers) would love to have him on their roster.

Morrow deserves to be on this list but I wouldn’t rank him above Kovalchuk, Staal, Thornton, Brodeur and Nash and consider him ranked far too high.

Speaking of Kovalchuk, it’s good to see him finally getting his due from THN as his ranking last season (48th) was in my opinion an insult.

And why is Thornton, who was again among the league’s leading scorers, not in the top ten? Or even the top 15? Sorry, but this is far too low for a player of his caliber. Sure, the case can be made that he struggles in the playoffs, but there’s no denying his obvious talent and skills. I certainly wouldn’t rate Alfredsson, Heatley, Kovalchuk, Morrow, Gaborik, Hossa, Staal and Chara above Thornton.

Lundqvist is a terrific goalie but I don’t believe he ranks higher than Nabokov. If it were up to me, I’d rank Brodeur, Nabokov and Luongo over Lundqvist.

I also disagree with Phaneuf dropping in the rankings compared to last season and I’d give him a slight edge over Chara in ranking defensemen.

Niedermayer missed most of the first half of last season before deciding to return to action and that cost him in the rankings. Had he played a full season his ranking likely would’ve been higher.

And Toskala ranked higher than Nash, Sakic, Gomez, Toews, Kopitar, Richards and Kane?  Gimme a break!  In fact, why is Toskala even on this list? Mats Sundin or Tomas Kaberle would’ve been better choices if one is seeking decent Leafs (or former Leafs) to be on this list.

I would also rank Richards higher than where he placed (probably about ten spots higher), but there’s no question he deserves to be on this list and his stock will continue to rise.

As for the rest of this listing, I really don't have much of a quibble over where most were ranked. Some could probably be moved up or down a spot or two but for the most part I have no real argument over the rest of these rankings.

That’s my two cents, folks.  Let me hear yours in the comments, and remember, this is THN’s listing, not mine, so don’t complain to me about where they placed these players as I had no input in this.

The NHL recently released their All-Star and All-Rookie Teams for the past season:

ALL-STARS:

First team:

Goaltender: Evgeny Nabokov, San Jose Sharks.

Defensemen: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings. Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.

Center: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Right Wing: Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames.

Left Wing: Alexander Ovechkin.

Second Team:

Goaltender: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils.

Defensemen: Brian Campbell, San Jose Sharks. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins.

Center: Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks.

Right Wing: Alex Kovalev, Montreal Canadiens.

Left Wing: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings.


ALL ROOKIE TEAM.

Goaltender: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens.

Defensemen: Tobias Enstrom, Atlanta Thrashers. Tom Gilbert, Edmonton Oilers.

Forwards: Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks.

The NHL recently announced the finalists for their individual awards, which will be presented to the winners in a ceremony in Toronto next month following the Stanley Cup Finals.

Here’s the list of nominees in each category and my picks for the winners. As always I’ll be interested in reading your comments, folks, just keep it clean.

VEZINA TROPHY (Top goaltender): Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils; Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers; Evgeny Nabokov, San Jose Sharks.

My Pick: Brodeur. Tied for most games played with Nabokov with 77, was second in wins behind Nabokov with 44 and was fifth behind Nabokov in GAA with a 2.17 average. However, what clinches it for me was his .920 save percentage, superior to Nabokov’s .910 and Lundqvist’s .912. He faced the fourth highest shots of all goalies this season and made the second-most saves.

NORRIS TROPHY (Top Defenseman): Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins; Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings; Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames.

My Pick: Lidstrom. Not only did he lead all defensemen in assists and points but also in plus-minus with +40, well above Chara’s +14 and Phaneuf’s +12. Lidstrom is the best all-round defenseman playing today.

CALDER TROPHY (Top Rookie):  Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals; Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks; Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks.

My Pick: Kane, who led all rookies in assists and points after making the jump from Junior A despite his small size (5-9,160). Kane not only rose to meet lofty expectations, he excelled and led the Blackhawks in scoring.

LADY BYNG(Sportsmanship): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; Jason Pominville, Buffalo Sabres;Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning.

My Pick: Datsyuk. He finished fourth in overall points, second in overall assists, led the league in plus-minus with +41 and led the Wings in scoring, all while only racking up a mere 20 minutes in penalties. Proof that you can excel at both ends of the rink and still play a clean game.

SELKE TROPHY (Top Defensive Forward): Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; John Madden, New Jersey Devils; Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings.

My pick: Datsyuk. Madden is more of a pure defensive forward but Datsyuk’s defensive game is every bit as strong as his offensive game, putting him in the same class as former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov in 1994.

HART TROPHY (League MVP): Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames; Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins; Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals.

My Pick: Ovechkin. Not only did he lead the NHL in points and become the first player in 11 years to score over 60 goals in a season but he also carried the Capitals to their first playoff berth in five years.

ADAMS TROPHY (Best Coach): Mike Babcock, Detroit Red Wings; Bruce Boudreau, Washington Capitals; Guy Carbonneau, Montreal Canadiens

My Pick: Boudreau. Babcock and Carbonneau did a tremendous job with their teams but both had far more to work with than Boudreau, who took over a team in disarray early in the season and turned them into a playoff club.

Recently in my Foxsports.com column I wrote about how important it is for the National Hockey League’s efforts to regain its visibility in the American sports market for its most marketable players – Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby – to elevate their play in this year’s post-season.

In the article (“NHL Needs Ovechkin, Crosby to Shine In Playoffs”), I wrote that the two have been considered this hockey generation’s versions of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, two of the greatest stars in league history who helped the NHL reached its highest level of popularity in its history.

I suggested that the NHL is hoping those two can raise their post-season performances the way their predecessors did as it could only help the league improve its sagging popularity in the United States.

Unfortunately, judging by many of the comments in response to that column, the point was missed, as several readers believed the article was trying to draw a direct comparison between Crosby and Ovechkin with Gretzky and Lemieux, which wasn’t the intent.

Let me repeat the point: Crosby and Ovechkin are the NHL’s biggest, most marketable stars and the league is hoping its two current young superstars will generate more interest in its product amongst American sports fans.

If there is a direct comparison to be made, its that Ovechkin and Crosby are every bit as important to the NHL as Gretzky and Lemieux were in their heyday.

It’s not about suggesting “Sid the Kid” and “Alexander the Gr8t” are as great or greater than “The Great One” or “Super Mario”.

That is for history to decide once Ovechkin and Crosby have retired, which hopefully won't be for a long time.

It may be premature to start citing my pick for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, but I think this season there is little doubt that the most deserving candidate is Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

What Ovechkin's done this season is nothing short of amazing. He's not only the league's leading goalscorer with 46 goals (as of this writing), 7 more than his nearest rival, he's also presently the leading point-getter with 73, one point ahead of Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson.

He's also got 16 power-play goals, only five short of the 21 he had last season, and has 8 game-winners, tying his personal best of last year.

Ovechkin is also on pace for 67 goals, which would not only make him the first player to reach the 60-goal mark since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1995-96, but he's also within striking distance of 70 goals, which would make him the first player to reach that plateau since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny did it back in 1992-93.

He's also perhaps one of the most physical goalscorers in the NHL, one who never shies away from the rough going, willing to take a lot of physical punishment to get himself into a quality scoring opportunity.

The only knock against Ovechkin is that he's not a good playmaker (he only has 27 assists and is on pace for only 39 this season), but that doesn't mean he's a selfish player, merely one built for goalscoring, like Pavel Bure and Maurice Richard.

He's also perhaps the most exciting player in the NHL right now, one that if the league had any sense would start hyping Ovechkin more. He's every bit as talented, exciting and important to the NHL as Sidney Crosby, his only true rival.

Had Crosby not been sidelined by an ankle injury for six weeks, he'd be battling with Ovechkin for the Hart Trophy and it might be a close race, but in the end, it would still be one that Ovechkin would win.

What separates Ovechkin from the pack this season is that his efforts have carried his rebuilding Capitals team into playoff contention.

Two months ago, the Capitals were dead last in the Eastern Conference and considered out of playoff contention. What changed was two things, a new head coach in Bruce Boudreau, and Ovechkin taking his game to another level.

Boudreau's coaching style appealed to the Capitals, especially Ovechkin. Since the coaching change the talented Russian winger has been tearing it up offensively, sometimes winning games for his team almost singlehandedly.

What's even more impressive about Ovechkin's performance this season is that he's done it on a Capitals team that's still lacking depth at almost all positions.

Granted, things are getting better for the Caps this season in that regard. Rookie center Niklas Backstrom is a Calder contender, defenceman Mike Green is emerging as a quality offensive blueliner, and some veteran additions like Michael Nylander and Viktor Kozlov have bolstered the lineup.

But look at Ovechkin's stats compared to his teammates, and it's obvious who's the driving force behind the Capitals battle for a playoff berth. Take him out of the roster, and the Capitals don't get within sniffing distance of the playoffs.

The Capitals still have a lot of work ahead of them and a playoff berth is no guarantee, but I believe Ovechkin deserves the Hart even if the Caps fail to make the playoffs. Nobody is more valuable to his team this season than Ovechkin.

The Washington Capitals have called a news conference tonight for 8.30 pm ET to announce the re-signing of superstar forward Alexander Ovechkin to a 13-year contract worth over $124 million. It will be the richest deal in NHL history.

His new deal should break down as $9 million per season against the Capitals salary cap, but it remains to be seen if it's front-or-back loaded. That would see Ovechkin earning more per season more than his rival, Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, who'll start earning $8.7 million per year in 2008-09.

If that's seems pricey, consider that Ovechkin would've received considerably more via offer sheet from a rival club if he were still unsigned as of July 1st, when he would've become a restricted free agent.

With the NHL salary cap expected to increase to as much as $54 million for 2008-09, Ovechkin might've commanded offers up to $10.8 million per season, the twenty percent maximum allowable for a single player to earn under a $54 million cap.

Better to pay him $9 million per than be forced to match and pony up considerably more.

This is obviously a good move by the Caps to retain their franchise player, the only right move. It'll also put to rest those stupid notions of Ovechkin being traded. As team owner Ted Leonsis stated earlier this week and has frequently stated since Ovechkin was drafted, the Capitals love the talented Russian.

He's the foundation upon which their rebuilding has been based since 2005-06, and it was folly for some obviously bored pundits in Montreal, Toronto and New York (who really should've known better) to suggest it was perhaps in the Caps best interest to trade him for a big return.

Ovechkin is obviously happy in Washington, obviously enjoys playing for the Capitals, and obviously has no intention of asking out. The Caps may still be going through growing pains in their current rebuilding phase and the playoffs are not a certainty this season but that doesn't seem to bother Ovechkin.

Since elevating Bruce Boudreau to head coach several weeks ago the Capitals are a different team, playing with more confidence and energy and as a result winning more often. That improvement obviously means a lot to Ovechkin, as it's a clear sign the club could be on the right path.

Ovechkin's been a big reason for that improvement. He's presently leading the Capitals in scoring (for the third straight season) and is on pace for a 61-goal, 99-point season. The last time a player scored 60 goals in an NHL season was Mario Lemieux back in 1995-96.

I'd say that's worth $9 million per season.

The fear of the offer sheet has once again resulted in another potential restricted free agent being re-signed well before the summer of 2008.

This time it's center Mike Richards, who today has reportedly re-signed a contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Reportedly Richards' new contract is for twelve years and $69 million, breaking down to a cap hit of $5.75 million per season, with a "no-trade" clause that begins in the 2011-12 season. It's the second-longest contract in the NHL, behind the fifteen-year deal of the NY Islanders' Rick DiPietro.

It's not surprising that Holmgren made this move. Richards is enjoying a breakout season, leading the Flyers in goals, assists and points, but he's also perhaps their best defensive forward, with a+10 rating and is the only player on the team to score shorthanded this season, having done it three times.

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren had earlier stated his intent to re-sign his key RFAs like Richards, including forwards Jeff Carter and RJ Umberber, and we can likely expect more re-signing by Holmgren as the season progresses.

He obviously has no intention of allowing contract negotiations with his best RFAs to drag into next summer when those players could become potential offer sheet targets.

A number of talented young players are eligible for restricted free agent status next summer, including Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, Calgary's Dion Phaneuf, Florida's Jay Bouwmeester, Nashville's Shea Weber, Ottawa's Andrej Meszaros and St. Louis' Brad Boyes

But that list has been slowly but steadily shrinking, and most if not all of the aforementioned will likely re-sign with their current teams well before July 1, 2008.

**UPDATE** James Mirtle has a very interesting take on this signing on his blog, specifically the dangers lurking behind such lengthy contracts, citing Jose Theodore, Jim Carey and Sergei Samsonov to make the case. Even NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman privately doesn't believe they're a good idea under this CBA as it offers no opportunity for re-negotiation.

I concur with Mirtle and Bettman on this. While I understand the rationale behind these contracts, the length is fraught with peril, and if the player signed to that deal ends up a spent force midway through, it's a lot of precious cap space per season tied up in one player. Even demoting said player to the minors or buying them out is still a costly experienced for a team, even if it doesn't count against their cap space.

The Washington Capitals' early season death spiral cost head coach Glen Hanlon his job, as the club gave him his walking papers on Thanksgiving Day. Assistant coach Bruce Boudreau will take over on an interim basis.

Something had to give with this team, now wallowing in the bottom of the league standings with 13 points and with only one victory in their previous ten games prior to Hanlon’s firing.

The wheels fell off early this season for the Capitals despite their off-season acquisitions of veterans Tom Poti, Michael Nylander and Victor Kozlov. Injuries were also a contributing factor, particularly to Alexander Semin, who’s played only two games thus far into this season.

Franchise player Alexander Ovechkin has been playing his heart out as usual and again is one of the few bright spots about this team. Still, he cannot be happy with the team’s lack of progress this season, and that’ll be a factor in the club’s efforts to re-sign him to a contract extension.

Ovechkin will be re-signed but it’s probably going to cost the Caps more than they’d anticipated prior to this season.

It remains to be seen how long Boudreau will remain the bench boss. If the Capitals rebound like the Atlanta Thrashers did last month after changing coaches following an 0-8 start Boudreau will obviously finish the season.

That being said, it wouldn’t be surprising if management is shopping around for a more experienced NHL head coach. Former Thrashers coach Bob Hartley is available, as is former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn.

Speaking of management, GM George McPhee could be next on the chop block if the Caps fail to respond positively to this coaching change.

McPhee’s been the general manager for a decade and had early success, including the team’s first and only appearance in the Stanley Cup finals in 1998.

But the last several years have not been memorable, including a massive “fire sale” of talent late in the 2003-04 season that gutted the roster and left them relying predominantly on untested youth following the lockout season.

Team owner Ted Leonsis is a patient man, but if the Capitals fail to reverse their sagging fortunes soon, McPhee could follow Hanlon out the door.

Some observers predicted the Capitals could become this season’s version of the 2006-07 Penguins, another young team led by a baby-faced superstar that exceeded expectations to make the playoffs.

Enough time remains in the season for the Capitals to turn things around, but sitting 9 points out of a playoff berth there’s not much room for error, and if they cannot get themselves back into the playoff race by Christmas, more changes could be in store.

Almost one month into the NHL’s 2007-08 season there’s been some interesting surprises.

Who would’ve believed:

Mike Cammalleri of the LA Kings would be the league’s leading goalscorer? As of this writing he leads all scorers with ten goals. He’s an emerging talent and could be poised to become a big star. Right now, he’s outshining teammates Anze Kopitar and Alex Frolov, as well as more big name “snipers” like Vincent Lecavalier, Dany Heatley, and Alexander Ovechkin. 

Chicago Blackhawks rookie forward Patrick Kane would lead all rookies in assists and points? He’s a promising young talent but heading into this season most pre-season analyses expected others, including teammate Jonathan Toews, would rank higher in rookie points than the diminutive Kane. Thus far, he’s putting me in mind of another small rookie player, his head coach Denis Savard, who had 75 points in 76 games back in 1980-81.

Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo would have such terrible starts? Last season, Brodeur and Luongo were the undisputed goaltending masters of the NHL, dominating in nearly every statistical category, most notably wins, where Luongo matched the old record of 47 and Brodeur broke it with 48.  Thus far this season, not only are they missing from the league’s top ten statistical rankings for goalies, they’re not even in the top twenty in some categories.  Both should round back into form as the season progresses but it is unusual not to see them amongst the league leaders.

Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin aren’t among the top ten offensive players? They’re considered the twin pillars upon which the league hopes to rebuild its shattered reputation following the 2004-05 lockout, yet neither are off to rip-roaring starts. However, don’t expect them to be out of that listing for long.

Martin Gerber would lay claim to the job of Ottawa Senators starting goalie? It was a foregone conclusion this summer; Ray Emery was the starter, Gerber was an overpriced backup the Sens were hoping to dump at some point. But with Emery slow to recover from off-season wrist surgery, Gerber has stood tall between the pipes, earning his $3.7 million per season and making it tough for Emery to get back into the lineup. It’s a goaltending dilemma but one that should only benefit the Sens.

Scott Gomez and Chris Drury wouldn’t be a good fit with Jaromir Jagr? Few raised that suggestion during the off-season when the Rangers landed these two. Indeed, the only guy I recall saying it was “Cabbie” on The Score. Turns out he was profound, as neither have meshed well with the talented but enigmatic Jagr.

If anyone wants to add to this list please feel free to do so.

To commemorate the first NHL meeting between Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin and Calgary’s Dion Phaneuf, Canadian Press posed the following question:

“If you had to choose between flashy Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin and the hard-driving Calgary Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf, who would you pick?”

A tough choice indeed. Ovechkin is on course for a stellar career as arguably the best scoring forward of his generation, while Phaneuf will become the dominant defenseman.

It’s a tough call, but Ovechkin has to compete with Sidney Crosby, Evgeny Malkin, Eric Staal and Ilya Kovalchuk for the title of the elite young forward of the league. Phaneuf is in a class by himself, having in his rookie season already established himself as arguably the best all-around defenseman in the game at only 21 years of age.

The league is full of high-quality star forwards, but there are few truly dominant defensemen like Phaneuf. If I were a GM, I’d take Phaneuf over Ovechkin, but I’d do so reluctantly since I’d love to have “Alexander the Great” powering my offensive attack.

Whom would you choose between Ovechkin and Phaneuf, gentle readers? Let me know what you think, and don’t sidestep the question like Jeff Friesen did by claiming he’d pick both, and don’t try to inject Crosby into this debate. It’s between Ovechkin and Phaneuf.

The NHL world is abuzz over today's announcement of the NY Islanders re-signing goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, $67.5 million contract.

The response to this announcement from pundits and fans appears overwhelmingly negative. Not for the money DiPietro will recieve but the length of the deal, an astounding fifteen years, the second-longest contract in NHL history.

I can certainly understand the reaction. At 25, DiPietro has yet to prove he's about to join the ranks of the NHL's goaltending elite, and it's rare that a goaltender, even a starter, can sustain a career toward the age of 40, which is how old DiPietro will be when this contract expires.

There's already been more than enough analysis over whether or not this deal was worthwhile and questioning over the sanity of Islanders owner Charles Wang, so adding my two cents would merely seem like "piling on" at this point.  Suffice to say, I'm in agreement with those critical of this deal.

What I'm more interested in is what impact, if any , this contract could have upon the league, specifically, further contract negotiations between teams and players.

One thing this CBA has been renowned for thus far has been the increased length of contracts signed by RFA and UFA players. Where once deals of two-to-three years were the average, under this current CBA deals of four, five and six years are becoming more common.

So is it possible that the DiPietro contract could be the harbinger of deals to come, if not 15 year deals, then those of seven, eight, even ten years in length?

Depends on the player and the team.

We're not likely to see a lot of deals pushing ten years in length, but one shouldn't rule out the possibility.

Take the Washington Capitals and franchise player Alexander Ovechkin. The kid is only 20 and yet in his rookie season won the Calder, challenged for the Rocket Richard trophy and earned universal acclaim as the most exciting player to hit the NHL since Pavel Bure.

Would it be a stretch to assume the Capitals could make a ten-year, $80 million contract offer to Ovechkin to lock him up long term through his playing prime? Would it be unreasonable to believe Ovechkin wouldn't pass up an opportunity to earn $8 million US per season for the next decade, thus securing his financial future?

I'll bet more than a few Capitals fans would love to hear that deal announced today, and more than a few hockey sages would commend the club for doing so.

Don' t expect the DiPietro contract to be used as a comparable throughout the league, but don't be surprised if teams with genuine young superstars consider much longer deals to retain those players if it makes sense under their respective salary caps .