The Philadelphia Flyers added depth to their forward lines
by signing former Bruin Glen Metropolit to a two-year contract. Financial terms
weren’t disclosed.
Metropolit was one of last season’s “feel good” stories,
making the Boston Bruins last season as a training camp invitee and wound up
having the best season of his up-and-down NHL career, with 33 points in 82
games.
He’ll make a good, affordable addition to the Flyers
checking lines.
For two teams traditionally known for making big waves in
the UFA pool, the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers have been very quiet thus
far.
The Flyers of course have limited cap space this summer and
are only seeking affordable signings, preferably on their blueline.
GM Paul Holmgren appears to find such an affordable d-man in
Ossi Vaananen, who spent last season playing in Sweden after failing to land a
contract in last summer’s UFA market.
Holmgren wanted a puck-moving defenseman but that’ s not
Vaananen’s game, as he plays a more physical “stay-at-home” style, which should
make him a welcome addition for the Flyers but still leaves Holmgren seeking an
affordable offensive blueliner.
The Rangers are believed in the market for some of this
summer’s big UFA fish like Mats Sundin and Marian Hossa but have kicked off
July 1st with two minor signings, adding checking line forwards
Patrick Rissmiller and Aaron Voros.
The Philadelphia Flyers continue to pare down salaries from
their payroll, shipping veteran defenseman Denis Gauthier to the Los Angeles
Kings along with a second round pick in 2009 for prospect defenseman Patrik Hersley and left wing Ned Lukacevic.
Due to cap constraints last season the Flyers were forced to
demote Gauthier to the minors where he spent the entire 2007-08 season. They
had placed him on waivers at the end of June but couldn’t find any takers.
Gauthier had a reputation as a physical defenseman
occasionally know for questionable hits. His rugged style has also resulted in
a lengthy injury history.
Given the Kings need for defensive depth Gauthier will have
plenty of opportunities to earn himself a regular roster spot.
Sorry for the absence, folks, I took a day off on Friday and
my wife and I are spending some time with my son before he heads out for basic
training with the Naval Reserve on Sunday.
Lots of activity leading up to July 1st as teams
scramble to lock up their RFA players and cut loose some cap space via waivers
and buyouts. Here’s the most significant as of today (June 28):
The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired the rights of forwards Ryan
Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fourth
round pick in 2009. Should the Bolts re-sign Malone prior to July 1st
the pick is upgraded to a third rounder.
It’s a bold move by the new Lightning ownership to gain an
inside track on signing one or both, but if it doesn’t work out all it costs
them is a mid-round pick next season, one that could be easily replaced by trade
between now and next year’s draft if required.
If it does pan out and they manage to sign one or both it’s
a small price to pay.
The Philadelphia Flyers as expected re-signed forward Jeff
Carter to a three-year, $15 million contract extension, and no, this isn’t a “sign
and trade” on their part.
This signing pushes the Flyers payroll to over $51 million
next season so if they’re still looking at landing a quality puckmoving
blueliner via free agency they’ll still have to find a way to free up more cap
space.
The Anaheim Ducks bought out the remaining season of Todd
Bertuzzi’s contract in a move designed to free up cap space to re-sign key free
agents like Corey Perry but they might still need to move another player,
possibly Mathieu Schneider, now that Scott Niedermayer has decided to return
with the Ducks to play out the final season of his contract.
As expected the Calgary Flames announced the re-signing of
impending UFA center Daymond Langkow to a four-year, $20 million contract, but
also re-upped Craig Conroy to a two-year, $2.1 million contract and retained
forward Eric Nystrom and goaltender Curtis McElhinney to one-way contracts,
suggesting the latter two have locked up roster spots for next season.
A solid playoff performance by Loui Eriksson likely cemented
a new two-year contract extension worth $3.2 million ($1.5 million for next
season and $1.7 million for 2009-10), who also had 31 points in 69 NHL games last season.
A Campbell was re-signed but it wasn’t the Sharks’ Brian,
but rather Gregory Campbell of the Florida Panthers to a two-year contract
believed worth more than the $525K per season he earned in his previous
contract.
The Panthers also bought out the final season of forward
Jozef Stumpel’s contract while the NY Islanders have bought out the remaining
season of Shawn Bates’ contract and the Columbus Blue Jackets did the same with
Duvie Westcott.
Nothing like a $6 million jump in the salary cap to spur
some teams into using the buyout option. Last season only one player of note,
the Islanders Alexei Yashin, was bought out; this season, nearly a dozen,
although two, David Tanabe and Dan Cloutier, intend to fight the buyout by
insisting they’re not medically cleared yet to play next season.
Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren is looking to improve
his blueline corps this season and at the draft made a small but perhaps
significant step in that direction by obtaining Steve Eminger and the 84th
overall pick from the Washington Capitals for the 29th overall pick.
The 24-year-old Eminger was until this past season
considered a key part of the promising young Capitals team but saw little
action this season (only 20 regular season games) and was often a healthy
scratch but when pressed into service in the Flyers-Capitals first round
playoff series played well, obviously well enough for Holmgren to add him to
his roster.
This move should give Eminger a chance for a fresh start and
could work out to both his and the Flyers benefit.
The Columbus Blue Jackets made no secret heading into the
2008 NHL Entry Draft they were in the market for depth at center and were
willing to peddle one of their two first round picks to land a scoring center.
During the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft they
managed to land one, shipping the 19th overall pick and the 67th
overall pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for center R.J. Umberger
and the 119th pick overall.
The Flyers would’ve preferred to re-sign Umberger, who in
his third NHL season had a breakout performance with 50 points in the regular
season and 10 goals in 17 playoff games, but with the club either re-signing,
or on the verge of re-signing, center Jeff Carter to a multi-year deal and
needing to bolster their blueline they had no choice but to cut him loose.
Umberger should be a strong acquisition for the Blue
Jackets, who desperately needed a scoring center for Rick Nash’s line. It's possible the Jackets could try to bring in a better center than the
26-year-old Umberger but if so he could at the very least provide depth to their second
line scoring.
He’s also a restricted free agent but given the Blue Jackets
$20 million in cap space it shouldn’t take too long to get him under contract.
With the Jackets also selecting Russian winger Nikita
Filatov sixth overall in the draft the Blue Jackets have made significant strides
in bolstering their scoring depth both now and in the future.
Most of forward Vaclav Prospal’s best seasons came in a
Tampa Bay Lightning uniform and now it appears he’ll be joining the club for
the third time in his career.
Nearly five months after the Philadelphia Flyers acquired
Prospal from the Lightning, they’ve dealt his rights back to the Bolts for a seventh
round pick in 2008 and a conditional pick in 2009.
Something about Tampa Bay agrees with Prospal, where’s spent
roughly half of his 11-year NHL career. In each of those 5 seasons with the
Bolts he’s consistently scored over 55 points per season, including a 79-point
performance in 2002-03, an 80-point season in 2005-06 and a career-high 29
goals in 62 games this past season.
The Flyers acquired him just prior to the trade deadline in
February to bolster their offensive depth. His availability at that time was likely
tied to his UFA status this summer, his clashes with then-Lightning coach John Tortorella
and the uncertainty over the sale of the club to OK Hockey, headed by Hollywood
producer Oren Koules.
Prospal played well for the Flyers down the stretch and in
the first round of the playoffs but faded in the next two rounds. GM Paul
Holmgren claimed
Prospal wasn’t that keen to return to the Flyers.
The situation in Tampa Bay has changed since Prospal was
dealt; Tortorella has been fired, the
sale of the Lightning to Koules was approved, and apparently the team will be
aggressively pursuing UFA talent this summer to bolster their roster.
Acquiring Prospal would be a step in the right direction,
reuniting the “MVP” line of he, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier.
This move might also be interpreted as additional enticement for
Lecavalier to re-sign a long-term contract with the team before next summer.
Prospal will be re-signed, as this move wouldn’t have
happened if he wasn’t keen to return to Tampa Bay and the Lightning front office weren’t
interested in bringing him back.
Prospal’s trade to Philadelphia essentially kicked off the
February 2008 trade deadline, and it’ll be interesting to see if his deal back
to Tampa Bay is the starting gun for another bout of entry draft weekend
dealings.
The Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers made the first
significant trade of the off-season on June 6, as the Flyers shipped forward
Ryan Potulny to the Oilers in exchange for defenseman Danny Syvret.
The 23-year-old Potulny, who was drafted by the Flyers in
the third round of the 2003 entry draft, has spent the past three season split
between the Flyers and their AHL farm team the Phantoms. During that time he’s
played 44 NHL games, notching 7 goal and 14 points.
Syvret, 22, was the Oilers third round pick in the 2005
entry draft, and has spent the last three seasons split between the Oilers and
their farm system. He has 26 NHL games under his belt over two seasons but
spent all last season split between Springfield and Hershey in the AHL.
The Philadelphia Flyers got some unexpected salary cap
relief on Monday when it was reported veteran forward Sami Kapanen had
announced his retirement from the National Hockey League, opting to finish his
playing career with KalPa Kuopio in Finland.
Kapanen, who’ll be 38 on June 14th, was under
contract with the Flyers for next season at $1.25 million, and his retirement
will free up that salary, which the club can put toward either re-signing their
key free agents or pursuing unrestricted free agent players.
It’s the end of a twelve-year NHL career for Kapanen, split
between the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers. His
best season came with the Hurricanes in 2001-02, where he set career highs in
goals (27), assists (42) and points (69), and had 9 points in 23 playoffs games
as the Hurricanes made their improbable run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.
Kapanen was a five time 20+ goalscorer and would notch 57 or
more points four times, but in his final seasons with the Flyers he was more of
a defensive specialist and at times was even pressed into service as a
defenseman.
With the Flyers hoping to re-sign young free agents Jeff
Carter and R.J. Umberger as well as hoping to bring in more mobility to their
defense corps it’s possible Kapanen might’ve faced a contract buyout by the
Flyers had he not decided to retire.
He finishes his NHL career with 458 points in 831 regular
season game and 35 points in 87 playoff games.
It was apparent watching Game One of the 2008 Stanley
Cup Finals that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin is not playing as
well as he did earlier in the playoffs.
In fact, Malkin hasn’t played well since Game One of
the Eastern Conference Finals, when he had a three-point night, including two
goals, but was also leveled into the boards by Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike
Richards.
Malkin was slow to get up from that hit and although he
would subsequently score seconds later he wouldn’t score again until Game Five
when the Penguins eliminated the Flyers.
The proof is in the statistics.In his first ten playoffs game this spring, Malkin had 8
goals and 17 points, was only held scoreless in two of those games, and was
tied for the playoff scoring lead.
Following Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals, Malkin
has had only 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points his last five games.
It’s true the Flyers in the Conference Finals and the Red
Wings in Game One of the Cup Finals focused more attention on Malkin, not
allowing him the time and space to set up his scoring plays.
Still, Malkin proved capable against the Senators and
Rangers of shrugging off that tight-checking blanket to be an offensive factor.
The Senators were an injury-ravaged team in turmoil so it's not surprising they could only contain him for one game,
but the Rangers were a more defensively sound, tighter checking team and they too could only keep Malkin off the scoreboard in one game.
The Flyers and Red Wings checkers deserve full marks for
their efforts in neutralizing Malkin, but one has to wonder if there isn’t
another factor at play here, if he’s either wilting under the playoff heat or
possibly nursing an injury, perhaps incurred from that heavy hit from Richards
in the Conference Final.
If the problem is Malkin’s lack of experience handling the pressure
at this stage of the playoffs it’s something he’ll have to mentally work
through. If it’s an injury, that could be a more significant problem which he
might not be able to overcome.
His critics may be quick to suggest that he’s struggling
under the pressure, but I’ve learned over the years not to be so quick to
assume that's the reason a talented star struggles in the playoffs.
More often than not, they’re hiding an injury which seriously affects their
play.
Either way, something has knocked Malkin off his game, and
if he cannot recover over the course of the Final, it’ll prove a significant
blow to the Penguins offense, one that could prove costly to their Stanley Cup
hopes.
That’s the suggestion of some Flyers fans in chat
rooms, message boards and blogs, as well as in comments on some of my
Foxsports.com articles.
NHL officiating always gets knocked more in the post-season
than it does in the regular season (when there’s always a steady drumbeat of
discontent over it).
I haven’t found the officiating to be any better or worse in
this year’s playoffs. It seems about the same, some games it’s good, some games
it’s questionable.
As for the Flyers, it seems to be part of their cultivation
of their underdog status, their “us against the world” mentality in this year’s
post-season to suggest they’re not getting the benefit of the calls or for some
of their fans to outright make that claim.
So, is there any truth to it?
Granted, the Flyers are bound to be watched more closely
than other teams given the notable suspensions handed down to a couple of their
players during the season, which at one point earned them a stiff public rebuke
by the NHL ‘s disciplinary arm.
In the Flyers-Washington Capitals series, both teams drew 35
penalties, the most notable being Washington’s Tom Poti’s
tripping call that led to Joffrey Lupul’s overtime series-winning goal in Game
Seven.
In the Flyers-Montreal Canadiens series, the Flyers had 22
penalties to the Canadiens 14, 8 of those coming in the very rough third game
when Derian Hatcher took a stupid boarding call that saw him tossed from the
game and put his team shorthanded for half of the third period. In the other
four games, two saw the teams draw equal number of penalties , one saw
the Flyers draw one more and the other two more than the Habs.
A questionable call on Mike Richards for tripping Alex
Kovalev late in Game One resulted in Kovalev’s game-tying goal, but the
Canadiens Steve Begin took a silly interference late in the third of Game Four that snuffed
out his club’s rally and resulted in the game winning PP goal by Daniel Briere.
After three games against the Penguins in the Conference Finals, the Flyers were assessed 11 penalties, the Penguins 10, with six of those 11
penalties coming in Game Two.
Flyers fans were justifiably upset over Scottie Upshall’s
tripping call when a similar one later in the game by a Penguin was not called,
and Evgeni Malkin’s blatant elbow to the head of Daniel Briere in Game Two
going uncalled.
Overlooked however was Jason Smith’s punch to the face of
Sidney Crosby in Game Two that went uncalled, as did a couple of other
questionable tactics on Crosby and Malkin that the officials missed.
In the final assessment thus far, except for three games
(one in each series) where undisciplined play got the better of them, the
Flyers haven’t been getting the worst of the calls. It's was dead even against the Capitals, only one game skewed their numbers against the Habs (a game the Flyers won anyway), and it's been almost even against the Penguins in the first three games.
As far as calls go, some have certainly been missed for the
Flyers, but so too have they gotten their share of breaks against their opponents.
The only thing beating the Flyers in their series against
the Penguins is the talent depth of the Penguins, the absence of Kimmo Timonen
and Braydon Coburn from the Flyers blueline and the inability of the rest of
the Flyers defense to contain the Penguins speed. Penalties have nothing to do with it.
**Update** In Game Four, the Flyers were only called for two penalties, the Penguins called for four, leading a clearly upset Penguins coach Michel Therrien to sarcastically compliment the Flyers on their "disciplined play". The Flyers tally of penalties now stands at 13, the Penguins at 14.
Oh, and just a coupla points regarding predictions:
1. I don't mind folks disagreeing with me, but please, spare me the profanity-laced tirades if I didn't pick your team. I'm not disrespecting the Flyers and Stars, their fans or respective cities, ok, and if you feel otherwise you really, REALLY need to lighten up.
2. Like most commentators - media, blogger or fan - I do predictions for fun, not as a life and death scenario where the value of my "cred" is based on how they pan out. The late, great Canadiens coach Toe Blake dismissed predictions as "for gypsies" which is an opinion I share. The fact TSN employs a #### to spin a wheel to make predictions after their hockey minds sagely make theirs tells you all you need to know about how seriously they take them. In other words, they make them for fun!
3. I do appreciate hearing from hockey fans but disparaging my predictions doesn't hold much weight if you wait to do it midway or 3/4 of the way through a series when the outcome is pretty much a foregone conclusion. That only makes you a troll and no one likes trolls. Have the guts to make your calls before the series start or don't waste my time or those of other commentators.
4. I don't mind if my picks are wrong because I really do enjoy upsets. OK, not if my favorite team is at the receiving end but hey, that's playoff hockey for you. If every series went as predicted it would be boring as hell. Upsets add ####e and make things interesting.
Fresh from NHL headquarters: 2008 EASTERN CONFERENCE
FINAL
SERIES M
#2 Pittsburgh vs. #6 Philadelphia Friday, May 9, 2008
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh Sunday,
May 11, 2008 Philadelphia at Pittsburgh
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia Thursday, May 15, 2008 Pittsburgh at
Philadelphia *Sunday, May 18, 2008
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh *Tuesday, May 20, 2008 Pittsburgh at
Philadelphia *Thursday, May
22, 2008 Philadelphia at Pittsburgh
2008 WESTERN CONFERENCE
FINAL
SERIES N
#1 Detroit vs. #5 Dallas Thursday, May 8, 2008 Dallas at Detroit
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Dallas at Detroit Monday, May 12, 2008 Detroit at
Dallas Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Detroit at Dallas *Saturday, May 17,
2008 Dallas at Detroit *Monday, May 19, 2008 Detroit at Dallas
*Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Dallas at Detroit
As promised here is my Eastern Conference Quarter-finals preview and predictions.
Again, I'd love to read your comments, and if you disagree with me that's fine, but please, don't take it personally if I didn't pick your team to win or if in your opinion I haven't given them a chance. Remember, they're just one person's opinion. If I'm right, fine, if not, no big whoop.
Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins: Canadiens swept the season series 8-0, enroute to locking up top spot in their division and the conference, whilst the Bruins battled injury and inconsistency to scrape into the post-season. The Bruins will try to use a physical, disciplined defensive style to shut down the Canadiens speed and to generate traffic in front of the Montreal goal. They’ll look to goalie Tim Thomas and captain Zdeno Chara to lead the way but that might not be enough to blunt the Canadiens offensive attack and league-leading power-play, led by Alex Kovalev's line. Habs rookie Carey Price is starting his first NHL playoffs but his unflappable demeanor and sound goaltending style will make it tough for the Bruins to score. Both teams have been bit by the injury bug of late but the Canadiens are the healthier of the two. The Bruins will battle the Canadiens hard and could win a game or two but appear to lack the offensive punch and defensive ability to contain the Habs. CANADIENS IN FIVE.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators: The Sens won the season series 3-0-1 but have been in free-fall since mid-January whilst the Penguins have overcome injuries to key players to finish second overall in the Conference. The Senators have far more playoff experience than the Penguins, but they're a team wracked by dissension, shaky goaltending, inconsistent defense and with key forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly sidelined by injury. The Penguins lost to the Sens in five games last season but they’re a year older, wiser, healthier and better this time around. Their offensive attack, led by Evgeni Malkin and captain Sidney Crosby, could prove too much this time around for a floundering Ottawa team to shut down. PENGUINS IN FIVE.
Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers took the season series 2-1-1, but struggled down the stretch whilst the Capitals were one of the NHL’s hottest team’s over the same period, catapulting them to the Southeast Division title. For the Flyers, their role is simple: shut down the Alexander Ovechkin line and generate traffic in front of Caps goalie Cristobal Huet, and they’ve got a good chance to defeat Washington. Easier said than done, as the Capitals head into this series riding a wave of momentum, spurred by Ovechkin’s amazing play, Huet’s goaltending, the coaching of Bruce Boudreau and the overall improvement of their roster. The Flyers possess more experience than the Capitals, but there are concerns about Martin Biron’s goaltending, their defensive depth and overall health. The Flyers also haven’t played the Capitals since early February and could find this club far different from the one they faced earlier in the season. CAPITALS IN SIX.
New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers. The Rangers won the season series 7-0-1 but it’s the Devils who’ll have home-ice advantage in this match-up. The last time these two met in the playoffs the Devils swept the Rangers in four, but the Rangers are a healthier, more defensively sound club this time around, and can rely on strong goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils will again use their grinding, physical defensive style to try to wear down the Rangers, but their lack of offense could make it difficult to cash in on scoring opportunities. Ultimately the Devils hopes will rest on goalie Martin Brodeur, who had another strong performance this season and must carry that over into the post-season for the Devils to have a chance. This series should be a close one but in the end the Rangers offensive depth and improved defensive game should see them through. RANGERS IN SEVEN.
With the NHL season almost over, here’s a look at how the top free agents of 2007 (based on salaries of $5 million or more per season) have fared in the first season of their current contracts.
Oh, and for those nitpickers wondering why I’m doing this now (and my review of my season preview last Friday) given the handful of games remaining, it’s because I’m preparing to cover the upcoming playoffs and won’t have the time to do this at season’s end.
Anyway, stats are as of March 31, 2008,along with their projections in November 2007 and January 2008. The regular season ends on April 6, 2008. I’ll leave it up to you, the readers, to decide if they’re worth the money they’re getting.
Enjoy!
Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers - 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $6.5 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 41 goals, 61 assists, 102 points. January 2008: on pace for: 32 goals, 49 assists, 89 points. March 31, 2008: 78 GP, 31 goals, 40 assists, 71 points, -23
Scott Gomez, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.357 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 14 goals, 44 assists, 58 points. January 2008: on pace for: 18 goals, 57 assists, 75 points. March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 16 goals, 53 assists, 69 points, +5.
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.143 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 21 goals, 36 assists, 57 points. January 2008: on pace for: 23 goals, 25 assists, 48 points. March 31, 2008: 79 GP, 32 goals, 28 assists, 60 points, -5
Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $8 million. Salary cap hit: $6.33 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points. -14 January 2008: on pace for: 12 goals, 33 assists, 45 points. –2 March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 8 goals, 36 assists, 44 points, -3
Ryan Smyth, Colorado Avalanche: - 2007-08 salary: $7.5 million. Salary cap hit: $6.25 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 21 goals, 28 assists, 50 points. January 2008: on pace for: 22 goals, 34 assists, 56 points (sidelined until late-February) March 31, 2008: 53 GP, 14 goals, 23 assists, 37 points, -3
Chris Drury, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $7.1 million. Salary cap hit: $7.05 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 17 goals, 34 assists, 51 points –3. January 2008: on pace for: 21 goals, 34 assists, 55 points, -21 March 31, 2008: 78 GP, 23 goals, 31 assists, 54 points, -4
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: 2007-08 salary: $6.7 million. Salary cap hit. $6.7 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 24 goals, 65 assists, 89 points, +38. January 2008: on pace for: 30 goals, 66 assists, 96 points, +47 March 31, 2008: 79 GP, 31 goals, 53 assists, 94 points, +41.
November 2007: on pace for: 26-20-7, 2.50 GAA, .906 SP. January 2008: on pace for: 34-19-7, 2.33 GAA, .915 SP March 31, 2008: 34-17-6, 2.10 GAA, .923 SP
November 2007: on pace for: 12 goals, 43 assists, 55 points, +18 in 67 games. January 2008: on pace for: 10 goals, 28 assists, 38 points, +22 in 67 games. March 31, 2008: 63 GP, 12 goals, 27 assists, 39 points, +20.
Roman Hamrlik, Montreal Canadiens – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million.
November 2007:on pace for: 7 goals, 31 assists, 38 points. +24. January 2008: on pace for: 5 goals, 27 assists, 32 points, +11 March 31, 2008: 74 GP, 5 goals, 20 assistss, 25 points, +7
Michael Nylander, Washington Capitals – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $4.875 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 20 goals, 52 assists, 72 points, -43 January 2008: sidelined for the season, was on pace for 21 goals, 50 assists, 71 points.
Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 39 goals, 59 assists, 98 points, +23. January 2008: on pace for: 36 goals, 53 assists, 89 points, +20. March 31, 2008: 74 GP, 32 goals, 46 assists, 78 points, +17.
Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $5.2 million. Salary cap hit: $4.2 million
November 2007: on pace for: 11 goals, 18 assists, 29 points, +7. January 2008: on pace for: 21 goals, 21 assists, 42 points, 0 March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 23 goals, 18 assists, 41 points.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
