The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to be one of the busiest
teams in the league in recent days.
After focusing on signing forwards the Bolts turned their
attention to the goaltending depth by signing former Washington Capitals
netminder Olaf Kolzig to an affordable one-year, $1.5 million contract.
The former Vezina winner will share the goaltending duties
with Mike Smith, whom the Lightning acquired from the Dallas Stars at the trade
deadline in the Brad Richards deal, providing veteran leadership and experience
as well as tutoring Smith, whom management still sees as their starter goalie
of the future.
Kolzig struggled at times last season with the Capitals but
with less of a load on his shoulders this season could find a lighter workload
more beneficial to his game.
**UPDATE** The rumor is circulating in the media that the Lightning are shopping Smith (!).Looks like the Lightning's wild ride under their new ownership is far from over.
The Chicago Blackhawks made a major splash in the 2005 free
agent market by signing the best available free agent goaltender.
Three years later, they’ve done it again, signing Cristobal
Huet to a reported four year deal worth $5.6 million per season.
Huet will split the goaltending duties with Nikolai
Khabibulin, who was signed with much fanfare three years ago to be the
Blackhawks starting goaltender, but injuries have adversely affected the
performance of the crumbling ‘Bulin Wall.
The ‘Hawks aren’t expected to re-sign Khabibulin when his
current contract expires after next season and he’ll likely be relegated to
backup duty behind Huet this coming season, which at $6.75 million will make
him the most expensive backup goalie in the league this season.
For the Blackhawks, it’s worthwhile, as the team made
significant improvement last season and might’ve made the playoffs if they
could’ve had better goaltending.
They’ll get that in Huet, who’s a proven regular season
netminder although in his limited playoff experience he’s yet to win a series,
but for a Chicago team hungry to get into the playoffs for the first time since
2002, they’ll be happy if he can backstop them to the postseason first and then
they’ll worry about his playoff record.
The Washington Capitals have signed a starting goaltender
but it’s not Cristobal Huet.
In a move that obviously means Huet’s short tenure with the
Capitals is over, the club has signed former Colorado Avalanche netminder Jose
Theodore to a two-year contract worth $9 million, which breaks down to $4.5 million per season.
The Caps had been negotiating with Huet right up to the last
minute in hopes of re-signing the French netminder, whom they acquired at the
trade deadline from the Montreal Canadiens for the bargain price of a second
round pick.
But given the lack of quality depth in starting goalies in
this year’s market the Huet camp appears to have decided to test their value on
the open market. It was rumored they were seeking a three-year contract at over
$5 million per season.
The Capitals might have been unwilling to pay it but another
team seeking goalie depth probably will.
As for Theodore, this past season was a return almost to the
form that won him the Vezina and Hart trophies in 2002, and was arguably the
main reason the Avs made the playoffs after suffering a rash of serious
injuries to their roster.
His post-season record remains erratic, as he followed up a
strong performance in the opening round of the 2008 playoffs against the
Minnesota Wild with a poor one in the Avs second round humiliation by the
Detroit Red Wings.
The first significant free agent signing of the NHL’s UFA
market wasn’t an unrestricted free agent but rather a restricted on.
Defenseman Mike Green re-signed a four-year deal worth $5.25
million per season with the Washington Capitals, which is a substantial bump
over the $950K per season he earned on his entry level contract.
Green had a breakout performance in 2007-08, with 56 points
in 82 games and anchoring the Capitals power play, but it was during the
Capitals 2008 post-season series against the Philadelphia Flyers that he truly
shone as one of the club’s offensive leaders.
The Caps are not just paying for potential but also ensuring
they didn’t lose Green to an offer sheet which might’ve set the salary bar even
higher than $5.25 million per season.
If Green plays as well over the next four years as he did
this season he could prove worth every penny.
- After the frenzy of player trades during the opening round
of the NHL 2008 Entry Draft only one of significance took place in the
subsequent rounds, as the Colorado Avalanche dealt forward Brad Richardson to
the Los Angeles Kings for the 61st overall pick in the draft.
Richardson, a 23-year-old checking forward, spent the past
three seasons bouncing between the Avalanche and the AHL. He has 40 points in
136 NHL games.
- Speaking of the Kings, they might not be able to buy out
goaltender Dan Cloutier if it is determined he’s not medically fit to play.
Cloutier has been plagued by injuries in recent years and if he fails to pass a
medical screening the Kings won’t be allowed to buy him out. They could however
place him on long-term injury status next season if he’s still not fit to play.
- Kings defenseman Jon Klemm’s 15-year NHL career has
apparently come to an end, as the 38-year-old has signed a one-year contract to
play in Germany’s DEL league next season.
Klemm played for four NHL teams, most of those with the
Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche as a “stay-at-home” blueliner, and was an
integral part of the Avs two Stanley Cup championship teams.
-The Carolina Hurricanes have placed forward Jeff Hamilton
and defenseman David Tanabe on waivers, and the Washington Capitals have done
the same with defenseman Ben Clymer.
If these three should clear waivers by noon on June 24th
they’ll be bought out of the final year of their respective contracts. Clymer
and Hamilton each have one year and $1.1 million remaining on their respective
deals, while Tanabe has $900K remaining on the final year of his contract.
Their buyouts will count as two thirds the remaining value
spread over twice the remaining tenure of their contracts against the salary
caps of the Hurricanes and Capitals.
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.
Trevor Linden recently announced his retirement from the NHL
after 19 seasons, sixteen of which were spent with the Vancouver Canucks, nearly
seven of those as team captain.
Linden hasn’t been captain of the Canucks for years but in
the minds of most of the team’s fans he’ll always be considered the best
captain the team ever had.
His best seasons were in his first go-around with the
Canucks from his NHL rookie season of 1988-89 through the 1997-98 campaign,
where he’d score over 30 goals six times and exceed the 50 point mark seven
times, including four 70-plus point seasons.
Linden was never flashy as teammate Pavel Bure during that
time but his strong two-way play and leadership made him a standout and the
true heart-and-soul of the club for most of the 1990s.
He also earned a reputation as a solid playoff performer
renowned for his clutch play, and he was never better than in the 1994
playoffs, captaining the Canucks to a thrilling seven game Stanley Cup final series
against the NY Rangers, where the Canucks rallied from a 3-1 series deficit before
falling to the Rangers in the deciding seventh game.
Dealt to the NY Islanders mid-way through the 1997-98 season
for Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan McCabe and a third round pick (used to select Jarkko
Ruutu), Linden struggled with injuries as he bounced from the Isles to the
then-equally mediocre Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals over the
course of four seasons.
But early in the 2001-02 season Linden was dealt back to the
Canucks where he truly belonged, and while he was no longer the captain and his
offensive skills were in decline he was still relied upon for leadership and
strong defensive play.
He was also president of the NHL Players Association for 8
years, during which the NHL was shut down for an entire season due to a
lockout.
Linden was a loyal lieutenant of PA Executive Director Bob
Goodenow but broke with him in March 2005 following the league’s cancellation
of the 2004-05 season, joining with PA assistant director Ted Saskin in
negotiating the current collective bargaining agreement which brought the lock
to an end in July 2005.
His role in the firing of Goodenow later than month and in
the controversial hiring of Saskin as the PA’s new executive director remains
murky, and resulted in his stepping down as PA president
Linden has also been a long-time active member of the
Vancouver community, particularly in charity work associated with the BC
Children’s Hospital and other charitable organizations, which has only deepened
the love Canucks fans feel for Linden.
Presently it’s unknown if Linden will have a role in the
Canucks organization in the near future, but considering all he’s done for the
team on and off the ice as a player as well as in the community the Canucks
hierarchy would be daft not to hire him, if not in management then at the very
least a goodwill ambassador.
Linden finishes his NHL career with 375 goals and 867 points
in 1, 382 regular season games, and an even more impressive 99 points
(including 65 assists) in 124 playoff games.
It remains to be seen if he’ll ever be inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Canucks retired his
number 16 in honor of the most popular player in team history.
The Washington Capitals made their first significant signing
of their off-season, re-signing veteran winger Matt Bradley to a new contract.
Bradley was eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1st,
but decided to forego it to re-sign a new three-year, $3 million contract with
the Capitals.
His new deal will count as $1 million per season over the
contract’s tenure against the team’s salary cap.
Bradley joined the Capitals in the summer of 2005 as an
unrestricted free agent after spending four NHL seasons with the San Jose
Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins, establishing himself as a gritty checking line
winger on a rebuilding Capitals team.
In 77 games last season he had 7 goals, 18 points and was
+1.
Meanwhile, the long contract standoff between the Tampa Bay
Lightning and Evgeny Artyukhin has finally drawn to a close.
Reports out of Tampa Bay last week revealed the Lightning
had reached agreement on what was believed to be a two-year contract with
Artyukhin, bringing him back to the Bolts after a two-season hiatus.
The 6’5, 260lb Artyukhin was a third round pick of the
Lightning in 2001 and played two seasons in the minors with the ECHL and AHL
before making his NHL debut with the Bolts in the 2005-06 season, where he had
17 points in 72 regular season games and scored a goal in five playoff games.
Unfortunately, after that season Artyukhin and his agent,
Marc Gandler, became embroiled in a contract dispute with the cap-strapped
Lightning, and he opted to spend the next two seasons in the Russian Super
League, first with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv and last season with CSKA Moscow.
It’s unknown how much Artyukhin’s new contract will be with
the Lightning, but it was believed he was seeking $1 million per season.
The Lightning hope to place the hulking Russian on a
checking line with big center Chris Gratton, provided they can get the latter
under contract for next season, as Gratton is eligible for UFA status in July.
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.
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.
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.
It’s been said that the best hockey of an NHL season isn’t truly seen until the playoffs, but in my humble opinion the race for the playoffs in the final month of the regular season can bring about excitement every bit as worthwhile as a playoff game.
This season is no exception, as once again several teams are battling to clinch the final two playoff berths in each conference, and every remaining game in this season for those teams carries the same importance as a post-season contest.
In the Eastern Conference, seventh and eighth overall are very much up for grabs, with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers desperately clinging to those two berths, with the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals breathing down their collective necks.
As of this writing, only five points separate seventh-place Boston from 11th place Florida, with the Flyers, Capitals and Sabres sandwiched between them.
Looking at the standings as of March 19th, the Bruins have 83 points, the Flyers 82, the Capitals 80, Sabres 79 and Panthers 78.
Of these five team, the Capitals and Panthers have been red-hot, both clubs winning seven of their last ten games, which doesn’t bode well for the struggling Bruins (3-4-3), Flyers (4-3-3) and Sabres (4-4-2). If the Caps and Panthers can keep up their torrid pace they could end up playoff bound.
The race isn’t quite so close in the Western Conference, as a four-point gap separates the eighth overall Colorado Avalanche from the 9th overall Nashville Predators and the Avs also enjoy a five point gap over the 10th overall Edmonton Oilers.
As of March 19th the Avalanche had the same number of points (84) as the sixth overall Vancouver Canucks and seventh overall Calgary Flames. These three clubs appear to control their destiny over their final handful of games.
Still, these three clubs cannot afford a letdown. The Predators may be struggling (4-6-0 in their last ten games) but they’re not out of the hunt yet, and with 8 games remaining still have enough time to claw their way into a berth of the Avs, Flames or Canucks stumble.
The Oilers also cannot be completely counted out, having gone on a remarkable 8-2-0 streak in their last ten games and with 8 games remaining they too have enough time to catch those ahead of them if they falter.
Wouldn’t it be great if it came down to a final game of the season for one of these teams, as it did last year for the NY Islanders?
The Isles blew a two-goal lead in their final game of the 2007 season against the New Jersey Devils but won it in a shootout thanks to a savvy poke-check by Islanders backup goalie Wade Dubielewicz, clinching the last playoff berth in the East in a thrilling contest.
Consider this battle for the final playoff spots a primer for the upcoming 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. Who knows, maybe one of these teams could go on to become a “giant killer” in this year’s post-season.
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.
