2012 NHL Playoffs: Round One Predictions

It’s that time of the year again! The Stanley Cup Playoffs are here at last, as we get ready for nearly two straight months of non-stop, intense hockey action! Every year I post my predictions on this blog, so the tradition continues, this time with no fancy explanations, just the pure, unadulterated picks. Just some quick thoughts, though, and that is my utmost desire to see the Philadelphia Flyers pound the Pittsburgh Penguins into oblivion. Will it happen? Well, against the boards, most definitely, but on the scoreboard, probably not. A man can dream, eh? Either way, you can expect 95% of the hockey world bringing themselves to do the unthinkable for the next seven games or so, and that is cheer on the Broadstreet Bullies. Let’s also hope the Rangers will put the clamp down on the eighth place Ottawa Senators as well. Everyone keeps saying how the Senators have given the Rangers fits and the two teams do not match up well, but let’s get one thing straight here: the Rangers are the best team in the Eastern Conference, second best in the entire league. If they can’t get out of the first round, then they don’t deserve it, plain and simple. I’m also counting on the Devils to make quick work of the Florida Panthers, even though they are three slots lower than them in the standings, but I covered that a few days ago in this article. Now it’s time for the picks!

Rangers’ Alex Frolov Done for Season with Torn ACL

Last night, Alex Frolov appeared to have a lower body injury, when he skated gingerly towards the New York Rangers bench in the third period of a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. A few minutes later, he would take one more shift, earning the post-game praise of analyst Kevin Weekes, who said the character Frolov showed in even trying to continue the game embodied what this Rangers season has been like. It now appears that this will be Frolov’s last shift as a Ranger, with the team announcing that he has a torn ACL, second degree sprain of the MCL, and slight medial meniscus tear, and is done for the season.

Either way, Frolov was not going to be wearing Ranger blue next season. The two-time 30 goal scorer who struggled last season was a no-loss gamble by the Rangers this past summer, as his $3 million, one-way contract really did not cost the team much. There was no budding youth whose spot he was stealing, and they had the money to take a chance with him. But much like Chris Higgins did last season, Frolov came with a lot of potential and just did not pan out. By late October, I was already calling him out, as most Ranger bloggers were (the article has only now be linked on Yahoo’s Puck Daddy).

I was never a fan of the Frolov signing, as just days after he was signed, I said he was not the answer to the Rangers’ problems, but nevertheless, I still held out hope that he could put up at least 20 goals, even if I never expected him to reach the 30 he did twice while on the Los Angeles Kings. As the season progressed, though, we could tell that neither of those goal totals would be neared, let alone eclipsed.

As Yahoo says, he is currently on pace for a 13 goal season—in 43 games he has only 7 goals and 9 assists. He has played everywhere from the first line with Gaborik, to the fourth line with Boogaard, and even the bench for long stretches, and never looked comfortable. The problem with Higgins as mentioned earlier was not that he looked bad, but that he was snake-bit. He got plenty of chances but couldn’t bury any. With Frolov, he wasn’t even getting any quality chances and when he skated it looked like it was through cement. His nightly wrap-arounds became a joke within the fan base—he seemed to think he had a better chance scoring from behind the net than in front of it. There is no total of how many he took, but he only scored on one this season.

This injury may not spell the end of just his season, but his NHL career, as he was contemplating an offer from a KHL team at the time he signed in New York. I cannot see any team in this league wanting him, so hopefully after a speedy and healthy recovery, he will find a nice career over in Russia. I wish him all the best, just stay the heck away from the Rangers.

P.S: Hundreds of people are now lining up outside of Marcie Braverman’s apartment for a celebration. Please enjoy this music while you map-quest directions to her palace.

Biron Backstops Rangers to 2-1 Victory in St. Louis

This game began looking like the early-90′s Roger Neilson-led Rangers against the mid-90′s Jacques Lemaire-led Devils—it was just that boring, but the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues were able to put together some solid entertainment from the second period and on, as the Rangers skated to a 2-1 victory tonight in St. Louis. It was not necessarily a bad game, but neither team was too sharp early on, and it was not a masterpiece, but the Rangers were able to win their third game in a row, once again without the help of Gaborik.

• First period: Everything that hockey should be was nowhere to be found in the first twenty minutes. There were no glaring scoring chances, no big hits, no nice passes, just nothing but boring and slow hockey. The total shots on goal for the period were 6-2 in favor of the Rangers. They did find a way to blow two powerplay opportunities, though, while being able to kill off one of the Blues’.

• Second Period: The Blues would open the scoring a little more than two minutes in, when Brad Winchester redirected an Eric Brewer shot past Martin Biron, who had no chance on the play. The Rangers would even the score seven minutes later, on a beautiful passing play by Mats Zuccarello, who found Derek Stepan (12) streaking to the net, before he shot the puck between the legs of Jaroslav Halak. Stepan remains third in the league in rookie scoring. Six minutes after that, Sean Avery (2) would finally snap his 35-game goal scoring drought when he tapped home a rebound off a Marian Gaborik shot. Originally, it was thought that Gaborik had scored the goal, but after looking at the replay, the puck went off Halak’s shoulder, then off the crossbar before floating even with the goal-line, for Avery to knock in. I somewhat predicted Avery’s goal on Twitter, when early in the first period, I said, “I say Avery scores a goal tonight. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sooner or later.” Dubinsky would end up with an assist on both goals, giving him 20 on the season.

• Third Period: This would be much like the first period, only it was the Blues who controlled the play for most of the time. The Rangers had a hard time even entering their zone for the first half of the period, and had to kill a double-minor to Sean Avery near the midway point. They were able to hold St. Louis to only one shot on goal in the four minutes, and only eight for the period, despite spending most of the period in their own end. With the Blues pressing late, David Backes would take a bad cross-checking penalty with under a minute to go, and the ensuing faceoff in their end would kill any hopes of a rally, and the Rangers would finish with a 2-1 victory.

Martin Biron may have only faced 25 shots, but he was superb tonight. He made several key stops in the second period, and more in the third. He was very steady and had excellent rebound control. The move to play him tonight instead of the hot-hand in Lundqvist was questioned by some, but this is why Biron was brought in—to play in, and hopefully win the second of back-to-back games. (By the way, he is also a fantastic talker. What a post-game interview this guy gives!)

The Rangers powerplay was futile once again tonight. It’s almost comical that they get better scoring chances while shorthanded than with the man advantage. As nice as it is to score a shorthanded goal, or rush down the ice and get a good chance, their powerplay is in trouble. As I said earlier today when I called out Gaborik, he and the team as a whole need to shoot more—it is that simple.

Not related to the team’s play, would the Rangers consider replacing Joe Micheletti with Kevin Weekes, who filled in with the HNL crew tonight? Every time I see him, whether on MSG or a Canadian Network, he always sounds intelligent and his commentary is spot on. In other words, he is not a bumbling, nonsensical fool like Micheletti. He and Sam Rosen would work well together.

New York Rangers Broadcasting: Oh JD, How We Miss Thee!

When the New York Rangers had Sam Rosen and John Davidson in the broadcast booth from 1986-2006, they arguably had the best announcing tandem in the entire league. Both fed off of each other and had unbelievable chemistry. Rosen was the hawk-eye announcer, while Davidson, an ex-Rangers’ goaltender lent his unbiased expertise while adding humor on a nightly basis. Win or lose, listening in to MSG Network for a Ranger game was enjoyable—it was pure entertainment.

After the 2005/06 season, John Davidson left for a job in the front office with the St. Louis Blues, and we were left wondering who would be able to fill his immense shoes. The job would go to Joe Micheletti, the former color commentator of the New York Islanders, but someone who had done nationally televised games and actually was somewhat popular with a big name in the business. Right off the bat it was realized that he would in no way even come close to matching Davidson, but we were not expecting him to. All we wanted was competence, and what we have gotten for five seasons, including this one, is a horrendous display of mediocrity and babbling. Monday night, between him and John Gianonne, who was replacing Rosen due to the snow, I was just seconds away from putting on the Islanders’ broadcast to hear Howie Rose and Butch Goring. It was just that bad.

I cannot remember a time when I was more disgusted with a broadcast team. Sure nationally televised games with Mike Emrick or Joe Beninatti involving the Penguins or Capitals are sights to behold regarding bias and ridiculousness, but this Rangers duo takes it to a whole other level.

Joe Micheletti: I am someone who cannot stand a homer. I like my announcers to be fair and balanced, while they can lean slightly towards the Rangers. This is why I can’t take listening to Chico Resch, who is so far up Martin Brodeur’s ass nose, that he can feel his shoes on his chin. At first, Micheletti did not seem too bad. Davidson was always the first to call out a Rangers mistake, and I applauded him for that. Sometimes I wonder if there was some tension between the Dolan’s and Davidson, who felt he was being too critical of the team. Nevertheless, the problem I have with Micheletti is not that he’s critical of the team, but his constant gushing over opposing players. Games where they play the Penguins are almost nauseating. We know that Sidney Crosby is a good player, Joe, you don’t have to make mention of it every single time he touches the puck, or how Evgeni Malkin is good too. We get it!

Also, every team the Rangers play is coming off a great game, even if they are having a horrible season. It does not matter if they lost ten in a row, they had to play well doing it. It is almost as if Micheletti is trying to make a loss to a bad team not seem like a big deal, if he is constantly telling us how good they are. And how about the next game, against the Lightning; how many times will we have to listen to how amazing Stamkos is, and that he is a “good kid”? Nothing against any of these players, but fans are not stupid. We do not need to be reminded of their play every five minutes.

As for Rangers’ players, did you happen to know that Marian Gaborik has a powerful stride and quick release? It seemed to slip my mind, even though Joe M. has mentioned it about a million times this season. And how about him always asking questions? “Hey, Callahan’s having a great game, isn’t he Sam?” is just an example of one. Sometimes I think he is just talking to hear himself talk. No, Joe, Callahan is having an awful game, which is why you brought it up.

When he talks, it is borderline rambling. He says things that do not make any sense. Oh, and how can I forget, Tyler Myers is the second coming of Bobby Orr, or should I skip straight to Jesus Christ?

Micheletti would give Joseph Goebbels a run for his money.

John Gianonne: At first, Giannone seemed like the nicest guy in the world. I requested an interview with him and he got back to me saying yes and that he actually read my site and liked it. This was all done through Facebook, and next thing I know, I am no longer friends with him and he will not talk to me anymore. Since I don’t hold a grudge, I moved on, but it was only then when I started to realize how awful of an announcer he is. When filling in for Rosen, Gianonne and Micheletti combined have the smoothness of Howard Cosell and Gilbert Gottfried calling a backgammon match. His voice is screechy, he consistently makes mistakes, and he appears to be allergic to the word “the”.

How many times do I hear him say, “Puts it toward net” or “Toward goal”? What about, “Puts it toward THE net”? Ever hear of that magical three-letter word? Did we skip schooling and go right to broadcasting? He must have known one of the Dolan’s to land a job like that, because it wasn’t talent that brought him there. Listening to him almost makes me want Mike Crispino back…on second thought, no one is that bad.

Now let’s move on to his brilliant interviewing skills, when he asks brain-busting questions like, “Are you happy about the win?” or “Are you upset about the loss?”. No John, Lundqvist is thrilled that he just lost a game, and Gaborik is crying buckets over a game where he just recorded a hat trick. One of these games I am just waiting for a player to stand up and pop him one right in the kisser.

Sam Rosen: The gripe I have with Rosen really is not in what he says, but how his senses are failing him. I am not going to make fun of his old age and severe loss of hearing and eyesight, but when a player rips a slapshot off the post and it makes a ping that everyone and their mother heard, and you say with an astounding stupor, “I think it hit the post!”, there is a problem. But then he does something that confuses me: a shot will barely glance off the iron and he will declare that it hit the post, when no one else heard it.

Dave Maloney: Move on over Foster Brooks, Dave Maloney is the next lovable lush. In all honesty, I am not going to accuse him of alcoholism on the air, but he sure seems like he has a few belts before he does the Rangers pre and post-game shows. He slurs words and mixes up players’ names like a champ, but he actually does provide decent insight and is very, very honest with the team’s play. I would take him over Micheletti in the TV booth any day. My only concern is that his breathe will one day melt the microphone.

New York Rangers Recap: Offense Silent in Shutout Loss to Blues

Photo source: AP

The 2-0 score of tonight’s game may indicate that the matchup between the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues was a close one, but in reality, the Rangers were never really in this game, even with all the powerplay opportunities and chances at even strength. From the opening face-off, right up until Alexander Steen buried the empty net goal with under ten seconds remaining in the third, the Rangers looked lethargic and listless at times, and this coming from the team that did not play a game last night.

The first period was boring, for the most part. Two bad penalties would be taken by Ruslan Fedotenko back to back; with all the anger being directed at Frolov (which is to come later on in this recap), Fedotenko too deserves a little bit of flack for his offensive production, which has consisted of only one goal and four assists in fourteen games. He has been unnoticeable, unlike Frolov, who has been frustratingly bad.

The only other item worth mentioning in the first period was a Rangers goal that was disallowed. Oddly enough, it was Alex the Invisible who scored the goal that would be waved off. Whether or not the referee’s call was correct, it does not matter, because the Rangers had plenty of opportunities later in the game to make up for it and failed. But to describe what happened, Anisimov was in his own end and flipped the puck up in the air where it might have been touched by a high stick of Nikita Nikitin. With Bill McCreary holding his arm up, the puck rolled towards Ty Conklin as Frolov and a Blues defenseman skated towards it. The Puck would be touched by Alex Pietrangelo, prompting a whistle, but it was never under St. Louis control. Seeing this, Frolov took the puck and shot it between the legs of Conklin, but only after the whistle blew. The whistle can clearly be heard blowing before Frolov even touched the puck, so that is not the issue, but it is not conclusive of whether or not the Blues player actually high-sticked the puck.

The Blues would score the first goal of the game a little more than five minutes in to the second period. I actually did not see it, so I cannot describe what happened, but it would be netted by Alexander Steen, his first of two, on assists from Boyes and Oystrick. After two more failed powerplays, bringing the Rangers total to three missed man-advantages, the game moved along to the third period where the Rangers would have a glorious chance to tie this game.

This chance would come via a five-minute major powerplay, when B.J Crombeen checked Derek Stepan from behind. But the Rangers would only be able to tee up four shots in the five minutes, with no serious scoring chances. The powerplay would also come after Frolov was robbed once again, after the center Stepan set him up beautifully from behind the net. Minutes after the powerplay expired, Anisimov would have a wide open net with the goaltender down, and still found a way to miss the net—the exclamation point on tonight’s game.

The Rangers continue to rotate great games with frustrating ones. Tonight’s game would be the latter, as the Blues stiffing defense left the Rangers singing the blues. The Rangers would out-shoot St. Louis, but only record 27 shots. Steve Eminger would also continue his nightly streak of bad penalties. Backup goalie Martin Biron did play well tonight, though, stopping 21 of 22 shots.

If there is any good news in this, it’s that Marian Gaborik may be cleared for contact later this week. The Rangers offense was keeping them in it, but it is painfully obvious that the Rangers need their superstar.

Tonight’s shutout of the Rangers by St. Louis marks the first time in their history that the Blues were able to shutout the Rangers. This was the 128th matchup between the two teams since the NHL Expansion in 1967.

Around the NHL: Penguins Winter Classic Jersey Ugliest Ever?

The jerseys that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be wearing in this year’s winter classic have been photographed and released, and I just happened to catch a glimpse of them for the first time only minutes ago when I noticed them posted on someone’s Facebook. My immediate reaction that it was a joke—someone had photo-shopped a hideous jersey in an attempt to make fun of the Penguins, who have never really had a nice jersey. Then I find out that these jerseys are indeed real. Have a look for yourself:

The goal behind this monstrous creation was to take a little something from every jersey they have ever worn and combine it into one. This would not be a bad idea if every jersey the Penguins have had were actually good. There were the baby blue jerseys they sported in their inaugural years that were replicated for their appearance in the NHL’s first winter classic four years ago (not terrible). Then their black and yellow jerseys which featured a cartoon-like Penguin were laughable, and that design has shifted over the years. In my humble opinion, the picture below is the best jersey they ever wore—a very sharp black and yellow with the word “Penguins” down the center. Notice how it is not flashy, just very traditional:

But is this the ugliest jersey ever designed? The NHL is a league that has had their share of doozies over the years. From the mid-1990′s Los Angeles Kings wearing a jersey nicknamed the “Burger King”, to the New York Islanders having a center patch that was a mirror image of the Gorton’s Fisherman, only holding a hockey stick. Oh, and who can forget this design thunk up by the St. Louis Blues before Iron Mike Keenan shot it down and vetoed it? (Thank you, Mike!)

Year after year teams come up with awful designs, most recently teams beginning to use nicknames like the Lightning have with “Bolts” and the Senators with “Sens”, both of which can be seen in gigantic, unrepentant patterns right across the crest of the jerseys.

The Winter Classic is one hockey game that tops all others for viewership every year in its existence, and this is the best that the Penguins could come up with? Not only is it just an ugly clash of colors, but it contains that same cartoon penguin in the center and about three too many stripes on the bottom and the sleeves. To be frank, it looks like it was designed by someone who went into an acid-driven coma in the 1970′s and woke up this year to create this jersey.

It’s about time that teams stopped trying to stretch their creative minds past what they are limited to, and get back to simplicity. Each of the Original Six teams still wear jerseys identical to or slightly changed to what they wore when they debuted. I don’t hear anyone complaining about them.

So what do you think is the ugliest jersey ever? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Conversation with Detroit Red Wings Senior VP Jimmy Devellano

Of all of the people I have interviewed in the past, none have accomplished more than the former General Manager and current Senior Vice President of the Detroit Red Wings, Jimmy Devellano.

Devellano has now spent 43 years in the NHL, including the last 29 with the Red Wings. After starting out as an amateur scout with the St. Louis Blues, he then went to the New York Islanders in the 1980′s, winning three Stanley Cups–two as a scout and one as assistant general manager. From there, he went to Detroit, the team which his name has now become synonymous with.

He has helped to orchestrate the Red Wings rise to greatness over the last several years, that has seen another four Stanley Cups (bringing his total to seven) along with six Finals appearances and 15 Division Championships.

But perhaps his most shining achievement was being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this past June in the builders category, forever sealing his name amongst the greats of hockey.

Devellano is also the Vice President of the MLB’s Detroit Tigers, but at the end of our interview, he made it clear that hockey is his favorite sport. In this phone conversation, we discussed what is going on in the NHL now, his career in hockey, the HHOF induction, and much more! Below is our conversation:

GC: What is your immediate reaction to Ilya Kovalchuk signing a 17 year/$102 million deal with the Devils, and then it being rejected by the NHL?

JD: I don’t believe that the Devils broke any rules that I know of. It seems to me that the contract is legal, and I don’t know what rules they broke.

GC: Do you think the NHL may finally be putting their foot down because they let other contracts slide, such as the Hossa deal and others?

JD: I don’t think that the comparisons are really accurate because Hossa was 12 years and not 17, and Zetterberg was 12 too, and that’s a big difference. 17 years is the longest ever, only above Rick Dipietro’s contract which was 15 years. You know of Rick Dipietro?

GC: Oh yes, as a Rangers fan I am very aware.

JD: There, so you know, he has 11 years left to run, but 17 years is a big difference. I really can’t comment on the NHL’s thoughts because I don’t know what they are and I don’t  know how the arbitrator is going to rule, and you know what? Neither does anybody else. But I still don’t see how they’ve broken any rules.

GC: Former Red Wing Steve Yzerman who is currently GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning has made a lot of moves to improve that team. What is your opinion of him?

JD: That’s my opinion, you’ve pretty much summed it up. He’s done a lot to improve the team and they are better now with him than they were before him.

GC: Now to your career, can you tell us the first hockey related jobs you had, and how you were able to work your way up to the top?

JD: That’s a long question, because I would need a half hour to talk about it. (laughs)

GC: If you could just summarize for our readers.

JD: Well, the most important parts would be 43 years in the NHL; 10 years with the New York Islanders, three Stanley Cups while I was there, 29 years with the Detroit Red Wings, four Stanley Cups while I’m here. I would say those are the most important. (laughs)

GC: Can you tell us what your job entails? Like what your daily routine would be?

JD: Oh God, it’s all over the map. It’s really hard to tell you and I don’t think it would be very interesting. (laughs)

GC: My readers aren’t picky. They would be interested.

JD: Well, I work in conjunction with the ownership of the Red Wings and with our hockey staff, including the General Manager and the scouts.

GC: What was your first reaction upon hearing you would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?

JD: I was thrilled. For somebody like myself, it’s really the pinnacle. It doesn’t get any better than that. In my hockey career there are a few things I cherish the most, my seven Stanley Cups and certainly getting into the Hall of Fame.

GC: And how do you feel about that, being involved in so many championships? You have to be on the upper tier on the amount of Cups won.

JD: Oh I’m on the upper tier, but not at the top. I feel blessed and I feel somewhat lucky.

GC: In winning your first Cups as a scout, I have to ask, how fun was it to essentially be paid to watch hockey and critique players?

JD: It was fun but a lot of hard work; driving thousands of miles in my car and flying all over North America. It was fun because I enjoyed it, but it was hard work. I made sure I was in a different city every night watching hockey teams and trying to find players, and also trying to do a good job at the draft.

GC: You also serve as Vice President of the Detroit Tigers, but what do you like more, hockey or baseball?

JD: Hockey!

GC: That’s great. I’ll leave it as one word– no bones about it. People will know you’re a hockey guy.

JD: Absolutely. There is no doubt about it.

GC: If you could pick any player in the NHL to build your team around, who would it be and why?

JD: Sidney Crosby because of his youth, ability to lead, and great talents. He’s a great young player that has already won a Stanley Cup and lead Canada to a Gold Medal. Pittsburgh has also made the finals twice with him, the first time when we beat them out, and then they beat us the second time around. He’s a bright young superstar.

GC: One last question, if you had to choose a goaltender to have on your team who would it be?

JD: I would have to think of a younger goaltender, because I would want to say Brodeur but that’s not applicable now because he is approaching 40. So I would have to think of a good, young goaltender and I’m just not sure who it would be. A name doesn’t pop out at me.

GC: Well, my readers are Rangers fans so is there any chance it would be Henrik Lundqvist?

JD: I don’t think so.

GC: What’s your opinion on Lundqvist?

JD: Oh he’s fine, but you have to win playoff rounds to be great. You can’t dump that all on his shoulders, and I’m not trying to do that, but you have to win playoff games to get the proper praise, as the best way to put it, like the Brodeur’s have done and even Chris Osgood for what he has done over the years.

GC: I want to thank you so much for taking the time to do the interview.

JD: Thank you very much.

Jimmy Devellano is the co-author of “The Road to Hockeytown: Jimmy Devellano’s Forty Years in the NHL” which is available on Amazon. I highly suggest that you check it out.

Greg and Joe’s Predictions Chart: Day Two Update

Sergei Gonchar has a new home with the Ottawa Senators

Two days ago, Joe and I sat down to chart our predictions. We chose fifty of the top one hundred, and surprisingly, the top ranked Ilya Kovalchuk is still on the market. We still have some names left to sign, and this will be updated every few days throughout the summer to see who had the most correct predictions.

Chart key: Strikethrough means an incorrect prediction, bold is correct, and italics indicates the player has not signed anywhere yet.

1. Ilya Kovalchuk (NJD): Agreed on LAK

2. Sergei Gonchar (PIT): Agreed on SJS

3. Paul Martin (NJD): Agreed on OTT

4. Evgeni Nabokov (SJS): Agreed on WAS

5. Pavel Kubina (ATL): Agreed on ATL

6. Dan Hamhuis (NAS): Greg: VAN; Joe: CLB

7. Anton Volchenkov (OTT): Greg: CAR; Joe: NYI

8. Willie Mitchell (VAN): Greg: VAN; Joe: NJD

9. Zybnek Michalek (PHX): Agreed on PHX

10. Matthew Lombardi (PHX): Greg: PHX; Joe: NYR

11. Alexander Frolov (LAK): Agreed on Europe

12. Teemu Selanne (LAK): Agreed on ANA

13. Chris Mason (STL): Greg: ATL; Joe: PHI

14. Antero Niittymaki (TBL): Agreed on TBL

15. Marty Turco (DAL): Greg: PHI; Joe: SJS

16. Henrik Tallinder (BUF): Agreed on BUF

17. Ray Whitney (CAR): Greg: LAK; Joe: DET

18. Vaclav Prospal (NYR): Greg: NYR; Joe: PHX

19. Lee Stempniak (PHX): Agreed on NYI

20. Matt Cullen (OTT): Agreed on CAR

21. Olli Jokinen (NYR): Agreed on ATL

22. Toni Lydman (BUF): Agreed on BUF

23. Alex Tanguay (TBL): Greg: COL; Joe: VAN

24. Maxim Afinogenov (ATL): Greg: BUF; Joe: CLB

25. Alex Ponikarovsky (PIT): Agreed on TOR

26. Kim Johnsson (CHI): Agreed on Europe

27. Dan Ellis (SJS): Greg: SJS; Joe: MTL

28. Saku Koivu (ANA): Agreed on ANA

29. Joe Corvo (WAS): Agreed on WAS

30. Bill Guerin (PIT): Agreed on PIT

31. Brendan Morrison (WAS): Agreed on WAS

32. Joe Theodore (WAS): Agreed on Europe

33. Colby Armstrong (ATL): Agreed on TOR

34. Derek Morris (PHX): Agreed on PHX

35. Marek Svatos (COL): Agreed on Europe

36. Johan Hedburg (ATL): Greg: NJD; Joe: NYR

37. Martin Biron (NYI): Greg: NYR; Joe: CAR

38. Raffi Torres (BUF): Agreed on BUF

39. Pavol Demitra (VAN): Agreed on ATL

40. Ray Emery (PHI): Agreed on Europe

41. Chris Higgins (CGY): Greg: CGY; Joe: MIN

42. Ruslan Salei (COL): Agreed on Europe

43. Slava Kozlov (ATL): Agreed on Europe

44. Owen Nolan (MIN): Agreed on retiring

45. Mike Modano (DAL): Greg: MIN; Joe: SJS

46. John Madden (CHI): Agreed on NJD

47. Robert Lang (PHX): Greg: PHX; Joe: Europe

48. Ruslan Fedotenko (PIT): Agreed on PIT

49. Alex Auld (NYR): Greg: SJS; Joe: NJD

50. Miroslav Satan (BOS): Agreed on BOS

Totals

Predictions made: 50

Signings happened: 22

Greg’s Correct: 7 (32%)

Joe’s Correct: 3 (14%)

Nothing to write home about for either of us, but hopefully our totals will increase as the days move along!

Greg and Joe’s Second Annual NHL Free Agency Predictions

For the second straight season, Joe Aiello and I sat down to make our NHL free agent predictions. Last year we made 40 all too forgettable selections, and barely nailed any. We hope to have a little more luck this season. This year we selected 50 players from the Globe and Mail’s list of the top 100 available free agents.

Below are our picks:

1. Ilya Kovalchuk (NJD): Agreed on LAK

2. Sergei Gonchar (PIT): Agreed on SJS

3. Paul Martin (NJD): Agreed on OTT

4. Evgeni Nabokov (SJS): Agreed on WAS

5. Pavel Kubina (ATL): Agreed on ATL

6. Dan Hamhuis (NAS): Greg: VAN; Joe: CLB

7. Anton Volchenkov (OTT): Greg: CAR; Joe: NYI

8. Willie Mitchell (VAN): Greg: VAN; Joe: NJD

9. Zybnek Michalek (PHX): Agreed on PHX

10. Matthew Lombardi (PHX): Greg: PHX; Joe: NYR

11. Alexander Frolov (LAK): Agreed on Europe

12. Teemu Selanne (LAK): Agreed on ANA

13. Chris Mason (STL): Greg: ATL; Joe: PHI

14. Antero Niittymaki (TBL): Agreed on TBL

15. Marty Turco (DAL): Greg: PHI; Joe: SJS

16. Henrik Tallinder (BUF): Agreed on BUF

17. Ray Whitney (CAR): Greg: LAK; Joe: DET

18. Vaclav Prospal (NYR): Greg: NYR; Joe: PHX

19. Lee Stempniak (PHX): Agreed on NYI

20. Matt Cullen (OTT): Agreed on CAR

21. Olli Jokinen (NYR): Agreed on ATL

22. Toni Lydman (BUF): Agreed on BUF

23. Alex Tanguay (TBL): Greg: COL; Joe: VAN

24. Maxim Afinogenov (ATL): Greg: BUF; Joe: CLB

25. Alex Ponikarovsky (PIT): Agreed on TOR

26. Kim Johnsson (CHI): Agreed on Europe

27. Dan Ellis (SJS): Greg: SJS; Joe: MTL

28. Saku Koivu (ANA): Agreed on ANA

29. Joe Corvo (WAS): Agreed on WAS

30. Bill Guerin (PIT): Agreed on PIT

31. Brendan Morrison (WAS): Agreed on WAS

32. Joe Theodore (WAS): Agreed on Europe

33. Colby Armstrong (ATL): Agreed on TOR

34. Derek Morris (PHX): Agreed on PHX

35. Marek Svatos (COL): Agreed on Europe

36. Johan Hedburg (ATL): Greg: NJD; Joe: NYR

37. Martin Biron (NYI): Greg: NYR; Joe: CAR

38. Raffi Torres (BUF): Agreed on BUF

39. Pavol Demitra (VAN): Agreed on ATL

40. Ray Emery (PHI): Agreed on Europe

41. Chris Higgins (CGY): Greg: CGY; Joe: MIN

42. Ruslan Salei (COL): Agreed on Europe

43. Slava Kozlov (ATL): Agreed on Europe

44. Owen Nolan (MIN): Agreed on retiring

45. Mike Modano (DAL): Greg: MIN; Joe: SJS

46. John Madden (CHI): Agreed on NJD

47. Robert Lang (PHX): Greg: PHX; Joe: Europe

48. Ruslan Fedotenko (PIT): Agreed on PIT

49. Alex Auld (NYR): Greg: SJS; Joe: NJD

50. Miroslav Satan (BOS): Agreed on BOS

We hope everyone enjoys the free agent frenzy tomorrow afternoon! TSN will be broadcasting live coverage beginning at noon, also streaming it on their website, and it will be on the NHL Network here in the US.

Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.

For Goalies, Regular Season Rest is the Key to NHL Playoff Success

In the last few seasons, goalies in the NHL have prided themselves in playing as many games as they can possibly play. It is almost like a competition it itself, to see who can become the Iron-Man of goaltenders. Martin Brodeur, in his older age, continues to play well over seventy games, and Grant Fuhr set the record when he played in seventy-nine, back in 1995/96 for the St. Louis Blues.

But there is a pattern in all of this, that extends into the post-season, and that is, goalies who play less games during the regular season go farther in the playoffs. It sounds simple doesn’t it? Sounds like pure common sense: play less games, become more rested, achieve a greater durability. But unfortunately, goaltenders do not care about this; they want to play and win as much as they possibly can.

But what good are regular season wins if you are a failure in the playoffs?

Take Chris Osgood of the Red Wings for example. He is a mediocre regular season goalie, and sometimes even ends up losing the starting job and playing less games. But come playoff time, he is a completely different player. It is as if he elevates his consciousness to another universe.

Osgood is one of the very few goaltenders around the league who actually “get it”. Regular seasons wins are all fine and dandy, but when a career is finished, rings on your fingers are more important than wins. Take a look at the last decade, at the goaltenders who have won Stanley Cups. See if you can spot a trend in their amount of games played:

2008/09: Marc Andre Fleury: 62

2007/08: Chris Osgood: 43

2006/07: J.S Giguere: 53

2005/06: Cam Ward: 28

2003/04: Nikolai Khabibulin: 55

2002/03: Martin Brodeur: 73

2001/02: Dominic Hasek: 65

2000/01: Patrick Roy 61

1999/00: Martin Brodeur: 72

1998/99: Ed Belfour: 61

If you notice, in the last decade, Martin Brodeur is the only goaltender to play more than seventy games during the season and win the Stanley Cup, and unfortunately, that can be attributed to him playing behind a defensive trap, facing a minimal amount of shots per game.

For the other goaltenders, whether it be due to an injury, a late season call-up, or just getting rest, they have all played less than sixty-five games. Because of this extra time off, they are better prepared for the playoffs, which we can all agree on, is a different animal because of such a high intensity. Goaltenders themselves are the culprit for this, and who can blame them? If any of us made professional sports we would want to be in every game we could possibly play in. But the goalies have to look at the bigger picture, and take one for the team, and sit out some extra games.

For the team I cover, the New York Rangers, coach John Tortorella promised that Henrik Lundqvist would not play as many games as he had in the past. Unfortunately, due to a revolving door of backups that extended to the end of the season, this could not be accomplished, and Lundqvist played in a career high 73 games. The Rangers had a porous defense, and Lundqvist was under siege in almost every game, but he carried the load and brought the team to within a point of the playoffs. But let’s just say the Rangers ended up making it, how many rounds could he have played in? He would have been absolutely dead by the second round, if the Rangers would have hypothetically advanced to it. Tell me again how playing in so many games is good for a team.

All the blame cannot be placed on the shoulders of the goalies, however, because the salary cap has a lot to do with it. In this day and age, general managers have to be careful where they put their money. After paying $5-7 million for a number one goalie, no one wants to go out and throw millions at a backup. So they instead sign a goalie making under a million, someone who cannot be trusted in big games, or to carry a workload. And if a backup cannot be trusted, than he will not play. Thus, the number one goalies workload goes up.

It is because of this, that I propose that when the CBA is up for discussion and amendment after next season, the NHL should not allow goaltender’s salaries to count against the cap. If a team wants to spend $10 million on two goalies, then by all means, let them if they can afford it, and do not penalize them by forcing them to look at the cap.

Similar discussions have come up alleging that a “franchise player clause” will be instituted, allow the franchise to pick one player whose salary will not count against the cap. To me, allowing teams to save money in another way, in the goaltending way, would make much more sense because it would be a lot more fair.Either way, small market teams will further be hurt by a clause of any kind, because salary caps are not the issue—payroll is. But by placing the relief with a  goaltender, it will seem fair, and I doubt teams will complain about it as much.

It may seem like a drastic proposition, as people are very touchy when it comes to discussing the salary cap and CBA. But I think it could get enough support, if voiced by someone on a higher level. Allowing teams to have a better backup will allow the starter to be at the top of his game, and when that happens, the NHL playoffs will be even more exciting than they are now.