6/24/2007

Nylander moving again?


Philadelphia Flyers' GM, Paul Holmgren, is showing interest in Rangers forward Michael Nylander. Holmgren coached Nylander in Hartford, and with the season he just had I'm not surprised he wants him back. However, I think Nylander should stay in NY and I think they will come back with a better offer.

Vesa Toskala to Toronto. I like that trade. In fact, it's the trade I was hoping to see Detroit make.

I will be away for a week, so all you devoted readers; Hang in there!

6/19/2007

Flyers already off

The Philadelphia Flyers got a head start on the rest in the free agent market when they traded for Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell. Good for them! I think the Flyers along with Colorado will be the biggest come-back team of next season. Eventhough 6 million dollars per year seems a lot for Timonen, he will definatly bring more stability to Their defence and add firepower on the PP. This trade almost makes up for the disater trade of Kim Johnsson a few seasons ago.

The Boston Bruins hired Claude Julien as their new head coach. I thought he did a good job in Jersey and was wrongfully fired with only three games remaining of the season and the team on top of their division. The Bruins have not been very successful with their coaches the last couple of seasons (they have had 16 coaches in the last 30 seasons). Julien might be the man to turn them around. Obviously he will need the the right stuff on the ice to do it.

6/13/2007

Unrestricted Free Circus

There are a lot of interesting unrestricted free agents out there. While some of them will stay with their current team, others will find new addresses in the next couple of weeks. Some of the hotter names include Ryan Smyth, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, and Daniel Briere. At least these guys are the big talkies right now. The Islanders are ready to pay big bucks for Smyth to stay on Long Island, which is wise. Smyth is a great player to build your team around, which Yashin is not. I wouldn't be surpriced if Briere or Drury end up in Philadelphia. I know they need a new defence, but I think their season proved they need improvement everywhere. Colorado are looking to add offensive power and Chris Drury could be a perfect fit. His return to the Rockies seems a little more likely than Peter Forsberg's.

On a different note, Mats Sundin is really doing all he possibly can for the Toronto Maple Leafs to be a real contender. His new contract gives him less money so that the club can spend more on adding to the roster. Classy! Sundin deserves the cup more than most who play this game.

Speaking of classy. Pierre Turgeon is hanging up his skates after 20 seasons. Turgeon was a first pick in the 1987 draft and has 515 goals and 1,327 in 1,294 games played. He won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1993 and is a four time All-Star. Thanks for everything Pierre, a lot of hockeyfans have enjoyed seeing you play.

6/08/2007

The Hasek problem

The Red Wings want Dominik Hasek to return next season for a final push for the Stanley Cup. Next week we will know if he is coming back. What if he doesn't though? Obviously there are several options in Detroit's plan B, schould Hasek decline to return. Signing free-agent Giguere seems like the most costly. Anyone of Vesa Toskala, Ilja Bryzgalov, and Manny Fernandez would be cheaper unless they are obtained for some draft choices and some young D in the wait for young Jimmy Howard. My question is.. is it worth waiting for Howard to blossom? Maybe just get a guy like Bryzgalov for the long run. There is no doubt in my mind that what the Wings have lacked in resent years is a really good goalie. Sure Osgood and Legacy have been good, and Hasek was there for a short spell, but there has not felt consistant. If the Detroit Red Wings want to be a cup contender for years to come they need to find a goalie that has the stuff to go the distance (New Jersey and Colorado are great examples).

6/07/2007

Champion Ducks


For the first time in Stanley Cup history the champions are from California. In the end the Anaheim Ducks were better than the Ottawa Senators at pretty much everything. I also agree with the comment that Anaheim seemed to want it more. While the Sens couldn't seem to find the dominating game that brought them to the final, the Ducks just rolled over them, never stopping to reflect. Now they can take a breather and reflect over a great season. Exept for a few players this team is very young and I think we can expect more from them in the years to come. The same goes for Ottawa, who has many youngsters who will benefit from this experience.
I have to admit I feel a little sorry for Daniel Alfredsson. He really stepped up in these play-offs and led his team. In the final game he was everywhere while also scoring both goals for Ottawa (not counting Chris Philips' own goal). Alfredsson deserves a lot of credit, unfortunatly for him he was too alone in his effort.

It was a good play-off and the Ducks are worthy champions as is Scott Niedermayer of the Conn Smythe.

6/05/2007

One Game Away

And to think that I picked Minnesota over Anaheim in the first round. Even though I am quite happy going 10-4, that is obviously a big miscalculation.
Game 5 will be a tough one for both teams. The Sens will by no means roll over and die. I am sure they still feel they have a pretty good chance if they can just win and then return home. This is the only series they have struggled in, but they have been able to fight back when being down in a game, so I don't think this is over by a long shot.
At least I hope it isn't. I want a seventh game.

6/03/2007

Pronger Gone.. a Chance for Sens?


For the second time in these playoffs the Anaheim Ducks find themselves playing without Chris Pronger. I'm not sure what to think of his efforts so far, but they are mixed to say the least. Does his absence increase the Senators chances? I think so. Detroit couldn't capitalize on the chance they were given, but maybe the Sens can. The Ducks shut down line continues to make life difficult for the Sens top line, so they need to get scoring contributions from all lines, like they did in Game 3.

One last tip for the Senators would be to stay away from overtime.

6/01/2007

Anaheim keeps Momentum over Sens

The odds certainly don't favour the Ottawa Sentors, down 2-0 to the Anaheim Ducks and heading home for Game 3. Am I surprised? Yes and no, but mostly no.
Like I wrote before momentum is key in the playoffs and Ottawa lost theirs while resting for a week waiting for either Detroit or Anaheim to face them in the final. Had the series against Buffalo gone to six or seven games, the juggernaut that was the Senators would have just kept going and probably finished off the Ducks in four or five games. I am not saying Anaheim is a bad team, any team playing in the Stanley Cup final is obviously great, but Ottawa is a more complete team. The biggest difference, and the reason they are up 2-0 in the series, is momentum. They have it, Ottawa doesn't.
Of course there is a chance the Sens can turn it around. They are strong at home and should they win both games at Scotia Bank Place the cup is certainly up for grabs. They just need to create a shift of momentum.