For the second straight year, our heroes are 5-1.
Last season, they started hot by beating an atrocious Tampa Bay team two games in a row (squeezing by with 2-1 wins in each while outshooting them 80-40 in those two games). That should've sent up red flares that they could only score on 1 out of 20 shots, but it didn't, because they kept winning. They beat Chicago in the home opener, then went into Philly and won and then beat the Devils at home.
Then the wheels fell off the bus. Buffalo found out how to defeat the Rangers, and just like that, they were beatable. They ended October 10-2-1 on the strength of 2 shootout victories. In fact, they had 10 shootout wins last year, and without them, making the playoffs would've been a lot tougher. (And you say Nik Zherdev contributed nothing to that team...)
A 10-2-1 start, 21 points in 13 games, and they still barely make the playoffs due to a lack of scoring and an over-reliance of Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival on the power play. The team would never really give up in games, but they couldn't finish when they needed to.
Take Game 7 in Washington. Oh, they tried very hard. Nik Antropov had a good game. Markus Naslund even played well. Henrik Lundqvist was spectacular. But a bad bounce off their own players tied the game 1-1, and no matter how hard they tried and how fast they scrambled, they couldn't put the puck in the net.
So, at 5-1 this year, I'm a little wary. Sure, it's a great record and 10 points so early in the season is very nice to have. And of course, a 4-goal 3rd period in the 2nd game of back-to-backs shouldn't be sneezed at. And it was a nice team-effort in shutting out Anaheim Sunday. And beating Washington and NJ in back-and-forth games was exciting.
But still, I'm wary. Although I must say, I have more faith in this team than last year. The rookies are playing great, Enver Lisin looks like Petr Prucha out there, Brandon Dubinsky looks better than he ever has, Chris Drury doesn't have pressure on him to score so he can play his game, and they can actually score when they need to.
It's early on though. Last year I mentioned words like "core" and "real deal" and "unstoppable" to describe their play in October, and look where it got them.
* * *
Just a question for those of you who were at the game. Did Wade Redden get cheered when he was came out as 3rd star of the game? I had a wedding so all I could watch were parts of the replay and Rangers in 60.
Two friends. Two bitter enemies. Two obsessed fans. One Rivalry.
Showing posts with label 2008-09. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2008-09. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thursday, October 9, 2008
New York Islanders 2008-09 Preview
The Islanders' season starts tomorrow, and yet everybody is convinced that it's already over. Are they right?
Sort of.
I've gotten a fair amount of crap from people for being too hard on my own team. Hey, it's a defense mechanism. You root for teams like the Islanders, the Jets, the Mets, and Newcastle United and you start to accept losing. You don't want to get your hopes up because you know you'll just hurt that much more when the other shoe drops. I don't think any Islander fan ever expects to see a winning team, just that they really, really want one.
So, as the NHL Network would say, is this the year? In terms of scoring points, no. In terms of cracking the top eight, no. In terms of being a pushover? Absolutely not. These Islanders do have a few things going for them... and here they are.
- Nobody knows them yet. Scott Gordon is new to the NHL, and most opposing coaches are not sure what to expect. We've all heard about the Isles rebuilding themselves as a "speed" team, but with so many veterans in the lineup, who really knows for sure how they'll look? Even if it's out of necessity, that the Islanders can give opponents a number of different looks does work in their favor.
- They never quit. One thing you have to say about the Islanders is that they don't give up, even when they're playing for nothing and they're down four goals. Just because Ted Nolan's gone doesn't mean the team is going to go soft. Gordon might not be the disciplinarian Nolan was, but word is that Gordon's a very vocal coach, meaning he's not going to tolerate lazy play.
- They'll have support. People love to dump on the Islanders and their fanbase. Some of the criticism is justified, but a lot of it isn't. Hockey fans on Long Island are dying for a team they can be proud of. They might not have that yet, but with the Islanders' aggressive marketing and ticket promotions, they'll be looking at crowds of at least 12,000 on the worst of nights. Compared with where we've been, that's not bad.
- The young players will only get better. Josh Bailey is likely to play nine games in an Islander uniform this year. That's a great head start for an 18-year-old. But the other young players who just signed one-way contracts, like Frans Nielsen and Bruno Gervais, will have a full season to not only get acclimated to the NHL, but start to get extremely comfortable. There's a decent chance this team gels by March or so and starts to play a pretty good spoiler role. Even if it doesn't happen, at least next year's team will have a full year of NHL experience.
Now, those of us who have followed the Islanders for a long time can pretty much tell how this season is going to play out. They know because the same thing happens pretty much every year. The Islanders are going to start out doing well, ending October in the East's top eight. Over November and December, they're going to have ups and downs, but will steady out and remain in the top ten. They'll crap out on the West Coast, like they always do, and come home and get those points back. At the All-Star Break, they'll be within six points of a playoff spot. Sounds familiar? It should.
The key to any Islanders season is mid February through early March. This is where the team has to figure out if it's a buyer or a seller. It's been hard to tell lately. In 2005-06, they waived the white flag and dumped off Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel. In 2006-07, they sold the farm to get Ryan Smyth. Last year, they did nothing and collapsed in March. This year? Although they'll be situated fairly well in the standings, Garth Snow will see the opportunity to improve his team over the long haul by dumping off some veterans. And unlike last year, he'll take advantage of the opportunity. As the veterans leave and the not-quite-ready Sound Tigers fill in the gaps, the Islanders will slip. They'll play well, but will lose lots of close games after which the other team will say things like, "They've got a lot of energy," and "They've got a lot of good young talent over there."
Will it be enough to land in the draft lottery? Islander fans don't want to admit it, but they sure hope so. But be careful what you wish for, Islander Country. As Scotty Hockey ominously predicted, the NHL could very well decide to screw the Islanders to ensure John Tavares goes to Toronto. Could you script a worse ending? Ugh.
So let's forget that scenario. Let's not look at this season as an investment into our future. Let's enjoy it for what it is - the chance to watch our boys play hard for 82 games. If they do great, that's great. If they're awful, so be it. Me, I'm just thankful hockey is back.
Sort of.
I've gotten a fair amount of crap from people for being too hard on my own team. Hey, it's a defense mechanism. You root for teams like the Islanders, the Jets, the Mets, and Newcastle United and you start to accept losing. You don't want to get your hopes up because you know you'll just hurt that much more when the other shoe drops. I don't think any Islander fan ever expects to see a winning team, just that they really, really want one.
So, as the NHL Network would say, is this the year? In terms of scoring points, no. In terms of cracking the top eight, no. In terms of being a pushover? Absolutely not. These Islanders do have a few things going for them... and here they are.
- Nobody knows them yet. Scott Gordon is new to the NHL, and most opposing coaches are not sure what to expect. We've all heard about the Isles rebuilding themselves as a "speed" team, but with so many veterans in the lineup, who really knows for sure how they'll look? Even if it's out of necessity, that the Islanders can give opponents a number of different looks does work in their favor.
- They never quit. One thing you have to say about the Islanders is that they don't give up, even when they're playing for nothing and they're down four goals. Just because Ted Nolan's gone doesn't mean the team is going to go soft. Gordon might not be the disciplinarian Nolan was, but word is that Gordon's a very vocal coach, meaning he's not going to tolerate lazy play.
- They'll have support. People love to dump on the Islanders and their fanbase. Some of the criticism is justified, but a lot of it isn't. Hockey fans on Long Island are dying for a team they can be proud of. They might not have that yet, but with the Islanders' aggressive marketing and ticket promotions, they'll be looking at crowds of at least 12,000 on the worst of nights. Compared with where we've been, that's not bad.
- The young players will only get better. Josh Bailey is likely to play nine games in an Islander uniform this year. That's a great head start for an 18-year-old. But the other young players who just signed one-way contracts, like Frans Nielsen and Bruno Gervais, will have a full season to not only get acclimated to the NHL, but start to get extremely comfortable. There's a decent chance this team gels by March or so and starts to play a pretty good spoiler role. Even if it doesn't happen, at least next year's team will have a full year of NHL experience.
Now, those of us who have followed the Islanders for a long time can pretty much tell how this season is going to play out. They know because the same thing happens pretty much every year. The Islanders are going to start out doing well, ending October in the East's top eight. Over November and December, they're going to have ups and downs, but will steady out and remain in the top ten. They'll crap out on the West Coast, like they always do, and come home and get those points back. At the All-Star Break, they'll be within six points of a playoff spot. Sounds familiar? It should.
The key to any Islanders season is mid February through early March. This is where the team has to figure out if it's a buyer or a seller. It's been hard to tell lately. In 2005-06, they waived the white flag and dumped off Mark Parrish and Brent Sopel. In 2006-07, they sold the farm to get Ryan Smyth. Last year, they did nothing and collapsed in March. This year? Although they'll be situated fairly well in the standings, Garth Snow will see the opportunity to improve his team over the long haul by dumping off some veterans. And unlike last year, he'll take advantage of the opportunity. As the veterans leave and the not-quite-ready Sound Tigers fill in the gaps, the Islanders will slip. They'll play well, but will lose lots of close games after which the other team will say things like, "They've got a lot of energy," and "They've got a lot of good young talent over there."
Will it be enough to land in the draft lottery? Islander fans don't want to admit it, but they sure hope so. But be careful what you wish for, Islander Country. As Scotty Hockey ominously predicted, the NHL could very well decide to screw the Islanders to ensure John Tavares goes to Toronto. Could you script a worse ending? Ugh.
So let's forget that scenario. Let's not look at this season as an investment into our future. Let's enjoy it for what it is - the chance to watch our boys play hard for 82 games. If they do great, that's great. If they're awful, so be it. Me, I'm just thankful hockey is back.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Zach's 2008-09 Predictions...
Much like my counterpart Bryan (and every fan with a computer and a knowledge of the game), I present to you my 2008-09 NHL predictions... exactly 67 minutes before the puck drops on the season.
EAST
1. Montreal
2. Pittsburgh
3. Tampa Bay
4. NY Rangers
5. Washington
6. Boston
7. Flyers
8. Buffalo
9. Ottawa
10. NJ Devils
11. Carolina
12. Florida
13. Toronto
14. NY Islanders
15. Atlanta
1) Montreal still has the best power play in the game. Remember how they lost Sheldon Souray and were still the best one? Losing Mark Streit is nothing to them. Someone else will step up. 2) It takes a lot for me to not pick my Rangers as 1st in the division, but for the first year in 3 seasons I'm taking the high road and going with my head and picking the Penguins. 3) Tampa Bay is the best team in that division. Steven Stamkos will score 40 goals. 4) Vastly improved defense should keep the Rangers in games while the offense scores 2.5 goals per game. 5) Theodore is a weaker goalie than Huet, Federov is a year older, and their one solid d-man is a kid who has had one good year. Yes, Ovechkin is the best player in the world, but Washington will win and lose 6-5, 5-4 games all year. 6) Don't know why I picked Boston over Ottawa. I love Tim Thomas. This is probably a mistake, I admit it. Maybe a trade deadline pick-up of a defenseman will help. 7) Flyers are a solid team with questionable goaltending (Marty Biron) who play in a tough division. 8) Buffalo is fast, has good goaltending, and manageable defense. I think they'll sneak in.
9/10) I think this might be the year Ottawa and the Devils miss the playoffs. The East is very tough to pick this year (as it was last year). If Ottawa doesn't shore up their goaltending, they have 2 backups leading them this year. Brodeur, on the other hand, is a year older and still have weak defense in front of him. The Devils always pull out wins, but they didn't improve in the offseason and I see them missing the playoffs. 11) Carolina is stuck with a small budget, making acquisitions hard. Cam Ward hasn't proven anything since the Cup run in '06. Erik Cole is gone. Eric Staal is fantastic. Brind'Amour is hurt. Pitkanen is a step up on the PP though. 12) Florida is one of the worst organizations in sports history. While Cory Stillman is a great acquisition and Tomas Vokoun is a Top 5 goalie in the NHL, Bryan McCabe has nothing left besides a big contract, and the rest of the team (except Bouwmeester and Horton) are busts. 13) Besides Antropov and Blake, who's going to score in Toronto? Ryan Hollweg? Jeff Finger? Their saving grace is Vesa Toskala (no pun intended). 14) The Islanders won't be as bad as everyone thinks. Okay, they might. Doug Weight can no longer carry the weight of a team on his shoulders (pun sort of intended). Okposo, Comeau, and and Tambellini should have good starter years. Maybe Josh Bailey sees action. Atleast they won't be as bad as 15) Atlanta. A question mark in goal, two good defenseman (one of whom even the Kings didn't want to trade for), and a skilled forward do not a playoff team make.
WEST
1. Detroit
2. Anaheim
3. Colorado
4. Dallas
5. Chicago
6. San Jose
7. Edmonton
8. Phoenix
9. Minnesota
10. Vancouver
11. Calgary
12. Nashville
13. St. Louis
14. Columbus
15. Los Angeles
1) Let's face it: Detroit never gets bad. When a Federov or Shanahan leaves, a Zetterberg and Datsyuk steps up. When they're gone, Filppula and Helm are ready. Adding Hossa is huge for the offense. 2) Anaheim has improved over last year and should win a dogfight in the Pacific. They had a great regular season last year, just started slow. 3) If healthy, Colorado has a dynamic offense. Sakic, Svatos, Wolski, Stastny, Smith, Guite, even Darcy Tucker. They have 7 serviceable defensemen, although no studs. Maybe with Raycroft and Budaj splitting time, their goaltending holes won't shine as brightly. 4) A great goaltending, 3 stud d-men, and a great offense are going to lead Dallas. 5) Years of horrendous hockey has finally paid of for Chicago. Pat Kane, Jon Toews, and a strong D will help this team beat up on the weakened Central division. If Huet fails in goal, Antti Niemi is ready to go in his stead. 6) San Jose is again good, and with a much better, Dan Boyle-Rob Blake duo on the blueline. Nabokov might wear out at the end from too many games, but they'll easily make the playoffs. 7) Edmonton plays in a weak division, and did improve greatly. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano should be great, as should Ales Hemsky, Cole, and a returning Shawn Horcoff. What? Souray is back? Pick him up on your fantasy team since everyone else forgot about him. Dustin Penner is an overpaid bum, but he has a supporting cast that overshadows him. 8) I'll go out on a limb and say the Coyotes, led by Olli Jokinen, Peter Mueller and Shane Doan will have a great offense. Dan Carcillo is not just a fighter, he can score. Marty Hanzal and Daniel Winnik also should have breakout years. And with rookies Mueller, Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov, and Mikkel Boedker (who I don't know if he made the team or not... I know Tikhonov did), I get overwhelmed thinking of the young guns on this team. Their D isn't that good (Jovanoski is one of the most overpaid players since Penner. Sauer, Hale, and Morris are good but not stars). However, Ilya Bryzgalov is a gem in net for them. Oh, and you can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas at their home opener for $79 total.
9) I hate Minnesota. I hate their ugly, Christmas-inspired uniforms. I hate their coach and I hate his trapping system. I hate Marion Gaborik. I do love Brent Burns though. And I think these guys might sneak into the playoffs due to the insane parity in the Northwest division. They have a few good forwards (Mikko Koivu, P.M. Bouchard, and don't forget Owen Nolan), and decent D led by Burns, and 2 overrated but alright goaltenders. However, I see them on the outside looking in this year. Originally I had them as 8th, but am moving them down. 10) Vancouver has an amazing goaltender, a good D, and no forwards. Unless they win every game 1-0 or 2-1, I don't see them making the playoffs. 11) Nashville has nosedived. Yes, Dan Ellis is good in goal, but they really put all their eggs into one inexperienced basket when they traded Chris Mason to St. Louis. Radulov was their star playmaker, and he will be scoring tons of goals in Russia this year. 12) When will St. Louis make the jump? Maybe next year, guys, maybe next year. Chock full of 1st round picks, including Erik Johnson and his torn ACL. Legace/Mason make a good team, but I'm afraid that while they will be competitive, it won't be the year for them. 13) Trust me, Blue Jacket fans, Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman are not great players. While Pascal Leclaire is a fantastic goalie (as is waiting-in-the-wings Steve Mason), the team only has a few good forwards (Nash, Husselius) and a very porous backline. 14) A star goalie, a star D, and a star forward. Didn't the Rangers have that every year they missed the playoffs in the 1990's and 2000's? Sorry, Flames. Your ship sailed in 2004. 15) The LA Kings might not even have enough salary on the books to be able to field a team in 2008-09. Their goaltending fleet is led by Jason LaBarberra, and their best D (Jack Johnson) is a year away from being great. Frolov, Kopitar, and Dustin Brown are excellent, but one line won't win you that many games in the new NHL.
Playoffs
In the East, I see the Rangers or Canadiens escaping. The Rangers have a better goalie (although Carey Price might have the Patrick Roy-like season everyone up in Quebec wants him to have), but they Habs have a great offense. Montreal has also one a Stanley Cup in every decade except this one. So as not to seem like a homer, I'll pick the Montreal Canadiens to win the Eastern Conference, although if the Rangers make the Finals I'll give myself credit as well.
It doesn't matter though, because no one is beating the Sean Avery's Dallas Stars en route to the Stanley Cup. Avery is a great addition to the team. He is like Steve Ott, except he scores. Avery, Brendan Morrow, Mike Modano, Brad Richard, Lou Erikkson, Fabian Brunnstrom, Jere Lehtinen, Joel Lundqvist, Mike Ribeiro. That's 9 awesome forwards. Imagine what a deadline pick up can do for them? Phillipe Boucher, Sergei Zubov, and Stephane Robidas get the job done on D, and they have 4 to 5 other guys who are solid NHL players ready if anything happens to one of them. Marty Turco is vastly underrated, and while Tobias Stephan (one NHL game) is an inexperienced backup, Turco should carry the weight of the team.
Stars over Canadiens/Rangers in 6. Mark it down!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Bryan's 2008-09 Predictions
With the whole world making predictions on the 2008-09 NHL season, The Rivalry is no different. Here are Bryan's picks for the upcoming season.
OK, everyone's going to be doing the same damn preview as everyone else. So let me shake things up a bit. First, we'll go through last year's results and see how these teams compare to how they did a year ago in terms of points - will they have more points, fewer points, or the same number? Next, we'll rank the teams the same way everyone does and do year-end awards. Lastly, we have some random awards that probably won't come true, but why not speculate a bit?
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Montreal (104 points in 2007-08): Less points. After struggling in the playoffs last year, the Habs will have trouble overwhelming teams as they did last year. Look for Carey Price to bounce back, though.
- Prediction: 96 points
2) Pittsburgh (102): More. With a full season of Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury, this team should be better than last year. They lost a lot of role players, but did a good job filling in the gaps.
- Prediction: 108 points
3) Washington (94): More. Eighteen games against Carolina, Atlanta, and Florida will help the Caps continue their momentum from last season. The young players will have more experience, and Jose Theodore should provide capable goaltending.
- Prediction: 102 points
4) New Jersey (99): Less. Even though the whole '95 Cup team is back, the fact is that this is 2008. It seems as though the Devils might be a bit more up-tempo this year, but there might not be enough talent to really pull it off.
- Prediction: 92 points
5) NY Rangers (97): More. Assuming Henrik Lundqvist can play at a high level for the whole season, the Rangers should improve on last year's numbers. The team is better than it was last year; their Cup aspriations are legitimate.
- Prediction: 101 points
6) Philadelphia (96): Same. Philadelphia was one of the league's best teams down the stretch last year. Jeff Carter is poised to make The Leap this year, and the Flyers might have finally found a franchise goalie in Martin Biron.
- Prediction: 96 points
7) Ottawa (94): Less. Ottawa was dreadful for the second half of last season and was even worse in the playoffs. Even though there's a lot of talent in Ottawa, it seems like the current team has gone as far as it's going to go.
- Prediction: 90 points
8) Boston (94): More. Boston was very impressive in last year's playoffs; their young players gained a wealth of experience in their series with Montreal. Playing in a subpar division, the Bruins should continue to climb the ladder in the East.
- Prediction: 98 points
9) Carolina (92): Less. As much as us Islander fans love Peter Laviolette, he'll soon be fired from his second job. Carolina is just a mess these days, and it's unfortunate. They need to rebuild through the draft, and should have a premium pick next year.
- Prediction: 82 points
10) Buffalo (90): Same. On paper, the Sabres underachieved last year... but let's not forget that they've lost Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, and Brian Campbell over the past fifteen months. It's hard to see how they could improve, but Buffalo always finds good players to field a competitive team.
- Prediction: 90 points
11) Florida (85): Same. Will Florida ever be good? Hard to say. They play in the right division, but they don't have the personnel. Tomas Vokoun is great in net, but who's going to score the goals?
- Prediction: 83 points
12) Toronto (83): More. Even though Toronto pretty much blew for much of last year, they did have a run last year when they played pretty decent hockey. They won't be a playoff team, but they do appear to be on the way to something. They need a goalie desperately, though.
- Prediction: 87 points
13) NY Islanders (79): Less. Sorry to say it, but the Islanders have an extremely inexperienced team in what might be the toughest division in the NHL. Those first overall draft pick predictions are quite appropriate.
- Prediction: 72 points
14) Atlanta (76): More. John Anderson was a great coach in the minors, and should be just as good in the NHL. Unfortunately, Atlanta isn't very talented outside of Kari Lehtonen and Ilya Kovalchuk. The Thrashers should be thankful they play in the Southeast Division.
- Prediction: 82 points
15) Tampa Bay (71): More. Seeing as how the new NHL is more about offense, it's shocking that Barry Melrose didn't get hired years ago. He might not have Gretzky and Robitaille, but he has plenty of offensive talent. And Mike Smith is going to be a tremendous goalie.
- Prediction: 94 points
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) Detroit (115): Less. It's not that the Wings have gotten significantly worse, just that the other teams in their division have gotten a little better. They're still the team to beat until further notice.
- Prediction: 106 points
2) San Jose (108): Less. The Sharks might struggle to find their way this season with a new coach and tons of expectations after their recent playoff failures. They'll find it in plenty of time, though. Evgeni Nabokov might finally win the Vezina - it's about f'ing time.
- Prediction: 103 points
3) Minnesota (98): Less. The Xcel Energy Center has never had an empty seat for a regular season or playoff game. But that might change if the Wild don't make a playoff run soon. Look for yet another season of boring but effective play.
- Prediction: 94 points
4) Anaheim (102): Less. The Ducks, not unlike the Devils, find themselves in salary cap hell. The Ducks have a ton of quality young players, but with so many older players taking up significant cap space, the Ducks can't truly build around them. As such, the Ducks aren't a serious Cup threat.
- Prediction: 96 points
5) Dallas (97): More. The Stars gave up a lot to get Brad Richards, but they intend to make him the focus of their team along with Brenden Morrow and Marty Turco. Sean Avery only helps to make a strong playoff team even stronger.
- Prediction: 101 points
6) Colorado (95): Less. It's a sad state of affairs in Colorado these days. It's a good thing they brought the Adam Footes of the world back, because the team sure isn't going to be doing very much in the playoffs - if they even get that far.
- Prediction: 88 points
7) Calgary (94): More. Last year's playoff performance was no fluke. Mike Keenan's unorthodox methods work, and he's finally starting to have an impact on this Flames team. They've only improved with the acquisition of Mike Cammalleri.
- Prediction: 97 points
8) Nashville (91): Less. The Nashville Predators have only had one coach in their history so far. Will Barry Trotz finally pay the price for not getting past the first round? Probably not. Still, they need a playoff run to get the fans really invested in the team. That won't happen this year.
- Prediction: 86 points
9) Edmonton (88): Same. Sure, the Oilers are better than they were last year... but they won't get fifteen shootout wins this year, either. So the numbers will cancel each other out, and the Oilers will remain on the verge of a playoff spot. One year from now, they'll be ready to make a run.
- Prediction: 88 points
10) Chicago (88): More. Everyone's on the Blackhawks' bandwagon to start the season. And who can blame them? It's not going to come as easy as everyone things, but the Hawks are a clear playoff team. They remind me of the 2006-07 Penguins - a great regular season team that has to learn to win in the playoffs.
- Prediction: 98 points
11) Vancouver (88): More. The big focus this year is going to be getting the Sedins and Roberto Luongo to buy into the team enough to sign long-term. These are guys the Canucks can build around, but they need to convince the players to stick around. That's more important than losing in the first round of the playoffs, which they may well do.
- Prediction: 91 points
12) Phoenix (83): More. The Coyotes were right in the thick of it until the end last year, and they should be able to improve this season. Wayne Gretzky finally seems comfortable as a coach, and you know the young players are working as hard as possible to please him. The playoffs are a definite possibility.
- Prediction: 93 points
13) Columbus (80): More. Michael Peca claims the Blue Jackets are a 100-point team. Not in a division with the Red Wings and Blackhawks, anyway. Maybe in the Southeast. The Jackets desperately need a playoff berth to show fans that the team is worth their time and money.
- Prediction: 86 points
14) St. Louis (79): More. JD's plan is finally starting to take shape, as the Blues have one of the more enviable collections of young talent in the league. If the Blackhawks are the 2006-07 Penguins, the Blues are the 2005-06 Penguins; by season's end, they'll be a team nobody wants to play.
- Prediction: 87 points
15) Los Angeles (71): More. It's hard to get fewer than 71 points, and the Kings have studs like Anze Kopitar that are ready to become stars. Pick up Brian Boyle in your fantasy league and thank me later.
- Prediction: 82 points
OK, everyone's going to be doing the same damn preview as everyone else. So let me shake things up a bit. First, we'll go through last year's results and see how these teams compare to how they did a year ago in terms of points - will they have more points, fewer points, or the same number? Next, we'll rank the teams the same way everyone does and do year-end awards. Lastly, we have some random awards that probably won't come true, but why not speculate a bit?
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Montreal (104 points in 2007-08): Less points. After struggling in the playoffs last year, the Habs will have trouble overwhelming teams as they did last year. Look for Carey Price to bounce back, though.
- Prediction: 96 points
2) Pittsburgh (102): More. With a full season of Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury, this team should be better than last year. They lost a lot of role players, but did a good job filling in the gaps.
- Prediction: 108 points
3) Washington (94): More. Eighteen games against Carolina, Atlanta, and Florida will help the Caps continue their momentum from last season. The young players will have more experience, and Jose Theodore should provide capable goaltending.
- Prediction: 102 points
4) New Jersey (99): Less. Even though the whole '95 Cup team is back, the fact is that this is 2008. It seems as though the Devils might be a bit more up-tempo this year, but there might not be enough talent to really pull it off.
- Prediction: 92 points
5) NY Rangers (97): More. Assuming Henrik Lundqvist can play at a high level for the whole season, the Rangers should improve on last year's numbers. The team is better than it was last year; their Cup aspriations are legitimate.
- Prediction: 101 points
6) Philadelphia (96): Same. Philadelphia was one of the league's best teams down the stretch last year. Jeff Carter is poised to make The Leap this year, and the Flyers might have finally found a franchise goalie in Martin Biron.
- Prediction: 96 points
7) Ottawa (94): Less. Ottawa was dreadful for the second half of last season and was even worse in the playoffs. Even though there's a lot of talent in Ottawa, it seems like the current team has gone as far as it's going to go.
- Prediction: 90 points
8) Boston (94): More. Boston was very impressive in last year's playoffs; their young players gained a wealth of experience in their series with Montreal. Playing in a subpar division, the Bruins should continue to climb the ladder in the East.
- Prediction: 98 points
9) Carolina (92): Less. As much as us Islander fans love Peter Laviolette, he'll soon be fired from his second job. Carolina is just a mess these days, and it's unfortunate. They need to rebuild through the draft, and should have a premium pick next year.
- Prediction: 82 points
10) Buffalo (90): Same. On paper, the Sabres underachieved last year... but let's not forget that they've lost Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, and Brian Campbell over the past fifteen months. It's hard to see how they could improve, but Buffalo always finds good players to field a competitive team.
- Prediction: 90 points
11) Florida (85): Same. Will Florida ever be good? Hard to say. They play in the right division, but they don't have the personnel. Tomas Vokoun is great in net, but who's going to score the goals?
- Prediction: 83 points
12) Toronto (83): More. Even though Toronto pretty much blew for much of last year, they did have a run last year when they played pretty decent hockey. They won't be a playoff team, but they do appear to be on the way to something. They need a goalie desperately, though.
- Prediction: 87 points
13) NY Islanders (79): Less. Sorry to say it, but the Islanders have an extremely inexperienced team in what might be the toughest division in the NHL. Those first overall draft pick predictions are quite appropriate.
- Prediction: 72 points
14) Atlanta (76): More. John Anderson was a great coach in the minors, and should be just as good in the NHL. Unfortunately, Atlanta isn't very talented outside of Kari Lehtonen and Ilya Kovalchuk. The Thrashers should be thankful they play in the Southeast Division.
- Prediction: 82 points
15) Tampa Bay (71): More. Seeing as how the new NHL is more about offense, it's shocking that Barry Melrose didn't get hired years ago. He might not have Gretzky and Robitaille, but he has plenty of offensive talent. And Mike Smith is going to be a tremendous goalie.
- Prediction: 94 points
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) Detroit (115): Less. It's not that the Wings have gotten significantly worse, just that the other teams in their division have gotten a little better. They're still the team to beat until further notice.
- Prediction: 106 points
2) San Jose (108): Less. The Sharks might struggle to find their way this season with a new coach and tons of expectations after their recent playoff failures. They'll find it in plenty of time, though. Evgeni Nabokov might finally win the Vezina - it's about f'ing time.
- Prediction: 103 points
3) Minnesota (98): Less. The Xcel Energy Center has never had an empty seat for a regular season or playoff game. But that might change if the Wild don't make a playoff run soon. Look for yet another season of boring but effective play.
- Prediction: 94 points
4) Anaheim (102): Less. The Ducks, not unlike the Devils, find themselves in salary cap hell. The Ducks have a ton of quality young players, but with so many older players taking up significant cap space, the Ducks can't truly build around them. As such, the Ducks aren't a serious Cup threat.
- Prediction: 96 points
5) Dallas (97): More. The Stars gave up a lot to get Brad Richards, but they intend to make him the focus of their team along with Brenden Morrow and Marty Turco. Sean Avery only helps to make a strong playoff team even stronger.
- Prediction: 101 points
6) Colorado (95): Less. It's a sad state of affairs in Colorado these days. It's a good thing they brought the Adam Footes of the world back, because the team sure isn't going to be doing very much in the playoffs - if they even get that far.
- Prediction: 88 points
7) Calgary (94): More. Last year's playoff performance was no fluke. Mike Keenan's unorthodox methods work, and he's finally starting to have an impact on this Flames team. They've only improved with the acquisition of Mike Cammalleri.
- Prediction: 97 points
8) Nashville (91): Less. The Nashville Predators have only had one coach in their history so far. Will Barry Trotz finally pay the price for not getting past the first round? Probably not. Still, they need a playoff run to get the fans really invested in the team. That won't happen this year.
- Prediction: 86 points
9) Edmonton (88): Same. Sure, the Oilers are better than they were last year... but they won't get fifteen shootout wins this year, either. So the numbers will cancel each other out, and the Oilers will remain on the verge of a playoff spot. One year from now, they'll be ready to make a run.
- Prediction: 88 points
10) Chicago (88): More. Everyone's on the Blackhawks' bandwagon to start the season. And who can blame them? It's not going to come as easy as everyone things, but the Hawks are a clear playoff team. They remind me of the 2006-07 Penguins - a great regular season team that has to learn to win in the playoffs.
- Prediction: 98 points
11) Vancouver (88): More. The big focus this year is going to be getting the Sedins and Roberto Luongo to buy into the team enough to sign long-term. These are guys the Canucks can build around, but they need to convince the players to stick around. That's more important than losing in the first round of the playoffs, which they may well do.
- Prediction: 91 points
12) Phoenix (83): More. The Coyotes were right in the thick of it until the end last year, and they should be able to improve this season. Wayne Gretzky finally seems comfortable as a coach, and you know the young players are working as hard as possible to please him. The playoffs are a definite possibility.
- Prediction: 93 points
13) Columbus (80): More. Michael Peca claims the Blue Jackets are a 100-point team. Not in a division with the Red Wings and Blackhawks, anyway. Maybe in the Southeast. The Jackets desperately need a playoff berth to show fans that the team is worth their time and money.
- Prediction: 86 points
14) St. Louis (79): More. JD's plan is finally starting to take shape, as the Blues have one of the more enviable collections of young talent in the league. If the Blackhawks are the 2006-07 Penguins, the Blues are the 2005-06 Penguins; by season's end, they'll be a team nobody wants to play.
- Prediction: 87 points
15) Los Angeles (71): More. It's hard to get fewer than 71 points, and the Kings have studs like Anze Kopitar that are ready to become stars. Pick up Brian Boyle in your fantasy league and thank me later.
- Prediction: 82 points
So, having said all that, here's how the actual predictions shake out.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Pittsburgh (108)
2) Washington (102)
3) Boston (98)
4) NY Rangers (101)
5) Philadelphia (96)
6) Montreal (96)
7) Tampa Bay (94)
8) New Jersey (92)
9) Buffalo (90)
10) Ottawa (90)
11) Toronto (87)
12) Florida (83)
13) Atlanta (82)
14) Carolina (82)
15) NY Islanders (72)
FIRST ROUND
- (1)Pittsburgh over (8)New Jersey in 6
- (7)Tampa Bay over (2)Washington in 7
- (6)Montreal over (3)Boston in 6
- (4)NY Rangers over (5)Philadelphia in 7
SECOND ROUND
- (1)Pittsburgh over (7)Tampa Bay in 6
- (4)NY Rangers over (6)Montreal in 4
THIRD ROUND
- (4)NY Rangers over (1)Pittsburgh in 6
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) Detroit (106)
2) San Jose (103)
3) Dallas (101)
4) Chicago (98)
5) Calgary (97)
6) Anaheim (96)
7) Minnesota (94)
8) Phoenix (93)
9) Vancouver (91)
10) Colorado (88)
11) Edmonton (88)
12) St. Louis (87)
13) Columbus (86)
14) Nashville (86)
15) Los Angeles (82)
FIRST ROUND
- (1)Detroit over (8)Phoenix in 5
- (2)San Jose over (7)Minnesota in 4
- (3)Dallas over (6)Anaheim in 7
- (5)Calgary over (4)Chicago in 7
SECOND ROUND
- (1)Detroit over (5)Calgary in 6
- (2)San Jose over (3)Dallas in 7
THIRD ROUND
- (2)San Jose over (1) Detroit in 7
STANLEY CUP FINAL
- (2)San Jose over (4)NY Rangers in 6
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER AWARDS
- Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh (130 points)
- Art Ross Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington (55 goals)
- William Jennings Trophy: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey (2.20 GAA)
- Maurice Richard Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington
- Norris Trophy: Dan Boyle, San Jose
- Vezina Trophy: Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose
- Jack Adams Trophy: Barry Melrose, Chicago
- Calder Trophy: Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay
- Selke Trophy: Brenden Morrow, Dallas
- Lady Byng Trophy: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit
- Bill Masteron Trophy: Richard Zednik, Florida
- Conn Smythe Trophy: Milan Michalek, San Jose
RANDOM CATEGORIES
- Most Improved Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
- Least Improved Team: New York Islanders
- Team You Wish You Rooted For: Philadelphia Flyers
- Second-Half Playoff Push Team: Phoenix Coyotes
- Second-Half Out-Of-Nowhere Skater: Eric Nystrom, Calgary
- Second-Half Out-Of-Nowhere Rookie: Claude Giroux, Philadelphia
- Most Underrated Player: Milan Lucic, Boston
- Player Most Likely To Make The Leap: Daniel Carcillo, Phoenix
- Coach That Deserves To Win The Adams, But Won't: Denis Savard, Chicago
- Biggest Free Agent Steal: Andrew Raycroft, Colorado
- Biggest Free Agent Bust: Wade Redden, NY Rangers
- Hot Playoff Goalie: Mike Smith, Tampa Bay
- First Overall Draft Pick Winner: New York Islanders (whoo-hoo!)
Monday, September 1, 2008
We're Almost There
We've finally reached Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer.
Thank God.
It can be said that hockey fans are more passionate about their favorite sport than anybody else. And as wonderful as baseball can be, everyone's probably a little sick of hearing about the third-place Yankees. Just the same, we've all heard a little too much about Brett Favre this month. Time to move on.
Thankfully, the NHL season isn't all that far away. Well, okay, maybe it is. But training camp isn't far off at all. The Rangers open up their training camp on September 16th, just over two weeks away. The Islanders... well, we don't know when they're going to start their training camp. Their website doesn't say. Because, you know, nobody would want to know when their team opens training camp or anything. Their first pre-season game is September 23rd, so take that as you will.
With every preseason game for both teams airing on TV this year, it'll be easier than ever to catch hockey fever early. It'll also be a good opportunity to see what each team has in store for us. Ranger fans are dreaming about a Cup run, and with good reason. Islander fans are thinking first overall draft pick, and with good reason. At this point, it doesn't really matter how our teams do. We just want our game back.
You can only watch so much NHL Network over the summer. How many first-round games from 2007 can one take? It's almost time for the real sports season to begin, and I could not be more excited.
The Islanders might be a seriously awful team this year. You know what? I don't care. I just want to see them play some games. I want to draft a fantasy hockey team and be utterly disgusted with it immediately afterward. I want to see who's going to get off to a hot start, who's going to get hurt early, and which coach is the first to be canned. And now that September is here, it all seems like it's so much closer than it was just days ago.
Which is a great thing. If I have to hear one more outlandish quote from Hank Steinbrenner, I might kill somebody. As Zach said, bring on the winter. Bring on the NHL.
Thank God.
It can be said that hockey fans are more passionate about their favorite sport than anybody else. And as wonderful as baseball can be, everyone's probably a little sick of hearing about the third-place Yankees. Just the same, we've all heard a little too much about Brett Favre this month. Time to move on.
Thankfully, the NHL season isn't all that far away. Well, okay, maybe it is. But training camp isn't far off at all. The Rangers open up their training camp on September 16th, just over two weeks away. The Islanders... well, we don't know when they're going to start their training camp. Their website doesn't say. Because, you know, nobody would want to know when their team opens training camp or anything. Their first pre-season game is September 23rd, so take that as you will.
With every preseason game for both teams airing on TV this year, it'll be easier than ever to catch hockey fever early. It'll also be a good opportunity to see what each team has in store for us. Ranger fans are dreaming about a Cup run, and with good reason. Islander fans are thinking first overall draft pick, and with good reason. At this point, it doesn't really matter how our teams do. We just want our game back.
You can only watch so much NHL Network over the summer. How many first-round games from 2007 can one take? It's almost time for the real sports season to begin, and I could not be more excited.
The Islanders might be a seriously awful team this year. You know what? I don't care. I just want to see them play some games. I want to draft a fantasy hockey team and be utterly disgusted with it immediately afterward. I want to see who's going to get off to a hot start, who's going to get hurt early, and which coach is the first to be canned. And now that September is here, it all seems like it's so much closer than it was just days ago.
Which is a great thing. If I have to hear one more outlandish quote from Hank Steinbrenner, I might kill somebody. As Zach said, bring on the winter. Bring on the NHL.
Friday, August 29, 2008
It's Friday...
1) Of the 4 Veteran S's, one has finally re-signed. Joe Sakic is back in Colorado, presumably for his last season. Now, if only Sundin, Selanne, and Shanahan would come to a decision. To be honest, I'm not losing sleep over it, but it would be nice to get a glimpse of how rosters are going to shape up for the 2008-09 season.
I don't think any of these guys will land on Broadway (not that there ever has been a Selanne-to-Rangers rumor), but it is a remote possibility, and some closure on the issue would be nice.
2) While I still think Florida is the most poorly run organization in the NHL, the LA Kings might be the winners of Worst Offseason Ever. While they did trade for Jarrett Stoll, they did not sign one unrestricted free agent this summer. They did lock up a few draft picks and restricted FAs, but they have just over $27M in payroll for the next season. I don't even know if that would have been enough to hit the Salary Cap floor in the season after the lockout, and it certainly isn't enough to hit the floor this year.
While they do have a big future (think of them as the Penguins from a few years back), they need to sign some veterans to overpriced contracts just because they need to add salary to meet the NHL's minimum requirements. I have been expecting a Glen Murray signing ever since he got released from Boston, and there are still a few other players out there who haven't signed on with an NHL club or jumped ship to Russia.
Okay, so their future isn't as bright as the Penguins, but they do have a plethora (nice word) of young talent on the club and in the pipeline, and they will have a lot of high draft picks this year too, as long as they sign veterans to one-year deals and then ship them off at the trade deadline.
3) Two thumbs down to whoever writes the ticker on the bottom of the screen on the NHL Network. Yesterday, I put the channel on at work (I'm a bartender) and it was a classic series between the Washington Capitals and the Rangers from 1991. Fantastic.
Anyway, I had turned it on to see if the Joe Sakic news had broken yet (I knew there was a press conference scheduled so he could announce his decision). The ticker listed what they have listed all summer, free agents on every team, in alphabetical order. Once again, this bored me to tears, because I know who they are, and most of the un-signed free agents left are middling, Ryan Hollweg type players who should be signed to two-way deals. Case in point: the Chicago Blackhawks signing a guy named Tim Brent is not news, nor was the fact that he was a free agent at one point.
Not only did they have this "news" feed scrolling the bottom of the TV, but they also had not updated it in over a week. They told me that Aaron Downey of the Red Wings was a free agent. Well, a quick glimpse at TSN shows me he re-signed on August 20th. Yesterday was the 28th. On top of that, did anyone besides his immediate family and close friends really care if Aaron Downey was still a free agent?
That's like CNN scrolling false facts on the bottom of their feed that nobody cared about even when the facts were true.
4) I did it. I signed up for a package. Didn't even hesitate. The Rangers emailed me, and 10 minutes later I was on the phone. I hesitated so little, in fact, that I forgot to ask how much the package was. Luckily, a letter with prices came, only to confirm my theory: prices had gone up. And why wouldn't they? I mean, the Rangers won 5 playoff games last season, including 2 at home in the Garden. So, why wouldn't Jackass Jim Dolan raise ticket prices?
Prices didn't go up the year after the lockout, not because of the lockout, but because the Rangers hadn't made the playoffs in 2003-04. Every year since, however, prices have steeply risen, and a ticket that would have cost $44 then now costs $60. I believe it's even more money if you don't have a package (I think someone else would pay $64.50 for my $60 tickets).
What kills me though is preseason. You would think that since those games don't sell out, they would give some tickets to real fans who can't afford them, or at least put preseason tickets on sale for like $30 for the $60 seats. I don't really want to go to the preseason game, but I will, because they make you get it when you get a package. It's fun to watch the young kids - I saw Marc Staal's first NHL point in a preseason game last year - but it's very expensive, not to mention it's an extra $14 for the train, I might have a beer, maybe a soggy pretzel, and now a preseason game featuring Brodie Dupont has cost me $100.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Who Improved and Where the Rangers Stand...
Last year, the Eastern Conference was a crapshoot. Much like David Caruso's career, Ottawa started real hot then dropped off the face of the Earth. Montreal and Pittsburgh, boosted by strong power plays, were the obvious best teams in the East, but they only rose to the top of the standings around early-March. Every other team was mediocre.
If it was pre-lockout, the Rangers might not have made the playoffs, but they did last season because of Brendan Shanahan, Nigel Dawes, and Henrik Lundqvist's shootout performances. Washington clinched the playoffs on the last day possible. Carolina lost out on a playoff spot on the last day possible. Even the Islanders were relevant until March's injuries piled up. Boston made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and nearly beat the #1 ranked Canadiens.
What I'm saying is that it's anybody's conference to take. In the West, you knew Detroit will be up there, and Anaheim, San Jose, and Dallas should make the playoffs, while Phoenix, LA, Chicago, Edmonton, St. Louis, and Columbus would be awful.
Will anything change in the East this year? Probably not. Who really improved in the East in the offseason?
* * *
Far and away the winners of the East are the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vaclav Prospal returns next season, Matt Carle is in on defense, and they signed Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata (both people I think the Rangers should have tried to get), Gary Roberts, Olaf Kolzig, Mark Recchi, and power play QB Andrew Hutchinson. Oh, and Steven Stamkos should transition well in the NHL playing alongside Vinny Lecavilier. While their goaltending still is a question mark (Mike Smith and Kolzig are both a half-step up from being backup goaltenders), their beefed up offense should make up for a shaky back half. The only one missing from their team is expensive Dan Boyle, but now that they have an owner who wants to spend money, a trade deadline deal for a top defender is certainly possible.
Atlanta was awful last season and should be this season. They did rob the Penguins blind in the Marian Hossa deal, but Angelo Esposito probably won't catch fire this season, even if he makes the roster. The additions of Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong from Pittsburgh do help, but they are role players who aren't going to pot you 40 goals like Hossa would have. When your big offseason acquisition is named Ron Hainsley, you aren't moving forward.
Florida is also a team that is going nowhere. They might be the worst franchise in all of professional sports, Knicks included. They traded Olli Jokinen for a bundle of nothing, somehow re-signed Jay Bouwmeester even though we all know that he will not be there next season. Their lone spotlights are Nathan Horton and Tomas Vokoun. These guys are not a threat for anything except John Tavares in next year's Entry Draft.
Finishing off the Southeast, the Hurricanes and Capitals stood pat. While cash-strapped Carolina would up getting the defender they needed in Joni Pitkanen, it cost them heart-and-soul man Erik Cole. Yes, they signed Darcy Hordichuk, but can a 4th line goon lift you over the hump and into the playoffs? After making the playoffs last year, the Capitals decided to go with the same team this year. Sergei Federov, a good deadline deal, is back for another older, slower season, and their goaltending tandem of Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson is not as good as Kolzig and Christobal Huet were last year.
Long story short: One team will make the playoffs from the Southeast, and that's just because those are the rules.
* * *
In the Northeast division, the Toronto Maple Leafs aim to miss the playoffs for the 4th straight year, which would be a new team record. Overpaying for Jeff Finger, trading for Jamal Mayers and Ryan Hollweg, not-yet-re-signing Mats Sundin or moving Bryan McCabe. I like GM Cliff Fletcher, but what exactly is he doing?
The Montreal Canadiens improved by leaps and bou-- no, they didn't improve at all. They missed the boat on Hossa, they probably won't get Sundin, but don't worry, Georges Laraque has arrived in Montreal! Alex Tanguay should help their already strong offense though and he came cheap in the form of just draft picks. They shouldn't miss Mark Streit on the power play too much, but can Alex Kovalev have another great season? While they are a good team still, the fact is, they aren't much better than last year, if at all.
The Boston Bruins signed unproven, unmotivated forward Blake Wheeler (although he did want to play in Beantown) and overpaid for Michael Ryder to replace Glen Murray. Is that any way to build a playoff contender? However, I think they would take a step forward if they would finally just admit to themselves that Tim Thomas is their starting goaltender. This guy is so motivated it's incredible.
Buffalo... uhhh, did the Sabres have an offseason? Yes, they traded away Steve "Brian Campbell" Bernier. Campbell's replacement is Craig Rivet, a journeyman who, while solid, won't stop a Crosby, Ovechkin, or Malkin from scoring. They also re-signed the aging, unhealthy Teppo Numinen, presumably as a locker room presence.
Ottawa's big offseason move was what they didn't do - they didn't trade Antoine Vermette, which is huge. He can be a great player if any of their Big 3 - Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson - falter or get hurt like in 2007-08. Their goaltending is a question mark as well, with Martin Gerber and the well-traveled Alex Auld standing guard. That shouldn't inspire confidence in Canada's capital.
* * *
Now, the East. I won't dwell too much on the Rangers, but regardless of what you think of their offseason moves, they are a better team today than they were in May.
Wade Redden and Dmitri Kalinin, and whoever turns out to be the 7th d-man are better than the likes of Tyutin, Backman, Malik, and Strudwick. Plus, Paul Mara returned at a discount, and Marc Staal and Dan Girardi should continue to excel this season.
Markus Naslund and Nik Zherdev are being counted on to have comeback years, and that may be asking a lot, but atleast the offense is styled differently. Plus, their power play should click this year without Jaromir Jagr to receive passes from Michal Rozsival and Marty Straka.
The one big loss is Sean Avery, a winger who could change games with his gritty style as well as put the puck home in big situations (just ask Martin Brodeur). Losing Ryan Hollweg for a draft pick was a no-brainer, and Aaron Voros and/or Patrick Rissmiller will take over his role and make it more offensive as well.
Did the Pittsburgh Penguins improve? Not too much. As well as losing roster players in Christensen and Armstrong and a top prospect in Esposito, they essentially traded hometown-boy Ryan Malone and Hossa for Miro Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, two middling wingers who had bad seasons. Their bright spot of the offseason was getting Brooks Oprik back when it looked like he would be on the way out. They still have their core, and they will be dangerous, no doubt. But they question is, did they improve? The answer has to be no, they did not.
We all know the Islanders' problems, starting with Charles Wang and Garth Snow and moving out. Streit should help the team and make up for losing Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard with the man-advantage. Doug Weight will help as well, that is until February, when he along with a bunch of other expiring-contracts are traded to contenders for draft picks and prospects.
It was Old Timer's Day in July for the Devils, as they signed former players Bobby Holik, Brian Rolston, and Scott Clemmensen as their 3rd goalie. Rolston is a great utility man, but I think the Devils will overuse him. Holik is a serviceable 3rd line center these days, but the days of him shutting down other teams top lines are over. They also overpaid for Bryce Salvador, but they did need a big body on the blueline. While Rolston was a good pick-up, their defense is still holier than the Bible Belt, and their offense can't make up for it. However, while I expect big years from Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, I can't say they improved much.
The Flyers were active in getting Glen Metropolit in his declining years, Steve Eminger, a few Finnish defensemen whose names I can't pronounce, and re-signing Jeff Carter, but it came at the cost of young gun R.J. Umberger and Prospal. Still, I would say the Flyers improved, if only slightly. Their defense is suspect with Derian Hatcher still there and Jaroslav Modry gone, but Braydon Coburn can only get better. Him and Kimmo Timonen on the same pairing could be one of, if not the best in the East.
* * *
I didn't mean for this to be this long, and if you made it this far, I applaud you.
Who improved? Tampa, for sure. Probably the Flyers. Other teams just swapped one player for another, getting rid of a Malone for a Satan, or a Sergei Brylin for a Holik. That doesn't necessarily make them a better team, just the same team with different names on the back.
On paper, it appears the Rangers are one of the most-improved teams in the East, if not only by their additions then by their subtractions. That's not to say I didn't love Jagr and Straka and Shanahan, but it will be a completely different team, and that can't hurt.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
They Didn't Screw It Up!
I'm almost shocked.
The Islanders actually did the right thing. And quite frankly, we fans deserve the right to say that.
Is Scott Gordon an upgrade over Ted Nolan? That remains to be seen. But at this point, it would certainly seem that Gordon is a better fit for this group of players. I guess that's all you can ask for in a coach. The Islanders got that, and perhaps much more.
We can gather that the Islanders will end up paying Gordon less than they would have paid Paul Maurice or Bob Hartley. We can also assume that Gordon has more to prove than any other coach they could have hired. In other words, we don't have to hear about how so-and-so won at some other city. Instead, we get to watch a coach show us he's earned the right to be the head coach of the New York Islanders. A hungry team combined with a hungry coach.
What does that mean? There's a great chance he'll do a better job than any of the other candidates would have.
I can now say that I'm officially excited about this upcoming season for the Islanders. I know it's going to be pretty brutal - we'll be adding the phrase "growing pains" to our Islanders drinking game this season. But there's an optimism now that hasn't been here in some time. We're not staring at a perpetual chase for the eighth seed. We can now look toward the future as a tangible entity, not just the catalyst for more bad trades and rebuilding projects. That does a lot for the fanbase. It'll still take some work to get the casual fans back into the building, but as time progresses, the job will become easier.
It was so important that the Islanders did this right, which is why so many of us have tried to joke about it. Notice how Sparky The Dragon is the leading vote-getter in our poll for who would become the next Islanders' coach. As I've said to anyone who would listen, I'd sooner they went into December with an interim coach and gotten this right than have them hire a retread coach that they'd fire two years from now. This would qualify as getting it right.
Now, the work begins for Mr. Scott Gordon. The Islanders don't like to talk about this one too much, but it's true - with the exception of Al Arbour, no Islander coach has ever made it more than two consecutive seasons without being canned. Is Gordon the guy to change that trend? Let's hope so.
The Islanders actually did the right thing. And quite frankly, we fans deserve the right to say that.
Is Scott Gordon an upgrade over Ted Nolan? That remains to be seen. But at this point, it would certainly seem that Gordon is a better fit for this group of players. I guess that's all you can ask for in a coach. The Islanders got that, and perhaps much more.
We can gather that the Islanders will end up paying Gordon less than they would have paid Paul Maurice or Bob Hartley. We can also assume that Gordon has more to prove than any other coach they could have hired. In other words, we don't have to hear about how so-and-so won at some other city. Instead, we get to watch a coach show us he's earned the right to be the head coach of the New York Islanders. A hungry team combined with a hungry coach.
What does that mean? There's a great chance he'll do a better job than any of the other candidates would have.
I can now say that I'm officially excited about this upcoming season for the Islanders. I know it's going to be pretty brutal - we'll be adding the phrase "growing pains" to our Islanders drinking game this season. But there's an optimism now that hasn't been here in some time. We're not staring at a perpetual chase for the eighth seed. We can now look toward the future as a tangible entity, not just the catalyst for more bad trades and rebuilding projects. That does a lot for the fanbase. It'll still take some work to get the casual fans back into the building, but as time progresses, the job will become easier.
It was so important that the Islanders did this right, which is why so many of us have tried to joke about it. Notice how Sparky The Dragon is the leading vote-getter in our poll for who would become the next Islanders' coach. As I've said to anyone who would listen, I'd sooner they went into December with an interim coach and gotten this right than have them hire a retread coach that they'd fire two years from now. This would qualify as getting it right.
Now, the work begins for Mr. Scott Gordon. The Islanders don't like to talk about this one too much, but it's true - with the exception of Al Arbour, no Islander coach has ever made it more than two consecutive seasons without being canned. Is Gordon the guy to change that trend? Let's hope so.
Friday, July 18, 2008
2008-09 Rangers Schedule...
Every year, when the schedule comes out, I write down all the home games, catergorized by month. I write down who they're playing, the date, and the day of the week. (Okay, I did this last year and I did this today for next season, as well.)
I then award each game 0, 1, 2, or 3 points. When I get my choice of packages, I count up the points, then whichever package has the most points, I get.
Oh, and by the way, I lied to everyone. I will be getting a package this year, if only so I don't lose my place in line in future seasons. See, when I first signed up for a ticket package right after the lockout, I got my choice of anything I wanted, any package (I picked the 7-game plan, now non-existant), any seat (mostly any seat, I picked blue line seats where the Rangers shot twice). The next year, the seats got worse, and last season, they improved, but barely. It's also nearly impossible to upgrade from my current 11-game plan to a half-season or full-season plan. So for those wanting tickets now, there is a wait.
Seven years of futility and a lost season means there's no waiting for tickets. Three straight playoff appearances and a team that isn't in it just for the money means you wait. Take the good with the bad, eh?
Anyway, I only originally gave 4 games 3 points. The home opener versus Chicago; Sean Avery returning with Dallas in October; and the last two home games of the season, against Philadelphia and Montreal.
I then figured out a few dates where Adam Graves' number 9 might be retired, and bumped any 1s to 2s, and 2s to 3s.
A few games got the dreaded "zero points." Those include Devil, Penguin, and Flyer games on Saturdays, when I wouldn't miss going to work and making $250 for a game I could catch any other time.
I remember one game in November of 2006, I had 2 tickets to a Devils game at MSG, and I sold them to a friend. The Rangers were losing 2-0, scored 3 goals in 90 seconds, and won. On my drive home from work, people on Steve Somers' show on WFAN were calling it the greatest regular season game in history. A text message from my friend concurred this non-exaggerated statement.
* * *
As far as road games go, I will be traveling to see the Blueshirts play this year. Probably a Saturday game in Boston, definitely one or two games in Philly (hopefully including the last game of the season). I'll probably go to atleast two games at the Coliseum and one game in Newark. Nice stadium. Frightening area.
Both games in Montreal are weeknights, which is kind of weak. Last year, me and some friends got there on Saturday, saw the Rangers' 5-3 win on Super Bowl Sunday, and came home on Monday.
I won't be going to their California swing, where they play the Ducks and Kings on back to back nights, but it's nice to dream.
Last year, I went to a Wednesday game in Newark, and a Thursday game in Philly. That was a lot of fun, but the schedule doesn't allow that this year.
However, the highlight of my schedule will be going to Nashville for the March 12 game.
Inside the Sommet Center, home of the Predators.
Formerly known as the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
I could probably get front row seats day of the game.
Friday, June 27, 2008
2008-09 New York Rangers: Defense...
The last in a three-part series of how the 08-09 Rangers will shape up.
DEFENSE
The Rangers have enough forwards, as I wrote about in my Offensive Preview. Regardless of the returns of Marty Straka (probably not), Jaromir Jagr (probably), Sean Avery (hopefully), and Brendan Shanahan (undecided), they have enough young talent and established players that they will probably only need to grab one player from the free agent pool to add depth on wing.
That leaves a lot of money for defense, considering the cap has been raised to $56.7M.
So who is signed for next year? Christian Backman, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Fedor Tyutin. Last season the Rangers carried 7 or 8 defensemen at all times, so for argument's sake, I will come up with 8 of them.
From last year, Marek Malik, Paul Mara, Michal Rozsival, and Jason Strudwick are unrestricted free agents.
I think most Ranger fans are hoping Backman gets traded, although I don't see a trade or a buyout happening. Simply put, GM Glen Sather doesn't admit to mistakes often, but fans know Backman is the second coming of Sandis Ozolish (the comparisons to Malik are inevitable, but to Malik's defense, he did have a great 2005-06 before becoming slow like molasses in January the past 2 years).
So let's assume that the 4 under contract stay under contract.
I'm certain Malik has played his last game on Broadway, if not in the whole NHL. I could be wrong, as he is only 33, and some team might find him as a serviceable 7th defenseman. However, not our problem, as he dug his own grave in New York. (While he did the digging, fans certainly pushed him into it.)
Rozsival - The big question is if Rozsival returns. Pre-lockout, he was hurt, and the Rangers took a chance on him. It paid off for both of them. However, I haven't ever been a big fan of his. He passes too much considering he has a decent shot. He does have offensive upside, but defensively he can hurt the team. Much of that might stem from playing with Malik or rookie-Staal and having to make up for their deficiencies,
Still, the Rangers have too many defensive liabilities, considering how much he might get paid come July 1. Besides Brian Campbell, there aren't many puck-moving Ds out there, and Rozy is nothing if not puck-moving (as in, he moves it to Jagr; he moves it to Shanahan; he moves it back to Jagr).
Let some other team overpay him. He tied for 7th in defensemen scoring last season (his 13 goals were 5 more than Campbell's), including 6 on the power play. He was the only D to have 2 short-handed goals, as well (yes, they were in back-to-back games). He made $2.2M the past 2 years if memory serves me correct, a steal for his production. This year, he will want atleast $3.8M, and teams might throw him close to $4.5M/season. I've said this since we started this blog, let some other team overpay for him.
Mara - Mara wants to be a Ranger. He has made that clear. He was useful in his role, if not overpaid (Boston's fault, not Sather's). He is a more disciplined version of Mara with a booming shot from the point that could be useful if he sees power play time in 2008-09.
That said, he will test the free agent market because he has not been tendered an offer by the Rangers. Quite simply, the Rangers are seeing how everything shapes up for them. With restricted free agents, Rozsival, Campbell, and others in the mix, they have a wait-and-see-if-we-still-need-him attitude with Mara. Expect Mara not to pick a team to play on until July 5th or 6th.
Strudwick - Struds has very little NHL ability anymore. Yes, he is a great guy and a solid locker room player, but in a practical sense, he brings little to the ice. One day he will probably be coaching in the NHL, and he should start by retiring. I loved having him on the team last year, but it makes no sense to bring him back, especially when Andrew Hutchinson is waiting in the wings to play the same role on the Rangers that Strudwick played last year.
RFAs
The restricted free agent pool for D-men is weak. The Rangers aren't normally the ones to tender offer-sheets to players, and only a few names make sense. Dennis Widemann (Boston) is a young, cheap defender. Edmonton isn't losing Joni Pitkanen (and he has more defensive flaws than Malik does).
Ville Koistinen is a real solid player and Nashville has enough defensemen that they might let him walk on July 1, or they might let a team offer him a deal and take the draft picks as compensation. Of course, the Rangers have a young blueline already, and he doesn't add more than 50 games experience.
That leaves Andrej Meszaros, Jay Bouwmeester, and Mike Green. Bouwmeester is the sexy name there, and for good reason. With the most experience of the group, he is the best player there as well. On top of that, Florida is a horrible organization who he might not want to play for anymore. It's not beyond the Panther's management to trade his negotiation rights for Colton Orr and a 6th round pick in the 2010 draft.
Green would be a good addition, but he is still, well, green, especially on the blueline. Meszaros is a good player, scoring over 30 points in every season, and he shoots the puck as well. Not a power play pivot, but a solid player.
UFAs
Campbell heads the UFA list, but at $8M, he will be extremely overpaid. I took issue with Eric Lindros being paid $8M for 19 goals once ($421,000 per goal). Imagine paying Campbell a million per goal. Is it really that hard to find a PP QB that he gets paid the equivalent of 40 years at a respectable university everytime he puts the puck past a goalie?
Wade Redden (don't be duped by him), Rob Blake (wants stay in LA, and at 37 is extremely risky consdering his injuries lately), Adam Foote (no) and Mattias Nortstrom (hey, wasnt' he a Ranger once?) are the veterans. I don't see the Rangers signing anyone here, partly because it's not 2002 anymore and most of these players are has-beens.
I do see them taking a shot at maybe Mike Commodore (respectable, cheap), John-Michael Liles (would be a good fit at 26), or Ron Hainsey, although both of those last 2 are inexperienced. Rumors have them talking to Brooks Orpik, who I openly dispise because of his neck-breaking dirty shot on Erik Cole in 2006.
Mark Streit is the best name on the list and would probably ask around 3 or 3.5M a year, but I think the Canadiens would want to re-sign him as soon as they could. If the Rangers got him, Rozy would be a goner and Campbell wouldn't even be on the radar anymore.
Kurt Sauer, Dmitri Kalinin, Andreas Lilja, and David Hale also wouldn't surprise me. It's not a tremendously strong crop, but there are some good names out there. Trouble is, since it isn't a good crop, they would come with pricetags like a Ferrari (or, like 50 Ferraris).
From Within
Ivan Baranka is overseas, Corey Potter isn't ready, Bobby Sanguenetti has atleast one year of minor league hockey in him, and Andrew Hutchinson has NHL experience... wait for it... as a power play point man. Hmmmm.
Hutch will definitely be in training camp, and hopefully he can crack the roster. In Hartford, he had 64 points in 67 games, 13 power play goals, and was a +28. He's 28, and had 8 power play points in 41 games in 06-07 in Carolina, leading the team while playing in half the games.
Overall
Should be interesting come July 1. Once again, let's hope the concentrate on defense. Last season, the Rangers played team defense to make up for what they lacked individually. While it worked, it limited their offense severely, especially Jagr.
Monday, June 16, 2008
2008-09 Rangers: Offense...
The second in a three-part series of how the 08-09 Rangers will shape up.
OFFENSE
There seem to be 4 big questions about the Rangers offense come October.
Will Sean Avery re-sign? Will Jaromir Jagr? Brendan Shanahan? Will they make a splash on July 1 during free agency?
My guesses: Yes, yes, no, minimally.
First off, who is under contract next year?
The middle looks solidified with Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Brandon Dubinsky, and Blair Betts coming back. Ryan Callahan, Ryan Hollweg, and Colton Orr are also under contract, making 7 out of 14 signed.
Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha, and Freddy Sjostrom are restricted free agents (known as RFAs, the Rangers have first rights to them before they can hit the open market... if another team offers them a contract, the Rangers can either match it or let the other team sign them and receive draft picks as compensation).
Regarding those signed to contracts and the RFAs, I would see most of them playing in blue next year, except two of them, especially Sjostrom. He really seemed to take to NY and the fans really took to him in his two months with the team.
I believe a team might offer Petr Prucha an offer sheet with the Rangers letting him go for 2 draft picks, or whatever the compensation for him would be based on the contract. He was wasted the past two years, mainly last year, and is no longer a big part of the team like he was in 2005-06. Plus, the team isn't going to be Czech-centric any longer, as it's moving towards a Swedish/North American unit. Keep in mind I love Prucha, and would like to see him given a chance somewhere else.
I think Hollweg might be moved in the off-season, maybe even as a draft-day package to move up. Think about it. If you're Glen Sather, who would you rather have on your ice, Lauri Korpikoski (goal in his first playoff game) or Hollweg (season-killing boarding penalty in playoffs). Hollweg was once a big energy player, but that was 2 seasons ago, and now he is more of a liability then anything else.
I also can see Colton Orr being moved on deadline day, but that's a while away. He has proved to be a real good enforcer with better skills then when the Rangers picked him off waivers from Boston, and a team lacking in toughness (hi, Dallas, hello, San Jose) would need him for a deep run.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Right off the bat, I don't think Shanahan will return. He was obviously hurting in the playoffs, but regardless, he has lost a step since his concussion in February of 2006. He is a legend with 3 Stanley Cups. Would he return to be a 3rd or 4th line player? Plus, the Rangers already owe money against the cap for his 07-08 season.
I do think Sean Avery will return, regardless of what Swedish Tomas Holmstrom wannabe's they acquired today. A multi-year, $3.3M deal sounds good. The Rangers obviously need him, and he needs New York as well.
I also think Jagr will come back, in a one-year, $4M contract, maybe with bonus incentives. He wants the Cup. However, this is his first year of free agency in his lifetime, and he might want to test the waters. Atleast people are saying that. I think for him, it's either NY or Russia or Czech. After the lockout, he said he wasn't going to return to America if he wasn't a Ranger. He doesn't want to be a Red Wing, or a Senator, or anything else.
Marty Straka hinges entirely on Jagr. If Jagr doesn't return, Marty isn't either. If Jagr does, Straka might do a one-year deal, around the $2.5M mark. I would venture to say this warrior still has gas in the tank. He has been a great Ranger since Day One, playing hurt (a not-reported torn bicep for the last few months of the regular season and into the playoffs in 2007; breaking his finger in 2 spots blocking 2 different shots on the same play in Boston this year).
Prospects
Expect Korpikoski, P.A. Parenteau, Brodie Dupont, Artem Anisimov, Dane Byers, and Greg Moore to get looks in camp. Although I doubt Dupont and Byers will make the club, the rest will get a solid shot. If Anisimov can bulk up, he might surprise people. Remember, he should have been a first round draft pick but went 2nd round because teams were scared he would never transfer from Russia.
Korpikoski is next season's Dubinsky, I believe. Using one game as a focal point isn't fair to anyone, but when the Rangers season was dim, he scored a key goal while Shanahan, Gomez, Drury, and Jagr sat on the bench doing nothing.
Moore might be next season's Dawes - a player who goes up and down to the minors and breaks in when someone gets injured.
Parenteau is the player I'm looking forward to (as well as Anisimov) the most. He did very well in the AHL the past few years, and once scored 118 points in a season in the Q.
Oh, don't forget to keep in mind Hugh Jessiman. Oh, and here's an expression I don't use often - LOL! The Rangers will keep him in preseason games, pretend they're looking seriously at him, then send him to Hartford again. They just don't want to admit that they should have drafted Zach Parisa, Ryan Getzlaf, Dustin Brown, Brent Burns, Mike Richards, Patrice Bergeron, Shea Weber, Patrick O'Sullivan, or Dan Carcillo instead of him.
Final Thoughts
Expect the forwards to be something like this...
CENTERS: Drury, Gomez, Dubinsky, Betts
WINGERS: Dawes, Callahan, Orr, Sjostrom
UFAs: Jagr, Avery, Shanahan or Straka (can't see Sather bringing both veterans back)
KIDS: Korpikoski
That leaves one spot, either a free agent signee or a prospect.
The free agent pool isn't terribly deep. Peter Forsberg, Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison are sexy picks. Oh, no, this isn't 2003.
Marian Hossa will be grossly overpaid, and since Drury and Gomez were grossly overpaid (and Michal Rozsival might be), they can't afford another Hossa mistake. Brian Rolston is older now, but still solid. However, the Wild want him back so bad they can taste it. Ladislav Nagy gets a bad rap but is really a good player. However, I just don't see him being signed.
The only free agent wingers I can see the Blueshirts getting are Radim Vrbata (had a very good season in the desert), Michael Ryder (had a very bad season in Montreal), Matt Cooke, and maybe Pascal Dupuis, who left NY and became very dependable and quite dangerous. Of course, I would blow a load on my keyboard if I log onto TSN on July 1 and see "RANGERS SIGN RYAN MALONE TO MULTI-YEAR DEAL."
I'm sorry I'm long-winded. The defensive preview will be shorter.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
2008-09 NY Rangers: Goaltending...
The first in a three-series look-ahead at the 2008-09 New York Rangers.
GOALTENDING
Obviously, Henrik Lundqvist is the man in goal, what with his $7.75M coming to him in two-week installments next year.
The question is about the back-up. The Rangers had two NHL-worthy back-ups last year. Steve Valiquette stood tall (bad pun, only works if you know he's 6'6") when called upon, and David LeNeveu went 8-3-2 with a .924 save percentage.
Both happen to be free agents this year. Valiquette is unrestricted, and LeNeveu will probably be a RFA.
Whoever it would be would probably be needed for 12 games the whole season, needing to go 6-4-2. Lundqvist would start all 82 games if he could, so 70 games seems to be in his range for 08-09. Last season, Hank played 72 games, getting decisions in 71 of them.
The smart money would be on Valiquette being re-signed to a 1 or 2 year deal at around $700,000, with LeNeveu being re-upped for a few years on a two-way deal so that if Valiquette falters, LeNeveu could step up. He would be splitting time with young Miika Wiikman in Hartford. LeNeveu has a losing record in the NHL at 5-9, but those were played with a poor Phoenix Coyotes team in front of him. What is troubling, however, is his .888 save percentage.
The Rangers could go a completely different route and sign someone on the fringe, like Bob Esche, who kept himself in shape by playing in Russia and for the US in the World Championships this month.
However, I don't see that happening. Valiquette is the consummate professional. He knows his role and he loves it. He knows no one is usurping the King from the net, and he is happy being the back-up and a morale-booster during practice and on the bench.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
What to Du?...
ISLANDERS POST by ZACH
With all the talk of the Islander-talk at the concentrating on Mike Comrie, Miro Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Josef Vasicek, another impending free agent's name got ignored - Wade Dubielewicz (that name is hard to type, so from here on out, we will refer to him as "Dubie" - which shouldn't be confused with "DP," unless you are reading this aloud to yourself).
Dubie makes a non-threatening $500,000 this year. For a backup goalie with little experience, that is a nice number; it fits under the cap well. It also doesn't pain a team to have a $500,000 player ride the bench like it does to have, say, $3.2M being benched every game (no offense, Ottawa or Ray Emery).
However, at one point in time, Garth Snow will have to make a decision on the man who encompasses the same warm spot on the bench he once had while Rick DiPietro played. I'm guessing that since the position of GM has already been filled, Dubie will play in the NHL again next season.
Will that be in Orange & Blue?
Last year, as we all know, the Islanders needed to win 4 straight games to even have a chance at sniffing the playoffs. With Rick DiPietro out for the rest of the regular season with concussion problems due to his own foolish play, Steve Begin, and Sean Avery, Dubie stepped up. A shootout win against the Rangers where he stopped Jaromir Jagr to win, a win against Toronto, then in Philly, then in a shootout against the Devils (where he gave up a goal with a second left to send it to overtime). His reward? The Mike Dunham Memorial Bench Spot during a first round loss to the Sabres.
This year, DP is out again, this time with the dreaded "tweaked hip." Who is there for the Islanders? Dubie. He had an impressive shootout win against the Rangers (again, this time at MSG though), then lost in the home half of that home-and-home, although he held his ground well and even DiPietro would not have saved the shots Dubie let in.
Since the beginning of March when he started playing a lot, Dubie has let in 3 goals twice, 2 goals twice, and 1 goal three times. Yet he is only 3-4, meaning the ineptitude of the Islanders has nothing to do with him. For reference, in his first game since January, he gave up 1 goal against the Panthers while the players in front of him fired 53 low-angle, direct-to-chest shots against backup Craig Anderson. He is not the reason this team is looking ahead to the Bethpage Black while it's still March. As a matter of fact, when he beat the Rangers on March 4, the Islanders were 3 points out of 8th in the East. Now, they are 11 points out and unable to make up those points with 5 games left.
Once again, Dubie has had nothing to do with the current state of the team. Injuries have piled up and some players seem to have packed it in. Yet he plays to the top of his game, day in and day out.
Since the lockout, we have seen backup goaltenders usurp the starters. Henrik Lundqvist took over from Kevin Weekes in October 2005 (although Tom Renney was reluctant to announce the change until January). Cristobal Huet overtook Jose Theodore and David Aebischer until Jaroslav Halak usurped the usurper last spring. No Manny Fernandez OR Dwayne Roloson in Minnesota - wait, who is this Niklas Backstrom? Hell, Ilya Bryzgalov played so well behind J.S. Giguere that GM Brian Burke felt bad for sitting him and let him go elsewhere.
Will Dubie ever usurp DP? Probably not, because Garth Snow and Charles Wang wouldn't let it happen. DP has a long way left to go on his contract, and another team might not pick that up for another decade. Besides, a $4.5M backup is expensive to keep around (no offense, Olaf Kolzig or Marc Denis).
Teams will come knocking on Dubie's door (or ringing on his agent's phone) come July 1. Carolina will have an open spot and would love to have a solid backstop waiting for his chance to play behind wildly inconsistent Cam Ward. Calgary can replace Curtis Joseph with the 29-year-old Wade. And Tampa Bay has Mike Smith and Kari Ramo, both unproven goalies who might play better with some competition. What about Detroit? Chris Osgood will be the main guy in net there if Dom Hasek doesn't return, but can he handle it? Think Dubie wouldn't jump at a chance to play in Hockeytown?
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