Slow Start...Confident or Worried?

The NHL season is nearly a week in the books and so far many of the teams expected to contend for division and conference titles look a bit slow. Most of the questions surrounding those teams, some with 0-3 starts, ask fans if they are worried about their teams start? Many fans roll with the tide of the team will say yes, they are worried. However, for the veteran fan who knows their team, a slow start doesn't mean much more than they just have to get up to speed. I am going to take a few of the unexpected teams sitting near the bottom of their divisions early on, and what should happen to them as the season gains ground.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings got off to a real bad start. After raising their Stanley Cup banner and getting their rings, they Chicago Blackhawks, a very scary team on paper in a short season, came into the Staples Center and put up three goals in the first period en route to a 5-2 win. The Kings then went into Colorado and looked solid for two periods, having a 1-0 lead. They surrendered three goals in the third to end up losing 3-1 to a Avs team that isn't expected to make the playoffs.

Expectation

The Kings will be just fine. They lost no major piece to their Stanley Cup victory and may just be experiencing the Cup hangover. On opening night the hype surrounded the banner and ring ceremony and not the game, which the Kings clearly weren't focused on. In Colorado they only played 40 of 60 minutes, which will change quick with Darryl Sutter. The Kings are still a strong contender this season.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings started the season off getting destroyed by a very good St. Louis Blues 6-0. They then played the Blue Jackets and it took a fantastic shootout move by newcomer Damien Brunner to finally get the win. All was well in Hockeytown....until the Red Wings took a trip to Dallas and lost 2-1, only scoring with seconds left on the clock to cut the lead to one and ruin the shutout for Kari Lethonen.
Expectation
The Red Wings have lost Brian Rafalski, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Brad Stuart on defense in the last three seasons. Their blue line looks much different and with Ian White and Niklas Kronwall leading the way, they will be just fine. The offense added Brunner to an already dangerous Datsyuk and Zetterberg. The Red Wings are a playoff team and will go on a roll soon.

Washington Capitals
The Capitals have started off 0-3.They have given up four goals or more in all of their games so far, using both goalies to try and make the stops. Offensively, they have declined from three goals in game one, to two goals, and then to one goal in their last game. Alex Ovechkin has one assist in three games. There could be alot to worry about this season in Washington.
Expectation
The Capitals were suppose to at least contend for the Southeast, but so far, they look awful. Mike Ribiero has been a nice addition up front, but the defense and goaltending of the Capitals looks weak so far. If this doesn't get fixed, Washington could find themselves looking from the outside come playoff time. This is something that has to be fixed now because soon enough, it will be to late.

Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers won their first game last night over the Rangers 2-1 in which they played well late to hold a lead. Prior to that, an 0-3 start had fans baffled and confused. The Flyers are riddled with injuries and although Bryzgalov has not been bad facing a lot of shots, he has given up a few weak ones and the Flyers have given up late goals to lose games.
Expectation
I don't doubt the ability of the Flyers to win, but injuries could derail their season. Already off the bat, Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, among others, are injured. If it were not for Claude Giroux, the offense would literally be in shambles at this point. If the Flyers can get healthy soon and put together some wins, they are a definite playoff team. However, if injuries continue, the Flyers could miss out.

New York Rangers
The Rangers came in as a top team and looking nothing like it through four games. They have been inconsistent, not playing all three periods. They have fallen behind early in games while playing well late, but by that point, they are already to far behind. The Rangers need to get their game going soon. Newcomer Rick Nash has been their most consistent player.
Expectation
One of the top ranked defenses in the league last year, the Rangers need to regain that form as a whole. They are giving up chances off defensive zone errors and leaving goalie Henrik Lunqvist with no help. He hasn't stolen a game yet as he did last season. The Rangers will eventually get their game going and will be a playoff team come May.

These are some of the teams that have been struggling off the gate. Some still have high hopes, while others could fall off quickly with injuries or inconsistent play. There have been lots of goals scored throughout the first week of the season and it has been fun. The standings will eventually lay out as they always do, with the best of the best in the playoff fighting for the Cup.

PS: Sorry for only one article this week. Been a busy one with school starting. Enjoy!

Predictions Mean Nothing....But I'll Take A Shot

With a 48 game NHL season beginning tomorrow, many are making predictions as to how the standings will play out. This isn't just an ordinary season though. With more games in a shorter span, coaches will have to make day by day adjustments that will shape their teams road. Injuries that normally aren't seen in a longer season will show up, players will be more fatigued as the season wears on them, and teams that don't have a good start may miss the playoffs off that fact alone. Either way, the season starts tomorrow and somebodies got to win it. Here are my predictions for the following season:

Western Conference

1-St. Louis Blues

2-Los Angeles Kings

3-Vancouver Canucks

4-Detroit Red Wings

5-Minnesota Wild

6-Chicago Blackhawks

7-Nashville Predators

8-San Jose Sharks

9-Phoenix Coyotes

10-Dallas Stars

11-Colorado Avalanche

12-Edmonton Oilers

13-Calgary Flames

14-Anaheim Ducks

15-Columbus Blue Jackets

This was tough to decide. There are so many in-between teams that could end up making the playoffs that I'm just not sure. However, this is what I went with. St. Louis is the cream of the crop in the West this season with Vancouver and Los Angeles winning their divisions right behind them. Detroit may have lost Lidstrom, but they will continue their playoff tear now going into I believe 22 straight years. Minnesota will surprise and be a solid West team while Chicago and Nashville both make the playoffs again. San Jose and Phoenix will battle hard and close for the eighth spot but I expect San Jose to slip in. Phoenix will barely miss out after losing Ray Whitney to Dallas, who I also expect to contend for that eighth spot. Colorado and Edmonton are getting closer, but still not enough to make the playoffs this season. Calgary does not impress me on paper while Anaheim does not either. Getzlaf and Perry are both entering free agency this summer. Columbus will bring up the rear once again as they attempt to build their organization, which they are in the process of doing after trading Rick Nash.

Eastern Conference

1-New York Rangers
2-Boston Bruins
3-Washington Capitals
4-Pittsburgh Penguins
5-Philadelphia Flyers
6-Carolina Hurricanes
7-Tampa Bay Lightning
8-Buffalo Sabres
9-New Jersey Devils
10-Ottawa Senators
11-Florida Panthers
12-Montreal Canadiens
13-Winnipeg Jets
14-Toronto Maple Leafs
15-New York Islanders

The East was even tougher as spots six through eleven were all but even. I expect the Rangers, Bruins, and Capitals to win the divisions respectively. Although a surprise could be seen in the Southeast with Tampa and Carolina getting much better all around. That will be an interesting division to watch. The Penguins and Flyers will take the five and six spots as the Atlantic division is the toughest division this year, as it was last year and could be for some time. Buffalo will be better this year with a healthy Ryan Miller and better Tyler Myers. The Devils will fight and could swap with the Sabres for eighth but with a loss of Parise and no gain, it will be tough. Ottawa surprised many last year but I think will be in a tough spot with a 48 game season. Florida will also fall in the Southeast this season with the other teams getting better. The other three Canadian teams will struggle as there is more drama than anything in Toronto and Montreal and Winnipeg are not ready for playoff runs yet. The Islanders continue to rebuild.

These are my guesses for this season. The Cup Final will end up being, again, another guess, the Rangers and Blues with the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup. Yes, I am a huge Rangers fan, however, I do feel as if this could finally be there year. With a strong team and shorter season, they can play the way they did last year and if uninjured, do it for the duration of the season and playoffs. Only time will tell. These predictions are nothing but guesses, but hey, that's why this is hockey! Can't wait for the season. What are your predictions? Have fun tomorrow night!

Buyouts Now Are Better Than This Summer

One of the main concerns of teams prior to the lockout ending was the salary cap dropping. With that happening, teams would have to take off cap prior to the 13-14 season in order to meet the lowered maximum cap. Therefore, the NHL is allowing teams two compliance buyouts this summer, in order to allow teams to get rid of players and cap that are unwanted. The only problem with this is, if the players is injured during the course of this season and into the summer, the buyout can't happen; teams with injured players have to take care of them. Then comes the case of Wade Redden and Scott Gomez, two high salary, unwanted players on their organizations rosters and cap.

When training camps opened, both Redden and Gomez expected an invite, ready and wanting to play like most NHL'ers when the lockout ended just about two weeks ago. However, they were both turned away and told they were not going to play at all this season, preparing their respective clubs to buy them out once the summer hit. The only other options the Rangers and Canadians had on this matter were to allow them to play in the NHL/AHL and risk the players getting injured or trade them. At this point, neither team wanted to risk an injury and no other team was going to make a trade for players getting over $6 million per season. Therefore, they were sent home and told to sit and wait until summer. Although I do agree with the teams wanting to buy them out without a problem this summer, I do also agree with Gomez and Redden not wanting to sit around.

After a few days of negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA, an agreement was announced to allow the players to be bought out now, but keep the cap for the rest of the season. In my mind, this is the best solution. Nothing changes in terms of cap as their salaries will stay for this season. Come next season, just as a summer buyout would do, their salaries will come off the cap for good. The only thing that changes is that instead of sitting at home all season, which is unfair to Gomez and Redden's careers, they will be unrestricted free agents after they clear waivers and are bought out. 

This is the best option for both sides. The rules aren't broken, the clubs don't have to worry about the players they want to buy out this summer, and the players can sign elsewhere. Already, it is rumored that the Detroit Red Wings have interest in bringing Redden to Hockeytown. Remember Tom Renney signed on as an assistant coach with Detroit recently. The NHL and NHLPA seem to finally be gaining some ground within the CBA as it has been signed, the NHL is back, and they are cooperating over issues that have come arise in the past two weeks. Redden and Gomez will be unrestricted free agents this week and they will be able to continue their careers without any penalty to their original teams. 

Evander Kane Living On The Edge

Coming into the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, one of the huge names on the board was Evander Kane. Just coming off a 96 point season with the WHL's Vancouver Giants, Kane was a kid on top of the world. A power forward that displays equal parts of grit and hands, he was a wanted commodity among NHL teams. He was drafted #4 overall by the Atlanta Thrashers and the future looked very bright. However, as time has gone on, Kane is being looked at as a player who could eventually end up a bust.

Kane went right to the NHL for the 09-10 season as the struggling Thrashers really needed some help up front. As a rookie he put up 14 goals and 12 assists in 66 games, a very good start for an 18 year old kid coming out of junior hockey. His next season, he faced many minor injuries that kept him out for short spurts, however, he was still able to play in over 70 games and improved his points total to 43 in his sophomore year. His game was on the upswing and Atlanta had much to look forward too. Just a few months later, however, there was no Atlanta Thrashers.

True North Sports and Entertainment purchased the Thrashers during the summer and they were moved up to Winnipeg for the following 11-12 season. Winnipeg, an area thriving for hockey since their loss of the Jets in 1996, was more than thrilled. Fans sold out season tickets in minutes and the second the Jets name was announced, merchandise sales went through the roof, enough to be the top money maker in that area last season. With this new home, a much bigger hockey area, the media became nonexistent in Atlanta to booming in Winnipeg. The players, coaches, and organization as a whole are under way more media fire, normally being more scrutiny than anything else.

Kane, again improving on his stats his first year in Winnipeg, put up 57 points in 74 games, all looking well for the franchise kid. However, since last season ended, Kane has been under a lot of scrutiny. He held out on the Jets all summer for more money on a contract as a restricted free agent. Trade rumors surrounded him and with the season just weeks away when September 1st hit, all eyes were on him. The day the lockout was announced, September 15th, Kane signed a 6 year, 31.5 million dollar contract. To compare that to other NHL'ers, Kane is making John Tavares money, who is becoming a superstar for the Islanders. With the pressure on, Kane had to produce. 

As the lockout continued, the pressure subsided on Kane as there was no hockey and it seemed there would not be for quite some time. Kane signed in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL. Little did he know this would be the source of more controversy for him. The coach called him out for being out of shape and after just a few weeks and 12 games, totaling only 1 goal and 47 PIM, Kane was sent home. He said the KHL style didn't fit his play, but being in Winnipeg, the media killed him. Then in November, Kane posted a twitter picture of him with stacks on money in Las Vegas. Once again, he was the face of Winnipeg, in the wrong direction. With many NHL and team employees being laid off or days/hours cut due to the lockout, this did not help Kane's reflection. 

Now, just three days before training camp opens up, Kane is nowhere to be found. With most players already skating "informally" at their training centers, this once again does not look good on Kane. The question remains whether he will come to camp in shape and ready to go with the season just a week away. Kane has made a good name for himself on the ice up until this year, however, some of his actions over the past few months have got him on the radar of the fans and media. He will have the spotlight on him once again this season and he will be expected to produce more than he did last season. With a new six year deal, everyone in Winnipeg is counting on him to be the guy. Will Kane show up and be ready to play? Or will he become the next bust of the NHL? He is the one who will control that. Just know this, the media and fans will be watching. 

Injuries A Definite Issue During A Short Span Season

Training Camps will open Sunday into Monday and the NHL season will be officially underway with games starting just one week later on January 19th. Players want at least one preseason game, however, with the little amount of time between now and the 19th, that is unlikely to happen. In such a short season that includes 48 games per team between January 19th and May 2nd, plus four rounds of playoffs between early May and June 25th, players will be even more fatigued, beat up, and open to injury. 

Players that are coming from Europe have already played quite a few games; that could be something that helps or hurts them in the long run. They are in game shape and ready for training camp. They will not have to play catch up next week to prepare for the season. When the puck finally drops, they should be ready to go. However, in the next few months of the regular season, will they be able to stay healthy, already playing from September and having to play another 48 plus playoffs? That is what time will tell. Then you have the players who have been sitting out and skating with teammates or by themselves to stay in shape. These players will need training camp in order to get into game shape, but will it be enough? A week of preparation in the NHL is not the amount most players, coaches, and teams would like, but that's all that there is an opportunity for. Will these players be in game shape for the end of January? In the long run, will using the first half of the season as rest help or hurt? There are many questions regarding both sets of players, those who have played this season for another league and those who haven't.

Another key to training will be the coaches. They have one week to prepare their teams for the regular season and have to be careful in just how much they push them. They will want to rest the players who have been skating in Europe while getting them ready with systems and other team dynamics. Meanwhile, coaches will have to get those who have not been playing into game shape without overdoing it. Coaches have a lot on their hands the next few weeks as training camp leads into the first month of the season. A slow start could mean the difference between making the playoffs and the golf course. Injuries will have a huge impact on many teams seasons as well.

In the end, it will be nothing but pure excitement for the fans. However, for the players, coaches, and teams, it is going to be a lot harder to keep players healthy and playing at their top level with such a short season. It will definitely have an impact on the playoff race. This year could be an interesting playoff scenario as some teams that may not be there in an 82 game season just may show up fighting for a spot at the end of 48. 

The Pros and Cons Of A 48 Game Season

As we all are very aware, the NHL is back in business. With a new CBA signed for 10 years, it's nice to know I'll be well into my 30's before another possible lockout. It was announced yesterday that training camp would begin either late this week or early next week with the 48 game season starting on January 19th.  The past 113 days have been real tough for all of us, but we are all very pumped for a NHL hockey season that will last until about late June, when the Stanley Cup will once again be handed out. There are many pros and cons to a 48 game season in my mind. I'm going to re-kick the blog with the goods and bads of what we will see this season!

I'll start off with the bad so we can end with the good. As I see it, a full NHL season is 82 games plus playoffs, with the season starting in late October and ending mid-June. In anything other than 82 games, there has to be a asterisk next to that year in the books (and no Devils fans, this has nothing to do with you winning in 1995). It's a shorter season and more condensed, making it way different for both the fans and teams in  many different perspectives. One of the major perspectives within that is the injury factor. Teams will be playing every other night, mainly against division rivals. This will probably to lead to way more injuries based off of the shorter training camp and preparation period plus the condensed schedule. In other words, this season isn't going to be "normal." It will be much different than what us fans normally see in a full, 82 game season. Many fans will agree with me that it slightly taints that year, but many will also not agree thinking it's an NHL season, it counts; I respect both those opinions.

Now to the good. It's a 5 and a half month season packed with just 48 games plus playoffs and it is going to be pure mayhem. To start, talks are that each team will play the teams in their division 7 times! They will then play the other 10 teams in their conference 2 times each. That means nearly 60% of the games played will be against a division rival. As a fan of the New York Rangers, all 4 teams in the division are rivals and the games get heated. Plus playing all the other conference teams will make the season crazy. Teams will need a hot start and a solid few months to make the playoffs and then take their battered bodies into a possible 4 rounds of playoffs. There will also be tons of games every night making any die-hard hockey fan the happiest person on earth. It will be a fun ride and in June we will see who wins the dash.

There are some pros and cons to the 48 game season. I'm very happy the NHL is back nonetheless. It will be fun watching hockey every night as I do every season, with millions of other hockey fans. It will be a battle to the finish and I'm excited to see who is going to get the early jump off the start on January 19th. Enjoy the season hockey fans. The blog is back and I'm truly pumped for NHL hockey!