Pardon My Bias

Not hard to see how the Bruins are number one with Vezina, Norris, and Selke candidates. Photo courtesy of NHL.com

1 – Boston Bruins (28-12-1) Last week: 3

This is getting a little too Red Sox-Yankee like for my taste.

2 – New York Rangers (28-11-4) Last week: 1

Should be quite the rivalry game when the Rangers and Bruins finally meet.

3 – St. Louis Blues (26-12-6) Last week: 4

They may have less wins then the Hawks and Wings, but the Blues don’t need the shootout nearly as often.

4 – Vancouver Canucks (28-15-3) Last week: 2

At this point, just crown them Northwest champs.

5 – Detroit Red Wings (28-15-1) Last week: 5

Kinda scary when the Wings could finish fourth in their division. Central is that tough this year.

6 – Philadelphia Flyers (26-13-4) Last week: 6

James Van Riemsdyke is just the latest Flyer to go down with an injury.

7 – Chicago Blackhawks (27-13-6) Last week: 8

You may be confused as to why the Hawks, despite being tied for the league lead in points are seventh. You are incorrect to assume it is because Dan Carcillo got shelved.

8 – San Jose Sharks (25-12-5) Last week: 7

The Sharks should look out for the Kings. Well, until the Sharks wind up playing some more games, as they have five in hand.

9 – Washington Capitals (24-17-2) Last week: 10

Slowly the Caps turned things around and are back on top of their division, which turned into the least crappy team contest again.

10 – Nashville Predators (25-15-4) Last week: 12

8-1 in their last nine, and winners of five straight. Next up is the Rangers however, so how’s that for test?

11 – Pittsburgh Penguins (23-17-4) Last week: 11

Crosby Watch: Visiting a chiropractor. Not a great sign.

12 – Dallas Stars (24-18-1) Last week: 9

The Stars are in a bit of tumble, though only two points out of playoff spot (along with basically three other teams).

13 – Florida Panthers (21-14-8) Last week: 14

They finally relinquished control over the Southeast, which for the Panthers still may be a landmark.

14 – Ottawa Senators (25-15-6) Last week: 17

You got to admit the Senators are completely exceeding expectations this season. Their roster on paper is a joke, but they are on a roll.

15 – Los Angeles Kings (22-15-9) Last week: 18

If the Kings keep playing like they have at this point they may finish the season with more OT losses than regulation ones. Under .500 with 100 points? Could happen.

16 – New Jersey Devils (25-17-2) Last week: 20

The very idea of trading Ilya Kovalchuk shouldn’t even be considered seeing how vital he is to their shootout success, and how vital that has been for the Devils’ success.

17 – Toronto Maple Leafs (22-17-5) Last week: 13

Looks like the Leafs are hitting a cold spell again.

18 – Minnesota Wild (22-16-7) Last week: 15

The death spiral for Minnesota continues.

19 – Calgary Flames (21-20-5) Last week: 22

Sutterfest part one ended with Darryl, the former coach and GM, besting his brother Brent, who is the Flames current coach, hired by Darryl. Thankfully, the active player Sutters weren’t involved.

20 – Winnipeg Jets (20-19-5) Last week: 16

As is the way of the Thrasher-Jet, Winnipeg drops three in a row to go from one point out of eighth, to five out.

21 – Colorado Avalanche (24-20-2) Last week: 21

Seymon Varlamov should at least get to participate in the All-Star game’s skill competition for the breakaway contest.

22 – Phoenix Coyotes (20-18-7) Last week: 19

The Coyotes’ record to start 2012? 1-5. And that’s how you become even less relevant.

23 – Buffalo Sabres (19-20-5) Last week: 23

All of a sudden the Sabres are in danger of dropping to dead last in their division.

24 – Montreal Canadians (17-20-8) Last week: 24

All of a sudden the Canadians are close to being out of the cellar in their division. Looks like trading Cammalleri solved everything.

25 – Edmonton Oilers (17-23-4) Last week: 26

It appears the Oilers have returned to being those Oilers.

26 – Tampa Bay Lightning (17-23-4) Last week: 25

It also appears that no matter how good Steven Stamkos is, the rest of his team really isn’t.

27 – Anaheim Ducks (15-22-7) Last week: 28

Threaten to trade guys, and the Ducks turn it on. Whether they can maintain that should be interesting, though they came on strong late last season also.

28 – Carolina Hurricanes (16-24-7) Last week: 27

At the bottom of a pretty bad division. Hopefully the Canes load up on draft picks so they can address their depth issues.

29 – New York Islanders (16-20-6) Last week: 29

The Islanders being the Islanders.

30 – Columbus Blue Jackets (12-27-5) Last week: 30

Maybe if you took the Jackets out of the Central they would be better. Or maybe they are why the rest of their division has such insane records.

The Rangers still are red hot three games into 2012. Photo courtesy of NHL.com

1 – New York Rangers (26-9-4) Last week: 2

The Rangers have proven lately they are the team to beat in the Atlantic, and out east that is the top division by a landslide (outside of the Islanders).

2 – Vancouver Canucks (26-13-3) Last week: 5

The Canucks, who only have more points thanks to the Bettman system and having played more games, earn the two spot with a 4-3 win on the road against Boston.

3 – Boston Bruins (26-11-1) Last week: 1

Moving down only due to one team being hotter (the Rangers) and a defeat to a rival (the Canucks). Still, the Bruins are terrifying when clicking. 6-0, 8-0, 6-1, and 9-0 wins over the past few weeks spells dangerous clearly.

4 – St. Louis Blues (24-12-5) Last week: 6

Hitchcock continues to push more out of his squad then just about anyone thought possible.

5 – Detroit Red Wings (26-14-1) Last week: 7

A split with the Hawks, and solid past few weeks has the Wings back in the top five, but they better watch their backs.

6 – Philadelphia Flyers (24-12-4) Last week: 4

The Flyers’ defense has been a little worrisome lately, giving up almost four goals a game on average over the past two weeks.

7 – San Jose Sharks (23-11-4) Last week: 9

After two home losses to the Ducks and Canucks, San Jose goes on the road only to beat both of them and find themselves in a four game winning streak.

8 – Chicago Blackhawks (24-13-5) Last week: 3

Things go from bad to worse in Chicago with Patrick Sharp due to miss three to four weeks, while the team is in a four game skid.

9 – Dallas Stars (23-16-1) Last week: 10

For what it’s worth, the Stars haven’t been to the shootout in almost two months. In my book, that makes their wins more meaningful. Sorry, Colorado and New Jersey.

10 – Washington Capitals (21-16-2) Last week: 14

Up until a loss to the Sharks the Caps appeared to have found whatever they were lacking for so long, winning four straight in a fairly easy manner.

11 – Pittsburgh Penguins (21-15-4) Last week: 8

No Staal, no Neal, no Crosby, no Letang, no Martin, and no wins. Four straight losses, and barely averaging over a goal a game.

12 – Nashville Predators (22-15-4) Last week: 15

Nashville isn’t going away, making the Central division even tougher. Though, to be fair, the Preds have had some help with a rather easy stretch of games lately.

13 – Toronto Maple Leafs (21-15-5) Last week: 11

Thank god Tim Thomas won the fan ballot for the All-Star game. James Reimer isn’t an All-Star. He just isn’t. The rest of the team goes rather up and down, but look to be heading up again.

14 – Florida Panthers (20-13-8) Last week: 13

Only two wins in their last eight could spell trouble for the Panthers, but with the Southeast as big a crapshoot as it is their chances are as good as anyone’s still.

15 – Minnesota Wild (21-15-6) Last week: 12

With the Canucks running away with the division (again), the Wild are going to need to up their game to even get a playoff spot. One win in twelve games is a sure fire way to not get it done.

16 – Winnipeg Jets (20-16-5) Last week: 20

Slowly but surely, the Jets are turning into a bubble team. They probably won’t get much further than that with the lack of offensive depth on their roster.

17 – Ottawa Senators (22-15-6) Last week: 21

A Bettman point beneficiary. Also, proof as to why fans voting for anything is a bad idea.

18 – Los Angeles Kings (20-15-7) Last week: 18

Another Bettman point beneficiary. The Kings had earned points in every game under Darryl Sutter up until a loss to…Columbus? Oh, that is bad. Also, the offense is dead last. So much for a new direction.

19 – Phoenix Coyotes (20-17-5) Last week: 17

Only two wins in their last eight and those came against the likes of Minnesota and the Islanders.

20 – New Jersey Devils (23-16-2) Last week: 23

The Devils are extremely talented in the skills competition. 8-1 in the shootout. Only 15-17 outside of it.

21 – Colorado Avalanche (23-19-1) Last week: 22

The Avalanche are even more talented in the skills competition, going 7-0 in the shootout. They are also even worse outside of it, being 16-20 in game that ended naturally.

22 – Calgary Flames (19-19-5) Last week: 19

Rene Bourque is on a pace to be suspended for 30 games if he keeps it up.

23 – Buffalo Sabres (18-18-5) Last week: 16

If it wasn’t for Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville I don’t even know how bad the Sabres could possibly be the way they are playing currently.

24 – Montreal Canadians (16-18-7) Last week: 26

The first time in a long time I haven’t had the Canadians ranked 26^th. Erik Cole has gone from free agent bust, to top scorer, while Eric Staal has crapped out. It appears we all had that relationship backwards.

25 – Tampa Bay Lightning (17-20-3) Last week: 25

Win a few, lose a few. Unfortunately that won’t get Tampa out of the hole they dug for themselves. Really a shame Roloson blew his chance.

26 – Edmonton Oilers (16-22-3) Last week: 24

Speaking of blown chances, remember when the Oilers were the up and coming team this season? From November on, Edmonton has gone 9-21 and 4-12 from December. Ouch.

27 – Carolina Hurricanes (14-22-7) Last week: 27

Still no Jeff Skinner, and somehow Cam Ward still hasn’t gone ballistic on how little help he gets in games.

28 – Anaheim Ducks (12-22-6) Last week: 28

At least they beat the Blue Jackets and Islanders. Apparently the Ducks are willing to listen to any trade suggestions (just no Selanne or Koivu).

29 – New York Islanders (14-19-6) Last week: 29

With a chance to move up in the ol’ rankings (since I know the Islanders are deeply invested), they blow it with loss to the Ducks and only a shootout win over the Canes (which I don’t count).

30 – Columbus Blue Jackets (11-25-5) Last week: 30

I thought they already had fired a head coach once so far this season?

So another year has arrived, along with the spectacle of the NHL’s Winter Classic (featured by Bridgestone, in case you missed it). Once again, it also displayed a very exciting game. Well, from the second half on. Still, I can’t help but find a few little things the league, the Classic, and NBC for that matter should work on…

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

The Legends Game is awesome even if it gets relegated to the backwaters of the NHL Network. The fans of the teams show up in massive force, and frankly everyone seems to enjoy it. In my ever so humble opinion, the Legends Game really shows off the old glory days of hockey more than the actual Winter Classic game. You just have a bunch of guys who are out there enjoying playing, and of course they want to win, but there’s no one trying to kill each other out there unlike Mr. Werewolf of Phily, Scott Hartnell. Or if they do want to kill each other, they do a really good job masking it.

Figuring out your start time would be a good idea. It really wouldn’t be the NHL if they didn’t do something slightly moronic, and switching the start time of the game in 24 hours beforehand certainly qualifies. The fact the league said it was for player safety works as a nice reason as to why, but why no one thought, “Oh, it might be sunny out and light reflecting off the ice may be problematic.” And guess what? It barely interfered with the Rose Bowl.

Mike Milbury being asked for analysis always blows my mind. Seriously, what in the hell is he doing being asked for anything besides to step away from a child? Is he NBC’s response to Don Cherry? And did no one inform them that Don Cherry shouldn’t tried to be replicated? And at least Cherry was successful as a coach. Maybe not a ton, but he didn’t run the Boston Bruins into the ground such as the state the New York Islanders are in.

You know, there is another part of the country outside of the Northeast. I’m not saying have the Winter Classic in Phoenix, nor even have the Coyotes involved in one. But seeing how the furthest west the league went was to Chicago playing Detroit shows that they and NBC really have their minds set only on a few certain teams. Cities that I am surprised have been ignored outright for a chance to host are St. Paul and Denver. The NHL, and their rating’s game they have with networks, discovered that even with only one impassioned city that viewership can still be impressive. I know the whole underlying theme is the history of the game and teams involved, but rotating between only six or so teams gets old really quick. Which leads to…

Really hard to argue that it's not just a really flashy spectacle. Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Ease off the old time hockey feel. Yes, it is fun. And yes I said the Legends Game does show off the history and past time of hockey, but that’s just the thing. It does enough of that. Wearing retro jerseys does enough of that. The fact the game is being played outdoors like we never invented refrigeration and rely on cold weather does enough of that. The Classic is a spectacle. Because it says, “Hey look, we have technology and refuse to use it in this case even though we are taking that technology we refuse to acknowledge this once to make sure what we do here works fine.” The Winter Classic is the sport world’s hipster movement. Yeah, it is cool to remember what things were like back in the day, and going back to try that out is fun. Like oversized glasses or Atari. But once you start flaunting it too much and shoving it down people’s throats that crap bugs people. Hockey fans and really anyone that has ever heard of ice knows that the Winter Classic is a nod to the really old days. There is no need to beat everyone over the head with the fact, we get it, so show the audience some respect to figure that out on their own.

Once a year is the perfect amount. And yes Canada can keep doing the Heritage Classic. It really doesn’t dilute the experience of having Canada run their own show. Because yes, the Winter Classic is a relative cash grab, but also is a fun event for its quirkiness. So it having it once for all of America and once for Canada works. It does already have a bit of tradition to it, as in you expect to see a listing for it on your DVR guide around New Year’s Day, and hockey fans do enjoy attending even though I am sure the view from wherever at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark probably sucked. It’s a fun experience. Once a year. It’s a good amount. Plus it’s something Canada copied (sort of) that the league instituted. I don’t know if that will ever happen again.

Lastly, don’t mic the audiences during the flag bearing, especially in Philadelphia. I know, reinforcing stereotypes, and it wasn’t just Flyer fans to be fair. Shouts of “RANGERS SUCK” and “F@#& THE FLYERS” are going to be shouted. Yes, even during flag bearings before national anthems. And you don’t need to have the mic turned on to the audience during that period. Just saying…

And now for a few suggestions for future Winter Classics:

San Jose vs. Detroit @ Comerica Park

These two teams don’t like each other. Shocking that there is a rivalry in the west, but both teams have big time talent, and there is a history with the Wings so all the bases are covered.

Boston vs. Minnesota @ Target Field

Boston showed they can carry ratings on their own, so a small market like Minnesota shouldn’t worry the league or networks. Minnesota has the weather for an outdoor game, and even though the North Stars aren’t exactly the Wild’s history Minnesota goes crazy for hockey.

Chicago vs. Colorado @ Invesco Field

The weather in Denver would be fine, and I highly doubt the Broncos can keep winning with Tim Tebow. Again, a golden chance for the league to recognize the west coast a bit.

What would we do without the Pinstripe bowl to decide between Rutgers and Iowa State? Please observe the size of the crowd. Photo courtesy of TheGazette.com

Los Angeles vs. New York Rangers @ MetLife Stadium

For all wondering, the stadium is Giants Stadium. And yes, I know that the Devils would be the more apt team. However, the Rangers are the bigger draw and a good ol’ NY vs. LA match are plenty entertaining. Obviously, Yankee Stadium would be the better locale, but with some greedy jerks deciding to get involved with the BCS racket for another pointless college bowl game that spot likely won’t open up. Which sucks.

The Seguin-Marchand-Bergeron line has been arguably the top line in the entire league so far this year. Photo courtesy of nhl.com

1 – Boston Bruins (23-9-1) Last week: 2

The massive tear the Bruins have been on continues. Both Tuuka Rask and Tim Thomas have save percentages hovering around a gaudy 95%. And hanging eight goals on a division leading team doesn’t hurt either.

2 – New York Rangers (22-8-4) Last week: 5

The Rangers climb to the top of the east in points, though to be fair they got there with two wins over the Islanders. What was impressive however was the 4-2 win over the Flyers.

3 – Chicago Blackhawks (23-9-4) Last week: 3

Two easy opponents in Montreal and Columbus results in four points for the Hawks, but in their big game against the Penguins they failed to show up until the third.

4 – Philadelphia Flyers (21-9-4) Last week: 4

More injuries for the Flyers to fight through with the loss of Sean Courturier now. It doesn’t get easier either with two more road games (for a total of ten through December) until the Classic.

5 – Vancouver Canucks (22-12-2) Last week: 6

The Canucks finally claim the Northwest back from the floundering Wild. Alex Edler is making a case for Norris consideration, though it’s of the Mike Green variety, what with the lack of defense.

6 – St. Louis Blues (21-10-4) Last week: 7

The Hitchcock effect is still strong with the Blues, and it’s even helping disappointment of the year contender Jaroslav Halak, who has begun to finally start playing like a NHL goalie again.

7 – Detroit Red Wings (22-12-1) Last week: 1

The Wings are only 3-4 in their own division, and they get a real test with two contests against the Blues and one against the Blackhawks (finally).

8 – Pittsburgh Penguins (20-11-4) Last week: 8

Pittsburgh’s defense is getting a real test of their depth with no Paul Martin or Kris Letang. Interestingly enough, though not surprising, their goal against have improved during this span.

9 – San Jose Sharks (19-11-3) Last week: 10

So the Sharks are 5-2 against the Kings, Coyotes, and Stars, yet are somehow 0-3 against the Ducks who are in dead last of the Pacific. Jonas Hiller appears to have their number.

10 – Dallas Stars (20-14-1) Last week: 11

Dallas’s up and down defense trended downward this past week allowing twelve goals in three contests, and as a result the Stars go 1-2. A very fortunate offensive explosion against the Predators.

11 – Toronto Maple Leafs (18-13-4) Last week: 15

Fan balloting should be stopped just due to Leaf fans. There is no way James Reimer should be on an All-Star roster. Sorry.

12 – Minnesota Wild (20-12-5) Last week: 9

The Wild’s season seems like a relationship: New things, a great run up, things couldn’t be better, it gets more familiar, then boring, and now things flat out suck.

13 – Florida Panthers (18-11-7) Last week: 12

Looks like the Panthers may be going the same way as the Wild with three straight losses where they were outscored 14-4. Lucky for them, they at least got a Bettman point.

14 – Washington Capitals (17-15-2) Last week: 16

I am actually moving the Capitals up preemptively as I think they may be turning things around. It does all hinge on the Caps playing an entire game and not taking periods off however.

15 – Nashville Predators (18-14-4) Last week: 13

Looks like they are trying something new in Nashville. 30 goals combined in four games this past week. So much for a team with little offense and plenty of defense.

16 – Buffalo Sabres (17-15-3) Last week: 14

The lack of defense in Buffalo is certainly starting to affect Ryan Miller, who also appears to have lost his 2010 magic. It’s been almost has bad as the desertion by the offense.

17 – Phoenix Coyotes (18-15-3) Last week: 17

Very bad news for the Coyotes as goalie Mike Smith goes down with an injury. Jason Labarbera is a decent backup, but in no circumstances should be starting regularly.

18 – Los Angeles Kings (17-14-5) Last week: 19

2-0-1 under Darryl Sutter. A godsend? Well, Sutter’s hiring happened to coincide with Mike Richard’s return, Dustin Brown’s scoring onslaught, and the reappearance of Drew Doughty. So, no.

19 – Calgary Flames (17-15-4) Last week: 21

It wouldn’t be a real season unless the Flames did just enough to hang around on the playoff bubble. Every time they get hot they lose a bunch, then somehow get consecutive wins just to heat back up.

20 – Winnipeg Jets (16-14-5) Last week: 20

I really hope the Jets are happy with what they did, causing the whole realignment deal. Because I actually am. They’re also only two points out of a playoff spot, though that’s rather Atlanta of them.

21 – Ottawa Senators (17-14-5) Last week: 24

If you thought Leaf fans were bad for the All-Star game, Senator fans are on their way to replicating the travesty that happened with Montreal when they had the game.

22 – Colorado Avalanche (19-17-1) Last week: 25

Winners of five straight now (all at home), though the Avs did that back in October (all on the road) right before tanking. The shootout has been their saving grace.

23 – New Jersey Devils (19-15-1) Last week: 18

Speaking of the shootout being a team’s best friend, the Devils are 8-1 in that skills contest. Outside of that though, they are only 11-15.

24 – Edmonton Oilers (15-17-3) Last week: 22

The Oilers did break their four game skid with a win over the hapless Wild. Must have been hungover celebrating the win however as they got slammed for three goals in the first by the Canucks in their next game, losing 5-3.

25 – Tampa Bay Lightning (14-17-3) Last week: 23

The Lightning can’t put pucks in the net, can’t keep the puck out of their own net, and only Steven Stamkos appears to be playing worth a damn.

26 – Montreal Canadians (13-16-7) Last week: 26

Four straight losses, capped off with a 4-0 shutout against the Jets. And somehow the fans think it is because the coach doesn’t speak French.

27 – Carolina Hurricanes (12-19-6) Last week: 28

You know I think Eric Staal is only playing like garbage because I have him on my fantasy team.

28 – Anaheim Ducks (10-19-6) Last week: 29

No matter how bad the Ducks are, they seem to always be able to beat the Sharks and at least put up a good fight against the Kings.

29 – New York Islanders (11-17-6) Last week: 27

In their last nine games the Islanders have only won twice, and both of those had to be done through the shootout. The Islanders do lead the league in most goalies used though. Inexplicably they go back to using Evgeni Nabokov.

30 – Columbus Blue Jackets (9-22-4) Last week: 30

The Blue Jackets are 3-3 in the shootout, which, given their record outside of the shootout at 6-23, should be all the reason why the shootout needs to be killed as an effective tiebreaking procedure.

Detroit has enough firepower to outmuscle most anyone, while the Penguins struggle with injuries. Photo courtesy of NHL.com

1 – Detroit Red Wings (21-10-1) Last week: 1

The Red Wings at home have been diabolical to face lately, going 10-0 and outscoring opponents 51 to 15 since November 5^th.

2 – Boston Bruins (22-9-1) Last week: 8

The Bruins are the rare team that have the proper amount of points to actual winning percentage if you remove the shootout (aka, second). Also, a 6-0 win in Philadelphia is just down right impressive.

3 – Chicago Blackhawks (21-8-4) Last week: 2

Another week, another shootout win. While going 3-0 is impressive, including knocking off the Wild, Chicago is feasting on shootouts a ton primarily.

4 – Philadelphia Flyers (20-8-4) Last week: 4

Rough patch for the Flyers first getting pounded 6-0 by Boston and then a shootout loss to Colorado. And if you somehow missed it, Chris Pronger is done for the season. So who wears the C?

5 – New York Rangers (18-8-4) Last week: 7

The Rangers’ offense seems to be slumping again, as it is prone to, but the 4-3 win over Phoenix shows that Richards and Gaborik are capable of carrying the team.

6 – Vancouver Canucks (20-11-2) Last week: 6

Two stunning losses to Columbus (via the shootout) and Carolina squanders a chance for the Canucks to fly up the standings, but a 4-0 beat down over the Wild reestablishes who runs the Northwest division.

7 – St. Louis Blues (19-9-4) Last week: 9

Excluding the shootout, the Blues have the third best winning percentage in the league. If Ken Hitchcock doesn’t win the Jack Adams’ at this rate there is something seriously wrong.

8 – Pittsburgh Penguins (18-11-4) Last week: 3

A beating by the Wings, and Crosby and Letang still missing time does not bode well for the Penguins. A big help would be their defense tightening up, as they have allowed 13 goals in their last three contests.

9 – Minnesota Wild (20-9-5) Last week: 5

No longer looking like the surprise league leaders with four straight losses, Minnesota does catch a break by at least getting to the shootout.

10 – San Jose Sharks (17-10-3) Last week: 11

Points in all of their last four games. Though if it wasn’t for the Bettman point, and the shootout in general, the Sharks would be far lower in the standings.

11 – Dallas Stars (19-12-1) Last week: 13

Not a bad east coast swing for the Stars though their two wins were both one goal games. Still, that’s a big improvement for a team that has struggled in that department so far this season.

12 – Florida Panthers (18-9-6) Last week: 14

A week of nothing but shootouts and overtime. There’s a sure fire way to move up in the standings according to the Bettman system.

13 – Nashville Predators (17-11-4) Last week: 15

An up week for the Predators as they go 3-0, and winners of five straight. Very impressive that their win percentage outside of the shootout is comparable to the Penguins and Sharks.

14 – Buffalo Sabres (16-13-3) Last week: 12

The Sabres’ struggles continue, but at least they beat the Leafs. A lot of pucks getting past both Ryan Miller and Jonas Enroth, but that may be more due to the lack of defense in front of them.

15 – Toronto Maple Leafs (16-13-4) Last week: 10

One win in their last six games, and James Reimer is saying he needs to play better. 14 goals against in his four losses and I’d say I’d have to agree.

16 – Washington Capitals (16-14-1) Last week: 16

The Caps just can’t seem to get on track and are now hovering precariously close to .500. Things could improve if the feared Caps’ offense started scoring again, as they scored only one goal per game this past week.

17 – Phoenix Coyotes (16-13-3) Last week: 18

Over at Puck Daddy at “Yahoo!” they ran a piece that Coyotes GM, Don Maloney, was the best in the game. I know the Coyotes are a bargain team, but I still don’t think being .500 earns that title.

18 – New Jersey Devils (18-13-1) Last week: 21

Talk about a good week as the Devils go a perfect 4-0 (and only one win via the shootout). The big names for Jersey also exploding for offense shows what Lamoriello had envisioned last season.

19 – Los Angeles Kings (15-14-4) Last week: 19

At least they beat Columbus and Toronto, though just barely. On the flip side, they were pounded by Boston and Detroit. And the Darryl Sutter reign starts this week. Oh boy…

20 – Winnipeg Jets (15-13-4) Last week: 22

Slowly but surely the Jets are crawling into contention for a playoff spot. Largely because the rest of their division has been so damn disappointing.

21 – Calgary Flames (14-15-4) Last week: 20

The Flames followed up their week full of wins with a week full of losses, three of which came by one goal. Calgary would have fallen further, but two wins over their archrivals in Edmonton keeps them ahead.

22 – Edmonton Oilers (14-16-3) Last week: 17

The monster run by Edmonton seems like ancient history. 2-6 through December so far, and the Oilers are falling back to where many expected them to be. Kids don’t look quite ready enough.

23 – Tampa Bay Lightning (14-16-2) Last week: 23

First week in a while where the Bolts won more games than they lost. Still allowing far more goals than they should be.

24 – Ottawa Senators (15-14-4) Last week: 25

Jason Spezza has had a complete 180 this season compared to last year’s debacle. Unfortunately for Ottawa their goaltending has continued to be garbage ever since the team’s inaugural season.

25 – Colorado Avalanche (16-17-1) Last week: 24

If it wasn’t for the shootout the Avs would 10-17-1. So they would only be 26^th in the league instead of 23^rd.

26 – Montreal Canadians (13-14-7) Last week: 26

Montreal beats the Islanders and keep themselves from joining the cellar dwellers for the time being. At least three goals allowed each game this past week also, and until the Habs fix that they continue to be stalled in 26^th.

27 – New York Islanders (10-14-6) Last week: 27

The team’s healthy, so there isn’t any real excuses besides the fact that they aren’t that good.

28 – Carolina Hurricanes (10-18-6) Last week: 28

A couple of Bettman points and a stunner over the Canucks at least gives the Canes points to tie them for the title of worst in the east.

29 – Anaheim Ducks (9-19-5) Last week: 30

Not surprisingly, the only game where the Ducks don’t give up at least four goals, they win. The Kurtis Foster trade was also a pretty good call, so they move out of the cellar.

30 – Columbus Blue Jackets (9-20-4) Last week: 29

…Which means a return to the bottom for the Blue Jackets. It seems like the only way they win at all is if they go to the shootout. Remove that and the Jackets are 6-21. Yikes.

It’s fairly hard to garner a ton of sympathy for Chris Pronger given his track record, but if I was to place a bet, I’d say his career is ending. What does draw a lot of sympathy is the fact is that the rest of his life may be severely affected due to concussions. The whole topic of concussions have been the hot button  topic in the NHL for about a year or so now, starting with Sidney Crosby getting sidelined during last year’s Winter Classic, and hitting the ultimate low with the passing of three NHLers this summer where the link to the deaths are potentially being connected to brain trauma. I will credit the league for starting the move to make the game safer, and really trying to make sure their athletes are being taken care off. The NFL has also, but the steps taken there have been far smaller.

One bad concussion has more than just Pronger's career in jeopardy. Photo courtesy of aeryssports.com

Concussions in general are nasty business. If you have ever read any of my other blogs, that’s just an indicator, given how I have had seven at least, six of which came in a four year span. The baseline tests done directly after a concussion really don’t gauge very accurately if there is a head injury. It’s a good precaution to have, but as many can attest, including myself, you really cannot tell sometimes until a day or even two afterwards. I had instances where I had my bell rung during a hockey game, finished the game, then the next day during a class would have an awful headache along with a mental fog. These typically lasted from a week to a month, and I had minor concussions.

So while the NHL has stepped up the protection of players from each other with strict enforcements against hits to the heads, and checks from behind into the boards, it clearly hasn’t been enough. Pronger and Crosby were simply the two biggest names to go down due to concussions this year. Claude Giroux’s season is in jeopardy, Milan Michalek is shut down, Mike Richards is struggling coming back from a concussion, and David Perron just returned from a nasty one. In Giroux’s and Michalek’s cases, the hits that sidelined them were just accidents also. There wasn’t another player to blame, it was from contact with their own teammates unintentionally.

There of course has been some resistance (though it has been few and far between) to the precautions taken by the NHL, and more resistance in the NFL. In the NFL’s case there has been clamoring that quarterbacks are overly protected, and that the whole call of “hit on a defenseless receiver” is stopping all hits all together. The equipment measures taken in the NFL also have been regularly ignored by players. Back when Michael Vick was out with a concussion he returned a week later and was told by doctors to wear a mouthpiece that would help prevent head injuries. Vick of course opted not to wear it.

Hopefully Crosby's career won't be remembered as one cut short by concussions. Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com

Both of these cases in football also carry into the NHL. There’s the old mantra taken up by a few of the older guard in hockey (like a certain Mike Milbury) that the game is becoming too soft, and players are being overly protected. The most referenced point has been that players in the 80’s all the way to the 40’s didn’t have concussion issues nearly as frequently. This kind of goes into the second case, regarding equipment. In the past the NHL had far less padding, and for a while helmets weren’t required at all. The padding was also softer, less durable, and over time the evolution there has been sturdier and more durable equipment that has in turn become far denser. Football and hockey players were far less protected then, and players laid up instead of throwing out devastating hits. Any pickup game in hockey shows just how drastic the differences can be. Less padding=less hitting the vast majority of the time. The athletes won’t take the risk of throwing a huge hit with disregard with the possibility of inflicting serious injury more apparent. There’s also the factor that they could be hurt in the process as well.

Never mind the whole fact that concussions were more of a mystery back then and no one really knew the long lasting effects from concussions. If you got hit in the head and had a headache, that only made sense. There was the broad education in head injuries where a brain breaks down if battered enough.

Additionally, strange as this is, mouthpieces do in fact help prevent head injuries. Keeping the jaw from slamming when there is a whiplash effect reduces the bouncing around, and there have been leaps in safety regarding mouthpieces over the years. In the NHL, mouthpieces in general are only encouraged, hardly even required. You can ask Duncan Keith about that one.

Giroux's symptoms of a concussion didn't fully surface until over a day after he injured his head. Photo courtesy of the700level.com

The NHL, and I’d say even the NFL, need to get more drastic about changes implemented to protect athletes. A lot of people may not like it, but hits to the head should be removed outright from both sports. Mouthpieces should be mandatory, and the equipment in general should be less armor like. Players feel invincible, and it frankly makes the whole game more dangerous. Even still, the most preventive precautions taken likely wouldn’t take concussions out of the game entirely. Accidents like Giroux’s where he fell then was kneed in the back of the head by his own teammate trying to avoid him can happen just due to bad luck.

Evaluation should not just be limited to the day of the blow to the head, but following days for the reasons mentioned earlier. Each player should also be evaluated for head injuries every one or two weeks just a routine checkup. Minor head injuries are far less pronounced, but accumulate to be just as damaging. Concussions won’t go away for good, but limiting and preventing compounding ones can go a long way. And keeping athletes healthy after their playing days should be paramount.

Detroit is back on top thanks to solid all around play, and goalie Jimmy Howard putting up Vezina type numbers. Photo courtesy of NHL.com

1 – Detroit Red Wings (18-9-1) Last week: 2

The past two games by the Wings have been absolute clinics with a total of 12 goals for and only 3 against. That’s the Detroit everyone hates playing.

2 – Chicago Blackhawks (18-8-4) Last week: 3

Four out of the last five for Chicago has been decided in overtime or the shootout. Three out of four of these were wins. Two were against the Islanders. Why does it take that long to beat them?

3 – Pittsburgh Penguins (17-9-4) Last week: 1

And just like that Crosby is sitting back out. Two big losses to fellow eastern powers in Boston and Phily, and the only win comes against the Islanders. Not nice to tease the team with Crosby.

4 – Philadelphia Flyers (18-7-3) Last week: 6

Claude Giroux and Ilya Bryzgalov both go down with injuries and…apparently aren’t injured. Hm. Good news regardless, given how well the Flyers have played lately.

5 – Minnesota Wild (20-7-3) Last week: 7

The Wild now have THREE goalies that are studs with the emergence of Matt Hackett. If their goalies could just stay healthy, they could have some very useful trading pieces.

6 – Vancouver Canucks (18-10-1) Last week: 8

Winners of nine of their last ten, and now Luongo is playing well to go along with Cory Schneider. Oh, and the Sedin twins providing close to all the offense proves it doesn’t matter who else is on the team.

7 – New York Rangers (17-6-4) Last week: 4

It looks like Derek Stepan is ready to give the Rangers the deadly one-two combo down the middle that they have always sought. If only there was a way to redo the Gomez and Drury experiment…

8 – Boston Bruins (18-9-1) Last week: 5

A huge win against the Pens, and then the offense dries up against Florida and Winnipeg? To make matters worse, Chara is day-to-day with an injury. At least they beat Columbus.

9 – St. Louis Blues (17-9-3) Last week: 13

Three straight wins, only four goals allowed, and watching the Blues play puts me to sleep. They are winning however, but looking like Minnesota as they do so. Effective and boring.

10 – Toronto Maple Leafs (15-11-3) Last week: 10

Only one win for the Leafs this week, and the streaky offense is on the downturn again. James Reimer struggling doesn’t improve matters, and he isn’t ready to put his team on his back like other goalies.

11 – San Jose Sharks (15-10-2) Last week: 9

One win in their last five games, and the Sharks can’t seem to do anything right currently. Eleven goals in that stretch, and the top lines only have five of those, three of which came from Logan Couture.

12 – Buffalo Sabres (15-12-2) Last week: 12

They get offense, then get no defense. They get defense, then they get no offense. Then the Sabres get neither. Sabres should be damn thankful they came away with three points last week.

13 – Dallas Stars (16-11-1) Last week: 11

The Stars haven’t been playing well lately, but they got some help from the Kings, who are playing even worse.

14 – Florida Panthers (16-9-5) Last week: 16

Well, the Panthers looked good for half the week before looking like garbage.

15 – Nashville Predators (14-11-4) Last week: 18

The Predators have been the kings of comebacks so far this year in the west. Sadly they won’t get any recognition for it as the Flyers comeback from three down regularly and the fact it’s Nashville.

16 – Washington Capitals (15-12-1) Last week: 14

The Caps may be turning around their offensive issues a bit with thirteen goals in their last three games. Two wins also is a step in the right direction, but a ways to go before they are moving back up.

17 – Edmonton Oilers (14-13-3) Last week: 17

The falling back to the earth for the Oilers hasn’t been too kind, namely a 3-0 shutout against archrival Calgary.

18 – Phoenix Coyotes (15-11-3) Last week: 19

Rather hard to win games when you allow five goals in the first period.

19 – Los Angeles Kings (13-12-4) Last week: 15

A team with six former 30 goal scorers and eight guys capable of at least 20, and the Kings are dead last in offense. No wonder Terry Murray is about to get canned as coach.

20 – Calgary Flames (14-13-2) Last week: 25

Three wins in the week for the Flames, though they came against three opponents who are having a tough time also, but hey, top of the bottom.

21 – New Jersey Devils (14-13-1) Last week: 24

The Devils did their best to try and blow two games, coughing up a lead in one and blowing another lead with five seconds left…while they were on the power play. Oddly enough, they still won both.

22 – Winnipeg Jets (13-12-4) Last week: 23

A pretty impressive week, headed by a 2-1 stunner over the Bruins. Then the Jets got embarrassed 7-1 by Detroit. Might not want to subject your goalie to that sort of onslaught, as Pavelec allowed all seven.

23 – Tampa Bay Lightning (12-15-2) Last week: 21

The Lightning and the Kings are both vying for biggest disappointment of the year, but right now the Bolts have the edge. Signing Antti Miettinen probably won’t remedy things.

24 – Colorado Avalanche (13-16-1) Last week: 20

Three straight wins followed by…three straight losses, all to division rivals, including blowouts against Vancouver and Edmonton. Varlamov still looking like a train wreck.

25 – Ottawa Senators (13-13-4) Last week: 22

The fan base in Ottawa supports why fans should never be allowed to vote. You figured the NHL would have learned from the Montreal All-Star debacle.

26 – Montreal Canadians (12-11-7) Last week: 26

Speaking of Montreal debacles, you figure a team full of finesse forwards would be good at shootouts. Scoring zero goals in six tries seems to indicate otherwise.

27 – New York Islanders (9-12-6) Last week: 27

Not one defensemen is on the plus side with their plus/minus rating on the Island. Unless Evgeni Nabokov is miraculously in shape again, that likely won’t improve.

28 – Carolina Hurricanes (9-18-4) Last week: 28

At least the games are entertaining with a combined 27 goals in three games. Good to see Eric Staal is at least on the score sheet a little bit with two goals and two assists.

29 – Columbus Blue Jackets (8-17-4) Last week: 29

Give the Jackets credit for this at least, they are hanging tough in games lately.

30 – Anaheim Ducks (8-16-5) Last week: 30

I’ll say it takes about another week before Bobby Ryan is back on the trading block.

1 – Pittsburgh Penguins (16-7-4) Last week: 1

Crosby suffers the taste of defeat for the first time in nearly a year. And what? No goals? Only three points last week? Trade him. Should be a slugfest between Boston and the Pens, yet for some reason VS doesn’t have this one game televised. Odd, seeing how every other Penguins’ game is.

Not quite numero uno yet, but the Red Wings are on their way. Photo courtesy of nhl.com

2 – Detroit Red Wings (16-8-1) Last week: 3

They finally lost by, guess how, not starting Jimmy Howard. Games off are for the weak. 15-5-1 for Howard, and Conklin is now 1-3-0. Might need a new backup in Motown.

3 – Chicago Blackhawks (16-8-3) Last week: 2

Kind of a rough week for Chicago, especially for Corey Crawford. Barely got the win against Long Island, but when a rough week consists of going 2-1, you’re doing alright.

4 – New York Rangers (15-5-3) Last week: 7

Over a month since the Rangers lost at home and they are riding a five game winning streak on top of that. Just think if they had some left wings.

5 – Boston Bruins (16-7-1) Last week: 8

Keeping up the strong play by restating to Toronto that, “No. It is not your time quite yet.” Almost a perfect month, except for a shootout loss to Detroit. Being tops five-on-five can do that for you.

6 – Philadelphia Flyers (15-7-3) Last week: 4

I would typically say rallying from three down to win is impressive. But it was against the Ducks so it’s routine. Bryzgalov has to be happy with that win over Phoenix and his team chasing Mike Smith also.

7 – Minnesota Wild (17-7-3) Last week: 12

First place over a fourth of the way through the year. Who saw that coming? Funny what trap hockey and good goaltending can do for you.

8 – Vancouver Canucks (15-10-1) Last week: 10

The Canucks had quite second half of the month, going 5-0. Then Luongo AND Schneider blew it. And against Nashville’s offense of all things.

9 – San Jose Sharks (14-8-1) Last week: 5

With a week to turn things around following a tough loss to Vancouver, the Sharks should just be happy they snuck away with one win against the floundering Canadians.

10 – Toronto Maple Leafs (14-10-2) Last week: 6

After turning their slump around, the Leafs fall right back into one as Boston mops them twice, outscoring them with a total of 10-4.

11 – Dallas Stars (15-10-1) Last week: 11

Andrew Raycroft was actually playing well until he ran into the force known as Matt Moulson. The Stars are starting to look a bit vulnerable as the injury bug gets around.

12 – Buffalo Sabres (14-11-1) Last week: 9

Buffalo is becoming a haven for underachievers. Who do they think they are? Montreal?

13 – St. Louis Blues (14-9-3) Last week: 14

If the opposing team gets three or more goals the Blues are in big trouble. Seven out of their last eight they only scored two goals, but they still went 4-2-2.

14 – Washington Capitals (13-11-1) Last week: 13

There was a time when the Caps had one of the most exciting and dynamic offenses in the NHL. Now they score one goal per game, and only win after sneaking by Ottawa in overtime.

15 – Los Angeles Kings (13-9-4) Last week: 20

Tied for the second worst goal per game in the league, and they just lost their leading goal scorer Mike Richards. More pressure on Jonathan Quick.

16 – Florida Panthers (14-8-4) Last week: 16

Following a 2-1 loss to L.A., the Panthers’ coach Kevin Dineen said that the Kings played dirty, and his team didn’t get any calls to go their way. Except the eight penalties against L.A. compared to Florida’s four, while Sean Bergenheim concussed a guy and then turtled the rest of the game.

17 – Edmonton Oilers (13-11-3) Last week: 15

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins looks like superstar center already. Except that he can’t win a faceoff to save his life.

18 – Nashville Predators (12-10-4) Last week: 17

After a five game span of scoring no more than two goals a game, the Predators come back after blowing a 3-1 lead in Vancouver to win 6-5. Then they revert back to the way things were and lose 3-2.

19 – Phoenix Coyotes (13-9-3) Last week: 18

The return to Winnipeg resulted in a 1-0 loss to the new Jets. Dave Tippet tortures the crowd with a slow trap game per usual.

20 – Colorado Avalanche (13-13-1) Last week: 22

There was a discussion of who was the top center with Colorado between Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny. Try neither. Ryan O’Reilly leads his team in points and helped down Detroit for the first time in a long time.

21 – Tampa Bay Lightning (11-12-2) Last week: 19

If I was Tampa I’d be thinking of just sending Steve Downie to the AHL until he gets his miserable act together. Maybe do the same to Roloson also.

22 – Ottawa Senators (12-11-3) Last week: 23

Erik Karlsson leads the league amongst defensemen in scoring. It’s even more incredible given how he essentially only has one line of forwards to help.

23 – Winnipeg Jets (11-11-4) Last week: 25

Evander Kane is slowly becoming quite the overlooked star seeing how he is doing the majority of the goal scoring up in Winnipeg.

24 – New Jersey Devils (12-12-1) Last week: 21

Four game skid for New Jersey, and Martin Brodeur got roughed up plenty. Tough loss to the Jets also doesn’t inspire confidence.

25 – Calgary Flames (11-13-2) Last week: 26

Points in their last four games for the Flames until they got dismantled by Vancouver. No thanks to Jarome Iginla. Henrick Karlsson goes on IR, so someone else will have to keep the bench warm for Kiper.

26 – Montreal Canadians (11-11-5) Last week: 24

You know, if it wasn’t for Carey Price the Canadians would be truly awful. Too bad Price is rather inconsistent lately.

27 – New York Islanders (8-11-5) Last week: 29

3-0-1 for the Islanders their past few. Helps when Matt Moulson is scoring at a Gretzky like rate, including four goals in one game.

28 – Carolina Hurricanes (8-16-4) Last week: 27

Carolina is becoming the whipping boy for the other whipping boys with losses to Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Montreal. Staal’s +/- gets even worse (-17).

29 – Columbus Blue Jackets (7-16-3) Last week: 28

After the horrible eight game losing streak to start the season the Jackets have gone 7-11, which isn’t that good either.

30 – Anaheim Ducks (7-14-5) Last week: 30

Bruce Boudreau may have wanted to pass up that job offer. Ducks blow leads in two straight games under Boudreau. Not how you want to start a new job.

Around this time last week I was thinking of doing a feature on the Duck’s and their problems they have had a quarter of the way into the season. I decided against it because it was Thanksgiving and I didn’t want to have a blog post receive a negative view count. So of course this week the Ducks are rumored to be shopping Bobby Ryan around AND they just fired their head coach Randy Carlyle and replaced him with a recently fired Bruce Boudreau. In terms of appearance, it’s about a wash, as both are large pasty loudmouthed fiery (no pun intended) coaches.

The team itself has been a royal cluster cuss since about game six of the season. After starting 4-1, including a tough Eurotrip slog to start the season, the Ducks have been awful. In fact, up until last night’s win over Montreal, the Ducks have been 2-12-4. Maybe awful wasn’t the right word for it. And the Ducks aren’t likely to improve this season, nor next season the rate they are going.

Randy Carlyle, who a few weeks ago had management’s trust for being the performer of last year’s miracle of somehow getting the Ducks to the playoffs, apparently lost that faith from Judas Duck’s management resulting in the ax. Boudreau should be a breath of fresh and doughy air, though the Ducks’ issues go far deeper than having tuned out a coach.

Their offensive depth is terrifyingly thin. If it wasn’t for Teemu Selanne returning for yet another go around the Ducks bottom six would be more of a bottom nine where their combined goals could wind up being at most ten. The team has always been in search of more defense also and in the long run that has been partly responsible for their downfall. Scott Niedermayer retired, and the Ducks traded Chris Pronger for Joffrey Lupul, resulting in their first problems. Francois Beauchemin left via free agency. All of sudden the feared defense of the Ducks of 2007 notority was rather thin.

This led to the issues of the offense becoming thinner as well. In a search for defense the Ducks traded Chris Kunitz for Ryan Whitney, who was then dealt for Lubomir Visnovsky. Then of course Lupul was traded (again) to bring back Beauchemin and the Ducks still had no shutdown defensemen, and their offense had lost two big scorers. All the while the Ducks did nothing to fix their offensive depth as more and more players left via free agency or retired (like Sami Pahlsson, Todd Marchant, Andy McDonald).

I think I am due to catch some flak for even just suggesting to trade Getzlaf (right) and Ryan. Photo courtesy of thehockeynews.com

Now the Ducks offense solely relies upon Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry. Oh, and the ageless wonder Selanne. The rest of the forwards are kids who should probably still be playing juniors instead. Right now, the Ducks need quantity and not just quality. Having a few more decent scorers, some youth with actual upside and a shutdown defensemen are the most pressing need. This is even if Boudreau can right whatever is wrong with the anemic offense and spotty goaltending.

If I were the Ducks I wouldn’t just stop at looking to trade Ryan. Ryan Getzlaf, the Ducks’ captain, has been underperforming and has a lovely minus eleven. Goaltender Jonas Hiller is struggling, as mentioned, and at 29 he isn’t getting any younger. So here is what I am throwing out…

Trade Bobby Ryan to the Rangers

As much as I’m sure Florida would love to get their hands on an actual scorer they just don’t have the pieces to give up. The Rangers however do. It is the old motto of you have to give to get, and getting a perennial thirty goal scorer isn’t cheap. The Ducks could likely pull down a decent haul of a forward or two, and one of the Rangers young defensemen. The Ducks need a shutdown guy, and have enough puck movers so Michael Del Zotto is out. Michael Sauer however is intriguing. It is understandable the Rangers don’t want to give up Sauer, but how often does a player like Ryan become available and only at age 24? And while the Rangers would also love to dump Wojtek Wolski on the Ducks, he’s hurt and the Ducks probably would walk away right then and there. The likely guy would be Brandon Dubinsky, which is really too bad for the Rangers, as the guy loves New York and is a blue collar type of player. Artem Anisimov may be the only other feasible option of what the Ducks want and who the Rangers are willing to give up (aka, not Derek Steppan). The cap hit of Ryan though may be too problematic, though a possible work around would be including Carl Hagelin as well as Anisimov. Mainly, the focus part of the deal would be with Michael Sauer. With that I’d say the Ducks would do the deal if it was with Dubinsky and a first round pick or Anisimov, Hagelin, and a second rounder.

Trade Ryan Getzlaf to Toronto

Brian Burke would go absolutely bonkers if he could get a bonafide top flight center that he drafted. Ryan Getzlaf is everything that Burke wants besides all that that also: Big guy, strong leader, two-way player, and a setup machine with scoring prowess of his own. Now that I think about it, I think most teams would want that, and not just Burke. The thing being of course is that the Leafs have the depth to make a deal, and Burke could probably be swayed to throw in more chips if the Ducks leverage things right. Seeing how many teams would jump at the chance to get Getzlaf, that shouldn’t be difficult. The Ducks would certainly require a center from Toronto, and with the sudden glut of centers Burke would more than likely comply. Either Nazem Kadri or Joe Colborne would fit the bill, and the Ducks could also snag a stay at home defensemen, one that Burke would probably love to get off his books. That being Mike Komisarek (lot of defensemen named Mike) who also resolves any cap issues with the trade. The Ducks would likely require another forward, and there are three that come to mind. Ideally the Ducks would be able to trade for Nikolai Kulemin, but if Burke is so infatuated with him Anaheim may try and shoot for Tyler Bozak. Matt Frattin is the third possibility, but if the Ducks can only swing that, they must have gotten destroyed in whatever leverage they tried to pull. My money would be on Kulemin, as he is also set to be a RFA this summer. And hey, you can always trade Kurtis Foster or Sheldon Brookbank to sweeten the deal.

Hiller still has plenty of upside, and the Ducks should use this for their advantage before he slips further. Photo courtesy of mouthnews.com

Trade Jonas Hiller to Tampa Bay

Hiller just isn’t getting the job done anymore in Anaheim. A large part of that may be due to his defense being completely porous in front of him. But when you clean house, you clean house, and a 4.5 million cap hit for a 29 year old struggling goalie just is not good enough. However, it is good enough for Tampa Bay who direly needs a goalie, and unless Vancouver deals out Roberto Luongo, this may be the Lightning’s best shot at one. While Hiller couldn’t fetch the asking price of Ryan or Getzlaf likely, the Ducks could still likely squeeze not only Dwayne Roloson (simply so they have another goalie who also comes off the books at the end of the year, and Tampa gets him off their salary as well) but possibly either another forward or defensemen. Since Tampa isn’t really stockpiled with defensemen and seem unwilling to part with Victor Hedman, Anaheim could look for a forward. Brett Connolly comes to mind and maybe even Adam Hall to go along with him. The fact Dan Ellis was also playing better than Hiller means the Ducks also don’t lose too much in terms of their own goaltending. Again, Foster or Brookbank could be the last incentive to get a deal done.

A Real Stretch

Ok, this last one I will admit is a total stretch, but it doesn’t hurt to hypothesize. The Ducks depth up front would be improved, their defense has some actual defense, but  now they need some goaltending help. Just something I am throwing out there would be reaching out to Minnesota. They have two very solid goaltenders, and likely won’t be able to keep both next season when Josh Harding is set for a raise as a free agent and Niklas Backstrom already earns six million to 2013. Minnesota could also use a tad more offense. While again I cannot express how much I think this is a stretch to go along with the fact this entire post is speculation, is it out of the realm of possibility that the Wild would want Saku Koivu to play with his brother Mikko? It’s also one of the few teams Saku would be willing to waive his no movement clause for. Clearly the Ducks could throw in one of their numerous puck moving defensemen (Beauchemin would be the ideal guy but with a no trade clause it could mean Luca Sbisa) as Minnesota could really use one, but if they also added Dan Ellis to act as backup could the Ducks possibly pry away either Backstrom or Harding? Harding is the far more likely candidate and I would say more ideal option for the Ducks, and all that for what is currently a backup goalie? Seems doable (at least to me) and add in a depth forward from Minnesota, perhaps Darrel Powe, and it seems like a win-win.

Carlyle had a good run, but the Ducks needed someone to go. He went first. Photo courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com

The End Product

The Ducks have more depth up front, something they need drastically, and improve their defensive ability. The goaltending would be a hell of a switch, but right now doing anything you can to make your team better seems ideal rather than being 3-16. Most importantly, it gives the Ducks time to rebuild their farm and actually develop their kids instead of just throwing them into the fire. Which leaves us with:

Nikolai Kulemin/Tyler Bozak – Brandon Dubinsky – Corey Perry

Jason Blake – Joe Colborne/Nazem Kadri – Teemu Selanne

Niklas Hagman – Andrew Cogliano – Brett Connolly

Brandon McMillan – Darroll Powe – Adam Hall

Matt Beleskey & George Parros

DEFENSEMEN

Lubomir Visnovsky – Mike Komisarek

Cam Fowler – Mike Sauer

Toni Lydman – Luca Sbisa/Francois Beauchemin

Kyle Cumiskey

GOALTENDERS

Josh Harding & Dwayne Roloson

This should wind up leaving the Ducks with about nine million in cap space also for the time being. This also gives them plenty of room to extend new contracts and maybe even go after a player or two (or three) in free agency when more contracts wind up.

Or I’m just full of crap and have no idea what I’m talking about. Most likely it’s that.

It wasn’t too long ago the Washington Capitals were the premier team in the Southeast division, one of the top powerhouses in the East, and perennial Cup contender. And to start this season it appeared to be more of the same. A lot of this due to good draft picks, mostly high first rounders, from prior awful season, all of which translated to guys like Alex Semin (2002), Mike Green (2004), Nicklas Backstrom (2006), and of course Alex Ovechkin (2004). At the same time these guys were breaking into the league so was Bruce Boudreau breaking into coaching.

A lot of success for Boudreau and Ovechkin over the past seasons, but not enough. Photo courtesy of russianhockeyfans.com

Boudreau led the Caps’ minor league squad to a championship in 2006 and back to the finals in 2007. He was finally named head coach when in the 2007-2008 season the Caps, who were still struggling even with the likes of their new young stars, fired their coach. Boudreau got the job, turned Washington’s season around from 6-14-1 into a division winning year, and never looked back. The Caps won the division each year with Bruce, he won coach of the year in 2008-2009, and the Caps won the President’s Trophy in 2009-2010. Not to mention he turned the young stars of Washington into goal scoring machines.

The Capitals became the team to watch if you wanted to watch goal scoring at its finest. The system was embraced by the team, the results were bountiful, just like the goals, and the Caps couldn’t be stopped.

But the Caps only won two playoff series. Guys stopped producing in clutch periods. There were still plenty of goals during the season, the vast majority coming from the young guys Boudreau put on the spot to produce. But the Caps just couldn’t quite translate it into playoff success. Naturally in the playoffs goals get tougher to come by. The run and gun system which was so actively employed by Washington couldn’t get it done and the goals were drying up. And then all of a sudden guys like Semin and Ovechkin were enigmas whose egos needed massaging. So despite all that Bruce Boudreau did, the things he was unable to do overpowered it and he got axed.

Now it’s Dale Hunter’s turn. Hockey pundits everywhere are saying that the thing he needs to do most is reach Alex Ovechkin and get on the same page. Now maybe I missed something, but as a captain shouldn’t the player wearing the ‘C’ be leading the team instead of running it into the ground? Isn’t that Kobe Bryant’s or Lebron’s job? A lot of the animosity brewing with Ovechkin came from reduced ice time. Again, a real mature thing to do where instead of trying to produce still one sits and whines until someone new comes in.

As for the lack of production in clutch moments, I am not quite sure how this one falls on Boudreau. If your team needs goals desperately, put out your goal scorers. Boudreau put out his guns if AO, Semin, and company nearly every time up until this season where it made sense not to. Largely because those guys weren’t the ones putting up goals any more.

Numerous playoff failures, missed opportunities, and decaying leadership. Plenty at fault, but the 9.5 million dollar man has to step up. Photo courtesy of ottawasun.com

In my mind Boudreau’s most glaring problem, along with the overall management of the Caps was never bringing in a veteran player with past Cup winning experience to lead the team. The closest the Caps ever got was Chris Clark. This is where Boudreau went wrong, and it was giving Ovechkin the captaincy. In the ever persistent battle of Crosby vs. Ovechkin this is why in my mind Ovechkin will fall short. Crosby, for all the grief given (most of it deserved), for being a whiner to the refs and protected by his team and management, is a leader for his team. He leads by example, letting his play do more of the talking than he does, but the difference is the heart he displays in all situations. This is Ovechkin’s issue. His play most of the time could be enough to lead his team by example. The issue has been consistency. When he goes cold, AO goes bonkers (kind of like Semin in a fight) and the frustration bubbles over into tantrums.

It has been the immaturity of Ovechkin that has been holding him back as a leader and as a player. It’s the case of gripping one’s stick too tightly. In this case, Alex is clenching his jaw too much also. And it is spreading through the team, as evidenced by the recent skid the Caps are going through. When the Caps are winning, they just start rolling, but as evidenced with the postseason and lately, when the going gets tough the team buckles. New coach Dale Hunter has to see this and deal with this promptly, and to that extent the numerous talking heads in hockeyland are correct. Ovechkin needs to be dealt with, and at this point in time there is no way you can take away the C from him unless Hunter wants to be executed like Marie Antoinette before 2012.

The breakup got ugly, and the Caps stopped listening. Photo courtesy of si.com

The Caps lack character, and they lacked leadership from their most important player. It got Boudreau fired rather unjustly, but not getting through to your team through your most pivotal scorer who has an ego as fragile and combustible as a button for a nuke can have that effect. Many could be quick to point that the defense is what did the Caps and Boudreau in. But they were never a defensive team. Even still Boudreau adjusted the Caps game to be stronger defensively and it worked. There were a few less goals and maybe that had something to do with the enigma implosion in the capital. Maybe Hunter and some of his tough love can snap some sense into Ovechkin and the rest of the team. Then he can worry about trying to figure out how to get Alex Semin to show up each game.