THN.com Blog: Rounding the hockey bases in July
Mikhail Grabovski was picked up by the Leafs for a 2010 second round pick and prospect Greg Pateryn. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
Ryan Dixon
2008-07-23 13:45:59
A few NHL musings with upside no bigger than a paragraph…
• Hayley Wickenheiser is a female hockey player who’s good enough to play the sport professionally with men at a high level in Sweden. She’s also an Olympic gold medalist in hockey who participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics as a softball player. And she’s a pro athlete with enough personality and intelligence to serve as a color commentator for CBC’s Olympic coverage of softball this summer. This woman sprung from an incredible gene pool…
• As of right now, four of the five teams I’d peg as potential Cup winners in 2009 come from the West. Pittsburgh is the only Eastern team I’d lump in with Detroit, San Jose, Dallas and Anaheim as legit Cup contenders 11 months before the silver mug gets handed out…
• Year 2 on Broadway is going to be more productive for Chris Drury as the Rangers slowly, but surely, become his team…
• It’s a small move, but picking up Mikhail Grabovski for very little from Montreal could be a transaction that ends up being celebrated in Toronto. He’s way more silky than Selke, but a team desperate for talented forwards will take that tradeoff in a heartbeat. Grabovski, 24, will start the year on one of the Leafs’ top two lines…
• Jordan Staal is a great, emerging two-way player, but can you imagine if the Pens had drafted Steve Yzerman clone Jonathan Toews – not Staal – with the No. 2 pick in ’06? Scratch my back with a hacksaw…
• The Kings are a surprise goalie performance away from making the playoffs…
• If Nashville makes the post-season again and Barry Trotz doesn’t win the Jack Adams, the trophy loses all credibility…
• Somebody could tell me they’ve got the Ottawa Senators slotted anywhere between one and 12 in their Eastern Conference predictions and I wouldn’t bat an eye. A team that used to be the model of regular season consistency is far and away the most unpredictable squad out there…
• One more year out of the post-season and Columbus and Florida each get relegated to the American League. I mean, seriously. Give the last two Calder Cup winners a crack…
• I was all set to chastise the NHL for wearing out a good thing by having an Outdoor Classic in consecutive years, but then they put it in one of sport’s most hallowed grounds in a city that’s beginning to rediscover its love for the sport. I don’t think Steve Bartman himself could ruin Hawks-Wings at Wrigley.
Ryan Dixon is a writer and copy editor for The Hockey News magazine, the co-author of the book Hockey's Young Guns and a regular contributor to THN.com. His blog normally appears Wednesdays and his column, Top Shelf, appears Fridays.
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Rob Yaz (Posted 2008-07-25 00:43:57)
Nice, I've been saying for years that the NHL should go Euro-style and relegate/elevate teams year-to-year between a "super league" and a "first division," "second divison," etc. That way the League can satisfy the empirical urges of Bettman & Co. and expand to xx-number of cities, all of whom theoretically have a shot at some point of playing for and winning the cup. The first part of the season would determine who would stick around for sure. Then take the ten bottom feeders who would then have a playoffs of sorts to fight it out for five super league spots and top top remaining 20 teams would have a round robin to determine final playoff seedings. This way, all the games would truly matter, and even the bottom feeders would still be playing truly meaningful games at the end of the year. The top 5 teams from the first division would then move up and take the spots of the bottom five from the (30-team) super league, who get relegated. ... That, or go back to a 21-team (or 24, I could live that) league and not mention expansion ever again.
william hallacy (Posted 2008-07-24 16:30:43)
"Rosby... is a very good player, but until he LEADS his team to the promised land (as captain), and puts a ring on his own finger in the process... that is all he shall be. He is an offensive talent without a doubt, but has work to do on defense. Zetterberg is the better and more complete player at this point in the NHL. He can and does, do it all. More or less, the Steve Yzerman of his day. Datsyuk is pretty close as well, great in ANY situation. Till 'Rosby gets his defense at the level of his offense, he is just that... an offensive player.
william hallacy (Posted 2008-07-24 16:25:20)
James Sheehy... the "habs" have a great opportunity to go deep in the playoffs this coming season, and the addition of Tanguay will more than offset Streits departure. They surprised everyone last year with a great effort... I see it improving even more. Maybe we shall see an ORIGINAL 6 matchup... Montreal and Detroit battling as they did in the 50's! Some look at hockey with hopes instead of reality... the reality is that Montreal and Detroit are once again, of the top teams to beat. Such a matchup would be a throw-back without comparison.
Flyerguy 16 (Posted 2008-07-24 12:55:11)
Troy, it sucks going up against the wings every year and yes they lost some players but getting an average group of players into the playoffs ( in the easiest division in hockey no less) each year and losing in the first round doesn't qualify Trotz for coach of the year and it certainly isn't any kind of travesty that he doesn't win it.
A.K. (Posted 2008-07-24 11:03:36)
How is Dallas a contender? after years of not going deep into the playoffs when they should have, they overachieved this past year.
Because who exactly is going to score goals after Ribeiro and Morrow (and i can't see either getting even 35). They let Hagman (27 goals) go and Modano is one year older. Lehtinen can score when he's healthy but he's not healthy so often anymore. Are there any up and coming young goal scorers on this team? as far as i can tell, there's no secondary scoring anymore. No more Jokinen, Young, Guerin etc. No way they are Stanley Cup contenders.
Troy (Posted 2008-07-24 07:52:36)
Nick Eman, you are a colossal idiot. Trotz had nothnig to work with this year after his team was pretty much gutted and he still got them into the playoffs and won 2 games against the stanley cup champs. give your head a shake or try a real sport like knitting
Zumbuehl (Posted 2008-07-24 04:27:14)
Though it doesn't seem to be right, it still feels good to hear that the Ducks are named as potential Cup winners (after all these years of laughing between 1993 and 2004).
And I hope Streit will make it to a high recognized player all over the league when he's at Long Island.
James Sheehy (Posted 2008-07-24 01:56:12)
As a Habs fan, I'm dissapointed to only see the pens as a possible cup winner from the east. I agree that the West is stronger, but the Ducks are clearly not in the upper echelon anymore and SJ can't seem to get out of the second round. Dallas is scary good and Detroit is one of the most dominating teams I've EVER seen, so I'll give you that. But don't be so quick to assume the East has only one chance. We added Tanguay and are one year more experienced. NY could be very good, and Philly will be scary if they can stay healthy (in fact I'd pick them to win the ultra competative Atlantic). Even Boston could do some damage if Ryder gets back to form and Thomas plays well. Either way, the offensive minded East is going to be more fun to watch then the West (Though if I could see only one game this year, it would be in Wrigley).
Nick Eman (Posted 2008-07-24 01:55:30)
"Barry Trotz doesn’t win the Jack Adams, the trophy loses all credibility…"
I am amazed he has not been fired yet. He clearly cannot coach a team out of the first round.
Nicole Timko (Posted 2008-07-23 23:54:26)
Please... Chicago coming out of the west... They have to make the playoffs first. As for Malkin... can't blame the guy for only scoring one goal when he couldn't even keep food down. And where was Crosby in the finals as well?
IMB (Posted 2008-07-23 22:32:03)
Grabovski on one of the top two line? BAHAHAHA!!!!! Its pretty sad when a habs cast off who couldnt even crack the line-up Mtl is a top 6 forward in Toronto.....its either says a lot about Mtl's depth.....or little about Toronto's talent pool. This kid is as soft as they come.....
Brian Kemp (Posted 2008-07-23 21:41:12)
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention, I think the Flyers might pass up the Pens in the Atlantic. Heck, the Rangers might have a shot at passing them, but I doubt it. The Pens do still have awesome talent at the top. I just think their depth took a real hit in the off season, and it might show. Philly seems to be a better balanced team, top to bottom.
Brian Kemp (Posted 2008-07-23 21:34:01)
Frankly, at this point I would put the Wings and Stars as the two teams with the best shot at the Cup. The Pens got weaker, although I expect Malkin to be better in next years post season. The Ducks aren't even close to as good as the team that won two years ago, and until the Sharks get out of the second round, I don't care how good they look on paper. James, Crosby is slightly overrated. I'm not saying he won't develop into the best player in the game, but right now, he's not. I'd take any one of Ovechkin, Zetterberg, Datsyuk or Lidstrom over him if I could have any one player in the game for one season right now. Crosby is a fantastically talented player, but he's not the best all-around player yet. Habs won't make the play-offs, your comments have gotten as old as your screen name. The Habs will make the playoffs, and will most likely take their division. The only player they lost was Streit. I like the guy, but it's not like he was the next Larry Robinson, or Doug Harvey. Just to clear up a few misconceptions, the Wings sold out every game during the playoffs. Not some, Every Game. I was at a few of the games, and I can assure you, the place was packed, and loud. The Wings have the best chance of repeating of any team since the last Wings team to repeat. They are younger and more talented than the team that dominated the post season last year, and they added a talented player in his prime who is still hungry. They got the best player available in free agency, didn't give anything up, and nobody else improved enough to catch them. This isn't to brag, or rub anything in anyones faces, just pointing out facts. Injuries to key players could wreck their season, but you can say that about every team. The only thing that really worries me is the dreaded hot goalie in the first round.
j b (Posted 2008-07-23 21:01:14)
Hey Leafy, if Grabovski doesn't play on one of the top two line he doesn't play at all. The guys is not a 2 way forward, he's soft on the puck and floats around in the defensive zone like its shinny. If he isn't on a scoring line there's no reason for you to have him. Oh yea and he'll pout, a lot. Good luck with him, you'll need it.
muttley tha first (Posted 2008-07-23 19:36:07)
san jose's problem is their two most talented guys are not leaders. both thornton and marleau are more comfortable playing second fiddle to stronger personalities. they are undoubtedly two real talented guys, but "leading" as we define it is not their strength. if either one played with someone like messier or iginla or modano they'd be a lot better with the pressure to be a leader in the locker room off their shoulders (and they'd probably have a cup by now). i agree philly will be a team to watch out for in the east, and i also think washington will improve assuming they get some consistent play in net. crosby is very good but ovechkin is better by a wider margin than people make it out to be.
Leafy (Posted 2008-07-23 19:24:23)
As much as i love the Grabovski trade, i think it's too early to say he'll play on the top two lines..
James (Posted 2008-07-23 18:39:35)
Did someone say Sidney is overrated? Perhaps who've never watched a hockey game with him in it? I'm not even a Pittsburgh fan, but there's no doubt who the best player on the ice is when Crosby's in town. As for a cup, give it time. The kids played in the NHL for three years. He'll have a couple of rings on his finger before his career's done. Guaranteed!!
Flyerguy 16 (Posted 2008-07-23 18:30:20)
Boston g.m. I know you can't stand Thornton, but wasn't he playing with broken ribs in that Montreal series. So far it is easy to knock him but one good playoff run and it's all forgotten. Stevy Y had all of the same knocks against him until he finally won. All of a sudden he's one of the best leaders of all time. I always think of Marcel Dionne, was he a waste of talent because he didn't win a cup?This is just me but I'd still rather have Thornton over all of the players you mentioned, with or without a cup.
Nick (Posted 2008-07-23 18:25:01)
I guess the Flyers will have to prove the Hockey News wrong agian. With a healthy Simon Gagne a more experience core of young players, and great talent coming up (claude Giroux 51 points in 19 playoff games) the Flyers have improved their defence with speed and stay at hoom D man. If this writer thinks Pittsburg is the only legitimate team in the East thats a joker, I'm not saying the Flyers will win the cup next year, because as far as I'm concerned THE REDWINGS are still the best team in hockey
habs wont make the play-offs (Posted 2008-07-23 18:14:20)
The DEAD wings repeat? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOOLOLOLOLOOL. About as funny as Drapers kid crapping in the Cup!!! LOLOLOLOLOOLLO.
william hallacy (Posted 2008-07-23 17:41:42)
How about "1 goal" Malkin? lol... up for MVP, and cant even score! Kris Draper scored as often as "1 Goal"! Talk about overrated! The NHL was hoping to capitalize on 'ROSBY and Malkin, ...and even though the officials cheated, and the coach whined all series, the young Pencilheads STILL failed! We'll see who does what in the coming season... If you put your money where your mouth is, you'll bet on the Poor boys from Pittsburgh, and the CASINO will then be the owners of your money. Be a little realistic. The Detroit Red Wings are the best team in Hockey, and will continue to be... you dont even want to know of the young talent which is to come, which did not take lucky LOTTERY picks to gain (as did the Pencilheads), but was accrued by the wisest HOCKEY savvy and the best ORGANIZATION in PRO sports. The Red Wings might not repeat, but it wont be Pittsburgh that prevents them, it would be Dallas, Anaheim, maybe even possibly a surprising Chicago Blackhawks team which will be MUCH better than they have been.
william hallacy (Posted 2008-07-23 17:32:06)
boo-hoo... you are so cruel... lol EMPTY BUILDING? You are as bad at EXAGGERATING as you are observing NHL hocky. As far as Hossa not scoring 29 goals, I just wish I could take your money on a bet! As do most, you make comments out of your butt... Detroit has been dominating the NHL for many years, and folks like yourself just cant get used to it... now you note a guy (Hossa) which is in the PRIME of his career, that just LED the "Pencilheads" in playoff scoring as only getting 14 goals... Please. Get a reality check, see if there is still a brain in the cranium. I am sick to the puke of Sidney Cupless. He is a good player, but has yet to prove he is a GREAT player. Greatness is most often defined by Championships, and granted there ARE some great ones that do not win a Championship in their careers. But Sid the Kid, has yet to prove he is great. To date the only thing great about him is his MEDIA credentials. You dont like Detroit fans, ...oh well. I "calls em" as I "sees em"... lol Until the Pittsburgh Pencilheads actually WIN something (they didnt even win their Conference - Montreal did)... they are still "runnerups"... I think Montreal is to be more feared than the Pencilheads... an original 6 matchup in the Cup next season is highly possible. Which leaves OUT Sidney Crybaby & the Pencilheads.. hey -- that sounds like a good name for a Band!
James Finney (Posted 2008-07-23 17:18:16)
Even if Hossa gets injured, they'll just be the same team from last year - its not like they gave anyone up to get him. And how is there no chemistry? Zetterburg-Datsyuk-Hossa will be absolute beast.
habs wont make the play-offs (Posted 2008-07-23 17:02:40)
Wow....another modest Detroit fan. How was your empty building in the play-offs anyway? Detroit isnt going anywhere next season. Hossa will get injured again. He wont even equal his 29 goals next season. I'm guessing he scores 14 goals and he gets traded. Why? No chemistry. No wonder nobody likes you Detroit fans. Wayyyyy tooo cocky.
Leafman (Posted 2008-07-23 17:00:46)
Finally, its good to see an article that doesn't ridicule the leafs for their incompetence... some good news!
william hallacy (Posted 2008-07-23 16:57:56)
I certainly meant no disrespect to our NHL posterchild, Sidney Crybaby... er Cringer... er Cupless... er, ...oh yeah ...ROSBY... The "C-less" Sidney limps into next season after the Wings (especially Brad Stuart) knocked the "C"rap out of him... yuk yuk! Without the "C" ...I guess He'll need an "A" next season, cuz its gonna get "kicked" once again! lol
bostongm (Posted 2008-07-23 16:55:21)
Thornton = A-Rod. Excellent regular season numbers. Come play-off time,they both shrivel up under the pressure.
bostongm (Posted 2008-07-23 16:52:31)
Yes.i can honestly say that i wouldnt want him back in Boston. Lets just say he was really frustrating to watch in the play-offs. He even posted a big fat ZERO in our series against the habs in which they came back after being down 3 games to 1. We got Sturm,Kobasew,Lucic,Kessel,and Ference BECAUSE we traded that waste of talent. He really is a waste of talent. What couldve been if he had the DRIVE.
william hallacy (Posted 2008-07-23 16:49:11)
Anaheim, maybe ...they seem to be degenerating...
Dallas YES... these guys overachieve often!
San Jose, maybe now that they have a Detroit coach...
BUT --- Pittsburgh? Please, they are not better but worse since the Red Wings OUTPLAYED them in every aspect of the game, in spite of POOR officiating which called foolish penalties and ignored other blatant ones... and have given up argueably their best player TO the Red Wings! Hossa's departure shows WHO he feels can more likely gain him a ring...
Detroit... well, let's face it sports fans... they (and the New England Patriots of the NFL), set the bar... and the CUP will have to be taken FROM them...
The above listed teams in all likelihood do not have the ability to do DEthrone DEtroit imo... especially the completely outplayed Pittsburgh Pencilheads... lol
arf arf (Posted 2008-07-23 16:32:28)
no other team comes close to detroit....detroit goes undefeated all year..and sweeps its way to the cup...thats right...u heard it hear first
ron (Posted 2008-07-23 16:04:24)
Wow imagine that a guy from Boston ripping on Thorton, claiming he has no 'killer instinct.' Can you honestly tell me you would not want him o your team right now?
bostongm (Posted 2008-07-23 15:46:01)
San Jose is a "legit" Cup contender? Please. You guys have been saying that for 3 years already. With No-Show-Joe Thornton on board....they aint going anywhere. Notice that the year before that they went to the final four. Throw in Thornton and they cant go anywhere now. This guy is the biggest waste of talent in the NHL right now. He just doesnt have the drive or the killer instinct. I think he had a glorious chance at scoring the game winner in OT against Dallas in game 6. He had the puck by himself in front of the net......what happens? Yup...Thornton shot and Turco saved the game. He's just not capable of scoring in the clutch. Anaheim also doesnt have a 2nd line center and they're legit cup contenders as well? C'mon man. Maybe if Penner and McDonald were on board yeah,but not now. You guys also forgot about Philly in the east. They're a good team.
troy (Posted 2008-07-23 15:42:15)
scratch my back with a hacksaw is on of the many famous lines used by pittsburgh legendary broadcaster Mike Lange
loyalnucksfan (Posted 2008-07-23 15:22:42)
completely agree, maybe the NHL should consider relegating the basement teams to the minors, and give the top 2, or 4 teams a shot in the NHL. would be nice to see but extremely unlikely.
loyalnucksfan (Posted 2008-07-23 15:15:23)
scratch my back with a handsaw????
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