by Ryan Dixon - July 2, 2009 12:20 PM EDT
Bob Gainey missed out on a true No. 1 center and a big-time blueliner, but instead of saving the cap space he wasted it on second-liners.
One thing we know for sure about the Montreal Canadiens’ off-season is it won’t include a team-bonding trip to an amusement park.
by Ryan Dixon - June 25, 2009 1:10 PM EDT
If Ducks ultra-nasty blueliner Chris Pronger is up for grabs, Caps GM George McPhee should be the first on the phone.
It’s a true, tough-to-stick-to creed: Worry about the things you have the power to change, not the ones you don’t.
If I was a Washington Capitals fan, I’d be most vexed with my team’s goaltending.
by Ryan Dixon - June 18, 2009 12:00 PM EDT
When a 50-goal scorer becomes available, there's usually a lot of interest in his services, but Dany Heatley comes with some heavy baggage.
You know Dany Heatley crossed the line when the talent-starved Toronto Maple Leafs won’t trade for him.
Leafs GM Brian Burke said his team would not be in the mix for any deal involving Heatley based on the method the big left winger took in asking for a trade out of Ottawa.
by Ryan Dixon - June 11, 2009 2:27 PM EDT
Getting kicked to the curb now may end up being the best thing for the former Dallas coach who will surely find himself back behind an NHL bench.
Marc Crawford is already a better coach than Dave Tippett.
That fact has nothing to do with Crawford’s knowledge of where X’s and O’s are best slotted on a whiteboard and everything to do with what form the Dallas Stars will take this year relative to last.
by Ryan Dixon - June 4, 2009 1:16 PM EDT
The latest hiring by the Colorado Avalanche of GM Greg Sherman continues a trend of newbie coaches and GMs around the league.
For all the talk of rescinded suspensions and non-calls in the final, it sure seems like the NHL Old Boys Network is losing some of its cache.
by Ryan Dixon - June 1, 2009 1:29 PM EDT
Just what does Pittsburgh need to do to get themselves back into the series after dropping both games in Detroit?
DETROIT - On a day when the teams travel, we sort out why the Stanley Cup final, currently led 2-0 by the Detroit Red Wings, can still be salvaged.
by Ryan Dixon - June 1, 2009 1:23 AM EDT
They do it so often, it really isn't a surprise anymore. The Wings found a way to win again and take a 2-0 series lead into Pittsburgh.
DETROIT - This is Detroit, minus an MVP-caliber piston.
This is Detroit, a place the Red Wings have been outshot in consecutive games now after allowing more shots than they fired just five times on home ice all year before the Stanley Cup final.
by Ryan Dixon - May 31, 2009 2:46 PM EDT
It's only been one game, but Sidney Crosby has quickly become the center of attention, battling hard against Detroit's best.
DETROIT - Already engaged by a number of Detroit players, Sidney Crosby had no interest in picking another battle with the Red Wings coach.
Hours before his Pittsburgh Penguins try to even a Stanley Cup final series Detroit leads 1-0, Crosby was told Wings bench boss Mike Babcock referred to him as a “head-hunter” based on the way he went after adversary Henrik Zetterberg in Game 1.
by Ryan Dixon - May 31, 2009 12:55 AM EDT
It was Chris Osgood and a few helpful bounces that led the Wings to a Game 1 win, but this series started differently than last year's matchup.
DETROIT - Facing a hot goalie is usually a source of concern, not confidence.
But the Pittsburgh Penguins have to be encouraged by the fact Chris Osgood was the best Detroit Red Wing in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.
by Ryan Dixon - May 28, 2009 11:54 AM EDT
With lots of expiring contracts and following a disappointing season, it's time for Montreal to be realistic when building next season's roster.
If a change is as good as a rest, the Montreal Canadiens will be one spry team next fall. And the fact they may not be a good one isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
by Ryan Dixon - May 27, 2009 11:20 PM EDT
With the grit of their grinders and by the skin of their teeth, the Wings Game 5 overtime win puts them in familiar territory... and a round of applause for Chicago.
The role players were at the Helm.
The Detroit Red Wings can thank Darren Helm and the rest of the Motor City spark plugs for the fact they’ll be back defending their title in the Stanley Cup final this year.
by Ryan Dixon - May 21, 2009 10:51 PM EDT
If Game 2 is any indication, Evgeni Malkin is willing to pay the price to help the Penguins Cup cause.
So that’s what Evgeni Malkin looks like when he’s mad.
Malkin played like a Penguin with a pebble in his flipper right from the moment he stepped out of the box for a penalty stemming from an odd, angry exchange with Chad LaRose in the second period of Pittsburgh’s 7-4 Game 2 win over Carolina Thursday.
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Who wins the Smyth-Quincey/Preissing trade?
"I'm not here to replace him."
- Martin Havlat, who signed with Minnesota a few hours after former Wild star Marian Gaborik inked a UFA deal with the Rangers.
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