Archive for March 5th, 2009
Thursday’s Games and Picks
For in depth look into the NHL teams records and preview of tonight’s games please go back to the “Home Page” on Hockey God, at the bottom lower left hand side:
Click on “Scoreboard” and review every game by clicking in the individual games being played on Thursday.
Tonight’s Picks
PHX @ BOS: Take BRUINS
NYR @ NYI: Take RANGERS
CGY @ PHI: Take FLYERS
TOR @ WSH: Take CAPITALS
EDM @ OTT: Take OILERS
PIT @ FLA: Take PANTHERS
CLB @ NSH: Take BLUE JACKETS
DAL @ LAK: Take STARS
MIN @ SJS: Take SHARKS
DEADLINE DUD ! NHL NOTES
LEAFS MOVED ANTROPOV TO RANGERS
So you like the new NHL do ya? For fans around the NHL but especially Canada trade deadline day has become almost a National Holiday.
Canadian teams were among the active yesterday with Calgary making the biggest splash on the market.
But the day was otherwise a dud because the NHL salary cap that the owners so badly needed to save them from themselves is coming back to haunt the league and the way it does business.
THINGS THEY ARE A CHANGING IN THE NHL
With the cap about to go down in the (2010-11) season because the salary cap for teams is directly tied to revenues across the entire league.
Forget that Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal sell out every game with an excellent passionate fan base. That doesn’t matter moving forward because the rest of the leagues problems are tied to every team even if there is no problem with them.
Salaries cap-worries were the main reason behind teams afraid to give up first round picks or prospects given the forecast for 2010. It basically means that teams are afraid to let the prospects or picks go because they are going to need those starting salaries in their lineups that year because of the low cap number they all expect to be under. Okay enough of this political bull shit created by the owners.
THE LEAF TRADES
Toronto GM Brian Burke did not sound like a happy camper after the deadline after landing two second round draft picks in this summers draft for Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore going to Rangers and Sabres respectively. Also in the New York deal Burke received another conditional pick for Antropov.
In the Moore deal who over the last 24 hours priced himself off the Leafs roster with his agent demands at way over fair market value for a player that does what he does. If this guy would have got over 1.7 million it would have been a crime and kudos for Burke holding firm on this deal. Not to mention landing a second rounder for Moore who was an NHL castoff and waiver pick up by the Leafs not too long ago was a great trade. Moore could be useful but not at over 1.7 million per season not by a long shot.
The fact that Burke could not trade Matt Stajan or Alexi Ponikarovsky is indication of the environment in the NHL to say nothing of the softness of Stajan or the underachieving of Pony. The Leafs still have their hands full for next season with far too many dead wood pieces that are either going to have to be traded in the summer or released altogether for them to get better.
“I’m not doing cartwheels, but I’m pleased with what was done,” Burke said. “I’m never happy on my end of a trade. I always wonder: ‘Could I have gotten more? Could I have done more?’ But this is an opportunity for us to put some draft picks back into the hopper and I think that’s important for the rebuilding process. From our perspective, it was a good day, long-term.”
July 1st will give Burke another opportunity to make some solid roster moves this after the draft and hopefully some salary dumps to make room for such free agent signings. This Maple Leaf mess is not pretty and it’s not going to be easy to fix, but it did start yesterday with the landing of those picks.
Vesa Toskala very smartly has been shut down for the season to get the much needed operation that probably led to some of his poor performances more than anything else this season. With that Burke picked off Martin Gerber from the Sens as insurance for the rest of the season. Gerber is known to Leafs fans because he was terrible against them in pressure games but with all things considered he can do the job under no duress the rest of the season in Toronto. Between Gerber backup Curtis Joseph and the young AHL Justin Pogge the Leafs net will be filled until the end of the year.
SATHER FINALLY WITH SOME GOOD MOVES !
This has NOT happened very often since Glen Sather has taken over the Rangers hockey department so hold on to your hat. Sather did make some solid moves yesterday for his roster landing first the big Antropov who will score goals play on the teams power play and help them down the stretch.
Sean Avery is back on Broadway and will under the drill sergeant coach John Tortorella be not only under raps but I would bet a very good gritty player for them as well. Then there is defenceman Derrik Morris who ripped the Coyotes organization yesterday after he was dealt is a solid all around good D that has attitude but also can back it up.
All in all a good day for the Rangers Sather and that sentence has not been used very often in New York.
FLAMES SUTTER STEPS UP !
You got to love the balls of GM Darryl Sutter yesterday on deadline day landing top line forward Ollie Jokinen, who has 21goals 21 assists in 57 games playing in the desert for the Coyotes this season. Jokinen was Calgary coach Mike Keenan’s captain when the two were together in Florida. Keenan likes Jokinen and vise verse so the deal makes sense for the Flames who will pay Jokinen $5.25 million for next season.
“Everybody (evaluates) emotionally and spur of the moment. You will do that, and I won’t do that,” he said, directing a jab at the media gathered in front of his microphone. “You evaluate trades based on how your team does.”
Sutter traded for former defenceman Jordan Leapold who will bring the team another solid D that can play in all situations as this year in Colorado has put up (6-14). The only part of the deals made by Sutter I personally do not like is giving up on former London Knight gritty winger Brandon Prust who I firmly believe will be another Avery, Steve Ott type over the years in the NHL, but that’s part of the business in making a deal I suppose.
CANUCKS GILLIS WILL WAIT
It seemed giving up second rounders was what it took to land a rental player yesterday and as I predicted Canucks GM Mike Gillis would not do that.
Canucks have a very solid top 6 although we have to see the Swede’s play in a feisty playoff series to get the full value they provide for the Canucks. I like Vancouver’s team because of the D and goaltending the jury is out on the top 6 that play great in regular seasons but its the playoffs grind that will matter this year in Vancouver.
These playoffs will determine which way Gillis goes with the Sedins twins and the rest of his roster in the summer.
NHL NOTES :
Flyers landing Daniel Carcillo was as good of a move yesterday as there was. He is a pain in the ass having been sent to the minors last year for discipline by the Coyotes and in trouble again this year with the brass. But Carcillio can flat out play the game in the exact way the Flyers love to say nothing of how important those types of character players are come playoff time.
Jay Bouwmeester NOT being traded may look like a mistake in Florida and it could turn out that way. But the Panthers under new coach Pete DeBoer are sitting in a playoff position and if it stays that way then this was a risk that was worth it for GM Jacques Martin.
Ottawa GM Byran Murray made out like a bandit for the Sens trading a 9 goal scorer who has underachieved like crazy this year for a number one goalie and get this a 2nd round pick. WTF was GM Scott Howson thinking ? How the hell does he not throw that 2nd rounder to Toronto for Antropov who will finish with 25 goals plus this season instead of the 9 goals Vermette has put up.
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello doesn’t make moves he doesn’t want to that much is crystal clear having dealt with him over the years with Danton. But whatever excuse Lou has for not moving Scott Clemmensen yesterday is unacceptable after what the kid did for the Devils with Lou’s boy Marty B out most of the season.
For Hockey God I’m Dave Frost
