And we're back for part 2 of the Power Rankings, where we'll explore a bit about the teams who will just narrowly miss the playoffs, likely on the last day of the season, and those who'll make it into mid-April. I also noticed a little boo boo from part one, that I added team 20 when I should have stopped at 21. But don't worry, we'll have part 2 be a little shorter so I can give you the grand finale you deserve in a proper Top-10! So let's go...
19: Los Angeles Kings - Hard to count out a team like this. Led by Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick, this team has it's three pillars in place for success. After a resurgent season by Dustin Brown and adding in the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk and bringing back a healthy Jeff Carter, the forwards look deadly and deep! Rolling four lines should be no problem here. But the overall defense and goaltending could be suspect. Well know what Quick brings to the table, but entering the season at 32 years old we have to wonder how much longer he can continue to carry the team. And though they have Doughty manning the blue line, there isn't a whole lot to get excited about. We'll have to see if any young prospects can crack the line up and make a difference on the blue line this year.
18: Dallas Stars - When I think Dallas, I think goals, lots and lots of goals! Unfortunately for them, the goals go in both nets. The Stars have some real offensive dynamos up front led by Benn and Seguin. They've even managed to bring Nichushkin back from the KHL...and he is still only 23! Looking at the blue line I feel they have a pretty good balance. Klingberg, Honka, and Heiskanen all have great offensive upside. Whereas Methot, Johns, and either Lindell or Polak, all are a bit more defensively oriented. Something I like in my d-pairings. Their number one worry will be the play and health of Ben Bishop. Can the 31 year old goalie, with a known history of injuries, stay healthy for the whole season? Seems like this has become a common theme, no?
17: Boston Bruins - Just missing out on the playoffs this year, the Boston Bruins. I don't know what it is...but I just can't buy it. With everyone ranting and raving about them being one of the top three in the Atlantic, I have them finishing 5th. I know, I know, Chara, Krug, Tuukka, McAvoy, Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastaman...something just tells me this year it isnt going to be enough. They even have some very good young players you made an impact last year in Donato, Debrusk, and Heinen. I just have this gut feeling the magic wont be there this year. We'll see in a week.
16: Buffalo Sabres - Buffalo? At 16th? In the playoffs? A head of the Bruins? Yup. I know I said it before in my Most Improved Teams post, so I have to stand by it and give the Sabres their due right? Led officially by Jack Eichel after the departure of Ryan O'Reilly, looks for the kids to come out guns blazing. And depth will no longer be an issue here as they have a very solid top nine now after some incredible trades. Did I mention Rasmus Dahlin yet? Between him, Ristolainen, Bogosian, and Scandella, they have the makings of a solid top-4. Have you guessed the position of real question yet? *Dun Dun Dun!!!* Can goalie Carter Hutton handle the load of being a true number one goalie for an entire season for the 1st time in his career at the ripe age of 32?
15: Philadelphia Flyers - Led by Girouxs bounce back, MVP Caliber season the emergence of Sean Couturier, and a solid rookie campaign from Nolan Patrick, one question is can they build on it and do it again? Dont forget about the x-factor that is Wayne Simmons either. One of my favorite players in the game today, he does it all, and then some! He is in a contract year as well which should motivate him that much more. Looking at the blue line, it's scarier than their new mascot Gritty...but in a good way. Rako Gudas plays on the line and I love it...but sometimes he crosses it and hurts the team. But between GhostBear, Provorov, and Sanheim, they have some studs back there. In net the return the duo of Elliot and Neuvirth, not bad when they're healthy and on their games.
14: Anaheim Ducks - Had the news about Correy Perry's injury broke before I started working on this...I would have likely swapped them with the Flames. But this is still a solid team with solid depth at all 3 levels. Word on the street is that Kesler is ready to play after his hip injury. Patty Eaves is ready to be back in action as well and that alone should help cover the loss of Perry. Kase has looked shot out of a cannon through camp and the preseason, Terry and Steel both appear to be NHL bound as well. Back on D there is Fowler, Lindholm, and Manson leading the way...all 3 under 26 and locked up for another 4 years minimum too. In net they have a borderline all-star and a former all-star in Gibson and Miller. Probably the best tandem in the league, when Gibby is healthy.
13: Colorado Avalanche - Young, fast, and dynamic. What more is there to say other than they have Ottawas 1st round pick this for this years draft, which will likely make them that much scarier next season...but I'm getting a head of myself. Led by MacKinnon and Landeskog up front and surrounded by improving depth, easily a solid top 9 for any team. With a defense that is all in or entering into it's prime as well things are looking good. A nice mix of Offensive and Defensive oriented players, I'd expect a solid, well rounded game to be played out by the team this year. And maybe I spoke a little to soon about best goalie tandems...Varlamov is in a contract year and we all know what he can bring. Now they have added in Grubauer from the Capitals, who was good enough to steal Holtby's starting job last year...this team should be scary.
12: Edmonton Oilers - Connor McDavid...Next! No, no, no...there is a bit more to it than that. Obviously McJesus is leading the way but he isnt alone. Between Draisaitl, The Nugg, Strome, and the forgotten Fin in Puljujarvi, it looks like a nice top-6 will be on the ice in Edmonton this year. It also seems that McDavid has found a new BFF on the ice in Ty Rattie for a winger. Defense is a bit questionable though. I love the play of Darnell Nurse personally. Russell is great at moving the puck and are Klefbom and Larsson. Not a bad top-4. In net they will be carried by Cam Talbot who had an off year last season. Being that he is in a contract year now, lets see if he can backstop the Oilers back into the playoffs in an incredibly tough division.
11: Florida Panthers - The who? Yes the Panthers, who missed out on the playoffs by 1 point last year, on the last day of the regular season no less, will definitely have their eyes on the prize this year as they look to march into the playoff looking to make a real run at The Cup. Led by newly crowned captain, Aleksander Barkov, this has to be one of the deepest offensive teams in the league. Three solid centers, and 6 or more great wingers to go with them, we're seeing a team on the rise! A somewhat questionable D-core though. Led by Ekblad (who I thought would have been named captain) and Yandle, they some a few more good pieces, but will it be enough in the long run? In net they have about as close to a true 50/50 tandem as there is in the league with Luongo and Reimer. And they have brought in Hutchinson as a bit of backup insurance as well. The best part of the team is that all but about 3-4 players are in their mid 20's!
This will conclude part 2 of the Power Rankings. The top-10 will be up before the start of the regular season, until then...let the debates rage on as we get ready to enter the season of the greatest game on earth.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Power Rankings!!! 31-20
As the start of the season approaches ever so quickly, I feel I should knock out some of everyone's favorite, POWER RANKINGS! Power rankings are loved by all are they not? They make for fun debates of which team is better than the other and makes for fun water cooler talk. In the end they really mean nothing, but they're a fun way of helping to predict standings, even trades and signings, based on a teams success or failures. So without bothering you any longer, here comes 31-20.
31: Ottawa Senators - Entering into this season they are without a doubt the team deepest into the gutter or so we think. They have a few pieces in place like Mark Stone, Matt Duschene, and...exactly. Its gonna be a rough year, and they just put a $3.25million player on waivers today. The tank is on in Ottawa, good thing they still have that 1st round pick...Oh...Colorado has that you say? No wonder the fans are ready to riot and burn the building down. Expect a very empty building this year and most who show up to be supporting the away team. This dumpster fire is falling outta the sky faster than the whale from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
30: Montreal Canadiens - A few decent players up front. An aging and slow D-core. But an Ace in the hole in Net. They could cause some trouble upsetting teams late in the season, but I wouldn't expect much. They just traded their captain and they are not even close to having a number 2 center, let alone a number 1! Trouble is brewing in Quebec.
29: New York Rangers - Pretty much in the same situation as Montreal. A few nice wingers, but they have at least a center or two. Shattenkirk and Skjei(pronounced Shay) on the back end will help a weaker D-core as well. In the net they have an aging, though he doesn't look it at all, beaut in Henrik Lundqvist. Looks like he will go down as one of the best goalies to play the game and new win a cup at this point. A lot of money spent for a team that should end up near the bottom of the league. I wonder if Brendan Smith will play for them this year...
28: Vancover Canucks - With the departure of the Sedin's after this past season a new era is officially underway in Vancover. Unfortunately its going to a rough transition for them, but the future seems bright. This a young team for the most part with a lot of talent, they may be the youngest in the league actually, but I'm not doing that math. Their oldest forward is 33 year old Loui Eriksson and their oldest d-man is Alex Edler who is 32, most everyone else is in their mid to early 20's. Biggest problems here is the inexperience of the roster. There are a lot of promising players in the lineup, but they're going to be thrown into the fire this year.
27: New York Islanders - Goodbye to Garth Snow and Doug Weight. Say hello to Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz (fresh off a Stanley Cup I might add). So management and coaching looks better instantly...but say goodbye to you captain John Tavares as well. Good thing is they still have plenty of offensive weapons left in the line up with more to come after these last 2 good drafts. Problem is the defense is weak. They have a decent top 3 but not much after that unfortunately. And now they will have a goalie battle between Greiss and Lehner, those 2 will have their work cut out for them this year.
26: Chicago Blackhawks - Its hard to bet against Kane and Toews, but after them, who else is there really? Alex DeBrincat is going to be a solid player in the league and he showed it last year, but that just isn't enough. Looking at the D-core, after Keith and Seabrook, who are aging rapidly, there isn't much there. They have a few prospects in the pipeline but that doesn't help them when this season starts. They're also may still be without Crawford in net at the start of the year, and without him they plummeted last year. He is the backbone of the team right now and they're go as far a he can carry them...if he can at all this season.
25: Detroit Red Wings - A lot of talk is that the Wings are probably the 3rd worst team heading into the league, so maybe ranking them this high (if this is considered high?) is just my personal bias. But I know this team a bit better. The offensive talent and explosive capabilities are there, even without the leadership of Zetterberg. Problems really lie in the overall youth and the D-core as a whole. With Mike Green looking like he'll miss the start of the season, Kronwall on one leg, the the pylon that wears number 52...that's not a good start. Goal tending isn't to bad of an issue yet. Howard has been solid enough and the addition of Bernier looks to be a good one. We'll monitor the situation closely though and see if the Larkin, Mantha and Athanasiou can take the next step and begin to truly reach their full potential this season.
Disclaimer - This is the part where it begins to get tough. As I have mentioned before a bit, this league is so close now in the middle of the standings, that there are just going to be some major battles and good teams are gonna miss out on the playoffs. Call me crazy here but this is where I see teams finishing the season, even if I think a particular team is better than one ranked above it...which trust me is coming right now.
24: Calgary Flames - This one hurts, no doubt about. Top to bottom, I like what this team brings. They bring a very good top 9 up front and their top 4 D rivals the some of the best in the league. But I really think that Mike Smith in net is suspect. He is 36 years old now and has a lot of hard miles on the body. He will must stay healthy and be a top 10 goalie in the league if the Flames are going to go anywhere. Sadly, I don't think he is up to the task.
23: Carolina Hurricanes - They look to be a team who should be making a strong push for the playoffs this season, but it's likely they'll fall short. They have great pieces in place and the addition of Andrei Svechnikov will make them very dynamic upfront, but they're not as deep. On defense is where they shine. Some could argue that they have 9 or 10 quality starting d-men in their organization, and they could have the best top 6 as a whole in the entire league. Goal tending is still suspect though. They will need a major bounce back from Scott Darling and they have brought in Petr Mrazek to see if he can recapture that spark he had early on in Detroit.
22: Minnesota Wild - Maybe I'm a hater here...I probably am, but not everyone can make the playoffs right? So with that, Minnesota is out. There are a few questions surrounding this otherwise very good team on paper. Can Parise stay healthy? Will Ryan Suters age begin to slow him down? Can Jason Zucker and Staal do it again? A very very solid top 9 and even a very good top 6 D-core. Can Dubnyk continue to carry the load as he enters into his mid 30's? Some good youth will be in the line up as well and a few good prospects for the future. I don't know...something tells me this could be an off year.
21: Arizona Coyotes - This is a team I have in my Most Improved teams list, so how can I not have them leap frogging some decent teams? Putting them here still keeps them out of the playoffs, but it would be a significant improvement if they can make this jump and finish above a few teams in the west who are expected to make some noise. I like their youth, some of their signings and trades the last few years have been good as well. But most importantly is that they fly under the radar. So lets see if they can shake a few things up after a strong finish to last season.
20: New Jersey Devils - Solid middle of the pack team with a lot of upside. Between Hall and Hischier leading the way up front and Andy Greenes leadership on the back end these guys could make some noise late into March as the push for another playoff birth. I think it would be best if they managed to add piece or two, but they'll compete every night no less, and that's the scary thing. Kinkaid proved himself a solid goalie last year and lets not forget about Schneider. Lets see if any of their prospects can make the team this year and help make a difference as they seem to be a team on the rise.
31: Ottawa Senators - Entering into this season they are without a doubt the team deepest into the gutter or so we think. They have a few pieces in place like Mark Stone, Matt Duschene, and...exactly. Its gonna be a rough year, and they just put a $3.25million player on waivers today. The tank is on in Ottawa, good thing they still have that 1st round pick...Oh...Colorado has that you say? No wonder the fans are ready to riot and burn the building down. Expect a very empty building this year and most who show up to be supporting the away team. This dumpster fire is falling outta the sky faster than the whale from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
30: Montreal Canadiens - A few decent players up front. An aging and slow D-core. But an Ace in the hole in Net. They could cause some trouble upsetting teams late in the season, but I wouldn't expect much. They just traded their captain and they are not even close to having a number 2 center, let alone a number 1! Trouble is brewing in Quebec.
29: New York Rangers - Pretty much in the same situation as Montreal. A few nice wingers, but they have at least a center or two. Shattenkirk and Skjei(pronounced Shay) on the back end will help a weaker D-core as well. In the net they have an aging, though he doesn't look it at all, beaut in Henrik Lundqvist. Looks like he will go down as one of the best goalies to play the game and new win a cup at this point. A lot of money spent for a team that should end up near the bottom of the league. I wonder if Brendan Smith will play for them this year...
28: Vancover Canucks - With the departure of the Sedin's after this past season a new era is officially underway in Vancover. Unfortunately its going to a rough transition for them, but the future seems bright. This a young team for the most part with a lot of talent, they may be the youngest in the league actually, but I'm not doing that math. Their oldest forward is 33 year old Loui Eriksson and their oldest d-man is Alex Edler who is 32, most everyone else is in their mid to early 20's. Biggest problems here is the inexperience of the roster. There are a lot of promising players in the lineup, but they're going to be thrown into the fire this year.
27: New York Islanders - Goodbye to Garth Snow and Doug Weight. Say hello to Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz (fresh off a Stanley Cup I might add). So management and coaching looks better instantly...but say goodbye to you captain John Tavares as well. Good thing is they still have plenty of offensive weapons left in the line up with more to come after these last 2 good drafts. Problem is the defense is weak. They have a decent top 3 but not much after that unfortunately. And now they will have a goalie battle between Greiss and Lehner, those 2 will have their work cut out for them this year.
26: Chicago Blackhawks - Its hard to bet against Kane and Toews, but after them, who else is there really? Alex DeBrincat is going to be a solid player in the league and he showed it last year, but that just isn't enough. Looking at the D-core, after Keith and Seabrook, who are aging rapidly, there isn't much there. They have a few prospects in the pipeline but that doesn't help them when this season starts. They're also may still be without Crawford in net at the start of the year, and without him they plummeted last year. He is the backbone of the team right now and they're go as far a he can carry them...if he can at all this season.
25: Detroit Red Wings - A lot of talk is that the Wings are probably the 3rd worst team heading into the league, so maybe ranking them this high (if this is considered high?) is just my personal bias. But I know this team a bit better. The offensive talent and explosive capabilities are there, even without the leadership of Zetterberg. Problems really lie in the overall youth and the D-core as a whole. With Mike Green looking like he'll miss the start of the season, Kronwall on one leg, the the pylon that wears number 52...that's not a good start. Goal tending isn't to bad of an issue yet. Howard has been solid enough and the addition of Bernier looks to be a good one. We'll monitor the situation closely though and see if the Larkin, Mantha and Athanasiou can take the next step and begin to truly reach their full potential this season.
Disclaimer - This is the part where it begins to get tough. As I have mentioned before a bit, this league is so close now in the middle of the standings, that there are just going to be some major battles and good teams are gonna miss out on the playoffs. Call me crazy here but this is where I see teams finishing the season, even if I think a particular team is better than one ranked above it...which trust me is coming right now.
24: Calgary Flames - This one hurts, no doubt about. Top to bottom, I like what this team brings. They bring a very good top 9 up front and their top 4 D rivals the some of the best in the league. But I really think that Mike Smith in net is suspect. He is 36 years old now and has a lot of hard miles on the body. He will must stay healthy and be a top 10 goalie in the league if the Flames are going to go anywhere. Sadly, I don't think he is up to the task.
23: Carolina Hurricanes - They look to be a team who should be making a strong push for the playoffs this season, but it's likely they'll fall short. They have great pieces in place and the addition of Andrei Svechnikov will make them very dynamic upfront, but they're not as deep. On defense is where they shine. Some could argue that they have 9 or 10 quality starting d-men in their organization, and they could have the best top 6 as a whole in the entire league. Goal tending is still suspect though. They will need a major bounce back from Scott Darling and they have brought in Petr Mrazek to see if he can recapture that spark he had early on in Detroit.
22: Minnesota Wild - Maybe I'm a hater here...I probably am, but not everyone can make the playoffs right? So with that, Minnesota is out. There are a few questions surrounding this otherwise very good team on paper. Can Parise stay healthy? Will Ryan Suters age begin to slow him down? Can Jason Zucker and Staal do it again? A very very solid top 9 and even a very good top 6 D-core. Can Dubnyk continue to carry the load as he enters into his mid 30's? Some good youth will be in the line up as well and a few good prospects for the future. I don't know...something tells me this could be an off year.
21: Arizona Coyotes - This is a team I have in my Most Improved teams list, so how can I not have them leap frogging some decent teams? Putting them here still keeps them out of the playoffs, but it would be a significant improvement if they can make this jump and finish above a few teams in the west who are expected to make some noise. I like their youth, some of their signings and trades the last few years have been good as well. But most importantly is that they fly under the radar. So lets see if they can shake a few things up after a strong finish to last season.
20: New Jersey Devils - Solid middle of the pack team with a lot of upside. Between Hall and Hischier leading the way up front and Andy Greenes leadership on the back end these guys could make some noise late into March as the push for another playoff birth. I think it would be best if they managed to add piece or two, but they'll compete every night no less, and that's the scary thing. Kinkaid proved himself a solid goalie last year and lets not forget about Schneider. Lets see if any of their prospects can make the team this year and help make a difference as they seem to be a team on the rise.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Detroit Red Wings - Preseason Evaluation - Defense and Goalies
So as I was writing this up I realized it was gigantic so I decided to split it into 2 parts. You've already been able to check out the changes to the forwards and my thought process there, so now it is time to examine the rest of the line up. Defense and goal tending are basically in the same boat with the contract situations but those will be changed much sooner than the forwards will be, or so I hope. So here we go, the updated starting d-men.
So how did we get here? Previously I had five d-men as starters (Green, Kronner, DDK, Daley, and Ericsson) with one spot up for grabs. Those five players made it in mostly based on their pay alone, as they will in reality when the season opens up. I have given the 6th and final spot up to Nick Jensen not only based on his performance last season in the role, but because he is a right hand shot.
I place a pretty high value on having righty-lefty combos on the back end and as you can see I have both righty's playing on their off side. I know it is more difficult this way to pick the puck up off the boards, but the offensive upside cannot be understated. Stick and puck will stay the middle of the ice when handling, which personally for me, allows for greater vision when looking a head to make a breakout pass. And once we get into the offensive zone it sets players up to be in position for one timers far better. The players I have listed in the minors are set up the same way as well.
The players listed under minors are the ones I see most fit to make the jump at some point this season, and I have them somewhat in order as well. And obviously, Brian Lashoff make the big club as the 7th D-man. But why Lashoff, why not Hronek, why not Cholowski or Hicketts?! WHY!? Well because Lashoff will only be there for game time emergency replacement. If any of our defense men go down with a bigger injury other than missing a game or 2, expect a call up of our most productive defense man from Grand Rapids.
By the end of the season I would expect that we will have seen Hronek, Cholo, and Hicketts at least for a bit of an extended time, the young guys are going to leap frog over him so fast his head will spin. Expect too that they will be filling Kronwall's shoes more than anything, maybe Ericsson's' as well seeing that he tends to go down a bit these last few years as well. I don't expect that any of our veteran defense men will be trade bait at the deadline other than possibly Mike Green, but he would not be a rental player and with having had a neck injury last season it may be enough to scare some teams away.
I do not think that we will see a healthy Kronwall finish the season unfortunately. In his prime he was an absolute animal and deserves a better ending to his career, but at the same time warriors tend to go out on their shields, and he will too. My guess is that Hronek is 1st in line to fill the role, followed by Hicketts and then Cholowski. This thought is based on last seasons performance for both Hronek and Hicketts, where this is really going to be Cholowski's 1st year as a pro. I would still look for them all to get time in Detroit this season though. And one last prediction I have, more of a hope really, is that after this season is up, Ericsson will finally be bought out of his contract. Fingers crossed.
So with our defense set, lets talk goalies for a quick second here, as their isn't a lot to discuss, or is there? Our NHL Tandem is set in stone, no questions there. Howard will be the starter who is entering the last year of his contract. All the while Jonathan Bernier is coming into the organization as a free agent from Colorado signing a 3x3 deal. Bernier is a very capable back up and even a decent to good starting goalie when given the opportunity and the right players in front of him. He had a fast rise in Los Angels and just as fast as a fall when he went to Toronto and it didn't work out. But a rebirth in Anaheim and Colorado have help to rejuvenate his career as he enters into his 30's.
Depth seems to be the real issue at the moment though. Three of our main depth goalies at this time are all free agent additions as Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum have each moved on from the organization. This leaves us with 3 new comers, Rybar, Sateri, and Fulcher. The most notable player here is Fulcher who was signed last year as an undrafted player after all the development camps and training camp. He went on to win the OHL Championship last season and was named The Memorial Cups most outstanding goalie. The upside with Fulcher seems to be pretty legit, but it seem that management has the idea of starting him in Toledo with the chance to work his way up based on his play. A strategy very reminiscent of how they handled Petr Mrazek.
This leaves us with a very real training camp battle between Rybar and Sateri for the starting job in Grand Rapids. While Rybar is an undrafted player, Sateri was drafted in the 4th round back in 2008 by San Jose... the same year Detroit took McCollum in the 1st round. And after looking at both players histories a little bit I may have to give the starting nod to Sateri, mainly because he has actually seen some games in the NHL with the Florida Panthers. But really it is a toss up.
Eventually one of these 3 players will make there way to the Red Wings this season. And you're probably looking at about Mid-Late January for that to happen. I give you that time frame because it is almost inevitable that Jimmy Howard goes down with a groin injury, it's just about like clock work with him. I would wager that at that point your starter in Grand Rapids comes up to a back up role here and if Fulcher is still in Toledo he would move up and take over the starting role or split time with whomever is left in G.R.
Two more notable goalies I can personally talk a bit about are drafted players, yet unsigned at this point, in Petruzzelli and Larsson. I have been lucky enough working at USA Hockey with the NTDP to have been able to see both play live, Petruzzelli more than Larsson though. I've seen Petruzzelli 4 or 5 times as a member of the Muskegon Lumberjacks during his draft year (Andrei Svechnikov was also on that team, what a stud!) and Larsson in international exhibition games once or twice. Both seem to have a high ceiling for their potential and good size each. So our long term goaltender worries may not ever really be an issue.
Without further ado though, I present to you, along with the goalies, the entire depth chart covered in this and my previous post. Remember, this is my view of the team and not necessarily what the team will do. But if I were in charge, these are my lines and how changes would be made as the season tears along based on my thought process.
This has the makings of a team that could really begin to compete and be competitive down the stretch. There is a lot of room to grow and that will all depend on how much development this young core has gained as the weight now firmly rests on their shoulders now. There is a lot of size, speed, and talent on this roster with more to come in the following seasons. But heading into year two at Little Caesars Arena, the transition has officially been made where the younger players will truly be the new leaders on the Detroit Red Wings.
So how did we get here? Previously I had five d-men as starters (Green, Kronner, DDK, Daley, and Ericsson) with one spot up for grabs. Those five players made it in mostly based on their pay alone, as they will in reality when the season opens up. I have given the 6th and final spot up to Nick Jensen not only based on his performance last season in the role, but because he is a right hand shot.
I place a pretty high value on having righty-lefty combos on the back end and as you can see I have both righty's playing on their off side. I know it is more difficult this way to pick the puck up off the boards, but the offensive upside cannot be understated. Stick and puck will stay the middle of the ice when handling, which personally for me, allows for greater vision when looking a head to make a breakout pass. And once we get into the offensive zone it sets players up to be in position for one timers far better. The players I have listed in the minors are set up the same way as well.
The players listed under minors are the ones I see most fit to make the jump at some point this season, and I have them somewhat in order as well. And obviously, Brian Lashoff make the big club as the 7th D-man. But why Lashoff, why not Hronek, why not Cholowski or Hicketts?! WHY!? Well because Lashoff will only be there for game time emergency replacement. If any of our defense men go down with a bigger injury other than missing a game or 2, expect a call up of our most productive defense man from Grand Rapids.
By the end of the season I would expect that we will have seen Hronek, Cholo, and Hicketts at least for a bit of an extended time, the young guys are going to leap frog over him so fast his head will spin. Expect too that they will be filling Kronwall's shoes more than anything, maybe Ericsson's' as well seeing that he tends to go down a bit these last few years as well. I don't expect that any of our veteran defense men will be trade bait at the deadline other than possibly Mike Green, but he would not be a rental player and with having had a neck injury last season it may be enough to scare some teams away.
I do not think that we will see a healthy Kronwall finish the season unfortunately. In his prime he was an absolute animal and deserves a better ending to his career, but at the same time warriors tend to go out on their shields, and he will too. My guess is that Hronek is 1st in line to fill the role, followed by Hicketts and then Cholowski. This thought is based on last seasons performance for both Hronek and Hicketts, where this is really going to be Cholowski's 1st year as a pro. I would still look for them all to get time in Detroit this season though. And one last prediction I have, more of a hope really, is that after this season is up, Ericsson will finally be bought out of his contract. Fingers crossed.
So with our defense set, lets talk goalies for a quick second here, as their isn't a lot to discuss, or is there? Our NHL Tandem is set in stone, no questions there. Howard will be the starter who is entering the last year of his contract. All the while Jonathan Bernier is coming into the organization as a free agent from Colorado signing a 3x3 deal. Bernier is a very capable back up and even a decent to good starting goalie when given the opportunity and the right players in front of him. He had a fast rise in Los Angels and just as fast as a fall when he went to Toronto and it didn't work out. But a rebirth in Anaheim and Colorado have help to rejuvenate his career as he enters into his 30's.
Depth seems to be the real issue at the moment though. Three of our main depth goalies at this time are all free agent additions as Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum have each moved on from the organization. This leaves us with 3 new comers, Rybar, Sateri, and Fulcher. The most notable player here is Fulcher who was signed last year as an undrafted player after all the development camps and training camp. He went on to win the OHL Championship last season and was named The Memorial Cups most outstanding goalie. The upside with Fulcher seems to be pretty legit, but it seem that management has the idea of starting him in Toledo with the chance to work his way up based on his play. A strategy very reminiscent of how they handled Petr Mrazek.
This leaves us with a very real training camp battle between Rybar and Sateri for the starting job in Grand Rapids. While Rybar is an undrafted player, Sateri was drafted in the 4th round back in 2008 by San Jose... the same year Detroit took McCollum in the 1st round. And after looking at both players histories a little bit I may have to give the starting nod to Sateri, mainly because he has actually seen some games in the NHL with the Florida Panthers. But really it is a toss up.
Eventually one of these 3 players will make there way to the Red Wings this season. And you're probably looking at about Mid-Late January for that to happen. I give you that time frame because it is almost inevitable that Jimmy Howard goes down with a groin injury, it's just about like clock work with him. I would wager that at that point your starter in Grand Rapids comes up to a back up role here and if Fulcher is still in Toledo he would move up and take over the starting role or split time with whomever is left in G.R.
Two more notable goalies I can personally talk a bit about are drafted players, yet unsigned at this point, in Petruzzelli and Larsson. I have been lucky enough working at USA Hockey with the NTDP to have been able to see both play live, Petruzzelli more than Larsson though. I've seen Petruzzelli 4 or 5 times as a member of the Muskegon Lumberjacks during his draft year (Andrei Svechnikov was also on that team, what a stud!) and Larsson in international exhibition games once or twice. Both seem to have a high ceiling for their potential and good size each. So our long term goaltender worries may not ever really be an issue.
Without further ado though, I present to you, along with the goalies, the entire depth chart covered in this and my previous post. Remember, this is my view of the team and not necessarily what the team will do. But if I were in charge, these are my lines and how changes would be made as the season tears along based on my thought process.
This has the makings of a team that could really begin to compete and be competitive down the stretch. There is a lot of room to grow and that will all depend on how much development this young core has gained as the weight now firmly rests on their shoulders now. There is a lot of size, speed, and talent on this roster with more to come in the following seasons. But heading into year two at Little Caesars Arena, the transition has officially been made where the younger players will truly be the new leaders on the Detroit Red Wings.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Detroit Red Wings - Preseason Evaluation - The Forwards
Finally the day has arrived where I can focus solely on the Red Wings...this should be fun, but where to begin? Free agency was pretty lack luster as expected, no big splash. We managed to lock up our RFA's - Restricted Free Agents. And we had, what looks like, a very good draft with 11 total picks. And trades, well there was nothing worth discussing. And now we have the turmoil caused by Zetterbergs medical retirement throwing a wrench into the middle of our depth chart.
Luckily with Z's retirement it opens up quite a bit of cap space, assuming we're able to handle it by putting him on LTIR like we have been doing with Franzen. So that is how I am approaching this, that his cap hit will be on LTIR and not matter going forward. So where we stand right now I have an unfinished depth chart, but don't worry it'll be finished by the end of this, with a total cap hit of $69.279 Million. With the upper limit being $79.5 that is a good spot to be in. Right now Capfriendly has us at almost $83 million, with 43 total contracts of 50 and 20 of 23 available roster spot. Thats'snot a good place to be for a team that is not expected to compete for much this season.
I like that we should have plenty of cap space available by my roster. I've never understood the necessity of teams spending to the absolute cap every season...it just screws you in the long run. It allows for much more flexibility in trading and signing players, to which we could and probably should try to do a bit of. I wouldn't mind it if we were able to move out a defense man and bring in a veteran center...so long as he is no older than 30. But good luck with that. So without further ado...my depth chart for were we stand at the moment...remember this is unfinished so far.
This is obviously, not a good place to be, as there are a few things that seem to be missing; like a 6th defense man. Lil Bert also as a 1st line winger? Not likely. But unfortunately this is very set in stone, there isnt a lot of wiggle room available here. Also the numbers on the side of each players name is their cap hit, which I have listed the totals off the right, only for players in starting positions.
I feel as well that here is a good place to note my view on setting line ups as well. My belief is that you have one top line that obviously stands above the rest, this is your 1st line. Your 2nd and 3rd lines should be a blur in today's game, and by blur I mean interchangeable. One line may get more ice time than the other from game to game but really they should be able to match up and produce against any other teams bottom 9, and even compete with the opposing 1st lines.
The days of having your 1st line, 2nd line, 3rd line shut down guys/grind line, and then filler on the 4th line are gone. If that is what you hold to dearly then you will never have a successful team in today's game. I want to put all the players in my line up into a hat, reach in blindly and grab 3 names, and put together a solid line. If you need a shut down line, its your 4th line. I'm not saying the top 3 all need to be offensive dynamos either, the center on said line should be able to dictate what type of production you're going to receive from that line. See A.A. as opposed to Nielsen in the line up above and imagine how the two have different playing styles that will drive their lines.
Depth is the most important part of the game after having a number 1 center, d-man, and goalie. Look at our most recent cup champions in Washington. While their best players were up to the task and better than their opposition, their depth players got it done when it mattered the most. Lars Eller and Devante Smith-Pelly where absolute monsters when they were needed. Go back to any championship team and you'll see how key the depth players on every team making all the clutch plays when it matters most.
Now that that is out of the way lets start to actually look at the Wings roster a bit, but please keep in mind this is what I would do. So let us work on the forward situation 1st. We want Zadina and Rasmussen in the line up, but who comes out? There is a lot of money up there that cannot justifiably be benched. I only see 2 options and those players are Frk and Svech, and in the end it will likely only be Frk. I find it unfortunate that he seems to be the player who gets the short end of the stick, but it is what it is. I like his size, what seems to be a good work ethic, and of course his cannon of a shot. Lets not forget that he is the only right hand shot in this forward group as well other than Glenny, but i'm not looking for him to score goals.
Pulling Frk out leaves you now with the choice of Zadina or Rasmussen to put in the line up, I'm going with Ras. He is an absolute monster! 6'5'', 210lbs at least. He has great hands in tight and looks like he will be a major factor on the power play. Now it isnt to say that Zadina doesnt have these qualities as well, but he is a winger and Ras will be moving to center at some point soon. With his positional variability he is a bit more useful, it is also important that he play with a center who knows the game as a whole like Neilsen does. It will give him someone to learn from and to be able to cover some of those rookie mistakes.
Starting to shape up, now the question becomes where does Bert go? I dont view him as a 1st line winger at this point, I'd rather Zadina be in the spot honestly, but I'm not talking anyone out of the line up at this point. Word on the street is that Zadina will be playing with Vanek and Athanasiou in the Red and White game in training camp, so we may get a serious look in the preseason. But I'm doubtful they give him a roster spot unless he scores a hat trick per game in the preseason.
And also no, that 4th line is staying the way it is, with any luck it will at least make for a good shut down line. In my humble opinion the only player there I would even want on this team is Helm, but I didnt sign them to those horrible contracts. But back to Bert, the only other swap I could see is putting him on the 3rd line and moving Svech up to the 1st line. Something tells me that Berts gritty style of play will work better with Mantha and Larkin though. So we're going to keep a very young, but potentially incredible 1st line together.
The worst thing that could end up happening is that Jussi Jokinen gets signed after training camp. If he is signed it would likely be for his ability in shootouts which is undeniable but unless we're going to flip him at the deadline there really is no point. And with that our forward lines are set for the most part. Look for Vanek to be dealt at the deadline though and then Zadina should pop up from Grand Rapids to fill the 2nd line wing for the remainder of the season.
There is only one other option here. That is that with Zadina playing well so far with A.A and Vanek, he takes Gooses spot on the 2nd line. Well with Nyquist not coming out of the line up we have to move him somewhere. So Goose takes Berts 1st line spot and Bert heads down to a 4th line spot. Personally I pull Glenny out, though for this role it pains me to do as I value his face off ability. But that is why I have Helm there as he was a center when he came into the league and can go back and forth.
Personally I'm not sure which option I like more. The decision to sit certain players is not an easy one despite those who know me and my distaste for some players. But it is what it is and I do not know which line up would be the best to start the season. What changes would you make if? If any, feel free to comment and let me know. As I said this is how I would go about it, not what the team will do. But there you have it, the forward corps are set one way or the other. I'll break down the defense and goal tending next and get that out to you very soon, stay patient.
Luckily with Z's retirement it opens up quite a bit of cap space, assuming we're able to handle it by putting him on LTIR like we have been doing with Franzen. So that is how I am approaching this, that his cap hit will be on LTIR and not matter going forward. So where we stand right now I have an unfinished depth chart, but don't worry it'll be finished by the end of this, with a total cap hit of $69.279 Million. With the upper limit being $79.5 that is a good spot to be in. Right now Capfriendly has us at almost $83 million, with 43 total contracts of 50 and 20 of 23 available roster spot. Thats'snot a good place to be for a team that is not expected to compete for much this season.
I like that we should have plenty of cap space available by my roster. I've never understood the necessity of teams spending to the absolute cap every season...it just screws you in the long run. It allows for much more flexibility in trading and signing players, to which we could and probably should try to do a bit of. I wouldn't mind it if we were able to move out a defense man and bring in a veteran center...so long as he is no older than 30. But good luck with that. So without further ado...my depth chart for were we stand at the moment...remember this is unfinished so far.
This is obviously, not a good place to be, as there are a few things that seem to be missing; like a 6th defense man. Lil Bert also as a 1st line winger? Not likely. But unfortunately this is very set in stone, there isnt a lot of wiggle room available here. Also the numbers on the side of each players name is their cap hit, which I have listed the totals off the right, only for players in starting positions.
I feel as well that here is a good place to note my view on setting line ups as well. My belief is that you have one top line that obviously stands above the rest, this is your 1st line. Your 2nd and 3rd lines should be a blur in today's game, and by blur I mean interchangeable. One line may get more ice time than the other from game to game but really they should be able to match up and produce against any other teams bottom 9, and even compete with the opposing 1st lines.
The days of having your 1st line, 2nd line, 3rd line shut down guys/grind line, and then filler on the 4th line are gone. If that is what you hold to dearly then you will never have a successful team in today's game. I want to put all the players in my line up into a hat, reach in blindly and grab 3 names, and put together a solid line. If you need a shut down line, its your 4th line. I'm not saying the top 3 all need to be offensive dynamos either, the center on said line should be able to dictate what type of production you're going to receive from that line. See A.A. as opposed to Nielsen in the line up above and imagine how the two have different playing styles that will drive their lines.
Depth is the most important part of the game after having a number 1 center, d-man, and goalie. Look at our most recent cup champions in Washington. While their best players were up to the task and better than their opposition, their depth players got it done when it mattered the most. Lars Eller and Devante Smith-Pelly where absolute monsters when they were needed. Go back to any championship team and you'll see how key the depth players on every team making all the clutch plays when it matters most.
Now that that is out of the way lets start to actually look at the Wings roster a bit, but please keep in mind this is what I would do. So let us work on the forward situation 1st. We want Zadina and Rasmussen in the line up, but who comes out? There is a lot of money up there that cannot justifiably be benched. I only see 2 options and those players are Frk and Svech, and in the end it will likely only be Frk. I find it unfortunate that he seems to be the player who gets the short end of the stick, but it is what it is. I like his size, what seems to be a good work ethic, and of course his cannon of a shot. Lets not forget that he is the only right hand shot in this forward group as well other than Glenny, but i'm not looking for him to score goals.
Pulling Frk out leaves you now with the choice of Zadina or Rasmussen to put in the line up, I'm going with Ras. He is an absolute monster! 6'5'', 210lbs at least. He has great hands in tight and looks like he will be a major factor on the power play. Now it isnt to say that Zadina doesnt have these qualities as well, but he is a winger and Ras will be moving to center at some point soon. With his positional variability he is a bit more useful, it is also important that he play with a center who knows the game as a whole like Neilsen does. It will give him someone to learn from and to be able to cover some of those rookie mistakes.
Starting to shape up, now the question becomes where does Bert go? I dont view him as a 1st line winger at this point, I'd rather Zadina be in the spot honestly, but I'm not talking anyone out of the line up at this point. Word on the street is that Zadina will be playing with Vanek and Athanasiou in the Red and White game in training camp, so we may get a serious look in the preseason. But I'm doubtful they give him a roster spot unless he scores a hat trick per game in the preseason.
And also no, that 4th line is staying the way it is, with any luck it will at least make for a good shut down line. In my humble opinion the only player there I would even want on this team is Helm, but I didnt sign them to those horrible contracts. But back to Bert, the only other swap I could see is putting him on the 3rd line and moving Svech up to the 1st line. Something tells me that Berts gritty style of play will work better with Mantha and Larkin though. So we're going to keep a very young, but potentially incredible 1st line together.
The worst thing that could end up happening is that Jussi Jokinen gets signed after training camp. If he is signed it would likely be for his ability in shootouts which is undeniable but unless we're going to flip him at the deadline there really is no point. And with that our forward lines are set for the most part. Look for Vanek to be dealt at the deadline though and then Zadina should pop up from Grand Rapids to fill the 2nd line wing for the remainder of the season.
There is only one other option here. That is that with Zadina playing well so far with A.A and Vanek, he takes Gooses spot on the 2nd line. Well with Nyquist not coming out of the line up we have to move him somewhere. So Goose takes Berts 1st line spot and Bert heads down to a 4th line spot. Personally I pull Glenny out, though for this role it pains me to do as I value his face off ability. But that is why I have Helm there as he was a center when he came into the league and can go back and forth.
Personally I'm not sure which option I like more. The decision to sit certain players is not an easy one despite those who know me and my distaste for some players. But it is what it is and I do not know which line up would be the best to start the season. What changes would you make if? If any, feel free to comment and let me know. As I said this is how I would go about it, not what the team will do. But there you have it, the forward corps are set one way or the other. I'll break down the defense and goal tending next and get that out to you very soon, stay patient.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Adjö my Captain.
It is a sad time now here in Hockeytown as we say goodbye to our captain Henrik Zetterberg. Z is having to retire now due to a degenerative back issue that he has been fighting for years. He even had to have surgery about 4 years ago when he had a flare up that knocked him out of the Olympics. Other than only honoring him here in this post though I have my own secondary agenda. And that is to say "I told you so!"... though I really wish I didn't.
Since the announcement and timeline was revealed on when the LCA was going to be up and running I have called Zetterbergs retirement plans to an absolute T. In July of 2014 Chris Illitch unveiled the renderings of the new arena and what the district Detroit was supposed to be. Coincidentally this announcement came just a few months after Z's back surgery, which he rushed back from for the playoffs. From this point on I new it was a very limited time that we had left for Z to be an active player.
So where did I get my reasoning for this? Its pretty simple if you use some deductive reasoning. At the time of his surgery and the arena announcement, he was approaching his mid-30's, with which most players begin to decline, if they haven't already. His partner in on ice crime Datsyuk was planning to leave in 1 more year to return to Russia. The team was beginning to be in a major state of decline. And he has already won virtually everything there is to win at this point, so why risk playing until you're 40 and jeopardizing your long term health? Not to mention he and his wife are superstars back home in Sweden, comparable to the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (when they were together). Another throw in is that the couple had their 1st son in 2015, so the writing was all on the wall in bold for everyone to see...yet no one wanted to piece it together.
So how do we know I'm not making all this up that I was predicting this event? Oh well I have a few links from my Reddit account that are all nice and time stamped that I can share with you folks to show that I'm not bluffing here.
This 1st thread from a discussion about what player will no longer be on your team in 5 years time. This link is probably the most in depth about it but it proves my point none the less,
This 2nd thread is just discussion about whether Z will crack 1000pts for his career. Obviously now we all know he wont.
This one started more as my hopefulness that John Tavares would end up here, clearly didnt happen and I got it wrong but I wasn't alone as Pieere McGuire had us in that talk too. But as you scroll through and read the comments here I get more in depth convo with others who try to keep wearing blinders to hid from what is right in front of them.
Now like I said, I really wish I didn't predict this. Z has been one of my all time favorite players, and not just of the Wings but hockey as a whole. His drive and passion for the game are something to behold. He brought a blue collar work ethic with white collar skill to the ice every time he climbed over the boards. Watching him last season was amazing in retro spec. You could see the body was not keeping up with the mind, be his positioning was almost perfect to be able to make a solid play when needed. And those hands could still zip a pass to the far dot, all while looking the pressuring opponent off the other direction.
He leave behind an impressive resume as well. After being a Calder Trophy for rookie of the year runner up, when he had 22G and 22A he went on to play a total of 1,082 games in the NHL. In that time he amassed 337 G and 623 A, good for 960pts over his career in the regular season...one more and he would have no doubt cracked 1000pts. Almost more impressively are his playoff numbers, 137 games played, 57G and 63A, 120pts, and none more important than the 2008 Stanley Cup clinching goal in game 6! Let us not forget that he walked away that night with the Conn Smythe Trophy as well as the MVP of the playoffs.
Internationally he has been just as impressive! In 2006 he went on a rampage and won Gold Medals in both the Olympics and World Championship; most impressively during the Olympic run he posted a stat line of 3G-3A-6PTS with no penalty minutes in the 8 games that team Sweden play. In the Worlds that year the stats were virtually the same, only he was short 1 goal as compared to the Olympics. Add to those a few more Silver and Bronze medals and you have one hell of a collection to put up on the wall of fame.
With that resume it will be hard for the next captain of our great franchise to follow but something tells me that he will be up to the challenge. His leadership was invaluable to many who came through the locker room, especially that of our younger players. With the end officially here now it is a sad day. He led the team through a great transition into the future as we left behind The Joe and now have christened the LCA it is time he listens to his body and shuts it down. Let the debates begin, is he HHOF worthy? Will his jersey be retired? Who will become the next captain of the team? These are all discussions for another time. For now I just want to say Congrats on an amazing career and rest well with that beautiful beard of yours. The pleasure has been all ours.
Since the announcement and timeline was revealed on when the LCA was going to be up and running I have called Zetterbergs retirement plans to an absolute T. In July of 2014 Chris Illitch unveiled the renderings of the new arena and what the district Detroit was supposed to be. Coincidentally this announcement came just a few months after Z's back surgery, which he rushed back from for the playoffs. From this point on I new it was a very limited time that we had left for Z to be an active player.
So where did I get my reasoning for this? Its pretty simple if you use some deductive reasoning. At the time of his surgery and the arena announcement, he was approaching his mid-30's, with which most players begin to decline, if they haven't already. His partner in on ice crime Datsyuk was planning to leave in 1 more year to return to Russia. The team was beginning to be in a major state of decline. And he has already won virtually everything there is to win at this point, so why risk playing until you're 40 and jeopardizing your long term health? Not to mention he and his wife are superstars back home in Sweden, comparable to the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (when they were together). Another throw in is that the couple had their 1st son in 2015, so the writing was all on the wall in bold for everyone to see...yet no one wanted to piece it together.
So how do we know I'm not making all this up that I was predicting this event? Oh well I have a few links from my Reddit account that are all nice and time stamped that I can share with you folks to show that I'm not bluffing here.
This 1st thread from a discussion about what player will no longer be on your team in 5 years time. This link is probably the most in depth about it but it proves my point none the less,
This 2nd thread is just discussion about whether Z will crack 1000pts for his career. Obviously now we all know he wont.
This one started more as my hopefulness that John Tavares would end up here, clearly didnt happen and I got it wrong but I wasn't alone as Pieere McGuire had us in that talk too. But as you scroll through and read the comments here I get more in depth convo with others who try to keep wearing blinders to hid from what is right in front of them.
Now like I said, I really wish I didn't predict this. Z has been one of my all time favorite players, and not just of the Wings but hockey as a whole. His drive and passion for the game are something to behold. He brought a blue collar work ethic with white collar skill to the ice every time he climbed over the boards. Watching him last season was amazing in retro spec. You could see the body was not keeping up with the mind, be his positioning was almost perfect to be able to make a solid play when needed. And those hands could still zip a pass to the far dot, all while looking the pressuring opponent off the other direction.
He leave behind an impressive resume as well. After being a Calder Trophy for rookie of the year runner up, when he had 22G and 22A he went on to play a total of 1,082 games in the NHL. In that time he amassed 337 G and 623 A, good for 960pts over his career in the regular season...one more and he would have no doubt cracked 1000pts. Almost more impressively are his playoff numbers, 137 games played, 57G and 63A, 120pts, and none more important than the 2008 Stanley Cup clinching goal in game 6! Let us not forget that he walked away that night with the Conn Smythe Trophy as well as the MVP of the playoffs.
Internationally he has been just as impressive! In 2006 he went on a rampage and won Gold Medals in both the Olympics and World Championship; most impressively during the Olympic run he posted a stat line of 3G-3A-6PTS with no penalty minutes in the 8 games that team Sweden play. In the Worlds that year the stats were virtually the same, only he was short 1 goal as compared to the Olympics. Add to those a few more Silver and Bronze medals and you have one hell of a collection to put up on the wall of fame.
With that resume it will be hard for the next captain of our great franchise to follow but something tells me that he will be up to the challenge. His leadership was invaluable to many who came through the locker room, especially that of our younger players. With the end officially here now it is a sad day. He led the team through a great transition into the future as we left behind The Joe and now have christened the LCA it is time he listens to his body and shuts it down. Let the debates begin, is he HHOF worthy? Will his jersey be retired? Who will become the next captain of the team? These are all discussions for another time. For now I just want to say Congrats on an amazing career and rest well with that beautiful beard of yours. The pleasure has been all ours.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Most Improved Teams of the Off-Season.
This off-season has seen plenty of players joining new teams
either via trade, free agency, and almost most importantly the draft. With all
these players changing places most teams should have a different outlook coming
into the season, for better or worse. So, I'm going do a breakdown of a
few teams I think have improved the most and not just on paper. These
teams I think are really going to have a significant improvement in the
standings as opposed to last season.
Let’s start with the easy one, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Are the most improved as a whole, probably not. Defense was never really addressed here, but offense? That's another story. They landed arguably the biggest free agent available in the last 10 years by bringing in the home town kid in John Tavares. They now have top-3 center depth reminiscent of the 2009 Penguins.
Penguins had Crosby, Malkin, and Jordan Staal at center the year they won the cup, now the Leafs have Matthews, Tavares, and Kadri! This is scary, not think about Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Patty Marleau on the wings. That's a lot of high-end talent, each line just needs a gritty and physical guy to go in the corners and really help dig out that puck to get it into space, and these guys don’t need much. As far as D goes, not much happened, but look for Timothy Lilgren to crack the lineup. He was scary good last year when I saw him at USA Arena and thought he was NHL ready then, he definitely should be now. Look for the Leafs to battle for top spot in the League this season.
On to the Buffalo Sabres. Another easy choice, but on a deeper level than just picking up Rasmus Dahlin. They have made some remarkable trades! In the process they had to give up a bit, and even gave up one of the best centers in the league when he is on his game in Ryan O'Reilly, but they got back so much more the team is pretty fantastic on paper.
They have added Skinner, Thompson, Berglund, Sobotka, and Connor Sheary all via trade this off season, On top of already having Eichel, Mittelstadt, and Okposo...thats a pretty formidable top-6 no matter how you put it together, and their 3rd line shouldn’t be too shabby either. On D they have Ristolainen, Dahlin, Bogo, and Scandella; which makes for a nice top4 set of D-men. Now the worry is in goal, which isn’t much of a change from last season. The question now is can Carter Hutton carry the load of being a number 1 goalie for the 1st time at 32 years old? If he can look for the Sabre to battle anywhere from wild card to 2nd overall in the Atlantic Division.
In the west, we have the Arizona Coyotes up first. I don’t think that they had the biggest F.A. signings but they definitely locked up a good player in Grabner. He will be a good fit on the 2nd or 3rd line for them, bringing a little bit of size, but a hell of a lot of speed and some goal scoring ability. He'll also be vital on the PK where he had 2 shorty’s and has had 15 so far in his career. More importantly than signing Grabner, they were able to resign some key players in Raanta, Dvorak, and Hjalmarsson. When healthy last season Raanta was stellar in goal winning 21 of the teams 29 victories, with only 46 starts. Dvorak is a young player with a high ceiling that he began to show last season earning himself a substantial raise. And Hjalmarsson is just a solid, hardworking defense man who has "been there and done that" and provides tremendous leadership to a young D-core.
The biggest move they made was trading, straight up, Max Domi for Alex Galchenyuk. While Domi has a lot of upside, Galchenyuk is a bit bigger and a proven goal scorer who most would expect about 30 goals a season out of. Not to mention he has been great on the power play when he is on his game. Combine that with a young and promising group of forward I would expect a solid top 9 and at least 3 20-goal scorers this season...could there be more or someone even to get 30 goals? Only time will tell. Goaltending is in good shape with Raanta as mentioned before, but how will the D-core perform? A pretty good top-4 led by OEL, but will it stay healthy and the depth players rise up? We'll see but expect to Yotes to be in it till the end this year battling for a wild card spot.
And to finish things off we have the St. Louis Blues. An already solid team, though the just missed the playoffs, really shook things up this off season in a big way. Most of all quite a lot was lost in the Ryan O'Reilly trade that was already talked about back up in the Sabres talk, so I'm going to leave that alone. Other than that, they made some key free agency deals that should help to off-set the loss of a few players. Key signings made were of Bozak and Perron returning from Vegas...I think Perron has been moved from the team and came back now 3-4 times at this point, its nuts. Bozak will now give the Blues solid top-3 center depth with O'Reilly and Schenn, who had his own breakout year last season. Down the wings you have one of the best snipers in the game, Tarasenko, along with Steen, Fabri, and big Patty Marron. With a few younger players who'll be looking to make an impact we have another team with a very solid top-9.
The Defense of the Blues is the real key though, they have likely the 3rd, maybe 4th ,best D core in their division, yet it is still likely in the top 3rd of the league. The top-4 is about as solid as it comes being led by Pietrangelo and Parayko. Though that don’t have much in the way of depth or prospects in the system it will be very important that they stay health and play well. Back in goal they have Jake Allen so has been able to stand on his head often, and with the number one spot secured, it will be gravely important that he plays to his best especially late into the season. In a stacked division they will need every victory they can get to make it into the playoffs, the west really looks like it will be the wild, wild, west again and I would expect the Blues to push for the 3rd place spot trying to avoid the wildcard.
I had 2 honorable mentions until today though...now I have 3. I'm not going to go in depth at all, you can do the work and let your imagination run wild. Number one, the Carolina Hurricanes, and no its not because of Mrazek (though it totally helps). Second the Calgary Flames...funny I think these teams did some business this summer. And Third as of about 2:30 EST this afternoon...the San Jose Sharks...Eric Karlsson, what more needs to be said.
Let’s start with the easy one, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Are the most improved as a whole, probably not. Defense was never really addressed here, but offense? That's another story. They landed arguably the biggest free agent available in the last 10 years by bringing in the home town kid in John Tavares. They now have top-3 center depth reminiscent of the 2009 Penguins.
Penguins had Crosby, Malkin, and Jordan Staal at center the year they won the cup, now the Leafs have Matthews, Tavares, and Kadri! This is scary, not think about Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Patty Marleau on the wings. That's a lot of high-end talent, each line just needs a gritty and physical guy to go in the corners and really help dig out that puck to get it into space, and these guys don’t need much. As far as D goes, not much happened, but look for Timothy Lilgren to crack the lineup. He was scary good last year when I saw him at USA Arena and thought he was NHL ready then, he definitely should be now. Look for the Leafs to battle for top spot in the League this season.
On to the Buffalo Sabres. Another easy choice, but on a deeper level than just picking up Rasmus Dahlin. They have made some remarkable trades! In the process they had to give up a bit, and even gave up one of the best centers in the league when he is on his game in Ryan O'Reilly, but they got back so much more the team is pretty fantastic on paper.
They have added Skinner, Thompson, Berglund, Sobotka, and Connor Sheary all via trade this off season, On top of already having Eichel, Mittelstadt, and Okposo...thats a pretty formidable top-6 no matter how you put it together, and their 3rd line shouldn’t be too shabby either. On D they have Ristolainen, Dahlin, Bogo, and Scandella; which makes for a nice top4 set of D-men. Now the worry is in goal, which isn’t much of a change from last season. The question now is can Carter Hutton carry the load of being a number 1 goalie for the 1st time at 32 years old? If he can look for the Sabre to battle anywhere from wild card to 2nd overall in the Atlantic Division.
In the west, we have the Arizona Coyotes up first. I don’t think that they had the biggest F.A. signings but they definitely locked up a good player in Grabner. He will be a good fit on the 2nd or 3rd line for them, bringing a little bit of size, but a hell of a lot of speed and some goal scoring ability. He'll also be vital on the PK where he had 2 shorty’s and has had 15 so far in his career. More importantly than signing Grabner, they were able to resign some key players in Raanta, Dvorak, and Hjalmarsson. When healthy last season Raanta was stellar in goal winning 21 of the teams 29 victories, with only 46 starts. Dvorak is a young player with a high ceiling that he began to show last season earning himself a substantial raise. And Hjalmarsson is just a solid, hardworking defense man who has "been there and done that" and provides tremendous leadership to a young D-core.
The biggest move they made was trading, straight up, Max Domi for Alex Galchenyuk. While Domi has a lot of upside, Galchenyuk is a bit bigger and a proven goal scorer who most would expect about 30 goals a season out of. Not to mention he has been great on the power play when he is on his game. Combine that with a young and promising group of forward I would expect a solid top 9 and at least 3 20-goal scorers this season...could there be more or someone even to get 30 goals? Only time will tell. Goaltending is in good shape with Raanta as mentioned before, but how will the D-core perform? A pretty good top-4 led by OEL, but will it stay healthy and the depth players rise up? We'll see but expect to Yotes to be in it till the end this year battling for a wild card spot.
And to finish things off we have the St. Louis Blues. An already solid team, though the just missed the playoffs, really shook things up this off season in a big way. Most of all quite a lot was lost in the Ryan O'Reilly trade that was already talked about back up in the Sabres talk, so I'm going to leave that alone. Other than that, they made some key free agency deals that should help to off-set the loss of a few players. Key signings made were of Bozak and Perron returning from Vegas...I think Perron has been moved from the team and came back now 3-4 times at this point, its nuts. Bozak will now give the Blues solid top-3 center depth with O'Reilly and Schenn, who had his own breakout year last season. Down the wings you have one of the best snipers in the game, Tarasenko, along with Steen, Fabri, and big Patty Marron. With a few younger players who'll be looking to make an impact we have another team with a very solid top-9.
The Defense of the Blues is the real key though, they have likely the 3rd, maybe 4th ,best D core in their division, yet it is still likely in the top 3rd of the league. The top-4 is about as solid as it comes being led by Pietrangelo and Parayko. Though that don’t have much in the way of depth or prospects in the system it will be very important that they stay health and play well. Back in goal they have Jake Allen so has been able to stand on his head often, and with the number one spot secured, it will be gravely important that he plays to his best especially late into the season. In a stacked division they will need every victory they can get to make it into the playoffs, the west really looks like it will be the wild, wild, west again and I would expect the Blues to push for the 3rd place spot trying to avoid the wildcard.
I had 2 honorable mentions until today though...now I have 3. I'm not going to go in depth at all, you can do the work and let your imagination run wild. Number one, the Carolina Hurricanes, and no its not because of Mrazek (though it totally helps). Second the Calgary Flames...funny I think these teams did some business this summer. And Third as of about 2:30 EST this afternoon...the San Jose Sharks...Eric Karlsson, what more needs to be said.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Yzerman coming home...?
Well the big news of yesterday is that Yzerman has decided to step down as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning and will now take a role as a senior adviser to the team. This clearly has everyone in Hockeytown, and then some, speculating as to why and also what's next? I have 3 different outcomes we could see from this move.
First is that he somehow doesn't believe the team will get it done on the big stage when it matters the most. So by stepping down he is moving himself out of the spotlight quite a bit early and now blame will begin to fall on his replacement in the coming years, while he will have to deal with very little criticism. Also with his family this would allow him to be able to spend more time with them stress free, an added bonus.
Secondly, and this ties into the first a bit, without the stress of running a franchise he can focus on making a move to be the GM of the Seattle team. So far as I know there are no ties he has involved that would pull him or poach him away but after seeing what Vegas did why wouldn't you want to take that chance and build your team completely from scratch.
Thirdly, and everyone in Detroit's favorite, is that he is coming "home" to resume the role of GM for the Wings after this upcoming season is over. Key here is that Yzerman has 1 year left on his contract, while Ken Holland has 2 on his. So would the Illitches fire Holland or do they have some sort of verbal agreement that he will step down after this season, assuming that Yzerman wanted the position. Which also at this point, couldn't it almost be considered and investigated for some sort of tampering like with players under contract?
Either way if what we're heading is all true he has said that he does plan to return to Detroit and we all figure that he will take the role as GM. And in our great fantasy we envision him leading us back to the promise land of a Stanley Cup which we haven't had since 2008. The next question to be answered though if he leave Tampa one way or the other (Detroit or Seattle) he will need a coach. My money is on Guy Boucher, from there I wouldn't mind seeing Glen Gulutzan as an assistant, that would make a great coaching tandem for either team.
It works that much better in Detroit right now too, a defensive scheme with young players needing to learn that side a bit better and explosive offensive capabilities. Just saying, it sounds good. But we'll have to wait another 9 months or so to see how it all actually plays out. But this is a lot of peoples dream, potentially come true.
First is that he somehow doesn't believe the team will get it done on the big stage when it matters the most. So by stepping down he is moving himself out of the spotlight quite a bit early and now blame will begin to fall on his replacement in the coming years, while he will have to deal with very little criticism. Also with his family this would allow him to be able to spend more time with them stress free, an added bonus.
Secondly, and this ties into the first a bit, without the stress of running a franchise he can focus on making a move to be the GM of the Seattle team. So far as I know there are no ties he has involved that would pull him or poach him away but after seeing what Vegas did why wouldn't you want to take that chance and build your team completely from scratch.
Thirdly, and everyone in Detroit's favorite, is that he is coming "home" to resume the role of GM for the Wings after this upcoming season is over. Key here is that Yzerman has 1 year left on his contract, while Ken Holland has 2 on his. So would the Illitches fire Holland or do they have some sort of verbal agreement that he will step down after this season, assuming that Yzerman wanted the position. Which also at this point, couldn't it almost be considered and investigated for some sort of tampering like with players under contract?
Either way if what we're heading is all true he has said that he does plan to return to Detroit and we all figure that he will take the role as GM. And in our great fantasy we envision him leading us back to the promise land of a Stanley Cup which we haven't had since 2008. The next question to be answered though if he leave Tampa one way or the other (Detroit or Seattle) he will need a coach. My money is on Guy Boucher, from there I wouldn't mind seeing Glen Gulutzan as an assistant, that would make a great coaching tandem for either team.
It works that much better in Detroit right now too, a defensive scheme with young players needing to learn that side a bit better and explosive offensive capabilities. Just saying, it sounds good. But we'll have to wait another 9 months or so to see how it all actually plays out. But this is a lot of peoples dream, potentially come true.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
State of the game, we've entered a new era!
I'd like to start this off by giving my take on where the great game of hockey is right now in its evolution. I feel it is obvious to say that it is better than it has ever been, which is an arguement, or heated discussion, I have had many times with many people. Most of those people tend to think the game was its best in the late 80's through the 90's. Being based in Metro Detroit the majority of people tend to go with the rivalry between the Red Wings and Avalance for the basis of their arguements, which is pretty fair honestly. During that time frame the Wigns and Avs were two of the best teams in the league for years and in a seven year span both teams won a combined five Stanley Cups, those are no slouch numbers. But very rarely is there talk of the talent on either team, unless its Yzerman, Fedorov, and McCarty (who someone once told me should have been the Captain of the Wings over Yzerman). The only thing ever mentioned is the fighting! People will say things like "when they let the players fight" or "fighting is what the game was all about"...I'm not sure what they were watching.
Well actually I do know, a lot of fighting, the rivalry was most known for its bloodshed and physicality, But a lot of people overlook or just didn't notice the high level of skill and competition that there was every time the teams stepped on the ice against each other. Does anyone know the number of combined Hall of Famers on these teams? 11 Wings players depending on how you count the years of the rivalry and another 5 for the Avs...That's damn near a whole team worth of players. And there are definitely a more than a few who could be considered borderline and were definitely key contributors for both organizations...I honestly expected more names when I did that quick search, especially on the Avalance side, but that's neither here nor there.
Clearly these were very talented teams during this era, but they were not alone. There were very talented players spread out all across the league. Dallas had players like Modano, Hull, Lehtinen, Hatcher, and Sydor. New Jersey had Stevens, Niedermayer, Housley, Holik, Elias, and Sykora. These, clearly are the other two teams to have won the cup in the time frame from 1995-2002, but even the opposition as well as the rest of the league still had amazing talent. To name a few of the most popular would be Super Mario, Jagr, Selanne, Kriya, Lindros, Oates, Messier, Robitaille, Sundin, Tkachuk. And those are just the forwards, I've mentioned some D-men, but no goalies. As for goalies you literally have the 3 greatest of all time in the era too in Roy, Broudeur, and Hasek (they're in no particular order here).
Watching all these players, and then some, combined with the way technology began to boom, new players began to be bred. Looking ahead to the just after the 2004-2005 lockout, we saw new types of players and superstars emerged. Most famously from those early drafts we saw the beginning of Crosby, Ovechkin, and Malkin. But there was also the emergence of players like Datsyuk, Kopitar, Nash, the Sedin twins, Kane and Toews, Hossa, Thornton and Marleau. Once again, these are just a few of the forwards. Reason for listing them however is that they make the highlight reels more often than the D-men when it comes to skill plays, though that's no disrespect to them, or goalies either. The high end skill combined with the speed that players began to play with started to set the stage for the young stars entering into the league the last 3-4 years and ever year more are coming in droves.
With the influx of new players, and more importantly younger players, coming into the league I believe we're entering into a new era of Hockey as we know it. Looking at the entry drafts, usually the top 3-5 picks are pretty much figured out with the top 2-3 going in a very predicted order. But every player after that is a roll of the dice as far as the order they are picked. Now that has pretty much always been the case in any draft, across all sports. But in the last few years of the NHL we're all seeing at least the top 60 or so players all showcasing incredibly high end skill in many different ways that we've never haven't seen before. Basically the depth is incredible. This isn't to say that you couldn't pick up a great player in later rounds, but the odds were stacked even higher against than they are now. I feel that in the next 5 years we're gonna be seeing player debates going as far back as the 4th and 5th rounds.
Now the reasoning is basically just a multiplication factor. Lets take it back to the Crosby and Ovenchin drafts for a quick moment and go from there. Those years were 2004 and 2005 respectfully, even though I listed them backwards. Now think about all the amazing players in the league in those years and all the following years. Think of all the incredible goal highlights we see every year, its an increasing amount per year isn't it? All of those highlights are uploaded onto every social media site around and they tend to go viral in the hockey-verse. Now think about all the youth players in the world watching and now going to their practice and trying to emulate what the best players in the world are doing, but they're all doing it at 10-12 years old, some even younger!
One of the most electric players to watch in the game now it Nathan MacKinnon, the former 1st overall pick in the 2013 entry draft. NHL players are usually drafted at 18 years old, so for all of MacKinnons developmental and junior years he had been watching NHL post 2005 lockout, conveniently the seasons after the Ovi and Sid drafts. So he and many other players drafted in those years (2013ish) were all watching the Sid and Ovi show essentially. Now in Nathans particular circumstance, he is from the same town as Crosby, who is arguably the greatest player in the world, and gets the pleasure of being able to now be friends with him and they train together in the off-season therefore enhancing both of their skills.
Now I'm not saying MacKinnon was only watching Crosby play or that he is a replica player, because he is not. There are to many different players to name that an uncountable number of youth players were watching and copying. All that have had years to practice everything they've ever seen on a highlight film, and these kids are the ones who are entering the league now and taking over. Not only are they equally, if not more skilled than many of the 3rd-4th line veteran players, but they're bigger, just as strong, faster, and cheaper to employ. This should give reasoning as to why the league and the game as a whole is not only younger but better than ever when looking at the skill of the game. One great thing is that these new puck and skating skills players have now are not only for forwards, we're seeing an insane number of defense men who all can play in the same way, with fast hands and feet.
Think of Drew Doughty, Erik Karlsson, John Klingberg, Aaron Ekblad, P.K. Subban, Dustin Byfuglien...just to name a few of them. All play for different teams, all play a different style of game that is reflective of their own personality, all have incredibly high end skill. Most of these D-Men have been in the league for 5+ years as well...coincidentally (or maybe not) this years draft had 14 D-men drafted in the 1st round, including the 1st overall pick as well in Rasmus Dahlin. We're seeing the skill now being spread all throughout team line ups making every player dangerous when the puck is on their stick. Now coming into the drafts every year players all have their own highlight reels upwards of 10 minutes long sometimes! So now not only are players able to watch the pros make incredible plays, but they're seeing players just drafted making them.
With all this in mind, just keep compounding it like the interest on a mortgage and imagine what the game will be like in another few years. I have no doubt that after a few more years of young, up and coming players watching and learning from the McDavids and Matthew's of the league now that soon the league will almost be entirely made up of these high speed and high skill players and the days of a true grinder style of player will be gone for good just like we're seeing the extinction of the goon today. I feel I need to add a little something about the physical play in today's game though seeing as that is where I started this off in the evolution talk.
The game is still very, very physical, and likely more dangerous than the 90's style in its own way. Sure, fighting has gone down significantly but that is in large part to how the junior leagues operate where fighting can warrant a suspension and a check to the head definitely does. Like I mentioned, the players now are bigger, stronger and faster, a common them among most sports. So now when an open ice hit happens players have less time to adjust and take the hit in a safe manner. We've already seen it where one of the brightest young players in the game in Laine took an open ice hit to the head and was knocked unconscious. Now as great as the hit was to see, since we all like those spectacles whether we admit it or not, we don't want to see players going down with head injuries.
Physicality is there still its just more spread out due to the injuries that can occur more frequently in today's era of the game. I would say as well that players are far more interested in playing the puck and putting it in the net now than making a big hit. Winning is what matters the most and with so many high end skill players in the game today every goal counts. That is why we're seeing teams built on youth, speed, and skill like never before, and it is only going to increase. Soon we're gonna have teams with 10 20 goal scorers on them and it'll become the norm. And who knows, maybe 2-3 of them will end up being defense man as well. Either way I feel bad for the goalies in coming years, but can not wait to watch the game continue to evolve in this new era and become more exciting than it is now.
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