Growing up in metro Detroit, I'm a lifelong fan of the Detroit Red Wings. I've loved the Minnesota Wild since their incarnation, largely due to what I think is the best logo in professional sports - likely due to my bias towards the north woods. I've been dating a girl from Philly for over three years and thus have adopted a rooting interesting for the Flyers.
The Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, and Philadelphia Flyers. All in need of an impact defenseman. Along with at least half of the league.
1) It's obvious in Detroit. The Wings lost Lidstrom and Stuart and their defense has been the shell of its former self that many expected. Kyle Quincey's atrocious play has been the major surprise here. Quincey was acquired by the Wings to be a minute eater to replace Brad Stuart. Instead, he has proven to be incapable of consistent stretches of good play and simply has not been a fit. Meanwhile, Colaiacovo got injured (as expected), White got injured, Smith is a rookie, Lashoff needs more time in the AHL, Kindl and Huskins are bubble defensemen, and Ericsson is a second pairing D at his absolute best. This has really all caused Kronwall to shoulder a load that he just can't carry. The dude is a top pairing D, but not without another one at his side.
2) It's also obvious in Philadelphia. Kurtis Foster and Andreas Lilja are barely even bubble defensemen; while Schenn, Meszaros, and Coburn are better suited as second pairing D in my mind. Timmonen needs more help.
3) It may not be as obvious in Minnesota, as many fans seem more concerned with the trifecta of Granlund, Heatley, and Setoguchi. Of course, there's good reason for this. Granlund and Setoguchi have been awful in terms of puck possession. Granlund ought to be sent back to Houston, he needs more time to get back to his game after returning from injury. Setoguchi has to be trade bait at this point, though expecting much of a return for him will likely lead to disappointment. Heatley meanwhile continues a downward spiral which may lead to Minnesota buying him out.
4) But, Suter has struggled. Coach Mike Yeo is in a pickle, as only Suter and Gilbert are legitimate top four defensemen. Brodin has been impressive, and definitely belongs on the team. Jared Spurgeon was expected to be fine as a top four d, but he was really struggling before injury as you can see on the awesome stats site Behind the Net. Meanwhile, none of Scandella, Falk, or Prosser are anything more than bubble defensemen at this point.
5) I expect other teams looking for help on defense include Los Angeles, Buffalo, Carolina, and St. Louis at a minimum.
6) Ryan Whitney and Alex Goligoski were both recent healthy scratches. Ryan Whitney has really seen his career destroyed by injuries, and shouldn't be looked at as something more than a bottom pairing/power play guy. He's become very, very slow.
7) Goligoski however remains a strong option as a top four D with upside to be a top pairing guy. Considering that Dallas traded Neal for him, any team wanting him would need to put together a serious offer. I don't see any team doing that yet (though Goligoski is from Minnesota). Later in the month, I'd think that Detroit might be willing to put together an offer.
8) Detroit doesn't have any cap problems this year, but could be in a world of hurt this summer. Jimmy Howard, Valtteri Filppula, Damien Brunner, and Ian White are all UFAs this summer and are all due raises. Besides White, they're all looking at significant raises at that. I think Danny Cleary will be gone (also a UFA), but I still see a compliance buy out this summer with Kyle Quincey or Johan Franzen as targets.
9) A lot of people will laugh out my suggestion of buying out Franzen, and while it's admittedly unlikely, I don't think it's impossible. Franzen is already 33 and has 7! years left on his deal after this season. The guy has had injuries every year and plays a physical game. He also is among the weaker skaters in the league, and has never hit 30 goals in a single season. I don't see him being worth his cap hit within the next two years, and then if he retires the Wings are caught with part of his cap hit due to it being a back-diving deal.
10) Back to defensemen, I've got to think that teams willing to trade significant assets for a top-four guy should be calling Florida about Kulikov. After a tough contract negotiation and a slow start, it can't hurt to see if he is available and what it would take to get him.
11) Roberto Luogno is just a terrific story. In fact, I think Vancouver should really think hard about trading Schneider instead of Luongo. Schneider is younger with a better contract and will fetch a better return. He doesn't have a no-trade clause. He's never won a playoff series or even been the starter for a full season. This would have to be okay with Luongo, who asked for a trade, but I think it makes a lot of sense.
12) I'm really interested by Anaheim. They're off to a terrific start, and at this point one has to think they'll be in the playoff picture through the trade deadline. So what do they do if Getzlaf and Perry haven't signed extensions? That'll be a major story to watch, as losing either to free agency for nothing will likely result in Anaheim being basement dwellers for the foreseeable future.
13) A team needing a depth defenseman should look at Toronto's Mike Komisarek. I think the guy could be help on a third pairing and the PK still.
14) Apart from the guys I've listed, Keith Yandle is likely the other significant defenseman who could be available. I think he'll be the hardest to acquire though, as Phoenix is looking to win now.
15) Washington and Buffalo are both a mess and both have GMs who have been with the teams for over a decade. With Brian Burke being available, I really think one of these guys has to get the axe.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Predicting Next Year's US Olympic Hockey Roster
I'm working under the assumption that NHL players will be participating in next winter's Olympics in Sochi, Russia. After a Silver Medal at the last Winter Olympics, and a Gold Medal at this year's World Juniors, I think that Team USA will be set up for a run at Gold next year. There are a lot of quality players for Team USA to choose from next year, so let's get this thing start.
Goalies
Without Ryan Miller in '10 and Gibson at the past World Juniors, it's likely that Team USA wouldn't have a medal. However, great goaltending is something I think we can expect again at next year's Olympics for the US. I think the two goaltenders will be Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick and Olympic veteran Ryan Miller with Quick being the starter. Quick showed in the playoffs last year how he can step his game up when it matters, and has been consistently excellent for a couple of years now. The team will carry a third goalie as insurance, and have a variety of options including Cory Schneider (VAN), Jimmy Howard (DET), and the wildcard: Tim Thomas (BOS) who claims to want play NHL hockey next year just to make the team. I think they'll carry Schneider as the third goalie, just to give him the experience. The bottom line is as long as Quick is healthy, goaltending should be a strength for the team..
Defense
In my mind, there's only one lock on defense and that's Minnesota defender Ryan Suter who is an Olympic veteran. The defense will be drastically different from the last incarnation with Rafalski retired and Whitney and Gleason likely no longer being part of the discussion. Olympic veterans Brooks Orpik, Jack Johnson, and Erik Johnson will all likely be considered but I think only one of them - Brooks Orpik or Jack Johnson - will be carried as an extra D. In my mind, Kevin Shattenkirk is an obvious guy to replace the puck movement Brian Rafalski brought. Dustin Byfuglien and Keith Yandle are other defensemen who can bring the offense and I think will make the team. I then think Ryan McDonagh and Justin Faulk will make the team to balance the pairings out with guys who are especially strong in their own end. Apart from the names already mentioned, I think Zach Bogosian and Alex Goligoski could also be options though both would have to really impress.
Forwards
There's going to be a lot of returning players at forward including: Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, David Backes, Ryan Callahan, Dustin Brown, Bobby Ryan, Phil Kessel, and Joe Pavelski. Entering the conversation this time around are Max Pacioretty, Derek Stepan, James van Riemsdyk, and T.J. Oshie. I think these will be the forwards with the likes of Paul Stastny, Ryan Malone, and Blake Wheeler all also being in the conversation.
The Team
Parise - Kesler - Kane
van Riemsdyk - Pavelski - Ryan
Brown - Backes - Callahan
Pacioretty - Stepan - Kessel
Suter - Faulk
McDonagh - Shattenkirk
Yandle - Byfuglien
Quick - Miller
(Oshie - Schneider - Orpik)
I like the looks of that team and think the roster will look pretty similar to that next year at the Olympics. What do you think?
Goalies
Without Ryan Miller in '10 and Gibson at the past World Juniors, it's likely that Team USA wouldn't have a medal. However, great goaltending is something I think we can expect again at next year's Olympics for the US. I think the two goaltenders will be Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick and Olympic veteran Ryan Miller with Quick being the starter. Quick showed in the playoffs last year how he can step his game up when it matters, and has been consistently excellent for a couple of years now. The team will carry a third goalie as insurance, and have a variety of options including Cory Schneider (VAN), Jimmy Howard (DET), and the wildcard: Tim Thomas (BOS) who claims to want play NHL hockey next year just to make the team. I think they'll carry Schneider as the third goalie, just to give him the experience. The bottom line is as long as Quick is healthy, goaltending should be a strength for the team..
Defense
In my mind, there's only one lock on defense and that's Minnesota defender Ryan Suter who is an Olympic veteran. The defense will be drastically different from the last incarnation with Rafalski retired and Whitney and Gleason likely no longer being part of the discussion. Olympic veterans Brooks Orpik, Jack Johnson, and Erik Johnson will all likely be considered but I think only one of them - Brooks Orpik or Jack Johnson - will be carried as an extra D. In my mind, Kevin Shattenkirk is an obvious guy to replace the puck movement Brian Rafalski brought. Dustin Byfuglien and Keith Yandle are other defensemen who can bring the offense and I think will make the team. I then think Ryan McDonagh and Justin Faulk will make the team to balance the pairings out with guys who are especially strong in their own end. Apart from the names already mentioned, I think Zach Bogosian and Alex Goligoski could also be options though both would have to really impress.
Forwards
There's going to be a lot of returning players at forward including: Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, David Backes, Ryan Callahan, Dustin Brown, Bobby Ryan, Phil Kessel, and Joe Pavelski. Entering the conversation this time around are Max Pacioretty, Derek Stepan, James van Riemsdyk, and T.J. Oshie. I think these will be the forwards with the likes of Paul Stastny, Ryan Malone, and Blake Wheeler all also being in the conversation.
The Team
Parise - Kesler - Kane
van Riemsdyk - Pavelski - Ryan
Brown - Backes - Callahan
Pacioretty - Stepan - Kessel
Suter - Faulk
McDonagh - Shattenkirk
Yandle - Byfuglien
Quick - Miller
(Oshie - Schneider - Orpik)
I like the looks of that team and think the roster will look pretty similar to that next year at the Olympics. What do you think?
Saturday, February 2, 2013
All-Star Solution?
One of the few benefits of this shortened season is the lack of the All-Star Game. The All-Star Game is something that most "hockey people" don't like, in fact most watch it just to make jokes on Twitter. I know this because I follow hundreds of "hockey people" on Twitter. Most of my friends however are casual fans, and they also don't really care about the All-Star Game. The bottom line is that the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Winter Classic rightfully are the events that fans care about.
The All-Star Game may also be becoming more rare. I'm expecting the NHL to continue its participation in the Winter Olympics which take place every four years. Now, several people including Elliotte Friedman are reporting that a World Cup of Hockey could also take place every four years in the winter. Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy, expertly covers it here.
So, that's 2 out of ever four years that the All-Star Game will be eliminated. The game isn't about to disappear in those other two years. It's important to sponsors and host cities. However, I've got an idea to make it a bit more interesting in the future and it revolves around the NHL's proposed realignment last year.
My idea is to turn the event into a tournament. Each of the four conferences would get an All-Star Team. Friday night would be the Skills Competition, with the four teams competing for seeding. Saturday would feature two games; one between the first seeded team and the fourth seeded team; the second between the second seeded team and third seeded team. The winning two teams would then play one final game Sunday.
This would allow more players to participate, and create two more games for the NHL to make money on. It would very much become a weekend event and could be called the All-Star Tournament. It could help with the philosophy of making the NHL more event oriented.
The cons would be some players would make the All-Star tournament who many may not consider to be stars - but I don't really think that's a problem as there's always ton of great players who don't get invited. The other con would be the recently added fantasy draft would no longer work.
These are just some initial thoughts about what to do with the All-Star Game. What do you think?
The All-Star Game may also be becoming more rare. I'm expecting the NHL to continue its participation in the Winter Olympics which take place every four years. Now, several people including Elliotte Friedman are reporting that a World Cup of Hockey could also take place every four years in the winter. Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy, expertly covers it here.
So, that's 2 out of ever four years that the All-Star Game will be eliminated. The game isn't about to disappear in those other two years. It's important to sponsors and host cities. However, I've got an idea to make it a bit more interesting in the future and it revolves around the NHL's proposed realignment last year.
My idea is to turn the event into a tournament. Each of the four conferences would get an All-Star Team. Friday night would be the Skills Competition, with the four teams competing for seeding. Saturday would feature two games; one between the first seeded team and the fourth seeded team; the second between the second seeded team and third seeded team. The winning two teams would then play one final game Sunday.
This would allow more players to participate, and create two more games for the NHL to make money on. It would very much become a weekend event and could be called the All-Star Tournament. It could help with the philosophy of making the NHL more event oriented.
The cons would be some players would make the All-Star tournament who many may not consider to be stars - but I don't really think that's a problem as there's always ton of great players who don't get invited. The other con would be the recently added fantasy draft would no longer work.
These are just some initial thoughts about what to do with the All-Star Game. What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)