Hockey Trade Rumors - NHL Rumors from around the league

Kobasew resigns for 3 years/7 mill

The Boston Bruins have signed a three-year contract extension with forward Chuck Kobasew.

Kobasew will earn $2 million next season, $2.5 million in 2009-10 and $2.5 million in 2010-11.

The 26-year old scored 22 goals and 39 points in 73 games for the Bruins last year.

The native of Vancouver was acquired from the Calgary Flames back in February of 2007.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=237666&lid=sublink010&lpos=headlines_main

This is a good signing for the bruins. Kobasew is only 26, scored 22 goals last season, and was a gritty winger when they needed it most. I think 2.3 a year is pretty reasonable considering some of the contracts that have been handed out lately. Bruins now can focus on resigning Dennis wideman to hopefully a comparable deal.

Also for the bruins fans out there, it appears the Bruins will be taking a serious run at Marian Hossa. its it going to be too hard with all the UFA and RFA that pittsburgh GM Ray Shero is going to have to resign, to ALSO retain Hossa. GM Ray Shero even went as far to say recently when asked of his desire to resign Hossa by a new england radio station "I heard Peter (chiarelli) was going to sign him." Obviously a joke, but it would be interesting to see Hossa with Savard.......

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/hockey/bruins/view.bg?articleid=1093124

Oilers Need To Pass Middle Ground

After a few wild offseasons in Edmonton, the Oilers appear willing to stay the course and allow what the team it has now to grow and come together as a team.

The only big difference this time will be the new ownership they are working for or more accurately the new owner they are working for in Darryl Katz. Not since the Peter Pocklington days have the Oilers been run by a single enttity, a sole figurehead completely in charge. This change is nothing but good news for the team as it may be the thing the Oilers need to fight against the big market moguls who wield their power via the mighty dollar. Katz is no slouch being a big billionaire himself. Yes the Oilers have been willing to pay and spend to compete as seen by some of the contracts they have handed out and the offer sheets they have put out there. But the franchise has perennially had trouble keeping their stars and having a big time owner around with a vison and a purpose might be able to convince those big name players to stay.

It is a healthy change for the team that is young and has some potentially strong home grown talent in the organization that may be able to lead the Oilers out of being one of the middle of the road teams in the NHL and into the league's elite.

Right now, leading the team are Kevin Lowe as GM and Craig MacTavish as coach and they've been entrenched in Edmonton for years. It will be interesting to see if the new owner decides to stick with these individuals and for how long. Both Lowe and MacT have the advantage of being former Oilers and long time employees of the organization. That familiarity may just be what Katz wants within. However their resumes may put their jobs in peril. Mac T has missed the playoffs for 2 straight seasons and 4th in 7 years. A 3rd straight miss just may be the last straw. Lowe has been somewhat of a renegade as GM and has done many unconventional things as the hockey boss, but in the end he has not been all that successful so far. The team has perennially hovered around 8th place or lower and has not really improved on that standing for several years. Yes Lowe has built a solid young team but there may be a point in time where the new owner will want to see some immediate results. The team really needs to reach the next level and its uncertain whether the current front office group can do the job.

Here is how the team looks heading into the off-season

2008-09 CAP HIT - $45 million for 19 players.

A good reason why the Oilers wont be too busy this off season is the fact they have committed significant money already to almost a full roster. They have several key players locked up long term and have not much wiggle room to manuevre despite the Cap max likely rising to roughly $55-56 million.

UFA – Geoff Sanderson, Curtis Glencross, Marty Reasoner, Allan Rourke

RFA – Jani Pitkanen, Jarret Stoll, Marc Pouliot, Dan Syvret, JF Jacques, Zach Stortini

It will be interesting to see what the Oilers do with Pitkanen. The emergence of some of the team's younger blueliners may make Pitkanen expendable. He could bring a very decent return. However, good puck moving blueliners at that age with plenty of skill and upside still are few and far between. A key whether he stays or goes will likely be the dollars he demands. During the year, rumours suggested he was looking for $4-6 million per. That might be a bit steep to pay based on his numbers. Stoll is another on the bubble. The Oilers have young centres ready to take bigger roles and that may push Stoll out of Edmonton. However his is probably their best checker and faceoff man up the middle and brings leadership, character and other key facets to the team. As for their UFAs, Glencross and Reasoner are both willing to stay and the team would like both role players back.

Under Contract:

Goal – Dwayne Roloson, Mathieu Garon

Tentatively, Garon has won the number 1 job but Roloson will be around to give him a push. Roloson will more than likely be someone the Oilers try to move at the trade deadline as a rental. He is a solid veteran and can still provide some decent netminding from time to time. If Garon can carry over his strong play from this past season into next year, the Oilers will be very solid in goal. Garon made a name for himself in the shootouts going a stunning 10-0 and giving up just 2 goals in the process the entire season.

Defence – Sheldon Souray, Steve Staios, Matt Greene, Tom Gilbert, Denis Grebeshkov, Ladislav Smid, Mathieu Roy

There is some potential here to form a very solid blueline in Edmonton. Staios is the gritty leader of the group and along with Greene give the Oilers a strong defensive presence. Souray and Gilbert are the scorers of the group. Gilbert is the puck moving offenceman while Souray offers the big PP point shot. Souray also provides some leadership and toughness the team needs. Hopefully he can stay healthy for a full season. Gilbert's emergence is one of the big reasons they may be able to trade Pitkanen. But keeping both will give the Oilers depth that many teams will envy. Grebeshkov and Smid will battle other young and rising blueliners and give Edmonton plenty of depth at the position. Both youngsters have not accomplished much so far in their short NHL careers but have the talents to be quality top 4 blueliners for years. The team definitely needs to shore up defensively. They miss their ex-captain Jason Smith and of course a guy like Pronger and their shutdown ability. But there is plenty of youth here and what will happen is mistakes. When they eventually grow out of it, this group just might be a deep quality defence top to bottom.

Forward – Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Dustin Penner, Raffi Torres, Robert Nilsson, Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano, Kyle Brodziak, Fernando Pisani, Ethan Moreau

There is potential here for the team to field 3 solid scoring lines despite being without a true star sniper. Young Gagner however could eventually grow into that role with his high skill level. Hemsky is more of a support scorer and playmaker rather than front end star. But if he continues to give the Oilers 70-80 points a year, the team will be quite happy with that result. Cogliano has the ability to be a gamebreaker with his speed, but he still has a ways to go. Nilsson is similar. The ability is there, but it may be another year or two before we find out if he top line player. Penner was their leading goal scorer but that wasnt saying much. But he if gives Edmonton 25-30 goals every year, they got what they paid for. The Oilers could use another offensive centre to play behind Horcoff. Horcoff, if he can stay healthy is a quality top 2 centre who can handle all areas of the ice. A player with size, who can win draws and centre a second line is a key need for the team. Stoll just isnt a big enough scorer to fill that role and Cogliano and Gagner are probably better suited to play wing. Grit and character are in good supply with a strong 4th line of Glencross, Brodziak and Stortini along with captain Moreau and players like Torres and Pisani. They bring to the table the never say die attitude that characterizes the Oiler teams.

Top Prospects

Goal: Devyn Dubnyk, Jeff Deslauriers

Both Dubnyk and Deslauriers are projects. They are still another year or two away from cracking the NHL level. With goaltending at least solidified for next season, the team can afford to wait. Dont be surprised if the team decides to grab another goaltender in the upcoming draft. Its still up in the air if either one of their goalie prospects will make it.

Defence: Taylor Chorney, Jeff Petry, Theo Peckham, Cody Wild

The team is very deep on defence with plenty of youth with the team already. Smid, Greene, Grebeshkov, Pitkanen, Roy, Gilbert, Syvret are all 25 and under and with plenty of potential. Chorney will add to this group. He is a leader and appears to be one of those character players that all winning teams have. He'll be a big part of the team's future. A key for Edmonton will be their ability to allow this young group of Dmen time to develop and come together as a group. Change will be inevitable, but they need to find out which ones they want to build around and go from there. There is plenty to choose from here and it gives them a great starting point.

Forward: Riley Nash, Rob Schremp, Liam Reddox, MA Pouliot, JF Jacques, Chris Vande Velde, Ryan OMarra, Alex Mikhnov, Colin Macdonald

Schremp is poised to be a good offensive player in the NHL for some team if its not Edmonton. He has had trouble cracking the lineup the past two training camps and could be someone the team moves to get help right away. He just doesnt seem to fit into the style that coach MacTavish wants to play. Pouliot is in the same boat as he has been trying for a while now to get a full time job in the NHL. He has size, skill but its uncertain whether he fits in with the current group. O'Marra had an OK first pro season but looks like someone who might struggle to score. He might make it as a 4th line checker replacing a veteran like Reasoner in that role. Nash is perhaps their best forward prospect but with so much youth around, there is no need to rush him and with him currently playing in college, they can allow him the time to develop.

With so much youth accumulated over the last year or so, the Oilers were comfortable putting forth offer sheets that eventually cost the team draft picks. The team was due to pick 12th but with the signing of RFA Dustin Penner, that pick plus picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds were sent to Anaheim as compensation. Luckily the team will still have a 1st rounder, ironically, the Ducks 1st round pick that came in the Pronger trade. That will be their only selection they have in the top 100 and it will likely be in the mid 20s. The draft is one of the deepest in years and its expected Edmonton and others picking in the late 1st round will get a good player. It would not be shocking to see the team pick up one of the several Western Canadian born junior players available. Someone like Joe Colborne, a big centre playing in Alberta Jr A is a possibility. Or maybe Zac Dalpe, another Jr A player out in BC. Or some WHL stars like Jordan Eberle or Tyler Ennis to add more to the forward ranks. All this pick will do is add more to what is a large cupboard of good young talent in the organization.

The Oilers are a good, young, rising team. This has been the sentiment for quite some time however. They have always seemingly had a plethora of youth in their lineup. From the Weight, Arnott, Smyth teams a decade ago, to the team that had the likes of Carter, Comrie, Brewer, Smyth at the turn of the century, to the surprising team that went to the finals with Horcoff, Stoll, Pisani, Hemsky among others in the lineup in 2006. Its simply been too long for the Oilers to hover in the middle of the pack and sooner than later the team is going to need to start moving up in the standings. If they manage to keep this team together, the young players develop as expected and the team continues to improve, there is nowhere to go but up.

Penguins take 3-0 stranglehold... again

With their 4-1 road victory against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Pittsburgh Penguins have taken their third consecutive 3-0 series lead. They swept the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa. They lost Game 4 to the Rangers only to come back and win Game 5 at home. Now they are looking to sweep the Flyers (as Leafy predicted).

The Pens are only the 4th team in NHL history to win 11 of its first 12 playoffs games. The last team to do so? The 1983 Edmonton Oilers, who, interestingly, got swept by the NY Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Oilers then went on to win the Cup the following year and 4 times in the next 6 years, setting up the NHL's most recent dynasty.

Overshadowed in this entire playoff run has been Marc-Andre Fleury. He has won 17 straight home games, and 11 of 12 in these playoffs. In his past 33 games, he has allowed more than 2 goals on just 4 occasions, with more than 3 just once in that same time-frame (a 5-4 win against the Rangers). Amazing!
He is also 2nd in the NHL playoffs in GAA (behind Osgood, who has yet to lose a game, and, as I told people, would outplay Turco) and SV% (behind Ellis), while 1st in wins with 11 (Osgood has 9 as he came in for Hasek rather than starting, as he should have) and tied (with Price) for 1st in shutouts with 2.

Crosby leads the NHL in points with 19 in just 12 games.
Malkin is tied for 2nd with Zetterberg with 18 points in 12 games (Hank has played 13 games).
Hossa and Malkin are tied for 4th with 8 goals each in just 12 games. I guess Hossa's label as a playoff no-show has finally been destroyed, as I predicted.

Gonchar and the rest of his crew are playing some kind of defense these days. Point in case: they limited the Flyers to only 18 shots in their home in Game 3. Including a meager 8 shots through 2 periods!

For his offensive part, Gonchar is tied for 2nd amongst defensemen with 10 points, 1 behind Kronwall, tied with Rafalski, and 1 back of Lidstrom, all 3 Wings defensemen playing in an extra game.

The Pens are 11-1 in these playoffs. And though the Wings have won 9 straight games, the Pens still own the better playoff record, as the Wings have gone 11-2 (losing twice in Nashville).

There are so many other stats and analyses to write about how well they are doing, but, the question remains: Can they beat the Detroit Red Wings as the away team?

Many will remember my statement that the Penguins are the East's best shot at bringing the Cup back East, given their NHL-leading 8-1-1 record against the other Conference in the regular season. The Pens did not play the Detroit Red Wings or their division, so when these two teams meet in the Finals, it'll be the first time since the Red Wings shutout the Penguins in Pittsburgh 2-0 on the 2nd day of the regular season on Oct. 7, 2006. Both teams have improved, but the Penguins have clearly become a much different team than the one who had come off yet another disappointing season in 2005-06.

Back to these playoffs:

The Pens have yet to lose a game at home. But neither have the Red Wings.

The Pens haven't lost at home since February 24th... in OT.
The Pens haven't lost a regulation game at home since February 13th. Now going on two plus months.

But the Red Wings are a scary, dangerous team. Assuming neither Dallas nor Philly overcomes the near impossible 3-0 deficit, we'll see a Red Wings vs. Penguins Final.

If the Wings manage to keep home ice advantage through the first two games, it could seriously deflate the Penguins, who would need to win both Games 3 and 4 at home to keep their confidence. However, if the Pens managed to steal Game 1 or 2, especially 1, it would be all the momentum they likely need to actually be on their way to winning the Cup.

A last note of history:

Either we see the youngest NHL Captain become the youngest Captain to ever win a Stanley Cup (hey, what happened to all those naysayers saying Crosby was too young, which I adamantly rejected as preposterous) or we see the first ever European-born Captain win the Cup. Both would be worthy of the Ultimate Prize. Here's to hoping such a series isn't a blowout like the 1983 Finals, but a hard fought, brilliant display of hockey magic.

May the best team win.

Conference Finals Predictions (and Schedule)

Now that we are down to just 4 teams, what are your predictions for the Conference Finals and for who will make the Finals and win it all?

The Penguins, the conference's worst team two years ago, will meet the cross-state Philadelphia Flyers, the conference's worst team last season, in the first all-Pennsylvania conference final.

The Red Wings, winners of 4 of the past 6 President's Trophies and in the Semi-Finals back-to-back years, will meet the Dallas Stars, who ousted many people's picks to win the Cup in the Ducks or Sharks.

I find it hilarious to consider what a turnaround the Penguins have had from 2 years ago and moreover how the Flyers have turned it all around in just one year. For all intents and purposes, last year was a blip that never happened for the Flyers (that is until James vanRiemsdyk comes along).

How they got here:

The East

The 2nd seed Pittsburgh Penguins:

With home ice: Swept last year's Eastern Champions in the Ottawa Senators.

With home ice: Beat the NY Rangers in 5 games.

The Pens are 8-1 in the Playoffs, and a perfect 5-0 at home. Home ice will be a huge advantage for them and a huge obstacle for the Flyers to overcome. Evgeni Malkin has been, arguably, the best player in these playoffs. At least he's been one of the best. He is all over the ice, every game. Sidney Crosby has looked mediocre. It would not surprise me to learn that he has been playing with an injury. Same goes for Marian Hossa. The Pens have been winning due to an excellent team game, including great defensive work by both forwards and defensemen, and the amazing goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury, who leads the playoffs in SV% and shutouts.

The 6th seed Philadelphia Flyers:

As the away team: Beat the red-hot Washington Capitals in Washington in OT in Game 7.

As the away team: Beat the 1st seeded Montreal Canadiens in 5 games, winning 2 of 3 road games.

To win this series, the Flyers absolutely must derail the Penguins at home. Winning Game 1, or failing to do that Game 2, would go a long way to boosting their already brimming confidence. Daniel Briere has finally looked like he's worth his paycheck, while Mike Richards is showing everyone why he'll soon be their Captain. Biron has played sensational and RJ Umberger has been amazing. For those that don't know, Umberger is from Pittsburgh and has played his best hockey against the Penguins. He scored 6 of his 13 regular season goals against the Pens. If the Flyers have a shot of beating the Pens, that trend will need to continue.

My Prediction: Pens in 6. Flyers win once in Pittsburgh. Penguins win twice in Philly.

The West

The 1st seed Detroit Red Wings:

With home ice: They beat the Predators twice at home, only two lose to road games, before winning both Games 5 and 6 on the road.

With home ice: They swept the Avalanche and never for an instant looked like the worse team.

They are led by enigmatic Johan Franzen, who has 11 goals in 10 games, including 9 goals in the sweep. Amazing! Zetterberg and Datsyuk have also been amazing, both with 13 points, and who can forget Zetterberg's highlight reel goal? Chris Osgood is the only goalie in the playoffs not to have lost a game yet, going 6-0. He leads the NHL in GAA and is 3rd (and 2nd amongst active goalies) in SV% behind Fleury.

The 5th seed Dallas Stars:

As the away team: They beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions, who many predicted would repeat, in 6 games. Enough said.

As the away team: They beat the 2nd seed SJ Sharks, who were many other people's prediction to win the Cup, in 6 games, too.

They are led by the heroics of Brendan Morrow. Anyone want to disagree that stripping Modano of his captaincy and giving it to this Canadian was a bad move? I dare you! He had roughly 20 hits in Game 6 tonight! Amazing. Mike Ribeiro has also been sensational and has kept his production from the regular season going. Lastly, they have the amazing play of Marty Turco, who has looked incredible so far. On a final note, they got a huge boost from the return from injury of Sergei Zubov. What a stud. He could be the difference maker if the Stars are to overcome to Wings.

Winning on the road hasn't been a problem for the Stars, but the Wings, like the Penguins, have yet to lose on home ice.

I predict, and I'm giving Dallas all the credit here, the Wings in 7. I'm still shocked the Stars have done so well and could see the Wings winning in 5, but I guess let's give the Stars some credit.

The Stanley Cup Finals:

With home ice, I predict the Wings get back to their winning ways and heartbreak the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Finals in Game 7. The Penguins youth and nerves do them in, in the end. But what a series this would be, if it comes to fruition.

What are your predictions?

2008 Stanley Cup Conference Finals Schedule:

The 3rd round begins Thursday!

Red Wings vs. Stars

Game 1: The Red Wings will host the Stars on Thursday, May 8th.

Game 2: Saturday, May 10th in Detroit.

Game 3: Series shifts to Dallas. Monday, May 12th.

Game 4: Wednesday, May 14th in Dallas.

2 days rest

Game 5*: Saturday, May 17th in Detroit.

Game 6*: Monday, May 19th in Dallas.

Game 7*: Wednesday, May 21 in Detroit.

Penguins vs. Flyers:

Game 1: Friday, May 9th in Pittsburgh.

Game 2: Sunday, May 11th in Pittsburgh.

Game 3: Tuesday, May 13th in Philly.

Game 4: Thursday, May 15th in Philly.

2 days rest

Game 5*: Sunday, May 18th in Pittsburgh.

Game 6*: Tuesday, May 20th in Philly.

Game 7*: Thursday, May 22nd in Pittsburgh.

* if necessary

Leaf rumors: Quenneville, Hartsburg possible coaches; Campbell, Nonis as execs?

Leafs targeting D Jay Bouwmeester? Gretzky another option as GM

Although the Maple Leafs are enjoying their prolonged summer vacation, they are still managing to make headlines around the NHL.

But then again, this stands to reason, given that the buds currently have no General Manager, Coach, or team Captain.

As such, some new rumors have arisen in the aftermath of Paul Maurice being sacked. According to several sources, a leading candidate to coach in Toronto next season is former Leafs defenseman Joel Quenneville.

Quenneville was fired by the Colorado Avalanche on Friday, upon being swept out of the playoffs by the Detroit Red Wings.

While coaching the Avs, he compiled a rather impressive record of 131 wins and 92 losses, as well as a number of successful playoff runs, e.g., beating the favoured Stars in 2004.

Quenneville of course is familar with Toronto, having played for the Leafs from 1978 to 1980. And older Leaf fans are well aware that Quenneville was traded along with All-Star LW Lanny MacDonald to the Colorado Rockies by then GM Punch Implach in one of Toronto's worst trades ever. But I digress.

In his press conference last week, interim GM Cliff Fletcher wasn't willing to speculate on anything.

Meanwhile, Damien Cox suggests that the Leafs may also consider former Minnesota North Stars all-star D Craig Hartsburg for the coaching post.

Hartsburg has previously coached in Chicago and Anaheim, and most recently with Canada's gold medal-winning world junior team.

For the job of new team President, Cox suspects the Leafs may consider Colin Campbell, who is currently an NHL vice-president.

And for the GM post, the Leafs are strongly considering former Vancouver GM Dave Nonis, as widely reported by the media.

But Cox makes some interesting points. He believes that Nonis received a bum rap in Vancouver, and he has the ability to make the big deal, e.g., Todd Bertuzzi for Roberto Luongo. More importantly, he has refused to expend futures for short-term gain, and pretty much was fired by the Canucks for not being willing to sacrifice players and prospects for Brad Richards. The Leafs of course have done the opposite the past 40 years, which pretty much explains the teams Cup futility.

And let's not forget that it was then Canucks GM Bryan Burke who threw away RJ Umberger, not Nonis.

Anyway, many fans aren't happy with the idea of hiring Nonis. This response is quite understandable, given that the team is just starting to come out of the Dark Ages, also known as the John Ferguson Jr years.

And TSN is reporting that Leaf brass will meet with Nonis on Tuesday, and the Atlanta Thrashers apparently are also pursuing Nonis.

As for other possible GMs, Cox states that, based on what we know, Brian Burke, Ken Holland, Lou Lamoriello, Doug Wilson and Bob Gainey are all off limits.

Meanwhile, the Fan 590 in Toronto is reporting that Wayne Gretzky is on the Leafs' shortlist of possible GMs.

Howard Berger reports that he was speaking with a close friend of Gretzky who believes he is on the shortlist. We should keep your eye on this one.

In other news, as reported on HTR, Leafs forward Jason Blake was quoted in the Toronto Star as saying this past season was the most frustrating of his career, and that a trade out of Toronto might be the best solution.

Blake, who is one of the finalists for the Bill Masterson Trophy, simply doesn't want to stay in Toronto, and the Leafs don't want to keep him around.

The big question, of course, is whether the team can find someone to take his contract. Blake still has four years left on the deal at $5 million a season. (Yikes!)

Fletcher has already stated he would not buy out Blake's contract, as it would cost the team too much money against the cap.

The Leafs are likely to re-sign Matt Stajan, who had a rather strong season, emerging as a team leader and solid two-way forward.

Stajan made $950,000 and will likely get a new deal worth just over $1 million.

The Leafs are also likely to qualify Alex Foster and possibly Ben Ondrus.

It is less clear whether the Leafs intend to make a qualifying offer to C Kyle Wellwood. The enigmatic, injury-prone forward took a step back from last year, when he compiled 42 points in 48 games.

My take is you have to give Wellwood another chance to observe him during a healthy stretch. The man has had two hernia operations, so let's cut him some slack.

Lastly, we all know that Eklund at Hockeybuzz.com is not the most reliable source for trade rumors. In fact, I think Eklund and Kramer have the same "sources". Having said that, apparently the Leafs are considering putting together a "monster" package to try to land talented Florida Panther D Jay Bouwmeester.

What would you give up for Bouwmeester, realistically? Would you give up Kaberle and Stajan?

Sites Sources:

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_22550.aspx

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/424066

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/22374-Maple-Leafs-Notes-Blake-Open-To-Trade-Leafs-To-Meet-Nonis-RFA-s-Update

http://680news.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20080513_133809_6676

Comments back on track

OK ... the comments have now been fixed as well and should work just fine. Please do us a ll a favour and clear the cache on your computer. Yes ... we are mainly back in time. I do not see errors at this time.

What a day

Ever have a little computer glitch??? HTR had a database meltdown this morning that was not able to sort of be resolved until just now. What does this mean for HTR ... we are now back at April for most of the stories ... but now ready to move ahead. All systems are a go and I will talk to my server host to see if we can arrange it so that this problem does not happen again.

Darn this was stressful for me. The entire collection of over 10,000 stories went down. It took a lot of time and a ton of stress to resolve this. Wow ... that sucked.

The Comments are still not resolved. Hopefully this will be fixed soon too.

The Best Move the Flyers Could Make This Offseason

I don't think I am being disrespectful or overly assuming when I say that the odds are that the Flyers season will be ending in the very near future. Based on that, I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at a specific move that I feel they can make that will do wonders for their future.

Ready? Here goes:

GIVE AN OFFER SHEET TO MARC-ANDRE FLEURY.

Granted, I am and never will be a Flyers fan. Honestly, if given the option to root for the Flyers or the Soviet Red Army in the heat of the cold war, I'm probably rocking the red, but this is a move that I think is both logical and beneficial (to a few teams) for the Flyers to make.

Why? Here’s some rationale.

Garth Snow, Sean Burke, John Vanbiesbrouck, Brian Boucher, Roman Cechmanek, Jeff Hackett, Robert Esche, Antero Niitymaki, Martin Biron.

Since Ron Hextall, the Flyers have enlisted the services of 9 different starting goaltenders for periods of time. A long-standing contending team, or in most cases a borderline playoff team, simply cannot conduct business this way and truly expect to win anything.

In the vast majority of cases, teams that are perennial contenders often have a solidified goaltending position that does not change every year or 2 years. San Jose, Anaheim, Dallas, New Jersey, New York (Rangers), Calgary. these teams have goaltenders that are "the guy" and will be "the guy" for the foreseeable future. Even teams that probably won’t really contend for anything in the near future like the Islanders and Canucks have their goalie in place for quite a while, 15 years in one case. (Sorry, had to take that jab.)

Now, I’m sure you’re asking yourself. "Self, isn’t Martin Biron a viable option here?"

My answer? Not really. And here’s why.

The Flyers traded for and extended the contract of Martin Biron for one specific reason. They wanted to convince Daniel Briere, a premier free agent sniper, to come to a team that had just finished with the worst record in the NHL and appeared to be irrelevant to the conversation of free-agent destinations. They knew that to convince anyone and everyone that the team was going to make this downturn a short swing, they needed the big name goal-scorer, and Briere fit the bill.

Biron is 30 years old going on 31. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but even an old 50's Ford pick-up will start every once in a while, for a few minutes, and then die. Now I’m not going to say that Biron isn’t a decent goalie. But, how many teams with decent goalies win the Stanley Cup and how often does that really happen? It’s probably not a coincidence that Martin Brodeur has 3 rings.

Now if the Flyers do make this offer, and he accepts, there are 2 possible results.

Result 1: The Penguins choose not to match, the Flyers get a #1 overall picked franchise goaltender, and turn over 4 first-round picks to the Penguins.

If the Penguins choose not to match, the Flyers pay a price of 4 first-round draft picks to the Penguins as compensation and bring on a franchise goalie for the next decade.

In reality, the Flyers are built to win in the next 3-4 years, while Timonen, Briere, and maybe even Gagne remain effective. Any #1 pick that they use on a goaltender at this point will not provide the immediate impact that is desired. From that standpoint, let’s give the Flyers a 50/50 shot at picking a goalie that will actually do something eventually.

Having Claude Giroux and James VanRiemsdyk in the system, with Mike Richards locked up until armageddon, the anticipated continual development of Scottie Upshall, and the eventual signing of RFA’s Jeff Carter and/or R.J. Umberger, it’s safe to assume there won’t be too much of a need for forwards. Also, any defenseman they draft would take too long to develop to play a role within the window. The emergence of Braydon Coburn and the potential of Ryan Parent will be enough to get the defense younger and stay afloat.

Also, assuming that this season is not a mirage, the Flyers should be rather competitive for the next 4 years. Based on that, they will be picking in the bottom 3rd of the first round in those 4 years. Ask yourselves this question, Flyers fans. What’s more valuable? 4 first round picks from 18 to 24 or Marc-Andre Fleury?

Result 2 (more likely): The Penguins, because they don’t want to lose their #1 overall picked franchise goaltender, bite the bullet and match a huge offer from the Flyers, therefore restricting their future ability to sign Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal when their contracts come due and still stay under the cap.

Let’s face facts. The salary cap is about the only force in the universe that is going to be able to derail the Penguins from becoming a dynasty. When you are able to deploy 2 of the top 5 players in the world on your power play, both of which are part of a quartet that THEY drafted either #1 or #2 overall in 4 recent drafts, most of which wouldn’t be served at a bar, the prognostications are just downright scary. The only weapon the rest of the NHL has is to make the Penguins pay for their stars or lose them.

The Penguins, in all likelihood, will not let Fleury walk. They can’t. They have too much of a good thing going here to risk upsetting it over a few million dollars. A matched offer would mean they would be paying true market, or above market, dollars for Fleury, and would then run into a major problem trying to keep Malkin and Staal in the fold when their contracts need to be renewed.

It’s in the best interest of every other team in the NHL to do whatever they can to try and break apart the core of a budding dynasty. That cannot be denied.

Either way, a Flyers offer to Fleury would weaken the Penguins either in talent or financial flexibility. Ideally, for everyone involved (including the Rangers, whom some fans believe will try to make as much cap money as possible available when Malkin and Staal become RFA’s and make a serious offer to one or the other) the Penguins will match, keep their goalie, and become very cap-strapped.

There is no downside to making this move from the Flyers’ perspective other than the picks lost, but a pick is just that, a pick. They could legitimately allow R.J. Umberger to walk, and get picks back in his compensation from whoever signs him. They could do the same with Jeff Carter, but I’m sure the Flyers, if given the option, would keep Carter over Umberger.

They haven’t had a franchise goalie since Hextall, and they have the chance now. They have the chance to deal a blow to the team that’s likely about to oust them from the playoffs and the team whom, if they don’t make this move, will likely dominate this division and this conference for the next few years, those few years where the window will be open for these Flyers.

Let’s see how this salary cap that the small-market teams like Pittsburgh fought so hard to put in place starts to work against them. We’ll see how they like that.

Sharks fire Head Coach Ron Wilson

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=237579&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_main

The San Jose Sharks have fired head coach Ron Wilson. The Sharks announced Monday that Wilson's tenure with the club was over and that they would start looking for a replacement immediately. The Sharks were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Semifinals.

AHL Playoffs/Baby Penguins... and Jason Krog?

Just like their parent club, the Baby Pens have reached the Conference Finals. They did so by beating the Baby Flyers (Phantoms) in 5 games. After losing Game 1, they won 4 straight to clinch a semi-finals birth. They will face the Baby Ducks (Portland Pirates) in the AHL Eastern Conference Finals.

Over on the West Side, the Baby Leafs (Marlies) find themselves down 3-2 in the quarter-finals to the Baby Blue Jackets (Syracuse Crunch). While the Baby Thrashers (Chicago Wolves) find themselves in a similar position to that of the Marlies, being down 3-2 against the Baby Blackhawks (Rockford IceHogs).

Could we possibly see both the Baby Pens and the NHL Pens reach their respective Finals? Is it possible both can win their respective Championships? The Pens are the only organization currently sporting both NHL and AHL playoff teams. The last organization to do so was the NJ Devils, whose baby club (the Albany River Rats) won the Calder Cup while the Devils won the Stanley Cup in 1995.

Who are the AHL's current leading playoff scorers? May they play in the NHL next season?

On the East Side, the Final Four teams (the Baby Pens, Ducks, Bruins and Flyers) all had NHL teams make the playoffs, while on the West Side, none of the Final Four teams (the Baby Leafs, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks and Thrashers) had their big brother reach the playoffs. Interesting...

Indeed there is a strong case to make for the depths of those AHL Eastern teams (with the Ducks obviously playing in the West in the NHL).

Of the Final 8 teams, and 6 that currently remain, only the Penguins organization sees both AHL and NHL clubs still in the playoffs... let "The Fear" sink in.

So, how did the Baby Pens get to where they are?

In the 1st round they eliminated the Hershey Bears in 5 games, a team that had made the Finals in the AHL back-to-back years. They then beat the Philadelphia Phantoms in 5 games, after losing Game 1.

The Semi-Finals will begin May 14th for the WB/Scranton Penguins and the Portland Pirates. The Western Conference Final may not begin until the 15th or later.

Who are the AHL's current leading playoff scorers?

Dominating the AHL playoffs has been none other than the Baby Pens' Tim Brent. He leads the AHL in both goals (9) and points (17) despite having played in only 10 games!

2nd in scoring goes to another Baby Pen, a rookie if you can believe it, by the name of Alex Goligoski. Take note of his name. He is a much talked about prospect for the NHL Penguins since the trade that saw Noah Welch leave the organization. He has 14 points, as a defenseman, in just 12 games, good for 2nd in the entire AHL and a big 4 points ahead of the 2nd highest-scoring defenseman in the Toronto Marlies' Jay Harrison.

Mark Ardelan and another rookie Ben Lovejoy (great name) are tied for 4th for AHL scoring among defensemen. Both play for the Baby Penguins.

In fact, despite playing in only 10 games to date, compared to most other teams' 11 or 12, 5 of the Top 10 leading AHL playoff scorers are from the Baby Pens.

1st - Tim Brent (who played 1 game in the NHL on the 4th line, tallying 0 points, and 15 games last season with the Ducks, getting a single point (a goal); next season he may at last be ready for the full jump to the NHL, following in the footsteps of guys like Max Talbot, Colby Armstrong, Eric Christensen, Tyler Kennedy and Kris Letang)

2nd - Alex Goligoski (who was also named to the All-Rookie Team, along with the Baby Pens rookie starting goaltender, John Curry)

5th - Chris Minard (playing in his 3rd AHL season, he got called up to the NHL for 15 games during Crosby's injury, where he tallied 2 points (a goal and as assist) playing on the 4th line)

8th - Ryan Stone (also in his 3rd AHL season, he got called up to the NHL for 6 games, recording a single assist on mostly the 4th line)

10th - Kurtis McLean (doubtful to reach the NHL as anything more than an injury call-up, shared parts of the last two seasons in the AHL and ECHL)

In 3rd is the Baby Flyers' Stefan Ruzicka with 13 points, 1 back of Alex Goligoski and 4 back of Tim Brent, albeit in 2 more games played.

In 4th is Jason Krog. Remember him? Since playing 80 games in the NHL in 2003-04 he went on to play in Europe and the AHL before a short stint on the Rangers and Thrashers last year. Will he ever return to the NHL? Probably not. According to TSN he was signed by Severstal Cherepovets of the Russian League on May 7th, 2008.
The 32-year-old Jason Krog was also voted the AHL's MVP after amassing 39 goals and 112 points this season. Here's an interesting article on him, as an aside: http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/thrashersfans/entries/2008/04/28/considering_the.html

In 6th is the Baby Bruins' Pascal Pelletier.

In 7th is the Baby Blue Jackets' Derek MacKenzie.

In 9th is the Baby Blackhawks' Martin St. Pierre.

After rookie defenseman Alex Goligoski's 14 points, the top rookies are the Baby Ducks' Bobby Ryan with 11 points, tied with the Baby Blue Jackets' Derick Brassard also with 11 points. The Top 5 rookies are rounded out by the Baby Leafs' Jiri Tlusty with 7 points and the Baby Pens' Ben Lovejoy also with 7 (all assists).

And how have the Baby Penguins goalie prospects looked?

Hobey Baker Award Finalist John Curry became the clear number 1 in net for the Baby Pens when Ty Conklin got the call up to the NHL to fill in for an injured MAF. Curry looked spectacular, leading the Baby Pens to a late season division title. He was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team. In the regular season, he recorded a 22-9-2 record, 2.16 goals against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts (as of April 2). He ranks 12th in the league in wins, fourth in goals against average, tenth in save percentage and tied for ninth in shutouts. Among first-year players, Curry ranks first in goals against average, second in save percentage, third in wins and second in shutouts. He was named the AHL’s Rookie of the Month for January after recording a 4-1-1 record with a 1.48 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage and one shutout in six starts. He will one day contest Dany Sabourin for the NHL Pens' backup job.

In the playoffs, he is 8-2; impressive for a rookie. However, his GAA and SV% place him 6th and 7th (respectively) amongst goalies that have played in 8 or more games in the AHL playoffs.

Cory Schneider of the Baby Canucks and Tuukka Rask for the Baby Bruins looked quite good before their elimination in similar rookie outings in the AHL.

Suffice to say the Penguins have nothing to fear from the critics who argue they lack depth.

Tim Brent could be a regular NHL player if the Pens weren't so deep already. Alex Goligoski will one day play on the Pens blue line, the question just remains as to who will get the boot in his place.

The future of the Penguins looks bright indeed, and may look even brighter if one, or both, clubs win their respective Championship(s).