Hockey Trade Rumors - NHL Rumors from around the league

Nonis, Head Coach, Young Talent & More

Well, the Maple Leafs saga has since calmed down from the thought of hiring Dave Nonis and the firing of head coach Paul Maurice.

-Here is a bit of enlightment for this Dave Nonis saga. He is apparently not been given the GM position, nor was he to get it, even for a year. The real reason why the Maple Leafs want Nonis is for their long-term plans. They believe that Nonis has the potential to be a great GM in the future and they want to sign him to be an assistant to whoever will be GM now, Cliff Fletcher and the future, possibly Brian Burke.

It also helps the Leafs pursue of Brian Burke since they are both close friends. They want Nonis for his on his specialties- contracts, salary caps and legal issues. As for GM for the next year, well, it looks to be no other than our guy Cliff Fletcher. A Fletcher/Nonis pairing looks promising for a solid rebuild by the Leafs, until a fulltime GM comes in. The Maple Leafs are apparently trying to rebuild a great front office as the likes of Detroit has.

-On the Head Coach front, no noise is happening so far as they hope to finish the Nonis deal first. The reason why the Leafs fired Nonis was because the Leafs did not enter for the playoffs a second season in a row. It did not help that Ex-GM Ferguson guaranteed the Leafs would be a team competing for the Stanley Cup this year. Having believed he assembled a team that could do that.

Also, with the unimprovements of players like Matt Stajan, Kyle Wellwood, Ian White and others, the Maple Leafs new a change had to be made since the players are still young and could develop into something. Toronto is waiting for the playoffs to end before finding a new coach for the team.

-On Hockey Futures.com, the site has recently posted the Leafs top prospects in the system. To much to surprise, the Leafs top four prospects seemed to be rated really well and gives hope that the Leafs have improved their scouting and have some talent in the tank. The talent seems not be useless as many non-Leaf fans claims we do.

Leafs top 4: (All with the same ranking)

1. Justin Pogge=8B

2. Nikolai Kulemin=8B

3. Jiri Tlusty=8B

4. Anton Stralman=8B

For anyone who needs to know what an 8B is, I will describe it.

8-First line forward / No. 2 defenseman / No. 1 goaltender -players with definite skill that might be just a cut below elite status, but still possessing All-Star potential. Think Patrik Elias, Keith Tkachuk, Mattias Ohlund, Adam Foote, Sean Burke, Olaf Kolzig.

B - Should reach potential, could drop 1 rating - likely to reach potential, but may have a hole or two in his game that will keep him from reaching his full potential. The potential rating is multiplied by 90 percent for depth chart purposes, which indicates slightly less certainty about a player’s future performance.

Players with similar ratings as these talented Leafs include:

Ryan McDonagh-Montreal
Sergei Kostitsyn-Montreal
David Krejci-Boston
Jonathan Bernier-Los Angeles
Josh Harding-Minnesota

Not many teams have a lot of 8/10 potential rankings, with a B-rating, and the Leafs already have four, two future top-liners, a solid 1-2 defenseman and a future starting goaltender. The Leafs have some players in the tank, and will add to this after the draft.

-The young, apparently untalented Marlies lost their first game in the AHL semi-finals last night in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Wolves, the Atlanta Thrashers farm team. The game was mostly 2-1 until 2 minutes left in that game when a bad goal by Clemmenson was let in, the Chicago Wolves shot in an empty netter to make it a 4-1 victory for the Wolves. The Marlies played exceptionally well in this game, but missed chances seemed to be the downfall for this game, not to mention the 8 penalties they took as well. The PK was strong though as the top rated PP team in the playoffs went 1 for 8.

The Marlies have done will in the playoffs without stars like Robbie Earl, Jeremy Williams and Phil Osrekovic. These players were big for the team during the season, 1st place in their division and 3rd in the league with 109 points, and the Marlies have played well in their absence.

Throughout the season, real impressive players include Robbie Earl, John Mitchell, Jay Harrison, Phil Orsekovic and Derrick Walser.

-A real impressive performance by Anton Stralman for Sweden in the IIHF World Championships as he has been a real player for Sweden in the tournament. Nice two goals against Cam Ward of Canada in the 5-4 loss to the Canadiens.

Matthias Weinhandl, was the most impressive Swede in the tournament though, with 5 goals and 8 assist for 13 points. The RW is currently playing in Sweden and might attract some interest from a few NHL GM's. Now that Brunnstrom is in Dallas, could he be hot on a NHL teams list?

Not to mention Linus Klasen is still an option for many teams, with the Maple Leafs showing tons of interest.

As we have been proven for many years, great Swedes can come out of nowhere.

-Have not heard much about any trade rumours as of late...Drop a few if you want...

Or have not heard of any potential FA signings.

This has been going on in Leaf land as of late. ENJOY!

The Rebuilding Process Is Complete, Let The Contending Begin

Believe it or not, the rebuilding process is now complete in Montreal. The last thing that was needed was Play-Off experience and Montreal got just that, in fact, they got 12 games worth which is terrific. Yes, we lost to Philly but I'll give credit to Philly, they just wanted it more. Congrats.

Looking toward to the Draft, Montreal should be drafting a forward as that is our weakest aspect when it comes to our Prospects. They shouldn't Draft just any forward but a big forward. Personally, I have 4 in mind:

Kirill Petrov- LW- 6'3" 198 lbs
Evgeny Grachev- C- 6'3" 211lbs
Joe Colbourne- LW- 6'4" 195 lbs
Greg Nemisz- C- 6'4" 202 lbs

Personally, I would like to see Gainey get either Colbourne or Nemisz. Nemisz plays for the Spitfires and had 67 Points in 68 games this year. Colbourne apparently dominated Junior A and will be attending the University of Denver next year. According to one scouting report I read, Colbourne will be a bit of a project player because his skill and hands are leaps and bounds ahead of his speed, maturity and grittiness. And until he matures and adds grit to his game, he'll never be the player he is capable of being(Has good speed for his size but overall, its just good, not great)

Moving past the Draft and into Free Agency, Montreal has 4 UFA's(Michael Ryder, Bryan Smolinski, Patrice Brisebois and Mark Streit) and 7 RFA's(Andrei Kostitsyn, Mikhail Grabovski, Maxim Lapierre, Corey Locke, Josh Gorges, Ryan O'Byrne and Jaroslav Halak). It is a safe bet that Ryder, Smolinski and Brisebois will be let go or retire in Breezer's case. And it is also safe to say that almost all of Montreal's RFA's will be re-signed. As for Mark Streit, I hope Gainey let's him walk. His Point shot is great but it doesn't compensate for his horrendous defensive play and numerous turnovers every game. Heading into July 1st, Montreal's roster has a few question marks:

Open Spots: 5, 3 Forward(2 Regular) and 2 defence(1 regular)

Battling for Spots: Grabovski, Locke, Chipchura, Stewart, D'Agostini, Dandenault

Possible Rookies: Ryan White, Mathieu Carle, Pavel Valentenko, Alexei Emelin, Yannick Weber, David Fischer

I firmly believe that either Francis Bouillon or Mathieu Dandenault(maybe both) will be cut loose. Neither player has a future with the Habs so it wouldn't be a shock if they're let go. In fact, it may be in the Habs best interest to give their spots to a couple deserving rookies or to give them a few extra dollars to sign a few Free Agents. But Gainey has to be careful as this Free Agent period is a rather important one for the Habs. They have to get some sandpaper in the roster and could use another scorer BUT they have to be careful and not over-spend on anyone. This is obviously important for any team during any year but Montreal is hitting a critical point. At the end of the 2008-09 season, the contracts of Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec, Guillaume Latendresse, Kyle Chipchura and Mike Komisarek expire. So whatever move is made via Free Agency or trade this season could spell the end of one of those players. Personally, I have a sneaky suspicion that Saku Koivu is going to retire at the end of the 08-09 season.

Now, back to Free Agency, I only see a hand full of players that would be on Gainey's radar. Assuming that one of Bouillon or Dandenault is gone and also assuming that Kyle Chipchura is NHL ready, Montreal has 2 open Roster spots(regular spots). One at the Forward position and one on defence. As for possible Free Agent candidates, here's my personal list of guys who would help the Habs:

Kristian Huselius- Solid 2 way scoring option.
Daymond Langkow- Under-rated player in my mind and would be a great addition
Ron Hainsey- Would be a better all around option then Streit. Might be cheaper too
John-Michael Liles- Would do wonders with Markov on the Point
Pavol Demitra- I love Demitra but he'll command 4-5+ easy
Brian Rolston- Love his shot but age could be an issue
Sean Avery- Hate the prick but I'd love to have him on Montreal
Michal Rozsival- He'd be good on the blueline
Mike Commodore- He'd be great with Komisarek. Other teams Top lines would be rail roaded by that tandem.
Wade Redden- 2 years ago, I'd say HELL YES! but now I'm not so sure
Marian Hossa- Price is going to be through the roof
Ryan Malone- Solid, gritty player but can he do it without Malkin?
Brian Campbell- See Hossa

Obviously I left out a lot of other Free Agents but each of these players offer more to Montreal then any other Free Agent out there.

Montreal's Cap situation look's like this:
11 Players under contract- 31.822 million
RFA Signings- Roughly 7.9 Million
Cap Hit- 39.722 million
Cap Space(Assuming Cap goes to 55.2 Million): 15.478 Million

Now, keeping in mind the fact that their are several Roster Players who need new contracts, Montreal really can't afford Marian Hossa or Brian Campbell(though it'd be nice). So while 3/4's of the NHL will be going after them, Montreal could potentially get a head start on signing a 2nd tier Free agent or two. My choices would be John-Michael Liles, Mike Commodore and Brian Rolston. Liles for around 2.5 million, **Commodore for around 2.3 million and Rolston to around 4.0(Total of about 8.8 million spent). I'd then sign Eric Godard for protection(600K). So the 08-09 line up could look like this:

A. Kostitsyn-Plekanec-Kovalev
Higgins-Koivu-Rolston
Latendresse-Chipchura-S. Kostitsyn
Begin/Godard-Lapierre-Kostopoulos

Markov-Hamrlik
Komisarek-Commodore
Gorges/O'Byrne-Liles

Price-Halak

**Now, I like O'Byrne but I did notice that he wasn't playing as well as he could of. So unless you are 100% sure he's going to step up and become our 2nd tier Komisarek, you have to go out and sign a gritty defenceman like Commodore.

Penny Pinching Sabres Need to Save Some Players For A Change

If you are a Buffalo Sabres fan, you should feel happy that the team is not owned by someone who will be going bankrupt any time soon. What you should not be happy about is the way ownership is going about business to ensure no significant losses.

Tom Golisano, the Sabres owner, has certainly done all he needs to do to save a few dollars. In the meantime, his methods have begun to alienate the loyal fanbase of the team.

In the last year or so, major pieces of the team like captains Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, top blueliner Brian Campbell and goaltender Martin Biron left or were shipped all in order to save money. The loss of this significant chunk of leadership was a key reason the Sabres missed the playoffs this past season after finishing near the top of the standings in the first two post lockout seasons.

The players were willing to stay, were willing to take less and wanted to be part of a team that looked close to competing for a Stanley Cup. Instead they are gone and the Sabres now are left to basically start over and climb back up the standings. That will not be easy. The team is not as deep as it once was and there are many other key players on the verge of leaving themselves. That will put a further dent into a team that lost a bit of its identity when the top players departed.

Things may get even worse as time goes on. The Sabres best player, Ryan Miller is due to become a UFA next summer and like the other stars have negotiations turn sour and simply pack his bags and leave. Also, Jason Pominville, the team's current captain, is due to be a RFA next summer and he could prove to be a tough player to re-sign if he continues his strong play next season. The team, while young and talented, appear to be going backwards with all these departures and difficulties in keeping core players. Sure, they spent big on Vanek and Roy but they had no choice with Vanek due to the offer sheet put forth, and they simply had to keep their other top centre with Briere and Drury gone. They were backed into a corner basically.

All in the name of savings. They even cut costs on the scouting staff, going with video instead of having travelling scouts around the world. Thats simply way too frugal. Good scouting is part of the foundation for building a winner. While the Sabres say this is more efficient, there is nothing that beats seeing a player first hand. Sometimes you manage to notice lesser known players through this, many times you find out more information about a player like play without the puck, leadership skills, work ethic that you can really see via edited video. Its a bit of a risk the Sabres are taking.

Hopefully their new age scouting methods will work. We will see if they can take advantage of this in the upcoming draft where the team has 3 picks in the top 50 including 2 first rounders. Defence is something the Sabres may focus on. They have plenty of highly skilled and talented young forwards but they are not as deep on the back end. They certainly used plenty of bodies this season on D, but almost ran out of players to use, so adding more depth is something the team may address. There are some good possibilities like Tyler Myers, Tyler Cuma, Michael Del Zotto, Colby Robak, Luca Sbisa who could be around at 13. The team could use another goalie in the system. With Miller potentially leaving, they are going to need to improve their depth in nets. Someone like Chet Pickard, who was Carey Price's understudy in junior could be an option with their late 1st rounder or early second. Certainly size is a bit of an issue. The Sabres are rather small, especially up front so perhaps adding a player like Josh Brittain, Jared Staal, Greg Nemisz with one of their picks is something they may look at.

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

2008-09 CAP HIT - $38.8 million for 15 players.

Their cap number will go down significantly next summer with Miller, Afinogenov, Spacek and Connolly all due to be UFAs. They are going to need as much room as they can get if they hope to re-sign Pominville and Miller to long term deals. They are going to need to settle on a core group to build with and actually keep them instead of watching them flee year after year. Golisano is willing to spend to some degree, but will he want to spend enough to win or just enough to make money?

UFA – Teppo Numminen, Dmitri Kalinin, Jocelyn Thibault, Nolan Pratt, Michael Ryan

RFA – Steve Bernier, Paul Gaustad, Clarke MacArthur, Dan Paille, Mark Mancari

The Sabres played it smart this time and moved Campbell out before he became a UFA and left for nothing. Getting Bernier and a 1st for him was solid even if it meant taking a bit of a step back. It is unlikely they will bring back Numminen or Kalinin. Most of their spending will be used to lock up Bernier, Gaustad and Paillie who are all fairly solid young players in Buffalo. Bernier has the potential to be a 25-30 goal scorer perennially and could develop into the sniper the team is looking for. Gaustad is a leader and a key role player while Paillie had a good season and looks to be a strong, gritty two way player that could fill in some of the roles Drury provided the last few years. It will be important for the franchise to actually start to show they are willing to keep good players around.

Under Contract:

Goal – Ryan Miller

This is going to be an interesting year for both Miller and the Sabres. There is no way the Sabres can compete without Miller tending goal. In the next 12 months they are going to need to find a way to get Miller under contract for years to come. He is such an important piece that his departure could mean big problems ahead for the team. He has emerged as an elite goalie and a goalie who simply wins. He could use a more reliable backup. Miller is more effiecient with rest and he simply played too much last season. Thibault could not be counted upon so finding a quality reserve will be a key item on the agenda for Buffalo.

Defence – Jaroslav Spacek, Toni Lydman, Hendrik Tallinder, Nathan Paetsch

Youth will definitely be served on defence in Buffalo this coming season. The Sabres were ravaged by injuries on defence but managed to find out about some of their good young blueiners. It is likely a couple of them will make the team and join the returning veterans. The team will miss Campbell significantly and need to find someone who can replace his puck moving and offensive ability. Most of their blueliners are mobile and can skate and make a decent first pass. But Campbell was dangerous and they simply do not have anyone ready and able to fill that role right now. Jay McKee, who departed a couple of years ago, is another the team misses. There is a lack of physical presence on the backend. Tallinder and Lydman are good as the shutdown pair, but they intimidate no one. Spacek is willing to mix it up, but he is not big and he is needed more for offense. Some of their young players may be able to fill that role but soon the team is going to need to find some guys who will make life miserable for opponents in the defensive zone.

Forward – Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy, Maxim Afinogenov, Tim Connolly, Ales Kotalik, Jochen Hecht, Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, Adam Mair, Andrew Peters

The Sabres have several dangerous forwards. Roy and Vanek form a very good top line, Pominville provides a foundation for a second unit. Vanek may never live up to the money he makes, but should be solid for 30-40 goals a year. Roy looks better and better each year and has potential to be a strong two way force for years to come. Pominville is their leader right now and he continues to amaze. He quarterbacks the point on the PP, kill penalties, plays multiple roles. He is a great role model for the team. If Afinogenov can rebound in a contract year, and Connolly can stay healthy for a change, and with Hecht, Kotalik, the team could have 9 forwards capable of 20 plus goals. Very few have this kind of scoring depth. Stafford looks like the power player the team is looking for. The Sabres are a bit on the small and soft side and players like Stafford, with Paillie will help give the top lines some jam. They could use a big power player and more size, but the Sabres are always looking for speed and skill to fit in to the style they try to play.

Top Prospects

Goal: Jhonas Enroth

Enroth is a very good prospect the team is quite happy to bring along slowly. They did that with Miller and that turned out just fine. A season with the farm team is definitely something the Sabres would like to see. If they lose Miller, the team at least has someone with the potential to take over. They do need more depth at this position.

Defence: Andrej Sekera, Mike Weber, Marc Andre Gragnani, TJ Brennan, Mike Funk, Mike Card, Denis Persson

There are a couple of job openings on defence for some of their prospects to take. Sekera did not look out of place settling into the lineup after Campbell was traded. He brings skill and hopefully the production will come soon enough. Weber might be the big body they need on D. He looked solid as well when he was brought in as an injury replacement. He and Sekera have the inside track on the job openings. Gragnani brings some offensive skill and players like Funk and Card will all provide Buffalo with some depth. But they will need a few more bodies to round out their farm team and parent club as they wont withstand another injury bug like they had last season.

Forward: Clarke MacArthur, Marek Zagrapans, Nathan Gerbe, Phil Goguila, Dylan Hunter, Patrick Kaleta, Tim Kennedy

MacArthur and Zagrapans are looking to make the club next season. Their development could make players like Connolly and Afinogenov expendable by the trade deadline. Both have the prerequisites the Sabres look for; speed and skill. Defensively they need to improve if they want to get in the good books of coach Ruff. In the last couple of drafts they have not paid too much attention up front so here they will need to do some replenishing as well.

GM Darcy Regier has endured plenty of ups and downs in Buffalo and having to do more with less is nothing new. He has done a great job at accumulating young talent in Buffalo and now with a rather limited staff, he is going to have to continue this trend. The success of the team depends on it. He has his work cut out for him trying to bring the team back to where it was the previous two seasons among the league's elite while at the same time abiding by the wishes of his boss, Mr. Golisano. The core has been gutted and Regier will need to replenish the team again, with most of the top young players now playing in Buffalo. The cupboard has been thinned out a bit and over the next while, its time to restock. This draft should provide him with this opportunity.

At the same time, he is going to need to keep the team relatively competitive as the fans have flocked back and began watching the Sabres and the exciting young team they have again. Him and coach Lindy Ruff have build an excellent foundation and brought the stability the team desperately needed about a decade ago. Ruff is one of the best at getting the most out of the least. He adapted well to the rule changes, using his personal to the team's advantage. He somehow kept the team competitive despite all those players leaving and for that, Ruff deserves full marks.

The team is in capable hands and should be at least solid for quite some time. If the team continues however to lose star players and dip further down in the standings, the fans may stay away, the money may stop coming in and the team again struggling on and off the ice. After being the posterchild for small market teams who benefitted from the lockout, the last thing the NHL needs is for the Sabres to go back to being a flailing franchise. There is already enough of those as it is.

Mellanby To Assist Gillis

Scott Melanby has joined the Vancouver Canucks as an assistant to Mike Gillis. Melanby, 41, Played over 1400 games in the NHL, retireing at the end of the 06-07 season.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2008/05/14/mellanby_canucks/

Do the Canadiens really need to sign a Free agent??

Hi guys!!

Two weeks after the elimination of the Habs by the lucky Flyers, let me ask you a question about the Habs lineup.

After what we saw during the season and the playoffs, do the Canadiens really need to add players to their lineup???

To state on that, we need to look at the reasons why we got beat by an awful team. For me, the answer is quite clear: Carey Price.

And i want to be clear, it was a gamble by Carbo and Gainey, a risk taken by the organisation and it turns out that on a certain level, it did'nt work. But, i dont want to be to hard on Price, he is a good young goalie and will be one of the best. But his performance against the Flyers was nothing else but pathetic.

I can't exactly count the number of goals he gave that was'nt even scoring chances. For me, thats the only good reason i found to explain the lost to the Flyers. Put this on the lack of experience. It will not happen again next year, i put a hundred on that.

Now, im absolutely aware that the way the rest of the team played, it would not have been enough to beat the Penguins in the Conference final. So what i think of our actual team is we are good enough to go deep into playoffs but not enough to be cup contenders.

So What does it take to reach that level???

My opinion is:

1-One more tought, physical defensman like Foote
2-A true sniper to replace the 30 goals Ryder was giving us last year and the one before, maybe like Rolston.

What you think??

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