CAROLINA DRAMA...OR...COOL YOUR ENGINE BEFORE IT STAALS

   You know, it’s funny how life takes us on a journey of twists and turns. Such is the case for me, as I find myself newly relocated in North Carolina less than ten minutes from the PNC Arena in the heart of “Cainiac” country. What is funny is that I grew up spending the majority of my weekends following this franchise when they were known as the “Whale” in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Remembering how awesome it was to see the Howe family skate together on the same team. It almost seems fitting that this is where I find myself being that I never truly took my eye off of this team even after they packed up and headed South. A part of me was even quite pleased when the raised the Cup back in 2006 as I had waited what seemed to be a lifetime to see this franchise win a championship.

   With all of that said, I have started to settle in here in this beautiful part of the country familiarizing myself with my new surroundings and checking the pulse of this “Southern Fried” hockey fan base. I have to say that the heartbeat is strong and very passionate, so the term “Cainiac” is quite appropriate. Although the fan base may not be as well schooled as some traditional hockey markets, the fire, passion and support these fans feel for their Hurricanes rivals that of any NHL city. That fact is extremely apparent just by giving a quick glance into the chat rooms, message boards or any social network platforms where hockey talk dominates. Even more apparent as of now, due to the latest Draft Day drama that took place the other night in Pittsburgh. Where we saw possibly the biggest trades of the off-season instantly send shockwaves through this sleepy southern community as well as the rest of the hockey world.

   The rumors had been swirling for days leading up to the draft as the writing was on the wall and it was no secret that something had to give in regards to the situation Jordan Staal and the Penguins found themselves in.  Also well known was the desire of the Carolina Hurricanes to add Staal to their roster, but at what cost? Therein lay the drama that has caused “Cainiac’s” worldwide hearts to racing either with excitement or disbelief. The cost of landing Jordan Staal in a Hurricanes sweater alongside his brother Eric was indeed quite steep as the price was the number eight pick in this year’s draft, young gun Brandon Sutter and former B.C. Eagle d-man prospect Brian Dumoulin.

   As the dust starts to settle and the reality of the deal starts to sink in, reaction is a mixed bag of emotions for Hurricanes fans. Some applauding Mr. Rutherford for doing whatever it took to land the star forward, some calling for his head for giving up so much for a player who could end up being no more than a one year rental along with some who just don’t know what to make of the entire situation but are happy that the team is doing something active be it good or bad as well as those who think the franchise is doomed. I can understand the mixed feelings amongst the hometown fans as losing an opportunity at drafting another top ten prospect for the future along with a standout such as Sutter is an awful lot of sacrifice, but on the other hand Jordan Staal, who won’t turn 24 until September, brings a ton of upside to a Hurricanes roster for years to come if they can entice him to sign long term. What I believe brings the most anxiety to Canes fans is if Rutherford could have waited a bit longer he just might have been in a position to obtain Staal without having to part with Sutter. The problem with him waiting until Jordan became an UFA next year is the same lack of guarantee that he would come to Carolina as it is whether or not they can sign him. The plus to that is at least now they have a year with him as a Hurricane to get that accomplished which is the better of the two scenarios.

   So my “Cainiac” friends, before you throw yourself into the eye of the storm or call for J.R.’s head on a platter or give up completely on hockey before the season even starts, try to see how this move actually makes your team stronger. How the move actually puts them in a good position to be active in pursuing and enticing bigger name free agents to head south and enjoy what we all already know to be a wonderful place to hang our skates.

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD(LINES)

So I thought I’d have a little fun this morning playing catch up with some of the events that have taken place lately in the world of the NHL. Enjoy!


Where everybody “nose” your name or Never “bite” off more than you can “chew”

That was one hell of a run boys! The Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup this year, in the fashion in which they did, was truly amazing. To think that they played in and won 3 Game7’s in route to hoisting the cup, without a bonified 40 goal scorer and an anemic power-play speaks volumes to their strength and character as a team. I can’t remember a time when the pieces of the puzzle just fell together for another team like they did for the B’s this season.

Tim Thomas….are you freakin’ kidding me? I know over the years I have picked on Timmy for his unorthodox style, but I have to give him credit for putting up those numbers and that performance all year. Well deserved all around Tim, you were completely lights out! Unfortunately for all goaltenders going forward, you will be judged by Timmy’s accomplishment and undoubtedly fall short in your efforts. At least now Tim can shave off that playoff beard that made him look like one of the Muppets and go back to that cheesy 70’s porn star mustache that we have all come to know and love! You didn’t really think that I wasn’t going to get any shot in at him, did you?


His name is my name too? or But you doesn’t have to call me Johnson

Congratulations to the newest member of the Oil Nation, youngster Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked #1 overall in this year’s draft. So let me get this straight kid…..your full name is Ryan Jeremy Noel Nugent-Hopkins? What the hell were your folks thinking? Makes me wonder if your nickname in Edmonton will be…. “Alphabet” or “The Nuge” or “Jingle Heimer-Schmidt”. Anyway, good luck to you kid and at least we all can rest assured that whenever you go out the people will always shout “There goes Ryan Jeremy Noel Nugent-Hopkins la,la,la,la,la,la,la,la!”


I think that Philly cheese-steak I ate was bad! or The Carter you go, the Jagr you get

Sorry Flyer fans, but this has to be said. I just don’t know how you can justify purging your roster of 80 goals per season in Carter, Richards and Leino and replacing them with a possible (and I’m being generous here) 50 goals in Jagr, Voracek and Simmonds. Okay, so they kind of upgraded their goaltending situation….but Bryzgalov hasn’t proven to be any better come playoff time than any of the carrousel horses you rode last year so forgive me if I’m not feeling all warm and fuzzy about it.

Come on…. Jagr?? The old goat can only give you one 20 second rush up the ice and he is huffing and puffing to do that! Whoever he plays with won’t be better next year stat wise you can count on that. He will be too slow to keep up the pace with the speed of Briere ,Van Riemsdyk or Giroux and forget about seeing him back-check he’ll be too busy struggling to get to the bench to do that! Mark my words people….two months in and he will only see minutes on the power-play and maybe two shifts per period at regular strength. I just don’t understand how you can be so close to raising the cup and then throw it all away….wait a minute, yes I do….Paul Holmgren…..nevermind! Time to stock up on the antacids!

YEAR OF THE LOSERS - NHL 2008-2009

Okay, here we go. The NHL pre-season is in full swing; teams are feeling their way through it with the hopes that their newly adjusted rosters will bring them rich rewards. Timing, chemistry and learning systems are only a few of the bugs being ironed out feverishly as they gear up for October 4th.

While everyone is busy speculating how well (or poor) their team will do and predictions are already running rampant, I can’t seem to take my focus off the fact that once this season is done we will have another dream lottery by way of the “Tavares Sweepstakes”. I know what you’re thinking, “Gregsky, the season hasn’t even started and you want to talk about the next draft? Just what are you putting in your coffee man?” I know, I know, but I just can’t get away from it when I look at some of the rosters that teams are icing this year. I’m already convinced that no matter how much I try to focus on the teams that will be leading the league this year, keeping an eye on the bottom dwellers will divert my attention all season. It’s going to happen and I won’t be able to do a thing to stop it.

For some reason I have a feeling that we will have more teams with sub-par records making the playoffs this year. The last 3 playoff spots in each conference could very well be noticed earlier this year than in years past as there just might be fewer teams fighting for them. However, the race for the worst record (and best lottery chance) will be jam packed with teams in a battle to become the league’s ultimate loser. Which, in the end, will make them the ultimate winner.

We have seen what being a loser has done for some teams lately when impact players come through the draft that are clearly above the rest of the pack. If there were a year to become the biggest loser, this is the year. How hard will the bottom dwellers work in March and April when the light at the end of the tunnel is John Tavares? My guess is not very. I can’t help but imagine the Leafs, Thrashers, Panthers, Islanders, Canucks, Kings, Blues, Oilers, Sabres and Blue Jackets all fighting to be the worst they can be in the hopes of landing a player that could turn their fortunes around. And you might even be able to throw in the Canes, Preds, Bolts and Yotes to that mix just to make things interesting. Any of the aforementioned teams stands a good chance of “earning” the dubious yet attractive title of becoming the worst of the worst.

So while everyone is focused on who the best teams are going to be I will be keeping an eye on the other side of the coin. Call me crazy (it’s okay I know you want to) but I think it will be a bigger dogfight to suck than to succeed this year. Now that I have spread some sunshine, my work here is done. Enjoy!

DRAFT AFTERMATH

Well this was supposed to be a wacky post handing out grades for the Draft, but after some thought about the experience that was the 2008 Entry Draft I was left with a feeling that it just wasn’t that eventful to warrant such a post. Not quite a yawn-fest mind you, but a bit on the lackluster side. Instead of an off the wall post I’ll give you my take on some key moves/picks that took place.

When the hell did the Coyotes learn how to draft? There are just some things in life that you can count on –

1. The sun rising

2. A rainstorm just after you washed the car

3. That annoying guy at work that thinks he’s your pal will try to make small talk with you on subjects he knows absolutely nothing about

4. The Yotes will draft the worst possible players available in any given draft

Well we can now scratch #4 off the list because the Coyotes have drafted well in consecutive drafts and this one has got to be their best ever. They used their 1st round picks wisely by adding a future scorer in Boedker and a possible menace on ice in Tikhonov (if he plays with the same emotion he displayed for Russia in the World Juniors). Going with some big boys with the next 3 picks in Staal, Stone and Brodeur shows a commitment to getting tougher to play against in the near future. They were able to shed deadweight and cap chokers in Boynton and Ballard while acquiring a gem in Jokinen to give them (as well as Jokinen) a serious chance at the playoffs next season. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the question. When did the Coyotes learn how to draft? When they added Greg Malone to their scouting staff.

Another team that must be grinning from ear to ear is the Blue Jackets. They landed Umberger (played college hockey for Ohio State), selected what may be the most dynamic player in the draft in Filatov and loaded up with big defensemen with big potential in the future. The Jackets are hoping that this Russian turns out to be more like Ovechkin than Zherdev. No, the Jackets didn’t exactly hit it out of the park on draft day, but GM Scott Howson must be pleased with how well they did with the picks they had.

The Bruins rolled the dice with their selections, banking more on character type players than actual skill level. They went center happy hoping that one or two will pan out (centers taken in past rounds have been less than stellar). Only time will tell if the gamble will pay off. Perhaps the biggest gamble was trading up to pick Arniel. He must have interviewed well and there must be more to the story with this guy or at least another side to the story. That’s not to take away from another gamble they took with their first pick in Joe Colborne. With a ton of high ranking talent left on the board with the 16th overall pick the B’s raised a few eyebrows when they selected Colborne. Mostly due to the fact that he played in the AJHL against what most see as inferior competition. However, the Bruins see more in this guy and most likely hope that his time at the University of Denver will go a long way for his development at a higher level. Now if the hush-hush news about Wheeler comes to bear fruit and they are able to land Hossa, the gambles on draft day won’t look as bad if they don’t pan out.

The Lightning may have gotten the best overall player in the draft in Stamkos, but did little after that to address their need to add depth to their future backend. We all knew that they would get the leftovers when it came to defensemen and goaltenders, but instead of taking the best available with the 62nd overall pick the Bolts (in all of their infinite wisdom) traded down to take another forward with the 117th pick. They finally took a goaltender with the 122nd pick and chose Tokarski who ranked 9th in North American goaltenders. They didn’t pick a defensemen until the 6th round where they took two. So much for playing it smart and shoring up the weak areas in your system. They did however get the green light from the new ownership to be aggressive in the free agent market this year. The only trouble with that is they also set a cap limit of $44 million, when they already have $35 million committed to payroll next season. I’m sorry, Bolts fans, but $9 million isn’t enough to be aggressive and fill the holes on that roster.

PRE-DRAFT RAMBLINGS

The 2008 Entry Draft is fast approaching and everyone already knows that the Bolts plan on taking Steven Stamkos with their #1 pick. Stamkos (a 6’-3” 185 lbs. center out of Scarborough, ON.) isn’t something you pass up on even if he won’t necessarily address your needs. Some think that with this draft being heavy with defensemen and goalies that the Bolts in particular should start building up their back end, but keep in mind that in this draft they can accomplish that in later rounds. That is why they jumped right away and announced their intention on picking Stamkos. There will be no surprises on who goes 1st overall on Friday.

This year on draft day I think I will be most interested in what trades go down more so than who picks who. I just have this feeling that there will be a plethora of movement amongst teams trying to shed payroll and gather more picks for either this draft or ones in the near future. This will most likely be a last ditch effort for teams to trade away players before buying them out or losing them to free agency come July 1st. Hey sometimes a future draft pick and a bag of pucks is better than taking a cap hit on a buyout or getting nothing in return. Ahh yes, I can see it now, sort of like a clearance sale or better yet like a concession vendor; “Emery…Emery here…get ‘yer ice cold Emery here…” or “Only one Murray left…last chance for a Murray here…buy one Murray and get a Fernandez free…and by free I mean we’ll be free of him…get ‘yer Murray here…”

I think we will see a lot of defensemen taken in the first couple of rounds this year, as they seem to dominate the landscape. There will be a fair share of goaltenders taken as well and the Bolts will get their chance at a number of them and d-men to boot. By taking Stamkos with their first pick they will get the leftovers when it comes to the back end but in this draft the leftovers will be solid as well. In Stamkos they will however get the future replacement for Vinnie, this time I am hoping they will seriously consider how much they should pay a young super-talent.

Settle in on Friday and watch your teams select the future and attempt to move payroll and enjoy it hockey fans, it will be the last bit of excitement until July 1st. I will hand out my report card on how everyone did after the draft ends, most likely in a wacky format so until then keep your head up and enjoy!

TAVARES SHOULD HURRY UP AND WAIT

After taking the long holiday weekend off from hockey to just enjoy life, family and the great outdoors, I come back to little news going on. No major news was tempting enough to comment on as I scanned the web this morning searching for some tidbit to put my two cents in. Then suddenly I found it. TSN.com ran a story about Oshawa Generals wonder-kid John Tavares and his agent pushing for an early entry into the NHL draft. On the surface I immediately notice a few things wrong with the request. One being that rules are rules and they are in place for a reason. Another being that we have an agent pushing the request and it just reeks of a more personal interest involved than the interest of the kid. Lastly, as good as this kid is, I see absolutely no need to rush him up the ladder when guys like Crosby and Lemieux had to wait. When you dig a little deeper things get a bit murky. Considering that Tavares was fast-tracked into the OHL early, has been playing with older kids and excelling (breaking Gretzky’s records) and misses the draft eligible age by a mere 5 days you start to see how the request gained its steam. Factor in that this kid now has to watch the majority of the guys he’s been playing with get drafted and head to NHL training camps while he waits another 2 years for his chance, one has to wonder if a case for such an exemption is warranted. There are two sides to the development issue in Tavares’ case, one being that he is still very young and another year or two in Major Juniors will only make him that much better when he is eligible, the other being that if he is dominating at this level will his development be held back due to the lack of challenging opposition. The whole situation surrounding this kid makes me think of all of the things that could go wrong if not handled correctly so let’s do a little weighing of the pluses versus the minuses in this case.

Fact: 16 years old, 6’- 0” 183lbs., 2 years of Major Juniors under his belt, 134 points last season for a 2 year total of 211 points.
Plus - size and skill playing against older competition at a higher level and excelling.
Minus – 16 years old
Fact: Having your agent push the issue for an amendment to the rules so you can enter the draft early while tossing about a threat of playing in Europe next year if you don’t get your way.
Plus – none
Minus – Every NHL GM now views this as whining and will factor that in when you do become draft eligible.
Fact: The rule states that players who turn 18 before 9/15/08 are draft eligible, you miss the cut by 5 days.
Plus – 5 days isn’t much when you look at the big picture.
Minus – rules are rules and everyone must follow the rules regardless of the situation.
Fact: The way it stands now, it will be another 2 years before you are draft eligible and are faced with another 2 years in the OHL.
Plus – 2 more years of domination and skill honing will make you that much better when you are drafted.
Minus – your development levels off from lack of a challenge and you risk career ending injuries before you can start a career.

I could go on and on with this and never get to an answer that would satisfy all parties involved so I will just state my personal feelings about it instead. Listen kid, you are very talented, no one will dispute that, but rules are in place to protect you for your own good not to keep you down or to diminish your abilities. Do yourself a favor and stop pushing for this amendment. Suck it up and follow the rules like everyone else before you and everyone after you. For God’s sake don’t let your agent dictated the future for you, he only smells the money that’s in it for him. He will promise you the moon and do and say whatever he can to convince you that it is all for your benefit. The fact remains that you are only 16 and I know that you feel ready for the next jump and I don’t doubt your ability to do so, but take your time, enjoy being 16, enjoy having another 2 years to continue to mature before all of the pressures of a career start weighing on you. You are truly in a unique situation, but don’t let that become your battle cry because that will end up being how you are viewed and judged. Believe me, the press will have a field day with that angle and NHL GM’s will be hesitant to go down that road with you as they have seen it before. Take these next 2 years to show the world that you have maturity beyond your years and better your chances of going #1 overall when your time finally comes. Don’t view these next 2 years as a punishment, rather view it as a challenge and make the most of it. As my grandfather used to always say when I was faced with a challenge growing up: “What doesn’t kill you kid, only serves to make you stronger.”