Busy News Day

Theres quite a bit going down in the NHL these days so heres a catch-up:

• The NHL established new payroll limits for the 2008-2009 season. The upper limit is $56.7 and the lower limit is $40.7. I've never seen the lower limit before. Are they trying to force teams to spend more and lower the quality of the play in the league by filling that minimum with kids that should be in the minors?
• One of my favorite players, Scott Niedermayer, announced he will be retuning to the Ducks for another season. The smooth-skating defenseman played a pivotal role in the Ducks' Cup run two years back and was also instrumental in pushing the Ducks into the playoffs last season after struggling through the beginning portion of the year.
• Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik reportedly turned down an offer (conditions unknown) but are still in talks. My guess is that he will test the open market and likely be largely over paid due in large part to his stellar performance in the playoffs. As per usual I would love to see him come to Buffalo and shore up our rather weak blueline.
• According to Eklund (read: don't believe a word of it) the Sabres are offering to trade Max Afinogenov to the Washington Capitals for the rights to Mike Green. Again, a dream move if it pans out but the Sabres and the Caps are both right up against the salary cap and Max's $3.5 million is not going to be an easy pill to swallow for the Caps.
• Martin Straka of the Rangers will leave the NHL to play for the KHL (maybe)
• Speaking of the KHL, TSN reports that Jaromir Jagr has received an offer to play in his homeland. I'm not a religious person but I'm praying that he accepts the offer and I never have to see him play another NHL game.
• There are reports that Bryan McCabe and Dan Boyle will be the next guys offered up as trade bait. Its no secret that the Leafs are trying to rid themselves of McCabe's expensive contract so I would expect to see him traded but Boyle will likely stay put.
• TSN is also reporting that the Ducks have placed winger Todd Bertuzzi on waivers, likely to make cap space available for Niedermayer and the possible return of Teemu Selanne
• Lastly, Puck That Hit has a rather humorous wrap up of all the trouble that has fallen into Mr. Bettman's lap.

More Free Agent News

No less than twelve hours after the Leafs put Kyle Wellwood  on the waiver wire he was claimed  by the Vancouver Canucks. Weird move by the Leafs if you ask me. Wellwood is still pretty young and could be a second-line center in a few years. That being said, this was definitely a good pick up by the Canucks. They seem poised to make a big splash in the proverbial free agent pond. They are rumored to be interested in picking up Raycroft as well and possibly shopping the Sedin Twins. A decent backup for Luongo is an important pickup to look into but shopping the faces of your franchise (now that Trevor Linden is retired) might not be the best idea. Not to mention Markus Naslund will probably leave to free agency.

The Ottawa Senators traded right winger Brian McGrattan to Phoenix for a fifth round pick. I always wonder if guys like this looks at what they are being traded for  and wonder "Is all I'm worth to my team a fifth round pick?" That has to be depressing

Jeremy Roenick, Brian Boucher and Joe Pavelski all signed new contracts with the San Jose Sharks today. As Puck Daddy says, Roenick is just delaying an inevitable career in TV. Maybe he is just waiting for ESPN to finally pick up hockey again so he can replace Barry Melrose. After all, they both had great flow. The 38 year old center enjoyed a revival of sorts in San Jose after leaving Phoenix. For his sake I hope the Sharks finally put it together and win a Cup next season  so he can win at least one before he retires.

Tucker and Lecavalier

The Leafs will reportedly buy out the remaining three years of Darcy Tucker's contract at $6 million total. Tucker's production certainly dropped off last year likely as a result of the appearance of Jason Blake chewing up his ice time. Also Tucker looked unhappy in Toronto. The gritty right wing has a few good years left in him and would be a welcome addition to any team that is lacking in grit or high energy players. If I had to bet I would say he would stay in the Eastern Conference. He would be a great replacement for Sean Avery in New York but with a salary the size of his I doubt that will happen. Atlanta might be interested in his services but their major concern is not grit, its scoring and defense and pretty much everything else. Much like Gary Roberts, I would love to see this type of player come to Buffalo.

According to TSN, The Lightning will offer Vinny Lecavalier what is essentially a lifetime contract at $77 million over nine years. The contract will take him until he is 37. My feelings on this are similar to my feelings on the Ovechkin contract: It is a big risk, likely with a big reward but there are too many "ifs" in professional sports to be throwing that kind of money over such an extended period of time. Lecavalier has had some injuries and there is no telling what could happen to him. The contract would have a cap hit of $8.55 million and the Lightning may need to

hand Stamkos a huge contract three years from now or risk losing him not to mention Martin St. Louis' contract runs up in three years as well. I doubt St. Louis will stick around to be honest, even if they can afford to keep him.

News Catch Up

So I've been busy being fat and lazy recently so heres a catch up on whats going on. Firstly, the draft happened.The only huge news in terms of trades was Jokinen to the Coyotes for two players, Tanguay to the Habs for picks, Cammalleri to the Flames in a three way deal and R.J. Umberger to Columbus for picks. Unfortunately, since you can draft 18 year olds in the NHL, theres a very low chance of seeing most of the kids drafted in the first round actually play a game in the N for the next few years. In my opinion, this needs to change. Its hard to get excited about some kid who will play the next year in Juniors, the next two playing for some obscure minor league team then maybe get a shot at the bigs after all of that time getting pounded and worn down by a bunch of idiots with no shot. Yes the NHL is the best hockey league in the world and Yes talent development is very important but 18 is too young. Give these kids a chance to play college hockey and maybe even get a degree before they try to make it into the bigtime. People of the opposite train of thought will point to Pat Kane, Jon Toews, Bing Crosby, Geno and players like that as a counterpoint but even they struggle and sometimes look dwarfed not to mention that they are the exceptions that prove the rule. Up the minimum draft age to 20, let prospects struggle for a year or two and after its all over you will have higher caliber players not only at the professional level but at the subsequent levels.

The next order of business comes out of Tampa Bay. Its no surprise that they drafted Stamkos and the worst kept secret in the NHL finally rears its mulleted head. Thats correct, the new ownership has hired celebrity coach Barry Melrose. This is honestly the worst idea ever. Melrose is a twit. I never agree with what he has to say and to hear him play parrot to Don Cherry this past postseason was almost comical. If the Lightning organization thinks people will come to games just to see him (ok and Stamkos) they must be nuts. I highly doubt Melrose will be successful as a coach in the "new" NHL

Up next is Free Agent news. The Senators bought out Ray Emery. This was clearly the right thing to do. I'm interested to see where he will end up. Also, Marian Hossa will test the market. Good move for him, bad move for the Pens who will also lose Gary Roberts but keep Malkin if he has anyhting to say about it. That makes me sad, I've always liked Roberts and his physical style. He would be a perfect fit in a Sabres lineup lacking in physicality and veteran leadership. More free agent news comes out of the Mats Sundin camp. Both the Rangers and the Canadiens have received permission to talk with Sundin with more teams possibly on the way. Toronto fans say goodbye to your saving grace. Speaking of saves, the Leafs will also let Andrew Raycroft go after spending much of the season on the bench earning $2.2 million to do so. Also, its looking less and less likely that Brian Campbell will stay in San Jose as both the Senators and the Blackhawks are reportedly interested in him. I think he would be a great fit in Chicago if a deal with the Sharks does indeed fall through. That move, however, might cause problems for them in the long run as Campbell is not cheap and the Blackhawks must have signing Kane and Toews as their number one priorities.

Now its time for rumors from hockey's biggest idiot. Thats correct, the anonymous blogger himself: Eklund. You can just throw these out the window entirely but here goes:
•Sundin will be a Ranger. The certainty with which he can say these things is amazing. How does this guy sleep at night?
•Marian Gaborik in talks with the Sabres. This would be awesome if it were true but I doubt it will happen. That said, the Sabres need a "face" of the organization
•Emery to Tampa. This is another gem... not
•Marleau to a bunch of teams. Marleau is not going anywhere.

Oh yeah, one last thing: The Hockey Hall of Fame Inductees. Not terrible decisions but there were a few guys up there that should get in eventually like Claude Lemieux

A Fleury of News

So here it is:
-The Pittsburgh Penguins have filed for arbitration with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. I highly doubt the Penguins are gonna let him get away regardless of the price the arbitrator sets. Why this is potentially dangerous for the Pens is that they have Malkin's contract to worry about in the near future as well.

-Todd Mclellan, former WHL head coach, AHL head coach and NHL assistant coach (with the Cup champion Detroit Red Wings), was named as the new head coach of the San Jose Sharks. I dont know anything about Mclellan other than he has been successful everywhere he has been. Certainly not a bad choice for a Sharks team thats been so close the last few seasons.

-The Ottawa Senators signed Craig Hartsburg to their head coaching position. Again not someone I know a whole lot about but his hiring has been met with mixed reviews. He was successful at the junior level as a coach but has a losing record in his two previous stints as an NHL bench boss. I do, however like his attitude regarding the Sens:

"It's a good team that needs some structure and some accountability," Hartsburg said on Thursday. "And if it gets that, then it should be a good hockey club."

Couldn't be more true in my opinion.

-Apparently the Maple Leafs (aka the biggest gongshow of a team/organization in the NHL) are going to stick with their current GM Cliff Fletcher for the 08-09 season. Wow. Fletcher knows he will be sacked come the end of next season assuming something outrageous, like the Leafs winning the cup, doesn't happen. Basically the Leafs have turned next season into a wash, effectively wasting one of Sundin's remaining good years while waiting for Brian Burke's contract in Anaheim to run out. I could be wrong but what incentive does Fletcher have to perform?

-The Florida Panthers introduced Peter DoBoer, formerly of the OHL, as their new head coach. Maybe minor league coaches are the new hot thing in the NHL.

-A bit of Sabres news: The Sabres officially announced that the Portland Pirates are their new minor-league affiliate. This is great news for both organizations but being able to call up a player from the Rochester Americans at noon and have him there in time for the game will certainly be missed.

-As a last bit of news heres the rundown of the awards handed out last night. No big surprises here:

Hart Trophy-Alex Ovechkin
Norris Trophy-Nicklas Lidstrom
Calder Trophy-Pat Kane
Lady Byng Trophy-Pavel Datsyuk
Jack Adams Award-Bruce Boudreau
King Clancy Trophy-Vinny Lecavalier
Bill Masterson-Jason Blake
Lifetime Achievement-Gordie Howe
Maurice Richard Trophy-Alex Ovechkin
William Jennings Trophy-Chris Osgood and Dominik Hasek
Lester B. Pearson Award-Alex Ovechkin

Congratulations to all the winners

Linden Retires

So this should not come as a surprise but Trevor Linden of the Canucks retired today. Linden played for the Canucks, Rangers, Habs, Capitals and Canucks again and will almost definitely have his number retired in Vancouver. Linden, like almost all hockey players, was a class-act off the ice and will probably walk into the broadcasting job of his choice next season if he so chooses.

Happy Trails Trevor

The Dominator is Done

Yes, thats correct, Dominik Hasek is finally hanging them up. He won 6 Vezinas but to be honest, who cares? He was pulled from a playoff series this year after sucking hard. Its a shame the thing he will be remembered most for is NO GOAL.

Wilson to Coach Leafs

As per TSN former Sharks coach Ron Wilson will be behind the bench for the Toronto Maple Leafs next season. There are apparently a few points left to iron out in the contract negotiations but the two sides are close to making the deal work. I hope Wilson knows what he is walking into. The Leafs organization is a total gongshow and I for one find it silly to hire a new coach before you hire a new GM. Now, not only do they have the daunting task hiring a GM to sort out the mess in one of the toughest and least forgiving hockey markets, but they also have to find a GM that is willing to work with Wilson (shouldn't be hard for a guy who has a career record of 518-446-127 as a coach). Regardless of how backwards this organization operates this should be good news for Leafs faithful. Wilson ran a pretty clean system centered around a big, strong forward in Joe Thornton with strong secondary scoring. Sound familiar Sundin and Antropov? Couple this with the rumor that the Leafs are shopping the seventh pick in this years draft (for an established player I'm assuming) and you have the makings of an interesting upcoming season in Toronto.

Want Proof that Hockey Players are Tough?

Check this out:

The reason for Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen's mysterious headaches -- and his absence from six games of the Stanley Cup playoffs -- was made clear on Saturday.

Franzen had a subdural hematoma, more commonly known as a bruise inside his head, according to reports in the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press.

Are you kidding me?! A bruised head?! The article goes on to say that there was blood between his brain and his skull which self-absorbed after two weeks. Jesus christ. Are there any other people on the planet that would play one of the most brutal and physically demanding sports with a bruised head? Wow.

You can read the rest of the article here

EA Sports NHL 09 Trailer Released

EA Sports has released a trailer for its upcoming hockey title NHL 09. I'm a huge fan (though not a particularly good player) of NHL 08 for the PS3. If you have not played it I would suggest checking it out. They're apparently adding a "Be a Pro" mode similar to Superstar mode from the Madden games where you can create a player and play as solely that player in third-person view and rise to The Show through the minor leagues. Check it out:

Thanks to Puck Daddy for the heads up

The 08 Playoffs

This season's playoffs were, for lack of a better word, different at least in my opinion. I was more interested than ever but it seemed to me like some of the games didn't live up to their full potential and the match-ups weren't that great. Don't get me wrong, there was some excellent hockey being played, especially in the first round. However, playoff hockey always has some sort of a mystique, an intangible element if you will. When I turn on a game I can usually tell that it means more than just a regular season game. Every turnover is more costly and every scoring chance is more important but, for some reason, I never got that sense from this year's postseason. At least until the Finals. Maybe its becasue scoring didn't significantly decrease in the postseason this year indicating that games were not as tight as in the past. Maybe its because it was fairly apparent that the Penguins would run away with the East after Carey Price has his meltdown in the second round (hindsight is always 20/20 as they say). Maybe it was the lack of big upsets (excluding Dallas knocking out the Sharks in the second round). Maybe I'm just suffering from post-playoff depression. Who knows? 

Post on the Finals coming soon

What Is Up

Ok so this is pretty cheesy but what the hell. Considering this is my first post and I'm brand new at this blogging thing I figured I would introduce myself a little. My name's Ben and I'm from a suburb of Buffalo, NY called Amherst. I go to school at the University of Vermont and I'm a Business major with a concentration in marketing.  I work as an equipment manager for the UVM women's hockey team. I love most sports but hockey is by far my favorite. I was raised a Sabres fan and pretty much grew up in Memorial Auditorium (The Aud). This blog will focus a lot on the Sabres but as much as I can I will talk about other issues surrounding the NHL, NCAA and all other hockey. Thanks for stopping by and check back soon for updates.