Line Rotation The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

After the Pittsburgh Penguins lost tonight versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, there are many fans questioning the merits of constantly shuffling lines from one game to the next. Especially after coming off a winning streak that included a shutout.

There are two camps concerning the merits of regular line rotation, those who live by it and those who are vehemently opposed to it. I will examine the pros and cons of this philosophy and in the end give my personal take on it.

The Good:

Regular shuffling of the pack, can shake up a team when in a slump. You promote players who have been working hard up to a higher line and demote a player to a lower line to motivate them to improve their play. If this psychological motivation works, it should result in all players working harder.

Having most players getting a taste of playing with each other enables you to throw any combination out onto the ice and they will have some semblance of chemistry together and makes adjustments easier when injuries occur.

Line shuffling enables the coach to adjust his lines to match the needs for each specific game. So, if your top line needs a little more size for a particular game, you can throw a checking line player with some scoring ability onto it.

Finally, line shuffling will keep the opposition guessing as to what combinations they are going to have to defend against and how to plan ahead to defend it.

The Bad:

Constant line shuffling can be counter productive to building team chemistry; sometimes players need more than a couple of games to gel.

Shuffling lines can result in players that are on a hot streak going cold, because of a lack of continuity. It can also be very demoralizing for a player who is playing well to be demoted for the sake of shaking up other players.

If everyone is kept on the same lines for the majority of the games, not only does it build continuity, but it also doesn't ask anyone to play in situations they are not normally comfortable with.

You shouldn't shuffle lines if it's going to result in asking players to do things that doesn't play to their talents, especially if it results in a one way offensive talent, being asked to take a defensive role on a checking line.

The Ugly:

Michael Therrien the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins is a huge advocate of line shuffling, but his decision to dramatically shuffle his lines on Thursday, was a poor one.

The penguins were carrying a winning streak into the game and a shutout against the New York Rangers in their most recent game. This was not the time to have a complete overhaul of the lines. It was also not in the best interest of the team to ask Petr Sykora one of the Penguins most offensive stars to play a third line checking role.

The result of this line tinkering, was a disjointed team effort that included a -3 for Sykora and a humiliating 5-2 loss to the Leafs. Not only did it not produce the extra offense wanted, it also ended any chance of the Penguins building on their nice little winning streak.

My View:

Line shuffling should have a place in every coach's strategy book. However, there is a time and a place to use it. It should not be used when a team is on a winning streak, just to try and tweak a little more offense out of a team that is already winning and should never result in asking an offensive star to play a checking role, when that player shouldn't be anywhere near a checking line.

Are The Rangers Down and Out?

The New York Rangers made the biggest splash in free agency, by signing premier free agents Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to a combined whopping $86.75 million. The problem is the Rangers have won only 2 out of their 8 games and only scored 13 goals in the process.

There is a complete lack of chemistry on this team and the constant line shuffling isn't helping the situation either. How can a team that was predicted to win the Atlantic and challenge for the Stanley Cup have such a horrible start?

Well, I'm here to speculate as to why the Rangers are so bad and who is to blame...

The simplest answer is the top two lines are just not gelling and the constant line juggling, is being counter productive to building any chemistry between the players. There is the suggestion that line shuffling is done to jump start the players, but I don't buy into that theory. I believe players who haven't played together before, need to be given more than one game together to try and build chemistry.

The sub-par performance of Jaromir Jagr is a huge part of the Rangers' dismal start. If Jagr isn't firing on all cylinders then the Rangers' offense is greatly weakened.

There was much heated debate whether the Rangers were wrong to let Michael Nylander leave via free agency and now it is looking like it might have been the wrong decision.

Jaromir Jagr is a prima donna and he openly criticized the decision to not re-sign Nylander. There is a reason teams have always catered to Jagr's demands, to have his friends like Kip Miller signed. The reason teams have given into Jagr's demands is, an unhappy Jagr can be a cancer in the locker room, but a happy Jagr can be one of the best players in the NHL.

Glen Sather's career, seems to have followed a very troubling pattern. Sather has had his greatest success while working with a limited budget, but when he has money to burn, he just cannot put a winning team together.

While with the Edmonton Oilers he couldn't put a foot wrong, because he didn't have the spending power to sign anyone he wanted. But when he first took over the Rangers he signed big name free agents and shelled out big contract and it blew up in his face.

Then came Sather's saving grace, the lockout which produced the salary cap. The first two years post lockout, Sather had a tight budget and had to work his magic to put together a winning team and did so successfully. However, this year he had money to burn and boy did he spend it and spend it big. The troubling thing for Rangers' fans is yet again it's looking like big names and big money can't bring the Rangers a winning team.

The Rangers' defense was pinpointed as their main weakness going into the season. They were called soft and lacking in top 4 talent. However, their defense has been very good this year, having only given up 17 goals, which is good enough for sixth in the NHL.

The play of Henrik Lundqvist has been stellar and he truly is one of the best goalies in the league. The Rangers' forwards, should be embarrassed that they are wasting the efforts of such a talented goalie.

So the question is, is this just a blip on a long season or are they going to continue this play and miss the playoffs altogether?

The Rangers have far too much talent and their defense is playing too well with Lundqvist standing on his head, for them to not to right the boat and make the playoffs.

The one thing I don't see happening anymore, is the Rangers winning the Atlantic. The Pittsburgh Penguins started slow but look to be the cream of the crop in the Atlantic and the Flyers are off to a hot start also. The Rangers are going to have a tough time beating out both these teams to win the division.

The Calder is Calling Early!

It may be early, but boy did I get one of my predictions oh so wrong. I had Brett Sterling winning the Calder Trophy while playing with Ilya Kovalchuk. Well, Sterling is no longer playing with Kovalchuk and so far isn't even showing he's worth a roster spot.

I call a mulligan on this one and have to jump on the bandwagon of two sensational rookies in Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. To say they have been good is an understatement, their play this year has simply been phenomenal.

They are only teenagers, but they are fast forwarding the Chicago Blackhawks into a new era. These kids aren't just playing a regular shift , they are running the powerplay and playing over 18 minutes a night and scoring at a rate of over a point a game.

The Blackhawks organization and fans must be rubbing their hands with glee over these two kids, because if they build around these two players, the sky's the limit.

So down to the nitty gritty, who do I think will win the Calder Trophy now I've had a chance to see all the rookies play?

The answer is... Jonathan Toews. The kid is just sensational, he is a future team captain, who's defensive game is only surpassed by his offensive potential. His stickhandling while at top speed is just plain sick, right up there with the best in the league.

I'd be the first to admit I wasn't sure how good this kid would be, but he sure has made a believer of me. If you have any doubt that Toews will win the Calder you only have to look at his goal against the Colorado Avalanche and marvel at this sure fire goal of the year.

Predicting the Awards!

Today, I will predict who will win the end of season individual awards, some will come as no surprise some might just stimulate heated debate.

Hart Trophy: Sidney Crosby. Could there be any other option? Not if he stays healthy, he truly is the next one. He may never break Wayne Gretzky's records, but he is the best player since Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky graced the ice for the first time.

Pearson Award: Sidney Crosby. He will be the first back to back winner since Dominik Hasek in 1998.

Conn Smythe Trophy: Sidney Crosby. The next one will lead his team all the way to the cup and will further his resume and his reputation as the "next one," which will be crucial in the Pens going all the way.

Art Ross: Sidney Crosby. Can anyone stop this kid? Only injury can stop him in his chase to eclipse past Penguins' winners Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.

Rocket Richard Trophy: Dany Heatley. A healthy Jason Spezza and a new contract will see Heatley produce another 50+ goal season, but this time the Rocket Richard will be his.

Norris Trophy: Niklas Lidstrom. Will this guy ever relinquish his hold on this award? The guy is simply the best defenseman in the modern era.

Calder Trophy: Brett Sterling. Many of you will be saying Brett who? Well, he lead the AHL last year with 55 goals in his rookie year. He will start the season in Atlanta playing on a line with Ilya Kovalchuk and if he remains there, he should have a very good chance of winning the Calder.

Veznia Trophy: Roberto Luongo. There will be no mistake this year, he is the best goalie in the league and will take over the crown this year from incumbent Martin Brodeur.

Selke Trophy: Rob Brind'Amore. He is undoubtedly the best defensive forward in the game and will be the first guy to win three Selkes in a row since Bob Gainey back in 1981.

Jack Adams: Michel Therrien. He was wrongly overlooked last year as the winner, but this year he will prove himself more than worthy of the award, but could his icy personality work against him?

Season Predictions!

After a week hiatus, I'm back and here to give you all my predictions for the season. I will give you my predictions on who will make the playoffs, the conference finals and win the Stanley Cup.

Well lets start with the Western Conference:

1.Detroit Red Wings - If Dominic Hasek can stay healthy they will be a force, if not they will be out early. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsuyk proved last year that they can take this team deep into the playoffs if a little luck is on their side.

2. Anaheim Ducks - It's difficult for champions to repeat, but with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry a year older and J.S Giguere re-signing their hard hitting brand of hockey will be hard to beat.

3. Vancouver Canucks - Roberto Luongo will further his claim to being the best goalie today, by leading the Canucks to a division title. He of course will have a little help from the ever improving Sedin twins.

4. San Jose Sharks - Joe Thornton and his charges will be back and better than ever. However, they better hope that putting all their eggs in one basket doesn't backfire. Their Marleau Thornton Cheechoo line will have to perform every night if they are to be a Cup threat.

5. Colorado Avalanche - A lot will depend on Petr Budaj continuing to his stellar play. The Avs will be a safe bet to make the playoffs, with the likes of Joe Sakic and the impressive Paul Statsny and Wojtek Wolski to lead the charge.

6. Minnesota Wild - The Wild's chances will depend on Marian Gaborik staying healthy, but after a new off-season regime he is primmed to have a outrageous year. The Wild's defence first style will serve them well in the long haul of the season.

7. Calgary Flames - Mike Keenan's style may not be to everyone's liking, but he's the type of tough, disciplinarian coach that the Flames need. He will bring a system that will help Jerome Iginla's team reach the playoffs.

8. St Louis Blues - This pick may come as a shock to many, but I think they have built a core of young players like Lee Stempniak, Eric Johnson and the addition of Paul Kariya will vault them ahead of the Stars and Predators for the final playoff spot.

Now for the East Conference:

1. Ottawa Senators - There is no surprise here, a freshly signed Dan Heatley will lead last year's Stanley Cup finalists, back to the Promised land. This team is just plain sick, with Redden, Spezza, Alfredsson and of course Heatley leading the way.

2. New York Rangers - The addition of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury have propelled the Rangers into Cup contenders and although it will be a tough fight, the Atlantic should be theirs by season end.

3. Carolina Hurricanes - They had a rash of injuries and slumps, but this team is just too good not to win the Southeast division. A healthy Cory Stillman will go a long way to helping Eric Staal recapturing his 2005-2006 form.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins - Sidney Crosby the reigning NHL MVP has a strong supporting cast of Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora to name a few. However, much will depend on their defence which is still shockingly weak in it's own end. One area that shouldn't be a question mark anymore is their goaltending, Fleury won 40 games last year putting him behind only Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo.

5. New Jersey Devils - Despite the loss of Brian Rafalski and Scott Gomez the Devils have a long history of overcoming high profile loses and this year will be no exception. They still have Martin Brodeur and he can still carry a team on his back. They also have a proven winner in Brent Sutter as their new head coach.

6.Buffalo Sabres - The Sabres will drop off a lot this year, as a result of losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to free agency. Their season will rest on the performance of Ryan Miller, Derek Roy and the heavily overpaid Tomas Vanek. There is enough talent left for this team to make the playoffs.

7. Tampa Bay Lightning - Goaltending is still a big question mark for this team, but as last year showed, Martin St-Louis and Vincent Lecavalier can carry this team to the playoffs. They will hope that Brad Richards can rebound from an off year and take off some of the load.

8. Philadelphia Flyers - This was a tough choice and could have gone either way, but with the lack of top line centers on Atlanta I had to give it to the Flyers. They Flyers are completely revamped with the additions of Daniel Briere, Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell to name a few. The Flyers will take time to gel as a team, but there will be no repeat of last year and with Simon Gagne and a possible return of Peter Forsberg, this will be a playoff team again.

Western Conference Finals:

Detroit RedWings vs Anahiem Ducks

Winner = Detroit RedWings

Eastern Conference Finals:

Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers

Winner = Pittsburgh Penguins

Stanley Cup final:

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Detroit RedWings

Stanley Cup Winner = Pittsburgh Penguins finally reaching their potential possible dynasty starting.

New Future for the Blackhawks

William Wirtz, owner and President of the Chicago Blackhawks, has passed away after battling cancer.

Wirtz became team President of the Blackhawks in 1966 and since then had been a key figure in the NHL. He served as Chairman of the NHL's Board of Governors nearly two decades, and was influential in helping to merge the NHL and WHA. Wirtz's legacy was set when in 1976 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Since the Wirtz family took over the Blackhawks in 1954, they have only managed to win one Stanley Cup, in 1961. Although Wirtz family haven't managed to deliver many Cup successes, William Wirtz was able to deliver the fans a new arena.

Wirtz has been criticized over the years by the fans, for blacking out home games on television and for failing to spend the necessary money, to deliver the players to build a winning team.

Wirtz was a very hands on President and often had too much say in the direction of the team on the ice, undermining his General Managers. Wirtz's vision for the team was very old fashioned and lead to a decline in the success of the team since it moved into their new arena 12 years ago.

With Wirtz's passing, maybe now the Blackhawks front office will get an overhaul and we will see a successful and modern management team put in place.

Wirtz failed to realize that to attract fans to the games you have to premote your product as much as you can and this can't be done by blacking out your team's home games. A modernizing President is exactly what this team needs, one that allows the General Manager to do his job without interference.

My condolences go to the Wirtz family, but if the right moves are made, the Blackhawks future could be bright again and that will be the best tribute anyone could pay to William Wirtz. He may have been out of touch with today's game, but his legacy will live on.

Goalie Troubles for Kings!

The Los Angeles Kings have major issues in net again this year, culminating today with the waiving of Dan Cloutier and his $6.2 million dollar contract.

The Kings hope that some desperate team will take Cloutier's contract off their hands, but that seems unlikely. If he passes through waivers they intend to send him to their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs.

This leaves the Kings with two career backups in Jason LaBarbera and J.S Aubin, to challenge their stud prospect, Jonathan Bernier, for the starting role.

Labarbera and Aubin have yet to prove that they possess the necessary qualities to be a starter in the NHL, but they do provide a solid backup option. This leaves only one option for the starting role and that is Canada's Summit Series goalie Jonathan Bernier.

By all accounts, Bernier has had an outstanding camp Obviously, that was enough for the Kings to waiver Cloutier. However, Bernier would be jumping straight from Juniors to the NHL, which is a tough task for the best of goalies.

I'm an advocate for bringing young goalies along slowly, especially when the team in front of them isn't capable of protecting them. I believe goalies should learn the pro game in the AHL and only when they are ready bring them up to the NHL.

There will always be a few goalies that make the instant jump, but they are few and far between and there are many more goalies that have had their careers stunted by being asked to do too much too soon.

The Kings may be in the market for a starting goalie, but they are in short supply. The kings could make a move for the much maligned Andrew Raycroft or the impressive Ilya Bryzgalov. However, they will come with a steep price tag attached to them. A short term option may be to take a chance on a veteran like Curtis Joseph.

If the Kings are going to solve their goalie crisis, they will have to hope that Bernier doesn't crumble under the pressure, or they have to go out and get a legitimate starting goalie. If this fails to happen, their season will be over before it has even started.

Crosby In For The Kill!

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien, has suggested that his team needs more than two penalty killing units. He also suggested that he has penciled in Sidney Crosby for the 3rd penalty killing unit.

Crosby is enthusiastic about adding more responsibilty to his resume. He wants to prove that not only is he the best player in the NHL, but also the most complete player. He wants to show that there isn't any part of the game he can't master.

I have heard it said, that Sidney Crosby isn't the best player in the game, because he isn't a complete player like Vincent Lecavalier, because he doesn't kill penalties. This is complete hogwash and not based in reality.

Just because Crosby doesn't play on the penalty kill doesn't mean he isn't capable of doing so, after all he did that job very successfully while playing for Rimouski.

The Penguins previously believed, that there was no need to add minutes to Crosby's already heavy workload. They wanted Crosby to be fresh and ready to go for every offensive opportunity, not tiring himself by playing on the Penalty kill.

Their thinking has obviously changed and I don't necessarily think that's a good thing. Crosby may be capable of killing penalties, but why waste his energy doing so?

There are other players in the lineup that are less important to the team that are more than capable of filling that role. It is an unnecessary risk to have the best player in the league, facing slapshots from the point and putting his magical limbs at risk while blocking shots.

I suggest that the Pens continue to use him as they have been and only bring him out for the last few seconds of the penalty kill, in hope of creating scoring chances off the back of the tired opposition powerplay.

Crosby may turn out to be a top rate penalty killer, however, the rewards of being a complete player are far outweighed by the possibility of injury. An injury to such an important player, not only to the Penguins, but to the whole NHL, would be a crushing blow.

For the benefit of the Penguins and all the fans around the league who want to see Crosby and his magestical skill, I say, shelve the idea of playing Crosby on the penalty kill.

Schedule Will Change!

According to reports on TSN, it has been decided that the NHL schedule will be changed for the 2008-2009 season, after a 4 hour meeting of the board of governors.

The form of which the schedule will take, will be voted upon when the board of governors meet in late November. But, it is safe to say that every team will meet at least once every season.

I say thank the hockey gods for this piece of news and look forward to seeing what schedule they come up with.

If you want to see my full thoughts on what the new schedule should look like, check out my previous post.

The Globe Has It All Wrong!

After reading this article by David Shoalts, of the Globe and Mail, Where he blogs against the NHL holding an outdoor game, I feel Shoalts is missing the point and in the words of a famous ESPN catchphrase he should "Just Shut Up!"

This game has nothing to do with trying to recreate childhood memories, of playing pickup on the ponds of Canada. This game is about marketing the NHL to a new demographic.

This game is not being televised to attract the already saturated fandom of Canada, it's about attracting new fans in the States and increasing the visibility of the league in a market where is it behind even late night poker.

Americans like flash, they like something different and this game is going to provide exactly that. This game is going to provide the kind of novelty that might attract new viewers and if the league is lucky, long term fans.

What better way to increase the visibility of the league, than have an outdoor game where the best player in the world today, Sidney Crosby, will be broadcast live to millions of American homes by NBC.

This game may be a novelty and may not be a true reflection of the caliber of play in the NHL. However, it will increase the visibility of the league and get a few more extra inches in the back pages of the newspapers and that can only help the growth of the league.

This game has nothing to do with Canada, to even think of it in terms of the Canadian fans and how they feel about it, is irrelevant. This game is about growing the league in a market that is essential for the survival of the league, America.

Canada will support the NHL come rain or shine, but if the league is to continue to grow it has to come up with new ways to attract the American fans.

The more American fans the league can attract, the bigger the television deal will be, the more merchandise will be sold, the more tickets will be purchased, and that will eventually result in more money for every team in the league, including the Canadian teams.

This is why I couldn't disagree more with Shoalts and anyone else who may share his point of view. This outdoor game, will only be a positive thing for the NHL and for all its fans, be they American, Canadian or my case, other.

Capital Gains!

The Washington Capitals should be a much improved team this year The burning question is, can Alexander Ovechkin lead his team to the promised land of the playoffs?

The Capitals have added a lot of veteran experience, with the likes of Michael Nylander, Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti entering the fold. They also have added arguably best player outside of the NHL, 2006 draft pick Nicklas Backstrom.

The Capitals need to improve on every area of their game, if they are to make the playoffs. Their powerplay, penalty kill and goals against were all in the bottom third of the NHL last season.

The addition of Nylander and Poti should help their powerplay immensely. Poti gives the Capitals a legitimate NHL caliber powerplay quarterback and Nylander will give them another go to option other than Ovechkin.

The arrival of Nylander and Backstrom give the Capitals two legitimate top line centers. This should only help Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, to continue to improve on their impressive play from last year.

The capitals were a one line team last year, but that should not be the case this year. Semin, Backstrom and Kozlov should provide a potent second line and take some of the pressure off the top line. No longer can teams focus all their top defensive players on the top line alone.

Despite all the moves the Capitals have made to improve their offense, they have done nothing to improve their defense. Although they signed Tom Poti, he is a powerplay quarterback and his defensive play is sorely lacking. However, there is hope on the horizon, with the minute crunching machine Karl Alzner not far away.

Alexander Ovechkin has to learn to use his teammates more. Too many times last year, did he leave an open man whistling in the wind, while he tried to take an impossible shot. However, in Ovechkin's defense the caliber of linemates were sorely lacking and that might have had a lot to do with his decision making.

If the Capitals are to make the playoffs, they have to hope everything goes right. Their powerplay has to improve and they have to somehow find a way to solve their penalty killing issues from within and they also have to hope that Semin doesn't suffer from the dreaded sophomore slump, although it's not technically his sophomore year.

There are so many good teams in the Eastern Conference and the Capitals have too many glaring holes, that their chances of making the playoffs are slim to none.

Schedule Up for Change?

First it was Redwings owner Mike Ilitch, now it's Richard Peddie, President of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd, coming out in support for change to the NHL schedule.

Ilitch didn't go into specifics, but wanted to see more games against Eastern teams. Richard Peddie however, wants to see the NHL have a schedule similar to that of the NBA. This would include every team in the NHL playing home and away against each other.

I believe the premise of trying to breed divisional rivalries, by playing each divisional rival 8 times was flawed. Rivalries are built on the battles that count and those battles are found in the playoffs. Rivalries cannot be artificially created, if anything they lead to boredom.

I think I speak for most fans, when I say I whole heartedly agree with Mr. Peddie. I would love to see less games against divisional rivals, especially if it means I get to see my team play every team in the NHL home an away.

This is my solution, each team plays their divisional rivals 6 times, the rest of their conference 3 times alternating the 3rd game's location each year and finally they play every team in the other conference twice. This would result in a 84 game schedule, that's an increase of only 2 games per team.

I feel the extra 2 games would be very beneficial, not only the teams and the fans, but more importantly for the popularity of the league.

Bold Predictions!

Yesterday, Paul Maurice, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, boldly predicted not only would the Leafs make the playoffs, but they would also compete for the Stanley Cup. Was this a brash chest beating rally cry or the makings of another Bob Hartley?

The Leafs made two big moves in the off-season, they acquired the starting goalie their fans had been crying out for in Vesa Toskala and also signed scoring left winger Jason Blake.

I believe goaltending was not their problem last season. Andrew Raycroft proved he was more than capable of starting for the Leafs. It wasn't Raycroft's fault that the Leafs seemed incapable of killing a penalty.

The Leafs also overworked Raycroft, relying on him to carry them for 71 starts. Raycroft by no means is the type of goalie that can start more than 60 games and that was where the Leafs made their biggest mistake.

All that being said, Toskala on the surface seems to be an upgrade. However, he still has much to prove, this will be the first year he will be the legitimate starter for a team. He unlike Raycroft, will have a more than capable backup to help carry the burden.

For years now the Leafs have lacked scoring wingers, while carrying an abundance of centers. Jason Blake will provide them with one scoring winger, but his ability to match or come close to his 40 goals 69 point from last season, is debatable.

The Leafs still lack two legitimate top six wingers and potential wingers in their system like Jiri Tlusty are a year or two away.

The Leafs may have added to their offense and solidified their goaltending, but they still have to improve their horrendous penalty killing that had them in the bottom four of the league last year.

If the Leafs are to even make the playoffs this year, Blake and Toskala will have to live up to expectations and they will also have to find some way to turn around their penalty killing.

So will Maurice become the next Bob Hartley? Cover your eyes now Leafs fans, because not only will the leafs not be contenders for the Stanley cup, but they will struggle to even make the playoffs and could quite conceivably miss the playoffs all together.

Blues Ready to Play!

The once proud St. Louis Blues have been stuck in the basement of the NHL standings for several years now, but they are ready to make a dramatic return to the playoffs this year.

The Blues were once a perennial playoff team, but had a fall from grace since the lockout. Some dramatic changes have happened since then, the Blues have changed ownership and have a new direction and captain at the helm, in John Davidson.

Several excellent draft years, key trades and surprising free agent signings, have the Blues ready to compete for their first playoff spot since 2003-2004.

The Blues defense is going to be their strength. They a strong core, lead by veterans Jay McKee, Eric Brewer and Barret Jackman. Their defense is also about to get a huge shoot in the arm with 2006 draft pick Erik Johnson joining the fold. Johnson is one of those once in a decade type defenceman, who has the physical presence to punish his opponents, while possessing the finesse to be a powerplay quarterback.

St. Louis has a much improved offense, with the surprise addition of veteran point machine Paul Kariya. Additionally, right winger Lee Stempniak is ready to have a breakout year. He will be looking to take on more responsibility after scoring 27 goals and 52 points last season. The acquisition of Brad Boyes should bring some much needed punch to the Blues second line. They were also able able to bring back fan favourite Keith Tkachuk, who should be revitalized by the incoming Kariya.

The goaltending situation in St. Louis, is going to be very interesting to watch this year. The addition of Hannu Toivonen from Boston, should provide the Blues with insurance should Manny Legace become injured. Toivonen and young goalie Marek Schwarz, hope to be more than just insurance policies and thus should provide interesting competition for the starting job during camp.

Although the Blues are not a polished team, their chances of making he playoffs, were helped by the implosion of the divisional rivals the Nashville Predators.

The Blues feel they are ready to make th push for the playoffs and in this humble blogger's opinion, they dark horse of this season and are ready to upset the apple cart and steal that 8th spot in the west.

Nashville Madness

The Nashville Predators have come up with a new plan to raise revenue and season ticket sales.

My question is, isn't this the same plan that failed miserably last season? On closer inspection, it's almost exactly the same variable ticket pricing plan they had last year, with a couple of major differences.

The Predators plan is to raise the price of single-game tickets by an average of 25%, while retaining 22 games at regular price. That is 14 less games at regular price for this coming season.

The team makes no apologies for raising ticket prices, despite giving their fans little to be excited about, including trading away or failing to re-sign fan favourites like Paul Kariya, Kimmo Timonen and Tomas Vokoun.

They believe the price hike will bring their pricing up to the league average, while helping to increase revenues and season ticket sales. The Predators hope to force the fans' hands into buying season tickets, because season tickets work out cheaper on a per game basis.

The problem with that is, those who tend to buy single game tickets , purchase them because they either don't have the money or the time to commit to a full season of hockey.

This new pricing scheme may bring them up to the league average, but they are hurting those loyal fans whom want to take their whole family to a game, but now won't be able to afford to.

It would be understandable if they had come off a great year and done a lot in the off-season to give fans hope of increased success, but it's exactly the opposite in this case.

There is a time and a place for ticket price hikes and this is not one of them. They struggled to fill the arena last year with an infinitely more marketable team. What makes them think that now their team has suffered in the off-season, that more people will want to come to the games? Let's not forget the fans will have to pay more to do so.

In the end, the Predators will see an increase in season ticket sales, but that might go hand in hand with less single game ticket sales. They could be alienating their next generation of fans, because it's going to games with the family, that has borne many a future season ticket holder.

For a team that was on the brink of being moved out of town, this could be a public relations disaster and a slap in the face for those fans who fought to save them.

The Price is Not Right!

According to a story on TSN Carey Price is hoping to make the Canadiens out of camp. Well, if that happens it could be the worst thing to happen to Price and the Canadiens.

There is no doubting Price's talent, his junior record speaks for itself, as does the way he helped the Hamilton Bulldogs to win the Calder Trophy.

The problem is, the Canadiens are not a team in great shape to win. They are not a team that could carry a young goaltender, in fact it's a team that could break one. Cover your eyes now Habs fans, but they are going to be fighting for their lives just to compete for the last playoff spot.

Last season, Montreal gave up the 3rd most shots against per game and were in the bottom third of the the league in goals against per game. Lets face it, the goalies were facing a shooting gallery.

This off-season they have done little to upgrade their defense, so unless there is a dramatic turn around in fortunes, it looks like it's going to be more of the same.

If you want an example of what not to do, you only have to look at the way the Penguins almost destroyed Marc-Andre Fleury in 2003-2004, by throwing him into the fire with little help. A young goalie needs to be given the tools around him to win. Now of course the Habs are better than that horrible Penguins team, but the principle is the same.

There is no need for Price to make the team this year, the Canadiens have Christobal Huet and Jaroslav Halak who are both more than capable NHL goalies. Let them carry the work load, while Price spends a full year in the AHL, he still have much to learn about the pro game.

Price needs to experience the rigors of the pro game, he has only experienced the highs of winning at the pro level for a few games, he needs to learn from the losses and how to overcome them.

It's a big step up from Juniors to the AHL and an even bigger leap to the NHL. For the future of the franchise, the right thing for Price is to serve his time in the AHL. A year from now he will be truly ready to make a long term impact.

Atlantic Battle Lines Drawn

There is going to be a long drawn out battle this year in the Atlantic. The Atlantic is going to be the toughest division in the Eastern Conference if not the NHL.

New Jersey Devils:

The New Jersey Devils look to be weakened with the loss of Brian Rafalski and Scott Gomez. However, they have replaced them with Karl Rachunek, Vitaly Vishnevski and Danius Zubrus.

These acquisitions alone may not seem enough to earn the Devils a playoff spot, but they also have some strong prospects in their system primed to step in. The likes of David Clarkson, Niklas Bergfors and Barry Tallackson are ready to contribute at the NHL level.

You can never count out the Devils with Martin Brodeur in net and Patrick Elias rallying the forwards. Brodeur can carry a team on his back and he will have a heavy work load this year if the Devils are to make the Playoffs.

It is a testament to the work of Devils GM Lou Lamoriello and Director of Scouting David Conte, that the Devils are able to compete year in and year out and have a nice pipeline of NHL caliber talent.

Let us not forget that the Devils also hired one of the most coveted coaches outside of the NHL, Brent Sutter and will undoubtedly bring his winning pedigree to his new job.

New York Islanders:

The Islanders are obviously hurting with the loss of Ryan Smyth and Jason Blake. They may have added Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie and finally bought out the cancer that was Alexie Yashin, however, they just don't seem to have enough talent to make the playoffs.

Mike Comrie just isn't good enough to be a first line center and might end up being replaced by Mike Sillinger when all is said and done. The Islanders have an obvious lack of top end talent in all areas of their team.

They will undoubtedly play with more grit in their second year under Ted Nolan's system, but it is unlikely that they will be able to compete with the All-Star level of talent in their division.

They are still suffering as a result of the years under Mike Milbury. Bad signings, one sided trades and poor drafting has resulted in little depth in the system to help right away.

It would be shocked if the Islanders finished any higher than the basement of the division and the bottom five of the East.

New York Rangers:

The Rangers not only improved their chances to return to the playoffs, but also made themselves a strong candidate to win the Stanley Cup.

They were very aggressive in free agency. They acquired a legitimate first line center in Scott Gomez to replace the departing Michael Nylander and added a clutch playoff contributor in Chris Drury.

The Rangers also re-signed important members of last year's playoff run, Brendan Shanahan, Henrik Lundqvist and Sean Avery.

Tom Renney continued to get the best out of the volatile personality Jaromir Jagr, but will Jagr get over the loss of his good friend Michael Nylander. Jagr can sulk when things don't go his way and he has already voiced his disappointment that Nylander wasn't retained.

The Rangers' defense is still their biggest weakness and they did nothing in the off-season to upgrade it. They did however, let Karl Rachunek leave. This opens up a spot in the lineup for a player with excellent bloodlines, Marc Staal. If he can finally transfer his play in junior into the NHL, he will be an instant upgrade to their defense.

The Rangers' offense is as strong as any in the league, as is their goal tending with the ever strong Henrik Lundqvist. This makes them a strong contender for the division title and more importantly the Stanley Cup.

Philadelphia Flyers:

There is no other team in the NHL that overhauled their roster like the Philadelphia Flyers and boy did they pay out some cash to do it.

No one can question that the Flyers will be the most improved team in the NHL after bringing in top end talent in Daniel Briere, Kimmo Timonen, Jason Smith, Scott Hartnell and more importantly re-signed Marty Biron.

The one problem that might result from all this change, is that they may have hurt their ability to retain some of their young guys in the future. The big money, long term contracts they handed out this off-season could become a burden around the Flyers' neck, if any of those players fail to produce. Their one saving grace is if the cap continues to rise (which recent predictions suggest) that will become less of an issue.

The Flyers will have a potent offense with their new additions plus an ever improving Jeff Carter and a returning Simon Gagne ready to feed off Briere.

Their defense has been improved immensely, the addition of Timonen and Smith will bring leadership and top end talent to a previously stale and slow defense.

They also have some excellent young talent almost ready to step in. Claude Giroux, Ryan Parent and Steve Downie to name a few.

The Flyers will go from the NHL's worse team to a safe bet for the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Penguin:

The Penguins are one of the most exciting teams to watch, lead by one of the most talented players in the game, Sidney Crosby.

The Penguins are still a team of kids, that include current NHL MVP Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Ryan Whitney and Marc-Andre Fluery. However, they have added veteren Petr Sykora to the fold, to give them a proven goal scorer and past Stanley Cup winner.

They were also surprisingly able to re-sign Gary Roberts who proved invaluable to the Penguins in the stretch run. Roberts returns to the Penguins and brings his strong work ethic, tenacious checking and wealth of experience to a very young team.

The Penguins also signed another past Stanley Cup winner, Darryl Sydor. He may not be the player he once was, but he brings more veteran experience that was desperately lacking from last year's team.

The Pens have an offense to match any in the NHL. However, their defence still leaves something to be desired, even with the addition of Sydor and the up and coming Kristopher Letang.

There is still some glaring holes in this team, they are lacking a stay at home, tough as nails defender and one top six scoring winger, which might limit how far they can go into the playoffs.

This team is obviously a playoff caliber team and will be looking to get past the first round. They will also push the Rangers all the way for the Division title, but a Stanley Cup contender they are not.

Predicted Final Division Standings:

1.Rangers
2.Penguins
3.Devils
4.Flyers
5.Islanders

Tom Barrasso Hired as Canes Goalie Coach!

This past Friday the Carolina Hurricanes hired Tom Barrasso as their new director of goaltender development.

Tom Barrasso is a Hall of Fame goalie with two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vezina Trophy on his resume. On the surface this looks like an fantastic move by the Hurricanes.
However, there may be reason to pause. It is a well known fact that Barrasso wasn't the best communicator during his career, in fact some would have called him outright stand-offish.

His attitude alone wouldn't worry most prospective employers, because NHL goaltenders have the well deserved tag of being some of the most eccentric people on the planet.

The one problem with hiring Barrasso to work with developing goaltenders is his alleged poor treatment of a young Penguins goalie called Jean-Sebastien Aubin. The story goes that Barrasso would berate Aubin constantly and at one point failed to even talk to him for a whole season.

Is this really the kind of guy who you want in charge of developing your young goaltenders?

Well the answer is yes!

Many things could have contributed to the events surrounding Aubin and Barrasso and you can't take away the fact that Barrasso is arguably the best American goalie in history.

If he can pass on even a sample of his knowledge to the Hurricanes goalies, they will be undoubtedly better off for it.

First blog ever!

Well, where to start? I might as well start with myself. I have been a long time hockey fan, so much so that I moved from England to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

You may ask, why would I do such a thing? Well the answer is simple, I moved so I could become a Penguins season ticket holder, Crazy eh!

Since moving to the States, I have spent most of my free time either reading, talking or watching hockey, it has become my life's passion.

After much encouragement, I have decided to do a daily hockey blog. I will be talking about hockey news, trades and rumours. I encourage you to participate by leaving comments, I will try to respond whenever possible.

I hope you all enjoy my blog and hopefully this will be a debate filled season!