After reviewing the additions made by Eastern Conference teams, we now turn our attention to how the Western Conference clubs have fared during the free agency period.

The Chicago Blackhawks made a big splash while admittedly overspending in terms of length and dollar amount (hey, at least they’re honest, right?). Brian Campbell leaves the Pacific coast to go to the Windy City, while Cristobal Huet gives the Hawks the most expensive goaltending tandem in hockey history (about $13 million in the crease). For Campbell, that means more of the same — power play time with a very talented core group of players. On the point position, the Hawks have seen a number of different configurations, including the use of their many young blueliners and forward/defenseman/all-around nice guy Dustin Byfuglien. There’s no telling yet who will have the best chemistry with Campbell, and it might even be a forward moving back like Robert Lang (though Jason Williams left via free agency), so the only thing that’s certain is that one of Chicago’s key power play point men will lose ice time to Campbell.

In the crease, no one’s quite sure what will happen with Nikolai Khabibulin, though rational thinking tells us that he will be shipped off so Huet can be the starter come opening night. Still, Hawk management is saying all the right things, such as the team is ready to go with 1A and 1B if need be (and an alternating system similar to what former San Jose coach Ron Wilson did with Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala two seasons ago might be a good way to drive up Khabibulin’s trade value). The bottom line, though, is that Huet will be there for the long haul and Khabibulin will be gone eventually.

Since Campbell left San Jose, what did the Sharks do in return? They got not one but two offensive-minded blueliners. First, the Sharks signed veteran Rob Blake, then they made a blockbuster deal for all-star defenseman Dan Boyle. Boyle immediately becomes San Jose’s go-to point man, but it still remains to be seen how new coach Todd McLellan will handle the rest of the unit. Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski have spent time at the point, and Christian Ehrhoff has shown plenty of offensive potential (and who better to learn from than Blake?). So until McLellan settles on something that works, you can bet that San Jose’s two power-play units will be a mix-and-match test of about ten different guys.

Over in Motown, the Red Wings reloaded by signing Marian Hossa for a one-year deal. It remains to be seen where Hossa will play, but most likely he won’t be lining up with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Instead, look for Hossa to anchor his own line except in special teams and last-minute situations. Because Detroit’s core group of forwards is so deep and diverse, there’s no telling just what coach Mike Babcock will do just yet.

Strange things are afoot in Vancouver (about 20 million strange things sent to one Mats Sundin), but in the meantime the Canucks have jettisoned long-time captain Markus Naslund and brought in Pavol Demitra to be his erstwhile replacement. Demitra, coming off a somewhat disappointing season in Minnesota, was upset with the way the Wild’s defensive system constricted his play. Um, Pavol, you do know that Alain Vignault plays a suffocating defensive style too, right? The Canucks also acquired inconsistent young power forward Steve Bernier, who could wind up anywhere from being the Sedin twins’ crease-crasher to Mike Gillis’ in-game pizza guy depending on how his work ethic goes this season.

The Phoenix Coyotes were a team on the rise last season, and they’ve got an even bigger reason to be optimistic heading into this year. Not only do young players like Peter Mueller and Kyle Turris become a year older, wiser, and stronger, the Coyotes have their first true No. 1 centre since the heyday of Jeremy Roenick in the desert. Acquiring Olli Jokinen cost blueliner Keith Ballard, but it presents so many more options up front for Wayne Gretzky. This looks to be the year the Coyotes turn the page.

The Dallas Stars now have the league’s two most irritating players. Will coach Dave Tippet choose to play newly-signed Sean Avery with superpest Steve Ott, or will he keep them separate to have the irritation spread out? One things for sure: the Stars have the right players to draw penalties — and anger — out of the opposition.

The Ducks kept Corey Perry in the fold with an extension that essentially replicated teammate Ryan Getzlaf’s deal. In need of scoring depth, Anaheim is hoping that Brenden Morrison can revive his career. If Teemu Selanne comes back, it’s almost certain that Morrison will play with the Finnish Flash, most likely with Chris Kunitz, as coach Randy Carlyle hopes to recapture the chemistry that left when Andy McDonald was traded to St. Louis. That’s probably Morrison’s best hope in terms of returning to elite status.

Columbus has been looking for a centre for Rick Nash for a while, and this time, it’s gambling on a young player rather than a veteran like Sergei Fedorov. By acquiring R.J. Umberger, the Blue Jackets are penciling him in to play with Nash and hopefully spread out the offense. They’ll need to succeed since the Blue Jackets’ only other offensive weapon (Nikolai Zherdev) was shipped off to the Rangers for blueline support. Umberger will have every opportunity to reach his potential by playing with Nash, and if the duo manages to find some chemistry, the Blue Jackets will have an offensive anchor to carry them through the near future.

Finally, Calgary signed Todd Bertuzzi. The rest of the world shrugged and laughed.

July 22nd, 2008
Categories: HOCKEY, Ice Chips, Mike Chen, Transactional analysis . Author: Mike Chen . Comments: 3 Comments

July 1 marked the start of NHL free agency, an amazing time of hope and rebirth for just about every NHL team. Who were some of the big winners and the losers? We’ll examine the Eastern Conference this week, and next week will focus on the Western teams.

Montreal Canadiens

The Habs made a huge splash before free agency even started, trading for Alex Tanguay. Tanguay’s numbers in Calgary weren’t great, but he was used in more of a two-way role. In Montreal, probably playing with Alex Kovalev and Saku Koivu, look for Tanguay to revert to his Colorado numbers, where he flirted with 30-goal seasons. Playing for the Canadiens, Tanguay could finally hit that plateau.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals made some, um, interesting goaltending moves, not re-signing Cristobal Huet whom they had traded for, and not re-signing Olie Kolzig, who suddenly lost his starting job when Huet arrived. Instead, the Caps signed the consistently inconsistent Jose Theodore. Theodore had a solid season in Colorado, but there’s no reason to assume he’ll repeat that success in Washington. He’ll be an OK third goalie on your fantasy roster, but keep an eye on him. He might need a quick hook.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins made more news for who they didn’t sign (Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone) than for who they did sign (Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko). Both players came off low-scoring seasons with the Islanders, but were playing without much talent around them. Fedotenko’s never been a goal-scorer or a puck distributor, so don’t expect that to change in Pittsburgh. If Satan gets time on the top line, which he might, he could be a 30-goal scorer. But that’s a big if from a player who has lost some speed and some shot accuracy.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning probably made the biggest splash in the free agent market, grabbing Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, Radim Vrbata, Adam Hall, and goalie Olie Kolzig. Despite all of the off-season attention heaped upon Malone, he’s never had a big season. And he’s played with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. There’s no reason to think the numbers will get any better playing on a second line. While the new acquisitions (and first-round draft pick Steven Stamkos) will take the pressure off Tampa’s big line (Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Vinny Prospal), the presence of other players who can score will probably lower everyone’s numbers, since the scoring will be better distributed. Also, while Kolzig doesn’t project to start over goalie Mike Smith, look for Kolzig to get a relatively hefty workload for a backup. Kolzig is a competitor who’ll push Smith and occasionally save games. Sure he’s old, but he’s old and mad about how things ended in Washington.

Florida Panthers

When the Panthers traded Olli Jokinen to the Coyotes, they also traded away their top scorer. Who will fill in for Jokinen? Nathan Horton could have an 80-point season as the Panthers’ only scoring option. And free agent signee Cory Stillman might have the big season he’s never had his whole career, although realistically, he’s much more of a defensive forward.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers were uncharacteristically quiet during the free agent signing frenzy. Significantly, they didn’t re-sign Jaromir Jagr, who instead opted to play in Russia. They signed Markus Naslund, who didn’t put up great numbers playing with the Sedin Twins, so shouldn’t be counted to do much better playing with Scott Gomez and a winger to be named later. The absence of Jagr should spread the scoring around the Rangers a bit better, though. Gomez, who dished like a madman all season, might get a few more goals, and Chris Drury should see more scoring opportunities. And Petr Prucha, the small, yet speedy wing, might be a sleeper pick, even though he was a healthy scratch down the stretch. He scored 30 goals as a rookie before disappearing into the Ranger depth. It’s possible his goal-scoring touch will return.

July 12th, 2008
Categories: HOCKEY, Ice Chips, Steven Ovadia . Author: Steven Ovadia . Comments: 1 Comment

With a pair like that waiting for you at home, small wonder Dion Phaneuf was on fire in the playoffs.

Some time in the next seven days, the Stanley Cup will be awarded. In fantasy terms, that means that there’s nothing else to really consider except for a quick review of the past. This week, let’s take a look at some of the playoff’s best – and worst — performers.

Chris Osgood: When you’re a goalie who wins all the time and blocks almost every shot, well, that’s a pretty darn valuable fantasy player. If you’re looking a little more analytically, you could say that Osgood’s great stats are a result of his strong defense (look at Detroit’s shots against) and his team’s puck-possession style. Well, time controlling the puck doesn’t count for squat in fantasy, but wins do. Kudos, Osgood—you’ve been so good that even Dominik Hasek probably has you in his fantasy pool.

Sidney Crosby: You know, it’s getting to a point where there isn’t too much to doubt about Sid the Kid anymore. Maybe he secretly gets his frustrations out by punching kittens or licking poisonous toads, but on the ice, he’s stepped up to every challenge. It took a few weeks for him to fully mesh with Marian Hossa, but once Hossa realized that playing with Crosby is different from any centre in the Atlanta Thrasher lineup, he started piling up many more points. Nice job, Sid—now let’s see if you can pull another rabbit out of the hat and lead a comeback.

Johan Franzen: A goal-per-game—that’s a pretty good clip to go on. Had he not had to deal with concussion symptoms, who knows where Franzen would rank in the overall playoff scoring race. As it stands, Franzen will have to be satisfied with leading the league in goals despite having played less games than a bunch of other players.

Marc-Andre Fleury: Remember when Ty Conklin was a god in Pittsburgh for a few months? Well, not anymore. The Flower’s stellar play complimented the Penguin young guns and bailed them out when Pittsburgh faced waves of overwhelming chances (see: Game One and Game Two of the Detroit series).

Evgeni Malkin: It’s hard to rag on a guy who was a potential Hart Trophy winner, but the dynamic Malkin from the first two rounds is completely different from the on-again-off-again Malkin of the last two rounds. His point totals are still pretty darn good, but it’s frustrating because you know Malkin can be better.

Mike Ribiero: It’s a little unfair to simply grab players from the final two teams. If you drafted Ribiero, you were probably able to get him with a mid-round pick. He actually out-Joe Thorntoned the real Joe Thornton with a number of impeccable passes and great plays. Yup, the Stars are out, but Ribiero made fantasy owners very happy with his high-flying skills.

Jaromir Jagr: Apparently, Jagr does have a pulse after all. Who would have known after a middling regular season? Jagr’s points-per-game are among the best in the postseason, and he pretty much did everything humanly possible to get the Rangers farther in the playoffs.

Dion Phaneuf: Maybe girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert offered something extra special to Phaneuf for every shot that he took. It sure seemed that way, since Phaneuf was a monster with the puck from the blueline. His rockets from the point created a ton of Calgary offense; it’s just too bad that Phaneuf and Jarome Iginla can’t carry an entire team on their backs.

Andrei Markov: Markov was one of the league’s most consistent point-producing defensemen, but somehow, the vaunted Montreal power play failed the Habs in the playoffs. One of the reasons is the disappointing play of Markov. With him managing just four points in 12 games (two on the power play), East-leading Montreal struggled way more than it should have against a much weaker Boston Bruins squad, then forgot to show up for large stretches of the Philadelphia series.

R.J. Umberger: Daniel Briere and Mike Richards got most of the press, but Umberger’s knack for big goals stood out, so much so that he’s only a few behind a handful of guys who happen to still be battling for Lord Stanley.

Milan Michalek: Um, wasn’t Michalek supposed to be one of those great young players that carried San Jose past the second round? In theory, yes, but four points in 13 games isn’t going to quite cut it.

Chris Drury: The New York Rangers signed Drury to a monster contract based on his reputation for being a clutch performer. Three goals in ten games…well, that’s not very clutch. Three goals in ten games for about $7 million per season? Well, that’s probably worth an expletive or two from the Blueshirt faithful.

May 30th, 2008
Categories: HOCKEY, Ice Chips, Mike Chen . Author: Mike Chen . Comments: No Comments

A lot of times, and across sports, fans are often left with the feeling that a league wants certain teams in the playoffs because of the size of the market, not the quality of the team. There have always been vague rumblings about the NHL doing what it can to keep the New York Rangers competitive, since they represent a huge market. And you always hear how the league (and television networks) felt burned by the 2004 Tampa-Calgary Finals and 2006’s small-market Carolina-Edmonton matchup.

But now, everyone is talking about how happy the league is with Detroit-Pittsburgh, two superstar teams from decent-size markets. The thing is, this is one of those times where what’s good for the NHL is also good for the fans, because this is a pretty amazing matchup of speed and talent and yes, even defense. A Red Wings-Penguins series is good for the NHL from a marketing perspective, but it’ll also be good from a product perspective.

This series is two exciting teams showing the world why people love hockey so much. Not sure what to expect? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered:

Goaltending

Detroit’s Chris Osgood had a strong season sharing number one duties with Dominik Hasek. Hasek got the nod to start the playoffs, but he couldn’t finish. His erratic play got him pulled right in the middle of the first round against Nashville. Osgood grabbed the starting job and never let go, putting up a 1.60 goals against and .931 save percentage in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury missed almost half of the season with a high-ankle sprain and while he was gone, backup Ty Conklin, last seen imploding in Edmonton, did an excellent job as the number one goalie. But Fleury won the job back cleanly, and has been solid, if a bit scrambly, in the playoffs. He’s got a 1.70 goals against and .938 save percentage. The only thing he doesn’t have is Osgood’s Cup-winning experience, and that’s got to count for something.

Defense

Detroit features one of the NHL’s best defenseman in Nicklas Lidstrom. Enough said. Wait. You need more? How about the underrated Brian Rafalski, who is also an excellent puck mover, and who is the recipient of many nice opportunities when forwards try to charge the offense-minded Lidstrom. And don’t forget about Niklas Kronvall, who has the most points by a defenseman in the playoffs, and who has more assists than anyone on the Penguins but Sidney Crosby.

That’s not to say Pittsburgh’s Sergei Gonchar and his cannon of a shot isn’t something to worry about. Or that the less offensively minded Brooks Orpik, Hal Gill, Ryan Whitney and Robert Scuderi aren’t going to be factors in the Finals. Don’t think that for a minute, as this group can be tough to play against. Pittsburgh wins on defensive defensemen, but do the Pens have the speed to contain the Wings? I don’t think they do.

Offense

I saved offense for last because there’s just so much of it between the two teams. Obviously, a lot of the Wing offense starts with their defensemen. For Pittsburgh, its forwards start most, if not all, of the transitions. For Detroit, you have a top line of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Tomas Holmstrom. Together, they’ve put up 23 goals and 27 assists in 16 games.

Compare that to Pittsburgh’s top line of Pascal Dupuis, Crosby, and Marian Hossa, who have a combined 15 goals and 31 assists in 14 games. But before you give Pittsburgh the win, consider the Penguins’ Plan B line, featuring Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora, and Ryan Malone, who combine to account for another 20 goals and 22 assists.

Of course, Detroit’s Johan Franzen can practically make that up himself with his 12 goals and three assists. Franzen missed just about all of the Dallas series with concussion symptoms, but it looks like he’ll be ready to go for Saturday and if he’s in anything close to the shape he was in before his injury, Pittsburgh is going to want to consider double-teaming him. But when you talk offense, you have to mention Detroit’s always-involved blue line. And ultimately, that’s going to be the deciding factor in this series.

Does Pittsburgh have the stamina and smarts to not only contain Detroit, but to also launch its own offense? It’s Detroit’s Cup to lose. The Wings will take it in six games.

May 23rd, 2008
Categories: HOCKEY, Ice Chips, Steven Ovadia . Author: Steven Ovadia . Comments: 2 Comments

Unless a miracle happens, we’re about a good seven-to-ten days away from the start of a Detroit-Pittsburgh final. In the meantime, there’s not a heck of a lot to discuss from a fantasy perspective. At this point, if you’ve selected Penguin/Red Wing players, you’re in good shape. If not, well, you probably got knocked out of your playoff pool a while ago.

We can, however, take a glance at next season. Free agency won’t commence until July, but there are several coaching vacancies. With that in mind, will a team change its style under a new head coach? Let’s examine the situations:

Atlanta Thrashers: As RotoRob discussed in one of his rare hockey commentaries, chances are slim-to-none that Don Waddell will return behind the bench or as GM. Whoever gets the role as head coach will get a very dysfunctional group, as this mix of veterans and young players can really only rely on Ilya Kovalchuk and a cast of mixed quality. Will a new coach put the reins on Kovalchuk? Atlanta’s major problems are on the blueline, so look for a more concerted defensive effort from the Thrashers’ new boss. However, expect Kovalchuk to get a little leeway in his creativity.

Colorado Avalanche: This season, the Avalanche played its way into the playoffs despite a disastrous list of injuries. Colorado developed into a steady defensive team, and when the forward group was healthy, the Avs turned into an effective transition team that still retained a sturdy defense. Well, all that went out the window as pretty much everyone but GM Francois Giguere was injured in the playoffs. What can you expect from a new Colorado coach? Avalanche management expressed displeasure at the constant goalie swapping and the quick-to-bench manuevering of Joel Quenneville, so look for some consistency between the pipes. If Colorado is healthy, it will have the horses to play a more offensive attack style — if the new coach dictates it.

Florida Panthers: What a mess in Florida. We know that Jacques Martin is actively seeking a full-time bench boss. We know that Martin’s identity is of stingy defense (even though the team hasn’t executed that properly). We also know that the vaunted Panther youngsters haven’t blossomed (see: Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton). Whoever is going to take the bench in Florida is either going to have to sooth over relations with captain Olli Jokinen or deal with the fact that Jokinen has been traded, all while trying to turn Jay Bouwmeester into a consistent superstar and getting the most out of the young talent. Florida’s experienced an ugly defensive system since Martin’s been installed there; that means the new coach and system will go one of two ways. One, he’ll maintain Martin’s identity and suck the offensive life out of his talent or, two, he’ll plan an up-tempo style that embraces speed and launches his younger players to a new level. We’ll see.

San Jose Sharks: Any way you look at it, every San Jose Shark other than Evgeni Nabokov had a down year. With coach Ron Wilson out of the picture, the team is still built in the mold GM Doug Wilson envisioned: speedy, skillful, and focused on puck possession. Whoever coaches the Sharks will get a load of a talent that seems unsure of itself. If the new coach can foster a level of consistency, you may see career years out of everyone other than Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo (it’s hard to top 125 points and 56 goals, respectively).

Toronto Maple Leafs: Almost as bad as the Florida situation on the ice and about a billion times worse off it, the Leafs have no identity other than Mats Sundin and a mix of overpaid veterans and unmolded young players. Will youngsters such as Matt Stajan get squashed under a new coach? Will Toronto and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment accept a coach that develops younger players? Will Sundin even bother coming back? So many questions, so few answers; the only thing certain in Toronto is that it’s only going to get worse before it gets better, and a new coach won’t be able to solve all of the Leafs’ problems.

Also on the chopping block: see what happens with John Tortorella (Tampa Bay), Marc Crawford (Los Angeles), Bryan Murray (Ottawa), Andy Murray (St. Louis), and Alain Vignault (Vancouver). We could see a lot of teams change identities in the offseason, for better or worse.

May 17th, 2008
Categories: HOCKEY, Ice Chips, Mike Chen . Author: Mike Chen . Comments: 5 Comments