The Stories of Round One

Playoff hockey. It's always a treat, but every year, each post season brings us a few unique tidbits and this year was no exception. There were tons of little things worth noting, but I'm here to recognize what I feel are the four most important implications of the first round as far as the future of the league is concerned.

A real rivalry was born

Remember the gang of bullies that beat you up everyday at school? Or maybe you were the one pounding on nerds. Either way, that was no rivalry. A rivalry suggests a healthy competition of equals and to the summarize the metaphor, the Blackhawks spent the past two playoffs taking the Canucks lunch money. This past summer, while Johnathan Towes and company were winning trophies and getting girls, Vancouver's dad (Mike Gilles), forced his kids to man up with some Keith, Dan, Raffi, and Manny favoured protein powder. To further bridge the gap, some of the Blackhawks gang moved to other schools.

As we've just witnessed, the Canucks have overcome their adversaries in a fashion befitting a Hollywood movie (complete with a knuckle puck finish).

With the help of an all-star performance by Roberto Luongo, of course.

How the most recent series unfolded was particularly important for the future of our entertainment is concerned. Had the Canucks won that game 4 and swept the series, the masses would have called it a complete turning of the tides and would have assumed that the cap struck Hawks were no longer a match for the presidential Canucks. Seven games have shown us that these two teams have arguably the most heated and talent ridden rivalry in the NHL and it reminds me of what Detroit and Colorado had ten years ago.

With nineteen playoff games already in hand, and a core of players from each team that will stay in tact for many years, its a great time to be a Blackhawks or Canucks fan.

A new rivalry may be in the works

Anyone else tired of the Ovechkin and Crosby show?

With Alex Ovechkin's development seemingly stalled, and the continuing growth of Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos, the Tampa Bay/Pittsburgh series was a perfect stage for a clash of the titans. Unfortunately, Crosby was ill and his part was played by Aaron Asham. Regardless, the two teams still had a fantastic seven game series. The reason why I'm tired of Ovechkin and Crosby portrayed as going at is that I like a player rivalry that compliments a team vs team rivalry and not vice versa and I'm hoping that Tampa and Pittsburgh can get something going and be highlighted the two best players in the league, Crosby on one end and Steven Stamkos on the other.*

The reason why I have such faith in this rivalry developing is that Tampa and Pittsburgh are both strong teams that are likely to finish in the top five of the Eastern Conference for the next couple years. However, Washington and Philadelphia are such strong regular season teams and will probably win their respective divisions. If numbers aren't your strong suit, this means that if my predictions hold true, Tampa and Pittsburgh are destined to finish fourth and fifth which means we could have a the same opening series on our hands for a few seasons in a row.

Important to note, much like Vancouver and Chicago, this series was full of drama and emotion which will be integral for a buildup to next year.

Will things be different when both captains are on the ice?

There are no role teams.

Alright, thats not entirely true. Anaheim did exactly what it was expected to every game, but other than the Ducks, every team showed us a little bit of everything. Each series, excluding the Detroit vs Phoenix catastrophe, had at least one game that displayed excellent defense, one game that displayed explosive offense, some finesse, some grit, or just a little bit of everything at once. I can have a lot of fun watching 7-5 games; I can also have a lot of fun watching 1-0 OT nail biters. The one thing I don't enjoy, is watching the same game over and over again. I think back to my hometown Canucks 06

-07 season where every win was 2-1, 3-2, or 4-3 and I just couldn't stand watching more than a couple games in a row. Variability is important for excitement, and its nice to know that the leagues best teams are capable of just that.

An atypical hockey market made a huge stride

Phoenix broke down and neither Columbus nor Atlanta even made it in. The Nashville Predators were Gary Bettman's saving grace.

Maybe you're one of those people that think a hockey team shouldn't exist in cities where ponds are more likely to catch fire than freeze, but weather you like it or not, they're here to stay and I think its great when the dedicated fans get rewarded for their love of the game.

Nashville has proven themselves with a playoff series win
and their own, much improved, Vince Vaughn

With Nashville taking the next step, they've accomplished quite a bit. They can now hopefully grow their fan base and maybe even attract some higher caliber players. I don't like their chances against Vancouver, but I do like the outlook of the future. Shea Weaber and Pekka Rinne finally getting the respect they deserve with their respective trophy nominations should also help in the process.

1-0 games, 8-2 games, 20 hit periods. This first round seemed to have it all and has been arguably the most exciting opening round in the post lockout era. Four promising series' in the semi-finals to boot. Sounds like a good time to be a hockey fan.

Until next time, stay out of the penalty box.

*If you've discussed hockey with me in length, you may be surprised to see me saying Crosby is one of the best two players in the league. Before this season, I would have had different things to say, and although Crosby as a person still irks me, he has earned my respect as a player. He just seems to get better every year. I will also concede that Stamkos may not have been one of the best two offensive players this year and he was arguably equal to, or worse than the Sedin's, Ovechkin, and Corry Perry, but Stamkos looks like he has nowhere to go but up.

The One that got Away

Michael Leighton, Antti Niemi, and Brian Boucher. These three goalies not only managed to earn their respective teams a place in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, but they've helped usher in a new era. All three goalies had a cap hit of under $2 million each, which is impressively low when compared with the so called elite goaltenders, like Henrik Lundqvist ($6.8 million), or Nicklas Backstrom ($6 million). GM's around the league are taking notice, and attempting to enter the new season with unsung goalies with a small cap hit so that they can spend all their money upfront. It begs one question.

Are they insane!?

The logic that has circling the league is that so many budget goalies have succeed in the playoffs, so everyone wants to try their hand at that strategy. Lets take a look at some of those bargains.

2010 playoffs - Antti Niemi

Niemi took the starting job right out of Christobal Huet's hands around the end of the season, and through the playoffs. Getting paid only $800,000 this past season, Niemi seems to be the poster boy for the cheap goalie craze, but is it justified? Despite having the most important stat with 16 W's, the rest of his numbers are hardly inspiring. A 2.63GAA, and a .910 save percentage certainly aren't bad, but they aren't that good either, and keep in mind, he was getting protected by some of the best defense in the league.

Are budget goalies worth every penny?

I don't mean any disrespect to Niemi when I say this, but he's not the guy that won the cup for the Blackhawks. Due to rookie contracts, and other instances of fortunate, and good management, the champs had a lineup that I would describe as unfair. All they needed to win the cup was a goalie that didn't let in 4+ goals a game.

Honestly, Huet most likely would have done just as well.

2009 playoffs – Marc-Andre Fleury

An annual salary of $5 million gives a point to the crowd that thinks you should spend money on a goalie. Even though his stats in last years playoffs were about the same as Niemi's were in 2010, I felt that Fleury's overall performance was a step above. At least enough so, that if Pittsburgh hadn't had his services, I'm not sure they would have been able to beat Detroit. Lets not forget that Fleury was absolutely spectacular in the failed 2008 run.

2008 playoffs – Chris Osgood

Was Osgood the real deal when it came to budget goalies? His contract pays him only $1.4 million, and he has certainly earned every penny. Even in 2009, he made losing the Stanley Cup look good. With a .926 save percentage, and a 2.01GAA, Osgood could have easily won the Conn Smythe in the losing effort. If you think thats impressive, in the 2008 playoffs, he had a .930 save percentage, and a 1.55GAA. Osgood wasn't a typical case though. He wasn't a tier 2 goalie that knew he had to sign for cheap. Everyone knew he was good, and he simply choose to take less money. There's a difference between being affordable, and being a team player.

Talk, like some goalies, is cheap. Mangers say they're cutting back between the pipes, but how do we know they mean it? Look no further than the KHL's newest star goalie.

On July 7th, NHL.com announced reports of former Sharks net minder, Evgeni Nabokov is planning on moving to the KHL. Why? Because nobody wants him, at his asking price.

San Jose Sharks new starter, antero niittymaki will be asked
to do what Nabokov never could for less than half the price

I can understand why San Jose wouldn't want him back. Multiple seasons in a row with disappointing finishes create a desire for change. As good as Nabakov was, he didn't win them a Stanley Cup, and thats the bottom line. That doesn't explain why the rest of the league didn't chase him down. Imagine the Blue Jackets' Steve Mason having an all-star mentor, and co-starter. What about an offense highlighted by Martin St. Louis, and Steven Stamkos having a keeper that is capable of winning a few games. That would make for an indescribable difference.

Instead, Columbus has Mathieu Garon to help see Mason through the fire, and Tampa Bay has the dreaded Mike Smith, Dan Ellis combination. This is simply not a recipe for success.

All hope is not entirely lost. Free agency's silver medal, Marty Turco is still available. Even Jose Theodore could make for a great co-starter. If these guys aren't snagged up soon, we're going to see some very distressed teams with a high number in the GA column.

Until next time, stay out of the penalty box.

Five Deals that should NOT Happen at the Draft

This is easily the most exciting few weeks of hockey, as far as the summer season is concerned. Las Vegas is abuzz with the annual awards show, free agency is a stones throw away, and draft predictions are flying left, right, and centre. Of course, draft day is about more than just a bunch of 18 year olds pent up with more excitement than a hundred Christmases. Its also about trades, both big, and small, and for every trade, there are a hundred trade rumours, and speculations, some that make sense, and others that simply should not happen, here are five of those.

1. Tomas Kaberle for draft picks

Kaberle has been among the most discussed players in the league since a week p the trade deadline. Brian Burke made it clear that he was not going to ask Kaberle to waive his no trade clause at the deadline, but Burke also accepted a list of teams that one, of his top two defensemen would be willing to move to. After that list came in, nothing came of it, and that was the last we heard of it until recently.

Now that the draft is coming, the Kaberle talks have once again run amok in Toronto, and since the first thing people think of at the draft is all those draft picks, that has been, more or less, what the trade talks have been centred around. A lot of people have been calling, Kaberle for a 1^st. That'd work out great if it weren't for two minor issues.

No one that wants Kaberle, is going to give a 1^st round pick for him, because a lot of the teams that could really benefit from him are near the top (Florida, or Columbus for example)

Burke has stated that he's not interested in a long rebuild. Trading away Kaberle will simply slow it down. When you look at a back end highlighted by Kaberle, Dion Phaneuf, and J.S. Giguere, the Leafs may actually do some damage this year.

2. Tim Thomas for anything

This is obviously a bit of an overstatement. If Boston gets an offer they can't refuse, then so be it, but we aren't in a market where teams are going to be trading big for $5 million goalies.

Its pretty obvious that Tukka Rask is penciled in as Boston's starter for the 2010/11 season, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for Thomas. No one is doubting that Rask had a great season, but Mason had a great season last year, and look how that went. Its entirely possible that while Rask is having a sophomore slump, next year, Thomas could bust out with another Vezina winning performance. If nothing else, the up and down career Thomas has had will provide great mentorship for the young Rask.

Don't count Thomas out as an elite NHL goaltender

3. Jarome Iginla for anything

This isn't an overstatement. There are very few players in the league that would be as valuable to Calgary as Iginla.

The Flames past season was not one to brag about, and its not one they can afford to repeat, however the solution isn't trading away their best player. Iginla took a lot of heat for the performance of his team, but the standard when you're the captain in a Canadian hockey market. Dumping Iginla would not only lose the leadership that is the glue that holds the Flames together, but they would also be losing one of the best players in the league. Trade everyone else, leave Iginla.

4. Ales Hemsky for draft picks/prospects

There is no doubt in anyones mind that Edmonton is in rebuild mode. They secretly have been since their miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final back in 2006, but no one really noticed until this past year. A rebuild doesn't have to mean that you have no good players, and are condemned to getting a high draft pick every year.

If they keep Hemsky around, they hold onto a great forward that teach the youngin's, all while putting up good numbers. If you start to trade your good players, then you wind up with a team running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off, and season after season of shabby records can really damage a group of young guys confidence

5. Jason Spezza for draft picks/prospects/forwards

I'm still on the fence on weather or not Ottawa is the right fit for Spezza, or vice versa, but all signs are pointing toward a trade. They'll has to be very careful that they make the right one.

The Sens took a fair few by surprise when they finished 5^th in the Eastern Conference after a disappointing 08/09 season, but I feel they are poised to make another top 8 finish last year. If they trade Spezza away for a batch of picks, or young prospects that would have no impact on the Senators roster next year, then it sends a message to the team that management doesn't expect them to do as well.

Swapping Spezza for another forward is another thing they'll want to avoid. With the departure of Anton Volchenkov, the Sens will be desperate for defenders, especially since goals against was one of their biggest issues last year. If they are going to move their star centre, it should be for a star defensemen, or possibly some defensive depth if the right deal comes along.

I hope this entry helped, and I'm confident it has since I'm sure a majority of the general managers will read my debut blog.

Until next time, stay out of the penalty box.