Rumor: NHL Salary Cap $64 Million For 2011-12 Season?

According to Bob McKenzie it appears that the NHL salary cap will have an upper limit of $64 million and floor of $48 million.  Various numbers have been speculated about over the past few months in terms of where the cap would be for next season, but this is the highest of any of those that have come out so far.  If those numbers are what actually where the cap is for the 2011-12 season, then many teams will be gaining a huge amount of relief with the $4.6 million increase in the cap.  Combine that with the 10% allowance for overage in the summer and a team could have as much as $70.4 million in salary on the books before making moves to get under the ceiling.   

This news is welcomed for places like Philadelphia, Calgary, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Jose, Boston, New Jersey and even the New York Rangers.  When you are willing to spend or have bad contracts that hamper your cap situation, increases like these are huge for the organization in attempting to compete for a championship.  

For other organizations this new might not be so welcomed.  Just as interesting as the teams that were right against the cap getting some breathing room for next season, is the amount of money that some teams who are well under the salary cap floor will have to spend to make it.  As helpful as this is to those who want to spend and compete, for those who don't want to or cannot afford to spend this is not what they want to hear.  If a team is already losing money the increase in the required amount they have to spend will only enhance those issues.

Gaborik Concussion Gets Cloudier All the Time (w/Video)

Yesterday the New York Rangers got their first bit of good news concerning their star sniper Marian Gaborik and his recovery from the concussion he suffered on February 13th on a hit from Brooks Orpik.  The fact that Gaborik had his first symptom free day on Tuesday, and was able to skate in practice on Wednesday is excellent news.  I do not want to take away from how positive that news is, but I am more and more disturbed by the chain of events that happened in the week between Gaborik taking the initial hit and when he was actually pulled from action three games later.

Update from today:

The positive news was dampened some this morning with the reports that while able to skate today, Gaborik awoke with a headache this morning, which is also being classified as pressure in his head.  There is a problem when a guy who is coming off a concussion is allowed to even skate with anything going on in his head and this idea that he wants to fly to Ottawa for tomorrow’s game should be scrapped immediately.

Back to yesterday:

Here is video from the Rangers official site of Gaborik meeting with the media after practice to talk about the concussion and his recovery:

Some of key quotes from his meeting with the media via Jesse Spector at Blueshirts Blog

"It was against Pittsburgh, I got hit by (Brooks) Orpik, and then during the shift after I kind of blacked out for a little bit," Gaborik said. "After that, I had headaches, and was dizzy and couldn't focus. I've never had a concussion, or whatever, before. I thought I was just going to play and it was just going to be a little bell-ringer, but it just kept getting worse and worse."

When any player, particularly a star player can tell the media that he literally blacked out, had headaches and was dizzy following a hit and was not checked it is a huge problem for me.  I understand the machismo factor that is involved here where Gaborik tries to brush off the symptoms and play through them, but his lack of understanding of what concussion symptoms are is not an excuse for him being able to play with one. 

The NHL is all about this new focus on concussions and yet here you have a player who was on the ice with one and if he played a different style of game than he does could have easily taken a blow to his already concussed head.  If the NHL is truly serious then they need to institute concussion testing to the level the NFL did this season, where you have a baseline result, if you receive a concussion you are done for that game and until you pass neurological testing you cannot play again. 

The onus for this is on the players, the teams and the league if they are truly serious about fixing this problem.  The players have to get over the stigma of admitting they got their bell rung and possibly being called soft for going out with a concussion and admit to the training staff like Jim Ramsay that something is wrong so they can be diagnosed.  The training staffs and coaching staffs have to be more aware of the potential for concussions and on the lookout for symptoms and anything that presents to possibly fit those symptoms must be checked.  The symptoms of the flu and a concussion can be similar and while in many cases it might be a waste of time to check for the concussion, do it anyway.

The fact that he played for an entire week, parts of four different games with a concussion is simply unacceptable and the more information that comes out the more questions there are about who knew what when and who is responsible for allowing that to happen.  The bulk of it has to go on the athlete himself if he was not forthcoming with the team and training staff, but the culture of the game both in the fear of being stigmatized as soft and the urgency to win now also played a role in this in my opinion.  We cannot overlook things that might be there because we want to play or as an organization we want to win.

2011 Trade Deadline: Will Sather Get His Man Brad Richards? At What Cost?

All the talk finally ends today, the cards get put on the table and the deals either happen or they die.  Today is a fun day for the fans, not only of the New York Rangers, but all around the league whether it is to see what your team is going to “buy” or what your franchise is going to get for the players they trade away in hopes of being better next season.  For Rangers fans Brad Richards is the man at the center of the rumors and whether the deal happens may come right down to the 3 pm wire.  Will the Rangers pull the trigger on Brad Richards despite his current concussion and looming free agent status?  If they do, what will it cost them to get him?  For the record, at least on the surface, I am against the move, as I discussed here.  Obviously, as with all trades, the details of the trade will be the ultimate determinant on how they are perceived and judged.

Today the main attraction, possibly league wide, will be his stare down with Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk over Brad Richards.  In one sense Nieuwendyk holds the cards in that he can hold onto Richards and make a playoff push with his club while telling the fans they want to win and there was no offer worth sacrificing this season away for.  By holding onto him, Nieuwendyk also retains the chance over the next four months to work out a deal to keep Richards in Dallas long term.  The interim time would allow the organization to show that their ownership situation is settled and allow Richards comfort in the direction of the team going forward.

On the other hand, Nieuwendyk is in a corner where keeping Richards means he risks losing him for nothing this summer.  Add to that the concussion that is currently sidelining Richards and you have a player who clearly was the best possible piece on the market having a diminished value due to a level of uncertainty with how he will respond and when he can play.  Making matters worse for Nieuwendyk is that if he deals Richards his preference would be to deal him outside the Western Conference.  According to Helene Elliot of the LA Times that is exactly the thinking in Dallas.

Talk now is that Stars will keep Brad Richards instead of trading him. Or at least won't trade him within West. Narrows Kings' options...

If that is the case, in the event they do attempt to move Richards, that further narrows the field of competing offers for Nieuwendyk to use against Glen Sather in their trade discussions.  New York might be the only team in the Eastern Conference that has both the interest in dealing for Richards and the potential for Richards to waive his no-trade clause.  Tampa Bay would be a logical place, but there has been no real discussion about them getting involved.  Toronto has been rumored, but reports were that he would not go waive to go there.  Who would that leave?  Boston?  Have the best trade chip in Toronto’s first rounder, but cap issues that could make a deal difficult. Washington?  That would be one way to shake up their stagnant offense, but they would have cap problems in the move as well and just claimed Marco Sturm off waivers.  Carolina?  This would be an interesting fit as they have the cap space, but who knows if Richards would waive to go there.

I am going into today with an open mind because of how well Glen Sather has done in trades lately.  He has done a very good job in protecting the youth of the team, while getting other teams to give him what he wants at his price.  Sather has to be patient with this and remember the big picture as he has done so well to this point.  If they come to the price he wants to pay, then he pull the trigger, and then the rest of us will debate whether the move was worth the final cost.  If not, then do not be afraid to fold your hand, walk away, and wait until July 1.

Either way the drama ends, at least in one sort, no later than the 3pm trade deadline this afternoon.  Should be fun.

Video: Tortorella Meets The Media Talks Lines, Gabby, MDZ, Prospal, Drury, Prust

Video via Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News has some very interesting comments from Tortorella on a wide variety of topics.  Here is a bullet point of my takes after the video: 

• If you are to believe Torts then the theory that this is why Gaborik was playing so badly is debunked since he says clearly to start that it is a new thing for the last few days.  Maybe it is me but he sounded a little frustrated in talking about Gabby telling him he could not go in practice today.  
• Interesting he did not answer Andrew Gross direct question about whether the sitting of Del Zotto was purely about his illness which makes me think he might have been sat down anyway.
• The relationship Torts has with Prospal is an interesting and unique one in that he can rib him in the media and fully expects Prospal not only to take it the right way, but use it as motivation to be even better the next time.  Wish there were more players with that kind of attitude and approach. 
• Statement that Drury will be on the wing contradicts the statement that he has not thought at all about lines
• Love what he said to the inartful questions about Prust and wish he had the same approach to all players getting their opportunities because they earned them
• Disdain for the Philly performance still very evident

Later tonight I will look at Gaborik's injury and what it might mean for tomorrow's lines against the Lightning.

Rangers Prospects Chris Kreider, Ryan Borque on Final Team USA WJC Roster

Ryan Bourque, Kyle Palmieri and Jeremy Morin are back to defend their title.

This morning USA hockey announced their final roster for the 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships and two New York Rangers prospects were among the final players.  2009 1^st round pick and 2009 3^rd round pick Ryan Bourque have both made the team as expected.  In addition to Kreider and Bourque who were on last year’s Gold medal team Jerry D'Amigo (Toronto), Jason Zucker (Minnesota), Jeremy Morin (Chicago), Kyle Palmieri (Anaheim), John Ramage (Calgary), Jack Campbell (Dallas) will also be returning looking for repeat gold.  The full roster for the club can be found here.

The captains for the team were not announced this morning, but it is expected that Ryan Bourque will wear a letter for this club and possibly even the ‘C’.  

Speaking of leadership in talking with TSN Chris Kreider had this quote:

A big part of why we won last year was just how strong our leadership was and the core of older players that we have. I think that our returning players are trying to take it upon themselves to lead the way and set the culture that we had last year.

If this team can come close to the leadership provided by Derek Stepan and John Carlson last year, then they will be right there when all is said and done January 5.

The team begins the tournament as one of the heavy favorites to win it and their favorable preliminary bracket should help them to gain confidence and have a high seed going into the elimination round.  Team USA opens play Sunday December 26^th against possibly the toughest competition in the group, Finland, at 8pm on NHL Network US.  

Be sure to check out The Prospect Park's preview of the tournament including his predictions on group stages, when the US and Canadians will face off and who will win the whole thing.

NHL Network To Show All Games of U.S. National team in WJC w Schedule

It was announced today that when the United States National team attempts to win back-to-back World Junior Championship gold medals starting Sunday that the U.S. version of the NHL Network will provide exclusive coverage of every Team USA game. The tournament is going to take place from December 26 until January 5, 2011 in Buffalo, New York.  The USA squad is considered among the pre-tournament favorites and if this year's tournament is half as exciting as last year's was then it is a can't miss event.  Team USA will officially announce their roster for the tournament tomorrow, Wednesday Dec 22nd at 9:10 am, exclusive on the Team USA facebook page. 

Here is the prelimary round schedule for the USA team:

Team USA Schedule/Results

Date	Opponent	Location	Time (ET) / Result
Dec. 26	Finland	HSBC Arena	8 p.m.
Dec. 28	Slovakia	HSBC Arena	8 p.m.
Dec. 30	Germany	HSBC Arena	7 p.m.
Dec. 31	Switzerland	HSBC Arena	8 p.m.

If that was not enough good news the announce team is Gary Thorne and Dave Starman with Billy Jaffe and Fred Pletsch as rinkside reporters.  It will be good to have Gary Thorn back on hockey games, Starman does a very good job with the CBS College Sports coverage of the NCAA games as well.

Less than five days left.

From the official announcement:

NHL Network U.S. will provide exclusive live coverage of the U.S. National Junior Team games at the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. NHL Network also will televise all medal-round games and five additional preliminary-round match-ups, airing a total of 15 games in high-definition from the tournament, and provide nightly re-caps in its signature show “NHL On the Fly.”  All USA games will be NHL Network original broadcasts.

The tournament’s popularity stems from its reputation as a showcase for the game’s best up-and-coming young players from around the world. Many current NHL stars have played in the tournament; an abbreviated list includes Sidney Crosby, Mike Richards and Jarome Iginla for Canada; Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Bobby Ryan for the United States; Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk for Russia; Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and the Sedin twins for Sweden; Martin Havlat, Milan Hejduk and Tomas Kaberle for the Czech Republic; Teemu Selanne and the Koivu brothers for Finland and Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik and Jaroslav Halak for Slovakia.

Many players who will take to the ice in this year’s tournament are very close to realizing their dream of an NHL career — no fewer than 25 players who played in last year’s competition already have made their League debut.

Is Brandon Dubinsky Now Top Line Quality or Same Inconsistent Results?



Andrew Burton/Getty



For the first 20 games this season Brandon Dubinsky seemed poised for a breakout season and to put all his skeptics in their place.  In those first 20 games the 24-year-old left winger would be the New York Rangers best player registering eleven goals and seven assists with the majority of that coming in the absence of star winger Marian Gaborik.  Plain and simple Dubinsky was playing at an all-star type level.  The key to the tremendous start for Dubinsky the level of aggression and consistency of it on the offensive end was higher than he had been at thus far in his career.  For some they were just waiting for the offensive slumps that came to define his previous seasons as much as any of the good things he had done, but he looked to be over that and then Marian Gaborik returned from his 12 game absence.

For many the assumption was that with Gaborik returning it would mean easier competition for Dubinsky and similar if not increased production because of it.  The problem with that assumption is from the moment that Gaborik came back sans a few games/or stretches within a game Dubinsky has seemed content to fall back into the secondary role and defer to Gaborik.  With that shift in mentality Dubinsky has seen a drop in his production as well collecting a mere three goals in his last 15 games while adding another six assists, but being held scoreless in 9 of those contests.  The question then becomes this; Is Brandon Dubinsky the player who has the mentality and skill to carry an offense as he showed in the first 20 games or is he the same guy he has been the last few years inconsistent with flashes of brilliance?  Only Dubinsky can truly decide.

Daily Recap: Stepan's Calder Standing; MDZ Sit Again?; Zuccarello Suspended; Boogaard Shut Down

Nick Laham/Getty Images

New York Rangers fans are excited for the future based on what rookie Derek Stepan has shown them in his first 35 games as a professional and with good reason.  The rookie has 9 goals, 10 assists and beyond that has answered the bell with every different task the coaching staff has put in front of him.  The question now becomes two months into the season where does Stepan stand in terms of the highest individual honor a rookie can achieve in the NHL; the Calder Memorial Trophy?  I gave my answer to that by ranking what I think are the current top 10 in the Calder Race showing who has stepped to the forefront as we approach the midseason mark.  Stepan is certainly in the discussion but there are others who are ahead of him if he wants to take home that piece of hardware by season’s end.

Following that from this morning the Rangers had practice which lead to news on: line changes, Vinny Prospal’s comeback; Derek Boogaard being shut down and Michael Del Zotto possibly sitting again.  The line changes are getting beyond comical at this point because it really turns into a chicken or the egg type discussion as to whether inconsistent offense is created by inconsistent partners or if inconsistent offense causes the need for more changes.  In the latest round Dubinsky, Frolov, Stepan, Christensen and Drury all have different lines and/or positions compared with the start of the last game.  For the rest on the timetable for Prospal’s return, why Derek Boogaard has been shut down (possibly career threatening for a fighter) and what leads me to wonder if Michael Del Zotto might sit again check the full thoughts.

The Connecticut Whale will be looking to bounce back from a 5-0 whipping they took Sunday night when they play the Manchester Monarchs tomorrow, but they will be without the services of their electrifying rookie RW Mats Zuccarello.  This evening the AHL handed down a one game suspension to Zuccarello for his actions in Friday’s game against the Worcester Sharks.  The full story details what Zuccarello did to get the suspension, which former promising NHL player he injured, how badly the player is injured and how long he will be out of the Sharks lineup.

Finally tonight as fans know in blowouts there is chippy play and chippy play can lead to fights and that happened when PITT took on PHX tonight as you will see when you watch the video of Deryk Engelland knocking Taylor Pyatt out with a devastating right hand.

Calder Trophy Watch: Who Is Stepping To The Forefront?

Each year the NHL incorporates a new set of young talent and this year is no different so as we approach the midway point of the NHL season within the next couple weeks to take stock of which rookies are distinguishing themselves from the rest as the top performers and contenders for the Calder.  There have been some impressive rookie performances over the first 30 plus games and those who struggled early to get their legs under them at the level and are showing their talents now.  The current top 10 is made up of players from 9 different teams and with each different team there was a different scenario for the rookie to be integrated in.  Some of these rookies are making their way on established playoff teams from last season like the where others are helping teams that were out of the playoff race last season and either trying to get back to contention or just give the fans hope for the future.

The current top 5 were obvious, and the players for 6-8 were pretty set in name if not their order, but the last two spots were up for grabs as there are some guys who could have easily snuck in at the end of the list.  Enough of the chit-chat, the rankings are from 10 all the way down to number 1:

Jim McIsaac/Getty

10. Michael Neuvirth (Washington Capitals): The 22-year-old goaltender was called into duty as the Capitals number one goaltender to start the season with Semyon Varlamov dealing with injury issues.  This rookie netminder got off to a tremendous start as in October he posted a 7-3 record 1ith 2.15 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.  Since October ended Neuvirth has failed to recapture that form and has lost what looked like it might be a solid grasp on the number one goalie job for the Capitals.  Overall his numbers now rest at 13-6-2 with a goals against average of 2.66 and save percentage of .906.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty

9. Anders Lindback (Nashville Predators): Lindback a 7^th round pick in the 2007 draft was pressed into starting duty with the injury to Pekka Rinne and he responded beautifully.  Before Saturday’s awful showing against the Kings in which he gave up 3 goals on 9 shots in 9 minutes he had won five straight and posted 1.00 goals against average .962 save percentage with two shutouts.  Even with the poor showing on Saturday his overall numbers are an impressive 9-2-2 with 2.27 goals against average and .925 save percentage.  The main question for Lindback is with Pekka Rinne due back this week how much time will Lindback get.

Jeff Gross/Getty

8. Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers): Hall, the 1^st overall pick in the 2010 draft, would get off to a relatively slow start to his NHL career but has certainly picked up his game of late to currently have 10 goals and 9 assists in 30 games.  Hall has 12 points (7G, 5A) in his last 14 games, so the trend is in the right direction.  With the current situation in Edmonton one would expect for Hall to continue to see plenty of ice time, which will give him plenty of chances to improve his numbers and use his tremendous speed and skill to be a contender for the award by the time the season is over. 

Hall’s rookie rankings are: 2^nd in goals (10); T-8^th in assists (9); T-4^th in points (19)

Jeff Gross/Getty

7. Cam Fowler (Anaheim Ducks): Fowler, the recently turned 19 year old defender, was a surprise faller at the 2010 NHL draft which saw him slip all the way to number 12.  Fowler is looking to follow in the footsteps of last year’s Calder winner, Tyler Myers, who was also the 12^th selection in his draft year.  Fowler made the Ducks out of camp and was good enough early in the season for the Ducks to keep him past the 10 game mark that would have allowed them to transfer him back to Juniors.  He has had his defensive struggles at times as you would expect for a player his age his offensive production and ability to log 22 minutes a night in the NHL is certainly impressive.  If he continues to put up points and improves on the defensive side he will certainly be a threat to climb. 

Fowler’s current rookie rankings are: T-2^nd in assists (14); 8^th in points (17); 1^st in minutes (22:16).

Nick Laham/Getty

6. Derek Stepan (New York Rangers): This 2008 second round pick entered Rangers training camp coming off an impressive Sophomore campaign at the University of Wisconsin in which his team reached the title game and leading Team USA to WJC Gold.  His spot on the Rangers was not a forgone conclusion but his play in the preseason forced his way onto the squad and he had a dream debut with a hat-trick in the opener.  Stepan would struggle soon after that landing himself on the fourth line, but has since picked his game back up and is currently playing with Marian Gaborik and manning the point on the teams number one power play unit. If that continues look for his numbers and position in the Calder race to continue to improve as it means more ice time and more quality opportunities. 

Stepan’s rankings among rookies are: T-3^rd in goals (9); T-6^th in assists (10); T-4^th in points (19).

Doug Pensinger/Getty

5. Kevin Shattenkirk (Colorado Avalanche): Shattenkirk was a late comer to the rookie party as he was not called up to the Avs roster until November 4^th and has been a stalwart in their lineup ever since.  In just 22 games this defender has put up a staggering 19 points.  The scariest part is it took him a few games to get his offense going as he has scored 18 of those 19 points in his last 16 games which is an unbelievable pace for defense.  Obviously if he keeps up his current pace, especially as a defender he will be a finalist for the award and might just walk away with it.  The only reason he is not higher on the list is I want to see him keep it up for another month.

Shattenkirk’s current rankings among rookies are: T-10^th in goals (5); T-2^nd in assists (14); T-4^th in points (19). 

Dave Sandford/Getty

4. Jordan Eberle (Edmonton Oilers): With all the buzz and attention that surrounds Taylor Hall in Edmonton sometimes it is easy for the diminutive Eberle to get lost in the shuffle, but his big game reminds people of just how good he is.  Eberle would make a statement in his debut with a tremendous shorthanded goal that made people take notice of him right away.  Of the young players in Edmonton, Eberle is the one who has played the most consistent hockey throughout the season to this point.  Like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle should get plenty of ice time to keep his numbers in the race and if this speedy young player has anything to say about it he will try to race off with the award.

Eberle’s rankings among rookies are: T-3^rd in goals (9); 4^th in assists (13); 3^rd in points (22). 



Mike Stobe/Getty

3. Jeff Skinner (Carolina Hurricanes):  Skinner, the 7^th overall pick in the 2010 draft, who had his critics heading into the draft about his size and speed to play at this level has had an excellent early season campaign as a rookie.  If Skinner keeps up his play he will continue to see plenty of chances in Carolina, especially on the power play where he has collected 9 of his 23 points thus far.

Skinner’s current rankings among rookies are: 6^th in goals (8); 1^st in assists (15); 2^nd in points (23).



Phillip MacCallum/Getty

2. Logan Couture (San Jose Sharks): Couture has been looked at as the best prospect for the Sharks for the past few seasons even having a decent sized tutorial in the NHL last season, but he is breaking out in a big way this year for the Sharks.  Couture as good as he has been for the whole of the season has been even better in December scoring 9 goals and adding 2 assists in the first 10 games of the month.  Possibly the most impressive stat for the big powerful 21-year-old center is that he is T-2^nd in the entire league with 5 game winning goals.

Couture’s rankings among rookies are: 1^st in goals (17); T-18^th in assists (7); T-1^st in points (24); T-1^st in plus/minus (+8). 



Paul Bereswill/Getty

1. Sergei Bobrovsky (Philadelphia Flyers): Each year the Flyers face the same question about whether their goaltending is good enough for them to be contender’s for the Stanley Cup and this season it was no different.  Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher who combined to get them to the finals last season were back but an injury to Leighton opened the door for Bobrovsky (Bob) and he has not looked back.  Bob was named the NHL rookie of the month for November as he put up a 7-1-2 record in November with a .931 save percentage and goals against average of 2.02.  His overall numbers are not much worse than that as he has a 15-4-3 overall record with a .923 save percentage and goals against average of 2.32 as he has led the Flyers to the best record in the NHL.

Daily Recap: Is Gaborik Really A Star?; Del Zotto Trade Rumor; Christian Thomas Fight; Jack Johnson Slapper

This morning I examined whether New York Rangers RW Marian Gaborik truly is a star or if he is just an opportunistic sniper who can put up points.  I broke down some of the stories behind the box score in terms of not only Gaborik’s numbers this season but also the differential between his first and second half last season in terms of the consistency of his production.  In the piece I gave a definition of what I believe a star to be in terms of what they can do within a game and over a stretch of games to see if Gaborik met those criteria.  Finally I looked at things that Gaborik could do to help himself while looking at some of the reasons that have been given for his struggles to be a consistent impact player this season.

This afternoon there was a discussion of a rumor concerning the Columbus Blue Jackets interest in trading for Michael Del Zotto in terms of many different angles for the Rangers including: should the team be considering dealing the 20 year old defender; what it should/would take to do a deal like that; if what was being speculated about met that standard; what if anything that Columbus had would make a trade of Del Zotto something the Rangers should do.  Obviously in the article is the rumor as it was reported in the Edmonton Journal.

This evening I posted video of Rangers prospect Christian Thomas fighting from Friday evening in a game in which he recorded a Gordie Howe hat-trick.  The fight itself was entertaining as Thomas while the smaller of the two combatants was not shy about getting in the scrap nor the bombs he was throwing during the fight.

Finally there was video of Kings defender Jack Johnson winding up for a slapshot missing the net and putting a hole through the glass behind the net.

Video: Slap Shot! Jack Johnson Shoots Puck Through Glass in Chicago

Los Angeles Kings defender Jack Johnson wound up for a slap shot from the point against the Chicago Blackhawks, but the shot would miss the net and literally punch a hole in the glass behind the net.

Rumor: Blue Jackets Inquired About Michael Del Zotto

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Early last week following the Columbus Blue Jackets game there was a rumor, which I originally came across in Larry Brooks column in the New York Post, that discussed the New York Rangers potentially being interested in bringing back Fedor Tyutin.  Tyutin whom the Rangers traded to the Blue Jackets 2 offseasons ago in a deal for Nik Zherdev has one more year on his current deal at 2.844 million.  I addressed the rumor of Tyutin possibly coming back, what I would be willing to give up and speculated that for Columbus the desire would be mainly for an offensive defender. 

Fast forward to this morning and Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal in his column, Matty’s Short Shifts said that the player that intrigues the Blue Jackets is in fact Michael Del Zotto and that they have inquired about his availability.  The full quote:

The word is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who badly need offensive blue-liners, inquired about former Rangers first-round draft D-man Michael Del Zotto. They might have been offering Fedor Tyutin back to New York, after they got Tyutin for Nikolai Zherdev. Del Zotto for a defensive blue-liner Tyutin probably wouldn't get it done. Now if they threw in Nikita Filatov, too?

As someone who has been as hard on Del Zotto as anyone with his struggles trading him is not something I advocate, and the only way you even consider it is for another elite prospect.  Obviously, as Matheson points out, Tyutin would not be enough to get a talent at the level of Del Zotto so he adds in the idea of Filatov to the mix.  Filatov, the number 6 selection in the 2008 draft, is certainly an intriguing talent that many teams would gladly take a chance on because of the potential upside.  Even with the potential upside I do not consider him worthy of thinking about dealing Del Zotto for other reasons.  As much as MDZ has struggled this season Filatov has not proven anything at the NHL level other than being worthy of the enigmatic label and was just sent back to the AHL to get his game together.  New York as we know all too well has attempted the talented Russian gambit before hoping they would find their potential here route before and we do not need to go there again.

If the Blue Jackets really want Del Zotto lets start talking names like Jakub Voracek or Derrick Brassard but obviously they do not want to give up those guys as they are trying to compete this season.  I do not see any way the Rangers should get involved in a move with Columbus involving MDZ without one of those names or Ryan Johansen because despite his struggles this season Del Zotto being only 20 years old and the offensive upside along with the premium on offensive defenders makes him of premium value.

For a look at the Columbus perspective check this out.

Marian Gaborik: A Star Or Just An Opportunistic Sniper?

Abelimages/Getty Images

Overall for the New York Rangers things are going well this season with their 20-14-1 good enough for 5^th place in the Eastern Conference.  The team has found an identity and used that mentality to battle through injuries to key players at different points of the season.  The season has also seen some players both young and slightly older have breakout starts that few could have foreseen especially in terms of the offensive side of the ice.  All of these things are positives and many of them along with easier negative targets have masked possibly the biggest negative around the Rangers right now which is the fact they cannot get their star offensive player, Marian Gaborik, producing and even more importantly being a factor on a consistent basis.  For the most part Gaborik has gotten a lot of leeway from the fans assuming that he will eventually get going as opposed to other guys who get lambasted each time they screw up and I understand it to an extent based on last season.  Maybe my expectations of Gaborik are too high, but I keep coming back to this question in my mind: Is Marian Gaborik a star or just an opportunistic sniper?

Video: Kyle Turris Toe-Tapping Shootout Winner

Last week it was Linus Omark making a splash in the shootout and tonight it was Kyle Turris of the Phoenix Coyotes top tapping his way to a shootout victory against the hapless New York Islanders. The play off the skate was pivotal to the move if you watch the goaltender react, move slightly towards to opposite post and drop the glove which is where Turris would put the shot. Turris took the puck from the circle skated in bounced the puck off his skate and then fired it in against a helpless Nathan Lawson to seal the victory. Guess everyone wants to kick the Islanders while they are down.

No one should forget that Paul Bissonette aka @BizNasty2point0 taught Turris this move as he told Todd Walsh here.

Video: Vancouver Green Men Taunt Maple Leafs By Tossing Waffles

The Vancouver Canucks always have something at home no other home team in the NHL possesses, The Green Men of Vancouver.  The Green men are guys who in green body suits taunt the opposition players while they are in the penalty box.  Well tonight it was the Toronto Maple Leafs turn to go to Vancouver and the Green Men obviously keep up with current events as they saw what went on in Toronto when a fan threw waffles on the ice following the Leafs losing to the Flyers.  Tonight the Green Men brought that back in hilarious fashion when Leafs forward Tim Brent was in the box serving a goalie interference penalty early in the first.

Video: Hilarious Don Cherry HNIC Remix (Rap)

This video is a remix of Cherry's years on HNIC which shows many of the great outfits he has worn over the year and turns his commentary into a rap song. Great work.

Coyotes Sign Amateur Fenton To Back Up In Emergency Scenario Against Rangers

If you started today having no idea who Tom Fenton was, then join the club, but by the end of Thursday he will be one of the most researched names in the world for this day at least.  Tom Fenton, who works in the community relations department at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. would sign a pro contract with the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday to be their backup goaltender when they took on the Rangers in Madison Square Garden Thursday night.  

The reason the  Coyotes had to do something like this was their regular starting goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov came down with the flu and being that they were on the east coast and had no chance to fly in a call up from their system they needed someone who was local and that all leads to Tom Fenton.

Tom Fenton a 26 year old who never turned pro, which made him eligible for this kind of move and played four years of hockey at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts with his final season coming in 2008-09. In that final year Fenton compiled a 1-12-1 record, a 3.60 goals-against average and .886 save percentage as a senior.  Having not played an organized game since he would spend the night sitting on the bench in an NHL uniform, what a change a few hours can make.

Fenton would not see any action in the game, but he would see plenty of cameras and interviews asking him about the world wind day he had been through.  What a day for Tom Fenton.  Just goes to show anything can happen.