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Archive for January, 2011

Hockey World Blog NHL Power Rankings: February

Jan 31

Posted by Eddie in Power Rankings | No Comments

 With teams resuming action after the All-Star break tomorrow night, I took the opportunity to use this months rankings to preview the second half and share insight at what teams need to do to make themselves a better team in the remaining 30 or so games before the playoffs start.

Rank Team Last Month Team Notes
1 PHI 1 The Flyers haven’t had the best record in the NHL this late in the season in 26 years. If they keep up the play, they will be dangerous to handle.
2 VAN 2 How will they handle potentially playing the rest of the season without Alex Edler? He was hurt last week with a back injury and will undergo surgery.
3 TB 4 The Bolts are for real, they were expected to contend for a playoff spot but midway through they are leading the Southeast Division. Look for them to keep up the solid play with 10 consecutive home games this month.
4 PIT 5 Maybe Crosby and Malkin should be injured more often because Marc-Andre Fleury has been hot in goal over the month of December. He’s only allowed over three goals in a game once since early November.
5 DET 6 For the Wings to challenge Vancouver for the top spot, they have to cut down the goals-against, turnovers and improve the penalty killing. It won’t hurt when Pavel Datsyuk, Dan Cleary, and Tomas Holmstrom return to the lineup as well.
6 DAL 8 Why has Dallas leads the Pacific? They are 23-2-1 when scoring first, 16-0-1 when leading after 40 minutes, and 16-3-5 in one-goal games. The last statistic is a record every team would want in single goal games.
7 BOS 11 Look for Marc Savard and his attraction to concussions to be dealt at the deadline. The Bruins can’t afford to waste the performance of Tim Thomas this season to come up short in the playoffs.
8 WAS 3 The Caps need to figure out what’s wrong with their offense. With injuries to Alex Semin, Tom Poti, and Eric Fehr in the first half, their power play is ranked 19th on the power play. Ther schedule isn’t kind either as they make separate five and six-game road trips in the second half.
9 NSH 15 The Predators have 21 of their 32 remaining games at home. Look for them to attempt to catch Detroit in the standings, provided Pekka Rinne can stay healthy in goal.  
10 NYR 12 Like other teams with several injuries, they have just as many AHL recalled players as the NHL-caliber players. Expect them to get Ryan Callahan, Vinny Prospal and Dan Girardi back this week from injury.
11 MTL 16 The Bruins have a one-point lead over the Canadiens in the standings. They also have a 1-5 record on shootouts this season. Look for that stat to cost them crucial points and wins over the course of the second half.
12 ANA 14 Anaheim is 13-27 on the power play in its’ last nine games. For the season, they are second in the league at 24.4 percent. When you have Teemu Selanne with 230 career power play goals, that helps.
13 CHI 18  Chicago’s main problem is consistency. Some night’s they look like the defending Stanley Cup champs, others they look like they won’t make the playoffs. Five teams are two points or less behind them in the standings, so they have a dogfight ahead of them.
14 PHX 20 The Coyotes are one of three teams (NYR and NSH being the others) with five or more road victories compared to home. If they want to make the playoffs, they have to play better in the desert.
15 ATL 10  Joining Anaheim as the only teams to have played 52 games before the All-Star break, the Thrashers need to regroup and figure out how to play the style of hockey earlier in the season versus more recently where they went into the All-Star break with three wins in its last 10 games.
16 CAR 19 The Canes entered the break earning a point in 55 percent of their games before the All-Star/Olympic break. That’s the highest percentage for them in four years. Except for a five-game road trip in a couple weeks, they don’t have consecutive road games for the remainder of the season. This is their chance to make a playoff push.
17 SJ 7 With Antti Niemi and Antero Nittymaki playing similar, do you think they miss Eveni Nabokov just a little?
18 COL 13 The defense has to tighten up for the Av’s. They are fourth in scoring but is second from last in goals alot. If they turn every game into a track meet, they will be booking tee times in the spring instead of playing hockey.
19 LA 17 The stretch of road for the Kings isn’t good this month. They are kicked out of Staples Center due to the NBA All-Star Game and the Grammys. They don’t return home until Feb. 24, which isn’t good for a team with a 10-13 road record.
20 MIN 23 The Wild will need every point they can get during the stretch run. That includes in the shootout where they are a league-worse 0-4.
21 CGY 22 A team that was all-but-done a month ago, the Flames find themselves only two points out of a playoff spot. Will they be buyers or sellers come the trade deadline?
22 BUF 25 The Sabres get extra time off for the All-Star break. They don’t return to the ice until Friday when they travel to Pittsburgh. Look for Tim Connolly, Thomas Vanek, and Patrick Kaleta to play stronger as they heal from injuries.
23 CBJ 21 The Blue Jackets might lean towards being a buyer for offense at the trade deadline. They have depth on defense and could afford to trade someone like Mike Commodore who is currently in the minors.
24 FLA 26 While the Panthers aren’t officially eliminated from the playoffs, they need to start winning and win often. They sit eight points back of the Thrashers and have to jump over two teams. The good news is they have two games in hand on Atlanta and face them two more times.
25 STL 9 The Blues had a 2-8-2 record in the month of December. Both of those wins came against Los Angeles. Tomorrow against Colorado will be their first try to beat someone not named L.A. in 2011.
26 TOR 27 The Leafs have been a ”win games when they count the least” type of the team since the lockout ended. They have a 74-54-18 record after February 1.
27 NYI 24 The Islanders have 33 games remaining. If Evgeni Nabokov was smart, he would show up, play at least 12 games and become a UFA this summer. But he could be holding out because the Islanders’ defense is so bad, he could look even worse to other teams than he is already looking.
28 NJ 30 The best thing GM Lou Lamoriello can do is trade the older veterans and start to rebuild with younger players. He will also start with a new coach this summer as interim bench boss Jacques Lemaire won’t coach beyond this season.
29 EDM 29 They don’t have much to play for, but the teams they play have a lot to play for. Look for the Oilers to upset some teams down the stretch and keep someone out of the playoff chase.
30 OTT 28 The Senators have lost seven straight at home. They have yet to win a game in which they trailed after two periods. Like the Devils, they need to trade veteran players and rebuild with younger players and a new coach.

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NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft Recap

Jan 29

Posted by Chris in News | 1 Comment

Phil Kessel sat only a few seats away from Paul Stastny as the two remaining All-Stars not yet picked to either Team Lidstrom or Team Staal in the NHL’s inaugural All-Star Game Fantasy Draft. It was a moment that the All-Stars both savored and feared coming into the event as they knew that any one of them could be the last one sitting on the floor waiting to become Mr. Irrelevant as the last pick in the draft. But it pays to be the last pick, as Phil Kessel found out.

Team Staal selected Stastny with their 18th Round pick which left Kessel sitting alone on the floor as the inconsequential pick of Team Lidstrom. However, Kessel reaped the benefits as the NHL will donate $20,000 to a charity of Kessel’s choice and also awarded Kessel with a brand new Honda car. Mr. Irrelevant will be riding to the game in style on Sunday.

The Fantasy Draft seemed to go over surprisingly well and created many fun moments as fans got to see the less serious side of many of the players. Perhaps one of the best moments was a shot of Alexander Ovechkin whipping out his camera phone to snap a photo of Kessel sitting all by himself after Stastny’s name was announced. The friendly, joking nature of many of the players came out which was a nice change of pace over the usual serious, game-face demeanor fans are usually treated to during the regular season. The draft also produced some big surprises as many fans pondered the several story lines coming into the event tonight through their own mock drafts and scenarios, much like the one we posted yesterday.

One of the most surprising things from the draft was the layers of loyalties to teammates, ex-teammates and fellow countryman displayed throughout the draft process. It was no surprise that Steve Stamkos was selected by Team Lidstrom with their first pick not only because he leads the league in goals, but also because he plays on a line with Martin St. Louis, one of the assistant captains for Team Lidstrom. But what did come as a surprise was how quick Team Lidstrom was to select players like Brad Richards, who played in Tampa Bay with St. Louis for several seasons, and Martin Havlat, who used to play in Chicago with Team Lidstrom’s other alternate captain Patrick Kane. Team Staal, whose alternate captains are Mike Green and Ryan Kessler, made similar decisions when they selected goaltender Cam Ward with the first overall pick and then followed with Alexander Ovechkin and Daniel Sedin – all teammates of one of the captains.

One of the best moments of the draft had to be watching Phil Kessel squirm in his seat when it came down to him and Paul Stastny as the final selections. Kessel had a big grin on his face but you could tell he was sweating bullets and keeping his fingers crossed that he wouldn’t be the last man picked. Stastny, on the other hand, kept a fairly cool demeanor and if he was worried about being last picked, he sure didn’t show it.

Probably the most no-brainer moment came when the Sedin Twins were selected back-to-back by different teams. For the first time in their lives they will play against each other on different teams. Why was this choice a no-brainer? Well, if either team had allowed the other to select both Sedin Twins they would have immediately put themselves at a huge disadvantage. Have you seen those two play together? Sometimes it appears as if they just communicate telepathically and that’s how they find each other open so often.

In my opinion, one of the worst moments of the event came at the end when Kessel was awarded a new Honda for being the last pick. The donation to a charity of his choice was an incredibly awesome move by the NHL, but did they really need to follow it up by giving the guy a car? I think any one of those players makes enough money per year to buy themselves a decent mode of transportation.

Overall, however, the event was a lot of fun and really added something special and unique to the All-Star festivities. The NHL really hit a home-run with this switch in format and hopefully they can build on the success of the draft into tomorrow night’s skills competition and the actual All-Star Game on Sunday. Let’s just hope that David Backes follows through on his promise to hit lay on a few hits to the captains of the team that didn’t select him. Look out Team Lidstrom.

Take a look below for the final results from the 2011 NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft and be sure to check out the Skill Competition tomorrow night with the All-Star Game following on Sunday afternoon.

Round Team Staal Position Team Lidstrom Position
- Eric Staal F Nicklas Lidstrom D
- Ryan Kesler F Martin St. Louis F
- Mike Green D Patrick Kane F
1 Cam Ward G Steven Stamkos F
2 Alexander Ovechkin F Duncan Keith D
3 Daniel Sedin F Henrik Sedin F
4 Zdeno Chara D Shea Weber D
5 Rick Nash F Tim Thomas G
6 Henrik Lundqvist G Daniel Briere F
7 Marc Staal F Dustin Byfuglien D
8 Patrick Sharp F Jonathan Toews F
9 Dan Boyle D Marc-Andre Fleury G
10 Carey Price G Jonas Hiller G
11 Jeff Skinner F Brad Richards C
12 Kris Letang D Keith Yandle D
13 Claude Giroux F Brent Burns D
14 Erik Karlsson D Martin Havlat F
15 Corey Perry F Anze Kopitar F
16 Patrik Elias F Matt Duchene F
17 David Backes F Loui Eriksson F
18 Paul Stasny F Phil Kessel F
Team Lidstrom Rookies Team Staal Rookies
Name Team Position Name Team Position
Evgeny Dadonov FLA F Logan Couture SJ F
Oliver Ekman-Larsson PHO D Tyler Ennis BUF F
Cam Fowler ANA D Michael Grabner NYI F
Kevin Shattenkirk COL D Jamie McBain CAR D
Taylor Hall EDM F Tyler Seguin BOS F
Derek Stepan NYR F P.K. Subban BOS D

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HWB NHL All Star Game Mock Draft

Jan 28

Posted by EB in Round Table | 2 Comments

Tune in to Versus tonight at 8:00 p.m. for the All Star Game Fantasy Draft.

One of the new features of this year’s NHL All-Star Game is the All-Star Fantasy Draft where each captain, and their two alternate captains, choose their own team Fantasy Hockey-style from the pool of selected All-Stars. The members of Hockey World Blog decided to get in on the fun and see what might be going through the heads of each captain as they make their selections. Eddie and EB worked together to choose for Team Staal while Matt and Chris took on Team Lidstrom in Hockey World Blog’s All-Star Game Mock Draft. Check out the final results of the draft below including some insight into strategy going into the draft, notes about key selections and problems that each team encountered while making their selections.

*The rules for the All-Star Draft indicate that the first choice will be determined through a coin toss. Our toss gave first pick to Team Staal. Also, the rules mandate that all goalies must be chosen by the end of Round 10 and all defenseman must be chosen by the end of Round 15.

NHL All-Star Game Mock Draft Results

Round Team Staal Position Team Lidstrom Position
- Eric Staal F Nicklas Lidstrom D
- Ryan Kesler F Martin St. Louis F
- Mike Green D Patrick Kane F
1 Cam Ward G Steven Stamkos F
2 Daniel Sedin F Henrik Sedin F
3 Alexander Ovechkin F Tim Thomas G
4 Jonas Hiller G Brad Richards F
5 Dustin Byfuglien D Kris Letang D
6 Rick Nash F Corey Perry F
7 Jonathan Toews F Marc-Andre Fleury G
8 Duncan Keith D Anze Kopitar F
9 Carey Price G Zdeno Chara D
10 Keith Yandle D Henrik Lundqvist G
11 Danny Briere F Shea Weber D
12 Louie Eriksson F Patrick Sharp F
13 Brent Burns D Dan Boyle D
14 Claude Giroux F Matt Duchene F
15 Marc Staal D Erik Karlsson D
16 Jeff Skinner F Phil Kessel F
17 Martin Havlat F Paul Statsny F
18 David Backes F Patrik Elias F

Team Lidstrom: Since the All-Star Game is usually more about offense, we wanted to get as much offense as possible right out of the gate. We determined that Stamkos was not only the best goal scorer available, but he is also a linemate of Martin St. Louis, who we also have on our team as an alternate captain. That pick was  a no-brainer. When Team Staal selected Daniel Sedin in the second round, we immediately countered and took Henrik Sedin in order to keep Team Staal from having both Sedin Twins. After that, in terms of offense, our selections really became a matter of selecting the best available talent in between selecting goalies and defenseman.

On defense we tried to add offensive-defenseman to the mix  since, again, the All-Star Game is a very offensive event, which is why we grabbed Kris Letang high up. He should make a great compliment to Lidstrom. We also think we have at least one point locked at the Skills Competition in the Hardest Shot event with both Shea Weber and Zdeno Chara on Team Lidstrom.

Selecting goaltenders was mostly a matter of taking the best available. Thomas leads the league in most goalie stats and was another no-brainer, and we lucked out getting Fleury as well. Lundqvist wasn’t so much our choice as the only goalie left when Round 10 came by, but he is a great player and a fellow Swede so we wouldn’t be surprised if Lidstrom picks Lundqvist himself.

Team Staal: For our strategy, we wanted to focus on goal scoring as well. Even though we selected Cam Ward with our first selection, it was only natural seeing he is a member of the Hurricanes and he’s the goalie Staal could trust. After Ward, we tried to prevent Team Lidstrom from having both Sedin twins so we chose the better twin statistically (Daniel) before Lidstrom can grab him. With the Ovechkin selection, we wanted the best player available on the board, and there wasn’t a player worth thinking about besides Ovechkin.

With Tim Thomas going after Ovechkin, we wanted to force Team Lidstrom in selecting the weaker goalies with their goaltender selection. Jonas Hiller leads the league in victories with 25, so he knows how to play with a lead and keep his team in the contest. With our defensive selections (Byfuglien, Keith, and Yandle) before the 10th round, we wanted offensive-thinking defensemen who has the ability to score and move the puck. If our team should have a power play, look for Toews to get a lot of looks as seven of his 17 goals this season has come with the man-advantage.

The selections which Team Lidstrom forced our hand and made us change our strategy was their picks of Perry and Chara. We were undecided between Nash and Perry, and we took Nash because of his size and ability to bang inside the slot to capitalize on rebounds. Once Chara was off the board, we went with Yandle because believe it or not he is the leading scorer among defensemen with 44 pts. In addition to Yandle, we believe our steals were Carey Price (forcing them to take Henrik Lundqvist), Brent Burns, and Marc Staal.

Bauer Vapor X7.0 Ice Hockey Skate

Jan 26

Posted by Matt in Gear | 1 Comment

Update 4/29/11: The Bauer X7.0 skates are available to buy! The X7.0 will set you back $599, and are being shipped immediately. If you liked the X60 skates, but can’t afford the APX, the X7.0 will be perfect for you.

While a lot of hype is being made about the Bauer APX skate, and rightfully so, let’s not forget the model which will replace the X:60 and hit the same price point.

I’m talking about the new Bauer Vapor X7.0 ice hockey skate. Besides the graphics and colors, this new skate will be quite similar to the X:60. The X7.0 will have the new x-rib mold in the back, just like the APX. You’re also going to find the boot will have the hydra max liner, as well as the formfit 2 tongue, found on the X:60. There will be a high density metatarsal guard, and of course, the boot will be heat moldable so you can bake it for that perfect fit.

You can expect the Bauer Vapor X7.0 to be released in April, but we will definitely have pre-order information up on the site before that.

Update: Below you can see a great comparison shot of the APX (left) and X7.0 skates (right). Thanks to Elliot for sending that in!

Bauer Vapor X7.0 Ice Hockey Skate

Bauer Vapor X7.0 Ice Hockey Skate

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Edmonton Oilers 2011 Skills Competition

Jan 24

Posted by Matt in Media | 1 Comment

Over the weekend, the Edmonton Oilers hosted their annual skills competition for their fans. I think its easy to say, especially after watching the following videos, that the Oilers have some great young talent with incredible hands on their roster. Are these guys going to be an force in the NHL in a few years? Watch some of these moves and let us know what you think. To watch more videos from the rest of the skills competition, head over to the Oilers official site.
Magnus Paajarvi

Taylor Hall

Sam Gagner

Linus Omark

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Tomas Jurco at the 2011 CHL Skills Competition

Jan 24

Posted by Matt in Media | 1 Comment

Here are a couple dandy moves from the 2011 CHL skills competition, featuring Tomas Jurco. Hopefully this is a small taste of what we will see at the NHL skills competition later this week. Now with players like Steven Stamkos in the lineup, we should see some pretty incredible stuff.

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Hockey World Blog NHL Power Rankings: Week 15

Jan 24

Posted by Eddie in Power Rankings | No Comments

Entering the last week of the season before the All-Star game this weekend, teams will have between 1-2 games before having the weekend off. Check back next week when next week’s 1-30 team rankings will be dedicated to the mid-point of the season and what they can do to make themselves better in the second half.

Rank Team Last Week Team Notes
1 PHI 2 Sure, they may have lost to New Jersey Saturday, but they bounced back on short rest to dominate Chicago at the United Center. They carry 8-2 record in last 10 games.
2 DAL 4 The Flyers have the leagues best road record at 16-5-3. Franchise-best eight-game road winning streak came to an ugly end vs. Calgary. They can start a new streak tonight at Vancouver.
3 DET 1 Suffered ugly losses to two of its current rivals this week. They face New Jersey this week at the worse time as Devils ride four-game winning streak.
4 VAN 3 The Canucks have not celebrated a victory in 10 days. They have lost last three games in OT/SO fashion. They host two tough home games vs. Dallas and Nashville before having the weekend off.
5 NSH 5  Nashville is slowly creeping up the standings. They are in the middle of a six-game road trip, where they have gone 3-1 with two games remaining. Also note, their second half schedule will be home-heavy as they have played 28 road games compared to 20 home games.
6 TB NR The Bolts have won four-straight. Three of those came against division foes. They should be able to beat Toronto before heading into the weekend on a high note.
       
25 NJ 28 Look out now, these are the Devils we were expected to see. They are riding high on a four-game winning streak. Should they beat Detroit, they will enter the weekend without the worse record in the NHL.
26 FLA NR They hit a weird stretch in the schedule before the weekend. They have three road games in four days, losing against NJ yesterday. Hopefully they will rest before traveling to NYR and BOS on consecutive nights.
27 TOR 26 The Leafs head south for a pair of games against CAR and TB before the weekend. Let’s hope Mike Komarisek can stay out of the night clubs and focus more on playing defense instead of pretending women at the club is the Stanley Cup.
28 NYI 27 There is a reason why Evgeni Nabokov doesn’t want to report to the Island. They are currently on their fourth goalie of the season, and they don’t have much to play for. Let Nabokov play for a contender so he can look good when enters free-agency this summer.
29 OTT 29 One of two teams (Minnesota being the other) without a shootout victory. Probably because they don’t have the chance to seeing they have been victims of four blowouts this month.
30 EDM 30 The Oilers have earned only five points in 11 games this month. They also have a league-high seven shootout losses, including last night against Nashville.

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Reebok 9k Roller Hockey Skate

Jan 23

Posted by Matt in Gear | 12 Comments

Update: The Reebok 9k roller hockey skate is now available at Inline Warehouse for only $349.99. Head over to IW now to check them out!

A few days ago we brought you a sneak peak of the upcoming 2011 Reebok 11k roller hockey skate with Hum’er chassis. At that time I was curious if they would go with a white version for the 9k. Well, it only took a couple days, and now we have a sneak peak at the 2011 Reebok 9k roller hockey skate. Sure enough, they went with white. I am definitely a fan of the boot on this skate, but the chassis doesn’t look nearly as nice as it does on the 11k.

The boot itself on the Reebok 9k roller hockey skate looks really solid, and very similar to the ice boot. You’re gonna get a nice felt tongue with the 9k, as well as the lace lock and pump technology that we’re all familiar with. The Labeda frame is, of course, a welcome addition to the new Reebok line. The tri-di chassis was far from our favorite roller hockey frame. The Labeda Millenium wheels will be nice as well.

Anyone looking to pick up the Reebok 9k inline skates can head over to Inline Warehouse now. They new skates will set you back only $349.99.

What are your thoughts on the new 2011 Reebok 9k roller hockey skate?

2011 Reebok 9k Roller Hockey Skate

2011 Reebok 9k Roller Hockey Skate

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Nabokov fails to report to Islanders

Jan 23

Posted by Chris in News | 3 Comments

Free agent goaltender Evgeni Nabokov followed up on his promise from this past weekend by failing to report to the New York Islanders on Sunday.

Nabokov, who agreed to a one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings late Thursday evening, was claimed off waivers on Saturday by the Islanders. However, Nabokov reacted to the claim by stating that he would not report to the Islanders to fulfill his contract. Reports differed throughout Saturday as to whether Nabokov would in fact recant on the contract and boycott the Islanders. Apparently Nabokov wasn’t bluffing.

“I think I’m going to stay home for now, I’m sticking with my decision,” Nabokov told ESPN.com on Sunday.

The Red Wings initially signed Nabokov to help their goaltending situation now that backup netminder Chris Osgood will be sidelined until mid-March after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia. According to the rules of the current CBA, since Nabokov was coming back to the NHL from the KHL, he would have to go through waivers before he could become a member of the Red Wings.

Nabokov’s contract carries with it a cap hit of $250,000, which made him a prime candidate to be claimed off of waivers.

If Nabokov continues to defy his contract, the Islanders have several options. First, the team could appeal to the NHL and ask them to “toll” Nabokov’s contract. This means that Nabokov will have to fulfill his contract with the Islanders at some point – whether it be this season or in the future. If the Islanders decided to go this route, Nabokov would not be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 as he still essentially owes the Islanders the terms of the contract that he originally signed with Detroit.

Another option for the Islanders includes trading Nabokov. However, things get a bit dicey in this scenario. Before a trade can occur, the Islanders would first need to notify the NHL that they intend to trade Nabokov. If that happens, the NHL then goes back to any other team that originally put in a claim for Nabokov to see if they are still interested in claiming him. If they are, Nabokov then becomes that team’s property.

However, even if no other team put in a claim for Nabokov after he signed with Detroit, he must still clear waivers again before the Islanders can trade him. That means that any of NHL’s 29 other teams – including Detroit – would be able to claim Nabokov. If several teams claim him at this point then the team lowest in the standings receives his services for the remainder of the season.

The last option simply involves the Islanders placing Nabokov back on waivers. This option is more of a good intentions move toward Nabokov than anything else. But seeing as how Nabokov would essentially have to clear waivers twice if the Islanders tried to trade him, this could in fact be a viable option.

But to make matters worse, Nabokov has a no movement clause on his contract, which Detroit put in place to deter teams from putting in a claim on Nabokov. This means that Nabokov can not be traded or placed back on waivers without his permission. Although, judging by Nabokov’s luke-warm reception to the news that the Islanders had claimed him, he might be more than willing to waive his no movement clause to go to a contender.

“It’s nothing against the Islanders and their organization. It’s nothing to do with that,” Nabokov told ESPN.com. “It’s just that I’m at the point in my career where I want to help a team win in the playoffs. I don’t see how I could help the Islanders or what I could do for them. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. And I hope they understand that.”

What Nabokov had to say rings clear with many NHL fans. Why would the Islanders of all teams place a claim on Nabokov? New York is not in direct competition with Detroit, nor are they even in the playoff picture where they could pull off a move like this to prevent Detroit from getting better. And with all of the regulations regarding a trade, the Islanders are unlikely going to be able to get something in return for Nabokov to help them build for the future. In fact, if they try to trade Nabokov, they will likely lose him for nothing.

Islanders GM Garth Snow has the ball in his court now and will look to resolve this situation quickly, whether that involves tolling the contract, pushing forward with a trade or trying to talk Nabokov into fulfilling his obligation on Long Island.

“He had his heart set on going to Detroit, obviously,” Snow said. “I told him I respect that, but he’s a New York Islander now and we’d love to have him part of our group.”

How do you think the Islands should or will move forward with Nabokov’s contract over the next few days? Should he fulfill his contract with the Islanders or should they waive him again?

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The NHL All-Star Game’s All-Snubbed Team

Jan 23

Posted by Eddie in Fantasy | 1 Comment

Last week the participants for the NHL All-Star game in Raleigh was announced. Yesterday, the captains for the Fantasy Draft were announced. The NHL won’t announce or promote this, but someone had to do it: The All-Snubbed team. These are six players who had the stats and possible fan votes to earn a ticket to the showcase. It could have been factors such as the NHL’s Hockey Operations Department, numbers, or injuries that kept them out of the game. I’m doing to do this a little different. I won’t attach names at the beginning, but rather at the end of this article. Provided is information such as stats and you can decide which player should be in the game rather than looking at someones name.

Left Wing

I might get a lot of flack for this one because the dreadful team already has one All-Star participant. But Player A is seventh among left wingers in points. He has 14 goals and 23 assists so far this season. He is already at a career-high in points after 44 games (he earned 31 points in 71 games two seasons ago in Buffalo). He is three goals short of tying his career-best of 14 during that 2008-09 season. Don’t get me wrong, Player B is a good player. But he’s having a down season as everyone on his team is. He’s on pace to finish with a negative plus-minus rating for the first time since 1997, when he played 17 games in the NHL. He has 10 goals, 22 assists in 44 games this season. Numbers like that isn’t All-Star worthy for a player of his caliber.

Center

For a team that was in the public eye in the month of December, I’m surprised Player C couldn’t garner more fan votes to be able to play in the game. His team struggled during the key parts of December but they are catching their stride. He has 11 goals, 30 assists, and a +9 rating. His 30 assists place him seventh among Center’s and he’s respectful in the face-off circle as he’s won nearly 54 percent of draws. Player D is good when he’s on the ice, but he’s battled injuries throughout the season. He got voted a starter, but primarily because of his name and the team he plays on. He’s played in six less games than Player C, and has seven less points than Player C.

Right Wing

Player E is one of the old-timers of the game. He probably wanted to chose the extra weekend of rest to give him the energy to finish the rest of the season. He could also have been a numbers casualty because he has two teammates selected to the game as well as one selected to the rookie challenge. He has 14 goals, 27 assists this season, but his +/- could be better as it is currently at Even. He has better numbers than Player F, who played in five more games than Player E and has worse statistics. Player F does have a better +/- , as he sits at +14.

Defense

After comparing players for defensemen, I think the staff at the NHL simply put names on a dart board and whomever they hit, they picked for the All-Star game. Player G, not selected for the game, has 8 goals, 32 assists, and a +6 rating. His 40 points places him third among d-men, and he’s second in assist. Player H plays on a bad team, has a -16 rating and has less points than player G has assists. How is Player G not selected for the All-Star game? Hopefully if there is a injury this week he will be selected because it is a travesty if he doesn’t make it to Raleigh.

Goalie

My first reaction when I saw the lineup of goalies was “The East can’t be that much better than the West. Why the heck are there give goalies from the East and only Jonas Hiller from the West?” I’m not being picky and saying there has to be three from each conference, but having a second goalie from the West would make the game much more appealing and more balanced. My goalie whom I think was snubbed  is one you might not think initially. It’s not the guy from my hometown team, despite Jimmy Howard having 23 wins, his GAA is 2.9 and his save percentage is a shade north of .900. The goalie whom I think was snubbed is a two-time All-Star, one of the best at his position, has a 21-8-6 record while leading his team to one of the top records in the league. He may stumble in the playoffs, but he gets it done in the regular season. It could be possible he declined a spot in the game as his wife just gave birth to their second child in December and wants to spend time with them before going back on the road with his team.

In comparison, Player J carries a 20-14-5 record. He has a 2.67 GAA and could have been selected to the All-Star game because of the team he plays on. Not to mention statistically he’s the weakest East goalie chosen for the game.

Snubbed and Replaceable Players Revealed

Player A Snubbed- Clarke MacArthur (LW, TOR)

Player B Replaceable- Patrik Elias (LW, NJD)

Player C Snubbed- Nicklas Backstrom (C, WAS)

Player D Replaceable- Evgeni Malkin (C, PIT)

Player E Snubbed- Teemu Selanne (RW, ANA)

Player F Replaceable- David Backes (RW, STL)

Player G Snubbed- Lubomir Visnovsky (D, ANA)

Player H Replaceable- Erik Karlsson (D, OTT)

Player I Snubbed- Roberto Lulongo (G, VAN)

Player J Replaceable- Cam Ward (G, CAR)

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