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Hockey World Blog NHL Power Rankings: March

Feb 28

Posted by Eddie in Power Rankings | 1 Comment

The NHL trade deadline has come and gone. Several teams were buyers in order to set themselves up for a stretch run in the postseason while others sold off pieces for draft picks. The draft picks are always a big gamble in hockey because you won’t see immediate success like in sports like football and basketball. Check out the rankings below as well as a information regarding what they did at the trade deadline.

Rank Team Last Month Team Notes
1 PHI 1 With the addition of Nick Boynton, the Flyers gotthe depth defenseman thatthey needed. Interesting fact: They do not have any games on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday this month. Look for them to cure their struggles as they have several games against non-playoff contenders.
2 VAN 2 Could they be getting bored? They have alternated wins and losses for the last 10 consecutive games. They have a commanding 15-point lead in the division, but Detroit is slowly chipping away at their lead in the conference standings. They might not make a move today as two top defensemen are still injured and should return around playoff time.
3 DET 5 The Red Wings couldnt do much at the deadline, but they did re sign Jimmy Howard to a contract extension. He may have a league-best 30 wins but he ranks 31st out of 44 goalies with a 2.79 GAA. They are slowly getting healthy players back like Mike Modano and Valtteri Filppula whichis making their depth even more dangerous to other teams.
4 SJ 17 Anti Niemi has a 14-2-1 record since January 15. 13 of their final 19 games are at home, which could make them a dangerous team in the postseason should they keep this up.
5 NJ 28 No other team has a better record in the month of February than the Devils. They went 11-1-1 during the month. They still have a tough road to climb back in the playoff race, but at least Devils fans have something to watch for the rest of the season.
6 TB 3 In February, they had the longest homestand in league history at 12 consecutive games. They went 7-3-2 in that stretch, losing to two teams ranked higher than them (PHI and DET) could be a sign they aren’t yet ready for prime time hockey. They did however, hand New Jersey their only regulation loss of the month.
7 PHX 14 What evil person in the scheduling department set up their schedule for them this week. They had road games in Philadelphia, Tampa, and Columbus in a four-day stretch. They allowed 13 goals in last two games, the same amount allowed in eight games prior to Wednesday. Let’s hope this isn’t the chill that flames out their season.
8 LA 19 The Kings went 8-1-3 so far this month with 10 of those games coming on the road. This week the schedule isn’t easy as Detroit, Phoenix and Vancouver will visit Staples Center. Can they hang with the top teams in the league?
9 CBJ 23 They set a franchise record with eight wins in the month of February. Can they keep playing this week in March? They are only four points out of a playoff spot, which isn’t too much of a mountain to climb. 
10 CGY 21  Mid-December this team was 14th in the conference. Now, they are currently sitting in 6th place. They can’t rest easy as there’s five teams two points behind them. They might find a way to grind their way into the playoffs.
11 BOS 7

The B’s have 21 road wins, counting the win in the “road” half of the opening series in Prague. The 21 wins are tied for the league lead, and their 46 road points leads the league.  This could prove to be very helpful come playoff time.
12 WAS 8 The Caps are trying to make a push for the playoffs as they traded for Dennis Wideman and Jason Arnott this afternoon. Wideman will provide depth and offense on the blue line.
13 MIN 20  They might have to place a classified ad to find someone to play center. Mikko Koivu and Kyle Brodziak are injured. The minor league callup to replace them Cody Almond is also injured. They need Koivu and Brodziak back quickly as they can’t afford to take any nights off.
14 NYI 27 They have looked nice in the last month considering they have more minor-league caliber players than NHL. Mark Streit hasn’t played all season due to injury but is looking to return before the season ends.
15 CHI 13  Chicago is trending upward just as Dallas is tending down. They will make the playoffs, with Corey Crawford in goal. 11 of their 14 games in March will be against playoff or playoff contending teams.
16 PIT 4 Sidney Crosby has been out for close to two months. The Penguins need to give him a timetable to return because there’s a 13 point gap between them and the final playoff spot. That gap can be less than five if they keep losing games the way they have been.
17 STL 25 Erik Johnson, Brad Boyes, Jay McClement and Eric Brewer. Those are players traded away in the last week. They are only seven points out but they are already stocking up on draft picks and prepare to miss the playoffs again for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
18 TOR 26 Ending the month 5-1-4 has put the Leafs only four points behind the Hurricanes for the final playoff spot. Toronto fans have been hungry for a winner and the NHL could always benefit from a Canadian team in the playoffs.
19 BUF 25 Acquiring Brad Boyes from St. Louis could be the push to get them into the playoffs. The ball is in their court as they have played two less games than Carolina, which is ahead by two points.
20 ANA 12 Of the teams clogged together in the west, I have the least confidence in Anaheim. When Jonas Hiller went down, they are depending on two goalies who weren’t on the team at the beginning of the month: Dan Ellis and Ray Emery.
21 EDM 29 The yard sale of Oilers players was complete when Dustin Penner went to Los Angeles today. They got a defensive prospect and two draft picks. One of those is a first-round pick this year, giving the Oilers like a top three pick and other between 18-22.
22 NSH 11 The Predators have completely owned the Blue Jackets at home. Since 2006-07, the Predators have won all 16 games on home ice against Columbus. It is the longest active home winning streak against one team in the NHL.
23 MTL 11 They didn’t do much at the deadline, only getting a third goalie in Derek MacIntyre. They had the cap space to make a move, but there probably wasn’t a player making $1.8 Million or less and someone who could take on Scott Gomez’s $7.3 Million contract. They have failed to win a Saturday night home game once since Nov. 6 (an OTL against Anaheim). They have one such game left, at the end of the month against Washington.
24 NYR 10 The Rangers getting Bryan McCabe Saturday is just what they needed. He provides a veteran presence and could be a big factor on special teams. They currently rank 24th on the power play and seventh on the penalty kill.
25 CAR 19 Despite being eighth in the east, they are the only team that has allowed more goals than scored that is currently in the playoffs. Not often do you see someone trade within the division, but they were able to acquire Bryan Allen from Florida for Sergei Samsonov. Samsonov won’t have to travel far to join his new team as the two meet tomorrow night in Raleigh. 
26 DAL 6 The schedulers didn’t do the Stars any favors in March. They have 16 straight games against playoff or playoff caliber teams. They have to take it one game at a time, starting this week when they travel to each team in their division.
27 FLA 24 The Panthers used the trade deadline to look forward to the future. They shipped away four older players in exchange for two prospects, two draft picks, and former 20-goal scorer Nick Bergfors.
28 OTT 30 If an award was given to the team that won at the trade deadline, it would be the Senators. Bryan Murray got a head start on the future as they sent away six players and they could have as many as seven of the first 70 picks in the 2011 draft.
29 ATL 15 One of the teams that desperately needs to make the playoffs to give their fans some hope, they have fallen faster than gravity with a record of 2-6-2 in their last 10 games. They need to get on a hot streak as they are four points outside the playoff bubble.
30 COL 13 The Avalanche is dealing with a slide of their own. The night of January 18, they defeated Vancouver 4-3 in overtime. Since then they have gone 2-14-1, with not much to look forward to for the rest of the season. With over half the team going into free agency this summer, they can get the rebuilding process starting rather quickly.

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Oilers at the deadline: Penner vs. the World

Feb 26

Posted by Matt in Guest Article, News, Soap Box | No Comments

Dustin PennerThe following is a guest post by Ric, who will be contributing more frequently about the Edmonton Oilers.

In some respects, the Oilers are in an envious position.

They are looking at another lottery pick and have chips to play at the deadline.

The most valuable chips: forwards Ales Hemsky and Dustin Penner.

Talent and toughness, for the right price.

Assessing the fit

As we have little to no access to the offers being floated, let us concern ourselves with: who should go, should both go, should we stand pat.

The resolution to such a concern starts at the NHL’s statistical database.

But before we begin our journey, a couple of words on the validity of their ability to assist with such a resolution.

Can statistics lie?

Real time stats are recorded by a myopic, dual – Bluetooth enabled – ear pieces wearing, curmudgeon with an HB2.

Although reality must be different; there are doubts nevertheless, because the statistics provided by the league are, in many respects, a fall woefully short of anything approaching comprehensive. A couple of quick examples: they don’t provide who was on the ice when a shot was taken, they don’t even hint at shot range.

All too often they misrepresent the activity by – and disrespect the accomplishments of – the players on the ice.

Sadly, it has come to where you start wondering, as you file into Rexall, “Should I grab any curmudgeon I see, destroy his glasses and dual – Bluetooth enabled – ear pieces, on the off chance that he is the guy responsible?”.

Real numbers; real issues

A classic, and painful, example is the discrepancy between venues in the giveaways/takeaways record.

The official statistics from nhl.com report that thus far this year:

Home Giveaways Road Giveaways Differential*
EDM 556 194 2.87
CBJ 86 172 0.50
Home Takeaways Road Takeaways Differential*
EDM 296 148 2.00
ANA 105 198 0.53

*Home/Road

Does the NHL really expect us to believe that the Oilers give up the puck three times more frequently at home?

Turnovers are the crucible in which the ability to possess the puck, control the flow and create or maintain momentum are put to trial, and the results of the test often determine whether games are won or lost.

But despite their status as a key determinate of success, the NHL seems rather blasé – flippant and/or uncaring at best, criminally negligent at worst – when it comes to recording them for posterity.

So, with such obvious and egregious flaws, how can giveaways/takeaways – or more broadly any NHL stat – assist in the resolution of the question at hand or advance our understanding of the value of potential trades and the embedded tradees?

In a vacuum, it can’t.

The lesson? That statistical analysis and interpretations maybe no more insightful than our subjective and biased eyes.

But aren’t pay grades based on “The Numbers”?

Paying for productivity

Image this contract conversation:

Owner: Okay, how much do you want?

Player: $100,000.00 (all money C$)

Owner: Sounds good, I will pay you that if you give me what I want.

Player: Please tell me the rumours aren’t true.

Owner: I want a 20/20/20/20/20 season.

(goals/assists/shots/hits/blocks – which begs the question: if he hits them all, does he become a five tool guy?)

Player: Should be doable, I did (redacted) last season and I am only (redacted).

Owner: Good. This should work then?

Owner takes a pull from his cigar and slides a piece of paper across the desk which reads:

Goals Assists Shots Hits Blocks
Expectation 20 20 20 20 20
Event’s Value $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000
Total $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000
Contract Value at Expectations $100,000

This hypothetical scenario has been provided to offer some context for the tables to follow.

Caveats

In the following breakdown, time on ice is used as the benchmark against which per 60 (an effort at understanding relative productivity by representing events on a per minute basis) as well as calculating hourly wage (salary divided by prorated, total time played).

Finally, goals, assists, shots, blocked shots and hits are given equal weighting and $/stat X represents one-fifth of total cap hit as a result.

Playing Time Games Played Average Time on Ice Cap Hit
Dustin Penner 55 18:35 $4,500,000
Ales Hemsky 39 18:26 $4,100,000
Jordan Eberle 43 17:56 $1,530,000
Milan Hejduk 50 17:38 $3,000,000
Kristian Huselius 33 16:25 $4,750,000
Dany Heatley 58 19:57 $7,500,000
David Backes 55 20:01 $2,500,000
Ryan Malone 50 16:14 $4,500,000

Backes stands out as exceptional value, but none of the group is hurting their team to the point where a simulated kidnapping is in order.

Games played 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11 Prorated*
Dustin Penner 82 78 82 55 80.54
Ales Hemsky 74 72 22 39 57.11
Jordan Eberle N/A N/A N/A 43 62.96
Milan Hejduk 77 82 56 50 73.21
Kristian Huselius 81 74 74 33 48.32
Dany Heatley 71 82 82 58 84.93
David Backes N/A 82 79 55 80.54
Ryan Malone N/A N/A 69 50 73.21

*used to determine the $ per stats.

Raw Productivity Goals per 60 $/Goal
Dustin Penner 20 1.17 $45,818.18
Ales Hemsky 9 0.75 $130,826.21
Jordan Eberle 11 0.86 $36,228.33
Milan Hejduk 17 1.16 $39,529.41
Kristian Huselius 12 1.33 $134,343.43
Dany Heatley 19 0.99 $76,225.05
David Backes 20 1.09 $25,454.55
Ryan Malone 11 0.81 $91,636.36
Raw Productivity Assists per 60 $/Assist
Dustin Penner 16 0.94 $57,272.73
Ales Hemsky 24 2.00 $49,059.83
Jordan Eberle 18 1.40 $22,139.53
Milan Hejduk 28 1.91 $24,000.00
Kristian Huselius 8 0.89 $201,515.15
Dany Heatley 28 1.45 $51,724.14
David Backes 21 1.15 $24,242.42
Ryan Malone 23 1.70 $43,826.09

This looks about right, unless you are Scott Howson.

Both Penner and Hemmer show well, except perhaps for Hemsky’s scoring numbers, but that is mitigated somewhat by his assist line.

Shooting Efficiency Shots per 60 Shots per Goal $/Shot
Dustin Penner 124 7.27 6.20 $7,390.03
Ales Hemsky 78 6.49 8.67 $15,095.33
Jordan Eberle 92 7.15 8.36 $4,331.65
Milan Hejduk 120 8.18 7.06 $5,600.00
Kristian Huselius 80 8.87 6.67 $20,151.52
Dany Heatley 160 8.30 8.42 $9,051.72
David Backes 148 8.07 7.40 $3,439.80
Ryan Malone 140 10.34 12.73 $7,200.00

Here Penner shows surprising accuracy, Backes again demonstrates good value, and Malone needs to shoot more than most due to the Lord equipping him with a shotgun rather than something with a scope.

The Body Hits per 60 $/Hit
Dustin Penner 54 3.17 $16,969.70
Ales Hemsky 28 2.33 $42,051.28
Jordan Eberle 14 1.09 $28,465.12
Milan Hejduk 6 0.41 $112,000.00
Kristian Huselius 1 0.11 $1,612,121.21
Dany Heatley 60 3.11 $24,137.93
David Backes 147 8.02 $3,463.20
Ryan Malone 106 7.83 $9,509.43

Per minute is fun and occasionally insightful; per dollar is hilarious and occasionally embarrassing.

The Body Blocks per 60 $/Block
Dustin Penner 24 1.41 $38,181.82
Ales Hemsky 14 1.16 $84,102.56
Jordan Eberle 11 0.86 $36,228.33
Milan Hejduk 26 1.77 $25,846.15
Kristian Huselius 3 0.33 $537,373.74
Dany Heatley 23 1.19 $62,968.52
David Backes 25 1.36 $20,363.64
Ryan Malone 19 1.40 $53,052.63

Looks like Penner wants to play for this team.

Conclusion teasers

What do these numbers tell us? Not much we didn’t already know.

But the question of Penner/Hemmer status needs to go beyond the numbers for it has a distinctly second bananian scent to it.

They are Barney, not Fred, Robin, not Batman, Martin, not Lewis.

But isn’t that okay? Doesn’t every team need a couple of Barney’s?

If we trade one or both, will we find ourselves wondering two years from now: If only we had a strong, threatening second line centreman?

The substitution effect

We have holes, but the front six, perhaps the front nine, does not number among them.

But by spending a chip, would we fill a hole only to dig another?

Getting out of the basement

If Hall and Eberle are who we think they are, we are going to need some straight men.

Men that can take on their second line and win.

Penner and Hemmer are just those kind of guys.

They are quality, perhaps not elite, but appropriately priced, on a team that has cap room.

And they work well into the future of this team.

Conclusion

Keepers.

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Kovalev, Ellis highlight busy day of trades

Feb 24

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

This year’s trade deadline continues to shape up into one of the most active in recent history. With four days still remaining until the actual trade deadline, several big name players were on the move today with even more teams getting into the hunt for top-tier talent as they look to stay competitive with their rivals and give themselves the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup.

The Montreal Canadiens put themselves into the mix by acquiring defenseman Brent Sopel and forward Nigel Dawes from the Atlanta Thrashers. The move to get Sopel is a necessary one as Montreal’s blue line has been plagued by injuries all season and the recent reports that defenseman Jaroslav Spacek could be done for the season make the addition of Sopel, a solid penalty killer and shot-blocker, even more important. The Canadiens are 9th in the league in goals against per game and they want to keep it that way.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Anaheim Ducks were also active this afternoon  in the goalie department as the Lightning sent goaltender Dan Ellis (pictured) to Anaheim in exchange for goaltender Curtis McElhinney. This is an interesting trade, especially from the Lightning’s point of view. Ellis, who will be under contract until the end of next season, was brought in this past summer to be a starting goaltender for Tampa but eventually lost the job to Dwayne Roloson, who the Lightning acquired through a trade with the Islanders. Either the Lightning are looking to ride Roloson through the playoffs with McElhinney as the backup, or general manager Steve Yzerman is setting up to make a push at another goalie before the trade deadline hits. Could Yzerman make a pass at cross-state rival Tomas Vokoun?

The Tampa/Anaheim trade is a good one for the Ducks, however, and gives the team another solid option in goal with starting netminder Jonas Hiller still feeling the effects of what the team is calling vertigo symptoms.

Perhaps one of the biggest deals of the day, however, involved the Pittsburgh Penguins as they look for options to help solidify their struggling offense. With superstar Evgeni Malkin done for the season and captain Sidney Crosby still sidelined with concussion symptoms, the team made a move to bring in more offensive depth by acquiring Alex Kovalev from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Kovalev, who played with Pittsburgh from 1998 until 2003, should benefit from the change in scenery. Earlier this season Kovalev made public statements about his unhappiness in Ottawa and his general role on the team.

Forward Cory Stillman will also find himself in familiar territory as he was acquired by the Carolina Hurricane in exchange for forward Ryan Carter and a fifth-round draft pick at this year’s draft. Stillman had to waive his no-trade clause in order to be moved to Carolina where he played for three seasons between 2005 and 2008.

The Philadelphia Flyers didn’t make a trade today, but they made a significant move by waiving forward Nikolay Zherdev. Zherdev could offer some value elsewhere if claimed but has largely been an underachieving disappointment for the Flyers this season by contributing only 15 goals and four assists – a far cry from his career-best output of 26 goals and 61 points just a few seasons ago in Columbus. Again, this could just be a set-up move as the Flyers look to create room for a bigger addition in the days to come.

Although several big-name players have already been moved over the past few weeks, many more could find themselves in a new uniform before all is said and done. Each day brings more rumors with names like John-Michael Liles and Paul Stastny now popping up in Colorado and the will-they-or-won’t-they storyline concerning Brad Richards and the Dallas Stars still a hot topic in the media. And the blockbuster events last weekend proved that seemingly no player is untouchable at the trade deadline. Look for many more teams to get in on the action and make significant moves over the next few days before the trade freeze hits the NHL at 3 p.m. on Monday.

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Bauer Supreme Total One Hockey Gloves

Feb 23

Posted by Matt in Gear | No Comments

Update: You can now pre-order your Bauer Total One gloves and they will begin shipping on April 15th. The gloves are going to run $139.99, so head on over to Ice Warehouse to pre-order yours today!

This spring, Bauer will be releasing their new Supreme line of protective equipment. Part of that series will be the highly anticipated Bauer Supreme Total One Gloves. Players have been patiently waiting for a long time to get their hands on, or rather in, a pair of the Total One gloves.

HWB reader John sent in a couple shots of the new Total One gloves, which you can see below. According to John, the gloves had a tight fit and were very comfortable. Additionally, he said “I took a couple of shots with them they were very soft. They reminded me of a mix of Bauer design and Warrior fit.” We thank John for his contribution, and can’t wait until these gloves officially hit retail stores around April.

Bauer Supreme Total One Gloves

Bauer Supreme Total One Gloves

Bauer Total One Gloves

Bauer Total One Gloves

Bauer Supreme Total One Gloves

Bauer Supreme Total One Gloves

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Top 5 Reasons Why it is Not a Mother & Son Roadtrip

Feb 22

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

The Detroit Red Wings just finished 3 game road trip accompanied by the player’s fathers. It is quite a cool tradition, where players are able to spend time with those who have supported them throughout all of their careers, allowing their sons to chase their dreams of making it in the NHL.

I began to wonder though, why is it not a Mother & Son road trip? And so, here is a list of 5 sure sayings that would be heard from the Mothers.

5. Does this room seem cold to you?

4. What ever happened to the one girl you were dating?

3. You should clean your equipment, it smells awful.

2. I know the rest of the team does it, but you look scruffy with a playoff beard.

1. If you are going out in public you are putting your tooth in.

Hockey World Blog NHL Power Rankings: Week 19

Feb 21

Posted by Eddie in Power Rankings | No Comments

This week’s rankings is different than most. It does follow the same standard I have used throughout the season, but this week it was very polarizing to see what teams have been hot as of late and what teams have been cold as of late. One observation is that the Detroit Red Wings are the Pittsburgh Steelers of hockey. Both franchises have die hard fans across the country and when they are on the road, you could potentially see just as many if not more road jerseys in the crowd than the home team. For example, I attended a 2009 Detroit Lions game against the Steelers. Because the Lions aren’t very good and Pittsburgh is only a five-hour drive away, most of Ford Field was Pittsburgh fans waving the Terrible Towel. This week when the Red Wings took on the Lightning and Panthers, I had to do a double take because of the loud road and cheering when the Red Wings scored. I don’t think each respective teams’ home fans cheer that loud at games. The best part of last week was watching octopi being thrown from the stands in both arenas. The fan who threw one on the ice during play when Detroit had the puck in the attacking zone deserved to be thrown out. I believe he’s not a true Red Wings fan because octopus etiquette calls for it to be thrown only during a stoppage of play such as (but not limited to) goals and the final minutes of a victory. Check back next week when the March 1-30 team rankings are revealed.

Rank Team Last Week Team Notes
1 VAN 1 Despite them losing last week, they retain the top spot in the rankings as they closed the door on Dallas Saturday night. The Stars scored to make it a 3-2 games. One minute later it was 5-2 in favor of the Canucks. They are that dangerous.
2 DET 4 Only the Red Wings can catch the Canucks for the top seed in the West. But first they have to worry about San Jose tomorrow night. The Sharks have more wins on the road than they do at home.
3 PHI 3 Just like the Red Wings, they swept Tampa and Florida last week. What made the Flyers feat impressive was they were “true” road games as both games against Detroit was at least 75 percent Detroit fans.
4 PHX 6 They may have won seven straight games, but they are only a couple losses from falling to last in the division as Dallas, Los Angeles, and Anaheim are five points behind.
5 NJ NR  Last time we saw them on the power rankings, they were on wrong side of the ledger. But the Devils are playing like the team we have expected them to be all season. Did you know they have a 15-1-2 record since January 9?
6 CGY NR They looked very impressive winning last night’s Heritage Classic. Another team that’s spent more time on the bottom half of this list, the Flames are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. They are in the thick of the playoff hunt and will need every point they can get from here on out.
       
25 DAL NR There are nine teams within seven points of each other in the West. The Stars are one of them fighting for six playoff spots. If they keep losing on the ice, they could slowly find themselves more on the outside looking in than being inside the playoff picture. Playing hot teams in New Jersey and Detroit this week isn’t helping their case either.
26 EDM 27 The Oilers have won four straight games. The best win was Saturday night against the Thrashers as Taylor Hall scored three power play goals for his first career hat trick. Expect them win at least two of their three games this week.
27 TOR 29 Getting points in four of their last five games is helping them, but they took a step backwards when they got shutout against Ottawa Saturday night.
28 ATL NR The Thrashers are only four points out of a playoff spot, but they are playing like a team not wanting to make the playoffs as they have only one victory this month. March better be good to them to justify re-signing Dustin Byfuglien to a contract extension last week.
29 COL 27 The Avalanche is trying to avoid their season from being buried in an avalanche. They are the only team to not have a victory in the month of February. GM Greg Sherman has been trading off players in the past week and I don’t think he’s done either.
30 OTT 28 They swapped goalies with the Avalanche, and after the first few days it looks like the Sens got the better end of the deal as Craig Anderson got a shutout victory over Toronto Saturday night. They still haven’t won at home since Dec. 26 and they have two home games this week to snap their 0-7-3 streak.

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Busy Friday highlighted by big trades

Feb 19

Posted by Chris in News, Rumors | 2 Comments

The Boston Bruins were big winners Friday night after making some roster overhauls and landing one of the biggest trade-deadline targets this season in defenseman Tomas Kaberle. The Bruins weren’t the only active team, however, as the Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricane and Colorado Avalanche also made moves.

It was widely expected that Kaberle, who had a no-trade clause on his contract, would be moved by the Maple Leafs this season instead of risking losing Kaberle to free agency for nothing in return. The return ended up being pretty significant as the Leafs received prospect forward Joe Colborne in addition to the Bruins’ first-round draft pick at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional second round pick in 2012. But the Bruins were willing to take the hit in order to grab a puck-moving defenseman like Kaberle. The extra offensive push that Kaberle provides should help spark the Bruins’ offense, especially on the power play where Kaberle already has 22 assists.

In order to fit Kaberle under the salary cap, the Bruins made another move with the Atlanta Thrashers where they acquired forward Rich Peverley and defenseman Boris Valabik in exchange for forward Blake Wheeler and defenseman Mark Stuart. With 34 points in 59 games with the Thrashers, Peverley will help offset the loss of injured center Marc Savard in Boston and will give the Bruins another scoring center and good face-off guy.

The Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche clicked for a deal when they exchanged goalies yesterday afternoon. The Avalanche sent goaltender Craig Anderson to Ottawa in exchange for goaltender Brian Elliott. Both goalies are set to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season and this may be more of a money move than anything else. In fact, rumors surfaced immediately that the Senators may turn around and try to trade Anderson again as Ottawa is selling off most of their assets in an attempt to rebuild their program. But at 29-years-old, Anderson would be a solid goalie to try and rebuild your program with.

Colorado wasn’t done, however, as the team made another significant move early this morning by sending forward Chris Stewart, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and a conditional 2011 or 2012 second-round draft pick to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for defenseman Erik Johnson (pictured), forward Jay McClement and a conditional 2011 or 2012 first-round draft pick.

With the moves that Colorado is making, it would appear as if the team is pulling themselves out of the playoff race for this season but gearing up for a strong run next year. Johnson will be a huge addition to the blue line for the Avs and still has another year on his contract before becoming a restricted free agent in 2012. When the rest of the team’s blue line gets healthy, the Avs could have a very deep, very solid defensive unit on the ice next season. Plus, the team could have anywhere between $10 and $16 million in available cap space heading into free agency this summer in order to bring in some quality scoring to help replace the loss of Stewart.

With nine days still remaining until the trade deadline, more big moves are still expected. Keep an eye on the Senators as more trades could still be coming. Will they decide to move players like Spezza and Alfredsson? And who can afford Spezza’s hefty cap hit? Brad Richards of Dallas keeps popping up in trade rumors as well. Many pundits think he will not re-sign in Dallas and the Stars, despite being in playoff contention, don’t want to lose Richards for nothing. But the real fun of trade deadline time are the unexpected moves, like the one that Colorado and St. Louis just completed. If nothing else, expect more of the unexpected in the days to come.

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Oilers at the Deadline: The Goalie Anomaly

Feb 18

Posted by Matt in Guest Article, News | No Comments

The below post is from a guest contributor, Ric, who will be providing some great additional posts over the next few weeks.

Nikolai Khabibulin, after spending most of last year on IR, returned from the off-season healthier than he had been in years, and with potential prison time pushed to next year’s off-season, he looked ready to deliver on this year’s $3.75 million dollar paycheck.

What do you do with a thirty-eight year old, apparently good for 50-60 games, ring wearing three and three quarter million dollar goalie on a team that won’t make the playoffs this year or next?

The set-up

You spotlight him, give him fifteen or so of the first twenty, show everyone that he is good to go and back to form.

To insure coverage upon the inevitable, you embrace unorthodoxy and keep on the roster three goalies to start the season.

The pitch

Then you trade him.

It would have been beautiful.

If only it went down.

38 year old Oiler = oxymoron.

Losing was part of the plan, investing in a future filled with success was our dream.

Throw the rooks to the wolves and let the wolves decide was the mantra.

Except, it would seem, in the goalmouth.

One of the original three was sent down without starting a game (Deslauriers); another has out played the vet (Dubnyk), and the call up when Kaby was hurt won both the games he played (Gerber).

The ages of two of the players (consider Gerber an anomaly inside an anomaly, more on this later) mentioned above – combined – don’t add up to 38 (all numbers approximate).

Yet Kaby has garnered a number one’s share of games, and with every game he plays, his trade value – sadly, unfortunately, inconsolably – declines.

Consider the numbers

Heads up: All stats from nhl.com as of February 12, but before the noon game, per 60 is time on ice production broken down into sixty minutes – in other words, a feeble attempt to compensate for ice time.

Comparison players were not chosen by median or average and, except for Tim, were not league leaders by category selected.

The benchmarks were chosen by personal bias.

Peer performance

Games Started Wins Wins per 60 Cap Hit (Millions)
Tim Thomas 38 26 0.664 $5.0
Roberto Luongo 41 26 0.637 $5.33
Miikka Kiprusoff 48 24 0.507 $5.83
Dwayne Roloson 33 14 0.438 $2.5
Devan Dubnyk 18 6 0.306 $0.8
Nikolai Khabibulin 34 8 0.245 $3.75
Martin Gerber 2 2 1.000 $0.5

Defining the skill and value of a goalie will never be accomplished by the table above; hockey is a team game.

But the cost per win number is a little unsettling. And it makes one wonder all the more: why is he here?

Goals Goals per 60
Martin Gerber 3 1.50
Tim Thomas 75 1.92
Roberto Luongo 91 2.23
Dwayne Roloson 84 2.63
Miikka Kiprusoff 128 2.70
Devan Dubnyk 54 2.76
Nikolai Khabibulin 113 3.46

Another number that is heavily influence by the team that surrounds them, but a disturbing trend is starting to emerge, once Martin “Small sample stat skewer” Gerber is disregarded.

Shots Shots per 60 Shots per Goal
Martin Gerber 60 30.00 20.00
Tim Thomas 1280 32.69 17.07
Roberto Luongo 1235 30.26 13.57
Devan Dubnyk 637 32.50 11.80
Dwayne Roloson 988 30.89 11.76
Miikka Kiprusoff 1310 27.66 10.23
Nikolai Khabibulin 1036 31.69 9.17

After the fluff and puff that so often comprises the first couple of courses, here is the meat. There is no where to run, and few excuses left, when it comes to the number of shots faced versus the number of goals scored.

It is in these numbers that we witness an “Albatrossing”.

Yes, there is an element of team here, highlighted in the number of shots faced by Kiprusoff; the outstanding efforts by Flamers in front – three, four less shots faced a night – save a goal every five games.

But that is extraneous; the chart above is more revealing than a cell phone photo from Brett Favre.

Opening the Kimono

Shots per goal are the nasty underbelly of goalie performance, the equivalent of a dog rolling over under the pressure of stern, firm questioning.

It says that Khabibulin is worth 80% of Roloson and half of Thomas.

It says that Kaby is playing below his pay grade, and that, given a couple more years, he is not likely to get better but worse.

It also says that we need to quit including Gerber.

Are we sure?

But Edmonton’s penalty kill of really, really, really sucks, is a common refrain. So, to be clear, here are the splits:

Even Strength Goals per 60 Shots per 60 Shots per Goal
Martin Gerber 1.00 21.00 21.00
Tim Thomas 1.33 25.36 19.10
Roberto Luongo 1.64 22.88 13.94
Dwayne Roloson 1.88 22.92 12.22
Devan Dubnyk 1.94 23.11 11.92
Miikka Kiprusoff 1.86 19.41 10.44
Nikolai Khabibulin 2.36 23.03 9.78
Penalty Kill Goals per 60 Shots per 60 Shots per Goal
Martin Gerber 0.50 4.50 9.00
Tim Thomas 0.54 4.49 8.38
Roberto Luongo 0.56 4.41 7.83
Dwayne Roloson 0.66 4.72 7.19
Devan Dubnyk 0.82 5.87 7.19
Miikka Kiprusoff 0.72 4.62 6.44
Nikolai Khabibulin 1.04 4.44 4.26

Sadly, Kaby is not what he once was.

The party line

There is a belief that a young team needs a strong presence in goal. The prevailing ethos goes along the lines of: With a strong netminder, the mistakes that kids naturally make are mitigated somewhat.

It is base on the premise that a rock in goal protects the psychic fragility of the young players in front of them.

But what merit does that belief possess when your number one gives up a goal per game – and another half goal on special teams – over the league leader?

What you want to happen

Generally speaking, the betting line on the over/under is driven higher by the general public (squares).

The squares like to hold their ticket and hope; it is not cold hearted money that drives them (the sharps), but the thrill of playing the game.

They put their money down based on what they would like to see, and scoring points beats the hell out of a bad, poorly played, low scoring game.

So, generally speaking, they bet the over.

Perversely, unfortunately, and uncomfortably, the same thing happens at the deadline.

The focus tends toward what to add – what prospects/draft choices can we line up (sellers), what holes can we fill for the run (buyers) – not what to dump.

Divestment not acquisition

We certainly are not looking to rush out and get that last piece for the playoffs, not that we would get such returns from tossing Kaby to the curb.

But if we find a desperate team – and they would have to desperate – offering a third rounder in 2015, we take it.

We have to.

For the fans, for the team, but most of all, for the kids.

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More trades could be on the way for Flyers

Feb 15

Posted by Chris in Rumors, Soap Box | No Comments

Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke is no stranger to big trades at the trade deadline, and he certainly found a willing partner in the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday as the Flyers acquired forward Kris Versteeg in exchange for a first-round and third-round draft pick in this year’s NHL entry draft. But with just under two weeks still left to play before the trade deadline hits, the Flyers may have only just begun revealing their master plan.

The decision to bring in Versteeg does several things for the Flyers. First, it provides the Flyers with a ton of offensive depth – something they certainly weren’t lacking beforehand. The Flyers are one of the most potent teams in the NHL, averaging 3.29 goals per game, and Versteeg’s prowess make them even more dangerous offensively. Versteeg already has two consecutive 20-goal campaigns under his belt and with 14 goals tallied so far this season he could certainly be on his way to a third.

In addition, Versteeg also has solid playoff experience and a Stanley Cup ring as well. In fact, Versteeg was a part of the Chicago Blackhawks team that defeated the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals last season. While he’s only 24-years-old, Versteeg’s experience will be hugely beneficial to the Flyers as they look to get back to the Finals and win the Stanley Cup this season.

Perhaps most importantly, however, Versteeg gives the Flyers options. By adding a proven scorer to the roster, the Flyers have made other players expandable. Two names that have already popped up in the rumor mill are James van Riemsdyk and Nikolay Zherdev. Both players have underperformed this season and failed to live up to their expectations. In fact, their combined point total is less than ten points more than Versteeg’s personal point total.

Rumors have also swirled that the Flyers would like to make an upgrade in goal. Or could the team opt to bolster their blue line at the expense of a proven netminder? Either way, the team now has expandable assets available to sell off in order to bring in more key components should they choose to. Could van Riemsdyk and Zherdev become part of a package that brings in those key components? With 13 days left until the trade deadline, all the Flyers may have done is simply set the stage for more to come.

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Hockey World Blog NHL Power Rankings: Week 18

Feb 14

Posted by Eddie in Power Rankings | No Comments

 In one of the best week’s of hockey we have seen in quite a while, there was a lot of fireworks and action. From Mike Fisher being traded to Nashville (remember the last time a star player got traded to a city potentially because of his wife?), to fans in Detroit booing off their team after getting embarrassed against Nashville,  to New York and Pittsburgh throwing town on the ice multiple times this is why I love hockey. The NHL even got lead time on The Mothership (for those who aren’t familiar, it’s ESPN). Gary Bettman needs to do whatever it takes to get hockey off Versus and on ESPN. For me being  member of the Hockey Elite, I can get more information and news from the NHL Network than from Versus. I’d be willing to get if you surveyed 95% of fans why call themselves a hockey fan, probably don’t even know a NHL Network exists and can’t find it on their cable television. And NBC is a joke for not mentioning or talking about the brawls during Penguins-Islanders Sunday afternoon. If I was a producer I would show the footage and have the idiot talking head that is Pierre McGuire talk about how fighting like that is part of the game and necessary for the star players to do what they do best: score goals.

Rank Team Last Week Team Notes
1 VAN 2 Loses Hamhuis, Ballard, and Edler, but will get Salo in return.  They are climbing up the ladder as a potential dangerous team in the postseason, especially if the Sedin twins are clicking.
2 TB 3 No matter how Vancouver does this week, if the Lightning can beat both the Flyers and Red Wings at home this week, I might have no other choice but to put them No. 1 in next weeks rankings.
3 PHI 1 Tomorrow night’s game at Tampa should be exciting. Could this be a potential Eastern Finals matchup? They will look even better now they added Kris Versteeg.
4 DET 6 How they respond to getting showered with boos after Wednesdays 4-1 loss against Nashville? Sweep and outscore Boston 10-3.
5 ANA NR  8-2 record in last 10 games, including sweeping a four-game Northwest Division road trip. Anytime you can beat Vancouver on the road, that’s worth two wins anywhere else.
6 PHX NR Another team that’s won four straight. In a tight playoff race where one day you can be fifth and the next out of the playoffs, any win is a important win from here on out. The division is so tight, three points separate first from last.
       
25 PIT 4 This a team that is falling faster than gravity since Evgeni Malkin went down Feb. 4. Since then they have gone 1-4 and has been clowned in every game they lost. They even got drilled physically and on the scoreboard to the lowly New York Islanders. Look for them to acquire someone before the trade deadline to help the offense.
26 ATL NR This was a team I had high hopes for not too long ago. I thought they could play good hockey and make a playoff run late in the season. But when you go 2-5-3 in your last 10, the season can end quickly. They currently sit ninth in the East, so look for them to make a all-in push late in the season.
27 COL 24 They have lost seven straight games. They were so desperate for offensive help, they had to get Peter Forsberg from the attic to come out. He lasted only two games, seeing he can’t even help this team win.
28 OTT 30 They have not defeated a team from the United States since December 26, then they beat Pittsburgh. That is two wins against the anybody in a span of 17 games. They get two cracks this week as they host New York Islanders and Boston Bruins.
29 TOR 28 They shouldn’t belong on Hockey Night in Canada like the Detroit Lions don’t belong playing on Thanksgiving. They have gone 1-5 in their last six Saturday games. The only win was against Ottawa Jan. 1. Guess who they face this weekend? You got it, the Senators.
30 EDM 30 They haven’t won since before the All-Star break. They do get three chances to win this week as they take on Dallas, Montreal and Atlanta at home.

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