Hockey World Blog

All Things Hockey

Posts Tagged Henrik Sedin

2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Vancouver Canucks

Sep 21

Posted by Matt in Season Previews | No Comments

Daniel Sedin, Ryan Kesler, and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks

Daniel & Henrik Sedin, along with Ryan Kesler, will lead the way for the Canucks in 2011-12

Key Offseason Additions: Marco Sturm

Key Offseason Losses: Christian Ehrhoff, Raffi Torres, Tanner Glass

Last Season Ranking: 1st in the West

Offense: Up front, the Vancouver Canucks will not look much different than they did last season. They’re lead by a unit of forwards who left them on the brink of elimination in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, rebounded, and later pushed them to within a game of winning the Stanley Cup in June.

Leading the way on the top line will be Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Both are dominant offensively, and will hover in the range of 100 points once again this season. Also contributing heavily will be Ryan Kesler, who recorded a career-high in goals last season with 41. While putting up over 70 each of the past two seasons, Kesler has also been defensively responsible as well. Nothing showed off his accomplishments more than winning the Selke Trophy last season as the leagues best defensive forward. His strong play on both sides of the puck will continue to help the Canucks immensely.

When you think about secondary scoring for the Canucks, guys like Mikael Samuelsson, Alex Burrows, and Mason Raymond are going to come to mind. All three are going to continue to put pressure on opposing goaltenders, and will welcome the addition of Marco Sturm, who signed as a free agent over the summer. Sturm, when healthy, can be counted on to contribute at least 20 goals to an already prolific group of scorers.

Providing additional depth for the Canucks will be Jannik Hansen, Maxim Lapierre, Chris Higgins, and Manny Malhotra. Look for Hansen to continue his development and have a career year in only his fourth NHL season. Higgins will also look to rebound a bit after having sitting out several games last season due to injury.

Defense: On the blue line, the Canucks lost Christian Ehrhoff, one of their most talented defenseman from last season. To fill that void, they will rely on a core of Alexander Edler, Dan Hamhuis, Kevin Bieksa, and Sami Salo. Hamhuis and Edler will see their roles grow, and Canucks fans hope to see them stay in the line-up for 82 games this season. Both will be relied on for their contributions on the power-play, as well as even strength.

Bieksa, who played only 66 games last season, and 55 the year before, looks to rebound and retain his health as well. He had a fantastic post-season, picking up 10 points and playing around 24-25 minutes per game in the Stanley Cup finals. Salo, who has played less than 70 games every season since the lockout, needs to remain healthy as well. After only playing 27 games last season, the Canucks need him to rebound and be a presence on the blue line all season.

Goaltending: Roberto Luongo will be the man in net once again for Vancouver. Depending on who you ask, this could be a good or a bad thing. Luongo posted great numbers last season, and had good games in the post-season too, where he recorded four shutouts in only 25 games, which matched his season total for shutouts. On the downside, Luongo also had miserable outings including being pulled in favor of Cory Schneider on four separate occassions, and even being forced to play an entire 60 minutes as the Canucks got trounced 8-1 in game three of the finals. So the question still remains, does Roberto Luongo have what it takes to win a Stanley Cup?

Schneider will continue to see backup duty, as he is reliable in net and can be counted on to play the 20-25 games that will be asked of him. Canucks fans can be confident in his ability to step in and play, and being only 25, he will continue to develop and get better.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Playoff bound. The Vancouver Canucks arguably have all of the pieces in place to not only return to the playoffs as a number one seed, but make a repeat run to the Stanley Cup finals as well.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zach Parise Agrees to Terms; Top Fantasy Pick

Jul 31

Posted by EB in Fantasy, News | 5 Comments

The New Jersey Devils and winger Zach Parise have come to terms. After what seemed to be a a guaranteed arbitration hearing, both sides have agreed to a 1 year 6 million dollar contract.

The 26 year old Minnesota native was one of the hot topics of the off-season. Parise, who was a restricted free agent, had the possibility of becoming an unrestricted free agent if the bargaining between the two sides went sour. Had Parise become an unrestricted free agent, Parise could have been approached by other NHL team with contract offers. The talented young player would have definitely had his pick of the litter.

Parise is coming off of an injured 2010-2011 NHL season. He injured his knee during off-season training, opting to play through the pain. Unfortunately hockey is a rough sport, and to his disliking, Parise missed the majority of the season due to exploratory arthroscopic surgery.

The winger broke into the NHL in the 2005-2006 season with the devils and posted a respectable 32 points in 81 games played. Over the next 4 seasons, Parise totaled 303 points in 326 games. His high, only to this point in his career, was 45 goals and 49 assists totaling 94 points in 82 games played. Simply put, Parise is the real deal.

As noted earlier, the Devils and Parise have avoided arbitration and have agreed to a 1 year 6 million dollar contract. In looking at this, the length of the contract, I do not believe Parise will play with the Devils beyond the 2011-2012 season. For Parise, this means that the upcoming NHL season is a season where he needs to not only prove his worth, but play to a caliber that would warrant a big contract. For you as a fan and a fantasy player, this means Parise is going to be putting up big points, upwards of 90+ points. So who might he rival next year? Both Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and yes, Alexander Ovechkin will return to the mix of scoring leaders. Oh, one more guy would be a healthy Sidney Crosby.

Parise has one more year as a Devil and he’s jumping ship. If you are sitting in the third to seventh spot in your draft, Parise would be a good option to take.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Pekka Rinne getting the best of the Sedin twins thus far

May 1

Posted by Chris in News, Soap Box | 1 Comment

The Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, are two of the best talents in the NHL. Daniel Sedin secured the Art Ross Trophy for most points in the regular season with 104, the only player to score more than 100 points this season in the NHL, and is also nominated for the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Not to be outdone, brother Henrik posted 94 points this season, including a league-leading 75 assists. Needless to say, these are two dangerous players and together they form one of the most formidable lines in the NHL.

So where have they gone?

Both Henrik and Daniel started off the 2010-11 playoffs exactly where they left off in the regular season. Daniel began the playoffs by scoring three goals and adding two assists in his first three games of the playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks while Henrik posted four points, all assists, in his first three games of this year’s postseason. Together the brothers were a plus-7 in those first three games.

The past six games have been a different story for the Sedin twins however. Together, they have only managed only three points in their last six playoff games, four games against the Blackhawks and two against the Nashville Predators, and have been a combined minus-13 throughout the past six games. For two players that were combining for an average of three points a game during the early stages of the playoffs, both Sedins have been notably absent from the score sheet throughout the Nashville series thus far and even in Game 7 of the first round against the Blackhawks where both brothers posted goose eggs in the box score.

This trend has got to be somewhat worrisome for the Canucks as their two best players are slumping at exactly the wrong time against a team whose goalie is incredibly hot and practically single-handedly stole Game 2 for the Predators. That’s not to say the Sedin twins aren’t trying, though. Daniel has rifled off an incredible 12 shots on goal in the first two games of the Conference Semi-Finals while Henrik has levied seven shots of his own against Pekka Rinne. Plus, the Twins have generated great scoring opportunities, only to be thwarted by Pekka Rinne’s stellar efforts. Check out the video below of Daniel Sedin’s cross-ice pass to a streaking Kevin Bieksa who was denied at the goalmouth by a diving Pekka Rinne.

Rinne is a big reason why Henrik and Daniel have gone scoreless thus far against the Nashville Predators, and Corey Crawford played an amazing game in Game 7 against Vancouver to account for the Twins going scoreless in their past three playoff games. But at this time of year, teams count on their best players to carry the load and perform at the highest level possible night in and night out. Those star players are the ones looked at to beat the hot goaltender and show everyone that he isn’t Superman. But so far, Rinne is getting the best of the Sedin twins and the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have good depth, which has helped them to this point while the Sedin twins are slumping, but they need to break out of their slump if they are to best a defensive-minded squad like the Predators. And when the Sedins break out of their slump, watch out. Rinne has looked nearly invincible so far in the playoffs, but he is also staring down the best offensive duo in the NHL. They are like a ticking time bomb, and when they explode, your team is all but doomed. While the Predators have played solid enough to split the first two games with Vancouver, they need to continue to keep the Sedins in check and hope that bomb doesn’t go off anytime soon.

 

 

Tags: , , , ,

Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Vancouver Canucks

Sep 21

Posted by EB in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Kyle Wellwood, Andrew Raycroft

Key Offseason Additions: Raffi Torres, Bill Sweatt, Dan Hamhuis, Manny Malhotra, Mason Raymond, Keith Ballard

Last Season Ranking: 3rd, West

It is expected that Henrik Sedin will be named captain with the expectation of leading the team to a Stanley Cup Victory this season.

It is expected that Henrik Sedin will be named captain with the expectation of leading the team to a Stanley Cup Victory this season.

Offense: Second only to the Washington Capitals in goals last season (268), the Vancouver Canucks will be one of the top offensive teams again this upcoming season.

Both Henrik and Daniel Sedin were crazy last season, Henrik 112 points and Daniel 85 points. Keep in mind that Daniel only played 63 games, he could have easily reached the 100 point mark. From there you have Ryan Kessler (75), Alexandre Burrows (67), Mikael Samuelsson (53) and Mason Raymond 53) all over 50 point seasons.

Defense: Christian Ehrhoff lead the team with a plus 36 last season as well as netting 14 goals, passing for 30 assists totaling 44 points. Expected line-mate and recently acquired Dan Hamhuis from the Nashville Predators has been in the league 6 years and all played with the Predators, it will be nice to see him holding the blue-line for a much better offensive team in the Canucks.

Alexander Edler had an excellent season as well with 42 points. Partnering with other newly acquired Keith Ballard from the Florida Panthers should provide two solid defensive pairings.

Lastly Kevin Bieksa and Sami Salo should hold down the third pairing, although Shane O’Brien is still working on a roster spot.

Goaltending: News, controversy, whatever you wish to call it, has been following the removal of Captaincy from net-minder Roberto Luongo. What was once a bold move in the Canuck’s organization has now caused them to back track. This though for fans should be a positive thing, with Henrik Sedin expected to receive the C, Luongo is now able to focus solely on playing goalie. A 40-22-4 record last season, 2.57 goals against average and a .913 save percentage, Luongo will be the top goalie in the league to pick up for wins this season on your fantasy team. Not convinced yet? Backup Cory Schneider has only played 10 games in the last two seasons with a 2-5 record. Luongo will be the new Brodeur.

Season Outlook: When asked if the Vancouver Canucks could be a Stanley Cup Contender this season, Macho Man Randy Savage had only two words to say, “Ohhh Yeahhh!” I’m going to leave it at that and agree with the Macho Man.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

More NHL Award Finalists Announced

May 7

Posted by Eddie in News | 2 Comments

Two weeks ago I wrote about the first few finalists that were announced for various NHL Awards. Since then, some more finalists have been announced. The NHL Awards Show will be June 23 in Las Vegas. Here’s a preview of the award finalists as well as my picks for who could take home the hardwood. Part three will feature the Vezina, GM of the Year, and other awards.

Hart Trophy: Most Valuable Player (voted by Professional Hockey Writers Association)

Ted Lindsay Award: Most Outstanding Player (voted by NHL Players Association)

Finalists:

  • Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
  • Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

I get to hit two birds with one stone on this award because both the NHLPA and the PHWA agree on who the finalists for Most Valuable Player should be. All three players have cases for why they should win the award. Ovechkin and Crosby tied for second in points with 109 points. Crosby also led the league in shootout goals with 8, as well as posting a 80 percent success rate in shootouts. Sedin has already won hardware this season as he won the Art Ross Trophy with a league-leading 112 points. Crosby has one Hart Trophy has he won in 2007. Ovechkin has won it each of the last two seasons and is looking for his third in a row. Each of the last three seasons the same player has won both awards. Don’t expect that to happen this season.

My Heart Trophy Pick: Ovechkin

My Ted Lindsay Award Pick: Sedin

Jack Adams Award: Coach of the Year

Finalists:

  • Joe Sacco, Colorado Avlanche
  • Dave Tippett, Phoenix Coyotes
  • Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators

With awards like this, it usually doesn’t go to a coach who wins the Stanley Cup or even the Presidents Trophy. The last Stanley Cup winning coach who won the Jack Adams Award in the same season was JohnTortorella in 2004. It’ll usually go to someone who overachieves or leads his team to the playoffs when they weren’t expected to at the beginning of the season. These coaches are deserving of the award in their own way. Tippett took over the team from Wayne Gretzky a week before the season began and took a team that finished 25th in the league last season to fourth place in the Western Conference this season before losing to Detroit in game seven of the first round. Trotz is the only bench boss Nashville has ever had and has led the Preds to the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. Not bad for a team who has to compete with conference powers Detroit and Chicago more than most other teams. Sacco was a rookie coach who came out on fire in October. His 10-1-2 start was the second-best 13 game start for a coach in NHL history. He also led the Av’s to a second place finish in the Northwest Division.

My Pick: Tippett

Washington goalie Jose Theodore is a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy.

Washington goalie Jose Theodore is a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy.

Bill Masterton Trophy: Perseverance, Sportsmanship and Dedication to Hockey

Finalists:

  • Kurtis Foster, Tampa Bay
  • Jed Ortmeyer, San Jose
  • Jose Theodore, Washington

This award is presented to someone who had to overcome some type of hardship, injury, or situation to perform at the level that is needed in the NHL. Each player has a unique story which made them a finalist. Foster overcame a severely broken leg suffered two seasons ago. After his surgery, he realized he was lucky to even walk again. He missed nearly a calendar-year of hockey before returning to practice in Febrary 2009. After rehab stints in the AHL he made his return in March 2009 when he was with Minnesota. Signed as a free-agent with Tampa over the summer, he recorded career-high’s of 34 assists and 42 points this season from the blue line. He also blocked 70 shots.

Ortmeyer’s situation is a little different. At some point each day, Ortmeyer must use a needle to inject a blood thinner directly into his stomach to combat a hereditary blood-clotting disorder that has threatened not only his hockey career, but also his life. The process is tricky and the timing must be precise. The blood thinner, Lovenox, needs to be in his system during the down time when he’s not on the ice and it needs to be out of his system when he plays or practices so that a hard check or a high stick does not cause fatal bleeding. He’s suffered blood-clotting twice in his career and almost walked away from the game. This season, he set career high’s in goals, assists and points. Theodore’s situation is more heart breaking. Losing his starting goal position is nothing compared to when he lost his son over the summer. His son, Chace, passed away two months after birth with respiratory complications related to his premature birth. He bounced back this season to have his best year since winning the Heart and Vezina Trophies in 2002 with a 30-7-7 record and a .911 save percentage.

My Pick: Theodore

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Daniel Sedin Between the Legs Goal

Apr 11

Posted by Matt in Media | 1 Comment

Just in case there is anyone out there who doesn’t understand how great the Sedin twins are, we have the following clip. Last night, in Vancouver’s 7-3 victory over the Calgary Flames, Daniel Sedin notched this beauty to complete the hat trick. Notice the ridiculous, no look, tip pass by brother Henrik, that lands right on the tape of Daniel’s stick.

Tags: , ,

Most Valuable Players Thus Far

Jan 26

Posted by Matt in News | 2 Comments

With every team having played at least 50 games, I think we’re approaching a good time to start talking about the league’s most valuable players this season. I’ve separated my choices into three different categories to make things easier, the Most Valuable Goalie, the Most Valuable Defenseman, and the Most Valuable Player. Let’s jump right in and take a look.

Most Valuable Goaltender: Ryan Miller – Buffalo Sabres

Ryan Miller was the clear cut choice for me. Several other goalies could make a case, but Miller has been absolutely clutch this season and the Buffalo Sabres would not be where they are today (1st in the Northeast Division, 3rd in the Eastern Conference) without his stellar play.

While he hasn’t won a game in his past three starts, Miller has still put together some great numbers. His 2.09 goals against average is 2nd in the NHL, sitting only behind Chicago backup Antti Niemi. Miller is also currently posting a .933 save percentage, the highest in the league. Along with those impressive stats, Miller is tied for 4th in wins with 27 and tied for 3rd in shutouts with 5.

Honorable Mention: Martin Brodeur, Craig Anderson, Ilya Bryzgalov

Most Valuable Defenseman: Duncan Keith – Chicago Blackhawks

Duncan Keith has really turned into a solid and reliable defenseman for the Blackhawks. His offensive skills, as well as his ability to shut down the oppositions best players, has turned him into an irreplaceable piece of the team. On most nights, you can find Keith playing 25 minutes or more.

Keith is putting together a career year offensively, and you can expect him to get better as he enters his prime. So far this season, he has posted 11 goals and 35 assists for 46 points in only 52 games. His point total is 2nd to only Patrick Kane, and he also ranks 2nd on the team in +/- with a +18. Only 11 of his points thus far have come on the power-play, so Keith is not only a threat there, but especially even strength. Duncan Keith definitely has a bright future with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Honorable Mention: Mike Green, Drew Doughty, Tyler Myers

Henrik Sedin is currently the Most Valuable Player in the NHL

Henrik Sedin is currently the Most Valuable Player in the NHL

Most Valuable Player: Henrik Sedin – Vancouver Canucks

Where would the Canucks be this season without the outstanding play of Henrik Sedin? In case you haven’t been paying attention this season, he is playing out of his mind. Since the start of December, he has only failed to score a point in two games. This has resulted in point streaks of 9 games, 10 games, and his current 5 game point streak. His point total over that that is 48, through 10 goals and 38 assists.

The Sedin line is probably the hottest line in the NHL. Other lines may come close, but you can’t touch the production he has had this season. As we stand today, 52 games in for the Canucks, Henrik has already set a career high in goals with 24. He’s currently 19 assists shy of his career high of 71, which he will break in approximately 10 games at his current pace. Alongside those numbers, his 76 points are only 6 shy of tying a career high. Did I mention the Canucks have only played 52 games? At his current pace, Henrik Sedin will have no problem breaking the 100 point barrier and leading the Canucks to the playoffs. His strong play will be most crucial if the Canucks plan on making a run at the Stanley Cup this spring.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vancouver Canucks

Sep 21

Posted by EB in Season Previews | No Comments

Captain Roberto Luongo.

Captain Roberto Luongo.

May 11th 2009 – although most wont remember the actual date, many Canucks fans will know what happened on this fateful day. This was when the Vancouver Canucks’ juggernaut hit a brick wall with a crushing loss to the Chicago Blackhawks that ending their playoff run.

Since then, GM Mike Gillis has address many of the issues that where blamed for their untimely exit from the playoffs. Firstly, he added two good puck moving defensemen by signing Christian Ehrhoff and Mathieu Schneider. Each of the players can help to fill the gaps on the power play that were so apparent last season. The Canucks now have nine NHL caliber defensemen. Gillis has also restocked the somewhat empty prospects cupboard with the likes of Anton Rodin, Jordan Schroeder and Eric Walsky to name a few. Not only that, he has resigned pivotal players such as Roberto Luongo and the Sedin twins and signed players like Andrew Raycroft and Brad Luckowich.

The latest version of the Canucks will look quite different. I believe they will play with more offensive flare and have more depth across the whole team. Now is certainly a great and exciting time to be a Canucks fan! As I write, the Canucks recently played their first preseason game against the New York Islanders which resulted in a 2 – 1 win for the Canucks. Both goals were scored by Sergei Shirokov, another prospect who has the talent to be a great player for this team.

The Canucks have the potential to go even further into the playoffs this season, with all the great players we know and love, a few new faces and captain Roberto. So lets forget May 11th 2009 and gain solace from the fact that the new season is less than a month away. It’s almost time to step on board the Vancouver Canucks’ roller coaster for what will be a wonderfully bumpy ride. Are you ready? I know I am!

This article is a guest article from Hockey World Blog reader James C. Edgington.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,