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Nicklas Lidstrom Reaches 1,500 Games Milestone

Oct 22

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

Nicklas Lidstrom, the Captain of the Detroit Red Wings, will reach the 1,500 regular season games played milestone tonight against the Washington Capitals. Leading into the game, Lidtsrom has a regular season output of 255 goals, 856 assists to total 1,111 points. His production matches his smart play as he has a plus 432 rating, the highest plus-minus rating in the NHL since 1991-1992.

Lidtsrom’s milestone is accompanied by his resume of success. Seven Norris Trophys in the last 10 seasons of play, first European-born player to win the Con Smyth Trophy (2002) and has risen the Stanley Cup 4 times (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008).

The 1,500 games played milestone will put Lidstrom at 14th overall, surpassing last year’s teammate Mike Modano who has 1,499. Lidstrom’s next jump will come at 1,514 games which would tie long-time teammate and friend Steve Yzerman. It is possible that Lidtsrom at the completion of this season, could surpass 10th overall Alex Delvecchio at 1,549 games. It seems like the records are Detroit Red Wings dominant. Chris Chelios is 5th overall with 1,651 games while the most games played is held by Mr. Hockey himself Gordie Howe. Howe has played 1,767 games.

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Wings youth movement negates age argument

Oct 5

Posted by Chris in Soap Box | No Comments

The Detroit News offered up some insight today into what sports writers from around the league think about the Detroit Red Wings and their chances coming into the new season. The claims were mostly positive with many wondering how the Wings continue to thrive and show such incredible consistency. The retractors, however, continued to use the same line that the Wings have been dealing with for years.

They are too old.

Most of the writers agreed that the Wings are definitely a playoff contender, although there were mixed feelings whether the Wings or the Blackhawks would lead the Central division this year. But for three out of nine writers, age was a significant concern while advanced age was mentioned by six of the nine writers.

Yes, the Wings are getting older. But consider the following:

  • Sure, Nicklas Lidstrom is 41 years old, which is almost ancient in hockey years, but he is also coming off of a bounce-back, Norris Trophy-winning season and shows no signs of slowing down. Even in a off-year Lidstrom is still better than a vast majority of NHL defenseman. Injuries have never been much of a concern thanks to a smart style of play that relies on good positioning and solid stick work. Age certainly isn’t a concern for the mighty Nick Lidstrom.
  • At 36-years-old, Todd Bertuzzi certainly isn’t the offensive threat he once was with the Vancouver Canucks, but he has been incredibly consistent the last several years – especially with the Wings. Bertuzzi chipped in 45 points last season, one better than his 44 the season before. Sure, the Wings would love a 20-goal, 50-point season from Bertuzzi, but he knows his role as a secondary scorer and he does it well. Besides, do moves like this indicate that Bertuzzi shows any signs of slowing down?
  • Ty Conklin was brought on in the off-season to back up Jimmy Howard when Chris Osgood decided to retire. After a sour season last year with St. Louis, Conklin, 35, re-signed with the Red Wings. A better defense in front of Conklin and more offensive support should help bring his numbers back down this year.

The only other player on the Wings’ roster this season over the age of 35 is Tomas Holmstrom. While Holmstrom has shown signs of slowing down in recent years, probably mostly thanks to the abuse he takes in front of the net on a nightly basis, it appears as if Holmstrom will be used a bit more sparingly this season with other players such as Jiri Hudler and Patrick Eaves rotating in on the top line alongside Pavel Datsyuk.

Also consider the fact that much of the Wings’ “age” retired this offseason with Kris Draper (40) and Chris Osgood (38) hanging up the skates. Defenseman Brian Rafalski (38) also retired and was replaced on the blue line by 27-year-old defenseman Ian White.

The truth is that the Wings will actually look much younger this season with players like Eaves, Drew Miller, Darren Helm (pictured), Justin Abdelkader, Cory Emmerton and Jan Mursak all slotted to play. None of those players are older than 28.

In an ironic twist, the sports writer from Nashville at least went outside the box and cited that the Wings failed to make any significant offseason improvements. Kettle. Black. Done.

In fact, outside of the additions of Commodore, White and Conklin, the Wings didn’t make any significant additions – not because they didn’t want to, but because the talent wasn’t available this summer. Remember that the Wings are roughly $5 million under the salary cap. That gives them more than enough space to address any legitimate concerns at the trade deadline and make them serious contenders for the Stanley Cup.

This season will be the first in a long time to feature a significant youth movement on the Red Wings’ roster with many of the younger players expected to take on more significant roles. Even 30-year-old Niklas Kronwall is expected to take over more responsibility from the ageless Nicklas Lidstrom. And Valtteri Filppula could be in line for a breakout season (finally) after a big preseason with six points in four games. With younger players taking on more responsibilities and veterans still performing at high levels, it’s difficult to take seriously the argument that the Wings are too old to win.

 

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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Detroit Red Wings

Sep 29

Posted by Chris in Season Previews | 3 Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Brian Rafalski (retirement), Kris Draper (retired), Chris Osgood (retired), Ruslan Salei

Key Offseason Additions: Ian White, Mike Commodore

Last Season Ranking: 3rd in the West

Offense: Top line scoring isn’t a problem in Detroit with guys like Datsyuk and Zetterberg in the lineup. If both players stay healthy, they are both capable of producing at a point-per-game pace. Don’t worry about them. Instead, this is the year for guys like Filppula and Hudler to prove their worth.

Detroit fans have been waiting for a breakout season from Valtteri Filppula. He has the skill, he has the hockey sense, now he just needs to put it together into one cohesive season. At the very least, Filppula should be a 20-goal, 50 point player with the Wings. He has yet to top 40 points in a single season. This could be his year if he centers the second line with Henrik Zetterberg on the wing. Filppula so far has impressed in the preseason and needs to carry that confidence into the regular season.

Hudler had a disappointing season last year after returning from the KHL. Fans called for Hudler to be traded, and Hudler responded with intense offseason workouts with UFC trainers. The result? Well, Hudler is in a contract year and the Wings expect him to be back into the 20 goal, 50 point range again. Coach Mike Babcock has alternated Hudler on Datsyuk’s wing at times this preseason, which could spark his offensive production if it carries over into the regular season. If Hudler doesn’t produce, however, he will likely be on the trading block come March.

The Wings would love to see more consistency from Johan Franzen, who scored five goals in one game against the Ottawa Senators last season and then went scoreless for more than 20 games. But Franzen, along with Dan Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi, provide the Wings with solid depth scoring. Expect the Wings to be among the league leaders in goals scored per game again this season.

Defense: Hockeytown breathed a collective sigh of relief when Nick Lidstrom announced his return, especially after Brian Rafalski blindsided Wings fans by announcing his retirement. But this season may be the year of a different Nik as Niklas Kronwall looks to shoulder more responsibility.

Kronwall will get heavy minutes this season and will fill roles usually occupied by Lidstrom on the penalty kill. Coach Mike Babcock wants to use Lidstrom sparingly, leaving room for Kronwall to blossom into a top defender.

Newcomer Ian White has bounced around the league the past few years, but he may finally find a home with the Wings where he will be counted on to help replace some of the offense the team lost when Rafalski retired. White, a good puck-moving defenseman, will see power play time and will likely be paired with Lidstrom this year, putting the chances of having a career season offensively firmly within reach.

Mike Commodore will help add some toughness and grit to the blue line, something the Wings lacked previosuly, while Jakub Kindl will likely challenge Commodore for the 6th spot on the blue line. Kindl has shown promise in limited playing time in the past and needs to prove his merits as an NHL defenseman.

Goaltending: Playing with the Wings, a goalie doesn’t have to steal many games. But Jimmy Howard was a big reason why the Wings were able to force a Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks in the spring. Coming into his third full NHL season, Howard needs to show more of that poise consistently throughout the season. This isn’t a make-or-break year for Howard, but he’s shown how good he can be and now he needs to realize that potential all season long. Expect Howard to win 30+ games this season.

Behind Howard will be a familiar face in Ty Conklin, a former Wing returning to the squad after a stint with St. Louis. If nothing else, Conklin is solid and capable when he’s called upon and should be a great addition to the roster.

Playoff Prediction: Playoff bound. The Wings are contenders, and with $5 million in cap space they could be big trade-deadline buyers as well. The team looks solid now and they could look even better when the playoffs start in April.

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Nick Lidstrom signs one-year deal with Detroit

Jun 20

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

The Detroit Red Wings can breathe a sigh of relief and begin refocusing their attention now that they have an answer to the summer’s biggest question.

The organization announced today that they have come to to terms with captain Nicklas Lidstrom on a one-year deal worth $6.2 million, the same as he earned last season. This will mark Lidstrom’s 20th season in the NHL, all of which with the Red Wings.

At 41-years-old, Lidstrom remains one of the best defenseman in the NHL and was nominated for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman again this season. If he wins, it will be the seventh Norris Trophy of his career. Last season, Lidstrom posted 16 goals and 42 assists and finished second overall in defense scoring in the NHL and also played in all 82 games for the Red Wings.

With Lidstrom now on board, the Red Wings can begin focusing their attention on free agency. The team will likely recruit a top-four free agent defenseman to offset the loss of Brian Rafalski, who retired several weeks ago. Potential targets for the Wings include James Wisniewski, Ed Jovanovski, Andrei Markov, Tomas Kaberle and Joni Pitkanen. Jovanovski hails from nearby Windsor while Wisniewski, who is largely viewed as the Wings’ best option to replace Rafalski, was raised in Canton, a suburb of Detroit.

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Lidstrom Sets Timetable on Possible Return

May 17

Posted by EB in News | 1 Comment

Detroit Red Wing defensman Nicklas Lidstrom has set a timetable to decide if he intends on continuing his career. The date: July 1st.

Lidstrom, at the not-so-young age of 41, is coming off of his 18th season with Red Wings, posting a 62 point season. Lidtsrom’s focus on offensive play was noted on both ends with 16 goals this past season and a -2 overall rating. Still though, Norris Trophy winner in 6 of the last 9 seasons, Lidtsrom has plenty left in the tank.

Far too often we as fans have a narrow minded sight of our hockey players, that their lives are all things hockey. We tend to forget that there is indeed life outside of hockey, as much as we wish to think otherwise. Lidtsrom is married to his wife Annika and has four sons. The desire to be a father may outweigh the desire to play.

“It’s just a matter of knowing if you want to play again, if you’re motivated to play another long season,” Lidstrom said after game 5 against the Sharks.

As a professional athlete, there still is the drive to compete. Coming off of a loss to the San Jose Sharks in an emotional 7 game series may leave Lidstrom itching for more.

“I think regardless if I play or not the team is going to be strong next year,” Lidstrom said. “They got a great core, a great group of guys that are in their late 20s or early 30s that are still top players in this league. So I think the team will be fine.”

The Detroit Red Wings ended the regular season with 104 points for 3rd seed in the Western Conference and 1st in the Central Division. The team still has a solid core of players in Hernrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Pavel Datsyuk. And it is best not to forget young goaltender Jimmy Howard who has proven he is playoff ready, a 7-4 record and a .923 save percentage in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Having made the playoffs 20 years in a row now, it seems more likely than not that number 21 is a lock.

July 1st will be a date marked on many calendars, Red Wing and NHL fans alike. The possibility of seeing one of the greatest defensman to play in the NHL leave has not sunken in for most. It will be a shame if Nick intends to retire, a hall of famer guarantee. Let’s hope though he has one more year in him, not only to see if he can hoist the Stanley Cup one more time, but to at least be forewarned of his final year, so all fans may enjoy it a little bit more than normal.

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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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Lidstrom, Staal named All-Star Game captains

Jan 18

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

Forget East vs. West or North America vs the World. Instead, this year’s NHL All-Star Game will be Team Lidstrom vs Team Staal.

Veteran defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and superstar forward Eric Staal were named team captains for this year’s annual All-Star Game which will take place on Jan. 30 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

As team captains, Lidstrom and Staal will be responsible for hand picking their own teams in a fantasy hockey-style draft format. Both captains will also select the lineup for their team in the All-Star Skills Challenge event. Team captains were selected through a vote by the pool of All-Star players attending this year’s event.

While there was heavy speculation as to who would captain the two teams at the game this year, Staal received a lot of fan fare since the game will be held at the home arena of the Carolina Hurricane, a team that Staal has spent his entire NHL career with.

“I think that was probably a part of it, of me being a captain here,” Staal said. “It’s in our building in front of our fans so i think it adds a little bit more to the game and it will be exciting for our building to enjoy that and cheer for the home team, for the good guys.”

Staal, however, said he feels no pressure whatsoever to select his brother, New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, in the All-Star draft. Marc will be appearing in his first NHL All Star Game this season.

Lidstrom, who also captains the Detroit Red Wings, appears to be an obvious choice. At 40-years-old, Lidstrom is still at the top of his game and leads all defenseman in points with 42 on the season and still averages almost 24 minutes of ice time a night. Lidstrom will be appearing in his 12th NHL All Star Game.

“I had a chance to talk to (Detroit GM) Ken Holland this morning, try to get some pointers from him. He’s a good guy to ask questions,” Lidstrom said about his draft strategy. “I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the players. They’re all great players, their all All-Stars.”

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was thought to be a shoe-in to captain one of the teams this year, but a concussion has sidelined the league’s leading point scorer and may force him to miss the All Star game altogether. Crosby amassed the most fan votes this year with 635,509 total votes. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang had the second-most total votes with 477,960.

If Crosby misses this year’s game, it will be the third time that he has missed an All-Star game due to injury.

The All-Star fantasy draft will be televised on Friday, Jan. 28. Lidstrom and Staal, joined by their alternate captains who will be named later, will choose from a pool of the remaining 36 All Star players over the course of an 18 round draft. Each team will consist of three goalies, six defensemen and 12 forwards total. To ensure that the final draft picks are true selections and not simply predetermined due to position requirements, each team’s three goalies must be picked by the end of Round 10 and each team’s six defensemen must be picked by the conclusion of Round 15.

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NHL Midseason Awards: Norris and Jack Adams

Jan 12

Posted by Eddie in Round Table | 2 Comments

With the midway point of the NHL season here, we decided to award the top NHL awards to players and coaches if the season were to end at the 41-game mark. Today we feature the Norris Trophy for Best Defenseman and the Jack Adams Award for Most Outstanding Coach.

With a +23 rating, Anaheim defenseman Toni Lydman is second in the league in +/- among defensemen.

Norris Trophy

EB – To be a top defender requires a well balance of offensive capability andof course defensive dominance. Defense though is not simply a +/- rating, but also doing the dirty work needed, such as blocking shots, to keep the puck out of your own net. I have to recommend Anaheim Duck’s defenseman Toni Lydman. Lydman is having a career high of +23 rating. Factor in over 20 minutes of play each night, 17 points, only one of them from the power-play, and 106 blocked shots, Lydman is doing what it takes to give his team a chance to win every night.

Chris – My nomination for this award goes to Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Letang has really stepped up his game this season and is getting the job done at both ends of the ice. Not only does he have 36 points so far on the season,  already beating his previous career-best of 33, but he also sports a healthy plus-21, which is good for third best in the NHL for defenseman. But what’s really amazing is that only one-third of his points have come on the power play, which means Letang is doing a lot of damage during 5-on-5 play. Letang is a big reason for Pittsburgh’s success and is well on his way to a career year. If he can keep up this pace, Letang could be a serious contender for the Norris next summer.

Eddie- It honestly took me a while to decide who should win this award. Letang is solid, Lydman is good, and Detroit Red Wings fans don’t call him Nick Norris for nothing. Nick Lidstrom is my pick for the Norris because at the age of 40, he’s playing better than ever. He tallied his first-career hat trick this season, as well as having a career-best 11-game point streak. He’s one Norris Trophy short of tying Doug Harvey for second-most all-time. Only legend Bobby Orr has had more. Many Red Wings fans think this might be his last season, but with the way he’s playing he could easily play another two seasons.

Matt- At the midway point, Nicklas Lidstrom is the Norris Trophy winner. At 40 years old, Lidstrom is proving night in andnight out that he’s still got it. Currently, he’s tied with Dustin Byfuglien for the league lead among defensemen with 41 points. Lately, he’s been showing his offensive skills as well as defensive. But regardless of how well the other defenseman in the league may be playing, there’s no other player I would want leading my defensive corps besides Nick Lidstrom.

Jack Adams Award

EB – Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins wins hand down. The team rode a 12 game winning streak at one point in time, and has an overall record of 26-12-4 in a tough Atlantic division. The team recently followed in HBO’s 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic, shedded light into the coaching style of Bylsma. A poised, positive coach with a determination to not only win every game, but treating his players with respect.

Chris -When the season started, everyone believed the Lightning would be better after some of the additions made to the team, but I’m not sure anyone thought the team would be 2nd in the East at the halfway point of the season, which is why my vote goes to Guy Boucher. The Lightning have the fourth best power play in the NHL and the eighth best penalty kill despite having lackluster defense and sub par goaltending. Go ahead, take a look at Dan Ellis’s numbers, especially his fantastic 3.02 goals against average. Regardless, Boucher has this team winning games and staying competitive in a division normally dominated by the Washington Capitals.

Eddie- One of the teams usand many other hockey publications predicted to finish down the Western standings and out of the playoff race was Dallas. But at this point in the season, they have a 25-13-5 record and are leading the Pacific division. Without long time Stars Mike Modano and Marty Turco, they chose not to rebuild but rather change on the fly and reload. Marc Crawford is my pick for the Jack Adams Award. They currently ride a seven-game road winning streak and they have 13 road wins. The only teams with more wins away from home ice are the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.

Matt- It’s hard to argue with what Chris has stated, and even harder to argue with what Boucher has done in Tampa Bay. He doesn’t have the absolute best talent to fill the ice, but he is getting the most of what he does have. It becomes even more ridiculous when you see that the Lightning have fewer goals for than goals against. Boucher is getting the job done, something that hasn’t been done in Tampa Bay since 2004 with John Tortorella.

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NHL All-Star Game ballot released

Nov 13

Posted by Chris in News | 2 Comments

With voting set to begin this coming Monday, Nov. 15, for the upcoming 2011 NHL All-Star Game, the NHL released the ballot of the 100 candidates available for fans to vote into the game.

Per the new format for this year’s event, fans will vote in the top six players with complete disregard to position or conference. The remaining 36 All-Stars will be selected by the NHL Hockey Operations Department. Teams will then be chosen be designated captains in a Fantasy Hockey-type draft scenario.

The list includes many of the regulars, such as Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Joe Thornton, Nicklas Lidstrom and Roberto Luongo, but is already receiving criticism for including players that have no right to be voted into the All-Star Game at this point and by snubbing others who should be leading the pack.

One of the most notable omissions is Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals. In 16 games for the Caps this season, Semin has 12 goals and nine assists, which is good for 4th in the league in points.  Also absent from the list is goaltender Jimmy Howard who has only one loss in regulation in 10 starts this season while displaying a 2.26 goals against average – which is better than several of the other potential All-Stars goaltenders listed on the ballot. Teeamu Selanne, who is 7th in the NHL in points with 19 in 18 games, and Claude Giroux, who currently leads the Flyers in points, are also notably absent from the ballot.

ept_sports_nhl_experts-246169899-1280170603The ballot also includes New York Islanders defenseman Mark Streit, one of two Islanders included on the ballot along with John Tavares. In case you didn’t know, Streit hasn’t even played a game in the NHL this season while he sits on the IR and is listed as “out indefinitely”  with a torn left labrun and rotator cuff. While Streit is certainly the most questionable addition to the All-Star ballot, other names have popped up as highly suspect.

Zach Parise only managed to tally six points in 12 games this season before sustaining a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for three months. While Parise is definitely a fan favorite, his output is a far cry from last year’s effort where he notched 14 points in his first 12 games on the season. Despite his injury and lackluster production, Parise was still included on the ballot. As was Brian Gionta, who brings a meager six points in 16 games to the table as one of the three Montreal Canadiens selected for the ballot.

Fans will still have the option to write in candidates if their favorite player isn’t listed on the ballot, but with only six slots available for fans to vote in their favorite players, chances are better that some of the neglected players, like Semin, will be included in the 36 players selected by the NHL Hockey Operations Department.

Still, this ballot seems to epitomize one of the glaring issues that fans have with the NHL right now. While the league manages to do something right, like change the format for the ASG to make it more like a Fantasy Draft and allow the NHL Hockey Operations Department to choose some of the players in order to cut down on “favorite” players being selected instead of players having actual All-Star seasons, the league then turns around and issues a list like this that has fans scratching their heads wondering, “what were they thinking?”

The 2011 NHL All-Star Game will take place at the home of the Carolina Hurricane at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011. To kick off the All-Star weekend, the NHL will host a televised draft on Friday, Jan. 28, in which the two captains will make the selections to build their Fantasy All-Star teams.

The entire 2011 All-Star ballot can be viewed here. Who do you think should have been included on this year’s ballot? Who are you upset that the NHL included at another player’s expense?

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Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Detroit Red Wings

Sep 30

Posted by Chris in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Losses: Brett Lebda, Andreas Lilja,

Key Offseason Additions: Mike Modano, Ruslan Salei, Jiri Hudler

Last Season Ranking: 5th in West

Offense:

Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are the bread and butter of the Red Wings in terms of offensive talent. But after down seasons last year, coach Mike Babcock has decided to reunite the Euro-twins on the top line and hope for bounce back seasons from both players in terms of production. Datsyuk could easily shoot right back up to the 90-point plateau and Zetterberg could see himself back into the 80s. These two players work so well together that it’s difficult to keep them separated for too long.

But the Wings have more star power on the second line in left wing Johan Franzen. If healthy, Franzen is an excellent power forward and a 30+ goal scorer. However, Franzen has never played an entire NHL season and was limited to only 27 regular season games last year after suffering a knee injury. Health will be a huge concern again this season, but if Franzen is in the lineup he is a vital part of the team’s offense.

RED WINGS STARSJoining Franzen on the second line will most likely be center Valtteri Filppula and Todd Bertuzzi. The Wings are hoping that more playing time on one of the team’s top scoring lines will give Filppula the breakout season that they have been waiting for. Like many Wings last year, Filppula was limited to 55 games because of injury, but he could easily post 50 or more points in a healthy season playing with some of the Wings’ top talent.

The offseason addition of Mike Modano and reacquisition of Jiri Hudler make the Red Wings one of the deepest teams in the NHL in terms of offense. Modano will likely start the season centering Hudler and Dan Cleary on the third line. Hudler posted 23 goals during his last stint with the Wings before bolting to Russia and both Modano and Cleary are two years removed from hitting the 20-goal plateau themselves. This line could become a very versatile line for Babcock and could also be very pivotal for long-term success as they will mostly be lining up against the oppositions third-pairing defenseman.

Defense:

The Wings boast a deep blue line as well with players like Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom contributing at both ends of the ice. At age 40, Lidstrom is still one of the premier defenseman in the game. Lidstrom notched 49 points last season and posted a plus-23 to show that he is still the main man on the Red Wings’ blue line. However, Rafalski was right there with Lidstrom last season with 42 points and a plus-23 rating.

Both Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart bring a physical dimension to the Wings’ lineup, and the addition of Ruslan Salai should help as well. Kronwall is also capable of contributing offensively but remains an injury risk. If healthy, Kronwall could post 40 or more points this season.

The Red Wing are really hoping for a bounce back season from Jonathan Ericsson. After a poor rookie campaign, Ericsson needs to show that he belongs with the big club – especially with rookie Jakub Kindl right on his heels for a roster spot. Kindl’s presence will create some healthy competition for playing time between himself, Ericsson and Salei.

Goaltending:

In his rookie year, Jimmy Howard not only outplayed former Stanley Cup winner Chris Osgood to win the starting goaltender job, but he ranked near the top in many of the goaltending stat categories and was a huge reason why the Wings stayed in contention last season. The starting job will most likely be Howard’s to lose when the season opens next week, but Osgood is ready and more than able to step in and be the number one guy if that should happen. Many said that Osgood looked to be in mid-season form at training camp two weeks ago and could challenge Howard all year long. It will be interesting to see how the goaltending battle plays out, but both Howard and Osgood seem ready for the challenge and willing to step up should the other falter.

Season Outlook:

Injuries certainly hurt the team for much of the season last year and remain a concern for key players like Franzen and Kronwall. After two long playoff runs, the Wings should certainly benefit from a long summer that not only provides time to heal physically, but it also allows the players to regroup mentally. The Wings have the talent to compete for the top spot in the West and, barring some sort of epic collapse, should easily skate into a playoff spot.

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