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Phil Kessel: Man, Myth, Legend?

Oct 20

Posted by Matt in Soap Box | No Comments

Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple LeafsFor those who have been following the recent success of the Toronto Maple Leafs, you’ll know that they have been on a tear thanks to Phil Kessel, the current NHL point leader. Kessel’s 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists) in only 5 games have pushed the typically struggling Maple Leafs to a 4-0-1 start this season.

Does Kessel really have what it takes to continue this type of play, leading Toronto to a spot in the playoffs? Or is he destined to sink once again, letting down fans and the management team who traded for him?

Let’s keep in mind that Kessel is still young, he turned 24 a few weeks ago. He has not even entered the prime of his career, which typically occurs between age 26-31. His career production thus far has been modest, averaging about 60 points per season over the past three seasons, but the potential cannot be denied.

Kessel’s history may haunt him, however. Leafs fans won’t forget a similarly hot start last season. The team began October with a 4-0-1 record while Kessel picked up 6 points in those games. From there, the trainwreck began. The Leafs managed only 3 victories in the month of November, with Kessel tallying only 5 points in those 13 games. The Maple Leafs never recovered, and missed the post-season by 8 points.

Now, Kessel has another season under his belt. He’s got another year of experience, he is a stronger and more mature hockey player. It’s showing already through his early season production. This year will be different for Kessel. He’s good enough to battle through brief lulls in production, and will easily beat his career high in points.

His production, as we’ve seen so far, often translates into wins and points for the Leafs. The team has a better foundation, a solid netminder, and behind the leadership of Kessel, could be poised to make a post-season run. If Kessel leads this team back to the playoffs, their first since the 2003-04 season, he will be placed on a pedestal as the savior Toronto’s management thought he would be when they traded for him in 2009. Any future failures on his part and fans will be calling for his head. But if the production continues, and playoff appearances continue, Phil Kessel goes from your average highly regarded prospect, to the face of a franchise and a legend in the city of Toronto.

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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs

Sep 8

Posted by EB in Season Previews | 3 Comments

Key Offseason Additions: Tim Connolly, Matthew Lombardi, John Michael-Liles, Cody Franson

Key Offseason Losses: Kris Versteeg, Jean-Sebastian Giguere

Last Season Ranking: 10th in East

Offense: The Toronto Maples Leafs have made two impressive off-season additions that should greatly foster their offensive talent.

First, Tim Connolly. Connolly is a top line center who battled injuries last year with the Buffalo Sabres. With a healthy season, Connolly could set up winger Phil Kessel, easily combining for over 120 points. The key though, if Connolly can stay healthy.

The second addition, which many will underrate, is that of Matthew Lombardi. Lombardi has had a really up and down career, with his 2009-2010 season with the Phoenix Coyotes a career high of 19 goals, 34 assists to total 53 points. But, like Connolly, the key is for him to stay healthy. Lombardi missed nearly all of last season with a concussion. Concussion symptoms are no joke, Sidney Crosby has brought light to that.

The remainder of the supporting cast is surprisingly good. Joffrey Lupul looks to bounce back from back problems, Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur both look to better last year’s career high performances, and young talents Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri look to balance out the third line with talented depth.

Defense: General Manager Brian Burke did a good job to better the defense with veteran John-Michael Lieles and young talent Cody Franson. Last year’s seasons combined totaled 14 goals and 61 assists. The stats do not lie, both players can move the puck.

Toronto's fate rests on the hands of goaltender James Reimer. Will he follow the sophomore curse?

The additions will put a much needed pressure on big name player Dion Phaneuf. Phaneuf had trouble in Calgary before coming to Toronto, often perceived as an arrogant player. It is still a debate if he is all that he hyped up to be, but with only 8 goals and 22 assists last year, expect him to step up his game this upcoming season.

Luke Schenn is coming into his 4th season with the Maple Leafs and will most likely improve upon his 5 goals and 17 assists last year. Schenn is a young, big 6′-2″ defender who has some hands and some speed. Possibly paired with Phaneuf, his stock is rising in playoff pools. Sure he won’t be your top defender, but looking for some depth, he will most likely put up 25 assists this year.

Goaltending: If it is one thing that the Maple Leafs are lacking it is goaltending. Losing veteran Jean-Sebastian Giguere is going to hurt, even if he only did put up a 11-11-4 record and a 2.87 goals against average. His veteran presence will be missed, especially if James Reimer has to carry the load.

Reimer last year had a remarkable rookie season with a 20-10-5 season and a 2.60 goals against average. The problem now is that he is in his sophomore year, and if anyone knows anything, the second year for goaltenders tend to take nose dives.

Playing backup will be big 6’3″ Jonas Gustavsson. Gustavsson has the talent to be a great goaltender, but last seasons 13 loses trumping his 6 wins, he needs to step it up. Throwing out a wild prediction, factoring in Reimer’s sophomore status, Gustavsson will become the number 1 goalie.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Not playoff bound. It is the Leafs after all.

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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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2010-11 Rules Enforcement: What To Expect

Oct 3

Posted by Eddie in Behind the Bench, Media | No Comments

Preseason games have already begun and the regular season is only a few days away. There are some areas in the rules that will begin to get enforced with strict emphasis. The biggest change you will see is with head checks. In the video below you will see many players who suffered head injuries such as concussions and penalties were not usually called. It could potentially cost the career of Paul Kariya, and its effects has lingered onto this season as players such as Marc Savard and David Booth will not be ready to begin the season.

This season, lateral and blind side hits to the head like those seen in the video will now be called more severely than simply a minor penalty. They will be called either a Major accompanied by a Game Misconduct, or a Match Penalty. This is a good move by the NHL because shots to the head were becoming all to common, and it also helps clean up the game. Hits like the ones to Savard and Booth were completely unnecessary. If a defender wants to play the body at the same time as a player is releasing the puck, he needs to learn to make shoulder-to-shoulder contact or hip-to-body contact. Expect the first couple players to be penalized under this to receive hefty fines from the league.

Next you will see legal checks. As you can see with those legal checks, the player applying the hit is doing so legally. In the the first clip (at 2:20) where Phil Kessel is leveled by a Tampa defender, the defenders shoulder makes contact with the Maple Leaf logo on Kessel’s chest. It was a textbook north-south check to take Kessel off the puck. It didn’t help Kessel that his head was down either.

In addition, points of emphasis the officials will be looking in more detail to make the proper penalty calls are:

Clipping- Where a player will purposely drop their shoulder or hip to take out a player’s knees or legs. The difference between an illegal hit such as clipping and a legal check such as a hip check is that a hip check the defender is making contact with the attacking players midsection or hip area. The two differences can be seen at the 3:48 and 4:00 mark of the video.

Contact on Icing- It’s about time the NHL has taken a look at unnecessary hits on icing plays. Having the “touch icing” rule in place is dangerous for the attacking player as it is, and the league is trying to make it more black-and-white and less of a grey area for both the players and officials. In addition (such as the clip seen at 4:38), it will prevent after-whistle scrums like seen there.

Altercations off of Playing Surface- Now, misconduct and potentially a game misconduct and even fines will occur to players who are off the ice and make contact with a player who is either on the opposing bench or on the ice.

Warm-Up Altercations-  Any teams whose players become involved in an altercation other than during the periods of the game (examples include before the game, between periods, or after the final horn is sounded) can face a $25,000 fine or other disciplines from the league.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct- Any identifiable player who makes an obscene, profane, or abusive language or gestures at anyone (including fans) will be subject to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and other disciplines from the league.

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Leafs eagerly await Kessel’s debut

Nov 1

Posted by Chris in News | 3 Comments

phil-kessel-brian-burke-2009-9-19-19-11-12The Toronto Maple Leafs currently sit dead last in the league with six points and one regulation win and only 30 goals for over the duration of 12 games, which is better than only a handful of teams. But the Leafs will get some much needed help early this week when forward Phil Kessel returns from long term injured reserve after off-season shoulder surgery. Kessel ended last season with 36 goals and 24 assists in 70 games with the Boston Bruins. Boston traded the star right wing to Toronto in the off season where he quickly signed a five-year, $27 million contract.

Reports indicate that Kessel will be in the lineup as early as Tuesday when the Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightening. He has been skating for a solid three weeks with the team and has even been participating in contact drills in practice. This could be great news for Leafs fans who are highly anticipating the debut of Kessel in hopes that he will help lead an otherwise lackluster offense. As of now, defenseman Tomas Kaberle leads the team with 17 points. The next best point total comes from Mikhail Grabovski, who has 10.

Such high expectations may be sorely misplaced, however, at least at first. Kessel has been out of action all summer, which means that he will need a few games to say the least to come up to speed and get his timing back. Also, a significant debate is brewing in Toronto as to who will be the best fit to center the Kessel line. As a true goal scorer, Kessel plays better when he has a good passing center to feed him the puck. In Boston, center Marc Savard was the main set-up man for Kessel’s goals. Matt Stajan and Mikhail Grabovski seem to be the front-runners at this point to pair up with Kessel, and chances are good that each player will get a legitimate shot to see who sticks and where the best chemistry comes from. No matter who ends up on a line with Kessel, chemistry may take some time to build.

Two weeks might be a fair assessment for things to start clicking for Kessel and his new linemates, whoever they may be. Regardless, the Leafs brought in Kessel to score goals and help out their swindeling offense, so expect Kessel to get minutes into the twenties almost immediately. The boy needs to be on the ice if he’s going to score goals. Maybe Kessel will bring some of his plus-23 defensive play into the lineup as well, which the Leafs may need more than goals.

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Boston Bruins

Sep 9

Posted by Chris in News, Season Previews | 1 Comment

The Boston Bruins were the best team in the Eastern Conference at the end of the regular season last year, but things didn’t pan out in the post-season like they had hoped with a second-round exit at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in a Game 7 overtime finisher. Plagued by injuries during their post-season run, the Bruins have recuperated and look poised to do some serious damage in the East again this season.

Not much has changed for this team in the offseason, except perhaps a stronger hunger for the Cup, so expect much of the same from the Bruins heading into this season. Strong play at both ends of the ice really propels this team to success. Offensively, the Bruins like to spread the wealth. 51625520Center Marc Savard led the offensive rush with 25 goals and 63 assists for a team-leading total of 88 points last season. However, Savard was one of eight different Bruins players who tallied 15 or more goals during the regular season, six of whom topped the 20-goal plateau. That type of depth makes the Bruins dangerous on offense night in and night out.

Defensively, Dennis Wideman led the blue line with 50 points and a plus/minus rating of plus-32. Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Zdeno Chara was right there with 50 points and a plus-23 rating. What really sets this team apart, though, is the strong defensive work done by the entire team. Last season, 11 different players were plus-15 or better, eight of which were plus-20 or better. Of those eight, five were forwards. In fact, two of the top three plus/minus players on the Bruins last season were forwards, which is a big reason why the Bruins were the team to beat in the East last season. With all but one of those players coming back for the 2009-10 campaign, expect more of the same from the Bruins this season.

Goalie Tim Thomas (above) was another big reason for the regular-season success of the Bruins. Thomas put together an all-star season last year with a goals against average of 2.10 and a save percentage of .933, which were not only the best numbers of his own NHL career, but league-leading numbers among starting goaltenders. Thomas also posted 5 shutouts on his way to 36 wins in 54 games, and Thomas doesn’t look to be slowing down despite being 34-years-old. His numbers have gotten better each season with the Bruins, and 2009-10 should be another strong campaign.

While the major components of last season’s Bruins squad will be returning this season, two key players will be noticeably missing. Forward Phil Kessel, who amassed a team-leading 36 goals, has not been offered a contract by the cap-crunched Bruins. Despite the offensive depth, those goals will need to be made up somewhere if the Bruins are to continue their success. Free agent goaltender Manny Fernandez, who backed up Thomas last season for 16 wins and one shutout, will also be noticeable absent from the lineup. While still strong without these players, the Bruins will certainly need to generate the 36 goals lost by Kessel and put their faith in young backup goaltender Tuuku Rask to offset playing time with Thomas.

Veteran Mark Recchi, who was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, should be able to help fill the void left by Kessel. Recchi produced 10 goals and 16 points in 18 regular season games with the Bruins, and six points in 11 playoff games. Expect 40 to 50 points from Recchi this season with the Bruins. Also keep an eye on the young and gritty Milan Lucic, who will be coming into his third NHL season. Lucic accumulated 42 points last season along with 136 penalty minutes. However, Lucic also boasted a plus-17 rating. A big body who likes to hit, Lucic is a great grinder who can also contribute offensively. Expect him to continue to improve this season and play a slightly bigger role to help fill the void left by Kessel.

The Bruins are a team that thrives on strong offense paired with outstanding defensive play – a formula that wins championships. Key injuries contributed to an early exit in the playoffs last season, but with much of the same squad returning this year, the Bruins are again the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

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