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Posts Tagged San Jose Sharks

NHL Photo of the Day

Feb 22

Posted by EB in NHL Photo of the Day | No Comments

Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images

Rick Nash Watch 2012 was temporarily put on hold as the focused shifted to Columbus Blue Jacket teammate Jeff Carter. Carter, who has been slowly picking up steam since returning from injury, put up a hat-trick against the Pacific Division leaders San Jose Sharks. The Blue Jackets have had a lackluster year, now prompting the trade of their superstar and previously considered franchise player Rick Nash. Now his name appears everywhere for potential trades before the upcoming trade deadline on Monday, February 27.  Honorable mention in last night’s game goes out to Vinny Prospel of the blue Jackets who also had a 3 point night; 3 assists. If last night was an indicator of the team’s potential, (Nash, Carter and Prospel) does Columbus rescind their trade possibilities of Nash and Carter?

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HWB Western Conference Playoff Spot Predictions

Feb 16

Posted by EB in Soap Box | No Comments

The second installment of a two-part series, here are the predictions of Western Conference teams to make the playoffs.

Central Division

The toughest division in the Western Conference and quite possibly the league, currently four of the five teams are holding down a playoff spot. Only three of those teams will be making the playoffs, leaving the slumping Chicago Blackhawks to miss the mark.

Daniel Ribar/NHLI via Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings are breaking records at home and playing solid hockey. Currently leading the Western Conference by a slim margin of 2 points and a game up, the Wings need to focus on winning the division to set themselves up for the playoffs. A simple fact, home ice advantage will be deadly.

Head Coach Ken Hitchcock has his boys playing darn good hockey. It is nice to see the St. Louis Blues play well again. Going 6-3-1 in their last ten games and now adding some healthy names back to the roster, the Blues have a playoff spot locked down.

Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images

The only news coming from the Columbus Blue Jackets is the potential willingness to trade superstar Rick Nash. Everyone knows trade deadline is for depth players, not superstars, to avoid messing with chemistry going into the playoffs. Yet, if you’re the Montreal Canadiens looking to wholesale your team since you’re not in the playoffs, now might be a time to make a move. Then again, can you really believe any rumors that Nash is willing to play in Montreal? Like I said, the only thing being talked about in Columbus is the possible trade of Nash; the team is definitely out of the playoffs. Insert evil Ken Hitchcock laugh here.

No neck Barry Trotz is a superb Head Coach for the Nashville Predators who always has a competitive team. You never really hear much about them in the media but they are always winning. Last year the boys made it past the first round for the very first time; hopefully they can do the same this year. Netminder Pekka Rinne is playing superb and will be the backbone of the team. Easy slot for the playoffs.

Uh-oh Spaghetti O’s. The Chicago Blackhawks have gone 1-8-1 in their last 10 games and the free fall does not seem to have an end in sight. Goalie woes are upon them, perhaps a Ray Emery curse. Holding onto 6th spot in the conference, finger by finger begins to slip into the depths of the summertime golf swing. Insert “Chicago Sucks” chant here.

Northwest Division

Early on this division had promise, but much like the tortoise and the hare, the teams eventually lost the race. Only Vancouver is of playoff caliber, the rest, back to the drawing board.

Vancouver Canucks are a solid team once again. Playoff bound without a doubt, just like more riots when they lose come playoffs. Words of advice; make Cory Schneider a number one goalie and trade Roberto Luongo while some teams still think he is of value. Wouldn’t a Luongo-Nash trade be something to see trade deadline day?

Dear Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche, we expected more. The Avalanche had some injuries yet the Flames still seem to be missing one key piece. Fans want to continue to blame Captain Jarome Iginla but that is neither fair nor right. Think otherwise? Any NHL team would be happy for a trade. Colorado fans keep your head up; in the near future your team will be making playoffs with the talents of Ryan O’Reilly, Paul Stastny, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene. My prediction, if players stay healthy, will be next year.

Dear Edmonton Oilers, what’s up? Some of the best young talent in the league jumped out to a great start and have fallen down slowly. Only 150 goals for so far this year which is middle of the pack, fans expected more; shame on you for disappointing the NHL fan base.

Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images

There is one team left in the Northwest Division, and yes, I left them for last: the Minnesota Wild. You mix a few lines and you get plastered for being a bad guy. You offer a wager of apology depending on if they make playoffs or not and they pass you up on it. Where are my Wild critics now?

The fact is the team is a good team and is under-performing. In part, injuries to Devin Setoguchi, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Guillaume Latendresse have left the team without the depth needed to win. A healthy Wild team is going to be scary, and hopefully next year that will happen. Throwing more craziness into the Nash mix, Dany Heatley and Setoguchi for Nash? What you think?

Pacific Division

With four spots remaining and only one division, three are easy to guess but who does the last one come down to? San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes all will make the playoffs, the wild card, the Anaheim Ducks.

The San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings both will be fighting for the division lead right down to the wire. Favored are of course the Sharks, yet if the Kings can learn how to score again, the Kings may take the crown. Let’s hope Captain Anze Kopitar refrains from any disgusting breaks towards the end of the season, providing the team with leadership and skill to make a stronger playoff push.

The Phoenix Coyotes, my second love. The continuous uncertainty of their future and still the team produces a quality product on the ice. Making the playoffs should be fine, with rather equal home and away records, but if they face the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, all hope is lost. The Wings have beat them 2 years in a row in the playoffs.

Dallas Stars’ fans should be worried as the division is continuing to be more and more competitive. The Stars, however, are not adding to the mix. Moments of brilliance on the ice are followed by moments of mediocre play. Captain Brenden Morrow trade rumors are never good, but Assistant Captain Loui Eriksson will be fine to fill his shoes, that is, if young 22 year-old and team point leader Jamie Benn doesn’t become the face of the franchise. The Stars are still a year out and one solid goalie away from a playoff spot.

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Save the best and wildest for last, the prediction that the Anaheim Ducks will make the playoffs. Coaching problems lead to potty mouth Bruce Boudreau to sign on after being relieved of his coaching duties of the Washington Capitals. Unlikely, but it would be amazing if the Ducks faced the Capitals in the finals. Still, it would be a real good story if the team was able to turn their year around under the new coach and make the playoffs. They have gone 6-2-2 in their last ten, led by veteran Teemu Selanne and young talented stars, Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan. Goalie Jonas Hiller has been solid in the last month with 9 wins and only 2 losses with a .924 save percentage. The Ducks will make the playoffs.

There you have it, playoff spot predictors for the Western Conference. Let’s hear your whines and dislike of the picks. In case you missed the first installment, the Eastern Conference playoff spot predictions can be found here.

 

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NHL Photo of the Day

Feb 14

Posted by EB in NHL Photo of the Day | No Comments

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

The third place Western Conference San Jose Sharks reminded the Washington Capitals last night that there is a tough road a head of them if they want to make the playoffs.

The Sharks have had yet another good season so far. A core of players with Jumbo Joe Thronton, Patrick Marleau and young Logan Couture. Oh, and there is a guy by the name of Joe Pavelski, pictured above, who tends to help out as well. Pavelski had a 4 point night with 2 goals and 2 assist. He must like the number 2 and 4 as to date, Pavelski has 22 goals, 22 assists for 44 points.

The Sharks next big matchup will come Sunday night against the top of the league Detroit Red Wings. The Wings could still be setting a record for most consecutive home wins. The two teams seem to always play each other tough so expect a playoff like atmosphere.

On a different note, Happy Valentines Day to all our readers.

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Fantasy Hockey Friday

Jan 20

Posted by Chris in Fantasy | No Comments

Two weeks ago, we brought you an in depth breakdown of team stats around the NHL that could help give a better indication on how your goalie may fare on any given night against any given opponent. This week we turn the tables a bit to analyze more team stats, but this time focus on the impact of these stats for forwards and defenseman.

A good Fantasy Hockey league setup has roster positions and bench positions so that on some nights, when most everyone on your team is playing, you have to make the tough decisions regarding who to bench and who to play. So as a Manager, how do you decide which players to play and which to sit?

Sometimes it comes down to a “hunch” or intuition. Obviously your star players will likely get spots because they are more likely to put points on the board. Players on hot streaks may also get the nod over someone that is slumping. Or you may choose to go by which team any given player is playing against that night.

For instance, if you’re trying to decide between two players, and one is playing against the New York Rangers while the other is playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning, you may want to consider playing your guy against Tampa Bay. Why? Because Tampa Bay averages 3.47 goals against per game while the Rangers average 1.98 goals against per game, meaning there is a greater probability that your player will score against Tampa Bay.

Here is a breakdown of the top five teams in the league with the lowest goals against averages per game:

New York Rangers (1.98)

St. Louis Blues (1.98)

Boston Bruins (2.02)

Los Angeles Kings (2.13)

San Jose Sharks (2.28)

Similarly, here are the worst five teams in the NHL with the highest goals against averages per game:

Tampa Bay Lightning (3.47)

Columbus Blue Jackets (3.22)

Carolina Hurricanes (3.17)

Ottawa Senators (3.08)

Toronto Maple Leafs (3.07)

The Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders also have averages of 3.00 goals against per game or better as well.

You can also get a good idea of how your players will fare by looking at which goalie he will face that night. And these numbers don’t always correlate with the team average.

Boston has a low enough team goals against per game average, but backup netminder Tuukka Rask actually has a lower goals against average than starter Tim Thomas. This means that your player is more likely to score on Thomas than on Rask, but the likelihood that he will score against Boston at all is slim.

Consider the Colorado Avalanche as well. As a whole, the team averages 2.85 goals allowed per game. However, goaltenders Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere have basically split time, but Varlamov’s goals against average is much higher at 3.00 goals against per game than Giguere’s 2.12 goals against per game. So if Varlamov gets the start, play against him with confidence.

The Philadelphia Flyers have a similar issue with Ilya Bryzgalov (3.00) and Sergei Bobrovsky (2.42). Thankfully for Fantasy Managers, Bryzgalov gets the majority of the starts with 30 this season compared to Bobrovsky’s 14.

It doesn’t happen often when you have a full slate of games and have to make the tough choices as a manager on whom to bench and whom to play, but knowing the odds can help you make the right decision in the future. It’s not fool-proof by any means, but it’s a step in the right direction.

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Detroit Red Wings should host 2013 NHL Winter Classic

Jan 4

Posted by Chris in Soap Box | 3 Comments

This year’s Winter Classic event matched up two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and again raised the expectations of this annual event. The game featured strong play on both fronts, a come-from-behind victory by the New York Rangers and a nail-biting penalty shot save in the waning seconds of the game by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundquist to preserve the victory. It had all of the makings of a successful Winter Classic. So where does the NHL go from here?

To Detroit.

In five Winter Classic games, the Western Conference has only hosted one. That came in 2009 when the Detroit Red Wings bested the Chicago Blackhawks 6-4 at Wrigley Field. The other four games have all been intra-conference matchups with Eastern Conference teams. Logically, the NHL and NBC should go back West. And Detroit would be the perfect spot to do it.

Cold, gray, and one of the most successful NHL franchises of the past two decades, Detroit would be the perfect setting for the next NHL Winter Classic. Plus, the NHL would have their pick of venues for the annual contest. If they wanted to stay within the confines of the city, Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, would be a perfect place to set up shop. However, if the NHL really wanted to go big and continue to raise the stakes, they would move west just down the freeway and take the game to Michigan Stadium where they could cram in more than 100,000 spectators while playing the game on one of the most storied football fields in college football history.

So now you have the Detroit Red Wings involved, one of the most popular NHL franchises in recent history, along with one of the biggest venues in the nation. So who does the NHL choose to bring in as an opponent for this event? While the NHL certainly has their pick of the litter, two teams immediately come to mind: San Jose and Toronto.

The Sharks have been a thorn in the side of the Red Wings for several seasons now. The teams have met in the playoffs in each of the past two seasons and both times the Sharks defeated the Wings. Both teams are highly skilled, puck-possession teams with big name talent on their rosters. Plus, finally bringing in a West-coast team could garner the game more attention from West coast fans that have thus far had no reason to really tune into the game.

The other opponent could be the Toronto Maple Leafs and, all things considered, this is the most likely. Not only would a Toronto-Detroit matchup bring together two Original Six teams for one of the biggest NHL events of the year, but it would also finally get a Canadian team involved in the matchup. Plus, Toronto is a four-hour drive to Detroit and tons of fans would be willing to make the trek. The arena would easily be just as many Maple Leafs fans as Red Wings fans.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman refuses to tip his hand as to whom the next host city and opponent could be, but what he has said might indicate that Detroit could be in the running for the game.

“My guess is it will be played in a place we have not been before,” Bettman said. “So, therefore, in the U.S., you’ve eliminated five locations. You can play with the other 25, play with geography and understand that temperature is a factor…You can eliminate some of the warmer climates. We are not probably going to go back to where we have been.”

That statement also leaves Minnesota, Winnipeg, Toronto, Columbus, New Jersey and several other cities in the running for the game as well. But none of those teams would be as big of a draw as the Red Wings, and none of those host cities could offer a location like The Big House where they could cram in more than 100,000 spectators – something that even Leafs forward Nazem Kadri wants to be a part of.

I think at the Michigan stadium — what does it hold, like 100,000-plus?” said Kadri. “That would be a ridiculous game to be a part of. It would be a dream come true.”

What do you think? Which matchups do you most want to see for next year’s NHL Winter Classic?

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Evgeni Nabokov Activated from Injured Reserve

Dec 13

Posted by EB in Fantasy, News, Rumors | No Comments

The 14th placed New York Islanders have activated goaltender Evgeni Nabokov off injured reserve. With very little fantasy owners owning him, he may be worth looking into for some depth.

The 36 year-old Nabokov began the season with a horrible 1-5-0 record in 8 games started. Of the time played, Nabokov has a rather high 2.83 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. So why in the world would any fantasy owner be interested in him?

Nabokov’s career has been played with the San Jose Sharks where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year in 2000-2001. Since then, his stats have not been Patrick Roy like, but still a solid number one net-minder. In his 571 games played he has a winning record of 294-183-29-51 with a 2.39 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Furthermore, his playoff stats have been 2 games over .500 with 40 wins and a 2.29 goals against average with a .913 save percentage.

OK, the stats have been pumped but why is Nabokov a potential steal in fantasy pools? Nabokov is a solid net-minder despite lacking a team in front of him with the New york Islanders. He may not get as many wins as some other goalies but he will definitely get a decent save percentage by facing an average of 31.1 shots per game (21st in the NHL). The Islanders are still young and developing, they can only get better as a team. The real possibility however comes in the possibility of a trade.

Last year Nabokov made headlines by being signed as a free agent by the Detroit Red Wings. However, due to his play oversees, Nabokov needed to clear waivers before re-entering the NHL. This is where the New York Islanders came to pick him up and tried to work out a trade. Nabokov on the other hand refused to play, eventually was suspended and sat out the remainder of the year. Well he is back, the Islanders still need a goaltender and the Red Wings may be willing to trade. Backup Ty Conklin has only seen 4 starts, a 1-3-0 record with a 3.26 goals against average. Ouch!

Conklin may not be a trade interest for the Islanders, however, the Red Wings do have 22 year-old Thomas McCollum. McCollum is young, currently playing in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye. His stats are not quite there but the Red Wings have belief in his potential. Not needing a goalie for quite some time with 27 year-old Jimmy Howard, on top of possibly willing to trade winger Dan Cleary, the Red Wings may be interested in Nabokov once again.

Nabokov is not going anywhere for a while, not until he starts posting a few wins. Be on the lookout for buzz about a possible trade. Once that starts to hit the headlines Nabokov might be of interest.

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Michal Handzus, Sharks mourn the loss of Lokomotiv players and friends

Nov 16

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

Nearly 10 weeks have passed since the devastating plane crash that killed 36 members of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team and took the lives of 44 people total. Despite the passage of time, San Jose Sharks forward Michal Handzus still holds a heavy heart for the loss of his former teammate and good friend Pavol Demitra.

The last time that Handzus saw Demitra was at a charity event to raise money for wheelchair-confined children.

“He was always doing stuff like that,” Handzus said, “That’s why everybody loved him.”

Handzus first learned of the crash that claimed the life of his friend while at his home in Slovakia. His wife called to tell him there had been a crash, but details were still sketchy at the time. Handzus remained calm, believing his friend hadn’t been on board.

“But then I learned that they were going to their first game, and that was when I realized,” he said. “I knew.”

Handzus and Demitra grew up in different cities in Slovakia and didn’t know one another growing up. But that changed when Handzus became a member of the St. Louis Blues in 1998 and Demitra took his fellow countryman under his wing.

“I was a young guy who didn’t know what to expect,” said Handzus. “I was by myself. But he watched out for me and was such a big help. Those were some of the best years I’ve ever had in the NHL. He was a huge part of my career.”

Handzus and Demitra played together for three seasons with the Blues, as well as on several national teams for Slovakia. Handzus was the best man at Demitra’s wedding and Demitra was present when Handzus got married this past summer.

The close bond that the two shared makes the tragic loss of Demitra and the rest of the members of the Lokomotiv team even more personal for Handzus.

“Nothing has changed,” he added. “I play hockey and forget what happened for a little bit, and then suddenly it hits you again. You just don’t believe it’s true.”

Handzus received special permission from the Sharks to attend Demitra’s funeral and be there to support his family.

“It was important to me because I needed to be there to honor him,” he said.

Handzus continues to honor the memory of his friend and the Lokomotiv hockey team by wearing a red “Love for Lokomotiv” wrist band on his right wrist. Those same red wrist bands will be sold this Thursday on the HP Pavilion’s main concourse when the San Jose Sharks host the Detroit Red Wings, who also lost several members of their extended family in the crash, including former assistant coach Brad McCrimmon. The wrist bands will be sold by the Sharks’ wives and girlfriends with proceeds of the bands, which cost $10 apiece, going toward the families of the victims. Donations can also be made at www.loveforlokomotiv.com

HWB is participating in “Movember” to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Make a difference, make a donation.

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Tortorella Responds to Thornton Comments

Nov 2

Posted by Chris in News | No Comments

John TortorellaNew York Rangers head coach John Tortorella doesn’t have any issues sharing what’s on his mind in a candid fashion, and his response to negative comments made by San Jose Sharks captain Joe Thornton about the New York Rangers were certainly no exception.

Thornton instigated the issue Monday night after a 5-2 loss to the Rangers when he called the Rangers a “soft” team.

“We played some good teams, and I think we probably should have beat these guys, to be honest with you,” Thornton said after the loss. He also stated that the Rangers are, “probably the softest team we played against.”

While Tortorella didn’t immediately respond to Thornton’s comments after the loss, according to the New York Daily News, he was full of harsh words toward Thornton on Tuesday when he finally responded to the issue in typical Tortorella fashion.

“It caught me off-guard when it was brought up after the game,” Tortorella said. “It surprised me, and I’ve never heard a player say that. Joe’s a heck of a player, but here’s a player popping off about our team, and Joe hasn’t won a G—— thing in this league.”

While normally soft-spoken, Thornton has often been criticized as a playoff underachiever who seems to disappear when the pressure is on. Thornton began to shed some of that image last spring when he posted 17 points in 18 playoff games for the Sharks. However, after another very successful regular season, the Sharks again failed to advance past the Western Conference Finals where they were beaten by the Vancouver Canucks.

“He could go down as a player, being one of the better players in our league never to win anything,”
Tortorella stated. “So what he should do is just shut up. It was uncalled for, it was classless, and I’ve never had it happen like that before.”

Monday night’s game was the only meeting of the regular season between the Rangers and Sharks. Thornton had one assists and was a minus-1 in 20:01 minutes of ice time.

HWB is participating in “Movember” to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Make a difference, make a donation.

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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: San Jose Sharks

Sep 20

Posted by Chris in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Additions: Jim Vandermeer, Brent Burns & Martin Havlat (both traded from Minnesota), Michal Handzus, Colin White, Andrew Murray, Thomas Greiss, Ben Guite, Sean Sullivan and Matt Pelech.

Key Offseason Losses: Devin Setoguchi, Ben Eager, Ian White, Niclas Wallin, Kent Huskins, Scott Nichol, Jamal Mayers, Charlie Coyle and Dany Heatley

Last Season Ranking: 2nd in the West

Offense: After two consecutive Western Conference Finals losses, the San Jose Sharks made some major roster changes this offseason. The question is whether these changes will be enough to finally get San Jose over the hump and make them Stanley Cup contenders?

One of the biggest trades of the summer involved the Sharks sending Dany Heatley to Minnesota in exchange for Martin Havlat in basically a tit-for-tat trade. While Havlat always carries injury concerns, he is capable of roughly the same point production as Heatley. The major reason the Sharks pulled the trigger on Havlat, however, is his ability to score in the playoffs, an area that Heatley seemed to struggle in his two years in San Jose.

Havlat will join Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau as the big offensive guns on the team this season, but San Jose sports great secondary scoring in Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe and Logan Couture, who is coming into his second season in the NHL and will look to prove that his 32-goal rookie outburst wasn’t a fluke. With players of this caliber rounding out your top two lines, San Jose remains one of the deepest offensive teams in the league and should have no trouble putting goals in the net.

Defense: The other big trade of the summer also involved San Jose and Minnesota. The Sharks sent forward Devon Setoguchi to the Wild just days after he signed a contract extension in exchange for defenseman Brent Burns. Burns is young, mobile and capable of providing offense while maintaining solid defensive pressure. He will help alleviate some of the burden from Dan Boyle and should pay immediate dividends for the Sharks on the blue line. A 50+ point season may not be out of the question for Burns, who posted 46 with the Wild last season.

While the Sharks lost three defenseman in Niclas Wallin, Kent Huskins and Ian White, the team still has Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Jason Demers and Douglas Murray to help round out their blue line. It’s likely that Jim Vandermeer, Colin White and perhaps Justin Braun will all fight for the remaining spot on the ice.

The Sharks finished 10th in the league in goals against per game last season with an average of 2.54. Expect more of the same from the Sharks this season.

Goaltending: After a rough start last season, Antti Niemi emerged as the number one in San Jose and ultimately became the playoff starter as well. He posted solid stats in the second half of the season and was rewarded with a contract extension and pay increase. The number one job is Niemi’s to lose this year.

Behind Niemi is 31-year-old Antero Niittymaki, who had a decent season last year with a 2.72 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. The Sharks would probably like to see a better save percentage this season, but Niittymaki is a capable backup who should start 20-30 games and win 12-18 of those.

HWB Playoff Prediction: The Sharks are playoff bound no doubt. But will their offseason moves make them Stanley Cup bound?

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Free Agency Recap: Independence Day

Jul 4

Posted by Eddie in News | 3 Comments

Sunday was a quiet day on the free agency front, the transactions of note was defenseman Derrick Meech going from Detroit to Winnipeg. Meech was a regular in the lineup during the franchises appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009, but has spent most of his time with the AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids since then. Another notable transaction was forward Niclas Bergfors switching conferences as he goes from Florida to Nashville.

The big bomb was dropped late Sunday night when San Jose traded star forward Dany Heatley to Minnesota for Martin Havlat. The trade was one of the biggest transactions of the early transfer period. The two were actually teammates with the Ottawa Senators the first seasons after the 2005 lockout. The trade will give Minnesota a franchise player, something they have not had since Marian Gaborik left in 2009. San Jose hopes to get someone with the playoff drive and experience that could help push them over the top as they have lost in the conference finals each of the last two seasons. Havlat has played in the postseasons twice since the lockout; in 2006 when Ottawa was upset in the second round by Buffalo and 2009 when Chicago lost in the conference finals to Detroit. Last season he played 78 games, scored 22 goals and recorded 40 assists. Heatley wasn’t as productive in 2010-11 as he was in 2009-10, but only two seasons in San Jose. Last season he scored 26 goals in 80 games but was largely absent during the postseason when he scored three goals in 18 games. During the 2010 playoffs he was even more absent when he lit the lamp 39 times in 82 games but scored twice in 14 playoff games.

Heatley also ranked first in the NHL in power-play goals (128) and game-winning goals (58), third in goals (325) and fifth in points (689) since he entered the League in 2001. Minnesota scored just 206 goals last season, the fifth-lowest total in the League.
Today on July 4, there were a few free agent transactions of note. Goalie Curtis McElinney signed with Phoenix. It will be his fourth-team in the span of his five seasons. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound goalie has made 67 NHL appearances in that time, posting a 18-26-4 record with a 3.13 goals against average (GAA) and a .898 save percentage. The free-agency pool for goalies is even smaller as several teams are looking for help in net.

In addition, Fan-attacking forward Rick Rypien is staying in Canada but is changing teams as he signed a deal with Winnipeg. He is 27 years old and played in 119 career games in the NHL with the Canucks from 2005 to 2011 where he has scored 16 points and 226 penalty minutes.

The Jets were pretty busy in the first few days of free agency, as they signed six players over the holiday weekend.

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