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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Buffalo Sabres

Sep 7

Posted by Matt in Season Previews | No Comments

Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres

Tyler Myers will have a career season for the Buffalo Sabres in 2011-12

Key Offseason Additions: Ville Leino, Christian Ehrhoff, Robyn Regehr

Key Offseason Losses: Tim Connolly

Last Season Ranking: 7th in East

Offense: Much like last season, the offense will be lead by the dynamic Thomas Vanek. He had a bit of a rebound season in 2009-10, and posted 32 goals and 41 assists. His 41 assists tied a career high, and his 73 points were the most since he tallied 84 points in 2006-07. Also expected to contribute big numbers will be Drew Stafford, who collected career highs in goals and points last season, with 31 and 52, respectively. Stafford’s impressive numbers came during an injury shortened season, where he only played in 62 games. His Sabres teammates know what he’s capable of, however, and when he posted hat-tricks on four separate nights, not a single one of them was surprised. In fact, Stafford contributed seven multi-goal games last season and will be counted on to do a lot of the same in 2011-12.

Joining the Sabres crew this year will be Ville Leino, former Philadelphia Flyer. Leino excelled during the 2009-10 playoff run, after being traded to Philadelphia from Detroit, then continued his solid play into last season. His 53 points would rank fifth on an offensively charged Flyers squad. Leino was brought in to the Sabres organization with the expectation that he could continue to improve his game, and point totals as well. If he continues to battle in high traffic areas and drive to the net, Leino should make a big impact in Buffalo this season.

Another player primed for continued success this season is Tyler Ennis. Last year, as a rookie, Ennis piled on 20 goals and 29 assists. Playing alongside guys like Jason Pominville, a perennial 50-60 point scorer and Paul Gaustad, he’ll be given a great opportunity to improve. Ennis could see time playing alongside guys like Leino, Brad Boyes, Derek Roy or Nathan Gerbe as well.

Defense: An upgraded defense will put the Sabres back on track to help Ryan Miller dominate games. Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr join a Sabres defense that will be much more poised with them in the line-up. These guys bring a lot more credibility to the blue line, especially on special teams. Ehrhoff will be a monumental addition to the power-play, while Regehr will help keep the puck out of the net on the penalty kill.

After struggling in his sophomore season, Tyler Myers will return to top shape this season. If paired with Ehrhoff, they will make a very respectable top defensive unit, and will be a great threat on the power-play. As Myers continues to put size on his 6’8″ frame, he will be more of a physical threat in addition to his defensive and offensive talents. Expect career highs in goals, assists and points from Myers this season, as he continues to grow into his role.

Goaltending: As long as Ryan Miller is in net, the Buffalo Sabres will not have much to worry about. Last season, Miller continued his strong play and posted a .916 save percentage, along with a 2.59 goals against average. While neither was a career high, they were still fantastic numbers. His five shutouts did match a career high, however, and it was actually Miller’s third consecutive season posting five shutouts.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Playoff bound. The signing of Ville Leino, growth of some young talent, and defensive signings will put the Buffalo Sabres back into the race for the Stanley Cup.

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2011-12 NHL Season Preview: Philadelphia Flyers

Sep 4

Posted by EB in Season Previews | No Comments

Key Offseason Additions: Ilya Bryzgalov, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, , Brayden Schenn, Jaromir Jagr, Maxime Talbot

Key Offseason Losses: Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Kris Versteeg, Ville Leino, Dan Carcillo

Last Season Ranking: 2nd in the East

Mike Richards and Jeff Carter won't be partying anymore as both players have been traded to different teams.

Offense: It is hard predicting all that the Philadelphia Flyers can achieve this year offensively with the massive amount of trades that happened during the off-season. Captain Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Kris Versteeg all parted ways in the Flyers remodel. Together, the three combined for 80 goals, 98 assists to total a whopping 178 points. Simply put, that is a lot of points lost.

Flyer’s fans will be happy to know that the incoming class will most likely pick up the slack and put forth a mighty good effort in out-doing their predecessors. Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek are both solid two way players that will bring a lot of heart to the game. Veteran Jaromir Jagr is a wild card but is coming off of a slightly higher than point per game season in the KHL as well as a head turning display in the World Championships for the Czech Republic. Throw in gritty, get-under-your-skin-and-draw-a-penalty Maxime Talbot and the Flyers are starting to look like a good mix resembling that of the Stanley Cup Champions Boston Bruins.

The Flyers still have one more asset from the off-season trades and that being young Brayden Schenn. Schenn only played 8 NHL games last season for the Los angeles Kings but still managed to produce 2 assist and 11 shots. His Junior career was spent with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL where as a rookie, he not only lead the team in scoring, he lead the league amongst all rookie scorers with 28 goals and 43 assists to total 71 points in 66 games played. It is still yet to be determined if he will be playing this season, but the future for the organization has a definite plus side with him in it.

The Flyers still have a very solid core, made up of Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, Scott “Carrot Top” Hartnell and recently extended contract James van Riemsdyk. It is important that the four of these players not only assist the new players in learning how to play Broad Street Bully hockey, but also be able to adapt to new line-mates.

Defense: Philly’s defense did not change nearly as much as the offense, as a matter of fact, only 1 new defensive player has been added to the roster. Big 6’3″ Andreas Lilja, who played last season with the Anaheim Ducks and most known for his years with the Detroit Red Wings, will be looking at limited ice time unless he can earn more.

Ilya Bryzgalov looks to be the solid goaltender the Philadelphia flyers have been missing

The team will once again be coddled by veteran and Stanley Cup winner Chris Pronger. Pronger is coming off of an injury plagued season. Pronger underwent two recent surgeries, a plate and pins inserted in his right hand and disk fragments removed from his lower back. It is expected that Pronger will not be ready in time for training camp, but stated his hand which is limiting the majority of his weight training, is between 80 and 85 percent healed.

Overall, the Flyer’s defense looks as good as last year, which saw them as 11th best in goals against average with 2.63. That stat will most likely improve…

Goaltending: Perhaps the biggest move of the off-season was the addition of net-minder Ilya Brzygalov. Bryz played for the Phoenix Coyotes, and in leaving, most likely burned some bridges. But that really doesn’t matter now as becoming the number one goalie over Sergei Bobrovski, Ilya has said all the right things to Philly fans. “This is a team with rich history,” Bryzgalov said. “The highest goal is to win the Cup. That’s what this game is all about. That’s all that matters.”

Could Bryzgalov take the Flyers to the promised land? Not sure, but being known as a somewhat difficult teammate, it will be interesting to see if the Flyers later down the road want to dump him as they did Richards and Carter, only to be denied by his 9 year, $51 million dollar deal taking him to 40 years of age.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Playoff bound.

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Teddy Purcell could benefit from big free agent contracts

Jul 13

Posted by Chris in Soap Box | No Comments

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Teddy Purcell had a breakout campaign in 2010-11 by scoring 51 points in 81 games, including 17 goals, and then went on to tally another 17 points in 18 playoff games before the Lightning were eliminated in the Conference Finals. So if Purcell makes it to his salary arbitration hearing on July 20, the 25-year-old forward could be due for a significant raise from the $750,000 he made last season. But what determines the amount of his raise may not necessarily be a reflection of his production on the ice.

When the salary cap was raised to $64.3 million several weeks ago, so was the salary cap floor – the minimum that teams are required to spend every season. This caused some teams to overspend on talent early in free agency to help meet the cap floor, which may have an adverse effect for teams during salary arbitration hearings as agents look to secure fair market value for their clients.

Tomas Kopecky had a bit of a breakout campaign himself this past season when he scored 42 points in 81 games for the Chicago Blackhawks. His reward? A contract from the Florida Panthers for $3 million per season after earning $1.2 million with the Blackhawks the season before. While Kopecky certainly adds some value to the Panthers, such a hefty contract is largely viewed as a result of the increased cap floor and Florida’s need to meet the league minimum salary. But this move could inadvertently benefit players such as Purcell.

When Purcell and his agent meet with arbitrators next week, Purcell’s agent will likely point out Kopecky’s contract as an example of what fair market value would be for his client. After all, Purcell scored more points and was a major contributor in the Lightning’s playoff success and if his client wasn’t a restricted free agent, he likely could have gotten $3 million per season on the open market.

Purcell’s agent will likely cite Ville Leino as another example. Last season with the Flyers, Leino tallied 53 points in 81 games – only two more points than Purcell. And Leino wasn’t nearly as productive in the playoffs either. That didn’t stop the Buffalo Sabres from handing Leino a contract worth $4.5 million per season when free agency began last week.

It’s highly unlikely that Purcell will receive $4.5 million a season, but there is a high probability that Purcell could get more than he otherwise would thanks to a weak free agent class and a rise in the salary cap floor that helped increase offers for mid-level scorers around the league. An arbitration award of $3 million might not be out of the question, but it’s more likely that Purcell gets an award of somewhere around $2 to $2.5 million – an award that could be a steal if Purcell continues to grow into a quality scorer with the Lightning in the coming years.

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Finnish scoring leader Lahti may be free agent target

Jun 14

Posted by Chris in Rumors | No Comments

With a lack of quality scorers in this year’s free agent pool, some NHL teams may choose to look outside the box for sleeper players ready to contribute to their team. That’s what Finnish scoring leader Janne Lahti is hoping anyway.

Lahti is gaining attention as a possible sleeper in this year’s free agency pool after having played in the Finnish hockey league the past three seasons. Last year, Lahti racked up 37 goals and 59 points in 59 games with Jokerit Helsinky.

This wouldn’t be Lahti’s first go-around with North American hockey, however. Lahti spent a season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League in 2007-08, but struggled at times and only managed a meager nine goals and nine assists in 65 games.

Rumors are swirling that Lahti is weighing offers from several NHL clubs right now with the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings being the frontrunners for his services, but a decision will need to be made soon as June 15 is the deadline to sign European players for NHL teams. New Jersey probably holds an advantage over Detroit as Lahti could immediately step in and claim a roster spot with the Devils where the Red Wings would possibly choose to put Lahti back in the AHL to see what he is capable of  and allow him to acclimate to the North American style if he doesn’t earn a roster spot out of training camp – something that is highly unlikely as Detroit has an abundance of players right now both waiting to crack their lineup and hoping to return instead of being forced into retirement.

Several other teams are looking for quality scoring and could get in on the hunt today or tomorrow before Lahti makes a decision. The Kings, Rangers and Maple Leafs have all expressed interest in beefing up their offense this offseason.

Landing a highly coveted European free agent comes with its risks. Several years ago, Fabian Brunnstrom was a relative nobody garnering a lot of attention from NHL clubs. After being courted by several teams, Brunnstrom decided to sign with the Dallas Stars where he was offered an immediate roster spot. Brunnstrom struggled and has spent most of his career in the minors since signing in 2008-09.

Ville Leino was another highly coveted European free agent when he signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 after posting 77 points in the Finnish league. Leino came in with high promise but never fully panned out with the Wings but found himself a home with the Philadelphia Flyers where he was a key component in their Stanley Cup playoffs run last season. Leino followed up that performance with 19 goals and 53 points this past season and could still have more potential in the future.

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Hockey World Blog Season Previews 2010: Philadelphia Flyers

Sep 4

Posted by EB in Season Previews | 1 Comment

Key Offseason Losses: Arron Asham, Simon Gagne

Key Offseason Additions: Nikolai Zherdev

Last Season Ranking: 7th in the East

Captain Mike Richards should lead the Flyers to another productive season, possibly even the Stanley Cup.

Captain Mike Richards should lead the Flyers to another productive season, possibly even the Stanley Cup.

Offense: The Flyers are coming into their own as a team offensively lead by a very physical and talented Captain Mike Richards. Richards has a supporting cast of Jeff Carter, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Scottie Hartnell. Sure it seems I’m just listing the whole team, but when you really look at the production of all these players, all 40+ point players, the team has 3 solid lines. Throw into the mix playoff stud Ville Leino and young gun James van Riemsdyk, it is very possible that the Flyers are capable of making another push for the Cup.

Philadelphia had a tough decision to make in the offseason and ended up trading away Simon Gagne. Gagne posted 40 points in 58 games played last year. To ease the pain of his loss, the team acquired a personal favorite player of mine in forward Nikolai Zherdev. Zherdev took a season off and played overseas with the KHL and did not put up great numbers. Perhaps he viewed it as a vacation as in his last two NHL seasons he had near 60 point seasons.

Defense: What’s not to love about the Flyer’s defense? They have grit, size and skill. Lead by veterans Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen, the defense will once again be solid.  Second pairings should note the production Matt Carle who had 6 goals, 29 assists and a +19 rating. The team also picked up Andrej Meszaros from the Tampa Bay Lightning to add to their depth and line the 3rd pairing. Meszaros could sink or swim as with Tampa Bay he was mediocre at best, but while previous to them with the Ottawa Senators, Meszaros had 3 seasons of near 30 points each season.

The only other note in regards to the worry of Pronger resting for the start of the season recovering from surgery will not be a factor as he should be prime come later in the season.

Goaltending: Last year Philadelphia had some goalie problems, problems to the extent of starting 4 different goalies throughout the season problems. All that should be behind them as the team should split time between Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher. Leighton was by far the better goalie of the two producing a .920 save percentage with a 16-5-2 record. Boucher still was not bad in the save percentage category, .900, yet when it came to his record, it was a mere 9-18-3.

Season Outlook: The Flyers almost did not make the playoffs last season, but once they did, almost won the Cup but lost to a better team in Chicago. This year expect another stellar performance from the Bullies and a drive like none other after the sour taste from losing after being so close. The addition of Zherdev should prove fruitful for the organization, and with the team mainly being players in their prime, Philly will be tough to beat this season.

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Fantasy Hockey Draft Preparation 2010 – Left Wings

Aug 28

Posted by Chris in Fantasy | No Comments

With NHL training camps set to begin about four weeks from now, it’s time for fantasy hockey managers to start reengaging their brains and begin planning for their upcoming Fantasy Hockey Draft. Most drafts will take place in the latter-half of September, but it’s never too early to start looking for that gem of a late-round pick, the underrated talent who is set for a breakout season or the veteran presence who is due for a rebound year.

Today’s Position: Left Wing

Left Wing has some very talented players, but be diligent in your drafting because these players go very quickly and very high in the draft – and you definitely do not want to lose out on some of these names.

If You Have a Top 3 Pick – Take Ovechkin. Don’t ask why, just do it.

If You Can’t Take Ovechkin – Then definitely consider Ilya Kovalchuk. Again, this is a no-brainer as Kovalchuk netted 40 or more goals in each of his past five NHL seasons and will probably continue that pace this year.

Phoenix+Coyotes+v+New+Jersey+Devils+rLtNBLrL2yZlThe Secret Is Out On – Zach Parise (pictured). Despite a breakout season in 2008-09 where Parise posted 94 points, he was still somewhat of a wild card. Well, his 84-point season last year showed that he isn’t a fluke and you can expect him to tally 30+ goals and 80 or more points this season as well.

Still Under the Radar Is – Simon Gagne. With potential to top the 70 point plateau, Gagne suffers from inconsistency and is somewhat injury-prone, which keeps him off the radar for many fantasy owners. With 40 points in 58 games last season, if Gagne can stay healthy he might shoot back up near 70 points if he plays on one of Tampa Bay’s top two lines centered by either Lecavalier or Stamkos.

Look for a Rebound Season From – Alex Tanguay. After a disappointing outing with Tampa Bay last season, Tanguay will return to Calgary where he did quite a bit of damage offensively in 2006-07 with 81 points. The Flames are hoping that Tanguay can recover that scoring touch and help boost the team’s struggling offense and will probably be given every opportunity to succeed.

Look for a Breakout Season From – Ville Leino. After being traded to the Flyers at the trade deadline, Leino came alive when the pressure was on in the playoffs and tallied seven goals and 14 assists in 19 playoff games. Look for Leino to benefit from playing on a team that is deep and very talented offensively. Fifty points could be within reach if Leino works hard for it.

Keep An Eye On – Taylor Hall. As the number one overall selection in the 2010 Entry Draft, Hall will be given every opportunity to succeed in Edmonton. Chances are he will immediately land a spot on one of the top two lines and Hall is expected to score a lot of goals in an Oilers uniform. Keep an eye on him to see if those goals start coming as early as this season.

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Zherdev’s Fantasy Profile

Jul 14

Posted by EB in News | No Comments

Forward Nikolai Zherdev has been signed by the Philadelphia Flyers for the upcoming year. Will he produce or will he flop? Here’s my take and why.

Zherdev played last season over in Russia and posted 39 points in 52 games. With only a +3 rating and a team leading 79 penalty minutes leave not much to be desired. Yet looking at the previous two seasons in the NHL, Zherdev posted a team leading 58 points in a Rangers uniform and 61 points for Columbus, 8 points less than NHL All Star Rick Nash. And in both seasons his penalty minutes were much more curved than in the KHL. His NHL seasons are much more like his 1st round 4th overall draft in 2003 prediction of talent.

Zherdev is a solid player despite the naysayers. Sure he needs to be whipped every now and then to make sure he is playing day in and day out, but who better than the Philadelphia Flyers? Captain Mike Richards and big veteran defenseman Chris Pronger are just the players to do it, not to leave out beastly Scott Hartnell for backup. What so many fans fail to realize is that prior to his trade to the Flyers, backbone of the playoffs Ville Leino only put up 7 points in 42 games with the Detroit Red Wings. Leino’s poor production was a direct result of his lack of effort on the ice. Leino, in a nutshell, was transformed once he went to the Flyers into a hard working, corner digging offensive powerhouse in clutch times. Zherdev will follow suit.

So, my overall prediction for the newly acquired Flyers Zherdev: Pick him late in the draft. He will put up at least 60 points this season, perhaps even more depending on who he plays with, although I foresee him winging with Leino forming a one two punch that will contest with any second line in the NHL. Factor in his previous seasons production, as well as only being signed to a one year “tryout” season, Zherdev will be looking to increase his pay of 2 million to much more.

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Playoff Ramblings

May 17

Posted by Matt in Soap Box | No Comments

Here are some thoughts on the playoffs over the past couple weeks:

My post praising Miroslav Satan’s performance during the playoffs must have been the ultimate jinx. He carried a six game point streak when I wrote about how excellent he had been. In the four games that followed, and an epic collapse by the Bruins, Satan posted zero points, was a minus one, and only had nine shots on goal. Good news for the Bruins though, they’re still going to land either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin in the draft this summer.

Daniel Briere has been huge for the Flyers in the playoffs

Daniel Briere has been huge for the Flyers in the playoffs

The Philadelphia Flyers are the first ever seven seed to end up with home ice advantage in a playoff series. How did they pull this off? Well, I think its fair to say that they aren’t necessarily as bad as their seed and 88 point season may indicate. Remember this team has several young, but experienced, scorers. Mike Richards has been great, and Danny Briere has played his best playoff hockey picking up 17 points so far, with seven multi-point games. On top of that, the Flyers are picking up a lot of secondary scoring, especially in Claude Giroux who has six goals and seven assists in 13 playoff games. Ville Leino, a late season acquisition, has even made his presence felt with nine points in as many games. You certainly can’t forget about the defensive prowess this team has, lead by perennial all star Chris Pronger. He’s more than capable of shutting down the oppositions top scorers.

So perhaps the Philadelphia Flyers are finally molding into the team that many thought they were going to be. Maybe the leadership issues and problems in the locker room are a thing of the past. They have all the confidence and momentum in the world right now, and will be a tough team to handle.

The Chicago Blackhawks are outstanding. Young captain, Jonathan Toews has been very impressive so far with 21 post-season points. Goaltending has not been the huge issue everyone thought it would be. Antti Niemi has been solid, and has out-dueled two very good goaltenders in Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo.

Things seem to be clicking on all cylinders for the Blackhawks, minus the presence of two players. Marian Hossa had a very good first round against Nashville, posting six points in the series. But since them, he’s been very quiet, much like last year, with only three points in the seven games played since finishing off the Predators. Along with Hossa, Kris Versteeg has been less productive than I expected so far. His six points and minus two rating seem low for a young player with the talent level he has. Remember, Versteeg posted terrific numbers as a rookie last season, but is perhaps seeing a decrease in ice time with the top line being so effective.

The San Jose Sharks are still very much competitive in the west. It seemed like everyone wrote them off after being crushed by the Red Wings in game four of that series. Did everyone just forget that they still had a 3-1 series lead? Even if they were still the Sharks who choke in the playoffs, they could have surely taken one game and prevented the Wings from going on. But instead, they bounced back like a true contender and eliminated Detroit in five.

Montreal is having one of the most impressive playoff campaigns in recent years that I can remember. First, they squandered the top seeded Washington Capitals in seven games. This is a team that featured several of the world’s top players: Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, and Green. Then, they followed that performance with a seven game dismantling of the defending Stanley Cup champions. Surely a team that can take out two of the top NHL clubs is capable of making it to the finals, right?

Finally, here’s to hoping for an original six match-up in the finals.

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Wings trade Leino

Feb 6

Posted by Chris in News | 4 Comments

leinoThe Detroit Red Wings traded forward Ville Leino to the Philadelphia Flyers today for defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft.

Leino has been the subject of trade speculation for some time now, especially with forward Johan Franzen on the verge of returning to action. The Finnish forward has been a disappointment this season, scoring only four goals and adding three assists in 42 games with Detroit. Leino has often been a healthy scratch and has been called out several times for his poor effort. However, after losing the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes, the Flyers may look to Leino to add some offensive depth for a long playoff run. With the injuries in Detroit this season, more pressure was placed on Leino to perform well. In Philly, the 26-year-old may thrive in a situation with less pressure to perform, especially if he gets time alongside guys like Richards or Carter.

Tollefsen, an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, should add some toughness to the Red Wings lineup and perhaps even help rejuvenate a defensive unit that plays with lackluster effort at times. With Tollefsen not afraid to drop the gloves, this could signal the end of Brad May’s playing time with the Wings. It’s been rumored that the Wings will waive May and send him to the minors where he may finish out the season before retiring.

The Red Wings were expected to drop salary in order to accommodate the return of Franzen this coming Tuesday. If Andreas Lilja returns after the Olympic break, which he is expected to, the Wings will need to clear additional salary cap space to fit them both in. However, the difference in salary between Leino and Tollefsen is only $200,000. This leads me to believe that the Wings aren’t done moving bodies yet. By waiving May, the Wings will gain an additional $500,000 under the cap. Ken Holland has stated several times that he doesn’t want to carry any more than seven defenseman on the roster. By adding Tollefsen, the Wings now have eight (nine when Lilja returns). With all things considered, defensemen Brett Lebda and Derek Meech could both be on their way out of Detroit within the next few days. Moving those two salaries would free up approximately $1.1 million in cap space. Add in the $500,000 from waiving May and the $200,000 cleared in the Leino deal and the Wings are under by almost $1.8 million, which should be enough to fit Lilja and Franzen back under the cap.

* All numbers are salaries according to cap space, not actual salary per season

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Cam Ward and Jason Williams Bit by Injury Plague

Nov 8

Posted by Matt in News | 10 Comments

Cam Ward, of the Carolina Hurricanes, is out indefinitely after Rick Nash's skate lacerated his leg

Cam Ward, of the Carolina Hurricanes, is out indefinitely after Rick Nash's skate lacerated his leg

Despite all of the great hockey we have seen in the 2009-10 NHL season so far, one tremendous downfall continues to plague the league. This season, some of the NHL’s most notable stars have been injured, along with dozens of role players as well. In addition to the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Johan Franzen, Daniel Sedin, Simon Gagne, Marc Savard, Sergei Gonchar, and Valtteri Filppula, two more players have now been sidelined with injuries.

First we have Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes. While Ward is having a sub-par start to his season, his career numbers are good. He helped lead the Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Finals last season where they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2005-06, Ward lead the team to a Stanley Cup Championship in a 7-game series over the Edmonton Oilers. He went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs as well.

Against Columbus, last night, Cam Ward’s leg was lacerated by the skate of Blue Jacket Rick Nash. Ward left the game and was taken to the hospital. He remained in the hospital Saturday night, and did not make the flight home with his teammates. There is no timetable for his return, so Carolina will be forced to give Michael Leighton the starts in net. Beyond that, they will either have to call up a goalie from their minor league system, or begin to look at possible trade options to provide added depth.

Just as things we’re beginning to look up for the Detroit Red Wings, winning three straight, they took another huge hit. In the second period of last nights game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jason Williams suffered a fractured fibula when he lost his balance and fell wrong on the ice. This injury will put Williams out for at least two months. Detroit is already without forwards Valtteri Filppula and Johan Franzen, and another injury obviously hurts the team.

Injuries in Detroit will give players such as Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Patrick Eaves and Ville Leino a great chance to step up and show what they’ve got. The young players bring a tremendous amount of speed and energy to the team, but they have yet to show much on the scoreboard this season. Leino, for example, was considered by many to be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors after netting five goals and four assists in thirteen games when he was called up last season from Grand Rapids.  In fourteen games this season, however, he has two goals and one assist with a minus four rating. If we are to see any more success in Detroit this November, these energy players must begin to produce.

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