Site News 22/09

Hello fellow Puckheads! As you may have noticed, things have been a little slow around WAAP lately, and with good reason. Not only did I take a nice, long, well-deserved vacation, but it seems as though my work has gotten noticed by a few other blogs. So...for this season, check out the following links if you want to keep reading my stuff!

Sport Statricity

Last Word On Sports

Both are great, emerging sites and your support will be appreciated! And don't worry, that doesn't mean that WAAP is completely dead, but it does mean that the posts here will be much more infrequent. Also, make sure to keep following me on Twitter, because I'll be tweeting all my links out there as well as sharing them on Facebook and Google+.

On a personal note, I can't thank all you fine people enough for the support you gave me last season. You really helped fuel my love of hockey and blogging, it honestly means so much.

Let's have a great 2013-14 NHL season!!

The Jersey Problem

First of all let me get something straight, this post has nothing to do with the New Jersey Devils (though they certainly have had their share of problems lately). Instead, I wanted to take a look at some of the problems and things an NHL fan should consider when buying a new jersey.

Can't Miss Dates In The 2013-14 NHL Season

The NHL finally released it's 2013-14 schedule yesterday after much anticipation around the hockey world. I thought that instead of wading through all 1230 games to find the ones you want, I'll do all the hard work for you! There's going to be tons of interesting games, and lots of old friends returning as foes who didn't get a chance during 2013 due to no intra-conference play. Here's a list of can't miss dates in next year's NHL season:

Salary Arbitration Refresher Course

Via: jetsnation.com

The NHL free agency period has come and gone, with just a few second tier UFA's remaining on the market. At this time, most teams turn their attention towards getting those last few RFA's signed, and a very common practice for those young players looking for a new contract is salary arbitration. It's a process that isn't as cut and dry as normal contract negotiations, as it involves a third party and can occasionally get somewhat acrimonious. For many hockey fans the different nuances of arbitration can be a little bit confusing, but luckily I'm here to clear things up a bit. Let's take a look at how the process works, and some the players that have applied this year.

What Causes A Junior Star To Bust In The NHL?

When it comes right down to it, the NHL draft is always a crapshoot. Always. For every Sidney Crosby there is an Alexandre Daigle. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan. With respect to Daigle and Stefan, both carved out a decent little hockey career that most 18 year old players would be lucky to get, however it's not the expected return on a first overall pick. While some like Crosby and Kane could reach the pinnacle of hockey, why could others like Daigle and Stefan stumble so badly? Why is it just so hard to predict how a junior age player's success will translate and evolve as he becomes a pro? Let's take a look at a few case studies and try to find some answers.

After The Frenzy

It's now been a full ten days since the beginning of the NHL free agency period, enough time for most of the big fish to have been scooped up and things to settle down a bit. However, as we enter the dog days of summer, some mid-level players that could make an impact are still up for grabs. 

Kovalchuk Retires...What The What?

After all the craziness and excitement we've seen this offseason comes the most shocking news so far: Ilya Kovalchuk has retired from the NHL. 

Controversy has followed Kovalchuk in recent years, in regards to the massive, cap-circumventing contract he signed with the Devils back in 2010. Yet here we are, at the end of the Kovalchuk era. 

Here's the full statement from the Devil's GM Lou Lamoriello:

NHL Free Agency Winners And Losers

As cliche as a "winners and losers" post is, there was so much action around the free agent frenzy (which, refreshingly, actually was a bit of a frenzy this year) that it's easier just to boil all the action down to which teams improved...and which failed to achieve that goal. 

Winner: Edmonton Oilers. It's hard not to like what the OIlers did during free agency. For years the team has been looking to add the right mix of veterans and grit players to support their young stars. Andrew Ference will bring the veteran leadership, toughness on the back-end, and a Stanley Cup ring certainly doesn't hurt either. Boyd Goron never got much press in Phoenix, but he's the quintessential third line winger that can win faceoffs and give you excellent two way play. Jason Labarbera has been a serviceable backup goalie throughout his careers, and can even spell Devan Dubnyk if the need arises during the season. 

Called To The Hall

On Tuesday, the Hockey Hall of Fame membership grew by five, as Scott Neidermayer, Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan, Geraldine Heaney and Fred Shero joined their ranks. All five are legends in their own right and deserve the call, though surely there must be some debate about the players passed over again this year, most notably Eric Lindros, Rob Blake and coach Pat Burns. 

Nevertheless, let's take a quick look at the careers of the five inductees.

What The Heck Happened?!

No, seriously...can one of you please tell me what just happened?

First of all, I should preface this article by mentioning a few changes in my personal life, if you will indulge me. A few weeks ago, in the midst of the Stanley Cup Final, my girlfriend came home from work and announced that we were moving. The next two weeks were full of back-breaking labor, packing, cleaning...and worst of all I had no internet. I didn't get to see game six, with Chicago captain Jonathan Toews lifting the Cup a second time, I missed the buyout period, the draft, free agency. So today, when I'm finally able to get back online, I'm hit with a huge shockwave of news.

The NHL hasn't seen this much player movement and activity since the last lockout in 2005. But some of the moves were absolutely stunning. 

WAAP Top Ten: Worst Trades Of The Salary Cap Era

It's getting to be that time of year, as the Stanley Cup Finals near to a close and fan's attentions turn towards the offseason and changes their teams will make. Trading in the salary cap era is different than it was before, though that hasn't stopped some GM's from making horrific blunders. Here's my list of the top ten worst trades since 2005.

1. (2012) Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus - 2nd, 4th, 4th round picks to Philadelphia.
Everyone knew at the time of this trade that Philly was taking a risk. Bobrovsky was a young up and coming goalie who obviously had talent. But the Flyers were sticking with Ilya Bryzgalov between the pipes and were looking to move Bobrovsky for whatever they could get, in this case some draft picks. Now, you can't exactly call this one a straight win for Columbus, it depends on how those picks pan out in the future. However, with Bobrovsky winning the Vezina Trophy after a phenomenal campaign, and Bryzgalov on the short list of players soon to be bought out, right now this looks like the worst trade in the salary cap era. 

SCF Game 5 Preview

Boston Bruins @ Chicago Blackhawks (8:00pm ET)
TV: CBC, NBC, RDS
Series: 2-2
A lot of the outcome of this game will be determined by which Hawks team shows up tonight. Will it be the team that was lulled to sleep by the Bruins defense and only scored one goal in two straight losses? Or the team who, when faced with the prospect of going down three games to one, came out with a fire in game four and torched Tuukka Rask for six goals?

To be fair to Rask, the Bruins played their worst defense in front of him in a long, long time. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg logged more than 30 minutes in game four, but had nothing to show for it except a minus two and surely some video from the coaches for him to watch. Then there's Zdeno Chara who despite getting a couple of assists was a minus three and looked out of gas by the end of the night. Even for all his great mobility and unsurpassed reach, I don't think I've ever seen him beat to the outside so many times in one game before.

Credit to the Blackhawks forwards, who knew that they had to play their speedy, attacking style if they ever wanted to break through. All of the big guns for Chicago were firing, as they got goals from Patricks Sharp and Kane, Jonathan Toews (finally) and Brent Seabrook with the OT winner. But of course, that comes with a consequence; giving up chances against. Goaltender Corey Crawford didn't exactly come out of game four smelling like a rose either, having given up five goals on 33 shots. 

I realize all this is merely rehashing game four, but it's very relevant to what should happen tonight. The aberration that was game four likely isn't going to be repeated, as fun as it was. We're not going to see eleven goals. Crawford isn't going to get beaten five times to the glove side. Chara isn't going to be doing a pylon impression. These are quality, skilled, veteran teams who have been here before, and I expect a much tighter game akin to what we saw in the first three matches. 

But going back to my original question, which Chicago team will we see tonight? I think they've got the momentum, I think they're going to come out flying on home ice, and I think the Bruins are going to have to weather a tough early storm if they want to go back to Boston with a chance to clinch. If they can get through the first period relatively unscathed, I expect another close, hard-fought chapter of this incredible series and perhaps some more overtime as well.

Marian Hossa skipped practice yesterday, but is expected to be in the Hawks lineup. Nathan Horton is still struggling with his shoulder injury, but will play as well. There may be a slight wrinkle, as Carl Soderberg was practicing on the Bruin's fourth line and may take the place of Kaspars Daugivins, as coach Claude Julien continues to look for chemistry there since Gregory Campbell went down with an injury. Crawford will start in net, even after his poor performance led to some calling for Ray Emery to make an appearance, and Rask will naturally start for Boston.

Prediction: 3-2 (OT) Hawks.

Morning Snapshots 21/06

• Just because there was no NHL hockey last night doesn't mean there is no news this morning. Let's get you caught up with the latest from around the league. 
• Yesterday was the 14 year anniversary of the infamous "skate in the crease" goal by Brett Hull to win the Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars against the Buffalo Sabres. (In case you're wondering my official stance on the goal; good goal. Under the spirit of the rule at the time the player was allowed in the crease if he "had control of the puck". I'm of the vast minority that believes even though Hull didn't have the puck on his stick, he was in control of it. Perhaps NHL video review at the time would have determined otherwise, but I stick by my conviction. And that's the last you'll hear me mention it on this blog.)

WAAP Top Ten: Potential Amnesty Buyouts

With the salary cap going down this summer, a special provision was made in the new CBA, allowing teams the opportunity to buyout two roster players without the normal cap penalty associated with it. As news leaks out of Philly that Danny Briere looks to be one of the first casualties, I thought I'd take a look at some other potential players that will be looking for a new city to play in next season.

(Note: the buyout period begins 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is presented and extends to the opening day of free agency)

1. Ilya Bryzgalov - Philadelphia Flyers: You gotta feel bad for Paul Holmgren on this one. Long has the Flyers GM searched for a franchise goalie, the likes of which hasn't been seen in Philly since Ron Hextall. The addition of Bryzgalov, who emerged as a star in the Phoenix organization and won a cup in Anaheim, was thought to be the solution. However his first season in the orange and black was mediocre, while his second was even worse. He's been an inconsistent, $5.6 million dollar distraction for the franchise. While it's not certain they'll cut and run on Bryz just yet, he's certainly a leading contender to get bought out.

Morning Snapshots 20/06

• Brent Seabrook scored the winning goal on a shot from the point that fluttered past Boston goalie Tuukka Rask in overtime last night, as Chicago took game four of the Final 6-5 and evened the series at two games apiece. The Blackhawks ended a couple rather important streaks in the process, including Boston's home winning streak, and finally breaking through on the power play for the first time in the series.
• If anything, the game was a lesson in how to lose momentum and NOT keep a lead. Chicago's offense was going, firing 47 shots on Rask, but it seemed every time they scored, the Bruins would respond and get back in the game. After a couple of snoozers in the final so far, nice to see some goals, isn't it?

SCF Game 4 Preview

Chicago Blackhawks @ Boston Bruins (8:00pm ET)
TV: CBC, NBCSN, RDS
Series: 2-1
The Bruins have an excellent chance to put a stranglehold on the series tonight with another win at home in TD Garden. Thus far, in the battle of offense versus defense, the Bruins have looked like the better team. Chicago was absolutely anemic in game three, only managing 28 shots on net to Boston's 35 and being shutout 2-0. For the Hawks to have any hope, they absolutely need their top scorers such as Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to finally make an impact in this series. There's been some thought that coach Joel Quenneville may put Toews and Kane together tonight in an attempt to spark the scoring. One positive sign for the Hawks up front will be the return of Marian Hossa, who missed game three with an undisclosed injury. Hossa is a dynamic scorer who leads the team in points this post-season, and hopefully can jump-start Chicago's power play as well. Boston's penalty killing has been absolutely outstanding, they haven't allowed a power play goal since the Rangers series in the second round. Faceoffs will also be critical tonight, as thus far the Bruins have dominated Chicago on the dot. For a puck possession team such as the Hawks, starting the play with the puck instead of chasing after it is critical to their success. 

Boston's Tuukka Rask, who hasn't allowed a goal since the first period of game two, naturally gets the start tonight against Corey Crawford of the Hawks. Both teams report no injuries, though Bruin Nathan Horton and Hawk Hossa will both be playing injured (in addition to the likely half a dozen other guys who are playing injured...it is the Playoffs after all).

Prediction: 3-2 Bruins (OT).

WAAP Top Ten: Conn Smythe Candidates

1. Tuukka Rask - Boston Bruins
How could this list be topped by anyone but Rask? The Bruin's netminder has been simply phenomenal this post-season. When Tim Thomas led Boston to the Cup in 2011, many said his goaltending performance was one for the ages. With a 1.64 goals against average, and a .946 save percentage, both tops in the NHL this post-season, Rask has been even better. He also leads the league in wins (14) and shutouts (3). This may even be one of the rare situations where even if the Bruins lose the final, Rask could still take the trophy (he would be the sixth player and fifth goaltender in history to do so). He's just that good right now.

SCF Game 2 Preview

Boston Bruins @ Chicago Blackhawks (8:00pm ET)
TV: CBC, RDS, NBCSN
Series: 1-0 Chicago
If game one was any indication of what hockey fans can expect from this series, we're in for a good one here folks. Chicago finally came away with the victory during the third overtime, on a deflection goal by Andrew Shaw, and drew first blood in the 2013 Final. In a playoff year dominated by the home team so far, the Bruins know they'll need to play with more desperation tonight if they want to avoid going back to Boston in a 2-0 hole. Chicago won their first two games in these playoffs against LA and Minnesota, and managed to defeat both teams in five games. 

The pressure will especially be on the depth scorers of the Bruins. The only player outside of the team's top six that was able to get a point in game one was Tyler Seguin, while the Blackhawks got offense from their third line and defense while the top two lines were held in check. If the Bruins can't come in waves as Chicago can, this series could be over quicker than they hope. Though they will likely take some solace from the fact they had 2-0 and 3-1 leads during game one, Chicago's ability to come back and ultimately win shows that the Bruins are going to need to be tighten up on defense.

Much of that responsibility will fall to goaltender Tuukka Rask. While Rask was pretty good in game one, making 59 saves, he's now allowed 4 goals four times in these playoffs. He'll need to have a bounce back game tonight. Conversely, Chicago netminder Corey Crawford has only allowed more than three goals once all post season. 

On the injury front, Chicago boasts a healthy lineup, while Boston will be without Gregory Campbell for the rest of the playoffs. Nathan Horton, who re-aggravated a shoulder injury in game one, is indeed going to be in the lineup tonight for Boston. A surprise start maybe, and Horton will have to be careful not to get targeted, but his scoring is too valuable for the Bruins to go without.

Prediction: 3-2 Chicago

It's NHL Awards Time!

Even though most eyes in the NHL world are focused on the Stanley Cup Finals, we pause briefly this evening and again tomorrow to honor the best of the best for the 2013 season. Thanks to the lockout, this year's NHL Awards will similarly be a truncated affair, no red carpet, few stars and (thankfully) no musical guests. Instead we will be treated to a two-part television affair with perhaps a few cameos to hand out and receive the awards. Half of the awards will be presented on Friday, the other (and more prestigious) half on Saturday prior to game two of the Final. Coming up after the jump, a look at the schedule, the nominees, and my picks for who I think should take each award (not necessarily who will take each award).

Extended Morning Snapshots 14/06

• Partially due to the fact I was unable to blog yesterday, and partially because there's so much hockey news, please sit back and enjoy an unusually lengthy edition of the morning snapshots.
• There's no need to go into the score of game one of the Stanley Cup Final, we all know the outcome by now, but here's a couple interesting stats about the game you may have missed. Chicago had an incredible 132 shot attempts in game one, 59 which were saved, 23 missed the net, 40 were blocked and 4 went in.