If I were a Scout, I'd Spend My Time in Saskatchewan

So recently I stumbled upon an obscurity about how many current and former NHL'ers were born in Saskatchewan. There are 17 of the 238 players in the Hockey Hall of Fame have come from Saskatchewan including Bernie Federko, Clark Gillies, Bryan Trottier, Glenn Hall and Gordie Howe. For a province who population is only 1 million now, those are crazy statistics, far above any other area on a per capita basis. So I decided to look at current players and put together the all Saskatchewan team.


Forwards
Scott Hartnell..............Ryan Getzlaf.............Brendan Morrow

Chris Kunitz.................Patrick Marleau.......Brooks Laich

Curtis Glencross..........Jarett Stoll................Colby Armstrong

Darcy Hordichuk.........Mike Sillinger...........Travis Moen

Blake Comeau


Defenseman
Wade Redden.................Luke Schenn

Nick Schultz....................Brendan Witt

Cory Sarich......................Brett Clark

Ryan Parent


Goalies
Cam Ward

Josh Harding

Dan Ellis


Random facts: the total cap hit of these players total 65.1313 million, so it would be unlikely that one could ever make this team. Also, a large number of these players are quite young, in their 20's with Mike Sillinger being the only player nearing retirement.

So there you have it, the all-Saskatchewan team, there may be other markets wear more NHL players come from, but few places produce this kind of talent on a per capita basis.

Which NHL Team has the best Offense?

The question is simple, but the answer is not. How do you evaluate who has the best offense? Does a ton of top goal scorers make you the best? Does 3 balanced scoring lines put you to the top? How about have 2 top lines? Where does a good power play fit in? How about having the most offense from your defensemen? Frankly, it's all about opinion, so I want to know what you think.

Here's some teams worth considering:

Detroit: They are leading the league in goals with 273, 30 more than the 2nd place team. They also have the best power play currently clicking at 26.3%. Detroit has 3 players with 30 or more goals and Zetterberg is knocking on the door with 29. With Rafalski and Lidstrom they also have 3 defenseman in the top 10 in scoring. If there's an argument against Detroit, it's the fact that they only really have 2 scoring lines, partly because of poor production and partly because of injuries.

Calgary: Calgary is a team with incredible depth of scoring with 12 players with 10 goals or more (10 forwards and 2 defenseman). They have 3 players in the top 21 (and ties) in goal scoring and with Jokinen is currently on fire, he could easily make it 3 players in the top 15 by the end of the season.

Boston: Boston has probably the most unique situation. None of their top 3 lines would be considered an elite top line, but they get more production out of their 2nd and 3rd lines than most teams could dream of. Earlier this year their 3rd line centre, David Krejci was in the top 15 in scoring. Boston has had a lot of injuries among their forwards and so consistency has been an issue but they still have 7 forwards with 17 goals or more (Lucic would probably join that group to make it 8 if he hadn't missed 10 games from injuries). Boston also has 2 of the best offensive defenseman in the league, with Wideman and Chara both in the top 14 in scoring for defenseman. Also, in regards to potential, Boston should be able to keep their team together for far longer than Detroit or Calgary because of the youth on their top 3 lines.

Philadelphia: Philly is one of only two teams with 6 players with 21 goals or more and have 5 players with 26 goals or more. They also have two other significant contributors who have barely played this season, Danny Briere who's only played 19 games but has 8 goals and 14 points and Claude Giroux 32 games, 5 goals, 19 points but who is improving and producing more every game. Philly does have one elite defenseman with Timonen currently tied for 19th in scoring among defenseman.

Pittsburgh: They may have not had the best offence throughout the year, but with the trades they made bringing in Kunitz and Guerin, and getting Gonchar back from injury they are in the running. Oh yeah, and they have arguably the 2 best playmakers (and the top 2 in points) in the game in Crosby and Malkin. If Bill Guerin gets another goal they'll have 6 guys over 20 goals and could figuratively have another if Satan wasn't in the AHL. On defense, Gonchar was 2nd in scoring among defenseman last season but isn't this year because he missed more than half the season with an injury.

San Jose: The Sharks are third in the league on the power play, and are only one of two teams with 7 players with over 50 points (Detroit is the other). Besides Philadelphia, San Jose is the only other team with 6 players who have scored 21 or more goals. They are also the only team with 4 defenseman in the top 34, and those 4 d-men all have 33 or more points. And now for a random fact, they have the most balanced 2nd line in hockey: Michalek, Clowe and Pavelski all have 52 points and have Pavelski has only one goal less (21) and one assist more (31) than Michalek and Clowe (22,30). Just think how much better they could be if Jonathan Cheechoo ever gets his scoring touch back, he's a former Rocket Richard trophy winner, but his production has steadily declined since then. He had 56 goals in 05'06 (37 in 06-07, 23 in 07-08) to just 9 goals this season.

Washington: The case for Washington is simple, elite talent: they have the leagues leading goal scorer in Ovechkin and the leagues top scoring defenseman in Mike Green (who's got 28 goals so far). Both Green and Ovechkin have huge leads on the 2nd place players in goal scoring. They also have two others besides Ovechkin in the top 19 in scoring (Backstrom and Semin). Washington has the 2nd best power play in the league, clicking at 24.3%.


Here's one more bizarre comparison for you. Take the top 7 scorers from each of these 7 teams and let's look at the goals per game of each contributor.

Detroit: 180 goals in 458 games played. 0.393 goals per player. 2.75 goals per game.
Calgary: 170 goals in 458 games played. 0.371 goals per player. 2.60 goals per game.
Boston: 153 goals in 480 games played. 0.319 goals per player. 2.23 goals per game.
Philadelphia: 180 goals in 442 games played. 0.407 goals per player. 2.85 goals per game.
Pittsburgh: 152 goals in 446 games played. 0.341 goals per player. 2.39 goals per game.
San Jose: 166 goals in 490 games played. 0.339 goals per player. 2.37 goals per game.
Washington: 172 goals in 452 games played. 0.381 goals per player. 2.66 goals per game.


So what are your thoughts? What team do you think is the best offensive team in hockey? Are there any of these teams that really don't belong in the conversation in your mind? What factors would you use to decide what team is the best?

Looking Back on Trade Deadline Day

It's only been two weeks since the trade deadline but the impact of the players moved has already been noticable. Some of the players moved have made dramatic impacts on their new teams while others have done relatively nothing. So here's a look at how some of those traded are doing with their new teams. Remember, its about expectations, we don't expect a role player to score a goal a game, so some players with similar stats will fall in different lists all because of expectations.


Hot: Playing above the expectations of the team

-Bill Guerin: 7 GP, 2 G, 7 A, +2.....Pittsburgh's unbeaten since he joined them and is playing great on a line with Kunitz and Crosby.

-Eric Cole: 6 GP, 2G, 6 A, +4.....Not only is Cole playing well, but he has boosted Eric Staal's performance as well.

-Olli Jokinen: 6 GP, 8 G, 2 A, -1.....Jokinen has been on fire, and combined with Cammalleri and Iginla, may be able to lead Calgary deep into the playoffs.

-Nik Antropov: 7 GP, 4 G, 2 A, Even....Seems to be the offensive boost the Rangers needed.

-Antoine Vermette: 5 GP, 3 G, 3 A, +2......Has fit in quite nice as a complimentary scorer and his playoff experience could help this team as well.

-Travis Moen: 6 GP, 2 G, 1 A, Even......2 goals and 3 points from a checker is a nice contribution.

-Scottie Upshall: 7 GP, 3 G, 1 A, -1.....Hey, -1 on Phoenix is pretty good, he had 7 goals in 55 games for Philly, and already has 3 in 7 games with Phoenix.


Lukewarm: Playing slightly above or below the expectations of the team

-Derek Morris: 7 GP, 2 A, +1......he's been one of the Rangers better defenceman so far....but can he really help their power play?

-Dmitri Kalinin: 7 GP, 1 G, 2 A, -1.......almost in the hot category, maybe Kalinin can be an offensive contributor after all.

-Matthew Lombardi: 7 GP, 1 G, 3 A, -3.......not a bad start for Phoenix, but needs to continue producing.

Petr Prucha: 7 GP, 3 A, -2......Can Prucha ever be the goal scorer that he was in his rookie season, perhaps lots of ice time in Phoenix will get him back on track.

-Erik Christensen: 4 GP, 2 A, -3.....Production balances off poor defensive play, Anaheim is hoping he can be a second line winger or third line center.

-James Wisniewski: 4 GP, 1 G, -1.....Hears to hoping that Wisniewski can take this chance and become a top 4 d-men. He showed glimpses with Chicago, but 4 games is just to early to tell.

-Mark Recchi: 7 GP, 3 G, 0 A, -2.......His goals are good, but he needs to do more. He's a veteran top 6 forward and needs to help lead the Bruins deep into the playoffs.

-Daniel Carcillo: 7 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 P, Even, 23 PIM......3 points for a role player isn't bad but the Flyers need him to be even more physical, he could be the next true Broad Street Bully.

Cold: Detracting or not contributing to the team

-Ales Kotalik: 6 GP, O points, -1......Welcome to Edmonton, killer of the scoring winger, how come so many offensive wingers struggle here? Cole, Penner, now Kotalik. How long will it be until he see the press box, like so many others have in Edmonton.

-Jordan Leopold: 6 GP, 1 G, 0 A, -4...........for as good as Jokinen has been, Leopold has been equally disappointing.

-Dominic Moore: 6 GP, 0 G, 0 A, Even.........brought in to supplement scoring and simply hasn't done anything.

-Steve Eminger 6 GP, 0 P, -3......Florida wasn't asking for the moon, just get a point or two and don't put up big minuses, so far Eminger hasn't even been able to do that.

-Mikael Tellqvist 2 GP, 0 W, 1 L, .875 SV%, 4.17 GAA.....he's supposed to be filling in for Ryan Miller, but come on, any AHL goalie can let in 4 goals a game.

-Patrick O'Sullivan: 6 GP, 1 G, 1 A, Even.....he's not playing horribly, the Oilers simply need more from him.

-Nigel Dawes: 6 GP, 1 A, -3.....I know everyone on Phoenix seems to be playing at a minus but where as some are embracing their new surroundings, Dawes doesn't seem to be doing much at all.

Injured

-Sammy Pahlsson: He has yet to play for Chicago. Injured since Jan. 31 but will be activated from the IR today.

I know it's only been two weeks since the trade deadline, but I think there are some important information coming out of it. If you are trading for a UFA you are obviously hoping that the player you pick up is going to help you get into the playoffs, and secondly help you in the playoffs. We can see definite benefits for Pittsburgh, Calgary, Carolina, Columbus, and N.Y. Rangers based on the players they brought in. On the other hand the acquistions of Edmonton and Buffalo specifically have done little to help their team. It often takes time to build chemistry but it's a huge benefit when that chemistry comes naturally and production follows. For teams like Pittsburgh and Carolina the production of the players they picked up have already made an impact and because of this they have the lead in the race to the playoffs.

Signing the Sedins

Matthew Sekeres of the Globe and Mail writes that the Vancouver Canucks and Daniel and Henrik Sedin are still millions of dollars apart in contract negotiations. The twins are seeking five-year deals that average $6.5-million (all currency U.S.) a year. The Canucks have countered with $5.5-million over three or four years.

It is a well known fact that the Sedins are a package deal and, based on that idea, they think they are worth essentially 13 million a year for 5 years (6.5 million for each of them). It is also expected that the salary cap will remain around the 56 million that it currently is for next season and then could drop to as low as 46 million for 2010-2011. So based on these salary cap estimations I've gone through the salaries of every team to see who else can really afford the Sedins with a cap of 56 million next season and we'll estimate a cap of 50 million for 2010-11 and beyond.


Barring any major trades by a team, these are the teams that currently have room for the Sedins at 13 million for the even the next 2 seasons:

Atlanta is a possibility as they have 30 million committed to 12 players for next season and only 14 million signed in 2010-11.

Dallas is a major longshot but it's technically possible as they have 38.5 million committed to 14 players for next season and 21 million signed in 2010-11.

Montreal is a team to be considered, if the Sedins don't re-sign in Vancouver, as they have a miniscule 23.5 million committed to 11 players and only 18 million committed in 2010-11. They also have a ton of young prospects which makes signing high priced free agents easier to work with.

Nashville seems to have the cap space with 14 players signed for 33.5 million and 26 million committed in 2010-11 but one has to wonder whether they would want to spend even more money on forwards since they already have 4 forwards making 4 million or more.

N.Y. Islanders also could be a major player as they have 15 players signed for only 30 million next year and have 24.5 million locked up in 2010-11.

Phoenix could afford them as they have 36.5 million committed to 16 players and have 24 million committed in 2010-11.

St. Louis is also a longshot but again it's possible as they have 40 million committed to 16 players for next year and 21 million signed in 2010-11.

Vancouver seems to be the leading candidate but may not be willing to commit the 13 million that the Sedins want. They have 31 million committed to 11 players but only 13 million invested for 2010-11. I simply don't forsee most of these teams going after a 13 million dollar acquistion.


For a team outside of this list to consider signing the scenes would require a major salary dump or trade. Consequently, I see two options, that the Sedins will not be able to sign together with the same team or that they will not be able to sign for the amount they want, or necessarily in the market they want. This bodes well for all Canucks fans, knowing first that you may not have to pay the Sedins 6.5 million a season (13 for the both of them), and secondly that you have a far greater chance of keeping the Sedins because of fears of the cap going down. For once the "economic recession" may actually be a good thing, that is, as a Canucks fan.

Roberts flames out

Gary Roberts retired today. It was probably a year overdue, as he had not played much in Tampa Bay this year, and there was not a market for a 42-year-old forward at the trade deadline. Roberts was one of my favourite Leafs for the first half of the decade, and he was arguably one of the toughest old guys in the NHL from 2000 to 2004. He is a classically Canadian hockey player, a 50-goal scorer once, and a force as a power forward for most of his career. He was also an inspiration for how he was able to overcome a neck injury that could have ended his career and how he focused on humanitarian needs in whichever city he played. So here's the question: is Gary Roberts a Hall of Famer? His numbers are impressive, though not amazing: 20+ seasons, 1,224 games, 438 goals, 471 assists, 2,560 penalty minutes, 1 Stanley Cup (Flames in 1989). He was a top-three forward on the Flames and Leafs, and he demonstrated a high level of fitness and ability through to the end of his career. I think that, by the numbers, he'd be just on the outside, but that when all factors are considered, Roberts should be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Thoughts?

Predictions: Who will make the Playoffs?

Well now that we know what each team will essentially look like for the remainder of the season, I'm willing to make some predictions as to who will make the playoffs. It's a dangerous business, one in which my reputation as a psychic will probably be destroyed but I'm willing to go there anyways. As I write, the Eastern Conference is as tight as ever, and the Western Conference has been close for a couple of months. The East has 6 teams fighting for the final four playoff spots and only two points seperating Montreal in 5th with 75 points from Carolina in 10th with 73 points. The West has a bit more seperation but also has more teams vying for fewer spots. Between 6th and 13th there is only a spread of five points: Nashville, Columbus, and Dallas are all tied for 6th with 70 points while Los Angeles is all the way down in 13th but is still close with 65 points.

So it comes down to the predictions. What team has more games left? What team has good chemistry, good goaltending, or made good deadline acquistions? Are there players coming back from injuries, or who have recently gone out with an injury? What team has an easier schedule (quality of opponents, more games at home or on the road, and how do they fare at home or the road)? Throw all these factors in, and finally add what your gut is telling you and from that I make my predictions. So here they are.

Eastern Conference
1. Boston: Guaranteed Playoff Spot
2. New Jersey: Guaranteed Playoff Spot
3. Washington: Guaranteed Playoff Spot
4. Philadelphia: Goaltending is an issue but this team will be fine outscoring the competition.
5. Florida: Chemisty and a vote of confidence in keeping Jay Bouwmeester put Florida into the playoffs.
6. Pittsburgh: Finally fielding a full lineup and from that they have won their last five (four of which were without Crosby). Last years run to the cup has given them the experience they need.
7. Montreal: Though the team is playing poorly at the moment, they have 11 or 17 games left at home and are the 2nd best team in East at home.
8. Carolina: Getting Eric Cole will spark this team, especially Eric Staal. Having four of their last five at home will also help.
9. N. Y. Rangers: Good bye Glen Sather, well I'm not sure you'll get fired but you deserve it. The Rangers made some of the biggest moves at the deadlines but I don't think it will help their power play, and that will be their downfall: scoring goals.
10. Buffalo: Personally I'm rooting for Buffalo but they finish the season playing 7 games in 11 days; 4 of those games are against division leaders.

Also missing the playoffs: Toronto, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and N.Y. Islanders.

Western Conference
1. San Jose: Guaranteed Playoff Spot
2. Detroit: Guaranteed Playoff Spot
3. Calgary: Guaranteed Playoff Spot
4. Chicago: Guaranteed Playoff Spot
5. Vancouver: Two scoring lines, a great goaltender, a healthy defence, and no chemistry issues. Oh and they are the hottest team in the NHL right now.
6. Columbus: If Steve Mason plays as well as he has they'll be in. It also doesn't hurt that they have one of the easier schedules left in the NHL.
7. Dallas: This team has had a dramatic turnaround since Sean Avery left. Sometimes it's all about chemistry.
8. Edmonton: Good moves by Steve Tambellini at the deadline. Kotalik should fit well with Hemsky, he's played with him before in the 2006 Olympics. Injuries could drop them out of the playoffs though.
9. Nashville: They have 11 of 17 games left on the road and are 12-17-2 on the road. Hard to overcome that. They need better goalscoring and in that they really miss Alex Radulov.
10. St. Louis: They've made a nice run and will continue to play well but just won't make it. The biggest problem is that they're actually moving further away from a lottery pick.
11. Minnesota: Lack of offence, injuries to your top 2 forwards (Brunette and Gaborik) and 11 of your 18 final games on the road: Minnesota's just not gonna make it.
12. Anaheim: Simply put they've played too many games and just aren't gonna get hot in time for the playoffs. Bob Murray was smart enough to realize this and re-tool for next year and their future.
13. Los Angeles: Traded one of their young stars in Patrick O'Sullivan for a more proven scorer and added some experience, but it will take some time until Justin Williams is back to his normal self. Look for L.A. to make the playoffs next year.

Also missing the playoffs: Colorado, Phoenix


The 6 teams with a chance for John Tavares: N. Y. Islanders, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Colorado, Ottawa.

Deadline day winners and losers

It wasn't a big surprise that Deadline Day was an overall dud, what with the economy tanking and all. But there were a few things to know after today.

Winner of the day: Olli Jokinen. Not only does he get to try for the playoffs for the first time, but he gets out of the mess formerly known as the Phoenix Coyotes.

Losers of the day: Anyone who went to "the mess in AZ". (Dawes, Kalinin, Prucha, Lombardi, etc.) And the Vancouver Canucks. How do you not do anything? I know they're on a roll, but even a role player or two would have been something.

Acquisitions with highest possible upside: Jokinen to Flames and Recchi to Boston. Recchi might be that final piece for a still underrated Bruins team.

Most mindboggling trade: Olaf Kolzig, Jamie Heward, a 4th round pick, and Andy Rogers to the Leafs for a prospect. I'm trying to figure this one out...do the Marlies need the help? Is this a salary trade? Did Brian Burke just want to have the Leafs in the news? I don't get this one!

Acquisition(s) we notice least now that might have most impact: Kotalik to Edmonton, Pahlsson to Chicago, McLaren and Carcillo to Philadelphia.

Teams that improved themselves today: Calgary, Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Edmonton

Teams that are worse off after the day: New York Rangers, Buffalo

Teams that mystified me today: Anaheim (are you making the playoffs or not?), San Jose (Will Travis Moen and Kent Huskins make that much of a difference?), Pittsburgh (Bill Guerin is your big pick up?), Ottawa (all you do is trade Vermette for Leclaire?), and Toronto (that last trade still stymies me).

Final verdict: Very little changed as a result of today. Calgary is the only team that substantially changed anything, and it likely won't change their standings in the season. (They're 10 back of Detroit and 8 ahead of Vancouver...not much changing.) But the proof is in the playoffs, I suppose...

Iggy and Avery

First off Kudos to Iginla for passing Theoren Fleury in the points department though I think he did it in like 128+ more games than Fleury did which he was keen to point out in the Calgary Sun.  Eric Francis interviewed Fleury before the Iginla surpassed his mark with a 5 point game in a losing effort against Tampa Bay... yeah you read that right.  As a kid I liked Fleury mainly because I'm a Moose Jaw boy and Fleury came from the Warriors so of course you had to cheer him on just like I do Ryan Smyth (despite the fact that they actually both play(ed) for the Avalanche; a team I just love to hate).  Fleury was a player who played with a lot of heart and grit who let his off-ice vices get a hold of him.  I enjoyed watching him play and it is too bad that we do not have a time machine where we could transport Fleury and see how he would do in today's league when he was in his prime.  He thinks he would be great and so would I.

Today Avery returns to the NHL and is back in New York where he shared such great moments as making Kari Lehtonen look like a tool and then making himself look like one waving his stick around in front of the greatest goaltender in the game.  People are worried about what Avery will bring or take away from the Ranger locker room and frankly it does not matter.  If he is a disruption than it is Sather's fault for bringing him back but Avery did help that team when he was there and I think people should recognize that.  There are a few worries outside of that however.  One being that Shanahan, who kept Avery in line as much as he could, is no longer there.  You need a veteran presence in that locker room to keep him in line and that the Rangers have in abundance in Redden, Naslund, Drury and you might be able to fit Gomez in there as well but I do not really want to.  If the team is going to hold together and build off of what Avery is going to bring to their game then it is up to these three guys to do that.  Of course this is all moot if Avery does not need a veteran chaperone.  This then brings in the other worry is if Avery calms down too much and does not have the edge that he played with before.  He is a dynamite playoff performer and even the Avery haters have to admit that - though he can disappear.  One thing is for sure Tortorella has his hands full now, even more so than when he took charge of this sliding team.  

I do not want to be the first one to throw a stone at Avery (and I know for a fact that I am not) but I do enjoy his play when he is on his game.  I heard on the radio on my way home today that a guy (who will remain unnamed) wants Avery to fail again and then the league can be done with him.  I say no, this guy has the potential to be a new Jeremy Roenick and he has been given a lot of chances but perhaps this Dallas experience has finally set him straight.  I, myself, can only hope that he has changed for the better but I know I am in the minority.  Good luck to you Avery.  Don't screw it up.