by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles
The Detroit Red Wings, last season’s Stanley Cup Champions, didn’t have to improve their roster this off season, but they did anyway. In recent years, many championship teams have done the opposite. In the salary cap world, it’s extremely difficult to keep great teams together, because the more success you have, the more is expected in salary.
Key Additions: Marian Hossa (RW) and Ty Conklin (G)
The Wings have added another star player in Marian Hossa for relatively cheap. Hossa wanted to come to the team that has the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup this season so badly, that he was willing to take significantly less than he was offered from other teams. Apparently, the Wings made a deal with Nicklas Lidstrom that he would settle for $7.45 million per season only if the Wings promised that he’d remain their highest paid played. That’s why the Hossa was signed for $7.4 million. In Ty Conklin, the Wings have signed a top quality back-up goaltender who can step into a starter’s role if Osgood becomes injured. He may not be as legendary as Dominik Hasek, but he’ll do just fine.
Key Departures: Dominik Hasek (G), Chris Chelios (D), Dallas Drake (RW), Matt Hartigan (C), Darren McCarty (RW) and Garrett Stafford (D).
Domink Hasek and Dallas Drake have both announced their retirement this off-season. Though Hasek turned into Osgood’s back-up in the play-offs and Drake wasn’t a big scorer last season, they will both be missed. There’s a lot of uncertainty involving the careers of Chris Chelios and Darren McCarty. Both of whom are unrestricted free agents. Though the Wings have practically no cap space left, there have been rumours of McCarty resigning for what would most likely be the league minimum. With the addition of Brad Stuart at the trade deadline, it seems as though Chelios’ days in Detroit are at an end. The 46 year-old hasn’t announced his retirement yet though, and may add a great veteran presence on defence to a team such as the Los Angeles Kings.
Top Prospects: Jimmy Howard (G), Jakub Kindl (D)
Detroit’s greatest prospect is probably Jimmy Howard. He most likely won’t see much time with the big club this season, but with the expected player dumb before the 2009-10 season, he may get his chance soon (more to follow). Jakub Kindl will most likely start the season on the farm in Grand Rapids, but could see some time with the big club as injuries arise.
Potential Line-Up:
Forward Lines
Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Hossa
Holmstrom/Hudler/Franzen
Cleary/Filppula/Samuelsson
Maltby/Draper/Kopecky
Defensive Pairings
Lidstrom/Rafalski
Kronwall/Stuart
Lilja/Lebda
Goaltenders
Osgood
Conklin
Scratch
Aaron Downey
What’s Next?:
Besides the possible signing of McCarty, the Red Wings seem to be finished their moves for this off-season. However, the 2009 off-season will be a different story. With Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen, Mikael Samuelsson and Ty Conklin all schedule to become unrestricted free agents next off-season, there will be some big changes in Detroit by this time next year. Detroit’s main priority will be to sign Zetterberg who will be getting a big increase from the mere $2.65 million average on his current contract. Hossa and Conklin will most likely not be returning and others will be traded if the Wings intend to resign Zetterberg, Franzen and Samuelsson. I wouldn’t expect the Wings to be dealing away any of these players during the season though as they will all be expected to be key contributors in the play-offs.
Overall:
The Detroit Red Wings have a great mix of young talent and experienced veterans. They’ve improved with off-season transactions, and their young players will continue to improve with experience. Even with expected changes for the 2009-10 season, the Red Wings will continue to be a great team mainly because of their amazing player development and drafting skills. They’re favoured to once again become repeat Stanley Cup Champions, but a “Three-peat” could prove difficult.
Monday, August 25, 2008
DETROIT RED WINGS SEASON PREVIEW 2008-09
Friday, August 22, 2008
NHL TOP ROOKIE PREVIEW 2008-09
by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles
Here’s a list of the Top 10 Rookies to watch during the 2008-2009 season.
This list is based purely on estimated point production (besides goaltenders of course), because that seems to be the bases behind the NHL’s selections for the Calder Trophy and the All-Rookie Team. How else would Tom Gilbert make last season’s All-Rookie Team over Erik Johnson, Marc Staal and other better all around defenseman? I’ve also made sure to include at least one goaltender and two defensemen on the list to make up an All-Rookie Team prediction.
Some players were left off the list not because of their lack of talent, but for reasons such as that there isn’t much roster space to include them on their NHL team, their club doesn’t want to rush them and think they should condition on the farm team or minor leagues, or the player wishes to remain on their college or European team for now. Circumstances could change though, and there’s always a chance that anyone could play. These players include:
Alexei Cherepanov, Alex Goligoski, Steve Mason, Tuukka Rask, Bobby Sanguinetti, James vanRiemsdyk and others.
Other honourable mentions that did not crack the top 10 include:
Karl Alzner, Patrick Berglund, Brian Boyle, Derek Brassard, Fabian Brunnstrom, Erik Ersberg, Nikita Filatov, Thomas Hickey, Patric Hornqvist, Shawn Matthias, Alexei Nikulin, T.J. Oshie, Ryan Parent, Ted Purcell, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Porter, and Jack Skille.
10. Zach Bogosian – Defenseman,
There’s room on
9. Bobby Ryan – Right Wing,
Though he was drafted 2nd only the Sidney Crosby in 2005, Ryan’s had trouble making his mark in the NHL. One reason is because it’s difficult to crack a squad as talented as the Anaheim Ducks, and it’s challenging to get much ice time when you do. If he doesn’t prove himself soon though, he’ll be seen as a bust of a 2nd overall pick (as Kevin Lowe has pointed out). He did play 23 games for the Ducks last season and managed to get 10 points. He also averaged just over a point per game in the AHL last year. Since he played less than 25 games last season, he’s still eligible for the Calder Trophy this season.
8. Drew Doughty – Defenseman,
There are currently at least a couple spots available for defensemen on the Kings roster, but things may change since the Kings are under the minimum allowed salary right now by over $10 million. Doughty may be fighting for a roster spot with another great defensive prospect in Thomas Hickey. Doughty may be rushed to the NHL to fill the Kings shaken roster, but he could use more time in the minor leagues to improve his defensive play despite winning last year’s Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman. He was also named Top Defenseman at the 2008 World Juniors.
7. Kyle Okposo – Winger,
Okposo came into the NHL late last season and got 5 points in his first 9 games. He also got 28 points in 35 games in the AHL last season and averaged a point per game in the NCAA in 2006-07. There’s speculation that he may see serious time on the Islanders top line this season.
6. Jonathan Bernier – Goaltender,
If any rookie goaltender has a chance at snatching a starter position next season it’s Bernier or perhaps his teammate Erik Ersberg. With the sub-par and injury filled season of Jason Labarbera and the buying out of Dan Cloutier,
5. Nikolai Kulemin – Winger,
Forget Nikita Filatov, Kulemin will be this season's most touted Russian Rookie. He plays a physical game, but is also a fast skater and good stickhandler. He was 19th in scoring in the Russian Super League last season which is pretty good considering all the former NHLers competing against him like Alexei Yashin and Alexei Morozov. Apparently, the Leafs are saying he’ll play on one of their top two lines this season.
4. Jakub Voracek – Right Winger, Columbus Blue Jackets (Drafted 7th 2007)
The Czech prospect moved to
3. Steven Stamkos – Center,
Stamkos was the 2008 1st overall draft pick, but can he win the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year? Though Patrick Kane achieved the feat last season, I don’t this Stamkos will be able to match Kane’s numbers. He scored 105 points in 61 games in the OHL last season. Kane had 145 points in the OHL the year before he entered the NHL. Stamkos is expected to be the Lightning’s second line center.
2. Claude Giroux – Right Wing,
Giroux played a couple games for the Flyers last season, but spent most of the year in the QMJHL where he scored 106 points in 55 games. He’s a fast skating play maker, but though he’s gritty, some worry about his size.
1. Kyle Turris – Center,
Turris was Team
Saturday, August 16, 2008
MCCABE'S GOING TO FLORIDA, BUT WHO'S COMING TO TORONTO?
by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles
Sources close to the Toronto Maple Leafs are saying that Bryan McCabe has agreed to waive his no-movement clause in order to become part of a trade with the Florida Panthers.
Apparently, all the players involved in the trade have been agreed upon by Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher and Panthers GM Jacques Martin, but the trigger won’t be pulled on the deal until after McCabe is given his $2 million signing bonus by the Leafs on September 1st. This would obviously save the Panthers some money.
The other players involved remain a mystery. Though sources say there will likely be a second player headed to
Another rumour is that the Leafs will receive defenseman Mike Van Ryn. Though this rumour has not been confirmed or denied, I see it as unlikely. The major reasons why McCabe is being dealt it because the Leafs are trying to built a younger and more defensive team and with the signing of Jeff Finger, the possibility of 2008 5th overall draft pick Luke Schenn making the team, and the potential signing of Swedish defenseman Jonas Frogren, the Leafs have a defenseman to spare.
Van Ryn is more of an offensive defenseman, and with the likes of Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina and Anton Stralman on the point there isn’t any urgent need for the Leafs to gain another offensive defenseman. Van Ryn is younger than McCabe, but at 29 years of age, he’s no spring chicken either. He also may not be recovered from wrist surgery by the time the season starts, and the injury plagued Leafs probably won’t be willing to take on another injury prone player.
What other Leafs may be involved in the trade? Depending on who they get in return it could really be anybody. Besides newly acquired players Jamal Mayers and Curtis Joseph and starting goaltender Vesa Toskala, the only trade eligible player the Leafs have over 30 is Jason Blake. With the Leafs new youth movement, Blake could be on the move. The often injured, Carlo Colaiacovo and the underachieving Mark Bell are other players that may be involved.
The Leafs are most likely interested in obtaining a young two-way forward from the Panthers that could play anywhere on their top three lines. Here’s my list of the top 5 Florida Panther players that the Leafs would be most interested in:
5. Kamil Kreps – A 23 year-old center who showed strength defensively and promise offensively in his first full season last year.
4. Rostislav Olesz – A 7th overall draft pick, the 22 year-old winger hasn’t performed to expectation offensively in his first three NHL seasons, but he plays aggressive while staying out of the penalty box.
3. Stephen Weiss – A very capable player at both ends of the ice. The 25 year-old center was also born in
2. David Booth – The 23 year-old winger had a phenomenal sophomore season proving that he can not only play a great physical game, he can also rack up the points.
1. Nathan Horton – It’s obvious why the Leafs would want this guy on their team. He can score, he can hit, he can play in his own end and he has the potential to be a super star if he had more offensive freedom. If the Leafs want to get him though, they’ll definitely have to give up more than just Bryan McCabe.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
WILL KUBINA REMAIN A LEAF? ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO DECIDE
by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles
As Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Cliff Fletcher promised, there have been many changes made to his team this off season. Veterans have left the team in favour of younger players with growing potential. One player who has been the subject of trade rumours but still remains with the team is veteran defenseman Pavel Kubina. However, if the team wishes to trade him, they’ll have to do it by August 15th. That’s when Kubina’s no trade clause will kick in.
There were rumours around last season’s trade deadline that Fletcher had requested Kubina to lift his no-trade for a trade he had in place with the New York Islanders. Supposedly, Kubina was about to approve the trade but then denied it. Kubina went on to finish the season strongly. His improvement may have saved his job with the Maple Leafs.
The Leafs do have quite a few blue-liners and it seams that somebody will be leaving before the new season begins. Early this week, it was reported that Bryan McCabe has lightened his stance on his no-trade clause and Fletcher has said that his situation is “going to be resolved amicably before training camp.” If McCabe is traded, Kubina may remain as the team’s primary point shot specialist.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
DECISIONS, DECISIONS: HAS MATS SUNDIN MADE HIS CHOICE?
by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles
Captain Mats Sundin has been meditating and reflecting in his homeland of
Sundin’s possible choices are:
a) Sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team he’s lead for the last 13 seasons for an alleged $7 million one-year deal.
b) Sign with the Vancouver Canucks, the team that offered the most money - a $10 million per season, two-year deal. That would make him the highest paid player in the league.
c) Retire.
I believe Mats Sundin has made his choice and he will play for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.
On Sunday, Aftonbladet (a Swedish newspaper) published an interview with Mats Sundin. This is what he had to say:
“I will make a decision in the end of July or beginning of August.”
“If I am going to play, it’s for the full season and I want to be there from the beginning of August.”
“If it was all about the money, I would have signed with
“I feel strongly for
“Joe Nieuwendyk has come into the club’s front office, and he’s a fantastic leader and has got a real winner’s mentality. I believe he’s going to help a lot in the process of building a club that’s strong and can fight for the Stanley Cup in the future. I believe they’re going to get a good team already this season.”
I translate this as: “I will announce my decision by the beginning of August. I want to play a full season. It’s not about the money, so I’m not going to
With Sundin in the line-up, the Leafs roster will definitely be an improvement on last year’s team. With the key additions being Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers, Jeff Finger and Custis Joseph, and the key departures being Darcy Tucker, Kyle Wellwood and Andrew Raycroft.
The Leafs also have a lot of young players who will continue to improve. Among them are Anton Stralman and Jiri Tlusty who have played excellent hockey for the Toronto Marlies and both saw at least 50 games for the Leafs last year in their rookie seasons. Highly touted prospects Luke Schenn and Nikolai Kulemin may also make the club this season.
Last seasons key pick-ups, Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake should also improve this season. Toskala was a bit shaky in his first 15-20 starts as he not only had to adjust to becoming a first time starting NHL goaltender, but he also had to do it in Toronto, the center of the NHL universe. Blake’s battle with his newly diagnosed cancer and his troubles adjusting to his new line-mates made it difficult to attain a great follow up to his 40-goal season the year before. Both players improved as the season went on and should start strong in the up coming season.
Without Sundin though, the other improvements will be out weighed by the loss of their super star leader.
On another note, don't you think Captain Mats looks a little like Captain Picard?
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
DEAR BRYAN MCCABE, WHY ARE YOU STILL IN TORONTO?
by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles
Dear Bryan McCabe,
Why are you still in
I mean, I understand why you originally wanted to play in
One thing about playing in the center of the hockey universe though is that there are more eyes watching you than in any other NHL market, and these eyes do not forget what they see. You should know better than anyone what they’ve seen. They’ve seen a guy score on his own net. They’ve seen a guy pass the puck directly onto the stick of his opponent allowing his opponent to score the goal that defeats your team several times. They’ve seen a defenseman who seems to take his time skating into his own zone to defend the offensive rush of his opponents. They see their worse defensive defenseman get paid more than any other player on the team. You’re the 10th highest paid defenseman in the league, and the fans in
Because of these things, you get booed. I’m sure you can hear it. You’re not only booed at the arena.
Now, you know just like everyone else knows that you hold the key to your own destiny. You’ve got a no trade clause and the Leafs management along with every other hockey fan in the city wants you to waive that no trade clause and leave town. I don’t understand why you’d want to stay where you’re not wanted. If you go to some city that doesn’t care about hockey so much, maybe they won’t notice your horrible defensive play if you put a few pucks in the net. Why not go anywhere that wants you?
Look, chances are that the
Anyway, I hope you take my suggestions under consideration and have better luck next season.
Sincerely,
Mike Jack
Thursday, July 3, 2008
TOP 5 TEAM USA VICTORIES
by Brian P. Foley, The College Baseball Blog
Since we are celebrating the Fourth of July this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to look at the Top 5 victories by a United States squad during an International competition. I hope that I did not miss any major victories.
5. Ryder Cup 1999- USA 14.5, Europe 13.5
The United States trailed Europe 10-6 entering the final day but Ben Crenshaw who was captainign the US squad said in the Saturday press conference that he had a good feeling about the final day. Team USA went out and had a 8-3-1 record in the singles competition to give the USA team the Ryder Cup. The biggest shot of the day was when Justin Leonard hit a 45 foot putt on the 17th hole which ended up turning into the putt to give the United States the trophy because Jose Maria Olazabal would miss his putt.
4. Olympic Baseball 2000- USA 4, Cuba 0
Team USA picked up a 4-0 victory in the gold medal match against the reigning two time gold medal champion Cuba. Team USA was led by Tommy Lasorda in the dugout as a bunch of minor league baseball players were able to knock off the great Cuban team. Ben Sheets pitched a complete game shutout over a Cuban squad which included future MLB player Jose Contreras. Other future MLB talent on the squad included Brett Abernathy, Kurt Ainsworth, Sean Burroughs, Adam Everett, Ryan Franklin, Doug Mientkiewicz, Roy Oswalt, Sheets, Brad Wilkerson and former big-league catcher Pat Borders.
3. Women's World Cup 1998- USA 0, China 0 (USA won 5-4 on PKs)
This game was very dull but ranks in the third spot as it brought Women's soccer to the front of psyche of United States sports fans. Brandi Chastain scored the winning goal for the US squad and promptly ripped off her jersey to show her solid body.
2. Men's World Cup 1950- USA 1, England 0
This is still considered the greatest victory by a United States side in Men's soccer. England had a record of 23-4-3 since World War II entering the match with the United States side. The US picked up a goal in the 37th minute from Joe Gaetjens from Walter Bahr. The US was able to hold onto the 1-0 lead through the rest of the game with great saves from Frank Borghi. The victory was turned into a book entitled "The Game of Their Lives." The victory was only seen by one American reporter who ended up being on vacation in Brazil and when the scoreline made it back to the US and England they thought it was a typo instead of 1-0 that the score was 10-0 for England.
1. Olympic Men's Hockey 1980- USA 4, USSR 3
This is considered one of the greatest upsets in Olympic History as the United States team led by Herb Brooks and a bunch of amateur hockey players knocked off the USSR in the medal round of the Olympic hockey tournament.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
HAGMAN, FINGER & CUJO: WHAT WILL THE MAPLE LEAFS DO NEXT?
by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles
Yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs signed winger, Niklas Hagman, defenseman, Jeff Finger and goaltender Curtis Joseph on the first day of the NHL free agent signing period.
Coach Ron Wilson has said Hagman will most likely play on a checking line with Jamal Mayers who was acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Blues just before the draft. Hagman scored 27 goals last season with the Dallas Star. He was signed for a reasonable $3 million per season.
Finger, who played with
Joseph was the Leafs starting goaltender from 1998 to 2002, and now returns to back up Vesa Toskala. He left Toronto for a chance to win the Stanley Cup with Detroit, but ended up riding the pine when Dominik Hasek signed with Detroit soon after. Joseph signed with
So, what’s
In a July 1st press conference, Fletcher said they'd sign another defenseman in the next couple days. I think the best fit of the remaining
If the Leafs do sign another defensemen though, they'll have eight defenseman signed (Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, McCabe, Finger, Anton Stralman, Ian White and Carlo Colaiacovo). I think that means that either Kubina, McCabe or maybe even Colaiacovo will be traded. Now that Brian Campbell, Mark Streit, Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Brooks Orpik and Ron Hainsey are all signed, teams looking for an offensive defenseman may be willing to dish out the dollars for McCabe or Kubina.
McCabe said he'd waiver his no trade clause to go to
Kubina may have earned another chance with the Leafs after scoring 40 points last season, but at 31, he's now the fifth oldest Leaf and one of seven Leafs that are 30+. Kubina’s contract only allows him to be traded before August 15th.
Colaiacovo could be gone for the same reason that Kyle Wellwood left, he's hurt often. If Kubina or McCabe go, he'd be a good sixth or seventh defenseman though. If Luke Schenn, the 5th overall pick in the 2008 draft, makes a push in camp, he may too take Colaiacovo's spot.
Now, that most of the really good
I think the Leafs will give Jason Blake another shot. He'll be 35 this season, but he had some stuff to deal with next year like cancer. He could still be a top scorer. It looks like the Leafs may be keeping Mark Bell around too. I think that huge hit on Daniel Alfredsson at the end of the year saved his career.
Besides Fletcher’s promise to sign another defenseman soon, any other moves the Leafs perform this off season will depend on whether or not they trade Kubina or McCabe and whether or not Sundin decides to sign back with
Saturday, June 28, 2008
WHO WILL THE MAPLE LEAFS SIGN?
by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles
General Manager, Cliff Fletcher has accumulated quite the pile of money by relinquishing the likes of Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft,
With the NHL free agent signing period just three days away (July 1st), it could be a wild free agent season for the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Leafs choose not to go for their own unrestricted free agents, they’ll have about $18 million in cap space available to sign younger unrestricted free agents with their only real roster needs being three forwards and a back-up goalie.
So, with $18 million to spend, here are the top five players the Leafs should offer a contract to on July 1st:
5. Jeff Finger, Defenseman
The Leafs may need a defensive defenseman on their second defensive pairing. Hal Gill was suppose to be that guy last year, but a younger defensive player like Finger or Brooks Orpik will do them one better. They’ll definitely need another defenseman if they decide to trade Pavel Kubina this summer.
4. Wade Dubielewicz, Goaltender
With the buying out of Andrew Raycroft and farmhand, Scott Clemmenson becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Leafs need a back-up for Vesa Toskala. Some may say they should give Justin Pogge a shot, but Justin Pogge definitely needs to learn how to be a consistent AHL goalie before he sees any time in the NHL. Pogge was Clemmenson’s back-up for most of the Marlies play-off run. Unlike Raycroft, Dubielewicz know his role as a back-up. He prepares himself as such by training himself to be ready to save his team when his starter goes down. When Toskala was hurt last season and the Leafs needed Raycroft to step up, they went on a huge losing streak. Dubie may not have had a lot of wins last season, buy his .919 save percentage speaks for itself. Other younger back-ups the Leafs may go for should include Alex Auld and Curtis Sanford. Any of these goalies could be signed for less than half of what Raycroft was making.
3. Patrick Rissmiller, Winger
Rissmiller is a tough third line player that has played under coach, Ron Wilson. He along with newly acquired Jamal Mayers could help fill the gap in grit left by the absence of Tucker, Kilger and Belak. If they don’t get Rissmiller, then maybe they could go for Matt Cooke.
2. Kristian Huselius, Winger
During this free agent season, the major thing the Leafs need is a super-star forward in their 20’s - maybe even two or three if they decide to trade Jason Blake. Huselius may not be a super-star yet, but he is the second best younger unrestricted forward available. He had 25 goal and 66 points 2007-08, and 34 goals and 77 points in 2008-09. If he were on the Leafs, he’d probably see a lot of time on their top line. Other younger forwards that the Leafs may go for are Radim Vrbata, Ryan Malone, Niklas Hagman, Jason Williams, Josef Vasicek, Antti Miettinen and Pascal Dupuis.
1. Marian Hossa, Winger
Hossa is the younger super-star the Leafs need to get if they don’t sign Sundin. Though Hossa had one of his worst regular seasons last year, he proved he can perform in the play-offs by finishing third in play-off scoring. Hossa has the potential to score 100 points this season and he’s remained healthy virtually his entire career. Hossa is also eight years younger than Sundin. Sundin is apparently looking for $7 million next season, and Hossa is looking for slightly more. What kind of drama would this add to the battle of
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
MAPLE LEAFS TUCKER, RAYCROFT & WELLWOOD AS GOOD AS GONE
by Mike Jack, Staff Writer
Earlier today (
For Raycroft, this is likely the first step to buying out his contract. He is an obvious candidate for a buyout after recording only two wins in 19 games last season. He’s scheduled to make $2.2 million next season. There will now be a 24 hour period where any NHL team can claim Raycroft off waivers. If Raycroft is not claimed, the Leafs can either assign him to their farm team, The Toronto Marlies, put him on re-entry waivers where they’d be responsible for half of his salary if he’s claimed, or buy out his contract making them pay out 2/3 of his contract over two seasons. If the Leafs do decide to place Raycroft on the Marlies, his $2.2 million won’t count towards their salary cap.
Many Leafs fans may be surprised that Wellwood will mostly likely not be with the team next season. You may think a rebuilding team would be interested in keeping a 25 year-old who scored 42 points in 48 games in 2006-07 and was once touted to hold the position of the team’s second-line center. However, Wellwood has missed 56 games in the last two seasons mostly due to a sports hernia. Odds are the Leafs doubt the 5’10,” 180lbs forward will ever recover. The team may also be impatient with injury prone players since leading the league in “man-games-lost-to-injury” during the 2006-07 season. Wellwood is currently a restricted free agent, but if he’s not claimed on waivers and not presented a qualifying offer of 105% of last season’s salary, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
Since Tucker has a no movement clause, the Leafs won’t be able to put him on waivers. His contract will be bought out and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent. Tucker was a hard-nosed fan favourite in
It still remains to be seen whether or not they’ll buy out the contract of Bryan McCabe. Many have anticipated the buying out of McCabe, but it appears that the Leafs are unwilling to take the large cap hit that would be required over the next six seasons.
The only official buy out so far has the Ottawa Senators buying out the contract of goaltender Ray Emery. The Los Angeles Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning have also placed goalies on waivers. The Kings have tried to buy out Dan Cloutier, but they may not be able to because Cloutier claims he is injured and therefore ineligible for a buy out. Lightning goalie, Marc Denis has been placed on waivers and is eligible for a buy out tomorrow if unclaimed.
Monday, June 16, 2008
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN ON THE ONION
by Mike Jack, Staff Writer
If you haven't heard of The Onion, it's a comedic news website. The Onion Movie was actually just released on DVD a couple weeks ago. It's kind of like The Daily Show or SNL's Weekend Update, but not as good because the news is totally fake.
This is probably the funniest bash on hockey I've ever seen.
Alexander Ovechkin on The Onion
Hopefully winning the Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player last week will improve his chances in the NFL.
P.s. Hockey Rules!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
WHO WILL THE LEAFS BUYOUT?
by Mike Jack, Staff Writer
With the NHL’s player buyout period for contracts starting today (June 15th), many hockey fans are wondering how the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have promised to give the team an extreme makeover, will deal with their four players with no-trade clauses and some of their other high priced players that have generated no trade interest from other teams.
Earlier this week, Toronto not only announced the hiring of new Head Coach, Ron Wilson, but the team has also claimed that the search for a new GM will be put on hold until the 2009 off-season and Interim General Manager, Cliff Fletcher, will likely ride-out the 2008-09 season.
When asked if he’d be looking into buying out any contracts during a trade deadline press conference, Fletcher simply responded “Absolutely.” Fletcher’s hands were a little tied in his effort to rebuild the team on trade deadline day by Bryan McCabe, Pavel Kubina, Darcy Tucker, Tomas Kaberle and Captain Mats Sundin who all had no-trade clauses in their contracts. Mats Sundin’s contract expired at the end of the season, so he’s now an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team if he doesn’t decide to retire.
Buyouts seem inevitable in Toronto as Fletcher told the press during a press conference after the last game of the Leafs season that “There’s a time in the off season where Kubina can be traded. The other three (Kaberle, Tucker and McCabe) still have no trade clauses, but if they need to be dealt with, they’ll be dealt with.”
However, in several other interviews, when Fletcher was asked which players he’s mostly to keep through the rebuilding process to build the team around, he’s indicated that though every player has a price in trade, Tomas Kaberle is a player he’d like to keep around.
Here’s my list of the Top 5 Toronto Maple Leafs that will likely be bought out in the next two weeks:
5. Pavel Kubina: He has been criticized for not living up to his pay grade since arriving in Toronto as an unrestricted free agent in 2006. Kubina thrived in the last couple months of the season and it may be enough to save his job.
4. Mark Bell: The Leafs never had much interest in obtaining Bell in the first place. He hasn’t lived up to the potential he had in his rookie year. San Jose pretty much dumped Bell in the Leafs’ laps as part of the trade that brought Vesa Toskala to Toronto. A cap hit of $2.167 million per season makes him the 3rd highest paid player on the Leafs despite seeing most of his ice time on the 4th line if he’s even dressed. He only has one year left in his contract, so his effect on the cap if bought out would be minimal and for only two seasons
3. Darcy Tucker: Injury prone Tucker had a horrible season, and seems to be nearing the end of his career due to reoccurring injuries. The only trouble is that the Leafs would have to pay out $1million over 6 seasons. This could hinder the Leafs future more than help it.
2. Andrew Raycroft: $2 million for an unreliable back-up goaltender is ridiculous. Nobody is interested in Raycroft as I’m sure the Leafs would have moved him by now if there was any interest at all. With a minimal cap hit over two seasons, the buyout would definitely be worth it.
1. Bryan McCabe: With a cap hit of $5.75 million, McCabe is the 10th highest paid defenseman despite ranking 68th in points by a defenseman this year. His defensive play is sub-par, and Fletcher had commented that even if McCabe waives his no trade clause, there is no interest in him from other teams with his current price tag. Though his cap hit would be about $1.92 million over 6 seasons, I’m sure the Leafs could get a much better defenseman in free agency to replace him for less than $3 million per season. He’s the most likely to go.
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