NHL FanHouse

Fight of the Week: Princeton's Favorite Son Drops Them Again

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blue Jackets, Canucks, Ducks, Penguins, Predators, Rangers, Sharks, Wild, NHL Fans, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

Every Friday, FanHouse sifts through the rubble and picks the best NHL fight, with the help of HockeyFights.com.

A light week on the card, but there was a relatively surprising bout and some pretty good ones to choose from. Highlighting it is our favorite former Princeton player, a gentleman who has made a name for himself by being a really good fighter. Of course, the big news of the week involved a team captain dropping the gloves with a random defenseman.

Huh? Fight of the Week: Marek Zidlicky vs. Sidney Crosby

Sometimes, guys are obviously planning to fight before they drop the gloves. Others are clearly spontaneous. This one falls under the latter. Crosby and Zidlicky had enough of using their sticks, and decided to use fists instead. Watch it here.

Beatdown of the Week: Kent Huskins vs. Jared Boll

Boll is one of the league's real up-and-coming heavyweights, and he dominated this scrap. It started with a hard hit on Huskins by Boll, and quickly became a fight. Just as fast as it started, Boll emphatically ended it. He then proceeded to stand over his conquest like a predator stands over lunch. Watch the fight here.

Runner-Up: Dane Byers vs. Tanner Glass

This was a little quick for most fans' tastes, but some really good punches were thrown. Byers got off to a quick start, but Glass got the last laugh, or "shot," if you prefer. Check it out here.

Fight of the Week: Wade Belak vs. George Parros

Parros is a top fighter, and he got all he could handle in this one from Thursday night. The Predators might not have done much to stay in the game, but Belak more than held his own against one of the best.

There is some solid back-and-forth between the two, and the ending is kind of a surprise. Too bad for the Ducks' TV people that the fight was over by the time they got the "Tale of the Tape" graphic ready.

Fight of the Week: Princeton's Favorite Son Drops Them Again originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sidney Crosby Fights Marek Zidlicky

Bruce Ciskie — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Penguins, Wild, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

While fighting isn't at all legal in hockey, there is an understanding with players. Some employ enforcer-type guys whose job is to mix it up with those who try to mess with a team's skill players.

You'll see captains and other team leaders sometimes willing to mix it up, too, even if that's not their reputation. Last year, Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby made waves by starting a fight off a faceoff in a game. On Saturday, Crosby was back dropping the gloves, this time with an even more unlikely opponent.

As the Penguins were struggling to score against Minnesota, Crosby got involved with defenseman Marek Zidlicky. Eventually, the two dropped the gloves and began to "throw down."

Well, Crosby threw a couple punches. Outside of that, nothing to see here.

Just what you would expect out of a fight between two guys who hardly ever fight.

Minnesota was outshot for the game 35-15 but won 2-1. Crosby picked up nine minutes in penalties on the night and was visibly frustrated with the officials, arguing with them on the ice a few times during the game.

Sidney Crosby Fights Marek Zidlicky originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fight of the Week: Pairing Off

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Avalanche, Flames, Hurricanes, Islanders, Oilers, Wild, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

Every Friday, FanHouse sifts through the rubble and picks the best NHL fight, with the help of HockeyFights.com.

Sometimes, one fight just isn't good enough. Such was the case in Calgary recently, as the Flames and Canucks met for one of six matchups between the division rivals this season. It took just 2:32 for two fights to break out. Even though there were two good scraps going on at once, there was a clear winner for our Fight of the Week honors.

Beatdown of the Week: David Koci vs. Derek Boogaard

Boogaard missed the first few games of the season, and he hasn't had many opportunities to drop the gloves. In fact, this fight with Koci was his first of the season. Needless to say, the Wild fan favorite didn't look very rusty, as he quickly and decisively polished off Koci.

Runner Up: Rick Rypien vs. Zack Stortini

If we measured the quality of a fight simply by counting the number of punches thrown, this one would be a solid candidate for the best fight of the season. However, the problem is that Rypien appeared to throw the vast majority of the punches, and Stortini struggled to get any shots in.

Runner Up: Scott Walker vs. Brendan Witt

Walker is a proven tough guy in this league, and this looked like a bit of a mismatch when it started. The heavily-tattooed Witt held his own, however, and helped turn this into a very entertaining fight. In the end, though, it's hard to argue against this being anything but a decisive win for Walker.

Fight(s) of the Week: Darcy Hordichuk vs. Brian McGrattan/Tanner Glass vs. Brandon Prust

The Prust/Glass fight was pretty solid, but it doesn't hold a candle to McGrattan battling Hordichuk. The two exchanged some solid blows right up to the end, which came when McGrattan absolutely leveled Hordichuk with a right. Prust and Glass got off to a fast start, but it quickly turned into a wrestling match on ice. The linesmen broke it up when they were up against the glass for too long.

Fight of the Week: Pairing Off originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lemaire-less Wild Weak Where It Counts

Adam Gretz — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Wild, NHL Coaching

The Minnesota Wild are off to a slow start, winning just two of their first eight games. A couple of weeks ago, our resident Wild expert, Bruce Ciskie, argued that not all of Minnesota's early season struggles were due to the offseason coaching change that resulted in Todd Richards taking over for Jacques Lemaire, the only coach the franchise had known in the first eight years of its existence.

But how much of an impact has the coaching change, and a new system, had on the team, especially defensively?

Let's rewind back to the offseason when I spoke with Chris Snow, the team's director of hockey operations.

At the time, I asked Snow about the play of goaltender Niklas Backstrom and how much of his success was a result of Backstrom's ability as a top-tier goaltender, and how much was a result of the defensive-minded system Minnesota played under Lemaire. Snow insisted it was a combination of the two: Backstrom's an elite goaltender, and, of course, a defensive system is going to be an asset for any goaltender. That's just reality.

But here's the comment that stood out to me:

"If you watched our team play under Jacques," Snow said, "his philosophy was that he would basically give the ice outside of the dots. So, from face-off dot to face-off dot, then going up toward the point, there was kind of a box there. We didn't want a lot of teams to penetrate within that box."

"We'd gladly give up chances from the outside because they're low percentage chances," he continued. "So we wouldn't overpursue, we wouldn't chase guys out to the boards because Jacques didn't want a breakdown in what would be a high-percentage scoring area. If you look at the number of shots teams give up, and where they give them up, you can kind of see how that team is coaching defensively. So that was a function of the way we were coached. And I would expect where we give up goals from will be different this year because we have a different coach."

The bold sentences at the end are what I'd like to focus on. Shortly after that interview ran, Gabriel Desjardins (whom we've also discussed hockey statistics with) at Puck Prospectus took a detailed look at where Minnesota was giving up shots from, and how it compared to the rest of the league. It pretty much confirmed what Snow said to me: they didn't let teams penetrate within "the box."

Having said all of that, I wanted to take a look at Minnesota's first eight games this season and where it was giving up goals from compared to the first eight games of last season.

First, some simple raw numbers.

Minnesota Defensive Comparison
2008-09	Category	2009-10
8	Games	8
240	Shots Allowed	238
30.0	Shots Allowed Per Game	29.7
18	Goals Allowed	27
2.25	Goals Allowed Per Game	3.37

Obviously, the shot numbers are identical, but the goal totals are very, very different.

So what's the issue? Let's start by taking a look at where the Wild are -- and were -- giving up goals from.

It's important to keep in mind that this was put together using NHL.com's gamecenter, as well as my own observations on video, so there's obviously some margin for error (but hopefully not a lot).

2008-09

2009-10

Some observations and thoughts

-- The biggest thing to consider at this point is that this is a very small sample size of data. We're talking about the first eight games of an 82-game schedule. We obviously can't draw any rock-solid, final conclusions at this point. Still, it might be something to keep an eye out as the season progresses if you're a Wild fan (especially if the team continues to give up a lot of goals and lose a lot of games).

-- Looking at the 2009-10 chart compared to the 2008-09 chart, there's not only more goals allowed on it, but there's also more goals being scored from between the faceoff dots and in the slot. That's obviously where most goals get scored from, and it's also the area Minnesota didn't let teams penetrate under Lemaire. After all, Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding have been near the top of the league in terms of expected save percentage the past two seasons. That might be changing.

-- This isn't meant to imply that Todd Richards is a bad head coach, or the wrong head coach for Minnesota, or that the Wild is a bad team with a bad system (at least that's not what I'm trying to imply - I think the Wild are better than this, and will ultimately prove to be better than their 2-6 start); it's just that Richards is a different coach, with a different system, and it's obviously going to lead to different results on the ice.

(Special thanks to my FanHouse colleague Ryan Wilson for creating the fancy charts)

Lemaire-less Wild Weak Where It Counts originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wild's Early Stink Can't All Be Blamed on Coaching, System Changes

Bruce Ciskie — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Wild, Western, NHL Coaching

When you watched the Minnesota Wild the last eight years, there were some things that could be counted on almost every game.

The teams coached by Jacques Lemaire weren't known for being lazy, uninspired, or unprepared. In fact, Lemaire has developed a reputation for getting the absolute maximum out of even the most marginal NHL players. They might not have been the most exciting team in the league, but they were competitive.

None of this should be seen as an indictment of new coach Todd Richards yet. Frankly, he wasn't left with a full cupboard when he arrived, given that his best player (Marian Gaborik) was going to leave via free agency, and he was desperately short of quality centers for the style of play he wanted to employ.

After a 1-4 start, however, there are problems with this team that can't all be blamed (fairly, at least) on the fact that Richards overhauled Lemaire's system and wants a wide-open style.

For starters, the team has no business being 1-4. Only a few fortunate bounces (in this case, these "bounces" are of the officiating variety) stand between the Wild and an 0-5 start to the season. They needed to get a couple lucky calls -- and subsequent power play goals -- to beat Anaheim last week in their home opener.

More disturbingly, the Wild have had some insane stretches of bad hockey over their first five games. They played so poorly in the first period at Los Angeles last Thursday that Richards could have justifiably benched half his roster and changed goalies. The Kings jumped to a 3-0 lead, mainly using long shots and relying on traffic in front of the net to cause problems. In the meantime, the Wild lost battle after battle, including those for position by the goal.

During training camp, Richards talked many times about how tough it was to train the returning players on the nuances of his new system. Likening it to re-training a dog, Richards knew he would be in for challenges during the first half of the season.

While injuries to Petr Sykora, Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and now Martin Havlat haven't made things any easier, but it's not like Richards could be fully pleased with what he was seeing out of these guys before they were hurt.

Sure, Clutterbuck will rarely -- if ever -- give you less than everything he has on a shift. Bouchard had a pretty good camp adjusting to being a center. Meanwhile, Havlat has been benched for at least two stretches of games because of poor play in his own zone, and Sykora rode the pine during the aforementioned Kings game.

Injuries aside, Richards knows he can't just make blanket statements about his players trying to adjust. Wednesday's 3-2 loss to Anaheim is a stirring example of why. Instead of giving up goals because guys weren't quite in the right place, or because there was a missed assignment, the Wild weren't competing.

This had to drive Richards absolutely crazy. You can do whatever you want with the system. Run set plays until you're blue in the face, or double-shift your best players because they're your best players, and none of it matters if your team isn't competing.

For the Wild, it was a 20-minute absence of fire. It led to a 2-0 deficit the club wouldn't overcome, no matter how well it played in stretches over the rest of the game. It was something you rarely saw with Lemaire on the bench, and now it has happened multiple times over Richards' first five games.

The mistakes you'd expect from such a drastic system overhaul have been happening, too, but those are accepted and more will happen before Richards' work is done.

Wednesday night featured players not battling in front of either goal, and one of the worst line changes in NHL history. The Wild had four players making their way off for a change before they had succeeded in getting the puck across the red line. It led directly to the first of two goals by Corey Perry, who had a breakaway while the enemy was busy going to the bench.

It's the kind of elementary play that can't possibly be blamed on Richards or the transition. Instead, it was just bad hockey. Actually, Richards called it "selfish" after the game, and that's accurate. It was totally out of character for a Wild team that fans were used to watching sell out for every loose puck.

Until he can find a way to fix his players' willingness to compete at a high level all the time, Richards doesn't have to worry about his new system.

Wild's Early Stink Can't All Be Blamed on Coaching, System Changes originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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George Parros Kisses the Proverbial Canvas, Launching Wild Comeback

Bruce Ciskie — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: Ducks, Wild, Western, NHL Fights, NHL Videos

It's often said that a fight can turn around a hockey game. This was definitely true Tuesday night in St. Paul.

Entering this season, Minnesota Wild forward John Scott had three NHL regular season fights to his credit. Anaheim's George Parros was the veteran of 82. It may have seemed odd, then, for Scott to challenge Parros to a scrap in the third period Tuesday. However, the Ducks led 3-0 at the time, and the Wild were almost literally going through the motions in their home opener. Oh, how things can change with one punch. Video after the jump.

The Wild launched a three-goal rally shortly after Scott's decisive fight win. Mikko Koivu, Petr Sykora, and Eric Belanger scored in regulation to tie the score. In overtime, the Wild benefited from a dumb penalty by Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski, who took a roughing minor. Andrew Brunette scored a power-play goal for the first win of the Todd Richards era, 4-3.

While the anti-fight zealots will laugh such a notion off, there's no question Scott's fight was a momentum-changer. It got the crowd going and jumpstarted the home team for the first time all night.

George Parros Kisses the Proverbial Canvas, Launching Wild Comeback originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wild Players Getting Used to New System

Bruce Ciskie — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Wild, Western, NHL Coaching

FanHouse's Bruce Ciskie reports from Wild training camp.

ST. PAUL -- After nine years of the same voice at practice and during games, a significant change came to the Minnesota Wild after the 2008-2009 season. Veteran coach Jacques Lemaire was out, replaced by first-time NHL head coach and Minnesota native Todd Richards.

While the Wild had their share of success with Lemaire, most fans thought it was time for a change. That change isn't just the voice the players hear every day. Richards brings in an entirely new way of playing hockey for the Wild.

While Lemaire relied on stout defense and opportunistic play up front, Richards wants a more wide-open, up-tempo system. Skating becomes incredibly important with what Richards wants his team to do.

The coaches have talked about re-training players, and things appear to be going well so far. The big test comes when the regular season opens next month, but the preseason schedule, which is about to get cranked up for Minnesota, will also help the players and staff gauge their progress.

One of the players expected to benefit greatly from the changes is defenseman Brent Burns. After injuries took him out for a chunk of the second half last season, Burns is healthy again, and doing everything in his power to learn the new system. It's one that brings defensemen into the offensive rush more often, allowing them more opportunities to go to the net.

"It's been a lot of work," Burns said, "but we've got to keep going."

Asked if players are taking well to the new system, Burns said things are going well.

"It's been good. There been good communication with everybody."

Asked to compare Lemaire and Richards, Burns said "there's a lot of differences," and he praised the passion of both men.

Fellow defenseman Nick Schultz has never scored more than six goals in an NHL season, totaling just 21 in 527 NHL games. In each of the last four years, Schultz has scored just two goals. He showed some offensive ability in junior hockey, but it has never has translated to the NHL. The new system might change things for him.

"It's exciting," Schultz told FanHouse. "There's gonna be a little more freedom for the fourth guy -- one defenseman -- to try to get up the ice and join the offense."

Schultz says it's a more aggressive style, and it's clear from watching the Wild practice that skating is going to be a very important part of things. Multiple times, coaches could be heard drilling home the importance of skating to all players. It's not just one or two guys who will have to be constantly moving their feet during shifts. It's everyone.

The veteran defenseman also noted a more aggressive forecheck. The one-man forecheck Lemaire preferred is no more, replaced by a two-man system.

"It's going to be fun to get up the ice and be a part of it," Schultz said.

Richards knows that this is a work in progress, but as fans prepare to watch the Wild for the first time Friday night (they host Columbus for a preseason game), he believes they will be happy with what they see.

"Hopefully we'll be more entertaining, more energetic," Richards said. "We got some players in who can make plays and bring energy, with the (Cal) Clutterbucks and (Derek) Boogaards, and I know that they are fan favorites, so they can look forward to that."

Richards is also looking forward to seeing Burns make his preseason debut Friday.

"I know just watching him in practice, I think he's real excited about playing the first game. It's going to be basically open up the barn doors and let the horse run."

The rookie coach says there could be some butterflies before the home debut. He noted that he still hasn't settled into his new house, and he is also working hard to get the players acclimated to the new system.

The Wild might not make the playoffs this season, but it's clear that players and coaches alike believe the talent is there for this team to make a run. As long as Nicklas Backstrom is in goal, the Wild know they can "steal" games with their defense. The key now will be scoring enough goals to make the team a more consistent winner.

Wild Players Getting Used to New System originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Petr Sykora's Wild 'Tryout' Leads to One-Year Deal

Bruce Ciskie — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:15:00 EST

Filed under: Wild, Western, NHL Free Agency

FanHouse's Bruce Ciskie reports from Wild training camp.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- It's not terribly common for a player with 300 goals and plenty of gas in the tank to try out for a team. For Petr Sykora, there may have been a tryout, but it was extremely short and equally effective.

The veteran winger agreed Thursday to a one-year deal with the Minnesota Wild, just a couple days after word leaked that he was going to be in St. Paul for a tryout during training camp.

The Wild did not announce terms of the deal, but multiple reports place the value of the contract at $1.6 million, meaning the Wild will be up against the $56.8 million salary cap, and they may need to make a move (could be as simple as trading backup goalie Josh Harding or sending young forward Colton Gillies to the minors) to give the team flexibility as the season starts.

After the first of two practice sessions Thursday morning, Sykora said he was happy to get the deal done for this season.

"It's a relief," Sykora said. "Now I can just focus on getting better and getting ready for exhibition games. I didn't even have a scrimmage yet, so I kind of need to get into those situations as soon as possible. It's not a lot of time before the first game, so get ready as soon as possible."

Sykora is not in the lineup for Friday's preseason game against Columbus at XCel Energy Center. Considering he just signed with the team, this shouldn't be a surprise. However, Sykora does recognize the importance of ice time before the season opens Oct. 3 at Columbus.

"I want to get on the ice and get into situations. It's not about scoring," Sykora said Thursday. "It's about getting used to being in traffic, getting hit a little bit, stuff like that. Like I said, I missed those three scrimmages where you kind of get the feel of it. I just want to get out there, get the feel of the game. You know, it never took me a long time, so I should be ready."

Wild head coach Todd Richards is also happy to have the deal done.

"We're excited to have him," Richards said. "We're always looking to make our team better, our organization better. By getting Petr here, he's made our team better."

Richards made it clear Thursday that he was going to ease veteran players into action. Owen Nolan, Andrew Brunette, Kim Johnsson, and free-agent signee Martin Havlat join Sykora in not playing Friday night, and while Richards wants to get them all into preseason games, he also wants to get them some rest and limit their travel along the way. The Wild play 14 games in October, and only five of them are at home.

Petr Sykora's Wild 'Tryout' Leads to One-Year Deal originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Petr Sykora Accepts Tryout With Wild

Bruce Ciskie — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:40:00 EST

Filed under: Wild, Western, NHL Free Agency

Considering a resume that includes over 300 NHL goals and two Stanley Cups, it's kind of odd to see forward Petr Sykora still looking for work.

The veteran was a part of the Penguins' championship team last season, picking up another 25-goal season along the way. Unable to find a contract offer to his liking in the NHL, and seemingly unwilling to jump to Russia, Sykora is instead going to try out for the Minnesota Wild.

According to Michael Russo, the Wild have offered Sykora a contract for just over $1 million. Russo emphasizes on his blog that the Wild have not signed Sykora, and he has not agreed to terms on a contract.

This is exactly what it looks like. It's a tryout.

From the sounds of it, the Wild will be much more of a hard-skating team this season. New head coach Todd Richards wants a higher-tempo brand of hockey, and it requires everyone to skate. If there's a weakness in Sykora's game, it's what could sometimes be perceived as laziness. For him to fit in with the Wild, he has to be a more consistent worker than what he has shown in the past.

That said, the Wild badly need top-six forwards. If Sykora can provide that kind of depth, he'd be a great pickup for the team.

Considering the cost involved, it's certainly worth a shot to see if Sykora can make the team.

Petr Sykora Accepts Tryout With Wild originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wild Smart to Play Waiting Game

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Lightning, Wild, Western, NHL Free Agency, NHL Economics

News broke Saturday that the Tampa Bay Lightning had agreed to a deal with free-agent forward Alex Tanguay. This means the Minnesota Wild have to look elsewhere if they still hope to add a forward to bolster their top-six depth.

As Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune pointed out, Tanguay wasn't a great fit for the Wild. He's more of a disher than a scorer, and the Wild are in desperate need of people to put the puck in the net. With that in mind, who can the Wild target?

Russo speculates that the Wild could take a stab at former Penguin Petr Sykora. Still without a contract, Sykora is coming off a 25-goal season with the Penguins, has 300 career tallies, and is a two-time Stanley Cup winner.

It makes some sense, given that Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher knows Sykora very well from his time in Pittsburgh, where Fletcher served as an assistant general manager. Sykora also has more of a knack for scoring goals than Tanguay does, and he could be a nice fit for the Wild at forward.

However, Russo isn't done. On his blog, he notes something very interesting about the current state of financial affairs around the NHL.

As I wrote in today's paper, Chicago, Vancouver, Detroit, Ottawa, Washington and Boston are over the cap right now. Chicago can get down by sending one of their goalies to the minors and Brent Sopel as well. I don't know what Vancouver's doing. The Canucks are over the cap and have about 26 players. Boston's over and Phil Kessel isn't even signed.

Montreal, Philadelphia, Edmonton and Carolina are about $1 million from the cap. San Jose's at $53.5 after yesterday's trade, but with 17 players. So the only way it stays under is if it signs/keeps a bunch of 500K players.

Reality is that many teams will be looking to make salary dumps in the not-too-distant future. These salary dumps may not be much different than the trade the Sharks made with Vancouver Friday. That deal sent two experienced NHL defensemen to Vancouver for two prospects, one of whom is a former first-round pick (Patrick White) yet to prove himself in college hockey.

Fletcher is smart to hang out in the weeds for now. Not everyone in the NHL wants to go through what Calgary did last year, when the Flames didn't have the cap space to call up players from the AHL to replace guys who were unable to play due to injury.

Even teams like Montreal, Philadelphia, Edmonton, and Carolina, all of whom are under the cap, are likely to do something before the season starts. They simply can't afford to stand pat and risk not having the necessary room to add warm bodies to the roster.

Because the cap is expected to fall next year, teams are doubly careful about taking on new money, so the problem for those up against the cap becomes more difficult. Russo says he wouldn't be surprised if some serviceable players ended up on waivers. He has a good point.

The Wild need to be careful. If they think Sykora makes them better, he's worth a $2 million or so investment. If not, sit on that remaining cap space, and hope that someone on the current roster can get the job done until a team suffocating against the cap gets desperate to make a move.

Wild Smart to Play Waiting Game originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wild's Brent Burns Feeling Better After Concussion, Shoulder Surgery

Bruce Ciskie — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:35:00 EST

Filed under: Wild, Western, NHL Injuries, Team Canada

The offseason sure has been interesting for the Minnesota Wild. The front office was overhauled, with former Pittsburgh aide Chuck Fletcher taking over as general manager and hiring Todd Richards as head coach.

Changes have come to the Wild on the ice, too, but one of the more notable developments of the offseason involves a player who has been with the Wild ever since he was drafted.

There was some acrimony last spring over the treatment of defenseman Brent Burns, who had a concussion, as well as shoulder problems. That concussion, according to his agent, went untreated by the Wild for six weeks, as they allowed him to continue playing.

By June, Burns' recovery was going well, and now he's healthy enough to head to Canada for that country's Olympic evaluation camp.

"[My shoulder] still has some awkward times, but for the most part, it feels pretty good and I've been able to do everything. I'm in really good shape right now...I've been really watching my diet lately and it's made a big difference and I feel really good."

More importantly, Burns continues to be free of concussion symptoms.

This is obviously good news for Wild fans, who are looking forward to watching Burns play in a more offensive system being installed by Richards. Burns should be allowed more freedom to jump into the play, and his overall numbers should improve.

As for his chances of making Team Canada, the selections won't be made during this camp, and Burns should have some opportunity to show what he can do once he's healthy and ready to play in October.

Wild's Brent Burns Feeling Better After Concussion, Shoulder Surgery originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Chats With Minnesota Wild's Chris Snow

Adam Gretz — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Wild, NHL Fans, FanHouse Exclusive

Chris Snow, director of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild, is entering his fourth season with the team after spending a number of years covering the Boston Red Sox for the Boston Globe, and the Wild for the Star Tribune. He joined the team's hockey operations department when its general manager at the time, Doug Risebrough, was looking for something different in the front office.

"Doug was a really accomplished player," said Snow. "He played for a while in the NHL, but he was also a guy that was a free-thinker and really looked outside the box. He had a need for someone in the front office to do a variety of work, but I also think he wanted to look at the position with growth in mind."

Having spent some time around the Red Sox, one of the more forward-thinking organizations in Major League Baseball, Snow was an intriguing option for the Wild.

"Because I worked around baseball and around the Red Sox, he just liked the idea of me transferring what I was observing and some of what I wanted to do into the hockey arena," said Snow.

On Thursday, we discussed the growing presence of statistical analysis in the hockey community with Gabriel Desjardins of Behind the Net and Puck Prospectus. Snow is very familiar with the work being done by fans and bloggers -- including that of Desjardins -- around the web to further understand the game of hockey. Below is my chat with him about how the Wild use statistics to evaluate players, how well this type of analysis is received around the NHL, and his place in the organization after the team brought in a new general manager, Chuck Fletcher, and head coach, Todd Richards.

******

There's been quite a bit of change in the Minnesota front office this offseason with Chuck Fletcher and Todd Richards coming in. Are they on board with the type of work you've been doing in recent years?

I think they are. I wouldn't say we spend a significant amount of time on statistical analysis and reinventing the game as we do looking to gather as much information to inform both the decisions we're making in the front office, and how the coaches are coaching the game as it happens. I think both Chuck and Todd are smart guys who are curious people, and they want to know what we've been doing here and don't want to turn their backs to it because they recognize there are some benefits to it.

As we go along I think we'll be able to show them a bit of what we've done before, and maybe they'll have some ideas to improve how we've done things.

Do you know if there are many teams around the league using advanced metrics to help evaluate players? I mean, in baseball, we all know about Billy Beane with Oakland and Theo Epstein with Boston, but you never really hear much about hockey teams going in that direction.

I know of a few that have some interest in this area. I couldn't say that a third of the league or half of the league is all that involved, but here and there you hear about some specific teams that are curious about how they can do things differently. I still don't know, it's not an area that's been well reported. So, where as you can pick up a newspaper and hear that Oakland, and Boston, and Toronto, and Arizona, and San Diego are at the forefront of statistical analysis in baseball, there really wouldn't be a perception of certain teams in hockey.

Even as the interest grows in baseball, there's still always been some resistance and backlash from other teams, media, fans ... do you sense something similar in hockey?

I think that Moneyball did a disservice for people who merely want to add more information to the process. Whether Billy Beane reinvented the way they scouted and the way they made player decisions, I don't know. In the book, it was presented as a pretty radical transition. Whether a team subscribes all of what he's saying, or part of what he's saying, or what the book represented, all teams in probably all of the sports over the last few years have recognized the need for more information about players. I think there's a distinction between ascribing to a "Moneyball philosophy," that means you're making decisions by statistical analysis, and what might just be getting more information to form a more complete picture about a decision.

For someone like myself, I'm curious about statistics; but my background is more about reporting, and personal observation, and research, and then representing all of that information in a very concise way. So, I don't think the numerical aspect is what this is all about; it's about let's get more information about players. I just think it left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths.

To that extent, I don't think it's as radical as it's portrayed to be in that book. What I want to do, what we want to do, what a lot of baseball teams have decided to do since then ... I don't think any of us who sit where I do want to entirely change the way we do things because it's hard to project players. It comes down to personality, it comes to performance in so-called "big games," it comes down to playing through injuries, it's doctors projecting whether a kid has finished growing. There are so many factors, and the statistical factor is one, but by no means is it overriding anything else.

OK, so when you guys, as a front office, are evaluating NHL players, where do the statistics enter into the process? Do you use them to help get an idea of what players you might want to look at, and then let the scouting, and all of the other factors you discussed, determine who is the best? Or is there something else to it?

Generally, I think we begin with a pool of available players. We would look at who are all the players available, read through our scouting reports on those players, and then meet to discuss them. Every team has a philosophy or identity. Certain teams, you could take Anaheim and Philadelphia over the last several years. Those teams clearly want to be physical, big teams that score goals in a north-south kind of manner. A team like that is going to look for a particular kind of player.

For us, the philosophy in the past has been we want players who can really skate, players with good hockey sense, players who are intelligent and make good decisions playing for a guy like Jacques Lemaire. The factors that drive your team are probably how you'll begin to sort your list.

I would say the we use the statistics to ask questions. So, if we have a guy who, over three to four years in a number of categories -- the usual ones, goals, assists, points, ice time -- we can look at those and say, oh, well this guy has actually declined over the last four years consistently. Maybe we didn't quite realize what that decline looked like. The statistics help us to ask questions, they help us to perhaps avoid mistakes at times, but they are not the initial starting metric.

When you're evaluating players, do you take into account who those players are playing with on a line? For example, if you're looking at two potential left wings for your top line, and one of them played alongside a center like a Joe Thornton or a Marc Savard, would you look at them, and their production, differently than a player who played next to a center that wasn't as good a passer as those two guys?

There's no doubt about it. Jacques had a great saying, it kind of referred to players who maybe produced a lot of points either with an elite player next to them, or perhaps just on a very poor team, where somebody had to get the ice time, Jacques would say 'somebody has to get the points.' And I think that's probably true. If you have a bad team, and a player is on the first line, that player is going to get points because he's getting the ice time, he's playing on the power play. You put a player next to Joe Thornton, who is one of the best passers in the game, he's going to get more points in that situation.

You always do need to consider that, and it's a bit of a science determining how that player is going to fit into your situation on your team. That's a great challenge in hockey because you can look at how many times Joe passed the puck to that player that scored, but you can't really define how that player would have done with a different center. It's more of an estimation.

When projecting amateur players in the draft, have you found anything that helps you determine which players will have the most success in the NHL? I know there's not a magical way to get a 100 percent success rate, but have you noticed a certain league or a certain program that produces the best players, or certain trends that help players make the transition to the pro game?

Some. I think that the best way I can put it, and I can only speak for myself, the best indicator for future performance is generally past performance. A component of that is how has the player produced, but also what kind of situations has the player been in? What's his personality? What has he been like off the ice? What kind of person is he? What kind of person will he be?

Hockey is a game that is highly competitive. It takes incredible will, and you're often looking at situations players have been in, and how they've dealt with that as an indicator of how they'll deal with competing for a spot here, how they'll deal with the grind of playing in the league. So, when I say that past performance is an indicator of future performance, I don't mean really the production, but that's also a big part of it.

If a guy didn't score much at a low level, or as a junior player, it's hard to think he's going to score a lot in the National Hockey League. In Europe, a lot of the players that are draft eligible, they might just be beginning to play on an elite team, so they'll be the youngest player on the team and they don't get many points. You might see a guy drafted 10th overall and they don't have any points. That's where the scouts have to understand the system in each country, the opportunity given to the players, and really project what that player will do.

Gabriel Desjardins pointed out how you guys are typically one of the better teams in the league at not giving up even-strength goals, despite the fact you're usually giving up a lot of shots. How much of that is because of Niklas Backstrom's ability as a goaltender, and how much of that is a result of a system that might not give up a lot of quality scoring chances?

It's both. If you watched our team play under Jacques, his philosophy was that he would basically give the ice outside of the dots. So, from face-off dot to face-off dot, then going up toward the point, there was kind of a box there. We didn't want a lot of teams to penetrate within that box. We'd gladly give up chances from the outside because they're low percentage chances. So we wouldn't overpursue, we wouldn't chase guys out to the boards because Jacques didn't want a breakdown in what would be a high-percentage scoring area. If you look at the number of shots teams give up, and where they give them up, you can kind of see how that team is coaching defensively. So that was a function of the way we were coached. And I would expect where we give up goals from will be different this year because we have a different coach.

I would imagine that makes your job even more difficult when it comes to evaluating a goalie. Niklas Backstrom is always near the top of the league with his numbers, but like you just pointed out, he's not facing the same quality shots that a guy like Tomas Vokoun, for example, might face in Florida.

I completely agree. We think Niklas is a tremendous goaltender, and we would not have paid him if we didn't believe that, but I agree with your point that it is difficult to compare a goaltender on our team, to a Vokoun as you mentioned. It's harder to compare those guys. You would have to really look at where the shots came from, and the quality of shots if you really wanted to rank the goalies accurately.

FanHouse Chats With Minnesota Wild's Chris Snow originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHL's Top 50: Niklas Backstrom (No. 25)

Adam Gretz — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Wild, NHL Fans, NHL Videos

FanHouse's Adam Gretz takes a look at his top 50 players in the NHL. No. 25 is Minnesota Wild Goaltender Niklas Backstrom.

We've reached the halfway point, and our second goalie to crack the top 50. The debate will now become: how much of Niklas Backstrom's success is a result of the system he's played in, and how much is a result of his abilities as a No. 1 goaltender?

The NHL's Top 50 Players: See the Entire List

The Numbers: Niklas Backstrom
Niklas Backstrom	GAA	SV %	Shutouts
Career Totals	2.24	.923	17

Draft Year: Not Drafted

Signed with Minnesota on June 1, 2006, after playing in Europe for 10 years.

Why He's On My List

The knock on Niklas Backstrom will surely be that he's spent his career to this point playing for Jacques Lemaire in a defensive system. Does that help his performance? Well, yes, it does, actually. I'm going to reference back to something Steve Mason told me a couple of weeks ago when asked about being a system goalie: "Obviously any goalie is going to benefit from playing in a defensive system. It Doesn't mean they couldn't have success in another type of system, but it definitely helps out."

Emphasis mine. I guess this is where a lot of subjectivity comes into play. He may not face the toughest shots, but he does face a lot of shots (the Wild have finished in the bottom third in the league in terms of shots allowed the past two seasons), and just from watching him play, I think he's a No. 1 goaltender on a majority of the teams in the NHL. So, here he is. In his three years with the Wild, the 30-year-old has finished in the top-10 in goals against average, adjusted goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts each season. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2008-09 and helped win the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2006-07. He's also excelled in Europe, winning the Jari Kurri award twice (Finland's answer to the Conn Smythe Tropy) and the Urpo Ylonen (Finland's answer to the Vezina Trophy). He played in his first All-Star game this past season and signed a four-year contract extension just before the NHL's trade deadline.

Obligatory YouTube Video

NHL's Top 50: Niklas Backstrom (No. 25) originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHL's Top 50: Marian Gaborik (No. 33)

Adam Gretz — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Rangers, Wild, NHL Fans, NHL Videos

FanHouse's Adam Gretz takes a look at his top 50 players in the NHL. No. 33 is New York Rangers forward Marian Gaborik.

You can't blame the New York Rangers for having an interest in free agent forward Marian Gaborik this offseason. A team that was lacking the offensive firepower it never replaced when Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka left the Big Apple a year ago, the Rangers signed Gaborik to a five-year, $37.5 million contract on July 2, 2009. It's a couple of big numbers for a guy that has quite a lengthy track record of injuries.

We know Gaborik can play, but how much will he play? That's the question that will determine whether this signing will be remembered as a turning point for the Rangers franchise, or simply another mistake in a long line of free agency futility.

The NHL's Top 50 Players: See the Entire List

Even though the 26-year-old has played more than 75 games just three times in his eight-year career, Gaborik has recorded five 30-goal seasons, including a career-high 42 in 2007-08. What makes the numbers even more impressive is the fact he's spent his entire career playing in Jacques Lemaire's defense-first system with Minnesota. Of the hundreds of players Lemaire has coached in the NHL, only six of them have ever scored 30 goals in a single season: Marian Gaborik (five times), Brian Rolston (three times), John Maclean, Stephane Richer, Mario Tremblay and Mats Naslund. That has to be worth something, right?

The Numbers: Marian Gaborik
Marian Gaborik	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
Career Totals	219	218	437	301
Average Per 82 Games	36.0	35.2	71.3	49.2

Draft Year: 2000

The very first player ever selected by the Minnesota Wild, Gaborik went third overall behind Rick Dipietro and Dany Heatley.

Why He's On My List

If he's not the fastest skater in the NHL, he has to be in the top-five. A two-time All-Star, Gaborik is currently one of the top players in the league when it comes to goals-per-game. According to the rankings at Hockey-Reference.com, only Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Dany Heatley, Teemu Selanne, Keith Tkachuk and Marian Hossa have averaged more goals-per-game than Gaborik over their careers. Since the lockout, he's averaged 1.10 points-per-game, and it should be interesting to see what he's capable of playing in New York. If he can avoid injuries, 40 goals and 85 points shouldn't be out of the question.

Obligatory YouTube Video

Marian Gaborik, playing for his old team, the Minnesota Wild, scores five goals against his new team, the New York Rangers.

NHL's Top 50: Marian Gaborik (No. 33) originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Havlat Unloads on Blackhawks Drama

Bruce Ciskie — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: Blackhawks, Wild, Western

Martin Havlat may play for the Minnesota Wild now, but there is obviously some acrimony over his departure from Chicago.

Twice during the two weeks since Havlat signed with Minnesota, he has used his Twitter page to drop some interesting hints about why he is no longer with the Blackhawks. Tuesday's re-assignment of general manager Dale Tallon led to the latest Twitter outburst. Now, Havlat feels it really is time to move on, and he let it all out during an interview with TSN's Darren Dreger.

Havlat told Dreger that team president John McDonough had wanted to fire Tallon for some time, intimating that McDonough simply needed a good excuse to do it. Havlat also made it clear that he and his agent were not the ones responsible for his departure.

"My negotiation with Chicago was not between Dale and my agent, it was between Dale and McDonough. Why? Because McDonough couldn't stand that Dale was so successful and getting the credit for building the Hawks from a last place team to making the Conference Finals in 3 short years. Remember, we were also the youngest team in the NHL last year," Havlat said.

"I was too closely identified with Dale. McDonough knew long ago he was going to fire Dale. He wanted someone he could claim as his own. He wanted to stand up at the convention and claim credit for signing this guy or that guy."

According to Havlat, he's not the only one upset about what happened to Tallon.

That Chicago players would be loyal to Tallon is not unprecedented. Just this past season, the team showed a remarkable amount of character in taking what would have been a day off and instead traveling to attend the funeral of Tallon's father.

"Back in the locker room a vote is taken after the game was complete, and a unanimous decision is made by this young team to skip this flight (home) and stay one more day. They make arrangements to check back in the hotel and on a frozen Sunday morning charter two buses that have no heat and begin a journey two hours straight north into a sparsely inhabited Canada , but where hockey is its passion. They arrive at their destination to the surprise of the teams general manager who is there attending his fathers wake."

Surely, someone in the organization will come out and try to label Havlat "bitter", or something along those lines. While Havlat may be bitter, that's not going to completely discredit what has been said. After all, the crux of this decision was choosing Marian Hossa over Martin Havlat.

Yet not once has Havlat made any mention to Hossa in his posts or in his discussion with Dreger. Instead, Havlat has focused on making sure everyone knew that Tallon wasn't responsible for this choice. While many fans would prefer he focus on his future in Minnesota, there is nothing wrong at all with showing loyalty.

Havlat Unloads on Blackhawks Drama originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Havlat Uses Twitter to Go After Blackhawks Over Tallon Firing

Bruce Ciskie — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blackhawks, Wild, Western, NHL Fans

The four scheduled meetings between the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks in 2009-2010 just got quite a bit more interesting.

It wasn't enough that former Blackhawk Martin Havlat appeared to rip the organization on his Twitter page after Chicago chose to sign Marian Hossa and let Havlat go to Minnesota as a free agent. Now, Havlat is taking aim at the ~~firing~~ re-assignment of general manager Dale Tallon.

Using Twitter, Havlat makes it clear that he doesn't think Tallon is responsible for his departure from Chicago, saying the former GM was "like a second father". Instead, Havlat uses the social networking site to go after unnamed members of the Blackhawks organization.

Havlat began the onslaught of Twitter updates with these two posts (oh that silly 140-character limit!):

I guess everyone saw what happened to Dale....yes, the story is starting to come out but it's just the tip of the iceberg.

... Lot's (sic) of people are telling me to stay quiet but shouldn't the fans know the truth? It's your loyalty, season ticket money and emotions here

From there, Havlat was asked by a fan why he left Chicago. He answered back, saying "I didn't leave Chicago, it left me".

Havlat then went out of his way to show some excitement for his new team, the Wild.

By telling truth, don't want people to think I'm bitter. Everyone in Minn has been awesome, they believe in me and I won't let them down

He also told another Twitter follower that his departure from Chicago had nothing to do with the fans, blaming it on "some people in the organization."

Well, since Tallon was apparently like a second father to Havlat, it stands to reason that the forward isn't blaming him for what happened. That leaves the Bowman family, along with higher-ups like John McDonough and Rocky Wirtz.

The most intriguing assertion you could take from these tweets is that it was Bowman, not Tallon, who spearheaded the signing of Hossa. Because of the cap issues Chicago is facing, it basically came down to Hossa or Havlat. Blaming Tallon for choosing Hossa might be a bit short-sighted at this point.

The idea of Scotty Bowman running the Blackhawks from behind the scenes is not new to anyone. It's been percolating for some time, at least as far back as the firing of coach Denis Savard in October.

Havlat's tweets may shed some more light on the goings-on in Chicago, where it appears that a true icon of the sport has found a way to get his son a job as general manager.

Call it unfair, but the reality is that Bowman took the job in Chicago so he could work with son Stan, and now -- barely a year later -- Stan has received a promotion to general manager of an Original Six franchise.

UPDATE: Havlat's agent, Allan Walsh, has also used Twitter to post his thoughts on the Tallon firing and Havlat's departure from Chicago.

Dale Tallon is a stand up guy and I have unqualified respect for him. He is honorable and loyal to a fault. Huge loss for Chicago.

What happened betwwen (sic) Marty and Chicago had nothing to do with Dale Tallon. Dale is a friend and will always be a friend.

Walsh's tweets appear to be more evidence that the Tallon move wasn't thought up over the last couple days.

Havlat Uses Twitter to Go After Blackhawks Over Tallon Firing originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Brother Act in Minnesota; Saku Koivu Chooses Anaheim

Bruce Ciskie — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Canadiens, Ducks, Wild, Western, NHL Free Agency

Entering NHL free agency last week, there was a lot of chatter about the prospect of a Koivu family gathering in Minnesota.

It is there that young Mikko has emerged as a face of the Minnesota Wild. His 34-year-old brother, Saku, became a free agent July 1, and it made sense that the two would play together with the Wild. In the end, however, Saku decided against the move, agreeing Wednesday to a one-year deal with Anaheim.

Koivu's acceptance of a one-year deal with the Ducks is a sign of a couple factors. For starters, he wanted to play with countryman Teemu Selanne in the latter's final NHL season. Also, it doesn't appear that Saku was too keen on playing with his younger brother.

"We spoke to Minnesota a few times. All the talks went very well, but it was more personal reasons. I didn't feel comfortable. I kind of felt that Minnesota's Mikko's place at this point. I wanted him to have his own privacy in a way and make his own name and career. And I just felt there were too many risks for us as brothers and as family members to join on the same team and kind of compete for the same ice time. And I felt we're better off playing somewhere else."

After nine years as a captain in Montreal, Saku Koivu is a pretty prideful guy. Even the smallest chance that his game would slip in Minnesota, and he would drag his younger brother down with him, was too much to risk.

It's hard to get down on a guy for simply not wanting to play somewhere. Reports are that Minnesota offered a multi-year deal and may have offered more per year than what Saku got from Anaheim for a one-year contract. In other words, he took less money to play for the Ducks.

While it has to be disappointing for the Wild, they have nothing to hang their heads over on this one.

No Brother Act in Minnesota; Saku Koivu Chooses Anaheim originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Martin Havlat Twitter: 'There's Something to Be Said For Loyalty and Honor'

Adam Gretz — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:50:00 EST

Filed under: Blackhawks, Wild, NHL Fans

The Minnesota Wild had quite the busy day in free agency on Wednesday, signing shot-blocker Greg Zanon from the Nashville Predators, and swapping one oft-injured, yet supremely talented forward (Marian Gaborik) for another oft-injured, yet supremely talented forward (Martin Havlat). There was also a report from Michael Russo of the Star Tribune that the team was working on a deal with Saku Koivu.

Havlat, 28, signed a six-year, $30 million deal in Minnesota late Wednesday night, and followed it up by voicing his displeasure with the negotiating process in Chicago ... via Twitter.

After thanking fans and teammates for their support and well-wishes on his Twitter feed, Havlat claimed that he was excited to be in Minnesota.

Excited to be in Minny where I was welcomed and appreciated by management. The real story about what happened in Chicago to come out.

Just a few minutes later, he dropped in this line:

There's something to be said for loyalty and honor.

Havlat's agent, Allan Walsh, also commented on the dealings with Chicago, via Twitter, saying that his client "received multi-year offers from several teams ... except Chicago." He continued: "After 3 months of negotiating a long term contract, Chicago would not offer anything more than a 1 year deal. So much for taking care of the team MVP"

At the end of the day, it's pretty obvious that Chicago was targeting Marian Hossa, and once he signed his 12-year deal there was pretty much no chance of Havlat returning to the Blackhawks. That is, unless Dale Tallon found a way to completely abolish the salary cap.

Havlat seems like a solid fit for Minnesota's new up-tempo approach, assuming he can stay on the ice.There's no denying his talent when he's actually in the lineup, but, like Gaborik, that's been a problem over the years. Since the lockout, Havlat has actually played fewer games than Gaborik, while 2008-09 was the first time he played at least 80 games in a single season. It's only the third time he hit the 70-game mark.

Martin Havlat Twitter: 'There's Something to Be Said For Loyalty and Honor' originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marian Gaborik Signs With Rangers

Bruce Ciskie — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:40:00 EST

Filed under: Rangers, Wild, Eastern, Western

When Marian Gaborik turned down a ten-year, $78 million offer from the Wild last summer, it was clearly not just about the money.

After all, a $7.8 million annual average was about as much as he could possibly hope to earn, especially if he got a ten-year deal. Instead, this was about a fresh start for Gaborik. That fresh start will happen in New York, after Gaborik agreed to a five-year deal with the Rangers Wednesday evening.

The deal won't give Gaborik the $7.8 million annual average, or the $78 million overall value, that the Wild offer would have netted him.

However, it gets him under the big-city lights of New York, playing for a Ranger team desperately seeking a star, and it gets him -- according to the TSN report -- $7.5 million per year.

Gaborik was injured for much of the 2008-2009 season, but came on late in the year to end with 13 goals and 23 points. The 42 goals and 83 points he had the year before represent career highs in both categories. While Gaborik struggled in the 2008 playoffs against Colorado, he was great for the Wild in their run to the Western Conference Finals back in 2003.

If he's healthy, there's no question Gaborik can be a difference-maker for the Rangers. The groin issues he's had in the past create serious question marks, and it's always different when you move from a place like Minnesota to New York.

This deal probably leaves Dany Heatley with Ottawa, unless he changes his mind and approves a deal to Edmonton (assuming, of course, that Edmonton still wants him).

Marian Gaborik Signs With Rangers originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Offseason Roadmap: Northwest Division

Bruce Ciskie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Avalanche, Canucks, Flames, Oilers, Wild, Western

It's officially the offseason, meaning the time is right to look into the future. We continue our division-by-division preview of the potential wheeling and dealing with the Northwest Division.

It appears we are setting up for an offseason of significant change in the Northwest Division. Only the Vancouver Canucks will have the same coach as last year, and there could be some real upheaval in terms of personnel. Not only that, but two teams (Minnesota and Colorado) have changed general managers.

More Offseason Roadmaps:
Atlantic | Northeast | Southeast | Central
Detroit Red Wings | Pittsburgh Penguins

Calgary Flames: The Flames were active at the trade deadline, adding Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold as they tried to strengthen themselves for a Stanley Cup run. Obviously, it didn't work, and Calgary's first-round playoff elimination triggered a coaching change (Mike Keenan out, Brent Sutter in). Major roster changes could be on the way, too.

See, the Flames have committed over $47 million to 16 players for next season. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they're probably not going to re-sign Todd Bertuzzi, Mike Cammalleri, and Leopold, all of whom are unrestricted free agents. If they have to pick one, it should easily be Cammalleri, who should draw some real interest on the open market.

It's also not beyond the realm of possibility for general manager Darryl Sutter to try to swing a deal for a guy like Jokinen, who enters the last year of his contract. However, that would set the team back offensively, which probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Colorado Avalanche: While this past season was an unmitigated disaster for the Avalanche, there is reason for hope.

New general manager Craig Sherman doesn't have much salary cap flexibility to work with. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine the injury bug striking this team's top players the way it did in 2008-2009. That factor alone could do wonders for Sherman and new coach Joe Sacco.

While Colorado was last in the Western Conference, they do have some upside on the roster. Paul Stastny has evolved into their best player, even if he's a bit fragile. Milan Hejduk turns 34 during the upcoming season, but he is still capable of 25-30 goals. The Avalanche also have promising youngsters Cody McLeod and T.J. Hensick ready to be more of a factor in the offense.

The defense is expensive, but also experienced, thanks to guys like Scott Hannan, John-Michael Liles, and Brett Clark. If they decide they really need cap space, they should be able to find takers for one of these guys.

Sherman's biggest tasks are finding some cap flexibility and deciding on a goalie. Both Peter Budaj (restricted) and Andrew Raycroft (unrestricted) are free agents.

It sounds like Sherman is considering a deal for forward Ryan Smyth to help stabilize the team's cap situation. Smyth will be tough to unload, however, because of his advancing age and huge cap number.

Edmonton Oilers: After a disappointing regular season that saw the Oilers miss the playoffs for a third straight year since their Cup Finals run in 2006, owner Darryl Katz finally had enough.

By jettisoning longtime coach Craig MacTavish and luring veteran NHL bench bosses Pat Quinn (head coach) and Tom Renney (assistant), Katz immediately raised the bar in the organization. Near-misses will not be tolerated anymore. Quinn and Renney will be expected to hold players accountable and get this team to the playoffs.

During his introductory press conference, Quinn referenced the possibility that some of Edmonton's veteran players were "in the easy chair" for a chunk of the season. This is something that Quinn said he wouldn't tolerate. Pressure will be on guys like Shawn Horcoff, Dustin Penner, and Ales Hemsky, who are all being paid like offensive leaders, but too often disappear into the dark of night.

The Oilers have some room to maneuver this summer, with nearly $47 million committed to 18 players. Jay Bouwmeester is floating around in the dreams of Oiler fans, but unless Edmonton unloads a high salary, this move is unlikely. Rumors have Edmonton also in the mix for Dany Heatley, and they have a ton of young players that could be attractive to Ottawa.

Minnesota Wild: For the first time in franchise history, Doug Risebrough is not calling the shots. New general manager Chuck Fletcher hired former Minnesota Gopher Todd Richards to take over as head coach, and now the two are going to work on reshaping a team that has known nothing but the more defensive brand of hockey since its inception.

While promising a more wide-open brand of hockey, Fletcher has to figure out who on his team is best-suited for that style. Major decisions are coming with the likes of youngsters James Sheppard and Colton Gillies, who hardly dazzled under former coach Jacques Lemaire. Sheppard especially struggled with Lemaire's style, but he clearly has the talent to be a solid NHL forward.

Fletcher has 17 players signed for over $43 million total, giving him some cap room to play with, but few assets to use for potential trades. A move for a guy like Heatley is attractive, but the Wild just don't have a lot of chips to play with. One of them, forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard, has a verbal no-trade clause with his contract, and Fletcher should tread carefully if he thinks moving Bouchard is a good idea. The one forward who should be truly untouchable is Mikko Koivu, a great leader and one of the more underrated two-way players in the game.

One trade that appears to be a certainty is a deal involving backup goalie Josh Harding. He wants to be a starter, and he is probably good enough, but with Vezina Trophy finalist Niklas Backstrom signed to a four-year deal, it's unlikely Harding will get that shot in Minnesota.

Last but not least, Fletcher has to find a way to re-sign Marian Gaborik. If nothing else, he almost has to trade Gaborik's negotiating rights to a team that has a shot at him. This gives Fletcher at least a chance to get something for the star forward.

Vancouver Canucks: General manager Mike Gillis has some very stressful days ahead of him. Two of the biggest names on the free agent market next week are twin forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin (pictured above). The pair are still considered a package deal, so the team that signs them will probably be looking at identical $7.5 million (or so) cap hits.

If that isn't enough to make Gillis ingest Maalox every hour on the hour, defenseman Mattias Ohlund and forwards Mats Sundin, Taylor Pyatt, and Kyle Wellwood (restricted) are also free agents. Gillis also has goalie Roberto Luongo set to make $7.5 million in his walk year, so a contract extension would be well-advised (and a much better idea than a trade).

Since Gillis has 13 players signed for under $34 million, his cap situation is actually manageable, and he can make the Sedin deal happen if they choose to stay. If they don't, word on the street is that Gaborik has bought a house in Vancouver. Not to talk down about that area of the world (I've never been there), but odds are that, if true, this isn't a coincidence.

No matter what, the Canucks will need some young guys to step up and become front-line players. 23-year-olds Jannik Hansen and Mason Raymond are front-and-center on this list.

Offseason Roadmap: Northwest Division originally appeared on NHL FanHouse on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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