According to Darren Dreger we should all be expecting Nikolai Khabibulin to be moved before training camp. He went onto say that while Tallon has no immediate issues with moving the veteran goaltender it could create some cap issues in the future.
La Presse reports the Canadiens will retire Patrick Roy's jersey number in November.
The club would not confirm the story, but columnist Richard Labbé was told the team plans to announce its centennial activities on Sept. 24.
Roy's number 33 already has been retired by the Colorado Avalanche.
Many argue Roy is the greatest goalie of all time. He won the Cup in 1986 and 1993 with the Habs, and in 1996 and 2001 with the Avalanche.
-Free agent signee Glen Metropolit will only be a third or fourth line player, but he will still be counted on as a key player this season. The Flyers lost their entire fourth line from last season, including grizzled veterans Sami Kapanen and Jim Dowd. As a result, coach John Stevens and company will be counting on the 34 year old Metropolit for leadership and gritty, two way play. If Metropolit can provide these things, he will end up being an excellent free agent signing.
The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they have signed center Tim Brent to a one-year contract.
West Coast Weather
As unpredictable as a sudden snowfall or rainstorm on the west coast, the 08-09 edition of the Vancouver Canucks have their sights set on the beginning of a new era.
Gone in the abyss of organizational restructuring are the likes of “The West Coast Express”; Brian Burke/Dave Nonis, Captain Nazzy; JovoCop and of course all-time favourite Trevor Linden. Long-time fans of the club will have a new list of names to adore; a new list of expectations and a probable chance of unfulfilled promises.
As we sit a little over a month away from the start of training camp (can you even call two days in Whistler a “Training Camp”) the Canucks have several gapping holes that still need to be filled. The likes of Steve Bernier and Pavol Demitra will surely fill their respective roles however, the fact remains that if you combine either one of those two with the Sedin act, you simply have a formidable NHL second line. Does anyone else see a problem here?
Clouds may turn to sunny periods on the third-line as GM Mike Gillis has put together something of a nightmare (for the opposition). Last season Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows were known to several NW Division opponents as super pests and with the addition of Darcy Hordichuk this threesome is sure to add some spark to the line-up.
On the fourth-line, things appear to return to instability. Free agent pick up Ryan Johnson may be the only bright spot and you can slot in the likes of Jeff Cowan, Rick Rypien, Mike Brown or whoever else can lace up a pair of skates.
As we move to the backend of the line-up stabilizing the forwards is something that the Canucks defence were unable to do last season. The injury bug took its toll on a defence core that many suggested was within the top 5 in the entire league. Kevin Bieksa’s freak leg laceration along with Alex Edler and Sami Salo taking pucks to the face in the same game were only the icing on the cake, not to mention the recent death of up and coming star, Luc Bourdon.
Despite the rash of injuries the Canucks (or shall I say Manitoba Moose) defence core was able to keep this ship afloat and push for a playoff spot well into the final weeks of the season.
Bright skies remain in the forecast between the pipes for the Canucks’ as Roberto Luongo will surely rebound from what many may call his most inconsistent season of his NHL career. As for back-up Curtis Sanford, he appears to be the only goaltender since Kay Whitmore that enjoys the view from the bench in Vancouver however, this season early indications are that “the Sandman” is going to be relieving Luongo on a more consistent basis.
Despite all the instability there is still one interesting dynamic that may further change the face of this long struggling franchise. GM Mike Gillis shocked the NHL world with his July 1 offer to Mats Sundin an offer that has the 38-year-old center pondering his hockey future while leaving the rest of the NHL hanging in the balance.
Many faithful may be calling for the GM to pull the offer and move on to Plan B, however, the advantage of having Sundin in the line-up would benefit this hockey club greatly. They many not be contenders as we sit right now but it Mats is looking to join a club where he can be a key to their success, Vancouver is by far the team that needs him the most. His addition to this club would allow coach Alain Vigneault numerous options in writing his game day line-up.
As for Plan B, I think Plan B is in addition to Plan A and will happen regardless if Mats joins the Canucks or not.
This new era of Canucks hockey is something to watch closely like a storm that moves across the ocean. Is there a ridge of high pressure to block out the rain or are the winds of change just too strong, we can only wait and see.
'til next time, keep your head up
It was the end of the 2007-08 NHL regular season and it marked yet another campaign that the Atlanta Thrashers failed to make the playoffs. When you don’t make the playoffs, there are always some heated moments within the dressing room and the board room. For the Thrashers, it was Ilya Kovalchuk who screamed he needed a center man to play with. Since he’s been in
THE BOTTOM LINE: Watch Closely On This Situation Over The Course Of This Year, Kovalchuk May Be A Goner Not On Managements Terms But He’s Going To Want OUT!
Okay, we all know who the established players are in this league and we all know what they can do, but here are my top five players who are ready to step up and make a big impact this season:
I got a question to ask: WHY is there so much buzz about Marian Gaborik? With trade rumors swirling and rumors of Marian Gaborik being resigned, I don’t quite understand why people are getting so excited over him. He may be an established star in the NHL but think of other players you could get that aren’t like Gaborik. By not like Gaborik I mean established stars that aren’t injury plagued. Basically, he has been injured in every year of his NHL career. I mean, sure he puts up numbers, but what if you picked up someone different who can put up numbers all season long without going down for be it weeks or months or the full year for that matter? Let us compare him with other players who may not even be on the market but are established stars.
First I’d like to compare him to a guy by the name of Pavel Bure. Now I know their skill level probably does not match up. If you think about it though, Gaborik is on pace for more NHL career points than Bure. Both have had injury plagued seasons. Now these comparisons of Gaborik and Bure may not help much but it does give you an idea of what it’s like to be injury plagued player.
Now we move on to a player who hasn't been very injury plagued if at all. His name is Ilya Kovalchuk. This is the point I'm trying to prove. Kovalchuk has had one less NHL year than Gaborik and has 52 more career points. It just goes to show that it may be skill level that helps along the way, but if your injury plagued it doesn't matter.
Which leads to my question to be answered: Why is Marian Gaborik creating so much buzz? Because regardless of how injury plagued he is, he’s known as a star and will be recognized like one.
TEXT MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM MY KINGS SOURCE: The meeting last night was regarding Vitaly Vishnevski. They are interested in him but would like to explore other trades for a left shooting defenseman before the pursue Vishnevski. To me, it sounds like a polite way of saying they are not that interested.
Certainly, the hardest thing for an NHL team to do is win the Stanley Cup. If there's anything more difficult than that, it is winning the Cup two years in a row. Back before the days of free agency and expansion to 30 teams, winning multiple Cups in a row was commonplace. However, since the league switched to six divisions in 1998-99, no team has repeated as Stanley Cup champions. Why has this been the case? Let's see who (or what) has prevented each of the last nine defending champions from keeping the Cup. Pay close attention, Detroit Red Wings, as you guys could easily be the next team on this list.
