Friday, October 3, 2008
Steve Downie Suffers Mild MCL Strain
Another round of cuts
Calgary: Kyle Greentree, Matt Pelech, Brett Sutter
Los Angeles: Dave Meckler, Viatcheslav Voynov, Martin Jones
Phoenix: Al Montoya
Washington: Sami Lepisto, Semen Varlamov, Tyler Sloan, Grant McNeill
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Panthers sign Karl Stewart
Stewart last played in the NHL in the 2006-07 season, bouncing between the Blackhawks, Penguins and Lightning.
Stewart will be a depth forward likely getting a call-up when an injury occurs.
Trade Proposal
A lot of maybe's but I want to know what you think.
Sidenote: If you have a chance look up the movie "Frost/Nixon" on youtube it looks great. It's based on the play of the same name about a series of interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon in 1977.
Quick note:
Around the league
- Chris Chelios is out at least 6 weeks with a fractured bone in his right leg after blocking a shot on Tuesday night in Montreal.
- Brad Isbister is not going to Binghampton (via Sportsnet):
Brad Isbister’s time with the Ottawa Senators organization has come to an end. The veteran forward did not report to the Binghamton Senators, despite being assigned to the AHL farm club last week.
Isbister remains under contract with the Senators, but the NHL club will loan him to a European club for the rest of the season if his agent can work out a deal.
If Isbister fails to land a job elsewhere, the Senators will likely suspend him.
- Michel Ouellet cleared waivers and has been assigned to Norfolk of the AHL. I'm surprised no team claimed him.
- The Hurricanes cut Justin Peters and Daniel Manzato.
- The Bruins cut Matt Lashoff, Martin St. Pierre, Jeff Penner and Tuuka Rask. St. Pierre must clear waivers.
- The Ducks cut Joakim Lindstrom, Drew Miller, TJ Trevelyan, Troy Bodie, Brennan Evans, Josh Green, and David LeNeveu
- The Canucks cut Cory Schneider, Alex Bolduc and Shaun Heshka
- The Penguins have placed forward Ryan Stone on waivers.
Around the Islanders
1. Andy Sutton had hand surgery today. Sutton will likely miss 4-6 weeks of play and should be back in November. 2. Chris Campoli’s shoulder injury is not too bad. As reported, it is not related to last year’s shoulder injury, which required season-ending surgery. The fragile defenseman should be back around November 1st, and perhaps even earlier.
3. The Islanders signed Josh Bailey to a three-year, entry-level deal. Josh turned 19 today.
4. The following players were assigned to Bridgeport (AHL): LW Sean Bentivoglio, D Joe Callahan, D Jamie Fraser, LW Michael Haley, D Jordan Hart, C Tyler Haskins, C Rob Hennigar, RW Mike Iggulden, RW Jesse Joensuu, D Dustin Kohn, G Nathan Lawson, D Andrew MacDonald, C Tomas Marcinko, RW Vladimir Nikiforov, G Peter Mannino, LW Kurtis McLean, LW Jason Pitton, RW Joel Rechlicz, LW Trevor Smith and C Ben Walter
The Islanders' training camp roster now stands at 32 players with the addition of Thomas Pock.
Flyers cut six players
As I reported earlier this week, Claude Giroux has been sent to the AHL today, along with forwards Jon Kalinski, Boyd Kane and Jared Ross, as well as defensemen Sean Curry and Nate Guenin
Giroux had a poor camp and needed some seasoning in the AHL before before getting top-minutes in the NHL. He will be the first call-up when another player goes down due to an injury.
Kulemin and Kubina shelved with injuries; CuJo pulled
- Nikolai Kulemin and Pavel Kubina of the Leafs are both out for 7-10 days with knee injuries. Kulemin banged up his knee against the Blues on Monday and did not practice yesterday, while veteran defenceman Pavel Kubina left midway through practice with an apparent sore knee.This should open the door for Luke Schenn, who at least should get a taste of regular season action.
- Lee Stempniak had two goals and an assist and the St. Louis Blues chased Curtis Joseph with 6 goals on their first 12 shots in a 7-3 pre-season lopsided victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs yesterday. Justin Pogge came in relief in the 2nd period, stopping 13 of the 14 shots he faced. Grabovski, Stralman and Hagman scored for the Leafs. Frogren and Mayers were -3.
The game was filled with fights, Ryan Hollweg dropping the gloves 3 times and registering an astounding 39 PIM! Former Devil Cam Janssen received 29 PIM for the Blues.
After yesterday's contest, Andy McDonald is now the pre-season leading scorer with 11 points in 4 games.
Update!!! Defenceman Jeff Finger, who has only played one pre-season game, will likely miss the first week of the season as a foot injury is taking longer to heal than originally expected.
Andrew Hutchinson on waivers, Heward joins Bolt
The Bolt brought over veteran Jamie Heward, who, technically, is still on his tryout contract but is expected to sign a regular two-way deal. He has joined the team. It is unclear if he will play Saturday.
Traning camp cuts
Columbus: Maxim Mayorov
Los Angeles: Andrei Loktionov
New Jersey: Fedor Fedorov
NY Rangers: Antoine Lafleur, Evgeny Grachev
Vancouver: Mark Cullen, Jason Jaffray, Jim Sharrow, Dan Gendur
Bogosian to stick with the Thrashers
Zach Bogosian will likely earn a roster spot with the Thrashers.
Frosh des Habitants...
In anticipation of the commencement of the High Holy Days, Sammy Rapps, family patriarch and former president of family-owned and operated Calego International Inc. (for whom I work), invited his greatly respected friend, Rabbi Fine, to share some insight on the meaning of Rosh Hashanah and of the Jewish faith. Curious, I sat in on Rabbi Fine's discussion, which I would learn was meant to assist in the traditional process of self-examination leading up to the Day of Judgment and the New Year.
Rosh Hashanah, Fine explained, is a time to reflect upon one's relationship with God. The only things over which a person has any true control, he suggested, are their dignity and their relationship with God, which is a perfect reflection of their character and actions.
Similarly, the character and actions (or more specifically, the abilities) of NHL hopefuls come to be scrutinized in the days leading up to their own day of judgment and, concurrent with the Hebrew calendar, the latter part of September (Elul) opens this process. In that time, the Montreal Canadiens, among others, gathered their prospects and perennials for physicals, training camp and the start of a series of evaluations.
Following a concentrated schedule of practices and 6 preseason games in 7 nights, Montreal's players and personnel were finally granted a day of rest on the first eve of Rosh Hashanah this past Monday. In following with the traditional interpretation of the holiday, Monday was also a day of judgment for the Canadiens as 16 players were re-assigned to Montreal's AHL affiliate in Hamilton and 2 others returned to their respective Junior clubs in the team's first major round of cuts.
It is told that Rosh Hashanah is marked by the opening of three books of account, into which the fates of three classes of people are written: the righteous, whose names are inscribed in the Book of Life and are sealed "to live"; the wicked, who are immediately blotted out of the Book of Life; and an intermediate class, who are given a respite of ten days, until Yom Kippur, to prove their worth and become righteous.*
Hab hopefuls, too, were effectively divided into three groups on that day: the righteous, comprised of the established stars and veterans of the group alongside the key young players who had proved their worth last season and who by conventional wisdom are locks to hold their spots on the big team; the wicked, who are not 'wicked' so much as they are just not ready to compete at the highest level and were effectively blotted out of the team's starting roster by being immediately re-assigned; and the intermediaries, made up of the few prospects who made an early impression and were granted at the very least a longer look in the preseason.
Aptly called the 'Days of Awe' (Yamim Noraim), the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur provide a true test of these intermediaries, at once holding the potential to strike 'bubble' players with utter trepidation or, conversely, to allow them the opportunity to absolutely astonish the management and coaching staff. Maybe, just maybe, one or two of these players can find their way into the Book of Life on that opening night roster card, but in this instance they'll have to make a case strong enough to displace somebody already on that list to do so.
For Gregory Stewart, Matt D'Agostini and Ben Maxwell, last night marked the end of their stay with the big club, for now anyways, and with it the end of their days of awe in the midst of 21,273 screaming fans and unparalleled media attention. Survivors Max Pacioretty, Kyle Chipchura and Yannick Weber will live to fight another day and will be granted a longer interlude during which to forge a lasting impression, including one final preseason game this Saturday against Minnesota.
All things being considered, final judgments and roster decisions will be passed from on high just prior to the observance of Yom Kippur on the 9th of October and the official debut of the Canadiens' 2008-09 Season on the 10th. Between now and then, the process of self-examination undertaken during these high holidays will represent gut-check time for three young men aspiring to don the bleu-blanc-rouge in particular.
Whether Rosh Hashanah or Frosh des Habitants, reflection and renewal are in the air. Past strengths and deficiencies have been identified and, hopefully, addressed. It's October--the start of a new year and a new hockey season... here's hoping it's a good one--Shana Tova!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Around the Coyotes
The moves left 27 players on the Coyotes' training camp roster heading into Friday night's preseason game at Anaheim.
Wild cut 2; Sharks cut 6
The Sharks cut the following players today: Tomas Greiss, Jamie McGinn, Tom Cavanagh, Steve Zalewski, Jason Demers and Michael Wilson.
HABS CUT 3
Canucks Oust Flames 6-1
Alex Edler scored 21 seconds into the game on a spectacular pass from Pavol Demitra.
Not 5 minutes later Jannik Hansen put the Canucks up by 2 on with Ryan Kesler providing the seeing eye no-look pass.
Flames came on late in the period peppering Roberto Luongo with 12 shots.
Robyn Regher made things interesting early on in the second with a howitzer of a shot from the point that beat Roberto Luongo through David Moss' screen. 
Someone file a missing persons report. Dion Phaneuf and Mikka Kipprusoff were no where to be found at GM Place this evening. Now I will give you the arguement that this is pre-season but the Flames were awful and Phaneuf and Kipper are only the tip of the iceberg.After an eventful Tuesday that included being injured in practice and being named captain in the after noon, Roberto Luongo will take to the ice against the Flames and is expected to play a complete game. Curtis Sanford will back up Luongo and should stay ready in case the groin flares up.
Entering the contest the Canucks carry a perfect 4-0 pre-season record that has the players brimming with confidence and coaches scratching their collective heads as they try to narrow down your 2008 Vancouver Canucks. Public perception is that this team is in for a long season and while only time will tell, there may be a lack of top-end talent however there is no shortages of grit and determination.
Tonight's featured line combination will feature Mason Raymond moving to the right wing while Pavol Demitra is at centre and Taylor Pyatt will do battle along the left wing.
Jannik Hansen continues to impress and will team up with pesky Alex Burrow and newly appointed alternate captain Ryan Kesler. This combination is surely going to cause some fits on Calgary bench.
Running out of opportunities to (really) impress is Cody Hodgson. Hodgson has looked good but nothing to the level that you can say 'he has to stay'. Maybe a game with the crafty Kyle Wellwood and gritty Matt Pettinger is just what the doctor ordered.
Don't expect too many fireworks tonight as these teams with square off next Thursday to open the season and surely that will be the evening that the rivalry will be renewed.
For those of you in Canada you can catch the game shown nationally on TSN.
HOCKEYBUMS SEASON PREVIEW: COMING SHORTLY
Refer to the schedule at nhlseasonpreview.hockeybums.i8.com to see when your team will be previewed.
Oilers cut 6; Hawks cut 3
The Blackhawks cut the following players today: Petri Kontiola, Evan Brophey and Pascal Pelletier.
The NHL (and the Rangers) win the Victoria Cup
With every player on the Magnitogorsk team offered a hundred thousand dollar bonus for victory against the Rangers, the financially strong KHL was looking to flex its new found muscle on the world stage and for two periods the validation the Russian authorities were seeking against the greatest league in the world looked to be set in stone. A weak New York Rangers display suffered with poor penalties and even poorer netminding from Lundqvist as his opposite number Andrei Mezin shone for the Russians, but a third period turn around in which the Rangers asserted their offensive dominance paid off with a last gasp tie breaker from Ryan Callahan.
Perhaps expecting a traditional continental style of hockey, the Rangers entered into the game against Magnitogorsk after routing a young SC Bern on the same Swiss ice a night previous. However the Russians proved a much tougher and schooled nut to crack with a puck possession game that landed them a two goal lead at the end of the first albeit through some dubious efforts from the Rangers number one and a legless Rangers performance.
Making hay into the second Magnitogorsk extended their lead, capitalizing on the Rangers poor zonal coverage burdened by an overtly adventurous forecheck. The subsequent raft of penalties saw Magnitogorsk plot what looked a certain route to victory with a third goal, their second on the powerplay, when Zavarukhin scored on a deflection. As the pace increased in the latter stages of the second however, Magnitogorsk started to look tired and two quick fire penalties allowed the Rangers back into the game with a late 5 on 3 conversion by Chris Drury.
With the bit between their teeth the Rangers began to pressure the Russian puck carriers in the third and the slick Metallurg passing game began to unravel into numerous turnover and penalties. The Rangers, now looking more like the dominant team, began asserting their offensive supremacy and a quick fire Dan Fritsche goal saw the gap close to one. With momentum on their side against a flagging Mettalurg Magnitogorsk the Rangers tied the game up on a Gomez powerplay goal with nine minutes left on the clock.
As the game began to wind down into certain overtime, the umpteenth turnover of the period saw Ryan Callaghan gather the puck just outside the offensive zone, with the play going the other way Callaghan split the Metallurg D and pulled a move to slot the puck past an often spectacular Mezin with less than twenty seconds on the clock ending the game in the Rangers and, more pertinently, the NHL’s favor.
For the Rangers it was a last period rally to save NHL face, rarely dominated by Magnitogorsk, the Rangers did look awfully poor on the penalty kill against a team struggling in special teams in their native division whilst also looking defensively threadbare against a good passing side. Whilst the first two periods made a very real statement for the KHL and its new brand of mature versatile hockey, the score and the third period will be what the game is remembered for.
The NHL is still king, but it was dreadfully close to going horribly wrong.
Radulov Wont Be Suspended
The saga of Alexander Radulov continues across international lines.
The International Ice Hockey Federation has found Alexander Radulov to be in breach of his contract with the Nashville Predators but he will not be suspended.
With one year remaining on his deal with the Predators, Radulov signed a three-year contract with Salavat Yulayev of the Continental Hockey League (KHL) this summer. IIHF lawyers determined that Radulov's contract with the Predators was legal and binding.
The KHL contends that, with no player transfer agreement in place between the NHL, IIHF and KHL at the time of the signing, the move was legal.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the IIHF clarified their position in the matter.
Leafs shopping Bell, Colaiacovo and White
It is presumed they are shopped for low draft picks as the three players don't have much value.
Waiver wire
Ellis split last season between Detroit and Los Angeles, picking up 8 points in 54 games.
The Edmonton Oilers placed forward Ryan Potulny on Wednesday. Also, the team placed forward Carl Corazzini on waivers and released forward Guillaume Lefebvre from his professional tryout agreement.
Around the league
Atlanta: Sent Joe Motzko, Junior Lessard, Jordan LaVallee to Chicago (AHL)
Columbus: Sent D Andrey Plekhanov and G Dan LaCosta to Syracuse (AHL). Released G Sebastian Dahm.
Detroit: Signed F Brent Raedeke and D Brian Lashoff. Released D Kyle Deck and D Martin Ondrej.
Nashville: Sent Michael Ryan and Drew MacIntyre to Milwaukee (AHL).
St. Louis: Sent Brad Winchester, Trent Whitfield, Steve Regier, Charles Linglet, Matt Foy, and Andy Wozniewski to Peoria (AHL).
Washington: Sent Jakub Cutta and Keith Aucoin to hershey (AHL).
Islanders cut 24 players
Claude Giroux to start in the AHL
He remains a top prospect, but looks like some seasoning is in order before he breaks through. He will be recalled during the season as soon as another player goes down with an injury.
