I will be rating each team on three different areas which of course are goalies, defensemen and forward. The ratings are from 1 to 10. The rating consists of his personal ability and his importance to the team. This means that a player who scores way more points might get the same rating as someone who does not. There are two categories that i will rate: Every position as whole and then every single player. I will also put in the lines that i think/hope they will play next season. Then last i will give a grade to the whole team.
Carolina Hurricanes
Goalies:
Cam Ward: A living legend in the Hurricanes squad. In my opinion one of the best goalies in the NHL. Was the Conn Smythe winner when Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. Is still relatively young as a goalie. Rating: 10
Brian Boucher: Good backup, but Ward has been among the top in starts in the NHL. Maybe Hurricanes can offload him a little bit now. Rating: 8
Justin Peters: If Boucher aqcuisition backfires he will return to backup, but otherwise it is AHL for him. Rating: 6
If Boucher playes well Hurricanes have a really solid duo. If not Peters will have to backup and then things will be harder for them. Ward is a top goalie and can be relied to complete his task at all times. Rating: 9
Defensemen:
Joni Pitkänen: A really good offensive d-man. Plays nearly 25 minuter per game with Joe Corvo. He will have to form a new pair, but hopefully things will go well. Rating: 9
Jamie McBain: Played a good season first season in the National Hockey League. Looking to establish himself as a top 4 defenseman. Good in both directions of the ice. Rating: 8
Tomas Kaberle: Elite puck moving player who got to taste the Stanley Cup last season. Will replace ad perhaps be even better than Joe Corvo who left to Boston. Rating: 9
Derek Joslin: Moved to Carolina from San Jose and got a new two year deal. Relatively unproven, but has many years to do that. Rating: 7
Jay Harrison: Got his first full season in the NHL. Has been a regular AHL player, but is looking to establish himself as a top-6 defenseman. He is 28 years old. Rating: 7
Tim Gleason: Top-4 defenseman in Hurricanes squad. Good in defensive denseman, but like so many other good defenders he lacks offensive skills. Still very important for the hurricanes. Rating: 8
Bryan Allen: Easily top-6 defenseman in any team. Like Gleason, brings good defensive play and adds some offensive talents. Moved from Florida late last season and hopefully will find a new home in Carolina. Rating: 8
Carolina has a really good blue line and with Ward in the goal it will be hard to score for them. Overall really impressive and even though it is not the average i give them Rating: 9
Forwards
Jiri Tlusty: Signed, again, a one year extension with the Hurricanes. Has good stick skills, but lacks defensive ability. Does not get much minutes. Rating: 7
Brandon Sutter: 22 year old played all 82 games last season. He scored 14 goals and added 15 assists. If Skinner plays as a wing he will probably center the second line. Rating: 8
Anthony Stewart: Came from Atlanta/Winnipeg to add some size to the team due to the loss of Erik Cole for free agency. He is not as good as Cole but not a bad player either. Rating: 7
Eric Staal: He is the franchise player in Carolina. In my opinion one of the best centers in the NHL. He is big and has really good stick handling skills, that is quite rare. Rating: 10
Jeff Skinner: The expectations on him after a Calder trophy winning season are huge. Carolina lines will go through some modifications and he will fight for a place next to Eric Staal. Rating: 9
Jerome Samson: Played in 23 games averaging less than 7 minutes per game. He got two assists in those games. Suitable for the fourth line, is quite young, but is not likely to improve much. Rating: 6
Tuomo Ruutu: The second line right winger scored 19 goals to go with 38 assists. Got a "consolation price" by being part of gold-medal winning Finnish national team in the world championships. Good two way forward who is important for the Canes. Rating: 9
Alexei Ponikarovsky: Decent winger who might moved from Kings to Canes during the free agency. Probably third line left wing in the coming season. Former 61 points scorer might still have something to give. Rating: 8
Chad LaRose: Good third line right winger. Scored 16 goals and added 15 assists. Would from a good third line with Ponikarovsky and Tlusty. Rating: 8
Jussi Jokinen: Good sniper who was dropped from 30 goals to 19. Hopefully will have a bounce back season. Plays as first line left-winger, but in my opinion that spot should go to sensation Jeff Skinner. Rating: 8
Patrick Dwyer: Played 80 games with the Hurricanes last season. Decent right winger for the fourth line, but in my opinion Carolina should use some younger players like Zach Boychuk, Zac Dalpe. Rating: 7
Tim Brent: Perhaps a fourth line center, but by any standard not integral to Hurricanes. i would like to see Zach Boychuk in his position. Rating: 7
Overall Carolina has a bunch of good players, but it fails in comparison to the best squads in the league. Some unproven young talent coming and perhaps they will prove my evaluation too weak, but... Rating: 8
Lines
Skinner-Staal-Ruutu
Jokinen-Sutter-Stewart
Ponikarovsky-Boychuk-LaRose
Tlusty-Brent-Dwyer
Pitkanen-Kaberle
Harrison-Gleason
Allen-McBain
Ward
Overall a good squad and knowing that the top two lines will play a lot i will give the Carolina team Rating: 9
Key Factors
+Top goalie
+Some top prospects
+Defensive talent
-Some unproven players
-Not a usual playoff team
lauantai 30. heinäkuuta 2011
keskiviikko 27. heinäkuuta 2011
Calgary squad analysis
I will be rating each team on three different areas which of course are goalies, defensemen and forward. The ratings are from 1 to 10. The rating consists of his personal ability and his importance to the team. This means that a player who scores way more points might get the same rating as someone who does not. There are two categories that i will rate: Every position as whole and then every single player. I will also put in the lines that i think/hope they will play next season. Then last i will give a grade to the whole team.
Calgary Flames
Goalies
Miikka Kiprusoff: The backbone of Flames. Has won the Vezina and William M. Jennings and was considered as one of the possible Hart trophy frontrunners in 04-05 season. Still a really good goalie and important for the Flames. Rating: 10
Henrik Karlsson: Decent backup, but if things continue as they have been will play less than 20 games. Played 16 games and lost 11 of those, but 6 in OT. Rating: 7
Kiprusoff is getting to the age where he might have to start giving away some starts. It makes Karlsson more important and with Calgarys defense getting slightly worse it might be more important than ever. Goalie rating: 9
Defensemen
Cory Sarich: The veteran of Flames defense. Only defender who is over 30 years old and with that he might have to take a big role. Is he ready for it or has he ever been good enough for it? For the sake of every Flames fan, i hope he is. Rating: 8
Mark Giordano: The only real offensive threat in Flames blueline. Important player and will probably keep on forming the first defensive pair with Jay Bouwmeester. Rating: 9
Brett Carson: Is 25 years old and has 78 NHL games. With that he should be a top 6 defender in Clagary. Would not be the first time in NHL history that someone has been a late bloomer and that is exactly what Calgary would need. Rating: 7
Chris Butler: The most games he has played in a single season is 59. Without decent backup that might backfire big time. There are really no big flaws in his game so if he gets a full season he should do ok. Rating: 7
Jay Bouwmeester: The alternate captain of Flames. Has not missed a single game after the lockout. The backbone and image of Calgary blueline. Rating: 9
Anton Babchuk: Good player, but has had some problems with contracts and behavior in the past. Hopefully that is behind and the Flames have a good two way defender in him. Rating: 8
Flames have 6 good defenders, but really no backup. Only way to success is avoid injuries and that is not something that you should build on. So that limits my Rating: 8
Forwards
Alex Tanguay: One of the better players in Calgary. Forms the first line with either Morrison or Jokinen and Jarome Iginla on the right. Important member and a good player. Rating: 9
Matt Stajan: Decent center, but surprisingly with 27 years in the meter he is the second youngest forward in the Flames squad. Only Mikael Backlund is younger than him. Rating 7
David Moss: Scored 17 goals which is 6th best in the Flames squad. Considering that he only played 58 games he could have done a lot more for the Flames. Has been injury plagued throughout his career. Rating: 8
Brendan Morrison: Top 6 forward centered the Calgary first line before a season ending knee injury. Led Calgary in +/- with 13 and recorded 43 points in 66 games. Important, but gettin too old like the whole Flames squad. Rating: 8
Daymond Langkow: Had a nearly career ending injury and slowly returned to action really late during the regular season. Still a good player if fit but like i have said so many times the Flames squad is just too old and he is no exception: Rating: 8
Tom Kostopulos: Moved to Calgary from Carolina, but not really sure he is what they need. Do not get me wrong, he is a good player but on the wrong side of 30 and a right winger where Moss and Iginla already play high minutes. Rating: 7
Olli Jokinen: Top 6 forward and if you ask me a clear choice as number one center. A really good center who is a threat at all times. Rating: 9
Tim Jackman: Decent right winger who with 29 years is one of the "younger" players in the squad. Good, but not marvelous in any aspect. Rating: 7
Raitis Ivanas: Latvian hockey player. He is a miracle in that way, but otherwise not. Played one game last season after fighting with Steve MacIntyre he suffered a concussion that kept him out the whole season. Also old so... Rating: 6
Jarome Iginla: The god in Calgary. Has scored over 1000 points 1106 games. He is one of the 10 players in the National Hockey League who has scored 30 or more goals in 10 consecutive season putting him in a group with Jari Kurri, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Hull and Mike Bossy to mention a few. Tipped to be a certain hall of fame player he leads the Flames as one of the best players ever. Rating: 10
Niklas Hagman: Has to do better than last year, but is a 20+ goal scorer at best and if plays well is a valuable asset to Flames. Rating: 8
Curtis Glencross: Good and important player for the Flames, but with players like Bourque and Tanguay on his position it is hard to get too much minutes. Rating: 8
Rene Bourque: Second line left wing. Ia able to score impressive amounts of points and is really important for the Flames. Competition like Glencross and Hagman will keep him trying his best every day. Rating: 9
Mikael Backlund: The only really young player in Calgary. Showed some promise last year and hopefully will keep on improving. Rating: 7
Overall some flashes of brilliance, but a really old squad with some inconsistent performers so i have to give Rating: 8
Lines:
Tanguay-Jokinen-Iginla
Bourque-Morrison-Glencross
Hagman-Backlund-Moss
Kostopoulos-Stajan-Jackman
Bouwmeester-Giordano
Sarich-Babchuk
Butler-Carson
Kiprusoff
Calgary has a good squad but really no backup. Old and injury prone team is not promising either, but with some quality players i give them Rating: 8
Key factors
+Some really good players
+In paper tough team
+Decent players from first to fourth line
-No depth
-Really old core
Calgary Flames
Goalies
Miikka Kiprusoff: The backbone of Flames. Has won the Vezina and William M. Jennings and was considered as one of the possible Hart trophy frontrunners in 04-05 season. Still a really good goalie and important for the Flames. Rating: 10
Henrik Karlsson: Decent backup, but if things continue as they have been will play less than 20 games. Played 16 games and lost 11 of those, but 6 in OT. Rating: 7
Kiprusoff is getting to the age where he might have to start giving away some starts. It makes Karlsson more important and with Calgarys defense getting slightly worse it might be more important than ever. Goalie rating: 9
Defensemen
Cory Sarich: The veteran of Flames defense. Only defender who is over 30 years old and with that he might have to take a big role. Is he ready for it or has he ever been good enough for it? For the sake of every Flames fan, i hope he is. Rating: 8
Mark Giordano: The only real offensive threat in Flames blueline. Important player and will probably keep on forming the first defensive pair with Jay Bouwmeester. Rating: 9
Brett Carson: Is 25 years old and has 78 NHL games. With that he should be a top 6 defender in Clagary. Would not be the first time in NHL history that someone has been a late bloomer and that is exactly what Calgary would need. Rating: 7
Chris Butler: The most games he has played in a single season is 59. Without decent backup that might backfire big time. There are really no big flaws in his game so if he gets a full season he should do ok. Rating: 7
Jay Bouwmeester: The alternate captain of Flames. Has not missed a single game after the lockout. The backbone and image of Calgary blueline. Rating: 9
Anton Babchuk: Good player, but has had some problems with contracts and behavior in the past. Hopefully that is behind and the Flames have a good two way defender in him. Rating: 8
Flames have 6 good defenders, but really no backup. Only way to success is avoid injuries and that is not something that you should build on. So that limits my Rating: 8
Forwards
Alex Tanguay: One of the better players in Calgary. Forms the first line with either Morrison or Jokinen and Jarome Iginla on the right. Important member and a good player. Rating: 9
Matt Stajan: Decent center, but surprisingly with 27 years in the meter he is the second youngest forward in the Flames squad. Only Mikael Backlund is younger than him. Rating 7
David Moss: Scored 17 goals which is 6th best in the Flames squad. Considering that he only played 58 games he could have done a lot more for the Flames. Has been injury plagued throughout his career. Rating: 8
Brendan Morrison: Top 6 forward centered the Calgary first line before a season ending knee injury. Led Calgary in +/- with 13 and recorded 43 points in 66 games. Important, but gettin too old like the whole Flames squad. Rating: 8
Daymond Langkow: Had a nearly career ending injury and slowly returned to action really late during the regular season. Still a good player if fit but like i have said so many times the Flames squad is just too old and he is no exception: Rating: 8
Tom Kostopulos: Moved to Calgary from Carolina, but not really sure he is what they need. Do not get me wrong, he is a good player but on the wrong side of 30 and a right winger where Moss and Iginla already play high minutes. Rating: 7
Olli Jokinen: Top 6 forward and if you ask me a clear choice as number one center. A really good center who is a threat at all times. Rating: 9
Tim Jackman: Decent right winger who with 29 years is one of the "younger" players in the squad. Good, but not marvelous in any aspect. Rating: 7
Raitis Ivanas: Latvian hockey player. He is a miracle in that way, but otherwise not. Played one game last season after fighting with Steve MacIntyre he suffered a concussion that kept him out the whole season. Also old so... Rating: 6
Jarome Iginla: The god in Calgary. Has scored over 1000 points 1106 games. He is one of the 10 players in the National Hockey League who has scored 30 or more goals in 10 consecutive season putting him in a group with Jari Kurri, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Hull and Mike Bossy to mention a few. Tipped to be a certain hall of fame player he leads the Flames as one of the best players ever. Rating: 10
Niklas Hagman: Has to do better than last year, but is a 20+ goal scorer at best and if plays well is a valuable asset to Flames. Rating: 8
Curtis Glencross: Good and important player for the Flames, but with players like Bourque and Tanguay on his position it is hard to get too much minutes. Rating: 8
Rene Bourque: Second line left wing. Ia able to score impressive amounts of points and is really important for the Flames. Competition like Glencross and Hagman will keep him trying his best every day. Rating: 9
Mikael Backlund: The only really young player in Calgary. Showed some promise last year and hopefully will keep on improving. Rating: 7
Overall some flashes of brilliance, but a really old squad with some inconsistent performers so i have to give Rating: 8
Lines:
Tanguay-Jokinen-Iginla
Bourque-Morrison-Glencross
Hagman-Backlund-Moss
Kostopoulos-Stajan-Jackman
Bouwmeester-Giordano
Sarich-Babchuk
Butler-Carson
Kiprusoff
Calgary has a good squad but really no backup. Old and injury prone team is not promising either, but with some quality players i give them Rating: 8
Key factors
+Some really good players
+In paper tough team
+Decent players from first to fourth line
-No depth
-Really old core
lauantai 23. heinäkuuta 2011
Buffalo squad analysis
I will be rating each team on three different areas which of course are goalies, defensemen and forward. The ratings are from 1 to 10. The rating consists of his personal ability and his importance to the team. This means that a player who scores way more points might get the same rating as someone who does not. There are two categories that i will rate: Every position as whole and then every single player. I will also put in the lines that i think/hope they will play next season. Then last i will give a grade to the whole team.
Buffalo Sabres
Goalies
Ryan Miller One of the best goalies in the entire league. Buffalo has the luxury of being able to rely on him in every situation. Rating: 10
Jhonas Enroth: Handled the few starts he got pretty well. Solid backup who has potential to be a starter in the future. Rating: 7
One of the best goalies in the National Hockey league to go with a solid backup. Who would not want to have a duo like that? Rating: 9
Defensemen
Mike Weber: Played fairly well last season, but I am afraid that the acquisitions of Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff and the playoff run of Marc-Andre Gragnani will drop Weber to AHL. Rating: 7
Andrej Sekera: Is coming off his beast season in points and made a multi-year renewal with Sabred during the offseason. Should fit easily to the starting sguad. Rating: 8
Robyn Regehr: The alternate captain of Flames decided that at the of 31 he will take his chances and move on from Calgary. Buffalo gained a solid defender who won´t contribute much points but is a beast physically. Brings some leadership with him. Rating: 9
Tyler Myers: Calder trophy winning defender will start his 3rd season in the National Hockey League. Backbone of Sabres future. Offensive-d-men who will add an significant amount of points.
Rating: 8
Shaone Morrison: Good on defensive aspects of the game, but relatively useless upfront. Might be the other defender who will have to taste the AHL next season. Rating: 7
Jordan Leopold: Played a good season and should be among the top 6 who will form the defensive pairs. Had a career high season in goals and points. Very good all around defender. Rating: 8
Marc-Andre Gragnani: Played only 9 games during the regular season, but went on to be the highest scoring Saber in the playoffs with 1+6. Got called to the World Championships with Canada squad after the playoff success. Hard to ignore when the defensive pairs are formed. Rating: 7
Christian Ehrhoff: Finished as the seventh best defensemen in scoring with 50 points. Move from Vancouver to Buffalo as one of the best scoring d-men will add pressure but I hope he will cope. Rating: 9
Sabres have eight NHL capable players with one of the best from last season and few who are tipped as future stars. All around good, but especially admirable is the offensive ability in their defense. Only worry is that it will strike back as lack of defensive mentality. Rating: 9
Forwards
Thomas Vanek: The culmination point of Buffalo´s offense. Natural sniper who scored 31 goals and added 73 points even though Buffalo missed their number one center and Vaneks linemate Derek Roy to an season ending injury after 35 games. Rating 9
Drew Stafford: High scoring right winger. Scored 31 goals which was second best in the team losing only one goal to Thomas Vanek. Has never played a full season and last year was no exception. Rating: 8
Derek Roy: Led the Sabres in scoring with 10 goals and 25 assists in 35 games, but suffered torn quad tendon which kept him out until the game 7 against Flyers which proven to be the last one for Buffalo. Rating: 9
Jason Pominville: Is a solid 60+ points scorer per season and has an impressive best season of 80 points. Very important to the Sabres in my opinion first line material for them. Rating: 9
Cody McCormick: Good checker and physically good, but stick handling skills are not as good. Checking line center. Otherwise Buffalo is filled with talent in the center so "promotion" is quite impossible to get. Rating: 7
Ville Leino: Got a good deal and if i have not understood wrong he will play as a center which is already quite loaded in Buffalo. If he can keep improving he will be an enormous acquisition for the Sabres. Might replace Connolly? Rating: 8
Ales Kotalik: Never really got it together in Flames, showed that hes is an decent player before that with Oilers and Rangers but even deeper in the past he played 426 games for Buffalo and scored 240 points in them. If he can return to that he has the potential to be even better acquisition than Leino. If not AHL is calling for him. Rating: 7
Patrick Kaleta: Has played over 50 but never more than 55 games in the last three season with the Sabres. Useful checking line right wing but like McCormick besides that he is not too much of use. Rating: 7
Jochen Hecht: Long serving Saber is able to a contribute good amounts of points but his age might take away the sharpest edge from his game. Still an important player. Rating: 8
Nathan Gerbe: Had a breakout season as a center, and hopefully will keep on improving. Small and fast, should keep any defense on it´s toes. Rating: 7
Paul Gaustad: Another good long serving Buffalo center. Perhaps will center the third line if Leino is trusted with the second... The center setup in Buffalo is good but with the departures of Niedermayer and Connolly there are holes to fill and I am not sure who is going to fill which... Rating: 7
Tyler Ennis: He is coming off a really good season and is an extremely interesting prospect. If he can keep contributing like last season he will be really important to the Sabres. Rating: 8
Brad Boyes: Good right winger who stood out in one statistic last season. His move from St. Louis to Buffalo allowed him to be one of the two players who played 83 games last season. (Before you start to google it, the other one was Alex Gologiski) Rating: 8
I really like what the Sabres have here. Good players from first to last. I perhaps would like to see Leino as a left winger, but i take Ruffs word that he will return to center. Solid group of forwards that deserve Rating: 9
Lines
Vanek-Roy-Pominville
Ennis-Leino-Stafford
Gerbe-Hecht-Boyes
Kotalik-Gaustad-Kaleta
Ehrhoff-Regehr
Leopold-Myers
Sekera-Gragnani
Miller
If I am not dreaming that would give four offensive threat line. Perhaps lack of a checking line, but four lines that would all keep every team on it´s toes. Some question marks and some players not on their natural position, but that´s the lineup I´d like to see. Good team and good Rating: 9
Key factors:
+Super goalie
+Quality players for every line
+Lots of potential waiting to be filled
-Some injury prone players
Buffalo Sabres
Goalies
Ryan Miller One of the best goalies in the entire league. Buffalo has the luxury of being able to rely on him in every situation. Rating: 10
Jhonas Enroth: Handled the few starts he got pretty well. Solid backup who has potential to be a starter in the future. Rating: 7
One of the best goalies in the National Hockey league to go with a solid backup. Who would not want to have a duo like that? Rating: 9
Defensemen
Mike Weber: Played fairly well last season, but I am afraid that the acquisitions of Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff and the playoff run of Marc-Andre Gragnani will drop Weber to AHL. Rating: 7
Andrej Sekera: Is coming off his beast season in points and made a multi-year renewal with Sabred during the offseason. Should fit easily to the starting sguad. Rating: 8
Robyn Regehr: The alternate captain of Flames decided that at the of 31 he will take his chances and move on from Calgary. Buffalo gained a solid defender who won´t contribute much points but is a beast physically. Brings some leadership with him. Rating: 9
Tyler Myers: Calder trophy winning defender will start his 3rd season in the National Hockey League. Backbone of Sabres future. Offensive-d-men who will add an significant amount of points.
Rating: 8
Shaone Morrison: Good on defensive aspects of the game, but relatively useless upfront. Might be the other defender who will have to taste the AHL next season. Rating: 7
Jordan Leopold: Played a good season and should be among the top 6 who will form the defensive pairs. Had a career high season in goals and points. Very good all around defender. Rating: 8
Marc-Andre Gragnani: Played only 9 games during the regular season, but went on to be the highest scoring Saber in the playoffs with 1+6. Got called to the World Championships with Canada squad after the playoff success. Hard to ignore when the defensive pairs are formed. Rating: 7
Christian Ehrhoff: Finished as the seventh best defensemen in scoring with 50 points. Move from Vancouver to Buffalo as one of the best scoring d-men will add pressure but I hope he will cope. Rating: 9
Sabres have eight NHL capable players with one of the best from last season and few who are tipped as future stars. All around good, but especially admirable is the offensive ability in their defense. Only worry is that it will strike back as lack of defensive mentality. Rating: 9
Forwards
Thomas Vanek: The culmination point of Buffalo´s offense. Natural sniper who scored 31 goals and added 73 points even though Buffalo missed their number one center and Vaneks linemate Derek Roy to an season ending injury after 35 games. Rating 9
Drew Stafford: High scoring right winger. Scored 31 goals which was second best in the team losing only one goal to Thomas Vanek. Has never played a full season and last year was no exception. Rating: 8
Derek Roy: Led the Sabres in scoring with 10 goals and 25 assists in 35 games, but suffered torn quad tendon which kept him out until the game 7 against Flyers which proven to be the last one for Buffalo. Rating: 9
Jason Pominville: Is a solid 60+ points scorer per season and has an impressive best season of 80 points. Very important to the Sabres in my opinion first line material for them. Rating: 9
Cody McCormick: Good checker and physically good, but stick handling skills are not as good. Checking line center. Otherwise Buffalo is filled with talent in the center so "promotion" is quite impossible to get. Rating: 7
Ville Leino: Got a good deal and if i have not understood wrong he will play as a center which is already quite loaded in Buffalo. If he can keep improving he will be an enormous acquisition for the Sabres. Might replace Connolly? Rating: 8
Ales Kotalik: Never really got it together in Flames, showed that hes is an decent player before that with Oilers and Rangers but even deeper in the past he played 426 games for Buffalo and scored 240 points in them. If he can return to that he has the potential to be even better acquisition than Leino. If not AHL is calling for him. Rating: 7
Patrick Kaleta: Has played over 50 but never more than 55 games in the last three season with the Sabres. Useful checking line right wing but like McCormick besides that he is not too much of use. Rating: 7
Jochen Hecht: Long serving Saber is able to a contribute good amounts of points but his age might take away the sharpest edge from his game. Still an important player. Rating: 8
Nathan Gerbe: Had a breakout season as a center, and hopefully will keep on improving. Small and fast, should keep any defense on it´s toes. Rating: 7
Paul Gaustad: Another good long serving Buffalo center. Perhaps will center the third line if Leino is trusted with the second... The center setup in Buffalo is good but with the departures of Niedermayer and Connolly there are holes to fill and I am not sure who is going to fill which... Rating: 7
Tyler Ennis: He is coming off a really good season and is an extremely interesting prospect. If he can keep contributing like last season he will be really important to the Sabres. Rating: 8
Brad Boyes: Good right winger who stood out in one statistic last season. His move from St. Louis to Buffalo allowed him to be one of the two players who played 83 games last season. (Before you start to google it, the other one was Alex Gologiski) Rating: 8
I really like what the Sabres have here. Good players from first to last. I perhaps would like to see Leino as a left winger, but i take Ruffs word that he will return to center. Solid group of forwards that deserve Rating: 9
Lines
Vanek-Roy-Pominville
Ennis-Leino-Stafford
Gerbe-Hecht-Boyes
Kotalik-Gaustad-Kaleta
Ehrhoff-Regehr
Leopold-Myers
Sekera-Gragnani
Miller
If I am not dreaming that would give four offensive threat line. Perhaps lack of a checking line, but four lines that would all keep every team on it´s toes. Some question marks and some players not on their natural position, but that´s the lineup I´d like to see. Good team and good Rating: 9
Key factors:
+Super goalie
+Quality players for every line
+Lots of potential waiting to be filled
-Some injury prone players
perjantai 22. heinäkuuta 2011
Boston squad analysis
I will be rating each team on three different areas which of course are goalies, defensemen and forward. The ratings are from 1 to 10. The rating consists of his personal ability and his importance to the team. This means that a player who scores way more points might get the same rating as someone who does not. There are two categories that i will rate: Every position as whole and then every single player. I will also put in the lines that i think/hope they will play next season. Then last i will give a grade to the whole team.
Goalies
Tim Thomas: He took home Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies last season and with that he is arguably the best goalie in the entire league. Rating 10
Tukka Rask: Had an ok season as backup, but did not play anywhere near the level as he did in 09-10 season. If he can get back to that level he has a bright future. With Thomas getting more age he will get more starts. Rating: 8
Maybe the best duo in the entire league. Boston has two potential world-class netminders and won´t have to worry bout a thing in that department. Rating: 9
Defensemen
Dennis Seidenberg: Started 81 games out of 82 in the regular season and averaged over 25 minutes per game in the playoffs. That shows how important he is to the team. Rating: 9
Adam McQuaid: Played 67 games and recorded 15 points to go along with +/- rating of +30. Averaged ~12 minutes per game in the playoffs so is not and won´t be the most important defender, but a solid 5th or 6th defender. Rating: 7
Steven Kampfer: Young defender 38 games during the regulars season, but didn´t get a single playoff game on his belt. Will, unfortunately, remain as backup. Adds depth to Bruins defense. Rating: 6
Andrew Ference: Will start his 6th season with the Bruins. Averaged over 20 minutes in the playoffs which puts only Seidenberg and Chara above him in minutes. Solid and trustworthy defender. Rating 8
Joe Corvo: The replacement brought in for Kaberle. Averaged ~25 minutes with Carolina franchise, but will have to settle for less with the Bruins. Probably will pair up with Ference to form the second d-pair. I am a huge fan of Carolina which is my favorite team so my rating might overrate him but... Rating: 9
Zdeno Chara: The literally big man in Boston. Carries the C on his chest for a good reason. 44 points to go with a league best +/- of +33. Averaged ~28 minutes in the playoffs. With Tim Thomas he is undoubtedly the most important player in Boston. Rating: 10
Johnny Boychuk: Played 69 games during the regular season. Also averaged 20 minutes per game in the playoffs. He is a good defender, but with the current squad he is stuck as a 5th or 6th defender. Rating: 8
Boston has a good solid d-line with some serious firepower and puck moving ability in Chara and Corvo. Perhaps even more defensive ability in the rest of the players, but a well balanced and gifted bunch nonetheless. Rating: 9
Forwards
Shawn Thornton: Good physical player that should fit well to the checking line. Won´t get too much minutes but will battle the few hard. Rating: 7
Tyler Seguin: Tipped to be a superstar, but did not exactly flourish during the regular season, but showed some crafty moves and in my opinion improved a lot in the playoffs. One more year will add physical aspects and bring some more maturity. Rating: 8
Marc Savard: I am not aware how much longer his injury will limit his playing, but one thing is for sure: If he plays he is an asset to the team for sure. If he can not play he might have to think about retirement. Rating: 7
Benoit Pouliot: Has not answered to the expectations of being drafted 4th overall but is a good guy for the third line. Put up 30 points last season and there is no reason why that count would not raise the following one. Rating: 8
Rich Peverley: Good center who provides has so far provided 30+ points in each of his full NHL seasons. Sad fact is that Bruins have three better centers in Bergeron, Krejci and wonderkid Seguin. Hopefully they find a spot for him. If Seguin plays as a winger he should fit well to the role of 3rd line center.. Rating: 8
Daniel Paille: Is quite similar to Thronton and that might just prove to be a stumbling block to him. If he is adapted to play the right wing might make it in the 4th line. Rating: 6
Brad Marchand: He had a real breakthrough season and will hopefully pickup from where he left it last season. His line will have to go through some change with the retirement of Mark Recchi. Rating: 8
Milan Lucic: The power-forward added an impressive amount of points last season and should contribute similarly next season. Will continue to form the first line with Krejci and Horton. Rating: 9
David Krejci: Centers the Bruins first line as a playmaker between above mentioned Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. In my opinion an underrated player who is a very good playmaker. Rating: 9
Chris Kelly: Kelly should challenge Gregory Campbell for the role as 4th line center. Assuming that they both will play as centers... Decent center and can add some points to the tally. Rating: 7
Nathan Horton: Completes the first line and is one of the most important players to the Bruins. Piles up over 50 important points per season. Rating: 9
Gregory Campbell: Solid lower line center. Is capable of adding decent amounts of points per season. Should keep his roster spot even though Bruins are loaded with talent in the middle. Rating: 8
Patrice Bergeron: Alternate captain of the Bruins. A really good center who has established himself as a playmaker but is quite good at scoring as well. Really important player for the team. Rating: 9
Overall a well balanced bunch of players. Depth upfront is really admirable and they have all the pieces for another successful season. With that said overall attack rating: 9
Lines:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Seguin-Bergeron-Marchand
Pouliot-Peverley-Campbell
Thornton-Kelly-Paille
Chara-Seidenber
Corvo-Ference
Boychuk-McQuaid
Thomas
Without a doubt one of the best teams in the league. Only missing factor is a real offensive superstar, but the pick number that Seguin was taken with suggests that one might be coming. Solid team all around deserves rating: 9
Key factors:
+Two really good goalies
+Wide material
+A true Captain
-Lacks a real offensive superstar
By the way I am really sorry about Gregory Campbell and whole team analysis part, I do not know how to fix the typing and to be honest I am way too tired to keep trying. Hope you still enjoy the text!
Goalies
Tim Thomas: He took home Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies last season and with that he is arguably the best goalie in the entire league. Rating 10
Tukka Rask: Had an ok season as backup, but did not play anywhere near the level as he did in 09-10 season. If he can get back to that level he has a bright future. With Thomas getting more age he will get more starts. Rating: 8
Maybe the best duo in the entire league. Boston has two potential world-class netminders and won´t have to worry bout a thing in that department. Rating: 9
Defensemen
Dennis Seidenberg: Started 81 games out of 82 in the regular season and averaged over 25 minutes per game in the playoffs. That shows how important he is to the team. Rating: 9
Adam McQuaid: Played 67 games and recorded 15 points to go along with +/- rating of +30. Averaged ~12 minutes per game in the playoffs so is not and won´t be the most important defender, but a solid 5th or 6th defender. Rating: 7
Steven Kampfer: Young defender 38 games during the regulars season, but didn´t get a single playoff game on his belt. Will, unfortunately, remain as backup. Adds depth to Bruins defense. Rating: 6
Andrew Ference: Will start his 6th season with the Bruins. Averaged over 20 minutes in the playoffs which puts only Seidenberg and Chara above him in minutes. Solid and trustworthy defender. Rating 8
Joe Corvo: The replacement brought in for Kaberle. Averaged ~25 minutes with Carolina franchise, but will have to settle for less with the Bruins. Probably will pair up with Ference to form the second d-pair. I am a huge fan of Carolina which is my favorite team so my rating might overrate him but... Rating: 9
Zdeno Chara: The literally big man in Boston. Carries the C on his chest for a good reason. 44 points to go with a league best +/- of +33. Averaged ~28 minutes in the playoffs. With Tim Thomas he is undoubtedly the most important player in Boston. Rating: 10
Johnny Boychuk: Played 69 games during the regular season. Also averaged 20 minutes per game in the playoffs. He is a good defender, but with the current squad he is stuck as a 5th or 6th defender. Rating: 8
Boston has a good solid d-line with some serious firepower and puck moving ability in Chara and Corvo. Perhaps even more defensive ability in the rest of the players, but a well balanced and gifted bunch nonetheless. Rating: 9
Forwards
Shawn Thornton: Good physical player that should fit well to the checking line. Won´t get too much minutes but will battle the few hard. Rating: 7
Tyler Seguin: Tipped to be a superstar, but did not exactly flourish during the regular season, but showed some crafty moves and in my opinion improved a lot in the playoffs. One more year will add physical aspects and bring some more maturity. Rating: 8
Marc Savard: I am not aware how much longer his injury will limit his playing, but one thing is for sure: If he plays he is an asset to the team for sure. If he can not play he might have to think about retirement. Rating: 7
Benoit Pouliot: Has not answered to the expectations of being drafted 4th overall but is a good guy for the third line. Put up 30 points last season and there is no reason why that count would not raise the following one. Rating: 8
Rich Peverley: Good center who provides has so far provided 30+ points in each of his full NHL seasons. Sad fact is that Bruins have three better centers in Bergeron, Krejci and wonderkid Seguin. Hopefully they find a spot for him. If Seguin plays as a winger he should fit well to the role of 3rd line center.. Rating: 8
Daniel Paille: Is quite similar to Thronton and that might just prove to be a stumbling block to him. If he is adapted to play the right wing might make it in the 4th line. Rating: 6
Brad Marchand: He had a real breakthrough season and will hopefully pickup from where he left it last season. His line will have to go through some change with the retirement of Mark Recchi. Rating: 8
Milan Lucic: The power-forward added an impressive amount of points last season and should contribute similarly next season. Will continue to form the first line with Krejci and Horton. Rating: 9
David Krejci: Centers the Bruins first line as a playmaker between above mentioned Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. In my opinion an underrated player who is a very good playmaker. Rating: 9
Chris Kelly: Kelly should challenge Gregory Campbell for the role as 4th line center. Assuming that they both will play as centers... Decent center and can add some points to the tally. Rating: 7
Nathan Horton: Completes the first line and is one of the most important players to the Bruins. Piles up over 50 important points per season. Rating: 9
Gregory Campbell: Solid lower line center. Is capable of adding decent amounts of points per season. Should keep his roster spot even though Bruins are loaded with talent in the middle. Rating: 8
Patrice Bergeron: Alternate captain of the Bruins. A really good center who has established himself as a playmaker but is quite good at scoring as well. Really important player for the team. Rating: 9
Overall a well balanced bunch of players. Depth upfront is really admirable and they have all the pieces for another successful season. With that said overall attack rating: 9
Lines:
Lucic-Krejci-Horton
Seguin-Bergeron-Marchand
Pouliot-Peverley-Campbell
Thornton-Kelly-Paille
Chara-Seidenber
Corvo-Ference
Boychuk-McQuaid
Thomas
Without a doubt one of the best teams in the league. Only missing factor is a real offensive superstar, but the pick number that Seguin was taken with suggests that one might be coming. Solid team all around deserves rating: 9
Key factors:
+Two really good goalies
+Wide material
+A true Captain
-Lacks a real offensive superstar
By the way I am really sorry about Gregory Campbell and whole team analysis part, I do not know how to fix the typing and to be honest I am way too tired to keep trying. Hope you still enjoy the text!
keskiviikko 20. heinäkuuta 2011
Anaheim squad analysis
I will be rating each team on three different areas which of course are goalies, defensemen and forward. The ratings are from 1 to 10. The rating consists of his personal ability and his importance to the team. This means that a player who scores way more points might get the same rating as someone who does not. There are two categories that i will rate: Every position as whole and then every single player. I will also put in the lines that i think/hope they will play next season. Then last i will give a grade to the whole team.
Anaheim Ducks
Goalies
Jonas Hiller: A sure starter when fit, hopefully his disease is a passing one. Made the all-star game for a reason. Rating: 9
Dan Ellis: Decent backup, but won´t get much starts since if Hiller is fit he will start 60+ games. Rating: 6
Anaheim has a bunch of capable goaltenders after the acquisitions of Jeff Deslauriers and Iiro Tarkki, but i will not be rating them since if things go as planned they will not be starters. As a whole i will give Anaheim´s goalies rating 8
Defensemen
Lubomir Visnovsky: He was one of the best offensive d-men last season and will carry a big part again this year. Rating 8
Lucas Sbisa: Maybe still a prospect, but got a lot of responsibility last season. He will battle hard for a spot on the NHL squad, but will be 5th or 6th at best. Rating: 7
Toni Lydman: Was among the best players in +/- category last year and added a decent amount of points to go with it. Rating: 8
Cam Fowler: After Visnovsky Fowler is the best offensive d-men to operate on the Ducks blue line. Had a real breakthrough season, but will have to maintain his level. Bright future ahead. Rating: 3
Matt Smaby: Decent defender coming from Tampa. Battles with Sbisa from the last spots in the playing squad. Rating: 7
Kurtis Foster: Adds some size to Ducks blue line. Should make the squad without a problem. Might make a well balanced pair with Fowler or Visnovsky. Rating: 8
Sheldon Brookbank: Good in the defensive aspects but relatively useless one in offense. Proven by the 0 points he managed to score in 40 games this season. Also gets a lot of penalty minutes. Rating 7
Francois Beauchemin: Returned to the Ducks after a couple of seasons with the Maple Leafs. A very good defender but like Brookbank not too dangerous in opposition end. Rating 8
Anaheim has a impressive amount of defenders capable of playing in the NHL and is able to form three really gifted well balanced pairs. Injuries won´t take this defense down and and i dare to say that this in maybe the best defense in California. Rating: 8
Forwards
Teemu Selanne: The Finnish flash has a huge impact on the Ducks on and off the ice. He seems to be continuing his career which is an enormous thing for the Ducks Rating: 10
Bobby Ryan: The third member of one of the most feared lines in the NHL. Is playing slightly in the Shadow of line-mates Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, but his importance to the team is undisputed. Rating: 9
Corey Perry: The hart Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the league, which indirectly makes him the best player at the moment. The second member of Anaheim`s killer line. Rating :10
George Parros: Maybe not the best goal scorer in the sport but he is really good in what he does: Being a tough guy. The bad part is that he records a lot of penalty minutes which brings the team extra load during the season. Rating: 7
Kyle Palmieri: Young player who still has potential, but a third liner at best. Did not play much last season and probably won´t in the coming one either. Rating: 6
Brandon McMillan: Also a young talent, but also looks destined for the third line. Got a decent amount of points and i except him to improve. Rating: 7
Saku Koivu: One of the veterans who forms the pension line with Selanne and Blake. Is useful as a leader and a playmaker feeding his line-mates. Rating 8
Ryan Getzlaf: The leader and the final part of the killer line. Also the captain of the team. Scored 76 points in 67 games last season and that tells all that needs to be said about him. Rating 10
Jason Blake: Still a solid contributor, but age has taken off some speed. Important member in the pensioner line with Koivu and Selanne. Rating: 7
Andrew Cogliano: Important acquisition for the Ducks. Has not missed a single game during his NHL career. Can play all forward positions, but i think he will be a third line center. Rating: 7
Emerson Etem: I have high hopes for him. Scored 45 and 80 points in WHL last season. In my opinion a good choice for the third line right winger spot. He is still relatively unproven so... Rating: 6
Matt Beleskey: He battles for the 4th line left wing spot with newly acquired Jean Francois Jacques. Beleskey might have to settle for AHL games next season. Rating: 6
Jean Francois Jacques: Might fit well to Anaheims checking line with Parros and maybe prospect center Peter Holland or Nicole Deschamps. Rating: 7
Peter Holland: Anaheims first pick in 2009 draft. He is able to score some points and migh fit well as a power forward between to hard checking guys in 4th line.
Overall the forwards are good, at best some even brilliant, but the lack of depth limits my rating to 8.
Lines:
Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry
Blake-Koivu-Selanne
McMillan-Cogliano-Etem
Jacques-Holland-Parros
Visnovsky-Lydman
Foster-Fowler
Beauchemin-Brookbank
Hiller
Given the fact that every position got 8 that will be the grade for the whole team aswell.
Key factors:
+Some great brilliant invididuals
+Good depth on defense
+Some promising young prospects
-Depth upfront, or rather the lack of it
-One good goalie
Anaheim Ducks
Goalies
Jonas Hiller: A sure starter when fit, hopefully his disease is a passing one. Made the all-star game for a reason. Rating: 9
Dan Ellis: Decent backup, but won´t get much starts since if Hiller is fit he will start 60+ games. Rating: 6
Anaheim has a bunch of capable goaltenders after the acquisitions of Jeff Deslauriers and Iiro Tarkki, but i will not be rating them since if things go as planned they will not be starters. As a whole i will give Anaheim´s goalies rating 8
Defensemen
Lubomir Visnovsky: He was one of the best offensive d-men last season and will carry a big part again this year. Rating 8
Lucas Sbisa: Maybe still a prospect, but got a lot of responsibility last season. He will battle hard for a spot on the NHL squad, but will be 5th or 6th at best. Rating: 7
Toni Lydman: Was among the best players in +/- category last year and added a decent amount of points to go with it. Rating: 8
Cam Fowler: After Visnovsky Fowler is the best offensive d-men to operate on the Ducks blue line. Had a real breakthrough season, but will have to maintain his level. Bright future ahead. Rating: 3
Matt Smaby: Decent defender coming from Tampa. Battles with Sbisa from the last spots in the playing squad. Rating: 7
Kurtis Foster: Adds some size to Ducks blue line. Should make the squad without a problem. Might make a well balanced pair with Fowler or Visnovsky. Rating: 8
Sheldon Brookbank: Good in the defensive aspects but relatively useless one in offense. Proven by the 0 points he managed to score in 40 games this season. Also gets a lot of penalty minutes. Rating 7
Francois Beauchemin: Returned to the Ducks after a couple of seasons with the Maple Leafs. A very good defender but like Brookbank not too dangerous in opposition end. Rating 8
Anaheim has a impressive amount of defenders capable of playing in the NHL and is able to form three really gifted well balanced pairs. Injuries won´t take this defense down and and i dare to say that this in maybe the best defense in California. Rating: 8
Forwards
Teemu Selanne: The Finnish flash has a huge impact on the Ducks on and off the ice. He seems to be continuing his career which is an enormous thing for the Ducks Rating: 10
Bobby Ryan: The third member of one of the most feared lines in the NHL. Is playing slightly in the Shadow of line-mates Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, but his importance to the team is undisputed. Rating: 9
Corey Perry: The hart Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the league, which indirectly makes him the best player at the moment. The second member of Anaheim`s killer line. Rating :10
George Parros: Maybe not the best goal scorer in the sport but he is really good in what he does: Being a tough guy. The bad part is that he records a lot of penalty minutes which brings the team extra load during the season. Rating: 7
Kyle Palmieri: Young player who still has potential, but a third liner at best. Did not play much last season and probably won´t in the coming one either. Rating: 6
Brandon McMillan: Also a young talent, but also looks destined for the third line. Got a decent amount of points and i except him to improve. Rating: 7
Saku Koivu: One of the veterans who forms the pension line with Selanne and Blake. Is useful as a leader and a playmaker feeding his line-mates. Rating 8
Ryan Getzlaf: The leader and the final part of the killer line. Also the captain of the team. Scored 76 points in 67 games last season and that tells all that needs to be said about him. Rating 10
Jason Blake: Still a solid contributor, but age has taken off some speed. Important member in the pensioner line with Koivu and Selanne. Rating: 7
Andrew Cogliano: Important acquisition for the Ducks. Has not missed a single game during his NHL career. Can play all forward positions, but i think he will be a third line center. Rating: 7
Emerson Etem: I have high hopes for him. Scored 45 and 80 points in WHL last season. In my opinion a good choice for the third line right winger spot. He is still relatively unproven so... Rating: 6
Matt Beleskey: He battles for the 4th line left wing spot with newly acquired Jean Francois Jacques. Beleskey might have to settle for AHL games next season. Rating: 6
Jean Francois Jacques: Might fit well to Anaheims checking line with Parros and maybe prospect center Peter Holland or Nicole Deschamps. Rating: 7
Peter Holland: Anaheims first pick in 2009 draft. He is able to score some points and migh fit well as a power forward between to hard checking guys in 4th line.
Overall the forwards are good, at best some even brilliant, but the lack of depth limits my rating to 8.
Lines:
Ryan-Getzlaf-Perry
Blake-Koivu-Selanne
McMillan-Cogliano-Etem
Jacques-Holland-Parros
Visnovsky-Lydman
Foster-Fowler
Beauchemin-Brookbank
Hiller
Given the fact that every position got 8 that will be the grade for the whole team aswell.
Key factors:
+Some great brilliant invididuals
+Good depth on defense
+Some promising young prospects
-Depth upfront, or rather the lack of it
-One good goalie
sunnuntai 10. heinäkuuta 2011
Western Conference
The Western Conference is harder to predict. Last year playoff teams Nashville and Phoenix lost some good players during the off season, Anaheim and Detroit just don´t convince me. (The reasons can be found at the team analysis blog entry.) In my opinion Columbus and Minnesota improved their squads and should be a bigger threat next season.
Anaheim and Detroit, even though they do not convince me, will probably go through to the playoffs. Vancouver and San Jose are favored to win the Western Conference and i would add Chicago that finished eighth only because Jonathan Toews was the only top 4 forward who played a full season. Chicago lost two points for the fourth placed Anaheim and without some lack of the top forwards they probably would have gotten those two points. Also the Los Angeles Kings improved their squad and should have no problem advancing to the playoffs.
Nashville and Phoenix will be fighting for the two last playoff spots with Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues. Even though that expekt (the company i use for betting) does not really give Wild, Blues or Blue Jackets really any chance of winning i believe they have what it takes to go to the playoffs. It will take a couple of years from Edmonton to rise again and Colorado to get enough quality players. Flames and Stars will have to wait for a rebuild period before they can get back to the top of the game.
The Western Conference table as i predict it to be:
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Chicago Blackhawks
4. Los Angeles Kings
5. Detroit Red Wings
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Nashville Predators
8. Minnesota Wild
9. St. Louis Blues
10. Columbus Blue Jackets
11. Phoenix Coyotes
12. Edmonton Oilers
13. Calgary Flames
14. Dallas Stars
15. Colorado Avalanche
Went through bigger changes than the Eastern Conference so there will be more rotation with the playoff teams. Vancouver will be a Presidents Trophy contender, but will surely aim higher after the disappointing game seven loss against Bruins. It will certainly be a very interesting year for the Western Conference.
Anaheim and Detroit, even though they do not convince me, will probably go through to the playoffs. Vancouver and San Jose are favored to win the Western Conference and i would add Chicago that finished eighth only because Jonathan Toews was the only top 4 forward who played a full season. Chicago lost two points for the fourth placed Anaheim and without some lack of the top forwards they probably would have gotten those two points. Also the Los Angeles Kings improved their squad and should have no problem advancing to the playoffs.
Nashville and Phoenix will be fighting for the two last playoff spots with Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues. Even though that expekt (the company i use for betting) does not really give Wild, Blues or Blue Jackets really any chance of winning i believe they have what it takes to go to the playoffs. It will take a couple of years from Edmonton to rise again and Colorado to get enough quality players. Flames and Stars will have to wait for a rebuild period before they can get back to the top of the game.
The Western Conference table as i predict it to be:
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Chicago Blackhawks
4. Los Angeles Kings
5. Detroit Red Wings
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Nashville Predators
8. Minnesota Wild
9. St. Louis Blues
10. Columbus Blue Jackets
11. Phoenix Coyotes
12. Edmonton Oilers
13. Calgary Flames
14. Dallas Stars
15. Colorado Avalanche
Went through bigger changes than the Eastern Conference so there will be more rotation with the playoff teams. Vancouver will be a Presidents Trophy contender, but will surely aim higher after the disappointing game seven loss against Bruins. It will certainly be a very interesting year for the Western Conference.
Eastern Conference
The Eastern conference will be much tighter next season. All last season playoff qualifiers have improved their squad except Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh will be getting their three best centers Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal back for a full season after an injury plagued one. Out of those three Sidney Crosby played 41 games, Jordan Staal 42 and Evgeni Malkin 43 and only Jordan Staal appeared in the playoffs.
Philadelphia Flyers is an interesting team too. They did lose two all star centers, but they did bring in quality goaltendig which the team previously lacked. Also the departures of Ville Leino and Daniel Carcillo are notable but i believe that they are covered with Jakub Voracek and Waynne Simmonds, though they are right wingers not left... It is hard to say if they lost or gained during the offseason and i will let time show that.
Although they got Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier who are tipped to be quite good in the future so maybe i should let the next season to show if they gained or not, because in long, term they did.
Tampa Bay Lightning lost Simone Gagne who had a quiet season with only 40 points, but who did contribute five goals and 7 assists in his 15 playoff games. Also the loss of another left winger Sean Bergenheim, who also had a nice playoff spring, might be hard to cope with, but they still have low factors on betting sites so they seem to believe that they will do well. Just so that it is not unclear to anyone i disagree.
All three just playoff qualified teams Montreal, Buffalo and Rangers improved their squad and should finish above the playoff line again next year. Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia should also go through so the two left fighting for the last spot are Tampa and Toronto. Just to make a difference for last year, i say Toronto.
The Eastern Conference table as i predict it to be:
1. Washington Capitals
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
3. Philadelphia Flyers
4. Boston Bruins
5. New York Rangers
6. Montreal Canadiens
7. Buffalo Sabres
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
9. Tampa Bay Lightning
10. Carolina Hurricanes
11. Winnipeg Jets
12. New Jersey Devils
13. Florida Panthers
14. New York Islanders
15. Ottawa Senators
The Eastern conference is tougher than last year with more quality and competition. Out of the seven smallest factor teams to win the Stanley Cup five are from the Eastern Conference. (At least with Expekt that i use, if you use some other company the factors might be different.) Then again out of the five biggest factor teams four are from the Eastern Conference, but that only makes sense if the better teams play in that conference.
Philadelphia Flyers is an interesting team too. They did lose two all star centers, but they did bring in quality goaltendig which the team previously lacked. Also the departures of Ville Leino and Daniel Carcillo are notable but i believe that they are covered with Jakub Voracek and Waynne Simmonds, though they are right wingers not left... It is hard to say if they lost or gained during the offseason and i will let time show that.
Although they got Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier who are tipped to be quite good in the future so maybe i should let the next season to show if they gained or not, because in long, term they did.
Tampa Bay Lightning lost Simone Gagne who had a quiet season with only 40 points, but who did contribute five goals and 7 assists in his 15 playoff games. Also the loss of another left winger Sean Bergenheim, who also had a nice playoff spring, might be hard to cope with, but they still have low factors on betting sites so they seem to believe that they will do well. Just so that it is not unclear to anyone i disagree.
All three just playoff qualified teams Montreal, Buffalo and Rangers improved their squad and should finish above the playoff line again next year. Washington, Boston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia should also go through so the two left fighting for the last spot are Tampa and Toronto. Just to make a difference for last year, i say Toronto.
The Eastern Conference table as i predict it to be:
1. Washington Capitals
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
3. Philadelphia Flyers
4. Boston Bruins
5. New York Rangers
6. Montreal Canadiens
7. Buffalo Sabres
8. Toronto Maple Leafs
9. Tampa Bay Lightning
10. Carolina Hurricanes
11. Winnipeg Jets
12. New Jersey Devils
13. Florida Panthers
14. New York Islanders
15. Ottawa Senators
The Eastern conference is tougher than last year with more quality and competition. Out of the seven smallest factor teams to win the Stanley Cup five are from the Eastern Conference. (At least with Expekt that i use, if you use some other company the factors might be different.) Then again out of the five biggest factor teams four are from the Eastern Conference, but that only makes sense if the better teams play in that conference.
perjantai 8. heinäkuuta 2011
Player analysis
I will split this into to five categories: Who will improve next season, who will disappoint next season, who will take home the trophies and who will breakout this season.. By improving i mean scoring more points so the first two lists will be filled with forwards, but do not worry defenseman will get their turn.
Who will improve next season:
Alexander Ovechkin had the worst season of his life and will bounce back up next season. Ovechkin improving will also add significant amount of points for the fellow line players Alexander Semin and Nicklas Beckstrom.
Dany Heatley is, like Ovechkin, coming off from the worst season of his career. I believe that the change of team will help him Bounce back to ~80 points next season. Will boost the stats of first line center Mikko Koivu in the process.
Dustin Brown the Los Angeles Kings captain is coming off a good season but with Mike Richards and Simon Gagne coming in, probably to his line, he will have to struggle hard not to score more points than last season.
Rick Nash finally has a world class center to play with. Carter won´t be bringing much playmaking ability but will help Nash add assists and get in for some juicy rebounds.
James Neal will get either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin centering his line and with players like that the points will almost appear out of nowhere. Might be a career defining year for the young left winger.
Runner Up´s: Marian Gaborik, Miikka Kiprusoff and Duncan Keith
Who will disappoint next season:
Lubomir Visnovsky is coming off a career best season in points and will be expected to play a similar season next year. I do not think the 34-year-old will be able to do so and will drop almost 20 points from last season.
Loui Eriksson will not be able to get as much points as last year after the departure of Brad Richards. Though the fans may have high expectations for the swede he will not be able to answer to their prayers.
Semyon Varlamov was fairly good with one of the top teams in the league, but seems to be relatively injury prone. The Avalanche risked a lot and the worse Varlamov plays the more Capitals will benefit from the deal.
Ilya Kovalchuk has not played a good season with the devils and giving the contract he was given the criticism, should the Devils fail to make playoffs next season, will be pointed to the Russian superstar.
Keith Yandle it will take a lot to match this season with the Coyotes. Not saying that Yandle is not able to do it, but losing Ed Jovanovski and Ilya Bryzgalov will add the defensive duties for everyone and will be seen as a worse +/- situation and maybe lack of motivation during the season.
Runner Up´s: Jason Spezza, Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribeiro
Who will breakout next season:
Nikita Filatov was the sixth overall pick in 2008 but never really got it together in Columbus, he is a talented player and i sincerely hope he will improve in Ottawa. Has potential to play fairly lot in, in my opinion, one of the weakest squads at the moment.
Eric Fehr is a good player, but with wingers like Ovechkin, Semin, Knuble and Laich plus the newly acquired Brouwer, Ward and Halpern you know it is going to eat out your minutes. Will be one of the best wingers at Winnipeg and with more minutes there will be more points. Would not suprise me if he would go and have the best year of his career.
James Van Reimsdyk if he can play with the same level as he did in the playoffs, it should be easily the best season for the youngster. He could even double the points he scored last season, maybe not next year but i believe that he will in the not too distant future. If he will be in the same line with Jaromir Jagr and Claude Giroux he might even be a contender for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.
Marc-Andre Gragnani was one of the best players in the Sabres during the playoffs. He should get his first full year in the NHL next season and if he plays anywhere near the level he played in the playoffs hes should have a breakout season.
Patrik Berglund had a good season with the Blues and then great world championships with the Sweden national team. He led the Swedish to the world championship where they suffered a bitter loss for the dear rivals Finland. He finished second in points leaving behind players like Tomas Plekanec, Jason Spezza, Mikko Koivu and Ilya Kovalchuk. Considering the squad Sweden has compared to other teams, he played really well.
Runner Up´s: Artem Anisiomov, Mattias Tedenby, Nazem Kadri
Trophy winners:
Hart Memorial Trophy: Sidney Crosby
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk
Vezina Trophy: Tomas Vokoun
Calder Memorial Trophy: Adam Larsson
Art Ross Trohy: Sidney Crosby
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Shea Weber
Conn Smythe Trophy: Tomas Vokoun
Ted Lindsay Award: Alexander Ovechkin
Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy: Sidney Crosby
William M. Jennings Trophy: Tomas Vokoun & Michal Neuvirth
Frank J. Shelke Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk
Again, all feedback is greatly appreciated.
Who will improve next season:
Alexander Ovechkin had the worst season of his life and will bounce back up next season. Ovechkin improving will also add significant amount of points for the fellow line players Alexander Semin and Nicklas Beckstrom.
Dany Heatley is, like Ovechkin, coming off from the worst season of his career. I believe that the change of team will help him Bounce back to ~80 points next season. Will boost the stats of first line center Mikko Koivu in the process.
Dustin Brown the Los Angeles Kings captain is coming off a good season but with Mike Richards and Simon Gagne coming in, probably to his line, he will have to struggle hard not to score more points than last season.
Rick Nash finally has a world class center to play with. Carter won´t be bringing much playmaking ability but will help Nash add assists and get in for some juicy rebounds.
James Neal will get either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin centering his line and with players like that the points will almost appear out of nowhere. Might be a career defining year for the young left winger.
Runner Up´s: Marian Gaborik, Miikka Kiprusoff and Duncan Keith
Who will disappoint next season:
Lubomir Visnovsky is coming off a career best season in points and will be expected to play a similar season next year. I do not think the 34-year-old will be able to do so and will drop almost 20 points from last season.
Loui Eriksson will not be able to get as much points as last year after the departure of Brad Richards. Though the fans may have high expectations for the swede he will not be able to answer to their prayers.
Semyon Varlamov was fairly good with one of the top teams in the league, but seems to be relatively injury prone. The Avalanche risked a lot and the worse Varlamov plays the more Capitals will benefit from the deal.
Ilya Kovalchuk has not played a good season with the devils and giving the contract he was given the criticism, should the Devils fail to make playoffs next season, will be pointed to the Russian superstar.
Keith Yandle it will take a lot to match this season with the Coyotes. Not saying that Yandle is not able to do it, but losing Ed Jovanovski and Ilya Bryzgalov will add the defensive duties for everyone and will be seen as a worse +/- situation and maybe lack of motivation during the season.
Runner Up´s: Jason Spezza, Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribeiro
Who will breakout next season:
Nikita Filatov was the sixth overall pick in 2008 but never really got it together in Columbus, he is a talented player and i sincerely hope he will improve in Ottawa. Has potential to play fairly lot in, in my opinion, one of the weakest squads at the moment.
Eric Fehr is a good player, but with wingers like Ovechkin, Semin, Knuble and Laich plus the newly acquired Brouwer, Ward and Halpern you know it is going to eat out your minutes. Will be one of the best wingers at Winnipeg and with more minutes there will be more points. Would not suprise me if he would go and have the best year of his career.
James Van Reimsdyk if he can play with the same level as he did in the playoffs, it should be easily the best season for the youngster. He could even double the points he scored last season, maybe not next year but i believe that he will in the not too distant future. If he will be in the same line with Jaromir Jagr and Claude Giroux he might even be a contender for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy.
Marc-Andre Gragnani was one of the best players in the Sabres during the playoffs. He should get his first full year in the NHL next season and if he plays anywhere near the level he played in the playoffs hes should have a breakout season.
Patrik Berglund had a good season with the Blues and then great world championships with the Sweden national team. He led the Swedish to the world championship where they suffered a bitter loss for the dear rivals Finland. He finished second in points leaving behind players like Tomas Plekanec, Jason Spezza, Mikko Koivu and Ilya Kovalchuk. Considering the squad Sweden has compared to other teams, he played really well.
Runner Up´s: Artem Anisiomov, Mattias Tedenby, Nazem Kadri
Trophy winners:
Hart Memorial Trophy: Sidney Crosby
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk
Vezina Trophy: Tomas Vokoun
Calder Memorial Trophy: Adam Larsson
Art Ross Trohy: Sidney Crosby
James Norris Memorial Trophy: Shea Weber
Conn Smythe Trophy: Tomas Vokoun
Ted Lindsay Award: Alexander Ovechkin
Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy: Sidney Crosby
William M. Jennings Trophy: Tomas Vokoun & Michal Neuvirth
Frank J. Shelke Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk
Again, all feedback is greatly appreciated.
Tilaa:
Blogitekstit (Atom)