Jarmo Kekäläinen Already On Thin Ice In Columbus

The NHL's most patriotic (American) brand has gone European. The Columbus Blue Jackets, named for Ohio's rich Civil War history, recently announced the hiring of Finish general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen. Kekäläinen didn't waste any time bidding farewell to Jokerit, the Finish Elite squad he recently turned around on and off the ice, to become the league's first ever European-born GM. Considering the Jackets' wealth of youth and draft picks it was an easy decision and a move Jokerit had been anticipating. The opportunity is great and the challenge daunting, but, if successful, Jarmo can tack on another awe-inspiring NHL first to his résumé: making the Blue Jackets to relevant.

Luck has rarely been on the their side since the Blue Jackets inception in 2000/01. With no playoffs wins and countless draft busts to their credit, it's shocking that Mr. Kekäläinen is only the third GM in the troubled team's history. Unlike his predecessors, Jarmo won't enjoy a long honeymoon. Not under team president John Davidson's watch. How Kekäläinen manages the team in his first next six months will determine the fate of the franchise for a decade or more.

Jarmo and the Jackets will be center stage at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. (Alaney2k / WikiCommons)

Thanks to trades with Los Angeles and the Rangers, Columbus holds three first round selections in June's NHL entry draft. Factor in a likely top five pick at the top of round two and the Jackets are looking at four picks in the top 35. That's a potential goldmine in a deep draft like this one, but Columbus has a history of missing on picks. Kekäläinen's track record as an assistant GM with Ottawa and St. Louis speaks for itself. With so much on the line this summer, Kekäläinen can't afford to miss. The selections courtesy of New York and L.A. will forever be compared to Vorachek, Carter, and Nash.

In addition to the draft, Kekäläinen must carefully manage an interesting crop of prospects. The farm system is loaded with talent, but the Jackets are notorious for mishandling their young players. The new management must find a way to get more out of underachievers Derick Brassard, John Moore, and Ryan Johansen. At the very least, they have to get these kids to stick at the NHL level consistently. Oshawa Generals captain Boone Jenner and 2012 second overall selection Ryan Murray may be the most talented players in the Columbus system. Their development and stabilizing the goaltending position are critical to turning the franchise around sooner than later.

The 2012 offseason will be one Columbus fans won't soon forget. Whether it's another disaster or the franchise facelift fans have been waiting for is entirely up to Jarmo Kekäläinen. He'll be asked to do more for this organization in his first five months on the job than Scott Howson accomplished in five years. Jacket backers have an exciting summer ahead of them. If Jarmo Kekäläinen is as capable as he looks on paper, the next winter might be even better. Heck, maybe the Jackets will still be in contention by the first snowfall.

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Roarke Boes

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Kings Trade Gagne to Flyers: Maybe You Can Go Home Again

Simon Gagne was presented with his Kings jersey by longtime broadcaster Bob Miller (Photo by Andrew Knoll).

Ever since Dean Lombardi took the helm of the Kings in April, 2006, it would seem as if he and Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren have had one another on speed dial, having completed quite a number of trades over the years. On Tuesday, the two executed yet another deal, as Los Angeles sent struggling left winger Simon Gagne back to the city where he electrified crowds for twelve seasons, potting 259 goals in 664 games.

Neither Gagne nor the Kings could have been particularly happy with his production this year (no goals, five assists), underscored by his drastically diminished ice time (12:14 in the February 17th game against Chicago, followed by four healthy scratches). However, Gagne did not make demands of any type, and expressed gratitude as to how professionally the team handled the situation. “They just did it on their own,” he said. “It just shows you the class those guys have. Even if it’s hard getting traded in the middle of the season, going to Philly – and they told me it was the best place for me to go – they’re really gentlemen to do that to me this year.”

In his comments about the deal, Lombardi also indicated his deep respect for the left winger, whom he knew from his days with the Flyers organization. “This is a good player that I’ve known a long time, and I know that if he would have wanted to go anywhere, that would be the place he wanted to go,” he stated. “Given that we had to do this, if we can, I would certainly put him someplace I know he’d be happy.”

Details and benefits of the trade

The man behind the rise of the Kings (credit: NHL network).

The Flyers will send a conditional draft pick to Los Angeles in exchange for Gagne. If the Flyers (10-11-1, 8th in the East) make the playoffs, the Kings receive a third round pick. If they miss the playoffs, they get a fourth rounder. For Los Angeles (10-6-2), the deal may have been as much about finding more ice time for younger players like speedy center/winger Trevor Lewis or possibly the promotion of top prospect Tyler Toffoli as it was about collecting draft picks, which Lombardi is historically adept at doing. The other possibility is that it sets the table for another deal prior to the trade deadline.

Philadelphia, on the other hand, gets to celebrate the return of a hometown favorite who has speed, outstanding hockey sense and a quick wrist shot. “He improves our depth up front automatically,” said Holmgren, assessing the benefits of the deal. “He is a good two-way player that can skate. (Our) Coaches have watched tape of him playing, so we feel comfortable that he is fine. He seems excited to be coming back, and looks forward to an opportunity to play and help us.”

Where Gagne will fit in the Flyers’ lineup is yet to be fully determined, but it seems likely that he will shift between the third and second lines as the situation warrants.

The results of the first game after the trade for each team

Gagne played Thursday night against the Washington Capitals and logged 16:00 of ice time ' his second highest total of the season. Fittingly, he christened his return by scoring his first goal of the season on a wrister from the low slot, as seen here:

Meanwhile, Trevor Lewis’ promotion to occasional second-line duty earned him his fifth point in the past five games, as he assisted on Anze Kopitar’s third period game winning goal. Always a good defensive player, he blocked two shots, threw two hits, and recorded one of the Kings’ five takeaways in the game.

The Kings and the impending trade deadline

(Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

Los Angeles appears to have shaken off the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover, having posted five straight wins. Despite the fact that Lewis appears to be getting a “test drive” with more important minutes and time on the second line, it would seem more likely that Lombardi has another card or two up his sleeve which have yet to be played. With the NHL trade deadline coming on March 3rd, look for Lombardi to be active in adding players to help defend the Kings’ Stanley Cup championship. Certainly, the defense could use a shutdown-type to replace Matt Greene, not to mention the losses of Willie Mitchell and Alec Martinez.

Regardless, the lure of more certain scoring from the left wing has to be on Lombardi’s mind as the clock continues to tick. Stay tuned.

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Walter McLaughlinWalter McLaughlin is a Los Angeles Kings correspondent for The Hockey Writers. He is an avid sports fan, having followed the Kings since living in L.A. in the mid-1970's, as well as suffering through Seattle sports teams' general futility. He has a Bachelor's degree in Finance and has worked in community banking for over 20 years, specializing in SBA loans. He lives in the Seattle area with his wife of 25 years and two daughters.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Brad Marchand: Boston's Little Ball of Everything

Looking back, the 2006 NHL Entry Draft can be viewed as an integral piece of recent Boston Bruins history, Yuri Alexandrov aside. Not only were the Bruins able to select Phil Kessel with the 5th overall pick (an asset later to be flipped for profitable draft picks in their own right), but the Bruins also added Milan Lucic in the 2nd round (50th overall) and Brad Marchand in the 3rd round (71st overall.)

And while Lucic is well on his way to proving that he might just be the second coming of now Team President Cam Neely, Marchand continues to solidify his reputation as the guy that everyone outside of Boston loves to hate, but who’d be beloved anywhere else he played because of all the things he does well on the ice for the Bruins.

Brad Marchand is proving to be an important piece for the Boston Bruins. Is Team Canada next? (Icon SMI)

Many resist going down the Obama path by calling him ‘the little ball of hate’ (reserving that nickname for Pat Verbeek, its original owner), and rightly so. The truth is, much like Verbeek himself, Brad Marchand is so much more than that, developing into a little ball of everything for the Boston Bruins.

Marchand’s NHL Accomplishments

Bruins fans are all familiar with Brad Marchand’s pesky style and penchant for big goals, both of which were on display in all their glory during the 2011 Cup run. In those 25 playoff games, Marchand scored 11 goals (including 2 in the decisive Game 7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks), chipped in 8 assists and added 40 PIM (just 11 less than he had amassed in 71 regular season games) while routinely getting under his opponents skin. Whatever one might have thought about his style of play, there’s an argument to be made that the Bruins would not be Cup champions without his efforts that year.

In 2011-12, Marchand scored 28 goals for the Bruins, second only to Tyler Seguin for the team lead, a feat accomplished in 5 less games played and on 75 less shots on goal. Now in 2013, Marchand leads the Bruins with 10 goals in 15 games played (tied for 7th in the NHL), on a grand total of 29 shots for a shooting percentage of 34.5%. He’s accomplished this feat while averaging 16:44 minutes per game (good for 11th on the team), and has chipped in 2 out of the Bruins league-low 7 power play goals while largely getting 2nd unit minutes (2.14 per game). On the other end, Marchand has also emerged as a key secondary piece on the Bruins league-leading penalty kill, currently rolling at an unprecedented 95.1% success rate. And interestingly enough, Marchand has tallied only 2 minor penalties on the year, perhaps demonstrating new levels of maturity and restraint out on the ice.

The Junior Story

Long time followers of Brad Marchand’s hockey career will not be surprised about the level of success he’s achieved in the NHL. In the QMJHL (as per eliteprospects.com), Marchand was better than a point per game player, scoring 102 goals and adding 146 assists for a total of 248 points in 242 games. Of course, he also added 319 PIM to go along with those scoring totals, early evidence of the chippy style of play that he’s now known for.

In 65 junior playoff games, Marchand scored 25 goals and 54 assists (with 95 PIM), including an amazing run in 2006-07 where he scored 16 goals and 24 assists in 20 playoff games as the assistant captain for the Val d’Or Foreurs, who would go on to be swept in the league finals despite his efforts.

Marchand also excelled at the World Junior level, twice winning Gold with Team Canada (2007, 2008.) During the ’08 tournament, he scored 4 goals in 7 games, tied with teammates Kyle Turris and John Tavares for the team lead, and more than current NHL superstars Steven Stamkos (1) and Claude Giroux (2).

The Future of Brad Marchand

(Photo by Chassen Ikiri).

With Brad Marchand under contract through the 2016-17 season, there’s no question that he’s seen as a vital spoke in the B, and so he should be. He does so many things well for the Bruins, and has a game that goes far deeper than the isolated, over the line incidents that he’s most known for (see: Salo, Sami.)

In fact, it seems entirely reasonable to suggest that he should garner consideration for the Canada’s Olympic team in 2014. Think about it: if Steve Yzerman deemed it right to invite the Sharks super line (at the time) of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley, how much more sense would it make to invite Patrice Bergeron, Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand, a highly effective and decorated so-called ‘second’ line in Boston? Even if Seguin isn’t ready to make that leap, Marchand surely has proven over the years that he can excel within the scope of a certain role (previously filled on Team Canada by the likes of Brendan Morrow, Todd Bertuzzi, Owen Nolan and hey, even Rob Zamuner), and he has the international experience plus a Stanley Cup ring to boot.

Based on his reputation, that suggestion may be scoffed at or written off because, well, Marchand is widely ‘hated’ by scores of non-Bruins fans. However, it’s this hockey writer’s contention that hate is always darkest when in reference to a rival hockey team, and any other fan base would be more than happy to add a player like him to their favorite team’s roster. If all of Canada were to witness Marchand at his best against Russia or the United States, for example, the dissenting voices would certainly be few and far between, proving once again that context really is everything.

Either way, Marchand will continue to do his thing – or, a little bit of everything – in Boston, demonstrating that there’s much to love about a guy who induces so much hate.

Follow Ian on Twitter for more hockey commentary and updates.

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Ian C McLarenCurrently covering the Boston Bruins for The Hockey Writers. Previously created & edited a sports-based website called Score Nation, and has also written for THW Combine.TwitterFacebookGoogle+LinkedIn

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Must See TV: The Five Most Entertaining Teams in the NHL

Don Cherry is one of the most entertaining voices in hockey. (Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE)

There are five entertaining NHL hockey teams that every fan must see on TV. They score a boatload of goals, they fight, and they are entertaining to watch every night. These five teams attract new fans and keep their current fans mesmerized by their play. Most of the time, a team’s attractiveness is due to their high-scoring ability, but fans can be entertained by all sorts of different things. There are many determinants that make a team entertaining.

Many fans are attracted to the game to see fights. Other hockey purest will watch a game no matter what two teams are playing. I get just as much satisfaction out of a beautiful cross-ice saucer pass — through three defenders landing on an intended target's tape — than I do seeing a goal scored.

As in any sports leagues, superstars attract. The list below proves that star power has a heavy influence on NHL entertainment as well.  This compiled list was based on many factors. Here are the five must-see hockey teams in the NHL:

5. Philadelphia Flyers

The Broad Street Bullies. The Philadelphia Flyers give fans a little dose of everything. Let's start with the rough stuff. They like going to the box and like fighting to get there. For fans who look to fighting for their NHL entertainment, the Flyers are the team to watch in that regard. The Flyers seem to lead the league in penalty minutes every season no matter who is behind their bench. They are the Oakland Raiders of the NHL.

The Flyers currently lead the league in three penalty categories. They have 106 minor penalties, 132 total penalties, and 346 penalty minutes. In addition, the Flyers have the third highest fight total of any team with 18 spars, and are second in the league averaging 16.5 penalty minutes per game. There is drama in every Flyers game and plenty of extra-curricular activity after the whistle led by Flyers instigator, Zac Rinaldo. The Flyers spend nearly an entire period in the penalty box each game. This paves the way for many unpredictable moments throughout a number their games.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Flyers have one of the most talented all-around players in the league, Claude Giroux. He is a gritty captain who proved his worth in a playoff bout against the Penguins last season. Giroux also had the highest-selling hockey jersey in the league a year ago. His star power obviously entertains the city of Brotherly Love. The Flyers also have some of the best up-and-coming prospects in the show. If young players like Braden Schenn (21 years old), Sean Couturier (20), and Jakub Voracek (23) keep improving their offensive talents, the Flyers will prove to be even more entertaining.

4. Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks are not short on talent by any means. Ryan Getzlaf is an all-world player maker, Bobby Ryan is an established 30-goal scorer and Corey Perry is one of the premier power-forwards in the league. Don't forget Teemu Selanne, a future Hall-of-Famer who seems to never age.

Of the Ducks' stars, not one of them is having an eye-popping season. Former Rocket Richard Trophy winner, Perry, has yet to heat up this year. The Ducks are winning as a team and everyone is pitching in to do their part. The Ducks are third in the league averaging 3.24 goals per game and have a home power play percentage of 34.6%. They have encountered all of this success without having a player with more than seven goals to date. With a different player pitching in every night, the Ducks have an unpredictability that makes them worth watching.

If you want more excitement, a third of the Ducks' games have gone into overtime. The Ducks have four shootout victories and one overtime victory in six cases. There is nothing more dramatic than overtime hockey. If you give up a goal, your team goes home. The Ducks have provided that adrenaline rush for their fans many times this season.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are lighting the lamp more than any other team in hockey. They are the highest scoring team in the NHL averaging 3.68 goals per contest and have recorded 49 five-on-five goals. That is seven more even-strength goals than the Penguins who are second in that category. The Lightning have also competed in one less game than the Pens.

Tampa Bay gets involved in some very high-scoring contests causing for some quality entertainment. They have surrendered the fourth highest amount of five-on-five goals in the league with 42. Surrendering many goals and scoring many goals at the same time is a prescription for thrilling hockey.

Along with talented players such as Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, the Lightning have Steven Stamkos. He is the most gifted goal-scorer in the league. Stamkos gets the job done every year and it doesn't matter who he plays with on a line. This is evidence of a true superstar and sniper. Stamkos leads the league in goal-scoring every year and does thus far this season. He will end this season as the highest goal-scorer barring injury. Stamkos has the most lethal one-timer you will ever see. His one-timer is hard to see on a slow-motion instant replay. The object of hockey is to score goals and the Lightning have the player who is the best at it, Stamkos.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are full of star power at all positions. They have arguably the two most talented forwards in the game on their roster. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are talents you do not come across every day. Crosby is tied atop the NHL scoring race. Malkin won the scoring race (Art Ross Trophy) and league MVP (Hart Memorial Trophy) last year. These two talents lead a team that is loaded with offense.

The Penguins were the highest scoring team in the league last season averaging 3.33 goals per game. They are above that pace this season averaging 3.4 goals per game. This is second only to the Lightning. If you want scoring come watch a Pens game. The Pens have scored the most power play goals in the league with 22 and have the third highest power play success rate at 27.8%. If you are really into power play goals, the Pens have scored a goal on the man-advantage in 12 straight games.

The Pens were very close to being the number one team on this list as the most entertaining team to watch. If the number one team were not in the midst of an unbelievable streak the list may have been tweaked in the Pens’ favor. On the other hand, anyone will tell you that Malkin, currently injured, has not played his best hockey to date. If he and Crosby were running on all cylinders, the Pens may have made the number one slot.

1. Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are having a season unlike any other. They have yet to lose in regulation and have earned at least one point in every game this season. Their TV ratings are off the charts as well. The streak they are currently riding has attracted more and more viewers throughout the city of Chicago and the country. Hockey fans want to see how long this streak will withstand.

The Blackhawks are first on this list due to their current point streak. They are the talk of the league and are atop the Western Conference standings. They meet the eye test and every game they play is exciting. They have the “wow” factor that you cannot explain. Even when the Blackhawks are not putting up high goal numbers, they are still creating a ton of chances as they did against the Columbus Blue Jackets a few nights ago in a 1-0 victory.

The Blackhawks move the puck like poetry and make passes you do not see from most teams. They have gifted players at every position and contrasting talent unlike any other team. Not all of the Blackhawks talent scores goals. From grinders, to fast skaters, to danglers and playmakers, the Blackhawks have a little bit of everything. There never seems to be a dull moment for very long in a Blackhawks’ game. They always find a way to cash in the big goal when it matters the most. Patrick Kane put some of the excitement on display when he dished a no-look-behind-the-back pass to Marian Hossa to win a game in overtime earlier in the season.

Honorable Mention:  Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers have some of the league’s most prestigious talent on their roster. Despite the gifted players on their roster, the Oilers have yet to bring “it” all together. With Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and number one overall pick, Nail Yakupov, the Oilers are only registering about two goals per game. The Oilers are underachieving.

Even though the Oilers young roster hasn't put up the offense they would've liked, they have participated in some dramatic games this season. They lead the NHL with four victories when trailing after two periods.

The Oilers' talent is world class and has certainly created some electrifying moments this season. If they bring everything together and learn what it takes to win, they have the ability to be the most entertaining team in the NHL. Sam Gagner's shootout goal last week was one of those breathtaking moments fans don’t see every day.

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Justin GlockJustin Glock has covered the Pittsburgh Penguins for The Hockey Writers since 2011. He has followed the Penguins for over two decades. Justin can also be heard on THW Live! Sunday nights at 8 p.m. EST. For any requests, please feel free to contact Justin via email: JGlock10@gmail.com.TwitterFacebookGoogle+

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Missing: Sharks Offense

Havlat is one of the many Sharks forwards struggling this season(Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE)

Anytime you mention the San Jose Sharks this past month you hear people ask what happened to them. Even casual NHL fans know about the Sharks struggles, that's when you know it's getting bad. The Sharks powerplay has crashed and burned so bad that it has almost become as laughable as a Ron Wilson led penalty kill (See Maple Leafs 2008-2012). The Sharks have won just two games all month and have played themselves  down to 7^th in the West.

While many are quick to press the panic button it is important not to overreact and overhaul the whole team. San Jose is in need of a few tweaks that could get them back on track and into the 2013 NHL playoffs.

One of the biggest question marks heading into the season was would San Jose be let down by their goaltending. Antti Niemi has gone 8-4-3 with a save % of .930 and a GAA of 1.95, and instead it is the offense letting the team down.

The Sharks are really struggling to score outside of Thornton and Marleau. Martin Havlat has been surprisingly healthy playing in all of the team's 18 games but you wouldn't have noticed by his pedestrian play in February. Trading Havlat will be a tough sell and getting back a top 6 forward will be even tougher.

Ryan O'Reilly has been a name thrown around in trade discussions but San Jose will be better off keeping their draft picks and trying to trade roster players for other options around the league. The best bet for the Sharks would be to try and move Handzus and Havlat when/if the opportunity arises.

Firing McLellan would be a mistake especially in a lockout shortened NHL season. McLellan knows the guys in the room and he is the only one who can get them back on track in such a shortened season.

Thornton has a 3 game point streak which may not seem like much but given the Sharks offensive woes it is pretty impressive. Jumbo Joe has been doing all he can to spark the team including getting into a few scraps.

The number of struggling Sharks forwards are basically the teams 2, 3 and 4^th line, but these 4 players either need to improve their performance or be shipped out.

Player Name	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	+/-	ATOI:
Martin Havlat	18	3	3	6	0	16:26
Ryane Clowe	16	0	6	6	-1	16:24
Michael Handzus	18	1	1	2	-7	15:11
Scott Gomez	12	0	2	2	-3	13:36

*ATOI: Average time on ice

While not much was expected from Gomez he has played 13:30 a night and been given some looks on the powerplay to no avail. Ryane Clowe, eligible to return after Thursdays game has had a real rough start to his contract year. Given Clowe's style of play he could receive a much needed spark being placed on a line with Thornton in Marleau's spot.

Michael Handzus could benefit a team looking to add a 3-4^th line big centre and make a run for the playoffs. The Sharks should shop him for a puck moving defenseman like Joe Corvo or Ryan Whitney to help spark their once lively powerplay.

San Jose has the skill and has the coaching to at the very least make the playoffs this year. Joe Thornton has been doing everything he can to steer the team back in the right direction and it is time that everyone else starts pulling their weight.

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Rick EmrithCreator of the Bettman Stand Up hockey blog. Started covering The Ottawa Senators now cover The San Jose Sharks for The Hockey Writers. You can follow me on Twitter @remrithTwitter

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Q & A with Blake Wheeler of the Winnipeg Jets

Blake Wheeler is once again one of the Jets’ leaders on offense in 2013. (Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

Blake Wheeler took a bit of a different path to the NHL than most others, and as my colleague Mike Rappaport pointed out he: 'pulled the Justin Schultz move before Justin Schultz did.' In 2004 NHL Entry Draft the Phoenix Coyotes selected Wheeler 5th overall, but he had already committed to playing college hockey with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After three seasons with the Gophers (four years after he was drafted) Wheeler elected to not sign an entry-level with the Coyotes and became an unrestricted free agent.

Wheeler was coming off of a great college career in the summer of 2008 and was courted by many teams before eventually signing with the Boston Bruins on July 1. After two and a half seasons with the Bruins, he was traded with Mark Stuart on February 18, 2011 to the Atlanta Thrashers for Rich Peverley & Boris Valabik. Four months later Boston would win their first Stanley Cup since 1972 and the Thrashers relocated as the NHL reincarnated the Winnipeg Jets. That summer Wheeler inked a two-year deal with the Jets and in their first season he led the team in scoring with a career-high 64 points (17g-47a) in 80 games; this season through the first 19 games he has 16 points (6g-10a).

After a recent Jets game in New Jersey, the Hockey Writers caught up with the 26-year-old Wheeler for a 5-minute Q & A and asked him about a variety of topics ranging from his college days to playing in front of some of the NHL's loudest fans in Winnipeg:

The Hockey Writers: Talk about some of the experiences you went through at the start of your NHL career, which started a bit differently than other players'

Blake Wheeler: I was given a great opportunity by the Bruins to play in the league right away, so I have no complaints about how I entered the NHL. They taught me a lot about what it takes to win in this league, you can recognize a winning and championship team when you see it. Maybe it wasn't the prototypical path to get to where I am now, but I think it worked out perfectly. Things maybe weren't working anymore with the Bruins and they traded me into a great situation, I can't say enough about the opportunity that I got with Atlanta and now with Winnipeg. I get to play with pretty good players, so it makes it a lot of fun.

THW: Was it disappointing after Boston traded you and then a few months later they win the Stanley Cup?

BW: It's hard, certainly. That's the whole goal — to win championships; so when you are that close and the team that gets rid of you wins it, it definitely stings a little bit. But you have to look on the bright side of things; I'm not a pessimist. I look at the opportunity I got with Atlanta/Winnipeg and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Blake Wheeler is bigger than you think: 6’5″ & 205 lbs. (Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

THW: You had a great and very memorable college career at the University of Minnesota, what are some of the memories you took away from that experience?

BW: It was awesome; I met a lot of my best friends (Alex Goligoski, Erik Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Ryan Stoa) and learned a lot about the game too. I think every kid enters that level with some bad habits, some things they maybe got away with just by being so talented growing up. I think they fixed a lot of bad habits that I may have had. To be able to go from playing college hockey straight to the NHL says a lot about the coaching staff and the job that they do at Minnesota preparing guys to play at the next level. At the end of the day that is what their job is all about: to win championships, win games, but also to prepare kids to take the next step if they can.

In 2007 with the Gophers, Wheeler scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the WCHA Final Five Championship Game against the University of North Dakota. Chances are you've never seen a goal quite like this one:

THW: Do you still follow the team, when you have some nights off from playing NHL games?

BW: Oh yeah, I follow them closely whenever I get a chance. I've been watching their games — they are a lot of fun to watch this year, they're a great team. You feel a lot of pride watching those guys go out there and play hard and try to do the same thing we were trying to do — win a championship.

THW: What do you remember about your first NHL goal?

BW: I remember like I said, being given a great opportunity to play in Boston, with two really good players in Chuck Kobasew & David Krejci. They made a couple of great passes and set me up right in the slot; I just closed my eyes and shot as hard as I could and the puck somehow found its way into the net. It was a great moment, definitely something I'll never forget.

Wheeler scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game against goaltender Peter Budaj of the Colorado Avalanche' a game that was on the VS network (if you remember that far back):

THW: Do you still have the puck?

BW: Oh yeah. I have the puck on a plaque sitting at home. Those are one of the memories that I will never forget.

THW: What do you remember about the experience and emotions from your draft day?

BW: It was certainly unexpected and it's kind of funny: the guy that went right before me and the guy that went right after me are on this team now (In the 2004 NHL Draft, Andrew Ladd was selected 4th by Carolina, Wheeler was selected 5th by Phoenix and Al Montoya was selected 6th by the New York Rangers). It was just funny how it happened, Wayne Gretzky gets to the podium, there was a lot of anticipation: who is he going to announce? Then they say my name and I was somebody they never heard of. That was a memory I'll never forget as well, it was a huge honor to be selected anywhere in the draft — to go first round, that high, was a huge honor. Maybe it was tough at first with the expectations, but I learned to appreciate it and it helped me to get where I am now.

THW: What is it like to be a Winnipeg Jet and play in front of such a rabid fan base?

BW: They're awesome and I think the best thing about our fans is how knowledgeable they are. They aren't just screaming and going crazy all the time, if we're not playing well it's quiet in there. They are a very knowledgeable fan base and they make it a lot of fun to play in front of them because they really know and understand the game. They are cheering for the right reasons and it makes it a really fun, great atmosphere in the building.

Dan Rice can be reached via Twitter: @DRdiabloTHW or via Email: drdiablo321@yahoo.com

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Dan RiceDan Rice is in his 1st year of reporting for THW & has covered the NJ Devils home games since the end of the 2005 lockout for various websites. He began his career working for legendary broadcaster/writer Stan Fischler from 2002-04 where he assisted in various duties inc. editing & helping to write numerous books including 'Who's Who in Hockey' and 'The Subway and the City'; his resume also includes working the 2003 SC Finals & an internship at the ECHL.TwitterFacebook

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Canadiens Get Something Extra in the Michael Ryder, Erik Cole Trade

After playing just over a year with the Stars, Michael Ryder returns to where it all began. (Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

The Montreal Canadiens announced Tuesday evening that they had traded the team's top goal scorer from last year, Erik Cole, for ex-Hab Michael Ryder, last year's top goal getter for Dallas. While the two players stack up pretty evenly on paper, the Canadiens ended up with bit extra on the trade, and that's on top of the third round pick that GM Marc Bergevin managed to pick up along with Ryder.

Cole and Ryder both fill about the same role in a lineup, they are big wingers counted on to produce offense; they're the guys that are supposed to get the lion's share of their team's goals. Ryder and Cole both lit the lamp 35 times last season, putting them in a tie for eleventh place in the league. They both have over 200 goals in their careers, and while Ryder has slightly higher average of goals per game, Cole has scored a few more goals overall.

While the Habs came out ahead in this deal in terms of offense, they did so at the cost of a bit of toughness. Cole is two inches taller, about 15 pounds bigger and has more than twice the hits this season than Michael Ryder. But toughness is something the Habs need right now, especially not from someone who is also supposed to be occupying a scoring role. And although Cole is a bit more physical than Ryder, the latter isn't exactly a pushover either, the Bonavista native has been averaging over a hit a game during the last three seasons and has 19 hits in 19 games this year.

How Ryder will Help the Team

One of the big plusses for Montreal is that Ryder has quite a few more power play markers in his career than Cole does, an area the Habs have struggled in recently. The Canadiens have been in need of a winger with a heavy shot to help keep their power play unpredictable. Max Pacioretty will probably fill out that role at some point in his career, but he's struggled somewhat to find the back of the net this season. Patches had just 4 goals on the season and only one power play marker so far.

It's important to note Pacioretty's struggles at putting the puck in the net this year. Another role Ryder will probably be expected to play is that of role model and mentor to some of the younger Habs. Cole was seen as a leader in the room and was credited for helping Pacioretty and David Desharnais have breakout seasons last year. Ryder will probably be looked to for the same type of leadership, he'll can help teach Pacioretty and Desharnais, as well as rookies Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher, what it means to be a youngster playing for the blue blanc et rouge and how to handle all the pressure that goes along with it.

Michael Ryder comes up big for Boston during their Cup run, robbing Tomas Plekanec of a sure goal.

 

A Friendly Contract Doesn't Hurt Either

As similar as Cole and Ryder are, there is one glaring disparity: their contracts. Michael Ryder will be a UFA at the end of this season and his current contract has him at a 3.5 million dollar cap hit. Erik Cole has a 4.5 million dollar cap hit and is under contract for two more seasons after this one. Clearly Marc Bergevin is happy to shed a bit of a cap hit here in preparation for next year's falling salary cap.

And that isn't to say that there is no chance Ryder will be with the team at the start of next season. Cole has had a slow start to the year and by making this move now, Bergevin has given himself some extra room to manoeuvre when the salary cap comes down. If Michael Ryder plays his role properly, the Canadiens have room to offer him a new contract, and if Bergevin feels he can improve his team another way, that option will be open as well.

As with any trade, it will take time to see which team got the better deal, but at first glance the Canadiens came out ahead in this bargain.

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Rob ElbazRob has been blogging about the Habs since 2011 at MontrealHockeyTalk.com and can usually be heard before every Canadiens games on the MHT Pregame Show.TwitterGoogle+

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Phoenix Coyotes' Shane Doan Talks Ownership

Phoenix Coyotes’ captain Shane Doan; disappointed, frustrated but hopeful.

Its no surprise fans of the Phoenix Coyotes are frustrated. After 4 years, the team and their fans have been strung along, been told interested parties were in talks with the NHL and the City of Glendale and saw ownership groups come so close only to come up short. But someone who shares their frustration? Their captain Shane Doan.

Rightfully so, the 36-year old veteran was only 19 when he packed his things along with the rest of the Winnipeg Jets and headed to the desert to don a new crest bearing the name of a city that  seemed a world away from the frigid providence of Manitoba. Now 17 years later, Doan is facing the same dilemma.

***

While the off ice issues in Winnipeg and the ones in Glendale are completely different both incidences have soured the game for their respective fan bases, causing many to lose faith in the league they spend so much time and money investing in. But for Shane Doan, his faith through out the ownership mess has never faded. That may come off hard to believe considering his most recent contract was inked last September in good faith that the team would be sold by season’s start. But now siting in a locker room five months after the fact, the team, the fans and Shane Doan are back at square one.

***

In town Tuesday for the Coyotes’ game against the Vancouver Canucks, Shane Doan spoke to the media about his disappointment, frustration, and thoughts on the Phoenix market.

“The most frustrating thing to me I think is that we have the staples to be one of those organizations that could really be a stable franchise for a long long time.” – Doan

That statement is true. The Phoenix Coyotes are housed in a fairly new state-of-the-art arena with a loyal fan base that has stuck with the team through four years of turmoil and placed in a large enough market to fill up the remaining empty seats. But unfortunately for the boys who don the Sedona red sweaters, they haven’t been given the proper tools to become stable. It wasn’t until Jerry Moyes’ filing of the team’s bankruptcy and the take over by the National Hockey League that the Phoenix ship had just began to be steered in the right direction.

To hear the entire interview click here

Shane Doan goes on to express his feelings that the team now has the power to truly do something special in the Valley of the Sun. Whether or not that’s true has yet to be seen but the idea of the Phoenix Coyotes moving before the market has really been tapped to see if hockey works in the desert is a travesty and something that shouldn’t be wished on by any hockey fan. But for Shane Doan and hockey fans in Arizona, such is life.

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Ed ChavezBased out of Arizona, Ed Chavez joined The Hockey Writers to cover the Phoenix Coyotes. In addition to THW, Ed also contributes to sister site, Sunbelt Hockey Journal, covering hockey in the desert and the Coyotes geared Five for Howling. Follow Ed on twitter, @edmchvzTwitter

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Erik Cole Traded to the Dallas Stars

Tuesday evening, the Dallas Stars sent a bit of a shockwave through hockey newswires with the announcement of a trade.

MTL trades Erik Cole to DAL for Michael Ryder.

' Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 26, 2013

Michael Ryder, he of 35 goals last season, is being shipped back to Montreal, along with a third round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, for Erik Cole, a former 35-goal scorer in his own right.

On the surface, the trade may puzzle some Stars fans. Dallas is 18th in the NHL in goals per game, and just traded its co-leading scorer, along with a draft pick, for a guy who has only six points in 19 games this season. Ryder seemed comfortable in Dallas, posting one of the best seasons of his career in 2011-12 with 35 goals and 62 points, and was just hitting his stride this season with three assists Monday night against Nashville.

But, despite first impressions, this trade does make sense for the Stars. After an offseason where the Stars got ‘smaller’ up front, they add a little bit of bulk in Cole who has 43 hits to Ryder’s 19. While their 2013 seasons have been remarkably different in terms of point production, Cole still boasts a similar offensive upside to Ryder. During the past two seasons, he has posted 113 points in 164 games, compared to 103 points in 161 games for Ryder.

Erik Cole traded to Dallas (Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports)

There is also the issue of contracts. While Cole is two years older than Ryder at 34, he is under contract for two more years at $4 million per season. While that number is slightly more than the $3.5 million Ryder makes, Dallas is a team that is still well bellow the salary cap.

Ryder, on the other hand, is an unrestricted free agent following the season. With his successful 2011-12 season, as well as his good start this season, he is a guy who will likely have multiple bidders in the offseason. When push comes to shove, there is no guarantee he would want to remain in Dallas, a team that has missed the playoffs four straight years.

The bottom line here is how this trade pans out depends on how each player responds to new situations. Ryder began his career in Montreal and had several good years there.

Cole, on the other hand, had a rough start to this year after a successful first year with the Canadiens. During the lockout, he made some comments about how he planned to retire after the season because of the developments of the CBA. The fact that Dallas added a 3rd round pick to a trade for two seemingly equal players likely won’t please too many fans.

Perhaps a fresh start is something he needs to get back on track. However, the only other time he played for a Western Conference team, in 2008-09 with Edmonton, he lasted less than a season before being shipped back to Carolina. Stars fans can only hope this western trek turns out a little better.

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Ryan SatkowiakRyan is currently a senior at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. He covers the school's hockey team for The BG News, the student newspaper at BGSU. You can reach him at r.satkowiak@gmail.com or on Twitter at @Ryan_Satkowiak.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Henrik Sedin: NHL Tough Guy

What do you think of when you think of NHL tough guys? Is it someone who is gritty? Physical? Drops the gloves? Is it a Milan Lucic or maybe a Jarome Iginla? You probably don’t readily think of Vancouver Canucks captain Henrik Sedin.

Perhaps you should.

Henrik Sedin has played in 600 straight NHL games (Photo by Chassen Ikiri).

Wednesday night, in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes,  Sedin extended his iron man streak to 600 consecutive games played, a longer streak than any other Vancouver player has ever reached.  You don’t survive that many games without injury if you don’t possess some level of toughness.

People who don’t see the Canucks play on a regular basis may scoff at the notion that Sedin is a tough guy. The hockey world narrative of Sedin, his brother and the Canucks team is that of a despicable band of soft, cheap divers. The opposite of tough.

Those who watch the team play on a regular basis know full well how tough he is.

Sure, he doesn’t fit the standard hockey definition of tough. He doesn’t throw bruising checks and  he never drops the gloves. How can he be tough? Are we talking about the same guy, and his brother, that people refer to as ‘sisters’ in a derogatory, not to mention misogynist, way?

Yeah, that guy.

So how is he tough?

He has survived 600 straight games without fail. He has had to face the oppositions top defensive line, and more importantly, their top defensemen. We are talking about the Shea Weber’s of the world. Sedin has a target on his back every time he steps on the ice, every time he gets the puck.

This was never more evident than last year’s playoff series when the Canucks were without Henrik’s brother, Daniel. Henrik was target number one, something the Kings Dustin Brown cashed in on.

Henrik survived that hit without missing a beat.

Watching Henrik and his brother cycle the puck down low you see them take more abuse than Don Cherry’s tailor does. He gets cross-checked, slashed and pounded into the boards. Not only does he, and his brother, generally not give the puck up but they usually turn those plays into great scoring chances.

It’s that kind of toughness that has allowed Sedin to become the team’s all-time leading scorer, something he accomplished two weeks ago. It’s the kind of toughness that his teammates have noticed.

The common conception, and misconception, of hockey toughness says you have to be a bruiser, and drop the gloves from time to time to ‘fire up the team’. But is that any tougher than taking abuse down low, in order to score? Is that tougher than fighting through brutal defenseman and defensive forwards to score on a consistent basis? Does anything fire up your team more than setting up a power play goal after their supposed tough guy took a stupid penalty?

So perhaps Sedin is not the stereotypical tough guy. But then he’s never been stereotypical has he? He’s got a twin (which seems to turn people off for some unexplained reason), he’s Swedish and he would rather make pin point passes than shoot. These are all things that make him a great player, as well as his toughness, which has gone unnoticed by most hockey fans and pundits is all part of his game.

Perhaps it’s time we expand the definition of what it is to be a tough guy.

 

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Andrew EideAndrew covers the NHL, Canucks and WHL for The Hockey Writers and THW-Combine. Also covers the Seattle Thunderbirds for 710 ESPN Seattle. Follow me on twitter @andyeide for more thoughts, sometimes of the snarky variety, about hockey, the Canucks and the WHL.

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

The Reunion Tour Continues ' Flyers Reacquire Simon Gagne

The Philadelphia reunion tour just keeps on truckin’.

After signing Ruslan Fedotenko in a 3rd-4th line/penalty killing role in the offseason, and signing Mike Knuble as a free agent during the season, Paul Holmgren completed the GM hat trick by trading a conditional draft pick for Simon Gagne.

Out of those three, Gagne would unquestionably expected to be the greatest contributor. He will most likely start out on the third line, since the first two lines of Hartnell-Giroux-Voracek and Schenn-Briere-Simmonds are both clicking right now.

In a way, acquiring Gagne doesn’t seem to make much sense when you consider that a healthy Matt Read would probably pass him on the depth chart, too. But then you have to remember what a healthy Simon Gagne is capable of once he wears that Flyers jersey. Let’s join the fans in taking a trip down memory clutch lane with #12:

• In the 2003-04 Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay, he scored the game-winning goal in overtime to force a Game 7.
• On January 6, 2006, he took seven seconds to stun Madison Square Garden and the Rangers in overtime.
• In  Game 4 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Bruins – down 0-3 in the series – he kept the Flyers’ season alive against the Boston Bruins by burying this redirection, once again in overtime.

  

  Simon Gagne might not be the same player he once was – but I’m okay with that. (Rich Kane/Icon SMI)

• And then in Game 7, he finished what he started, showcasing his lightning-quick hands and quick release, with this top-shelf beauty to make history by becoming the first NHL team to win a playoff series down three games to none.

Ah, memories.

But that’s the past. What makes adding Simon Gagne a good decision right now?

He’s a solid two-way player. You have to be to thrive in Ken Hitchcock’s system, and he did just that during Hitchcock’s three seasons (and eight games) as the Philadelphia Flyers head coach, with 85 goals in 206 games.

He’s also healthy again. Or finally. Or finally again. Over his entire career, going way back to the 1999-00 season, Gagne’s games played have flucuated from lower to higher every season. If he holds true to his pattern, I can safely say he’ll play more than 34 games this season!

Gagne is also a left hand shot, which could make him a strong option on the second power play unit if Brayden Schenn stays on the first unit with Claude Giroux. Speaking of Giroux…

My favorite part about this reacquisition is remembering how much chemistry he had with a young, burgeoning Giroux. As I said before, the Flyers’ top two lines are both performing well right now. But if they start to slump, how long do you think it will take Peter Laviolette to shake things up?

If that shake-up were to include moving a scorching-hot Jakub Voracek to spark the second line, then that might open up a spot for Gagne to re-create moments like this:

If Giroux can turn Scott Hartnell into a 37-goal scorer, then it’s not beyond reason that he could revitalize a healthy Simon Gagne.

Philadelphia is looking forward to all of the new clutch goals we can see from him. Welcome back home, Simon.

 

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Matthew DimmickGrowing up in Levittown, PA, Matthew learned to love the Philadelphia Flyers and NHL hockey at a young age. He now writes his analysis of all things hockey for The Hockey Writers.TwitterFacebook

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Minnesota Wild Struggles In Key Stretch

Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo surprised more than a few people in his post-game interviews on Tuesday night when he described his team’s 2-1 overtime victory against the Calgary Flames as a critical turning point. Minnesota had just scrapped to victory on home ice thanks to a late equalizer from rookie Jason Zucker, and then an overtime winner from Zach Parise. Even more concerning is the fact that the Wild simply failed to perform in what was undoubtedly a key stretch of games for this hockey club.

The timing of this post may seem strange since the Minnesota Wild are 5-3-1 in their last nine games, including victories in three of their last four. They are 11th place in the Western conference, but only two points behind sixth with two games in hand.

However, in a post published on this site two weeks ago, I alluded to an important stretch of five games for Yeo’s team [Analyzing The Minnesota Wild's Offensive Woes] suggesting that it was a critical opportunity for a faltering offense to find its game. Tuesday night’s match-up concluded that run of games and the reality is that Yeo and his team failed to produce despite posting a respectable 3-1-1 record.

Mike Yeo (Vincent Muzik/Icon SMI)

That stretch of games featured one game against an erratic Detroit Red Wings team with an inexperienced blue line. The other four games were against the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers; all of whom are below Minnesota in the Western conference standings. Still, the Wild only managed to score 12 goals during that stretch. That’s an average of just 2.4 goals per game. It’s certainly an improvement on their current NHL bottom ranked 2.06 goals per game, but not especially encouraging given the competition.

More concerning is the picture produced by a game by game analysis, which reveals that the team’s offensive output has not been improved by effective line combinations working together or a consistent commitment to a certain style of play. Mike Yeo definitely has plenty of work to do if he wants to quieten talk about his position and steer his Minnesota Wild towards locking down a Western conference playoff position. Here’s a game-by-game analysis of the Wild’s offensive performance.

Wild v Avalanche (Feb 14th)

4-3 shootout loss

The first game of the stretch saw Minnesota take on a Colorado team without Gabriel Landeskog, without Erik Johnson and generally with a blue line that was a little short on skating and transition. This was a pretty good offensive effort overall with the top Zach Parise line producing a pair of goals and Mike Rupp scoring another goal assisted by Mikael Granlund. Defensive lapses cost the Wild a pretty critical home game against a depleted team in a sloppy effort. However, the even-strength offensive potency was much improved.

Wild v Red Wings (Feb 17th)

3-2 regulation victory

Things continued to look up at home, where Minnesota are 7-2-1, in many respects. Three goals were scored in an encouraging victory against Detroit. Dany Heatley pounced on a loose puck after a scramble, Torrey Mitchell did the same thing on the game winner in the third period, and Jason Zucker also scored on a strong individual effort as Yeo got scoring from three separate lines. Still, all of that scoring came in the space of just four minutes and those good habits were not recognizable for the whole 60 minutes, or even 40 minutes.

Wild @ Oilers (Feb 21st)

3-1 regulation victory

36-year old Matt Cullen hasn’t looked like an offensive force in 2013 after fairly consistently scoring 35-45 points per season in recent history. He is on that sort of pace in 2013 with nine points in 18 games, and he has four points in his last seven games. However, he has three points in one game (Feb 21st against Edmonton) and just one point in his the other six. Niklas Backstrom was superb in the victory, while the scoring came from one line and the offensive effort only really picked up after the halfway mark of the game when Minnesota were 1-0 down.

Wild @ Flames (Feb 23rd)

3-1 regulation loss

Charlie Coyle’s first career NHL goal was a small consolation during an otherwise feeble offensive effort from Minnesota in a tough 3-1 road loss against Calgary. This is a Flames team that ranks 28th in the league conceding 3.22 goals per game. Journeyman Joey MacDonald played well between the pipes, but the Wild failed to generate a serious net presence and none of the offensive lines really posed a consistent scoring threat.

(Marilyn Indahl-US PRESSWIRE)

Wild v Flames (Feb 26th)

2-1 overtime victory

This is the game that Mike Yeo has claimed is a turning point for this franchise. His point presumably being that Minnesota found a way to win despite not playing especially well. That certainly is important for any playoff team, but the Wild had already been finding ways to get results despite below par performance as evidenced from the earlier analysis in this article. The reality is that Minnesota failed to generate much of anything for 55 minutes besides a burst of chances in the middle of the second period. The power-play finally connected on its seventh chance in overtime, while Backstrom was once again in fantastic form in net.

If anything, the Minnesota Wild’s offensive output actually got worse during this important five-game stretch. They are still ranked dead last in the NHL in terms of goals per game and Yeo’s line combinations still haven’t come together. While the Wild remain in contention, they still have plenty of time and no need to panic to find their offensive game, especially considering their offensive skill level.

Yeo, Parise and the rest of this offense still have plenty to work on. They won’t have it easy either as they begin a stretch of seven games which sees them face the red hot Anaheim Ducks twice as well as the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes. If the Minnesota Wild have turned a corner, then the next corner looks like a much longer challenge for Yeo and co to face.

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Sebastian Egerton-ReadSeb has been writing about the NHL and ice hockey for nearly five years. He has written for a number of different sites and is currently lead writer of The5Hole.com and Hockeyschedule.me. He covers the Minnesota Wild for The Hockey Writers. Follow him on twitter @seberead

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

Stephen Weiss: Wearing Out His Welcome In Florida

(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

After spending some time earlier this month speculating on why the Florida Panthers would trade their former franchise center Stephen Weiss, it seems as if things may be happening faster than expected as a soap opera is starting to unfold in South Florida.

After being one of the team’s top scoring options last season, Stephen Weiss has only managed to score 4 points (1G 3A) in 14 games this season while playing under the cloud his uncertain future. With the emergence of Jonathan Huberdeau, Drew Shore and Peter Mueller, Weiss has become somewhat of an after thought on a team that he was once the focal point of.

In an effort to revitalize the slumping Weiss, Coach Kevin Dineen opted to break up the team’s most successful line and pair him with productive forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Peter Mueller. After just a few shifts it was clear that the experiment was a failure and than sacrificing the team’s best line in order to wake up Weiss was clearly not the answer.

By the end of the game Weiss found himself on the team’s fourth line and only saw 1:14 of ice time spread out over two shifts. His limited role was clearly not the result of injury, but rather a sign that Dineen was clearly fed up with the lackadaisical effort he had been seeing over the past few games, if not the entire season.

When asked about the benching during post game interviews, Dineen had this to say:

'You know what, that was to do myself a favor. I think for the last year and a half, I've looked down if we are a man short or, on the power play or whatever I need, I'm always looking at that number. So, that made it made much easier for me to have him sitting there and not part of the equation with the quality of hockey he's playing right now.' – Dineen told Erin Brown of Rinkside.net

Considering that Weiss – along with several other Panthers – have shown questionable enthusiasm and effort in recent games, it was nice to see Dineen show some fire rather than giving the traditional ”we need to play better as a team” speech.

The question now is what does the team do with the most tenured skater in Florida Panthers’ history?

Sadly, the Panthers are the ones suffering the most during this saga. Weiss’ performance is not only hurting the team on the ice, but also hurting his trade value if the team hopes to ship him out before the April 3rd trade deadline. After seeing that line shuffling didn’t work, perhaps the only solution to re-ignite Weiss’ fire would be to scratch him for a game or possibly even strip him of his alternate captaincy.

Although there is still a group of Weiss supporters among the Panther faithful, a large group of fans can now be heard criticizing Weiss via numerous social media networks and it seems that most are fed up at this point. It’s sad that it looks as if Weiss’ career in Florida may end in mudslinging rather than in an honorable fashion, but that’s hockey and not everything can have a fairy tale ending.

 

Follow Jameson on Twitter @JamesonCoop

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Jameson CooperA Florida resident, Jameson is currently in his first year of covering the Florida Panthers for The Hockey Writers as well as doing THW's weekly NHL Power Rankings.TwitterFacebookGoogle+

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.

New York Rangers: Are More Shots the Answer?

The Rangers currently sit in tenth place in the Eastern Conference.  At one game over .500 (8-7-2), this is not the team many expected to see in New York this season.  As the Blueshirts look to turn things around, they need to simplify their game, and their coach is working to remind them to do just that.   Earlier today, John Tortorella gave some very specific instructions at practice:

That’s what we want, right?  “Shoot the puck!” We all say that, especially the guy in the blue seats who screams 'Shoot!' at every opportunity. But do the Rangers really need to shoot more, or is it something else?

Shots on Goal

The Rangers are ranked 12th in shots on goal, averaging 29.5 per game. They're certainly finding opportunities to get the puck on goal. Their actual scoring is much lower. They sit 23rd, with an average of 2.35 goals per game. That puts the Blueshirts at a team shooting percentage of 8.0%, which is 25th in the league. The Rangers are taking shots, but they're not scoring enough. Aside from shooting more, what should the team work on?

Missed Shots

It feels like the Rangers are always missing the net. Solid scoring opportunities are wasted by shots that sail wide of the net. But how bad are the Rangers when it comes to missed shots?

Suprisngly, the Rangers are right in the middle of the pack. They're ranked 14th with 11.2 missed shots per game. The Winnipeg Jets lead the league with 14.1 missed. Ottawa is second with 12.9. Of course, the Senators also lead the league in shots on goal, so it appears that Paul MacLean's boys are throwing anything at the net. In order to balance that out, let's look at missed shots relative to shots that made it through. Stats below are on a per game basis.

Again, the Rangers are right near the middle, ranked 16th with 27.6% of attempted shots missing the net. Winnipeg again leads the league with over 33% of their shots missing the net. (The best team? Not surprisingly, the undefeated Chicago Blackhawks lead the league in this category, with only 24.0% of their shots going wide.)

Individual Breakdowns

Defensemen miss the net more often than any other position. They're shooting from farther away and often more likely to fire a less-accurate slap shot than forwards. Across the league, defensemen miss 33.6% of their shots. The Rangers blueliners are actually better than average, with only 32.9% of shots missing.

Michael Del Zotto has a hard time hitting the net (Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE)

Looking at the actual players, we start to see some differentiation. Matt Gilroy, at 18.8% missed, is most likely to get a shot on net. He's followed by Dan Girardi (21.3%) and Anton Stralman (22.9%).

Worst on the team is Marc Staal (56.3%), who actually misses the net more times (18) than he hits it (14). He's followed by Michael Del Zotto at 38.9%. Del Zotto misses the net just slightly more frequently than the league average. The frustrating part for Rangers fans is that he's doing it on the point of the team's 29th-ranked power play.

Del Zotto averages more power play time ' 3:17 per game ' than any other defenseman on the team, nearly a minute more than second-ranked Dan Girardi, and over 33% of his shots are missing the net. Even Del Zotto's solid 9.1% shooting percentage ' 20th among blueliners ' becomes far less impressive when you factor in his missed shots. Including the times he shoots wide, he's only scoring on 5.6% of his shot attempts.

Clearly, if the team is going to shoot more, they need to make sure they're hitting the net with the puck.

Up front, the Rangers have a few players who struggle to get shots on goal. Rookie Chris Kreider leads the team, with 44.4% of his shots missing the net. That's well above the league average of 27.1% missed shots for forwards. It's also way up from his numbers in last year's playoffs, when he was at 27.5%. Kreider's shooting percentage also plummets when you factor in how often he misses the net, going from a respectable 20.0% down to 11.1%.

On the flip side, Rick Nash leads the Rangers with only 18.6% of hit shot attempts missing the net. Most of his shots are getting through, but he's still not scoring. Why?  His accuracy.

Shooting Percentage

Nash has a stunningly-low 5.3% shooting percentage. For all the shots he's getting through, he's just not scoring. This is far below Nash's career average of 11.2% shooting percentage. You'd have to expect him to rebound and pick up his scoring once he's healthy, but how high can he go? Can he return to those double-digit shooting percentages from two seasons back?

Richards has a lowly 5.4% shooting percentage (Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE)

Right behind Nash in shooting percentage is Brad Richards at 5.4%. Unlike Nash, Richards has been improving his accuracy over the past three seasons. His 10.9% shooting percentage last season was his best since his rookie season way back in 2000-01. He should be expected to return to those kinds of numbers and find his way back on the score sheet on a regular basis.

Both he and Nash were brought in – and paid top dollar – to put up points, and this season neither one of them are doing a very good job if getting tehir shots past opposing goaltenders.

What Can the Rangers Do?

Shooting the puck is good. Statistically, though, even an extra three shots per game ' which would put them atop the league – might only amount to four more goals over the 17 games the Rangers have played this season. That's likely not enough to make a significant change in the standings.

More important for the Rangers is the placement of their shots.

For players shooting wide, they need to focus on getting pucks to the net.  Not only are they wasting a scoring chance, but those wide shots often have a tendency to curl around the baords and out of the zone or up out of play. (With the way the Rangers do on faceoffs, that’s probably not a good outcome.)

For the players with shots getting through, like Nash and Richards, they need to make sure they’re getting off quality, targeted shots.  A weak shot into the goalie's crest gets marked down the same as a tough glove save on a quick wrister from the slot. The problem with the Rangers is that their shots tend to be more of the former. They also take too much time in getting shots off, allowing the goalies to get in position to make easier saves.

Listen to the coach and shoot the puck. Don't worry about doing it more often, though. Just do it faster and aim better.

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Follow Josh on Twitter – @joshsmith29

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Josh SmithJosh is a life-long hockey fan. He grew up as a fan of the New York Rangers, but thanks to their general mismanagement and years of mediocrity, developed a great appreciation for every team across the league. He's been writing about hockey on various sites since 1995. Follow him on Twitter at @joshsmith29 or reach him via email at joshuasmithTHW@gmail.com.TwitterGoogle+

This article was originally published at: The Hockey Writers.