First Line Center: A Hockey Blog

How NOT to Play Defense: Maple Leafs Edition

2012-03-07T02:18:00.006-08:00

As I'm sure most hockey fans do, I tend to watch the highlights of the night's games. Whilst watching the highlights of the Leafs-Bruins game, I wasn't too surprised to see them losing, but this goal in particular boggled my mind.

Are you ready for some more MS Paint? Good.

Here, we see two Leafs forwards (Dave Steckel and Tim Connolly) covering the same guy at the point: Patrice Bergeron. Um. Why? Bergeron makes a quick pass to a wide open Zdeno Chara, and, newsflash: this guy's good at hockey. Chara then has all the time he wants to do whatever he wants with the puck. The two Leafs defensemen in front of the net (Schenn and Gardiner) seem to be doing their job for the most part. However, as Chara moves in, Schenn inches closer to him and even goes down on a knee to try and take away a cross-crease pass. I have no issue with that. Jake Gardiner then inches away from Caron (eventual goalscorer) which allows Caron to get free for Chara's pass.

Now, even though Gardiner leaves Caron wide open for one of the easiest goals he'll ever score, I'm more bothered by the forwards (Steckel and Connolly). Had they both not been at the point holding hands and enjoying a cup of tea, this could have been easily prevented. One of them covers Bergeron, the other follows Chara, and then Schenn and Gardiner don't have to react based on the play that's developed.

Who knows? Maybe I'm overlooking something or maybe I'm flat out wrong about this, but it all seems pretty logical to me. I'm sure (I'm not, I'm just hoping) Randy Carlyle and Brian Burke will somehow eventually fix this, though, so no worries, Leafs Nation.

How NOT to Play Defense: Steven Kampfer Edition

2012-03-07T01:14:00.007-08:00

Let's overlook the fact that the Avalanche embarrassed the Wild tonight. That's a moot point by now. However, I had the game on at work tonight, and as I would glance at it every so often, I looked up at just the right time to see this goal.

First things first here: Tom Gilbert, you have to get that puck out of the zone. I realize that shit happens and you can't do much about it, so that just really sucks for him. I feel his pain, having played defense when I was (a lot) younger, but still. That can't happen.

Anyways. Let's break this down and pick on Steve Kampfer, shall we? With my amazing Microsoft Paint skills and lack of a telestrater, I've illustrated it a little:

One of the first things they teach you as a defenseman when dealing with a two-on-one, is take the pass away. As the above photo shows, Kampfer is cheating towards Stastny, when ideally, he should let the backchecking forward (assuming it's Nick Johnson here) take the puck carrier. Kampfer should then let Hackett (Mr. Goalieboy) deal with the shooter (Stastny) and hope Johnson can catch up to him in time. While all this is going on, Kampfer should move towards Mark Olver, and attempt to negate any potential pass to him, thus negating any potential goal. However, things don't always work as planned. Olver gets the puck and essentially has an easy tap-in for a goal.

Who do you think Matt Hackett is more pissed at after all this? Gilbert for not clearing the puck initially? Kampfer for failing his defensive assignment? Either way, Gilbert and Kampfer (why are they a pairing again??) should probably attempt to make amends with Hackett, especially since he got trampled by Olver after all this. The last thing the Wild need is another injured goaltender.

Jakub Voracek: The Latest Victim of Being Kronwalled

2012-03-07T01:01:00.003-08:00

The Wings lost to Philly tonight, 3-2, blah blah blah, boring usual stuff blah.

Enter: The Kronwall:

Um. OUCH. I really would not want to be Voracek right there. Niklas Kronwall, for being 5'11" or whatever he is, sure does hit like a damn freight train.

I'm going to be honest here; I'm a Wings fan when it comes down to it, but I also have a brain and know how to not be biased. I love hockey too much to be a homer. That said, I have no idea how Kronwall hasn't been suspended at all in the last nine years or however long he's been in the league. There have been many a time where he should have been fined or suspended for either leaving his feet or just a dirty hit. Don't get me wrong, I do love most of the hits he throws, but goddamn. I think I'll be more surprised in the morning if I find out that he hasn't been Shanabanned for at least a game or two for this hit, though.

Not to play Devil's Advocate or anything, but in Kronwall's defense, Voracek did have his head down the entire time, and was even looking behind him at one point. Um, you can't do that. The first thing they teach in pee-wees is don't skate with your head down. Ever. Especially in the NHL. Especially with Kronwall on the ice. Be aware of your surroundings, man.

I still love you, though, Kronwall, don't worry. Jakub Voracek, get well, kid. I wish nothing but the best for this guy.

Crosby Might be Back Soon, but Who Will he Play With?

2012-03-06T12:04:00.005-08:00

For those of you that live under a rock, it was announced today that Penguins All-Star Center and captain Sidney Crosby was cleared for contact today after missing the last few months with returning concussion like symptoms.

I'll pause so all of Pittsburgh can celebrate and scream for a moment.

All right. This is fantastic news for both the Penguins and the NHL. Arguably the best player in the league, Crosby hasn't really played since January 2011 (again, for you rock living people). Before suffering his concussion, Crosby was putting up points at a ridiculous pace at roughly 1.6 points per game. Extrapolate that over an entire 82 game season, and he potentially could have scored 131 points.

If you're new to hockey, that many points is good. Really good.

Anyways, fast forward past all the drama and the "Will Crosby retire? Is he ever coming back???? Is Crosby a vampire??? (no, he's a Ferrari.)" and such, Crosby made a return earlier this season, only to be thwarted by another hit in a game against Boston. Fast forward a few months later, and here we are. Sid's been cleared for contact, and at the earliest he could play this Sunday (don't get your hopes up).

But um, the Penguins are something like 20-4-1 since that awful losing streak a few weeks ago, so where is Crosby going to fit? The Neal-Malkin-Kunitz line needs to stay in tact. They need to play together for the rest of forever. That is a fact. What about moving Jordan Staal back down to the third line? I'm sure he's getting sick of that, though.

WAIT. I have an idea. What if, (drumroll, please), what if you put Crosby and Staal on a line together? Staal has really stepped up his offense this season since he's been given the opportunity. What if there was a Staal-Crosby-Dupuis (or Sullivan) line? The Penguins have a plethora of third line centers, and Staal clearly deserves to play a more expanded role than that.

But hey, I'm just a random guy behind a computer, so I don't know much, that's just my opinion. What I do know, however, is if Crosby is back and completely healthy come playoff time, the rest of the league might end up pissing their pants.

Why the Grabovski Signing is Actually Really Good

2012-03-06T11:14:00.007-08:00

At first glance, $5.5 million for five years for a guy that has a career high of 58 points and only 45 so far this season may seem to be a bit of an overpayment. I suppose if you look at everything in just terms of goals and assists, then sure, it could be a slight overpayment, but let's take into account more than just the standard goals and assists with Grabovski, shall we?

I noticed on Twitter today that people were comparing the James Neal and Grabovski contracts. Yes, Neal is younger, has more goals than Grabbo, and has a slightly cheaper deal, but there are some big differences between the two as players.

First of all, Neal would have been an RFA, while Mikhail would have been a UFA. You can't compare those two. Apples and oranges, folks. If Grabbo would have hit the open market, there's a good chance he would have gotten a lot more than $5.5 million.

On top of that, Grabovski is a very good 28 year old, two-way, defensively responsible centerman. This isn't taking anything away from Neal at all, because I love the kid, he's a great player, but there are some often overlooked, underlying factors with each team and player: the advanced stats. No, not many people know what they are, and if they do, they don't usually buy into them. What it comes down to, however, is that these so-called "fancy stats" are pretty accurate, and have even predicted a team's collapse after a rather great start to the season. I recommend you check out the Behind the Net articles on advanced stats and why they actually matter.

Anyways, back to the matter at hand here...the Grabovski contract is a really good deal for Toronto. Comparing his advanced stats and James Neal's shows there are some minor and major differences between the two players. Without going on and on and on about stuff no one cares about, two of the biggest differences are the offensive zone start percentage, and the quality of competition for Neal and Grabbo. Neal starts the majority of his shifts in the offensive zone, meaning he's logically going to get more chances to score, or get a scoring chance. Grabovski on the other hand, is about 50/50 with his zone starts. This is a testament to how good defensively he is and how much the coaches trust him in their own end and also ties in with the quality of competition. Again, without going on and lecturing about it, think about what that could mean. Quality of Competition. The quality of players that Grabovski or Neal tend to pair up against. Being that Grabovski is relied on defensively as well, he faces tougher competition, so on and so forth. Now, add all this to the fact that he can still put up points while playing with sub-par linemates...and I'd say you have quite a steal of a player on your team.

Again, I'm not taking anything away from Neal, he's one of the best goal scorers in the league (albeit he plays with Malkin 99.99999% of the time, but either way), I'm just saying why the Grabovski deal is pretty fair for both sides.

Another thing that was pointed out on the good ol' Interwebs today, was the market inflation. $5.5 million is 8.5% of the current salary cap.

So, with that information, 8.5% of the previous salary caps would be: $3.32 million, $3.74, $4.28, $4.82, $4.83, and $5.05 for last season. In English, Grabovski's not overpaid, it's just inflation combined with being really good at hockey. That's all.

Prospect Profile: Nathan Beaulieu

2012-03-03T21:33:00.005-08:00

Name: Nathan Beaulieu

Birth Date: December 5, 1992

Birth Place: Strathroy, Ontario

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 191 pounds

Hand: Left

Drafted: 2011, 1st round, 17th overall by the Montreal Canadiens

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 QMJHL Draft by the Saint John Sea Dogs, Beaulieu's father was briefly the head coach until being replaced by Gerard Gallant. This made Beaulieu strongly reconsider playing with the Sea Dogs, but he eventually opted to stay with the team after speaking with Gallant.

Noted as an offensive defenseman with an edge, Beaulieu is another good, young defenseman that is good on the powerplay, reliable in his own end (whether it be with a stick check, or taking the body), and overall a great skater. Eliteprospects describes him as such:

"A defenseman with fast, strong skating. Moves the puck well and is very useful as a playmaker on powerplay. Has a strong shot and good vision. Uses his stick well defensively and can be physical, when needed."

Vastly improving since his rookie season with the Sea Dogs where he scored only 10 points in 49 games, Beaulieu scored 45 points in each of the two following seasons. This season, you ask? Through 49 games, Nathan has an outstanding 51 points (11 goals, 40 assists). Add to that an incredible +42 and 91 PIMs (verifying his edge or nastiness, as some say), and I'd say this 19 year old defenseman is doing at least a few things right.

And now, we watch:

The kid has a great shot, great agility, and even a little bit of swagger (as much as I hate that word). Remind you of any other Habs' defensemen? Hint: P.K. Subban. I'm not sure I want to imagine Subban and Beaulieu running the point, that's going to be deadly.

Montreal's bad season aside, they've got some good reinforcements coming in on their blueline soon. Very soon, Habs fans.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mike Komisarek.

2012-03-03T21:18:00.003-08:00

Yes, Komisarek is overpaid and underperforming. Yes, the Leafs would probably be better off without him most nights. No, it doesn't make sense that he's been a healthy scratch several times even though he wears the 'A' on his jersey. Throw all that aside for 30 seconds to admire this hit he put on Chris Campoli tonight:

Similar to how Johnny Boychuck met Chris Neil last week, this is why you keep your head up and don't admire your pass. Especially with heavyweights like Mr. Komisarek on the ice. Tsk, tsk, Campoli.

Is Randy Carlyle the Right Guy for the Job in Toronto?

2012-03-03T21:00:00.005-08:00

As it's been passed around by now, the Leafs fired Ron Wilson yesterday and replaced him with former Ducks' coach Randy Carlyle. The general consensus is that he's the wrong guy due to various reasons. He's just like Wilson, he's surly, he hates the media, he's not a "players coach", so on and so forth. And for what it's worth, I'm on board with all those. I especially don't like the whole situation that went down with him and Lupul before he was traded.

Alas, as of the press conference this morning in Montreal, apparently Lupul and Carlyle kissed and made up, and "the past is the past", and there allegedly won't be any issues with them. We'll see about that. I'm a bit of a skeptic and have my doubts.

The media is saying that Carlyle has his good points, though. Along with owning the second best playoff record since the lockout (Babcock is first), Carlyle is a strong defensive coach and can bring structure to a "young Leafs team". I feel as if the Leafs (Burke) need to do a lot more than change coaches, though. There are players, who shall remain nameless, that I feel would be better suited elsewhere, but then again, I'm just a random guy behind a computer, and I don't know anything about anything.

With all that said, Carlyle and the Leafs did defeat the Canadiens tonight by a score of 3-1, but it's also just one game. Time will tell, I suppose, but I have a feeling it's still going to be a while before Leafs Nation can plan a Stanley Cup Parade.

Prospect Profile: Jacob Trouba

2012-02-28T12:05:00.004-08:00

Name: Jacob Trouba

Birth Date: February 26, 1994

Birth Place: Rochester, Michigan (some reports say Minnesota, but that's inaccurate)

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 191 pounds

Position: Defense

Hand: Right

2012 Draft Eligible

Already drawing comparisons to the likes of Jack Johnson and Cam Fowler, Trouba is regarded as one of the best defensemen in the upcoming draft. Scouts describe Trouba as a big, agile, physical defenseman with a booming shot and good overall puck movement.

Although he likes to be physical, he's also smart with his positioning, picking his spots on when take the body, and when to go for a poke check. Not only is he more than adept in his own end, but he's very good at joining the rush and working in the corner down low, and then getting back to his spot at the point before the opposing team has a chance to catch him pinching. When patrolling the blue line in the offensive zone, he's known to command respect due to his agility, patience, and heavy shot. This is all especially impressive, given the fact that he very recently turned 18.

I couldn't find much video footage of him aside from interviews, but these videos show his poise with the puck and heavy shot. On the first video, hearing the puck deflect off the forward's stick somewhat indicates the heaviness of his shot. According to the USNTDP site, through 38 games this season, Jacob has 7 goals (5 on the powerplay), 15 assists and 22 points, with 50 PIMs. I'd say with a few more years of experience, he's going to have his game rounded out pretty well.

Trouba verbally committed to attend the University of Michigan not too long ago after much deliberation on whether he would go there, Notre Dame, or to Kitchener of the OHL (they drafted him and own his CHL rights). His reasoning for taking such a long time to make a decision? He wants to be known as a man of his word. Via University of Michigan's hockey site:

"Jacob Trouba wants to be known as a man of his word.

So when the highly touted defensive prospect is ready to make his decision whether to play in the OHL for the Kitchener Rangers — who hold his CHL rights – or the NCAA, there won’t be any late de-commitments or promises broken.

“That’s sort of why I haven’t (committed), because I don’t want to make a commitment and then back down from it,” said the 17-year-old on Wednesday, while in Toronto to take part in the NHL’s Research and Development Camp.

[...]

“It’s important because people have to trust you and what you say,” he said of keeping his word. “If you keep backing out of decisions — and all that, going back on your word — then you’re just going to get that reputation.”

The kid turned 18 just a few days ago, but he already sounds as mature as a 30 year old. You can't beat that. This kid's got a good head on his shoulders. Whoever ends up drafting him this June is going to have a real great defenseman for quite a while.

Since Everyone Else is Doing It...

2012-02-27T22:43:00.011-08:00

Let's recap the (uneventful) trade deadline today. Via NHL.com's Trade Tracker:

Let's go over a few of the bigger deals of the day.

-Zack Kassian for Cody Hodgson:

I think this is a really good deal for both sides. If last year's Cup Final against Boston was any indicator, it showed that the Canucks don't have as much toughness as the Bruins (understatement of the year, perhaps). Zack Kassian, a winger, is only 21, but he's as tough as they come. He can definitely play a little on the edge and stir up some controversy with hits like this one in the WJCs a couple of years ago. Regardless, the Canucks could definitely use some more physicality to their game if they intend on competing against a lot of the other teams in the league.

Hodgson, on the other hand, is a young, right-handed centerman who is projected to be a pretty decent scorer in the league. As is the case with most good teams, however, he got buried by the depth of the Canucks' roster. Of course, it didn't help that they went out and picked up Sammy Pahlsson, but that's beside the point. Either way, however, Buffalo did good here, picking up a young center that can help their team on both ends of the rink.

-John Scott for a 5th round pick:

A real good pick up for the Rangers. John Scott will fit right in on Broadway because he's their type of player. He's big (6'8 270 pounds), brutal, intimidating, and he'll kick the crap out of you in a fight. I read that he was picked up to do just that, too; to keep other teams from taking liberties at the Rangers' players. The only thing I don't understand about this deal is that Chicago was looking for defensive depth, and they trade away a defenseman. Granted, Scott may not be the greatest at defending, but when you're already limited, why take more away from yourself? Then again, as the saying goes, if I knew anything about the game, I'd be in it.

-Steve Kampfer for Greg Zanon:

Along with the other moves Boston made, this is more of a depth move. Kampfer has potential, but again, he got buried by depth. By sending him to Minnesota, they get an experienced, veteran defenseman in Zanon, who should help them in the playoffs. Minnesota, on the other hand, sheds some salary and gets younger on their blueline. The Wild definitely need some work, but their blueline is going to be rather decent in the coming years. Scandella, Spurgeon, Kampfer, Falk...they have some good players that will be around for a while.

-Paul Gaustad for a 1st round pick:

Gulp. That was the sound of the Central Division getting a little more worried about Nashville. Gaustad and Hal Gill both now? I'd watch out for the Predators. Arguably the biggest trade of the day, Nashville really came out on top on this deal. Yeah, Buffalo put a high price on Gaustad, but Nashville did good to get a fourth round pick out of it too. Say what you will about him, but David Poile is a really good GM in my opinion. Earlier, there was an explanation on why Gaustad had such a high price on him. Buffalo didn't really want to get rid of him, but if someone was willing to pay the price, then they'd be foolish to not take it. One person on Twitter described it as "if I were to sell my car for $70,000, that's a really high price, but if someone wants to buy it I'd be a fool to not sell it" or something along those lines. Valid point, I suppose.

-Sammy Pahlsson for two 4th round picks:

As if Vancouver weren't stacked enough as it is, they just added more depth to their team. They now have three of the best faceoff men in the league with Kesler, Malhotra, and Pahlsson. The latter two essentially play the same style and have the same role (defensive zone faceoffs, kill penalties, etc), but those third and fourth liners tend to be very underrated. Real good move by the Canucks. Now if they could get a goalie, they'd be all set...

-Carter Ashton for Keith Aulie:

Brian Burke didn't make any of the big moves that Leafs Nation wanted, but he did get rid of an underperforming (admittedly, young) defenseman in exchange for a big bodied forward. Ashton was a first round pick a few years ago, and was generally regarded as Tampa's finest prospect. Scouts say he still needs some fine tuning, but he has good speed, he's really good defensively, he's physical, and he can put up some points as well. With that said, Steve Yzerman probably felt he needed to retool his defense after getting blown out by the Penguins last weekend. Aulie isn't a bad defenseman by any means, and he should be in the league for a while once he works on a few aspects of his game. For what it's worth though, he is a big, physical defenseman who isn't afraid to drop the gloves. Good moves by both Burke and Yzerman.

-Mike Commodore for a conditional 7th round pick:

Again, Yzerman was refining his defense, and this is a good pickup for him. I would have liked to have seen Commodore play more than 17 games with the Wings, but as I keep repeating, he got buried by depth. I think Commodore is another underrated, veteran defenseman that just needs an opportunity after getting snubbed by Columbus (how does Scott Howson have a job after the Nash comments???). Either way, he should get his chance in Tampa, especially with Hedman rumored to be out with another concussion. As for the Wings and the 7th round pick, they'll receive it as long as Commodore plays 15 games for Tampa and they make the playoffs. Assuming that happens, we all know what that means for the Wings: they'll be drafting another Zetterberg or Datsyuk.

-Andrei Kostitsyn for a 2nd round pick, conditional 5th round pick:

I say this is a real good deal for Nashville again. A lot of people are skeptical about reuniting the Kostitsyn brothers, but I have a feeling it'll be different this time around. No, Andrei hasn't been a prolific goal scorer, but he's also been playing in the high pressure market that is Montreal. Some people just aren't cut out for that. I think with both of the Kostitsyns reunited in a low pressure city, it could give them a spark and end up surprising a lot of people, but again, I don't know anything. What I do know, is that Nashville isn't messing around this year by going all in and doing what they can to win. Hopefully that's enough to convince Ryan Suter to re-sign with them.

That's enough for now. With the deadline over, that means one thing: the playoffs are right around the corner and it's time to drop the puck.

Matt Duchene Gets his First Goal Since Returning From Injury

2012-02-27T22:31:00.002-08:00

Not much more to add to that except for how nice of a pass that was by Statsny. It looks easy, sure, but a saucer pass, over a defenseman, right on the tape of Duchene's stick?

Just another day in the office for those two, I suppose.

Glove Tap: Valtteri Filppula

2012-02-26T19:45:00.011-08:00

Sure, you've heard of the guy. "Oh, yeah, he's that one guy on the Wings with Datsyuk and Zetterberg and all them, blah blah blah". Drafted in the third round in 2002 (95th overall), the Finnish native was projected to be a pretty decent second line centerman. As the Wings do with all their prospects, they let him develop by playing two more years in Finland and two more in Grand Rapids with their AHL club, before earning a permanent roster spot in the big leagues in 2006-07.

Putting up a respectable 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 78 games for his first full NHL season, Filppula's been relatively consistent since then. With point totals of 40, 35 (only 55 games that year), and 39 in each of the following seasons, it was beginning to look like maybe he wouldn't pan out as he was projected. Oh, but is patience a virtue...

At first glance, his 18 goals, 30 assists and 48 points this year may seem a little underwhelming. However, if you take a deeper look, Valtteri is quietly having a heck of season. With two more goals, Filppula will top his career high that he set in his rookie year. Not to mention he's currently at a +14 and another +3, (admittedly, a potentially deceiving stat), will be a career marker in that category as well.

Keeping in mind that while he may not be a superstar such as his counterparts in Datsyuk and Zetterberg, he is reliable. Mike Babcock uses him fairly often, and even if he's not the team's primary penalty killer, he has seen about 51 minutes of shorthanded time this season. That ranks him 7th among PK time for forwards on the team, and that's mainly because of players like Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader getting the majority of that ice time. Pair all that with the fact that he's only taken 12 penalty minutes all season, and I'd say you've developed a quality player right there.

He's kown as more of a playmaker than a shooter, but Fil has a decent shot and some pretty nice moves to go with it, as seen here. Again, I'm not saying Mr. Filppula here is the next coming of Gretzky or anything, but he definitely deserves more credit than he's received. "That one guy" is having a pretty good year so far.

Five Months Later and It's Still Not Any Easier

2012-02-26T19:13:00.003-08:00

Jeff Miller wrote an article on Ruslan Salei, his wife and family, and how they're all still dealing with the tragedy that happened in September. It's definitely worth the read, even if you have to choke back a few tears.

Chris Neil's Candidate for Hit of the Year

2012-02-26T18:54:00.003-08:00

Like most hockey fans, I love seeing a good, clean open ice hit. It's what makes hockey the amazing game it's evolved to be over the years. There have been some really nice ones this season, but in last night's game between the Senators and Bruins, Chris Neil provided one worth an extra look or two:

Mr. Boychuk, meet Chris Neil. And keep your head up while you're at it, kid. Now, I know Neil doesn't have the greatest reputation around the league, and rightfully so, but this is the kind of hit I love. It's perfectly clean, Neil's elbows are down, he's not charging at Boychuk; everything's fine here, though I suppose Boychuk would say differently since he just got his bell rung, but I digress. I'd bet good money that he keeps his head up from now on, though. Better luck next time, Johnny boy(chuk).

Prospect Profile: Mattias Ekholm

2012-02-24T13:09:00.008-08:00

Name: Mattias Ekholm

Birth Date: May 24, 1990

Birth Place: Borlänge, Sweden

Height: 6'3" (192cm)

Weight: 201 pounds (91kg)

Position: Defense

Hand: Left

Drafted: 2009, 4th round, 102th overall by the Nashville Predators

I was looking for an obscure, underrated prospect to research today, and I had no idea who or how or where to find him. So, I asked Corey Pronman of hockeyprospectus, and he named Ekholm.

Eliteprospects describes Ekholm as such:

"Ekholm is a large defenseman with decent two-way ability. He is a capable skater and has decent overall mobility. He moves the puck rather well and makes simple and smart passes. Hockey sense fairly good, release is pretty heavy and he tries to solve most situations the simple way. Ekholm has proved to be a solid defensemen in the juniors, playing with confidence and ease in his own end. Work could be put in to improve his physical game further and add more weight to his frame which would make the transition to men's hockey easier."

Mattias has played in all sorts of junior tournaments while in Sweden. Under 18s, under 20s, so on and so forth, and he's seemed to have been fairly solid. He may not be the biggest point producer, but at the same time, he's also a defenseman. Upon being drafted, Ekholm played one more season with his junior team in Sweden, Mora. Currently playing with Brynäs IF of the Elitserien in Gävle, Sweden, Ekholm is making great strides in his improvement.

In his inaugural season with Brynäs, played in 55 games while scoring 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points. On top of that, Mattias finished with a +10 rating, 38 PIMs, 5 powerplay goals and 44 hits. What makes this even more impressive is that his average ice time was around 20 minutes a game. All at the ripe old age of 20.

This season, Ekholm played in two games with the Predators before returning to Sweden to further develop. He made his NHL debut on October 13 versus Phoenix, playing 16 shifts in 11:30 of ice time. A week later on the 20th, he played in a game at Vancouver with 21 shifts and 13:20 of ice time. So far this season with Brynäs, Ekholm has only played in 36 games, but is leading defensemen with an average ice time of 22:21, along with being 10th in team scoring with 16 points. That's a nice improvement in a year, I'd say.

To further aid Ekholm's case, Corey Pronman says he should be NHL ready next year:

I'm not saying Ekholm will be a saving grace if Nashville (god forbid) can't re-sign Weber and/or Suter, but it seems like he should help ease the pain if that ends up being the case. Keep your eyes open, Preds fans.

Jack Johnson's in Ohio, Richards and Carter Get to Live Happily Ever After Anyways

2012-02-24T00:29:00.011-08:00

As I'm sure you're all aware of by now, the Kings and the Blue Jackets swapped Jack Johnson and Jeff Carter today. I've heard both opinions on who won the trade and who got robbed, and for what it's worth, both sides have fair arguments. When all is said and done, however, I think it's a pretty fair deal for both sides. Columbus gets rid of Carter, who clearly wasn't working out with the Blue Jackets, and in exchange they get a halfway decent offensive defenseman with a cheaper contract than Carter. On top of that, they're getting LA's first round pick either this year or next year. That's not too bad, I suppose.

On the other hand, LA is getting a proven goal scorer; something they've desperately needed this season. I don't have the exact number off the top of my head, but they've averaged something like 2 goals a game this year, and if you pay attention even a little, you'll know that's true. I live near LA, so I get to watch their games more often than not, and man, it can be painful. Night after night watching Jonathan Quick stand on his head while the guys in front of him struggle to get more than one goal makes you really feel bad for Quick, and the team. Now, I'm definitely not saying that Jeff Carter is going to be LA's savior or anything. Far from it, really. This is just a deal they needed to make, and now they need to hope it turns in their favor.

Now, there can't be good without bad, and that's not an understatement with this situation either. If you happen to live under a rock or somehow managed to miss the controversy this past off-season, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were both traded from Philadelphia because of alleged locker room issues. They were both often accused of partying too much, and that's easy to believe seeing as they're best friends (not to mention various pictures floating around the internet). Hell, they even still talk several times a week, so it's probably not too much of an understatement to think that the splitting of them affected them more than it should. Regardless of the issues and accusations, it seems that Richards at least has grown past them. He's carried the Kings during stretches this season where it seemed they had no hope.

Carter, on the other hand, as soon as he learned he was traded to Columbus, he basically threw in the towel. I can understand that to an extent. You go from an annual Cup contender to a team that's struggled every year since they've existed...that's gotta be a rough feeling. I get that, I do. At the same time though, you're also a professional athlete essentially guaranteed to make millions of dollars for the next decade, so suck it up and deal with it like a man. You can only imagine how relieved he must be to get out of dodge.

Carter's not the only one happy with the trade, however. Earlier tonight, Richards tweeted his feelings on the subject:

Who knows, though? With Richards and Carter being released from the time-out corner and allowed to play together again, maybe they learned their lesson and LA can get back on track scoring goals and winning games. Time's running out on the season and probably even GM Dean Lombardi's paycheck.

Brian Burke on TSN1050

2012-02-23T02:34:00.002-08:00

If you've got an extra 17 minutes, go ahead and listen to Brian Burke talking about everything from the Leafs' goalie situation, to Rick Nash, and even about Lent (including how he quit drinking for the month of January). It's a long clip as I said, and takes roughly a good minute and a half to get into the good stuff, but it's still rather entertaining, as one can imagine with Brian Burke being handed a microphone.

Prospect Profile: Petr Mrazek

2012-02-23T00:20:00.004-08:00

It's been a while since I've updated this, but there's been some writer's block, some apathy, and just plain being busy, so I apologize. However, I figure I should get back into this because it's something I've enjoyed, so without further ado, I present you: Petr Mrazek.

Name: Petr Mrazek

Birth Date: February 14, 1992

Birth Place: Ostrava, Czechoslovakia

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 184 pounds

Position: Goalie

Catching Hand: Left

Drafted: 2010, 5th round, 141st overall by the Detroit Red Wings

When I first heard about this kid, my reaction was a big "meh". A goalie in the fifth round, big deal, right? But then I thought about it. How often do the Wings pick gems of players in the late rounds? The correct answer is "fairly often", with Datsyuk and Zetterberg being the two prime examples.

So this got me thinking, maybe Kenny Holland knows what he's doing. Then again, maybe not. Perhaps he picked a goalie just to have another goalie. Who knows? The more I heard about this Mrazek kid, though, the more I became optimistic that he has some real potential. I was unable to watch the World Juniors this year, but from what I heard, this guy was a real treat to watch.

Justin Goldman of the The Goalie Guild describes Mrazek as follows:

This highlight video seems to verify these claims, too.

Petr is now in his third season with his junior team, the Ottawa 67s, and while his stats aren't necessarily anything to write home about...they're not too shabby either. Improving from a 3.00 GAA in 2009-2010 to a 2.84 in each of this season and last, he's clearly improving. Side that with an improving save percentage of .905 to .920 (currently .916 this season), Mrazek could definitely be on his way to the big leagues in a few years.

Houston Aeros Player Suspended for Two Games

2012-02-13T22:55:00.001-08:00

The Internet can be a powerful place. Houston Aeros forward, Justin Fontaine, found that out Sunday night after he used a "gay slur" in a Twitter exchange with a teammate. Minnesota Wild report, Michael Russo, reports that Fontaine and a teammate were going on about the Grammys when the incident occurred. Fontaine has since removed the tweet and repeatedly apologized, but has also been suspended for the next two games.

Fontaine is a 24 year old right-handed right winger listed at 5'10" and 170 pounds. He was born in Bonnyville, Alberta and played college hockey for the University of Minnesota-Duluth for four years in the WCHA before signing with the Wild organization as a free agent this season.

Prospect Profile: Emerson Etem

2012-02-13T17:58:00.006-08:00

Name: Emerson Etem

Birth Date: June 16, 1992

Birth Place: Long Beach, California

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 194 pounds

Position: Forward

Hand: Left

Drafted: 29th overall in 2010 by the Anaheim Ducks

Emerson initially got into hockey by watching his brother, Martin, play roller hockey. Emerson followed his path and eventually got into ice hockey. When he was 14, Emerson moved to Minnesota to play for Shattuck-Saint Mary's, similar to Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon.

While playing with Shattuck-Saint Mary's, he led the team to a third place finish at the Tier I 14 and under 2007 Championship in Amherst, New York. Even though he was drafted by the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL in 2007, he did not start his career there until the 2009-2010 season. For the 2008-2009 season, he moved on to play with the National Team Development Program in Michigan.

Joining Medicine Hat for the 2009-2010 season, he scored 37 goals and 28 assists for 65 points in 72 games. The following season, even though he played in only 65 games, Etem scored 45 goals and 35 assists for 80 points. He's on pace for another stellar year this season, as he recently scored 51 goals in 50 games with the Tigers and already has 89 points through 50 games.

Pretty impressive for a kid from Southern California, no?

Alexander Radulov Could be a Predator Again in the Near Future

2012-02-13T16:53:00.005-08:00

Drafted 15th overall in 2004, he left for the KHL as a 22 year old in 2008. At this time, he was the team's third leading scorer just behind Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont, finishing with 58 points in 81 games that season. Now, even though he left for Russia, he still has a year remaining on his entry level contract with the Predators. Regulations dictate that he must honor the final year, but there is an incentive for him returning later this, or any, season: playing one regular season game initiates the final year of his ELC, thus allowing him to become a restricted free agent the following season. Then again, maybe that's not something Nashville wants right now given their situation with Weber and Suter, but I'm also not the GM.

According to various reports, including the one that ran in the Nashville City Paper over the weekend, Radulov could very well be on his way back to the NHL in the not so distant future. Preds' GM David Poile insists that the 25 year old star is the "top six forward that a lot of people would say we're missing" and that "he's the best player not playing in the NHL". That's quite the compliment, I'd say.

Radulov is typically best described as "emotional". As noted in the Nashville City Paper article:

"He does not get happy, he exults. He does not get angry, he rages. He does not try to get a laugh, he gladly plays the clown if the opportunity arises. It’s not that he takes part, he immerses himself — in the game, in his rituals, in his relationships."

In a way, that kind of reminds me of how Ovechkin can play; pure, raw emotion pouring out of him while he plays. Granted, Ovie never really accidentally punched his coach in the face, but that's another story. And hey, maybe that kind of energy is what the Predators need to push them over the top? You never know for sure until you give it a try, right?

What Will the Penguins do with Jordan Staal?

2012-02-11T16:24:00.001-08:00

There's a saying that you can never have too many centers or defensemen, and that's very, very true. Depth is key to a good season and playoff run. Defensemen log up the most minutes (obviously, there's only six of them a game usually), so they're more prone to being injured, thus the need for depth. Centers as well, are undeniably important, and it's much easier to teach a centerman to play the wing as opposed to the other way around; there's just too much to know and learn as a center.

Anyways, the Penguins (when healthy, knock on wood) have a plethora of centers: Crosby (for the sake of argument, we'll say he'll be back and healthy sooner rather than later), Malkin, Staal, Vitale, Park, Jeffrey, along with a few wingers that are pretty competent when it comes to playing up the middle of the ice. Now, according to capgeek, Jordan Staal's current contract expires at the end of next season, so this gives Ray Shero some time to think and plan and whatnot. However, with all the depth and the fact that Jeffrey and Vitale are playing extremely well in their third and fourth line roles, where does that lead Staal? He's been stuck in the bottom six for the last few seasons, and it's hard to imagine he'd want to re-sign with Pittsburgh if that were to continue. Also, given the fact that he'll undoubtedly want a significant raise from his current $4.5 million a year, Shero might be in a tough spot. You could put Staal on the second line and see if Malkin bodes well on the wing with either him or Crosby, or vice versa even. Perhaps Staal will fare well on the wing, who knows? Thing is though, Malkin and Staal both seem to excel when playing their natural center position, so as aforementioned, this is a tough spot for the Pens.

What if (drumroll, please) the Penguins opted to trade Staal? I'd place good money on the idea that there would be at least a few teams interested in a young, super-star, two-way, second line center. I'm not even going to begin to speculate on where Staal would hypothetically go, but in theory it could happen, I'd say. Not to mention the fact that in the next few years Shero will need to re-sign Crosby, Malkin, Letang (that's going to be an enormous contract), along with Neal next season. I'm sure if Staal were to be traded, he could bring in a nice return. Perhaps even another goal scoring winger to flank Crosby or Malkin, pending where Neal goes. Sidenote: that's a dangerous line right there, Crosby, Malkin and Neal. The few times they have played together...holy crap.

Anyways, who knows what will happen? The future sure does seem exciting, that's for sure.

No suspension for Dominic Moore?

2012-02-10T15:03:00.001-08:00

I finally watched the hit he laid on Ruslan Fedotenko, and uh, wow. Blatant hit to the head, and he's apparently not getting any supplemental discipline for it. I love Shanny as much as the next guy, but holy cow, he needs to be a little more consistent with this stuff. I'm betting there won't be any super-awesome video of why there isn't a suspension either.

Thoughts?

Ode to Mike Knuble

2012-02-10T12:20:00.001-08:00

I've always had a place in my hockey heart for Knuble. I went to the same high school as him, albeit like ten years later, but that's beside the point. When the Wings won the Cup in '97, he brought it around the city and happened to bring it to his old high school and ice arena. I just so happened to be participating in a hockey camp there that summer, so all of us got to meet Knuble and get a group picture with the Cup. That right there was amazing and I've loved him ever since.

I didn't like when Knuble left the Wings because he was one of my favorites growing up; hell, he still kind of is, simply because he plays the game the right way. He works hard, he forechecks, he's a natural leader, and he'll give you 100% every shift. No, he's not the most talented and he won't dangle your socks off, but I kind of prefer the hard-working, blue collar, grind the crap out of ya player more than the finesse guys, but that's just me.

Anyways, fast forward to the past couple seasons and he's been playing with Washington, as I'm sure you're all aware. For a while he was a great fit with Ovechkin and Backstrom or Semin and Backstrom, or whomever the coaches put him with. Fact of the matter was, he was getting top six minutes and a vast majority of his zone starts were in the offensive zone. That's the good ice time. This season though, he hasn't been producing as much, so naturally he gets demoted down to the second, third and fourth lines. Typically, especially for a veteran, no big deal. You do what you need to do, you do what your coach asks, things end up working out and you're back on your way.

Not the case this time.

Knuble was a healthy scratch last game which kind of blew me away. Looking at some of his stats, aside from not putting the puck in the net, he hasn't been getting a lot of quality scoring chances either. That right there says to work harder, I suppose, so scratching him seems like a valid move. Except for the fact that he's been playing bottom six minutes regularly, where the main role of those lines are to grind and forecheck; you're not expected to score 20 goals while playing on the third and fourth lines, but I digress.

I guess I'm saying all that to say this: give Knuble another shot. I'm willing to bet he's got some more in the tank. Perhaps he just needs a change of scenery? Maybe he doesn't really fit with the coach or the guys in the locker room anymore. Who knows. There was speculation that since Nathan Horton is out, maybe Boston will deal for Knuble. That'd be a real good chance for him, without a doubt.

Whatever it comes down to, it's been a joy and an honor watching you as I've grown up, Mr. Knuble.

Could Kulemin's Newborn Baby be Good Luck?

2012-02-10T11:28:00.001-08:00

Let's hope so. The guy is having a less than stellar season so far, especially after having what appeared to be a breakout last year. He played all 82 games last year and tallied 30 goals, 27 assists, and finished with a +7 rating. This season, through 55 games, he has a whopping 5 goals and 18 assists, which factors out to be roughly .42 points per game. Not exactly what he or his teammates were hoping for, I'm sure.

It was announced on Twitter that he missed practice today to be with his wife who went into labor. So, congratulations on that one, Nik. That's pretty awesome. However, how could a newborn baby be of any luck to an athlete? Well, let's look back to last year.

Kulemin's regular centerman, Mikhail Grabovski, wasn't having the greatest start of the season last year. Through some research on hockey-reference (if you haven't been there, you're missing out), I found that through the first 35 games last season, Grabbo had 13 goals, 14 assists with a +1 rating. That ends up being about .77 points per game. That's not all that bad, I suppose, but I remember him getting a lot of crap about not producing enough. Fast forward to December 30, and his girlfriend goes into labor and gives birth to their daughter. Now, I don't know if or how this would have any real affect on how an athlete performs, but it sure seemed to be the case. From that point on to the present day, Grabovski has played in 95 games, while tallying 34 goals and 50 assists, which comes out to .88 points per game--a significant increase, I'd say.

So yeah. Let's hope Kule's kid sparks a fire under him too. The Leafs are going to need all the help they can get if they're going to continue this playoff push.