Just two weeks into the NFL season, my beloved San Francisco 49ers already have more wins than my equally beloved Hamilton Tiger-Cats have-- in 11 tries. Moreover, the 49ers have shown some pretty impressive stones, winning both games by a combined four points. Alex Smith still looks fairly Alex Smith-ian, but this team is getting the job done so far, and I couldn’t be happier. Somewhat incredibly, there are nine other team in the NFL that have opened the season at 2-0. While the unbeaten starts from Indianapolis and New England, and to a lesser degree Denver and Pittsburgh are no surprise, the 2-0 starts from Houston, Green Bay, and Detroit are from as far out of left field as possible. And outside of Washington and Dallas, it’s hard to imagine many folks thought the Cowboys and Redskins would be out of the gat so hot. A tip of the hat to all of these teams.
Some picks:
In CFL action this week, Calgary visits Hamilton Friday night to start the week. Lord knows the Tiger-Cats are the worst team in organized football this year, and one player does not make a team. But with another week to absorb the playbook, and another week to get used to his receivers (and having to avoid the rush his offensive line will allow every time he drops back to pass), Casey Printers will lead the Cats to victory.
On Saturday, the Roughriders, having dropped their last two games, find themselves suddenly behind BC in the standings. No excuses for the Roughriders in this one. They win, or they concede the division (also, with a loss and a Calgary win, the Riders will fall to third in the West). After some growing pains, the defending champion Lions have regained their rightful spot atop the league’s standings, and aren’t likely to give it back any time soon.
Edmonton is in Montreal to kick off the Sunday double-header. Though Eskimos fans are ready for heads to roll, the Esks are still sitting in a playoff spot right now, and haven’t been playing all that poorly this season. Montreal is keeping mum about their starting quarterback for this week’s game, but it’s not really going to matter. Edmonton is getting close to locking up the crossover spot.
Lastly, Winnipeg is in Toronto to dismantle the Argos. Can’t really see much of any way this game goes well for Toronto.
In NFL action:
In Baltimore, a pair of 1-1 teams that dropped their opener, but won their home opener in week two, and have both scored and given up exactly 40 points will do battle. It’s an interesting and hope-filled kind of season for both Baltimore and Arizona, but hope is about all the Cards have. Ravens win.
San Diego travels to Green Bay to put an end to the Packers’ perfect start.
Tampa Bay hosts St. Louis, and remain my sleeper pick to be way better than any of the magazines thought they’d be. The Bucs won convincingly against New Orleans last week, and should be able to beat a Rams team that can’t seem to decide if they’re coming or going.
Pittsburgh hosts San Francisco, with two dominant wins in their pocket, and a stingy defense that’s only allowed 10 points through two games. This number is important because the 49ers rank last in total offense. This one could get ugly for the 49ers, but as always, blind faith says they’ll win.
Detroit is in Philadelphia, where the Eagles are not only a shocking 0-2, but also they’re coming off a week in which their quarterback said some pretty stupid things to the press. Can’t say for certain if we’ll see a galvanized and unbeatable Eagles club, or an Eagles side that’s already beaten itself. But I wouldn’t bet against the latter.
The Jets host Miami, and the Dolphins look every bit the train wreck they’ve been lately, and more. And while both teams are winless, the Jets got spanked by New England and lost by a major in Baltimore, while the Dolphins are the reason the Redskins and Cowboys are 2-0. Jets by a wide margin.
New England doesn’t need to cheat to beat Buffalo. In fact, the defending high school city champions here in Calgary might even cover the spread against Buffalo.
Kansas City hosts Minnesota in battle between chic pre-season sleepers. Both teams have been wildly disappointing so far, and while the Chiefs will probably come away with a win, both teams will remain very disappointing.
Indianapolis will beat Houston. As an aside, talking heads all over the place are pumping this game up, but I refuse to. When they meet again in week 16, if they’re both 14-0, then we can hype this matchup. As is, I see no way the Texans enter that game better than 8-6, while it’s hard to imagine the Colts worse than 12-2. But hey, if the Texans still have a shot at the division title in week 16, I will write a blog entry every single day about that game, during the five weekdays leading up to it.
Unlike the above game, Cincinnati at Seattle could actually have a big impact on these teams’ seasons. Neither team can afford to fall too far behind in their divisions, and with the leaders of their respective divisions playing each other, this is a good week to gain some ground. Also, both teams fancy themselves contenders, and contenders don’t start 1-2.
The Browns will beat Oakland.
Another big game in Denver. The Broncos are a little bit surprising at 2-0, and the Jaguars want to prove they’re the real deal. No better way to show you’re for real than to beat Denver in Denver. I see it happening.
Don’t be alarmed, but the Washington Redskins are about to open the season 3-0.
Carolina will beat Atlanta.
Chicago has to turn this thing around, don’t they? We’ll see. This is a very cautious Chicago pick.
And the Saints aren’t going to lose their home opener, on a Monday night, after an 0-2 start. Not if they’re actually anything more than paper tigers.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
One step forward, two steps back; just life in the Central
While Columbus continues to build, St. Louis and Chicago continue to rebuild, and Nashville starts to rebuild, the Detroit Red Wings will once again be the biggest fish in the small Central Division tank. If St. Louis, Chicago or Nashville gets hot and starts to pile up points within the division, they could all make a run at the post-season, but it’s not likely. The Central will probably only send the Red Wings to the playoffs this year.
DETROIT RED WINGS
New gear: No significant changes in the Motor City. The Wings will look as they always have, with two minor exceptions. They’ve moved the captain’s C to the other side. It’s a nice touch, and something they’ve done in the past. So no one can get too upset about that. They’ve also gone to straight lines in the elbow piping, where there used to be a little half-moon before. In six months, no one will miss the half-moon.
New year: The Wings head into the 2008 season facing more uncertainty than usual. Gone are Robert Lang, Mathieu Schneider and Danny Markov, with no immediate replacements lined up. Newcomer Brian Rafalski brings a winning pedigree from New Jersey, and either paired with Nicklas Lidstrom, or anchoring a second unit with Chris Chelios, should be able to help his new squad maintain a level of defensive excellence.
Up front, the Wings feel the oft-injured Lang will not be missed. Henrik Zetterberg has emerged as one of the league’s top two-way threats, and he will be asked to produce at a pace near Pavel Datsyuk’s. Datsyuk is coming off his second-consecutive season with 87 points. The truly pleasantly surprised aspect is the fact Datsyuk’s plus/minus rating has improved from minus-2 before the lockout, to plus-26 two seasons ago, to plus-36 last season. These two players are the key to any success the Wings hope to have in the near future.
In Lang’s absence, the Wings will look to Jiri Hudler to finally blossom into the offensive force he’s been at every other level. The diminutive Czech recorded 25 points and a plus-16 rating while averaging just 10 minutes of ice time last season, his first full season in the NHL.
Dan Cleary was a nice surprise for the Wings last season, and they’d like to hope he can pull another 40-point rabbit from his hat. Meanwhile, Thomas Holmstrom and Mikael Samuelsson will continue to be invaluable contributors.
Dominik Hasek appears ready to return for another run with the Wings. The importance of his ability to work with the revamped defense corps in front of him can’t be over-stated. If Hasek can’t play to the level he did last season, the Wings may be in trouble this year.
Outlook: With the fire sale in Nashville, the Red Wings no longer face a real threat in the Central Division. The Wings have long feasted on their weaker Central Division brethren and this season should be no exception. Frankly, heading into the season, the Wings’ schedule reads like that of a top-25 NCAA football team’s. 3rd in West, 102 points.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
New gear: These new jerseys have taken a lot of heat in the areas of the Internet I inhabit, but I think most of it is unfounded (aside from the mockery of the white blocks at the bottom of the sleeves on the dark jersey). The Preds have kept the silver stripe running the length of the sleeve, which looks great on both the home and road unis. And they were subtle with their use of the piping running up the chest. Full marks.
New year: New goalie, new captain, new top defenseman and a new top scorer are four things the Nashville Predators will have this season. The departures of Tomas Vokoun, Kimmo Timonen and Paul Kariya may signal the end of the Predators window to win a Stanley Cup. But it’s not the end of the world in the Music City. Not by a long shot.
Probable new captain David Legwand collected a career-high 63 points last season, with the possibility of reaching even loftier heights this season. Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont now have a full season in coach Barry Trotz’s system under their belts, and should contribute even more this season. Martin Erat’s career-high 57 points last season came despite missing 14 games. And Alexander Radulov’s development should carry him into the 60-point range this season.
On the back end, we all knew Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber were the future of the franchise on defense. Their time has now come, and there’s no reason to think they won’t be ready. Marek Zidlicky is still in the mix, and this group should remain among the best in the league.
The Preds have some new veterans in the fold, all of whom will be expected to contribute in different ways. Martin Gelinas will be expected to produce 50 points or so. Radek Bonk is still a very valuable shut-down centre, and he anchored a very good Montreal penalty kill during the last two seasons. And Greg de Vries will be asked to help make sure the youth isn’t over their head, or pushed around, on defense.
The biggest impact will come from Chris Mason. Though not a newcomer, Mason is new to the starting role, and doesn’t have a lot of backup (which reeks of Dumont to Montreal for Halak or Huet). Mason performed very well filling in for an injured Vokoun last season, but it remains to be seen if he can handle full-time duty over the course of a full season.
Outlook: It’s basically all going to fall on Mason’s shoulders, which is wildly unfair. Even if this team can get past the ownership distractions, they’ll have plenty to deal with on the ice. The sky in Nashville isn’t falling quite so badly as everyone wants to think it is. But clearly, this team faces a much lower ceiling of expectations this year. 9th in West, 90 points.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
New gear: They still use the nicest shade of blue known to man, and from a distance these jerseys aren’t so bad. But God forbid you ever run into someone wearing one on the street. Some teams (like Nashville) made great use of the piping, and some teams (like the Blues) did not. That said, this could have gone much, much worse.
New Year: First of all, I love the “We want you back” ticket campaign, and I love the “Whatever it takes” slogan. And you’ve gotta figure any team that brings Paul Kariya in during the off-season should see an improvement the next season. With Kariya, Keith Tkachuk and Martin Rucinsky, the Blues have a strong left side.
Doug Weight and Petr Cajanek are solid centre men, while David Backes opened some eyes during his rookie campaign last season. Assuming Backes and Lee Stempniak (quietest 52 points in league history) continue to develop, the Blues will have some offensive firepower that other teams will have to respect.
The blues even have a pretty sturdy blue line corps with Eric Brewer, Christian Backman, Barret Jackman and Jay McKee (when healthy). This group made great strides last season after Andy Murray took over as head coach, and there’s no reason to think they won’t continue to improve.
The Blues are backstopped by Manny Legace again, but the goaltending competition will be wide open in camp. Any and all of Legace, Hannu Toivonen, Jason Bacashihua, Curtis Sanford and Marek Schwarz will see time between the pipes in St. Louis this season in an effort to find a full-time puck stopper.
Outlook: The Blues are a long shot to make the post-season, and will probably give many of their interesting prospects a look throughout the season. This team wasn’t a whole lot better after Murray took over the coaching job, but they were more consistent. If the Blues continue to play consistent hockey, they could finish near the top of the bottom of the pile. 10th in West, 90 points.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
New gear: Like the Red Wings, yet another lesson in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The Blackhawks have always had, and probably will always have the most perfect uniforms in all of hockey. Even if the Hawks have drawn fewer fans in the last few seasons than the AHL Wolves have, the city would probably riot if they’d changed this 40-year old logo.
New Year: I see a big jump in points for Chicago this year, even though that won’t translate to a big jump in the standings. After a stunning performance at the World Junior Championship last season, Toews had a stellar finish to the NCAA season (33 points in 21 games), then put on an eye-opening performance at the World Championships in May. It was the kind of performance you simply can’t ignore. Toews is the future of the Blackhawks, and that future starts now.
Toews will likely be joined by June’s first-overall pick Patrick Kane, and perhaps the Hawks’ first-round pick from 2005 Jack Skille, as the Hawks look to fast-track the development of these promising youngsters. Doing so helped with young defensemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker, all of whom were top-four defensemen last season. Keith was Chicago’s ice-time leader, logging 23:36 a night, and also finished with an even plus-minus rating. With James Wisniewski and Dustin Byfuglien filling out the top five, the Hawks are relatively set on the back end.
The key is getting offensive help for Martin Havlat. The flashy Czech had 57 points in 56 games last season. With no outside forces, a full and healthy season from Havlat is worth three or four wins. With Robert Lang in the fold, the Hawks have a veteran with lots of playoff experience in Detroit, and a valuable asset in the dressing room. With Sergei Samsonov, the Hawks have a guy that will be as good or bad as he wants to be. If he’s motivated, he could help lead a very surprising turnaround for Chicago this year.
More likely though, is the chance Samsonov teams up with goalie Nik Khabibulin to sit around enjoying all the money they have, and not paying attention to the game they’re playing to get that cash. Much like Samsonov, Khabibulin is as good as he wants to be.
Outlook: If Toews, Kane and Skille all make the team out of camp, and if they can form a solid second line, and if Samsonov and Lang have it in them, and if Khabibulin plays out of his mind, the Blackhawks could make the playoffs. This team is starting to pile up prospects just like their opponent in the 1992 Stanley Cup final recently did, and may have an equally dramatic turnaround, just not this season. 11th in West, 85 points.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
New gear: Gone are the silly bee mascot, and the CBJ logo. The new logo, which had been used recently as the alternate logo, gives a hefty nod to Ohio’s status as the birthplace of flight, is excellent. But it just doesn’t seem to synch up with the new jersey design. These new threads are sharp, but I yearn for the Jackets’ striping of old.
New year: Considering the Jackets’ 33 wins in 2007 were something of an overachievement, and the roster is returning pretty well intact, it’s hard to imagine the Jackets getting out of the Western Conference cellar this season.
Newcomers Mike Peca, Kris Beech and Jan Hejda are normally the kinds of players a team adds when they’re close to competing. If Peca can stay healthy, he can log third-line minutes and kill penalties with some effectiveness. But to ask Peca to carry any of the offensive load is to ask too much.
Beech is another solid defensive forward, but he notched a mere 26 points in Washington last season, playing either with Alex Ovechkin, or against other team’s secondary defensive units. Beech isn’t exactly Art Ross material. And Hejda spent part of last season in the minor leagues.
The Jackets still need Ron Hainsey and Rostislav Klesla to log more than 20 minutes a night, and Adam Foote is well past his prime. That didn’t stop him from approaching 25 minutes a game last season. Columbus doesn’t have a single blue-chip blue line prospect. Until the defense gets better, this team will continue to spin its wheels.
At the draft this past June, the Jackets selected power forward Jakub Voracek, who cashed in on a tremendous rookie year in the QMJHL. Voracek could become a player in the Peter Forsberg mould, or he will regress after one year in junior hockey. He’ll get every chance to make the big club out of camp, and if he does, he’ll be asked to take on a big offensive role. Perhaps even playing alongside David Vyborny, and seeing top minutes.
If he’d been teammates with the Rocket, Rick Nash’s Rocket Richard Trophy win couldn’t seem to have been longer ago. Nash must either find a way to become a consistent 80-point producer, or become a defensive stalwart and team leader with second-line scoring ability.
Outlook: The fact Jody Shelley still has a spot on this team speaks volumes to the overall depth the Jackets have. Another 30-win season isn’t out of the question. But the bigger question is whether or not the next 30-win season will happen in the next five years. 14th in West, 73 points
DETROIT RED WINGS
New gear: No significant changes in the Motor City. The Wings will look as they always have, with two minor exceptions. They’ve moved the captain’s C to the other side. It’s a nice touch, and something they’ve done in the past. So no one can get too upset about that. They’ve also gone to straight lines in the elbow piping, where there used to be a little half-moon before. In six months, no one will miss the half-moon.
New year: The Wings head into the 2008 season facing more uncertainty than usual. Gone are Robert Lang, Mathieu Schneider and Danny Markov, with no immediate replacements lined up. Newcomer Brian Rafalski brings a winning pedigree from New Jersey, and either paired with Nicklas Lidstrom, or anchoring a second unit with Chris Chelios, should be able to help his new squad maintain a level of defensive excellence.
Up front, the Wings feel the oft-injured Lang will not be missed. Henrik Zetterberg has emerged as one of the league’s top two-way threats, and he will be asked to produce at a pace near Pavel Datsyuk’s. Datsyuk is coming off his second-consecutive season with 87 points. The truly pleasantly surprised aspect is the fact Datsyuk’s plus/minus rating has improved from minus-2 before the lockout, to plus-26 two seasons ago, to plus-36 last season. These two players are the key to any success the Wings hope to have in the near future.
In Lang’s absence, the Wings will look to Jiri Hudler to finally blossom into the offensive force he’s been at every other level. The diminutive Czech recorded 25 points and a plus-16 rating while averaging just 10 minutes of ice time last season, his first full season in the NHL.
Dan Cleary was a nice surprise for the Wings last season, and they’d like to hope he can pull another 40-point rabbit from his hat. Meanwhile, Thomas Holmstrom and Mikael Samuelsson will continue to be invaluable contributors.
Dominik Hasek appears ready to return for another run with the Wings. The importance of his ability to work with the revamped defense corps in front of him can’t be over-stated. If Hasek can’t play to the level he did last season, the Wings may be in trouble this year.
Outlook: With the fire sale in Nashville, the Red Wings no longer face a real threat in the Central Division. The Wings have long feasted on their weaker Central Division brethren and this season should be no exception. Frankly, heading into the season, the Wings’ schedule reads like that of a top-25 NCAA football team’s. 3rd in West, 102 points.
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
New gear: These new jerseys have taken a lot of heat in the areas of the Internet I inhabit, but I think most of it is unfounded (aside from the mockery of the white blocks at the bottom of the sleeves on the dark jersey). The Preds have kept the silver stripe running the length of the sleeve, which looks great on both the home and road unis. And they were subtle with their use of the piping running up the chest. Full marks.
New year: New goalie, new captain, new top defenseman and a new top scorer are four things the Nashville Predators will have this season. The departures of Tomas Vokoun, Kimmo Timonen and Paul Kariya may signal the end of the Predators window to win a Stanley Cup. But it’s not the end of the world in the Music City. Not by a long shot.
Probable new captain David Legwand collected a career-high 63 points last season, with the possibility of reaching even loftier heights this season. Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont now have a full season in coach Barry Trotz’s system under their belts, and should contribute even more this season. Martin Erat’s career-high 57 points last season came despite missing 14 games. And Alexander Radulov’s development should carry him into the 60-point range this season.
On the back end, we all knew Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber were the future of the franchise on defense. Their time has now come, and there’s no reason to think they won’t be ready. Marek Zidlicky is still in the mix, and this group should remain among the best in the league.
The Preds have some new veterans in the fold, all of whom will be expected to contribute in different ways. Martin Gelinas will be expected to produce 50 points or so. Radek Bonk is still a very valuable shut-down centre, and he anchored a very good Montreal penalty kill during the last two seasons. And Greg de Vries will be asked to help make sure the youth isn’t over their head, or pushed around, on defense.
The biggest impact will come from Chris Mason. Though not a newcomer, Mason is new to the starting role, and doesn’t have a lot of backup (which reeks of Dumont to Montreal for Halak or Huet). Mason performed very well filling in for an injured Vokoun last season, but it remains to be seen if he can handle full-time duty over the course of a full season.
Outlook: It’s basically all going to fall on Mason’s shoulders, which is wildly unfair. Even if this team can get past the ownership distractions, they’ll have plenty to deal with on the ice. The sky in Nashville isn’t falling quite so badly as everyone wants to think it is. But clearly, this team faces a much lower ceiling of expectations this year. 9th in West, 90 points.
ST. LOUIS BLUES
New gear: They still use the nicest shade of blue known to man, and from a distance these jerseys aren’t so bad. But God forbid you ever run into someone wearing one on the street. Some teams (like Nashville) made great use of the piping, and some teams (like the Blues) did not. That said, this could have gone much, much worse.
New Year: First of all, I love the “We want you back” ticket campaign, and I love the “Whatever it takes” slogan. And you’ve gotta figure any team that brings Paul Kariya in during the off-season should see an improvement the next season. With Kariya, Keith Tkachuk and Martin Rucinsky, the Blues have a strong left side.
Doug Weight and Petr Cajanek are solid centre men, while David Backes opened some eyes during his rookie campaign last season. Assuming Backes and Lee Stempniak (quietest 52 points in league history) continue to develop, the Blues will have some offensive firepower that other teams will have to respect.
The blues even have a pretty sturdy blue line corps with Eric Brewer, Christian Backman, Barret Jackman and Jay McKee (when healthy). This group made great strides last season after Andy Murray took over as head coach, and there’s no reason to think they won’t continue to improve.
The Blues are backstopped by Manny Legace again, but the goaltending competition will be wide open in camp. Any and all of Legace, Hannu Toivonen, Jason Bacashihua, Curtis Sanford and Marek Schwarz will see time between the pipes in St. Louis this season in an effort to find a full-time puck stopper.
Outlook: The Blues are a long shot to make the post-season, and will probably give many of their interesting prospects a look throughout the season. This team wasn’t a whole lot better after Murray took over the coaching job, but they were more consistent. If the Blues continue to play consistent hockey, they could finish near the top of the bottom of the pile. 10th in West, 90 points.
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
New gear: Like the Red Wings, yet another lesson in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The Blackhawks have always had, and probably will always have the most perfect uniforms in all of hockey. Even if the Hawks have drawn fewer fans in the last few seasons than the AHL Wolves have, the city would probably riot if they’d changed this 40-year old logo.
New Year: I see a big jump in points for Chicago this year, even though that won’t translate to a big jump in the standings. After a stunning performance at the World Junior Championship last season, Toews had a stellar finish to the NCAA season (33 points in 21 games), then put on an eye-opening performance at the World Championships in May. It was the kind of performance you simply can’t ignore. Toews is the future of the Blackhawks, and that future starts now.
Toews will likely be joined by June’s first-overall pick Patrick Kane, and perhaps the Hawks’ first-round pick from 2005 Jack Skille, as the Hawks look to fast-track the development of these promising youngsters. Doing so helped with young defensemen Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Cam Barker, all of whom were top-four defensemen last season. Keith was Chicago’s ice-time leader, logging 23:36 a night, and also finished with an even plus-minus rating. With James Wisniewski and Dustin Byfuglien filling out the top five, the Hawks are relatively set on the back end.
The key is getting offensive help for Martin Havlat. The flashy Czech had 57 points in 56 games last season. With no outside forces, a full and healthy season from Havlat is worth three or four wins. With Robert Lang in the fold, the Hawks have a veteran with lots of playoff experience in Detroit, and a valuable asset in the dressing room. With Sergei Samsonov, the Hawks have a guy that will be as good or bad as he wants to be. If he’s motivated, he could help lead a very surprising turnaround for Chicago this year.
More likely though, is the chance Samsonov teams up with goalie Nik Khabibulin to sit around enjoying all the money they have, and not paying attention to the game they’re playing to get that cash. Much like Samsonov, Khabibulin is as good as he wants to be.
Outlook: If Toews, Kane and Skille all make the team out of camp, and if they can form a solid second line, and if Samsonov and Lang have it in them, and if Khabibulin plays out of his mind, the Blackhawks could make the playoffs. This team is starting to pile up prospects just like their opponent in the 1992 Stanley Cup final recently did, and may have an equally dramatic turnaround, just not this season. 11th in West, 85 points.
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
New gear: Gone are the silly bee mascot, and the CBJ logo. The new logo, which had been used recently as the alternate logo, gives a hefty nod to Ohio’s status as the birthplace of flight, is excellent. But it just doesn’t seem to synch up with the new jersey design. These new threads are sharp, but I yearn for the Jackets’ striping of old.
New year: Considering the Jackets’ 33 wins in 2007 were something of an overachievement, and the roster is returning pretty well intact, it’s hard to imagine the Jackets getting out of the Western Conference cellar this season.
Newcomers Mike Peca, Kris Beech and Jan Hejda are normally the kinds of players a team adds when they’re close to competing. If Peca can stay healthy, he can log third-line minutes and kill penalties with some effectiveness. But to ask Peca to carry any of the offensive load is to ask too much.
Beech is another solid defensive forward, but he notched a mere 26 points in Washington last season, playing either with Alex Ovechkin, or against other team’s secondary defensive units. Beech isn’t exactly Art Ross material. And Hejda spent part of last season in the minor leagues.
The Jackets still need Ron Hainsey and Rostislav Klesla to log more than 20 minutes a night, and Adam Foote is well past his prime. That didn’t stop him from approaching 25 minutes a game last season. Columbus doesn’t have a single blue-chip blue line prospect. Until the defense gets better, this team will continue to spin its wheels.
At the draft this past June, the Jackets selected power forward Jakub Voracek, who cashed in on a tremendous rookie year in the QMJHL. Voracek could become a player in the Peter Forsberg mould, or he will regress after one year in junior hockey. He’ll get every chance to make the big club out of camp, and if he does, he’ll be asked to take on a big offensive role. Perhaps even playing alongside David Vyborny, and seeing top minutes.
If he’d been teammates with the Rocket, Rick Nash’s Rocket Richard Trophy win couldn’t seem to have been longer ago. Nash must either find a way to become a consistent 80-point producer, or become a defensive stalwart and team leader with second-line scoring ability.
Outlook: The fact Jody Shelley still has a spot on this team speaks volumes to the overall depth the Jackets have. Another 30-win season isn’t out of the question. But the bigger question is whether or not the next 30-win season will happen in the next five years. 14th in West, 73 points
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Northeast regaining momentum
After a brief run as the toughest division in hockey, the Northeast Division has come back to earth the past couple seasons. The Senators and Sabres still have the ability to blow most of their opponents away, while the Canadiens and Leafs will prove to be scrappy, hard-to-beat teams once again this season. Add the Claude Julien-led Bruins into the mix, and this group of teams may once again wear the crown of toughest division in hockey very soon.
OTTAWA SENATORS
New gear: Did they unveil the practice jerseys? There’s a fine line between a clean style, and no style. Worse, the players look fat when seen straight-on in these things. And don’t even get me started on the new number font. The logo update is nice, but the “gold semicircle with laurel leaves” doesn’t anchor the logo. It moves the whole thing off-centre and seems out of place. But that new shoulder patch kicks ass.
New Year: The Senators got creamed in the Final, and they had a rocky off-season, in which Wade Redden was nearly traded, and there was an ugly management shake-up which lead to a coaching change. New head coach John Paddock is a long-time company man, and coached many current Senators while they toiled in the American League.
One such player in Jason Spezza. Paddock is largely responsible for getting Spezza to find his way defensively, which has led to Spezza’s offensive outburst. Spezza notched 87 points in 67 games, and alongside Dany Heatley, the pair should combine for well over 200 points in their sleep. Daniel Alfredsson is still a go-to guy, and Mike Fisher is due for a monstrous season.
The key for the Senators this season will be shoring up their blue line, which seems like an odd thing to say about Ottawa. Redden had a very sub-par season, as did big-ticket free agent Joe Corvo. Christoph Schubert and Lawrence Nycholat will battle for the final defense spot. Schubert is a fairly steady defenseman, but splitting time at forward through much of last season had to hamper his development.
That said, Andrei Meszaros, Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips really took their games to a new level last season. Meszaros matured immensely in the post-season, while Volchenkov’s inhuman shot-blocking was perhaps the second-biggest reason the Senators played for the Cup. Chris Phillips’ evolution into an absolute stud defenseman was an equally large factor. Entering his 10th season in the NHL, Phillips is finally the defenseman the hockey world thought he could be.
The single biggest reason the Senators marched to the Final is, of course, Ray Emery. I remember seeing Emery give up nine goals in an elimination game in the 2003 Calder Cup playoffs, and thinking he’d never become the goalie we saw in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final last spring. He was absolutely lights-out in those first two games, and was looking at becoming a potential Conn Smythe win before he and his team imploded.
Outlook: Despite some off-season losses (Peter Schaefer to Boston, Mike Comrie to the Islanders and Tom Preissing to LA), this team is still loaded, and still the class of the Eastern Conference. This team will not have put the memories of the Final behind them. The embarrassment they suffered then will drive them to finish the job this season. 1st in East, 106 points.
BUFFALO SABRES
New gear: The Sabres’ new jerseys from last season were designed with the Rbk system in mind. The translation has been essentially seamless, and now that the design has been applied to the proper cut, they look a little better.
New Year: Yes, the Sabres lost their co-captains to free agency this summer. Yes, it’s going to be hard to replace Daniel Briere’s 95 points. No, you can’t replace the heart of a champion like Chris Drury has. But…
Thomas Vanek led the team with 43 goals, and he’s still kickin’ around. Maxim Afinogenov had 61 points in just 56 games Jason Pominville erupted with a 34-goal season, and the Sabres will bring back the eight defensemen that saw the most ice time last season, including Brian Campbell. He’s a guy that personally ripped the hearts from chests of fans all over the league. For a defenseman with 48 points, he sure didn’t give much back the other way. Campbell’s plus-28 rating was second on the team to only Derek Roy (plus-37, if you need him).
Lindy Ruff is still behind the bench. Ryan Miller is still between the pipes. These guys are in good shape still. Ales Kotalik was a big contributor last season, shelling out 38 points in 66 games, and Drew Stafford made the most of a mid-season call-up, banging out 27 points in 41 games. Both of those guys represent 50-point campaigns over a full season.
Outlook: It’s hard to imagine this team simply falling out of contention. Even if all of those gaudy offensive numbers last season represented peak performances, they still represent eight or nine players in the 50 to 85-point range. This team still has big guns, and if they can move Jaroslav Spacek for a Shawn Thornton on Chris Clark type of leader, they’ll be laughing. 5th in East, 100 points.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
New gear: Another classic remains mostly untouched by the devil-spawn that call Rbk’s design team home. The slight tweak to the collar is excellent, and the only questions remain regarding the look of the numbers.
New year: I’m almost certainly over-valuing my beloved former Bulldogs, but that’s what happens when they win the Calder Cup. Until the end of training camp, it will be tough to tell exactly which direction the Canadiens are heading in this season. And even after camp, it will be interesting to see the way the lineup evolves throughout the year.
But here’s what we know: a full season from Cristobal Huet would have given the Canadiens a playoff berth last season, and he seems to be healthy heading into the new season, so optimism should be higher around this team.
Scoring may remain a problem with this team, especially with Sheldon Souray’s off-season departure. However, Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins made great strides last year, and the team will count on both of them for added production this time around. And anything more than 47 points out of Alex Kovalev will go a long way, too.
Mike Komisarek began to really blossom into a top-flight shut-down defenseman last season, and he will have to continue that upward trend this year, as he and Andrei Markov will be recognized as the top defensive pair. They’ll do it without Souray to draw attention away from them, too. The play of the Habs three-through-seven defensemen will determine their fate this season.
Outlook: With at least two forward positions, a defensive spot, and the backup goaltending job all up for grabs in camp, this should be an exciting September in Montreal. With management’s confidence in their prospects growing, very few roster spots are guaranteed, which should keep this team hungry and competitive every night, something they weren’t last season. A full season of Huet gets this team to the playoffs. 7th in East, 96 points.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
New gear: Just a little too simple, and a little too blue. My goodness. I saw a comparison to a baby’s sleeper, and I can’t disagree with that. But hey, even if the shirts looked great, the players would find a way to make them look bad.
New Year: What could possibly be new in Leaf land? It’s the start of a new season, which means, in Toronto, the start of another round of “let’s have a parade.” All the key players remain in place. Former coach Pat Quinn’s shadow continues to loom large, general manager John Ferguson Jr. still looks shell-shocked, Mats Sundin is still the captain, Bryan McCabe still gets all the accolades while Tomas Kaberle does all the heavy lifting, Darcy Tucker is Darcy Tucker, and everyone is sure this will be Alex Ponikarovsky or Nik Antropov’s year.
Sometimes, the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Newcomers in the Leaf lineup include a trio of questionable players. Much like last summer’s additions of Andrew Raycroft, Pavel Kubina and Hal Gill, this year’s trio will face a truck-load of scrutiny in Toronto (while McCabe somehow escapes the ire of fans).
Mark Bell is already well behind the 8-ball, having been hit with a jail sentence and suspension shortly after arriving in Toronto. Vesa Toskala is being groomed to force Raycroft (of a team-record 37 wins last season) out the door in a trade that will haunt the Leafs for a long, long time (this has Raycroft to Chicago for Patrick Sharp, or LA for Brian Willsie written all over it).
And Jason Blake is essentially being asked to be that missing piece. The gritty warrior with a great scoring touch (far be it for me to compliment him, but isn’t that Tucker’s game?), heart-on-his sleeve leader in the wings, waiting to take over the captaincy from one of the team’s most beloved players without missing a beat.
And my personal favourite part of the Leafs season: a whole season from Andy “Whatpositiondoyouplay?” Wozniewski.
Outlook: The Leafs fell one point shy of the post-season last year, despite shaky goaltending, shaky scoring, and a long line to the trainer’s office. The figure to be in for a battle again this season, and it will be interesting to see how Raycroft handles his second-straight season of second-guessing and goaltending controversies. There’s almost no way this goes as well as Ferguson hopes. 12th in East, 91 points.
BOSTON BRUINS
New gear: The Bruins were first out of the gates, in an apparent attempt to dissuade the fears of fans worried about the new look of classic logos and designs within the new Rbk Edge uniform system. And it worked like a charm. The new Bruins gear looks so good, I modeled my ball hockey team’s uniforms after the Bs’ template.
New year: Counting the uniforms, a new head coach, a new goalie, a solid new left winger, and a steal with the eighth pick in the draft, the Bruins had a pretty good summer.
Claude Julien made overachievers out of the Montreal Canadiens before the lockout, and kept the good ship Devils righted before his tenure was unceremoniously ended in the swamps of Jersey. All signs suggest he can get the Bruins’ ship righted in good time, too.
Manny Fernandez fell out of favour in Minnesota, but coupled with Tim Thomas, could form a formidable goaltending duo at the Garden. The play of Boston’s netminders will be the biggest factor in the Bruins’ fortunes this season. And while Fernandez has his shining moments, it’s worth noting he lost the starting job in Minnesota twice in the last three seasons.
Peter Schaefer was stolen from Ottawa during the summer, and should be an impact player. Together, Schaefer and PJ Axelsson should be one of the league’s top penalty-killing pairs, and given a bump in playing time, Schaefer’s point production should increase as well.
The Bruins drafted Zach Hamill with their first pick in the draft, he was the Western League’s top scorer last season, and will be given every chance to make the team out of camp. He and Phil Kessel form the nucleus of the Bruins’ youth movement.
The Bruins’ defense corps, led by Zdeno Chara, will have to improve if Boston is to have any chance of making the playoffs this season. This will be head coach Julien’s top priority moving forward. After he gets the defense in order, though, he’ll have to coax some offense out of the forwards. Only Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron offered any real production last season. Marco Sturm and Glen Murray are expected to serve up more than 45 points each.
Outlook: Despite their strong off-season, it’s doubtful the Bruins have improved enough to make a serious run at the 2008 playoffs. A lottery pick at next June’s draft is much more likely. 15th in East, 78 points.
OTTAWA SENATORS
New gear: Did they unveil the practice jerseys? There’s a fine line between a clean style, and no style. Worse, the players look fat when seen straight-on in these things. And don’t even get me started on the new number font. The logo update is nice, but the “gold semicircle with laurel leaves” doesn’t anchor the logo. It moves the whole thing off-centre and seems out of place. But that new shoulder patch kicks ass.
New Year: The Senators got creamed in the Final, and they had a rocky off-season, in which Wade Redden was nearly traded, and there was an ugly management shake-up which lead to a coaching change. New head coach John Paddock is a long-time company man, and coached many current Senators while they toiled in the American League.
One such player in Jason Spezza. Paddock is largely responsible for getting Spezza to find his way defensively, which has led to Spezza’s offensive outburst. Spezza notched 87 points in 67 games, and alongside Dany Heatley, the pair should combine for well over 200 points in their sleep. Daniel Alfredsson is still a go-to guy, and Mike Fisher is due for a monstrous season.
The key for the Senators this season will be shoring up their blue line, which seems like an odd thing to say about Ottawa. Redden had a very sub-par season, as did big-ticket free agent Joe Corvo. Christoph Schubert and Lawrence Nycholat will battle for the final defense spot. Schubert is a fairly steady defenseman, but splitting time at forward through much of last season had to hamper his development.
That said, Andrei Meszaros, Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips really took their games to a new level last season. Meszaros matured immensely in the post-season, while Volchenkov’s inhuman shot-blocking was perhaps the second-biggest reason the Senators played for the Cup. Chris Phillips’ evolution into an absolute stud defenseman was an equally large factor. Entering his 10th season in the NHL, Phillips is finally the defenseman the hockey world thought he could be.
The single biggest reason the Senators marched to the Final is, of course, Ray Emery. I remember seeing Emery give up nine goals in an elimination game in the 2003 Calder Cup playoffs, and thinking he’d never become the goalie we saw in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final last spring. He was absolutely lights-out in those first two games, and was looking at becoming a potential Conn Smythe win before he and his team imploded.
Outlook: Despite some off-season losses (Peter Schaefer to Boston, Mike Comrie to the Islanders and Tom Preissing to LA), this team is still loaded, and still the class of the Eastern Conference. This team will not have put the memories of the Final behind them. The embarrassment they suffered then will drive them to finish the job this season. 1st in East, 106 points.
BUFFALO SABRES
New gear: The Sabres’ new jerseys from last season were designed with the Rbk system in mind. The translation has been essentially seamless, and now that the design has been applied to the proper cut, they look a little better.
New Year: Yes, the Sabres lost their co-captains to free agency this summer. Yes, it’s going to be hard to replace Daniel Briere’s 95 points. No, you can’t replace the heart of a champion like Chris Drury has. But…
Thomas Vanek led the team with 43 goals, and he’s still kickin’ around. Maxim Afinogenov had 61 points in just 56 games Jason Pominville erupted with a 34-goal season, and the Sabres will bring back the eight defensemen that saw the most ice time last season, including Brian Campbell. He’s a guy that personally ripped the hearts from chests of fans all over the league. For a defenseman with 48 points, he sure didn’t give much back the other way. Campbell’s plus-28 rating was second on the team to only Derek Roy (plus-37, if you need him).
Lindy Ruff is still behind the bench. Ryan Miller is still between the pipes. These guys are in good shape still. Ales Kotalik was a big contributor last season, shelling out 38 points in 66 games, and Drew Stafford made the most of a mid-season call-up, banging out 27 points in 41 games. Both of those guys represent 50-point campaigns over a full season.
Outlook: It’s hard to imagine this team simply falling out of contention. Even if all of those gaudy offensive numbers last season represented peak performances, they still represent eight or nine players in the 50 to 85-point range. This team still has big guns, and if they can move Jaroslav Spacek for a Shawn Thornton on Chris Clark type of leader, they’ll be laughing. 5th in East, 100 points.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
New gear: Another classic remains mostly untouched by the devil-spawn that call Rbk’s design team home. The slight tweak to the collar is excellent, and the only questions remain regarding the look of the numbers.
New year: I’m almost certainly over-valuing my beloved former Bulldogs, but that’s what happens when they win the Calder Cup. Until the end of training camp, it will be tough to tell exactly which direction the Canadiens are heading in this season. And even after camp, it will be interesting to see the way the lineup evolves throughout the year.
But here’s what we know: a full season from Cristobal Huet would have given the Canadiens a playoff berth last season, and he seems to be healthy heading into the new season, so optimism should be higher around this team.
Scoring may remain a problem with this team, especially with Sheldon Souray’s off-season departure. However, Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins made great strides last year, and the team will count on both of them for added production this time around. And anything more than 47 points out of Alex Kovalev will go a long way, too.
Mike Komisarek began to really blossom into a top-flight shut-down defenseman last season, and he will have to continue that upward trend this year, as he and Andrei Markov will be recognized as the top defensive pair. They’ll do it without Souray to draw attention away from them, too. The play of the Habs three-through-seven defensemen will determine their fate this season.
Outlook: With at least two forward positions, a defensive spot, and the backup goaltending job all up for grabs in camp, this should be an exciting September in Montreal. With management’s confidence in their prospects growing, very few roster spots are guaranteed, which should keep this team hungry and competitive every night, something they weren’t last season. A full season of Huet gets this team to the playoffs. 7th in East, 96 points.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
New gear: Just a little too simple, and a little too blue. My goodness. I saw a comparison to a baby’s sleeper, and I can’t disagree with that. But hey, even if the shirts looked great, the players would find a way to make them look bad.
New Year: What could possibly be new in Leaf land? It’s the start of a new season, which means, in Toronto, the start of another round of “let’s have a parade.” All the key players remain in place. Former coach Pat Quinn’s shadow continues to loom large, general manager John Ferguson Jr. still looks shell-shocked, Mats Sundin is still the captain, Bryan McCabe still gets all the accolades while Tomas Kaberle does all the heavy lifting, Darcy Tucker is Darcy Tucker, and everyone is sure this will be Alex Ponikarovsky or Nik Antropov’s year.
Sometimes, the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Newcomers in the Leaf lineup include a trio of questionable players. Much like last summer’s additions of Andrew Raycroft, Pavel Kubina and Hal Gill, this year’s trio will face a truck-load of scrutiny in Toronto (while McCabe somehow escapes the ire of fans).
Mark Bell is already well behind the 8-ball, having been hit with a jail sentence and suspension shortly after arriving in Toronto. Vesa Toskala is being groomed to force Raycroft (of a team-record 37 wins last season) out the door in a trade that will haunt the Leafs for a long, long time (this has Raycroft to Chicago for Patrick Sharp, or LA for Brian Willsie written all over it).
And Jason Blake is essentially being asked to be that missing piece. The gritty warrior with a great scoring touch (far be it for me to compliment him, but isn’t that Tucker’s game?), heart-on-his sleeve leader in the wings, waiting to take over the captaincy from one of the team’s most beloved players without missing a beat.
And my personal favourite part of the Leafs season: a whole season from Andy “Whatpositiondoyouplay?” Wozniewski.
Outlook: The Leafs fell one point shy of the post-season last year, despite shaky goaltending, shaky scoring, and a long line to the trainer’s office. The figure to be in for a battle again this season, and it will be interesting to see how Raycroft handles his second-straight season of second-guessing and goaltending controversies. There’s almost no way this goes as well as Ferguson hopes. 12th in East, 91 points.
BOSTON BRUINS
New gear: The Bruins were first out of the gates, in an apparent attempt to dissuade the fears of fans worried about the new look of classic logos and designs within the new Rbk Edge uniform system. And it worked like a charm. The new Bruins gear looks so good, I modeled my ball hockey team’s uniforms after the Bs’ template.
New year: Counting the uniforms, a new head coach, a new goalie, a solid new left winger, and a steal with the eighth pick in the draft, the Bruins had a pretty good summer.
Claude Julien made overachievers out of the Montreal Canadiens before the lockout, and kept the good ship Devils righted before his tenure was unceremoniously ended in the swamps of Jersey. All signs suggest he can get the Bruins’ ship righted in good time, too.
Manny Fernandez fell out of favour in Minnesota, but coupled with Tim Thomas, could form a formidable goaltending duo at the Garden. The play of Boston’s netminders will be the biggest factor in the Bruins’ fortunes this season. And while Fernandez has his shining moments, it’s worth noting he lost the starting job in Minnesota twice in the last three seasons.
Peter Schaefer was stolen from Ottawa during the summer, and should be an impact player. Together, Schaefer and PJ Axelsson should be one of the league’s top penalty-killing pairs, and given a bump in playing time, Schaefer’s point production should increase as well.
The Bruins drafted Zach Hamill with their first pick in the draft, he was the Western League’s top scorer last season, and will be given every chance to make the team out of camp. He and Phil Kessel form the nucleus of the Bruins’ youth movement.
The Bruins’ defense corps, led by Zdeno Chara, will have to improve if Boston is to have any chance of making the playoffs this season. This will be head coach Julien’s top priority moving forward. After he gets the defense in order, though, he’ll have to coax some offense out of the forwards. Only Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron offered any real production last season. Marco Sturm and Glen Murray are expected to serve up more than 45 points each.
Outlook: Despite their strong off-season, it’s doubtful the Bruins have improved enough to make a serious run at the 2008 playoffs. A lottery pick at next June’s draft is much more likely. 15th in East, 78 points.
Monday, September 17, 2007
We're back
Let the division previews begin. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish, and before we start, here’s a rundown of the Sports With Steve schedule. Today, Southeast. Tuesday the Central, Wednesday the Northeast. Thursday and Friday NFL and CFL like normal. Next week, the Pacific on Monday, Atlantic Tuesday and Northwest Wednesday, with the season starting Friday in England, and blowing all of this into the water, no doubt.
Here we go.
As always, I love the Southeast. It’s a fun division to watch. Five teams with heavy artillery, and paper shields. Last season, 12 of the league’s top 50 scorers called the Southeast home. With guys like Kovalchuk and Hossa, Staal and Williams, Jokinen and Horton, Lecavalier and St-Louis, and Ovechkin and Semin, it’s a loaded division. Defense and goaltending are another story though. Carolina, Tampa and Washington have serious goaltending questions, and only Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester was a top-25 plus-minus defender last season.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
New gear: These new jerseys were the league’s worst-kept secret all summer long. I think the NHL08 cover photo leaked before the end of the playoffs. The white ring (red on the away jersey) on the shoulder yoke looks great. The colouring on the sleeves seems to be a bit much, but it’s not overwhelmingly bad. All in all, the Hurricanes remain among the league’s sharpest-dressed teams.
New year: Everyone in and around this team’s world insists last season was a fluke. And to a degree, I’m on board with that (so long as we can also rule that Cup win a fluke, too). An off-season injury to Frank Kaberle hurt the Canes early last season, and history looks to repeat itself this season. Kaberle is a stud on the Carolina blue line, and it’s going to hurt this team to be without him for another long stretch.
Cam Ward, Eric Staal and Cory Stillman all stalled last season, failing to produce at the level they were expected to, while youngsters Chad LaRose and Andrew Ladd didn’t continue their development as expected. With Ward, Staal and Stillman back on track, the Canes should be fine. If LaRose and Ladd can take that step forward, the Canes will be laughing all the way home.
With Matt Cullen’s return from a year on Broadway (as poorly-kept a secret as the new jerseys were), the Canes figure to get a big power play boost. Cullen was huge for them during the Cup run two seasons ago, and the Carolina faithful will be very happy to have him back.
New to the fold is Jeff Hamilton, a slightly enigmatic winger from Chicago. Hamilton very quietly was the Blackhawks’ third-leading scorer last season after Martin Havlat and Radim Vrbata, posting a 39-point campaign playing just 13 minutes a night. That’s low second-line production from fourth-line minutes. I can think of about 30 teams that could use a guy like Hamilton.
Outlook: At the bare minimum, the Hurricanes should return to the playoffs this season. At best, they return to the league’s upper echelon, and firmly plant themselves on the list of annual contenders. They’ll probably end up in a pretty epic battle with Tampa Bay over the Southeast Division crown. 3rd in East, 96 points
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
New gear: Again with the practice jerseys. These are fairly sharp, and very clean, but again, there is nothing about the jersey itself that makes it stand out as Tampa Bay’s jersey. Without the logo, this could be just the shirt you saw some guy wearing at the bar last weekend. The bolts will use the front number on the road, but not at home, and will continue to use block numbering. The new logo is change for the sake of change and is no better than their old logo.
New Year: Not much change in Hockey Bay. The Bolts return in 2007 with Martin St-Louis back on track, Vincent Lecavalier ready to continue his breakout and Brad Richards keeping everything together with his solid play. Add the seemingly revolving door of talent, and any number of Tampa players could be primed for big seasons.
Vaclav Prospal has always fit in well with this team, and he should be good for at least the 55 points he put up last season. Michel Ouellet comes over from Pittsburgh, and should be able to easily eclipse the 48 points he had last season with a boost in ice time (or his defensive liabilities will force coach John Tortorella to glue him to the bench). Ryan Craig will be looking to take the step forward he failed to take last season, and Jason Ward will try to erase the memories of his terrible play in Tampa’s first-round exit last spring.
Andreas Karlsson can’t do any worse than the nine points he had last season, and should be able to take his game to the next level with a full and healthy season. Jan Hlavac is back in the NHL after spending the last three seasons in Europe. Hlavac should be able to chip in 30-40 points, and play a role with this team.
As much as there is to like up front, though, the goaltending situation is shaky at best. Johan Holmqvist is the de facto starter, as Tortorella lost all confidence in Marc Denis last season. But neither net minder has been overly impressive. If the Bolts are going to make a serious run at (and in) the playoffs, one of these guys will have to step up.
On defense, this group isn’t much to write home about. But Tortorella runs a tight ship, and had these guys playing pretty well. Dan Boyle had a career year at both ends of the ice. Filip Kuba re-defined himself as a valuable offensive defenseman, and Paul Ranger looked like anything but a second-year defenseman.
Outlook: Lecavalier and St-Louis are always liable to go out and win a scoring title. So it’s up to the rest of these guys to get the Lightning to the playoffs. Brad Richards and Tim Taylor are the kind of leaders that can take a team of 12th-graders to the playoffs. So this team will go as far as two big “ifs” will let them: If the defense can continue to be more than the sum of their parts, and if the goaltending holds up, Tampa Bay will make lots of noise. 8th in East, 94 points.
FLORIDA PANTHERS
New gear: Given some time to reflect, these are just as bad as I first thought. Basically the same design as Nashville’s, but with overblown piping, odd elbow stripes on the underside of the sleeves, and no room on the back for Jay Bouwmeester’s name. That said, they weren’t kidding when they told us the logo was going to be bigger.
New year: The only thing bigger in Miami than the panther, is the trade they pulled off to land Tomas Vokoun. Last season, the Panthers finished seven points shy of a playoff berth, were 2-8 in shootouts, and 3-8 in overtime. Though Vokoun’s overtime and shootout records last season were just 2-1 and 2-3, if he can coax the Panthers to a .500 record in overtime this season, it’s a five-point improvement, and it says here he can steal at least one win to put Florida back into the playoffs. Vokoun is a top-five goalie, and though the Panthers still need help up front, Vokoun is plenty good enough to carry them to the playoffs.
Whether or not they can do so is up to the rest of the roster, which returns pretty well intact from last season. The Cats’ defense made great strides last season, and Bouwmeester finally started to become the defensive force he projected as in junior. His 12 goals were a career-high, and though he was four points shy of his career-best total, the 22-point jump in his plus-minus more than made up for the four points. A full season from Noah Welch should make the Gary Roberts trade last season look like a no-brainer. Welch projects as a number three defenseman at worst, and although he’ll do a lot of learning on the fly this coming season, they’ll love him in south Florida.
But as good as the goaltending will be, and as good as the defense should be, it’s all up to the offense. Dickie Zednik is being given yet another opportunity to prove his worth, as is Radek Dvorak. Nathan Horton was given a huge contract, and Rostislav Olesz and Stephen Weiss still need to show up they way they’re expected to.
Outlook: There is still work to be done in Florida, but if the Hurricanes, Thrashers or Lightning stumble again, and the Panthers turn things around in overtime (and on the road), the Panthers could find themselves in the post-season. But don’t anybody in Miami hold your breath. Note: my roommate Adam thinks I’m crazy, and Vokoun isn’t worth six points in the standings. 9th in East, 92 points.
ATLANTA THRASHERS
New gear: I really like the way they’ve applied the dark jersey to the new system. The jersey is essentially unchanged, and actually looks a little better than before. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the white jersey. I’ve really come around to like the piping, the shoulders and collar look great, but somehow this jersey just doesn’t quite pop.
New Year: The Thrashers are hoping Ilya Kovalchuk can rebound from what’s considered an off-year last season. The gifted Russian netted 42 goals, but his 76 points were below expectations. Kovalchuk’s first season without centre Marc Savard was far less successful than Savard’s was without Kovalchuk. If the Thrashers are going to return to the post-season, Kovalchuk has to find his way back to 90-plus points.
Eric Perrin and Todd White are a pair of new faces trying to fix a long-standing problem in Atlanta. Outside of Savard, the Thrashers have never even come close to having a true number-one centre. Neither Perrin, nor White is a typical first-line centre, but both have shown flashes of productivity in the past, and the Thrashers are hoping one of these guys can gel with Kovalchuk.
The Thrashers are looking at a lot of minor-league promotions this season, as they try to fill out the roster. Before camp breaks, it’s hard to say what this team is even going to look like. There are that many openings.
But for all the uncertainty surrounding this team, one this is for certain: Kari Lehtonen gives this team a chance to win every night. Lehtonen faltered in the playoffs, but should be able to rebound. Last season, in just his second full season in the NHL, Lehtonen slashed his goals-against average by 15 points, increased his save percentage, and bagged four shutouts. The sky remains the limit for Lehtonen.
Outlook: Outside of Lehtonen and Marian Hossa, the Thrashers have too many question marks to be in the mix again this season. The loss of Andy Sutton and Greg de Vries with only Ken Klee as a replacement isn’t exactly awe-inspiring. That said, Garnet Exelby is primed for a huge year. There’s probably enough here to make in interesting, but not enough to stop this team from falling just short. 10th in East, 92 points.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
New gear: Welcome to the new NHL! These may be the worst of the lot. Actually, that’s a little unfair. I just don’t understand the stripes running up the inside of the sleeves. The updated version of their original logo is a nice touch, but lacks the charm the old 80’s Caps logo had.
New Year: The Capitals may finally have someone to play with Alex Ovechkin. Fresh off a stint on Broadway alongside Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander takes on his next project: getting the Capitals back to respectability, and keeping Ovechkin in the nightly highlights. For right now, let’s just say the latter will be a much easier task.
Also new to D.C. after some time in New York are Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti, both former Islanders. Kozlov won’t be expected to put up big numbers like Nylander will be. That said, alongside second-year winger Alexander Semin, it’s easy to believe Kozlov could have a big year. Semin had 73 points as a rookie last season, and should produce even more this season.
Tom Poti will be asked to anchor a blue line that ranked among the league’s worst last season. It says here, they’ll remain there this time around. Poti is a good offensive defenseman, but he’s hardly the guy to anchor a young defense corps like this. It’s too early in camp to say for certain, but the Caps’ first two picks in June’s draft, Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey, will have legitimate opportunities to make this team. I’m not sold on Alzner, but Godfrey came as close as anyone did to being a stud defenseman for Canada during the recent Super Series.
Outlook: Until the Capitals get some real help on defense, they’re in trouble. First, they extra load on the aging Olaf Kolzig leads him to run the risk of injury (again), and second, Brent Johnson doesn’t exactly cause opposing forwards to cower in fear. When this team makes that turn, from also-ran to contender, it’s going to happen very quickly. This is not the year for that turn, though. 14th in East, 80 points.
Here we go.
As always, I love the Southeast. It’s a fun division to watch. Five teams with heavy artillery, and paper shields. Last season, 12 of the league’s top 50 scorers called the Southeast home. With guys like Kovalchuk and Hossa, Staal and Williams, Jokinen and Horton, Lecavalier and St-Louis, and Ovechkin and Semin, it’s a loaded division. Defense and goaltending are another story though. Carolina, Tampa and Washington have serious goaltending questions, and only Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester was a top-25 plus-minus defender last season.
CAROLINA HURRICANES
New gear: These new jerseys were the league’s worst-kept secret all summer long. I think the NHL08 cover photo leaked before the end of the playoffs. The white ring (red on the away jersey) on the shoulder yoke looks great. The colouring on the sleeves seems to be a bit much, but it’s not overwhelmingly bad. All in all, the Hurricanes remain among the league’s sharpest-dressed teams.
New year: Everyone in and around this team’s world insists last season was a fluke. And to a degree, I’m on board with that (so long as we can also rule that Cup win a fluke, too). An off-season injury to Frank Kaberle hurt the Canes early last season, and history looks to repeat itself this season. Kaberle is a stud on the Carolina blue line, and it’s going to hurt this team to be without him for another long stretch.
Cam Ward, Eric Staal and Cory Stillman all stalled last season, failing to produce at the level they were expected to, while youngsters Chad LaRose and Andrew Ladd didn’t continue their development as expected. With Ward, Staal and Stillman back on track, the Canes should be fine. If LaRose and Ladd can take that step forward, the Canes will be laughing all the way home.
With Matt Cullen’s return from a year on Broadway (as poorly-kept a secret as the new jerseys were), the Canes figure to get a big power play boost. Cullen was huge for them during the Cup run two seasons ago, and the Carolina faithful will be very happy to have him back.
New to the fold is Jeff Hamilton, a slightly enigmatic winger from Chicago. Hamilton very quietly was the Blackhawks’ third-leading scorer last season after Martin Havlat and Radim Vrbata, posting a 39-point campaign playing just 13 minutes a night. That’s low second-line production from fourth-line minutes. I can think of about 30 teams that could use a guy like Hamilton.
Outlook: At the bare minimum, the Hurricanes should return to the playoffs this season. At best, they return to the league’s upper echelon, and firmly plant themselves on the list of annual contenders. They’ll probably end up in a pretty epic battle with Tampa Bay over the Southeast Division crown. 3rd in East, 96 points
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
New gear: Again with the practice jerseys. These are fairly sharp, and very clean, but again, there is nothing about the jersey itself that makes it stand out as Tampa Bay’s jersey. Without the logo, this could be just the shirt you saw some guy wearing at the bar last weekend. The bolts will use the front number on the road, but not at home, and will continue to use block numbering. The new logo is change for the sake of change and is no better than their old logo.
New Year: Not much change in Hockey Bay. The Bolts return in 2007 with Martin St-Louis back on track, Vincent Lecavalier ready to continue his breakout and Brad Richards keeping everything together with his solid play. Add the seemingly revolving door of talent, and any number of Tampa players could be primed for big seasons.
Vaclav Prospal has always fit in well with this team, and he should be good for at least the 55 points he put up last season. Michel Ouellet comes over from Pittsburgh, and should be able to easily eclipse the 48 points he had last season with a boost in ice time (or his defensive liabilities will force coach John Tortorella to glue him to the bench). Ryan Craig will be looking to take the step forward he failed to take last season, and Jason Ward will try to erase the memories of his terrible play in Tampa’s first-round exit last spring.
Andreas Karlsson can’t do any worse than the nine points he had last season, and should be able to take his game to the next level with a full and healthy season. Jan Hlavac is back in the NHL after spending the last three seasons in Europe. Hlavac should be able to chip in 30-40 points, and play a role with this team.
As much as there is to like up front, though, the goaltending situation is shaky at best. Johan Holmqvist is the de facto starter, as Tortorella lost all confidence in Marc Denis last season. But neither net minder has been overly impressive. If the Bolts are going to make a serious run at (and in) the playoffs, one of these guys will have to step up.
On defense, this group isn’t much to write home about. But Tortorella runs a tight ship, and had these guys playing pretty well. Dan Boyle had a career year at both ends of the ice. Filip Kuba re-defined himself as a valuable offensive defenseman, and Paul Ranger looked like anything but a second-year defenseman.
Outlook: Lecavalier and St-Louis are always liable to go out and win a scoring title. So it’s up to the rest of these guys to get the Lightning to the playoffs. Brad Richards and Tim Taylor are the kind of leaders that can take a team of 12th-graders to the playoffs. So this team will go as far as two big “ifs” will let them: If the defense can continue to be more than the sum of their parts, and if the goaltending holds up, Tampa Bay will make lots of noise. 8th in East, 94 points.
FLORIDA PANTHERS
New gear: Given some time to reflect, these are just as bad as I first thought. Basically the same design as Nashville’s, but with overblown piping, odd elbow stripes on the underside of the sleeves, and no room on the back for Jay Bouwmeester’s name. That said, they weren’t kidding when they told us the logo was going to be bigger.
New year: The only thing bigger in Miami than the panther, is the trade they pulled off to land Tomas Vokoun. Last season, the Panthers finished seven points shy of a playoff berth, were 2-8 in shootouts, and 3-8 in overtime. Though Vokoun’s overtime and shootout records last season were just 2-1 and 2-3, if he can coax the Panthers to a .500 record in overtime this season, it’s a five-point improvement, and it says here he can steal at least one win to put Florida back into the playoffs. Vokoun is a top-five goalie, and though the Panthers still need help up front, Vokoun is plenty good enough to carry them to the playoffs.
Whether or not they can do so is up to the rest of the roster, which returns pretty well intact from last season. The Cats’ defense made great strides last season, and Bouwmeester finally started to become the defensive force he projected as in junior. His 12 goals were a career-high, and though he was four points shy of his career-best total, the 22-point jump in his plus-minus more than made up for the four points. A full season from Noah Welch should make the Gary Roberts trade last season look like a no-brainer. Welch projects as a number three defenseman at worst, and although he’ll do a lot of learning on the fly this coming season, they’ll love him in south Florida.
But as good as the goaltending will be, and as good as the defense should be, it’s all up to the offense. Dickie Zednik is being given yet another opportunity to prove his worth, as is Radek Dvorak. Nathan Horton was given a huge contract, and Rostislav Olesz and Stephen Weiss still need to show up they way they’re expected to.
Outlook: There is still work to be done in Florida, but if the Hurricanes, Thrashers or Lightning stumble again, and the Panthers turn things around in overtime (and on the road), the Panthers could find themselves in the post-season. But don’t anybody in Miami hold your breath. Note: my roommate Adam thinks I’m crazy, and Vokoun isn’t worth six points in the standings. 9th in East, 92 points.
ATLANTA THRASHERS
New gear: I really like the way they’ve applied the dark jersey to the new system. The jersey is essentially unchanged, and actually looks a little better than before. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the white jersey. I’ve really come around to like the piping, the shoulders and collar look great, but somehow this jersey just doesn’t quite pop.
New Year: The Thrashers are hoping Ilya Kovalchuk can rebound from what’s considered an off-year last season. The gifted Russian netted 42 goals, but his 76 points were below expectations. Kovalchuk’s first season without centre Marc Savard was far less successful than Savard’s was without Kovalchuk. If the Thrashers are going to return to the post-season, Kovalchuk has to find his way back to 90-plus points.
Eric Perrin and Todd White are a pair of new faces trying to fix a long-standing problem in Atlanta. Outside of Savard, the Thrashers have never even come close to having a true number-one centre. Neither Perrin, nor White is a typical first-line centre, but both have shown flashes of productivity in the past, and the Thrashers are hoping one of these guys can gel with Kovalchuk.
The Thrashers are looking at a lot of minor-league promotions this season, as they try to fill out the roster. Before camp breaks, it’s hard to say what this team is even going to look like. There are that many openings.
But for all the uncertainty surrounding this team, one this is for certain: Kari Lehtonen gives this team a chance to win every night. Lehtonen faltered in the playoffs, but should be able to rebound. Last season, in just his second full season in the NHL, Lehtonen slashed his goals-against average by 15 points, increased his save percentage, and bagged four shutouts. The sky remains the limit for Lehtonen.
Outlook: Outside of Lehtonen and Marian Hossa, the Thrashers have too many question marks to be in the mix again this season. The loss of Andy Sutton and Greg de Vries with only Ken Klee as a replacement isn’t exactly awe-inspiring. That said, Garnet Exelby is primed for a huge year. There’s probably enough here to make in interesting, but not enough to stop this team from falling just short. 10th in East, 92 points.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS
New gear: Welcome to the new NHL! These may be the worst of the lot. Actually, that’s a little unfair. I just don’t understand the stripes running up the inside of the sleeves. The updated version of their original logo is a nice touch, but lacks the charm the old 80’s Caps logo had.
New Year: The Capitals may finally have someone to play with Alex Ovechkin. Fresh off a stint on Broadway alongside Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander takes on his next project: getting the Capitals back to respectability, and keeping Ovechkin in the nightly highlights. For right now, let’s just say the latter will be a much easier task.
Also new to D.C. after some time in New York are Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti, both former Islanders. Kozlov won’t be expected to put up big numbers like Nylander will be. That said, alongside second-year winger Alexander Semin, it’s easy to believe Kozlov could have a big year. Semin had 73 points as a rookie last season, and should produce even more this season.
Tom Poti will be asked to anchor a blue line that ranked among the league’s worst last season. It says here, they’ll remain there this time around. Poti is a good offensive defenseman, but he’s hardly the guy to anchor a young defense corps like this. It’s too early in camp to say for certain, but the Caps’ first two picks in June’s draft, Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey, will have legitimate opportunities to make this team. I’m not sold on Alzner, but Godfrey came as close as anyone did to being a stud defenseman for Canada during the recent Super Series.
Outlook: Until the Capitals get some real help on defense, they’re in trouble. First, they extra load on the aging Olaf Kolzig leads him to run the risk of injury (again), and second, Brent Johnson doesn’t exactly cause opposing forwards to cower in fear. When this team makes that turn, from also-ran to contender, it’s going to happen very quickly. This is not the year for that turn, though. 14th in East, 80 points.
Friday, September 07, 2007
If we could clone him...
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have reportedly made Casey Printers the highest-paid player in the CFL. That’s great news.
For Casey Printers.
I want to love this deal, I really do. And it would be VERY easy to blame this lackluster 2007 season on the quarterbacking duo of Timmy Chang and Jason Maas. It would also be very unfair. Sure, of the nine games the Cats have played, Maas has only finished four of his eight starts, Chang was replaced in his only start, and third-stringer Richie Williams has even seen action. And sure, they’ve only thrown for eight touchdowns. But it’s not like they’ve been getting a whole lot of help.
The best thing that’s happened to the Ticats in the first half of the season is Jesse Lumsden. End of story. No substitutes. He’s third in the league with 627 rushing yards, his 8.5 yards per carry is tops among runners with more than five carries (and a full 2.3 yards per carry better than the next running back). Lumsden’s 309 receiving yards are not only second among Tiger-Cats, but are also 50 more than any other running back in the league has. Lumsden’s 936 total yards trails only Winnipeg’s Charles Roberts.
But he’s hurt. So it’s up to the rest of the offense, which doesn’t bode so well. This is a group that’s giving up sacks like they’re going out of style, dropping passes like a bunch of kids playing hot potato, and giving back the rare successful play with 100 yards worth of penalties every game.
Is one Casey Printers enough to overcome all of that? We’ll find out, but I’m sure not going to put any money on it. Is Printers going to get this team into the playoffs? Again, it’s no safe bet. But I’ll still be cheering as loud as ever the rest of the way.
And now, a new mid-season feature: weekly CFL picks.
The second half of the season kicks off with rematches of all four Labour Day weekend games. The Calgary Stampeders have to be feeling good heading into Edmonton Friday night. Including their preseason tilt, the Stamps are 3-0 against Edmonton this season, including a dominant second half last Monday. There is no reason the believe Calgary won’t finish the season sweep.
Hamilton is in Toronto Saturday afternoon, reeling from the beating they took at Ivor Wynne on Labour Day. The Argos need the win to keep pace with Edmonton, in trying to prevent a playoff crossover. The Ticats’ Jason Maas was apparently moment away from being dealt to Montreal Thursday night, so Saturday’s starter, much like this team’s direction, is up in the air. But they can totally still beat the Argos.
Montreal hosts B.C. in the early game Sunday. The Alouettes should be embarrassed following their performance last Friday in B.C. (and in last year’s Grey Cup for that matter), but the Lions are still the best team in the league (though they’re technically in second place), and they should walk all over Montreal. Again.
Lastly, Saskatchewan is in Winnipeg after a thrilling win over the Blue Bombers at home last week. These division leaders match up well against one another, and it’s easy to believe the home team will take this game as well. The Blue Bombers win the best game of the week.
For Casey Printers.
I want to love this deal, I really do. And it would be VERY easy to blame this lackluster 2007 season on the quarterbacking duo of Timmy Chang and Jason Maas. It would also be very unfair. Sure, of the nine games the Cats have played, Maas has only finished four of his eight starts, Chang was replaced in his only start, and third-stringer Richie Williams has even seen action. And sure, they’ve only thrown for eight touchdowns. But it’s not like they’ve been getting a whole lot of help.
The best thing that’s happened to the Ticats in the first half of the season is Jesse Lumsden. End of story. No substitutes. He’s third in the league with 627 rushing yards, his 8.5 yards per carry is tops among runners with more than five carries (and a full 2.3 yards per carry better than the next running back). Lumsden’s 309 receiving yards are not only second among Tiger-Cats, but are also 50 more than any other running back in the league has. Lumsden’s 936 total yards trails only Winnipeg’s Charles Roberts.
But he’s hurt. So it’s up to the rest of the offense, which doesn’t bode so well. This is a group that’s giving up sacks like they’re going out of style, dropping passes like a bunch of kids playing hot potato, and giving back the rare successful play with 100 yards worth of penalties every game.
Is one Casey Printers enough to overcome all of that? We’ll find out, but I’m sure not going to put any money on it. Is Printers going to get this team into the playoffs? Again, it’s no safe bet. But I’ll still be cheering as loud as ever the rest of the way.
And now, a new mid-season feature: weekly CFL picks.
The second half of the season kicks off with rematches of all four Labour Day weekend games. The Calgary Stampeders have to be feeling good heading into Edmonton Friday night. Including their preseason tilt, the Stamps are 3-0 against Edmonton this season, including a dominant second half last Monday. There is no reason the believe Calgary won’t finish the season sweep.
Hamilton is in Toronto Saturday afternoon, reeling from the beating they took at Ivor Wynne on Labour Day. The Argos need the win to keep pace with Edmonton, in trying to prevent a playoff crossover. The Ticats’ Jason Maas was apparently moment away from being dealt to Montreal Thursday night, so Saturday’s starter, much like this team’s direction, is up in the air. But they can totally still beat the Argos.
Montreal hosts B.C. in the early game Sunday. The Alouettes should be embarrassed following their performance last Friday in B.C. (and in last year’s Grey Cup for that matter), but the Lions are still the best team in the league (though they’re technically in second place), and they should walk all over Montreal. Again.
Lastly, Saskatchewan is in Winnipeg after a thrilling win over the Blue Bombers at home last week. These division leaders match up well against one another, and it’s easy to believe the home team will take this game as well. The Blue Bombers win the best game of the week.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
What the hell? Football season again?
Well, September slinked up to us like a silent and sneaking little ninja, and before I even realized it, the NFL season is about the start. So I guess I should get to some picks.
The good news, as always, is that my picks are based on roughly no preparation, and reflect knowledge of teams and players that’s five years old at best. Also, blind faith and hatred play in the decisions as well. Without even looking at the schedule, I know my beloved San Francisco 49ers play six games each year against Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis. There’s no reason the 9ers should ever have a division record worse than 4-2. And I have complete faith they’ll finish at least 10-6 overall this season, and they’ll be 5-1 at the bye.
Again, I won’t even try to justify my picks, so here they are.
The Saints are going to rain all over Indy’s parade Thursday night.
I suppose somebody has to win the KC-Houston game, and it might as well be Kansas City.
Ditto for Washington-Miami. It’s in Washington, and when in doubt, go for the home team.
Denver will beat Buffalo, Carolina will beat St. Louis, Pittsburgh will beat Cleveland, Minnesota will beat Atlanta, Jacksonville will beat Tennessee.
New England can be beaten on the road. And I think I remember the Jets really turning things around at the end of last season. So here’s the upset pick of the week. Jets over Pats.
Philadelphia will beat Green Bay, Oakland will beat Detroit.
If Chicago and San Diego are going to contenders again this season, it’s a damn shame this game is happening so early in the season. Not only are the Chargers my pick this week, I also think I’m picking San Diego every week this year.
Tampa Bay could be sneaky good this year. I think most people are overlooking them. It says here they can handle the Seahawks.
I guess the Giants will beat Dallas. Does anyone remember when this game mattered?
Double-header Monday! Let’s go Baltimore over Cincinnati and obviously the 49ers over Arizona. It’s like the schedule-makers are using week one as proof the flexible Monday night schedule is necessary. Sure, division match-ups are nice, but the Jets-Pats and Bears-Bolts games will both be much better than these two. And that Bucs-Seahawks game could be a dandy, too.
The good news, as always, is that my picks are based on roughly no preparation, and reflect knowledge of teams and players that’s five years old at best. Also, blind faith and hatred play in the decisions as well. Without even looking at the schedule, I know my beloved San Francisco 49ers play six games each year against Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis. There’s no reason the 9ers should ever have a division record worse than 4-2. And I have complete faith they’ll finish at least 10-6 overall this season, and they’ll be 5-1 at the bye.
Again, I won’t even try to justify my picks, so here they are.
The Saints are going to rain all over Indy’s parade Thursday night.
I suppose somebody has to win the KC-Houston game, and it might as well be Kansas City.
Ditto for Washington-Miami. It’s in Washington, and when in doubt, go for the home team.
Denver will beat Buffalo, Carolina will beat St. Louis, Pittsburgh will beat Cleveland, Minnesota will beat Atlanta, Jacksonville will beat Tennessee.
New England can be beaten on the road. And I think I remember the Jets really turning things around at the end of last season. So here’s the upset pick of the week. Jets over Pats.
Philadelphia will beat Green Bay, Oakland will beat Detroit.
If Chicago and San Diego are going to contenders again this season, it’s a damn shame this game is happening so early in the season. Not only are the Chargers my pick this week, I also think I’m picking San Diego every week this year.
Tampa Bay could be sneaky good this year. I think most people are overlooking them. It says here they can handle the Seahawks.
I guess the Giants will beat Dallas. Does anyone remember when this game mattered?
Double-header Monday! Let’s go Baltimore over Cincinnati and obviously the 49ers over Arizona. It’s like the schedule-makers are using week one as proof the flexible Monday night schedule is necessary. Sure, division match-ups are nice, but the Jets-Pats and Bears-Bolts games will both be much better than these two. And that Bucs-Seahawks game could be a dandy, too.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the Super Series
Right off the top, something new. Since I’ll be very focused on the Calgary Hitmen, and Western Hockey League in general this season, from now on, the first time I mention any drafted junior player, I mention will be followed by the NHL team that owns his rights. For example, Alex Plante (Edm). Got it? Good.
I know I’m a little behind with this whole Super Series business, but it’s hard to get up early to watch glorified exhibition games before work. So I’m just getting around to watching this thing, and I have to say, after game five, I’m impressed with the Canadian squad.
In particular, the Canadian forwards were excellent. Brandon Sutter (Car) is a shot-blocking machine. He has excellent presence at the point while killing penalties. His lateral movement is great, considering the amount of space a penalty-killing forward has to cover, and his hockey sense is off the charts. This guy’s a keeper.
Sam Gagner (Edm) was Canada’s second-best forward in game five. Like Sutter, he comes from a great hockey background, and he has the hockey sense to prove it. Gagner sees the ice so well, and makes great passes. If he doesn’t get beat up in camp, there’s no way the Oilers are sending him back to London this year. With 11 points in the first five games, it’s very easy to make assumptions about Gagner’s game, but he takes care of his own end, and the fact he has 11 points is a testament to the fact he’s always involved in the play.
When all is said and done, we’ll probably look back and say Kyle Turris (Pho) should have been the top pick in the June 2007 draft. For everything we hear about Turris’ offensive exploits, it’s his defensive game that can’t be overlooked. He was killing penalties for Canada, and his great short-handed forecheck led to Logan Pyett’s (Det) 3-1 goal. And Turris added a nice exclamation point to the 8-1 victory with an absolutely gorgeous backhander into the top shelf from just outside the crease. Nevermind his size, Turris is the real deal.
Other notable performances among Canada’s forwards include Colton Gillies (Min), who looked like everything a proficient penalty killer should be Tuesday night. Stefan Legein (CBJ) also showed a lot of jump in his penalty-killing role, and the Jackets are going to love this guy. He has excellent offensive instincts, and should be able to take his game to the next level.
Brad Marchand (Bos) showed up with a big performance. He had a great third period when his ice time jumped, and he was an offensive catalyst (ditto for linemate Zach Hamill (Bos)). And Claude Giroux (Phi) showed a lot of jump, great hands, and excellent penalty-killing as well. A 48-goal scorer last season in the Q, Giroux had great chemistry with Turris, and the Flyers have to be excited about his future.
Lastly, Jonathan Bernier (LA) was excellent in goal. He wasn’t tested very often, but made everything look routine. It’s been a long time since the LA Kings had a star goaltender, but Bernier could certainly fill that void in the near future.
I hate to have anything negative to say about these guys, especially given their overall performance. But I have to comment on the lack of stud defensemen in Canada’s lineup. Both Karl Alzner (Was) and Keaton Ellerby (Fla) were drafted early in the first round three months ago, but neither stood out in game five. Alzner, noted for his strong offensive play, wasn’t even playing with the power play units. Ellbery was efficient in his own end, but nothing about his game says future-Norris-Trophy-winner. The Kings went off the board to draft Thomas Hickey, and he too, was unspectacular. Considering all three of them were top-10 picks in June, they were underwhelming as a group.
Four undrafted players are a part of this squad, and all four played very well Tuesday night. John Tavares (2009) can fight for early entry into the draft, but he’s not NHL ready. The extra year in the OHL will serve him well, if only for the extra time he’ll get more exposure to Hockey Canada’s programs as a result. Zac Boychuk (2008) played a lot of extra minutes in the third with Marchand and Hamill, and played very well. He’s like a badger around the puck, and has a big-league shot. Drew Doughty (2008) and Luke Schenn (2008) were both very good in their own end, and while they were as uninspiring as the other defensemen, they didn’t look out of place. Both guys should have very bright futures ahead of them.
This is already too long, so I’ll point out the bright spots from the Russian side very quickly. Although he surrendered all eight goals, Sergei Bobrovsky was spectacular in the Russian goal. He was not drafted in his draft year, but could become a Roman Cechmanek, Tim Thomas or Cristobal Huet-type down the road. He showed a lot of heart, and the score would have been much worse without him. Maxim Mamin, also undrafted, played a strong, physical game for the Russians. Though he didn’t dazzle with skill, he seemed like a solid, third-line kind of guy. The sort of guy your team doesn’t win many games without. Ruslan Backdrop (Ott) was a late addition to the team, but played with a lot of heart. He drove to the net hard, and played a solid game.
Game six goes Wednesday night in Saskatoon, and I will absolutely be tuning in.
I know I’m a little behind with this whole Super Series business, but it’s hard to get up early to watch glorified exhibition games before work. So I’m just getting around to watching this thing, and I have to say, after game five, I’m impressed with the Canadian squad.
In particular, the Canadian forwards were excellent. Brandon Sutter (Car) is a shot-blocking machine. He has excellent presence at the point while killing penalties. His lateral movement is great, considering the amount of space a penalty-killing forward has to cover, and his hockey sense is off the charts. This guy’s a keeper.
Sam Gagner (Edm) was Canada’s second-best forward in game five. Like Sutter, he comes from a great hockey background, and he has the hockey sense to prove it. Gagner sees the ice so well, and makes great passes. If he doesn’t get beat up in camp, there’s no way the Oilers are sending him back to London this year. With 11 points in the first five games, it’s very easy to make assumptions about Gagner’s game, but he takes care of his own end, and the fact he has 11 points is a testament to the fact he’s always involved in the play.
When all is said and done, we’ll probably look back and say Kyle Turris (Pho) should have been the top pick in the June 2007 draft. For everything we hear about Turris’ offensive exploits, it’s his defensive game that can’t be overlooked. He was killing penalties for Canada, and his great short-handed forecheck led to Logan Pyett’s (Det) 3-1 goal. And Turris added a nice exclamation point to the 8-1 victory with an absolutely gorgeous backhander into the top shelf from just outside the crease. Nevermind his size, Turris is the real deal.
Other notable performances among Canada’s forwards include Colton Gillies (Min), who looked like everything a proficient penalty killer should be Tuesday night. Stefan Legein (CBJ) also showed a lot of jump in his penalty-killing role, and the Jackets are going to love this guy. He has excellent offensive instincts, and should be able to take his game to the next level.
Brad Marchand (Bos) showed up with a big performance. He had a great third period when his ice time jumped, and he was an offensive catalyst (ditto for linemate Zach Hamill (Bos)). And Claude Giroux (Phi) showed a lot of jump, great hands, and excellent penalty-killing as well. A 48-goal scorer last season in the Q, Giroux had great chemistry with Turris, and the Flyers have to be excited about his future.
Lastly, Jonathan Bernier (LA) was excellent in goal. He wasn’t tested very often, but made everything look routine. It’s been a long time since the LA Kings had a star goaltender, but Bernier could certainly fill that void in the near future.
I hate to have anything negative to say about these guys, especially given their overall performance. But I have to comment on the lack of stud defensemen in Canada’s lineup. Both Karl Alzner (Was) and Keaton Ellerby (Fla) were drafted early in the first round three months ago, but neither stood out in game five. Alzner, noted for his strong offensive play, wasn’t even playing with the power play units. Ellbery was efficient in his own end, but nothing about his game says future-Norris-Trophy-winner. The Kings went off the board to draft Thomas Hickey, and he too, was unspectacular. Considering all three of them were top-10 picks in June, they were underwhelming as a group.
Four undrafted players are a part of this squad, and all four played very well Tuesday night. John Tavares (2009) can fight for early entry into the draft, but he’s not NHL ready. The extra year in the OHL will serve him well, if only for the extra time he’ll get more exposure to Hockey Canada’s programs as a result. Zac Boychuk (2008) played a lot of extra minutes in the third with Marchand and Hamill, and played very well. He’s like a badger around the puck, and has a big-league shot. Drew Doughty (2008) and Luke Schenn (2008) were both very good in their own end, and while they were as uninspiring as the other defensemen, they didn’t look out of place. Both guys should have very bright futures ahead of them.
This is already too long, so I’ll point out the bright spots from the Russian side very quickly. Although he surrendered all eight goals, Sergei Bobrovsky was spectacular in the Russian goal. He was not drafted in his draft year, but could become a Roman Cechmanek, Tim Thomas or Cristobal Huet-type down the road. He showed a lot of heart, and the score would have been much worse without him. Maxim Mamin, also undrafted, played a strong, physical game for the Russians. Though he didn’t dazzle with skill, he seemed like a solid, third-line kind of guy. The sort of guy your team doesn’t win many games without. Ruslan Backdrop (Ott) was a late addition to the team, but played with a lot of heart. He drove to the net hard, and played a solid game.
Game six goes Wednesday night in Saskatoon, and I will absolutely be tuning in.
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