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Free Agency 2008

The first day of Free Agent Frenzy is over, and the results for Canucks is zip.

Well, except for PR purposes. Mike Gillis desperately want to make Hockey Headlines, offered 37-yrs old Swedish Centerman Mats Sundin a stupendous 20 Million dollars 2 year deal for him to play in Vancouver. I guess the bigger surprise is that Sundin didn't accept the offer which would have made him the highest payroll player in the entire NHL. Sundin's agent J.P. Barry apparently said that Sundin has still not decided whether he will return to NHL next year.

What do I think about this offer? I think that Mike Gillis didn't want to repeat what happened to Dave Nonis on the previous trading deadline, he didn't want to come out and say that he's tried to make various offers, but none make sense for the benefits of the hockey club. How would that look as a rookie GM of a hockey-crazied town. So, just to make sure that everybody knows he tried, he offered the most ridiculous offer to an aged superstar who is comtemplating retirement.

Don't get me wrong, I think that Sundin is a great player, and he is in good shape, probably better than a lot of the younger guys out there (not pointing my finger at Kyle Wellwood, if you are asking). He can still contribute a lot to our team if he wants to play. But according to Gillis, his intention as GM is to build our team for years to come, and is Sundin really our star player to build around? I think you know the answer to that one.

Again, I seriously don't think Sundin will end up here, but it does show one more thing, our chances to land Hossa and Demitra just got slimmer and slimmer. Pavol Demitra has made it clear today that he will not sign with any team until he knows where Hossa is signing. Does this means that he will only want to sign with the team that Hossa is signing with? Maybe, but of course it doesn't mean that the team will have the cap-space or the willingness to sign him and Hossa. Since the Canucks have announced our interest in signing Sundin to 10M per year, which we will be waiting to hear from, do you think Mike Gillis are still in talks with the Hossa camp? I don't think so.

So what does that leave us, at the end of the first day of free agency? Slim hope of any significant improvement in terms of starpower. We did, however, made one signing today, and it is to tough guy Darcy Hordichuk, perviously of the Nashville Predators. On top of our failed attempt in offer sheet to David Backes of the St. Louis Blues, whom they immediately matched, I'd say we made some headlines out of nothing today.
What about those we missed out on during our pursuit of Sundin and Hordichuk?? Brian Campbell signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, Wade Redden signed with the New York Rangers, Brian Rolston signed with the New Jersey Devils, Micharel Ryder to Boston Bruins, Radim Vrbata to Tampa (again!!! well done Mr. Feaster), Andrew Brunette to Minnesota Wild.

Furthermore, we missed out our chance on trades as well, as the Edmonton Oilers pulled a couple of trades landing Erik Cole from the Carolina Hurricanes and Gilbert Brule from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Two very good forwards which would've fit in nicely with the Canucks.

Am I disappointed? Not really, it turned out similar to what I expected. No, we won't sign any of the big names now, not even Pavol Demitra. We probably will lose Naslund and Morrison soon as well. My guess is that we will end up with Kyle Wellwood and Darcy Hordichuk as our only additions up until next season starts. Again, hopefully this will mean more chances for players from our farm team.

That's it here, this is Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest, and I will return in the next few days if something happens, if not, I will see you all again next season.

Don't expect big free agents pick-up by Canucks

Ok, soon after the Tampa Bay Lightnings traded away their third round pick to Pittsburgh for an exclusive discussion with Malone and Roberts until 1 July, and the hiring of Greg Malone (Ryan's father) as their Head Pro Scout, Ryan was announced signed to a 7-years 31.5M contract with the Lightning. No-one should be surprised of this, but with Malone off the market, the dynamics prior to July 1st have changed significantly. Mark me as one of the first to say that we shouldn't expect the Canucks to have any big free-agents pick-up this year.

The reason is simple, salary Cap. Ever since the lock-out, the salary cap has continuously increased every year. The 08-09 will be at 56M. So much like to old days, the big clubs will have much money to spend this year. And aside from Pavol Demitra, who still has a big chance to sign here, we will have to virtually fight with every other team in the market for the rest of the better players. The Canucks were never successful in UFA signings, because our management have always been too conservative. Don't be fooled by them when they say they are committed in certain players, because it's one thing to say you are committed, and another to actually go out of your way to make it happen.

The Lightnings did, by hiring Greg Malone, and then making a trade to have exclusive discussion with Ryan. Would the Canucks have done that? Not likely. This is also reflected on the offers our organizations are willing to make. Despite some fans suggesting that Marian Hossa will most certainly sign here since Demitra is best friends with Hossa, and would like a chance to play together on the same team. Oh how I would like that to be true. I don't doubt Hossa for wanting to play with his best friend, but when push come to shove, it's all about the $ he's getting. Hossa was making a bit more than 7M prior to his playoff performance, and from the fact that he rejected Pittsburgh's offer of a multi-year 7M deal and the chance to play along side Sidney Crosby, how much does it take to have Hossa on our team?? I'd say somewhere close to 8.5M and at least a 5-year deal.

But will the Canucks offer this to Hossa? As we stand right now (according to TSN.ca), we have about 20M cap space left, so we can afford him, but will we make this offer in time to sign him. From past experience, no. By the end of 1 July, Gillis might sit and regret that he should've given Hossa what he wanted as he watches him wearing a Boston Bruins jersey.

What about other free agents?? Sundin? Jagr? Sakic? These three are pretty much already taken. Most others have signed with their original team. Who else are left? Ryder? Satan? Rolston? Prospal?? Hardly ones who will make me excited, but most importantly, the Canucks will follow the same mindset as I suggested. They will under-offer them, and when they sign with some other team, we will regret missing out on the opportunities.

Don't get me wrong, I still think that we will get Demitra, but along with Kyle Wellwood, these two are pretty much what we can get for nothing. The rest will rely on trades. We are somewhat better with trades, because the rules are clearer, and saying yes to an offer is always easier than drafting up an offer out of nothing.

Should we start panic now? Not really. Because even if we don't make any significant trades, and we aren't able to keep Naslund and Morrison. I am still not too worried about our line-up. We are talking about the NHL here, and like I always say, the skill levels of the best players with the not-so-good players aren't as different as one would expect. Given the right amount of opportunities and training, anyone can be half-decent. The Canucks, in fact, do have some depth in our farm team, (although we've lost one of our brighter prospect tragically - R.I.P Luc), when we look at Mason Raymond, Cory Schneider, Micheal Grabner, Jannik Hansen, Patrick White, Daniel Rahimi, Kiril Koltsov (thanks Nonis!), Cody Hodgson.

So in my opinion, yes, the team will be very different next year without Linden, Naslund and Morrison, but I think our team will survive and we shall see the blooming of our younger players. Let's hope Gillis give them a chance.

Stay tuned, I will have a recap of the signings and trades after July 1st. Signing off, I'm Saint Pako from the Hockey Digest.

Canucks pick up Wellwood off waivers

One day after Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher placed 2nd line centerman Kyle Wellwood on waivers, the Vancouver Canucks claimed the rights to this soon-to-be restricted free agent. The Canucks now have to provide him with a qualifying offer before July 1st should they wish to retain his service for the coming season.

Initial reactions to this are mixed across different forums, for Leafs fans, most suggests that they are glad the Canucks picked up their trash, while some wish him success in Vancity. As for the Canucks fans, most believe this to be an excellent free pick-up, getting a good playmaker who played on the Leafs top-line during Sundin's injury for nothing. Other 'nucks fans believe that Wellwood is out of condition, and with his passed groin injury as well as multiple surgery to his sports hernia, he is worth little to Vancouver, except taking a hit on the salary cap. Some speculate hidden problems with Wellwood, from the fact that no teams in the NHL are willing to trade him for anything. The following is what I wrote on the Canucks.com forum:

Just like to reply to those of you who thinks there's some kind of big conspiracy behind why Wellwood wasn't able to be traded, suggesting that his condition must be so terrible that he has no value to any teams.

Think about what Toronto is doing, I mean it looks to me like Fletcher is on panic mode or something, I can understand some would think that Wellwood is overated and may not draw a lot of interest from teams in terms of trade (at least not a few days before Free Agency begins), but what about Darcy Tucker, what about Andrew Raycroft, are they of so little value that you cannot trade them for anything (a bag of pucks, anyone) ???

I think the problem is all about timing, for some reason, the Leafs want to do a clean-house before free agency begins, probably because they think that they will make a big splash or something. Think about it, Tucker, Wellwood or Raycroft in other times during a season would've drawn at least some interest in terms of trade, it's just that at this very moment, their value is perhaps the lowest, since every other GM thinks that they have a chance at the big names in UFA. No-one would be interested to trade for "these" players, well...at least not this very moment.

So I think the Leafs are making huge mistakes by letting these players just walk for nothing (as I write this, I know Raycroft cleared waivers).

Anyways, good move by MG to pick up Wellwood, it's at least a costless acquistion that we can always back-out, and one that may turn out to be an excellent asset to the orginization for free.

Still a few days away from July 1st, it's interesting to see if there's any other moves coming. Heard that Vancouver is actively chasing Hossa, Malone in terms of UFA, and making a trade with Carolina involving Bieska for Cole or Williams.

Let's wait and see. Signing off, this is Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.

Free Agents for Sale

The Free Agency for NHL will begin in less than a week, and unlike previous years, the crop for this year is not that exciting. Having said that, there are a number of big names available for the highest bidder.

Above all, perhaps the ones who are receiving the highest media coverage are Mats Sundin, Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell. Sundin at 36 years of age, have spent most of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise. Currently making 5.5 Million per year, he is drawing a great deal of interests across the league. He has said many times in the past, that his wish was to finish his career in Toronto, however, after numerous disastrous seasons with the Leafs, the All-star center and captain is counting his chances for the ultimate glory, the Stanley Cup. So his choosing criteria will surely include a chance to play for a cup-contender.

Marian Hossa is perhaps the most prized possession for forwards this year. In terms of age, he still has a lot of mileage left, and in terms of goal-scoring ability, he is amongst the best in the league, and can step into any line-up and contribute immediately. After being traded to Pittsburgh as a rental, his performance in the playoffs were magnificant, and his playoff run alone, helped his stock price increased by a great porportion. However, Hossa are often seen as a mercenary when compared to those players who'd compromise his own gains for a team, so it's most likely he will simpy go to the highest bidder in the market. And as to his loyalty for the long haul, it will remain questionable.

The best defenseman available this year as UFA, is unarguably Brian Campbell. Known as a world-class puck-moving defenseman, Campbell (29) can easily be the main assest any team wish to build around. Campbell is expected to at least get 6 million dollar salary in his new contract, came off a 62pts seasons with the Sabre and Sharks. He was also traded to San Jose prior to the trade-deadline this year as a rental player. San Jose, of course, has the best intention to sign him to a long term deal with the Sharks, but like many other big-name free agents out there in the new era of NHL, Campbell will try it out in the open market first.

Aside from these big three, the rest can be categorized as three groups, the older veteran stars, the up-coming second-tier stars, and the questionable acuquistions. The first group includes players like Joe Sakic, Sergei Fedorov, Jaromir Jagr, Peter Forsberg, Brendan Shanahan, Markus Naslund, Bobby Holik, Alex Zhamnov, Doug Weight, Rob Blake, Teppo Numminen, Chris Chelios, Olaf Kolzig, Dominik Hasek, Gary Roberts, Teemu Seleane...etc. These players are the big names in the past, but have somewhat slowed down a bit (due to age or health), and many are contemplating retiring in one or two years. So they may be good choices for added experience to a team, or a final piece of puzzle for a cup-contender, but surely not someone you will want to build with for the future.

I categorized Second-tier stars as those who can contribute immediately, and have huge up-side to his plays. He will add depth to any line-up, but perhaps not the biggest names you will go after, and in some cases, maybe cost more than one would spend in that role. They include: Pavol Demitra, Wade Redden, Miroslav Satan, Michael Ryder, Brad Stuart, Daymond Langkow, Brendan Morrison, Brian Rolston, Ryan Malone, Sean Avery, Craig Conroy, Vaclav Prospal, Ladislav Nagy, Martin Rucinsky, Andrew Brunette, Martin Lapointe, Adam Foote, Paul Mara, Jose Theodore, Cristobal Huet...etc.

The rest perhaps are what I called questionable acquistions. Of course, I may have missed out a lot of players in the first two categories, but I think you understand my logic. As for the Canucks, which is on the look-out for filling up their top six forwards positions, this year's draft may not offer a lot of choices. With Naslund and Morrison both goint to free-agency, of course there is still a chance that they will sign back with Vancouver, there are not a lot of players we can add to replace and improve of the two that we might lose. For the top-tier superstar, as in the past with Canucks, our chances are not great signing Hossa or Sundin. As for signing of the past superstars, I still believe that they only add to a strong line-up but cannot revive the depleted forward lines we have.

So it is with the second tier players that I think we can find some luck. I think we should be able to add one or two from this group, which will play on the second line for us, players like Demitra, Ryder, Malone, Rolston, Prospal are great additions if we can pull it off, but I think we won't be able to improve significantly through free agency.

This is why it will be very interesting to see the revamped line-up of the Canucks for the 08-09 season. Will we be able to add significant free-agent help? Will we look inside our organization to promote young players? Will we make big trades like moving the Sedins for a bonifide superstar? With the latest news of buyouts from numerous players like Darcy Tucker, will there be more UFAs come close to July 1st? They will unfold soon enough.

Signing off, this is Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.

2008 NHL Draft

The 2008 NHL Entry Draft has ended, and to no-one's surprise, Steven Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightnings. It seems that the effort by the Lightning on their terrible season was well rewarded by the one of the best forward prospect since Crosby and Ovechkin. Whether or not the much-hyped Stamkos can help Tampa Bay turn back into a cup-contender remains a mystery, but one thing is certain, the new owners of the Lightnings have found their focus of public relations for years to come.

This year's draft is consider the deepest draft for defensemen. Four out of the top five picks were defensemen, and perhaps the most notible move was Toronto Maple Leafs trading up to capture Luke Schenn of the WHL Kelowna Rockets. Another interesting move was by New York Islanders picking up Central-ranked 12th overall Joshua Bailey from the Windsor Spitfires with their 9th overall pick. Whether or not skipping over Cody Hodgson to pick Bailey is a smart move remains to be seen, but this has definitely opened up the option for the Canucks to choose between skillful leader Hodgson versus unpredictable powerforward Kyle Beach.

The Canucks at the end chose the best player the can get according to central scouting, which coincidentally fit with Canucks' need to rebuild the team. With Trevor Linden retiring and Captain Markus Naslund contemplating open market, young Hodgson maybe the piece the Canucks need to move on in years to come. Characterized by some as " a slower Steven Stamkos", Hodgson who also played minor hockey with Stamkos maybe the real deal. He offers strong leadership on and off the ice, and whether he is slow on the strides, you can see for yourself...

The Better Team Won

It's finally over. The Detroit Red Wings are the Stanley Cup Champions of 2008.

And I think, for this year, the best team in the entire NHL won.

4th time in 11 years proved once and again that Detroit is indeed the Hockey Town of the world. But what a series it has been. The Pittsburgh Penguins although lost 4-2 games in the stretch post an enormous fight against the most complete team in the world. Filled with a bunch of young guns who have the hearts of tigers, the Penguins literally fought to the last seconds until they were ultimately defeated.

Filled with inspiring moments, this series is in my heart the best series I've seen this year. Down two games to none, we saw Penguins captain Sidney Crosby training by himself in an optional practise of their day-off after game two. His eyes were filled with determination and hunger, and he knew he had to be better in game three for his team. And he did, scoring the first two goals in the game, and in the series, carrying the entire team on his shoulder. He gave the team a chance, and showed them by example while saving the last bit of self-confidence they have from being severely crushed by the veteren Wings. They won 3-2 that game.

However, things didn't turn out any better the next game, as Detroit showed that they are clearly the better team, by winning most stats of the games including faceoffs, SOG...etc. Their puck-possession game was so much better than the Penguins, that the team which swept throught their entire Eastern Conference series seemed lost and desperate most of the time. Marian Hossa played some of his best hockey in the playoff with the Penguins scoring the first goal in game 4, but Detroit shut down all of their offense afterwards, with an equalized from their all-star captain Lidstrom and the eventual winner by Hudler.

Going into game five, the Pens down three game to one, and in the verge of elimination, played some of their best hockey, both up front and in the net. Again Hossa led the offense with the first goal, with setup by the Captain, and then Adam Hall on a not-so-pretty goal. Up 2-0 entering the second period, the Red Wings again showed up by answering one back. Then in third period, Detroit showed them once again why the Penguins were in the deep hole they found themselves by totally shutting down their start players, getting an equalizer and the leading goal. Marc Andre Fluery was spectacular entering the last minutes of the third period, but with Pens down by a goal, their quest for the cup seems close to the end.

But entering the last minute of the game the Pens pulled their goalie and chose the most unusual player as the extra attacker, who turned out to be the hero, in the form of Maxime Talbot. Talbot scored in 19:25 to tie the game at three and forced overtime. The overtime periods saw even more tremendous saves from Fluery, and it took both teams 3 overtime period to decide anything. At the end it was on a penalty call which lead to a powerplay goal by Petr Sykora who saved the Pens from elimination.

So we came to game 6, which saw the Wings continue their solid puck-possession play, as their add a goal in each of the first two periods. Near the end of the second period, the Penguins seemed lost again and also breathless, until they catch a break with a powerplay goal by Evgeni Malkin late in the second period. Starting the third, the Penguins seemed again fired up, but in a simple drive to the net play, the Penguins mistakenly thought that Fleury had the puck covered cost them the most important goal of their year. Again, on the verge of elimination, the best player from the Pens gave the team hope again, when Marian Hossa re-directed a slapshot passed Osgood on a power-play goal which brought back life to the dead-silent Igloo. But it was too little too late, as there was only less than two minutes left of the clock, and although the Pens pulled Fluery again for an extra attacker this time it came short to tie the game.

The Penguins failed their mission to capture the cup this year, but as it showed in the final seconds in this game, when Hossa tried to take advantage of a big rebound from Osgood, tried to poke the puck into the net with one hand, only for it to slide parallel the goal-line with the clock down to zero, this young team never once gave-up hope. This is perhaps the most inspiring part of this series.

Ever since the puck drop, it was clear that Detroit was the better team. No matter how good the Penguins looked in their Eastern Conference run, the Red Wings was by far the superior team in almost every aspect of the game. The Penguins gave it their best fight, and they learned the most valuable lesson this year, and I am most certain that this is just the beginning of the story for this young team's road to become another dynasty of champions for years to come.

Rememer Gretzky and the oiler's first quest at the cup, anyone??

My MVP for both teams in the series are:

Detroit Red Wings - Henrik Zetterberg

Pittsburgh Penguins - Marian Hossa

Signing off, Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.

A sad day for hockey

Today, the entire Hockey world was stunned by the tragic loss of future-star defenseman Luc Bourdon of the Canucks to a motorcycle accident.

Police reported that Bourdon was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle on a road near his home in Shippagan in northern New Brunswick around 12:30 P.M. He reportedly struck a tractor-trailer and was killed instantly.

The young and talented defenseman was a key factor to Canada's consecutive gold-medal finish at the World Junior Championship. Drafted by the Canucks 10th overall in the 2005 draft, Luc Bourdon showed many signs of potential stardom during his days with Vancouver, and he will be sorely missed by his family, friends, and hockey fans from across the world.

I wish to express my deepest sympathy to the Bourdon family, and hope they can find peace in this situation.

Rest in peace, dear Luc.

Signing out, Saint Pako.

Stanley Cup Finals - Update

Games 2 -0 Detroit Red Wings

Another excellent example of general wisdom prevails. Often do we hear that experience is everything in the playoffs, and it's especially the case in the finals. The Red Wings have been able to kept the Penguins off the score sheet for two straight games, limiting their shots to 19 in game 1 and 22 in game 2. Scores were 4-0 and 3-0 respectively.

As Penguins captain put it so accurate, it is Penguins inability to execute which cause this breakdown in puck-possession and ultimately scoring. The Penguins' offense seems weak and at times lost in their game against the Red Wings' defense. Tight body-check in combination with world-class puck-handling abilities eliminated any chance the Pittsburgh young guns have in any form of come-back. The team looks very different from the one that sweept through their first three rounds of the Eastern Conference. With their confidence slowly leaking away, it will take a lot more than pure skills for the Penguins to bounce back. I guess this is where the experience factor comes in.

Could this be the end of the magnificant run of the Pittsburgh Penguins, or could this just be the background story of a cinderella comeback, we will have to wait and see.


Signing off, Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.

Stanley Cup Finals - Preview Part 2

Sidney Crosby has often been compared to the Great One or the Magnificant One, and may be too many articles have been written about him, so I won't go further into talking about the all-time youngest captain of the NHL.

Looking at the Penguins steamrolling through the playoffs, sweeping the Senators in 4, knocking off the Rangers in 5, and eliminating state rivals Flyers in 5, one would've never imagined the ups and downs of their season. Plaqued with injuries during the regular season, the Pittsburgh showed all the right signs of overcoming adversity in the path for the ultimate glory this year.

The Penguins lost their captain for over 30 games this year due to a high-ankle injury. Veteren Gary Roberts, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, Maxime Talbot, Adam Hall and Mark Eaton all suffered prolonger injuries, severely depleting Pittsburgh's line up. Around mid-november, the team were at a 7-10-1 run, with their future looking dark, the rest of the team managed to finish the season winning their first Atlantic Division title in 10 years.

When I see this, it makes me wonder about the excuses the Canucks give themselves for not making the play-off due to injuries. Because we all know that injuries are part of the game, and successful teams find ways to push on without their key players. Young players need to step up during desperate times, and we see this in the case of Evgeni Malkin. Ever since Sidney Crosby went down, Malkin has put the entire team on his shoulder, producing at key moments night-in and night-out, ensuring the Penguins a shot at the playoff. Another un-sung hero who has elevated his game during this season includes back-up goaltender Ty Conklin with his eight-game winning streak while posting the best save percentage just prior to the all-star break. Ryan Malone has another break-out year, and has finally established himself as top power-forward in the league, which eventually was rewarded by being named the team's alternate captain.

Looking at the post-season efforts, it now seems like the Penguins are unstoppable. Easily rolling through all three lines, centered by young stars who each individually can easily be any other teams' first-liner. Key acquisition before the trading deadline in the form of supersniper Marian Hossa provided the final piece of puzzle for the team. Combining the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Hossa, Malone and Staal to provide one of the highest firing-power in recent NHL history, the team also added a lot of depth on the blueline with the addition of Pascal Dupuis and Hal Gill.

The Red Wings' success this years comes from building within, whereas the Penguins success can be attributed to the flawless acquisition via the trade route. And if the Red Wings symbolize home-grown veteren experiences, then the Penguins will symbolize fearless young talent. The average age of the Red Wings is 32.3 versus 27.9 of the Penguins, but if we look at their key players, the difference is more apparent:

Detroit Red Wings - Top line-up average age: 33
Pavel Datsyuk (29)
Henrik Zetterberg (27)
Tomas Holmstrom (35)
Niklas Lidstrom (38)
Brian Rafalski (34)
Chris Osgood (35)

Pittsburgh Penguins - Top line-up average age: 24
Sidney Crosby (20)
Evgeni Malkin (21)
Marian Hossa (29)
Sergei Gonchar (34)
Kris Letang (21)
Marc-Andre Fleury (23)

There is almost 10 years difference between the key line-up in terms of age, and this may become a huge factor once the series goes into 6 and 7 games, especially if these games turn into triple or quadriple over time.

Before making my prediction on the final champion, let's take a look at some stats:

Regular Season Record:
Detroit: 54 wins 115 Points
Pittsburgh:47 wins 102 Points

Playoff Scoring Leaders:
Detroit:
Henrik Zetterberg (11G 10A)
Pavel Datsyuk (9G 10A)
Johan Franzen (12G 3A)
Jiri Hudler (4G 9A)
Niklas Kronwall (0G 12A)

Pittsburgh:
Sidney Crosby (4G 17A)
Marian Hossa (9G 10A)
Evgeni Malkin (9G 10A)
Ryan Malone (6G 9A)
Sergei Gonchar (1G 10A)

Looking at five key areas in their game, I will now compare the two teams in terms of

Offense - Pittsburgh Wins
The Penguins easily win in this category. As I explained above, Crosby and co. has way more natural scoring talent than the Red Wings. One only needs to look at their bang-bang play and you can see their offensive abilities. This of course is not to underestimate the dynamic duo of Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but in terms of the top three lines, Pittsburgh has a sligh edge in terms of talent. Furthermore, the uncertainty in the red-hot Johan Franzen's return to the line-up adds support to my decision.

Defense - Detroit Wins
Unlike offense, defense is all about experience on top of their skills and talents, and Detroit has tons of it on their blueline. With multi-Norris Trophy winner and future hall-of-famer as their captain and anchoring their blue-line, Niklas Lidstrom is unquestionably the best defenseman in the league. Paired with two-time Stanley Cup winner Brian Rafalski, young and talented two-way d-man in Niklas Kornwall and Brad Stuart, I don't think I really need to stress anymore.

Goaltending - Detroit Wins
Goaltending is another aspect of the game where experience means a lot. Although statistically, Fleury is coming off red-hot in the post-season, he didn't have a good start to this season, and has suffered an extended injury, so although his confidence level is sky-high right now, a few wrong bounces here and there may cause mental breakdown for this young inexperience goaltender. On the other hand, Osgood has seen it all, being the starting goaltender for Detroit's Cup in 1998, his experience will be the key factor for the Wings.

Special Teams - Pittsburgh Wins
Pittsburgh ranks second overall in powerplay for this playoff with 24.6% successful rate, while Detroit ranks at fifth with 21%. Both teams have an 87.3% penalty-killing rate. The playing-style of both teams offers talented forwards opportunities in powerplay situations, and I think that Pittsburgh has a better pool of talent in this area.

Mental Factor - Pittsburgh Wins
The last key area I'd like to address is both teams' mental factor, specifically their hunger, their passion and their killer-instinct for cup. No one doubts that all three must be there for any team to be able to get this far, but in tight contest like this one, a minute edge in mindset can be a landslide. I think with Detroit's dominance in the regular seasons for the past decades, and their 3 cups in the last 11 years, they may be just a little bit less hungry. On the other hand, Pittsburgh's last cup was more that 16 years ago, and the franchise has been under so much adversity in the past decade, being nearly relocated to another city due to profit loss. The teams have been down at the bottom looking up for so many years, and with their franchise savior Crosby leading their attack, the team has a strong dominance in the mental factor.

To sum up, my prediction is that this will be the series which will only be decided until the very end. On paper, Pittsburgh's young offense against Detroit's experienced defense. On many levels, both teams are equal in their chances, except Pittsburgh might have a better mental edge. So I think:

Pittsburgh in 7 - Double OT game winner by Crosby

Wow! Wouldn't that be something???

That's all from here, I'm Saint Pako from the Hocket Digest.

Stanley Cup Finals - Preview

It's a plot taken directly from a Hollywood movie, a bunch of young-guns, talented and fearless going up against a veteren-filled proven champion team; this is the setting of this year's Stanley Cup Finals.
There's no doubt in my mind that this year's Stanley Cup finals holds the highest promotional value to Professional Ice Hockey in the past decade. It is matchup like this that can attract viewers to watch the most exciting sports on earth. Prior to the lock-out, we hear owners complaining about shrinking markets, dying franchises and lost viewers on cable networks, but after years of adjustments and changes like improved officiating and salary cap, we are here finally, back to the very basics - the entertainment and excitement of the game itself. Without this, there can be no future for this sport that we love so much.

This is probably why I have never been a fan of the boring trapping style of play. The game is about speed and excitement. I still remember the days when I used to watch Pavel Bure flying through the neutral zone stick-handling through all five skaters on the opposing team and then do a double-deak to score on the goalie. Fans used to jump out of their seats and cheer. That's when I fell in love with this sport. But recently I rarely hear young people talk about ice-hockey anymore. It almost seems like every time I bump into someone who enjoys hockey, they are the same age as I am. Those who have the luxury to experience the true exciting hockey games are those who remain loyal to the sport their entire life.

Although I am a Canucks fan, I find myself cheering for the Penguins and the Red Wings throughout their path to the finals this year. I think the reason I love both teams is simply that both teams play to score. Of course, the pens and the wings have excellent blue-liners, and both teams stresses team defense, but their success comes from their offense. Mike Babcock and Michel Therrien both are able to allow their forwards do what they do best, that is to score goals.



I will start by looking at the Detroit Red Wings. The wings are really the model franchise, as a lot of people will agree. In today's Pro-Sport, especially those that have salary cap, it seems inevitable that cup-winning franchise will soon go into re-building phase once they reach the top. It's especially true for the NHL, we see the Islanders, Oilers, Canadiens, Bruins, Penguins, Avalanche, Stars, all must go through a low cycle before they can bounce back to compete again. It makes perfect sense if you think about it,

1. You build a cup-winning franchise
2. You win the cup
3. Maybe you can extend one more year with the current roster
4. Players become too expensive to remain the entire group intact
5. You loose key players and the team becomes less competitive
6. The team starts loosing
7. You drop the remaining star-player, maybe keeping one or two of your franchise players
8. You get a chance at a good drafting position
9. You draft top prospect for a few years while you team become bottom-feeders
10. Prospects mature, and the team becomes contender again

If you look at the Red Wings for the last 10 seasons (not including the lockout in 04-05), they have never had fewer than 43 wins per season, they were conference champions 5 times, won the Stanley Cup 3 times, sweeping the opponents 4 games to 0 in the finals twice (against Flyers in 97, against Capitals in 98). During this span, they have never been lower than 4th place in their conference. Detroit is also the only team with the most players to ever played for one team in their career. How do you build a franchise with such consistency and loyalty?? The answer is that the best team always build from within. Note that most, if not all, of Detroit's most productive players, from the time of Yzerman to Zetterberg are all drafted and developed by their organization. Points producers of their early stanley cup team includes:

Steve Yzerman - Detroit draft 1983 4th Overall
Sergei Federov - Detroit draft 1989 74th Overall
Mathieu Dandenault - Detroit draft 1994 49th Overall
Tomas Holmstrom - Detroit draft 1994 257th Overall
Vyacheslav Kozlov - Detroit draft 1990 45th Overall
Vladimir Konstantinov - Detroit draft 1989 221th Overall
Joey Kocur - Detroit draft 1983 88th Overall
Mike Knuble - Detroit draft 1991 76th Overall
Martin LaPointe - Detroit draft 1991 10th Overall
Nicklas Lidstrom - Detroit draft 1989 53th Overall
Darren McCarty - Detroit draft 1992 46th Overall
Chris Osgood - Detroit draft 1991 54th Overall
Jamie Pushor - Detroit draft 1991 32th Overall

What about this year's Campbell Bowl winner line-up:

Justin Abdelkader - Detroit draft 2005 42th Overall
Pavel Datsyuk - Detroit draft 1998 171th Overall
Dallas Drake - Detroit draft 1989 116th Overall
Cory Emmerton - Detroit draft 2006 41th Overall
Valtteri Filppula - Detroit draft 2002 85th Overall
Johan Franzen - Detroit draft 2004 97th Overall
Darren Helm - Detroit draft 2005 132th Overall
Tomas Holmstrom - Detroit draft 1994 257th Overall
Jiri Hudler - Detroit draft 2002 58th Overall
Darren McCarty - Detroit draft 1992 46th Overall
Henrik Zetterberg - Detroit draft 1999 210th Overall
Jonathan Ericsson - Detroit draft 2002 291th Overall
Jakub Kindl - Detroit draft 2005 19th Overall
Niklas Kronwall - Detroit draft 2000 29th Overall
Nicklas Lidstrom - Detroit draft 1989 53th Overall
Derek Meech - Detroit draft 2002 229th Overall
Kyle Quincey - Detroit draft 2003 132th Overall
Jimmy Howard - Detroit draft 2003 64th Overall
Chris Osgood - Detroit draft 1991 54th Overall

On the teams of both era, there are more than half of the roster composed of Detroit's own draft picks, while most of their star players are taken late in drafts. With the exception of Steve Yzerman, most of their franchise faces are low picks, Federov (74), Lidstrom (53), Datsyuk (171), Zetterberg (210), Osgood (54), Holmstrom (257), Franzen (97), Kronwall (29). This stat, some may interpret as a failure to use their top picks on drafting star players. But due to Detroit continual success in the recent decades, they are always late in terms of draft position. Yet they are still able to find the diamond in the rough in examples of Datsyuk and Zetterberg, year after year. Of course, aside from their scouting, their player development program plays the main role in this area of success.
To round out our look at Detroit, I think that in recent decades, rarely do we see a championship team composed of so many self-draft players, could this be related to the success of Detroit in the regular season as well as play-offs during this time? With a team so experienced (7 players returning from the 2002 cup-winning team) and so balanced in every aspect, having scoring leaders in the dynamic duo, future hall-of-famer Lidstrom on the blue-line with Rafalsky and Kronwall, powerful secondary scoring in Franzen, and cup-winning goaltender in Osgood, I would think that most can agree that the Red Wings have a slight upper-hand over the Penguins, at least on paper.
I will continue with a look at the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow.

Signing out, this is Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.

Canucks fire Assistant Coaches

Confirmed by TSN on their website, the Canucks have just fired assistant coaches Barry Smith and Mike Kelly. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=238464&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_nhl

It has long been rumoured that coach changes are imminent ever since the replacement of GM Dave Nonis by Mike Gillis. General expectation was a complete change to the coaching line-up, but on Wednesday afternoon, it was Alain Vigneualt who delievered the news of firing two assistant coaches to the media.

Hard to imagine Vigneualt, the Jack Adams Award winner as top head-coach of the NHL for the 06-07 season, specifically for his efforts in bringing the Canucks to a club-record-breaking 49 wins per season, worrying about his job so soon. Vigneualt, a veteran coach who work as assistant coach for the Ottawa Senators in 92-93, spent four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens from 97-01 as their head-coach, during which he was first nominated for the Jack Adams Award in 2000.

Known for his defense-first playing style, which critics claim to be a "boring trapping" system, Vigneault was successful in making the Canucks a strong cup-contender in his first season with Vancouver. The Canucks won the Northwest division title, but was regretfully outsed in the second round to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions Anaheim Ducks. Fans were disappointed, but few pointed their fingers at the Jack Adams Award winner for his defensive style of play.

But coming into his second year this season, with expectations sky-high, the Canucks, plaqued with injuries throughout their line-up, failed to make the playoff again(twice in three years). Most were expecting Vigneault to follow Nonis' footsteps out of Vancouver for good.

However, analysts suggest wednesday's action by the Canucks' management a clear sign of support for Vigneualt to remain as the head coach for at least the coming season. Since it doesn't make sense to just announce firing of the assistant coaches, if management doesn't intend to keep the head-coach. Why fire the coaches separately? Not to mention the announcement was made by the head-coach himself. So all signs do point to Vigneualt to spend his remaining year of his contract with the Canucks, although he will surely be on a tight leash.

With Vigneualt staying put, does this mean the end of the Markus Naslund era for the Canucks? Or does the firing of two assistant coaches who were responsible for the forward lines indicate a change of playing style to follow?

Signing out, this is

Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.

Marian Gaborik a Canuck??

The latest rumors coming our of Minnesota and Vancouver is that Marian Gaborik might soon be the property of the Canucks. Although this is just plain rumors posted by forums of both teams. There may be more truth to this than one would suspect.

Gaborik has another year on his contract with the Wild, but he has expressed his discomfort with the defensive playing style of the team, which affected his stats throughout his career. Despite making the playoff this year, the Wild ended their season with a quick exit. Fans of Minnesota have been placing blames on the lack of consistency with their star player. The management of the Wild knows very well of Gaborik's wishes, and if they fail to act quickly in trading him, they may lose him to free agency come the end of next season.

On the other hand, the Canucks are facing similar circumstances with their captain Markus Naslund expressing his concerns with Alain Vigneault's defensive style. As Naslund has hinted that if Vigneault is to return with his old style of play, he will not likely sign back with the Canucks.

With a new GM now implaced, Mike Gillis openly expressed his wish to have exciting hockey back in Vancity, so even if Vigneault is to remain as head coach for next year, the style of play is likely to change. The official rumor now is as following:

To Vancouver:

Marian Gaborik

To Minnesota:

Ryan Kesler
Cory Schneider
10th Overall Pick in 2008

Some suggests that Minnesota wins this trade, in Kesler they get a young 20+ goal scorer who plays a solid shut-down role with huge potential, a solid goaltender prospect - probably the best you can find right now, and a 10th overall pick in this year's epic draft. This may be true if Vancouver is unable to re-sign Gaborik to a long term deal. To do so, Vancouver must paint a pretty picture for the years to come, in terms of style of play, support team and commitment to cup contention.

However, should the Canucks be able to keep Gaborik's interests, this will be a solid deal for Vancouver as well, as they have never had a natural goal-scoring right-wing such as Gaborik ever since Pavel Bure. By trading Gaborik here, and the current rumors of Pavol Demitra visiting Vancouver, chances of signing back free agents such as Naslund and Morrison would be much higher. The roster sure looks pretty good with the Sedins, Naslund, Morrison, Gaborik, Demitra, Ohlund, Mitchel, Edler, Salo and star netminder Luongo.

With all the changes going on in Vancouver right now, one thing they have plenty of is salary cap.

Let's wait and see if there's any truth to this rumor.

I'm Saint Pako from the Hockey Digest.

Fabian Brunnstrom

FABULOUS OR NOT??















Depending on who you talk to.

I've decided to write something about the "most sought-after non-NHL player of the world" - Fabian Brunnstrom. I remember the last time a player was called this, his name was Evgeni Malkin. But what about this time? Is Brunnstrom the next Malkin??

Brunnstrom has been arguably to most talked-about player with the least known information of. Type his name in youtube, and you can only find the same blurry video of his goal against Luleå in the Swedish Elite League. Little is known of his true abilities, and very few has seen him play. He hasn't won any significant awards in his career, nor has he represented his country in the national level. In fact, he was rejected by the Swedish National Team playing for the World Championship in Halifax and Quebec City. Swedish National Team GM Mats Naslund reportedly said "...he had a great start to the season and until Christmas he was playing like a national team player...But since Christmas he has not progressed good enough for us.” Naslund continued by saying he's seen him play a lot, and don't understand what the hype is all about, and that "...he has a little more to prove."

Players of his calibre on paper comes in dozens even in the Swedish Elite League, yet, he's been the talk for the past few months in forums and newsites across the world. He's been wooed by more than 20 NHL teams in the past few months, including the likes of Detroit, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Dallas. He's been called the next Daniel Alfredsson, mainly due to him being overlooked in last year's draft.

But let's take a look at his stats:

9 goals and 28 assists in 54 games in the Swedish Elite League.

Hardly a potential superstar worth fighting over by 20 GMs in the NHL. Of course you can't really judge a player simply by their stats so early in their career, I mean Daniel Alfredsson had 7 goals and 11 assists in 22 goals prior to coming to the NHL. Henrik Zetterberg has 10 goals 22 assists in 48 games in the Swedisn Elite League. On the other hand, everyone knows that Alexandre Daigle had 45 goals 92 assists in 53 games in the QMJHL, and look how he turned out!!

But it is rather strange when we consider the amount of hype he's been getting lately. Is he really that good?? Apparently he isn't too sure about that himself, as in one the earliest interview he has with TSN at a playoff game, he himself questioned whether he is ready for the NHL. He told reporters that "he isn't Sidney Crosby", no kidding. Can this hype be purely the results of marketing efforts by his agent J.P. Barry?

Up until the firing of Canucks' GM Dave Nonis, numerous reports indicated that Brunnstrom are 99% close to signing with Vancouver. But right after Nonis' departure, Brunnstrom's camp immediately replies that they will most likely pull out from the deal. Initially, they suggested that the main reasons for Brunnstrom signing in Vancouver were (1) the chance to play with fellow countrymen Sedin brothers, (2) less jam-packed forward line-up which means he gets more ice-time and (3) his confidence with Nonis. Considering 2 of the 3 reasons he believed to be crucial remains the same, why the sudden change of heart for young Brunnstrom?

Some suggests that Nonis was offering Brunnstrom a guarantee to play with the Sedins, and his position in the big club for the entire year. This may be partly true, because GM of teams which were rejected by Brunnstrom reveals that Brunnstrom wishes to remain in the NHL for the entire year, unconditionally. Since Nonis was gone, it was suggested that the Canucks management quickly remove the offer, due to their questioning of his abilities. It's very understandable that a player wishes to spend as much time possible in the big league, but to go to the extent in this re-assurance does show a lack of confidence on his part.

Yet, other suggests that Brunnstrom wished to pull away from the deal anyways, they just needed a good reason for doing so. Brunnstrom's value was gradually increasing since the media took over, and reports of him signing with the Canucks prompted other GM to place offers for the Swedes' services. Camp Brunnstrom wanted to test the market for a bit longer, but they made committments with the Canucks, so the firing of Nonis was the best excuse for backing off the deal.

I personally believe that it's a combination of the two above reasons which led to Brunnstrom walking away from Canucks' offer. This also explains why the Aquilini's (Owners of Canucks), proceeded with firing Dave Nonis on the eve of signing Brunnstrom. First, they were never really convinced of Brunnstrom's abilities, and Nonis' offer may have further provoked the owners into the firing him from the GM position. Secondly, they were close to bringing in Mike Gillis to replace Dave Nonis, for various reasons which I will not go into details here. Knowing that Brunnstrom is re-considering his allegiance to the Canucks, they strike the first move, and remove themselves from the bidding.

Despite what the reasons were for not being able to sign Brunnstrom, the Canucks would have been a good fit for him, with the Sedins always looking for a talented winger, and a rather weak forward line-up. It wouldn't have been too difficult for Brunnstrom to crack the line-up if he is what his agent suggests to be. In any case, Brunnstrom is now the property of the Dallas Stars, but many, including this blogger, remains skeptical of his skills, as he now has an even harder challenge ahead of him, with all the expectations which came with the hype.



Signing out, this is Saint Pako from the Hockey Digest.

Relook at Canucks' 07-08 Season

Okay, to start off, I didn't have to luxury to watch all of the games as I spent a lot of my time away from Vancouver, but I tried to watch every game as best as I could through web-streaming.


The Canucks had a disappointing season this year, missing the playoff for the second time in three seasons, and the disappointment was shown by the firing of GM Dave Nonis.


But in all fairness to the team, the Canucks were plagued with injuries the entire seasons, and a full dressing of all regular defensemen were quite rare. Brendan Morrison's wrist surgery around December side-lined him most of the season, while also ending his Iron-man streak at 542 consecutive games. However the injuries to the team did give chances for young prospect to try-out at the NHL level.


As a result, young 22 years-old defensman Alexander Edler's rookie season turned out to be an excellent one. Edler was in fact invited to the YoungStar game during the All-Star weekend, which he was also named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. He finished his year playing the most games played of all Canucks defenseman at 75 games, loggoing a bit over 1600 minutes played. Earning 20 pts in his rookie season, with the highest plus-minus rating of 18, before finishing the year at plus-6, Edler became a regular on the PP unit, with four of his goals scored with the man advantage.


Another young prospect who took the advantage of this year's injuries was 22 yr-old speedy-forward Mason Raymond. Raymond, a 2nd-round, 51st overall pick of the 2005 draft, played 49 games this year for the Canucks, getting 9 goals and 12 assists. In the absence of Morrison, the Canucks was in desperate need of scoring, and young Raymond was able to partly fulfill that role with his quick speed and soft hands. It seems very likely that Raymond, along with Edler has graduated to the NHL level, and should've earned a roster spot for the next season.


Having said that, Edler and Raymond's performance seems like the only silver-lining one can pick out during this season, as there were a lot of expectation for the Canucks, especially after last year's division-title club-record breaking season. Heading into the Christmas break this year, the Canucks were seven games over .500 at 44 pts, tied for first in the NW division. The second half of the season sees the Canucks struggling with offense but playoff-hopes still seems very likely. As the trading deadline approaches, the Canucks were in need of signing a big-name forward to help turn their season around. As it was later revealed, Nonis was solely focused in chasing Tampay Bay MVP forward Brad Richards, so focused that the Canucks were left with no other options once Richards signed with the Dallas Stars.


We were left with an insignificant trade of the two Matts, Matt Cooke to Washington for Matt Pettinger. Hardly an improvement to our scoring need at all. Many people put their blame of the subsequent break-down of the Canucks to the lacking of action before the trading deadline. A sense of hopelessness, as some suggested, creeped into the locker room, and slowly ate up any confidence players have of winning the cup. This lack of confidence resulted with an even worse fate, the Canucks not even making the playoff. Just before the final eight games, the Canucks, although struggling, are still 3 points away from the highly competitive NW division title. But with just one win in the final eight, including a crucial loss to the non-cup-contending Oilers in their second last game at home, eliminated any last chance of a come back.


Personally, I think it's often too easy to give out excuses for a team's failure due to injuries, or lack of actions from a GM. But if we look closley at the players, we quickly find out that the Canucks were out of the playoff due to the quality of the players they have. The Sedins were used in the Canucks' line-up as first-liners this season, sometimes with Naslund on their wing as well. But when the team needs their contribution the most, especially during the last-stretch, our star players weren't stars at all. The Canucks ended their season ranking 7th best overall in terms of Goals Against Average, with most of the top 10 teams in this category playoff contenders (except Vancouver and Columbus). However, the Canucks ranked 23rd (8th worst) in terms of Goals For. Of course this stats doesn't show the complete picture, but it does offer some clue to the failure of the team.

I believe that Nonis was supposed to be fired in Feburary as opposed to April. He losts his job after the trading deadline, when he mis-calculated on the chances of landing Richards, and also his lack of a contingency plan to get another goal-scoring forward. Is it fair to blame Nonis was everything that went wrong with the Canucks? Of course it's not. But it is rather obvious what the Canucks immediate need was, I mean people have been yelling "find a winger for the Sedins" for years now, and yet we enter our post-season not a step closer to our goal.

Next off, with Mike Gillis on board now, where do we go from here? Will Alain Vigneault remain the head coach? Will Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison re-signs with the team? Which Unrestricted Free Agent will we bring in for next year? Answers to these questions are no doubt in the minds of a lot of people right now, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Signing off, Saint Pako of the Hockey Digest.