NHL Review

In a couple of days, the infamous "dog days of Summer" officially begin, bringing along with it hot dogs, pickup ball games and of course the frenzy that is the NHL free agency. The talks are already brewing and many GMs are looking to make a splash as soon as July 1st appears. Though there are many familiar names, such as Hossa, Gaborik and Sundin (one of whom should just CALL IT QUITS), there are quite a few role players and above-average players who do not get the recognition they deserve... or the salary for that matter.

Here are some of the upcoming free agents that we can't help but love, whether it is their grind it out attitude or veteran experience that we look up to and respect.


Name: Mark Recchi
Team: Boston Bruins
Age: 41
Salary: $1.5m
Team should play for: Boston Bruins



It is certainly no secret that this guy is old, but as much as we want him to retire there is just too much gas left in the tank to let him retire. Recchi is a force throughout the regular season, especially after the trade deadline, as this veteran has been a favorite numerous years during trade time. Though we mentioned his aging body, this man has been no slouch in the points department, registering 61 of them (23 goals 38 assists) between the horrifyingly bad Tampa Bay Lightning and the playoff-choking Boston Bruins. Though he finished in the negatives (+/- -16), this sniper knows how to put the puck in the net, and has no intentions of giving up anytime soon. He has stated that he loves the Bruins' organization and would like to stay, given the opportunity of course. Boston would be wise to resign Recchi, if not only to a one year deal. This would allow Recchi to compete with a cup contender, also being low risk to the Bruins. If he does not perform well, no big deal, there are plenty of minor league guys waiting to fill a roster spot.

Name: Nikolai Antropov
Team: New York Rangers
Age: 29
Salary: $2.05m
Team should play for: Edmonton Oilers, KHL(?)



Nik Antropov was acquired at the trade deadline for a conditional pick and a second rounder at this year's draft. Now, the New York Rangers are asking, "was it worth it?" Personally I don't think so. The whole point of getting this guy was to bolster their lineup with Toronto's power forward center going into the playoffs. The Rangers didn't even make it through the first round! The blueshirts are reconsidering this rental player as he was not the player he though he was, only registering 3 points in the 7 game series against Washington; good, but nothing to sneeze at. With all the Heatley rumors swirling about, it is difficult to get a read into this situation, but if the Rangers DO decide to trade for the all-star Senator, Antropov's rights may be going the other way (granted the Rags trade for his rights before July 1st). A more likely scenario is that he may play in Russia, as he has been reported to want $5m for his next contract (which his numbers CLEARLY do not reflect). He could also sign with the Oilers, if they choose to pay that outrageous price. Either way, Antropov is highly overrated. End of story.

Name: Rob Scuderi
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 30
Salary: $0.725m
Team should play for: Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators



Though not an offensive player, Rob Scuderi is arguably one of the best shutdown defenseman in the league. At age 30, this former Boston College Eagle will want a big pay raise come July 1st, as he was a force in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Able to shutdown big names like Alex Ovechkin and Eric Staal is not a small task, especially for a smaller guy like Scuds. The key to keeping Ovie honest was to not let him get to his forehand, enabling the Russian prodigy nearly useless. Though many are saying Scuderi is worth $3m, I think he is a pretty humble guy and will want to resign with the Penguins at around $2m. However, many GMs would love to have him, as he has really proven himself all season long with spectacular defense (especially considering his partner was HAL GILL). Though we probably will see this guy back in the Burgh, I have a feeling he will go to Nashville if he decides to walk.

Well the NHL Draft was nothing less than exciting Friday in regards to trading, as two major trades were made by Calgary, Anaheim, Philadelphia and Florida.


It was no surprise to most that star defenceman Jay Bouwmeester's rights were traded. The Panthers have been looking to unload this guy ever since they were eliminated from the postseason, keeping him at the deadline with the belief that they would be a playoff competitor. Shipping JayBo off to Calgary paid dividends in the name of Jordan Leopold (UFA) and a 2009 third-round draft pick. Though both Leopold and Bouwmeester are free agents in a few days, they both must want to sign with these teams. Well, not necessarily, but they are good homes for both of them.


Also on the trade front, was another prime defenceman by the name of Chris Pronger. He was given to the Flyers in exchange for (former and now current) Duck Joffery Lupul, rookie defenceman Luca Sbisa, and two first round picks (2009 and 2010). This is HUGE for the Anaheim Ducks, they (in my humble opinion) stole many assets from the Flyers in order to unload a salary cap hindrance as well as an aging veteran who isn't as good as he once was. Adding Lupul ignites their offense, who may click again with former cup winning teammates. I'm not sure if the Flyers took him because they knew Bouwmeester was already taken (Pronger deal came before Bouwmeester deal), or because Scott Niedermayer decided to strap up the laces next season... or maybe both? Either way, the Ducks really stole this trade. Good thing too, because they really got hosed after trading Chris Kunitz and top prospect Eric Tangradi to Pittsburgh for Ryan Whitney. Whatever makes 'em happy right?

Okay so we all know about Heatley wanting to be traded, but here's what you need to know:

There are ten listed teams that he allegedly gave to GM Bryan Murray:

Los Angeles Kings
New York Rangers
San Jose Sharks
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
Vancouver Canucks
Boston Bruins

I also heard that the Pittsburgh Penguins were on that list, but major reports do not give that information.

In addition, Heatley may go to one of three teams, according to many sources. They are the Minnesota Wild (not on the list), St. Louis Blues (also not on the list), and the New York Rangers. The Rangers have been rumored to offer many players including Nikolai Zherdev, draft picks and prospects. Los Angeles broadcaster Daryl Evans tweeted: "just spoke with Hexy about what OTT is asking for in exchange for Heatley. He said '1 or 2 players and our fifth pick.'"

To put it simply: We have absolutely NO idea where Heatley is going, but we're pretty sure it isn't Pittsburgh or Detroit (maybe not even then, I've seen speculation on the Pens' boards about Talbot, Kunitz and a 1st rounder but GM Shero learned his lesson with Hossa).








Tomas Kaberle Officially on the Market



The Toronto star defenceman is said to be up on the trade block only days before the NHL Draft. This is huge, as many offers have already been made to the blueliner. Some kind of deal is likely to go down just minutes before the draft begins tomorrow. TSN.ca has announced that an "unidentified team" has offered a high talent player as well as a draft pick for Kaberle. Though not much has been said (not surprising for Burke), there is definitely going to be some buzz around the hockey water cooler (couldn't think of an analogy...) tomorrow before draft time!

There's been a lot of talk about the 2009 NHL Draft lately (considering it is TOMORROW!), all about the Tavareses, Hedmans and Duchenes of the draft, but one essential position is being overlooked. We're talking about goaltenders, damnit! There are PLENTY of goaltenders listed on NHL.com's draft page, but not much is spoken about them. So I'm going to highlight who I think are the top 2 tenders and give a little background on them for you! Using first overall pick from 2003, Marc-Andre Fleury, I will use him as a model to take a look at the top goaltenders coming into this draft.

Now, we all know that first round goaltenders are a rarity. The last first overall goaltender was none other than Stanley Cup Champ Marc-Andre Fleury. Though he is a tremendous goaltender, he still is learning the tricks of the trade in the 'burgh and has his definite ups and downs. That's why first round goaltenders are so tricky; they have great skill but can struggle on getting back to basics. Rebound control is one of the things Marc-Andre HAS to improve on to become a top tier goaltender. Making the little saves, the safe plays and the smart decision of WHEN to get the puck when it is behind your net is something he needs to, and probably will learn in the future.

Top Goalie Prospect #1: Matthew Hackett

Junior League Team: Plymouth Whalers (OHL)

Native Country: Canada

Nephew of former NHL goaltender Jeff Hackett, Matthew is currently playing for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Despite a poor performance by Plymouth throughout the season, Hackett was able to bail his team out time and time again, somehow leading them to the playoffs through his tremendous play. The Whalers were able to bounce back in the playoffs, beating Sarnia to advance to the second round. Over the course of a season, Hackett competed in 55 games, earning a 3.04 GAA and a .913 save-percentage. In the postseason, Hackett was 6-5-0 and received a 3.01 GAA with a .913 save-percentage. Voted Plymouth's MVP for the 2009 Playoffs, Matthew has been no slouch in his short career as a Whaler and has proven himself on a sub-par team.

Top Goalie Prospect #2: Robin Lehner

Junior League Team: Frolunda Jr. (SWE-JR.)

Native Country: Sweden

At 6' 3" and 220 lbs, Robin Lehner is one of the top goaltenders to come out of Sweden this year. With Frolunda Jr., this netminder recorded a 3.02 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Robin also competed in the IIHF U-18 tournament, tallying a 2.8 GAA and a 9.13 save percentage. This goalie is a big dude who has an unbelievable wave of motion and is quite flexible for his size. Critics have called this guy one of the strongest draft picks (physicality-wise) which enables him to keep those big power fowards out of his crease.

Though not confirmed, it seems that all-star veteran Sergei Fedorov has decided to play out the remainder of his career with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. Though there was speculation that this would be the case for Feds, it was not for sure, as he did express interest in staying in the NHL with the Washington Captials. Fedorov, 39, stated in late May that he considered playing with his two brothers, Fedor and Evegny, to finish out his career as a star hockey player. This move seems like a wise one for the former 3 cup Stanley Cup champion, as he can still play the competitive game in a lesser market. Though it is rumored that he will be paid $3.8 million over in Russia (not sure how many Rubles that is), nothing has been officially confirmed by TSN or NHL.

Throughout his career, Fedorov played with greats such as Steve Yzerman and the young phenom Alex Ovechkin. Drafted in the 4th round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Fedorov eventually began his career in Detroit, achieving great success with 3 Stanley Cup wins and multiple individual awards. He had a brief 2 year stint with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim before moving on to the Columbus Blue Jackets and eventually settling in with fellow countrymen Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals. His last season consisted of 52 games played, 11 goals, 22 assists, tallying 33 points.

Rob Schremp in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton shootout from Pat Canella on Vimeo.

According to TSN.ca and NHL.com, expert defenseman Chris Chelios will not play for the Wings come October. The future hall of famer and Red Wings' GM Ken Holland came to a mutual agreement last summer that the one year deal will be final and Chris will have to move on. Though he is not sure where his next (and possibly final) destination would be, he is confident that he can still play full-time and isn't looking to quit anytime soon. The 47 year old vet has played 28 games with the Red Wings and has not tallied a point in any of those games.

Sad to see him leave the Wings for sure, he said he still wants to play though, so I wonder who he'll end up with. Good idea to only sign him to a one year deal, frees up a bit of cap space as well for the Wings. Overall a good investment I'd say, decent backup and mentor for younger players.