What You Need to Know July 20

Welcome to another edition of What You Need to Know. This edition is coming to you from the mountains just outside of Montreal. It's been a crazy week around the NHL so let's get you caught up.

Today we'll start with the biggest move and a scenario that would pretty much ruin the Nashville Predators. Chances are you've heard of Shea Weber, the heart and soul of the Predators and their captain. On Thursday morning news broke that Weber had signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers. The good news for Predator fans, is Nashville still has an opportunity to match that offer sheet and keep their captain in the music city. Only problem, the offer sheet is huge. How huge? 14 years $110 million. What makes this even worse for the Predators is they just lost Weber's friend and defence partner Ryan Suter to the Wild. The Preds stand in danger of losing both of their top two defenceman (ones already gone) and their captain, not a scenario you want to face. Of course they could always match the offer sheet, but do they really want to spend all that money on Weber?
If the Predators fail to match the offer sheet, they will receive four draft picks in exchange. Could this be the start of a massive rebuild?

Not a major surprise but unrestricted free agent Shane Doan has still not made up his mind on whether he will return to Phoenix or "take his talents elsewhere." Whats he waiting for? He is waiting for some clearer information on the ownership of the Coyotes. News that could take months to come! Doan has spent the last 16 seasons in Phoenix, and has been the captain since 2003. He has submitted a list of teams, and received a $30 million offer from one team (rumoured to be the Sabres). Only time will tell if Doan stays in the desert.

Stepping away from free agency and signing for a minute. More news on the 2013 Winter Classic. Leafs alumni Mats Sundin and Tie Domi both announced they will play in the Winter Classic alumni game. The two will join former Leaf Darcy Tucker. All three donned the blue and white together for several seasons.

What is Gary Bettman doing right now? His sole focus right now is trying to get a new collective bargaining agreement in place and avoid the third lockout under his control.  Bettman said he was "Focused on making a deal"and that he wants the deal done with the NHLPA prior to September 15th. But NHLPA head Donald Fehr wasn't as fond of the deadline his counter part set. Fehr commented that business can stall go on even after the deadline:

"The law doesn't require that the industry shut down if you don't have an agreement. Somebody has to chose to shut it down. At the moment, I see no reason to do that. Hopefully they don't either." ~ Donald Fehr

Talk about a loaded gun. This is basically Fehr's way of saying "If there is a lockout, it wasn't my idea". It will be interesting to see how much of a fight the NHLPA is willing to put up. But do the players really want to take a year of hockey?

Back to the signings. Buffalo Sabres first round draft choice Mikhail Grigorenko has finally signed his three-year entry-level contract. Grigorenko is now Sabres property and can not go and play for the KHL. But here's the kicker, if Grigorenko fails to crack the Sabres roster out of training camp he can't go play for the Rochester Americans because of his age. Grigorenko would have to go back and play in the QMJHL.

Tis the season to add coaches.
Next to free agency one of the busiest things about July is teams switching assistant coaches.

The New Jersey Devils have added Scott Stevens as an assistant coach. Stevens played 13 seasons in the NHL and was one of the most feared defenceman. He captained the Devils to three Stanley Cup championships and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. Decent resume eh?
Stevens will be in charge of the Devils defence.

The Chicago Blackhawks have added Jamie Kompon to their coaching staff. Kompon brings along a Stanley Cup ring from his days behind the Los Angeles Kings bench, where he spent 6 seasons prior.

Modano Return?
How much of an impact did the signing of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise have? It was big enough to convince Mike Modano to possibly come out of retirement and play one more season. Is there any truth to this rumour? Well Modano did start working out again on Monday, and didn't rule out the possibility of returning when he was asked.

"I don't know," he said. "You look at things and you wonder, 'What's the worst thing that could happen?' I mean, I get in better shape, one more year? That kind of intrigues me."

Mike Green returns to the Capitals
Mike Green is going to be seeing a lot of green after signing a three year extension with the Capitals. The two sides agreed to a three year deal worth $18.25 million, which will see him make $6 million for the next two years and then $6.25 million in the last deal. What do you think, is Mike Green worth the money?

That'll do it for this weeks update. Catch ya'll next week!

Top Free Agents

Free agency is just days away and rumours are starting to swirl around who's going where. So it's time to break down the free agency market and see who's available and where they may possibly land.

Forwards:


Zach Parise

Likely the biggest name on the market this season. Chances are Parise will not resign with the New Jersey Devils. While Parise wants to remain loyal to his team it's looking like the financial trouble the Devils may be facing could scare him away. Parise is a complete package any team that is able to afford his price tag will instantly be made better. He never takes a shift off and was a born leader, leading the Devils to within 2 wins of a Stanley Cup. He's a brilliant forward who can put the puck in the net, forecheck hard and never disappoints on defence either.

The three teams in the front running are: Pittsburgh, Detroit and Minnesota. With Sidney Crosby rumoured to have agreed to a 12 year contract with the Penguins there is rumour Parise will be joining him in Pittsburgh as the two are good friends.


Alexander Semin
Semin is a hit and miss player, sometimes he's on fire and other times it's like he's not even on the ice. The Capitals and Semin have virtually parted ways so he will not be returning to his old team. There was some talk he might head over to the KHL but if he can get a team to throw him a large contract he will likely stay. Semin plays a very good offensive game but not a good defensive game. When the Capitals were firing on all cylinders Semin fit in and became one of the top scorers in the league. When the Capitals turned to a more defensive style he struggled and found himself on the bench more often than not.

He would benefit most by going to a team that needs scoring, perhaps the Montreal Canadiens.


Dustin Penner

When the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup they had to give up certain players because they could no longer afford them. Just the same the Kings may have to start unloading some players one of them may be Penner. He's a curious case as he has the size, speed, skill and strength to be a successful NHL player but he scored just 7 goals all regular season. But despite his lack of success during the regular season Penner was a major contributor during the Kings Stanley Cup run much like he was for Anaheim in 2007.

After winning the cup in 2007 he signed by the Oilers but did not succeed in Edmonton. This time around he won't get signed for big money but might find a spot with the Calgary Flames. But if Penner doesn't mind taking a pay cut he could stay with the Kings.


Shane Doan
It would be shocking and painful for Coyotes fans not to see their captain back in the desert next season. He is the heart and soul of the team, the coyotes go as Doan goes and he was a major reason they made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. But at 36 Doan is going to want to make a run at a Stanley Cup and may want to play in a market that is more hockey friendly.

He's a solid goal scorer (reaching the 30 goal mark twice) and a natural leader. If the Devils are unable to retain Parise look for them to take a hard run at Doan.


Brad Boyes
It wouldn't be a good post if it didn't have some sort of tie to the Sabres. Boyes is a player who puzzles me. He's got all the skill and scoring ability yet he is a 4th line player who rarely contributes to the success of the Sabres. Boyes would likely benefit from a change in scenery (and a new coach).

Right now he is dead weight for the Sabres and hopefully will not be resigned. He can still score some goals and would be a solid 20 goal scorer for a team that needs a little scoring boost for their back end. Look for him to meet with the Wild.

Defence


Ryan Suter
Like Parise, Suter is the biggest free agent defenceman available right now.
Suter showed great poise and was huge for the Predators all season including during their playoff run. Right now all eyes are on him so the ball is in his court he will likely head to a team that will utilize him as a number one defenceman.

Look for the Dallas Stars to pursue Suter and offer him a contract.


Bryan Allen
Allen is ranked or regarded as high as Suter but he is a solid defenceman that many teams could benefit from. He doesn't produce a lot of goals but he plays a steady defensive game.

If the Stars are unable to land Suter, look for them to pursue Allen.


Justin Shultz

If you have not heard of Justin Shultz stop reading this article and kindly stop calling yourself a hockey fan. Right now this kid is the hottest name around. Just about 29 teams are looking at. Shultz is playing the Brad Richards card having teams come to him instead of him going to them. The thing about him is he hasn't even played a game in the NHL as he is just coming out of the University of Wisconsin.

Whatever team does end up with the "highly ranked" prospect who skipped the draft will likely end up over paying due to how much interest there reportedly is. He will be a hit or miss prospect that will hopefully perform well for whatever team courts him.

The short list is down to 5 teams including: Toronto, Vancouver, New York Rangers, Edmonton and Ottawa.


Hal Gill
Hal Gill is a player I have always loved to watch play, right from his days in Toronto. Although he suffered an injury that cut his season short he still saw an improvement in his goals and point production this year with Nashville. He is expected to make a full recovery over the off season and be ready for training camp.

Look for the Predators to retain Gill, especially if they lose Suter. Note Hal Gill resigned a 2 year deal with the Predators worth $4 million.

Matt Carle
While Carle will test the free agency markets he will still keep a foot in the door with the Flyers. A very solid defenceman who will be sought after during free agency. But I wouldn't expect him to leave the Flyers.

Goalies:


Cory Schneider
Technically Cory Schneider is not a real free agent and the Canucks have to intention of letting him walk and he will be their starter next season. Schneider single out played world class goaltender Roberto Luongo for the starting job and as a result chased the veteran out of town.


With Scneider between the pipes the Canucks have a bright future and a clean slate, they can put all this Luongo drama behind them and run with the young goalie who has a bright future.

Note- Cory Schneider agreed to a 3 year deal worth $12 million with the Canucks. 


Martin Biron
Biron is one of the most valuable back up goalies in the league. If a teams starter goes down to injury Biron is more than able to step right in and carry the work load of the starter. He spent last season in New York backing up the king Henrik Lundqvist and while his stats are no where close to the starter he was still a very solid back up goalie.

The Rangers would like to maintain Biron's services next for next season, but if they don't offer him some decent money 29 other teams would be more than willing to give the 34 year old a shot.


Martin Brodeur
If Brodeur decides that he is able to come back and play another season in the NHL the New Jersey Devils would gladly welcome him back. His performance last season taking the Devils to within 2 games of a Stanley Cup didn't hurt his cause either. Although Brodeur is 40 now he has not slowed down much and can still outplay young goalies, just when you think he's getting old he makes an amazing save out of no where.

It is unlikely Brodeur will part ways with the Devils as he has played with them his hole career, so it's just a matter of time before he resigns with them to end off his career.


Scott Clemmensen
With such a dry goaltending market this off season Clemmensen may be able to find a team that wouldn't ordinarily need his services. He played in just 25 games last season and as a result his Goals Against Average was a little high, but it will likely come down with some more consistent playing time.

Clemmensen would be a solid cheap back up for any team especially a team who has a starter who is shaky or goes down to injury.

More interesting free agents to keep an eye out for: Ryan Smyth, Teemu Selanne, Jaromir Jagr, Ray Whitney and Paul Gaustad.

Also be on the lookout for deals the involve Rick Nash and Bobby Ryan.

Tune in July 1st to see where some of the big name free agents are heading.

Eastern Conference Draft Preview

The NHL Entry Draft is just days away and as a follow up to my post from Monday: North East Division Draft Preview, it's time to preview the Eastern Conference for the upcoming draft. Some of the players from teams I wrote about on Monday will change teams, while others will stay the same.

So without further a due my Eastern Conference Draft Preview:

*Please note, I am not mixing trades into this preview. Several teams are considering trading up or down in the draft. So each pick is based on the team drafting a player their team needs at their current draft spot*

Montreal Canadiens- 3rd overall pick will select Alex Galchenyuk

If not for a season plagued by injuries Galchenyuk could have seriously challenged Sarnia Sting teammate Nail Yakupov for the first overall pick. Despite his injuries many are pegging Galchenyuk to be the best long term solution for a team in the draft. He possess all the skill to be a first overall draft choice and could turn out big for the Canadiens who need a much more positive season to save their franchises' image.

New York Islanders- 4th overall pick will select Ryan Murray
Ryan Murray is the best defenseman available in this years draft, yet he may fall out of the top 3 and if that happens the Islanders will be more than happy to give him a jersey and cap on stage in Pittsburgh. Murray has the potential to be a franchise player much like John Tavares and could be ready to step into the NHL as early as next season. He possess leadership and has experience playing against NHLers and which will help his transition to the NHL be as simple as possible. The Islanders need help on the back end which is why, if Murray is available they will draft him.

Toronto Maple Leafs- 5th overall pick will select Filip Forsberg
Brian Burke wants to get his hands on the first overall pick and has been in talks with Edmonton to acquire the pick. Edmonton wants a top notch defenseman, is Burke willing to give up what Edmonton is asking? The answer, probably not. So the Leafs will end up keeping and drafting with the 5th pick. The Leafs biggest need (outside of goaltending) is a number one centre (what team doesn't need one of those?) Forsberg is ranked as arguably the 2nd best forward in the draft behind Yakupov, so he may not be available at 5 but if he is the Leafs should snag him up.  He's a big tall forward who has the ability to play centre and could set up the Leafs for the long term.

Carolina Hurricans- 8th overall pick will select Teuvo Teravainen
Teravainen is a hit or miss player but right now the chance of him teaming up with Eric Staal and or Jeff Skinner is making the risk seem worthwhile to the Hurricanes. He's ranked 2nd out of all European players in the draft and excels on the bigger ice playing surfaces, so it will be interesting to see him adapt to the smaller ice.

Winnipeg Jets- 9th overall pick will select Jacob Trouba
The return of the Jets was a highlight for many hockey fans this season, and right now it doesn't matter what the Jets do they will still have the support of their fans. But if they want to have a better chance of making the playoffs they should select shutdown defenseman Jacob Trouba. But the Jets will have to wait at least 2 years before seeing Trouba in the NHL as he has committed to the University of Michigan. But if Trouba is given time to properly develop he could turn into a very solid player for the Jets.

Tampa Bay Lightning- 10th overall pick will select Griffen Reinhart
Reinhart was a part of the Edmonton Oil Kings who won the WHL Championship and next season he will be an even bigger part of the Oil Kings. He's a big (6'3" 207)tough defenseman who has hockey in his blood. Following in the footsteps of his older brother and father, many are saying Griffen could be the best Reinhart yet and he will likely be drafted highest.

Washington Capitals- 11th overall pick will select Radek Faksa
The Capitals don't need a defenseman, they need a big tall forward and Faksa fits the build. At 6'3" he fits the build of Jaromir Jagr, while he doesn't possess the same skill assets of Jagr, Faksa is still a solid pick. Faksa would fit in perfectly to fill the void as a 2nd line centre for the Caps.

Buffalo Sabres- 12th overall pick will select Cody Ceci

The Sabres are in a tricky place in the draft. On one hand they have 2 picks in the first round and 4 in the first 44, but on the other they sit just outside the top 10 and players they're looking at (Faksa, Reinhart) may be gone by the time Buffalo gets to the mic. Although the Sabres don't necessarily need a defenseman, if Ceci is available at 12 overall he should not be passed up.
Ceci of all players has flown up the draft charts, at the beginning of the season he wasn't even pegged to go in the first round, now he's pegged to go somewhere just outside of the top 10. Ceci would be a perfect fit on the back end matched with Tyler Myers and quarter backing the power play. Best part about Ceci is he could step into the NHL at the start of next season, which is what the Sabres are looking for.

Ottawa Senators- 15th overall pick will select Sebastian Collberg
The Senators have had great success drafting Swedish players, and will likely take another swedish player in Collberg. Many are expecting Collberg to turn into a solid 2nd line scoring threat in the NHL.

Washington Capitals- 16th overall pick will select Derrick Pouliot
Pouliot is one of the most uncertain picks in the draft, some reports have him going inside the top 10 while others have him dropping to 20th-25th. So what better place to pick Pouliot then in the middle. The Capitals don't need a defenseman right now, but they will certainly need one in the future which is why they should select Pouliot who is likely 3 years away from a full time stint in the NHL. With the benefit of 2 picks in the first round the Capitals can use one of the picks to draft for the future or take a risk.

Tampa Bay Lightning- 19th overall pick will select Tom Wilson
Once teams start getting near the top 20 in drafting there is less planing behind the picks and more of a mindset of taking "the best player available". At the 19th pick (the Lightning's 2nd) the best player available may just be the beast Tom Wilson. Wilson comes in at 6'4" 200 pounds and has the size and skill to step right into the NHL, he's not afraid to steamroll over players and drop the mitts when he has too. He excels when he plays alongside top players (like Stamkos). He is being compared to Boston Bruins power forward and heavy hitter Milan Lucic. With his skill, size and grit it wouldn't be a shock to see him go just before the top 20.

Philadelphia Flyers- 20th overall pick will select Hampus Lindholm
Much like Cody Ceci, Lindholm has improved his draft ranking over the past season, he's made quite the push and is now expected to go in the top 20. He's a solid defenseman who has an offensive instinct but will need to "bulk up" before stepping in the NHL. He's a solid pick who should be ready to go in a couple of years.

Buffalo Sabres- 21st overall pick will select Zemgus Girgensons
With their first pick in round 1 the Sabres selected a defenseman so look for them to select a forward with their second pick. Girgensons is the type of player you want on your team, he's got a rock solid work ethic and is a two-way forward with a shot that leaves goalies guessing. Only draw back is his prior commitment to the University of Vermont which will keep him out of the Sabres line up for at least 2 years.

Pittsburgh Penguins- 22nd overall pick will select Colton Sissons

When looking at a first glance picking 22nd out of 30 teams kind of seems like getting the short straw, but when looking back in draft history several solid players (that have turned into household names) were taken with the 22nd pick. Edmonton Oilers Jordan Eberle and Flyers Claude Giroux are two of the more noteworthy 22nd picks. While the Penguins don't need anymore star players (Crosby, Malkin, Neal) and they don't need any defenseman (drafted 2 last year) they are in need of a solid role player. One of the players who is a boarder line superstar but falls back to a role player on the Penguins is Jordan Staal. But the Penguins are trying to trade Staal, so Sissons could come in and fill his spot.

Florida Panthers- 23rd overall pick will select Brady Skjei
One of the best parts about the draft is the opportunity to stifle an opposing teams draft pick. Teams that are drafting after the Panther really want to get their hands on Skjei, so it would be perfect for the Panther to pick him up and find out why other organisations want him. Skjei is ranked as the best skater in this years draft, put him with another smooth skating player and watch the two of them make some magic.

Boston Bruins- 24th overall pick will select Nicholas Kerdiles
Kerdiles is the wild card pick in the draft, some rankings have him in the top 20 while others don't even have him in the first round. But Kerdiles is a solid face-off man and has the potential to turn into a solid 2nd line player.

New York Rangers- 28th overall pick will select Dalton Thrower
Chances are we're not going to see Thrower in the NHL as a high scoring defenseman, thats just not the way he plays. He's more of a rugged tough player who plays bigger than his size indicates, at only 6 feet tall Thrower is small for a tough defenseman by NHL's standards today so he'll have to rely on his smooth skating and heavy hitting to land him a spot in the NHL.

New Jersey Devils- 29th overall pick will select Malcolm Subban 
Contrary to popular belief the Devils are deciding to keep their 29th pick in this years draft instead of forfeiting it. Subban is the younger brother of Canadiens P.K Subban.
While it is rare for a goalie to be taken in the first round Subban may be worth the pick as he is the best goalie in this years draft. The Devils may be in need of a goaltender in a couple years when the legendary Martin Brodeur retires. Subban will have some big shoes to fill but if he's anything like his brother he'll be up for the challenge.

So there you have it folks my Easter Conference Draft Preview. I don't have any magic potion nor do I profess to know exactly who will be drafted by each team, this is just a guess based on each teams needs and the players that are available. Don't agree with my picks leave a comment below.

How the Kings got Crowned

This post is a follow up of sorts to my last piece: L.A Kings Stanley Cup Champions and will be breaking down how the Kings won the cup. It will talk about some of the key players, key scenarios and how the Kings were able to defeat the Devils in 6 games.

So as you should know by the now the Los Angeles Kings are the 2011-2012 Stanley Cup Champions after defeating the Devils 6-1 on Monday night. The Kings went on a Cinderella run after defeating the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, going on to eliminate the first 3 seeds in the West (Canucks, Blues, Coyotes) and became the first ever 8th seed to lift Lord Stanley's Cup.
So how did they do it, it sure as heck didn't come easily. I've done the research and ran the numbers and came up with some key points.

3 Reasons the Kings won:


1. Jonathan Quick

No matter how good a team is if they don't have good goaltending to go along with it the team will not be successful. That's not the case with the Kings (or the Devils) Jonathan Quick was exceptional throughout these playoffs and was a major reason why they were lifting the cup on Monday. Quick went 16-4 with a 1.41 GAA and .946 Save Percentage add 3 shutouts and 10 consecutive road victories and you have your Conn Smythe winner. He was able to keep the Kings in games even when they weren't scoring, letting in 2 or less goals in 18 of 20 games.
In the Stanley Cup finals he let in just 7 goals in 6 games and stopped 125 of 132 shots.
His 1.41 GAA and .946 Save Percentage were enough to earn him the lowest goals against average and highest save percentage honours. (All done in one playoff year).
In 20 games this post season quick faced 538 shots and stopped 509 of them.
Needless to say Quick was very worthy of his Conn Smythe trophy as he was a major key to the Kings Stanley Cup victory playing lights out hockey. He vitually put an end to Roberto Loungo's career in Vancouver and Zach Parise's career in New Jersey.
He out duelled the legendary Martin Brodeur and that's how the Kings won, they got better goaltending when they needed it most.

2. No place like the road
The Kings were able to do something that hockey fans may never see again, throughout the playoffs they went 10-1 on the road. Including 10 consecutive road wins. In all 4 series they played they started on the road and all 4 times they came back with a 2-0 series lead. Which further proves the myth of home ice advantage, it doesn't matter where you play you can still win and be dominate... the Kings did. You want to talk about home ice advantage, ask the Canucks how well that worked out for them!

3. Top players stepped up

All a team can ask from their star players is that the produce in big games. On Monday night the Kings couldn't have asked for much more from Dustin Brown. Brown opened the scoring by tipping in a Drew Doughty point shot and added 2 assists before the night was over. Putting up 3 points in game 6 and leading by example. The line of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Justin Williams was the best line for any team in playoffs together they combined for 35 points and a plus/minus of 40. Brown and Kopitar both racked up 20 points and took turn leading the team during the playoffs. Although they were relatively quite during the Finals, Brown came up big when his team needed him most!

3 Stars


1. Jonathan Quick
16-4 - 1.41 GAA- .946 S%-- 3 shutouts and 10 consecutive road victories
The stats speak for themselves.


2. Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar
Combining these guys together as their stats are identical and they play on the same line!
8 goals - 12 Assists - 20 points with a +/- 16


3. Drew Doughty
Huge leader on defense for the Kings, also came up big in game 6.
4 goals - 12 assists - 16 points He led all defenseman in points in the playoffs.


Honourable Mention


Willie Mitchell--- was on the for 73:43 of Short handed time throughout the playoffs one of their best and most reliable defenseman. He was able to contribute on the score board by adding a goal and 2 assists for 3 points and remarkably was a +7 despite playing almost 75 minutes short handed.

Dark Horse


Dwight King-- a guy very few had heard of before the playoffs began proved to be an important member of the Kings roster and now very deservedly gets his name on the Stanley Cup. King didn't score his first NHL goal until February of this year and was drafted 109th overall in 2007, not exactly the kind of guy you expect big production from. He racked up 24 points in 27 goals during the regular season and didn't stop there. He racked up 5 goals and added 3 assists for 8 points during these playoffs, although those aren't crazy stats they're pretty solid for a 4th line rookie. In fact he outscored Kings Dustin Penner and Justin Williams. He also led the Kings with a 15.2 shooting percentage.
King was able to put the puck in the net when it mattered most and scored some goals that "broke the back" of opponents. He was also responsible for the 3rd goal in which the Kings scored on the 5 minute major, when he got the puck in the neutral zone, breezed past some defenders and left the puck sitting there for his line mate to tap in.
He's a real Don Cherry type of player and he's Canadian to boot!


2 Key Moments


1. Penalty Trouble
This one is obvious, the hit by Steve Bernier on Rob Scuderi which resulted in Bernier being kicked out of the game and the Kings going on a 5 minute power play in which they capitalized 3 times. This play unfortunately set the tone for the rest of the game and spelled the beginning of the end for the Devils who had all the momentum up until that hit. The Kings rallied around that opportunity and seized it which led to them winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

2. The trade Deadline

What the kings were able to do and didn't do paid huge dividends in the end. They were able to acquire former Flyer and Mike Richards party mate Jeff Carter from the Blue Jackets. Carter scored 2 goals in game 6 including the clinching goal that led to the Kings raising the Cup. Carter and Richards Combined for 28 points during the playoffs and needless to say the Kings are great full they were on their roster. Turns out they are capable of winning a Stanley Cup. The Flyers should be getting that thank you card any day now.
Another move or lack there of by the Kings was deciding to keep captain Dustin Brown who was rumoured to be on the trade block. I be they're glad they kept him now! Brown came up big in game 6 recording a goal and 2 assists to lead his team to their first ever championship.
After the King acquired Jeff Carter and Kept Dustin Brown they went on a remarkable 29-9-3 run (much like the Sabres) which ultimately landed them in the 8th and final playoff spot. Brown kicked off the run with a hat trick in a 4-0 win.

Interesting stats
1. The Rangers who only made it to the Conference played the same number of games as the Kings
2. The New Jersey Devils played in 24 games which is 4 games more than the Kings.
3. 29 other goalies in the NHL have a higher cap hit than Jonathan Quick (that will be changing)
4. The Kings went 12-2 during their run through the Western Conference during the playoffs. 
5. The Kings are now the third straight Stanley Cup Champions to have started their season in Europe. (2009 Penguins, 2010 Blackhawks and 2011 Bruins)
6. Dustin Brown is just the 2nd American born captain to raise the Cup.
7. The Kings had 25 Canadian players on their roster, 

2011-2012 Stanley Cup Champions- L.A Kings

The Sun has set on yet another NHL season. It's a bitter sweet moment for hockey fans: on one hand most are happy for the Stanley Cup Champions but on the other hockey is finished until October, and with the impending lockout who knows how long we could have to wait until hockey is back.

On Monday night the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-1 to become the 2011-2012 Stanley Cup Champions. Winning their first Cup in franchise history (44 years) an exciting moment for the Kings and not even an ending Hollywood could have written as they become the first 8th seed to win a Stanley Cup.

It was quite a remarkable Stanley Cup Finals, the Kings jumped out to an early 3-0 strangle hold on the series and proved once again the fourth game was the hardest to win. The Kings had a chance to win game 4 at home in front of their family, friends and faithful fans but were unable to close it out. They then travelled back to New Jersey where they once again had a chance to win the Cup but fell short yet again. They headed back to L.A for game 6 almost a must win for the Kings. The Devils had all the momentum and had they tied the series up at 3 games a piece they would have been in control for game 7.

The Kings came out firing early, you could tell they wanted to win. They showed more effort in the first period than in games 4 and 5 combined! But just like in games 4 and 5 they couldn't find a way to put one past Martin Brodeur early. That was until the Devils Steve Bernier did something incredibly stupid. By hitting Kings defenceman Rob Scuderi from behind which landed Bernier back in the Devils dressing room before the end of the first. Bernier was given a game misconduct, ejected from the game and a 5 minute penalty, which ultimately turned the game around and virtually handed the Kings the Cup.

So what did he do? Bernier attempted to make Scuderi apart of the boards at Staples Centre in LA. Scuderi went back for a puck in his own end and stopped near the boards, Bernier skated full speed at him from around the blue line and cross checked Scuderi into the boards. Scuderi went flying head first into the boards and left the game for repairs and check ups, likely not knowing his own name when he skated off. Bernier made no attempt to ease up on or avoid the hit, which deemed it worthy of 5 minutes plus a game.

The Kings would go on to score 3 goals on the 5 minute power play before the end of the 1st which ultimately put the game out of reach. The Kings charge was led by their captain Dustin Brown who scored the opening goal on a tip in off a Drew Doughty shot. Brown then shot the puck which was tipped by Jeff Carter for the second goal. Trevor Lewis was in the right spot at the right time and potted a lose puck after a phenomenal rush by Dwight King. Just like that the Devils were in a hole down 3-0.

The Kings would go on to score 1 in the second period to extend their lead to 4-1 and scored 2 in 15 seconds in the third period (including an open net) to put the game to bed and solidify their Stanley Cup Championship.

It was a remarkable run for the Kings who just snuck into the playoffs after claiming the 8th seed. They were able to knock off the first seeded Vancouver Canucks in 5 games, the second seeded St. Louis Blues in 4 games and the third seeded Phoenix Coyotes in 5 games. They were the underdogs in each of the first 2 series, until they started getting more and more attention and then became the team to beat going into the Conference Finals and then the Stanley Cup Finals.

With a record of 16-4 in the Playoffs the Kings were able to win the Stanley Cup in just 20 games, and they lost just 1 game on the road truly remarkable. Jonathan Quick was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy as the MVP of the playoffs, he too played remarkable and was a major reason the Kings were hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup on Monday night.

It's just an honour to be on this team, I'm glad to be a part of it" Said Quick after the game Monday night.

Quick was more than just "a part" of this team for the first 3 rounds he was virtually the reason they succeeded. Finishing the playoffs with a 16-4 record and a 1.41 Goals Against Average which is the lowest goals against average in a single playoff year. He also set the record for highest Save Percentage with a .946. Adding to that list Quick set the record for most consecutive road victories in a single playoff year (10), and set a Kings record for most shutouts in a playoff year (3). But perhaps most remarkably Quick let in 2 or fewer goals in 18 of 20 games!
Quick has primed himself to win the Team U.S.A starting goaltending job for the 2014 Olympics making it even harder for Tim Thomas to come back and win the job.

Although the actual Philadelphia Flyers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs (by the New Jersey Devils) the Flyers played a huge role in the Kings winning the Stanley Cup.
Remember Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, the two guys who Paul Holmgem didn't feel were the right type of leaders to lead a team to a Stanley Cup? Now they both have won a Stanley Cup and were instrumental in the playoffs. Richards assisted on both of the first 2 goals and racked up 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points while Carter finished with 8 goals and 5 assists for 13 points including 2 goals to help solidify the win. It was also very fitting that Richards passed the Cup to CarterWhile they weren't the "leaders" of the Kings their veteran presence and production went a long way in the Kings winning the Cup. But the connections to the Flyers don't just stop at Richards and Carter, fellow Kings teammate Simon Gagne who battled all season with concussion symptoms. Also joining the list of players with ties to the Flyers, Colin Fraser (drafted by Flyers in 2003) this was Fraser's second Stanley Cup. Ron Hextall, John Stevens, Dean Lombardi and Justin Williams all have tied to the Flyers organization.

The Los Angeles Kings have two thank you cards to hand out; One to Steve Bernier for giving them a 5 minute power play in which the Kings capitalized 3 times. And the second card to the Flyers for letting go of Richards, Carter and Gagne who played parts in the the Kings win and for letting go of so many players who have made the Kings (and other teams) very successful.

Hats off to the Los Angeles Kings for becoming the 2011-2012 Stanley Cup Champions.

Kings vs. Devils Stanley Cup Preview

Show of hands how many of you picked the Stanley Cup final to be between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils? Now put your hands down and stop lying, no one saw these two teams making it to the Stanley Cup Finals. It wasn't until the Kings beat the Canucks that I knew they had a slight chance, and I never believed the Devils would make it all the way until they took the Rangers to game 7. Shoot, I was mildly surprised when they beat the Panthers.

Two teams that finished 8th and 6th are in the finals, just goes to show that once you make the playoffs anything can happen. So let's take a look back at each team's journey and then preview the match-up.

Los Angeles Kings
In their first series the 8th seeded Kings were up against the 1st seeded Canucks, not a place you want to be in to start off the playoffs. Many had the Canucks as the favorites to go all the way this year and prove they could win a cup. But the Kings had other plans and beat the favored Canucks in 5 games and possibly put an end to Roberto Loungo's tenure in Vancouver.

After upsetting the first seed team, they went on to face the #2 seeded St. Louis Blues. Once again the Kings were able to manhandle the Blues and knocked them off in 4 straight games. The coveted sweep made people start believing the Kings were the real deal.

Then in round three the Kings were up against Garry Bettman's team the Phoenix Coyotes. Despite some controversial overtime happenings in game 5, the Kings had little difficulty knocking off the desert dogs. They finished off the Coyotes in 5 games and won the series 4-1, and at this point you can't call it an upset anymore. The Kings have solidified themselves as the real deal.

Through the first 3 rounds of the playoffs the Kings have played in just 14 games, playing nearly flawless hockey.

New Jersey Devils
The Devils started their Stanley Cup run against the Florida Panthers, in a series that was mostly an afterthought Both teams play a rather boring style of game, making it painful to watch. None the less the Devils prevailed in 7 games, narrowly edging out the Panthers to win the series 4-3.

Next up for the Devils was the enormous task of the Philadalphia Flyers, who had come off a major win over the Penguins. Luckily for the Devils the Flyers left too much emotion in Pittsburgh and got overly happy with their first round win against their cross-state rivals, there wasn't much left for the Devils. To many people's surprise the Devils tore apart the Flyers fairly easily as they won the series in 5 games.

Next up was the first seeded team from the East, the New York Rangers. It was the battle of the goalies, Brodeur vs. Lundqvist, the old gaurd vs the new.Tthe 40 year old Brodeur surprised many a expert and played fantastic showing no signs of aging. In large part due to their goaltending the Devils were able to upset the Rangers in 6 games, winning the series 4-2.

Teeing up the series
These two teams met twice during the regular season with the Devils winning both games, so there is some familiarity between the two teams. But the Kings have changed a lot since last playing the Devils, a coaching change, acquiring Jeff Carter and having Jonathan Quick catch fire. It's likely to be a very close hard fought series that may very well go to 7 games (for the second final in a row).

Key factors


Goaltending:
This series, like many a finals before it, is likely to come down to goaltending. Arguably one of the best goalies in the league right now Jonathan Quick against a former best goaltender, an all-time great, the legend himself Martin Brodeur. This will likely be Brodeur's last playoff run/season in the league, while Quick is just beginning his career. Whichever goaltender performs better will end up winning the series for their team and perhaps skating away with the Conn Smythe trophy and well you know, the Stanley Cup. With the way these goalies play most games will likely be low scoring affairs, so expect some 2-1 games.
Edge Brodeur

A second chance:
Some players play hockey all their life, get drafted and play in the NHL but fail to reach the Stanley Cup finals, and even fewer make it back there for a second time. But for some former Flyers now on the Kings roster it's a second chance at glory. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were part of the Flyers run to the Cup Finals in 2010. They lost. But now they're back for another crack at winning proffesional sports most prized possession, and they aren't the only former Flyers looking to win big. Kings assistant coach John Stevens is a former Flyers head coach, Kings forward Justin Williams is a former Flyer, Simon Gagne is also a former Flyer, King GM Dean Lombardi is a former scout for the Flyers and assistant GM Ron Hextall is one of the Flyers greatest goaltenders.
But the biggest ex-Flyers Richards and Carter have all eyes on them, how will they perform, will the trade end up biting Philly in the butt?

Role Players:
Both teams have superstar players they are counting on to produce and help them win the Cup. Ilya Kovalchuck and Zach Parise must be huge for the Devils and Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar must come up huge for the Kings. But the Cup will be decided by secondary scoring from guys you don't expect a great deal of. For the Devils rookie Adam Henrique and veteran David Clarkson both have 3 goals in these playoffs, and are the type of players you win with. They play a hard 2 way game and aren't afraid to get physical.
For the Kings Dustin Penner is a guy who could really step his game up. He had a rough season, but it's time to put that behind him and help his team win the cup!
Edge Devils

Americans
For the first time since 1999 the Stanley Cup will be lifted by an American born captain, both Zach Parise and Dustin Brown are American.
Edge Kings

Parise's possible last games as a Devil
Devils Captain Zach Parise will become an un-restricted free agent at the end of the year (July 1) and he hasn't signed a new contract with the Devils. He is 6th in playoff scoring with 14 points in 18 games, and will be one of the, if not the, most sought after free agents. It's not every day a top-line talent like Parise becomes available. But if the Devils are able to win the Cup it may convince him to stick around.

The European streak
The past two Stanley Cup champions started their season in Europe. The 09-10 Blackhawks played their first games in Finland, while last season's Bruins started in the Czech Republic. The Kings started this season in Europe as well, and are prepared to see the streak continue.

While this series doesn't hold the glamour a New York Ranger vs. Los Angeles Kings would hold, it still looks to be a pretty solid series. The series may get a little boring at times, but we should be in for an exciting finals.
My prediction Kings in 6

40 going on 30

It's hard enough for any team to find a top notch goaltender who can help win them games, most teams are looking for young, tall goalies who drop to their knees every shot as apart of the "butterfly" technique. But the New Jersey Devils are relying on a old goalie who has his own unique way of stopping the puck, in fact they're doing a lot better than just getting by as they currently sit just 2 wins away from a trip to the Stanley Cup. In fact a Stanley Cup win would give their legendary goaltender his 4th ring!

Martin Brodeur is proving once again that age does not matter in sport, he can still make draw dropping  saves and win his team hockey games proving he is still a valuable commodity between the pipes. The legendary Brodeur turned 40 earlier this month and since turning 40 has held his opponents to less than 3 goals in 6 consecutive games. Upon turning 40 and still playing, Brodeur has become the first goalie to play a playoff game in his "teens" and to play a playoff game in his 40's. His first playoff appearance was in 1991-1992 where he played in 1 game and allowed 3 goals in 33 minutes and finished with a 5.62 GAA, clearly he's come a long way!

When the Devils made the playoffs not many including myself gave them the slightest chance to go far. But it's been a crazy unpredictable playoffs and Devils have made it all the way to the Eastern Conference championship and are actually outplaying the top seeded New York Rangers. A large part of their success is due to the unbelievable play of Brodeur, who is playing more like he's 30 rather than 40!

It has been a fantastic career for Brodeur who is finishing up his 19th full season in the NHL, he has made the playoff 16 times and has broken almost all the records for goalies both in the regular season and in the playoffs. In the first round match up against the Florida Panthers after a 3-0, he passed Patrick Roy's record for most career playoff shutouts with 24. On Monday night against the Rangers, Brodeur set a new record for the most points by a goalie in the playoffs with 4 assists. Despite all the records and trophies Brodeur has to his name, he has never won the Conn Smythe trophy for most valuable playoff player, could this be his year?

When the Rangers and Devils kicked off their series the story lines were all about the two masked men, the keepers of the crease Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur and whether the King could out duel the Legend. Both exceptional goaltenders and extremely valuable to their teams, both having exceptional playoffs, trading shutouts and proving just how valuable they are to their teams. Everyone expected Lundqvist to be on top of his game, but no one expected the guy at the other end to play nearly aswell as he has.

Sure Brodeur is going to have his off games, he's going to look old and tired almost every goalie has off games, but he doesn't look like he's 40. The saves he's been able to make are fantastic, highlight reel material and most importantly he's been able to move from side to side very fluidly. He's played 16 games these playoffs and has won 10 of them and is just 2 wins away from another trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

Brodeur is writing another chapter in his historic career, how will it end, only Brodeur himself can decided that!

Flyers Eliminated

Tuesday night marked the end of the Philadelphia Flyers season, losing 3-1 to the New Jersey Devils who won the best of 7 series 4-1. Not a lot of fans or analysts saw this coming, the Flyers were supposed to clobber the Devils and advance to the next round without any issues. But the Flyers were unable to manipulate the Devils, like they did with the Penguins, the Flyers were the ones taking bad penalties, and losing their cool.


Now Ilya Bryzgalov can't shoulder all the blame for the loss, he didn't play his best but his team wasn't very helpful on most nights. But after watching him this entire series (making routine saves look impossible) it is becoming more clear that the Flyers only survived their series against the Penguins because Marc-Andre Fleury was off his game. Had Fleury been on his game it could have been an entirely different first round match up! Anyways I bring this up to show that the Flyers aren't as dominate as people thought after the first round, those people include the Flyers themselves. The players got a little full of themselves and thought they could beat anyone, they didn't give their opponents the respect they deserved (like what happened out West with Nashville and Phoenix).


So breaking down the series we'll look at 3 reasons the Flyers lost and 3 reasons the Devils won.


Flyers


1. Undisciplined hockey:

This is a big one you're not going to win playoff series' playing undisciplined hockey. Especially when your opponents refuse to stoup to your level, and take bad penalties. The Flyers just took too many bad penalties that put them behind the 8 ball. You have Brayden Schenn, Zach Rinoldo, Scott Harntell and Wayne Simmonds playing with no control and taking very stupid, costly penalties. Then you have the little moment of selfishness from Claude Giroux which earned him as suspension! Not only were these guys all over the place they weren't able to help their team out on the scoresheet; Schenn, Simmonds, Hartnell combined for just 2 goals, a far cry from their production in the first round. A lot of the penalties taken were at horrible times, the Flyers would score a goal and go up 1-0 then moments later they're down a man trying to kill off a 5 on 4 which made it impossible for them to get momentum!


2. Ilya Bryzgalov:
Not all the blame falls squarely on the shoulder of Bryzgalov but he definitely has to should some of the blame. He gave his team a chance to win night in and night out, but what he didn't do was come up with a big save when they needed it! He also let in far too many weak goals that deflated the Flyers team, I'm sure if truth be told the Flyers didn't have a ton of confidence in their 51 million dollar goalie near the end of the playoffs. Bryzgalov didn't play bad but at the same time he didn't play phenomenal and was out duelled by the legend himself Marty Brodeur.
Bryzgalov went 5-6 with a GAA 3.46 and a Save Percentage of .887 not the kind of numbers you need to endure playoff success. To be honest I was very surprised the Flyers left Bryz in a lot of the games as he just wasn't getting the job done, maybe pulling him could have sparked the rest of the team?
Forget Bears in the playoffs he looked like Bryzgalov was afraid of the pucks!
But often times when a teams goalie is struggling the defense isn't too stellar either. The Devils exposed the Flyers poor defencive system and were able to keep them hemmed in their own end with ofter 1 fore checker. The Flyers had a very weak "puck moving defence" the Devils caught onto that and were able to disrupt the breakout and force the forwards to play more in their defensive end!


3. Were too satisfied after the first round:
The way the Flyers and their fans reacted after round one you would have thought they had won the Stanley Cup, instead of just barely squeaking out a first round victory. The Flyers were so amped up and ready to win at all costs against the Penguins, then in round 2 they couldn't get amped up to play the Devils there was no emotion. They only emotion they showed was frustration something you do not want to expose to your opponents, they made it painfully obvious and once that happened the Devils had won the series. It was easy for the Flyers to get amped up against the Pens due to their intense rivalry, but they couldn't get anything out of the Devils. The Devils wouldn't engage in stuff after the whistle, and they played a clean game giving them nothing to get a spark from! 

"They didn't give us anything to be emotional about, they weren't in scrums and it seemed like they really didn't hit us. It wasn't there and that was their mindset and game plan" Scott Hartnell

Devils
1. Martin Brodeur:
If Ilya Bryzgalov is shouldering some of the blame than Brodeur has to be given tons of credit for out battling his opponent. He sure as heck did not look like a 40 year old goaltender contemplating retirement, he looked more like an elite 32 year old with 3 Stanley Cup rings and 16 years of prior playoff success. Brodeur is proving he can still get the job done when it matters most, with his win on Tuesday which eliminated the Flyers he became only the 4th goalie in history to win 8 playoff games at the age of 40! He has shown glimpses of his old self, his Hall of Fame legacy and if the Devils want to win the cup they will need Brodeur to be on the top of his game!
*Random Stat Brodeur becomes the first goalie to play a playoff game in his teens and start a playoff game in his 40's*


2. Everyone chipped in: 
The Flyers relied heavily on Briere and Giroux's production in the playoffs, if those two weren't scoring no-one else would be either. But the Devils were able to rely on multiple goal scorers, in the 5 games in the series they scored 18 goals and had 11 different goal scorers! They were even able to muster up a win without their star Ilya Kovalchuck. Their depth ultimately outplayed Philly's depth, while Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds were busy taking dumb penalties, Adam Henrique and David Clarkson were busy scoring goals! 


3. The forecheck:
Something all teams use some not as well as others, but the Devils brought their "A game" with their forecheck and gave the Flyers a lot of trouble getting out of their end! Besides game 1 the Devils due to their relentless forecheck outshot the Flyers in every game. They were faster to lose pucks, harder on the puck, got more scoring opportunities and capitalized on them. The Devils may be the dark horse of the Eastern Conference!


Well the Flyers are out and the Devils are on to the Eastern Conference Championships something not a lot of people saw coming. The Flyers will now have to sit at home and watch their former teammates Jeff Carter and Mike Richards in the Western Conference Championships who stand a solid chance of going to the Stanley Cup Finals. Ilya Bryzgalov also must watch his former team battle against the Kings in the Western Conference Finals (Phoenix Coyotes). 


The Devils will await their opponent either the Washington Capitals or the New York Rangers, these playoffs have been so unpredictable there is no use predicting the outcome of any series'.