Michael Hutchinson – McKeen's Hockey

Oh, Canada: Lucic Offers Flexibility, Smith Stays Strong, Goal Caufield, Forsberg Sticks Around, Andersen Conditioning Stint, Boeser’s 20/20 Vision, Trouble in the True North?

Jeff Veillette — Fri, 07 May 2021 13:51:35 +0000

Welcome back to Oh, Canada – your favourite weekly column about the NHL’s North Division! Obviously, most of our attention this week was diverted to the utter chaos in New York and Washington, and our Canadian focus is so tightly aimed at Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews’ milestone runs, but there are plenty more stories from around the hockey nation! Let’s walk through a few this afternoon, shall we?

Calgary - Lucic Offers Flexibility

A few weeks back, we talked about Milan Lucic passing the 1000-game mark, and how he seems to have found himself a comfortable spot in Calgary with the Flames, as a leader and as a decently effective hockey player. On Tuesday, we got word that he’s willing to risk that comfort, but for the good of the team.

“As much as I want to stay in Calgary, I didn’t want to handcuff [Brad Treliving] in the expansion draft, so I agreed that I would waive it for the expansion draft if he didn’t want to protect me.” said Lucic to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis. “I really enjoy it here in Calgary and I’d love nothing more than to spend the rest of my career here.”

This is an incredibly positive revelation for the Flames, who will be locked into some protections via no-movement clauses. Sean Monahan has a similar provision in his contract, as does Jacob Markstrom, and the team obviously has its share of players that they’d like to keep away from the Seattle Kraken. Lucic’s odds of actually being selected in the draft are low given his two remaining years and his $5.25 million cap hit, but should Seattle surprise, it would bring him closer to his hometown of Vancouver, making this a relatively no-lose situation for Lucic.

Edmonton - Smith Stays Strong

Goaltenders are the most unpredictable, and often most important players in this sport. You never know what you’re going to get from one next week, let alone next year, and their impacts will either make or break a team’s chances at regular or post-season success. But even the most optimistic of dice-rollers could not have expected what the Oilers have gotten out of Mike Smith this year.

In a league where the average save percentage sits just a little lower than last year at 0.908, the 39-year-old is posting a 0.925 result through 30 games. That puts him at over 14 goals saved above league average, and is his best single season result since 2011/12. Making it more incredible, this is the largest share of the season’s games that he’s played since 2014/15.

It’s going to be difficult for the Oilers to place all of their eggs into the basket of the league’s oldest starting netminder – two years senior to Marc-Andre Fleury and trailing only the imminently-retiring Ryan Miller to be the oldest regular goaltender in any capacity. Watching Mikko Koskinen concede goals on his first four shots against on Thursday likely didn’t calm too many nerves either. But regardless of how it ends, it’s a season to be appreciated.

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 28:Cole Caufield (22) of the Montreal Canadiens shoots the puck during the warmup prior to the NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens on April 28, 2021, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Montreal - Goal Caufield

For the third consecutive week, Cole Caufield makes an appearance in the Montreal section of this column, and given the results – can you really blame me? Since we’ve last spoken, the 20-year-old has played in games four through seven of his NHL career, and in that span he’s put up his first, second, and third goals in the show.

Most impressive, though, is the fact that his first two tallies, which came last Saturday against Ottawa and this Monday against Toronto, were both overtime winners. This makes him just the second player in NHL history to open up their career with two sudden death tallies. Oddly enough, Brent Seabrook, of just 103 goals in 1114 career games, was the other.

Unlike Seabrook, who retired before the start of this season, one should expect to see many more in Caufield’s catalog. The small but steady youngster has shown his release to be more than NHL ready, and with his lines maintaining a well-above-positive share of shots over these first seven games, it seems like any kinks in his game can be sorted out as he goes without worrying about holding back the team. Needless to say, we’re probably looking at a Calder Trophy favourite for next year, as his stint in 2020/21 won’t remove him from qualification.

Ottawa - Forsberg Sticks Around

The league’s most experienced quarantiner received the gift of stability this week, as the Ottawa Senators announced the signing of Anton Forsberg to a one-year-contract extension on Wednesday. "Anton's addition has been a steadying one for us this season," said Sens GM Pierre Dorion via a press release. "He possesses a calm and controlled playing style, has good size and ability, is a tireless worker with good habits and is a good teammate. He's worked hard in practice to earn his playing opportunities and this contract extension."

Forsberg initially started this season signed with the Edmonton Oilers but found himself claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes in January, followed by the Winnipeg Jets claiming him on a second waiver placement three days later, before finally landing in Ottawa via a third placement in March. This was all before he got to play a single game – since then, he’s put up a more than respectable 3-3-1 record and 0.917 save percentage.

Could the Senators have picked up a decent middle-aged goaltender for pennies on the dollar by being fourth to the party on the 28-year-old Swede? It’s certainly possible. Another possibility is that he could move again in a few months – his signing offers a goaltender to expose in the expansion draft, and while one might say that dangling Matt Murray out in the open would be the more sensible play, it would also be one that takes a level of sunk-cost mindset that I’m not sure that Ottawa is willing to commit to just yet.

Toronto - Andersen Conditioning Stint

Keeping on the subject of netminders, the Maple Leafs find themselves waiting for their long-time starter to return to the fold. Frederik Andersen made his first steps towards that on Thursday, beginning a conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies with a 31-minute split-effort against the Manitoba Moose. In that stretch, Andersen conceded goals on the fourth and fifth shots of the game, both in tight space, but stopped 10 of 12 overall.

“I felt a little rust in the first, earlier in the game,” said Andersen to reporters after the game. “Trusting myself, I got better as we went on with the game. Knowing my spots, being more calm on my feet, small things like that, just kinda got better as things went on and I think that’s the main goal of playing games here.”

Andersen has been out of the Leafs lineup since March 19^th, as he attempts to recover from a nagging knee injury that had hampered his performance throughout much of the season. After posting a 0.914 save percentage in his first four seasons and 244 games with the Maple Leafs, the 31-year-old currently sits at a 0.897, stopping 7.4 goals below the league average rate in his 23 appearances. Toronto has been in decent shape in recent weeks with Jack Campbell, David Rittich, and Michael Hutchinson taking on extra work, but would no doubt love to hear that their starter is back to form. He’ll play at least one more game with the Marlies, likely a full one, before putting himself to the NHL test once again.

OTTAWA, ON - APRIL 28: Vancouver Canucks Right Wing Brock Boeser (6) during warm-up before National Hockey League action between the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators on April 28, 2021, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

Vancouver - Boeser's 20/20 Vision

To say things haven’t been going well for the Vancouver Canucks lately would be an understatement – as mentioned last week, the triumphant return from a team-wide Covid-19 outbreak has turned into a steep nose drive, with the team going on a six-game losing streak before turning in a W against the Oilers on Thursday. One person who has managed to avoid much of this season’s misfortune, though, is Brock Boeser.

In that victorious evening, Boeser became the first player on the Canucks roster to cross both the 20-goal and 40-point marks, in what has been his most productive overall season to date. His 41 points in 48 games would pace out to 70 points over a full 82 game season, well exceeding his career high of 56. Equally important has been his attendance – the oft-injured winger has dressed for every Canucks game this season, which only four others on the team can also claim.

Boeser is a player I think about with a great deal of intrigue – his heavy shot has broken through goaltenders with enough consistency to be put in the league’s upper echelon, but there always seems to be some form of circumstance that keeps him from turning it into one of the league’s most dangerous weapons. This year, he certainly seems to be using it less, averaging about 20% fewer shots per game than he has in the rest of his career. Elias Pettersson not being there to set him up for much of it no doubt hurts the cause – it’ll be interesting to see if he can pick up the volume but keep the touch next season.

Winnipeg - Trouble in the True North?

As this division starts to shake out its playoff seeding, with Toronto all but clinching the first seed, and Edmonton likely taking second, there’s a bit of a smouldering boulder coming out of Manitoba right now. While the Winnipeg Jets did win their most recent game against the Flames on Wednesday, that W was the proverbial firehose putting out a seven-game losing streak.

The team was outscored an obscene 28-10 in that span, reminding Jets fans that relying solely on Connor Hellebuyck is a “live by the sword, die by the sword” scenario. Don’t get me wrong, the entire slump doesn’t land solely on his shoulders, given two quality starts against Toronto and Edmonton and his shutout effort to end it, but should he not stand up, the Jets are a team that are struggling to make things work up front.

In the span of those seven losses, the Jets were out-attempted, out-shot, out-chanced, and outscored at 5v5 – in many cases by significant margins – and largely due to a lack of offence rather than poor defence. A lack of finishing certainly didn’t help, with the team converting on just 5.6% of their shots in those seven games. Even in their win against the Flames, the team found themselves outshot 32-19, and while some of that can be blamed on score effects, the lack of offensive generation shows.

Obviously, Nikolaj Ehlers is out of the lineup, and Blake Wheeler likely still isn’t 100%. But going into the post season relying entirely on goaltending is not the sort of plan you want to run with and could prove costly if the team can’t turn things around. Already, they’ve given up the divisional second seed and might fall all the way down to fourth, if things don’t turn around sooner than later.

Oh, Canada: Connor chases 100, Caufield in, Ehlers Out, Murray Finding his Groove .. and much more

Jeff Veillette — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 18:20:34 +0000

Welcome back to Oh, Canada – the world’s most popular weekly column about the NHL’s North Division written by an author named Jeff V. At least, I think that’s true – if there’s another, I’d like to speak to the other Jeff and exchange tips. We’ve got a lot to cover this week, so while I fact-check that claim, let’s dig into the top stories around our hockey nation!

Calgary Flames – One Last Glimmer of Hope?

I know, I know. So much of the conversation bout the Flames in this column leading up to the deadline was about what degree we can stick the fork into the team, as the team routinely struggled to find itself a groove and build up some standings momentum. But when you look at where the league is at in April, something weird has happened.

The Flames, with twelve games this month, have posted the 5^th-best shot attempt differential at 5-on-5, including the best in the North Division. They’re 6^th in expected goal differential in that time, including the league’s best defence. They’ve even put up a +6-goal differential, which isn’t massive but is a very solid share. This has led them to… a 0.500 record in that time. So why are we here?

Well, the Montreal Canadiens are 0.375 in that same stretch. The Flames have made efforts to will themselves into the race, but it’s Montreal’s willing themselves out that’s really pulled them back in. Calgary is now only four points back of the fourth seed, albeit with the Habs having a game in hand. This is going to get closer than any of us imagined a month ago, and with the Canadiens schedule leaning heavily towards 2^nd place Edmonton and 1^st place Toronto while Calgary gets to wrap the year up with four games against the Canucks, I’m not so sure I’d lock anything in just yet.

Edmonton Oilers – Ahead By A Century

The regular season is inching towards its conclusion for most teams, and the league’s top talent remains one of its biggest stories. At this point, it’s all but a given that Connor McDavid will be the Art Ross, Ted Lindsay, and Hart Trophy winner this season, given the Oilers’ likely appearance in the playoffs and his 22-point lead in the scoring race over anyone that isn’t on his team.

One big question remains, though – can he really pull off 100 points in 56 games? It’s a possibility I’ve discussed here and elsewhere since before the season started, as some others have, but a big push over the past two weeks have made this quite likely to become reality. In a five-game run between April 17^th and Wednesday, McDavid put up 15 points in 5 games – that’s a point per period pace. Per period! Thursday was not quite as kind to him, as a rare pointless effort against the Flames, but the Oilers captain still remains at the 84-point mark through 48 games.

Should McDavid continue to produce at his rate to date, he’ll land at 98 points through 56 – two shy of the century mark. The remainder of the schedule makes this interesting, though, as after Saturday, the final seven games are against two opponents – the Vancouver Canucks, and the Montreal Canadiens. Vancouver seems to be running on fumes after their Covid outbreak, and the Habs have been sputtering over the past few weeks. Should those trends continue, it might be the perfect spot for him to light one last fire and get across the line.

Montreal Canadiens – Drouin Out, Caufield In

When the Habs announced that Jonathan Drouin was going on Long-Term Injured Reserve on Wednesday, there was a lot of surprise. Mostly, because there was not an injury involved, but rather a personal leave of absence, with no known time for his return.

Not a ton is known about the specifics. We do know that it’s not related to the non-Covid illness that placed him out of the lineup earlier in the week, and coach Dominique Ducharme confirmed that this wasn’t a substance abuse issue in a media availability. We don’t know much more than that and honestly – that’s fine. Drouin is a human being first and an entertainer/hockey player second, and if he and the team felt this was the right thing to do, we should respect that privacy.

What we can talk about, however, is that this has created an opening that we discussed the need for last week, and that’s the cap flexibility to play Cole Caufield. So far, he’s drawn into two games, playing 15:40 against the Flames on Monday and 13:59 against the Leafs on Wednesday. While he hasn’t gotten on the score sheet yet, he has put six shots on goal up on the board already and has a +9 on-ice shot attempt differential at even strength, backing up the visible signs that he’s been able to keep up with the play while creating opportunities for his team. Now, Montreal will be able to get an extended look at him before the regular season ends.

Ottawa Senators – Murray Finding His Groove?

The Senators put a lot of eggs in Matt Murray’s basket this fall when they acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fall, both in terms of acquisition cost (a second-round pick, high on the goaltender scale) and the contract committed (a four-year, $6.25 million AAV contract signed immediately following the trade). At the time, it was a move that proved controversial in some spheres, with many feeling that it was a huge risk put towards a goaltender who struggled mightily in the year prior.

So far, those suspicions have been accurate looking ones, with Murray posting a 10-13-1 record attached to a save percentage of just 0.893 through 27 games played. But a closer look at his recent play can give one reason to be optimistic. In his last five games, the 26-year-old has posted a 3-1-0 record, conceded just six goals, picked up two shutouts, and has had a 0.954 save percentage. That’s not a huge sample, but if you pull it back to March 21^st, you get a 13-game run with an 8-4-0 record and an above-average 0.908.

I wouldn’t take this run to say that the Matt Murray of the past is back, but it wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen. We are talking about a netminder who isn’t that far removed from being one of the best young AHL goaltending prospects ever, after all, not to mention the two Stanley Cups he led the Pittsburgh Penguins to. Goaltending is such a fickle position, and his struggles are confidence driven in any way, this could be the push he needs. For now, though, it’s still nice to see a rekindling of his fire, even if it ends up being brief.

Toronto Maple Leafs – With A Clinch Comes Rest

On Wednesday night, the Maple Leafs became the first team in the North Division to officially punch their ticket into the postseason, hitting their magic number with a victory against the Montreal Canadiens. On Thursday, they took began a new journey of rest, relaxation, and re-evaluation.

No, they didn’t call an all-out vacation, but they did sub out a few of their core players in Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly, Nick Foligno, and Jack Campbell for their game against the Canucks, to offer them “maintenance days”. Instead, Ben Hutton made his Leafs debut, Timothy Liljegren made his season debut, Pierre Engvall got another chance and Michael Hutchinson got to hang out on the bench. It also afforded the team an opportunity to try Rasmus Sandin higher up the lineup, playing him on the first pair with TJ Brodie to see if he could handle a tougher workload.

Overall, it seemed to work out for most of the gang – particularly Engvall, who scored an absolute snipe in the second period, and Sandin, who made several strong plays in the heightened role. It’ll be interesting to see how many of these alternative lineups, be it roster changes or line shuffles, Toronto employs over the next few games. The team has been relatively stagnant in its rotations throughout the year, and while that builds chemistry, it’s nice to have players be prepared for anything come playoff time.

Vancouver Canucks – Emptying the Gas Tank

Last week, the Canucks were the main characters in one of hockey’s most improbable underdog stories in recent memory, returning from a team-wide Covid outbreak to win not just their first, but first two games back against the division-leading Maple Leafs. The circumstances of whether or not the team should even be playing were highly contested, but with perseverance and some good fortune, they found a way to make it work. Some even wondered if this, combined with a hot streak just before their pause, could be parlayed into a miracle run towards the playoffs.

Unfortunately for them, that all but definitely is not going to happen now. At a certain point, puck luck finds a way to fade, and so does the adrenaline of coming back. What appears to be left now is a team that doesn’t have the physical capacity to compete for a full game due to what they’ve been through. Mix in the fact that they’re missing their best player (Elias Pettersson) for the remainder of the year and that they weren’t the strongest team to begin with, and you get the week since - three losses in four games to the Senators, and a 4-1 defeat to the Leafs on Thursday.

The underlying numbers don’t look too good either, with the team controlling just 42% of the shot attempts since coming back, and just 35% of the expected goals, which reflects a group that isn’t capable of winning battles in the most dangerous areas. The trend gives me some concern for how the final twelve games will play out, especially since they all come in a 19-day window. Hopefully, the players can handle it, and if it seems like they can’t, I hope the league gives them some flexibility.

Winnipeg Jets – A Dane In Pain

Amidst a battle for what will likely be second place in the division, the Jets suffered a significant blow to their lineup on Monday. Paul Maurice confirmed to the media that forward Nikolaj Ehlers will miss the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury, likely tied to a physical pair of games against the Maple Leafs.

While Ehlers isn’t Winnipeg’s points leader, and he ranks just sixth among Jets forwards in average ice time, one could argue him to be the team’s most valuable skater over the course of the season. The Jets have their best shot differentials with Ehlers on the ice, and on a per-minute basis, no one has been more productive. With Blake Wheeler banged up, one would’ve thought that the 25-year-old’s role would only expand, but instead, he’ll be focused on just getting healthy for the playoffs.

Instead, Mason Appleton moves up to a top line role next to Mark Scheifele, playing over 21 minutes a night in a pair of games against the Oilers earlier in the week, ultimately coming up pointless. It remains to be seen whether we’ll see another shuffle from the Jets in the coming days, but given the team’s five-game losing streak, I’d put my money towards “yes” on that one.

AHL Calder Cup Playoff Preview – Eastern Conference (North Division)

Jacob Stoller — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 22:36:24 +0000

AHL North Division

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 23: Toronto Marlies right wing Jeremy Bracco (27) controls the puck during the first period of the American Hockey League game between the Toronto Marlies and Cleveland Monsters on January 23, 2019, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

(3rd) Toronto vs (2nd) Rochester

Toronto’s strength: Throughout all the roster turnover—-injuries, trades, call-ups, loans, ATO additions— that the Toronto Marlies have experienced, their power play has continued to be top-notch throughout the year. Jeremy Bracco, the AHL’s second leading scorer (78 points), and Chris Mueller—whose 16 power play goals were one goal shy of tying for the league lead—-are two guys that can change the course of a game if given opportunities on the man-advantage.

Toronto’s weakness: When Michael Hutchinson was recalled by the Leafs two weeks ago—putting a nail in the coffin on his AHL eligibility for the rest of the year—the Marlies were put back to square one with their goaltending situation. Kasimir Kaskisuo—who struggled at the beginning of this year when he was the starter, looking far better in a backup role throughout the second half of the year—-is now the teams’ number one. Making matters worse for the Marlies is the fact that they won’t have Calle Rosen—one of the top defenceman in the entire AHL this season—to log big minutes and provide some insurance on the backend.

Prospect to watch: Mason Marchment. The 6-4” winger is one of the most unique prospects throughout the Leafs’ entire organization, and his combination of skill, tenacity and size is rare to find in today’s NHL. Marchment plays on edge and he is a playoff-type player. He is a gamer. The Uxbridge, Ontario native recorded nine points in 20 games of playoff action last spring, as he helped make up 1/3 of the AHL’s most dangerous fourth line alongside Trevor Moore and Adam Brooks.

Rochester’s strength: The fact that Buffalo stumbled out of a playoff spot after a hot start is Rochester’s biggest advantage right now. Thanks to Buffalo’s struggles, Laurence Pilut—26 points in 30 games AHL games— and Alex Nylander—31 points in 49 AHL games-will both return to Rochester after promising NHL showings. Adding these two players back into the fold of what is an already ultra-skilled AHL lineup is going to give Rochester a huge edge in this series.

Rochester’s weakness: Rochester stacks up pretty well against Toronto, but if we had to peg one weakness, it would be the penalty kill. While Rochester is just two spots behind cracking the top-ten in penalty kill efficiency (12th, 81.7%), Rochester certainly isn't going to want to be taking many penalties against a powerhouse power play like Toronto’s.

Prospect to watch: Victor Olofsson. The 23-year-old crafty winger recorded 63 points in 66 games with Rochester, not to mention four points in six NHL games with Buffalo this season. He is quick, elusive, skilled and beaming with hockey sense. If you don't know Olofsson’s name by now, chances are you will by the end of this year’s playoffs.

Prediction: Rochester takes series 3-1

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 30: Syracuse Crunch right wing Taylor Raddysh (18) on the ice during the first period of the American Hockey League game between the Syracuse Crunch and Cleveland Monsters on November 30, 2018, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

(1) Syracuse vs (4) Cleveland

Syracuse’s strength: Syracuse’s depth is the team’s biggest asset. Crunch head coach Benoit Groulx has had the luxury of being able to try a variety of different line combinations throughout the year, thanks to having a plethora of skilled players including rookie of the year Alex Barre-Boulet, league-leading scorer Carter Verhaeghe, and established AHL forward Cory Conacher, among other high-end prospects throughout the lineup.

Syracuse’s weakness: Syracuse has also been fortunate to have both Eddie Pasquale and Connor Ingram sharing their crease for most of the year. With Ingram out of the fold and down in Orlando (ECHL)—for reasons that have not been explained clearly— the team will have to rely on Eddie Pasquale. Pasquale has been fine throughout the year, but the team’s outlook certainly changes when it is just him between the pipes and without an Ingram-caliber contingency plan.

Prospect to Watch: Taylor Raddysh. Raddysh may not have taken home rookie of the year honors like Barre-Boulet and he may not even be top-five in scoring on his team— but he is lightning in a bottle. A well-known playoff performer in his OHL days—scoring over a point per game through 78 OHL Playoff games—Raddysh possesses a hard nose for the net and the tenacity to get in the dirty areas that is so valuable come playoff time. Look for him to light the lamp a couple of times in this series.

Cleveland’s Strength: Star power. Cleveland has got a hell of a team on paper, with veterans like Zac Dalpe, Mark Letestu and Nathan Gerbe complementing the raw-talent of guys like Sonny Milano.

Cleveland’s weakness: Depth. Columbus’ unlikely first round sweep of Tampa, Syracuse’s affiliate, has meant that players like Adam Clendening and Eric Robinson are currently Black Aces for Columbus and unavailable for the Monsters.

Prospect to watch: Sonny Milano, who one AHL head coach told Mckeens hockey is a “Game-changer at the AHL level”, has been fluctuating between the NHL and the AHL all season, suiting up for 27 games with the Monsters this year and recording 24 points in the process. As the clock ticks on his prospect lifeline, surely he will be motivated to body his way into the NHL for next season.

Series prediction: 3-0 Syracuse

Friedman’s Five — 12/18/15

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 17:37:10 +0000

A lot has happened since my last segment. Patrick Kane racked up a whole bunch of points and I got married. I've also had plenty of time to think about hockey in the lead-up to this return column.

Here's what's on my mind:

1. THE NHL'S SUPPOSED GOAL SCORING PROBLEM ISN'T ACTUALLY A PROBLEM

Three players are on-pace to break the 100-point player, despite the greatly exaggerated news of the 100-point player's demise. One is currently on pace for 90, but that could change tomorrow (there were three a week ago). Eight are on pace for 80-89 points. Twenty players are on-pace for 70-79 points. If anything, this demonstrates a more even distribution of wealth.

The other factor here is that, as much as we tout the improved quality of play (which is absolutely the case), the stars of today aren't necessarily better than the stars of yesterday. Sidney Crosby is not Wayne Gretzky. Ryan Getzlaf isn't Mario Lemieux. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane aren't Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov. It's just the reality of the situation.

Goaltending is better than it used to be. Defense is better than it used to be. Are those bad things? Of course not. Why would they be? It's not like we're seeing soccer-esque scores in the majority of hockey games. And besides, shouldn't the NHL be happy to showcase different aspects of the sport? It's not all about goals. I think the balance is perfect right now, and nothing needs to be changed.

2. JOHNNY GAUDREAU IS THE BEST OF THE 2011 DRAFT CLASS

For fun, I decided to revisit the 2011 Entry Draft and determine where players should've been picked in hindsight. It's clear to me that Gaudreau is the best in his class. Gabriel Landeskog makes a good case, as does Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but Gaudreau's the more dynamic player of the three. He took longer to develop, which could've hurt his draft value, but there's no reason he shouldn't have at least been selected in the first round. The Flames plucked a gem.

3. PLETHORA OF SLUMPING STARS AN ANOMALY, CAUSED BY VARIOUS COINCIDENTAL CIRCUMSTANCES

It seems like just about every star player is having a down year, and you might be quick to point to that as proof that the NHL really does have a scoring problem. But if you look closer at each player's situation, you can see the reasons behind their respective slumps.

The Penguins were struggling as a team, which has brought everyone's numbers down -- including Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel. John Tavares has tried to do too much at times and hasn't been himself, which is why his numbers are down. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have had trouble because the Ducks are struggling. Steven Stamkos is weighed down by his contract situation, whether he'll admit that or not.

There's no league-wide pandemic, no goal shortage. Players struggle all the time and for a multitude of reasons. This year, it happens to be the case for several stars.

4. WHY ROOKIE GOALIES OFTEN START OFF WELL, BUT CAN'T KEEP IT UP

How many times have we seen a young goalie come into the NHL red-hot over the past few years? John Gibson, Connor Hellebuyck, Andrew Hammond, Michael Hutchinson, Garret Sparks, Mike Condon. The Maple Leafs seem to have a new one every other week.

So, why do they start off so hot and then suddenly turn freezing cold? Two words: Scouting Report.

Until shooters know the book on a goalie, it's hard for them to pick their targets. You know you have a good NHL netminder when he's played long enough for opponents to gain a better understanding of his tendencies and has remained effective. When this doesn't happen, it doesn't necessarily mean he's not cut out to be an NHL goaltender; it means he might not be ready to handle that role just yet. It could also mean he'll never be able to, but that's not the only possible outcome.

5. WE'RE NOT TALKING ENOUGH ABOUT RASMUS RISTOLAINEN

I know the tendency these days is to just pick whichever defenseman amasses the most points, and though Ristolainen doesn't have that under his belt, he does have 24 points this season. He's also been exceptionally sound away from the puck, and has shown he can be physical as well. He's on my Norris ballot right now (just in case anyone wants my vote).

Follow Daniel Friedman on Twitter @bardownhowitzer

Fantasy Hockey: Ranking Goalies by Tier

Peter Harling — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 16:35:35 +0000

For most, trying to predict fantasy goalies is a little like trying to predict where lightning is going to strike. If you are like me, you need all the help you can get. One thing you can do to help better prepare for your fantasy draft is to rank goalies by tiers. Depending on your leagues size, format, and scoring mechanism you can have all different kinds of values associated to players. With goalies, there are a few constants which apply to most leagues and situations that you need to take into consideration.

Skill level of the goalie
Situation: is he the sure-fire staring goalie looking at 50 – 60 starts
Strength of the team: Lousy teams usually equals lousy goalie stats

Below I will rank the top 50 goalies and categorize them into groups. Heading into your draft, you should have an idea of how much value you want to place on a goalie. How soon do you draft one, do you want an elite goalie, are you happy with two good goalies. You can put all your eggs in one basket and use a first round pick on a player like Carey Price. You may think that the league elite goalies fluctuates so much each year, and you would be correct, and therefore you wait until mid-draft and pick a goalie who may have a monster year. Once you have an idea of how your draft strategy, you need to look at ranking the goalies into a tier system. I suggest looking at some of the better fantasy hockey predictors such as the McKeens yearbook, and Dobber hockey and then create your own draft tier list like the one I created below.

Tier I: The Elite

These are the best of the best; they play on Stanley Cup contenders and are the undisputed starter, and are Vezina calibre.

1. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens – He won it all last year, Vezina, Hart, Lindsay, and Jennings.

2. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers – King Henrik is arguably the best goalie on the planet.

3. Jonathan Quick, LA Kings – No contest who is the starter with the two time Cup Champion.

4. Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals – New addition to the top five after a breakout year.

5. Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning – Big Ben needs to stay healthy, if so he is elite.

Tier II: The very good

Nothing wrong with this group, they are all capable of being elite but have some question.

6. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators – Re-established himself after an injury lost season.

7. M.A. Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins – Always has strong regular season stats and the Pens have beefed up.

8. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins – Rask is solid, but what direction are the Bruins headed?

9. Corey Crawford, Chicago Blackhawks – Crawford struggled at times and temporarily lost the crease in playoffs to Scott Darling. A hiccup or a warning sign?

10. Jaroslav Halak, New York Islanders - Was unable to get job done in St. Louis but has looked good on the Island. The Islanders are a team on the rise, can he do for them what he couldn’t do in St. Louis?

Tier III: Good goalies in bad situations

11. Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche – The Avs had a huge regression but Varly remained solid.

12. Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus – Injuries killed the season last year but Columbus are a team on the rise

13. Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers – Roberto is getting older, will the Panthers improve while he can still make a difference?

14. Corey Schneider, New Jersey Devils – Entering his prime but desperately needs some run support.

15. Steve Mason, Philadelphia Flyers – Flyers may have finally found their starting goalie

16. Devan Dubnyk, Minnesota Wild – This time last year he was a fantasy after thought, then went on to play in over 40 straight games earning a Vezina nomination. Would the real Dubnyk please stand up?

Tier IV: Should be the starting goalie on a good team…should be!

17. Jonas Hiller, Calgary Flames – Rebound season, Flames projected to regress, contract year, a lot of questions with this player.

18. Frederik Andersen, Anaheim Ducks – With the addition of Khudobin and Gibson pushing, Andersen could lose some starts at the first sign of trouble.

19. Craig Anderson, Ottawa Senators – Has elite type stats, but can’t stay healthy. Had the crease burgled late in the season.

20. Ryan Miller, Vancouver Canucks – Jacob Markstrom will push Miller who struggled at times last year.

Tier V: Split starters on good teams

Tandem situations where the team will ride two goalies, ideal for handcuff situations

21. Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings – Lost the starting job in playoffs, but contract says he is the starter

22. Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings – Is younger and arguably better than Howard.

23. Brian Elliott, St. Louis Blues – Like Howard, lost the starting job in the playoffs.

24. Jake Allen, St. Louis Blues – Is the gaolie of the future, which could begin immediately.

25. Kari Lehtonen, Dallas Stars – Brutal season, may flourish with less pressure.

26. Antti Niemi, Dallas Stars – Couldn’t cut it as a starter in San Jose, may work well in tandem.

Tier VI: The Unknown

Potentially great goalies, potentially getting their first crack as a number one.

27. Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks – Sharks could have a good season and Jones could see the lions share of the starts.

28. Robin Lehner, Buffalo Sabres – Tim Murray believes in Lehner, he drafted him in Ottawa, gave up a first to bring him to Buffalo, but has injury history.

29. Cam Talbot, Edmonton Oilers – Talbot was excellent spelling Henrik Lundqvist when he was injured behind a strong New York Rangers defence.

Tier VII: Split starters on bad teams

30. Jonathan Bernier, Toronto Maple Leafs – The Leafs badly want him to be the answer in goal.

31. James Reimer, Toronto Maple Leafs – Clean slate in Toronto with new management, it’s now or never for Optimus Reim.

32. Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets – The Jets are not a bad team, but Pavelec has proven to be very inconsistent

33. Michael Hutchinson, Winnipeg Jets – Again, Jets are a good team, but Hutchinson struggled later in the season

34. Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes – Ward has been in steady decline, but is in a UFA contract year.

35. Eddie Lack, Carolina Hurricanes – Lack is a player on the rise. In a better situation he would rank higher. His time may come next year, or as soon as now.

Tier VIII: Boom or Bust

These players need a break to reach their full potential, but I’m saying there is a chance.

36. John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks – If he were not injured last year, he could have been ranked in the top three tiers

37. Andrew Hammond, Ottawa Senators – Count on Anderson being injured, and when that happens, the Sens will look to Hammond. Was his miraculous run an aberration, or is he the next Tim Thomas?

38. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets – As mentioned above, the Jets are a good team and Pavelec and Hutchinson have underwhelmed. Hellebuyck impressed at the World Championship and could steal the show

39. Scott Darling, Chicago Blackhawks – Darling temporarily won the starting job away from Crawford last year and has a slight chance of doing so again and not letting go.

Tier IX: Rookies

These rookies have lots of potential and should be starters one day, maybe not this year…but maybe.

40. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning – A blood clot will keep him out for the first few months otherwise he could push the split with Bishop.

41. Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins – The AHL’s best goalie will be the backup to Fleury this year, all it takes is an injury and Murray will be the starter.

42. Malcolm Subban, Boston Bruins – Was shelled and pulled in his first NHL game last year but is the future starter for the Bruins and could be the backup to Rask this year.

43. Anders Nilsson, Edmonton Oilers – Was dominant in the KHL last year and returns to the NHL after 23 games with the Islanders.

Tier X: The long shots

If you are drafting these guys, they better be your third goalie or you only score one and you have a Tier one goalie.

44. Karri Ramo, Calgary Flames

45. Michael Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers

46. Alex Stalock, San Jose Sharks

47. Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks

48. Ben Scrivens, Edmonton Oilers

49. Thomas Greiss, New York Islanders

50. Jhonas Enroth, LA Kings

Waiver Wire: Short Term Solutions

McKeen's Hockey — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 21:04:29 +0000

The NHL season has reached the first quarter, how is your fantasy team doing?

If you have a injury or a dud on your roster and you league allows player adds and drops with no commitment or penalty, this week’s waiver wire focuses on players who are currently hot and can fill a gap, but may not be a long term solution.

Kris Versteeg, Chicago Blackhawks – 64% Fantrax Owned

Over the last few seasons Versteeg has been in a decline and hit rock bottom in last season’s playoffs scoring three points in 15 games with a minus -5 where he no longer looked like an NHL player. What a difference a season makes as now he has played his way back up to the second line with Patrick Kane and has 16 points in 19 games. While he may never again be considered keeper quality, he is well worth the own right now.

Michael Hutchinson, Winnipeg Jets – 47% Fantrax Owned

The Jets goalie is posting some impressive stats this season with a record of 8-4-1-2 and a GAA of 1.56 a save % of .947 with one shut out. While both he and Ondrej Pavelec have been solid and are competing for playing time, Pavelec’s history of wild inconsistency make Hutchinson a more than worthy gamble.

Anders Lee, New York Islanders – 41% Fantrax Owned

The Islanders are a good team, they are scoring and winning and it is not with smoke and mirrors either. The play of Anders Lee is a part of why they are having success. While he failed to make the opening roster and missed the first six games he has now scored six points in 17 games including two goals in his last two games. Recently Lee has found himself playing on a line with Brock Nelson and Ryan Strome. While he is on that line he should continue to produce, but it is no guarantee he doesn’t end up on the fourth line again.

Ales Hemsky, Dallas Stars – 37% Fantrax Owned

Yes believe it or not, the streaky Ales Hemsky is flirting with a hot streak. After going a pitiful one point in his first 14 games Hemsky found himself in the press box for game 15. In the following seven games he produced five points. The Dallas Stars have also been hot of late scoring 15 times in their last four games. Add Hemsky to your roster for a good time, not a long time.

Stephen Weiss, Detroit Red Wings – 27% Fantrax Owned

Weiss was one of the players in my Under the Radar Players feature in the McKeens yearbook. I was beginning to regret that decision to include him but recently he has been proving me right. After missing almost the entire first quarter with injuries, healthy scratches and conditioning stints in the minors, Weiss now has five points in his last three games with three goals and two assists on a red hot line with Pavel Datsyuk and Daren Helm. Like I said in the Yearbook, he is a high-risk, high-reward player but one who could return to his 60 point form.

Calvin Pickard, Colorado Avalanche – 27% Fantrax Owned

With Semyon Varlamov struggling with a groin injury that may linger on and off throughout the season, Pickard will battle Reto Berra for the backup position. Pickard has only played in five games but has a respectable 2-3 record with a 2.25 GAA and a .933 save% in that time. While Berra has a contract that all things being equal would win him the NHL job, his 3.57 GAA and .883 save% may see him the odd man out.

John Klingberg, Dallas Stars – 65% Fantrax Owned

Finally, and last but not least we come to the legend of John Klingberg. Who the heck is this guy? If you drafted Klingberg you are either in a very, very deep league or a family member. Klingberg failed to crack the opening night roster and went pointless in his first three games since being called up. Since then he has a whopping eight points in six games. With the Stars recently trading away both Brendan Dillon and Sergei Gonchar and giving Kevin Connauton up to waivers, Klingberg stock has gone through the roof! At only 65% owned do not sleep on this player