Author: sportsjerseyscanada

The Next Guy

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different brand of hockey. Almost a different sport. The intensity that goes into every single shift is the maximum amount that a player can give. The goaltender is zoned in for every single second the puck is in play. The coaches are constantly aware of every single player on the ice and how they plan to attack or defend every single shift because if you make one mistake, you make this difficult journey all the more arduous. One of the more difficult choices a coach has to make is which goaltender to start a game after losing momentum. Sometimes there is no choice, such as when there is an injury, but more often than not, there is the mind numbing conundrum of starting your backup goaltender in order to rejuvenate the team in front of him.
Injury is the reason why the Pittsburgh Penguins had to start third string goaltender Jeff Zatkoff in his playoff debut for games 1 and 2. Marc-Andre Fleury and backup Matt Murray were both out but the Penguins managed to give Zatkoff his first win. In game 3 coach Mike Sullivan had the opportunity to replace Zatkoff, after a loss in game 2, with Murray. Murray was amazing at the end of the regular season after Fleury was concussed, only to sustain an upper body injury on April 9. By re-instating Murray the Penguins played a solid, bounce-back game, only allowing 17 shots and 1 goal while scoring 3 goals on 31 shots.
The Washington Capitals were steamrolling the Philadelphia Flyers for the first three games, as many had expected, so this goaltender change was not such a hard decision for Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol. Steve Mason was benched for game 4 in favor of Michal Neuvirth and for good reason after a 6-1 loss and the 101 foot gaffe the previous game. Neuvirth came in and made 31 saves to get the Flyers a 2-1 win, their first of the series. Only time will tell if the Neuvirth can put the Flyers on his back and take down the best team in the league.
Again, changing goaltenders inspired the team in front of them to play a supercharged game to get back in the series. This time it was the Detroit Red Wings who found themselves in a 2-0 series hole and decided to put in Petr Mrazek after Jimmy Howard allowed 7 goals on 64 shots in the previous 2 games. The Red Wings only allowed 16 shots on Mrazek to give him the shut out and scored two goals on 30 shots. He played well in game 4, stopping 30 shots but the Red Wings fell 3-2 after a powerplay goal with 2:32 left in the third. Allowing 3 goals in two games will pretty much guarantee a third straight start for game 5.
If you need more examples of a team playing hard with a new goaltender in net, here they are:
After losing both home games 3-2, Bruce Boudreau and the Anaheim Ducks decided to play Frederik Andersen instead of John Gibson. The result: a 27 save shutout and a 3-0 win for the Ducks.
The high-scoring Dallas Stars probably didn’t need to replace Kari Lehtonen with Antti Niemi but perhaps they just decided to give Lehtonen the night off after a 5-3 loss in game 3. The move worked. The Stars won 3-2 with Niemi making 28 saves and giving the Stars a 3-1 series lead.

Whether due to injury, need of inspiration, or because of poor play, having a reliable backup goaltender apparently is a huge part of winning games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The next problem for the coaches is when, or if, to go back to the goaltender that got you there.

Way to Go

“Way to go.” Those may be the most depressing, condescending, and out-of-character words ever spoken through the public address system at a National Hockey League game. The fact that they were entirely appropriate given the chaos that was erupting in the arena doesn’t change the fact that things have gotten so bad in Philadelphia that the voice of the Flyers, Lou Nolan, actually resorted to the kind of language usually reserved for older brothers and upperclassmen rebuking their younger counterparts. “Way to go.” Could it get any worse than to hear those words amplified across the entire arena, through the cameras, and out into thousands of homes where stupefied hockey fans stare at each other and ask, “Did he just say that?”

For those not in the know Nolan’s words came after the second round of game disruption where fans threw promotional bracelets onto the ice as an expression of their disgust or their unhappiness or their whatever. They were mad at something or other and chose to convey that by tossing light-up LED trinkets not only on the ice but also at the officials and even opposing players. The fans earned a minor penalty for delay of game, which might have mattered more if the Capitals weren’t already trouncing Philly 5-1.

The ruckus began after Flyer’s forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare delivered a brutal check on defenseman Dmitry Orlov, slamming him headfirst into the boards. While Orlov managed to skate off the ice under his own power he clearly needed medical attention and the rest of the Capitals came to his defense. After officials pulled the ensuing scrum apart, Bellemare received a 5-minute major and a game misconduct. Two other Flyers’ players received penalties as well but the bracelet rain didn’t begin until the crowd realized none of the Capitals’ players would be receiving penalty time.

As the storm of white promotional toys gained momentum announcer Lou Nolan pleaded with fans to stop the madness. His appeal seemed to work for a time but it wasn’t long before the shower continued and the officials were forced to call a delay of game penalty on Philadelphia. It was at this point that a clearly exasperated Nolan offered his rebuke, ““OK, those of you that have been throwing, you’ve done it now. Two-minute bench minor on the Flyers for delay of the game … Way to go!”

Throwing items on the ice isn’t new and the list of items launched from the seats is as odd as it is long. From pennies and nickels in the 1940s to Detroit’s bizarre octopus fetish that began in the 50s. There’s also a 3-foot leopard shark that made its way onto the ice as a show of support of the San Jose Sharks or the slabs of Alberta beef thrown out for Edmonton’s Oilers. In Toronto, fans of the Maple Leafs became so disgusted with their team’s play they even threw their valuable jerseys over the glass. Former Hawk’s President Bill Tobin recalled a game in Montreal where some disgruntled fan threw an alarm clock into play. “They thought it was time we woke up, I guess,” Tobin was heard to say.

While celebratory traditions like throwing hats for a hat trick are rarely penalized the kind of angry demonstration exhibited in Philadelphia crossed the line. Orlov was even hit in the face by a bracelet while receiving medical treatment after Bellamare’s hit. Had the game been closer, or the series for that matter, the ramifications would have been more severe but not only did most Philly fans leave the Wells Fargo Center with a 6-1 loss; they had a bad taste in their mouths as well.

Do high Canadian taxes scare off NHL free agents?

Even though NHL contracts are paid in American dollars, Canadian teams are generally at a disadvantage when trying to attract big-name players due to the country’s high tax rates. The rate of tax players pay on their earnings varies greatly throughout the league depending on where they’re located. Those who believe money is the bottom line when it comes to contract time may be willing to take less cash in some cities because a lower tax rate means they’ll actually take home a bigger chunk of their pay.

A prime example is the case of forward Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stamkos is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and is bound to have several suitors. However, if he’s just interested in making as much money as possible he’s probably better off staying where he is and signing a smaller contract. The reason for this is because there’s no state income tax in Florida. The Lightning has reportedly offered Stamkos a deal worth $8.5-million a season for eight years and he didn’t appear too interested in it.

As usual, the media in Toronto is getting involved in the situation by claiming Stamkos will sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs for no other reason than the fact that he hails from nearby Markham. But the Leafs would have to offer him more than $10 million per season just to equal Tampa’s offer of $8.5 million. Players who skate for Ontario-based teams Toronto and the Ottawa Senators are taxed at a rate of 53.53 percent by the Canadian government as are any other residents who are paid more than $220,000 per year.

If Stamkos stays in Tampa or signs with the neighbouring Florida Panthers for $8.5 million, he’d take home $4.6 million dollars a year after agent fees and federal taxes. However, in Ontario he’d keep just $4.3 million on a $10 million annual contract. The Leafs and Senators would have to dish out approximately $2 million more per year for Stamkos to take home the same amount of money as he does in Florida. On a seven year contract, this would see an Ontario based team paying out an extra $14 million, which could be a crucial amount due to the league’s salary cap rules.

Ontario teams are at the greatest disadvantage in the league and Canada it comes to money-hungry free agents. Players in Quebec are subject to a tax rate of 53.31 per cent, while those in Winnipeg fork over 50.4 per cent. Players on Alberta teams Edmonton and Calgary are taxed 48 per cent and those in British Vancouver pay 47.7 per cent. The tax rates in Ontario and Quebec are higher than any of the 50 American states and fans will notice that most NHL stars who become free agents tend to sign with U.S. teams.

Most Canadian clubs were at an advantage before the salary cap was introduced in 2005 since they could spend as much as they pleased on free agent contracts. This was easy to do since the majority of Canadian teams sold out their rinks night after night and were among the league’s top revenue earners. Things are tighter with the salary cap in place though and if Canadian franchises need to spend more money on big-name free agents it obviously means they have less to offer the remaining players on their rosters.

Players on the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators are also lucky enough to pay no state income tax and can sign for less money in these locations and still earn more. If two clubs are offering the same amount of money to a free agent there’s a good chance he’ll sign with the team that has a lower tax rate. There’s also an added bonus since the current exchange rate sees the American dollar worth roughly 30 per cent more than its Canadian counterpart. As soon as players cross the border or return home to Canada for the summer their wallets swell. Therefore, the more money they keep the better. This isn’t to say that all American-based NHL players pay little to no tax as California’s combined rate is 52.9 per cent, while Minnesota’s is 49.45 per cent, New Jersey’s is 48.57 per cent, Washington, D.C. pays 48.55 per cent and New York’s rate is 48.42 per cent.

As you can see these figures are higher than Alberta and British Columbia. But while American players may not be required to pay state tax, they still need to pay federal taxes with the lowest rates in the league being Florida and Texas at 39.6 per cent. In addition, the top tax rates in many states applied to a higher income level than in Canadian provinces. For example, people making over $220,000 in Ontario pay the highest rate while you need to earn more than $1 million in California to be hit with the most tax.

Not all free agents base their decisions on the almighty dollar though. Some of them are more interested in the city they’ll be living in as well as the quality of the team on the ice and what their role with the club will be. But whatever reason a free agent has for signing with a team, the higher taxes aren’t doing the Canadian based clubs any favours.

Columbus Blue Jackets 2016 Offseason Plans

The Columbus Blue Jackets’ 2015-2016 started out as bad as can be, and never got much better. The team set a record for futility, losing the first eight games of the season in regulation. After firing Coach Todd Richards, John Tortorella came in and compiled a .500 record. The team that many thought would complete for a playoff spot ended up last in the Metropolitan division and second last in the Eastern Conference.

Columbus had a major problem in their own end, allowing the second most goals and the fourth most shots of any team in the league. The squad’s top goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, was hampered with groin injuries that limited him to only 37 games. Even while he was playing, he struggled to a 2.75 Goals Against Average and .908 save percentage. Considering his $7.425 million salary cap hit moving forward, the team will need him to return to form.

The Blue Jackets do have some exciting young talent to build around though. Brandon Saad (23 years old) and Boone Jenner (22) both scored over 30 goals this season. In addition, Cam Atkinson (26) tied Saad for the team lead with 53 points. On defense, Ryan Murray (22), David Savard (25) and Seth Jones (21) give the team a solid core to develop.

Pending Free Agents: The most notable free agent is Jones who was acquired in a mid-season trade. The former number four overall pick scored 20 points in 41 games with Columbus and is still growing. The team does not have a lot of cap room, but will need to use a good chunk of it to keep Jones long term. Right Winger Rene Bourque will likely not be re-signed.

Draft Picks: If the Jackets stay in the number four spot in the draft, they could take the best overall defenseman. However, considering they have Jones and Murray, there is a good chance they will take a top forward. They had to part with their top center, Ryan Johansen, to get Jones and this may be a way to bring back some of that scoring punch. Matthew Tkachuk, son of former NHLer Keith Tkachuk, could be an option.

Free Agent Additions: Free agency will be limited for Columbus based on their current cap situation. If they will sign someone, they will look for a veteran presence on defense to help develop the younger players. Adam Pardy of the the Winnipeg Jets or Christian Ehrhoff of the Chicago Blackhawks could be players to target.

The ‘X-Factor’ in the First Round Matchups

The playoffs start on Wednesday April 13th with three series, followed by four on Thursday, and the Ducks and the Predators finally starting on Friday. That means it’s time for any and all to weigh in on who they think is going to go all the way and win the Stanley Cup.
While this article will give predictions for the winners of each round, it will also discuss the ‘X-Factor’, or the player who will make the most difference, for each team.
Washington vs Philadelphia
Capitals – With many previous playoff failures, though not necessarily his fault, Alex Ovechkin is the leader and captain of this team and ultimately the success, or lack thereof, of this team is squarely on his shoulders. He will have the weight of the world on his shoulders for the entirety of the playoffs, right up until the final buzzer sounds.
Flyers – Sean Couturier is a big, strong center that will be charged with playing an extremely large roll. His task will be to try to limit the line of Ovechkin, TJ Oshie, and Nicklas Backstrom to as few points as possible. Not an easy task.
Washington in 5
Florida vs New York Islanders
Panthers – Jaromir Jagr, the ageless wonder, will have to see if he can take his 44 year old body through the grind of a potentially long playoff run. He will have to keep up his great play from the regular season where he led the Panthers with 66 points.
Islanders – Top defenceman Travis Hamonic has been out since March 31 but has practised and should be ready to go. With number one goalie Jaroslav Halak out for the first round, the Islanders will need all the defensive help they can get.
Florida in 6
Pittsburgh vs New York Rangers
Penguins – Marc-Andre Fleury is supposedly ready to go for game 1 after sustaining his second concussion of the season on March 31. He is obviously their backbone on the defensive side and has a ton of playoff experience. The Penguins will need him healthy.
Rangers – Again, the goalie is the story if the Rangers want to win. Henrik Lundqvist is a world class goalie that is going to have to steal some games from the third highest scoring team in the league. The Rangers also have some key injuries on defence and their offence isn’t scoring nearly at the rate the Penguins are.
Pittsburgh in 6
Tampa Bay vs Detroit
Lightning – Ben Bishop will have to steal a few (maybe all) of the games for the Lightning if they want to win. With Stamkos out, the rest of the team will have to find a way to replace a lot of goals and if they can’t do it, then it will be up to Bishop.
Red Wings – Dylan Larkin has had an outstanding year for the Red Wings and led the team with 23 goals. He will need to score on Ben Bishop for the Red Wings to have a chance.
Tampa Bay in 7
Dallas vs Minnesota
Stars – Tyler Seguin will have to see if he can return to his regular season form after suffering an achilles injury and missing the final 10 games. However, he scored 73 points in his 72 regular season games, including 33 goals.
Minnesota – The Wild limped into the playoffs with losses in their final five games and two of their best forwards injured. This will leave most of the weight on goaltender Devan Dubnyk’s shoulders. He will have his hands full against the NHL’s highest scoring team.
Dallas in 5
Anaheim vs Nashville
Ducks – Ryan Getzlaf is in the same boat as Alex Ovechkin in that he is the captain of a team that is, and has been, expected to win it all. After Anaheim’s slow start they roared back to the top of the standings and are primed for a long run with the best powerplay and penalty kill in the league.
Predators – One of the best defencemen in the league for many years has been Shea Weber and he will have a huge workload with the big, strong forwards in Anaheim. Plus he will have to handle the Ducks’ top-ranked powerplay.
Anaheim in 6
St. Louis vs Chicago
Blues – Alexander Steen had 52 points in 67 games this season but only 17 goals. The Blues need secondary scoring behind Vladimir Tarasenko and will need more than Steen’s 6 playoff goals in 31 games.
Blackhawks – Corey Crawford was (is?) having a Vezina trophy season before being injured for 11 games at the end of the season, only to come back for the last game and allow five goals. With Duncan Keith out for game 1 and a depleted defence already, he needs to shake off the rust and play like he, and everyone else, knows he can.
Chicago in 7
Los Angeles vs San Jose
Kings – The Kings playoff success has been largely dependant on the play of goalie Jonathan Quick. If the Kings can put up just a few goals per game than they can usually rely on Quick to close it out. However, the Kings were outscored 12-4 in third periods during a 7 game stretch in late March, early April so they might need Quick even more this year.
Sharks – At the other end of the ice will be goalie Martin Jones, who has never started a playoff game and will be doing so against his former team. If Jones can keep his wits about him then the Sharks will have the confidence to execute their high scoring offence in front of him.

Los Angeles in 7

2016 NHL Playoffs Preview

The 2015-2016 regular season has come to a close. With over 1200 games played the field of 30 has been winnowed down to 16, none of which hail from Canada, something that hasn’t happened in 45 years. Despite its lack of Northern exposure, the 2016 playoffs look to be as exciting and unpredictable as ever. The number of wins during the regular season are irrelevant. The points totals are history. None of that matters. It’s all about who can win now. With that in mind let’s take a quick look at the matchups for this year’s first round.

Beginning in the Eastern conference we have this year’s President’s Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals, going up against wild card Philadelphia Flyers. While the Capitals are pretty much accepted as the best team in the league this year that in no way means they’ll glide past the Flyers who surged at season’s end to nab a playoff spot. Expect a bruising match-up with the Capitals coming out on top but perhaps a bit more shaken and tired than expected.

The Florida Panthers set a franchise record for points this year and hope for a deep run in the playoffs. They’re up against the wild card Islanders who have reached the playoffs for the third time in four years. With Nick Bjugstad surging at the end of the season the Panthers seemed poised for the win though Islander defenseman Travis Hamonic’s return from injury could provide a much-needed boost for the team from Brooklyn.

In what may be the most interesting and thrilling match-up of the Eastern Conference, the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the New York Rangers. Sound familiar? It should because the Rangers have beaten the Penguins 7 out of their last 8 post-season meetings and ousted them each of the last two years. On the Pittsburgh side, expect big things from a resurgent Sidney Crosby who helped fuel the team’s winning streak at the end of the season. The Rangers, on the other hand, are stacked but how much can they expect out of 34 year-old Henrik Lundqvist?

Out of the Atlantic we have the Detroit Red Wings up against the Tampa Bay Lightning. With some injuries hampering their line-up at the end of the regular season, the Lightning seem a little banged up. While they may be favored it wouldn’t surprise anyone that the Red Wings are hard to beat in their 25th straight playoff appearance.

In the Western Conference we start with the Dallas Stars against the Minnesota Wild. The Stars won both the Central Division and the Western Conference for a reason. They can score. After leading the league with 267 goals in the regular season the Stars seem poised to push deep into the playoffs with their first top seed in 12 years. The Wild, on the other hand, have the worst record in the league for a playoff team plus they may have lost forwards Zach Parise and Thomas Vanek for the series. Expect a big win by Dallas.

The Anaheim Ducks face off against the Nashville Predators. The Ducks took the Pacific with a record of 46-25-11 while the Predators went 41-27-14 to clinch the first wild-card spot. The Ducks are expected to play well after leading the league in both power play and penalty kill but the Predators are reaching the playoffs for the 9th time in 12 years. Anaheim goalie, John Gibson, might be the determining factor in this series.

Long time division rivals, St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, meet in the playoffs once again for what will surely be the most bombastic series in the Western Conference. While the Blues took 3 of their 5 regular season meetings that’s hardly enough to call for an easy win. The Blues enter the off-season with momentum and dazzling displays from their two goalies, Brian Elliot and Jake Allen, but will it be enough to stop the defending Stanley Cup champions? Look for Blackhawk netminder, Corey Crawford, to make a big difference in the outcome of this series.

Finally we come to the Pacific where second place finishers, the LA Kings, meet up with their third place rivals, the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks topped the Kings 3-1-1 in regular season play but the Kings are always better in the playoffs and look to nab that third Stanley Cup in 5 seasons.

No matter which conference or what division, the 2016 lineups look amazing. While who wins what is up in the air, one thing that can be counted on is another heart pounding post-season.

How to stop NHL teams from tanking

The Toronto Maple Leafs finally led the NHL in something for the first time since the 1966/67 season. Unfortunately, it was for tanking. If you’re not familiar with the term, tanking basically means losing games on purpose so a team can finish as low as possible in the standings. It’s not just confined to the NHL as it also happens on occasion in the NBA, but it’s starting to become a huge embarrassment to the world’s best hockey league. This is because several clubs were obviously trying to sink down the table this season in order to obtain better odds of acquiring the number-one draft pick.

It’s become so bad that fans have openly cheered when their teams have lost and the media in many cities has jumped on the losing bandwagon. It all seems ridiculous though when you consider the Edmonton Oilers have drafted first overall four times in the past six seasons and the franchise is still one of the worst in the league. If Maple Leafs’ supporters believe that picking Auston Matthews first overall this June will suddenly turn the franchise around they’re in for a big shock. One youngster isn’t going to make this club an on-ice winner, especially by playing about 18 minutes a night.

Also, considering the Leafs have perfected the art of losing over the past half century, there’s an 80-per cent chance they’re not going to win the lottery and pick first anyway. There’s no arguing that somebody has to finish last in the 30-team NHL, but something needs to be done to stop clubs from “competing” for the basement. There have been a few interesting suggestions to stop tanking from becoming an epidemic, but only a couple of them appear to be realistic.

Many fans feel the league should hold some sort of playoff contest between the team’s worst teams with the winner earning the top draft pick. However, it’s going to be hard to organize and players who are on expiring contracts aren’t going to be motivated, especially when they could be inured. Another suggestion is to count up the number of points a team earns during the regular season once they’ve been mathematically eliminated from reaching the playoffs.

This solution is also flawed though since teams don’t all miss the postseason at the same time. Some clubs are out of the race with as many as 20 games to go while others may not be eliminated until the last weekend. A team that is eliminated earlier in the season has a much better chance of earning points by putting in an effort once they’ve officially missed the postseason. In addition, a franchise which realizes it has no chance of making the playoffs at the beginning of the season can simply tank earlier. If the team is out of the playoffs before everybody else it has an unfair advantage and opportunity to earn more points over the remainder of the season.

The basic idea of playing for points could lead to an ideal anti-tanking solution though. The best method would be to add up the total points that all 14 non-playoff teams earn during the last 20 games of the season. This puts all teams on equal footing and instead of trying to lose games due to a lack of effort, the opposite would need to take place. If the Leafs happened to play the Oilers in game 82 this season it wouldn’t be a meaningless match with both teams and their fans hoping for a loss. It would lead to a contest in which both franchises desperately need a victory to receive a higher draft pick.  

This scenario makes the final 20 games of the season must-win outings for all of the league’s teams regardless of their position in the standings. Clubs in the playoff race would obviously need as many points as possible to keep their postseason positions while the bottom feeders would need the points to draft as high as possible. Tanking would then become obsolete. Of course, if all 30 NHL teams or the 14 that miss the playoffs had the same odds of winning the draft lottery it would also be a fair system, but this could also lead to meaningless games during the last quarter of the season. By counting points earned over the final 20 games it guarantees that all games will be meaningful.        

Calgary Flames 2016 Offseason Plans

            Following a surprising playoff series win in 2014-2015, the Calgary Flames struggled mightily this season. The team will likely drop more than 20 points from last year’s 97. Considering the team’s young stars and offseason acquisitions, it was assumed they would at least be competitive. However, poor goaltending and lower overall scoring will keep them out of the playoffs.

            Calgary’s goaltenders have combined to have the worst goals against average in the NHL. Jonas Hiller has been the most inept, posting a 3.51 GAA and .879 save percentage in 27 games. Youngster Joni Ortio has played relatively well in limited outings. The 24 year has a goals against average of 2.63, similar to fellow goalie Karri Ramo.

            Pending Free Agents: The Flames have many difficult decisions to make this offseason, most important of all to determine who will be their starting goalie next season. Hiller and Ramo will both be unrestricted free agents, with Hiller definitely to be gone. Ortio is a restricted free agent, so if the team sees him as a future contributor, they will need to work on an extension.

            The first priorities to get extensions though are forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Gaudreau is quickly becoming one of the league’s best young players, averaging a point per game this season. Monahan, a year younger than Gaudreau at 21, has 62 points in 78 games played this year. Both players are restricted free agents but the team will likely try to work out long term extensions with both.

            Draft Picks: It is highly unlikely the team will address their goalie issue with one of the first picks in the draft, but they will probably look for one in the middle rounds. Calgary may try to overcome their goaltending deficiencies by adding more scoring punch, so they may look to add the best forward available.

            Free Agent Additions: The free agent goaltender market is pretty thin, with old veterans Cam Ward and James Reimer topping the list. They could try to trade for a goalie like Jimmy Howard from the Detroit Red Wings or pry Matt Murray away from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Murray may be available because with the potential expansion draft on the horizon, teams with two quality goalies will only be able to protect one and would rather trade one than lose him with nothing in return. With the large contracts the team will have to give Gaudreau and Monahan, it will be interesting to see if they will have any more room to sign free agents and stay under the salary cap.

The Conn Smythe Trophy

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs right around the corner and almost all the playoff spots secure, save for the Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit saga, everyone wants to make predictions on how far their favorite team will go. While it is true that it takes an entire team effort to win the Stanley Cup there is always one (sometimes more) player that stands out over the course of two gruelling months of playoff hockey.
The Conn Smythe Trophy is given to the player who is judged to be most valuable to their team during the entire course of the playoffs. This is different from the other three major sports in North America (the MLB, NFL, and NBA) which give out their awards based on the performance of the player in the final series alone. While performing well in the last series to win it all is very important, the Conn Smythe Trophy recognizes not only the final 4 wins but also the other 12 that had to happen to get to the finals. Sometimes, most times, these previous wins are just as hard or harder to achieve because teams are playing their division or conference rivals; teams that they have played against many times in the regular season and teams that know how to strategize against your team. This article will examine some of the possible Conn Smythe Trophy candidates if their teams get all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Alex Ovechkin/Braden Holtby – Let’s start with the President’s Trophy winning Washington Capitals and their stars. The Capitals are hoping for it all this year and they have every reason to believe they can do it. They are well clear of any other team in terms of regular season points, they have the top goal scorer in the league in Ovechkin with 47 goals so far, and the league leader in wins for a goaltender with Braden Holtby’s 47. If Ovechkin can keep up his torrid goal scoring pace into the playoffs there is no reason why he shouldn’t be the playoffs MVP. If the Capitals end up winning the Cup then it will probably have something to do with goaltender Braden Holtby stealing a few games but otherwise playing solid the way he has been all season. The Conn Smythe Trophy might be a coin flip if the Capitals win the Stanley Cup.
Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane – The Chicago Blackhawks seem to be in contention for a Cup every year now and it is in no small way due to their best forwards. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have lead this team (and the league in Kane’s case) in points for the last few years and especially in the playoffs. Defenceman Duncan Keith is the reigning Conn Smythe winner but his recent suspension might hinder the perception of being the most valuable. Jonathan Toews is arguably the best captain in the NHL right now and if the Blackhawks reach the Stanley Cup finals it will probably be on their captain’s back, scoring or not. Patrick Kane is the Western Conference’s answer to Ovechkin and if the two of them end up battling it out for the Conn Smythe Trophy it should be very fun to watch.

Of course anything can happen in the playoffs and there are any number of players and goaltenders that can get struck by lightning and have an amazing run to the Finals. There are also the superstars on every team that have the potential to win games all on their own. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Drew Doughty, Jamie Benn, Alexander Steen, Henrik Lundqvist, Jaromir Jagr, Corey Perry, and Ryan Getzlaf all have the skill and experience to lead their teams the Holy Grail of hockey and a chance to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Panther Set Record

On Monday April 4th the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 for their 45th victory of the season. The win further solidifies their position atop the Atlantic while continuing the slow, tortuous death of the Leaf’s 2015-16 season. But another win and another step closer to the playoffs weren’t the only reason for celebration in Panther country Monday night. Florida also racked up its 99thpoint for a new franchise record.

The Panther franchise officially began with the 1993-94 season and the team’s ability to win was established right away. With stars like John Vanbiesbrouck, Rob Niedermayer, and Scott Mellanby the Panthers had one of the most successful inaugural seasons of any expansion team ever. With a near .500 finish they barely missed a spot in the 1994 playoffs.  Then in the 1999-2000 season the franchise record was set at 98 points, an achievement that held for 15 years.

With goals by Bjugstad, Rocco Grimaldi, and Aleksander Barkov, not to mention 22 saves by netminder Al Montoya, the Panthers held on to win after jumping to a 3-0 lead in the second period. The team hopes that surpassing the previous team record sends a clear statement that this isn’t the same team who found themselves at the bottom of the league during the 2013 season. ”Those are some tough times,” Bjugstad said. ”Losing a lot of games and it’s not fun coming to the rink a lot of times because it’s a tough environment.”
With only four playoff appearances in franchise history nobody is feeling overconfident moving into the post season though. According to right-winger Jaromir Jagr, “It’s something new for a lot of guys to make the playoffs. We’ll see how we’re going to react. It can scare us away or the other way around.” The team’s last visit was during the 2011-2012 season where they lost to the New Jersey Devils in the Quarterfinals. ”We’re at step one,” said center Nick Bjugstad. ”We keep saying step one, keep moving on, we don’t want to be satisfied.”

The Florida team does have some reason to feel confident going into the post-season though. Monday’s victory clinches home-ice advantage in the first round, which should go a long way towards helping them find their way into the later rounds. “It’s good to get the home-ice clinched tonight and the next goal is to try and get first in the division,” Florida head coach Gerard Gallant said.

In the meantime the team continues to build momentum and prepare themselves for the post season. No matter what happens though, they can honestly say that this was their best year in franchise history.