Author: sportsjerseyscanada

Trade Bait: 8 Players Potentially On The Move

The trade deadline is only a couple days away and fans of all teams are on the edge of their seats. There’s teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks and Columbus Blue Jackets that will be huge sellers. There will be plenty of contending teams looking to land some rentals and push themselves over the top to make a deep Stanley Cup run. We’ll be taking a look at the top 8 player’s available going into the deadline.
Eric Staal
This isn’t the old Eric Staal, but he can still be a very effective player on the right team. The price may be steep, but he would help teams such as Nashville and the New York Rangers greatly.  I can also see Anaheim having some interest as he’s a big body and some more scoring depth.
Potential landing spots: Nashville, New York Rangers, Anaheim
Mikkel Boedker
With the Coyotes and Boedker seemingly not being able to get a deal done, all signs point to him being traded by the deadline. He’s a young, quality forward that could fit on a contending team’s second line. I see the Los Angeles Kings as clear front runners for Boedker, with Gaborik out with an injury.
Potential landing spots: LA Kings
Dan Hamhuis
Hamhuis has a no trade clause in Vancouver, but it is expected he will waive to a contending team. There was speculation about his abilities earlier in the year, but he just came back from an injury and has looked quite good. There will be a lot of offers for Hamhuis but I can only see him waiving to a true contender. It has been speculated that there’s lots of interest from the Blackhawks, but I can see Pittsburgh making an offer as well.
Potential landing spots: Chicago and Pittsburgh
Loui Eriksson
Loui is flying under the radar as a potential player on the move. He’s a very skilled forward that can play up and down a line-up. The price shouldn’t be all that steep, and he could put one of the contenders over the top to help on a Cup run. I see Anaheim and Los Angeles having great interest.
Potential landing spots:  Anaheim and LA
Radim Vrbata
It has been a rather underwhelming year for Radim Vrbata in Vancouver. The price won’t be high because of his lackluster play, but he’s still a very useful player. He could slide onto a second line right wing position on the majority of NHL clubs. I’d be shocked if Vrbata was still a Canuck by the end of the deadline. I can see the Blues being interested in him.
Potential landing spots:  St Louis
Kris Russell
Russell is a reliable defenceman that will be a cheaper alternative than Dan Hamhuis for a lot of teams. I expect Pittsburgh to be the front runners, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the New York Rangers were interested.
Potential landing spots: Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers
Jonathan Drouin
Drouin is the only player who isn’t an unrestricted free agent on my list. I expect him to move by the deadline and go to a Canadian market.  Montreal has some pieces to offer for Drouin, and he would help their offensive problems going forward. I can see Vancouver and Toronto having interest, but I don’t believe either of them have the right assets to offer.
Potential landing spots: Montreal, Vancouver + Toronto (?)
Jiri Hudler
Hudler has had an abysmal year in Calgary. The Flames will be shipping him out and could fetch a decent return. I would expect Detroit and Florida to be interested. Detroit could use him greatly during the playoffs, while his experience would be of great use in Florida with all those kids. Maybe it would give Jagr a bit of a break.
Potential landing spots: Detroit and Florida

I hope you enjoyed the read, Christmas is only a couple days away.

How To Get Your Dream Job In The NHL Even if You’re Not A Hockey Player

Sadly,
Most hockey players won’t make a career in the NHL, minor pro leagues or even the OHL or college hockey. But a lot of hockey players or rabid NHL fans don’t realize that things are changing job wise
for people in today’s society, and they want a dream job, not a regular job at a factory, office or physical labor position, or even being in business.
Mind you if you do have a regular job you need to keep a steady paycheck while striving for your NHL dream job. It’s all about doing something you love, enjoy and understand to boot.
What are most of us when we watch our favorite NHL team?
Armchair quarterbacks so to speak. We seem to think we’re better scouts, GM’s and referee’s for that matter. Yes,  I do it all the time while watching the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins or Washington Capitals.
Think about this for a while though. The wife says to stop wasting your time watching the NHL and not making money,  and wasting money on NHL team merchandise, tickets and going on bus trips to see the leafs. The wife is kinda’ right about spending money and not making any money watching hockey.
But how can you make money working in the NHL, or for the NHL in some capacity doing what you love, or even a business that caters to NHL teams?
Believe me there are ways to make money in the NHL. I’m not kidding.
Years ago I found a website that helps pro hockey players, amateur hockey players or just rabid hockey fans or hockey writers like myself, become scouts, agents, media and even hockey General Managers.
They offer comprehensive courses in these areas along with some of the top GM’s and agents who actually endorse these courses. For those who know Brian Burke who was the GM of the Toronto Leafs, he endorses the hockey and GM course. As well, Harry Sinden who was the the GM of the Boston Bruins endorses this course.
Along with this both Burke and Sinden actually chat with students online in seminars to teach students the tricks of the trade involving GM and Scouting duties. I realize all us rabid hockey fans see is the player deals or issues with regarding player salaries or things they do wrong.
The Hockey GM and Scouting course deals with everyday administrative and sales duties that delve into ticket sales, team merch, alcohol and beverage sales and event planning. So there is more to it than people think. And it helps you become a sales professional as well.
But you don’t have to necessarily become a GM, because frankly it seems rather boring, and I know it would pay a lot more. But wouldn’t you rather do something interesting and be a scout involved in the analysis of players, and eventual recruitment of players who become players on a team you scout for?
I thought so.
I know I haven’t told you the name of the site yet, but I wanted to actually tell you what it’s about.
That way you can make an intelligent decision. There are many scouts who give testimonials on this
course. You cannot just be a scout and GM in the NHL—but the AHL—which is the last step before
the NHL. Or you can become a scout in the Ontario Hockey League(OHL) or other minor pro leagues
or even junior leagues and college hockey teams.
Okay, the name of the company that runs this course is Sports Management Worldwide. It is run by Lynn Lashbrook who owns SMWW, and is an agent himself.
This looks like a great course, and I plan on taking the Hockey GM and Scout course.
Why continue just watching hockey at night and just making the wifey mad while you waste your nights watching games played by players who make a million dollars or more a year, when you can
get a cut of the action—doing something you love—as a scout or GM,  and make some cash as a scout
analyzing players.
Get started with a dream job you’ll love doing on the side, and make the wife happy, and make your friends envious who are rabid hockey fans like you. You might make a hockey fan and scout out of the wife.
You don’t have to be a genius to do this. And you’ll be spending your time productively in the world of hockey.
PS: You’ll see the top scouts and GM’s involved in the course as soon as you click the link above to the sports management worldwide course. They help you every step of the way see if you’re better to suited to being a GM, or Scout.
That’s how dedicated they are to helping people get their dream jobs in NHL or hockey in general.

Much success with your dream job in the NHL.

Sega NHL 94. I Love You!

How does one fall in love? If the object of your affection is the sport of hockey, there are many ways. For me, it started on the floor of a dorm room in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Just me, my roommates, a 12-pack of Natural Light — and NHL ‘94. The greatest video game in the history of video games.
I’ll come clean, for the majority of my young life, I watched the great sport of hockey in a manner that most puckheads will hate. Growing up in Los Angeles, I barely paid attention unless my dad was bringing me to the Fabulous Forum. Shout out to the old Forum Club and their wicked strong drinks.
Of course that started to change when Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Kings in 1988. After that, hockey was pushed into a different stratosphere on the West Coast. Still it didn’t capture my imagination until I went to college.
My first year at Michigan, a great way to bond with the roommates was to play sports video games and talk some trash. No, it wasn’t like the famous scene in Swingers. It was far more foul mouthed, and drunk. I had a Sega, and for no particular reason, I bought NHL ‘94 and flipped it on one fall morning. I didn’t go to class for 3 days.
This game became one of the hallmarks of my college existence, and like many, exposed me deep into the NHL and it’s players for the first time. Despite being an LA native, I lived, breathed, fought, and died with the Chicago Blackhawks in NHL ‘94. What Bo Jackson did for football video gaming in Tecmo Bowl, Jeremy Roenick did for hockey. In my agile thumbs, Roenick was unstoppable. At one point in the winter of 1995, the “Roenick wraparound” was outlawed in all ‘bet gameplay’. For those who aren’t quite familiar, there was a flaw in the game where players of certain speed and skill could essentially skate in a circle around the goal and on the backhand — score every time. This was my genius, my nirvana. The guaranteed equalizer. But if there was a bet on the line, the “Roenick wraparound” was outlawed. What were the bets? Typically it was beer — loser buys. There were a few more …ummm… colorful bets. Loser runs naked through the dorm. You get the picture.
I knew every line for almost every team, three deep. Only video games would force a young man to commit to memory the checking line of the Detroit Red wings: Keith Primeau, Bob Probert, Ray Sheppard.  My roommate, a diehard Red Wings fan, had a strange fetish for the New York Rangers and … Alexei Kovalev. Like Rocky on top of a Russian mountain, he would scream “KOVALEV!!!” at the top of his lungs when he would light the lamp. Both he and his Russian foil were worthy opponents.

Alas, my gaming days are now over. I’ve played the XBOX, the PS4, and even the ColecoVison. It will never get better than the Sega Genesis and that one game. No, THE game. NHL ‘94. I love you.

Why the Toronto Maple Leafs need to promote their top AHL prospects

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be hurting the development of their top young prospects if they don’t promote any of them from the Toronto Marlies AHL farm team this season. So far the Leafs have brought up players from the Marlies on an emergency injury basis to fill in when regulars have been sidelined and the majority of these have been journeymen such as Rich Clune and Bryan Froese. The Leafs do have some talented youngsters down the road at Ricoh Coliseum including forwards William Nylander and Connor Brown, but both were out of action at times this campaign with injuries.

The Leafs have been struggling as usual this season, but the Marlies have been a pleasant surprise and as of February 20thwere leading the North Division and the entire league with an impressive record of 39-9-4. The team’s 82 points gave them a 14-point lead on their closest rivals, the Atlantic Division-leading Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 19-year-old Nylander was one of the league’s top scorers before suffering a concussion at the World Junior Championships. Nylander posted 32 points in 37 games with the Marlies last season and the centre has 42 in 33 contests in 2015/16.

Brown is a 22-year-old right-winger who racked up 61 points in 76 contests with the Marlies last year and has 13 points in 17 outings this season after returning from injury. Nylander and Brown are seen as key figures in the Leafs’ future and there are some other fine prospects with the Marlies including Kasperi Kapanen, Tobias Lindberg, Brendan Leipsic, Nikita Shoshnikov, Josh Leivo, Jeremy Morin, Stuart Percy and T.J. Brennan. Leivo, Brennan and Percy have all played a handful of NHL contests, but when the Leafs have called up players from the AHL this season, they have been players who have already made their NHL debuts.

The only exceptions this season were goaltender Garrett Sparks; forward Leipsic and defenceman Viktor Loov. Sparks ended up recording a shutout in his first NHL outing and played a few games before he was injured. Leipsic scored in his debut and was then sent back to the Marlies and Loov earned an assist in his first game. All three layers were called up as emergency replacements though. If the Leafs hope to develop their youngsters they need to give them a taste of NHL life this season before it’s too late. Once the trade deadline passes on February 29, each club is allowed just four recalls until the end of the year.

Young prospects need to be given a few games in the NHL so they know what to expect next season. These players need to know what they’re up against when it comes to the speed, skill, strength, and experience of seasoned NHL veterans. They also need to get used to the travelling, practices and lifestyle. What better way to motivate a player than to give him a taste of the highlife before sending him back to ride the buses in the AHL? Once a youngster knows the first-class treatment he’ll receive in the NHL, he’ll work that much harder to make sure he makes it at soon as possible.   

If the Leafs don’t bring up any of their prospects this season they’ll be taking a step backwards by starting at square one in 2016/17. Everything will be new to them next campaign and they’ll have to get their feet wet, which will take time. These players need to know what to expect once training camp starts and they’ll hit the ice running if they already have a few NHL contests under their belt. 

By throwing several rookies on the ice next season with no NHL experience whatsoever will be a step backwards. The proper way to develop possible future stars is to let them experience it for themselves as it will motivate them to aim their goals higher.

Sidney Crosby and The Penguins That We Remember

Well it took a few months but the Pittsburgh Penguins are finally playing like the team they were built to be. The Penguins have been on a tear as of late, going 7-2-1 in their last ten games which puts them alongside the elite teams of the Eastern Conference, such as the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers. They also slid into the last wild card spot in the east. A lot of this has to do with the play of their points leader, captain and heart of the team, Sidney Crosby.
Sidney Crosby, the hottest player in the league right now, is finally playing like the Crosby we all remember. A few games ago he had a hat trick followed by two goals and two assists for a four point night. He also just had a career-high seven game goal scoring streak and has climbed to sixth in the league in points with 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points. He also recently became the 10th fastest player to reach 900 points in the NHL. This is a list that includes names like Guy Lafleur, Mario Lemieux and obviously Wayne Gretzky. This list is comprised of great players, but players that played in an era where scoring goals came a lot easier than in Crosby’s era. This makes Crosby’s achievements even more remarkable.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were built 10 years ago with one of the strongest groups of core players since the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980’s. The standard that great teams have used to win the Stanley Cup is a goaltender, a great secondary scoring forward and a center-man. They got their goaltender in Marc-André Fleury and they got their big, high-scoring forward in Evgeni Malkin. The final piece of the puzzle was Sidney Crosby. He is the Penguins’ leader, center-man, playmaker and difference maker. The management of the Penguins have done a great job surrounding Crosby, Malkin and Fleury with players that compliment their superstars. Players like Kris Letang and Phil Kessel that are realizing that playing with Crosby is very easy when you just let him control the game like only he can.
The coaching change has been very good to Crosby’s game as well. New coach Mike Sullivan has given Crosby and the rest of the team more freedom to play a faster, higher scoring style of play, and it is paying off. By giving the team free reign of the offence and trusting the goaltending and defence, Pittsburgh is playing its best hockey of the season and looking like the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2008-2009.

A lot of us forgot about Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first half of the season. It was easy to get sidetracked from this storyline because of other narratives such as the Washington Capitals, Connor McDavid and Patrick Kane. Now, it is going to be fun to watch Crosby and the Penguins for the rest of the season. The best player in his generation and the team he captains is back where they belong: on the front page.

Metropolitan Division 2015-16

·         Washington Capitals      
o   88 Points Overall
o   1st place in Metropolitan Division
o   1st place in Eastern Conference
o   1st place in NHL
o   Goals For: 187
o   Goals Against: 128
–Key Acquisitions: Making perhaps the biggest move of the offseason, the Caps were able to pick up a couple of natural and proven goal scorers. TJ Oshie is fitting in nicely with more offensive talent around him. He currently sits at 16 goals and 18 assists. Justin Williams, who comes over from the Los Angeles Kings is having a very productive year himself. He sits at 19 goals and 22 assists.
–Helping the Star Power: Perhaps the greatest scorer of the generation, defenses will always put stress into covering Alex Ovechkin. While he goes against the top defensive pairings night in and night out, the captain has the brass around him to flourish no matter what. Evgeny Kuznetsov (58 points) and Nicklas Backstrom (54 points) lead the way for the highest scoring team in the league.
–Vezina Bound? : Braden Holtby is shining behind the league’s best offense. He boasts the best record in the league by far at 36-6-3. He is far away ahead of the pack for the title of “best goalie” in the game.

·         New York Rangers
o   70 Points Overall
o   2nd place in Metropolitan Division
o   3rd place in Eastern Conference
o   6th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 163
o   Goals Against: 143
–Blueline Stability: Captain Ryan McDonagh is back in the lineup tonight, and in perfect timing as the Blackhawks roll into Madison Square Garden. The young defenseman returns after missing 4 games from a concussion suffered against friendly rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers.
– Born in the USA: Wearing the Red, White, and Blue of the Rangers are a number of players who are familiar with the colors. McDonagh is joined by Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, JT Miller, Derek Stepan, and Keith Yandle as American born players. The Rangers are relying heavily on these players in all assets of the game, even leadership. As mentioned earlier, McDonagh wears the ‘C’ on his chest, as well as Derek Stepan bearing an ‘A’ on his jersey.
–Where did he go? : Rick Nash has played 45 games this season, with only 12 goals to show for it. Of all the talent on this roster, I would not have picked Mats Zuccarello or Derek Brassard to be leading the way in point totals. I also would not have assumed Nash to be where he is at this point of the year.

·         New York Islanders
o   62 Points Overall
o   3rd place in Metropolitan Division
o   6th place in Eastern Conference
o   10th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 161
o   Goals Against: 141
–Nothing more Sacred than the Home Barn: This season is the inaugural year for the Islanders calling the Barclays Center “home.” The Brooklyn Stadium is the newly opened home to the Brooklyn Nets as well. I can’t say I’ve ever been there in person, but from just watching on TV, it doesn’t feel right, personally speaking. Having a car on display in the corner behind the net? Why isn’t the scoreboard centered over the middle of the ice? It is literally over top of one of the bluelines. Behind the net where the car sits, there are no glass seats. It just seems to be a cosmetic tragedy for the average hockey fan in my eyes.
–Unquestioned Leader:  Captain John Tavares leads the way for the Isles in points scored and is tied with Brock Nelson for goals scored. However, he was in the race for the Art Ross Trophy last season against Jamie Benn, which came down to literally the last 10 seconds of the season for Dallas. Tavares is not taking last year’s form, but still does lead this team. In hindsight, last season’s stats are definitely a lofty goal to repeat.
–Bolstered Back End: I really enjoy, personally, keeping tabs on the young defensemen that the Islanders boast. Nick Leddy was one of the most underrated defensemen in the entire league, coming over from Chicago. He has such a smooth stride and is a great puck mover. He makes skating the puck up and down the ice look effortless. Behind Leddy, Calvin De Haan and Thomas Hickey are in the middle of their prime. They aren’t blowing anyone away with offensive production, but both young defenders are in the green in the plus-minus department.

·         Pittsburgh Penguins
o   64 Points Overall
o   4th place in Metropolitan Division
o   7th place in Eastern Conference
o   13h place in NHL
o   Goals For: 148
o   Goals Against: 144
–Points and PIMS: Who leads the team in Penalty Minutes? Evgeni Malkin…that’s right, Evgeni Malkin. While trailing only Sidney Crosby in points, Malkin leads the way for the Penguins with 57 minutes spent in the sin bin. We have become accustomed to guys like the Matt Cooke’s of yesteryear holding that title, but never Geno. The game must be changing.
–Back to Form: We all know that Sidney Crosby didn’t have the start we expected. Real quickly, let us have a moment of silence for a good number of fantasy hockey players….Thank you. Recently, the Pens captain has been on the rise, now leading his team in goals and points, with 25 and 30, respectively. Despite the unfortunate start to the season, it’s all about how you finish. Ask Montreal. Sid is now currently averaging 1 point per game, on the dot.   
–On the Money: With a roster filled with talent, goals are expected in large quantities from Pittsburgh. Accuracy has proved key, as the Pens have 8 players who are scoring at least one goal out of every ten shots they take.

·         New Jersey Devils
o   65 Points Overall
o   5th place in Metropolitan Division
o   9th place in Eastern Conference
o   15th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 130
o   Goals Against: 136
–Snake-bit: Four of the top nine offensive leaders for the Devils are…defensemen. After Lee Stempniak, Michael Cammalleri, Adam Henrique, Kyle Palmieri, and Travis Zajac, there is a dramatic drop off in offensive success. And even those five leaders aren’t scoring at will.
–Next in Line:  Cory Schneider is by no means having a Martin Brodeur worthy season. However, he does have his team in decent position to stay right in the thick of things until the end. With the kind of help he is getting from the offense, he has no choice but to stay on top of his game. His record is currently 25-17-6 with a 2.04 GAA.
–Finding the right fit: The Devils are having a rough time finding the consistently correct pieces to the puzzle. Players like Stefan Matteau, Reid Boucher, Tuomo Ruutu, Jim O’Brien, and Seth Helgeson have all had a crack at finding their spot in the lineup. However, none of them have separated themselves from the pack and solidified their position.

·         Carolina Hurricanes
o   62 Points Overall
o   6th place in Metropolitan Division
o   10th place in Eastern Conference
o   16th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 141
o   Goals Against: 154
–End of an Era: After 12 season with the Canes, I believe it is time for Carolina to cut ties with Eric Staal. It was a good run, capped off by a Stanley Cup in 2006. Staal is not putting up numbers like he used to, which is an obvious punishment from Father Time. The Trade Deadline is about a week and a half away, and I would personally say that it’s time. Look to guys like his brother Jordan to lead short-term, and guys like Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk long-term. That process has already begun, but the Canes need to get what they can for Staal now, before it’s too late.
–Best young defenseman in the game? :Probably my favorite defenseman in the game currently, along with Shayne Gostisbehere of the Flyers and John Klingberg of the Stars. There is no better quarterback on the Power Play than young Justin Faulk. He is a deadly offensive weapon who can make plays happen from about anywhere. He currently sits 2nd in points for the Canes with 34.
–Mess in the Crease: Similar to that of the Dallas Stars with Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, the Canes have gone with a 1A and 1B in net with Cam Ward and Eddie Lack. Neither have been much to envy this season. Ward, at 16-11-7, is in the same boat as Eric Staal. They aren’t too old whatsoever, both at 31 years of age. However, what they have now is not working. Mentioned above, the Canes ought to consider letting them go and seeing what they can get before their value plummets beyond return. Let Eddie Lack have his shot at #1.
·         Philadelphia Flyers
o   60 Points Overall
o   7th place in Atlantic Division
o   11th place in Eastern Conference
o   19th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 137
o   Goals Against: 151
–Just what the doctor ordered: The aforementioned Shayne Gostisbehere has injected energy into a previously disappointing season for Philadelphia. The Flyers may have dug themselves into too deep of a hole, as far as playoff hopes are considered. However, looking towards the future, the Flyers have their next big thing. Gostisbehere has played 38 games, and has 32 points. 
–Familiar Territory: Shockingly enough, the Broad Street Bullies have familiarized themselves with, you guessed it, the penalty box. They Flyers have three players with over 80 Penalty Minutes this season with Radko Gudas, 86, and Ryan White, 81. Wayne Simmonds takes the cake with 117 minutes to think about what he has done.  
–Day In, Day Out: The top three scorers for the Flyers, Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Wayne Simmonds, have shown up day after day, having yet to miss a game. That health is not something many teams can brag about, especially coming from their most vital players.   

·         Columbus Blue Jackets
o   53 Points Overall
o   8th place in Metropolitan Division
o   15th place in Eastern Conference
o   28th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 149
o   Goals Against: 180
–Off-Seasons win Championships: While a championship is well out of the question, the Blue Jackets’ offseason was a memorable one. Acquiring one of the hottest names on the market, Brandon Saad came to Columbus with lofty expectations. He had just came with a Stanley Cup ring from Chicago. He had to be an offensive genius, right? With no great players to put around him, the Jackets are just as bad as they have been in recent years. Saad’s play has suffered as well, sitting at third in points with 37. Adding insult to injury, despite the less-than-stellar season, Saad is still the only 20 goal scorer so far for CBJ.
–Money Makes the World Go ‘Round: It’s going down the drain, in the form of David Clarkson. I understand he has been injured, but in the 18 games he has played, he has only 2 points. Lest you forget, he will be making $5,250,000 over the next five years, until his contract is up in 2020.

–Johansen-Jones Trade: Who won? I think it is too early to say, but he is a key piece of the offense that just went to Nashville. Bring in Seth Jones. Highly regarded in the 2013 Draft, he went 4th overall to the Predators. He hasn’t been noticed as much as many thought he would be. As a defenseman, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He just hasn’t stuck out. Time will tell who will be the winner in this one.  

Florida Panthers on the Prowl

Before the 2015 NHL season began, most hockey pundits predicted the Florida Panthers to merely compete for a playoff spot. Instead, they are fighting for the top spot in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic division. As of February 19, 2016, the Panthers sit atop their division with 73 points, five more than the second place Boston Bruins. How did a team that has made the playoffs only twice since 2000 suddenly surge to the top of the standings?

            The rise of the Florida Panthers began in 2010 when the team hired Dale Tallon as General Manager. Tallon had been instrumental in constructing the Chicago Blackhawks’ dynasty and was given the keys to rebuild the Panthers. Over the next few years, Tallon was able to infuse the team with new talent through the draft, trades and free agency. The team features players of all ages and backgrounds, but they have come together better than anyone could have expected.

            The Cats are led by the ageless Jaromir Jagr. Still highly effective at age 44, he leads the team in goals and points. Jagr was acquired in February 2015 for two draft picks, and he has turned into a steal. Another veteran carrying the load for the squad is Jussi Jokinen. Signed as a free agent in 2014, the 32 year old is second on the team in assists and third in points.

            While the team has its share of old timers, the roster is full of young talent drafted by the organization. The team currently has eight players drafted by Tallon, all under the age of 25, which are making a significant impact. Jonathan Huberdeau, the 3rd overall pick in 2011, is leading the team in assists and is second in points. Vincent Trochek, Aleksander Barkov and several other forwards have built the Panthers into a very balanced lineup. The last youngster to mention might very well be the best. Aaron Ekblad, the top pick in the 2014 draft, won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year. The defenseman is not only strong in his own end of the rink, but also is a significant contributor on the offensive side of the ice.

            The final component of this surprise team is the stellar goaltending of Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya. Luongo, one of the league leaders in save percentage, is in his second stint with the Panthers after a period in Vancouver. Tallon acquired Luongo in March 2014 via trade, and the goalie has been a revelation ever since. Montoya, Luongo’s backup, has posted an impressive 1.91 Goals Against Average so far this season and gives the team two solid goaltenders to rely on. The team is definitely greater than the sum of its parts and has a chance to surprise the hockey world this season.

Five Potential Landing Spots For Steven Stamkos

Steven Stamkos will not be traded at the deadline, those are Steve Yzerman’s words, not mine. Steve Yzerman went public with a statement on Monday, February 15th and announced that Steven Stamkos will not be traded by the February 29th trade deadline. It’s quite rare to see a star of Stamkos’ calibre go this deep into a season as a pending UFA, but here we are, and many don’t think he will re-sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning. We’ll be taking a look at five possible destinations for Steven Stamkos.
Vancouver Canucks                                    
Vancouver lacks a true number one centre going forward. The Sedins are slowing down and the Canucks will have a ton of cap space to work with this summer. I can see the Canucks throwing the bank at him. Will Stamkos even entertain the offer? Probably not, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
Nashville Predators
Nashville has always lacked the game changer offensively. They picked up Johansen this season in the Seth Jones trade, but I see them making a significant offer for Stamkos. Nashville is an underrated American hockey market, and Stamkos as the number one centre with Johansen as the number two would fix their offensive problems.
Detroit Red Wings
Datsyuk and Zetterberg are nearing the end of their careers. If the Red Wings can get their hands on Stamkos, it fills the void that Datsyuk and Zetterberg will leave. Dylan Larkin is not suited to jump into a top centre role this early in his career. Stamkos would slide in and keep the Red Wings a contender while they build up Larkin behind him.
Toronto Maple Leafs
It’s hard to see Stamkos going to Toronto, but I wanted to address it. Toronto is four to five years away from even contending for a playoff spot. That exact reason is why Stamkos will not sign in Toronto. He’s entering his hockey prime and will want to win in the next four to five years, not just begin to battle for a playoff spot.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Stamkos staying with Tampa Bay seems quite probable. The team is poised to be a cup contender for the next five years. There are rumblings that Stamkos and coach Jon Cooper don’t see eye to eye, but winning fixes everything. If Tampa Bay can make a solid run and make it back to the Cup final, I see Stamkos re-signing without a doubt.

I hope you enjoyed the read, where do you think Stamkos will land?

The jinx of being a Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain

Perhaps being named the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The position has more or less been a jinx on anybody wearing the C on their Leafs’ sweater since they last won the Stanley Cup about half a century ago. There have been nine captains in the club’s history since 1967 and not one of them retired from the team in that capacity. In fact, each and every captain since 1969 left town in controversial fashion.

Dave Keon 1969-1975
The last time the Leafs managed to hoist Lord Stanley’s silverware there were just six teams in the league. George Armstrong was the captain at the time, but his stint came to an end two years later when he handed over the position to Dave Keon. Although Keon had already helped his team capture four Stanley Cups, Harold Ballard, who was then the club’s owner, showed him a lack of respect in the media and the classy centre ended up jumping ship to the World Hockey Association in 1975. Keon never forgot the way he was treated by Ballard and only just recently ended his longtime feud with the organization.

Darryl Sittler 1975-1982
With Keon gone, the Leafs still had one of the NHL’s best players in centre Darryl Sittler and he took over as captain. The love affair between player and team turned sour though when Punch Imlach was brought in as general manager. Sittler and Imlach didn’t see eye to eye and Ballard sided with his GM in their public feud and went as far as calling Sittler a dressing-room cancer. Things came to a boil when Sittler’s line mate and best friend Lanny McDonald was traded to the Colorado Rockies just three days after Christmas in 1979. The captain then took the C off his sweater and announced that he was giving up the captaincy. Sittler and Ballard made up to a certain degree after Imlach was let go and he was  named captain again in 1980/81. He was fed up in Toronto though and agreed to waive his no-trade clause. He was traded to Philadelphia in early 1982 for a second-round draft pick and Rich Costello in one of the worst deals in NHL history. Sittler is now back with the Leafs in a good-will ambassador capacity.

Rick Vaive 1982-1986
In 1980 before Sittler was dealt, the Leafs traded forwards Tiger Williams and Jerry Butler to Vancouver for Rick Vaive and Bill Derlago in GM Punch Imlach’s best-ever move. Vaive became the franchises’ first 50-goal scorer and hit the mark three seasons in a row. He replaced Sittler as captain of the squad and held the position from 1982 until the 1985/86. He was then stripped of the C for missing a practice. Vaive was then traded to Chicago before the 1987/88 season faced off.

Rob Ramage 1989-1991
Luckily for superstitious players, the team went without a captain until defenceman Rob Ramage was traded to Toronto from Calgary in 1989. All-star defenceman Borje Salming was offered the position after Vaive was stripped, but claimed he was happy with just wearing an A on his sweater. Ramage found himself gone just two years later when the club left him unprotected in the 1991 expansion/dispersal draft. He ended up Minnesota and like Vaive, would later find himself in court over a drinking/driving charge after retiring. After Minnesota selected him, Ramage said it was definitely a blow to his pride to go from Leafs’ captain to being unprotected in a draft.

Wendel Clark 1991-1994
Former first-overall draft pick Wendel Clark became a fan favourite as a rookie back in 1985 and captained some pretty strong Leafs teams. He took over from Ramage as captain in 1991, but was then traded in his prime to the Quebec Nordiques in a 1994 deal which saw young Swedish star Mats Sundin join Toronto. Clark rejoined the Leafs in the 1995/96 campaign, but left Toronto again in 1998 when he signed with Tampa as a free agent. Clark once again returned to Toronto in 2000, but his career didn’t end the way it should have as then-coach Pat Quinn rarely used the small power forward in his final season. Clark promptly retired and like Sittler, also works a Leafs’ ambassador.

Doug Gilmour 1994-1997
The Leafs arguably had the most success with Doug Gilmour wearing the C after Clark left in 1994. He led the team to a couple of deep playoff runs and put up some excellent numbers. Things came to an end in 1997 though when he was traded to the New Jersey Devils along with defenceman Dave Ellett for defenceman Jason Smith, centre Steve Sullivan and young forward Alyn McCauley. The Leafs would later waste away the talents of those three players and they were all playing for other teams within a few years. Gilmour would return to the Leafs in the 2002/03 season, but suffered a career-ending knee injury in his very first game back.   

Mats Sundin 1997-2008
Since the Leafs had traded Gilmour it was only natural the big Swede Sundin took over as captain. He held the position for 11 years and led the team to a few decent seasons and some competitive playoff appearances. However, the Leafs asked their all-time leading scorer to waive his no-trade clause in 2007 and he wouldn’t do it. The club wanted to deal him before the trade deadline ended since he was about to become an unrestricted free agent. Sundin said he didn’t want to become a rental player and stood his ground. Much to the franchise’s chagrin, the 37-year-old Sundin then signed with the Vancouver Canucks in 2008 and Toronto got absolutely nothing for him. Sundin later admitted his departure left a bad taste in his mouth and many turned against him for not agreeing to a trade. However, he’s back on good terms with the club these days.

Dion Phaneuf 2010-2016
The Leafs went without naming another captain until defenceman Dion Phaneuf was acquired from Calgary and given the honour before the 2010/11 campaign. Phaneuf will likely go down as the least-loved captain in team history by the fans though and was shipped off to Ottawa on Feb 9th 2016. The Leafs likely won’t name a captain until prior to the 2016/17 season at the earliest. But considering the history of the team’s last eight leaders they might have a hard time convincing somebody to wear the C.  

The Importance Of Scouting In Today’s NHL

Scouting in the world of pro sports and scouting the right players can sometimes make or break a team, and knowing how to look for the right players, or scouts for that matter is what’s at stake as well.
Heavy stuff…
But vital to finding the right players and keeping the talent pool on the rise.
That’s why I don’t want to see many players like John Scott who was all the rage at this year’s all-star
game in Nashville. Scott is a great enforcer for the minors, but other than that his skills are less than desirable for a lot of minor pro teams, or NHL teams for that matter.
But let us keep to what we’re talking about, the importance of scouting in today’s NHL.
In the NHL, a player’s ability to make quick decisions that result in positive results including goals,  or just being able to move the puck up the ice well can make scouting an important element of a players rise up the NHL chart.
Why Skating Ability Is A Skill That Overlooked By NHL Scouts:
Skating is a skill that is overlooked by many scouts for skills like puck handling, play making and goal scoring and physical ability to take or give hits.
Great ability or inability to skate and keep up to opposition players, and players on your own team can get you a low or high scout rating, along with not being able to see how opposition players are setting up their players for possible turnovers of the puck.
But an NHL scout needs to see that a player is improving in these areas and never gives up on the ice, working out and making inroads to become a better communicator, with coaches, trainers and other players.
That way a scout can keep these types of players on the back burner if they improve in the OHL, AHL or college hockey.
What a lot of NHL scouts are doing that’s detrimental to the quality of players coming into the NHL; are thinking that they have to get the best players when they’re really young playing minor hockey, there by owning the rights to these players.  Most players at the top of the NHL Food Chain—so to speak usually fizzle out and either strictly play minor pro hockey, go into other career paths ultimately.
At most a top NHL prospect becomes trade bait going from team to team at most.
This is why scouts in the NHL need to know how to hone in on what a player is capable of doing skill wise—talk to other coaches they had through the years, not just their current coaches, to get a handle of on-ice skills and how these players are with friends, family and if they have goals they are striving for besides being a pro hockey player.
 99% of scouts won’t be able to find a Connor McDavid who plays for the Edmonton Oilers now, or a Sidney Crosby for that matter. But what scouting in the NHL has done is systemize it so there is a rating system for players, and can be pulled up anytime through software to take a look at how a player is doing currently, instead of ‘wingin it.’
One of the best training systems for potential NHL scouts is through Sports Management Worldwide. Their scouting and general manager course can teach scouts how to identify not just the best players in the NHL, but players who normally don’t get scouted and would be well suited to becoming a strong NHL candidate, or a career minor pro hockey player. The scout and GM course will also give you the ability to run a hockey organization from ticket sales to selling team merchandise, setting up hockey events, and dealing with other GM’s and scouts in the business of the NHL.
The importance of being an NHL scout is even more prudent in today’s NHL to scouting the right players to improve the quality of the players, and prevent the watering-down of the game.

Total commitment to becoming a great NHL can be fun too to discover players off the beaten path, and enjoy the great game of NHL hockey.