Today is a sad day at NHL Hot Stove as we close up shop.

I would like to thank every one who has ever contributed, commented and read our site. It was a fantastic ride which unfortunately we can no longer keep up.

Myself and David Strehle are taking on bigger roles at RLDHockey.net while Dustin Leed and The Hockey Guys has been generous enough to give a home to our other excellent contributors. Please be kind enough to give both sites a read.

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

In the NHL, injuries are simply a part of the game. Yesterday, the injuries piled up with such notable names as Zdeno Chara, Ilya Bryzgalov and Claude Giroux hitting the injured list. However, the two injuries we want to focus on were especially gruesome and thanks to Twitter we have screencaps of the proof.

Option #1: Derek Dorsett lower left leg injury

Dorsett looks to have snapped something in his left leg after falling over Tim Thomas and tumbling to the ice. The problem was, he didn’t really take a tumble as much as actually falling nastily on his leg. Take a look at the gruesome evidence as Dorsett is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

Below is a screencap, courtesy of @The6000LE:

Option #2: Ladislav Smid hit in the teeth with errant stick

At 8:23 of the second period, Olli Jokinen was called for a high sticking penalty as he hit Ladislav Smid in the teeth. The impact caused Smid to bleed all over the ice and miss the rest of the second period. Smid would later return in the third period, further proof that hockey players are the toughest athletes in the world.

Below is a screencap, courtesty of ChicagoSportsJD:

So now we ask you, the reader, to vote on the most gruesome injury of the night.

The NHL announced tonight that they will change their current six-division setup into four conferences. For the first time since 1998, the League’s board of governors reached an agreement that not only alters the current outlook but also will allow every team to play a home-and-home series. The NHLPA will still need to approve the realignment but that appears to be a formality at this point.

These four conferences break down as the following:

Conference 1

Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Phoenix Coyotes

Conference 2

Winnipeg Jets
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild

Conference 3

Toronto Maple Leafs
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning

Conference 4

Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

The current playoff configuration will also change with the first two playoff series coming within the Conference. However, eight teams will still make the show but there should be much more parity. For example, a team in a ‘weaker’ division would not be allowed to grab the third seed if they narrowly make the playoffs.

Furthermore, the schedule works out well for all teams. Home-and-home series should account for roughly 44-46 games with the remaining games getting played in rivalries within the conference. This change, as well as keeping natural rivals like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; Chicago and Detroit; Calgary and Edmonton; should pave way for more excitement and interest around North America.

Now that we have the details down, let’s get to the fun part. What do we name these conferences? Do they get the old names: Norris, Campbell, Adams and Patrick? Do we rename them something more current like Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe and Orr? Put your vote in below and give some write-ins into the comments.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: 5of7 / Flickr

On Thursday night, controversial hockey agent Allan Walsh went to bat for one of his underutilized clients. In the past, Walsh scrutinized the Minnesota Wild for their sparse use of Petr Sykora, and did the same when Martin Havlat skated on the team’s second line with limited power play time. He also publicly displayed his anger over the Tampa Bay Lightning and their treatment of Stephane Veilleux. In this situation, the only difference was the client: Derick Brassard.

In part of his rant, Walsh went as far as to pit a conspiracy theory on the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. “Derick has been singled out, almost from the very beginning of the season, to be the fall guy in case things don’t go well,” Walsh opined over Twitter. “The Columbus organization cares about Derick and has been good to him, but at some point, one has to say, enough is enough.”

While the jilted agent later deflected his missives to indicate Brassard does not want a trade, the words have been said and the relationship between player and team may never be the same.

Drafted with the 6th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the native of Hull, Quebec quickly made his way up the ranks. He graduated to the AHL just one season after getting drafted and even earned a 17-game look in his first professional season. His rookie season was even better as he posted 10 goals and 25 points through 31 games before succumbing to a season-ending shoulder injury in a fight with James Neal. Despite improving his point totals in each of the next two seasons, Brassard has never looked like that dynamic scorer who burst onto the scene.

His fourth professional season has simply been a letdown. In 19 games, the 24-year-old has only posted two goals and four points. Head coach Scott Arniel has been forced to reduce his ice time to just over 14 minutes, which ranks ninth among forwards on the club. Due to the sudden injury of Jeff Carter, Brassard was moved back onto a scoring line where he played 16:42 but still failed to post a point. In fact, most of his counting stats came when he subbed in for Carter on the top line which makes his inability to score that much more daunting.

At this point we don’t know what to make of the disgruntled forward. He certainly is underutilized but Arniel has seen the kid for well over a year and knows what he brings to the currently implemented system. His trade value must be at an all-time low where GM Scott Howson would be reluctant to sell him. Walsh wants his player to get more ice time, not be traded. However, let’s take a look at what could be in store for the shifty center.

Since the end of last season, only three former top 10 selections have changed hands. For posterity, we will limit the players to within the past five drafts, a range Brassard just barely squeezes into. Of those three players, two were dealt from the Blue Jackets organization. Nikita Filatov was shipped up North to Ottawa in exchange for a third round pick while Jakub Voracek was packaged in the Jeff Carter blockbuster. The third, James Sheppard, went to San Jose for a third rounder and has not yet laced them up for his new team.

Despite the similarities in organization, Brassard has a different development curve than Filatov or even Voracek. His most comparable player may be Sheppard — a player who showed potential but never quite got there. In addition, the former Wild draftee was selected just three picks after Brassard. Considering he fetched a third round pick in the offseason it would only make sense for Brassard to get the same. Nevertheless, the operative word in that last sentence was offseason — a time of the season where clubs will take a chance on a player getting a fresh start in the new season.

Right now, one can’t imagine a team wanting to risk that much over a player who has barely cracked the fourth line on the 30th ranked team. They would be lucky to grab a third rounder, which is probably an asset that they don’t quite need. Trading for Mark Letestu and Nikita Nikitin while running minor-league journeyman Curtis Sanford out there every night is a sign that this team actually wants to win right now.

If the club does decide to give up on Brassard and move him for an asset, look for them to make a run at an underachieving but high-end player. Kyle Turris in Phoenix would be a comparable player although the Coyotes probably want a longer look at him. Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey or Sam Gagner would also fit the criteria nicely. These names would make sense if the Blue Jackets did indeed decide to give him a change in scenery.

When you take a look at the top 10 of Brassard’s draft year you see players other teams have already given up on. Michael Frolik, Peter Mueller and the aforementioned Sheppard all were taken from 6-10; seeing Brassard move would not be shocking, especially when you consider 1-5 of that draft became franchise players.

It is a perfect storm of conflict, ineffectiveness and availability that places Derick Brassard on the trade market. All we can do is wait and see that the team decides to do with him.

Two NHL sources, including RDS’ Renaud Lavoie, are reporting that Columbus Blue Jackets’ center Jeff Carter has demanded a trade. Nevertheless, Carter’s agent Rick Curran has denied the rumors.

Carter arrived in Columbus over the summer in a blockbuster deal with the Philadelphia Flyers which landed the rights to Jakub Voracek and the eighth pick in the 2011 draft (Sean Couturier) in Philadelphia. The Blue Jackets have been seeking a center to play with superstar right wing Rick Nash ever since they drafted Nash. Carter was a curious choice because he typically prefers to shoot first, and he has never been known as an adept passer.

Through seven games with the Blue Jackets, Carter registered only three assists in seven games. He missed seven games earlier this season with a broken foot. In addition he also missed time in the 2010 and 2011 playoffs due to a broken foot, so he is developing a reputation for being “injury prone.”

By comparison, Voracek has three goals and nine assists in 17 games, and Couturier has five goals and three assists in 17 games. Voracek has been improving of late, and he has earned time on the point on the Flyers’ top power play unit. Couturier has quickly developed into one of the best young penalty killers in the game. The defensively responsible center is leading the Flyers with a plus-7 rating

The Blue Jackets own the NHL’s worst record at 3-13-1. Their goal differential is immense as they’ve scored 38 goals (only the Islanders, who have played two less games, have scored less) and have allowed 64 goals (only Carolina, 67 in 19 games, and Ottawa, 66 in 19 games, have allowed more).

In fairness, Carter has not had adequate time to develop chemistry with Nash; his contract may prove difficult to move as it runs through the spring of 2022 at an average annual value of just over $5.2 million.

Blue Jackets’ General Manager Scott Howson, head coach Scott Arniel, and captain Rick Nash convinced Carter to come to Columbus (they came to his house at the Jersey shore to coax him into going to Columbus with them). Now, they may have to put another sales job on their downtrodden center.

Assuming that the conclusion of meetings with Carter and Curran is irreconcilable differences the most likely trading partners would be teams with ample cap space (or an expensive star to flip) and a need to sell a young star to their fanbase. Rumors have linked the Toronto Maple Leafs to Carter for several years. In order to complete a trade for Carter, the Leafs would need to relinquish about $4 million cap space.

Other potential options may include Colorado (over $15 million in available cap space and a young nucleus for growth), Long Island (Islanders have over $14 million in available cap space and a need to sell a young team to their fans while trying to build a new arena), and Ottawa, which would put Carter closer to his home (London, Ontario).

Perhaps Carter made his request out of frustration, and he will relent in the upcoming days. The rumors may not be even true. If he is adamant in his wish, however; then the Blue Jackets will have to deal with yet another crisis in a season which may already be lost.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: Jay LaPrete / Associated Press

Coach Scott Arniel is a well respected member of the hockey community. A veteran of 730 NHL games, the Kingston, Ont. native made the leap from player to coach relatively smoothly. He braved the ranks as an IHL player/coach, NHL assistant coach, AHL head coach and finally NHL head coach over the span of 15 years. Arniel makes for a great story when succeeding — like he did when he won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as the top coach in the AHL.

Sadly, he has not worked out with the Columbus Blue Jackets. After taking over for Claude Noel at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, Arniel led his team to a 34-35-13 record which placed the team last in the Central Division — a feat they have surprisingly only achieved four times over their team history but twice in the last two years en route to a third straight last-place finish. In short, the state of their team is in shambles just three seasons removed from their first playoff birth.

Their struggles have led to much speculation that President Mike Priest would replace both GM Scott Howson and Arniel. In fact, just weeks ago Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch reported the team would bring in Ken Hitchcock and Craig Button. Well, those changes still have not been made but the Blue Jackets continue their free fall as they sit dead last in the standings with only five points earned over 14 games.

Perhaps Arniel gets a chance to see what happens once Jeff Carter, Kristian Huselius, Mark Dekanich, Jared Boll and Radek Martinek all return. However, we don’t feel the bench boss will be given all that time. Let’s take a look at the candidates to take his job for the remainder of the season.

1. Todd Richards

Richards has experience as a head coach in the NHL, manning the Minnesota Wild for two seasons. He led his team to a solid but unspectacular 77-71-16 record even though the team failed to make the playoffs in both years. As a former assistant coach of the San Jose Sharks organization he knows how to handle talented players like Carter and captain Rick Nash. More importantly he would know the Western Conference very well. If the team is looking for a guy to keep them respectable for the rest of the season, selecting Richards would be a decent choice.

2. Dan Hinote

Hinote may be raw as he joined the team’s coaching staff in July 2010 but he would certainly make for a player’s coach. Howson brought him on following a successful playing career which included a Stanley Cup ring as an energy player. Although never the superstar on any of his many stops, the US-born forward coach bring a strong work ethic along with some much needed team discipline. Considering the club is still very young — their average age is 26 which includes 32-year-old injured goalie Curtis Sanford — a fresh look could go a long way.

3. Rob Riley

Typically when a hockey club fires a coach, they look for internal options. While Hinote and Richards may be solid options, the organization may think outside the box and select their minor league head coach Riley. A former scout in the organization, Riley is certainly familiar with the stable of young players on the team. Even though the Springfield Falcons failed to make the AHL playoffs last season — his first year as head coach — he has their current roster playing .500 hockey. More importantly, he would add a face the team currently does not see on an every day basis and promote a worthy internal option.

4. Marc Crawford

From internal to external, Crawford represents one of the more out-of-the-box options. A win-now oriented coach, the Belleville, Ontario native most recently coached for the Dallas Stars, failing to make the playoffs in either of his two seasons there. Before that he did the same over two seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. Nevertheless, he could work simply because this Blue Jackets team can probably win now and this coach has won with less. He motivated the Stars to be much better than their record last season, pushing them into their current direction. He may be able to do the same in Columbus if he gets bored of his cushy office job.

5. Davis Payne

As mentioned much earlier in the article, the team was rumored to be looking at Hitchcock. Well why not go after the guy he replaced? Payne would be motivated to go after the team that just spurned them and got solid efforts from veterans like Alex Steen, Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner as well as most of the blue line. If he could substitute those players in his system for Carter, Nash and Vinny Prospal while helping their depleted defensive corps, there could be some more notches in the win column. Also, it could be a way to stick it to Doug Armstrong, who supposedly stole Hitchcock at the 11th hour.

–

While we hate discussing a person getting the ax, these topics are the nature of the current media landscape. In these troubling economic times we can only hope nobody loses their job as unemployment rates skyrocket to the estimated 9 percent in the US. Regardless, should Arniel and Howson not be able to turn this season around, they likely both could be headed for analyst jobs or ‘advisory positions’ within the organization.

All the onus should not be solely on Arniel as Howson has assembled two of the worst teams in team history. Their expansion years were sadly more acclaimed simply because everyone expected much less from them. In fact, if you subtract a miraculous rookie season by Steve Mason, Ohio’s favorite hockey team could be looking at no playoff berths over their 11 year existence.

Speaking of Mason, a good deal of their problems could be blamed on him as well. The great Greg Wyshynski, via Twitter, explained that Mason allowed a goal in the first 1:38 twice this season in only 13 starts! Last year he allowed a goal in the first 2:11 of the first two games as well, helping them get off to awful starts in the early going.

This team is broken and needs some fixing. The first likely solution will be Arniel’s firing as they try to give this team some possible life. Trading for pivot Mark Letestu was a decent hockey move but the team will need a bit more help to get back to respectability.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

Davis Payne was relieved of his duties as head coach of the struggling
St. Louis Blues late last night and was replaced by Ken Hitchcock.

Payne had taken over as interim head coach when Andy Murray was fired last January.  After the team had finished the year on such a positive note with a 23-15-4 mark, he was made the permanent bench boss.

With expectations increased for the new season, the Blues had gotten off to a disappointing 6-7 start in their first 13 contests.

Hitchcock returns to an NHL bench for the first time since February of 2010. (Photo credit: Jamie Sabau / NHLI / Getty Images)

A news conference will be held on Monday to officially announce the hiring of Hitchcock with GM Doug Armstrong, who has a bit of history with Hitchcock.  The two were in the exact roles at the same time with the Dallas Stars, and both have worked together for Team Canada in international competition.

Of course, Dallas is where Hitchcock experienced his greatest triumph, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.

In a telephone interview with the Associated Press, Payne said he was blind-sided by the decision:

“It’s shocking and it’s disappointing, but in the end, you’re responsible for all the areas of your hockey team.  There were pieces that weren’t firing on all cylinders and it’s under my umbrella of responsibility.”

One of Hitchcock’s first orders of business will be to try to get those cylinders firing again.  Specifically, a couple of Blues that were being counted on for big contributions, but have slumped mightily in the season’s first month.

Jaroslav Halak was acquired last year to become the franchise goaltender and after a promising 2010-11 season, has been terrible in the new campaign.  Halak is just 1-6-0, witha  3.35 goals-against average, and an awful .856 save percentage.  Backup netminder Brian Elliott has played well in relieving the laboring Halak, posting a 5-1-0 record, with a 1.72 GAA and .941 save percentage.

Winger Chris Stewart was picked up from the Colorado Avalanche last February in exchange for franchise defenseman Erik Johnson, and was expected to be a key goal contributor.  After scoring 15 goals and 23 points in 26 games with St. Louis down the stretch following his acquisition, Stewart has gotten off to ahorrendous start this year with just two goals and three points in the 13 contests.

By making the move and hiring Hitchcock now, the Blues locked the coach away from any other teams that may have been eyeing his services.

There was much speculation in the Wells Fargo Center press box in
Philadelphia on Saturday night that Columbus head coach Scott
Arniel was in danger of losing his job, and that Hitchcock would be brought back as coach as the Flyers trampled the seemingly disinterested Blue Jackets, 9-2.  Arniel’s troops basically were sleep-walking through the first two periods of the game, and in the end very much looked the part as the NHL’s worst team. 

With a 2-11-1 record and four days off prior to the Jackets next game – at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night – the train of thought was this would be the perfect time for the club to make a move before the entire season was lost.  And the perfect man for the job?  Why not the one that they were still paying since his dismissal in February of 2010?

That’s right.  Hitchcock.  So if the Jackets wanted to bring “Hitch” back, it would have been a done deal, so to speak.

Columbus is already struggling to put fans in the seats, and financially, Hitchcock would have been a good choice – since they were already paying him.  But Jackets brass must have felt that Hitchcock just wasn’t the right fit for the club.

After picking up what the team felt were key building blocks in forward Jeff Carter and defenseman James Wisniewski during the summer, talk of Columbus making a playoff run was coming from everyone in the organization. 

That’s what makes their start that much more disappointing.

If the Blue Jackets are to make a coaching change – which many feel will be the case – they will look elsewhere to find Arniel’s successor.

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

By PicktownGolfer (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)

In the last three games, #CBJ G Steve Mason has allowed a goal on the opponent’s 2nd shot (MIN), 2nd shot (VAN) and 3rd shot (COL).

While this poor start may appear to be a coincidence, those of use who remember last season’s ‘NHL Premier’ recall Mason giving up similar early goals overseas.

In his first game of the season, Mason surrendered a goal to San Jose Sharks forward Torrey Mitchell with only 2:11 elapsed in the first period. The following tilt, Devin Setoguchi lit the lamp at 2:02 of the first. Even though the Blue Jackets managed to come away with two points over those two contests, it was an uphill battle, and furthermore the team has not been so fortunate this season with only one point through four.

GM Scott Howson does an excellent job in assembling a team. He does an even better job of letting his coach manage the day-to-day duties, filling the holes as necessary. His typical modus operandi involves trading or acquiring younger players, typically in their prime or about to hit it. He did this when he acquired R.J. Umberger, Antoine Vermette, Fedor Tyutin and more recently Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski. In short, Howson has assembled a fine team which could stay competitive despite playing in arguably the toughest Division in hockey.

The problem, whether coach Scott Arniel can see it or not, is Steve Mason. In fact, he believes unnecessary pressure, not his starting goalie, is the problem. Recently Arniel took down the Western Conference standings — a smart move considering his club sits at the very bottom. From Puck-Rakers Blog:

Here’s Arniel: “I liked the fact that it was up where you could see it. But last year we did notice, when we were playing really well in January and we won three games in a row, or four games in a row … we never moved (in the standings). It was a little bit of a downer for us when we were still playing well.”

Arniel has part of that statement right as last season they never moved up in the standings no matter how well they played.

Most of their general malaise was due to how far the club already sank. Mason lost seven one-goal games in a year where the team finished 16 games out of the playoffs. Those games didn’t make a difference, or wouldn’t have rather, but the 12 losses of three goals or more in games Mason started certainly did.

This club doesn’t light the lamp at an elite level but their early deficits and demoralizing losses certainly don’t bolster confidence in the locker room. At least Arniel realizes this as the team sent down promising rookie Cam Atkinson because they don’t want to hinder his development. Fellow rookies David Savard and Ryan Johansen also have been spared tough minutes since it really doesn’t help them to lose even if it is against NHL competition.

The way Howson runs this team he could eventually produce something special. If the club can develop chemistry they could be good for a few seasons and spare Rick Nash of a career of never winning a playoff game. Acquiring rookie Mark Dekanich — a 25-year-old netminder who dominated the AHL — was a bright move on Howson’s part. Should the Vancouver native find himself healthy, he could just earn the starting job with a chance to right the ship.

Over this past offseason, the team addressed every weakness except for one. Should they find that final piece, they could give the rest of the Central Division a run for its respective standing.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

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