Atlantic Division Draft Review:

Coming to Los Angeles, two Atlantic Division teams did not have first round picks.  The New Jersey Devils sent their pick to the Atlanta Thrashers in the Ilya Kovlchuk deal, and the Flyers traded their pick to the Anaheim Ducks in the Chris Pronger deal.

One trade worked; one did not.

In this article, I will review the first-round pick or top pick for each of all five Atlantic Division teams, and late-round picks that may be gems.  I will release each of the other five divisions over the next few days.  I would love to hear feedback about what you think, or if you have a question about your favorite team please email me at MMurangi@nhlhotstove.com .

Here is the review:

New Jersey Devils – Total picks: 5;  Highest round: 2nd (38th overall); Breakdown: 2D, 2G, 1RW.

The Devils used their second-round pick on defenseman Jonathon Merrill.  Merrill played well in the WJC, but did have some problems that  resulted in a mid-season suspension.  He bounced back, and is now a solid, stay-at-home blue liner.  Merrill will continue to hone his craft at the University of Michigan in the fall.  The two goaltenders picked, Scott Wedgewood and Maxime Claremont, came into the season with a chance to crack the top 10 in the rankings, but both struggled during the year.  The Devils have taken a goaltender in the last nine drafts in a row as they search for the heir apparent to Martin Brodure. Keep an eye on Joe Faust, a kid who would have been in the top 40 if he was three inches taller. GRADE C

New York Islanders – Total picks: 6; Highest round: 1st (5th overall); Breakdown: 2D 1G 2C 1RW 1LW.

If you rate this draft on talent, the Islanders would be in the top 5 in the league., but with the talent comes tons of question marks.  Top pick Nino Niederreiter is a  top-notch goal scorer and projects to be a top notch power forward on the power play.  Second-round pick Brock Nelson will take his time in his development at North Dakota.  The sleeper of the group is Kirill Kabanov, a very talented Russian with a lot of baggage.  Kabanov could have been a bonified top 10 pick.  If he pans out, this could be the best draft class of any team in the league.  Keep an eye on 3rd round pick Jason Clarke, a Shattucks and St Mary’s kid, who is a very talented  center.  Garth Snow went with forwards with his top four picks this time around.  Next year, expect him to try and restock the blue line.  GRADE A

New York Rangers – Total picks: 6; Highest round 1st (10th overall); Breakdown: 1D 1C 3RW 1LW.

The Rangers have a young, talented blue line and a lack of scoring on the parent club.  With scoring being a great need for the Rangers coming into the draft, every expert had them taking a forward, but after the run of the players the Rangers had high on their board, they took the fastest mover on the draft board in blue-liner Dylan McIlrath,  by far the toughest kid in the draft.  He is the type of blue line shut-down guy every team needs.  He has some skill, will pitch in 20 points a season, and will beat the hell out of everyone.  In the second round, the Rangers took Christian Thomas, the son of former NHL’er Steve Thomas.  He had a slow start as a rookie, but exploded for 41 goals this past season.  Ranked 69th by central scouting, the thing that dropped him was his size.  The Rangers then addded Andrew Yogan in the 3rd round, who will be a solid depth  forward, should be a star in the AHL, and will see some limited NHL time.  Keep an eye on 5th-rounder Jason Wilson, a great 2 way winger with some scoring touch.  GRADE C

Philadelphia Flyers – Total picks: 6; Highest round: 3rd (89th overall); Breakdown: 2D 1C 1RW 2LW.

The Flyers traded their top two picks, and watched Anaheim choose So-Cal born Emmerson Etem with the pick they sent them at the draft last year for Chris Pronger.  Philly went safe will almost all there picks, and used there 3rd round pick on Michael Chaput, a tall skinny center from the QMJHL’s Lewiston Maineiacs.  He has a ton of upside, and is a solid, fluid skater, but will need to add weight to play in the NHL and may be 4 years away.  Keep an eye on 7th round pick Brendan Ranford, a good, solid winger with a touch of scoring.  He is one of the best penalty killers in the draft, but fell to the 7th round due to his size.  He was rated 111th by central scouting, and his uncle is Bill Ranford, a Stanley Cup-winning goaltender with the Edmonton Oilers and the current goaltending coach of the Los Angeles Kings.  GRADE D

Pittsburgh Penguins – Total picks: 6; Highest round :1st (20th overall);  Breakdown: 2D 3RW 1LW.

If there is one need the Penguins have, its scoring wingers.  Pittsburgh used their first-round pick on Southern California native Beau Bennett, a scoring winger who put up 120 points in only 56 games.  Some would say that the talent that Bennett played against was not as solid as the talent in the WHL.  He is not NHL ready, and will attend The University of Denver this fall.  He should be a solid 2nd line winger for years in the NHL, but will need to score to stay in the league.  Bryan Rust is another solid winger out of the US development program.  He put up solid numbers in the WJC and will join the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame this fall where he will focus on bulking up for the rigors of the NHL.  Keep an eye on 4th round pick Tom Kuhenhackl, a RW out of Germany.  He will join Windsor this season after playing in Germany, and is a very gifted scorer.  He might be the gem of the class.  The Penguins took the best player available with all their picks, and overall, it was one of the most solid drafts top to bottom the Penguins have had in years.  GRADE A

Up next will be the Central Division.

Mike Murangi
NHLHS Entry Draft Correspondent
mmurangi@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Draft_Mike

Former NHLer Adam Oates was hired last Tuesday June 29^th, 2010 as an assistant to newly hired John MacLean’s coaching staff. Oates will join goalie coach Chris Terreri and assistant coach Larry Robinson under the leadership of Coach MacLean.

Oates is known for his playmaking skills and leadership on the ice. He was nominated for the Lady Byng Trophy six times. Adam played for the Red Wings, the Blues, the Bruins, Caps, Flyers the Ducks and Oilers where he retired in 2004. Amongst those teams he played a total of 1,337 games with 1,079 assists and 341 goals totaling in 1,420 points over the course of 14 seasons with the NHL. His impressive skills with assists made his numbers comparable to Gretzky during the 90s.

His knowledge of the game will make him a key component to the NJ Devils coaching bench. Last season Oates was an assistant coach to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

As for the “other” matter surrounding the organization, Lou Lamiorello has placed his offer on the table for free agent superstar Ilya Kovalchuk however, Kovalchuk has yet to decide on exactly what he is looking for and wants to do.  The saga continues…..

Shannon Caulfield
NHLHS New Jersey Devils Correspondent
scaulfield@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Shannybaby99

Yesterday Lowell Devils head coach and former Devils player and assistant coach John MacLean is getting the promotion he deserves. MacLean was announced as the head coach for the New Jersey Devils in a press conference during the afternoon.

MacLean won the cup with the Devils in 1995 before being traded to the Sharks. He also played for the Rangers and the Dallas Stars before finishing his career in 2002, the same year he became assistant coach for the Devils.

In 2006, 2007 and 2009 MacLean was edged out of a head coaching position for the Devils by Claude Julien, Brent Sutter and Jacques Lemaire.

This past season MacLean was the head coach of the Devils AHL affiliate the Lowell Devils.

John MacLean is taking the place of NHL legend Jacques Lemaire who stepped down as head coach shortly after the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated them in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Shannon Caulfield
NHLHS New Jersey Devils Correspondent
scaulfield@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @ShannyBaby99

We got your fix right here.

We go live tomorrow with our 2009-2010 NHL season wrap-up show.

Be sure to tune in live with us tomorrow from 1-3 p.m. EST.

The Hockey Guys on Blog Talk Radio – link for show tomorrow. Chat room will open approximately 5 minutes prior to show’s puck drop.

The Hockey Guys have found out that one time bench boss of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Michel Therrien, has been offered a coaching job by the New Jersey Devils.

Therrien was also offered contracts by both Atlanta and Columbus but has turned both offers down.

Earlier this evening, The Fourth Period had tweeted something of similar fashion. The Fourth Period Tweet

To read the information click here: Rumor Has It…

The New Jersey Devils have signed their two forwards and first round draft picks Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby.

Josefson played for Djurgårdens IF in Elitserien before being picked up by the NJ Devils in 2009 as their first-round draft pick; 20th overall. He is a native to Stockholm, Sweden 19 years old, 6ft and 181 lbs shoots left and plays center.  Josefson played 94 games with Djurgårdens IF with a total of 13 goals and 23 assists. He has participated in 4 World Junior Championships two with a U18 team with Sweden Jr. Josefson had a total of 23 goals and 30 assists finishing with a total of 53 points of the four events.

Mattias Tedenby is a native of Vetlanda, Sweden is 18 years old. He is 5ft 9in and 167 lbs. He shoots left and plays left wing for HV71 and was the 24th overall pick for the Devils in 2008. Tedenby played 99 games with HV71 with 18 goals, 17 assists and a total of 29 points. He participated in the playoffs all three years playing 39 games with 6 goals and 8 assists. This year Tedenby was one of four players announced to be nominated for the Elitserien Rookie of the Year.

Both players signed identical three-year entry level contracts with the Devils Josefson signed for 900,000 per season and Tedenby signed for 875,000 per season with the team hailing from the Garden State.

According to NorthJersey.com Lou Lamoriello stated that signing the two prospects was “the first thing we wanted to get done” in the off-season following an elimination from the quarter finals.

The chances of both Swedish natives making the roster for the 2010-2011 season are very high. “In our opinion, there’s a better chance of that happening than not,” Lamoriello told NorthJersey.com

Now the organization can focus on both finding a new coach after Lemaire’s retirement and possibly securing both free agents Ilya Kovalchuk and Paul Martin with a contract for the upcoming season.

Shannon Caulfield
NHLHS New Jersey Devils Correspondent
scaulfield@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @Shannybaby99

The National Hockey League has had many influential players to leave a mark, but not many have done it the way Jacques Lemaire has.

His career is legendary with the Montreal Canadiens, and just as influential as a coach. Today April 26^th, 2010 it was announced that Jacques Lemaire is retiring at the age of 64 years old. “It’s not the team, it is not the result or the lack of result we had in the playoffs,” a glassy-eyed Lemaire said. “It’s not that at all. It’s the end of the line. I’ll be 65. It’s just time.” Lemaire told AP Sports. President Lou Lamoriello mentioned not having thought about a replacement for Lemaire at the time.

The most intriguing thing about Lemaire is his history with the sport of hockey and the amount of influence he has had as a player, executive and a coach. His career began in the 1963-64 playing between the Montreal Junior Canadians and the Quebec Aces before moving up in the 1967-68 season to the Montreal Canadiens or more lovingly known as the Les Habitants. Lemaire played 853 career games, notched 366 goals followed with 469 assists totaling in an incredible total of 835 points. Of those games, goals and assists he went on to win the Stanley Cup an impressive eight times as a player for the Habs and another two as the Assistant General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens. In 1979 he retired as a player and a few short years later in 1984 he was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Lemaire started his coaching career overseas but truly made his mark when he coached the team he had longevity and had insurmountable success with as a player. He coached the Habs 1983-1985, from 1993-1998 he made his mark as the New Jersey Devil coach where he secured his, count them, 11 Stanley Cup titles. From 2000-2009 He was the head coach of the Minnesota Wild until then becoming the coach again of the New Jersey Devils, where he is retiring as head coach not the sport of hockey. He won the very much deserved Jack Adams Award in both 1994 and 2003.

His career is legendary between a player and a coach. His stats are incredible and will continue to be a legend in hockey fan’s eyes for years to come.

So what is next for the Devils as far as coaching staff goes? As of late Lamoriello has made no mention as a possible candidate, however the one in everyone’s sights is on John MacLean. He is a former Devil who won the Cup with them in 1995 before being traded to the Sharks in 1997. MacLean also played for the Rangers and the Dallas Stars, where he finished his career in 2002. In 2002 MacLean began an assistant coaching job with the New Jersey Devils and coached until 2009. All the years 2006, 2007 and 2009 MacLean was offered the head coaching job by the Devils however Claude Julien, Brent Sutter and Jacques Lemaire all got the job over MacLean. As of now Johnny Mac is the head coach of the Lowell Devils and much of the talk between fans, and bloggers is surrounding him and his possible candidacy as the next head coach. Will he be edged out a fourth time? Hard to tell, it is likely however he is the most qualified and understands how to run the program properly and effectively.

Jacques will be missed, his unique coaching style will not be forgotten and coaches all over the continent will be using his infamous trapping style of play for years to come. Best of luck Jacques Lemaire! You are truly influential and inspiring, and will be missed by players and fans alike.

Email: Shannybaby99@gmail.com
Tweet me! @Shannybaby99

We are back to regular programming hours today, which means the show will start live at 2 p.m. EST. To join us live is very simple.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thehockeyguys

Use that link, create a user name, sign in and join us.

Jeff Marek will be joining the guy’s within the first hour of the show.

We hope to see you all there today.

Have a great final day of the weekend.

~THG

In what has been discussed time and time again, the National Hockey Leagues second season, also known as the Stanley Cup Playoffs, is all about goaltending.

Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings, Brian Boucher of the Philadelphia Flyers, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins, Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes, Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators, Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks, Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Antti Niemi of the Chicago Blackhawks, Brian Elliot of the Ottawa Senators, Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings, Jaroslav Halak of the Montreal Canadiens, Craig Anderson of the Colorado Avalanche as well as both Jose Theodore and Seymon Varlamov of the Washington Capitals have not only stepped up to make some amazing saves but have been able to keep each and every series even or close enough to it.

On top of their in-game play, there have been some sensational saves throughout the opening round of these playoffs.  Boucher, Luongo, Quick and others have been outstanding, Anderson has set new records but Pekka Rinne’s stop on Chicago’s Patrick Sharp is one that stands out the most. Although the Hawks beat the Predators yesterday, that series remains up in the air with no clear cut favorite at this point.

Yes, as I mentioned, Craig Anderson made 50 saves in regulation yesterday, which has become the new record for saves in regulation time for a playoff game.  He is the backbone to the Avalanche advancing and so far, so good.

Sidney Crosby and Braydon Coburn have both played “hero” in saving their netminders and team by stopping goals as well.  Crosby slid across the crease with the puck standing on the goal line to keep the Senators off the score board. Another stand out moment during these playoffs.

We also were able to witness two hat tricks in one game when Montreal’s Andrei Kostitsyn and Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom did so in game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings also has a three goal game to his credit in this first round. Evgeni Malkin has a goal per game for his Penguins.  Mike Richards has been a man possessed for the Philadelphia Flyers. And the list goes on.

In these playoffs, outside of goaltending, it all rests on the players that take their game to the next level. In that game 2 between the Canadiens and Capitals, Nicklas Backstrom was on player who truly took his game up a notch.  Showing people Peter Forsberg like skills, Backstrom had a four point affair helping the Capitals gain a much needed victory in what was likely the most important period and game of their season.

It has been a wild and crazy start to the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, to say the least.

Joe Depto, a writer here at the hot stove as well as one part of the brand known as The Hockey Guys, called yesterday “Separation Sunday”.

The Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes all took control of their series; at least by the series records.

With that, if yesterday was any indication to what is in store for us tonight you better have your jersey on tight and your seat prepared in front of your television sets.  It’s only going to keep getting better.

What is YOUR favorite moment from these playoffs so far?

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC

If you were a betting man who strictly took the underdogs, the first night of the playoffs made you rich.

And as if the first night of the 2010 NHL playoffs completed wasn’t enough, it seemed as if night two would match night one.

Why you ask?  The answer is simple. Not one team considered to be the favorite were able to win.

Last night was a different circumstance.  However, one main team who are heavily favored to be representing the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals were taken down in overtime by a team many considered as an unfair match-up.

The Montreal Canadiens, despite a lopsided first period against the Washington Capitals, were able to erase a one goal deficit, force overtime and eventually take game one.

It was not easy.

The Capitals came out like men on fire.  They shot twenty rubber discs in the direction of Canadiens netminder Jaroslav Halak in the first period alone.  Halak looked calm and collected between the pipes and only surrendered one goal during the onslaught.

With only one NHL Playoff game of record for the Habs number one netminder, the critics figured this to be an easy series for the presidents trophy winners.

If game one was any indication as to what is to come, those critics were wrong.

We have had all but one playoff series begin. Seven games have been played, currently, in these 2010 playoffs and only two “favorites” have been victorious.

The Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres.

Outside of those two teams it seemed the rest felt the pressure of being the favorite.

In New Jersey, Brian Boucher out-dueled Martin Brodeur helping the Philadelphia Flyers defeat the New Jersey Devils.  Game two is tonight from the Prudential Center.

In Phoenix, although they are the higher seeded team, the Coyotes took down defending Western Conference champs and rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard. They also go again this evening.

The young in age but mature on-ice Colorado Avalanche, with a lucky bounce, took down the heavily favored San Jose Sharks in overtime by a final score of 2-1. Again, another game two match up is set to go tonight.

The Ottawa Senators, without any of the big guns producing offensively, took down the defending Stanley Cup champs 5-4. That goes to game two this evening as well.

It just goes to show that once the “second season” is upon us within the National Hockey League, anything is possible.

Anthony Curatolo
Senior Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC