By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

It has been a strange road trip, indeed, for the Philadelphia Flyers. Four games in 12 days starting in New York, then a five-day gap in between the first and second games; proceeding with back-to-back contests on the West coast, and after a three day gap between games three and four, closing the trip in New York this coming Wednesday. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention; the first and last games of this peculiar odyssey include back-to-back games, with one each having a game attached at the Wells Fargo Center.

And Gulliver thought his travels were unique.

After defeating the Montreal Canadiens on Black Friday at home, the Flyers ventured to Madison Square Garden the next day to take on their arch nemesis wearing the Broadway Blue. In a very physical affair, Philly was able to muster as many goals against Henrik Lundqvist as they did during their previous visit to MSG late in the regular season last spring — that being none.

The 2-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Rangers was a bitter way to begin the current trip.

Things didn’t look much better for the Orange-and-Black in Anaheim on Friday night, either, as the goal drought continued well into the latter stages of the second period. Philly trailed after the first period, the fifth time in the last six games they were behind after the opening 20 minutes.

With seven Flyer rookies in the lineup and Bruce Boudreau making his Ducks debut behind the bench, Anaheim was cruising along with a seemingly safe 3-0 lead late in the middle frame.

Giroux and Briere celebrate Giroux's game-winning power play goal in overtime Friday night in Anaheim. (Photo credit: Jeff Gross / Getty Images)

That’s when the struggling Flyers’ power play unit got things rolling. Without Chris Pronger’s heavy shot from the point, the unit had been highly ineffective.

But the man advantage would yield three goals on this night. Jaromir Jagr, who just returned from a groin injury, scored one late in the middle frame, then added a second early in the third. Scott Hartnell tallied an even strength goal late in regulation to send the game into sudden death, and it was Claude Giroux who dealt the death blow with a one-timer while on the man advantage midway through the extra stanza.

Even though Anaheim has been in the throes of some horrific play, it was still an important victory for Philadelphia. They showed they could overcome a notoriously bad start, scratch and claw their way back in, and take the two points when it didn’t look possible.

The strong play late Friday carried over into Saturday’s game in Phoenix, as the Flyers turned around some pretty stark trends in a first period against the Coyotes.

Heading into the contest, Philly had been outscored 11-2 in the first over the course of their previous six games, and Phoenix, conversely, had yielded just 10 goals in the first all year.

That’s why they actually play the games.

Philadelphia torched starter Mike Smith for four goals in the opening period, on their way to a 4-2 triumph. It was especially surprising because the Coyotes were resting, waiting for the Flyers to arrive the day after their game in Anaheim.

But it was the Philly players who looked much more fresh and rested.

The Flyers again had seven rookies in their lineup against the ‘Yotes, and Matt Read — who had been so vital to the club’s success over a stretch, but had been quiet in recent games – would provide the spark by scoring a goal and adding two assists. The power play was once again a prime factor, as it clicked for two goals in three man advantage opportunities on the evening.

Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov beat his former teammates for a second straight time and was solid all night, making 36 saves.

It has to bring some level of heightened satisfaction to the first-year Flyer to have knocked off his old team, particularly because of the criticism tossed his way before their initial meeting in Philadelphia on November 17. Read was instrumental in the outcome of that contest as well, as he scored with just 18.2 seconds left in regulation to provide Bryzgalov and the Flyers with a hard-fought 2-1 decision on that night.

Bryzgalov raises his glove in triumph after defeating his former teammates in Phoenix Saturday. (Photo credit: Norm Hall / NHLI via Getty Images)

Just Say Bryz

For all of the criticism Bryzgalov has taken for his sometimes inconsistent play this season, he has quietly posted a sparkling 7-1-1 record in his last nine decisions since an October 27th 9-8 horror show against the Winnipeg Jets in which he was tagged with the loss.

He has run his record to a more than respectable 10-5-2, with a goals-against average of 2.83 and a save percentage that has finally reached .900. After the debacle with the Jets, it has taken an elongated period for the 2010 Vezina Trophy candidate to get his numbers back in line.

Bryzgalov played in both ends of the back-to-back games over the past weekend, the first such time he has done so this year. With the excellent results — beating both of his former teams in the process – it wouldn’t be surprising to see it happen again, specifically with the team trying to get their franchise goalie on a roll.

Balanced Scoring Attack

After being blanked by Lundqvist and the Rangers at the beginning of the sojourn, the Flyers have been won the last two games via scoring by committee. Jagr has two goals and four points in the two contests, Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen each have four assists, leading scorer Giroux and Hartnell each have two goals and an assist, and Read has contributed a goal and two helpers.

Speaking of Timonen’s Assists …

Even though he has not scored a goal this year, Timonen has been a solid contributor to the club’s offensive efforts. With four assists in the last two contests, the defenseman now has 17 helpers in 25 Flyers games this season – tying him for the team lead with Giroux, and placing him right around the top-10 for the NHL lead.

Timonen also has the most assists in the League by any player who has yet to score a goal.

Scheduling A Good Thing For The Defense To Rest

Perhaps the unbalanced scheduling by the League has actually been a blessing in disguise for the Flyers. With three injuries they have sustained to their corp of blueliners, a grueling journey with games every other night could have been lethal at this juncture.

With Pronger (knee surgery), Andreas Lilja (high ankle sprain), and Erik Gustafsson (wrist surgery) all out for an extended period, the top four defensemen have seen an inordinate amount of ice time:

• Braydon Coburn has averaged over 25 minutes per game on the trip thus far, including 28:03 against the Rangers in the first contest away from Philadelphia.
• Matt Carle has seen an average of over 23 minutes of time on ice in the trio of games, including 24:56 Saturday night in Phoenix.
• Andrej Meszaros has seen the least amount of time of the foursome, averaging nearly 22 minutes per game. It was of great concern when he was shaken up late in the tilt against the Coyotes, getting up slowly after taking a heavy hit along the boards from Phoenix fire plug Raffi Torres. The club has said Meszaros will be available for the game Wednesday in Buffalo.
• 36-year-old Timonen has been on the ice for nearly 24 minutes in each of the three road games, with a high of 25:35 in Anaheim on Friday. Though gathering his share of bumps and bruises along the way, Timonen has seemingly turned back the hands of time. He’s been playing some of his best hockey over the past calendar year. 

There is no doubt the amount of days off between stretches of games has helped these four regroup for the next series of contests.

The group, which had looked so deep early on in the season, has looked suspect at times. Gustafsson had been so solid in the five games since his recall from Adirondack when Pronger originally went out of the lineup with a mysterious virus, so his loss shortly after was costly. In the absence of the pair, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall were recalled from the Phantoms.

Bourdon has played well over 11 minutes per game on the trip, and Marshall nearly eight.

One issue has been the fact there are two more healthy bodies in Adirondack who have been trapped there because of having to clear re-entry waivers. Matt Walker and Oskars Bartulis could come in handy in spelling the big four for a rest, but any recall could see them claimed by another team — with the Flyers footing half of their remaining salary. The situation got so dire the team called Walker up last week, and the 31-year-old cleared. The team was so overjoyed, Walker was scratched for the two games since his return to the club.

With a break in the calendar that began yesterday and continues through tomorrow — before the Flyers play the Sabres in Buffalo Wednesday before returning home to play Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first time this season on Thursday – now is the time for the defense to rest.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

As predicted, it didn’t take very long for Bruce Boudreau to resurface on the NHL head coaching map. After being dismissed from his post with the Washington Capitals on Monday, Boudreau didn’t even have time to make it to the proverbial unemployment line.

Boudreau produced a 201-88-40 record in Washington. Anaheim hopes for similar success. (Photo credit: Jean Levac, Postmedia News)

When the Anaheim Ducks fired Randy Carlyle following Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, the team swooped in and hired the 56-year-old Boudreau to be his replacement.

The irony of the situation is many feel that Boudreau’s demise in Washington was hastened by an incident that occurred late in a November 1st meeting between the Capitals and Anaheim. Washington trailed by a goal late in regulation time, and Boudreau left captain and face of the franchise Alex Ovechkin on the bench with his club in dire need of a tying goal. Ovechkin was caught on camera uttering some unrepeatable phrases, and it seemed his play was rather indifferent for the rest of the month. Even though the team tied it and went on to win in overtime that night, it appeared that Boudreau’s fate with the Caps was sealed that night.

As pointed out in the aftermath of Boudreau’s firing in Washington, he absolutely deserved a better fate, but something had to be done.

Now just a month later to the day, Boudreau is at the helm of those very same Ducks.

Carlyle’s circumstances was very similar. Before Wednesday’s win, Anaheim had been in a horrific tailspin. Even with the victory against the Canadiens, the club had gone just 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, and 3-12-4 in the last 19. Their 7-13-4 record has the Ducks battling the Columbus Blue Jackets for the basement spot in the Western Conference.

Coaching the team since the 2005-06 campaign, Carlyle posted a 273-182-6 mark in Anaheim. His biggest accomplishment was in his second year with the organization, as he guided the team to a Stanley Cup championship in 2007.

One of the biggest disappointments for Anaheim this season has been their almost total lack of offense. In their last 16 losses, the club has mustered a measly 32 goals. The Ducks’ big line of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and Corey Perry have all slumped this year, leading to persistent rumors that Ryan is on the trading block.

Look for the intensity of those rumors to calm down for a period of adjustment to the new coach, and for management to assess their club’s needs and Ryan’s performance.

It might be perceived that Boudreau is taking over in a climate that is much the same as what he experienced with the Capitals. The Ducks are a team that thrives when the big line produces, and Anaheim’s success is proportionately dependent on the amount of ice time given to the star players.

One of the issues he had tried to deal with in Washington was cutting the star player’s ice time, especially when they took a bad penalty or generally underperforming. In addition to Ovechkin’s murmuring caught on video, it also led to a rift with Alexander Semin, who was benched numerous times for lazy stick infractions and coasting in the team’s defensive zone.

For those expecting this move to be a failure in Anaheim, betting against Boudreau would not be a wise choice. Remember, he took over a confused and disjointed Capitals team in 2007, and immediately brought cohesion and disciplined play to the squad. He won the 2008 Jack Adams award as the League’s top coach, and sported a 201-88-40 record during his time in Washington.

The Ducks have looked to be in a similar fog of disarray this season, so Boudreau should be no stranger to the type of chaos he is coming in to.

Much the same as when he took over the Caps, many of the pieces are already in place in Anaheim. Just like Washington had Ovechkin, Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green, the Ducks boast reigning NHL MVP Perry, Getzlaf, and Perry, along with ageless wonder Teemu Selanne.

It may just be the team isn’t deep enough and moves will have to eventually be made. Or it could be all they need is for someone to arrange and maneuver the existing pieces in a way that makes sense, and in a manner that returns the Ducks to the western powerhouse we have come to expect.

It will be interesting to see just how long it will take to right the ship in Anaheim, but things will be rectified with a club that is struggling to find its way at the moment. Boudreau will see to that, just as he did in Washington.

And maybe, just maybe, Anaheim will eventually give Boudreau something in return that the Capitals could not during his time in Washington, and that is a deep playoff run.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images North America

Apparently Anaheim Ducks left wing Bobby Ryan is on the trading block.

First reported by Sportnet’s Nick Kypreos, via Twitter, last night, there can’t be a single team that does not want a scoring winger of his pedigree — if it was not for Sidney Crosby, Ryan would have been the first overall pick in 2005. The Cherry Hill, New Jersey native has been incredibly disappointing through 23 games, scoring only seven goals and 11 points. Those totals project for 25 goals and 39 points, which would be the lowest totals of his young career and would guarantee the Ducks on the outside of the playoff picture.

Yesterday, Ryan was moved to offensive mecca known as the third line where he will flank 1-career goal scorer Ben Maxwell and an over-the-hill Niklas Hagman. Head coach Randy Carlyle phrased the move as an attempt to stimulate offense from the bottom lines. Considering the currently configured bottom lines have combined for all of three goals, it makes sense. Yet it makes you wonder, why only Ryan? Why was he the only player shifted around when the second line stays completely in tact and Ryan Getzlaf remains glued to Corey Perry.

The reason is simple: Ryan needs a wake-up call. He’s a stalled engine in need of a boost and this line change was supposed to fix that. Furthermore, trade rumors will do even more to get his motor running.

As a good teammate you will hear him go on about his new linemates, citing Hagman’s deceptive shot and Maxwell’s underrated playmaking ability but you have to think not playing with the now ‘Big-2′ is eating him up. As Eric Stephens of The OC Register Ducks Blog noted, Ryan “put on his best face” while giving his opinion on the switch. He can’t be happy with his play, his situation or the standing of the entire team.

So what is GM Bob Murray to do with his struggling winger? Is he supposed to package him for some much-needed offensive and defensive depth? Well, Bob, that would be ill-advised.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images North America

While every team will want to enter the Bobby Ryan Sweepstakes, they will have to overpay the Ducks in order for Murray to get good value for him. Look no farther than what the Atlanta Thrashers got for Ilya Kovalchuk — a depth defenseman, KHL forward, checking-line prospect and a late first rounder. You could argue that many of those pieces were unproven. Then the Dion Phaneuf megadeal is more to your liking, which translates to an overpaid fourth liner, a waiver-wire quality winger, checking-line forward and a serviceable offensive defenseman.

Simply put, you rarely get what you need for a superstar. While the two offseason blockbusters in Philadelphia seem to be doing relatively well, the Flyers were able to trade their two young studs at a time where teams are retooling and exploring other options– their individual values were at their peak, not the valley that Ryan currently resides in. There are probably only a handful of teams willing to retool on-the-fly despite the high-potential they could add.

Nevertheless, we’ve seen some solid proposals bandied about. Jeremy Gover of Cell Block 303 took a stab at Ryan’s value recently in a proposal that likely still does not suit the Ducks’ needs in full.

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the team is looking for a second line center, top four defender, a top prospect and a draft pick. Their projected cap space is just over $3.6 million which would, in theory, allow them to take on some salary if they weren’t already at their budget. Elliotte Friedman notes in his 30 Thoughts that they are indeed ‘stretched to the limit‘.

Refining that original proposal, the team is looking for something like Colin Wilson, Ryan Ellis, Kevin Klein and a first rounder. While that would satisfy Murray’s asking price and add some depth to the club, it would also deplete the team’s top-level skill without really replacing Ryan. Not to mention, the Preds would be trading three NHL bodies for one that may or may not work out in their sweater.

Such is the case for most NHL teams who likely wouldn’t risk most of their depth and some young, valuable assets for a player who seems lost right now.

The New York Rangers are another team that is kicking the tires on Ryan, as first reported by Larry Brooks of the NY Post, via Twitter. Brooksie would later hedge his statement and describe the talks as preliminary with Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh declared untouchable. From there, that leaves Brandon Dubinsky and a list of b-level prospects that likely don’t seal the deal. Not to mention, Ryan and Dubinsky aren’t struggling that much to necessitate a change of scenery, hockey trade.

We could list off another 27 teams who fit the same bill, the perfect deal simply is not out there. Do the Ducks take worse than his market value or just try to gut through it?

Kent Wilson of Puck Prospectus did an entire article on Bobby Ryan’s value with and without Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry determining that Ryan’s numbers are better because of the duo and they are better because of him. In addition, Carlyle tended to play Ryan more in the offensive zone to help his chances of succeeding. This analysis was done last season, when the Big 3 was working on all cylinders. In the fourth year of their tenure, they simply are not working.

These things happen. Big lines work and then they don’t. Ask Dany Heatley on the CASH line; ask Heatley on the Burger Line. The hottest line one year is figured out the next. By my count, these guys have had three excellent seasons together which forced Murray to commit just under a quarter of his salary cap to three players.

What happens when the three aren’t producing? You split them up, via line change or via trade. That trade simply does not look like it’s there making the rumors and shuffling motivation for the rest of the team to improve. If they can’t they have two options: rebuild or retool like the Tampa Bay Lightning did under GM Steve Yzerman — a task much easier said than done.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

UPDATE: According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, via Twitter, Rome will not be suspended for the play. The League felt that the penalty on the ice was sufficient for the actions taken. Only 18 percent of our voters agreed they should not have been a suspension on the play. Guess we can’t all get them right…

* * *

Earlier tonight Aaron Rome received a five-minute major and 10 minute misconduct when he elbowed Devante Smith-Pelly of the Anaheim Ducks. The Vancouver Canuck defenseman landed yet another controversial hit at the 11:04 marker of the second period after catching the Ducks rookie in the head with an errant forearm.

Let’s check out the hit:

While not identical to his open ice hit on Nathan Horton, Rome is a repeat offender which should garner a second look from NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan. One can only expect he gets a similar suspension to Andy Sutton for a direct shot to the head.

What do you think the punishment should be? We urge you to take the vote below:

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

Over the weekend, NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan had some work to do. At least five separate incidents were reviewed (pretty much everything is reviewed in the ‘Shanaban’ era) but at the end of the day, only two players wound up suspended from the League. Dan Carcillo, a repeat offender, took a two-game ban for a dangerous push-from-behind on Carolina Hurricanes d-man Joni Pitkanen. Andy Sutton, another repeat offender, traveled to New York today in order to find out his punishment from a high clothesline delivered to Colorado Avalanche rookie Gabriel Landeskog.

One of the bigger non-calls was Francois Beauchemin’s open-ice hit on Mike Fisher, which came from the blind side. Fisher never saw it coming and while the hit was not targeting the head — the explanation handed down upon us — it came out of nowhere. Take a look for yourself:

Fisher, an outspoken veteran forward and team leader, was quite expressive over this non-call, via Twitter:

@ian_mendes players are really confused. I’m out because of a similar play and no dice as well. I don’t get it!

A very important center in the Nashville Predators system, Fisher already made his impact known with two goals and four points in three games. Last season he was a vital cog for coach Barry Trotz and company, helping them defeat the offense-heavy Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, his impact now will be counterproductive for the Preds as his absence hurts the team’s depth as well as their chances of getting back into the playoffs.

As this article is written, the Preds play without him in the lineup. In fact, his return to the lineup is somewhat indefinite. His presence on Twitter may indicate he’s healthy enough to perform daily activities but he almost certainly won’t travel with the team to Phoenix and is highly doubtful for their three games in California.

So, in summary, we leave you with the facts and the vote.

Despite the crackdown on headshots and blindside hits, League referees don’t always make the right call. Last night’s incident is a perfect example of just that when Anaheim Ducks enforcer George Parros delivered his shoulder to the face of Dallas Stars Krys Barch; Barch clearly had no idea it was coming.

While we expected these two to get a bit chippy, a blindside hit is illegal despite the participants. Parros was not penalized on the ice and Barch did not undergo any quiet room procedures as the officials got this call wrong by all accounts. View the play for yourself below:

Luckily for Parros he escaped suspension over his seven-year career so he will not be viewed as a repeat offender, just a bonehead. Nevertheless, he should have some sort of punishment handed to him as he delivered a hit which signified exactly what Brendan Shanahan and company want to get rid of.

Be the judge, lay down the hammer and take a vote:

By Stephanie Lee

Just one week into their 2011-2012 campaign, the San Jose Sharks have played four games. Last Friday, they opened their season with a 6-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes. Since then, San Jose has gone 0-3, losing twice to the Anaheim Ducks and once to the St. Louis Blues.

It’s no secret that the Sharks have never started the season off with a bang. In fact, in the past four seasons, the Sharks have gone 8-7 in their first four games (not including the two games in Stockholm, Sweden). According to the official Sharks website, defenseman Dan Boyle was quoted as saying, “The offense isn’t clicking for us just yet.” There’s really no telling WHEN it will click, but something has to happen for the Sharks to start scoring more and passing less. Even captain Joe Thornton said in interview with the Associated Press of the game against the Coyotes, “The lines worked out well. Everyone is still learning each other so we can still get better. But it was a good game.”

Surely it’s not all about scoring more and passing less. So if isn’t all about the goal scoring and passing, what else could it be about? Weak goaltending? Bad defense?

This season Sharks started off using their third back up goalie in Thomas Greiss. Last season, Greiss spent the season playing with Byrnäs of the Swedish Elite League to get some playing time. While with the team, Greiss played 32 games, earning 2 shutouts with a 2.92 goals against average. Compare that to the 2.76 total goals against average with the Sharks. After the Sharks made the playoffs, he was recalled back to the team just in case he was needed, and ultimately resigned with the Sharks on July 7. With Greiss back in the line up, it allowed the tandem of Antero Niittymaki and Antti Niemi to get the appropriate surgeries they so badly needed. Niittymaki undergoing groin surgery while Niemi had a cyst removed, reportedly from one of his knees. So there’s little room to judge the Sharks based off having Greiss in net when he hadn’t played in the NHL in over a year. And without their one-two punch of Finn’s, the Sharks were skating blind really. Having to use your third string goalie in place of your top two can really take some getting used to. Not to mention the new additions to the team (eight of them to be exact.)

Now, if it’s not the fact that the Sharks have been using Greiss in favor of Niemi (who started the game against St. Louis on Monday), then it could boil down to defense. Dan Boyle and Douglas Murray are the two veterans of this Sharks squad. Which means they should be the ones to be leading the blueline. Yes, Jim Vandermeer is a veteran in his own right, but not on this team. However, it appears as though Brent Burns has stepped up to whatever challenge that coach Todd McLellan has thrown their way. Through the four games played, Burns has 2 goals and 1 assist. That’s the same amount of points as Murray and Boyle combined.

Really, there’s no telling just how this Sharks squad will do. San Jose heads out on an early season six game road trip. They face the New Jersey Devils on Friday before heading to Boston to face the Bruins on Saturday.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: vipeldo

Following two overtime losses, the New York Rangers will return from Europe with a potentially clean slate, in hopes of getting off to a better start. While they remain technically undefeated at 0-0-2, one would imagine they hoped for a better outcome, perhaps a win while playing in Henrik Lundqvist’s homeland. In fact, these two games represented losses where there are usually wins, where the Rangers usually get off to a fresh start.

Facing tough competition in the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings was a good test for the new-look Rangers. It was an even better test for free agent acquisition Brad Richards, who scored the game tying goal yesterday in dramatic fashion and was vital to a third period goal in Friday’s game. From the sidelines, he appears well worth the investment and more-than-capable of being the team’s go-to player.

Don’t believe me? Well, this highlight reel goal should be shown on MSG commercials for a while.

As another bright note, newly-appointed captain Ryan Callahan was all over the ice. In Game 1, when the team failed to find their legs, Cally was there to save them by scoring the game tying goal as well as firing a remarkable 11 shots on goal. This season he will prove to the Rangers and the rest of the NHL that he is a player worth watching. If he and Richards remain on two separate scoring lines, then the team will appropriately split defensive pairings, which will in turn create more opportunities for each unit.

In the crease, Lundqvist looked as good as he ever has, flashing leather with more frequency than usual. Over the years, opponents learned to go high glove while he was sprawled on the ice but at no point did he seem weak on that side. However, if this weekend’s scores were any indication on a season, then Lundqvist will be in for another long, hard-fought season.

Outside of the three aforementioned players, these Rangers lacked drive, discipline and most importantly their identity. Despite almost the entire supporting cast returning for another season, they simply lacked that go-get-’em attitude of last season. In fact, they seemed lost, similar to their eventual five-game loss to the Washington Capitals.

You could even make the arguement that they tried to do too much. Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust were hurting without their offensive-minded linemate Ruslan Fedotenko while Brandon Dubinsky tried to do a bit too much while on the top line. Plenty of failed outlet passed, defensive-zone turnovers and pucks in the skates; perhaps they simply gripped their sticks too hard.

Part of this could be blamed on the team’s current injuries, which is somewhat scary. Wojtek Wolski was unable to suit up due to his cranky groin, which forced Dubinsky to the top line, Fedotenko to the second and Erik Christensen into the lineup to center the third line. None of the three were able to find chemistry, which created yet another game with scoring woes. After acquiring a point-per-game player in the offseason, the team should in theory add another goal per game. So far, three tallies in over 120 minutes sounds shabby.

Another reason for this lack of output seems to be the team’s defense. Ryan McDonagh has filled in admirably for Marc Staal the overall situation forces coach John Tortorella to use the top pairing with too much frequency. With McDonagh moved up a pair, Michael Del Zotto also moves up, making the third pairing of Steve Eminger and Tim Erixon untrustworthy enough to not eat up minutes. The top four, which is makeshift and essentially just covering for Staal, was noticeably fatigued by the end of both contests, which forced them to look worse than their actual play.

If the team can’t get Staal back, they need to find a top-4 defender capable of pushing everyone down a line. Otherwise, this Rangers defense will rely on Lundqvist much more than ever.

At this point in the season, the team is simply experiencing growing pains. Several players experienced out-of-nowhere career seasons which could put unnecessary pressure on them to try and further top those totals. What they need to realize was they succeeded because of their effort and contributions to a hard-working, blue-collar system. If they stray away from that system, they will not play as well as they did, which is what we are experiencing right now.

Look for Tortorella to get his team back to square one: get them hitting harder and chasing down the puck. The identity is still there, just buried beneath their lofty expectations.

Defenseman Zach Bogosian has signed a 2 year/$5 million extension with the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets, who selected the Massena, NY native with the third overall selection in the 2008 draft, are looking for more production and better defensive play from the third year blue-liner. Bogosian gained acclaim and recognition for his play with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. In his second season with the Petes, he recorded 61 points (50 assists) in 60 games. Importantly, he finished that 2007-2008 campaign with a healthy +8 rating. In two + seasons in the NHL with the Athlanta Thrashers (now the Winnipeg Jets), Bogosian is a disappointing -34. He put up 9 goals in his rookie campaign (in 47 games), 10 goals in 2009-2010, and 5 goals last season. The decline in goals and points is somewhat troubling for the Jets as Bogosian’s average power play time per game has risen in all 3 years in the NHL (1:07 to 1:39 to 1:58). In addition to his declining offense, Bogosian’s poor positional play and irresponsible pinching have caused blemishes on his resume. The Jets did not want to give up on their first round pick, but they hedged their bets by signing Bogosian to a short-term deal with a very manageable cap hit. In fairness, Bogosian may need to partner with a veteran, shutdown type defenseman. The best option on the Jets’ roster may be Mark Stuart, who played parts of 6 seasons with the Boston Bruins before joining the Jets’ organization in 2011. Ultimately, the Jets may need to develop a shutdown defenseman or acquire one via trade.

The Buffalo Sabres have invested long-term in their young blue liner, Tyler Myers. The 6’8” Houston, Texas native has recorded 85 points and has operated at a +13 in his first two seasons in the NHL. He added 6 points in 7 playoff contests this past spring. Myers is clearly the cornerstone of the future of the Buffalo Sabres, and his contract makes that completely evident. The 7 year/$38.5 million deal, which triggers in the 2012-2013 campaign, includes a $10 million signing bonus. The Sabres will still need to trim over $3 million from their current season cap liability. In regards to future cap management, the $5 million cap hit increase between the current and following seasons will be more than offset by five expiring contracts after the 2011-2012 season. Consequently though, the Sabres will need to replace 4 forwards and 1 defenseman by the start of the 2012-2013 season.

The Finnish Flash has returned to Southern California. Yes, late breaking news tonight is that Teemu Selanne has agreed to a 1 year/$4 million contract (which includes a full no movement clause per RDS’ Renaud Lavoie) with the Anaheim Ducks. The 41 year old Helsinki, Finland native is still playing at a high level. Last season, he scored 31 goals and added 49 assists. Selanne has indicated this will be his final season, so some clubs may plan farewell presentations/ceremonies for him. The Ducks are now about $7.3 million under the salary cap. Some of their fortunes may rest upon the health of their #1 goaltender, Jonas Hiller, who battled a head injury in the 2010-2011 season. They are a dynamic offense team which has struggled on the back end. They could be in the market for a veteran, checking center or a shutdown defenseman at the trade deadline.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie is reporting that there is an impasse is the contract talks between the Phoenix Coyotes and Kyle Turris.

You may reach the author with hip checks, blind side hits, and eye gouging on Twitter @Gordsie.

Cogliano was drafted 25th overall in the 2005 draft and has not missed a game since his debut in the 2007-08 season. Through those 328 games, the Toronto native has amassed 57 goals and 89 assists for 146 points. In the most recent season he scored 11 goals for 35 points and finished a minus-12.

A very impressive rookie season, Cogliano notched 45 points and set an NHL record for scoring three consecutive overtime goals. In his second season he put up 38 points but then a mere 28 in the following season. To help with his numbers, Cogliano was tried in all three forward positions in his third NHL season during 2009-10.

With Cogliano now absent from the lineup, this gives room for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to center a line with Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall.  Talk of a line like this has been speculated since before Nugent-Hopkins was drafted but it now it more likely to happen if/when the 18-year old makes the final roster.