When previous Habs‘ GM Bob Gainey announced during the summer of 2009 that he had traded for Scott Gomez, the first thing that came to mind to many was… “who??”. Although Scott Gomez is far from a no-name player in the league, Habs fans were expecting Gainey to sign a high impact player after the dismal season they had during the centennial year.  Instead, the GM signed Gomez, Cammalleri and Gionta to fill in an already short  (in size) roster. But how did manage to sign players like Gionta and Cammalleri when it seems like there was nobody on the roster to attract these high talented players? That’s where Gomez came in.

By replacing Chris Higgins with Gomez in the trade that brought Tom Pyatt, Michael Busto and Gomez to Montreal for Higgins, Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Doug Janik, Bob Gainey showed that Montreal could indeed attract big names. And by adding Gomez’ “star power”, Gainey was able to attract Gomez’ futur linemates, Cammalleri and Gionta. The Habs would never have been able to accomplish such a radical change on the first line if they had relied on Christopher Higgins to attract other players.

Although Gomez may be known in Montreal for his playmaking ability, he is also notorious for his seven year, 51.5 million dollar contract (7.357 mil/year cap hit). Gomez has had only one 80 point season (84 points in 2005-2006 with the Devils) and three 70 point seasons in 10 complete seasons. Yet the Habs’ administration was banking hard on the fact that Gomez’ best season came when he was on a line with Brian Gionta and that that feat could be repeated. Although point-wise, it was not, Gomez’ presence was felt the most when on a line with… you guessed it, Brian Gionta. The two players have very high chemistry, and both told the press that they were quite happy to be playing together again.

At a high price, Gomez has become a key member of the Habs’ offense, and if they want to repeat the feat accomplished during the 2009-2010 playoffs, but this time during a whole season, Gomez not only has to operate well, he has to continue producing even when Gionta isn’t on the ice with him.

Finally, I end with this question. Since Gomez is from Alaska, do you think he also sees Russia from his front porch? Ah, the great mysteries of life!

Christopher Nardi
NHLHS Montreal Canadiens Correspondent
cnardi@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @dragonlancehuma

As the ninth oldest NHL team, the Calgary Flames have a team average 27.91 years.

Recently the Flames jumped over the Detroit Red Wings and rest in the eighth playoff spot, but they are only six points out of fifth place. Before their last few games, the Flames were headed down a dangerous path.

It appeared the Flames would have a difficult time making the playoffs, but something changed. Suddenly, the Flames were back within a few points of the middle of the playoff contenders.

Arguably one of the best Flames ever to don the Calgary jersey, Jarome Iginla is largely responsible for the Flames success. As a 32 year old, Iginla’s 31 goals and 33 assists is no small feat. Not only is he first on his team in points, but he also leads his teammates in goals.

Also helping out, and ranking second in goals on the Flames, Niklas Hagman has 21 goals (only one with the Flames). Then, Matt Stajan has 49 points, good for second in points. The Flames, however, recently acquired both players from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Flames did have productive veteran experience before the big acquisition from the Leafs. In fact, all four of their captains began the season in Calgary: Iginla, Jay Bouwmeester, Robyn Regehr, and Craig Conroy. Only Bouwmeester, however, is younger than the team average.

Additionally, half of their top ten scorers are older than the team average. In the top five, however, only Stajan is younger than 28 years. When it comes to offensive production for the Flames, the older the player the better the offensive production.

The youth on the Flames has power too though. In fact, successful defensemen Bouwmeester, Mark Giordano, and Ian White are 26 or younger.

If purely comparing past statistics to current ones, Iginla remains on pace for an average Iginla season. Rene Bourque is one goal away from tying his career high in goals (currently has 20 goals). In addition, Erik Nystrom set a new career high in goals (7 goals) and is one assist away from breaking his career high in assists (7 assists).

On the other end of the spectrum, Bouwmeester goal count decreased this season, however he may finish the season with more assists than last season (27 assists last year). Also, Conroy’s numbers decreased greatly this season compared to his previous two seasons. Daymond Langkow’s production decreased similar to Conroy.

Curtis Glencross remains stagnant, as does Christopher Higgins and Regehr.

Overall, the Flames offense is spread across the board. Some increased production from last season, some decreased and some remained the same.**

Offense is not the only factor that hurt the Flames earlier on in the season. Injuries to Bourque and Conroy severely damaged the Flames’ chances for the playoffs.

Luckily for Flames’ fans, the team pushed through struggles with injuries and offense.

Part of their success goes to Miikka Kiprusoff, who with 30 wins ranks ninth overall in the league’s goaltender wins. It appears Kiprusoff will not match his previous total of 45 wins, but all he has to do is get the Flames into the playoffs. Statistics do not matter, only the final Conference rankings matter.

If the Flames hold onto their playoff spot, they could prove to be a tough contender. But, they could crumble as well. Their offense needs to step it up, and their defense needs to protect Kiprusoff. If they can manage to do those two things, then they have a legitimate shot at winning in the playoffs. But those two things are often the issues for every team going into the playoffs.

**Hagman has 21 goals and 16 assists on the season and  Stajan has 19 goals and 28 assists, but both players’ production with the Flames remains small. They played twelve games with the Flames at this point.

Katlyn Gambill
NHLHS Featured Writer
kgambill@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @freezethepuck

Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Washington are all Stanley Cup favorites this year. What do these teams have in common? How did they build their successful teams? Through the draft, specifically through obtaining high draft picks for multiple years. Teams like New Jersey, San Jose, and Detroit, prove that a team can win consistently and still build a solid team from within. But the common thread within all these teams is that they have all drafted well.

The last nine years of Montreal Canadiens hockey have been at best mediocre. The historic franchise, known for its winning tradition, has fallen from grace. This fall is akin to the career of Robert DeNiro, a great actor, who due to poor choices in films to star in is no longer putting up the great results of the past. Like DeNiro’s poor film choices, the Canadiens’ lack of success can be attributed to their poor drafting. I have taken a look back at the Canadiens’ last ten years of drafting, highlighting their first round picks, to show their mediocre drafting has led to mediocre hockey.

In 2000 the Canadiens were blessed with two first round draft picks. With the #13 overall pick the Habs chose Ron Hainsey. Hainsey, who has found success after leaving the team, only played 32 games with the Habs before the Habs gave up on him, and released him on waivers in 2005 to be claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers. In his short career with the Habs, Hainsey put up 1 goal and 1 assist with a plus-2 rating.  With San Jose’s #16 overall pick acquired in exchange for Vincent Damphousse), the Canadiens drafted Marcel Hossa, otherwise known as Marian’s little brother. After putting up good numbers in the American league, Hossa never seemed to catch on in the NHL. In 59 games played for the Canadiens, Hossa managed to score 10 goals, with 9 assists, and a plus-2. Hossa was traded prior to the 2005-06 season to the New York Rangers in exchange for Garth Murray. Hossa is currently playing for Dinamo Riga in the KHL.

In 2001 the Habs continued to draft American born defenseman when the picked Mike Komisarek with the #7 pick. Komisarek proved to be one of the few successful 1^st round draft picks this decade, playing 361 games for the Habs, putting up 12 goals, 46 assists, +13, and sitting in the penalty box for 496 minutes. Komisarek’s success on the Habs can be attributed to his slow development within the American league, as well as benefitting from being paired with top-notch defense partner Andrei Markov. Komisarek went Benedict Arnold in 2009 when he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 22.5 million over 5 years.

With Washington’s #25 overall pick in 2001  (acquired in a trade where the Habs acquired Richard Zednik , Jan Bulis, and said pick in exchange for Trevor Linden, Danius Zubrus, and New Jersey’s 2^nd round pick in ’01) the Canadiens drafted Alexander Perezhogin. After briefly becoming the hope of Habs fans (playing in 128 games putting up 15 goals 19 assists and +16), Perezhogin fled to the KHL where he is currently playing for Salavat Yulaev UFA. If Perezhogin decides to return to the NHL, the Canadiens retain his rights. Montreal struck gold in the 3^rd round of the ’01 draft when they drafted current number one center Tomas Plekanec #71 overall, arguably Montreal’s best pick of the decade.

Montreal was so high on Christopher Higgins in 2002 that they traded up one spot to #14 overall to insure that they drafted him. Higgins played in 282 games for the Canadiens, never managing to find the offense that the organization and fans expected out of him (84 goals, 67 assists, -13). Higgins was traded to the New York Rangers in the summer of 2009 in exchange for Scott Gomez. Unable to produce the numbers the Rangers expected out of him, Higgins was traded this week to the Calgary Flames.

Habs fans were told that Andrei Kostitsyn would have been drafted higher than #10 overall if it weren’t for his health condition. Although he hasn’t been slowed down by the seizures that complicated his early life, Kostitsyn has yet to put up the numbers expected out of him (226 games played, 64 goals, 69 assists, +15). Habs fans can name off players who the Canadiens passed over to draft Kostitsyn, but Andrei’s game has been improving year after year, as he slowly develops into the 30 goal scorer that all Habs fans want him to become. 2003 was a fruitful year for this year’s edition of the Canadiens. In later rounds the Habs drafted Maxim Lapierre (#61 overall), Ryan O’Byrne (#79), and Jaroslav Halak (stealing him with the #271 pick).

2004 brought upon another disappointing draft for Habs fans. With the #18 pick Montreal selected Kyle Chipchura. The organization had high hopes for Chipchura, hoping he would replace long time captain Saku Koivu when he left the team as the new leader. After a disappointing 68 games as a Canadien (4 goals, 10 assists, -17) and taking way too many bus trips between Hamilton and Montreal, Chipchura was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in December 2009 in exchange for a 4^th round draft pick in 2011.

With one ball in the 2005 draft lottery Montreal won the #5 overall pick. At the surprise to most Habs fans the Canadiens selected goaltender Carey Price, just one short season after Jose Theodore’s Hart and Vezina season. After posting an incredible career in junior hockey, and leading the Hamilton Bulldogs to the Calder Cup, Price became the great hope for all Canadiens fans. Price has had an up and down career in Montreal. Price currently has a 58-45-17 record with a 2.72 GAA and a .912 save percentage. The Carey Price bandwagon is constantly being jumped on and off after every Habs game. While Price’s game needs improvement, it is too early in his career to call this pick a flop. In 2005, the Canadiens also drafted Matt D’Agostini with the 190^th pick and Sergei Kostitsyn with the 200^th pick.

With the exception Max Pacioretty, the #22 pick in 2007, (86 games played, 6 goals, 19 assists, -8), the Canadiens have yet to see a draft pick from 2006-2009 play a game in the NHL. Pacioretty, who the organization is hoping becomes the power forward that the team is missing, underperformed with the Canadiens, earning him a demotion to Hamilton to give him time to improve his game.

2006 pick David Fischer (#20) is finishing his senior year at the University of Minnesota. Fischer is projected to be a stay-at-home defenseman, but he will not be skating at the Bell Centre for at least another year, while he transitions to the professional game in the AHL. Highly touted defenseman Ryan McDonagh, the #12 pick in 2007, was traded in the summer of 2009 to the New York Rangers as part of the Gomez deal. The Canadiens traded away their #25 pick on draft day 2008 in exchange for Alex Tanguay. Tanguay would go on to play one injury plagued season in Montreal before signing with the Tampa Bay Lighting.

In front of a hometown crowd the Montreal Canadiens selected Louis LeBlanc with the #18 pick in 2009. LeBlanc represents the hope of Habs fans to become the power forward that the team has been lacking for a long time. LeBlanc is currently playing his freshman year at Harvard. The constant hope beaming out of Habs fans eyes with every new draft pick has brought upon nothing but mediocre hockey in Montreal. If the Canadiens are to succeed in the NHL they will need to start developing their drafted players into quality NHL players.

Ben Ostroff
bostroff@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @bensucks

With the departure of Olli Jokinen for essentially spare parts, Flames fans believe another deal will be made.  After all, GM Darryl Sutter did effectively clear 500K off his cap after the supposed salary dump.  So is Sutter now looking to Atlanta and and acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk?

Just a few days ago, TSN’s Darren Dreger listed the supposed asking price for Kovalchuk as four or five assets, a young roster player plus a combination of draft picks and prospects.  If Sutter were to shoot for Kovalchuck, GM Don Waddell must not have liked prospect Keith Aulie.

Do the Flames now carry the assets to move for the superstar Russian.

They recently recalled their top rated forward prospect, Mikael Backlund, as the team needed secondary scoring.  It could be more of a showcase rather than a need with the acquisition of Matt Stajan.

Dustin Boyd could be showcased as well as he finds himself playing alongside Jarome Iginla regularly.  At 23-years-old he may fit the bill of a valuable young roster player.

Could Niklas Hagman be on the move again?  Sutter plays him on the third line while he projected for thirty goals.  At 30-years-old he carries a reasonable 3 million dollar cap hit while scoring at least 20 goals for three years now.

The Thrashers apparently asked the Bruins for Tuukka Rask, so one would assume prospect Leland Irving also should be in the mix.

Would a package of Hagman, Backlund, Irving, Boyd and a first round pick, Greg Nemisz or Tim Erixon entice Waddell enough to make a move? Certainly would be a healthy package.  but would other teams offer more?  One would imagine the Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings could put together something stronger.

Note that the acquisition of Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins would maintain reasonable depth at the wings should a trade of this nature occur.

Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Editor
amonaghan@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NHLHotStove

In the beginning of the 2008-2009 season nobody in Arizona would think about trading away their top young player: Peter Mueller.  The former eighth overall selection potted 54 points in his rookie season, only two years after his draft year.

Fast forwarding a year and a half later and the kid seems to be lost.  A understandable sophomore slump continued into what now appears to be a brutal third season.  Mueller seems to be the only player adversely affected by the necessary coaching change, unable to adapt to coach Dave Tippett and his defensive system.

Through 45 games the 21-year-old managed 13 points, with only three of those touching the back of the net.  Ranger GM Glen Sather expressed interest in Mueller earlier in the year, offering a scavenger deal centered around Bobby Sanguinetti or Christopher Higgins.  While Sather might wish to fleece his former assistant and acquire the troubled young player, GM Don Maloney seems poised to receive fair value.

The Boston Bruins moved a similar player in Brad Boyes three trade deadlines ago.  At the time Boyes came off a career year only to fail to produce.  They team moved him for a similarly struggling yet established young player in Dennis Wideman.  The Coyotes most likely would require a young NHL player with similar success and experience to lessen the blow of losing a once bluechip prospect.

If he can regain his scoring touch Mueller may become a top talent in this league one day, as expected.  For one he needs to restore his confidence and playing on the third line will not do this.  When your linemates are Lauri Korpikoski and Robert Lang respectively, most players would not score 30 goals or more.

Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Editor
amonaghan@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NHLHotStove

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun recently reported that the New York Rangers are shopping wingers Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins.

The Rangers brought in both players this past off-season to bolster their offense with hopes that they would fit into coach John Tortorella’s system.  GM Glen Sather hoped they would fill holes and perform at levels, but at this point both have vastly disappointed.  Now Sather looks for alternative options to “beef” up his top six in order to gain a bigger presence up front, something Kotalik should provide.

What do I mean?

The Rangers want size in front of the oppositions crease in order to create more traffic to generate more offense.

When the team they signed Marian Gaborik they had one goal in mind: the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Currently, the Rangers sit on the outside looking in, knowing some tweaking in the line up is a must.

Tortorella simply cannot work with the mix of forwards he currently has.  Outside of Gaborik, most of the team fail to put together a consistent effort. We know the personality of Mr. Tortorella, a fiery, intense coach with a limited tolerance.  The team’s current players show they cannot play his system properly.

It is time to make a change.

Kotalik, a power play specialist, posted 19 points through 35 games this year.  With the hefty price tag of $3 million per year for 3 years (two more after his season), his value definitely takes a hit from even the second rounder he went for last season.

Higgins, a versatile forward whose played all three forward positions with the Rangers, came to New York in the Scott Gomez deal.  Brought in by Sather in hopes of regaining his 2007-08 form where he produced career highs with 27 goals and 52 points with the Montreal Canadiens, the 26-year-old projects to score 10 goals.  His solid two-way style makes him a top nine on most teams, however the Rangers might receive similar production from the cheaper P.A. Parentau.

Shipping Higgins out now could be a great opportunity to clear up some cap space.

Other GMs around the league know that the Rangers are in somewhat of a desperate state.  For Sather to work his usual trade magic, he may need to include one of his prized defensive prospects or young players.  If Sather is not interested in doing so, it will only make a trade more difficult.

Waiving current doghouse resident Wade Redden to get his salary off the books – although he would still be paid $6 million to skate with the Wolfpack – starts to look more and more like a reality at this point.  Tortorella publicly stated his displeasure in the veteran’s performance, and rightfully so.  Just goes to show how much of a factor Zdeno Chara is to anyone paired to play with him.  Since Redden’s former partner defected to Boston, the results have not been the same.

Cablevision, the owners the Rangers, would most likely have no problem shelling out the money to open up the cap space necessary to get another top line talent.  This team boasts a plethora of defense within the system.  At this point Bobby Sanguinetti or Ilkka Heikkinen amongst others would play with more heart then Redden. Definitely a win/win situation.

One name to keep an eye on post Olympics and pre-deadline would be Pavol Demitra.  We all know that Demitra and Gaborik are very close friends and if the veteran can prove himself  100 percent healthy, with a pro-rated cap hit, it would be dumb of Sather to not go out and make an offer for him.

We hope you enjoyed our latest feature here at the NHL Hot Stove.  You can help NHLHS stay alive by visiting our sponsors to the left.

Follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Contributor
achockeyguys@gmail.com

The latest from Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun discusses the injury to Daniel Alfredsson as well as the need to replace his production in the lineup.  After sustaining a hit from Craig Adams on Wednesday, the Senators captain expects to miss a few weeks with a bum shoulder.  The 37-year-old joins pivot Jason Spezza and wing Nick Foligno in the press box as they continue to recover from their own ailments while Chris Neil, Shean Donovan and Pascal Leclaire all returned to the lineup a mere three days ago.

Although center Josh Hennessy initially gets a call up, the rookie definitely is not and will not be the solution.  If this team is to stay within the playoff picture they must make a move quickly and patch the gaping hole in their top six.

Garrioch may be onto something for once with his article.  The controversial reporter discusses the merits of trading for Christopher Higgins or Alexander Frolov, both impending free agents after the season.

Both aforementioned players make a significant salary which by consensus diminishes their trade value.  Higgins carries a 2.25 million cap hit, a lofty price for a winger with 10 points through 36 games.  On the other hand, the Kings hold a 2.9 million cap hit for their Russian winger but show little motivation to move him if they want to go deep into the playoffs.  Frolov certainly warrants stronger trade value as he projects to put up 55 points on the season or 32 points in his remaining 46 games.

Still if Lomabardi feels he cannot resign his 27-year-old winger, shipping him out may be the smart bet.  At this point every Russian player in the League is a flight risk.  Similar to Nikolai Zherdev this past offseason, Frolov could price himself out of the country and sign with a team in his motherland.

What would Frolov demand as purely a playoff rental?  The offer would need to knock GM Dean Lombardi’s socks off in order to force his hand, but anything is possible. With Higgins at a such a low trade value, the Rangers could choose not to move him instead moving the often scratched Ales Kotalik.

Hope you enjoyed our latest trade rumors feature. You can help NHLHS stay alive by visiting our sponsors to the left.

Follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates

-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com

Look closely at the picture to the right, it may be the last time you see Peter Mueller in a Coyotes jersey.

The 21-year-old native of Bloomington, Minnesota continues to baffle both his coaching staff and fans alike with his minimal effort and limited offensive production.  With only one goal and six points all season, Mueller sits on the hot seat almost begging GM Don Maloney to trade him elsewhere.

If you are keeping score at home, those totals project to an impressive three goals and 18 points.

Since the inception of Dave Tippett into the coaching staff, the entire Coyotes organization seems to thrive.  Tippett implemented his system quickly as he took over in preseason with little time to spare. The system teaches his youngsters solid two-way play and evidently turned Ilya Bryzgalov into a Vezina Trophy candidate.

Meanwhile Mueller’s totals have only plummeted from a successful rookie campaign under Wayne Gretzky.  Greatly slowing down over the second portion of last season many people had high hopes the talented youngster would turn it around.  The right wing played 28 games before watching from the press box since December 14th.

So what will Maloney do with Mueller?

The rumors I’ve heard circulating are to the New York Rangers. On December 11, we wrote a piece on Mueller noting Maloney shot down a deal involving Bobby Sanguinetti.  Considering the Coyotes selected Mueller 8th overall, they feel entitled to more value than a defensive prospect.  Considering his name was once synonymous with Phil Kessel, Jonathan Toews and Jordan Staal I can see why they feel this way.

The newest rumors involved Sanguinetti and a draft choice (remember the Rangers are without their third-round pick) or perhaps Christopher Higgins, a young player also struggling to find his scoring touch.  Regardless, Mueller contains an immense amount of talent and desperately needs a change of scenary.  He could be John Tortorella’s newest project, molded in the image of Vincent Lecavalier himself.

Due to our holiday trade break all we can do is speculate but Mueller could be very close to donning a Rangers sweater.  A move to New York would certainly boost the kid’s fantasy value.  Pretty much a move anywhere would at this point.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed our latest trade rumors feature. You can help NHLHS stay alive by visiting our sponsors to the left.

Follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates

-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com