By Alexander Monaghan
President

FEASTER GETS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN CALGARY

Yesterday, no-longer-acting GM Jay Feaster re-signed Curtis Glencross for what is believed to be a four-year contract worth $10.2 million. Later in the day there was a press conference which put him in the driver’s seat for the considerable future. While Feaster will be seen as a much less abrasive boss to the media, his track record outside his Stanley Cup victory is rather mediocre, including his drafting where not one of his first round picks became an impact player with his tendency to only find role players like Mike Lundin, Matt Smaby, Dana Tyrell and Blair Jones. When your best draft pick happens to be the now-forgotten Paul Ranger it should be less-than-inspiring to Flames fans who desperately want another impact player.

However, with a clean slate and an important player locked up, Calgary can move onto reworking their core and growing together with a new generation of players. Yes, they will have to deal with the aging Robyn Regehr, Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff but they also shown some promise with Mark Giordano, Mikael Backlund, the somewhat disappointing Rene Bourque and now Glencross at the helm that next movement. Combine them with youngsters Lance Bouma, Tim Erixon and Greg Nemisz and the Flames have a shot as soon as next season.

Clearly Feaster did not build the Lightning, but he didn’t burn the house down either. Staying the course on an improving team which should only improve with a top-15 draft selection this June will keep fans in their seats. As Kent Wilson of Flames Nation points out, “the fairest thing I can do is wait and see how the Flames summer unfolds before offering judgement on Feaster’s ascendency.” So now we play the waiting game, just like with…

WHO RETIRES IN DETROIT?

Photo Credit: Dan4th / Flickr

Nicklas Lidstrom is the big name on the block with regards to retirement but there are plenty of older guys who could bow out like Kris Draper, Mike Modano, Chris Osgood or even Ruslan Salei. Nevertheless, Lidstrom’s departure would surely create the biggest hole on the blue line as he continues to lead the Western Conference powerhouse on the back end. In fact, without him as their defensive stalwart, one would have to imagine the Red Wings trying to make a big splash either via trade or free agency (Andrei Markov, anyone?)

While it may be easy to brush aside Draper, Modano, Osgood, Salei, etc., their roles will still need to be filled next season. Draper has essentially alternated with Drew Miller so his role is set. Salei could get replaced by the younger Jakub Kindl and Modano essentially only subbed in for Valtteri Filppula, only drawing into the playoffs due to various injuries. That leaves Osgood, who was replaced with Joey MacDonald for the majority of the season but could still outplay the journeyman if he has any legs left.

Nevertheless, Lidstrom remains the guy to watch and Mike Babcock told Ansar Khan of Mlive.com he can can field another competitive team next season with his star defender directly in the mix:

“I think if our team was no good, Nick wouldn’t even consider coming back. But I think having the kind of year he did and the kind of playoff he did and the kind of playoff our team had, it’s given me confidence he’ll be back. We felt we were a very competitive team in the playoffs. We’re getting good growth out of our young guys. (Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg) are in the prime of their careers. Mule (Johan Franzen) is a guy we think can be way better next year with health.”

The time in now for the Red Wings and if they are to get back to the Stanley Cup, they will be getting there with Zetterberg, Datysuk and Franzen in their prime. Funny how Babcock particularly singled out Franzen, as he is a player that definitely can improve in postseason following this year’s disappointing run, much like…

THE REAL SEDINS

Photo Credit: Mafue / Flickr

If you take a glance at the leading scorers this playoffs, you will have to go down 15 slots before you see the last name Sedin. Their struggles have been discussed amongst the media ad nauseum as they each sit slightly below their normal above point-per-game pace. However, a quick glace into their quality of competition will dictate that nobody has faced a stronger opposition amongst the Canucks. In fact, they sit in the top 16 amongst all players this postseason with most forwards actually the shutdown type (ie. Draper, Tyrell, etc.). If we limit it to forwards, we eliminate six other players. In other words, these guys are dogged all over the ice as soon as they step on. We witnessed this with the fine shutdown work of grinder Dave Bolland, we noticed this in the Nashville series when David Legwand and Joel Ward gave them everything they had.

Considering most teams are not nearly as deep as the Canucks, Ryan Kesler has faced considerably worse competition. Regardless, we are discussing the best players in the League or arguably the top 5. It was only a matter of time until they found their stroke and against the defensively challenged San Jose Sharks they should be able to once again show that elite offensive flair. Game 1 was only the beginning of what should be an exciting series where the Sedins once again find their mojo. They combined for two points (actually only Henrik) but overall there should be no problem with finding the back of the net with Antti Niemi sporting a GAA over three and SV% barely north of .900.

In all fairness, this topic has been harped on by many so we are not the first to discuss it. In fact, Ryan Porth of RLD Hockey predicted this series being their turning point for the talented Swedes. Speaking of things I can’t take credit for…

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS WILL GO #1

Photo Credit: leafschik1967 / Flickr

The reasoning is of course less than scientific but essentially every pundit views Nugent-Hopkins as the consensus number one pick. Don’t take my word of advice on the subject, DC Sports Report’s NHL Mock Draft Database clearly puts him as the front-runner from ESPN to TSN to NHL.com. When drafting at such a lofty position going best player available is always the safe choice which states the Edmonton Oilers would rather gamble on Nugent-Hopkins than take a stab at Adam Larsson. Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney even told The Edmonton Journal that would be they guy he takes.

If the Oilers have their guy then the Colorado Avalanche also have their man in Larssen. Our on-site reporter Bill Whitehead then explained recently that the Florida Panthers will quickly take Gabriel Landeskog as he holds leadership characteristics and would be a fine player to build their team around. Getting back to the Avs, Larssen seems like the logical guy even though they have a system completely built around offense. According to Adrian Dater of All Things Avs, there are contradictory views on the young Swede:

“He’s a kid who has been on the radar for three years now and people are all turning on him. But he never makes a bad pass and he’s a really smart player.”

Smart player sounds good but I keep seeing this underlying tone of safe player. With the current configuration based around speed and breakout offense it may be an indication that Joe Sacco could get the sack next year after another inevitably poor season. That, or the Avs could swing a deal for Nugent-Hopkins because we know all the Oilers really want is Sean Couturier aka a center with size!

Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read our column. You can follow the site on Twitter @NHLHotStove, if you would like to contact the author please use the contact sheet in the navigation.

By Alexander Monaghan
NHL Hot Stove Founder / CEO

Yesterday, Cory Clouston got off a plane and was relieved of his duties.

This morning, the Florida Panthers told Pete DeBoer his services would no longer be necessary. This afternoon, Jacques Lemaire stepped down as head coach of the New Jersey Devils, again.

Are we done with these firings or is there yet another wave of unhappy owners ready to find a scapegoat?

Of course, time will always answer our questions, but a reasonable guess would indicate a bit more firings in this wave followed by yet another set of firings following post-season shortcomings. Other bench bosses such as Todd Richards of the Minnesota Wild and perhaps even Joe Sacco could get the axe after disappointing seasons, respectively. Regardless of where these teams are in their rebuild or the expectations they may have unfairly placed on their coaches shoulders prior to the season, someone has to answer for a down season, and that person is more ofter than not the coach.

Both Colorado and Minnesota finished their season today so we very well could witness their firings withing the next 24 hours.

Richards missed the playoffs for the second time in two seasons as the coach of the Wild. While he and GM Chuck Fletcher were brought in to reinvigorate the team’s offense, their creation has failed to make any strides as far as developing players or even a consistent system. Both years the Wild finished in the bottom 10 as far as goals forced are concerned while Niklas Backstrom and company allowed closer to three goals per game in both years — although this season was an improvement in net. Firing Richards, while not an immediate fix, will show the rest of the team’s personnel that they need to mesh together and form an identity or else they too will find themselves jettisoned.

On the other hand, Sacco helmed the most disappointing season in Colorado Avalanche history. It could have been due to the astonishing amount of man-games lost. It also could have been the Erik Johnson blockbuster trade which dismantled his offensive chemistry. Regardless, someone has to pay for the worst season to ever come out of Colorado, only one year removed from another lottery pick. If you ask me, GM Greg Sherman should be on the way out, not the creative, offensively charged Sacco. Nevertheless, someone needs to take the blame.

These guys had it coming, we could see it as clearly as an advertising on a side-wall. However, there should be some musical chairs before the NHL Entry Draft or the Free Agency period.

Photo Credit: dbking / Flickr

Prior to his late-season surge, Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau found himself on the hot seat from game one. After watching an off-season from Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green, Boudreau needs to get his Capitals team into the Stanley Cup Finals and take home the game’s biggest trophy. Failure to do so should mean he finds himself screaming obscenities to a lesser audience next season —  which very well could happen. The Capitals at the very least would need to plow through the New York Rangers. whom they hold a 1-2-1 record against in the regular season. The Rangers also held Ovechkin to no goals over those four games.

Similarly, Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray could find himself on the way out should the Kings once again fall in the first round. For years now this team has been on the verge of something special but they may need a different coach to push them over the edge. Although both Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams find themselves tending to injuries for the first round, there is still a good deal of experience and talent in the lineup coupled with the steady hand of Jonathan Quick. If Murray can’t lead this team to at least a first round victory he may get fired quicker than he can shuffle the Kings’ forward lines.

Finally, and perhaps the answer nobody wants to hear. Peter Laviolette could find himself on the hot seat should the Philadelphia Flyers bow out early. After dominating the earlier portion of the season, the Flyers limped into the playoffs with a 3-4-3 record. For everything Laviolette did last season, he would likely take the blame for his overly-talented bunch bowing out early making it the first time in a while the Flyers would not be blaming their starting goalie. Chris Pronger truly cannot return soon enough for the Flyers as they could use his leadership on and off the ice in order to save their season.

–

We understand that most people reading this would probably not agree with our picks. Please feel free to argue your points in the comments as this is a democracy not a dictatorship! In addition, you can follow us on Twitter @NHLHotStove

Central

• The Hawks look to play well against the Sharks tonight.  ”Looking back at our trip so far we’ve had some really good games and some games we’ve been really bad,” defenseman Duncan Keith said. “Our goal now is to have another really good game in San Jose.
• Two players will miss tonight’s Blue Jackets game with the flu. Derek Dorsett also remains out for the time being.
• Brad Stuart sustained a sprained left shoulder last night, just two days after the return of defenseman Niklas Kronwall.  ”It doesn’t feel great, but I could have finished the game, it was just at that point, why risk making it worse,” Stuart said.
• The Predators know what they need to do to return to their early season form after losing four straight.  ”We have to get back to our entire group buying into it. There are certain parts of our game that our strong, but right now the intensity and commitment haven’t been there,” said goaltender Dan Ellis.
• Only a powerplay tally by Christian Ehrhoff separated the Blues from another victory.  ”We were in position (to win) and they found a way to get the extra (goal) on the power play,” Blues coach Davis Payne said.

Northwest

• The losing streak hits eight with their recent loss to the Stars 4-3 but there were positives to this loss.  ”We played as a team, as a group of five out there, offensively and defensively. We were moving the puck, skating the way we had been earlier when we had success for two periods . . . but we were tentative in the third, we shelled it up there,” said Jarome Iginla.
• Ryan O’Reilly does not need to score to be trusted in Colorado.  ”With Ryan, you don’t necessarily see the results on the score sheet,” Avs coach Joe Sacco said.
• Both Mike Comrie and Gilbert Brule should return to the Oilers lineup.  ”This is a way to pass on that extra message. It’s been a pretty good comfort zone on a team that has lost so many games. They’ve never had to worry about not playing,” said coach Pat Quinn.
• Antti Miettinen and Pavel Datsyuk played a shooting match last night, trading goals in the first period
• Even though the Blues shut down the Sedin twins, Mason Raymond scored two goals.  ”It’s not by accident,” said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. “If there’s one player on our team right now who’s going the extra mile as far as trying to improve himself as a player, it’s Mason. He’s spending a lot of time with our skills coach before practice, working on his skills. He’s even coming in on his days off. There’s a reason why he’s having the success, he’s putting in the extra time.“  

Pacific

• The Capitals dominated the Ducks in the third period leading to a 5-1 victory but the third period started 1-1.  ”It’s a 1-1 game,” said Corey Perry. “We had them right where we wanted them going into the third. We gave up one quick one and then all of a sudden bang-bang-bang.”
• Mike Ribeiro may return to the Stars lineup soon.
• Helene Elliot of The LA Times runs down tonight’s Kings-Blue Jackets matchup.
• The Coyotes scoring two goals in the final 90 seconds to tie Detroit could be the turning point of their season. “I think we were a bit more fragile as a team last year,” said Daniel Winnik. “All the young guys we had, not just used to making those kinds of comebacks like that, especially against a team like Detroit.”
• Huge matchup tonight between the Sharks and Blackhawks, with winner claiming first place in the league.  ”It’s a lot bigger than that,” Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We have a chance to tie for first, and that’s a huge game.”

Central

• GM Stan Bowman believes the Hawks goaltending will stand up to a cup run.  ”I’m not worried about the goaltending. It has been our strength really all year. I know we play a good team defense as well, (but) without solid goaltending we wouldn’t be where we’re at. Internally we’re comfortable.”  I guess they will stick with Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi down the stretch.
• The Blue Jackets came from behind to defeat Boston 3-2.  The team received an extra boost with 18 of their fathers in the stands.
• Chris McCosky of The Detroit News wonders where the Wings would be without Drew Miller, Jimmy Howard, Patrick Eaves and Darren Helm.  ”We wouldn’t have any wins if it weren’t for those guys,” coach Mike Babcock said. “It’s not like our big guys have been scoring like crazy.”  Looks like the Wings feature a new wave of younger, scrappy grinders.
• The Predators fell to Phoenix 4-2 with the help of their former player and draftee Scottie Upshall.  In just his second career game against the team who drafted him Upshall scored a hat trick, essentially defeating them single handedly.
• The Blues dug their own grave allowing three powerplay goals to the Senators.  They came in to Ottawa with the best penalty kill on the road.

Northwest

• With last night’s loss the Flames now dropped six in a row. George Johnson of The Calgary Herald believes the Hawks play in a league of their own.
• Cody McLeod scored 15 goals last season but fails to find his scoring touch.  Coach Joe Sacco believes his player still plays his role effectively.  ”It’s tough, because that’s not his responsibility,” Sacco said. “He’s doing a lot of other things very well for us. He’s been very physical, and he’s a guy his teammates can count on to show up and play hard every game. He’s actually been very good on the penalty kill too.
• Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal looks at the bright side of Sam Gagner and his slow development curve.
• The Minnesota Wild come from behind to win seemingly every game.  Fresh off a concussion Brent Burns returned to the team to help the Wild attempt a fifteenth come-from-behind victory.
• The Canucks played without Sami Salo, Willie Mitchell and Kevin Bieksa but still got the W against the Stars.  As Roberto Luongo said: “It happens every year.“

Pacific

• Even with their improved place in the standings, the Ducks still cannot solve the Sharks.  Ryan Getzlaf thinks the powerplay made the difference.  ”Our power play has got to be a little bit better than that,”  Getzlaf said.
• Alex Auld allowed a shorthanded goal when he misplayed the puck and gave it to Alex Burrows.  ”It’s tough when you give up one like that. You have to learn from these things and move on,” Auld said.
• Rich Hammond of LAKings.com muses over Dustin Brown and Jon Quick defeating their Olympic teammate Ryan Miller.
• The Coyotes received valiant efforts from their leading scorer Scottie Upshall and backbone Ilya Bryzgalov to defeat the Predators 4-2.  ”It’s a game that means so much,” Upshall said. “This game for us was a big momentum builder, and it said a lot for the way this week has gone, and the questions you guys have been asking about what’s going on.
• Rob Blake and Marc-Edouard Vlasic both scored goals with Dan Boyle out.  ”They were partners until tonight,” coach Todd McLellan said. “Then we broke them up and they both scored goals.”

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

strong>Central

• Tim Sassone of The Daily Herald calls last night’s game one of the worst of the season.  ”That might have been one that was at the bottom of the heap,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville.
• Raffi Torres should be one of the names moved come March 3rd.  ”It’s out of my hands,” Torres said. “I’d love to stay here, and I hope I’m not hurting my cause (by scoring and driving up trade value). It’s a great city, a great organization, a great thing to be a part of.”
• The Red Wings’ most recent loss unraveled in the third period.  ”I thought we played real well the first two periods,” Nicklas Lidstrom said. “They had a couple of chances, but we were able to spend a lot of time in their zone and create a lot of chances. I thought it got away from us a little bit there in the last 10 minutes.”
• John Glennon of the Tennessean writes a touching story about Joel Ward.  Ward’s biological father passed away when he was 14, while his stepfather came into the picture at 17.  The latter, Rodger Minard, joins Ward for the second year in a row at the father’s trip.
• Are the Blues underachieving or simply not that good?  Dan O’Neill of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch goes over both sides of the theory.

Northwest

• Sad days in Calgary as Jarome Iginla clearly seems upset about his and his team’s recent play.  “The desire is still there,’’ Iginla said. “The leadership (questions) . . . I understand that it happens when you lose a game the way we did (Monday) night.”
• Kyle Cumiskey constantly overcomes obstacles.  He continues to play physically despite his 5’10″ stature and continues to play well despite his playing partner.  ”I don’t think it really matters who he plays with,”coach Joe Sacco said.
• Coach Pat Quinn implemented yet another bag skate following the Oilers recent 6-0 trouncing.  ”What you’re doing is purging a bad performance … you’re getting rid of it all by sweating and getting mad and all that sort of stuff,” said coach Tom Renney.
• The Minnesota Wild placed Petr Sykora on waivers and welcomed Brent Burns back to the team.  Coach Todd Richards welcomed the change with an intense practice.  ”I would have liked to have chosen to do something different today, but where we’re at, this is what we needed to do,” Richards said.
• Why are the Sedin Twins so great?  Mike Halford and Jason Brough of the Province discuss their greatness in detail.

Pacific

• The Ducks now won seven of their last eight games.  ”We knew from the beginning we had a pretty decent team,” goaltender Jonas Hiller said.
• Joe Nieuwendyk and the Stars plan on facing adversity when they make their next road trip.  ”I think you have to face adversity, and you have to overcome it,” Nieuwendyk said. “That’s just part of the business no matter who you are.”
• Rich Hammond believes last night’s 5-1 loss by the Kings will prove pivotal, despite 30 games remaining in the season.  “We have to grab a hold of these opportunities,’’ Kings coach Terry Murray said.
• Jim Gintonio of The Arizona Republic discusses exactly what the Coyotes need to do in order to make the playoffs. Long stretches on the road could prevent the team from making the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
• Torrey Mitchell took part in his first NHL fight, winning the kudos of his teammates.

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

Central

• Only a week removed from blowing a four goal lead to the Wild, the Blackhawks almost repeated against the Blue Jackets.  Thanks to two powerplay goals from Jonathan Toews the team held on, defeating the Jackets 6-5.  Goalie Cristobal Huet took his anger out on his stick, smashing it before closing the door on Columbus.
• Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch points out that although the Blue Jackets broke free on the scoresheet, their tight defense also disappeared.
• It took 65 minutes and six shooters to decide the game in Dallas, but Steve Ott sealed the game on a controversial shootout goal.  Coach Mike Babcock, fuming over the incident, wonders why instant replay even exists as he did not see the puck cross the goal line. The team feels they were robbed.
• With the Predators receiving two nights off, John Glennon of the Tennessean takes a look at the turning points in their currently successful season.  Lots of “future factors” await the team going down the stretch.
• The Blues extend their winning streak to four in a row with three third period goals.  ”Certainly liked the result,” Blues coach Davis Payne said.  The coach holds a 4-1-2 record in his seven games behind the bench.

Northwest

• Steve McFarlane of The Calgary Sun beleives the Flames meager 54 percent winning percentage at home costs both the team points and the support of their loyal fanbase.  The team leaders starting with Jarome Iginla need to step up and lead this team into the playoffs.
• The Avalanche defeated their former rival Devils taking sole possession of first place.  In front of a sellout crowd goalie Craig Anderson made his best Patrick Roy impersonation, calming his young team down and carrying them to victory.  ”There’s no question that he’s a calming influence back there,” said coach Joe Sacco.  ”He has been all year. He’s been outstanding for us all season. There is that factor that, knowing if you do make a mistake, knowing you have Andy back there, it makes it more comforting for the players and for the coaches.”
• A predictable victory by the Sharks over the Oilers.  ”We weren’t exactly on fire when we had everybody healthy, so it really hasn’t changed much,” said Oilers captain Ethan Moreau.
• The Wild attempted to emulate their four goal comeback against the Hawks before falling short 6-4 to the Coyotes. Despite a hat trick from Guillaume Latendresse, the team took very little from their loss.  ”What happened against Chicago won’t happen every night,” Latendresse said.
• Jason Botchford of The Province goes over the Canucks 6-2 pounding of John Curry and the Penguins.

Pacific

• Coach Randy Carlyle officially lost his entire second line from opening night with the latest injuries to Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu.  ”It’s important for the will to be as important as just skill,” Carlyle said.  Better hope Matt Beleskey and Petteri Nokelainen can will the team to victory playing on a scoring line.
• The Stars broke a three game losing streak with their controversial victory over the Wings.  ”It’s a huge momentum boost for us,” coach Marc Crawford said. “It would have been a huge momentum boost if we had beat the St. Mary’s School for the Blessed, Blind, Deaf and Dumb, but we beat the Detroit Red Wings.”
• The Kings rallied to tie last night’s game and eventually won it in shootout.  “We were OK tonight,” said Drew Doughty. “We weren’t good, and obviously we need to be a lot better than that if we want to be winning all our games. We deserved the two points, we came back and won, but they outplayed us, I thought, for most of the game.”  The Kings almost at full strength barely defeated a bruised and beaten Bruins team.
• The Coyotes let out a sigh of relief, holding on to their lead and defeating the Wild.  ”We’re trying to entertain the fans,” coach Dave Tippett said. “That’s why we’re taking all these penalties late, to keep people in the building – good for the fans, bad for the coach.”  Pretty chipper mood for almost blowing a four goal lead.
• Rookie Benn Ferriero received another chance with the big club Saturday night.  The youngster shocked Sharks officials, earning a spot out of camp and playing in 22 of the team’s first 27 games.

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

With Atlanta playing their 20th game last night, the first quarter of the 2009-2010 season is officially over.  Seeing as this is a milestone within the season we thought it would be a good idea to discuss the trends emerging around the NHL.

The article’s intent is to show who would win the NHL awards if the season finished today.  Of course these players will most likely NOT win the awards, NHLHS just likes having fun with small sample sizes and hot streaks.

Whether it be injury or inability there are plenty of surprises when compared to preseason predictions.  Teams such as the Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings and the Buffalo Sabres find themselves at the top of the standings, surprising most pundits.

We will outline the NHL trophies and why we think these players as of right now are deserving of them.  In addition, we will include the projected nominees so you can see our train of thought.  We hope you enjoy this mini-series which should continue throughout the NHL season.

Click the link below to see our award winners and tell us what you think in the comments section!

Here are the 2009-2010 NHL Award Winners:

Hart Trophy – awarded to the player judged best in the League.

The nominees are…

1. G – Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres
2. C – Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
3. C – Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks

When looking at the Standings it is clear that the players chosen play a pivotal part in their team’s success.

Miller vaulted himself into elite status with his work this season.  Almost impossible to keep up this pace, the 29-year-old only lost three games in regulation.  His 1.97 GAA ranks first amongst his peers and his .931 SV% second to only Antero Niittymaki.  Even more impressive with star players Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek struggling at times the Sabres still find themselves at the top of their Division.

Similar to Miller, Kopitar thrived from the influx of veteran forwards on his line.  Lining up with Justin Williams and Ryan Smyth the 22-year-old leads the NHL in points putting the Kings tied for fourth in the Conference.  Time will tell if the Yugoslavian native can keep up his pace but for now he is a legitimate MVP candidate.

Former winner Joe Thornton rounds out the list.  Teaming with Dany Heatley and more recently Patrick Marleau would boost anyones statistics, but Big Joe is right in the middle of things.  Trailing only Kopitar in points, the former first overall pick should keep the scoring lead tight.

Miller, see above.

NHLHS Pick: Ryan Miller

The supporting cast on the Sabres simply does not match up with the Sharks or even the Kings.  Miller is the antithesis of a MVP, a player that would be irreplaceable to his team.

Vezina Trophy – awarded to the top goalie in the League.

The nominees are…

1. Ilya Bryzgalov, Phoenix Coyotes
2. Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks
3. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres

Bryzgalov plays a huge part in his teams turnaround.  Boasting a 12-6-1 record with three shutouts, the Russian is amongst the league leaders with a 2.04 GAA and .922 SV% in his 19 games.  The quick turnaround in Phoenix could falter throughout the year removing the former Duck from contention, however for now he is right in the mix.

Nabokov makes a strong case for the trophy with his impressive work.  He has been an absolute workhorse for his new coach starting all but three games.  Often working in back-to-back appearances the 34-year-old leads the league in wins at the quarter mark with 14.

NHLHS Pick:  Ryan Miller

Miller’s GAA and SV% give him a slight edge on his peers. His accolades are documented above, only time will tell if he can keep up this pace but as of now he is the NHL MVP and a shoe-in for the Vezina.

Norris Trophy – awarded to the top defenseman in the League.

The nominees are…

1. Mike Green, Washington Capitals
2. Chris Pronger, Philadelphia Flyers
3. Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks

Green follows his 30 goal season with only 3 so far.  Despite this drop in production he still finds himself the league leader in defensive scoring.  Playing on the powerplay with Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom would keep anyone’s point totals up but Green is just as dangerous of a threat.  He has solidified himself as a Norris candidate for years to come with his lethal shot from the point and excellent offensive instincts.

The Flyers get what they paid for in Pronger.  In what most predicted would be a match made in heaven, the well-known physical defenseman is likely to clear the crease by any means possible.  The veteran is on pace for 72 points a career-high.  More importantly he has solidified an already impressive defensive core bringing Matt Carle back to respectability.  His role as a bonafide number one allowed Philly to create the best second pairing in hockey with Kimmo Timmonen and Braydon Coburn making his case even stronger.

Boyle is another worthy candidate continuing his dominance with San Jose.  An excellent veteran presence on the ice and off, the former Stanley Cup winner is one pace for career highs.  If he can keep up this pace and the Sharks maintain their place in the Standings he makes a legitimate case for a Norris.

NHLHS Pick:  Chris Pronger

The difference he has made for the Philly blue-line is simply incredible.  Green’s defensive lapses keep him a notch below while Boyle’s supporting cast is too strong to single him out.

Calder Trophy – given to the rookie judged top in the League.

The nominees are…

1. C – John Tavares, New York Islanders
2. LW – James van Riemsdyk, Philadelphia Flyers
3. C – Ryan O’Reilly, Colorado Avalanche

The lead candidate coming into the year, the first overall pick has not disappointed.  With 19 points in 23 games, the 19-year-old is on pace for 68 points an impressive total for any rookie.  Playing first line minutes for one of the worst teams in the NHL he should have plenty of opportunities to improve at the major league level.

JVR started the season off slowly but actually has a higher point-per-game ratio than Tavares.  The former 2nd overall pick took advantage of the injury to Simon Gagne and could eventually render him replaceable.  Playing large minutes on the left side should continue his torrid pace.

File O’Reilly in the suprise folder, as nobody expected the kid to make the team let alone play responsible and productive minutes.  The 33rd overall pick in this past draft has 15 points in his first 23 games putting him on pace for a respectable 50 point pace.  The younger O’Reilly brother figures to be a cornerstone on a newer, younger Avalanche team led by coach Joe Sacco.

NHLHS Pick: John Tavares

I give it to Tavares by a hair.  He produces more offense on his own unlike van Riemsdyk playing with elite centers.  Regardless, both players figure to be excellent for years to come.

Lady Byng Trophy – Given to the Leagues most gentlemanly player.

The nominees are…

1. C – Brad Richards, Dallas Stars
2. RW – Patrick Sharp, Chicago Blackhawks
3. C – Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

All three players are knotted at a whopping 2 PIMs the lone indicator I will be using are their average TOI.

NHLHS Pick: Pavel Datsyuk

Datsyuk edges Richards by 12 seconds a night.  No stranger to the Byng, Datsyuk continues to be an excellent defensive player with remarkable discipline.

Frank Selke Trophy – awarded to the top defensive forward.

The nominees are…

1. LW – Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils
2. LW – Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
3. LW – Dustin Penner, Edmonton Oilers

Parise leads the league in plus minus with 15 through the quarter mark.  Assuming an even bigger role on a successful Devils team the first-line left wing ranks tied for fifth in the league in points.  Not only is he a legitimate threat every time he steps on the ice he averages over 20 minutes of ice-time providing valuable minutes for his team.  He is a qualified candidate for the Selke at this point in the year and injury withstanding at the end of the year.

Interesting that Ovy would be in this category opposed to Hart Trophy consideration but his current injury has held him out of the scoring race.  Still the talented Russian ranks ninth in points and third in the league with a plus 10.  Not known for his defensive prowess, I feel it is an incredibly underrated part of his game and would not be surprised if he ever walked away with this award.

Penner has been an absolute monster this year.  Putting up 19 points in his first 14 games, the offer sheet signee vaulted himself into Selke contention.  Although not as solid a defender as his nominees his early season merits deserve some mention.

NHLHS Pick:  Zach Parise

Jack Adams Award – presented to the League’s best coach.

The nominees are…

1. Dave Tippett, Buffalo Sabres
2. Todd McLellan, San Jose Sharks
3. Joe Sacco, Colorado Avalanche

Tippett really transformed a mediocre Coyotes team into what seems a legitimate contender.  Coming in for Wayne Gretzky in the preseason, the former Stars coach is making something out of nothing.  Sending down several top prospects to the AHL puts this team on a long-term plan, something they haven’t had in years.  When combining the shrewd moves of GM Don Maloney with the focused system of Tippett the Coyotes are much better than the past few years.

It came as a bit of a surprise when Red Wings assistant coach Todd McLellan was announced head coach of the Sharks.  Quickly implementing his system, the former Islander draft pick is enjoying a successful first year.  He has a talented team so the Sharks appearance on top of the Standings is not a surprise.  Will McLellan be the coach to finally lead this team deep into the playoffs?

Sacco is clearly the biggest surprise of the bunch.  Completely written off to start the season the Avalanche sit at the top of their Division as of this writing.  Regardless if they are the team most likely to drop out of the race, their efforts should be rewarded.  Nobody saw this team anywhere near contending giving Sacco well deserving mention in this column.

NHLHS Pick:  Dave Tippett

What he has done for the team on such short notice is simply amazing.  The Avalanche are fading after their fast start while the Sharks are expected to be in contention for the President’s Trophy.

Finally the awards decided by the numbers…

Presidents’ Trophy – San Jose Sharks
Art Ross Trophy – C – Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
Maurice Richard Trophy – LW – Dany Heatley, San Jose Sharks
William J. Jennings Trophy – Antero Niittymaki, Tampa Bay Lightning

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-Alexander Monaghan
NHLHS Founder
thehotstove@gmail.com