The Atlanta Thrashers might’ve already made a few moves before the trade deadline, but don’t expect the team to sit back at watch as February 28th rolls on. Currently four points outside of a playoff position, the Thrashers have won just three times in regulation since January 1st, and six times overall. Currently stuck in a 1-7-2 stretch out of their last ten games, Atlanta needs help. Serious help. The question is, can they get it?

General manager Rick Dudley traded Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik in exchange for Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart on Friday, shocking Thrashers fans. It had been long known that the Bruins needed to dump some salary to make room for acquiring Tomas Kaberle from the Toronto Maple Leafs; that the Thrashers would be the team that they would choose for that salary dump was unexpected.

Dudley traded away Peverley, a waiver wire acquisition in January of 2009, who was a player that had become beloved by the fan base as the feel-good story of the franchise. Unfortunately, that feel good story was having an atrocious defensive year, sitting at a -16 on the day of the trade despite having 14 goals and 20 assists to his name. It was frustrating, and Dudley felt that he wasn’t a big enough body at forward. Peverley was, however, the Thrashers’ face-off man, taking 1020 faceoffs and winning 55.5% of those.

With the acquisition of Wheeler for Peverley, and with forward Jim Slater still out with a concussion, that leaves a huge hole for the Thrashers as far as face-offs are concerned. Factor in the fact that Slater was part of the once-successful, now dreadful, penalty kill, and you’re looking at the Thrashers needing a defensive minded forward who is a great penalty killer. It’s never any fun when your team trades for someone like that, but you have to look at necessities, and that is a big one.

Someone like that isn’t going to come cheap to a team, considering that the team doing the trading probably considers that guy a necessity. Bringing in Stuart makes a defenseman expendable. As it stands, the Thrashers could ice either Stuart, Johnny Oduya, or Brent Sopel on their third pairing, and that’s not taking into consideration Freddy Meyer, who is out with an upper body injury. Sopel would make a fine rental for a team in need of some grit and blocking of shots, though losing his shot blocking ability is something the Thrashers cannot afford at the moment.

Scoring up front would be fantastic, as the team’s “balanced scoring” has gone to the wayside with mounting injuries. Realistically, when your penalty kill drops from top ten caliber to last in the league, you need to do something about that first. The Thrashers should acquire a solid penalty killing center, a la former Thrasher Marty Reasoner, and they might benefit from a more defensively minded defenseman who is a great PK man – like Reasoner’s current teammate, Mike Weaver.

It is not everyday that a player with as much offensive talent as Ilya Kovalchuk hits the open market, free to be pursued by 30 NHL teams for a shot to have him play in their city.

Unfortunately, it is slowly becoming Mats Sundin v2.0.

Let’s take a walk through time:

The trade deadline was looming and the Atlanta Thrashers had a very difficult decision to make.  Throw the farm at face of the franchise Ilya Kovalchuk in hopes of him agreeing to sign a life long deal to stay with the team, or acquire the best possible package to help the team in moving forward.

Then GM Don Waddell attempted the former and settled for the latter.

Ilya Kovalchuk, after turning down an absurd amount of money thrown at him by the organization who drafted him, was shipped to New Jersey to help them in their quest for another Stanley Cup.

Unfortunately for the Devils, that quest was over before it started.  However, what they did not expect was further drama from the acquisition. Feeling as though they were an organization strong enough to capture another Cup within the time window known as Martin Brodeur, Lou Lamiorello figured it would be easy to keep the superstar in Newark, NJ.

But wait.

At that time, wasn’t it all but confirmed that once the season came to an end Kovalchuk would be packing his bags and taking his family to the lovely left coast of this fine continent known as North America?  No, not Calgary, Colorado or Vancouver, not San Jose or Anaheim, but Los Angeles?

It was assumed that Dean Lombardi did not want to throw away pieces to his future for a quick fix and that it would be easier to instead, throw a boat load of money in said players direction.

As of today, Kovalchuk remains unsigned to any team, whether that be within the NHL, KHL, or some unthinkable league on a different planet.

For Don Waddell, who has since been replaced as the GM in Atlanta by Rick Dudley, the return was glorious for in theory, Ilya Kovalchuk helped the Thrashers acquire Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, Akim Aliu, Andrew Laad, Ben Eager and Brent Sopel.

And since we are in the free agent frenzy part of the season, the Thrashers have seen two contributors from last season depart in Maxim Afinogenov and Pavel Kubina.

To be quite honest, this writer would take the entire package of players over the two that have walked; leaving Kovalchuk out of this altogether.

So where do we stand?

It’s been a seesaw week within the NHL as reporters, agents, players and fans have all been engulfed in the Kovalchuk drama.  Many GMs who have potential trades or other free agent signings in mind are waiting for the dominoes to fall prior to finalizing anything that is currently pending.

Now, what has been a reason of displeasure is that fact that Kovalchuk stated when the time arrived he would want to play for a potential Stanley Cup contending organization.

Well, if that was the truth why have we been left in the dark?  Why is it taking so long for Kovalchuk to put pen to paper and officially announce his future plans.

So now that we have played catch-up, let’s move into the beginning of this week.

Rumors have circulated like wild fire on destinations that include the Atlanta Thrashers, the New Jersey Devils, the Los Angeles Kings, the New York Islanders and even the New York Rangers as well as Russia’s KHL.

The best was the “report” of Islanders GM offering a 10 year $10 million deal to Kovalchuk, which has since been deemed false. Unfortunately for the Islanders, for a player of this caliber would have truly turned the franchise in a different direction, likely erasing most of the turmoil surrounding them.

Do you feel as if your eyes are playing tricks on you?

On Monday, Kovalchuk’s agent, Jay Grossman, tweeted that a decision could be made by the end of the day. As of today, after the Kings had supposedly backed out, there has been no decision and Dean Lombardi has gone public to state that the Kings were back in the thick of it.

This has turned into the saga of a superstar that is not needed with all the other turmoil surrounding the NHL.

Here is hoping that, no matter where he winds up, there is pen to paper before this week is up. And for what it’s worth, I truly hope Mr. Grossman has been able to sleep properly because with all that has gone on, his phone has to be ringing off the hook day and night.

Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS New York Islanders Correspondent/NHL Writer
acuratolo@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @HockeyGuy_AC

In the nine years of Atlanta’s existence, only once did the team qualify for a playoff spot. This year, they look to make it for the second time.

Currently, the Atlanta Thrashers sit two points out of eighth place, with four games remaining. However, only two points separate the Thrashers from ninth place and sixth place.

A quick note to begin: Chris Chelios is the oldest on the Thrashers, at age 48. However, when the rankings of the team averages were calculated, Chelios was not a member of the Thrashers.

With the departure of Ilya Kovalchuk, the offensive lines took a brutal hit. The trade caused many players to take on a new role, somewhat unfamiliar to them.

Vyacheslav Kozlov, the second oldest on the team at 37 years old, appears somewhat significant on the Thrashers’ roster. He contributes minimally, providing just eight goals and total of 25 points. However, on a team that suddenly lacks a powerful sniper like Kovalchuk, any added offense is helpful.

Although some contributions come from fourth liners, Nik Antropov (30 years) ranks first on the team in points.

With 66 points, Antropov sits behind only Rich Peverley in game-winning goals.* Regardless, Antropov missed only four games this season, and largely helped the Thrashers to compete for a playoff spot.

Another 30-year old making an impact offensively is Maxim Afinogenov. One of only three players to play every game this year (on the Thrashers), Afinogenov’s impact comes in right behind Antropov.

Injuries did not plague Afinogenov’s season this year, and the lack of injuries helped Afinogenov to have a career year.

In fact, the Russian could set a new career-high in goals with just one more goal in the remaining four regular season games.

Although he ranks third in total points, Peverley easily wins the biggest impact award (sans Kovalchuk). He ran away with the game-winning goals lead (seven goals). Actually,  Kovalchuk only scored three game-winning goals with Atlanta this year.

Neverthless, Peverley’s offense soared this year. He set career highs in every category, but with the departure of Kovalchuk, Peverley opened up (a little). He registered four goals and eight assists in the 23 games since Kovalchuk left.

Next season, Peverley could prove dangerous up front for the Thrashers. Peverley would test the free agency market this summer, but the Thrashers resigned him for two years.

Defenseman, Tobias Enstrom (25 years) comes in at fourth in points. Enstrom largely contributes with assists (as do many defensemen), but his offensive side of the puck developed this year.

He suddenly could help out more on the end of the ice that was an unfamiliar area to him.

Somewhat similarly, Zach Bogosian, helps out on the offense too. Though Bogosian seen more as an offensive defenseman, he did learn more as a sophomore.

Conversely, Pavel Kubina ranks behind Enstrom in efficency offensively this year, but Kubina finally found a niche. Unable to succeed in Toronto, Kubina came to Atlanta for a new start. He earned his playing time, but on a team that is minus 16 (goals scored minus goals allowed) his even rating appears fairly decent.

There are players that have better plus/minus ratings than Kubina, but only Johnny Oduya has a significantly better plus/minus rating back on defense.

With the Thrashers, Oduya registered a plus nine rating. His contributions remain small, but at the start of next year, Oduya may see regular ice time and an increase in confidence.

Finally, the youngest player on the team, Evander Kane, had a great season until he fractured his left foot. He scored 14 goals and only 11 assists in 62 games, but with the confusion and chaos this team went through, those statistics are remarkable.

When it comes to goaltending, Johan Hedberg and Ondrej Pavelec shared most of the games this year. Hedberg played in 44 games, registering 20 wins, 15 loss, and seven losses in extra-time. Meanwhile, Pavelec won 14, lost 17 in regulation and seven in extra-time.

The older of the two, Hedberg, may relinquish many games next year to Pavelec. Though, the Thrashers could refuse to resign the 36-year old Hedberg.

Pavelec may benefit next year with more games under his belt. The more experience and practice, the better he will become. At only 22 years old, Pavelec needs to carry the Thrashers next year.

Though injuries did significantly hurt the Thrashers this year, they remain in the playoff race as of right now.

Unfortunately, their remaining four games will prove difficult. Their three opponents already clinched playoff spots and will look to transition into the playoff intensity level soon.

The Thrashers need to look to players like Enstrom, Oduya, Kubina, Afinegenov, Peverley, and Antropov to push the team into the post-season.

In Atlanta, the age group that supports the team the most is the 25 to 32 year olds. The young guys are still need to develop and learn how to succeed in the NHL. Regardless, the veterans need to get the team into the playoffs.

*Niclas Bergfors ranks second with six game-winning goals, but only two occurred with Atlanta.

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

Heading into the weekend, the Philadelphia Flyers had to feel pretty good about things.  They had just beaten the Dallas Stars 3-2 Thursday night and held their destiny in their own hands.  They had tied the Ottawa Senators for fifth place and had a game in hand on both Ottawa and the Montreal Canadiens, the team that had been nipping at their heels.

But after being swept in a home-and-home series with the Atlanta Thrashers, things are looking a bit more complicated for the Orange and Black.

On Saturday night in Atlanta, the Thrashers jumped to 2-0 and 3-1 leads, but each time the Flyers answered with a goal to cut the lead to one.  But when Atlanta went up 4-2, they would not allow Philly to get any closer as they beat the Flyers 5-2 behind goaltender Johan Hedberg.  Colby Armstrong, a player that Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren reportedly inquired about at the NHL trade deadline with Thrashers’ GM Don Waddell, scored 2 goals for Atlanta in the victory.  The players that the Thrashers’ acquired in the Ilya Kovalchuk deal, Niclas Bergfors (goal and an assist) and defenseman Johnny Oduya (+1 and 7 blocked shots) were also big for Atlanta.

This made Sunday night’s game in Philadelphia a big one for both teams.  Tonight’s tilt with the Thrashers was the game in hand that the Flyers had on Montreal, so coming up with the two points, or even one, would be crucial.  Philly had to feel fairly confident, since they had won 6 of their last 7 home games heading into Sunday.

Once again it was Atlanta grabbing a 2-0 lead.  Defenseman Ron Hainsey scored on a slapshot just two minutes in, and Todd White wristed a shot through Philadelphia starting goaltender Brian Boucher from the left circle midway through the first frame.

Despite outshooting the Thrashers 35-21 after two periods, the Flyers found themselves still trailing 2-0.  Starting goaltender Ondrej Pavelec was spectacular, but he had a bit of luck in the last 10 seconds of the second period.  Philly defenseman Braydon Coburn blasted a slapshot that beat Pavelec, but hit squarely off of the right post and bounced back into the crease.  With a mad scramble and Pavelec lying flat on his back, Jeff Carter’s whack at the puck was going into the net, only to hit Flyer forward Danny Briere’s skate and slide back under Pavelec’s arm for the stoppage of play.

The third period was much of the same, but Mike Richards was finally able to get Philly on the board midway through the stanza.  Defenseman Matt Carle carried the puck down the right wing boards and as he went behind the net, feathered a perfect pass to Richards at the right side of the net, who beat Pavelec high to the glove side to draw the Orange and Black to within one at 2-1.  It was Philadelphia’s 40th shot on goal of the game, and the Flyers were now buzzing to get the game tied.

But any Flyer hopes were deflated with just over 3 minutes left in regulation.  Rich Peverley took a long feed from Hainsey and skating in on a 2-on-1 with Armstrong, wristed a shot from the top of the left circle through Boucher to put the game out of reach at 3-1.  It was the second weak goal of the night for Boucher, who now stands at 1-2-1 since being named Philadelphia’s starter when Michael Leighton went down with a high ankle sprain.

Pavelec finished the night with 44 saves and Hainsey had a goal and 2 assists.  Atlanta remains just 1 point behind the Boston Bruins for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and are now only 4 points behind Ottawa, Philadelphia and Montreal.

There are exactly three weeks left in the NHL season and the Flyers still can be in control of their own destiny.  They play the Senators in Ottawa on Tuesday night and Montreal on Good Friday.  Down the stretch Philly will also play the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and close the season with a home-and-home series against their hated arch-rival New York Rangers.

If the season were to end right now, the Flyers would open in Buffalo against the Sabres for the first round of the playoffs.  But if Philadelphia doesn’t get better goaltending performances and some more offensive support, they may not have to worry about what team they play in the first round at all.

Ugly Incident Goes Unpenalized

Not sure if anything will come out of this, but defenseman Chris Pronger was involved in a bit of an ugly incident with Atlanta winger Evgeny Artyukhin in the Sunday night game in Philadelphia.  The two went heavily into the boards and fell to the ice early in the third period behind the Flyers’ net.  Artyukhin got up and cross-checked Pronger, who was still down on the ice, across the head and onto the back of the net.  A referee was near the two as the play moved up ice and moved in to separate the combatants but didn’t make a call.

As play continued, the puck came back into the Flyers’ zone.  Pronger got the puck and noticed that Artyukhin was directly in front of him.  He wound up with a slapshot that glanced off of Artyukhin’s leg.  The two players again went after each other as the play was called for an offsides.  After a near melee, there were surprisingly no penalties called on either player.

No word yet from league officials if any disciplinary action will be taken against Pronger or Artyukhin.

My 3 Stars for Sunday:

#1 Ondrej Pavelec Thrashers – 44 saves, many spectacular.  Incredible performance.

#2 Ron Hainsey Thrashers – A goal, 2 assists, in on all three Atlanta goals.

#3 Rich Peverley Thrashers – A goal and assist, put the final nail in the Flyers’ coffin with insurance goal late in third.

David Strehle
NHLHS Flyers Correspondent / NHL Writer
dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @PhilaDAVEia

The title says it all.  This article will be no more than a comprehensive list of NHL (and some other players owned by NHL teams) players set to participate in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

For the sake of clarity we have sorted players by team.  Minor league players in red, injured players in blue.

Anaheim Ducks (8) – Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne, Saku Koivu, Jonas Hiller, Bobby Ryan, Luca Sbisa

Atlanta Thrashers (5) – Ilya Kovalchuk, Maxim Afinogenov, Ondrej Pavelec, Pavel Kubina, Tobias Enstrom

Boston Bruins (6) – Patrice Bergeron, Marco Sturm, Tim Thomas, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara, Miroslav Satan

Buffalo Sabres (4) – Toni Lydman, Ryan Miller, Henrik Tallinder, Andrej Sekera

Calgary Flames (3) – Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Olli Jokinen

Carolina Hurricanes (3) – Eric Staal, Joni Pitkanen, Tuomo Ruutu

Chicago Blackhawks (6) – Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky

Colorado Avalanche (3) – Paul Stastny, Peter Budaj, Ruslan Salei

Columbus Blue Jackets (6) – Rick Nash, Jan Hejda, Samuel Pahlsson, Fredrik Modin, Milan Jurcina, Fedor Tyutin

Dallas Stars (4) – Brenden Morrow, Jere Lehtinen, Loui Eriksson, Karlis Skrastins

Detroit Red Wings (7) – Valtteri Filppula, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall, Nicklas Lidstrom,  Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom

Edmonton Oilers (2) - Lubomir Visnovsky, Denis Grebeshkov

Florida Panthers (2) -  Dennis Seidenberg, Tomas Vokoun

Los Angeles Kings (5) – Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Jon Quick, Dustin Brown, Michal Handzus

Minnesota Wild (5) – Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, Marek Zidlicky, Martin Havlat

Montreal Canadiens (6) – Tomas Plekanec, Yannick Weber, Jaroslav Halak, Andrei Markov, Sergei Kostitsyn, Andrei Kostitsyn

Nashville Predators (6) – Alexander Sulzer, Shea Weber, Marcel Goc, Ryan Suter, Martin Erat, Patric Hornqvist

New Jersey Devils (6) – Martin Brodeur, Paul Martin, Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner, Patrik Elias, Johnny Oduya

New York Islanders (1) – Mark Streit

New York Rangers (5) – Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Henrik Lundqvist, Andres Ambuhl, Marian Gaborik

Philadelphia Flyers (5) – Chris Pronger, Mike Richards, Kimmo Timonen, Oskars Bartulis, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen

Pittsburgh Penguins (5) – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc Andre Fleury, Sergei Gonchar, Brooks Orpik

Phoenix Coyotes (3) – Sami Lepisto, Zbynek Michalek, Ilya Bryzgalov

Ottawa Senators (6) – Jarkko Ruutu, Filip Kuba, Milan Michalek, Daniel Alfredsson, Kaspars Daugavins, Anton Volchenkov

San Jose Sharks (8) – Dan Boyle, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, Douglas Murray, Thomas Greiss, Joe Pavelski, Evgeni Nabokov

St. Louis Blues (3) – Eric Johnson, David Backes, Roman Polak

Tampa Bay Lightning (5) – Antero Niittymaki, Ryan Malone, Mattias Ohlund, Martins Karsums, Andrej Meszaros

Toronto Maple Leafs (6) – Jonas Gustavsson, Mikhail Grabovski, Phil Kessel, Tomas Kaberle, Mike Komisarek, Niklas Hagman

Vancouver Canucks (7) -  Roberto Luongo, Sami Salo, Christian Ehrhoff, Pavol Demitra, Ryan Kesler, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin

Washington Capitals (4) Tomas Fleischmann, Nicklas Backstrom, Semyon Varlamov, Alexander Ovechkin

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

Some players around the League find themselves at a career crossroad.  A crossroad with tough decisions to make regarding ongoing speculation of their final season.  Speculation whether to stay on a sinking ship and finish at the bottom of the sea or leaving one’s comfort zone in an attempt to stay on top.  Certainly no easy decision for any player

While Scott Niedermayer ponders his future in hockey he continues another solid year in his famed career.  The same cannot be said for the Anaheim Ducks, who sit 13th in the Western Conference despite coming off a come from behind victory against the Colorado Avalanche.  The team finds themselves as of this writing a mere five points behind the eighth seed.

The asking price for the captain should be reasonable, as he would strictly be a playoff rental.  However, GM Brian Murray can  acquire a potential piece or pieces to build for a brighter future in sunny Anaheim.

A quick look around the league shows there are a few teams in need of Niedermayer’s services. At 37, he still is one of the best defensemen in the game and a huge piece for a few teams looking for that extra push into serious cup contention.

Lets take a closer look at which teams could trade for Niedermayer in order to bring home Lord Stanley’s Cup.  Even though he already carries four Stanley Cup rings to his credit, every player in this league starts the season with one goal in mind.

That goal will not happen in Anaheim, however there are teams with the ability to give Scotty one last crack at putting his name on the cup for the fifth time.

Here are our list of possible suitors:

Washington Capitals – The Caps possess quite the offensive threat when looking at the roster.  Outside of Alexander Ovechkin, names like Alexander Semin, Mike Knuble, Tomas Fleischmann, Niklas Backstrom and Mike Green make the team very scary to play against.  On the other hand,  when looking at the blue line, fear certainly is not the word I would use.  When Tom Poti slots into your shut down pairing, the defense can be labeled questionable at best.

Similarly, with the knowledge of Niedermayer not returning, the veteran could be acquired without requiring a hefty price tag.  A clever GM George McPhee should package a suitable enough offer to bring Scott to Washington.  Looking at the aforementioned names with Niedermayer added into the mix will strike fear in the rest of the Eastern Conference.

New Jersey Devils – Chris Daughtry said it best in his song home, “I’m going home, to the place where I belong, where your love has always been enough for me.”  Uncle Lou knows he has a team capable of topping the Eastern Conference. Martin Brodeur can carry the workload on his own, but down the stretch there is a certain comfort level teams will be looking to get to.

With brother Rob Niedermayer already signed with the Devils would Scott move to once again play with him?  Rob convinced his brother in the past to sign with Anaheim. Although Paul Martin, Andy Greene, Johnny Oduya and Bryce Salvador provide serviceable defense for the Devils back end, this writer does not foresee a problem with roles.  By adding the veteran and leader into the mix the outcome appears SCARY.  The Devils have the pieces and Lou Lamoriello knows how to make the magic happen. Do not be surprised if Scott comes back home, where he belongs.

Los Angeles Kings – Although a massive stretch considering their division rivalry, stranger things have happened.  Veterans Matt Greene, Rob Scuderi and Sean O’Donnell currently provide a veteran presence amont a very solid blue line.  The Kings find amazing chemistry up and down the line up as the team plays as a whole.

Knowing that the Ducks will not play Niedermayer six times next season, GM Dean Lombardi possesses the pieces to acquire the veteran’s services.  An instant upgrade over most of the names considered this trade would turn the team into an instant contender. How does the saying go? Oh that’s right, ‘If Wayne Gretzky could be traded anything is possible.’

Chicago Blackhawks – The young nucleus of Chicago ranks up there with the Pittsburgh Penguins due to some great drafting following a few bad seasons.  These bad seasons proved invaluable for the young, growing team.

Last year’s learning experience in the playoffs helped the Hawks turn this season into one where they are being taken as a serious cup contender. Sure there are the question marks surrounding the goaltending but to this point the two netminders held the fort allowing the fewest goals in the league to date.  With a plethora of young, talented blue liners, Niedermayer should enhance this great team.  Still due to cap restrictions, GM Stan Bowman could have trouble fitting Niedermayer under the cap making this acquisition more trouble than he is worth.

Philadelphia Flyers - The team in the middle of all the rumors.  GM Paul Holmgren assembled this Flyers roster to contend for the Cup, not a losing season.  Although there is plenty of turmoil surrounding the team the talent and skill can not be denied until they officially fall out of contention.   Until this team announces a rebuild, the team remains a strong candidate to improve via trade.

With former teammate Chris Pronger already on board, and signed for the rest of his career, this rumor could become reality for  Philadelphia.  If the team slips back into the playoff hunt, Holmgren will attempt bringing in Niedermayer to close out the season and make a run for the Cup.

However, the Flyers are another team with cap problems.

Moves could clear some cap in order to bring in another piece.  Once Ray Emery returns from injury, subsequently putting all goaltending rumors to rest, defense will be the biggest issue in Philadelphia.  This reporter would not be surprised at all if the Niedermayer to Philly rumors run wild in 2010.

At the end of December, there is a ton of hockey left to play with nothing set in stone.  Come February and the trade deadline, be prepared to see that every thing I have mentioned will have more of a solid backing.  This season marks the last for Niedermayer.

Does anyone really think he will not want to still be skating in April?  I beg to differ.

All a gamble, sure.

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Anthony Curatolo
NHLHS Contributor
achockeyguys@gmail.com