By Alexander Monaghan
President

The New York Rangers have won their past six games while tonight’s opponent and natural rival New York Islanders have lost their past three games. Nevertheless, if there is one team that the Isles could wake up against, it would be the Rangers.

This Ranger team is playing at a higher level, one that New York City has not seen in a number of seasons. While offseason acquisition Brad Richards has not been the team’s savior, his presence in the lineup actually has helped the club field three scoring lines. It seems like the pressure on him has helped almost every other player elevate their game to a higher level.

Tonight’s expected starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist has won his past four games. Backup Martin Biron has won three straight of his own. The power play is hot with a 20 percent efficiency rate over the past nine games. Ryan McDonagh is tied for seventh in the League with three goals himself. Four members of the top six — Ryan Callahan, Artem Anisimov, Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik — are all scoring at a point-per-game pace or more over their past couple of games. Even Dan Girardi looks like an All-Star candidate, helping the team forget about the loss of leader Marc Staal.

However, all of those accolades change against the Islanders, who are desperate for a win. In their last meeting, the Isles delivered a debilitating, 4-2 loss to the Rangers in a game where the team moved away from their game. The Isles have the reputation of going hard out of the gate which is a surge coach John Tortorella and company are going to need to prevent in order to win. From Ranger Rants:

“We’re going to play our game, that’s what we’re looking to try to do,” Tortorella said. “What’s happened here before or what you guys want to talk about, we’re going to continue to try to play our game.”

Clearly doesn’t sound like Tortorella is overly concerned in their early start but he does have their most recent loss in the back of his mind.

In the loss, John Tavares potted a hat trick can be broken down into two power play goals and an empty netter. Over this six game streak, the Rangers penalty kill is 93.3 percent which would be second in the League over a full season. If you exclude their first three games (which includes the loss to the Isles) the team holds an even healthier 90.2 percent kill rate.

On paper, these Rangers should dominate the Isles as they have outscored them by 13 goals, out-defended them by 12 goals and essentially outplayed them in every other counting stat. However, you simply cannot predict a rivalry game and a wildcard, young team like the Islanders.

The big problem with the club has been their top six. Head coach Jack Capuano will not disclose his lineup prior to tonight’s game but it is believed that red-hot, blue-chip prospect Nino Neiderreiter will draw back in tonight. The rookie skated with Tavares during the preseason to better results, so he may jumpstart a line that has previously dominated.

One thing is for sure, these Rangers will need to defeat the Islanders by continuing their current pace and not sitting back. If they chose the latter, then this current hot streak will be a distant memory.

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove NHL / Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent

For as long as many in the Philadelphia hockey community can remember, the Flyers have had a weak spot at arguably the most critical position in all of professional sports.

That one area of weakness is within the blue paint in the club’s goal crease, and more specifically, the player that occupies that spot.  Long ignored by the Orange-and-Black, the irony of it all is substantial.

Here was a team that had won two Stanley Cups in the mid-70′s on the back of one of the greatest goaltenders to ever play the game – Bernie Parent - and for the past two decades continually built a team with a devastating arsenal of forwards and a capable defense.  But they treated the crease as nothing more than an afterthought.

Another facet of the story that I could never get my mind around is the fact that the very architect of those Flyers’ clubs – Bob Clarke - was a teammate of Parent’s in the glory days of the franchise.  Clarke got to see firsthand exactly what an elite netminder could do for a team.

Unfortunately, the only goaltending that compared to that of Parent’s during Clarke’s tenure as GM was coming from the opposition side of the ice, in the form of Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy, among others.

In his time as GM, Clarke had two goalies with Cup-winning potential – Pelle Lindbergh and Ron Hextall - both of which were already Flyers’ property prior to the time Clarke took over the reigns.

With the likes of Tommy Soderstrom, Dominic Roussel, Hextall (second tour of duty), Garth Snow, Sean Burke, John Vanbiesbrouck, Brian Boucher (first tour of duty), Roman Cechmanek, Robert Esche, Jeff Hackett, Antero Niittymaki, Martin Biron, and Ray Emery, the past two decades have come and gone without a stellar number one.  And not so coincidentally, the Flyers went without a Stanley Cup during that time.

Clarke did try to rectify the Flyer goal with Burke and Vanbiesbrouck, but sadly both were past their prime and on the down sides of their respective careers by the time they came to the City of Brotherly Love.  Both experiments ended in failure.

Murmurs could be heard this past weekend from the main stream media questioning Philadelphia’s current playoff starter, Sergei Bobrovsky.  The 22-year-old rookie posted a sparkling 28-13-8 record, with a 2.59 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.

Many are concentrating on the fact that “Bob” finished with losses in his last four decisions (0-2-2), and was pulled in two of his last nine starts.

Photo Credit: Rhys Asplundh / Getty Images

While the March 22nd game against the Washington Capitals was a game Bobrovsky would like to have back, head coach Peter Laviolette is realistic about the goals that were allowed in the regular season finale against the Islanders.  “When you go back and look at some of those goals and break them down, you have a breakaway, a 5-on-3, a puck that scrambled through a bunch of players, and a guy left uncontested in front of the net,” Laviolette said after the game.

Bobrovsky, as well as backup Boucher and Leighton (one game) failed to post one shutout during the 2010-11 campaign – the first time that has occurred in a Philadelphia regular season since 1980-81.

As a result, one statistic that will be brought up ad nauseum during Philadelphia’s stay in the postseason is the fact that only two teams in NHL history have ever won a Stanley Cup after going an entire regular season without recording a single shutout – the 1981-82 New York Islanders and the 1986-87 Edmonton Oilers.

Bobrovsky admitted yesterday to the Toronto Sun that he was “nervous”, and author Mike Zeisberger got a running start with the comment.  The article was titled ”Bobrovsky unnerved already?”, saying that “Flyers’ fans hope the rookie goaltender is not the reincarnation of Roman Cechmanek.”

Bobrovsky’s interviews come complete with an interpreter, so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility to imagine that something could have gotten lost in translation.

Even if it didn’t, is it too much to ask a young goalie to not have butterflies entering his first playoff season in a new league in a foreign country?  Especially considering the result that the team had last year.

To say that there are the highest of expectations for Philadelphia over the next two months is an understatement.

Sometimes we expect professional athletes to be above feeling the normal range of everyday human emotion.

Those true fans of the Orange-and-Black had better get used to it, because the Toronto Sun article is bound to only be the beginning.

It’s critical that both Bobrovsky and the Flyers get a good start to this postseason, because the media has the microscope pointed directly at last year’s Cup runner-up – and specifically in the direction of the club’s blue paint.

Any type of loss that comes with a soft goal(s) will only fuel the doubting Thomases, as well as the call for the return to the Philly crease of the hero of last year’s Flyers season (Leighton).

There are already those in the Philadelphia area that are calling for Leighton to play.

Even though he has played just one NHL game all year – in December in a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings - Leighton did have a strong late-season run for the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms.

After Saturday’s season-closing game, Laviolette reiterated a familiar statement.  “I think that there’s a confidence and a belief in our team, in our goaltenders,” the coach said.  ”We’ve said that all year,” the coach said.

Make no mistake, Bobrovsky possesses that exact same confidence in his own game.  He has often carried the team on his back when their play has been subpar in front of him.

And hopefully that is what the media will see in plain view when they focus their microscope in on number 35 in the Flyers’ crease – a confident Bobrovsky.

_____________________________________________

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

After a tough home loss to stomach on Wednesday to Southeast Division rival Atlanta (more on that in a bit), it’s all about attitude in the dressing room of the Florida Panthers. And if the club has the mindset of now-hot winger Chris Higgins, the team should be fine tonight as it prepares for another divisional matchup, this time with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Higgins’s attitude? ”You’ve got to have a short memory in this league,” the New York native said after his key goal in a 3-0 win Sunday over the Rangers. Higgins walks-the-walk, too. His failed 3-on-1 break Friday against the Canadiens immediately transitioned into the game-winning goal. Higgins put that behind him and beat New York’s Martin Biron with a sweet toe-drag shot two night later, giving Florida a two-goal edge over the Rangers and paving the way to a nice home win.

Florida would be wise to take heed of the wise words of Higgins. For the third time this season, the Panthers were embroiled in controversy in the 3-2 loss against the Thrashers. With the team and crowd buzzing, Florida appeared to tie the game at 3-3 on Bryan McCabe’s shot from the left circle. The puck bounced off the right pad of Atlanta goalie Ondrej Pavelec and a few inches beyond the goal line, wedging into the net. Unfortunately for Florida, the officiating crew ignored the plea of Steve Bernier, who was positioned behind the net and saw the puck go in. Pavelec simply reached inside the goal and plucked out the puck while everyone anticipated a review – one that never came.

Here’s an excerpt of the email correspondence between the NHL’s Mike Murphy and Miami Herald beat writer George Richards, who covers the Panthers:

“We saw the play but we did not review it. The on-ice officials indicated ‘no goal,’ so we were not alerted to a possible review/possible goal. The video goal judge did not indicate any issue because the overhead camera did not show the puck in the net. We did not see the puck in the net until the very end of the stoppage of play. It was then that we wondered how it had got into the net. Was it put into the net after the whistle? We did not know.

“When we did see the puck in the net on the last replay we immediately contacted the video goal judge but play had already resumed and our window of opportunity to review the play was gone. As an aside, this play would have been a very difficult play to award a goal on because we never know when the puck goes in the net relative to the referee blowing his whistle.

“But we still should have reviewed the play. That was my error.”

As McCabe later said, why not review the play? The league takes time to review everything else. Is a possible game-tying goal between two divisional rivals not worthy of a couple of minutes of stoppage in play? The video proof showing the officials’ error was as damning as FIFA’s goal controversy due to a lack of technology in last year’s World Cup. But the NHL has the technology, it’s just reluctant to use or improve it.

If you’re keeping score at home – and Panthers fans certainly are – that’s three games this year when Florida could have potentially earned a total of six points but came away with nothing because of a controversial call that could or should have gone in Florida’s favor.

Against Edmonton on opening night, Shawn Horcoff – on one of the Oilers’ 13 shots on goal — booted in the game-winning goal. In Toronto in Florida’s seventh game, Colton Orr’s bum-rush of goaltender Scott Clemmensen led to another winning goal. Then you have Wednesday’s result, leaving Florida again on the outside and looking in on league calls in important games in tight situations – and 0-3 and pointless in those games.

For the Panthers (18-18-2), all of these games are important. Currently 11th in the Eastern Conference standings and playing seven of the next eight at home, Florida could have used those points. In the best-case scenario and the Panthers would have somehow won all three games (and that’s a big if), the Panthers would sit in ninth in the conference, just three points behind Montreal and with three games in hand. Getting four of those points would have them tied with Carolina for ninth.

And since we’re talking Hurricanes, Florida will have to bring a strong effort for the second time in five days again against them tonight (7:30 ET, FSN). Uncharacteristically, the Panthers won in Raleigh on Monday in the second game of a back-to-back, getting the winning tally in overtime from Bryan Allen, despite Florida being outplayed by Carolina in the third period and watching a two-goal lead vanish. It was an enormous road win in a rivalry where the visiting team rarely wins, yet both clubs have been victorious in the other’s barn this season. The Panthers will have to keep that in mind tonight and not take Carolina lightly, even with backup goalie Justin Peters playing for the Canes.

But that other stuff from Wednesday? You know, the inexcusable non-review on the McCabe shot? And those gut-wrenching defeats in Canada when the seeing-eyes in Toronto apparently saw nothing and needed seeing-eye dogs?

Time to move on, as Higgins would say.

Bill Whitehead
NHLHS Florida Panthers Credentialed Correspondent
Twitter: @BillWhiteheadFL
Email: BillWhiteheadFL@hotmail.com

Bill Whitehead
NHLHS Florida Panthers Credentialed Correspondent

SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers finally found a lead they were able to hold on to.

Tomas Vokoun stopped all 32 shots he faced and Florida scored a pair of goals in the third period in a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers in front of 16,752 at BankAtlantic Center on Sunday.

The Panthers (17-17-2) held leads against both Boston and Montreal earlier in the week, but lost after regulation. The Bruins beat Florida 3-2 in a shootout — the Panthers’ first loss this season in the extra session — and the Canadiens’ James Wisniewski had an overtime winner Friday in a 3-2 victory.

But with the Panthers leading 1-0 on a power-play goal by David Booth, winger Chris Higgins beat defenseman Michael Del Zotto to a loose puck at center ice that led to a 2-on-1 advantage. He then toe-dragged past the sliding Del Zotto and slipped a shot by backup goalie Martin Biron, who was making his first start since a 4-3 win over Phoenix on Dec. 16.

Higgins had a similar situation and made the same move Friday against Montreal in overtime but was unable to get off a shot, and Montreal immediately went back the other way for Wisniewski’s winner. This time, though, his sixth goal gave the Panthers a two-goal cushion they needed. Florida appeared to have its second score five minutes earlier, but Cory Stillman’s tally in the crease was waved off after it was ruled he kicked it in with his right foot.

“I didn’t really think about (the play against Montreal). In this game, you need to have as short a memory as you can,” said Higgins, who played in 55 games with the Rangers last year. “Everybody knew we needed another goal to feel more comfortable and make it easier on Vokie. He played a great game for us and deserves more of a lead than just one. It feels good to have it happen in a win, especially after losing and giving up the lead in the last two games.”

Florida’s Stephen Weiss later stole the puck from Brian Boyle inside the Panthers’ blue line with the Rangers’ goal empty and in a 6-on-4 advantage with 90 seconds left. Weiss then sent the puck 3/4 of the ice for the shorthanded tally, his 12th goal this year.

“It was a matter of keeping with it and just kept buzzing around the net,” Weiss said. “I thought (Higgins) was unbelievable tonight. He had great legs and was always around the net. It was a huge goal by him. It was massive. His play defensively was big and then to finish it off was huge for us. In a tight game like that, it’s always nice to get that second goal.”

Booth’s man-advantage goal in the second period was the team’s first in a span of 189 minutes, 22 seconds, with the previous one being Weiss’s against Buffalo on Dec. 23.

“We’ve been pushing up against .500 for a while,” said Florida coach Pete DeBoer. “The forwards bounced back after a bad outing (against Montreal). I don’t think anyone’s thinking about blowing leads. We didn’t do anything different than we did in the other two. We scored the second goal instead of giving up the tying goal.”

Vokoun was sharp in the third period with the Panthers up by just one. The Czech goalie stopped Brandon Dubinsky point-blank at 4:07 after he received a nifty pass from behind the net. Vokoun then fended off Brandon Prust on a short breakaway after a turnover a minute later by Bryan McCabe in his own end.

Vokoun recorded his fifth shutout and first since blanking Philadelphia on Dec. 20. He has stopped 77 of his last 80 shots in his last two starts.

NOTES: In his last two games, Florida G Tomas Vokoun has a .963 save percentage and 1.46 GAA…His four other shutouts were at Calgary (Oct. 14), vs. Tampa Bay (Oct. 16), at Washington (Dec. 9) and at Philadelphia (Dec. 20)…Last season, Vokoun was at his hottest in January, recording four shutouts…LW Chris Higgins has 98 goals in his career while Panthers coach Pete DeBoer has 90 career NHL wins…It was the second time this season the Panthers have recorded an even-strength goal, power-play goal and shorthanded goal in the same game, which was also accomplished in a 6-2 win over Buffalo on Dec. 17…In the previous meeting between the two teams on Nov. 26, the Rangers turned the trick, with Derek Stepan scoring even strength, Ryan Callahan a man up and Brandon Prust shorthanded in a 3-0 win…The Rangers dropped to 22-15-3 and return home to host Carolina on Wednesday.

Twitter: @BillWhiteheadFL
Email: BillWhiteheadFL@hotmail.com

The preseason is a time where rookies and young players look to solidify spots on the club and for veterans to get their timing back and get ready for another grind of a long NHL season. The Ranger lineup will be as follows:

Frolov | Stepan | Gaborik
Dubisnky | Christensen | Zuccarello
Fedotenko | Kennedy | Prust
Boogaard | Boyle | Weise

Staal | Girardi
Semenov | Rozsival
Sauer | McDonagh

Biron
Johnson

This game is a very good chance for Ranger fans to get their first live look at college standout Derek Stepan as he gets the first crack at centering the top unit that features wingers Alex Frolov and Marian Gaborik. It is also the NHL debut for speedy winger Mats Zuccarello, who led the SEL in scoring last year. Ryan McDonagh will also be making his preseason debut. The Wisconsin star defenseman is hopeful to crack the Rangers blueline this year. He has been a standout in the scrimmages thus far, so a strong preseason should give the young defenseman a spot on opening night.

Other players that need a strong preseason to make the club include centers Tim Kennedy and Brian Boyle and left winger Ruslan Fedotenko. Tryout defenseman Alexei Semenov will also suit up for the preseason opener in hopes of landing one of the 7 spots pm the blueline for the 2010-2011 season.

Starting in net for the Rangers will be Martin Biron, with Chad Johnson relieving him. John Tortorella wants to give Biron a taste of MSG early in the preseason so that the veteran backup will be comfortable playing at MSG once the games count for real.

After falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout on the final day of the regular season the Rangers missed the playoffs by a single point for the first time since the 2003-04 season. As expected with the Rangers cap woes it has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Blueshirts.

GM Glen Sather has made several solid moves to help re-vamp the Blueshirts in hopes they can challenge for a playoff spot next season. Just minutes after noon on July 1, the Rangers agreed to terms with backup goaltender Martin Biron, formerly of the New York Islanders, to a 2 year deal worth 1.75 million. The Rangers also inked fighter extraordinaire Derek Boogaard to an extremely questionable deal of 4 years and 6.5 million. The Rangers then signed free agent left winger Alexander Frolov formerly of the Los Angeles Kings, who was widely regarded as the second best winger on the market behind Ilya Kovalchuk.

In addition to those three signings Sather also re-signed pending UFA Vinny Prospal to a 1 year deal worth 1.1 million with another 1 million in performance bonuses, which was allowable to him being that he is over 35 years of age. The team also brought back Erik Christensen (2 years, 1.95 million), Brandon Prust ( 2 years, 1.6 million), Dan Girardi (4 years, 13.3 million) leaving only RFA defenseman Marc Staal left to be signed by the New York Rangers. The Rangers have also signed highly touted winger Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, formerly of Modo of the Swedish Elite League.

In other moves, the Rangers shipped Aaron Voros and Ryan Hillier to the Anaheim Ducks for veteran defenseman Steve Eminger. Glen Sather also successfully convinced Wisconsin standouts Derek Stepan (center) and Ryan McDonagh (defenseman) to step away from their college careers in order to turn pro in hopes of making the team out of training camp in the fall.

The question on every Rangers fans mind has been what will happen to Wade Redden come September, where he can be waived and demoted to Hartford of the AHL where his 6.5 million cap hit will be removed. At this point it looks like that is highly likely as the team only has 1.4 million in cap space left and RFA defenseman Marc Staal still to sign. In addition, the team can use another veteran defenseman who will sign at a cheaper rate than Redden’s massive contract.

For the remainder of the offseason, the Rangers goals are to sign Marc Staal to a 5-6 year contract worth approximately 4 million per season, sign a veteran defenseman and try and acquire a top 2 center (Brad Richards has long been a rumored target).

As the offseason concludes and the Rangers continue to tweak their roster check in for all the updates and analysis. I will also provide the line-up that I would like to see on opening night in the near future.

Jason Arbeitman
NHLHS New York Rangers Correspondent
jarbeitman@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @NYfan1610

A fabricated car accident report can go a long way to finding out information.

For the fans of the New York Islanders know this, Rick DiPietro is prepared to give Dwayne Roloson a run for the number one job on Long Island.

What? He’s too fragile and not prepared to play again?  Really?  I guess that’s why the team decided that Martin Biron and his services would no longer be required.

Nathan Lawson is the reason Biron was allowed to walk.

Wait, what?

Lawson is a fantastic goaltender at the AHL level, but Garth Snow, via Dee Karl of Hockeybuzz, is confident that Ricky will be ready to go come season time.

Is there a possibility that Lawson would be able to handle the back-up role? Absolutely.  However, that doesn’t do much for DiPietro and his attempts at a full comeback and finally becoming the number one goaltender we all grew to love at one point in time.

Now, this is not me telling the masses that DiPietro is 100% ready to go.  In the interview with Islanders  7thWoman, Garth stated:

With the expected return of Rick DiPietro, I still wondered if the Islanders were looking to free agency for another insurance goaltender before the season starts, and was met with a definite “No.”

“No. At this point in time Rick has been doing great in his rehab and his training. He’s scheduled to start on the ice in the next few weeks here. Between Rick and Dwayne Roloson, we feel that is a strength in our organization. We also have Nathan Lawson, who we extended a qualifying offer and signed him shortly after. He’s coming off another excellent season. Nathan had a .922 save percentage. And sometimes people forget that he was on the All-Rookie Team for us in the AHL. We feel with Dwayne, Rick, Nathan Lawson — and then Mikko Koskinen and Kevin Poulin will be in Bridgeport — the depth at that position is one of the strengths of this organization.”

All Islanders fans can hope and pray for is that DiPietro is indeed recovering and that he’ll be provided a clean bill of health come October. In turn, that would provide DiPietro with the confidence he needs in order to focus on regaining the number one position.

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

For the Philadelphia Flyers it is a seemingly never-ending search, a generational attempt to find that one franchise netminder with which to call their own.

Through the years, we have seen the likes of Tommy Soderstrom, Dominic Roussel, Garth Snow, Jean-Marc Pelletier, Maxime Ouellet, Brian Boucher (in his first stint with the club), Roman Cechmanek, Antero Niittymaki, and Robert Esche anointed as the heir to the throne.

And when the younger guys have failed, then-GM Bob Clarke would delve deeply into the other end of the spectrum.

Sean Burke (twice) and John Vanbiesbrouck come to mind as two of Clarke’s desperate attempts to get the much-needed net presence to man the crease for the Orange-and-Black.

But all that ended up doing was handsomely rewarding an aging, unrestricted free agent for their previous performances with other teams, but not doing much in the way of helping the Flyers’ cause.

It’s a search that has been going on since Ron Hextall’s initial tenure in Philadelphia, which ended when he was dealt to the Quebec Nordiques after the 1991-92 season in the Eric Lindros trade.

It is coming up on the 20th season of that deal, and the Flyers have still not been able to find that one netminder to put between the pipes for the long haul.

Last season was a nightmare for the Orange-and-Black between the pipes, as the Flyers’ netminders were decimated by injuries, as they used seven goaltenders throughout the year.

Ray Emery, signed as a free agent out of the KHL prior to the season, would sustain two serious injuries that required surgery.  The hip injury that struck him in early March may even be career-threatening.

Boucher is signed for the 2010-11 season and Johan Backlund was recently re-signed for two more years.  But with Michael Leighton set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, the position is once again in a state of flux.

Philly GM Paul Holmgren, fresh off acquiring defenseman Dan Hamhuis from Nashville on Saturday, is set to tackle the ongoing goaltending issue.

Including bringing Leighton back, there are many avenues for Holmgren to explore.  Here are some of those options:

Unrestricted Free Agents:

Leighton – Picked up off the waiver wire by Holmgren in early-December, Leighton was a Godsend for a struggling team that could not find its way.  All he did was proceed to go 16-5-2 before succumbing to a high ankle sprain in March.  When he returned during Philly’s improbable postseason run, Leighton went 8-3.

The only problem was that he let in several goals of the “soft” variety in the Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Leighton has stated on the record that he wishes to return, and head coach Peter Laviolette has voiced his support for bringing Leighton back, but Holmgren has sounded a bit less-thrilled about Leighton returning after the loss in the Finals.  Days after the final loss on game six, Holmgren said that he still hadn’t seen the replay of Patrick Kane’s Cup-winning overtime goal.  He hasn’t seen the puck enter the net, and just couldn’t bring himself to see it.

Leighton’s agent Mike Liut has stated that he is seeking a deal worth between $2-3 million, which isn’t breaking the bank.

Leighton fingerprint:  Depending on how much is required to get Hamhuis signed and how much of the $8+ million surplus there is left to work with and given the fact that Leighton has proven to work well with his team, Holmgren may, indeed, be bringing Leighton back into the fold when all is said and done.

Marty Turco:  Turco has long been considered one of the top ten netminders in the NHL.  But the soon to be 35-year-old, nine-year veteran of the Dallas Stars saw a significant dropoff in play in 2009-10.

His six year streak of 30 or more wins came to an abrupt halt, as he struggled to a 22-20-11 record.

Taking a Flyer on Turco: Coupled with the salary that Turco most-likely will be demanding (he made $5.7 million last year) and his dropoff in play, a Turco signing would appear to be in the same avenue of the Vanbiesbrouck signing a decade ago.  I find this option very doubtful.

Evgeni Nabokov:  The San Jose Sharks have had a label of being “playoff underacheivers”, and Nabby has been front-and-center in the blame game.

The 10-year vet has been a workhorse for the Sharks in the regular season, registering 40+ wins in each of the past three seasons.

But it’s the postseason failures that most people will be looking at when considering Nabokov when July 1st rolls around.

Lowdown on Nabby:  Nabokov is in the same boat as Turco.  He will also be turning 35, and drew a salary of $5.375 million last season.  If he is looking for a big payday (i.e. a hefty raise), the chances that he will be wearing Orange-and-Black come training camp are slim-to-none.

Jose Theodore:  Theodore is another in this year’s 30-something, big contract netminders.  Theodore, who turns 34 in September, had one of his best regular seasons in the NHL last season.  His 30-7-7 record led the way for the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals.  But after being given the nod over Semyon Varlamov as the starter in the postseason, the Capitals fell in seven games to the Montreal Canadiens.  The play of Habs’ goaltender Jaroslav Halak was the difference, as he outplayed Theodore.

The theory on Theo:  Theodore has overcome great personal tragedy and succeeded, but with his $4.5 million salary in 2009-10, he will be expecting another huge payday.  Given his age and asking price, it’s almost a sure bet that Holmgren will pass on Theodore.

Chris Mason:  The 34-year-old Mason had his best year in the NHL last season for the St. Louis Blues, reaching the 30-win mark for the first time in his career.  A late-bloomer, Mason has 20+ wins in three of his last four seasons.

The markup on Mason:  While Mason has shown no signs of slowing down, he is still 34.  Add in the fact that he made $3 million last season, and he will probably be looking for a significant raise.  This will probably be the last chance to make the big money for Mason, so it isn’t likely that he would take less for an opportunity to win.

Dan Ellis:  Drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2000, Ellis saw action in just one game (a win in 2003-04 season).

Ellis was signed by the Nashville Predators as a free agent in 2007 and had actually taken the starting job away from Chris Mason, posting a 23-10-3 mark during the 2007-08 campaign.  But in 2008-09 Ellis dropped to just 11-19-4, prompting the call-up from the minors of Pekka Rinne.  The rest, as they say, is history.

The Down low on Dan:  Ellis may be just what the Flyers are looking for…a netminder that just turned 30 and made just $1.75 million last season.  Depending on the salary neighborhood Ellis is hoping to move in to, he may be a good possibility.

Antero Niittymaki:  Originally drafted by Philly in 1998, Niitty was always the good soldier.  A fantastic goaltender and Olympic Silver Medal winner in 2006, he was never really given the opportunity to become the number one guy for the Flyers.  There always seemed to be another guy promoted or brought in and given the job…Boucher, Cechmanek, Esche, Martin Biron.  The only time that Niittymaki was given the bulk of starts for any stretch was during the Flyers franchise-worst 2006-07, in which they finished last overall in the NHL standings.  Niitty was given the reigns as the team played out the string, and his 9-29-9 mark was abysmal.

Notes on Niitty:  When Niittymaki was allowed to walk away as an UFA and Holmgren went to the KHL to lure Emery back from his exile, it continued a pattern of the Flyers looking elsewhere when they may have had their answer right under their noses.  Niitty was signed to a one-year, $600,000 contract by the Tampa Bay Lightning, then wrestled the starting job away from incumbent Mike Smith.  He finished with a more than respectable 21-18-5 record for a non-playoff team.  At $600k, the 30-year-old goalie could be the perfect fit to come back and take the starting job for Philadelphia.

Vesa Toskala:  Not nearly on the same level as either Turco or Nabokov over the course of his career, Toskala nonetheless had four consecutive 20+ win seasons with the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the 2009-10 campaign.  But the 33-year-old Finnish goaltender fell off dramatically this past season, recording a 9-12-3 mark with Toronto and the Calgary Flames.

The Toskala total:  Despite a 129-82-5 record over eight NHL seasons, Toskala has largely spent most of that time as a backup.  In San Jose, he was second fiddle to Nabokov.  When given the reigns for a less-than great Toronto team, he managed a 62-54-20 record before being shipped to Calgary, where he was again backup, this time to Miikka Kiprusoff.

But if he is looking for a raise on his 2009-10 $4 million salary, he will be looking in cities other than Philadelphia.

The Unrestricted Free Agent Dark Horses (i.e. the rest):  Johan Hedberg (37-years-old, $1.087 million in 2009-10), Peter Budaj (28 in September, $1.25 million), Alex Auld (29, $1 million), Andrew Raycroft (30, $500,000), Patrick Lalime (36 in July, $1 million), Manny Legace (37, $500,000).

Trade Possibilities:

Los Angeles:

There have been a number of trade rumors that Holmgren could opt to take if he chooses not to go the route of unrestricted free agency.  One that is making the rounds is that he is interested in either Jonathan Quick or Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings.

With the connection that Philadelphia and L.A. share, with L.A.’s GM Dean Lombardi and Assistant GM Ron Hextall being former employees before heading west, there may be some meat to this one.

Quick is 24-years-old and his 2010-11 salary will be $1.8 million, a nice fit for Homer’s cap room.  The 6′ 1″, 223 pound netminder is coming off a stellar season in which he put up a 39-24-7 mark, leading the Kings to the number six seed in the Western Conference and a playoff spot.

In his first NHL postseason, Quick’s Kings lost in six hard-fought games.

Bernier, who will turn 22 in August, will likely make a push in training camp to unseat Quick as the starter.  L.A. management is very high on the first round pick from 2006, and with good reason.

With 28-year-old Erik Ersberg as backup, the Kings may be ready to move either Quick or Bernier for the right return.

With the Kings having room under the salary cap, forward Jeff Carter may be a return being sought after by Lombardi and company.  They were rumored to be in the bidding for Ilya Kovalchuk prior to the Atlanta Thrashers moving him to New Jersey, and their desire to bolster their forward slots has been made known.  They could go the unrestricted free agent route and sign Kovalchuk, but they will need to dole out approximately $10 million annually.

Minnesota:

Josh Harding – The 26-year-old restricted free agent made $1.1 million last season, and may be moved to a team where he has a chance to be the starter.  With Niklas Backstrom signed for three more seasons, playing time will be scarce for Harding if he remains with the Wild.

Minnesota can always use help at the forward position, and even though forwards have been sacrificed to fit the team’s salary into the cap limit, the Flyers still have a wealth up front with which to deal.

There had been rumors that Philadelphia was ready to offer up Carter to the Montreal Canadiens for either Halak or Carey Price.  But with the shocking trade that sent Halak to the St. Louis Blues, any deal with Les Habitants appears to have been quashed, as Price will undoubtedly take the reigns in the Montreal crease.

Conclusion:

Holmgren will have a busy week ahead of him leading up to Friday night’s commencement of the Entry Draft.  He needs to get Hamhuis signed, and is rumored to be talking to several clubs about acquiring a goaltender via trade.

If nothing comes to fruition, he can fit an unrestricted free agent into his salary structure.

As mentioned above, Holmgren would do well to avoid any long-term deals with the aging, high-money netminders.  This would wipe Turco, Nabokov, Mason, Theodore, and Toskala off of Homer’s list.

The UFA options the Flyers may want to explore if a trade is not consummated are Ellis and Niitymaki.  Outside of Leighton, these two would seem to have the best fit, both age-wise and monetarily.

And if this is the route Holmgren chooses, whichever goalie he signs will be a hold-over until hopefully Sergei Bobrovsky (see previous story on him here) or Joacim Eriksson will develop and be ready as the long-term netminder this franchise has lacked for so long.

If possible, either Bernier or Quick from the Kings would be the best-possible move for Holmgren.  Both goaltenders are young, and could alleviate the constant state of flux in the Flyers’ crease.

Either one would be considered a franchise goaltender.

Whichever goaltender ends up between the pipes for the Flyers when the season opens will definitely benefit from the work being done by Holmgren to shore up the Philadelphia blue line.

By week’s end, we may just know the identity of that masked man.  And along with that move comes the opportunity for Holmgren to put his permanent stamp on the franchise.

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

On the eve of the birthday of a late, great Flyers legend, the Philadelphia Flyers continued their history making run by advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

For years, there has been talk about “ghosts” in Philadelphia.  The ghost of one man has yet to be set free.  Today he would of continued the celebration with his peers from a glorious event which took place just twelve hours ago.  Oh yea, and his own birthday celebration.

This is the story of Pelle Lindbergh.

Per-Eric Göran Lindbergh, better known to his fans as Pelle, was born on May 24th, 1959  in Stockholm, Sweden.  Today would have been his 51st birthday, but a tragic and preventable accident claimed his life on November 10th, 1985.  Before we continue with this article here are a couple disclaimers. Anyone that’s read my stuff knows it comes from a fan perspective, so if you’re looking for a stat heavy story, this will not take that approach. I will sprinkle in the odd stat, but will not rely on them to tell the story.

Growing up just outside of Toronto, Ontario for pretty much my entire life except for a two year span spent in Foymount just outside of Renfrew, the Toronto Maple Leafs have and always will be my favourite team, no surprise there.  Also, being a goalie since the age of 9, goaltenders are who I tend to follow;  no surprise there.

The fact that Pelle Lindbergh is the first goalie I remember from my childhood is surprising.  Just take a look at my MBTM: CuJo article to see the LONG history of Love/Hate relationships I’ve had with Leaf goalies in my time, to see that I am very much a diehard Leafs goalie lover.

We’re not really sure why we choose favourites as a child.  It’s usually something odd that makes it happen.  For example, Wendel Clark is my favourite Maple Leafs player ever (I know, I said I love goalies and my favourite player is a left winger).  This is because the first game I remember watching with my dad, not the first game I watched, Clark scored with his patented wrist shot from just above the left face-off circle.  Instant favorite.  Kelly Gruber, 3rd basemen for the Toronto Blue Jays, also wore #17.  Instant favorite.  Make sense?  Didn’t think so, but to my young mind, it did.

Just as I was starting to learn about the game in the early 80’s, the Leafs goaltending was atrocious.  Sorry Leafs fans, but Mike Palmateer couldn’t hold Lindbergh’s jockstrap on his BEST day.  Having Palmateer as my favorite goalie just wasn’t going to cut it.  Then I heard about this kid in Philly.  Fresh off a Vezina Trophy win and Prince of Wales Conference Championship, he became an instant favorite.  The tragic way he died just a few months later made sure he would always be imprinted on my mind, as well as within the hearts and on the minds of Flyers faithful worldwide.

Lindbergh grew up loving hockey and the Philadelphia Flyers.  On a trip to Toronto for a hockey tournament, he purchased a Flyers jersey with long time great Flyers goaltender Bernie Parent on the back.  He even told reporters during the 1978-1979 WJC that he “was going to play for the Philadelphia Flyers.”

August 9th, 1979 his dream was becoming a reality.  At the NHL Entry Draft held that year in Montreal, Quebec the Philadelphia Flyers selected him in the 3rd round.  After a few up and down seasons between Philadelphia (where he was named to the All-Rookie Team and All-Star Game in his rookie season) and their AHL Farm Team, the Maine Mariners (where he won awards for Rookie of the Year, League MVP and Best Goaltender) sandwiched around a couple of International appearances for Sweden (Bronze at the 1980 Olympics and 1981 Canada Cup) he finally stuck with Flyers in 1984-85.

Lindbergh became a 40 game winner and along the way became the first European to win the Vezina Trophy.  He was also named to the All-Star Game for the 2nd time in his short career and led his team to a Prince of Wales Conference Championship before losing to the Edmonton Oilers in five games in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The future seemed bright in Philadelphia.  Fresh off a 53 win season and a Finals appearance, the Flyers were set to take the next step and finish what they started the previous year.  I don’t think anyone could have seen this fairytale turn into a nightmare.

However, tragedy struck the league, the organization, the city, and the hearts of the orange-and-black supporters around the entire world.

On November 10th, 1985 in the early hours of the morning, after spending all night celebrating a 10-game win streak with teammates, Lindbergh made a mistake that cost him his life.  I’ll spare the details, it’s stupid really, and shouldn’t have happened.

Even with his passing, the great fans of the NHL still voted him into the 1985-1986 All-Star Game for a 3rd time.  I guess you could say that in a sense, Lindbergh’s untimely death kick started the Flyers run of bad goaltending.  Sure you can make arguments that Ron Hextall was good, heck he was the third Flyers goalie to win the Vezina Trophy in his rookie year along with Parent and Lindbergh.  But after that, it’s been a glaring weakness.  Several good Flyers teams have been let down by poor goaltending.

Outside of the brilliance of Robert Esche pre-lockout, and the Eastern Conference finals run led by Martin Biron, the only other time the Flyers were dominant was in 1997, however, that year was not because of goaltending. The team was simply a powerhouse that were upset by the Detroit Red Wings in a short Cup finals series.

This year, that seems to have possibly changed.  Yesterday, on what would have been his 51st birthday, the Flyers won the Eastern Conference, led by the incredible goaltending of Michael Leighton.  Posting shutouts in games 1, 2 and 4, Leighton has stymied the Montreal Canadiens and seems to have, for the moment anyways, settled the goaltending situation in Philadelphia.

Alright, maybe I did throw in a little more than the odd stat, but how could I not?

There are several masks that I would love to have in my collection.  As stated in MBTM: CuJo my ball hockey mask is painted to match Allan Bester’s.  Felix Potvin, my favourite goalie, is another mask I would like to add.  Patrick Roy’s Montreal mask is on that list as well.

Pelle Lindbergh’s would make it complete.

It’s hard to determine the impact a hockey player is going to have on you.  I was lucky enough to have my sister buy me Lindbergh’s Rookie Card many years ago when I was just a kid starting my Hockey Card collection.  Luckily my mom never threw out my hockey cards.  They’re still sitting in an old red hockey bag in my basement.  That bag weighs a ton and I’ve kept it through four moves to four different homes, and each time it seems to get heavier.

I just may go downstairs today and try to relive some of my youthful love of hockey.

Not sure how many people remember that yesterday was Pelle’s birthday.  I do, and now, after reading this, so do you.  Happy (belated) Birthday Pelle, hope you finally got a chance to win a few Cups up in Heaven.

On a personal note from Jose: “Hey Pelle, by the way, if you see my Dad, say hi and tell him I love him.  Wish him a Happy Birthday for me as well as May 30th would have been his 71st Birthday.”

Happy Birthday to your father Jose, and to you Mr. Lindbergh. May your spirit live within the body of current Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton as the Philadelphia Flyers are set to play for the greatest prize of all, the Stanley Cup.

Jose Simoes
NHLHS Restoring the Rosters Correspondent
jsimoes@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @RTRHockey

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

For the Buffalo Sabres and Ryan Miller, things are constantly looking up.

If last season was any indication as to how vital Miller is to the line up and on-ice performance of the Buffalo Sabres, just look at this season and where the Sabres currently are.

As the number three seed heading into the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, there truly isn’t anyone else on this Sabres roster to thank, outside of rookie standout Tyler Myers, other than Miller.

Ryan Miller was born on July 17, 1980 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States.

With five family members who all played for Michigan State University, Ryan Miller is the standout. This years Vezina trophy candidate has had an amazing season to date and yet, knows how much more there is to accomplish in moving forward.

As a college player for the Spartans, Miller set an NCAA record with 26 career shutouts. He was the 2001 Hobey Baker Award winner, leading the the country in wins, winning percentage, save percentage (an NCAA record .950 mark), goals-against average and shutouts (an NCAA record 10).

Miller was selected as the 2001 Big Ten-Jesse Owens Men’s Athlete of the Year.

Miller was drafted in the 5th round, 138th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

After three seasons with Michigan State, Miller went on to play in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Rochester Americans in 2002-03. The Americans are the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. During that season he played 15 regular season games for Buffalo.

His time in the AHL saw him spend most of his career as the starting goalie for the Americans winning 41 games and tying Gerry Cheevers’ record.

Miller finished the ’05-’06 season by establishing himself as the starting goalie for the Sabres. He was ranked 11th among NHL goalies with a 2.60 goals against average and ninth with a .914 save percentage.

Miller led the Sabres to a season that came as a surprise where he won 30 games and proved to be one of the hardest working goalies in the league.

Miller played well in the postseason as well, advancing the Sabres to the conference finals. Unfortunately, injuries caught up with the team and they lost game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes that year.

After the 2005–06 season, Miller became a restricted free agent, yet waived his right to arbitration. His agent, Mike Liut, continued to negotiate with the Sabres through the summer. On September 8, 2006, the Sabres announced that they re-signed Miller to a three-year contract.

His 2010 Winter Olympics performance was nothing short of stunning.  Miller was outstanding in helping the United States capture Silver in the Men’s Ice Hockey tournament. Take that performance and add it to both the regular season that Ryan Miller had along with, although early, his playoff performance and give me one good reason why he does not walk away at the end of the year with the Vezina trophy, which he is a finalist for.

Throughout his six year NHL career, Miller has appeared in 333 games. He has 187 wins 104 losses 33 ties and of those 187 wins 17 have come by way of shutout. His career goals against average is 2.57 and he has a career save percentage of .914.

On March 28, 2008, Miller played in his 73rd game of the season, breaking the Sabres franchise record for most games played in a season, passing two all-time greats Grant Fuhr and Dominik Hasek as well as Martin Biron. Even with, at the time backup goaltender Jocelyn Thibaults presence,Miller finished the season with 76 games played, recording a 2.64 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

A star who will shine for many more years in Buffalo.

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