NHL 2010-2011 Season Thread

[Winston Legthigh]

No.

They could totally use Sundin.

That'd push Ryan Kesler to the right wing, where he's much better offensively. That'd also drop someone like Shirokov or Samuelsson to the third line, Raymond to the fourth. All of a sudden the team is a lot deeper offensively.

 

But really, most "elite" goaltenders start off slow... time is all the Canucks need. But until then my heart will not mend :'(

You're saying that Samuelsson is on the 2nd line or above??? Yikes!

[TCP]

Samuelsson was brought in because they thought that he could do one of two things. 1) be a 25 goal, 50 point, gritty 2nd line winger, which I do believe is possible. He'd fit in well with the likes of Kesler and Burrows. 2) play with the Sedins as the first line right winger, since they played together during the Olympics (and they had all sorts of chemistry) and he seems like the perfect linemate for them.

However, Burrows is doing very well with the Sedins to start the season off (no doubt, he is one of the best players in the league ) which is forcing Samuelsson to stay on the second line. He does have 2 points in three games though (on pace for 27 goals 54 points), so he maybe isn't working out too poorly. Only time will tell.

[Winston Legthigh]

Those kind of numbers would be career highs for him, which is much to expect from a guy who's 33.

He's above-average at holding onto the puck, and he has a cannon shot, but he's not a play-maker, he's slow, and he's not very durable.

He's was averaging about 40 points a season for the Wings, so maybe 40-50 points for $2.5mil is value.

[TCP]

Depends where he goes with the lineup. If Alex Burrows and Anson Carter can get 30 goals with the Sedins, logic says Sammy should at least equal that....

Plus, I think he brings a lot more to the lineup than just points. Experience, grit, heart, he's more of a North American style player than European.

[Winston Legthigh]

So Cowboy Poet, are you off the ledge yet?

 

Big game for the Wings and Hawks tonight. I have a bet with my wife's sister, who's still in H.S. that if Detroit wins, she has to have a picture taken of her wearing my Red Wings t-shirt, and that photo is going to be used as her main Facebook photo until the Hawks beat the Red Wings. This is actually a carry over from the playoffs bet we made (which I won, but haven't carried out yet). So, basically she was supposed to do this all summer long, but I never imposed, because we only saw each other a couple times over the summer, and I was never ready to carry out the bet. So, if the Hawks win this game, my window of opportunity is expired. But if the Wings win, then she's in trouble.

[Winston Legthigh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuGwJWiQDKk

[So Long]

Incredible comeback tonight by the Bruins...but to be honest, it really shouldn't have been that close. The boys need a wake up call.

 

video

[TCP]

Agreed, Boston shouldn't be losing to a team like the Islanders. Vancouver will do that all the time, one night they'll beat the easily Red Wings and then the next night they'll struggle against the Coyotes. You have to play each team with the same level of intensity. Just noticed that they also lost to the Avs though Maybe the Avalanche are a good team this year?! How'd Duchene look?

 

Canucks are looking good without Daniel Sedin. Glad this injury happened this season and not a few years ago, as both Sedins are a lot more well-rounded now, Henrik especially has emerged as a true number one centre. Mikael Samuelsson was a really good pick up, 5 points in 5 games... As was Christian Ehrhoff.

[So Long]

My stomach hurts.

 

The Avs were ok, but the Bruins' D was awful. Ference needs to go.

 

My stomach still hurts.

 

Can't we just skip to the playoffs?

[bjorn_skurj]

With the way the Rangers are starting this year, that would be just fine. Are the Leafs ready to join the Raiders in the "Once-Proud Franchises in the Total Shitter" pile?

[TCP]

With the way the Rangers are starting this year, that would be just fine. Are the Leafs ready to join the Raiders in the "Once-Proud Franchises in the Total Shitter" pile?

I believe that happened a few decades ago......

[Edie]

Blackhawks win!

 

Anyone who witnessed the first 12 minutes of the Blackhawks' game against the Calgary Flames on Monday night would find it hard to believe the night ended with the Hawks mobbing each other on the ice after tying the biggest comeback in NHL history.

 

After spotting the Calgary Flames a five-goal lead in the first 11:43, the Hawks roared back with six consecutive goals -- three in the second period -- and went on to an amazing 6-5 overtime victory at the United Center.

 

Brent Seabrook scored the winner 26 seconds into OT. Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists to lead the rally, and Patrick Sharp, John Madden, Dustin Byfuglien and Dave Bolland also scored. Brian Campbell and Andrew Ladd added two assists as 10 Hawks landed on the scoresheet.

 

"You can't do that every night," Kane said. "At the same time, what a fun game to be a part of. It was awesome. From the second period on, we just controlled the whole play."

 

In their first meeting since the Hawks eliminated the Flames in six games in last season's Western Conference quarterfinals, Calgary hit the Hawks with an early goal barrage that sent starting goaltender Cristobal Huet to the bench after yielding three scores on five shots.

 

It got so bad early, fans were mock-cheering every easy save made by Antti Niemi, who replaced Huet.

 

It got so good at the end, the fans were chanting for the Hawks after the victory that improved their record to 3-1-1.

 

Calgary's first-period goals came in a span of 5:29. Dustin Boyd, Eric Nystrom and Jarome Iginla ended Huet's night with goals within 53 seconds of each other, and Rene Bourque and Olli Jokinen padded the lead.

 

Madden scored his first goal in a Hawks uniform with 2:19 remaining in the first when he tucked a shot past Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff to cut the deficit to 5-1.

 

"We had lots of time to come back there," said Seabrook, his face covered in shaving cream courtesy of injured teammate Adam Burish adding to the celebration in the dressing room. "Madden's goal at the end of the first sort of gave us a little bit of hope and excitement to get back and get some more."

 

Kane made it 5-2 early in the second when he blistered a wrist shot over Kiprusoff's right shoulder from the top of the circles. Later in the period, Kane set up Byfuglien off a two-on-one, and Byfuglien sent it through Kiprusoff's legs.

 

Bolland tapped in a rebound of his own shot to make it 5-4 just 41 seconds later.

 

The comeback was complete when Sharp's team-leading fourth goal of the season evened the score 5-5 at 4:32 of the third. The veteran winger redirected a shot by Duncan Keith, and the United Center crowd was roaring.

 

"Pretty amazing game," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "From the worst to as good as you can get. It was a dramatic turn."

 

DirectTV and VS. better get their shit together

[TCP]

I love it. Flames suck.

[Guest Jules]

http://www.puckprosp...p?articleid=291

 

September 30, 2009

2009-10 VUKOTA Projections

Chicago Blackhawks, 1st Overall

 

 

 

by Andrew Rothstein

 

 

(Note: This series will cover all 30 NHL teams in 30 days,from worst to first, as according to VUKOTA. This is the same materialthat would have been available in a 2009-10 Puck Prospectus Annual hadwe published one.)

 

Offense:

 

2008-09 Goals For: 264 (T-4th on Offense)

 

2009-2010 Goals For: 273 (2nd on Offense)*

 

Defense:

 

2008-09 Goals Against: 216 (5th on Defense)

 

2009-10 Goals Against: 238 (T-4th on Defense)*

 

Points:

 

2008-09 Point Total: 104 (6th in Points)

 

2009-10 Point Total: 106 (T-1st in Points)*

 

Team GVT:

 

2008-09 Team GVT: + 48 (4th Overall)

 

2009-10 Team GVT: + 40 (1st Overall)*

 

Bayesian Ratings:

 

2009-10 Offense: 3.36 (2nd on Offense)*

 

2009-10 Defense: 2.87 (5th on Defense)*

 

2009-10 Total: 0.49 (1st Overall)*

 

Team Contention Status:

 

Western Conference Playoff Contenders (1st Round +)*: 83.6 %

Western Conference Noisemakers (2nd Round +)*: 54.9 %

Western Conference Contenders: (3rd Round +)*: 35.3 %

Stanley Cup Contenders (Stanley Cup Finals)*: 22.2 %

Stanley Cup Champions*: 12.8 %

*2009-2010 VUKOTA Projections (Bayesian Ratings derived from VUKOTA)

 

The Chicago Blackhawks had one of the more interesting offseasons ofthe past decade. Chicago signed Marian Hossa away from their Centraldivisional foes, the Detroit Red Wings, on a 12 year deal that also ledto Hossa's friend and Red Wing at the time Tomas Kopecky signing withthe Blackhawks on the very same day. Unfortunately, the Windy Cityfound out that Hossa won't be ready to skate until at least Novemberbecause of a shoulder injury he suffered last season in Detroit.

 

Not everyone was pleased with this move, though, as Marty Havlatfelt betrayed and blindsided by Chicago's signing because there wouldbe no room left under the cap to re-sign the often injured forward.Havlat signed with Minnesota, but didn't forget about what Chicago haddone to him. The Wild's new acquisition made obscure comments onTwitter stating "there's something to be said for loyalty," and "lot'sof people are telling me to stay quiet but shouldn't the fans know thetruth?" Obviously, Havlat felt that he couldn't trust the Chicagoorganization anymore, though the Hawks simply did what they thought wasbest for the organization going forward.

 

Then there was the front office debacle, which drew unwantedattention to Chicago's management. Former General Manager Dave Tallonwas tardy in getting qualifying offers to restricted free agents, suchas the talented youngster Kris Versteeg, which led to the Blackhawksdamaging their long-term salary cap flexibility. With a possibledynasty slowly becoming a one time shot at a Stanley Cup, the Hawksreplaced Tallon with Scotty Bowman's son, Stan Bowman, as the GM.

 

If you thought things couldn't possibly get worse, think again.During the early hours of the morning in Buffalo, NY just several weeksago, the 20 year old Patrick Kane, along with his cousin James Kane,attacked a cab driver over a few measly dollars. Both Kanes were givenconditional discharges, and Patrick has put the incident behind him sofar in the preseason. It appears that this is one distraction thatshouldn't interfere with the Blackhawks this year.

 

The biggest question on everyone's mind now in Chicago, though, iswhether Cristobal Huet can fill in for Nikolai Khabibulin and whetherthe former Canadien will be a liability in the Blackhawks quest to endthe longest Stanley Cup drought in the National Hockey League.

 

Forwards:

 

Legend:

 

OGVT: Offensive GVT

 

DGVT: Defensive GVT

 

SGVT: Shootout GVT

 

GVT: Total GVT

 

2009-2010 VUKOTA Projections

Name P Age GP G A Pts OGVT DGVT SGVT GVT

Patrick Kane F 21 74.3 30.0 47.6 77.5 12.2 2.2 0.1 14.5

Jonathan Toews F 21 77.2 33.1 39.8 72.9 11.2 3.2 0.1 14.5

Marian Hossa F 30 66.3 27.6 32.8 60.4 10.6 3.0 0.0 13.6

Kris Versteeg F 23 67.4 22.3 32.7 54.9 8.5 2.7 0.0 11.2

Patrick Sharp F 28 68.2 26.4 25.2 51.6 7.5 2.6 -0.1 10.0

Dave Bolland F 23 68.7 19.2 28.9 48.1 6.4 3.1 -0.1 9.4

Andrew Ladd F 24 69.7 16.5 25.9 42.5 4.9 3.1 0.0 8.0

Dustin Byfuglien F 24 64.7 16.7 20.2 37.0 3.9 1.8 0.0 5.7

John Madden F 36 62.1 9.4 15.1 24.5 1.2 1.5 0.0 2.7

Jack Skille F 22 32.3 6.1 6.8 12.9 0.8 0.6 0.0 1.4

Jacob Dowell F 24 30.5 5.2 6.3 11.6 0.6 0.7 0.0 1.3

Colin Fraser F 24 65.1 6.1 9.7 15.9 -0.4 1.7 0.0 1.3

Adam Burish F 26 58.1 6.5 5.8 12.4 -0.8 1.4 0.0 0.5

Tomas Kopecky F 27 60.9 5.7 9.7 15.4 -0.6 1.1 0.0 0.5

The first line for the 2009-2010 Chicago Blackhawks will include Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp.

 

Patrick Kane is one of the two faces of the franchise for this newChicago team that could be a perennial contender. There's no doubt thatnew GM Stan Bowman will have his work cut out for him in trying tore-sign the 20 year old star who becomes a restricted free agent afterthis season. Teams throughout the National Hockey League will be hopingthat the Blackhawks are put in the same situation with Kane as theBruins were with Kessel. The Buffalo native is predicted by VUKOTA tobe much more productive this season with a 14.5 GVT than he was lastyear, when he produced a 9.7 GVT. While 30 goals is a good estimate,Kane is capable of a few more pucks in the net, so expect 35 goals, 50assists and 85 points for the right winger. The downside to thosenumbers could be that, if he manages to re-sign, most of the otherrestricted free agents will be departing Chicago because of the amountof money Kane would be able to command.

 

The other face of the franchise plays alongside Kane as the firstline center. Jonathan Toews was more productive than his talentedcounterpart last season, but isn't in for nearly as big of a breakoutseason as Kane is. At only 21 years of age, Toews managed to be thesecond best forward on his team last year. Such a remarkable feat wouldseem difficult to repeat, but with Havlat gone, it shouldn't besurprising to find the Canadian as the best player on his team in2009-10. VUKOTA believes the center is capable of 73 points this year,and that seems entirely reasonable. However, given that the 3rd overallpick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft had 69 points last year, it's entirelypossible that he can reach 80 points this year with the way he's beendeveloping. The second of the big three restricted free agents afterthis season, Bowman might have a very difficult choice in decidingbetween keeping Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews on board.

 

The veteran Sharp has been skating with Dustin Byfuglien andnewcomer Tomas Kopecky on the second line in camp and in the preseason,but don't buy into this newly created line going forward yet. Hawkscoach Joel Quenneville is likely just juggling lines, so there's stilla strong chance of the Sharp-Toews-Kane line remaining intact for2009-10. VUKOTA believes that Sharp's knee injury during the stretchlast year could slow him down a bit this year with its projection ofonly 68 games played. If this is the case, then the 27 year old mightonly be marginally better than last year. However, if the Winnipegnative can stay healthy throughout the season, his GVT becomes 12instead of 10. Either way, the former Flyer is still a top-six forwardwho will be an integral part of this team in its championship run asStanley Cup favorites.

 

The second line will likely include the likes of Marian Hossa whenhe returns to the ice, along with Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg. Hossahad an astounding 19.7 GVT in only 74 games played last year, whichcould be hard for any 30 year old to replicate, except the Czech nativeis no ordinary hockey player. A lot will depend on Hossa's recoverytimetable and whether the shoulder injury hinders his performance whenhe comes back to the ice. VUKOTA believes he'll miss 12 games, be readyby early November and will return to his old superstar form. I'm a bitmore skeptical of that projection, and I'm not sure that the best casescenario is the right scenario in this situation. If he could come backby December and return to his old form within one month, then thingsshould be fine for the Hawks postseason run. Of course, the word'Hossa' and the phrase 'postseason run' never seem to go together well.

 

The third line should consist of Andrew Ladd, the newly acquiredJohn Madden, and Dustin Byfuglien. Ladd, who was traded by Carolina toChicago during the 2007-08 season, is one of the more underratedforwards in the league. The 4th overall selection in the 2004 NHL EntryDraft, Ladd posted a very good 10.1 GVT last season, while managing toplay in each of the 82 games. However, unlike some of his other earlytwenties teammates, VUKOTA isn't buying that the British Columbianative is as good as last year would suggest. Still, an 8 GVT in 70games played is very respectable, and the left winger will continue toimprove his game over the next couple of seasons. Ladd, who has knownSeabrook, Brouwer and Fraser since his childhood, will likely have hislast stint with Chicago, given that he's slated to become a restrictedfree agent after this season.

 

Coach Quenneville's fourth line is still up in the air between thelikes of Ben Eager, Tomas Kopecky, Colin Fraser, Troy Brouwer and AdamBurish. With Burish out for the majority of the season, the final lineshould include Ben Eager, Tomas Kopecky and Colin Fraser.

 

Defensemen:

 

Legend:

 

OGVT: Offensive GVT

 

DGVT: Defensive GVT

 

SGVT: Shootout GVT

 

GVT: Total GVT

 

2009-2010 VUKOTA Projections

Name P Age GP G A Pts OGVT DGVT SGVT GVT

Brian Campbell D 30 71.1 8.9 36.1 45.0 6.9 5.3 0.0 12.1

Duncan Keith D 26 76.1 8.4 29.1 37.5 5.3 6.5 0.0 11.7

Brent Seabrook D 24 74.1 8.0 25.1 33.2 4.4 5.4 0.0 9.8

Cam Barker D 23 60.7 8.9 28.0 36.9 6.1 3.2 0.0 9.3

Aaron Johnson D 26 48.0 2.5 7.8 10.3 0.5 2.9 0.0 3.4

Richard Petiot D 27 33.0 1.6 6.5 8.2 0.6 1.6 0.0 2.1

Brent Sopel D 32 41.1 1.8 7.5 9.4 0.5 1.6 0.0 2.1

Niklas Hjalmarsson D 22 41.1 2.0 6.8 8.8 0.0 2.0 0.0 1.9

Jordan Hendry D 25 35.5 1.5 5.0 6.5 0.0 1.2 0.0 1.2

The Hawks are likely to split up their top two defensemen over thefirst two pairings. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will likely skatetogether as the first pair. As one of the assistant captains, the 26year old Duncan will bare a lot of the responsibilities for how theentire defense does this year. Known as one of the best shutdowndefenseman in the game, Duncan can close on any forward with hisexceptional skating ability and explosiveness. While we hear the usualsuspects as the candidates for the Norris Trophy every year, NicklasLidstrom, Mike Green and Zdeno Chara, Duncan is one name that should bein the discussion more often. The 54th overall selection in the 2002NHL Entry draft had an impressive 14.8 GVT last season, which would puthim up there with the best forwards, let alone defensemen. VUKOTAthinks he'll have a slight setback this season, but an 11.7 GVT isnothing to scoff at for the 26 year old southpaw. On the bright side,it could lead to Bowman being able to retain the final third of the bigrestricted free agents for Chicago next offseason.

 

The second pairing will likely include the expensive, yet talentedBrian Campbell, and a younger defender, such as Niklas Hjalmarsson.Campbell receives a lot of flak for his contract, 8 years, $7.1 millionper, which he isn't worth. However, he isn't the horrible investmentthat some make him out to be. Additionally, he allegedly took lessmoney to stay with Chicago, which can be taken as a sign that he wantedto remain a Blackhawk. VUKOTA believes that his GVT will rise from 9.7to a Chicago fourth-best 12.1. He's slightly better offensively than heis defensively, but he's still an all-around solid defenseman. If youwant to consider intangibles, which I tend not to, he's also one tovoice his opinion of others, especially if they wear red and white.Last year, he called Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall "gutless" fora hit on 2008-09 teammate Marty Havlat. Campbell is definitely ablueliner you want on your team when you're going up against yourdivisional rival.

 

Coach Quenneville's final pairing will come down to Jordan Hendry,Cam Barker, Aaron Johnson, and Brent Sopel. Barker and Johnson, the toptwo defensemen of that bunch, should get the call to be together forthe third pairing. Barker, a 23 year old southpaw, is projected byVUKOTA to be nearly as productive as Brent Seabrook. However, proratedfor the amount of time VUKOTA sees Seabrook playing, Barker would infact be a more productive player. Overall, Quenneville can't go wrongwith any of his top-six defensemen, who are all talented and can impactthe Chicago lineup in a postive way.

 

Goaltending:

 

Legend:

 

GGVT: Goaltending GVT

 

SGVT: Shootout GVT

 

GVT: Total GVT

 

2009-2010 VUKOTA Projections

Name P Age GP GGVT SGVT GVT

Cristobal Huet G 34 37.4 6.3 -0.1 6.2

Corey Crawford G 25 14.4 1.4 0.0 1.3

Antti Niemi G 26 14.0 0.3 0.0 0.3

Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet will forever be linked, nowthat the later has taken the place of the former. While the currentOilers goaltender posted a stellar 14.3 GVT last season, VUKOTA sees amajor regression to a pedestrian 5.8 GVT this season. In fact, Huet'sVUKOTA projection of 6.2 is better for the 2009-10 campaign thanKhabibulin's is. Then again, we've all seen how former Canadiengoaltenders do after putting up good numbers in Montreal. Nonetheless,the 34 year old should be the equivalent of Khabibulin in the worstcase scenario. The best case scenario is that he's as good as he was inMontreal and is much better than people expect.

 

Coach Quenneville has suggested that Crawford and Niemi are tied forthe backup job, so either one could end up in Rockford by tomorrow.Considering that they are both around the same age, have the sameamount of talent and VUKOTA expects both to produce relatively the samein the net, Quenneville will likely rotate the two as backups, unlesseither of them really stands out.

 

Special Teams:

 

Last year, Chicago was 9th on the power-play with a 7.2 GVT and 12thin power-play efficiency with a 19.3 % scoring rate, while they were15th on the penalty kill with a 2.7 GVT, and tied for 17th withWashington with an 80.6 % goal prevention rate. Campbell, Toews, Sharp,Kane and Barker should all see significant minutes on the power-playagain this year, so don't expect much of a change. However, given thatthe majority of these skaters are in for better offensive seasons thisyear, their power-play ranking might go up into the top five power-playunits in the league. As for their penalty killing, Seabrook and Keithshould both see the most minutes on the ice again this year. With Huetnot likely to be as big of a liability in the net as many think, thepenalty killing unit should remain ranked around the 15th to 20th range.

 

Conclusion:

 

The Chicago Blackhawks have what it takes to win their first StanleyCup in nearly 48 years, and they should go into this season as the NHLfavorites. If Chicago finds itself in the Stanley Cup Finals, it couldvery well be in a matchup with Washington, in a seven game classic thatends with the Blackhawks hoisting the Cup at the end of the day. Getused to hearing "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis because there will beplenty of goal scoring and wins at the United Center. We know what theoffense is capable of and we know what the defense is capable of, soCristobal Huet is going to be the key to the Blackhawks success. IfHuet ends up being decent and not a liability, as VUKOTA believes, thenChicago should start making plans for a Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cupparty in Grant Park in June.

 

Andrew Rothstein is an author of Puck Prospectus.You can contact Andrew by clicking here or click here to see Andrew's other articles.

[Winston Legthigh]

not gonna happen with huet in net.

[bjorn_skurj]

[tongue-tied lightning]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-9-year-old-scores-greatest-goal-in-Boston?urn=nhl,195876

 

yes, Bruins off to a slow start, rather start slow and end fast.

we'll fix the D in time to make the finals.

[So Long]

Bruins traded Kobasew to Minnesota for a 2nd round pick, an unsigned prospect, and an AHLer. Cleared up cap space to bring up Sobotka and Marchand and potentially trade away a Sturm, or Ryder type for Ilya Kovalchuck come the trade deadline. With 9 picks in the first 2 rounds over the next 2 years, we're in good shape.

 

And if Ilya finds himself in black and gold come March...look out!

 

Hopefully this will wake the boys up a bit.

[Winston Legthigh]

Bruins traded Kobasew to Minnesota for a 2nd round pick, an unsigned prospect, and an AHLer.

 

That seems to be a fair trade for both teams.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v71FqkDMV1c

 

PhanOOF!

[Lodestar]

Bruins traded Kobasew to Minnesota for a 2nd round pick, an unsigned prospect, and an AHLer. Cleared up cap space to bring up Sobotka and Marchand and potentially trade away a Sturm, or Ryder type for Ilya Kovalchuck come the trade deadline. With 9 picks in the first 2 rounds over the next 2 years, we're in good shape.

 

And if Ilya finds himself in black and gold come March...look out!

 

Hopefully this will wake the boys up a bit.

 

It's gonna take a heckuva lot to pry Kovy from Atlanta, impending UFA or not. If they lose him, that's probably the franchise as well, and you can tell that based on the measures they've taken to satisfy him (signing fellow countrymen, appointing him captain, etc).

 

For the Thrashers to even listen, I imagine you'll have to add a Colborne/Marchand plus at least one 1st-rounder to Sturm/Ryder.

[So Long]

I'd be up for Colborne/Ryder/a conditional 1st round pick (if he resigns)

[tongue-tied lightning]

lots going on in Bruin land

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=502873

 

dont know much about him, bit seems he's good on the PK, and we suck pretty bad so far in that dept.

I'd like to see how Marchand does. Seems Thornton is hurt, Looch out, we need some bodies.

[Winston Legthigh]

Hooray for Huet!!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ii-08G6C6wI

[TCP]

Atlanta won't trade Kovalchuck. He's their franchise. If he doesn't resign you can bet that they're going to KHL.

It'd be a mistake for the Bruins to make huge changes just cause of a slow start... you have to wait these things out. They're a good team, they'll figure it out.

[TCP]

Mikael Samuelsson: 11 games, 5G, 5A, 10 Points. Yeaaahhhh boooiii.

 

Grabner is also doing well in his first callup, with 2 goals, 3 assists in 6 games. That Raymond - Kesler - Grabner line might just be the fastest in the league.