...the San Jose Sharks! I don't think I've ever seen Joe Thornton skate so hard in his career. Heck Malhotra didn't even look too bad (although the dude is still incapable of making a clean pass up the ice).
The Sharks eliminating the Wings from Cup contention will complete me. I could care less who wins as long as they don't. Make it happen boys!
...the Arena Lease issue! With the news via the Dispatch today that an agreement should be in place within two weeks that will allow Ohio State to manage both the Schott and Nationwide Arena the Arena Lease issue took a small step towards resolution. This arrangement will apparently save the Jackets 1 mil a season.
This tells us that something is going on behind the scenes. Granted it's a small piece of the puzzle but hopefully this provides a catalyst to get the bigger pieces solved.
...for 2nd round picks! The Jackets inked 2008 2nd rd pick Cody Goloubef to an entry level deal.
This will end Goloubef's career at Wisconsin in which the defensemen played 3 seasons and racked up 12g, 25a for 36p in 188 games. Those numbers aren't particularly impressive for what many said was a d-man who had offensive upside when he was drafted.
We'll get our first look at Goloubef at camp this season. Remember if you're a collegiate athlete you have to pay your own way to summer camp and are ineligible for training camp so unless you live in Wisconsin the viewings of Goloubef have been limited at Nationwide.
More importantly is Goloubef provides at least a glimmer of hope that the Jackets can actually hit on a 2nd round pick!!
...the underdog! I haven't looked up the stats but I do know 8th seeds beating the #1 seeds in the NHL playoffs is a very rare thing. It also goes to show you what goaltending really can mean in this sport. Halak of the Canadiens was really special and the D in front of him made the necessary sacrifices.
Gives me hope that if Mason can find his game that maybe the Jackets can actually win a round or two in the playoffs.
..for fans of Nikita Filatov. It's been confirmed by the Dispatch that the.. what as the word we always used for Zherdev? --- I got it -- enigmatic -- (is is too early to use that for Filatov?) 2008 6th overall pick Russian winger will be back for Blue Jackets camp next season.
He may be back at an NHL camp but don't bank on it being the Blue Jackets one. If Howson can find the right deal for this kid he's a goner. The question is does he hold enough value to move? If he's at CBJ camp in September then that answer will be a resounding no and the Jackets will have had no choice but to give him another shot in union blue -- this asset can not go wasted.l
To be honest there is a part of me that is very curious to see how this kid could do under a new coach. It's not like the Jackets can't use more goal scoring right?
...the draft. The draft? What on earth are you getting at LTL? Well let's just say today we are one step closer to June 25th and seeing what we do with that 4th overall pick. My $$ is on the Jackets drafting Gudbranson. I'm coming around on him but would be happy with either he or Fowler.
Less than 56 days away!
...in the coaching search. We now know both Scott Arniel and Kevin Dineen will have official interviews so Howson and co. are finally off and running.
Personally let's stop with the dog and pony show and just hire Dineen already. Everyone knows he will be the guy so just sign the paperwork and let's move to the next phase.
I'm one fan who is very excited to see what he can do with this group.
...for former CBJackets Jason Williams & Manny Mahotra. They remain the only former Jackets from the past two season still alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs (that I can recall off hand anyways).
...towards free agency for Freddy Modin, Raffi Torres and Milan Jurcina. Modin will likely hang em up. Jurcina should land somewhere for under a mil a season. Torres will be the interesting one to watch.
Torres had a very disappointing run with Buffalo registering just 5 assists in 14 regular season games. He had just 2 assist in 4 games in the playoffs and was scratched after 4 games. I've read various comments from Sabres fans that Torres came over injured.. that he partied during the Olympic break instead of working so and so forth.. -- Not sure how much truth there is to any of that but needless to say they are not happy. With that production who could blame them.... I mean not 1 goal?
At this point it's very hard to read what he'll fetch on the open market but my guess is it won't be what he thinks he'll get.
Out of those 3 trades the Jackets will have only a 2nd round pick to show for it. The Modin move was on the condition that if the Kings won the cup the Jackets would get a 7th rd pick. Jurcina's was also conditional but he never played so you can scratch whatever that would have been.
On the flip side -- salary was saved - roster spots used by young players - the dive for five was a success and now Howson has an addtional 2nd rounder in his stockpile.
...towards the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup. The first round concluded a few days ago and it always interests me to see which teams had the most disappointing first round exits.
Why?
Well those are probably the squads who will want to shake things up the most in the offseason.
Take the New Jersey Devils for instance. They made the big trade to get Kovalchuk but found themselves eliminated in the 1st round for the 3rd season in a row. Who takes the fall for that loss this offseason? Believe it or not I've seen a New Jersey fan ask what a guy like Zach Parise could fetch on the open market. The Devils aren't that stupid but I'll tell you right now - I'd trash Rick Nash straight up for Zach Parise in a New Jersey minute. LOVE the way that guy competes game in and game out.
Washington will certainly want to shake things up. Mike Green on the block perhaps?
Nashville does what they always do and that's lose in the 1st round. Hey, at least they get their consistently right? Won't do much to change their roster.
Colorado was us last season and wasn't expected to be there. They saved a horse and rode hot goaltending to a surprising season. Don't expect much here and it will be interesting to see if they regress next season like we did this one. Here's a question - will they resign Captain Coward?
LA finally got over that playoff hump. They'll shuffle some vets around but they aren't touching their core.
Phoenix was another surprise. Again some vets will be moved around but nothing major outside of figuring out their ownership situation.
Buffalo had a nice season but had a dissapointing exit at the hands of the Bruins. They've never been one to make big blockbuster moves.. In fact they've made more news in terms of guys they've lost (Drury, Campbell, Briere) versus who they gain.
Ottawa is another squad that wasn't sure if they'd be there. They have some guys like Volchenkov that they need to sign. I could see a couple of deals with this team but nothing major.
Out of the teams eliminated in the 1st round keep your eyes on New Jersey and Washington as I believe both will want to shake things up in a big way. Not sure how well the Jackets' needs align with theirs (although I wouldn't mind that Ovechkin guy!) but it's worth keeping an eye on.
...Breast Cancer fight! Remember the Hockey Beats Down Breast Cancer tournament is scheduled for the weekend of May 7th through the 9th at the Easton Chiller.
Yours truly will be playing in this tournament which is for a cause that is very dear to me personally.
If you can't play I would encourage all that have the means to donate whatever they can -- for instance if everyone who reads this donated $5 or even $1 it would help cover the cost of ice time for the event.
The Chiller has really stepped up to the plate to work with Hockey Beats Down to get the ice as cheap as possible. They are also donating the CAHL fines and matching that gift with their own donation as well as donating some CBJ items for a silent auction.
There are some players spots still available for the cost of $75 per player and as I stated, if you can't play but would like to contribute that would welcomed and very much appreciated.
Please visit the Hockey Beats Down official web site for all the details on how to play, volunteer and/or donate!
-LTL
