Anaheim Ducks
News broke last evening that Corey Perry had signed an 8 year deal totalling 69 million dollars to stay with the Anaheim Ducks and his newly signed centerman (also of 8 years), Ryan Getzlaf. [more…]
Saying I have very little knowledge about Justin Schultz is quite the understatement. I have never seen him play, until this post I had never looked at a single one of his stats, and ultimately this whole situation seemed reminiscent of teams fighting for the services of Matt Gilroy a few seasons ago (Gilroy was statistically not as good.) The only thing I really knew for sure is that he was Jake Gardiner’s defensive partner at the University of Wisconsin, and based on Gardiner’s performance Wisconsin does alright in the offensive defensemen development department.
On Friday, Bob McKenzie was the first to report that Justin Schultz was officially leaving school: [more…]
A very interesting story is beginning to develop out west. The Anaheim Ducks top prospect, defenseman Justin Schultz, has been the best blueliner in college for the past two seasons. We're talking about a 6'2 well-rounded defenseman with strong skating ability, slick passing ability, a very good point shot and a boatload of upside. During his age 20 and 21 years in the NCAA, he's scored 34 goals and 91 points in 78 games played for Wisconsin. Â There's the potential here for a future top pairing defenseman. Remember the Gardiner-Lupul trade last season? Schultz was a big reason that trade happened because the Ducks believed (and they may be right) that Justin was the better of the two talented young blueliners. Now here's the thing: he has not yet signed with the Ducks and is due to become a league-wide free agent this coming summer. [more…]
In part eight of his 12 burning questions series, Derek Harmsworth takes a look at the past year that has been for Tomas Kaberle, and whether he can put it all behind him and play at the top of his game.
Yes, I know. Â Yet another article dissecting the recent events that have surrounded Tomas Kaberle. Â I will pause briefly and let everyone get out that large groan now.
There, now that's out of the way.
Easily the longest serving member of the Toronto Maple Leafs on this current incarnation of the team, Tomas Kaberle has more or less seen it all in Toronto. Â Over the past eight years he has seen highs and lows, heroes and heartbreak, and has been entrenched as a constant on the Leafs blueline. [more…]
 As the systemic dismantling of this summer’s Stanley Cup champions continues in earnest, league watchers are crying foul. Where detractors of the current, hard revenue based cap once denounced the communistic, unilateral sharing of league revenue as the prime illustration of illogic in the CBA (alongside the long-long term contract loopholes), Monday’s exit of Antti Niemi from the Chicago Blackhawks has helped turn the club into the latest martyr’s of the cap.
The Toronto Star continues to shine a light on the Kaberle front. According to Brian Burke, he has "four concrete offers" on the table and seems to be rather confident he can land a first round pick. That said, the Toronto Sun suggest that of the six teams interested in Kaberle's services, the Ducks have expressed the strongest interest.
In 2005, the NHL was returning to work after a year long lockout, a bitter battle between players and owners over cost certainty. Â The entry draft in June of 2005 was really the beginning of a new era in hockey, and a new era for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who drafted Sidney Crosby first overall, a move that would change their fortunes forever.
Drafted second that year was Bobby Ryan. Â A big bodied power forward with tremendous skill, I had the chance to watch Ryan in person blaze up and down the ice for the Owen Sound Attack. Â One look at Ryan moving swiftly between checkers, puck on a string as he bobbed and weaved his way into a prime scoring area, and it was clear.
This dude was one heck of a consolation prize.
And the GM who was afforded that consolation prize, as you are all aware, was one Brian Burke. [more…]
In what could yet again prove to be a shrewd, prudent move, Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke has once again added another name to his [more…]
There has been much speculation that GM Brian Burke is working to acquire a 1st round pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and now [more…]
Ron Wilson, an alumnus from Providence College, was playing for Davos in the Swiss National League A in 1985 when pivotal Minnesota North Stars defenseman Craig Hartsburg was injured. Embroiled in a battle for a playoff spot, Minnesota were in tough to find a stabilizing replacement to hold down the North Stars backend whilst Hartsburg recovered. Ron Wilson, a standout collegiate defender who never rose above major league stopgap, became the go-to-guy having already played 13 games for the North Stars the season previous. A span that bullet pointed five seasons in Switzerland.
A grizzled journeyman by age 30; Wilson would provide stellar coverage in Hartsburg’s absence securing an presence on the North Stars blueline in the 1986-’87 season before completing his NHL playing career with Minnesota a year later.
The Dallas Stars have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for over a week now, but the season wasn't quite over for Mike Modano. Last night, in the last home game of the season, the Stars played host to the Anaheim Ducks in a game that will be remembered by Stars fans for a very long time.
Once again, a hit to the head results in a dangerous play. Now that the NHL is looking to add a new "head-shot" rule, it seems the hits are becoming more glaring and frequent than ever before. There are many opinions behind the events. Some feel now that the head-shots are public, players are doing it more often because it is in the back of their minds, while others feel it is a total lack of respect in the game that leads to inexcusable and vicious contact.
[more…]
