Totally Random

September 1, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

The calendar officially changes to September which should excite puckers everywhere. There’s preseason tournaments like Traverse City featuring Ranger prospects. Then training camps and early preseason games John Tortorella doesn’t care for which come to think of it, he’s got a point about.

How does one schedule a Sept.16 game versus the Devils at The Rock five days after Camp Tort opens? Makes little sense. In any event, that’s not our problem but one the Ranger coach must address in preparing his team that’s being universally disrespected despite having one of the best netminders in Henrik Lundqvist. So, there will be an awful lot to prove in Year One off last season’s trial by fire. Is Marian Gaborik made of tissue paper or can he silence critics? Can Wade Redden bounce back or is he destined for Hartford? Is Chris Drury better than this? Will anyone miss Nik Zherdev or turnover machine Scott Gomez? Perhaps management should be more worried about re-signing Brandon Dubinsky and wondering if they did enough to replace invaluable PK tandem Blair Betts and Freddy Sjostrom. Or if all the changes will work without accounting for team chemistry. Are you listening Slats?

Everywhere you look, the Devils have improved except for on the ice. Is it just a matter of Jacques Lemaire replacing Brent Sutter or will the club actually miss Brian Gionta and a key vet like John Madden who was more important than fans realize just from a locker room standpoint? Can ZZ Popp (Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner) perform as well as last year? Brian Rolston should be better by default but where’s the center depth? Are Paul Martin or Johnny Oduya good enough anchoring a suspect D? Or will they just be better due to a healthy and motivated Martin Brodeur neglecting how valuable Scott Clemmensen was? Perhaps it’s just their squeaky clean reputation that differentiates from their Broadway rivals who have won one more round the past two Springs. Don’t tell the experts.

The Islanders will be better by default just adding the wonderfully gifted John Tavares. How much pressure will the Canadian wiz face? At least he should help improve the offense as should a full season of Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey. Mark Streit will put up plenty of points, especially on the power play. Doug Weight can still play but does he last the season on the Island? Sean Bergenheim, Trent Hunter and Richard Park are nice players but hardly enough to help in the scoring department. At least they got Ricky D covered with vet additions Martin Biron and Dwayne Roloson. A huge upgrade over Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis, who now backs up Brodeur. It’ll be interesting to see how Scott Gordon fares in Year Two running the bench. Unlike the rival coaches, he should have plenty of time on his side.

Some other random musings around the league:

-We like what the Sabres have done adding much needed grit with Steve Montador, Cody McCormick, Jeff Cowan and bringing back Mike Grier but what is Darcy Regier waiting for with Drew Stafford?

-Looks like Alex Tanguay finally found a new home in St. Pete at one-year $2.5 million. But how much better is he than Vinny Prospal who at least stays on the ice? Don’t tell the clown management that.

-Who’s more annoying? Jim Balsillie or Dany Heatley?

-Gary Bettman doesn’t exactly look good either regarding the Phoenix situation.

-It’s nice that he still wants to play even if it’s back home for Modo but don’t ya think Peter Forsberg would be better suited on the golf course with Eric Lindros?

-It’s far too early for all the panic that’s come regarding Paul Kelly’s unceremonious NHLPA exit late last night. I don’t care if you’re the most read. We don’t know the real truth about why after two years, he’s being replaced by interim Executive Director Ian Penny. Maybe we should wait before characterizing the change and what it could mean moving forward.

-Unlike many, I don’t fully trust the league.

-The Olympic issue will come up again during the break but was NHL brass really going to deny Canadian players the opportunity to play on a huge international stage in Vancouver? Can you imagine what kind of message that would’ve sent? It’s still Canada’s game last we checked and they’ve gotten the shaft losing teams like Quebec and Winnipeg so Bettman Inc. could expand in American markets. One which failed miserably (Kansas City Scouts became Colorado Rockies) and the other unchartered territory that’s lost a ton of money. So, has it always worked? Does every market have to be perfect if we’re playing under what the league wanted costing an entire season? Nashville isn’t ideal and neither is Atlanta. We also never got the point of two teams in Florida. At least they gave Minnesota another chance.

Should Canada get another franchise? Perhaps. There’s a difference between the kind of arrogant entitlement Balsillie embarks on and whether it’s viable. I’ve always respected Canadians and felt that six out of 30 could probably be more. If it’s realistic, great. But nobody likes seeing any team move because of the fans. There will always be heartache. Look how close the Devils came to leaving. The Islanders aren’t exactly out of the woods yet until Charles Wang gets his new arena. I’d like the Coyotes to stay but wonder if having the team play in Glendale is beneficial. Despite rave reviews, it’s not as easy to get to and might explain some of the financial strain. It always helps if the team’s more competitive but how can Don Maloney do his job under such a distraction. Let’s just hope for the club’s future, the judge makes the best decision.

-Maybe we’re in the minority but I’m not trading away Patrick Marleau just yet. He wasn’t the problem last we checked. What about underachievers like Jonathan Cheechoo and classic teases like Milan Michalek?

-Sometimes, upsets happen. Just ask the 1999-00 St. Louis Blues who ironically were victimized by a pesky Sharks club. Speaking of which, wouldn’t Owen Nolan look good again in teal? The Irishman still has something left as his 25 goals in St. Paul proved. He’s got some of that grit recent Shark teams have lacked. While Lindros is retired a couple of years, the former 1990 Nordiques’ first overall pick is still going at 36. Want an underrated career? His 400-plus goals and 852 points along with 1,753 penalty minutes and 151 power play goals are a testament to the kind of rugged warrior he’s been. We saw that last year when he went with Colton Orr. If Minny’s out of it, this is the sorta player that can help someone next March.

-Darkhorse Cup pick: Anaheim. Nice addition teaming Finn ‘mates Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne while getting nice return for Pronger bringing back familiar face Joffrey Lupul and Luca Sbisa to a solid blueline led by Scott Niedermayer with Ryan Whitney and James Wisniewski in support. Randy Carlyle also has a pair of potential No.1′s in Jonas Hiller and J.S. Giguere. Plus quality depth up front making it look like there’s life after Brian Burke thanks to Bob Murray.

-And finally, a thought on Mark Everson’s recent speculative piece regarding Phil Kessel. The B’s top finisher is coming off shoulder surgery and likely won’t return until December. So, there’s no rush for them to get him re-signed. They can patiently wait it out before worrying about fitting him into their cap. If Marco Sturm, Michael Ryder and Blake Wheeler get out of the gate quickly, that won’t help Kessel’s bargaining power. David Krejci also looks like he’ll be back sooner and Patrice Bergeron should be better this season. There’s also reliable vet Mark Recchi and underrated Chuck Kobasew. Plus bruiser Milan Lucic. Plenty of teams wish they had Boston’s problems.