TropicalFruitGirl26

@jammer2 , everyone else, I will have a detailed Minnesota Wild write up soon. Was going to do it now, but my youngest is being a pill right now... Anyways, in short, top six for MIN at this time, IMO, 1-Parise-Granlund-Pominville 2-Vanek-Coyle-Niedderreiter Again, will get into detail later, and these are still up in the air as well due to Nino still sitting as an RFA, not knowing the status of Jason Zucker on the team, and how Mikko Koivu will fit in (last season, he was in and out of the top six.

Yep... Top to bottom, I believe this will be the hardest division to compete in, grab a playoff spot out of, and possibly, beat in any Championship series. Ok, ok...not saying the winner of the Stanley Cup or even the Western Conference will be coming out of the Central, but just saying looking at the teams 1-7, they look to be, at least on paper, the toughest grouping out of the four divisions. I still think the Pacific contains the top three of the very best in the West (San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles), at least based on last season, but after those three, the drop off is pretty steep and the bottom feeders there, Calgary and Edmonton have alot to prove before anyone can take them seriously as playoff contenders. Over in the East, the Metro has the Pens, still seemingly at number one, but with the changes made to their roster, I believe they will have to re-establish themselves, which opens the door for other teams such as the Rangers, Flyers, and possibly the Capitals and Devils Still though, the Metro has teams with real big flaws, again, at least on paper, and none really scream "Stanley Cup contender"....and a team like the Isles, though looking to be improved, and the Canes can still be bottom feeders all season. The Atlantic, another tough looking division, also is home to the Panthers, Sabres, and Senators...three teams who most likely will struggle this coming season. Panthers may surprise, but will have to prove they belong amongst real contenders...and even the Leafs will have to shake off the horrible 2nd half of last year to once again show they belong on the same ice surface as legit playoff contenders. This brings us back to the Central Division. The Blackhawks and Blues still lead the way here, IMO, despite neither winning the division crown last year. Both have extremely talented and deep rosters and I think no one will be surprised if either makes the Western Conference or Stanley Cup Finals. The Avalanche, last year's Central winners, were the victims of possibly some youth and inexperience, but no doubt have a ultra fast and talented team that can play, skate, and hit with anyone in the league. I think they look to improve upon a very good season last year and have the opportunity to make a deep playoff run with the maturing young stars mixed in with solid vets. Minnesota, who BEAT the Central champs on the playoffs, also have a very good maturing core group, led by vets such as Mikko Koivu, Ryan Suter, and Zach Parise. They too look to improve upon the season they had last year....and look to make life miserable throughout the season the other teams they play along the way to making the playoffs. Dallas Stars, a good group of up n coming players, anchored by the very solid goaltending of Keri Lehtonen. The Stars have shown flashes of being able to play with anyone in the NHL, including the big boys over in the Pacific, though seemingly, fall short in some key areas. Again though, when young players like what the Stars have gain experience to add to their already awesome talent, they just get tougher and tougher to beat. Good combo of speed, skating, defense, and agitation on this team that will give any team all they can handle. The two "weak" teams in the division, the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets, only seem that way in comparison to the rest of the division. Honestly, I would take either of these two over any other division's bottom two (Calgary, Edmonton.....Buffalo, Florida.....NY Islanders, Carolina). Particularly Nashville. They made a coaching change, going from defensive minded Barry Trotz to offensive minded Peter Laviolette...along with adding some good pieces that look to be more in attack mode than defend mode. Throw in a healthy Pekka Rinne, the always good Nashville defensive type players, the nastiness of some of the players they have (Paul Gaustad, Anton Volchenkov for instance) and you have the makings of a team that will give fits to anyone. Winnipeg? Well, if they figure out what type of team they want to be, then play that way consistently, they too can be problematic for the rest of the league. I've seen the Jets play fast n loose, tight defensively, and go on forechecking sprees that would leave most teams bruised and battered by the 3rd period. They just need to pick a style (or mixture of styles), play it effectively and consistently, thereby gaining a team identity, and they should be tough for anyone. Goaltending on the Jets may still be an issue. Ondrej Pavelec may or may not be the answer there, but really, with a few nudges in the right direction, the team may not make the playoffs again this year, but should always be tough for anyone playing them. What do you think, HF Family...... Toughest division, top team through bottom team, the Central, in the NHL? Anyone else, please feel free to add agreement or disagreement and why. Would love to hear from ya!

Here is my Bolts top six: 1) Palat, Johnson, Stamkos 2) Callahan, Filpoula, Killorn Now, on those 1st two lines, Palat and Callahan can possibly be switched depending on who is producing better. Palat, Johnson, and Stamkos, however, found tremendous chemistry together once they started becoming regular linemates. Steve Stamkos, is of course, a center (as is Alex Killorn on the second line) but both those guys play the wing just as well, and in the case of Stamkos, keeping the well playing Tyler Johnson and Valterri Filppula at their ideal C positions was worth the move to wing....and he embraces it. That said, should Johnson struggle, Stamkos can be made the top center, and perhaps move one of Callahan or Killorn up to the top line to play wing alongside he and Palat. Same is true of Palat if he struggles. A wild card in all this will be Jonathan Drouin. Word is, the Bolts really want him to make the team right out of training camp. If he does, they may try him out at first on the 3rd line, but if he proves to be too good there (which is the plan), HE may be move to one of the top lines, bumping perhaps Alex Killorn to what I believe would be his best fit on a deep team, 3rd line scoring/checking center. Other guys like Nikita Kucherov and Richard Panik, if they prove consistent, can and have found themselves at various times skating with either Stamkos, Johnson, or Filppula on the top lines at various times. Whether they can stay there is the big question. Guys like Brian Boyle, newly signed Brenden Morrow, JT Brown, and possible callups Mike Angelidis, Phillippe Paradis, or Dalton Smith should and probably will occupy the bottom six roles along with whomever doesn't make the cut for the top two lines. One other guy who is an unknown at this point is Brett Connolly. He is still sitting as an RFA, but I thought I heard through some TB media that the Lightning were looking to give him a contract and want him to also make the team out of training camp...with the idea that he can be a top six guy. He has been given a few chances in the past already, has performed so-so at the NHL level, but doing fantastic at the AHL level. If the Bolts keep him, he makes the team, and does at the NHL level what he has been doing at Syracuse, then he could be top six, again, possibly pushing Alex Killorn, a struggling Ondrej Palat, or even a Ryan Callahan, down to the 3rd line.

hehe...thanks @jammer2 , was just reading this thread and was pondering the Bolts' line combinations. In the meantime, while I come up with some (I have a pretty good idea already), I'll comment on your Islanders section: I agree the Islanders have real good depth at forward. Thing is, will they be the same ol Islanders? They've had PLENTY of talent go through their ranks over the years...some more than others..but for whatever reason, be it mismanagement of the talent, poor line combinations, or any sorts of positive endorsements from the coaching staff and/or brass, the team simply has not performed as well at the forward positions as they probably should have leading up to this point for the franchise in recent seasons. Some guys seem to peak while others valley...then vice versa...then when the forwards get some traction, the defense and goaltending deflate the team by being vortexes of failure. And while the Isles did grab some talent to add to their own, they latched on to guys who need to re-prove themselves as viable top six guys once again. Mikhail Grabovski comes to mind right away. And one of the Isle's own, Michael Grabner. After a pretty good rookie season, Grabner has shown almost nothing....leaving the lone constant in the Islanders forward group John Taveras to try and carry the team solo. I can agree with the Isles' lineups you've chosen, but again...are these guys going to show what they can REALLY do? Or will they be the latest victims of the black hole known as Long Island, NY?

Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed their 2009 2nd round draft pick, Richard Panik. 1 yr, two way contract...terms not announced. http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/bay...gn_fo.html Bolts also re-sign 23 yr old checking center Philippe Paradis, also to a one year, two way contract, along with FA veteran Brenden Morrow, who gets a one year contract, reportedly for $1.55 Mil. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=72603...l:topheads http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/bay..._deal.html The Paradis signing was most likely for the AHL Syracuse Crunch, although the two way part, suggests the Bolts may bring him up to man the 4th line...an area the Bolts will need to reconstruct with the departures of BJ Crombeen and Nate Thompson. Brenden Morrow will bring leadership and experience to a still mostly young TB team along with the previously re-signed Ryan Callahan. Morrow will also most likely lead the way on the 4th line and work with whichever young forwards the Lightning bring up from Syracuse. Richard Panik is the key re-sign here. At his best, he can be a pretty good goal scorer, damned good checker, and a super pest on top of all that. He has shown that plenty of times in the AHL, and flashes of it with the Lightning. Problem is, he has not been consistent with his game....particularly at the NHL level. Seems either the speed of the game or the decision making has not translated well to this point for him. The guy is still only 23, so he has time still to figure things out for his career...but his time with the Lightning may be running out. The two way contract he was given probably means he may start in the minors once again, with the intention of bringing him up if he continues to shine at the AHL level. Thing is, if he is brought up again and still not produce at the NHL level, the Lightning may either move him mid season, or simply let him walk at the end of his one year contract. Bolts simply have too many young forwards vying for spots in both the AHL and NHL levels for them to continue to wait for Panik to "get it" when it comes to his NHL play. Shame too. During the times when he's been on his game playing for the Lightning, he reminded me a bit of Claude Lemieux lite: I.E., good all around game, and irritating the living crap out of the opposition. Bolts could certainly use a guy that can do that consistently against teams such as Boston, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia....you know, the kinds of teams who, if you do things right, you can have them get their emotions get the better of them. We will see.

Tellin ya, JoeT... It was the Heatley signing in Anaheim that triggered this knee jerk reaction........

The only problem with enforcing this 'embellishment' thing, especially in regards to falling, is that poor Scott Hartnell will be penalized RELENTLESSLY because the officials will keep thinking he falls down on purpose! And he will go bankrupt with fines from the league too! No one will care that THAT IS HOW HE PLAYS! He just....falls.....can't help it....he is trying NOT to...but, well, he and gravity, simply don't get along....

I am all for it. The flopping, falling, and injury feigning in other leagues is downright embarrassing, and I dont' want that nonsense to find a permanent home in the NHL. So put away your flippers, oxygen tanks, body suits, wet caps, and harpoons boys.....if things go well, diving will be outlawed and punishment will be swift!

On the opening 11 games....hmmm....I am thinking perhaps Minnesota can get six wins out of those and finish that stretch over .500. Speculating on that, here is my breakdown: One of the home @ homes against the Avs = 1One of either @KingSkaggz24 or @ Ducks = 2 I think the Wild CAN beat the Yotes (they have issues on defense)=3I like their chances against the retooled Rangers...Bruins the very next day should be tough, so give them one game here=4 Home for the next three...Sharks, Stars, Pens....I think the Wild can take any 2 of those three (thinking Stars and Pens)=6There are the six wins needed for a winning record. Wild give the Stars fits at home (the reverse is true as well), and the Pens need to re-establish themselves as "a team to beat" in the East, and frankly, may not be all that interested in this particular cross conference game...they are like that sometimes...hehe. Minnesota's sound, structured zone defense, improved scoring (on paper at least), and solid Darcy Kuemper goaltending should help carry them through and help them deal with even some of the higher scoring teams like Anaheim, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, or Colorado. So, yea, I'll go out on a limb a bit, go homer pick, and say Minny takes 6 of the opening 11.

Hehe....what were YOU thinking? Perhaps $1M over 30 games? LOL

From NHL.com http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=725828&navid=nhl:topheads Dany Heatley signs with the Ducks.... 1 Yr, $1M dollar contract. Ducks have been putting together quite a team to try and eclipse the pretty good one they had last year, and adding a guy like Heatley to their bottom six gives them that much more depth. Dany may find his game yet again and make the Ducks that much more difficult to match up against...but even if he doesn't, it's a million bucks (low priced for a scoring forward in the NHL), the Ducks could always just healthy scratch him, and be none the worse for wear due to the insane amount of talent the team has already on the forward lines and what they have added in the off season. Long gone are the days when Dany Heatley can streak down lines and make defenders look like pylons....but if he puts forth any effort, even a fraction of what he used to be can help his new team. And the best part for Anaheim (or WORST, if you are a division rival)? The team STILL has plenty of cap space to play with. Anaheim isn't messing around this year. They are loading up and going for it all. Heatley represents low risk, high reward and should not adversely affect the Ducks no matter how he turns out.

I don't have the ability to edit your posts, HF, but I can put some teams with some players, and you or another mod can add them to your post. Atlantic Boston- Brad Marchand Toronto- Leo Komarov Ottawa- Chris Neil Montreal- PK Subban or Alexei Emelin Florida- Sean Bergenheim Buf, TB, and Det, to my knowledge, don't have a stand out agitator type. Metro NYR- Dominic Moore or Dan Carcillo NYI- Cal Clutterbuck or Cory Conacher Pitt- Patric Hornqvist Phi- Zac Rinaldo Cbs- Brandon Dubinsky NJ, Wash, and Car don't have any that stand out to me Central Minnesota- Matt Cooke (duh!), Stephane Viellieux, Nate Prosser Chicago- Johnny Oduya Nashville- Richard Clune Winnipeg- Devin Setoguchi St. Louis- Steve Ott, Barrett Jackman Dallas- Ryan Garbutt, Vernon Fiddler The Avs dont seem to have one. All I have for now. Will leave others to fill out the Pacific (teams I see the least, though I can come up with some names right away for a team or two...hehe. If anyone can come up with some legit names for the divisions I already did, that would be outstanding. =) Also, pests, enforcers, and rat players (dirty players) aren't necessarily the same thing, so keep that in mind. Although, some pests can fall into those other categories as well.

Yes, well, I think Claude has learned his lesson.... Copping a feel is one thing...... Feeling a cop? Well, now, that is something else entirely and it will get you the front page for the wrong reasons, make it necessary to issue an apology to the team, and generate dozens upon dozens of threads on forums the inter-web wide about your antics. In short, he won't ever hear the.........end of it....

Ok, you two need to knock it off, otherwise punishments will arise that will en-TAIL you two to END up banned for har-ASS-ing each other, and HF will be miffed two of his best posters would stoop to such BOTTOM feeding humor just to get BACK at each other..........

Ahh, the ORIGINAL 'dipsy doodler'. Well, at least from my recollection in getting interested in the sport in the mid 90's. I remember broadcast announcers saying things like, "Kovalev with the puck...dipsy doodling his way across the red line...gains the blue line....goes behind the net..." I also understood that, along with driving his coaches nuts (I believe Iron Mike Keenan was one, with the Rangers), it absolutely befuddled defensemen as they were never quite sure whether he was going to keep skating, dish off the puck, etc..... His coaches, I am sure, would have preferred he not confuse his OWN linemates as well (putting them offsides with his convoluted movements and puck handling) and having them wonder where they should be to receive a possible pass that may or may not come. But like @flyercanuck said...it spoke to his uncanny ability to move, skate and do all sorts of things with that puck....and all with seemingly, minimal effort. During his day, you had other Russian players who brought a variety of things to their teams: Igor Lirianov with his superb passing and playmaking ability, Darius Kasperitis who brought a hard hitting, nasty, many would say dirty, brand of hockey to the rink, and Sergei Federov who was a goal scoring machine with speed to burn...just to name a few. Then you had Alexei Kovalev. The guy who many said had the qualities of some of those guys I mentioned, but never could quite put it together to be considered a 'super star' in the league...yet, he was always sought after by teams, probably, for no other reason than they believed that "this would be the time in his career he becomes top-of-the-line elite". One could only wonder what this man could have accomplished statistically had his drive matched his talent. Haven't looked it up at the time of this posting, and I could have some of my facts mixed up, but I believe his name is on the Cup ionce, with the NYR in 1994 and he spent the rest of his NHL career in Pittsburgh, Montreal and Ottawa during times when those teams were not really considered Stanley Cup contenders...though he was looked upon to help move them towards that.

I commented on McGinn/Pick thread that I reallly didn't know much about him either, @J0e Th0rnton , so I tuned in here to see what was being said. Doesn't sound like a ton of upside, but keep this in mind: As was mentioned, he is still only 23 with good size AND don't you guys have his brother Jamie on your roster? For whatever it's worth, maybe Tye will look forward to playing alongside his sibling and that alone could help elevate his game to NHL status. Worth a 3rd rounder in a deep 2015 draft? Probably not, but as you are very well aware, the Sharks are not looking at picks down the road....they want to win a Cup as soon as yesterday...... Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau aren't getting any younger, so live bodies that can help in any way, shape or form are what SJ probably wants....and McGuinn probably represents more potential right here, right now than a pick later on. EDIT: Ooops. Did some checking on Jamie McGuinn after I posted...he has actually been long gone from San Jose...my bad. Alllriighty then (in my best Emily Litella of SNL fame voice) "That is different then....nevermind!"

Well, depending on what your opinion is on McGinn (and from what I've gathered on this site, it isn't very high), the Flyers did well to trade off a guy who perhaps the team would not really use on their big club for a 3rd rounder in a supposedly deep draft. 2015 is supposed to be so loaded, that even in the 3rd round, teams may find guys that normally would go in the 2nd round / late 1st round on any other draft.........under that scenario, kudos to Philly for that particular trade. I will be honest, I don't know much about McGuinn, so can't really comment on what the Sharks may get out of him. Who knows, he may turn out to be a decent player for them. As for Nicky Schultz...wow..he is making the rounds isn't he. Funny thing is, the Schultz isn't terrible by any stretch.....but it isn't all that good either. He is just one of those players that is so middling, so plain vanilla, so......umm, STOCK, that if you get mad at the signing or be happy with it, you'd be right either way! I will sum up Nick Schultz with this photo: Uh huh. Shutterstock hockey player. Exactly. The guy is so standard in about everything he does. Heck, 6'1 200 pounds...even his SIZE is stock.... He won't make any outstanding or even very good plays....but isn't a big turnover machine either, and will usually just move the puck along in the most basic fashion. You will get almost ZERO offensive production from the guy, again, he is a stock defenseman so no surprise there, but also, he will do the standard things to break up developing plays and as long as the rushers aren't top tier players he's got a better than average ability to shut the play down. He is a decent checker, but not overly physical. He isn't particularly fast, but not slow either....yes, you guessed it, about standard speed...... At this point, I think Flyer fans get the gist here. Is he an upgrade over a guy like Hal Gill or a Nick Grossman? Maybe, maybe not... Hal Gill doesn't have very many redeeming qualities, but the man IS huge....if he can manage to make contact with a forward, he most likely puts them down. Schultz is faster, but he won't really put anyone down. Grossman is probably a better checker as well, however, Schultz will not cough up the puck as much as he would......unless of course he deals with an 'above standard' forward, in which case he may have a bit of trouble there.... Stock, stock, stock.... He has plenty experience, probably won't cost alot, but most of his experience is in doing things in standard, unspectacular ways. Hey, maybe Philly could use "standard" right about now. But if the Flyers have anyone for the blue line in their system that is remotely ready for the NHL, then Standard Schultz becomes Placeholder Schultz real fast. I don't hate the guy. Didn't hate him in Minnesota. There were times when his "stock-ness" was fresh air compared to the lousy defense I saw some D-men on the team at the time play. Still though, I got this urge to eat plain vanilla ice cream whenever he took the ice....or if I was really hungry, maybe just a plain ol burger on plain white bread...... Don't know why I felt that way.......

You know, for all the crap people are giving this signing, this may turn out to be pretty good for the Pens. Granted, Steve Downie IS the poster boy for not-so-good decisions on the ice, but underneath all the garbage is a pretty good 2nd/3rd line type player. When he first ended up in Tampa Bay, he was what most people expected: a complete hothead, always looking for a fight, taking penalties at the most inopportune time, and seemingly more concerned about who was "out to get him" rather than helping his team win. Over time, playing with certain personalities who really cared about the game, Steve Downie actually became a good, reliable offensive threat....while still being a sandpaper type player and picking the right times to stick up for his teammates. And I've often read how Rick Tocchet was credited with helping him along. Also, playing with the likes of Steve Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier, and Marty St. Louis at the time could have helped because Downie, regardless of people's opinions on him, IS a proud guy and I could see Tocchet talking into his ear telling him he could be every bit as good as those guys on the ice if he wanted to be. Downie gets traded to the Avalanche, where he continued his good play, but somewhere along the way, for reasons I am not anywhere near knowing why, he seemed to have reverted to his knucklehead ways....and the Avalanche simply were not gonna coddle him, saw him as expendable, and off to Philly he went. Back in Philly, he seemed lost quite frankly. Yes he got injured, but he just seemed like he didn't know where he fit in or what he was supposed to be doing out there. Well deserved criticism can be leveled at Downie for whatever his issues in Philly were (concussions aside), because he IS a professional, IS talented, and should act as such. But see, the thing is, Steve Downie just seems to me like the kind of guy who needs some sort of authority figure to take an interest in him and guide him. Steve Downie is NOT a leader, he is a classic follower. For better or worse and however people want to take that...that is who he is near as I can tell. To get the most out of him, it appears one has to basically treat him like a rebellious teen (yes, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but hey, it is what it is), and make him see that doing certain things a certain way is for his own good, and in the process, he can be a big help to his team. There aren't too many people in the NHL who are gonna treat Downie with those kinds of kid gloves....nor should he really expect that. But for whatever reason, Rick Tocchet did. And perhaps, using the same type of psychology on the guy as he did in Tampa, except this time, using Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz, etc as models, he and the Pens coaching staff can once again get GOOD hockey out of Downie while at the same time acquiring themselves a guy who can do the dirty work so guys like Sidney Crosby don't have to....... i.e., deal with the opposition's agitators and goons. Bottom line for the Pens: It's a one year deal and quite cheap at that. Pens have nothing to lose. If Downie is STILL an idiot, then the Pens can scratch him as was suggested, then let him walk at season's end and be none the worse for wear. But if Downie gets his head screwed on straight (well, about as straight as a guy like him can, anyways), then the Pens have themselves a really good player that can fill the offensive roles (as well as the pest and fighting/roughing roles) of departed players such as James Neal, Joe Vitale, and Derek Engelland...all in one package. IMO, classic case of low risk, high reward.

Blame Ron Hextall.... The Flyers GM didn't nab Giroux any new linemates on FA Signing Day, so the guy gets drunk and decides to 'grab' his OWN......

Heh...it's all good @jammer2 , hey he IS a veteran, and not a very old one at that (31). Perhaps after bouncing around so much (Edm, Min, Fla, now Mon) and seeing many kinds of systems and playing with different types of guys, a light goes on in his head and a message pops up saying, "Hey, guy, you are a DEFENSEMAN first and foremost...prioritize that and the rest of the things you can do will be a bonus to your team." I don't hate the guy, but I often found myself grumbling whenever he botched coverage while with the Wild.

Errrr....b-b-buttplugs??? LOL.....alllrighty then...I've heard players called lots of things, but rear exit blockers? Never....haha. Anyways, back to the Panthers, I see where Erik Gudbranson is STILL a RFA. Panthers better not have gotten so crazy with Day 1 deals that they forget they need to sign this promising young D-man to a decent contract. If they do, and the Lightning still have cap room (capgeek is down, LOL, as I type this), I'd love for the Bolts to tender him an offer and maybe start him in the AHL Syracuse, then call him up after the season starts if one of the D-men with the Lightning falter. That shouldn't happen though....I am pretty sure the Panthers will be smart enough to re-sign their RFA......right?

LOL...I agree with you on many things, @jammer2 , but I nearly spit up my lemonade after reading "....pretty good in his own end" in regards to Gilbert. Granted, he is a nice offensive defensman, low maintenence if you will, but frankly, quite soft on defense, and I have seen him get spun around like a top by middling type forwards in one on one situations. I am thinking maybe a nicely structured team on defense like Montreal may bring out something better in him over the Panthers whose defense was porous at best, but Gilbert had a structured defense in Minnnesota, and they bought him out because his defense was sub par.

JoeT.... Derek Mackenzie, formerly of the Blue Jackets, can be added to the Panthers signee list.