InsideEdge

Early Season Injury Issues The NHL season is up and running and the injury bug has already hit hard. Buffalo Sabres star Jack Eichel is just one of many injury casualties. The young phenom was injured Wednesday at practice. He appeared to get tangled up with Zemgus Girgensons in front of the net. The collision left Eichel lying on the ice grabbing his left ankle in pain. VIDEO The injury dampers the excitement of opening the season this Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. "You’re looking at one of your key players, one of your best players going down in pain on the ice," head coach Dan Bylsma said. "It’s not a good thing. We’re going to let it calm down here and get it evaluated and see the extent of him turning his ankle there.” Buffalo confirmed Thursday morning that Eichel did suffer a left high-ankle sprain. The time table given by the team was weeks. It is speculated it could be up to six weeks. Injury Updates: Carey Price – Montreal – Flu – Will miss opener versus Buffalo. Speculation is that this may be more that the flu. Very odd to make starting determination two day out with the flu. Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles – Lower body injury – Was injured Wednesday night versus the San Jose Sharks. This one looks long term. Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh – Concussion – Taking it day-to-day with no timetable for return. Scary situation with the amount of concussions that he has had. Partice Bergeron – Boston – Lower body injury – day-to-day Ryan O’Reilly – Buffalo – Back injury – day-to-day Tyler Seguin – Dallas – Heel – day-to-day Nick Bjugstad – Florida – Broken Hand – Long-term Jonathan Huberdeau – Florida – Achilles Cut – Long-term Marion Gaborik – Los Angeles – Broken Right Foot – Long-term injury sustained at World Cup. Matt Murray – Pittsburgh – Broken Hand – day-to-day Jayden Schwartz – St. Louis – Elbow – Long-term Ryan Callahan – Tampa Bay – Hip – Long-term INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS

It is that time of year again— yes the best time of year, the start of the National Hockey League season. After a busy summer of player moves the question is, Who will win the Stanley Cup? and will my favorite team make the playoffs? Well here is this seasons predictions from the Inside Edge Hockey News. 2016-2017 NHL Predictions PACIFIC DIVISION 1- Anaheim Ducks – 104 pts 2 – San Jose Sharks – 100 pts 3 – Calgary Flames – 95 pts 4 – Edmonton Oilers – 92 pts 5 – Los Angeles Kings – 90 pts 6 – Arizona Coyotes – 88 pts 7 – Vancouver Canucks – 68 pts The Pacific Division features some teams that are aging and some teams that are young and ready to breakout. Los Angeles will fall off pace this year, and Calgary and Edmonton will move up. CENTRAL DIVISION 1 – St. Louis Blues – 101 pts 2 – Dallas Stars – 100 pts 3 – Chicago Blackhawks – 99 pts 4 – Nashville Predators – 96 pts WC 5 – Winnipeg Jets – 95 pts WC 6 – Minnesota Wild – 88 pts 7 – Colorado Avalanche – 70 pts The Central Division remains strong. Any of the top 3 teams could win this division. Minnesota will slip up a bit. Lack of offense will hold them back. The Jets and Predators will earn Wildcard spots. The beasts of the west come from the Central Division. ATLANTIC DIVISION 1- Tampa Bay Lightning – 109 pts 2 – Florida Panthers – 104 pts 3 – Boston Bruins – 101 pts 4 – Montreal Canadiens – 96 pts WC 5 – Ottawa Senators – 88 pts 6 – Detroit Red Wings – 78 pts 7 – Buffalo Sabres – 77 pts 8 – Toronto Maple Leafs – 76 pts Tampa Bay will run away with this division. Florida will continue to improve, and I look for Boston to bounce back. Buffalo and Toronto will be improved but still struggle for a few more years. Yes, Detroit will not make the playoffs. METROPOLITAN DIVISION 1 – Washington Capitals – 106 pts 2 – Pittsburgh Penguins – 103 pts 3 – Philadelphia Flyers – 98 pts 4 – New York Rangers – 90 pts WC 5 – Carolina Hurricanes – 88 pts 6 – New Jersey Devils – 86 pts 7 – New York Islanders – 80 pts 8 – Columbus Blue Jackets – 72 pts This will be Washington’s year. They will win the division again, and roll into the playoffs. Philadelphia will surprise some teams, and the New York Rangers will hang on to earn a wildcard spot. The Islanders will be the team that falls off pace. PLAYOFF – CONFERENCE FINALS STANLEY CUP FINALS STANLEY CUP CHAMPION INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS

World Cup Failure, and Future When the World Cup of Hockey was announced most hockey fans including myself were excited. It was going to be great. Best-on-best, hard hitting hockey in the summer. What could be better? Well that’s not exactly how it went. What fans got was lackluster play, lack of intensity (no hitting), and honestly not very competitive hockey. This has resulted in poor television ratings, especially in the US. Empty seats have also been an unexpected problem. Very low price tickets at the Air Canada Centre (the meca of hockey) for the Finals have also been very common. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly even admitted “There’s not a lot of Torontos.” it is the center of the hockey world. “Even for this market and its hockey passion, it was at times challenging.” The reason ---- Team USA! If Team USA was playing Team Canada in the Finals, I can’t help but think that we would be singing a different tune. The excitement of this tournament was the fact that US and Canada, Russia and Canada, or US and Russia would meet in the finals. Unfortunately that did not happen. Team USA lost out in three straight and Team Canada for the most part rolled everyone that stepped in their path. That begs the question, what is next for the World Cup? The concept of the World Cup was to showcase the NHL’s greatest stars, and for the league to generate some extra revenue. Well that did not happen. With seats for the Finals unsold, (at a cost less than a regular season Toronto Maple Leafs game) things are not looking to positive. When originally announced the thought of many, including me was, that the World Cup was being setup to replace the Olympics. NHL participation in the Olympics is something that the league is for, but there are some major hurdles. The time of year (during the regular season), location (foreign countries without the needed amenities), and the fact that the league receives no revenue all make it hard to the league to commit to shutting down their season. With the leagues decision to go or not go, to the next Olympics looming, the World Cup looked the perfect opportunity for the NHL to use this as bargaining power with the Olympic committee and fans. Well that plan may just have backfired. NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman did say that this would not be a one and out, and that the World Cup would return in 3-5 years. He also stated that there would be changes and improvements. The first area that will be addressed is the location. Toronto is the hockey hotbed of the world, but does it make sense to have it all in one city? Having multiple cities would increase excitement and eliminate day games. Is the time of year perfect? I thought it was, but the crowds and excitement level tell me otherwise. Will Team Europe and North America continue to exist? Team North America was by far the most exciting team to watch, but will those players want to play for their country. What are the correct number teams? There is talk that the NHL is considering full country participation (just like the Olympics) where qualifying games would be needed. That would increase the revenue drastically. It would make the tournament global, and increase intensity levels. There are many aspects that need to be considered, and like everything it takes learning to improve, and time to grow. The World Cup is here to stay, but there is no question that improvements are needed. What they will be are up in the air… I do have one solution that would increase excitement guaranteed – USA versus Canada best of five!…. Just a thought.

The 20-year-old Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl has forced the hockey world to take notice. He is on fire! His overtime game winner today over the Czech Republic made him the only player with more than one goal thus far in the World Cup. The young Oiler has only played 102 NHL games thus far, not too many considering his World Cup team average age is 30.3 years of age. The youngster looks comfortable leading Team Europe. Los Angeles Kings star Anze Kopitar described jokingly his teammate Draisaitl, “He’s a ringer”. Team Europe is taking the World Cup by surprise a quick 2-0 start has everyone on notice. In game one Team Europe shocked everyone by handling Team USA 3-0. They followed that up with an overtime victory over the Czech Republic. For a team of players thrown together head coach Ralph Krueger really has them gelling, and working together. * Team North America Matt Murray made 24 saves, but fell 4:07 shy of the shutout in Game 1. He registered 15 of Pittsburgh’s 16 playoff wins en route to its Stanley Cup victory in June (2.08 GAA, .923 SV%, 1 SO). One has to be thinking that he will be the starter come opening night for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Where does this leave veteran Marc-Andre Fleury. * Jacob Markstrom, who filled in for a sick Henrik Lundqvist, turned aside 27-of-28 shots. Markstrom won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2013 World Championship and a silver at the 2009 World Juniors, where he was named the best goaltender of the tournament after posting a 1.61 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in five games. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS

Table Hockey Art: Revive the Memories Many hockey fans that grew up in the 70s and 80s spent many hours battling it out with their friends on a table hockey board. Hours and hours of good wholesome fun and memories were made on table hockey boards throughout Canada and the US. Where are your table hockey boards today? A Toronto based artist, Anthony Jenkins is bringing old table hockey boards back to life, and producing amazing pieces of hockey art along the way. This is the most unique and amazing pieces of hockey art that I have seen. Seeing these great pieces of art brought back numerous memories of classic table hockey games. ABOUT ANTHONY JENKINS: Anthony Jenkins was born in Toronto and spent a happy childhood there. He was a Leafs fan and played organized hockey as a kid. His first team, circa age 8, was 'Baby Bunny Nuts' (A hot peanut vending machine firm of the day) out of Scarborough, Ontario. He was lousy then and, many decades later, remains mediocre - but still loves the game He plays, in Orangeville, Ontario, with the 'Rusty Blades' pickup group. HOW THE CONCEPT STARTED: As a working artist (for many years an editorial cartoonist and illustrator with the Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper) he found hockey was ill served by art; cute kids on frozen ponds being the gold standard. Having played table hockey as a boy, man, and father he became alarmed to learn that these icons of his childhood and his culture were facing extinction, killed by video games. At the same time, he found himself lamenting that the innocently-revered idols of a Hockey Night In Canada youth were being overshadowed by flawed and merchandized sportsmen of today. The 'Game Faces' series, jointly conceived with friend, line mate and fellow artist Larry Humber, is his homage to that innocent Canadian past where fun didn't have to be plugged in. The idea was adapted from that of Larry Humber. He took the table hockey games of our youth, striped of the players and glued on different things - animals, glitter bric and brac, etc. to make art pieces, laid flat. I came to the realization that, turned upright, the boards made a natural frame, hung. I'm a portrait guy - actually primarily a cartoonist, and adding portraits of NHL stars from the classic table hockey era finished the idea. I got most of the games off EBay. Most of the games are nearly 30 years since manufacture. It is getting more difficult and expensive to find. Most are 'Eagle Toys Gretzky Overtime' games and I try, if possible, to include teams for which the player portrayed played - for example having Oilers and Rangers on a Messier game board. The games are titled after the each players nickname, “The Rocket,” “Moose,” “The Big M,” “Super Mario,” “The Golden Jet,” etc. Originally I painted about 25 games, games mostly procured from eBay, and they all sold, although over a 10 year span, and many showings in galleries and bars. I limited the subjects exclusively to Hall of Famers. A recent challenge to this wonderful art is the limited access to these old table hockey games. I used to be able to find games for around $75. They were not that hard to find. Now it is a whole new story. They are much harder to find and usually run in the $125-$150 range. Games are now 25 years old, the good, solid 'Gretzky' games of the 80s and 90s are now 25 years old and harder/more expensive to find and acquire. This problem will only get worse as each year passes. THE “GAME FACES” COLLECTION: The “Game Faces” collection consisted of 20 feature pieces of art. The collection was sold for $600 per piece, and is sold out, with the exception of Brett Hull. The collection was well thought out and very popular. Key pieces in the collection were Guy Lafleur, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky and the late Gordie Howe. CUSTOM ORDERS: After creating such a wildly popular original collection the question was asked “Do you do customs? Yep, I am happy to do customs. Including any star you'd like or your uncle Bob, or your just graduated son, and even a recently promoted/retired Dad. I have created many customs, some that come to mind are; Gump, Stevie Y, Domi and Wendel Clark. The price is $700 for most custom orders – plus shipping. Contact Anthony Jenkins for final price quotes . “I loved playing table hockey and I love doing the paintings.” Anthony Jenkins INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Written By Brad Burud in collaboration with Anthony Jenkins

Gaudreau is a great player but the 8 million mark scares me and I am a Flames fan. His play on the road is horrible - (thanks for the stats JR Ewing). This makes me very hesitant. I honestly think a 7.25 for 6 years makes sense for all. He is a great player and a fan favorite. He sells tickets! This all plays a role. Time is running out - --

Last years regular season struggles and failure to make the playoffs left many in Calgary shaking their heads. The challenges the Flames faced last season may just have been minimal to the challenges that they faced during the off-season. Goaltending was a critical issue, and getting key RFA players signed was also a very high priority. With the trade for Brian Elliott done, and the goaltending question answered it was time to tackle the RFA troubles. First the Flames locked up young star center Sean Monahan. He signed a seven-year $44.625 million dollar contract, which boiled down to a $6.365 million annual hit. The focus then turned to the speedy Johnny Gaudreau. Well that negotiation has taken longer to solve, and what many thought would be a formality may just have turned into their biggest off-season challenge. Negotiations are currently on hold until after the World Cup of Hockey, and many in Calgary are starting to worry a bit. Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun reported that Gaudreau and his agent are looking for a $8 million dollar deal. Calgary has reportedly been in the $6.5 million dollar category. Francis reported, “Sources say Gaudreau’s agent, Lewis Gross, is asking for a payday in the $8-million range while the Flames are pushing to pay between what Sean Monahan signed for ($6.375 million annual average value) and what captain Mark Giordano makes (a team-high $6.75 million AAV).” The Flames hold the cards on this deal since Gaudreau is restricted, and is not eligible to presented an offer-sheet. But the Flames also do not want to get into a huge contract battle with the young fan favorite. According to Francis, “Flames fans can relax a bit, there is no way this will not get worked out, and no way that Gaudreau will not be in the Flames lineup come opening night.” It is very important that they find some common ground and get this deal done. The Flames cannot afford to not have the face of the team ready to start the season. I look for the Flames to lock him up right after the World Cup, and it looks as though $7 million a year for 6 years may just be the common ground. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS

I question if Greiss is ready to start too. But I question about 40% of the starters. I am not sure anything will happen with this, but decisions need to be made.

Is Islanders Halak Available? The solid playoff performance of Thomas Greiss has started the talk that goaltender Jaroslav Halak may be available this summer. The 31-year-old Halak was a little upset at the end of the year with the goaltending setup in Brooklyn. This talk fueled the rumor fire and speculation even more. To bring speculation up another notch, Arthur Staple of Newsday reported that Islanders General Manager Garth Snow is very high on Greiss, and suggested that he is ready to make the step up to NHL starter. Halak has been a strong starting goalie in the NHL since his amazing run with the Montreal Canadiens in 2010. He also had a strong stint in St. Louis and Washington. Halak has proven himself as a strong starting NHL net minder, but he has been injury prone. Halak has two years remaining on his $4.5 million dollars a year contract. His contract does not have a no-trade clause. This would make things a little easier for the Islanders. How much would Halak fetch on the trade market? I think he would be a great transition goalie for a few teams. His value may be limited a bit because he has been injury prone, and some teams may balk at his $4.5 million a year. Other teams may look at it as a value because he is only locked up for two years. Personally I look at his salary as a positive. The Islanders may also look at dealing him as a cost cutting move that will free up some space to supplement their forwards. The Islanders have Thomas Greiss under contract through the end of next season. Jean-Francois Berube and Eamon McAdam are prospects in the system that the Islanders are high on. Berube would probably fall into the back-up role behind Greiss if this were to happen. There are a number of teams that just might be interested in Halak. Calgary would be a good fit. He could fill the nets for two years as they prepare for prospect John Gillies. Dallas would probably be interested, but their hands are tied with the goaltender contracts they currently have. Arizona may be interested, and Edmonton may just want some insurance for Cam Talbot. Carolina may also need reinforcement in net. Calgary looks like the most likely landing spot, if this transaction came to fruition. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit- USAToday Sports Images

JR Ewing Yep that pretty much sums him up.....

This is typical Corey Perry. His day will come some day. The part that is frustrating is that he is talented and does not have to do this. he can frustrate his opponents by scoring goals...

Why is cheap shot behavior in hockey acceptable? Why can players deliberately try and hurt players, and not be looked down on by fans or players? Maybe they are, but why then are there no repercussions? Why does the NHLPA put up with members of their union going out and deliberately taking out other members of their union? Makes no sense to me! Today in an IIHF World Championship game between Canada and Finland, team Canada captain Corey Perry went out of his way to deliberately (yes you cannot deny it—watch the video) sweep his leg out to cut down Finland’s Patrick Laine. Laine immediately went to the bench with an injury after the play. Finland was shutting out Canada at the time, and Perry showed his true colors. Patrik Laine is projected to be a top three pick in this years NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old has shown great promise while playing at the World Championships. He will be a star in the NHL, probably as soon as next season. Laine took the play in stride and showed sarcasm in a comment to National Post writer Michael Traikos, “Maybe they tried to piss me off because I’m young and in my opinion a pretty good player.” The hockey world took to Twitter today after the incident. Many media members and fans (Canadian fans) voiced there displease with the conduct of Corey Perry. Here is a sample of a few tweets. Hockey is a wonderful game and we don’t need plays like this giving it a bad name. I would like to think that hockey players are above this behavior. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit - USAToday Sports Images

2016 Stanley Cup Conference Finals- Predictions The Stanley Cup Playoffs have now moved into the Conference Finals. The Western Conference has been very physical as usual, and the Eastern Conference has been fast paced and a little surprising. The Western Conference Finals feature two teams that have never won the Stanley Cup, the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues. The Eastern Conference Finals feature two teams that have won the cup, but it has been since 2004 for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and 2009 for the Pittsburgh Penguins. EASTERN CONFERENCE Pittsburgh Penguins (2) versus Tampa Bay Lightning (3) Pittsburgh has been on a roll. They knocked off the President Trophy winning Washington Capitals last round, and now look to keep that momentum running. Phil Kessel has been very good, and the play of 21-year-old goaltender Matt Murray has been amazing. He has maintained the crease, even with veteran Marc-Andre Fleury back and healthy. Another bright spot is the fact that the Penguins have been very good without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin playing to their capabilities. The Tampa Bay Lightning keep on staying calm, and using their veteran leadership to fight through difficulties. With Steven Stamkos, and Antone Stralman out with injuries it is hard to believe that the Lightning have made it this far. The Lightning made quick business of the New York Islanders in Round 2 defeating them in 5 games. The Lightning have been scoring goals, and have also had great goaltending from veteran Ben Bishop. Victor Hedman has been a force on defense and Nikita Kucherov has become a scoring machine. The Lightning will have to continue its timely scoring and strong goaltending to win. The Pittsburgh Penguins must continue to have rookie goaltender Matt Murray at the top of his game, and more importantly Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin must produce more offense. Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins in 6. WESTERN CONFERENCE St. Louis Blues (2) versus San Jose Sharks (3) The San Jose Sharks have turned into one of the most complete teams in the playoffs. They are strong defensively with Marc-Edouard Vlasic. He has proven to be one of the most underrated players in the league, and the offense input of Brent Burns has also proven very important. The biggest story in San Jose is the offensive production of Logan Couture. He had 9 points in the second round, seven game series win over the Nashville Predators. Martin Jones has been solid in net, and veteran leadership of Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau has proven to be critical to the team’s success. The St. Louis Blues have shaken the playoff monkey off their back. Although it took seven games for the Blues to knock off the #1 ranked Dallas Stars, their Game 7 performance was impressive to say the least. The Blues have silenced the critics by knocking off the Chicago Blackhawks in Round 1 and now the Stars. The gritty, physical style of the Blues has proven too much for their opponents. Brian Elliott has been solid in net. Quietly getting the job done. David Backes has proven his worth this year, and Vladimir Tarasenko has proven he can score every time he touches the puck. More importantly the defensive play of Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo has been impressive. They have logged tons of minutes, and have shut down their opponent’s top players. The Blues will have to have strong goaltending to get past the high-powered Sharks. Special teams will be very important. The San Jose Sharks must keep the scoring train on its track. Depth has been the big surprise and key for the Sharks. They must keep this going, and there is no doubt that the defense will remain strong. Pick: San Jose Sharks in 6. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit - USAToday Sports Images

I love making predictions, but always shake my head a few days later and say "what was I thinking"!!

2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 2 Predictions The Stanley Cup Playoffs now move into round two. The first round was filled with surprises, and to be honest with you my predictions on this round were quite embarrassing. In a league where anything can happen, the first round sure proved that. Another factor is the leagues equal balance. It was evident in the first round where many of the series had no clear favorites. I don’t think the second round will be any easier to predict, but I will give it a shot. Eastern Conference Tampa Bay Lightning (2) verses New York Islanders (WC1) Tampa returns to their second straight season of advancing to the second round. The Lightning is a team that is currently facing adversity. With superstar Steven Stamkos out with an injury, it is up in the air how far the Lightning can keep this going. Young stars such as Tyler Johnson stepped up their play in the first round and the result was a convincing win over the Detroit Red Wings. The New York Islanders grinded and fought their way to a six game victory over the young Florida Panthers. John Tavares completely dominated the series. The goaltending by Thomas Greiss was also very impressive. The play of Tavares must be off the charts for the Islanders to beat the Lightning. On the other hand the Lightning must have exceptional play from goaltender Ben Bishop to continue their playoff run. My Pick: New York Islanders in 7. Washington Capitals (1) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (2) Pittsburgh made short business of the New York Rangers knocking them out in just five games. The Washington Capitals bolted out to a 3-0 lead on the Philadelphia Flyers, and had to fight to win the series in six games. Washington was scoring in bunches to start the series, but in games 4-6 the scoring dried up. For the Capitals to be successful against Pittsburgh they must regain their scoring touch, and depend on goaltender Braden Holtby to come up big. The Penguins just have to keep the scoring train moving full steam. The Penguins scored 4+ goals in three of the five games in the first round. This was a killer for the Rangers, and help inexperienced Penguins goaltending survive the first round. Pittsburgh must continue this scoring in round 2, and the goaltending of Matt Murray must be strong. No sign of injured goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury returning in the near future. My Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins in 6. Western Conference Dallas Stars (1) verses St. Louis Blues (2) The St. Louis Blues have climbed the mountain. They knocked off the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks in a hard fought seven game series. Emotions and confidence is high in St. Louis. The Blues must maintain their balanced scoring, and steady goaltending to advance to the Conference Finals. The Dallas Stars rolled over the Minnesota Wild (minus the late surge by the Wild in Game 6). There are two major hurdles that the Stars must overcome. Goaltending has not been excellent, and it will have to be to get past the high-powered Blues. The second question mark is the health of forward Tyler Seguin. It is undetermined how long he will be out with a lower body injury, but without his help the mountain to climb will be very difficult. My Pick: St. Louis Blues in 5. San Jose Sharks (3) verses Nashville Predators (WC1) The San Jose Sharks had a very solid first round victory over the Los Angeles Kings in five games. Goal scoring was up for the Sharks, and goaltending by Martin Jones was good. Jones must continue his solid play, and the Sharks must pressure the defensive minded Predators. Net front traffic is critical to the second round success of the Sharks. The Nashville Predators knocked off the favorite Anaheim Ducks in seven games. The Predators do not score a lot of goals, but they find a way to grind out the one-goal victories. They play a very work-man like style. They don’t come at your with a lot of superstars, but they work their way to success. Goaltender Pekka Rinne must be on top of his game against the Sharks. My Pick: Nashville Predators in 7. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit : USAToday Sports Images

I like your idea... Makes total sense. One thing that I do not get is how the NHLPA protects players who commit offenses. They appeal suspensions all the time. Do they not realize that they are committing these offenses to another player in the same NHLPA. Don't get it!

Playoff Pool Party Crashers With the first round starting to draw to a close many fantasy hockey owners are starting to get a feel for how their Stanley Cup Playoff Pool will shake-out. Every year in the first round there is a group of players that has fantasy owners shaking their head, and wondering where that player came from. This year is similar to past years when looking at the playoff statistical leaderboard. There is a few guys that you did not expect to see. Here is a rundown of each positional playoff pool party crasher. Center: Tyler Johnson – Tampa Bay Lightning Having Tyler Johnson on the playoff point’s leaderboard is really not a surprise, but this year he was a bit of a forgotten soldier. In the regular season he posted 14 goals, 24 assists, for 38 points. Not too bad, but he had a little bit of an injury plagued season in which he only played 35 games. He was a bit of a question mark coming into the playoffs because of a upper body injury. Since day one of the playoffs he has been producing. He has 2 goals, 5 assists for 7 points in just 4 playoff games. Very impressive. If he stays healthy he will continue to be a force to be reckoned with. Right Wing: Reilly Smith – Florida Panthers Okay no one saw this coming. We all knew that Smith was a serviceable NHL forward that could put up points, but the impact that he has had so far is shocking to say the least. In the regular season Smith posted an impressive 25 goals, 25 assists for 50 points in 82 games played. Thus far in the playoffs Smith has 4 goals, 4 assists for 8 points in 4 games. No one expected him to be a two point a game player. Will he be able to keep up this pace? Left Wing: Jonathan Drouin – Tampa Bay Lightning Drama pretty much sums up the regular season for Drouin and the Lightning. After being unhappy about his playing time he demanded a trade, and his wish was not granted. He eventually reported to the AHL, and now (after mending fences) finds himself in the Lightning lineup. He not only is part of the lineup, he has been playing a intrical role in the Lightning’s success. In five playoff games Drouin has managed 4 key assists. This is not an earth shattering stat, but is when you think about the uncertainty that he would even play. If his ice time stays up, so will his points. Defense: Dmitry Kulikov – Florida Panthers Well this is a head shaker. Kulikov had just 1 goal, 16 assists for 17 total points in 74 regular season games this season. This year in the playoffs he has 1 goal, 3 assists for 4 points in 4 games. That is a point a game pace for a defenseman that has never been thought of as an offensive threat. His ice time will continue to be good, and if Florida keeps up this offensive pace so will Kulikov. Goalie: Frederik Andersen – Anaheim Ducks The Ducks struggled out of the playoff gate with John Gibson between the pipes. The reigns have now been handed over to Andersen, and he has been amazing. He has allowed only one goal on 58 shots in the two games he has played. He has one shutout and has astronomical stats. A 0.50 goals against average, and a .983 save percentage. Now we all know he will not be able to keep up this pace, but his performance has been a huge surprise since he was not even the playoff starter in Anaheim. He has been a key reason the Ducks have been able to draw even in their series with Nashville. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit - USAToday Sports Images

Bobrovsky is a strong possibility, and he would likely be a good fit.

Goaltending Top Off-Season Priority in Calgary The disappointment of the 2015-2016 has really brought to light some glaring problems in Calgary. The most obvious is goaltending. The Flames uncharacteristically started the season with three goaltenders signed to one-way contracts. All three goaltenders had promising futures, but unfortunately none of them stepped up to be a full-fledged starting NHL goalie. Coming off a very impressive playoff run in 2016 the Flames future looked very bright. This years struggles have brought the rebuild back to reality. With a strong defensive pair in Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie in tact for the future, and a strong offensive core the features young stars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan (both of which are restricted free-agents, but are both likely to be resigned) the future looks bright in Calgary. The one glaring and I mean glaring problem is goaltending. This poor goaltending topic has been acknowledged by Flames general manager Brad Treliving.. It was recently confirmed by Eric Francis of he Calgary Sun that Treliving stated “finding a starting goaltender is top priority in the offseason.” “No ifs, ands, or buts.” It is very unlikely that the Flames will sign any of the three pending unrestricted free-agents Jonas Hiller, Niklas Backstrom, and Karri Ramo . Their careers as Flames look to be done, and as for young goalie Joni Ortio the future is yet to be determined. The pending restricted free-agent will probably be resigned to a short contract, and will likely fill the back-up role in Calgary next season. With future goaltender prospects such as Jon Gillies, and Mason McDonald working their way though the junior and minor hockey ranks the Flames need an NHL ready starter for next season. So who is available, and who will the Flames go after? The unrestricted free agent goalies are more plentiful than most years. San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer heads the list of possible goalie targets for the Flames. The aging Cam Ward has also been mentioned, but he is a little less likely of a target. Alex Stalock, Jhonas Enroth, and Jonas Gustavsson are potentials, but none of them fit the NHL ready starting goalie tag the Flames are looking for. There is also the opportunity for trade options. Anaheim Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen heads that list. Andersen looks to have all the skills and capabilities of filling the Flames needs. Ben Bishop of the Tampa Bay Lightning is also rumored to be available. The level of play performed by Andrei Vasilevsky just may have the Lightning convinced he is the goalie of the future, thus making the services of Bishop expendable. It will be interesting to see if the Flames pursue a trade or opt for the free-agent route. If they choose the free-agency route I look for them to go after James Reimer very hard. If they go for the trade route I look for them to pursue Frederik Andersen of the Anaheim Ducks. I do know that the Flames are taking this problem very serious, and changes will be made this off-season. Good teams are built from the net out, and this problem will be addressed. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit - USAToday Sports Images

Your right the punishment does fit the crime based on past offenses. But that is the problem. The NHL needs to make these decisions without taking the players name into account. If they are serious about eliminating these plays the penalties would be stiffer!

1- Did he purposely do it? I guess we will never know, but popular opinion, including mine says he did it on purpose. Now I don’t think that he thought I am going to hurt this guy, but I do think he was seeking revenge. 2- How will this affect the Blackhawks in the final weeks leading up to the Stanley Cup Playoffs? This may just help the Blackhawks. Keith logs a ton of minutes and this will give him some much-needed rest. Missing the first playoff game will hurt, but the Blackhawks are way to strong of a team to have this one game put them behind the eight-ball. 3- Was the decision for six games the same penalty he would have received if this had happened in December? NO! This would have been a minimum of 10 games if it was any other time of the year. The NHL does not want this type of play to tarnish their reputation, nor do they want players getting hurt this way. The Playoffs played a huge role in this punishment. 4- What if the roles were reversed and Coyle would have hit Keith like that? Would the suspension be the same? Keith is a superstar in the NHL. The NHL wants and needs their stars playing. I think it would have probably been 10 games at least. 5- How much was his repeat offender status taken into account? I have to say I don’t think it played much of a role. The time of year overrides this factor. 6- Why does Keith continue to fly off the handle like this? He is a competitor that has a short fuse. It will be interest to see if this changes his game. My guess is it will not. 7- Will this punishment change Keith? Hard to tell he has been punished before so it obviously has not sunk in. Keith did explain “It was obviously a reaction and one that I need to be disciplined for.” He went on to say “Obviously there’s a limit and I have to know that. I will.” 8- How do you think his teammates felt about this play? It is instant reaction to defend your teammate, but the Blackhawks players and management were quiet on this matter. 9- Did the Dennis Wideman situation influence Keith’s decision to not appeal this suspension? Possibly, I don’t think the Blackhawks or Keith were willing to take any chances with the appeal process, and the length of time it can take. 10-Did Charlie Coyle actions provoke Duncan Keith’s reaction/retaliation? It looks as though Coyle did high stick Keith earlier in the play. Hard to say, but I believe it was just a reaction to getting dumped. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit - USAToday Sports Images

Dano a Deadline Delight The Winnipeg Jets were basically forced to move team captain Andrew Ladd at the deadline because of potential summer cap issues. Although the Jets hated to lose their quality captain, the return they received has already been a surprise. On February 25th the Jets sent Andrew Ladd, Jay Harrison and Matt Fraser to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2016 1st Round Draft Pick, a 2018 conditional 3rd Round Draft Pick, and young prospect Marko Dano. Last summer Dano arrived in Chicago from Columbus with high hopes. During the 2014-2015 the young Dano had a great year scoring 8 goals, 13 assists for a total of 21 points in 35 games, and was also a +12. An excellent, and promising start for the young rookie. In June of 2015 the Columbus Blue Jackets traded Dano along with Artem Anisimov and Corey Tropp to the Chicago Blackhawks for Brandon Saad, Alex Broadhurst and Michael Paliotta. Expectations were very high for Dano in Chicago. He was projected to play a key role, but at the end of training camp he was unexpectedly assigned to the Blackhawks AHL affiliate the Rockford IceHogs. In November he was called back up to the Blackhawks, but only managed to produce one goal and one assist in 13 games. The arrival of the young 21 year old in Winnipeg was exciting. Hopes were high again. The young, high-energy Jets placed him on a second line with center Alex Burmistrov, and winger Mathieu Perreault. His production was immediate. Since arriving in Winnipeg Dano has 3 goals, 2 assists for 5 points in 9 games. With continued ice-time Dano looks to build off these numbers and be a mainstay in Winnipeg, and on many fantasy owners starting lineup. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit - USAToday Sports Images

The Jets have a bright future ahead of them. Good young talent at every position..

THE RISE OF MARK SCHEIFELE Scott Macumber of Inside Edge Hockey News The Winnipeg Jets finished last year on a real high, making the playoffs for the first time since returning to Winnipeg. Yes the post season didn’t go as well as planned with a first round sweep at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. Winnipeg started this season with the same passion that they ended their season in April, this season has been disaster after disaster. First Ondrej Pavelec went down with a major injury putting him out until January leaving the goaltender duties to Michael Hutchinson who could not return to the same glory he had in the previous season. Connor Hellebuyck took over when Hutchinson was not doing well in between the posts and he and partner Hutchinson together were not holding the Jets in the playoff race, then the unthinkable happened Andrew Ladd was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. Brian Little is also out and still out with a back injury that he got while playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning and with that many injuries and Ladd being gone one good thing the Winnipeg Jets have been doing is calling up rookies from the AHL giving six players an NHL debut this season. But what else do the Jets faithfully fan base have to look forward to this season…… how about the rise of Mark Scheifele. The 7th overall pick of the Winnipeg Jets back in 2011 has not had the career many thought he would have. Scheifele has done better, after being drafted Scheifele had great training camps for the Winnipeg Jets but didn’t have what it took to crack the roster thus Scheifele spent an extra two years in the OHL with the Barrie Colts. After an early playoff exit in the OHL in 2011-12 Mark Scheifele spent 10 playoff games with the St Johns Ice Caps of the American Hockey League getting his first pro point with 1 assist, Scheifele again had a great training camp but failed to crack the roster and was set to Barrie after four NHL games with the Jets Scheifele again had a stellar year in the Ontario Hockey League finishing the season and his junior career with 79 points in 45 regular season games and a further 41 points in 21 playoff games, which had Winnipeg Jets fans excited. Scheifele entered into his third NHL training camp fully expecting to be sent down to the minors and was ready to start the season with the St Johns Ice Caps, instead Scheifele was given the number 55 and was giving a spot on the Winnipeg Jets roster. The Winnipeg Jets first ever draft pick was now staying with the team full time and Scheifele didn’t waster anytime becoming a professional hockey player Scheifele had a season full of growing pains as most stars do but he finished the season with 63 games played and 34 points 13 goals and 21 assists and a plus 6 rating. Scheifele for the first time got to miss rookie training camp in Winnipeg and was able to attending the full training camp and Scheifele and the rest of the Jets were excited by the fact that both Scheifele and now Jacob Trouba were on the roster. The second season is what is commonly known as the sophomore slump season that a lot of star have a hard time with and most people expect second year players production to slump a little in this season but Mark Scheifele is a student of the game and his production went up. Scheifele went on to have a great season like most of the Winnipeg Jets and Mark netted himself 49 points 15 goals, 34 assists and a plus 11 rating, Scheifele was a star on the rise and not only on the score sheet Scheifele had gained the trust of his coach and was seeing time on the power play and penalty kill. Mark Scheifele got his first taste of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs although the Jets got owned by the Anaheim Ducks, Mark played in all 4 games that the Jets played and was able to get his first playoff point with an assist, unfortunately the Jets were eliminated. Scheifele was now entering his third year with the Winnipeg Jets and one of the most important years of his very young career a contract year, Scheifele was playing the final year in his entry level deal. Mark Scheifele started the year slow and it worried the Winnipeg faithful and a year of ups and down for the whole team didn’t seem to help Scheifele by the time March rolled around the team was dealing with an uncertain goalie situation, Ladd being traded and of course Brian Little being injured. Scheifele has stepped up to the plate during this first two weeks of March. Scheifele has been able to up his production during the absence of Brian Little including getting his first NHL hat trick against the Montreal Canadiens and in front of the MTS faithful garnering him second star of the week for the NHL. Scheifele is sitting with 21 goals and 21 assists for 42 points this year and lets the entire Winnipeg Jets roster with a plus 16 rating, with only 20 games remaining Schiefele is having a career year and can go into negotiations knowing that his production has gone up three years in a row. Mark Scheifele will be a star in the NHL for a long time and while this off season will be a hard one for the Jets, they will need to sign a star to a new contract and the rumor mill is turning saying that the organization is wanting a bridge deal for two years and Scheifele is looking for the team limit of five years. Only time will tell. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit - USAToday Sports Images

Deadline Day Giants- Who Remains? Eric Staal: Eric Staal is probably the biggest name remaining for NHL Trade Deadline Day. Things are actually very quiet in Carolina. It has been reported that Staal still has not been asked to waive his no trade clause. With the recent fall of Carolina it would be hard to believe that they would just keep him and get nothing in return. I also have a hard time believing that he will resign in Carolina. If that was going to happen it would have happened by now. There is talk of the New York Rangers are showing extreme interest in Staal. This is not a huge surprise. Elliotte Freidman of SportsNet reported, “It could be his final home game (Sunday) against the Blues if he decides he wants to go.” Friedman expects that the New York Rangers will make a big pitch for the big forward. Adding Staal would really help the Rangers up the middle. Staal has 10 goals and 33 points in 63 games this year, and is a pending unrestricted free agent come July 1st. The decision is up to Staal, but I would be very surprised if he does not get traded. Loui Eriksson: Loui Eriksson is another pending unrestricted free agent that just may get dealt on or before Monday. This one is a little more interesting. Boston is making a playoff run, and really could use Eriksson’s scoring ability. The real question is, are they willing to risk getting nothing for him to use him the rest of the year? Eriksson was looking for a six-year contract, and Boston was offering three years. The gap is distant and it looks as though talks have quieted drastically. Teams have shown interest in Eriksson. The Dallas Stars would like him back. The St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings have reportedly called on his services. I think the best long-term move for the Bruins would be to move him for some picks, but it would be hard to sell this idea to Bruins fans who want to make a run at the Stanley Cup this year. INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS * Photo Credit: USAToday Sports Images