What could of have been done?

   Since the last couple of seasons, there has been a ton of hope in Edmonton that the Oilers young core would finally end their awful seven year drought of not making the playoffs. That optimism grew even more when Dallas Eakins took over as head coach during the summer time. After another dismal October that saw them win three games and obtain eight points in 14 games, that optimism is quickly dwindling. If management and fans wanted to avoid another disappointing start, this is what should of been done beforehand.
   Instead of going with the "draft the best player available" approach, then GM Steve Tambellini should have made a pick based on needs. He decided in the 2012 draft to select Nail Yakupov over Ryan Murray. Tambellini would have been better off selecting him because the Oilers lack important players on defense and someone who is able to move the puck quickly during a breakout. Even though Murray missed all of the shortened season due to injury, the Oilers would have been better off with Murray as he would probably developed into a top-four defenseman rather than another skilled forward. Another aspect that could of been rectified is goaltending. Simply put, Devan Dubnyk has not been getting the job done for Edmonton as he continues to give up weak goals in unfortunate situations. As well, Dubnyk feels as if he is out of place when he plays. If Edmonton were able to get at least a above average goaltender who does not tend to give up weak goals, they would probably have a couple of move victories rather than three.
  If the Oilers were able to address these needs before hand, they would simply not be in this situation. If they cannot overcome their poor start, it will once again be a long year in the Alberta capital.

   

NHL Preview amongst Canadian teams

   As the 2013-2014 NHL Season is quickly approaching, here is how each Canadian team will do.

1) Vancouver Canucks
2) Toronto Maple Leafs
3) Ottawa Senators
4) Montreal Canadiens
5) Edmonton Oilers
6) Winnipeg Jets
7) Calgary Flames

1) Vancouver Canucks: After yet another disappointing playoffs, GM Mike Gillis made huge changes. First he fired Head Coach Alain Vigneault and replaced him with John Tortorella. The biggest change came between the pipes. After seeing a goaltending controversy for almost two seasons, Gillis decided to trade Corey Schneider to the Devils for the 9th pick in the last draft (Bo Horvat). This means that Roberto Luongo has the number one job yet again for the Canucks. Even though he is number one between the pipes, he will have a ton of pressure to deliver. Tortorella on the other hand brings a more fiery approach than his predecessor because he the old-school type that plays a more grind it out type of game. The roster is virtually the same as last season, but will Torts be the answer the Canucks need if they so desperately want to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history?

2) Toronto Maple Leafs: The Maple Leafs accomplished something that many people believed was not possible. They made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2004. This happened based on the strong play by Goalie James Reimer, great contributions by guys like Nazem Kadri, Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul for stretches. However they lost a disappointing Game 7 to the Bruins. To avoid similar heartbreak, GM Dave Nonis made a couple of moves. He acquired Goalie Jonathan Bernier from the Kings who will give strong competition for Reimer and David Bolland from the Blackhawks. As well, after buying out Mikhail Grabovski and Mike Komisarek, he used that cap space to resign Tyler Bozak and sign prized free agent David Clarkson. Both guys bring grit and goal scoring which should help the Leafs try to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

3) Ottawa Senators: This offseason was one of the most shocking ones in Senators history. The captain and face of the franchise for almost two decades Daniel Alfredsson signed with the Red Wings. To fill his presence, GM Bryan Murray acquired Bobby Ryan for Jakub Silfverburg and a first round pick in next years draft. He also signed Clarke Macarthur from the Leafs with the idea that both of them can put some punch in the goal scoring department. As well, he re-added Joe Corvo who replaces Sergei Gonchar on the back end. The Senators were able to make the playoffs last year despite a ton of injuries to their core. If they manage to stay healthy for an entire 82 game season, watch out as they have a ton of weapons like Jason Spezza, Mika Zibanejad, Erik Karlsson, and Kyle Turris along with goaltender Craig Anderson.

4) Montreal Canadiens: After finishing dead last in 2011-2012, the Habs were one of the biggest surprises last season. They managed to finish first in the Northeast with strong play from players like Brendan Gallagher, a healthy Andrei Markov and PK Subban. However, while they made noise in the regular season, they were eliminated in five games by the Ottawa Senators due to be outplayed physically and poor goaltending by Carey Price. GM Marc Bergevin addressed the physical need by acquiring George Parros from a trade with Florida that should reduce the load that Brandon Prust took care of most of last year. As well, he added scoring touch by finally signing Daniel Briere for a two year contract. When healthy, he can produce. With almost the same roster as last year, the only way Montreal can make the same impact as last year is if goaltender Carey Price can bounce back and stop giving up soft goals when games count.


5) Edmonton Oilers: After another season that saw Edmonton miss the playoffs, more changes happened. Gone are GM Steve Tambellini and Head Coach Ralph Krueger and replaced by Craig Mactavish and Dallas Eakins. Mactavish already made his mark by trading Shawn Horcoff to the Stars and Magnus Paajarvi to the Blues for David Perron. Mactavish also brought more toughness by signing Andrew Ference and drafting hulking defenceman Darnell Nurse (assigned to OHL team). Their success however lies with the young core with Taylor Hall, Nail Yakupov, Jordan Eberle, Justin Schultz and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (injured indefinitely). The core have great potential but they need to use it to win more games and end the current playoff drought.

6) Winnipeg Jets: The Jets made improvements last year but it was not enough to make the playoffs. That was because their offence with guys like Andrew Ladd, Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler were not reaching their potential every night. GM Kevin Chevaldayoff did little to address this need but managed to acquire Devon Setoguichi from the Wild. He brings speed and scoring touch that can help the team notably on the Powerplay as they were dead last. Chevaldayoff also acquired Michael Frolik from the Blackhawks who did a terrific job on killing penalties and should be able to help the team in that category. If the Jets hope to finally make the playoffs in the Western Conference this year, their core has to step it up big time and goalie Ondrej Pavelec has to bounce back after disappointing for the majority of the shortened season.

7) Calgary Flames: While GM Jay Feaster does not want to say it, the Flames are clearly in rebuild mode. After trading longtime face of the franchise Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester, he traded Alex Tanguay and Corey Sarich to Colorado for Shane O'Brien and David Jones and seeing longtime goalie Miikka Kiprusoff retire. While Feaster was able to stockpile a ton of prospects during the draft, he also added depth on forward and defence with acquiring TJ Galiardi and Kris Russell. They have a decent core with guys like Mike Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak, Curtis Glencross, Jiri Hudler and new goaltender Kari Ramo. The only issue is if they have a hard time finding the back of the net and playing up to par with the best guys on other teams, it could be a long year in Cowtown.

A Legit Comparison to be Made

   Friday will be the 25th anniversary of "The Trade" that sent Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. We all know the impact it brought to the NHL. Players salaries went up and cities that were not known for hockey had obtained franchises such as Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Anaheim and San Jose just to name a few. While the impact of "The Trade" lasted throughout much of the 1990's, a similar impact move happened in the latter part of the 2000's but in MLS.

  The news that brought major shockwaves to MLS was the announcement that when the 2007 La Liga season would finish, David Beckham would be leaving Real Madrid to join the Los Angeles Galaxy. Before Becks arrival, MLS was a relatively small league with only twelve teams mostly playing in building designed for football. After his arrival brought much fanfare to the North American league, the majority of the teams finally started to play in stadiums primarily designed for soccer as well as another expansion. Between 2007 and 2012, MLS added another seven teams which saw three of them from Canada. These cities were Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal as well as Seattle, Philadelphia, Portland and the revival of the San Jose Earthquakes.
  Like what Gretzky did for one Los Angeles team many moons ago, Beckham's presence in MLS made an impact very similar to "The Great One" by developing the game in the North America league. If Becks decided not to join the Galaxy, would the MLS see expansion let alone still exist? Probably not.

The Canadiens Should of Considered This Before The Centennial Season

   The 2008-2009 NHL season was a historic one for the Montreal Canadiens. The team was celebrating its 100th season in the league. Many people around the hockey world were predicting that they would win the East after finishing first place the season before. If fans alike wanted to see a 25th Stanley Cup parade happen on Rue Saint-Catherine that year, they obviously needed to get bigger as they were clearly outplayed physically when they lost to the Flyers in the second round. Montrealers did not get the wish they wanted as they were eliminated in four straight games by arch-rival Boston. Even though the GM at the time Bob Gainey tried to address this need during the offseason, he should of thought of something else that would have greatly benefited them for the upcoming season.
  That offseason, it was widely rumored that the Canadiens were going to land the aging yet productive big first line centre Mats Sundin as they had exclusive negotiating rights. Sundin decided to sit out for the beginning of the season and eventually join the Vancouver Canucks in late December. This led to Gainey having to go to Plan B and acquiring Robert Lang from the Blackhawks. Although he only played in 50 games, he proved to be a good fit as he managed to score 39 points in his role.

    Gainey should have also considered this while he was preparing for that season. Jaromir Jagr's contract with the New York Rangers had just expired which led to him becoming an unrestricted free agent. He would have been a good fit for the club based on the fact that he still had his scoring touch (25 goals, 71 points in 07-08), and great chemistry with fellow Kladno, Czech Republic native Tomas Plekanec. Imagine having Jagr and Pleks on the same line together? It would have caused some problems to opposing coaches around the league when it would come down to planning strategy.
   So if Bob Gainey did in fact sign Jaromir Jagr during that offseason, would it have made a difference? The simple answer is yes but at the same time no. The reason behind it is even though Jagr had the size and scoring touch, the Habs would have still not won the cup that year based on the fact that they were still a small team which made easier for teams like the Bruins, Flyers and Penguins to beat them based on playing a more physical style of hockey.

MLS Midseason Report

   As the MLS All-Star Break is fastly approaching, it is time to reflect on the first half of the season. There have been many surprises and disappointments, but their are two teams that have made headlines so far in 2013.
    The biggest surprise has to be the Montreal Impact. In just their second season in MLS, the Impact are fighting for top spot in the East with powerhouses like the New York Red Bulls and Sporting Kansas City. Their surprise play can be attributed to the scoring prowess of Marco Di Vaio as he has eleven goals in nineteen games, the superb play of goaltender Troy Perkins with a 1.45 GGA, the various tactics used by first year coach Marco Schallibaum and better results on the road as they sport a 3-4-2 record. The Impact need to continue their strong play if they hope to become the second Canadian team to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

   The biggest disappointment has been D.C United. After finishing second place in 2012 and appearing in the Conference Finals with the likes of Dwayne De Rosario, Chris Pontius, they are dead last in the league with only two wins in twenty-one games. United's poor record can be attributed to their poor record away from RFK Stadium as they are 0-7-3 as well as lack of scoring and poor play on defense. They have only scored ten goals and have given up a whopping 35. If D.C United hope to make improvements for next season, they need more scoring and see great improvements on the defensive side if they have any hope of making any sort of improvement for the future.

   Both these two teams have made headlines so far in the first half. One team has to keep up the good work if they hope to have success while the other teams have no where to go but up if they want to have success towards the future that lies ahead.

A Stanley Cup Finals and run for the Ages

     The 2013 Stanley Cup Finals will be one of those finals that hockey historians will look back too somewhere down the future. It featured two Original Six teams play against each other for the first time since 1979, the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams played terrific hockey but in the end one team had to prevail. The Blackhawks who won the Presidents Trophy this capped off their terrific season by winning their fifth cup and second in four seasons in six games. Here is how Chicago won it all this postseason.
    Their first round series against Minnesota was not as hard as their second round opponent, the Detroit Red Wings. Chicago were down three games to one and had to win three straight to advance. With some controversy in game seven, the Hawks advanced thanks to a overtime winner by Brent Seabrook. This set up a third round matchup against the Kings who had won it all last season. The Hawks were able to beat the depleted Kings roster thanks to some more overtime magic by Patrick Kane in double overtime of game five to set up the original six matchup almost every hockey fan wanted to see.
    Now the finals itself. There were four games that went down to the wire notably games one and six. Game one was one of the longest games in finals history requiring three overtimes to determine a winner. Andrew Shaw tipped the shot from the point to beat Tuukka Rask to give Chicago a 1-0 series lead. Game six was also gutwrenching due to the fact that after Milan Lucic made it 2-1 for the Bruins midway through the third, the Hawks tied it up with 1:16 on an one-timer from Bryan Bickell. 17 seconds after, in a mad scramble in front of the net, Dave Bolland tapped it in to give them a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish. Once time went up, all the Hawks were celebrating winning their fifth cup in franchise history. This was truly a classic series that probably will not happen in a very very long time.