It's been a while!

i have been neglecting my blog as of late. For the few people who read it I apologize! I have been focusing on my weekly column for 411mania.com. However, I have decided to change the direction of this blog. In the past I have written full length articles (which helped land me a regular column), however I've decided to post shorter blurbs about the stories going on in all the sports that I am interested in. These will be staring next week. Hopefully Everyone will enjoy them!

Improve By Any Means Necessary

Twice this summer Oilers GM Kevin Lowe has done what was once thought unthinkable. He has put out large offer sheets on two highly skilled restricted free agents; Thomas Vanek (Buffalo Sabres) and Dustin Penner (Anaheim Ducks). In the case of Vanek, Buffalo quickly matched the offer (although very grudgingly) of 7 years and roughly 50 million dollars. As of this time there is no announcement from the Ducks as to whether or not they will match the offer (5 years and roughly 21 million dollars).



Prior to the lockout it seemed as though there was an understanding between GM's that no team went after another teams RFA's. With the two offer sheets that Kevin Lowe has put out this year, it is very likely that it will become much more common in the future. With the NHL's new salary cap, GM's are going to have to be very strategic in who they give long term deals to. Teams have to have the ability to look ahead and plan as much as 3-5 years down the road (where as in the past large market teams could make up for mistakes made by simply throwing more money at their teams).


With this latest offer Kevin Lowe, definitely ruffled the feathers of Ducks GM Brian Burke. Brian Burke lashed out at Kevin Lowe on Friday night, calling the offer sheet to Dustin Penner "an act of desperation" by a GM "fighting to keep his job." and he didn't hold back when he said "I thought Kevin would have called me and told me it was coming. I thought that was gutless."(quotes courtesy of (CP)). The reason that Burke is likely so angry is because the Ducks are fairly close to the cap and signing Penner to the large contract that Edmonton offered would very likely handcuff their ability to sign a couple of important RFA's next summer (Getzlaf and Perry in particular).


Chances are that Burke is not going to match Edmonton's offer. There is buzz that the owner(s) of the Ducks are looking at imposing their own budget (within the salary cap) to try and avoid losing more money. Brian Burke has until next Thursday to match the offer from the Oilers, but don't be surprised if a statement is made on Monday or Tuesday. The Sabres matched Lowes offer (in the case of Vanek) virtually in minutes after the offer was made, but their cap situation is much different, and Vanek has had a much more prolific career to this point. Whereas Penner, has shown glimpses of being a dominant power forward, is not quite at the level that a 4 million dollar a year deal would dictate. So by overpaying for Penner, not only did the Oilers muddy the water by driving up the price for young players, but they made an offer that would be very difficult for the Ducks to match.


Kevin Lowe may not be making any friends this off season, but he is definitely doing everything that he can to improve his team. He made one big free agent signing with defenceman Sheldon Souray, but has struck out when it comes to acquiring top notch forwards. Oiler fans in general had been growing a bit of complex and taking it personally that "nobody wants to play in Edmonton". So Lowe has done the next best thing and the good news for the fans is that both Vanek and Penner were willing to come here. Perhaps the open checkbook that Lowe has had this offseason will change the perception of Edmonton being a small market-small budget team. Good on Kevin Lowe for using the rules to his advantage and perhaps there will be a huge improvement over last season's debacle.

Make the deal.........and hope you win!

Trade deadline day has passed in the NHL and there were definitely some significant moves made around the league. There were also a number of trades that were shall we say, meaningless. On deadline day itself there were maybe 6 or 7 really significant deals. In the days leading up to the deadline there were perhaps another 7 or 8. The teams that really made the largest impacts on their clubs since January were likely the Flames, Sharks, Islanders, Predators, Penguins, Thrashers and oddly enough the last place contending Philadelphia Flyers. So in no particular order here is what these teams have done:

Calgary Flames
On January 29th the Flames addressed a need at center by adding a great compliment to Jarome Iginla with the addition of Craig Conroy. To get Conroy the flames had to part with an underachieving forward in Jamie Lundmark and a couple of picks. Definitely this was a good deal for the Flames since Conroy has had so much success in the past with Iginla. Then on February 10th the Flames did a great job in bringing depth to their club with the additions of Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau. Both of whom are upgrades on Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ference who went the other way in the deal. On trade deadline day the Flames were fairly quiet (having made their big moves already), but were able to add a good young defenceman in David Hale for a pick. Definitely the Flames made a fairly deep team even deeper and have positioned themselves for a potentially long playoff drive.

San Jose Sharks
On the 25th of February the Sharks added some experience to their defence when they acquired Craig Rivet. The price was fairly steep however since they traded away a young d-man in Josh Gorges and a 1st round pick. They then made their biggest acquisition when they acquired Bill Guerin at the deadline. In Guerin they get a very good, offensive, veteran forward. San Jose already had a very good offensive team, but with the moves they made they are even better and should be able to make some noise in the playoffs.

New York Islanders
February 18th the Islanders began making a push towards a playoff spot when they acquired the fairly young (and much maligned) defenceman Marc-Andre Bergeron from Edmonton. Bergeron, although at times a liability defensively, is an offensive minded defenseman and was definitely a good depth move by the Islanders since they parted with a prospect defenseman who is currently playing in Russia. On the day leading into the deadline the Islanders deepened their forward lines when they added Richard Zednik from the Capitals. Again they did not have to part with anyone from their roster, giving up a second round draft pick. Then in the final minutes leading into the deadline, Garth Snow (former backup goaltender and current G.M.), made the biggest trades this year when he acquired, long time Edmonton Oiler, Ryan Smyth. Adding the all-star forward made a good team even better and potentially made the Islanders a sleeper pick to make some noise in the playoffs.

Nashville Predators
The Preds made their team even better in recent weeks and it started on the 10th when they became deeper on defense by adding Vitali Vishnevski. Not exactly a blockbuster, but being in first place it was definitely a good "tweaking move". Less than a week later Nashville made one of the biggest moves (if not the biggest) of the season when they acquired perennial all-star Peter Forsberg. When healthy Peter is one of the best two way talents to ever play the game. Health is the key though because he has suffered many injuries over the years and has had a nagging foot injury this year. If he is able to stay healthy, the Predators will definitely make a lot of noise in the playoffs and could very likely be hoisting a Stanley Cup this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Already one of the most exciting and surprising teams in the NHL, the Penguins were fairly active and greatly improved their chances of Playoff success. Being a young team with exciting young stars like Crosby, Staal and Malkin, the Penguins were really in need of grit and leadership if they wanted to make a long playoff run. Ray Shero didn't disappoint on deadline day when he was able to acquire veteran, gritty, forward Gary Roberts and the king of heavyweight enforcers in Georges Laraque. Gary Roberts should be a great influence on the young talented scorers in Pittsburgh and Laraque will be able to make sure no one takes liberties with them. The Penguins also made a couple small depth moves at the deadline by adding defenceman Joel Kwiatkowski and goaltender Nolan Schaefer.

Atlanta Thrashers

Leading into the deadline the Thrashers were able to sure up their defence by acquiring offensive, veteran defenseman Alexei Zhitnik. In doing so they did part with young prospect Braydon Coburn. The very next day the Thrashers were able to trade for Keith Tkachuck. Getting Tkachuck not only bolstered their lineup from an offensive point of view, but also gave them some valuable veteran leadership. The Thrashers definitely gave up quite a bit of potential to be able to compete now. Rolling the dice as they did could either get them deep into the playoffs or turn them into a disappointment.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have been battling for last place overall for most of the season. What could they have done that was at all significant. Well, they became the biggest sellers in the league. Although they did nothing to save their season, they were able to make their future a lot brighter. Their first big move was to trade away Peter Forsberg. For him they were able to acquire two top prospects in Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent and also 2 picks which included a 1st rounder. In their next big move they were able to unload Alexei Zhitnik for a great young defenceman in Braydon Coburn to further bolster their wealth of young talent. In a three way deal they also got another great young defenceman in Lasse Kukkonen and a 3rd round pick for underachieving forward Kyle Calder. Then on deadline day the Flyers were able to get their hands on a great, proven goaltender (which has been lacking in recent years) Martin Biron for only a 2nd round pick. Long term the Flyers may prove to be the biggest winners among all of the teams who made trades in 2007.

So what do all of these deals mean? Who are the biggest winners and who are the biggest losers? Only time is going to tell. The measuring stick for these teams, and the others who made deals, is a Stanley Cup or at the very least a long promising playoff run. For the teams that were sellers? The results of these trades may not be seen for another 3, 4 or even 5 years, but it will definitely be interesting to follow. Of all of the teams that made deals, I think that the Predators should definitely be dynamite and a real contender to come out of the west, and the Penguins may end up being the biggest surprise in the East and may even make it as far as the conference finals. It is definitely shaping up to be an exciting stretch drive and very likely an awesome post season. LETS PLAY HOCKEY!!

OA83

Will Smytty stay an Oiler???

Right now the Edmonton Oilers are in the midst of a road trip that may very well decide their playoff fate. One of the biggest questions is will the longest serving Oiler be traded before the deadline? Will he walk when he becomes a free agent? Or will the Oilers and Smyth come to terms on a deal that will make him a lifetime Oiler?

First off Ryan Smyth has been an Oiler for his entire career. He was drafted 6th overall in 1994 and was a regular on the club since the 95-96 season. Since then he has played over 760 games as an Oiler (another 68 in the playoffs) and scored 262 goals, 281 assists and 543 points during that time. He has also answered the call of his country every time he has been asked. Leading to his very popular nickname "Captain Canada". In 78 senior men's international games, Smyth has scored 18 goals, 19 assists and 37 points. So he has had a very impressive career and is known as one of the grittiest, hard nosed players in the game. Not to mention that he terrorizes goaltenders night in and night out with his play in front of the net. So not only has he been a great player during his time in Edmonton, but many would argue that he has been the heart and soul of the franchise.

There are a lot of positives that could come from trading Ryan Smyth if there is a likelihood that he isn't going to re-sign. The market for a player of Smyth's calibre is pretty good. It would not be surprising to receive a top end young prospect, a first round pick (maybe even 2) and another pick or two in a later round. Having said, that is there any way to put the value on a player who has given his heart and soul to an organization for over 12 years. Perhaps Kevin Lowe's sense of loyalty, combined with his determination to make the playoffs at all costs makes it somewhat unlikely that he would trade Smyth, unless he were to receive an unbelievable offer.

If the Oilers are to somehow get a deal done with Ryan Smyth before the trade deadline, then a lot of fans will be able to breath a sigh of relief knowing that the team's most popular player will finish out his career in Edmonton. The likelihood of a deal being reached before Feb. 27th does not seem like it will happen, since reports are that the two sides are still apart when it comes to the amount and length of term for the contract. The risk of not getting a new deal signed (from the Oilers perspective) is that on the open market there will likely be a team that is willing to overpay for a player like Smyth. There is virtually no way that the Oilers could afford to match an offer that was in the ballpark of 6 million dollars per year (which some team is very likely to offer). So unless Smyth is willing to sign a contract that is considerably closer to the 5 million dollar mark, then in all likelihood he would be gone at seasons end. So this is the quandary that the team finds themselves in:
1)They know that Smyth's heart is in Edmonton, but also that this is his one big chance (being in the prime of his career) to cash in financially.
2)They know that if they trade him they will get a good return in the deal, but the optics of trading (arguably) your franchise player won't sit well with the fans
3)If Smyth doesn't get signed by the trade deadline the Oilers run the risk of losing him altogether, meaning that he leaves and they'd have nothing to show for it.

So although it is somewhat a troubling issue for the Oilers and their fans, one would have to believe that when all is said and done Ryan Smyth will be an Oiler for the the long haul. Logic would dictate that when a player give his heart and soul to a city, the team and the fans, that somehow a deal can get done. Ryan Smyth has given everything that he can to the Oilers and it is very likely that the management of the team will reciprocate the same. The fact is Smyth wants to be an Oiler, the team wants him to be an Oiler and most definitely the fans want him to be an Oiler. So when you add it all up there isn't much doubt that some way, somehow Ryan Smyth will be an Oiler for life.....................................hopefully.

Peyton's Legacy

After his teams recent Superbowl win, where does this put Peyton Manning all time? The proverbial monkey is now off of his back, but is he any more deserving of being called one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time than he was prior to the Colts win on Sunday?

When looking at his career as a whole, I would maintain that Peyton Manning would be a Hall of Famer and one of the all time greats regardless. In his 9 seasons as an NFL quarterback, Peyton Manning has started every single game and has never thrown under 3700 yards in a season. In fact he has only thrown under 4200 yards twice in his career. Combine that with his 275 touchdowns (never under 26 in a season) and his career quarterback rating of 94.4 and it's easy to see why he can be considered one of the best. Not to mention his 7 Pro Bowl appearences and 2 MVP awards. He has begun a pace that could see him potentially break every passing record, which would definately be more than enough to solidify a trip to Canton at the end of his career.

Now Peyton has shown that he can win the big game and has both a Superbowl MVP award and ring to go along with all of his other exploits. Somehow there are still haters out there who think that he isn't a great quarterback. With the career he has had to this point there is no reason to think that his assault on Dan Marino's records won't continue. No one denies Marino his place amoung the greatest quarterbacks of all time and he never won a superbowl. So while winning a Superbowl can strengthen a quarterbacks legacy, it is in no way a reason to enshrine or denie a player enshrinement into the Hall of Fame. Many terrible quarterbacks have also won Superbowls which is proof that in a team game like football, it takes a lot more than a great quarterback to win. This is why when looking at a players career and determining if he is worthy of being one of the greats the whole picture of his career should be looked at. So as great as it was that Peyton Manning was able to lead his team to a Superbowl win, his greatness was never truly in doubt.

Greatness is now spelled S-I-D

It may be a little to early to refer to Sidney Crosby as the greatest, but he certainly may be the greatest since "The Great One" and "The Magnificent One" were dominating the league. However, Sidney Crosby is proving to be one of the most amazing talents that the hockey world has seen in a very long time.

When Crosby was a junior the media was already piling on the pressure that he was "The Next One". Since day one in the NHL, after being selected first overall by the Penguins, "Sid the Kid" has not disappointed at all. Last season, as a rookie, he had an impressive campaign with 39 goals, 63 assists for 102 points. That is one heck of a rookie campaign. If he could consistently record a hundred points per season for even ten to fifteen years he'd be a first ballot hall of famer.

What separates a player like Sidney though is that he isn't satisfied with being a really good player. He wants to be the best. So this season he has improved on almost every facet of his game. Already he is on pace to far surpass his incredible rookie season with 25 goals, 57 assists and 82 points in ONLY 47 games so far. This puts him on pace for 138 points this year. Not only that but the play of him and his young supporting cast actually has the Penguins on pace for a possible playoff birth. In fact right now the Pens are sitting in 6th place in the east with a couple of games in hand. Definitely a turnaround from the past number of seasons when they were one of the doormats of the NHL.

Is it possible that hockey fans are now watching one of if not the best player in twenty years develop before our very eyes? And can this young 19 year old kid possibly put the NHL back on the map in the United States? The opportunity is there. There has not been a player of his magnitude in a very long time and it would be a shame for people south of the 49th to miss it. Many players have been highly touted coming out of junior and into the NHL but Crosby is shaping up to be even better than advertised. The first step will be if Sidney Crosby can somehow be viewed as the player most responsible for saving hockey in Pittsburgh. The next step will be to continue dominating this game and lead his team to a Stanley Cup.

Just to illustrate how amazing Crosby has been, when Wayne Gretzky played his first season in the NHL, "The Great One" scored 51 goals and added 86 assists for 137 points. Crosby’s 82 points in 47 games has him on pace for 138 points this season. That means comparisons between the two players aren’t far-fetched at all.

The NHL now can showcase (with no more Gretzky or Lemieux), possibly the next legend of the game Sidney Crosby. If all the stars remain aligned, his will be a career for the ages. Greatness may indeed be spelled S-I-D!

Less than a month till deadline day!

The day that most die hard hockey fans salivate over is rapidly approaching. February 27th is the day that is circled on many a calender. By this date teams will have decided weather or not they are going to be buyers or sellers. Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on how one wants to look at it) there isn't likely to be the flurry of deals being made this year.

As it stands right now the only team without a prayer is the Philadelphia Flyers. They aren't completely alone however, because the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings will require an act of God to reach the playoffs this year. This leaves a glut of 26 teams fighting it out for 16 playoff spots. Ten points is all that separates 6th place from 14th place in the East and twelve points is all that separates 6th from 12th in the west. So depending on what happens in the next three weeks many of these teams are going to have to decide whether or not this is their year.

There are certain teams in particular that could make the playoff races and trade deadline day very interesting. Depending on what happens in the upcoming weeks the New york Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers will be the most likely teams (who are on the cusp of a playoff berth) to be either actively seeking to bolster their lineups for a Cup run or will begin making moves to build for next year.

So in the East the Rangers are pretty solid in net and have a pretty descent mix of youth and experience. If they continue to play well they'll like just be looking to add some more experience on defence (only 2 players over 30) and perhaps another solid forward to play up front. If they are able to get a playoff spot they could be a fairly dangerous team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs need to start getting more consistent goal tending from Andrew Raycroft if they are going to make the playoffs and make any kind of run at all. They may be looking to add some grittier defenceman with playoff experience if they believe that they can make the playoffs. However if they fall too far out of the race they may be willing to move Darcy Tucker who is a UFA at the end of the season and he is a player that many teams may be interested in.

In the West the Colorado Avalanche will also need to solidify their defence if they are going to make any run to the playoffs. They aren't the powerhouse that they once were and may be the most likely of the four teams mentioned to slip out of contention. If they were to become sellers by the trade deadline they do have some more experienced players who could be moved like defenceman Ken Klee or forwards like Pierre Turgeon or Andrew Burnette.

Finally there are the Edmonton Oilers who were the Western Conference Champions of last year. Again they find themselves battling for their playoff lives and need to play a lot better if they are to have any chance of making the playoffs. Like many other teams they need to get deeper on defence and in particular need a more offencive defenceman. Should they not do well in the coming weeks then the Oilers will have to make a tough decisions and move a key player like Ryan Smyth (who is a UFA at seasons end and is having a career year).

So regardless of how the playoff races end up, there should definitely be some interesting developments over the next few weeks. This year prooves that there is becoming more parody in the league which can only make for more excitement.