Droin-Deslauriers hopes to break camp with Oilers

From Derek Van Diest of the Edmonton Sun:

Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers figures four years in the minors is enough.

The Edmonton Oilers goaltender is ready to make the jump to the NHL.

"My intention is to make the Oilers this year," Drouin-Deslauriers said yesterday after the Oilers announced they had reached an agreement with him on a two-year contract extension.

Read the entire story here.

Unless the Oilers deal Dwayne Roloson (and I don't see that happening), Drouin-Deslauriers will almost assuredly begin the season in the AHL.

NHL Morning Papers--Western Conference (Friday Edition)

Here are the Pacific Division morning papers:

• As if there was not enough bad blood between the two teams, the Sharks may be looking for revenge tonight in Anahiem for a hit that Chris Kunitz put on Jonathan Cheechoo last week.
• Joe Thornton earned his big salary last night with an impressive display of offense and defense, writes David Pollak. In injury news, Ryan Clowe is expected to return to the Sharks line up next week.
• Last night the Kings played about as complete of a game as they have in a while and recorded a 4-0 victory over the Coyotes, writes Dan Arritt.
• The Stars lost 3-2 in overtime at San Jose last night, but there were a lot of positives to take from Thursday's game, writes Mike Heika. In roster news, the Stars got Phillipe Boucher back in the team's line up last night.

**There were no Coyotes articles this morning**

Here are the Central Division morning papers:

• The Predators made two under-the-radar moves at the trade deadline and both moves have helped the team's playoff push, writes Jessica Hopp. Meanwhile, Dan Ellis is hoping he can avoid having IV fluids put into his body between periods.
• Here is a quick preview of the Blues/Wings game tonight courtesy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• Expect Darren McCarty to play the same way he has always played when he starts his second tour of duty with the Wings tonight. Here is an injury update from Wings camp.
• The Blue Jackets are very much looking forward to taking on Jordin Tootoo and the Predators tonight, writes Tom Reed. Meantime, with the Jackets playing out the string, former Ducks prospect Clay Wilson is excited to be finally getting an opportunity at the NHL level. Here are the Jackets' projected lines for tonight's game versus Nashville.
• Chris Kuc makes a compelling argument for Patrick Sharp winning the Selke Trophy.

Here are the Northwest Division morning papers:

• The Wild's push for first place in the Northwest has seen the team receive production from unexpected sources, writes Kent Youngblood.
• Jim Vandermeer is making a lot of friends on the Flames bench with his willingness to do anything for the team. Recent healthy scratch Kristian Huselius does not know when he will be back in the team's line up.
• Canucks coach Alain Vigneault has issued a challenge to his team's veteran players and Ben Kuzma is looking forward to finding out whether Markus Naslund is up to the task.
• Dwayne Roloson gets the call in net tonight for the Oilers as they visit Denver. The Edmonton Journal tells Oilers fans which teams to hope for tonight.
• The Avalanche will be getting Adam Foote back in the line up tonight when they face the Oilers, writes Adrian Dater.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers--Western Conference (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the Northwest Division morning papers:

• The Flames are hoping to see Jarome Iginla crack the 50 goal mark, writes Jean Lefebvre. Even though he's always carrying the load, at least Iginla is once again getting scoring help from Kristian Huselius.
• The Canucks got their revenge on the Coyotes last night with an important 3-1 victory at GM Place. Canucks defenseman Mattias Ohlund told reporters yesterday that he doesn't remember ever seeing an injury-filled season like this one has been.
• Dwayne Roloson has the respect and confidence of his coaches and teammates, writes Joanne Ireland. Roloson's recent performances have led the Oilers still believe they have a shot at the playoffs.
• The Avalanche were not unhappy with the way they played on Monday night in Minnesota, they just did not get many breaks. In roster news, the Avs have sent young defenseman Kyle Cumisky down to Lake Erie of the AHL.
• The Wild's victory over Colorado last night had a playoff-type atmosphere, writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune. The Wild is thankful for the play of Niklas Backstrom the past two games.

Here are the Pacific Division morning papers:

• Bobby Ryan will find himself on one of the Ducks' top two lines when Anaheim faces off against the Stars on Wednesday.
• The Kings' nominee for the Masterton Trophy does not even play for Los Angeles anymore.
• The Stars need to put together a strong finish to the season if they want to have any chance winning the Pacific Division. The Stars' nominee for the Masterton Trophy is long-time defenseman Sergei Zubov.
• David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News has a cool article about Brian Campbell and his spin-o-rama.

**The Coyotes did not have a beat writer at last night's game in Vancouver**

Here are the Central Division morning papers:

• New Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart has added a physical element to the blue line, writes Helene St. James. Meantime, the Wings have been very encouraged by the recent play of Johan Franzen.
• John Glennon of the Tennessean tells us that the Predators are expected to reach the attendance threshold necessary to qualify for the NHL's revenue sharing plan.
• The Blackhawks are starting to realize their playoff chances are slim to none, writes Chris Kuc. Off the ice, Blackhawks fans will be getting great news about their television coverage.
• Due to some past battles, the Blue Jackets are expecting a heated contest with the Flames tonight, writes Aaron Portzline. Here are the Blue Jackets' probable lines for tonight's game.
• As Jeremy Rutherford explains, the Blues are trying to understand what has went wrong lately.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Numbers Game: Rent-a-player

Brian Murray pulled off a trade yesterday that brought Stanley-cup winners, Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore to the Senators. Stillman is “that top 6 forward that the Sens have been missing in their previous playoff drives”, while Commodore will certainly compliment an already strong defensive group.

How many times have you heard the media refer to trade deadline acquisitions as “the missing piece” that are certain to make their new team solid contenders in the playoffs? Just last year, we saw Bill Guerin, Ryan Smyth, Gary Roberts, Keith Tkachuk, Peter Forsberg, Craig Conroy, and Mike Comrie switch teams near the trade deadline with the hopes that they would fill a void in the lineup.

How did these guys actually do in their new uniforms?
(Click on image to enlarge stats)


Bill Guerin scored less points per game when he was traded to the Sharks and in 9 playoff games, he only had 2 assists with a -3 rating. The Sharks lost in the second round to the Red Wings.

Gary Roberts scored more goals and points per game following his trade to the Penguins. He was also a strong contributor for the team in the playoffs, scoring 4 points in 5 games. However, the Pens lost in the first round to Sens.

Speaking of the Sens, they added Mike Comrie in early January. Comrie’s point production decreased in Ottawa during the season and he finished with only 6 points in the playoffs as the Sens fell one game short of winning the cup.

Ryan Smyth continued his strong play with the Islanders scoring nearly a point per game in the final stretch run of the season and in the Islanders’ short-lived playoffs. Ditto for Peter Forsberg with the Predators.

Keith Tkachuk joined the Thrashers hoping to win a cup. Those chances ended quickly after a 4 game sweep at the hands of the Rangers. Tkachuk, however, was consistent as he continued to produce .75 ppg.

Craig Conroy was brought back to the Flames with hopes that he would regain the chemistry he had with Iginla during the 2004 cup run. Conroy scored 21 points in the 28 games he played with the Flames, compared to only 16 points in 52 games with the Kings. However, he was nowhere to be found in the playoffs as the Flames lost in the first round in 6 games.

In sum, of these 7 “missing pieces”, 5 of them didn’t even make it past the first round with their new teams and only Mike Comrie, who cannot be credited with the Sens strong playoff drive, made it past the second round.

There are certainly many examples of players that are acquired at the deadline that end up playing pivotal roles. Just two years ago, Roloson and Samsonov were key figures in the Oilers unexpected cup run. However, one should certainly curb their optimism when your team has added “that missing piece.” That being said, I think the Stillman acquisition was an excellent move.

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

Nightly Recap - Flyers deliver another punishing blow

Boston 6 - Philadelphia 3 - In the first game between the two teams since the Randy Jones incident there was a bit of deja vu as midway through the second Scott Hartnell gave Andrew Alberts an "unspecified head injury". In actual game news, Boston wins for their fifth time in seven games, Marc Savard lead the way with a goal and three assists. Glen Murray scored two goals and Tukka Rask made 20 saves for his second win in his second NHL start. Someone has lit a spark under Glen Murray, he now has eight points in his past seven games.
Here is a video of the Hartnell on Alberts hit. (hat tip to james mirtle).
At first it was a coincidence that a few illegal hits have come from Flyers players (Boulerice, Jones, Downie), but at four players it's becoming a correlation. Is a team fine in order? Ridiculous.


Dallas 3 - NY Islanders 2 (OT) - Dallas is now 6-0-2 in their past eight, Marty Turco got the call in net tonight making 23 saves in the win. It was only his second start in the past six games. Mike Modano scored his 7th and 8th goals of the season, the 8th being the overtime winner.

Buffalo 3 - Washington 1 - Buffalo...so hot right now, they have a five game win streak under their belt, albeit three wins came vs Montreal, but a win streak is a win streak. Jochen Hecht recorded a goal and two assists and Ryan Miller stopped 30 in the win. Alex Ovechkin scored a highlight reel goal tonight (video up later) and is now riding a 9 game point streak.

Edmonton 3 - Columbus 1 - Dwayne Roloson was big tonight making 30 saves for the Oil. Rookie Andrew Cogliano scored the go ahead goal for Edmonton in the third period, his 5th of the campaign. Ales Hemsky put his 8th goal of the season into the empty net to ice the game for the Oilers. Edmonton has gone 3 - 3 on their season long six game home stand.

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:00pm CGY@DET (VS)
7:30pm MTL@TOR (TSN)
10:00pm ANA@VAN (TSN)