Lightning is still Vinny's team

From Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune:

"This is Vinny's team; we know that. We are here to help him," Recchi said. "That will be something we'll talk to Vincent about, but we know he's the leader of this team. ... He's been a champion and he knows what it takes to win. I think it just strayed a little bit the past couple of years. But I think once you get that feeling back again, it's easy to grab again. When you are not winning it's easy to go the other way."

Read the entire article here.

Players like Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi were brought in as much for their ability to play on the team's 3rd/4th line as for their leadership. The truth is, the Bolts don't lack leadership with Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis having both led the team to a Stanley Cup championship.

Lecavalier excited about Lightning's new owners

From Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune:

Aside from the long-term security the contract guarantees, Lecavalier said he is excited with ownership's long-term plan about the team's chances of competing for a long time.

"They are very passionate and they've said all along they want to win and they have proven that with all the players that have been brought in and all the moves they've made since July 1," Lecavalier said.

Read the entire article here.

If I were Lecavalier I'd be excited too. My question is, will the Bolts ownership continue to spend like they have if they are losing lots of money?

Lecavaler signs 11 year contract extension

From the Tampa Tribune:

Vinny Lecavalier's hockey career will end where it began - in a Lightning
uniform.

Lecavalier signed an 11-year contract extension worth $85 million, the details of which surfaced on Saturday. The deal, which averages $7.72 million per season as the salary cap hit, was signed on Friday and submitted to the league office. The extension will kick in at the start of the 2009-10 season and carry through the end of the 2019-20 season, just before Lecavalier's 40th birthday.

Read the entire article here.

Well, I don't like the fact this contract is for 11 years. There is just too much risk involved with a contract that long. Never mind the fact that Lecavalier is already 28 and probably has 3-4 more prime years left. Nevertheless, the team is obviously ecstatic to have their best player under contract for a long time. Also, the contract dwindles down to $1 million for the 11th year of the deal; that makes the contract's average cap hit a more reasonable $7.72 million per season. All in all, Tampa fans have to be very happy to know their best player should remain with the team through the remainder of his career.

Lecavalier's contract extension expected to be announced on Tuesday

From Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune:

"The numbers are not as advertised," Lawton said Thursday. "We are putting the final touches on it. Everything you have read and all that's been reported in the media, they are all false. We'll announce it all next week."

Lecavalier's deal is expected to be announced Tuesday during a day-long event at the St. Pete Times Forum that will be capped off with a town hall meeting involving owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie, Coach Barry Melrose and Lecavalier.

"It's exciting. We still have little things to take care of but things are looking very good," Lecavalier said.

Read the entire article here.

This contract extension has been rumored for some time now, so it appears to be basically done. I guess the question is, whether the contract is over ten years or not?

Lecavalier taking the Yzerman path?

From Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times:

While the Lightning and Vinny Lecavalier are working on a nine-year, $77-million deal, Tampa Bay's plans for Lecavalier extend a lot further. Koules, who heads OK Hockey, which is expected to officially take control of the Lightning on Monday, said he sees Lecavalier as a Lightning executive after he retires.

So, the contract may not be a lifetime deal, but the organization seems to want to make a lifetime commitment.

"We absolutely do," Koules said. "We've already talked to Vinny about it. When we talked, we talked about lifestyle, about how long he wants to live here. He wants to retire here when he's done, and he wants to be part of this. We look at Stevie Y as the exact model of what we want to do with Vinny."

Read the entire story here.

I think we should all just worry about Vinny playing hockey for the next decade. We can worry about his management career in 2020.

Report: Lecavalier to sign 9 year, $77 million extension

From TSN:

The final touches are still being worked on and nothing can be formally announced until July 1, but sources tell TSN the Tampa Bay Lightning and superstar centre Vinny Lecavalier have agreed to terms on a mega-deal that will pay him $77 million over nine years.

The annual salary cap hit to the Lightning will be about $8.55 million for the length of the contract, but the final year of the contract is said to be only for about $3 million, which means that if Lecavalier retired after eight seasons, his average salary would be as much as $9.4 million.

Read the entire report here.

At $8.5 per season average, this contract is not unreasonable. Lecavalier is arguably one of the top three players in the entire NHL. Tampa's new ownership has been extremely active since they took over and getting Lecavalier under contract has to have been their top priority.

As for term, I don't like the nine year contract, it is too long and Lecavalier will be well past his prime when the contract is near its end. That being said, long-term contracts are commonplace in the NHL today, as most superstar players are signing contracts that last around a decade.

All in all, this is a solid deal for both sides. Lecavalier gets a ton of cash, and the Lightning have their best player under contract at a fair market price for the next while. There is nothing wrong with that.

A short interview with the new Lightning owners

From Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune:

Q: So does that mean you have a pretty aggressive game plan put together in terms of free agency when it opens on July 1?

LB: “We might be camping out at two different spots selling our team, selling our city and selling our passion.’’

OK: “We are probably going to be in certain player’s back yards with a tent, seriously, the day of. The day the clock strikes we will probably be at their home. And I don’t want that written because I don’t want anybody stealing our ideas. But we are serious, we are seriously talking about doing that.’’

Read the rest of the short interview here.

It sure looks like the Lightning isn't going to be overly worried about the salary cap this summer. With a core of Lecavalier, St. Louis, Boyle and Stamkos, a couple of good moves this off-season could vault the Bolts up the standings and back into the playoffs.

Report: Lecavalier close to life-long deal

From TSN:

It appears the excitement surrounding the Tampa Bay Lightning's offseason
won't stop after selecting Steven Stamkos at Friday's NHL Entry Draft.

TSN's sister station in Quebec RDS reports that the Lightning and centre Vincent Lecavalier have made very good progress on discussions that would see him sign a 'lifelong' contract with the club after July 1.

Read the rest of the story here.

I don't really know what a "lifetime" contract means, but anything over 7-8 years doesn't really make sense (even that is a long term in my opinion). Lecavalier is arguably one of the top three players in hockey, but he is already 28 years old and probably won't get significantly better than he is now. Factoring in the cap, a contract that long isn't something that would seem to be up Jay Feaster's alley. Could this be new ownership's second big move after firing John Tortorella?

NHL Morning Papers: Non-Playoff Teams (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the teams that did not qualify for the playoffs:

• Bill Tiller of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if Thrashers ownership could learn a thing or two from the Canucks.
• The Hurricanes have signed both Stefan Chaput and Nick Dodge to entry-level contracts.
• Jacques Martin has decided to stay on as the Panthers' GM, writes Steve Gorten. Martin's first order of business will be to hire a head coach to replace himself.
• Radim Vrbata wants to remain a Coyote and is hoping to sign a contract extension with the club.
• In Tampa, Vincent Lecavalier's surgery was deemed a success.
• Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star tries to help Brian Burke with some decision-making. (Writer's note: Burke is a stand-up guy, he is not going to go to Vancouver and take the job his best friend just lost.)
• Francesco Aquilini held one of the more awkward press conferences on Tuesday, writes Jason Botchford. Dave Nonis needed to be more assertive during his tenure as GM, opines Tony Gallagher. Meanwhile, Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province wonders what's next for the Canucks?

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers: Non-Playoff Teams (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the morning papers from the teams that did not qualify for the playoffs this season:

• The Hurricanes fans want Peter Laviolette behind the Hurricanes bench next season.
• Rick Nash had throat surgery yesterday, so he is expected to miss the early part of the World Championships, writes Aaron Portzline.
• The Oilers signed defenseman Dennis Grebeshkov to a 1 year, $1.5 million contract on Monday. "If he has a good year again next year, we can probably extend it from there. But it came from his end as far as the one year," said Oilers vice-president of hockey operations Kevin Prendergast.
• The Islanders are continuing to work hard at improving their attendance, writes Katie Strang.
• The Coyotes have signed Hobey Baker Award winner Kevin Porter to his first pro contract.
• Vincent Lecavalier is scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery today and it is expected to sideline him for 12-15 weeks.
• Dave Nonis was surprisingly fired yesterday after a meeting with the club's owner, writes Ben Kuzma. "I couldn't feel more sorry for [Nonis]," said Ducks GM and Nonis' mentor, Brian Burke. Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province says that Nonis paid a price for encouraging boring hockey. The Province wastes no time listing eight potential replacements for the Canucks GM post.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Saturday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek takes a look at the difference between coaching in the regular season and in the playoffs.
• William Houston provides readers with all they need to know about television and the NHL playoffs.
• Cam Cole of the National Post wonders where the Canucks can go from here.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Rangers would have liked to defeat the Islanders last night, however, the team still controls its own fate in the standings, writes Larry Brooks.
• The Flyers defeated their arch-rival Devils and, in turn, clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It was an extremely exciting night on the Philadelphia sports landscape, writes Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Shelly Anderson has an interesting story about Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar. Meanwhile, the Penguins could be getting rugged winger Gary Roberts back for the regular season finale on Sunday.
• Greg Logan of Newsday recaps why the Islanders had such a tough year in the standings.
• Devils coach Brent Sutter thinks the Devils currently "lack professionalism."

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Hurricanes may have given away the Southeast Division title last night, writes Luke Decock. The writers surrounding the Hurricanes selected Eric Staal as the team's MVP this season.
• With just one point tonight against the Florida Panthers, the Capitals will walk away with the Southeast Division title.
• Kari Lehtonen says the Thrashers are not tanking it to improve their chances at getting a better selection in the upcoming draft. (Writer's note: Apparently he hasn't seen this team play the last three weeks)
• The Panthers are shooting to ruin the Capitals season tonight with a victory over Ovechkin and friends.
• The Lightning will play tonight's game against Atlanta without superstar Vincent Lecavalier.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Senators backed into a playoff spot last night, with a 2-1 home loss to the Bruins, writes Bruce Garrioch. Both Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher are out of the Senators line up for weeks.
• Forget a possible suspension for the Daniel Alfredsson hit, Mark Bell is going to jail after the season.
• Dave Stubbs profiles Mathieu Dandenault in this morning's Montreal Gazette. Dandenault's teammate Alexei Kovalev has his eyes on the Cup.
• Both Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek are having trouble accepting the Sabres' non-playoff season. In great news, the Sabres will welcome Teppo Numminen back to their line up for the season finale.
• Most people didn't predict this prior to the season, but the Bruins are heading to the playoffs after last night's win at Ottawa. Clinching a playoff spot last night allows for Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron to gear towards a return.

The Western Conference morning papers are soon to follow...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Friday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• While they did lose Daniel Alfredsson to what looks to be a concussion, the Senators are at least scoring again as they defeated the Leafs 8-2 last night to move closer to securing a playoff spot.
• William Houston tells readers that the NHL and NBC are close to agreeing to a one-year contract extension.
• The Canucks finished their late season collapse last night with a 2-1 loss at home to Edmonton, writes Ben Kuzma of that National Post.
• Alexander Ovechkin is playing out of his mind, as Mike Brehm of USA Today writes.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today tells readers that teams which added defense at the deadline seem to have benefited the most.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Habs moved into a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference and sent Buffalo home for the summer with their 3-1 win at the Bell Centre last night. Legendary writer Red Fisher believes Carey Price can lead the Habs to the promised land.
• The Senators were victorious last night over the Leafs, however coach Bryan Murray said that both Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher won't be ready for the first round of the playoffs. Off the ice, apparently the Senators will consider Bob Hartley a candidate for their head coaching position next season.
• Last night's loss to Ottawa was just another embarrassing defeat for the Leafs this season, writes Paul Hunter. The Leafs, in their current form, are a joke, opines Damien Cox.
• "We've got enough talent here and good players to make the playoffs. There's no excuse. We didn't do it," said Sabres defenseman Jaroslav Spacek after his team was eliminated from playoff contention with a 3-1 loss to the Habs last night. While the team had a disappointing season, they can take solace in the play of Daniel Paille.
• The Boston Globe has an interesting story about David Krejci's decision to play in the CHL. Stan Grossfiled of the Globe has an insightful article about Patrice Bergeron and his efforts to return from his concussion.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• "There's no great celebration in here about making the playoffs," said Rangers forward Scott Gomez after his team clinched a playoff spot with a 3-0 win over the Islanders. The Rangers still have their sights on improving their playoff seed.
• Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News is not really sure whether John Stevens is a good coach or not. The Flyers are unsure of whether Daniel Briere will suit up tonight versus the Devils.
• Even prior to the season beginning, Sergei Gonchar knew the Penguins defense would be good, writes Dave Molinari. Meanwhile, Georges Laraque really respects Riley Cote.
• Mike Rupp has been really happy with his promotion to the Devils' third line, writes Colin Stephenson.
• "He looks like he has a good upside to him," said Islanders coach Ted Nolan about rookie Jack Hillen's NHL debut last night versus the Rangers.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• If the Hurricanes win tonight, they are the Southeast Division champions, but if they lose then they no longer control their own fate.
• When in doubt, jump on the back of the Ovechkin train and that is what the Capitals did last night, writes Tarik El-Bashir.
• With the off-season upcoming, the Thrashers have seven players up for free agency.
• Forget the game, the Lightning were furious about a cheap shot at Vincent Lecavalier which left the superstar with his arm in a sling.
• The Panthers are looking to play spoiler tonight versus the Hurricanes.

The Western Conference morning papers are soon to follow...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

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

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• As Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail tells us, Ducks GM Brian Burke wants to see the return of the blockbuster trade.
• Mike Ribiero has found his comfort zone in Dallas, writes Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail.
• John MacKinnon of the National Post tells readers that Wayne Gretzky endorses the sale of the Oilers to Daryl Katz.
• A.J. Perez of USA Today has an interesting article on the increased amount of composite sticks being made in Mexico.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Ilya Kovalchuk has scored a high-percentage of his team's goals this season but it is not as if his team is deferring to him during the course of the game, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Nothing like a practice without pucks to wake up the troops in Boston. “It’s up to those guys to show their character (tonight) and I’ll leave that up to them,” said coach Claude Julien heading into Thursday night's game versus the Habs.
• Jocelyn Thibault will be in between the pipes tonight as the Sabres take on the high-powered Senators. In disappointing news, it does not look Teppo Numminen will return to the Sabres' line-up this season.
• Coming to Carolina, Sergei Samsonov's resolution is to put the puck in the net. With a number of the Hurricanes missing the morning skate, the team has recalled Keith Aucoin and Brandon Nolan for tonight's game.
• Not surprisingly, coach Jacques Martin of the Panthers believes that if his team plays better defensively then more scoring chances will result.
• Habs coach Guy Carbonneau has high expectations for his team's upcoming road trip, writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. Meanwhile, veteran forward Bryan Smolinski is ready to return to the lineup whenever coach Carbonneau feels like making a change to his starting roster.
• Even though Devils coach Brent Sutter called John Madden his most consistent forward of the first-half, Madden believes he can be even better through the rest of the season.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post says the Rangers have reached desperate times. In positive news, injuries to Martin Straka (concussion) and Sean Avery (hand) don't appear to be very serious and the two should return to the lineup fairly soon.
• Miroslav Satan has been moved to the Islanders' first-line alongside Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin.
• With Saturday's game against the Red Wings just around the corner, the Senators have to make sure not to overlook the Sabres tonight, writes Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. Meanwhile, John Paddock doesn't approve of anything Steve Downie has done so far this season, however, he believes that almost every team in the NHL wants a player like that on their own team.
• Simon Gagne will return to the Flyers lineup tonight for the first time since November 7 when he suffered a concussion. Interestingly, Anterro Nittymaki will be the starting netminder for tonight's game, marking the third straight game he has started.
• It is a battle of, arguably, the two best players in the NHL tonight in Tampa Bay as the Penguins visit the Lightning. Sidney Crosby will not only try and outduel Vincent Lecavalier but he will also try to end the Penguins' five year losing streak in Northern Florida tonight.
• You are not going to hear a lack of respect from either Crosby or Lecavalier when talking about each other, writes Carter Gaddis of the Tampa Tribune.
• Damien Cox informs readers that the Leafs are close to rock bottom after last night's 5-0 defeat in Anaheim. In addition, Cox wonders what happened to Nikolai Antropov's career year?
• The Capitals were happy to open their homestand with a victory, writes Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks are really starting to gel together and last night's 5-0 victory over Toronto was an example of the quality of their play recently. While the Leafs enjoy much success off-the-ice, on it they have been struggling for years, writes Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register.
• Scott Cruickshank of the Calgary Herald has a must-read interview with Flames GM Darryl Sutter at the half-way point of the season.
• The Blackhawks are struggling badly right now as they lost last night in Dallas by a score of 3-1, making it seven straight losses for the original six club.
• After losing 2-1 last night to the Capitals, the Avalanche have now lost six of their past seven games and just can't seem to get any of their top scorers onto the scoresheet, writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post. Although the team is struggling, it did receive some good news when young center Paul Stastny was named to the All-Star team.
• The Blue Jackets have revenge on their minds when they face the Blues on Friday. It is likely that Nikolai Zherdev will miss tomorrow night's game against St. Louis and Saturday's game against Nashville.
• It was like old times last night as Mike Modano had three points and led the Stars to a 3-1 victory over the Blackhawks.
• After signing an extension on Wednesday, Chris Osgood received some more great news on Thursday as he was named to the All-Star team.
• Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal has a great article about coach Wayne Gretzky. (Writer's note: You would have to be a fool to not read a Jim Matheson article about the Great One.) In other Oilers news, coach Craig MacTavish has instructed captain Ethan Moreau to stop dropping the gloves.
• Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times is calling for the Kings to give their youngsters lots of playing time with a chance of a playoff spot too far out of reach.
• As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune tells us, Mikko Koivu is close to returning, but the Wild has not yet made a roster move to clear a spot for him.
• Chris Mason's shutout of the Kings on Tuesday has given the netminder some confidence after he was benched four straight games.
• Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic provides readers with his mid-season report on the Coyotes.
• For all the criticism the team has received, the Sharks are the fourth best team in the NHL, writes David Pollak.
• The mood in St. Louis at mid-season is a lot more positive than it was last season, writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• One Sedin brother is leaving the other behind on his way to the All-Star Game, writes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province. In other Canucks news, the team claimed Kris Beech off waivers from Columbus.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Network Plays of the Week

Here are the top 10 NHL plays of the week, as shown by the NHL Network. If you ask me, the last play is a complete joke and doesn't deserve to be on the list. Contains a nice amount of Lecavalier and Brodeur. Enjoy.

Personally I feel that this goal by Scottie Upshall should have been number one.

NHL Morning Papers (Thursday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• There is a toxic stew surrounding the Maple Leafs right now writes Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail.
• Here are some news and notes from around the NHL courtesy of the National Post.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• It looks like Todd Bertuzzi may be nearing a return to the Anaheim lineup, however, he still has days where he really doesn't feel well writes Curtis Zupke of the Orange County Register.
• The Blackhawks didn't bring the same energy level last night against the Blue Jackets as they did Sunday against the Red Wings writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• Adrian Dater of the Denver Post provides readers with five reasons why the Avalanche have been one of the best teams in the NHL since last season's trade deadline.
• As Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock pointed out yesterday after his team's 4-2 victory Chicago, "expectations are changing." Rick Nash really impressed his teammates last night with a Gordie Howe hat trick. One of general manger Scott Howson's best moves this off-season was picking up defenseman Jan Hejda writes Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch.
• The Stars' management situation may have changed, but the results on the ice did not, as Dallas was defeated 4-3 by the Sharks in a shootout on Wednesday night.
• The Red Wings' plane got stuck in the mud before leaving St. Louis, so the team stayed over the Gateway city and practiced yesterday.
• The Oilers got a terrific performance from Mathieu Garon as he gave the team a chance to win last night's game in a shootout, which it did 1-0. Meanwhile, Dan Barnes of the Edmonton Journal calls out Ales Hemsky for being consistently inconsistent. Long-time Edmonton Sun writer Terry Jones tells readers that Kelly Buchberger has his sites on one day becoming an NHL coach.
• Kings' forward Alexander Frolov only had to participate for a short-time in practice after playing an astonishing 30 minutes on Tuesday night.
• According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Marian Gaborik is set to return to the Wild lineup tonight at Edmonton.
• Predators' defenseman Shea Weber practiced for the first time since injuring his knee in the team's first game and is tentatively scheduled to return to the Predators' lineup on Saturday night. Here are some news and notes about the Predators and Blackhawks prior to tonight's game.
• Nick Boynton thinks the NHL rule that got him suspended for tonight's game versus the Sharks is "a little stupid."
• Since Ryan Clowe was lost to the Sharks for an extended period of time, winger Steve Bernier has felt the need to play a more physical style of play.
• The Blues have to make sure they learn from their win over Detroit and keep that type of intensity for games against teams that are inferior to the Red Wings.
• Elliot Pap of the Vancouver Sun has the details from a boring 1-0 shootout victory for the Oilers over the Canucks.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Leafs take their gong show on the road tonight in Boston. "This isn't anything that we really care about. It's something that happened and we move on," said third-year forward Alexander Steen in reference to the Jiri Tlusty photos.
• The Capitals spent a lot of money last off-season, but those moves have yet to pay off writes Tarik-El Bashir of the Washington Post. In positive Capitals news, Chris Clark is slated to return to the lineup on Friday versus Florida.
• Last night's performance by Vincent Lecavalier was a prime example of why you pay the superstars the big bucks. After last night's 6-1 win over division-leading Carolina, the Bolts are gaining ground on the leaders of the Southeast Division.
• Penguins' prospect Kris Letang has been called up from Wilkes-Barre and is the only one of the Pens' six starting defensemen who shoots right. Marc-Andre Fleury is slated to get the start tonight versus the Islanders.
• The Flyers' have finally conceded that Simon Gagne has a concussion.
• This year's version of the Sabres, has a lot in common with last year's version of the Senators writes James Gordon of the Ottawa Citizen. While Nick Foligno is disappointed about being demoted to AHL, he is looking forward to playing more minutes. You'll be hard pressed to find a better leader in the game than Daniel Alfredsson.
• Bill Guerin has been cleared to return from his eye injury and will be able to play Thursday versus the Penguins.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post says the true sign of Rangers progress is their new found success over the ever-dominant Devils. Jaromir Jagr was terrific last night for the Blueshirts, as the Rangers prevailed 4-2.
• "They're the better hockey club," John Madden said after last night's loss to the Rangers. Lost in the Devils' disappointing performance was the fact that Martin Brodeur was unable to register his 500th win against their Hudson rivals. In worrisome news for Devils fans, Paul Martin was unable to finish last night's game due to a back injury.
• The Canadiens brass believes that their current goaltending situation is creating healthy competition writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. Jack Todd of the Gazette opines that Mike Komisarek has been the Habs' MVP so far this season. In other news about the Habs, winger Michael Ryder has been moved to the team's third line.
• Panthers' leader and captain Olli Jokinen has called on his entire team to be better and raise their expectations as the Panthers move forward. One of the reasons for the Panthers' recent struggles have to do with taking too many penalties. "The first 15 games of the season we were much more even penalties for and against. We have to be more disciplined to stay out of the box," said coach Jacques Martin after practice yesterday.
• The Hurricanes have now been dominated twice by the Lightning this season writes Lorenzo Perez of the News Observer. The Canes held both Erik Cole and Andrew Ladd off the ice last night.
• The Sabres will attempt to begin to turnaround their season tonight versus the top team in the Eastern Conference.
• The Thrashers' new first-line is working wonders for Don Waddell writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Steve Weeks has been put in charge of getting Kari Lehtonen back into game shape.
• The Bruins need to improve both aspects of their special teams play if they hope to gain ground on their Northeast counterparts.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Nightly Recap: Lecavalier Beasts on the 'Canes

Columbus 4 - Chicago 2 - Rick Nash, Sergei Fedorov and Jason Chimera each collected a goal and an assist. Pascal Leclaire made 16 saves improving his record to 16-4 on the year.

New York Rangers 4 - New Jersey 2 - It was the first road win for Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, Scotty Gomez and Jami Jagr had two points each. Martin Brodeur remains stuck at 499 wins

Tampa Bay 6 - Carolina 1 - BEAST of the night Vinny Lecavalier recorded a whopping 5 points, setting a franchise record for consecutive multi point games with 6. Martin St. Louis had 3 points and Johan Holmquist stopped 28 of 29 in the win.

San Jose 4 - Dallas 3 (SO) - A rare shootout loss for the Stars who were 22-5 in shootouts coming into this game. Jere Lehtinen and Brendan Morrow had two points a piece for Dallas.

Edmonton 1 - Vancouver 0 (SO) - Matthieu Garon goes toe to toe with Roberto Luongo stopping 29 in regulation/overtime. Ales Hemsky scored the only goal in the shootout.

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:00pm: TOR@BOS, NYR@PHI,
7:30pm: OTT@BUF, NYI@PIT, WSH@FLA,
8:00pm: CHI@NSH,
9:00pm: MIN@EDM, SJ@PHX
10:30pm: ANA@LA

Saturday Night: Lightning Beast on The Thrashers

This is the abbreviated Saturday Night Recap

• Smart move by the Bruins organization to move the game to the afternoon to avoid conflict with the Red Sox. The game was 0-0 going into the shootout and Phil Kessel netted the only goal for Boston. Bruins 1 - Rangers 0.
• Chicago 2nd win in two nights comes against the rested Maple Leafs. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are reminiscent of the Thrashers' Heatley/Kovalchuk in their rookie years. They combined for 3 points tonight and Mats Sundin continues to rake for the Leafs (2 goals). Blackhawks 6 - Maple Leafs 4. Chicago's second third period comeback in a row. Chicago looks like they will be able to compete this year and may begin to fill the United Center, a playoff spot may be in sight
  
• Eric Staal and Justin Williams are able to beat red hot Marty Biron. The Canes are able to take the Flyers to overtime but bow out to Simon Gagne's winner. Philadelphia 3 - Carolina 2 (OT) Justin Williams only has 3 goals on the year now, but they have been snipes, in his age 26 season he is on his way to a career year
  
• Tampa Bay beats up on Atlanta for the second time of the year. The Lecavalier/St. Louis/Prospal line combines for 8 points. Lightning 6 - Thrashers 2.
  
• Edmonton continues to be the bitch of the Northwest Division going 0-4 against their rivals. Dion Phaneuf and Jarome Iginla were the first two stars with 3 points each and Kristian Huselius rounded up the back end with 2 points. The Flames show the Oilers who owns Alberta 4 - 1.
• In a rematch from last years playoffs San Jose shuts out Nashville 3-0. The Legend of Jeremy Roenick lives on, he scores his 3rd goal of the year and is two away from 500.

Tomorrow's Match Ups (All Times Eastern)
5:00pm VAN@CLB
7:00pm COL@MIN

It's all about the recap: The new Legion of Doom?

• Chris Drury impresses the New York Fans fans with 3 points and Marek Malik adds 3 assists. The Rangers win their opener over the Panthers 4-2.
• The Sens begin at 2-0 with their second consecutive win over the Leafs. Daniel Alfredsson scores two including the game winner.
• Brent Sutter loses his first game as the Devils' coach 3-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vinny Lecavlier continues last years torrid pace. After the loss Martin Brodeur called him "the best player in the league.
  
• Chris Mason shines making 35 saves earning the shutout over the Avs.
• Niklas Backstrom and the Wild squeak out a 1-0 win over the Blackhawks. Marty Havlat left the game with a shoulder. Didn't see that one coming.
  
• Jarret Stoll pots the shootout winner for the Oilers, they win 3-2 over my pick for the ugliest new jersey, the San Jose Sharks
  
• Mike Keenan loses his Flames coaching debut 3-2. The Gagne, Briere, Knuble had two points each . The new Legion of Doom? Let the naming contest begin!
  
• Phoenix begins the year 1-0 with a 3-2 victory over the St Louis Blues. It was a two point night for former Winnipeg Jet Keith Tkachuk.

Money for Nothing? Apparently Not.

With my hockey draft less than a week away, I decided that it was time to start preparing. This draft, however, is no ordinary hockey pool. Each team has to draft players to fill a full 22 man roster. The catch? Well, we use each player’s current NHL salary and our team salary cannot exceed the current NHL team salary cup. Naturally, as both an NHL fan and as a fantasy owner of Lecavalier’s and St. Louis’ collective $12 million plus salary, I was quite happy when the NHL announced again this year that the cap would be increasing.

The strategy for this pool is to obviously draft players who produce a lot of points relative to their salary. It’s all about maximizing player’s point production! Accordingly, in order to prepare for this draft, I searched the internet for NHL player stats and salaries, so I could perform my nerdy calculations.

Sure enough, someone had beat me to it. I came across a study by Canadian Business magazine entitled “Hockey’s Most and Least Valuable 2007”. The study compared each player’s 06/07 salary to their production and provided statistics like $/game played, $/goal, $/point, and $/minute on ice. As a fantasy hockey participant, I found this site very interesting and it would have certainly provided me with an edge for the upcoming draft. However, in the interests of Illegal Curve, I have sacrificed my competitive edge and posted this article with a link and now all of my competitors can read it and prepare accordingly.

As a fan of the NHL, though, should I really care about these stats? Should I really care how much money my favourite players are being paid? Should I go out and buy a John Pohl (ranked #20 in the NHL last year for $/point) jersey because he is only costing my beloved Maple Leafs (please email your condolences) $15,517 for every point he scored last year and toss out my “old” generation Sundin jersey because he had the nerve to “charge” $100,000 (tied for 283rd overall) for every point he scored? Further, does this mean that John Ferguson Jr. is a good GM because the Leafs have a whopping 6 players in the Top 100 list for $/points (Pohl, Ponikarovsky, Battaglia, Perreault, Stajan, and Steen)?

In short, no! As a fan, all you should care about is that the player’s on your favourite team are producing. Those six guys on the Leafs who were in the Top 100 list combined for a measly 217 points on the way to helping the team miss the playoffs for a second straight year. Conversely, do you think anyone is going to suggest that Jay Feester made a bad move by signing Lecalvalier to a contract that saw him earn $7,166,667 last year?

Lecavalier is one of the best players in the league. Last year, he posted the best numbers of his career scoring 108 points with 52 goals. However, he cost the Lightning $66,358 for every point he scored, which was almost $60,000 more than first place Milan Michalek. The fact is, it doesn’t really matter how much a player makes. All that really matters is that there are owners out there who are willing to pay the salaries.

Last year, Kristian Huselius scored 77 points while “only” being paid $1,400,000 placing him a respectable 39th on the list. Sure, that seems like such a great signing by the Flames, but do you actually care that he makes almost $6 million less than Lecavalier? Would your now prefer to have Huselius on your roster instead of the inefficient Lecavalier? I certainly would not. Save the conversations about these “bargain” players for the guys that actually pay the bills. All we want is for the players to produce.

So, you ask, does that analysis of player productivity compared to their salary actually indicate anything? Indirectly, it does! What it mainly demonstrates is which teams have drafted or signed talented young players. The majority of the players at the top of the list are very promising and very skilled young hockey players, including the likes of Stastny, Plekanec, Parise, and Getzlaf. Players’ salaries are capped for the first years of their professional careers. Therefore, as a fan, you should be excited to see young players on the top of the list, like the 9th placed Vanek. You should be excited not because he only costs $11,219 for every point he produces, but because that number, mathematically, indicates that he had a great year, scoring 84 points.

When your team signs a player to a contract, do not be concerned about how much money he is making. Instead, be concerned about how he will produce. Let Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment worry that they will only make $61 million this year instead of $65 million.

For now, I am adding Anze Kopitar (#26 with $16,131/point) and Travis Zajac (#66 with $23,433/point) to my draft target list.

For Illegal Curve, I am Adam Gutkin.

Fantasy Watch: Who to draft at #2?

With Sidney Crosby being the unanimous number one pick, the next question that arises is 'who's going to go number two?' Unfortunately, having the number two pick is no easy task; luckily there are several players worthy of that particular selection. So instead of killing yourself over not getting the first overall pick, recognize that the scoring race was determined by only six points last year, and that the latter rounds of your draft are often most important.

F Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Although Ovechkin's totals were down from a year ago, the former rookie of the year finished with very respectable numbers, scoring 46 goals and 46 assists. Losing linemate Dainius Zubrus at the trade deadline clearly affected Ovechkin's play, as his point per game average slipped considerably over the last few months of the season. With no true center on the team, the Capitals went out and signed free agent Michael Nylander, who helped Jaromir Jagr eclipse 120 points two seasons ago in New York.
With Nylander firmly entrenched in the middle, look for Ovechkin's point totals to see a significant increase.
Bottom Line: Aside from the past two years, Nylander has had trouble staying healthy, completing an 82 game season only twice in his career. If Nylander can stay healthy all year, then the sky is the limit for Ovechkin, but if he goes down, expect Alex the Gr8 to finish the season below expectations of a #2 pick.

F Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks

Finishing his first full year in San Jose with 114 points, Thornton returns to the Sharks with a new contract and most of his linemates back (sans Mark Bell). Projected to play with Cheechoo again, there should be no reason why Thornton won't reach last year’s totals. Although Cheechoo struggled to begin the season, he managed to get it together and finished the year with 37 goals, improving Thornton's totals along the way.
Bottom Line: With San Jose's main nucleolus back for another year, Thornton should have no trouble recreating last year's success, making him one of, if not the safest pick at #2.

F Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning

Lecavalier broke out last year recording career highs in goals, assists and points. It was quite an outburst for Vinny as his previous career high in points was only 75. With the big three, Lecavalier, St. Louis and Richards, intact for at least one more year, the former first overall selection should have no trouble surpassing 100 points in 2007/08.
Bottom Line: With only one 100+ point season under his belt and the thought of having to pass up on Thornton, Lecavalier falls between the 3rd and 4th pick this year.

F Dany Heatley, Ottawa Senators

Appearing in all 82 games for the second straight season, Heatley finished with a career high of 105 points. Having made no major transactions, Ottawa enters the season with the same core, which should result in Heatley playing on a line, once again, with Alfredsson and Spezza. Assuming everything remains intact; Heatley should exceed 100 points for the third straight year.
Bottom Line: After having almost identical seasons for the past two years, it’s pretty clear what you're going to get with Heatley. With his third year in Ottawa about to begin, only expect a slight increase in scoring, if at all.

For Illegal Curve, I’m Jonny Remis.