The Most Important Three Weeks in Islanders History?

It may be an overstatement, but HockeySureShot believes that this offseason is the most important this franchise has ever seen. As we know, one of us is a season ticket holder for Islanders home games. That same person is writing this blog with the hopes that Garth Snow and Charles Wang realize the same thing.

The Islanders were the last Professional sports team of the four major sports to win four championships in a row, including 19 straight playoff series. Since then, almost nothing has gone right for this once proud organization. The Islanders are basically irrelevant on the sports map as drafting John Tavares last season was probably the most positive news they made in years, and that decision was a slam dunk. As the draft is less than 24 hours away and with free agent signing period beginning on July 1st, let's take a look at where the Isles have been and where they must go to keep the promise to their fans and help solidify their existence which currently is in question to some degree.

Hockey fans everywhere know about the history the Islanders have. Islanders fans know the history since. Frankly, we're tired of it. For those of you that don't know, the Islanders have not won a playoff series since 1993 and since have made the playoffs just 5 times going 6-20 in those 5 series. In the mid 90's Mike Milbury was hired to take over as GM. During his time as GM, the Islanders saw ownership changes, including one that faked his way into the owner's box and eventually went to jail. See John Spano. The Islanders payroll was consistently around 15 million dollars and from the shortened 95 season through 2001 season, the Islanders missed the playoffs 7 straight times. The Islanders didn't come close to making the playoffs in those 7 seasons, reaching 70 points only twice.

A renewed hope was given to the franchise before the 2000-2001 season when Charles Wang and Sanjay Kumar purchased the Islanders. During that offseason, Charles Wang gave Mike Milbury the financial backing that every GM needs to be successful. Mike Milbury made a slew of trades and made many free agent signings. The Islanders had a 44 point improvement and made the playoffs in 2002 and forced a 7th game before losing to Toronto. Looking back, the Islanders probably made some poor decisions that affected the team negatively in the long term that offseason, like trading away Zdeno Chara and not drafting Jason Spezza, and that 10 year Yashin contract but it did bring hope to the fanbase and an exciting season.

Since then the Islanders have made the playoffs 3 times. All 3 times losing in 5 games. The Islanders have now missed the playoffs 4 out of the last 5 seasons and on top of that, the fans are in danger of losing their team. When push comes to shove, I believe the Islanders will stay however the franchise and owner Charles Wang have been blocked by the Town of Hempstead to develop land around the existing Nassau Coliseum and have the hockey arena upgraded. Wang's Lighthouse Project seems to have hit a dead end and fans worry that after the 2015 lease is up, the Islanders will pack their bags. If no other site locally is found, the buses could head anywhere.

Why is this offseason so important? After a surprising and heroic playoff birth led by then coach Ted Nolan in the 2006-2007 season, the Islanders stayed committed to building through free agency mainly, and built a team led by veterans. The 2008 Islanders stayed competitive through the trade deadline but quickly fell out of the race. At the end of that season, Islanders management questioned and polled fans asking if they would sit through a rebuild which would be a slow process designed to give the organization staying power. The answer was yes, and the Islanders acquired draft picks by moving down twice in the 2008 draft and selecting Josh Bailey. At the time it wasn't a popular move, but the Islanders came away with 13 picks in the seven rounds which replenished a farm system that was dry. The Islanders then finished last overall in the 2008-2009 season, a result that many expected. The good news was, the Islanders selected first overall in the 2009 entry draft and were given the privilege of selecting John Tavares #1 overall. Garth Snow got creative and moved up 14 spots after acquiring a second first round pick from Ottawa via trade to the #12 spot and drafted defensemen Calvin De Haan. Also acquired in the 2nd round was goaltending prospect Mikko Koskinen. A towering man at 6 foot 7 inches tall, many consider him the steal of the draft. A few weeks later the Islanders signed Matt Moulson via free agency who finished the season with 30 goals, a huge surprise as Moulson was hoping to just crack the lineup with the big club. Rob Schremp was then claimed on waivers. The former first round pick with Edmonton fell out of favor and the Islanders gave him a chance. Schremp showed his playmaking skills and quickly became a fan favorite. The Islanders improved during the past season, finishing with 79 points and at times played some of the best hockey their fans have seen in years. A step in the right direction yes, but still much work to be done.

So here we are. The wee hours of the morning on draft day 2010. The Islanders hold the 5th spot in the draft and hold 10 picks over the 7 rounds. Another important day for GM Garth Snow and Assistant GM Ryan Jankowski. I will not speculate on the draft. Besides last season, the Islanders just about never do what you expect them to do historically so lets wait until the chips fold. However there is much work to be done after draft day. Currently the Islanders have just 8 forwards signed for next season. They also have decisions to make on their current Restricted Free Agents. Matt Moulson and Rob Schremp will almost definitely be signed. However the Islanders have decisions to make regarding Sean Bergenheim and Jeff Tambellini. Bergenheim had a career high in goals in 2008-2009 with 15 but has never seemed to fully realize his potential with the Islanders. The man plays with heart and another year is not out of the question. As for Tambellini, he seemed to fall out of favor with coach Scott Gordon. Tambellini has shown the ability to score at every level except the NHL. He did show some flashes this season but lack of physical play and some poor decisions on the ice kept him a healthy scratch most of the season. The Islanders biggest problem lies with their defense. They have several defensive prospects and may draft another one tonight. Calvin De Haan, Travis Hamonic, Mark Katic seem on their way to making the big club in the next few seasons, if not this one. Andy MacDonald and Jack Hillen proved they can play at the NHL level and will only get better. The Islanders will need to sign at least one defensemen and probably two with NHL experience to help Mark Streit lead the blueline. The Islanders will also need to acquire a veteran goal scorer. Alex Frolov could be that man, he has proven to be a 2nd tier goal scorer the Islanders could use and add to their depth of solid young forwards. The Isles are currently about 12 million under the cap floor according to NHL numbers which gives them plenty of room to make these small moves. Rick DiPietro and goaltending is another issue that will be written about shortly.

Why is this so important? On the last day of the season, the Isles play a spirited game at home against Pittsburgh. A game that saw John Tavares lead a 3 goal comeback in the 3rd period in front of a sell out crowd. After the game, both owner Charles Wang and GM Garth Snow told fans in a Newsday Article that next year the goal is to make the playoffs. Whether the Islanders make the playoffs or not, their management must prove to the fans they are trying. Islander fans won't sit through another losing season in the stands at Nassau Coliseum and rumors are that they have already lost season ticket holders. If the Islanders fail to be competitive this season and lose more fans at the gate, the chances of the team moving become more and more realistic. The Islanders don't have to abandon their plan of building through the draft to accomplish this. A few shrewd signings during free agency and the Islanders can be in it come playoff time.

My fellow Islanders fans want to be waving towels next April for a few home playoff games, and if we don't, it has to be because the Isles just weren't ready, not because Charles Wang refused to open his checkbook and Garth Snow fed us lines that their current group is playoff ready. It's now time for the Islanders to keep their promise to the fans they made after the end of the season, and try.

NHL Draft Preview

Let's start off by saying that we at HockeySureShot mainly focus on watching the NHL and do not pay as much attention to junior hockey as perhaps we should. That being said, the NHL draft is one of our favorite nights on the NHL calender. We did a bit of research by watching video clips on the top prospects and read the scouting reports from TSN and the Hockey News. Some experts have said this is a deep draft, others have said that it thins out after the top eight or so. Regardless,we can expect a lot of wheeling and dealing on the draft floor at Staples Center on Friday night. Here are the top ten draft picks as we see it:

#1 Edmonton Oilers: Taylor Hall LW 6-1 185 lbs.
Ranked #1 by the Hockey News and by draft guru Bob McKenzie. Saw him play at the World Junior Championship for Canada and this player caught my attention early. Brilliant skater, drives hard to the net, and scores goals. Should be a premier forward for the Oilers for years to come.

#2 Boston Bruins: Tyler Seguin C 6-1 186 lbs.
By all accounts Hall and Seguin stand out from all the rest. As of Tuesday night, Edmonton still did not confirm who they would take, which leaves Boston to grab who's left. Seguin is more of a playmaker than Hall and makes his teammates around him better. Although Hall has achieved more success on the junior level, some scouts fell that Seguin may be the better pro. We love what Boston did today by acquiring forward Nathan Horton, and now it appears they will add another dynamic forward to their roster.

#3 Florida Panthers: Eric Gudbranson D 6-4 200 lbs.
It's very hard to pass up on a 6-4 shutdown defensemen with a mean streak, and a blistering slapshot such as the case with Gudbranson. However, the Panthers with new GM Dale Tallon, expect to be active on the trade front, and have already traded Nathan Horton for Dennis Wideman and the 15th overall pick in this years draft. If they hold on to the pick, Gudbranson seems to be a wise choice.

#4 Columbus Blue Jackets: Brandon Gromley D 6-2 187 lbs.
Gromley is probably more offensively gifted than Gudbranson, but not nearly as physical. Very solid prospect who can do anything that is asked of him. Columbus has needed an offensive defensemen forever it seems and this would be a wise pick for the rebuilding Jackets.

#5 New York Islanders: Cam Fowler D 6-2 190 lbs.
The American born defensemen was tremendous in the US gold medal win over Canada at the World Juniors. When watching that game you clearly noticed Fowler's presence on the blueline. Very smart player with an outstanding upside especially on the offensive end. New York drafted John Tavares last year that added to a solid nucleus on offense with Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, and Blake Comeau. Now it is time to add a legit prospect on defense.

#6 Tampa Bay Lightning: Brett Connolly RW 6-2 182 lbs.
Two years ago Tampa drafted stud forward Steve Stamkos, last year it was stud defenseman Viktor Hedman. Does new GM Steve Yzerman go for a goalie such as Jack Campbell? I say he goes for the very skilled, but oft injured Connolly. The only concern for this elite scorer is the hip injury suffered last season that caused him to only play in 16 regular season games. As most scouts will tell you, they're trying to project how these players will be in 3 or 4 years from now. This is a talent that is too good to pass up in my opinion.

#7 Carolina Hurricanes: Nino Niederreiter LW 6-2 205 lbs.
Big Swiss forward who had a eye catching performance at the World Junior Championships. Scored 60 points in 65 games in the WHL. Scouts view him as an imposing power forward with a great attitude.

#8 Atlanta Thrashers: Jack Campbell G 6-2 185
Gold medal winning goaltender for the US Team at the WJC. He has drawn comparisons to Carey Price. For a team like Atlanta which has building blocks such as Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian, it would make sense to draft a goaltender.

#9 Minnesota Wild: Ryan Johansen C 6-3 195 lbs.
Johansen had a huge year in the WHL and his value is skyrocketing. One scout actually compared him to Joe Thornton or Eric Staal. This big physical center plays a solid game on both ends of the ice and will only get better when he matures. Will probably be a few years away from the NHL, but is an intriguing prospect with tremendous upside.

#10 New York Rangers: Vladimir Tarasenko RW 5-11 202 lbs.
What team is willing to take a gamble on a Russian forward who is considered to be the most skilled player in the draft as well as the biggest wildcard in the draft? Glen Sather could either be a genius with this pick, or be vilified even more. Supposedly, Tarasenko is built like a tank and is the most physically imposing prospect in this years draft. If he were born in North America he may be considered first overall. However nobody is sure if he wants to play in the NHL or play for more money in Russia's KHL. It's a risk that the offensively inept Rangers may be willing to take.

Post Season Grading...

Anaheim Ducks F The Ducks missed the playoffs for the first time since the lockout. Expectations are always high in Anaheim after they won the Stanley Cup. The Ducks did have several key players that suffered injuries during the season and if you are a Ducks fan I wouldn't worry too much. The key pieces are in place but the tough Pacific Division and Western Conference are your biggest enemy.

Atlanta Thrashers C- The Thrashers once again failed to make the playoffs however showed some promise at the end of the season, coming together after the trade of Kovalchuk and playing some very meaningful games down the stretch. GM Don Waddell traded the face of the franchise and although he was under scrutiny for the move, it looks like the return of solid defensemen Johnny Oduya and rookie Niklas Bergfors will pay off for the Thrashers as Kovalchuk might make a run home for big money in the KHL. The Thrashers, despite their glum history are a team on the rise. A solid draft and a couple of free agent signings this summer could see the Thrashers make the playoffs in 2011.

Boston Bruins B The Bruins and their fans will probably spend the summer lamenting on what could have been. A game away from the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bruins found a way to lose 4 straight to the Flyers including a blown 3-0 lead in game 7. The Bruins however found a way to beat the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs and be two periods away from a trip to the Eastern Finals. The Bruins must find a goal scorer this offseason as they were last in the NHL in goals this past season.


Buffalo Sabres B- The Sabres exceeded expectations by winnings the Northeast Division and having the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They fell short of overall expectations by getting bounced out in the first round. The Sabres are a very deep team forward wise but lack a superstar that can score at anytime. Tomas Vanek has lost some of his scoring touch and too much pressure is put on the defense and in our opinion over rated Ryan Miller. The Sabres could be a team that looks for an explosive offensively player this offseason.



Calgary Flames F The Flames were a team that many had in the elite of the Western Conference. Now ironically enough, their 40 wins and 90 point season put them ahead of the Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Flyers, however the Flames seemed to have locker room turmoil all season and it led to the trading of star defensemen Dion Phaneuf. The Flames have changed coaches several times this decade and expect more changes in Calgary as a missed playoff season doesn't sit well with fans and management. We also question Mikko Kipprusoff. He seemed to quit on his team in the Olympics and refuses to ever take a game off without making a stink. Should be an interesting story that develops in Calgary.



Carolina Hurricanes Incompelte Carolina got off to a brutal start this season and then got ravaged with injuries. When the team got healthy, so did their winning ways. They went 25-14-3 in the calendar year 2010 and played up to their capabilities. Hurricane fans should throw this season out the window and be excited for next year.


Chicago Blackhawks A+ Congratulations to this storied franchise. One of the leagues original six, the Blackhawks fell on hard times for many years and stayed committed to rebuilding. Their vision became a reality this season as they hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years. The current Hawks might look a bit different next year as some of their players will become salary cap casualties.





Colorado Avalanche B- The Avalanche posted a 29 point improvement from the 08-09 season and that was good enough to find the 8th playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Avs took San Jose to six hard fought games in the first round of the playoffs. Matt Duchene had a solid rookie season and the young talent on the Avs will have them back to being playoff regulars.





Columbus Blue Jackets F The Blue Jackets were unable to feed off the momentum of making the playoffs for the first time the previous season. The Blue Jackets have yet to win a playoff game and fans of the young franchise are becoming restless. Coach Ken Hitchcock defense first attitude was lost among the young players this season and the direction of this team has been questioned again. Lots of work to do to fix this team.




Dallas Stars D The Stars looked their age this season as many as their star players were aging. Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen weren't the same as in years past and Marty Turco might have played his final game in a Stars sweater as he had a brutal year. The Stars have decisions to make as to rebuild or give it a go with free agents and compete for the playoffs.




Detroit Red Wings B+ The Red Wings once again found a way to have a very successful season. The Wings started out slow and even fell below the playoff line at the Olympic Break but turned it on to fly into the playoffs and beat the Cinderella story Phoenix Coyotes in the first round. The Red Wings know how to win and we fully expect them to be a top team in the West again next season.



Edmonton Oilers F The Oilers finished last in the NHL by a whopping 12 points this past season. The Oilers were out of it from the beginning and in our opinion have too many guys that are exactly the same player. The Oilers have a lot of rebuilding to do and we question if the right management is in place.





Florida Panthers D- The Panthers missed the playoffs for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons. Florida always seems to be in the same spot every season, either 3rd or 4th in the Southeast division but never really seems to get better. The Panthers have trouble keeping their talented young players and until they are able to do that, the Panthers will remain irrelevant.


Los Angeles Kings B The Kings met expectations by making the playoffs and gave the Canucks all they could handle for most of that series. Vancouver was probably the toughest matchup for Los Angeles and the eventually fell in 6 games. The Kings are miles under the salary cap and are loaded with young talent and even more prospects waiting in the wings. The Kings will try to increase team speed and add one dynamic scorer to the solid core of wingers. Look for Los Angeles to continue to get better.


Minnesota Wild D- This was the 3rd straight season where the Wild had fewer points then the previous season. The Wild lack any superstar talent and have plugged holes with players outside the organization rather then up through their minor leagues. The Wild have a way to go in the tough Western Conference before they find their winning ways.



Montreal Canadiens A The Canadiens get an A for a couple of reasons. The first is that Montreal had 12 different players in their opening night lineup from the previous season and the second and bigger reason is there playoff run. The take-down of Washington and the defending Cup Champs in back to back rounds was very impressive. The Canadiens today traded playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis and we doubt highly that Montreal is for real. Look for a down year in 2011.


Nashville Predators B The Predators had 100 points and qualified for the playoffs for the 5th time in the last 6 years. The Predators just run into better teams every post-season and haven't found a way to bring in that top free agent or haven't finished poor enough to draft a future star. Barry Trotz in our opinion is the most under-rated coach in the sport as he has the Predators going toe to toe with every top team in the league barely falling short. The Predators should remain a playoff team and hopefully can find themselves a star sniper that could get to the 2nd round for the first time in their history.

New Jersey Devils C+ It's tough to give a team just a C+ grade that finished with over 100 points. However the majority of the Devils quit on their now retired coach and got bullied in a quick ousting at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Kovalchuk trade now looks like an absolute bust and the Devils start the offseason looking for someone to compliment Zach Parise. Every year we say the Devils are do for a down year and every year they get 100 points. So until they miss the playoffs, the Devils have to be considered a top Eastern team.

New York Islanders C It's amazing how the team that won the Atlantic Division gets a C+ and the team that finished last gets a C. However, the Islanders rebuild continued taking positive steps as just about all their young players got better and the team played some of the best hockey the fans have seen in years. John Tavares finished with 24 goals and the final 13 games showed why he could be the 40 goal scorer the team has need for years to come. The Islanders now have some solid prospects coming along the way, including 2 goalie prospects. If the Islanders can work out the Rick Dipietro situation or he somehow gets healthy and regains his form, the Isles can be a dangerous team the next couple of seasons.

New York Rangers C- For a team that has won just two playoff series since 1998, their fanbase has extremely high expectations going into each season. However on paper, the Rangers are a borderline playoff team and that is exactly what we saw this season. The Rangers got their money's worth from Marion Gaborik and goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist stood on his head most of the season as a weak and overpaid defense didn't do the job. The one highlight on the blueline is Marc Staal. The young d-man did his share and got better as the season went along. I still see the Rangers attempting to buy their way out of their hole. Until they draft better and bring young players along slowly, the Rangers will struggle to be an elite team.

Ottawa Senators C+ The Senators are trying to regain their spot as an elite Eastern Conference team and took a step closer to that this season. Ottawa had 94 points and finished the season flying into the playoffs only to lose to the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Ottawa will need to sure up their defense and maybe find a better goalie to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Philadelphia Flyers A The Flyers underachieved all regular season while battling throughinjuries and coaching changes. The Flyers got into the playoffs on a shootout in the last regular season game of the season against the rival New York Rangers. They then took out the Atlantic Division winning New Jersey Devils in relatively easy fashion, and for an encore became the third team in NHL history to come back from a 3 games to 0 deficit including a 3-0 deficit in game 7. The heavy underdog Flyers gave the Blackhawks all they could handle in 6 hard fought games in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Flyers are a team built for the playoffs and Peter Laviollete might be the next all time great coach. His resume speaks for itself.

Phoenix Coyotes A- The Coyotes were this years true Cinderella story. A team playing to less than 5,000 a night in the early season that was doomed to move found a way to stick together and create one of the best and heartwarming regular season runs in NHL history. 50 wins were by far the most in Coyotes history and they took the Red Wings to a hard fought 7 game series. The Coyotes are young and have a nice mix of veterans to be a solid team for the next few years.



Pittsburgh Penguins B The Penguins once again had a solid season winning a playoff round after going the distance the previous two seasons including a Championship in 2009. After all the hockey the Penguins have played, it would have been a lot to ask of them to return to the Cup Finals. The Penguins lost some depth due to salary cap restrictions and will have to find another winger and another defensemen if they want to win again.




San Jose Sharks B The Sharks finally got out of their own way in the playoffs with two good series wins against Colorado and Detroit. The Sharks however were outclassed and outworked by the Cup winning Hawks in the Western Finals. The Sharks will make some changes this offseason as they only have 12 players under contract for next season. Will the Sharks continue with this core of players or has enough chances been given to this underachieving team?


St. Louis Blues C+ The Blues got off to a poor start but found themselves playing well down the stretch to finish the season with 90 points. The young Blues took another step forward today acquiring goaltender Jaroslav Halak from Montreal. St. Louis will be on our list to make the playoffs next season.



Tampa Bay Lightning C Tampa Bay found a way to take a positive step this season through the turmoil of ownership changes. Steven Stamkos is as dynamic as any scorer in the league and the Lightning have many offensive weapons. Tampa needs to overhaul their defense and find a true #1 goalie before they take the ultimate step back to the Stanley Cup.


Toronto Maple Leafs D+ Brian Burke made some bold statements and bold moves acquiring Dion Phaneuf and J.S. Giguere via trade. The Leafs will not be able to take advantage of a high draft pick because they traded it to Boston for Phil Kessel. Still, Brian Burke will have all the resources available and will be bold enough to do anything he has to to make the Leafs rebuilding process a lot quicker than most teams would have to go through. The Leafs will continue to get better but we question if they will ruin their organizational depth by trading away picks and prospects along the way.

Vancouver Canucks B Vancouver did everything they could for their fans to be satisfied although they probably aren't. The Canucks were 3rd in the West and in reality probably 3rd best on paper. They beat the 6 seeded Kings in the first round after have a 103 point season which included a 14 game road trip because of the Olympics. The Canucks were then knocked out by eventual Cup winners Chicago. The good news is that Chicago and San Jose both have lots of questions with salary cap and players unsigned this offseason while Vancouver has their core intact. The Canucks could find themselves being the team to beat in the West next season.

Washington Capitals B- How can a 121 point season be disappointing? When you get knocked out in the first round by losing 3 straight (including 2 at home) to the 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens. The Capitals dominated at home going 30-5-6 and scored 85 more goals then they gave up. The Capitals still need to toughen up as their 17th ranked defense was exposed during the playoffs. The Capitals might want to look at a free agent goaltender to work with Semyon Varlamov as it would surprise us to see Jose Theodore back with the team.

Congratulations Chicago Blackhawks

2010 Stanley Cup Champions

OVERTIME

Scott Hartnell ties it up late at 3-3. Who wins? Do the Flyers force a game 7 or does Chicago raise the Cup?

Will the Cup be raised tonight?

Chicago -105 +1.5 (-275)

Philadelphia-115 -1.5 (+235)

The Blackhawks will try to win the clinching game of the Stanley Cup tonight in Philadelphia. So far the home team has won every game at home in this series and the Hawks did in convincingly in game five by a score of 7-4. The Blackhawks looked like the dominant team for most of this game and took a 3-0 lead into the 2nd period. Three times the Flyers cut the lead to two goals but never got closer.

The Blackhawks proved to everyone and most importantly themselves how much better of a team they are then Philadelphia. Lets be honest, the Blackhawks were a lock to be a top seed in the West all season while the Flyers backed into the playoffs and squeaked in on a shootout in the final regular season game.

Expect the Blackhawks lines to be the same as game 5 and look for Pronger and the remainder of the Flyers to be more physical. The Flyers will need their forwards like Danny Briere and Simon Gagne to be better than game 5. The story of tonight's game will be Micheal Leighton. Leighton has been shaky most of the Stanley Cup Finals and will need to get hot tonight for the Flyers to force a game 7.

Prediction: Micheal Leighton will be poor at home tonight and the Blackhawks will find a way to win game 6. If the Hawks come out like they did in game 5, this game could be over early. Chicago wins the Stanley Cup.

Tuesday Timeout

Stanley Cup Update:

Both teams were given a rare day off on Monday due to the series not resuming until Wednesday night. All indications are that Chicago coach, Joel Quenneville is unlikely to shuffle his successful line combinations from Game 5. The Bolland-Versteeg-Byfuglien line that was so efficacious on Sunday night will stay in tact. Chicago seems to be saying all the right things and are approaching this game as if it were a game seven situation. As for Philadelphia, head coach Peter Laviolette is still not divulging who his starting goaltender will be in Game 6. In our opinion, although Michael Leighton struggled mightily in Game 5, he is the better choice to start Wednesday night. Leighton has been brilliant at Wachovia Center, and usually responds well after a poor outing. Plus, it's not as if Boucher looked stellar in goal after replacing Leighton the other night. However, we have all learned by now not to write the Flyers off, as they seem to thrive under adversity and when their backs are against the wall.

Interesting trends going into tomorrow nights game:

Philadelphia Flyers record when facing elimination this postseason is 4-0. Head coach Peter Laviolette is in the same situation that faced him as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 when they were down 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals and ultimately won the Stanley Cup.

Chicago Blackhawks this postseason have won twice in a Game six on the road. Winning at Nashville 5-3 to close out Round One, and also winning at Vancouver 5-1 to close out Round Two. Don't forget they also won both road games in San Jose.

The fact that Chicago has won big games on the road before is the reason why we think that the series ends on Wednesday night. We are expecting a very close game, perhaps even tied with five minutes left. But in the end the Blackhawks will ultimately prevail and hoist the Cup in Philadelphia. Chicago appears to be hitting their stride offensively, and the fact that the Flyers are having goaltending questions in a Game 6 of the Stanley Cup is alarming.

Chicago (even) over Philadelphia

Blackhawks know the time is now

The Chicago Blackhawks are one win away from winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961. They also know if they fall short this season, it might be a while until they have another shot. The Chicago Blackhawks are in salary cap hell and will need to move more then a couple of players before next season if they are to field a team and no one knows that more than the players themselves.

Dale Tallon will be taking over the GM role in Florida next season and spent this season as the Blackhawks Senior Adviser of Hockey Operations after being the team's General Manager since 2005. Tallon did such a good job bringing in talent to the Blackhawks that starting next year, they can't fit them under the salary cap. That will be the job of Stan Bowman. Bowman took over the GM duties last summer after Tallon was re-assigned when he didn't get qualifying offers to six Restricted Free Agents in time. The paperwork mix up could have made those six players, (Versteeg,Barker,Eager,Fraser,Aaron Johnson and Brouwer) Unrestricted Free Agents.

According to CapGeek.com, the Blackhawks are just under $800,000 OVER the cap for next year with only 14 players signed not including their starting goalie Antti Niemi. They have signed 9 forwards, 4 defensemen and 1 goalie, Cristobal Huet. The Blackhawks are currently 9 players away from a full team (NHL allows a 23 man roster with 20 players dressed for each game) for the 2010-2011 season and must move some of their current players to open up space for either younger players in their system, the resigning of their own free agents, or outside free agents. The Blackhawks have 6 Restricted Free Agents on the list below that they must give offers too or lose them to free agency, notice one is their current starting goalie. How much is a Stanley Cup winner worth?

Lets take a look at the Blackhawks players under contract for next season:

Forwards

Toews, Jonathan $6,300,000

Kane, Patrick $6,300,000

Hossa, Marian $5,275,000

Sharp, Patrick $3,900,000
Bolland, Dave $3,375,000
Versteeg, Kris $3,083,333
Byfuglien, Dustin $3,000,000
Kopecky, Tomas $1,200,000
Brouwer, Troy $1,025,000

Defensemen

Campbell, Brian $7,142,874
Kieth, Duncan $5,538,462
Seabrook, Brent $3,500,000
Sopel, Brent $2,333,333

Goalie

Huet, Cristobal $5,625,000

Free Agents

Madden, John
Ladd, Andrew RFA
Eager,Ben RFA
Burish,Adam
Fraser,Colin RFA
Johnsson,Kim
Hjalmarsson,Niklas RFA
Hendry,Jordan RFA
Boynton,Nick
Niemi,Antti RFA

Lets Play GM
Looking at their forwards first, it would be safe to say that Toews, Kane and Hossa aren't going anywhere. However,Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg might be the 2 most movable forwards. Both players have reasonable contracts and their asking prices, especially Versteeg's might be pretty low. Some GM's around the league might wait this out in hopes to force the hand of the Blackhawks and obtain one or both of these players at low cost.

On defense, the most obvious contract Chicago would want to move is Brian Campbell. Campbell cashed in after solid seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres who were in a bit of salary cap hell themselves a few years back, traded Campbell to the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline during the last year of his contract knowing they wouldn't be able to resign the puck moving defensemen. Chicago gave Campbell an 8 year deal worth over $7 million a season. While Campbell has been solid for the Blackhawks, he still only has 14 goals in his first two years and his defensive game is not among the leagues elite, it's safe to say his contract is not a very good one.

Cristobal Huet's contract was never a good one at 4 years and $5.625 million a season. It's even worse now that he is sitting on the bench as Antti Niemi backbones the team towards a Stanley Cup. This contract might be impossible to move as Huet has never been overly impressive and only a team with an injury or desperate for depth might take a shot at him. No team in the offseason will give up much of anything for Huet unless a major injury occurs at training camp. The Blackhawks I'm sure would love to sign Antti Niemi and his price might be high if they win the Stanley Cup. Niemi has proven many people wrong and been strong in net during the playoffs.

Possible Locations

Only a handful of teams are capable of taking on large salary this offseason so we will start with them. The New York Islanders are a team that currently sits about $15 million under the cap floor and about $30 million under the salary cap. The Islanders could be a perfect fit for Kris Versteeg as he played for Isles coach Scott Gordon in Providence and credits Gordon for turning his career around. Patrick Sharp's speed and veteran presence would be a great fit to a team that plays an uptempo pressure style that tries to create offense off of turnovers. The Islanders have a nice group of prospects and picks that could make a trade between these teams a cinch.

The Los Angeles Kings come off their first trip to the playoffs in 8 years and management has promised fans that they will go after some more talent this offseason. The Kings have just under $15 million in cap space and a trade for Patrick Sharp might be exactly what the Kings need. A solid, speedy second tier scorer to compliment or play with Anze Kopitar. The Kings aren't the fastest team in the league and an addition of Sharp would help them immensely and make the loss of Alex Frolov easier as HockeySureShot doesn't believe he will re-sign in Los Angeles.

The Sharks are a team that will look extremely different next year as they will lose several players to Free Agency if they don't resign them. San Jose could be a team looking to change things up after failing to get to the Stanley Cup Finals with their current group of players.

The Maple Leafs and Brian Burke are always a lock to try to do something nutty via trade and they might be a team that takes a chance on Brian Campbell. The Leafs are in need of a puck moving defensemen and he would fit in nicely in their system.

The Avs, Thrashers, Coyotes and Blues are all teams with cap room but will probably go the free agent route, rather than the trade route to field their teams this offseason.

What the Hawks must do or..

The Hawks must move at least 3 major contracts so they can resign some of their Restricted Free Agents, Free Agents or move up some of their prospects. The four players the Hawks will most likely attempt to move as we discussed are Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet. If the Hawks are successful in moving those players that would cut over $19 million dollars in salary giving the Blackhawks plenty of room moving forward. Problem is, will the Hawks get the interest they hope to get in moving these players? Will Chicago be willing to make trades receiving less in return then their market value? Or finally, will they have to buy out a few contracts just in order to be under the cap for next season. All of these questions will be answered in the next few months. For Blackhawks fans and their players and their management, they better win the Cup or it might make for the toughest offseason we have seen a team go through in the history of the sport.

Offseason Profile: New York Rangers

It could of been the fact that Mark Messier was on Versus last night, or perhaps that I read an article last night from the NY Daily news remembering the day ten years ago when Glen Sather was named GM in New York. Whatever the reason, I felt the need to start our off-season profiles with the team that was a shootout win away from making the playoffs, and eliminating the eventual Eastern Conference Champions from playoff contention.

As is always the case with the NY Rangers, they will be active on July 1st. It's just their nature as they will be unable to contain themselves from squandering MSG money on big name players. Last season it was Marian Gaborik, who when healthy, is one of the best snipers in the game. Who will it be this year? Marleau, Whitney, Kovalchuk?

Ranger Forwards:
Gaborik $7.5M till 2014
Dubinsky $1.8M RFA next season
Drury $7.05M till 2012
Callahan $2.3M RFA next season
Avery $1.9M till 2012
Voros $1M UFA next season
Anisimov $822k RFA next season
Boyle $525k RFA next season
Brashear $1.4M UFA next season

Unsigned: Jokinen,Prospal,Shelley,Prust,Cristensen

At first glance the Rangers really only have one first line forward(Gaborik) as it stands right now. Dubinsky and Callahan are solid players, that most teams would want in a trade if the Rangers were going to acquire another front line player, specifically a center. If they wanted to dump a bad salary, ex. Redden, Drury, Rozsival, they would have to include one of the two.

Sean Avery seems to be somewhat of a spark plug for the Rangers, but do they really need him and Donald Brashear eating up all that money? In all likelihood the Rangers will re-sign restricted free agents Prust and Christensen. I think Anisimov could be a pleasant surprise for them next year and add more offense.

The Rangers also are slowly building a stable full of promising prospects. According to the Hockey News Future Watch, the NY Rangers have three of the Top 25 prospects in the league. Ironically enough, all three of them have played center, with Evgeny Grachev moving to wing. Derek Stepan is a 19 year old center that scouts describe as a playmaker in the Craig Janney mold. Chris Kreider was their #1 pick last season, and is considered the fastest player from that draft.

Rangers Defense:
Redden $6.5M till 2014
Rozsival $5M till 2012
Gilroy $1.7M RFA next season
Del Zotto $1.08M RFA 2012

Unsigned: RFA Marc Staal, RFA Dan Girardi

This is where Ranger fans go crazy. I don't know a player in the league more vilified than Wade Redden(2 goals, 12 assists). Whats wrong with spending $2.5 million per goal? Of the Rangers top six defensemen, Redden registered the fewest amount of points with only 14. The drop-off in production for Redden since he has been on Broadway is astounding. At one point, the guy was a top offensive defensemen in the league. For the most positive of all Ranger fans, he did post a plus-8 rating this season.

Michal Rozsival is probably not too far behind on the Ranger fans most renounced list. Three goals and 20 assists is not enough production for that kind of cap hit. Unfortunately, for the Rangers contracts like these are what is handcuffing them. As we mentioned earlier, if they want to unload one of these guys, Dubinsky, Callahan, or one of their many prospects will have to go the other way. Will the Rangers bury Redden in Hartford and have him stay in the AHL? Could happen.

The rest of the Ranger defense is very young, and very talented. Other teams rave about Marc Staal, who will be re-signed by Sather this summer. At age 23, he will only improve of his solid numbers last year (8 goals,19 assists). Michael Del Zotto stepped in as a rookie this season and showed the enormous potential that he has. The minus-20 is indicative of the learning curve for a rookie defensemen. Gilroy and Girardi, who will probably be re-signed as well, which round out a solid core of blueliners. However, the Rangers still need a veteran presence to run the point on the power play and log plenty of minutes.

Rangers Goaltending:
Lundqvist $6.8M till 2014

Unsigned: Auld, Valiquette

One of the best goalies in the game, Henrik Lundqvist posted a .921 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA. As he goes, so do the Rangers. He has the ability to steal a game outright and gives the Rangers a chance to win every night. The workload has been heavy the last four seasons, and it may be a good idea to acquire a serviceable backup that could play around 15-20 games effectively.

It appears the Rangers have lots of money tied into a few key players. The fact that they are not getting the production from a few of their big salary players, makes it difficult for the organization to improve the club via trade or free agency. On the bright side, they do have promising prospects coming up through the system and one would expect the Del Zotto's, Staal's, Gilroy's, Anisimov's, and Girardi's all to improve. Having an elite goalie, and an elite sniper is also a plus. For the tenth straight year, Ranger fans will be counting on Glen Sather to fill the necessary holes on the New York roster this summer. Unfortunately, Ranger fans will have to hold the "Fire Sather" chants till opening night.

And now we have a series

After the Chicago Blackhawks held serve at home with two 1 goal victories, the Flyers came home and won game 3 in Overtime. A win in game 4 will even up this series and make it for all purposes a best of 3. Once again, the Flyers had the better of play in the latter stages of the game similar to game 2. This time, they got a couple of bounces and were able to send the game into Overtime and get a game winner when they took advantage of a bad change by the Blackhawks.
After the Flyers came back from a 3-0 deficit in games to the Bruins in round 2, we saw them come back and add themselves to the history books. However, a loss in game 4 at home will have the Blackhawks starting to nail the coffin shut. Although the Flyers have proven they can come back when trailing in a series, the Blackhawks are not the Bruins.
So what do the Flyers have to do to win game 4 ? Do what they did in the 3rd periods of games 2 and 3. They out shot the Hawks 15-4 in the third period of both games. They will also need Micheal Leighton to play like a #1 goaltender. He was good enough in game 3, but they will need him to be the better of the two goalies in game 4. With how the Flyers have played late in games, they have proven they belong in this series and a win in game 4 could bring us closer to one of the better Stanley Cup Finals in recent years.

Nice hit, Dan Carcillo

Tuesday Timeout

Stanley Cup Update through two games:

Talk about two totally different games thus far at the United Center. Game 1 featured an abundance of offense,poor goaltending, and sloppy defensive coverage. Last night's game was all about old time physical hockey that consisted of verbal jabs, players hitting their own teammates, thrown elbows, you name it. I total of 72 hits were dished out last night. Personally, I enjoyed last nights game and felt both teams put everything they had on the ice. What these last two games proved to me was the amount of depth that the Chicago Blackhawks actually have. Considering that Toews and Kane have not registered one point yet, they are getting production from Marian Hossa, Dave Bolland, Tomas Kopecky, and Ben Eager. The Flyers probably can match up with Chicago's top six forwards, but after that, Chicago has a huge edge.

What can the Flyers do to make this a series and win Game 3?

Let's start with playing their 5th and 6th defense pairing as little as possible. Lukas Krajicek and whomever the pair him with whether it is Oskars Bartulis or Ryan Parent, are simply not getting the job done. I feel like every time I see Krajicek on the ice he is either turning the puck over or getting rammed into the boards and down on the ice. Peter Laviolette is getting some criticism and rightfully so, for having his 5th and 6th defensemen on the ice for a faceoff in his teams zone, which led to the Hossa goal.

We expect Philadelphia to feed off the energy and Wakovia Center on Wednesday night and they will need to continue to play physical right from the drop of the puck. For whatever reason it appears that the Flyers have come out somewhat flat in the opening period physically in both games. If the Flyers continue to stop the Toews line, and stay out of the box which they did in game 1, and killed off all three penalties in Game 2 they have a chance. Michael Leighton would probably want the Ben Eager goal back, but overall he was solid last night and plays very well in Philly. They will also have to try to rattle Niemi by getting more bodies in front of the net, and hopefully some of the shots that Chicago blocked last night, will find a way through in Game 3. Obviously, this is a must win for the Flyers, even if some of their fans point out that they were down 0-3 to Boston and came back. News flash, the Bruins are not on the same planet as the Blackhawks. The Flyers have been resilient all playoffs but are facing a team that has won 7 straight on the road.

Niklas Lidstrom signs for one more year:

Attention Red Wing Haters: He's Back! The guy simply will not go away even at age 40. This morning Lidstrom signed a one year deal with terms not disclosed. Mike Babcock indicated that he felt Lidstrom would be back and it will be interesting to see what he signed for and how it will effect the salary cap for Detroit. Last season Lidstrom made $7.5 million, so if he is re-signed at close to that number it will be difficult for the Wings to be active this summer. I have a hunch though that he is signed for considerably less than this season.

AHL Finals: Texas Stars vs. Hershey Bears

Series begins on Thursday night as the Hershey Bears appear to be the favorite. Keep an eye on some of the Texas players, because with the murky ownership situation in Dallas, it's a good chance that some of these players will be suiting up for them next season. All indications are that the Stars will be looking to cut salary this offseason.