Season Review: Tampa Bay Lightning

Well, now that people are talking playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're either eliminated from the playoffs or eliminated from playoff contention before the end of the season. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the fifth team to be eliminated from playoff contention: The Tampa Bay Lightning.

Season expectations: These guys were the winners of the Steven Stamkos derby at the 2008 draft and got Victor Hedman as a consolation prize in 2009. While the ownership situation left much to be desired (it got so bad for Len Barrie and Oren Koules that now neither of them are owning the team) the team still had big guns like Vinny LeCavalier and Martin St. Louis up front, so with the additions they made following that one would have suspected that if they weren't going to be playoff contenders, they could have at least made enough noise in a weak division to kinda crash the party. Regardless, they're nowhere near as dominant as they were when they won the Cup in 2004, leaving the expectations to be higher than teams that have often failed.

My prediction: I figured they would have been fourth in their division and 12th in the Eastern Conference.

The truth: The team was one of three teams from the Southeast Division to be eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday. They were the only one to do so without having a game to play. Ouch.

What went wrong?: You mean besides the ridiculous ownership group that didn't last two seasons when the late Bill Davison (Rest In Peace) delivered a Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay during the same year he delivered a NBA Championship to Detroit?

Well, you can't blame it on St. Louis or Stamkos because those guys were tenacious. You really can't blame Steve Downie (though you can blame him for a lot of other things on the ice) because he was an excellent agitating two-way performer.

Injuries sucked for this team. Though Mike Smith was wrought with inconsistency, there's no telling how his concussion issues from last season affected his chances of establishing himself as a starter (though it did effectively give Antero Niitymatti an NHL job next season). And again, the injuries that mounted up to the defensive corps watched a group of players get thrust into NHL action. Someone's gotta do something with the trainers of that team because that's kinda how it went down last season, too.

Inconsistency was an issue too. Tampa Bay scored Alex Tanguay off the free agent market for far less than what the Phoenix Coyotes presumably offered him. The result? He's looking to finish both sub-40 points and with a minus rating for the first season since he's turned professional. Mattias Ohlund also took a step back during his first season as a member of the Lightning and is looking to finish with his first sub-20 point season since playing in North America. Neither LeCavalier or Ryan Malone were spectacular this season but when you're playing through injuries you can't typically produce the way you want. While Zenon Konopka was able to finally establish himself as an NHLer, their defensive forwards were unremarkable and could stand some fine tweaking in the off-season.

So what's next?: Well, Jeff Vinik's going to have to make decisions as to how this team is being run and start from there. GM Brian Lawton put together a decent group of scoring forwards and two decent goaltenders, but somehow can't figure out how to make the team better fortified defensively. I figure he'll be looking for a new job before the draft. Coach Rick Tocchet was not as impressive with the team during his first full season as many would have hoped, but he does have St. Louis and Stamkos firing on 8-cylinders a piece, so he's doing something right as far as that goes and will probably get a little more leeway until another miserable season buries him for good. The team will need to get better in the middle of the ice during the off-season to have a chance to be competitive next season. Otherwise, all the goal scoring in the world isn't going to work out if you can't keep the puck out of the net.

Season Review: Minnesota Wild

Well, now that people are talking playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're either eliminated from the playoffs or eliminated from playoff contention before the end of the season. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the fourth team to be eliminated from playoff contention: The Minnesota Wild.

Season expectations: Well before the season began, GM Doug Risebrough was fired, coach Jacques Lemaire resigned, and fragile superstar Marian Gaborik decided to take a pay increase by playing with the NY Rangers. Despite the shake up though the team did figure to have a good nucleus of forwards, not to mention two of the stronger goaltenders in the league, so to expect them to reach the playoffs was not unfathomable.

My prediction: I predicted they would have finished second in the division and fifth in the Western Conference.

The truth: The team was statistically eliminated from playoff contention as of Friday.

What went wrong?: You mean besides watching Gaborik break 80 points and maintain a positive plus/minus rating on an underachieving Rangers team?

A lot of the same things that went wrong for the teams that preceded them.

Injuries kept Pierre-Marc Bouchard out for all but one game this season. Very seldom can a team lose a top-six forward without replacing him and expect the results to be favorable. Brent Burns suffered through injuries this season as well and watched himself have a second consecutive campaign where he didn't quite live up to his first overall draft label. Both Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding had issues that kept them out from playing and it's gotten so bad for Harding that it looks like he'll be out for the remainder of the season to address concerns with his hip. Best summarized, when Martin Havlat looks to be one of your healthiest forwards, you know injuries are a concern!

Another factor in their less-than-stellar season had to do with the coaching change. That's not to say Todd Richards is a bad coach but rather to say that the team went almost overnight from being a defense-first style of team to an open-attack style of team. Sure guys like Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, Andrew Brunette, and Marek Zidlicky had great campaigns but at the end of the day, the only players with a positive plus/minus rating on the team are guys who weren't on the squad for a full season. Cam Barker leads with +7 but how much of that was due to playing for the Chicago Blackhawks prior to being traded?

Finally, the defense was solid, yet slightly underwhelming and should probably adopt a more "stay-at-home" presence for next season. Not to discredit guys like Greg Zanon and their efforts, but the blueline was just as guilty as their offensive group was in not doing enough to prevent the pucks from going in. Yes, great goaltending is key and the forwards have to score, but you can't neglect that area of ice in between. Luckily, Brent Burns will be healthy, Cam Barker will be a full-time member next season, and the defense will have another year with a new coach, so I expect them to rebound sooner than later.

So what's next?: While the golf clubs will be coming out early this season, these are another one of those teams that should only be a player or two away from returning to respectability in a conference where teams are either inconsistent or just downright bad. If Richards and new GM Chuck Fletcher can start planning for the next season immediately after this one begins, the results for next year should be worlds different.

Season Review: Toronto Maple Leafs

Well, now that people are talking playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're either eliminated from the playoffs or eliminated from playoff contention before the end of the season. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the third team to be eliminated from playoff contention: The Toronto Maple Leafs.

Season expectations: The team was expected to be challenged because this was the first full season under the command of GM Brian Burke. There were rumors abound saying that there were going to be trades (most of them involving Tomas Kaberle). There was inconsistency with the scoring forwards, the defense was raw, and the goaltending hinged between injury and inexperience. Frankly, only a Toronto-obsessed optimist would have picked these guys to go into the playoffs.

My prediction: I figured they were going to be fourth in the division and tenth in the conference. In retrospect, I think I thought too highly of them.

The truth: They're the first team from the Eastern Conference to be eliminated from playoff contention. To be fair, if the Eastern Conference were better as a whole, these guys would have been eliminated a long time ago.

What went wrong?: You mean besides Jeff Finger being signed to a contract with a $3.5M annual cap hit for the next two seasons?

Simply stated, Murphy's Law. Should I elaborate? How about this: Everything that could have gone down during a rebuild year did, but that doesn't mean all's wrong, either.

Injuries were a significant issue for the team this season. Mikhail Grabovski missed 25 games with a broken wrist and you know he had to have played hurt through part of that. There wasn't much to work with in terms of Toronto scoring so it hurt when he was gone. Mike Komisarek scored a great deal in the off-season but ended up being hurt for most of the season, which is unfortunate because he hits everything that moves. Vesa Toskala's injuries (okay, and inconsistent play... we'll get to that later) made him expendable to the Anaheim Ducks for J.S. Giguere. Oh, and remember Mike Van Ryn? Yeah, he didn't play the entire season and would have given the blueline some points they lost when Pavel Kubina went to the Atlanta Thrashers.

However, the guys in the locker room knew it was a rebuild year and when that happens, it's difficult as hell to win. Vesa Toskala wasn't the goaltender the Leafs expected him to be and as a result, Jonas Gustavsson was thrust into battle perhaps a few times to often (though in retrospect, this should only help him become a better goaltender for next season.) Yet Alexei Ponikarovsky and Niklas Hagman performed admirably for the team, and those guys were traded to prepare for Toronto's future (okay, Hagman was moved to get Dion Phaneuf and that's ultimately good for the team... we'll get to that later.) And even if you were the new guy, it doesn't mean that you were going to be excellent during the season; with Phaneuf and Giguere having solid yet unspectacular half-seasons in a new sweater. In the end, until there's a season where e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e in the locker room can have beers together for 82 games or damn close to it, it's hard to get the right chemistry among players.

The oddest part is that this team is run and coached by the two men who brought a Silver Medal to the U.S.A. for the 2010 Olympics when many figured it would belong to either Sweden or Russia. You see what Lee Stempniak is doing for the Phoenix Coyotes now that he's out of Toronto and you're just like "The... hell?!" You see the infamous bag skate that took place and the subsequent losing streak that took place and think "Dude... What?" But yeah, these guys went to the Olympics and did well in an effort to show Toronto fans... patience.

So what's next?: The future and the truth is that isn't not too shabby.

If the team can properly fortify this current group during the off-season, then the team will have a legitimate blend of youth and experience to restore them back to respectability. Up front, the team will have to re-sign Nikolai Kulemin, who's having a breakout season, but with a core of Kessel, Grabovski, Tyler Bozak, and Luca Caputi, the team has a solid group of young and talented scoring forwards. The bottom-six sas John Mitchell, Fredrik Sjostrom and Colton Orr for next season and are good guys to have committed to those roles. I think Rickard Wallin, Wayne Primeau, and Christian Hanson should be re-signed and they can round it out accordingly with either a good signing or a prospect.

The defense and goaltending on this team is what looks the most promising. The team still has Phaneuf, Komisarek, Luke Schenn, Francois Beauchemin, and Carl Gunnarsson on their blue line for next season. Though it may seem redundant with Komisarek's presence, I'd like to see Garnet Exelby agree to less money to remain a Maple Leaf. The team could go with Finger as the seventh d-man, but I have a strong feeling his contract will be "banished" to either Europe or the American Hockey League (trust me, the Maple Leafs can afford it.) The goaltending is all set, and once goaltending coach Francois Allaire has his hands on Giguere for an entire season season, then not only will Giguere better rhythm but Gustavsson will have the mentor he needs to take the next step forward in his development.

I figure these guys will improve sooner than later and a really great off-season will have the Leafs back to the playoffs faster than most people figure. For now though, the guys on the ice need to prepare for next season while the guys behind the bench and in the office figure out the best plans and tools for the next season.

This Just In....

The Phoenix Coyotes get 100 points and clinch their first playoff spot in 8 seasons...

... that is all, and it sure beats the last time I made a special bulletin for the Coyotes!

That is all!

Season Review: Columbus Blue Jackets

Well, now that people are talking playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're either eliminated from the playoffs or eliminated from playoff contention before the end of the season. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the second team to be eliminated from playoff contention: The Columbus Blue Jackets.

Season expectations: The team was coming off of their first playoff appearance in franchise history. The team had a strong emerging goaltender, their star forward finally having the right complements, and a coaching system they could believe in. Sure the Central Division was tough but holy hell these guys were able to be better than both the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators last season and with Detroit having injuries out of the gate, these guys could challenge for one of the best spots in the division and probably at least a playoff spot... right?

My prediction: I figured the Blue Jackets would have finished third in their division and 7th in the Western Conference.

The truth: The Blue Jackets were officially eliminated from playoff contention this evening as a result of the Detroit Red Wings' victory over the Minnesota Wild. They were the second team eliminated from playoff contention in both the conference and the league.

What went wrong?: You mean besides their month of December, when they went 2-9-5?

While injuries were a problem for the Blue Jackets, all signs indicate that Ken Hitchcock lost the room with his style of coaching. This especially held true once prized prospect Nikita Filatov decided to spend the season in Russia because he and Hitchcock couldn't get along. Once it became apparent that the team wasn't going to respond to his game plans any longer, the team designated assistant coach Claude Noel to be their interim head coach. The team responded fairly well under him, at least playing at a .500 level of respectability or better, but injuries and inconsistent play from the young guys proved to be too much to overcome once the December death spiral occurred.

Another factor in the collapse of their season was the "sophomore slump" experienced by both Steve Mason and Derrick Brassard. In Mason's case, he went from winning the Calder Trophy last season for Best Rookie to having a save percentage that's sub .900 and a goals against average that's above 3. In Brassard's case, he's had a respectable season with putting up 33 points in 71 games, but he put up 25 points in 31 games for the team last season, and watched his plus/minus drop from +12 to -16. Sure, playing on a subpar team has that effect, but when it gets to double digits, the player has to assume some responsibility.

While the team's top-six did admirably (five of them got over 46 points over the season with Antoine Vermette and Nash earning 60 points or better), their defense was not entirely up to task. While Anton Stralman and Kris Russell had excellent seasons for the team, both of them shouldn't have been the two that pushed to lead the defense in scoring, largely because of their inexperience. No one else aside from Fedor Tyutin was capable to providing any defensive scoring for the team. Considering how crucial that is for success, that's definitely something that contributed to their downfall.

So what's next?: The team will get a lottery pick for one of the top three at this point. I don't think they're too far removed from heading back into the post-season for next year, though, and think they could look at the situation for Los Angeles and take inspiration from it. If they can find a way to have the same score-by-committee mindset with attention to defensive detail, then a better season from Mason could put them back into a respectable place.

Season Review: Edmonton Oilers

Well, now that people are talking playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're either eliminated from the playoffs or eliminated from playoff contention before the end of the season. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.

Now the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention: The Edmonton Oilers.

Season expectations: After making the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, the Oilers have failed to qualify for the post-season for every season thereafter. Former coach Craig MacTavish was fired and former G.M. Kevin Lowe, whose embarrassingly terrible skills as a G.M. had a lot to do with the current situation for the Oilers, was somehow promoted, yes... promoted, to a senior position while Steve Tambellini took over as the G.M. Pat Quinn was brought in to coach the squad after being inactive as a head coach in the NHL since... well, the last time the Oilers appeared in the playoffs. While the team didn't make a plethora of moves in the off-season, they did land goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to go and take over as the starting goaltender for the team.

My prediction: I figured the Oilers would have finished fourth in their division and 12th in the Western Conference.

The truth: Unless a pandemic causes teams seeded 8-14 to forfeit the season, the Oilers will finish in the basement of the conference.

What went wrong?: You mean besides... well, everything?

A plethora of injuries and no proper action to correct it.

First Nikolai Khabibulin goes out with a "sore back" that eventually requires surgery (but doesn't stop his ability to get hammered, as he is currently facing charges in Scottsdale, AZ for extreme DUI.) This catapults Jeff Deslauriers from being the third goaltender last season to being the starter. He had some brilliant nights, but as the injuries became an issue, he couldn't keep the team up to task. Now, since then, both Manny Legace and Michael Leighton were very much available on waivers, but the team didn't make any moves and now have given rookie goaltender Devan Dubynk the honor or appearing in nine games without a solitary win.

Not even a week later, first-line forward Ales Hemsky goes down with a shoulder injury that required season ending surgery. With all due respect to Dustin Penner (who after seasons of scrutiny became something of a go-to guy on the team once injuries took place), Hemsky is the most talented forward on that squad and with no proper top-six forward to be traded for, left the team to lean on players who just don't have that kinda scoring potential. Patrick O'Sullivan would be an excellent option if he didn't have an absolutely nauseating -32 at the time that I write this.

On the blue line, the team was going to rely on shipping Sheldon Souray out to a contending team in the southwest in exchange for some players and prospects... until Souray broke his hand in a fight. This left the team to ship out Lubomir Visnovsky to the Anaheim Ducks for Ryan Whitney but didn't do much else to fortify the group other than to make a move for the future in acquiring Aaron Johnson at the deadline for Steve Staios. Come to think of it, the ineffectiveness of both Staios and Denis Grebeshkov is essentially what made them expendable for futures.

With the team having 8 injured players, 5 of which on IR, you'd think the team would have done something sooner. Nevertheless, in hockey-mad Canada, teams can tank for a season under the guise of "rebuilding", which is exactly what it seems like the team did this season.

So what's next?: The good news, if any, is that they're very much in the sweepstakes for Tyler Seguin and Taylor Hall come draft day. One of those players will very much likely be an impact player for the NHL team that drafts him (see: John Tavares, Victor Hedman, and Matt Duschene.) However, the team's got a lot of RFA's to strike deals with (or let walk) and considering that most of them will be asking for raises, they're not likely to have cap room without letting a few players go (though, this could change if the Oilers look to have Khabibulin's contract voided due to his legal issues in Arizona.) It'll be interesting to see if they can have the same type of turnaround the Colorado Avalanche did, but methinks it's going to take another season or two before they're back to being competitive.

Nature Or Nurture? A Look At Black Hockey Players In The NHL

In honor of Black History Month, I'd like to write an article on something that's been an interesting observation of mine for sometime and ask the question of whether or not it's nature or nurture.

Now, dedicated hockey fans know that Willie O'Ree was the first black hockey player to reach the NHL. What people may not realize is that after O'Ree's 43 game appearance with the Bruins, there wouldn't be another black hockey player for almost 15 years, when the expansion Washington Capitals thrust Mike Marson (and Bill Riley to a far, far lesser degree) into the league hoping that his success in the juniors would carry over into the NHL (it didn't, but it never does for players who are rushed into the league by the teams that draft them.) And while Grant Fuhr became the first black hockey superstar during his time with the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980's, it wouldn't be until the mid-1990's that the teams in the league began to seriously consider the advantages that black hockey players could bring to their team.

This brings us to where we're at today.

How many black goaltenders are currently playing in the NHL? One. Ray Emery, who spent last season in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, returned after to the league after signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Flyers. Had Kevin Weekes not retired this season, there'd be two.

How many black defensemen are currently playing in the NHL? Not many. Bryce Salvador has established himself as a solid stay-at-home defender with the New Jersey Devils while Trevor Daley is starting to stand out on the Dallas Stars roster as a mobile defenseman who can be relied upon in key situations. However, outside of those two players there aren't any notable black NHL defenders. The best prospect on the horizon is P.K. Subban, a Montreal Canadiens prospect who's currently playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs for the American Hockey League.

So what about forwards? How many black centers are currently in the NHL? None. There are no black centers in the league. That's kinda unbelievable but it's true. At lower levels that's probably not the case but it is as far as the NHL goes.

So how many black wingers are currently in the NHL? More than a few. In fact, not only are black players starting to line up as wingers in the NHL, but most of them are doing a damn fine job for what's being asked of them. From grinders and energy players to franchise players, NHL rosters are filling themselves out with talented black athletes at wing who're helping transform their teams into winning organizations that fans want to support.

Sure you have your old-school enforcers who are nearing the end of their careers (Don Brashear of the New York Rangers is skating into the twilight of his career while George Laraque was suspended from the Canadiens for, well, not enforcing), but you also have a plethora of black wingers who are adept to being solid role players for their teams. Both Mike Grier (Buffalo Sabres) and Jamal Meyers (Calgary Flames) have established solid reputations as hard-hitting defensive wingers while Nigel Dawes (Calgary Flames) and Joel Ward (Nashville Predators) are establishing themselves as forwards who can provide complementary scoring. While they may not be household names, they still provide their teams with the ingredients necessary to remain competitive.

Unlike the days of the past where black forwards were limited to being role players, they are now starting to become dynamic game-changers who provide top-line talent to their team. Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames) is by far the most successful black player currently in the NHL, becoming synonymous with the Flames as their franchise player. Dustin Byfuglien (Chicago Blackhawks) transformed himself from a depth defenseman into a bruising power forward with the size (and scoring ability) all teams crave for that position. Kyle Okposo (New York Islanders) is giving the fans on Long Island something to look forward to as he continues to take positive strides in his development. And in Atlanta, the Thrashers are putting Evander Kane into battle as a diligent and emerging power forward who has yet to realize his potential. These are the players who can be marketed to attract new fans to the game and hopefully give youths who are interested in hockey something to strive for.

So who's my favorite? That would be Wayne Simmonds (Los Angeles Kings). While his first season in the NHL saw him put up respectable numbers on a rebuilding team, he's blown the lid off of everyone's expectations this season. In 54 games this season, Simmonds has recorded 35 points and a team-best +19 rating to go along with 85 PIM, which goes to show how well rounded Simmonds is at all aspects of his game. He may have been tabbed to be on a depth line at the start of this season, but his level of play catapulted him into a top-six forward role once injuries occurred. Unless he starts to fail massively, he'll be a fixture in the NHL for a long time as a scoring two-way forward with fighting upside!

With all that said, why are black players so well represented at the wing position but so poorly represented elsewhere on the depth chart? Is it nature or nurture? In the argument of goaltenders, one might be inclined to say "nurture" when you consider the economic disadvantages blacks have historically had in the western hemisphere. But what can be said about the lack of black players at the defense position? Equipment is just as affordable (or as expensive) for defensemen as it is for forwards, so why the disparity? It's even more mindboggling when you consider that out of all of the black NHL forwards, none of them play center! Could there be something genetically different with black players that affects their ability to win faceoffs? Or do those players have a certain level of speed, size, vision, ability, or any combination of the above that make them more effective on wing than they would be on center?

I don't have an answer. I'd just like to hear what you think about it.