Jon Posts

Welcome to the NHL FanHouse 2008-09 season preview. While other sites are previewing "30 teams in 30 days," we decided to take advantage of the extra time off before the start of the season to bring you all 30 previews over the next three weeks. We're counting down in reverse order of finish from last season in each conference every weekday from now until October 3. Look for an Eastern Conference preview every morning and a Western Conference preview every afternoon. Click here to read them all.

Who's In: Karl Alzner, D (Draft-2007); Jose Theodore, G (FA-COL)

Who's Out: Matt Cooke, F (FA-PIT); Steve Eminger, D (Trade-PHI); Cristobal Huet, G (FA-CHI); Olaf Kolzig, G (FA-TB)

What's Changed: Last year at this time, the big change in D.C. was in the atmosphere surrounding the team. As we wrote then, "it's once again fun to be a Washington Capital and a Washington Capitals fan. After a handful of decidedly lean years, players and management alike can barely contain smiles (if they even bother trying to) as they prepare for the season that lies ahead."

One year later the big change is the addition of Ice Girls in what will be expected from the current Caps squad.

Welcome to the NHL FanHouse 2008-09 season preview. While other sites are previewing "30 teams in 30 days," we decided to take advantage of the extra time off before the start of the season to bring you all 30 previews over the next three weeks. We're counting down in reverse order of finish from last season in each conference every weekday from now until October 3. Look for an Eastern Conference preview every morning and a Western Conference preview every afternoon. Click here to read them all.

Who's In: Anton Babchuk, D (FA-Europe); Josef Melichar, D (FA-Europe); Jeff O'Neill, F (FA); Joni Pitkanen, D (Trade-EDM)

Who's Out: Keith Aucoin, C (FA-WSH); Erik Cole, LW (Trade-EDM); John Grahame, G (FA-Europe); Jeff Hamilton, C (FA-CHI AHL); Bret Hedican, D (UFA); Darcy Hordichuk, LW (Trade-NSH; FA-VAN); Trevor Letowski, F (UFA); David Tanabe, D (UFA); Glen Wesley, D (Retired)

What's Changed: Um... the jerseys they'll wear for 15 home games this year? Other than that, it's hard to see much that's likely to be different from a season ago in Carolina, and that begins with the team's luck.

The Hurricanes lost a whopping 333 man games to injury in 2007-08, and have already picked up where they left off, as winger Justin "Lebowski Rug" Williams will miss four-to-six months with a torn Achilles tendon, an injury that comes on the heels (no pun intended) of a season in which a torn ACL limited him to just 37 games.

Welcome to the NHL FanHouse 2008-09 season preview. While other sites are previewing "30 teams in 30 days," we decided to take advantage of the extra time off before the start of the season to bring you all 30 previews over the next three weeks. We're counting down in reverse order of finish from last season in each conference every weekday from now until October 3. Look for an Eastern Conference preview every morning and a Western Conference preview every afternoon. Click here to read them all.

Who's In: Keith Ballard, D (Trade-PHX); Nick Boynton, D (Trade-PHX); Peter DeBoer, Head Coach; Bryan McCabe, D (Trade-TOR); Cory Stillman, LW/RW (FA-OTT)

Who's Out: Jassen Cullimore, D (UFA); Magnus Johansson, D (FA-Europe); Olli Jokinen, C (Trade-PHX); Branislav Mezei, D (FA-Europe); Steve Montador, D (FA-ANA); Jozef Stumpel, C (FA-Europe); Mike Van Ryn, D (Trade-TOR)

What's Changed: More than you might think.

Gone is the captain and somewhat frightening face of the franchise over the past seven playoff-less seasons, Olli Jokinen, a player who has become synonymous with losing in the NHL as he is the current holder of the League's longest personal playoff drought. Ready to debut behind the Panther bench is a head coach who has compiled a 539-248-60-31 record in the Ontario Hockey League over the past 13 seasons, winning two OHL and one CHL Coach of the Year awards along the way. Out with the losing, in with the winning... on paper, at least. But Peter DeBoer will have his work cut out for him, as he inherits a Florida squad that allowed the second-most shots on goal in the League last season and finished 20th in goals scored (and traded away its leading scorer).

Welcome to the NHL FanHouse 2008-09 season preview. While other sites are previewing "30 teams in 30 days," we decided to take advantage of the extra time off before the start of the season to bring you all 30 previews over the next three weeks. We're counting down in reverse order of finish from last season in each conference every weekday from now until October 3. Look for an Eastern Conference preview every morning and a Western Conference preview every afternoon. Click here to read them all.

Who's In: John Anderson, Head Coach; Zach Bogosian, D (Draft-2008); Ron Hainsey, D (FA-CBJ); Marty Reasoner, C (FA-EDM); Jason Williams, RW (FA-CHI)

Who's Out: Darren Haydar, F (FA-DET); Bobby Holik, C (FA-NJ); Jason Krog, C/W (FA-EuropeVAN); Joel Kwiatkowski, D (FA-Europe); Steve McCarthy, D (FA-Europe); Mark Popovic, D (FA-Europe); Mark Recchi, RW (FA-TB); Alexei Zhitnik, D (FA-Europe)

What's Changed: Not enough.

Atlanta is a team that finished the 2007-08 season 22nd in the League in goals scored (and that was with sixty games of Marian Hossa)... and added Jason Williams and Marty Reasoner up front. The Thrashers gave up the most goals in the League... and added Ron Hainsey (he of the eighth-worst plus-minus among all NHL defensemen over the past two seasons) to the blueline.

But hey, it's not all bad -- the Thrash can feel pretty confident that they're near the front of the line when it comes to picking up other teams' trash. Time to plan the parade, eh?

Welcome to the NHL FanHouse 2008-09 season preview. While other sites are previewing "30 teams in 30 days," we decided to take advantage of the extra time off before the start of the season to bring you all 30 previews over the next three weeks. We're counting down in reverse order of finish from last season in each conference every weekday from now until October 3. Look for an Eastern Conference preview every morning and a Western Conference preview every afternoon. Click here to read them all.

Who's In: Matt Carle, D (Trade-SJ); Adam Hall, F (FA-PIT); Olaf Kolzig, G (FA-WSH); Ryan Malone, LW (Trade-PIT); Barry Melrose, Head Coach (FA-ESPN); Andrej Meszaros, D (Trade-OTT); Vaclav Prospal, LW (FA-PHI); Mark Recchi, RW (FA-ATL); Gary Roberts, LW (Trade-PIT); Steven Stamkos, C (Draft-2008); Radim Vrbata, RW (FA-PHX)

Who's Out: Dan Boyle, D (Trade-SJ); Mathieu Darche, LW (FA-BUF); Doug Janik, D (FA-CHI); Filip Kuba, D (Trade-OTT); Brad Lukowich, D (Trade-SJ); Alex Picard, D (Trade-OTT); Andre Roy, F (FA-CGY); John Tortorella, Head Coach (Fired)

What's Changed: Oh, not much. Tampa only has a new hands-on ownership group (giddy up!), a new old head coach, the number one pick from the summer's entry draft, a new mega-deal for its franchise player, a recently minted elite defenseman, the best top six forwards in the League, various other new parts and a fresh crop of ice girls. Oh, and to top it all off, the Lightning will open the regular season overseas with a pair of games in Prague.

Got all that?

A week ago I thought that challenging the accuracy of a statement made by a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning front office would make for an interesting blog post. Now I'm thinking that the increasing opportunity for such challenges would make for an interesting blog. Or an interesting 24-hour cable news channel.

One week after Bolts' veep of hockey ops Brian Lawton put Andrej Meszaros among the game's elite blueliners (on a sidenote, you've gotta at least appreciate a number two who's actually willing to talk to the press), Lightning owner Oren Koules announced to the world that his team has the best top two lines in hockey:

"We take a lot of pride in knowing our top six forwards, who we believe are the best top six forwards in the league, all have three years or more on their contracts."

Assuming that the players to whom Koules is referring are Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steve Stamkos, Vaclav Prospal, Ryan Malone and Radim Vrbata, is Koules accurate in his assessment, or is he just blowing smoke? Does he even have the top six forwards in the Southeast Division? Let's look at it position-by-position.

Late Friday night the Andrej Meszaros mini-series came to its dramatic conclusion when the Ottawa Senators sent the restricted free agent to Tampa Bay in exchange for defensemen Filip Kuba and Alexandre Picard and a first round pick. The Bolts wasted no time signing the 22-year-old rearguard to a six-year/$4 million deal and over-selling their new acquisition to anyone within earshot:

"Andrej is an elite player ... no doubt about it," [Bolts vice president of hockey operations Brian] Lawton said.

Really? Elite? Let's take a closer look at that assertion.

Senators GM Bryan Murray referred to Meszaros' play over the past two seasons as "[leaving] a lot to be desired" (not something you typically hear of the game's top defensemen), and the numbers certainly represent something a lot closer to "pretty good player" than "time to adjust the game plan, we're facing Andrej Meszaros tonight" -- Meszaros finished last season 25th among the League's defensemen in scoring and 68th in that group in plus/minus. He was 80th in ice time, 35th in power-play scoring and 100th in shooting percentage.

Perhaps someday Andrej Meszaros will be an elite player (of course, so too might Alex Picard or the player Ottawa selects with that first round draft pick). But to call Meszaros, a blueliner who has yet to have 40 points in an NHL season or play in an All-Star Game, an "elite player" doesn't pass the laugh test. Then again, what would a circus be without laughter?

Check out Puck Daddy for much more on the trade.

Around this time of year two summers ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning were boasting about their commitment to sponsor a brand spankin' new annual four-team college hockey tournament:

"As we prepare to host the NCAA Frozen Four in 2012, we look forward to establishing a regular college hockey presence in Tampa Bay," said Ron Campbell, president of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the St. Pete Times Forum.

That was then, and this (via INCH) is now:

The Tampa Bay Lightning has zapped the Lightning College Hockey Classic.

Two and out... classic indeed (for the record, Notre Dame, which has co-hosted the event since its inception, and UMass will go down in history as the only two teams to ever win the event).

Know what's great about being both terrible and cheap? You've got the inside track on other teams' garbage.

This, apparently, is the state of media spin in Atlanta, where hockey fans have seen Dany Heatley turn into Marian Hossa turn into a couple of role players and a pair of mediocre prospects, all in the span of less than three years, and await the perhaps likely depature of Ilya Kovalchuk in 676 days or sooner (but who's counting?). As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Bill Tiller wrote last week:

According to nhlnumbers.com, there are a few teams that are currently at or above the salary cap. So, teams like Philadelphia, Washington, Calgary, Anaheim, Chicago, San Jose...and even Dallas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Boston, the Rangers and New Jersey could be looking to shed some payroll. In doing so, they are more than likely going to be seeking prospects and/or draft picks along with lower-priced NHL players in return.

I would think that the GMs of those teams are going to be far more willing to make such deals with teams that they...perceive...will finish very low in the standing. That would give them a higher pick, possibly even the first pick, in next summer's entry draft. Thus, they would be getting more in return for the player they were willing to part ways with.

You can say what you want about hockey in Raleigh, but without question the team has one of the better beat writers in the sport covering the local team for The News & Observer.

Make that "the team had one of the better beat writers in the sport." You see, Luke DeCock has graduated from his duties covering the 'Canes to the vaunted position of "columnist."

Good for Luke. Bad for 'Canes fans. Or at least so say the bloggers.

Here, for example, is the reaction over at red & black hockey from a post entitled "N&O takes two steps backwards":

In [DeCock's] place, the N&O has slotted former NC State Wolfpack beat writer Chip Alexander, who admits that he doesn't know a thing about hockey. This is a huge, huge mistake. There are other writers on the staff (I'm specifically looking at Lorenzo Perez) who are far more capable....

If I were a Raleighite and/or a subscriber to the print edition of the N&O, I would angrily cancel my subscription to the paper.

People still subscribe to newspapers?

But the reaction of the day comes from The Acid Queen, who offers this typically restrained musing on the change:

[Alexander's] first post to Lord Stanley's Blog where he bragged about knowing the ACC and NCSU better than Luke has not exactly won friends and influenced people either. I mean, really–LSB is a hockey blog. WHO CARES ABOUT THE ACC OR STATE (unless you're talking about their damn fine hockey club), ya freakin' toolbox?

Welcome to the beat and the hockey blogosphere, Chip! Keep your head up -- it's rough out there.