It still amazes me as to how a player this good and this dominant, and at a position of such importance, could be traded -- twice! -- for such awful returns.
When discussing Zdeno Chara and Jason Spezza in my top 50, I made mention of how then-Islanders general manager Mike Milbury traded the future Norris Trophy winning defenseman, and the pick that was used on Spezza for Alexei Yashin, and how infamously bad it ended up being. Not even that was bad enough to make up for the sting that was his June 24, 2000 deal that sent Luongo -- and Olli Jokinen -- to the Florida Panthers for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. Luongo, of course, blossomed into an elite goaltender for the Panthers, while Jokinen eventually developed into a consistent 30-goal scorer.
The New York Islanders have been mum on the subject of Rick DiPietro and his injured knee and hips since the goaltender was shutdown for the season back in January. Since then, rumors have floated around the internet of fans seeing DiPietro still on crutches as recently as May and other unfounded rumors. Nothing has been confirmed and no official word has come from the team aside from repeating their statement that 'DiPietro will be with the team at training camp.'
After yesterday's signing of Martin Biron to a one-year deal valued at $1.4 million -- can TSN please, please stop using the phrase "voted on/off the island" in their headlines? -- the team doesn't need to release any statements about their oft-injured star netminder. They sent the media and fans a message as bright as a billboard in Times Square indicating that DiPietro's return may be anything but soon or smooth.
We weren't far into the annual craziness of NHL free agency when the Edmonton Oilers suffered a significant loss.
Goalie Dwayne Roloson was a rock for this team over his three-plus seasons in northern Alberta. After practically carrying the Oilers to the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, he performed well over the new contract he signed that summer in Edmonton. The 39-year-old wanted a two-year deal when he got to free agency this year, but Edmonton didn't offer that. With Roloson gone to the Islanders, Edmonton moved very quickly to find a new starter.
Here's the good news for Detroit Red Wings backup goalie (and soon-to-be free agent) Ty Conklin: You've been a part of three of the past four Stanley Cup Finals, two of which have gone to seven games, while the other was about three inches and a tenth of a second from also seeing a winner-take-all game. And that fourth year? Eastern Conference final with the Buffalo Sabres. Not many players can say they've been a part of such history.
The bad news? He's been on the short end of the stick each and every time.
The Boston Bruins reached an agreement with starting netminder Tim Thomas on Friday, signing the 34-year-old to a three-year extension that is believed to be worth "around $5 million per year," according to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe.
Thomas currently leads the league in goals against average and save percentage after being tied for the fifth best save percentage in the NHL a season ago, so it's certainly a great deal for the Bruins. That said, it's bad news for the number of teams around the league in need of a starting goalie heading into the offseason.
Weeks of rumors, innuendo, and e5s will finally come to a head on Wednesday. At 3pm Eastern, the NHL trade deadline will pass. You can follow all the activity with our NHL Trade Deadline Tracker.
Entering play Tuesday night, 23 NHL teams are either in a playoff position or within six points of one. While this is great for the playoff races, it's not so good for the deadline. It minimizes the number of potential sellers, drives up the trade market for the few players who should be available, and leaves us wondering if any big deals will go down. Here's a look at how the Western Conference looks heading into the deadline.
Kings 5, Capitals 4: Exciting game in Washington as the Caps and Kings combined to light up the scoreboard with nine goals and 80 shots in Los Angeles' 5-4 win. The Kings had a number of two-goal leads throughout the night, including a 5-3 advantage late in the third period. With just over a minute to play in regulation, Brooks Laich scored his 13th goal of the season, closing the deficit to just one.
Jonathan Quick managed to hold on for the Kings in net, as Washington fired 22 shots on goal in the third period, and 45 for the game. Alex Ovechkin scored his 37th goal of the season -- and 200th of his career -- for the Capitals.
For the second game in a row Jamie Langenbrunner scored the game-winner in overtime, leading the Devils to a 4-3 come-from-behind win against Pittsburgh. Langenbrunner has now scored two goals in three consecutive games, while registering seven points.
It's the Devils' eighth win in a row, as they overcame a 3-1 deficit with eight minutes to play in regulation. Brendan Shanahan started the rally for the Devils with a power play goal, while Langenbrunner was credited with the game-tying goal with 30 seconds remaining when his centering pass deflected in off of Ryan Whitney's skate.
There are certainly at least two really good teams in the NHL's Western Conference. Defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit and fast-starting San Jose appear in the clear to duke it out for the right to play for the Stanley Cup later this year.
Of course, we know that anything can happen in a best-of-seven series. In addition, we still have half a season left to play. What we don't know is which team in this conference is set up to challenge either the Red Wings or Sharks. They've beaten - at least once - pretty much everyone who has stood in their way, including each other.
While the top of the conference appears to virtually locked in place at this point, there are still serious battles to be fought, especially for the last four positions in the West. Currently, eight teams are separated by just six points. St. Louis, the last-place team in the West, is just nine points out of eighth.
It was a great night of rivalries in the NHL on Tuesday, including a classic original six tilt in Boston, where the Bruins pulled out a 3-1 win over Montreal.
Tim Thomas stopped 34-of-35 shots, and even inserted himself into the rough stuff when he clobbered Montreal's Andrei Kostitsyn just moments after he sent Aaron Ward into the boards.
Kostitsyn gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead early in the second period, until Zdeno Chara added a pair of power play goals later in the period. David Krejci put the game out of reach late in the third period, scoring 17th goal of the season, helping lead the Bruins to their third straight win. Montreal had won four in a row, and eight of its past nine entering the game.
FanHouse's Adam Gretz takes a look at his top 50 players in the NHL. No. 6 is Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo.
The New York Islanders have been mum on the subject of 
We weren't far into the annual craziness of NHL free agency when the Edmonton Oilers suffered a significant loss.
Here's the good news for 
The Boston Bruins reached an agreement with starting netminder 
Weeks of rumors, innuendo, and 
For the second game in a row 
There are certainly at least two really good teams in the NHL's Western Conference. Defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit and fast-starting San Jose appear in the clear to duke it out for the right to play for the Stanley Cup later this year.
It was a great night of rivalries in the NHL on Tuesday, including a classic original six tilt in Boston, where the Bruins pulled out a 
