May 09, 2011

Usually you’ll find several rambles throughout the day but you haven’t seen that and I apologize. With the Prospects Report out on June 1, I want to make sure I get it done. Normally that is not an issue, but with my second daughter due to be born in a week or two…it could get hairy. So I have to make certain that I am AHEAD of schedule – not just ON schedule. So the nose has been against the grindstone…and the ramblings have suffered. Just to explain ;)

Nicklas Lidstrom picked up his 70^th point of the year – playoffs and season – in just 91 games. How great is he? In 2003, when Chelios was 41 he managed just 19 points. Hey, it's tough finding a 41-year-old defenseman to compare this accomplishment…

So is this another San Jose collapse in the making? Not collapsing, per se. I don't think you can call outshooting the opponent 42-22 a collapse or a choke…but at the same time…they lost the game. Another one of those and it's Game 7 and that monkey on their back becomes a gorilla – and that would be advantage: Detroit.

Kyle Wellwood – seven points in 11 games. Who had him in the playoff pool?

I love how Datsyuk was questionable for the game last night, but then he plays and gets three points. Nice!

Jiri Hudler – healthy scratch. Drew Miller drew in. Hey, that was an unintentional pun.

Sergei Kostitsyn and Patric Hornqvist are pointless in their seven games. Got 'em in the pool! Johan Franzen is pointless in his last five – got him in the pool, too!

Sean Bergenheim has seven goals and eight points in his last eight games. The talent has always been there, but the one year that he was poised to do something about it he held out for a contract and the Islanders let him go back to Europe. He came crawling back and never got another chance on the scoring line. He'll never be a 60-point guy or anything, but there is enough there for him to post 50.  But he's also injury prone, so for next year I wouldn't bank on anything above 35. But he could be next year's Kopecky.

If Ken Hitchcock is brought in to coach the Devils, I give up. Another year of crappy Kovalchuk numbers – don't GM's see that his coaching numbers are declining with every job? Actually, check that, he often has a great five year and then he loses the team in Year 2. Regardless, this guy has more lives than Mike Keenan. Why oh why do the Old Boys Club insist on recycling coaches when there are so many good, new ones out there in other leagues?

Chris Pronger (back, leg) and Mike Richards (wrist) may need offseason surgery. Well…I guess at this point it would just be "surgery", since it can't be "onseason".

So Adrian Dater, tell us how you really felt about Ryan Stoa this past season.