Stuff from former regular columnists such as Chris Burns, Eric Maltais, Jacob Status, Jim Gunther and Jeff Angus, as well as guest columnists such as Gus Katsaros from McKeen‘s, Jon Press from Japer’s Rink and more!
Would you sign Peter Forsberg to a 1-year contract to help sell tickets, and then trade him later on at the deadline to a playoff contender to help rebuild your team with young draft picks?
The title is self-explanatory, so without further ado...
After having a great 2005-06 season, the Flyers took a nosedive last season. The nosedive affected everyone from management to coaches to players. This team flat out crashed, allowing the most goals (297) and winning the fewest games (22). There were lots of other lows, too. Only one player played in all 82 contests (Derian Hatcher). Goaltending was inconsistent. Losing became an infection that kept spreading and getting worse. While Simon Gagne managed to remain a serious scoring threat, he alone could not carry his team. The injury to Mike Knuble and other key players did not help. This season the Flyers look to lift themselves up off the ground and turn everything around.
There's no song about it yet, but if the class of 2008 turns out half as good as advertised... it'll still be 200% better than most drafts! Here's your first in-depth look at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, starting with the top 10 players from the eastern portion of the Canadian Hockey League.
To those of you ready to hand Lord Stanley over to the Rangers, think back to when a certain team landed Kariya and Selanne a few summers back. Cups are not won or lost in July, although the chance to hoist the Cup can change drastically.
First off, let me say that it is great to be back writing about my most anal pastime again. Thanks to all the boys for picking up my slack, and to all my peeps for finishing strong without my wisdom. This year we take it to a new level.
Here is the second of three articles on the goaltending of the 15 Western Conference clubs. Covered in this article are Dallas, Minnesota, Calgary, Colorado, and St. Louis.
I recently got to spend some time and ask questions to Ranger’s head coach Tom Renney, Assistant Coach Mike Pelino, and a few current and former Rangers’ players at the Ranger’s practice facility for their Summerfest 2007.
Here’s a synopsis of what I learned:
Just before the midway point of the 2006-2007 NHL season, Dobberhockey.com staff helped contribute towards the Midseason Guide. Besides insider tips, trade rumors, prospect information and more, there was a breakdown of the player’s current pace as well the projected totals. Now that the 2006-2007 NHL season is over we can tally the stats and compare which players performed above or below their midseason pace.
Over the next few weeks, let's break down the goaltending situations for each of the 15 Western Conference teams. Some situations are crystal clear (Vancouver, Calgary), while others remain question marks (Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim). Might as well start at the top…
