BY FAN FUEL – HOCKEY CENTRAL INSIDERS
In this week’s edition of Hockey Central Ask the Insiders, several fan questions are answered including what Dave Nonis and Randy Carlyle have learned about what kind of Maple Leafs team they have and should the Canucks trade Cory Schneider instead of Roberto Luongo.
JOHN ASKS: Despite the tough loss by the Leafs in Game 7 vs. the Bruins Monday night, what lessons have Nonis and Carlyle learned about what kind of team they have? For me the emergence of Jake Gardiner is the biggest story next to James Reimer’s solid play.
Nick Kypreos: Obviously there are two ways to look at “the meltdown in Beantown.” Was it a just plain bad luck or was it an accident waiting to happen? I didn’t pick the Leafs to make the playoffs this year. Not many did. The reason I didn’t pick them was I thought I’d witness more game in their own zone like the last 10 minutes of Game 7. Their ability to spend minimal time in their own zone got them into the playoffs. Unfortunately for Leaf fans that wasn’t the case those last 10 minutes.
But don’t think for one second this team doesn’t need to change a few things. Going into this year. A goalie and a true number one NHL centreman were the big items they needed. Reimer was good enough to warrant another opportunity to be a number one but Bozak, Kadri, and Grabovski are either not good enough, or in Kadri’s case, not quite ready. What was also exposed in the first round was the need for a top four D-man with a mean streak. Gardiner has emerged but will never stand up to anyone. Phaneuf gives you solid minutes but clearly he doesn’t want the responsibility to get into the face of a Lucic or Prust type. Tough to find those guys but when you do, you find yourself with a better chance to go to the second round.
Doug MacLean: They have learned lots about their team. Is a 48 game season a true test? Is James Reimer a number one goalie? Can Dion Phaneuf be the leader of this team? Who is going to be the number one centre? Big questions. They have a decent core and now they have to add to that group. However, the UFA market is slim and they face a tough decision on Dion’s contract. Some definite positives but still a ton of questions.
MARK ASKS: How deep in the playoffs do the Senators have to get to entertain the thought of Jason Spezza returning? Is it even possible?
Doug MacLean: Mark, I suspect the third round is a real possibility. They hopefully win this series and it goes at least six games to give him another 2 weeks. That’s probably realistic.
John Shannon: Mark, firstly, I think it will be a real challenge for the Senators to get past Pittsburgh. And when you consider that Jason Spezza hasn’t played since January 27th, I would really be shocked if he returns for this series at all. Conditioning is such a part of playoff hockey, I’m not sure when Spezza would be in game shape. If, by the longest of odds, the Sens get past the Penguins and into the Conference Final, that might be a more realistic time line.
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LARS ASKS: If it was up to you, would you trade Cory Schneider instead of Roberto Luongo in order to get a better return and re-tool rather than re-build the Canucks?
Jeff Marek: Good question. There is growing sentiment in Vancouver (and elsewhere) that the goalie that needs to move is Schneider and not Luongo but consider what Vancouver is about to go through. Change is the call of the day as it becomes more and more apparent that the Stanley Cup window for the team has closed (they’re still a playoff team but it’s becoming a stretch to think they’ll be back to the big time anytime soon). So the question the Canucks need to ask themselves is this: is Schneider someone they want to build around who will still be in his prime or will he fetch the building blocks of what they’ll need if they plan to really tear this thing apart. As for Luongo, the team won’t fetch much for him due to the hefty contract, plus even though his contract extends over the next generation of Vancouver’s team there’s little hope that he’ll be the netminder when the team turns over. Plus too much has gone on between GM Mike Gillis and Luongo for there to be a happy ending here unless Gillis is replaced. Long-winded answer, I know, but it would depend on what I could get for Schneider. If it’s great young pieces and picks then yes otherwise he’s my guy for the future.
PETER ASKS: Who do you like in the Senators-Penguins series? How big a concern is the goaltending of Marc-Andre Fleury?
Nick Kypreos: Hard not to go with the favourite in this series, but make no mistake the Senators will not go quietly. The one thing Ottawa will do is make Pittsburgh pay a hefty price physically. I can’t believe the punishment Montreal took and how Gryba’s hit on Eller set the tone early. As far as Fleury is concerned Peter, how can goaltending not be a concern for the Penguins? Vokoun has done a nice job in relief but can Pittsburgh win this series, never mind the Cup without the Flowers “A” game? Give Anderson the advantage going into game one.
Scott Morrison: I like the Penguins to prevail, but I think the Senators will be a handful for them in large part because of Craig Anderson, who can steal games. I would be concerned with the play of Fleury, but the Penguins brought Vokoun in for a reason. Not sure the Senators have the firepower to make the Pens defensive play and goaltending a major issue and the Pens certainly have the weapons to raise the challenge for Anderson.
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LEVI ASKS: What has surprised you most after watching round one of the playoffs?
Scott Morrison: My initial answer was going to be the play of the Maple Leafs against the Bruins. They got better as the series moved along, especially James Reimer. This against a team that had dominated them the past few seasons. But then an even bigger surprise emerged and that was the incredible collapse in the third period of Game 7. A lot of that was the Leafs doing, but a big part of it was the incredible ability of the Bruins best players to assert themselves. Have never seen 15 minutes like that to close a game.
John Shannon: Wow, that’s a good one Levi. The first round was the best in recent memory, in my opinion. As far as surprises, you would have to put San Jose’s sweep of the Canucks as a surprise and probably Ottawa’s QUICK disposal of Canadiens would be on that list too. But really, with the parity in the league, and regular season point differences from first to eighth (22 in the West, 17 in the East) I’m not sure anything should be considered a surprised.
EMILY ASKS: What steps do you think Marc Bergevin needs to take to improve the Canadiens for next season? Or would you stick with status quo?
John Shannon: Emily, I think Marc Bergevin would probably like to improve the size of the forwards in Montreal, but with the salary cap dropping to $64.3 million, I don’t think he can really do much other than hope his young players mature quickly. Gallagher, Galchenyuk along with Pacioretty and a healthy Eller are good young players up front. On defence, Gorges, Subban and Tinordi give hope for the future. Based on cap challenges Emily, your question will probably have to wait another year before it can be properly answered.
Jeff Marek: You could have asked me this question the last five years and I would have had the same answer: size up front. The blueline is set with the likes of Jarred Tinordi, Nathan Beaulieu and Morgan Ellis complementing PK Subban. This is still a team that doesn’t physically intimidate anyone up front (and they’re latest young star, Brendan Gallagher comes in at 5’8) and that became painfully obvious in their opening round loss against the Ottawa Senators. I’m not talking about five minute a night tough guys, I mean large, skilled players that won’t get pushed around. So, essentially, one of, if not the hardest commodities to find.