Our final chapter of pre pre-season NHL predictions completes the hat-trick.
Now that Beijing is in the rear-view mirror, we can finally give Adam van Koeverden a break and begin speculating on whether Mike Van Ryn ends up with the Leafs.
Actually, we took care of mighty Toronto last week. However, there's still plenty of ice to cover in part three of our pre pre-season NHL predictions. (*Read Part 1 and Part 2 of Pass the Puck.)
1. Standing beside Don Waddell in the corner of tiny St. Michael's Arena in Toronto a few years ago, I learned three things: A.) The GM of the Atlanta Thrashers is a very personable fellow. B.) Waddell made no secret of the fact that he was very interested in Bryan Little, whose Barrie Colts were facing the St. Mike's Majors that day. C.) Judging by the huge rat trap that was set-up a few feet away, it was definitely time for the Majors to move to a fresher facility in Mississauga. Meanwhile, it's time for Waddell to move his team forward by allowing the likes of Little to support an increasingly frustrated Ilya Kovalchuk. And if he wants to get really bold, Waddell should trade Kari Lehtonen for a package of quality players and turn the netminding reins over to young Ondrej Pavelec, who led the Thrashers' AHL team to the Calder Cup last season.
2. In search of a soulmate ever since his brother-in-law Shayne Corson packed it in, Darcy Tucker may have found the answer in the mountain air of Colorado. After giving up his head coaching role when Joel Quenneville came aboard, Tony Granato is back as bench boss of the Avalanche and played a huge role in enticing Tucker to Denver. As a player, Granato had a special talent for getting under the opposition's skin and he should be able to stoke Tucker's competitive fire after it seemed to dim during a difficult season in Toronto. Unless Joe Sakic returns, it could be tough for the Avalanche to make the play-offs. But surrounded by veterans such as Ryan Smyth and Adam Foote, at least Tucker will be in the company of like-minded warriors.
3. The perfect hockey transplant? Removing the heart of Cal Clutterbuck and placing it inside the body of Benoit Pouliot. The Minnesota Wild selected the gifted Pouliot fourth overall in the 2005 NHL draft. But since then, he's only played a handful of games at the NHL level and has spent much of his AHL apprenticeship skating around in a fog. Clutterbuck, on the other hand, is the epitome of making the most out of limited ability and the former Oshawa General has a chance of cracking the Minnesota roster as a fourth line energy player. Wild officials say that because Pouliot is so talented, he's never had to sweat like the Clutterbuck's of the world. However, if the light bulb finally goes on, it would play a major role in solving Minnesota's search for a sniper to complement Marian Gaborik.
4. When the Nashville Predators first entered the NHL, opposing teams would roll to an easy two points and then hit Tootsies Orchid Lounge, the joint that gave Garth Brooks his start. But since developing an unbelievable work ethic under Barry Trotz, more than a few of the Predators' vanquished foes are now finding a few tears in their post-game beers. Ownership troubles forced them to sell off some top-notch talent and one of their best young players, Alexander Radulov, has bolted for bigger bucks in Russia. Still, Nashville always seems to find a way and Jerred Smithson is the perfect poster boy for the Preds. Smithson was a member of the 1999 Western Hockey League champion Calgary Hitmen, a team that featured a number of talented players. Smithson, however, has carved out the best career of the bunch by putting the team first and doing whatever Trotz asks. It's the Nashville way, and don't be surprised if it lands them in the play-offs once again.
5. Every year, New Jersey say the same thing and every year, they end up breaking their promise. At age 36, Martin Brodeur is beginning to look more like a rubber chicken than a spring one, as his wobbly legs invariably give out in the playoffs. Prior to last season, the Devils pledged once again to lighten Marty's regular season load by bringing in veteran Kevin Weekes as the back-up. But Weekes ended up playing once every few weeks and Brodeur's 77 regular season starts left him lacking in an opening round playoff loss to the hated Rangers. This year, the Devils have brought back Scott Clemmensen, a veteran puckstopper coming off a solid season in the AHL. However, Clemmensen only got into six games when he backed up Brodeur in '06-'07 and unless the Devils show more confidence in whoever gets the job as Marty's caddy, it will be the same old story when April rolls around.
6. If there was an NHL award for thinking outside the box, the New-Age Islanders would win hands down. But then again, that's the only thing they'd win. Two years ago, the Isles hired a goalie with big shoulder pads, Garth Snow, to shoulder the load as GM. They also resurrected the coaching career of Ted Nolan and when that experiment came to an abrupt end this summer, Snow turned the team over to a minor leaguer named Scott Gordon. One of Snow's biggest beefs about Nolan was his unwillingness to give younger players more ice time. But with very few exceptions, the Islanders crop of youngsters isn't much to brag about and their version of a "youth movement" apparently involves the off-season signing of Doug Weight, a 37-year old who doesn't have much left. But don't sweat it, Ted; even Al Arbour wouldn't be able to win with this bunch.
7. In the days of the Broadstreet Bullies, The "Philly Flu" was a term used to explain an opposition player's sudden decision to take himself out of the line-up whenever the Flyers were on the schedule. Two years ago, however, a strange sickness came over the Flyers themselves, as they tumbled to the very depths of the NHL. Thanks to a miracle healing at the hands of GM Paul Holmgren, however, Philadelphia returned to the Promised Land of the playoffs last season with a remarkable 39-point turnaround. When a burned out Bobby Clarke stepped down during that Philly fiasco a few years ago, Holmgren was given a short leash to prove himself worthy of taking over from the Flyers' legend. But St. Paul quickly made his mark with a series of inspired moves which have laid the groundwork for a club that looks capable of challenging for a championship over the next few years.
8. From the moment he was an 18-year old rookie at his very first NHL training camp, Joe Thornton was under the microscope. During a 1997 CBC documentary that filmed part of the camp, a Boston Bruins management official was heard muttering that if Thornton didn't pick up his play, he'd end up being a big bust. Again, it was his first freakin' camp! Since then, however, not much has changed. Fed up with his perceived lack of leadership skills, the Bruins gave up on Thornton a few years ago and now the tide could be turning against him in San Jose as well. For the past few years, the Sharks have been the popular pick to capture the Cup and Thornton was thought to be just the tonic to get them over the top. However, while he's been dynamite in the regular season, Thornton seems reluctant to grab the play-offs by the throat and put his personal stamp on the proceedings. He's far from being a big bust but if Big Joe doesn't make more of a post-season statement this time around, the grumbling will start all over again.
9. Trust an old goalie to appreciate the value of a strong defence. In his role as team president in St. Louis, John Davidson has to be elated over the young blue line brigade in place. Eric Brewer, Barret Jackman and Eric Johnson have injected skill and nastiness on the Blues' defence, and in a few years Alex Pietrangelo should emerge as the best of the bunch. Selected fourth over-all in a summer draft deep in quality D-men, scouts say Pietrangelo needs only to dial up his intensity a few notches to become a major star. From Doug Harvey in the 60's, Barclay Plager in the 70's, to Al MacInnis and Chris Pronger of a more recent vintage, the Blues have always been defined by defence. St. Louis is still a few years away from returning to the play-offs but as their "Fab Four" matures, they can't help but be successful.
10. With his energy, charisma and hip-hop attitude, Alex Ovechkin seems more Washington Wizard than Washington Capital. Yes, the NHL is fortunate that this hockey-crazed fool didn't follow in his mother's famous footsteps. Tatiana Ovechkin won a pair of Olympic gold medals playing basketball for Russia and it's not hard to imagine Ovechkin as a Steve Nash-style point guard. But the NBA's loss is the NHL's gain, with Ovechkin serving as the chocolate to go with the more vanilla personality of Sidney Crosby. Still, it takes two to tango and Ovie and Sid the Kid will be thrilling hockey fans for years. After leading the Russians over a Crosby-less Team Canada at the world championships, the precocious Ovechkin dug up the latest lucky Loonie the Canadians had planted under the ice and pledged to make a necklace out of the coin. Sidney will have to wait until the 2010 Olympics to help Canada exact some international revenge, but the dynamic duo's NHL confrontations are definitely an entertaining warm-up act.