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ALFREDSSON UNDERSTANDS IGINLA COMPARISON
The Ottawa Sun recounts how Senators GM Bryan Murray told reporters before the weekend he never discussed the idea of moving captain Daniel Alfredsson.
Alfredsson, for his part, said he completely understands the comparison people have been making to Jarome Iginla’s situation following Iginla being dealt from the struggling Calgary Flames to the Cup favourite Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It’s two Canadian teams. We’ve both been on the same teams throughout our careers and for a long time,” said Alfredsson. “We’ve both been the captains and the go-to-guys on our teams. That’s where the comparisons come from.”
Alfredsson knows why people felt he might be dealt to a contender, but said he hasn’t given the idea of leaving Ottawa a second thought.
“No. I said that from the beginning. I understand why there are rumours,” he said. “Neither of us (Iginla or himself) have won a Cup, either. With all the injuries we had, people didn’t expect us to be in the race, so I understood it.
“I dealt with it. I knew where my heart was all the time, and it has worked out pretty good for us.”
Alfredsson noted as long as the Senators can book a spot in the post-season, anything can happen.
“We saw last year with (Los Angeles) peaking at the right time, getting good goaltending and that’s what is fun about it. Every fan is really into it come playoff time and believes their team is the team.
“Players feel the same way. You have to have a lot of things come together for you, but we like our team.”
SABRES’ REBUILD TIMELINE KEY FOR VANEK
The Buffalo News points out that Thomas Vanek, captain Jason Pominville and goaltender Ryan Miller have contracts that expire after next season, and General Manager Darcy Regier acknowledged it would be difficult to re-sign them all.
“I would definitely like to stay,” Vanek said. “I like this area. I’m comfortable where I’m at, but I would like to know what the direction is. The next four days I can’t control, then after that we’ll see what Darcy and [owner] Terry [Pegula] and them have to stay.
“I’m sure nobody likes to call their team a rebuilding team, but if that’s the phase, if it’s one year that’s OK, but if it’s a two-, three-year plan again, you would probably look the other direction.”
The Sabres have already had one transition period under Vanek, who went to the Eastern Conference finals in his first two seasons. Going through another would be difficult.
“To me, there’s different types of rebuild,” Vanek said. “There’s rebuilds like the Penguins and the Oilers did, consistently draft in the top five, or you go and get good players through trades, free agency and rebuild your team quicker in the summer.
“Rebuild is not a bad word, it’s just which direction you choose to go.”
STAMKOS FOLLOWING IN YZERMAN’S FOOTSTEPS
The Tampa Tribune notes Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos has won more than 50 percent of his faceoffs this season, expanding another facet of his game at the age of 23.
But there’s more work to be done — and more tough love to be administered to an All-Star performer. New head coach Jon Cooper doesn’t plan on being shy about reminding Stamkos of his shortcomings as an all-around center, even if he has already established himself as the best player in the world at depositing pucks in the net.
“I’ve found out that guys like Stamkos, Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier, not once have they said that we know more than you,” Cooper said. “It was more about what can we learn. Those guys are receptive to new ideas and that’s why they’re special players.”
And if Stamkos ever requires extra motivation to diversify his game, he’ll throw on a tape of Lightning GM Steve Yzerman in a Red Wings uniform.
“When Steve came into the league, he was this offensive dynamo,” Stamkos said. “He realized Detroit had a young team and he was able to grow into that tremendous leader, that two-way player and captain with all those Stanley Cups. Why wouldn’t you want to follow in the footsteps of a guy that’s done so much in this game?”
LEAFS LETTING RIELLY DEVELOP
In hindsight, The Toronto Star begins, perhaps the Maple Leafs did rush defenceman Luke Schenn into their lineup after they made him their first-round pick in 2008.
They won’t make the same mistake with 19-year-old Morgan Rielly, who one day is expected to be an integral part of Toronto’s defence.
But that day could come later rather than sooner.
“It’s not Judgment Day for him,” said Jim Hughes, the Leafs’ director of player personnel. “Could he play with the Leafs right now? Absolutely, but why? We’re taking it slow instead of fast with him. We’re not going to let him crash and burn.”
More steady than flashy, it will be up to Marlies coach Dallas Eakins to groom him.
“He sees the game offensively very well, but he’s in a battle defensively because the guys are bigger, faster and stronger,” Eakins said. “I know he was our No. 5 pick in the draft but for me he’s just another prospect who we’ll put on slow bake and not rush.”
WILD’S KOIVU IN SUPERSTAR MODE
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune describes how during the second intermission of Wednesday’s home game against the Phoenix Coyotes, captain Mikko Koivu made something clear to coach Mike Yeo.
“In no uncertain terms, he basically said [his line was] going ‘to take over this game,’ ” Yeo said. “When that happens, you let them go ahead and do it.”
Koivu had two more assists Saturday to give him a team-leading 33 points in 34 games and 19 points in the past 14. He is plus-11 in the past 11 games.
In terms of a complete game, Koivu arguably has never played better.
“I think he is playing like a superstar right now,” Yeo said before the game.
Yeo talked about Koivu’s scoring, and then said, “Add on top of that everything else he does, all the other parts of his game, I think he’s playing like an absolute superstar right now.
“He’s just doing everything he can to help our team win. Every shift and every night, it could be something different, whether it’s penalty kill, defensively or offensively,” Yeo said.
“And most nights it’s a combination of all of them.”
FLYERS HURTING WITHOUT PRONGER
The Philadelphia Inquirer indicates Flyers chairman Ed Snider said general manager Paul Holmgren’s job is safe, and that he and Holmgren will evaluate coach Peter Laviolette after the season.
From here, Laviolette’s job seems secure, but if the team gets off to a slow start next season . . .
“There’s no sense in showing desperation or making moves that you’re not sure of, and we want to evaluate everything when the season’s over,” Snider said. “It’s premature to even think about it. We still have a slight chance for the playoffs. We haven’t given up. We’re realistic. We’re in a really tough spot. But we want to look at the whole thing when the season’s over.”
Maybe there would have been more wins if the Flyers had been able to add Shea Weber or Ryan Suter. They struck out, of course, on those free-agent defensemen.
“We were trying to overcome the loss of [Chris] Pronger,” Snider said. “We don’t talk about that often, but Pronger . . . we gave up a lot to get him and he was a force for us. Not having him has really been rough. It would be the same as Boston without” Zdeno Chara.
VISNOVSKY NEVER HAD ISSUE WITH ISLES
Newsday recounts how it took several months for Lubomir Visnovsky to finally join the Islanders for this season, after personal issues and professional frustrations that had nothing to do with the team kept the 36-year-old defenseman away.
It took all of 72 hours for Visnovsky to commit to two more years with the Isles, proving to the hockey world what Visnovsky himself had said all along during his refusal to report: He had no problems with his new team.
“Lots of people were thinking I’m here just to finish my contract and go home. It’s not true, obviously,” Visnovsky said Saturday before the Isles game with the Penguins and just about 13 hours after he put pen to paper to sign a two-year, $9.5-million extension that also includes a no-move clause for the first season.
“I want to show everybody that I’m very happy here, that the Isles are a good team, a playoff team,” he said. “I have a great team, great teammates and I think I can help this team.”
NO REGRETS FOR O’DONNELL
The Boston Herald believes Sean O’Donnell seemed like one of those tough, smart, stay-at-home defensemen who’d keep playing for year after year. But in January, with no teams offering contracts, the 41-year-old former Bruins blueliner called it a career.
In 17 seasons, he earned $21,181,000, according to Hockeyzoneplus.com. Not bad for a guy who scored 31 career goals. He walked away from the game quite comfortably.
“It’s never easy, but it seemed like the right decision,” he said. “I wasn’t sure there would be anything available after the lockout. But I felt like it would give me more peace of mind to wait, and if no team was interested, then I’d make it official
“I knew I didn’t want to hang on much longer. Once camps opened and there was nobody who was really interested, I felt like it was time. I have no regrets. I’ve slept fine since I made the decision. I’ve missed it. I miss it a lot every day. But doing it the way I did it, I don’t have any regrets or what ifs.”
O’Donnell hopes to return to the game as a scout or in some player development capacity.