The search for a new General Manager of the Calgary Flames finally ended yesterday when co-owner Harley Hotchkiss reached into the PTHL’s past. Hotchkiss announced via conference call the hiring of former Tampa and Ottawa GM Andy Szilvasi.
“We’ve been looking for a new GM for a long time and this guy just wouldn’t take no for an answer” said Hotchkiss. “He was making my ears bleed so I finally decided to hire him just so I could shut him the hell up!”
Regardless of how he got the job, Andy has a lot of work ahead of him. “What the hell did Tim Jones do to this team?” asked the new GM. “I have absolutely NO organizational depth and I have a payroll that matches the GNP of all of Canada!”
Andy will need to get to work on forming a core group that will take the Flames into the next decade. He’s got four top-notch players (Sidney Crosby, Adam Hall, Olli Jokinen, and Jerome Iginla) with which to work. But beyond that, the cupboard is thin – mostly due to the lack of any quality draft picks in recent years.
The team is currently in 8th place in the Western Conference. The next few weeks will determine if the new regime will be buyers at the trade deadline or sellers. Feeling throughout the league is that if they do plummet in the standings, such prominent names as Iginla and Dave Scatchard, as well as one of the two goalies on the squad, could be moved for youth and picks.
“I’ve already begun to make offers to coaches for our farm team. I cannot believe they were left to coach themselves. Next step will be to sit back and watch the guys on the roster to determine which are the future of the organ-eye-zation, which are valuable trading chips, and which are shark-bait.”
The San Jose forward scored 8 goals and 12 assists in just 13 games in November.
After a dissapointing 2011-2012 campaign, the Sens are back at the top 2 months into this season.
The Sens have been the hottest team in the league since the beginning of November, currently with a league leading 41 points and .759 win %. They have also won 9 of their past 10 games.
Lead by Alexander Ovechkin with 35 points, the Sens are looking to hold onto 1st place in the East in December. The Isles are only 3 points back with a game in hand.
Many of the leagues better
teams have been losing key players to injury, and these teams have not been
impressed with the level of suspensions being given out.
3 top 10 teams have been hit big by injury. The Detroit Red Wings were hit twice, losing Tuomu Ruutu and Milan Hejduk with no suspensions to show for the losses. The Edmonton Oilers lost a key member of their blueline when Ron Hainsey collided with Colorado's Tyler Arnason. Hainsey will not return for anywhere between 8-10 weeks. Edmonton also lost key forward Yuri Rostov after being run over by Detroit's Georges Laraque. After listening to a month of complaints, the legaue office finally took some action and suspended Laraque for 10 games. This did not go well with the Wings after no suspensions were given for their losses to Ruutu and Hejduk.
The biggest loss hit the Carolina Hurricanes, who lost 5 time reigning Norris winner Cam Barker for the rest of the regular season and possibly the playoffs. Phoenix's Frederick Rudnick went knee-on-knee with Barker, and no suspension was given. The incident outranged the Canes, who will be without their franchise player for more than 5 months. The incident has also sparked talk around the league of a possible discipline committee, but despite the recent injuries it is receiving little support.
For the 2nd time in 5 years,
Michael Peca cashed in big time from free agency. The 38 year old signed
a PTHL record $14 million contract with Minnesota, which also includes
a signing bonus above $4.5 million. Peca plans to retire at the season's end.
The Wild were the big UFA winners, but a few other teams picked up some solid players as well. The Islanders added some 3rd and 4th line depth by signing both Kristan Huselius and Curtis Brown to 6 year contracts. Nick Boynton, the best defenseman available, signed with Phoenix.
With the top free agents off the board, teams have started to prepare for the preseason. Preseason action begins September 5th.
Defensemen were a popular commodity
at the 2012 entry draft. Defensemen Vavrinec Dvorak was selected 1st overall
by the Carolina Hurricanes after a last minute trade to move up to the 1st
overall pick. Anaheim, who traded down, drafted their future goalie Richard
Lilley 2nd overall, and picked up a future 1st round pick along the way.
With the 3rd and 4th overall picks, Vancouver and Columbus both selected Defensemen as well, drafting Del Duchak and Manu Turku respectively. New Jersey selected Luke Sylvester, the first forward of the draft, to round out the top 5.
Defensemen were also selected at picks 9, 13, 14, 15, and 16. A total of 12 defensemen were drafted in the 1st round.
The Stanley Cup Champions Detroit Red Wings were celebrated in their hometown with grand festivities today. The Stanley Cup was driven through the town in a parade and the fans were chanting the team's name every time captain Saku Koivu lifted the Cup above his head.
The mayor of the town greeted the players on a stage with the media surrounding them as masses of loyal Detroit Red Wings fans chanted the names of Jordan Staal and Boris Broucek.
By: Adam Forman
The long anticipated “Kessel” draft was finally used in 2011. Although it did not have the superstar talent of the Ovechkin or Crosby drafts, this was without a doubt the deepest draft in PTHL History. This draft included 6 forwards that were minimum 80/80, 5 elite two-way defensemen, and two solid starting goalies. It also included 13 pot jumpers who, if they take a pot jump, will be elite players themselves. It was the type of draft where you could grab 2nd line players in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, and 3rd/4th line players in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds. You could grab a top 4 defenseman halfway through the draft. You could get a 79 offense with decent defense or 77 defense player in the 4th round. Even late picks were worth the equivalent of a late 2nd or early 3rd round pick in a regular draft. Some teams has as many picks a 19, others had none at all. But one thing is forsure: anyone who had a pick in the draft got a boost for the future.
Here is my round-by-round review of the draft, beginning with the first round (other rounds to follow). Each pick is briefly analyzed and given an overall rating out of 5, 5 being a very good pick and 1 being a very poor pick. The ranking doesn’t necessarily have to do with the skill level of the player, but the value of the pick compared to who was available at the time.
Round 1
Kessel? Heath? McEachern? Joensuu? Johnson? Who was gonna go 1st in the 2011 draft? I think it inevitably depended on who won the lottery as some teams might’ve gone after a forward, while others a defenseman, and a few might’ve grabbed a franchise goalie. New Jersey, who owned the 12th overall pick, ended up winning which was irrelevant toward the order of the top 5. And because of that, the “Kessel” draft lived up to its name.
Round 1 Pick 1 – C Phil Kessel
Team: Columbus
Offense: 92
Defense: 84
Consistency: 85
Comments: If you needed offense, this was a no brainer. Kessel will be up there in the scoring race for years to come, and he’s got a defensive game too.
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 2 – G Sam Heath
Team: Nashville
Offense: 88
Defense: 85
Consistency: 82
Comments: Clearly the best goalie in the draft. If there was one weakness Nashville had, it was their goaltending, and with that covered they will be a force to deal with in a few seasons.
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 3 – D Trevor McEachern
Team: New Jersey
Offense: 91
Defense: 86
Consistency: 81
Comments: McEachern will easily be one of the leagues top defensemen in a few seasons. He has both the offensive and defensive talent. A great building block for any team defense.
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 4 – RW Jesse Joensuu
Team: Florida
Offense: 83
Defense: 89
Consistency: 77
Comments: Joensuu was the cream of the crop for defensive forwards in this draft. He will not only be one of the best defensive guys, but will score goals too. Florida has their franchise forward
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 5 – RW Michael Frolik
Team: New York Islanders
Offense: 87
Defense: 83
Consistency: 84
Comments: Frolik at #5 is very good value, though you can’t argue with any of the picks before him. A very good two-way forward just adds to NYI’s offense which looks very deep right now.
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 6 – RW Peter Mueller
Team: Nashville
Offense: 86
Defense: 84
Consistency: 77
Comments: Like Frolik, Mueller is a very good two-way forward and he will just add to Nashville’s incredibly deep team. His consistency is a bit lower though.
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 7 – C Angelo Esposito
Team: Anaheim
Offense: 83
Defense: 77
Consistency: 78
Comments: The first not so good pick of the draft. Potential can be deceiving as Esposito is a 9 pot player but his ceilings aren’t anything special. Esposito was not the best player available at this pick (Toews or Sheppard would’ve made more sense).
Overall: 2
Round 1 Pick 8 – D Erik Johnson
Team: Dallas
Offense: 79
Defense: 88
Consistency: 85
Comments: I thought forsure Johnson would go much earlier, but unlike the 2010 draft everyone was after a forward, not defenseman. To get a defenseman like Johnson at #8 is simply ridiculous.
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 9 – C Jonathan Toews
Team: Buffalo
Offense: 84
Defense: 76
Consistency: 86
Comments: Talent wise there was better, but Toews has solid consistency and isn’t exactly bad so a pretty good pick for Buffalo.
Overall: 3.5
Round 1 Pick 10 – C Jordan Staal
Team: Detroit
Offense: 79
Defense: 87
Consistency: 86
Comments: For a defensive minded team like Detroit, Staal was the ideal pick. Great defense plus good offense makes him a top forward for Detroit.
Overall: 4.5
Round 1 Pick 11 – RW Kory Schramm
Team: Tampa Bay
Offense: 78
Defense: 80
Consistency: 90
Comments: They don’t have a GM so this one is no one’s fault, but Tampa really could’ve used a good forward to help them here.
Overall: 1
Round 1 Pick 12 – C Steve Clarke
Team: Carolina
Offense: 78
Defense: 88
Consistency: 79
Comments: Clarke is similar to Staal but with less consistency. He still adds a very good defensive forward who can score to Carolina’s offense which was in need of help.
Overall: 4
Round 1 Pick 13 – G Joe Palmer
Team: Minnesota
Offense: 85
Defense: 82
Consistency: 75
Comments: Minnesota needed a future goalie and they got one of the big two. Palmer is definitely above average, and will be a big help to Minnesota’s future. Getting him at #13 is nice, thought he would go earlier. It also allows them to use J.S. Giguere as trade bait.
Overall: 4.5
Round 1 Pick 14 – LW James Sheppard
Team: New York Islanders
Offense: 86
Defense: 76
Consistency: 77
Comments: It’s hard to believe Sheppard didn’t go earlier, but NYI adds yet another good young forward to their future offense. Ryan can you please move back to the West?
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 15 – D David Ruzicka
Team: Nashville
Offense: 79
Defense: 84
Consistency: 84
Comments: Nashville is building an incredible defense. Ruzicka is probably the team’s first good two-way defenseman. Nashville for a top forward, defenseman, and goalie with their first 3 picks. Pretty solid start.
Overall: 4.5
Round 1 Pick 16 – LW Christophe Nadon
Team: St.Louis
Offense: 81
Defense: 64
Consistency: 87
Comments: Oh wow, Beau you needed to do a bit more scouting cause this was a bad pick. There were better pure offense or two-way forwards all over the board. Nadon could’ve been a 3rd rounder in this draft. Outside of his shooting and hitting there isn’t anything special to this guy.
Overall: 1.5
Round 1 Pick 17 – D Nigel Williams
Team: New York Islanders
Offense: 74
Defense: 85
Consistency: 74
Comments: Williams appears to be the final piece to the NYI defense. Good defense, decent offense, it’s not always that a player like Williams would be avail at #17.
Overall: 4
Round 1 Pick 18 – C Bobby Hughes
Team: Boston
Offense: 85
Defense: 73
Consistency: 73
Comments: Hughes was easily the best offensive forward available but his height lowers his defense. Still a good overall pick though.
Overall: 3.5
Round 1 Pick 19 – RW Ravil Kropotkin
Team: New York Rangers
Offense: 83
Defense: 80
Consistency: 65
Comments: Kropotkin’s 99 shooting and 99 hitting makes him a great fit for NYR’s offense, but his consistency is certainly something to be worried about
Overall: 3
Round 1 Pick 20 – D Kristoffer Ohisson
Team: Philadelphia
Offense: 89
Defense: 80
Consistency: 85
Comments: Wow what a pick, Ohisson could’ve gone top 10 nevermind 20th OA. A top offensive defenseman who can play defense too, him and Smid could create the most feared PP in the league.
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 21 – RW Keegan Dansereau
Team: Carolina
Offense: 82
Defense: 80
Consistency: 79
Comments: 80’s across the board for the 6 main stats and pretty good consistency. For a team that needed forwards, solid pick. He should’ve gone earlier than a lot of the picks.
Overall: 4.5
Round 1 Pick 22 – RW Ryan Flynn
Team: Columbus
Offense: 75
Defense: 83
Consistency: 73
Comments: Not bad… one of the better defensive guys left at the time and he has some offense so it was a decent pick.
Overall: 4
Round 1 Pick 23 – RW Chris Stewart
Team: Philadelphia
Offense: 73 (84)
Defense: 75 (87)
Consistency: 84
Comments: The flood gates for the good pot jumpers opened earlier than I thought. Stewart was probably the best two-way jumper, and the one most likely to jump with 84 consistency and 6 pot. He didn’t this year though.
Overall: 2.5
Round 1 Pick 24 – RW Aleksandr Vasyunov
Team: Carolina
Offense: 84
Defense: 71
Consistency: 71
Comments: Carolina finally drafted more of an offensive forward which they needed. Vasyunov was the best offensive forward with defense over 70 that remained.
Overall: 4
Round 1 Pick 25 – D Jonas Ahnelov
Team: Edmonton
Offense: 61
Defense: 85
Consistency: 72
Comments: Edmonton traded Spezza to get this pick and it was a good move cause they grabbed a solid defensive defenseman. Ahnelov will be a nice addition for an aging Edmonton squad.
Overall: 4
Round 1 Pick 26 – C Niklaus Thomassen
Team: Colorado
Offense: 81
Defense: 67
Consistency: 86
Comments: No GM to blame for this one, but like Nadon this was not a good pick.
Overall: 1
Round 1 Pick 27 – C Bryan Little
Team: Pittsburgh
Offense: 80
Defense: 71
Consistency: 74
Comments: There were better players but Little wasn’t exactly a bad pick.
Overall: 3
Round 1 Pick 28 – D Eric Baier
Team: Florida
Offense: 69 (79)
Defense: 74 (86)
Consistency: 77
Comments: The 2nd pot jumper (best defenseman jumper) came off the board before the 2nd round. But he did take a jump so this was a key steal for Florida who now has a franchise defenseman.
Overall: 5
Round 1 Pick 29 – LW Jeff Verner
Team: Pittsburgh
Offense: 84
Defense: 59
Consistency: 74
Comments: Nice offense but he lacks defense. There were better players available, this pick could’ve been a solid tow-way forward.
Overall: 2
Round 1 Pick 30 – RW Brady Calla
Team: Detroit
Offense: 78
Defense: 80
Consistency: 82
Comments: The defending champs add yet another solid two-way forward. This team just continues to get better.
Overall: 4
Round 1 Recap:
1. Columbus – C Phil Kessel (5)
2. Nashville – G Sam Heath (5)
3. New Jersey – D Trevor McEachern (5)
4. Florida – RW Jesse Joensuu (5)
5. New York Islanders – RW Michael Frolik (5)
6. Nashville – RW Peter Mueller (5)
7. Anaheim – C Angelo Esposito (2)
8. Dallas – D Erik Johnson (5)
9. Buffalo – C Jonathan Toews (3.5)
10. Detroit – C Jordan Staal (4.5)
11. Tampa Bay – RW Kory Schramm (1)
12. Carolina – C Steve Clarke (4)
13. Minnesota – G Joe Palmer (4.5)
14. New York Islanders – LW James Sheppard (5)
15. Nashville – D David Ruzicka (4.5)
16. St. Louis – LW Christophe Nadon (1.5)
17. New York Islanders – D Nigel Williams (4)
18. Boston – C Bobby Hughes (3.5)
19. New York Rangers – RW Ravil Kropotkin (3)
20. Philadelphia – D Kristoffer Ohisson (5)
21. Carolina – RW Keegan Dansereau (4.5)
22. Columbus – RW Ryan Flynn (4)
23. Philadelphia – RW Chris Stewart (2.5)
24. Carolina – RW Aleksandr Vasyunov (4)
25. Columbus – D Jonas Ahnelov (4)
26. Colorado – C Niklaus Thomassen (1)
27. Pittsburgh – C Bryan Little (3)
28. Florida – D Eric Baier (5)
29. Pittsburgh – LW Jeff Verner (2)
30. Detroit – RW Brady Calla (4)
Steal of the 1st Round:
Runner Up – D Kristoffer Ohisson (Philadelphia, 20th pick, 20th overall)
To get an elite offensive defense with good defense too this late was very solid. How he fell this late puzzles me, and I wish he fell one spot further ;) (Dean stole my pick a few times in the draft).
Winner – D Eric Baier (Florida, 27th pick, 27th overall)
Baier was risky pick as a pot jumper with only 77 con and with a few good defensemen left on the board, but a team like Florida needs to take risks. Baier got the pot jump and instantly becomes a huge steal (he could’ve gone top 15 if he had a 7 pot in the first place).
Some interesting things about the 1st round. 21 forwards were taken, 7 d-men, but only 2 goalies. No other goalies were worthy of the 1st round but in the past we have seen goalies like Dupont and Bernier drafted in the 1st. 2 pot jumpers would be taken over several remaining two-way forwards in hopes of grabbing a potential top 15 player in the draft.
That concludes the review of the first round. Next up is round 2 which will be completed in the next little while.