Cheering when they fall!

I haven't written anything about the Smyth trade yet, in part because I haven't been able to stop laughing. Yet another Oiler departure? Ha! Like rats leaving a sinking ship.

Here's the facts Jack;

- Smyth is one of those players whose overall package and contributions aren't reflected in his stats. Is he a consistent 30 goal scorer? No. Is he a regular ppg guy? No. But he blocks shots, kills penalties and bleeds blue and copper.

- That said, Smyth's money requests were even for a home-town boy done good, outrageous. Sure, some GM somewhere will give him that money ($5M+ a year for 5 years and a no trade clause - I bet St Louis bends over for him), but there is no question his stats will never match up with that $ figure (think Mike Peca on a larger scale). He's a grossly overpaid player in the mold of Martin Lapointe waiting to happen.

- I have no doubts that Smyth knew this. He had set the bar publicly at Alex Tanguay+ $'s figuring his all-round game would trump Tanguay's better stats. He figured the Oilers wouldn't be able to cut him loose after dealing Pronger to start the year. He was the face of the team, he was The Man, he was going to get paid, and he would retire an Oiler. He was wrong.

- This is not the fault of the new CBA. The Oilers have the cap space to pay Smyth if they want to, even to overpay him slightly just because they really like how his mullet plays with the blue-rinse crowd. In previous years there would have been no question he was heading out the door. Nope, this time the defection is the result of pure greed - greed on the part of Smyth to cash in on his next contract. I don't blame him for this, nor more than I blame Lowe for not feeling it necessary to flush money down the toilet, but the tear fest at the airport rings a little hollow when Smyth could have lopped a year of guaranteed money, or taken a $100K less if he really wanted to stay. What's either of those figures to a multi-millionaire compared to wearing the same uni for your entire career? Save the tears for your accountant Ryan.

- Why not overpay Smyth? Good question. I would have preferred to overpay him, then to overpay; Roloson, Horcoff or Pisani - all of whom signed stupid contracts for their career performance level based on getting the Oilers to the finals. If Lowe had simply let Pisani go to the highest bidder (no loss) or moved Horcoff (unsurprisingly he has reverted back to his AHL level of talent), he would have had a much more flexible situation to deal with for Smyth. But he got his level 2 guys signed up before he got his level 1 guy signed, and the fact his hands got tied in knots is in that regard is his own damn fault.

- To all those Oiler fans who point out that Calgary will face a similar situation in two years with Iginla and Kiprusoff, let me say the following: Iginla will get paid - likely at the max. Kipper will either sign for less than the max, or be allowed to leave. Keep Iggy, let Kipper go. Simple. Leland Irving, Brent Krahn and others give the Flames depth in goal (something the Oilers STILL don't have, and they already dealt their first rounder to get the now ancient Roloson!), and while losing Kipper would suck, it wouldn't hurt nearly as much as losing Iggy. Sutter knows where his bread is buttered, how to work the cap and most importantly, how to build a team. Something, Smyth, Lowe and the Oilers have yet to figure out.

So pardon the schadenfreude (which seems to be everywhere of late), but I find the whole Smyth fiasco to be more than a little hilarious, overwrought and above all indicative of Edmonton Oiler incompetence.

First Blood to Bladerunners, but its only a drop

Not a lot of time this morning but here are the unofficial stats after Monday's action.

FUNHL News and Notes

From way back at our first FP draft in 96-97 (a full ten years), there are six franchise players taken that are still franchise players; Jagr, Brodeur, Forsberg, Lidstrom, Sakic and Sundin.

All of the above FP's have been involved in Predator Cup Victories (though I may have to double check that claim for Sakic...).

Except Mats Sundin.

Of the original FP's selected the following are still being drafted by the FUNHL;

Kariya, Tkachuk, Lindros (though we might have just seen his last game as a legit draftee in the FUNHL), Shanahan, Fedorov, Osgood, Ozolinsh, Hamrlik, and Zubov.

Not bad really, Kariya is still rolling along at a PPG and is a legit 1st line winger. Tkachuk is still capable of elite spurts where he is both scoring and gooning it up. Ditto Shanahan, who appeared to be in full renaissance as a goal-scorer until he get hurt. Fedorov is all but done. Finally. Osgood is still hanging around as solid back-up guy who won't rock the boat. Hamrlik is extending his career by playing for Sutter, but isn't a high end threat anymore. Zubov is still a powerplay mainstay and top tier defender for the Stars, though injuries rob him of more and more time.

Some of the busts;

Jim Carey is by far the worst player taken in 96-97. Maybe ever.

Roman Hamrlik? I guess at the time it made sense. Petr Nedved? Only because he had a fluke position change to LW.

According to Severed Heads record keeping (we know for sure he was with the team from 1977-98 on, and we are fairly certain he arrived on the team at the 1996-97 trade deadline injured, and did not play much if at all in 96-97 for the Heads) Jagr is currently the SEVERED HEADS all-time leader in the following categories;

Games: 677, Goals: 349, Assists: 534; and Points: 883

Brodeur's numbers for the Great Whites are equally, if not more ridiculous. I hope Dan can one day parse out what the numbers look like what with all those movements in goaltender calculations.

The Wolves have been climbing in the standings thanks to the acquisition of Paul Stastny. Now that Anze Kopitar is back, he could move even further up the food chain and catch the Shadowmen for 4th.

The Great Whites appear to be a solid bet to finish third no matter what. They are too far from the leaders to close the gap, but also too far ahead to get caught. The GM has placed the team into cruise control now that the playoffs are over with.

The Edge are looking more and more like Herbivore favourites. If Havlat can move back into elite gear he might still catch the rookie Scourge. A plus minus desperation gamble in the last weeks is not out of the question.

Wow do the Flames unexpectedly suck on the road. If I knew why, I'd say so, but it's getting freakish.

How bout them 'Nucks!? Henrik Sedin is taking a run at the teams assists in a season record (he has 58 and the record is 62 by Boudrias). Henrik could end up with the record and yet still only barely register double digit goals (he has 10 and is pacing to finish the year with...11).

As much as Sundin may be in for being dumped as an FP, is their any question that Sakic has held off the dishonour of being dumped from his long term contract for another season?

Dwayne Roloson / Goaltending Stats Suck: Update: 79.36

Yup, the 19th ranked goaltender in terms of GAA, and with a losing record (25-30-6), is nevertheless 15th overall in terms of NHL scoring.

If we still had 3.5 in place, he'd be 48.36.

I'm just saying.

Three Weeks, Two Teams, One Predator Cup

(Thanks to Cam and Brian (earlier this week) who noted some line-up/roster errors - hopefully they are corrected below.)

Not a lot of time this morning but the Bladerunners and the Highlanders had the pool's best weeks (though several teams managed 40+pt weeks) and are now set to square off for the Predator Cup, Challenge Cup Final and (along with the leading Scourge - yes the leading Scourge) the Omnivore Award.

The Bladerunners cross the 1000pt plateau and are 13pts back.

The Challenge Cup final gets underway tonight. The Bladerunners and the Highlanders split the season series one game each. Overall, the Bladerunners hold an 8-7 lifetime lead in the series but the two teams have never met in the playoffs before.

In the Omnivore, three teams are separated by a half a point.

Here are the unofficial stats as of Sunday's action:

Scourge Now Most Improved! Highlanders first to 1000. Shadowmen Running out of Time.

The Bladerunners had a relatively quiet Saturday night and everyone else tried to take advantage. The Highlanders extended their overall lead to just shy of 14pts while taking the lead for the week in the Predator Cup race. They also became the first FunHL team this season to crack the 1000pts mark (expect the Bladerunners to follow suit by the end of tonight). The Shadowmen, who are trying to pull of a miracle finish in their Challenge Cup playoff game, now trail by about 10pts with Sunday's action to come - they have cut into the lead but will it be enough? Still, the big news of the night is that the Scourge (with a little help from Sean Avery and Roman Hamerlik) have taken the lead in the Omnivore standings - indeed the Bladerunners have slipped to third in the race to be named the FunHL's most improved team over the course of the year. The Scouge's good evening also further increased their lead over the Edge to 25pts in spite of a carear best 5pt night by O.Jokinen.

Week 24 is coming to an end but a lot of interestig storylines for the last day of the week. Here are your unofficial stats:

Highlanders and Bladerunners continue epic battle

With Friday's games now complete the weekly standings mirror the overall standings - the Highlanders and Bladerunners are the class of the FunHL. Both teams sit with over 40pts so far on the week while everyone else is in the 20s (save the Edge who are having a miserable week) on top of their 100+pt lead on the third placed team. The Highlanders are awiating the winner of the other Challenge Cup semi-final which, barring a monstrous weekend by the Shadowmen, seems certain to be the Bladerunners who are sporting an 18pt lead in their game. Both teams are now within 10pts of each other atop the Omnivore where only the Scourge, currently in 3rd, pose any threat to enter the conversation. Which of the two teams will walk away with all the hardware remains to be seen but it certainly is a two horse race across the board.

One note that I have failed to mention earlier is that Severed Heads, Personal Vendetta, Lost Boys, Knights Templar and Ramapithicines all became 800pt teams this week - congrats.

Here are the unofficial stats as of Friday night's games:

Bladerunners Have Good Night; Severed Heads Regain Ground; Scourge Extend Lead

The Bladerunners had another great night this week (and at almost 33pts are having the best week in the league) putting them within 9pts of the Highlanders for the Predator Cup lead. They have also extended their lead over the Shadowmen in the Challenge Cup Semi-final to more than a dozen points. The big contributors last night were B.Campbell in Buffalo and J.Cheechoo in San Jose though supporting contributions were made by S.Zubov, J.Iginla and K.Huselius.

The Severed Heads responded to their recent fall in the standings by passing both the Lost Boys and Personal Vendetta to retake 6th place while at the bottom of the table, the Scourge have now extended their lead on the Edge to an impressive 13pts. Things are looking pretty rough for the Edge now and they will need a strong showing this weekend to pull back into the fight.

Lots of hockey left to play but the unofficial stats as of Thursday's games are as follows:

Lost Boys Pass Severed Heads!!

Richard has waited all season for this headline so I didn't want to disappoint him. The lead is very small however, not even a half point, so it may not even last the night but the Severed Heads' fall from contenter to 8th has been very noticable just as the Lost Boys' performance has been equally impressive in their rookie year. Remember that the Lost Boys inherrited the most unsuccessful franchise in FunHL history and are poised to have one of the team's best finishes ever. The other rookie franchise, the Scourge, has made up the ground it lost at the start of the week and is now back out of 12th spot. The battle to avoid the Herbivore continues to be intense.

The Highlanders hold their lead on a quiet Wednesday night as both they and the Bladerunners had about 4pts each. In the Challenge Cup playoff game, the Bladerunners hold a 7pt lead in their game with the Shadowmen for the right to take on the Highlanders in the final.

These stats include Darrell's corrected, official, stats for Week 22 and with the corrections to the goalie stats on my spreadsheet should be correct now for all teams. Still, they are official and as of Wednesday's action they are as follows:

Highlanders Respond With Big Night Of Their Own To Retake Lead

First off a big thank-you to Brian and a heartfelt appology to everyone else who have been pointing out the errors I was having with goaltending stats. I had mistakenly attributed the minor discrepencies in goalie stats to errors on the CBSsportsline site. The error was on my spreadsheet. When I had originally set it up I did it as a "quick reference guide" and not as an actual stats tracker. So I cheated and did the goalie stats using GAA as opposed to direct GA. Over the long-haul the differences are very minor but when you are trying to measure 60 minute blocks (or some cases even smaller time units) the cumulative effects of rounding began to produce slightly different numbers. Anyhow, I think I have the stats right now (for this week, last week's stats will still be slightly off until Darrell's official stats come out). So please keep double checking for me.

Last night was a chance for the Highlanders to respond to the big Monday night of the Bladerunners and they stepped up to the challenge. Posting an 18pt night the Highlanders restored their lead from Sunday night. The Shadowmen also made up some of the ground they lost in their Challenge Cup match and have reason to hope that a berth in the finals is not out of reach.

The unofficial (but hopefully more accurate) stats as of Tuesday's action is as follows:

NHL Plays of the Week

Some awesome stuff in here. In particular, I adore the move Datsyuk put on Zidlicky and Mason (Vokoun?) to score shortside after taking the defender wide. Just sweet!

FUNHL News and Notes

All is going in accordance to prophecy.
The Penguins are going to stay in Pittsburgh.















****
Now check-out Ted Saskin who, as the polar opposite of things that are good, holy, and turning an obscene profit - has (almost without warning) exploded in a hail of increasingly rancid goo.

The faction of the Union that felt his installation was less than by the book (Chelios, Roloson, Lindros, Klatt, etc.) never faded into the background completely, even when they appeared to have lost momentum, and now they finally appear to have the goods on Saskin.

The damage appears to be fatal, Saskin's blackberry, e-mail, etc. were confiscated or turned off - the modern day equivalent of having your badge and gun taken away, and he's home on paid leave. At least one NHL player said 'he's done'.

A more thorough time-line (in occasionally overwhelming detail) can be found here.

I guess it's just me, but it's all so..."now is the winter of our discontent"-ish.














-


***
In the Good news -Bad news department;

Good news for the Severed Heads: Malkin breaks out of a 6 game slump by scoring four points in his last two games.

Bad news for the Severed Heads: Stastny, the P1 traded away to get Malkin, continues to go ballistic by notching a ridiculous (and now record setting) 18 game point streak. It's Teemu Selanne flashbacks for the SH GM. The horror, the horror.

Good news for the Highlanders: Crosby is going to win his first of what looks to be many scoring titles. (That is unless you include FUNHL goaltending stats in the scoring race, in which case he'll finish no better than 5th or 6th - see below for my complete thoughts on the goaltending stats debacle).

Bad news for the Highlanders: Despite Sid's offensive ascension, the Bladerunners simply refuse to go away. Thornton still has not rekindled the magic he had with Cheechoo (though he still is doing well), and while the revolving 2nd FP has settled on the aging but still highly effective, Chris Pronger, he promptly busted up his ankle taking him out of the playoff race.

Good news for the Great Whites: The team is loaded with RFA's and prospects to make a run next year.

Bad news for the Great Whites: Two of their building blocks, FP Marleau, and RFA Nash, are having horrible second halves of the year. In particular, Nash seems to be struggling mightily with Hitchcock's defense first-last-always system.

Good news for the Edge: Spezza has been exactly what the team needed, giving them a complimentary scoring threat to Ovechkin. Also in the good news department is the slide of the Severed Heads in the standings as the Edge own the Heads 1st rnd pick as part of the Spezza deal.

Bad news for the Edge: It may not be enough to hold off the hard charging Scourge.

Good news for the Shadowmen: They took one of their games against the Bladerunners in the playoffs - an upset is not out of the question.

Bad news for the Shadowmen: Like many previous seasons, the team has two FP's that are weak to awful, and no significant assets on the farm team to build around. Another scorched earth season to finish no better than 5th.

Good news for the Wolves: Phaneuf, Stastny, and Kopitar are three awesome building blocks for the team to use as its foundation.

Bad news for the Wolves: Too far away to make a real run at the title, they have to content with their steady rise up the standings and waiting for next year. All things considered, not very bad news to have to deal with.

Good news for the Knights Templar: last years collapse over the final quarter that saw the team plunge all the way from 4th to the 9th circle of hell (12th place and a Herbivore award) doesn't look like it will repeat itself.

Bad news for the Knights Templar: Naslund and Hejduk both appear to be finished as elite FPs. Hejduk looks to be done in by the loss of talent that surrounded him, as well as the loss of explosiveness in his first step acceleration. Naslund hasn't declined physically so much as his team has reconfigured itself to be a defensive first squad in the New Jersey mold. How the KT respond to the decline in the production by their wingers will be key.

Good news for the Bladerunners: They are less than 20 pts out of the lead, Lecavalier has turned his talent dial all the way up to '11' , his chief competition is battling some serious injuries, and the BRs have aquired GM favourite Jarome Iginla as 2nd FP.

Bad news for the Bladerunners: The Highlanders appear to be more talented at depth positions (especially the third line spots), and while Lecavalier has been awesome, the risk is that he is going to cool off sooner or later.

Good news for the Personal Vendetta: Forsberg is alive and well in Nashville.

Bad news for the Personal Vendetta: The two Swedes that have formed the spine of the club for a large portion of the last decade are both nearing the end of the line. Perpetually injured Forsberg is a serious threat to retire, and Lidstrom always appears to be a bout of home-sickness away from packing it in. Replacing one of them would be an unprecedented overhaul of the club, but it's a growing possibility that he could lose both.

Good news for the Ramapithicines: FP's Turco and Chara were both question marks at the start of the season, and both have delivered at a high level - Turco: 91pts, Chara: 61pts (TG)

Bad news for the Ramapithicines: Both FP's Turco and Chara continue to carry question marks. Turco because his team needs him to win a playoff round at least once in his career to solidify his presence with the team, and Chara because Boston is a horrible team that is unlikely to assist his totals in rising further.

Good news for the Lost Boys: Against all expectations, the team didn't furiously suck. Despite never threatening for the league lead, the LB's had a pretty good season, replacing a defective FP with assist happy Brad Richards, shoring up the goaltending situation for next year by trading/drafting for both Shark netminders (who are both RFA's), and in general taking the baby steps towards success that are necessary. They even threaten to take a run at the Severed Heads in the standings (won't happen. the Heads just aren't that lousy. I hope).

Bad news for the Lost Boys: Next year will be much tougher as the Gm will need to manage the team from overseas.

Good news for the Scourge: Taking a serious run at the Omnivore award - something unheard of for rookies, and there is still a good chance they will catch and pass the Edge to avoid last place.

Bad news for the Scourge: The injury to Zetterberg removes a key engine from the squad at a critical time for the team. Not inconceivable that they could win both the Omnivore and Herbivore in the same year (a feat, I believe, completed once previously by the Dogs - perhaps one of the FUNHL historians can confirm?)! If that wasn't bad enough, both the teams FPs are suspect, and the farm team wasn't restocked adequately by the teams first prospect draft.

*****
"The Imperfect Storm: It's Raining 100Pt Goaltenders!"

One of the off-season rule changes we enacted was to return goaltending stats to a base-line of 4pts per 60 min shutout. How has this affected the pool?

Here are the three FP net-minders with an 1/8th of the season to go;

Brodeur - 122.76
Luongo - 106.24
Turco - 98.61

Here are the rest of the top 10 scoring goalies this year;

Kiprusoff - 97.02
Hasek - 9o.25
Giguere - 89.5
Lundqvist - 87.78
Di Pietro - 79.8
Roloson - 76.2
Emery - 71.04

(Notes: The above stats are all approximations - use Darrell's figures for the real numbers. Further, keep in mind that there is still 12.5% of the season remaining, and that these stats will only go upwards from here)

The obvious issue is that Brodeur is going to have what amounts to a 140pt season, and both Luongo and Turco aren't far behind. All three will post well over 120pt seasons. In an era where we will be lucky to have three forwards hit 100 pts, or 50 goals, this is needless to say, provocative.

However, the real obscenity is what has happened to the goalies at the bottom end. Take the human sieve Dwayne Roloson for example - a goaltender who isn't going to the playoffs, plays behind a terrible defense corps, who has a losing record (25-29), and who for all intents and purposes is now unwanted and washed up at age 37 - is nevertheless thanks to our fine statistical methods for goalies - outscoring most first line FUNHL players.

He's 3 points behind Jagr, and Iginla. He's outscoring half the league's FPs.

It's Sick and Wrong that Roloson be considered in the same breath as these players.

And let's be clear, we are talking about Dwayne 'career backup' Roloson.

It's not an exact science getting the goaltending stats right, and I'm the first to say that compelling evidence is required for us to make a change. That said, the smell test for me on Roloson is enough to make the subject worthy of serious thought in the off-season.

I expect that the three GMs with FP goalies might object (they have a perceivable if statistically marginal incentive to do so), but hopefully considering the absurdity of Rollie the backup goalie as equivalent or greater in contributory value as to their other FP will give them pause.

Getting everyone to agree that this is the case and what we need to do to fix it might still be a tough sell - but until then, 100 pt goalies for EVERYONE!

Bladerunners Rocket Into Lead

A great night for the Bladerunners as they make up a 13pt deficit in one evening and retake the lead. The Highlanders and Shadowmen are consoling themselves that they didn't have any players play on Monday night but, man, that was a good night for the Bladerunners. The Edge also took advantage of a poor night for the Scourge to extend their lead at the bottom.

Highlanders On To Finals, Bladerunners/Shadowmen Go To Limit

Again, not a lot of time. That said, here are a few points.

The Highlanders dispatch the Severed Heads and win their first-ever Challenge Cup series. They will await the winner of the Bladerunners/Shadowmen tilt which is going to a third and deciding game starting tonight.

The Highlanders had the week's best total, a handfull of points ahead of the Bladerunners and Knights Templar and now hold a 13pt lead in the Predator Cup race. Down at the bottom of the table, the Edge gain a little ground on the Scourge this week and hold a slim, 3pt lead in the race to avoid the Herbivore. Belated congratulations to both the Wolves and Shadowmen who crossed the 800pt mark this week. Four more teams should join them this week. A little over 8pts separate the Severed Heads in 6th place and the Ramapithiticines in 10th - 5 weeks to go to sort out the Prospect Draft people. ;-)

The Bladerunners continue to lead the Omnivore and barring a total collapse (which while hoped for by at least one GM - seems unlikely) they should be able to hold off both the Highlanders and Scourge.

Saturday Night Results

Not a lot of time this morning but here are the unofficial results as of Saturday night:

Bladerunners Cut Into Lead, Again; Severed Heads Keep Falling

Not much time this morning but the Bladerunners have almost caught their prey.

Personal Vendetta have now passed the Severed Heads with the Lost Boys and Knights Templar looking to do the same.

Following Friday's games, here are the unofficial stats:

Second Coach to Fall by the Shadowmen

Coach Pantomime finally was fired, beheaded after the Shadowmen's weak week in game 2 of the Challenge cup semi-finals versus the now-seemingly all-powerful Bladerunners, determined to humilate the Shadowmen fans in the Mausoleum.

Pantomime's head has discarded and sent to the Severed Heads collection of fallen Shadow-coaches. Probably more telling was the fact that the team was bleeding points, the Wolves passed them into 4th and crossed the 800 mark before the Shadowmen.

The Shadowmen were drunk with the relish of victory after the 17th shooter gave victory in game 1. The jubliant team was unprepared for game 2. Pantomime had clearly lost the room and was drinking Absolut Smirmoff, a gift from the departed Trotzky when beheaded.

A weekend of sobriety and goal-scoring would help restore confidence before a new coach is named with Monday's lineup for week 24...

The Burke logs before the NHL trade deadline

Anaheim GM Brian Burke logs entries for his Diary printed c/o USA TODAY

Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke has always been among the NHL's most colorful wheeler dealers. In 2005-06, he overhauled his team midseason and made a strong playoff run. Last summer, he made a major swap to land franchise defenseman Chris Pronger. Heading into Tuesday's trade deadline, Burke hoped to make a major splash. He was able to make one deal, but he was unable to land one of the premium forwards. This is his diary of his efforts to make the major deadline deal:
Wednesday, Feb. 7
We're interested in Peter Forsberg, but when Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren calls I tell him we aren't trading (first-round pick) Bobby Ryan. We go through a package and I reject several names, including Corey Perry. I say, "No." Homer and I are fishing buddies, and he jokingly says he wants to help us win the Stanley Cup by trading me Forsberg. I say, "We're out," and Homer says he wants me to stay in.
Thursday, Feb. 8
Homer and I talk again on Forsberg and this time he talks about Perry again. He tells me that he has a better offer on the table than Perry and a high pick. I say Perry isn't going anywhere. We discuss multiple names to go with the high pick and they ask for specific players (Perry, Ilya Bryzgalov, Chris Kunitz). I like Homer and want him to succeed, but I'm thinking we would be better off looking at Todd Bertuzzi and the possibility of landing another defenseman. But (Florida GM/coach) Jacques Martin isn't shopping Bertuzzi yet. We are looking at defensemen around the league who could end up being available —Brent Sopel, Brad Stuart and Sami Salo. But I think Vancouver is trying to re-sign Salo.
Friday, Feb. 9
I speak to Los Angeles about Sopel. Trying to trade is like playing musical chairs. You are always afraid you aren't going to have a chair at the end. You worry that if you say no on one deal, you may not get any. Also, there is a "keeping up with the Joneses mentality," particularly in the Western Conference. Players, coaches and fans want you to add. The allure of making the right trade draws you in. Remember last season when Edmonton was on the verge of missing the playoffs, made some deals, including getting goalie Dwayne Roloson, and they go to the Finals. It's the most pressure you face all year, and it's also the most fun you have.
Saturday, Feb. 10
Phoenix offered me Ladislav Nagy for a first-round pick. I call Doug MacLean about the possibility of acquiring Fredrik Modin. He says he's trying to re-sign him. One of my problems in trying to make a deal is that I don't have a first-round pick. I'm thinking I could move defenseman Shane O'Brien to get a first-round pick.
Sunday, Feb. 11
I think Tampa Bay's (GM) Jay Feaster is interested in O'Brien. Homer calls and tells me that two teams are offering two first-round picks and a player for Forsberg, and another team is offering a first, second and another pick. To me, this is too rich for our blood. I think it's too high of a price for a rental player.
Tuesday, Feb. 13
Feaster tells me he is interested only in hockey deals, not rentals. I have a long talk with St. Louis Blues President John Davidson about Keith Tkachuk. They want Bobby Ryan in a package.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
Officially turn down the Blues. Vancouver GM Dave Non-is, my former assistant, tells me he is going to re-sign Salo. New York Rangers GM Glen Sather tells me he's not a seller, at least not yet.
Thursday, Feb. 15
Forsberg goes to Nashville. Homer was frustrated with me. He said I didn't know the marketplace. But I have to give him a lot of credit. He really helped the Flyers with that deal. Tampa Bay offers goalie Gerald Coleman and a second for O'Brien. We want a first- round pick.
Saturday, Feb. 17
I talk to Florida assistant GM Randy Sexton about Todd Bertuzzi, and he tells me "the guy we like is Perry." I offer him profanity. If you are offended by profanity, it's difficult to make a trade in the NHL. If you are going to try to rob me, at least wear a mask. We talk to Philadelphia about Kyle Calder.
Monday, Feb. 19
At the general managers meetings in Naples, Fla., Feaster sweetened his offer to a first-round pick and Coleman and he wants a third to go with O'Brien. I call Sather to see if he can better that offer for O'Brien.
Tuesday, Feb. 20
Sather talks to me about O'Brien, and Pleau asks if I want to revisit the Tkachuk deal and make it bigger. We decide it's not going to work, but we are interested in Bill Guerin. Sather tells me he's got a good offer for Aaron Ward from another team.
Wednesday, Feb. 21
I call Montreal's (GM) Bob Gainey and push him about whether he's going to move any of his defensemen. Gainey says he's unsure if he's selling. Timing is beginning to be a problem. I decide to push on this, but I don't get anywhere.
Sunday, Feb. 25
Tkachuk is finally traded to Atlanta for Glen Metropolit and first-, second- and third-round picks, plus another first-rounder if the Thrashers re-sign him. Davidson and GM Larry Pleau hit it out of the park on that one. We decide to trade O'Brien to Tampa Bay. We need the first-round pick to get into the card game. We felt comfortable making the deal because of the way Kent Huskins had played when he was called up. Oilers GM Kevin Lowe thinks he could have trouble re-signing Ryan Smyth. Would I be interested? He said he would want a "Tkachuk style package." I say we can't do it. Craig Rivet is traded to San Jose by Montreal, and I call and whine to Gainey about not calling me back and telling me he was available. He tells me that I was late to that party, and he had been talking to Doug Wilson for three weeks. Fair enough.
Monday, Feb. 26
Modin re-signs. While at a game in San Jose, I initiate a deal for Brad May via e-mail. I know him well and like his toughness.
Tuesday, Feb. 27
We were in on several trades. We offered a first and a fourth for Bill Guerin, but the Blues liked the Sharks' deal better. (Los Angeles GM) Dean Lombardi talked to me about how Mattias Norstrom wanted to stay in southern California and I offered him a first-, second- and third-round pick, but I now believe he never intended to trade him to us. The Anaheim-Los Angeles rivalry is real. We looked at Bertuzzi, but the price was too high. I wanted to make a deal, but I stuck to draft picks. I told our younger players that I wouldn't trade them and I kept my word. But I did get May. He's a great character guy with a sunny disposition.
Posted 3/1/2007 1:04 AM ET

Thursday's Stats

No time today. Nice night Brian, Collin.

Who Will Win?

Who is better positioned to win the Predator Cup this year? Good question. The Highlanders hold a very small lead (even smaller after Friday night - at the moment I have it at about one point) but the question of who can finally nail this down is a tough one to answer.

Up to now.

So far we have 22 and a half weeks under our belts and the Bladerunners have the edge. In 12 of those 22 weeks, the Bladerunners outscored the Highlanders, 12-10 is close but this isn't about close. In the first eleven weeks, the edge was 6/5 for the Bladerunners - same thing in the last eleven weeks, 6/5. Not much to pick between them but the advantage certainly goes to the defending champs.

Lets go by position:

Left-Wing.

The Bladerunners have the advantage here on the basis of both strength and depth. On paper the Highlander top two of Kariya and Gagne are impressive names but the game isn't played on paper and the quintet of Bladerunner port-siders have been really strong this year. Injuries will always play a key role in any stretch run but while the Straka injury requires some fine tuning by the Bladerunners, the Highlanders really take a step back in having to play R.Clowe instead of T.Holmstrom. Give the left-wing lock to the Bladerunners.

Center.

Here is where the Highlander should hope to make some hay. Crosby, Thornton and one of Savard or Briere should outscore any center. Lecavalier is fantastic, and only getting better, but as good as the Staals have been - the best combination of Nashville pivots and Staals can't compete. This position goes to the Kilted Ones.

Right Wing.

The Highlanders might have hoped to hold their own here with Selanne, Alfredsson and Gaborik but the numbers of late favour the Bladerunners. Two FPs in Hossa and Iginla have been fantastic and whenever Crosby does kick it into gear, Recchi always gets his share. It is close, but one has to give the advantage to the Bladerunners.

Defense.

This was supposed to be the big Highlander advantage but two injuries to Kaberle and now Pronger may have tilted the advantage to the Bladerunners. Gonchar and Zubov is pretty much a saw off. Are Souray and Timonen really any better than Boyle and Visnovsky (now back from his own injury)? McCabe or Campbell? Bieksa, Liles and Bouwmeester vs Meszaros, Zhitnik and Salo? Perhaps the Highlanders still have an edge but it is far less of one that they looked to have even two weeks ago. Pronger could be back in two weeks and the Toronto media would like you to believe that Kaberle could return as well, for that reason only I'm still going to give the Highlanders the nod at this position but it comes with a big caveat.

Goaltending.

Kipprusoff vs Hasek. That's at least what it should be but it has often been Giguere vs Dipietro over the last few weeks and perhaps that's how it should be. Both the Highlanders and the Bladerunners have done very well with their alternate netminder. Giguere's risk is that he will be spelled off by Bryzgalov from time to time while their prefered choice, Hasek, is one circus save away from being gone for the season. The advantage has to go to the Bladerunners here but the position may be the one area that may surprise the most.

Toughness.

The Highlanders are really choosing from three players: Souray, McCabe and with injuries making it necessary, Bieksa. The Bladerunners also pick from three: Meszaros, Blake and Staal. While the numbers over the whole season favour the Highlanders, that trio's big numbers tend to come from a few big minute games while the Bladerunners' are more of a steady drip of pims. With the playoffs getting ever closer, I would put my money on the slow and steady method. I'm going to give a slight nod to the Bladerunners but in so doing will have to say that TG points are not likely to impact the final result.

So in the end, the edge of positions goes to the Bladerunners - which is probably how it should be. They are the defending champions after all. The Highlanders, notwithstanding their very slight lead in the standings (one that has all but evaporated this week) are the true underdogs. Having said that, here is a number to watch for. 18pts. The Bladerunners have never ended a weel more than 18pts out of first. If the Highlanders can find a way to open up such a gap then they may just be able to hold the Bladerunners off. It doesn't seem likely to occur given the back-and-forth nature of the race since the 2nd WD but the one thing that the Highlanders team has shown itself to be capable of is an explosive night or two. Given the talent on both squads, one night could be all it takes to end this race once and for all.

Drop the puck.

Highlanders Lose FP To Injury, Lose Ground To Bladerunners

Fans of the Bladerunners will no doubt feel that it is long overdue, especially given that they are currently missing two of thier top defensemen as well, but the injury to Highlander FP C.Pronger (two weeks with a broken toe) coupled with the injury to T.Kaberle has really taken the wind out of the team's sails. The Highlanders failed to register a point last night and the Bladerunners took full advantage in scoring 7 and cutting the gap between them and top spot in half.

The Bladerunners and Highlander both hold solid leads in thier Challenge Cup playoff matches going into Thursday night action.

The, unofficial, stats are as follows: