Impact Players in 2012 NHL Free Agency

July 1st is fast approaching, which mean we will soon see a frenzy by most NHL teams wanting to restructure themselves after a poor season/playoff performances. While most of the free agency talk is centered around Ryan Sutter, Zach Parise, Alexander Semin and Rick Nash, there are a lot of players out their that would be a good addition to any teams at a reasonable price.  So here is a  list of  NHL free agents that would be a good sign this year.

Right Wingers

Alexander Semin: He is 28 with a cap hit of $6,700,000. He has stated that he won’t be returning to Washington. He may go to the KHL with a big paycheck to his name.

Temmu Selanne: At 41 he has a cap hit of $4,000,000. He had a very productive season. He most likely will sign a 1-year contract with the Ducks.

P.A. Parenteau: At 29 he had a breakout season with the Islanders. After his performance last season I doubt that he won’t be resigned by the Islanders.

Jaromir Jagr: The 40-year-old made an impressive NHL comeback with his season with the Flyers. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t sign him for another 1-year deal.

Shane Doan: The captain of the Coyotes is a fan favorite. While most have speculated him leaving for a more contender team. Doan will stay loyal to his team and resign with them.

Mikael Samuelsson: Even at 35 this guy will be a steal for any team. He has played in Detroit, Vancouver, and Florida. All three teams have made it to the playoffs with him on it, and he was a top point-getter every time. If any team needs a good right-handed scoring touch this would be your guy.

Rick Nash: He is the most sought after player in this years free agency. There are at least 10 teams trying to get him. The team willing to pay the most will get him

Left Wingers

Ryan Smyth: He is 36 and still a productive member of the Oilers. He has stated that he wants to stay in Edmonton and with his leadership skills, the team will certainly keep him.

Dustin Penner:  The 29-year-old played a good part in helping his team with the Stanley Cup. But with the Kings main focus on their Goaltender, there might not be enough money for Penner. He will most likely end up in Minnesota with a good-sized contract.

Zach Parise: The 27-year-old captain stated he wants to stay in New Jersey. However, the debt ridden team might not be able to afford him. If this is the case he could end up in Detroit playing next to his friend Ryan Sutter.

Steve Sullivan:  He is a veteran leader on the team, and a strong dept player. At the age of 37 he will most likely get a 1 or 2 year contract with his current Pittsburgh team.

Jiri Hudler: In his second season back from the KHL Hudler put up career best numbers. However, if that success can translate over to other teams is a big risk. The safest scenario for Hudler would be to resign with Detroit. A team he knows he has success with.

Ruslan Fedotenko: Just like Samuelsson this guy is a steal. At the age of 33 he has already won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightnings in 2004 and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. He also was an impact player for the New York Rangers in this years playoffs. Need a veteran left wing leader. Here is your guy.

Centerman
Olli Jokinen: He is 33 and was one of the best players on the Calgary team. It’s unsure if Calgary will keep him, but it’s rumored that the islanders, predators, and coyotes are after this guy. He would fit in well in a Nashville system.

Paul Gaustad: While not a dynamic player he is a great face-off player, and can win battles for the puck. Any team needing a good 3rd line center should get this guy.

Defenseman

Jason Garrison:  At 27 he made a big impact for the Florida Panthers. He was among leader in Hits, Blocks, and Goals for his team. If the Panthers don’t resign him any team lacking a blue line will defiantly go after this guy.

Bryan Allen: The 31-year-old is a top 4 defenseman with a good scoring touch. Look for Carolina to lock him up. Ward would defiantly like his help in front of him.

Ryan Suter: He is 27 with a $3,500,000 cap hit. He was a top defenseman in Nashville, but he has stated that he will want to test the market on July 1st. Look for Detroit to offer him a nice contract.

Matt Carkner: The 31-year-old defenseman is a strong tough guy type player. A team that will want to add some grit to their line-up should snag this guy. Chicago Blackhawks are eyeing this guy.

Brad Stuart: A top four defenseman with detroit. His rights were trade to San Jose to give him a chance to sign with a team that’s closer to his family. However, San Jose has 5 defenseman locked up under contracts. If they can’t make room for him, he will be back in detroit come the regular season.

Barret Jackman: Like Carkner, Jackman is a strong physical player. He will provide some good grit for a St. Louis team that needs a strong defensive line to support a rather average offensive group.

Dennis Wideman:  He is a good offensive force, but he has to make my for his defensive flaws. He has stated that he wants to return to Washington. It will take a good coach to help him fix his defensive flaws.

Mike Knuble: Has two teams in mind. The Red Wings and the Capitals. At 39 if neither of these teams sign him he will most likely retire.

Goalies

Tuukka Rask: He is 25 with an increase in salary. Boston currently has him as a RF and with the departure of Tim Thomas Boston will most likely lock him up for the next season.

Josh Harding: He has served as a back-up to a Minnesota Wild team for his whole career. He now has a chance to be a starting goaltender. Chicago looks like a nice market to go to now that the lightning have signed Anders Lindbäck as their likely starter.

Martin Brodeur:  It is rumored that he will return to the NHL for at least another season. If this is the case there is no other team he will go to except the Devils. Pending some bizarre scenario that would make the Devils an unlikely suitor.

Marty Turco: While not the most popular goalie in the NHL right now. With the departure of Tim Thomas, and the unknown status of Tuukka Rask. Boston can get a goalie with a good pedigree at a discount price.

Justin Peters: This is a hidden Gem goalie. He is 25 and though his stats may not seem special keep in mind he has played on a Carolina team, and then those stats seem to glitter a little more. He is unproven as a starter. But he could be an elite goalie if given the chance. If the hurricanes don’t resign him, he might have a chance in Chicago or Toronto.

This isn’t a list of all the players who are free agents this year, and it’s not a list of all the potential hidden gems this year. But this is a list of players who are top in their positions and can be a huge asset to any team.

 

With a Game 5 win Devils look to tie up the Series in Game 6

Sorry for the late posts. This was a busy weekend and didn’t have time till today to write.

Well with the Game 5 win in New Jersey Saturday the devils improved their record in games 4 through 7 to 10-1 in these playoffs.  The Devils are the third team in NHL history since 1945 Detroit Red Wings to rally back from a 0-3 deficit in a Stanley Cup Final to force a game 6. However, the devils will hope to be the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to win the cup after being down 0-3. Let’s see what the Devils did right in game 5 and what both teams need to do to win game 6.

Game 5 was Saturday night and goals from Bryce Salvador and Zach Parise gave the New Jersey Devils a 2-1 win.  The biggest thing was the Devils scored first! The team that has scored first has one each game in these finals. Second New Jersey finally got a powerplay goal, something they have been lacking throughout all these playoffs. The penalty call on Willie Mitchell of the L.A Kings was a bad call, but in every game there are questionable calls what’s important is being able to capitalize on those opportunities when they are given to you. Third The Devil’s increased their physical play on the ice.  They out hit the Kings by a margin of 11 hits and they were able to get their bodies in the way of the LA shooters and passers. The Devils blocked a total of 20 shots! Which is almost equal to the 26 shots the Kings got on net. Which bring us to the last reason the Devils won the game. Martin Brodeur kept his team alive for most of the night. He stopped a number of breakaway chances and big moment scoring  chances by the Kings especially in the third period when the Devils only managed 3 shots on net and the Kings increasing pressure as he managed to make 25 out of 26 saves.  All these factors plus a lucky bounce for Salvador’s game winning goal contributed to a Game 5 Devils win.

Game 6 is tonight in LA and the Kings are looking to finally capture the cup while the Devils will be hoping for one more game in NJ.

Key factors for both teams will be :

New Jersey:
1) Martin Brodeur need to continue being spectacular. He has allowed 1 goal in each of the two devils wins, and has been the lifeline of the devils in clutch moments when they have been pushed against the wall by the Kings.

2) The devils need to carry over their powerplay success from last game into this game. The Devils were 0-2, 0-4, 0-6, and 0-3 in their first 4 games before being 1-2 in game 5. The Devils need to score first to have a stronger chance to win, and they can’t afford to not capitalize on these chances they are being given.

3) Maintain physical pressure in offensive and defensive zones. In the last two games the Devils had won more face-offs, out hit the devils and won the battle for the pucks, and have muscle guys off the puck in their defensive zones and have blocked more than half the total number of shots the Kings take.  If they keep playing this physical style they can negate the Kings offense and get ready for Game 7 in NJ.

LA
1) Just as the Devils main factor is Brodeur, the King’s need JonathanQuick to continue his game play. He has a 1.43 GAA and a .946% save percentage that lead the league in both categories and beat Broduer’s 2.00 GA and .922% save percentage. Those are staggering playoff numbers and the reason the Kings have gotten this far. If they want to win the Cup Quick will have to shine once again tonight.

2) LA’s captain Dustin Brown needs to find his scoring touch. He has 17 points in the playoffs, but record only 1 assist in this series. If the captain isn’t going that will affect the team.

3) Capitalize on breakaway and odd-man rushes. The Kings did this well in Games 1 and 2 in OT, but since then haven’t had much luck. They were able to split the Devil’s defense a couple of times in game 5 to get these chances only to be rejected by Brodeur. The Kings have the scoring ability but just like the Devils need to be able to finish on their powerplays to increase their chances of winning, the kings need to score on their breakaways and rushes to increase their chances of hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Prediction:

It will be another tightly fought contest and both goalies will shine.  However, in the end the Devils will get the bounce they need to put it away. 1-0 Devils final to force a game 7 Wednesday night in NJ.

Zach Parise – Because It’s The Cup

With the Stanley Cup Finals looking like a series right now I wanted to post two of the ads that ran for “Because It’s The Cup” campaign to highlight two of the biggest names in these finals.

Stanley Cup Finals: Game 2

The New Jersey Devils now trail the L.A Kings by two games after Jeff Carter scored with 6:18 remaining in overtime on Saturday night to give LA its second straight 2-1 OT win.

After last night the L.A. Kings are now 10-0 on the road this postseason. Furthermore, they are 4-0 in OT and will have the chance to possibly sweep the New Jersey Devils and capture their first Stanley Cup at home with wins in Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, in California, a state where the Devils are 0-3 all time in the final round.

Game 2 was a must win for New Jersey who failed to convert on several chances to win the game including a shot by Ilya Kovalchuk who rung a shot off the crossbar behind Jonathan Quick after he stole the puck in the slot. For the second straight game The Devils blew their scoring chances—except for Ryan Carter’s third-period deflection. Just like in their series against the New York Rangers low scoring one goal games proved to be their undoing.

Down 2-0 History isn’t exactly on the Devils’ side. Teams dropping the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals in the last 11 years have gone 2-9 in those series. However, Boston rewrote history last year after also losing both games by a difference of one-goals in Vancouver.

Unfortunately, the 2011 Canucks aren’t playing like this years Kings. L.A. has a perfect record on the road, has a defense that dismantled the offense of the top 3 seeds, forechecks very well and has a netminder whose .947 save percentage and 1.44 Goals against average ranks 1st in the playoffs. Factor in that they have only lost twice and haven’t trailed a single series and you have an almost unstoppable team.

Game 3 will be on Monday in LA. The Devils will need to find a way to re-energize their offense the way they did against the defense-minded New York Rangers if they don’t want to fall down 3-0 and at risk of being swept. For starters they need to screen Jonathan Quick. They need to make life difficult for him. The most likely way they are going to get goals against this goalie is either through deflections or dirty rebound goals. Secondly, the devil’s forwards need to be able to hang onto the puck better and stop turning over the puck. They had 10 giveaways in game 1 and 7 giveaways in game 2 while the Kings only had 1 giveaway the entire game. If they can hold onto the puck and screen the goalie they will be able to set up and hopefully have goals.

2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The two most unlikely of competitors in this year’s Stanley Cup have brought us an intriguing pairing of two coastal cities and two of the largest media markets in the United States. This could be the a matchup that finally gives the NHL more mainstream popularity? It’s been a while since both teams have been in the finals. New Jersey was here last in 2003, after they obtained their third Stanley cup in eight years after beating another Californian team, the Anaheim Ducks in seven games . The last time the L.A. Kings were in the finals  was in 1993 when Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Barry Melrose were bringing LA  its first taste of winning hockey, but the Kings were defeated by the Canadians.

Los Angeles v. New Jersey

A match-up no one predicted the Stanley Cup Finals feature the two most unlikely competitors in this year’s playoffs. One team is on the rise while the other is inching closer to the end of its era as it looks to rebuild the team in the years to come. The Kings were lucky to have made the playoffs as the 8th seed and no one gave them much of a chance,  but from the moment the playoffs started they have ridden hot goaltender Jonathan Quick to a historical record eliminating the 1st 2nd and 3rd ranked teams in 1 playoff season. Not only that , but they have never trailed in a series so far, and have only lost two games during the playoffs so far.  The New Jersey Devils have been recent winners in 2003 against the Ducks. Marty Brodeur, who turned 40 a month ago, may be in his final run of his career. Even if Brodeur does retire after this year the Devils team still will have plenty of players from the 2003 championship team as well as new players who are proving that they are devil materials.

While I do want New Jersey to win I believe that this will be the year that LA will win its first Stanley Cup.  My prediction is LA in 6. This is going to be a tight, low-scoring, 1 goal difference series.  Let’s get ready to drop the puck.