A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
With baseball wrapping up, no NBA season in sight, and the NFL only being on a couple times a week, looks like you’ll be turning to the ice for your sports fix.
I mean, you could just do something else, but you won’t. So kick back, relax and enjoy the conclusion of the MSF NHL Preview. (View Part 1 here: Eastern Conference Preview and Predictions.)
Now let’s make like Ice Cube and “Rep That West”
Since the recent move of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg there have been many news stories and blog posts about the NHL realigning its divisions and even switching teams from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference and vice versa. The newest report that came out Monday and that CSNchicago.com reported on Tuesday morning has the Central Division consisting of the Minnesota, Winnipeg, Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas, and possibly Columbus.
Read over the teams again. See anything missing?
There’s no Detroit in that list.
The trade deadline was, for the most part, uneventful. There were still some dealings, but the excitement of the trade deadline was lessened by the lack of sellers on the market this season.
Every team in the NHL Central, except for Detroit, had a deal set in stone before the Monday deadline.
There was not any huge player dealt, but Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, and Columbus all got skaters that they hope will benefit them this season and possibly for seasons to come.
Here are the NHL trade deadline winners and losers for the NHL Central.
As an avid Blackhawks fan who loves to read about the team I love non-stop, I am pretty well-read about what other fans and bloggers think about this year’s Chicago Blackhawks.
After reading many blogs and websites, even this one, I’ve come to the conclusion that Blackhawks fans don’t really like Marty Turco. His stats aren’t incredible, I’ll give them that, but Turco’s numbers are not a product of him having failed to play well in goal.
The players around him have failed to play good hockey.
Many fans want a veteran player on their hockey team, but what really gets them excited is raw, young talent.
There’s no doubt that to be a successful franchise you must never lose sight of young talent. It’s pretty much a staple in today’s sports world.
Hockey is no different.
Young talent can mean the difference between a one-time wonder team and a dynasty. However, it can also be a risky business.
Mess up and fans will not let you forget about your “future star” bust; but if you’re successful, it could mean years of praise.
On that note let us dive into a much closer look at the NHL’s Central Division’s top prospects.
The Central Division is always one to watch in the NHL.
With the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, winning the division is never as easy as it might seem.
Each team has some great talent; but with talent also comes problems.
In this Central Division outlook, we’ll look at some of the more pressing offseason issues for each team.
It’s Saturday night and I find myself in St. Louis about to watch the Chicago Blackhawks take on the St. Louis Blues. As with any fan that goes to an away game, I expected to be the minority.
I was wrong. While the Blues fans did have the majority it wasn’t by a lot. There was still plenty of red and white Hawk jerseys all over the arena. When I say plenty I mean at least 40%. It was a great showing, proving how much love and hope the Hawk fans have in their team this year.
The Chicago Blackhawks played in what could have been classified as both a hockey game and a boxing match.
It was by far the most physical game Chicago has played this season, but the physical nature of the game didn’t get in the way of the Hawks controlling the game.
In fact it was so physical that Hawk players Cam Barker and Ben Eager were both ejected for game misconducts, and captain Jonathan Toews even dropped the gloves for only the second time of his career.
It was a night of cheap shots and huge checks. Probably the biggest checks of the game was St Louis’ Mike Weaver’s hit on forward Patrick Sharp. Weaver hit Sharp center ice just as Sharp was looking up after getting control of the puck. The hit sent Sharp crashing to the ice and a retaliation by Cam Barker.
Patrick Kane was the butt of a cheap shot, a clearly evident forearm to the upper chest. No foul was called, but the Hawks knew that they were going to have to get more physical than usual.
No matter how physical the game is or how many hits a team laid on its opponents, all that matters is the score, and the Hawks beat the Blues in that category.
Just one year ago, goaltender Manny Legace was representing the St. Louis Blues in the NHL All-Star Game.
This year, any of the teams in the NHL can have Legace without having to give up a player or prospect.
Legace was placed on waivers by the Blues on Friday, just two days after his 36th birthday. Legace’s third season with The Note was filled with sub-par performances. In his most recent outing — on Monday in Detroit against his former team — Legace let in a couple questionable goals before being pulled for Chris Mason. Three of the eight shots he faced found the back of the net before the Blues came back to salvage a point in a shootout loss against the powerhouse Red Wings.
Legace was obviously disappointed to hear the news he was put on waivers. Legace told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “It’s extremely tough. You play your heart out for a team, and the minute you hit a little bit of a rough patch, they dump on you.â€
The line on Legace this season: a serviceable 13-9-2 win-loss record, but a shoddy .885 save percentage and a 3.18 goals against average.
Chris Holt has been recalled from Peoria of the American Hockey League to backup Mason in the meantime. If none of the other teams in the league claims Legace, Blues president John Davidson said Legace will be sent down to Peoria so he can get more work.
The Blues had to make a move. Although Mason hasn’t put up big numbers (7-14-3, .915 save percentage, 2.60 GAA), he has been the hotter goaltender of late – he shut out Philadelphia last week at home and has turned back 131 of the last 136 shots he has faced.
Legace could resurface with the Blues if Mason struggles or gets injured. The Blues sent Legace to Peoria to help keep him sharp instead of just pouting on the bench.
Davidson told the Post-Dispatch, “If he goes and plays well, we have to re-visit the whole situation. Manny may think the book’s closed and, well, that’s his business.â€
Legace’s struggles put the Blues in a tough spot. They can’t keep putting Legace on the ice with his continued struggles, but sending him to Peoria takes away valuable playing time from prospect Ben Bishop.
With the salary cap in place, teams might not have the room to fit in a goaltender who has a cap number of $2.15 million, so Legace could be ‘Playing in Peoria’ for a while unless he catches fire. The Blues would prefer to see another team take Legace off their hands or to see him regain his ‘A’ game to aid them in their bid for a playoff berth.
While the St. Louis Blues are once again facing an uphill battle in their attempt to earn a postseason berth — the team has been ravaged by injuries — there have been some bright spots.
Rookie center Patrik Berglund has been everything the Blues’ brass thought he would be and is a candidate to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.
Berglund has amassed 21 points in 27 games, including 11 goals. Also, he’s far and away the team leader in plus/minus at a +11.
With the rash of injuries, the Blues have had to rely on their farm system and the waiver wire. The latter has produced big dividends in the form of B.J. Crombeen, the son of former Blues forward Mike Crombeen.
B.J. Crombeen was claimed off waivers from Dallas and has scored six goals in 16 games.
Further giving Blues fans hope is the recent rankings put out by Hockey’s Future. For the second straight season, the Blues have been tabbed as having the league’s best pool of prospects.
And if the Blues continue to wallow in the depths of the Western Conference, chances are good they can add yet another top shelf prospect in next year’s entry draft.
–Congratulations are in
order for Blues forward Keith Tkachuk, who scored career NHL point 1,000 with a goal in the Blues’ 4-2 win at Atlanta on Sunday.
We keep waiting for the 36-year-old Tkachuk to fade into the background and for his days as a top-six forward to come to an end, but “Walt†keeps coming back for more and despite a recent scoring slump, has 16 points in 22 games. He will be a free agent after this season.
Speaking of the Blues, goaltender Chris Mason may be aligning himself for more playing time in the future. Mason got the win on Sunday and has won his last three starts. He has stopped 106 of the last 109 shots he has faced. His goals against average this season is 2.29, compared to Manny Legace’s 3.19.
–Things were looking rosy for the Saint Louis University Billikens when they upset then-ranked Boston College by a 53-50 score at home on Nov. 22. But since then, SLU has dropped a pair of road games at Nebraska (71-57) and Detroit Mercy (62-57). Next up is a date at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Tuesday. While SIUC’s 2-3 record doesn’t look too glitzy, keep in mind that two of the Salukis’ losses came against Duke and UCLA. Simply put, if SLU wants to put key wins on its resume in order to entertain NCAA Tournament hopes, a triumph in Carbondale is paramount.
–The St. Louis Rams have been just plain offensive on offense this season. The Rams rank dead last in the NFL in touchdowns scored (12) on offense and overall (13). It was more of the same on Sunday in a 16-12 defeat at the hands of Miami. All of the Rams points came off the foot of Josh Brown via field goals. The Male Sheep have gone eight straight quarters without a touchdown.
–Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who suffered a concussion the week before against Chicago, had a passer rating of 22.2 and threw three interceptions. The Rams picked a bad year to have a bad year — Detroit and Cincinnati seem to have dibs on the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Bulger is clearly on the downside of his career. He was exposed way too much in Mike Martz’s system and the hits are starting to take their toll. Despite already giving big money to Bulger in 2007, the Rams have to draft a quarterback next spring.
–Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel will apparently have a void to fill on his coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen has reportedly accepted the head coaching job at Wyoming. He’s expected to stay on board as the Tigers prepare for Saturday’s Big 12 title game date with Oklahoma in Kansas City.
Who says it can’t be 1991 again?
Future Hall of Famer and free agent forward Brendan Shanahan is available now after hearing from the New York Rangers that they won’t be able to find room for him under the salary cap.
Shanahan would have preferred to stay with the Rangers, but now it appears the left winger will sign elsewhere.
Why not St. Louis? Blues president John Davidson has already contacted Shanahan’s agent, Rick Curran, and expressed interest in obtaining the services of Shanahan, who previously donned the Blue Note from 1991-95. In fact, Blues chairman Dave Checketts contacted Shanahan personally during the summer. So it appears the Blues’ interest is truly genuine.
The Blues definitely have the salary cap room, something a lot of teams can’t boast right now. Many of the expected Stanley Cup contenders are up against the cap and can’t afford to sign the 39-year-old, even at a discounted rate. Chicago and Philadelphia are reportedly interested in Shanahan, though the Flyers are less than $1 million under the cap.
But the sticking point is, do the Blues need Shanahan?
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Former goaltender Rick Wamsley last donned the Bluenote in 1988 and retired from the National Hockey League after the 1992-93 season.
Yet no one would have blamed Wamsley if he was thinking that he might be pressed into emergency duty last week when the St. Louis Blues hosted the Florida Panthers.
Wamsley, an assistant coach and goaltender coach for the Blues, watched in the third period as Marek Schwarz became the fourth goaltender to see action for the team this season.
Schwarz helped finish off a 4-0 shutout Saturday for Blues rookie and hometown prospect Ben Bishop (Chaminade High), who limped off with what was termed a “lower body injury.†That vagueness has been a staple of NHL injury reports this season as teams now aren’t required to divulge specifics about player injuries. [Read more...]
