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Phantoms Beat Writer Tim McManus: A Philly Guy At Heart

Travis Hughes — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:00:42 -0000

The Phantoms have undergone quite the transition over the last few months, and as they've moved away from the Delaware Valley to the unknown world of upstate New York, it's been a Philadelphia native who has brought us the news we need to know.

Tim McManus, the Phantoms beat writer for the Glens Falls Post-Star, was born and raised just a stones throw away from the South Philly Sports Complex. A graduate of La Salle University in the Olney section of the city, he lived in Philadelphia for his entire life before leaving for grad school. He worked at The Trentonian in (you guessed it) Trenton, NJ before landing his current gig in Glens Falls two and a half years ago.

McManus has been a diehard Philadelphia fan his entire life. The 27-year-old's fondest Flyers memory came in 2000 when Keith Primeau scored in the fifth overtime to beat Pittsburgh. After a long evening high school event, McManus tells us that he "never thought he'd get home in time to see five periods of hockey" and that when his friend called the house phone right after the goal (in the middle of the night), it didn't matter because everybody was awake anyway.

McManus is clearly a media guy that knows how to utilize new media tools. His blog on the Post-Star website is truly awesome work; it's a fantastic way to keep up with the day-to-day activities of the Flyers' farm club. He's also on Twitter (@PSPhantoms), and of course his articles in the paper are chock full of quality coverage.

We had the pleasure of asking McManus a few questions this week. Among other things, we chatted about the future of the Phantoms in Glens Falls and their potential future move to Allentown, how Randy Jones is handling his AHL demotion, and who is lining up to be the first injury callup to the Flyers.

See our complete interview with exiled Philly fan and Adirondack Phantoms beat writer Tim McManus after the jump.

Broad Street Hockey: Since you grew up a Flyers fan, what was your reaction when you found out you'd have the chance to cover their farm team? It's pretty ironic considering you work in, of all places, Glens Falls, NY.

Tim McManus: I think the best part is that I finally have a good answer for all my friends and family who wonder what the heck I’m doing living closer to Montreal than Philly.

But seriously, knowing the team’s history and being familiar with the Flyers organization has made the job easier. I hadn’t been keeping up with the Phantoms like I once did, but the roster wasn’t a complete mystery. I knew who some of these guys were. I know to pay extra attention to the goalies because the Flyers have been looking for one as long as I’ve been alive. I know the Flyers are in the midst of trying to change their identity (for better or worse) from the Bullies to a skating/scoring kind of team. I think understanding that context helps me to do the job better than if, say, it was the Edmonton Oilers affiliate here.

I also hope it makes me a better source of information for fans in the Philly area. I’m always conscious to write something for that audience as much as the one here in Glens Falls. I try to think about what kind of news I want to hear about the Phillies farm team. I’m not surprised at all by how many Philly fans made the ride up here for opening night or how detailed some of the questions they send me are. There’s no limit to how hungry Philly fans are for any information and I hope they’re getting it on our blog.

BSH: It's still early, of course, but what are your expectations for the Phantoms this season? How do they compare with the rest of their division and how far do you think they can go this year?

TM: Barring a major rash of injuries/callups, I expect the Phantoms to be a playoff team and probably one that should win a round or two. They play in the league’s toughest division, but they can’t use the excuse that they’re young anymore. In fact, they have to sit a veteran each night just to get under the league limit (six).

There is plenty of depth at forward. They have five players who scored more than 20 goals in the AHL last season: Jon Matsumoto, Pat Maroon, David Laliberte, Jared Ross and Krys Kolanos, who had 30 in just 47 games with Houston. Another new addition, Lukas Kaspar, had 17 splitting time with Worcester/San Jose. So this is a team that should be able to score, especially when you add NHL vet Jason Ward.

The challenge is defensively. They’re breaking in three AHL rookies on the blueline – Kevin Marshall, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Joonas Lehtivuori– and two rookie goalies. Not surprisingly, defense has been a weakness through three games. Although, I can’t really pick on the defensemen. The forwards have made some bad turnovers, took some bad penalties, and haven’t been real crisp in their defensive zone coverages.

Both Ross and Matsumoto have said their goal is a division title. I don’t know if anyone is catching Hershey– the Bears brought back most of their Calder Cup winning team from last year – but I’d consider it a disappointment if the Phantoms didn’t improve on last year’s record and make a run at being one of the final four teams in the conference standing.

For whatever it’s worth – probably nothing – EA Sports did a simulation of the AHL season on NHL 10 and had the Phantoms losing in the finals to Abbotsford.

BSH: What is Randy Jones' role going to be with the Phantoms. How is he handling the demotion?

TM: Given the youth on the Phantoms defense, Jones is going to have a real big role here both in terms of ice time and leadership. Right now they have him paired with Kevin Marshall, a rookie the Flyers are high on. I think fans are going to really like the way Marshall plays – physical, not afraid to fight, etc. – but right now he’s a little excitable. Jones has been a calming influence. I liked the way he’s gone over a couple of times after the whistle and untangled Marshall from scrums before he could take a penalty.

I think he’s handling it OK. He appears to be giving it a good effort in practice and his teammates like him. I asked someone who knows a lot more about hockey than I do what they thought of his first game (a 3-2 loss to Worcester) and they said he was the best defenseman out there. I guess he should be.

I have a feeling he’s going to put up good offensive numbers, or at least lead the Phantoms defenseman in points. He’s gotten a lot of power play time and has looked real confident with the puck on the point. The power play has looked best with him out there.

BSH: Which players are lining up to be the first call-ups to the Flyers, both on defense and up front?

TM: I think the answer to the forward question is going to be the guy who shows the most playing two ways. All of the guys I mentioned above have shown they can score at the AHL level. But if the Flyers need a guy, they’re not going to be looking for a big-time scorer. They’re going to want someone who won’t be a liability defensively. Unless they want to take a look at a prospect, maybe Pat Maroon, I guess they’d stick with someone who saw NHL time last year, like Jared Ross, Jon Kalinski, or Andreas Nodl (who’s leading the team in scoring through three games).

Defensively, I’m not so sure because they’re so young there. I assumed Danny Syvret would be that first call up, but he’s already there. Personally, I like Joey Mormina. He has NHL size – he’s 6-foot-6, 220 pounds – and has been very professional. Last year he was one of the AHL leaders as a plus-37 and is plus-3 in the two games he’s played here. At 27, he’s not a prospect anymore, but he’s a guy I could see playing solidly in a limited role if need be. But I have no idea if the Flyers agree with me on that. Aside from Jones, and we know he isn’t going, there isn’t anyone with NHL experience they can call on.

BSH: Is Johan Backlund going to be the every day goaltender down there? The Nic Riopel pick really impressed me at the Draft and my initial thought was that he could be a late round gem. Any glimpses of that?

TM: Coach Greg Gilbert won’t come out and say it officially, but by all appearances, Backlund is the No.1 guy. They want to see what they have in him and whether he’s a guy that could be a backup in the NHL next year. They won’t find that out by sitting him.

It’s funny, I wrote a ton in preseason about how the goalie position was going to be the team’s biggest concern, because both had shaky moments in camp. But so far (and it’s a real small sample) they haven’t been the problem. In two home starts (one preseason, one regular season), Backlund was strong. Now, he gave up six in Syracuse on Saturday in a game I wasn’t at, but from what I hear, he was in a shooting gallery due to numerous defensive breakdowns.

I like Backlund’s size. He really fills up the net and has shown surprising quickness for a 6-3 guy. He’ll need to work on finding the puck in traffic and being more aggressive in clearing guys from the crease. He’s also given up back-to-back goals in under a minute in each of his last two starts. It’s worth keeping an eye on that to see if it’s just a fluke or if a trend is starting.

Riopel may be a steal because of his size. He’s about 6-foot and looks like a high school kid. But in his one game action on opening night, he was terrific in the 3-2 loss. He gave up a goal on a tough deflection on the third shot he saw, and looked like he was jumping at the puck on the next few long drives. But he settled and allowed just two more goals, both on power plays. The defensive effort was poor in front of him. His lateral movement was very quick and so was his glove hand, which was important because everyone tried to beat him high.

People who I’ve talked to said the key for Riopel is developing patience. Early in camp he was trying to outguess people, and you can’t do that at this level. In talking to him, he projects a real confidence. I guess I would be too if I set the record for goals-against-average (2.01) in the Quebec Major Junior League. I think they want him to stay here even if he plays less than he would at a lower level to get the top-flight instruction and practice time.

BSH: The home opener in Glens Falls was, by all accounts, a smashing success. Do you think the fan base can keep it up for the entire season? And of course, we all know the rumors surrounding a potential move to Allentown. Whether or not that happens, do you think a team will be in Glens Falls once the Phantoms three-year lease is up?

TM: The Phantoms owners have been pretty straightforward: their long term goal is Allentown, but they want to create a successful enough financial model where another team will follow this one in Glens Falls. To do that, the front office thinks they need to average more than 4,000 people a night. On Saturday nights, that won’t be a problem. On Fridays and other weekdays, I think it will be. The question is whether the Saturday night crowds and the six visits by Albany, when they’ll likely do more than 5,000, can keep the average above 4,000?

I think so, though it will help if the team is good. The town is used to winning hockey: the Red Wings won four Calder Cups in 20 years and missed the playoffs just once. When Detroit started losing interest in putting a competitive team here, the attendance went off a cliff. No coincidence. And Glens Falls showed no interest in lower levels of hockey that played here – the city wouldn’t support it.

If they do get that 4,000 average, I think another team will follow. There are several AHL teams that would be looking up at that attendance number. While the Glens Falls Civic Center lacks the luxury boxes that draw in a lot of revenue, the overhead is also low as well. The contract is favorable to the team.

I think some fans are turned off by the impermanence of the team. The contract is for three years, but there is a team out after each year. But I try to calm people’s fears on that. For one, look how long it took to build the stadiums in Philly. Do we really think they’re going to get that arena built in Allentown using some public money in a down economy in three years? And yes, the Phantoms can exit their contract at any time, but as long as Allentown remains the long-term option, are they really going to want to start over someplace new for the second time in as many years with another move on the way? You have to think the relocation costs would be higher than the cost to stay in Glens Falls.

And lastly, there’s so much change in minor league sports anyway. Is it really a big deal if there’s a different name on the jerseys in three years? Sure beats having no hockey at all.

BSH: What would you say to disgruntled Philadelphia Phantoms fans about the teams' move? Should they still support the Adirondack version?

TM: I understand if anyone’s upset about the Phantoms leaving Philadelphia. If I hadn’t left to get into this line of work, I would be too. But I hate the occasional e-mail I get or blog comment that takes it out on the fans of Glens Falls or mocks the people up here. Glens Falls is a hard-working, blue collar city that reminds me a lot of Northeast Philly or South Philly. They love their sports here and it’s a great hockey town. When the Red Wings left 10 years ago, it was as if Philly lost the Flyers, Eagles, Phillies and Sixers all at once. People here deserve a second chance. This was once as good an AHL city as there was. The Civic Center is a real intimidating setting for a hockey game, one fans of the old Spectrum would appreciate.

BSH: Finally, what do you miss most about the Philadelphia area? Favorite cheesesteak joint?

TM: Every time I go back, I head for a cheesesteak from John’s Roast Pork. That’s the real deal right there, down to the long lines and the owner’s mom behind the register yelling for you to speed up. Just a little shack on Snyder and Weccacoe but twice as good as the big names. Have to love that the owner is an old St. John Neumann graduate like me. Go early though – they close around 2 or 3, really whenever they feel like it. I think that adds to the charm.

I miss the people most. There really is no place as quirky and passionate and crazy. I can say that because I am one. Everywhere I go I identify myself first as a Philadelphian. I’m proud of that and I hope my career takes me home soon.

Great thanks to Tim for answering our questions, and we hope it answered a lot of the questions you might have about the Phantoms current situation. We'll be checking in with Tim throughout the season for more Adirondack goodness, but in the meantime, be sure to check out the Post-Star's main hockey page, the blog, and Tim's Twitter feed.

Final roster comes into focus as Jones clears waivers

Travis Hughes — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:39:27 -0000

View full size photo »

Defenseman Randy Jones cleared waivers Monday afternoon, two days after being placed on the wire by the Philadelphia Flyers. His status is currently unknown, as the Flyers now have a number of options now that he has cleared. While he could be traded to another NHL team, the most likely outcome is that he is sent to the Adirondack Phantoms, where he could potentially play the entire season. Regardless, he will still earn his full salary, but his $2.75 million cap hit comes off the Flyers' books. That opens up space for the team to offer a contract to forward Blair Betts, as well as keep James van Riemsdyk and Mika Pyorala on the opening night roster.

Jones will have company on his way to upstate New York, if in fact that is where he ends up. The Flyers have cut forwards David Laliberte, Patrick Maroon, Lukas Kaspar, and Jason Ward, and all four players will report to the Phantoms. Maroon, 21, was hopeful to make the roster out of camp this year before a nagging injury held him out of most action. Accompanied by the emergence of JVR, Pyorala, and Betts, his demotion to the Phantoms at this stage is not difficult to understand.

It now appears as though the Flyers will keep all three tough guys, Dan Carcillo, Arron Asham, and Riley Cote, on the roster over the long haul of the season, although one of them could be sent down temporarily to keep goaltender Johan Backlund on the roster. Backlund was called up on Sunday due to a minor injury to goaltender Brian Boucher, who is expected to miss a week to 10 days. Darroll Powe could also be the odd man out for the time being.

The organization has until Wednesday at 3 PM to get the official roster down to 23 players. Including Backlund and excluding Jones, the roster currently stands at 24 players - 14 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 3 goalies. See the entire updated roster here.

2009-10 Tampa Bay Lightning season preview

John Fontana — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:00:17 -0000

SB Nation's NHL sites have been showcasing season previews for each of the 30 NHL clubs the past few weeks, leading up to the start of the new NHL season. James Mirtle has also reviewed each team over at From the Rink. Today it's the Tampa Bay Lightning in the spotlight.

Overview:

Upheaval and volatility are the first two words that come to mind when trying to summarize what Tampa Bay Lightning fans witnessed last season. The upheaval started in the forging of the 2008-2009 team by firing John Tortorella and replacing him with Barry Melrose – who hadn’t coached a professional hockey game in well over a decade. Add to it all the additions and subtractions during the 2008 off season, plus the laissez faire preseason and too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen management of the team, and the Bolts were set up to either defy the odds or sink to the bottom of the league.

…And sink they did.

52 players suited up for the Bolts last season in a constant revolving door. Melrose was fired after 16 games and Rick Tocchet was named Interim head coach for the remainder of the season. From that point on, things only got worse as the injury bug was rampant in Tampa as a poorly conditioned squad, due to Melrose’s preseason expectations, was required to play a more physical game under Tocchet. One by one, players dropped like flies, and the only thing that was left was to wonder which of the top three picks they would receive in the June entry draft.

Looking ahead instead of behind, the Lightning’s 2009-2010 campaign is as heavy in promise as it is with caution. Optimism can be had from any number of aspects with this team, but it’s a very cautious optimism as the scars and issues that dogged the franchise last season are still present in one form or another.

Who's In?

The off-season movement for the club started at the NHL Entry Draft where the Bolts selected Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman with the #2 overall pick. To compliment and tutor Hedman, the Lightning have also added fellow Swede and NHL veteran Mattias Ohlund to the defense. Continuing the defense revamp, the Lightning also signed free agents Matt Walker (Chicago) and Kurtis Foster (Minnesota) to further bolster the blueline.

On Offense, the big prize addition is left wing Alex Tanguay (Montreal), who will be paired with Vincent Lecavalier this season. Other offensive additions include Stephane Veilleux (Minnesota), Drew Miller (via trade with Anaheim), and Todd Fedoruk and David Hale (via trade with Phoenix). As of this writing, Brett McLean (Florida) is on the roster as a camp invitee and may be signed with the club.

In the crease, the Lightning added former Flyer goaltender Antero Niittymaki to serve as backup to Mike Smith. Niittymaki certainly brings an interesting dynamic to the Bolts: his indominable record against Southeast Division opponents (record of all clubs, last one is Atlanta). Third in the depth chart at goal is Dustin Tokarski, formerly of the WHL Spokane Chiefs. If any injuries should happen to either goaltender, he would most likely be the first option out of AHL Norfolk.

Of course the fun and games don't stop there! The Lightning hired fromer Dallas Stars associate coach Rick Wilson to their coaching staff in hopes offurther bolstering the defense from the top down.

Who's Out?

Who isn't out? After suiting up 52 different players last season, the Lightning were not going to bring everyone back for this go around. Some of the names that are gone include Evgeny Aryukhin (via trade with Anaheim), Radim Vrbata (not that he played much with the Bolts anyway -- via trade with Phoenix), Matt Pettinger (UFA), Jason Ward (Philadelphia), David Koci (Colorado), Marek Malik (UFA), Josef Melichar (overseas), Cory Murphy (New Jersey), Richard Petiot (Chicago), Mike McKenna (New Jersey) and Noah Welch (Atlanta).

One of the more controversial subtractions from the roster was the departure of left wing and fan favorite Vaclav Prospal, who was bought out by the club in order to clear budget space for the addition of Tanguay. Meanwhile, another loss was goalie Karri Ramo, who joined the KHL. The Lightning still retain his rights in the National Hockey League, however.

Behind the bench, assistant coach Mike Sullivan departed the team and joined the staff of the New York Rangers as well.

Team Strengths:

It's really hard not to look at the Lightning's top lines and be wonderstruck at the possibilities offensively. Team captain Vincent Lecavalier paired with fellow QMJHL alumnus Alex Tanguay leaves one excited. The trio of Ryan Malone, Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis will be paired again on the second line and is equally, if not more, formidable than the Tanguay/Lecavalier line (as of this writing, the role of right wing on the top line was still in question). To round this out, they have a solid 3rd line in Stephane Veilleux, Jeff Halpern and Drew Miller. So now it’s an offense that is capable of hitting you on three of its four lines. That's an aspect the Lightning have been suspect with for the past four seasons, as the Bolts have remained top heavy. Too top heavy, in fact.

Meanwhile, a new found strength is potentially the Lightning defense. With a versed crew of veterans and youngsters rounded out by defensive specialist Rick Wilson on the bench, the Lightning blueline looks to rebound from the troubles it had in 2008-2009 into something much more formidable this time around. The team's depth on the blueline is also an asset – especially for a position that is normally subjected to the bumps and bruises of the season. The Bolts plan on carrying eight defensemen and employing a regular rotation between starters and reserves, with the intention of keeping the lineup fresh.

Between the pipes, goaltender Mike Smith is back, healthy, and now backed up by the very capable Antero Niittymaki. While this may seem pretty ho-hum to many, Smith’s stats (2.68 GAA and a 0.916 save percentage) were great behind a porous defense decimated by trades and injury. Meanwhile Niitymaki’s record versus the Southeast Division (27-6-4 lifetime, including a 13 game winning streak against Atlanta) is quite formidable to say the least. The addition of Niittymaki could prove to be the most overlooked signing in the division this year, particularly if he can keep up his dominance against divisional foes Washington, Carolina, Florida and Atlanta.

For all of the sideshow antics of the ownership fight, General Manager Brian Lawton getting sole say in calling most of the shots for the makeup of the team is paying off. Lawton has shown this off-season that he may be an executive who knows what he is doing. And as long as he continues to be unhindered by too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen ownership meddling, the Bolts are likely to appear to be a much more stable and sane team regarding player personnel moves than they have in the immediate past.

Lastly, let me quote a former Tampa Bay athlete with thus: "I plan to become great, but how can you become great without experiencing the worst?" He’s got a point there, and those still with the club from last two seasons, the nucleus of this club, are well versed in the worst right now. The adversity of the recent past hasn’t killed or ruined talent on the Lightning’s roster, and odds are it could likely prove to be a motivating factor in the season ahead.

Team Weaknesses

The ownership circus is far from being settled. And, in fact, it has transitioned into a new phase as two potential billionaire investors – backed by separate bickering owners – are exploring the idea of buying into the club. What this means for the team when the dust settles is unclear, and should be looked at warily for a franchise that wants to return to respectability and competitiveness.

For all the talent that the Lightning have amassed on forward lines, there is a gaping hole at right wing that has not been sorted out so far this the preseason, and likely will not be settled by the start of the season. Add to the fact that none of the right wingers have really stood out during the preseason, and one has to wonder just how shallow the talent pool for the Lightning is past Martin St. Louis and Adam Hall? While Carter Ashton has stood out at times and impressed coaching, and while Dana Tyrell looks to be a future star – neither are ready to make the jump to the NHL at this time. In fact, Ashton was back to juniors on Friday night. And while Steve Downie had a very productive off-season while also maintaining some very good discipline thus far in the preseason, one has to wonder if he can keep it up all season long? Can he keep up with the likes of Vincent Lecavalier and Alex Tanguay on the top line, and not let his emotions and impulsiveness get the better of him?

Mike Smith has not played a regular season NHL game since January 30th, 2009, due to the lingering effects of post concussion syndrome. Antero Niittymaki also has had several hip surgeries in the past 41 months. Both players are said to be healthy and feeling fine at this point, but it’s still a point of concern as it’s a long NHL season. The Lightning’s most experienced netminder in the system, Riku Helenius, has all of 7 NHL minutes to his name. That’s not an inspiring statistic when questioning durability of the top two goalies with the Lightning. While Dustin Tokarski has done very well this preseason, he is still a prospect directly out of junior.

With all the positive additions on the defensive corps, negatives linger. Defenseman Paul Ranger did not play until Friday night in a scrimmage against their AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. That makes one wonder if Ranger is too brittle to contribute to this Lightning team. Add to it that Andrej Meszaros is also recovering from a shoulder injury that ended his season prematurely, and you have two liabilities as integral parts of the blueline for the Bolts. And while defensive depth for the Bolts is something that can be crowed about, it’s also very easy to label it a liability as well. With so many warm bodies, there are still only so many roster spots. The team is likely to leave one talent or another off the NHL roster come the start of the season and not have the luxury of recalling said player with thanks to the likelihood someone would snatch him up through recall waivers. Mike Lundin was a victim of that midway through last season.

Then there’s the burden of proof regarding Head Coach Rick Tocchet in Tampa. Despite being more involved with his team and being well liked by his players, he produced a lower winning percentage than Barry Melrose in 66 games. This is his first Head Coaching job in the NHL, so it’s still open for speculation if Tocchet himself has the skill to coach and succeed – particularly with the implosion of the squad under his full control last season. In his favor is the fact he’s in charge of a healthy roster from the very beginning this time around, and instituted a conditioning program at the end of last season to prepare the players for this season. He was the one handing out conditioning assignments for the summer, was in charge of the training camp regimen, and is the one who will ultimately be making decisions regarding the opening night roster. He didn’t have that luxury when he came into the job last November. How much of a difference this makes, however, remains to be seen.

And in a round about way, one of the worst weaknesses that will follow the Lightning around this season is the Olympics. The hype leading up to the Games in Vancouver this February will become a distraction as the season progresses and national rosters are evened out. The Lightning have already had a good contingent of players attending their camps for their respective countries during the summer. Who does or doesn’t make Olympic rosters has all the makings of a grand distraction, especially with Vincent Lecavalier on the bubble to make Team Canada’s squad. Then there are the actual Olympics and the ceasing of league actions for two weeks that could ruin the momentum the Lightning might have going into the final stretch of the season. Which may be a blessing in disguise, depending on the injury situation at that point of the season due to a condensed NHL schedule.

Depth Chart (estimated):

FORWARDS

Alex Tanguay - Vincent Lecavalier - Steve Downie
Ryan Malone - Steven Stamkos - Martin St. Louis
Stephane Veilleux - Jeff Halpern - Drew Miller
Todd Fedoruk - Ryan Craig - Adam Hall
Zenon Konopka OR Brett McLean (reserve)

DEFENSE

Mattias Ohlund | Andrej Meszaros
Kurtis Foster | Victor Hedman
Paul Ranger | Matt Walker
Matt Smaby | Lukas Krajicek (reserves)

GOALTENDERS

Mike Smith
Antero Niittymaki

Predictions

Other Predictions and Previews:

After finishing 30th and 29th the past two seasons respectively, the Lightning should be in store for a rebound this upcoming season... Yet, there is a lingering wait-and-see approach with the team. Fans and media are skeptical because of the sideshow of ownership and the hype of the 2008 off-season was much like the hype of acquisitions from this very off-season.

But is it justified? Specifically the Bolts being looked at firstly for ownership drama when trying to gauge just what the team will do on ice. It’s may be a mistake to overlook the retrofit of this team and the difference from the beginning of last season and this season.

Assuming the injury bug does not decimate the roster (with a total of 305 man games lost), rising in the Southeast Division should be a given. While fairly certain that the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes will be the ones battling for the division title, this Lightning roster could very well be in the hunt for a playoff spot. Things need to jell and distractions need to take a hike... But the team is capable of rising in the East and contending.

(special thanks JD Weakland, who took the Victor Hedman photo used on this preview. View more of his team photography here.)

Poll

Where will the Lightning finish in the Eastern Conference?

15

2 votes

14

3 votes

13

5 votes

12

5 votes

11

1 votes

10

12 votes

9

17 votes

8

26 votes

7

25 votes

6

18 votes

5

7 votes

4

5 votes

3

7 votes

2

5 votes

1

10 votes

148 votes | Poll has closed

Breaking Down the Flyers VUKOTA Projection

Geoff Detweiler — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:18:18 -0000

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Ed. Note: Much thanks to Tom Awad and Timo Seppa over at Puck Prospectus. They answered all of my questions and provided me with a lot of numbers that they didn't include in their original post. Without that, I wouldn't have been able to write this.

As posted earlier, Puck Prospectus published it's VUKOTA Projection for the Flyers yesterday, ranking them 9th in the NHL. After finishing 5th in the East last year, that might be a compliment, except that this isn't last year's team. The Flyers brought in Chris Pronger to bolster their defense, and Ray Emery to man the pipes. Improvement, right? Not so in the eyes of VUKOTA.

As mentioned in the fanshot, the Flyers are projected to get worse defensively this year despite the additions. You might ask how, and it has a lot to do with the limitations of VUKOTA.

Rather than explain each again, here's parts one, two, and three explaining GVT. In short, "it is the value of a player, in goals, above what a replacement player would have contributed." This is very similar to VORP in baseball.

One would notice that there are only three Flyers projected to get 25 goals, down from 6 last year. However, Scott Hartnell is projected to get 24. Where are Claude Giroux and Danny Briere? Well, they are victims of their shortened 08-09 campaigns. Giroux falls victim to only playing in 42 games last year, and therefore is projected to get 38 points in 52 games played this season. As Tom Awad - creator of the VUKOTA projections - explained, "Players who played about 42 games in the previous season (like Giroux) and who had his level of production would average 52 games the next year." If Giroux plays in all 82 games this season - as is expected, barring injury - the projection would then shift to a 60 point campaign. That would put him between 23 and 24 goals on the year. Then, his GVT shifts from 7.7 to 12.0.

As for Briere, the projections see him playing in 49 games, largely due to his injuries from last year. In those 49 games, he's projected to get 40 points. But if you project Briere over an 82 game season - which is less likely than Giroux's playing all 82 - he projects to get 68 points. His GVT would then shift from 6.9 to 11.6. For obvious reasons, VUKOTA can't project a full season out of Briere after being hurt for most of last year. So how many games is Briere likely to play in this year? Even eliminating Briere's rookie campaign of 5 games played in 97-98, he has averaged only 53 games played per year. He's averaged 64 GP the past 5 years, but only 56 games over the past 6 years. VUKOTA projecting 49 games this season seems completely reasonable. Until you look at what Briere has done in the year after he's been hurt. In 00-01, Briere played in 30 games. In 01-02, he played in 78. Being limited to 14 games in 02-03, Briere came back and played in all 82 the following year. In 05-06, Briere played in 48 games, but followed it up with an 81 game campaign the next year. After only playing in 29 games this past season, Briere's recent history suggests he'll come back strong this year. A 49 game projection completely understandable, but looking to the year after Briere's injuries show a guy who plays in at least 78 games.

Also of note, VUKOTA includes the trio of Lukas Kaspar, Krys Kolanos, and Jason Ward, none of which are likely to make the team. However, since Mika Pyorala and James van Riemsdyk have not played in the NHL before, there is no basis for a projection of their stats and they are therefore not included. After talking to Timo Seppa and Tom Awad, I was able to get numbers for Blair Betts. You might be surprised, but adding him to the projections and removing any of Kaspar, Kolanos, and Ward actually hurts the team's GVT. The trio is projected to play 38 games or fewer each, while Betts would project for 64 GP. In those games, Betts is projected to have 9 points, while each of the trio would get 13, 13, and 11 points respectively. Betts is seen by the projections as a replacement level player, whether we agree with that or not. More on this later.

Moving to the defense, VUKOTA is unable to project the improvement expected out of Matt Carle and Ryan Parent. Because of this, Parent projects to be the worst defender of the 8 currently trying to make the team. But his low GVT comes mostly from his poor offensive ability. He is seen as an offensive liability, but defensively he is good for a 1.4 GVT in 42 games played. Over an 82 game season, he's good for a 2.8 defensive GVT. Danny Syvret would have the worst defensive GVT at 0.9. But VUKOTA sees Syvret as playing in 28 games, registering 7 points, with a GVT of 1.3. Prorate that out to an 82 game season, and Syvret comes in at 3.9, with a defensive GVT of 2.7. For roster significance, VUKOTA still sees Randy Jones as a serviceable #5 defenseman. Over the course of an 82 game season, Jones projects to have a GVT of 6.1, with 4.2 coming on the defensive side. If Syvret and Tollefsen do in fact take Jones' job, we can easily figure out how this would effect the team. VUKOTA has Jones playing in 55 games this year, while it has OKT at 40. Neither Syvret nor OKT alone would equal Randy Jones' GVT, but having Syvret play in 82 games would see a drop off of only 2.2 GVT. When factoring in salary cap implications, and the likely addition of James van Riemsdyk with Jones' salary off the books, having a drop off of only 2.2 GVT (only 1.5 defensive GVT) seems acceptable. Making up that GVT in the VUKOTA projections, JVR would merely have to represent a 0 GVT (replacement level player) if he were to replace Riley Cote and his -2.5 GVT. I think a Syvret and JVR for Jones and Cote tradeoff would almost certainly improve this team, what about you?

Next, the goalie situation is one that needs explaining. In case you didn't see in the article, Ray Emery's GVT numbers were taken from his 2007-2008 campaign. Those numbers were atrocious. To put in perspective, Emery's -10.4 GVT for that year was similar to Marty Turco's -10.6 GVT from last year. How bad was Turco last year? He had a .898 S% and a 2.81 GAA. Emery, meanwhile, has a career .907 S% and a 2.71 GAA, which factors in his horrible 07-08 campaign. So, even if Emery maintains his career numbers this year, his GVT would be around 5. Since Emery had no stats from last year, Tim and Timo did not include his stats in the projection. So, the team's VUKOTA projection went on the assumption that the Flyers' goalies were Brian Boucher (4.1 GVT) and a replacement level goaltender in the NHL - with a GVT of 0. If Emery maintains his career numbers, the team's projection moves from a +9 GVT to a +14. Still a drop off from last year, but not nearly as bad as originally shown. From Tim Awad:

"Emery has no projection since he wasn't in the NHL last year, and projections based on 2007-08 would be atrocious. If Emery really has cleaned up his act, he could return to being the dominant goalie we saw in 2006-07 who helped the Senators to the Cup Final. A realistic projection under this scenario would be a GVT of +8 to +10."

So, using Tim's projection of a +9 GVT for Emery, the team's goals against average suddenly drops by 0.11. That translated to a new team GVT of +18, much closer to last year's +23. As if we needed any more proof that this team's chances depend on the goaltending of Ray Emery.

In conclusion, VUKOTA does a good job as a starting point for what this team can be expected to do. But since so much of the Flyers' success depends on Ray Emery, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, and the rookies (JVR, Pyorala, and Syvret), VUKOTA simply cannot accurately predict what this team will do. If Giroux plays all 82 games, Briere continues his trend of playing 78 or more games after an injury plagued year, and Ray Emery plays at least to his career numbers, this team is already at a team GVT of +23, only three worse than last year. Replace Riley Cote's -2.5 with Blair Betts' 0.2, and that difference is all but gone. Then, the only problem is replacing Kolanos (1.8), Kaspar (1.6), and Ward (0.9) in the calculations. Combined, those three are expected to play 108 games. Any combination of those three, Mika Pyorala, JVR, Jon Kalinski, etc. playing in 108 games equaling 4.3 GVT and this team is as good as last years. And I think JVR alone could equal that. So, this team could easily be better than the VUKOTA projections.

Gameday: Hockey comes home as Red Wings visit South Philly

Travis Hughes — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:38:54 -0000

Detroit Red Wings (2-2-0) at Philadelphia Flyers (0-2-1)
Wachovia Center - 7:00 PM ET - Philadelphia, PA
TV: The Comcast Network
Radio: 610 WIP
This is the open game thread.
Behind Enemy Lines: Winging It In Motown

Hockey is back in Philadelphia tonight for the first time since fans grudgingly slogged out of the Wachovia Center on a Saturday afternoon in late April. Those fans will be in attendance tonight with not quite the same enthusiasm, given this is just a preseason game, but there is an eager sense of anticipation in the air tonight.

It's always exciting when hockey returns for another year, but tonight we get our first home looks at key offseason acquistions Ray Emery and Chris Pronger. The hopes of this season largely rest on these two players, and they'll get a lot of ice time tonight to prove their worth to the Flyer faithful.

Emery is expected to play the entire game tonight while Brian Boucher gets used to his nice cozy seat at the end of the bench. Pronger will play on the second pairing with Matt Carle, while Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn reunite on the top pairing. Rounding out the defense, Randy Jones will sit out while Danny Syvret gets a crack at playing with Ryan Parent, a trade off many fans wouldn't mind seeing all season long.

Up front, Simon Gagne makes his anticipated preseason debut tonight in front of the home fans. He's yet to play in game action this training camp due to a groin injury he suffered with Team Canada last month, but he's close to 100 percent and will be in the lineup tonight on a line with Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk.

The top of the lineup you'll see tonight looks very similar to the one you could see 10 days from now when the season starts. Danny Briere is on the second line with Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter, while Claude Giroux will center NHL hopefuls Mika Pyorala and Lukas Kaspar on the third line. Blair Betts, Arron Asham, and Ian Laperriere are the notables missing from the lineup. Riley Cote is also not in the lineup, making way for Dan Carcillo, Darroll Powe, and Jason Ward to fill out the bottom line.

After the jump, the Red Wings roster for this evening.

Courtesy of mlive.com, here is the Red Wings' lineup tonight.

Forwards
Leino-Filppula-Bertuzzi
Draper-Abdelkader-Eaves
Ritola-Emmerton-Jason Williams
Ryno-Newbury-Tardiff

Defense
Lidstrom-Rafalski
Lebda-Ericsson
Kolosov-Meech

Goal: Chris Osgood, Thomas McCollum

The puck drops at 7 PM and you can watch it locally on The Comcast Network -- our first taste of Jim Jackson, Keith Jones, and Coatesy this season. Go Flyers.

Petiot Signs with Blackhawks and a Lightning UFA Assessment

John Fontana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:17:17 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Richard Petiot (50) signed a one year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Richard Petiot, who was acquired in a salary-dump trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2009 NHL trade deadline, inked a one year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Petiot played a total of 11 games with the Bolts before being felled by a season ending injury, he had 3 points and 21 penalty minutes.

While the 2009 Lined-Up Update has been brought up to speed with daily acquisitions and departures, I had thought it was noteworthy only two UFA Bolts have been picked up by other teams in the first 10 days of free agency. This does not include KHL signings of restricted free agents Karri Ramo and Radek Smolenak. It does seem like a testament of how low the quality of the Bolts were at the end of last season.

Matt Pettinger was a waiver pickup, as was Cory Murphy. Josef Melichar was acquired in the Jussi Jokinen trade with Carolina, Noah Welch was picked up in the Steve Eminger deal with Florida at the deadline... Jason Ward, admittedly one of my personal favorites with the Bolts, was stuck in the AHL for most of last season. Mike "Mac" McKenna was cut loose by the team after being thrust into the NHL with thanks to injuries tot eh goaltender ranks. Then there's Marek Malik. Janne Niskala.

They're all on the market.

None have been signed.

David Koci was the only UFA who played with the Lightning last season and was signed on July 1st. Petiot is the 2nd, 10 days later.

Yeah, there are bigger fish out there in the free agent market, and of course some of the fan base is not thrilled to be losing Cory Murphy either (even after the Bolts upgraded their defensive core). But really, does the fact these guys are still out there tell us of the quality of the players Rick Tocchet had to work with at the end?

2009 NHL Free Agency / Teams by Cap Space / Unsigned UFA's and RFA's

Robert L — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:19:41 -0000

This is a listing of NHL teams by order of remaining cap space as of July 4. The Islanders top the list with approximately $23M left to spend. The Sharks have just under $2M remaining. The list is helpful in determining which team are closest to filling out their 2009-10 lineup. As one can see, there is much work to be done at both ends of the spectrum. The numbers figures are based on totals given by NHL Numbers.com.

1 - New York Islanders: $23.265 (18)

UFA: Andy Hilbert C 28, Dean McAmmond C 36, Mike Sillinger C 38, Thomas Pock D 27, Yann Danis G 28, Joey MacDonald G 29.

RFA: Nate Thompson C 24, Jeremy Colliton C 24, Jamie Fraser D 23, Jack Hillen D 23.

2 - Phoenix Coyotes: $21.972 (18)

UFA: Brian McGrattan R 27, Dmitri Kalinin D 29, Ken Klee D 38.

RFA: Nigel Dawes L 24, Joakim Lindstrom C 25, Enver Lisin R 23, Scottie Upshall R 25, Daniel Winnik C 24, Keith Yandle D 22.

3 - Atlanta Thrashers: $19.599 (15)

RFA: Eric Perrin C 33.

UFA: Kari Lehtonen G 25, Colby Armstrong R 26, Jim Slater C 26, Boris Valabik D 23.

4 - Nashville Predators: $17.913 (16)

UFA: Radek Bonk C 33, Scott Nichol C 34, Greg de Vries D 36.

RFA: Ryan Jones R 25, Antti Pihlstrom L 24,.

5 - New York Rangers: $16.436 (13)

UFA: Blair Betts C 29, Mark Bell L 28, Patrick Rissmiller C 30, Paul Mara D 29, Derek Morris D 30.

RFA: Christopher Higgins R 26, Ryan Callahan R 24, Brandon Dubinsky C 23, Lauri Korpikoski L 22, Nikolai Zherdev L 24, Corey Potter D 25.

6 - Anaheim Ducks: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Rob Niedermayer F 34, Todd Marchant C 33, Francois Beauchemin D 29, Bret Hedican D 38.

RFA: James Wisniewski D 25.

7 - Tampa Bay Lightning: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Matt Pettinger L 28, Wade Brookbank L 31, Jason Ward R 30, Marek Malik D 34, Josef Melichar D 30, Cory Murphy D 31, Noah Welch D 26.

RFA: Martins Karsums R 23, Radek Smolenak L 22, Matt Lashoff D 22, Matt Smaby D 24, Mike Lundin D 24, Karri Ramo G 22, Mike McKenna G 26.

8 - Columbus Blue Jackets: $13.313 (20)

UFA: Chris Gratton C 33, Manny Malhotra C 29, Michael Peca C 35, Jason Williams C 28, Christian Backman D 29.

RFA: Jiri Novotny C 25, Marc Methot D 24, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen D 25.

9 - Dallas Stars: $13.193 (19)

UFA: Sergei Zubov D 38, Brendan Morrison C 33, Joel Lundqvist C 27, Mark Parrish R 32, Landon Wilson R 34, Tobias Stephan G 25, Darryl Sydor D 37.

RFA: Mark Fistric D 23.

10 - St. Louis Blues: $12.295 (22)

UFA: Trent Whitfield C 32, Dan Hinote R 32, Jay McKee D 31, Manny Legace G 36.

RFA: Brandon Crombeen R 23, Chris Porter C 25, Steve Regier L 24, Roman Polak D 23, Jeff Woywitka D 25, Marek Schwarz G 23.

11 - New Jersey Devils: $12.129

UFA: Brendan Shanahan L 40, Kevin Weekes G 34, Niclas Havelid D NJ.

RFA: Travis Zajac C 24.

12 - Toronto Maple Leafs: $12.022 (20)

UFA: Brad May L 37, Bates Battaglia L 33, Andre Deveaux C 25, Boyd Devereaux C 31, Jeff Hamilton C 31, Kris Newbury C 27, Ben Ondrus R 27, Jay Harrison D 26, Jamie Heward D 38, Martin Gerber G 34, Olaf Kolzig G 39, Curtis Joseph G 42.

RFA: Jeremy Williams R 25, Justin Pogge G 23, Jaime Sifers D 26, Ryan Hollweg C 26.

13 - Chicago Blackhawks: $11.797

UFA: Aaron Johnson D 26.

RFA: Cam Barker D 23, Troy Brouwer R 23, Ben Eager L 25, Colin Fraser C 24, Kris Versteeg R 23.

14 - Colorado Avalanche: $11.654 (15)

UFA: Joe Sakic F 39, Ben Guite R 30, Brian Willsie R 31, Andrew Raycroft G 29.

RFA: Kyle Cumiskey D 22, David Jones R 24, Cody McCormick C 26.

15 - Montreal Canadiens: $10.454 (16)

UFA: Alexei Kovalev F 36, Saku Koivu C 34, Alex Tanguay L 29, Robert Lang C 38, Mathieu Schneider D 40, Tom Kostopoulos R 30, Mathieu Dandenault D 33, Patrice Brisebois D 38, Francis Bouillon D 33, Marc Denis G 31.

RFA: Tomas Plekanec C 26, Matt D'Agostini R 22, Guillaume Latendresse R 22, Kyle Chipchura C 23, Gregory Stewart L 23.

16 - Los Angeles Kings: $10.285 (21)

UFA: Derek Armstrong F 36, Denis Gauthier D 32, Kyle Calder L 30.

RFA: Jack Johnson D 22, Teddy Purcell R 23.

17 - Washington Capitals: $9.720 (15)

UFA: Viktor Kozlov C 34, Alexandre Giroux C 28, Bryan Helmer D 26, Brent Johnson G 32.

RFA: Jeff Schultz D 23, Shaone Morrisonn D 26, Milan Jurcina D 26, Eric Fehr R 23, Boyd Gordon R 25.

18 - Buffalo Sabres: $8.976 (16)

UFA: Matt Ellis L 24, Dominic Moore C 28, Andrew Peters L 29, Teppo Numminen D 40, Maxim Afinogeno F 29,

RFA: Andrej Sekera D 23, Drew Stafford R 23, Clarke MacArthur L 24, Patrick Kaleta R 23.

19 - Florida Panthers: $8.405 (18)

UFA: Ville Peltonen L 36, Richard Zednik L 33, Jassen Cullimore D 36, Nick Boynton D 30.

RFA: Anthony Stewart C 24, Steve Eminger D 25, Tanner Glass L 25.

20 - Carolina Hurricanes: $8.083 (18)

UFA: Ryan Bayda L 28, Dennis Seidenberg D 27.

RFA: Tuomo Ruutu C 26, Anton Babchuk D 25.

21 - Vancouver Canucks: $7.282 (18)

UFA: Mats Sundin C 38, Jason Krog C 33, Rob Davison D 29, Ossi Vaananen D 28, Curtis Sanford G 29, Michel Ouellet R 27.

RFA: Shane O' Brien D 25. Kyle Wellwood C 26, Jannik Hansen R 23.

22 - Minnesota Wild: $6.296 (20)

UFA: Stephane Veilleux L 27, Krys Kolanos C 27, Marc-Andre Bergeron D 28, Kurtis Foster D 27, Martin Skoula D 29.

RFA: Dan Fritsche C 23, Benoit Pouliot L 22, Kyle Brodziak C 25, Josh Harding G 25.

23 - Edmonton Oilers: $6.404 (20)

UFA: Ales Kotalik R 30, Dany Sabourin G 28.

RFA: Liam Reddox L 23, Gilbert Brule C 22, Ryan Potulny C 24, Rob Schremp C 22, Denis Grebeshkov D 25, Ladislav Smid D 23.

24 - Detroit Red Wings: $5.554 (16)

UFA: Darren McCarty R 37, Aaron Downey R 34, Chris Chelios D 47.

RFA: Jiri Hudler C 25, Ville Leino L 25.

25 - Boston Bruins: $5.340 (18)

UFA: Stephane Yelle F 35, P.J. Axelsson L 34, Manny Fernandez G 34.

RFA: Phil Kessel F 21, Matt Hunwick D 24.

26 - Ottawa Senators: $4.649 (22)

UFA: Mike Comrie C 28.

RFA: Brendan Bell D 26, Brian Elliott G 24.

27 - Pittsburgh Penguins: $3.137 (19)

UFA: Mike Zigomanis C 28, James Connor L 26, Miroslav Satan L 34, Petr Sykora R 32, Janne Pesonen L 27, Philippe Boucher D 36.

RFA: Paul Bissonnette R 24, Tim Wallace R 24, Ben Lovejoy D 25, John Curry G 25.

28 - Calgary Flames: $3.053 (19)

UFA: Todd Bertuzzi R 34, Andre Roy R 34, Rhett Warrener D 33.

RFA: Dustin Boyd C 22.

29 - Philadelphia Flyers: $2.125 (20)

UFA: Josh Gratton L 26, Boyd Kane L 31, Andrew Alberts D 28, Lasse Kukkonen D 27, Martin Biron G 31, Antero Niittymaki G 29.

RFA: Jared Ross C 26, Danny Syvret D 24.

30 - San Jose Sharks: $1.774 (16)

UFA: Claude Lemieux R 43, Jeremy Roenick C 39, Tom Cavanagh R 27, Alexei Semenov D 28, Mike Grier R 34, Marcel Goc C 25, Tomas Plihal L 26, Lukas Kaspar L 23.

RFA: Torrey Mitchell C 24, Thomas Greiss G 23, Brad Staubitz R 24.

Tampa Bay Lightning 2009 NHL Free Agency Primer

John Fontana — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:06:09 -0000

More photos » by John Dunn - AP

Tampa Bay Lightning's Matt Smaby (32), Saturday, April 4, 2009, at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Dunn)

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With all the uncertainty regarding the Tampa Bay Lightning -- the hearsay, the facts, the rumors, the innuendo and all that jazz regarding team finances and makeup – it’s hard to really get a clue about what the Lightning’s plans are in free agency starting July 1st. Stand pat? Salary dumping via trade? Here is just a quick capsule of what GM Brian Lawton and the Bolts will be dealing with once the free agency period opens on Wednesday:

Pending UFAs: Gary Roberts (Retired), Jason Ward, Marek Malik, Josef Melichar, Janne Niskala (Europe), David Koci, Matt Pettinger, Wade Brookback, Cory Murphy, Mike McKenna (not tendered qualifying offer), Richard Petiot (Group VI), Noah Welch (Group VI)

Pending RFAs: Lukas Krajicek, Martins Karsums, Matt Lashoff, Mike Lundin, Matt Smaby, Karri Ramo (KHL), Radek Smolenak (KHL)

Projected 2009-2010 Salary Cap: $56.8-million

Salary Cap Space: Approx. $21.220

Projected Budget: Unknown (rumors say the salary floor or midway to the Cap)

Key needs: What isn’t a need for the Bolts right now? Getting it’s RFA defensemen back is a must, and after having 2nd string goalie Karri Ramo poached by the KHL (and not tendering Mike McKenna a qualifying offer), it’s a necessity for the Lightning to look for a veteran netminder as backup. Besides that, a defensive leader would be nice (puck mover with the ability to rub off on the young defensive core) and a scoring wing to compliment Captain Vincent Lecavalier (if he remains past July 1st).

Potential Targets: The Lightning’s budget situation really makes this a big question. What could the Lightning afford? Speculation about how much they are going to spend all of next season makes this critical. They have room to play financially, but that does not mean they have the economic clout in order to do it. The Bolts do not want to sign aging players, but younger guys – which may mean those not tended contracts by their current team’s will be looked at seriously. In a wishful-thinking world, defensemen Mattias Ohlund and winger Alex Tanguay would be chased, while a goalie would be added for depth and the ability to push the Lightning’s under-contract goaltending crop: Mike Smith, Riku Helenius and Dustin Tokarski. Antero Niittymaki comes to mind. I do expect the Bolts do do bigger research and go for smaller names at each position though.

What our rivals want: The Panthers have their own Goaltending depth issues and are looking to bring in a backup as well – they also could really use a top line center. Atlanta is in a difficult situation (ownership woes), but to define it – they need to diversify up front. It can’t be a one-player show with Kovalchuk. Washington and Carolina, though they can’t rest on their laurels and need to explore improving, are pretty tight as-is.

Decision '09: The all-star campaigns you haven't heard of

James Mirtle — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 15:00:07 -0000

Sure, the move by Habs fans to get six Canadiens as starters in January's all-star game has had all sorts of coverage. And there's been talk, too, of some of the write-in campaigns, although none have truly caught on to this point.

But have you heard of the even less successful 'Vote for Raycroft' movement? Or how about the sudden spike in support for Wade Belak? And which goaltender who has played in fewer than 60 minutes this season has more than 1,600 votes?

Luckily, the NHL has unlocked the mystery.

For the curious, the league has added a feature whereby you can check the vote tallies of any player in the NHL this season, everyone from Jeff Finger (121 votes) to Darren McCarty (47) and Ryan Hollweg (22). Try as I might, I wasn't able to find a single player, no matter how obscure, that didn't have a single vote, but there are some with only a couple. (I didn't have the patience to check everyone's totals, however.)

Here's an incomplete list of pluggers, backups, injured players, rookies, goons and NHL nobodies and how they stack up in terms of votes so far:

Players	Votes
WARD, Jason	2
LACOUTURE, Dan	2
MATTHIAS, Shawn	3
RYAN, Michael	3
POWE, Darroll	4
ROSS, Jared	5
MOJZIS, Tomas	6
BOULERICE, Jesse	6
HALISCHUK, Matt	7
RADUNS, Nate	7
BROWN, Mike	7
DAVIS, Patrick	8
CAMPBELL, Gregory	8
TARNASKY, Nick	9
NOKELAINEN, Petteri	9
PICARD, Alexandre	10
WELCH, Noah	10
MCLEOD, Cody	11
DORSETT, Derek	11
MCGINN, Jamie	11
FROLIK, Michael	11
GRATTON, Josh	13
STAUBITZ, Brad	13
MCGRATTAN, Brian	14
KOCI, David	14
VRANA, Petr	14
PELTONEN, Ville	15
PESONEN, Janne	18
PRUST, Brandon	19
FRITZ, Mitch	19
YELLE, Stephane	20
HJALMARSSON, Niklas	21
HOLLWEG, Ryan	22
HORDICHUK, Darcy	24
BROUWER, Troy	24
BROOKBANK, Wade	27
BISSONNETTE, Paul	28
EAGER, Ben	28
LETOURNEAU-LEBLOND, Pierre-Luc	29
SALMELA, Anssi	31
SANFORD, Curtis	34
LACOSTA, Daniel	37
MCELHINNEY, Curtis	38
RINNE, Pekka	39
RYAN, Bobby	39
STORTINI, Zack	40
TIKHONOV, Viktor	40
JANSSEN, Cam	42
NORRENA, Fredrik	43
SCHWARZ, Marek	44
MACINTYRE, Steve	44
STEPHAN, Tobias	45
MCCARTY, Darren	47
HUNWICK, Matt	53
BISHOP, Ben	56
MALIK, Marek	56
GODARD, Eric	61
CLARKSON, David	65
LAPERRIERE, Ian	66
BOLL, Jared	71
COTE, Riley	72
PETERS, Andrew	75
CLEMMENSEN, Scott	89
SHELLEY, Jody	94
THORNTON, Shawn	96
SCHNEIDER, Mathieu	105
HNIDY, Shane	106
RAYCROFT, Andrew	115
FINGER, Jeff	121
BLAKE, Jason	151
BYFUGLIEN, Dustin	153
NODL, Andreas	179
JOSEPH, Curtis	191
STAMKOS, Steven	192
BOOGAARD, Derek	283
LEIGHTON, Michael	395
PARROS, George	541
DROUIN-DESLAURIERS, Jeff	746
LARAQUE, Georges	1217
BROOKBANK, Sheldon	1630
DANIS, Yann	1648
BELAK, Wade	1676
YANDLE, Keith	2106
DIPIETRO, Rick	4894

Yann Danis's really only 39,000 votes back of making an appearance on the leaderboard, so maybe his supporters just need to get a bit more organized. They could talk to the Belak people, maybe, and form a tag team of sorts.

You do wonder who the poor, misguided souls are logging in to vote for Nate Raduns and Darroll Powe, but I say more power to them.

See any other quirky vote-getters I missed?