SB Nation - Ville Peltonen

Finnish Prospects in the NHL

Hawerchuk — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:33:37 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

What are the odds the Oilers have another Mikko Koivu on their hands?

About Teemu Hartikainen, Scott Reynolds asks:

"how many 19-year-olds put up between 0.45 and 0.75 points per game in the SM-Liiga and never make it to the NHL? I don’t know the answer but I think it would be good to know before you convince the guy to buy a house in Edmonton."

Between 1980 and 2004, 22 players have met this criteria (adjusting to last year's offensive levels - 2.61 G/G, 1.66 A/G.) Here's the list, showing their NHL scoring through age 25:

	Season	FNL PPG	NHL GP	NHL G	NHL A	NHL PTS
Reijo Ruotsalainen	1980	0.61	389	99	217	316
Joni Pitkanen	2003	0.62	340	40	135	175
Mikko Koivu	2003	0.57	282	57	127	184
Jere Lehtinen	1993	0.51	266	65	100	165
Sami Kapanen	1993	0.50	242	68	88	156
Niko Kapanen	1998	0.51	158	6	35	41
Hannu Jarvenpaa	1983	0.47	114	11	26	37
Ville Peltonen	1993	0.70	73	9	19	28
Tony Salmelainen	2001	0.51	70	6	12	18
Juha Lind	1994	0.48	39	2	3	5
Janne Kekalainen	1990	0.50	27	4	3	7
Vesa Viitakoski	1991	0.73	23	2	4	6
Tuomas Pihlman	2003	0.66	15	1	1	2
Jarkko Varvio	1992	0.61	13	3	4	7
Marko Jantunen	1991	0.57	3	0	0	0
Tony Arima	1981	0.57	0	0	0	0
Timo Saarikoski	1989	0.52	0	0	0	0
Keijo Sailynoja	1990	0.49	0	0	0	0
Tommi Pullola	1991	0.60	0	0	0	0
Mikko Luovi	1993	0.45	0	0	0	0
Kimmo Rintanen	1993	0.66	0	0	0	0
Janne Laakkonen	2002	0.57	0	0	0	0

Average		0.56	93	17	35	52

Niko Kapanen and Ville Peltonen were late-bloomers and did more in their late 20s. That gives Hartikainen a 33% chance of having a reasonable NHL career and a 25% chance of playing regularly during his entry-level contract. But don't expect anything anytime soon - only Pitkanen and Ruotsalainen played regularly in the NHL before they were 22.

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Florida Panthers

James Mirtle — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Steve Mitchell - AP

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Who's in: Scott Clemmensen, Ville Koistinen, Jordan Leopold, Dennis Seidenberg, Steven Reinprecht
Who's out: Craig Anderson, Jay Bouwmeester, Nick Boynton, Jassen Cullimore, Steve Eminger, Brett McLean, Ville Peltonen, Karlis Skrastins, Richard Zednik

Outlook: Life After Jay begins this fall in Florida.

The Panthers swapped out the rights to Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary for a third-rounder and Jordan Leopold, who signed on for a reasonable one-year deal and joins what will likely be a significantly weaker blueline minus a host of serviceable bodies.

Left to man the fort on the backend will be Bryan McCabe, Keith Ballard, Leopold and Bryan Allen, a group that can't reasonably be expected to improve on the team's 17^th place finish in goals against last season. Also troubling on that front is the loss of steady backup Craig Anderson to Colorado via free agency, as his replacement Scott Clemmensen will see far more rubber in his starts than he did last season in New Jersey.

Adding to the exodus was the loss of GM Jacques Martin, who was wooed away to coach the Habs, and his replacement is still yet to be named as the team quietly went through an unsuccessful sale process over the summer.

Where there's reason for optimism is in the goal-scoring department, as Florida finished 17^th last season with one of the league's worst power plays, and there's enough burgeoning firepower here to make the Panthers one of the Eastern Conference's higher scoring teams in the coming seasons. More should be expected from Cory Stillman (who was on pace for 65 points last season), Nathan Horton, Michael Frolik, Rostislav Olesz and newcomer Steve Reinprecht — all relatively unheralded players who nonetheless will be able to hit the 50-point mark. Stephen Weiss and David Booth will go higher than that.

With another strong campaign from Tomas Vokoun in goal, the Panthers are probably, once again, a bubble team.

X-factor: Keith Ballard

For a more in-depth Panthers preview, visit The Litter Box
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Panthers finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

1

3 votes

2

0 votes

3

2 votes

4

2 votes

5

1 votes

6

6 votes

7

13 votes

8

20 votes

9

18 votes

10

34 votes

11

15 votes

12

27 votes

13

16 votes

14

15 votes

15

12 votes

184 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation NHL Preview: 2009-10 Florida Panthers

Whale4ever — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:00:23 -0000

Cats fans will need their team to tighten up and become "one" as never before, if this is to be a regular fixture at the BankAtlantic Center in 2009-10. And paying the electric bills.

The Cats launched 2008-09 amid a flurry of uncertainty, for a myriad of valid reasons: longtime leading scorer Olli Jokinen dealt at the Entry Draft, GM Jacques Martin forced out of his coaching responsibilities, impending UFA-to-be Jay Bouwmeester re-signed...for one year, winger Richard Zednik attempting to return from hideous injury, the annual chorus of "where's the scoring going to come from?", Nathan Horton moved to center, zero-hour new head coach Peter DeBoer, and on and on.

Though players were initially pleased with the fresh air ushered in by DeBoer, the ingrown Martin Doctrine of "Defense First" made for a painful and difficult transition to an offensive/positionally-responsible strategy in the early going. Wade Belak's departure particularly irked fans, as did the rookie coach's insistance on "wasting" valuable first and second line time on that Michael Frolik kid...the one with 2g (4p) through the end of November.

December was the true birthplace of the club's acceptance of and submission to DeBoer's Terms of Service: 30 wins were to follow. A few maniacally bad stinkers as well, but the seed had been planted. And that Frolik guy finished with 21g-24a-45p. We're not doubting the rookie coach now.

Every hockey fan is aware of Florida's finish: 9th place in the East (93 pts), butted out of the postseason by a secondary tiebreaker vs Montreal. Nobody's crying over it - what could be done? - but a strong scent of "We want more - for real this year!" is wafting through the southeastern Everglades after coming Oh So Close to printing playoff tickets for the first time since 2000. Local media badly needs the opportunity to trot out something other than the tired "they missed it again" line.

No more Bouwmeester drama, Martin has moved on, the defense is as positionally sound as at any point over the past decade, Randy Sexton is providing steady if unexciting guidance from the front office, and young players are finally blooming. Onward...

FORGET ABOUT: Bouwmeester ~~thankfully~~ (trade/CGY), Ville Peltonen (UFA), Zednik (UFA), Nick Boynton (UFA), Steve Eminger (UFA), Jassen Cullimore (UFA), Karlis Skrastins (UFA), Brett McLean (Buyout), Anthony Stewart (UFA), Craig Anderson (UFA)

GET TO KNOW: Steven Reinprecht (UFA), Jordan Leopold (trade/UFA), Scott Clemmensen (UFA), Ville Koistinen (UFA), Dennis Seidenberg (UFA), Jeff Taffe (UFA)

BOYZ II MEN: (F) Michal Repik, Shawn Matthias, Kenndal McArdle, Evgeny Dadonov, Mike Duco. (D) Keaton Ellerby, Jason Garrison, Dmitry Kulikov, Michael Caruso. (G) Realistically no one (due to Vokoun/Clemmensen), but keep an eye on Alexander Salak

GOOD STUFF: Horton's permanently back on the wing, presumably with the 31 goals of David Booth, centered by leading scorer Stephen Weiss (61 pts). Anderson was capably replaced by ~~Newark Man of the Year~~ Clemmensen (a Sexton coup). The Boynton debacle is finis (solidifying DeBoer's position). Reinprecht is a proven commodity in his role. Potential rookie defensemen are on the cusp of cracking the lineup, in the midst of veterans in the mold of Martin Skoula and Christian Backman. An entire year away from Martin's stingy offensive philosophy is that much further behind them. Bryan Allen returns after a season in injury exile. GM JM is no longer a focal point of hatred for the fans.

QUESTIONABLE STUFF: Let's face it: Bouwmeester is indeed a loss. Boynton's signing with Anaheim reduces overall team toughness. Skrastins blocked a helluva lot of shots. Anderson was a known asset (but wanted a starting spot). Peltonen completed a sick third line with Gregory Campbell and Radek Dvorak, and killed penalties on par with anyone in the league. Rusty Olesz is on a seriously short leash. GM JM is no longer a focal point of hatred for the fans.

DEPTH STARS

Center: Weiss, Reinprecht, Campbell, Kamil Kreps
RW: Horton, Frolik, Dvorak, Repik
LW: Booth, Cory Stillman, Olesz, Nick Tarnasky
D: Keith Ballard, Bryan McCabe, Allen, Leopold, Seidenberg, Koistinen, Skoula/Backman, Garrison/Ellerby
G: Tomas Vokoun, Clemmensen, Tyler Plante/Salak

TIME WARP TO APRIL: No single organization in the Southeast held back - for better or worse - more than Florida eventually did over the summer. Everyone has improved. Optimists may claim the Panthers needed the least amount of tweaking, given the strides made in the second half of the 2008-09 season; a few solid "character" acquisitions here, a "complement" to this line there, a rookie hitting his stride at the right time. And a lot of hope for the burgeoning defensive bunch Sexton has assembled.

Gotta make a pick? It depends as much upon the successes and failures of the divisional four the Panthers are in competition with. Let's call it second in the SE, seventh in the Wales. The down days are over.

Poll

Where in the Eastern Conference standings do you think the Florida Panthers will finish in the 2009-2010 season?

1st

3 votes

2nd

2 votes

3rd

3 votes

4th

0 votes

5th

6 votes

6th

6 votes

7th

22 votes

8th

16 votes

9th

4 votes

10th

6 votes

11th

7 votes

12th

4 votes

13th

3 votes

14th

0 votes

15th

2 votes

84 votes | Poll has closed

Tough Enough? Florida Panthers lacking "enforcer" heading into camp

Whale4ever — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:07:47 -0000

More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

Cats' Greg Campbell led all remaining Panthers in Fighting Majors last season with six.

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Interesting stat: of the thirteen Panthers handed fighting majors in 2008-09, seven are out of the organization, while one - Jassen Cullimore - awaits a phone call (ed. note: which I believe he'll get).

Only five of those had more than one "FM": Gregory Campbell and Anthony Stewart (6 each), The Dueling Nicks - Boynton and Tarnasky (5 apiece), and Keith Ballard (4). Stewy - he of limited minutes in 59 games - and The Beach have since ~~ingloriously~~ departed the organization.

Has the team "bulked up" for a rough-and-tumble style of play next year? Much more after the jump...

To lend some weight to the Fighting Major statistic, the following clubs - each of whom had what could be summed up as a slightly more successful year than Florida - posted these regular season numbers (with postseason result in parentheses):

HONK: Penguins' Eric Godard employs a fascinating and unique style of effective pugilism.

Pittsburgh (won Stanley Cup) - 39 Fighting Majors (perhaps unfairly skewed by Godard, but it worked)
Detroit (Western Conference Champion) - 5 FM (here's the no-surprise exception to the modern rule)
Chicago (WC final runner-up) - 54 FM (oddly, Pat Kane is nowhere to be found, nor his cousin)
Carolina (EC final runner-up) - 26 FM (and no runaway madman in the category - similar to FLA)

BEYOND THE TOP FOUR...

Boston (EC semis runner-up) - 46 FM (outside of Thornton and Lucic, nothing remarkable)
Washington (EC semis runner-up) - 28 FM (and Brashear is no longer a Cap)
Anaheim (WC semis runner-up) - 82 FM (Parros is a beast)
Vancouver (WC semis runner-up) -62 FM (and well-spread amongst ten players with more than one)

GREAT, BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN FOR FLORIDA?

The Panthers, as is well known, changed up their approach one year ago, dropping the stifling defense-first Jacques Martin-late-90s-strategy that was ultimately far more effective at rusting the turnstiles of the BankAtlantic Center than stopping shots in the building's defensive zones. New coach Peter DeBoer threw away everything that had defined the team in its recent past; speed, puck control, fast breaks, faster outlet passes, and above all individual responsibility were the hallmarks of his reconstituted Cats. It took the better part of the season for it all to come together, but when it did (barring a few late stinkers against Buffalo, St. Louis, and Columbus, not to mention a collapse of Biblical proportions by former defenseman Jay Bouwmeester following the trade deadline) the system flat worked.

Physical play? Part of the program, yes, but a true full-time "enforcer" was not considered a realistic option: waste of a roster spot for a truly skilled kid (which never really materialized) and all. Campbell, (two-way but nailed-to-the-bench) Wade Belak, and Boynton were the tough guys, though why "Soup" would be surrendered from his duties on a very dynamic line with Radek Dvorak and (now KHL-bound) Ville Peltonen to fly the battle flag confounded fans from day one. Then-GM JM obviously had a hand in this philosophy, though DeBoer wasted little time painting the club in his own colors (Belak's departure and Boynton's later team-induced suspension spoke volumes for the young coach; whether you agree with the moves or not, Coach Pete is In Charge, and now more than ever).

Can Florida survive the coming season in a league where the top clubs are far into double-digits in fighting majors? With the group that is currently assembled? Without a "nuclear-option" along the lines of a Darcy Hordichuk-type, chances are slim. As wonderful and supremely talented as guys like David Booth, Michael Frolik, and Stephen Weiss may be, they aren't power forwards who automatically place the fear of God into opponents when perusing the lineup card on gameday. Throw in a few new younglings such as Shawn Matthias and Michal Repik (Keaton Ellerby gets a pass on this one), and there is more fresh blood to protect than Cat fans can recall in a long while.

WHO'S THE "GO-TO" GUY AT THIS POINT?

Probably Campbell, for better or worse. Not really his (Frank?) forte, but he can hold his own, in a less-than-middle-weight bout. He's evolved - through attrition - into a solid stand-his-ground-and-support-your-teammates player, but as a deterent? Forget it. Simply not his role.

The loss of Tanner Glass from Florida's minor league system probably had more of a resonance with fans than management had expected, but they run the club, and found the all-around nice-guy-with-a-killer-streak to be outside of their plans. Unfortunate, because a presence like his - with a bit more seasoning - could have translated to a Chris Neil-type for a long time to come.

Back to the present-day... Nathan Horton. 48 penalty minutes. Fans don't want him in the box, but considering last year's offensive stats, at least they'll know where to find him. Big stuff - and we do mean BIG stuff - expected for 2009-10...just not in the pugilistic category.

Nick Tarnasky - if can stick with the team past training camp - is most likely the best option as a small-time "enforcer", but again, his history and physical statistics don't promote terror in the opposition.

In the end, the Panthers head into the new season minus a clear-cut "policeman", which not too long ago was DOA in the "new" NHL. No longer.

Poll

Should the Panthers seek a bona fide fighter?

Yes...the league is trending into 1980s-style pugilism

61 votes

No...speed and style will trump any potential violence

33 votes

94 votes | Poll has closed

Florida Panthers up the middle: Center of a troubled universe?

Whale4ever — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:21:49 -0000

Most of the shouting has - thankfully - died down from the fever pitch we saw two weeks ago regarding free agency. The Cats made no significant waves (though I still find myself quietly cheering the Scott Clemmensen signing) beyond getting a decent, albeit late, return on Jay Bouwmeester's rights, locking up center Steven Reinprecht, and making everyone a bit nervous by going long on Jordan Leopold. But it all got done. Not to mention a few modest-though-hopeful draft picks were made by Scott Luce's staff under immense pressure from a front office which could only have been in turmoil, thanks to Montreal's new head coach.

More after the wormhole-of-fun...

Actually, that part makes me the most snickeringly positive about the future of the club. These scouthing guys and gals had to react to a quickly evolving situation. No longer were Jacques Martin's meandering defensive proclivities the order of the day. Want proof? Of the Cats' seven picks, six were forwards; only 14th-overall Dmitry Kulikov (ranked by many as a top-ten prospect) works the blueline. Every fan should sleep a little better.

And so we venture back to free agency, and specifically the center position. For quite some time - the "loss" of Olli Jokinen comes to mind - the Panthers have been jockeying either second-line (sometimes less) centers or transplanted wingers to the meat spot in the top trio sandwich. While this was undoubtedly done out of necessity last year (giving Nathan Horton a shot at his old junior spot was one reason, not blowing out the salary structure being another), the upcoming season has a new set of expectations associated with it. The playoffs are, quite simply, stand back : the only goal. Wash, rinse, repeat. Sounds rather familiar to me as well.

It's safe to assume most Panthers Faithful can be divided into two camps when discussing the situation at Center:

those who are comfortable with where the roster stands now (including prospects from Rochester), hoping for the rapid development of some and serious breakouts from others, while...
...the other contingent wants a splash, the Big Free Agent, some semblence of a newsmaking deal to shake the foundations a bit.

It's really no secret where I stand: building from within is a perfectly respectable strategy. The Cats have been doing it - haphazardly - for years, only that many of the expected pieces either failed to pan out (Anthony Stewart, Branislav Mezei) or were squeezed by the differing strategies of three very dissimilar management staffs in the past six years (Kristian Huselius, Niklas Hagman).

Would I love to see a mammoth move made by Randy Sexton and company to shore up the middle? Of course. But I'm not losing sleep over it. And until a full-time GM is named, don't waste your nights stressing over it either. When the big money is spent, it won't be with an interim's signature on Alan Cohen's check.

I'm perfectly comfortable waiting this out; a successful season - built on the efforts of some long-awaited Big Years by the up-and-comers - is realistic, given the talent within. The club has a solid core in place - finally - at the forward ranks, with a little work remaining at left wing (in this case Alex Tanguay looks oh so tempting), but the conversation always drifts back to center.

Stephen Weiss: A nice season by the perenial number two - he led the team in scoring - may have finally cemented his front-line status. Recent talk of a Booth-Weiss-Horton Sunrise Express reunion (made possible by the addition of Reinprecht) could very well have the center back for good at the top of the positional depth chart.

Steven Reinprecht: A career second-liner, he has produced erratically, though due to various injuries (which in itself is rather terrifying). His point totals have been consistent with games-played. A Cup winner and "character guy" which the Panthers have been in relentless pursuit of in recent days, he has serious potential with a Michael Frolik/Cory Stillman shotgun setup.

Gregory Campbell: One third of the killer "CPR" line is now just about gone (awaiting confirmation on Ville Peltonen's expected departure to Europe), Campbell worked wonders with Radek Dvorak in all defensive situations. In Nick Boynton's absence, "Soup" never hesitated to drop the gloves in defense of a teammate, so his role as third-line center is well-defined and - for the moment - untouchable.

Nick Tarnasky: The return for Wade Belak. Tough dood with sweet hands had some moments in 2008-09, just not many. Sharing ice time was a factor.

Kamil Kreps: Quick but serviceable fourth-liner; his 19 points in 66 games - on very few minutes per night - are actually a revelation. Given real time, who knows? Probably holding the fort for...

Shawn Matthias: Even in the event this kid completely busts, Detroit's Ken Holland will never hear the end of trading his rights for Todd Bertuzzi at the 2007 trade deadline. He won't be a bust, though, even after a rough start in Rochester last year. With a season of pro hockey to his resume, lots of folks are expecting a serious push to make the big club in camp.

Jeff Taffe: Yahoo! and the Panthers official site have him listed at left wing, while ESPN - in all their WWL goodness, pegged him at center. I hate deferring to Bristol's largest tax shelter, but for the purposes of this piece, we'll call him a center as well. Hey...any guy who can produce at better than a point-per-game pace is worth looking at, and I'll be damned if he doesn't create some headaches for everyone under Reinprecht on the depth chart during camp. Those are numbers.

No one else of note down on the farm at this point. Who's available at the Free Agent Center bazaar? Check it out (via Mirtle's most recent Top 100):

Robert Lang: Serious points over the years, and he's played with some top talent. But he's older than I am. That's not a good thing. KHL or bust, baby.
Mats Sundin: Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Moving along...
Jason Williams: Decent numbers - in fact, pretty darned good - but his only having played 80 games once in ten years hurts him. Forget that...his next highest total for a single season is 58. Sucks.
Manny Malhotra: No offense, but we're sinking fast. In his defense, Manny has many admirers, and did a lot where few tools were available in Columbus. Going into his 13th season at age 29.
Dominic Moore: Well-travelled and not outstanding in any specific category. Greg Campbell, minus the stability.
Mike Comrie: Surprised he fell this far? Though talented at his trade, yet another victim of games-lost-to-injury.

That's really it, unless Mike Sillinger and Michael Peca can still be summarized as "big names". How much dinero would you throw at any of these guys, and how might they be an improvement on what Florida already holds? Speak!

Poll

Centers: Sign one or stay the course?

Take no prisoners: go for it in the FA marketplace

45 votes

Hang tight: there's enough talent to handle the load

22 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

Panthers Friday Links-of-Wonder

Whale4ever — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:19:41 -0000

(A couple of these are a bit late, so forgive me as I've been a tad busy with a few things lately.)

The Sun-Sentinel's Steve Gorten's been on top of GM-in-waiting Randy Sexton and gotten a few tidbits of info on his thoughts about the Panthers' preseason schedule as well as Ville Peltonen's exudus and the pursuit of several high-profile names such as Saku Koivu (since signed by Anaheim) and Alex Tanguay.

Remember Rocky Thompson and his unforgettable 10-game stint with the Cats? Yeah...silly question. He's found a coaching gig in Edmonton...but not with the team you might imagine. The guy was an absolute stone-cold killer back in the day.

Bruins' 2009 seventh-round pick Ben Sexton - yes, of the Sunrise Sextons - knew of at least one club he had no chance of being drafted by.

Cats' season-seatholder "savior" Drew Rosenhaus likes to run with his clients. Is there space for 9,000 joggers on the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale?

Jordan Leopold and Keith Ballard a natural pairing on Florida's blueline? Given their history together, it makes perfect sense, so says the Pioneer Press.

Speaking of Leopold, Matchsticks and Gasoline's Kent was kind enough to give us his thoughts on the recently-signed defenseman, who played in Calgary since the trading deadline:

...I'm a little conflicted on the issue. Leopold was one of my favorites during his first rotation as a Flame: he and Regehr formed a formidable shut-down pairing, even though both guys were relatively young and inexperienced. Unfortunately, that seems to be where he peaked. After he left Calgary he suffered a series of debilatating injuries in Colorado which seemed to hobble his development. By the end of his tenure as an Avalanche he was 3rd pairing, 2nd PP guy who was capable enough but also expendable.

His second tour of duty here is hard to grade. He went from playing 17 minutes a night in Colorado to playing some 24 minutes a game here because of the rash of injuries to the Flames blueline at the end of the year. As a result, he spent a lot of time trying to keep his head above water. Some games he managed, others...not so much.

In terms of skill, Leopold is mobile and good with the puck on his stick. He seems to work well with a solid, physical defensive defenseman as his partner. He probably isn't a top 2 defender at this point and he's somewhat injury prone. He also never developed into the kind of PP weapon his skills hinted at, although he isn't terrible on the point with the man advantage.

Overall, I'd say he's probably a good bet at the price you guys signed him at. Assuming he stays healthy, that is.

"He seems to work well with a solid, physical defensive defenseman as his partner." Bryan Allen, anyone?

The Six Degrees theory rolls on, as the above line from Kent may have applied to Anaheim's newest D-man. If Boynton is the Ducks' replacement for Pronger, I'm solidly in the camp that says Leopold-for-Bouwmeester is a superior deal (comments folks, comments).

More kudos for the BankAtlantic Center, as Pollstar ranks the building number three in the U.S. and number thirteen on the planet. That "free parking" scheme really paid off when it mattered, eh?

In the Mink: The Panthers announced - about 24 minutes ago - they have signed two-time Calder Cup winner Graham Mink to a two-year contract. Stockin' the Roch.

Miami Herald: Preseason schedule, Peltonen off to Old Country

Whale4ever — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:45:57 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

8 months ago: Florida Panthers left wing Ville Peltonen, left, of Finland, vies for the puck against Atlanta Thrashers center Todd White (12) as Thrashers goaltender Johan Hedberg (1), of Sweden, defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game at Philips Arena in Atlanta, on Thursday, April 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

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The Cats ~~get a major break from all of that West Coast exhibition crap this fall~~ will endure another gruesome preseason, with a scheduled nine games in - hey! - nine cities on two continents in a span of fifteen days. Is JM the GM still running the show? Sure was easy for him to schedule these marathons when he wasn't coaching.

Speaking of the new Canadiens bench boss, the Panthers take on the Habs September 17th in Montreal. Shall we begin the petition for televising this one now, or give it a few more weeks?

In other news, forward Ville Peltonen will evidently not return to either the Cats or the National Hockey League next year. Because when you think "sunset of your career in hockey", Switzerland is of course the default.

Poll

Ville Peltonen: For the right price, take him or leave him?

Take him...too valuable with Campbell and Dvorak

32 votes

Leave him...other than "special teams" work, he never distinguished himself

15 votes

Ville who?

7 votes

54 votes | Poll has closed

What is Clarke MacArthur Really Worth?

Zachary Zielonka — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:18:35 -0000

The General has elected to head to arbitration with the Buffalo Sabres. When a player heads to arbitration, they need to be able to compare themselves to a group of players that they feel they compare to performance wise. Where exactly does MacArthur fit into then?

Clarke MacArthur

#41 / Left Wing / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 5-11

Weight: 191

Born: Apr 06, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2008 - Clarke MacArthur	17	14	31	-4	56

Clarke MacArthur has career stats of 28 goals and 53 points in 127 games. Last season, he had 17 goals and 31 points. Close to him on the scoring list for left wingers is Dallas' Fabian Brunnstrom. Brunnstrom is the same age as MacArthur and scored 17 goals and 12 points in 55 games this season, his first. Brunnstrom is set to make $875,000 next year with a cap hit of $2,225,000.

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2008 - Fabian Brunnstrom	17	12	29	-8	8

Other comparables include Matt Cooke scored 13 goals and 18 assists last season and has a career average of 9 goals/season and 22 points/season. He is set to make $1,200,000 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Ville Peltonen had 12 goals and 19 assists last season and is a unrestricted free agent this season, he made $1,200,000 last season.

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2008 - Matt Cooke	13	18	31	0	101

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2008 - Ville Peltonen	12	19	31	6	31

This information all sets the stage for where an arbitrator can set the deal for MacArthur. Looking at the surrounding players, a deal that settles around $1-1.2 million per year should be agreeable for both parties.

The next question is whether the Sabres can afford that kind of contract. With roughly $47 million tied up into 15 players, MacArthur's million dollar contract should be small enough to fit into the lineup. The Sabres have eight forwards under contract at the moment and still have to offer Drew Stafford as well. Both Stafford and MacArthur should see the same type of contract with the only change coming in the length of the contract.

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.

2009 NHL Free Agents: Are Any Effective PK Specialists Left?

The Falconer — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:16:15 -0000

The Thrashers PK unit was 2nd worst in the NHL last season allowing 88 Power Play Goals Against! The recent re-signing of Chris Thorburn did not address this pressing problem since he never plays on the PK. As the Free Agent Frenzy continues further along and the top prizes are signed teams will turn to bargain hunting.

If the Thrashers were to look for a Forward who could play on a checking line, which of the forwards left has a track record of helping his team on the PK? To answer that question I looked at all the UFA who played at least 120 minutes short handed in 2009 (I included Mike Zigomanis since he was hurt much of the year, but played a lot of minutes when healthy).

Next I pulled out each players individual Short Handed Goals Against Average. This gives is a very basic measure of which players were out on the ice when their team experienced success on the PK. This isn't a perfect measure since it doesn't adjust for goalie quality, but it can give us a rough idea.

One more draw back to SH GAA is that a couple of "bad" or "unlucky" goals can move the number because of the small number of minutes played. For example, PLAYER X was on the ice for 200 SH minutes and he was on the ice for 20 PKGA for a SH GAA of 6.00. Let's say he had some unusually bad puck luck one season and 3 extra goals found the back of the net giving him 23 PKGA/200 SH TOI which would push his SH GAA by nearly one goal to 6.90. So depending on how much you think luck plays a role the numbers below are either useful or pretty meaningless. Because of the sample size problem I favor looking at two season's worth of data. Why? Because the random luck aspect should decrease as your data sample grows larger.

OK, so how are the most effective PK Free Agents left? Stephane Veillieux and Dan Hinote were the only two guys to post strong SH GAA in back to back seasons. Guys to avoid Dominic Moore, Andy Hilbert and Eric Perrin--these guys were terrible unlucky, have really sucky teammates or they simply are not all that effective. None of these guys is all that famous, but if the Thrashers should add Veillieux or Hinote in the coming weeks you should get excited. Marchant has posted back to back better than average numbers but he has a "reputation" that will likely cause him to be more expensive than Veillieux or Hinote.

Player	2009 Team	2009 SH TOI	2008 SH GAA	2009 SH GAA
Todd Marchant	ANA	273	5.92	5.78
Eric Perrin	ATL	256	7.13	8.46
Rob Niedermayer	ANA	249	6.24	7.00
Blair Betts	NYR	241	5.98	3.51
Manny Malhotra	CBJ	217	6.35	6.42
Ville Peltonen	FLA	197	7.58	4.38
Travis Moen	SJS	193	5.59	7.75
Dominic Moore	BUF	187	6.82	10.65
PJ Axelsson	BOS	187	6.61	5.36
Michael Peca	CBJ	184	5.18	6.92
Andy Hilbert	NYI	180	6.54	8.45
Stephane Veilleux	MIN	170	5.10	3.87
Stephane Yelle	BOS	165	7.46	6.48
Taylor Pyatt	VAN	158	6.07	4.64
Mike Grier	SJS	154	5.15	6.74
Tom Kostopoulos	MTL	145	6.06	5.03
Dan Hinote	STL	129	3.30	4.68
Ryan Bayda	CAR	126	6.41	5.75
Mike Zigomanis	PIT	2:51	5.70	6.15