Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
With free agency beginning in just a few days there was still a question mark as to how the Devils were going to deal with their goaltending situation, especially given the ominous non-update of Jonathan Bernier after hip surgery ended his 2021-22 season early, and the admission from GM Tom Fitzgerald that they were looking to add another goaltender this offseason. It never seemed likely Mackenzie Blackwood would be traded (even if you buy the rumors of him being unhappy here, or us being unhappy with him), especially with his value no doubt being deflated by his last two seasons and his cost still low payroll-wise. As such, adding another goalie always seemed to be the natural next step and Fitz did that Friday just before the second round of the draft by trading for Vitek Vanecek of the Capitals.
Essentially the Devils dropped back nine spots in the second round and gave up a third-rounder for the 26-year old Vanecek, who’s split time with Ilya Samsonov the last two years in Washington. Vanecek’s actually been the better of the duo with a career 42-23-10 record, 2.71 GAA and .907 save percentage but with the Caps presumably looking to upgrade in free agency by going after someone like Darcy Kuemper or Jack Campbell, they were willing to move one of their goalies. Truthfully it’s a deal that makes sense for both teams, the Devils aren’t in position to throw a major contract at an older goalie so Vanecek’s a calculated gamble. At worst he’s better than what we were playing most of last year in net, and healthier than the two guys we had. At best, he could be this year’s Jonas Siegenthaler (a guy we pluck from the Caps with modest success there who takes a step up here).
After that trade, Fitz publicly stated that he was content with our goaltending. Even as someone who had to watch our dumpster fire goaltending last year, I’m a bit puzzled by all the pushback Fitz is getting over those remarks.
Did Fitzy really say "we're content (with the goalie situation)" at today's press conference?
First of all, what else is he supposed to say at the moment? If you say you’re still looking for upgrades after acquiring Vanecek, then that’s a blaring red light that Blackwood is not long for this world. Good luck getting anything for a malcontent goalie that’s struggled with both performance and injury the last couple of seasons at the lowest point of his value. Second of all, what meaningful upgrade is even out there? Backups and 1B goalies with similar career numbers also got traded this offseason – the Rangers got two third rounders for Alexander Georgiev while the Blues got one for Ville Husso and I’m not sure there’s even more of those types of guys available at the moment.
Fitz can’t get in a bidding war with total win-now teams like Washington and Toronto over the only two realistic options in free agency – Kuemper and Campbell. We did need an upgrade, but we aren’t good enough everywhere else to get in a bidding war with Cup hopefuls for older guys, so this was always going to be the only realistic type of option for this offseason. Plus there’s a chance you get more out of Blackwood or Vanecek, to where one of them becomes a long-term starting option anyway. If not, then hopefully the goalie market is better next offseason or you just get another patch veteran and Nico Daws can ideally be a #2 at the NHL level by then. For a raw rookie that was supposed to be at least a year and a half away, he did actually show some NHL capability last year. Besides, unless you have a no-doubt solution like Igor Shesterkin or Andrei Vasilevsky, you’re better off not throwing a lot of money at marginal upgrades in goal – just ask Colorado who was willing to move off their starter in back-to-back offseasons for other, cheaper options.
As for the rest of draft weekend, there isn’t really much to say at this point other than the Devils seemingly had a goal to add to their depth at RHD with not only Simon Nemec in the first round, but also a pair of Americans (Seamus Casey in the second round, and Charles Leddy in the fourth) as well as Russian Artem Barabosha in the seventh round. Also, the Devils drafted a Russian LHD in the fourth round picking Danill Orlov and further supplementing their goalie depth with Canadian Tyler Brennan as their first pick among their three fourth-rounders. Forward seemingly wasn’t a high priority this year with only wingers Petr Hauser (5th round, Czech Republic) and Josh Filmon (6th round, Canada) being selected, but you never know if one of these guys will become the next Yegor Sharangovich or Jesper Bratt – selected in the 5th and 6th round themselves. If you know more about these guys than I do, you really don’t need any recap from me. If you know less about them than I do, then a short post-draft interview with chief scout Mark Dennehy would at least provide a nice initial primer.
At least some of these guys – including Nemec – will be at Devils Development Camp next week, so if you’re in the area you can get a look at some of our most recent prospects there.
With free agency starting next week the question isn’t whether the Devils can do something substantial, the question is whether they will. Other than Dougie Hamilton last offseason, this organization’s been too content to save its cap space for a rainy day. While there aren’t a lot of obvious needs to chase, decisions have to be made on defense with both Ryan Graves and Damon Severson set to be UFA after next offseason, and PK Subban not likely to be retained this offseason. Sure Nemec and Luke Hughes could be two very valuable pieces in the long-term future along with Hamilton and Siegenthaler, but in the near-term neither one is going to be part of the 2022-23 Devils. Do you just keep Graves and/or Severson as placeholders till the younger defensemen are ready, or flip them now and sign some short-term patches?
Up front, clearly top six center isn’t an issue with both Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier signed long-term, a reality crystalized by the Devils passing on Shane Wright for Nemec. Perhaps a better third-line center than Jesper Boqvist would be nice – but he did show some signs of actually being an NHL player in the second half, and there’s always Dawson Mercer available to play in the middle if Boqvist flops. Wing stands out as our major issue right now, even assuming Jesper Bratt gets signed at some point you’re looking at Bratt, Sharangovich and a whole lot of question marks around the aforementioned centers. Ideally Alex Holtz takes one of the two other top six wing positions and runs with it this year although you can’t bank on it, and even if he does you still need another guy there.
And no I’m not convinced it’s Mercer, especially since he did better early in the season as a center than he did later on as a winger, though some of that was no doubt an 18-year old hitting the rookie wall. Figuring out where you’re slotting in Mercer enables you to proceed in FA and the trade market accordingly. If he’s a center, then you definitely need another wing. If he’s a wing, you still can’t just hand both him and Holtz top six slots without any kind of a net. Local boy Johnny Gaudreau would be a fantasy solution up front but he seems ticketed for either re-signing in Calgary or going to Philly (assuming they figure out another way to blow up their roster to squeeze out enough cap space to sign him). Plus even if you want to assume that Holtz and Mercer both have the stuff to be in a top six or nine next year, the Devils still need to figure out a way to get a bigger power forward at some point, and as much as Gaudreau would improve the team’s scoring, he isn’t that.
Long story short, I’m not necessarily expecting anything big but something creative would be nice. You can’t sell me on a forty-point improvement between last year and this team making the playoffs now just off marginally better goaltending, a healthy Hamilton and some growth from the younger players. Maybe it actually happens that way, but after several years of being in seventh or eighth place you can’t sell me on that preemptively. Especially when it involves almost 100% of everything going right, and as we’ve seen (especially the last couple years), it pretty much never works out that way.
Three Months Away: On October 11th, the Rangers and Lightning will face off again in the season opener. The 2022-23 NHL schedule was released on Wednesday.
The last three days have breezed by. It certainly was busy for all 32 teams. The league released the schedule for 2022-23 on Wednesday. Then held the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre in Montreal on Thursday and Friday.
As Hasan already covered in his Devils post on them going for Slovak defenseman Simon Nemec at number two last night, the first round didn’t disappoint.
Expected top pick Shane Wright fell to the Kraken at number four while the Canadiens surprised their confused fans by making history by taking Slovakian Juraj Slafkovsky number one overall.
The boos were a bit much. I felt bad for the kid who became the highest Slovak player ever going at the top spot. Give credit to ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan. She broke the news about the Habs meeting with Slafkovsky for 20 minutes. It was obvious he was going number one. A scoring wing who adds size, we’ll see what he can bring.
Once that happened, I knew that the dominoes would fall. Already boasting Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier at center, the Devils weren’t taking Wright. I wonder if they tried to trade down with Arizona. We’ll never know. They predictably grabbed Nemec at two where he and Luke Hughes will anchor their blue line for the rest of the decade.
As soon as Nemec went, you knew the Coyotes had a great choice between Wright and top rated American Logan Cooley. They liked Cooley more and made him the third pick. He was thrilled.
That left Wright for the Kraken to select at four. He said he’ll have a chip on his shoulder. You know it’ll be a motivator. A 1-2 punch of Matty Beniers and Shane Wright sounds good for Seattle.
The Flyers took American scoring forward Cutter Gauthier fifth. The Blue Jackets then made it official by grabbing Czech defenseman David Jiricek sixth where he’ll team up with Zach Werenski to anchor the blue line.
The biggest surprise was the hometown Canadiens making a three team deal with the Islanders and Blackhawks. First, they dealt defenseman Alex Romanov and a fourth round pick to the Islanders for their first round pick. Then, they moved that pick with a third round pick to Chicago in exchange for Kirby Dach.
A former third pick in 2019, the 21-year old Dach will now call Montreal his new home. He had been rumored to be traded. It finally happened. It looks like the Habs plan to have Dach center the second line with possibly Slafkovsky joining him. They have Nick Suzuki as their number one pivot playing with Cole Caufield.
The Islanders got stronger by adding the physical Romanov, who hits everything and blocks shots. It was surprising that the Canadiens dealt him. He should help the Isles, who got younger and tougher on the back end.
As for the Blackhawks, their plan is obvious. After they traded Alex DeBrincat to Ottawa for a first, second and third round pick in what many felt was not a good return for the two-time 40-goal scorer, they moved on from Dach to take centers Kevin Korchinski and Frank Nazar.
The Hawks also traded for Leafs backup goalie Petr Mrazek. That allowed them to add a third first round pick due to absorbing his contract. He has a cap hit of $3.8 million through 2024. They only coughed up a second for the veteran.
Once they trade restricted free agent center Dylan Strome, who the Rangers should be trying for, they’ll be as bad as possible. What must Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews be thinking?
The Blackhawks are in full tank mode for consensus 2023 top pick Connor Bedard. A franchise player. Matvei Michkov is also in that draft. If it works, they will be set up well for the future.
There were other deals made over the last 24 hours. But none were bigger than what the Canadiens and Blackhawks did. It’ll be interesting to follow both Original Six clubs. Obviously, Montreal got better. Chicago didn’t. Who knows if Kane will get moved. Time will tell. Ditto for Toews. The remaining pieces of their three Stanley Cups.
Before the chaos, the Rangers made it official. They finally moved on from Alex Georgiev. Chris Drury was able to move the 26-year old goalie to the Avalanche for a third round, fifth round and third round pick next year. It was a good return for a player who had wanted out for a while.
Obviously, it gives Georgiev a great opportunity. He goes from being a little used backup behind Igor Shestyorkin to possibly becoming the new starter for the defending champs. That’s a home run for him. He’ll have competition from veteran backup Pavel Francouz. A popular goalie with Colorado fans.
A restricted free agent, Georgiev will be signed by GM Joe Sakic. In a revealing interview with Emily Kaplan, he said that he liked having both Georgiev and Francouz. That spells the end for Darcy Kuemper, who did deliver for the Avalanche as the winning goalie on a great Stanley Cup championship team. He will now be available for other teams like Edmonton to chase.
Georgiev was a pleasant surprise for the Rangers. After going undrafted, the Bulgarian developed well under the expert tutelage of Benoit Allaire.
His best work came in 2018-19 and ’19-20. He won 14 games with a 2.91 GAA and .914 save percentage in ’18-19. Then posted a career best 17 victories with a 3.04 GAA and .910 save percentage in ’19-20.
The turning point actually came during that same Covid interrupted season. That’s when the Rangers discovered what they had in Shestyorkin. An injury prevented him from starting the first two games of the Qualifying Round against Carolina.
Rather than turn to Georgiev, who had a better season, David Quinn went with Henrik Lundqvist instead. That really upset Georgiev. He didn’t play the third game with Shestyorkin back for what turned into a three-game humiliation against the Hurricanes.
The second turning point was after giving up a goal in an overtime loss to the Pens on the road, he got into it with Tony DeAngelo. Not taking kindly to DeAngelo’s words on not stopping the puck following a miscommunication, he punched the polarizing defenseman.
That incident led to the dismissal of DeAngelo. A better player than Georgiev. Due to how that was butchered by Jeff Gorton and John Davidson, they got nothing for him. He was instead bought out last year. By that point, Gorton and JD were gone along with Quinn.
It was Drury who handled the buyout. There was no way to repair the relationship between the team and the player. Even if they hired a new Team President and GM along with Gerard Gallant as head coach, it didn’t matter. They cut their losses.
DeAngelo caught on with the Hurricanes where he again had a good offensive season. Similar to ’19-20, he was very productive while partnering with Jaccob Slavin on the top pair. But after making only a million on a one-year deal, he priced himself out. Carolina traded the signing rights to DeAngelo to the Flyers for picks. Yes. He is going to be watched closely by John Tortorella. Yikes.
As for Georgiev, he never recovered from that mishap. He wasn’t as consistent in net the remainder of ’20-21 and ’21-22. The numbers were worse this past year. He posted a 2.92 GAA and career low .898 save percentage in 33 games.
He still won 15 games highlighted by a 44 save shutout over Carolina on 3/20. Arguably the best game of his five-year career. When he plays more, he is a better goalie. That was proven when Shestyorkin went down for a mini-stretch. Obviously, starts were few and far between.
Even though we knew this day was coming, I’d like to thank Georgiev. Despite some of the ridiculous criticism from irrational fans who are an embarrassment to the Rangers, he was a professional. He handled this past season well. Never complained.
Even though you could see the frustration after allowing bad goals during tough starts, Georgiev still stayed focused. It’s games like the one in Raleigh and his mastery at Toronto and against the Islanders that I’ll remember.
Best of luck to Georgie in Colorado. I hope he proves himself and takes the job and runs with it. Just imagine. Picture it’s mid-June next year. On one end is Georgiev for the Avalanche. On the other, it’s Igor. It’s Game Seven. All for the Cup. That’s a dream scenario as long as the Rangers win.
Aside from Georgiev relocating from the bright lights and big city to the Rocky Mountains, nothing major happened. It’s status quo for the Rangers, who made six selections today.
Adam Sykora was the first player chosen by the Rangers in the second round today. AP Photo via Getty Images
The one that stands out is second round pick Adam Sykora. He was the first player they selected with the 63rd pick. A forward who was ranked higher on some boards, the 17-year old Sykora is supposed to be a hard-working player who forechecks and defends well.
Some experts even thought he could’ve gone late in the first round. One of the youngest players in the draft, he was a week away from being eligible for 2023. A left shot who can find seams, Sykora had some success at the Worlds this year for Slovakia.
Adam Sykora isn't just the youngest player at the Worlds this year, he's also the most enthusiastic.
Not the biggest in stature, he has good speed and isn’t shy about driving the net. He was listed as one of the best draft values. Sounds promising.
You can read a lot more about Sykora here. Plenty to like. Even though I kidded our Devils buddy Robert Kraze Davis, no relation to Petr Sykora. But his Dad Roman did play professionally in Slovakia.
A round later, they took Bryce McConnell-Barker at number 97. A left center, the 18-year old from London, Ontario played for the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL. He led all Hounds rookies with 23 goals and 26 assists for 49 points in 68 games. He added a goal and four helpers in 10 postseason contests.
McConnell-Barker sounds like a good player with a high IQ who has the capability to produce more. Based off this old writeup a few months ago, he could be a two-way player with good hockey sense. He fell to the third round due to inconsistency.
In Round Four, the Rangers went with Noah Laba at pick 111. The USHL product has spent the last two seasons with the Lincoln Stars. In 50 games during ’21-22, he tallied 39 points (15-24-39) and racked up 115 penalty minutes. Laba scored a goal in seven playoff games for the Stars.
He will attend Colorado College this Fall. A good school that’s developed players. He did move up the ranks this past year. He definitely sounds tough. There isn’t a lot to go on. Let’s leave it at that.
In the fifth round, the Rangers took two players two picks apart. At 159, they grabbed 20-year old overager Victor Mancini. Often referred to as Vittorio Mancini, he once played for Frolunda on the second pair. The only defenseman they selected, he sounds like a defensive D who can use his 6-3, 216 pound frame.
Mancini just completed his freshman year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. In 38 contests, he had five assists. Maybe they think he’s a late riser. We’ll see.
Two picks later, they took left wing Maxim Barbashev. If the name sounds familiar, it should be. Older brother Ivan Barbashev has turned into a good scoring forward for the Blues. At number 161, it’s never a bad idea to draft a younger brother of a good NHL player.
Barbashev totaled 21 goals and 31 assists for 52 points in 69 games for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL. He added 78 penalty minutes. If you go off what this LA Kings blog had to say about him, he sounds like a sleeper who could one day make it. At the very least, I like this pick.
The final selection of Day Two was overager Zakary Karpa. A 20-year old center who spent time in the USHL before going 6-6-12 in his first year with Harvard in the ECAC, he was ranked 199 among North American skaters in Central Scouting.
Zakary Karpa | Forward 6-1 | 185 pounds Left Shot Newport Beach, Calif./US National Team Development Program
Ranked No. 199 among NA Skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings, Karpa was on the U17 & U18 National Teams. pic.twitter.com/rs9FepSDZC
— Princeton Men's Ice Hockey (@princetonhockey) July 1, 2020
Before I conclude the draft part, I wanted to note the very nice tributes they had prior to the start of the NHL Draft. Even though he was booed per usual, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the league held a moment of silence for Bryan Marchment.
He was a tough hard-nosed physical defenseman who you loved if he was on your side. Seeing new San Jose GM Mike Grier pay tribute by eulogizing his former teammate who worked in the Sharks organization, was the highlight of the first round for me. Congrats to Grier on making history as the first ever black NHL GM.
"You will be missed, but you will never be forgotten."
Ahead of announcing the 27th overall pick at the 2022 #NHLDraft, @SanJoseSharks GM Mike Grier shares a beautiful tribute to his friend and former teammate Bryan Marchment. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ID2JaZnjwx
RIP Bryan Marchment (1969-2022). 😢 🙏🏿 💜😢Condolences go out to the Marchment family.
Bettman also had the son of Guy Lafleur up on stage joined by the daughter of Mike Bossy. Excellent tributes by both on their father’s legacies. This was a nice touch. Class personified by the league.
Finally, the NHL released the official schedule for the upcoming season. The Rangers start at MSG when they play host to the Lightning in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Final on October 11th. That will be part of a doubleheader to kick-off 2022-23.
They will then travel to face the Wild on Oct. 13 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I like the fact our team begins the season with two litmus tests right away. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Rangers will play their first three games over four days. That includes the first of 16 back-to-backs at Minnesota and Winnipeg on Oct. 14. They will play 26 weekend games including nine at home.
They will see Ryan McDonagh in Nashville on November 12. That’s a Saturday night. It’ll be strange to see Mac in a Preds jersey. He visits MSG on March 19.
From the MSG press release, the longest homestand is five games between 3/14-21 with games against the Caps, Pens (twice), Predators and Hurricanes.
Most interesting, they’ll see the Penguins three times over a seven-day period. That’ll start in Pittsburgh March 12. Then there’ll be two straight home games on 3/16 and 3/18 at The Garden. The schedule makers also have a home-and-home with Carolina 3/21 at MSG and 3/23 in Raleigh.
While I like this part of the schedule, it remains puzzling that the Rangers only face the Islanders three times. All early in the first two months. They are October 26th at Elmont, Nov. 8 at MSG and December 22 at home.
I concur with Larry Brooks on the ridiculous nature of the schedule that doesn’t emphasize divisional play enough. Something Hasan also alluded to. What’s the point of having a divisional playoff format if you’re only seeing your closest rivals 3-4 times a year?
My solution to this is to increase divisional play and minimize the other divisions and Conference.
Play your own division six times. That’s seven teams. That would total 42 games. That leaves 40 for the rest. Play the other division in your conference twice. Home/Road. That’s eight opponents totaling 16 games.
That would leave 24 games for the opposite Conference. You can still play at least half the competition twice. The remaining eight once. Split it up. Home and road.
It would work. Of course, the biggest problem with scheduling is what each arena has booked in advance. MSG is always busy. Between the Knicks, Billy Joel and other concerts, that makes it tough. It’s the same for two sport venues like Staples Center.
If they continue to emphasize divisional playoff format the first two rounds, then the number of games between close rivals has to increase. It makes no sense.
That’ll wrap it up. I hope you enjoyed this longer breakdown. I’ll be doing more of them to cover what happens this summer.
Now, it’s onto July 13th. That’s still five days away. Hopefully as we hit the weekend, we’ll learn a lot more about where potential free agents are moving. That includes Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome.
Follow me at our official Twitter account BattleOfHudson. Peace.
Before I even get to what the Devils did, first a mea culpa. I gotta eat it, I was a cynic about how all these reporters were forecasting a hundred different things that would never happen, and the hype of unpredictability at the top of the draft – but it turns out for once they were right. Even if nobody actually had one-time #1 overall pick Shane Wright dropping all the way to Seattle at #4. Maybe it was karmic justice for Seattle not drafting #1 overall last year. I’m not sure anyone had Alex DeBrincat going to Ottawa for ‘only’ pick #7, a 2nd and a 3rd rounder, or being dealt without a contract extension. Chicago also supplemented its teardown by cashing out on Kirby Dach. Perhaps the only predictable thing was the Islanders making another win-now move, dealing their first-rounder for defenseman Alexander Romanov and a third-rounder. Gotta love Lou, tripling down on being win-now with a rookie head coach.
Not like we don’t have our own problems though. It would have been nice to get in on DeBrincat but clearly we prioritized #2 higher than Ottawa did #7, plus the fact DeBrincat wouldn’t sign an extension pretty much should have taken #2 off the table to begin with. Would the Devils have made that trade if they didn’t win the lottery and stayed at #5? Tough to answer, although I do admit at the time we won the lottery I wasn’t 100% ecstatic about it – mostly cause I figured it was more likely for us to trade the pick for immediate help at #5 than at #2, where we would have been compelled to just draft – and that’s what happened.
Before I even comment on the Devils pick singularly, a note of congratulations to Slovakia and current Slovak Ice Hockey Federation president Miroslav Satan for developing the top two picks of this year’s draft – both the highest draft picks in Slovakian history – ahead of some guy named Marian Gaborik who was picked at #3 overall way back when. Although I wasn’t really believing the Juraj Slafkovsky at #1 overall hype until today, it started picking up more steam when I was spending too much of my off day obsessing over the rumors. Clearly the betting lines knew something was up when the smart money started shifting to the Slovak winger as the choice for #1 though although I don’t think the betting lines ever had us taking his teammate at #2 overall.
New Jersey smartly takes Simon Nemec as # 2 overall…great news!! Congratulation to both of our 🇸🇰 boys and I hope to see them together again..and winning medal like in this year OG in China. 🇸🇰🍀🇸🇰 pic.twitter.com/RPHlmCAA0D
I guess credit – or blame depending on your point of view – for the secrecy around #1 overall should be given to neophyte Canadiens GM Kent Hughes. Credit in the sense of it certainly kept up the suspense but also blame in the sense that you had this draft at Montreal, with the fans in attendance still mostly believing you were gonna pick the Canadian kid (Wright) who was long thought to be the #1 pick. Instead of maybe spending a couple of weeks gradually smoothing over the ground and leaking your interest in Slafkovsky, giving the fans time to process it and fall in love with the guy who’s actually going to be picked, you basically pulled the rug out from under everyone in attendance. Did you really expect the poor kid not to get booed when you pick him over the local kid in something of a surprise?
I can’t promise our fans wouldn’t have reacted the same way if the draft was in Newark once they saw we also passed on Wright for defenseman Simon Nemec, but unlike the Canadiens we didn’t have total control over who we picked either. Although I was surprised we passed on Wright, I wasn’t mad when I saw the pick. If anything I was more annoyed after, when I heard Fitz emphasize twice during his post-draft interview on ESPN that (paraphrasing) ‘Nemec was a right handed shot and that’s valuable to us’ as if we were drafting for need rather than just going straight BPA. I get organizational need can be used as a tiebreaker between two similarly ranked guys or in the later rounds but I’m sorry, you can’t look to draft an eighteen year old at #2 overall for need.
Not to mention it seems like our entire defense other than Jonas Siegenthaler is going to be finesse, puck-moving defensemen – which plays well with analytical numbers but not as well in actuality on the ice when you actually need your defensemen to play defense. That’s not to say this kid can’t be good, maybe he will be, I’m not going to waste angst pretending I know. It’s not that huge of a reach considering he was thought of as a top five pick all along and supposedly Seattle wanted him at #4 (not knowing Wright would fall to them though), but I can’t say I have a lot of confidence in this management team to get it right either, with our mixed bag in terms of non-slam dunk picks and total ineptness when it comes to actually putting a good product on the ice.
Hopefully there’ll be more to comment on after free agency, but I suspect it’ll just be another offseason of rationalizations and excuses for why we didn’t do anything. I can’t really think anything else when I see franchises who shouldn’t even be considering themselves win-now (Ottawa, the Flyers, etc), at least trying to make win-now moves while we’re all good, nothing to see here in year #10 of the neverending rebuild.
Now that we’re finally beyond the NHL playoffs and into the offseason news should start happening all around the league, but things have been mostly quiet before the storm other than the recent trade of Kevin Fiala to the LA Kings for a prospect and pick. Of course, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning out all sorts of fanciful stuff which most likely won’t happen. Quite honestly the media’s wishcasting over all sorts of nonsense is turning me off to the pre-draft hype, like all the stupid rumors of the Devils trading #2 overall for anyone from Alex DeBrincat (not likely) to JT Miller (that would be a fireable offense if Fitz traded #2 OA for a 30-year old on a one-year deal, coming off a career year). Not to mention all the misdirection over who the Devils would pick if expected top pick Shane Wright is off the board (not likely, despite the Bob McKenzie piece where scouts actually ranked Wright at #2), and whether they would trade the pick or not if the Habs threw a curveball and picked someone else.
After all this nonsense it’s just gonna make me roll my eyes when the Habs pick the Great Canadian Hope at #1 and the Devils don’t trade #2 OA. Who the Devils pick at #2 OA is still somewhat debatable, though the slight betting favorite is still Slovakian power forward Juraj Slafkovsky, who not only fits the prototype of what they need up front (size with skill) but he wouldn’t be a reach considering in the McKenzie piece it was actually Slafkovsky who got ranked at #1 OA. However that same article allows that there probably isn’t as much separation between the top handful of players as there would be in a normal year, nor is there even a real sure thing in this draft as indicated by this one anonymous quote from a club executive:
“Teams who rank Slafkovsky at No. 1 are struggling with Wright’s draft year being so average [compared to prior seasons],” he said. “Teams who like Wright at No. 1 can’t forget what they saw in Wright’s first OHL season and the 2021 U-18 world championship.”
There’s also the matter of Slafkovsky excelling in international tournaments (both the Olympics and the Worlds) while only struggling five goals in Finland’s Liiga all season, as the article points out. It is possible the Devils throw a slight curveball and take someone not named Wright or Slafkovsky, and I couldn’t really fault them. Especially when we still have to hear it from the cynics about Cale Makar being the best player in the Nico Hischier draft, and how Nico hasn’t been enough of a difference maker for a #1 overall, even after a career year of 60 points in 70 games.
Given that potential for second-guessing it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Devils went with one of the other projected top five picks – with the possible exception of smallish center Logan Cooley. Considering the Devils have already committed long-term to Hischier and Jack Hughes, and also have Dawson Mercer who could still slot in at center long-term, Cooley better be your no-doubt best player on the board if you’re picking yet another midget down the middle and passing on players who fit your roster needs better. Defensemen Simon Nemec and David Jiricek are also outside possibilities for #2 OA…watch the pick be one of them and me having to scramble to come up with some profile tomorrow or on my off day Friday.
I’ve pretty much thought the pick was going to be Slafkovsky from the minute we got bumped up to #2, it just seems to fit too well everything considered – but all the media nonsense is making me paranoid that Fitz is going to do something desperate. Don’t get me wrong, I would like to see a little more urgency from the Devils in general but there’s a happy medium to be found between ‘process GM’ing’ and just burn everything to the ground in a quixotic win-now chase when the Devils just came off their worst season in 35 years. Could you make an argument for trading the pick for DeBrincat, sure – dude’s a proven 40-goal scorer and he’s 24 years old. You hope whoever the Devils pick tomorrow is even 75-80% of that level, but it’s a risk if only cause you just never know if guys will re-sign long-term (exhibit A, Jesper Bratt who I’m still nervously waiting on considering our last contract negotiation with the Bratt camp culminated in a holdout, and that was before his own career year). Plus you’re likely going to have to trade more than ‘just’ the #2 OA for DeBrincat and I don’t know if we’re at the level to be chucking away assets going star-chasing.
Even just writing down the same type of speculating I’ve been seeing for weeks is making me roll my eyes. Let’s just get to tomorrow at 7 PM or whenever the Devils pick (or trade). It would be nice if there was an actual arena draft party the way there was in the old days, but new ownership would rather use the date for K-Pop or whatever other concert happens to be there on a summer afternoon. That’s understandable but I’m not really keen on going to some random bar for that – especially paying $10 a head and having to go to Asbury Park, no thanks. Especially since we’ll likely be done a half hour into the draft barring some unforeseen deal. At least at the arena you had other things to do and could talk to people without being crammed in.
At least there’s other news and stuff to talk about. For one thing the NHL schedule was released today. I can’t say I’m going through it with a fine-tooth comb just yet though I probably will later tonight to make some scheduling plans – mostly figuring out when we have the four game in six night stretches where I’ll sell a game off, or home back-to-backs that I usually sell one off from. Generally I just wanted to know when the season started (October 13 in Philly), when the first home game was (two nights later against Detroit) and when the regular season ends – exactly six months later on April 13. We’re still more than three months away from the actual opener, but at least it feels closer now with the draft upon us and free agency not that far behind.
I’m not a huge fan of the new-ish schedule format where you only play division teams 3-4 times, along with other conference games three times and non-conference teams a home and an away game each. If you’re going to balance the schedule than it makes zero sense to have a division-heavy first two rounds of the playoffs. Either we’re emphasizing division rivalries or we’re not. I would rather go back to straight seeding 3-8 after the two division winners but the NHL – like other sports leagues – wants to sell bracket picking for the playoffs. If you are going to have brackets (mostly) based on division format though then you need to have a few more division games in the regular season as well. Eight was too many in the late 2000’s…5-6 would be better. It’s also hard to explain the NHL’s playoff format to a neophyte fan…so the top two teams are seeded and the last two wild cards are seeded to play those two teams irrespective of division but #2 and #3 always play each other in each division, wha?
At least the Devils – and defenseman Dougie Hamilton – showed off a sense of humor with the schedule release, corny as this mini-promo was.
Gotta say this for Dougie, at least he’s going all in on being part of the Jersey experience after a mixed bag in his first season here, with injuries ruining his second half. I don’t just mean the ad, he’ll also be the only current player as far as I know (with the usual roster of alums like Ken Daneyko, Bryce Salvador, etc) to attend the Devils’ draft party tomorrow night, which will also have a live band playing. I guess that justifies the $10 entry fee lol, but I’ve never been a fan of the whole music inside of bars scene, you just can’t talk to or listen to anyone while the band’s playing, at least I can’t.
After all that, there is one other bit of news today as the Devils announced the promotion of Kate Madigan to assistant GM, the first female to hold that title here.
Hopefully one day soon we won’t even have to note these kinds of things, especially with more women playing hockey and getting involved in the management and scouting departments. I actually thought it would be Meghan Duggan (current director of player development) who would eventually get promoted to that kind of role but Madigan’s been here longer and worked her way up the ranks. I also didn’t realize we were in the market for another assistant GM – Dan McKinnon was already an assistant GM – but hey if head coaches can have multiple assistants, why shouldn’t GM’s? Not only is it a nice touch to announce the promotion right before the draft, but it’s a telling vote of confidence to promote her right before such a pivotal offseason for the franchise.
The hockey off-season is underway. Even though free agency isn’t official until July 13. That’s still another nine days away.
However, that hasn’t prevented teams from making some moves. The activity hasn’t been too busy. But we’ve already seen a few general managers get going right away. Especially when it comes to making big decisions on key players.
One GM who’s been busy is Julien BriseBois. The Lightning executive didn’t hesitate to re-sign Nick Paul. The two-way forward wanted to stay put in Tampa. They were able to hammer out a seven-year contract worth an average cap hit of $3.15 million that will run through 2029.
The first four years of the contract includes a no-trade clause. Once 2026-27 hits when Paul is 31, it becomes a modified NTC. In retaining the valuable forward who can shift to center and take face-offs while playing penalty kill, the Bolts again showed their fans how committed they are to winning.
Paul was on my radar for potential replacements for unrestricted free agents Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp. Both of who sound unlikely to return to the Rangers. The price might be too rich due to Chris Drury having just over $10 million left in cap space.
It sounds more likely that Strome could circle back to the Rangers if he isn’t signed by a new team. He has stronger ties to the roster due to spending the last few years in the Big Apple. Having partnered with Artemi Panarin, he has been a good fit and a great teammate. A locker room leader as well.
Copp certainly checks off all the boxes. He proved it with his play after being acquired from Winnipeg. He was a terrific fit on the second line where he could also take draws. The good Copp played in every situation including second power play and on the penalty kill where he often teamed up with Barclay Goodrow to form a good shorthanded duo.
There are expected to be many interested teams who could drive up his price. It’s possible he could wind up out of range with a long-term contract between $5.5 to 5.8 million for the versatile forward. There aren’t many players like him. If he does go, he’ll help whatever team he signs with.
Whatever happens, Drury will need to have a second center to play with Panarin and possibly Kaapo Kakko. If you believe Vince Mercogliano, then the two sides were working on a bridge deal that would keep the still unproven 2019 second pick on Broadway.
Although his play picked up during the postseason run to the Conference Finals, Kakko was definitely the third wheel on the effective Kid Line. Filip Chytil had a strong showing as did former top pick Alexis Lafreniere, who turned heads with his work. Lafreniere isn’t going anywhere and neither should Chytil.
There has been speculation that the organization was considering acquiring a center via trade. However, I wouldn’t touch Pierre-Luc Dubois. He’s going to earn at least $6.5 million due to a qualifier. Is it really worth exploring when the cost will be high for the 24-year old center? Larry Brooks had a good column on it. I’d pass.
There’s also Nazem Kadri. He was terrific for the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche all season. After missing four games due to an injury suffered on an Evander Kane cheap shot, all he did was score the goal of the Cup by beating both Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev and scoring the overtime winner that nobody saw until the replay in Game Four.
Kadri is going to get paid. We’re talking at least nine million. As much as I’d love to have him here, there isn’t enough room. Not when Drury must also attempt to re-sign checking forward Tyler Motte and perhaps Frank Vatrano if he’s willing to take a discount to stay.
The Rangers will be looking for a new backup goalie with Alex Georgiev either getting moved at the NHL Draft or being non-qualified which would make him unrestricted. They can’t afford to keep Georgiev, who’s at the point in his career where he would like to have a chance of becoming a starter. Best of luck to him.
Would Justin Braun consider returning on a short-term deal to again play that sixth defenseman role that he did a solid job with once free agent bust Patrik Nemeth went into witness protection? Can Drury find a taker for Nemeth ($2.5 million AAV) by attaching a second round pick to free up necessary space?
I wouldn’t mind Ian Cole or a reunion with Brendan Smith. Remember too that the Rangers want to take a closer look at Zac Jones, Nils Lundkvist and Matthew Robertson. That’s if all three stay. But would they chance their third pair on say a Jones-Braden Schneider partnership? Not over a full 82. They’ll need a veteran.
While we wait and see what they decide, trust in Drury who had an excellent first season as Team President and GM. Are they ever gonna announce that GM award? We all know he deserves it. But it will probably go to Joe Sakic for all the slick moves he made that turned the Avalanche into a Stanley Cup champion.
If I remember correctly, that’s supposed to be revealed at the 2022 NHL Draft. So, it’s either Thursday night during what should be an exciting and unpredictable first round in Montreal or on Day Two this Friday when Rounds 2-7 take place at Bell Centre.
When the Canadiens get ready to pick in front of their diehard fans, who will it be? Shane Wright or Juraj Slafkovsky. Would they actually bypass both for top American prospect Logan Cooley? It likely will be a center for the Habs. Conventional wisdom says they go for the French Canadian Wright, who projects to be a good overall center. He could form a nice 1-2 punch with emerging star Nick Suzuki.
At number two are the Devils. The second pick is rumored to be available for the right trade. That would mean acquiring a scoring forward to finally speed up their rebuild. But if they didn’t move it, the scoring wing Slafovsky would make sense. But so could defenseman Simon Nemec. We’ll see what Tom Fitzgerald decides.
As had been discussed, the Lightning freed up cap space yesterday. They traded popular veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh to the Predators for Philippe Myers and Grant Mismash. Myers is a $2.55 million cap hit. About four million less than McDonagh, who agreed to wave his NTC to go to Music City.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Mac Truck. He was a terrific Ranger for our Black and Blueshirts teams that made three appearances in the Conference Finals and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. I don’t think there’s one Ranger fan who doesn’t have the ultimate respect for what McDonagh has accomplished.
It still breaks my heart that those teams couldn’t win the Cup here. They sure were fun to watch. They played with so much grit and determination led by McDonagh, who formed a memorable top pair with Dan Girardi. You had Marc Staal and Anton Stralman together.
There was the gigantic performance by McDonagh against the team that drafted him when the Rangers defeated the Canadiens in six games to advance to their first Cup Finals since 1994. He was gigantic. Ultimately, they lost to the Kings.
What about how battered and bruised the defense was the next year in the Eastern Conference Final against the Lightning. McDonagh played on a broken foot. Girardi was broken in half along with Staal and Keith Yandle. As frustrating a loss as that was, it’s more understandable now.
Who knew McDonagh would join the original Rangers South after The Letter? It remains one of the worst trades in franchise history. McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Lightning for Vladislav Namestnikov, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek and a first round pick that became Nils Lundkvist and the forgotten Karl Henriksson. Ugh.
Jeff Gorton really screwed the pooch with that one. Think Glen Sather with Brian Leetch. That bad. The Leetch trade was even worse. What did they have to show for it? Lauri Korpikoski? Until they traded him for Enver Freaking Lisin. They did swap Max Kondratiev for Petr Sykora for ’06. But that was short-lived. Yikes.
At least they conned the Bruins by getting Ryan Lindgren and turning Ryan Spooner into Strome for Rick Nash. They also turned the first round pick they got into K’Andre Miller by swapping with Ottawa in 2018. What a great trade.
When it comes down to it, some deals turnout much better than others. The McDonagh trade was a disaster. He helped the Lightning win back-to-back Cups. They nearly pulled off a three-peat. It isn’t possible without the likable 33-year old who played for Wisconsin. Bolts fans appreciate him just as much as we did.
If there is a difference between the brothers, Dylan Strome is stronger on face-offs. He posted his best season winning 52.3 percent (460-and-419) of draws. He also had 47 takeaways to just 22 giveaways. A positive for the 25-year old who’s due a qualifying offer of $3.6 million.
Good luck in Nashville, McDonagh 👑
We will miss you. Thank you for all the memories, the leadership, the grit, talent, athleticism, and community you’ve bestowed upon the #GoBolts franchise.
Here’s a closer look at McDonagh’s NHL career. You can see the splits. It includes both regular season and postseason. Mac has never missed the playoffs making it all 12 seasons he’s played so far. He’ll look to make it a lucky 13 in Nashville.
He’s had an outstanding career. It’s hard to believe it was Glen Sather who brought him over from Montreal in a salary dump of Scott Gomez 13 years ago. That trade included Gomez, Tom Pyatt and Michael Busto to the Canadiens in exchange for McDonagh, Chris Higgins, Doug Janik and Pavel Valentenko on June 30, 2009.
While Gomez did have early success helping the Habs make a Cinderella run to the Eastern Conference Final in ’09-10, it was McDonagh who became the Rangers’ best defenseman last decade. After spending three years at Wisconsin, he debuted with the Rangers during ’10-11.
He quickly blossomed into one of the league’s best defensemen. When they faced the Habs in 2014, Mac haunted them by scoring two goals and adding eight assists for a series best 10 points in the Conference Finals. His impact was enormous in helping lead the Blueshirts to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Kings.
From age 21 to 28, he was the best defenseman the Rangers had since Brian Leetch. His skating combined with physicality and instincts made him a tough defenseman for opponents. He and Girardi were often matched up against some of the game’s best players. Alexander Ovechkin had some battles with both.
Now, he moves onto Nashville. A team that made the playoffs due in large part to Roman Josi, who carried them into the second wildcard after the loss of Vezina finalist Juuse Saros. They were no match for the Avalanche minus their starting netminder getting swept.
The Preds are hoping to re-sign big free agent Filip Forsberg. He is in line for a huge contract after achieving career highs in goals (42), assists (42), points (84) and even strength goals (32). The 27-year old right wing made six million this past season. With over $18 million in cap space, Nashville should be able to keep Forsberg. He could cost between nine to ten million. They can offer him the extra year for more term.
Adding McDonagh to the blue line should improve the team defensively. With Josi as the headliner along with Mattias Ekholm and Dante Fabbro, McDonagh can slide into the second pair to help provide more balance. They also still have Jeremy Lauzon and Mark Borowiecki under contract. Plus the promising Alexandre Carrier.
For those critics who claim the Predators did the Lightning a favor, not exactly. They improved their roster. This isn’t a salary dump of a player who is either washed up or done. They just added a high character veteran leader who’ll make the Preds better. As long as they keep Forsberg, they should be in the playoffs again next year.
In minor news that amounts to nothing, the Rangers re-signed Julien Gauthier for a year at $800,000. He requested a trade. It’s obvious that the former first round pick doesn’t have a future in NYC. He didn’t get into one postseason game after totaling a whopping nine points (3 goals) over 49 contests. Hopefully, he’ll be gone soon. I would take a used pair of skates for him.
Kaapo Kakko is in discussions with the club on a new contract. The two sides are said to be close. As long as it’s not more than two years, fine. The 2019 second pick has 26 goals and 32 assists for 58 points in 157 games. He went 2-3-5 in the playoffs and was scratched by Gerard Gallant in Game Six versus the Lightning.
The 21-year old Kakko expressed his disappointment over not playing in what turned out to be the team’s final game of the season. For good reason. When Dryden Hunt plays over you, it’s mind numbing. We’ll see how much that benching motivates him. He has much to prove.
In terms of other early news this off-season, Brock Boeser was re-signed by the Canucks over the weekend. He stays in Vancouver for three years at an AAV of $6.65 million. The first two years don’t include a NTC. Year three does.
The Canucks must decide what to do with J.T. Miller. Their leading scorer set career bests in goals (32), assists (67) and points (99). At 29, he has one more year left on his contract. With a bargain 5.25 million AAV that expires next summer, they don’t have to trade him. They can wait.
Are the Canucks going to sign Miller to an extension? Is he available? Would the Rangers be interested? They were linked to their former first round pick they foolishly included in the McDonagh trade. There is a need at center. If neither Copp or Strome return, maybe Drury checks on Miller’s availability.
Of course, this is pure speculation. I’d be happy to keep Copp, who’s a little younger. He turns 28 in two days. But if there is a considerable market for the Ann Arbor, Michigan native that could include the hometown Red Wings, who are looking to make a splash under Steve Yzerman, he’s as good as gone.
I wouldn’t mind a reunion with Strome if he circled back for a similar cap hit to what Miller currently makes. The issue according to those close is term. He probably wants more security. He really loved being a Ranger. You could see it in his demeanor and interviews. Don’t rule it out.
If not, a possible option might be trading for his younger brother. Dylan Strome is a restricted free agent with the Blackhawks. Also a former third pick, he’s become a good player in Chicago. Originally selected by the Coyotes number three in 2015, he was dealt to the Hawks with Brendan Perlini for Nick Schmaltz.
A left center instead of a right like Ryan, he completed his fourth season with Chicago. In 69 games, Strome posted a career high 22 goals with 26 helpers for 48 points. Seventeen of the twenty-two goals came at even strength. The breakdown was 32 even strength points and 16 power play points.
The Blackhawks will logically try to trade the RFA rights to Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik this week.
But even if they find a suitor, they likely won't get much in return.
His rights could be dealt at the Draft. Rumored suitors include the Blue Jackets, Ducks, Leafs and Senators.
Dylan Strome trade talks are picking up, Strome is a RFA and the Blackhawks seem to be trading his rights. pic.twitter.com/U0DsfCV1Ss
— Chicago Blackhawks News Hub (@HawksNewsHub) July 3, 2022
It feels like a long shot. Other teams have better draft capital. But Strome played well with talented wingers. Maybe he could do similar with Artemi Panarin in New York. He’d cost less for now. But a good season would definitely increase his market value.
There isn’t much else Rangers related happening. Who knows. Maybe we’ll have a better idea after this weekend.
The Avalanche are busy celebrating the Stanley Cup. That is when they’re not damaging it. Add Kurtis MacDermid to the list of players who lost control.
Will they break it like the ’94 Rangers did? Most recently, Cup winning coach Jared Bednar and long-time defenseman Erik Johnson brought the Cup to Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. A nice gesture.
Another great day with the Stanley Cup as Coach Bednar and Erik Johnson took the trophy to the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center. Photo courtesy of Michael Martin Photography #Denver7pic.twitter.com/pcLdEi1aAM
Sharing it with veterans and their families is one of the coolest things ever. Kudos to them on having such a special day for those true heroes who really matter.
Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar and defenseman Erik Johnson took the Stanley Cup to the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center today to share it with veterans, their families and staff. ❤️ #FindAWay#GoAvsGo
Johnson has certainly had fun celebrating with fellow veteran Jack Johnson. Asked if he’s retiring, he told reporters no. He wants to stick around a bit longer. Good. Ditto for Jack Johnson, who comes out looking like gold after how he was treated by our loser fans.
In more news, the Avalanche kept veteran forward Andrew Cogliano. He re-signed for a year, $1.25 million. Good for him. Had he not gotten screwed over, he might still have the longest Iron Man streak. A feat Keith Yandle holds after breaking the record.
Of course, the Avalanche have bigger decisions coming on Darcy Kuemper, Valeri Nichushkin and Kadri. I’m sure they’d love to keep Kadri. But at what cost. Nichushkin should draw a lot of interest. What about Kuemper? Do they keep him? He was the Cup winning goalie. Pavel Francouz is the backup.
With the Draft two days away, there’ll be a lot more rumblings. Stay tuned.
On Sunday night at Amalie Arena, the NHL crowned a new champion. The Colorado Avalanche defeated the two-time champion Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 to take Game Six in enemy territory to win the Stanley Cup.
The Avalanche did it by digging out of an early hole. The Lightning weren’t ready to go down easily. Captain Steven Stamkos scored his 11th of the postseason to put them ahead in front of a great home crowd.
It was the Bolts who came out strong to grab the one-goal lead against the Avalanche. After Andrei Vasilevskiy turned aside Nazem Kadri and Nathan MacKinnon in the early going, Stamkos tallied off a good play from Nikita Kucherov behind the boards with help from Ondrej Palat. That work allowed Stamkos to open the scoring at 3:48.
In a well played first period that saw the Lightning do a good job on the forecheck, Darcy Kuemper made a few key stops to keep the deficit at one. For the starting goalie who was questioned by critics during the playoffs and particularly in the Stanley Cup Finals, he did a good enough job to deliver for winning coach Jared Bednar.
Although they were outshot 10-8 in the first, the Avalanche picked up their play during the second half. They used their speed to generate scoring chances. The best coming when Artturi Lehkonen had a shot graze off the goalpost on a good Kadri feed.
Similar to the previous two games where they fell behind, the Avalanche picked it up in the second period. Nathan MacKinnon had only one goal up to that point. He’d been held in check due to Tampa’s defense that included Victor Hedman or Ryan McDonagh with Erik Cernak or Zach Bogosian. It also featured Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul as the center between Alex Killorn and Brandon Hagel.
The only goal MacKinnon had went off his skate on a power play during Game Four. He’d had so many shots rejected by the gritty Cernak, who’s the Bolts’ version of Jacob Trouba. But also similar to Ryan Lindgren, who came back and played through an ankle sprain during the Rangers’ run to the Conference Finals.
When he wasn’t getting shots blocked, MacKinnon had to contend with the strong play of Vasilevskiy, who often got over to deny his deadly accurate shot from the left circle that includes the one-timer. He’d been frustrated. In fact, the Avalanche showed some frustration following the first period Sunday night.
However, on a strong forecheck shift where a delayed call allowed them to get an extra skater on for a six-on-five, some splendid work from captain Gabriel Landeskog allowed Bowen Byram to get a perfect pass across for a MacKinnon one-timer that just squeaked past Vasilevskiy short side at 1:54 to tie the game.
Following the goal on what was a great shot that Vasilevskiy couldn’t quite get over and seal off the goalpost, the Lightning mildly protested it. Stamkos immediately spoke to both refs Wes McCauley and Gord Dwyer about the play.
As usual, nobody on ABC/ESPN knew what was going on. However, neither did I. This wasn’t a question of offside. But rather about if Paul got clear possession at the same time the penalty was called.
Former NHL ref Dave Jackson chimed in to announcers Sean McDonough and Ray Ferraro that although Paul touched the puck, it wasn’t long enough to be ruled as possession. Had it been, that would’ve led to the play being whistled dead and a Colorado power play. By the definition, they got it right.
Instead, the game was tied. MacKinnon’s 13th of the playoffs swung the game. From that point on, it was the faster skating Avalanche who got the better chances. They started to use their skating legs to put the Lightning on the defensive. That created more pressure and forced Vasilevskiy into some difficult stops.
Although the Bolts kept coming on the forecheck, you never got the feeling they’d get another goal. Unless it was created by Stamkos, Kucherov or Palat, it wasn’t happening. As much as he tried, Kucherov had seven attempts blocked. One of the game’s greatest playoff players couldn’t find the room to get his lethal shot through a stingy Avalanche defense.
The other serious threats were Hedman and the underrated Mikhail Sergachev, who despite getting victimized by Kadri on the crushing overtime winner in Game Four, had a good series. He got extended shifts due to Cernak playing banged up literally.
It was actually their checking line that had Riley Nash with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and three-peat winner Pat Maroon (was bidding for four straight Cups) that was very effective. They got pucks in and forechecked. The issue was aside from Maroon, who scored a nice goal during the Stanley Cup Finals, neither Bellemare or Nash have much finishing touch.
The best opportunity the Lightning got came in transition. A two-on-one pass for a Kucherov shot just missed wide. He had daylight, but was unable to bury it. That came over a minute into the third period with his team trailing by one.
A player who was outstanding during the series was Byram. A former first round pick who replaced injured top four puck moving defenseman Samuel Girard, he had a great night. In 31 shifts (25:48), he finished with a primary assist on the MacKinnon equalizer along with two shots, six attempts, eight hits, a block and plus-one rating.
The 21-year old was picked fourth in the 2019 NHL Draft. In 20 games this postseason, Byram tallied nine assists and went plus-15 while playing second pair with key deadline pickup Josh Manson. Talk about a guy who is gonna get paid this summer. Will it be in Colorado?
It was over halfway through the period that the Avalanche skill and speed again came through. On a good play started by Manson up for a speeding MacKinnon, who got into the Lightning zone, he had his pass take a nice bounce off McDonagh right to Lehkonen who scored what proved to be the Stanley Cup winning goal with 7:32 left in the second.
Lehkonen was another great piece Nordiques/Avalanche legendary GM Joe Sakic added at the trade deadline. The two-way forward used his speed and grit to be a factor during the Avalanche’s third Stanley Cup. The former Canadien registered eight goals with six helpers for 14 points. He’s a restricted free agent in July. A year away from unrestricted status, Lehkonen could see his salary more than double. He had a cap hit of $2.4 million.
The interesting decision that awaits Sakic and the Avalanche is who they choose to keep. How do they let Kadri walk? He had a great season. The former Leaf posted a career best 87 points (28-59-87) and added 15 points (7-8-15) in the playoffs to shed the ridiculous label that he was the reason Toronto couldn’t win. He’ll have the memorable OT winner and this Cup for the rest of his career.
At 31, Kadri will be a big target for many teams who have the room to fit him in. The center had an AAV of $4.5 million. It’s going to take between 9-10 million to sign him. Would he take less term for a little more money? Or what about staying in Colorado where he had so much success and won? Very interesting questions.
The Avalanche have over $26 million in cap space. However, they will have to decide on Kadri, Kuemper, Manson, Valeri Nichushkin, Andre Burakovsky and other UFA’s. They can opt to keep Lehkonen for a year through salary arbitration. He’d at least see a two million increase if they want to save money.
While all of this can be discussed during the off-season that officially started Monday with the 2022 NHL Draft to follow July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal where the Canadiens will have the first pick, let’s get to why the Avalanche didn’t need to go to a deciding Game Seven back at home.
After holding a 13-9 edge in shots during a second period in which the refs let a lot of stuff go including some undetected trips by Colorado players, the Avalanche seized the moment in the third period.
As MacKinnon pointed out in a revealing interview with ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan during intermission, they had the fresher legs. He was proven right.
With the Lightning on fumes from an astonishing third straight run to the Stanley Cup Finals in defense of their last two Cups, the amount of wear and tear really showed in the final period.
Despite being down a goal in front of fans who encouraged their heroes, they couldn’t mount anything. It was the first three minutes in that they had their best push. However, no shots reached Kuemper.
A diving MacKinnon made a block less than a minute in to set the tone. You saw Colorado hound the Lightning skaters by getting in the shooting lanes and passing seams to break up plays. They really frustrated the Bolts, who started to force the action. Even Kucherov had some uncharacteristic turnovers you rarely see.
It took the Lightning over half the period to get a shot on goal. It was a long McDonagh drive from center ice that Kuemper easily handled. The only notable save he had to make was when Palat got the puck over for a Kucherov one-timer that Kuemper denied on a mini two-on-one.
The only other big Kucherov chance came earlier in the period. However, he missed an open side on a Corey Perry feed off a two-on-one. That was the best opportunity the Lightning had at tying it. The former Hart winner just couldn’t connect. It was a frustrating night.
In a period totally dominated by the Avalanche, they really could’ve won by more. But Vasilevskiy wouldn’t allow it. He gave his team every chance to come back. The former Conn Smythe winner was superb making several splendid saves to rob Colorado players. None better than a terrific stop on Valeri Nichushkin point blank.
Vasilevskiy really proved why he’s the game’s best goalie. Even in a Stanley Cup where the Avalanche put up seven in a lopsided Game Two, he got better as the series went on. The Avs had a lot of puck luck on some of their goals. They created it.
Aside from not having much left in the gas tank, the biggest difference was how the Avalanche swarmed the two-time defending champs. They attacked at every opportunity. It was a brilliant Vasilevskiy who made 28 saves including nine in a lopsided final period. He really couldn’t have done more.
Aside from the long McDonagh shot and Kucherov chance, the Bolts only got two more shots on Kuemper, who handled them without any problem. Even with the sellout crowd of 19,092 encouraging their team with “Let’s Go Bolts!!!” chants, they were only able to muster a Killorn tip-in try and Paul shot with over a minute left in Game Six.
The Lightning just couldn’t get much set up even with Vasilevskiy on the bench for a six-on-five. The Avs surrounded Kucherov and Palat. Both of who had good series. They blocked four attempts late including two from Kucherov with his final one coming with 34 seconds remaining.
It was that kind of attention to detail that allowed the Avalanche to closeout the Lightning on the road. With Kucherov scrambling to the bench after breaking his twig, the Tampa equipment manager didn’t have a new stick ready.
That resulted in an ugly scene with a visibly frustrated Kucherov tossing his glove at the poor manager. He wasn’t on for the final seconds. It didn’t matter. That’s how well the Avalanche defended. They protected a one-goal lead like it was much bigger. Their desire to win the franchise’s first Cup in 21 years put them over the top.
When the buzzer sounded, the Avalanche mobbed one another on the ice. You had a surreal scene with MacKinnon diving on top of Erik Johnson and hugging him. He’d been vocal about how they hadn’t accomplished anything after losing in the second round again last year. This time, he along with captain Gabriel Landeskog were Stanley Cup champions.
It was a true T-E-A-M effort. The Avalanche were crowned champs because they were the best team left standing. Even if they caught breaks along the way, you need to take advantage. They did in the first round and Western Conference Final.
Colorado finished 16-4 in capturing their third Cup. Two losses to the Blues in a good second round. Two defeats versus the Lightning in a very hard fought Stanley Cup. Four games decided by a single goal. Two won by the Avalanche in overtime. They went 3-1 in one-goal games in the series. The Lightning took Game Five in Colorado 3-2 to force the Avs to dig deeper.
Most astonishing is the Avalanche only lost one road game during their run. They went a remarkable 9-1 outscoring opponents 43-29. They were 7-3 at home outscoring opponents 42-26.
Add it all up and the ’21-22 Colorado Avalanche were the most dominant team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Of their 16 victories, 10 were in comeback fashion. By far the most. The Lightning had five and the Rangers four by comparison. Those were the last three teams left.
While the Avalanche celebrated on one end, you had exhausted Lightning players down on the ice in a sadder scene. Palat being one of those Bolts who gave everything he had. He finished with 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points. The second most behind team leader Kucherov, who finished with 27 points (8-19-27) in the postseason.
With the Lightning close to the cap limit for 2022-23, will they find a way to keep Palat. A seventh round gem in 2011 taken 204th. Now 31, he’s been an outstanding player. In 628 career games, Pally as he’s affectionately known has 423 points (143-280-423) and a plus-147 rating. The clutch playoff performer with a flair for the dramatic as he proved against the Rangers and Avalanche, is 48-46-94 in 138 postseason games.
Now an unrestricted free agent, Palat could cash in. He earned $5.3 million for the final year of his contract. If Tampa GM Julian BriseBois can keep him, he’ll have to get creative. That could mean moving a player to free up necessary space. Palat is in line for at least $6 million. A team could offer more in dollars and term.
That’s the reality of the salary cap era. It’s why what the Lightning did under coach Jon Cooper was so impressive. They made it as far as they could possibly go despite losing their whole third line last year. They did so on sheer guts and determination.
A day following losing the Cup after holding it for over two years, it was revealed that Brayden Point suffered a significant quad tear. How he played Games One and Two of the Stanley Cup is incredible. The Lightning wisely shut him down. He should make a full recovery in a few weeks according to Tampa reporter Joe Smith of The Athletic.
Kucherov dealt with a meniscus injury during the postseason. You wouldn’t have known it the way he played. He still was a serious threat who finished every check and played the way he always has.
McDonagh battled through a mangled finger. As we know, the former Rangers captain is a warrior. He once played on a broken foot in an excruciating series loss seven years ago to the Lightning. He took a boarding minor in the final game that handed the Avs their only power play. But the Lightning killed it off to hang around.
Maybe the biggest injury was to Cirelli. He suffered an AC joint sprain that’ll require surgery. He still played through it with Cooper limiting his minutes by moving up Paul, who really boosted his stock this summer. I’m not going to do it now. But I have some interesting thoughts on the gritty Paul, who filled in well at center and won face-offs.
Bellemare also played through a meniscus injury. What I want to know is how Cernak was able to avoid serious injury after some of those huge blocks. It reminded me of Ryan Lindgren. Cernak is a gamer. No way will he be moved in the off-season.
Injuries are always part of the playoff grind. The Avalanche won without Girard, who suffered a broken sternum against the Blues in the second round. They were able to overcome the loss due to the play of Byram and believe it or not, Jack Johnson. Yes. The same Jack Johnson our fans treated like crap. He gave them important minutes as the sixth defenseman.
He and Erik Johnson were once taken very high in back-to-back drafts. Erik went first overall in 2006 to St. Louis. Jack was picked third by Carolina in 2005. Both waited a long time to win Cups. As did Amdrew Cogliano.
To see Landeskog hand the Cup off to Erik Johnson first was pretty cool. He nearly retired due to all the injuries. Ditto for Cogliano and Jack Johnson who got their moments before MacKinnon, Kuemper and superstar Cale Makar, who added the Conn Smythe to his trophy collection that includes a Calder, Norris and his first Cup.
Before the Stanley Cup was passed around in a small circle due to way too many people on the ice (biggest gripe compared to old days), you had an emotional handshake between the two teams. You could see the respect factor with the Avalanche players having some positive words for the Lightning and all they accomplished.
It’s always great to see players acknowledge a special goalie like Vasilevskiy. Something we saw during what felt like the longest televised Stanley Cup celebration on network TV. ABC did a great job sticking with it. Kaplan had plenty of interviews on ice.
Even the legendary Kevin Weekes interviewed a very gracious Cooper afterwards. Is there a better loser than him? It helps that he won the Cup twice. He’s taken the Lightning to four of the last eight Finals. They lost to the Blackhawks in six games once. Then had some tough times including the Columbus sweep before lifting the trophy in 2020 and ’21.
What they achieved in winning 11 consecutive series may never be done again in the cap era. He said he was most proud of what this group did. They are a modern day Dynasty even though they fell short of a historic three-peat. They nearly beat four 50-win teams. Something that’s never been done in Stanley Cup history.
You wonder what Corey Perry was thinking after losing in the Finals for a third straight year. He also lost in 2020 as a Dallas Star and in 2021 as a Montreal Canadien to the Lightning. Now he knows how Marian Hossa felt. The only difference is the former Hart winner won the Cup with the Ducks in 2007. He’s still a good player. He contributed six goals and five assists in the playoffs.
Pat Maroon saw his Cup streak end at three. He was lucky to not get a penalty for a cheap slash after the Lehkonen goal. That should’ve been called. He was frustrated that a penalty wasn’t called on Manson earlier on that shift. But there was no excuse in that situation.
Like I said, they let a lot go. There easily could’ve been five more power plays. Three for Tampa and two for Colorado. It was decided at five-on-five. A Lightning strength that wasn’t in the last game. They didn’t have enough left.
In case you were wondering about ratings, it was a rousing success. ABC saw a huge turnout for the Stanley Cup. As much criticism as many gave them for some of their broadcast, nobody can question viewership which dramatically increased. Plus their end of Stanley Cup coverage that included a great video montage of the postseason dwarfed OLNVersus NBC. They aren’t missed. Though I wish Kathryn Tappen was still a part of hockey. She still follows the sport.
Viewership of the 2022 #StanleyCup Final on @ABCNetwork capped off a monumental season of #NHL viewership across ESPN platforms
It matters that they’re drawing so many new fans. It’ll help grow the sport even more. I really liked Bill Daly’s speech before presenting the Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup. With commissioner Gary Bettman recovering from Covid, it was Daly who stood in and did a great job by heaping praise on what tremendous champions the Lightning were. Most fans stayed and saluted their heroes and cheered.
Daly sure paid homage to both teams in what was a great Stanley Cup. He gave the Avalanche their due. The only thing that was different or a distraction were all the wives and blonde girlfriends (they all looked related) on the ice along with family. Plus cameramen and wires everywhere making it impossible for players to take a victory lap with Lord Stanley. That shouldn’t be. Get these people off the ice. Let the Avalanche players have their moment. It’s ridiculous.
You didn’t have that chaos in the glory days. Teams could celebrate easier without all the traffic. The Avalanche also became the first team to damage the Cup on the ice. As they were getting ready to take the team picture, Nicolas Aube-Kubel dropped it as he dove into the photo. Landeskog knew it.
You cannot make it up. It was a momentous occasion. Hopefully, the Keepers of the Cup can repair the damage. That Cup will be doing plenty of travel around the world.
I was going to include my thoughts on the Hall Of Fame. It was a gong show. The HHOF is a joke. I’ll make it short and sweet.
How Alexander Mogilny still isn’t in is a joke. They’d rather put in Daniel and Henrik Sedin on their first year of eligibility and include people nobody has ever heard of. Congrats to Roberto Luongo and Daniel Alfredsson. Nothing against The Sedins. Both great players who are deserving of the honor. They should’ve waited.
I wrote a column in 2019 on the omission of Mogilny. Yet here we still are. What is the holdup? Is it the Canadian bias from former players in Toronto? Is it the ridiculous politics that the sport has become due to the war in Ukraine? Mogilny was better than Alfredsson and both Sedins. He should’ve been in a while ago.
You talk about a great player who sacrificed everything to come over to North America. He risked his life. He didn’t have permission like Slava Fetisov. Mogilny scored goals that left your hair standing up. He was electrifying. A triple gold member. A Stanley Cup winner. A 76-goal season in ’92-93 when he formed a dynamic duo in Buffalo playing alongside Pat LaFontaine. Mogilny and Teemu Selanne each had 76 that season.
Mogilny was productive everywhere he went. The Sabres, Canucks, Devils and Maple Leafs. He was over a point-per-game for his career. Neither Sedin was as exciting as they were to watch with Henrik winning the Hart and Daniel a Pearson. As great as Alfredsson was, he never was a point-per-game for his career.
They’re all Hall Of Fame players. That’s not the issue here. It’s how the committee has handled it. They’ve butchered it. They are insulting longtime hockey fans and media like Larry Brooks, who again devoted part of his Slap Shots Sunday column to Mogilny a day before Monday when the latest disappointment came. Just call it the Hall Of Shame!
How is Stan Fischler not in? All these years. His contributions to the sport have been immense. I interned for The Hockey Maven. He is a living legend and hockey thesaurus. Nobody tells better stories than Fischler.
For over a half a century, he’s been involved with the game. Whether it was working for the Rangers or for the Islanders and Devils in a broadcasting capacity, he has done it all. So did his wife Shirley. She was a pioneer for women in the business. How do they continue to ignore her and Stan?
It’s absurd. The Fischler Report is still being published even now. Friend of the site Sean McCaffrey contributes to a column that appears in The Hockey News. Stan loved his book on the real history of the New York Rangers. I’ve covered it.
We all know they’ve overlooked the original Rangers who helped the franchise win half their Cups. The Bread Line of Frank Boucher, Bill and Bun Cook. Dave Kerr. Bryan Hextall. Ching Johnson. Lester Patrick. Lynn Patrick. Neil Colville. Lorne Chabot. Chuck Rayner.
So many great names synonymous with the early success of the Original Six franchise. Madison Square Garden refuses to recognize them. The real blame goes to the Rangers organization, who waited way too long to honor legends Andy Bathgate, Harry Howell and Jean Ratelle. They never even had a night for Emile Francis.
You think Fischler hasn’t covered this important topic. He is an encyclopedia of knowledge. Stan turned 90 this year. He’s still as sharp as ever. He lives in Israel witu his family, but still remains dedicated to the sport. He’s a legend.
One of my favorite parts of working the Devils production truck in ’00-01 before I moved onto ESPN thanks to Stan, was listening to his tales of wit that started those meetings. The jokes. Some that can’t be repeated if you know what I mean. 😉 He’s a character. But most importantly, a professional. My greatest lesson.
I’m glad Fischler went into the U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame. He sure deserved it. Even that took too long. Would you think the Rangers would acknowledge it when he was in town?? Of course not. The Islanders did. I would hope the Devils did even if their organization isn’t what it used to be.
The history of the sport should hold a special place. But when you look real closely at how the Hall Of Shame operates and the Rangers, it really raises an eye. I’d it that hard to get it right?
One last thing. In an email with Brooks on the HHOF, he had an interesting thought on Jeremy Roenick. Although he is one of the greatest American born players with over 500 goals, his career took a nosedive. The trade out of Chicago hurt. He was still a very good player for the Coyotes where he played witu Keith Tkachuk. But wasn’t as explosive. Ditto for the Flyers where they couldn’t quite get it done in ’04 against the Lightning.
Perhaps Roenick hanging on at the end to get to 500 goals hurt his candidacy. He’s never even mentioned. His politics probably doesn’t help. But should that even matter? NBC proved how out of touch they were. JR is a great listen when he appears on After The Whistle with Craig Rivet and Andrew Peters. He pulls no punches. That’s why.
Regardless if you’re pro or con on Roenick, Brooks agreed with me on Rick Middleton versus Guy Carbonneau. He also didn’t take issue with the suggestion of the much overlooked Steve Larmer, who was over a point-per-game while being a terrific two-way player who helped the Rangers the Cup in ’94.
There are other examples of players who should be in. The point is they’ve turned the Hall into a joke. Until Mogilny is in, I’ll continue to skip over the event in November.
This is probably my longest post of the season. For good reason. A lot had to be said. To put a bow on a great season. A terrific Stanley Cup. Plus the HHOF nonsense.
Congratulations to the Avalanche and the Lightning! Here’s hoping it’s our team next year.
Ondrej Palat is interviewed by Emily Kaplan. Photo by ABC/ESPN
Ondrej Palat scored his seventh career postseason winner with 6:22 remaining in the third period to keep the Lightning alive in their chase for a three-peat. They defeated the Avalanche 3-2 to hold the celebration in Colorado and force Game Six back in Tampa.
Twice, the Avalanche came back to tie the score. Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar tallied in the tough home defeat. But their bid for a third Stanley Cup fell short in Game Five.
It was again the heroics of Palat who delivered in the clutch for the Lightning. His one-timer from the slot snuck through Darcy Kuemper and took a good bounce at 13:38 of the third period to give the Bolts a 3-2 lead.
The play was set up thanks to a good forecheck. After Makar tied it when he had the good fortune to have his shot carom off Erik Cernak and in at 2:31 of the third, Mikhail Sergachev hit the crossbar. But it would be Sergachev who passed back for Victor Hedman, who found Palat open for the game-winner.
It was a well played game. The best of the Stanley Cup. The Lightning were able to do a better job managing the puck to move it up through the neutral zone and forecheck. The Avalanche continued to use their superior speed to generate scoring chances.
Twice, the Lightning went ahead in the first two periods. Jan Rutta scored the game’s first goal when he took a Corey Perry feed and surprised Kuemper with a shot that went underneath his glove at 15:23 of the first.
With Vasilevskiy making 12 saves in an evenly played period, the Lightning took a one-goal lead to the locker room. But the Avalanche ramped it up in a better second period to get the crowd going.
Finally, Nichushkin was able to score his fourth of the series when he rebounded home a deflected Makar shot that fooled Vasilevskiy. The puck bounced out of his glove right to Nichushkin for the tying goal at 5:07.
Although they continued to apply pressure, the Avalanche never went ahead. Vasilevskiy remained sharp by making 13 saves in the period.
Following offsetting penalties on Alex Killorn and J.T. Compher, Makar took down Palat to put the Lightning on a four-on-three power play. This time, they converted. Jon Cooper took a risk by going with four forwards.
It worked when off a good fake shot and pass from Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov was able to blast a one-timer through a Perry screen past Kuemper into the top half of the net to put the Bolts up 2-1. It was a huge goal.
Even bigger, they killed off a Ross Colton high-sticking minor late in the period. Playing a bit more aggressively and able to get sticks on pucks and make key clears, they limited the dangerous Colorado power play to two shots. Both saved by Vasilevskiy.
The third was well played. On a good play in transition started by Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews got the puck across for a pinching Makar, whose shot took a good bounce off Cernak to beat Vasilevskiy with 17:29 left.
It was similar to Game Four. In that one, the Avalanche tied it up when Andrew Cogliano had a puck deflect off him on a Nico Sturm rebound. They would win that game with Nazem Kadri scoring the overtime winner.
But this time, the Lightning hung in there. Vasilevskiy made the key saves after the Avalanche push with the crowd chanting, “We Want The Cup!!!”
Spectacular game in a great final in an awesome playoffs.
Eventually, it was the Lightning who were able to come out of their zone and catch the Avalanche napping. On some good pressure, Sergachev and Hedman combined to set up Palat for a quick shot that Kuemper almost saved. But the puck trickled through his pads and banked in to make it 3-2 with 6:22 left in regulation.
In a twist of fate, the Avalanche got caught for a bench minor for too many men on the ice with 2:43 left in the third. Perry noticed it immediately and alerted the officials who had to call it. Colorado had a bad line change at an inopportune time.
Although they didn’t score on the five-on-four, the Bolts killed two minutes off the clock. That left the Avalanche in scramble mode getting Kuemper off with over 40 seconds left for a six-on-five.
They did get one chance. However, the shot never reached the net due to the Lightning defense. With under 10 seconds left, a hustling Anthony Cirelli forced Makar offside after his shot was stopped by Vasilevskiy.
Another offside sealed the win for the Lightning. They skated off with the grueling one-goal win to force a Game Six back home in Tampa tomorrow night. If they can win, they’ll have a chance at history. Only the 1942 Maple Leafs have ever rallied back to win the Cup from a 3-1 series deficit.
With Cirelli unable to take draws, the Lightning relied heavily on Stamkos and Nick Paul in the circle. They combined to go 34-for-60 on face-offs. Tampa went 40-and-34 due in large part to the work of Stamkos and Paul.
In a losing effort, Makar had a goal and assist. He’s up to 29 points (8-21-29) in the playoffs. Only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are ahead of him. If the Avalanche win the Cup, he’s the favorite to win the Conn Smythe.
If they can pull off the comeback and make history, the Lightning would have both Kucherov (8-19-27) and the clutch Palat (11-9-20) in the mix for the Conn Smythe.
It should be interesting to see what happens. The hockey has gotten better. The games are very exciting which bodes well for ABC/ESPN in the ratings. Will it have a dramatic conclusion and go seven? We’ll find out Sunday night.
Controversy surrounded the conclusion of a well played Game Four won by the Avalanche in overtime 3-2 over the Lightning in Tampa.
They now are one win away from winning their third Stanley Cup. Game Five is Friday in Colorado.
Unfortunately, the goal Nazem Kadri scored at 12:02 of sudden death wasn’t without controversy. The key Avalanche center returned after missing the last four games due to a Evander Kane cheap shot that injured him versus Edmonton in the Western Conference Final.
Kadri was back for Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals. He scored the biggest goal of the series with 7:58 remaining in the first overtime. At least so far. Unless the Lightning can rally back from a 3-1 deficit. They’re already aiming to make history by coming back from an 0-2 hole in both the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals.
The Avalanche are a game away due to their ability to come from behind. Twice, they trailed by a goal last night. That included a fortunate bounce off Andrew Cogliano who had a Nico Sturm rebound carom off him past Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie it up with 17:07 left in the third period.
A critical tying goal that came courtesy of their fourth line. Without the grit of Darren Helm, Sturm and the very playoff experienced Cogliano, the game might not have reached OT. That big shift by the checking unit proved large in Colorado’s comeback win.
What could haunt the Lightning is their inability to excel on special teams. They’ll need to dig deeper than they ever have. As Victor Hedman told reporters following the tough loss, they’ve never trailed a series three games to one. Now, they must play their best game to win in enemy territory to force a Game Six back in their building. Something captain Steven Stamkos alluded to.
The Bolts got off to a great start. Anthony Cirelli scored 36 seconds into the game when he got to his own rebound and beat Darcy Kuemper. The do everything two-way center out-hustled the Avs in front on a Erik Cernak shot to score for a second straight game to put the Lightning up early.
But in a first period they controlled by out-shooting the Avalanche 17-4 including 9-1 at one point, the Lightning were unable to extend the lead. That included a failed power play that’s hurt them so far. In a game where refs Wes McCauley and Kelly Sutherland let a lot of stuff go, they were 0-for-2 on the five-on-four.
Thus far, the Lightning have only scored once on the power play. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have now converted six times when on the man-advantage. That included an excuse me goal from a struggling Nathan MacKinnon that tied it at one over five minutes into the second.
With Hedman off for interference on Sturm who he knocked down, the Avs moved the puck around and had some big keeps before Mikko Rantanen had a shot that took a favorable carom right off a driving MacKinnon, whose back skate deflected the puck just past an unlucky Vasilevskiy. It was his first goal of the series.
It’s that kind of luck which sometimes determines these big games. On Thursday night at Amalie Arena, the Avalanche had it. They got the breaks which helped them take a 3-1 series lead with a chance to wrap it up tomorrow night on ABC.
After failing to convert on a second power play where Kuemper made a huge glove save to deny Stamkos from the slot, the Lightning got a great goal from Hedman to take back the lead with 9:18 left in the period.
On a simple outlet from Jan Rutta, Hedman was able to skate through the middle of the ice and blow by two soft stick waves before surprising Kuemper with a deceptive backhand that beat him far side at 10:42.
A brilliant play by the future Hall Of Famer. Hedman got his third of the postseason to restore a one-goal lead in favor of the Bolts.
Over a minute later, Stamkos got nabbed for a soft hook on Gabriel Landeskog. To me watching, it looked like a legal stick lift by the Lightning captain. But they called it hooking. It wasn’t the only weak call. I didn’t think Bowen Byram should’ve been in the box either for another phantom hook on Hedman. It mirrored the Stamkos minor.
Despite some great zone time spent in the Tampa zone, the Avalanche were unable to score on Vasilevskiy. He made the key saves to keep his team ahead. Unlike the opening period where it was Kuemper making the critical stops, it was Vasilevskiy who made 16 of 17 saves in a stronger second period by Colorado.
The only goal in the third came thanks to some strong work from the Avalanche down low. On a play started by the gritty Helm, it was Sturm who was able to chip a backhand floater towards the net that banked right off of Cogliano to beat Vasilevskiy only 2:53 into the period.
It was another good bounce for the Avalanche. Both their goals in regulation didn’t cleanly beat Vasilevskiy, who played well throughout. He made 34 saves on 37 shots to suffer the hard luck defeat.
As the third moved on, you could feel the intensity pick up. Both sides knew it was only going to take the next goal to decide the outcome.
The Lightning came the closest. On a clean face-off win by Stamkos, the puck came right back for a Kucherov shot that hit the crossbar with 11:33 left in regulation. It was well executed. But another example of luck not being on the Tampa side.
In a similar defensive minded style they were able to execute to perfection at five-on-five in the last round against the Rangers, the Lightning nearly won it in the final minute.
But unlike Ondrej Palat closing one game that swung the Eastern Conference Final, this time Nick Paul was denied in tight by Kuemper, who also made a good save on Hedman. That proved large.
In overtime, it was mostly Avs. Able to use the long change to their advantage to fuel their transition game led by Cale Makar, Devon Toews and MacKinnon, they really tilted the ice against a tired looking Bolts.
Vasilevskiy made some strong saves on Val Nichushkin and Makar. He also denied Logan O’Connor on a mini break to keep the Lightning alive. He really did his part also denying Landeskog before finally catching a break when a Byram high shot drew iron.
Following the stoppage midway through the overtime, Ryan McDonagh and Mikhail Sergachev got caught on for a long shift. Both stalwarts were on for the final 1:34 of sudden death.
However, that’s not the story. After another big save by Vasilevskiy on Landeskog, the Lightning were able to change the forwards. While Cirelli, Alex Killorn and Brandon Hagel got off for Kucherov, Stamkos and Palat, a smart play by Kuemper got the puck to Artturi Lehkonen.
Lehkonen was able to move it up for Kadri at the Lightning blue line. He was able to do the rest by going around Sergachev and inside to fire a shot that at first nobody could tell what happened. Astonishingly, even McCauley didn’t see it behind the net.
Neither did ESPN/ABC lead play-by-play man Sean McDonough. He botched the call. He thought Vasilevskiy saved it. Seeing it live, it didn’t look like he did. It was strange. It wasn’t until Byram noticed the puck was in behind the Tampa net that the Avalanche celebrated.
At least Ray Ferraro corrected McDonough by describing what a play Kadri made to win the game. He probably had the production truck in his ear telling him it was in. They have those different looks in the truck that show such key plays.
But after ABC signed off the air following Emily Kaplan’s interview with Kadri, who said he was happy to get into the fray and contribute, even indicating that he wasn’t sure he scored, that’s when all hell broke loose.
Elliotte Friedman followed up a tweet from Lightning beat reporter Joe Smith who indicated that Cooper cut his postgame press conference short due to what they saw on the video replay.
Unfortunately, it was clear as day that the Avalanche had one too many skaters still on the ice when Kadri came on. I was able to pause it and count six before the line change was completed. Here’s how the play looked. Freeze it at 18 seconds and you’ll notice what happened.
Obviously, it’s a tough way to lose a game. Especially one as critical in the Stanley Cup. Kadri made a great play and shot to score the overtime winner. Take nothing away from him. He won it.
I thought Cooper was overreacting when I saw this quote but looking at the tape, he's right. Five Avs here, Byram in the d-zone, Colorado in control of the puck. Too many men for a solid few seconds. Legitimate gripe https://t.co/FFbffkTd2Tpic.twitter.com/cNlAyor2c8
But I agree with what Cooper said on the winner. This one will sting for a while. Especially if his team can’t come back. To their credit, they said the right things.
"My heart breaks for the players cause we probably still should be playing."
— Bally Sports Sun: Lightning (@BallyLightning) June 23, 2022
Being able to pull off a 3-1 comeback is all about having the right mindset. The Lightning have enough Stanley Cup experience in that room to give it a shot. Like Stamkos noted they won’t go down easily. It’ll be interesting to see if they can get Game Five at Colorado and force Game Six back at home.
When you have the well respected Kevin Weekes stating the obvious about the too many men on the ice call that was missed in a good segment with the biased John Buccigross (could he openly root anymore for the Avalanche geez), it speaks volumes. Then, the NHL showed their incompetence by releasing a fugazi statement on the goal.
Why even bother? It’s an insult to hockey fans. They’d be better off saying nothing. It’s no different than the NBA or NFL do the same thing. The difference being is the NHL can’t even admit the four blind mice got it wrong. Ugh.
It doesn’t matter now. It won’t change the outcome of Game Four. It’s in the books. Avalanche 3. Lightning 2. In overtime. Kadri from Lehkonen and Kuemper at 12:02.
At this point in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Avalanche are just a little bit better than the Lightning. Whether it’s due to them being fresher from two layups that afforded them eight days off after dismantling the goalie and defense optional Oilers in the Conference Finals, their combination of size, skill, speed and grit have been a factor against the Lightning.
It’s easy to point to how much hockey the two-time defending champs have played the last three years including this run. They already dug deep in the first round to defeat the Maple Leafs. Then reeled off four in a row against the Rangers last round when our team had them on the ropes until Kucherov and Stamkos scored power play goals. Palat’s winner changed things.
There’s something to be said about the grit and determination the Lightning have shown. You see it whenever Erik Cernak sells out to block shots like the one that injured him. He returned, but hardly played. Ditto for Stamkos, who blocked four himself. Tampa had 34 blocks including seven from Sergachev, five from Palat and four from Cirelli.
Shot attempts were 90-68 in favor of Colorado. That was despite getting off to a slow start. It indicates how many shots they take. Once they get going in transition and on the forecheck, they’re pretty tough to stop.
The Lightning have done a good job limiting them offensively at even strength. But will need their best game to extend the series. That means concise passes and better clears along with stronger special teams. Even in a game there weren’t many penalties, they came out on the wrong side.
You could also make a good argument that there were at least three misses in the third period. Even McDonough and Ferraro noticed that the Avalanche got away with a couple of obvious ones including a trip from Landeskog on Hedman in the neutral zone.
As bad as their power play has been, the Lightning didn’t get the chance to see if they could decide it due to McCauley and Sutherland letting everything go. We’ll never know.
What is intriguing is following Game Five to see what is left in the tank for the Lightning. A championship team that’s reached the final round three straight times having repeated.
You have to go all the way back to 1982 for the last time a team appeared in three consecutive Finals. That would be the Islanders Dynasty that won four straight Cups and won a playoff record 19 straight series. Edmonton finally dethroned them in ’84.
What the Bolts have achieved in the very challenging salary cap era is remarkable. It might never be done again. Regardless if they have one more incredible push at a three-peat, it’s been a great run.
We’ll learn more about them starting tomorrow night.
Igor Shestyorkin won his first Vezina as the league’s best goalie at last night’s NHL Awards ceremony in Tampa Bay. He matched Henrik Lundqvist by winning the Vezina and finishing third for the Hart in a memorable season.
On Tuesday night in Tampa Bay, Igor Shestyorkin was recognized by most normal general managers when he easily won his first Vezina as the league’s best goalie at the NHL Awards on ESPN.
After a memorable ’21-22 season that saw him win 36 games while leading the league in GAA (2.07), save percentage (.935) with six shutouts, Czar Igor (credit to Sean McCaffrey of bluecollarblueshirts.com) was crowned The Vezina winner. He received 29 first place votes from the 32 GM’s who voted. Three cast votes for their goalie including former recipient Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Lightning, Frederik Andersen of the Hurricanes, and Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders.
I’ll save the rant about how out of touch the Godfather Lou Lamoriello is. He is a bitter old man. It is what it is. I feel no such animosity towards Julien BriseBois or Don Waddell, who both voted for two of the game’s best netminders. How Andersen wasn’t third over Saros I don’t understand. No disrespect meant. Saros meant a lot to the Predators, who were no match against Colorado without him.
For Shestyorkin, it was a nice coronation that recognized his achievements. He made 52 starts and appeared in 53 games. Both career highs along with the 36 victories, 2.07 GAA, .935 save percentage and six shutouts. The 26-year old Russian netminder who the Rangers stole in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Draft with pick number 118 spoke in English when he received the prestigious award from Kevin Weekes.
Thanking the Rangers organization along with teammates and specifically goalie coach Benoit Allaire for believing in him, Shestyorkin made sure to mention his wife who is pregnant with their first baby. He also paid his respect to both Markstrom and Saros for their outstanding seasons.
The Vezina Trophy goes to none other than Igor Shesterkin, a stalwart in goal all season long 🔒 pic.twitter.com/Wp9nCJdAlO
It was nice to see him opt to speak exclusively in English. He did well in speaking eloquently at the podium. He also would get an interview with the very busy ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan. There was a lot to like about how Igor handled himself on what was a great occasion. He also has a dry sense of humor as Kaplan found out.
Igor Shesterkin says he gets his headbands on a cheap deal from Amazon 🤣
Without his brilliant play, the Rangers don’t reach the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in seven years. Similar to former franchise goalie Henrik Lundqvist in 2012, Shestyorkin carried them as far as possible. He won five elimination games including three in a row during the first round to lead a 3-1 comeback to beat the Penguins.
It was his splendid play in the second round that made the difference in the Rangers taking the final two games including a second consecutive Game Seven to eliminate the Hurricanes in enemy territory. Although they fell short in losing four straight to the two-time defending champion Lightning in gut wrenching fashion to drop the Conference Final four games to two, Shestyorkin provided plenty of critical saves to give them a chance at the upset.
Igor Shesterkin became the fifth goaltender since 2002 -03 to guide his team to the third round of the postseason in the same season he won the Vezina Trophy. pic.twitter.com/46cT0hsPl7
For the postseason, he finished 10-9 in 20 starts with a 2.59 GAA and .929 save percentage. The 720 shots faced along with the 669 saves made still lead all goalies this playoffs. It speaks to the high volume of shots he faced.
No more so than in his postseason debut when he made 79 saves on 83 shots in a 4-3 triple overtime loss to the Pens on May 3. An incredible effort despite Evgeni Malkin getting the winner on a deflection. Despite a couple of tough games in Pittsburgh that put the team in a 3-1 hole, Shestyorkin never wavered in confidence. He was able to move on and backstop the Rangers to their first series win since defeating the Canadiens in 2017.
Although he finished a distant third for the Hart Trophy which went to Auston Matthews, whose 60 goals and 106 points were hard to ignore while leading the Maple Leafs, Shestyorkin being recognized as a top three player for league MVP is a great honor. It’s not often goalies get recognized by the voters over skaters. Connor McDavid finished a distant runner-up behind Matthews, who also was recognized by his peers by winning the Ted Lindsay Award as voted on by the players.
Johnny Gaudreau, Jonathan Huberdeau and Kirill Kaprizov finished fourth, fifth and sixth. They got it right.
In a very close vote, the Norris went to Cale Makar of the Avalanche. He outdistanced Roman Josi, who actually received more first place votes. The difference was that Makar got more second place votes by the writers. Adam Fox was fifth despite playing through an injury. Boston’s Charlie McAvoy finished fourth.
Personally, I felt Josi deserved it for carrying the Predators to the playoffs. He had 96 points and was unbelievable down the stretch. Makar might’ve gotten some home cooking from the Canadian contingent. He’s a great player. But this feels similar to when Ray Bourque edged Scott Stevens. That was even closer.
The Calder went to Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider. He won comfortably over runner-up Trevor Zegras and Michael Bunting. It was the right call by voters to give the Rookie of The Year to the multidimensional Seider, who should challenge for the Norris in the future. Teammate Lucas Raymond finished fourth.
They also highlighted other awards that were already announced during the playoffs. That included Patrice Bergeron winning a record fifth Selke for the NHL’s top defensive forward. As huge a fan of Bergeron as I am which dates back to his rookie season after Boston took him number 45 in 2003, I hope he comes back. He’s still got something left.
Although I don’t care for his on ice antics which now include dangerous slewfoots and trips that seriously injure players like Sammy Blais, I have no issue with P.K. Subban winning the King Clancy for all his off ice work in the community. He’s a very unselfish player who’s had a great foundation since 2014 when he was with the Canadiens. Subban won’t be back with the Devils. It’ll be interesting to see if he catches on elsewhere. He has a future in broadcasting when it’s over.
As much as I love and respect Carey Price for overcoming his substance abuse issues to return to the net for Montreal, I feel that Kevin Hayes deserved to win the Masterton for what he endured following the tragic death of brother Jimmy Hayes. Both were strong candidates. What Kevin had to handle was even harder and more personal than Price. My heart goes out to the Hayes family.
Aside from Kenan Thompson amusing viewers with his wit and funny bits, he knows the sport. What would you expect from the current SNL star who first came to fame as Russ Tyler in Mighty Ducks 2 with the knuckle puck? He also was part of Kenan and Kel and originally from All That on Nickelodeon. A funny and talented comedian whose career has taken off.
I thought overall, ESPN did a good job. Even if it was only limited to an hour with them cutting away at the end for precious WNBA action, the event was live for the first time in three years.
Thompson and co-host Ashley Brewer were good at presenting awards and bringing attention to special human interest stories such as the courageous Chris Snow of Calgary. He’s battling ALS. Seeing him walk up on stage and speak with his wife and two kids was touching. He’s a true inspiration.
I also loved seeing Brian “Red” Hamilton come up with Nadia Popovici, who saved the life of Hamilton by noticing he had a cancerous mole on the back of his neck while sitting behind the Canucks equipment manager at a Kraken game. The med student and Seattle Kraken fan is special. It’s a remarkable story. They presented the Hart to Matthews.
"I cannot thank this amazing woman enough for saving my life."#Canucks very own, Brian 'Red' Hamilton with his MVP, Nadia Popovici, presenting at the #NHLAwards 👏 pic.twitter.com/unhC2bzxsx
Rangers Team President and GM Chris Drury is also up for the Jim Gregory Award as GM of the Year. With a strong season that included key additions Barclay Goodrow, Ryan Reaves, Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, Tyler Motte and Justin Braun, plus hiring Gerard Gallant who guided the Rangers to 52 wins and 110 points to finish third for the Jack Adams, Drury is a deserving candidate.
Drury is up against Tampa GM Julien BriseBois and Colorado GM Joe Sakic. While both are good choices, their teams had lofty expectations. They’re supposed to be where they are facing each other for the Stanley Cup. The Rangers over achieved and were the third team remaining in their first Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017. A credit to both Drury and Gallant along with the players.
Speaking of the Cup, the Avalanche had their 2-0 series lead cut in half by the Lightning, who responded to a 7-0 drubbing by returning the favor with a big 6-2 win on home ice to take Game Three. They can tie the series later tonight in Game Four.
In the first two games, the Avalanche outscored the Lightning 11-3. After Andre Burakovsky won Game One in overtime, they put up a touchdown and kicked an extra point to win Game Two convincingly. Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar scored twice while Burakovsky added a goal and assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up a playoff worst seven goals on 30 shots.
Playing without Brayden Point again back home, the Bolts got big games from Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat the other night. Each had a goal and assist. Anthony Cirelli notched a goal. Pat Maroon had a goal and helper. Nikita Kucherov added two assists as did Victor Hedman.
Kucherov was cross-checked by Devon Toews in the third period and left early. He will play tonight along with Corey Perry, who made history by becoming the only player to score a goal for four different teams in the Stanley Cup Finals (Ducks, Stars, Canadiens, Lightning).
Point isn’t expected to return tonight. Riley Nash will dress for a second straight game and play on the fourth line. Nazem Kadri might return for Game Four. If he can, that would be a good boost for the Avs.
Darcy Kuemper will get the start after being chased for five goals on 22 shots. That’ll be an interesting subplot with Vasilevskiy turning it around by stopping 37 of 39 shots in Game Three.
That’s going to do it. It was nice to talk Rangers with Igor getting the Vezina to join Lundqvist, Vanbiesbrouck, Giacomin/Villemure and Kerr. Had they awarded the Vezina differently in 1949-50, Chuck Rayner would’ve also won it. He was the Hart winner that season after going 28-30-11 with a 2.62 GAA and six shutouts in 69 games. Emile Francis was the backup getting into one game.
Rayner would backstop the Rangers to within a goal of winning the Cup. Thet fell in double overtime 4-3 to the Red Wings. Rayner went 7-5 with a 2.25 GAA and one shutout during the playoffs. They defeated the Canadiens in five games and lost to the Red Wings in seven.
By show of hands, how many fans got into hockey due to their Dad’s? It might not apply to all. But there are certainly plenty of hockey fans who love the sport because our fathers taught us about it.
On a Father’s Day on June 19 where the temperature isn’t sweltering at least here in Staten Island, New York, they’ve played two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. The high powered Avalanche have overwhelmed the two-time defending champion Lightning by taking Games 1-2 by a combined score of 11-3.
Of course, it looks much worse due to Colorado dominating Tampa Bay last night by blowing them out 7-0 in an uncompetitive Game Two. The crazy part is the Bolts got two goals in succession during the second period of Game One to force overtime. But Andre Burakovsky scored early in sudden death to give the Avalanche a huge first win to start the series.
They did whatever they wanted on Saturday night. The seven goals were the most Andrei Vasilevskiy has ever given up in the postseason. A brilliant performer who has always been very mentally tough, the former Vezina and Conn Smythe winner will have to move on very quickly as will his Lightning teammates when a pivotal Game Three takes place tomorrow night at Amalie Arena.
Whether they lost by a goal or a touchdown and extra point last night, it’s still an 0-2 series deficit for the Bolts. They were in this exact scenario against the Rangers during the Eastern Conference Final. Trailing by a pair, they rose up by getting two power play goals from Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos before Ondrej Palat scored the game-winner with 41.6 seconds remaining for a gutsy 3-2 win in Game Three.
The rest is history. The Lightning reeled off four in a row to stun the Rangers and make their third straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. It’s still a numb feeling over a week later after what happened in Game Five. The goal by Ryan Lindgren from a near impossible angle beating Vasilevskiy high short side, only to see Mikhail Sergachev tie matters on a similar play. Palat again delivering the crushing blow late in regulation. They’d wrap it up on a fluky Stamkos goal that answered a Frank Vatrano miracle off a face-off win.
Unlike Game Five where I went for a ride after the empty netter from Brandon Hagel, I sat there in stunned disbelief as the Lightning celebrated their hard fought 2-1 clincher in front of the home crowd that included Ranger fans who live down south. They blanketed Mika Zibanejad, who was a hero when he scored the tying goal to force extras in Game Seven of the first round against Pittsburgh.
Zibanejad led the Rangers in scoring with 10 goals, 14 assists and 24 points. One better than Adam Fox. However, neither hit the score sheet over the final three games. The Lightning shut them down along with Chris Kreider, whose memorable season saw him match Adam Graves for the most combined goals (62) by a Ranger for the regular season and postseason. Artemi Panarin, whose memorable overtime clincher on the power play that beat the Penguins, also was kept in check. It wasn’t easy to watch him struggle.
Still, it was a great season and run. One where pride was restored to the Blueshirts. An Original Six franchise I’ve followed for over three decades. All because of Dad. His loyalty to a team that hasn’t had much success since he was a kid in the 50’s, is part of the tradition when it comes to the Rangers.
Dad’s favorite players are Andy Bathgate, Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Ed Giacomin and Brad Park. He could tell you all about Bathgate, who is one of two Rangers to win the Hart Trophy over the last 63 years. He won it in 1958-59. The other is the legendary Mark Messier, who took league MVP in 1991-92. The Captain as he’s affectionately known by fans delivered on his promise by leading the Rangers to the Stanley Cup in ’93-94. The only one this franchise has seen since World War II back in 1940.
As tough a history as our beloved Blueshirts have with only one Cup over the last 81 years (80 seasons due to ’04-05 cancelation), we stay true to the only team we’ve known growing up. It’s in our blood. So, I can still rattle off names like Vanbiesbrouck (Beezer), Sandstrom, Kisio, Granato, Miller, Mullen from the late 80’s. That’s really when I started following the Rangers. They actually had some games televised on the old WWOR, Channel 9 with the legendary Marv Albert on the call. I even recall Bob Froese as a backup goalie. Talk about a name.
I wouldn’t be the passionate Rangers fan I am today without Dad. He went to games while at St. John’s where he graduated and earned a degree in accounting. He’d also stay and get his Masters.
It was in 1972 that the Rangers had their best chance to win their first Cup in 32 years. But a broken foot to Ratelle saw him miss most of the playoffs before returning for the Stanley Cup Final where he was a shell of himself in a gut wrenching six-game series loss to the hated Bruins. Bobby Orr skated with the Cup at MSG as Dad watched among the crowd. A story that’s been told many times to me and Justin throughout the years.
A huge missed opportunity for a team that boasted the famous GAG Line. It featured Gilbert, Ratelle and Vic Hadfield. The greatest scoring line in Rangers franchise history. Although you could get some debate from hockey historian Stan Fischler, whose knowledge dates back to the Bread Line that featured Bill Cook, brother Bun Cook and Frank Boucher. They won two of the team’s three Cups while playing together.
One thing is certain about that era under the late Emile Francis, who turned the franchise around by rebuilding in the 60’s to form a tremendous team that seriously challenged in the 70’s. While some modern historians view it differently, Dad absolutely hated the blockbuster trade that sent Ratelle and Park to the Bruins for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais. Although both Espo and Vadnais had success on Broadway with both helping a rebuilt 1978-79 Rangers upset the Islanders on the way to a Stanley Cup appearance against the mighty Canadiens, all-time fans like Dad never got over trading two of the greatest players in franchise history.
The one that broke the camel’s back was the misguided trade of Rick Middleton to Boston for a washed up Ken Hodge. While the longtime former Bruins teammate of Esposito had nothing left and promptly hung up the skates, Middleton went onto a great career with the old rival Bruins. It really is mystifying that he’s never made the Hockey Hall Of Fame. But they’ll put in checker Guy Carbonneau due to his Cups with Montreal.
Middleton for Hodge might be the worst trade ever made by the Rangers. Of course, there are others. I hated trading Ray Ferraro, Ian Laperierre, Mattias Norstrom and Nathan Lafayette to the Kings for Jari Kurri, Marty McSorley and Shane Churla. A move by then GM Neil Smith that ruined the chemistry the ’95-96 team had. To this day, Ferraro doesn’t understand the trade. After coming back from two down to eliminate Montreal in six, the Rangers were dismantled by both Lemieux and Jagr as the Penguins won in five games.
It’s these kind of moves that stick with you when it comes to rooting for the Rangers. Maybe that’s been instilled in me from our Dad. As close as they came to winning the Cup which also included the memorable Pete Stemkowski goal in triple overtime to beat the Blackhawks in Game Six of the Semifinals at The Garden, the Rangers went onto lose that series in seven games.
The tales of such games are etched in Rangers lore. Even though they fell short. I wonder to this day what it was like for our father to witness Orr, Esposito and the Bruins celebrating their second Cup in three years at MSG. An Orr who was at the peak of his dominance. Whenever we discuss the game’s greatest players, he always puts Orr at the top of the list over Gretzky and Howe, who he of course loved growing up.
Having seen enough clips of Orr, he was something special. He changed the way the game was played by revolutionizing the sport for defensemen. The skating combined with the speed, skill and instincts define why Number 4 is the greatest player at the position. Imagine if he had stayed healthy what he could’ve done. For six years, he dominated by winning two Cups, three consecutive Harts and six of eight straight Norris Trophies. Plus an Art Ross.
It’s astonishing to think injuries to his knee finished Orr at 27. His final season in Boston was only 10 games. He put up 18 points. He’d finish his career with the Blackhawks by playing only 26 more games. When they show highlights, Orr’s overtime winner at 40 seconds to win the Cup over the Blues in 1970 is replayed. It’s an airborne Orr flying in the air in celebration after he scored. A famous shot that is a beautiful image. Like art.
As great as it is to hear Dad talk about Orr, my favorite moment will always be Game Seven of the ’94 Eastern Conference Final. We were all crammed into his office watching the game on our old TV. The Rangers led 1-0 on a brilliant goal by Brian Leetch. They held the one-goal lead throughout a tense third period. But in classic Ranger fashion, they allowed the Devils to tie it when Valeri Zelepukin scored with 7.7 seconds remaining in regulation. It was unbelievable.
In what felt like an eternity, the Rangers and Devils went two overtimes to decide the well played series. There were some close calls along the way. If you watched (who hasn’t?) Sam Rosen’s, “Where’s The Puck,” call it was nerve racking. Luckily, Steve Larmer cleared it out of harm’s way. You also had Mike Richter stop Bobby Holik on a breakaway. He was only able to chip the puck on goal. On the opposite end, Martin Brodeur robbed Mark Messier of a sure winner on the doorstep.
It finally ended when Stephane Matteau got to a loose puck in the Devils’ end and skated around the net where he fortunately had his wrap-around bounce off a sliding Slava Fetisov past Brodeur for the series clincher at 4:24 of the second overtime. I was the first to notice that the puck was in. I had to tell Dad that Matteau scored and they won. I’ll never forget his reaction. Total shock. It was a great moment.
Of course, they blew a three games to one lead against the Canucks, who forced a winner take all Game Seven at MSG on June 14, 1994. I can still recall our history teacher even getting involved by having a friendly little classroom pool on the big game. I opted not to participate due to my playoff superstition. The only thing I knew was that the final score would be 3-2. It was just a feeling. Yes. I had our team winning by a goal. Little did I know how much anxiety it would cause.
Watching Game Seven was intense. You could feel your stomach in knots. But being able to watch it on MSG Network as called by Sam and JD (the great John Davidson) was a treat. At that time, we didn’t know it would be the final year home networks could televise the Cup. It was a very different time. A better one. I’m not exactly a fan of national TV having exclusive rights from Round Two on. That’s garbage.
The ultimate seventh game sure delivered. Sergei Zubov made a great pass for a wide open Leetch, who took his time before firing into an open side with Kirk McLean out of position for the first goal. Then, Alexei Kovalev was able to take a great Zubov pass and feed Adam Graves for a power play goal that made it 2-0 in a great first period.
Easy. Right? Not so fast. You had an unbelievable individual effort by Trevor Linden, who was able to beat Richter for a shorthanded goal that cut the deficit in half for Vancouver. But on what amounted to a mad scramble in front with both Messier and Brian Noonan parked there, the Captain was credited with a power play goal that made it 3-1. To this day, I don’t believe he ever touched it. It looked like Noonan’s goal. Regardless, the Rangers led by two. They were closing in on the Cup.
If you’ve followed this team for a while, then you understand by now that nothing ever comes easy for them. That’s the Rangers Way. When Linden buried his second on a power play early in the third, it was nervous time. There were still over 15 minutes left for the Canucks to tie it. Given how the Devils series was where three games needed sudden death, it wouldn’t have surprised us.
They sure made it interesting. Martin Gelinas came close. But he hit the near goalpost. Then, you had the same Nathan Lafayette all set up for the tying goal. However, his one-timer from the slot rang off the crossbar with Richter fully outstretched. At the time, it looked like he got a piece of it with his glove. It made for quite a nervous call by Rosen. He was at his best along with Davidson, whose signature call, “Oh Baby,” appropriately became the title for the Rangers’ Stanley Cup video on something called VHS. I miss those days.
Following that close call, the Rangers defended better. As they drew closer to winning their first Cup in 54 years, you still had Kevin Collins calling an icing on a Steve Larmer clear where the puck slowed down to the point of Pavel Bure looking defeated. He thought it was over. So did Rosen. The crowd booed. Yet with 1.6 seconds remaining, you still were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Aside from Rosen’s memorable call that included, “The waiting is over. This one will last a lifetime,” you had Davidson talk about how long these players and fans had waited. I think he was referencing former players like himself. It was JD who backstopped the ’78-79 Rangers to the huge upset of the Islanders before losing in five to the Canadiens Dynasty. He sure understood along with Rosen what it had been like for fans and players.
My favorite part was seeing our proud father reduced to tears of joy. He couldn’t believe it. He thought he’d never see it. That Stanley Cup were for longtime fans like him and even the older generation. Those were the diehards. The ones who stuck it out. Never wavered in their loyalty and support. I look back now and think how lucky Justin and I were to see them win that Cup while we were younger.
Now, it’s almost 30 years later. We’re still waiting for another Cup celebration. They came close in 2014. That was a great run inspired by the death of Marty St. Louis’ Mom France. They dug deep to rally back from a 3-1 second round deficit to beat the Penguins behind Henrik Lundqvist. Then defeated the Canadiens in six. Game Six is the best game we ever attended. A 1-0 clincher. Brian Boyle to Dominic Moore for the game’s only goal, which followed a ridiculous save by Lundqvist on Thomas Vanek.
I never thought in all the seasons we went to games that they’d ever clinch the Prince of Wales Trophy to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. That was truly special. I guess we haven’t been as fortunate as Devils fans on the other side of the Hudson. Even though their team is in a bad way, they’ve seen them win three times including ’03 which Hasan attended Game Seven. That must be like going to heaven. I can only imagine.
Since the heartbreaking loss in 2015 to the Lightning, I no longer care if I’m ever in the building for such a big game. At this point, I just want to see them win another Cup while we’re all around. The run they gave us was exciting. Especially after five years out of the playoffs. Seeing guys like Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren and Igor Shesterkin blossom throughout the season and especially in the postseason was pretty special. Especially with so much of the core homegrown. That includes K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider, Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko.
For the first time in a while, things are looking up. I can’t say for sure what will happen with the off-season. But our team will be back. They can use the experience they got in the postseason as motivation. They went a lot further than many believed. The heart and character they showed in coming back to beat both the Pens and Hurricanes to reach their first Conference Finals in seven years was tremendous.
To quote the legendary Biggie Smalls, “The sky’s the limit.”
I hope one day soon we can celebrate one more Cup with our Dad. The best person I know. To all out there, Happy Father’s Day!!!!! 💜✨️⭐️
hasan4978
Derek
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