From The Rink - All Posts

We're moving: FTR integrates with SBN Hockey Hub

2011-01-21T18:07:53Z

Here's a pretty big programming announcement: starting Monday, From The Rink will be integrated into the SB Nation hockey hub. If you're curious why, it's really to consolidate writers and resources into a central NHL site for the network. Nothing will really change for readers except that the posts will be at SBNation.com/NHL rather than here (and I believe FromTheRink.com will redirect there). A few other notes:

-If you read FTR via RSS feed, that will change. You'll need to update your feed to the SB Nation NHL Features feed. Also, if you want to receive breaking news, SB Nation NHL Headlines is also worth subscribing to. Note: As of right now, the Feedburner for the Features feed appears to be down. SBN's tech team is aware of the issue.

-If you get your post notifications via Twitter, the FTR Twitter account will stay active. There are some magic interwebs wormholes that will work out, so this might not be the smoothest transition. Same goes for Facebook.

-The archive of FTR posts should be imported over to SBN Hockey. That means that whenever you need to hear the best of uncensored NHL TV broadcasts, you should still be able to find it.

-Finally, with all of the linking out that SBN Hockey does to our network sites, along with the new AM recaps, it's been decided by the higher ups that the Gameday posts will be redundant. From a content perspective, that makes sense, but that means that the six people out there that liked the daily indie rock tunes will miss out. Never fear, dedicated hockey/music half-dozen, I'll figure a way to incorporate good music from obscure bands into the posts.

WHL: Top prospects, mic'd up, win FREE tix, plus: a question for YOU

2011-01-21T15:01:37Z

Several WHL players made a respectable showing at the 2011 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects game earlier this week in Toronto. 13 WHL players took part in the skills competition and game, which gives scouts and teams a good look at the top players going in the NHL Entry Draft this summer. No surprise, the Portland Winterhawks sent the most players (4), but it was Red Deer Rebels forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who turned the most heads. Nugent- Hopkins played a strong game all-round and contributed two assists to be named player of the game for Team Orr, which beat Team Cherry by a decisive 7-1 score. Portland's Sven Bartschi scored a goal and an assist for Team Orr. Seattle Thunderbirds' forward Colin Jacobs also had an assist for Orr. Winterhawk Ty Rattie assisted on Team Cherry's only goal. Brandon Wheat Kings goaltender Liam Liston stopped all 18 shots during the 29:30 he played in the first and part of the second period for Team Orr, while Saskatoon Blades defenseman Duncan Siemans showed how tough he is by squaring off with Vancouver Giants d-man David Musil. Regina Pats' defenseman Myles Bell won the skills competition for hardest shot, at 98.4 mph.

WHL officials have to be happy with the way their guys represented at the game and competition, and hope to see all 13 go in the first round of the draft (Last year, 17 WHL'ers went in the first round). Here's a look at all 13 WHL players invited to play in the prospects game: Team Cherry - D: Duncan Siemens/Saskatoon, Myles Bell/Regina, Joseph Morrow/Portland, Tyler Wortherspoon/Portland. F: Ty Rattie/Portland, Mark McNeill/Prince Albert. Team Orr - D: Reece Scarlett/Swift Current, David Musil/Vancouver, F: Shane McColgan/Kelowna, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins/Red Deer (Team Orr Captain), Colin Jacobs/Seattle, Sven Bartschi. G: Liam Liston/Brandon. You can read a game recap by clicking here.

Seattle T-Birds, Mic'd up

The Seattle Thunderbirds are taking a page out of the Pittsburgh Penguins' & Washington Capitals' playbook, with help from Seattle TV station KCPQ. They took to Facebook and Twitter to get the fans to vote which player should be mic'd up during the game versus the Kelowna Rockets Tuesday night. KCPQ shot the game and plans to unveil the "mic'd up" segment this Sunday on the show "Q It Up Sports," with sports anchor Aaron Levine. People who live in the Seattle area can catch the show at 9:30pm on Joe TV (Channel 22) and at 10:30pm on KCPQ (Channel 13). I'm sure the T-Birds and Q13 will post video after it airs as well.

Win FREE tickets to a WHL game

The WHL teamed up with Re/Max Realtors to offer free tickets to WHL games for fans who live in Western Canada (and to promote their Facebook and Twitter social media platforms). All fans have to do it "Like" the WHL page on Facebook and enter using a special link at the page, or follow the WHL on Twitter (@TheWHL) and answer weekly questions. Each winner receives 4 tickets to a game, hopefully close to their home city. This special promotion runs until March. You can read more about the contest by clicking here.

A question for YOU

Now that we've passed the halfway point in the season, what grade would you give your team? And what ONE thing do you think your team needs to do to improve - or stay on track if your team is leading its division? Comment below or email me. Just look for the link at the bottom of the page. Thanks in advance for playing!

Now, a look at this weekend's match-ups:

Tonight (Friday, January 21)

Calgary @ Prince Albert

Regina @ Swift Current

Lethbridge @ Brandon

Moose Jaw @ Edmonton

Red Deer @ Medicine Hat

Chilliwack @ Kamloops

Kootenay @ Spokane

Prince George @ Vancouver

Portland @ Everett

Kelowna @ Seattle

Saturday, January 22

Seattle @ Portland

Lethbridge @ Regina

Calgary @ Saskatoon

Swift Current @ Brandon

Medicine Hat @ Edmonton

Moose Jaw @ Red Deer

Prince George @ Chilliwack

Vancouver @ Kamloops

Kelowna @ Spokane

Everett @ Tri City

Sunday, January 23

Red Deer @ Kootenay

Spokane @ Portland

Chilliwack @ Vancouver

Kelowna @ Tri City

Aggregated NHL Power Rankings: Week 15

2011-01-21T12:01:08Z

For the first time in the Aggregated NHL Power Rankings, we've got a significant amount of zero movement from last week. The Vancouver Canucks retain the top spot, but the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings also keep their second and third spot, respectively. In fact, the biggest change was for the surging Phoenix Coyotes, who jumped up eight spots. Everyone else is five or under.

Does that mean things are starting to settle? You're starting to see a little bit of separation in the Western Conference, and you're also looking at some teams beginning to consider their trade options as we head past the 50-game mark.

Here are your rankings.

Rank	Team	Last	Diff
1	Vancouver Canucks	1	0
2	Philadelphia Flyers	2	0
3	Detroit Red Wings	3	0
4	Pittsburgh Penguins	6	2
5	Dallas Stars	6	1
6	Boston Bruins	10	4
7	Washington Capitals	4	-3
8	Phoenix Coyotes	16	8
9	Nashville Predators	9	0
10	Tampa Bay Lightning	5	-5
11	Chicago Blackhawks	13	2
12	Montreal Canadiens	12	0
13	New York Rangers	8	-5
14	Anaheim Ducks	11	-3
15	Carolina Hurricanes	18	3
16	Colorado Avalanche	16	0
17	Atlanta Thrashers	14	-3
18	Los Angeles Kings	19	1
19	Minnesota Wild	14	-5
20	San Jose Sharks	21	1
21	St. Louis Blues	20	-1
22	Florida Panthers	25	3
23	Calgary Flames	25	2
24	Buffalo Sabres	22	-2
25	Toronto Maple Leafs	23	-2
26	Columbus Blue Jackets	24	-2
27	New York Islanders	27	0
28	Ottawa Senators	28	0
29	Edmonton Oilers	29	0
30	New Jersey Devils	30	0

Coming up after the jump, conference rankings and the always popular mega-spreadsheet.

Here are the conference rankings with a comparison to the SBN rankings. First the Eastern Conference.

Rank	Team	SBN	Diff
1	Philadelphia Flyers	1	0
2	Pittsburgh Penguins	2	0
3	Boston Bruins	3	0
4	Washington Capitals	5	1
5	Tampa Bay Lightning	4	-1
6	Montreal Canadiens	7	1
7	New York Rangers	6	-1
8	Carolina Hurricanes	8	0
9	Atlanta Thrashers	9	0
10	Florida Panthers	10	0
11	Buffalo Sabres	11	0
12	Toronto Maple Leafs	12	0
13	New York Islanders	13	0
14	Ottawa Senators	14	0
15	New Jersey Devils	15	0

Then the Western Conference.

Rank	Team	SBN	Diff
1	Vancouver Canucks	1	0
2	Detroit Red Wings	2	0
3	Dallas Stars	3	0
4	Phoenix Coyotes	5	1
5	Nashville Predators	4	-1
6	Chicago Blackhawks	6	0
7	Anaheim Ducks	8	1
8	Colorado Avalanche	7	-1
9	Los Angeles Kings	9	0
10	Minnesota Wild	11	1
11	San Jose Sharks	12	1
12	St. Louis Blues	10	-2
13	Calgary Flames	14	1
14	Columbus Blue Jackets	13	-1
15	Edmonton Oilers	15	0

That's a heck of a lot of consensus between the various rankings and our SBN bloggers. Great minds and all that.

Here's the mega-spreadsheet sorted by rank.

Rank	Conference	Team	ESPN	CBS	THN	Sportsnet	SI	TSN	Ave	Std	Last	Diff
1	West	Vancouver Canucks	2	1	1	1	2	1	1.333	0.516	1	0
2	East	Philadelphia Flyers	1	2	2	2	1	5	2.167	1.472	2	0
3	West	Detroit Red Wings	3	3	3	3	3	6	3.5	1.225	3	0
4	East	Pittsburgh Penguins	5	7	4	4	5	4	4.833	1.169	6	2
5	West	Dallas Stars	4	4	5	7	4	7	5.167	1.472	6	1
6	East	Boston Bruins	7	8	6	8	6	2	6.167	2.229	10	4
7	East	Washington Capitals	6	11	8	5	7	14	8.5	3.391	4	-3
8	West	Phoenix Coyotes	8	5	9	11	9	13	9.167	2.714	16	8
9	West	Nashville Predators	9	6	10	10	11	11	9.5	1.871	9	0
10	East	Tampa Bay Lightning	12	10	7	6	8	18	10.17	4.401	5	-5
11	West	Chicago Blackhawks	10	12	14	15	12	3	11	4.29	13	2
12	East	Montreal Canadiens	14	9	11	14	10	15	12.17	2.483	12	0
13	East	New York Rangers	11	15	12	9	13	16	12.67	2.582	8	-5
14	West	Anaheim Ducks	15	13	17	12	15	9	13.5	2.811	11	-3
15	East	Carolina Hurricanes	13	14	15	17	17	12	14.67	2.066	18	3
16	West	Colorado Avalanche	16	16	13	16	14	17	15.33	1.506	16	0
17	East	Atlanta Thrashers	18	24	20	13	16	10	16.83	4.997	14	-3
18	West	Los Angeles Kings	20	19	16	19	20	8	17	4.648	19	1
19	West	Minnesota Wild	17	18	18	18	18	21	18.33	1.366	14	-5
20	West	San Jose Sharks	21	20	21	21	19	19	20.17	0.983	21	1
21	West	St. Louis Blues	19	21	19	20	21	24	20.67	1.862	20	-1
22	East	Florida Panthers	22	17	22	25	22	20	21.33	2.658	25	3
23	West	Calgary Flames	24	26	24	22	23	22	23.5	1.517	25	2
24	East	Buffalo Sabres	23	22	25	23	25	25	23.83	1.329	22	-2
25	East	Toronto Maple Leafs	25	23	26	26	26	23	24.83	1.472	23	-2
26	West	Columbus Blue Jackets	26	27	23	24	24	26	25	1.549	24	-2
27	East	New York Islanders	27	25	28	28	28	27	27.17	1.169	27	0
28	East	Ottawa Senators	28	28	27	27	27	28	27.5	0.548	28	0
29	West	Edmonton Oilers	30	29	29	29	29	29	29.17	0.408	29	0
30	East	New Jersey Devils	29	30	30	30	30	30	29.83	0.408	30	0

And by standard deviation:

Rank	Conference	Team	ESPN	CBS	THN	Sportsnet	SI	TSN	Ave	Std	Last	Diff
29	West	Edmonton Oilers	30	29	29	29	29	29	29.17	0.408	29	0
30	East	New Jersey Devils	29	30	30	30	30	30	29.83	0.408	30	0
1	West	Vancouver Canucks	2	1	1	1	2	1	1.333	0.516	1	0
28	East	Ottawa Senators	28	28	27	27	27	28	27.5	0.548	28	0
20	West	San Jose Sharks	21	20	21	21	19	19	20.17	0.983	21	1
27	East	New York Islanders	27	25	28	28	28	27	27.17	1.169	27	0
4	East	Pittsburgh Penguins	5	7	4	4	5	4	4.833	1.169	6	2
3	West	Detroit Red Wings	3	3	3	3	3	6	3.5	1.225	3	0
24	East	Buffalo Sabres	23	22	25	23	25	25	23.83	1.329	22	-2
19	West	Minnesota Wild	17	18	18	18	18	21	18.33	1.366	14	-5
2	East	Philadelphia Flyers	1	2	2	2	1	5	2.167	1.472	2	0
5	West	Dallas Stars	4	4	5	7	4	7	5.167	1.472	6	1
25	East	Toronto Maple Leafs	25	23	26	26	26	23	24.83	1.472	23	-2
16	West	Colorado Avalanche	16	16	13	16	14	17	15.33	1.506	16	0
23	West	Calgary Flames	24	26	24	22	23	22	23.5	1.517	25	2
26	West	Columbus Blue Jackets	26	27	23	24	24	26	25	1.549	24	-2
21	West	St. Louis Blues	19	21	19	20	21	24	20.67	1.862	20	-1
9	West	Nashville Predators	9	6	10	10	11	11	9.5	1.871	9	0
15	East	Carolina Hurricanes	13	14	15	17	17	12	14.67	2.066	18	3
6	East	Boston Bruins	7	8	6	8	6	2	6.167	2.229	10	4
12	East	Montreal Canadiens	14	9	11	14	10	15	12.17	2.483	12	0
13	East	New York Rangers	11	15	12	9	13	16	12.67	2.582	8	-5
22	East	Florida Panthers	22	17	22	25	22	20	21.33	2.658	25	3
8	West	Phoenix Coyotes	8	5	9	11	9	13	9.167	2.714	16	8
14	West	Anaheim Ducks	15	13	17	12	15	9	13.5	2.811	11	-3
7	East	Washington Capitals	6	11	8	5	7	14	8.5	3.391	4	-3
11	West	Chicago Blackhawks	10	12	14	15	12	3	11	4.29	13	2
10	East	Tampa Bay Lightning	12	10	7	6	8	18	10.17	4.401	5	-5
18	West	Los Angeles Kings	20	19	16	19	20	8	17	4.648	19	1
17	East	Atlanta Thrashers	18	24	20	13	16	10	16.83	4.997	14	-3

Biggest outlier: There's plenty of differentiation with TSN's calculated rankings as opposed to everyone else's subjective rankings. But in terms of biggest difference, you have the Atlanta Thrashers with two wildly different rankings -- 13th by Sportsnet and 24th by CBS.

Most consensus: Well, there's a little bit of differentiation regarding the worst team in the league. ESPN picks the Oilers as worst while everyone else pegs the old standby New Jersey Devils as worst.

SBN Gameday: Face To Face On High Places

2011-01-20T20:05:04Z

Tonight's soundtrack: Face To Face On High Places by School Of Seven Bells -- Because there are a number of playoff-affecting games tonight in both conferences. Grab a Newcastle Brown Ale and get your remote handy for channel flipping, it's going to be a busy and fun night.

New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 PM ET
So, is Marian Gaborik out of John Tortorella's doghouse now? When will Carolina get out of the ninth-place hump?

Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins, 7 PM ET
Buffalo will have to discover another source for offense with Drew Stafford out. Does Peter Chiarelli frequent SBN's Stanley Cup of Chowder blog?

Anaheim Ducks at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 PM ET
Do the Ducks need to get more forward depth like their California brothers? The always-frank Ron Wilson talks glowingly about the last Toronto game.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Atlanta Thrashers, 7 PM ET
Tampa's got a big chance to pad their divisional lead tonight. Will the Thrashers miss Ben Eager at all?

Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils, 7 PM ET
No Evgeni Malkin, no Sidney Crosby, so who will center the Penguins top line? The Devils will have to strategize a little differently without Pittsburgh's top guns to shut down.

Washington Capitals at New York Islanders, 7 PM ET
How has young Mathieu Perrault fared this season compared to last? Kyle Okposo is back, and that prompts a Total Recall reference over at Lighthouse Hockey. "Hey Kyle, see you at the party!"

Ottawa Senators at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 PM ET
Considering where the Sens are at, maybe it's time to get nostalgic about John Muckler. Get your vote in on the Name That Line contest for Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, and Ville Leino.

Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues, 8 PM ET
Jimmy Howard returns tonight for Detroit and he'll probably be motivated by those Evgeni Nabokov rumors. The Blues have lost out on KHL re-treads thanks to the waiver wire, but is that a bad thing?

Nashville Predators at Colorado Avalanche, 9 PM ET
In a team with no #1 line, a new #1 line has formed for Nashville. Colorado is looking for three in a row tonight.

Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers, 9 PM ET
Is the Dallas media finally realizing that they've got a pretty good team? The Oilers don't seem to know how to handle their concussion issue.

San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks, 10 PM ET
Despite winning two straight, tonight is a definition game for San Jose. Vancouver says hello to Kyle Wellwood. Please refrain from the fat jokes, he's a slim 180 pounds now!

Phoenix Coyotes at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 PM ET
Tonight is the first of back-to-backs for Phoenix. Since Thanksgiving, the Kings have been the worst team in the Western Conference. Ouch.

What if Sidney Crosby were to skip the NHL All-Star Weekend in protest?

2011-01-20T14:01:08Z

Earlier this week, a report said that Sidney Crosby may skip the NHL's All-Star Game festivities to protest the lack of calls for headshots (this story has since been updated from its original release). That's not exactly a Sidney Crosby-like action, so of course the report was immediately suspect. Still, it caused enough of an uproar - probably because quite a few people wanted to believe it, for various reasons - that it was splashed all over the hockey firmament, all the same.

Naturally, it was later refuted. Crosby himself was quoted as saying that if he could go to Raleigh, that he would go. He still may not be able to play, however, because his concussion symptoms are still lingering.

But let's pretend for a moment that it was true - that the NHL's marquee player, Sidney Crosby, would use the All-Star Game to protest an inadequately addressed league issue.

We all know that head shots are a problem. And we all know that officiating is horrifically inconsistent. (And no, it's not just for your team that the on-ice officials are calling/not calling stupid things; it's everybody.) And don't even get me started on Colin Campbell and his "Wheel of Justice".

The only way that's going to change is for someone like Crosby to stage a protest. Or all of the players invited to join him and stage a protest. We all know that the NHL's Board of Governors - the people with the real power to change things - don't listen to the fans. The other alternative is for it to be one more discussion point in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) talks.

The theory goes that the employer - in this case, the NHL and its member teams - is supposed to create a safe work environment for their employees - in this case, the players - to work in. But employers won't change their business practices unless they're forced to; if they're making money as things are, then they'll keep things the same. So it's up to the employees to force the employers to change.

That's what unions are all about. If anyone remembers their American history, it was the manufacturing unions that forced employers - and the government - to create safe environments for all people to work in, even those not in manufacturing. And not just work environments, but living conditions as well.

Yes, a lot of these guys make millions of dollars a year. And yes, it can be annoying for some to hear them complain when many fans think they have just about the best job in the world. But the fact of the matter is, they're putting their health on the line every single game they play, and for what? To entertain the fans.

They don't have to come back from facial fractures, blown knees, bruised brains, or skate-slashed throats. They can take their sticks, pucks, and money and go home. But they don't. And that's a big part of what fans admire about them.

The point is, that in order for things to change on the ice, someone has to make waves. And Crosby's just the guy to do that - not that he would. Especially since he's the darling of the NHL - whether he likes it or not. He can toe the party line and be a good little hockey player and do what the league wants him to. Or, he can stand up for what's right, and in helping himself he's helping his fellow players as well.

The NHL has given him that clout, and if he's going to use it, then he should at least make it worth the effort. Maybe then poor or inconsistent officiating won't be a point lost in the future CBA negotiations if it were tackled now. The players don't have a lot of bargaining chips to begin with, but the All-Star Game - which many players don't want to attend, anyways - is certainly one of them.

What would he have to lose? The NHL would probably drop him as their poster boy. Oh. What a loss. I mean, he didn't ask for that, anyways. The NHL took a talented but relatively naive 18-year-old and shoved him into that role. If I were in his place, I'd probably find that to be a relief if they did.

Besides, the NHL already has the next poster boy lined up if Crosby decides to do his own thing. And it wouldn't even be that hard for him to pick up where Crosby left off, either. Not that I would wish that on any player, but still.

Seen Stamkos?

Although, who knows. Maybe the fact that Crosby may miss the All-Star Game due to his concussion will be enough for the NHL to decide that they need deal with the headshots problem. Stranger things have happened, after all.

SBN Gameday: Mis-shapes

2011-01-19T21:53:07Z

Tonight's soundtrack: Mis-shapes by Pulp -- Slim pickings tonight, though Columbus and Florida are both on that cusp of staying in or falling out of the playoff hunt, which should make for an interesting head-to-head match-up.

Game of the Night: Columbus Blue Jackets at Florida Panthers, 7:30 PM ET
Columbus is playing a team with a worse power play than they have. Florida needs better goaltending tonight than what they got against Atlanta.

Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers, 7 PM ET
Check out an interview with the red-hot James Reimer and other Leafs prospects. The Rangers will have to cope without the services of Brandon Dubinsky for up to four weeks.

Minnesota Wild at Calgary Flames, 9:30 PM ET
What happens when your turn on the Hockey Wilderness Rumor Generator 2000? Jarome Iginla will be sitting out of this year's All-Star festivities.

Trade deadline primer: Impending UFAs on losing teams

2011-01-19T12:01:35Z

It seems like just yesterday we were watching the World Junior Championships and gearing up for the Winter Classic. However, it's already mid-January, and that means there's only a few more weeks before the NHL trade deadline hits. You can be certain that tires are being kicked, though both Jay Feaster of the Calgary Flames and Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leafs are more than happy to public talk about the lack of realistic deals coming their way.

From both Feaster and Burke, it sounds like teams want to match up both cap hit and skill in a deal, though you can bet on things loosening up as the trade deadline nears. Usually, it just takes the first domino to fall before things really get going. While there are certainly big-name question marks, the easiest trade fodder is the impending UFA, as their contract will be done come June and there aren't any worries about lingering cap hits.

In short, the following players have the potential to be hired guns. Of course, not all of them come with the cap hit or skill to be in it, but you can bet that GMs on losing teams want to get anything in return for assets that will disappear in a few months.

The following lists are impending UFAs from teams that are essentially out of the playoff race. That's the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, and Florida Panthers out east. Out west, the Edmonton Oilers are really the only team that factor into that, but let's throw the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jacket in there as well just to round out the list.

The positional lists are sorted by team and cap hit (descending), along with any notes about injuries. All values are courtesy the good folks at NHL Numbers and all injury updates are from TSN.

Goaltenders

Player	Age	Team	Position	Cap	Salary	Injured
Lalime, Patrick	37	Buffalo Sabres	Goaltender	0.6	0.6
Garon, Mathieu	33	Columbus Blue Jackets	Goaltender	1.2	1.2
LeNeveu, David	28	Columbus Blue Jackets	Goaltender	0.55	0.55
Drouin-Deslauriers, Jeff	27	Edmonton Oilers	Goaltender	1.05	1.05
Gerber, Martin	36	Edmonton Oilers	Goaltender	0.5	0.5
Vokoun, Tomas	35	Florida Panthers	Goaltender	5.7	6.3
Hedberg, Johan	38	New Jersey Devils	Goaltender	1.5	1
McKenna, Mike	28	New Jersey Devils	Goaltender	0.5	0.5
Lawson, Nathan	27	New York Islanders	Goaltender	0.5	0.5
Leclaire, Pascal	28	Ottawa Senators	Goaltender	3.8	4.8	On IR
Brodeur, Mike	28	Ottawa Senators	Goaltender	0.6	0.6
Giguere, Jean-Sebastien	34	Toronto Maple Leafs	Goaltender	6	7

Obviously, the big catch here is Tomas Vokoun. Word has it that the Panthers are exploring contract negotiations with Vokoun, though his recent benching can't really help things. Would a team like the Philadelphia Flyers grab a veteran like Jean-Sebastien Giguere?

Forwards

Player	Age	Team	Position	Cap	Salary	Injured
Connolly, Tim	30	Buffalo Sabres	Forward	4.5	4.5
Grier, Mike	36	Buffalo Sabres	Forward	1.4	1.4
Niedermayer, Rob	36	Buffalo Sabres	Forward	1.25	1.15
Ellis, Matt	29	Buffalo Sabres	Forward	0.63	0.625
Stuart, Colin	28	Buffalo Sabres	Forward	0.55	0.55
McCormick, Cody	28	Buffalo Sabres	Forward	0.5	0.5
Tanguay, Alex	31	Calgary Flames	Forward	1.7	1.7
Glencross, Curtis	28	Calgary Flames	Forward	1.2	1.2
Morrison, Brendan	35	Calgary Flames	Forward	0.73	0.725
Conroy, Craig	39	Calgary Flames	Forward	0.5	0.5
Clark, Chris	35	Columbus Blue Jackets	Forward	2.63	2.5
Moreau, Ethan	35	Columbus Blue Jackets	Forward	2	1.75	On IR
Murray, Andrew	29	Columbus Blue Jackets	Forward	0.63	0.65
Jones, Ryan	27	Edmonton Oilers	Forward	0.98	0.975
MacIntyre, Steve	30	Edmonton Oilers	Forward	0.5	0.5
Giroux, Alexandre	30	Edmonton Oilers	Forward	0.5	0.5
Stillman, Cory	37	Florida Panthers	Forward	3.53	3.5
Dvorak, Radek	34	Florida Panthers	Forward	1.7	1.8
Higgins, Chris	28	Florida Panthers	Forward	1.6	1.6	Day to Day
Reasoner, Marty	34	Florida Panthers	Forward	1.15	1.2
Hordichuk, Darcy	30	Florida Panthers	Forward	0.78	0.8
Cullen, Mark	32	Florida Panthers	Forward	0.6	0.6	On IR
Thomas, Bill	28	Florida Panthers	Forward	0.53	0.525
Arnott, Jason	36	New Jersey Devils	Forward	4.5	4.5
Mair, Adam	32	New Jersey Devils	Forward	0.52	0.515
Mills, Brad	28	New Jersey Devils	Forward	0.51	0.5
Moulson, Matt	27	New York Islanders	Forward	2.45	2.45
Weight, Doug	40	New York Islanders	Forward	1.15	0.85	On IR
Sim, Jon	33	New York Islanders	Forward	0.65	0.65
Parenteau, P.A.	28	New York Islanders	Forward	0.6	0.6
Konopka, Zenon	30	New York Islanders	Forward	0.6	0.6
Gillies, Trevor	32	New York Islanders	Forward	0.5	0.5
Kovalev, Alexei	38	Ottawa Senators	Forward	5	5	On IR
Ruutu, Jarkko	35	Ottawa Senators	Forward	1.3	1.3
Shannon, Ryan	28	Ottawa Senators	Forward	0.63	0.625
Sjostrom, Fredrik	28	Toronto Maple Leafs	Forward	0.75	0.75
Brent, Tim	27	Toronto Maple Leafs	Forward	0.58	0.575
Boyce, Darryl	26	Toronto Maple Leafs	Forward	0.53	0.525
Crabb, Joey	28	Toronto Maple Leafs	Forward	0.53	0.525
Zigomanis, Mike	30	Toronto Maple Leafs	Forward	0.5	0.5

There are a lot of two-way depth forwards available, such as Rob Niedermayer and Marty Reasoner. Zenon Konopka is a brawler, but he's also strong at faceoffs. For teams looking for scoring depth, some skill options exist, though there's no slam dunks when you've got guys like Radek Dvorak on the list.

Defense

Player	Age	Team	Position	Cap	Salary	Injured
Rivet, Craig	36	Buffalo Sabres	Defence	3.5	3.5
Montador, Steve	31	Buffalo Sabres	Defence	1.55	1.55
Staios, Steve	37	Calgary Flames	Defence	2.7	2.2	On IR
Babchuk, Anton	27	Calgary Flames	Defence	1.4	1.4
Pardy, Adam	27	Calgary Flames	Defence	0.7	0.7
Kronwall, Staffan	28	Calgary Flames	Defence	0.5	0.5
Hejda, Jan	33	Columbus Blue Jackets	Defence	2	2
Vandermeer, Jim	31	Edmonton Oilers	Defence	2.3	2.3	On IR
Strudwick, Jason	35	Edmonton Oilers	Defence	0.73	0.725
McCabe, Bryan	36	Florida Panthers	Defence	5.75	4.15	On IR
Callahan, Joe	28	Florida Panthers	Defence	0.53	0.525
Wilson, Clay	28	Florida Panthers	Defence	0.5	0.5
Greene, Andy	28	New Jersey Devils	Defence	0.74	0.75
Davison, Rob	31	New Jersey Devils	Defence	0.5	0.5
Martinek, Radek	34	New York Islanders	Defence	1.5	1.9
Phillips, Chris	33	Ottawa Senators	Defence	3.5	3.5
Hale, David	30	Ottawa Senators	Defence	0.68	0.675
Kaberle, Tomas	33	Toronto Maple Leafs	Defence	4.25	4.25

Now here's where it gets really interesting. You've got the ongoing Tomas Kaberle saga, Bryan McCabe and his broken jaw, and former #1 overall pick Chris Phillips. Anton Babchuck is an interesting possibility, and there are plenty of depth journeymen that could be used to round out the 5/6 spots on the blueline.

There aren't any gamebreakers, such as last year when the New Jersey Devils sold their soul to the, erm, devil by acquiring Ilya Kovalchuk. Instead, it's a lot of depth players and over-30 talent that could be the missing piece of the puzzle.

Take a good look at these lists. Do you see targets you want to round out your team or is this much ado about nothing?

SBN Gameday: Far Out And Gone

2011-01-18T19:30:43Z

Tonight's soundtrack: Far Gone And Out by Jesus & Mary Chain -- with the Wings/Pens and Ducks/Sens tonight, it's the battle of former Finals match-ups. Of course, the Wings/Pens game will probably hold a little more drama than the Ducks/Sens.

Game of the Night 1: Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 PM ET
This week's edition of Caps Ups & Downs. GM Paul Holmgren apparently has a new three-year extension in Philadelphia.

Game of the Night 2: Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 PM ET
Detroit is hoping for fewer weird bounces than the last game against Columbus. If you haven't seen it, here's a link to the original David Shoalts piece about Sidney Crosby possibly skipping the All-Star Game.

Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes, 7 PM ET
It's the mid-season grades for the Bruins. Carolina is looking to avenge an embarrassing 7-0 loss to Boston.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 PM ET
Nobody wants Mike Commodore for half-price. Don't forget that Columbus was in the running for Guy Boucher during the off-season.

Anaheim Ducks at Ottawa Senators, 7:30 PM ET
Anaheim has played some of its best hockey this season without Ryan Getzlaf. A quick guide to fixing Ottawa's terrible breakout.

Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres, 7:30 PM ET
Montreal's last win against Calgary was more difficult than expected. Ruff is going all Herb Brooks on the Sabres in practice.

Los Angeles Kings at St. Louis Blues, 8 PM ET
Should the Kings get yet another new jersey design? TJ Oshie may return tonight for St. Louis.

Nashville Predators at Phoenix Coyotes, 8 PM ET
Nashville will bid for the NCAA Frozen Four tournament. Phoenix's last game was their first 2011 regulation loss.

Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche, 9 PM ET
Has the scoring dried up in Vancouver? Here's an in-depth chart of split stats so far for Colorado.

Minnesota Wild at Edmonton Oilers, 9:30 PM ET
How have Minnesota's left wings recently fared? Maybe Todd Richards should study the Jacques Lemaire playbook.