Earlier this week Nick Kypreos had a little bet going with Blue Jays Catcher and Sportsnet playoff baseball analyst Gregg Zaun. Zaun believed that even though he had only skated twice before in his life, he could stop Nick Kypreos in a shootout. He figured that he already wears the helmet, and hurls his body at 100+ MPH projectiles, so why not give it a shot. Kypreos bet Zaun that he could score 10 out of 10 shots on him, and this was the result:

Haha, looks like ol’ Zaunie gets the last laugh. Hockey isn’t as easy as it looks, eh? Even help from CuJo couldn’t save him. Turns out they may actually do the rematch on Zaun’s turf. It may be Kypreos having to block a fastball in the dirt, or trying to steal off Zaun. Great stuff from the crew at Sportsnet!

Tags: baseball, blue jays, funny, gregg zaun, nick kypreos, shootout, sportsnet

Yes, they are.

It’s a story that won’t take long to develop. The emergence of the league’s most storied franchise is undeniable and their stacked roster will only strengthen as the year’s progress.

Right off the bat, let’s take a look at the Habs’ depth chart:

Position

Left Wing: A. Kostitsyn A. Tanguay S. Kostitsyn T. Kostopoulos

Center: T. Plekanec S. Koivu R. Lang M. Lapierre

Right Wing: A. Kovalev C. Higgins G. Latendresse G. Laraque

Defenseman: A. Markov M. Komisarek R. Hamrlik F. Bouillon J. Gorges R. O’Byrne

Goaltender: C. Price J. Halak

Let’s start with their strongest asset — goaltending. Stability and dominance will reign between the pipes in Montreal for the foreseeable future. Why you ask? Carey Price. The 21-year old AHL Calder Cup MVP didn’t take long to find his place among the mass of the NHL. In his first season, Price registered a remarkable .920 SV%, a 2.56 GAA, 3 SO and a 24-12-3 record in 41 games played. His poise and composure was so impressive that GM Bob Gainey opted to trade goaltender Cristobal Huet, sending him to the Washington Capitals for a 2nd-rnd pick. Price then took the starting role and never looked back, leading the Montreal Canadiens into the Stanley Cup Playoffs — where they would eventually fall to the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. For a goaltender so young — age 25 is the usual age for a goaltender to break into the league — Price had a spectacular rookie season. With more experience and added pressure, Price could now become the Habs’ catalyst for the entire season, showing the NHL only glimpses of his dominance that is surely to come.

Upfront the Habs boast an impressive group as well, one that uses their speed and transition game to overcome their opponents. While the Habs lack a superstar forward, they contain a balanced group to round out four solid lines. Statically, Alexei Kovalev stands as the Habs top player, serving as their sniper and one of their many leaders. At 34, he will continue to lead the group, prolonging his chemistry with Tomas Plekanec and countryman Andrei Kostitsyn. While captain Saku Koivu’s production appears to be dwindling, his character and leadership will never diminish. On a young team like the Canadiens, Koivu’s determination and fiery attitude will benefit the team for years to come.

Taking a look at the Habs’ depth chart above, it’s easy to see how their offensive attack will get more lethal as the young guns mature, and considering they scored 257 goals last season (ranked 1st overall on the PP), that’s reason enough to be feared. Perhaps the most promising of their young forwards though is Tomas Plekanec. Plekanec broke-out last season with 29 goals and 69 points, ranking 2nd overall on the Habs in points. Among other talented young forwards include the Kostitsyn brothers (Andrei and Sergei), who many are hoping will bring a similar dimension to what the Sedin brothers bring in Vancouver. While not on the team as it stands, the talented Max Pacioretty is expected to bring some size and grit to a Habs club that is still in need of it upfront. It’s not unrealistic to expect the young powerforward to find his place on the team this season, barring injuries or poor play from the regulars.

Defensively, the Habs are among the strongest in the league. They contain a strong defense core that brings size, skill and speed. They own one of the best offensive defenseman in the league with Andrei Markov and he’s proven that he knows his way in his own end as well. They also have one of the better defensive defenseman in the league with Mike Komisarek. The young, aggressive, stay-at-home defender ranked 1st overall in blocked shots last season and was 2nd in the hits department. To round out the D, Josh Gorges, Roman Hamrlik, Ryan O’Byrne and Francis Bouillon are present, giving the Habs a lethal mix of offensive and defensive capabilities.

Going to the Pittsburgh Penguins comparison, I wouldn’t hesitate to say that the Habs will be in a better position than the powerful Pens. While both teams display strong rosters, the Habs have the upper hand in one crucial aspect; it’s what makes the world go around — money. Looking ahead to the ‘09/10 season, the Pens have US$ 41.3M tied up on 11 players, leaving 14 left to be signed (6 RFA’s and 8 UFA’s). Among that group are Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan, Petr Sykora, Jordan Staal, Hal Gill, and others. It’ll be a challenge to sustain the same core for the future, and the Pens will probably have to weaken in order to fit under the NHL Salary Cap.

The Habs also have 14 players to sign for the ‘09/10 season (10 UFA’s and 4 RFA’s), but only have US$ 23.3M invested in their returning players. That leaves a whopping US$ 33.4M for the Habs to spend on players like Tanguay, Koivu, Kovalev, Lang, Komisarek, Plekanec, and others. Even with Plekanec, Higgins and Komisarek due for raises, the Habs can easily manage to contain their core while staying under the Cap.

That’s not to say the Pens will fall from grace or anything, with players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin leading the charge, their destined for greatness. With that said, however, the Eastern Conference has a new sheriff in town, and it’s the Montreal Canadiens.

Schenn will play for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.

I’m as sure of this as I am that Carlo Calaiacovo will get injured. While there is an abundance of defensemen competing for the two available positions (Kaberle, Kubina, Finger and Frogren will form the Leafs’ top 4), Schenn will, at some point, stand-out from the majority of the group. Whether it’s in training camp or mid-way through the season, as soon he joins the team he’ll stay there for the remainder.

Before Schenn arrived, Anton Stralman was the Leafs’ best defensive prospect. Now, however, things have changed. While Stralman is still shaping up to be a premium offensive defenseman, the Leafs haven’t had a franchise caliber defender in quite some time.

I get the feeling that Fletcher, despite his claim that Schenn will have to “overwhelm”, is going to have a tough time not including the six-foot-three, 215-pound Saskatoon native to the line-up. Schenn brings elements to the table that is comparable to the Canadiens’ Mike Komisarek. He’s mean, hits hard, clears the front of the net, and uses his huge frame to its fullest. While the Leafs have displayed solid defensemen in these past few years of mediocrity, Schenn’s character, poise and style of play is exactly what they’ve been lacking. Not to mention someone on the blueline who is feared on the ice, making offenders think twice before crashing the net.

An aspect of Schenn’s game that is overlooked are his offensive abilities. Schenn has progressively gotten better in the WHL, garnering a better PPG each season:

2005-06 WHL Season Kelowna Rockets 60 3 8 11 1 86

2006-07 WHL Season Kelowna Rockets 72 2 27 29 -10 139

2007-08 Regular Season Kelowna Rockets 57 7 21 28 5 100

If you look at his ‘07-08 season, he played 15 fewer games, scored one less point, but scored 5 more goals compared to his ‘06-07 campaign.

Schenn was dynamite in the WJC as well, being touted as the team’s MVP by some. While he registered no points, his defensive play was exceptional (finished with a team-high +5 rating), showing why many scouts are projecting him as an “all-star defenseman”.

When Schenn finds his way to the Leafs, placing him on the 2nd PP unit would be beneficial to his offensive development, and it wouldn’t add to much pressure to the 18-year-old.

Looking at the Leafs’ defensive core next season, it’s not unrealistic for Schenn to find a prominent role with the club. While the Leafs have many defensemen at their disposal, the skill level is not exactly top notch, so if Schenn can find his groove in the NHL, he can place himself as the No.5 or No.6 defenseman. He won’t have a lot of ice-time, but considering Fletcher doesn’t want to rush him (that method hasn’t proved successful for the Leafs), it would be logical to gradually merge him to the top 4. Another thing to consider is that the pressure on the Leafs is as low as ever this season -€“ many fans are gunning for John Tavares -€“ so Schenn shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by the usual pressure that resides with Leafs Nation.

While I would enjoy nothing more than seeing him play all 82 games in the NHL, a more realistic scenario would see him joining the club in relief of injuries. If he plays to his level, it’ll be difficult for Fletcher to send a player of his repertoire back down.

It will be an interesting story to follow this season, and for this particular Leafs fan, I think it’ll end well.

What do you folks think?

[email]ronguillet@gmail.com[/email]

Expect more from us in the upcoming weeks with Draft Previews for different teams!But for now here is my mock draft I constructed. It is not based on TEAM NEEDS because of the trades the go on during the draft I figured that it would not be the same teams, in the same positions during the draft.

1. Steven Stamkos,Sarnia Sting, Center (6’1, 180 pounds), Canadian
2. Drew Doughty, Guelph Storm, Defensemen (6’0, 213 pounds), Canadian
3. Zach Bogosian, Peterborough Petes, Defensemen (6’2, 200 pounds), American
4. Alex Pietrangelo, Niagara Ice Dogs, Defensemen (6’4, 210 pounds), Canadian
5. Nikita Filatov , CSKA Moscow, Left Wing (6’0, 172 pounds), Russian
6. Luke Schenn , Kelowna Rockets, Defensemen (6’3, 209 pounds), Canadian
7. Cody Hodgson, Brampton Battalions, Center (6’0, 185 pounds), Canadian
8. Kyle Beach, Everett Silvertips, Center (6’3 , 203 pounds), Canadian
9. Colin Wilson, Boston University, Center (6’1, 215 pounds), American
10. Mikkel Boedker, Kitchener Rangers, Left Wing (5’11, 201 pounds), Denmark
11. Colten Teubert, Regina Pats, Defensemen (6’4, 181 pounds), Canadian
12. Tyler Myers, Kelowna Rockets, Defensemen (6’6, 194 pounds), Canadian
13. Michael Del Zotto, Oshawa Generals, Defensemen (6’0 ,190 pounds), Canadian
14. Zach Boychuk, Lethbridge Hurricane, Center (5’9, 176 pounds), Canadian
15. Jordan Eberle, Regina Pats, Center (5’11, 170 pounds), Canadian
16. Luca Sbisa, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Defensemen (6’1, 176 pounds), Switzerland
17. Mattias Tedenby, HV 71, Left Wing (5’10, 176 pounds), Swedish
18. Tyler Cuma, Ottawa 67’s, Defensemen (6’2, 182 pounds), Canadian
19. Colby Robak, Brandon Wheat Kings, Defensemen (6’3, 202 pounds), Canadian
20. Thomas McCollum, Guelph Storm, Goaltender (6’2, 208 pounds), Canadian
21. John Carlson, Indiana Ice(USHL), Defensemen (6’2, 215 pounds), American
22. Greg Nemisz, Windsor Spitfires, Right Wing (6’4, 202 pounds), Canadian
23. Kirill Petrov, Ak Bars Kazan, Right Wing (6’3, 198 pounds), Russian
24. Jamie Arniel, Sarnia Sting, Center (6’0, 195 pounds), Canadian
25. Yann Sauvé, Saint-John Sea Dogs, Defensemen (6’3, 220 pounds), Canadian
26. Chet Pickard, Tri-City Americans, Goaltender (6’3, 200 pounds), Canadian
27. Zac Dalpe, Penticton Valley First Vees, Center (6’1, 175 pounds),Canadian
28. Evgeny Grachev, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Center (6’4, 202 pounds),Russian
29. Anton Gustafsson, Västra Frölunda HC, Center (6’1, 189 pounds), Swedish
30. Joe Colborne, Camrose Kodiaks(AJHL), Center (6’4,195 pounds), Canadian

Hey, good news Leafs fans. Your minor league affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, just capped an improbable comeback in the North Division Final, beating the Syracuse Crunch 4 games to 3 after being down 3 games to 1.

Is that really good news?

Is it?

Surely this bodes well for the Leafs future, right?

Only good things can come from young future #1 netminder Justin Pogge racking up important playoff minutes, right?

Ha ha, nice try.

Somehow, some way the Leafs organization has managed to screw things up in what seemed to be a great situation.

Let’s flashback to last season in the AHL. The Hamilton Bulldogs, the affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, realized that they were going to make the playoffs, and have a somewhat decent shot. They also saw that their future #1 netminder Carey Price’s season was over in the WHL. They put two-and-two together, and made him the starter for the Bulldogs. They put the success of their AHL team behind the experience and progress of who was to be the future of the organization. They did the right thing, and even won on top of that.

Fast-forward to before the playoffs began in the AHL this season. The Marlies, finishing first in their division, and second in the western conference, realized that they have a decent shot at winninng it all. They had their meetings, talked to members of the Leafs head brass about what to do, and came to a conclusion. They were going to start Scott Clemmensen. He is going to give them the best shot to “win.”

Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah.

Woah.

Is the AHL really about winning? Far from it. It’s a developmental league for the NHL and players who will someday play in the NHL. Is Scott Clemmensen going to play in the NHL again? Maybe a few games here and there, maybe a back-up spot somewhere. Is Justin Pogge going to play in the NHL? He is going to be the Leafs #1 starter one day!

I really hope you’re seeing the point I am making here, or else you may be just as slow as the Leafs management, and if you are, I apologize.

What really boggles my mind is that Justin Pogge even had a good season. It’s not like they’re throwing some stiff in there, it’s Justin freakin’ Pogge! He had a 2.34 goals against and .908 save percentage in 41 games, not too shabby! He really, really should be starting in this year’s Calder Cup playoffs, and if the Leafs organization had any kind of sense in them whatsoever, they would realize that winning is always put behind the progress of prospects in the AHL. Always.

So Leafs fans, if you see Scott Clemmensen hoisting the Calder Cup on the news next month, think twice before getting excited. Maybe the Leafs should have thought twice about the future of their goaltending. They would have seen that it doesn’t include the likes of Scott Clemmensen.

That is the question being raised following game one of the Montreal/Philadelphia series. With the score at 3-2 Philadelphia late in the third period, the Flyers Mike Richards was called for what some are saying (mostly distraught Flyers fans) was a “questionable” kneeing call. Here are some pictures to state each side’s case.

From this angle it looks as if the shoulder of Richards is laying the blow on Kovalev, causing him to spin out and fall.
I believe that the angle in that picture is deceiving. From the side angle, a picture taken at roughly the same time shows that Kovalev’s shoulder is well past Richards’ and the knee is delivering the blow.
Either way, the call was made and Richards was sent to the box for two. The Habs managed to score on the powerplay with their net empty. They went on to win it in overtime. When all is broken down, Flyers fans have no right to criticize the referees. It was close enough not to warrant a blown call, but just a discretionary call that happened to go against them. The fact is, the Flyers blew a 2-0 lead, and a 3-2 lead late. One of their goals went in off of a skate and could have easily been called back, so not every call was made against them, like some will make it sound . Here’s the Youtube video for you to decide in real-time:

Sean Avery is the worst kind of loser you can find. He not only gets under your skin, but he crosses the line, gets away with it, then lets you know he got away with it. What you just saw in that video was (and I use past tense for a reason) against the rules.

Rule 41 - Abuse of Officials and other Misconducts G) A misconduct penalty shall be imposed on any player who persists in any course of conduct (including threatening or abusive language or gestures or similar actions) designed to incite an opponent into incurring a penalty.

What’s that you say? It was in the rule book already? Why the referee did not call it in the first place is beyond me. This is not what the NHL wants to look like. You cannot pick up your blade and wave it in front of another player’s face, regardless if you make contact.

I would have been fine with a stern warning if it was anyone but Sean Avery. Another point I have to make is, this only sheds negative light on the Rangers. A leader from the Rangers (if they have any) should have stepped up and told him to settle down. I understand that it is the playoffs and you want to get into the opponent’s head, but don’t make it as obvious as that.

The NHL has decided to give an interpretation to the rule I quoted earlier, aiming it at Avery’s antics.

An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender’s face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play.

For one, I applaud them.

The Senators may be in trouble even though they managed the squeak into the playoffs. No, it’s not their goaltending woes (which are non-existent), it’s their loss of both their Captain Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher to injuries. Both of the injuries occurred Thursday night in their 8-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and both came at the hands of Leafs forward Mark Bell. A recent TSN.ca poll has revealed 82% of viewers think that the Sens can’t win in the playoffs without their captain. The injury to Fisher is not really arguable since it was only a small collision, which you cannot blame Bell for. His injury was a fluke. The hit that injured Alfredsson, on the other hand, has been quite the hot topic.

I believe it was clean. I’m probably one of the biggest Leaf “jokers” (”haters” is just too strong) around, so this determination is not biased whatsoever. I think that if Alfredsson got up uninjured, this hit would just be on the highlight reel of every sports station and not ripped apart like it has been. Of course the reason people say he got hurt was because of the way Bell hit him.

The way Mark Bell hit Daniel Alfredsson caused him to get injured.

That is absolutely correct.

Was the hit illegal in any way? Not at all. Bell caught Alfredsson in a vulnerable position and punished him the way any good NHL checker does. If that’s dirty then so be it, hockey is a dirty sport by their standards.

We should be worried much more about REAL head shots (and the people who go around looking for them), hits from behind, and protecting the goaltenders. Hits like these can stay in my NHL.

**You can vote on whether it was a clean hit or not on the top right hand corner of this site**