beauchemin back to the ducks

The first domino of the NHL's trading season fell today, with the Toronto Maple Leafs shipping D-man Francois Beauchemin to the Anahiem Ducks for Joffrey Lupul, prospect Jake Gardiner and a 4th round pick.  This is a good deal for both teams.  Beauchemin was a big part of the Ducks' success when they won the cup in 2007, but didn't really raise his game playing in Toronto.  In return Toronto got a 3 time 20 goal scorer who is coming off two injury plagued seasons, but he will provide some much needed offense.  More importantly Toronto got some youth, and lets hope for Leafs fans this is the first step in the right direction for the team.  Beauchemin was certainly drawing attention from other teams, and with him being dealt we may see a few more trades sooner rather than later.  A D-man with playoff experience is one of the biggest assets a team can have this time of the year, and look for Chris Phillips to be traded before the deadline.  Washington, Boston, and San Jose would love to beef up their blue lines, and the deal today may  sweeten the offers for the Ottawa defenseman.

Canucks keep rollin'

Expectations were at an all time high heading into the season for the Vancouver Canucks this season.  Henrik had just won MVP, Ryan Kesler had a breakout year, and they addressed all their needs in the offseason.  The Canucks were a solid team last year, but had every single one of their weaknesses exposed in the postseason by the eventual Stanley Cup champions the Chicago Blackhawks.  Kyle Wellwood was the 3rd line center, and to me the difference in the series was the effectiveness of Chicago's 3rd line (Bolland, Byfuglien, etc.) compared to the ineffectiveness of Vancouver's.  With Manny Malhotra filling in for Well-fed this season, it is a significant upgrade.  Torres provides some much needed grit, and Tambellini has been a nice surprise this season adding even more offensive depth.  Shane O'Brien and Andrew Alberts were also exposed by Chicago in the playoffs, so Gillis responded by going out and getting Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard.  Another weakness in the playoffs was Luongo.  I am really liking what I have seen from him so far this season.  Under new goalie coach Rollie Melanson, Luongo is playing with much more confidence, and has changed his approach.  He is playing deeper in his net, using his big body and good positioning to keep pucks out of the net.  This also keeps him away from crease crashers like Byfuglien, and the Vancouver D is doing a much better job of clearing the front of the net allowing Lu to see the puck much better.  Not to mention, Corey Schneider is more than a capable backup, and if Lu gets lit up for 7 like he has in the last couple of playoff series Vigneault will definitely consider throwing in Schneider, I think he has that much confidence in him.  Last year Vancouver had the best home record in the league, but were mediocre on the road with a .500 record.  They are getting it done both at home and on the road this year.  They are #1 in the league in goals for, and in the top 5 in goals against.  Their power play and penalty kill are both top 5 in the league.  Plain and simple, this team is clicking on all cylinders offensively while getting solid D and goaltending.  With 77 points the Canucks are 9 points up on Detroit for first in the West, but whether they finish 1st or 8th this team's success this year will be measured on what they can do in the playoffs.

ovi's power outage

So who would have guessed at this point in the season Alex Ovechkin would be 22nd in the league in goals for with 19???  No one could have seen this coming.  Washington led the league in goal scoring last year with 313 goals, yet the entire team is having difficulty putting the puck in the net this season.  The stat that is the most surprising to me is Ovechkin's PPG total thus far: TWO GOALS!  Are you kidding me? Not to mention these two power play goals were scored 13 seconds apart from each other in a blowout of the Calgary Flames.  I watched the Montreal Washington game on TSN last night and Ray Ferraro on many different occasions pointed out Ovechkin's body language.  He was seen waving for the puck, and when he didn't receive it he would throw his hands up in frustration, turn around and half ass his backcheck like he was Zach Moe.  This is not something you want to see out of your star player, never mind your captain.  I personally do not think he should be the captain of this team.  I am aware that he is responsible for probably half the ticket sales and over half the jersey sales in Washington, but this is more about the team than the fans.  A captain needs to go out and lead by example, and play hard on both ends of the ice.  Ovi doesn't do this.  If I were Boudreau I would give the C to a guy like Brooks Laich.  It seems Ovi is constantly putting himself above the team, and I feel this has disrupted their chemistry.  Mike Green is having an off season.  So is Backstrom.  This team is clicking when Ovechkin is at the top of his game.  He is the key to their success, and he needs to pick it up if the Caps have any hope of competing with Pittsburgh, Philly, and Boston in the East.

Leafs

When Brian Burke took over the job in Toronto, his past success had Leafs fans optimistic about a quick turnaround.  Unfortunately for fans in Toronto, all Burke has done thus far is halt the progress of a rebuilding team.  He pulled the trigger on the Phil Kessel deal way too fast in my opinion, without having the opportunity to seriously assess his team.  For the second year in a row the Leafs find themselves at the bottom of the standings, without a 1st round pick to look forward to.  For a young team who lacks offense, these draft picks are extremely valuable.  Not to mention that the Boston Bruins, a division rival, are loading up for their future with Toronto's picks while currently having a very strong team.  They don't miss Kessel one bit, as Nathan Horton has filled in nicely.   Kessel had a few good seasons in Boston, but let's not forget he was centered by Marc Savard who in my mind is one of the best pure passers in the game.  There are very few guys in the league who are worth two high first round picks, and Kessel certainly is not one of them.  With limited draft picks and few prospects, the Leafs need to make a splash in free agency this summer.  Look for them to actively pursue Brad Richards, who is a UFA in the offseason.  Despite their struggles Toronto is still a desired place to play for many players in the league, but the question is whether Richards would want to be a part of a rebuilding team or wants to win another cup now.  Burke was quoted a week ago saying that they want to be buyers at the deadline.  My advice to you Brian, put the ego aside for a second, cut your losses and properly rebuild this team through the draft and acquisitions.  Toronto fans have waited far too long to have a winner on the ice, and they may have to wait a little while longer at this rate.

duds

Here are the top 3 disappointments from the first half...

1) Ilya Kovalchuk- Big shock here.  The Kovalchuk situation in Jersey has been a complete mess from the very beginning.  The team was so tied up with his big contract they could only dress 3 lines for some games at the start of the season, and Kovy isn't even coming close to earning that pay.  He has only 29 points in 48 games played this season, one less than the incompetent Olli Jokinen.  His +/- is the worst in the league at -29.  But what makes this guy a huge dud to me is how he has brought his team down to the very bottom of the NHL standings.  Jersey was a division winner last year, and have made the playoffs for the past 13 seasons.  He has clearly shaken up the chemistry of this team, and I am not sure as to how well liked he is in the locker room.  I think Kovalchuk is driven more by cash and individual stats rather than winning.  If not, why would he turn down a 10 year $83 million deal with the LA Kings, who apart from being an up and coming young team, have a solid fan base.  Kovy is just as content playing in Newark where the seats are as empty as Atlanta, on yet another team destined to miss the playoffs.  The Atlanta Thrashers this season look much more promising than they ever did with Kovalchuk, because they replaced him with character guys and are now more of a team.  Dont be surprised if Ilya attempts to bolt to the KHL in the next couple of seasons.

2) Joe Thornton-  For the past 5 seasons, it was almost a given that the Sharks would be in the top 3 of the west and Jumbo Joe would be top 10 in scoring.  This year Thornton's play has declined, and consequently the Sharks are now battling for their playoff lives.  His 44 points in 48 games is average for his standards, and his -14 will have to improve if this team wants to be playing in April.  It seems the Stanley Cup window is closing fast for this team, who have always proven to be a dominant team in the regular season but could never get it done in the playoffs.  I am big fan of Thornton and I have always thought his criticism was a bit undeserved, but at the age of 31 it seems he is slowing down ever so slightly.  San Jose is at their best when Joe is at the top of his game.  Joe missed out on the all-star game this year, despite being the captain of the western conference team 2009 in montreal.  He made a 50 goal scorer out of current zamboni driver Jonathon Cheechoo, and Dany Heatley relies on Thornton heavily to get him the puck.  San Jose will only go as far as Joe will take them, and his play will have to elevate in the second half for this team to get into the playoffs.

3) Drew Doughty- A preseason Norris favourite, Doughty's play has taken a step back this season.  The Kings are currently struggling sitting at 11th in the Western Conference.  It's not like Doughty has terrible this season, but his coming out party at the olympics followed by a strong second half and playoff performance set the bar very high for him this year.  But let's keep this in perspective.  Drew is only 21 years old, and seemingly has a hall of fame career ahead of him.  Part of me feels like he is playing a bit injured, but he is way too valuable for the Kings to shut down for a good portion of the season.  Look for Doughty's play to pick up in the second half and for the Kings to make a strong push for the playoffs.

surprises

So now that we have reached the all-star break of the 2011 season, it's time to look back at the league's most surprising, and most disappointing players thus far.

Studs

1) Tim Thomas- Coming off a dismal 09/10 season, Tim Thomas looks to be back in his Vezina form from 2 years ago.  At the moment he leads the league in Save %, GAA, and shutouts, while being 2nd in wins.   But more importantly, he has made Boston a legit contender in the east, and you can bet not many teams will be looking forward to facing this guy in the playoffs.

2) Ryan Kesler- Though Kesler didnt get the C in Vancouver, he has emerged as the true leader of the Canucks.  He has limited his on ice chirping and now lets his play do the talking.  He sits tied for third (with teammate D. Sedin) in the NHL in goals with 27, while playing on a second line in which both his linemates are having disappointing seasons.  At the same time, Kes is just as valuable to the Canucks for his defensive play.  He is the real difference maker for this team, and is a big reason why they are sitting atop the western conference.

3) Dustin Byfuglien- Big Buff has been huge for the Thrashers in the first half of the season, and it seems he is more suited to patrolling the blue line rather than terrorizing opposing goalies in front of the net with his 6'5'' 265lb frame.  His 41 points are good for 4th in defensive scoring, and his 6 game winning goals are tops in the league.  He has certainly benefited from Atlanta's system, as they have given him much more freedom than he saw in Chicago.  He is encouraged to jump up in the rush and let his big shot go from the blue line, as he has 217 shots on goal thus far good for 2nd in the league.  More importantly, Byfuglien has given this Atlanta team a bit of swagger, and they should be a playoff team come April.

Check tomorrow for the top 3 disappointments...

Yandle

Who is the best kept secret in the NHL?  Without a question, it's Keith Yandle.  Playing in the desert, and on the west coast in front of 10,000 fans per night certainly helps this cause.  If he played for the Leafs he would be considered a Norris candidate, which I think could be in the future for this young star.  I've been big on this guy since last year and at 24 years of age he is starting to show his real potential. Yandle didnt even make the US olympic team last year, but right now he is arguably playing better than any other D-man who was on that squad.  This just shows how far this guy has progressed in such little time.  With 42 points he leads the Coyotes in scoring, and is a big reason for the team's surprising yet continued success.  You can bet Yandle will recieve a big pay raise and lots of attention from the big name markets once his contract is up in Phoenix.