2009 NHL MOCK DRAFT

With the 2009 NHL Entry Draft about five weeks away, here's a look at what could happen. This is based on how the selections are stacked up today, the final four teams could switch places as the Conference Finals wrap up; and trades could happen.

1. New York Islanders - John Tavares, C, OHL
2. Tampa Bay Lightning - Victor Hedman, D, Sweden
3. Colorado Avalanche - Matt Duchene, C, OHL
4. Atlanta Thrashers - Evander Kane, C, WHL
5. Los Angeles Kings - Brayden Schenn, C, WHL
6. Phoenix Coyotes - Jared Cowan, D, WHL
7. Toronto Maple Leafs - Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, LW, Sweden
8. Dallas Stars - Zach Kassian, RW, OHL
9. Ottawa Senators - Nazem Kadri, C, OHL
10. Edmonton Oilers - Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, Sweden
11. Nashville Predators - Scott Glennie, C, WHL
12. Minnesota Wild - Simon Despres, D, QMJHL
13. Buffalo Sabres - Ryan Ellis, D, OHL
14. Florida Panthers - John Moore, D, USHL
15. Anaheim Ducks - Jordan Schroeder, RW, NCAA
16. Columbus Blue Jackets - David Runblad, D, Sweden
17. St. Louis Blues - Jacob Josefson, C, Sweden
18. Montreal Canadians - Peter Holland, C, OHL
19. New York Rangers - Carter Ashton, LW, WHL
20. Phoenix Coyotes - Ethan Werek, C, OHL
21. Philadelphia Flyers - Landon Ferraro, RW, WHL
22. Vancouver Canucks - Louis LeBlanc, C, USHL
23. New Jersey Devils - Chris Kreider, LW, USHS
24. Washington Capitals - Dmitri Kulikov, D, QMJHL
25. Boston Bruins - Nick Leddy, D, USHS
26. New York Islanders - Jordan Caron, C, QMJHL
*27. Carolina Hurricanes - Kyle Palmieri, C, USNTDP
*28. Chicago Blackhawks - Jeremy Morin, C, USNTDP
*29. Pittsburgh Penguins - Calvin De Haan, D, OHL
*30. Detroit Red Wings - Stefan Elliott, D, WHL

* = final position still to be determined

Obviously, there will be trades. Some of the teams with major trade potential are Toronto at #7 (up or down), Dallas at #8, Columbus at #16, Philadelphia at #21 and Boston at #25.

Desperation? Yes. Hesitation? No.

The Philadelphia Flyers head into the final eight games of their '07-'08 season with a 36-28-10 record, good enough for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

For a franchise that finished dead last in the NHL last season, this would seem like an enviable position.

But looks can be deceiving.

Before a mild 3-2 victory over a paltry Thrashers club on Tuesday, the Flyers had come up on the short-end of their previous four contests. Capped off by a demoralizing 7-1 defeat at the hands of inter-state rival Pittsburgh.

In fact, over their past 22 games, the Flyers have only managed to come away with 11 out of 44 possible points during that span.

In short, this team is struggling.

And it's not because they have been victims of circumstance, bad breaks or poor luck (although these virtues always play a small role). They've been out-worked, out-hustled, out-muscled and out-played.

The leadership committee has been questioned. Each player's determination has been put on trial. Scapegoats have been vilified. The will to want to win more than their opponent has been kidnapped and held for ransom.

To say that the Flyers grasp on the final playoff slot in the Eastern Conference is weak is quite the understatement.

But, there are still eight games remaining.

Eight more chances at redemption. Eight more contests to prove that they belong. Eight more opportunities for vengeance.

The road to a playoff berth will not be an easy one. Their final eight games are all against dangerous division foes. However, there is room for some optimism on this journey:

- Goaltender Martin Biron is 10-7-2, 2.35 GAA, .922 SV % vs. the Atlantic Division this season; including a gaudy 1.58 GAA and .951 SV % vs. the Rangers.

- Mike Richards, Vinny Prospal and Joffrey Lupul (just a shade under) all averaging over a point per game vs. the Atlantic Division; including Richie's 3 goals and 6 assists in 8 games vs. the Devils.

- The Scottie's love playing the Islanders. Upshall has 6 points in 4 games vs. the Islanders; while Hartnell has torched NY goaltending with 6 goals and 2 assists in 6 games.

- The Rangers and Devils' powerplay units are near the bottom of the league at 16.2% and 16.3%, respectively; whereas the Flyers remain 2nd in the league, despite the drop-off.

- The Penguins penalty-killing is among the worst in the league, including a meager 77.1% on the road.

This next game versus the Rangers will go a long way in determining the playoff fate of this young and inconsistent squad. A win at home would not only do wonders for the players' confidence, but would also go a long way in restoring the faith of an increasingly pessimistic fan base.

Hockeybuzz blogger Bill Meltzer has stated numerous times that he dislikes the term "desperation" when applied to hockey. He feels that it's synonymous with panic and despair. And mostly, I agree with him.

However, this Flyers club has thrived on adversity all season long. How many times has this team squandered initial leads to its opponent, only to battle back and win the game in the final frame? How many man games have the Flyers lost this season due to injury?

There should some amount of desperation on the ice tomorrow night vs. the Rangers. It'll definitely be present in the stands.

At the very least, it'll show that the players do have the heart and desire to win. The last thing we should have to question in this town is effort.

Here's to hoping that tomorrow truly is...Good Friday.

Randy Jones Hit on Patrice Bergeron

In Saturday's game vs. the Boston Bruins, Flyers defenseman Randy Jones hit Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron against the boards behind the Flyers net in the 2nd period. Bergeron, who lost consciousness for several minutes, laid motionless on the ice for several minutes before being placed on a stretcher and taken the hospital. Thankfully, he was only diagnosed with a concussion and a broken nose.

Jones was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct, which is standard in these types of situations.

Showing remorse for the critically injured Bruin, Jones said: "Words really can't express the way that I feel right now. I am very apologetic for the hit and what I did. It was not intentional. It is something that I have never done before and it is not part of my character. I am extremely sorry. I hope he does ok and everything works out for him. I wish him nothing but the best in his recovery.

This isn’t part of my character. It’s not the type of player I am. I was going to finish my hit and the unfortunate outcome was he got injured. You never ever want to see someone … get carried off on a stretcher like that. This isn’t something I take easy or can get over in an hour. It’s gonna take a while for me to get over this."

For anyone who did not see the hit, both Bergeron and Jones were going after a puck that was sitting along the boards to the side of the right goal post (the goalie's right side). Bergeron, who had two to three steps on Jones, turned his back to his trailer about a foot away from the boards to corral the puck. Jones, figuring Bergeron was going to crash the boards to retrieve the puck, crashed into the back of a bent-over Bergeron, driving his face into the stanchion dividing the boards and the glass.

This play was an obvious and easy boarding call for the refs. It was a very unsafe hit to make and Jones was appropriately given his 5-minute major and game misconduct. But because of the severity of the injuries sustained by Bergeron, some hockey fans are calling for a suspension of Randy Jones.

I am ok with the National Hockey League creating a rule that calls for a suspension for any player given a major penalty for boarding. It is an illegal, unsafe and disrespectful type of hit to make. I am not ok with the league making an example out of Randy Jones, however. There were three other incidents in the NHL just this past week that were of similar viciousness; yet none received little, if any media attention or the outcry from fans looking for suspensions.

But because the Flyers had two complete separate incidents earlier this season, fans from around the league want the League Office to come down hard on the Orange and Black.

To Flyers fans, it's a disgusting double standard.

It also brings up the debate on what the League is actually punishing players on. Are the punishing the hit? Or are they punishing based on the result of the hit? It seems to me that if the league wants to get rid of illegal shots to the head and hitting from behind; that they punish all offenders, not just the ones that cause serious injuries.

If yo owned a home that was infested with a rodent problem; would you kill each individual mouse as you see them? Or would you be proactive and put something in place to kill them before they're even seen?

I'd rather have a pro-active NHL; instead of this reactive NHL.

Where Will The Free Agents Land?

#1 Centers

1. Chris Drury (7.5M) - San Jose. I think they'll sign Drury and trade Marleau. Anaheim already has McDonald and Getzlaf as their top two centers and the Kings have Kopitar and Cammalleri.
2. Scotty Gomez (7M) - Atlanta. Gomez centering a line of Kovalchuk and Hossa. Sick.
3. Daniel Briere (6.75M) - Buffalo. It's in the best interest of both Briere and Buffalo to continue their relationship.
4. Peter Forsberg (4M) - Retire or play for Sweden.

#2 Centers

1. Michael Handzus (3.5M) - St. Louis. Will eventually replace the soon-to-be-retiring Doug Weight.
2. Michael Nylander (3.0M) - NY Rangers. Will continue to feed Jagr some pretty sweet passes.
3. Mike Peca (3.0 M) - Philadelphia. The Flyers are desperate for a veteran center and Peca will probably the best of what's left.
4. Keith Tkachuk (2.5M) - St. Louis. Will return to the city that traded him last season.
5. Todd White (2.25M) - Carolina. Will slot into the #3 spot behind Staal and Brind'Amour.
6. Wes Walz (2M) - Minnesota. Will re-sign with the Wild.

#3 Centers

1. Mike Comrie (1.25M) - Ottawa. Will re-sign with Ottawa.
2. Brian Smolinski (1M) - Washington. Not a sexy name, but can play on one of the Caps top two lines.
3. Eric Lindros (1M) - Please retire?

#1 Left Wings
1. Ryan Smyth (6.5M) - NY Islanders. In the end, I think Wang & Co. will convince Ryan to stay on the Island.
2. Paul Kariya (4.5M) - Nashville. Will re-sign with the Preds once the new ownership group takes over.
3. Jason Blake (4M) - Toronto. The Leafs will grossly overpay for this overachiever.


#2 Left Wings
1. Gary Roberts (2.5M) - San Jose. Will replace the departing Billy Guerin.
2. Ruslan Fedotenko (1.5M) - Philadelphia. Will return to the Orange & Black and shuffle between the 2nd and 3rd lines.

#3 Left Wings
1. Martin Gelinas (1.5M) - Anaheim. Will look for 2nd or 3rd line duties, keeping Moen and May on the 3rd and 4th lines - where they belong.

#1 Right Wings
1. Brendan Shanahan (4M) - NY Rangers. Will give it one more go around with Jagr and Co.
1. Teemu Selanne (4M) - Retire.
2. Petr Sykora (2.5M) - Calgary. Will slot onto the 2nd line behind Iginla.

#2 Right Wings
1. Scott Hartnell (2.5M) - Montreal. Will bring some toughness to the Habs 2nd line.
2. Ladislav Nagy (1.75M) - Dallas. Will re-sign with the Stars.
3. Dainus Zubrus (1.75M) - Buffalo. Will re-sign with the Sabres.
4. Bill Guerin (1.5M) - Pittsburgh. Will replace the departing Mark Recchi.

#3 Right Wings
1. Scott Nichol (1M) - Colorado. The Avalanche have money to spend.
2. Todd Bertuzzi (750K) - Chicago - The Blackhawks will be one of the few teams willing to take a chance on Big Bert.


Defence 1-2 Pairing
1. Sheldon Souray (6.75M) - Colorado. The Avalanche have money to spend and will waste it here.
2. Kimmo Timonen (7.2M) - Philadelphia. The Flyers find their #1 defenseman, despite overpaying for him.
3. Brian Rafalski (4.0 M) - NJ Devils. Sweet Lou won't lose BOTH Gomez and Rafalski.


Defence 3-4 Pairing
1. Mathieu Schneider (3.5M) - Anaheim. Will replace the retiring Scotty Neidermayer.
2. Roman Hamrlik (2.5M) - Edmonton. Will help out the PP.
3. Craig Rivet (2M) - San Jose. Will smartly stay put.
4. Danny Markov (2M) - Montreal. Will replace Souray.

Defence 5-6 Pairing
1. Cory Sarich (1.75M) - Nashville. Will replace Timonen.
2. Aaron Miller (1.25M) - Atlanta. Will help stabilize a defensive unit that has gone through several changes recently.
3. Bryan Berard (1M) - Retire.

Goalies #1
1. JS Giguere (6.75M) - Florida. Will open the bank and say "take however much you'd like". Anaheim can still win with Bryzgalov.
2. Dom Hasek (5.5) - Retire.

Please feel free to give your thoughts on where you think some of these players might land.

Niittymaki To Re-Sign This Weekend

According to Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer and HockeyBuzz blogger Tim Panaccio, the Philadelphia Flyers are expected to re-sign goaltender Antero Niittymaki this weekend.

Niity will serve as a back-up to incumbent Martin Biron, acquired at the trade deadline from Buffalo for a 2nd round draft pick.

The MVP of the 2006 Olympics for the silver medal-winning Finnish team, Niittymaki's career in Philadelphia has been a tumultuous one.

Antero was drafted 168th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, but stayed in Finland until the beginning of 2001, because of military obligations. His stock began to rise due to his stellar play for the Philadelphia Phantoms in the American Hockey League (AHL). Niity led the Phantoms to the Calder Cup in 2005, while earning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for MVP in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Niittymaki also became the first ever goalie to score an overtime goal in North American pro-hockey history, scoring a game-winning, empty net, overtime, shorthanded, unassisted goal on April 11, 2004 versus the Hershey Bears.

He started the 2005-06 season with the Flyers as Robert Esche's back-up. When Esche got hurt, Antero was thrust into the starting role. He played in seventeen straight games, while Esche was out, and recorded his first career NHL shutout.

The 2006-07 season for Niittymaki was marred by injury and inconsistency. He suffered a torn labrum in his left hip during training camp and opted to wait until this off-season to have surgery to correct it - took cortisone shots throughout the season.Teams also seemed to have Antero figured out. They figured out that he would squat into his butterfly stance very early when the opposition was in the offensive zone, and he was constantly being beaten up high with shots.

Perhaps the injury had something to do with his play, or perhaps he had a confidence issue, but Niittymaki clearly did not progress this season as the Flyers coaching staff had hoped.Perhaps he can right his ship in 2007-08. The Flyers will need him to if anything were to happen to Martin Biron.

The Tragically Hip Flyers

At work today, I was listening to several of The Tragically Hip's (I still haven't purchased "World Container" yet!) albums and reminiscing about my first Hip concert experience last month at The Chameleon Club here in Lancaster, PA.


It's a small, dark, smoke-filled box that can hold about as many people as the local Tim Horton's in downtown Toronto. But the magic they created that night is a feeling that will never leave me. The passion, the vocals, and the performance by Gord, the lead singer resonated as pungently as the smell of cigarettes and stale beer throughout the club. The band played so smoothly and effortlessly, it was though they were a bunch of NHL players freely skating on the open ice.


The experience left me wanting more.



The same could be said about the '06-'07 Philadelphia Flyers.



The season commenced with much optimism. It was a young team, but the youngsters showed burts of brilliance in their rookie campaigns. Everyone knew that the losses of Keith Primeau and Eric Desjardins were huge, especially in the locker room. But the Flyers were hoping that forwards Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and R.J. Umberger; defenseman Freddy Meyer and goaltender Antero Niitymaki would be able to cushion the blow.



In hindsight, that was very flawed thinking.



The young Flyers struggled this past season. They struggled with scoring, they struggled with consistency and they struggled with injuries. Freddy Meyer ended up being dealt to the Islanders and Antero Niitymaki lost his starting job to deadline acquisition, Martin Biron. And more stories were written about Peter Forsberg's foot than his play on the ice.



The season ended abruptly and without a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.



I was left wanting more.



With that in mind, I've decided to combine two of my favorite things (The Hip and The Flyers) and review their '06-'07 season with titles of Hip songs:

• The Dark Canuck - On September 12, Bob Clarke signed RFA center Ryan Kesler of the Canucks to a one-year, $1.9 million offer sheet. The move was viewed by many, most notably and loudly by Canucks GM Dave Nonis, as a back-handed move by Clarke as the Canucks were up against the cap. Vancouver eventually matched the offer, but fought cap problems all season long.



• Toronto #4 - In their fourth contest vs. the Maple Leafs this season, Jeff Carter got called for a hooking penalty 1:15 into OT. The Leafs Bryan McCabe scored during the ensuing power play. This game was also of importance because Mike York actually registered a goal - a GTG with just 5:00 minutes to play in the 3rd period.



• It Can't Be Nashville Every Night - On November 29th, their only game against Nashville this season, young Flyers defenseman Jussi Timonen suited up against his brother, Kimmo, for the first time in an NHL game. The Flyers end up losing the game on a late goal by winger Martin Erat.



• Summer's Killing Us - The summer of 2006 wasn't a good one for the Flyers. They lost key leaders C Keith Primeau and D Eric Desjardins to retirement. The pair meant just as much to this team off the ice, as they did on the ice.



• The Kids Don't Get It - Young Flyers Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Antero Niitymaki struggle to improve their games during their sophomore seasons. All three came down with fairly serious injuries that really hampered their progress.



• The Lonely End of the Rink - It was not a good season to be a goalie for the Flyers. Neither Antero Niitymaki nor Robert Esche established themselves as the Flyers top goaltender and both consistently let in soft and back-breaking goals.



• Are You Ready - The constant foot problems that plagued C Peter Forsberg killed any chance the Flyers had at obtaining consistency with their lines. Forsberg played in only 40 of the possible 56 games this season before being dealt to Nashville on February 15th.



• Fireworks - The Flyers tumultuous season comes to a head when forward Todd Fedoruk and defenseman Joni Pitkanen exchange punches and shoves during practice in late January.



• Looking for a Place to Happen - The Flyers end a franchise-long drought of home losses by defeating the St. Louis Blues, 4-3 in OT on February 10th. The win snapped a 13-game home losing streak and it was the first time the Flyers had won at home since November 24th. This was also the Flyers first win in OT this season.



• Escape is at Hand for the Travellin' Man - Defenseman Alexei Zhitnik, acquired from the N.Y. Islanders earlier in the season for Freddy Meyer, was once again dealt - this time to the playoff bound Atlanta Thrashers. The Flyers received young defensive stalwart Braydon Coburn in the deal. The Thrashers were swept in the first round of the playoffs.



• The Drop-Off - On December 11th, the Flyers waive forward Petr Nedved. Petr has clearly lost a stop and the coaching staff decided to give his minutes to younger players, like Ryan Potulny.



• A Beautiful Thing - In a late-season loss to the Islanders, winger Simon Gagne scores his 40th goal of the season and 200th of his career. Gagne became the 13th player in team history to reach 200 goals with the Orange & Black.



• Throwing Off Glass - The Flyers get a much-needed physical jolt with the return of Denis Gauthier to the lineup in late January. Gauthier missed about three months with a shoulder injury.



• 700 ft. Ceiling - The Flyers have a new (and younger) sense of direction with the deadline deals made by then-interim GM Paul Holmgren. The Flyers acquired goaltender Martin Biron from the Buffalo Sabres for a second-round draft pick; defenseman Braydon Coburn from Atlanta for Alexei Zhitnik; defenseman Ryan Parent and forward Scottie Upshall (and a first round pick) from the Predators for Peter Forsberg and defenseman Lasse Kukkonen from the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-team deal for Kyle Calder.

The future looks bright for the Flyers. The have their #1 goaltender in Biron, a solid defense corps and with a few free-agent forward signings (or trades), they should be a playoff team in '07-'08.

At this time next year, I'm hoping that the only thing I'm left wanting is to see Gordie and the boys play another phenomenal live set.

July 1, 2007 - part two

On Thursday, I took a glance at the list of possible free agent centers who could don the Orange & Black for the '07-'08 season. Here's a look at the defensemen (the Flyers other main need):

• Kimmo Timonen (Nashville Predators) - The first thing that jumped out at me when researching Kimmo was his age - 32. Are the Flyers willing to give a four or five-year deal to a 32 year-old defenseman? Regardless, Timonen is a great power play quarterback, a role the Flyers definitely need to fill. Timonen also has an accurate shot and can hold his own in the defensive zone. Kimmo also has two Flyers connections. First of all, his younger brother Jussi is playing with their AHL affiliate. The other is that Kimmo co-owns a club in Europe with good friend Sami Kapanen. His next contract? My guess is 4 yrs./$20.4 mil ($5.1 mil/yr.) with Nashville.


• Brian Rafalski (New Jersey Devils) - Rafalski, a three-time NHL All-Star, is considered a very intelligent player with great skating ability. He, like Timonen, can also quarterback a power play, but Timonen has the harder, more accurate shot. Rafalski's main weaknesses are: his age (33), his size (5'10", 190 lbs.) and the fact that he can be muscled off the puck easier than others. With his age and with the Devils lack of cap space, Rafalski could bolt to another team. His next contract? My guess is 5 yrs./$27.0 mil ($5.4 mil/yr.) with Columbus.


• Sheldon Souray (Montreal Canadiens) - Souray tallied 26 goals this past season, including an amazing 19 on the PP. He has a big shot and he's not afraid to use it. Although he has an excellent offensive game, his defense is suspect. He is prone to getting beat one-on-one and also takes too many bad penalties. Teammate Andrei Markov is also a UFA, but is more likely to be re-signed by the Habs. His next contract? My guess is 4 yrs./$19.2 mil ($4.8 mil/yr.) with Colorado.


• Andrei Markov (Montreal Canadiens) - Markov may not be quite as prolific of a goal-scorer as Souray, but for a defenseman, he sure holds his own. He too is armed with a powerful shot and can quarterback a PP. However, he is a little more mistake and injury-prone. Markov, 28, is also two years younger than his teammate Souray. His next contract? My guess is 5 yrs./$21.5 mil ($4.3 mil/yr.) with Montreal.

The Rest

Tom Preissing (Ottawa), David Tanabe (Carolina), Andy Sutton (Atlanta), Scott Hannan (San Jose), Craig Rivet (San Jose), Brent Sopel (Vancouver), Mathieu Schneider (Detroit), Aaron Miller (L.A.), Darryl Sydor (Dallas), Roman Hamrlik (Calgary), Brad Stuart (Calgary), Josef Melichar (Pittsburgh), Cory Sarich (Tampa Bay), Tom Poti (N.Y. Islanders), Martin Skoula (Minnesota), Vitaly Vishnevski (Nashville), Danny Markov (Detroit), Chris Chelios (Detroit), Ossi Vanaanen (Colorado).