Videos Before Bedtime!!

A light night just a few days before the Free Agent Frenzy. We have some videos and want to thank Scotty Ferrall for coming on the show. Vid time!!



Jordan Schroeder welcome to Vancouver....




Darren Dreger with the Sedins scoop....




More NHL Masks.....



Have a great night!!!!!

Like A Dust Devil....

Dust Devil too close for comfort...

When it is this hot and dry out....anything that resembles ice...probably even that synthetic ice sounds really good. Yesterday we had one of these rare Dust Devils that literally can lift a hollow core door straight in the air....or one's hockey gear. Even some shingles were not safe. It is just another sure sign of summer in the desert.

However the reality is this is how the Free Agent Frenzy approaches. Often a whirling swirl of rumors and scuttlebutt followed by actual signings and then just like that it vanishes as fast as it started. Sure there are some of those lingering signings but usually it takes about a week tops and it truly is gone like a Dust Devil.

Obviously the big names are out there and waiting. Will Jay Bouwmeester be ultimately signed by Calgary? Where will Marian Hossa and/or his rights wind up going? There is a rumor that UFA Johnny Oduya is off the market but its not quite official just yet. There are a whole bunch of middle tier guys in the UFA market and with the cap just about level (56.8 million) from last season (56.7 million)....it should be interesting to see just what transpires.

Also there are the Sedin twins....Saku Koivu, Mike Komisarek, and about 8 other UFA's from Montreal...add another ten in Pittsburgh. Like I said there will be a pretty good bit of movement at first of players you would not consider in the upper eschelon of talent in the NHL. But come Noon ET on July 1st....moves will begin. Maybe these will not happen right away but they will in due order.

Then there will be some of the bigger FA signings...a Sakic decision and much more. The strange thing about it is this...all the talk and buildup seems to go as fast as it comes. Really other than fantasy mock drafts, arbitration, and early season previews...the Free Agent Frenzy is sort of the last big game in town for hockey fans for awhile.

You can bet your life savings that your team will experience at least some change if not drastic change after the Frenzy. The amount of money spent on the first couple days is usually astronomical. I think Day 1 last year was over 300 million just for example. At least that is what my math tells me. More dollars than most of us can even dream about.

The fun twist is that in the last few years we have seen rights traded (Rolston, Malone, and Jay-Bo) with mixed results. Remember Rolston had his rights traded to Tampa but ultimately signed with New Jersey. There have also been several offer sheets. Who can forget the St.Louis - Vancouver offer sheet swap. The hey if you can put one out on one of our guys...we can do the same to you. The RFA's really may be something to keep an eye on as they have been the past few years. Remember way back to Penner and Vanek and their offer sheets? Ah yes those were the days!

So the best thing to do is Wednesday....strap in...get ready and buckle up. It is going to be not only a fun ride but a pivotal one as it always is this time of year. Sort of like a swap meet but with lots more money. We will not only have coverage throughout the week but special podcasts so keep an eye out.


Sincerely,

Chris Wassel

Director Of The Program

Show Outline For Tonight....

Very simply our outline tonight....there is a ton to talk about....so time to see what made the cut for this week's show.

The Program

---

-- Intros

-- The crossover edition...what that means.

-- 2009 NHL Entry Draft Recap

• Tavares goes first....BUT.....
• Lots of first round reaches
• The Pronger trade....
• The trades that did not happen....
• Fallout from Day 2

-- We say hello to Scotty Ferrall.

-- There was other news this week...honest.

-- What role twitter plays in the draft and will in FA.

-- Break time and promos

-- Blog and podcast news

-- Our Free Agent Frenzy Preview....

• Will Jay Bo sign with Calgary?
• Will Hossa's rights be dealt?
• Where will the other pieces fall?
• Nonstop coverage starting Tuesday Night
• With the cap where it is....who will be affected most?
• Any questions from the audience

-- Defend your team's draft

-- Rapid Fire as always

-- Aloha means goodbye.


Just so everyone knows we will also be on a special edition of the Brew Show tonight at 10pm ET on Blog Talk Radio. Naturally we hope to see you then and hope you can tune into The Program at 8pm ET on Blog Talk Radio. We may leave some beer left over for you but then again you may have to bring your own. Sorry about that.


Sincerely,

Chris Wassel

Director Of The Program

Ryan Grades The Draft...

We reveal our grades tonight but here is Ryan's....somewhat lukewarm off the presses.


TEAM-BY-TEAM DRAFT GRADES

5 years from now, these grades could end up being the complete opposite. But we're gonna go head and evaluate the picks!

* C- is the lowest grade I gave here…
* THN = The Hockey News

Anaheim Ducks: A-
I really liked what GM Bob Murray did this weekend. They got a GREAT return for Pronger and his 1 year remaining on his contract. IMO, Kyle Palmieri will turn out to be better than Peter Holland. Clark could be a steal on the blue line.
Atlanta Thrashers: B+
The Thrashers picked up some good building blocks for an average farm system. Evander Kane has the potential to be the most prolific goal-scorer in this class. Jeremy Morin and Carl Klingberg were also good picks up front.
Boston Bruins: C-
It’s hard to give them a grade, really. The B’s had very few picks, including just 3 in the first 5 rounds. I’m taking a wait-and-see approach with Jordan Caron. I felt they needed to get a couple defensemen in this draft.
Buffalo Sabres: B
Zack Kassian, comparable to Todd Bertuzzi, could be the power forward the Sabres have been looking for. I also liked the pick of Marcus Foligno, who has good blood-lines in the league. They picked a nice variety of prospects.
Calgary Flames: B
This grade probably would have been a C+ without the acquisition of Bouwmeester’s rights. Tim Erixon should be a nice defenseman in the future, but I’m unsure about the rest of their picks.
Carolina Hurricanes: C-
For me, the jury is out on their picks. I’m not sold that Paradis will turn out to be a good 1st rounder. I also thought they needed to draft some goaltending depth. Defenseman Brian Dumoulin could be a solid d-man, though.
Chicago Blackhawks: B+
GM Dale Tallon continued his strong drafting, despite the low 1st round selection. D-man Dylan Olsen will be a great fit with the ‘Hawks, and they got a steal at #209 with David Gilbert (ranked 47th by THN).
Colorado Avalanche: A+
They get the best grade from the draft. New GM Greg Sherman hit the jackpot this weekend. Duchene is going to be big-time in Denver… O’Reilly and Elliott were great value picks in the 2nd round… so was Tyson Barrie in the 3rd round.
Columbus Blue Jackets: B-
At #21, the Jackets picked possibly the best skater in the draft… John Moore. He’s a few years away from being NHL-ready, but he’ll be a good one. They did well stocking up defensemen.
Dallas Stars: C+
For a team that never gets to pick this high in the draft (#8), they took a pair of reaches in the first couple rounds. Scott Glennie should be a good sniper, but Alex Chiasson was a bit off the wall at 38.
Detroit Red Wings: B
The Wings found a steal at #32 in Landon Ferraro… he’s going to be a stud in the Motor City. Who will be their annual late-round gem?? I’m gonna say Nick Jensen, the d-man out of Green Bay in the USHL.
Edmonton Oilers: B+
GM Steve Tambellini had a very successful first draft. Paajarvi-Svensson fell to them at #10, but I feel like that could be a bust. But the selections of Toni Rajala and Olivier Roy caught my eye; both were great value picks in the 4th and 5th rounds, respectively.
Florida Panthers: B-
I hope they know Dmitry Kulikov could be tough to sign. Other than that, though, Drew Shore was a steal at #44. Most had him going in the 20-25 range of the 1st round. And Josh Birkholz could be a nice find in the 3rd round.
Los Angeles Kings: C+
Brayden Schenn is going to be a special player… but the rest of the picks seem to be projects. Kyle Clifford, taken at #35, wasn’t ranked in the top 100 by THN. Besides Schenn I don’t think LA their farm system too much.
Minnesota Wild: C
They really wanted Ryan Ellis at #12; and when Nashville took him, their draft table freaked out and dropped to #16. From there they may have reached for in-state product Nick Leddy. Matthew Hackett, though, could be their future starting netminder.
Montreal Canadiens: B
GM Bob Gainey & company pleased the home-town crowd by taking Louis Leblanc in the 1st round. Leblanc has drawn comparisons to Mike Richards. The Habs also had 2 solid value picks with Joonas Nattinen and Mac Bennett.
Nashville Predators: B+
As I stated yesterday, Ryan Ellis will be a great fit with the Predators. GM David Poile also picked up a gem in Zach Budish, whose stock dropped strictly due to injury. Other picks I liked were Michael Latta and Nick Oliver.
New Jersey Devils: C-
Top pick Jacob Josefson is not a good fit with them, IMO; that is just a total gut feeling. The picks of blue-liners Eric Gelinas and Seth Helgeson, though, may have saved this from being a disaster.
New York Islanders: A-
The only reason I think Tavares may not live up to his billing is because he’s going to the island. Garth Snow also did not need to trade up for Calvin de Haan. Goalie Mikko Koskinen projects to be a #1 goalie in the future.
New York Rangers: B+
I really liked the Rangers’ draft. 5 years from now, Chris Kreider could be one of the bigger stars to come out of this draft. Ethan Werek and Ryan Bourque were also good value picks. My only knock on their selections is that they needed to get one of the better goalies… their system is thin in net.
Ottawa Senators: A-
Jared Cowen is going to be really good in Ottawa… great value at #9. He has the potential to be like Phaneuf. I also liked their 2nd round picks of Jakob Silfverburg and goalie Robin Lehner.
Philadelphia Flyers: C+
GM Paul Holmgren mortgaged a chunk of the Flyers’ future to acquire Chris Pronger… and one of those picks turned into Kyle Palmieri. D-man Simon Bertilsson could be the best of Philly’s draft picks.
Phoenix Coyotes: C
I was not a fan of the Coyotes’ draft. I’m not sold that Oliver Ekman-Larsson was worth taking at #6… that pick just leaves a bad taste in my mouth for some reason. Their 2nd round pick, Chris Brown, should make the NHL, but was a bit of a reach.
Pittsburgh Penguins: B
I like the fact that the Pens got 2 big defensemen with their first 2 selections. Simon Despres slipped a bit and Pittsburgh snatched him; he’ll fit well there. Philip Samuelsson, the son of Ulf, should turn out to be a good pick, too. Good drafting by GM Ray Shero.
San Jose Sharks: C
Hard to give San Jose anything higher than a C since they didn’t have many picks, and no 1st rounder. I really liked the pick of 6’7” d-man Taylor Doherty, though. The Sharks usual put together solid drafts, so a couple of these picks will likely turn out good.
St. Louis Blues: C
I hate to mark them as losers in this draft, but I just don’t know much about their picks after Rundblad. I was not a fan of that pick, even though Rundblad will be a good d-man. Leblanc or Schroeder could’ve been a better fit IMO.
Tampa Bay Lightning: A
I thought GM Brian Lawton and his staff did a bang-up job this weekend. Victor Hedman and Carter Ashton were very solid picks in round one, and will fit in well in Tampa. Panik and Hutchings were good picks yesterday.
Toronto Maple Leafs: B
The Leafs don’t have a very good farm system, but I’m sure that will change in the next couple years under Brian Burke. It started this weekend with the picks of Nazem Kadri and Kenny Ryan, both of whom will be great offensively.
Vancouver Canucks: B+
I know the Canucks brass was not expecting Jordan Schroeder to drop to #22. This was an excellent pick, and he’ll blend in well with Cody Hodgson and the rest of the future ‘Nucks. That pick alone gives this team a good grade for the weekend.
Washington Capitals: B
I’m down on their 1st round pick, Marcus Johansson. I felt Ashton or Ferraro were better fits. But the picks of Orlov and Eakin saved them. Orlov was a fast-riser leading up to the draft, and they nabbed him at #55.

So there you have it!! My draft coverage is finished for the time being as we’re gearing up for a busy few days leading up to the frenzy on Wednesday. July 1 is usually one of the first dates I circle on my calendar… I love this time of year!!

Free Agent Spotlight: Koivu and LaRose

Thanks to Ryan for saving our collective hides....the internet is a lovely place except when it goes out for half a day. Well onward....




SAKU KOIVU

Height: 5’10”
Weight: 182
Shoots: Left
Age: 34

2008/09 Salary: $4.75 million
Projected 09/10 Salary: $4.0-5.0

2008/09 Stats: 65 GP, 16 G, 34 A, +4
Playoff Stats: 4 GP, 0 G, 3 A

Possible Suitors:
1. Anaheim
2. Minnesota
3. San Jose
4. Montreal
5. Washington

Favorite: Anaheim
Dark horse destination: Washington

Even though Koivu has pretty much passed his prime, he can still be a very good #2 center with the right team. He’s produced .82 points per game since the lockout. Montreal’s long-time captain seems to be heading elsewhere in the next week or so. Anaheim and Minnesota are the 2 favorites if you ask me. Does he go to SoCal to join his good friend Teemu Selanne?? Or to the State of Hockey where his brother Mikko plays?? His consistency and leadership will still get him a considerable contract… and with the Ducks being a good #2 center away from competing for a division title (or more), I think Saku heads to the west coast.

Current Prediction:
Anaheim Ducks (3 yrs, $13.2 mil)
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CHAD LaROSE

Height: 5’10”
Weight: 181
Shoots: Right
Age: 27

2008/09 Salary: $0.875 million
Projected 09/10 Salary: $1.75-2.5

2008/09 Stats: 81 GP, 19 G, 12 A, +6
Playoff Stats: 18 GP, 4 G, 7 A

Possible Suitors:
1. Carolina
2. Colorado
3. Buffalo
4. Ottawa
5. Nashville
6. Pittsburgh
7. Los Angeles
8. Edmonton

Favorite: Carolina
Dark horse destination: Pittsburgh

Anyone looking for a cheap and versatile top-nine forward?? Meet Chad LaRose. He’s an interesting player on the market this summer. LaRose had a solid postseason as he played with Staal & Whitney at times. I really like what had can bring to the table… a lot of effort & heart. He’ll play in all situations, and even scored 19 goals this year. He’s just 27, so there’s a chance his numbers could just keep going up. As of now, I’m assuming he will re-sign with the ‘Canes. But if he doesn’t, numerous teams will be after him. I might over-value LaRose, but for around $2 million a year, he can be a valuable piece to any puzzle.

Current Prediction:
Carolina Hurricanes (3 yrs, $6 mil)

This Day In Hockey History (6/28)

A Sunday edition of This Day In Hockey History. An homage to an old Mighty Duck taken from the defunct Supplemental Draft.




A Rucchin Tribute....

June 28, 1994

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Mighty Ducks of Anaheim selected Steve Rucchin with the second overall pick in the 1994 NHL Supplemental Draft.