NHL Playoffs - Round One

The NHL's shortened season has come to a close, and we all know what that means: Playoff predictions. There are brackets to be filled and bets to be made, so here's my insight into the first round matchups, along with my personal bracket.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh Penguins (1) vs. NY Islanders (8)

It's a little odd to see the Islanders squeezing into the playoffs, but they did it, and now they have to face the second-best team in the league (points-wise). I certainly predict the Pens to come out on top of this matchup, but giving up one game to the Islanders, just as they have in their total games this season.

Montreal Canadiens (2) vs. Ottawa Senators (7)

The Canadiens were fighting the Bruins for that second seed until the Bruins very last game. Ironically, the Bruins fell to the Senators, giving up the division title to the Canadiens. The Senators are regaining Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, who's had a miracle recovery from having 70% of his Achilles tendon slashed into by a skate on February 13th. His comeback means a boost for the Senators defense. Montreal has been a solid team all season, finishing with 63 P. I see this series stretching to 7 games with the Canadiens finishing it off 4-3. 

Washington Capitals (3) vs. NY Rangers (6)

The Capitals fought hard for the Southeast division title against the Jets, and got it. Their two goalies, Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth, have both been playing excellently. The Rangers managed to avoid an 8th seed despite trading away offensive star Marian Gaborik. This will be a goalie's series, with Henrik Lundqvist remaining solid despite the Rangers apparent issues on defense. I see the Capitals coming out on top of this series 4-2. 

Boston Bruins (4) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (5)

With the Bruins falling to 4th with a loss on the last day of regular season, they are matched up against the 5th seed Leafs. This is the Leaf's first time in the playoffs since the '04-'05 lockout. Before this shortened season, the Leafs fired longtime GM, Brian Burke and replaced him with Dave Nonis. Despite fans being shocked, the change must have had an impact enough to bring them back into the playoffs. The Bruins are regaining players like Adam McQuaid just in time for the playoffs. Fans are hoping that Nathan Horton will return as well (he is DTD). I see this series going to the Bruins, 4-2.

Western Conference 

Chicago Blackhawks (1) vs. Minnesota Wild (8)

The Blackhawks ran away with the President's Trophy this season. They are a force to be reckoned with, but have a history of choking in the playoffs. Their goalies, Corey Crawford and Ray Emery, won them the William M. Jennings Trophy, allowing the least amount of goals for any one team this season. The Wild barely made 8th seed, despite having stars Ryan Suter and Zach Parise and recently acquired Jason Pominville. I'm predicting the Hawks sweeping the Wild.

Anaheim Ducks (2) vs. Detroit Red Wings (7)

The Ducks have been a tough team to beat this year, holding onto the 2nd seed for pretty much the entire season. Despite this, the Wings are 2-1-0 against the Ducks in this shortened season, sweeping them at home. Red Wings goalie, Jimmy Howard, has a career record of 9-3-1 against the Ducks. The Red Wings ended the season with a 4-game winning streak, seeming to finally find the chemistry they desperately needed. I see the Wings squeezing out this series 4-3.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. San Jose Sharks (6)

Both teams have played well this season, ending with only a two-point difference. The Sharks have won all three meetings against the Canucks. The Canucks' goalie situation is, again, a problem, with Cory Schneider currently DTD with a "body" injury, according to coach Alain Vigneault. Roberto Luongo has been fighting with Schneider for the number one goalie spot on the roster, but has a history of choking in the playoffs. I predict the Sharks winning this series 4-2.

St. Louis Blues (4) vs. LA Kings (5)

This matchup features last season's Stanley Cup champions, the Kings. The Kings have won all three games against the Blues this season. This might be the case, but with the Blues acquisition of D-man Jay Bouwmeester, this playoff series might get interesting. Hard to call with this one, but I see the Kings coming out on top 4-3. 

And those are your first round matchups. If you're basing your bracket off of my predictions, don't blame me if you lose. I'm no expert, even if I sound like one.

Here's my playoff bracket from NHL.com, all the way to the Cup: 

Five More Winter Classics?

The NHL has recently announced that they will be adding 5 additional outdoor games to their schedule for the 2013-2014 season. The games are as follows:

Jan. 1: Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium, Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs.

Jan. 25: Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Kings vs. Ducks.

Jan. 26: Yankee Stadium in New York, Rangers vs. Devils.

Jan. 29: Yankee Stadium in New York, Rangers vs. Islanders.

Mar. 1: Soldier Field in Chicago, Penguins vs. Blackhawks.

Mar. 2: BC Place in Vancouver, Senators vs. Canucks.

While this is exciting for many, especially those who might miss the chance to be at the Winter Classic itself, does it make sense for the NHL?

Short term, it would appear yes. People will flock to the cities these games are being held at, boosting the economy. The NHL will make money from extra merchandise sales. 

Plus, take note of the two dates at Yankee Stadium. Those appear to be strategically placed to lead up to the Super Bowl, which will be held on February 2nd at MetLife Stadium. Sports fans will all be staying in the area in and around NYC. What better time than to have the Rangers play two outdoor games at one of the most popular baseball team's stadiums? It's like a triple-threat, hockey, football, with a little bit of baseball.

Even the game at Dodger Stadium will make money, even though that bandwagon will have rolled away unless the Kings win another Cup.

But the long term effects could be unpleasant for the novelty of the outdoor game.

What makes the Winter Classic so special? It's the feeling of being at what is a SPECIAL game. It's outdoors. It has throwback jerseys. It features a rivalry. It's held at stadiums where thousands and thousands of fans come to experience this supposedly once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

But fans will become bored if these outdoor games start becoming common. It won't be as special. Fans won't feel the pressure to go because "there's always next time."

Alas, the NHL is a business, and if these outdoor games will bring them in the revenue they want, they will have them. Because the people will come. That's what we learned after the lockout, eh? 

Trade Deadline: Roundup

Despite how quiet things seemed around the deadline, there were plenty of trades this season. Most teams were looking for "rentals", players that will be UFAs after this season, so that they won't have to pay for their contract next year when the salary cap is reduced around 10%. Here's an overview of the major trades and team moves.

The first big trade to make waves in the NHL was the trade made by the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins, in which the Stars traded away their captain of 7 years, Brenden Morrow, and a 3rd round pick in the 2013 draft to the Penguins for the younger Joe Morrow and a 5th round pick in the 2013 draft. With B. Morrow not producing as much as the Stars would have been liking, the Penguins seized this opportunity to provide the slacking Stars with a young, talented defenseman. The Stars would have benefited better if they hadn't given way a 3rd round pick, but for a team that needs young talent for the future, this was a good trade. The Penguins added a solid winger to their team to help them push through the playoffs.

The next "big" trade made included the Penguins acquiring another team's captain. To be specific, Jerome Iginla, captain of the Calgary Flames. It came as a shock, as everyone in the hockey-world were positive Iginla was headed to the Bruins. But the Pens snagged him, giving the Flames prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski, along with a 1st round pick in the 2013 draft. Again, good for both teams, though the benefits will come to the Flames in the future, not this season as they will for the Pens.

One lesser trade made by the Penguins was for Douglas Murray of the San Jose Sharks. The Pens gave up two conditional 2nd round draft picks (2013 and 2014). One thing that should be observed is that while the Penguins are obviously building up their team to make a push for the Stanley Cup this season, they are taking away many chances to have a good team in the future by trading away many good draft picks and prospects. They are also taking risks economically, seeing that they may want to re-sign players like Iginla, but will not have the money to do so with the salary cap reducing next season.

The Flames also lost another big name besides Iginla by trading defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the St. Louis Blues. The Flames received prospects Reta Berra and Mark Cundari along with a 1st round pick in the 2013 draft. Yet another sign of the Flames making investments in the future. This helps the Blues out, who can benefit from more depth on the blue line.

And then you have the Buffalo Sabres, who, like the Flames, are rebuilding (in more ways than one, firing their coach back in February). The Sabres started their "yard sale" by first trading Jordon Leopold to the Blues. In return they accepted a 2nd round pick for the 2013 draft, and a conditional 5th round pick.
Next, they traded veteran Robyn Regehr to the LA Kings for two 2nd round picks in '14 and '15.
And then they joined the ranks of suffering teams trading away their captain. Jason Pominville was traded to the Minnesota Wild accompanied by a 4th round pick in the 2014 draft. The Sabres got prospects Matt Hackett (G) and Johan Larsson, along with a 1st round pick in the 2013 draft and a 2nd round pick in the 2014 draft.
Looks like the Sabres are getting set for the future, and the Wild are adding more big names to their team.

The Boston Bruins added a big name, trading for Jaromir Jagr from the Stars. The Stars acquired Lane MacDermid (who already has a goal for them, go him), prospect Cody Payne, and a conditional 2nd round pick.
Bruins also traded a 7th round pick in the 2014 draft to the Blues for defenseman Wade Redden.
Bruins are stacking up for a playoff run, competing with their rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, for first in the Northeast division.

A big trade was made by the San Jose Sharks when Ryane Clowe waived his no-trade clause to be sent to the New York Rangers. The Sharks gained a 2nd and third round pick for 2013 and a conditional 2nd rounder for 2014. The Rangers gained a solid forward who will help them fight back from a so-so season.

The Rangers knew what they were doing when they traded for Clowe, because they then turned around and sent high-scoring forward Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets in return for Derek Dorsett (currently on IR, will not be playing for the remainder of this season), Derick Brassard, and John Moore (the latter two already tallying one goal each for the Rangers). The Rangers also acquired a 6th round pick for the '13 draft.
This was a very good for both sides, with the Rangers gaining depth and the Jackets gaining a big-name player that they have been lacking since Rick Nash left.

The last trade I will mention is one in which the Washington Capitals traded top prospect Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators in return for veteran Martin Erat and prospect Michael Latta.
The Capitals will live to regret this trade. They don't have a chance at the Cup in the coming years, not with the teams that will be in their division after realignment (e.g. Penguins, Rangers). By the time they do, Erat's contract will be up and they'll be wishing they had held onto Forsberg.

One surprise of the past few days was not a trade, but rather the LACK of one.
Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks have a shaky relationship, with him sharing ice time with Cory Schneider. The Leafs were on the market for a new goalie, and have been this whole season. The teams had talked before about a trade, and talked again the day before the deadline. But there was no movement. Luongo was interviewed after the deadline passed, and said the reason that he was not traded was because "My contract sucks."
He was referencing the fact that his contract has a cap hit of around $5mil a year and goes until the 2022 season. The length and expense of this contract makes it unappealing to interested teams.

With the trade deadline in the past, teams can now look ahead to the playoffs and hope that their newly acquired players will help them in their quest for the Cup.