The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor With the NHL season essentially at the midway point as we approach the All-Star Game, what better time to assess the performance of the league's 30 members? Today The Reminder presents the first in a three-part series examining each club's strengths and weaknesses. Parts II and III will run Friday and Monday, respectively. Anaheim Ducks It's been Duck hunting season for Anaheim's opponents this season, as the former Disney-owned franchise competes 'mightily' for worst-overall status. Jonas Hiller has been among the worst starting goaltenders in the league. He was so amazing last season. What happened? Corey Perry, last year's league MVP, is on pace for 70 points, a far cry from last year's 104. Worse, he's now a minus-player. What happened? Minute-gobbling D-man Cam Fowler continues to be a defensive liability, and Ryan Getzlaf's picture is beside the Webster's dictionary entry of 'underperforming.' Why, Anaheim Ducks, why? Though there has been an improvement since Bruce Boudreau took over coaching duties, one still gets the sense the Ducks need to be shaken up like a snow globe. They are simply not as good as the sum of their parts. On the bright side, Anaheim fans can look forward to a high draft pick this June. Pleasant Surprise: Teemu Selanne Biggest Disappoint-ment: Jonas Hiller Buffalo Sabres After five consecutive seasons of at least 90 points, the Sabres are no longer so sharp. Below .500 as of this writing, Buffalo is having serious troubles lighting the lamp. That might not be so bad if the oft-injured Ryan Miller weren't also enduring a thoroughly average season in net. When he's on top of his game, few are better than the wiry Vezina winner. Unfortunately his run-of-the-mill play coincides with substandard production from Drew Stafford and Derek Roy, who is on pace for one of his worst full seasons. Also up front, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek are holding up their end of the bargain, on pace for 80-point-or-better seasons. Rookie Luke Adam, meanwhile, has generated some decent secondary scoring. On the blueline, Christian Ehrhoff has been a letdown following last year's 50-point, plus-19 season. Jordan Leopold is holding his own, but the real surprise has been the steady Marc-Andre Gragnani, excelling in his first full campaign. The post-season is still well within reach for the Sabres, but in a crowded playoff race in the East, they will need more offence and Miller playing to his potential. Pleasant Surprise: Marc-Andre Gragnani Biggest Disappoint-ment: Derek Roy Calgary Flames Thanks in large part to injuries, a third-straight spring out of the playoffs is looking increasingly likely in southern Alberta. While the Flames are slightly improved with the recent acquisition of Michael Cammalleri, they still have trouble scoring goals _ and keeping them out. With uninspired play, as of this writing Calgary is in the bottom eight in the NHL both offensively and defensively. Netminder Miikka Kiprusoff has not been up to his usual standard; then again, most of the players in front of him are on the wrong side of the plus-minus equation, including an awful Jay Bouwmeester. Jarome Iginla's heart, soul and still-respectable point production can only carry the Flames so far. See 'Calga...' on pg. 5 Continued from pg. 4 But as mentioned the Flames have been injury-plagued, with key players like Brendan Morrison, Matt Stajan, Alex Tanguay and Mark Giordano impacted Help on the blueline is essential, as Bouwmeester is but one of a handful of Flames D-men leaving fans demanding better. Calgary certainly has post-season potential, but so much will depend on how healthy they can stay. Pleasant Surprise: Olli Jokinen Biggest Disappoint-ment: Jay Bouwmeester Colorado Avalanche A powerhouse for so many years, the Avs continue to be on-again, off-again performers. One year they are dark horse candidates for the Stanley Cup; the next they are golfing in April. This year the Avalanche are hovering around the eighth playoff slot in the West, which is about where you would expect them to be based on the capacity of their roster. Third-year centreman Ryan O'Reilly leads a middle-of-the-pack offence with Milan Hejduk's best days behind him. Paul Stastny needs to regain the form he showed in 2009-10, when he amassed 79 points. On defence the Avs are young and not overly spectacular. Kyle Quincey can move the puck and log minutes, but he is usually a minus player. Ditto for Erik Johnson, though strong Ryan Wilson's stock is certainly rising. In net Colorado relies on two generally capable yet injury-prone 'minders in Semyon Varlamov and Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Neither man is going to lead anyone to the promised land, but right now the goal for the Avs is pretty simple: make the playoffs. Pleasant Surprise: Ryan O'Reilly Biggest Disappoint-ment: Semyon Varlamov Dallas Stars For a team with four fairly solid lines, the Stars should be doing better than merely fighting for a playoff spot. Chemistry may be an issue on a roster led by Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson, Mike Ribeiro and others capable of 60- to 80-point seasons. Moreover, the blueline is pretty thin gruel after Sheldon Souray, Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas. It hasn't helped that starting goalie Kari Lehtonen has had groin troubles, or that the whispers won't go away over the readiness of 40-year-old head coach Glen Gulutzan (a product of The Pas, by the way). Right now, everything about the Stars is positively average. Average goals-for, average goals-against, average points. To push past that point, the club will need everyone firing on all cylinders. A bolstered blueline wouldn't hurt, either. GM Joe Nieuwendyk should not be afraid to sacrifice a bit of the future in the form of draft picks, if necessary, to aide the back end. The Stars are not about to win their second Stanley Cup, but they aren't as far off as their detractors would have you believe. Pleasant Surprise: Jamie Benn Biggest Disappoint-ment: Stephane Robidas Florida Panthers Who the heck are these guys? Suddenly the perennial post-season skippers of Miami find themselves among the league's top dozen squads. Full credit must go to head coach Kevin Dineen, a favourite to win the Jack Adams Trophy as top bench boss. He is defying logic with a team whose offensive record is in the bottom third of the league and whose offensive record is near the middle of the pack. Winger Kris Versteeg has taken off under Dineen's leadership with his almost-a-point-a-game performance. Thomas Fleischmann and Stephen Weiss also figure prominently into the limited offence. Further offence is coming from the blueline courtesy of the talented Brian Campbell, who has settled in as one of the team's MVPs, not to mention Dmitry Kulikov and Jason Garrison. Jose Theodore is long removed from his Vezina days, but in Florida he is quietly restoring his reputation as a reliable puck-stopper, inspiring confidence in the Panthers playing in front of him. Relentless hard work and unity allowed the Panthers to reach the Cup Final in their third year in the league back in 1996. Sixteen years later, they are where they are because of those same characteristics. Pleasant Surprise: Kris Versteeg Biggest Disappoint-ment: Ed Jovanovski Nashville Predators Given their limited fan base, it is easy to overlook the Preds. But don't be surprised if Nashville ends up competing for the President's Trophy come season's end. Not quite among the league's offensive powerhouses, the Predators' success rests in their defence and netminding. Big Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are a positively deadly combo on the blueline, and Kevin Klein, despite some defensive concerns, is a versatile minute-eater. Goalie Pekka Rinne is healthy but not quite playing up to potential. Perhaps that seven-year contract he signed last year has nibbled away at his enthusiasm. To take their game to the next level, the Preds will need an upgraded Rinne and more offence-by-teamwork from the likes of Martin Erat, David Legwand and rookie Craig Smith. It is also fine time GM David Poile pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade to bring to Nashville an upper-echelon scorer. He just needs to be careful not to upset the chemistry of a team that punches far above its weight. Pleasant Surprise: David Legwand Biggest Disappoint-ment: Patric Hornqvist New York Islanders Who doesn't have a soft spot for these guys? The Isles have been so bad for so long that it tugs at your heart strings. The Islanders' 40th anniversary season has brought little reason for celebration, just more of the same old barrel-scraping and joke-brunting. Let's start with (surprise, surprise!) goalie Rick DiPietro, who played mostly terrible hockey before yet again sustaining a major injury. This is ridiculous! The NYI need to cut their losses (and career-long contract) with DiPietro and focus on getting better in net. In front of the crease there is sufficient promise. John Tavares is maturing and producing nicely. He will be part of the NHL's next crop of elite players. PA Parenteau, Kyle Okposo and (especially) Matt Moulson are also producing at respectable levels, though it is nowhere near enough to give the Isles anything resembling a good offensive record _ yet. On the blueline, the second-year Travis Hamonic has been a welcome, steady surprise, while captain Mark Streit keeps the puck moving with his knack for avoiding dumb plays. The aging Steve Staios provides a good veteran presence. Somehow the Isles are worse than the sum of their parts. Goaltending is a major concern, but they are also missing several pieces up front and on defence. Don't expect a quick turnaround from this group, as much as we'd like them to finally succeed. Pleasant Surprise: Matt Moulson Biggest Disappoint-ment: Brian Rolston Ottawa Senators The Sens are back in the thick of things following their hugely disappointing 74-point campaign of 2010-11. You might not think so from a glance at the roster, but Ottawa is among the league's preeminent offensive squads. Beyond obvious names like Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Milan Michalek, the Senators are scoring by committee with guys such as Zack Smith, Nick Foligno and Colin Greening. Keeping pucks out of their net has been the Senators' Achilles heel. Here I blame not their stable of stable blueliners, but the men wearing the pads. I know of no sane person who believes Craig Anderson and Alex Auld will ever backstop a champion. Anderson is among the weakest starters in the league, continuing the long tradition of substandard Number Ones in the nation's capital. Please, GM Bryan Murray, we beseech you: bring in a capable starter. Do that and I promise that wonderful things will happen for the Red and Gold. Until then, watch for a playoff berth and a first- or second-round loss. Pleasant Surprise: Milan Michalek Biggest Disappoint-ment: Craig Anderson Phoenix Coyotes The NHL-owned Desert Dogs are still in playoff contention thanks largely to the towering Mike Smith in net. But while Smitty is enjoying a career year, he needs his teammates to also step up their game. There can be no complaints with leading scorers Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata. At 39, Whitney remains a mid-level offensive force, while Vrbata is on pace to set a new career high for points. Centreman Martin Hanzal is also exceeding expectations in his fifth season. I am talking more about the likes of Daymond Langkow (who, in fairness, missed nearly all of last season with a neck injury), Raffi Torres and, on the back end, the injury-prone Derek Morris, who has been abysmal. The Coyotes urgently need more confidence and stability on their underprivileged blueline. They are also a squad with too many okay players and too few good ones. Until those ills are cured, either through wheeling and dealing or gradual rebuilding, the Coyotes will continue to face as much uncertainty on the ice as they do off it. Pleasant Surprise: Radim Vrbata Biggest Disappoint-ment: Daymond Langkow Pittsburgh Penguins This season is forcing the Penguins to ask themselves an uncomfortable question: What kind of team are we without Sidney Crosby? See 'Scor...' on pg. 9
