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Canucks Season Preview Series: Is Manny Worth His Millions?

Oct 052010

[As we approach the start of the NHL regular season, members of the Canucks blogosphere give their two cents about your Vancouver Canucks and address the issues, questions and expectations of the team in their 40th year anniversary.]

After another second round playoff exit to the Chicago Blackhawks, Mike Gillis to-do list included a few things. He wanted to make the Canucks tougher to play against. He wanted to add size to the bottom-six. He wanted to improve the Canucks’ 18th-ranked penalty-kill. He wanted to add players with playoff experience.

Enter Manny Malhotra.

At 6’2″ and 220 lbs., Malhotra is a big upgrade on the third line over Kyle Wellwood. He kills penalties and plays on the powerplay. (He’ll probably do little of the latter, but still, the option is there.) He won 62.5% of his faceoffs. He was a key part of the San Jose Sharks team which made the Western Conference Finals last year.

But all this came at a cost. Malhotra’s contract is worth $7.5 million over 3 years and includes a limited no-trade clause. He most certainly fills a need, but did the Canucks overpay to get him?

Cam from Canucks Army: Canucks fans won’t really know if he’s overpaid until the quarter-pole of the season. That said, then other 3rd line centres like Colby Armstrong went for $3m and more this free-agency season, it’s hard to really complain about getting Malhotra for less than that.

Richard: (Uncle) Manny is going to be great for the Canucks. He has the potential to influence not only the younger players on the team, but guys like Kesler and Henrik. Do I think he was worth his millions? The Sharks were going to offer him a similar amount of money. If that’s the going rate for him these days, so be it. Money aside, he was an excellent pick up by Gillis.

Chris: I’m down with Manny’s expected contribution, but I’m not sold that the money needed to get him couldn’t have been better spent elsewhere. The Canucks will be pressing the upper limits of the cap for most of the season and you have to consider that every dollar more that goes to the third line centre is one less dollar that can be spent on the rest of his line, the fourth line, and the bottom two blueliners. Call me a fence-sitter if you must, but I’m thinking the jury is still out.

J.J.: There’s always concern when GMs shell out big money for role players, but like Cam and Richard said, it sounds like Manny simply signed for his market value. It’s obviously too early to say if he’ll live up to that contact, but I like that Gillis identified a gap, targeted a player he liked, and signed him. Manny’s good at what he does, and what he does is what the Canucks need.

Canucks Season Preview Series: Building on Career Years

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Oct 052010

Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond, Vancouver Canucks

En route to scoring 268 goals in the season – second in the NHL only to the Washington Capitals – and winning the Northwest Division for the third time in four seasons, a lot of things went right for the Vancouver Canucks. Specifically, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond and Alex Edler all took their game to another level in 2009/2010.

For the second consecutive season, Kesler was nominated for the Selke Trophy. He played mostly against opposing teams’ top lines and still bettered his career-high in points by 25%. During the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, he was one of Team USA’s best forwards.

After an inconsistent 2008/2009 campaign, Mason Raymond reported to camp bigger, faster and more determined to drive to the net. As a result, he more than doubled his previous career-highs in goals (25 up from 11), assists (28 up from 12) and points (53 up from 23). Hockey Canada took notice too; for the first time in his career, Raymond was selected to play for Team Canada and don the red Maple Leaf in the IIHF World Hockey Championships.

With his mentor, Mattias Ohlund, lured to Tampa, Edler looked shaky to start the 2009/2010 season. By the end of it, however, he had adjusted to the point that he still recorded a career-high 42 points and was arguably the Canucks’ best defenseman in the playoffs.

Now approaching the prime years of their respective careers, how do Kesler, Raymond and Edler follow up a very good 2009/2010 season?

Richard: I expect Kesler and Raymond to have similar years to last year but I think Edler’s going to have a big year this year. Last year he seemed to be in a bit of a slump to start the season, but really brought things around in a big way for the playoffs.

Mike from Nucks Misconduct: Kesler and Raymond should be fine. I’d love to see Kesler take a step backwards in the PIM department, but he’s out there against the best of the opposition so it comes with the territory. If Raymond improves he’ll be one of the most underrated top six guys in the league. He made such a great leap last season with his play and on-ice vision that a 65-70 pt season is realistic. It’s certainly worth remembering how remarkable it is that BOTH can produce while playing the toughest minutes of all forwards.

Edler I’m more suspect with; if paired with Hamhuis, maybe he’ll have a longer leash to flex his offensive muscle, but his hitting and shutdown skills need to improve as well. We saw him unleash that physical side of his play against Los Angeles in the first round especially. Without Ohlund and now Mitchell around, his mistakes will be more magnified so he’ll have some of the biggest growing pains of anyone. Of the three, Edler is the best bet to have an off year.

Chris: The only ingredient that Kesler needs, in my honest-to-goodness-uneducated opinion, is a dash more maturity. Although it still remains to be seen, I’m confident that Kesler would be the go to guy for Captain if he had that in his tool-kit. That’s not to say he lacks maturity, as I do love the unbridled edge he plays with, but I think he needs to pick his spots a touch better.

With Raymond, I’m expecting more of the same from him. With all the added attention that Daniel and Henrik will have, the Canucks will require some point production from other areas and I think Mason will be counted on far more this season to be one of the guys who needs to step up. If he does so, expect him to receive more attention from Robin Scherbatsky on HIMYM.

And what about Edler? If there was one facet of his game that I was pleasantly surprised to see, it was the feistiness he displayed during the playoffs last season. When Ohlund was at the top of his game, he was not only a defensive stalwart who found his way to the scoresheet, but a tough S-O-B (not the kind that parties at the Roxy). If Edler continues to enhance that aspect of his game without taking away from the rest, he’ll be Ohlund two point oh – a definite upgrade.

Canucks Season Preview Series: Next In Line

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Oct 042010

You won’t receive a lot of argument here if you say that this preseason was relatively boring. With a stacked roster, the Canucks had few openings. And of the players fighting for those jobs, no one stood out more than the others.

Still, some players managed to move themselves up or down the Canucks’ depth chart. Alex Bolduc and Guillaume Desbiens look like they’re going to make the team’s opening night roster, while Shane O’Brien and Darcy Hordichuk played their way down to Manitoba.

In an otherwise uneventful preseason, who did we think made the biggest impression?

J.J.: IMHO, the Sweatt brothers improved their stock considerably this preseason. What Lee lacks in size, he makes up for in speed, smarts and the ability to make the right play and move the puck quickly out of the zone. He’s smaller than the prototypical NHL defenseman, but he showed that he’s not scared to mix it up with the big boys in the corners. Billy obviously has big-league skill and big-league wheels. What he lacks is big-league finish. Much like Mason Raymond did a couple of years ago, hopefully Billy can work on this in Manitoba. I think he’s played himself into consideration to be one of this year’s first call-ups.

Richard: The Canucks have so much depth they don’t need to look at prospects to fill holes this year. That said, Victor Oreskovich’s play in the preseason and the way he’s used his size is something that’s definitely moved him up. The Canucks have lacked bottom-six size for years and Oreskovich, when he eventually makes the team, will be a welcome fit.

Chris: I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Andrew Alberts of all people has helped himself find his way into the 6th or 7th defensive spot. He’s shown that if given the appropriate number of minutes (say five or six.. okay.. maybe a few more), he’s a relatively decent addition to the blueline. If he were ever able to figure out what the word discipline means, and maybe understand how to better use his size in a manner that doesn’t draw the attention of the zebras, he’d be a beast of a player to see in front of you.

Sean from Nucks Misconduct: Alexandre Bolduc and Tanner Glass were terrific. They have earned roster spots. I liked Peter Schaefer more and more as preseason went along, but we shall see what Gillis and company have planned for him soon enough. Brendan Morrison played so well and it’s unfortunate he didn’t make the squad. But, management knows best. I still like the team moving forward.

Canucks Season Preview Series: The Third Triplet

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Oct 042010

Mikael Samuelsson and Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

Photo credit: canuck.nhl.com

Last season, Alex Burrows found a home playing on a line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin and scored a career-high 35 goals, a total surpassed by only nine other NHL players. Those nine players? Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Marleau, Marian Gaborik, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Semin, Dany Heatley and Zach Parise.

The stat becomes more impressive when you consider that Burrows averaged a mere 1:25 minutes of powerplay time per game and scored 26 of his goals on even-strength. In fact, he scored more goals shorthanded (5) than he did on the powerplay (4).

His 35 goals represent 13.1% of the Canucks’ 268 total goals last season. His 26 even-strength goals is 14.9% of the team’s 174 ESG.

With Burrows still recovering from shoulder surgery and not scheduled to return until November at the earliest, who steps in in his place?

Richard: I think Samuelsson starts the season with the Twins. He’s had repeated success with the Twins and it’s nice to know we won’t have to be signing Anson Carter to a PTO anytime soon to replace Burr.

Chris: Although it seems like a done deal with Samuelsson, I really liked what I saw from Jeff Tambellini in the few opportunities he had with the twins. Standing on his toes at five foot eleven inches, he makes up for his short stature in sheer drive and determination – consider him to be Burrows without the mean streak.

Katie: It’s obviously going to be Samuelsson, and if you don’t like that, you can go……. watch the Flames.

J.J.: 5-on-5, Samuelsson will start the season with the Sedins. I’m more curious to see how Ryan Kesler lines up next to the Twins on the powerplay. He’s a right-hand shot – which Vigneault loves having on the powerplay with them – and doesn’t mind planting his butt in front of the goaltender. He led the team in powerplay goals last year – 12 of his 25 goals came on the man advantage – and should exceed that given more (1st unit) powerplay time.

Canucks Season Preview Series: Hamhuis’ Homecoming

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Oct 042010

Some players thrive on playing for their hometown teams. You’ll remember that prior to his professional tryout with the Canucks, Brendan Morrison, who hails from Pitt Meadows, played center on a line with Markus Naslund and Todd Bertuzzi and helped form one of the highest scoring lines in hockey. Cliff Ronning (Burnaby) and Greg Adams (Nelson) were prominent members of the 1994 Cup Run. More recently, Willie Mitchell, the pride of Port McNeill, anchored the Canucks defense before signing as a free agent this summer with the Los Angeles Kings.

Others aren’t that successful. For whatever reason, Cam Neely (Maple Ridge) never reached his potential until after he was traded to the Boston Bruins. Playing for the Calgary Flames, Byron Ritchie (Burnaby) was a decent grit and sandpaper kinda guy; after he signed with the Canucks in 2007, he was mostly ineffective. A former seventh overall draft pick, Kris Beech (Sicamous), couldn’t get his career going on a then offense-starved Canucks team in 2008. (Though to be fair, he couldn’t get his career going with any team.)

Looking to rebuild the Canucks defense, GM Mike Gillis signed highly-sought Smithers native, Dan Hamhuis, to a 6-year/$27 million contract on July 1st. Immediately, Hamhuis became the Canucks highest-paid defenseman, and along with the contract, came the high expectations. Especially with Mitchell gone and Salo injured, many Canucks fans expect him to be the team’s new leader on the back end. And with a $4.5 million cap hit, they expect more than 24 points per season.

In the last couple of years, he was overshadowed by Team Canada star, Shea Weber, and Team USA up-and-comer, Ryan Suter. Playing in Nashville, he normally played in front of crowds numbering in the 14,000′s. Playing in Barry Trotz’s system, he wasn’t asked to join the rush much. Can he adjust and play in the Canucks’ higher-tempo game? Can he do it in front of more than 18,000 fans at Rogers Arena (and millions more on TV) every night? In his home province?

J.J.: Until I watched him in Penticton at training camp, I didn’t realize just how fast Hamhuis was. He’s always been solid defensively, but freed from the shadows of Weber and Suter (and Trotz’s defense-first system), he looks like he’s got another gear – and more game – than I thought. At least in the preseason, he looked comfortable playing in a new system and with new defensive partners. It also sounds like he’s started to gain the respect of his teammates, and more notably, the rest of the blue line. If playing for his hometown has given him the jitters, he hasn’t shown it yet. But then again, the true test of that won’t come in the preseason; we’ll know more after the Canucks’ first extended losing streak.

Chris: Based on what I have seen from him during his preseason play, I think Hamhuis will perform quite well within the Canucks defensive system and I see no reason why any added pressure from playing for his “hometown” will prevent him from doing so. He looks like he can easily play big shutdown minutes, a role previously held by Mattias Ohlund and Willie Mitchell. At the same time, he will likely see a subtle bump in his point production mainly due to the offense-first mentality of the team in front of him. I don’t expect him to hit the scoresheet on a regular basis, but he’ll eat up enough defensive minutes to allow the likes of Edler and Ehrhoff to shine.

Canucks Season Preview Series: Dank, Hank, Hart and Art

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Oct 042010

[As we approach the start of the NHL regular season, we give our two cents about your Vancouver Canucks and the issues, questions and expectations from them in their 40th year anniversary.]

Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

The 2009/2010 season is surely a season that Henrik and Daniel Sedin won’t soon forget. Both signed similar 5-year/$30.5 million contracts and both then proceeded to have the best season, statistically, of their careers.

Henrik finished with 29 goals, 83 assists and 112 points. His 29 goals were a career-high, his 83 assists were higher than any of his previous season point totals, and his 112 points won him the Art Ross. En route to the Art Ross, he overcame the extended absence of brother Daniel, who missed a quarter of the season due to injury, and joined the elite ranks of the NHL. For his efforts, he became the first Vancouver Canucks to win the Hart Memorial Trophy.

Even though Daniel missed 19 games, the first time the normally durable Swede has missed that many games in a season, he still put up 85 points and surpassed his previous career-high (84 points). If he was able to play a full season, this total would’ve prorated to 111 points, only 1 point less than Henrik.

Both also embedded themselves firmly in the Canucks community. After signing the largest contracts of their professional careers, they promptly turned around and donated $1.5 million to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

So what do the Sedins for an encore? At only 30 years of age, both are at the prime of their careers, and based on the preseason, neither show any sign of regressing. But can we – or should we – expect another record-breaking season to remember from them?

Richard: I don’t think Hank will break his career numbers from last year, but I expect we’ll see two 100 point players on the Canucks this season. With a healthy Henrik AND Daniel it’ll be fun to watch those two tear teams apart. They’re at the peak of their careers and while it wouldn’t surprise me if they hit the 110 point mark each this season, I’m not setting the expectation that high. Call it cautious optimism.

Chris: I might be the only one, but I’m hoping for just a solid contribution from the Sedins. Assuming they are healthy, I’m okay with an 80 – 90 point season from each, especially if the scoring is passed around between the second and third lines. We have to keep in mind that Hank’s going to look as if he’s wearing one or two opposing jerseys most nights, which in turn will limit his ability to set up Daniel like “tymes olde”.

J.J.: Since the lockout, only a few players have recorded 100 points in back-to-back seasons: Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Dany Heatley. Even Joe Thornton, whose assist totals are normally close to Henrik’s, has broken the 100-point barrier once in the last 4 years (twice in his career) before settling in the 90-point range. While it’s not impossible, to expect Hank and Dank to produce at 100-point clip again is a bit much. Like Thornton, I expect the Sedins to produce in the 90-point range, which would still put them among the top-10 in the league in scoring. That’s not bad, right?

Sean from Nucks Misconduct: I just want them to do the bulk of the scoring. I’m not expecting 100 points each at all. I’d prefer more scoring done from the other lines because we tend to lose more when the Twins are kept off the scoresheet.

Out-of-Town Notebook: 2010/2011 Season Predictions and Prognostications

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Oct 012010

Cobie Smulders as Robin Sherbatzky in How I Met Your Mother

Western Conference Standings:

1. Vancouver – 100-115 pts
2. Chicago – 100-115 pts
3. LA – 90-100 pts
4. Detroit 100-110 pts
5. Phoenix – 85-95 pts
6 San Jose – 85-95 pts
7. Calgary – 85-92 pts
8. Nashville – 85-92 pts
9. Anaheim – 85-92 pts
10. Colorado – 85-92 pts
11. St. Louis – 85-92 pts
12. Columbus – 50-70 pts
13. Edmonton – 50-70 pts
14. Minnesota – 50-70 pts
15. Dallas – 50-60 pts

Notes on the above:

Chicago is the better team, but Vancouver plays in the weakest division in the West.
I have Anaheim rated slightly higher than Calgary, Nashville, Colorado and St. Louis. However, I couldn’t imagine four teams from the Southern Division making the playoffs.
Could be significantly better than they’re ranked: LA (if they get goaltending); San Jose (if they get goaltending); Colorado (if they can avoid a sophomore slump); St. Louis (if they can get some offense)
Beyond the unpredictable injury bug, who could be significantly worse than ranked: Edmonton (great youth but real questions defensively and in net); Chicago (if one of their core gets hurt, or Turco flops); Calgary (underachieving team simply added more underachievers to the mix this year).

Eastern Conference Standings

1. Boston – 100-115 pts
2. Philadelphia – 100-115 pts
3. Washington – 100-110 pts
4. Buffalo – 90-100 pts
5. Pittsburgh – 90-100 pts
6. New York Rangers – 90-100 pts
7. New Jersey – 85-95 pts
8. Ottawa – 80-90 pts
9. Tampa Bay – 80-90 pts
10. Toronto – 80-90 pts
11. Montreal – 80-90 pts
12. Atlanta – 75-85 pts
13. Florida – 75-85 pts
14. Carolina – 65-75 pts
15. New York Islanders – 50-70 pts

Notes on the above:

Washington plays in the weakest division in the East, but the division itself is improved. This might be their last year as the automatic division winner.
The Atlantic Division is by far the best division in the East. That’s why I have four of its teams making the playoffs.
Could be significantly better than they’re ranked: New York Rangers (if their defense improves and they get more balanced scoring); Tampa Bay (if they get goaltending); New York Islanders (if their youth takes another step and they find some goaltending).
Beyond the unpredictable injury bug, who could be significantly worse than ranked: Pittsburgh (lack offensive depth beyond Malkin, Crosby);Philadelphia (if they struggle in goal); Toronto (if they can’t score).
My sleeper hunch I’ve ignored all pre-season but am still putting down into writing: Atlanta makes the playoffs. They’ll play boring, physical hockey. But it’ll get them in as the eighth seed, and if so, earns Craig
Ramsey the Adams trophy.
My other sleeper hunch that is probably tainted by prejudice: This is a disaster of a season in Montreal.

Other fearless predictions for the upcoming season:

Conference finals: Detroit over Vancouver, Boston over Philadelphia
One, if not more, of the CSIs are cancelled.
Stanley Cup Final: Boston over Detroit
The “Hard Knocks” documentary about the Penguins and Capitals is “no-electricity-in-the-house-and-im-alone-without-candles-or-flashlights-and-my-cell-phone-is-dead-and-i-don’t-have-a-car-or-money-for-transit-and-my-friends-are-all-out-of-town” boring. Or sad. Or both.
Alex Ovechkin leads the league in goals and points, but Niklas Backstrom earns real MVP talk.
Despite critical raves, The Social Network, by David Fincher, fails to earn $100 million at the box office.
Jakub Voracek, John Tavares, Simon Gagne have point-per-game paces.
It snows less than 10 days in Vancouver.
Taylor Hall struggles, but Jordan Eberle is a Calder candidate.
Quebec City gets federal funding for a new arena.
We meet the “mother” on How I Met Your Mother, and it’s disappointing. (Editor’s note: I disagree. I think it will be legen – wait for it and I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the next word is – dairy. – J.J.)
Zdeno Chara wins the Norris. Tuuka Rask wins the Vezina. Jonathan Toews is the Hart Trophy winner.
The Hereafter, by Clint Eastwood, is a total dud.
Marc Crawford is the first coach fired, then he is hired by the CBC.
Ron Wilson isn’t fired, and the Leafs enter the draft without a first-round pick. Again.
Rick DiPietro plays more than 40 games.
Carey Price and Ales Hemsky ask to be traded and/or are shopped by their teams.
The Rangers will try to move Sean Avery. The Toronto Maple Leafs will move Tomas Kaberle.
Marc Savard plays less than 20 regular season games. He plays every playoff game for the Bruins.
Neither Sedin scores 100 points.
Coldplay and U2 both release albums.
Eastbound and Down is funnier than Modern Family.
Tampa plays Philadelphia for the World Series.
Christina Aguilera separates from her husband after her album and upcoming movie both bomb.
Retirement rumours swirl around Martin Brodeur.
Kanye West embarrasses himself at an awards show.
The New York Yankees sign Carl Crawford to a deal worth approximately $20 million per season.
The US repeats as World Junior Hockey Champions.

Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Goaltenders

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Sep 272010

On Friday, we talked Eastern Conference goaltending. Today, it’s the West.

A Grade

Phoenix

My memory is cloudy and I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong: Ilya Bryzgalov is the best waiver claim of all time. Jason LaBarbera is a solid backup.

B+ Grade

Vancouver

First, the book is out on Roberto Luongo. Stand in his kitchen, you’ll get in his head. Which is fine. Except elite goalies are able to, at the most crucial moment, shut the door on the opposition. I don’t think Roberto Luongo quite has this ability in him. He’s a modern-day Tom Barrasso – in the discussion, but rarely considered the best of his era. That being said, Tommy B did win a couple Cups.

St. Louis

This rating could end up looking incredibly silly. What has Jaroslav Halak truly proven, beyond one of the greatest post-season runs in goaltending history? That being said, I’m a believer. Ty Conklin is a very capable backup.

B Grade

Detroit

Jimmy Howard only got better as the season went along, and he was pretty good in the post-season too. Chris Osgood struggled last year, and one has to wonder if he’s got much left.

Calgary

Miikka Kiprusoff is one of the league’s best, but the back-up situation has been a nightmare for a long time. If Henrik Karlsson is legit, they move up these rankings.

Anaheim

Jonas Hiller might be a top-5/top-10 goalie in the NHL. His backup, Curtis McElhinney, might be the league’s worst.

B- Grade

Nashville

Pekka Rinne is a pretty good goalie whose numbers look great playing goal for the defensive-minded Predators. His backup situation remains completely unsettled and is one of the biggest battles of Nashville’s training camp.

Chicago

Even at 35, Marty Turco is a better goalie than Antti Niemi. Corey Crawford is a promising backup. Cristobal Huet is in Europe, enjoying various cheeses and wines. Not a bad way to earn $5.625 million.

C+ Grade

Colorado

Craig Anderson noticeably wore down last year, and he’ll have to prove he’s not a one-year wonder. Team might also be better off with a back-up other than Peter Budaj – a player with all the tools, but not much of a toolbox.

Los Angeles

The tale of two Jonathans – Jonathan Quick was the starter last year, but Jonathan Bernier is the top-level prospect – one of the top goalie prospects in the league. Erik Ersberg is the after thought here.

Columbus

This is the year we find out if Steve Mason is another Jim Carey in net or the real deal. Sadly, if he falters, Mathieu Garon is as streaky a backup as you can get.

C Grade

San Jose

Antti Niemi is the goalie with the Cup on his resume. Antero Niittymaki is the likely back-up. Neither is a poster boy for consistency. Thomas Griess might be the best goalie of the three long-term, but he seems destined for the AHL. If Niemi proves legit, they rocket up these rankings. That’s not likely though.

Minnesota

Generally overrated between the pipes. While hurt last year, it’s not a leap to suggest that Niklas Backstrom’s quality numbers were a direct result of Jacques Lemaire coaching. Josh Harding has yet to deliver on his promising talent.

(Editor’s note: Josh Harding tore his ACL and MCL last Friday. He could miss the entire season. – J.J.)

C- Grade

Dallas

Kari Lehtonen hasn’t exactly been the picture of health during his NHL career. The once highly-touted prospect has put up decent, but rarely spectacular, numbers at the NHL level. A blind man has a chance to score on Andrew Raycroft if he can shoot the puck high, glove side.

D+ Grade

Edmonton

The Oilers goaltending picture sounds like an evening in downtown Moscow: you’ve got a Russian drunk driver (Nikolai Khabibulin) hanging with a couple of “Double-Ds” (Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, Devan Dubnyk). Marty Gerber is also in the mix. It would be a surprise if any of these three were impact players this year.

Season Preview: Ranking the Eastern Conference Goaltenders

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Sep 242010

Do you need to have an elite goaltender to win the Stanley Cup?

The knee-jerk answer to that question is yes, absolutely. In reality? I’m not sure that’s the case.

Since they changed Vezina Trophy voting in 1982, only three goalies have won the Vezina and the Stanley Cup in the same year (Martin Brodeur, Grant Fuhr, Billy Smith).

When you consider the top-two finalists in Vezina voting over the same period, only nine of a possible 56 goalies have appeared in the Cup Final in the same season as their nomination.

Since the lockout, which goalies have won the Stanley Cup? Antti Niemi, Marc-Andre Fleury, Chris Osgood, Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Cam Ward.

That’s not exactly a Muderer’s Row of elite puck-stoppers.

There’s no question having a goalie who can consistently stop the puck is essential to on-ice success. Non-playoff teams are almost always among the league’s worst in goals against.

But with parity being the name of the NHL game these days, it seems you can enjoy ultimate success without a world class netminder.

Here now are the goalie rankings for the Eastern Conference heading into the 2010-11 season. Goaltenders were rated individually, with starters weighted more than back-ups.

A+ Grade

Buffalo

Ryan Miller is the best in the game. Patrick Lalime is okay in the back-up role.

New York Rangers

This might be the best goaltending tandem in the league.

A- Grade

New Jersey

Is it just me, or does Marty Brodeur look an awful lot like Patrick Roy at the end of his career? The numbers are still fine, but the playoff success is missing. Johan Hedberg may be the best back-up they’ve ever had during the Brodeur-era.

B+ Grade

Carolina

Still battling consistency a bit, and he was injured last year, but when he’s on Cam Ward is one of the best in the league. Justin Peters is an up-and-coming back-up.

Florida

Right now Tomas Vokun is kinda like the Tim Raines of hockey. A consistently solid, sometimes excellent player, whose career is going completely under the radar.

Boston

Rivals the Rangers for the best tandem in the league, and may take the title if Tuukka Rask takes another step in his development (and the Bruins keep Tim Thomas).

B- Grade

Pittsburgh

Still maddeningly inconsistent six years into his career, Marc-Andre Fleury can be the league’s best one night, among the league’s worst the next night. Brent Johnson is an effective starter for short periods.

Toronto

Team goaltending was strong down the stretch, once Jean-Sebastien Giguere arrived and Jonas Gustavsson got over his heart issues. No reason to think this won’t continue, or improve, this year.

C+ Grade

Tampa Bay

It’s too bad he’s no longer on Twitter, because I’m dying to hear Dan Ellis’ insight into female reporters in the locker room. He’s never started more than 44 games at the pro-level, but between Ellis and Mike Smith, team goaltending should be improved.

Atlanta

Might be too conservative a rating here, as Chris Mason has put up very strong numbers (.914 save percentage) during his NHL-career, and Ondrej Pavelec remains a top prospect.

C Grade

Washington

Two highly touted prospects (outspoken Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth) will share the workload in Washington. Both have showed flashes of brilliance, but consistency is a likely issue. For reminder’s sake, here’s Varlamov’s take on American women.

New York Islanders

Actually, a bit of a wild card rating. If Rick DiPietro is healthy (and he claims he is for the first time in years) they would zoom up this list. But if he gets hurt I have little faith that 40-year old Dwayne Roloson can get the job done over 40-50 games.

C- Grade

Ottawa

Another team with consistency issues between the pipes. It should be noted that in six NHL seasons, Pascal Leclaire has had a goals against average over 3.00 four times. Good luck with that, Sens fan.

Montreal

Carey Price is the most overhyped goalie in the NHL, but the team’s success now rests squarely on his shoulders (Alex Auld is barely NHL calibre). After a stellar rookie season Price has been very pedestrian, and his attitude hasn’t helped. He’s saying all the right things right now, but what happens the first time he’s booed? We’ll definitively know what the Habs have in Price after this season.

D+ Grade

Philadelphia

I’m not sure there isn’t a more stubborn team in the NHL. They really haven’t had an above-average goaltender since Ron Hextall, and refuse to address this issue year in, year out. There are goalies at Burnaby 8 rinks who could probably put up similar numbers to Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher.

Season Preview: Ranking the Western Conference Defensemen

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Sep 222010

Yesterday I passed along my thoughts about the Eastern Conference’s best defense corps. Each team’s defensemen were individually graded, with extra weight given to a team’s expected top-2 pairings. Today let’s look at the Western Conference.

A+ Grade

Chicago

Losing Brent Sopel is like losing a girlfriend in college – easily replaced, you just need to know where to look (tip – go where there’s alcohol being served). Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are the best 1-2 pair in the NHL.

A- Grade

Detroit

Yes, Nik Lidstrom is slowing down, but he’s still a top-5 NHL defenseman. There is great depth here, and if Jonathan Ericsson can ever figure it out, this might be the best corps in the league.

Los Angeles

The sky’s the limit for this group, as Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson will soon rival Chicago’s top-2 for league best. There’s a steep drop in talent after these two, but there are some promising kids on the horizon.

B+ Grade

San Jose

Other than Dan Boyle this is not a flashy group, but one that can skate and take care of their own zone. Consistent offense from Jason Demers would be a blessing.

Vancouver

No elite defensemen in this group, but the Canucks have a strong top-4. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alex Edler is the team’s best defenseman by the end of the year.

Nashville

Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are a very strong 1-2 but, like Los Angeles, the talent-level after them drops off a cliff. Can get the job done defensively though.

B Grade

Calgary

A solid top-4, although the book has closed on Jay Boumeester ever becoming an elite player. Not sure if Mark Giordano or Ian White can repeat their seasons of last year, and the rest of the group is definitely not fleet-of-foot.

St. Louis

A solid top-3, with Erik Johnson retaining elite potential. Roman Polak is an underrated defensive d-man, and Alex Pietrangelo could be a good one. They say Eric Brewer is fully-recovered from his back injury. In related too-good-to-be-true news, there’s good land available for purchase in the Florida Keys.

B- Grade

Colorado

Nothing spectacular here, but they take care of their own zone pretty well. They could really use a stronger puck-mover than John-Michael Liles.

Phoenix

More offensive talent than Colorado, but weaker defensively. If Oliver Ekman-Larsson is a Calder contender they’ll move up these rankings.

C+ Grade

Columbus

An inconsistent group lacking high-end talent. Jan Hejda was one of the better defensive defensemen in the league two years ago, but regressed last year. They desperately hope Kris Russell can be an impact player
offensively. He played well after Ken Hitchcock stopped eating all the food at the team buffet was fired.

C Grade

Anaheim

Okay in the puck-moving department thanks to Lubomir Visnovsky and Toni Lydman. It’s a physical, journeyman group after that – more comfortable throwing hits than passes. The team really needs Luca Sbisa to take a big step forward.

Minnesota

A group that is less than the sum of its parts, although Marek Zidlicky was solid last year. Cam Barker and Brent Burns are great skaters, but inconsistency and injuries have really held them back. Greg Zanon and Nick Schultz are solid defensive players, but they handle the puck like a grenade.

C- Grade

Edmonton

Like most things Oilers these days, there’s some real promise here, although none of it proven. There’s also little depth beyond the top-4. Not sure there’s a team in the league willing to take the headache named Sheldon Souray off their hands either.

D Grade

Dallas

You know your team’s in trouble when Stephane Robidas is your best defenseman by a fair margin. There’s some youth here, but it’s inconsistent and without much scoring potential. Kinda like Seth Rogen.

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