http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/home Recent icemencometh Posts en-us Once again, the Anaheim Ducks are considering moving power forward Bobby Ryan in a blockbuster deal. And once again the Philadelphia Flyers are highly interested in acquiring the New Jersey native.CSN Philadelphia reports that the Flyers could offer steady young defenseman Braydon Coburn and the 11th overall pick in the coming NHL Draft for Ryan. That may be enough to get the deal done, given the depth on the high side of the draft.The Flyers acquired the negotiating rights to Islanders offensive defenseman Mark Streit and signed him to a four-year deal, so moving Coburn might be easier than it was a week ago. The team also decided to buy out forward Daniel Briere, so that could help create the cap space needed to take Ryan’s $5.1 million cap hit. One way or another, the Flyers are likely to make a big splash this offseason. Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:45:34 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/philadelphia_flyers_pursuing_bobby_ryan/13871588 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/philadelphia_flyers_pursuing_bobby_ryan/13871588 Philadelphia Flyers pursuing Bobby Ryan http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/philadelphia_flyers_pursuing_bobby_ryan/13871588 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Slava Voynov proved his commitment to the Los Angeles Kings by playing well in the AHL during the NHL lockout.The Kings did not want him playing in Russia. General manager Dean Lombardi asked him to use the lockout to complete his transition to the North American game.The KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk was willing to pay Voynov big dollars, but Slava stayed the course.“They were all over him again,” Lombardi said back in January. “‘Come back here. Let them let you go. You shouldn’t have to go to the minors. You won a Stanley Cup. We’ll pay you two million dollars.’”Voynov played for a tiny fraction of that in Manchester.“Now, the next thing, is the guy going to pout? He, for the most part, played his ass off,” Lombardi said.“That was a pleasant surprise over there. He didn’t get permission [to go to Russia], and it didn’t affect him at all. He has grown so much as a person and in his maturity since he was drafted here.”This week Voynov got his payoff: A contract paying him $25 million Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:58:35 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/los_angeles_kings_reward_slava_voynovs_loyalty/13871234 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/los_angeles_kings_reward_slava_voynovs_loyalty/13871234 Los Angeles Kings reward Slava Voynov's loyalty http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/los_angeles_kings_reward_slava_voynovs_loyalty/13871234 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Calgary Flames earned the sixth overall pick in the NHL draft by playing poorly this season. They added first-round picks from St. Louis (in the Jay Bouwmeester trade) and Pittsburgh (via the Jarome Iginla deal). Scoring an elite prospect with their first pick shouldn't be hard, given the quality at the top of this draft. But the draft offers some depth, too, so the Flames could add several good prospects to their pile this summer. Right now Flames management is leaning toward using all the picks rather than packaging them to move up or trading some of them for proven talent. "I think the upper parts of this draft are really strong," Flames assistant general manager John Weisbrod told NHL.com. "It's tough to compare [drafts] year to year, but some are deeper than others in terms of some really good players available in the fifth, sixth or seventh rounds -- I would sort of describe this year's draft as similar to that."I think it's a really strong draft all the way in Wed, 29 May 2013 10:51:36 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/draft_allows_calgary_flames_to_retool_quickly/13716080 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/draft_allows_calgary_flames_to_retool_quickly/13716080 Draft allows Calgary Flames to retool quickly http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/draft_allows_calgary_flames_to_retool_quickly/13716080 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Drafting dynamic young defenseman Seth Jones would be marketing gold for the Colorado Avalanche. Jones grew up playing hockey in Denver and he could some day become the face of the franchise.Naturally the Avalanche are considering trading the first overall pick – and their shot at Jones – for more immediate help.The new Joe Sakic/Patrick Roy management team wants to make a splash this summer. Dealing the top pick could achieve that goal at great long-term cost to the franchise.“We haven't decided what we're going to do in the draft. We haven't decided which player we're going to take at No. 1,” Sakic told the Denver Post. “We haven't decided if we're going to take a player at No. 1. There are lot of options we can discuss, and we will be discussing.“We're not set in stone with what we're going to do. We might take the first pick, we might take the second guy or we might not. That's the exciting thing about having the first pick, especially this year.” Wed, 29 May 2013 10:39:06 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/will_colorado_avalanche_screw_up_swap_top_pick/13715963 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/will_colorado_avalanche_screw_up_swap_top_pick/13715963 Will Colorado Avalanche screw up, swap top pick? http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/will_colorado_avalanche_screw_up_swap_top_pick/13715963 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin didn’t a whole lot done against the tight checking he saw during the playoffs.But his strong finish to the regular season suggests Ovechkin could score 50 goals during the full 2013-14 campaign.His adjustment to right wing wasn’t easy, but he finally bought what coach Adam Oates was selling. He settled in on the other side of the ice and scored 23 times in his last 23 games.Ovechkin led the league with 32 goals during the lockout-shortened season. He will enter next season on the same page with Oates, which ought to make a big difference.“Right now I can tell to work with him, it was probably one of the biggest reason to my success this year,” Ovechkin told reporters after the postseason ended.His only big concern for next season is whether the team will lose center Mike Ribeiro to free agency. Ribeiro’s presence gave the Capitals two legitimate scoring lines and opened up more opportunities for Ovechkin to do his thing. Wed, 29 May 2013 10:31:43 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/alexander_ovechkin_could_score_50_next_season/13715912 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/alexander_ovechkin_could_score_50_next_season/13715912 Alexander Ovechkin could score 50 next season http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/alexander_ovechkin_could_score_50_next_season/13715912 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png That is what a lot of folks did in the Twitterverse. Here is a sampling of the conversation: Howard Bryant, ESPN.com: “ ‘The Toronto Maple Leafs, unless they suffer a colossal collapse, are going to eliminate the Bruins.’ -- Jack Edwards, 14:10 left 3rd period.”Gerry Callahan, WEEI radio: “How do you line & shake hands if you're Leafs? You just completed one of worst choke jobs in NHL history. I'd be in locker room throwing up.”Joffrey Lupul, Maple Leafs forward: “That hockey game will haunt me until the day I die . . .”Jason Gay, Wall Street Journal: “Re: The Maple Leafs. Remember: what doesn't kill you, eventually makes you . . . a documentary.”Deadspin: “The Maple Leafs did something amazing. They made the hockey world feel sympathy for Toronto.”Darren Rovell, ESPN: “Assume Tim Leiweke, the new CEO of Maple Leafs Sports, is counting the millions the organization lost in a matter of minutes tonight.”Steve Rushin, SI.com: “Been following Maple Leafs and Canadian Tue, 14 May 2013 16:39:44 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/kick_the_toronto_maple_leafs_when_theyre_down/13617242 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/kick_the_toronto_maple_leafs_when_theyre_down/13617242 Kick the Toronto Maple Leafs when they're down http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/kick_the_toronto_maple_leafs_when_theyre_down/13617242 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png No North American in his right mind would ever hire him to coach, but he managed to find work in Russia. At least we want' have to endure his crappy TV analysis, Mon, 13 May 2013 20:40:18 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/say_hello_to_iron_curtain_mike_keenan/13610261 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/say_hello_to_iron_curtain_mike_keenan/13610261 Say hello to Iron (Curtain) Mike Keenan http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/say_hello_to_iron_curtain_mike_keenan/13610261 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Minnesota Wild face some tough roster choices with the NHL salary cap shrinking for next season.That factor, combined with the production addition of winger Jason Pominville, led many experts to believe the team will ditch winger Dany Heatley.But general manager Chuck Fletcher noted how much the team missed Heatley after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury April 3.“Dany Heatley, nobody talks about, but from the time he got hurt, our record wasn’t very good,” Fletcher told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “He’s a big body who can play against big teams. He gets to certain areas of the ice and he can be successful.”On the other hand, Heatley is due to collect a whopping $7.5 million on the final year of contract. The team needs to allocate money elsewhere, especially with goaltender Niklas Backstrom headed to unrestricted free agency.Backstrom can reasonably expect vigorous bidding for his services. To retain him, the Wild will have to pay top dollar.Heatley’s effort last season had “bu Sun, 12 May 2013 10:46:09 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/will_the_minnesota_wild_dump_dany_heatley/13600352 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/will_the_minnesota_wild_dump_dany_heatley/13600352 Will the Minnesota Wild dump Dany Heatley? http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/will_the_minnesota_wild_dump_dany_heatley/13600352 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Blues have built the framework for a winning program in the ultra-competition Western Conference.But the project remains incomplete. The Blues are good enough to play the defending Stanley Cup champions to a virtual standstill, but not quite good enough to beat them.They earned respect from their rival but they did not advance. The Kings set the standard in the NHL these days and the Blues don’t quite measure up.So now the hockey operation goes back to work. Here are some thoughts about the task at hand:Ken Hitchcock is still the right coach for this team. When the Blues fell into some funks during the lockout shortened season, we all wondered if message fatigue was setting in. But this team finished the season with an impressive push and then delivered a big effort against the Kings. The Blues fell just a bit short, so the same coach with a refreshed roster could take a big run next spring.Doug Armstrong must resolve his goaltending situation. Brian Elliott gave the Blues a chance to beat the Kings, bu Sun, 12 May 2013 10:21:57 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/st_louis_blues_needs_to_retool/13600268 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/st_louis_blues_needs_to_retool/13600268 St. Louis Blues needs to retool http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/st_louis_blues_needs_to_retool/13600268 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury flopped in the playoffs last season, so the team added veteran goaltender Tomas Vokoun.Fleury struggled again this spring, so coach Dan Bylsma replaced him with Vokoun – who brings a modest 3-8 career playoff record into Game 5 against the New York Islanders.“Tomas is capable of being a great goalie for us,” Bylsma told reporters. "We brought Tomas Vokoun to play big games for us and be a goaltender we can count on to go in and play big games.“He's done that this year for us and been very good against the Islanders in the three games he's played against the Islanders.”It is notable that Vokoun has another year on his contract, so he could make a play on the starting next fall by playing well in these playoffs.“We have confidence in both of them,” winger Pascal Dupuis told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Wed, 08 May 2013 19:04:57 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/is_marc_andre_fleury_on_thin_ice_in_pittsburgh/13578593 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/is_marc_andre_fleury_on_thin_ice_in_pittsburgh/13578593 Is Marc-Andre Fleury on thin ice in Pittsburgh? http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/is_marc_andre_fleury_on_thin_ice_in_pittsburgh/13578593 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Vancouver Canucks finished the job. They bowed out of the NHL playoffs in four games, allowing the San Jose Sharks to complete their sweep.Questionable officiating gave them a nudge out the door, but the Canucks deserved to lose that series. “We put ourselves in the situation where one bad call costs you a game,” Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa told the Vancouver Sun. “It was four games of not executing. This wasn't an isolated incident; we were in a 3-0 hole. We didn't play good enough to win the series. It sucks. There's no way to sugarcoat it.”They have lost 10 of their last 11 playoff games. They are growing old and less relevant.So what happens now?General manager Mike Gillis could fire coach Alain Vigneault, but the pool of head coaching candidates is underwhelming.Gillis could try to trade goaltender Roberto Luongo again, but he will have a tough time finding somebody to take the rest of Luongo’s onerous deal.The Vancouver Province raised the possibility to moving the Sedin Tw Wed, 08 May 2013 18:51:59 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/vancouver_canucks_grow_old_vs_san_jose_sharks/13578569 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/vancouver_canucks_grow_old_vs_san_jose_sharks/13578569 Vancouver Canucks grow old vs. San Jose Sharks http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/vancouver_canucks_grow_old_vs_san_jose_sharks/13578569 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The St. Louis Blues have earned a couple of 2-1 victories over the Kings and suffered a 1-0 loss at Los Angeles. You can expect more of the same for the rest of the series.“If you look at the series, 5-on-5 is so tough,” Kings coach Darryl Sutter told reporters after Saturday night’s game. “There are a lot of little battles going on that only the players appreciate or understand. It’s pretty much what we said at the outset.”The forecast for this series was low-scoring games. Blues goaltender Brian Elliott and Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick both played very well down the stretch for their defensive-minded teams.“Do your homework before the series,” Sutter said. “The two teams are very even. Gave up the fewest shots in the conference, one and two. Both goaltenders – everybody understands who they are and what they are.”These games are coming down to one bounce, one break or one breakdown.“I think it’s great, because you can’t take a shift off,” Kings winger Justin Williams told re Mon, 06 May 2013 20:23:00 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/los_angeles_kings_try_to_muddle_through_offensively/13563296 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/los_angeles_kings_try_to_muddle_through_offensively/13563296 Los Angeles Kings try to muddle through offensively http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/los_angeles_kings_try_to_muddle_through_offensively/13563296 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Blues play the swing game of their best-of-seven series against the Kings tonight. If they win the game, they will take charge of the series.If they lose it, the series goes back to square one. Such a challenge defines what sort of players the Blues really have.Do they have a bunch of good players? Or does this team possess players who are ready to break out and become difference makers?For instance, goaltender Brian Elliott has played brilliantly in the playoffs. He followed a strong final month with even stronger play during first three postseason games.If he keeps it up, Elliott will prove he more than a reliable back-up or co-starter. Games like this one give him an opportunity to make a strong statement about his future. Other Blues will get that opportunity as well. Patrik Berglund is a classic example. Can he become a really good No. 2 center in the NHL? Is he even a center at all?Berglund scored 17 goals in 48 games this season, which is notably by Blues standards. But he only dished eight assists Mon, 06 May 2013 20:18:18 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/game_4_could_define_several_st_louis_blues/13563278 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/game_4_could_define_several_st_louis_blues/13563278 Game 4 could define several St. Louis Blues http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/game_4_could_define_several_st_louis_blues/13563278 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Of course the Ottawa Senators put a body on rookie Montreal Canadiens defenseman Brendan Gallagher, one the three finalists for the Calder Trophy this season.As Pro Hockey Talk notes, the lad scored a power-play goal in Game 1 of this playoff series and put eight shots on goal. He scored the winning goal in Game 2 and put four shots on goal.So the Senators came after Gallagher again and again in Game 3, taking three roughing penalties on him during the first period. Not coincidentally, Gallagher put no shots on goal and fought Cory Conacher during the third period as the game spiraled out of control.“Physicality in the first round is important and tonight was no different,” Senators coach Paul MacLean told reporters after the game. “It was stupid at the end but that’s hockey.”Ottawa rolled to a 6-1 victory that left Montreal coach Michel Therrien fuming. He became furious when MacLean called a timeout with 18 seconds left to order his players to refrain from further shenanigans.“I’ve never seen Mon, 06 May 2013 20:13:19 -0400 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/ottawa_senators_play_rough_earn_complaints/13563251 http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/ottawa_senators_play_rough_earn_complaints/13563251 Ottawa Senators play rough, earn complaints http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/icemencometh/article/ottawa_senators_play_rough_earn_complaints/13563251 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png