Yardbarker: Rob Blake

Zach's 2008-09 Predictions...

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 10:03:32 -0500

Much like my counterpart Bryan (and every fan with a computer and a knowledge of the game), I present to you my 2008-09 NHL predictions... exactly 67 minutes before the puck drops on the season.

EAST

1. Montreal

2. Pittsburgh

3. Tampa Bay

4. NY Rangers

5. Washington

6. Boston

7. Flyers

8. Buffalo

9. Ottawa

10. NJ Devils

11. Carolina

12. Florida

13. Toronto

14. NY Islanders

15. Atlanta

1) Montreal still has the best power play in the game. Remember how they lost Sheldon Souray and were still the best one? Losing Mark Streit is nothing to them. Someone else will step up. 2) It takes a lot for me to not pick my Rangers as 1st in the division, but for the first year in 3 seasons I'm taking the high road and going with my head and picking the Penguins. 3) Tampa Bay is the best team in that division. Steven Stamkos will score 40 goals. 4) Vastly improved defense should keep the Rangers in games while the offense scores 2.5 goals per game. 5) Theodore is a weaker goalie than Huet, Federov is a year older, and their one solid d-man is a kid who has had one good year. Yes, Ovechkin is the best player in the world, but WashingtonA will win and lose 6-5, 5-4 games all year. 6) Don't know why I picked Boston over Ottawa. I love Tim Thomas. This is probably a mistake, I admit it. Maybe a trade deadline pick-up of a defenseman will help. 7) Flyers are a solid team with questionable goaltending (Marty Biron) who play in a tough division. 8) Buffalo is fast, has good goaltending, and manageable defense. I think they'll sneak in.

9/10) I think this might be the yearA Ottawa and the Devils miss the playoffs. The East is very tough to pick this year (as it was last year). If Ottawa doesn't shore up their goaltending, they have 2 backups leading them this year. Brodeur, on the other hand, is a year older and still have weak defense in front of him. The Devils always pull out wins, but they didn't improve in the offseason and I see them missing the playoffs. 11) Carolina is stuck with a small budget, making acquisitions hard. Cam Ward hasn't proven anything since the Cup run in '06. Erik Cole is gone. Eric Staal is fantastic. Brind'Amour is hurt. Pitkanen is a step up on the PP though. 12) Florida is one of the worst organizations in sports history. While Cory Stillman is a great acquisition and Tomas Vokoun is a Top 5 goalie in the NHL, Bryan McCabe has nothing left besides a big contract, and the rest of the team (except Bouwmeester and Horton) are busts. 13) Besides Antropov and Blake, who's going to score in Toronto? Ryan Hollweg? Jeff Finger? Their saving grace is Vesa Toskala (no pun intended). 14) The Islanders won't be as bad as everyone thinks. Okay, they might. Doug Weight can no longer carry the weight of a team on his shoulders (pun sort of intended). Okposo, Comeau, and and Tambellini should have good starter years. Maybe Josh Bailey sees action. Atleast they won't be as bad as 15) Atlanta. A question mark in goal, two good defenseman A (one of whom even the Kings didn't want to trade for), and a skilled forward do not a playoff team make.

WEST

1. Detroit

2. Anaheim

3. Colorado

4. Dallas

5. Chicago

6. San Jose

7. Edmonton

8. Minnesota

9. Phoenix

10. Vancouver

11. Calgary

12. Nashville

13. St. Louis

14. ColumbusA

15. Los Angeles

1) Let's face it: Detroit never gets bad. When a Federov or Shanahan leaves, a Zetterberg and Datsyuk steps up. When they're gone, Filppula and Helm are ready. Adding Hossa is huge for the offense. 2) Anaheim has improved over last year and should win a dogfight in the Pacific. They had a great regular season last year, just started slow. 3) If healthy, Colorado has a dynamic offense. Sakic, Svatos, Wolski, Stastny, Smith, Guite, even Darcy Tucker. They have 7 serviceable defensemen, although no studs. Maybe with Raycroft and Budaj splitting time, their goaltending holes won't shine as brightly. 4) A great goaltending, 3 stud d-men, and a great offense are going to lead Dallas. 5) Years of horrendous hockey has finally paid of for Chicago. Pat Kane, Jon Toews, and a strong D will help this team beat up on the weakened Central division. If Huet fails in goal, Antti Niemi is ready to go in his stead. 6) San Jose is again good, and with a much better, Dan Boyle-Rob Blake duo on the blueline. Nabokov might wear out at the end from too many games, but they'll easily make the playoffs. 7) Edmonton plays in a weak division, and did improve greatly. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano should be great, as should Ales Hemsky, Cole, and a returning Shawn Horcoff. What? Souray is back? Pick him up on your fantasy team since everyone else forgot about him. Dustin Penner is an overpaid bum, but he has a supporting cast that overshadows him. 8) I'll go out on a limb and say the Coyotes, led by Olli Jokinen, Peter Mueller and Shane Doan will have a great offense. Dan Carcillo is not just a fighter, he can score. Marty Hanzal and Daniel Winnik also should have breakout years. And with rookies Mueller, Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov, and Mikkel Boedker (who I don't know if he made the team or not... I know Tikhonov did), I get overwhelmed thinking of the young guns on this team. Their D isn't that good (Jovanoski is one of the most overpaid players since Penner. Sauer, Hale, and Morris are good but not stars). However, Ilya Bryzgalov is a gem in net for them. Oh, and you can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas at their home opener for $79 total.

9) I hate Minnesota. I hate their ugly, Christmas-inspired uniforms. I hate their coach and I hate his trapping system. I hate Marion Gaborik. I do love Brent Burns though. And I think these guys might sneak into the playoffs due to the insane parity in the Northwest division. They have a few good forwards (Mikko Koivu, P.M. Bouchard, and don't forget Owen Nolan), and decent D led by Burns, and 2 overrated but alright goaltenders. However, I see them on the outside looking in this year. Originally I had them as 8th, but am moving them down. A 10) Vancouver has an amazing goaltender, a good D, and no forwards. Unless they win every game 1-0 or 2-1, I don't see them making the playoffs. 11) Nashville has nosedived. Yes, Dan Ellis is good in goal, but they really put all their eggs into one inexperienced basket when they traded Chris Mason to St. Louis. Radulov was their star playmaker, and he will be scoring tons of goals in Russia this year. 12) When will St. Louis make the jump? Maybe next year, guys, maybe next year. Chock full of 1st round picks, including Erik Johnson and his torn ACL. Legace/Mason make a good team, but I'm afraid that while they will be competitive, it won't be the year for them. 13) Trust me, Blue Jacket fans, Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman are not great players. While Pascal Leclaire is a fantastic goalie (as is waiting-in-the-wings Steve Mason), the team only has a few good forwards (Nash, Husselius) and a very porous backline. 14) A star goalie, a star D, and a star forward. Didn't the Rangers have that every year they missed the playoffs in the 1990's and 2000's? Sorry, Flames. Your ship sailed in 2004. 15) The LA Kings might not even have enough salary on the books to be able to field a team in 2008-09. Their goaltending fleet is led by Jason LaBarberra, and their best D (Jack Johnson) is a year away from being great. Frolov, Kopitar, and Dustin Brown are excellent, but one line won't win you that many games in the new NHL.

Playoffs

In the East, I see the Rangers or Canadiens escaping. The Rangers have a better goalie (although Carey Price might have the Patrick Roy-like season everyone up in Quebec wants him to have), but they Habs have a great offense. Montreal has also one a Stanley Cup in every decade except this one. So as not to seem like a homer, I'll pick the Montreal Canadiens to win the Eastern Conference, although if the Rangers make the Finals I'll give myself credit as well.

It doesn't matter though, because no one is beating the Sean Avery's Dallas Stars en route to the Stanley Cup. Avery is a great addition to the team. He is like Steve Ott, except he scores. Avery, Brendan Morrow, Mike Modano, Brad Richard, Lou Erikkson, Fabian Brunnstrom, Jere Lehtinen, Joel Lundqvist, Mike Ribeiro. That's 9 awesome forwards. Imagine what a deadline pick up can do for them? Phillipe Boucher, Sergei Zubov, and Stephane Robidas get the job done on D, and they have 4 to 5 other guys who are solid NHL players ready if anything happens to one of them. Marty Turco is vastly underrated, and while Tobias Stephan (one NHL game) is an inexperienced backup, Turco should carry the weight of the team.

Stars over Canadiens/Rangers in 6. Mark is down!

Pacific Division Preview - San Jose Sharks

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:00:03 -0500

The Pacific Division is the ugly stepchild of the NHL. Most of the East Coast are going to bed when the games begin on the West Coast. Therefore, many of the players and teams get overlooked. However, the Pacific boasts several strong teams who are perennial contenders when the playoffs roll around and the Anaheim Ducks were the 2007 winners of the Stanley Cup. The San Jose Sharks will remain competitive, as will the Dallas Stars. The Phoenix Coyotes have made great improvements and should contend for a playoff spot again. The Los Angeles Kings will remain low man on the totem pole, and for good reason, but if they truly rebuild, they, too, can be a challenge to any team that plays them.

LA Times Is Up-to-Date on it's Hockey

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:10:02 -0500

LBS reader Andy happened upon the front page of the LA Times online the other day and noticed a nice feature story on Rob Blake getting some prominent play on the site. We're talking about the front page of the entire site mind you, not just the sports section. And that's in a [...]

LA Times Is Up-to-Date on it's Hockey

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:27:27 -0500

2008 NHL Free Agency Explosion

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:57:34 -0500

Why wait until July 1st? Read now where Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell, Jaromir Jagr, Mats Sundin, Ryan Malone, Sean Avery and all the other big free agents are going to sign when free agency kicks off in less than a week.

Pacific Division 2008 Free Agency Preview

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:05:23 -0500

A look into the free agency futures of the teams in the NHL's Pacific Division. What will July have in store for the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, and San Jose Sharks? Will the Coyotes and Kings be big spenders? Will Anaheim be able to fill out their roster while staying under the salary cap? Will Brian Campbell stay by the Bay?

Fantasy Hockey 101: No Forsberg..So What??

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:58:23 -0500

So Forsberg won't come back to the NHL this season...what else is going on out there...time to find out a bit more on the weekly column.

Quick Hitters

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:24:53 -0500

The latest on Blake and Prospal....on opposite sides of the salary spectrum but just as hot as far as commodities.

Countdown To The Deadline: Episode 3

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:08:39 -0500

Time to take our weekly look at the deadline as we are just 14 days away. A little more on the ott-car trade, our new trade tracker, some rumors and a look ahead.

Pens Knock Flyers into Third Place, Another Fight Video, Plus the Latest Trade Rumors

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:44:26 -0500

For the first time this year, the Penguins beat the Flyers. You may recall that last year, the Penguins owned the Flyers, beating them every time they played. This year, the Flyers had reversed the trend, beating their cross-state rival four times. I expect the Flyers to make a move for another defenseman in the next few days. Rob Blake's name continues to be bandied about, although the Sharks might be the front runner to get him. Other defensemen that have been rumored to be available include Tomas Kaberle, Brian Campbell and John-Michael Liles.

RotoTimes: Fire and Ice - Feb. 8th

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:36:09 -0500

Breaking down who is hot and who is not in the world of fantasy hockey.

Digging Deep With Stevens (Episode 2)

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:29:41 -0500

With 3 weeks to go till the deadline....we are pounding all avenues of media to bring you the latest and well I'm going to stick my neck out a little early this year...hey why not!

Countdown To The Deadline......Digging With Stevens

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:22:07 -0500

Four weeks to go....time to get down to business as far as the trade deadline goes. The best part is the speculation and this column will get knee deep in there!

Weekly Top NHL Center Performers

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:42:05 -0500

weekly submission on top NHL center performers

Rob Blake to Red Wings - Rumor

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:58:57 -0500

Los Angeles defenseman Rob Blake , who trains with Chelios in the offseason in Southern California, will be one of the bigger names available at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. Speaking in Los Angles the other day, Chelios said, "If he (Blake) was thinking about going to another team I'm sure he'd want to go to a winner, and depending on what you'd have to give up, he'd.... READ ON!!!