Yardbarker: Sergei Brylin

The KHL: Threat Or Not?

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:58:49 -0500

The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is being talked about a great deal as a threat to the National Hockey League. This conclusion seems to be drawn from only several examples of established players crossing the Atlantic to ply their trade. This, in my opinion, seems to be far from the truth and a great exaggeration. The KHL was formed in 2008 as a successor to the Russian Superleague. There really isn't very much difference between these two and yet suddenly the KHL...

Pre-Pre Season Rookie Camp Scrimmage… Thoughts from.. ahhh, wherever the hell I was sitting…

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:56:30 -0500

Now I know summer time filler ain’t my thing, but this worked out PERFECTLY…. a Friday Night i was in and fell asleep before 4am…. a new coach… new outlook on life… and time to put the miserable feelings and hatred and anger (not like my personal life mirrored the way the Devils season went… oh no no no no :p)…. Season tickets are all but paid (I got kinda lucky, a customer’s entire network took a ****… and hey it paid the STH bill… ...

While the Devils hired a head coach, rookie camp opened -- and Sergei Brylin was there

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:12:52 -0500

John O'Boyle/The Star-LedgerThe Devils invited 38 players to rookie camp, including first-round pick Jacob Josefson. Officially without a head coach Monday morning, the Devils' assistants and support staff took over as rookie camp began at the Prudential Center. The Devils...

Jersey Jay: Top 10 Devils of All Time.

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:44:29 -0500

NJ Devils Top 10 players of all time. Just like the team is run, I compiled this list based on overall value to the organization and not just on stats. Net worth is what I have used as my measuring stick.? Some guys I have missed and I am sure there will be plenty of discussions [...]

Who Improved and Where the Rangers Stand...

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:18:55 -0500

Last year, the Eastern Conference was a crapshoot. Much like David Caruso's career, Ottawa started real hot then dropped off the face of the Earth. Montreal and Pittsburgh, boosted by strong power plays, were the obvious best teams in the East, but they only rose to the top of the standings around early-March. Every other team was mediocre.?
If it was pre-lockout, the Rangers might not have made the playoffs, but they did last season because of Brendan Shanahan, Nigel Dawes, and Henrik Lundqvist's shootout performances. Washington clinched the playoffs on the last day possible. Carolina lost out on a playoff spot on the last day possible. Even the Islanders were relevant until March's injuries piled up. Boston made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and nearly beat the #1 ranked Canadiens.
What I'm saying is that it's anybody's conference to take. In the West, you knew Detroit will be up there, and Anaheim, San Jose, and Dallas should make the playoffs, while Phoenix, LA, Chicago, Edmonton, St. Louis, and Columbus would be awful.?
Will anything change in the East this year? Probably not. Who really improved in the East in the offseason?
* * *?
Far and away the winners of the East are the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vaclav Prospal returns next season, Matt Carle is in on defense, and they signed Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata (both people I think the Rangers should have tried to get), Gary Roberts, Olaf Kolzig, Mark Recchi, and power play QB Andrew Hutchinson. Oh, and Steven Stamkos should transition well in the NHL playing alongside Vinny Lecavilier. While their goaltending still is a question mark (Mike Smith and Kolzig are both a half-step up from being backup goaltenders), their beefed up offense should make up for a shaky back half. The only one missing from their team is expensive Dan Boyle, but now that they have an owner who wants to spend money, a trade deadline deal for a top defender is certainly possible.
Atlanta was awful last season and should be this season. They did rob the Penguins blind in the Marian Hossa deal, but Angelo Esposito probably won't catch fire this season, even if he makes the roster. The additions of Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong from Pittsburgh do help, but they are role players who aren't going to pot you 40 goals like Hossa would have. When your big offseason acquisition is named Ron Hainsley, you aren't moving forward.
Florida is also a team that is going nowhere. They might be the worst franchise in all of professional sports, Knicks included. They traded Olli Jokinen for a bundle of nothing, somehow re-signed Jay Bouwmeester even though we all know that he will not be there next season. Their lone spotlights are Nathan Horton and Tomas Vokoun. These guys are not a threat for anything except John Tavares in next year's Entry Draft.
Finishing off the Southeast, the Hurricanes and Capitals stood pat. While cash-strapped Carolina would up getting the defender they needed in Joni Pitkanen, it cost them heart-and-soul man Erik Cole. Yes, they signed Darcy Hordichuk, but can a 4th line goon lift you over the hump and into the playoffs? After making the playoffs last year, the Capitals decided to go with the same team this year. Sergei Federov, a good deadline deal, is back for another older, slower season, and their goaltending tandem of Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson is not as good as Kolzig and Christobal Huet were last year.
Long story short: One team will make the playoffs from the Southeast, and that's just because those are the rules.
* * *?
In the Northeast division, the Toronto Maple Leafs aim to miss the playoffs for the 4th straight year, which would be a new team record. Overpaying for Jeff Finger, trading for Jamal Mayers and Ryan Hollweg, not-yet-re-signing Mats Sundin or moving Bryan McCabe. I like GM Cliff Fletcher, but what exactly is he doing?
The Montreal Canadiens improved by leaps and bou-- no, they didn't improve at all. They missed the boat on Hossa, they probably won't get Sundin, but don't worry, Georges Laraque has arrived in Montreal! Alex Tanguay should help their already strong offense though and he came cheap in the form of just draft picks. They shouldn't miss Mark Streit on the power play too much, but can Alex Kovalev have another great season? While they are a good team still, the fact is, they aren't much better than last year, if at all.
The Boston Bruins signed unproven, unmotivated forward Blake Wheeler (although he did want to play in Beantown) and overpaid for Michael Ryder to replace Glen Murray. Is that any way to build a playoff contender? However, I think they would take a step forward if they would finally just admit to themselves that Tim Thomas is their starting goaltender. This guy is so motivated it's incredible.
Buffalo... uhhh, did the Sabres have an offseason? Yes, they traded away Steve "Brian Campbell" Bernier. Campbell's replacement is Craig Rivet, a journeyman who, while solid, won't stop a Crosby, Ovechkin, or Malkin from scoring. They also re-signed the aging, unhealthy Teppo Numinen, presumably as a locker room presence.?
Ottawa's big offseason move was what they didn't do - they didn't trade Antoine Vermette, which is huge. He can be a great player if any of their Big 3 - Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson - falter or get hurt like in 2007-08. Their goaltending is a question mark as well, with Martin Gerber and the well-traveled Alex Auld standing guard. That shouldn't inspire confidence in Canada's capital.
* * *?
Now, the East. I won't dwell too much on the Rangers, but regardless of what you think of their offseason moves, they are a better team today than they were in May.
Wade Redden and Dmitri Kalinin, and whoever turns out to be the 7th d-man are better than the likes of Tyutin, Backman, Malik, and Strudwick. Plus, Paul Mara returned at a discount, and Marc Staal and Dan Girardi should continue to excel this season.
Markus Naslund and Nik Zherdev are being counted on to have comeback years, and that may be asking a lot, but atleast the offense is styled differently. Plus, their power play should click this year without Jaromir Jagr to receive passes from Michal Rozsival and Marty Straka.
The one big loss is Sean Avery, a winger who could change games with his gritty style as well as put the puck home in big situations (just ask Martin Brodeur). Losing Ryan Hollweg for a draft pick was a no-brainer, and Aaron Voros and/or Patrick Rissmiller will take over his role and make it more offensive as well.
Did the Pittsburgh Penguins improve? Not too much. As well as losing roster players in Christensen and Armstrong and a top prospect in Esposito, they essentially traded hometown-boy Ryan Malone and Hossa for Miro Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, two middling wingers who had bad seasons. Their bright spot of the offseason was getting Brooks Oprik back when it looked like he would be on the way out. They still have their core, and they will be dangerous, no doubt. But they question is, did they improve? The answer has to be no, they did not.
We all know the Islanders' problems, starting with Charles Wang and Garth Snow and moving out. Streit should help the team and make up for losing Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard with the man-advantage. ?Doug Weight will help as well, that is until February, when he along with a bunch of other expiring-contracts are traded to contenders for draft picks and prospects.
It was Old Timer's Day in July for the Devils, as they signed former players Bobby Holik, Brian Rolston, and Scott Clemmensen as their 3rd goalie. Rolston is a great utility man, but I think the Devils will overuse him. Holik is a serviceable 3rd line center these days, but the days of him shutting down other teams top lines are over. They also overpaid for Bryce Salvador, but they did need a big body on the blueline. While Rolston was a good pick-up, their defense is still holier than the Bible Belt, and their offense can't make up for it. However, while I expect big years from Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, I can't say they improved much.
The Flyers were active in getting Glen Metropolit in his declining years, Steve Eminger, a few Finnish defensemen whose names I can't pronounce, and re-signing Jeff Carter, but it came at the cost of young gun R.J. Umberger and Prospal. Still, I would say the Flyers improved, if only slightly. Their defense is suspect with Derian Hatcher still there and Jaroslav Modry gone, but Braydon Coburn can only get better. Him and Kimmo Timonen on the same pairing could be one of, if not the best in the East.
* * *?
I didn't mean for this to be this long, and if you made it this far, I applaud you.
Who improved? Tampa, for sure. Probably the Flyers. Other teams just swapped one player for another, getting rid of a Malone for a Satan, or a Sergei Brylin for a Holik. That doesn't necessarily make them a better team, just the same team with different names on the back.
On paper, it appears the Rangers are one of the most-improved teams in the East, if not only by their additions then by their subtractions. That's not to say I didn't love Jagr and Straka and Shanahan, but it will be a completely different team, and that can't hurt.

Who Improved and Where the Rangers Stand...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:51:12 -0500

The KHL: Thorn in the NHL's Side

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:16:02 -0500

For the past few weeks, one of the hot topics in hockey circles has been the stream of NHL talent heading across the Atlantic to join teams in the new Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Players leaving the NHL to play in Europe is nothing new. Leagues in Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, and other countries have long attracted players with NHL experience. However, most of those players have been career minor leaguers or players from those countries wanting to play at home. The players heading to the KHL this season aren't exactly that caliber. The highest profile name heading to the KHL has been Jaromir Jagr. After failing to find an NHL team willing to give him the 3 year contract he so greatly desired, he decided to head to Russia and sign with Avangard Omsk, the team he played for during the NHL lockout in 2004-05. While early reports had Jagr being offered a reported $35 million for two years, the deal is actually worth between $5 million and $7 million per season. After being shunned by the Ottawa Senators and then by the rest of the NHL, Ray Emery decided to try to revive his NHL career by signing a one year $2 million contract with Atlant of the KHL. Although he provided Bryan Murray and the Sens with plenty of headaches, Emery did backstop the Sens to the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago and at age 25 it would seem that his best years are still ahead of him. Emery doesn't seem like the type of guy that will be out of the NHL for too long. While Jagr and Emery are two of the biggest names to head to the KHL, they aren't the most surprising one. After enjoying a solid season for the Nashville Predators last season, young star Alexander Radulov decided to bolt the Music City and head back to his native land. Radulov was a key part of a Nashville team that seemed to be up-and-coming and put a brief scare into the eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the first round of this year's playoffs. As Radulov himself said, however, this deal was purely about the money. Radulov earned just under $700,000 last season. His deal with Ufa of the KHL is reportedly worth $12 million over three years. That's a hefty raise. Other NHLers that have recently made the jump to the KHL include Duvie Westcott, Sergei Brylin, who won three Stanley cups with the New Jersey Devils, and Mark Hartigan, who won Stanley Cups the last two seasons with Detroit and Anaheim. What this recent slate of signings indicates is that for the first time in a very long time, the NHL is not the only destination for premier talent. Not since the old World Hockey Association was around in the 1970s has the NHL had a legitimate competitor. While Jagr is at the end of his career and Emery, Radulov, and the others are hardly superstars, GMs around the NHL will have to keep a close watch on what is going on in Russia. Although the NHL and KHL have a new agreement to respect contracts signed in each league, Radulov was signed by Ufa while still under contract with the Predators. He was set to under a little under $1 million in 2008-09. He was suspended by the International Ice Hockey Federation from international competition but they are powerless to prevent him from playing with Ufa when the season starts. While the KHL won't be a real threat to the NHL until it signs a true impact player like an Alexander Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin, you get the feeling that it may happen sooner rather than later. Perhaps a star Russian will simply decide to stay and play at home instead of coming to the NHL at all. Only time will tell, but until then, you can rest assured that the KHL has the NHL's full attention.

Devils Win

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:03:14 -0500

A close battle in New York was played out Saturday, between the New Jersey Devils, and the New York Rangers. In the series the Rangers were up 2-0. So that gave the Devils a reason to play harder Saturday, and they definitely stepped up the plate. It was a close game through all the periods. In the 1st period the devils started the scoring brigade with Sergei Brylin getting a goal. That was quickly answered back by Brandon Dubinsky for the Rangers. Then at the start of the 2nd Sean Avery scored a goal for the Rangers to put them up by 1 goal. In the middle of the 2nd period the devils struck back with Patrik Elias getting a goal. 3 minute later the devils top goal scorer Zach Parise got a goal for the devils to put them up by 1 goal going into the 3rd period. Right at the drop of the puck Brandon Dubinsky got his 2nd goal of the game to tie the devils 3-3, to bring the game into overtime. In overtime John Madden threw the puck into the crease of Henrik Lundqvist net, only for it to bounce of a rangers defence mans foot, and go into the net to have the Devils win the game in OT, 4-3.