Yardbarker: Dany Heatley

WHO WILL THE MAPLE LEAFS SIGN?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 03:45:43 -0500

by Mike Jack, Staff Writer

General Manager, Cliff Fletcher has accumulated quite the pile of money by relinquishing the likes of Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft, Hal Gill, Chad Kilger, Kyle Wellwood and Wade Belak. Captain, Mats Sundin, Dominic Moore and John Pohl are unrestricted free agent that may not sign back with the team. The only restricted free agent from the Leafs is Matt Stajan. He's been given a qualifying offer by the Leafs which will apparently go to arbitration if he doesn't sign an offer sheet with another team. I think Stajan is too much of a Leafs fan to sign with another team though.

With the NHL free agent signing period just three days away (July 1^st), it could be a wild free agent season for the rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Leafs choose not to go for their own unrestricted free agents, they'll have about $18 million in cap space available to sign younger unrestricted free agents with their only real roster needs being three forwards and a back-up goalie.

So, with $18 million to spend, here are the top five players the Leafs should offer a contract to on July 1^st:

5. Jeff Finger, Defenseman

The Leafs may need a defensive defenseman on their second defensive pairing. Hal Gill was suppose to be that guy last year, but a younger defensive player like Finger or Brooks Orpik will do them one better. They'll definitely need another defenseman or two if they decide to trade Pavel Kubina this summer or if they send McCabe to the minors. If they make either of those moves, they may use the cap space they'll save to get a younger offensive defenseman as well.

4. Wade Dubielewicz, Goaltender

With the buying out of Andrew Raycroft and farmhand, Scott Clemmenson becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Leafs need a back-up for Vesa Toskala. Some may say they should give Justin Pogge a shot, but Justin Pogge definitely needs to learn how to be a consistent AHL goalie before he sees any time in the NHL. Pogge was Clemmenson's back-up for most of the Marlies play-off run. Unlike Raycroft, Dubielewicz know his role as a back-up. He prepares himself as such by training himself to be ready to save his team when his starter goes down. When Toskala was hurt last season and the Leafs needed Raycroft to step up, they went on a huge losing streak. Dubie may not have had a lot of wins last season, buy his .919 save percentage speaks for itself. Other younger back-ups the Leafs may go for should include Alex Auld and Curtis Sanford. Any of these goalies could be signed for less than half of what Raycroft was making.

3. Patrick Rissmiller, Winger

Rissmiller is a tough third line player that has played under coach, Ron Wilson. He along with newly acquired Jamal Mayers could help fill the gap in grit left by the absence of Tucker, Kilger and Belak. If they don't get Rissmiller, then maybe they could go for Matt Cooke.

2. Kristian Huselius, Winger

During this free agent season, the major thing the Leafs need is a super-star forward in their 20's - maybe even two or three if they decide to trade Jason Blake. Huselius may not be a super-star yet, but he is the second best younger unrestricted forward available. He had 25 goal and 66 points 2007-08, and 34 goals and 77 points in 2008-09. If he were on the Leafs, he'd probably see a lot of time on their top line. Other younger forwards that the Leafs may go for are Radim Vrbata, Ryan Malone, Niklas Hagman, Jason Williams, Josef Vasicek, Antti Miettinen and Pascal Dupuis.

1. Marian Hossa, Winger

Hossa is the younger super-star the Leafs need to get if they don't sign Sundin. Though Hossa had one of his worst regular seasons last year, he proved he can perform in the play-offs by finishing third in play-off scoring. Hossa has the potential to score 100 points this season and he's remained healthy virtually his entire career. Hossa is also eight years younger than Sundin. Sundin is apparently looking for $7 million next season, and Hossa is looking for slightly more. What kind of drama would this add to the battle of Ontario? Hossa was once a star on the Ottawa Senators before getting traded in the Dany Heatley deal.

Oprah tells NHL: Hire good people, be successful like me.

Thu, 22 May 2008 15:50:04 -0500

Your teams' path is laid for the future through the executive restructuring ongoing throughout the Spring months currently upon us. How important are the decisions your team is making right now? Very.

No more Fatso next year

Fri, 02 May 2008 18:45:59 -0500

The NHL is looking to tinker with their rules some more. In a move to produce more scoring, NHL representatives will meet with a handful of players to discuss the possibility of reducing the size of goaltender equipment. Marty Brodeur, Ryan Miller, Rick DiPietro, Dany Heatley, Michael Cammalleri will talk with Doug Risebrough, Garth Snow, Jim Rutherford, and Brett Hull on June 11th in Toronto. With scoring up this year and a boom of young stars taking over the league, officials have to been aware of going to far, I don't think anyone wants to watch a game that has 20+ goals in it.

Boston and New Jersey Got a Much Needed Win

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:43:18 -0500

Sunday was a pivotal day for the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils. They were already two games down and couldn't afford to go down three games. The Flyers didn't want to be in the same situation as the Bruins and the Devils. They took care of business. In Western Canada, the San Jose Sharks quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Gary Bettman was wandering if he chose the right game to attend...

April Fools day suggestions for NHL stars

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:33:00 -0500

A blog offers up suggested April Fools day pranks for various NHL players such as Sean Avery ("Use funny smiley faces instead of zeroes on all personal cheques written to prostitutes") and Peter Forsberg ("Play hilarious joke on referee by falling down immediately every time you're touched").

Malone Scores Twice as Penguins Fall 5-4 to Senators

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:30:37 -0500

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost a tough one to the Ottawa Senators 5-4 on Saturday afternoon. It is an afternoon that Sergei Gonchar would rather soon forget. He would probably also like to forget the name Daniel Alfredsson. Early in the 2nd period, Alfredsson blocked a Gonchar power-play shot and then blew past him to score a short-handed goal. Then, late in the 2nd, Sergei Gonchar took a double minor for cross-checking Daniel Alfredsson after some chippy play. During the ensuing 4-minutes in penalties, the Penguins gave up 2 goals. The Gonchar penalty provided the game's turning point by allowing the Senators to take a 5-3 lead. Although Evgeni Malkin was able to get a goal late in the 3rd to draw within 1, the Penguins were never able to find the equalizer.

Penguins Battle Hard, But Lose to Senators in OT

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:48:21 -0500

The Pittsburgh Penguins missed an opportunity to move into 1st place in the Eastern Conference as they lost to the Ottawa Senators with just 3.2-seconds left in ovetime on Saturday afternoon. Despite outshooting the Senators 17-8 in the 1st period and building a 3-0 lead through the fist half of the game, the Penguins played a little sloppy late in the 2nd and allowed the Senators to battle back and pick up 2 goals and then one early in the 3rd to send it to overtime. It looked like the game was destined for a shootout when Daniel Alfredsson scored the game winner with just seconds left on the clock to make it 4-3. Red hot Evgeni Malkin played like a beast, but failed to put up any points, ending his 10-game points streak. Despite the loss, the Penguins played a very strong game. ....click the link for the rest of the article.....

Top Ten Best Goal Scorers in the NHL

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:37:46 -0500

Find out who makes the cut to be in the Top Ten best goal scorers.

Hockey Night in Canada Live Blog - Hockey Day In Canada Edition

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 04:23:52 -0500

Illegal Curve takes a live report of last nights Hockey Night in Canada. Senators/Canadiens & Oilers/Flames battled simultaneously. Notable: It was Hockey Day in Canada on CBC Includes: Video of Dany Heatley's goal. Has some comedic value: [ x ] yes [ ] no

NHL: The 60-goal Scorer?

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:26:35 -0500

Few players in the NHL have the talent, skill and determination to score 60 goals, a fact that is quite evident in the statistics collected over the last 10 seasons, in addition to the tears of every hockey purist incensed over rule changes to beef up offensive production. (Note the date of publication.)

So Who Really Is The First Half MVP?

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:22:17 -0500

The anatomy of the poll question and what maybe could have been done to make it that much better.

Week 16 Frozen IR Report

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:36:42 -0500

One of FIO's weekly fantasy hockey columns, staff writer Tim Hays discusses those players on the IR, those that are Day-to-Day, and other mentionable scares in the world of fantasy hockey. Check this article each and every week on Wednesdays.

Fantasy Focus: 1st Half Freaks And Flops

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:51:27 -0500

The best and the worst in fantasy hockey from the first half of the NHL season. See which players have propelled their owners to the top and which put their's into early rebuilding mode.

Monday Ice Water Cooler

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:29:55 -0500

Dashing thru the league....on a six pack of cider....and enjoying every single minute of last night's action and a small look ahead.

Penguins Drop to Senators, 4-1

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:02:01 -0500

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost 4-1 at home on Thursday night to the #2 team in the league, the Ottawa Senators. It was the Penguins' second straight loss after winning 7 of their prior 8 games. Despite the score, the Penguins played very well, especially coming off from an 8-2 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. In the first period, it was all Penguins as they outshot the Senators 13-5. Despite the numerous chances, the Penguins were unable to bury the puck behind goaltender ........