Decisions, Headaches, and Bad Breaks

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Written on 9/21/2010 by Jim Cerny

The first nine pre-season games get underway today---including Vancouver hosting Calgary and Calgary hosting Vancouver in "split-squad" contests---so let's recap and update the biggest stories so far from training camps around the NHL.

All About Kovie
Ilya Kovalchuk's contract saga and battle with the league over term, amount, and structure of said contract with New Jersey was the biggest story of the off-season. Now his mere presence in Devils camp is the biggest story, so far, early in the pre-season. Choose your angle, because either is a major story. First, carrying Kovie's cap-heavy pact is going to force the Devils to unload some salary, meaning that someone (or more likely, more than one player) sweating alongside Kovalchuk while skating suicides in camp will be gone by time New Jersey drops the puck for real on October 8. Makes for a bit of an uncomfotable situation, wouldn't you say? Kovie's presence clearly makes New Jersey a better team. But they will lose valuable depth if a Bryce Salvador and/or Dainius Zubrus is purged to make room for that hefty cap hit. The second big story is Kovie switching to right wing at coach John Maclean's behest to skate on an imposing top line with Zach Parise on left wing and Travis Zajac at center. What Maclean is doing here is creating options. If Kovie is comfortable on the right side, this threesome could form the most explosive line in the NHL, whether they stay together every shift, only play that way on the power play, or are used together as an option late in close games. Good aggressive thinking by the new bench boss in Jersey.

Savard's Concussion Rocks Bruins
There was much talk all summer about Marc Savard, most of it centering on his big contract, whether it could be voided a-la Ilya Kovalchuk, or whether the Bruins might be seeking to trade the veteran to create some salary cap space. Not much of the news involved speculation as to whether or not Savard had fully recovered from the concussion he suffered last March when Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke viciously elbowed him in the head. Yet Savard showed up at B's camp unable to play, complaining of concussion-like symptoms, leaving a gaping hole atop the depth chart at center. You could argue that the Bruins were preparing for playing without Savard anyway if they were considering dealing him during the summer. But a deal involving Savard would have come with a plan---receiving another center in return, make another trade, sign a free agent. There was no back-up plan for Savard arrving at camp unable to play. 18 year-old Tyler Seguin one day might be a star NHL player, but he is not going to be a top-line, or second-line, center for a Cup-contending team, as Boston is, this season. It's easier to fill that role on a rebuilding team, like the situation top pick Taylor Hall finds himself in with the Edmonton Oilers. So can David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron carry the load as the top two centers? That's somewhat of a leap of faith, especially because Bergeron has never approached his back-to-back 70+ point seasons in '05-'06 and '06-'07 after being injured the following season. Not to be crass, but the one positive, from a business point of view, is that Savard's salary will not count against the cap if he lands on Injured Reserve. Small consolation.

Injuries
Rangers captain Chris Drury broke his left index finger; Senators defenseman Filip Kuba broke his right leg; Blue Jackets defenseman Kris Russel sprained his right knee. And those are just the most major injuries to the bigger names so far in training camp. Of the three, Kuba's injury is the most severe, and he will miss 5-6 weeks of action, leaving a fairly sizeable hole on the Sens blueline in the process. Of course Ottawa learned to play a bit without Kuba in the lineup last year, too. But his is a big loss to start the season considering that he eats up 23 minutes of ice-time a night. Depending upon how long he is out the lineup, Russel's injury could increase the number of Sheldon Souray-to-Columbus trade rumors that have been flying about of late. His loss is frustrating because the Blue Jackets were very eager to get an early look to see if the 23 year-old was going to break-out a bit offensively in this, his fourth NHL season. As for Drury, his broken finger should sideline him 3-4 weeks. Since the Rangers have a very light schedule to open up the season, he may miss only a game or two or three. "Knowing him, I bet he'll be back by the start of the season," said teammate Tim Kennedy. I wouldn't bet against that either. Remember how he played with that broken hand against the Caps in the playoffs two years ago? Drury will do whatever it takes to be on the ice opening night in Buffalo. And his absence in the pre-season will afford several players who are battling for roster spots the opportunity to play a bit more in scrimmages and games, giving the coaches more of a look. "It's not like I have to go away for three weeks and stay out of the building," said Drury. "I'll be here every day and certainly won't miss a beat. It is what it is and I'll do whatever I can to get back."

Pre-season games start this evening, and new stories will develop by the day.

Stay tuned....

Follow me on Twitter at: @jimcerny and @thenyrangers

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Tuesday Tidbits on Ovie, Vokoun, Savard, and more

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Written on 12/01/2009 by Jim Cerny


Less than 24 hours after being helped off the ice with an injury to his right knee, Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin was back on the ice this morning testing that knee.

According to Caps beat writer Tariq El-Bashir on Twitter, and Joseph White of the Associated Press, Ovechkin donned a sweatsuit and skated gingerly for about five minutes by himself before retreating to the dressing room.

After practice the Capitals reported that Ovechkin is listed as Day to Day.

Ovechkin was hurt in a knee-on-knee collision with Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason in last night's Caps victory.

As Gleason was starting a rush out of his end of the ice, the aggressively forechecking Ovechkin went for a hit on the defenseman and simultaneously threw his right leg out as Gleason cut towards the middle of the ice. There was direct knee-on-knee contact, and both players remained on the ice for several minutes. Ovechkin was helped from the ice, and was also assessed a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct. Gleason eventually returned to the game.

After the contest Caps coach Bruce Boudreau was in full spin mode trying to protect his most valuable asset, Ovechkin. Boudreau claimed that, at best, Ovechkin should have received a two-minute minor, and that a suspension was not warrented. Boudreau's main fact to support his belief was that Gleason was not seriously hurt.

I disagree, and I am not influenced by the severity of Gleason's injury.

Ovechkin made a similar knee-on-knee hit to Pittsburgh's Sergei Gonchar in the playoffs last spring. Enough is enough. I understand he might just be the biggest draw in the game, but Colin Campbell has to make the right call here. Ovechkin deserves to be suspended.

Whether he is or isn't, though, it seems that Ovechkin will miss some game action no matter what due his own knee injury.

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Washington's next opponent is the Florida Panthers. You may not see Tomas Vokoun between the pipes for the Panthers at the Verizon Center, though, on Thursday.

In one of the most bizarre---and embarrassing---plays you will ever see, Vokoun was struck down by his own teammate after Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk scored a goal in last night's game. Defenseman Keith Ballard was so incensed that Kovalchuk was able to pot his own rebound past Vokoun---due in large part to the fact that Ballard had skated himself out of the play behind the goal line---that he swung his stick wildly in frustration. In the process his stick struck Vokoun on the side of his mask, sending the veteran goalie crashing down to the ice, with blood pouring from his left ear.

Apparently unaware of what he had just done, Ballard proceeded to swing his stick again, this time smashing it against the goal post, while Vokoun lay writhing at Ballard's feet.

Simply incredible.

Ballard then skated to the bench. Meanwhile the Florida trainer was sprinting past him to tend to Vokoun, who eventually was taken off on a stretcher, and spent time at a local Atlanta hospital.

You absolutely need to watch this video if you haven't already. 

The good news is that Vokoun only suffered a laceration of the ear, and had no internal damage. He flew home with the team after last night's game.

But in a season chock-full of injuries---and by the way add Columbus defenseman Rotislav Klesla, Carolina's Joe Corvo, and Ovechkin to that list, all from last night's action---this one has got to be THE most bizarre, and stupid, of all.

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Cross Marc Savard's name off the free agency list for next summer. Savard and the Bruins today agreed to a seven-year deal, that reportedly averages out to about $4.2 million a year.

My initial reaction is a split one.

On one hand, I say good job by the Bruins keeping one of their best players in the fold, and doing so at a cap hit that is not brutal. Though hurt ealier this season, Savard has thrived in Boston, recording 96, 78, and 88 points in his three full seasons with the Bruins.

But on the other hand I say "Yikes!" Seven years for a player who will be 33 years old by the time his contract kicks in? That is a long commitment, though---this season aside---Savard has been remarkably healthy the past four years. By the end of this contract, Savard will be 40 years old. I understand wanting to lock him up so that he didn't receive other tempting offers, but seven years sounds like an awfully long time to be tied into Marc Savard if you ask me.

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Saw that Devils beat writer Tom Gulitti tweeted earlier today that Johnny Oduya returned to practice this morning. Oduya and a whole host of other key Devs have been sidelined recently, not that anyone would have noticed.

New Jersey has won three in a row, including a 6-1 pasting of the Islanders on Saturday, a game that saw six of the Devils regular 18 skaters sidelined due to injury. Dating back to the end of October, the Devils are 11-2-1 in their last 14 games, making them, surprisingly, one of the hottest and top teams in the league this season.

Not sure how they do it over there in Newark, but Lou Lamoriello seems to be a magician year after year.

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