Vokoun's Availability Doesn't Help Rangers

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Written on 12/11/2009 by Jim Cerny


Chris Botta has himself a nice little scoop over at Fanhouse today.

Botta is reporting that the Florida Panthers have contacted teams about Tomas Vokoun's availability.

Add Vokoun's name to those of fellow netminders J.S. Giguere, Martin Biron, Jaroslav Halak, and, perhaps, Manny Legace and you have quite a group of experienced goaltenders available via trade.

Dealing Vokoun is easier said than done, what with his hefty contract extending past this season. And it's a huge risk for the Panthers because he has been their best player this season; and what would become of the Panthers without their most important player?

But as Botta points out, Florida has top prospect Jacob Markstrom at the ready beginning next season to assume duties in goal, so the Panthers may be willing to make a deal now during the season as other teams become desperate, as opposed to next summer. They would just have to bite the bullet on this season and see if Scott Clemmensen has any New Jersey magic in him left over from a year ago.

Vokoun's contract is a major stumbling block. Clearly the Panthers would have to take serious salary back in any deal for their No. 1 goalie. But how could the Flyers not be interested in Vokoun, especially with the inconsistent state of their goaltending this season and the current injury to starter Ray Emery?

What about Ottawa? They did swing a deal last spring to make Pascal LeClaire their No. 1, but surprise of all surprises, he is injured again.

Then there is Toronto. If Brian Burke believes his club's recent run the past two weeks is for real, does he consider such a big move? Vesa Toskala has been horrible and Jonas Gustavvson has had heart issues. Logic would say no deal for Toronto because Gustavvson is the goalie of the future, but yet with Burke, well, you never know.

I have chronicled Detroit's goaltending issues before here on Rink Rap. Vokoun would look quite nice in red and white, but no way the Red Wings could slip him in under the Cap, right? Right? Hmmmm......

Of course the playing field changes dramatically if another team---in particular, a serious Stanley Cup contender---loses their No. 1 goalie to injury. That would make Vokoun, arguably, the hottest commodity on the NHL market.

As for backup goaltenders, the question on Broadway is: will Henrik Lundqvist play every game the rest of the season now that his backup, Steve Valiquette, has shockingly flamed out and been sent to the minors?

Well maybe that is not exactly the question, but it is close. The Rangers are right up against the salary cap ceiling and really can't afford to add a Halak or Biron---the most affordable options out there---as Lundqvist's caddy. So right now rookies Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba are alternating playing in Hartford for the club's AHL afffiliate, practicing with the Rangers, and backing up Lundqvist on game day. Not exactly the ideal situation.

"It's a mess," Rangers coach John Tortorella said this morning of the goaltending situation behind Lundqvist. "Let's call it what it is. It's a mess."

Tortorella shared that the plan was for the veteran Valiquette, who earns a Cap-friendly $750,000 this season, to make 15-17 starts this season, "especially with Hank set to play in the Olympics."

Now Torts has no idea when, or how, he can give Lundqvist any nights off, in particular because the team is struggling so mightily right now and needs his play to either steal them some victories or keep them in games. At some point, Tortorella explained, Johnson---a rookie who played at Alaska-Fairbanks last season, and who is considered a decent NHL prospect---will be forced to make a start.

"We sent a veteran backup down and he's still struggling down there, and we don't even know what we have in Johnson," explained Tortorella. "I'm not trying to paint a lousy picture, but that's the picture it is."

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By the way, check out the Rangers Radio page at newyorkrangers.com for an interview Steve Gelbs and I conducted with John Halligan, author of "100 Rangers Greats", this week. Halligan, a long-time Rangers employee, is a true historian of all things Rangers, and our conversation is a lot of fun, and sprinkled with many Rangers anecdotes and memories. Not to mention we have some fun debates! For example how can Mike Gartner, perhaps one of the top two or three snipers in franchise history be ranked No. 67? Fun stuff, so go check it out.

Also, for you folk up in Canada, I am a guest this week on The Fourth Period Radio Show. Dan Kingerski and I will be debating topics such as the return of the NHL to Quebec City, who will be the next coach fired in the NHL, and will Wayne Gretzky coach Canada at the World Championships.

If you are not north of the border, http://www.thefourthperiod.com/ should have the show on its site beginning on Saturday.

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Monday Musings on Flyers, Canadiens, and Goalies Valiquette & Howard

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Written on 12/07/2009 by Jim Cerny


After being smoked 8-2 by the Capitals in Peter Laviolette's debut behind the bench, the Flyers will look to show their new coach their better side tonight when they skate against the Canadiens in Montreal.

But what exactly is their better side right now?

The Flyers have lost four in a row---outscored 16-4 in the process---and seven of their last eight. They scored three goals or more twice in that span, and lost both games anyway.

They are having problems putting the puck in the net. Their goaltending with Ray Emery and Brian Boucher has been spotty. And their commitment to strong defensive-zone play comes and goes on a nightly---and sometimes shift-by-shift---basis.

Bu the biggest issue in Philly just might be in the dressing room. Though there are plenty of denials from the Flyers, I have heard from several reliable NHL sources that the mix may not be a good one in Philly. And if that is the case, that is a huge problem.

Already we have seen a very good man, and solid coach, in John Stevens lose his job. Word is that he couldn't handle the locker room issues that have arisen with the club. Laviolette, not as much of a player's coach, will do his damndest to get the players in line.

But the issues may run deeper than any one coach can correct. From what I saw on Saturday, these players sure didn't look like they gave a damn about trying to impress their new coach.

Laviolette has been a winner at his previous stops. He guided the Islanders to playoff appearances in both seasons he was their coach, and in 2006 he coached the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Championship, which was secured with a Game 7 victory. Clearly he seems to have what it takes to get a very talented Flyers team back on track.

Or does he?

Check out Puck Daddy's take over at Yahoo! Sports.

Despite a strong case made by Puck Daddy, I still think Laviolette can turn things around in Philly. And I would not be surprised to see the Flyers right in the Eastern Conference mix when the playoffs roll around in April. They are too talented a bunch not to be.

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The Canadiens sure know how to throw a party, eh?

Saturday night's extravaganza to celebrate the organization's 100th birthday was both classy and memorable, plain and simple. The introductions of former greats, complete with the ex-Habs skating out on to the ice, was really just phenomenal.

To see Patrick Roy and the reclusive Ken Dryden not only skate out on to the Bell Centre ice, but do so with their full goaltending gear on, and then proceed to set up in their respective nets and face shots, was most definitely my favorite part of just a terrific night in Montreal.

Hats off to Les Habitants, as classy an organization as you will find in professional sports.

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And a tip of the hat to Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard, who really showed me last night. Back on Friday I wrote right here in Rink Rap that I believe---and still do, by the way!---that Detroit needs to upgrade their goaltending situation. Part of the reason for that is the inconsistent play of Howard, the 25 year-old rookie.

Well, with me in the building at Madison Square Garden, Howard was simply terrific last night in a 3-1 win over the Rangers. It was more than the 28 saves he made. It was the quality of the saves, the timing of the saves. In short, Howard had himself a brilliant night.

Trailing 1-0 with less than 30 seconds to go in the first period, Howard exploded across his crease from left to right to stone Christopher Higgins on the doorstep. A 2-0 lead at home for the Rangers would have been huge, especially receiving a goal so late in the period. Instead Howard kept the deficit at one.

Then less than two minutes into the second period Ryan Callahan was awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down on a breakaway by Detroit's Jonathan Ericsson. Callahan made an excellent move in-tight, switching from backhand to forehand and sending his shot to the far corner of the net. Howard dropped into the splits, and somehow got his left toe on the puck, stopping it along the goal line.

Yet again, Howard kept the deficit at one with an amazing save.

Then after the Red Wings had tied the game at one apiece, Howard made several more big-time saves, including at least a pair during a Rangers power play in the third that swung the game's momentum in favor of the Red Wings.

I still believe Howard needs to be more consistent. And I still think adding a Martin Biron, for example, would be the move to make. But give credit where credit is due. Howard was splendid last night, giving me and 18,200 at MSG a glimpse into the player he could be on a regular basis.

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I'll end on somehwhat of a downer today.

One of hockey's real good guys---and a long-time personal favorite of mine---Steve Valiquette was placed on waiver by the Rangers last week. Unclaimed, Valley was shipped to the club's AHL affiliate in Hartford.

In his first two games for the Wolf Pack this weekend, Valiquette struggled even worse than he had at the NHL level this season. On Friday, Valiquette started and was pulled in an unsightly first period. Restored between the pipes in the second, Valiquette ended his first game with the Pack having allowed five goals in a 7-1 defeat.

It didn't get any better yesterday. Valley was pulled early in the second period after having allowed five goals on 16 shots in what would turn out to be a 9-3 loss to the Hershey Bears.

Ouch!

First Valiquette struggles to the tune of a 3.74 goals against average and .852 save percentage in six appearances as Henrik Lundqvist's backup this season. Then after being strafed for eight goals two Saturdays ago in Pittsburgh, Valley is placed on waivers. When no one claims him, an indignity itself for a goalie who performed very well as a backup the past few seasons in New York, he is sent to the minor leagues, where he thought he had finally escaped back in 2006-07. Now Valley is rocked in his first two starts at Hartford.

It is very tough to sit back and watch this happen to a man who is among the most friendly, and funniest, I have known since working in the National Hockey League.

Valley and I first met when he was fourth or fifth on the Islanders depth chart, but was called up to the NHL level in 1999-2000 out of necessity anyway, and I was the team's radio broadcaster. We formed a friendship then, and rekindled it when I became the Rangers' beat writer for newyorkrangers.com and Valley had evolved into a capable NHL goalie with the Blueshirts.

Here's to hoping that Steve Valiquette can pull his game back together and escape the minors again at the age of 32.

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The Importance of Number Two

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Written on 10/12/2009 by Jim Cerny


Taking in yesterday's Rangers-Ducks contest from the press box at The Garden I got to thinking about the importance of back-up goaltenders as I watched New York's Steve Valiquette get the better of Anaheim's J.S. Giguere in a 3-0 Rangers victory.

Interestingly, Valiquette and Giguere are back-ups in distinctly different positions for their respective teams.

On Broadway, Henrik Lundqvist is the King. There is no disputing that Lundqvist is the Rangers' No. 1 goaltender and that Valiquette is No. 2. Yesterday's start was Valiquette's first of the season, and only his 23rd in the past three seasons. Even with John Tortorella's plan to spell Lundqvist more frequently than in the past, it would be hard to imagine the 32 year-old Valiquette starting more than 15 games this year.

And that works because Valiquette has accepted his role on the team, and thrives in it. Yesterday's shutout was his fourth over those 23 starts, a pretty impressive stat.

"He played very well," Tortorella said of Valiquette's performance last night, before adding, "If (we) want to get to where (we) want to be, he's going to have play well for us."

Valiquette is an easy guy to root for. I was there as team broadcaster when he was summoned by the Islanders as an extremely green 22 year-old---fourth or fifth on the organizational depth chart---pressed into NHL duty by a rash of injuries. He won both of his starts during that 1999-2000 call-up, posting a 1.87 goals against average and .949 save percentage over six appearances. His first NHL win in Ottawa that April saw him stop 45 of 46 shots.

It'd be another four years before he saw the NHL again, and not until 2007-08 that he established himself as an NHL goalie, albeit a backup to Lundqvist.

In between, there were thousands of miles on minor league buses, a standout season playing in Russia, and the career-saving tutelege from Rangers goaltending coach Benoit Allaire.

"I owe so much to Benny," Valiquette told me. "From the mental part of the game to on-ice drills and skills, he has been a God-send for my career."

Where Valiquette is today, in my opinion, is right at the top of the list of back-up goaltenders in the National Hockey League.

Surprising to many is that Anaheim's Giguere is on that list, too. Surprising because we are talking about a Stanley Cup-winning, Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie here.

But last spring Jonas Hiller emerged as the favored starting goalie in Anaheim, as Giguere's goals against rose to 3.10, a full goal higher than the previous season. And so far this season head coach Randy Carlyle has turned to Hiller as his No. 1, with the 32 year-old Giguere trying to make the most of his starts.

To his credit, Giguere---who likely would have been dealt this past off-season if not for his cumbersome contract---played extremely well last night, making 35 saves as the Ducks were thoroughly outplayed by their hosts. But unlike Valiquette, Giguere has not accepted his No. 2 status, and, in fact, he is more a No. 1a. It is hard to imagine that he would not start at least 30 games this season, if not more, in pushing Hiller constantly for more and more playing time.

As Carlyle told The Los Angeles Times last month, "Both players have been informed that it's not a given here. You have to go out and earn it."

Don't forget that Giguere had to deal with important off-ice issues last year with the death of his father. Perhaps with a more clear head this season, he could reclaim his No. 1 spot in Anaheim. But for now he ranks at the top of the NHL back-ups list with Valiquette.

Who else is on that list? Here's my Top Five of back-up goaltenders in the National Hockey League:

1. J.S. Giguere, Anaheim Ducks
2. Steve Valiquette, NY Rangers
3. Mathieu Garon, Columbus Blue Jackets
4. Ty Conklin, St. Louis Blues
5. Brian Boucher, Philadelphia Flyers

I didn't list any of the two (really three with Rick DiPietro included) Islanders goalies because really there is no clear back-up or starter between Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron. And until Washington clears up who is No. 1, I can't place either Jose Theodore or Semyon Varlamov on this list, either.

What do you think of the list? Let me know your thoughts.

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NHLPA's Ouster of Kelly Still Somewhat a Mystery

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Written on 9/01/2009 by Jim Cerny

Many hockey writers and columnists, including Rick Sadowski, here on World Sports Blogs' Through the 5-Hole, have done an excellent job covering the ouster of NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly on Monday, as well as analyzing its ramifications down the road, the most important of which will be negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the league in either two or three years. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News wrote a great piece detailing why Kelly's departure from the league is so important to fans of the sport, as well.

But instead of offering up my opinion on the matter, I have been most interested in trying to find out what actually went on during the 11-hour NHLPA meeting that took place in Chicago on Monday.

Today I received some insight into the grueling get together of union leaders and NHL player representatives when I chatted with Steve Valiquette, the player rep for the New York Rangers.

"We were presented with information that I can't share with you yet because I have to first share it with the other players, but let's just say that if you knew what it was, you would have made the same move we were forced to make," said Valiquette.

The back-up goaltender offered that the player reps had been aware of certain "unacceptable" actions by Kelly dating back to his early days as Executive Director less than two years ago. But what the representatives heard during Monday's meeting united them into action against Kelly.

And by united, Valiquette says the player reps were absolutely united, despite published reports to the contrary.

"It was 100% unanimous to remove Paul," stated Valiquette firmly. "We would not have done it if we weren't all in agreement. If one rep was against the move, we would not have done it."

Just because the player representatives were all in agreement does not mean that the meeting was not without some dissension and tense moments. In fact, two key union leaders---including former Islanders captain Pat Flatley---have resigned their posts in the aftermath of Kelly's firing.

"We had to make the right decision to be able to move forward as a union," said Valiquette. "We have great experience in the union now, and a great chain of command."

Still, when it was time for Kelly to join the meeting at 3:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and be told of his fate, Valiquette---despite his strong beliefs---was extremely uneasy.

"It was not fun at all to see him come in the room to be told of our decision," explained Valiquette. "It was very uncomfortable."

Now the NHLPA will be seeking its third leader since hard-liner Bob Goodenow left the union near the end of the league's last labor stoppage. Ted Saskin, who brokered the salary cap and escrow holdings the players now work under, was fired for misdeeds as Executive Director; and then Kelly, who had a less contentious relationship with NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman and his top lieutenant Bill Daly than his two predecessors, did not last two years on the job.

While there was physical proof of Saskin's misdoings---breaking into players' private e-mails, for example---nothing of the sort has been attached to Kelly just yet. Perhaps his greatest misdeed is that the players perceived Kelly to be too cozy with Bettman and Daly, though he often publicly---and in a gentlemanly way---opposed the league on several key matters.

Valiquette just smiled when asked if this is the case, or if the players are seeking a tougher leader for the next round of CBA negotiations.

What Valiquette and the other 29 player reps need to do now is educate their constituency as to why Kelly is no longer the union boss. As reported in The Toronto Sun, there are players clearly baffled as to why Kelly was voted out as Exceuive Director.

In fact, in the Rangers dressing room today---no more than 15 minutes after I spoke with Valiquette---veteran defenseman Michal Rozsival asked a group of reporters if they knew why Kelly had been fired. We referred him to his team's player rep, Valiquette, who promises a team meeting once training camp starts to answer any and all questions.

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