As we mentioned Friday, the NHL general manager meetings this past week provided nothing but tweaks and the proposal to replace a stupid gimmick, (shootouts), with a more promising gimmick, (three-on-three), to help decide games in overtime. But never fear, the NHL will remain a “Three-Two Shutdown League” next year. And one look at the scoring race shows the ugly reality of today’s style of play with systems and structures manned by drones.
The likelihood is that there will be that the Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s leading scorer will have less than 100 points on the season. So far only Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (47) and Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos (40) have cracked the 40 goal mark. It is probable that no more than five players will reach 40 goals and only Ovechkin has a realistic shot at 50.
It has been a long and steady decline from the high flying days of 1992 when Brett Hull reached the 70 goal mark and had the nation paying attention to his chase. In 1992 there were a total of nine players that reached the 100-point mark for scoring.
The days of dominant offensive stars such as Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Brett Hull are over. And so is much of the personality, fun and excitement of a game that has so much more to offer than it is producing today.
[related_post_one]
GMs Should Not Make Rules
While defense does win championships offense sells tickets and moves the TV ratings. The NHL should have a rules committee that is comprised of people that understand this and rip the game away from the clods that make the rules today. The general managers make rules in terms of what is best to cover their own rear ends, and within the parameters of what will help their teams, instead of what will grow the game and make it more entertaining. The shutdown clod GM’s should be nowhere near a rules committee meeting.
Then again, perhaps the GM’s should be sounded out for their opinions on rules with the intention of doing the exact opposite of what the Real Men of Genius suggest.
Rangers Facing Ugly Future?
Backup goaltender Cam Talbot and the New York Rangers are flying high as the top team in the Metropolitan Division and just two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. However before fans get too excited they should pause to consider the goaltending controversy that is about to take place.
King Henrik Lundqvist is set to return to his throne between the pipes within a week or so and when he does the pressure will be enormous both on him and coach Alain Vigneault. Should Lundqvist struggle the fans will immediately be screaming for Talbot. Some Rangers fans are even saying that Lundqvist should be traded and is not needed any more. If Lundqvist does show rust after Talbot’s sparking stint as his replacement the plot will certainly thicken
Running on Fumes?
The defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings are all running out of gas down the stretch. The key reason for each team’s woes is lack of quality defensive depth. That lack of rearguard depth is not a recipe for success come playoff time. The Kings might get away with it for a while because of goaltender Jonathan Quick but the rest of the aforementioned teams will likely be doomed.
Predatory Playoff Strike?
Perhaps the Nashville Predators were outplaying their actual roster for most of the year and overachieving. The Preds recent slump of just two wins in ten games has many observers writing them off. But when you consider their deep defensive corps and goaltender Pekka Rinne you have to ask if you would really want to tangle with Nashville in the post season. The obvious answer is NO WAY! The one legitimate concern about the Preds is their lack of secondary scoring strength and depth at center ice.
Firing Line
San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson and head coach Todd McClellan will both be in huge trouble if the Sharks fail to gain the playoffs. Wilson in particular is in hot water for his verbal tantrum after last year’s playoff collapse that was followed with little in the way of substantive action. Popular TV color man Dew Remenda was thrown to the wolves last summer which only served to enrage an already upset fan base. The Sharks may need a front office reset as last year’s playoff choke against the Los Angeles Kings could prove as a watershed event for the franchise.
Philadelphia Flyers head coach Craig Berube appears to have lost the room and will likely get the gas at season’s end.
The Toronto Maple Leafs never bothered to tune in for the message of interim head coach Peter Horachek, who has likely had his career nuked with a disastrous stint as Randy Carlyle’s replacement.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Ted Nolan was set up as the patsy for a tank job set up by general manager Tim Murray, who Nolan doesn’t have a relationship with. It would be nice to see Nolan get a shot someday with a real team.
