Around The NHL: Explaining Downie Decision, Filatov Flees Ottawa & More

Filatov To KHL, Again

To no surprise former 6^th overall pick Nikita Filatov is heading back to Russia for the second time in his short career. The Senators announced on Monday that they have loaned the young forward to CSKA Moscow of the KHL.

Filatov was traded to Ottawa this past summer (for a 3^rd round pick) from Columbus after showing no interest in playing in the AHL. According to scouting reports, he also had no interest in learning the defensive aspects of the game. It’s too bad; offensively he was once compared to a “cross between Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov.

At just 21 years of age, I’m sure another hockey club desperate for offense will take a chance on him somewhere down the road. Until then though, he’ll do nothing to shed the “enigmatic” label that has been stamped on many Russian hockey players.

Terry Murray Fired

The LA Kings fired Terry Murray this week and is rumored to be replacing him with Darryl Sutter, the former GM of the Calgary Flames. Terry Murray was good defensive coach who helped turn the Kings around. I understand why they fired him, as the Kings were expected to do damage this year in the Western Conference. But replacing him with Sutter doesn’t make much sense to me.

If you’re team is looking to take the next step, why hire a guy who has not been able to get the Flamers passed the first round as a coach or GM since 2003-04?

Pointing Fingers At Downie Decision

Those who wanted to see Downie get suspended for leaving the bench to go after Artem Anisimov were generally referencing Rule 70.1 and Rule 70.6. The former states that no player may leave the player’s or penalty bench at any time during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation. Rule 70.6 calls for a game misconduct penalty to be assessed to the first or second player to leave the players’ bench or penalty bench during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation.

What was missed in most opinion posts are the shades of grey (using that term way too much this week) around legal line changes. According to Rule 70.2, “a player who has entered the game on a legal line change or legally from the penalty bench (penalty time has expired) who starts an altercation maybe subject to discipline in accordance with Rule 28 – Supplementary Discipline.”

Okay, so what is Rule 28?

“In addition to the automatic fines and suspensions imposed under these rules, the Commissioner may, at his discretion, investigate any incident that occurs in connection with any Pre-season, Exhibition, League or Playoff game and may assess additional fines and/or suspensions for any offense committed during the course of a game or any aftermath thereof by a player, goalkeeper, Trainer, Manager, Coach or non-playing Club personnel or Club executive, whether or not such offense has been penalized by the Referee.”

Mad that Downie didn’t get suspended or that he just received a paltry $2,500 fine? Want to point fingers at someone? Read Rule 28 again, but this time focus on the word “Commissioner.”

Guest Post: Where The NHL’s Winter Classic Is Missing The Point

The Rangers Twitter-sphere is fairly close knit. For the most part, most of us have at least seen the Twitter usernames of most fans mentioned or retweeted by someone. Over the course of two years on Twitter, I have conversed with some people more than others, and am “e-friendly” with them. One of these people is Stefanie Gordon  (@Stefmara)

Side note: e-friendly sounds really creepy.

Anyway, her feed came up in my timeline with the title “The 2012 NHL Winter Classic: Where the NHL is Missing the Point”, I had to take a look. From my previous conversations with her, she’s very knowledgeable and a big fan of both the Rangers and the NHL. I read the post and loved it, so I reached out to her about posting it here. She gave the seal of approval, so here is her post below. Don’t forget to check out her blog, and for any potential employers looking for someone with experience in the sports/events planning industry, check out her webpage.

The 2012 NHL Winter Classic between my New York Rangers and their rival Philadelphia Flyers will be played  on January 2nd at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.  Today while browsing Facebook, I learned that from December 31 through January 2nd, the NHL will have a “Spectator Plaza” set up outside of the ballpark.

In theory , the spectator plaza is a wonderful idea. It draws fans that are going to the Alumni game on December 31st and the Winter Classic to the ballpark early.  It has a “fan fest” type feel with games, autograph sessions, etc. Then I looked closer and saw that the plaza closes at 1pm on January 2nd.  The Winter Classic game starts at 1pm.  If you’re going to the game or not interested in the game at all, you probably think, “So what?”.  Let me explain, in my opinion, what the problem is. I’ll start with a little back story.

In 2003, the Montreal Canadiens played the Edmonton Oilers in the first “Heritage Classic.” I said to myself, “If the Rangers were to ever play in something like this…I am there!” Fast forward almost 10 years later and there’s an announcement prior to the 2011-2012 NHL season that the Rangers will be facing the Flyers in Philadelphia. Finally! My Rangers will be playing in the Winter Classic!

As soon as I heard this news, I started to have serious talks with my friend Megan about taking her son to the game. Much to our dismay, we soon discovered it will be nearly impossible to get tickets for face value and tickets on the secondary market are about half a month’s rent. Sadly, I just can’t afford to go. We have spoken about tailgating with friends and then going somewhere to watch the game in the city, as well as entering every contest possible to win tickets.

Today, I read about the NHL’s planned Winter Classic Spectator Plaza. GREAT! Maybe we could actually tailgate with friends and then stick around for the game itself and watch from outside the ballpark.  One would think that an area called a “Spectator Plaza” would include a viewing area for the game itself. Unfortunately and surprisingly, this is not the case.  The plaza closes right before the game begins.

Closing the spectator plaza when the game starts represents a huge missed opportunity for the NHL both in terms of potential revenues and development of fan goodwill.  I visited Italy during the 2006 World Cup.  In every city, piazzas had screens set up where the public could go and view the matches.  It was a fabulous idea and a fun way to watch matches.

Here’s an idea for the NHL. Rope off an area, set up high tops (tables), move some concessions over, charge $20 and let people watch the game right outside the ballpark. Don’t want to do that? Ok, just set up a screen and let people watch for free.  There are people who would do that (i.e., me, and many other hockey fans). I believe the NHL is really missing a great marketing opportunity.  Want to make hockey more accessible to the masses?  Here’s your chance!  Show the game on the big screen and have alumni out during the intermission to chat with fans. A Q&A with fans could be a huge success.  This can’t be a logistical issue, since security and vendors are already in place.

I am sure there are people reading this saying, what if it’s 20 below? What if it’s snowing?  Here’s my answer. If people are willing to go to the game and deal with the elements, why wouldn’t they stand outside and deal with the same elements? I would. I know many other fans that would. Oh, and NHL…those fans would also then purchase additional merchandise.

This could be a tremendous opportunity.  The NHL is missing the point.

Thanks to Stefanie for allowing us to run this, it was a fantastic post, and brought up some great points that the NHL should consider.

Checking In on Evgeny Grachev

Evgeny Grachev was one of the most highly touted Rangers prospects until the club traded him to St. Louis this past June for a third round pick, used on Steven Fogarty. The organization was criticized for “giving up” on Grachev and trading him away for “so little.” We were one of the blogs curious about the trade.  It turned out that Grachev asked for a trade, and that the Rangers had been trying to unload him for a few months.

Fast forward to the preseason, and many were again criticizing the organization as Grachev got off to a hot start for the Blues. He scored two goals in the preseason opener, but was unable to find consistency. Following an up and down preseason, Grachev made the cut for the Blues. Unfortunately, Grachev couldn’t find any kind of offensive flow, and registered just two assists (no goals) in his first 17 games before going on IR with an eye injury.

Yesterday, Grachev was returned to Peoria of the AHL. Meanwhile, Steven Fogarty is lighting up the BCHL, with a line of 16-19-35 in 28 games. Of course it’s only been a few months, and Fogarty is still 4-5 years from the NHL. However, this is now the second club that Grachev has struggled with. Definitely worth noting that. Also worth noting is that the Rangers may have rushed Grachev when they signed him to a deal and moved him up to the AHL at such a young age.

The Life & Death of Boogaard, A Must Read For All Hockey Fans

For those who missed it, New York Times writer John Branch wrote an exceptional three-part series chronicling the life and death of Derek Boogaard. The story covers everything from his childhood hockey experience, to life as an enforcer in the pros, to very vivid details about his untimely death.  It is a very revealing piece and at times very sad, but it is something that should be read by all.

Certainly the discussion about the role of fighting in hockey is far from over and I imagine this piece will and should raise some eyebrows.

Here it is…

Part 1 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/sports/hockey/derek-boogaard-a-boy-learns-to-brawl.html

Part 2 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/sports/hockey/derek-boogaard-blood-on-the-ice.html

Part 3 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/sports/hockey/derek-boogaard-a-brain-going-bad.html

New NHL Realignment Good For Business?

Monday evening the NHL announced that they will go with this four “conference” realignment plan as opposed to just swapping Winnipeg for Detroit, Columbus, or Nashville.

Radical though it may seem, if you put your thinking cap best fitted suit on, you’ll realize this was indeed the best plan all along.

The benefits of the four “conference” setup (formerly known as divisions) are pretty easy to understand. Teams like Detroit and Columbus will no longer have to play a ridiculous amount of road games three time-zones away, which not only caused a lot of travel fatigue, but also cut into their local television ratings. Most people don’t stay up to watch those 10:30p games.

But Detroit and Columbus aren’t the only teams benefiting from this realignment plan. Washington and Carolina (especially the latter) likely get a boost in ratings and attendance since they will be playing more games against the Rangers, Penguins, and other easily marketable franchises.

Naturally any radical idea is going to produce reverberated cynicism. Some believe having the Panthers and Lightning in the same conference as the Maple Leafs, Bruins, etc. would just be shifting the travel burden. However, this move will likely work out well since the Florida rivalry remains intact. And just like Carolina, both teams will likely receive a ratings/attendance boost from playing northern markets more frequently.

I mean think about it; a Sunday night game featuring the Panthers in Raleigh isn’t quite the same as having Crosby in town.

Of course simply shading teams in a nicely colored map (brought to you by Raw Charge, a Bolts blog) is only half the battle. As for the scheduling, each team will have a home-and-home series against every other team in the league, something that’s long overdue IMO. Each team will also have six or so games against division rivals, pending the number of teams in their respective divisions, I mean conferences. Boy that’s going to take some getting used to.

Now here is where things get interesting. Once the playoffs arrive the top four teams in each of the four conferences will make the post-season. The first place team plays the fourth place team, second place plays third, and after that there is re-seeding for the semi-finals. So we could potentially see an East Coast team play a West Coast team in the third round of the playoffs.

I’m not warm to this concept for two reasons. First, having two (old) Western Conference teams playing each other for the Cup is a ratings killer. Two, not being able to compete with teams in another division for a playoff spot makes their regular season games almost irrelevant. Some of the best games to watch in March or April are often the games that directly affect who gets into the playoffs or where teams will seed. The last several years you had 4-6 teams in both conferences competing for those final 2 or 3 playoff spots. Under this plan, all that potentially goes away.

With that said, none of this has been approved by the NHLPA, so things could conceivably change. Stay tuned…

The Obligatory Bobby Ryan Post

As per Nick Kypreos, the Anaheim Ducks are shopping star RW Bobby Ryan. Ryan is an elite talent and he is incredibly young, just 24 years old. The former second overall pick in 2005 has had a bit of a rough go of it to start the year, with “just” 11 points (7-4-11) in 23 games thus far. That is a far cry from his usual output of about 35-30-65, but it still puts him on pace for just under 30 goals, and just under 50 points. Not too shabby, but not worth the $5.1 million contract he has through the 2014-2015 season.

Let’s start with what a package for Ryan would be. We can start with the packages for Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa, which included two young NHL caliber players, a top prospect, and a first round pick. However, this trade is not like the Kovalchuk or Hossa trades. Kovalchuk and Hossa were headed towards unrestricted free agency, and were not 24 years old. Ryan hasn’t even peaked yet and is under contract for another three years after this one. The price will be higher.

From a Rangers standpoint, the conversation begins with a Brandon Dubinsky/Artem Anisimov/Derek Stepan, a Chris Kreider/Christian Thomas, and a first round pick. The Ducks also need a defenseman, so expect a Dan Girardi/Mike Sauer/Ryan McDonagh/Dylan McIlrath to also be discussed in any potential trade. Looks like with a package of Dubinsky, Sauer, Kreider, and a first, we have reached the requirements of this sort of trade. But that price seems very steep.

Let’s take a step back and realize that those forwards are top nine wingers, and the defensemen are top four defensemen. This has already been established league wide. Including both in a trade with Kreider is a severe over payment by the Rangers. In actuality the Rangers would be more inclined to include someone like Ryan Bourque, who is far from a sure thing, in the deal should it include two high quality NHL players. As the quality of NHL caliber talent provided goes up, the quality of prospects provided goes down. It’s an inverse relationship.

Of course, if the Rangers are only willing to pony up one of a Sauer/Dubinsky type, then Kreider is again back in the conversation. It’s tough to really gauge what team is looking for. The Ducks are relatively weak on defense, and don’t have many prospects in the system. That will come into play later on.

Personally, I don’t think the Rangers and Ducks make good trading partners. The Ducks are going to want to gut the Rangers for Ryan, and Glen Sather has been adamant about not doing that for anyone. There will be talks and rumors, but I don’t see this happening.

Side note: When playing Armchair GM, remember this post. Particularly the bottom one. No team wants your scraps.

News And Notes: Coaching Changes, Canada World Junior Roster, Winter Classic Jerseys

A lot happened in the hockey world today, as it seems the Monday after Thanksgiving was when everyone decided to break news or make staffing changes. First, Bruce Boudreau and Paul Maurice were fired as the head coaches of the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. They will be replaced by Dale Hunter and Kirk Muller respectively.

We hinted that Boudreau might be fired after the Rangers dominated the Caps on Friday, and we were dead on. The Caps just stopped playing for him. As for Maurice, the Canes have been struggling all year and only two of their players are on the positive end of the plus/minus stat. Sure, the stat is misleading, but to only have two players on the positive end means something is wrong.

In more Ranger-focused news, highly touted prospect Christian Thomas has been invited to the 2012 World Junior Championship camp for Team Canada. He is the only prospect in the Rangers organization to be invited to camp. Dylan McIlrath was notably absent from the roster.

Also, the Rangers released their Winter Classic jerseys (below) this afternoon (side note: why is jersey the only word in the English language that ends in a ‘y’,  but isn’t pluralized with ‘ies’?). To all the people that bought the “Winter Classic Jerseys” that “leaked” months ago…you must be kicking yourselves.

Watch HBO’s 24/7 Rangers/Flyers Preview

Since many of you don’t subscribe to HBO, we will be scouring the internet for clips and full episodes of this year’s 24/7. In case you missed the preview this past Friday, here it is. Be sure to check back here following the series debut.

Montreal/Boston Fans Brawl At The Bell

I’ll never understand why people fight at sporting events. If someone is bothering you why not just call security? It’s beyond stupid. Idiots like these never think about kids in the area, women, elderly, etc.  So dumb. Anyway, since it’s a slow day in Rangerland and we don’t have much else to post, here it is courtesy of Bruins Blog.

Be advised this is a pretty nasty fight, so if this sort of thing upsets you, don’t bother watching.

See if everyone dressed like The Suit they’d probably be able to avoid this crap. No one wants to spill beer on the Canali anyway…

Around The NHL: Do Goalies Need Protection?

Around The NHL is going to be a new feature running here on a weekly basis. We will consolidate the big news around the league and discuss them here. 

Lucic Runs Miller

The biggest news of the week came during the Boston Bruins/Buffalo Sabres game, when Milan Lucic appeared to take a run at goaltender Ryan Miller (video below). It sparked a big debate about whether goaltenders need to be “off limits” when playing the puck outside the crease. The arguments on both side are good arguments, and it is something we will likely see addressed at the GM meetings. Lucic was not suspended for the hit, and was given a two minute penalty for charging.

Carter Wants Out?

It looks like Jeff Carter wants out of Columbus after eight games. There have been numerous reports on Twitter, stemming from an article run by RDS, that Carter has requested a trade from the Blue Jackets. CBJ is off to a 3-13-2 start and a -27 goal differential, despite making big moves for Carter and James Wisniewski in the offseason. Both the team and Carter’s agent have denied the reports.

Those Surprising Panthers

The Florida Panthers spent the GDP of a small country filling out their roster this offseason with the hopes of making the playoffs. After 18 games, the Cats are in second place in the Southeast division, and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Newcomers Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell, and Tomas Fleischmann are leading the way, with home grown players Dmitry Kulikov and Stephen Weiss adding additional support.The Jose Theodore/Jakob Markstrom duo has been great in net as well. Whether they can keep it up for the entire season is still unknown.

Boston Returning To Form

The Rangers aren’t the only team on a seven game win streak. The Bruins have won seven in a row, and have climbed back into the playoff picture after a 3-7 start. Tyler Seguin, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand all have had impressive point streaks to help the B’s get back into contention.Tim Thomas has won four in a row.