NHL Faceoff: Goldstein vs. Cimilluca
CBS.SportsLine.com's Wes Goldstein and Greg Cimilluca provide analysis on three weekly topics.
| 1. Which division will be most competitive this season? | |
| Wes Goldstein | Greg Cimilluca |
It might be a stretch for the Southeast to produce a third
consecutive Stanley Cup winner, but look for this division to be
the tightest around during the regular season, at least among the
top four teams. The defending champion Hurricanes remain the class
of the group, but some key injuries to start and a short offseason
should bring them back to the pack they ran away from last year.
Meanwhile, 2004 Cup winner Tampa Bay still has its big three
forwards in the lineup and a legitimate starting goalie, while the
Thrashers have added some muscle on the back end and have upgraded
their goaltending to go with all the firepower they have up front.
Florida fell just short of the postseason last year and has a more
balanced lineup that will put pressure on division rivals. The
Washington Capitals, although not quite ready to contend, have
brought in some support for phenom Alex Ovechkin and should be a
lot more competitive on a regular basis.
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To start looking toward the future, it's best to take a peek at
the past. Last year the Northwest Division in the Western
Conference was tight. In one of last year's Faceoffs, I slotted the Northwest Division
as the most competitive, and one could argue the same this season.
With a three-team race for most of the last month, the Atlantic
Division also showed some depth. While both look to be tough
again, the nod goes to the Northeast, even in mediocrity. Boston
has made some big-name upgrades, which should be good enough to
get it out of the basement. Montreal and Toronto have both done
enough and have the goaltending potential to play above their
overall talent. That leaves Ottawa and Buffalo. While they set the
standard in the new NHL last season in the East, they both have
lost some players of significance, and that just might even the
field.
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| 2. What do you think of the rule change regarding stick curves? | |
| Wes Goldstein | Greg Cimilluca |
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Seems like the rules committee felt it had to do something this
summer to justify its existence. Too bad the only change makes
little difference other than to remedy a situation that made
little sense in the first place. Increasing the allowable
curvature on a stick to three-quarters of an inch from one-half
doesn't seem like much, but it makes a difference to the high-end
shooters, as Bobby Hull proved during his heyday. Euro players who
got used to using bigger hooks at home are particularly delighted.
So is anyone who likes more goal-scoring, which makes you wonder
why a league interested in boosting offense would have this kind
of rule in the first place. Truth is, for the last few seasons,
just about every top offensive player used illegal sticks for the
first two periods, when no one bothered calling them on it because
there was little tactical value. Now coaches will have to figure a
different way of throwing off opponents' big guns.
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Well, the first thing that comes to mind is there will be a lot of
happy European players this season. For the overseas player
venturing to North America, the first thing that happens is they
are told the curve of the blade they have used their entire life
cannot be used in the NHL. So they change it -- or don't. Players
have used illegal sticks for as long as there has been a reason
to, and while some teams have an unwritten rule to not use, others
take advantage of the knowledge that trades and free-agency
provide to try to "earn" a power play. Hopefully this will
eliminate that game of cat and mouse and help our overseas
brethren make the transition a little better. Listen, the league
wants more scoring, and if this is something that will help, then
I'm all for it. Everyone loves the pretty pass, the pretty setup
and the pretty goal. If this is a tool the league is giving back
to the more skilled players, fans should reap the benefits.
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| 3. Who will New Jersey move to get under the salary cap? | |
| Wes Goldstein | Greg Cimilluca |
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Everyone in the NHL is wondering about this and no one knows for
sure what GM Lou Lamoriello's master plan is. One reason is that
the new Jersey organization does a much better job at preventing
leaks than any government agency. Even so, the Devils are going to
feel some unavoidable pain because they have a ways to go to get
under the cap before opening night. They began training camp
nearly $3 million over the limit and with three key players,
including last year's top scorer, Brian Gionta, without contracts.
The Devils were trying to find creative ways of dumping the
unnecessary expenses of Alex Mogilny and Vladimir Malakhov this
summer, but the league short-circuited those attempts. The name
that pops up the most in rumors is Scott Gomez, who won a $5
million arbitration award, but he's a key piece in this lineup. So
are forwards John Madden and Jamie Langenbrunner, either of whom
could be made scapegoats.
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What a predicament. The Devils are in a position where they have
to make a move, and New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello doesn't take to
being forced to do anything. The Mogilny/Malakhov situation isn't
making things any easier. The two players are responsible for $7.1
million of the salary cap. Should the Devils be responsible for
that amount, they are in a deep hole with offensive leader Brian
Gionta and defensemen Paul Martin and David Hale still unsigned.
So who gets moved? John Madden could be a very attractive last
piece of the puzzle for a lot of teams, but he has meant a lot to
the Devils and would be difficult to replace. Whatever move
Lamoriello makes, it has to be something attractive to another
team, and without moving Gionta and Gomez, Madden presents the
best-case scenario in which every case hurts. The Devils are not
in an enviable position.
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