CBS.SportsLine.com's Wes Goldstein and Greg Cimilluca provide analysis on three weekly topics.
| Has the 'new' NHL gotten 'old' again? (scoring down, trap back) | |
| Wes Goldstein | Greg Cimilluca |
It's probably a stretch to say things are reverting back to the
pre-lockout trap-happy days, but there's no doubt that teams are
figuring out better ways of playing defense even if they can't use
the obstruction tactics of old. That's a natural evolution and the
consequence is that scoring has gone down slightly -- about four
percent this season -- although I don't think that's necessarily a
cause for alarm. There were some interesting statistics published
in the New York Times over the weekend that showed NHL
games produced about 5.6 goals per game from the Original Six era
until the 1980s, when there was a big spike upward of about two
goals per game. That lasted until the late 1990s, when the average
went down to their lowest levels ever. Last year trended upward
again largely because most everyone was struggling to adapt to the
new emphasis on wide-open play. But with more than a full season
under their belts, players are finding comfort zones with the
rules and coaches are devising the schemes they need to give their
teams a chance to win and to keep their jobs. And scoring levels
are still above what they were before the lockout.
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Yes, to a degree. In the wake of offensive rebirth, coaches once
again look to slow things down by employing trapping and
defensive-minded systems. This is interesting since it is contrary
to the drafting style of most teams from this past draft. Speedy,
more skilled players were featured as teams look to take advantage
of the new rules -– but then put out squads playing a 1-4 system
built on slowing things down. Who is to blame? Is there anyone to
blame? I mean when speed teams start dominating the league or
let's say your division, what are you going to do to try and stop
them? Don't fault coaches for trying to implement schemes that
will make things harder for the other team. What if a pitcher all
of a sudden invents a new pitch in baseball? Does the league step
in because it goes against high scoring, fan-supported play? No.
While it might not be in accordance with the wishes of the NHL
powers-that-be, it is simply a matter of teams getting used to not
committing the penalties of yore while still managing to inhibit
some of the speed and skill.
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| Who is the most overlooked rookie this season? | |
| Wes Goldstein | Greg Cimilluca |
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Everyone knows about Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, who is this
year's version of the dominant first-year player a la Sidney
Crosby/Alexander Ovechkin. Anze Kopitar of the Kings is making the
most of playing in Tinseltown by taking on a starring role on the
ice. Beyond them, a pretty good freshman class is flying largely
under the league-wide radar. There has been a bit of spotlight at
times focused on San Jose defensemen Matt Carle and Marc-Edouard
Vlasic and forward Joe Pavelski and on Colorado's Paul Stastny and
Wojtek Wolski. One of the most exciting new young talents is a kid
in Nashville who seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. That's
because Alexander Radulov had trouble sticking with a very deep
Predators team earlier in the season. Nashville wanted him playing
in the minors instead of sitting on their bench, but Radulov has
been up a few times and has scored 10 goals in just 20 games while
converting 40 percent of his shots. He's an exciting player whose
exuberance thrills Nashville fans as much as it irritates
opponents, and he's there to stay.
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Once again the NHL's newest have come out to shine this year as
they did last. While Evgeni Malkin and others are making the
headlines, one guy I think has been overlooked is Alexander
Radulov in Nashville. Perhaps it is the two stints Radulov has
spent in the AHL that has made the highly touted Predators
youngster lurk below the radar. While he did not start out the
season in the NHL and was sent down after his first call up, his
production while with the big club can not be ignored. Having only
played 20 games (compared to rookie leaders averaging around 10
more games), he has made the most of the ice time he has had
(which has also been minimal in comparison). With 10 goals, he
ranks third among all rookies and leads his fellow first-year
players in shooting percentage at an astounding 40 percent. He has
also been clutch with a team- and rookie-leading three
game-winning goals. He has definitely made the most of his time in
the NHL and has proven he deserves more than the eight-plus
minutes a night he has been getting.
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| Should the Coyotes have been tougher on Jeremy Roenick for walking out last week? | |
| Wes Goldstein | Greg Cimilluca |
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The Coyotes brass seriously considered dumping Roenick after he
left the arena to have dinner last week because he was scratched,
and they should have. It was inexcusable for anyone, especially a
veteran who had done squat on the ice all season, to pull a stunt
like that. Unfortunately the key decision maker was coach Wayne
Gretzky, who doesn't have it in him to be a hard-ass. Roenick
should have had the book thrown at him for letting down a team
that signed him less for what he could produce on the ice than for
his presumed leadership qualities. The 36-year-old Roenick was
done as a player before the lockout, which became apparent last
season in Los Angeles, but he convinced Phoenix to give him one
more year, not to mention $1.2 million. It wasn't really a hard
sell because Roenick was a popular player with the franchise
during its early years in Phoenix and might have helped with the
struggles at the box office. But he has to show up. If not on the
ice, then at least at the building.
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I have long lived under the belief that no one player is above the
team (just ask Allen Iverson why he was just traded). That being
said, (and I don't dare make a comparison to the aforementioned
A.I. and J.R.) there has to be something said for wanting to play.
That is the reason he left the game. He wanted to play and Phoenix
coach Wayne Gretzky wanted to let Roenick's aching back rest some
more. While Roenick has not been free from controversy over the
years, it has mostly been his Brett Hull-like verbal outbursts
that have put J.R. on the hot seat -– never his play or dedication
to the sport (over the course of his career as opposed to
recently). But that is where the liberties I give J.R. end. I will
never condone nor understand this course of action from an
athlete. Roenick and Gretzky have done all they needed to do and
said all they needed to say to rectify the situation according to
the organization. It is up to his teammates to truly let him feel
the ramifications of his actions. I feel that might hurt Roenick
more than any length of suspension.
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