| Subject: At the quarter poll |
Author:
Scott Taylor
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 20:08:03 07/09/05 Sat
GWHL quarter poll
Most teams are now 20 games into the GWHL schedule and the standings seem to be taking shape. Four teams have jumped out of the pack, six teams are in the middle of the pack, and six teams have packed it in…almost. Speaking of pack, lets talk about packages! There have already been four or five major trades with Winnipeg, Quebec, Montreal, and Yellowknife making some major additions and subtractions. It’s still very early to go and many changes can and will happen, but trends have already started to develop. It will be up to each GM to decide which direction they wish to take. Lets take a quick look at each team and their overall league ranking.
The Elite
Quebec – 16 wins 4 losses .800
Not much has gone wrong so far in Quebec. Both goalies are playing above average, Pavol Demitra is the leagues leading scorer and the defense has been solid helping to lead the league in GAA. The only major problem so far was the Mario Lemieux injury and a woeful power play that went the first 18 games without a goal. They now have two for the season.
Rumours – With the addition of Jaromir Jagr and Markus Naslund, not much else is needed. The word from GM Belanger is that they would still like to land a top-flight center to shore up the second line. Problem is the cap and not many players out there would fit into it.
BC – 14 wins 4 losses 2 ties .750
What a start! Roman Cechmanek has been brilliant and is the early favorite for the Vezina trophy. No one expected BC to be leading the West conference after missing the playoffs last season, but here they are and they are showing no sign of slowing down. The addition of Paul Kariya to the roster that made major off-season changes will only strengthen their cause. No one made more changes after last season and it seems no one made better decisions!
Rumours – Like Quebec, BC has already made a big addition so there may not be anymore. GM Rutkowski has proven though that he isn’t afraid to pull the trigger if he thinks it will help his team.
Ottawa – 14 wins 6 losses .700
What do you get when cross a Bulin wall with Dany Heatley? 14 wins and a division lead. Boating a solid roster from top to bottom, rookie GM Florin Petrut has been pushing the right buttons so far. With a rock solid scoring line and a stingy GAA, look for Ottawa to run and hide away from the pack in the North East.
Rumours – Ottawa needs more from Alex Mogilny and Jason Allison if they are to realize their promise. They might also want to upgrade their backup position as Zac Bierk has as many losses as Nik Khabibulin in only a fraction of the starts. Does Joe Nieuwendyk really only have one point?
Halifax – 12 wins 6 losses 2 ties .650
Scoring goals has not been an issue and looking at the roster tells you that it shouldn’t be. Halifax’s third line could be most team’s first line so there is no surprise there. What is concerning GM Holodinsky though is his 3.38 team GAA and the fact that he is looking up at a team in the standings for the first time in years. Rest assured, if Quebec blinks, Halifax will be right there to take advantage of them.
Rumours – Halifax has an amazing team but how long will Holodinsky be patient. The Steinbrenner of the GWHL will only let Quebec get so far out of reach before he blows a gasket. The goalies are the first and last topic of conversation every day in Halifax. Stay tuned!
The playoff teams
Winnipeg – 11 wins 7 losses 4 ties .590
Dump Jagr, check. Dump Kariya, check. Lose repeatedly…nope! When you get younger and cheaper, the experts suggest you should also lose more, and that hasn’t happened so far in Winnipeg. Jeff O’Neill has taken over the spot on the top line and not looked back. Also added to the line with Marc Savard was recently acquired winger Petr Nedved. Together the trio has been outstanding. Roman Turek has been solid and the rest of the team is doing just enough to win on most nights. They will be hard pressed to continue to lead their division, but at the moment that is just what they are doing.
Rumours – While most of his trades have been made with the bottom line in mind, rookie GM Steve (Kenny) Morrow hasn’t taken long to put his stamp on his team. Rest assured, more trades will happen but if Morrow is serious about keeping the top spot in the Central division he needs a backup goalie that can give Turek a break. With two solid young goalies on the farm, maybe one of them will have to be sacrificed.
Calgary 10 wins 8 loses 2 ties .550
With one of the most talented left wings in the league, most expected Calgary to be leading their division with the state of the Central at the moment. While off to a decent start, Calgary is only two games over .500 but are now showing signs of putting together a streak. Goalie Marc Denis has appeared in all 20 games so far and could use a break. Problem is that the team has no confidence in backup goalie Johan Hedberg and his 4.62 GAA. More is also needed from Ladislav Nagy and Tony Amonte on the third line.
Rumours – Calgary is currently 1,000,000 over the salary cap and badly need to give Denis a break. Both Sami Salo and Kevyn Adams have both gone to management with complaints of playing time and would like to be moved.
Toronto 8 Wins 8 losses 4 ties .500
Another surprise team so far this season is Toronto. After three straight seasons of missing the playoffs, Toronto is thrilled with its .500 record so far and a slim hold on a playoff spot. Leading the charge is Sergei Federov who is having a MVP type of start to his campaign. Line mate Gary Roberts is also enjoying a fine season so far and the goalies have been rock solid. Dwayne Roloson has been seeing the bulk of the starts but when Jocelyn Thibault plays he has been giving the team what most other teams have been missing, quality minutes.
Rumours – While it would be a bold move, Thibault would demand a high price on the market with his quality numbers and low salary. With four healthy scratches per night, the black aces are starting to get very agitated with the lack of playing time.
Victoria 10 wins 10 losses 2 ties .500
This is the most losses of any team that would qualify for the playoffs at this point, but this team is very dangerous. Currently riding a three game losing streak, this team is much better than it’s record would indicate. Seven forwards have 18 points or more and the top three lines match up well against any team. Vesa Toskala has been pushing J S Giguere for the starter roll but one suspects that in order to be successful, this team needs Giggy to step up his play.
Rumours – Chris Chelios has only played four games so far and Glen Murray is the team’s highest paid player and is on the 3rd line. Both players are trying to stay positive but the situation should be monitored closely.
The “What Happened” teams
Whitehorse 7 wins 8 losses 4 ties .473
Marty Brodeur is 7-7-3 with a 3.65 GAA. He is tired and has started all but two games. The bad news, Caron and Kidd have a GAA of over 4.50! This team is a nice blend of youth and experience but if it doesn’t start to win soon, the experience may find itself on the move. Pavol Datsyuk needs to improve on his 9 points and –12 rating or he risks losing his top line spot to veteran Ron Francis who is just one point shy but is also +4 on seeing far less minutes.
Rumours – Time will tell which direction this team takes. The good news is that they are very close to a playoff spot in the West. GM Grothier can only be patient for so long and then he will be forced to make some moves. No matter what direction he plans to take, he has the chips to make some big trades happen.
Charlottetown 7 wins 9 losses 5 ties .452
This franchise no matter where it is located has always had a dark cloud over its head. Maybe this is the year that they finally make it to the playoffs, and only 1 point shy of the mark is actually very good 21 games into the season. Newly appointed GM Dino Petrut has to figure out his goalie situation before he loses the locker room. Chris Osgood is a solid veteran goalie but his backup Mike Dunham has better numbers and has yet to lose so far this season. Cory Stillman and Temmu Selanne have teamed up together with Jozef Stumpel to form a nice top line and they are putting up excellent numbers. There is a significant drop off in production from lines 2-4 and that should be addressed if they are serious about giving Toronto a run and keeping London and Montreal behind them.
Edmonton 7 wins 10 losses 2 ties .421
One line, an old goalie and what has to be a world record! Outside of the top line, there is nothing to suggest that Edmonton has a chance of competing this year. Don’t feel sorry for them though as they have 10 picks in the upcoming draft that looks to be one of the best in history. Speaking of history, never has a player had a higher GAA than Fred Brathwaite who currently boasts a 120.00 GAA! 2 goals against in 1 minute played. Outstanding!
Rumours – Time will only tell where Pavol Bure will end up. Yes he has a large salary but if Edmonton ate some of it, Bure could help a team. Speaking of salary, Ed Belfour should see the same fate as Bure. Sean Hill would fit on any team in the league. Gentlemen, start your bidding.
Yellowknife 7 wins 11 losses 2 ties .400
What the hell happened to Yellowknife? From first in the West and second overall to a fire sale! Mike Modano, Olaf Kolzig, Keny Jonsson, and Rod Brind’Amour must be in shock. Actually, they probably all have bags packed and ready to go except for the fact that they all have pretty bid tickets. Rest assured, if GM Hayes can find a taker they may all may all be gone by the trade deadline.
Rumours – See above
London – 7 wins 12 losses tie .375
London had a nice season going until a current 5 game losing streak sent them from a playoff spot to 5 points out. Boasting three of the best players in the entire league in Peter Forsberg, Niclas Lidstrom, and Doug Weight, the problem shouldn’t be putting the putting the puck in the net. The problem is that they have the second lowest goal total in the league. They also have issues in net at they have no clear cut #1 goalie either.
Rumours – Peter Bondra has been shopped to the entire league but so far no takers. Most GM’s are drooling over the thought of adding one of Archer’s big guns so he must be weary of making a bad move while his team is down. He must address the goalie issue though or this team has no chance of making the playoffs after missing by only 1 point last year.
Saskatoon 5 wins 10 losses 4 ties .368
This plucky team was supposed to be rebuilding last year only to challenge for a playoff spot. They will be very hard pressed to do the same this year. Curtis Joseph is seeing way too many shots to be effective but that isn’t very surprising either with this make shift lineup. With 6 picks in the upcoming draft and a closet full of blue chippers, the future looks bright, just not he immediate future.
Rumours – Joseph has a monster contract, but could help many teams if the finances were made to work. Scott Young is playing way over his head so far this season, but that may have to do with the fact that he is seeing first line minutes.
Montreal 5 wins 12 losses 3 ties .325
Owners of the second worst collapse so far, Montreal has tried just about everything to right the ship. They brought in Alexei Kovalev, Olli Jokinen, Ed Jovanovski, Dave Andreychuk, Al Macinnis, and Vladimir Malakov and still they can’t seem to get it done. Kovalev has been brilliant so far with 6 goals in 7 games and Jokinen has recorded 8 points in 7 games. The blame would seem to be focused solely on Evgeny Nabokov who has only 5 wins in 20 games and a 3.47 GAA.
Rumours – Expect the unexpected as GM Gallagher has done about everything he can to make things work. Also, he has major cap room as well so there is more shopping that could be done. Time will tell if he’s a buyer or seller.
Steeltown 3 wins 18 losses 1 tie .159
18 losses? Poor Marty Turco must feel like the goalie Denis from the Charlstown Chiefs! Owen Nolan had no idea what he was getting himself into when he was traded from Whitehorse. Andrew Cassels wishes he only had one year left on his contract, not two. Alexei Yashin doesn’t seem to care as long as his cheque is on time. Faster Pussycat had a single in the early 90’s titles “Wake me when it’s over”…the team should enter the ice to that song.
Rumours – Will GM Stacy trade one of his prized young goalies? That would seem to be his best bargaining chip.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 