CPHL Insider
All of the teams have played at least 51 games on the season and the teams are starting to dig in for the final stretch. For some, the preparations for the playoffs have already started while others are desperately attempting to make the cut. We decided to summarize the season up to this point and see what the teams out there are planning.
The View from the Top
At the top of the league we find the Anaheim Ducks, sitting pretty with 75 points and a gap down to the Boston Bruins in the overall standings. The Ducks, led by Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, have proved to be a formidable foe to many teams this season. I Wanna Be Like Miikka, the Ducks' GM, attributes much of the success to team's chemistry and that they've been able to keep a productive core on the West Coast. The GM singles out Toews, fifth in goals in the league, as the single most important player on the team.
When the question of whether the Ducks should be considered favourites for the cup, the GM admits to be in the mix but still hedges a bit. "
I think with the talent and chemistry I have to be considered a favorite. However, we all know how tough playoffs can be and a lot of #1 seeds have not won it all. Hopefully this year our chemistry persists in the playoffs and we can finally win", says the Ducks GM.
A Lost Season
On the other end of the standings, currently sitting in last place, we find the Florida Panthers. Caged Great, the team's GM, admits that some mistakes might have been made in the beginning of the season. The team's focus on solid defending and a stable of NHL-caliber, although perhaps not elite, forwards did not pay off. After finding themselves in 29th after 20 games, Caged says that they made moves in order to improve the organization. "When I was past the 20 game mark and was in 29th and already about 10 points out, I went into improve the organization, not necessary the NHL team mode", the Florida GM says while CPHL Insider's reporter take another sip of his drink while looking out over Florida's beautiful, sandy beaches.
Caged Great continues, "So focusing on next season, I acquired Cody Eakin, Mario Lucia, Brandon Pirri, Nick Bjugstad, Tomas Jurco, Cole Cassels, Branden Gaunce, Viktor Rask, Pontus Aberg, Brayden McNabb, Jeff Petry, Chris Tanev, Mark Barberio, Radko Gudas, and Nikita Zadorov. Giving up 5 points in the standings and getting pieces that will help long term, starting next season, makes sense to me."
Florida's GM rejects assertions that the team intentionally has been tanking. The focus has been on the future and he points out that if he had acquired Tampa's or Washington's pick the team wouldn't have been accused of tanking. "Believe it or not," he says, "I don't really care about the draft." It remains to be seen where Florida will end up this season, but the organizations seems pleased with having stocked the cupboards full of prospects acquired from all over the league. For next year, Caged Great already has a game plan hammered out. Although Florida will look to improve their goaltending and defense, the main priority will be to strengthen the center depth. Next season's goal? Making the playoffs.
The Battle for a Playoff Spot
In the middle of the pack we find a number of teams still vying to make the playoffs. One of them, the Winnipeg Jets, has a new face at the helm. Well, "new". Hesla, who stepped down as General Manager of the Washington Capitals a while ago, is back in charge of an NHL side. And he's making waves on the transfer market by shipping out more players in a few weeks than GMs trade in an entire season.
"The main weakness were expensive CPHL contracts, poor cap management and a complete lack of assets. The team would have finished 7th to 13th in the conference. I am attempting to boost the number of organization assets, while still staying competitive for this season. Tough task, but I feel I have brought in some solid young peices to be used as trade bait going forward", says the energetic Jets' GM.
He also briefly mentions that he's happy to be back in a league where little seems to have changed. Even though the team has been blown up, Hesla also states that the goal still is to make the playoffs. Anything else will always be considered a failure in his book.
Also competing for a playoff spot is the St. Louis Blues, led by the relatively new GM DropIt. Right now, the Blues sit in eight place in the Western Conference two points ahead of the chasing Chicago Blackhawks. Right behind the Blackhawks we also find the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, and the Edmonton Oilers. So what does the Blues GM think of their chances to make the cut?
"The playoff chances for the Blues are looking quite good as of now," says DropIt, although he also expresses some worries about the team's struggle to put pucks in the net lately. He also singles out Sergei Bobrovsky and his performances as key to whether the Blues will make the playoffs and be able to advance beyond the first round. That the team finds itself in the playoff race at all, after being forced to make a number of moves to stay cap compliant before the season, is something that DropIt considers to be quite a success. It remains to be seen whether Bobrovsky is able to carry the Blues to the playoffs.
Around the League
Our reporters also asked GMs about their impressions of how other teams in the league have performed this season. Hesla summarized his quick impressions in this way,
"Pat still can't build a team, Dave has ADD and the team Cheese has somehow is older than ever."
So who should we hold as favourites for the title at this stage? DropIt singles out the Anaheim Ducks as this season's outstanding team, stating that he's impressed by their entire team.
"The league's number one goaltender along with a very solid group of skilled and tough players. The fact that they have only lost 6 games in regulation is astonishing. The road to the Stanley cup looks like it will run right through the Honda center this year."
The Ducks GM himself is full of praise for the Dallas Stars, while directing some pointed criticism against the Colorado Avalanche. "
I like the quick turnaround the Stars have done. Rebuilding GMs should look at what they did or the Jackets did and try to mimic that to speed up a rebuild and contend quickly. I would have thought the Avs were better but with Pat constantly sabotaging the organization with bad lines and trades I guess it isn't much of a surprise."
That's all for this issue. The next issue should be expected right before the playoffs begin. See you then!
(Thanks to I wanna be like Miika, DropIt, Caged Great, and Hesla for taking their time to answer my questions!)
CPHL Insider: The Season So Far (Issue 1)
