Howe Midseason Report

[Sylvanfan]

1.)Blackhawks
Ask Hawks GM Dan Julien if he'd like that Luongo and Perry for Vanek and Miller deal back. I think he'd say no as the Hawks are currently on a CPHL high 12 game win streak that has them 2nd overall, 3 points behind Atlanta with a game in hand. More impressively they're 9 points clear of anyone else in the Howe. If the Hawks play .500 hockey in their last 44 games any Howe team on their current pace wouldn't be able to catch them.

Forsberg's 51 points leads the Hawks while Sim god Anson Carter has 44. Ribiero, Cheechoo, and Perry also have 34 or more points to date. Kim Jonsson leads the blue liners with 28. Paul Kariya rec ently came over and the Hawks hope he'll find his groove here down the stretch. The aforementioned Luongo is much improved as a Hawk and Cujo has come in and give him good backup tending.

The Hawks are taking a shot as they have a big payroll and a few vets on their last days. They're rolling and unless they collapse they won't be caught.

2.)Los Angeles Kings
After building for 4 years the Kings have arrived and are looking at a second straight playoff appearance as a top end team. After a hot start the team has been pretty mediocre of late with long winning and losing streaks.

Hartnell somehow leads this team in scoring with 25 goals and 52 points...Kovalchuk only has 19 goals and 44 points, and Briere with 12 and 35. So in the end I guess things balance out. Depth is a strength as 8 players have 28 or more points and Havlat if healthy would be in the mix too. Jarret I really am not a defenceman Stoll leads the backend while Meszaros and Liles also have passed 20 points. Phaneuf sucks...only 18 points, he should get traded. Jr. Thomas had been a work horse, but over use is starting to show and he's broke down a bit. Recently out the backups have been unable to do much to win any games.

Kings are a solid squad with a lot of good pieces, and more coming in the pipeline. GM Angelino generally will not make a deal unless it's majorly slanted in his favor so it will be interesting to see if he can find any suckers to help him improve his club down the stretch.

3.)Coyotes
The Coyotes have had a good run lately and find themselves tied in points with the Kings and well inside the playoff picture. Good special teams, team discipline and strong team defence have allowed this team to be successful to date.

Prospal leads the offence with 42 points and Rucinsky's 18 goals top the team. Handzus (NHL Kings wish) along with Langenbrunner and newly acquired Sakic have 30 points. Kuba leads the backend with 25 points and 3 other players have contributed 20 or more points. Vesa Toskala has been solid in net with a 18-12-3 record, 2.74 GAA & 903 Sv%. Yan Danis had a hot start but has come back to earth lately, still for him to have a winning record is a big bonus.

The Coyotes don't scare many on paper, but they have chemistry and not much for competition in the conference. They should make the playoffs, and could finish anywhere from 2nd to 8th. Smart money probably has them in the top 5 teams.

4.)Edmonton Oilers
After a hiatus of two plus years Icarus has returned and has his new team the Oilers in 4th spot. It's been a struggle to get the team to perform up to their potenital but the team is making progress. They've been able to move from out of the picture to a spot where they're not 7 points clear of 9th place.

Vincent Lecavalier leads a criminally talented group of forwards with 47 points. Seriously Lecavalier, Iginla, Zetterberg probably rate on anyones top 5 forwards in the NHL and are all top 10. Than add in guys like Alfredsson, Bergeron, and Gagne and it's puzzling that the Oilers aren't scoring 5 goals a game. Perhaps some of this offensive power needs to be moved for some defenceman to get them the puck. Craif Rivet's 20 points top the squad. Martin Broduer is struggling early on with a GAA around 3 and a .885 sv %. If he can get his game in form along with some others...Look out!

The Oilers as mentioned above are criminally talented, but they may need to be tweaked to get some balance between F and D. With an 86 million payroll some key pending FA's and only 3 million extra secured for next year. It's win today mode in Edmonton, the team has the talent to be able to win this conference and to win the Stanley Cup.

5.)Wild
Well GM Farhall, may not have a girlfriend yet...but he's become a workaholic so maybe that's what slowed down the Wild. Underachievers as the defending Champs the Wild still are only 2 points out of 2nd in the conference despite a sluggish offence. But 13 points in the last 10 has moved them forward and allowed them to gain on everyone but the Hawks and Coyotes.

Saku's 33 points leads what looks like a stacked roster. Sundin, Malkin, and Zhitnik have all topped the 30 point mark. But 9 other players have 20 points and Lukowich at 19 makes that 15 guys contributing offensively. Tomas Vokun has played well since coming over from Nashville, and Backstrom has decent numbers but a mediocre record. The team has 9 really talented forwards and a good defence. But like the Oilers just don't seem to be running at peak effieciency.

The Wild won't miss the playoffs. In fact it's hard to imagine them not improving. But unless they pick up the pace they won't have a top 2 seed and will face a tough road to reapeat as Cup Champs.

6.)Avanlanche
After a surprise showing last year this years Ave's are also performing at a rate the likely exceeds pre-season expectations. 6-3-1 in their past 10 has allowed them to move up and put some space between themselves and 9th place.

Sturm, Sykora, and Modin lead the team offensively with 35, 34 and 32 points. Sturm and Sykora both have 16 goals while Modina, Vrbata, and Brylin have eclipsed double digits. 8 Avanlanche players have 20 or more points and Brisebois is the only defenceman in that group with 20 so the team relies on it's goaltending to get them by. Cristobal Huet is having another great year with 18 wins, a 2.88 GAA and a .902 Sv%. His backup Bacashihua has a good GAA and Sv.% but his record is only 2-4-1. Given the minutes he plays Huet is every bit a MVP candidate.

The Aves likely would get burried in the Gretzky, but in the Howe...they're no worse than the other guy. So it's very likley they can still make the playoffs. From 6 to 11 or 12 this conference could end up very cluttered.

7.)Flames
Early on Miikka Kiprusoff looked super human with a GAA just above 2 and Sv.% way above his counterparts. The Flames lead their division and were top 3 in the conference. But a recent skid or perhaps dose of reality has seen them go 2-6 in their last 8 and fall down to 7th, 2 points up on 9th.

Glen Murray isn't the Sim god he once was, but 18 goals and 45 points has him leading the Flames. Kovalev, Geurin and the up and coming Sharp also have 30 or more points. 9 players have 20 or more points. Kiprusoff still is among the leaders in GAA and Sv% and his 17-9-3 record is fantastic. But his backup is now Justin Pogge who is lowly rated, and highly inexperienced. The Flames will need him to grossly overachieve or figure out how to get someone else to give Kiprusoff a rest. The Sim won't let him play 80 games like Mike Keenan will.

The Flames rely on their top guys to carry the mail. Their depth is suspect and they're not exactly young or oozing talent. But they've hung in there so far and have likley outperformed preseason expectations. Theres enough guys here that if they keep playing well and Kiprusoff can duplicate his first half they'll stay in the mix and could finish in the top 8.

8.)Blues
Only in the Howe could a 4-5-1 recod in your last 10 move you back into playoff position and let you catch another team in front of you. Pretty much the same story in St.Louis as the past 2 years where the team could be really good, but is fighting to be a bottom level playoff team.

Crosby is having an okay year with 43 points but by his standards that has to be disappointing. Kessel has been solid with 35 points and a +17 rating. Eaves, Tucker, and Rolston also have 30+ points while Rozsival and Arnason sit on 29. Sugar Ray Emery has not really delivered in goal as his 15-17-1 record and .881 sv % don't cut it. Especially since he was the main piece coming back in a deal where Ovechkin was sent out of town.

The Blues are another beneficiary of a mediocre Howe Conference. They can make the playoffs here as they've played far from their best hockey but are still in the picture. But they always seem to be the team that gets outdone at the deadline and ends up just on the outside. Can they reverse that trend this year and get on the right side of the top 8.

[Sylvanfan]

9.)Predators
Many predicted the Preds would be much better than their current standing in the preseason. But a 2-5-3 stretch see's them on the outside of the playoffs and the two teams behind them have gained 5 and 6 points in the past 10 to get within one point of them.

Henrik Sedin and Marc Savard have both passed the 40 point barrier, but than there is a drop to Raflaski with 29. 8 Predators have 22 to 29 points and in that group is several under achievers. Niedermayer, Erat, Sullivan in particular should have done more. Despite his struggles Niedermayer still leads the D with 22 points in 41 games, well off his usual pace. Nabokov has not been able to fix things in net as his numbers are similar to Vokun who struggled before him. Jocelyn Thibault does a nice job of collecting his paycheque as he's being paid 5.2 million to play what woud prorate out to 16 games this year.

The Preds have a huge payroll, high average age and no extra money secured for next year. They have too many draft picks and not enough roster spots for all the picks. The team is going to need to get it in gear and decide what to do here as the same path they're on will spell disaster.

10.)Stars
With a 6-4 record in their past 10 the Stars have crept back to within 3 points of the 8th spot and only one point back of 9th place Nashville. After being on life support for much of the offseason the Stars have done a nice job of surviving. Has it been a smoke and mirrors show, or are they poised to make a run?

Todd White's 19 goals and 44 points paces the Stars. Mik Sameulsson, Dan Sedin, and Kim Timmonen also have passed the 30 point mark. Danny Markov, Matt Cullen, Hannan, and Cooke also have more than 20. Garnet Exelby's +19 is tops on the team. Manny Legace has a 13-18-2 record, 3.71 GAA, and .879Sv%, yet somehow the team is still in the playoff race. Backup Caron hasn't been much better but he's 5-4 on the year.

The Stars are very thin after their top 6 forwards and top 4 defencmen. They are not getting good goaltending, yet they're still in it. Is that a sign of how mediocre the other teams are, or are they hanging in there waiting to get it going? I'd look for them to fall off if the first half trends continue. But maybe they're righting the ship.

11.)Sharks
Not that long ago the Sharks were at a critical point where they either get going, or it's better luck next year. The urgency registered with them as they have got it going and have swam back into playoff contention.

Marian Hossa's 19 goals and 44 points lead the way. Yashin, Whitney, and Horcoff all are past the 30 point plateau and Afinogenov has 29. Sarich who was just traded for Ohlund lead te defence with 19 and Bryan Allen's+11 is tops on the team. Peter Budaj's 10-15-5 record coupled with his .884 Sv% and 3.48 GAA wasn't cutting it. He was moved for Belfour just before Christmas. Toivonen has been solid in relief and has seen his fair share of action so far. The Sharks hope Belfour can stabalize the position for them down the stretch.

Sharks GM RT is as competitve as they come and wants to win. The Sharks are greatly improved this year and he hasn't relented in making bold moves to try and push the team forward. He's had some speedbumps, but just keeps putting the gas down as he plugs on. Look for the Sharks to fight till the end to try and get inside the top 8.

12.)Wings
Once again the Wings look to be underachieving and find themselves looking like they'll be outside the playoffs for the second straight year and 3rd time in 4 years. The Wings were looking to get back in, but a 3 game skid has sort of set them back to being 7 points out again and needed to pass 4 teams.

Cole's 18 goals and 39 points pace the team. Recchi, Huselius, and Ryder also have passed 30 points. Comrie has 28 points in 29 games as well and Connoly and Stepniak have produced well enough to give the Wings adequate scoring up front. Tom Poti leads the defence, but isn't living up to his 7 million dollar contract. Marty Turco's numbers are far better than his backups, but probably not where the team needed them to be.

It's been a disappointing start for Detroit, and it looks like back to the drawing board. The talent looks to be good enough that they should do better than they do. But results are what counts and so far not so good.

13.)Ducks
Well the Ducks have made a lot of trades so far. First they went for it, than they were rebuilding. Right now they're sitting at 35 points and looking like they'll give the Canucks a 2nd straight top 5 pick for the pleasure of paying Trevor Daley 4 million dollars.

Nash, Tanguay, and Zherdev lead the Ducks attack up front. Komisarek, and Ranger have been the top contributing defenceman while Ryan Whitney has struggled. The Ducks hope recent acquisition Legwant will get his act together and have a better second half. In net Ryan Miller is miles ahead of the 6 other guys used at the position...Miller's 2.83 GAA and .899Sv% are more than adequate. I guess Labarbera is the official backup over Kevin Wanks. Anaheim has a lot of goalies they'll need to determine how to structure the position here going forward, Miller seems a good starter, Labarbera a decent backup, and Montoya the heir appaent.

Ducks are too far out of the playoffs right now and appear to be in rebuild mode. They have a lot of picks, and prospects right now as well as about 300 special conditions to satisfy. They might be able to get themselves out of the bottom 5 with a good second half. Lots of pieces in place..what will they do with them?

14.)Jackets
Paying for last years mistakes the Jackets were rebuilding going into this season. After a horrific start though the team is only 2 games under .500 in it's last 33 games. For a stretch of 29 games this joke of a team was over .500. Which is surprising given how bad the team really is.

Hamilton's 18 goals and 38 points lead these losers. T.Ruutu, and Joan Pikanen have 25 points while Pavelski has 22. Barnes has been a nice surprise with 9 goals and 17 points in 18 games. Garon has come back from a terrible first 4 games to post a 7-9 record and 3.56 GAA. He's 7-5 with a 3.05 GAA and Sv% just under .900 since those first 4 games.

This team sucks. They have absolutely nothing. They should be closer to the Jets and Lightning than they currently are, and have the worst asset base in the entire league...can you say...Contraction?

15.)Canucks
Last year they performed very well. This year it's all gone wrong. With only 10 wins in their first 42 games the Canucks have been a big disappointment.

Kunitz with 36 points and Zajac with 15 goals lead the squad. Zubov has 30 points but a chilly -23 rating. Recent acquisitions Christenson and Svatos both are above the 20 point mark as is Campbell, Perrault, and Prucha. Biron had a great year last year, but has been a big disappointment this year. His .860 Sv.% rates as the worst of all goalies who've played 30 or more games. His 3.96 GAA and 6-22-3 record also are very poor.

The Canucks seem to be the target of the Sims evil ways in the Howe. They should be better than they are, but the SIM has been rather cruel so far. The good news is that this draft is supposedly good and they could have two top 5 picks.

16.)Jets
Jets are right where they were predicted to be. But their 16 points in 43 games has them on pace for 32 and a new futility record. Their 2-7-1 record recently is their best 10 game stretch of the season.

Petr Cajanek with 31 points leads the Jets. Olesz has 25 and Stafford has 21. NHL castoffs, Allison and Perogy boy have 22 and 28 although Allison is currently suspended for 5 games. Trevor Daley and his 4 million dollar contract lead the defence with 14 points. The goaltenders feature Aebischer who has all 6 wins as well as JDD and Mike Leighton. Yeah no wonder their record is where it is.

Paul Raisin doesn't give a rip about this team, his zoo is waay more important to him. I don't blame him, this team is going to finish last, and get Steve Stamko's. At least he's going to be a good player.

[OILFAN #81]

Great job so far Chad! That is an amazing job once again! You've done a great analysis on every team in both conferences.

In the Howe, I really have to commend Dan for the great job he has done in Chicago since taking over during the season this year. He's imo a lock to win the Sutter award and is a very strong contender for GM of the year as well. Great jobs in Phoenix and Colorado as well as I didn't have those teams ranked that high but they are continuing to impress!

[icarus]

This is a tremendous amount of work, well done!

[nyrcrisfer]

Great read and thanks for all the work, I love to read these kinds of writeups... The Howe is wide open as usual and there always seems to be a team or 2 who hangs with the big guys even though they aren't expected to.

The Oilers have been top 4 in the conference 4 years in a row, the Wild are the defending champs, and the Kings were last years #1 seed. Those 3 teams still have a ton of talent and have to be considered contenders at this point. But then you have the Hawks with 59 points, the Yotes in the #3 seed, and 6-7 teams fighting for the last couple playoff spots. Should be an interesting 2nd half. If any team can pull off some big moves it might seperate them from the pack come playoff time.

[Mango]

Well done. Thanks, Chad. It's a very fair assessment.

[RT14]

That was a great read. Thanks again Chad!

[HalifaxDrunk]

UMM, no mention of the Coyotes being the last undefeated team to start the season? NO ONE, and I mean no one (but me) saw that coming. Go Yotes Go!

Great X-mas recap Sylly.

[Slava]

A good re-cap, which I only wish was not as accurate and honest as it is! The Preds GM has been mulling over some changes this past week, and we'll be charting a new course for the new year. Expect a busy and active Predators squad for the remainder of the season.

Great write-up as usual!

[I wanna be like Miikka]

Solid writeup Syl, the biggest question mark of the new year for the Ducks is how many more special conditions will we have cuz you know we arent done trading!!

[notoepik]

Nice work Syl! And props to Dan for taking the Hawks to the top. He made some gutsy moves and improved the team, especially the defense. Adding Bobby Lu as the goalie was a very good move.

[cphlblackhawks]

Thanks for the kind words guys, I know I was torn apart for some moves earlier this season so seeing them pays off gives me some sense of satisfaction. Luongo and improving the defense was a priority along with dumping the Buffalo players...

[JiriHrdina]

That's some nice work Lou.

The ongoing saga of Bob Luongo is this year's most intriguing storyline.

Sucks in Pitt which has a stacked club.
Sucks in Anaheim
Goes to Chicago and suddenly he's a different player and the Hawks are unreal.

Ah that sim.