Opening face-offs for the 2011-12 are tomorrow!!!! I am so ready for another hockey season to begin. Some years I'm a slow starter, waiting till maybe December before I really get into it, but this year I've spent all summer doing more research on prospects and roster moves than I have in a decade probably. I have also started up my own fantasy hockey league! Instead of playing with strangers, I set up my own on Yahoo! and invited a ton of people. I ended up with 8 teams, which is good. Would've liked 12, but people are lazy/busy. I'm going to get a little trophy for the champ and hopefully make this a regular thing. And I must admit, I got a really good team! Let's just say my defense right now is Dan Boyle, P.K. Subban, Shea Weber, and Chris Pronger. Boom.
So, has anyone heard what's going down with the New York Islanders goalie situation yet? I was scouring their site and the Yahoo! NYI page earlier, but I can't find any announcements on which two keepers they are starting the season with. The rundown is former University of Michigan standout Al Montoya who performed very well for the Islanders last season, reluctant waiver victim Evgeni Nabokov, and super contract holder porcelain doll Rick DiPietro. All three deserve to be in the league and with Nabby finally in camp, the Isles need to make some decisions. So what are they? It looks like they might roll all three! That's not really great for any of them, but considering how fragile DiPietro has been (a real shame because he is a super talented goaltender) they seem to be covering their bases. But they'll have to move Nabby before the trade deadline or lose him to UFA, which means they need to play him to entice teams and remind them of his skill level. If I had to bet, Montoya will get the short end of the stick early on. Any way you slice it, Newsday had this great quote from DiPietro, "I've been here with four on the roster," he said. "Nothing changes my approach, unless I'm rehabbing an injury. There's only two things you can control: How well you prepare and how cool your equipment looks." And Rick does always seem to have some cool looking gear!
Keeping it in New York, I just read that Sean Avery has cleared waivers for the Rangers. No doubt he will be loaned out to a European club or sent down to the Connecticut Whale in the AHL. Either way, they move his salary off their cap which could see the Rangers more active come the trade deadline as they pump up the roster around Brad Richards for a playoff run. I would think Rangers fans would be happy about losing Avery, who has always been more of a circus act than a quality hockey player. Sure he had some productive season, but his antics overtook his work ethic and his attitude has become a burden on the league. Hence, no takers on the waiver wire for Sean. Avery appeared to care more about dating celebrities and trying to position himself as some sort of hockey version of David Beckham than playing hockey. The difference being, despite your opinion on soccer in general, is that Beckham is a hard worker who contributes to teams. Avery became a clown. To his credit, it bought him some time in the league, but you have to wonder how much more time, quality time, he could've had if he just buried his head and worked hard. And didn't sucker punch so many goaltenders....
Finally today, a little update on my Drew Doughty comments from last week. Drew got his deal, the Kings caved and gave him a long term contract for $7 million a season. That makes Doughty the third highest paid defenseman in the game, behind only Shea Weber and Brian Campbell. Which of course brings me to the idea that Brian Campbell is waaaay more overpaid than Doughty! Good for Drew, he didn't flinch. Boo on the Kings, they did. Not only did they flinch, they waited until the plane was leaving for their Euro opener to do it! Why? They wasted all that time, kept Doughty practicing with a junior team and not with his teammates for what? The answer is nothing. If they could find the money now, they could've found it in August. On this deal, the Kings get a big fat FAIL.
Alrighty then! Let's get this season started!!! I can almost smell the eternal hope of a Sharks v. Flyers finals. It is closely followed by the bitter scent of disappointment;) Have a great season everyone!!
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