Kukla's Korner

Vermette’s Defensive Goals Versus Threshold

Blog: The Puck Stops Here By PuckStopsHere

09/06/10 at 12:01 AM ET | Comments (2)

When I posted the top 20 forwards by defensive goals versus threshold, I got a list of players who played a lot of minutes on top defensive teams and posted top +/- ratings.  Although this is a plausible first guess at who the top defensive forwards in the NHL are, the list had some problems.  Players made it who are not great defensive players and other top defensive forwards are missing.  One of the more surprising players on the list is Antoine Vermette of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  He is surprising because Columbus is not a top defensive team.  Their 259 goals allowed is fifth worst in the NHL.  He is the only representative of any of the ten worst defensive teams in the league.  How does a player like Vermette make it so high on this list?

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Filed in: | The Puck Stops Here | Permalink
  Tags: Antoine+Vermette, Columbus+Blue+Jackets,

Laperriere Gets Some ‘Face’ Time

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/05/10 at 07:53 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Joe Siville of Flyers.com,

Today at the Wells Fargo Center, Flyers right wing Ian Laperriere took part in an official TV spot conceived and produced by the VERSUS network.

The commercial focuses on the now famous event in which Laperriere dives to block a shot from the point from then New Jersey Devils (now Pittsburgh Penguins) defenseman Paul Martin during Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series and was struck just above the eye.

Needless to say Laperriere didn’t need to memorize a script having lived it, but surprisingly re-enacting the moment over and over again didn’t exactly cause a sense of déjà vu.

“I don’t know,” laughed Laperriere. “I think when it’s going to be all together and I’m going to see the commercial come out, I think it will bring it back a little more when it really happened. But for today, there were too many cuts for me to be in that moment again.”

read on

Filed in: NHL Teams, Philadelphia Flyers, NHL Media, Hockey Broadcasting, VERSUS | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Ian+Laperriere,

What’s Kovalchuk Talking About Today?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/05/10 at 04:12 PM ET | Comments (1)

from Dmitry Chesnokov of PuckDaddy,

Q. How worried were you that the deal won’t be worked out?

KOVALCHUK: Of course there were worries and fears. But we were hoping all along that the best outcome for us will finally be there. I am thrilled that this is the way it turned out to be.

How did you feel when your initial contract was rejected right after you held a press conference in Newark?

What feelings could I have had? I was told that a rejection was a possibility. So, I was actually ready for it. Back then we didn’t know for sure that the contract would be approved. And then there was an arbitration hearing. But of course when I was told that the contract had been rejected, it didn’t feel good. But at the same time New Jersey made another offer that ultimately satisfied everyone.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, New Jersey Devils | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Ilya+Kovalchuk,

Can Anyone Replace Byfuglien?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/05/10 at 01:02 PM ET | Comments (0)

from David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune,

Yes, I have studied the Hawks’ payroll enough to know that uneasy lies the NHL head that wears the crown because the salary cap soon will shrink and refit it. I have heard all the hype over the potential of the Thrashers players coming in return and the value of the first- and second-round draft picks. But I also know that the words from respected NHL voices during the Stanley Cup finals about the unique talents of the 6-foot-4, 257-pound Byfuglien still echo in my ears.

As good as Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd are, I don’t recall hearing as high of praise about them or any other supporting player. I don’t recall any playoff teams worrying about devising specific game plans to counter any Hawk more than they did for Byfuglien. Spare me the spin that Byfuglien underachieved during the regular-season — the postseason measures true value to a franchise.

Why not start dealing with somebody who didn’t have a playoff hat trick?

If Byfuglien weren’t considered such a difference-maker, why did the Sharks agree to take two marginal players from the Thrashers to help Atlanta get under the NHL’s allowable limit to consummate the trade? Sharks GM Doug Wilson wanted Byfuglien out of the Western Conference as badly as Roberto Luongo did.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Dustin+Byfuglien,

An Explanation on my thoughts Regarding the Rangers

Blog: Goal Line Report By Patrick Hoffman

09/05/10 at 12:05 PM ET | Comments (1)

Good afternoon folks. I hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend.

I know that when it comes to the New York Rangers, I can be extremely negative. I constantly criticize Wade Redden, the team’s scoring problems, head coach John Tortorella’s tactics, etc.

However, this does not mean that I am not a passionate New York Rangers fan. I’ve been following the team since the day I was born (March 31, 1983) and will continue to do so until the day I die.

With that said, I still believe that predicting the Rangers to finish 10th in the Eastern Conference is realistic. Yes, I know that the team added some scoring, some depth and a terrific backup goaltender. Those things will definitely pay off.

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Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
  Tags: New+York+Rangers,

Modin To Atlanta

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/05/10 at 11:01 AM ET | Comments (1)

via Kevin Allen tweet,

Modin’s contract with Atlanta pays him 800k, plus modest bonuses. Could be a bargain if Modin can stay healthy.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Atlanta Thrashers | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Fredrik+Modin,

Win Bernie Parent’s Locker

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/05/10 at 09:12 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Melissa Brooks of the Times Herald,

To some people, it’s just an old wooden unit that used to store ice hockey gear. To “hockey geeks” like Brett Wells, it’s a dream to be in its presence.

“It” is NHL legend Bernie Parent’s original locker stall from the Spectrum. And it’s where the Philadelphia Flyers’ Hall of Fame goaltender, who backstopped the team to the 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cups, kept his things....

Wells said Parent wanted to conduct a raffle, not an auction, to ensure “everyone got a chance.” Of course there will only be one lucky fan who wins, but all who enter will receive an autographed 8”x10” photo of Bernie.

“There’s something about hockey players from that era,” Wells said of Parent. “They’re just regular guys who happen to be celebrities.”

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Philadelphia Flyers, Hockey Related Stories | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Bernie+Parent,

Can Blue Jackets Adapt To Change?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/05/10 at 08:55 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Aaron Portzline of Puck-rakers,

Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel obviously knows the game of hockey and the NHL, having played the sport as a professional for 17 seasons. He has a decade of coaching experience, the last four seasons as a head coach in the American Hockey League. No question he’s ready and qualified to guide an NHL club.

But think about the message sent when the fourth-worst club in the NHL makes exactly one roster change the following off-season, and that change is claiming a third- or fourth-line winger (Ethan Moreau) off waivers.

Basically, the message is that Ken Hitchcock is to blame for all that ailed the Blue Jackets in 2009-10, that a fresh, energetic, uplifting approach from the new coach and his similarly dispositioned assistants can make up 16 points and six spots in the Western Conference standings.

Arniel plans to play a puck-possession, high-tempo style that most players prefer, a style that is in stark contrast to the retreat-and-react style drummed home the previous three-plus seasons in Columbus.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Spooked By Offer Sheets

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/05/10 at 08:52 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

Three summers ago, when then-Edmonton general manager Kevin Lowe tried to land Thomas Vanek and Dustin Penner via offer sheets (swing and miss with the former, successful with the latter), few predicted the Oilers’ actions would help alter the league’s economics. But with labor strife possible following the 2011-12 season, one New England agent believes the Vanek and Penner moves helped create a pinch that could prompt the league to seek even more belt-tightening in the next collective bargaining agreement.

The offer sheets, the agent believes, spooked GMs so much that they fell over themselves in subsequent seasons to sign their best young players to inflated contracts coming out of their entry-level deals. “The Vanek and Penner situations, under this CBA, told managers that offer sheets would be in play,’’ the agent said. “So they became incredibly aggressive with the second contracts.’’ Patrice Bergeron (five years, $4.75 million annually), Eric Staal (three years, $4.5 million), and Nathan Horton (six years, $4 million) are examples of high-priced second contracts in the boom times.

This summer, players leaving entry-level deals have undergone a market correction.

more and additional hockey topics…

Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Sunday Hockey Thoughts

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

09/05/10 at 08:37 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

-Brett Lebda has to be wondering why he signed on with the Leafs. He hoped to get a shot at being a top-four defenceman here, to take advantage of his offensive skills, but who is he going to play ahead of—Dion Phaneuf, Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, Luke Schenn, Mike Komisarek and even Carl Gunnarsson?

-Have to figure Washington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Boston are locks to make the playoffs in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. That leaves Buffalo, Ottawa, Montreal, the Rangers, Carolina, Tampa Bay and the Leafs—seven teams fighting for three playoff spots.

a few more hockey topics…

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