NHL teams have completed ¾ of their schedule at the Olympic break. If you recall, at the start of the season, I suggested that Vancouver and Calgary would be the class of the Canadian teams. I also stated that Montreal will be a mystery, with so many newcomers, and Ottawa would struggle following the Dany Heatley trade. Furthermore, I predicted that Edmonton would, once again, miss the playoffs despite a coaching change and Toronto would continue to be Toronto.

 

Well, as one can see, the Canucks have lived up to expectations, the Flames have not, the Senators have exceeded pre-season forecasts, the Habs have been inconsistent, and both the Maple Leafs and Oilers have hit rock bottom.

 

Here is my analysis of the Canadian teams:

 

Vancouver (37-22-2): The Canucks rank amongst the upper echelon of the NHL. A noteworthy statistic is that they are fourth in the league in both goals for and goals against. The Sedins have vaulted their game to another level. Alex Burrows has been a perfect fit on the big line when he is not diving or whining. Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, and Mikael Samuelson have provided secondary scoring.

 

The team has been solid even though a number of their top defencemen (Sami Salo, Kevin Bieksa, and Willie Mitchell) have missed a significant amount of games with injury. Blue liner Christian Ehrhoff, a “steal” of an acquisition from San Jose in the off-season, is a +24. No surprise that goalie Roberto Luongo has been steady, if not spectacular.

 

The Canucks offer the best Canadian hope for a long playoff run.

 

 

Ottawa (36-23-4): Where did that recent 11-game win streak come from? Pascal Leclaire was supposed to be Ottawa’s main goaltender; however, Brian Elliott has emerged as the one carrying the load. Daniel Alfredsson continues to be the heart and soul of the club. Milan Michalek, picked up in the Heatley deal, leads the team in goals with 20, but Jonathan Cheechoo, the other forward obtained from the Sharks, (5 goals in 61 games) has been farmed to Binghamton of the AHL. Coach Cory Clouston deserves accolades for getting the most out of his players.

On the other hand, the Senators defencemen (Filip Kuba, Chris Phillios, Chris Campoli, Anton Volchenkov, and Matt Carkner) do not strike fear into the opposition.

 

Ottawa will be a playoff team but do not have the depth to make a run.

 

Calgary (30-23-9): Something is missing with this team; consequently, the Flames made multi-player trades with Toronto and the NY Rangers. Is there a dressing room issue? Miikka Kiprusoff has delivered in the net. Too bad, he cannot score because a select few other players are finding the net. Despite the acquisition of ex-Leaf Matt Stajan, Jarome Iginla still needs a centre to play with. Iginla remains the go to guy, yet he is only a plus four. Mark Giordano has been arguably the club’s best defenceman. What does that say about Jay Bouwmeester and Robyn Regehr (combined three goals
and defensively only slightly above average)?

 

The Flames will sneak into the playoffs and still have a roster that could pull off an upset.

 

 

Montreal (29-28-6): I am still trying to digest GM Bob Gainey’s surprise resignation. Goaltending questions will not go away. Jaroslav Halak has a better GAA and save percentage than the gifted, but faltering Carey Price. The Canadiens remain small and without a superstar. Tomas Plekanec is the only player averaging close to a point a game.

The Habs are on the “bubble” to qualify for the post-season and if they do, they are similar to the Senators in that they do not have the horses to compete with the elite teams.

 

Toronto (19-31-11):   The Maple Leafs remain a comedy writer’s best friend. They continue to be massive underachievers, and the season is already a write-off. Granted, however, the Leafs are in better shape going forward following the additions of Dion Phaneuf and JS Giguere. Toronto overspent on defencemen Francois Beauchemin, Jeff Finger and Mike Komisarek. They also lack snipers and leaders.

I could go on and on, but it is safe to say that they are destined for last in the East.

 

Edmonton (19-36-6): I wonder what ex-coach Craig MacTavish is thinking. Pat Quinn and Tom Renney have guided this team to last overall. Key injuries to Nikolai Khabibulin, Ales Hemsky, and ex-PG Cougar Sheldon Souray have not helped. Is Shawn Horcoff, with a minus-29 rating, the most overpaid player in the league? The Oilers went the month of January without a victory. I guess this dismisses the theory that the youthful enthusiasm will prevail.

Owner Daryl Katz admits this season has been “completely unacceptable” and gives his blessing to GM Steve Tambellini to make major changes.

 

The last ¼ of the schedule starts March 1st with the trade deadline two days later. The Canucks, Senators, Flames, and possibly the Habs should be buyers while the Leafs and Oilers have no choice but to be sellers.

 

 

From the quote rack:  

 

 

Jay Leno of NBC, on his network's plan to improve ratings at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

 

 

 

Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

 

Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

 

Comedy writer Jerry Perishohttp://monologuewriter.blogspot.com/

 

Lindsay Vonn, helped by a cheese treatment on her injured shin, won the gold in the women's Olympic downhill. She proved to be a master of her Kraft.

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