Hockey Trade Rumors

Currently there are only two players, Ovechkin and Kovalchuk, who are on pace for 50+ goals. That’s it. There are a half dozen players just on the fringe on pace for 44-49 goals.
Currently, there are only five players, Ovechkin, Malkin, Lecavalier, Alfredsson and Spezza, who are on pace for 100+ points, with more just shy of it.

Last season we had only seven 100-point scorers (with Hossa and Sakic having multi-point nights to reach it on the last day) and likewise two 50-goal scorers (Lecavalier and Heatley), with two on the fringe over 45 (Selanne with 48 and Ovechkin with 46).

I seem to recall near the start of the season many people on here going gaga over the prospect of dozens of 50-goal, 100-point players. Now that the season is nearly 3/4 completed, we can start to see how it’s really shaping up.So what’s the reason for this? Is scoring down? Are goalies and defensemen better? Are forwards just not as good as they used to be?

With an NHL-leading 48 goals and 78 points in 60 games, Alexander Ovechkin is on pace for 66 goals and 107 points. Ironically, these were the same figures Kovalchuk was on pace for before his slump.
AO will have no trouble becoming the first player this year to hit 50 goals, that’s a given. Whether he will reach 100 points, and whether he will be the first to do it remains to be seen! With just 4 more goals, Ovechkin will have scored 150 total goals in his first 3 seasons. Quite impressive to say the least! Ovechkin will also likely be the only player this year to notch 50 goals and 100 points (though others are close and will try). If the Caps make the playoffs, it’d be hard for this guy not to win the Hart.

2nd in NHL scoring, with a game in hand on Ovechkin, is Evgeni Malkin. He currently has 34 goals and 77 points in 59 games (having scored at a torrid pace of 19 goals in his past 20 games, with a current 5 game goal-scoring streak, and a current NHL leading 8-game point streak (racking up 19 points in those games)). Malkin is on pace for 47 goals and also 107 points like Ovechkin, but if he continues to play like he has of late, 50 goals is not out of the question, nor is the Art Ross. The interesting thing to watch is what will happen to his production once Sidney Crosby returns in roughly 2 weeks’ time. Will Sid benefit or hurt Malkin’s Art Ross endeavor?

Just behind both is Vincent Lecavalier. With 32 goals and 76 points in 59 games, Vinnie is still on pace for 43 goals and 106 points, one shy of Alex the Great and Geno. After a bit of slump where he had 0 points in 4 consecutive games, Vinnie has picked it up, with 8 points in his last 6 games. My gut says the lack of passion as the Lightning become a clear golf-team, won’t push Vinnie on the amazing run he had at the end of last season. I doubt he gets 50 goals and question whether he reaches 100 points even. I certainly doubt he wins the Art Ross Trophy.

Next, we come to the Sens’ top two.
In 52 games, Daniel Alfredsson has mustered 34 goals and 74 points. He is on pace for 47 goals and 103 points. I can all but guarantee, barring an injury, that Alf reaches 100 points for the second time in his career. Whether he can finally get 50 goals is likewise by no means out of his reach.

Similarly, in 53 games Jason Spezza has garnered 73 points, on pace for 101 points in 74 games. Last month, I wrote an article about production, which showed that Spezza was 2nd only to Sidney Crosby in the NHL in terms of production. Like Alf, barring an injury, Spezza should hit that 100-point mark for the first time in his career. But if I had to guess, I’d say he will get a slight tweak and miss out on 100 points yet again, making it the third straight year he would be on pace for 100 points, but coming short due to playing less than 70 games.

With 40 goals and 67 points in 58 games, Ilya Kovalchuk is the only other player beside Ovechkin on pace for 50+ goals, with 54 goals and 90 points. He should get his 10 more goals by year’s end. 100 points now seems quite doubtful.

With 35 goals and 70 points in 58 games, Jarome Iginla is on pace for 49 goals and 97 points. Here’s a guy I feel has the work ethic to hit both 50 goals and 100 points.

With 33 goals and 71 points in only 53 games (due to injury), Henrik Zetterberg is on pace for 44 goals and 95 points. Depending on whether the Wings get out of their current slump (which I’d predict they soon will) and whether or not they pick up a difference maker at the deadline, I’d predict Henrik’s first 100-point season, topping his previous high of 85, with a possible 50-goal tally to boot.

With 71 points in 59 games, Martin St. Louis is on pace for 99 points. As long as Lecavalier doesn’t go on a slump again, and as long as the golf-bound Lightning keep playing with some passion, Marty should hit 100 points. A lot of “ifs”.

With 67 points in 58 games, Joe Thornton is on pace for 95 points. But, as we all know, Joe plays his best hockey in the final month of the season. Expect him to pass 100 again, for the 3rd consecutive year, and 4th of 5 years.

With 69 points in 61 games, Pavel Datsyuk is on pace for 93 points. He could reach it for the same reasons mentioned above about Zetterberg.

Also, with 32 goals and 62 points in 54 games, Marian Gaborik has an outside shot at 50 goals, as he’s currently on pace for 44 goals and 86 points. He’s having a career-year, as his best season to date produced only 38 goals and 66 points. Barring any injury, he should surpass both handily.

Lastly, with just 28 goals due to his injury, Dany Heatley would have to score a goal in every game but one to close off the season, in order to reach the 50-goal mark yet again. If he is healthy playing with a healthy Spezza and Alf, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible. He’s on pace for 39 goals and 88 points, but a few more of those 4-6 point nights, and you could yet see a back-to-back-to-back 50-goal, 100-point scorer.

On a final note, in today’s Penguins’ game, they said Sidney Crosby was looking good and could play as early as next Tuesday. I highly doubt this, but liberal estimates say he will be back by March 1st for the game against Ottawa. If this were to become true, he’d miss 6 more games, but leave himself 17 more games to end the season. At the time of his injury, Crosby was tied for 1st in the League in points with 63 points in 46 games. ESPN has him on pace for 88 points in 64 games (they assume he plays 18 more games, starting Feb. 28th against Boston). Either way, it is not totally outside the realm of Sidney’s possibility for him to score 37 points in 17 games, which would barely be more than two points per game, and which was something he did to close off his rookie year. Furthermore, Malkin is currently a 2PPG guy, and if they mesh well together, either together or on separate lines, but surely on the PP, 100 isn’t completely out of reach for the young captain.

Let us not forget that Crosby was on pace for about 88 points in his rookie year, until he went on that 2PPG streak at the end (he had 37 points in his last 22 games, and 22 points in the last 10 games, as a rookie). Similarly, Dany Heatley has been on pace for the high 40’s in goals, but has always turned it on huge at the end to hit the magic 50-goal tally. The last 6 weeks of hockey left now are where the superstars really need to shine.

So, who do you predict will get 50 goals and/or 100 points?
And do you see anyway to increase scoring? Or do you like it just fine now the way it is?