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Myers Playing Brutal. Could he be moved?
Sadly, I don’t have anything nice to say about Tyler Myers, but I’m still to going say this: he’s playing atrocious right now, and if he doesn’t improve he will find himself sitting on the bench for an entire game, real soon.
If you want proof, and you’re a numbers kind of person, then his stats for the season will support my argument very clearly. Through seven games played, Myers has one goal and no assists. He has managed to fire off six shots, but has at least earned 12 penalty minutes so far, which would imply he is trying to become a more physical presence. His plus/minus is -3. Overall, the NHL will tell you is ranked 97th in the league among all defensemen – there are three Sabres ahead of him – but in terms of goals, assists, points, and +/- his rankings vary between 147th to 550th. Numerically speaking, Myers is not anywhere near the defenseman everyone hoped he would be following his rookie season.
John Erskine faces disciplinary hearing for elbow
Capitals defenseman John Erskine will have a supplemental discipline hearing with NHL Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan at 2 p.m. Saturday for hitting Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds in the head Friday night.
With 1 minute 51 seconds remaining in the first period of Washington’s 3-2 win over the Flyers, Erskine elbowed Simmonds in the head as both players pursued a loose puck along the left-wing boards in the Philadelphia zone.
No penalty was called on the play. Simmonds had a bloody nose and was able to head to the bench under his own power, but he never returned to the game.
Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren said after the game that Simmonds has a “head injury” and “probably a little bit of whiplash” but that he would be reevaluated Saturday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Luongo shrugs off trade rumours to Maple Leafs: Cox
Luongo has done a very good job so far of playing the good soldier while GM Mike Gillis sorts out potential trade scenarios. The Maple Leafs still are interested in the 33-year-old netminder despite his nightmarish contract, but aren’t willing to pay the price in players and prospects that Vancouver is demanding.
Florida may or may not be interested. Washington? Just speculation at the moment.
Could Doan be on the Canucks radar come deadline time?
With the Coyotes deal falling apart. Could Doan want a move to Vancouver. He only signed in Phoenix because he was told the team was staying
— hockeytraderumors (@hockeytraderumo) February 1, 2013
Could Leafs Land Ryan Getzlaf?
He could be available. But, there will be a fair amount of interest in him and he won’t come cheap.”
That was the opinion of a prominent Western Conference executive when I wondered, this week, whether Anaheim Ducks would trade potential free agent Ryan Getzlaf. Depending on the night, and the person with whom you speak, Leafs’ biggest priority is an established goalie or depth and size at centre. They may need both, though it appears James Reimer is regaining the confidence and poise he had as a rookie two seasons ago. More time is needed to confirm that, but Leafs demand for a big body up the middle is irrefutable.
Bernier Still Hoping to Be Traded
Lombardi has indicated to Bernier’s camp that he will give him a chance to play elsewhere. There is a sentimental attachment here as Bernier was the first draft pick Lombardi made as Kings GM in 2006. Still with that said, Bernier is the Kings only real major asset they’re willing to part with.
Is it time for a change of scenery for Ovechkin?
You have to wonder if Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis found any relief from Alex Ovechkin’s first road goal of the season.
Ovechkin blew a wrist shot past Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer on a power play at 2:38 of the second to put the Capitals up 2-1, a lead that would hold through the period before Toronto eventually picked up its first home win of the season, 3-2, on Thursday night.
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Could the Coyotes be on their way to Seattle?
Look for the team to move to Seattle if the sale of the Sacramento Kings to hedge fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is finalized. The NBA team’s prospective new owners want to move the Kings to Seattle where they plan on opening a new arena in two years. Two teams in one building is better economics. Quebec, the former home of the Colorado Avalanche, has also been mentioned as a viable place for the Coyotes to go. It is. Quebec City has broken ground on a new arena. But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman wants the league to be coast-to-coast. And with Jets moving from Atlanta to Winnipeg last season the NHL doesn’t want its sponsors and U.S. television partner, NBC Sports, thinking the league is contracting geographically.
Jamison deal to buy Coyotes about to fall apart.
Various sources are reporting that the potential deal for Jamison to buy the Coyotes is falling apart. Today he was denied a lease extention which indicates that he is having serious difficulty coming up the the funds to purchase the NHL team.
STREIT HIGH ON FLYERS, RANGERS WISHLIST
Roberto Luongo perfect as Canucks shut out Avalanche 3-0
Roberto Luongo threw a little gasoline on the goaltending controversy with another strong performance Wednesday night. A surprise starter, Luongo turned aside all 24 shots he faced to record his 61st NHL shutout.
He’s now played more minutes this season than Cory Schneider, who had been anointed Vancouver’s new starter last spring.
Many expect Schneider will start Friday night against the Blackhawks, who are 6-0-1 after losing 3-2 in a shootout to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night. But many observers also thought coach Alain Vigneault would start Schneider against the Avalanche.
Vigneault wasn’t saying anything about his Friday starter after the game.
Ted Leonsis says Alex Ovechkin ‘needs to play better’
Whether or not the biggest problem for the Caps thus far has been Nicklas Backstrom’s lack of production, or Brooks Laich’s injury, or adjusting to Adam Oates, or poor special teams, the headline will always be “Ovechkin has just one goal through six games.”
So it was that owner Ted Leonsis was asked about his team’s, and his captain’s, slow start on WTOP Wednesday morning.
“Well, we’re concerned too,” Leonsis said. “I’m not so sure that [team] scoring’s gonna be an issue, but it has been to date. And Alex is off to a slow start….He’s having to get integrated into this new system….He needs to play better. I don’t have the answers. Obviously I’m not running the hockey operations. If I knew what to do, I would go see George and Adam, but I don’t, so they’re gonna have to work it out.”
Leonsis said when he talked with Ovechkin during the first few days after the lockout, they mostly discussed the winger’s offseason engagement to tennis star Maria Kirilenko. But Leonsis said he also asked Ovechkin about his biggest concern transitioning from the KHL back to the NHL, and Ovechkin mentioned the significant difference in rink size.
“He gets double-teamed all the time [in the NHL], so he has to keep moving,” Leonsis said. “And that’s the one thing I’ve noticed: when he doesn’t have a good game, he seems to be more stationary, and video coaches show him that.”
SUBBAN MUST ACCEPT NEW RULES BEFORE REJOINING CANADIENS
Before P.K. Subban gets back on the ice with the Montreal Canadiens, he better be ready to buy into a new philosophy.
The defenceman joined his team Wednesday in Ottawa for the first time since signing a two-year $5.75 million contract, but was not in the lineup for their game against the Senators.
He took part in the team’s optional morning skate, and admitted he wasn’t sure when he would play his first game.
It appears Subban has been given a clear message and if he plans on playing an integral role with the team he’d better accept the new set of rules.
“The first thing Marc Bergevin and I did was sit down with (Subban) and explain our philosophy and he understood where we’re coming from,” Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. “It was a good, honest conversation with P.K. and we just want to make sure everyone is on the same page.”
Lots of teams calling about O’Reilly
Tons of NHL teams calling about O’Reilly. But Avs say they are not dealing him
— adater (@adater) January 30, 2013
Devils were interested in Gomez
The Devils were interested in bringing Scott Gomez back after the Montreal Canadiens bought out his contract. However, Gomez thought it would be better to play on the West Coast and signed with the San Jose Sharks.
There was also some interest in unrestricted free agent Petr Sykora, who ultimately signed with SC Bern in the Swiss League. Sykora would be eligible to sign with an NHL club when Bern’s season is over and prior to the April 3 NHL trade deadline, but he’d have to go through waivers.
http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2013/01/devils_no_immediate_decision_o.html
Did PK Subban Agree to the Best Deal?
The Star is reporting that PK Subban, the young star defensemen of the Montreal Canadiens, finally accepted a contract to rejoin his team for the shortened NHL season. Before the NHL lockout, Subban was one of the most sought after players in the game due to his strength on the blue line, his ability to move the puck, and maintaining a respectful shot. ““It was about getting a deal done that was fair to both sides.””
Due to his well-rounded skill set, the Canadiens weren’t the only team interested in Subban – though they did get the first opportunity. Other teams felt the enforcing young defensemen would add depth to their blue lines, and the trade rumours enticed betting activity from sports bettors and bookmakers. Websites such as Onlinecasino.org discussed the Subban trade saga, and these rumours were the focus of bets at various online casino and sportsbetting sites.
Could Subban have gotten a better offer if he asked to be traded from Montreal?
Loktionov available
Teams around the league very aware of Andrei Loktionov’s availability. Currently not much interest in him out there.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) January 30, 2013
Habs may be looking to move a defenceman for more offense
While the Canadiens currently rank eighth in the NHL in goals-scored per game in the early part of the season, Habs GM Marc Bergevin wouldn’t mind adding a top-six winger, and with plenty of teams in the market for help on the backend, he could package a defenseman in order to obtain more offense.
The Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes are among the teams in the market for a defenseman, but the Habs aren’t the only club with a surplus of them.
