Last summer, the New York Rangers decided not to bring back aging veterans Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan. When the season ended with a frustrating 2-1 loss in Game 7 to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night, coach John Tortorella lamented the lack of scoring punch that started the offseason way earlier than he hoped. Read Original Post Here
After two sleepless nights, Ryane Clowe is thinking about how to fill several weeks of free time he neither wants nor needs. It’s a problem facing most of the San Jose Sharks, whose embarrassing first-round exit from the playoffs has cleared their schedules — and sent general manager Doug Wilson into a fury that might last all summer. Read Original Post Here
Alex Ovechkin doesn’t like Sidney Crosby. Neither does Alexander Semin, who calls Crosby an overrated product of the NHL’s hype machine. Ovechkin disliked Evgeni Malkin, too, but now appears to like him again. Oh, but there’s much for the hockey world to like in this Penguins -Capitals matchup, beginning Saturday when the Eastern Conference semifinal series begins in Washington. Read Original Post Here
The Chicago Blackhawks’ last game against the Vancouver Canucks featured a third-period line brawl that had everything from WWF-style body slams to hair pulling. So it’s safe to say they won’t have to wait for the hatred to build when their second-round playoff series starts Thursday night in Vancouver.
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Paul Maurice couldn’t sleep. His Carolina Hurricanes had staged a rally for the ages a few hours earlier, and the coach’s mind wouldn’t stop racing. “Every five minutes or so … it’s like getting hit with a bus — but a good one,” the Carolina coach said Wednesday with a smile. “You realize just what happened.” No surprise, then, that Maurice was content to trade a restless night for yet another… Read Original Post Here
The New Jersey Devils’ season isn’t going to be remembered for Martin Brodeur’s elbow injury, his NHL career record for wins by a goaltender, the team’s club-record 51 wins or its seventh Atlantic Division title in 12 years. Instead the unforgettable moment will be the Devils’ Game 7 collapse. New Jersey was 80 seconds away from eliminating the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round when they gave… Read Original Post Here
Flyers captain Mike Richards will have surgery this week to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, and also needs surgery on his left shoulder and faces to 10 to 12 weeks of rehabilitation. Richards will have surgery on the right shoulder Friday and then have the left one repaired once he regains motion on his right side. Read Original Post Here
Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is a finalist for a second straight Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. Fellow Russians Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pavel Datsyuk of the Detroit Red Wings were also among the finalists announced by the league Wednesday. The winner will be revealed June 18 at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas. Read Original Post Here
The frugal New Jersey Devils have several off-season decisions to make regarding their seven unrestricted free agents with restricted salary-cap space, expected to be about $17 million, the New York Daily News reported.
Their notable free agents are center John Madden, who will be 36 on Monday, and right wing Brian Gionta, who reportedly made $4 million this year for scoring just 20 goals. The Devils value experience and defensively responsible players such as Madden. Lamoriello will have to weigh the cost of Madden’s experience against a bump in his salary, reportedly $2.93 million this season, according to the Daily News.
Finally, Lamoriello will look to upgrade the defense. Its mainstays — Colin White, Paul Martin, Mike Mottau and Bryce Salvador — are locked up through next season, but the Devils could benefit from a more physical presence in front of Brodeur next year.
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Very early in the season, just making the NHL Playoffs might have been enough for the Chicago Blackhawks. But those goals changed in November, according to the Chicago Tribune.
"Those goals changed probably in November," veteran defenseman Brian Campbell said. "Now it’s dream big and go after it all. We have the horses to do it and who knows what can happen."
Chicago has already surpassed their modest expectations and now have their sights set on making history as they make their first appearance in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since 1996.
"That was the goal at the start of the year, to make the playoffs," winger Patrick Kane said. "Then you see how rookies step up and different players come into their own. So far the year has been pretty successful. We don’t want to stop here, though. We want to keep going."
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