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BY: DUSTIN POLLACK

It was a nice idea. The thought that three rising stars under the age of 22 would lead the Edmonton Oilers to the franchises first playoff birth since their Cinderella-like run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2006.

But just over three months after Edmonton collected its seventh win at the end of October and sat at an impressive 7-2-2 as one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Oilers season has taken a harsh yet perhaps reasonable turn. Continue reading →

BY: DUSTIN POLLACK

If it’s at all possible, Sidney Crosby looked better in his return to the NHL after a 10-month layoff than he did when he left (He was on pace for 64 goals and 132 points.) Crosby’s return on November 21st was emphatic; the 24-year-old scored two goals and added two assists, leading the Penguins to a 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders.

But now, less than a month after his triumphant return, Crosby is back on the shelf, for an indefinite amount of time. Once again every hockey fan crosses their fingers and holds their breath hoping he returns sooner than later, better than ever, perhaps even concussion proof although we all know that’s not possible. And the odds of him experiencing another setback at some point are all the more likely. Continue reading →

BY: DUSTIN POLLACK

There’s something special about the Boston Bruins. Something unique about how they didn’t have any one player tally more than 70 points or score more than 30 goals last year. Something bizarre in that their three best players combined for nearly 300 penalty minutes  in 2011 — the season they won the Stanley Cup. No forward on their team makes more than $5 million a season and only one player one their roster makes more than $6 million. They aren’t built around a pure sniper or superstar power forward, rather they’re built around three lines that can score, a defensive unit that brings a halt to any sort of oppositional speed and a goaltender who in just five years as a starter is working towards his third Vezina Trophy and second Stanley Cup. Continue reading →

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BY: ADAM HALBERSTADT

Sitting amidst the top of the cluttered pack in the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves in a favourable position 24 games into the season.

Led by opportune scoring and a lineup filled with blistering speed, the Leafs have done exactly what many believed they needed to do in order to end seven years of playoff futility – get off to a hot start. Continue reading →

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BY: DUSTIN POLLACK

Joe Nieuwendyk’s situation in Dallas hasn’t exactly been ideal.

For starters, last season he had to deal with an ownership group unwilling to spend and thus was forced to watch his franchise player Brad Richards head to the bright lights of Broadway, really for no other reason other than Nieuwendyk’s inability to offer him the type of long term, big-money contract that he was looking for.

And it’s not that the Stars didn’t have the money to offer Richards. Currently they’re one of the lowest spending teams in the NHL and have close to $13 million in cap space. The type of money that if a big market team had, could be used to sign two top-line players. Continue reading →

BY: DUSTIN POLLACK

Thursday, June 23rd 2011. In just one day, the Philadelphia Flyers changed the entire make up of their franchise.

Out was captain Mike Richards and leading-scorer Jeff Carter and in was what the Flyers had seemingly needed for years, a proven goaltender. Ilya Bryzgalov came to Philadelphia with a great track record and was supposedly the one who could put an end to the merry-go-round of puck-stoppers who minded the nets in Philadelphia for years. Most recently, during the 2011 playoffs fans watched three different goaltenders attempt to lead the Flyers to the top of the NHL. All three played a part in the Flyers demise and early second round exit at the hands of the Boston Bruins, the eventual Stanley Cup champions.

So in just one day the Flyers went from a team that relied on depth scoring to one that was committing itself to a game-stealing goaltender. A commitment that cost the franchise $51 million over nine years. Continue reading →