October Report Cards, Part 1

Note: Records are prior to games on November 1st.

Anaheim Ducks (10-3-1)
Grade: B+
It's nothing short of a miracle that Anaheim has notched 21 of a possible 28 points with their special teams being this bad. They cannot sustain this streak if the power play and penalty kill continue to falter. I don't care how good their other metrics are, when you don't punish teams for committing penalties and don't bail yourself out when shorthanded, you're not going to see long-term success.

Boston Bruins (8-4-0)
Grade: B+
An uncharacteristically sloppy penalty kill is the story here. Boston is getting enough goal scoring and playing stellar defense as usual, but that PK needs a boost. Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand are off to slow starts, but the slack has been picked up by David Krejci (11 assists) and Milan Lucic (12 points) thus far. They suffered a tough loss to Pittsburgh the other night but rebounded nicely in a shootout win over Anaheim.

Buffalo Sabres (2-12-1)
Grade: F
I really didn't want to give this team an F simply because this is a rebuilding year and many correctly pegged this team to be the worst in hockey, but after scanning their stats I couldn't justify giving them a better score. If the PK were in the top ten I probably would've bumped them to a D- on the grounds that they were doing something right. However, 82%, while serviceable, isn't anything to celebrate. Trading Thomas Vanek for Matt Moulson was a complete fleece job by Darcy Regier as he continues to stockpile picks.

Calgary Flames (5-5-2)
Grade: B-
Was going to give them a higher grade until I saw the defense and special teams. Make no mistake, their record is still a surprise to me (hence the probably inflated B-), but it's a far cry from their hot start in the first few games. Sean Monahan has been the catalyst for this group, though he's disappeared a bit in their last few outings. They need to get him going again. They also need to figure out the goaltending situation, because the committee so far hasn't gotten it done.

Carolina Hurricanes (4-5-3)
Grade: D+
They should thank the rest of the Metropolitan Division (sans Pittsburgh) for being so putrid this season, because somehow the 4-5-3 Hurricanes are in second place. Nobody has reached double digit points yet and only four players have a plus rating. The goaltending has quite literally been a three-ring circus, with Cam Ward and Justin Peters faltering while Anton Khudobin has been sharp. Khudobin's on IR now though, so Ward and Peters have to play better... Ward especially, since he's the starter.

Chicago Blackhawks (8-2-3)
Grade: B+
They're scoring, they're converting on the power play, and they're getting a lot of pucks to the net. Defense has been an adventure so far, though, with the NHL's worst PK not helping matters. You can only mask bad defense with good offense for so long, but if the Hawks are driving possession and applying a solid forecheck, the penalty kill numbers will come up some.

Colorado Avalanche (10-1-0)
Grade: A
This team was doing everything right until Semyon Varlamov turned himself in to police amid charges of kidnapping and domestic violence. Backup Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been great so far, so it looks like the Avs will be alright for the time being in net. Who would've thought they'd be 10-1 through the first month and that it would be the defense that got them there? The trade that brought in Max Talbot will only help them continue to be solid in their own end.

Columbus Blue Jackets (5-6-0)
Grade: C
The Blue Jackets look like a team that is just trying to stem the tide right now. They're still without Nathan Horton for the foreseeable future so they will be missing a major offensive weapon going forward, but even at 5-6 they're right in the thick of it in the Metropolitan Division, where they sit in 4th place. They have to improve the special teams and find some more scoring, but if they're above .500 when Horton comes back, look out.

Dallas Stars (5-6-1)
Grade: D+
Given the fact that the Central Division has delivered in terms of being iffy in the middle, the last-place Stars don't deserve any better of a grade. They're 1-2-1 against their division rivals thus far and that will not get it done. They've been the model of mediocrity to this point in the NHL and have to improve in all areas of the game if they want to climb up the mountain. I believe it's an issue of depth with this team, as they simply don't have enough on the wings or on defense.

Detroit Red Wings (7-4-2)
Grade: C+
Let me put it this way: this team is not trending in the right direction. The offense has not produced, they've gotten almost nothing from Stephen Weiss so far, and the special teams have been meh. Defensively, they've been good enough to have a winning record, but again the scoring isn't there. Detroit has just 20 points from its defensemen so far, led by Niklas Kronwall with eight. They need more from the backend.

Edmonton Oilers (3-9-2)
Grade: F
This team has been a complete trainwreck after such high hopes to begin the year. Taylor Hall is hurt, Nail Yakupov has been nonexistent, the defense has continued to suck as only they can, and the special teams continue to not produce. This squad is doing nothing well right now. Mark Arcobello is off to a nice start with 10 assists, but when he's tied for your team's lead in scoring, there are serious issues that need to be addressed.

Florida Panthers (3-7-2)
Grade: F
This grade is another case of me wanting to be soft on a team that everyone knew was bad preseason but being unable to justify it. The Panthers have been absolutely brutal so far. Tim Thomas has not been healthy and it's been clear that his body isn't in playing shape yet. Brad Boyes has slowed down, Jonathan Huberdeau hasn't gotten untracked yet and Shawn Matthias is struggling. They need more from their best players.

Los Angeles Kings (9-5-0)
Grade: B
They're currently sitting in fifth place in the stacked Pacific Division, but that's no reason to count the Kings out. Aside from their goal scoring, they've been solid overall. Anze Kopitar is off to a great start and the defense has both kept them in and won games. They'd like to see an increase across the board; these are not the numbers of a Stanley Cup contender. However, they don't need to be yet, that can wait until the playoffs.

Minnesota Wild (6-4-3)
Grade: B-
I can't figure this team out. They aren't scoring, but have a great power play. The defense has been stingy, but the penalty kill has been a sieve. Josh Harding has played admirably in net so far, but this team needs Nicklas Backstrom to be healthy and playing his best hockey if they're going to improve upon their success from a season ago. Also, where has Dany Heatley been? Has anyone seen him?

Montreal Canadiens (8-5-0)
Grade: B+
With the statistics that they've put up across the board, Montreal should probably have a better record than they do. They're trending in the right direction, but they need to get more pucks to the net. It's going to be tough to maintain such a low goals against average, so the more they can help out the goaltending by driving possession, the better off they'll be.

30 Teams, 30 Days - Florida Panthers

Not much went right for the Florida Panthers last year, as they finished last in the NHL with just 36 points. They also allowed the most goals in the league and were outscored by an average of 1.27 per game, which for lack of better terms is ridiculously bad. They do have some exciting young talent, so if nothing else they'll be fun to watch. The realignment matches them with the former Northeast Division, its old rival Tampa Bay, and conference newcomer Detroit. Suffice it to say, the Panthers will have an uphill battle this year.

Projected Forward Lines:

Tomas Fleischmann - Shawn Matthias - Kris Versteeg
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alexander Barkov - Drew Shore
Sean Bergenheim - Marcel Goc - Tomas Kopecky
Scottie Upshall - Scott Gomez - Joey Crabb
Nick Bjugstad - Jesse Winchester

Expect these lines to look very different by season's end. Bjugstad and Barkov will probably be the top two centers late in the year, with Huberdeau moving up to the 1LW slot. As stated in the intro, this is a young and fast group who will make games exciting. They may not score a lot, they may not win a lot, but they'll be entertaining while doing whatever they'll be doing. Matthias really broke out last year with some huge goals and I believe he'll be the 1C on opening night... or at least he should be. The kid line will be the most exciting, and if you haven't seen any of Huberdeau, now is the time to go on YouTube and watch videos of him. There's plenty on there to enjoy.

Projected Defensive Pairings:

Ed Jovanovski - Brian Campbell
Dmitry Kulikov - Filip Kuba
Eric Gudbranson - Mike Weaver
Matt Gilroy

The defense brings years of experience to the table and should help pace the Panthers in the early going. Jovanovski and Campbell are both offensive threats, and Kuba's big shot is not to be overlooked. Gudbranson is the young gun of the bunch and he is already a very responsible defender. The Panthers brought Gilroy in to compete for a job and I think he'll end up as the 7th defenseman on the depth chart. This unit as a whole has to be leaps and bounds better, though, but at least from where they were last year, there's nowhere to go but up.

Goaltending:

Jacob Markstrom
Scott Clemmensen

This is Markstrom's job to lose now. He's been waiting in the wings for three years now, and he has to assume the starter position and perform well for this team to have any sort of success this year. He is 10-19-2 in his NHL career, with a 3.09 GAA and a .906 save percentage (yuck). It would obviously help him greatly if the bumbling defense in front of him didn't hang him out to dry so much, but it's a two-way street; Markstrom has to prove that he can win at this level. He does have a quality backup in Clemmensen, so the Panthers can turn to him if need be.

Special Teams:

Florida was actually very good on the power play, finishing 6th with a 20.4% conversion rate. Their problem was getting the power play on the ice, as their 142 opportunities were the 5th-fewest in the NHL. There are plenty of players on this team that skate well, but they must use it to their advantage to draw penalties and give themselves a better chance to score. They were pretty good at staying out of the box too, sitting in the top ten in fewest times shorthanded, but they still had a -9 differential and they were completely awful on the penalty kill. They posted a woeful 74.2% kill rate, worst in the league. Between Markstrom, the defense, and the forwards, they all must rally together and fix that atrocity.

X-Factor:

The progress of Huberdeau, Barkov, Markstrom, and Bjugstad. These guys are the future of the franchise, without a doubt. Florida is going to finish far out of the playoffs this year and so it behooves them to play the rookies and other young players as much as possible this season. Get them as many games out of the full 82 as possible. Let them skate, score, make mistakes, and learn. While it's true that just two years ago, a completely ragtag group of guys playing for the Panthers rode their experience, grittiness, and 18 overtime losses to a division title, they won't be able to duplicate that this year. Not in a situation where they go from the weakest division to one where the top five can match up pretty well with any other division's top five. It's a good time for Dale Tallon to take stock and see where he wants to take this team in the future.

The Panthers will make the playoffs if...

... nope.

The Panthers will miss the playoffs if...

... no if. They will miss the playoffs. The only things that matter this year is how the youth fares and whether or not Markstrom can be counted on for the future.

Training Camp!! Start of the 2013/14 Season!

Today marked the 1st day of training camp for NHL teams. The teams went through their physicals today and will begin on-ice portion of training camp tomorrow. With a number of players still unsigned, both UFA and RFA, some key players on teams are missing the beginning of their teams camp. A few key players that are missing the start of training camp include Derek Stepan (Rangers), Cody Franson (Leafs), Alex Pietrangelo (Blues), and Jared Cowen (Senatrors). Restricted Free Agents Cody Hodgson and Nazem Kadri both signed contracts earlier today and was able to participate in the physical portion of training camp.

A number of UFA's who did not sign with any teams are participating in PTO (professional try outs). Some of these players include Mason Raymond who will be in Toronto's training camp, Johan Hedburg in the Rangers training camp, Radek Martinek and Justin Johnson in the Islanders camp, and Brad Boyes in the Panthers training camp. There's others who have been invited and will be participating in teams camps on a PTO basis.

Off-Season Update

Here is a list of recent Offseason signings and some thoughts on each of them.

-  Dustin Penner has returned to the Anahiem Ducks with a 1 year deal worth 2 Million. I feel that this was a good signing for the Ducks as they added a top 6 forward with good size at 6'4" and 240 lbs. In the shorten season, he had 14 points in 33 games but he was mostly on the 3rd line and the 2nd Power Play unit for the Kings. I feel that with the Ducks, he could be on the 1st or 2nd line and we could see about 45-60 points this upcoming season. He was with the Ducks when they won the cup in 06-07 and he will fit in nicely on either the top line line Getzlaf and Perry or the second line with Selanne (still an UFA).

-  Detroit has resigned Brendan Smith to a 2 year deal worth 2.525 million per year. Brendan Smith was the 1st round pick of the Red Wings in 2007 and is a top 4 defenceman for the Wings. I feel that the Wings gave a little bit too much money for the young Dman but at 24 and only 2 years of NHL experience, he still has a lot of potential to be solid on the blue-line.

-  Islanders resign Josh Bailey to a 5 year deal worth 16.5 million. I feel that this is a great signing for the Islanders. Bailey, 9th overall in the 2008 draft, is only 23 and has become a solid 2nd line center for the Islanders.  He plays on both the PK and the PP and was an important piece in the Islanders reaching the playoffs. In the shorten season, he was able to accumulate 19 points in 38 games and I can see him getting around 40-50 points in a full season.

- Alec Martinez has been resigned by the Los Angeles Kings to a 2 year deal. Terms have not been released yet. Since the terms of the deal has not been released, it's a bit difficult to put a full review on this signing. That being said, I feel the Kings have resigned an important part of their team. Martinez is a 3rd line defenceman on a team that is build around Drew Doughty. Based on his first deal, I feel that the terms of the deal will be about 1.3 million or so. If it is, I feel that the Kings were able to re-sign a key part of their defensive unit.

- Jacob Markstrom signs a 2 year deal with Panthers. Terms have yet to be released. Markstrom is the future goalie of the Florida Panthers but its taking a bit longer than thought. He plays for a rebuilding Panthers team that will be better with the addition of 2nd overall Aleksander Barkov. I feel that Markstrom will be a solid starting goalie but he is only 23 and the Panthers will still be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference for a few more years.