NHL’S Rookies and Veterans Showing Their Stuff In Pre-Season

It didn’t take long for rookie John Tavares to produce the first point of his young professional career.  The 2009 first-overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft assisted on Matt Moulson’s second period power-play goal Sunday as the New York Islanders beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in pre-season play.  Tavares failed to register a point in his professional debut when the Oilers topped the Islanders 3-2 in Edmonton on Wednesday.  One thing is for sure, Islander fans are very excited about the potential of their new star.  After watching him play a few games it seems to me that Tavares is already comfortable with the speed of the game and it won’t be long before the boys from Uniondale start to cause problems for the rest of the NHL.

Following a six-year absence from the National Hockey League, Theoron Fleury is trying to crack the Calgary Flames’ lineup at the age of 41.  Last night he took one step closer to achieving his goal.  He scored on a breakaway with 7:53 left in the 3rd period and he assisted on another earlier in the game.  It was his 2nd goal of the preseason after he scored the game-winner in a shootout against the Islanders in his first game.  Many people in hockey were doubting whether or not Fleury would be able to still compete at such a high level, after last night’s performance it looks like he still has a little juice left in the tank.

A few days ago I said that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy got the first chance to replace Max Talbot and play alongside Evgeni Malkin and Ruslan Fedotenko.  Since the move he’s playing so well that the question isn’t whether he’ll be able to substitute for Talbot — it’s whether he’ll replace Talbot, even when the injured player comes back.  Kennedy has been a pleasant surprise for the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.  This is just what the league wants to hear, the Pens getting stronger.

At some point, it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs 2009 1st round draft pick Nazem Kadri wasn’t going to make the team — it was a sure thing.  But Kadri has played so well that the buzz is that he definitely has a chance to stick.  The thinking is that he could mesh well on a line with newly acquired Phil Kessel.  Both are young and can understand each others game.  Kessel will be looked upon to help Kadri develop.  It seems like the Maple Leafs future is bright.