Habs backup goalie Jaroslav Halak has gotten more ice time than franchise goalie Carey Price, which might mean the latter player will soon be traded.  More and more, it appears management is pushing to see if Halak has what it takes to be a top NHL goalie, and he’s definitely shown flashes.  Price was supposed to be Montreal’s goalie of today and the future, things just aren’t working out that way.  The 2005 fifth overall draft pick took the NHL by storm in his rookie year, with a .920 save percentage in 41 games played and an average of a Quality Start per game.  Unfortunately, goaltending performances fluctuate from season to season more often than at any other position, and too many expectations were placed on the British Columbia native too soon.  The past year has been nothing short of a disaster for Price, but maybe he will get a second chance to prove he’s a starting goalie elsewhere.

When talking about Atlanta’s defensive corps you realize that they’re just missing a veteran blueliner who can anchor the young talent and mold them into winners.  If not for his broken leg, Zach Bogosian could have forced his way into the Rookie of the Year discussion.  The 18-year-old came on strong in the second half, playing heavy minutes and making an impact at both ends of the ice, giving every indication that he’s on his way to becoming a true franchise defenceman.  Tobias Enstrom is undersized, but is a smooth skater with good puck skills who has proven to be very durable in two NHL seasons.  He should have an even greater impact with more consistent power play time next season.  Last summer’s big free agent acquisition, Ron Hainsey, put up a career-best 39 points, but he also struggled at times in his own end.  Nevertheless, Hainsey has shown that he’s capable of fulfilling a top-four role and, with the right partner, can be effective defensively.

As for the Thrashers netminders, when he’s healthy, Kari Lehtonen has the skills to be a number one goaltender, yet he’s played more than 50 games just once in his four NHL seasons.  With a potential logjam in the crease, Lehtonen could be the bait if the Thrashers are inclined to make a significant trade this summer.  Naturally, the return would have to be significant, like a first-line forward or top four defenceman, to get talks moving.  If Lehtonen is moved, that would create an opening for top prospect Ondrej Pavelec, who has played well in the American Hockey League, but his results in 19 career NHL games have been uneven, so it would take a leap of faith to simply hand the 21-year-old a starting job.

With their pick in the NHL entry draft they selected with the 4th pick overall Evander Cane.  Cane is a 6′1″ 176 lbs center out of Vancouver of the WHL.  He has power forward qualities from the blue line in. He’s the type of player who doesn’t like being denied access to the net. You can almost see when he’s got the puck he’s going to the net and defying people to stop him. He’ll be a 200-pound forward in the NHL when he’s finished filling out physically.  He plays like he’s 6-2, 6-3, bigger than his size which is always a plus when playing against the likes of dominant NHL centers.

All in all what’s most realistic for Atlanta is to keep adding a few pieces for the next year or two, gain some consistency and experience some big games and hopefully then they’ll be ready to challenge for a deep run in the Stanley cup playoffs.

The Florida Panthers locked up one of their young cornerstones by signing forward David Booth to a six-year contract worth $25.5 million.  Booth led the Panthers with a career-best 31 goals along with a personal-high of 60 points in 72 games.  In three seasons, all with Florida, the 24-year-old has recorded 56 goals and 110 points in 193 games.  The Panthers also have re-signed winger Radek Dvorak to a two-year deal averaging $1.7 million a season.  Dvorak played 81 games with the Panthers last season, scoring 15 goals and 36 points.  Stephen Weiss’s gradual development since he was drafted fourth overall in 2001 has led to his being underrated in recent seasons, but that shouldn’t be the case any longer after he put up a career-high 61 points and plus-19 rating last season. Weiss needs to keep improving offensively if he’s wants to become a true top NHL centerman.

Goaltending was an obvious strength for the Panthers last season, allowing the most shots in the league, yet tied for ninth in goals against.  Tomas Vokoun was brilliant at times and finished with a career-best six shutouts and .926 save percentage.  If he’s not an elite NHL goaltender, he’s not too far off that level.

With the 14th pick in the NHL draft the Panthers selected defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.  He’s a great skater who can carry and shoot the puck well.  He’s strong, he can take big hits and they don’t seem to bother him.  He knows when to join the rush and recognizes the holes but he plays defense first.  He shoots the puck well on the powerplay and I believe that he will have cracked the panther lineup early next year.

Florida’s really not that far off from challenging for a playoff spot but if they have any aspirations of really contending for the Stanley Cup trophy then all of their young core will have to rise to  a level of play beyond anyone’s wild expectations.  We’ll see if the Panther’s can pull it off.  Stranger things have happened.

The Hurricanes have hitched the franchise wagon to Eric Staal and he’s showing increased maturity in that role. Though he was effectively shut down in the Eastern Conference Final, Staal rose to the occasion in the playoffs, scoring nine goals in the first 11 postseason games.  Just as importantly, Staal put up the first plus season of his career, with a plus-15 rating in a season that saw him hit the 40-goal plateau for the second time in his career.  Staal’s late surge showed just how dangerous he can be with the right linemates.  After doing precious little for the Hurricanes in the regular season, Jussi Jokinen was a surprise playoff hero, scoring seven goals, including three game-winners and the crucial tying goal in Game Seven against New Jersey.  Erik Cole is another player the Canes will count on for offensive scoring punch, he is a fast skater who’s not afraid of contact and can put the puck in the net.

Coming off the best season of his career, during which he set career-bests in wins, goals against average, save percentage and shutouts, Ward has established himself as one of the top young goaltenders in the game.  The run to the conference finals was a preview of Ward coming into his prime.  The backup role isn’t of utmost importance, but Michael Leighton is serviceable for the dozen or so starts that are required of him.  A tad more consistency from Leighton would be nice, but it’s admittedly not easy when playing so sporadically.

The Canes have agreed to a three-year deal with right winger Tom Kostopoulos worth more than $2.7 million.  He will make $700,000 next season, $950,000 the following year and $1.1 million in the final year of the deal.  Kostopoulos will bring grit to the lineup and can help on the penalty kill.  With this signing Carolina addressed the need for a grind it out type player who will make his linemates better as well as some added toughness to a team that got pushed around a bit last year before going on a playoff run to the Eastern Conference finals. Kostopoulos had eight goals and 14 assists in 78 games with Montreal last year.

Bottom line is that if Goalie Cam Ward can have a repeat performance in 2009-2010 season and the offense comes together, then we’ll probably see a repeat of this year’s Eastern Conference finals.  However there could be a different outcome this time.

One step forward that Philly’s GM took was trading for Anaheim’s defenseman Chris Pronger and left winger Ryan Dingle.  Philly gave up RW Joffrey Lupul, D Luca Sbisa and two first-round picks creating an opening spot on offense.  Flyers are hoping that forward Claude Giroux ( who was the Flyers 1st round pick in 2006 ) will play a more significant role next season so that there’s no dropoff in offensive production.

At 6-foot-6, Pronger is poised, can handle the puck and is well-renowned for his tendency to play on the edge, whether it’s with high hits or menacing work with the stick.  Last season, Pronger put up 48 points, the ninth time in the last ten seasons that he has surpassed 40 points (the only year he didn’t was in 2002-2003 when he played just five games due to wrist surgery), so he’s established a high level of consistency.  He’s also a workhorse, having played at least 26 minutes per game in each of the last five seasons and his edgy style should not only endear him to a Flyers fan base that enjoys guys who don’t mind getting nasty, it will help Philly in their attempts to shut down the top scorers in the Eastern Conference.  Dingle is a 25-year-old journeyman forward, who has produced little in two years at the pro level after scoring 80 points in 78 games in his last two seasons with the University of Denver.  The Flyers are hoping that the light will finally turn on for Dingle.  Braydon Coburn didn’t develop as expected, yet still logged big minutes on the Flyers blueline.  He possesses a rare combination of size, mobility and passing ability, so he should be more productive than he was last season, maybe playing alongside Pronger will help Coburn take that next step towards stardom.

Philadelphia feels that they have addressed their goaltending needs by acquiring new goalies Ray Emery and Brian Boucher.  Emery agreed to a one-year contract with the Flyers worth about $1.5 million.  Emery played last year in Russia’s KHL and dominated the competition with a 2.12 GAA and .920 save percentage, but will he be ready for the superior NHL competition since his semi-banishment.  Emery’s contract was bought out by the Senators in June 2008, ending a tempestuous time marked by a run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2006-07, but also tardiness to practice, fights with teammates and accusations he was poisoning the dressing-room atmosphere.  Philly is poised to believe that he has gotten his head together and is again ready to prove he belongs in the NHL where he helped the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007.

Another Little Tidbit

They’ll face the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day 2010 in the NHL’s Winter Classic.

The Rangers will be bringing back forward Ryan Callahan, as they came to terms with the restricted free agent on a multi-year deal.  This will help, last season the 24-year-old right winger set career highs with 22 goals and 40 points in 81 games.  They also signed winger Ales Kotalik to a three-year contract worth $9 million.  Kotalik had 20 goals and 43 points in 75 games with the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers last season, the fourth time in six seasons he reached the 20-goal mark.

The big move that the Rangers have made so far is signing free agent forward Marian Gaborik formerly of the Minnesota Wild.  The star winger has agreed to a five-year, $37.5 million contract.  Gaborik is now at the forefront of the Rangers’ offense.  He already proved he could score under the defensive-style system run by former Wild coach Jacques Lemaire so it’s going to be very interesting to watch to see how he does with head coach John Tortorella’s uptempo, attack-oriented system.  Tortorella took over for Tom Renney in February and attempted to jolt the team out of a defense-first style in the final months of the regular season and postseason.   The Rangers desperately need the scoring a healthy Gabork can provide.  He has 219 goals and 437 points in 502 career games and had a career-high 42 goals and 83 points in 77 games as recent as two seasons ago.  Gaborik was the third overall selection out of Slovakia in 2000 NHL draft and is a two-time All-Star.  The Rangers also added 20-goal scorer Christopher Higgins in the Gomez deal and will have a full season from late-season addition Sean Avery.  The Rangers signed enforcer Donald Brashear away from the Washington Capitals.  Brashear led the Capitals with 119 penalty minutes, and had one goal and four points in 63 games.

Last season, the Rangers had an excruciatingly thin defence corps, that was part of the reason for their breakdown in the playoffs.  The first move to address the defense came when the Rangers inked Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy out of Boston University.  Gilroy, who will be a 25-year-old rookie and they’re looking for him to come in and make a difference.

For all their question marks, the Rangers at least have a strong backbone in goal.  Henrik Lundqvist has played at least 70 games, winning 37 or more, for three straight seasons.  He can go through occasional bouts of inconsistency, but Lundqvist should be the least of the Rangers’ worries.  Their backup situation is covered by Steven Valliquette.

With their first round draft pick the Rangers selected 18 year old center Chris Kreider.  Kreider is an excellent skater with explosive speed and acceleration. His short-distance speed is exceptional.  He sees the play ahead of time and knows what he’s going to do with the puck as soon as he gets it.  He is an excellent passer and playmaker.  His foot speed, combined with his anticipation and quick stick, gives him the ability to create turnovers and gain puck possession.  He is a constant threat to develop breakaways on the penalty-killing unit.  He has both an excellent wrist and slap shot, which he disguises well and releases quickly.  He can score goals in a number of ways. New York is hoping that he can come in and contribute right away.

Now that New York’s GM is giving Tortorella what he needs in personnel, expect the Rangers to be competitive in the Eastern Conference.  It’s always a good situation for Hockey when New York is amongst it’s leaders.  The largest television market in both Canada and the U.S. has to be exploited for hockey to be able to bring in huge multi-million television contracts.  More money for teams leads to better players being  acquired and the level of play increasing and that;s a win-win situation for everyone.

In another move by the Maple Leafs they shored up their goaltending woes with the signing of  swedish goalie  Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson.  Gustavsson signed a one-year deal with the Leafs worth $810,000, including a signing bonus of $90,000, to back up current starter Vesa Toskala.  Labeled the best goaltender outside of the NHL last season, the 6′3″, 181 lb backstop was the top goalie in the Swedish Elite League last season while playing for Farjestad. He posted a 1.96 goals against average and a save percentage of .932 in the regular season, and led the team to the league championship this spring.  These two playing together should make Toronto a real threat in the eastern conference next season.  The team also signed first round draft pick Nazem Kadri, and a group of five other players including Ben Ondrus and Ryan Hamilton.

Now that Gustavsson has been signed another free agent goaltender will now be able to figure out were he will be playing next season. Philadelphia Flyer free agent Martin Biron will now be receiving calls from the San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars which will probably be bidding on the 31-year-old netminder.

The Chicago Blackhawks are reportedly on the verge of finalizing a three-year contract worth more than $9 million with free agent forward Kris Versteeg.   The contract is similar to the one signed by defenceman Cam Barker on Monday.  Versteeg was a Calder trophy finalist this past season and is a key component to the Blackhawks young nucleus which made it to the western conference finals this past season.

Chris Pronger has signed a seven-year contract extension with the team worth $35 million.  The contract also includes a no-movement clause, meaning Pronger, 34, is likely to wrap up his time in the NHL as a member of the Flyers.  Pronger was sent from the Anaheim Ducks to Philadelphia along with forward Ryan Dingle in exchange for forward Joffrey Lupul, defenceman Luca Sbisa, two first-round draft picks and a conditional third-round pick in 2010 or 2011.

The Vancouver Canucks apparently filled their back-up goaltending position today with the signing of free agent goaltender Andrew Raycroft.  He signed a one-year, one-way deal at $500,00.  What I don’t understand is that Vancouver has prize prospect Cory Schneider, the Manitoba Moose goalie who was named the AHL’s top stopper last season and who has nothing left to prove at that level.  I’m sure Vancouver knows Schneider’s trade value will only increase next season as the backup to Roberto Luongo, (who’s expected to soon sign a long-term contract extension) especially if he gets enough starts behind the Canucks workhorse.  Then what of Raycroft?  Is he in a battle with Schneider for the backup job or is somebody expendable in all this?  I’m still trying to figure this one out.

What this team lacks is a veteran presence.  While the Bruins have a true veteran and three-time Cup winner on the blue line in Aaron Ward, they could use another veteran forward to help mentor their younger players along with Mark Recchi.  The answer to that problem could be Columbus Blue Jackets un-restricted free agent Micheal Peca.  Peca, who has been an NHL captain with two different teams, would be a solid addition with his defensive skill and experience.  It could be the missing ingredients Boston requires to push it to a championship level next season.  He also is expected to ask for a reasonable salary, a key factor when GM Peter Chiarelli is trying to fit all his young stars under the salary cap.

Boston had the 25th pick in the draft and selected Jordan Caron, a big right winger from Rimouski of the QMJHL. Caron is a big body, skates well and possesses a big shot.  He is a very steady, dependable player.  He scored 36 goals this season, but some will say that’s an inflated number in a high-scoring league.  He should fit in nicely on Boston’s 2nd or 3rd line.

While Jason Chara leads Boston’s solid group of blueliners there’s room for improvement.  But obviously they’re really pressed by salary-cap limitations.  Look for them to try to add someone who can make a difference.  They may be able to get that player if they decide to trade Kessel.

One thing Boston doesn’t have to worry about is their goaltending.  Vezina trophy winner Tim Thomas has that position all taken care of and backup Manny Fernandez with 16-8 reord last year is more than the Bruins could have asked for.  With these two tending goal, it will be difficult for teams to beat the Bruins.

The city of Boston had high hopes for their team this past season, with the unexpected loss to Carolina in the second round of the playoffs it just puts even more pressure on the Bruins for next season.  Bruins management and their fans will be demanding nothing short of a Stanley Cup victory.

Cam Ward made 21 saves but lost a playoff series for the first time in his NHL career. He had been 5-0 in elimination games for the Hurricanes, I guess both of those streaks came to an end.  You can’t place all the blame on Ward, he played solid in all four games.  He just didn’t have the help on defense that he needed to be spectacular.  For Carolina it’s now up to their General Manager to make a few moves in the off-season to shore up those holes that were exposed this year.  Don’t count them out, they’ll be back next year.

Carolina on the other hand is in all kinds of trouble.  The Canes stars have all but disappeared in this series.  Eric Staal has pretty much been a non-factor and Eric Cole is battling injuries.  Also where has Ray Whitney the Canes leading scorer in the regular season gone. He has been a complete non-factor. It’s no wonder Carolina is having trouble scoring and keeping up.  Cam Ward while he hasn’t been spectacular he also hasn’t really given up any soft goals.  He is fighting but he needs help from his defensemen and they are being overwhelmed.  Game four tonight in all likelihood will be the Hurricanes final game of the season.

Over in the Western Conference the situation isn’t really that different from the east.  The Chicago Blackhawks also have their backs up against the wall trailing the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 in the best of seven series.  The Wings have proved to be too strong for the youthful Blackhawks to overcome.  They’re going to go to the finals (sorry, Hawks) without getting top-end production from many of their top guys.  That’s what is so impressive.  No Pavel Datsyuk, no Nicklas Lidstrom, no Tomas Kopecky, no problem in Game 4.  Throughout these playoffs Chicago has played with a lot of energy and passion, they just don’t have the experience to beat a team like Detroit.  It also doesn’t help when you lose your starting goalie to  an injury.  Nikolai Khabibulin at least kept things close and gave Chicago a chance to win but without him the Hawks virtually stand no chance at winning.  This years accomplishments will set the stage for the Hawks to have successful future runs at the Stanley Cup for the next few seasons.

Check out these highlights of the best plays of the week.