Right by half

Colorado has hired Dallas Assistant GM Francois Giguere to be their new general manager. The link is worth taking; it gives an amusing story about Giguere's early days as an Avalanche employee under then-new GM Pierre Lacroix. It looks like the second coming of The Fog will not be happening in Boston after all. Pittsburgh is now positioned to announce -- as early as today -- that they have hired Ray Shero to be their new GM. Not to be outdone, the Bruins are set to announce the hiring of Ottawa Assistant General Manager Pete Chiarelli as their new GM.

Slim pickings

The Toronto Star's Damien Cox checks in today with a few notes on what the free agent market will look like this offseason for the Maple Leafs. One warning, Leafs fans -- it doesn't look good for you. The bad news for us Flyers fans is that it's going to be that much worse for us considering who our general manager is. Assuming [the Maple Leafs] won't blow their brains out on an aging veteran centre like Joe Sakic or Doug Weight, the mid-range forwards available may be people like Anson Carter, Sergei Samsonov, Mark Parrish, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jeff Halpern and Matt Cullen. All good players. But not quite the home runs Leaf fans - or even new coach Paul Maurice - had in mind, and some will be re-signed by their current teams before the free agent season begins. There's still the biggees on defence, namely Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden and Ed Jovanovski. All three could be re-signed by their current teams, and the Leafs might yet take themselves out of the running if they decide to give Bryan McCabe the big dough.

Who deserves it?

ESPN.com's John Buccigross writes about the four players that he'd like to see drink from the greatest trophy in professional sports. His number one choice may raise some eyebrows in Philadelphia: 1. Rod Brind'Amour I interviewed Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette last week and mentioned this list of guys I'd like to see win a Stanley Cup. He said Brind'Amour has to be No. 1 of all the players yet to win. Brind'Amour was the ninth player chosen in the 1988 draft by the St. Louis Blues. He played a year of college hockey at Michigan State (CCHA Rookie of the Year), scoring 27 goals in 42 games before joining the Blues in the playoffs. Yes, Brind'Amour's first NHL action was in a Stanley Cup playoff game. He scored two goals in five playoff games at age 18. He is one of those dedicated, hardworking players who drinks protein shakes like John Daly drinks Miller Lites. He can bench-press a '96 Mazda. Those kinds of players are so important to a team because it inspires other players to push themselves and not let down the guy who sets the example. Brind'Amour does not yet have a Hall of Fame résumé -- one All-Star Game, two Cup finals. In 1997, his Flyers were swept by the Red Wings. In 2002, his Hurricanes lost in five to the Red Wings.

News & Notes

There are quite a few things to get to today: First up is a report from TSN.ca -- via The Boston Globe -- that the Bruins have offered their vacant general manager post to Nashville Assistant GM Ray Shero. (Flyers fans take note: yes, Shero is the son of the late, great Fred Shero.) Second is that -- as first noted on Friday -- the Los Angeles Kings have officially announced the hiring of Marc Crawford as their new head coach. This gives the Kings one of the youngest coach/GM tandems in the NHL, with Crawford and new GM Dean Lombardi both checking in at just 45 years old. I'm not sure what to make of this hiring. On the surface, it looks like a good move -- Crawford is a winner, having won a Stanley Cup in Colorado and being a perennial contender in Vancouver. However, if you look at who he's had on his teams -- Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Markus Naslund, a pre-Steve Moore-incident Todd Bertuzzi, among others -- and one has to wonder whether anyone can lose with that kind of talent. I'm willing to give Crawford the benefit of the doubt -- and hopefully Kings fans will, too. Finally, we have word that the front-runner to fill the Colorado general manager vacancy is Dallas Stars Assistant GM Francois Giguere.

Lightning lock up Richards

TSN.ca is reporting that the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Brad Richards to a 5-year contract worth upwards of $39 million. The Lightning now have their three best players under contract for at least the next three seasons, having already signed forwards Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis to multi-year contracts before the season began. It also means that the Lightning now have around $34 million in payroll money tied up in just 13 players. An interesting situation, to say the least. There It Is take: This puts me in a bit of a pickle. I have Richards on my fantasy team and must decide between him and Patrick Marleau on whom to keep. A tough call, to be sure. Marleau playing with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, or Richards with Lecavalier and St. Louis? Any thoughts?

(4) Buffalo Sabres vs. (2) Carolina Hurricanes

I have no idea what to make of this series. Buffalo beat up on the Flyers and then steamrolled Ottawa, while the Hurricanes had a dramatic win over Montreal and then creamed the Devils. I would think Buffalo would have the bigger emotional high coming off the Ottawa win, but who knows? This year's playoffs have been so wacky that it's all just guesswork at this point. Prediction: Carolina in 6 (only because I have to pick someone). Series home page.

(8) Edmonton Oilers vs. (6) Anaheim Mighty Ducks

The Western Conference should officially have its name changed to the "Wild" Western Conference. How else can one explain the #6 seed and the #8 seed making it to the conference finals? Edmonton is coming off an incredible emotional high with its win over San Jose, while Anaheim has had more than a week off after crushing Colorado to rest and recuperate. I think Edmonton wins Game 1 on emotion, but I have to believe that having that week off will help Anaheim over the course of the series. Prediction: Anaheim in 7. Series home page.

Kings set to hire Crawford

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Kings will hire Marc Crawford to be their next coach. Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Marc Crawford is expected to be hired as the Kings' coach, two league sources said, with the deal anticipated to be in place by Monday. Crawford brings a history of success as a head coach. He won a Stanley Cup championship with the Colorado Avalanche in 1995-96 and spent the last seven seasons with the Canucks, reaching the playoffs four times in a row. But they finished ninth in the Western Conference this season and he was fired in April. Crawford would replace John Torchetti, who coached the last 12 games after Andy Murray was fired. [snip] Crawford would bring with him more NHL career victories (411) than any King coach at the time of his hiring. He inherits a team that collapsed at the end of this season, leading to the firing of Murray in March and general manager Dave Taylor in April.

Someone give Neil Little a call

The injuries just keep on coming for the Flyers. Goaltender Antero Niittymaki, playing for Final at the World Championships in Latvia, left the team after tearing his left groin. This after it was already announced he would need surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. It does make one wonder what the hell he was doing playing in the first place. On a humorous sidenote, if I were Niittymaki I'd be a little concerned with the medical treatment I was getting from the Flyers after reading this quote: Flyers athletic trainer Jim McCrossin said a report from the Finnish national team medical staff showed that Niittymaki has a 4-centimeter tear of his left groin. "The good thing about it is that it is located in the mid-muscle belly area, where it is very vascular and it should heal quickly for us," McCrossin said. Let's hope McCrossin meant that the injury heals quickly for the Flyers. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Buffalo 3, Ottawa 2 (OT)

Using what has to be one of the most stunning game-winning goals ever, the Buffalo Sabres ousted the Ottawa Senators from the playoffs. Speeding down the left wing, Sabres forward Jason Pominville turned the corner on Senators forward Daniel Alfredsson and stuffed the puck past goaltender Ray Emery to win the game -- and the series -- for Buffalo. I have seen the replay a few times and still can't believe how easily Pominville got around Alfredsson. James Mirtle calls Alfredsson out for what happened: How Daniel Alfredsson, the captain and spiritual leader of this Ottawa team, can be beaten to the outside in overtime in an elimination game by any one is unfathomable. Whether it was Jason Pominville, Wayne Gretzky, Charlie Huddy, Dominik Hasek or Hamburgler streaking in, you make sure that player doesn't cut in front of the net. It was downright disgraceful. TSN.ca's Bob McKenzie and ESPN.com's Scott Burnside both speculate as to who may or may not be back in Ottawa come September. I wasn't even close on this series, predicting Ottawa in six games. Overall playoff record: 6-4 UPDATE: Senators GM John Muckler is saying that there will be no major changes to the team that finished with the second-best record in the league this year. Muckler might want to ask head coach Bryan Murray what he thinks of that assessment.

Leafs hire Maurice

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that Paul Maurice -- who had been coaching the Leafs' AHL affiliate in Toronto -- has been hired to replace Pat Quinn. Terms of the deal were not announced. Meanwhile, TSN.ca's Bob McKenzie is speculating on Steve Yzerman's retirement decision, saying it's a 50-50 proposition at this point.

Anaheim 4, Colorado 1

Well, I'm off to a good start in the second round. Though, honestly, I didn't see a sweep coming. Did anyone, really? The good news for the Ducks is that they get to sit and rest while the Oilers and Sharks pound on each other for at least two more games. Overall playoff record: 6-3

Walking wounded

Per Daily News beat writer Ed Moran, here's the list of Flyers currently scheduled for surgery and their project rehab time: Donald Brashear -- Surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff; rehab 8 to 9 weeks. Robert Esche -- Surgery to repair a torn hip labrum; rehab unspecified. Peter Forsberg -- Surgery to repair both feet; rehab 7 ½ to 8 months. Simon Gagne -- Surgery to repair a torn hip labrum and remove bone fragments; rehab unspecified. Denis Gauthier -- Surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum; rehab unspecified. Michal Handzus -- Surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and related injuries; rehab 8 to 9 weeks. Derian Hatcher -- Surgery to clean out a small medial meniscus tear in his knee; rehab 10 days. Sami Kapanen -- Surgery to remove the distal end of his right clavicle; rehab 4 weeks. Antero Niittymaki -- Surgery to repair a torn hip labrum; rehab unspecified. Keith Primeau -- Surgery to correct a prior broken nose; rehab unspecified. Branko Radivojevic -- Surgery to repair a torn posterior labrum; rehab 8 weeks. Mike Rathje -- Surgery to repair a torn hip labrum; rehab 5 to 6 weeks. Brian Savage -- Surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum; rehab unspecified. Turner Stevenson -- Surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his knee and a possible repair of a torn hip labrum; rehab up to 12 weeks.

Something in the water . . .

What the hell are they drinking in South Philly? First came word that both Robert Esche and Antero Niittymaki would need surgery to repair torn labrums in their hips. Then it came out that Peter Forsberg would need ankle surgery at some point. Now we find out that Simon Gagne will need surgery for a torn labrum in his hip and that Keith Primeau will have surgery to fix a broken nose and a deviated septum. (Also in the article is a rundown of several other players and their surgical status, along with a mention that forward Mike Knuble will be an in-studio analyst for OLN during tonight's and tomorrow night's broadcasts.) Fellas, please -- start drinking the bottled stuff!!

Play the pass

I couldn't help but notice this piece from Eric at Off Wing Opinion on Friday. It's about Game 1 in the Buffalo-Ottawa series, but he really takes NHL players in general to task for not covering a two-on-one properly. As the Ottawa players entered the zone, [Buffalo defenseman Ales] Kotalik cheated a little toward [Ottawa forward Mike] Fisher on the left wing, but soon dropped to his knees as and attempted a sweep check with his stick as [Ottawa forward Peter] Schaefer drove to the net. With Kotalik's stick along the ice, Schaefer had no choice but to try a backhand high over Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller's glove hand -- and he barely missed, ringing the puck off the inside of the post. It should never have happened. What happened to the defender taking the open man and leaving the shooter to the goalie? Why do we keep seeing NHL-caliber players making such a basic mistake? UPDATE: On OLN, color man Darren Eliot mentioned that the reason the shot got past Miller was because the rookie goalie had to cheat a little to the other post to guard against a pass back to Fisher. Of course, if Kotalik had simply covered Fisher like he should have, Miller wouldn't have had to cheat at all. As someone who dreamed of one day being a defenseman in the NHL, whenever I played I did my best to make sure I covered the pass and let the goalie take the shooter -- just like the commentators always said you should. To have someone else comment on the prevalence of this being mis-played is an amusing thing for me. To make it even better, Eric noticed it again during last night's Colorado-Anaheim game: That [defenseman] Sean O'Donnell of the Mighty Ducks was able to chip the puck up the right wing to [Anaheim forward] Joffrey Lupul, creating a two-on-one break for the Ducks. Breaking with Lupul was [Anaheim forward] Todd Marchant. Back in the Colorado defensive zone was defenseman Karlis Skrastins. Though he initially played toward the middle to cut off a pass from Lupul to Marchant, Skrastins couldn't help himself, and attempted a sweep check to knock Lupul off the puck as he drove onto the Colorado net. Guess what happened next? A wrister to the top shelf to beat [Colorado goaltender] Jose Theodore, and a 2-2 tie. This is becoming all too predictable. What happened to letting the goalie handle the shooter? For some reason, I don't think this will be the last time it happens, nor the last time Eric notices.

San Jose 2, Edmonton 1

I was able to catch most of the third period of last night's Oilers-Sharks game. Trailing 2-1 entering the third, I figured Edmonton would look to come out on fire to try to steal this game from San Jose before heading home for games 3 and 4. Not! They looked awful. At one point, about 7 minutes into the period, San Jose was outshooting Edmonton 10-2!! What?!?! Look, I'm not complaining -- I like the Sharks much more than Edmonton. But, if you want to win a game that you're losing in the third period, I think you need to shoot the puck more than twice. Just a thought. Update: I'm still working on my Flyers post-mortem, so keep your eyes open for that. This week is a bit busy, but I may actually have some time this weekend to post.

And many more . . .

I don't have much to post about today. It was, as usual, a busy weekend. The only game I saw was the Giants-Phillies game on Saturday night. (I'm still marvelling at how the Giants had 11 hits and four walks, yet managed only one run.) No hockey, unfortunately. The one thing I do have is to wish a very happy birthday to one of my best friends, Mike, who has the good fortune of turning 30 today. Give it six and a half weeks, Mike, and then you can rub my nose in it all you want. Until then, enjoy being the old man you are.

(8) Edmonton Oilers vs. (5) San Jose Sharks

Edmonton pulled a major upset in the first round of the playoffs, knocking off the Detroit Red Wings in six games. The Oilers are clearly not a team to be taken lightly. If trade deadline arrival Dwayne Roloson can stay hot, look out -- anything can happen with this team. They skate, hit, and score -- all the ingredients a team needs to win. Standing in the Oilers way in this round, however, is the San Jose Sharks -- a team that does exactly what Edmonton does, except they do it with a Hart Trophy finalist/league-leading scorer. I think Joe Thornton will be the key to this series. If he decides to show up, he can dominate a game like no other. However, it's a foregone conclusion that the Oilers will trot out defensive specialist Michael Peca to keep Thornton off the scoresheet. This will be a great battle to watch, along with the Jonathan Cheechoo-Chris Pronger matchup. The irresistible force meets the immovable object -- and I think the irresistible force wins. Prediction: San Jose in 6. Series home page.

(3) New Jersey Devils vs. (2) Carolina Hurricanes

I think it's safe to say that New Jersey will not have as easy a time of things against Carolina as they did against the Rangers. The Devils have been on a roll, winning 15 straight games, and are well rested -- having not played since April 29. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, won their first round series against Montreal in roundabout fashion -- losing the first two and then winning the next four. Carolina star-in-the-making Eric Staal will look to continue his maturation against the Devils, while Hurricanes center Rod Brind'Amour will be charged with shutting down one of the Devils' big guns -- Patrick Elias, Brian Gionta, or Scott Gomez. This will be a daunting task to say the least. My money's on New Jersey in this series. Experience does count in the playoffs, and the Devils have plenty of it. Also, I think the Hurricanes are a bit overrated and you'll see them fall back to earth a bit next season. Prediction: New Jersey in 6. Series home page.

(7) Colorado Avalanche vs. (6) Anaheim Mighty Ducks

Where have you gone, J.S. Giguere? I thought for sure that he would be one of the stars in Anaheim's first round matchup with Calgary, dueling Flames' goalie Miikka Kiprusoff through seven brutal games. Instead, Ilya Bryzgalov has stepped into the spotlight for the Ducks. In this series he will faceoff against Jose Theodore, who appears to have gotten his confidence back after a tremendously disappointing regular season. Up front, the advantage has to go to Colorado with Joe Sakic, Alex Tanguay, Milan Hejduk, et al against Teemu Selanne, Andy McDonald and a bunch of rookies and no-namers. On defense, the Ducks boast the reigning Norris Trophy-winner in Scott Niedermayer, the underrated Ruslan Salei, and not much else. The Avalanche, on the other hand, have steady two-way player Rob Blake, offensive juggernaut John-Michael Liles, and the steady Patrice Brisebois, among others. Every sign points to Colorado winning in five or six. However, someone once said, "If everyone thinks one thing -- then I say bet the other way." Prediction: Anaheim in 7. Series home page.

(4) Buffalo Sabres vs. (1) Ottawa Senators

With all due respect to the Houston Oilers, this series should be nicknamed the "Run 'n' Shoot." Both teams roll out line after line with speed and skill. Both teams also feature rookie goaltenders -- Ryan Miller for Buffalo, and Ray Emery for Ottawa. It would appear that this series will come down to which team's defense rises to the occasion. One would expect that the Sabres' elder statesman -- Teppo Numminen -- will be on the ice for a ton of minutes. This naturally leads to questions about how his heart will hold up. (Unfortunately, this is a literal question, not a figurative one about whether or not he can "man up.") As for Ottawa, they sport a defense that includes Wade Redden -- who would be a captain on just about any other team -- and Zdeno Chara -- the 6-foot-9-inch, 261 pound behemoth. With one or both of these two players on the ice for just about the whole game, Buffalo's forwards face a daunting task. Prediction: Ottawa in 6. Series home page.

Finalists annouced

The finalists for the major awards have been announced. The awards ceremony will take place in Vancouver on Thursday, June 22. To no one's surprise, the Hart Trophy finalists are Jaromir Jagr, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Joe Thornton. Click here for the debate between Jagr and Thornton.

Stop the presses

I'll have more -- much, much more -- to say on the state of the Flyers in the near future. I have so many thoughts swirling around at this point that I think I need to take a break from them to clear my head. Shallow Center, however, doesn't have that problem. In a clear, incisive manner, Tom points his finger squarely at the Flyers' front office. The men who should be held responsible for such failure don't stand behind the bench; they sit in luxury boxes upstairs with pinched faces and bottles of water sitting in front of them. Head coaches have come and gone; players have been shuttled in and out. When will those whose dinosaur ways are keeping the team from success be held accountable? As I said, I'll have more to say on this soon. Unfortunately, no matter how much or how often I write, I won't come close to the quality writing displayed at Shallow Center.

Anaheim 3, Calgary 0

I'm really surprised at the way the Flames rolled over in the final game of this series. A Game 7, at home, to defend the Western Conference title should have been more than enough motivation to get into the game. Instead, Calgary played flat the whole way -- as evidenced by the fact that they didn't record a shot in the second period until there were seven minutes left. While I predicted Anaheim would win in 7, I certainly didn't expect Game 7 to go the way it did. Overall playoff record: 5-3

Buffalo 7, Philadelphia 1

This one I was almost perfect on. The Sabres completely embarassed the Flyers in this series, beating them by a combined score of 27-14, 10-1 alone in the final two games. The Flyers will have a lot of thinking to do over the summer after the way they performed in this series. Overall playoff record: 4-3

Carolina 2, Montreal 1 (OT)

I honestly didn't see this happening at all. After going up 2-0, Montreal lost four straight to lose the series, 4-2. Credit Carolina coach Peter Laviolette for not being afraid to make a major adjustment by switching his starting goalie from Martin Gerber to rookie Cam Ward. Another series I got wrong by picking Montreal in 6. Overall playoff record: 3-3

Edmonton 4, Detroit 3

I watched nary a minute of this series, so I can't really comment on it. I would think that all anyone needs to know is that in the must win game for Detroit they blew a 3-0 third period lead. Yet another series I was off on, picking Detroit in a sweep. Overall playoff record: 3-2

News & Notes

ESPN.com's E.J. Hradek on GM openings and other tidbits. Eric at Off Wing Opinion on last night's Edmonton-Detroit game, among other things. Steve at Puck Update checks in with a comparison of teams based on Olympic participants. Ed Moran on someone stepping up besides Forsberg. Phil Seridan on the view from the brink. Ray Parrillo on Sabres' goalie Ryan Miller. A quick series recap.

'Old' NHL vs. 'New' NHL

ESPN.com's Scott Burnside writes about how the Flyers-Sabres series is a litmus test whose results the rest of the league is waiting on. Will it be the new school Buffalo Sabres that win, whose speed and skill seem perfect for the new direction the league is taking? Or will it be the old school Philadelphia Flyers that win, who are slower yet much more physically imposing? Beyond the immediate implications, what transpires in the next 24 to 48 hours between these two teams will be watched closely by NHL GMs around the league. At almost every level, the Flyers and Sabres represent diametrically opposing views in terms of philosophy, style of play, even financial history. Not so many years ago, the Sabres were bankrupt, their previous owners the subject of criminal proceedings. Prior to the lockout, the team spent as little as possible on payroll and enjoyed periodic success (a trip to the 1999 Stanley Cup finals) in spite of that. The Flyers are old school all the way. They spend big, they think big and, physically speaking, they are perpetually big. They haven't won a Cup since 1975, but every year for the past decade, they begin the season fully expecting they will. This season was no different with the addition of Peter Forsberg, Derian Hatcher, Mike Rathje and Mike Knuble.

San Jose 3, Nashville 2

The San Jose Sharks overcame another subpar playoff performance from Joe Thornton in beating Nashville, 4-1. The Predators clearly missed starting goaltender Tomas Vokoun, though backup Chris Mason filled in admirably -- posting 3.45 goals against average and a .901 save percentage. Though I did pick San Jose to win this series, I thought would be a bit closer than it was. Overall playoff record: 3-1

Colorado 3, Dallas 2 (OT)

The Colorado Avalanche took a badly shaken goaltender into the playoffs and knocked out the Dallas Stars, 4-1. Marty Turco followed up yet another solid season with a disappointing playoff performance, as his career post-season record now sits at 8-14 with an .892 save percentage. I was way off on this series, picking Dallas to win in 5. Overall playoff record: 2-1