The latest on Alexander Ovechkin, Justin Abdelkader, Mike Richards, and Alex Burrows, plus up dates on the Lightning, Predators and much in your NHL mid-morning headlines.
Check out last night’s game highlights below, including the Penguins and Oilers winning in overtime, while Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury avoided a potentially serious injury.
Notable NHL Headlines.
Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin is among the most amazing players in NHL history.
USA TODAY: While NHL scoring declines and many of the league’s top offensive stars find goals difficult to come by, Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin continues to tally goals at a pace that seemingly belongs to another era.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ovechkin hasn’t won a Stanley Cup championship or Olympic gold, but there’s no question he is the dominant player of this era. Imagine what his numbers would’ve been back in the free-scoring 1980s. The man has six 50-goal seasons on his resume and is currently on pace for his seventh. The record for most 50-goal campaigns is nine, held by Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy. I can see him tying that record and perhaps breaking it.
THE DETROIT NEWS: The Red Wings are reportedly close to re-signing winger Justin Abdelkader to a seven-year extension worth over $4 million annually. Abdelkader, 28, is eligible next summer for unrestricted free agency. **UPDATE** The signing was made official today: seven years, $4.25 million annual cap hit.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I’ve heard other reports claiming it’ll be $28 million altogether. While I like the cap hit, I don’t like the term. It’s far too lengthy for a physical player with an injury history like Abdelkader. Given his style of play, he could become a spent force within three years of the deal’s expiration. That could eat up too much valuable cap space down the road. A four or five year deal at most would make more long-term cap sense.
TAMPA BAY TIMES: Despite the Lightning sliding below .500 and into ninth overall in the Eastern Conference, GM Steve Yzerman isn’t ready yet to hit the panic button.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s still plenty of time for the 2015 Stanley Cup Finalist to regain their footing. I recall the New York Rangers had a sluggish start last season, which had some in the New York media slagging management and the coaching staff. Then the Rangers turned things around and the media sniping died away. The Lightning have the talent to reverse their currently sluggish fortunes. However, if this slide drags on into December, Yzerman might be forced to shake things up.
THE TENNESSEAN: The Nashville Predators’ blueline corps is once again the league’s most offensively potent. After leading the league last season in goals for defensemen (55), they’re doing so again this season with 13 already.
NBC SPORTS: Former LA Kings center and current UFA Mike Richards is skating with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.
SPORTSNET: Vancouver Canucks winger Alex Burrows will meeting with NHL officials on Friday to discuss the allegedly personal remarks he made toward New Jersey Devils forward Jordin Tootoo during a recent game between the two clubs.
TORONTO STAR: NHL players and coaches are divided on the idea of bigger nets to increase scoring.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Former NHL referee turned TSN analyst Kerry Fraser has a good idea to increase scoring. Just start calling more penalties for restraining fouls on the non-puck carrier.
NHL Injury Update.
MLIVE.COM: Detroit Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey (ankle surgery) will miss about six weeks.
CSNBAYAREA.COM: San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture (fractured right fibula) is expected to be sidelined much longer than the original projection of four-to-six weeks. He’s been sidelined five weeks now and has yet to resume skating.
BOSTON HERALD: Bruins winger David Pastrnak (fractured left foot) is now sidelined indefinitely.
AO in the 80s….
No question Ovechkin can score goals. But the dominant player of his era? How can this be with no Cups, or no gold medals? Has he been more dominant than Kane and Keith? Doughty and Kopitar?
The regular season is entertainment to get us to the whole point of competing: the Stanley Cup. Yes, great players on mediocre teams have a heavier load, but getting their teams the Cup is what separates them from the pack.
My thoughts exactly. Not to mention I am also very high on that kid named Crosby lol.
Here is a question for the page – is it normal for established UFA NHLers (in this case Richards) to practice with OHL teams? I don’t remember reading about this sort of thing in the past and was really curious to see if it was more commonplace.
LJ, being a dominant player has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with winning cups. It’s a team sport. How many cups does Lundqvist have? You don’t think he has dominated in goal? Would you call Corey Crawford more dominant in net too? 50 goals a season on a regular basis when most guys can’t get 40 doesn’t make you a dominant player if you don’t win a Cup? He has played on one line teams for most of his career. He is a one of kind player in the history of the NHL. There has never been a player with his skill level that hits like he does yet you think that 2 defenseman are more dominant players than him because they have cups? I can’t even begin to discuss how awful that comment is. Doughty is my favorite player in the NHL but to call him more dominant than Ovechkin is absolutely ridiculous. Do you you think that Kyle Clifford is more dominant than Benn, Seguin and Tavares too?
Really? So as a GM your success criteria would be to have a “dominant” player over winning? No one remembers who won the scoring title in the past, we remember and appreciate the teams that win Cups. Scoring titles are fleeting consolation prizes.
Perhaps you are young but Perault Dionne Salming Sittler Park Oates….all dominant players no cups, and Im pretty sure most who follow hockey know and havent forgotten them.
If you want historical references, what distinguishes Lafleur from Dionne? Gretzky from Stastny, Sittler and Sundin? Robinson or Lidstrom from Park? And Crosby from Ovechkin?
Every player listed here is a pretty darn good hockey player. But the issue is what defines dominance. If individual regular season stats defined dominance, why isn’t goals against average or overall scoring the defining criteria?
Because no one in the NHL defines the ultimate success by who scores the most goals, has the best plus minus, or which team has the most points in the regular season.
No one except perhaps Mrs. Ovechkin would draft OV over Gretzky if their career results were known at the outset. The dominant player of any era is one whose performance made the difference in winning the Cup. Period, full stop.
Every pack of wolves has a dominant wolf same for pride of lions body of genes at any given time there are dominant factors…if there is more than 1 dominant thing in just about everything why is it different in a team sport? Who is Dominant out of Bossy or Gretz or Lafluer for that matter? a dominant player is one that stretches and pushes opposition Ovi is exactly that.
So Hasek wasnt a dominant goalie before he went to Detroit? Bourque was’nt a dominant d man until heplayed a half aseason in Colorado? Price wasnt a dominant goalie last year? You are mistaking dominant teams with dominant players. Does Gretzseethose cups without Kurri Messier Fuhr Anderson? Cups dont define a dominant player
Eeek Abdelkader 7 years at 4.25? have fun with that. Kenny Holland with the rare miss. 7 years is a long time for a guy who is 28 and avgs just over 20 points a year…Dale Weise is loving that.
So Hasek was the dominant goaltender over Brodeur? Not sure why it eludes you that the issue is not who was very good, but what defines THE dominant player of an era.
Brodeur played on a more dominant team.
It’s typical that Kerry Fraser thinks so highly of the refs, but his solution is far to open to interpretation… If there is a change it needs to be clearly defined, not up to the Gods in black and White and whatever mood they’re in.
“USA TODAY: While NHL scoring declines and many of the league’s top offensive stars find goals difficult to come by, Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin continues to tally goals at a pace that seemingly belongs to another era.”
One solution to increase scoring, other than fiddling with the nets/goalie equipment, is to made a team play the full two minutes short-handed when they take a minor, regardless of whether a goal is scored or not, and to not allow the penalized team to ice the puck. It may also have the added benefit of cutting down on stupid penalties.
The LAST thing the league needs to do is put more responsibility in the hands of the on-ice officials. How about something more revolutionary like icings only occur from inside your own blue line and once the opponent’s blue line is gained, the offensive zone becomes from center ice in. It’s almost swapping the roles of the red and blue lines but it would open up a lot of offensive zone space.