NHL Resolutions for Playoff Hopefuls and Contenders

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The New York Sun

NHL Power Rankings

The New Year is nearly upon us, and so it’s time for resolutions. From top to bottom, every team in the National Hockey League has some difficult decisions to make in the coming months. Those that make the right moves will go deep into the playoffs; those that misstep will be hitting the links early.

But of all the NHL teams, the one with the biggest decisions to make is the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s clear they need a new arena (this has been acknowledged without dispute), but the team wants to get the new arena for free, while the city of Pittsburgh wants them to help subsidize the cost. And if the two sides cannot find common ground, the Pens will start taking offers from cities elsewhere.

For the Pens, this isn’t an easy decision. Leaving for a new city to get a new arena means starting over and building a new fan base from scratch. That Sidney Crosby is leading the way makes it more likely that the enterprise will succeed in the short term, but there is good reason to question whether being an NHL carpetbagger has any longterm benefit.

The Penguins have played in Pittsburgh since 1967 — a member of the NHL’s first expansion effort — and have won two Stanley Cups there. Since the NHL assumed control of the Stanley Cup in 1926, only one winner — the 1935 Montreal Maroons — has either relocated or disbanded. Before the Penguins change that, they owe it to everyone involved — their fans, the league, the sport, the city of Pittsburgh, and yes, themselves — to try to work out an equitable deal for a new arena in the Steel City.

So here’s how the teams line up this week. Statistically, teams are measured from left to right by W–L–OTL, standings points, goals scored, goals allowed, power play success, and penalty-killing success. Please note the data is up to and including games played on Tuesday night, and that our statistics for special teams effectiveness also take shorthanded goals into account. Each team’s ranking from last week appears in parentheses.

1 ANAHEIM DUCKS (1): It’s hard to criticize the Ducks for anything, but they do need to find more ice time for Corey Perry. He’s averaging less than 11 minutes per game (18th on the team), yet he’s their fifth-leading goal scorer.
28–5–6 62 136 87 22.2% 88.3%

2 BUFFALO SABRES (2): Depth on defense is once again going to be the Sabres’ Achilles heel. Acquiring a big, mobile blueliner is a must, and either Eric Brewer or Derek Morris would fit quite nicely.
26–7–3 55 138 105 14.7% 85.2%

3 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (3): The Preds must give Tomas Vokoun torn left thumb ligament) the time he needs to make a complete recovery. In the meantime, Chris Mason is absolutely fine.
25–9–3 53 120 94 17.5% 89.1%

4 SAN JOSE SHARKS (4): Mark Bell (8 points in 34 games) has been an enormous disappointment. The Sharks need to acquire a solid power winger to complement Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo; the sooner he arrives, the better.
25–12–0 50 110 81 21.2% 89.0%

5 DETROIT RED WINGS (6): The Wings’ defense is stellar and has given up only 816 shots (the next-closest team is Dallas, with 948). But they’ll need some fortification up front if they’re to compete for the Cup.
21–9–5 47 99 74 12.8% 88.0%

6 MONTREAL CANADIENS (5): The biggest reason behind the Habs’ surprising success has been the play of blueliners Sheldon Souray and Andrei Markov. Both are UFAs after this season; the Habs need to sign their dynamic duo to long-term deals.
21–9–5 47 108 93 21.6% 93.9%

7 ATLANTA THRASHERS (8): If the Atlanta Thrashers lack one thing, it’s a bona fide power play quarterback. And if he’d be interested in playing hockey in “Hot–lanta,” Brian Leetch would be a perfect fit.
22–10–6 50 118 111 14.0% 83.6%

8 DALLAS STARS (7): The Stars need to find a way to reconfigure their lineup of talented forwards to extract better production. That veteran defenseman Jon Klemm was recently relocated to right wing shows how rough things have gotten in Dallas.
23–14–0 46 94 82 13.1% 86.5%

9 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (9): The Devils’ forwards have been surprisingly irresponsible in the defensive zone this season; only rookie Travis Zajac and sophomore Zach Parise have positive ratings, and that trend needs to change.
20–13–3 43 91 86 14.8% 89.0%

10 NEW YORK ISLANDERS (11): The Isles opened up some serious cap room with last week’s trades. Ted Nolan has the team playing hungry, disciplined hockey, and a few smart additions could spur the underrated Isles to greatness.
19–13–3 41 106 96 14.3% 81.0%

11 CAROLINA HURRICANES (17): Winners of five straight games, the ‘Canes are actually starting to look like defending Cup champions. But John Grahame is no safety net in goal, and the Blues’ Manny Legace would be a much better option.
20–14–4 44 119 113 13.4% 86.9%

12 BOSTON BRUINS (14): Acquiring Stanislav Chistov from the Ducks for a 2008 third-round pick was a stroke of genius by GM Peter Chiarelli. Now head coach Dave Lewis needs to figure out how to give Chistov more ice time.
18–13–3 39 103 114 17.4% 81.4%

13 CALGARY FLAMES (10): If the Kings’ Craig Conroy is available in trade, Calgary should pounce. Reuniting Conroy with Iginla would give the Flames two genuine scoring lines, something they desperately need.
17–14–3 37 96 83 14.0% 83.4%

14 COLORADO AVALANCHE (19): The José Théodore experiment isn’t working out in Denver, and it’s time for Peter Budaj, who’s both better and cheaper, to be given the starting role.
18–15–2 38 112 99 16.4% 83.5%

15 EDMONTON OILERS (16): The Oilers have survived nicely without Chris Pronger, but it’s clear they need some additional blue line depth. Importing Edmonton native Derek Morris would be a very good move indeed.
18–15–2 38 97 94 12.4% 90.8%

16 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (13): It’s a simple move that could pay huge dividends. The Caps should investigate acquiring Flyers forward Geoff Sanderson to reunite him with former Hartford Whalers linemate Andrew Cassels.
16–13–7 39 113 120 15.8% 84.8%

17 MINNESOTA WILD (15): The Wild need to figure out how to get Marian Gaborik (groin strain, 28 games missed) healthy. With him, they’re a Cup contender; without him, they’re nothing more than a playoff hopeful.
18–16–2 38 94 97 15.0% 91.2%

18 NEW YORK RANGERS (12): The freefalling Rangers need to take a trip to Oz to get some courage. Failing that, lionhearted Blues forward Keith Tkachuk might be able to provide the vim and vigor these timid Rangers sorely lack.
18–16–4 40 111 121 18.0% 83.9%

19 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (18): There’s no place like home … there’s no place like home. The Pens should exhaust every option for a new arena in Pittsburgh before contemplating relocation.
15–14–6 36 109 115 12.6% 83.3%

20 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (21): He’s played in fewer than half the Hawks’ games, yet Martin Havlat is the team’s leading scorer. Needless to say, protecting their high-flying star from harm must be the Hawks’ primary objective.
16–15–5 37 91 97 11.7% 85.7%

21 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (20): The entire Leafs team needs to play better away from the puck in order to make life easier for goaltender Andrew Raycroft; he’s going through a bit of a rough patch of late.
17–16–5 39 121 126 17.3% 81.9%

22 OTTAWA SENATORS (23): Leading scorer Jason Spezza went down with a knee injury last week, and captain Daniel Alfredsson needs to raise the level of his play in a significant way if the struggling Sens are to return to the postseason.
18–18–1 37 120 113 13.5% 84.7%

23 VANCOUVER CANUCKS (22): The Canucks still need power forwards for their top two lines to replace the departed Todd Bertuzzi and Anson Carter, but they lack the cap room needed to make a big deal.
18–18–1 37 82 95 13.1% 86.4%

24 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (24): The Lightning has only seven players under contract for 2006–07, but they will cost nearly $32 million. If they start to fall out of the playoff race, the Lightning must start clearing cap space.
17–18–2 36 117 117 13.3% 79.1%

25 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (25): The Blue Jackets have been alternating hard-fought, one-goal victories with lopsided shutout losses. They need to be more consistent to build momentum for 2007–08.
14–19–3 31 91 105 12.9% 85.8%

26 FLORIDA PANTHERS (26): Todd Bertuzzi (back surgery) is due to return soon. A UFA-to-be, he should be available in trade at the deadline, for he’d yield a nice package of prospects and draft picks.
13–19–7 33 105 123 19.1% 83.6%

27 LOS ANGELES KINGS (27): Rob Blake’s return to Tinseltown made for a nice story, but he hasn’t been a great fit. If the Sharks would bite on a deal, would Blake consider relocating to San Jose?
13–20–5 31 102 133 16.7% 78.9%

28 PHOENIX COYOTES (28): It should be a fire sale in Phoenix in the New Year, with veterans Shane Doan, Derek Morris, and Ladislav Nagy all expected to be on the block. 13–20–2 28 85 127 8.0% 79.3%

29 ST. LOUIS BLUES (29): The Blues will also be big players at the deadline, with Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk, and Eric Brewer all available for the right price.
10–19–7 27 82 117 9.1% 83.1%

30 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (30): The biggest mystery in Philadelphia concerns Peter Forsberg: Will the Flyers trade him? For the sake of the franchise’s future, they should. 8–23–4 20 82 134 8.3% 87.0%

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.


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