Before the trade deadline in this past season, the Montreal Canadiens dealt two of their top veterans: captain Vincent Damphousse, who is one of the three Canadiens left from the 1993 Stanley Cup win, and assistant captain Mark Recchi, who led the team in goals three out of the four years that he was wearing the Red, White and Blue.
Both Recchi and Damphousse were dealt for the future; Recchi to Philly for Zubrus and a draft pick, Damphousse to San Jose for a second and fifth round draft pick. However, there was a stipulation. If the Sharks made the second round in the playoffs, with Damphousse averaging at least a point per game, Montreal would get the Sharks’ first round draft pick. Also, if San Jose re-signed Damphousse, Montreal would get the Sharks’ first round pick, rather than their second. It was rumoured the San Jose Sharks were vigorously attempting to re-sign Vince Damphousse. Last night Damphousse signed with the Sharks to a four year $18 million dollar contract.
It seemed as if Montreal was finally doing what was needed: rebuilding. Hold on there; Montreal rebuilding, isn’t that an oxymoron? Not only would the fans not accept it, but more importantly, the Molsons wouldn’t get that playoff revenue. Unfortunately for the prospects wasting away in Fredericton (soon to be Quebec City), the Habs officially ended their rebuilding process once they dealt their first round pick to the New York Islanders for veteran Trevor Linden.
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These are best case optimist choices for the 1999 draft with the hopes these guys drop in most spots.
# 4 Henrik Stefan C 6’2” 190 RH MoDo
# 23 Nick Boynton D 6’2″ 210 RD Ottawa
# 36 Evan Lindsay G 6’1” 180
(watch the name he is climbing up the charts)
# 57 Tony Samuelson LW 5’10″ 177 RH IFK
# 91 David Inman C 6’1″ 190 LH Notre Dame
#123 Konstantin Panov RW 6’0” 180 RH Kamloops (WHL)
#179 Adam Jihnson D 6’6” 220 LD Greenway, Minn (HS)
#180 Tom Kostopolous RW 6’1” 205 RH London (OHA)
#207 Michael Leighton G 6’2’ 175 SR Windsor (OHA)
#234 Andre Lakos D 6’6” 210 RD Barrie (OHA)
#235 Ivan Rachunek F 5’8” 165 LH ZPS Zlin
Why would the Blackhawks management bring in Brendl, Lundmark, and Connolly to Chicago as they did June 12th? Well, if you don’t bring them in, the other teams won’t think you are really interested in dropping unless they see you doing interviews….
Well because you may drop down if you feel that ”The GUY” is someone really rated lower. (Remember how Toronto knew this when they traded down two slots from #8 to #10 with the Bell -Antropov switch.) You could work the board and add picks by dropping one slot at a time….
You don’t know what teams might offer for #4 until right before the draft, what do you do, when and if the hawks see the FEEDING FRENZY…so what “might-could” happen?
Here are some off the wall possibilities
1)LA offers Aki Berg plus #8
2) You do trade with Isles and drop one….or
3) Or maybe Rangers are working the proposed Palffy deal with Isles and they will need to get to Hawk pick in some trade combo where they want the Hawk pick TO DEAL WITH ISLANDERS, or the palffy trade will yield picks for the Isles that may be used to get the #4 pick.
4) Or maybe the reported trade talks with Vancouver yields Mogilny and McCabe, so the Blackhawks get “respectable” instead of a potential star.
4) Hawks acquire Bryan Allen and Mogilny a more than fair return at #4
5) Hawks acquire Olhund one up for the pick. (Doubtful because he is untoucable)
6) Hawks deal the 4th for all for all Washington’s second rounders or a combo of #7 + Read more »
This season, the Ducks have the 15th overall pick in the 1st round, followed by the 45th overall pick in the second round. The Ducks this year should obviously be looking to not only become a better team, but to have their top selection in the lineup as early as next season.
For Anaheim, their main problem is offensive help for the trio of Kariya, Selanne, and Rucchin. This year’s draft offers plenty of gifted offensive players, however, most of the pure scoring talent will likely be gone by the time the 15th pick rolls around. The Ducks, besides needing offensive help, also need a good backup goaltender to help Guy Hebert out, and also, a more pressing need, more help on the back line.
With the 15th overall pick, I believe the Ducks will try to pick up Taylor Pyatt, the left-winger from the Sudbury Wolves. Not only does Pyatt have great size (6’4″, 215lbs.) but he is not only physical, but he can score, too. Other forwards the Ducks are eyeing include Oleg Saprykine and Brett Lysak. As far as the blue line goes, defenseman Branislav Mezei and his huge 6’5″, 221lbs., frame seem to fit the mold of what the Ducks are looking for.
Although the Ducks need a backup goalie, I doubt they will pick one up until later in the draft. So, there you have it, my take on what the Ducks will do in the 1999 Entry Draft. I might be right, I might be wrong. We’ll all just have to wait till draft day to see…
Having traded away their number one pick in this year’s draft to the New York Islanders, the Canadiens will have a simple plan on draft day; Draft the best player available. Without a number one pick the Habs are aware that any player drafted from the second round on will take several years to develop. This being said, it would be unwise to draft a player in order to fill a hole in your roster, as that hole is unlikely to exist by the time that player is ready for the NHL.
Currently the Habs need depth at center. Yet those holes will likely be filled within the next 2 years, as they have two solid prospects at center with Eric Chouinard and Mike Ribeiro. They are deep in Goaltending at the moment with Jose Theodore and Mathieu Garon toiling in the minors. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Habs’ management won’t take a look at Maxime Ouellete if he’s still available come the second round. Another need is offensive depth on the wings.
The Habs have not drafted a defenseman in the first two rounds since 1995, when they drafted Miloslav Guren in the second round. They have chosen a player from Quebec in one of the first two rounds every year since 1996. Last year they used there first 3 picks to choose players from Quebec; Chouinard in the first round, Ribeiro in the second round and Francios Beauchemin in the third round. This last trend could be by chance, but is more likely by design.
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Well, the ’99 season has come to a close. And now, as is tradition, we direct our attention to “The NHL Draft”. Even before St. Louis makes its first selection, Blues fans have reason to be excited about the team’s future prospects in the organization. The “build from within” approach instituted by CEO & President Mark Sauer and GM Larry Pleau is ahead of schedule. Young players, that in previous years would be dealt for immediate help, have begun to emerge from Worcester. Michal Handzus had a solid first season in the NHL. He is already regarded as one of the top defensive players in the game; the offense will come in time. Lubos Bartecko made contributions late in the year and showed that he is close to playing full time with the big club. In the playoffs, Jochen Hecht was a pleasant surprise. He showed the great puck skills and skating ability that enabled him to lead all players in points in Worcester. If he can continue his great play, expect him to settle in at left wing for the Blues next year. Jamal Mayers also played well down the stretch. And Marty Reasoner is not too far down the road. That being said, Let’s take a look at the possibilities for the Blues at this years draft.
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In this update one can find a listing of the new projections for many of the Dallas prospects. With these projections come debate and differing opinions, but all are welcome. Please direct any comments to my email address, and I will respond to them all as quick as I can.
{My next article will attempt to resolve the debate over whether to keep Roman Turek or Eddie Belfour}
New Player Projections
Centers
1. Lyashenko 6.5
2. Gavey 5.5
3. Karlsson 7
4. Svartvadet 5.5
5. Jinman 3
6. Perry 3
Left-wingers
1. Brenden Morrow 7
2. Botterill 6.5
3. Sim 6.5
4. Wright 5
5. Kapanen 6.5
6. Gainey 6
7. Elomo 6.5
8. Christie 4.5
9. Lind 6.5 ( not under contract )
10. Luchinkin NR
Right-wingers
1. Bouck 6
2. Kristofferson 6.5
3. Flichel 3.5
4. Leeb 3.5
5. Timkin NR
6. Patera NR
Defensemen
1. Jackman 7.5
2. Lukowich 5.5
3. Buzek 5
4. Tsybouk 5
5. Erskine 5
6. McKercher 4.5
7. Bouchard 3
8. Petrochinin NR
9. Komarov NR
Goaltenders
1. Marty Turco 7.5
2. Manny Fernandez 6
**1997 Draftee Signings**
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Back in the early 70s, the British rock band The Who released the album “Odds & Sods”, which was a collection of songs that had been left off of previously released albums for various reasons. In the spirit of that recording, I’ve decided to break from my usual Top 20 format to make this season wrap-up column a review of the playoff performances of certain Sabre prospects, as well as other random items from the post season.
The big news is, of course, that the Buffalo Sabres will be appearing in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 24 years. Meanwhile, down the I-90, the Rochester Americans liked the idea of the Sabres appearing in the finals so much that they defeated the defending Calder Cup champs from Philadelphia to return to the Calder Cup finals for the 5th time this decade. Based on these events, it is clear that the Sabres organization has finally become one to be envied by the rest of the NHL for the first time since Punch Imlach was GM of the Sabres. The Sabres may not land their first Cup this year, as they are definite underdogs against Dallas, but they will almost certainly be contenders for the foreseeable future. Their contender status is the result of good drafting and shrewd trading, not to mention excellent coaching. Rather than praise those responsible for the Sabres success (others have done this better than I could), I will simply wish the Sabre organization good luck in the NHL and AHL finals, and, like all other Sabre fans, I’ll sit back and enjoy the moment.
CHL Playoffs and Memorial Cup Read more »
The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent the past few years trying to pick up the pieces from a largely broken down franchise in the mid-1990′s. The management team, headed by President and General Manager, Ken Dryden, has decided to try to rebuild the team from the ground up, using the draft to add skilled prospects and the Leafs’ system to develop that talent.
Following the end of the Leafs’ magical playoff run in 98-99, Coach Pat Quinn earmarked a team need for more bigger, stronger, physical, forwards who have the speed and skills to be significant offensive threats as well. Associate GM, Mike Smith, then stated that the free agent route will most likely not be an avenue used by the team this year to “upgrade” their talent level. It appears that for the most part, the Leafs will use their own system to add to this “team need” as they enter a new season and a new milleneium in 1999-2000.
The Leafs went out, a bit, on the “proverbial limb” in the 1998 draft by selecting a largely unknown prospect in center, Nikolai Antropov from Kazakstan. Antropov has some potential as he is refining his game with the Moscow Dynamo team in Russia. Some in the Leafs’ system feel that Nikolai may push for a roster spot next season, but it is likely he will return to Russia for one more season and then may need at least a half of a season at St. John’s to acclimate himself to the North American pro game.
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A clean slate. That is what the Avalanche will be looking for come this summer. Following a disappointment in the playoffs, the Lanche are faced with an interesting summer and new year. From a new arena to a new owner, this upcoming season will be one full of changes as the Lanche try to right what they feel to be a few “wrongs” in their system.
Let me first get a few things out before we even look at what the Lanche will go after this year in the draft, trades and free agency. Lacroix must stay, he’s made solid deals and wants to win. Kamensky, Lefebvre, Gusarov and their high salaries are all gone…unless they sign for less money. Fleury might not re-sign. He has less than a month till free agency and big money. Lacroix will be working overtime to get his lone big name FA signed. He does have a few plusses in his corner…Sakic and a team called the Avalanche. If or if not Fleury re-signs, Lemiuex, Donovan, and Sakic will be shopped around the league. Yes Sakic. Joe is in his last year of his contract and he has two things going for him…a cheap contract and star status, which means most teams will bite. Come next off season we could see Roy gone too as the expansion draft approaches and the Avalanche will be forced to decide on Roy or Denis. They can stop this by getting Atlanta to take Billington in the expansion draft hence preventing the Lanche from losing another goalie next year. My guess is the name Billington will be called on draft day. Now that the ground work is laid out, lets take a look at what the Lanche need and want.
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