Kronwall Re-Signed; Wings Stay Awesome

 To the shock of no one in the hockey community, hard-hitting Red Wings' defenseman, Niklas Kronwall, re-signed with the club, adding a solid presence on their historically awesome blue line for a few more years to come.  Everyone knew Kronwall would be returning to the Motor City one way or another with a new contract in 2012-13, it was only going to be a matter of time until the two sides came to an agreement.
 The new deal, which will take effect at the start of next season, has an annual cap-hit of $4.75 mil, a $1.25 mil signing bonus, and, surprisingly, lasts for seven years.  Seven is a big number for a defenseman set to turn 31 years-old in January.  You don't see too many long-term contacts given out to defensemen of that age, but Detroit has been spoiled in the past with players staying effective in their old age, such as Kris Draper, Chris Osgood, and the legend and ageless wonder Nicklas Lidstrom.  As far as price goes, this deal was a bargain for the Wings (the contract is a little front-loaded, we'll cover that later,) but can you really say you'd still be willing to have Kronwall's $4.75 mil cap-hit on your books when he's 37 or 38?  Whether you agree or not, the Red Wings have made their decision, and they seem to feel rather confident in Kronwall's longevity.
 Now then, let's examine the numbers and take a closer look.  Thanks to Darren Dreger of TSN and our friends at CapGeek, we know the season-by-season salary details of this deal look like this:

2012-13:    $4,500,000

2013-14:    $6,000,000

2014-15:    $6,000,000

2015-16:    $6,000,000

2016-17:    $5,500,000

2017-18:    $3,500,000*

2018-19:    $1,750,000*

 Seasons denoted with a * signify a modified No Trade Clause.  Kronwall will submit a list of 10 teams he will go to if Detroit would choose to trade him.  All other seasons under the new contract have a full NTC.

IN OTHER NEWS:

• DET's Fabian Brunnstrom clears waivers, and the Wings call-up Gustav Nyquist from Grand Rapids.
• TOR reportedly to honor Mats Sundin's number 13.
• NJ activates Martin Brodeur off of IR.

Gag Order

 First we had "Dry Island" in Philadelphia, but now we have a Gag Order, too.

 The Flyers' offseason signing and notorious chatterbox, Ilya Bryzgalov, has been at the focus of much scrutiny despite the Flyers' strong start to the season.  After the orgy of scoring that took place last Thursday as Philadelphia fell 9-8 in Winnipeg, Bryzgalov admittedly stated he was far from where he feels he should be as a #1 goaltender in the NHL, and that he needs to simply stop the puck more.  Quite an honest, humble confession that many people appreciated, but the Flyers' organization didn't seem to like his post-game comments to the media too much.  In fact, they don't seem to enjoy any of his comments to the media as much as the microphones, recorders, pens, pencils, and papers do.
 Tim Panaccio of Philadelphia's Comcast Sports Network, tweeted earlier today that just a few days after Bryz's goaltending coach criticized him for talking to the media too much, the Flyers have come down with a gag order on the veteran goalie.  Bryzgalov will now be prohibited from speaking to the media the day before a game or the day of a game.  He also cannot receive any questions from the media on nights when he does not see the ice.  He can only speak to the media after games in which he plays, or other practice days that do not interfere with the restrictions just outlined.
 Wow.
 We're still awaing news if this "Gag Order", applies to all Flyers players and not just Bryzgalov.  If this new rule goes for all in an orange uniform, journalists in Philly are going to have some extremely boring morning skates to look forward to and near-pandemonium post-game routines to scavenge interviews and information.  So I wouldn't expect that to be the case.  On the other hand, if it did only just apply to Bryzgalov, singling one player out in an official team policy has to be in some violation of some rules or guidelines somewhere that the NHLPA could get upset about, and if it isn't, I'm sure it will be a subject of discussion when the owners and PA meet to negotiate a new CBA over the summer.

 Bryz, a very camera-friendly personality never afraid of answering any question posed before him, has never really seen as much media attention in his career as he's gotten day in and day out in Philadelphia.  Compared to Phoenix and pre-Stanley Cup Anaheim, Bryzgalov may feel like he's being mobbed by the Toronto media every day!  Now, if the Flyers really feel like Bryz getting caught up in speaking to journalists and reporters in a mass media market he's never experienced before is hindering his on-ice performance, good for them for stepping in.  But I can only believe this is a reasonable solution if the Flyers had already spoken to Bryz about chatting too much to the cameras, instead of quickly jumping to the conclusion to maroon a player on Dry Island Part II, or "Mute Island", as it is becoming known as on various Flyers' message boards.  That part of the story, we may never know.

Here's a List of Awesome Quotes Bryzgalov Had After the Winnipeg Game:

"When you have terrible goalies it's no surprise why you have so many goals."

"You know, I have zero confidence in myself right now."

"I am terrible right now."

"They're trying to play hard, everybody, but bottom line: I am a

goalie, I'm the guy who has to stop the puck, you know?"

"I can't even stop the simple shot!  You know, maybe that's why the players

make more mistakes, because they have no confidence in their goalie."

"I am the reason we are losing games."

"I am lost in the woods right now."

There's Something About Shanny

 News broke on Saturday that the Chicago Blackhawks' agitator, Daniel Carcillo, would be suspended for two games after delivering a hit from behind to Joni Pitkanen of the Carolina Hurricanes.  The announcement came, of course, after Carcillo had a hearing with Brenden Shanahan and the rest of the NHL Department of Player Safety.  This marked another suspension handed out under Shanahan's regime as the NHL's Senior VP of Player Safety, and the mark he's made on the league since replacing Colin Campbell has been a very positive one.

 Shanahan established a precedent for illegal hits in the preseason by eliminating most gray areas in hit-to-the-head and boarding penalties as well as being swift and unafraid to levy suspensions on those committing infractions to the new rules.  What was also interesting about Shanny's new style of heading up discipline was the videos posted online via NHL.com, YouTube, and Shanahan's Twitter that would display illegal hits meriting disciplinary action of any kind and narrorating WHY said play deserved a suspension/fine.  This technique, that I wouldn't say is a stretch to refer to as "revolutionary", has proven time and time again to not only be effective in setting a precedent for illegal plays, but also calming disgruntled fans, further educating all around the game on what will now be prohibited in today's NHL.
 For example, when Pittsburgh's All-Star defenseman Kris Letang was suspended for a hit on Winnipeg's Alex Burmistrov, I was fuming.  I, along with many among the Pittsburgh media, felt that Letang's hit did merit a 2-minute boarding penalty, but fit in Shanahan's loophole of "the opposing player turning his back immediately prior to or simultaneous to the hit".  However, after seeing Shanahan's explanation video, which explained in great detail all of the factors that went into his decision to give the defender a 2-game suspension, all of my frustrations were calmed.  Shanahan gave me every reason to be at peace with his choice for suspension.

 Adding even more to the positive precedents being made that I keep referring to, the Department of Player Safety has posted numerous explanation videos of good, clean hits that are still acceptable in today's game.  With these videos, players not only have examples of illegal activity, but huge hits within the rules that everyone can still get on their feet for.  Some people are complaining that Shanahan and the rest of the Department of Player Safety's recent reign in 2011 is "eliminating hitting from the game", "It's sissy-fying hockey", and "Shanahan is just Gary Bettman and Colin Campbell's new 'Yes Man'", but this is far from the case, as displayed by Shanny's acceptable hit videos and in every single game you watch.

Shanny back in his playing days.
Good times, good times.

 Brended Shanahan may have came in like a bat out of hell with changes to rules.  He may have been quicker to strike down offenders with suspensions and fines than any other disciplinarian in league history.  But he's making the game safer for the players who are already willing to sacrifice their bodies night in and night out for their team's success.  Safer for the players we love to watch, cheer for, and even hate.  Brenden Shanahan is off to a great start in his role as the NHL's disciplinarian, the Senior VP of Player Safety.

In Other News

• NYR's Sean Avery is reportedly going to go on re-entry waivers tomorrow, Monday, October 31.  This means he will either A: Be back on the Rangers' roster, or B: Get claimed by another team for half-price.  Any takers?
• CBJ is slowly turning their game around, as they defeated ANA 3-1 tonight for their 2nd win on the year.  They may be earning garbage goals, but the bottom line is they've been earning those goals.  They've looked much less lethargic and interested in putting effort into winning hockey games since James Wisniewski came back into the line-up.
• Jaromir Jagr of PHI reached another milestone in his illustrious career, scoring his 650th career goal yesterday night.



Jackets Got Me Feelin' Blue

The Blue Jackets are 0-7-1 in the first 8 games of the season

 Before the season began, I had the Columbus Blue Jackets pegged as a dark horse playoff team after the offseason additions of Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski.  It only made sense; Columbus sat 16 points out of the playoff picture last season, but had 23 losses by only one goal (including 8 shooutout losses,) so it would be expected that the acquisitions of those two players would eliminate many of those one-goal losses, right?  Carter is a gifted goal scorer, not to mention he is the first legitimate first-line center the franchise has ever gotten to play alongside Rick Nash.  Right there, that adds an offensive partnership any hockey fan should be drooling over.  Although the Jackets may have overpaid for Wiz Khalumbus, he adds strength and some physical presence to a mediocre blue-line, and he (along with Carter) provides punch to Columbus' ailing power play that finished 29th in the NHL last season. It seemed if as long as Steve Mason didn't play terrible in goal, all of the chips were in place for the Blue Jackets to snag the 7th or 8th seed in the Western Conference.
 It did not take long for all of that to fall apart.
 Eight games into the season, Columbus is 0-7-1, the worst record in the NHL, and the only winless team left.  The problem is not the new additions failing to produce, as some might quickly jump to conclude.  The line of Rick Nash, Jeff Carter, and Vaclav Prospal (an often overlooked offseason pick-up by Columbus management) were the ONLY consistent producers of any offense and efficiency shift-in and shift-out until Carter was injured in the 5th game of the season.

 The rest of the team, on the other hand, just looks pathetic.  There is a terrible lack of consistent execution.  Some players just look like they lose interest halfway though shifts.  Fedor Tyutin, a typically valuable defenseman, has been burned multiple times and has been the culprit of various uncharacteristic mental mistakes.  R.J. Umberger, usually a very gritty and undaunted skater every shift, has been next to unnoticeable in many shifts, and has no goals, one assist, and is -3 through the first eight games of the season.

 Yesterday night was a painful microcosm of the entire season so far for the Blue Jackets.  It seemed as if Columbus was going to grind their way toward finally achieving their first win of the year in Ottawa, when Jason Spezza scored with 36.7 seconds remaining in the 3rd to tie the game for the Senators.  "Darn!  Oh well, we'll get 'em in overtime now, right?"  Unfortunately for the Jackets, that couldn't be more wrong.  Before time could run out in the final period, the Sens' Milan Michalek tipped-in a slapshot by Sergei Gonchar with only 4.7 seconds left.  This sealed the victory for Ottawa, and secured unimaginable defeat for Columbus.  The Jackets were a mere 36 seconds away from their first win of the year, only to leave the game without even a point.

 Despite several close games, the opening to the Columbus Blue Jackets' 2011-12 season has been among one of the most pathetic in recent memory when you judge the performance of the collective team, but is all hope lost for CBJ?
 On Tuesday, the Jackets' 9th game of the season, James Wisniewski will make his debut in a Columbus uniform, as his suspension from an incident in the preseason will expire.  He can now actually contribute to his struggling team, as opposed to just hanging out in the locker room and luxury boxes.  Jeff Carter still remains day-to-day with a foot injury, but until we can see him and Wiz Khalumbus healthy together in the Jackets' line-up for an extended period of time, it is slightly unfair to judge this team at this point.  We've seen terrible starts in the NHL get turned around before.  Just look at Buffalo last season, or the Devils (even though their push was a little too late.)  It is certainly plausible for them to still have a great year.
 The jury may be out on the beginning to Columbus' season, but there are still 74 games left to be played.  When Carter and Wisniewski can both get into the game with the rest of the Jackets' weapons, then we can start to truly judge where this team belongs among the rest of the NHL.  But if they want to put themselves in a position to turn their year around and make a push for the playoffs, the majority of the Blue Jackets roster will have to get their act together.  If your name isn't Rick Nash, Vinny Prospal, or Jeff Carter, what you've got going right now just will not cut it (that means you too, Head Coach Scott Arniel.)

Photo by Jana Chytilova / Getty Images

Ready For Takeoff

 As of yesterday night, the new Jets got their first win since moving back to the 'Peg in thrilling fashion at home against the undermanned Pittsburgh Penguins.  The fans in the MTS Centre, blew the roof off the house with cheering and screaming as the clock struck zero on a 2-1 final.  Although it was a moving sight to see the Jets' first win since April 26th, 1996 in front of their home fans who had waited so long to have NHL hockey return to their city, the secondary story coming out of this victory is the stellar performance by Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec.

 (Photo by Marianne Helm/Getty Images)

 The Czech goaltender was selected 41st overall in 2005 by Atlanta, and was expected to develop into a premiere player between the pipes in the NHL.  Pavelec spent the early part of his career in the AHL or backing up Atlanta's other potential superstar-bound goalie Kari Lehtonen.  When Lehtonen was traded to Dallas in 2009-10, Atlanta opened the door for Pavelec to prove he was worth the hype that had tattoed on him by members of the organization during his tenure with the Thrashers.
 After a decent-at-best campaign as a starter in '09-'10, Pavelec came into form during the first half of last season.  Many point to the surprising offensive production of the recently acquired defenseman Dustin Byfuglien for Atlanta's hot start to year, but Pavelec was the consistent night-in-night out performer that Atlanta could rely on after a breakdown here and there.  Pavelec was proving he was just as good, if not better, as he was expected to be by the Thrashers' scouts when they drafted him.  I would have probably put him among my top five or six goalies in the entire league during those first few months.  However, the honeymoon did not last long.
 As the team's overall performance on the ice declined, so did Pavelec's ability to stop the puck.  The second of half of his year can only be described as "collapse".  Atlanta melted out of the playoff picture as the losses mounted, and even though the team around him was not nearly playing up to snuff themselves, Pavelec just seemed lost some games.
 Despite a change of scenery for the netminder and the rest of the Thrashers, the first few games of this season were no different, unfortunately.  After a 5-1 massacre in the Jets season opener against Montréal and tough losses in their insuing two matches after that, Pavelec just looked horrendous.  Just bad.  Pavy seemed flustered, out of place, let in weak goals (such as the eventual game winning goal in Chicago,) and became a "puck fighter".
 Everything changed yesterday night, as Pavelec denied the Penguins time and time again, including a series of semi-breakaways late in the 2nd period.  Although the opponent netted one goal shortly after that spectacular series of stonewalling the Pens' forwards, Pavelec deserved a shutout for his game.  He looked like the Ondrej Pavelec of early last season, only this time, he got to hear the earth-shaking ovation of crazed Winnipeg hockey fans after each big play and at the conclusion of the game (instead of an uneducated, lethargic Thrashers crowd of 5,000-some.)
 Hopefully this game will prove to be huge for Ondrej Pavelec's confidence.  He really has the ability to be a great goalie in this league, it is just a matter how how consistently he can string together performances like yesterday's to get him back on track to becoming the prized netminder he was once expected to be.

SEE SOME OF ONDREJ PAVELEC'S BIG SAVES FROM THE GAME:

Richard Park, 2nd 16:47 semi-breakaway
Pascal Dupuis, 2nd 17:59 semi-breakaway
Deryk Engelland, 2nd 18:16 glove save
Steve Sullivan, 3rd 4:40 semi-breakaway

All videos curtosey of http://www.jets.nhl.com