Frozen Pucks - Week 2

June 22, 2009 4:32pm CDT

There is no theme with this week's entry of Frozen Pucks. We'll touch upon whether or not two of the best scorers of the modern era will hang up their skates, who won what at the NHL's awards ceremony, and which players have switched teams (as well as those that have signed on to remain with their current club). We'll also delve into what to expect this Friday when the NHL hosts its yearly Entry Draft. Oh, and for those of you that follow minor league hockey, we'll give a shout out to the AHL champs as well.

SUNDIN TO SKIP OLYMPICS
Mats Sundin may or may not play in the NHL in 2009-10, but what is clear is that he will not play for his homeland, Sweden, in the 2010 Olympics that will be held in Vancouver, which just so happens to be where Sundin played in the just completed season for the Canucks. "There will be no Olympics in Vancouver for me next year," Sundin said. "I think it's time that the next generation takes over. We have many good players." While this news would seem to put a damper on the Canucks hopes of bringing Sundin back for another season, he said he would "absolutely" consider playing for the Canucks again, and this time it sounds like he will make his mind up over the course of the summer instead of having his decision drag well into the season as it did this year when he ultimately signed late and only appeared in 41 regular season games. Sundin, who had appeared in at least 70 games each season since the lockout in 1994-95, scored nine goals and 19 assists during the regular season last year before closing out the year with three goals and five assists in eight playoff games. He likely isn't a point-per-game performer anymore, but that doesn't mean he can't still be a 25-goal scorer capable of putting up 60 or more points if he plays a full slate of games. If he does that in 2009-10, he would be a least a nice depth center in standard mixed leagues.


SAKIC DECISION NEARING
Another aging Hall of Fame bound center is contemplating whether or not to continue his NHL career. Joe Sakic of the Avalanche, coming off the most disappointing season of his NHL career do to injury (back, hand), has been working out regularly doing a lot of pilates, and things have been going so well that it appears he might be looking to play one more campaign. Limited to just 15 games last season (2g, 10a) and 44 games the previous year (13g, 27a), it is clear that he can still produce when on the ice given his total of 52 points covering his last 59 games spread over two years. Moreover, in his last healthy season three years ago Sakic scored 36 goals and recorded 100 points. Much like Sundin above, Sakic is no longer someone you can count on in fantasy leagues, but that doesn't mean that he should be ignored on draft day if he decides to lace them up for one more season because the man can still be an offensive force.


BEST PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
OK, it only seems that Alexander Ovechkin is the best ever (there was a guy named Wayne Gretzky, yeah that guy who coaches the Coyotes, who you might want to look up if have no memory of how dominating he was on the ice). Still, Ovechkin is truly a special player who captured the NHL's Hart Trophy, given to the league MVP, for the second straight season. AO was also awarded the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the league with 56 goals, and the Lester B. Pearson award also will find its way on to his mantle at home after he picked up the award given to the top player according to a vote of the players.

Also on that night of awards, Tim Thomas of the Bruins finally received his due when he was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the leagues top goalie. Long on talent and short on respect for years, Thomas never gave up, kept battling, and in the end rewarded the Bruins with one monster of a season in which he led the league with a 2.10 GAA and a .933 save percentage. Throw in a 36-11-7 record for the best team in the East, and you are looking at one hell of a season.


TRADE/SIGNING WINDS
Cody McLeod signed a 3-year deal worth $3.1 million to remain with the Avalanche. The gritty winger scored 15 goals and produced 162 PIMs making him one of just three skaters in the league with at least 15 goals and 160 PIM (the others were David Backes and David Clarkson). McLeod only scored four goals as a rookie so he may be hard pressed to take his offensive game up to the next level in the coming season, though that doesn't mean he shouldn't be taken with one of the final picks in your upcoming pool if you need to bolster the toughness of your squad.

Petr Prucha signed a 2-year deal worth $2.2 million to remain with the Coyotes. Brought over at the trade deadline, Prucha recorded two goals and eight assists in 19 games with the 'Yotes after posting just nine points in 28 games with the Rangers (his time in NY was filled with healthy scratch after healthy scratch). The club was impressed with his effort, and could certainly use a boost in offensive production on a club that sorely needs a few more offensively gifted weapons to produce points. Don't forget that Prucha scored 30 goals as a rookie in the NHL in 2005-06 and that he followed that up with 22 goals in his second season before devolving to just 13 goals the past two seasons. He may not warrant a selection on draft day, but Petr should certainly be on your watch list regardless.

Steve Reinprecht was moved from the Coyotes to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Stefan Meyer. The Panthers, apparently giddy over the move, immediately signed Reinprecht to a 3-year deal for $6.15 million to center their second scoring line, quite the tall order for a man who has only scored more than 20-goals once (22 in 2005) and one who has never topped 52 points (that same 2005 campaign). "We are constantly looking to upgrade our team speed," GM Randy Sexton said. "He also possesses an ability to win face-offs, another area our team looked to improve on this off-season…"

Keith Tkachuk signed a 1-year deal for $2.15 million to remain with the Blues. Tkachuk, coming off a season of 25 goals and 24 assists in 79 games, has recorded at least 20 markers in 15 of his 17 seasons, and he is only the seventh United States skater who has scored 1,000 points in his career. Even more impressive, he is one of just four skaters in league history with 1,000 points (1,033) and 2,000 PIM in his career (2,163). Coming off three healthy seasons in which he skated 79 games in each campaign while scoring 27, 27 and 25 goals, Tkachuk is a solid depth player off the wing, one who may also qualify at center in some formats. He isn't likely to produce numbers any larger than those that he put up this season, but his power-play efficiency is still a nice bonus (12 and 14 PP goals the past two years).


DRAFT INTRIGUE
It is almost certain that either C John Tavares or D Victor Hedman will go #1 overall in this year's NHL Entry Draft. Tavares, the top ranked player in North America, tickled the twine 58 times in 56 games this past season in juniors, and for the third time in a row managed to score at least 104 points despite never skating in more than 67 games. Hedman, the top player from oversees, had only 21 points and 52 PIM in the Swedish elite league last season, but his combination of size (6'5", 215 lbs), skating, shot, and ability to east up copious amounts of ice time have many comparing him to Jay Bouwmeester. Another name moving up draft lists is Matt Duchene who some have compared to Steve Yzerman for his scoring and leadership abilities. Slightly undersized at 5'11", 190 lbs, Duchene not only posses a great skating stride, he is also highly adept at killing penalties, a rarity at such a young age for such a gifted offensive weapon. For those of you wanting to watch the festivities, they take place this Friday the 26th.


AHL CHAMPIONS
The Hershey Bears won their 10th AHL Championship when the defeated the Manitoba Moose four games to two. The Bears, the top affiliate of the Washington Capitals, defeated the Canucks top far club in the battle.