Vinny's Last Game in Tampa Bay?

1) Has Vincent Lecavalier suited up for Tampa Bay for the last time? As the Lightning play their final home game this evening against Washington might it be the last time the star center is part of the Bolt's organization? Our sources tell us what many have also been saying; Its almost a guarantee that Lecavalier will be dealt by or on draft day. Its no coincidence that the draft will be held in Montreal. So any possible deal, even if its consummated earlier may be left to be announced on draft day for increased publicity, etc. The way this season is turning out for the Habs they might need all the positive publicity they can get.

2) So why are the Lightning going to trade a player they just signed last summer? Money! The 12 year extension will pay Lecavalier 10 million for the next 7 seasons after his one. More importantly, it includes a no trade clause that kicks in on July 1st. Thus the need to get this done BEFORE 7/1/09, else Vinny's a Bolt for life (unless he were to waive the clause at some point). So why did the team even sign Lecavalier to the extension in the first place? Good question. TB owners Oren Koules wanted to make a big splash when they first took over. They felt the new coach, Stamkos, new Free agents and getting their star signed long term would signal to the fans that they were going to be here and contending for the long term. Unfortunately for them the team fizzled out quickly, and so did the national economy. Hurting the ownerships bottom lines to the point that they traded away two injured players on deadline day (Kolzig/Heward) to Toronto for a 4th round pick to save 400K!

3) So can Montreal fit Vinny's into their salary structure? We asked and we were told "absolutely". The Habs have many UFA's after this season. Specifically Kovolev, Lang, and Koivu who combined account for 14 million in salary may have played their last games in Quebec, or may have to take pay cuts to return. Additionally Gainey is trying to deal Georges Laraque or possibly buy the oft injured enforcer out.

4) So what will the Habs part with to get LeCavalier? It may not be as much as you would think. As one western scout told us, "Its very rare to get equal value back when you trade a super star". Ask the Bruins and the Joe Thornton trade how that works! Probably a few draft picks will come Tampa's way. This years 1st and maybe next years as well. Chris Higgins and maybe the younger Kostitsyn brother. Our analysis is this. Montreal may appear to win the deal, but we don't see Vinny bringing a Cup back to his home town. The Habs and Vinny too will soon regret this deal, we say sooner rather than later!

Power rankings- End of Season Edition

1) Yes, yes, we know the season still has a few games remaining, but when we approached FR about doing one last Power rankings they asked us to do it prior to the end of the season since we will be busy handicapping the playoff races as well as publishing award winners, etc. So without further discussion here is our final Power rankings for the 2008-2009 season. Again as before, each of the 30 teams is listed with their previous ranking in parentheses from 3/11/09. As always we rank all 30 teams based upon overall record and recent play.



1) San Jose- (3) The Sharks are back a top our rankings as they are also the entire NHL heading into the post season. Looks like they are headed for their first Presidents' Trophy. However, as we have mentioned all season, its all about 16 W's in the spring, not the regular season. Good news is that Jonathan Cheechoo seems to be getting hot at the right time

2) Detroit- (1) A testament to their consistency of excellence, the Wings are the third team in history to notch four consecutive 50-win seasons. Additionally, Mike Babcock is the only coach to win 50 games in his first four seasons with a team. Congrats! That said, cracks in their armour have been evident/can be exploited.

3) Boston (5)- The beasts of the East, the Bruins clinched home ice throughout the first 3 rounds by winning their conference. With a solid 3 scoring lines, shut down defense, and Vezina goaltending the B's are set to compete for the silver trophy!

4) Carolina- (11) No team has been hotter/better the past couple of weeks. Punctuated with a monster showing 9-0 against the Islanders last night. Its arguable that Cam Ward is playing better than when the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. Not the team we'd want to face in the opening round!

5) Chicago- (8)- Seem to be playing well at the right time. Outside of Carolina, no one is playing better recently. Now the hard part, which goalie do they start for the playoffs? The UFA to be Khabibulin who has a Cup to his resume, or the guy they paid big bucks, Huet, who has yet to win in the spring?

6) Washington- (9) Despite Ovechkin having a shot at a second consecutive scoring title with 15 points in his past six games, its the secondary scoring that has bolstered Caps fans hopes of a long playoff run. Still, the key will be how well their goaltending can take them

7) Anaheim-(24) Fear the Ducks! That's what SJ should be doing. The former champs are playing their best hockey to salvage their season and propel themselves into the playoffs where they could be a dangerous, some might say, sleeper team. The line of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan is as good as any right now

8) Pittsburgh- (7) Like the Ducks have been playing well to salvage a playoff spot. Firing Therrian seemed to be the tonic the team needed. Can they repeat as conference champs? Never underestimate teams that have been there before!

9) St. Louis- (16) Up significantly since our last rankings. On the precipice of a playoff berth. They hold their fates in their own hands. They are a solid 7-2-1 in their last 10, being propelled by David Backes, who topped the 30-goal mark. It would be a nice story if the Blues were able to hold on

10) Vancouver-(10) Maintain their top 10 spot with an up and down few weeks. Won last night to continue their challenge of the Flames for the division. With two each to go its any one's to win and gain home ice the first round. As we mentioned last time around similar to NJ in that their Vezina calibre goalie, Roberto Luongo, will go into the post season relatively rested.

11) Philadelphia-(4) Dropped a bit in our rankings, as they lost a chance to win their division despite Jersey's swoon. Still going to be a tough squad to go against for the playoffs. Will go as far as Biron can take them. Too bad they don't have a better tender, as they would challenge Boston for the conference.

12) Columbus-(15) All but have clinched the franchises first ever playoff berth. The good news, they only lost twice in regulation in their past 10. The bad news, only 4 regulation wins in that span. They'll have to improve that consistency to hang around long in the post season

13) New Jersey (2) Went from Cup contender to pretender? Seems since Brodeur set the wins record the Devils have been in cruise control at half speed, winning only 3 of their past 10. can they turn it back up next week? Could Adams candidate Brent Sutter's job be in jeopardy? On any other team we'd say no.

14) Calgary- (6) Lost a big game last night to Vancouver for the division crown/home ice the first round. The team is playing very inconsistently the past few weeks opening the door to the Canucks to steal the NW. It could mean the difference of a Chicago match-up instead of an apparent easier Bluejackets first round opponent.

15) NY Rangers (17) Playing just good enough to make the playoffs. Still haven't clinched, but merely need 1 win in their final 2 games to qualify regardless what Fla does. A rematch of the Sean Avery-Tim Thomas altercation in the playoffs could make for a compelling story. Scary stat for John Tortorella: Rangers haven't scored in the 3rd period in their last 8 games!

16) Minnesota- (19) Playoffs appear to be out of reach for 'The Gum Chewer''s team. Great goaltending by Niklas Backstrom has not been enough. Playing around .500 the past few weeks hasn't helped their chances. We believe we've seen the last of Lemaire behind the Wild bench(which probably means Gaborik will return)

17) Montreal- (13) The Habs continued their slide and have barely held on to their playoff positioning. A far cry from mid season when they were a lock to be a 4th seed at least. Alex Kovalev has been hot as has the team's PP, but with the losses of Markov and Schneider for the playoffs, their chances of advancement is slim to none

18) Nashville- (12) Their up and down season appears ready to end on the down side as they are on the outside looking in for the playoffs. Going 4-3-3 in the past few weeks is not a way to advance. Still, we are impressed how Barry Trotz has kept this team in the race all season long.

19) Florida- (14) By playing barely .500 the past few weeks the Panthers have probably blown their shot at making the playoffs for the first time in 9 years! Unless they win their last 2 and the Rangers lose their final 2 games its another near-miss. Also look for Jay Bowmeester to become a UFA and leave the sinking ship. How much longer will the team stay put/alive in south Fla?

20) Buffalo- (20) Just about out of the playoffs. Only a miracle would get them in now, and winning only 4 of their past 10 is the reason for the disappointment. Even the return of Ryan Miller to the nets hasn't turned the tide. Can we finally agree that Lindy Ruff is an over rated coach?

21) Phoenix- (29) Seemed poised to vie for the Taveres sweep stakes, but have been playing better recently to pull them out of the bottom 3 (they still could win the lottery). They have gone 7-6-2 since the trade deadline. Might they deal goalie Ilya Bryzgalov in the off season? Do they need a new coach? Overall a disappointing season in the desert. Another franchise that might be on the move soon.

23) Edmonton- (21) Like Buffalo, mathematically still alive, but on life support. The plug gets pulled soon! Winning a mere 3 of their last 10 should be cause for changes behind the bench despite their owners support of McTavish. Also, Sam Gagner has suffered a huge soph slump, and the team has been only average at Rexall all season.

24) Dallas- (23) Eliminated themselves from the playoff hunt in the past couple of weeks by winning only 2 of their past 10 games. can't blame Sean Avery for this. The team can probably point to the loss of star forward Brad Richards as the point that their season ended

25) Toronto- (18) After a brief spurt, the Leafs have returned to playing at or near .500 and are poised for another non playoff/lottery season-No man's land. Perhaps Paul Maurice wasn't the problem? Folks in Carolina probably don't mind. Lets see what the GM-genius, Brian Burke can come up with this off season

26) Atlanta (22) To their credit they have played teams tough despite playing for only pride at this point. Johan Hedberg is playing for another NHL contract. Their better play may have cost their shot at Hedmen/Taveres, but will probably still be a lottery team. Things may look promising on the ice, but off its far from certain the franchise can survive in Atlanta

27) Los Angeles (26) We'd have to say this was a disappointing season in LA. Like Phoenix, we expected more from this bunch. They also probably will finish with too many points to get into lottery contention. A lost season perhaps, but with a few moves/maturation we can see the Kings in the post season next spring

28) Tampa Bay-(30) With the bottom 3 teams garnering an impressively bad 4 wins in their past combined 30 games, it was difficult to place these teams. Just when you thought the season couldn't get any worse, captain Vincent Lecavalier's season ended because of wrist surgery(might he be done in TB?) An example on how bad things have been:the Lightning hold the NHL record for most defenseman used in one season- 21

29) NY Islanders-(25) It was a coin toss on who to place 30th. Especially after their implosion last night in Raleigh. However, they did manage to stay near .500 since the All-Star break, whereas the Avs have been abysmal in this time period. Still, being 29th is no prize. Looks like they have the bottom spot locked up and a guarantee of either Taveres or Hedman depending on who wins the lottery.

30) Colorado (28) Not only their first sub. 500 record since moving to Denver in 1995, but also a lottery season, although they probably blew the chance to finish last. Also perhaps they will learn that Tony Granato isn't the right man for the job in Colorado? All in all it would be a shame that captain Joe Sakic might end his career this way

The Long Good Bye!?

1) With the expected flat lining of the salary cap (with significant player money withheld- up to 18%) followed by an expected significant DROP in the salary cap in 10-11, many teams are going to be cutting back in anticipation of this new fiscal reality starting THIS coming off season. We are told to expect a larger number of buyouts as teams try desperately to unload bad contracts (decisions). WE are also told that impending free agents, both RFA as well as the impressive crop of UFA's are going to be in for a rude awakening when their agents sit down to negotiate new deals. The long term deals with mega bucks will be much more rare, and many may find themselves getting significantly less than their team mates last summer.

2) However the other component to this story is that we will likely see many players forced to retire. We saw this take place in the first post lock out year when many older players were forced to eventually retire before they felt they were ready because teams simply no longer wanted to risk their finite assets on the 35+ year olds. In the last few years with the expanding cap, older players have been able to hang on. However, we are hearing that this summer will see a significant number of big names either retire out right or end up fading away when the calls go unanswered and they re forced to accept the reality that their NHL careers are over.

3) So who are some of the bigger names who may be playing in their final NHL season?

• Scott Niedermayer- The elder brother may decide to return , but if he does it will have to be at a reduced rate from the current 6.8 mil he's getting



• Mark Recchi- The perennial deadline trade fodder is over 40. He still can play a decent 'half court game, but is too slow to be an effective top line forward.



• Max Afinogenov- Not many in the NHL/Buffalo will miss Minimum Afinogenov. At 3.5 mil he was a bust! Time to play in the KHL comrade!



• Teppo Numminen- The 40 year old Finn worked hard to comeback this season, but has lost a step, and is a shadow of his former self. We doubt we'll see Teppo back.



• Michael Peca- The former power forward is more of a utility player than a significant contributor now. Appears to be older than his 34 years.



• Chris Gratton- Muck like Peca, at 32 appears to be done. One of the more over rated players the past decade. We doubt he'll get more than a 2 way offer this summer



• Joe Sakic- Captain Joe's long and storied career may be at an end. Injuries have hampered the Av's captain the past 2 seasons. He's one of the players that could return if he chose. Its 50:50 right now we hear



• Mark Parrish- After getting bought out last summer Mark's career appeared over. He got a brief reprieve this year, but hasn't done anything to earn another look. Time to hang em' up!



• Sergei Zubov- One of the better/under appreciated defensemen of the past decade, however the 38 year old Russian has suffered numerous injuries the past 2 years. If he returns it'll be at a significant pay cut from the 5.3 mil he made this season



• Chris Chelios- The 59 year old ageless wonder is probably in his last year in Mo-town, playing a sparingly 24 games. perhaps a nostalgic return to Chicago for one final season to be eligible for the Olympics in 2010?



• Dwayne Roloson- Pushing 40, but the combo of having respectable numbers and a dearth of quality UFA goalies will probably earn Dwayne a short deal at less tan the 3.5 mil he made this year.



• Mathieu Schneider- Matt will probably be back to play in his 20 th NHL season but he's gonna take a serious pay cut from the 5.7 mil he made in 08-09



• Greg De Vries:The 37 year old defender's effectiveness has waned the past few seasons. Not worth the 2.5 mil cap hit.



• Bobby Holik-In limited time the 38 year old has looked his age. We doubt the Devils will have Bobby back, unless he wants to begin his coaching career in the organization?



• Brendan Shanahan- Brendan has earned another invite at a similar salary(under 1 mil+incentives) if he wants to continue his long Hall of Fame career.



• Kevin Weekes- Has lasted a long time as a perennial back up on 8 different teams in a decade career. The road is probably over for the Toronto native



• Doug Weight- Has made it clear he'd like to return to LI. Had few offers this past summer. Might get a team to bite if he's willing to take a low salary for i year + incentives



• Mike Sillinger- Multiple hip issues have probably ended the long career of Sillinger.



• Derian Hatcher- The 37 year old has been hobled by injuries the past coupe of years. we don't see the Flyers resigning the Michigan native



• Ken Klee- Like Mark Parrish, got one last shot. Unlike Parrrish he's probably earned another NHL contract



• Miroslav Satan- Pitt regretted signing the 33 year old Slovak to a 3.5 mil deal. He's playing out his deal in Wilkes Barre, and probably won't see an NHL rink again.



• Bill Guerin- If he's willing to take a Doug Weight type contract we can see Bill returning to Pitt for one last go around, else he's done



• Jeremy Roenick- The 40 year old isn't contributing much on the ice to earn the 1 million the team is paying. This might finally be it for JR



• Claude Lemieux- The experiment of bringing in the 47 year old has failed. Nice story, but see no reason for it to continue



• Rob Blake- may be having a renaissance season, but if Doug Wilson has any sense he won't sign the 39 year old to more than a 2 year extension at a similar salary(5 mil). At his age injuries occur frequently



• Keith Tkachuk- The 37 year old Boston native will probably get another bloated contract from someone(probably St Louis) Has a mere 8 even strength goals all season. We'd let him go, but we're not fans



• Manny Legace- No takers when he was available on waivers should give a clue how teams feel about the 36 year old net minder.



• Olie Kolzig- The comeback with TB didn't work out(as much of the Lightning season didn't). Its all but assured the long time Capital has played his last NHL game.



• Brad May- The long time agitator/enforcer is probably playing his last few NHL games. It was surprising that he even made the NHL this season



• Curtis Joseph- (See Kolzig) hopefully fans won't recall this season when they recall CuJo's body of work. Clearly he's lost his effectiveness and his age (42) is apparent. The Hall beckons Curtis.



• Mats Sundin- We implore, For the love of God Mats, decide on your future on the first day of the off season! Not worth the prorated 8 mil he signed for in our opinion. he may get another deal next year, but we'd offer 1/2(or less) to see the big Swede return



• Sergei Fedorov- Has been in and out with injuries, and his output sharply down and not worth the 4 mil in cap space. We believe this is Feds swan song season. The HOF is the next stop!



• Donald Brashear- The 38 year old has made the most of limited ability. Can fight as well as anyone, but that era sadly appears to be over and designated fighters will soon be gone.



• Michael Nylander- No the 36 year old is not an UFA, but we are hearing whispers that he will be bought out of his remaining 2 seasons if a trade partner can't be found. If that happens Michael will probably be done in the NHL

4) Clearly not ALL the listed players here will be retiring, but we might see a large number of these and several others either not getting an offer, or not receiving what they might feel is a fair deal and hold out until its too late to get back in.

Week 25-Results

1) The next to last NHL regular season weekend is over. Another solid day going 8-3 including getting another 'Lock' correct Overall this brings our season totals to 169-121 for a .583 winning edge as well as now going 19-6 for our Locks, or an astounding .760 percentage!

2) This should be a fairly busy time here at the blog. Were told that FR2 will be posting their final regular season Power Rankings later this up coming week. Of course the season ends next Sunday after which we of course will be making our award winning Cup predictions and also make our awards predictions/selections. Be sure to look for those as well as other issues/stories we're working on here at Fauxrumors. As always, keep it here for all the latest!

Week 25 Predictions

1) The next to last weekend of the long NHL season. The schedule is chock full of some inportant games. We take our 161-118 for a .577 winning % into today's 11 games. No easy ones to pick!

NY Rangers at Boston: Bruins

New Jersey at Buffalo: Devils (Lock of The Week)

Pittsburgh at Carolina: Penguins

Tampa Bay at NY Islanders: Islanders

Philadelphia at Ottawa: Senators

Montreal at Toronto: Habitants

St. Louis at Dallas: Blues

Columbus at Nashville: Blue Jackets

Vancouver at Edmonton: Oilers

Anaheim at San Jose: Ducks

Phoenix at Los Angeles: Kings

Soph Of The Year?

1) With Wednesday's opinion piece concerning the Calder race, we decided to see who of the excellent 07-08 rookie class was having the best sophomore season. Many times a players' second season sees a reduction in output; The dreaded sophomore jinx. We will run down the top Calder vote getter's and see how they are fairing this season to come up with who we believe is "The Soph of The Year".

2) Last year's Calder Finalists with total votes in parentheses, followed by their 07-08 point/win totals and this year's numbers (to date):

• Patrick Kane- Chicago Black Hawks (1078) 21-51-72/24-41-65



• Nicklas Backstrom- Washington Capitals (872) 14-55-69/22-62-82



• Jonathon Towes- Chicago Black Hawks (647) 24-30-54/31-33-64



• Carey Price-Montreal Canadiens (461) 24-12 2.56, .920/23-14, 2.77, .905



• Peter Mueller- Phoenix Coyotes (195) 22-32-54/12-22-34



• Milan Lucic- Boston Bruins (2) 8-19-27/17-24-41

3) Several things jump out at us here.

• Firstly Milan Lucic has bust upon the scene quite a bit since his rookie season. Developing into one of the brighter, up and coming young power forwards in the game today


• Peter Mueller (like his team) had one of the more disappointing soph seasons of the top Rookies. He even looked poised to possibly be the player to beat last season for a time.


• Nicklas Backstrom, last year's runner up is by far having the best Sophomore season of any of last year's rookie class. Pacing his team in assists and eclipsing the 20 goal plateau recently. As such Backstrom is The Fauxrumors Sophomore of The Year! Sorry Nicky, no accompanying trophy/monetary reward! ; )

Co-Calder Winners? No Fooling!

1) Fauxrumors believes based upon their stats and impacts for their respective teams that goaltenders Pekka Rinne of the Nashville predators and Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets are deserving of the co-honors as rookies of the year. Their respective talents were on display last night as the Jackets and Mason edged the Preds and Rinne 2-1 in an exciting close game by these two teams fighting to stay in the Western Conference playoff race. Both were highly touted prospects of their respective teams, but neither were supposed to be the starter coming into this past season.

2) Mason was first to burst upon the scene. The Jackets were pretty set in net with 25 year old Pascal Leclaire as their starter and Fred Norrena as his back up. A combination of injuries and inconsistent play gave Mason a shot and he hasn't disappointed since he got his first start in November against Edmonton. The 20 year old Oakville, Ontario native has impressive stats. In 56 starts he is 32-18-5 with a 2.22 GAA and a solid .918 save %. Ask any one in the Columbus organization and they will say he has clearly been the team MVP and the reason they are currently in a playoff spot. Until Rinne came along the Calder appeared to be Mason's to lose.

3) Pekka Rinne's rise to fame came as a bit more of a surprise. He differs from Mason as the native of Finland is a more mature 26. It was presumed that Rinne would be the understudy to starter Dan Ellis, but once Rinne got his feet wet he took the opportunity and hasn't looked back. His stats are equally impressive. Starting 43 games he has an excellent 27-11-4 record with a 2.26 GAA and .921 save %. Likewise Mason, Predator officials we spoke with are quick to point to Rinne as a big reason they are still in the playoff race out west.

4) There is no precedent in the 76 year history of the award that two players share the honor, but we believe that this year it SHOULD happen In all likelihood Steve Mason will win the award. His stats are a hair better, and being a North American over a newbie Finn also won't hurt his shot. However, we feel that voters/the NHL should consider a duel award this season. No fooling!