piper's points

The complete rebuild of the Columbus Blue Jackets is well underway and so far, GM Scott Howson has actually done a decent job.

Howson acquired a 1^st round draft pick and Jack Johnson (a former first rounder himself) from the Los Angeles Kings last night for Jeff Carter. Earlier in the week, he shipped Antoine Vermette to the Phoenix Coyotes for a 2^nd round draft pick.

Now, it appears the biggest fish of all – Rick Nash – is next. If he is moved, the Blue Jackets will have dumped three players with $106.9 million remaining on their contracts after this season. Nash has 7 years left at $47.4 million; Carter a whopping 10 years to go at $52 million; and Vermette with 2 years at $7.5 million.

I’m amazed at what Howson was able to get for Carter, who has been a disappointment in Columbus to say the least. It’s not easy dealing a player with 10 years left on his contract. And Johnson is a good young defenceman with plenty of upside.

As for Nash, well I’m no fan of dealing your franchise player at this point of the season; he’s too good of a player to be rushed out of town. I think the Jackets could get a better deal this June at the NHL Draft. But, it seems to me Columbus has already emotionally parted ways with Nash and it’s a given; he will be dealt by Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline.

The Blue Jackets might not be done there either. Centre Derrick Brassard could very well be next. He has two years and $7 million remaining on his contract.

What remains to be seen: How in the H E double hockey sticks is Columbus going to sell any tickets next season?

BROWN IN LEAFS BLUE?: Whether they were ever serious contenders for him or not, Toronto missed out on Carter, but that trade might have opened another door for the Leafs. Kings captain Dustin Brown is now reportedly available. Brown would actually be a better fit in Toronto anyway and he’s Brian Burke’s ideal type of forward. The Leafs will have to give up at least Luke Schenn, who is needed to replace Johnson on the Kings blueline, along with a decent prospect. You’d think Mike Richards would take over as captain in LA and it’ll be he and Carter’s team – just as it was in Philadelphia. The big difference is the Kings have great goaltending. Speaking of goaltending, LA still has their biggest bargaining chip in backup Jonathan Bernier.

KARLSSON A LOCK FOR NORRIS: Erik Karlsson will win the Norris Trophy this year, you can bet your house on it. Not too many awards are a lock, but if Karlsson doesn’t win the NHL’s most outstanding defenceman award, this blogger will burn his laptop. Karlsson is on pace to become the first blueliner to record 80 points in a season since 2005-06 when Nick Lidstrom managed the feat. The 21-year-old has 13 goals and 47 assists for 60 points in 61 games and is nearly 20 points clear of any other d-man in the league. But the most incredible stat to me is his plus/minus rating. The Swede is +15 so far this year; he was -30 last season. The youngster’s breakout season is one of the main reasons why the rebuilding Ottawa Senators find themselves in a surprising playoff position with only 20 regular season games to go.

JETS ATOP SOUTHEAST: All of a sudden, the Winnipeg Jets are leading their division, which has been full of surprises this season. Washington and Tampa have disappointed, while Florida and Winnipeg have had great seasons. Incredibly, of these two teams could very well win the division and get home ice for the first round. The Panthers do trail the Jets by only a point with four games in hand however. You can imagine the fans in Winnipeg will go bonkers if they Jets are the 3^rd seed in the East. Winnipeg, after a 15-year absence from the NHL, has cheered their team to an incredible 19-9-3 record on home ice this season.

UFA WATCH IN MTL: Meanwhile, the Canadiens have hit rock bottom – tied for last place that is in the East. With Hal Gill already dealt and Travis Moen on injured reserve, available unrestricted free agents remaining in Montreal are Andrei Kostitsyn, Mathieu Darche and Chris Campoli. Kostitsyn and Darche could very well re-sign in Montreal, but look for Campoli to be dealt, and he won’t get much of a return for the Habs.

COLTS COLLAPSE: For the second straight Thursday at the Ed Lumley arena, Colts fans were treated to a preview of playoff hockey. This time, Cornwall blew a 2-0 third-period lead, and fell to the Brockville Braves, 3-2. Tylor and Tyson Spink combined for four points on the night for the Colts, who were playing their fifth game in eight days. The Colts really seemed to run out of gas in the rare third-period collapse. Cornwall gets a much-needed break; they’re off until next Thursday when the Carleton Place Canadians come to town.

AMAZING VIDEO: If you haven’t seen the video of the 59-year-old woman who won a new truck during the intermission at the Akwesasne Warriors game before Christmas, you must click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccZqU8rJjTs. You really have to see this unbelievable video, which has more than 1.7 million hits on YouTube. Thanks to Diane for sending me the link.

PIPER’S POINTS: The Carter/Nash experiment didn’t last long in Columbus and to me it really never stood a chance. Carter isn’t the playmaking centre that Nash needs/deserves. You can’t have two 300-shot guys playing together. It just doesn’t work. Enjoy Deadline Day!

Kirk Muller never wanted to leave Montreal. But in April, 1995 the Canadiens captain was dealt to the lowly New York Islanders alongside Craig Darby and Mathieu Schneider for Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov.

Muller was in the prime of his career, coming of a Stanley Cup with the Habs in 1993. He scored the Cup winning goal and was arguably the heart and soul of that team, which won an incredible 10-straight overtime games.

After 19 NHL seasons and six all-star appearances, Captain Kirk would eventually return to Montreal as an assistant coach from 2006-11.

This past off-season, the Kingston native took on a head coaching gig with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. It wouldn’t be long before he was back in the NHL. On Nov. 28, Muller was named the Carolina Hurricanes coach.

Since then, the Canadiens fired Jacques Martin and assistant Randy Cunneyworth took over as the interim coach. There has been plenty of backlash in Montreal because the Habs have an English coach. Incredibly, GM Pierre Gauthier has admitted publicly that this was a mistake.

Maybe Captain Kirk would have been forgiven on the language issue, having been an ex captain and Stanley Cup winner with the Habs. Or maybe he’s just lucky to be out of Montreal.

In any case, Muller is happy to be in Carolina and in his first visit to Montreal this week; the Canes beat the Habs 4-3. Muller improved his coaching record to 13-12-7 with the win at the Bell Centre.

NASH TRADE RUMOURS: It appears Rick Nash is now on the block as the Feb. 27 Trade Deadline fast approaches. All of a sudden, the Blue Jackets’ franchise player is available but with all of the problems they have in Columbus, I can’t help but wonder: How is trading your best player going to solve anything? It would be a mistake for Columbus to rush and make such a move. They would be better off waiting until the draft to deal him – if at all. In any event, these types of trades don’t happen overnight as this isn’t your typical deadline deal. This would be a “hockey deal” involving a player in his prime. Nash, who has a limited no-trade clause, has six years and $47.4 million left on his contract, with an annual cap-hit of $7.8 million. He has reportedly submitted a list of no more than five teams in which he’d accept a trade to. Read on to see where I believe Nash will end up, if he’s dealt.

SI POLL HARD ON LEAFS: Phil Kessel is the latest Maple Leaf to top an unflattering Sports Illustrated poll. Kessel is the player that is most easily intimidated, according to a surveyed 145 NHLers. Brian Burke will be steaming once again, but hey, you have to take the good with the bad when you’re at the centre of the hockey universe, right Mr. Burke? The Sedins (VAN), Alexander Semin (WAS), Patrick Kane (CHI) and Ilya Kovalchuk (NJ) were the other players that garnered votes. A month ago, Dion Phaneuf was voted the most overrated player in the league. Burke was quick to bash the SI poll in defence of his captain.

IN-KOSTISTENT?:The Habs will likely be sellers and one player they shouldn’t move, but might be forced to because he is a UFA, is LW Andrei Kostistyn. The 6-foot, 214 lb. Belarusian is often criticized for being inconsistent, yet in three of the last four seasons, he’s scored 20-25 goals. (Two years ago he tallied 15 times in 59 games). Not bad in a defensive-minded system. Kostitsyn is strong on the forecheck and ranks second among Habs forwards with 78 hits. He’s one of those guys that, if he does leave Montreal, will score 25-30 goals elsewhere. At $3.25 million, there are worse options out there. Sometimes, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

LIN-SANITY HITS NEW YORK: Not long after Tebow-mania swept across North America, Lin-sanity has arrived. New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin is the biggest surprise in the NBA so far this season and he is quickly becoming a phenomenon at Madison Square Gard-lin. Lin took his show on the road to Toronto for Valentine’s Day, hitting a clutch three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left to sink the Raptors 90-87. Lin is only 6 starts into his career and has led New York to seven straight wins. The Knicks can’t keep up with the No. 17 jerseys and t-shirts and his jersey is also the top seller on the NBA’s official online store. And of course the biggest measure of popularity nowadays is Twitter and Lin has more than 380,000 followers, with that number growing by the hour.

AKWESASNE SWEPT IN DANVILLE: The Warriors made their dreaded 15-hour trek to Danville last weekend to play two games against the league-worst Dashers. Akwesasne lost both games as Danville doubled their season win total from two to four.

SPRING AHEAD: A sure sign that winter is nearly over, the Daytona 500 is two weeks away. Meanwhile, the new golf season is in full swing and the first major, The Masters, is only nine weeks away.

PIPER’S POINTS: If Nash is dealt, I believe he’s headed to Hollywood. The Los Angeles Kings are desperate for scoring and I believe they’d give up G Jonathan Bernier, D Jack Johnson, a forward and a No. 1 Draft Pick. If Nash does end up in Philadelphia or New York, watch for the Kings to deal Columbus C Jeff Carter.

Pierre Dagenais has been tearing up the Federal Hockey League for the past two seasons. But even these numbers were ridiculous for him.

Dagenais had a 14-point night last weekend as the Akwesasne Warriors beat up on the 1,000 Island Privateers 25-6. The former Montreal Canadiens forward tallied 8 goals and 6 assists in the game, in which he was a +13 with 17 shots on goal.

Mind blowing numbers right? Well, before you call Habs GM Pierre Gauthier to bring Dagenais back to Montreal, keep in mind this was no ordinary FHL game.

The Privateers had half their team stay at home – boycotting the game in Akwesasne against a Warriors team that has bullied its opponents of late.

The Privateers played with 12 skaters – half of them who currently play, have played or have tried out with the Warriors. For the second weekend in a row in fact, an opposing team plugged spots in their roster with local players. Former Akwesasne Wolves Jr. B captain Aronhiaies Herne suited up for the Privateers on this night. The week before, it was former team owner Basem Awwad who suited up for the visiting Delaware Federals.

I’m not sure why the Warriors/Privateers game actually counts in the standings; it certainly makes it impossible to take this league seriously. That’s coming from a huge supporter of the old Cornwall Comets – and we all know how much of a circus the Quebec league was.

But the FHL is a different breed. Sure, the league does have young, fast players, but there are two major problems I see.

First, the FHL is geographically challenged to say the least. Akwesasne for example, has to travel 15 hours on a bus to Danville, Illinois to play the expansion Dashers. Danville, by the way, is 1-28-1-3.

The other huge problem is the schedule, which is easily 15-20 games too long and includes far too many mid-week games. Akwesasne’s last three Wednesday night games have averaged 275 fans. If I’m an owner in the FHL, I want those games eliminated.

CLASSIC TELEVISION: The Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 Winter Classic, the NHL has announced. Here’s hoping that HBO renews its 24/7 series. At the 2011 Classic, it was the Bruce Boudreau show, featuring F-bombs left and right from the Washington Capitals bench boss. This year, it was Philadelphia Flyers G Ilya Bryzgalov who was in the spotlight with his deep thoughts on the universe. The star of the Leafs/Wings version certainly won’t be Phil Kessel, aka Mr. Personality. But can you imagine going behind the scenes with Leafs GM Brian Burke and even Wings coach Mike Babcock? For me, the TV show is actually more entertaining than the game itself.

WHITNEY CLOSING IN ON MILESTONE: Ray Whitney of the Phoenix Coyotes, is 25 points shy of 1,000 for his career, which has spanned over two decades. Whitney, who turns 40 in May, is red-hot with 10 points in his last six outings. He has 28 games left this season to achieve the milestone. The veteran, who is an unrestricted free agent after this season, has had stops in San Jose, Edmonton, Florida, Columbus, Detroit, Carolina and Phoenix. Whitney won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes in 2006.

NOLAN RETIRES: Former Cornwall Royal Owen Nolan officially called it quits this week. Nolan signed a one-day deal with the Sharks, a team he captained, and made his retirement announcement in San Jose. Nolan was the 1^st overall pick at the NHL Entry Draft in 1990. He would go on to play 18 seasons with stops in Quebec, Colorado, San Jose, Toronto, Phoenix, Calgary and Minnesota. The rugged winger scored 422 goals and 463 assists in 1200 games and added 1793 penalty minutes. Nolan, who was born in Ireland, won gold with Canada at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. He was an NHL All Star five times and is best remembered for his goal against Dominik Hasek at the 1997 ASG in San Jose, when he went in on a breakaway, pointed to the top corner and put the puck there to complete the hat trick. To local fans though, Nolan will always be remembered for his two seasons as a Cornwall Royal and his fierce battles against Eric Lindros and the Oshawa Generals as well as Mike Ricci and Peterborough Petes, among others. In 1989-90, Nolan was named the OHL rookie of the year, as he scored 51 goals and 60 assists along with a whopping 240 penalty minutes in 58 games.

PIPER’S POINTS: Edmonton Oilers C Sam Gagner, who has been at the centre of trade rumours in Edmonton for the last month, exploded for 8 points in a game last week against Chicago and has 14 points in his last 4 games. The Oilers are stacked with young, up-and-comers up front, and it’s hard to forget that Gagner is only 22 years old. But, if Edmonton ever had any intentions on dealing the centre, they’d be foolish to hang on to him now as his value will never be greater. Given Gagner’s play of late, there will be plenty of interest from GMs across the league as the NHL Trade Deadline of Feb. 27 fast approaches. The Oilers sure could use a Top 4 defenceman and Gagner is the perfect bait, especially coming off a stretch where he’s looked like #99 and not #89.

Super Sunday is just about here and for sports fans across the world, it is one of the most exciting days of the year.

For me, it’s become a tradition to have a few friends over on the day of the big game.  And not just for football either.

The Montreal Canadiens continue a tradition of their own, with a pair of weekend matinees on Super Bowl weekend. On Sunday, well before kick-off, the Habs and Jets faceoff at the Bell Centre. The puck drops at 2 p.m. and for this sports fan, it’s the perfect appetizer before the main course.

But the main event is Super Bowl XLVI and it’s the New York Giants vs. the New England Patriots in a rematch from four years ago, which was won by Eli Manning and the G-men.

The Pats are going for their fourth title in 11 years and a victory would put Tom Brady at the top of a list alongside Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for most Super Bowl wins by a starting quarterback (four).

In their way is a red-hot Giants team, which has won five straight. Manning is looking to one-up his older brother, with his second Super Bowl ring, at Peyton’s Place nonetheless in Indianapolis. Indy is hosting the Super Bowl for the first time in team history in the $720 million Lucas Oil Stadium, which opened in 2008.

The New York football Giants are 3-1 in Super Bowls, while New England is 3-3. The Patriots are 3-point favourites as this is posted.

My prediction: Giants 27, Patriots 24. MVP: New York WR Victor Cruz.

MESSY SPLIT: While there are many storylines surrounding the Super Bowl this week, the most intriguing one has nothing to do with the game itself – it’s the pending separation between Peyton and the Colts.  Manning and team owner Jim Isray issued a joint statement last week saying that they’re committed to maintaining their relationship. Both sides have been relatively tight-lipped all week, trying their best to not become even more of a distraction. However, things will get very interesting after Super Bowl Sunday. If the Colts are to keep Manning, a $28 million bonus is due to him on March 8. In all probability, the 4-time MVP will be released prior to that. Question is, how amicable will this split be? And, which NFL team will take a chance on the injured QB? Indianapolis, of course, won the Andrew Luck sweepstakes after finishing 2-14 without Manning, who had neck surgery and missed the entire season. Luck, the standout Stanford QB, will likely be in Colts blue & white next season. Talk about timing for the Colts, who had made the playoffs nine seasons in a row and 11 out of 12 years.

TRADE DEADLINE: Now that the NHL All-Star break is over, hockey fans will turn their attention to Trade Deadline Day, which is fast approaching – Monday, Feb. 27. Last year’s deadline was a bit of a bust, with only 16 deals made, involving 35 players. The year before, there were 31 trades with 55 players changing addresses. Here’s betting there will be more movement on this year’s version of D-Day. Outgoing Habs GM Pierre Gauthier should be responsible for 3-4 deals himself. See below. Big names that could be on the move this month could include: Bobby Ryan (ANH), Ales Hemsky (EDM), Derek Roy (BUF), Jeff Carter and RJ Umberger (CMB).

SURPRISING SENS:  Last season, Ottawa unloaded contracts, as Chris Kelly (Boston), Chris Campoli (Chicago) and Mike Fisher (Nashville) were dealt. With a new coach and a younger roster, the Sens have hushed all the critics so far this season and Ottawa could very well be buyers this time around. Before Christmas, they acquired potential top-6 forward Kyle Turris from Phoenix, and could acquire another scoring forward.

UFA SALE IN MONTREAL: It’s been a disappointing season and with the Habs well behind in the playoff race, they will more than likely be sellers. Hal Gill, Travis Moen, Andrei Kostitsyn and Chris Campoli are all unrestricted free agents at the end of the year and could be on the move. The experienced Gill and Moen will surely be dealt, as they’d be good additions for a post-season run.

LEAFS POST-SEASON BOUND?: In Toronto, the Leafs playoff hopes are still alive. The Buds would love to acquire a big centre – as would most NHL teams. White-hot C Mikhail Grabovski and D Luke Schenn’s names continue to pop up in trade rumours.  One big centre that would be available is Jeff Carter, who has been a huge disappointment to say the least in Columbus. He would be an interesting fit in Toronto but Carter does have a whopping 10 years and $52 million left on his contract. A player GM Brian Burke covets is Philadelphia LW James Van Riemsdyk. The 22-year-old American is currently out with a concussion.

50th TOURNEY FOR CMHA: Congratulations to the Cornwall Minor Hockey Association, which is hosting its 50^th Bantam/Midget Tournament this weekend. CMHA is celebrating the big five-zero with games at the Benson Centre for the very first time. Cornwall has entries in all three divisions. Best of luck to coach Mike Piquette’s Bantam B squad, Ray Landry’s Minor Midget B team and Tom Wilson’s Major Midget B club.

PIPER’S POINTS: Whether you’re a Habs fan or not, you’ll probably get a chuckle out of this:  www.didgomezscore.com, a website purely dedicated to Scott Gomez’ goal drought. You can visit the site daily to see if Gomez scored the night before! The diminutive Montreal centre, who will earn $7.5 million this season, hasn’t scored a goal since Feb. 5, 2011 vs. the New York Rangers. One final prediction: Gomez will celebrate his one-year anniversary this Super Sunday with the game-winning goal vs. the Jets.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post… feel free to post any comments!