|
There's only one way to celebrate the final month of the regular season: Bucci is answering your questions! Buccigross: The New York Islanders have won one scoring title in their history (Bryan Trottier won the Art Ross Trophy in 1978-79). John Tavares is in position to be the second. Just 24 years old, he should have a strong kick to the finish. I'm surprised how many people are pushing Carey Price for MVP. He is my lock for Vezina, but the Montreal Canadiens have one of the best defenseman in P.K. Subban, a near 40-point guy in Max Pacioretty and should have four 20-goal scorers. This is a good team. The Islanders haven't won a playoff series since Ray Ferraro's marinara-laced sauce pass to David Volek in the spring of 1993. No man does it alone, but Tavares is everything to the return of this franchise. He's my MVP. Buccigross: The Boston Bruins' David Pastrnak was the team's first pick (25th overall) in last June's draft. He is one of only four players from that class to have played this season (Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, Sam Reinhart of the Buffalo Sabres and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers are the others). Pastrnak is just 18 (he turns 19 on May 25). He is a smooth and light skater. At 167 pounds, he appears to levitate over the ice. He has velvety hands, good acceleration and an excellent head for the game. His pass to Ryan Spooner on Spooner's OT winner on Feb. 27 showed Pastrnak's hockey IQ: head up, looking straight at the net to freeze the goalie and then slipping the no-look pass to Spooner for the winner. Pastrnak gets pushed off the puck easily, but in the open ice he might be the Bruins' most exciting offensive player. Because of his playmaking skills, I could see him developing into a point-per-game player or close to it. When it comes to Bruins alumni, he sometimes reminds me of Rick Middleton. Peter Chiarelli is getting skewered for the Tyler Seguin trade (not a good one but not terrible in the short term ... Wait, it probably was terrible) and the Boychuk deal (which probably was terrible unless the B's sign Boychuk back this summer, which is highly unlikely, or one of the second-round picks turns out special). Both deals are still too early to judge. But the drafting and development of Pastrnak was very prescient and wise. I don't see any way Chiarelli loses his job this summer. It almost seems absurd to me. Buccigross: The 2009-10 Washington Capitals were lethal: a 50-goal scorer (Alex Ovechkin), 40-goal scorer (Alexander Semin), 30-goal scorer (Nicklas Backstrom) and four 20-goal scorers. Mike Green even had 19 from the blue line. And yet the Caps lost in the first round that spring to Montreal. Any team that makes this year's playoffs could lose in the first round. We know that. Washington just seems better equipped to have a playoff run, as much as any of its Ovechkin teams. The Caps are in the top 10 in fewest shots allowed and Braden Holtby has a nice .925 save percentage. One troubling stat is that the Capitals have won only 19 percent of their games after giving up the first goal. That might speak to lack of firepower depth and Ovechkin dependency, or it's just weird. They might have less overall firepower than in the past, but if I'm a Caps fan, I have to feel good going into the playoffs. This roster has the best chance for Ovechkin to at least reach the conference finals. Buccigross: No, I think the New York Rangers do. If I was ordered to wager one paycheck on any team to win the Cup with no prize more than just getting the paycheck back, I would select the Rangers. Ranger fans just have to hope their team is not peaking too soon, like the Bruins did last season. Are they peaking or just really good? When the backup goalie comes in and doesn't miss a beat, that usually is a sign a team is really good. Cam Talbot is signed for next season at $1.45 million, while Henrik Lundqvist will be making $10 million (an $8.5 million salary-cap hit). Plus, Talbot is an unrestricted free agent after next season. It will be interesting to see if the Rangers look to trade Talbot at the draft to a team that could get him cheaper next season and give him a full season as the man to see what he's got, or if they extend him at a good number to help their cap planning and give Talbot guaranteed cash for two to three years. The Rangers defeated the Capitals, 3-1, to move into first place in the Metropolitan Division. Over the span of four days, the Rangers defeated the Blackhawks, Islanders and Capitals all on the road. Behind "backup" Talbot, they allowed a total of two goals in those three victories. They are rolling. Buccigross: My guess is Craig Berube will not be fired and the Philadelphia Flyers will look to really change their roster the best they can. Berube has worked miracles with that defense. Berube has taken players off the scrap heap and they have overachieved. The Flyers have bad contracts and question marks in net and on D that need to be addressed. The lineup of Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek and Matt Read is a nice place to start up front. I'm sure the Flyers would like to see Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier take a little jump in their production. Do they use them to trade for help elsewhere or stay patient? Or do they extend them this summer (the latter two are restricted after next season) along with Voracek, who is an unrestricted free agent after next season? Mike Babcock will: (A) sign with the Detroit Red Wings, (B) wait until the draft lottery and see what happens with the Toronto Maple Leafs' pick and if Steven Stamkos or his representatives whisper in Babcock's ear that Stammer will sign with Toronto after next season when he is a unrestricted free agent, (C) become the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines or (D) retire from coaching and become a slow-motion hand-through-his-hair model, selling a new Rogaine/shampoo/conditioner 3-in-1 product. Buccigross: I picked the St. Louis Blues to win the Cup before the season, so I will be rooting for them. I don't have a favorite team. I root for my predictions. No team should frighten the Blues in the first round. I think they will catch the Nashville Predators for first in the Central and play one of the wild-card teams. At this point it looks like Minnesota, Calgary or Los Angeles. If the Blues can't catch Nashville, it likely will be the Patrick Kane-less Blackhawks. I'm not bullish on the Blackhawks without Kane. They are still very good, but they are like a Christmas tree without a star on top. Still impressive and bright, but Kaner makes them different. The Calgary Flames are not cute. They are good. Their goals-for, goals-against numbers mirror those of the Red Wings. The Flames are just in a tougher conference. The Kings are the champs, but where is their fuel tank? They are like that gas-tank light in your car. You know you're low, but sometimes it seems as if you could drive to Wyoming with it lit up and other times you don't think you can make it to Dunkin' Donuts or Tim Hortons. Buccigross: Yes, there is still a lot here. The Colorado Avalanche won a Stanley Cup without Peter Forsberg in 2001, their last Stanley Cup. But they still had four Hall of Famers in Joe Sakic, Ray Bourque, Rob Blake and Patrick Roy. The Blackhawks have three other Hall of Famers in Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith. But Kaner is the Katy Perry of the party. Lights up a room when he plays. "College Gameday" is the best American sports pregame show in North America. When Perry appeared as guest game picker last fall, she took it to another level with her energy, outfit and corn dog. That's talent. Any hope for the Blackhawks starts with Corey Crawford's playoff numbers. He's done it before. Two springs ago, his save percentage was .932 and his goals-against average was 1.84. He'll need to do that for the Blackhawks to have a chance to win a round. And hope Kaner's clav heals fast. Buccigross: Great personality, really smart. But his wheels are his challenge. As the game gets faster, he can get left behind. The Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens are fast. We'll see. Buccigross: I've been saying in this space for 14 years: If you want more goals, you have to make the net bigger or get goalies in space-age/ultra-safe padding that is smaller, especially the jersey. Jack Black should get the scientists working not only on the Tube Technology, but also this tender technology. I've been skeptical that the NHL can go backward in terms of equipment type and size because of possible lawsuits/unsafe-work claims. That's why I've advocated a slightly bigger net (an inch or so) to offset human size (we are getting bigger and likely will continue to get bigger) and improved skill and performance at the position. Baseball lowered the mound, basketball took out hand checking, added a 3-point line (that's more for comebacks, leveling the playing field and exciting game-ending shots than pure production) and the NFL made it more difficult to defend. Is it a coincidence that the popularity of college and NFL football has exploded as offense and the passing game exploded, making stars out of quarterbacks? Even golf has gotten smart and added the drivable par-4 at most tournaments. Imagine if the NHL did that with its most talented and marketable. When a goalie -- a player who stands on one tiny slither of the playing surface -- is being pushed as MVP of a league, I believe something is wrong. Buccigross: A million yeses. They are in. Buccigross: My guess is he won't sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The most dynamic college hockey defenseman plays for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and he can become a free agent this summer and pick any team he wants, like Kevin Hayes chose to do last summer with the Rangers. Now, the Blue Jackets are a good fit for Reilly. It's a great city for a young player or a married one to play. He can play this April for Columbus after the Gophers' season is over and burn a year of his term (unless Minnesota makes it to the national championship game -- the NCAA title game and the Blue Jackets' final regular-season game are both April 11). Most importantly, Reilly (who turns 22 July 13) would play next season for the Blue Jackets. They would almost assuredly guarantee that. But, what a great position to be in for a college player. Reilly might want to play for the Penguins alongside Sidney Crosby. Maybe he wants to pair with Aaron Ekblad in tax-free Florida for the up-and-coming Panthers after a lifetime of Minnesota winters. Maybe he wants to play with Kaner and Toews next season. Perhaps play in his home state of Minnesota. Play with Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton in Boston. The options are plentiful. I think Columbus is a perfect place for him in market size, team, arena, city, the whole thing. He's a great kid from a great hockey family and he will make the right decision.
|
