TOP TEN: Which moves have shifted the NHL Power Structure the Most so Far?
Honorable Mention: Vladimir Tarasenko- 23years old and for the next 8 years the $60 million dollar price tag means he’ll be the Blues future center piece.
10) Fisher & Ribeiro Stay Put in Nashville- For a team that continues to dominate during the regular season, keeping these two veteran pieces was a necessity. How much they can contribute come the post season seems to be the bigger issue.
9) Mike Green adds to Detroit’s blue line- “Motorcycle Gang” Mike Green and the Red Wings are a match made in heaven. He supplies the puck movement and veteran leadership for the defensive corps. & Detroit supplies the ensemble cast so Green isn’t expected to carry anyone.
8) McDavid and the #1 picks- Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Leon Draisaitl will join the next big thing Connor McDavid. Adding Cam Talbot should help the Oilers win a bit more but the losing days are long from over.
7) Calgary adds more gasoline- Adding 22 year-old Doug Hamilton and 27 year-old Michael Frolik to an already explosive young squad will help Coach Bob Hartley defend his Jack Adams Award.
6) Lucic the new King of L.A. – After a memorable handshake send off to Dale Weise in 2014 and a disappointing 2015 both Boston and Lucic seemed happy to call things off with a trade to L.A. For the alpha male Lucic the spotlight in Hollywood should suit him just fine.
5) Dubynk at home between the pipes in Minnesota- After posting a 27-9-2 record and a stellar 1.78 GAA during the end of last season Minnesota locked their net minder of the future up for the bargain price of 6years $25 million.
4) Buffalo Sabres sharpen their swords- The team with the worst record last season won’t be hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup next season but adding forward Ryan O’Reilly, goaltender Robin Lehner and rookie phenomenon Jack Eichel with the #2 pick, to a line up already receiving a boast from the Evander Kane trade mid-season at least it would appear the dark days are over.
3) Brandon Saad’s Trade to Columbus- In a trade that may actually benefit Chicago more in the long run, Columbus managed to add firepower and for the short term greatly improve their playoff chances with the budding superstar Saad. Unfortunately he doesn’t play goalie as well.
2) Caps’ add Oshie and Williams to energize attack- Losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs again proved to the brass they needed to supply Captain Ovechkin with offensive help to lighten his load. Head Coach Barry Trotz’s reinforcements arrived in the form of T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams, two veteran forwards from winning pedigrees.
1) Phil Kessel’s gets his divorce from Toronto & somehow ends up the Belle of the Ball- After all the speculation and whispers of a blockbuster deal, Toronto sent Phil Kessel and all his excess baggage to Pittsburgh with little more than a whimper. The potential of Kessel in the black and yellow has Penguins fans giddy. They won’t ask him to play defense, they won’t ask him to be likeable all they will ask him to do is score. If Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have finally found the missing piece, ironically like Marian Hossa before him he wears number 81.
Born and raised in Mesa, Arizona and introduced to hockey at an early age by his brother-in-law Will was benefitted by the Winnipeg Jets move to the valley. As a teen he joined the AZ Desert Youth Hockey Association (DYHA) competing in the Minor Division before promoting to the Premiere League Tier II Division. He also played at the famous ‘Spectrum Arena’ facilities for Inline Hockey Association Arizona (IHAAZ) in Chandler as a part of team ‘GEAR DRIVE’ a top travel program. He continues to participate in Coyote Adult Hockey Leagues in both Chandler and Scottsdale. He attended Mesa Community College and studied Business and Creative Writing while on a Journalism Scholarship. The father of 3 is currently an Operations Manager for ELITE PERSONAL TRAINING AND GYM in Mesa, AZ.