4. Canucks sign Matheiu Schneider: We don't like to criticize Mike "We are not worthy" Gillis around this blog, but this signing just didn't pan out. After a Jon and Kate-like breakup earlier this year, that now sees him on playoff-bound Phoenix, we are left with the numbers: a 2.18 million cap hit (thanks to bonuses) that earned us 5 points in 17 games from old man Schneider.
His insistence on using a wooden stick should have been a tip-off that Schneider wouldn't pan out
3. Leafs trade a 2010 1st and 2nd, and a 2011 1st for Phil Kessel: Maybe we'll be eating our words when Tyler Seguin and Adam Larsson are skating around in the black and gold with the Stanley Cup, but this trade is the rare variety that hurt both teams. The Leafs have gotten decent production from Kessel, but haven't seen results in the standings as they still are holding lottery balls (or they would be if, well, you know what I mean). The Bruins, although collecting quite the haul for Kessel, squandered away their scoring (they now sit last in the league in goals) in a time where their key players like Chara and Savard are in their prime. The first place team in the East last year is now clinging to a playoff spot. By the time their prospects develop, those players will likely be over the hill or gone. The Leafs give up two possible superstars, and Boston loses its championship window. Lose-lose.
2. Dallas fires Dave Tippet: Ever since his lovers tryst with Cloutier cost the Canucks a real shot at a Cup all those years ago, I've never been a huge fan of Crawford. His scratchy voice on Hockey Night in Canada was unpleasant as well, until Kevin Weekes made us realize how good we had it as he rambles on about goalie positioning and cutting down the angle. The real mistake Dallas made, however, was firing Tippet. Tippet was not the problem last year: it was injuries, it was the aging team, and it especially was Turco. Tippet proved how wrong Dallas was by going to their division rival Coyotes, and proceeding to lead this band of ragtag rookies who most predicted would be battling for the basement to a home playoff berth. Did you know that Doan, the leading scorer on Phoenix, has 53 points? That, ladies and gentlemen, is a coach.
1. Calgary hires Brent Sutter: This deal was doomed to fail from the start, for two reasons:
-Sutter wasn't the change the Flames needed. When a team needs a coaching change, it should bring a refreshing change to the culture of the team. The team traded hard-ass Keenan for hard-ass Brent, and the effect is obvious in the way the players play. They aren't motivated. There's only a limited number of times you can call out a player before he loses his confidence or his motivation. Brent's strict system, while low scoring and often painful to watch, is not to blame. The lack of motivation, where players only show up for some nights or certain periods, is a correlation of how they respond to the coach. It's easy to play the what-if game, but if Pat Quinn had been hired as coach of the Flames this summer, they'd be in the hunt for the division. Guaranteed. Or your money back.
-Violating Biggie's golden rule. It's number five of the goddamn Crack Commandments! How do mess that up? By not keeping his family and business completely separated, Darryl has put his own job and the future of the franchise in doubt. Can he really fire his brother and keep his job? Does the owner fire Darryl and keep on Brent? Most likely, the owners avoid this whole messy situation and keep the Sutter royalty, thereby blocking real progress of the team. It's good to be a Canucks fan sometimes.
Mo' money, mo' problems, right Jay?
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