Q&A with Anthony! The first installment…

Welcome everyone, to the 1^st edition of Q&A with Anthony.  I just want to start off by thanking everyone who sent in some of the questions that they did.  We have some really good questions to answer for you today from all you Hockey maniacs.  I do hope to provide the best answers possible and I do hope you all enjoy this first installment of Q&A with Anthony.  And now, the questions:

Paul Holmgren writes:

Hey Antnee

Do you think this will be a break out year for Claude Giroux?

Hi Paul.  Great way to start this Q&A.  To be honest, I think Giroux has the tools to make him a very important top six player for this Flyers club.  His playmaking ability (if you recall the short-handed display in the brief playoffs for the Flyers) where he created space, and made quite a nifty play behind the net to find Gagne and feed him a beautiful pass for a Gagne SHG.  You can tell the kid has vision, intelligence, and patience with the puck.  He is going to be a stud.  The question will “this” year be his break out year, I think, all depends on the way coach Stevens and company use Giroux.  With the proper ice time along side either Carter or Richards, as a winger, he could wind up scoring 25 goals and adding 35 assists.  He knows where the puck is, knows how to get it, and knows what to do with it.  He is responsible with the puck on his stick and doesn’t mind going into the corners to make sure that he wins the battles down low.  This will create a lot of scoring chances and Giroux will be in on most of those scoring chances while he is on the ice – weather it’s him putting it in the net or setting up his line mates to score.  If Stevens is smart, and Homer makes sure that the “hunt the puck” style is implemented this year then Claude Giroux will indeed have a break out year.  With many more to come…

Our next question comes from Chris

Chris asks:

Will Tallon stay in Chicago or give the Wirtz the big ‘your number one’ and move onto another organization? If so what team would be a good fit?

Well Chris, the news broke yesterday that Dale Tallon will indeed stay on with the Chicago Blackhawks.  Tallon was reassigned and named a senior advisor of hockey operations.  It was only fair, that with the surprising, but supposedly everyone knew it was coming, firing to keep Tallon on board with the organization.  We wish Dale all the best with his new position in Chicago.

Chase wants to know:

Any Idea where Comrie or Kozlov will go?  About the only 2 decent offensive free agents left.

Well, if rumors are true that Robert Lang has indeed signed a contract in the KHL, that leaves Tangauy, Kozlov, Comrie, Satan, Bertuzzi, Sykora and there is still an RFA that has yet to have anything done in Kessel, as available offensive talent.  To answer your question, on where will Kozlov and Comrie go?  Victor Kozlov has signed over in the KHL so it’s good riddance to him.  Slava Kozlov is signed on with Atlanta through the end of this year so he’ll most likely be playing with Kovalchuk and Antropov.  Mike Comrie will all depend on what team is going to want to invest money this season for an underachieving Center.  His best years seem to be far behind him.  He’s had one 30 goal season during the post lockout era, and 1 season with over 50 points (that was the ’05-’06 season with Phoenix where he had a 30/30 season).  So, unless he’s willing to accept $2 million or less, he might end up over in the KHL as well.  I do not know 100% if Ottawa wants to keep Comrie on board, but I’m sure if they can meet on the proper dollar figure, Comrie might be able to improve on his offensive numbers with the Senators now that Kovalev is on board.  If Heatley stays, they could develop a really nice top six situation in Ottawa, and Comrie might fit right in.

Shane asks:

What is your take on Nikolai Zherdev? This kid seems to have all the talent in the world, yet no one seems to want him on their team anymore. Does he go back to Russia to earn the big bucks or will another team give him a shot to prove himself in the NHL?

Shane, you bring up a good point.  If you listened to the podcast, we briefly touched ground on this situation.  Zherdev is a world class talent and could instantly take over a rush down the ice whenever he wants to.  The problem is, he doesn’t want to most of the time.  He seems to be very lazy and he does not show up for each and every game, each and every shift.  He is NOT as fragile as most Euro’s in this league, and his tools are comparable to some of the best.  The problem is, he never wants to show exactly what he is capable of.  Right now Zherdev took the Rangers to arbitration, where he will most likely find a way to get a little more then the qualifying offer the Rangers presented to him ($3.25 million) and with the recent addition of Ales Kotalik in New York it seems as if Zherdev’s days are done.  He (Zherdev) then recently came out and stated that he wouldn’t mind playing for one of the teams in the same division that he is currently in.  I can’t imagine him signing with the Islanders, but they, at this point, are the only team that could afford him.  Would Zherdev play for the Islanders? And just think of a Tavares – Zherdev – Okposo trio as your top unit!? We might see a different Zherdev where he will be free to just roam the ice, find the puck, and not have to worry about pressure to perform.  I wish, that for five seconds a shift, I could be inside Zherdev’s mind to figure out what his thought process was while playing.  In my honest opinion, the KHL is the best fit for this guy.  He can go back home, make tons of money, and not care about his play – which will probably mean he will be the KHL’s leading scorer year in and year out.

Moll sends two questions:

1- What do you think will happen with Koivu being a ducks???

2- Do you think it’s the last season of phoenix in Phoenix??

1) Koivu on the Ducks does a lot for every situation involved with this.  First off, it gives the Ducks a second line center that they seriously needed.  Now there is someone to play and keep up with Lupul and Selanne on a second unit in Anaheim.  The other thing it does, which as much as I hated seeing Koivu leave the Habs, is bring Selanne and Koivu together.  Best friends finally get to play with each other on the same unit.  However, let’s not be surprised if Koivu is back with the Habs at the end of this season.  He really needs to retire a Canadien, and it still hurts and will be really weird to see him in another uniform.

2)      The Phoenix saga is a wild one.  There have been investors bidding for the club to move them, to keep them in Phoenix, and to do god knows what with them.  But let’s get serious here for a second.  The NHL absolutely screwed up when they brought a National Hockey League team to the DESERT! Winnipeg is BEGGING to get a team back.  The Jets were awesome, from the Uniforms to the City! It was a shame the day they moved to Phoenix in 1996.  The NHL has indicated a desire to hold an auction in September to find a new owner for the team, indicating that the auction would be open to prospective owners who would keep the team in Arizona, and stated that at least four potential buyers had been identified. The league had also indicated a willingness to hold a second auction, open to relocation, if the team could not be sold in the planned September auction. Now, with the team filing for Bankruptcy, the endless unknown as to what will come about (until, at least, September), I personally feel that the team should re-locate – BACK TO WINNIPEG. That’s a slim to none scenario, but hey, we can all dream can’t we?

This one was sent in from Aaron (stajanfan):

Now that the Phoenix situation with Mr. Balsillie has quieted down until September, and although there are now at least other potential buyers on the table, Gary Bettman did a terrible job of handling the court case with Balsillie, making himself and the NHL look terrible public relations wise. Do you think that Bettman is a dead man walking with the Board of Governors?

Gary Bettman is a hero and a goat every moment of everyday being Mr. NHL.  When Bettman first came on as the first commissioner of the NHL on February 1^st, 1993 (yikes, has it really been 16 years!!?) it seemed as if this might be a fresh start for the NHL. He was hired with the mandate of selling the game in the U.S. market, end labor unrest, complete expansion plans, and modernize the views of the “old-guard” within the ownership ranks. Bettman expanded the league to 30 teams, however, has been accused of attempting to “Americanize” the game. In some sense, that isn’t a bad thing as American’s need to see how great of a sport hockey is, and by building and adding within the U.S.A. only means gaining new and hopeful long term interest. However, he has been a central figure of two labor stoppages, including the 2004–05 NHL lockout that saw the entire season canceled. It’s hard, though, to state weather Bettman is a dead man walking with the BOG of the NHL.  Under Bettman, the NHL has seen rapid growth of league revenues, from $400 million when he was hired to over $2.2 billion in ’05-’06. However, like you said, with the display of making himself and the NHL “look” terrible from a PR standpoint, he could start to see himself in some very hot water, very soon.

The next set of questions were sent in by Spicy McHaggis:

1) Why does Bettman get paid $7.1 million dollars to be commish, which is more then some stars in the NHL?

Spicy, your guess is as good as mine.  He is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law, so his credentials do make him a very knowledgeable figure, but a $7million dollar salary is AMAZING.  How do I get a job within the NHL should be the question we are all asking ourselves!

2) What’s the deal with Global Warming? I mean, it just keeps getting hotter!

I’m not sure where you are located, but where I am, you can see the climate changes!  I mean, usually, by this time of year, we are already in the high 90’s (Fahrenheit) and we have yet to even get to the high 80’s.  Maybe everything is shifting, and soon Canada will be like Florida and vice-versa.

3) Was the firing of Tallon a conspiracy? Or did his over spending finally catch up with him?

Al Cimaglia of ESPN Chicago said it best I think, when he said “From my perspective, Tallon is out as general manager because McDonough didn’t have faith in his decision-making and wasn’t confident in his managerial skills. That’s not necessarily an indictment of Tallon, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t a McDonough hire. McDonough apparently needed to scrutinize Tallon on a regular basis, and possibly a solid trust between the two never existed.” Tallon just got the wrong end of the stick.  I don’t think it had to do, so much, with over spending.  More so it was a lack of trust and communication between him and team president John McDonough.

The next question comes to us from Becky (Hawky):

Anthony—-What do you think of the job Joe Nieuwendyk is doing in Dallas?

Well Becky, to be honest, I don’t think there has been much of a job done just yet.  I think he was very premature in firing Dave Tippet to bring aboard a coach of his liking in Marc Crawford.  I think, once he makes a significant move roster wise, and I said significant, not meaning Alex Auld as a back up for Turco, you’ll know more about how he is going to be as the GM of Dallas.  Until then, it’s a bit too early to tell.

Dave (lightningbolt) asks:

Brian McGrattan said today in an interview that he is stoked about the coming season.He said he is feeling terrific and is easily the best fighter in the NHL, and is ready to take on all comers.

Would you consider McGratton the best fighter in the NHL? No, I think he is FAR from being the “best” fighter in the NHL.

If you don’t, would you tell him to his face?  Yes, I would tell him to his face. I don’t think I’d get slapped, or punched for saying, “Hey Brian, BGL or Colton Orr would kick your a**!” And if I did, I got one hell of a lawsuit coming my way!

If not, who is better? Georges Laraque (probably the best heavyweight in the league) Colton Orr (is a really good fighter, maybe he’ll go MMA when he realizes he’s not a hockey player), I mean there are quite a few guy’s in the NHL that would give McGrattan a serious run for his money – maybe even knock him out!

The next group of questions comes to us from asmodeanreborn:

How long will it take before Rangers realize that they need a new GM… badly? –

The return for Gomez and the signing of Gaborik gives Sather some major stability at his post.  Between that and the fact that he and James Dolan are really buddy buddy, unless Slats is willing to step down, I don’t think they will realize it soon enough.  He has given out some of the most ridiculous contracts in the NHL, however, when you look at what the market was calling for, at the time, the players he signed you would realize that it really wasn’t his fault and that it could have been any other team with the cap space.  If Paul Holmgren (i.e. – Danny Briere) or let’s say Bob Gainey (i.e. – Cammalleri) or Garth Snow (i.e. – Rick DiPietro) were to do the same thing, would they be on the ”s”-list? I think that with Sather, because he’s always been able to spend and always does, it makes him look worse.  In reality, given the timing of the contracts and the players that received them, it could have been any team, but because the Rangers organization can spend, spend, spend, they always seem to do so and it’s not about Sather being a bad GM because he is trying to better his team by getting the best talent available at that time. It’s not his fault that once his players get on the ice they suddenly suck! So maybe Slats doesn’t deserve “ALL” the blame!

According to “doctors,” Gaborik’s supposed to be completely repaired and shouldn’t have to worry about those old injuries again… How many games will he play? 5-10, 11-20, or 21-40?

(Any higher, and a black hole will obviously appear over MSG)

Get ready to see that black hole.  I really feel that this time, Gaborik is going to be what he once was when he first broke into the league.  I think the minimum of games played this season will be 65. You can bookmark this thread, and bring it back at any time next season to see if I was right or wrong.  Watch Gaborik (with 65+ games) dominate the league in offensive categories.

Will Tampa make the playoffs with their vastly improved defense-corps?

Tampa’s situation is sickening.  Two years in a row they have gone out and signed NUMEROUS free agents and have brought in a different look to the team one way or another.  If it backfired last season, why won’t it backfire this season? And seriously, how many press box d-men and demoted d-men are going to be really pissed that they were brought in by the Bolts?  It’s a messy situation, and to think, Hedman is most likely pro-ready now.  Maybe this is the Lightning wanting the prize d-man selected second overall in the draft to develop properly and they won’t rush him onto the team? Who knows, but I don’t see Tampa as a playoff team this season.

Will Anderson be able to keep up his amazing save percentage from the last few seasons as the starter on a bare-scraped Colorado team?

Honestly, if you look at Colorado’s defense, when healthy, it’s not as horrible as a lot make it out to be.   I really think Budaj will give Anderson a run for his money during camp and pre-season, and you might see a flip flop between the two until the hot goalie is the goalie that the team rides. Time will tell before we know for sure how the situation will be in Colorado.  Does Matt Duchene make the team this year? Is T.J. Hensick ready for top six minutes?  There are so many questions we can ask about the Avalanche, and the best we can do, is wait and see.

Who will be this year’s best goalie?

Tim Thomas again, hands down.  The man is simply amazing, and his athleticism is top in the league.  I’d be surprised is Timmy doesn’t have his name on the Vezina ballots at seasons end.


Mat from Canada sends to us:

The Canadiens will have a completely different look next year. Do you think Gainey has set the team up for success, or is this a last grasp at keeping his job?

The problem with this is that there is too much change.  Sure, re-uniting Gomez and Gionta could be magical, and the signing of a near 40 goal player in Cammalleri makes the roster on black and white look better as a whole, but who are we to say that the chemistry will be there?  Jacques Martin has already publicly stated that Cammalleri is a second liner on this Habs team?  Really?  $6 million for a second liner? As for Gainey, this is him doing all he can to preserve his position as GM of the team. He is trying to re-vamp the team with a new look. Maybe it was the plan from the start, and only time will tell if all the change made pans out, but for now, Gainey has gained some lifeline for himself.  The biggest mistake was letting Koivu walk, of all the players that left.  Let’s see how that pans out further into the season.

Dany Heatley is this summer’s Sundin. Do you see him staying in Ottawa or does he cave and accept the trade to Edmonton? If he stays, do you think he’ll have any success playing in a clubhouse where everyone else knows he doesn’t want to be?

I’m not so sure we can compare the “Heater”  situation to the Sundin one, but I see your point.  At this point, especially since Ottawa already shelled out $4 million that was owed to Dany, I can’t see them trading him.  With “Kovy” and “Alfie” doing all they can to keep Dany on board (if you read all the rumors like I do) maybe the players will forgive and forget, as I don’t think it’s so much a beef with the players as it is with the new coach.  Dany will have to prove himself, and if anything, might be shipped out at the trade deadline next year but that all depends on the position Ottawa is in at that time of the year.  I’d most certainly keep an eye on this situation for the time being, but in my opinion I can’t see Dany being traded until, at the earliest, January 2010.

What are your three surprise success teams for this coming season? What three teams do you think will play below expectation?

My three surprise teams for this upcoming season are:
Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild

The teams that will play below expectations to me are:
Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings

Jacques Lemaire is the new coach in Jersey. Will Zach Parise ever score 40 goals again or is he doomed to play defense for the rest of his career?

The rest of his career? Let’s remember the track record for the Devils coachs over the years.  They are a carousel of coaching and I think it’s only a matter of time before even Lemaire is replaced for some odd reason.  Parise is a special player, and maybe you won’t see a 40 goal season from him this year, as he will have to adapt to the style of coaching that Lemaire is going to bring, but I’m sure he will still score around 33 goals.  He is too gifted a player to totally lose his scoring touch because of a certain style Lemaire is going to bring. Owen Nolan notched 25 goals last year, Andrew Brunette potted 22 and Mikko Koivu put 20 in.  None of these three players named have the hands that Parise has, so I think it’s fair to say that Parise will continue to be, barring injury, a 30+ goal man in the NHL.

I’d like to thank everyone who submitted questions, and I hope that you enjoyed the answers.  Remember, again, to click on the podcast link and get some questions sent in to us to have answered by our panel during our upcoming Podcast this Sunday! Until next week, thanks again!