Savard not on block; Khabibulin to Russia? Predictions and radio show

As we enter the 2008-09 NHL season that begins Saturday and Sunday in Prague, where the Rangers and Lightning face-off and in Stockholm where the Penguins and Senators play, the remaining 26 NHL teams that kick things off in North America October 9, are finalizing their rosters. Some, like the Anaheim Ducks did this past week, dealing away defensemen Sean O’Donnell and Mathieu Schneider while signing Teemu Selanne, are fighting hard to stay under the new $56.7 salary cap.

Many other teams will also be hitting the books and working the phones this weekend as they try to get under that cap. But some teams, like Boston will not just be trying to shed the salaries just to shrink the cap but also to allow young prospects that have played above expectations in camp, to make the opening day lineup.

The Boston Bruins hold their annual “Media Day” today as they introduce their 2008-09 squad to the media holding a luncheon (always a season highlight for the Boston media!), a press conference involving Boston Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs, Executive Vice President Charlie Jacobs, General Manager Peter Chiarelli, Vice President Cam Neely and Head Coach Claude Julien, and then interview sessions with the players in the dressing room. With the 27 players still on the roster, the Bruins literally just under the 2008-09 salary cap of $56.7 million, and rookie forward Blake Wheeler (a $2.8 million cap hit), playing almost too good for the Bruins to send him down to Providence, General Manager Peter Chiarelli might be working the calculator during the luncheon and presser with the media. He may also have his Bluetooth in one ear as he tries to trim his roster and cap via a trade.

Chiarelli told WEEI.com’s Joe Haggerty (www.weei.com), “there’s more than a 50-percent chance” that the Bruins will make a deal before they start their season in Colorado October 9. But this urgency isn’t just for the same reasons Ducks GM Brian Burke had to wheel and deal, rather Chiarelli is now entertaining the idea that Wheeler is ready for the show and has earned a spot on the roster. Head Coach Claude Julien gave a subtle endorsement of this when he told the media in regards to player personnel decisions that “Some of it’s going to be us coaches, some will be upper management.”

You can bet though, based on the constant praise Julien has had for Wheeler, that he is doing his best to help the 2005 No. 5 pick overall make the team and is hoping Chiarelli and co. can either waive some players (hello Peter Schaeffer and Jeremy Reich) or trade some salary away (pack your bags Andrew Alberts or Andrew Ference, and if their dream comes true, Manny Fernandez mid-season!). One thing is for certain in Boston, the roster that the media interviews Friday will not be the same as the roster that takes the ice at the Pepsi Center in Denver next Thursday and while it has no choice but to lose three players, it may also gain some new faces.

One face that you can count on, unless a knock-your-socks off deal comes across Chiarelli’s desk, will be center Marc Savard who this week, somehow became the topic of trade rumors. On Wednesday, the Boston Herald reported that the Bruins were quietly shopping Savard, one of the league’s best playmakers over the last two seasons, as they continued their search for a top puck-moving defenseman. Chiarelli denied the rumor the next day, but did admit the Bruins have and continue to search for such a defenseman. One Bruins source sarcastically responded to the rumor by saying:

“Look Peter’s always listening to offers because that’s just his job, but unless we’re talking a signed, sealed and delivered Jay Bouwmeester or Dion Phaneuf, why would we trade one of the best playmakers in the game?”

Good question! Better yet, why would a team so strong up the middle, alter such a luxury now? With Savard, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci as their top three centers, the Bruins boast some of the best depth at center in the NHL. The read here, based on his work thus far, is that Chiarelli isn’t ready to use a quick trigger finger like his predecessor Mike O’Connell and trade away one of the best set-up men (remember the Hart-Trophy winning Joe Thornton?), in the league without getting equal or higher value in return.

So the likelihood of Savard being dealt just to free up salary or for anything less than a Norris-caliber blueliner is about as legit as this court ruling was 13 years ago today:



Speaking of dumping salary, the Blackhawks waived goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin in hopes of dumping his $6.7 million cap hit, but he passed through waivers and remains on their salary cap. According to report on Sportsnet.ca, (http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2008/10/02/khabibulin_khl/), the Blackhawks are looking into loaning Khabibulin to HC Dynamo Minsk in Belarus where Khabibulin has family. The report states that not only could Chicago shed Khabibulin’s cap hit, but also the remaining contract off their books. If this is the case, then one has to wonder why other teams don’t use this loophole more often instead of demoting players to the minors where they lose the cap hit, but still pay the contract out of pocket?

With the NHL starting up, it’s time for predictions and this humble scribe has some wristers for you. Yes, as everyone is predicting, Murphy’s Law has the Canadiens finishing a top the Eastern Conference and the Red Wings on top of the West again. With the addition of sniper Marian Hossa, the star-studded Stanley Cup Champions got even better. Hossa turning down a multi-year, blockbuster deals from Edmonton, Pittsburgh and possibly Boston, proved just how respected the Detroit organization is and that they truly are the model NHL franchise.

Meanwhile, Montreal GM Bob Gainey’s five-year plan is coming to fruition in its fifth year. The additions of Alex Tanguay, Robert Lang and Georges Laraque will pay bigger dividends than had the Canadiens waited around for the indecisive Mats Sundin. Just watch how much it means to have defenseman Mike Komisarek on the ice instead of in the sin-bin as the team’s designated tough guy. Komisarek will be the Phaneuf of the East and compete for the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman. Between the pipes, Carey Price will rebound from a shaky playoffs last spring and compete for the Vezina with 30-plus wins. This is going to be a Centennial year to remember in Montreal!

So without further ado here’s Murphy’s Law and Inside Hockey’s picks for the regular season:

Eastern Conference: http://insidehockey.com/columns/1981

Western Conference: http://insidehockey.com/columns/1982

The above links give you our regular season predictions, but here are this scribe’s expanded picks, including my Stanley Cup predictions and trophy winners:

Stanley Cup: Montreal over Detroit

Remember this Habs fans? Get ready for the Bell Centre's first:

Western Conference: Detroit over Chicago

Eastern Conference: Montreal over Washington

Hart Trophy: Marian Hossa (Jonathan Toews a close second)

Norris Trophy: Mike Komisarek

Vezina Trophy: Carey Price

Calder Trophy: Viktor Tikhonov

Rocket Richard: Alexander Ovechkin

For more on the above topics and everything else hockey be sure to GET INSIDE HOCKEY this Saturday and every Saturday on the Inside Hockey Radio Show, 2-4 PM on “NHL Home Ice” XM 204, The Team 990 in Montreal, and 1120 AM WBNW in Boston. You can also listen online at www.team990.com or www.moneymattersradio.net. Join host James Murphy and his new co-host Todd Carroll as they take you inside the NHL, AHL, NCAA, CHL, and all things hockey! To chime in call 1-877-645-6696 or 1-877-NHL-6696, and email radio@insidehockey.com.

We’ve got a great lineup for you this week, as we’re joined by Kevin Greenstein (Inside Hockey), Brian Daccord (Stop it Goaltending), Dave Schneider (Zambonis), Bob Snow (NHL.com), Patrick King (Sportsnet.ca), Louis Jean (Rogers Sportsnet), and PJ Stock (Hockey Night In Canada and Team 990). For more information click here:

http://insidehockey.com/columns/1989

Have a great hockey weekend!

Slainte,

Murph