Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | Paid | My Orble | Login

Pro Sports Wrap - Sports Personality of the Day:Tony Romo

Uneasy situation in Montreal

December 11th 2011 15:24
The chances of defenseman Matthias Ohlund playing this season are slim, as he hasn't skated for several weeks due to pain in his knees. He had knee surgery in mid-October, and it looks like GM Steve Yzerman will stand pat. There really is no reason to do something else, as Bruno Geravis has played well as a depth defenseman. I think the furthest Yzerman should go is call up Radko Gudas if things get worse on the blue line.


Before the Carolina Hurricanes were able to dump off Tomas Kaberle's contract on the Canadiens shoulders, the 'Canes tried to trade the $4.25 million man to the Blue Jackets. Carolina tried to package a second rounder and the 33-year-old for center Derick Brassard, but the Blue Jackets rejected this offer outright. Kaberle had a -11 this season with the Hurricanes, and it really seems like the only way to improve this sagging team is a complete overhaul. It may seem imprudent, but this strange collapse may be for real. The key players, such as Eric Staal, are here to stay, but guys like Kaberle and other older role players are expendable. I still can't believe the Canadiens would ever take the under-performing, aging Kaberle and- most of all- the contract that comes with him.


The team that obtained Kaberle, the Canadiens, are interested in shaking things up as well. The fan base has been calling for Jacques Martin's head, but there are also rumblings that GM Pierre Gauthier's job security is falling. Patrick Roy and the surprise firing Randy Carlyle are two names circulating around Martin (the vultures around a "corpse"), and even some players have said that Martin has a poor system that is too restrictive. The aforementioned Blue Jackets were among the teams who made head coaching changes, and they have gotten off to a hot start with their new coach. The Canadiens are coming off of a shootout loss against the Jackets, and maybe firing their head coach will help them out; I certainly think it will.
Tomas Kaberle
Traded to Montreal

30
Vote
   


6/2011 NHL Forward Rankings

June 9th 2011 14:44
1. Sidney Crosby
2. Alex Ovechkin
3. Daniel Sedin
4. Henrik Sedin
5. Evgeni Malkin
6. Steven Stamkos
7. Corey Perry
8. Jonathan Toews
9. Pavel Datsyuk
10. Martin St. Louis
11. Ilya Kovalchuk
12. Brad Richards
13. Ryan Kesler
14. Jeff Carter
15. Eric Staal
16. Anze Kopitar
17. Henrik Zetterberg
18. Joe Thornton
19. Alexander Semin
20. Zach Parise
21. Patrick Kane
22. Jarome Iginla
23. Dany Heatley
24. Ryan Getzlaf
25. Nicklas Backstrom
26. Claude Giroux
27. Patrick Marleau
28. Milan Lucic
29. Mike Richards
30. Vincent Lecavier
31. Danny Briere
32. Rick Nash
33. Phil Kessel
34. Devin Setoguchi
35. Tomas Plekanec
36. Ryan Clowe
37. Chris Stewart
38. Logan Couture
39. Mikko Koivu
40. Johan Franzen
#8
31
Vote
   


2010 PSW Calder Trophy

April 18th 2011 14:43
The NHL season is over, and I am going to kick off my awards with the NHL's rookie of the year. The Calder Memorial Trophy is given to this player, and there were a few deserving candidates like Jeff Skinner, Logan Couture, and Michael Grabner. Only one of these great rookies can win this award, but they will all shape the landscape of the NHL for years to come.

Carolina Hurricanes Center Jeff Skinner

Skinner led all rookies with 63 points, and Skinner also had the 2nd highest shooting percentage of all rookies that have played at least 50 games. Jeff Skinner has earned the respect of his teammates and has already become influential in the Canes' locker room. He's got a lot of potential still, and he has been the most complete rookie on the ice so far this year. No rookie matched Skinner's five games with at least 3 points.

Although Logan Couture scored more goals and Michael Grabner had more assists, Skinner was able to balance both scoring and passing to become one of the best options on a team that features superstar Eric Staal, Jussi Jokinen, and Tuomo Ruutu. Skinner, Staal, and Ruutu make up one of the best center trios in the entire league. Still, Skinner had the second most points on the Hurricanes as well as the best shooting percentage on the team of all players with at least 20 games played. Jeff Skinner showed that he is already cool in the clutch with a team leading 40 percent conversion rate in the shootout (minimum 4 attempts).

The 18 year-old center became the first player of that age to make the All-Star team since Steve Yzerman, and that's only a mere fraction of it. Jeff Skinner became the youngest player in all four major American professional sports to make an All-Star team. That's impressive. Skinner is a great goal-scorer that knows the game really well, especially for a young rookie, and he has good leg strength which makes it difficult to push him down. Skinner will play the physical game even though he may not be the tallest guy out there at 5-10.
2010 PSW Calder Trophy Winner
31
Vote
   


Joe Soriano's Blogs

153 Vote(s)
7 Comment(s)
4 Post(s)
26738 Vote(s)
81 Comment(s)
294 Post(s)
78 Vote(s)
0 Comment(s)
3 Post(s)
Moderated by Joe Soriano
Copyright © 2012 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]