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**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 18:53

Ben:

And Edler's a rookie. That should tell you something right there.

Ohlund is our number one. We miss his experience.

How can he be your #1 when 3 other guys are tied in terms of ice time? He's not even the guy you put out to stop top players like Iginla, that's Mitchell. I think you overstate his importance.

Re: Edler, who cares if he's a rookie? He's just one year younger than Phaneuf. Phaneuf got more icetime when he was a rookie than Edler is now, I'm not sure what your argument is -- that your d-man who averages fifth on your team in TOI/g is a rookie? Why is this good/bad?

Ohlund is a minus player -- that's pathetic if he's your top d-man. Salo, Edler, Mitchell (who faces the toughest competition night-in night-out), Bourdon are all plus.

The numbers don't support your assertion that Ohlund is your "#1 defenseman".

**Ninot** · April 2, 2008, 18:58

Big tilt in Philly tonight! Could decide if the Habs win the East or not.

That's a thing I never thought I'd say back in September.

**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 19:00

Habs are my eastern favourite to take it all.

Plus they have a SEXY GOALIE.

**Ben Kenobi** · April 2, 2008, 19:29

How can he be your #1 when 3 other guys are tied in terms of ice time?

He is our number one. He has the most experience, and can play anywhere.

Salo is more offensive upside and plays on the power play. Mitchell is more defensive specialist and plays on all the penalty kills.

Ohlund can do it all.

He's not even the guy you put out to stop top players like Iginla, that's Mitchell. I think you overstate his importance.

Yes, Mitchell is good, but offensively he cannot carry the team.

Re: Edler, who cares if he's a rookie? He's just one year younger than Phaneuf. Phaneuf got more icetime when he was a rookie than Edler is now, I'm not sure wourhat your argument is -- that your d-man who averages fifth on your team in TOI/g is a rookie? Why is this good/bad?

He's averaging over 20 minutes a game as a rookie. It's bad because of all the injuries have had him seeing top numbers. We really miss his experience, running Edler, Bourdon and Bieksa has been really hurting us the last stretch.

As for being a minus, was Dana Murzyn ever the top defenseman of the Canucks?

**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 19:30

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Yes, Mitchell is good, but offensively he cannot carry the team.

Nor can Ohlund?

He's averaging over 20 minutes a game as a rookie. It's bad because of all the injuries have had him seeing top numbers. We really miss his experience, running Edler, Bourdon and Bieksa has been really hurting us the last stretch.

Actually, Edler is one of your best d-men...I don't see why this is hurting you? He's having a great season...

I would easily take Edler over Eriksson or Hale or Warrener...maybe even Sarich.

**Ben Kenobi** · April 2, 2008, 19:55

Edler's a great defenseman.

But a rookie shouldn't be asked to carry the team. Rookies will make rookie mistakes and at a time like this, they will prove costly.

Going to be a long week, waiting for these next two games. I don't think the Canucks have ever had their season come down to the last game.

**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 19:58

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Edler's a great defenseman.

But a rookie shouldn't be asked to carry the team.

How is a #5 defenseman (#4 with Ohlund's injury) "carrying the team"?

Loungo carries this team. Everyone else is along for the ride.

The fact that the Canucks lose 5 of 6 when Luongo comes back to earth is a testament to that.

**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 20:32

TSN's panel discusses: Will Nashville beat Vancouver out for the final playoff spot in the west?

Healey: Yes
McKenzie: Yes
Milbury: Yes

**Ben Kenobi** · April 2, 2008, 20:32

I think 20 minutes/game is too much for a rookie defenseman, even one as good as Edler.

**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 20:34

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
I think 20 minutes/game is too much for a rookie defenseman, even one as good as Edler.

If they are good, then the fact that they are a rookie is meaningless...

Look at the stats last night. You had far worse defensemen that were far more experienced than Edler.

**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 21:51

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**Jonny** · April 2, 2008, 22:20

Originally posted by Asher
TSN's panel discusses: Will Nashville beat Vancouver out for the final playoff spot in the west?

Healey: Yes
McKenzie: Yes
Milbury: Yes

Though NSH have to play better than they did last night for it to mean anything... you can get away with a 3 goal deficit against St. Louis, but not against a real team.

And please, please, please can we play the Wings instead of the Sharks?

**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 22:31

That must've been one hell of a game for you, judging by your location field.

**Asher** · April 2, 2008, 22:48

SportsIllustrated does the NHL awards...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/michael_farber/04/02/fly.awards/index.html?eref=T1

Most complete player: Jarome Iginla, Flames. He won't win the Hart Trophy, but no one plays more parts of the game than this right winger. Iginla is a modern Gordie Howe with similar passion, toughness and humility. (By the way, those characteristics should be the components of the Gordie Howe hat trick rather than a goal, assist and fight.)

Honorable mentions: Vincent Lecavalier, Lightning; Daniel Alfredsson, Senators; Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings; Paul Stastny, Avalanche

Most pleasant surprise: Mike Ribeiro, Stars. Throughout his career, he had been a one-way center: pretty much his way. Well, in a contract year, Ribeiro wound up signing a five-year, $25-million deal during the season when he became an offensive force (83 points in 76 games through Monday), but also a solid plus player.

Honorable mentions: Blackhawks center Patrick Sharp, who had a career-high 36 goals; Blues right winger Brad Boyes, career-high 41 goals; Avalanche defenseman Jeff Finger; Panthers left winger David Booth; Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller; Blue Jackets goalie Pascal Leclaire, Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman, who had a career high in goals (12) and points (35) and was a plus player for the first time.

Best future among the 2007-08 rookies: Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks. Although injuries likely will derail his Calder candidacy, Toews - a two-way center who scores, hits, wins faceoffs and leads - has an extraordinary upside. Patrick Kane, his superb rookie linemate, might win scoring titles, but Toews will be the backbone when Chicago finally ices a Stanley Cup contender.

Honorable mentions: Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, whose progress allowed them to trade veteran Cristobal Huet at the deadline; the aforementioned Kane.

Best acquisition via trade: Brian Campbell, Sharks. Campbell, plucked at the deadline, was the missing piece for the aimless Sharks: a defenseman who can move the puck smartly to the forwards and run the power play. Considering how emotional he was when the Sabres moved him to the Western Conference, Campbell also is in the running for Lachrymose Valuable Player.

Honorable mention: Ilya Bryzgalov, Coyotes; Huet, Capitals; Joe Corvo, Hurricanes.

Stepping into the breach: Evgeni Malkin, Penguins. No one pulled off a star turn with more élan than Malkin, who thrust himself into the Hart debate with his scoring and virtuosity while captain Sidney Crosby was down due a high-ankle sprain.

Honorable mentions: Colorado's role players in the absence of Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth and Stastny; Carolina's Eric Staal; Pittsburgh's Ty Conklin.

Comeback player: Jeremy Roenick, Sharks. This should be unanimous. Roenick didn't merely return from a sub-par season, as did Montreal's Alexei Kovalev, he returned from quasi-retirement to become a significant contributor to a Cup contender. Roenick embraced a fourth-line role, played with energy, tamped down his massive ego, and scored important goals. He had 10 game- winners -- the same number as Alexander Ovechkin -- among his 14 as he crashed the 500-goal mark.

Honorable mention: Sergei Samsonov, Hurricanes.

Most perseverence: Mathieu Darche, Lightning. After kicking around the minors since 2000-01, the 31-year-old left wing, who had played just 28 NHL games, finally earned a regular job, even jumping to the second line on occasion. Darche is a rarity: a product of Canadian university hockey (McGill) who became an NHL player.

Honorable mentions: Bruins center Glen Metropolit; Capitals left wing Quintin Laing; Predators goalie Dan Ellis; Penguins goalie Conklin.

Best coaching by an assistant: Montreal's Doug Jarvis decided that rather than cobble together a power play unit as the Canadiens had in the past, he would recommend going with the standard line combinations. Despite losing departed free agent Sheldon Souray's scary shot from the point, the Habs led the NHL in power play percentage.

Honorable mention: Ulf Samuelsson, Coyotes.

Versatility: Todd Fedoruk, Wild left wing. With his career stalled because of concussion problems, the Fridge -- a career 17-goal scorer heading into the season -- reinvented himself as a mucker with requisite toughness and the requisite dollop of skill that allowed him to play at least sometimes on the No. 1 line.

Honorable mention: Mark Streit, forward-defenseman, Canadiens.

Underachiever: Patrick Marleau, Sharks. Until his post-trade deadline surge, the Sharks captain (17 goals, 43 points in 76 games) had been a cipher, a shadow of a center who should have been providing San Jose with a formidable one-two combination up the middle with Joe Thornton.

Dishonorable mentions: The Rangers' power play; Senators goalie Ray Emery; Predators goalie Chris Mason; Senators center Mike Fisher, (minus 10); Sharks right wing Jonathan Cheechoo.

Player most likely to sue for abandonment: Mats Sundin, Maple Leafs. Basically left to fend for himself every night because of scant help from Toronto's other forwards, Sundin scored 32 goals and averaged more than a point per game. The captain was also abandoned by most of the city, which first wanted him gone at the trade deadline as part of the rebuilding process and then thought he should have skipped the final few weeks because of his partially-torn groin. (If his absence happened to help the Leafs' drafting position -- nudge, wink -- well, so be it.)

Honorable mentions: Every goalie who manned Tampa Bay's net.

Best performance: Alex Ovechkin, Capitals. After being cut by a stick in the first minute and later having his nose broken by a check, Ovechkin, the stud left winger, scored four goals, including the overtime winner, and added an assist in a 5-4 win against Montreal on January 31.

Honorable mention: The Wild's Marian Gaborik, who scored five goals against the Rangers on Dec. 20. Wild teammates carried him off the ice, a nice change from players like Boston's Patrice Bergeron having to be wheeled off.

Dumbest play: Donald Brashear, Capitals. He took six minutes worth of penalties -- a double high-sticking minor and a roughing minor -- with fewer than seven minutes to go last month in Boston. The Bruins wound up scoring on a pair of five-on-three power plays to pull off a stunning comeback win, robbing desperate Washington of two points. The follow-up question is why coach Bruce Boudreau had Brashear, a fourth liner, on the ice so late in a close, pivotal game. Sure, Washington played Pittsburgh the following afternoon and Boudreau was nursing his lineup -- this was to be Brashear's last shift -- but you have to win the first game before worrying about the second.

Dishonorable mentions: Flyers rookie Steve Downie, for his preseason hit that concussed Ottawa's Dean McAmmond; Islanders (now Wild) enforcer Chris Simon for stomping on Jarkko Ruutu of the Penguins two months after returning from a 25-game suspension.

Creepy statistic of the year: In March, merely one point separated the scoring totals of Vancouver's Henrik and Daniel Sedin. This was hardly surprising considering that they play on the same line. The eerie thing, however, was the nearly indistinguishable identical twins were tied in penalty minutes, with 44 apiece. Cue the Twilight Zone theme. (Don't numbers like that just get your zygote?)

Honorable mention: The seven goalies used by the Kings.

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