October 21 News and Notes
Robert Cleave
October 24 2011 01:15AM
Another week has passed in the season, and with that, it's time for another review of matters around the league. In this installment, the Canucks make the first significant move of the year, two first rounders appear on divergent paths, and the Leafs face life without Optimus Reim.
October 14 News and Notes
Robert Cleave
October 14 2011 07:03PM
After a summer of sloth, our review of some of the recent events of note from around the league returns Nationwide. In this iteration of the round-up, the Flames snap out of it, the Oilers sleep through another night in St. Paul, and the Jets get a reality check in the Windy City.
Hockey Prospectus 11/12: The New Normal
Robert Cleave
October 13 2011 11:22AM
(Full disclosure: A few weeks ago, Timo Seppa asked me if I was interested in reviewing the latest iteration of Hockey Prospectus' annual for the Nations' audience. I accepted a free PDF copy of the book for review purposes, with no other compensation offered. I'm not trying to make myself out as particularly noble, though. Had Timo offered me a giant vat of cash in exchange, I'm fairly certain that I would have accepted it - RC)
When does the revolutionary assimilate into the mainstream? That's the question that I've been asking myself over the last few years as the statistical analysis movement occurring in hockey blogging circles has become increasingly accepted by the game's insider cohort. We've gotten a few signs this summer that the pace of acceptance is quickening, with Calgary's hiring of Chris Snow and the amusing series of deflections Doug WIlson felt compelled to resort to when he was interviewed by Fear the Fin amongst them.
That noted, most season previews still are infused by a sense of the traditional, so a book like Hockey Prospectus' 11/12 annual that grounds itself in the modern approach is operating in a space that remains somewhat uncluttered. This year's edition, nearly 500 pages in length, is HP's third attempt to create a season preview imbued with the modern sensibilites of the hockeysphere.
11/12 NW Preview: Colorado
Robert Cleave
October 02 2011 07:09PM
Our series of division previews continues with a look at the Avalanche.
10/11 finish: 68 points, 4th in the NW, 14th in the Conference
Playoffs: none since 09/10
Key Players: Stastny, Duchene, Landeskog, Johnson, O' Reilly, Varlamov
Additions: Varlamov, Hejda, Landeskog
Subtractions: Foote, Fleischmann
Cap Position: Floored
Projected finish: in the conference's bottom four
11/12 NW Preview: Minnesota
Robert Cleave
September 30 2011 02:32PM
As the season nears, Flames Nation begins its look ahead to the competition, such as it is, that the Flames will face in the Northwest Division. First up, the Minnesota Wild.
10/11 finish: 86 points, 3rd in the NW, 12th in the Conference
Playoffs: none since 07/08
Key Players: Koivu, Heatley, Bouchard, Setoguchi, Latendresse, Clutterbuck, Backstrom
Additions: Heatley, Setoguchi, Brunette
Subtractions: Burns, Havlat
Cap Position: 9.4M under the number
Projected finish: between 9th and 13th in the Conference
