All the hockey fans have been waiting all week for today. And the biggest question is who will win the Stanley Cup? Well, obviously the Blackhawks are the favorites but you never know. Anything could happen.

The Flyers have been on fire with the entire team contributing and since they have Jeff Carter back, they are pretty strong offensively. The main thing keeping their defense strong is the big Chris Pronger who has been cleaning garbage in front of the net. But I think playing against big Dustin Byfuglien will be by far the biggest challenge for Pronger. Pronger is confident that he’ll over power Byfuglien but we’ll just wait and see tonight. Perhaps experience will play the biggest part in this battle?

So who will win Game 1. I’m going to go on a limb and predict that the Philadelphia Flyers are going to take Game 1 and prove to everyone that they have what it takes to win. TSN analysts are predicting that Chicago will win in 5 or the Flyers will win in 7 but I’m going to say Flyers in 6. The reason why the Blackhawks are winning games is because of Byfuglien. He was huge in the series against the San Jose Sharks. He scored 3 of the 4 game winning goals against them. Playing against Chris Pronger will be a big challenge for Byfuglien. I just don’t think he’ll be able to match against the experience of Pronger.

I’m going to say Flyers wins 4-2.

This article is a continuation of my previous post “Off-season for the Vancouver Canucks“.

First off, I want to talk about the restricted free agents on the Vancouver Canuck roster, most notably Mason Raymond, Cory Schneider, Jannik Hansen, and Shane O’Brien. Just in case you wanted to know, the other RFA’s are Tanner Glass, Michael Funk, Aaron Rome, and Mario Bliznak.

First off on the podium is Mason Raymond. I’m sure with his amazing speed and 25-goal this past season in his resume, he’ll draw a lot of interests around the league. If he doesn’t re-sign, I guarantee you there will be teams that will submit an offer for Raymond giving Gillis the pressure of matching or letting Raymond go.

In my opinion, Raymond’s current worth is about the $3 million and will gradually increase each year. But if he accepts a deal similar to Alexander Burrows, it would be a steal (4-year $8 million). But his worth is definitely between Alexander Burrows and Ryan Kesler who signed a 6-year $30 million contract.

My say is to offer him a 4-year $12 million contract. 4-years is the ideal number as this is when the contracts of Burrows and the Sedin twins expire.

On the other hand, I am uncertain about Shane O’Brien who went from $1.025 million in 2008/09 to $1.6 million. If he signs for the same amount at $1.6 million a season, then I’d say done deal. If not, then Gillis should let him go. There are plenty of defenseman’s out there such as Carlo Colaiacovo.

Ever since Gillis’ deal for David Backes was matched by St. Louis, it made me wonder if Gillis will offer the other David a contract for St. Louis to match. Which other David you might be asking? No other than David Perron. He’s not bad for a 21-year old and would be a great young addition to the team if this ever happens. He had 47 points this past season, scoring 20 goals and adding 27 assists. But it’s almost certain St. Louis will match any offer headed their way as they wouldn’t want to dispose of their youngsters unless the offers are Kevin Lowe-like.

Another noticeable RFA to chase is Chris Campoli of the Ottawa Senators. He would definitely be an upgrade on the blueline for the Canucks.

As for Jannik Hansen, I think he shouldn’t be re-signed. He’s the Canucks great Dane but he’s just not producing in Vancouver. Perhaps he needs a new environment to play better. There’s simply no guaranteed for Hansen anymore ever since Mason Raymond secured a spot in the lineup. Hansen will only play 50 games or so and will be scratched for the remaining 32 games.

Last but not least is the whole Cory Schneider issue. What are the Canucks going to do? There’s no doubt Mike Gillis wants to trade him away. Ever since signing Robert Luongo to a 12-year $64 million deal, it was obvious that Cory Schneider was no longer in the running for the number 1 goaltending spot for the Canucks. Gillis will likely receive several phone calls regarding a trade for Schneider. Last year, he received a few offers but he rejected them because the offer just didn’t meet his standards. If there’s an offer to get a top 4 defenseman in return, then I’d say get it done. Maybe Gillis will re-sign Schneider as the backup goaltender for the 2010/11 season and giving him another chance to prove himself in the NHL. In my opinion, a trade for a late first round draft pick would also be acceptable but which team would give up their first round pick?

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press/Richard Lam)

Remember it has only been two years. It may seem a long time in the eyes of Canuck fans but it’s really just the beginning.

What Mike Gillis did in his two years.

2008-2009 Season – Most notables
- Signed veteran Pavol Demitra to a 2-year $8 million deal.
- Traded the 3rd round selection in 2009 and a 2nd round selection in 2010 for Steve Bernier.
- Signed Darcy Hordichuk to a 3-year $2.325 million deal.
- Signed Ryan Johnson to a 2-year $2.3 million deal.
- Offered veteran all-star Mats Sundin a 2-year $20 million contract but signed to a 1-year $8.6 million on December 18, 2008.

2009-2010 Season – Most notables
- Re-signed Henrik and Daniel Sedin twins to identical 5-year $6.1 million deals.
- Signing Mikael Samuelsson to a 3-year deal worth $7.5 million.
- Traded Daniel Rahimi and Patrick White for Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich.
- Signed Andrew Raycroft to a 1-year $500,000 deal.
- Signed Tanner Glass to a 1-year $500,000 deal.
- Signed Aaron Rome to a 1-year $525,000 deal.
- Signed Evan Oberg to a 3-year entry level contract.
- Signed Michael Funk to a 1-year $500,000 deal.
- Signing Mathieu Schneider to a 1-year $1.55 million + $1.2 million signing bonus but was then traded to Phoenix for Sean Zimmerman and a conditional 6th round round pick in 2010.

So in the 2-years of Gillis’ being in management, you can see what he has done for the club. He has added much needed grit to the team as well as increasing the teams offense.

Other things he has done for the club was having a sleeping program for the players. He wanted to make sure every player had enough sleep and energy for each hockey game.

2010 Off-season
Expect more changes in the 2010 off-season. It is very unlikely that Pavol Demitra will be re-signed but there may still be a chance with the close relationship he has with Mike Gillis. If Demitra is willing to take a tremendous pay cut from $4 million to $2 million a year, then he’ll likely to re-sign.

As for Willie Mitchell who’s current contract is $3.5 million a year, may have to be released if he wants more money. But with his injury, we’ll see if other clubs offer him the big money.

Shane O’Brien will be an unrestricted free agent as well. Will he sign? If the playoffs meant anything, Gillis will re-sign him but we can’t forget the times O’Brien gets out of hand which makes him a liability to the team.

Everybody thought the Mathieu Schneider signing was a bad idea but it turned out in the favor of Gillis and the Canucks. Maybe this was planned all along? Either way, the Canucks was able to trade him to the Phoenix Coyotes for Sean Zimmerman and a conditional 6th round selection in 2010. Not too shabby eh? The Canucks was able to get back a depth defenseman and a draft selection. You never know, that 6th round pick may end up like a Henrik Zetterberg or a Pavol Datsyuk.

The Canucks current 2010 draft picks are:
- 1st round draft pick
- 4th round draft pick
- 5th round draft pick
- 6th round draft pick
- Conditional 6th round draft pick (Phoenix Coyotes)

Who can the Vancouver Canucks trade?
One player the Canucks could trade away is Kevin Bieksa, who has one year remaining on his contract worth $3.5 million. Bieksa has played quite well for most of the season tallying 22 points in 55 games after recovering from a lacerated leg (once in 2009 and once in 2010). The real question is what could the Canucks in return for Bieksa? I think the Canucks should look for a top-6 forward, specifically a right winger.

Also, some noticeable free agents that the Canucks should be interested in (if still available):
- C, Mike Comrie ($1,125 million)
- LW, Ilya Kovalchuk ($7.5 million)
- D, Joe Corvo ($2.75 million)
- D, Dan Hamhuis ($2.5 million)
- D, Carlo Colaiacovo ($1.4 million)

I’ve included Ilya Kovalchuk because he will be the hottest free agent. If the Canucks do choose to sign Kovalchuk (given that he makes it to free agency) the Canucks will have to release Demitra and Mitchell to free agency. But Canuck fans could only dream to obtain a sniper. The Canucks really miss a Pavel Bure type player. Knowing Gillis, he would only consider signing Kovalchuk as long as it doesn’t affect the long-term structure of the team.

What do you think Mike Gillis should trade? trade for? Leave your comments below.

What a trooper these Canucks are this year. If he doesn’t play, Lawrence Nycholat will slot in. However, if Sami Salo is ready to play, the Canucks might suit up 7 defensemen for the game.

Why dress 7 defensemen? It’s just in case Salo gets injured some more and can’t play the rest of the game. Then the 7th defenseman, in this case, Nycholat, will fill in for him. It really wouldn’t affect the Canucks that much since the 4th line already has very limited ice time. Jannik Hansen played 9 shifts for a total of 4 minutes 48 seconds in the last game.

If in fact head coach Alain Vigneult decides to dress 7 defensemen, it is likely to see Ryan Kesler or Alex Burrows double shifting for the 4th line. But who will sit out? Sources say maybe Steve Bernier because Alex Burrows has found his game in the crease and can play on the power play. Or perhaps Jannik Hansen might sit this one out as he was limited to less than 5 minutes of ice time. But Hansen could kill penalties if needed and is quite a speedy pest. Ryan Johnson is a no brainer and will definitely center the 4th line as he’s will lead the penalty killing team. Maybe even Pavol Demitra will sit again?

If Sami Salo sits out, we’ll be seeing a lot of Alexander Edler, Kevin Bieksa, Christian Erhroff, and Shane O’Brien. Andrew Alberts will likely see 10-12 minutes of ice time and Lawrence Nycholat depending on how well he plays, should see about 8-10 minutes.

Roberto Luongo will need another stellar game tonight, absorbing every shot and limiting the number of rebounds. Expect to see a confident Kevin Bieksa tonight. He’ll definitely have a good game tonight and will likely see him on the scoresheet. The Sedins will also be a factor in tonight’s game as Vigneult will try to catch the Blackhawks with the last change.

Get pumped up Canuck fans! You’re in for one hell of a game. Push for Game 7!

(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Daniel Sedin left the bench for a short while but was able to return, Shane O’Brien was cut between his eyes from a high stick by no other than Dustin Byfuglien, and the most severe injury was dealt to Sami Salo, who has never played a full season in his NHL career.

Daniel Sedin was slashed by David Bolland but there was no call. Don’t worry folks, the Sedins are tough customers. Many people thought the Sedin twins didn’t contribute in Game 5, but they did combine for 3 assists. Doesn’t that sound like they’re contributing? They always manage to contribute one way or another, whether it’s noticeable or not. How else do you think Henrik Sedin won the Art Ross Trophy?

Shane O’Brien was spilling blood from between his eyes. It was dripping like a water faucet, definitely not a pleasant site but he O’Brien is one tough “S.O.B.” He returned quite fast after getting stitched up only to have Andrew Ladd reopen the gash in a scrum. What a tough guy. O’Brien plays his best hockey when he’s not overly aggressive. He’ll be receiving more ice time in Game 6 with Salo out. Show us what you can do, O’Brien!

Salo was diagnosed as day-to-day. Reporters say he suffered a ruptured testicle but personally, I don’t think that is true. Until I hear it from Salo himself, it just looks like he took a shot to the kidney. People ask how did Salo get injured with all that protection. Well, when Salo lifted his arms to brace himself from the oncoming puck, it lifted his shoulder pad leaving his lower midsection completely unprotected. A shoulder pad covers the shoulders, chest, upper bicep/tricep area, and part of your midsection.

It is not uncommon to see players injured from blocking shots, even with full protective gear on. There are always soft stops or gaps that the puck can hit.

What caught my eyes was at the end of the game when Alex Burrows backhanded the puck into the net, you could see how bad Ryan Kesler wanted the puck. He was ready for a tip in shot but followed through to a small celebration for Burrows goal. From my observations, I can tell Kesler wanted to get on the score sheet but he knows that it doesn’t matter, as long as they win.

Good luck to the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6.

Other Notes:
Aaron Rome isn’t 100% yet and with Nolan Baumgartner is still sidelined with a knee injury. This means Lawrence Nycholat will suit up for Game 6 in place of Sami Salo.

I’m going to keep today’s prediction nice and simple.

Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins (Series tied 2-2)
The fans in Montreal erupted after the Canadiens defeated the Penguins to even up the series at 2 games a piece. I believe tonight, the Penguins will rebound from the tough loss. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin has been without goals this series and I believe that slump will end tonight for one of them. The Canadiens can only stop them for so long and 4 games is long enough for me.

Winner: Pittsburgh Penguins

Detroit Red Wings vs San Jose Sharks (Sharks lead series 3-1)
The Detroit Red Wings gave the San Jose Sharks a beating to remember. The 7-1 victory in Game 4 simply showed how good the Red Wings really are and that even with a Sharks leading the series, it’s not over until the fat lady sings. I expect another spectacular performance by the Red Wings. Instead of Johan Franzen leading the Red Wings, I believe Pavel Datsyuk will have the spotlight tonight. We’ll see his tremendous puck handling abilities and the ability to find open teammates to put the puck pass Evgeni Nabokov.

Winner: Detroit Red Wings