Leeder: Tax Break May Break Sens

On Thursday, Leeder instilled a bit of fear in the city of Ottawa.  With talks of tax exemptions being removed for ticket sales, Leeder believes this would cause a huge threat to the Senators' organization.


"We cannot have another whack to our ability to operate here.  You could take away incentives in bigger cities in sports and those teams would find a way to make it work, but the ones that are not in major markets won't survive," said Cyril Leeder.  


To put this into perspective, the only other hockey team to be affected by this policy is the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Toronto has a much stronger market than the Ottawa Senators, which is why Leeder believes they will survive the blow.  Ottawa is by no means the weakest hockey market in the NHL, but they are not on the same level as Toronto either.  Without the tax exemptions that sports teams were previously allowed, the financial loss could amount to the Sens sent packing, for good.  


That being said, the actuality of a tax exemption alone is not likely to threaten the Ottawa Senators' organization to that extent.  On the other hand, the Senators were close to bankruptcy once before, so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.


Chiarelli later commented on the Leeder press conference, pointing out that although he agrees with some of the concern, Leeder is blowing it out of proportion.


It will be interesting to see how this all winds down, or whether Leeder's concern would have an impact on the provincial government's decision -- concerned fans means concerned voters.  Stay tuned!

Leafs Free Falling

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the San Jose Sharks 2-1 last night and that would prove costly.  The Toronto Maple Leafs lost their last playoff spot to the Florida Panthers, who were knocked down from third by the Winnipeg Jets.  

Though goaltending wasn't the issue last night, this Leafs team is 3-6-1 in their last 10, and a lot of that had to do with their goaltending.  There has been talk among Leafs fans who feel Burke should make a move for Rick Nash (if he hasn't already), but offense really isn't the issue in Ontario's capital.


The Leafs should seriously be looking into the likes of Nabokov, Harding, Bernier, Schneider, or other goaltenders who have proven (at least somewhat) that they can make a difference where Gustavsson and Riemer have not.


The Maple Leafs are playing the Washington Capitals tomorrow night, which are 2 points behind the Leafs, also fighting for the final play off spot.  With a win against the Caps, they just may be able to start a bit of a bounce back, and who knows where it will go from there?  

Los Angeles Flyers

The two key pieces that were shipped from the Flyers during the summer are back together again.  Jeff Carter was traded today for Jack Johnson and a conditional first round pick.  The conditional pick is based on whether the Kings make the playoffs.  If Los Angeles makes the playoffs, Columbus has the choice between a 1st rounder in 2012 or 2013.  If the Kings do not make the playoffs, the pick is for 2013.

Jeff Carter is predicted to bolster the offense for Los Angeles.  The Kings are currently the lowest scoring team in the league, so a player with 27 goals so far on the season should help the Kings at least some what.  With Richards and Carter reunited in Los Angeles, the partying can now begin (try to make the playoffs first)!

Carter to LA Kings

According to Darren Dreger and our other buddies from TSN, it's likely that there is a trade for Carter from LA going on as I type this.  No details yet but I will be sure to post about it the moment something comes up.

Stay tuned..


EDIT: According to Bob Mackenzie's tweet, Jack Johnson's name has come up in the deal


EDIT: Bernier not part of talks.  Likely to be High pick and Jack Johnson

SENS-ATIONAL

The Sens just kept it coming with another big win over a team that really could have used it.  Anyone in Ontario knows that this game was unique from any other this season.  For the first time in ages, Leafs fans were cheering for the Sens, and believe me, they did them a solid.  By defeating the Caps, the Sens kept the Leafs in that eighth spot another day.  

What about those Washington Capitals?  Sure, they did without Alexander Ovechkin, but has he really been much of an asset anyhow?  A team that is supposed to be hungry for points right now is falling well behind, getting blanked by the Canes before getting dismantled by the Sens.  It took them over 130 minutes of game play to finally score a goal.  They sit two points behind both eighth place and third, although hitting that 65 point mark would have put them at ninth.

On the flip side of the coin, the Sens are regaining themselves after a woeful losing streak to proceed the All Star break.  They have now won 4 straight and have points in the last 6 games (5-0-1).  Karlsson and Michalek got it done this time, both posting 3 points in the win.  With 2 assists for Karlsson, he becomes the number one defender in franchise history for most assists by a defender in a season.


The Washington Capitals can bounce back in their game on Friday against the Montreal Canadians.  The Ottawa Senators can even up with the Bruins with a win against them this Saturday.

A Tournament of Champions?

Imagine a tournament that brings the best of the best together in one place, to prove not only which team gains the bragging rights of the world, but which league to be reckoned with.  A tournament that would bring the cream of the crop from various hockey leagues into one epic tournament.

I heard this talked about in various forums and really thought about it.  I think it would be great idea for the expansion of the sport, and for the fans watching it.

For anyone that knows football (soccer), they've heard of the "Champions League".  In short, this is a tournament from the best teams of Europe that are brought together to fight for the European crown, designated the best football team of the continent.  The format has the top four teams of all the leagues in Europe invited to play in this tournament, to win the greatest bragging rights of them all.

Bringing this to hockey would bring a whole new exciting event to entertain the die hard fans of hockey.  NHL followers will almost always say they have the best hockey league in the world, but there are many followers of the KHL that would say otherwise.  What better than a tournament that has the top teams of each league against each other to prove which league (and which team) is really better?  An SKA versus Red Wings final? Maybe the Rangers against Salavat Yulaev?  Better yet, combine this with multiple other leagues around the world, such as the Swedish Elite League or SM-Liiga (Finland).  This would bring a tournament of great proportions that better expands the international interest in hockey, but also gives the fans more of a chance to see matchups that a person would not have ever seen before.

Let me know what you think about the "Hockey Champions League" as i will dub it for now!

Playoff Predictions - Western Conference

The Western Conference is just as, if not more, competitive than the East.  There are some clear cut teams ready to make a run for the cup, but there are also a couple of teams that make an impact that some may not have expected at the beginning of the season.  Without further adieu, here's the predictions:

Western Conference

The Central division is having a very similar season to the Atlantic division.  This division holds four teams in playoff position with neither of these teams near elimination.  The Detroit Red Wings easily hold the division, or do they?  The Wings deserve credit where credit is due, they have a remarkable 23 home game winning streak currently in progress, but there is one other team with a home record that comes close to the Wings, and that same team is pushing the Wings for the division and the conference, the St. Louis Blues.  Who would have thought Ken Hitchcock could turn around a team so well?  The Blues are five points back of the Wings, however they have also played four less games, giving them a decent chance of overtaking the Wings at some point.  The Nashville Predators are another strong team, holding their own at fifth in the West, while the Chicago Blackhawks are coming back strong from a 9 game losing skid, holding the sixth spot.

The Northwest division has a strong team in the Vancouver Canucks, holding top spot in the division and second in the conference.  The Calgary Flames are currently holding the eighth and final spot in the West after having strong play as of late.  The question is, can they hold it?  The Colorado Avalanche are also in the fight for the final playoff spot, however they are still three points back.


The Pacific division is another interesting division with San Jose currently holding the lead.  The Phoenix Coyotes have made a great run of recent to jump them to seventh in the West, and only two points behind division leading San Jose.  The Los Angeles Kings are currently tied with the Flames for eighth in the West, trying to creep their way into the playoffs.  The Dallas Stars aren't too far behind as well, but how about those Ducks?  They've made a huge run to bring them five points back of a playoff spot.


This one is tough to judge from the bubble teams but this is the outcome I predict:


#1 Vancouver Canucks
#2 Detroit Red Wings
#3 San Jose Sharks
#4 St. Louis Blues
#5 Chicago Blackhawks
#6 Nashville Predators
#7 Phoenix Coyotes
#8 Los Angeles Kings


Most notable is the #8 spot where I think the Kings will surpass the Flames.  I just don't think the Flames will continue their strong play and I'm expecting a move to better the Kings come trade deadline.

Playoff Predictions - Eastern Conference

The playoffs are a month and a half away, and the fight for the final spots are heating up.  The bubble teams know their need for a real push from now until the end of the season.  With the conferences as tight as they are, who actually makes the playoffs?  Here's my prediction:


Eastern Conference


The Atlantic division is easily the best division in the conference this season, having four teams currently in a playoff spot, none of which are on the brink of falling under.  The New York Rangers easily hold the division and the conference.  The New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins are fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the conference.  These teams can easily jumble around as they are all within 1 point of each other.


The Northeast division is not as strong as the Atlantic, however they currently have three representatives of their own.  The Boston Bruins lead the way as the second seeded team in the conference.  The Ottawa Senators are just two points back of the Bruins in seventh, although that statistic is misleading considering the Bruins have played four less games.  Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs are on a small thread holding the bulls-eye, barely holding on to the final playoff spot in the conference.  


The Southeast division is the most interesting of them all.  Currently, the Florida Panthers are the only team sitting in a playoff spot.  Even though that's the case, they are only one point ahead of the eighth place Leafs.  The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets are sitting right behind the Panthers, waiting to pounce on their prey.  The Jets are only one point back of the Florida Panthers, and tied with the Leafs.  The Capitals are two points back of the Panthers, meaning they are one point back on the Leafs (Leafs, Leafs, Leafs... that's why they hold the bulls-eye).


This one was a tough one to predict, and I will definitely get some people disagreeing with me, but this is where I predict the East to be as the regular season ends:


#1 New York Rangers
#2 Boston Bruins
#3 Washington Capitals
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins 
#5 New Jersey Devils
#6 Philadelphia Flyers
#7 Ottawa Senators
#8 Toronto Maple Leafs


The most controversial predictions here is the #3 and #8 spot.  The Washington Capitals are currently only two points behind the Panthers, and I believe they are the better team once they get out of their current funk.  Likewise, the Capitals are a better team than  the Jets of current (ask me that again in a couple of years and I may have a completely different answer).  That leaves the Jets and Panthers to fight with Toronto.  The Leafs are currently in the middle of a tough road schedule, after just playing the red hot Flames and the Canucks, while playing the also hot Devils at home tonight.  Once they get out to some clear air, I think they will find their grove and hold on to the final playoff spot.