With just over a month until the World Cup of Hockey kicks off, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is thrilled that one of the game's biggest pests will be on his side of the ice.
Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has made his mark in the league as a bruiser and a thorn in the side of the opposition. For Crosby the tournament will provide the rare opportunity to play alongside Marchand.
"You’re so used to playing against him, you know the way he plays," Crosby chuckles," Crosby said, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. Having him on your team is going to be so much more enjoyable than having to play against him.
"Having a local guy, someone who’s from the same area, I think that’s pretty special to be competing for Team Canada with someone like that."
Marchand was added as one of the final additions to Team Canada's roster and after hitting a career-high 37 goals and 60 points this past season; Crosby feels it's no wonder he was chosen.
"You look at the season he had—he’s proven he can be a lot more than just an agitator. He’s a really good player, but part of his game is playing a tough brand [of hockey]. Playing right on that edge," Crosby says. "He’s had a tremendous career so far. I think that’ll be someone fun to join up with."
Fun aside, Crosby, Marchand, and co. will look to duplicate the result of the last World Cup of Hockey back in 2004 that saw Canada walk away tournament champions.
The defenseman has been recovering from offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia and groin injury suffered last campaign.
Alzner has been working out and admits it's now just a matter of time before he's back to his best.
"I was working out after the first week [following the procedure], which was fast," Alzner said, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSN Mid-Atlantic. "The hernia is going to be fine. The only thing is the groin; I’m still waiting for that to be 100-percent."
Alzner had been dealing with the injury for a large part of the year, but was forced to leave Game 6 in the second round of the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins - which his team ultimately lost, knocking them out of contention.
"I can do everything now, but I’m just maybe a half step slow because I can’t get the full extension with the power, the little kick at the end," said Alzner. "Once I get that kick back, then I’m 90-100 [percent]. So, I’m close."
His 458-game iron man streak remains intact and should extend as long as he's back to kick off the regular season.
While the club did not release the terms of the deal, it is expected to pay the 34-year-old a total of $3.5 million, according to TVA Sports' Renaud Lavoie.
Vermette became an unrestricted free-agent on Aug. 1 after the Arizona Coyotes elected to buy out the final year of his contract.
After joining the Coyotes during the 2011-12 season, he was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks ahead of the trade deadline during the 2014-15 campaign. Vermette rejoined the Coyotes the following offseason.
Last season he amassed 17 goals - his second-highest total since the 2011-12 season - and added 21 assists in 76 games.
United States Senator Richard Blumenthal has made another plea to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, urging him to change his stance on the topic of head injuries and possible Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in players.
Blumenthal stated his extreme displeasure with Bettman's views on a possible link between repeated blows to the head and CTE back in late July, and on Monday penned a letter which included suggestions to Bettman on how he and the league should proceed with the matter.
In the letter, Blumenthal asked why the league was so quick to discard evidence from researchers in the field, despite claiming to have the players' best interests at heart.
"The league's position is entangled in conflicting, mixed messages. The NHL insists that player safely is sacrosanct - a 'top priority' for the league - and recognizes the many dangers of concussions and head impacts. Your letter notes concussions can cause 'long-term lasting effects' like 'permanent brain injury' and 'permanent brain damage.' But the league appears unwilling to consider even the possibility that concussions cause CTE."
In his response to Blumenthal back in July, Bettman warned the Senator not to give in to "speculation and fear mongering," suggesting evidence that a relationship between concussions and CTE is still not concrete.
Blumenthal concluded his letter to Bettman by pleading for the league to be proactive in setting an example for all players on the subject, and suggested the league create a foundation dedicated to researching the matter.
"An investment in such research literally would help save lives - and enable the league to lead by example. It would put the NHL on the right side of history and health. Your apparent current indifference is a disservice to fans and players.
I invite you to re-evaluate and resubmit your response, delineating the steps you are taking to advance science instead of dismissing it."
If Taylor Hall had it his way, things would have turned out differently in Edmonton.
The 24-year-old was dealt to the New Jersey Devils this offseason in exchange for defenseman Adam Larsson, and while he's exciting about his new journey with the Devils, he can't help but feel like there was unfinished business with the Oilers.
"I just want to be on the best team possible, and I think that goes without saying. It sucks what happened in Edmonton, and it's unfortunate we didn't have more success, but then I probably wouldn't be here," Hall said, according to NJ.com's Chris Ryan. "I'm excited for the opportunity ahead."
While Hall has yet to skate alongside his new teammates in a game, he's already setting goals for himself and envisions a strong season for the Devils.
"Just win more. It's not an easy division by any means, but just looking at our team on paper, if we can stay healthy and rely on Cory (Schneider) a little bit less, it's going to put us in a good spot," Hall said. "I haven't played a game yet, so I don't have quite as good of a feel as I will 20 games into the season, but I'm excited for what I see right now."
The Devils finished last season with 84 points, good enough for 12th place in the Eastern Conference. The team also managed to put up a league-worst 2.22 goals per game, a glaring reason for the addition of Hall.
Luckily for New Jersey, Hall finished last season just one goal shy of matching his career-best of 27, finishing with 65 points - more than any Devils player.
The Russian forward spoke to sport-express.ru, according to Igor Eronko, where he explained that the Canadiens were not the only club vying for his services.
"The Panthers and Red Wings were the most realistic options besides the Habs," said Radulov. "Also I was in talks with the Devils."
Radulov also explained that during his negotiations, it was actually his former KHL club that offered him the most lucrative contract.
"CSKA offered me more than any NHL team, but I wanted to play in North America," said Radulov.
Alexander Radulov to @hockey_se: 'I wanted to sign a longer deal, but teams were telling me they don't want to risk, want to look at me'
Heading into next season, Radulov appears to have all the confidence in the world in his new team, boasting that not only does the club possess the world's best goalie in Carey Price, but that they may have been the winners of this season's blockbuster trade with the Nashville Predators.
"Look at the Habs now. We have the best goalie in the world and also we've got the world's best defender this summer," said Radulov.
Radulov last suited up in the NHL for a handful of games during the 2011-12 season.
Vrbata, 35, spent the last two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, and enjoyed some success on a line with the Sedin twins. This past season, the Czech winger scored 13 goals and 14 assists in 63 games.
Coyotes fans are familiar with Vrbata, as he previously spent six seasons with the club, most recently in 2014.
The goalie tandem is the NHL's answer to the two-headed monster. When it works, it provides two quality puck stoppers and, when not, it often leaves the coach scratching his head.
The NHL has seen some impressive duos over the years, from Johnny Bower and Terry Sawchuk with the Leafs in the 1960s, Dominik Hasek and Ed Belfour with the Blackhawks in the 1990s, to Roberto Luongo and Corey Schneider with Vancouver (sorry, Canucks fans) in recent years.
We've outlined our top 5 picks of who will be the most interesting tandems to follow this coming season:
1. Thomas Greiss & Jaroslav Halak - Islanders
Goalie
GP
Record
SO
GAA
SV %
Greiss
41
23-11-4
1
2.36
.925
Halak
36
18-13-4
3
2.30
.919
Following an early-March groin injury to starter Jaroslav Halak, backup Thomas Greiss was left to carry the load. The 30-year-old Greiss played in all but six games down the stretch, making the most of his opportunity on Long Island, after showing glimpses of strong play in previous stops in San Jose, Arizona, and Pittsburgh.
Greiss' strong play continued in the postseason, appearing in all 11 games and leading New York to its first series win since 1993. As for Halak, he underwent sports hernia surgery this offseason, though he plans to play for Team Europe at the World Cup. Halak, 31, has two years left on his deal, carrying a $4.5-million cap hit.
2. Antti Niemi & Kari Lehtonen - Stars
Goalie
GP
Record
SO
GAA
SV %
Niemi
48
25-13-7
3
2.67
.905
Lehtonen
43
25-10-2
2
2.76
.906
No two goalies split the net more last season than Dallas' Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen. And it didn't look half bad until that pesky elimination game versus the St. Louis Blues, in which the two combined to allow five goals on 18 shots.
Lehtonen saw the bulk of the work in the playoffs (555 minutes), compared to Niemi (237 minutes), despite the latter being a key piece in Chicago's 2010 Stanley Cup win. Nevertheless, the duo's body of work appears to be good enough for the Stars, as GM Jim Nill is in no rush to make a change in the crease.
3. Steve Mason & Michal Neuvirth - Flyers
Goalie
GP
Record
SO
GAA
SV %
Mason
54
23-19-10
4
2.51
.918
Neuvirth
32
18-8-4
3
2.27
.924
What's a goalie list without the Philadelphia Flyers? The Flyers have used seven different goalies (10 or more games) since 2010, and after shuffling through its latest round of netminders, Philly settled on Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth last season.
While Mason saw the majority of regular-season duty, the goaltenders took three games a piece in the playoffs, with wildly different outcomes. While Mason's numbers bloated to a 4.09 GAA and an abysmal .852 save percentage, Neuvirth showed some of the promise that Washington saw in him years ago, sporting a .981 save percentage and a minuscule 0.67 GAA.
4. Ryan Miller & Jacob Markstrom - Canucks
Goalie
GP
Record
SO
GAA
SV %
Miller
51
17-24-9
1
2.70
.916
Markstrom
33
13-14-4
0
2.73
.915
It's no Luongo/Schneider pairing, but the Canucks' biggest issue last season wasn't between the pipes. Signing veteran Ryan Miller as a free agent in 2014, the 36-year-old hasn't provided the same level of support he did in his prime with Buffalo, but he doesn't appear ready to give up the starter's job just yet.
Meanwhile, the Canucks recently re-signed Jacob Markstrom to a three-year contract, further complicating their crease. Last year's 33 games was a career high for Markstrom, as he began to show the potential that the Florida Panthers saw in him before dealing him to the Canucks in March 2014.
5. Roberto Luongo & James Reimer - Panthers
Goalie
GP
Record
SO
GAA
SV %
Luongo
62
35-19-6
4
2.35
.922
Reimer
40
17-14-7
3
2.31
.922
On July 1, the Panthers signed James Reimer to a 5-year, $17-million deal. While not the starter's role he desired, the expectation is that Reimer will get regular work, especially early, with Luongo not available until early November after undergoing offseason hip surgery.
In any event, it's too much to expect the 37-year-old Luongo to keep up his 60-plus-game pace. Reimer will have the chance to transition into the No. 1 role in the future. Reimer, 28, played 40 games last year (32 with Toronto, eight with San Jose), posting a 1.62 GAA and .938 save percentage with the Sharks.
Honorable Mention: Marc-Andre Fleury & Matt Murray - Penguins
Goalie
GP
Record
SO
GAA
SV %
Fleury
58
35-17-6
5
2.29
.921
Murray
13
9-2-1
1
2.00
.930
How can this list be complete without last year's playoff hero? Simple. We need a bigger sample size. Is Matt Murray the next Andrew Hammond or the next Cam Ward?
Despite only appearing in 13 regular-season games, Murray got the nod in the playoffs, posting a 2.08 GAA alongside a .923 save percentage, leading Pittsburgh to its fourth Cup in franchise history. But, we also can't forget about Marc-Andre Fleury, who put up top regular-season numbers and aims to win back the starter's role.
