Luke on the Pine; Other Stuff

If you're tuned into the world of hockey then you'll be watching the Canada-Russia Gold Medal game at the World Championships. As I write this the first period is coming to a close. Tune in.

Once again, our boy Luke Schenn is riding the bench. Since the additions of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brayden Cobourn, Schenn has been the odd man out. Apparently he's just trying to 'soak it all in'. Well I don't know if he's really soaking any more in than the equipment managers would, because he's not on the ice. Oh well, who would've expect him to be there in the first place?

Link Ticker

• Hockey Analysis looks at the potential UFAs that Brian Burke might be looking at.
• And also looks at the Chris DiDomenico injury situation. Ouch.
• Yahoo delivers their Leafs team report.

That's all I've got. Things are moving slowly right now. Enjoy the hockey today.

Isles to Hold First Overall Pick Contest

GM Garth Snow and the New York Islanders announced today that the Islanders will be holding a contest to ask fans what they would do with the No. 1 pick overall.

Whatever the strategic purpose of this is, the main pull is promotion. My inclination is that if Snow is willing to hold a contest, it means that the first overall pick isn't going to be traded. I suppose that puts a damper on Burke's Tavares Quest.

But wait, what if Snow takes Hedman? Well, if he does he's going to be upsetting more than a few fans who stepped up to buy season tickets. The Islanders sales department has seen a "300-percent increase in phone calls and e-mail inquiries over last year at this time" and on pace to see 90 percent of its season tickets renewed. In other words, the first overall pick sells. And it sells well.

And for the Isles fans, its not Victor Hedman who sells, its John Tavares. A Newsday poll conducted showed that Tavares was favoured 10-1 over Hedman. So really, this competition is going to be a reaffirmation of that support.

So it becomes a lot clearer now why Snow refused to say who he was leaning towards for this year's draft. Not for trade leverage. Not to buy more time to make a decision. Rather, for promotion.

Link Ticker

• Betcha didn't know the Leafs own Carl Gunnarson and Leo Komarov, who are both playing in this World Championships.
• Down Goes Brown has gotten a hold of the transcript of the Minnesota Wild's interviews with John Ferguson, Pierre McGuire and Pat Quinn.

Second Round Preview and Predictions

I didn't make any predictions for the first round, but I'll have to begin in the second round because of all of the interesting matchups that have come about.

Boston Bruins vs Carolina Hurricanes: The Bruins have to be the the favourite in the conference. They're the Red Wings of the East. For the Penguins and Capitals, that means they'll only be able to beat them when they're on their top form. I say Bruins in six.

Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins: The series to watch for round two. Begins Saturday - keep in mind that it's at 1 pm ET. The playoffs are about defense, so you have to give the Penguins the edge here. When you think of the Penguins offense, you only need to look towards the opposition's defense and goaltending to see if the other team has a chance. Vharlamov, you better be ready for this one. Penguins in seven.

Detroit Red Wings vs Anaheim Ducks: A re-match of the 2007 Western Conference finals. Ducks and Wings both know how to get it done in the postseason, and goaltending will be put to the test. Osgood vs Hiller? You have to give the edge to Hiller right now. The Ducks will have to keep up their scoring if they want to beat a very good Red Wings team, and I think they'll be pressed to do that on a nightly basis. Red Wings in five.

Vancouver Canucks vs Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks are doing an amazing job in all aspects of the game this playoffs, and it paid off with a first series victory over the Flames. They outhustled and outchanced the Flames, and proved that they can play beyond their years. Led by the 20 year old Toews, the Blackhawks are already proving why they will be a force in the West for years to come. Blackhawks in six.

Burke, Wilson and Nonis All Smiling

San Jose out in the first round. Vancouver blasting into the second. Anaheim showing shades of their Stanley Cup champion form.

All three occurences are to the surprise of the naysayers, and the delight of our very own Brian Burke, Dave Nonis and Ron Wilson.

Wilson was labelled as a coach that could develop players well but couldn't lead them to the later rounds of the playoffs. Todd McLellan was brought in to help lead the Sharks to a longer postseason, but it didn't happen this year. Hey, at least they didn't give us any false signs, dropping the first two games of their opening round series against the Ducks.

Those Ducks were built in part by Brian Burke, and though he isn't responsible for the drafting of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, his other moves have panned out well. Current Ducks starter Jonas Hiller is proving his reliability as an NHL starter, while Bobby Ryan is emerging as one of the future 'Big Three' on the Ducks, playing with Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Chris Pronger, a free agent signing by Burke, has been a rock for the team.

Burke didn't build the Ducks, but he put them over the edge, and contributed to a solid foundation for the future. So much for his supposed departure from the organization while it was 'in shambles'. To think that people were calling for the Ducks to retool and send Niedermayer or Pronger elsewhere on the trade deadline, and they've knocked off the President's Trophy winner.

Our V.P. of Hockey Operations and ex-Canuck GM Dave Nonis, can be credited with luring Roberto Luongo to Vancouver in lopsided trade with the Panthers that sent Todd Bertuzzi the other way. Nonis also hired Vancouver's benchboss Alain Vigneault, who won the Jack Adams trophy for top regular season coach in 2007.

While Wilson may have been a part of the choking problem in San Jose, he certainly wasn't it's central feature, as demonstrated by this year's first round collapse.

Burke and Nonis certainly take pride in the work they've done with their past clubs, and they can crack a grin as the monsters they created take on a life of their own.

Quick Hits and Hearing the Crickets

Hey all, not much going on in Leafland at the moment. I wake up each morning hoping to read that Burke has done or said something of interest, but he's kept quiet after shocking the hockey world with his Tavares Manifesto.

For now, we bandwagon and cheer for other teams. Who's everyone backing this offseason? I'm half-heartedly supporting the Penguins, but I'm also a huge fan of the Capitals and this year's edition of the Bruins. That might have something to do with the shellacking they handed the Canadiens.

Link Ticker:

• New England Hockey Journal has an article on the long and winding road of Jaime Sifers' hockey career.
• Newsday discusses Garth Snow's Draft Day plan.
• Mike Augello argues that the Sedins wouldn't be in Toronto's interests. You have to wonder whether the poor economy will tear the Sedins apart.
• Hockey Trade Rumours mulls the possibility of grabbing the Thrashers' first round pick.
• Mike Ulmer reflects on the Marlies season.
• Ian White gets moved up to forward in the Ice Hockey World Championship.
  

And just so we're all on the same page, yes, I know Burke is pursuing Jonas Gustavsson. We should hear more about that in the weeks to come. Word is that he's making up his mind between Dallas and Toronto. I apologize for not posting on this. I have been busy in recent weeks.