Fantasy FanHouse

Canes Give Ruutu One Year to Start Scoring

Jes Golbez — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:07:00 EST

Filed under: General NHL, Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Fantasy Hockey

When Tuomo Ruutu was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks 9th overall back in 2001 draft, pundits expected Ruutu would be the next BIG THING in NHL Power Forwards.

Ruutu started off quite well, putting up and playing a very aggressive crash-and-bang "Canadian" style of game and putting up 23 goals in his rookie season. Ruutu loved to deliver hits, and looked like he'd develop into an effective 35-40 goal scorer for the Hawks for many seasons to come.

Alas, Ruutu ran into injury problems (and was mistaken for an armed robber!), and was never quite the same again. During the past two seasons, Ruutu has put up just 38 points in each campaign and hardly looks like he belongs on the top two lines of any club. The Canes, who gave up Andrew Ladd (another disappointing forward) to acquire Tuomo, are hoping that Ruutu can find his game in a new home, signed the young Finn to a simple 1-year deal that will pay him a cool $2.25M next season.

"We are happy he'll be back with our team and we hope that he can stay healthy and return to the 20-goal plateau that he reached during his rookie season," said Rutherford.

Is Tuomo simply a bigger version of his pesty and unproductive brother, Jarkko, or will he actually provide above-average offensive numbers? 20 goals is hardly much of an exciting target.

If I were a Canes fan, I'd be fairly optimistic that Ruutu is set to reach at least 25 goals this season, and hopefully 30. Ruutu scored 11 points in 17 games with the Canes late last season, and seemed quite comfortable in the Canes offensive, up-tempo system.

I also look at comparable Power Forward types and remember that it can take longer for these types of players to develop to their full potential.

Todd Bertuzzi - After struggling mightily on Long Island, Bertuzzi was traded to the Canucks in the infamous Trevor Linden deal. Bertuzzi didn't put up big numbers right away, but finally started to find himself at around 25-26, the same point in time which Ruutu finds himself.

Remember John "Chocolate" LeClair? He was mired at about 40-50 points a season while getting his feet wet with the Canadiens. At the age of 26, he was dealt to the Flyers and instantly become one of the game's most feared goal scorers.

I'm not sure Ruutu has the mental ability and hockey sense to ever duplicate LeClair and Bertuzzi-like numbers, but when you get a big guy like Ruutu on a new team and exercise a bit of patience, you might just get to see the ability you expected all along.

Canes Give Ruutu One Year to Start Scoring originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Glen Wesley Retires After 20 Seasons

Jes Golbez — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:20:00 EST

Filed under: General NHL, Hurricanes, Fantasy Hockey

Another one of the NHL's longest serving players, Carolina's Glen Wesley, has called it quits after a career that has spanned 20 seasons, and over 1600 NHL games (Regular season and playoffs).

Given that Wesley is approaching the big 4-0, and has been rumored to be retiring for the past few years, today's announcement is no surprise.

Just like buddy Ron Francis, Wesley will remain with the Hurricanes in the role of "Director of Defensemen Development". Who comes up with these titles?

"There were a lot of memories, alot of great things that I can reflect on," said Wesley. "But I think for right now I'm going to enjoy time with the family and hopefully improve my golf game."

"It's [Director's role] a new role that the organization has given to me and I think it's something I'm going to enjoy in working with the younger defensemen," said Wesley. "Hopefully I'll be able to help them in different perspectives."

Besides being quite easy to notice with his fiery red hair, Wesley will always be remembered, by myself at least, for being part of the most lopsided deals of all time.

Back in 1994, Wesley was coming off of a career 58-point season with the Boston Bruins, and the Bruins, notorious cheapwads that they are, weren't willing to give Wesley good money to play for them.

In came the Hartford Whalers, who were hellbent on getting themselves a quality D-man.

The price paid to Boston? Three first round draft picks! The picks turned out to be Kyle McLaren (1995), Johnathan Aitken (1996) and Sergei Samsonov (1997).

While Wesley has provided Carolina/Hartford many good years of solid surface, he never once came close to putting up the good numbers he did with the Bruins. Wesley broke the 30-point plateau only ONCE after his departure from the Bruins, while the Beantowners got themselves two talented players to build a franchise around.

Still, let's not end on a sour note. Wesley was a solid component of the Canes' cup run a few years back, and their Cinderella run of 2002. You can't blame the guy because Hartford paid too much to get him.

Glen Wesley Retires After 20 Seasons originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsonov Back From the Dead

Jes Golbez — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:10:00 EST

Filed under: Carolina, General NHL, Hurricanes, Fantasy Hockey

When the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that doesn't ooze offensive depth from its pores, put the enigmatic Sergei Samsonov on waivers in December, most of us thought that it was the end for the little Russian. He had his last chance, and blew it.
Sammy appeared to care little about doing much other than whining and pouting, despite the fact that given every opportunity to succeed during his brief tenure in the Windy City. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Robert Lang had no problems scoring, but Samsonov certainly did.

Who would really want to take a chance on a whiny, me-first player who put up just 4 points in 23 games? The Carolina Hurricanes, apparently, who took Samsonov on waivers, and made a lot of fans scratch their heads.

Whatever magic tonic Peter Laviolette has been giving Sergei could make a mint on eBay. Somehow, some way, the Canes' head coach has coaxed 24 points and +11 in 27 games out of the little bugger.

Frankly, I am quite amazed and shocked. Even with Samsonov's skill set, there was nothing to suggest that there was something left in the tank. It's not just the production that has suddenly reappeared, but the passion for the game and the willingness to work hard. For whatever reason, Samsonov didn't care much about winning when he was with the Habs or Hawks, but is now working his buns off to backcheck, forecheck, hipcheck, bodycheck, cross-check, and produce offensively.

Just think ... it could very well be Sergei Samsonov, of all people, that turns out to be the best in-season transaction in the NHL for this campaign. With Justin Williams and Rod Brind'Amour lost to injury, Samsonov may very well be the reason why Canes win their division.

Samsonov Back From the Dead originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Year of the Rat,' One of the Worst in Stanley Cup Finals History?

Greg Wyshynski — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:42:00 EST

Filed under: General NHL, Islanders, Flyers, Bruins, Senators, Hurricanes, Panthers, Capitals, Blackhawks, Wings, Flames, Avalanche, Oilers, Canucks, Kings, Eastern, Western, Fantasy Hockey, Stanley Cup

Although it's one year too late -- and what former NHL player is going to give up a fishing trip for this? -- the Florida Panthers will celebrate their Cinderella run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals this weekend. Panthers alumni like John Vanbiesbrouck, Ray Sheppard and Bill Lindsay will join the majority of the players (sans schedule-conflicted Rob Niedermayer and Robert Svehla) who led Florida to the Finals in only the third year of the franchise, before being swept away by the Colorado Avalanche. There's a golf tournament, player appearances and an exhibition game at BankAtlantic Center on Saturday that will give hockey fans something they've long dreamed about: another chance to witness the majestic skating of Terry Carkner on NHL ice.

The Panthers, who will unveil their new uniforms at Saturday's game, have dubbed the celebration "Weekend of the Rat" after the single most significant memory from the team's Stanley Cup run. The Sun Sentinel remembers the fun:

In 1995-96, they finished third in their division (41-31-10, 92 points) and fourth in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, then beat in the Bruins 4 games to 1 in a seven-game series, the Flyers 4-2 and the Penguins 4-3 before losing to the Avalanche in four games in the finals.

Right winger Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the dressing room with his stick minutes before the home opener that season, then scored two goals that night, prompting Vanbiesbrouck to declare Mellanby's feat a "Rat Trick." Throwing plastic rats on the ice after goals soon became a phenomenon.

"We accomplished some pretty lofty things with a group of guys who were considered mediocre players at the time," Lindsay said.

"Mediocre players at the time?" Has history been that kind to Johan Garpenlov and Jody Hull? Florida Panthers fans have every right to celebrate this unexpected season of meteoric success, lest they fall deeper into the depressing reality that their franchise is now known more for losing Roberto Luongo and failing to make the playoffs in the Southeast Division than plastic rodents. But for the rest of us, this weekend begs the question:

Are the Florida Panthers the most mediocre Stanley Cup finalist of the last 25 years?

First off, this list will be limited to teams that did not win more than one game in the Stanley Cup Finals. This could eliminate some contenders; the 2006 Edmonton Oilers and the 1991 Minnesota North Stars, for argument's sake. And forget about teams like the 1983 Oilers, the 1984 Islanders, the 1988 and 1990 Boston Bruins and the 1995 Detroit Red Wings -- great teams, all of them. The 1997 Flyers and the 2007 Senators were more talented than the Panthers' Cup finalist, and were just overwhelmed in the last round. Ditto the 1993 Los Angeles Kings and the 1992 Blackhawks.

With that narrow focus, we find ourselves with:

The 1982 Vancouver Canucks, coached by Roger Neilson and 4-0 losers to the New York Islanders.
The 1985 Philadelphia Flyers, coached by Mike Keenan and 4-1 losers to the Oilers.
The 1986 Calgary Flames, coached by Bob Johnson and 4-1 losers to the Montreal Canadiens.
The 1996 Florida Panthers, coached by Doug MacLean and 4-0 losers to the Colorado Avalanche.
The 1998 Washington Capitals, coached by Ron Wilson and 4-0 losers to Detroit.
The 2002 Carolina Hurricanes, coached by Paul Maurice and 4-1 losers to Detroit.

Let's drop the Flyers from that list -- 110 regular-season points and some great goaltending. The Capitals can also come down, unless you can find two offensive players on the '96 Panthers that could carry either Peter Bondra's or Adam Oates's stick bags. The 1986 Flames beat the Gretzky Oilers to get to the Finals, and had Gary Suter and Al MacInnis on the blueline -- that's good enough for me. Which leaves us with the 1982 Canucks, the 1996 Panthers and the 2002 Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes had Irbe in goal, but Ron Francis and Rod Brind'Amour up front. The amazing Roger Neilson/Harry Neale switcheroo and the recent passing of Gary Lupul give me some nostalgia for that Canucks team, but the bottom line is that it was as devoid of star talent (leading scorer: Thomas Gradin) as the Panthers were. Which brings us to Florida.

Unlike the other two contenders, the Panthers were a blatant neutral-zone trap team, which is the reason for the franchise's quick maturation as an expansion newbie. They had one 30-goal scorer in Scott Mellanby. Their roster was filled with players who will need to buy a ticket to get into the Hall of Fame. And, in spelling out the three greatest sins of the 1996 Florida Panthers, LCS Hockey writer Michael Menser Dell explains the Rat Pack's greatest offense to hockey:

The Panthers smothered the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals, clutching and grabbing the vastly superior Birds into submission in a seven-game shocker. Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, and Petr Nedved combined for an absurd 203 goals and 528 points in the regular season, but the Pens could only muster 15 goals total in the seven- game defeat. The Florida upset once again deprived the world of a potential Mario Lemieux- Patrick Roy Stanley Cup showdown.

In a dead-heat between the Canucks and the Panthers, this fact might provide an edge to the boys from the Sunshine State...

'Year of the Rat,' One of the Worst in Stanley Cup Finals History? originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Walker, Carolina Hurricane

Jes Golbez — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:21:00 EST

Filed under: General NHL, Hurricanes, Eastern, Fantasy Hockey

Gritty winger Scott Walker decided to stay in Raleigh, rather than walker off *yuk yuk* to some other town, and signed the dotted line on a three-year deal.

Of course, being offered $7.5mil over three seasons would be enough to keep many players from going elsewhere. From the Canadian Press:

"Keeping Scott in Carolina was one of our top priorities this off-season," Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford said in a statement.

"He brings skill and grit to our forward lines and he has become one of our team's leaders on and off the ice."

Is the deal a good one for the Hurricanes?

Walker is 34 years of age, and will be 37 by the time this contract is finished. One would have to believe that he'll be in decline from now until he retires.

His numbers? They are pretty solid.

YEAR  GP G A PTS PIM
------------------------
2003-04 75 25 42 67 94
2005-06 33  5 11 16 36
2006-07 81 21 30 51 45
------------------------

Walker is one of the harder working players in the NHL, and is probably good for at least 45 points per season if he stays healthy. Being a small player (5'9"), Walker tends to rack up a lot of bumps, bruises, and injuries. Last season's 81 games played was a career high from him and rather unexpected.

Verdict: Not a bad deal, albeit one season too long. Walker would have received this kind of dough from quite a few other teams. The Acid Queen gives the deal her thumbs up.

Walker, Carolina Hurricane originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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