Fantasy Nhl Gossip

Back when Kristian Huselius was a member of the Florida Panthers, coach "Iron Mike" Keenan made it a point to put the Swedish sniper in his permanent doghouse. Despite Huselius' slick stick-handling skills, boyish looks, and crisp play-making abilities, his game never got off the ground during his time in Florida.

Huselius earned a fresh start in Calgary and made the most of it. Those fantasy players who saw how Kristian came out of his shell as a member of the Flames were most pleased that their investment finally paid off.

Now that Mike Keenan is the new bench boss for the Flames, is the second go-around of this relationship going to go sour, too?

SEASON TEAM GP G A PTS +/-
03-04 FLA 76 10 21 31 -6
05-06 FLA 24 5 3 8 -11
05-06 CGY 54 15 24 39 +2
06-07 CGY 81 34 43 77 +21
 

As you can see, Huselius' pre-Calgary numbers were horrible. Only after the trade did Huselius produce like he was expected to when he came over from Sweden.

With all of the big names (Briere, Gomez, Kariya) on the market tomorrow, there will be a lot of big money tossed around by drooling GMs.

The smart GMs will go bargain hunting, and may come across an old classic: Jason Allison, the playmaking center that sat out the entire 06-07 season.

"I'm physically and mentally as healthy as I've been in five years," Allison told The Canadian Press in an interview on Friday. "I'm excited and ready to go."

The 32-year-old free-agent centre disappeared into the NHL wilderness last year, taking a season off while ironing out issues in his private life.

"I had a lot of personal stuff to deal with last year -- just getting my life re-organized and dealing with family issues," said Allison, who went through a divorce. "It's been a good year for me, even though I didn't play hockey and people were wondering where I was or what I was doing ...

I wasn't aware of Allison's personal turmoils, figuring his absence was completely because of GM's scared that Allison was too slow for today's NHL.

Despite Jason's apparent lack of foot-speed (if you ask most 'experts'), there are few forwards more productive on the Power Play. Allison is productive, as we can see ...

SEASON TEAM  GP G A PTS
 2001-02 Kings 73 19 55 74
 2002-03 Kings 26 6 22 28
 2005-06 Leafs 66 17 43 60
 

Lack of foot-speed? Too slow for the NHL? Hmm, I wouldn't mind a point-a-guy player on my team. You just know Allison will be a bargain for whoever happens to sign him, as GMs are seemingly afraid of Allison like a bad cold.

One would think that Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer, who just won the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophies, would be kicking ass and taking names for years to come.

Apparently not, claims Ducks GM Brian Burke, who relayed a shocking bit of info to the hockey world.

"Scott has indicated that he's thinking about retirement," Ducks GM Brian Burke told The Canadian Press on Tuesday.

The Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP informed Burke of the possibility during the players' exit interviews a few days after Anaheim won its championship.

Now that Scott, who is 33 years of age, has fulfilled a life-long dream of winning the cup with his brother, Rob Niedermayer, there isn't much for Scott to play for other than large paychecks and groping groupies.

Some players don't need or have the desire to play until their legs fall off and they are booted out unceremoniously. Wayne Gretzky quit at the right time, while Mark Messier played long after his best-before date.

I just can't fathom how Scott Niedermayer could possibly retire when he's on top of the hockey world. This isn't a Barry Sanders situation, where Scott is stuck with a bad franchise. The Ducks are favorites to win the Cup next year, and Scott couldn't ask for a better situation to be in.

After a few fishing trips, I'm sure the hockey craving will come back to Scotty, and he'll be leading the Ducks to another successful season.

Ed Belfour, who managed to hold down the Florida Panthers #1 goaltending job at the age of 42, thinks he deserves a nice pay hike.

Florida Panthers goalie Ed Belfour said Friday that he wants more money. He would like to sign another one-year contract with the Panthers, but if it doesn't work out, Belfour, 42, is confident he can be a starter somewhere else in the NHL.

"I'm definitely a No 1 goalie," Belfour said. "I'm motivated to come back and be the No. 1 guy. I think my health is there."

Belfour believes he is worth considerably more now that he has proved his durability. He earned a base salary of $750,000 last season as part of an incentive-laden deal.

"My base was low because I had back surgery," Belfour said. "Throughout my career, my base was a lot higher. . . . I proved that I was durable and I'm not going to play for that kind of money this year, that's for sure."

Ahh, talk about living in the past. Of course he was worth more!! Eddie, you USED to be young, spry, and a great goaltending.

Now? Not so much ...

Yes, Belfour did better than Bald Alex Auld, putting up a 90.2SV% compared to Auld's cringe-inducing 88.8% mark. Yes, Belfour was a bargain at $750,000 for a 50+ game goaltender, but how does he think he'll get more elsewhere?

Fact: Belfour's SV% was still 31st among qualified goaltenders. Given that there are 30 NHL teams, Belfour is not going to be an improvement in many other places.

Fact: Belfour is 42, has a creaky back, and isn't getting any younger, more agile, or healthier.

Fact: Belfour is a belligerent drunk who parties way too often and gets himself in trouble with the police. Not many teams want to put up with the off-ice problems Eddie is bound to have.

If the Panthers aren't willing to give him a raise, Belfour will be very fortunate to get $750,000 and a position from any other NHL club. Whatever Belfour thinks of his self-worth, he'd be smart not to alienate himself from the Panthers, who might be the only club willing to give him a decent contract.

At least he didn't demand ONE BILLION DOLLARS!!! Although, that would have been much more interesting ...