I had so much fun doing the “what if?” scenarios for the Central teams, that I decided to do them for the teams in the Pacific as well. ​

Edmonton 
What if Mario goes down? 
The Oilers are one of the best offensive teams in the VHL this season. Right now if you look at the stats, it would appear that JR is driving the bus. Appearances can be deceiving though. Make no mistake, Lemieux is the engine driving this offensive machine. If he goes down with an injury it could put a big roadblock in Edmonton’s plans for the season. Making this a big possibility is the big man’s durability, or rather his lack thereof. Lemieux has become fragile of late. No Lemieux would put the Oilers at a big disadvantage against Winnipeg, San Jose, or the surging Canucks. This is totally not an attempt to jinx the Oilers and Lemieux. 

Vancouver 
What if the Canucks hadn’t played like dog shit at the start of the season? 
Vancouver started the season with aspirations of making the Finals again. The roster remained much the same and the stellar young goalie that got them there could only get better, right? Then the games started and something was wrong. The offense was still there, not dominant but still good enough. Yet Vancouver looked up in the standings and saw Saskatoon and Calgary above them. WTF? The reason for this absurdity was goals against. The Canucks were letting guys score like they were sailors on shore leave in Thailand. Now was it the defense doing its best impression of Swiss cheese or Toskala trying to be Ken Wregget? Probably a little bit of both.  Well it seems the coaching staff has done its homework and made the needed adjustments. The Canucks are tearing up the standings and could easily have been at the top if they hadn’t shit the bed at season’s start. 

Calgary 
Where would the Flames be without Andrew Cassels? 
In last place in the Western Conference of course. Cassels came out swinging and had the Flames ahead of the Kings and Canucks. Then reality decided to pull the rug out from under Calgary. They have struggled recently but the rebuilding team should expect that. Datsyuk has looked good and Miller has been having his ups and downs but remains a promising prospect. The real cloud on the horizon is the inability to get Datsyuk to extend. Now they will have to pay the arbitration piper and hope they aren’t going to copy what the Sens went through with Joe “first chance I get I’m outta Ottawa” Thornton. 

Winnipeg 
What if Craig Anderson was playing like a rookie? 
The Jets believed enough in Anderson that they let long time Jet Bob Essensa walk. Anderson didn’t receive the attention of Luongo, Aebischer, or Miller but he is just as good. Now the Jets were banking on him not struggling like many of the goalies do when they are rookies (I’m looking your way Holmqvist you bastard). So far that gamble has paid off. Anderson is enjoying a solid, bordering on excellent season. The insurance plan, Vincent Riendeau, has been disappointing so it’s fortunate that Anderson has played well enough to keep Winnipeg in the divisional hunt. 

Los Angeles 
What if the Kings sneak into the Playoffs? 
I’m far from ready to write off the struggling Kings. They always seem to start off slow and then catch up and make the playoffs. If the season ended now, they would be the 8 seed. Milwaukee, Detroit and Chicago are all in a position to overtake them though. If I were the #1 seed and got my choice of whom I didn’t want to face, guess who’s #1 on that list? Yep, the Kings. They are still a very dangerous team fully capable of beating anyone. The biggest wrinkle looks to be Keith Tkachuk. He is an elite forward who isn’t producing at his usual level and has still to sign an extension. If LA keeps him and he comes around, the Kings are even scarier. If they move him, they will probably get enough help to become a thorn in someone’s side. 

Saskatoon 
What if the League allowed the Wolves to break their lease? 
When the Nordiques closed up shop and declared bankruptcy, the league offices put down strict measures to discourage other teams from deciding to copy them. Then Kelly for some reason decided he wanted Lindros and company to call Saskatoon home. Fine, his decision, he has to live with it. Then he didn’t. Instead he decided fishing with his dog and bitching about the Leafs on the Slack for his sim league (has anything further been done on that BTW?) should take up what little spare time from McDonalds he had. Well now we have a GM that has to deal with all the toon town derision. So if in the offseason he was given a choice where would the team end up? Would we have a reborn Mighty Ducks? (No Nate, you aren’t allowed to ghost GM them). Would the Thrashers or Panthers be born? Maybe a move to Denver to become the Avs or Rockies? If he wanted to keep the colours, the Golden Seals would be an option. Myself? I’d go to Toronto and give that city a real team. 

San Jose 
What if the Sharks had completed their “What am I thinking?” trade? 
Shortly after Mark Wharton took over as GM of the Sharks, he wrote an article about possibly trading two of his best players and why on Earth would he even consider it. Well, I’m here to peel back the curtain a little bit for you fine folks. The Sharks were negotiating a deal sending Pronger and Lemieux to the Bruins for MacInnis and Capuano. The primary parts were agreed upon. It was just the secondary stuff that needed to be decided. This blockbuster would have had far reaching consequences. The Sharks would have had an old but unbelievable defense and a cheaper scoring option. Boston would have Pronger and Lemieux bolstering them and may have pulled out of the tail spin of a season they were having. Unfortunately, we will never know what would have happened. 

Twelve seasons ago, the VHL was formed out of the ashes of the crumbled and fallen National Hockey League.  Rising like the phoenix from those ashes, the VHL would take on many of the same rules as it’s NHL counterpart.  From players’ salaries to a rating system used to grade players, the VHL would look to create a successful environment to grow the league into a successful sustainable organization.

Flash forward 12 seasons and it’s amazing to see how the league has grown.  From expansion, to bulging salaries, the VHL has never felt stronger.  In our first installment, here’s a look back at the cost of players from the league’s infancy a dozen seasons ago:

Cheap, Cheap, Cheap …
It’s unbelievable to think how inexpensive players’ salaries were when the league started.  Listed below are each of the 21 teams’ highest and lowest salaried players in season #1.  In (parenthesis) is what they currently make or what they made in their final season in the league.

::Boston Bruins::
Steve Larmer - $700,000 ($7,179,000)
Don Sweeney - $150,000 ($3,986,000)

::Montreal Canadiens::
Denis Savard - $1,084,625 ($4,141,000)
Mathieu Schneider - $104,124 ($2,993,000)

::Quebec Nordiques::
John Vanbiesbrouck - $375,000 ($3,168,000)
Valeri Kamensky - $80,000 ($550,000)

::Buffalo Sabres::
Chris Chelios - $1,100,000 ($8,023,000)
Bob Janecyk - $80,000 ($875,000)

::Hartford Whalers::
Peter Sidorkiewicz - $272,895 ($2,368,000)
Adam Burt - $100,000 ($1,445,000)

::Washington Capitals::
Kevin Hatcher - $700,000 ($8,313,000)
Reggie Savage - $100,000 ($1,075,000)

::New Jersey Devils::
Tim Kerr - $500,000 ($400,000)
Eric Weinrich - $110,000 ($3,043,000)

::Philadelphia Flyers::
Rick Tocchet - $782,500 ($972,000)
Darren Rumble - $116,955 ($1,070,000)

::New York Islanders::
Peter Stastny - $560,000 ($894,000)
Andrew Cassels - $125,000 ($2,581,000)

:Pittsburgh Penguins::
Paul Coffey - $1,100,000 ($4,915,000)
Paul Stanton - $110,000 ($1,263,000)

::New York Rangers::
Mike Gartner - $680,000 ($6,962,000)
Jody Hull - $135,000 ($550,000)

::Vancouver Canucks::
Jimmy Carson - $575,000 ($2,997,000)
Martin Gelinas - $86,770 ($1,764,000)

::Calgary Flames::
Al MacInnis - $694,160 ($8,346,000)
Stephane Matteau - $95,000 ($1,118,000)

::Winnipeg Jets::
Fredrik Olausson - $315,000 ($5,052,000)
Teemu Selanne - $100,000 ($4,397,000)

::Los Angeles Kings::
Wayne Gretzky - $3,000,000 ($8,993,000)
Tom Fitzgerald - $120,000 ($845,000)

::Edmonton Oilers::
Steve Yzerman - $1,400,000 ($7,807,000)
Geoff Smith - $95,447 ($2,089,000)

::Chicago Blackhawks::
Mark Messier - $950,000 ($9,065,000)
Warren Rychel - $95,000 ($550,000)

::St.Louis Blues::
Brett Hull - $1,400,000 ($7,358,000)
Michal Pivonka - $150,000 ($3,569,000)

::Toronto Maple Leafs::
Miloslav Horava - $500,000 ($422,000)
Mike Donnelly - $100,000 ($1,174,000)

::Minnesota North Stars::
Brian Bellows - $700,000 ($3,056,000)
Mike Modano - $150,000 ($6,362,000)
​
::Detroit Red Wings::
John Ogrodnick - $461,000 ($765,000)
Dave Hannan - $151,500 ($550,000)

​Defenders have the primary job of keeping opponents from scoring goals. Well, sorta. The league has a ton of very skilled offensive defensemen though. Teams are getting more and more prone to rely on offensive help from the backend to get the job done. It was fully evident in the Senator run to the VHL Cup last season, where ZZ Top led all Senators in scoring throughout the playoffs. Not by a small margin, but by 6 points. He won the Conn Smyth trophy based on what he can do in the opponents end, not his own. We are going to do a brief look at the offensive prowess of blue-lines in the North-East division. The Eastern Conference at this point (GD 99) is having 29.6% of goals, 48.7% of assists and 41.9% of points scored by defense. 

Boston Bruins 27% of Goals, 43% of Assists and 38% of Points 
The Bruins are the only team in the East that has only had to play 6 defensemen this year. Their defense is right about even with the rest of the East with 27% of goals are scored by defense. They are getting more assists than the average. They are lead by Sergei Gonchar and Al MacInnis. Gonchar with 36 assists and Mac is filling the back of the net with 12 goals. 

Buffalo Sabres 24% of Goals, 55% of Assists and 44% of Points 
The Sabres defenders are not filling the net with the same pace as the rest of the Conference but are showing up on the scoresheet often by adding helpers. Stevens is the only blueliner with over 5 goals and is leading the team by over 10 points. The rest of the crew is adding assists at a very high pace.  

Hartford Whalers 27% of Goals, 48% of Assists and 40% of Points 
They boast the league’s highest scoring defender in Lumme, and 3 of their top 5 scorers are defense. So, it is funny to see them below Conference average for defensive scoring. It is a real testament to the about of points as a team that they put up, which is not only in the standing but also on the scoresheet. 

Montreal Canadiens 33% of Goals, 39% of Assists and 37% of Points 
Les Canadiens have a couple defenders that have already eclipsed the 10 goal mark in Carney and Ohlund. This is the main reason that the team is above average in goal scoring by d-men. They lag behind in assists due to the fact that they do fact that they don’t have any true offensive defense outside of Steve Smith.  

Ottawa Senators 33% of Goals, 52% of Assists and 46% of Points 
The Senator’s offence runs through the back-end. Their top 3 were the Sens top scorers at the time. Strbak, Zalapski, and Duchesne have put up huge numbers, and is one of the reasons that the Sens are pushing the Whalers for the division.  

Toronto Maple Leafs 57% of Goals, 68% of Assists and 64% of Points 
Those numbers are huge but slightly misleading. In last week’s VHL Weekly I talked about the strength of the Maple Leafs D and how they are lagging a bit on forward. It doesn’t help that Alexei Yashin broke his foot blocking a shot against the Canucks, sorry Ian. They have just 73 goals on the season and an over half are by defenders. So the defenders are there just waiting on the scoring punch that the Leafs youngsters will provide.  
​
Stay tuned next week when we look at the Atlantic Division’s defenders...

​

​CALGARY – Flames forwards Radim Vrbata and Pavel Datsyuk each had two point nights while goaltender Ryan Miller stopped 39 of 41 shots as Calgary defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 on home ice Monday night.

Shawn Bates and Sheldon Souray joined Vrbata in the goal scoring for Calgary while Paul Cavallini and Derian Hatcher scored for the Broadway Blueshirts in the loss. 
​
With the win, Calgary extends their unbeaten streak to six games.

​ST. LOUIS – Scott Young scored twice and added an assist, Michal Pivonka and Michael Nylander added the others, and the Ottawa Senators beat the Central-leading St.Louis Blues 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Manny Legace stopped 21 shots, and Rick Lessard had an aggressive night finishing with a game-high eight hits.
​
Mikael Renberg and Shane Hnidy scored for St. Louis, and Patrick Roy made 24 saves. Renberg also had an assist on the night and Bob Joyce chipped in with a pair of assists in the loss.  

​WINNIPEG – The Calgary Flames continue to roll extending their unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2) with their tie on the road versus the always tough Winnipeg Jets.

Pavel Datsyuk and Kip Miller each scored for the Flames, while Ryan Miller pushed aside 32 of the 34 shots he faced.  Winnipeg’s Shawn Burr and Mike Sillinger answered for the Jets and Craig Anderson made 24 saves.
​
Burr led all skaters with nine shots on goal, while Calgary’s Andrew Cassels led the Flames with six.

​PITTSBURGH – Patrick Lalime stopped 35 shots, Vyacheslav Kozlov had a pair of goals and New York held on to beat Pittsburgh on GD72.

Mathieu Schneider opened the scoring with his 6th of the season for the Rangers, who improved to 2-0-1 against their divisional rival. For Lalime, the unbeaten streak is of importance as the 27-year-old netminder had spent his first six seasons in the league with Pittsburgh before being dealt to the Rangers via the Calgary Flames in an offseason transaction. 
​
Sean Burke finished with 24 saves, and Jeff Finley and Tim Sweeney scored in the third period for Pittsburgh, which had been on a four game unbeaten streak since their 4-2 loss to the Rangers on GD 60.

​BOSTON – Al MacInnis and Pavel Bure each scored twice, Simon Gagne had three assists, and the Boston Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-4 on Wednesday night.

Defenders Vladimir Malakhov and Wade Redden each had a goal for the Bruins, who led 4-1 midway through the second period and 5-2 to start the third. Grant Fuhr, starting in place of young starter Johan Holmqvist, stopped 43 shots.
​
The Bruins won for the 7th time (7-1-1) in 9 games with big wins over Vancouver, Philadelphia, Toronto and Montreal and beat the Penguins for the second time in three meetings this season.
Eric Desjardins had a pair of goals while Pat LaFontaine and Miro Satan had the others for the Penguins, who have lost two of their last three games. Sean Burke stopped 34 of 40 shots in the loss.

​NEW YORK – Joe Nieuwendyk scored a pair of goals, Patrick Lalime made 29 saves and the New York Rangers continue to stay hot with another win over their hated rivals from Pittsburgh.

Bryan Smolinski also scored in the Blueshirts’ second win in three games – the other, a tie versus New Jersey. For the Rangers the win continues a trend of strong play, with 1 loss (@ CGY) in their last 14 games – a stretch in which they have gone 11-1-2.  
​
Pat LaFontaine scored his 10th goal and Martin Prusek stopped 32 shots for the Penguins, who have lost in back-to-back games and three of their last four.
With the win, New York has moved to within three points of the Atlantic Division leading Penguins.

MINNESOTA – Calgary forward Andrew Cassels led the charge with a pair of assists while John Druce, Jan Caloun and Pavel Datsyuk each scored in Calgary’s 3-3 tie versus the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night. 
​
After a 2-1 win in Chicago on GD 76, Calgary has now extended their unbeaten streak to nine games (6-0-3).  Since their 4-game losing streak that started on GD 45 with a 5-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers and ended with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on GD 52, the Flames have gone an impressive 8-1-3.

Today we're going to throw the lights on and examine the trends in the Northeast division. We'll see who's hot, who's not, and try to locate some hope for the Toronto faithful, if there is any. Sit back with us and take a minute as we make this dive past the Brass Bonanza juggernaut and take a look at the whole picture as it stands right now :

HARTFORD WHALERS (current run: 8-1-0) - GM Dustin Funk has his crew in top form, a surprise to absolutely no one. Keeping other teams at arm’s length is their specialty, and (perhaps appropriately) the only team able to harpoon them this week was the Milwaukee Admirals with a solid 4-2 victory. Alexei Zhamnov made himself a Russian nightmare in the first period as the Admirals staked themselves to a 3-1 lead and didn't look back. It was a rare sign to the rest of the league that the Whalers do have their mortal moments, but they demonstrate a remarkable ability to win even the close ones. Are they bound for the silver this year?

BOSTON BRUINS (current run: 6-2-1) - Steve Tindall's bunch is doing their best to pretend they have enough earplugs to silence all the tuba coming from about two hours westward, with emphatic victories over the Canadiens and Flyers this week. The oddball game in this stretch was actually a scoreless tie with the Red Wings, featuring backup Johan Holmqvist dueling with Mike Richter and serving notice that he belongs in the VHL. Incidentally, it was the league's second scoreless game of the season (PHI at MIN was the other). Making a mark is great, but making points will be most important to the Bruins going forward if they have any hope of staying in the division hunt. And, they can’t afford to look behind them, either...

OTTAWA SENATORS (current run: 8-2-0) - Champs are champs for a reason, and the Senators are charging through. Tied with the Rangers for league best winning streak, the Sens have taken full advantage of the soft spot in their schedule to catapult themselves back into the conversation. Notably, they had to survive a close one with the Habs despite blitzing them 40-17 in shots en route to a 2-1 victory. Looking ahead, they've got potential stumbling blocks against Boston and Buffalo, but they will be playing nine of the next ten at home. Don't sleep on these guys......

BUFFALO SABRES (current run: 5-4-0) - The definition of a middle of the pack team, the Sabres are in a tough spot right now. Though they're competitive more often than not, scoring tends to leave them completely at inopportune times. Every time they grab some momentum such as a 4-1 win over the Rangers, the script gets flipped in reverse the next game. They've been blown out recently by those same Rangers and the Wild, but they have solid victories to balance the equation and the ability to get points when they need them. Enough talent to make a surge and be a presence come playoff time, too.

MONTREAL CANADIENS (current run: 0-8-2) -- Yikes, it's getting ugly in Quebec.....GM Ryan Torrie has to be frustrated, and you have to wonder if coach Pat Quinn will survive this season. The Habs aren't deep, granted....but they have too much talent defensively to be THIS awful. It's a shame all around for a great market but the Habs fans are enduring one of the most painful seasons possible, and there’s a lot to do. To make matters worse, rookie Martin Erat has been hurt. It is a testament to his ability that Kirk Muller has had an amazing season, given these circumstances.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (current run 0-7-1) - If it's ugly in Montreal, it's still hideous in Toronto. GM Ian Constable's renovation project is in a word, painstaking. With half the lineup worthy of Newmarket, wins are next to impossible even when Kipper isn't exhausted. Hopefully the fanbase can give the front office the patience they deserve to clean up this mess and are able to cheer the future when it gets here. God save Iginla and company in the present though.

O Toronto. It was recently written by a fellow GM in the VHL that the Maple Leafs has been in a perpetual state of rebuild. I have been around for just over three years and the team was rebuilding then and it still is. It is no secret that GM Ian Constable had a tough road ahead of him when he was hired by the Leafs. In my opinion he is doing a simply splendid job doing it. He came to a team that had no playoff appearances in the previous five years and only been to the post season twice in the organization’s history. The team was putting together 60 to 70 point seasons for those five seasons thus leaving the team picking later in the first and missing the opportunity to draft true difference makers.  

I believe that the Toronto organization is just about to turn the corner, and by “just” I mean in the next couple seasons. I believe that you will start to see them climb in the standings over the next couple seasons and be battling for a playoff spot. That is with their current stable of talent. They have two aspects of the game locked up. Mikka in net solidifies the crease, and there are more than enough young defenders on the roster. Brendan Witt is already a stud on the blueline followed closely by Phillips, Rozsvial, Morris, Skoula, Vaananen. They already have a solid defensive core right now, and should only get better in the next couple years. The forwards are what are lagging behind, but are on the right track. They have established Whitney and Yashin that should be able to help the young guys come along. Iggy is improving every season and he is only going to get better as more talent is added to the team. Ribeiro, Connolly, Nagy, and Daze are all in Newmarket developing skills at an increase rate. Good job Ian in not calling guys up too quickly.  

As impressive as the current youngsters on the team are the players that have been drafted by the Leafs. In selling off some pieces Toronto fell a little in the standing and has been able to draft higher. I believe he got an absolute steal in Gaborik at 4 in the S10 draft. He might not have been the complete player that Hartnall was but can score, and that is what Toronto will need in the future. In the most recent draft they got to pick twice in the top 5. They got a future top pairing defender in Hamhuis, and very talented all-round Mikko Koivu. All three should come in and make an immediate impact. 

But wait there is more. The draft capital that the Leafs have is very impressive. As of right now the team is in the driver’s seat to land Rick Nash. He is easily the best player that is in the upcoming draft, and only true difference maker. He also has the Saskatoon 1st in this draft. As of right now it looks like it could be outside of the top 10 but the West is kinda a crap shoot at the moment. What is more impressive is the accumulation of 1sts in the S14 draft. The Toronto, Montreal and Chicago picks should all be in the top 10. S14 is an extremely deep draft and having three high 1sts should land him high end forward talent. The moves made to get the picks are equally impressive to the amount of picks. The Montreal one was acquired by trading a 2nd and Felix Potvin. The Chicago one was a big deal that cannot be judged quite yet but it was the 1st overall in S10 for the 6th overall that year and future 1sts in S12 and S14. So basically Hendrik Sedin for Damian Surma(traded for Chris Phillips), Mikko Koivu, and the 1st in S14. It was a move for the long term success and will in my opinion work out in Toronto’s favour.  
​
The Toronto organization has so much young talent and draft capital that it would be very shocking that this team is not an elite power in a couple years. I have to give Ian credit for his masterful way that he is bringing the rebuild to a close and being VHL Cup bound in 5 years.   ​

I’m a numbers guy, right?  That’s what I tell myself as I read literature regarding government policy and best practices before taking my own stab in the dark at running these great cities in our great countries.  Because I’m a numbers guy I won’t have any trouble drawing conclusions on the best bang for your buck top line combinations in the Pacific Division so far this season.  Now I can’t say how long this combo has played together but they have been on the roster together long enough to be judged so here are some numbers and facts. 

Calgary 
Position - Even Strength - Power Play - Salary 
LW - John Druce 3G / 7A, 1G / 5A 3,009,000 
C – Andrew Cassels 9G / 14A, 3G / 11A 2,581,000 
RW – David Bruce 4G / 3A 2,669,000 
Combined - 16G / 24A, 4G / 16A 8,259,000 
Percentage of offense / Playing Time: 21.8% / 30% 
Price Per Point: $137,650 

Notes – With the exception of Scott Gomez, Andrew Cassels is the best value centerman at just under $70,000 per point. Not surprisingly, his line mates didn’t fare so well with John Druce being the most expensive forward on the power play at over $500,000 per point and David Bruce is the worst top line player in the Pacific at $381,000 per point.  Not counting the rudderless Sharks, the Flames top line plays a division low 30 percent of the even strength minutes. 

Edmonton 
Position - Even Strength - Power Play - Salary 
LW - Dmitri Kvartalnov 9G / 9A, 7G / 7A 1,665,000 
C – Ron Francis 4G / 14A, 4G / 4A 9,519,000 
RW – Jeremy Roenick 10G / 14A, 5G / 15A 2,669,000 
Combined - 23G / 37 A, 16G / 26A 17,790,000 
Percentage of offense/ Playing Time: 26.8% / 31% 
Price Per Point: $174,412 

Notes – Surprise surprise, Ron Francis is over paid.  New Jersey learned that lesson the hard way and got pennies on the dollar to send him to Edmonton, even in commissioner land the veteran is currently the most expensive top line forward.  At $1,189,000 per point power play return and a combined value of $366,115.18 per point Ron plays more and does less than even the second most expensive forward Vincent Damphousse ($257,125 per point).  If it wasn’t for Dmitri Kvartalnov (best value LW at $52,000 per point) the unit would look even worse; guess I should have kept that contract.  

Los Angeles 
Position - Even - Strength Power - Play Salary 
LW - Shayne Corson 11G / 11A, 6G / 8A 6,415,000 
C – Scott Gomez 7G / 9A, 1G / 4A 550,000 
RW – Keith Tkachuk 8G / 6A, 3G / 2A 3,872,400 
Combined - 26G / 26A, 10G / 14A 10,837,400 
Percentage of offense/ Playing Time: 26.3% / 37% 
Price Per Point: $142,597 

Notes - Let’s not pick on the Flames for a minute; guess who doesn’t belong here and I’ll tell you why the Kings appear to need a rebuild (they’re not): Adam Oates, Eric Lindros, Vincent Damphousse, Ron Francis, Trevor Linden and Scott Gomez.  While the value of a rookie is outstanding at $26,190 per point the inability to help the other two players perform is glaring.  Tkachuk and Corson are among the most expensive PP forwards, 2nd and 5th priciest at $774,000 and $458,000 respectively and one wonders if they, and the team, could be much better with a stronger center. 

San Jose 
Position - Even Strength - Power Play - Salary 
LW - Michel Picard 8G / 7A, 2G / 6A 2,460,000 
C – Vincent Damphousse 8G / 12A, 6G / 6A 8,228,000 
RW – Claude Lemieux 8G / 6A, 4G / 11A 5,856,000 
Combined - 24G / 23A, 12G / 23A 16,544,000 
Percentage of offense/ Playing Time: 25.6% / 25% 
Price Per Point: $196,952 

Notes – One must wonder what an actual strategy or GM might have done with this squad in the first half of the season, but the new GM has the top line now at 41% (up from 25%).  The Sharks are the highest cost per point from their top three forwards but the ice time might account for why Damphousse and Lemieux are among the most expensive top line forwards and over $400,000 per even strength point.  Damphousse is still more than $100,000 cheaper than the awful price tag on Ron Francis but because this squad now has a leader, I won’t make any further judgements.  I will note however that this was the only top line in the Pacific to play the 0-0-5 strategy and it doesn’t appear to have had much success. 

Saskatoon 
Position - Even Strength - Power Play - Salary 
LW - Dean McAmmond 2G / 2A, 5G / 8A 2,327,000 
C – Eric Lindros 11G / 10A, 8G / 8A 6,986,000 
RW – Brendan Morrison 4G / 6A, 3G / 12A 1,973,000 
Combined - 17G / 18A, 18G / 28A 11,286,000 
Percentage of offense/ Playing Time: 24.7% / 35% 
Price Per Point: $142,861 

Notes – Dean McAmmond is terrible at even strength and GM Chris Beersie needs to find a better player and even Mike Craig would be an improvement.  Brendan Morrison is one of the great surprises and the 2nd best value RW at almost $79,000 per point, and in spite of Eric Lindros’ big contract the three players are among the best value lines in the VHL thanks to their great play.  As good as this line has been however, they only contribute 19.7% of the teams even strength offense (worst in the Pacific) and likely a big reason the team has seen a drop off in success in the standings. 

Vancouver 
Position - Even Strength - Power Play - Salary 
LW - Theoren Fleury 20G / 13A, 2G / 16A 7,615,000 
C – Trevor Linden 9G / 14A, 7G / 12A 8,606,000 
RW – David Vyborny 8G / 12A, 2G / 5A 1,710,000 
Combined - 37G / 39A, 11G / 33A 17,931,000 
Percentage of offense/ Playing Time: 32.3% / 36% 
Price Per Point: $149,425 

Notes – Well the most expensive line in the VHL is also the most productive, if the Canucks could get a goaltender (?!?) then they should be unstoppable.  David Vyborny is the best value RW (sorry Brendan) at $63,000 per point and while Trevor Linden is expensive (4th worst, $204,904 per point) the team goes however Fleury and Linden go; at least until Toskala is settled in again.  These 3 have a combined 120 points which is double that of Calgary’s top 3, and one of only 3 teams to have a top line over the century mark.   

Winnipeg 
Position - Even Strength - Power Play - Salary 
LW - Tony Amonte 19G / 17A, 4G / 8A 5,265,000 
C – Adam Oates 10G / 17A, 7G / 7A 5,962,000 
RW – Teemu Selanne 13G / 11A, 0G / 12A 4,397,000 
Combined - 32G / 45A, 11G / 27A 15,624,000 
Percentage of offense/ Playing Time: 28.8% / 35% 
Price Per Point: $135,861 

Notes – They may not like it but this looks at lot like the Canucks in terms of numbers and if they had a good goalie they would be unstoppable.  Move a top goalie here and they might even beat the Senators (going to have to leave the first round then I guess).  Not one of these three is in the top five for best or worst price points, just great performance by great players earning their keep.  It is strange to note Teemu has 0 power play goals but this is the best dollar for dollar three forward combination in the Pacific Division.   ​

Just to wrap this up there were a couple things of note: not one team plays physical on their top lines here (not really a surprise) and top defense pairings might have made an impact but I don’t feel enough to change the conclusions.   

Value 

1. Winnipeg  
2. Calgary 
3. Los Angeles 
4. Saskatoon 
5. Vancouver 
6. Edmonton 
7. San Jose 

Best Value Line ($3,925,000 Cap Hit), ($47,555 Per Point) 
LW Dmitri Kvartalnov 
C Scott Gomez 
RW David Vyborny 
​
Worse Value Line ($15,197,000 Cap Hit), ($311,821 Per Point) 
LW John Druce 
C Ron Francis 
RW David Bruce 

A large part of the attractiveness and the fun of sim hockey is getting to rewrite history. The ultimate end result of this power is uncertainty. If anything can happen, what will happen? I love speculating and came up with some “What Ifs?” for the ugly step child of the VHL, the Central Division. 

Detroit 
What if the Wings trade Lidstrom? 
Now in the reality of the NHL this would be almost unthinkable. Lidstrom, even more so than Zetterberg and Datsyuk, was the bedrock those competitive Detroit teams was built on. Which made him all but unmoveable. Things are a tad bit different in our little world. Lidstrom is in his final year of his contract. The Wings still have all their offers but we all know how finicky extensions are. Lidstrom is a good VHL defenseman but far from the generational defenseman he was in the NHL. These factors lead to a distinct possibility that he could be moved. Detroit could definitely get a good haul for his name alone. Then add the fact that he is having a very solid campaign so far. An offensive puck moving defenseman is a commodity in high demand these days. 

Kansas City 
What if the Scouts tanking had worked and they got the 1st overall pick? 
So the question immediately becomes would they take Kovalchuk or still draft Spezza at 1? They don’t have a greater need for a wing over center. Hell, they have a need everywhere. Given GM Matt George’s love for Commies and the fact that Kovalchuk was pretty much the consensus #1 prospect, odds are very good that the Scouts take Ilya. Now, does that mean that they are better off? When you look at their ratings, the two players are almost identical except in scoring where Kovalchuk has a distinct advantage. So you would think the obvious answer is yes. However, when you look at their stats from this year, Spezza is averaging over 2pts a game with 33pts. Kovalchuk is comparatively scuffling along with only 20. Now that could change very quickly as the Russian has explosive scoring potential. Honestly I would be happy with either of these prospects and I think KC is too. 

Milwaukee 
What if the Admirals had kept Prospal? 
Now this one really affects two teams. Prospal is the franchise cornerstone for the Blues now. Without Vinny, the Blues would still be working on their rebuilding instead of adding to their foundation and competing at their current level. Milwaukee would have had Prospal for their improbable playoff run. Would that mean making it to another round? I’m not certain. What I do know is one of the two 1sts they got is KC’s in the ridiculous 2003 draft. That pick could easily become Weber, Staal, or Getzlaf. The rest of the Blues package was shipped to LA for Brindamour and Smith. So it becomes Prospal and the chance that you could have had a better run in the playoffs or Brindy, Smith and the KC pick. To me Prospal is a little more desirable because of his youth but it is basically a wash talent/production wise with Brindamour. Smith is a good rated D man but his DI and PIMs are killers (especially in the playoffs) and he gets hurt too often for his pay level. That makes it come down to a better shot at winning versus a highly talented prospect for the future. I know where I stand, winning is why we play the game. If I can win now, I’ll worry about the future in the future. I’m sure Jeff is looking forward to the future when he gets one of the best prospects in the game while being a Central Division contender now. 

St. Louis 
What if Roy stayed in Boston? 
Again this one has a cascading effect on another team. I was extremely curious to see what I would get from a full season of St. Patrick in Boston. If I had foreseen this type of performance, I may have tried to just work the roster around him. So the Blues wouldn’t have the Vezina calibre Roy they are currently enjoying. They would have a good secondary scoring option in Friesen though. If they played him with Prospal, he could be having a career year. Vokoun doesn’t have bad numbers by any means. If he was full time again, would he be almost as good as Roy? The stats seem to say that is a distinct possibility. Except for the wins, they tell a different story. With the Sim having Roy playing like Roy (finally!) the Blues have only lost 7 of the 29 games Roy has started. Vokoun on the other hand has only won 2 of his 7 starts. The counter to that is would the additional offense of Friesen be enough to change some of those losses/ties to wins? Which of course is countered by what if he didn’t provide any offense? And down the rabbit hole we go. In my opinion, without Roy, I think the Blues would be where they were before, in the 2-4 spot in the division and competing for the last playoff spot. Instead they are comfortably in first and look to have home ice advantage. 

Minnesota 
What if the Wild say screw it and start the rebuild? 
Minny went through an awful season last year. Used to competing for top spot in the division, the Wild were unexpected cellar dwellers. Things have been better this year but still not where expectations are. If the playoffs started now, they would be an 8 seed and have a date with the Oilers. Not an enviable situation. So an alternative is to turn around an aging roster and start building again. Modano could net an unbelievable package. A top player with a decent salary with a lot of years left to play? Start the bidding, do I hear 2 firsts and a prospect? The two Ulfs would bring back good assets and even some numpty (just for you Jeff) would give something for Wendy. That still leaves a good young core. The only thing standing in the way is I think Charlie thinks like I do. If I can win now, I’m going to try and win now. ​

Chicago 
What if the Hawks had kept Jumbo Joe? 
Dan, close your eyes and repeat after me “this is all just pretend. Joe is still mine”. The Blackhawks had selected Thornton with the first overall pick the previous draft but we all know how Mr. Kirby loves to draft 1st if given the chance. Ottawa came calling with that chance. They offered the BOS pick (which had somehow won the lottery) that they received for Dale Hawerchuk, an additional 1st and a 2nd for Joe and the 16th overall in the season 8 draft (which became Brad Stuart). The consensus top prospect was Vinny Lecavalier and he did not look to be that much of a downgrade from Thornton. Well unfortunately appearances can be deceiving. Thornton has already turned into a top player. Vinny has yet to live up to his considerable potential. The other pick became Niklas Kronwall who was used in a package to get Stephane Richer. Now there is a very good chance Lecavalier eventually reaches Thornton’s level but I’ll take the proven over the potential any day. Can you imagine Thornton, Richards, Luongo, AND the Sedins? Yikes…. 

​














​The last few seasons has seen the level of competition rise significantly in the
Pacific Division. This season has been no different. Realistically, any of
Edmonton, San Jose, and Winnipeg could win the division and the almost
automatic #1 seed (the Central still sucks, sorry). If you want to stretch it,
Saskatoon could catch fire and take top spot (I for one am cheering for this).
I did a little research because I was curious if anything important occurred in
May in the real War in the Pacific. Turns out two major events occurred at this
time of year in WWII. Japan pulled off a very important invasion to further their
ambitions of a Far Eastern Empire. They defeated the Allies in Corregidor,
effectively eliminating the American presence in the Philippines. This defeat
prompted the infamous quote from General Douglas MacArthur “I shall return!”

The other major event was one of the biggest what ifs of WWII. The Japanese
were defeated at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Had they been victorious, Australia
would have been left wide open and who knows what would have happened then.
So back to the VHL version. San Jose is like the Americans, dominant power of
the area. The Oilers are like the Japs, a growing power that wants to take over. The
Jets are like the British, historically a power but not quite able to seize the throne.
None of the three have been able to pull away and may not be able too.

Edmonton
Absolute road warriors. In last three, beat Chicago and Saskatoon. Lost to Sharks.
Big game against the Jets on the horizon.
San Jose
The Sharks like their home cooking. Good balanced scoring so far. In last three,
they beat the Oilers and Scouts but lost to the Devils in what had to be a look
ahead game. Flames, Canucks, and Caps coming up in what should be a 3-0 run.

Winnipeg
The Jets are an anomaly in the VHL, with a significantly better record on the road
as opposed to home. Rookie Craig Anderson has looked anything like a rookie and
the Jets vets are performing well. In their last three, they beat the Leafs (who
doesn’t?) and Lightning but took it on the chin from Pittsburgh. They’ve got the
Oilers, Canucks, and Blackhawks coming up.

Saskatoon
The Wolves aren’t quite enjoying the breakout season they had last year but after a
slow start, they are making up ground. Their last three saw them tie with both
Minnesota and New Jersey and lose to the Oilers. Upcoming games against KC,
Buffalo, and Hartford.

Calgary
The Flames aren’t in last? Holy shit. Who knew that Andrew Cassels was the
difference? Last three games saw a loss to the Wolves but wins against Chicago
and Toronto. Next three are against SJ, Detroit, and Minnesota.

Vancouver
Guess who joined Boston and Ottawa in believing in Stanley Cup Hangovers? The
offense is still there but the goals against is not good at all. Toskala looks like the
polar opposite of the guy who got them to Game 7 of the Final. Last three were
losses to the Rangers and Bruins and a win over the Scouts (thank goodness for
KC). Next three are against Detroit, San Jose and the rival Jets (yikes).

LA
What is going on in LA LA? The Kings have started slow before but I can’t
remember them in the basement before. GM Shirley is looking for a change and is
actively shopping some of his key players. Last three were wins against NJ and
Minnesota and a loss to St. Louis. Next three are against Montreal, the shitty
Senators, and KC.

Chicago – one win and five losses during their most recent home stand was not
the kind of turn around Chicago had in mind to showcase for fans, but it has hurt a
strong start by the windy city. What is looking really good are the youngsters that
matured IN the juniors. The Sedin’s and Scott Hannan are combining for 21 goals
and 39 assists which does bode well for the future beyond this season.
Detroit – four wins and four losses has the Wings playing even over the last week
but still holding their grip on one of the final playoff spots. With a couple of the
premier players in the league on one team carrying the load (Weight (lol) and
Lidstrom) new GM Forget should be looking to add some complimentary players
from the large number of draft capital the franchise has accumulated.

Kansas City – Looking to occupy the basement of the Western Conference no
further the Scouts have begun to unload some futures looking for talent now. A
blockbuster trade to bring in proven scorer and league leader Tomas Sandstrom
sent notice to the Central Division about the seriousness to contend now and in the
future. Rumors are swirling that GM George continues to hammer on the trade
phones to bring in even more scoring talent in the days to come.

Milwaukee – Three wins, a tie and a loss in the last 5 have the Admirals jumping
right into the heart of the playoff mix; even against tougher opponents. With Jason
Smith returning to action shortly, the Admirals can expect to parlay this good
week into some strong momentum going forward. Robb Zepp looks very good in
Toledo and should be pushing the new comer, Manny Fernandez in the coming
season after winning almost 70 percent of his starts in the AHL.

Minnesota – A very big surprise so far this season after a disappointing end to
their 2000 campaign ended without a conference finals appearance against the
Sharks. Being in the mix again after the one year hiatus with Modano and Carey
truly carrying the team. One constant in the Central Division is top players taking
teams on their backs rather than working by committee like their Pacific Division
counterparts. Also keep an eye on rookie David Legwand and the Calder
conversation (6 goals, 12 assists).

St. Louis – If you said you saw Patrick Roy turning this whole team around then I
call bullshit. One of the best moves of the offseason was to give the team
someone that could hold opponents to under 3 goals a game while Vinny Prospal
dominates up front. The Blues have come down from their other-worldly start to
the season but are still one of the tops in the league and current favourites to win
the Western Conference.

We are going to take a look around the Eastern Conference and see where contract
negotiations are for some of the big names in the Conference. We will contact all
our sources in team offices all across the East to see who is staying, who is going,
and who will test the free agency market. Big names demand big money and it will
be interesting to see who ends up where when all is said and done.

Jeff Friesen- Jeff will need to be resigned for the future of the Bruins, sources say
that negotiations haven’t started. He will probably see a deserved raise, and the
Bruins must approach carefully due to the fact Jeff has already went before the
Arbitration Board.

Brian Leetch and Mark Reechi- Both are mainstays on a talented Sabres team.
They will more than likely see raises when negotiations start. If they fail to come
to agreements the Sabres might move them because of a bevy of young talent in
the organization.

Jyrki Lumme and Geoff Sanderson- One can hope that the Whalers won’t lose
another high-end player to free agency, but both have turned down initial offers.
Lumme has been offered around the league already as a precautionary measure.

Patrick Lalime- Marty Turco has struggled since winning the Vezina so the
Rangers went out and got Patrick. He is outplaying Turco in equal opportunities.
Lalime has turned down the Rangers first offer, but hopefully luck favours the
Rangers add they can have continued stability in net.

Jumbo Joe Thornton- Joe got paid by the arbitrator big time. He is looking to
lock up big money long term from the Senators or someone else who is willing to
pay the price. His agent has had him turn down a couple offers already and could
hit the trade or free agency market before all is said and done. If so there would be
a big whole at the top of the Sens depth chart.

Jaromir Jagr and Peter Forsberg- The Swede and the Czech are at the centre of
the Flyers offense. They have a powerful team with them, but after a couple
rejected offers a piece the team might be looking for an identity change. They will
both command a pretty penny from any team that would like their services.

Miroslav Satan- Mr. Satan is a hell of a young hockey player. He is playing
extremely well in a good forward group. The Penguins have yet to extend a offer
to the youngster and will be very happy to have his services. All 25 other teams
would be glad if he didn’t.

Manny Legace- Manny has decided that four more years in the nation’s capital is
a good idea. That or the raise he got. This will provide the Senators with stability
in net for the foreseeable future.

Keith Primeau- Keith was the centerpiece of the Mario Lemieux trade from the
Canadiens perspective. He just re-upped for another four years in Montreal,
providing them with a big name, and big contract down the middle for years to
come.

Hope you enjoyed the look into the future free agents or trade bait of the Eastern
Conference, tune in next week for another topic based on the Least Coast.