First two rounds of the draft

howeleague Draft

VEGAS STRENGTHENS THEIR BLUELINE

CALE MAKAR GOES #1 IN 2020

 
01 VGK – Cale Makar
02 MNW- Dominik Kubalik
03 BOS – Quinn Hughes
04 MON – Igor Shesterkin
05 LAK – Jack Hughes
06 SJS – K Kakko
07 TOR – Kirby Dach
08 WPG- Kailer Yamamoto
09 VAN – Martin Necas
10 NJD – Adam Fox
11 TOR – Nick Suzuki
12 STL – Cody Glass
13 DAL – Filip Zadina
14 LAK – Ilya Samsonov
15 COL -Denis Gurosnov
16 NYI – Victor Olofsson
Round 2

17- VGK-  Elvis Merzlikins

18- BOS- Joel Farabee

19 MIN- Ilya Mikheyev

20 MON-Kappo Kahkonen

21 LA- Adam Boqvist

22 SJ- Noah Dobson

23 COL-Barrett Hayton

24 WIN- Max Comtois

25 VAN- Alexandre Texier

26 TOR- Rasmus Sandin

27 TOR- Erik Brannstrom

28 STL-  Sam Steel

29 DAL- Pavel Francouz

30 TB- Chris Driedger

31 TOR- Morgan Frost

32 TOR- Jordan Kyrou

 

Kesler retires

howeleague News/Dates

DALLAS– Ryan Kesler announced his retirement today & GM Steve Yzerman thanked the pest for his service! He sure could get under people’s skin said Steve! We are also not giving a contract to long time Goalie Cory Schneider who has really been useless these last few years said Steve! He did have some pretty good seasons but of late he has stunk! Both Cory & Ryan will be on our cut list being sent today to the League Office., along with three defenseman who never panned out.. Paul LaDue, Steve Santini, & Nick Seeler. Yzerman wished them well & wished he’d never picked them!

Swammi predictions for the Covid Year 2020

howeleague News/Dates, Rumours

SWAMI’s CRYSTAL BALL 2020-21

First off, Swami congratulates Tim Matte on Winning the “Swain Cup”, think that deal with Los Angeles getting the veteran Defenseman (Big Buff,Weber,Ceci & Dumolin)was key!  Swami did say that deal could lead to playoffs for Bolts, but again the Crystal Ball was a bit cloudy!  Swami had San Jose & Vegas in, both were no-shows!  We got New Jersey right, the Devils ended an 11-year drought of not making the Playoff’s & then preceded to knock off my Stars enroute to Finals!  Swami had a Big Miss on the Islanders, saying they would not make post-season, they Won the Regular Season Title by a Point over the Avs…both teams (Nyi & Col)went down in 1st round of playoffs! Last year the gap between 8th & 9th was 15 pts, the gap has closed & the “Crystal Ball” might have to go back to the Pawn Shop with these predictions, here we go from the bottom up!

VEGAS-  The “Golden Knights” not so Golden scoring just 222 Goals, the lowest in the League, as the Offense dried up in the desert!  The “I dont wanna be on the ice Award” or just simply the worst plus/minus in the League goes to Seth Jones who was -31 on the year!  19-20 Rookie Draft-  5th overall- Miro Heiskanen 2nd round- B Howden 3rd- H Jokiharju 4th- W Foegele 5th-A Fortin  Grade- B    Camp Lines- 7(18 Goal or better)Scorers & one Defenseman with 9 or more.   The Top Line saw Z. Parise(25G)-M Barzal(19G)- E Lindholm(29G) together!  On the 2nd line today was J. Guentzel(20G)- B Horvat(22G)- J Silfverberg(21G)  3rd line had A Iafallo, J Eriksson-Ek & I Kovalchuk  4th line saw veterans James Neal(19G) & J. Skinner with Center C Soderberg!  Defense-  V Hedman(11G) & D Doughty were the Top Pairing in camp today, M Heiskanen & S Jones was pair 2!  R Hagg skated with A Ekblad on pair 3 while A Goligoski who usually plays on the left-side says I wanna play on the right side!  Goaltending- Is Matt Murray(.899 saves%)the backup this year? C Crawford will start just over half the games, then what? With 4 solid RDs, will one be traded? Oh Great, they(Golden Knights)have the #1 Rookie Pick & the consensus number one is a RD! Will they trade down, team looks to be competitive if another Quality Goalie is signed!  Will the 30-year old Czech Pavel Francouz,who’s a Rookie in the GHC, fall to Vegas in the 2nd round?  Swami says Goalie=Playoffs No Goalie- stuck in the mud!

BOSTON–  Only one team(Los Angeles)gave up more Goals (297)than the B’s!  How does a team with C McDavid & Leon Draisaitl, who by the way, led the League in Goals(53)finish in 15th place?  Gotta be that Goals-Against eh!  19-20 Rookie Draft- 15th Overall- M Blackwood 2nd round- D Kahun 4th round- C Delia 5th-J F Karlsson  Grade- B  Youngster Blackwood will get half the starts in nets!  Camp Lines- 6(18 Goal)Scorers & 2 D-man with (9 or more)Goals!  J Benn(19G)-C McDavid(34G)-L Draisaitl(43G) skated this afternoon as the Top Line!  Line 2 saw O Palat- E Malkin(25G)- T Toffoli(24G) together! the 3rd line had M Zuccarello-V Hinostroza-D Kahun while the 4th line was looking for a LW to play with C Stephenson & J Archibald.   Defense- Z Werenski(20G) & D Hamilton(14G) got Top Pairing today!  J Slavin was paired with K Shattenkirk on line 2, while T Chabot & T Stecher went out as pair 3!   Goaltending- Solid in nets with J. Markstrom & M Blackwood!  Picking 3rd in Rookie Draft, B’s could use a LW & either D Kubalik or V Olofsson could step right in to starting line-up!  It’s gonna be a dogfight for the playoffs, not betting against McDavid & Draisaitl, they cant miss again can they?

MINNESOTA– Breaking News….Wild acquire Playoff MVP Robin Lehner from Cup Champs, while A Killorn is sent to Tampa in that trade!  19-20 Rookie Draft- No 1st or 2nd rounder 3rd- A Wagner 4th – L Pilut 5th- P Cehlarik & T Moore & R Graves  Grade- C- R Graves saved that grade!   Camp Lines- 8(18Goal)Scorers & Graves with 9 Goals on D! Mark Stone(21G), who had the 3rd most(47G)in the League last year was on the Top Line with N MacKinnon(35G)at Center & A DuClair(23G) on Left Wing!  Line 2 had J Zucker(20G), B Nelson(26G) & B Rust(27G) together!  The 3rd line featured B. Coleman(21G), S Monahan(22G) & C Brown.  The checking line had T. Moore,D Brassard & Y Gourde.  Defense-  Veteran R Suter & T Barrie were the Top Pairing!  Pair 2 had H Lindholm & S. Vatanen together although this pair will have to miss some games!  R Graves(9G) & A Martinez had pair 3 duties. W Butcher & J Boycuk will see some action! Goaltending-  Robin Lehner takes over the #1 spot while J Saros will get the rest of the starts, a possible 50/50 spilt in games!  Carter Hutton will backup the two starters while Jimmy Howard is just looking for a contract!  With the 2nd Overall Rookie Pick, RD & LW are in demand on the Wild, do they trade a future pick to move up & grab Makar(RD)or grab scoring help in Kubalik,Olofsson or Gurianov?  Better than average Goaltending could lead team to post-season, but a lack of Defense(all 2s)on RD & a thin bench up front could hold them back!  Swami says the Wild will be in it to the end, but just fall short!

MONTREAL–  What!  No Hockey in the United Center this season as the Hawks have pulled up stakes & moved to Montreal!  Chicago, an original franchise(bless you Dave Turoci) has left the GHC!  19-20 Rookie Draft- 1st Overall- E Pettersson 2nd round- F Hronek 3rd- D Toews, S Walker 4th- S Niku 5th- M Luff  Grade-  A-   Camp Lines- 6(18 G)scorers & 2 Def with 9Goals or more!   M Pacioretty(32G)-E Pettersson(27G) & T J Oshie(26G) was the Top Line in camp tonight!  Line 2 had J Tavares(26G)-P L Dubois(18G) & P Buchnevich skating together! The 3rd line saw J Debrusk(19G), P Danault & G Nyqvist while the 4th had J Carter,J McCann & A Radulov mucking it up! Defense-  M Giordano & J Petry(11G) made up the Top Pairing, Pair 2 saw D Toews  & A Stralman together, while S Walker & F Hronek got pair 3 sweaters! Z Chara( I can still play) will see some action!   Goaltending- A Raanta is the Man in Montreal but only for about half the year!  a Fight for #2 is between Dave “Big Save” Rittich & B. Holtby.  For the 1st time in three years this team has a forward with a 4 d or better(Danault-a 5),sure helps the team D!  Dont know if the Goaltending(after Raanta)can hold up all season to the playoffs, too many teams have better(in the nets) so again Swami says Goaltending help is needed to make the Show, without it, a no-go!  With the 4th Overall Rookie Pick…does Jack sign in Montreal?

LOS ANGELES-  269 Goals for(5th best in league)301 Goals against(worst in league)not the best formula in a 12th place finish!  Kings made two Major trades to shake things up…sent veteran d-men to Tampa(Bolts put their names on cup) & at the 60 game mark,another deal with the Champs sending crowd favorite Alex Ovechkin & M Zibanejad to Tampa for youngsters Laine,Dvorak, & Hischier & a 1st round Rookie! Both Alex & Mika got their names on cup too & Ovie said ” Next year I will fill their(LA)net! 19-20 Rookie Draft- 9th Overall- J Kotkaniemi 3rd round- C Garland 4th- A Mangiapane Grade- B  Camp Lines 9(18Goal)Scorers  K Fiala(23G) joins mainstays J Toews(18G) & P. Kane(33G) on the Top Line!  B Saad(21G),S Couturier(22G) & P Laine(28G) make up the 2nd line!  A Lehkonen, N Hischier & C. Garland(22G) was line 3 today!  Line 4 had some pop with A Mangiapane,C Dvorak(18G) & C Smith(18G).  A Tuch,A Anisimov & B Tanev were looking for jobs!  Defense- M Ekholm & D Savard were Top Pair today, while D Keith skated with youngster B Montour on Pair 2!  S Girard & T Hamonic made up Pair 3 as youngster M Pettersson was asking for a trade(spare LD)  Goaltending- Oh Boy , this is where it gets ugly.. The “Flower” has wilted as M. A. Fleury is no longer the dominant Goalie he once was!  R. Miller looked to be best in camp but he dont play much & M. Jones should be in the press box!  Swami you’re cruel!  Elvis(Merzlikens) would surely help this team but alot of teams need Goalies & he might be gone soon. Another weak spot is RD(all the vets were traded) so who do they add in the Rookie Draft?  Swami sees another long season in LA, unless a Goalie pops outta nowhere!

SAN JOSE-  Swami had the Sharks making the playoffs last year but a dismal Power-Play(21.9%) shot them down! Only two teams had a lower %(Win & Vgk). Although missing the show, C Hellebuyck led the League in Wins with 32!  He looks to surpass that win total this year!  19-20 Rookie Draft- 16th Overall- F Chytil 3rd round- R Balcers,M Lajoie  No more picks Grade C-  Camp Lines- 9(18Goal or better)Scorers J Schwartz(22G) A Barkov(20G) & N Kucherov(33G) make up the Top Line in camp! Line 2 had J Vrana(25G), T Seguin & M Rantanen(19G).  G Landeskog(21G), L Couture & O Bjorkstrand(21G) had line 3 jerseys today!  A Henrique(26G),N Kadri(19G) & T Teravainen worked as line 4!  J T Compher can fill in at LW/C & P Kessel at RW for GP, as Landeskog,Couture,Kadri,Rantanen & Bjorkstrand all have games to miss! Defense – J Morrissey was paired with J Braun on the Top Pair tonight! Pair 2 had O Klefbom & R. Ristolainen skating together!  Pair 3 saw veterans K Yandle & P K Subban out there! Goaltending-  C Hellebuyck, who came over in a trade last season from St Louis inherits the #1 Job, backed by C Talbot.  L. Ullmark could be trade bait & looked good in camp! Some key Players have to sit games but Swami likes the Sharks to return to the Playoffs !

PHILADELPHIA–  Dave Landsman has resigned as coach but left the team in good shape! Despite a 21-16-3 Road record, the Flyers won a league-low 13 games at the Wells Fargo Center!  19-20 Rookie Draft- 4th Overall- Carter Hart 2nd round-  M Joseph 3rd-D Dube 4th- M Appleton 5th- R Simek  Grade- B+   Camp Lines- 6(18 Goal)Scorers & 3 Defenseman with 9 or more!  T Hall,D Larkin(19G) & D Pastranak(48G) skated as the Top Line!  J Marchessault(22G),J. G. Pageau(26G) & T Konecny(24G) was line 2!  Line 3 had L. Eller, A Kerfoot & B Connolly(19G) together! The checking unit was R Dzingel, R Faska & M Frolik  Defense- T Krug(9G) & R Ellis was the Top Pairing!  Pair 2 had I Provorov(13G) & E Johnson together!  M Sergachev(10G) & R Gudas was the 3rd pairing! Goaltending- C Hart & P Grubauer will split the starts while P Mrazek will be the backup! Hopefully the Flyers name a new coach before the draft, could use more help up front,top two lines are fine but then it gets thin!  Better than most Goaltending & one of the Top Snipers(Pasty)in the League could lead to a Playoff spot, but Swami says the team has to settle in with a new coach & might just be a year away from the show! BREAKING NEWS…. Flyers name Todd Martin as new Head Coach..Welcome to the GHC

WINNIPEG– Ryan O’Reilly(488)led League in Face-offs won, 62 more than J Tavares who was 2nd! 19-20 Rookie Draft- 2nd Overall- R Dahlen 2nd round- A Johnsson 3rd- C Grundstrom,M Dal Colle 4th- M Koskinen,T Bluegar 5th-C Dahlstrom Grade- B  Camp Lines- 4(18 Goal or better)Scorers & 2 Defenseman with 9 or more!  A Panarin(32G), R O’Reilly & J Eberle was the Top Line today!  Line 2 had C Kreider(24G),R Strome(18G) & K Kapanen doing reps!  A Beauvillier(18G), R Johansen & A Chiasson was the 3rd line! J Vesey, T Bluegar & J Roslovic was Line 4 !  Defense- R Dahlin was paired with J Carlson(15G) as the Top Pair!  Pair 2 had J Chychrun(12G) & S Mayfield together.  A Greene & M Dumba went out as Pair 3!  Goaltending-  A 4th round Rookie Pick M Koskinen wins the #1 job this season for half the games!  Will J Gibson get the other half or will the Jets find another Goalie to help Koskinen?  Picking 8th in the Rookie Draft the Jets could use a Right-Wing, how bout N Suzuki or is K Kakko still there?  A lack of Firepower(Goals)at Center & Right-Wing will keep Jets grounded for another year says Swami, but you never know till you play the games!

VANCOUVER–  Upset the 1st place Islanders in the Playoffs to highlite their season! A Roussel(102)led league in PIM, while J Gaudreau topped League in GW Goals with 13.  19-20 Rookie Draft- 13th Overall R Hintz  2nd round- J Greenway 4th- S Blais,S Montebault  Grade- B   Camp Lines- 3(18G or better)Scorers & One D with 9 or more! J Gaudreau(18G), B Jenner & B Boeser skated as the Top Unit in camp! The Line 2 sweaters saw C Jarnkrok, R Hintz(19G) & K Labanc together!  J Greenway,T Johnson & D Krejci went out as Line 3.  A checking line had M Wood, T Zajac & J Virtanen(18G) chasing the puck!  Defense- R Josi(16G) & B Carlo was the Top Pairing!  Pair 2 had M E Vlasic & C Murphy while N Leddy & N Zaitsev had Line 3 duties!  Veterans C Tanev & S Gostisbehere were looking for ice-time!  Goaltending- Could be the Best Tandem in the League with T Rask & B Bishop & they will be key if the “Nucks” can scramble for a Playoff spot with a very challenged Offense!   Defense wins games along with superior netminding,but can they score enough? Lots of Questions but Swami has an answer…They sneak in or they deal Rask at the 60-game mark!

NEW JERSEY–  Swami said the Devils would end their Playoff drought of 11 years, but we didnt see them knocking off my Stars enroute to the Finals!  Coach Hotchkiss said “We’re just happy to be here(Cup Finals)”  19-20 Rookie Draft- 2nd round- M Rasmussen 3rd- D Sprong, O Kylington 4th- J Larsson 5th- J Anderson  Grade- C  Camp Lines- 6(18Goal or better)Scorers    J Huberdeau(23G), J Eichel(36G) & C Keller was the Top Line tonight!  Line 2 saw T Tatar(22G), B Schenn(25G) & T Hertl together!  T Pearson(21G), M Duchesne & F Vatrano skated as Line 3.  V Namestnikov, N Bonino & N Niedereiter was Line 4!  Longtime Devil D Stepan will also see action!  Defense- N Hanifin & J Klingberg was the Top Pair! D Orlov & T Myers were designated as Pair 2. B Hutton & J Demers joined up as Pair 3!  Goaltending- S Varlamov & T Greiss will split the duties.   Can the Devils keep the Mojo going? A couple defeneman (Orlov,Myers) took steps back(defense dropping to 2) Hertl will be a part-timer & Duchene(13G) passed too much!  Can “Jack” carry this club to the Playoffs? Make it two years in a row says Swami!

TORONTO- Veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh (121)led League in take-aways & after receiving his award learned that GM Keith Larkin had put him & many others on the block(Trade)! Larkin said ” A fresh look is needed as we keep finishing in the 5-8 range” 19-20 Rookie Draft- 10th Overall- C Mittlestadt 2nd round- R Andersson 3rd- P Myers 5th- D Sikura  Grade- B-  Camp Lines- 5(18G)Scorers & one D with 9 or more!  E Kane(26G), S Crosby & R Smith(27G) was the Top Line in camp now. Forming Line 2 was C. Giroux(21G), M Backlund & B Gallagher(22G).  J Van Riemsdyk(19G),R Donato & P Hornqvist saw Line 3 reps.  A 4th line was thrown together with A Copp, M Koivu & D Simon.  Defense-  With a shortage of LDs in camp, K Letang will move over at LD & skate with B Pesce on RD on the Top Pairing!  R McDonagh & N Schmidt was Pair 2.  P Nemeth & P Myers saw action as Pair 3.  Goaltending-  The backbone & strength of the squad as the Leafs have 3 excellent Goalies in D Kuemper, J Allen & F Andersen !  They also have B Elliott who can dress as backup all day!  It’s hard not to project this team in the Playoffs again,but a shakeup could result in a miss!  Lot of trade rumbling going on in Toronto & Swami see’s a bunch of vets being moved, with that uncertainty, Leafs miss the post-season!

ST LOUIS-  Vladimir Tarasenko, who came over in that trade that sent Connor Hellebuyck to the Sharks, led the Blues with 33 Goals, but also had the worst plus/minus (-16)on the team last season!  He is scheduled for Major Surgery & wont play much this year! 19-20 Rookie Draft- 14th Overall- H Borgstrom  2nd round- D Cholowski, L Andersson 4th- B Lemieux 5th- D Hunt   Grade- C   Camp Lines- 6(18Goal)Scorers & 4 Def with 9 or more. K Connor(38G), M Scheifele(29G) & N Foligno skated as the Top Line!  F Forsberg(21G), E Kuznetsov(19G) & M Tkachuk(23G) was Line 2.  A Kempe, C Coyle & J Armia showcased as Line 3!  Veteran E Stall(19G) centered  J Bratt & M Granlund on the 4th line.  Defense- O E- Larsson(9G) & A Pietrangelo(16G) was the Top Pair on D!  Veteran M Stall & B Burns(12G) was pair 2 today!  J Gardiner & N Zadorov were vying for that 3rd LD job with S Theodore(13G) on the right-side.  J Faulk could be trade bait(LA) as he watched from the bench.  Goaltending- A Vasilevskiy will get the bulk of the starts while C Price will start around 20 times!  St Louis could be in the market for a #2 LD(I Cole of Bos or Veteran D Keith of LA could be available)  Blues have to wait on last years Rookie crop to develop, but are counting on their 2nd rounder from 2017, Kyle Connor, to have a big year!  Couple holes to fill(better LD, backup Goalie) & the Blues advance to the Playoffs again!

DALLAS-  The Stars Led the League in Goals(299)& had their eyes on the League Crown till they went 3-7 at home in the stretch & fell from 1st to 4th!  Brad Marchand led the GHC in Assists(73) & Points(113) & was the first Star to lead League in Points since GM Steve Yzerman many moons ago!  19-20 Rookie Draft- 12th Overall- C White 2nd round- T Terry 4th- J Hawryluk 5th- B Seney(cut) Grade- C-  Camp Lines- 7(18Goal)Scorers & one D with 9 or more!  B Marchand(28G), B Point(25G) & T Meier(22G) got Top Line duty this afternoon!  M Hoffman(29G), N Backstrom & T. Wilson(21G) was Line 2.  JT Miller(27G),J Stall & V Arvidsson was the 3rd line.  T. Bertuzzi(21G), C White & J Bailey had 4th line jerseys on. C. Atkinson also did reps with the 3rd line giving Arvy a breather!  Defense- J Muzzin & C Parayko(10G) was the Top Pair!  E Karlsson & T J Brodie was Pair 2.  E Gustafsson & J Manson were the 3rd pairing!  Goaltending-  J Halak retains the #1 spot while J Reimer will also play!  Still short on GP means (Bob)Bobrovsky(.900 %) will also get some games unless Dallas goes after a Rookie Netminder!  The wish list is no secret here, only 2 L Passers on Defense(both named Erik)& an overpaid 3rd Goaltender(Bob)who has to start!  Swami says “Do they patch it up for playoffs or take their lumps with Bob?

TAMPA BAY-  Robin Lehner (2.41 )led the League in Goals-Against Average & tied with the Islanders A Khudobin(.929)for the Saves% lead, was also Playoff MVP, but before the season could start, He was traded to the Wild for A. Killorn! Swami says ” I think the Bolts wanna repeat” 19-20 Rookie Draft- 3rd Overall- J Binnington 7th Overall- A Cirelli 2nd round- E Cernak 3rd- C Petersen   4th- A Hill 5th- C Clifton  Grade- A  Camp Lines- 8(18Goal)Scorers & one D with 9 or more.  A Ovechkin(48G), M Zibanejad(41G) & M Marner were the Top Line in camp.  Line 2 had A Killorn(26G), S Aho(38G) & W Nylander(31G) together. Z Hyman(21G), A Kopitar(21G) & E Dadonov(25G) skating on the 3rd line!  P Zacha, A Cirelli & D Brown made up the checking line!  C Tierney & veteran P Stastny were looking for a trade & management is trying to abide!  Defense- D Nurse & S Weber(15G) was the Top Pair!  E Lindell & N Pionk came out as Pair 2. M Rielly & D Severson skated today as Pair 3.  Goaltending-  J Binnington & T Jarry will handle the nets with C Petersen & A Hill maybe getting a spot start!  Tampa(100 pts)was one of 3 teams(Colorado,New York) to reach the century mark last season, looks like they will do it again, Swami picks them to Win Regular Season Crown!

COLORADO-  Swami projected the Avs to win the Regular Season Title, they missed by a point with 105!  Ryan Pulock led the League in Intimadations with 95! GM Kevin Anton was happy with the regular season, but pouting over a 1st round exit in the playoffs to New Jersey!  19-20 Rookie Draft- 8th Overall- A Svechnikov 11th Overall- R Thomas 2nd round- J Valimaki,A Nylander 3rd- P Copley  4th-A Gaudette 5th- A Suomela Camp Lines- 9(18Goal)Scorers & 4 Defense with 9 or more Goals!  N Ehlers(25G), A Matthews(47G) & K Palmieri(25G) was the Top Line in camp this afternoon! A DeBrincat(18G),S Stamkos(29G) & A Svechnikov(24G) skated as Line 2!  A Lee(20G),R Nugent-Hopkins(22G) & S Reinhart(22G) was Line 3.  R. Rakell, R Getzlaf & L Kunin was the checking line for now! J Pavelski, M Domi,R Thomas,V Trocheck,J Donskoi & A Gaudette were looking for ice-time & maybe a new home!  Defense-  A Edler & R Pulock(10G) got Top Pair ice today! Pair 2 had B Skjei & T DeAngelo(15G) while Pair 3 featured V Dunn(9G) & J Spurgeon(12G).  Youngster M Grzelcyk skated with veteran R Hainsey as extra’s!  Goaltending-  uh oh…Only two Goalies in camp & neither one was stopping the puck, the veteran P Rinne was getting beat like a red-headed stepchild & youngster J Campbell wasnt much better!  Scouts like Rookies I Samsonov & a guy named Elvis, but picking 15th,they could be gone!  Will a couple forwards be dangled in a trade for a netminder?  Swami thinks a deal will happen & the Avs skate into the post-season!

NEW YORK-  The “Crystal Ball ” was way off last year saying the Isle wouldnt make the playoffs, they Finished on top in the regular season, thanks to the League’s 4th best defense(232 GA) & the 3rd best Offense(277G) & a 52 Goal year from Patrice Bergeron! 19-20 Rookie Draft- 6th Overall- B Tkachuk  2nd round- T Demko,D Batherson 3rd- M Jones 4th- J Siegenhaler 5th I Lyubushkin  Grade- A  Camp Lines- 5(18Goal)Scorers & 2 Def with 9 or more!  D Perron(25G), P Bergeron(31G) & A Mantha skated as the Top Line!  Line 2 saw B Tkachuk(21G), W Karlsson & A Burakovsky(20G) together. A Steen, K Hayes(23G) & A Athanasiou was Line 3 tonight!  A checking line had M Grabner,L Glendening & C Sheary going in circle’s !  Defense-  C Fowler(9G) & M Niskanen went out as the Top Pairing. Pair 2 had J Brodin & C McAvoy while B Chiarot(9G) skated with J Trouba as the 3rd pairing!  Goaltending- A Khudobin & J Korpisalo will get the bulk of starts, while J Bernier or T Demko will see a few!  The Isle’s Top two Lines look fine but mighty thin after that!  Picking last(16th) in the draft doesnt help, can Bernier be moved for a little offensive help?  Gonna go down to the wire, but with Khudobin in nets, The Isle sneak in!