With the NHL trade deadline just nine days away Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash continues to be in high demand by many NHL teams. The Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs are said to be in the running for Nash’s services, along with the Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks. The Sharks and Flyers seem to be getting the least amount of press in the Nash Rumors, while Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto seem to be the most logical destinations—all things considered. When evaluating what the Blue Jackets could potentially net in trading Nash one must consider Nash’s hefty $7.8 million salary which could potentially play havoc with any team Nash joins. According to capgeek.com, the Vancouver Canucks will have $407,359 available at the deadline. The Los Angeles Kings will have

With Chris Drury expected to accept a buyout from the New York Rangers on Friday, New York looks to be positioning themselves to take a good run at the NHL’s premier free agent, Brad Richards. Richards is expected to have as many as 20 different NHL teams interested in him, but in the end there are only a few teams that have the cap room and competitive roster in place to attract the likes of Richards. At 31-years old Richards is no spring chicken. That said, there is no other free agent player in the class that Richards is. That is why Richards is expected to garner a contract in the $6.5-$8.0 million range with a term as high as nine years. Richards looks to be set on playing for a Stanley Cup contender, regardless of the money thrown at

With the San Jose Sharks officially eliminating the Los Angeles Kings from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday night it ends what can only be called a disappointing season for the men in black. Prior to the start of the 2010-11 NHL season many experts were looking for the Kings to be this season’s breakout team. High hopes and even higher expectations were bestowed upon the Kings who were thought to be a Stanley Cup favorite early on. The Kings got out of the gate quickly, collecting a record of 9-3 with one overtime loss in October. The Kings followed that up with 5-7 record in November before adding another nine wins in December. While the Kings record looked good on paper, few people felt the Kings looked like a cohesive unit, even fewer felt they were a Stanley Cup team.

With my Eastern Conference playoff predictions out of the way, it’s time to set my sights on the Western Conference. Parity is alive and well throughout the NHL, but nowhere is it more apparent in the Western Conference where the difference between fifth and tenth place was just five points. Looking at the four Western Conference matchups there is not much to choose between most of the teams, that said, a few favorites should emerge, with the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings garnering a lot of attention from poolies and fans alike. With all this in mind, let’s take a look at the first round matchups and how it should all pan out. (1) Vancouver Canucks Vs. (8) Chicago Blackhawks Given the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks have ended the Vancouver Canucks playoff drives in each of the past

With only a few more games to be played before the NHL starts it’s playoffs, there are a few teams that are emerging as the definitive favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Goaltending is often key to a teams playoffs success, that said, the Chicago Blackhawks took home Lord Stanley’s Cup last year—even with inconsistent goaltending from Antti Niemi. Power play and penalty kill success also comes into play, as does a teams ability to gel at the right time. With all this in mind, let’s take a look at the NHL’s eight most dangerous playoffs teams of 2010-11. Philadelphia Flyers: Key Stats: Current Record: 46-22-10 (102 points)—Second in Eastern Conference GF: 245 GA: 207 Diff: +38 PP: 16.4% (20th overall) PK: 83.8% (Ninth overall) Key Players: Mike Richards (F) Jeff Carter (F) Chris Pronger (D) Sergei Bobrovsky (G) The

Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft (87th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Alexei Ponikarovsky was seen as a little more than a project forward by most. “Poni” would have a couple of short stints with Krylja Sovetov Moscow-Russia, Dynamo Moscow-Russia and Dynamo Moscow-EuroNHL before finally joining the Maple Leafs in 2000-2001. Ponikarovsky would split the 2000-2001 season between the Maple Leafs and their AHL affiliate (then the St. John’s Maple Leafs), accumulating one goal and three assists with Toronto through 22 games, followed by a decent 36 points in 49 games in St. John’s. The 2001-2002 season saw Ponikarovsky spend 72 games with the St. John’s Maple Leafs where he scored 21 goals and 48 points through 72 games. He would spend the majority of the 2002-2003 season in St. John’s before making