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Not your average opener
Click here to send an NHL question to Kostya Kennedy. Welcome back. Usually the summer feels so short. The Cup is hoisted, free agents sign, and presto! a new season is here. Our summer began that way, but because of the last several weeks and the way our world has changed, overall, the offseason felt a little longer. The preseason was somber this year, especially in the New York and New Jersey camps. But here we are now, on the verge of a new season. Pucks are about to be dropped and at least that much seems right in our world. And now, your mailbag ... Why does Ken Holland always get so much credit? All he has done is spend $60
million in payroll. Unless you're the Rangers, the return on that investment
should be easy. Holland lost Chris Osgood for absolutely nothing, which is
inexcusable. And, most importantly, I don't think he has managed to integrate
younger players into the lineup to solidify their future. Just imagine what
Craig Patrick could do with the ownership support Holland has.
Anytime you keep a team in Cup contention as long as Holland has you're going to get some credit. But he doesn't get lumped in with the leading GMs, guys like Lou Lamoriello, Pierre Lacroix and Patrick. Your criticism of Holland -- that he hasn't integrated youth into the lineup -- has some merit, but because Detroit continues to win (I'm forgiving them last year's early playoff exit) the age factor hasn't hurt them yet. Similarly Osgood's departure -- he was let go to save money; in any trade the Red Wings would have had to pay at least part of his contract -- could really hurt the Red Wings should Dominik Hasek go down. If the Dominator is healthy, though, then paying Osgood close to $8 million over the next two years as a backup didn't make much sense. Holland gets just the right amount of credit in my mind: he's respected but not revered. When you win close to 50 games and secure home-ice advantage for the opening round of the playoffs, year after year, ownership will cut you some slack. Without Peter Forsberg, how far will Colorado go in the playoffs? How well
will the Avalanche match up with teams like the Red Wings and Stars, both of
which have upgraded their lineups over the summer?
It's a big leap to assume Forsberg won't be back by the playoffs. My guess is that he will be. The Avalanche haven't made the dramatic improvements that Dallas and Detroit have made, but they won the Cup and they did well to preserve that championship team (minus Ray Bourque, of course). Colorado is bound for at least the Western Conference finals once again. A friend and I have heavily debated who is a better center, Mike Modano or
Doug Weight. Could you please settle this for us?
Modano, hands down. Weight's offensive creativity, especially his pure passing skills are special and highly valuable, but Modano's just so much more well-rounded. He's also creative on offense -- his ability to break into open ice enables the Stars' tight system to work -- and he plays a rugged two-way game. He's stronger than Weight, as well. How far will the Leafs go without Tomas Kaberle? I think he's worth a couple
million a year, how about you?
Yeah, sure, but it's not my dough. It's tough to give in to Kaberle's contract demands because he's 21 and has been in the league only three years. He was also invisible in the postseason this past spring. The Leafs, though, will miss his puck-moving ability and their power play may really struggle without him. Kaberle plays a very stable game for a player of his youth. My guess is that they'll get a deal done before the end of the month. Or certainly by Thanksgiving. How come Jason Allison wasn't invited to Team Canada's training camp? Even
if there were too many centers, he could have surely play wing. The guy's skills
are obviously better than the likes of Brendan Shanahan.
Allison got hosed in the numbers game. He's certainly an Olympic-quality player. It's just hard to find room for him because he really is a pure center -- soft hands and good strength to the inside. Also, given the extremely limited practice schedule, you don't want to be moving players out of position if you can help it. By the way, Jeff, Shanny can still play. Jason Allison says he has played his last game as a member of the Boston
Bruins. I don't blame him, by the way. My question: Will he sit out the entire
season or will he be traded? If it is the latter, then how soon will it be and
to where?
Allison's going to sign with the Bruins. I don't buy his bluff. He asked for too much money early on and now, after the deals that Alexei Kovalev and Martin Straka signed, his value has diminished. He wants to play and the Bruins have a chance to be a very solid team. He'll settle for a one-year deal and come back. I would like to know your take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. On the surface it
seems as though they cannot possibly be better since they lost Jaromir Jagr. But
if you take into consideration what a negative force he was in the locker room,
as well as how the Penguins did in the playoffs when he was virtually invisible,
you might conclude, as I have, that they'll actually be better this year,
especially with their goaltending problems seemingly solved. Their potent
"Arbitration Line" of Kovalev, Straka and Robert Lang is intact, and
they still have Mario Lemieux to occupy opposing teams' top defenders. Also,
with talented youngsters like Aleksey Morozov and Andrew Ference poised to have
breakout seasons, how can anyone not have a positive outlook on the Pens?
Because you have Craig Patrick as your GM and because Johan Hedberg appears to be a legitimate presence in goal, there is reason for optimism. But there are a lot of ifs, beginning with the uncertainty of Lemieux's health. Will he play 70 games? 60? 50? Also, the Penguins have such a piecemeal defense that they're vulnerable. Their defense, on paper, is one of the weakest in the league. The good news is that Patrick has a knack for getting guys who can fill in solidly on the blue line. (Ference, as an example, was a no-name this time last year.) Patrick will have some maneuvering to do this year. I like the Pens to make the playoffs, but just barely. I see them as the eighth seed. Now that the hockey season is about to begin, I was wondering who your picks
are to win the Vezina, Norris and Hart Trophies.
Vezina -- Olaf Kolzig. He'll stay healthy, he'll be stoked by having Jagr in the house and the Caps will win easily their division. Norris -- Chris Pronger. Simply, he's the best defenseman. Hart -- John LeClair. And a comeback player of the year award to go with it. Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy covers the NHL for the
magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. To send a question to his
Mailbag, click here.
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