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Chat Reel: SI's Kostya Kennedy
Stars will shine bright, but expect a long physical series
Posted: Tuesday May 30, 2000 05:53 PM
Sports Illustrated hockey writer Kostya Kennedy will be covering the Stanley Cup finals for CNNSI.com and the magazine. He weighed in on the Stars-Devils matchup, as well as other NHL-related issues.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our NHL playoff chat with Sports Illustrated's Kostya Kennedy. Thanks for joining us, Kostya.
Kostya Kennedy: Thank you for having me. It's good to be here.
CNNSI.com Host: Let's get started with the questions.
From Gregory: Martin Brodeur and Ed Belfour both have one Stanley Cup ring. Which goalie can better handle the pressure during the finals?
Kostya Kennedy: Right now Belfour is better suited for the pressure of the finals. He's playing as well as he's ever played. He's been very consistent. Brodeur, on the other hand, had a few lapses in the last series and the potential is still there for him to get distracted again.
From Guest: What is your take on the Eric Lindros soap opera? Do you think he will remain with the Flyers? Retire? Be traded? Or take a year off?
Kostya Kennedy: I hope that he retires because it would be the safest thing for him. In any case, I don't think you will see him in a Flyers uniform again. If he does come back, it will be after a layoff of several months, or a year, as you suggest. Several teams would be interested in giving him a low-based salary with heavy incentives that could be rather lucrative should he decide to continue.
From Guest: Most experts are picking the Stars. Do you believe the Devils have a realistic shot at winning the Stanley Cup?
Kostya Kennedy: Absolutely. I think it's going to be a long and closely-matched series. I, too, think the Stars will prevail. The Devils will keep these games, and the series as whole, very close. They definitely have a very good chance to win.
From Walquist: How has the Lindros hit affected Scott Stevens? Do you think it will affect his play against Dallas?
Kostya Kennedy: Stevens was visibly shaken after the hit and remained so the entire night. I think the fact that the Flyers and Lindros himself have absolved Stevens of any wrongdoing has allowed Stevens to focus on the finals with little guilt. He's been made to feel more comfortable about the incident. I expect Stevens to throw his weight around with typical ferocity in Game 1 tonight, and throughout the series.
From Guest: Do you think travel will play a major role in the finals?
Kostya Kennedy: No, because it's not a very difficult travel. The teams are used to it at this point. Because there is only a one-hour time difference between the two cities, I don't expect players to get tired. There's an extra day off between Games 4 and 5, which will give players a chance to rest up.
From Guest: Who do you think is interested in Alexei Yashin and what will be the asking price?
Kostya Kennedy: There will definitely be interest -- there is interest already. The Senators will want a young relatively inexpensive player that can help now and one or two draft picks. They may also want money, depending on where he gets traded.
From Guest: Which club do you think Glen Sather will end up with?
Kostya Kennedy: The New York Rangers. Over time he'll help make them a better team because of what he did with the Oilers. It won't be a dramatic turnaround felt immediately. But with Sather in the fold and with the money the Rangers have, they could be a contending team in three to five years.
From Guest: There is speculation that Washington will trade Peter Bondra. Where might he go and what could the Caps get in return?
Kostya Kennedy: There's a large market for Bondra because he's got goal-scoring potential that is rare in this league. And because he has a relatively low salary next season, which is about $3.8 million. So there's a large market for a player like that. It's hard to find a good fit for the Capitals, though, because without Bondra, their biggest need will be goal scoring. Perhaps they would want a center to give some support to Adam Oates. However, while the Capitals are growing tired of Bondra's on-again, off-again scoring, my guess is they will keep him in Washington for the start of next season.
From Guest: Will Ray Bourque re-sign with the Avalanche? Or will he sign with someone else?
Kostya Kennedy: The Avs will take the first chance at signing him, and if they come up with a good enough offer, he will stay there. They're probably going to have to offer him another year in the deal. Otherwise, Bourque will look to come back East -- toward Boston. But he may sign with Philadelphia. Especially with the whole Lindros ordeal, which may in the end free up some money.
From Guest: Now that the Islanders have new ownership, do you believe they will go after a big-ticket player?
Kostya Kennedy: Not immediately. I think they'll see what kind of team they have this season, and then the next after that. If they make the playoffs, and if they get the new arena they want -- and need -- at that point you can expect ownership to go out and get a big-name player for their Long Island fans.
From Walquist: Who will the Stars put most of their defensive attention on? Elias? Arnott? Or someone else?
Kostya Kennedy: The thing about the Devils' offense is that it is so balanced it's hard to concentrate on any one particular player. Elias is the most gifted of the forwards. But I think Dallas will play its dogged brand of defense against every New Jersey line.
From Budsman: Is Mats Sundin finished with the Maple Leafs after his second poor playoffs in a row?
Kostya Kennedy: Because the passionate Toronto fans are so often dissatisfied with Mats, management may look to move him. It will be hard to get a player of his skill in return, however, and without him the Leafs would be very weak at center. A more likely scenario would have the Leafs trying to trade for a strong No. 2 center to lend Sundin some support. I expect them to make a bid for Mark Messier for one season or two.
From Guest: Will Theo Fleury be traded? As you recently said in a mailbag, this should be one of the Rangers' first moves.
Kostya Kennedy: Theo has a no-trade clause. That's mainly a leveraging point for him. He would waive it if the Rangers would send him to a team he wants to go to. The Rangers could swing a deal with the Sharks or Coyotes. Those are two teams Fleury would accept a trade to.
From Guest: Going into the finals, who is your front-runner for the Conn Smythe?
Kostya Kennedy: Ed Belfour. If New Jersey wins, Scott Stevens would get my vote unless Elias has a huge finals. Belfour was certainly the difference against Colorado in the last series. He was excellent. The series before that wasn't so much because of him, but he played well in those too. Mike Modano could also get himself in the running if he continues his high level of play and scores a few goals in the finals.
From Guest: How are the ice conditions in Dallas and New Jersey? Do the current conditions favor either team?
Kostya Kennedy: Ice conditions in Dallas are generally quite bad, but they're slightly better than a year ago. The New Jersey ice is good but not great. It's good enough for the NHL's standards. New Jersey's team is better suited to play on bad ice. But Dallas has played on bad ice throughout these playoffs, so they're used to it. There's really no advantage for either team.
From Guest: Could the Devils have made it to the finals with Robbie Ftorek as coach?
Kostya Kennedy: We'll never know. Certainly Larry Robinson has lifted this team in large part by inspiring a more relaxed mood around the clubhouse. Ftorek was a passionate, hard-working coach. But he was so meticulous that he irked many veterans. He may have led the Devils to tense up -- particularly when they trailed the Flyers three-games-to-one.
From Scott: Should we expect a physical series betwen New Jersey and Dallas?
Kostya Kennedy: Of course. They are probably the two most physical teams in the league. We're going to see a lot of hitting -- even some borderline hits as well.
From Guest: Are there any significant line changes we might see tonight?
Kostya Kennedy: For Game 1 I don't expect any, barring a late scratch right before the game. Perhaps we'll see some maneuvering on the fourth line, but the main top lines should be intact.
From Scott: Will the fact that New Jersey came back from a 3-1 series deficit give it a mental edge if it is to fall behind a couple games in the series?
Kostya Kennedy: Definitely. Because they battled from so far behind, the Devils are going to continue to believe in themselves -- even if they fall behind in this series. A team like the New Jersey can win four straight against anybody. If they don't think they're out of the series, they won't be.
From Goalmonger: Which arena is louder? Is there a clear home-ice advantage for either team?
Kostya Kennedy: Dallas definitely has a louder, more intense building. But I don't think it translates to a home-ice advantage. Both of these teams can win on the road and both can lose at home.
From Guest: Can the Red Wings still win the Cup as currently constructed or is it time to rebuild?
Kostya Kennedy: They're going to have to make some changes, particularly on the blue line. The team isn't that far away. It just needs to find one or two solid players for the blue line and they'll be right back among the contenders.
From Jaydee: Is Guy Guy Carbonneau ever going to retire?
Kostya Kennedy: (Laughs) No. Maybe he'll retire when his granddaughter is going out with one of his teammates. Aside from that, I think we're stuck with Guy for a while. He's played as well this season as he has in years.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all we have time for today. Thanks for chatting with us, Kostya.
Kostya Kennedy: Thanks for having me. I enjoyed this. Hopefully I'll see you down the road in the finals.
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