Mike Colligan

Mike Colligan is an NHL analyst at Forbes SportsMoney and The Hockey Writers. You can read all of his work at ColliganHockey.com. Email: MJColligan@gmail.com

Blue Jackets Update, Islanders New Complex, and Is Koivu Overpaid?

Mikko Koivu (Flickr/MPR529)

Mikko Koivu – When I think about the Minnesota Wild and look at their roster, I’m not sure how I can get excited about this team for the next few seasons.  They haven’t made any terrible signings, but I think it could be argued that they’ve overpaid for close to half the team. With no money, a lackluster offense, and coach Todd Richards’ up-tempo system replacing the defense-first Lemaire approach, what remedies do they have? Would be interested to hear a few ideas in the comments.

Hockey Wilderness points out that the reactions from fans outside of Minnesota to the Mikko Koivu extension were venomous, while the Wild faithful seemed to overwhelmingly approve.  The first half of their analysis is outstanding, but their justification for why he was worth $6.75m per season falls a bit flat:

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13 Frenzied Thoughts About 13 Free Agent Signings

  For an up-to-date list of where all the summer’s free-agents are headed, check out TSN’s sortable tracker.  Hungry for leftovers? NHL.com has a list of 40 players still looking…

Mike Ribeiro’s Future, Horton Trade Rumors, and Souray to the Sharks?

Nathan Horton (Joe Loong/WikiCommons)

[Crashing the Crease is The Hockey Writers rundown of news, notes, and analysis from around the NHL]

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

~ As expected, it looks like Ray Whitney won’t be back in Carolina next season. (With the writing on the wall at the trade deadline, it makes me wonder why GM Jim Rutherford didn’t just take what he could get):

“I think it will be difficult with where he will be at, contract-wise,” Rutherford said. “I expect him to go into July (and the free-agent market). It appears that’s the way it’s going to go.”

~ With new bench bosses in Tampa and Columbus, Atlanta hopes to narrow down their remaining options:

The key deadline is July 1st when free agency begins–players want to know who will be in charge of their ice time and their role within the squad. The one advantage of hiring a coach early in the summer is that it gives him more time to review game tapes from the prior year and think about how to plan for the next season.

~ THW’s Dave Poleck dove headfirst into the Nathan Horton trade rumors last week, and ESPN’s Pierre Lebrun is suggesting he may not be the only big name heading out of Florida in the coming days:

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Malkin the ‘Russian Canadian’, Pronger’s Loose, and Lidstrom’s Future

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

~ Reports indicated Sidney Crosby is on the verge of signing a big endorsement deal with Reebok that would open the door for a new SC87 apparel line: “Crosby’s new deal with Reebok is said to be worth almost $10 million over the next seven years. Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, would not discuss the financial aspect of the deal and said it is not completed yet, “but things are going in the right direction.””

~ Evgeni Malkin gives his thoughts on Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and how he’s becoming a ‘Russian Canadian’: “”Alex has such a talent that he quickly adapts to rink sizes, the style of play, plus he has this insolence, in a good way, helps him a lot. I think that right now he is already a ‘Canadian,’ you can say. This is what he is called in the NHL – the ‘Russian Canadian,’ because he completes so many hits in a game. In this setting he’s like a knife in butter.”

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Jordan Staal skates with Penguins, Detroit heads home, and Jagr stays in KHL

‘Crashing the Crease’ is a new feature here on The Hockey Writers that will take a run through the major happenings in the NHL. Have an interesting article to share?  Want us to feature your blog?  Send us an email here.

Jaromir Jagr resigns with Omsk (marek blazek/Wikimedia)

EASTERN CONFERENCE:
~ Disgruntled AHL-lifer or an indication of bigger issues?  Jamie Johnson, a forward on the Rochester Americans (Florida Panthers AHL affiliate) speaks out on his frustration with the organization: “They haven’t made the playoffs in 10 years,” Jamie Johnson said.  “They had no interest in me all year, I don’t think I should give them the time of day for another season.”

~ Jordan Staal skated today as he works to recover from a damaged tendon suffered in Game 1 against Montreal.  Despite (incorrect?) reports that the tendon was severed, I found it hard to believe a skate could do that much damage to a tendon through the tough, reinforced tongue on today’s hockey skates.

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