Friday Five: Looking Ahead

Since I'm very close to having theme days everyday, like so much radio morning zoo; I might as well bookend the work week with a gimmick. Of course, we'll see how this goes and if it's well liked; keep it moving. In any case, the Friday Five was an old "survey" that seemed to take LiveJournal by storm in the early 00's. May as well do something like that in the early '10s and see if it has legs.

The premise-- five questions are asked and answered. Simple concept, simple idea, simple blogger. It's all pretty much current events for the questioning, though if something interesting jump into the fray; we'll go from there.

1. How many of the top-5 drafted at the 2010 Draft will actually play past 10 games this year??

Last year, we had four of the five top picks play all season, with Brayden Schenn playing only one game in an emergency role. 2008 had all but Alex Pietrangelo play past ten games, while Pietrangelo was sent back to junior last year, too. With this class, I can see Taylor Hall sticking and maybe Tyler Seguin, but after that-- I don't know how quick the other three will go. Erik Gudbranson has the size, but I don't know if Florida will rush him into the line-up for a year; with the Portland duo of Ryan Johansen and Nino Niederreiter being wild cards-- especially as they play for teams who could intermingle a young player into the line-up and get them to develop with the other youngsters and grow with the team. However, a solid pick-- I'd go with three of the five, Johansen and Gudbranson staying in juniors.

2. Staying with rookies, who's going to take the Calder Trophy race by storm??

If you believe in the "Sean-O Rookie Theorem," then none of the top candidates will even get a whiff at the Calder and a second-half surprise player will swoop in and get the hardware. Plus, it's actually a solid year for rookies, especially those who played in the late games last year and during the playoffs-- particularly PK Subban and John Carlson. That said, it's going to take a lot for Taylor Hall NOT to win the Calder. The kid is a dynamic player that the Oilers are building around and is a two-time Memorial Cup MVP. He's a stud and should be making a solid impact to the Oilers roster.

3. There's at least five outdoor games slated this year, with Canadian juniors (two WHL and one AJHL) and the two NHL games. How long before the gimmick goes stale??

While there's no truth to the rumor that Henry Winkler will be at the AJHL game to jump over Joe Thornton, it is getting a little too out of hand. I know people say that it's a great idea and always sells; but at the same time-- it's diluted. This was originally there for a nice appeal game every once a while, then turned into an annual thing-- which is fine, it's a bit special. But when everyone is going to the cash cow, the utter is bound to get chaffed and not produce anymore milk.

4. Where's the best location for the next outdoor game being announced this year??

Sure, it's jumped the shark, but I love gimmicks....as you can tell. The next game HAS TO BE the ECHL announcing that the Idaho Steelheads will play on the SmurfTurf of Boise State. That's like two gimmicks-in-one, which will be gimmick overload for me and I will have to make the journey there to see such a thing. At this point, why won't the ECHL do this-- it'd be fantastic. Though, you can bet the AHL and ECHL will jump on it like the Sugar Hill Gang soon enough.

5. With camps coming up, who is the biggest guy on the bubble right now with their team and in limbo between the NHL and AHL....or lower??

Obviously, you have the guys like Jonathan Cheechoo and Marcus Nilson getting try-out invites; they're definitely on the bubble in terms of staying into hockey. However, guys who are under contract; you have to wonder if Angelo Esposito can come back from a run of bad luck to crack the Thrashers roster, especially with them loading up on the Blackhawks cast-offs. Also, you have to believe that Fabian Brunnstrom of the Dallas Stars could looking at going between Dallas and Cedar Park, Texas if he doesn't have a good camp. After all the hype, Brunnstrom has fallen short after his first 10 game explosion with the Stars. Could be down to Cheechoo and Brunnstrom, which will be an interesting battle.

So, that's it for the Friday Five this week and we'll see what kind of reception it gets. If you have some questions for the F5, as the kids are calling it, email me at Scotty.Wazz@gmail.com with your questions and we'll see if we can work it in here and again.

Bubble Boys-- Pacific Division

It's time to end this bit and we'll end it with the otherside of the continent. Huzzah.

ANAHEIM DUCKS: With the addition of Saku Koivu, it will be between Ryan Carter, Petteri Nokelainen and Andrew Ebbett for the final center spot. Ebbett seems to be the long-shot in this. Defensively, Luca Sbisa, Brett Festerling, and Brendan Mikkelson will be fighting for the sixth spot, though Sbisa could go back as an overager to the Junior ranks to get more seasoning.

DALLAS STARS: It was a rough season last year, but the Stars got a lot of new stars to fill the void, including one Jamie Benn. However, the battle will be on the blue line with Karlis Skrastins, Mark Fistric, Jeff Woywitka, and Ivan Vishnevskiy for the fifth and sixth defensemen on the team. Though, the defense could be the biggest question mark in the whole line-up, as everything is set for the most part.

LOS ANGELES KINGS: On the right hand side, Teddy Purcell will be in rough with John Zeiler on his heels, as Marc-Andre Cliche and Brayden Schenn will battle for a center spot, especially with Oscar Moller being sent down to the minors. Trevor Lewis will need a good camp in order to get Raitis Ivanans off of the roster. Of course, the battle in net will be something between the three goalies there, though Jon Quick seems to have the edge over Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier.

PHOENIX COYOTES: Wow....what is there to say about this club that hasn't been debated in court already. The battle of the back-ups will be between Jason Labarbera and Al Montoya to see who will catch Ilya Bryzgalov when he falters. Daniel Winnik and Viktor Tikhonov will be fighting for the right wing spot since Radim Vrbata was added back to the roster. With the addtion of Vernon Fiddler, Kyle Turris could be pushed back to the minors unless he surprises people in camp.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: With the addition of Dany Heatley, the pressure will be on. However, that helped clear up the left wing spot. Up the middle, Scott Nichol will be fighting Logan Couture for the last center spot and both could battle Torrey Mitchell for the third line slot.

That's it. Thanks for imploring me through this gimmick and here's hoping for better things ahead on this blog. And for imploring me, I give you this:

Bubble Boys-- Northwest Division

We continue on our journey as the Bubble Boys dwindle down, we go to the Northwest Division.

CALGARY FLAMES: The biggest buzz of camp is obviously Theo Fleury and whether or not he could make the Flames on a try-out. He's played well in his time during the pre-season and has survived some cuts, but will this Cinderella story come to an end?? Odds are, he'll get signed and go to Abbotsford, but if he does make it, he'll have to fight off Brandon Prust and Fredrik Sjostrom to do it. On the defensive, Adam Pardy will be in deep to make the team, especially with Steffan Kronwall and Anton Stralman on his heels.

COLORADO AVALANCHE: It'll be a three-way fight for the final two spots on defense, as Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing, and Kyle Cumiskey will be duking it out for an everyday spot. The youth up the middle will be something to be seen, especially depending on what happens with Matt Duchene. The T.J.'s, Hensick and Galiardi, will be jockeying for scoring line time, while Ryan Stoa will be biding his time while something on the left side opens up.

EDMONTON OILERS: Oddly, this won't be about Rob Schremp, who has been on the bubble for years, but it'll be more about if M-A Pouliot will be able to crack the line-up on the bottom line, same with Ryan Potulny, including the fight with J-F Jacques and Liam Reddox on the left-hand side for the final spot.

MINNESOTA WILD: With Wade Dubielwicz being sent to Houston of the AHL, the goaltending situation will be clear with Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding. The only fight will be between Derek Boogaard and Colton Gillies, though in a real fight Boogaard will destroy. Also, if Benoit Pouliot will overtake Kyle Brodziak for the final center spot for the Wild.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS: With the addition of Mikael Samuelsson, the right hand side has been clogged up, with Jannik Hansen and Rick Rypien going at it for the final spot, maybe an longshot of Tanner Glass coming out of nowhere. Also, if Michael Grabner will crack the line-up over Darcy Hordichuk, on the left side. The spotlight on Cody Hodgson will also be high, as he seems to be ready to go, but could be held down just because he couldn't get a top-six spot.

We'll wrap it up tomorrow with the Pacific Division and then more gimmicks to be had in time for the season to get started up.

Bubble Boys-- Central Division

John B. L. Soule coined the phrase, "Go West, Young Man" and we shall with this gimmick, as we get back to the bubble players, now in the Western Conference, but still going East to West. That's why we start with the Central Division.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: While many are split on what to do with Kyle Beach, he could be challenging for the final left wing spot, just to add an antagonist to the line-up. However, will the headache of Beach's past be worth giving him a spot, regardless of how good he plays in training camp. Another match-up to look to in the later months will be between Troy Brouwer and Jack Skille, who will be trying to get into the everyday line-up when Marian Hossa comes back into the fold, especially since Adam Burish is done for six months with an ACL tear.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: While the team may be set, especially with the addition of Sami Pahlsson, the battle for the last center spot will be down to Andrew Murray and Michael Blunden, the latter performing well last year in the minors and could be doing enough to get an everyday spot. The rest of the line-up seems pretty set, though Grant Clitsome could get some time defensively with the big club, which would be fantastic for jersey sales of his.

DETROIT RED WINGS: With the departure of Marian Hossa and Mikael Samuelsson, it's finally the time for Justin Abdelkader time. Also known as "Afro Gator," Abdelkader played solidly in the playoffs for the Wings and will be the energy guy for the Wings in years to come. Newcomers Kris Newbury and Jeremy Williams will be duking it out for the final spot on the left-hand side, while Jimmy Howard could be looking over his shoulder at Daniel Larsson or some other free agent for the back-up spot to Chris Osgood.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Kevin Klein could be on the hot-seat back on the blue line with Jonathan Blum, Cody Franson, and Alexander Sulzer coming up through the ranks and seem to be ready right now. Though Klein was a regular, the Preds may not be ready to hold them back. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cal O'Reilly challenge Jerred Smithson for the final center slot on the everyday line-up.
ST. LOUIS BLUES: It could be time for Alex Pietrangelo to crack the line-up, which could spell curtains with Roman Polak or Mike Weaver. Of course, they have to hope Pietrangelo can stay out of harms way, unlike last season, and he should be fine. In the opening of the card, you can bet that Cam Janssen and B.J. Crombeen will be duking it out to be the enforcer for the Blues. Ben Bishop could challenge Ty Conklin for the back-up role; but it's not likely he'll be successful, even though he could be legally classified as a giant.

Next stop, Northwest Division because the next closest team is in said division. Fantastic.

Bubble Boys-- Southeast Division

It's been a wild ride in the East for the Bubble Boys extrava-Danza, but the Southeast Division will close us out for the East. If I had something more clever, I'd be a better writer.

ATLANTA THRASHERS: Major knee surgery will hinder the emergence of Angelo Esposito at the start of the season, but some in the Thrashers brass hope that the young center can get healed up enough to contribute mid-season and beyond. It shouldn't be hard for Esposito, since Atlanta is a little weak up the middle and could use any help they could get, I'm sure. Also, Noah Welch will be battling with Joel Kwiatkowski and Anssi Salmela for the sixth and seventh spot in the defensive rotation. The defense will be a big question, especially with the departure of Garent Exelby.

CAROLINA HURRICANES: The last spot on the left side will be determined by two former WHL stars, Zach Boychuk and Drayson Bowman, both of which have the ability to move up in the line-up, should they prove they are good enough, even though they'll be in tough with Staal and Cole already top two on the left hand side. Brandon Sutter will challenge for the fourth center role, but all three would have gotten better looks if they were on the right hand side. Defensively, the top-6 seems set up now, but Tim Conboy, Anton Babchuk, Bryan Rodney, and Brett Carson will be scratching and clawing to try and crack the everyday line-up or at least get the bus pass back and forth.

FLORIDA PANTHERS: With the departure of Jay Bouwmeester, the defense will be looking for someone to step up and there's where the most bubble aspects are. Two prospects of Keaton Ellerby and recent draft pick Dmitry Kulikov could make a huge push for the Panthers roster, though Kulikov could be sent back to juniors, in order to give him just a bit more experience. Elsewhere, it seems to be really solidified, though the battle between Michal Repik and Kenndal McArdle on who's going to be next in line for the open left wing spot, a spot that seems status quo for the league.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: There's a logjam on the blue-line where there wasn't one last year. However, the bulk of defensive influx will create a big competition. While odds are Victor Hedman will get a spot, but who will be bump?? Will it be David Hale, Matt Walker, Lukas Krajicek, or Kurtis Foster?? Do they now have too many defensemen to go with their absurd amount of forwards?? Forwards, Martins Karsums and Brandon Bochenski will be fighting on the left side, with Steve Downie going against Paul Szczechura and Lauri Tukonen for a position on the right side for a final spot.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS: There's plenty of questions abound with the Caps, especially with Karl Alzner and John Carlson waiting in the wings for the defense, maybe bumping Jeff Schultz and John Erskine for their spots from last year. Up front, the acquisition of some free agents have the likes of Boyd Gordon and Matt Bradley jockeying for position on the right hand side, Dave Steckel and Keith Aucoin fighting it out for the center spot, while the left side will see Quentin Laing, Oskar Osala, and Chris Bourque going for the final spot there. Not to mention what's going to happen with the goaltending situation with Jose Theodore, Seymon Varlamov, and Michal Neuvirth battling for those two positions. This team is a case of too much talent and not enough spots, which is good and bad at the same time.

That's what's up with the East and starting next week, we're going to be hitting up the Western Conference, which should be just as relevant for most folks.

Bubble Boys-- Atlantic Division

After part-one, we have to go to part-two....mostly because it's the natural lead of progression from one part to another part. Simplicity, folks.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS: There's a couple of people who will be on the bubble in the new-old Jacques Lemaire run team. First, which of either Ben Walter or Tim Sestito will be in the fourth center role. The feeling of Walter taking the spot due to his solid production in Bridgeport last season, but Sestito's grit could put him over in that role as a energy line center. Another question is where could Cory Murphy fit into the defensive scheme, if at all. It seems that the defense is settled in where they are at right now, but signing Murphy is a little suspisicious considering they have a solid line-up as it is for the blue line.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Well-- plenty to say about the Isles, but one of the bubble guys is only there due to happenstance, Martin Biron. Biron is obviously insurance for Rick DiPietro and Dwayne Roloson, but if Biron outplays the latter, what could the Isles do with him-- parlay it into a decent deal for a skater, keep him for the insurance, or try and deal one of the other netminders?? Also, look for a battle between Jesse Joensuu and Tim Jackman for that final right wing spot, as Joensuu has plenty to prove and could turn it up a notch during camp in order to put the heat on Jackman.

NEW YORK RANGERS: A lot of the bubble stuff will depend on what happens with Brandon Dubinsky and his contract. This will put Brian Boyle, Tyler Arnason, and even younger Brodie Dupont in the running for a couple of center jobs. Dupont could sneak in, as his play in Hartford would be a determining factor, as it's within the family. Plus, Dupont has all the tools to be a multi-purpose player for the Rangers. Many would wonder how Matt Gilroy could fit in, but this pre-season is showing he's ready to take the next step and should work out well for the Rangers.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: With James van Riemsdyk coming into the fold now, he's going to be under the microscope and it will be his spot to lose in training camp. He's impressed somewhat so far, so odds are he will have the spot; barring something crazy happening. The one thing for van Riemsdyk is whether he'd be willing to go to his off-wing in order to get a better position, considering that the right side is a lot weaker than the left side in the top-6.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Oddly enough, the Stanley Cup champs don't have much of an issue for bubble players. They lost a couple defensemen, but gained Jay McKee in the process, which is a solid trade off. Though a fight could be between Alex Goligoski and Ben Lovejoy for the sixth spot, though Goligoski would win out seeing as how he's been up on the roster last season.

We'll finish our east coast tour with the Southeast Division tomorrow because that's how we role with things on TSOoA-- only features. All killer, no filler. That's a lie-- which is why we have AGM on Mondays.

Bubble Boys-- Northeast Division

While it may not be a debate about the Moors vs. Moops or a terrible movie with Jake Gyllenhaal, but it's a reality for some players when it comes to the training camps. This will be a six-pack series when it comes to some players who are on the cusp of breaking a full-time spot on the main roster and are "on the bubble", hence the name. Starting out from the East to West, we start out with the Northeast Division.

BOSTON BRUINS: The right side could be the big story developing in the Bruins line-up. While the question of whether or not the Bruins will have the ability to bring Phil Kessel back onto the roster is prevalent, but another battle will be between whether or not either Byron Bitz and/or Brad Marchand could make the squad. A lot of heat on Bitz last season with his gritty play could land him on the 3rd or 4th line duty, but Marchand's future this season could depend on what happens with Kessel. Marchand's first pro season was pretty solid, with 41 assists in 79 games, with 15 points in 16 playoff games, ranking third and second in team points respectively. If Kessel isn't brought back, Marchand could reap the benefits.

BUFFALO SABRES: The long and the short of it will be the guys to look at in Buffalo. First, you have Nathan Gerbe, who is a going to be in tough on the left side of the Sabres roster. While had a decent first season in professional hockey, scoring on almost a point-per-game clip in Portland of the AHL, he got brought up for 10 games and played respectable in those, only registering one assist. While his 5'5 stature could work against him, one good camp could get him a spot. On the back-end and taller end, the 6'7 monster on the blue line Tyler Myers could get his rookie year off big if he can crack the top-six, which isn't outside of the realm of possibility. His physical presense and hockey sense could be working in his favor.

MONTREAL CANADIENS: It's been a long-time coming, but the lack of total depth on the right side could bring Mathieu Darche some luck. While Darche is somewhat accomplished in the minors, he's never really hit paydirt in the NHL. While Darche has the size and skill, can the execution come along with it. Also, some wonder if Yannick Weber can crack the Habs line-up over the stacked back-end they have already. Weber contributed two points in four playoff games for the Habs, but his size could be his downfall for this year.

OTTAWA SENATORS: There's plenty of questions with the Senators, let's be honest here-- but a couple interesting notes will be whether or not Erik Karlsson will be able to get into the line-up for the defense and what will become of Brian Lee if Karlsson does crack the roster. Also, whether or not Ilya Zubov can get into the line-up and actually do something to bring some secondary scoring for not only the team, but for himself. Zubov's hot streak could spark a fire under Chris Kelly or Jesse Winchester to actually play to a higher level and stop slacking.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: There's a lot defensemen in the Leafs' orchard (HA!! Arboritum joke) right now, which will make you wonder how they'll be able to deal with eight solid defensemen with six spots available. You have to figure Mike Van Ryn is going to be on the outside looking in, but what will happen with Garnet Exelby. Maybe Exelby will be switch back and forth with Jeff Finger for that sixth defender on a nightly basis and wondering which one will be dealt first. Plus, with Jiri Tlusty's season for the Marlies' last year, if Brian Burke will be put onto the main roster for a full-season or if he'll be put to the side for more seasoning. Also, where Rickard Wallin will fit into the forward scheme and if he can adapt smoothly to the North American game.

Next Bubble Boys edition will be cruising down to the Atlantic, so get ready for that next time.