The King Vacates His Throne For 3 Weeks (jets)

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The King Vacates His Throne For 3 Weeks

By GARTH'S CORNER

Feb 7, 2015 • 2:39 pm

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NY Rangers MVP Henrik Lundqvist (25-11-3, 2.52 GAA, .922 save %) suffered a serious vascular injury after was hit with a puck in the throat last Saturday. The injury occurred during the Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Rangers have said that The King will miss the next three weeks of game action.

Lundqvist updated his injury status on Twitter this afternoon.

Cam Talbot will get the net in The King's absence. However, the Rangers are in the market for a back-up goalie right now. They sent two scouts to Buffalo on Thursday night to watch the Sabres-Blues game. Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth will be UFAs on July 1. Glen Sather would be wise to phone Sabres GM Tim Murray, if he hasn't already, to inquire about Enroth's availability. Enroth grew up idolizing Lundqvist in their native Sweden. Enroth, the Stockholm native, won the 2013 World Championships for Sweden when Lundqvist couldn't play in the tourney.

Enroth will get the start against Dallas backup Anders Lindback tonight.

***

It was a turbulent, ugly, negatively charged, emotional week for the Winnipeg Jets and their fan base.

On Friday afternoon, Paul Maurice and the Winnipeg Jets announced that power forward Evander Kane's season is over. Kane will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery today.

There are too many irreconcilable differences between Kane, the Jets and their fans. A divorce is imminent. For those of you who were hoping that the Kane and the Jets players and management could mend the fence and live again as a happy family please give your head a shake.

Its over. Evander Kane will never play another game for the Winnipeg Jets.

For proof, we turn to the MTS Center where on Friday night, one pissed off fan showed his disgust for Kane by angrily lobbing his #9 sweater on the ice at the conclusion of the Jets 2-1 OT loss to the Blackhawks.

Toronto fans aren't the only ones trashing their team by disposing of their $250 hockey sweaters.

For this reason, and many others, Kane has to be traded out of Winnipeg. There is no way in Hell that Kevin Cheveldayoff can bring the controversial Kane back next season.

Thanks, Sportsnet

When the fans start airing their dirty laundry in public, its to show ownership and management that they are mad as Hell and can't take anymore.

On Thursday, it was thought that the asking price for Kane would be a 1st round pick, a top player and a prospect.

I can tell you that the price has come down considerably on Kane in the past 36 hours.

For example, Tim Murray and the Sabres have the currency in the form players, prospects, and picks land Kane for a roster player and a pick/prospect. Chris Stewart and a second rounder might get it done. Cody Hodgson and a second rounder. Tyler Myers straight up. The Sabres have the necessary cap space to absorb Kane's $5.25 million for the next three seasons.

Some feel like he is "damaged goods". I don't buy it. I'd take the kid right now. I'm told that Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff will move Kane for the best offer he can get. The team has to extricate Kane from its organization in order to settle the fan base down and to restore order in their dressing room.

I have a friend who is an orthopedic surgeon. He tells me that Kane's surgeon will repair his chronic should injury and restore it to near perfect working order. Kane is 23 years old and is in superior athletic condition. There should be no reason why he cannot rehab the injury to restore/add strength. He will be back to All Star status before you know it.

***

Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish is a big fan of OHL hockey. On Friday night, couldn't resist traveling with his buddy Kevin Lowe to Erie, PA to watch Connor McDavid and his Otters host the Soo Greyhounds. Yes, Sabres fans. MacT is infatuated with McDavid. He also was very impressed with Dylan Strome, another 2015 draft eligible prospect.

MacT braved the Lake Erie elements to make the sojourn down I-90 to Erie. He quipped about the weather in Edmonton being a lot warmer than Erie's dreary frigid weather. I referenced the Alberta Clipper jet stream as being the cause of the arctic blast that has taken Western New York and NW P.A. into a head lock for the past three months. MacT laughed.

The air was arctic outside, however, the atmosphere inside the Erie Insurance Arena was downright toasty.

I asked MacT what brought he and Lowe to Erie on a frigid February night.

He's a big fan of OHL hockey and couldn't resist the temptation to watch the OHL Western Conference Clash of The Titans between the Otters and Greyhounds.

He used the word "smorgasbord" to describe the assortment of talented kids playing in Erie on Friday night.

MacT said that with the Oilers playing in Toronto on Hockey Night In Canada it afforded he and Lowe the opportunity to make the sortie. They weren't the only NHL dignitaries in the house watching Connor McDavid, Dylan Strome, and the other draft eligible prospects. There were several NHL scouts in the house. Rightly so.

MacT was kind enough to answer questions during the third period of play as he, Lowe and one of their scouts watched the game from the standing room only section.

He said that historically the draft starts taking shape right around this time of year. This year is no different. MacT said that having a top draft pick in the draft certainly allows one to select one of the best players available. We've seen how that's worked out for the Oilers. Just because you select Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov doesn't guarantee your team success.

Thanks to Victor Fernandes for capturing this video of our encounter with MacTavish.

The Soo Greyhounds ripped the Erie Otters 6-1. The Greyhounds jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. The Greyhounds are a powerhouse of a hockey team and will give the Otters a serious run for their money in the OHL playoffs. I can easily see an Erie-Soo Western Final.

The Greyhounds can kill you with brute strength, raw speed, stifling defense, and excellent goaltending. They've become a more complete, dominant team since adding Justin Bailey, Nick Ritchie, and Connor Bolland at the OHL trade deadline. Bailey scored his 30th goal of the season on Thursday night in Niagara. He told me after Friday night's win at Erie that he's gunning for the 40 goal plateau this season. That goal is well within his reach as he has 17 more games left in the regular season to continue his sniping. Bailey played an excellent two-way game in Erie. He blocked two heavy point shots and flushed the walls all night long. He played an exceptional game on the defensive side of the puck. The Soo boast a top line of Nick Ritchie-Jared McCann-Justin Bailey. They are big, skilled, strong and can play the nasty game all night long. The Soo were a heavy, fast team before the trade deadline. Now, they are a four line, six D machine with an athletic, big goalie named Brandon Halverson.

On Friday night in Erie, the Greyhounds flexed their offensive and defensive muscles.

Anthony DeAngelo scored a goal and added three assists. Zach Senyshyn scored twice. Michael Bunting scored a goal and added two helpers.

Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste scored Erie's only goal, on a slick power play goal from Connor McDavid.

***

MacTavish spoke to Edmonton's CHED radio on Friday. MacT spoke about how his team is preparing for the March 2 NHL trade deadline.

“I’m not seeing or hearing a lot of activity right now. I think the experienced managers are biding their time to see exactly what they need. They’re surveying the marketplace to see what’s out there and what the cost is. But there’s not been a ton of activity so far.

“In today’s era it’s difficult to make trades, but there are going to be substantial moves made. We all know that. History is the best predictor of what’s going to happen coming up here, and there’s going to be a lot of movement. But the airwaves are – everybody is just kind of feeling out each other’s position and seeing if there’s a potential fit.

“As far as we’re concerned, we’re probably to be less active than we have in the past.…

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