Author: Jason Karnosky

News

Preds Switch Lindback for Dekanich; Blum Recalled

Tuesday, February 22 proved to be a eventful morning in the Music City.

The Nashville Predators made a pair of in house transactions before most team employees had finished their morning coffee, first swapping goaltenders by recalling Mark Dekanich from Milwaukee to replace Anders Lindback, who was sent down to the Admirals.  This will be Lindback’s first assignment to the AHL, while Dekanich will be making his fourth trip up to the NHL this season.

From December 4 through December 17, Lindback was the hottest goaltender in the NHL, winning six of seven starts, including two shutouts, and allowing three or more goals just once.  However the Gavle, Sweden native has went cold of late in his limited action, losing four of his last five decisions, and getting lit up for six goals by the Chicago Blackhawks on January 16.

This will definitely be a conditioning assignment for Lindback, who needs some in-game action to re-find his talents.  He should get plenty of opportunities as the Admirals face a four game in five night stretch starting tonight in Houston.

On the other hand, Dekanich will be looking to expand on his one game of NHL experience and auditioning for a new contract next season.

Meanwhile, Jonathon Blum will be making his first career trip to the National Hockey League, confirming the rumors that were swirling around the internet yesterday.  Blum, who is tied for second in the Admirals in scoring, will try to help out a Nashville blueline that has been hit hard by injuries as of late, including Ryan Suter.  Suter, who logs around 25 minutes of ice time per game (second only to Shea Weber on the Predators), has been declared out for tonight’s game against Columbus.

This is a great opportunity for the 22-year old Blum to show something at the National Hockey League level, but I for one am surprised that Nashville chose him over Aaron Johnson, a player with an extensive NHL resume to his credit.  The Predators are in the midst of a dogfight in the Western Conference for a playoff spot, sitting in fifth with 70 points, but Nashville is just two points ahead of 11th place Chicago.

The AHL race is nearly as tight, with Milwaukee sitting in the top spot in the West Division with 71 points, but the Admirals are just four points in front of sixth place Oklahoma City.

So Roundtable, what is your reaction to these transactions?  Are you excited to see Lindback in the Admirals uniform, and how do you think Blum will fare up in Nashville?

News

Mark Dekanich Recalled to Nashville

Life got a little more difficult for the Milwaukee Admirals today.  Goaltender Mark Dekanich was called up this morning by the Nashville Predators for his third stint with the club.

As of present time, I am not sure what this all means. but I do know that there are a lot of rumors involving Predators backup goaltender Anders Lindback.  Lindback is a player a lot of teams are interested in (for obvious reasons:  he’s young, big but mobile and has a great record in relief this season), therefore something could be afloat for Nashville, especially with Dekanich joining the Predators as insurance.  At least three teams, including Toronto, Colorado and the New York Islanders are actively shopping for goaltenders.

Around the NHL, it looks like the Tomas Kaberle deal to the Boston Bruins is now complete.  Plus former Wisconsin Badgers goaltender Brian Elliott was traded today to Colorado for almost playoff hero Craig Anderson.

Lots of trade buzz today.  It should be fun to see how it all shakes out.

News

How the NHL Trade Deadline Shapes the AHL’s West Division Playoff Race

February 28th marks an important date on the NHL’s calender.  It is deadline for the clubs to trade players and draft picks to try to bolster their clubs for the future.

But this date has a considerable effect on the AHL as well.  A majority of the deadline transactions involve moving a rental player (someone who has an expiring contract), in exchange for assets (draft picks and/or prospects), also known as teams trying to win now versus teams building for the long term future.  The result is a change in the makeup of AHL teams prior to the stretch run.

Here is how I think each team in the AHL’s West Division will be effected:

Houston (Minnesota):  Though the Wild have an outside shot of making the playoffs in 2011, I see Minnesota as still in the building stages.  Therefore, I expect the Wild to be quiet overall, with a few Aeros joining the NHL ranks late in the season.  Final Verdict:  Slipping.

Milwaukee (Nashville):  The Predators are going for a win now approach.  Though the budget is tight after the acquisition of Mike Fisher, Nashville still could trade an asset for a rental with an expiring contract for its final push.  Even still, I expect Milwaukee to remain well stocked.  Final Verdict:  Neutral.

Peoria (St. Louis):  The Blues started the season with great promise, but have been devastated by injuries.  With its playoff hopes dim, St. Louis will be in the market to sell off a few assets and add some more youth or picks.  However, there are only a few players that the club is willing to part with.  Final Verdict:  Neutral.

San Antonio (Phoenix):  Still dealing with an ownership mess, the Coyotes are the toughest team in the NHL to judge.  Still, Phoenix looks like a playoff team and was extremely active at last year’s deadline.  I expect the Coyotes to again use prospects in order to pick up some rentals for the stretch run.  Final Verdict:  Slipping.

Texas Stars (Dallas):  Dallas is in free fall and might slip right out of the Western Conference playoffs.  Brad Richards may be traded, resulting in a full ransom of talent in return, but other than Richards, the Stars look to be building onto a young core and hoping it gets some playoff experience this year.  Final Verdict:  Improving.

Oklahoma City (Edmonton):  Edmonton seems destined to finish dead last in the NHL.  How does that effect OK City?  The Oilers will be trying to add more prospects and pushing its talented youth up to the NHL.  Final Verdict:  Slipping.

Chicago (Atlanta):  Atlanta is currently in a terrible tailspin and looks destined to fall out of the playoffs in the East.  However, the Thrashers remain in the thick of the playoff chase.  Therefore, I expect Atlanta to be looking to add talent in the hopes of a last ditch jump over Carolina and Buffalo, which means trading prospects.  Final Verdict:  Slipping.

Rockford (Chicago):  Though the Ice Hogs are clearly out of the AHL playoff race, their divisional games will still play a pivotal role in its outcome.  Chicago is right on the edges of the NHL playoff race, but the Blackhawks are still cap tight and prospect bare.  My hunch is that Chicago will be stuck trying to build for the future.  Final Verdict:  Improving.

News

An Outdoor Admirals Game?

With the AHL going outdoors for the second time this week (Providence will face Connecticut at UConn’s football stadium on Saturday), I thought it might be a decent time to gauge the interest of Admirals fans in watching their team play a game outdoors.

The state of Wisconsin is certainly no stranger to showcasing outdoor hockey, with Lambeau Field having played host to Wisconsin and Ohio State in 2006, while Camp Randall Stadium saw Wisconsin and Michigan compete last year.

Rumors around Madison last spring (I haven’t heard anything recently on this) is that the parties that were involved with the previous two outdoor games would be interested in having the Badgers play in a third outdoor contest at Miller Park sometime in the near future.

It would only make sense for the Milwaukee Admirals to have a game at Miller Park as well, perhaps as part of a double header (seems logical for something taking place at a baseball field).

So Roundtable…


News

Nashville Acquires Mike Fisher from Ottawa for Picks

Huge news today out of the Music City.  The Nashville Predators have acquired forward Mike Fisher from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Nashville’s first round selection in the 2011 draft and a conditional pick next year.

The move is a monumental one for the Predators, as only two players, Patric Hornqvist (16) and Sergei Kostitsyn (15), have scored more goals this season than Fisher (14).

As a player with an extensive playoff resume, Fisher brings a set of intangibles as a player that is hard to find.

The question now is which player will be moved to make room on the Predators roster for Fisher.  My guess is that Matt Halischuk will be sent back to Milwaukee, but that is simply speculation.

Coincidentally this transaction happens on the same day I write a feature on how important the Admirals have been this season in keeping Nashville alive in the Western Conference playoff race.  A curious piece of timing for the trade to say the least.

Another curiosity:  What role did Mike Fisher play in choosing his new home?  Fisher is of course married to country singer Carrie Underwood.  She may have been pushing Ottawa’s fan favorite to move south.

Combined with Chicago’s trade yesterday of Jack Skille for Michael Frolik and the Francois Beauchemin/Joffrey Lupul deal, it has certainly been an eventful couple of days around the NHL.

So Roundtable, what are your thoughts on the Mike Fisher trade?

News

AHL All-Star Commentary, A Week Too Late

I realize that February 9 is a little bit late to still be talking about the AHL All Star festivities, but unlike some of you here at the Roundtable, my schedule did not permit me to watch the game live.  Through the wonder of DVR I managed to record the game and finally found some free time this week to partake in watching it.

Ryan had a brief recap on what took place in an earlier post, but I wanted to add to that.

Milwaukee goaltender Mark Dekanich played the third period for the Western Conference and was spectacular.  Seriously, he was awesome!  Two of the saves he made in the third period bordered on ridiculous, they were that good.  Even though commentators Mike “Doc” Emrick and Craig Laughlin seemed to know little of the background of Dekanich, they were amazed by those two stops.

Linus Klasen showed some flashes playing on a line with Sergei Shirokov of the Manitoba Moose, but tried to dazzle too much and most of his plays ended up fizzling out.  Still Klasen generated a ton of positive headlines for the AHL and the Milwaukee Admirals with his shootout goal the night before in the skills competition.

All in all, it was a really fun game to watch.  There is an impressive amount of skill level throughout the AHL, as all of you Bradley Center Admirals fanatics are well aware of, and it was a delight to watch it on display in Hershey.  Say what you will about the compete level of All-Star games, but I always find the contests mesmerizing to watch.

News

Blake Geoffrion Repeats Player of the Week Honors

Looks like there is more hardware on the way for Blake Geoffrion.

The Milwaukee rookie picked up his second straight Reebok/AHL Player of the Week Award this morning.

Clearly deserving, Blake has been tearing up the offense as of late for Milwaukee.  What is more impressive, Geoffrion became the first player in 16 years to win the honor in consecutive weeks.

Congrats to Blake and congrats to the Packers for a memorable night in Dallas.

Today like everyday, is a great day to be in Wisconsin and a great day for hockey.

Game Recaps

Admirals Dominate Again, Destroy Grand Rapids 6-2

A week after decimating Peoria at home 8-1, Milwaukee let loose on the road with a spanking of Grand Rapids, 6-2.

Great night on the scoresheet for Linus Klasen (2 goals, 1 assist), Teemu Laakso (2 assists), Gabriel Bourque (2 goals), Mark Santorelli (1 goal, 1 assist) and of course red hot Blake Geoffrion (1 goal, 2 assists), who almost added another shorty late in the third period.

Remember those early season troubles/issues/struggles for Geoffrion.  Truly a thing of the past, at least for the past two weeks.  Geoffrion now has 13 points in his past four games, plus a bobblehead and an AHL Player of the Week Award.  You have to think that Nashville management is starting to take notice.

The Admirals peppered both Grand Rapids goaltenders, Jordan Pearce and Thomas McCollum, with 36 shots and produced one of their most lop-sided differentials of the season.

An unsung hero award for Dylan Hunter tonight, who I thought had a strong game.  Ditto for Aaron Johnson who finished as a plus five.

Chris Mueller had a strong effort after making an unexpected return visit to the Admirals.  Credit to him for taking his demotion in stride and playing hard tonight, like he does every night no matter what jersey he’s wearing.

Milwaukee goaltender Jeremy Smith coasted home with the win making 25 saves on 27 shots.

What can you say other than this game may have been the Admirals best road effort of the season so far.  Milwaukee ups its record to 4-2 against Grand Rapids this year and continues to keep pace with San Antonio in the West Division and Conference with two games in hand on the Rampage, who defeated Lake Erie in a shootout 5-4 tonight.

One last note, Milwaukee went 1 for 3 on the power play (and nearly 2 for 3).  Lots of good things/plays on the man advantage tonight.  Things are looking up in that department.  Perhaps that had something to do with the effort the Griffins put out in the first two periods.

Roundtable, your thoughts?

News

Mueller Re-Joins Ads

A tough week for Chris Mueller.

After an extended visit to Nashville with the Predators, forward Chris Mueller spent last weekend back with Milwaukee over the NHL’s All-Star break.

Mueller returned Nashville for this weeks slate of games.  However, today to make room for Steve Sullivan to return to the Predators’ roster, Mueller was sent back to Milwaukee.  I am not sure on the logistics, but I am assuming Chris is dressed tonight for the Admirals in Grand Rapids.

Tough break for Chris, but anytime Milwaukee can re-add its second leading goal scorer, it can’t hurt too much.