Toughness Preview 2006-07
After a short summer the 2006-07 NHL season has arrived. A summer of free agency, training camp cuts and the waiver wire can shake things up plenty. Here’s the hockeyfights.com toughness preview to clue you in on who’s landed where, who’s moved on and which team might become your new favorite.
Anaheim Ducks
This offseason, Anaheim elected to drop the “mighty” from their name which is ironic since the franchise is set to roll out what may be the toughest lineup in the NHL. Heavyweight Todd Fedoruk returns after thriving in his first year away from the Flyer organization in the shadow of Donald Brashear (how much do Flyer fans miss him now?!). He will have his hands full in a loaded division but has plenty of help. Defenseman Shane O’Brien makes the team as a rookie, and should bring plenty of toughness after averaging 300
PIMs and 16 fights the past two seasons in the AHL. Elsewhere, Travis Moen will add some fights on the 4th line, while ample gritty players such as Sean O’Donnell, Corey Perry, and Chris Kunitz will fight as needed. Overall, Anaheim looks to duplicate the feat of Ottawa last year: be simultaneously regarded as the toughest and best team in the NHL. Surely this Stanley Cup hopeful team will be as entertaining and fun to watch as any team in the league, no matter what type of hockey you prefer!
X-Factor: Shane O’Brien. Will he secure a top 6 spot and be as active as in the minors?
Additions: Shane O’Brien
Subtractions: Zenon Konopka
Atlanta Thrashers
The improving Thrashers will once again benefit from being in the softest division in hockey, where only one of their four foes has any threat of physical intimidation at all. Eric Boulton continues as the team’s capable heavyweight. His main support in fighting the Thrashers’ battles comes from one of the toughest defensive cores in the league. Greg de Vries, newcomer Vitaly Vishnevski, and Andy Sutton all play an
aggressive, bruising game. They are joined by two mystery-men in the fight
department. The ferocious hitting Garnet Exelby (75
PIMs, 2 fights) saw his penalty minutes and fights decrease dramatically from his rookie year (134
PIMs, 9 fights). Even more staggering was Shane Hnidy, who after averaging a fight every eight games for his career, managed only one in a 66 game campaign in 05-06. Bruising defenseman Braydon Coburn had hoped to make the team before a separated shoulder derailed that late in pre-season, but look for him or heavyweight Boris Valabik to get a defensive call up should an injury occur. If Boulton is a mainstay in the lineup, and all their
defensemen return to the style of play they are capable of, the Thrashers could be a
scary team to enter the offensive zone against.
X-Factor: Garnet Exelby. Will he decide to return to his roughshod play of his rookie year?
Additions: None
Subtractions: Ron Petrovicky
Boston Bruins
The days of Colton Orr being the town sheriff are now officially in the past as the Bruins went out and signed tough defenseman Wade Brookbank to a two-way contract this summer. With the defense already being just about set, Brookbank has seen time on the wing during the preseason. The Bruins also picked up marquee blueliner Zdeno Chara on the very first day of free agency. The 6’9″ monster will be far from a liability on the ice and has the ability to throw down when needed though it is uncertain whether Dave Lewis will promote Chara dropping the gloves or advise him to shy away from it. The Bruins also have other players with fighting ability in the form of Andrew Alberts and Wayne Primeau if needed.
X-Factor: Wade Brookbank. Will Brookbank be able to see enough ice time and produce enough so he won’t be sent down to Providence? Only time will tell…
Additions: Wade Brookbank, Zdeno Chara
Subtractions: Dan LaCouture, Brad Isbister, Nick Boynton
Buffalo Sabres
Andrew Peters again is slotted to be the Sabres heavyweight but this time, head coach Lindy Ruff has vowed to play the heavyweight 60-70 games after a season in which he was scratched for all but a handful. That would greatly raise the toughness of the squad from a year ago, especially since veteran fourth line forward Adam Mair is healthy and ready to go. Paul Gaustad also returns and will chip in a few fights and points from the center position. Several things to watch are how active and
aggressive Mair is coming back from concussion problems and how the budding rivalry between Peters and McGrattan will unfold. No doubt McGrattan will be hungry for revenge on the man who laid a beating on him at the end of 05-06 in the third of their three fight series. Unfortunately for the organization, there was no room at the NHL level for
feisty forward Chris Thorburn and they lost him on waivers to Pittsburgh, but the team still looks to have what it takes to play in the tough Northeast Division.
X-Factor: Andrew Peters. Will Lindy Ruff stick to his word and play him 60-70 games this year?
Additions: None
Subtractions: Jay McKee
Calgary Flames
The always gritty Flames continue their pattern of dressing a team that combines toughness and skill, but unfortunately they have neglected to include a heavyweight fighter. Gone is heavyweight Chris Simon, while off-season signing Eric Godard surprisingly did not make
the team. The aging Darren McCarty will still be around for the day-to-day enforcing and just about every other forward will drop the gloves if need be, but no one can stand up to the heavyweights of the conference. The defense is one of the toughest units around, anchored by first year phenom Dion Phaneuf and supplemented by other tough customers. Brandon Prust is a great light-heavyweight who has impressed the organization but has been squeezed out by the Flames’ forward depth. Nevertheless, he should get a cup of coffee during the year and make some noise before landing McCarty’s job in 2007-08.
X-Factor: Brandon Prust. Will he and his 30-fight per year mentality get the call this season? One injury will open the door.
Additions: None
Subtractions: Chris Simon, Bryan Marchment
Carolina Hurricanes
The defending Stanley Cup champs have had a rough road in the off-season, and will have a struggle ahead of them if they are to repeat. Even more daunting of a task is improving the lack of protection in their lineup, where Mike Commodore will attempt at being the designated enforcer for a full year. Though his breakout performance last year was impressive, he should not be a primary fighting option. Newly acquired Tim Gleason will add another middleweight option on the blueline, while players like Scott Walker and Craig Adams will chip in a bit. However, the Hurricane stars will have a tough time should opposing teams desire to play rough or cheap shot them. Jesse Boulerice and Stephen Peat await in the AHL, waiting for the call-up to protect the troops. Some fans fail to see why Boulerice wasn’t kept around to keep teams honest, especially after management praised his efforts on improving his game before re-assigning him.
X-Factor: Jesse Boulerice. Will the Hurricanes be forced to bring him up from the minors?
Additions: Tim Gleason, Scott Walker
Subtractions: None
Chicago Blackhawks
After taking an impressive decision from Derek Boogaard in pre-season, veteran Reed Low pulled off a shocking return to the NHL. Although not one of the more agile enforcers, his willingness to stick up for his teammates is something Chicago must have deemed necessary after watching star center Tuomo Ruutu go down for 4 weeks after a cheapshot from Blue Jacket Rostislav Klesla. How long Low will stick around the NHL is anyone’s guess, but it must feel good for the veteran after a miserable 05-06 campaign in which he was sent to the minors only to have his jaw broken by Garrett Burnett. The Hawks still also have Jim Vandermeer who will be much more comfortable in the secondary fighter role with Low around. Several gritty forwards like Martin Lapointe will help out with the toughness. While losing quality tough players like Matthew Barnaby and Mark Bell will take a toll, the addition of Low ensures that the Hawks will not be pushovers.
X-Factor: Reed Low. Are you kidding me? How long will this pleasant surprise last in the new-NHL?
Additions: Reed Low
Subtractions: Matt Barnaby, Mark Bell
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche toughness went on a roller-coaster ride this fall. First veteran tough guy Brad May underwent what will likely be season-ending shoulder surgery (and perhaps career-ending) leaving the team in a very depleted state. Then, just days before the regular season, George Parros was claimed off waivers from the Kings giving the team the heavyweight presence they need to protect an otherwise soft lineup. The departures of Dan Hinote and Bob Boughner leave the Avalanche stripped of role players from their lineup. However, Parros will be supported by the feisty forward Ian Laperriere and reserve winger Cody McCormick who may have been promoted to be May’s replacement if he had been more impressive filling in last year. In the weakened Northwest division, the Avalanche have addressed the toughness issue just enough to get by with acceptable marks at the beginning of the season.
X-Factor: George Parros. Will he continue to improve as a player and fighter in his sophomore season?
Additions: George Parros
Subtractions: Brad May (shoulder surgery, out 4-6 months), Bob Boughner, Dan Hinote
Columbus Blue Jackets
Jody Shelley enters his 5th year of enforcing for the Blue Jackets in 06-07, making him the longest tenured enforcer of any NHL team along with Toronto’s Wade Belak. He has a supporting cast of a few tough players who may drop the gloves once or twice during the season if the need arises: Ron Hainsey, Adam Foote, Duvie Westcott, and Jason Chimera. Expect Shelley to do an admirable job patrolling the ice while getting his usual 4th line minutes. It will be interesting to see if he can build on his most consistent year yet and break into top 10 heavyweight lists everywhere.
X-Factor: An Injury to Shelley. The only way Columbus could surprise us this year is if Shelley gets a rare injury and Brandon Sugden is unleashed on the NHL.
Additions: None
Subtractions: Michael Rupp
Dallas Stars
In a division overflowing with heavyweights, the Stars elected to forego a big man and counter with a collection of lightweights and gritty forwards. Matthew Barnaby joins the team as another agitating middleweight to go along with the always active Steve Ott. The crumbling body of Eric Lindros also signs on, providing another power forward to go along with Brenden Morrow. It will be interesting to see what happens should opponents start to play rough against Lindros. Barnaby is willing to fight much bigger men, as evidenced again this preseason in his bout vs. 6’8″ Mitch Fritz, but is certainly not a deterrent. Some players on the roster should practice fighting because if things get ugly with the tougher teams in the division, they will have to answer with team warfare.
X-Factor: Eric Lindros. How ferociously will he play and how ferociously will the Stars protect him?
Additions: Matthew Barnaby, Eric Lindros
Subtractions: Bill Guerin, Nathan Perrott, Jeremy Stevenson
Detroit Red Wings
Having made a reputation as the softest team in the NHL for the better part of a decade, Detroit took the ultimate plunge last year relying mainly on aging winger Brendan Shanahan in the fight department and amassing a paltry 6 fighting majors — shattering Ottawa’s record of 14. This year, after Shanahan signed with the Rangers, they made the unlikely move of keeping veteran defenseman Brad Norton around to serve as policeman. Though Norton will likely spend a good portion of his time in Detroit sitting in the
press box, he can hopefully be inserted into the lineup for rivalry games to give the Wings some semblance of toughness. However, the team foolishly sent Darryl Bootland back to the minors. Surely this tough customer has enough skill to be on the 4th line and provide Detroit with some toughness (56 points, 26 fights last year in the AHL) in a division that suddenly has bulked up. But, barring a mid-season
call-up, Detroit fans will have to endure another year in which they may challenge their own record for fighting futility.
X-Factor: Darryl Bootland. The Obi-Wan Kanobi of Detroit–help the Wings fans Darryl, you’re their only hope…
Additions: Brad Norton
Subtractions: Brendan Shanahan
Edmonton Oilers
Toughness will be a major issue on a championship caliber team with few other holes. Eight year Oilers veteran Georges Laraque, the reigning heavyweight champion of the NHL, sadly was forced to leave. The Oilers elected not to replace him in favor of a team toughness approach in the new-NHL. A collection of players such as Ethan Moreau, Jason Smith and Matt Greene will have to deal with any rough stuff that comes the Oilers way. The team will be way over their head if a game gets out of hand, especially during the Battle of Alberta, scheduled for eight times a year. Brad Winchester, whose stock has fallen of late, will likely be the team’s benchwarmer or form of trade bait due to a one-way contract that has kept him from being sent to the AHL. He could get a chance if the Oilers get pushed around too much. Jean-Francois Jacques can fight a bit as well and the so-called ‘Crazy Train’ is knocking on the door of the fourth line. Still, for the first time since 1997 opposing players won’t see Big Georges on the Edmonton bench. The organization and fans probably can’t even remember what it feels like to have open season against their stars, but will have a taste of it soon.
X-Factor: Edmonton Fans. Will there be outrage when the Oilers start getting run and there is no Laraque to settle things? Management might be forced to consider dressing a tough guy.
Additions: Jean-Francois Jacques
Subtractions: Georges Laraque
Florida Panthers
Though still without a heavyweight since the trade of Eric Cairns, the Panthers have done a bit to bolster their concept of team toughness. The arrival of lightning-rod Todd Bertuzzi gives them a solid power-forward to go along with other rugged forwards such as Gary Roberts, Chris Gratton, and Nathan Horton. Bryan Allen and Ruslan Salei similarly added some more grit to the blueline, where Steve Montador returns as the team’s most likely fighter. He may struggle to find playing time until the seemingly inevitable season-ending injury to Branislav Mezei occurs. Though the lineup may be par for the course in the Southeast, the lack of a true heavyweight to dress
occasionally will hurt the team when playing Washington or non-divisional games.
X-Factor: Steve Montador. How will he fair as the top fighter on a team for a full year?
Additions: Bryan Allen, Todd Bertuzzi
Subtractions: None
Los Angeles Kings
The Kings pulled off a shocker in waiving George Parros before the regular season in favor of keeping the hulking Raitis Ivanans around in the enforcer position. Parros had a steadily improving year in 05-06 in which he was able to make modest contributions and hang with the heavyweights by year’s end. His replacement is more of a pure fighter, and a much better one, though his hockey skills are suspect. His fearsome presence will be needed on a team with super-pest Sean Avery continually earning the ire of opposing teams. Also around are 3rd and 4th liners Scott Thornton, Jeff Cowan and Tom Kostopoulos who are either aging or unable to fight very well. If Ivanans stays though, the team looks fairly tough on paper, even in the toughest division in the league. Ivanans will certainly be looking to capitalize on a rare 2nd opportunity
after bowing out of his first shot at the NHL courtesy of Zdeno Chara and a late punch that gave him a broken face in his first NHL fight.
X-Factor: Raitis Ivanans. Has this European monster improved his game enough to make an impact this year?
Additions: Raitis Ivanans
Subtractions: George Parros, Tim Gleason
Minnesota Wild
Seemingly overnight, all of super-heavyweight Derek Boogaard‘s divisional competition vanished. The
monstrous forward will be on the Wild roster, but may have diminished playing time because it seems there are few in the division who will dare fight him. This leaves Minnesota in a predicament because they have virtually no toughness outside of one heavyweight whose effectiveness is greatly
diminished in the new-NHL which frowns on forcing people to fight. Other fighting options, such as Scott Ferguson, Alex Henry and Kyle Wanvig have all moved on. It seems as if the ample middleweights of the Northwest division, protected by a soft Wild squad on one side and legislation that will keep Boogaard from
instigating a fight with them on the other, will have a field day picking on the Wild all year long unless their toughness is addressed.
X-Factor: Derek Boogaard. Can he find dance-partners in a weakened division and what will the encore to his TKO-laden freshman year be?
Additions: None
Subtractions: Alex Henry, Kyle Wanvig
Montreal Canadiens
While the Habs sport an average heavyweight in Aaron Downey, his supporting cast is a solid mix of young and veteran light-heavyweights and middleweights who won’t shy away from helping Downey out when the time comes. Sheldon Souray, Garth Murray, Craig Rivet, Steve Begin all are returning from last season and provide an alternative for the other smaller fighters in the league to consider. The largest question mark remains Downey himself, as he
struggled through a miserable 05-06 season marred by inactivity and frequent TKOs at the hands of his opponents.
X-Factor: Aaron Downey. Will Downey be able to rebound from a very disappointing 2005-06 in which he took more than a couple brutal losses?
Additions: None
Subtractions: Todd Simpson
Nashville Predators
Nashville again gets set to ice a feisty team, with an abundance of scrappy forwards vying for the final few spots on the 3rd and 4th lines. Among these are heavyweight Darcy Hordichuk, Jordin Tootoo and his freight-train hits, and Scott Nichol. The team also moved to bulk up their defense, having lost their trade-deadline rental Brendan Witt. In comes Alex Henry,
a stay-at-home defenseman with heavyweight size from Minnesota. Massive
defenseman Nolan Yonkman also arrives from the Capitals organization, but he will start in the AHL. Even if he does not get called up though, the team is in good shape in the toughness department with the exciting Hordichuk leading a tough group of guys.
X-Factor: Jordin Tootoo. How many fights, brawls and general trouble can he start with his super-aggressive play for the year?
Additions: Alex Henry
Subtractions: Jeremy Stevenson
New Jersey Devils
Although enveloped in serious salary cap issues, the Devils are set to ice one of the tougher teams in the East. Rookie sensation Cam Janssen returns with a full-time job and should provide the team with limitless energy, excellent hitting, and about 20 scraps in the upcoming year. A strong supporting cast includes Dan LaCouture, Colin White, Michael Rupp, and David Hale. They should have more than enough firepower to handle their divisional foes with their excellent team-toughness and group of willing fighters, even with the surprising release of forward Grant Marshall.
X-Factor: Cam Janssen. Just how much mayhem can this wild-man rack up in a tamer NHL? It should be fun to watch.
Additions: Dan LaCouture
Subtractions: Grant Marshall
New York Islanders
Ownership has been making most of the headlines for the tumultuous Isles franchise of late with the promoting of one goaltender to general manager and the signing of another to a 15-year contract. The Isles’ toughness department is also in a state of flux, with tough guys Eric Godard and John Erskine being let go. Filling the void is veteran heavyweight Chris Simon, who is less one-dimensional than his predecessor. Witt takes over as the physical d-man, and is certainly an upgrade over Erskine as a player, but will only fight a few times a year. Arron Asham remains one of the top middleweights in the league. Although a lot depends on which version of Chris S
