2008 Season Thoughts: TheFoss
Brief Team Summary: We entered the season with some question marks, Kane/Toews/Sharp looked to be the only established line from 2007-2009. There was an over under of about 2 months on Havlat's shoulder, and we waived Khabibulin looking to move him.
Bolland, Brouwer,Versteeg, Burish, Eager, Skille, Buff, Fraser, and Ladd all looked like they were going to be rotating and interchangeable bottom 6 forwards or were complete unknowns. And the inconsistent scoring that plagued 2007-8 seemed a real possibility.
Goaltending was Huet's job to lose, ‘Bulin had been sent home. Crawford/Niemi were both considered for backup.
Defense looked to be a relative strength...SeaKeith had been a growing unit for years. Campbell was supposed to be a PP God, Barker and Wiz were experienced younger D-Men. And Walker and Aaron J were supposed to battle for the #6 spot. Hammer and Hendry both had shown some promise in prior callups.
Savard had coached a 17 point improvement in 2007-8 and the team looked poised to, at least, compete for the #8 spot in the West. Only the most optimistic fan had hopes for even the 7th seed.
Unable to move Khabibulin, we broke camp with him remaining on the roster as backup.
Extremely early in the season, after some mixed (but not truly terrible) results, the move was made to dump Savard for Q, and offensively we picked up the tempo, to become a surprisingly high scoring team. Good enough D and Goaltending, with BOTH Khabibulin and Huet in a rotation of sorts took us ALL THE WAY TO THIRD PLACE IN THE CONFERENCE STANDINGS! However, due to winning a lame division, Vancouver claimed the 3rd seed for the playoffs.
Individual Breakdown:
Forwards:
Toews...After a slow start he gained confidence and momentum. 34G 35A +12 solid on PK and PP...an excellent 2nd year, and seemed to get accustomed to being the team spokesman/leader. Only horrendous mutton chop playoff “beard” could be cause for criticism.
Kane...Inconsistant effort on D at times, and occasionally undisciplined, he spent some time in Q's doghouse for careless stick penalties. Offensively, he was solid 25G 45A -2, but too often he'd overpass, or hesitate to shoot. Only Havlat showed himself as a more dominante playmaker. Kane's playoff “beard” was pathetic. Weight room and better D ethic will go a long way for the kid.
Sharp...Needed to prove that last year wasn't a fluke...he passed the test. Even though he missed a few games due to injury, Sharp surprised by coming back for a solid finish. 26G 18A +6 Sharp didn't get the Selke mentions that he got last season, but still was a solid two-way guy, and good leader, deserves to keep the A.
Havlat...Jesus Christ Havlat showed the ability to dominate puck possession over and over this year. Surprisingly, to me, at least, he also showed himself to be an EXCELLENT two-way guy. Once teamed with Ladd/Bolland, Havlat was a key member of our top DEFENSIVE line! And dig thes stats from a guy often matched against opponent top liners: 29G 48A +29! Easily our best creator with the puck on his stick. A cheap head shot ended his season, and he is to be a UFA, Some hard choices have to be made.
Bolland...Was tabbed to be a 3rd of 4th line center, Bolland ended up on our 2nd best line, which was used as a checking line anyway. 19G 28A +19, checking top lines, Bolland was solid. Was good on the PK fair on the 2nd unit PP. Where he was weak was Faceoff pct. Bolland is an RFA that is nearly imperative to re-sign.
Ladd...A kind of breakout year for Ladd. Solid defensively and consistant effort, he won battles in the corners for Havlat and Bolland all year. 15G 34A +26 also often against opponent top lines. Solid on the PK, I look for him to continue to improve.
Buff...Floated some, but was still learning his craft as a forward. Buff turned into Kiprusoff's and Luongo's nightmare before disappearing against the Wangs. 15G 16A +7, he needs to work on his hands, to finish better around the net.
Versteeg...a Calder finalist, Versteeg showed flashes of brilliance, but then countered them with flashes of selfish stupidity! A reasonably talented and physical player, he had 22G 31A +15, showing that he's got the tools, but does he have the head and a winning attitude? He bounced between C and Wing, Versteeg has got to be a winger to be successful. An RFA, and a hard decision for the ‘Hawk brass.
Pahlsson...a trade deadline acquirement, he battled illness to even get into the lineup. 2G 1A -1, he was supposed to be the playoff addition we needed because of Faceoff pct., but as an UFA, he did not make enough of an impression to warrant overpaying.
Bouwer...I know Soul loves the guy, but he didn't really catch my eye. He gave good effort, but was bounced from line to line, and didn't really seem to click with any...10G 16A +7 was ok for a 3/4thliner, but not good enough for the amount of time he played with Kane/Toews. Another tough decision RFA.
Eager...I described him as our truly loose cannon, at times completely undisciplined, multiple misconducts in the playoffs usually denotes a lack of focus on the positive aspects of the game. Eager was an agitator and a ferocious forechecker. 11G 4A +1. An RFA that may not get the payday he would like.
Burish...Our resident agitator, he really did nothing statistic's-wise for the first half of the year, yet at times, he was our best forward in playoff games, like Eager, a relentless forechecker. 6G 3A +3. He needs, even as a 4th liner to get to double digits in points.
Fraser...Was displaced by Pahlsson's arrival, I saw more upside in Fraser. A scrappy 4th liner, he had chemistry with Eager/Burish. 6G 11A +3. An RFA also...
Defensemen:
Keith...Norris good all year, but heavy minutes wore him down for playoffs. 8G 36A +33..we didn't need to add Campbell, we had better all along. Easily our best D man, especially in transition D. I look for a Norris for Keith within 3 years, and he deserves the A for leadership through effort.
Seabrook...Our best D-man in zone, and best at adjusting from physical to positional play. 8G 18A +23. PP Point play was good too. Didn't wear down as bad as his partner.
Seakeith as a tandem have always shown amazing synergy, and have been the envy of every away announcer. Often referred to as the best young D-pair in the league. Individually and collectively they make good decisions and cover for each others rare lapses in an incredible way.
Campbell...A $7.14million disaster until 2014! This fan has no use for Defensemen that don't commit to playing D. Bad decisions, bad passes, bad turnovers, and the guy insists that he'd do nothing different. He DOES have some skating/passing talent, 7G 45A +5, but the timing of his lapses killed this squad, especially in the pressure cooker of the playoffs. He must improve the TOs and must recognize that he can't afford to get caught so deep every time. I wasn't as impressed with him on the PP point as I was Seakeith or even Barker. Simple commitment to playing D though might salvage something from the guy.
Barker...Improved in some areas of positioning, but still not as consistant in effort as one would like. Pretty good on the PP. 6G 34A -6, and an RFA, perhaps the toughest decision the front office must make.
Walker...Good heart, terrible wheels. 1G 13A +7, a UFA...adios Matt!
Aaron Johnson...Apparently not trusted for the playoffs, he actually had an amazingly solid year for a 3rd pair guy. 3G 5A +19. UFA though, probably gone.
Hjalmarsson...Rushed a little when Wiz dumped. An unphysical D-Man, he needs to watch films of Keith to see how to play that way and be consistently effective. Good wheels. 1G 2A +4. Still learning his craft.
Quick note on Wiz...solid, physical, good PP and PK 2G 11A +6 in 31 games, and RFA and a RIGHT shot....
Goaltending:
Khabibulin...From waiver wires to perhaps MVP of this team. He did battle some injuries. 25-8-7 .919 save% 2.33GAA. I thought he was solid the entire term of his contract, except for the first year, when he had to work back into shape. A UFA Das Vidanya! Nik!
Huet...Good in-season streak, but was clearly #2 to Khabibulin. 20-15-4 .909 save% 2.53GAA. Job is his to win or lose again at camp.
Coaching:
Q came into a tough situation...he WASN'T the coach during camp, so adjustments had to be made on the fly. While I had some quibbles with some decisions (like why the man-crush on Walker)...I'd like to see what he could do from camp day 1.
Savvy...Maybe overmatched as a coach, perhaps not, but certainly DT and/or Scotty stuck a knife in his back...he is STILL an bigger man, and a ‘Hawk legend.
Conclusion:
Many FA decisions need to be worked out even to keep the bulk of this squad together...so we enjoyed a great run, but, the decisions going onward still rest in the hands of a guy that I will NEVER have confidence in, Dale Tallon. But, until the RFA period shakes out, it is nearly impossible to project for next year, as we will have to see what pieces stay in play.