The Road to Redemption

The entertaining and enigmatic Ilya Bryzgalov is back in the NHL, but can he turn his career and the Oilers’ season around?

By Marcus White

 David E. Klutho/SI

The Edmonton Oilers made big news on Friday, as they announced the signing of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to a one-year contract. The deal is a unique opportunity for Bryzgalov and the Oilers to turn their fortunes around, but may not be the right for a lasting, beneficial relationship.

Bryzgalov is looking to prove that he is a capable starting goalie after a disastrous two-year stint in Philadelphia. Following the signing of a nine-year, $51 million contract with the Flyers prior to the 2011-12 season, Bryzgalov quickly went from prophet to punchline. Exacerbated by his quirky appearance on HBO’s 24/7 in the lead-up to the Winter Classic, Bryzgalov eventually succumbed to the pressures of his gargantuan contract and unique expectations placed on a Flyers goalie. He posted the worst numbers of his career last season in Philly, and given the Flyers’ salary-cap crunch, Philadelphia bought out Bryzgalov’s contract this past offseason.

Not all of the failures in Philadelphia were Bryzgalov’s fault, however. After losing Chris Pronger to a career-ending injury 13 games into his Flyers’ tenure, Bryzgalov was asked to stand tall behind a patchwork of blueliners missing its most important piece. In a new defensive system without the stalwart group of defensemen that he had in Phoenix, coupled with the massive pressures of his contract to succeed Ron Hextall, it’s not surprising that the Bryzgalov experiment was a failure in Philadelphia.

But in signing with the Oilers, Bryzgalov returns to the Western Conference, and the Pacific Division, where he had his greatest success as a goalie in Phoenix. While the Oilers’ divisional and conference rivals have seen pretty significant turnover since Bryzgalov signed in Philly, the cores of the conference’s major powers, such as San Jose, Vancouver, and Chicago, remain largely unchanged.

The Oilers are hoping that a return to familiar surroundings will bring the best out of Bryzgalov, and that he will provide a steady presence in the crease. Solid goaltending is something that the Oilers have lacked all season. None of Richard Bachman, Devan Dubnyk or Jason LaBarbera have goals-against-averages under three, and only Bachman has a save percentage north of the “Mendoza Line” of .900. As was the case with Bryzgalov in Philadelphia, however, those numbers aren’t just a reflection of the goaltender.

Edmonton boasts a below-average defensive core and have allowed 272 shots on goal this season, 10th-most in the league. Their blueline got much weaker when Ladislav Smid was traded to division-rival Calgary in an effort to clear salary cap space in order to sign Bryzgalov. Additionally, Bryzgalov’s career save percentage of .913 isn’t substantially better than Devan Dubnyk’s, with the incumbent Edmonton starter posting a career .911 save percentage.

Edmonton’s playoff hopes are now contingent upon Bryzgalov providing a significant upgrade in net over their current options. The Oilers were projected by many to contend for a playoff spot and finally see the efforts of a long rebuild pay off, led by their strong complement of offensive stars such as Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. But, as this season has shown, firepower up front is nothing without steady play on defense and in goal. The Oilers find their playoff hopes on life support, 14 points out of a playoff spot as of this writing. There is a lot of hockey to be played, but in a very deep conference in division, the Oilers have dug themselves a deep hole.

In returning to the comforts of the Western Conference and Pacific Division, it’s possible that Bryzgalov could see a return to form as an Oiler. But with a deep hole to climb out of in order to contend for a playoff spot and the Oilers’ weak complement of defensemen, the Oilers are asking/ hoping for too much from Bryzgalov. Unless he can play the best hockey of his career, the road to redemption for Bryzgalov and the Oilers will stop far short of an Edmonton’s first playoff berth in eight seasons.

Here We Go Again

Drawing parallels between the Flyers’ abysmal start and their worst season in franchise history

By Marcus White

The Philadelphia Flyers began the 2006-07 season 1-6-1, their worst start in franchise history. Head Coach Ken Hitchcock was fired and replaced by assistant coach and former Flyer John Stevens. Sound familiar? Seven seasons later, the Flyers find themselves in an eerily similar situation.

One win in eight games? Check.

Underperforming offense? Check.

Major questions in the crease and on the blueline? Check.

A head coach fired two seasons removed from a division title, replaced by an ex-Flyer, as is also the case with Peter Laviolette and Craig Berube? Check and check.

Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

Unlike the 2006 season, the Flyers’ general manager still has a job. Despite this, Paul Holmgren finds himself in a similar position that then-GM and Flyers’ great Bobby Clarke found himself in 2006. Holmgren, like Clarke, has yet to construct a Stanley Cup champion or solve Philly’s longstanding issues in the net, seeing a once-promising group plummet into the league’s cellar.

Additionally, a former Flyer is waiting in the wings as an assistant GM, just as Holmgren was in 2006. In a cruel bit of irony, however, the man predicted by many to replace Holmgren is the one in the crease that the Flyers under Clarke and Holmgren have struggled to replace: ex-goaltender Ron Hextall.

Not all of the similarities between the two seasons are negative, however. As they did in 2006, the Flyers have a solid core of young players that have yet to enter or are just entering their primes. In ‘06, it was the likes of Richards, Carter, Coburn and Gagne providing Flyers fans hope for the future, as Couturier, McGinn, Schenn and Giroux are now.

And while Flyers fans are still hoping for a return to the playoffs this season, a significant revamp of the squad this offseason, as was the case after ‘06, could see the team return to the league’s elite sooner rather than later.

The blueprint for a quick turnaround is there, but it needs modifications if the Flyers are to experience the peaks of sustained achievement without the valleys of failure.

Chief among them, of course, is ending the goaltending carousel that has characterized the Flyers since Hextall’s retirement in 1997 and finding a long-term solution between the pipes.

Whether the GM who finds the solution is the one who has been unable to since 2006, or the last to fill the void, remains to be seen. But, whoever is tasked with returning the Flyers to their former glory, must avoid the mistakes the team has made in the past.

Otherwise? It’ll be deja vu all over again in the City of Brotherly Love.

NHL Early Season Surprises

After Sunday, every team in the league except the Flames will have played at least seven games. In the shortened 48 game season, that’s almost fifteen percent of the schedule. Now that the 2013 campaign is two weeks old, it is time to take a look at the early surprises of the year

By Andrew Miller

Biggest Surprise: Tampa Bay Lightning

(Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)

Everyone knew Steven Stamkos would light it up as usual, following his 60 goal year by putting up 14 points in just seven games. However, Marty St Louis seems ageless by still getting the job done at 37 and Vincent Lecavalier has managed to find a resurgence in his career after not averaging a point per game since the 07-08 season. But possibly the biggest bright spot on the team may be goalie Anders Lindback holding his own in the net. Although he doesn’t have Vezina caliber numbers, for his first year as a full time starter he has been more than reliable for the Lightning. The teams six wins through seven games makes them the biggest surprise of the year so far after not making the playoffs last year.

Honorable Mention: Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks)

San Jose’s star left wing has quietly always been a reliable scorer, but in seven games, he has scored nine goals. In comparison, the Sharks have let up 12 on the season. A recipe for success starts with the Canadian scoring two goals a game for the first four games of the season. I would not expect Marleau to keep up his crazy pace, but the start lands him an honorable mention.

Biggest Disappointment: Philadelphia Flyers

My pick to win the East this year has let me down so far to this point. The Flyers have question marks everywhere. Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell combined for two points this season while Ilya Bryzgalov is still struggling to find his rhythm. It will be hard to turn it around with the Atlantic Division looking stronger than ever. Peter Laviolette has to turn this team around quickly or else the Broad Street Bullies will fade out of the playoff picture.

Honorable Mention: Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)

Alex Ovechkin burst onto the NHL scene, already winning a rookie of the year and an MVP award by the age of 25. He has yet to find his groove this season, however, only scoring two goals to go along with a lone assist. The Caps need him to wake up, as they only won twice in their first eight games. The Great Eight can heat up in a hurry and score in bunches, and I would bet that he turns it around and cracks the 20 goal mark on the year.