Can Dallas count on Turco and Lehtonen in net?

Is there a way for the Dallas Stars to climb out of being outside the playoff picture and back into the slot to get their first playoff in two seasons? Well, we can either make good predictions on it or they are bad ideas on this. This all starts with Alex Auld. According to ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett, Alex Auld has been cut by the Stars and that the Stars will not likely trade Marty Turco. This was mentioned by general manager Joe Nieuwendyk and that Marty Turco is 4-1-1 in his last six games that went into the Olympic break. So, is this a good thing or is this a bad thing? Well, from my experience watching Marty Turco play, I've seen him go on hot streaks and then immediately give up and let teams beat him night after night. This might give Dallas some nightmares but it might also be some hope. He was a top ten goaltender a few seasons ago and he's still showing he can be up there. For Kari Lehtonen, I'm not sure what I'll see out of him. He'll probably do well, but he came from the Atlanta Thrashers, and the Thrashers do not have good goaltending there, having to rely on Johan Hedburg and Ondrej Pavelec, now that they've traded Lehtonen. But I bet Marty Turco can do a good job. Let's see how well he does and maybe he will get this team back to the playoffs. It's a matter of chance of trying to beat Detroit, Calgary, and Anaheim for the eighth seed and a chance to play the Sharks or Blackhawks.

Should Mikhail Grabovski Leave Toronto?

So, I've talked about the Toronto Maple Leafs. I've talked about the trades they were involved in that resulted in them getting J.S. Giguere from Anaheim and Dion Phaneuf from Calgary. What more could they get? Well, it's actually not a trade that they got. It was actually one of their players getting arrested. Mikhail Grabovski, a player who is with Toronto, got arrested in Vancouver after a street scuffle. He had been out since January 2nd with a broken wrist and was up in Vancouver to root for the Belarus hockey team. He was released on Saturday to his parents. Now here come the question. Is he a big problem now for Toronto and if he is, should he be traded or released? Well, I'm not sure on this one, but Grabovski has given himself a bad image on the hockey world. There is a possibility he will be traded due to this altercation, but let's not think that he will in fact be traded. There are many good teams out there for him, but with this type of publicity, it might affect how other teams look at him. We're not going to be sure what will happen until he is charged with involvement in this, but it will not bright and lively for him, unless he came overcome this altercation and get himself recovering from his wrist injury and playing on the ice again.

Is Khabibulin worth the risk for Edmonton?

Since when do people who've had recent surgery get arrested for DUI? Apparently, you can point to Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin for being one of those people. He is facing DUI and speeding charges in Arizona. He has played for the Phoenix Coyotes for some time before jumping to other teams and finally landing in Edmonton. However, he still owns a home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Now I ask this question: Should the Edmonton Oilers trade or release Nikolai Khabibulin for this? I would not think so, but you never know what Oilers management might pull up their sleeve. They have the worst record in the NHL and are sitting on the bottom with only 44 points. But this is not his fault. This terrible play started when Khabibulin was injured, and now Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers have been pulling the goaltender work for the Oilers. It is not safe to say they will be the goaltenders for the Oilers this season. After all, Khabibulin did sign a four-year deal with them in the off-season. I don't believe he will go anywhere, but this arrest might affect his return to Edmonton in the coming weeks. So let's not give you on Khabibulin yet. Even though he is facing charges, he can still produce, even when he comes back. It's just a matter of when the Edmonton Oilers will get back on track.

Did Toronto Actually Improve?

While we seem to believe that the trades which landed J.S. Giguere and Dion Phaneuf in Toronto actually gave hope to Leaf Nation, it didn't do it for the first few days. The Maple Leafs are 2-2 with their new acquisitions. But Giguere has been able to hold the fort in Toronto, posting two shutouts over the Devils and Senators before finally allowing one against the Sharks in a 3-2 loss at Air Canada Centre. We should credit Giguere with some brilliance over the last few days. But is Toronto actually a better team than we saw before? Absolutely. We have seen better play from their defense thanks to Dion Phaneuf, while the offense has picked themselves up and gotten a few goals into the net. They played well against the Sharks and even outcompeted them in some categories but it was the defense that broke down. So perhaps the defense is starting to fall apart. Or is it? Well, keep watching, and I'll do the same, because if the defense does fall apart again, it will make it very hard for the Maple Leafs to acquire the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Saints vs. Colts: My Pick

So it has come down to this. All of America will be sitting down in their living rooms and on their coffee tables, piles and piles of food stacked from one end of the table to the other. They'll be watching the Colts and Saints get together at 3:00 PST to battle it out for the ultimate prize. That's right. It's the Super Bowl, the granddady of them all. So who's going to win? The Saints have come a long way and they want to give something back to New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina disaster, while the Colts have won one before and they have Peyton Manning at quarterback. Drew Brees leads a spectacular New Orleans offense. So you want to know my pick? Well, there are many of my friends who have picked the Saints, becaus the think that the underdog will always win, which was the case for the Giants two superbowls ago. But I'm not going to go to the underdog here. I'm picking the Colts, because I think they have the most complete offense and defense. Sure Dwight Freeney is injured and is questionable to play, but I think he will and he'll do an outstanding job. Peyton Manning will also be great in this game. So let's kick up the feet, gather some food, and watch the Super Bowl. It's Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans in the Super Bowl!!