Five More Years, Jamie Benn!!

Hot off the press! Hot off the press! Well, hot off my USA Today app anyway. Looks like Jamie Benn isn't leaving Dallas anytime soon. The star winger for the Dallas Stars has signed a five-year, $26.25 million contract and will get $5.25 million a year.

Benn is entering his fourth year in the NHL and he is only 23, two years older than I am. Throughout his career, his points total has increased from 41 to 56 to 63 and he is the only player in Stars history to earn 100 points before he turned 23. He is second on the team last season in goals with 26, and points with 63.

Last season, in the All-Star Game in Ottawa, he won the accuracy shooting contest as part of the skills competiton. The expectation this season is that Benn will play with new teammate Jaromir Jagr once he is back in the lineup. He played in Hamburg during the lockout and came back before it was all settled and done.

Joe Nieuwendyk, GM for the Stars, released this message about Benn. "He has proven in his short, but very productive NHL career, that he is not only this franchise's cornerstone player, but also an emerging superstar in the league."

I agree with Nieuwendyk. Benn has certainly earned this contract. Although they haven't made the playoffs yet, I think that Benn can carry this team to their first playoffs since the 2007-08 season, when they got to the Western Conference Finals and lost to Detroit. His stellar play and his magnificent skating ability certainly make him a viable option for this young and improving team. I see the Dallas Stars making the playoffs this season and with this guy locked down for another five years, I think they have the potential to do it not only this season, but for many seasons to come.

The Stars are facing the Blackhawks tonight. Another win to get to 3-1-0 can certainly help the chances for this Stars team.

Should the Kings, Red Wings, and Other Teams Be Worried About Slow Starts?

Slow starts. They happen to every team and there are many teams out there that are dealing with. Two of these teams are the Stanley Cup Champion Kings and the Red Wings. Let's see where they are and where they are going, starting with the Kings.

At this start to the season, I would've never expected for the Kings to loss back-to-back games, starting with the opener against the Blackhawks and then just two nights ago against the Avs. They are winless so far this season and they play the Oilers up in Edmonton tonight. And they might've just lost Matt Greene for the entire season, which will hurt the defense, which Jonathan Quick relies on at times to bail him out of certain situations. This is also gonna hurt because their schedule could get tougher as the season rolls along after Edmonton tonight: at Phoenix, then home vs Vancouver and Nashville (both of teams I'll cover in a minute). This is not a tough schedule, but a poor defense could hurt them against these teams long-term. Guys like Drew Doughty and Rob Scuderi are gonna have to pick up that core of the defensive unit if they want to get anywhere long-term. Right now, it's not looking good and the only way they can get back up is to increase their defensive production and provide Quick with some relief, or wait for a good trade to get a really good defenseman. Those are the options. We'll see after tonight what happens to this team.

Another team that is struggling to find the back of the net and win is the Detroit Red Wings. Now let's get this straight: This is THE NHL's team and have fallen hard after their loss to Dallas a few nights ago. Right now, a lot of their players are out including defensemen Carlo Colaiacovo and Jonathan Ericsson, as well as forwards Todd Bertuzzi and Darren Helm. This team is trying to deal with the retirement of long-time captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Jimmy Howard offered this: "We've had a new lineup every single game, and the continuity just isn't there yet." Uh-oh. When your goaltender says that and criticizes the plan, you know you need to find a rhythm and that's what Mike Babcock really needs to do right now to survive to get into the playoffs this season.

Now to the Nashville Predators. I do believe this team still has life in it. They beat Minnesota a few days ago and that was just the beginning. They are 1-0-2, but hey at least they haven't lost a game in regulation and have gained points in their three games. There is nothing major to come of this right now, but if this team does not pick up the pace and win some more games, it might mean nothing for the rest of the season. The Western Conference is very tough. If Nashville falls behind, they might not climb up well enough to make it to the playoffs.

The Vancouver Canucks seem to be stable right now. They are so far 1-1-1 after a big shootout win over Calgary at home. Tomorrow they face the Ducks, who have already beaten them badly in the opener. Ryan Kesler and David Booth are still out of the lineup for this team. Beating Anaheim is a lot tougher than it looks right now for the Canucks and their blue line seems to be taking hit after hit at times in their first three games. So far, they look stable. One wrong move, they could be at the bottom of the pile. But right now, they need to take it game by game if they want to stay ahead of other teams in the Western Conference.

Yes, slow starts and coaches are worried about the consequences that come about when you have a slow start. Here's a little piece from NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, who was a former coach. "Slow starts will hurt you if you have not stabilized things by Game 10. If your team still does not have an identity by Game 10, you are going to be in rough shape."

Well. Here's good news for the teams with slow starts. We're only 3 to 4 games in. So there's plenty of time to turn things back and pick themselves back up. Some teams might get it, others won't. Here's my list of teams that will and won't turn it around. See if you agree with the list, puckheads.

Teams that will turn it around:
Los Angeles Kings
Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver Canucks
Washington Capitals
New York Rangers

Teams that won't turn it around:
Philadelphia Flyers
Toronto Maple Leafs
Colorado Avalanche             

Lupul and Hartnell: Big Losses?

Well, fans, it's already been one big start to the season. The Stars are a surprising 2-1. The Sharks look like the old Sharks. And the Red Wings...well...they could be better honestly. But just like any great team and its players, you're gonna have a couple that are going to get injured and be out long-term. Well, that's unfortunately what happened to two players, one on the Maple Leafs and one on the Flyers.

Let's start with the Maple Leafs. Their winger Joffrey Lupul, who was signed to a five-year extension earlier this week, will be out at least six weeks due to a broken arm sustained on a Dion Phaneuf shot. To replace him for those weeks, Matt Frattin was called up from the Marlies and Clarke MacArthur, a former Sabres, is inserted onto the top line that includes Phil Kessel.

Now for the Flyers. Scott Hartnell is less certain, however. He was hit by Kimmo Timonen's shot Wednesday night and unfortunately there is no clear date as to when he will be able to get back onto the ice. Here's the statement Flyers GM Paul Holmgren told Philadelphia reporters. "We're talking with the doctors on what's the best way to proceed in terms of how to approach this." This was bad enough for the Flyers, who had to juggle up their line combinations because of Brayden Schenn's one-game suspension. Claude Giroux was playing on a top line that featured Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read. It also states that because of this injury, they'll probably bring back Mike Knuble, who played the past three seasons for the Washington Capitals.

This is gonna hurt, I will say. Joffrey Lupul is one of the top wingers that the Leafs and without him, they're not gonna be able to get much production out of their top line. They're gonna need Clarke MacArthur and many other players, like James Van Riemsdyk, Dion Phaneuf, Phil Kessel, and Colton Orr to step up and produce. Right now, they are 2-1-0. They're not out of it, so they need production right now to bolster this crippled offense. And it's not looking good tonight, because they're trailing the Islanders 5-3 and there's a chance they could drop to 2-2-0. Stay tuned tomorrow for more info.

Let's move on to my analysis on the Flyers, because this is already a mess just waiting to become something worse. They are 0-3-0 and still in the ditch of the Atlantic Division. If Hartnell is out long-term, I don't see this team going anywhere soon and their schedule gets tougher with a visit by the Rangers and a trip to Florida to play the Panthers and Lightning. If they want to win, Claude Giroux will have to produce, as well as Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen. Chris Pronger's already out and so is Danny Briere. This team has already been hit by injury bugs and it'll get worse if Hartnell is out for a long-term period of time. I could say they could be 2-7-0 by the end of their road trip on February 1st. After that, we'll see what happens.

It may be a short season but injuries are piling up. The Flyers and the Maple Leafs have a lot of ground to cover to make up for the loss of injuries. If I had to pick who's in a better position, it would be the Leafs because they have some of their stars on the ice and they play an easier schedule. The Flyers have a long trek to cover and plenty of tough teams to face. It'll make for an interesting week, puckheads. What do you think? Will the Flyers be able to survive long term without Hartnell? Will the Maple Leafs be able to keep it up without Lupul?

Brian Burke Out as Leafs GM

Well, puck heads, since the lockout is over, players are returning to the ice and general managers are trying to beef up their team with players so that they have a great season. Well, unfortunately, for one GM, he won't be calling the shots anymore in terms of players and trades.

That's right. The Toronto Maple Leafs, a team I worship at times and has great colors and a retro look, have fired general manager Brian Burke. He was also relieved as president, but will remain as a senior advisor to the Maple Leafs' board. He has been with Toronto since November 29, 2008 but was not able to bring Toronto to the playoffs in his years as the Leafs GM.

The Leafs have not made the playoffs since the 2003-04 season and now they will hope that the former GM of the Vancouver Canucks, Dave Nonis, will lead them to that playoff appearance. Nonis was the team's senior vice president of hockey operations, but now he'll be under more pressure as the new GM to bring in the right players so that coach Randy Carlyle can effectively guide the team to the playoffs.

You may recall the Leafs changed owners in June but the timing of this firing might come as a surprise to people, considering the fact that training camps are due to start on Sunday and that the season will start next week on Jan. 19.

The MLSE president Tom Anselmi said Burke handled the news with "a lot of class."

"It's a shock for a lot of people." said Nonis. "Brian had a pretty strong rapport with a number of them and was very good for them."

Unfortunately, Nonis does not have a lot of grieve and that this will have to be a quick turnaround in a lockout-shortened season. Plus, the Leafs and their fans really want a playoff to cheer in. However, Nonis did say Randy Carlyle and his staff will stay on. Burke hired him late last season after firing Ron Wilson.

Burke won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and was the GM for the USA team that won the silver in the 2010 Olympics.

Well, good luck to you, Brian Burke. There's plenty of NHL jobs out there to search for. One will pop up for you. Meanwhile, the Leafs have a lot of work ahead of them and it'll be up to Nonis to see if he can put the pieces into place to make it a successful season.

The NHL is Back!!!

Hey, puckheads, how have you been? Upset? Dissatisfied? Doing pretty well? Well guess what, for those of you who are upset and dissatisfied, you don't have to be any longer. Yep, that's right. The NHL is back and you know what that means? That means more hockey and plenty more time to enjoy the world that is shooting, scoring, and saving. Heh heh. Well, since the NHL is back anyhow, I have ultimately decided to come out of my so-called "hockey retirement" to bring you some hockey blogging once again.

Now I know I did say that I was moving on to new things the last time I put up a post but I ultimately decided that it was time to return to the ice and start blogging about hockey once again. Why, you might ask? Well, as you know, I am a puckhead and I am in love with hockey. I just can't take my mind off it and so, after a long period of time without a hockey blog, it's back again.

I hope you're ready to bring in a new season as we get started with the end of the NHL lockout. Yes, that's right. Players and owners have agreed to a 50-50 split and that means more money for the owners but less money for the players. But I'll discuss these issues in another post. All we know is that hockey's back, the players are willing to play again, and businesses that lost money when the NHL was gone, is finally coming back with its fans and its support for its teams.

Let's gear up for a shortened NHL season. It may be only 50 games but the positive is that we love hockey and we love seeing it back. Hope to see you on the grind, puck heads!