New Lines

Observed by Chris Stevenson:

Eaves/Spezza/Heatley (shifted to right wing?)
Shaefer/Kaigorodov/Alfredsson
Vermette/Fisher/Neil
McAmmond/Kelly/McGratton

Redden/Corvo
Phillips/Meszaros
Volchenkov/Preissing

I'm tempted to pick Spezza for the Art Ross - he had more points per game than Ovechkin - but it's too easy to discount the early season tear the Sens top scorers went on in October/November. Heatley/Spezza/Alfie scored 40% of their total output in the first quarter of the season, when lockout-dazed defensive pairings were still adjusting to the New NHL^TM (this was all prior to the Pizza Line formation if I recall correctly). During the broadcast tonight, Dean Brown noted some chirping through the glass between Spezza and Crosby - what an incredible three-way rivalry this could shape up to be.

With regards to Kaigorodov (pron: Kegger-Road-Off?), I'm not sure this dispatch from The Universal Cynic will comfort Sens watchers:


Alexei Kaigorodov: I tried to keep an open mind regarding the White Knight -- but it was difficult, given that I've been reading the HFBoard's insistence that the 23-year-old was some sort of Russian deity for nearly a year. And after yesterday, I can tell you that every concern I've read about him is true: The haphephobia, the sketchy faceoffs etc. He also wanted nothing to do with the boards, seemingly creating a barrier between himself and any edge -- it was like bumper bowling on ice. But probably the biggest irritation involved his insistence to casually reach with his stick, as opposed to skating for the puck. These Gumby-like attempts were completely ineffective, but I do understand why he doesn't make the effort to move his legs: The White Knight has all the pickup of a three-cylinder Geo Metro.

Yikes. Petr Schastlivy redux? Next thing you're going to tell me Mark Gandler's his agent.