AGRI Biz

This summer was an interesting one in that there seemed to be a surplus of goalies on the market. Heck, the Islanders managed to land two strong starters, whereas in previous offseasons, they might not have been able to afford one. Now, we're seeing that goalie surplus begin to evaporate, as several teams are finding themselves short a goalie. In Edmonton, goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, already out for quite some time, is having ...

The New York Rangers have sent rookie defenseman Matt Gilroy down to the AHL, a sign that GM Glen Sather and coach John Tortorella have no idea how to fix what's wrong with the team. The Rangers have gradually moved into a more defensive system, as the team has been unable to find scoring beyond Marian Gaborik. Gilroy's defense could be suspect, but it's hardly surprising given that 1) he's an NHL ...

It's funny when a player gets signed and ownership gets upset when the player plays the way that they have their entire career. It's like getting angry at ice because it's cold. Ottawa ownership is disappointed in the slumping Alex Kovalev, whose last goal going into Tuesday night's game against Montreal was Oct. 29. Owner Eugene Melnyk has been complaining his top players haven't stepped up enough. When Ottawa signed Kovalev, they were ...

John Tortorella was supposed to change everything for the Rangers. Where previous coach Tom Renney coached with a conservative, defensive posture, Tortorella is all about risk and offense. Where Renney believed players should always be skating backwards, keeping their opponents in front of them, Tortorella demands his skaters always move forward. Conceptually, the two coaches could not be more different. Yet, realistically, they're both getting the same results. During the 2005-06 season, the Rangers ...

Whose ears didn't perk up when they heard Markus Naslund was coming out of retirement to play with Peter Forsberg for Modo in the Swedish Elite League? Both are even reportedly playing for free. Not many fans wanted to see either return to the NHL, with both players past their primes. But there's something exciting about the two playing for Modo, matching up against a level of talent that isn't quite ...

The most telling Islanders statistic is 2-6. That's their overtime/loss record, meaning eight of their first 18 games have gone into extra periods, with six of them losses. That tells us a lot about the young Islanders. They're good. They're good enough to hang with most opponents for 60 minutes. They just run into problems after the end of regulation. A lot of this is a symptom of their age. Their three ...

Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is upset about suddenly finding himself in a polygamous goalie situation, with he and Jonas Hiller competing for the starting job. Giguere told the LA Daily News , "I'd rather retire than be a back-up goalie ." The issue is the remaining $13 million on the final two years of his contract coupled with the emergence of Hiller as a starter. The wild cards in the equation? Hiller ...

Vinny Lecavalier is under siege in Tampa with Rick Tocchet seemingly angrier and angrier with the franchise center. Twelve games into the season, Lecavalier had a goal and nine assists. He's been demoted from the top two lines. He's been called out by Tocchet. Puck Daddy has a great summary of the drama here . The only thing that hasn't happened is a benching, and that could happen soon. Don't be fooled ...

Vinny Lecavalier is under siege in Tampa with Rick Tocchet seemingly angrier and angrier with the franchise center. Twelve games into the season, Lecavalier had a goal and nine assists. He's been demoted from the top two lines. He's been called out by Tocchet. Puck Daddy has a great summary of the drama here . The only thing that hasn't happened is a benching, and that could happen soon. Don't be fooled ...

Watching Marian Gaborik's explosive start to this season (10 goals, 18 points in his first 12 gamesùRangers fans have to be hoping this isn't the end of the line for him ), I've had a recurring thought: How does Gaborik not have a 50-goal season? That thought is usually followed by the realization Gaborik played for the Minnesota Wild for eight seasons, all of them coached by the notoriously defensive-minded Jacques ...