Goaltender Mike Smith is coming off a remarkable season in which he led the Phoenix Coyotes all the way to the Western Conference final. That’s something his predecessor, Ilya Bryzgalov, never came close to doing.

Smith was drafted in the fifth round, 161st overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars. After spending significant time in the AHL, Smith got a chance to play for Dallas in 2007 and 2008, before suiting up for the Tampa Bay Lightning for four seasons.

There was little Smith could do to help the Lightning, who were among the worst teams in the NHL during the majority of his time there. However, after joining the Coyotes for the 2011-12 season, Smith was able to play to his potential.

Assuming there is hockey next season, there is no reason Smith can’t build on his strong performance from last year and put himself in contention for the Vezina Trophy, as the league’s best goaltender.

Smith has the benefit of size at 6’4″, 218 pounds, he is one of the biggest goaltenders in the NHL today.

Last season, Smith started in 67 games and finished with a 38-18-10 record. He had a goals-against average of 2.21 and finished third in the league in both save percentage (.930) and shutouts with eight.

If regular season numbers aren’t enough for you, consider how Smith stepped up in the postseason.

He finished with a 9-7 record, his save percentage went up to .944, his goal-against average dropped to 1.99 and he was tied for the playoff lead in shutouts with three.

When the pressure was on, Smith rose to the occasion. He won three games in overtime against the Chicago Blackhawks, before shutting them out in Game 6 to send the Coyotes to the second round. He led the Coyotes to an important Game 1 win over Nashville and went on to hold the Predators to two goals or less in games 3 through 5.

After getting close to the Stanley Cup finals last year, Smith should be playing with the determination to return to the NHL’s biggest stage. As if that’s not motivation enough, Smith is also set to play out the last year of a two-year contract worth only $4 million.

According to Sarah McLellan of azcentral.com, Coyotes GM Don Maloney was hoping to sign Smith to an extension by the end of the summer. However, that has been put on hold because of the Coyotes lingering ownership issues. If Smith enters the season without an extension, strong play may justify an even bigger pay raise.

Finally, there is also the team in front of Smith, specifically the defense. Most of the Coyotes blueliners are returning, including Keith Yandle, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Rostislav Klesla and Derek Morris.

Under coach Dave Tippett, Smith and the defense helped the Coyotes finish fifth overall in the NHL with a 2.37 goals-against average last season.

Smith has the potential to be one of the league’s best goaltenders, but he’s got some stiff competition to beat out if he's to win the Vezina Trophy. Reigning Vezina winner and Hart Trophy nominee Henrik Lundqvist is certainly the favourite heading into 2012-13.

With Lundqvist in goal and the newly acquired Rick Nash up front, the Rangers could easily top the Eastern Conference standings.

Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick and Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne were the other two nominees for the Vezina last season.

However, many fans considered Smith to have played just as good, if not better than his Western Conference counterparts. Expect both goaltenders to once again be among the best in the NHL.  

Smith may not be the favourite, but with his skill and size there is a good chance he could be nominated for the Vezina Trophy in 2012-13 that is, if there is a season. 

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Alex Galchenyuk built himself a reputation for being an elite playmaker in the junior ranks by setting up Nail Yakupov, the most recent first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft.

Making the OHL’s All-Rookie team along with Yakupov, it was his 2010-11 season in Sarnia that earned him the privilege of being drafted third overall by the Montreal Canadiens. 

When the young center went down with an injury last season, which caused him to miss what might as well have been the entire season in Sarnia, the injury didn’t hurt his draft stock one bit.

While Nail Yakupov went on to have another successful season, albeit not as good as the previous year, Galchenuk recuperated and awaited his fate at the 2012 Draft.

Aside from uncertainty lurking in the NHL due to labor talks, the Canadiens are not going to let that deter them from watching Galchenyuk's development, where on an entry-level contract he is eligible and 100 percent likely to play a full season in the minors. 

While Galchenyuk has little if nothing left to prove in the Canadian juniors, the Habs might be weary of burning one year in his contract in the AHL, where the NHL's best young players are headed to start the season should there be a lockout for any length of time. 

Galchenyuk, who figures to compete for a future slot at the first-or second-line center position for the Habs a few years down the road, will be in open competition with fellow first-round pick Louis LeBlanc. LeBlanc was met with thunderous applause when the Quebec native was drafted back in 2009. 

The attention garnered among the two centers will be one of the most widely watched and analysed competitions in the Quebec media. 

Without his top-flight scorer on his wing, how will Galchenyuk respond? Will he live up to expectations and make a quick jump to the NHL, or will he turn out to be a product of Yakupov's elite skill. The safe money is on the first, and that the talented center will continue to amaze us all, no matter what league he starts in next year. 

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Since the people of Nassau County voted against the plan to give the New York Islanders a new stadium, the team’s days on Long Island have been numbered.

The Islanders ranked second to last in attendance last year. Their 13,191 fans per home game was only ahead of the Phoenix Coyotes, who are currently going through relocation rumors of their own. 

The Islanders have called Veterans Memorial Center home since the franchise was founded in 1972.

The team’s current lease with their home ice at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum runs until 2015. It is almost a certainty that the team will not stick around after that lease expires.

The Barclays Center in Brooklyn is rumored to be the leading candidate as the new home of the franchise—and rightly so.

The new state-of-the-art building is currently host to the Brooklyn Nets NBA franchise. When the Nets begin their NBA season in October, it will be the first time that New York’s most populated borough will have hosted a professional sports event in 55 years.

Not only would the move to Barclays revitalize the fanbase and attendance, it would also keep the team in New York.

Also, the Barclays Center may want the Islanders as much as the Islanders want them.

“I am trying like hell to get the Islanders to make Barclays Center their new hockey home,” the Barclays Center CEO Bruce Ratner said in an interview with CBS. “They will play a preseason game here against the Devils.”

The October 2 preseason game Ratner is talking about could be a tryout for the Islanders in the newly built arena.

If the Islanders were to call the Barclays Center home, they would have the lowest seating capacity in the NHL; however, this is not a negative.

By being closer to the city, in a premier venue, the team would be capable of selling out nightly.

Imagine the Islanders being a hot ticket in New York—now that is an idea to ponder.

Much like the Nets play second fiddle to the Knicks in the Big Apple, the Islanders live in the shadow of the Rangers.

The last time the Islanders were “cool” was when they won four Stanley Cups in a row in the ’80s.

By making the move to Barclays Center, the franchise would be taking a huge step in becoming relevant again.

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Even with the addition of Rick Nash, the Rangers are not the favored team in the Eastern Conference. 

According to Vegas Online Sports Betting, that distinction belongs to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

But as we often see during the playoffs, Vegas odds and even regular-season play become meaningless once the postseason starts. No. 7 and No. 8 seeds routinely upset the higher-seeded teams, and no team has won both the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup in the same season since the Red Wings in 2001-2002.

With high hopes for Rangers fans in 2013, let’s take a look at who else will be threatening for those top Eastern Conference seeds:

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The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t acquired anyone since Brian Burke promised the Maple Leafs were not done after signing Jay McClement (via Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun).

Fans are waiting for that big move that brings the Leafs a superstar. While that might not be what Burke is planning, it’s what Leaf fans want.

What if the Leafs were to acquire a superstar? It would definitely help their chances of making the playoffs. While they would have to give up some good talent off the current roster, you have to give up talent to get talent.

If they were to acquire any one of these players, it would be a great day in Leafs (recent) history.

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Things did not go as planned for the defense of the San Jose Sharks in 2011-12.

A 2011 offseason that was highlighted by the addition of Brent Burns and an offensive scheme to a weak defensive unit saw that strategy go severely underwater.

The defense was not consistent, and the penalty kill was the biggest weakness of the team last season.

GM Doug Wilson went out and acquired defenseman Brad Stuart during the offseason in hopes of adding a veteran influence to a unit without a real leader.

We should see a real difference in the way this unit approaches each game with Stuart in the locker room, Burns with another year in San Jose under his belt and a healthy Dan Boyle.

Also, the addition of the new assistant coaches should play a real difference on defense this season.

Jim Johnson and Larry Robinson were brought in for their experience and defensive knowledge, and we should see that pay dividends for players like Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Brent Burns.

Begin Slideshow

Whether it’s been the signing of Cory Schneider, the comments (per CBC.ca) of Roberto Luongo or the trade rumors (via the Vancouver Sun) surrounding him, all signs have pointed to Roberto leaving Vancouver. 

Since I first started writing for Bleacher Reports, I have been a big supporter of Cory Schneider; campaigning for the trade of Luongo at the same time. 

Following the Canucks early playoff exit, it seemed like I would get my wish. But now, as time goes on, a Luongo trade prior to the next NHL season seems more and more unlikely. 

The following examines three reasons why Roberto Luongo may remain a Canuck. For now. 

First off is the discrepancy between Mike Gillis’ demands and the offers on the table. Back on Jul. 12, Eklund of Hockeybuzz posted: 

 Luongo Update. from a source, “Until the asking price is severely diminished nothing will get done.” The two main teams, Toronto and Florida are both starting to turn their focus elsewhere..The Leafs have never been further from getting this deal done for Luongo. I am hearing from all sides Vancouver continues to sit back and wait for someone to accept their offer. 

I realize that Eklund is not always the most credible of sources, but the fact that Luongo has yet to be dealt is prove enough of Gillis' high demands. 

Another issue that could be holding back a Luongo deal is the number of teams interested. As we all know, Luongo has a no-trade clause. This means that he can essentially give a list of just a few teams which he is willing to accept a trade to. Only a few, if any of those teams would even be looking for a number one, and even less would have the ability to make it happen. 

If Gillis was to hold off until the next trade deadline, a lot could change. Teams that currently have no interest could be in need, and teams with little interest could actually require Luongo to get them to the postseason. 

Then we have the elephant in the room: there may not be a 2012/13 season. As you all know, talks thus far between the NHLPA and the owners do not look positive. 

One of the biggest factors holding back a Luongo trade is the length and size of his contract. Some teams would be willing to take this contract on, but if they won’t even get a chance to use his services for a whole year, is it worth it?

Take Brian Burke for example. He is likely in a situation where if the Toronto Maple Leafs miss the playoffs, he could lose his job. They are in desperate need of a starting goalie, and Luongo could be the best candidate to fill that gap. 

But if there is no season, then there's no pressure. Brian Burke could hang tight and wait until next season. And with a UFA pool including Kari Lehtonen, Niklas Backstrom, Mike Smith and Jimmy Howard, he could have the opportunity to fill the gap at a better price. 

Follow @RileyKufta

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The Shane Doan saga has been well documented. Since July 1, Doan has been an unrestricted free agent. He has set various “deadlines” for potential Phoenix Coyotes owner Greg Jamison, and he and his agent have fielded numerous offers from other NHL teams.

Still, Doan remains unsigned.

At his point, it’s safe to assume that Doan is willing to wait in hopes that the sale of the Coyotes to Jamison eventually goes through.

According to Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona, Phoenix GM Don Maloney continues to talk to Doan’s agent, Terry Bross. “Obviously, Shane wants to stay, and we need to work out a contract that works for both of us,” said Maloney.  

Doan has spent his entire career with the Jets/Coyotes franchise, and hockey fans in the desert would love to see him finish his career with the team.

However, they may have to wait a few more weeks or even months to see if Doan re-signs with the Coyotes. There have been no updates on the sale of the team as negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA continue to take center stage in the hockey world.

Like Doan, Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith will also be playing the waiting game when it comes to signing a contract with the club.

According to Sarah McLellan of azcentral.com, contract talks between the Coyotes and Smith have been put on hold as they wait for news on the sale of the team.

Smith is set to enter the final year of a two-year contract worth $4 million. However, he can expect a significant raise after his performance this past season and throughout the playoffs.

Smith started 67 games and finished with a record of 38-18-10. He recorded eight shutouts, a .930 save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average.

Those numbers improved in the playoffs as he led the Coyotes all the way to the Western Conference final. Smith finished with a 9-7 postseason record, recording three shutouts, a .944 save percentage and a goals-against average of 1.99.

If the Coyotes want to have any shot at building on last year’s success, they must lock up both Doan and Smith.

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Kirk Muller has a puzzle to solve.

The signing of winger Alexander Semin and acquisition of center Jordan Staal have filled the Carolina Hurricanes' pool of forwards to the brim and created a complex conundrum on the 'Canes pre-training camp depth chart.

The additions of Semin and Staal have made Carolina arguably the Eastern Conference’s most-improved team of the summer. Both top-six talents will arrive in Raleigh with 30-goal projections and lofty expectations.

However, they'll still have to compete with a number of other top-class scorers—veteran Hurricanes like Tuomo Ruutu, Jussi Jokinen, Chad LaRose and 2011-12 breakout Jiri Tlusty—to earn jobs alongside franchise cornerstones Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner on Carolina’s first and second lines.

Entering September's training camp and preseason—provided that a new CBA is settled at some point before Sept. 15th—Muller will have to sort out a crowded offensive cast with far more talent than any in recent 'Canes history.

How his final solution to that enigma will look is still far from determined.

Here’s how the puzzling layout stands, to the best of our knowledge, at the moment:

Alexander Semin - Jordan Staal – Eric Staal

Jussi Jokinen – Jeff Skinner – Tuomo Ruutu

Jiri Tlusty – Jeremy Welsh (RFA) - Chad LaRose

Patrick Dwyer – Tim Brent – Andreas Nodl

(Extras: Anthony Stewart, Tim Wallace)

From Muller’s perspective, the clear-cut first priority has to be finding the best arrangement for the two Staal brothers. Both are traditional centers, but Muller expressed interest in finding a way they could play on the same line this fall.

As it so happens, Eric has played as a right winger occasionally in the past, including with gold-medal-winning Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics, and he may find himself on the wing again in 2012-13.

Conversely, the two could also serve as arguably the NHL’s best one-two center punch if separated. After all, Jordan did play a more defensive role with Pittsburgh up until his June trade, and may be better suited for a second-line workload.

Muller will need to work Jeff Skinner, who has played both center and wing in his first two professional seasons, in around the Staal Bros.

Skinner’s production dipped from 63 points in 2010-11 to just 44 points last year after missing 18 games from a concussion, meaning he may play second fiddle to Eric and Jordan next autumn. Don’t be surprised to see the 20-year-old’s positional flexibility tested while the Staal siblings find their respective niches.

Bruising Tuomo Ruutu, actually the 'Canes third highest-paid player at $4.75 million annually, seems to have been forgotten among the offseason hullaboo—yet he's arguably the most well-rounded player on the team's roster. 

Ruutu has led Carolina in hits three of the past four years—he fell four short of Tom Kostopoulos in 2009-10—while averaging 19 goals and 45 points a season. Moreover, the tough 6'0″, 205-pound checker has made at least 71 appearances in all but one season since 2006 and taken on a fan-favorite role in the 'Canes scoring attack. 

On the other hand, while his hands are certainly of second-line caliber, Ruutu's grit and defensive responsibility—two rather rare characteristics in the Hurricanes' flashy, Brandon Sutter-less offense—may drop him on the checking line come Opening Day.

With RFA Jeremy Welsh looking less likely to return to the ‘Canes next season, speculation has begun to circulate that Jussi Jokinen could make an eyebrow-raising role change to third-line center.

The shootout specialist and underrated passer has always been fairly reliable in his own end, but we would find it mildly surprising to see such rumors come to truth.

Jokinen isn't especially large or tough—his 41 hits ranked 17th on the squad last season—and he's formed good chemistry with both Skinner and Ruutu in recent years. Playing with the likes of Patrick Dwyer and Andreas Nodl on the third line wouldn't be quite the same.

Unheralded former first-round pick Jiri Tlusty, still only 24 years old, finally showed his true talents in 2011-12, tripling his previous career highs with 17 goals and 36 points in 79 games.

There's some doubt that he can repeat his astounding 12.5 shooting percentage again next season—especially considering he won't be playing with Eric Staal nearly as much this winter—but Tlusty has still emerged into a tremendous bargain at $1.6 million per year.

Whether he retains a top-six slot or returns to the third line is still up in air. The former Maple Leaf formed solid chemistry with Sutter and Dwyer on the checking line in 2010-11, and his 52-27 takeaway-giveaway ratio over the past two seasons is absolutely fantastic, but Muller may be reluctant to demote Tlusty again after such a promising 2011-12 campaign.

Lovable but inconsistent Chad LaRose may be the most confusing riddle in the 'Canes offense.

The 30-year-old late bloomer's offensive numbers are really not that bad—he set career highs in both goals (19) and points (32) last season despite playing just 67 games—but LaRose's minus-36 combined plus/minus rating over the last two years is among the worst in the league.

He’s not quite good enough to be assured of a top-six position, but a checking line role could be an even bigger disaster. Nevertheless, there’s no question that LaRose still deserves more than a seven-minutes-a-night workload.

Where does he fit in to the ‘Canes depth chart? We’re not really sure.

Prospects Drayson Bowman, Zac Dalpe and Zach Boychuk could further complicate the depth chart.

Bowman, 23, impressed with six goals, 13 points and a plus-two rating in 37 NHL appearances last year, blossoming after Muller’s arrival in December and earning a new contract in July. Meanwhile, former top-45 overall draft picks Dalpe, 22, and Boychuk, 22, are loaded with offensive talent but extremely lacking in NHL track record.

However, a breakout season from any of the three could land them a full-time NHL job in a hurry.

And lastly, 24-year-old mystery Jeremy Welsh, who signed a one-day contract in April to guarantee his restricted freeagent status this summer, continues to dance around the shadows of the Hurricanes’ lineup.

Despite not yet signing a new contract with Carolina, Welsh’s 6’3″ frame and compliment-laden coaching assessment would seemingly make him an enticing replacement for Pittsburgh-bound Brandon Sutter.

As the clock ticks toward the opening of training camp and the intrigue of the ‘Canes offensive situation increases tenfold, answers may begin to emerge.

But, for now, the only thing populating Carolina’s forward depth chart is a plethora of queries and questions.

Only Muller can resolve that endless jigsaw.

Mark Jones has been a Bleacher Report featured columnist since 2009. In that time, he has written more than 415 articles and received more than 685,000 reads.

Visit his profile to read more, or follow him on Twitter.

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Even before they won their respective conference championships, the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils were the logical picks to go to last year’s Stanley Cup Finals. Those who tactically assessed the two matchups and those who swore by historical omens could have agreed on that front.

The Devils were not only better rested than the New York Rangers and the Kings were not only riding a more powerful gust of momentum than the Phoenix Coyotes, but New Jersey had eliminated Philadelphia from the opening round and the Kings had dislodged the Vancouver Canucks in the first round.

Since 2007, the Flyers and Canucks have tended to see the team that knocks them out of the playoffs go on to the final round. Pittsburgh did it on the Eastern front in both 2008 and 2009, as did Boston in 2011, while Anaheim and Chicago did it out West in 2007 and 2010, respectively.

The only exceptions were when the Flyers were playoff no-shows in 2007, the Canucks in 2008 and when the Blackhawks zapped Vancouver before submitting to Detroit in 2009.

Going back to the final season before the lockout, Tampa Bay and Calgary met to settle the 2004 championship after a trek that included a victimization of Philadelphia and Vancouver, respectively.

Entering the 2012 tournament, that was four out of six intra-conference Flyers grounders and three out of four Canucks conquerors proceeding to the final frontier. The Devils and Kings happened to make it five out of seven and four out of five.

Entering the next NHL season, there is at least one similar good omen to be had for all 30 franchises. If nothing else, a fanbase can have fun with them and keep them in handy for whenever a morale boost is in order.

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There was a time Alex Kovalev could do no wrong in Montreal. Of course, I mean big picture. In between all the taken-out-of-context quotes during interviews and nightly shifts off, the man was beloved…for whatever reason.

Call it nostalgia for eras past when the Habs boasted legitimate superstars who were just as talented (but, opposed to Kovalev, played like it), or even a shared taste for vodka and borscht. In any event, hundreds of people rallied outside the Bell Centre in an attempt to convince then-General Manager Bob Gainey to bring the enigmatic winger back to Montreal when he became an unrestricted free agent in 2009.

Of course, to those who will always have a soft spot in their hearts for the soft Russian who once upon a time gave up the puck in humiliating fashion to Boston Bruin Glen Murray in overtime in a playoff game, allowing a game-winning breakaway by feigning an injury: Life’s not fair.

No clearer was that made then when all the while that this rally was taking place, Habs captain Saku Koivu was allowed to walk away without so much as a wave goodbye from the team or fans for which he had played all his career and on more than one occasion bled, sweat, and cried.

Instead of re-upping Kovalev, who had taken his sweet time mulling over an offer from Gainey (yes, despite it all, Gainey did end up making him an offer), Montreal moved on and the Habs promptly signed Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Jaroslav Spacek and Hall Gill en route to their most successful post-season run since their 1993 Stanley Cup victory. Coincidence?

So, amidst reports that Kovalev (via the Toronto Sun) is considering a return to the National Hockey League and has received several tryout offers, here are five reasons the Habs should stay away.

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Greg Jamison’s attempt to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes and keep the team in Glendale appears to be back on the right track.

Reports from the beginning of August stated that Jamison was $20 million short on his bid to buy the team. However, according to Mike Sunnucks of the Phoenix Business Journal, Jamison has since secured the necessary funds to purchase the team from the NHL.

The NHL took over ownership of the Coyotes from Jerry Moyes in 2009 with the intention of keeping the team in Glendale.

From a business perspective, is this the best option for the team, or would relocating to another city be the better move?

There are plenty of hockey fans in the Greater Toronto Area, Quebec, Seattle, Wisconsin, etc. who would love to see a hockey team in their city. Meanwhile, hockey fans in Arizona continue to hold out hope that the team stays right where it is.

There are a number of positive factors surrounding the Coyotes franchise. They have one of the newest arenas in the NHL, Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, AZ. Built in 2003, the rink seats over 17,000 and is located in a popular shopping and entertainment complex—the Westgate City Center. In 2004 the arena won the Pollstar Best New Concert Venue of the Year Award.

In the last three years the Coyotes have had their most successful seasons on the ice since moving from Winnipeg in 1996. They’ve hit the 40 win mark in each season and won their first division title this past year. After eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks in six games and the St. Louis Blues in five, the Coyotes fell to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the L.A. Kings.

Fans have shown their passion in the postseason, filling Jobing.com Arena in traditional “whiteout” fashion.

Unfortunately, fans have not shown their support by attending regular season games.

Some will argue that the location of Jobing.com Arena, about a half hour drive northwest of Phoenix, keeps many fans from attending games. However, when the team played at America West Arena (now U.S. Airways Center) in downtown Phoenix, their attendance numbers were very similar.

In fact, over the past decade the Coyotes average annual attendance has remained fairly consistent regardless of the arena, the team's performance or the ownership situation.    

If there are a significant number of passionate hockey fans in the area, would they not make the half hour, or even hour long drive to see the Coyotes play?

University of Phoenix Stadium is located next door to Jobing.com Arena and is always close to capacity for Arizona Cardinals games. There are other arenas and stadiums playing host to professional sports teams that aren’t located in the downtown core of a city. The Ottawa Senators for example, play at Scotiabank Place, which is about a half an hour drive from Ottawa.  

There may be hockey fans in the Phoenix area and perhaps the game is growing in the southern U.S. However, there doesn’t seem to be enough fans willing to buy tickets to support the Coyotes. Don’t forget, the Coyotes are far from the most popular draw in Arizona. They have to compete with professional football, baseball and basketball teams, not to mention numerous college sports teams.

Regardless of the reasoning, the Phoenix Coyotes have consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in attendance and struggled financially ever since they first arrived in Arizona.

According to an ESPN report regarding the NHL’s purchase of the team in 2009, the Coyotes had yet to turn a profit since moving to Arizona in 1996.

Forbes.com provides annual evaluations of each NHL teams worth, revenue, operating income, etc. In each of the last four years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) the Coyotes were the NHL’s least valuable franchise. On top of that, their value and operating income have been decreasing since 2008.

Considering these financial problems, one would assume there would be a strong push for the team to relocate, but that isn’t the case. The NHL and the city of Glendale have remained committed to hockey in Arizona.

Even with the successful return of the Jets to Winnipeg, a city with a population of only 730,000—it doesn’t appear as though the Coyotes will go the way of the Thrashers and make the move north, at least not yet. 

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If the Stanley Cup was awarded solely on the basis of regular season performance, then the Washington Capitals would have skated the Cup a few times by now.

As we all know, winning the Stanley Cup is not nearly so simple. This is particularly true for the Caps who, throughout their history, have turned choking in the playoffs into an art form.

All that was supposed to change with the arrivals of Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green, otherwise known by Caps’ fans as the Core Four.

Now, some 10 years after Semin was picked by the Caps in the 2002 NHL entry draft, Caps’ fans are still waiting for that first Cup to be delivered, and Semin will be donning the uniform of the Carolina Hurricanes this season (NHL.com).

With the Core Four now officially splintered, and with the Caps now fresh off yet another playoff failure, there are some who have suggested that the Caps should have just scrapped the team, traded the remaining members of the Core Four, stockpiled quality players in exchange for them and basically rebuilt the team from scratch.

That would have been a mistake.

True, the Caps, since Ovechkin came to town, have been a regular season powerhouse and a playoff pushover. That might be a bit harsh, but there is no other way to describe the Caps’ playoff performances since the 2008 playoffs as anything but disappointing.

Yes, there have been some epic comebacks, such as against the Flyers in 2008 and against the Rangers in 2009. Sure, there have been some epic moments, such as Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby both getting hat tricks in 2009, or the tremendous comeback in Game 2 against Montreal in 2010.

The fact remains, however, that even with Ovechkin, Semin, Green and Backstrom, the Caps have failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1998. So the idea of blowing up the Caps and starting fresh is not as absurd as some might expect.

But there is another way to look at this and it supports the way the Caps have retooled this summer, as opposed to rebuild.

That way is to look at what the Caps have done every year and realize they are close—and getting closer.

In 2007-2008, the team was thrilled just to get to the playoffs and they played their guts out to rally from a 3-1 deficit and force a decisive Game 7 against the Flyers. Though the Caps would fall in overtime, that playoff run has to be considered a great success and actually might have set the bar too high for the team from that moment on.

In 2008-2009, the Caps had to muster a tremendous rally from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Rangers in seven games. The team demonstrated great heart and determination in accomplishing this. The next series was, of course the seven game classic with Crosby and the Penguins. The Caps, however, forgot to show up for Game 7 and the Pens would go on to win the Cup that season.

In 2009-2010, the Caps ran roughshod over the NHL during the regular season and entered the playoffs as the President’s Trophy winners. They had every reason to believe their own press clippings as they entered their first round series with the Canadiens. The series was a struggle from the start, but the Caps found themselves with a 3-1 series lead.

Anyone who is versed in the history of the Caps would know that a 3-1 series lead is a very dangerous thing for Washington. Surely this version of the Caps would be different…right?

The collapse against the Canadiens was a wrenching one from which many Caps’ fans have still not recovered. Yes, Jaroslav Halak stole that series with his phenomenal play in goal. But the fact remained that the Caps could not close the deal when they needed to. They had not learned to develop a killer instinct, a vital component for a team to have playoff success.

In 2010-2011, the Caps again earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the playoffs, the Caps again grabbed a 3-1 series lead against the No. 8 seeded Rangers and everyone in DC cringed. This time, however, the Caps came out in Game 5 at home and put the Blue Shirts away. Thus, the Caps learned from their mistakes the previous year and made progress.

Unfortunately, the team then seemed to be satisfied with just that result as they were never in the Conference Semi-Final series against the Lightning and were shockingly swept by their Southeast division rivals.

The playoff run in 2012, however, showed how the Caps have learned from all of this playoff experience, why they are getting closer to breaking through and, more importantly, why a complete rebuild of the Caps would have been a mistake.

As the No. 7 seed, the Caps were a huge underdog to the defending champion Bruins. They were supposed to be out manned, out gunned and, in general, out classed by the champs. The Caps window of opportunity had, supposedly, already closed on them. There was no way they could match the speed, skill or depth of the B’s.

But all the playoff experience of the past four years suddenly bore fruit. Led by then coach Dale Hunter, the Caps reinvented themselves, played the Bruins’ style of hockey better than the Bruins themselves and pulled a shocking upset with one of the more memorable Game 7 wins in franchise history.

It was the Caps’ ability to play a defensive style of hockey that won that series, showing that they had learned to adapt to their opponent.

Against the Rangers, a team built largely to defeat the team that had eliminated them two of the past three seasons, the Caps then showed  that they had developed the heart necessary to win in the playoffs.

They lost a crushing triple overtime Game 3 to the Rangers and came back to win a crucial Game 4 on home ice. They ultimately blew the series in Game 5 by surrendering the tying goal with 6.6 seconds left and then giving up the game winner in the opening minutes of overtime. Nonplussed, they then forced a decisive Game 7 when they easily could have packed it in.

As can be seen, the Caps continued to improve, learn and evolve. As for the Core Four, Ovechkin has always been a solid performer in the playoffs. Green, Semin and Backstrom have usually been disappointments.

During the 2012 playoffs, Green evolved and became, shockingly, a solid defender. He was doing things he had not done before, such as blocking shots and asserting himself physically. Green’s performance was so inspiring that the Caps ignored his recent history of injuries and rewarded him with a three year, $18.25 million deal (Washington Post).

Many would call that a gamble; others would call it an investment.

Backstrom also had a decent playoff run and the Caps were a different team with him in the lineup, as opposed to when he was absent during the regular season.

Never was this on display more than in Game 4 against the Rangers when Backstrom decked Artem Anisimov with a shoulder check, gained some space and then put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist.

In that moment, it became evident why the Caps would be absolutely insane to part with Backstrom.

Semin, on the other hand, never had a moment like that. He had flashes but nothing that really showed he could be a prime time performer in the playoffs. While letting Semin sign with a divisional rival represents a significant loss of production for the Caps, his absence during the playoffs will likely be negligible.

In many ways, Semin represented the problems the Caps have had as a team. He was tremendously talented and one of the best forwards in the game. But when it was crunch time, when he needed to be at the top of his game, 80 percent of the time he failed.

Beyond Semin, blowing up the rest of the Caps would have done nothing more than just waste the team’s existing chemistry, erase all the experience they had gained over the past few years and hope that they could catch lightning in a bottle with an influx of new talent that would mix seamlessly with the remaining lineup.

As you may have guessed, the odds of that working are pretty dismal.

Instead, George McPhee has played things extremely well this offseason. By adding players like Mike Ribeiro, Jack Hillen and Wojtek Wolski, McPhee added depth to the team while also adding something more important—flexibility.

And this is why—assuming there is a season of course—the Caps retooling will pay big dividends.

They finally have a true second line center in Ribeiro whose mere presence will allow a player like Brooks Laich to assume a position on the wing, where is usually more effective.

They have added role players who will give them the depth they need in order to compete with the Bruins and Rangers of the hockey world.

They have learned how to play a defensive style of hockey that will yield results in the playoffs and they have the personnel to implement that style.

They have one of the best young goalies in the NHL in Braden Holtby.

They have a first time coach who just happens to be a brand new Hall of Famer.

Fir the first time in a long time, this version of the Caps seems perfectly balanced and poised to finally break through.

Had they rebuilt from scratch, the Caps would be many years away from reaching the point they are at right now.

The only thing that can really derail what should be a very successful season for the Caps is if there is no season at all.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Trades in sports are always a risky proposition. You never know what you’re going to get or what you are giving up. You can do all the research, crunch all the numbers, ask all the experts and still walk away looking like a fool, just as easily as you can walk away looking like a genius.

What follows are 15 examples of NHL trades where one side looked like a group of dunces, while the other walked away looking like the smartest guys in hockey. I know that hindsight is 20/20, but really, some of these trades seemed to lack foresight or, really, any sight at all.

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