Dr. Daps' Absurdly Early 2012-2013 Season Predictions

Hi again, everybody! For those of you who follow this blog regularly (which is nobody) you might go back and remember a post I put up last year which was me calling what I think was going to happen. Around this time last year, I called that the Los Angeles Kings were going to win their first Stanley Cup, and they did! I was right! So now, I'm going to try and go 2-for-2 and pick the scenario for what the end of the upcoming season (if there is one) right now, here in July. And like I said last year, I was not expecting to be anywhere near as right as I was last year. So if anyone even remotely cares about my opinion out there, don't get your panties in a bunch when it turns out I'm laughably wrong. This is merely something to fill the void until something big happens in the hockey world that I can report on.

Eastern Conference


1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Boston Bruins
3. Washington Capitals
4. New York Rangers
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. New Jersey Devils
7. Carolina Hurricanes
8. Toronto Maple Leafs (yes, I'm actually serious)

1st. Round


Pittsburgh over Toronto in 4 games.
Boston over Carolina in 7 games.
New Jersey over Washington in 6 games.
New York over Philadelphia in 6 games.

2nd. Round


Pittsburgh over New Jersey in 6 games.
New York over Boston in 6 games.

Conference Championship


New York over Pittsburgh in 4 games.

Rick Nash Reportedly Heading to the Rangers; Has Glen Sather Finally Resurrected His Image?

After months and months of looming rumors and speculation, the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers have finally formulated a plan to bring Rick Nash to Broadway.

The news broke around 2:30 PM on July 23, as Twitter feeds began erupting with news of a trade going down. The details slowly came up, and it would appear that Glen Sather has once again worked his trade magic and landed a good player for a nearly bargain-bin price. The trade will involve Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a first-round pick for the right-wing Nash. All of these players combined equaled what Rick Nash managed to do in the NHL last season, as he did have one of his worst years, with 30 goals and nearly 60 points on the worst team in the NHL.

Many fans, including myself, were looking at this trade through the spaces in between their fingers, as the worst was feared that perhaps Derek Stepan, Marc Staal, or even Chris Kreider would be involved with the trade. But GM Scott Howson was the first to blink in this staring match, and he needed to do something soon. And this is what we were left with. And it's pretty good.

Why I Am Not Happy with the Rangers Free Agent Signings

All is calm on the Rangers free-agency front, and now that the dust has settled on the chaos that is the first week of signings, I look around and see.... well, not a whole lot. In fact, I don't see much. In fact, it truly upsets me what I see. When I look at the free-agency tracker on NHL.com and see what the Rangers have done so far this offseason, I am not one bit pleased, or assured that the Rangers are going to be fine in the upcoming season with the moves they have currently made.

Let's kick off with the gents who have shipped off that were here last season. Ruslan Fedotenko to Philadelphia, Jeff Woywitka to St. Louis, John Scott to Buffalo, Brandon Prust to Montreal, and John Mitchell to Colorado. I did not look, but I'm pretty sure if I went back and added up every goal all of these players scored last season, it'd be less than 15. So, there is not a lot of tears to be shed on this part, the Rangers have simply trimmed some of the non-producers on the lineup.

That isn't what upsets me. What upsets me is what the Rangers have done in response to all of those players leaving.

The walking of all of those players clears up quite a bit of cap space. So one would think that if the Rangers were letting all of those players go, they would want to sign someone who is going to be worth a pretty buck, like Zach Parise, right? Well, that ship has sailed. He's off in Minnesota swimming in dough with Ryan Suter, who the Rangers were also thinking about targeting. Or, maybe they're looking to swing a trade for someone like Rick Nash, or Bobby Ryan? Possibly, but then that would leave the Rangers down quite a bit of cap space and a few players in exchange for one guy. No, what really gets me mad is what the Rangers HAVE already done with their cap space, and what "good use" it's going to be going to.

Foreseeing the Rangers Free-Agent Signings 2012-2013

With impending free-agency, the Rangers are starting to weigh their options. Who to sign, who to let walk, and who to resign. All the typical stuff a fan sees a team do during the offseason. The Rangers have quite a few free-agents that are about to hit the market July 1st, and the Rangers are definitely not going to resign all of them. In total, there are eight unrestricted free-agents and three restricted free agents on the Rangers roster, and this is unsettling because of how much of a hole this can cause in the lineup if they do not approach this competently.

Lets look at the forwards first of all. Mats Zuccarello, Brandon Prust, Ruslan Fedotenko and John Mitchell are all going to hit the market on July 1st. Zuccarello I do not believe the Rangers will sign because he has been a liability ever since joining the team, coping with injuries and being unable to deal with the size of the NHL big guys, which will probably mean the Rangers will let him walk to a foreign league.

Ruslan Fedotenko I do not see resigning either. After being a good support player in his first year in New York, his play declined severely this year. His space could be put to better use for a younger play who could produce more often, which is why I do not see them resigning Fedotenko either.

Los Angeles Kings Win The Stanley Cup, End The 2011-12 Season

For Kings fans, they're day of reckoning is finally here.

The Kings knocked of the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 to the score of 6-1 to win their first Stanley Cup. The eighth-seeded Kings shocked the world and pulled a 16-4 record, three shutouts, and displayed one of the brightest young stars the NHL has to offer us at the moment with Jonathan Quick's Conn Smythe trophy winning season.

It was a long, bumpy road for the Kings, but they pulled it out. After dropping two games in-a-row, they came out hard in Game 6 and scored six goals to lead their team to victory.

Not just for the sport of hockey, this Kings team is an inspiration across all of sports. The first eighth seed to win a championship in a seeding-style American league. After their rocky start to the season, going through their goal drought like they did, and making the playoffs so close to the end of the season, it was a long road. But in the end, it made them better, and now, they are better than everyone else for one whole year.

And now, the summer starts. Free agency, the draft, the Traverse tournament, and all of the other off-season events are being looked forward to by every fan now. As for the Clinic, I will not lie, the traffic of posts may slow during the off-season, as there is a drought of news that happens regularly. Trades, signings and draft picks I will cover, and I will try to write my occasional duff article when I try to be funny. But you can all believe, come next season, I'll be right back at it again offering up my insight to anyone who will listen.

Congratulation to the Los Angeles Kings.

Fun Things To Make Fun of Pierre McGuire During the Stanley Cup Finals

Tonight kicks off the final culmination of the two teams left in the race for the Stanley Cup. And like many of you out there in California or anywhere else rooting for the Kings, or the tiny little blip in the tri-state area that's rooting for the Devils, you'll probably have to watch the game on NBC. Which means you'll have to deal with a lot of the voices of Doc Emerick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire.

As time has gone by in these Stanley Cup Playoffs, you learn to accept their voices, or inevitably switch to TSN. Myself personally, I'm annoyed by two-out-of-three of the NBC crew. Doc Emerick has credentials of being a fine commentator, but his colorful vocabulary and voice just rub me the wrong way. I'd much prefer to have Gary Thorne back, but for some reason he really wants to commentate the Orioles so, screw me right? Eddie Olczyk is the only one I can tolerate of the crew. He offers good insight on things, analyzes the game well, and makes good points considering he isn't interrupted by this guy...

For those who don't know what that sound is during NBC playoff games that makes their eye twitch, this is the culprit. His name is Pierre McGuire. He is a "Stanley Cup Winner" twice with the Pittsbrgh Penguins as a scout. He was also a a coach for the Hartford Whalers at one time. Now, he makes a living being a very, very annoying feature to the NBC broadcast team.

After watching my share of NBC games over the years, my animosity has turned into mockery. Here are some ways I'd like to give to the public to help come with the game tonight...

Why I Will Not Be Surprised If the New York Rangers Season Ends Tonight

The Rangers are, once again, on the ropes of being eliminated.

This has become a common thing for this team, as the Rangers have gone to two consecutive Game 7 series', prevailing as the victor in both of them. The Rangers battled back from a 3-2 deficit against the Ottawa Senators, and took the Washington Capitals to another Game 7 in the following series. In both series', the Rangers have never held a two-game lead.

Now, the Rangers are back in the same position against the New Jersey Devils. Down 3-2, with a lot of wear and tear showing, and now it has them at a game disadvantage. Everything in this series, besides two stellar games by Henrik Lundqvist has been going wrong for the Rangers. No offensive scoring on a consistent basis, lack of defensive plugs, and just the Devils resilience has just been overwhelming for the Rangers all series long.

It's a long year, and the Rangers fought valiantly. I know it is not over yet, but I do not see a victory for the Rangers coming tonight. And if they do win, Game 7 is going to be a long shot. There is only so much a team can take, so close a team can get to the edge before they walk the line too far and slip. That is what I foresee happening to the Rangers tonight.