If the season had ended Friday . . . the Zamboni driver might have had to file for unemployment.
Sorry, always wanted to say something like that.
More pertinent, the Avalanche barely would have made the Western Conference playoff field as the No. 8 seed and would have faced . . . the Red Wings.
So there’s a significant chance that the teams’ first postseason matchup in six years — six years! — could be on the horizon, and that Monday night’s final regular-season Avalanche-Red Wings game could be a preview.
Colorado would be a decided underdog because of the Red Wings’ masterful work in making the transition from the relatively free-spending era of the mid-’90s through the 2003-04 season, to the salary cap era.
The asterisk is that despite the inescapable conclusion that Detroit bridged the eras with much more efficiency, the Red Wings have won only one more playoff series (two) than the Avs (one) in the capped NHL.
The Red Wings were fortunate — note, I didn’t say “lucky” — in the way their roster and contracts were aligned coming out of the lockout. Their great young players, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, weren’t making mega-salaries, and general manager Ken Holland also made tough — and unquestionably savvy — decisions in buying out the contracts of Darren McCarty and Derian Hatcher.
There’s a lot more to it than that, but with the Red Wings, despite their recent leveling-off, so obviously reigning as the class of the West, it comes down to this: From top (the Ilitch family ownership) through the front office, and with a roster that takes turns controlling the puck a stunning amount of time in every game, this is the league’s class act.
At least in the regular season.
With the Feb. 26 trading deadline approaching, the Wings — along with all the other teams either locked into or still in the running for a playoff berth — face the decisions about whether to acquire pending unrestricted free agents in an attempt to strengthen themselves.
For Detroit, that means a run at the Cup.
For the Avalanche, that means, first and foremost, the stretch run and the quest to make the playoffs, period.
In a conference call with the media last week, Holland several times emphasized that in the cap age, the consensus is that the lower- salary end of the roster has to be home-grown, through the draft, and that dealing away picks and prospects for immediate help at the trading deadline isn’t as justifiable as it once was.
Holland added that under the old CBA, there were “eight to 10 teams that spent salary-wise what we did. So we knew that if we traded some young players away, we had the financial advantage where we could hit the open market on July 1 and maybe replenish some of those things.
“Everybody’s on a level playing field now. And it does alter your thinking.”
Hossa update.
The Thrashers’ Marian Hossa sure sounded like a man trying to convince management to trade him before the deadline to ensure the team gets something for him.
GM-coach Don Waddell, whose job survival might depend on the Thrashers winning the Southeast Division and making the playoffs, has made it a priority to attempt to sign Hossa to an extension before the Feb. 26 deadline. The Slovak winger could be an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Hossa told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that there’s “a very slim chance” of the two sides reaching an agreement before the deadline. “We’ve been waiting such a long time, right now, what kind of miracle is going to happen right now?” he said. “There’s a slim chance, but like I said, there’s still one week away and you never know.”
As risky as it would be for Waddell on the personal level, it makes sense for the Thrashers to trade him. Because it sure seems that Hossa has decided he has had enough of the organization, and believes it’s time to move on — either before Feb. 26 or after July 1.
Foppa . . . again.
I almost made it through a column without mentioning Peter Forsberg. As Foppa continued to assess his ankle issues and ponder whether to return this season, most likely with Philadelphia, Holland admitted that at one point he indicated to Forsberg’s agent, Don Baizley, that Detroit might be interested. He also said that Baizley told him Forsberg had ruled out the Red Wings. Was that because of the Colorado-Detroit rivalry? “That would be my guess,” Holland said.
SPOTLIGHT ON . . .
Rod Brind’Amour, C, Hurricanes
Brind’Amour isn’t one of the league’s best players.
But he is one of the most valuable.
The former Michigan State Spartan is likely out for the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Brind’Amour, 37, is Carolina’s second-leading scorer (19 goals, 51 points). He won the Frank Selke Trophy, which goes to the NHL’s top defensive forward, last season, and long has been one of the top two-way centers in the game.
The Hurricanes already had been without, among others, right wing Justin Williams, who suffered torn ACL and medial collateral ligaments in December. Their defense was so injury-wracked, three of the defensemen they suited up against Pittsburgh had just been recalled from the minors Thursday.
Carolina made a major deal last Monday, acquiring Patrick Eaves and Joe Corvo from Ottawa for Mike Commodore and Cory Stillman, and Brind’Amour’s injury means general manager Jim Rutherford might feel added pressure to make more moves by the Feb. 26 trading deadline.
“Well, we certainly are going to see what’s available that can get us through this period of time,” Rutherford told the Raleigh News & Observer on Friday. “But these . . . are the real times where different players step up and often contribute more. We have to see what’s available from other teams.”
Carolina defeated Florida 5-4 on Saturday night to claim sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division with 64 points, two ahead of Atlanta and Washington. Mediocrity or worse means parity, because the division’s worst team, Tampa Bay, was only eight behind, and barring a shocking development, only the division winner will make the playoffs — as the conference’s No. 3 seed.
