Turns out the Markov, Sedin, and Franzen injuries were just the tip of the iceberg, huh?Add the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, Sergei Gonchar, Sheldon Souray, Jonathon Toews, Brent Seabrook, Jason Arnott, John-Michael Liles, Paul Martin, David Booth, Justin Williams, Kim Johnsson, and T.J. Oshie.
And that's only the most noticeable recent casualties.
The depth of many teams is really being put to the test early. Here's a few situations that will be worth monitoring:
Atlanta - Kovalchuk said he wants to see how the team is progressing before he re-ups with the Thrashers. Well, for the next month, or so, we will see how well Don Waddell's team can fare without it's best player.
Boston - If you want to talk about offensive depth, you want to talk about the Boston Bruins. With the Savard and Lucic injuries, a handful of B's players deserving of bigger roles will get the chance to let Claude Julien take a gander at the goods. Players like Vladimir Sobotka and Brad Marchand got the call up from the AHL, and will do their best to stay up with the big team. Much of the added weight will fall onto the shoulders of Patrice Bergeron and Blake Wheeler, who will step into bigger offensive roles in Savard and Lucic's absence.
Pittsburgh - Last year: 27-24-5 without Gonchar. 18-4-4 with Gonchar. Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang will really have to step it up on the blue-line. Without Gonchar Pittsburgh takes a gigantic hit in all three zones. Expect the power-play to take a big dip.
New Jersey - Paul Martin is the best defenseman that nobody talks about. Can the Devils survive without their defensive leader? Expect Cory Murphy to get called up from Lowell, but I don't see him having a quality impact for Jacques Lemaire's club. Murphy is a poor-man's Marc-Andre Bergeron. His offensive exploits aren't on Bergeron's level, and they are both atrocious defensively...
Much has been made about the Mike Richards hit on David Booth, for which Richards received no suspension.
You know why?
Because it was a legal hit.
The onus on the "hitter" should be to use his shoulder, not leave his feet, not charge, and never hit a player from behind. The "hitter" should only hit a player while, or immediately after they move the puck.
Richards complied with all of these requirements.
It is the person being hit's responibility to protect himself from vulnerable positions, especially when crossing into the middle of the ice.
Look, if you want to debate the validity of a hit like this falling under the category of "legal hit," be my guest. There's plenty of people saying hits like this - to the head, from the blindside, a split second after the player releases the puck - should be taken out of the game.
Well, that's a "noble" goal, but it's not applicable. The NHL is a fast-paced, physical game. Nobody likes seeing players taken off on a stretcher after taking a good lick to the head, but it happens. So long as there is hitting in the game, injuries will occur. It's unfortunate, but it's a consummate truth.
During last year's playoffs, then NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly was campaigning for a new rule penalizing hits to the head. The NHL's general managers were vehemently against this. Yahoo's Greg Wyshynski combated Kelly's proposal perfectly, explaining:
"It's easy to get suckered into siding with the NHLPA in this situation, because selling 'we're trying to save lives, here' is easier than selling 'we're trying to keep things violent and protect our market share' for the NHL...Don't buy the players' line. It's a sport whose fundamental system and game-play leads to injury. This is an attempt to make the legal illegal, and it's preposterous to believe it won't affect the fundamentals of the Game at the NHL level."
Couldn't have put it better, myself.
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