Sophomore Slump for Skinner? Don’t Bet On It

Last season, 18 year old Jeff Skinner joined some elite company.  He became the fourth 18 year old to win the Calder trophy as NHL’s Rookie of the Year, scoring 32 goals and 63 points.  He became the youngest winner since Tom Barrasso in 1983-84.  Many 18 year olds have played in the NHL, but only eleven have scored 60 points in one season.  Of those eleven, nine played in the 1980s, when scoring was up.  The only one who’s done it outside of that decade besides Skinner, is Sidney Crosby.  Ironically, Skinner replaced Crosby in the All Star Game this past season.  Of the ten players ahead of Skinner on that list, all ten had productive seasons their second year.  Even the “bust” Jimmy Carson had two great years before tailing off.

Now Jeff Skinner is not going to produce Crosby numbers (120 points, Art Ross winner in his second year). Crosby posted over 100 points his rookie year to Skinner’s 63. Skinner played with Eric Staal most of last year on the Hurricanes’ top line.  But Skinner played 16:43 per game, which was only seventh most on his team.  That will surely increase this season, especially with the departure of Erik Cole.  He’ll most likely be called on for more power play minutes (played 3:10 per game last year).  More time will equal more scoring chances, which should increase his point total.

Some point to his slump in February as hitting the rookie wall.  

5 Arenas I’d Like to Visit

This doesn’t include arenas I’ve already been to (Anaheim, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Philadelphia)

1. Bell Centre (Montreal)
The biggest active arena in the NHL is consistently ranked near the top in polls for best arena in the league.  The crowd is always amped whether it’s preseason or game 7 of the Stanley Cup.  The storied history with all the Cup banners and retired numbers (not to mention the ghosts that may or may not have made the trip across the street) just oozes hockey mecca.  And I’d like to yell “Le Boo” and confuse French speaking people.

2. HP Pavilion (San Jose)
Okay, so the Shark head is kind of cheesy.  But it’s in that “so cheesy it almost makes it cool” category.  The fans are pretty good too, leading the pack in the “Sun Belt expansion” (even though they really aren’t warm weather).  It’s one of the hardest arenas to play in, according to THN.  Sharks fan @Ntrlhattrick says the arena has a pretty nice atmosphere and is located near plenty of local watering holes.

3. 

Free Agent Frenzy: Flyers Continue Makeover

While few knew what the Flyers were going to do coming into July 1st’s free agent frenzy, Paul Holmgren had a plan. The rumors that were going around had Jaromir Jagr signing with Pittsburgh or Detroit, but both teams dropped out of the bidding this morning, leaving the Jagr Sweepstakes open for business.

With the biggest shocker of the day, Holmgren signed Jagr for $3.3 million, stunning the hockey world. The 39 year old future Hall of Famer has a career 1599 points in 1273 NHL games. He’s spent the last three years playing with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. The 1999 Hart Trophy winner has played for Pittsburgh, Washington and the Rangers in 17 NHL seasons. He’s 12th all time in goals (646) and 9th in points.

Speaking of former Penguins, the team also added C Max Talbot for 5 years, $9 million. Talbot had 21 points last year in 82 games with Pittsburgh, who he has played for the last six years. In an interview with TSN, he said, “I think it is [treason to go from Pittsburgh to Philly], but it’s the right thing to do.” He also added that players have told him “how great it is to play [in Philly]” and it’s a “great chance to win, with a great fit for me.” Talbot also said he believes in the changes the team has made over the last couple weeks. He should help the Flyers’ penalty kill, which took a few hits when the team traded both Mike Richards and Darroll Powe. The team views him as a replacement of Ian Laperriere.

The Flyers weren’t done