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Red Wings' Osgood Wants To Be Osgreat - Dec. 6, 1996 - Vol. 50, Issue 13 - Mike Brophy

Don’t be fooled by the boyish good looks or the soft-spoken voice-quite often barely audible, especially when the conversation turns to his ranking among goaltenders in the NHL.

A fire bums inside of Detroit Red Wings’ goalie Chris Osgood. Stoking the flames is his desire to be No. 1. That’s not on his team, because he already is. He wants to be No. 1 in the league.

“I want to win the Stanley Cup more than anything,” said Osgood, 24. “I’ll do anything to win. At the same time, in my mind, I want to be one of the best goalies in the league, if not the very best. Ever since I came into the league, it has been my goal to be the best goalie in the league.”

Osgood won’t reveal how close he feels he is to reaching the summit, although his sterling numbers and continued success suggest it is within sight. Since Osgood joined the Red Wings in 1993-94, only four goalies-Mike Richter of the New York Rangers, Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, Ed Belfour of the Chicago Blackhawks and Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers—have recorded more wins than Osgood’s 83. And those goalies were clearly No. 1 on their teams, getting the bulk of playing time while Osgood shared the crease with Mike Vernon.

Wins are wonderful. So are personal statistics. But there’s more to ranking goalies than simply considering their numbers. Osgood’s 39 victories (with just six losses and five ties) last season was tops in the league. He tied with Hextall for best goals-against average at 2.17 and tied with Brodeur for seventh-best save percentage at 91.1.

Patrick Roy, on the other hand, tied for 12th in goals-against and 10th in save percentage, but led the Colorado Avalanche to the Cup-his third. For that, Roy remains the king. And Curtis Joseph of the Edmonton Oilers, who didn’t rank in the top 30 in GAA or SP last season, got the nod for Canada’s entry at the World Cup. Osgood wasn’t among the three goalies on the team.

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Osgood hadn’t been around long enough to receive serious consideration for the post. Experience certainly was a key in selecting Bill Ranford of the Boston Bruins and Brodeur as Joseph’s backups.

Playing for a powerhouse such as the Red Wings is both a blessing and a curse for Osgood. Of course he racks up wins, the Red Wings play a strict defensive system that would benefit any goalie. It’s worth noting, though, while the team had difficulty winning this season. Osgood’s own numbers remained impressive. He led the league in GAA at 1.73 and was third in SP at 93.4. And because the Red Wings have not utilized the defense-oriented left wing lock the way they did the previous two years, Osgood has been left to his own devices more often.

“Since he came into the league, the one thing he has done consistently is find a way to win,” said Detroit assistant GM Ken Holland. “For that, he deserves credit.”

But he doesn’t get the elite status afforded Roy, Richter, Brodeur, Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres and John Vanbies-brouck of the Florida Panthers. There is a glut of challengers. Osgood, Jim Carey of the Washington Capitals and Nikolai Khabibulin of the Phoenix Coyotes are among the up-and-comers.

Osgood needs his team to have a successful playoff to receive the recognition he deserves. That’s going to be tough because anything short of winning the Cup is considered failure in Detroit.

Meanwhile, Osgood continues to work diligently at his craft, concentrating on positional play. A save he made on Colorado’s Joe Sakic last year, diving back into the net, was picked best play of the year. Osgood said if his game were where he wants it to be, it wouldn’t have been a consideration. “I want to be in the right place at the right time,” he said, “and not have to make the flashy save because I was out of position.”

Seattle Kraken forward Carson Rehkopf is gearing up for his first season of professional hockey in the AHL with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and the 20-year-old could follow a similar path to a fellow Kraken prospect.

Jani Nyman made the jump from professional hockey in Finland to North America, dominating and achieving several milestones, which included a call-up and an extended stint in the NHL. With the Firebirds, the 21-year-old scored 28 goals and 44 points in 58 games, leading the team in goals and ranking second in points. He earned a nod to the All-Star game and was among the best rookies in the AHL.

In his stint in the NHL, Nyman notched three goals and six points in 12 games, proving he was more than ready to play in the NHL. 

Part of Nyman's success was attributed to his size and NHL-ready frame. Listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Nyman was never pushed around or looked out of place, something Rehkopf could do this year.

Rehkopf has torn the OHL apart in the last two seasons, scoring 42 goals and 86 points in 57 games this past season. The year prior, Rehkopf recorded 52 goals and 95 points in 60 games. The Barrie, Ont. native is ready for his next challenge, and it'll come by way of the AHL.

If Rehkopf hopes to follow in the footsteps of Nyman, it'll start with a strong training camp and pre-season. Nyman was one of the standout performers in the pre-season last year and carried the momentum into the OHL season. 

The 6-foot-2, 201-pound left-handed forward also has an NHL-ready frame and play style. Rehkopf uses his speed to force defenders onto their heels in transition. The threat of his shot creates play-making opportunities, and his passing abilities open up space for him to showcase his shot. He also possesses tremendous offensive instincts, which help him find open areas near the front of the net.

The Firebirds enter the 2025-26 season with one of the youngest forward groups in the AHL. Due to the youth of the roster, Rehkopf will have plenty of opportunities to take on a larger role and possibly earn a call-up to the NHL following the trade deadline, like Nyman did.

Trio Of Kraken Prospects Invited To Team Canada's World Junior Summer Showcase RosterThree Seattle Kraken prospects, Berkly Catton, Jake O'Brien and Ollie Josephson, have been invited to Team Canada's World Junior Summer Showcase roster.

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Nabokov For Kiprusoff - Sept. 7, 2009 - Vol. 63, Iss. 03 – Adam Proteau

THE NHL’S INCREASINGLY RECEDING summer break is just about over. With a couple of notable exceptions – a solution for Dany Heatley in Ottawa and some type of significant move from San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson – teams have remodeled their roster as much as they’re prepared to before the regular season’s first dozen games reveal their strengths and deficiencies.

Some of those teams will be rewarded for their confidence early in the campaign; others will feel significant pushback from the hockey gods and stumble hard out of the gate.

Unfortunately, thanks to the implication of parity brought on by the salary cap era, a bad start for certain franchises (for example, five of the Original Six teams or the rebuilding Islanders) will resonate in a far more negative manner than it would for, say, the Detroit Red Wings.

But if it gets more difficult to make trades each year of the collective bargaining agreement, what caliber of in-season roster reshaping can be done anymore?

It depends what you think of the term “lateral move.”

For instance, let’s say the Calgary Flames and Sharks stink up October with no more than a few wins apiece. Like coach Alain Vigneault in Vancouver and goalie Ray Emery in Philadelphia, neither team can afford a slow start.

Calgary has added a new elite defenseman in Jay Bouwmeester and a new coach in Brent Sutter, while the local hot seat hosts the haunches of Brent’s other brother Darryl, the team’s GM.

The Sharks have underachieved to an extent that cries out for some substantive change, yet we’ve only seen alterations via natural attrition (Jeremy Roenick’s retirement) and unnatural attrition (eg. the non-tendering of qualifying contracts to restricted free agents Marcel Goc, Lukas Kaspar and Tomas Plihal).

Of course, there’s no way either Wilson or Sutter moves Joe Thornton or Dion Phaneuf during such a skid, because they know other GMs can smell blood in the water and would go skimpy on the trade offers.

Which brings us back to the lateral move. Picture a Sharks-Flames deal like this one:

To San Jose from Calgary: A 32-year-old goalie with 204 career regular season wins, 25 playoff wins, a career .912 regular season save percentage and career 2.46 regular season goals-against average;

AN EX-NHL GM SAYS IT’S A POTENTIAL DEAL THAT PASSES THE SMELL TEST

3 AHL Rookies Who Could Be Difference Makers for the San Jose BarracudaThe San Jose Sharks have an abundance of prospects who will be battling for spots in the NHL and the

To Calgary from San Jose: A 34-year-old goalie with 249 career regular season wins, 32 playoff wins, a career .911 regular season save percentage and a career 2.38 regular season GAA.

That’s right: Miikka Kiprusoff to San Jose, Evgeni Nabokov to Calgary.

Yeah, Kiprusoff’s contract term (he’s signed at an average of more than $5.8 million per year through 2013-14) differs greatly from Nabokov’s (he’ll be an unrestricted free agent after earning $5.375 million this season), but trading two virtually identical players would be a notable deck-shuffling that minimizes the potential downside associated with moving big-money players.

Besides, the Sharks have all kinds of cap flexibility after this season. More importantly, they’d be repatriating Kiprusoff back into the organization that drafted him in 1995.

The Flames, meanwhile, would have Nabokov in a contract year and cap relief if he didn’t pan out. They’d also be bringing in a familiar face – at least, familiar to Darryl Sutter, who coached Nabokov in San Jose for the first two-and-a-half seasons of the goalie’s career.

According to one former NHL GM (who spoke on condition his name not be used), it’s a potential deal that passes the smell test.

“It does make sense,” the former GM said of a Nabokov-for-Kiprusoff swap. “From the Flames’ perspective, I think they’d love to pass on Kiprusoff and get out of that contract.

“Beyond that, it makes sense age-wise, salary-wise, and you have two (GMs) comfortable enough with one another to make that deal. One of the really interesting things is that Nabokov is one of the very best puckhandling goaltenders in the league. I start to wonder if Brent (Sutter), after having been around Martin Brodeur in New Jersey last year, might think that’s an element they need.”

Regardless of whether the elements come together for that particular trade to become reality, there’s no doubt the bar for NHL blockbusters has been re-set by the league’s newfound financial prudence – and that bar hasn’t been heightened.

It’s as if the league and its teams are doing what everybody else is doing in this uncertain economy: sticking with what they know, keeping risks to a minimum, getting value-for-value as much as possible.

That’s why, for the foreseeable future, lateral moves may be the only ones that get made.

68 Days Until Opening Day: The Sharks' History of Number 68We’re just 68 days away from the San Jose Sharks kicking off their season against the Vegas Golden Knights at the SAP Center.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have several exciting young players in their system. One of them is undoubtedly Frank Nazar, as the 2022 first-round pick has the tools to emerge as a legitimate top-six forward as he continues to gain more experience at the NHL level.

Nazar certainly showed plenty of promise this past season, as he had success at both the NHL and AHL levels. In 53 games with the Blackhawks on the year, the 21-year-old forward recorded 12 goals, 14 assists, and 26 points. He also thrived while with the Rockford IceHogs, posting 11 goals, 13 assists, and 24 points in 21 games. 

Nazar only got better with the Blackhawks as the campaign rolled on, too, as he tapped into his offensive potential in a noticeable way. In his final eight appearances of the season with the Blackhawks, he recorded five goals and nine points. This included ending the year on a three-game goal streak, so he undoubtedly impressed. 

Now, after having such a strong finish to his solid rookie season with the Blackhawks, there is no question that Nazar is a big-time breakout candidate heading into 2025-26. The potential for him to emerge as a significant part of the Blackhawks' roster is there, and it would not be shocking in the slightest if we see his offensive production skyrocket next season. It will be fascinating to see what kind of year he has with the Blackhawks from here. 

Blackhawks Intriguing Prospect Is Goalie To WatchThe

  Photo Credit: © Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images  

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the best deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals and have played less than 40 NHL games.

40. Linus Sjodin – Center (Rogle BK – SHL)

Sjodin was the last of Buffalo’s 11 selections at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal, drafted in the seventh round (211th overall) out of the Rogle BK system in the SHL. The 6’0”, 167 lb. forward was eligible to be drafted in 2021, but went undrafted and was picked by Buffalo as a 19-year-old after splitting time between the junior level andthe parent SHL club for the two years before being chosen. and played full time the last two seasons.

The Angelholm, SWE native played for his country at the 2022 World Juniors, but in four full SHL seasons has not been a big offensive producer, with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists) in 204 games. Sjodin had two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 15 playoff games, as Rogle went to the final before losing to Skelleftea in five games in 2024.

Sjödin’s “playmaking abilities are considered one of his absolute strengths, but his struggles of driving the play were due mainly to his average speed.” The Hockey Prospect Black Book said in 2021. He has high-level hockey IQ, but "his lack of speed and quickness are what holds him back from being a high-profile prospect.”

Barring a remarkable turnaround, the Sabres are likely to allow Sjodin’s rights to expire next June, as they did with a pair of their 2021 draft picks earlier this summer.

On Jul. 31, Pittsburgh Penguins' veteran forward Evgeni Malkin turned the ripe age of 39.

Entering his 20th NHL season, Malkin has proven to be one of the NHL's all-time greats. The future Hall-of-Famer has registered 514 goals and 1,346 in 1,213 career NHL games, and he has graced Pittsburgh and the league with unforgettable moments and dominance over the years.

There's no doubt that Malkin is not only one of the greatest NHLers of all time, but also one of the very best Russian-born players of all-time. There is a lot of conjecture concerning where exactly Malkin falls within those ranks, as there are many other names who occupy that space as well - including the guy who just broke Wayne Gretzky's goal record this season.

So where does Malkin fall within the all-time great Russian-born player ranks?

It's hard to argue who's at the top

I mean, look: When you're digging into the point-per-game numbers and into all-around play, Malkin might have a case here.

But it's hard to argue against having the NHL's greatest goal-scorer of all time at the top of the list.

Alexander Ovechkin was drafted first overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft - one spot ahead of Malkin, who was selected next by the Penguins - and without the lockout in 2004-05, we might be talking more about Ovechkin's and Malkin's careers mirroring each other than about Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby being the biggest marquee matchup in the league for almost two decades. Because of the lockout, Ovechkin and Crosby ended up debuting in the same season in 2005-06, while Malkin debuted one season later.

It's Been Two Decades Of Sidney Crosby. For Pittsburgh, That's Not Enough.On July 22, 2005, a singular lottery ball changed the course of the

In any case, Ovechkin - like Crosby and Malkin - has far exceeded the expectations bestowed upon him at the start of his NHL career. He has scored an all-time best 897 goals while racking up 1,623 points in 1,491 games, and - astoundingly - put up 44 goals in just 65 games last season at age 39.

Malkin may not quite measure up to Ovechkin on the all-time great Russian-born players list, even if 500-plus goals is an impressive accomplishment itself. However, he makes a very compelling case for second on the list.

Malkin is probably no. 2... at least, for now

There is quite the crowded field of players behind Ovechkin at the no. 1 spot along with Malkin, including household names such as Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Datsyuk, Alexander Mogilny, Pavel Bure, Alexei Kovalev, and Ilya Kovalchuk. Each respective player is an all-time great in their own right to some extent, and they were all very productive NHL players.

However - like Ovechkin at no. 1 - it's difficult to put anyone else but Malkin in the no. 2 spot. Not only is the three-time Stanley Cup champion second all-time in points by a Russian-born player behind only Ovechkin, he's also staged to enter the top-25 all-time in scoring by the end of next season, assuming he's healthy. Injuries have riddled Malkin's career as much as they have Crosby's, and the fact that the league is faster than ever - and Malkin's footspeed is noticeably slow nowadays - probably lend to the argument that he doesn't have a whole lot left in the tank beyond his current contract, which is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 season.

In any case - whether this is, indeed, Malkin's last NHL season or not - Malkin pretty safely holds that no. 2 position. That is, for now.

Don’t Count Malkin Out: Why 2025-26 Could Be a Comeback YearPittsburgh Penguins legendary forward Evgeni Malkin is going into his age-39 season in 2025-26 after seeing his production dip a little bit this past season. 

There is one current player who may just surpass Malkin on the list by the time he calls it a career, and that is Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov, 32, currently has 357 goals and 994 points in 803 games, and he has five seasons of 100 or more points - including successive seasons of 113, 144, and 121 points in the last three seasons. He also has two Stanley Cup championships under his belt, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down in terms of production.

Of course, it will be interesting to see how Kucherov ages out. Malkin's numbers began to dip after the 2022-23 season, when he registered his most recent point-per-game season with 83 points. Kucherov's style tends to lend itself to longevity a bit more than Malkin's, but things can become unpredictable as players age.

As of now, though, there's Ovi, and then there's Geno. And that doesn't figure to change for at least another handful of years, if ever.

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Feature image credit: Credit: Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images