This week, host Matthew Coller and Timo Seppa are joined by John Fischer, managing editor of In Lou We Trust, talking about Devils, Devils, Devils…and yes, some Rangers and Capitals. All three of us weigh in on who we think is going to advance out of Game 7. Matt and Timo also cover the Western Conference Finals between Phoenix and Los Angeles, and go off on a long tangent about what you can and can’t learn about players from postgame interviews.

Listen here.

In my weekly appearance on NHL Home Ice’s The War Room, I spoke with Mick Kern and Peter Berce today about Ilya Bryzgalov’s historically bad postseason, the worst among 72 qualifying seasons of 7+ games played since the lockout. In case you missed it, listen here.

Thanks as usual to the guys at The War Room for making the audio possible.

Tune in next Wednesday around 11:40 am to hear me again, on XM Radio channel 92.

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Read more analysis on Bryzgalov in my article at ESPN Insider today, including the potential “desert effect” on inflating goalie numbers in Phoenix over the past three seasons.

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And finally, Matthew Coller and I are recording Hockey Prospectus Radio tomorrow, with special guest John Fischer of In Lou We Trust. We’ll get John’s take on whether the Devils are for real or not; he’ll tell it like it is. We should have that for you on Friday.

The AHL playoffs are in the middle of the second round, and I’ve watched a good handful of games because what other playoff games would I watch? Here are my thoughts so far from the Eastern Conference games I’ve seen:

New York Rangers (Connecticut):

Casey Wellman, Right Wing: Wellman didn’t have a sterling season from a counting numbers perspective-especially considering his age—but you could have fooled me based on how good he has looked in the playoffs. Wellman is a true high-end skater who is showing good puck creativity, playmaking and last night versus Norfolk put on display a bullet shot from the point. With his age and contract expiring, it’s still not clear what his future will be.

Pittsburgh Penguins (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton):

Philip Samuelsson, Defense: Samuelsson’s first pro season involved a little ECHL action and fighting for ice time between a deep AHL defense core such as Simon Depres, Alex Grant, Roberto Bortuzzo, Brian Strait, and Carl Sneep. He’s gotten a good amount of ice time in the second round, and while he may be odd the victim of a chance here or there, overall he has played very well. Samuelsson is a pretty impressive thinker, and his hockey sense drives value despite a smaller stature, not a lot of offensive skill and being a below-average skater.

Tampa Bay Lightning (Norfolk):

Cory Conacher, Left Wing: Conacher kind of came out of nowhere this season, but ending up torching the AHL and securing a contract from Tampa Bay and has emerged as potentially a top flight prospect. He’s a legit high-end skater, flashing that same kind of ability with his puck skills, has good vision and is a gritty hard-worker. His biggest knock is his quite diminutive size, but there’s all the tools in place for him to potentially be a scorer at the next level.

Alex Killorn, Center: I don’t think Killorn is a world-killer type of prospect, however it is quite evident he is ready for the NHL level. He’s a physically developed played who is an above-average skater, at times flashing beyond that. He plays a good power game, and showed some offensive instincts as well. Fans should look for him to be in a Lightning uniform next year if there’s room.

Washington (Hershey):

Cameron Schilling, Defense: Schilling was signed out of Miami (OH) at the end of the college season and from the few games I’ve seen of him in the pro ranks, he looks like he may be able to make a push for the top level next season. He has fine size, skates at an above-average level, defends well, and is a decent outlet guy who while he may not be an overly offensive talent, does find ways to get involved in that half of the rink.

Winnipeg (St. John’s):

Paul Postma, Defense: Postma regularly looked good in AHL action, and I have to believe he makes a hard push for full time NHL duties next season. He skates very well, has good puck skills, and has steadily improved his game in the defensive end of the rink. He’s too good for this level, and if there’s a spot open, he’s ready for the next step.

Mark Scheifele, Center: Scheifele has shown flashes of his great skill in the AHL playoffs, but still looks like he’s not quite there yet in terms of being able to log significant pro minutes. He got a stay with the Jets early on this season, but I’m skeptical that if they decided to keep him next year, that his minutes would be anything short of very sheltered.

Hosts Matthew Coller and Timo Seppa weigh in on the hire of Marc Bergevin as Habs GM, discuss some of the award nominees, and evaluate the four remaining playoff series - including the much greater amount of physical wear and tear on the Eastern Conference teams…(Could there be a parade in Phoenix?) Then they’re joined by Geoff Detweiler of Broad Street Hockey to talk about the Flyers’ first round success and to evaluate their chances of advancing deep into the postseason.

Listen here.

In what’s become a weekly appearance at The War Room, I spoke with Mick Kern and Peter Berce today about Jack Adams snubs, the idea that Los Angeles might be the current Cup favorite, the possibility that Eastern Conference teams will wear down through very long physical series, early Conn Smythe leaders, and as many other topics as we could fit in 9 minutes.

In case you missed it, listen here.

Thanks as usual to the Mick, Peter, and Michael at The War Room for making the audio possible.

Tune in next Wednesday around 11:40 am to hear me again, on XM Radio channel 92.

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And Matt Coller and I are recording Hockey Prospectus Radio tonight, with Geoff Detweiler of Broad Street Hockey returning to speak with us about the Flyers. We should have that up on Thursday.

To those who know a lot about the game, know or at least aware that while in the mainstream a “consensus” is formed sometimes on the NHL draft, on a team to team basis there usually is no consensus. I have gotten to see this when talking to pro scouts and NHL execs, so I figure as a fun blog post, to share with you some of the disagreements I’ve heard from different teams on notable prospects. The following are all quotes from scouting sources I’ve talked to within the industry this year along with where I ranked the respective prospects:

Alexander Galchenyuk, Center, 3rd:

Talk about a difficult pick. There is a lot of hype on Galchenyuk due to his massive potential and of course the risk that comes with a player who barely played all year. One scout I talked to spoke high praise of his expectations for Galchenyuk earlier in the year,
“Coming into the season, I thought he had the talent level to challenge Yakupov for the number one spot.”

While I didn’t get a look at this team’s draft board, an NHL exec I talked to recently said when I asked him who would he rank as the top players in the draft he said,

“The top three players in this draft are all Russian.” When I asked him if he meant Galchenyuk, seeing as he’s worn US colors in International play he responded, “He’s still a Russian to me.”

When I asked another NHL exec if he would pick him though he seemed much more cautious,

“I think he has top line potential, but when you’re picking as high as he could go, if you’re a team with a top five pick, do you really spend it on a guy you saw play a handful of times? I’m not sure I would be able to. He was great in his underage year, but how good would he have been this season?”

It’s a valid point when you consider past “potential top five picks” coming into their draft years who had good underage seasons such as Angelo Esposito and John McFarland that didn’t follow up.

Zemgus Girgensons, Center, 14th:

Girgensons was really hard to get a read on during the year. Some people in the industry loved him, and others were so-so on him. When I talked to a NHL exec mid-year he said this,

“With Girgensons, what I can’t figure out is if he has top line skill, second line skill, or top 6 ability at all. Depending what night I see him I get a different impression.”

Another NHL exec said he was fully convinced in one direction,

“I’ve seen him a lot and I have no doubt in my mind he has top-six skill.” Another scout I talked to said he may even have the talent level to warrant a top ten pick.

While another scout went down another road,

” He looks like a third liner to me.”

Ryan Murray, Defense, 8th:

My somewhat low ranking of Murray may seem like another case of beating down the guy whose been around the scene forever. However I do feel his criticism is merited, and I don’t see it as the nitpicking of Sean Couturier last year for example. When I asked one Head Scout who he felt the top defenseman in the draft was he responded,

“It’s clearly Dumba. Murray is a great defensive defenseman, although if you listen to the media some people make it seem like he’s Scott Niedermayer or something.”

And another scout said,

“I just don’t see the puck skills or offensive ability to take him in the top five.”

But of course Murray has scouts who push for him,

“He just does everything well. He’s a high-end puck mover whose very good defensively and very intelligent with the puck.”

Pontus Aberg, Left Wing, 9th:

Aberg was not as big a name this draft season based on the fact he was an over age player due to his late birth date and didn’t get to play at the Under 18s, and he was injured right before the World Juniors where he was a shoe in to be a factor for that team. Scouts for the most part had to make special trips to see him,

“He absolutely has top ten talent,” one scout told me and one Head Scout saying he would range him anywhere from 10-20 on his board. Another Head Scout said he wasn’t sold on the talent level being good enough for a player of his size. Finally an NHL exec told me “I’ve seen him a handful of times and I haven’t been all too impressed, but our Swedish scouts keep telling me he’s great.”

Filip Forsberg, Right Wing, 4th:

Forsberg based on industry consensus seemed to be high amongst everyone’s boards from most scouts I’ve talked to, however, it was not universal. When I asked one Head Scout in January if he would take Forsberg top five he said, “No, but maybe closer to 10. I just don’t see enough offensive upside to take him over players like Grigorenko or Galchenyuk.” When I told him most people I’ve talked to see him as a top five talent he told me, “Not the scouts I’ve been talking to.” It should be noted I asked him again recently, he said he’d have him 4-6 on his board.

Of course other scouts I’ve talked to love Forsberg’s potential, saying it is on par with Mikhail Grigorenko and Alex Galchenyuk.
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The point I’m trying to make is not one to scare fans of teams in the top five or ten, but to show yet again that in this field, there is rarely such thing as a consensus.

This morning, I got a chance to talk with Mick Kern about the big name teams already eliminated in the first round, three Game 7s on tap over the next two nights, and even a bit of Cory Schneider-Roberto Luongo controversy. Only about 10 minutes, but a lot of ground covered.

In case you missed it, listen here. Thanks as usual to the Mick, Peter, and Michael at The War Room for making the audio possible.

Looks like I’ve got a weekly date for now at The War Room on NHL Home Ice, so tune into XM Radio channel 92 next Wednesday morning around 11:40 to hear me again!

In this week’s episode, hosts Matthew Coller and Timo Seppa weigh in on the head shots and suspensions, key players missing time due to injuries, and the surprising twists and turns of the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Should Cory Schneider have gotten the start for the Canucks out of the gate? And did the Penguins fall into the trap of “trying to out-Flyer the Flyers” in a wild and high-scoring series?

Listen here.

And we turned this one around quickly, so excuse the stripped-down production.

Timo Seppa joined Mick Kern at NHL Home Ice’s The War Room today, for a brief preview the first round playoff matchups.

Listen here.

Timo will be joining Mick again next Wednesday, April 18 at 11:20 am, to talk about where each series stands, and any notable developments.

Hosts Matthew Coller and Timo Seppa look back on the regular season, assessing VUKOTA projections and reflecting on which bubble teams actually made it into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Then, it’s off to a preview of each of the eight first round series, featuring Matt’s personal apology to Mike Smith.

Listen here.