Episode 0097: Ovechkin Keeps Scoring, Berglund Suspended, US Development Players Vlasic and Knight, Tobias Bjornfot, Kings Explosion, Lucic/Krug Rumors, Charlie Coyle, Twitter Poll and More!

We are now a week and a half until the holiday that is Christmas and the standings are as convoluted as we’ve seen all season.  Some teams have fallen back to where we expected however there are still those that are punching above their weight class.  The Sabres are still in third in the Atlantic and some of the other matchups are just as interesting as we discuss in the open.

One man who has been on a tear recently is Alex Ovechkin.  He is currently leading in goal scoring and still top 10 in the overall points race. We talk about the 33-year-old and where his ceiling is and how long he will stick around in the NHL.

The Twitter Poll for last week revolved around the return of William Nylander.  We wanted to know how many points he would have by the new year.  A full 69 percent of the you said between 1 and 5, with another 23 percent choosing 6 to 11.  So far, he has a couple points but there are a few games remaining for Toronto before New Year’s.

Patrick Berglund has been suspended by the Buffalo Sabres indefinitely.  What we don’t know are the particulars around his not reporting to the team.  A more important question however is whether the Sabres will really miss him.

We look forward to a couple of Americans that are draft eligible this year, and the state of the US development team they play for.  Alex Vlasic and Spencer Knight will be available.  Also available will be Swede Tobias Bjornfot.  A 6 foot, almost 200-pound defenseman with the complete package (as reported by some scouts), Tobias could be a nice late first round or early second round pick.

We turn our focus to the Los Angeles Kings.  Another team that has fallen on difficult times this season, we talk about the possibility of this team being blown up, but unlike the Flyers or Blues, we have difficulty deciding where to start with the Kings.  The no movement clauses and high salaries for the players that would bring back the largest returns make them difficult to move.  Where would you start?  Let us know.

We talk about ridiculous rumors involving the Bruins and Oilers after a visit by B’s GM Don Sweeney to an Oilers/Flames game.  Rumors involve Lucic returning and Krug heading west, but seriously, there really isn’t a deal to be made between these two teams.

Finally, Charlie Coyle, a Massachusetts native, is still with his draft team, the Minnesota Wild. Could the Bruins use a Charlie Coyle this season?  We posit a theory that supports his move back to Boston.

The holidays fast approach, as does the new year.  With that, so does our 100^thepisode.  We thank all of you for giving us a listen and a chance.  As always, let us know what you think and what we should talk about, and enjoy the show!