THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Blackhawks acted quickly and agressively when NHL free agency opened Wednesday, most notably inking Marian Hossa to a 12-year, $64 million deal. This comes on the heels of signing top free agent defenseman Brian Campbell last year. Already stacked with players like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp, have the Blackhawks now supplanted the Red Wings as the team to beat in the Central division?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
Chicago began that process even before the Marian Hossa signing. The Blackhawks were 2-2-2 against the Red Wings during the 2009-10 regular season, and even though the Wings beat the Hawks 4-games-to-1 in the Western Conference finals, two of Chicago’s losses came in overtime. Now Hossa and his 40 goals are moving to Chicago, and he’s bringing with him Tomas Kopecky, a nice young player. The Red Wings also are losing Mikael Samuelsson, who scored 19 goals last season

Chicago lost forward Martin Havlat, a big loss, and goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who had a terrific season, in free agency; but if Hossa can play as well as he has, he should top the numbers of the injury-prone Havlat. And goaltender Cristobal Huet should benefit from being the definite No. 1 netminder in Chicago. If Huet can match what the aging Khabibulin did last year, the Blackhawks should be the team to beat in the Central Division next year.

TOM TIMMERMANN
Well, the last two seasons, Marian Hossa has been a good indicator of who will come in second place. I think it’s too soon to say the Hawks have passed the Wings. The Hawks have a lot of parts, but it remains to be seen if they all fit together. And as Sidney Crosby can tell you, there’s a lot of pressure that comes from the high expectations put on young superstars. I do think that Chicago is clearly the No. 2 team in the West, which makes the Central Division that much tougher for the Blues since they’ll have to play two very, very good teams a lot. Hossa hasn’t shown himself to be a savior the past two seasons — though this year the gap between the Wings and Penguins was pretty small — so I don’t know if he gets the Hawks over the Red Wings hump.

KEVIN WHEELER (Host of “Sports Open Line” on KMOX)
Not a chance. Detroit has won the division 8 straight years and losing Hossa isn’t going to change that much with the depth of talent they still have on that roster.

Besides, Hossa (40 goals, 31 assists, 71 points) is merely replacing Chicago’s 2008-2009 leading scorer Martin Havlat (29 goals, 48 assists, 77 points), who left for Minnesota in free agency. Hossa had 11 more goals than Havlat but had fewer points, though it should be pointed out that Hossa played in 7 fewer games than Havlat.

Oh and the Hawks lost goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, the guy that carried the load late in the season and in the playoffs. A team led by Cristobal Huet doesn’t exactly inspire me. The Blackhawks and Blues are getting closer to Detroit’s level but there is still ground to make up.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
In my opinion, the Chicago Blackhawks won’t supplant Detroit until they start beating the Wings in seven-game series, winning Western Conference Championships and, ultimately, the Stanley Cup. Last time I checked they have yet to do any of the three.

Obviously they have made some considerable strides over the past few seasons, they’ve spent money in free agency and have collected some impressive names, but with that being said, Detroit isn’t going anywhere in the short-term. Last time I checked Detroit just went to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals and are bringing back a loaded roster once again.

Chicago better find a goaltender or it really won’t matter who they have on their roster. Anybody believe Cristobal Huet is the answer in net? Martin Havlat was their best player in Chicago for much of the second half of the season and they replaced him with Hossa, who will receive nearly all of his salary in the first eight seasons of his 12-year deal. Chicago still has some important players to sign this season and moving into next year, and oh, by the way, the cap is expected to go down after this coming season.

I don’t get caught up in hype created by monster free agent signings, but I do recognize they are very, very talented and have a great coach. We have seen plenty of teams make a splash in free agency only to fizzle. Ask the Rangers or Philadelphia where that has gotten them?

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Stanley Cup Finals kick off Saturday night in a repeat of last year’s matchup of the Detroit Red Wings vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. Who are you picking to win it all and why?

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
I will go with Pittsburgh in 6 games. I picked the Pens last year, but looking back, they just weren’t ready. They are this season. Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will be a difference-maker. Injuries to Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk could also be factors. Sorry Marian Hossa, you should have stayed in the Steel City.

TOM TIMMERMANN
If you had asked me pretty much any day all year who would win the Stanley Cup, I’d have said the Detroit Red Wings. But today, I’m going with the Penguins. They’re a more mature team than a year ago, and they’ll be a lot calmer in the finals than last year. They’ve got Crosby, they’ve got Malkin, who is not disappearing this year, they’ve got Fleury in goal. Detroit is banged up and with Games 1 and 2 back to back, a younger, better-rested team, which is what Pittsburgh is, will have an edge. I think Pittsburgh’s got a shot to snag a win at Joe Louis Arena and that could be the difference in a tight series. And unlike the conference finals, this won’t be a quick series. But it should be a good one.

ANDY STRICKLAND (Hockeybuzz.com, KFNS)
Have we heard enough about the Pittsburgh comparison to the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s? I’ve yet to read a story that doesn’t make mention of it.

First off, Detroit is incredible. They have an unfair amount of depth that allows them to execute their style even without some of the best players in the world. They should be getting Lidstrom and Datsyuk back for Game 1 but how effective will they be? Niklas Kronwall and Brian Rafalski are more than capable of picking up the slack. If Detroit continues to score one out of every four chances on the power play it will make things very tough for the Penguins. Whether you like him or not, you have to give props to goaltender Chris Osgood, who is Detroit’s Conn Smythe candidate to date. Most pundits didn’t give this guy a chance and for good reason, his performance during the regular season was dreadful. Somehow Osgood finds magic in Hockeytown. I find it interesting that every player on Detroit has a Stanley Cup ring except for former Penguins Marian Hossa and Ty Conklin.

With all that being said, I think Pittsburgh will win this series and I expect it to go the distance. While Osgood has been great, Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been consistent. Pittsburgh is skilled enough to run and gun with the Wings and should be able to create high quality chances which will make things tough on Osgood. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the best offensive duo in hockey. Their D-men may not have All-Star names on the back of their jerseys but they’ve sacrificed and are very underrated. I spoke to Billy Guerin on Thursday and he told me he’s having the time of his life. It’s only going to get better as the Penguins will win in 7. Crosby takes home the Conn Smythe (MVP).

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION:Sidney Crosby helped the Penguins reach the Eastern Conference Finals with a win over the Caps in Game 7 on Tuesday. Is Crosby, in his fourth year, more important to the NHL than LeBron James, in his sixth year, is to the NBA?

BERNIE MIKLASZ:
Not a chance. Round 2 should get 2 minutes for instigating me. Crosby has yet to establish a wide crossover appeal, while LeBron is already a marketing King, easily identifiable to millions of Americans. Also, Crosby has no personality. Quiet. He isn’t inclined to sell the game. Helluva player, immense talent but not even a blip on the radar when compared to James.

TOM TIMMERMANN:
The NHL is far more in need of talented, charismatic players like Crosby than the NBA is. (Especially English speaking ones.) The NHL has a much smaller pool of Crosby-esque players to draw from. Without James, the NBA has several other players to build an ad campaign around — Kobe Bryant, arrest not withstanding, Dwayne Wade, somebody off Boston, for starters. Wayne Gretzky made the NHL what it is today, even playing in Edmonton. Crosby isn’t Gretzky, but he’s the kind of player the league needs at the moment. Language barriers will keep Malkin and Ovechkin and Datsyuk from being the face of the NHL.

JEFF GORDON:
Sid the Kid’s importance to the NHL is much greater. True, the NBA needs LeBron to become the Next Jordan and keep pro basketball industry growing through these tough economic times. He is the league’s most important employee. But the NHL’s need for a transcendent star is much greater. Gary Bettman’s league is still off on the fringe of the national sports scene, earning scant TV ratings. If current trends continue, pro hockey could lose its tenuous footing in the Sun Belt. The NHL needs Crosby-Ovechkin to become Magic-Bird.

DAN O’NEILL:
The biggest difference between Sidney Crosby and LeBron James is that James carries more responsibility in terms of being the face of the NBA. Crosby may or may not be the best player in the NHL - I’d take Pavel Datsyuk myself. Regardless, there are a number of other equally dynamic stars, from Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, Henrik Zetterberg, Datsyuk … on down to even T.J. Oshie.

In the NBA, Kobe Bryant might be in the same ballpark talent-wise King James, but Bryant’s image off the court has never been completely restored from his extra-marital incident. There are a handful of other notable NBA players, but when you throw in the age and positive image James projects, I think the NBA clearly leans more heavily on him for profile than the NHL has to lean on Crosby.

Of course, neither holds a candle to what Tiger Woods means to professional golf.

JEREMY RUTHERFORD:
While both superstars are vital to their respective leagues, I give the edge to Crosby. I have friends who are hard-core NBA fans and I have friends who are casual NBA fans and, with either group, we can have a 10-minute conversation about the NBA playoffs and not even bring up LeBron. Meanwhile, I can’t remember my last conversation with an NHL fan that didn’t include some mention of “Sid the Kid.” Here’s a story: My brother had people over to his house to watch last night’s Pittsburgh-Washington game, and we watched even when the score was 5-0. Tonight, they’re are two Game 7s on TV (Boston-Carolina, Anaheim-Detroit) and guess what . . . there’s no get-together at my brother’s tonight. I think all of this speaks to the broader popularity of the NBA and the overall disinterest in the NHL, unless it’s headline-grabbing.

THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Blackhawks ousted the Canucks in the Western Conference semifinals last night with a young team that many thought was a year or two away. “I’m not saying experience is overrated, but the fact is, we’re not just a young team, we’re a good team,” said young star blueliner Duncan Keith. What can the Blues take from watching this series as they head into next year?

BERNIE MIKLASZ:
The Blues need more good players, period. The Blackhawks are ahead of them in the developmental cycle, and this is a reminder that the Blues are still playing catch-up. And let’s not forget that Chicago has more resources and was able to supplement an exceptional youth movement by investing heavily in a couple of free agents. The Blues are on track. Chicago is just farther along. (Bernie has more on this in his blog this morning.)

DAN O’NEILL:
There is a discernible difference between the Blues and Blackhawks in terms of talent, especially on the backline, especially where it impacts offensive transition. The Blues simply did not have defenseman of Duncan Keith’s abilities this season, to use him as an example. The Blackhawks are a step ahead in that regard, but the Blues are getting there.
With their corps of young players, with a talent upgrade on defense, the Blues could be doing what the Blackhawks are doing by next season. Keep in mind St. Louis was 4-1-1 during the regular season against Chicago
So it’s a good news/bad news proposition. The good news is, the Blues can be inspired by what the Blackhawks have accomplished, the bad news is they have to get past the Blackhawks in the years ahead to win a Stanley Cup.

TOM TIMMERMANN:
Add to this that the Penguins were awfully young when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and it shows that youth can go some place in the NHL. I think there’s a difference in that the Blues have youngsters who can score goals while the Penguins and Blackhawks have youngsters who can score more goals. Really good puck moving defensemen are good only when they have players to move the puck too. So there’s reason for Blues fans to be optimistic for next season; turnarounds can come quickly, but it’s also no guarantee. The Blues’ rookies aren’t Crosby, Malkin and Fleury; are they Kane and Toews? We’ll see. But it’s also worth remembering that there exists a team called the Detroit Red Wings. I wouldn’t discount the importance of experience just yet.

JEREMY RUTHERFORD:
Other than learning how to put traffic in front of Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo, the Blues won’t learn anything from Chicago’s playoff win over Vancouver they didn’t already know, nor will it give them any more confidence they can win with a young team.
Yes, the Blues and ‘Hawks have been pathetic in recent years. Yes, they have been on similar paths, rebuilding through the draft. Yes, this is the year that both teams believed they could emerge. For those reasons, the teams are rightfully linked together.
But for this season anyway, any other comparisons should be thrown out the window. The Blackhawks didn’t deal with the number of key injuries the Blues dealt with this season. The ‘Hawks had their share of injuries, but nothing like the Blues losing Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald, T.J. Oshie, Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson. If you take Martin Havlat, Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg, Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell out the Blackhawks’ lineup, they’re not playing in the Western Conference Finals. Even if the Blues had everyone healthy this season, they’re probably not as good as the Blackhawks, but they’re not far off.
Also, keep in mind that the Blues and Blackhawks are both young, but Chicago’s Patrick Kane (No. 1 overall pick in 2007) and Jonathan Toews (No. 3 in 2006) are the cream of the crop. If it weren’t for Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, Kane and Toews would be the face of the NHL. You can’t compare them to guys like Oshie (No. 24 in 2005), Patrik Berglund (No. 25 in 2006) or David Perron (No. 26 in 2007). You can compare Erik Johnson (No. 1 in 2006), but let Johnson get back on the ice.
With Johnson and with the rest of their full deck, the Blues can compete with the Blackhawks.

JEFF GORDON:

The big lesson is to stay the course. The Blackhawks stayed with their young skilled forwards and finally got the payoff. The Blues should resist any temptation to deal any of their high-end kids. These guys melded nicely during a months-long run toward the playoffs. Next spring, Patrik Berglund, T.J. Oshe and David Perron will all be better prepared to step up in postseason play. They other key for Chicago was their strong corps of offensive defensemen. That is an element the Blues lacked with Erik Johnson and Eric Brewer and Alex Pietrangelo still developing. The lack of a viable point threat undermined their power play against Vancouver. Expect a different story next spring.