The Spectrum: Barry, which teams are you watching closely down the stretch?
Barry Melrose: The teams that look like they might be taking a run at the Stanley Cup and teams that are trying to get in the playoffs. Those are the ones that are the most exciting, like Buffalo. Buffalo's trying to get into the playoffs so they're a fun team to watch near the deadline, and then they've got [defenseman] Brian Campbell [approaching free agency]. That's interesting. Atlanta's got [winger Marian] Hossa [in a similar situation]. That's interesting. So those are the teams. Five or six teams think they can win the Stanley Cup and five or six teams are playing their hearts out just to get into the playoffs.
TS: What do you think the Sabres will do with Brian Campbell?
BM: I think they'll trade him. I don't think they can sign him, or they'd have him signed by now. I think they can't risk losing him for nothing like [former Sabres co-captains Daniel] Briere and [Chris] Drury and even if they're in the playoff hunt I think you'll see Brian Campbell traded. They have to. You can't lose an asset like Brian Campbell for nothing. And you saw that happened last year. They weren't able to sign Drury and Briere and they lose both of those great players for nothing. [Sabres General Manager] Darcy [Regier] can't let that happen again.
TS: Teams have gotten a lot for premier players at the deadline the last few years. If they trade him, what could Sabres get in return for Campbell?
BM: Campbell's one of the elite offensive defensemen in the NHL so a team that needs someone to run the powerplay, you'd think that the going price has been draft picks or young prospects. Buffalo's got a real good young team and with their salary issues, a young player fits into their mold very well. I would think that Darcy would want young players, preferably. Someone that can come in right now, or draft picks. I would think that's what he'll be going for. He doesn't want an older player back. That doesn't make much sense, having an older high-paid player back. He's going to want young players.
TS: Will the Sabres make the playoffs if they trade Campbell?
BM: I think they should. I think the Sabres are one of the best eight teams in the East. With Ryan Miller in net, he looks like he's got his game going. They've got a lot of talent. Unfortunately, a lot of that talent hasn't scored much this year. There's been a lot of guys slumping for the Buffalo Sabres. Connolly, Afinogenov, Kotalik...Vanek, although Vanek's starting to score now, he had 40 some goals last year. He's going to be lucky to get 30 this year. I think they're one of the best eight teams in the east.
TS: Are the New York Rangers a trade away or do they have so many problems they're going to have to go with what they've got?
BM: The Rangers really have a lot of issues. When your most talented player isn't playing very well, like [Rangers captain Jaromir] Jagr, last time I looked he was like 30th in scoring, [or maybe] 40th...I think he has 49 points or something. For a guy making that much money, it's just not enough. [Scott] Gomez and Drury have not been great. They've been OK. But they've got a lot of issues and a lot of decisions to make. They'll make the playoffs because they are so talented. I think it might be like last year where they might lose in one round, but they're not that good of a team right now.
TS: Why isn't anyone talking about the Montreal Canadiens?
BM: I like Montreal. I think right now they're the best team in the East. I like this team a lot. They're one of the fastest teams in the NHL, [and] they've had one of the best special teams all year long. Goaltending with [Carey] Price and [Christobal] Huet is as good as anybody. This is a very good hockey team, very fast, very skilled and yet still pretty good defensively. Montreal is for real. To me, right now, they're the best team in the East.
TS: Do you think Toronto's Mats Sundin will get traded?
BM: I think he should. I think that if Toronto doesn't trade him that shows why Toronto's terrible. They can always re-sign him like St. Louis did with [Keith] Tkachuk [last year], but they've got to get something for him. The thing with Toronto is that they have no young players. You look at Washington - great young players. L.A. - great young players. Chicago - great young players. Toronto has missed the playoffs three years in a row and they don't have any young stars. They don't have any Patrick Kanes or Jonathan Toews [of the Blackhwaks], players like that. So, move Sundin. You'll get a lot for him. He's probably the premier player out there now. Trade him, get draft picks and prospects for him and then re-sign him if you want next season.
TS: You mentioned Washington. With Hurricanes' captain Rod Brind'Amour injured, are the Capitals the favorite to win the Southeast Divison?
BM: I still think Carolina is the best team, believe it or not. Even though they got rid of [winger Cory] Stillman [in a trade] and Brindamour. They've got veterans. I think they'll do something at the deadline. The Southeast is a very, very weak division. I still think Carolina is the best team. I think they'll win the Southeast. But the NHL would love to have [Washington winger Alexander] Ovechkin in the playoffs. There's no doubt about that. And he's been great and a great story. But I still think Washington is a year away from making the playoffs. And really, you've got to think only one team from that division is going to make the playoffs. Atlanta's in the same boat as Buffalo. They're going to move Hossa at the deadline. So they're not going to be nearly as good the day after the trade, as they were before it.
TS: With the Southeast Division winner probably getting the third seed, do you think the NHL should change how they seed the playoffs so the winner of a weak division doesn't automatically get home ice advantage?
BM: I don't think so, because if you look, two of the last three winners have come from the Southeast. This year the southeast is a little weaker but it's not a bad format. The divisions have to matter in a conference or else you might as well go one to 16. If you're not going to worry about the division, you might as well go one through eight. Top eight teams in the conferences make the playoffs. If you're going to have divisions, I think divisions have to matter. Then you'd have to keep each division winner getting a seed.
TS: Where do you think Florida Panthers captain Olli Jokinen and Hossa will be playing after the deadline?
BM: I think Detroit is going to be a player, I think the Ducks are going to be a player, I think San Jose is going to be a player, I think Vancouver is going to be a player. It's going to be really interesting. Ottawa still wants to do something, and they've had Hossa before. It's going to be a great, great deadline. I think it's going to be interesting. There's going to be some teams really changing themselves at the deadline. I'm not sure there's going to be a ton of trades but I think there's going to be a couple deals that you'll sit back and say 'Wow.'
TS: With so many Western Conference looking to be players, is the West just flat out better than the East?
BM: The West is better than the East. There's going to be some teams that miss the playoffs in the West that are better than teams that are in the playoffs in the East. I like San Jose. I know Marleau just went on the IR and they haven't played well this year, but as bad as they are, they're still one of the six best teams in the NHL. And they've got the best road record in the NHL. So this team is going to change at the deadline. I think they'll make a deal. But this team is good. This team's got everything. If they just pull it together. It's one of those teams if they can play the last 15 games, and play well and be ready for the playoffs, I think this is a heck of a hockey team. The Ducks look great, of course with the deals they've made, and I still don't think they're done. Detroit is certainly awesome, but they've shown wear and tear and then [Detroit captain] Nikki Lidstrom got hurt last night, depending on how long he's out for. I would say those are the three best teams in the West. And my darkhorse in the West in Minnesota. I like Minnesota a lot.
TS: Ottawa's weakest suit seems to be their goaltending. Do you think they'll do anything with Ray Emery?
BM: I think they'll try. Ray Emery's reputation has been tarnished; I think his value's been hurt. I'm not sure. A lot of people think he's a great goaltender. I don't think that you'll get as much for Ray Emery as you probably would have at the start of the season. So, they might have to keep him because they're not going to get much for him.
TS: With the way salaries have been skyrocketing with more and more 12-year contracts being signed, do you think the NHL will be able to sustain itself in the future?
BM: They've got to think they will. These owners are supposed to be smart men although we've seen them blow up before. They're giving guys tons of money and the salaries are going up so the game's got to be strong. But then again, the formula works and if they lose money, the salaries will go down. I think those contracts are too long. I know why they do them, but I don't think it's great for a player to have that much security. There's a reason why players have their best year when it's the last year of a contract. Even great guys need motivation. I think those contracts are too long. Time will tell, but I don't think it's a good thing for the NHL.
TS: Did you make it out to the Winter Classic?
BM: No, I didn't. [ESPN commentator] Steve Levy was there, though, and he said it was unbelievable.
TS: Did you think Buffalo is making a push for the title of "Hockeytown?"
BM: I think Buffalo, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit certainly. Detroit's stumbling a bit right now, building's not full anymore. I think Boston, Boston's still there. The minor hockey in Boston is still unbelievable. The Bruins have been terrible for a long period of time but if you look at minor hockey and the number of teams in the area, Boston is as good as any hockey town in the United States. I would probably say those four are the best hockey towns in the United States.
TS: The Bruins have been hanging on all season-long, will they make the playoffs or make moves to rebuild?
BM: The Bruins are a good story. They've had a ton of injuries this year. [Goaltender] Manny Ferndandez, hurt right off the bat. [Winger Patrice] Bergeron, hurt right off the bat. They've had a lot of players out of the lineup. They played great and most nights they have a lot of young guys in the lineup. I hope Boston makes it because they've shown a lot of heart this year and you should cheer for people with hearts. It's going to be tough for them because Buffalo's coming on. I think Buffalo's a better team than Boston. The Devils are playing well. Pittsburgh's got their game back together. Montreal's going to make it. Ottawa's going to make it. The Rangers are going to make it. It's going to be tough for Boston but I hope they do because they've been great.
TS: With the surge of hockey bloggers, especially now in the press boxes of teams like the Islanders, what's your take on that kind of journalism?
BM: The Internet's great for everything but there still needs to be truth in journalism. The more people that talk about hockey the better, but I see in other area where you can just write whatever you want on the Internet. And I don't think that's right. I think there has to be fact. I think there has to be truth. I think there has to be accountability. I don't think it's good that you can anonymously put anything up there to be read. I still think there has to be accountability. If you can back it up, that's good. That's what journalism is. But I'm afraid there's a lot of stuff being written that has no basis of fact. And I don't think that's good for our sport. But I'm all for hockey fans talking about hockey on the Internet. I think that's great.
TS: What's your favorite part about broadcasting?
BM: I love watching the game. I'm still a hockey fan. I love everything but I just love watching hockey. I'm a sports fan. I love watching all sports but still when I sit down I love watching the game. I think that's still the greatest thing about our sport is our game and I still love watching it.
TS: With Sidney Crosby getting healthy, what can we expect from the Penguins this postseason?
BM: I think that's great, him being back. He's practicing hard. But the bigger story in Pittsburgh is [winger Evgeni] Malkin. Sidney got hurt, and I said this the other night, it's probably the best thing to ever happen to Malkin because he's become a different player. He's the go-to-guy now. He's hungry. He's aggressive. He wants the puck. He wants to be on the ice in all situations. He's the leader of that team. And his numbers and his play have shown it. His numbers are, him and Ovechkin, are basically point-for-point the last 15 games. The question is now will he continue to be this type of player when Crosby gets back? If he is, then Pittsburgh's got something special. But Crosby's the face of the NHL. We need him back and we need him in the playoffs. Like I said, it would be great to have Ovechkin in the playoffs also, eventually.
TS: Staying with Pittsburgh, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury is set to come back, but with the way Ty Conklin's been playing in net, will they make a move there?
BM: Again, who's out there? There's not a lot of goaltenders out there that better than what you got. That's the thing. You don't make a change to make a change. [Dwayne] Roloson from Edmonton might be available but he makes a lot of money. I don't think that's what Pittsburgh's looking for. Fleury was the first pick overall [in 2003] and if this isn't his time then you don't think much of him. And Ty Conklin's been great. Ty Conklin's lost three games since Fleury's been hurt. I think they're satisfied with their goaltending and I don't think there's anyone better that they're going to get so I think they've got to hope Fleury comes back and plays great, but right now it's Ty Conklin's team. Fleury has to take the job away from Ty Conklin.
TS: Barry, final question, what's the secret behind your hair?
BM: Good genes. My father and grandfather both had a full head of hair so hopefully I've been blessed with that also.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
