The Fifth Liners

Rick DiPietro (1st overall, New York Islanders 2000) Where better to start on this list than the first ever player selected in the new millennium. Boston College's Rick DiPietro became the second ever goalie to be drafted first overall. His career record of 130-136-31 with 36 shutouts; 2.87 GAA and .907 save percentage from 318 starts might not look too shabby, however, it was far from the type of stardom this young man was supposed to bring the New York Islanders. What is more baffling is the fact that the Isles had so much confidence in this deal, they traded away Roberto Luongo to the Panthers. DiPietro would go on to spend more time in the treatment room than on the ice. Surprisingly this was still enough for Islanders to sign him to a mammoth 15-year deal back in 2006! Soon his injuries took a serious toll on his performance and the Islanders bought him out of his contract in 2013. These days he has taken the Tim Tebow approach into broadcast analysis. Nail Yakupov (1st ...

Well I guess it's official now: "My family and I have decided that it's time to return home" - @Datsyuk13 — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 18, 2016 Detroit Red Wings superstar forward Pavel Datsyuk will not be returning to the team at the end of the season. I'm sure there isn't a single Red Wings fan on the planet who isn't grateful to Datsyuk for his effort and commitment given to the team in his 14 seasons. Let's not dwell on Datsyuk's decision though, let's take a look at the options that the Red Wings organisation has for handling the $7.5 million cap hit the team will suffer next season. There's been talk of trading Datsyuk's contract to one of the teams that can comfortably absorb it, although at what cost? Ken Holland said he's not optimistic about trading Datsyuk contact but has spoken to teams. The price is high. — Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) June 18, 2016 Then we had this: Hearing contract w...

The Stanley Cup playoffs will soon be over, that means it'll soon be time to announce the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy , awarded to the playoffs' Most Valuable Player. Minty fresh breath. Is the Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Phil Kessel the skater who deserves to win the 2016 Conn Smythe? Kessel has taken a lot of stick over the last few seasons, mainly because he played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team capable of making good players look bad.  As many a playoff bracket will attest, the Pens' march to the final took many by surprise. That success owes a lot to Phil Kessel. The former Bruin and Maple Leaf has (so far) played 23 playoff games, scored 10 goals and assisted on 12 more. Statistically he's the man driving the Pens' success, Kessel is leading the team on points with 22. Line-mate Nick Bonino, another contender for the Conn Smythe, has 18 points.  Speaking of which; the Hagelin - Bonino -Kessel line has contributed 20 goals i...