Faceoff: Effective agitators, playoff format, McCarty's comeback - NHL - CBSSports.com Live Scores, Standings, Stats

Greg Cimilluca and Mihai Cercel of CBSSports.com provide analysis on three topics.

1. Who is the NHL's most effective agitator?
Greg Cimilluca	Mihai Cercel
Agitators are all the rage these days in the NHL. Most teams are searching that "sandpaper" type player who is going to get under the skin of the opposition. But much as with the enforcer, in "today's NHL" (I hate that phrase about as much as I hate the "New NHL"), it is no longer good enough for players whose first role isn't scoring to be one-dimensional. No, they're now counted on to contribute the occasional point. I mean really, isn't that the best way to get under a player's skin -- put the puck in the net? And this generation's current crop of agitators seems up to the task. Ryan Kesler in Vancouver has a respectable 36 points, 20 of them goals. The ootoo twins of Jarkko Ruutu and Jordin Tootoo might not light it up on the scoreboard with 16 and 18 points but are definitely a force for their team. Maxim Lapierre has shown some skill to go with his grit in his time up with Montreal, as has Sean Avery since he first donned a Rangers jersey in New York. It seems that these guys have a job to do and no one knows it better than they do -- just ask those who play against them. Heck, just ask those who play with them! Who is most effective? Hard to say, but I think most hated still goes to Avery, so take that for what it's worth.	Hockey has always had agitators or enforcers, past and present, and they are some of the most annoying players on the ice when the team you cheer for plays against them. But when they play for your team, you love an agitator who can spark things out of a fight or just draw a key penalty to get some of the other team's top players off the ice and in the process give your team the upper hand and perhaps get it out of a funk. Take Sean Avery of the New York Rangers who seems to have one of the nastiest reputations among today's agitators. This guy can get under another players' skin almost by just skating past him. Throw in a mean word and an elbow, and the gloves are off. But in contrast to a few other so-called goon types, Avery is quite a skilled player and makes important contributions to his team not only by fighting, protecting some of the star players, but by also skating hard, playing defense and most important having the ability to score and score key goals at times. On occasions, Avery will get himself and the Rangers in trouble by playing a bit too aggressive, maybe a little too on edge, but the positives of his game are generally more than the negatives particularly in the playoffs.

2. Is there a better format for the playoffs?
Greg Cimilluca	Mihai Cercel
Four rounds of best-of-7 play is the current set-up. Taking a look at that, with 16 of the 30 teams making it, while I am up for change, I really don't see any place for it right now. When it comes to change in the NHL or hockey in general, I would not mind seeing it so long as A) it wasn't change for the sake of change and B) it made sense and could be something that would improve the game and its connection to the fans. Take the shootout -- purist in me and everyone be darned, you can't deny the impact it has had on the fan base. So many nights I have sat in a hockey rink and heard, in the first period no less, "I hope this goes to a shootout." It's edge-of-the-seat exciting, and that is what the game thrives on for fans: creating that tension. I honestly at this point can't see anything in changing the format that would create a significant positive stir. Adding teams? Subtracting? Best-of-5 in early rounds? None of them seems like a sexy pick to me, so I say leave well enough alone.	The playoff format is pretty good the way it is now, maybe with one possible adjustment. The league awards a division winner like the Carolina Hurricanes a higher seed in the conference over teams that have more points overall, but more from a lot tougher divisions than the Southeast is. That might be considered a little unfair. Carolina right now has the No. 3 seed, but the fourth to eighth seeds all have more points in the final week of the regular season. Sure a division winner should be in the playoffs -- that should not be debatable -- but let it make it in the order of total points highest to fewest from first to eighth. Getting home-ice advantage in the first round because a team won a division against a lot weaker opponents in a given season should not become a benefit. Either way, adjustment or not, NHL playoffs are and always will be exciting to watch. The intensity and tradition of a playoff series is one of the best sporting events a fan can watch.

3. Blucyote asks: Do you think Darren McCarty is going to make a difference for the Red Wings during the playoffs? Or is he just here for intimidation?
Greg Cimilluca	Mihai Cercel
I am really not sure what McCarty has left in the tank to give his beloved Red Wings. He's trying to make a comeback after several off-ice issues, but it's his on-ice play that should be of concern for Detroit right now. I don't think he necessarily will cost them anything per se, but don't think he will bring anything to the table, either. And that spot could be used for a young player getting some playoff experience. Perhaps being reunited with his old linemates of Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper will give him the spark he once had, and let's not forget, the playoffs are where McCarty has played some of his biggest games, so maybe this will be the right fit for both. But I am thinking his ice time will be limited and a non-factor. Kudos to his tackling personal demons and on the comeback -- maybe that's the victory he's searching for.	Darren McCarty is no longer the intimidating factor he once was, the player who once helped the Detroit Red Wings win Stanley Cups in 1997 -- when he scored the winning goal against the Flyers -- and again in 1998 and 2002. McCarty, who played with Detroit from 1993-2004, is getting a second stint with the Red Wings after he was dealing with some personal problems and substance-abuse issues in the past few years. McCarty has slowly made it back after starting a comeback in the IHL followed by a stint in the AHL. He is just getting up to speed and getting back in the groove with Detroit, but he will not make a significant difference in the playoffs. McCarty will be a role player, help his team physically to some degree, but he likely will see limited ice time and don't look for him to score game-winning goals anytime soon. He already has been nursing rib injuries since he was recalled from the Grand Rapids of the AHL.
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