I wouldn't let that bother you too much. Seems like a lot of the smart GM's this year are just hanging back instead of forcing personnel changes for the sake of creating buzz.Quote:
Originally Posted by JDC
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I wouldn't let that bother you too much. Seems like a lot of the smart GM's this year are just hanging back instead of forcing personnel changes for the sake of creating buzz.Quote:
Originally Posted by JDC
I meant as free agents :o No doubt we've got some big names through trades.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nabby
Though I guess you can say we appealed to him enough to resign.
Wings have no notable UFAs this summer.....even with the resigning of Stuart they still have alot of cap room. And they have cap room because Zetts is playing for peanuts ($2.6M) and their Cup winning goalie is doing the same (Ozzie @ $1.4M). Kronwall has emerged as a stud blueliner (now if he can only stay healthy) and he is making only $3M. And Lidstrom has agreed to take less than he's worth ($7.4M) on the open market and it's known that no one on the team will make more than him. Which is why Hossa comes in at exactly what Lidstrom is making (though he initially wanted more). Holland has slotted his guys very well and virtually no one is playing with an overvalued contract.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spank_Me_Hard
After next year though, alot changes. Zetts becomes a UFA as does Franzen and Samuelsson. Zetts will get Lidstrom money and Franzen, if he continues where he left off, will command huge bucks. Hossa is a one year guy IMO. BTW, what's insane about the job that Holland is doing is that their blueline is signed not only for next year but the year after that.......Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Stuart, Lilja and Lebda.
Zetterberg for only $2.6 million?!?
THAT is insane! They only signed him a year ago or so right?!?
They got him at such a low price because they signed him right after the lockout to a four year deal. He was in an awkward position.....the Wings had his rights and either he could play in Sweden or sign with Detroit.....and they twisted his arm to sign for four years. He had only a year under his belt in the NHL at the time and no one knew he would be this good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spank_Me_Hard
Z is going to make at least 7.5 when it's his turn to collect, and I can picture Franzen making 5-6. Not really a big deal for Detroit though, Holland will just pay it and keep a good thing going.
Heh, I almost wonder if Detroit didn't sign Hossa for the year just to keep him from playing for a rival.:p
Pens add Satan (:D ) and Fedotenko with one-year deals, and extend Fleury for 7 years at 5M. If Fleury continues to improve as he did last year, 5M/year will be a steal for him. Good signings.
Satan *could* workout there... the guy has/had talent. And moving from the Isle to Pitt may be good for him (with Crosby or Malkin feeding him the puck).Quote:
Originally Posted by r'aggro
I've heard that Satan has "attitude" issues... pun intended! :D
this pretty much sums it up on hosa
Quote:
Hossa becomes the fifth player to leave Pittsburgh via free agency this week. Forwards Gary Roberts, Ryan Malone and Adam Hall signed with Tampa Bay, and backup goalie Ty Conklin signed with the Red Wings. According to Hossa, Pittsburgh offered a long-term deal and not a one-year contract.
"Of all the NHL teams, I always had Pittsburgh and Detroit in mind since they were the two teams I really liked," Hossa said. "At the end of day, I felt strongly about Detroit. I had a great time in Pittsburgh and they have great players, coaches and fans and that made this a tough decision. I do feel I have a better chance to win the cup with Detroit."
Rob Blake to the Sharks. Markus Naslund to the Rangers... Jagr likely out of NY now.
Not that Blake is anywhere near his old self nor what his contract implies what he should be... but he's better than what the Kings have on their roster after having traded Vishnovsky. And they have lots of room under the cap too...
Kings continue to be fleeced... Perpetual "rebuilding" for the Kings is back in full effect.
Hey Sharks fans, there's the signing you were waiting for!;)
The only reason for LA to keep Blake at that price is to help get above the salary floor. He is flat out not worth 5M.
I don't really care where Jagr ends up...much more interested to see if Bouwmeester gets traded out of Florida. He's got "Flyers" written all over him, though we'd have to trade a few guys to make the room for him.
Well not exactly what I was expecting from the Sharks. I guess it's good that's it's only for 1 year.
I turn my attention away from the NHL and the sharks for a few days and we have a completely new blueline? :eek: Doug Wilson really wants a cup. I guess he realized what's missing, our blueline. My only issue is that yet again we're giving out draft picks and young talent. Matt Carle is now gone and so is Craig Rivet.Quote:
Originally Posted by JDC
Rob Blake/Dan Boyle/Brad Lukowich
EDIT:
I think that's one of Doug Wilson's flaws as a GM. He sees something slightly off and he'll go out and make relatively big changes to the team. How is one suppose to maintain a solid team like this?
I don't get dealing Craig Rivet at all. From what I saw of the Sharks last year, he was playing great. I do know that being able to re-sign Erhoff next year was a big part of the decision making, but if they hadn't wasted 5M on Rob Blake in the first place it wouldn't have been necessary.
Not to mention Carle was one of the best young players on the team. Dan Boyle is okay but if I were a Sharks fan I would hatethese moves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by r'aggro
Rivet was getting to be one of my favorite sharks players. He is solid on defense and is a good shutdown guy. One of the main reasons to deal him was that we would've had an "overpopulated" blueline and of course we need more draft picks because we hand them out like candy in trade deals.
The Sharks were once a decent development club, especially in the goaltending department. Now we just trade for talent.
Jason Smith signs with Ottawa.
I don't know the Flyers roster that well, but I have to think that this is a setback for them.
Also... looks like the restricted free agency game is heating up...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3479020
The Canucks trade for Bernier and then St. Louis immediately tries to sign him away? WOW! Looks like Vancouver had to match the offer or end up on the losing end of the situation...
It's not. Smith gets a lot of love for his unmatched toughness and leadership abilities, but he really isn't a good d-man anymore. He's too slow (slower than Hatcher) and has a lot of trouble clearing the puck for some reason. The fact that he's such a tough SOB is the reason he got signed; the guy was actually playing the Pittsburgh series with not one but TWO separated shoulders...and no one knew about until after it was over, because he never complained or made any excuses. I take my hat off to Gator, but Philly was right not to offer him...especially at the 2.75 per year that the Sens paid him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spank_Me_Hard
What Philly is doing is learning their lesson about old-guard d-men in the playoffs, so they are going younger and more mobile. Just like in 2004 (against TB), defensive injuries put the Flyers away in the ECF this year. Besides Smith having bad shoulders, you had Hatcher getting his knees drained every damn day...and they were already without Coburn and Timmonen. No way is any team going to beat the Pens with a defense in that condition. They'd be happy to let Hatcher retire too, and use his money to help get a guy like Bouwmeester, but they won't force him to go and they won't buy him out. Free agents love to go to Philly, because they have a reputation for treating the boys well and Holmgren wants to keep it that way.
We did sign Steve Emminger and Ossi Vannanen, and both will be in the top six this year. Aside from his Crosby-pestering abilities, Smith won't be missed. Spanky, you have to admit that if Smith still "had it", the Oilers would have made a serious run at bringing him back, loved as he was there. But they didn't. I do wish him good luck in Ottawa, though.
btw, the Blues sent an offer sheet at Bernier to get back at the sheet Vancouver sent one of their players last week. It was basically John Davidson saying F.U. to the Canucks. I thought it was hilarious.
I may be baised... but I think that Smith is worth the 2.75 million. I didn't notice him slow down at all... but then again I wasn't watching him all the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by r'aggro
SLOWER that Hatcher?!? LOL! Now that is a BOLD statement! LOL! Not saying that I disagree... because I really don't know. I only know that Hatcher is slower than molasses in January... LOL!
And yes... Smith is incredibly tough! I didn't hear of the shoulder problems... just makes me respect the guy even more.
One thing about him though... the guy still blocks a ton of shots. He was among the league leaders for the past few years I think. That is a little, but crucial thing that isn't noticed on the stat sheet.
Restricted Free Agency through the uncoming years is going to get ugly I think...Quote:
btw, the Blues sent an offer sheet at Bernier to get back at the sheet Vancouver sent one of their players last week. It was basically John Davidson saying F.U. to the Canucks. I thought it was hilarious.
Demitra signed with the 'Nucks! I think that he'll be a good fit (unfortunately).
I think that his abilities were probably hampered in an obsessive defensive system in Minnesota... and even then he put up decent numbers. I think that he'll do better in Vancouver.
Missed this part.Quote:
Originally Posted by r'aggro
I think that Edmonton is pretty set with D-men now. And as much as I like Smith, he is getting old. He's not the future. Maybe a one year "quick fix"? I also think that Edmonton was keeping money available for Hossa or Jagr. Thus they didn't want to make a run at someone like Smith. The fact that they could have singed Jagr or Hossa indicates that they have *some* room left. They may be thinking of someone else with that money and don't want to spend it on anybody like Smith.
And I think that Edmonton already has someone like Smith in Staois... who I'd actually at this point like to see cut from the team (saw him get burned to often lately).
Also... if you are corect on Smith's speed... that would in fact be counter to Edmonton's obsession with speed. Smith would not in fact fit in on such a fast skating team.
According to ESPN, The 'Nucks, Wings, and Rangers are all after Mats Sundin. Wings will be sick if they manage to get Sundin too...
I also heard a rumour that Andre Kopitar is being shopped by the Kings for a plumber D-man from the 'Sens. Tearing apart that team if they do so...
And Lupul signs an extension. Looks like he has a pretty good season with Philly...
He did; the guy was lights-out until Hatcher sat on him. He even led the forwards in hits through 20 games or so. Lupul and Mike Richards have great chemistry, and I'm really stoked that he's been locked up. Great goalscorer.
You watch, Sundin will end up signing in the KHL.;)
I felt that Lupul got judged unfairly, and pre-maturely in Edmonton.Quote:
Originally Posted by r'aggro
After the Stanley Cup run of 2006, Edmonton lost significant quality players including a big part of the heart and soul of the team in Pronger (special thanks to Mrs. Pronger!). Many players suffered in the two years after... particularly the very next season... Lupul being just one of them.
I also think that being a "hometown hero" that expectations are usually even greater and the tolerance for "margin of error" for a player is even harder. The expectations are more unrealistic. Then there is the comparison to Pronger... one of the best d-men in the game... e.g. "We traded Pronger for HIM?!?"
Lupul is young. Young players are more apt to be inconsistent. A year after hitting 28 goals with the Ducks, Lupul experienced a slump. Some of it he has responsibility for... some of it has to be attributed to the environment/conditions.
I thought that Edmonton turned on Lupul far too quickly. I wasn't convinced that he wasn't a good player. His last season in Philly to me verifies his potential. Where he came short in Edmonton, he proved himself in Philly.
Not that losing him was an entire loss. Sometimes a player just does better in a different system, playing with different players, and in a different environment (i.e. he isn't a "hometown hero" in Philly). And Edmonton ended up getting Pitkanen for him (another player whom Edmonton may have given up on... will be interesting to see how he does in Carolina). And then in turn... Edmonton ended up trading Pitkanen for Eric Cole... whom I have long admired and have thought that he was one of the most under rated players in the league (two other now bigger names... NOW... that I thought the same of are Steve Sullivan and Briere).
In the end... after all the trades... I am happy for Eric Cole for Lupul.
And it's good to see Lupul proving himself in Philly... far away from Edmonton of course!
:D
Word on the street is that Gaborik is being shopped around by the Wild.
He seems to be demanding some sort of plan by the Wild of their committment to win.
I'd be skeptical if I were him... they let Demitra and Rolston both go... and on a team last season that didn't score much as it is.
I have heard that Gaborik has wondered publicly how he'd do on a much more offensively minded team. I have thought for quite some time that the Wild's extremely defensive system has held him back.
I hope that the Oilers make a push for him... they were in the Hossa sweepstakes but I think that Gaborik is a much more dangerous sniper. He'd fit well into Edmonton's team. The key is... what do they give up?
Being a "farm team" for the league for many, many years... Edmonton is loaded with young talent in their farm system. That and being forced to trade Pronger and Smyth. I'd be willing for Edmonton to give up some of their talent on the farm for Gaborik. Gaborik is pretty young too... 26 I believe.
Ohhh NHL goodness started last night!
The new place that I have moved into has ALL the channels!
Looks like I'll be getting the Oil's games!
<--- does his happy dance...
Due to financial issues, I'll have to wait until midseason to watch my Hawks and get the half priced Centre Ice.