smh810

Damn nl5 I thought most Bruins fansd hated John

I'm not disagreeing with that Max I just took issue with your AHL-er for life comment. EDIT: Also if you want to make a case for Grahame, when the Bolts started to get really hot in January 04 it wasnt Khabby in net most of that month it was Grahame winning 7 out of 8 for that month or something like that.

Wouldnt go that far Max, he's been OUTSTANDING at times and is a very good back-up but I'm not gonna trust him as the No.1 goalie when Cujo is out there.

We have John Grahame who (and this for nl5 specifically) has performed MUCH better down here than he did in Beantown but I dont feel comfortable giving him the starting nod I'd say we go after Cujo at this point.

Motherfucker, and dont put this one and the Bolts being cheap either they offered 5 years 30 million.

Not at all, I dont think. In fact I think he was quite productive for the Leafs in the postseason. Yes he's older but I think he definitely has some juice left.

Sign Khabby and in your direction

Holy crap Edmonton looks like a contender for next year, I just heard they picked up Michael Peca.

They cant sign Khabby, they've commited a lot of money to Aucoin and have their own issues to worry about.

nl5 I heard a report this morning on the radio that Modano may sign with the Bruins...thoughts?

First off I am by no means a Ravens fan, I hate Ray Lewis but I love Brian Billick so thats pretty much a wash. With respect to the AFC North, I dont think thats gonna be that strong of a division. On top of Roethlisberger's likely growing pains and the health of the RB position the Steelers are also not a very deep football team in almost all positions. This lack of depth will hurt them this year. As far as the Bengals go, I'm a big believer in Carson Palmer and I think he can have a Pro Bowl year but that defense has been BAD the last two years and I'm not a fan of Chuck Bresnehan who they hired as D-Coordinator. Cincinatti will be an exciting team and fun to watch but once again hover around the .500 mark. I agree, the Jets could also be a MAJOR factor but I have to see a) how Jay Fiedler looks in the new scheme and b) how quickly Chad Pennington shakes off the rust. If the QB postion holds true they are a big SB contender, I do like the rest of the team a lot but I'm in a wait and see mode with them. That was me.

Actually Dama this an update posted a few days on KFFL.com: Adam H. Beasley, of BaltimoreRavens.com, reports Baltimore Ravens rookie WR Mark Clayton stopped by team headquarters Wednesday, July 27. He brought with him a large suitcase, a clear indication that he planned to be back in town for a while. "From talking to (agent Ben Dogra), we're knocking on the door, as far as getting it done," said Clayton, the team's first-round draft pick about his contract. "It's cool. I'm not worried about it. I just want to play. I'm excited about going to camp." Training camp opens Sunday, July 31, and it appears Clayton will be there when it starts. Clayton also said he's recovered from an earlier hamstring injury. "It's all the way back," Clayton said. "I haven't gone like full-speed, but its real good. As far as endurance, I'm sure it will be good. That's one thing that we really worked on." And this update from today:

CRAP Didnt know that about Clayton but he was down the list of key players/factors (Defense, Defense, Defense Fassel, Lewis, Mason then maybe Clayton) anyway on that team and I still think they're gonna make a major run this year but thanks for letting me know cant believe I missed that.

Willing to make a wager on that? Seriously the team is incredibly deep on defense, no Peter Boulware for sure but Terrell Suggs is just about as good and is showing progress in stopping the run (though the way will use him this year they wont need too). Just because you run back an INT for a TD doesnt make you an elie CB such is the case for Duane Starks. He was never that great and I'll take Rolle, McAllister, Sanders, Carter any day of the week. Combine that with Ed Reed and Will Demps, my god I look at this defense and the potential is downright frightening. As far as Boller goes he showed a lot of progress at the end of last year and doesnt need to be a superstar for the Ravens to go far. He has a much better play caller with in Jim Fassel and Mason , a healthy Heap and maybe Mark Clayton will have an impact. The bottom line, the Ravens are a major player to win it all this year.

Completely know where youre coming from La Parka and had I not seen this guy's workout on NFL Network I would extremely skeptical about the hype myself but some guys are just naturally gifted and he's one of them. My main concern with him would be injuries. Everything is subject to injuries and I will most definitelty revise my predictions based on that before the season starts. Again, San Diego is not a fluke team, theres a lot of mostly young talent there that should be better this year. They were probably too green to know how to win the playoffs last year but I think that works to their advantage even with the tougher schedule this year. Theyre ready for a slide this year it wont be a big one mind you but I just cant see them sustaining that level of play 3 years in a row. Baltimore's defense could be close to 2000 levels this year only this time theyre gonna have an offense

A lot can change obviously between now and the end of preseason but here are some thoughts on teams percieved to make an impact this season. I'll do the AFC tonight and the NFC sometime with in the next couple of days: AFC Buffalo- Some people think based on their run last year that they might be a threat to dethrone New England in the division, dont look for it. The Bills went 2-6 against teams with winning records, lost their best offensive lineman and handed the QB job to someone in JP Losman who was known for slow decision making in the college level. I'm sorry folks but this guy has Rob Johnson II written all over him. Sure McGahee is a stud and the defense is solid but dont look for miracles from the Bills. Min. wins 6 Max. wins 9 NY Jets- The Jets are an interesting case. The defense showed massive improvement last year and that along with Curtis Martin carried them to a 10-6 season and the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. They would have had enough to go to the AFC Championship game had Doug Brien not gagged under pressure. The question for the Jets is can they duplicate last years success. That will come down to how quickly Chad Pennington recovers from his shoulder surgery. With a healthy Pennington the Jets are a Super Bowl contender especially with what should be a much improved offense under Mike Heimerdinger. Without Pennington they struggle to make it to the postseason. Offense not with standing the defense has the potential to be in the top 5 of the league even with Donnie Abrahams retirement on John Abrahams holdout (Bryan Thomas showed he can play last year) All in all the Jets are a very intriguing team to keep an eye on. Min wins 8 Max wins 12 New England- The SB Champs have a lot of questions going into this year some of which are valid (replacement for Bruschi) some are overblown media hype (loss of coordinators). First the overblown stuff, Eric Mangini is ready to become a defensive coordinator in this league it was he as much as Crennel who helped devise the week-to-week schemes that had a seemingly weak secondary play extremely well especially in the playoffs. Secondly, do onot make such a big deal about Bill Belichick being the offensive coordinator he is simply going to be a consultant for Brady to call his own plays (a la Peyton Manning). I see very little dropoff in the Patriots on offense especially with a true top-flite running back to carry the load. Now, the loss of Bruschi will hurt the defense because whoever replaces him will not have the same superior ability to make adjustments like Bruschi did. Another area where they will be hurt is more intangible. The team will simply wear out in my opinion. They've had two consecutive runs to the Super Bowl with many of the same players and I dont think they have the juice to go again. Min wins 10 Max. wins 11 Pittsburgh- The Steelers went on an incredible 15-1 run to the AFC championship game last year with a rookie quarterback. Will the Steelers come close to that this year. All signs point to no. They lost some players to free agency and lack the depth at LB and DB (which has been a weak spot for them for several years) to match the run they had last year. Combine that with the inevitable bumps and bruises Roethlisberger will take and the inability of the Steelers running backs to stay healthy for a full season and a pullback seems inevitable. Min wins. 8 Max. wins 10 Baltimore- This team is a very serious threat to win the Super Bowl in my opinion. Their already strong defense will be even stronger with a return to the 4-3 (with the occasional 46 thrown in) freeing up Ray Lewis to make even more plays than he already does. In fact this team is incredibly deep at all defensive levels (lineman, LB's and DB's). Where the Ravens are really come through this year is on offense. Jim Fassel may be an average head coach who got lucky one year but he is a very good offensive playcaller and will get the most out of Kyle Boller who already showed signs of improvement towards the end of last year. Derrick Mason and rookie Mark Clayton will help the recieving corps and should free up Jamal Lewis to have a big year (provided he shakes off the jailhouse rust). A healthy Todd Heap will also benefit from the added weapons. This team deserves serious consideration for winning the Super Bowl Min wins 10. Max. wins 13 Indianapolis- The team with the most exciting offense in the league came up short last year and will come up short again this year. They are still too green on defense and you dont know if Edge will be a flat out cancer and as an underrated factor the trip to Japan will kill them. Look at the teams that have gone to Japan in the past and look at their season for the most part its not pretty. Plus, I will never have faith in Tony Dungy. He is the epitome of a plateau head coach and I dont seethis year being any different. Min. wins 7 Max wins. 10 Jacksonville- When I think about the Jacksonville Jaguars one word comes to mind "ready." This team was so close to making the playoffs last year and at times looked outstanding but couldnt put it all together to make it in the very strong AFC. I think in spite of the injury question surrounding Fred Taylor this team is gonna make a lot of noise this year. They have changed the offensive scheme to fit Byron Leftwich and those changes will land him in the Pro Bowl. Reggie Williams from all accounts is ready to step up and Jimmy Smith is still productive but I am a big believer in Matt Jones and the impact he will have. While he is a converted QB he has a natural knack for running routes and has raw speed to boot. Combined an improved offense with a healthier and already solid defense you have one very strong team that while too green to contend for the Super Bowl will make a lot of noise. Min. wins 9 Max. wins 12 San Diego- The team that was left for dead by everyone this time last year. A bunch of also rans and young players that were too green to anything right? Well one 12-4 season later people are wondering if the Chargbers can follow it up. If they avoid the injury bug there is no reason why they shouldn't There offense will be stronger with Kenan McCardell getting a full season in the San Diego system and combine that with Brees, Gates and Tomlinson and you have one potent attack. Also watch for Darren Sproles to be an impact rookie spelling Tomlinson and keeping him fresh throughout the season. The defense plays very well as a unit with a lot of young guys that should be better this year. Personally I think this is one of Schottenheimer's best (and maybe) last chances to bust his playoff slump. Min wins 9 Max Wins. 13 Overall AFC Power rankings: 1. Baltimore 2. San Diego 3. New England 4. Jacksonville 5. NY Jets 6. Pittsburgh 7. Indianapolis 8. Denver 9. Buffalo 10. Cincinatti 11. Houston 12. Kansas City 13. Oakland 14. Cleveland 15. Miami 16. Tennesee

Wont happen, Feaster isnt trading him and Vinny wants to stay and will most likely take less money to stay with Tampa. I know youre talking hypotheticals but dont look for it. Plus, Vinny is NOT the type of player that will perform at his best in a big market.

Remember, no one is gonna spend up to the 39 million dollar cap number, each team will have 2-3 million for minor league callups due to injury.

I dont care who they sign the Sens need an elite goaltender to get over the hump neither an old Hasek nor Prusek is the answer.

When Joe Theissman tries hard he is a very solid analyst. However, too often he cares about hearing the sound of his own voice and one-upping Paul Maguire on the Sunday Night broadcasts. However, I do have hope he can regain his focus with a pro like Al Michaels.

The first confirmed buyouts are in: Leclair and Amonte are on the market.

I'd laugh like hell...actually we would probably trade the pick since we might not be able to keep Khabby around here and rake someone over the coals for a goalie.

Excuses...Excuses...

Wrong. Hasek was Detroit's goalie in 02.

Osgood was the exception not the rule though.