NHL January 08

[treble 0]

Leafs won. Give JFJ an extension.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Give him an extension?

 

 

What did you just say to me?

[Red Baron 0]

Habs won too, and Huet looked good too.

 

Still think we should trade Huet CG?

[Guest]

I can't believe Dustin Brown went from "dumb hockey player who only hits people for fun" to this. It's like he's a completely different player this season. Not only that, he's signed for SEVEN more years, at what looks to be an extremely low rate for a player of his skill.

[CanadianChris 0]

Sens got swept by the Capitals this season, as I predicted. Hopefully the Caps can be held down by the rest of the scrubs in the Southeast, because I sure don't want to face that team in the first round of the playoffs.

[devo 0]

Amazing ending to the Jackets game tonight as Nash beats two defenders by himself to score the game-winning goal with twenty seconds left.

 

Columbus is on a nice little streak, having won the last four games. Might be too much to ask that they keep it going and have a decent road trip for once, though.

[Red Baron 0]

I like Bob Mackenzie analysist on this Ryder/Tanguay deal.

 

I love it.

[the max 0]

Alex Steen made Alex Auld look like a fool on the winning shootout goal. A simple wristshot fake, Auld is about three feet out of position, Steen calmly flips it behind Auld, who is stuck trying to make a blocker save on a shot that never happened. WTG.

 

On the plus side, this was the NHL debut of Pascal Pelletier, who looked like about a thousand bucks when he was on the line with anyone but Krejci/Sobotka. With them, he maybe cracked a few hundred grand. He needs work, but he didn't look lost. Hope he sticks around and Schaefer starts waiting tables in the boxes or something.

[AntiLeaf33 0]

Nice goal by Nash last night. Goal of the Year by a long shot so far.

[Red Baron 0]

Crosby suffered a high ankle sprain in tonights game and is out 4-6 weeks. They don't need to worry when Ty Conklin is playing so well.

[Guest Cock Ring Warehouse]

Nice goal by Nash last night. Goal of the Year by a long shot so far.

Long shot? Fuck off. Did the Toews goal not happen? Get real.

 

Patrick Sharp got a four-year extension, which makes me happy. That was a real steal by Dale Tallon to pick him up from the Flyers; Sharp is gonna be a cornerstone of this thing. The Organ-eye-zation picked up Jason Adams from the Hurricanes for a draft pick, which may mark the first time in six years that the Hawks have traded a worthless pick for a player instead of the other way around.

 

Shootout win over the Avs last night, which also makes me happy, but that disastrous 8-game skid might have them so far gone that even 8th place is out of the question. I mean, even the Phoenix Coyotes are over .500 now. Oh well. In your face, Edmonton.

[the max 0]

It basically became Samsonov/pick for Adams. And the Blackhawks are on the hook for half of Samsonov's salary this year.

 

I think Carolina got the better end of the deal.

[Guest Cock Ring Warehouse]

I assume you mean they're responsible for hte half-season he was with Chicago? If not, then there needs to be some reform with waivers. If you snatch up a player on re-entry waivers, you should be on the hook for the remainder of the salary. I'm sure this is already the case, but if it's not, then the system is broken.

[the max 0]

It's already so that if you put a player on regular waivers, his contract goes with him if he is claimed.

 

If he's on re-entry waivers, you pay half of his salary, no matter if his contract ends this year or five years from now. You're on the hook for half of his annual salary. I think that's fair, because otherwise, a team could just shuttle a highly paid player to the minors and back with no regard for his being claimed. Plus, it puts pressure on the GM to not sign guys to big contracts who may not live up to them. Otherwise, nobody is going to bail you out when you put him on regular waivers, but they might take a shot at him for half-price. See: Sergei Samsonov.

 

 

[Guest Cock Ring Warehouse]

but I don't WANNA pay for half of Sergei Samsonovvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

 

Oh well. I guess all those years of making 95% profit on beer have to add up to the flexibility to make mistakes like this. Don't tell me this guy counts against the bullshit salary cap, too.

[the max 0]

Both Adams and half of Samsonov's remaining contract count against Chicago's cap. Adams is signed through next season at 600K, Samsonov is off the books at the end of this season.

[Guest Cock Ring Warehouse]

Sorry, I'm still learning to understand NHL finances; they've always been really simple for us, just "we're not spending money."

[the max 0]

http://www.nhlscap.com/

 

A cool site for figuring out the little things in the CBA. The guy who runs it is a good guy, too. He's an admin at hfboards.

[Red Baron 0]

So who do you think on your team is going to be traded at the deadline, and who do you hope in return to help bolster your lineup.

 

For Montreal, Ryder is definitly on the blocks. Only seven goals for a two time 30 goal scorer.

 

What Montreal needs is a strong second line center that can win faceoffs. I know its a stretch to find one of these players, but that is what Montreal needs.

[Mike wanna be 0]

Sundin needs to go. Not "He sucks" he needs to go, but "He's 38 and deserves a shot at a Cup while Toronto needs assloads of help and can get at least part of it by moving Sundin".

 

If they trade him, though, JFJ is 100% gone; Sundin's the captain (and has been for a while), the best player on the team (and has been for a while) and the heart & soul of the Maple Leafs (...you see what I'm getting at.)

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

So who do you think on your team is going to be traded at the deadline, and who do you hope in return to help bolster your lineup.

 

For Montreal, Ryder is definitly on the blocks. Only seven goals for a two time 30 goal scorer.

 

What Montreal needs is a strong second line center that can win faceoffs. I know its a stretch to find one of these players, but that is what Montreal needs.

 

That was supposed be Smolinski, so at least we're seeing an effory from Gainey. As I've said many times before, outside of the face-offs, they don't need anything but time to let their very young team mature a little bit. They're not quite a contender yet, but I think the missing piece of the puzzle is experience (which should be counted in the same vein as leadership).

 

[the max 0]

If healthy, Glen Murray will be shipped out. I think someone would give up something for a guy with a lethal shot like his. His injury history may knock his value down some, but Chiarelli has to move that salary and move on from Murray. The team is just faster and better overall when he's not in the lineup. It's basically established now that Savard can make just about anyone into a goalscorer. Time to bring in someone cheaper.

[the pinjockey 0]

The only thing I want the Flyers to do is get Forsberg if he is available and wants back. He won't cost anything other than cash, so sign me up. They are set up nicely for the long haul though, so I don't want them touching a premium asset (JVR, Giroux, Parent) for a rental or short term player.

 

Outside of that if they can turn a mid-tier prospect (Potulny, Ruzicka) into a solid defensive forward I would be all for that as they could use another one. But don't fire any real bullets this season.

 

I think Lasse Kukkonen may get traded as he got into Stevens doghouse for some reason. I hope not though as having him as a legit 7th DMan is worth more than what he will fetch in a trade.

 

The two interesting cases could be Carter and Umberger as both are RFAs. If they get the sense there is no chance of bringing them back for a reasonable dollar figure, I could see one moving. If they move Carter, they have to get a great defensive 3rd line center back (either in that deal or a subsequent deal). If Smith wasn't captain, I could see him moving, since he is a UFA, as him, Hatcher and Vandermeer are pretty redundant. But I can't see any team in the playoff hunt trading their captain.

 

I do think if Lupul returns to form that Upshall might be a guy they dangle out there. There is so much forward depth that someone will be the odd man out and he might be the guy. He obviously isn't going to be the cornerstone to a Sundin like package, but he could bring a nice role player back that would fit more of what they lack.

[Nightwing 0]

Hey, now that we are closing in on the All-Star break, I'd like to see how people are grading their teams, conference, whatever. Interested how people think how some teams are living up to expectations.

[CanadianChris 0]

Well, JFJ is FINALLY gone. Cliff Fletcher is once again Leafs GM.

[CanadianChris 0]

Hey, now that we are closing in on the All-Star break, I'd like to see how people are grading their teams, conference, whatever. Interested how people think how some teams are living up to expectations.

I'll take a crack at this...

 

OTTAWA SENATORS

 

Forwards: B+. A+ for the top line which continues to be one of the best lines ever assembled. Still need more production from the second and third lines.

 

Defence: A. Phillips not making the All-Star game was criminal, but somewhat expected when you consider that a blueliner's worth among people who hand out accolades is judged almost exclusively by how much he scores. Volchenkov was sorely missed when he was out of the lineup. The rest of the defencemen are having very good years.

 

Goaltending: C. Gerber (2.61 GAA, .913 Sv%) was excellent at the start of the year, but has been pretty inconsistent since. The Emery extension may turn out to be an even bigger mistake than the Gerber signing, as Gerber at least doesn't have all the off-ice crap that Emery does, which could make Emery (2.83, .893) quite undesirable in the eyes of teams looking for goalie help.

 

Coaching: B. John Paddock is an OK head coach, and really, you don't need to be much more than an OK head coach with this lineup.

 

Overall: A. So far, so good. No more Capitals on the schedule is a bonus. The real test will be surviving without Heatley and possibly Alfredsson for a lengthy period. The other top-six forwards have to step up, and the goaltending situation needs to stabilize, to avoid giving ground to the other contenders in the East.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Well, JFJ is FINALLY gone. Cliff Fletcher is once again Leafs GM.

 

Read the JFJ thing when I woke up this morning; when was Fletcher announced? Interim or full-time?

[Lord of The Curry 0]

I eagerly anticipate Leafs fans acting like this means a fucking lick of difference.

[bob_barron 0]

It does, though. JFJ was terrible and was constantly setting the Leafs backwards.

 

This move should've been made a long time ago

[the max 0]

Boston Bruins:

 

Offense: C. And it's only that high because Marc Savard is one of the most creative players in the league and only needs that split second to make a play out of nothing. Phil Kessel is coming around, albeit slower than most expected. I think that when you consider all that he's been through in his year and a half career, Kessel is going to evolve into a great player. I've read other places of him essentially being Tony Amonte, which I won't complain about. Obviously, the lack of a second top two center is due to Bergeron being out (and out for the season as he hasn't even skated since the incident and I'd rather they took their time and made sure he was as healthy as can be). Glen Murray is still the same Glen Murray. Can't stay healthy and when he is healthy, he's just an offensive player that has been snakebitten for the entire season. He has 10 goals, yes, but they all happened in one spot on the schedule. When he's not scoring goals, he is useless. Kobasew and Sturm are two guys relied on for their offense, but they're both wayyyy too streaky to be the backbone of the team's goal scoring.

 

Defense: B-. Zdeno Chara has been the Chara that fans expected from him last year. His minutes are down, but he's doing more in them than he was last year. He's a fixture on the PK, hitting guys, blocking passes/shots, and his offensive game has really helped the powerplay do its business (6th in the NHL). The problem with the defense is that outside of Chara and the emerging Wideman, there is nobody else. Aaron Ward is a great veteran to have around and Mark Stuart looks like the real deal, but Ference and Hnidy are still two guys who get too much ice time and struggle in finding roles on the defense. The defense struggles mightily at killing penalties (27th in the league) and sometimes even the basics are lost on them (making the first pass out of the zone, CLEARING the zone, etc.) They need a legit #2 defenseman to take the weight off of Wideman. I think Wideman as a second pairing guy with his offensive skills and his budding defensive awareness would make him a much better player, much sooner.

 

Goaltending: B+. It's hard to fault a goaltending team that has a 2.57 GAA (9th in the league) while facing over 31 shots per game (4th in the league). They are also tied for second in the league in save % (.918). Thomas has emerged as a legit #1 goaltender and Alex Auld has become a very safe backup, making timely saves and keeping the team in it, even during the long stretches where the ice is tilted into the Bruins' zone.

 

Coaching: A. It's hard to do more with less as well as Claude Julien has. He's basically relied on Marc Savard carrying the team offensively, Chara defensively and Thomas being a flopping wall in net and has the team improved over last year's numbers with no Bergeron, no #2 defenseman and Chuck Kobasew leading the team in goals...still at 7th in the conference with at least a game in hand on all but one team in the playoff hunt. And the team has played more aggressively than they did last year, instead of the Snuggle Bear team they were last year, this team doesn't take shit from anyone. He's given the kids ice time when they deserve it, instilling in them that they'll have to play the right way before they are allowed to play at all. He's not been afraid to bench Kessel when needed to. Criticism of Julien is the same that most coaches probably get: If he's not afraid to bench Kessel, why not bench Sturm when he went through his stretch of playing like shit? Why not hold the vets to the same standard?

 

Overall: B. Their heads are above water in the east, which is more than I expected. They've let the kids play and have been rewarded with great efforts by Sobotka, Krejci and Pelletier in the last few games. Milan Lucic is getting a reputation as a force on the team. And I'm delusional enough to believe that they could actually make the playoffs with some minor offensive and defensive additions...and potentially make some noise. They are a team that I would hate to see as a top seed in the playoffs. You know with Julien behind the bench, the team doesn't quit in the middle of games anymore. And when Tim Thomas is on, he's on for games at a time. A streaky goaltender behind a physical team that can score goals is a great horse to have in the playoffs.